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[Weekly Megathread] FREQUENT Feedback / Requests / Suggestions

2024.04.29 06:02 AutoModerator [Weekly Megathread] FREQUENT Feedback / Requests / Suggestions

UPDATE: reordered the list a bit for better overview. Fixed issues will now appear at the bottom of a specific list for better readability.
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We are a Fan subreddit, and not run by Blizzard, but the devs and CM's are frequently reading feedback from all sources, including reddit.
Many people come here to give feedback, which is welcome, but since some of the feedback is given very frequently, we compile this frequently given/posted feedback / requests / suggestions from players on specific issues in this weekly updated and reoccurring thread here to not bloat up the subreddit and people feed with it.
We will redirect most new threads about issues / feedback that are about below listed topics, to this weekly thread, to keep the subreddit better readable, while also keeping these issues highlighted as things the community is concerned about.
The list of these issues / topics is posted below and will be adjusted (when necessary) every week.
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Things that have been fixed or otherwise solves or addressed will be crossed out like this.
This also proved a good overview of which issues have already been adderesed / fixed / etc.
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--- List of Feedback / Requests / Complaints that are frequently posted on the subreddit ---
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UI
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Stash
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Items
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Legendary Aspects
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Artisans and Crafting
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Balance (Combat)
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Mount
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Leveling / Campaign / Dungeons / Endgame / Uberbosses
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Season Specific
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Technical & Bugs
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Other Quality of Life
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Other
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Recent additions to the list
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Tell us in the comments and discuss with other about which topics you think should be on this list to be highlighted, and why!
That helps us to update the list for next week.
submitted by AutoModerator to diablo4 [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 04:00 Bonjonsie The Jonsie Burrows: Help Wanted 2 Part 6

Drinking five liters of Fizzy Faz is a bad idea. Think of your kidneys and liver!
Previous part: 5.
Nothing to say really, let's just keep on keeping on!
For those new to this series or who have lost which part or place they're on, check out The Jonsie Burrows: Help Wanted 2: Tables of contents to find where you want to go! If you haven't seen any of my stuff before then...
Hello, this is something you might have missed in Help Wanted 2.
Previously Post Interesting things:
  1. Our main character, HW Jeremy, Cassie's dad, is already wearing the Security Mask before we even start the game. This means Glitchtrap has access to his mind and body. As for what that entails...
  2. Help Wanted 2's AMask-on version of the FNAF6 Pizzaria might be based on Micheal's canonical look for it near the end of Pizzaria Simulator.
  3. After completing each minigame, a party hat, plate, and cup will appear on the table next to you. Whose party are we attending as a guest?
  4. The protagonist of Help Wanted 2 is HW Jeremy, discovered through the color blue items which are prominent in the game and used for his name and shirt in Ruin. Jeremy was a former employee of Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental and may have been present during the events of Sister Location.
  5. In the First Aid minigame of Help Wanted 2, the "GET WELL SOON!" drawings depict Baby's life as seen through Vanny's eyes, hinting towards the game's secret ending. These drawings also reveal that Baby's data card from Sister Location was inside Helpy in Pizzeria Simulator and survived the fire. As a result, her programming was eventually absorbed into the Pizzaplex's Network, leading to her appearance in Help Wanted 2.
  6. Glitchtrap may have collected the souls and memories of the original dead kids into the Pizzaplex's Network and in this game, Jeremy is going is his memories.
  7. Help Wanted 2's Fizz Faz minigame's location is the same but different location in Security Breach. They both have identical objects placed in the exact place as each other, giving evidence to the fact that Jeremy is physically moving to certain locations in the Pizzaplex when clicking on the minigames.
Now back to our unregularly scheduled series!
​
Once in the restaurant again, Helpy as always when you completed a minigame, informed you that a new task was available to you. Checking the Staff Only folder revealed that it was the next night of Fizzy Faz, which you clicked on to open its pop-up window.
​
You know I've been meaning to get into the Helpi of this game. That's right not even a second paragraph into the next part and we're already deep diving into another subject!
So lets start with the interesting thing about Helpi in Help Wanted 2, is he actually Glitchtrap? Yes, no, and maybe. Let's think it through.
Unlike his Ruin variant, Help Wanted 2's Helpi only appears in one place, the projector screen in the hub world. Also unlike Ruin's this Helpi has a completely different design.
Although those two points about this Helpi don't give us much to work on to figure out why he the way he is in this game at first glance. It actually gives us a ton of information!
For one, his design and singular placement in the game tell us that this Helpi is not a part of the V.A.N.N.I. network like Ruin Helpi was. How can I know this? Simple. The V.A.N.N.I. network does not cover the FNAF 6 pizzeria.
You see something that I didn't cover in my Ruin deep dive is its Brazil ending. In that ending, Cassie puts on the Security Mask and integrates into the network one last time as she hides from the Mimic behind a Fredbear's cutout. But how could this be when Helpi explicitly tells us that the V.A.N.N.I. network ends at the door to the underground?
Something that I learned when I started my quest to prove stuff, especially when it comes to the endings of these games, is that each of the alternate endings we're given, no matter if they're the canon ending or not, provides us with valuable information about the ongoings of the game. Including stuff that's happening in the background sort of speak.
Take my "One ending leads to Ruin" post for example. Some of Security Breach's endings give us a pretty clear picture of what Vanny was doing when Gregory and Freddy went underground for the Burn It All Down ending.
The Alley ending for instance has Vanny tracking down Gregory into its namesake. But how Vanny knows that Gregory has left the building so quickly and managed to follow him right after he leaves is only hinted at in the To the Rooftop ending. During that ending we're are shown that Vanny is on the rooftop before Gregory gets there, much to his shock.
You see when deciding to escape the Pizzaplex rather than confront Vanny, Gregory falls right into one of her traps. Vanny knows that Gregory is going to try and escape the building once it hits 6:00 a.m. because she made almost every exit to the Pizzaplex unavailable and inaccessible to him until that time.
The front entrance, of course, opens at 6:00 a.m., and The loading dock requires at least a level seven clearance, which would take literally hours for Gregory to get. This leaves only one possible exit for him to leave through and the one place she can ambush him and catch him by surprise, the Pizzaplex's rooftop.
So when 6:00 a.m. hits and she still doesn't have him, Vanny waits on the roof as it provides her with a vantage point to catch him or spot which way he leaves the Pizzaplex. Unfortunately for her, but not too unfortunate considering all the possible endings, Gregory had decided to confront not her, but the true source of evil and attempt to Burn it All Down.
Though funnily enough, The Getaway ending, in which Greg and Fred steal a van, was the best possible escape plan, because the van provides Gregory the advantage of speed to outrun Vanny when she spots him from the rooftop.
All of this is information that could only be gained by looking at what the other endings tell us about what could possibly happen if different choices are made.
So what does the Brazil ending of Ruin inform us?
It can tell us that the Vanny Mask can connect to the Pizzaplex's network outside of the V.A.N.N.I network. If you are confused by my wording, let me explain as I haven't talked about it in a while. But the Pizzaplex has a main network and subnetworks. The main network is basically the foundation for every other network in the Pizzaplex, like the security system, the wet floor bots, and Glamrock Bonnie network, the various attractions' network, and the V.A.N.N.I network.
So the V.A.N.N.I network is not actually required for the Security Mask to be used, just the main network of the Pizzaplex, and as the hidden cameras of Ruin show us, at least one subnetwork connects all the down to where the Mimic was sealed. Way past where Jeremy is in the FNAF6 pizzeria.
But you don't really need the Brazil ending to find this out as the sequence leading up to it helps tease that out. No, what the Brazil ending tells us, or rather shows us and relates to Help Wanted 2, is that Helpi can appear outside of the V.A.N.N.I network.
How can I know this is Helpi? If you're referring to this Helpi, our little helper from the Security Mask, then no, I'm not talking about that Helpi. Whom I'm referring too is a variant I've come to call Helpmi. In Ruin, this corrupted version of Helpi is defined by his slight change in appearance and personality.
But more than that as I talked about in my "Helpi is a victim Prove it!" post. The source of our corrupted Helper in Ruin and is using him as a puppet is other than Glitchtrap. Our malhare has quite the fondness of using other known characters in the franchise as a trojan horse with which to interact and manipulate things. A quirk developed from his Mimic and Aftons origins, no doubt.
So when I say that Helpi can appear outside of the V.A.N.N.I network. What I'm actually saying is that Glitchtrap's Helpmi decoy can appear outside of that network. And that decoy can appear as any variant of Helpi, including Glamrock Helpy who makes an appearance in the Brazil ending instead of V.A.N.N.I. Helpi.
As to why it's Glamrock Helpy and not V.A.N.N.I Helpi who appears in that final image of that ending, I'm not totally sure. It could be that Cassie would be more familiar with that variant of Helpy as that one is the current standard design in the Pizzaplex, it may be because V.A.N.N.I Helpi is actually an entity compared to the other Helpys, or could be because Glamrock Helpy was the first version of him to be controlled by Glitchtrap.
Each possibility is likely, but no way to know the truth of it. At least for now.
But what's important here is that Glitchtrap is capable of showing those who wear the Security Mask a Helpi decoy that can direct them to do what he wants while he hides in the shadows. And that decoy can shift its appearance to fit any occasion.
Say a certain pizzeria that's deep under the Pizzaplex.
Is this Helpi actually Glitchtrap? Yes. Unlike Ruin's Helpi, this one is entirely Glitchtrap in disguise with no alter ego.
Wow, I just clocked in on that! Glitchtrap actually shows another trait of his Mimic predecessor by having a habit of putting on disguises! That is interesting...
Helpi, Nightmarrione plushie, and even Burntrap to an extent. I've been wondering why in this game, Glitchtrap seemed so intent on being hidden from our view. Especially since this is the type of situation that we should expect to see him since our mind is in the network.
We never see him up close, have a direct view of his full body, or face him directly. It can't be because he's stuck somewhere and has to communicate through a proxy as he personally hands us the memory dolls and even personally plays with us directly with his hand puppet in the Bonk-a-Bon minigame.
Maybe Glitchtrap being so hidden from us in these games after Help Wanted is not because he was cut from the games, but because he's deliberately hiding from the protagonists of these games' point of view and uses disguise to interact with them. Hmm...
Okay, we're getting off-topic now. But we will talk about this at a later date.
As for this Helpi retro appearance, I believe it has to do with being inside the pizzeria. This restaurant although is the location where FNAF 6 took place, may also be the place where a carnival happened to be. And if that giant Freddy we find near this restaurant is any indication, a Freddy 's-themed carnival that coincides with a certain annual festival that we've been hinted about in these new-era games.
Anyway, that about wraps it up about Helpi in this game. But I want to get further along in the deep dive to see if there's any else I can glean from this decoy.
Let's get back to the Help Wanted 2!
​
"Fizzy Faz fun! Meet production quotas and protect the bottom line." this was what the pop window for Fizzy Faz Night 2 read before pressed the TUTORIAL button and was transported by darkness into the void again.
"Make the correct order and send it up to the delivery unit. " "Give S.T.A.F.F. Bots a break occasionally or you may regret it." "Use the
Emergency Shut Down if things get out of hand."
Were what the ominous instructions floating in the void greeted you with. It looks like things aren't going to be so easy this night if that third one was any indication. With a press of the start button and a blink of darkness later, you find yourself back in the Mixing Room once again.
"You are back." was FIZZ Bot welcoming on your return.
"S.T.A.F.F may become hostile." Another warning about the dangers of the S.T.A.F.F bots. Looks like you are really going to need to start paying attention to them and how much of each ingredient you have.
"Give forced break." Nothing about your surroundings changed from what you've seen. Even that half-empty Sodaroni can that was between the tall monitor and the button control panel in front of you last time, was still there. So you decided to take these next few moments to prepare yourself for what's to come.
"If S.T.A.F.F strike, use SHUTDOWN button. Force reboot." Was the end of Fizz Bot's short and clip instructions for the night before the tall monitor let up, implying the shift had started and the work had begun.
(Oooh, that's what that button does, reboot the S.T.A.F.F bots. I thought it was just a lockdown button. I should've probably paid more attention to Fizz Bot's explanation on my first watch-through of this game.)
It was all going well enough for you, you followed the list of ingredients, placed the container in the delivery unit, and kept an eye on the S.T.A.F.F bots as quickly and as best as you could. Rinse and repeat.
To your misfortune though.
A loud metallic screeching noise echoed throughout the Mixing Room, throwing you off your rhythm and causing you to stare out your window and into the warehouse itself. You didn't see anything, so you checked the cameras for the source of the noise.
Your best wasn't good enough.
A whirring sound pulled your gaze off the monitor and back to our front window as something that wasn't there before had pulled up to the window and was now standing there.
It was a S.T.A.F.F bot but not one that you've seen before. It was covered in dirt like someone had pulled it out of some old dusty dirt pile left in some forgotten part of the warehouse. But more than that, someone had decided to give it strange markings made by a black marker.
Its eyes were blacked out and tear marks were given to its face along with a drawn gaping mouth designed in a way to give the impression of teeth and three stripes were made around its forearms. But the strangest thing about this bot besides the fact that it was made to look like Nightmarionne, was that there was writing on its chest and what it read.
"In your Dreams."
What? But before you could think another thought, the bot slammed its hands against the glass window before rolling itself towards your right. Right to the open exit door.
In a moment of panic and quick thinking, you slammed the emergency SHUT DOWN button in front of you before you lost sight of it in the front window. Immediately, sparks shot up from various areas in the room as a metal wall came down from above and blocked the front window and a metal door came down in the doorway. Shielding you inside the room that was currently letting off an alarm sound and blinking a red light.
With the metal shield blocking the front window and your right short monitor displaying a black screen preventing you from seeing the cameras, you were totally isolated from the ongoing outside of the room you were in.
Luckily, your other monitor was on and still gave you the current order, so using this time wisely, you finished up the next few orders before the shutdown was over.
Which was soon enough as the metal shields went back up, the red lights turned off, and the alarm became silent. The Nightmarionne bot that was once in your front view has disappeared, but you had no time to be more thorough in your search for it as you still had orders to complete and S.T.A.F.F. bots to manage.
​
I find it really odd and curious that the Nightmarione bots in this minigame don't have their glowing white eyes like in Security Breach. Is this implying that the minigame's version of these bots is just a recreation rather than being the real ones?
I just went and checked out the normal ending for this game because I remembered that the Nightmarione bots appear there too and the same goes for them. No white eyes...
At first, I was going to brush this whole thing off as just an ordinary appearance of that special S.T.A.F.F. bot. But the missing eyes thing is starting to make me believe that something else is going on here with those bots in particular.
But what?
I know that the S.T.A.F.F. bots, or at least some of them, have the souls of Fazbear employees or other victims trapped within them due to Security Breach voice lines for them. Is this telling us that the souls within them are no longer there? Or is it telling us that the souls aren't in the network that we are in?
What I mean by that last line, is that both in this minigame and the ending, we are integrated into the network through the Security Mask. But unlike Ruin, we are integrated into a different network, not the V.A.N.N.I. network.
Still, there's got to be a reason why Steel Wool decided not to give them their signature white eyes in Help Wanted 2. I can't think of anything so I'll just stick a mental pin on this for later.
​
Before long, the ending shift alarm rang throughout the warehouse letting you know that your shift has ended and your work was completed. "Return and work. Save time tomorrow." Was the last thing you heard before you were transported back to "GAME WON!" void to claim your reward from the claw machine.
Which turned out to be something surprising compared to the other prizes you've gotten from the machine. It was a red gumball machine with arms and googly eyes, aptly named Gumball Swivelhands.
Pressing the "RETURN TO HUB" button had you transported back to the restaurant. Once there, it was the same as usual. Helpy notifying you, that there was another task available and huh?
You spotted something in the left side corner of the restaurant that wasn't there before. What was weird was that it was something that you've become recently familiar with. Like, a couple of seconds ago.
Standing before you, right next to a bill-to-change machine, with an open smile, extended eyelashes, and a propeller hat was Gumball Swivelhands. How did it get here? Did someone place it here? Could you get a gumball?
No matter the question asked, the answer remained unknown to you. But this goofy gumball machine made you wonder if other prizes you receive will show up here too.
There was only one way to find out.
Back at the computer station, you clicked on the Staff Only folder to presumingly start Fizzy Faz Night 3 but you were shocked to find that the next unlocked file was another corrupted file. In fact, you had another file that was corrupted in addition to that.
This meant there were no more tasks that you could complete in the Staff Only folder until you figured out how to fix these corrupted files.
You stood there, staring at the screen wondering how were you supposed to fix them, until you sighed and closed the Staff Only folder window. There was absolutely nothing you could do, so the only logical choice you had was to pick a different folder to complete for now. Who knows, maybe one prize you will receive from one of these other folders holds the key to the corrupted files.
But which folder should you do next?
(By using a random letter generator and picking the starting letter of a YouTuber's name, we decide what to do next! So the honor of picking the next folder goes to... Huh, I guess there's not a YouTuber that played Help Wanted 2 with L as the first letter in their name.
Alright then, next letter! It's A! Which means Astralspiff!)
You decided to do Ticket Both next as you were curious as to what exactly that entailed. Clicking on the folder caused its popup window to be displayed and revealed what the folder contains. And surprisingly, there were only three things in it. Needless to say, that was much less than what the other folder had.
There were two locked folders and a file that was named Carousel with an icon of its namesake. Looks like this is going to be a little bit more interesting than the other ones too, going by just its name alone.
(Oh joy! It's the Moon minigame!)
Another click brought up the Carousel pop window which stated, "Enjoy a ride on the classical Fazbear antique carousel. May require technical support." Alright, it was time for you to see what this was all about and see what this folder had in store for you. And so with one more click, your vision was covered in black.
​
Not gonna lie, I was pumped to finish Night 3 of Fizzy Faz in this part. This is the second time where I'm ready to do a two-in-one special within one part! But I guess the Ticket Both minigames are going to have the honor of fulfilling that.
And oh joy, am I excited to get into this carousel minigame as my mind has given me an interesting thought which we'll explore more™ in the next part!
submitted by Bonjonsie to fivenightsatfreddys [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 02:44 RangerFrank Deathworld Commando: Reborn- Vol.7 Ch.206- In Our Lord's Name, We Put Our Faith In Him. Part.2

CoverVol.1PreviousNextMapsWiki+DiscordRoyal RoadWebNovelTapasKo-FiFandom/wiki
Update at the end. Make sure you read it.
---
The low hum grew louder, and the feeling of impending doom increased exponentially. Sylvia let out a curse that she didn’t have time for and pointed her sword forward. The sphere of crimson liquid wobbled and morphed, taking on the appearance of metal. It slowly transformed into a giant spear that resembled mine. The spear oozed power and the same feeling of dread as the golden shield.
“Kaladin, help me! Use that spell!” Sylvia yelled.
I jumped back and knew exactly what she meant. I focused on my reserves of mana and began forming the same triple spell core at the tip of the golden horn on my spear. The white flames condensed down by gravity into a blue sheen and then further into a smooth glass texture.
The searing heat boiled the blood and warped the air around us, but we paid it no mind. If Sylvia said that the ritual needed to stop, then that was what needed to happen.
After a few moments and my spell ready, Sylvia shouted, “Now! Bring it down!”
There was no boom like last time, but the shockwave was just as intense as I threw my spear. It knocked us back, but we couldn’t help but watch the spears soar off. They flew over the head of the king, who was annihilating the waves of zealots with crystals and fists. The crimson and blue spear raced toward their target, only for a silver knight to walk out from the barrier.
He raised his giant tower shield and, from his back, expanded six golden wings, three on each side. Pure mana exuded from his form and thickened the very air around him. He braced himself behind his shield as the two spells impacted him, followed by a flash of blue and gold light.
The following shockwave rolled over us like the force from a bomb, this time literally knocking us off our feet. We hid behind our magic, and Sylvia protected us with a wall of blood. After the explosive force and the dust cleared, Sylvia dropped her wall of blood.
The entire area was wreathed in blue and golden flames. The only thing between us and the golden shield was a purple mass of crystal that slowly broke apart. King Maxwell stood tall but, still unharmed, and glaring down at us was the Shield Exarch.
His golden wings flapped behind him, his shield unmarred by the devastation, and the golden barrier still erected. The exarch raised his crystal sword and shouted to the world.
“The faithful must take hold! Answer to your god, which you have confessed to! Fight your last fight for your entire life in service to his brilliance!”
From behind the golden barrier, the still-standing paladin, priests, and white-robed assailants dropped to the floor. From my Soul Sight, I could see that they were dead. And even without my Dragon eye, I could visibly see the golden specters fly off into the shield only to evaporate into visible mana and be absorbed.
It was then that the threat was evident. There were no words between us. We immediately began casting defensive magic. I layered dozens and dozens of earthen walls in front of us. Sylvia also did the same with her Blood Sorcery, and even King Maxwell retreated to our position.
He stood in front of us and thrust his fists into the ground. Crystals the size of houses began to spread out like mountains toward the threat. Sylvia was wrapping us all in a giant sphere of blood as the voice rang out.
“Consecration.”
The world was filled with a brilliant golden light that consumed everything and threatened to break through Sylvia’s magic. The last thing I saw was Sylvia’s magic barely missing the king, before sound returned to us. Outside of the blood sphere, it sounded like a storm. No, it was closer to being in the middle of an orbital bombardment from my previous life.
The entire planet seemed to shake from the force, and it was a long time, at least five minutes, before things finished. We all waited in silence, waiting, but I couldn’t hear or sense anything besides those of us inside the barrier. I gave Sylvia a nod, and the bloody barrier splashed onto the ground.
The outside world was barren. The crater, which was filled with blood, bodies, and rock, was a perfect hole in the ground now. The only thing that remained was a purple cocoon directly in front of us. Other than that, there was nothing.
Still feeling the effects of my drugs, and with what little I had in the tank, I sprinted forward. My family called to my back, but I continued to run, headless of their words. They were safe, the immediate threats were gone, and I absolutely would not let Alnwar escape so easily.
Their escape path was clear, a sewer pipe of the city. I ran directly into the darkness, following their only possible path. I was running at full speed when I ran into a crossroads. But the footsteps in the filth were easy enough to follow. It was then that something rushed out of the darkness.
I wasted no time, sent multiple Earth Lances into it, and continued to run. The body was impaled into the roof of the sewer, and what I did manage to make out in the darkness was bloodshot red eyes followed by the snarls of a person. It must have been a Vampire, but I ignored it and continued forward. That could be dealt with later.
After a few minutes of running, the smell of the sea hit me, and I broke free into the light. I was on a dock facing the blue ocean with the burning city behind me. And out in the water was a single dingy being rowed by Alnwar, the Shield Exarch standing, watching me from across the water.
It was being rowed out to a large ship docked out in the open water. Beside me was a bunch of slain fishermen, and I immediately ran over to a pile of harpoons and picked up the first one. I took a few steps back from the edge and recalled my match with Agnar many months ago.
I focused the last dredges of mana in my body for one final railgun shot. The white flames flickered on the steel harpoon and melted it. As the flames coalesced down to blue glass, the harpoon warped and began to drip. The spell burnt my lungs and destroyed the hand holding the weapon, but I ignored it all.
With what was left of it, I sprinted forward and, with all my might, I tossed it. The spell rocketed across the water, burning the sea and setting up puffs of smoke, and created a giant wave. And as it raced toward its intended target, the shield of the Exarch flashed, and a golden barrier protected the small dingy.
The spell hit and exploded, sending another shockwave that kicked up the water and sent it spraying across the bay. Once again, my most potent spell had been defeated by the Exarch. The waves pushed the dingy closer to the ship and I fell to my knees, drained of mana and stamina.
My anger burned intensely, but there was nothing I could do. Alnwar had escaped my grasp when he was right in front of me. I had failed.
—
Alnwar Strongfold’s POV.
“Wew…that was too close for comfort. It’s been a while, Gerimia, but thanks for the help back there. Who knew they were that strong?” I said as I climbed onto the deck.
“We did. We always knew they were that strong. Why didn’t you strike the Dragonslayer down?” Gerimia questioned with an annoyed huff.
“Ouch…not even a ‘good to see you’ after all these years? And I tried. That kid isn’t someone to be trifled with. If I had a little more time before that damn king showed up, I would have killed him,” I said.
Gerimia snorted. “Whatever.”
“And hey, last time I checked, you failed your mission too, right?” I said as we walked down into the depths of the ship.
“I failed one of my three missions, and that was because something was out of my control. What’s your excuse again?” Gerimia retorted.
“Same as always,” I grumbled as I sat down on a barrel.
“What are you doing?” Gerimia barked. “You have someone to talk to.”
“What? What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’m not leading this mission. He is. And he is waiting for you down below,” Gerimia said calmly.
No…no way…
“No one told me he was here!” I shouted.
“Too bad for you. He’s your boss, not mine. I’d say I’ll see you again, but that’s only if you survive,” Gerimia said with a shrug.
Gerimia left me to my thoughts. I swallowed the spit pooling in my mouth as my heart thumped in my chest. I was afraid of very little in this world. It was true that brat’s bloodlust was otherworldly, I had never felt that way before. How did he even manage to muster that kind of bloodlust as to make me nearly faint?
Even so…there is one thing I fear the most. A monster pretending to be a Human.
I steeled myself, knowing there was no point in holding off. If I didn’t go to him immediately, my death was guaranteed. With heavy steps, I descended into the belly of the ship.
The bottom of this ship was supposed to be used for cargo only, but a large swath of it had been repurposed into a makeshift church. The darkness was lit by small candles and the heavy feeling only grew as I opened the door.
Kneeling before a golden altar in Amon-Ra’s image was a tanned aging man in his late fifties. His black hair was peppered with streaks of gray, and he wore black armor with golden accents made with Mithril. Rare and large dungeon cores adorned his clothes as a black collar popped up.
I stopped a distance away from him and knelt, my head on the ground. I wasn’t sure how long he made me wait as he mumbled to himself, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, he slowly stood up, and I greeted him.
“Grand Inquisitor, Sir. It’s an honor to be in your most holy presence,” I said, making sure to have as much reverence as possible.
“Alnwar. It’s been some time. Have you been well?” he asked, his deep baritone voice completely void of any concern or emotion.
It was a simple greeting, and he didn’t even bother to turn to face me. It was almost like it was practiced by a monster pretending to be a person, and it sent chills down my spine.
I felt the sweat pool on my back. “I’ve been better, Your Holiness. Thank you for asking your most humble soldier.”
“Good. But Alnwar, tell me, why have you failed in your task?” he asked.
My head dipped lower into the carpet. Sweat dripped from my hair into my eyes, but I dared not to move.
I swallowed and answered, “Please, forgive me. I was not worthy or strong enough to undertake such a task.”
The silence drew on, and after a pause, he said, “Alnwar, you are lacking faith. Our god chose you for this mission. It was a divine mission. Are you doubting our lord’s decisions?”
I bit my tongue and tasted the blood in my mouth as my heart leapt in my chest. It didn’t matter. It never mattered.
Because whatever I said, it was always going to be wrong. A damn monster…a being wearing the skin of a man. That’s who Grand Inquisitor Marks is.
I could hear him turn, and I knew I had to look up. I gazed into his dark green eyes.
“I see. Unfortunately, you are needed for what’s to come, so I can’t send you to Abby On The Hill for reeducating. We will continue this conversation and your punishment at a later date. I recommend you find solace in our lord soon, though,” he said.
My heart sank the moment I heard the name of that infernal place. That was not a holy place. I was hardly an outstanding person, but I was loyal to our cause. And anyone who knew the name of that place…
“I understand, Your Holiness. I’ll do just that.”
https://i.imgur.com/MBWRZQ1.jpeg Image of Grand Inquisitor Marks
---
Good afternoon. I have an important update.
Firstly, sorry for the chapter delay. Yesterday, I had an almost day-long power outage, which delayed my school work and the chapter. But I think I'll be making it up with these two chapters.
Secondly, I've made the decision to release two chapters as a way to show my appreciation for your patience and understanding. The reason for this is that I need to take my break earlier. I've considered your reading experience, and ending on Ch. 205 would have been a massive tease and a less-than-ideal way to leave things. So, I've decided to also drop Ch. 206, a much better stopping point for the time being. I'll also be sure to deliver a chapter to the Grandmaster+ tiers in the near future before the end of my break.
Thirdly and most importantly, I am starting my end-of-volume break...well earlier than the end of the volume. To put it simply, I am in the final two weeks of my bachelor's, and I need to get the work done and do it right. So, I'll be taking the entire month of May off.
This gives me two weeks to finish school, another week to handle some other miscellaneous business and my graduation. And then a week to actually go on vacation and take a breather. This is the longest break I've taken from writing, but it just needs to happen. School comes first for now...and damn, am I ready for it to be over.
Anyway, since school will be over, I'll be returning to Monday posts, and I will be back to our regularly scheduled posts on June 3rd, 10 Am PST.
I'll see you all soon :)

Next

submitted by RangerFrank to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 02:41 RangerFrank Deathworld Commando: Reborn- Vol.7 Ch.206- In Our Lord's Name, We Put Our Faith In Him. Part.1

CoverVol.1PreviousNextMapsWiki+DiscordRoyal RoadWebNovelTapasKo-FiFandom/wiki
Big update at the end of Part.2, make sure you check it out. It is important.
---
My initial surprise waned as a burning hatred boiled up within me. There was no hesitation in my choice. I dipped my mind into my Spatial Ring and pulled out two syringes; the thick red substance within wobbled with the movement.
I eyed my father and mother, who were faring better against their paladin. We were too close to each other to use a wide area of effect magic, and the stragglers were beginning to gather themselves as a new group of rugged-looking paladins showed up.
Their armor was different, some haphazardly maintained, dented in the shoulders and helmets. Overall, they looked like a band of brigands. The purple articles of clothing and cloaks were thrashed, but the marked-out and desecrated symbols of Amon-Ra were present. They were all members of the Chapter of Despair.
I met my father’s eyes and threw the syringe with all my might. We had talked about using the drugs if things got out of hand. A shadowy hand whipped out from my father and snatched the syringe out of the air. He quickly injected himself in the thigh, and I followed suit.
The effects were almost immediate. I felt my skin get taunt. My veins bulged and pulsed against my skin as my heart thumped in my chest. Sylas’s version of my stimulant was made with purer and higher quality ingredients, as well as being appropriately mixed, which made it all the more potent.
And with it, my emotions exploded out of me.
“Wow, what did you just stab yourself with? I don’t even want to imagine the—”
Alnwar’s words were cut short as he fell to the floor and reached for his own throat, choking on the air around him. The paladins were forced to their knees as well, and all the fighting in the pit had ceased for a moment as the full force of my bloodlust suffocated those around me.
“Alnwar Strongfold. Today is your last day on this planet.”
Power coursed through my muscles and veins as I shot forward like a cannon, aiming straight for the man’s throat. My body became wreathed in golden lightning as white flames danced along my spear’s tip. Alnwar managed to get back to his feet, but he blocked my thrust with shaky hands.
He dodged and blocked my repeated strike, the fear in his eyes and the hesitation in his movements clear. I didn’t give him a moment of respite as I pushed the assault. I swept my spear along his body for a slash and knocked his long sword up into the air.
I repositioned the tip for a thrust to the heart, but the second short sword came up to deflect it. I sent a blast of close-range white fire at him, but he dodged to the side with his tremendous speed. We locked back into a fury of blows, and I continued to push him into a corner. As the fight progressed, the fear of his features lessened as he regained control of himself.
One thing is certain. Alnwar is not a pushover, and judging by his soul, he is at the level of a War God but not nearly at the top like King Maxwell or even a Grandmaster mage like Bowen. This means the stories of him slaying an Exarch must be fabricated lies.
With my heightened senses, I heard the swing and ducked to the side, avoiding the massive war hammer that aimed to crush me into dust. The impact made a crater on the ground, and I went to thrust my sword into the paladin but was forced to react to Alnwar’s attack instead.
I used gravity to force me the opposite way and to the side. My body jerked violently as my equilibrium shattered from the change. It made me want to vomit, but with that unnatural movement, I dodged the attack entirely and went for a counter-attack on Alnwar.
Thankfully, Cerila was right behind to deal with the paladin, and for the first time, her sword came into contact with flesh. The paladin whipped around his hammer with great force that moved the air as blood splattered from a sizable gap in his back. At the time, I also caught a glimpse of my parents.
My mother had left to kill the new Chapter of Despair paladins and allow my father free reign during his battle. A storm of shadows swelled and exploded out toward the paladin, who countered with golden spells of light magic. The intensity of their battle had increased tenfold as it destroyed the land around them, and any unlucky to get caught up in it had their lives snuffed out by tendrils of shadows or bolts of light.
Regardless, my focus remained on the fight at hand as I trusted that Cerila would handle that paladin from here on out. Alnwar had mostly regained his composure and dropped into a low stance. He kept both his short and long sword pointed at me and struck out like a viper.
I had to pay close attention to his body to see which blade would come at me, but I was able to read it with my enhanced body, the increased focus from the combat drug, and years of experience. I went for a leg sweep using my spear as a staff, but Alnwar dodged back out of range.
He shot forward immediately after, and I sent him retreating with another thrust, or so I thought. Alnwar crossed his blades into an x and blocked my spear in the center. He used the momentum to get under and knock my spear up, and instead of retreating like he usually did, he pushed into me.
He shoulder-checked and staggered me, and I watched as the short sword went low and aimed directly at my side. The blade would pierce my side and right into my internal organs.
If it could, that was.
I trusted in Squeak’s and Padraic’s abilities, and instead of backing away, I brought the shaft of my spear down on his head. Alwarn’s grin was disgusting as the blade impacted me, but it was wiped away in a flash as the sound of metal on metal rang out. My spear crashed into his head, and I sent a knee into his gut, knocking him into the air slightly.
With my spear in hand and my body enhanced to its maximum, I pushed Alnwar away and sent him flying into a pile of rubble. I flipped my spear around and pointed the golden horn at Alnwar as I primed a White Fire Lance to end him. It was far easier and faster to cast than a plasma-based spell, and I had already prepared it as he was flying off.
The white fire warped the air as the intense heat boiled off my spear. But within a matter of moments, the spell launched a jagged lance of white flames at Alnwar. However, I sensed an incoming spell core and watched with surprise as a golden hammer sniped the Flame Lance out of the air. The paladin fighting Cerila had taken a brief moment to launch a spell to protect Alnwar.
Honestly, these two paladins are more of a problem than Alnwar at this point.
Cerila was struggling against her opponent. Her movements were sluggish as time went on. She hadn’t slept in a full day, and the long battle was draining her even more. She may actually collapse at any moment.
Alnwar burst out from the rubble and raced toward me, completely unharmed. It seemed even he could use light magic to heal himself. I prepared myself to meet his attack head-on when suddenly Alnwar stopped, skidding to a halt and throwing himself back.
A clump of purple rock collided with the ground making a crater and kicking up a large cloud of debris. There was a thunderous crash to the side as something else impacted the earth by Cerila and the paladin. A massive purple blur moved through the smoke with terrifying agility and speed, and I watched as the paladin swung his war hammer at it.
An armored hand covered in a thick layer of purple crystal impacted the hammer mid-swing and crushed it into dust. The paladin was blown back from the blow, and an armored figure that stood taller than even the massive paladin brought both his hands down and smashed the soldier on his shoulders, forcing him to his knees.
A gust of wind appeared as the crystal figure extended his hands out and back and, with explosive force, went to clap. The paladin’s head and helmet were crushed into a blood mist, his ears touching in the center. The crystal man dragged the body up and hoisted it into the air after.
“Have no fear, for your king has arrived! Let none survive our fury!” King Maxwell shouted into the air, accompanied by his menacing bloodlust.
On cue, there were caws from the air, followed by many blurs in the distance. Spells began raining down from the air on the white robbed assistants and paladins of the Chapter of Despair as Gryphon Riders decimated their ranks.
King Maxwell, covered in his crystal magic, rushed over to me, his face mostly obscured, but I could see the grin on his lips. “Come Kaladin! Let us finish this bastard!”
There was no hesitation as I sprinted to catch up to him. Alnwar scowled and ran full tilt into a group of his allies, but the two of us gave chase. We crashed into the lines of white robes and paladins and began slaughtering them.
With spear and magic, I killed dozens, burning their bodies to a crisp, impaling their chests, and crushing their bones with every swipe of my weapon. King Maxwell made mincemeat of anyone who dared to stand before him. Every punch claimed a life and sent a corpse lying in a sea of their own blood.
The ground was an ocean of crimson as we waded through the corpses of the fallen to Alnwar, who was being healed by a group of priests. His light magic must not have been enough to heal him completely. I sent a Fireball into the group, and Alnwar grabbed and tossed the priest into my spell. The priest exploded as he impacted my spell, his limbs flying off in random directions.
We were just about to attack Alnwar when something changed. My gut twisted into a knot as I sensed an overwhelming power from our side. There was a flash of light from a broken sewer pipe, and something shot out from it. It moved far faster than anything I had yet to see, and I couldn’t make it out at all.
The gust of wind blew past me as it moved straight toward Cerila. My heart leaped in my chest as I sent magic toward it in an attempt to halt its advance; even King Maxwell tossed a disk of purple crystal at it, but our attacks missed entirely.
Cerila was killing off a squad of paladins. Her chest was heaving up and down. Her eyes sunk into her skull, and the signs of intense fatigue all over her. She was late to react to the new attacker.
She brought Hubris up to defend herself, but in the blink of an eye, her entire arm was separated from her body. Her hand, still holding Hubris, spiraled in the air, trailing blood. Time seemed to come to a halt as I watched a knight wearing pristine silver armor jump into the air.
The man was tall but more lanky than muscular. The armor he wore was ornate and shimmered in the afternoon sun. A greenish-white sword that looked like it was made of crystal was clutched in one hand, and strapped to his other arm was an equally ornate shield. It was beautifully crafted, with the symbol of a bright golden sun at its center and white wings coming out from it. I had never seen it in person, but I instantly recognized it, and so did King Maxwell.
An Exarch. The Shield Exarch of the North.
The crystalline sword disappeared into thin air, leaving his hand free. He snatched Hubris out of the air, but the moment he gripped the sword, he was tossed into the ground as if the sword had dragged him. He impacted the ground like a meteor, as King Maxwell and I arrived on top of him.
The Exarch laid on his back, Hubris in one hand, and his shield sprawled out to the side. I thrust my spear down at the fallen man, and King Maxwell went to stomp his head.
“That was unexpected,” the Exarch grumbled in a relaxed tone.
I swore I didn’t even blink, but his shield was suddenly positioned in front of him. I hit the shield with my spear, but it bounced straight off. King Maxwell’s kick was stopped dead in its tracks. A burst of white light flashed from the sun on the shield, and I felt the intense heat and powerful mana, so I dodged back out of instinct.
The magic barely grazed my arm, but I felt my flesh burn, then nothing. I had lost a chunk of my forearm along with my jacket.
An instantly cast spell? From the shield itself?
“Kaladin, stay back. Grab Cerila and take her to Sylvia. I’ll handle this guy,” King Maxwell said in a low voice.
I rushed over to Cerila, who was gripping her missing arm, trying to staunch the bleeding. The Exarach was already back on his feet, trying to pull Hubris off the ground but to no avail. Eventually, he just shrugged and summoned his sword back from his Spatial Ring.
I picked Cerila up and rushed her over to Sylvia. Alnwar might get away, but Cerila’s life was more important. My worry for her overran my seething hatred for him.
I saw that my father had defeated the other paladin. Shadows crawled around him as his purple and black spear embedded into the head of the slumped-over paladin. In the meantime, Sylvia had encased the other three in a sphere of blood and was attacking and killing anyone who approached her.
She cut the head off a white robbed man and looked at me with worried eyes. I handed the moaning Cerila off to her and took over the defense position as spells from the Gryphon Knights rained down.
Cerila let out one final scream before she passed out as her arm began to regrow. I stepped back, let the spells of the knights finish off the last few remaining assailants in this area, and turned my attention to Sylvia.
She pulled away from Cerila’s neck with a frown. “She passed out, but she isn’t in danger anymore.”
“Good, put her in the sphere with the others for the time being,” I requested.
Sylvia nodded, and a tendril of blood snaked out from one of the nearby bodies and wrapped Cerila up, only to crawl itself into a crimson sphere. It was… unnerving a bit, but I had gotten used to it, so there was no reason to be surprised anymore.
Off in the distance, King Maxwell and the Exarch were exchanging blows. Each strike rocked the ground and sent shockwaves across the entire place. Entire sections of the crater were being torn to pieces as the two fought at inhuman speeds.
“So that’s an Exarch…” Sylvia muttered from my side.
“Yes.”
“Can the king win?” Sylvia asked, looking at me from the side.
If Grandpa’s words are to be believed…
“If we threw everything at him, maybe,” I answered.
I was beginning to see what Grandpa meant. King Maxwell, the strongest man on the continent, was not able to land even a single hit on the Exarch. His massive tower shield seemed to move immediately to block and strike, and although his sword was not a Holy Artifact, whenever he swung the blade, it would slice into the King’s crystal armor, taking a massive chunk out of it. Thankfully, it was quickly regrown, but how long could King Maxwell keep up?
My father and mother made their way over to us. The two of them were drenched head to toe in the blood of their enemies and their own as well. Without even needing to be asked, Sylvia immediately healed the two of them.
The three of us watched the two fight, and it was clear that we could not intervene recklessly. King Maxwell was giving it his all, and so was the Exarch. Any slip up would be the end for us.
Eventually, the two men broke apart from each other. Neither of them was winded or wounded. The Exarch stood tall and planted his shield into the ground with a thud.
“It’s an honor to meet the Berserker King face to face. The stories don’t do your strength justice,” the Exarch said humbly.
“Gerimia Foster, the Shield Exarch. Tell me, why have you invaded my kingdom?” King Maxwell demanded.
“All land is equally ours under our god. I have every right to be here. And besides, I think it’s rather obvious as to why I’ve come. But there seems to be an issue…so I’ll be taking my leave now,” Gerimia said.
What? He’s just going to leave?
“What?! We can’t leave now you just—”
Alnwar’s yapping was silenced with a single glance from the Exarch. “I won’t be hearing any complaints from you.”
Gerimia looked up into the sky as Gryphon Knights circled above. “Besides, we are outnumbered, and I don’t intend to wait things out only to starve to death. I’m a defensive specialist; I can’t defeat an army with this many elites alone. We are leaving.”
“As if I’d let you. This hole will be your grave,” King Maxwell snarled.
“No, it really won’t be. But if you want it to be yours, that’s fine with me, Your Majesty,” Gerimia said with a shrug.
King Maxwell shot forward, but he stopped in his tracks. We all felt it. The feeling of dread increased, and the hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. And my body screamed at me to run. It was a familiar sensation, and Sylvia was the first to shout.
“Stop him! He is starting a ritua—”
Sylvia’s warning was stopped just with the Exarch’s voice, “I do not permit you to preach to me. You shall all know silence.”
The sun on the shield lit up, and a burst of light flashed. No magic or sudden pain hit us, but there was a definite change. All the sound in the entire crater had ceased as if the world had gone deaf.
King Maxwell rushed forward, but an enormous golden barrier flashed to life. It reminded me of the barrier that Mason erected in Gilcour Thicket all those years ago, but this one was three times as big and covered their entire side in holy light.
“Here all me faithful, I hereby command you, be strong and courageous. Have no fear or dread of them, for your god is with you today.”
Once again, the Exarch’s shield flickered to life. With golden rays, the sun shined, and the wings shimmered, and rays of light streamed out from it. They arced off and danced in the air, and we all watched as they shot down and into the invaders. The white robes and paladins all glowed with a holy light as they began to stand up, examining themselves as if surprised by something.
Even the people who were at death’s door and nothing but limbless corpses began to regrow limbs and stand back up, full of vigor, as they picked up weapons. The only bright side was that the dead stayed dead and did not rise. Even so, we were once again surrounded.
The refreshed mob let out war cries as they rushed us with renewed fervor. Spells from the knights crashed into their ranks just as before, but it appeared as if they were less effective. People were losing body parts from Fire Balls or falling rocks, but they healed almost immediately and got right back up.
The first wave crashed into us, and with Sylvia’s help, the four of us began to fight back. We killed dozens more, and there was a stark difference now. Before, the white-robed people seemed nothing more than civilians, blindly rushing to their deaths. But now, even the weakest amongst them was slightly more robust, which wasn’t much, all things considered, as they still died all the same.
It was also unnerving that we were the only ones that couldn’t speak. Our swords clashing, the cutting of flesh, none of it made any noise. It was only the shouts of zealots and the low hum of a chorus of voices mumbling in sync off in the distance.
Sylvia yelled into the air, like she was breaking free of the silence, and shouted, “Hold them back! They are doing a ritual! I have to try to stop them! Throw the bodies toward me!”
Sylvia jumped back, and blood began to spiral out from the corpses and shoot out into the crowd. The blood pooled on the ground and, like a rushing river, began to flow toward us. The crimson liquid gathered above Sylvia into a massive ball as she quickly mumbled to herself with her eyes closed.
I had no idea what she was doing, but we did as she asked. I thrust my spear into the heart of a woman and tossed her body over my head and into a pile. My mother cut through the hoard with her twin lightning-clad blades as my father used his shadows to launch the bodies backward.
And their souls…they have golden chains around them now…what is happening?

Part.2 https://www.reddit.com/HFY/comments/1cfm0im/deathworld_commando_reborn_vol7_ch206_in_ou

submitted by RangerFrank to HFY [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 01:34 United_Fools "To bee or not to bee, is that the question? "

In gardens full of life and hues,
A tiny king of industry muse,
The bee, a creature of great might,
Ponders existence, day and night.
​
To bee or not to bee, that is the test,
A question that has puzzled the best,
In honeycombs of thought, they dwell,
Weighing the pros and cons, they tell.
​
To bee, a life of busy throng,
Collecting nectar, all day long,
Creating sweetness, a labor of love,
A never-ending toil, sent from above.
​
Or not to bee, a life of ease,
Free from the sting of summer's breeze,
No worries of the hive's demands,
No fear of pesticides' deadly hands.
​
But then, what of the flowers so fair,
That rely on bees to show they care?
The ecosystem's delicate balance, too,
Would crumble without the bee's pursuit.
​
To bee or not to bee, the question still,
Echoes through the hive's quiet will,
A dilemma that has puzzled the ages,
A choice that weighs upon the bee's pages.
​
Yet, in the end, it's not a choice, at all,
For bees are born to bee, to stand tall,
Their purpose clear, their path defined,
To thrive, to survive, to bee divine.
​
So let us cherish these tiny friends,
And honor their importance that never ends,
For in their busy lives, we find our own,
A reflection of our existence, overgrown.
submitted by United_Fools to kuro5hit [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 01:30 FZVIC [CLAIM] The Free Wolves Alliance

“Want a drink?"
"Thank you, I don't drink"
"How about a smoke?"
"Sorry, I don't smoke either."
"God damn it!" I say. "Then what do you need money for?”
Polity: The Free Wolves Alliance
Capital: Edmonton
Polity Designation: Minarchist Direct Democratic Alliance of Towns/Clans
Leader: Joe “Beard” Sidorovich (Edmonton Military Council)
Ruling Town/Clan: Edmonton City Council (size)
Religions: Christianity, Mormonism, Various Smaller Faiths
Ethnic Groups: Canadians, Quebecois, Metis, First Nations
Languages: English, Quebecois, Metis French
Currency: Various Currencies, Bartering Common Also
Map: The Alliance as it Stands
The History of the Free Wolves Alliance
The Free Wolves Alliance was not built upon common values nor friendly ideals - the Alliance was formed to survive. With the Cascadian Anarchists down south that would regularly raid the townships and the ex-Canadian warlords trying to gather unfair tithes, there was no other option for the budding towns and the vulnerable inhabitants. The Alliance was formed by Joe “Beard” Sidorovich; an ex-Edmonton City Councillor and Veteran, who was able to pull together his old battle-buddies and create an Iron Cordon around Edmonton. Once Edmonton was unified, he contacted other groups who had surfaced across Alberta. It wasn’t long until all the largest groups of survivors were under the Alliance. One of the leading Clans under a man by the name of Tim “Nitro” Robertson was the one to popularize the acronym WOLVES as a signifier for their Alliance, and thus the Free Wolves were born.
Under the custodianship of the Free Wolves Alliance; the Albertan Markets were opened up and business flourished without governmental restrictions, the Iron Cordon was expanded to all Free Wolves territories, and the Albertan people lived freely. It wasn’t long until those under the Free Wolves wished for more involvement in the running of their cities and towns, it was Beard who was the first to distance himself from the administration of the territories and instead allowed local elections to pick “Hetmans” to actually govern Edmonton. The Hetman terminology quickly passed along to the other territories and Clans who adopted the systems. It was only the Judges of Zion, a Mormon Clan under Ezekiel “Prophet” Fredericks who instead formed a Theodemocracy in his territory. This was allowed only due to the Judges of Zion establishing the Cordon around industrial areas of Alberta.
The Culture and Society of the Free Wolves Alliance
The Free Wolves Alliance is made up of many different towns and Clans that each have their own cultural and societal norms. Although this is true, there is a unifying idea of Libertarianism/Minarchism that seeps into society and culture. Overall, the Free Wolves territories are largely socially progressive with the common quote being “Let all Albertans protect their Weed Farms with Automatic Weapons.”
Another very defining part of Free Wolves culture is the view that there is “No Masters but Christ!”, which emphasizes the view that all Free Wolves are FREE and nothing can change that. This also means that the Free Wolves are largely self-reliant to the best of their ability, rarely placing faith in other Clans let alone strangers.
When walking down the street of a Free Wolves town, it would be common to see men and women openly carrying rifles as they purchase stock from their local stores, it would also be just as common to see criminals being tied to ‘Shame Posts’ for stealing or for violence.
The Free Wolves are scavengers at heart, stealing from local warlords as well as braving the ruined cities and military bases to get any form of material. Due to this, the Free Wolves aren’t the richest Alliance and many live in what pre-flood peoples would call ‘Destitute’ situations.
submitted by FZVIC to PostWorldPowers [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 00:54 Wittymonkey Loading vertically?

Loading vertically?
Hi, I have a Lange cast iron enamel stove. It’s about 24 in wide by 18 deep by 36in tall. I find that it’s much more practical to load the wood vertically - standing up then the usual horizontal way (for example in fireplaces everybody puts the wood in horizontal). Any reason why I shouldn’t put wood vertically ?
submitted by Wittymonkey to woodstoving [link] [comments]

2024.04.29 00:05 HughEhhoule Bait Dog

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

2024.04.29 00:04 HughEhhoule Bait Dog

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

2024.04.28 23:44 SpecialistExchange28 Wheelchair Ramps 101 - DIY down and dirty edition 2024

Wheelchair Ramps 101 - DIY down and dirty edition 2024
Thanks for deciding to read my post today. This is not the definitive or complete explanation of wheelchair ramp design. Before I start let's get the technical potentially legal stuff out of the way first.
Ramps that are indoors or in a fenced in area like a back yard (THE FENCED AREA MAY BE DIFFERENT IF IT IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC). Ramps not used by the public = Food delivery, mailperson, utility meter reader, Jahova's Witnesses, etc.
These Ramps do not need to Meer ADA requirements. But should still be functional and safe to use. You'd be surprised at what people do. But if it works, then it works.
Backyards that are fenced in and not accessible to the public MIGHT be excluded.
FOR ANY RAMP OR ACCESSIBLE FEATURE ADDED TO OITDOOR SPACES THAT THE PUBLIC CAN ACCESS WILL 100% NEED A TOWN OR CITY PERMIT. THIS IS WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
Here is where it gets real. If you decide to ignore this and say someone trips, slips pr otherwise gets injured by your accessibility fearure. YOU and only YOU are at fault. Even if it is 100% ADA compliant, the feature was not properly registered with the town or city so it can be noted when and where it is installed and on what property.
Next the town or city will fine you a set amount per day it was in place without a permit. For example a permit for my handcycle shed cost $100 that might seem unfair and costly. But if I had just built my shed without permit they could fine me $1,000 per day it was up from the time it was built.
Getting a permit and making things 100% or better than ADA complaint, yes it is easy to surpass what the ADA asks for. ADA is the bare minimum expected.
This doesn't mean someone trying to con you won't try and sue you. But, if you have things in order such as getting a permit. Making things at least ADA compliant will support your side in a legal issue.
Yup that is the borish stuff for the most part. Forget about it and life will likely get very annoying.
For those who are interested and want a live community to chillax in to talk about most anything really, listen to music and make requests for Fave songs or topics you would like to discuss.
I broadcast live typically in the cold months M-F from around when my pain allows me to get up varies 9am to after noon and I go until my sweetheart arrives home. About 5PM to 6PM I have been broadcasting live 16 years.
Quite literally I am just repeating here what I will talk about live also.
TikTok until the ban kicks in. Then it's back to Twitch. AbiliTV or AbiliTV Live. If you Google the name do not pay attention to the website I don't have one. And the owner of that sight well let's say I don't endorse him.
I am on YouTube, FB, IG,,Twitch, account still there but not used since it went to X (Twitter), Kick - although I don't like the vibe on Kick.
Of course I am here getting started here on Reddit in a more text based community. I am in the Wheelchair and Disabilities communities where I am learning about all sorts of amazing people.
OK, I always hate posting I am a live content creator. I hate it so much I have hardly any community live.
Ramps.
What makes a crappy, good, or excellent ramp?
For me it is the little details that really make the differences. I will use images to try and explain the bare basics.
1st image: Most people see this and think: My prayers have been answered.
No they have not. You will notice the direction the person is using the ramp. Manufacturers do this to play into your desperate need for a ramp solution. They want you imagining how easy there ramp is to use. So they stage images showing that. Much how homes are staged. To make it easier for people to fall victim to slick sales tricks.
What if the door were closed and rhe person was approaching the door? Look at the ramp. How does one say open s screen door or storm door that swings out? Most dwellings will have one.
Now imagine it's raining really hard and that nice metal surface isn't as grippy? And you have a bag or two of groceries on your lap. Now open the storm door and then before it closes as they are typically on a door closer of some design. As you fight the storm door, are annoyed by the driving rain, and fumbling for your keys.
Even on an ideally perfect day without snow or rain this ramp will work 100% against you. Also it isn't wide enough to allow you to move over out of the way ofcthe storm door. Meaning you need to back up and get the door perched against your wheelchair frame to now roll foward to open the entry door. Sadly using the wheelchair brakes just make things all that much more frustrating.
2nd Image: 3 ft ramp $219. This seems decent right? It isn't. You have to account for the pitch or slope.
If you have a threshold that is 10 inches higher than the surface you need to reach, this means you need not just a ten foot long ramp but a raised area that meets the threshold that the ramp attaches to closest to the surface you're trying to reach.
What happens if you decide to use a short ramp and have a steeper slope? The worst will be to flip backwards going up. Next worst you don't have the upper body strength to make it. The next will be you deciding never to use it except to exit with. It is a little less scary going down. Although you need really good hand strength and dexterity to maintain control at higher speeds.
ADDING INFO AS A SAFETY REMINDER: Most manual wheelchairs have what are called brakes. ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ These are NOT brakes like those of a car, or bicycle. Injury or worse can happen when they are used as friction brakes. DANGER: You risk not only destroying your tire and wheelchair but also injuries from catastrophic failures of the tire and possibly the rims of the wheels.
These levers no matter if they are push or pull to lock or scissor styled brakes are only meant and made to hold you in place AFTER you use your hands to stop with. OR FEET for those able to do that.
The reason these are not brakes in the typical sense is because of how they work. They bite into the tire material and can blow out air filled tires by ripping through the rubber tire. On solid tires they can tear the tire causing it to fail and possibly fall off the rim. If the rim is left exposed and you are moving the metal or composite rim will slide on the surface.
The biggest excuses I hear for using these levers as brakes are: They are called brakes. YouTube wheelchair brake basics how to use and not use them. I don't want people ending more disabled than they already are.
My hands are to weak to stop me. I understand that. So my best suggestion is rubber coated work gooves. Leather gloves or some form of glove that you like to use. I personally don't like wearing gloves, but when I go on 16 mile strolls I wear a pair. They provide additional traction and that grip means less hand strength is needed to stop overall. It is not recommended to grab the tire for additional friction at any time while moving down hill.
If tire use us needed make sure you have a pair of heavy duty leather gloves on. Welding gloves short gauntlet works. Warning: This method destroys gloves rapidly. These is due to the sandpaper like friction the tire creates with its texture and tread design. Extreme heat can build up and burn your hands. So pay attention and release grip changing hand positions to reduce this.
Ramps have to be designed to work with the fact wheels like to roll. And steep ramps are what prompted my warning about brake use.
I am considering designing a brake system to work like a bicycle that could be added by most people. I will look into this concept at some point.
So a stubby short ramp might be low cost but isn't the answer it appears in most manufacturers images.
Lots of information that needs to be shared because so many people will fall into the thinking what they have is a good solution and it's harming them and the equipment they use.
Good news here: Most towns and cities do not charge or keep the charge very low for ramp and other disability access devices in public spaces.
What the permit does is show you the bare minimum of what is required to make your project ADA compliant. Also it resistors your ramp or lift with the town or city and at what property. This way should a nosy neighbor want to whine about your project looking horrible the town or city can reassure that negative rube that you are in full compliance with all the ordinances and ADA requirements. So they can mind their own beeswax.
Also the permit is a must if a property owner or landlord are to allow the access in the first place. This has to do with liability and property insurance. Speaking of that crap it would be wise to invest in renters insurance in the event someone claimsxto have been injured by your device. Do not depend only on the landlord or property owner's word that its covered. You could also ask your town or city how that works also to get a straight answer. If the landlord or property owner does claim you are covered always get that in writing.
3rd image shows the lack of what is called a staging area. This is exactly what a porch does. Notice the porch is flat and provides room to move out of the way of any storm door? This is a super important and all to easy to miss feature that makes a ramp go from frustrating to awesome.
I even made that mistake with my ramp I built for my garage. I did change it so it has a 6ft deep 4ft wide same as the ramp staging area that once I installed a screen door I use daily.
4th image: Now it gets colorful. Nothing attaches to the porch or the building in my design. This is to respect the property. And save you on extra costs to restore things later.
The support for the flat area of the porch:
Measure uo to the front top edge of the threshold. Say this is 6 inches or so... Using 4X4 cut to the same width of the porch. These are rated for outdoor ground contact.
Next using decking wood this should be equal to the top front edge of the threshold. In effect the timbers are the support they are orange and just on top of the porch. They go across to provide full support.
How to determine how many. For the porch shown in your image would likely use three. One right under the threshold, one in the middle, and one right along the front edge of the porch.
Decking would go left to right and for the parts with out full support use scrap pieces of 4X4 to position under those rows.
An alternative way to set the supports are: under the threshold is left to right full width of porch. Then instead of the others being left to right. Place one on the left going vertical or not left to right. One on the right side going perpendicular to fhe horizontal one. Then you will cut one 4 inches short for the center also placed parallel to the left and right. The front porch edge piece cut to fit the width between the left and right support.
That would allow you to place decking horizontally left to right with out worry of adding support for some of the deck strips.
The front edge of porch part I feel should be left to right mainly to insure there is no possible way for a ramp to flext or bow in this area. But you are welcome to Google methods on building something like this also.
The ramp for the porch will be the longest most likely based on the photos you shared. They are also referenced later in my post.
Only around the porch and the outside of the caster wheel guides on each side or the blue color in my image needs a railing, as well as down that first ramp.
The other ramps are little more than the plywood laying there. You wouldn't even really need the blue guides on the but they add additional stiffness from bouncing and bending.
Again Google is very good for finding examples of how you can design a capable railing. It doesn't need to be fancy, just meet the requirements the ADA sets. To avoid annoying splinters I strongly suggest using iron pipe or proper outdoor rated round railingbars.
Benefit of the metal pipe is it is very low cost. Con is in the sun it can get hot. To overcome thar railing grip tape can he used to cancle out the hot part and make it easier to grasp. Grip tape is not required.
Thankfully all of this is pretty easy to do if you have some some basic tools or have access to them like narrowing them. If you lack the skill or ability to do this. Trust me when I say buying lunch each day for the hard worker(s) often is payment enough. And Thank You is the perfect payment. Our reward is seeing you enjoying the work put into the project.
Last there is an green outline of a 2x4 on each side of the porch staging area. Put one on the far side as well and this should keep the staging area from shifting leftcand right. Surfaces endure a lot more force than we realize.
5th image I used my garage ramp before I corrected the flat staging area issue.
So this isn't how my indoor ramp now looks. It has no railings as it is not required and the flat area towards the garage side has a 4 inch tall wheel guard wall to keep me from accidentally rolling off front casters or rear wheels.
But, this is roughly how your front porch would look like. All designed to keep everyone safe who uses it.
By connecting the ramp to the flat staging areas makes it much harder for it to shift around. In the case of this if you owned the property you would use a contractors grade waterproof glue and 4 8 inch long lag bolts to secure the 4x4 or wood support right next to and under the threshold and bolt it and glue it to the location. Silicone sealant works also as it is mainly to keep insects from making the area home.
But since the property needs to be returned to original state, I find that making a saddle staging area works wonders. Sadlle in that it is,like a horse saddle. It isn't bolted to the horse but does use the shape of the horse as the stabilizer. And is easy to remove when needed.
Image 6: Sorry about the messy drawing. This is your photo.
The green is the railing around the porch and the first longest ramp.
The light kind of red horizontal strips are stair tread grip tape. Using wood screws shorter than the thickness of the plywood allows you to have a 2 method way to keep these strips in place. For how much they cost you will thank me. One screw near each corner and two one top one bottom in the center. This insures they are secure. The gue or adhesive isn't likely going to stick in every case.
You want full left to right coverage with 2 to 3 inch spacing between each horizontal strip. Yes you can just apply them centered and hope no one slips of they walk closer to the railing. Plus it makes insurance companies feel better also with more safety in mind.
In the event someone slips or falls when pictures are taken of l the scene it will look better for you to have provided more safety than not.
Also more screws can be used if desired. The only thing to make sure of is all screw heads are flat to the surface. The two method way also known as redundant measures to make sure things don't fail to the point of a catastrophe.
The ADA will likely have other suggestions different than I mention. Either will work, I find much of my ideas go beyond ADA requirements.
The ramps since they are so minor in slope may even be able to lay strips of 2x4 or even 1x1 that you screw to the underside of ramp. I almost think you could make what would look like a continuous ramp.
One step won't really need all 8 ft of plywood however keeping them full length means you could likely add smaller pieces where one ramp ends to meet with the highest point so you can connect them so this keeps them from shifting and moving as they will.
The little green marks along the sides of the blue for the length of the ramp represent side supports that are rounded into the ground and screwed to the sides.
As you use a ramp that is not secured it will move a little in the opposite direction of your direction of travel.
Also it will shift left or right when you first roll onto it. And since the ground shown is easy to return to its original condition once this is removed lowers cost at that time.
The blue dots represent horizontal srips placed where needed these are screwed in place as yes they will slide and move into new positions that don't support the ramp.
The goal is no bouncing, bending, flexing, warping ramps.
As long as all wood is rated for ground contact otherwise it will rot away pretty quickly otherwise.
The blue kind of bloody areas are flat sections filled in with plywood.
So once you enter this ramp ot remains a plywood surface until the porch area. Where it's decking.
7th image: An example of how your ramp could be designed. In this image since the ramp os longer and rises up higher I definitely would include ratings on each side. But - it may not require them so that is OK also. The redish area is a flat area at least 5 ft deep and 4ft wide. This would allow a person the chance to turn around also.
The circled spots denote support placement.
Now your steps for me would not need a ramp as I can strong arm my way up short steps or curbs like those. Tha porch would be the only area I would build if this were my place.
8th image: Immediately after moving in I built this and prior to finding the original screen door that the price owners removed and I reinstalled.
It was no fun using this ramp when I had to open the door. I typically had one of the kiddos now all grown up open it first for me.
The lack of a staging or flat area is a huge mistake.
This is ground contact outdoor rated plywood nearly 1 inch thick. Plywood keeps the construction simpler, and removal easier also later.
9th image: Shows the outdoor ramp. Notice the grip tape on this. This is the typical arrangement. I suggest side to side full width strips so able people can walk anyplace and be assured solid footing. The spacing I prefer also assures wheelchair tires have solid grip.
The steeper the ramp I say 3 inches between horizontal strips.
The shallower ramps for your lower or step ramps can be 4 to five inches between them. If they are wide strips works better.
Image 10: This is the ADA recommendation: 36 inches wide. Trust me especially for entry doors you want some space to move over to the side to get out of the way of a screen or storm door. And a place to put down groceries or a package or anything else so you can access the door.
48 inches just happens to be a pretty decent and better than ADA requirements that allows you more room for any purposes.
Image 11: Shows your porch. From what I see this should be pretty easy to cover with the staging area over the porch and ramp going down.
You want to measure from the front edge ofcthe threshold to the ground in front of the porch the walkway leading to it. This will give you a total height that needs to be accounted for.
Say it is a total of 10 inches tall. Your ramp will be 1 foot out per one inch in height. So 10 feet long. Now say you have the room and used 2 8 foot long plywood sheets end to end that is 16 ft. That means your slope will be less overall and easy to roll up. 10 ft will be usable but will be a little harder to roll up.
Funny thing is you use the same energy to roll up 10ft or 16ft. You just exert less energy over a longer distance that still equals the amount it takes to go up a 10 foot length.
Slope is something only you know what works for you. So if you need a little longer of a ramp if room allows it then that is fine.
Oh I forgot skip over the smaller step when making your measurements. That isn't where a ramp will end at to rest.
Image 12: The walkway. These little steps are easily rolled up by some wheelchair users. However of you can not. That is fine.
The over all length of these looks decently long enough. You in effect are just governing them as I hope I explained.
To keep the ramps from moving side spikes can be placed as mentioned 2 at the sides and top, two in the middle sides. And 2 and the bottom sides.
They get rounded into the ground next to each area of the Ramos they will be screwed to. You might even be able to lay a plywood sheet down and see if that is enough to raise you up enough. That the plywood could just lay on the walkway.
Now most likely that option will not fully work. Offered as an alternative.
The very end where ramp ends or starts at the lowest point you can get an aluminum door threshold commercial grade one. It means a little bump up onto the ramp and or down it.
I will photograph the one I have as it works like a charm. Also the rest of my garage ramp.
The deck to ramp can be connected using lag bolts from underneath into the 2 4x4 support. Using 6 or preferred 7 or 8 inch long lag bolts 3 of them to secure the ramp to the staging deck area.
Trust me when I say this, this is a mere drop in the bucket of information on how to design a ramp system.
Last little note:
Always get a permit prior making anything. The permit should cost nothing or very little since it is an accessibility ♿️ need. The information the permit comes with will also be of huge help in DIY or other options.
Sadly there is no way to construct something like this for no cost. However, church groups, friends, local elected officials, and others can be great resources. From fundraising, to helping you locate a foundation or charity to help cover some or all of it.
Do not feel bad for asking for help like this and when needed. Being a renter doesn't mean you should not have accessibility.
Like I mentioned if I was your fellow disabled neighbor I would help construct this.
Tools needed:
Tape measure x 2 I always end up needing 2 of them at times.
4 ft level.
Carpenter square.
Torpedo level. This is a 1 foot long smaller level like the larger 4ft one.
Carpenter or construction style pencil ✏️ they are flat and don't roll away when sat down.
Wood/deck screws 3 or 4in long.
Cordless drill and 2 batteries allows rotation of them when charging. They typically will last 2 or hours each. So when one runs out charge it while using the other.
Leather work gloves.
Socket wrench set for lag bolts.
Screw driver set. Mainly a number 2 Phillips and flathead. These come in handy.
Circular saw - they come corded or cordless either works.
Hand saw for those cuts to awkward for a power tool.
Drill bits for pre drilling holes.
Liquid nails to glue some things together.
Short wood screws not longer than the plywood is thick. For the grip tape strips.
Safety glasses get a few pair.
Hearing protection. Cutting wood can be really loud. Same with drilling it and all.
Things that could help: Something stable to place wood to be cut on.
Saw horses or milk crates the sturdy plastic ones. If they get cut into no big deal.
They cut be cut safely on the ground without risk of damaging tools or injuring you.
Since we are all in the same boat 🚢 in many respects, I find it sp satisfying helping people by helping them learn how they can also help themselves. It's how I was raised. Knowing you have some information and know where to locate more is my payment.
Back to me talking about my live content.
A lot like this post and my others, it is insanely boring stuff. 😴
However, I ask what other content creator is willing to discuss and cover this type of stuff?
Really go look on Twitch live, YouTube live, TikTok Live, Kick,Instagram Live or any other site allowing live content.
How many do you find that can answer questions or get you aimed in the correct direction for the information you need?
16 years now this is what I do for free. I will not and do not monetize my content. I removed myself from Twitch affiliate orogram, I have asked TikTok to allow offboarding and the option to not monetize.
I prefer to lead by example.
Please consider getting to know this strange goofball of a weirdo on my social media channels. It's not a big community but any means and is well sp unique that most people fail to realize all the nerdy disability related bits of knowledge I have to share. Plus I love light sabers and anime to make me extra geeky.
AbiliTV and AbiliTV Live on the main social media platforms.
On TikTok my actual username is AbiliTV and my screen or showing name is DJ Wheelchairbeats.
If you visit tell me your from Reddit and I will in a very socially awkward way greet you. Well I hope with practice this gets less awkward in time. :)
I am not seeking a relationship. Or any side quests. I am at level 54 in my life and to old to give a fart for drama. Making cool new friends, now that's what it's about.
Time to get some photos of my garage ramp.
submitted by SpecialistExchange28 to u/SpecialistExchange28 [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 23:35 mthw704 (SELLING) BEST LIST I'VE HAD ALL YEAR. Huge selection of titles added this week + an awesome $2 list. Over 5,000 transactions.

The Big List

Prices are firm. Please only redeem the portion of a code you are paying for. All codes are for immediate redemption. All Disney & Sony codes include points unless otherwise noted. As of 4/01/2024 all Google Play options have been removed from Disney codes.
I accept Cashapp, Venmo, Zelle & PayPal F&F without any notes. Comment & pm if interested. Thanks!

🦝

MISC

Disney Movie Insiders points only ($1.50 for 150 & $1 for 100/I have lots of titles available to choose from)
John Wick 1-4 HD $7 (Vudu)
X-Men Trilogy HD [X-Men, X2 & The Last Stand] $8 (MA)

🦝

$5 4K UHD

John Wick 1-3 (iTunes)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (iTunes)

🦝

$4 4K UHD

Aladdin [2019] (MA + 200 points)
Alien [1979] (iTunes/ports)
Bad Boys For Life (MA + Sony points)
Despicable Me [2010] (iTunes/ports)
Dredd (Vudu)
Everything Everywhere All At Once (Vudu)
Gone Girl [2014] (iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy [2014] (MA + 200 points)
Halloween [2018] (MA)
Hot Fuzz (iTunes/ports)
Last Duel, The [2021 (MA)
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (MA + 200 points)
Mary Poppins Returns [2018] (MA + 200 points)
Shaun Of The Dead (iTunes/ports)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (MA + Sony points)
Tangled [2010] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Thor: The Dark World (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Uncharted [2022] (MA + Sony points) PENDING
Warrior [2011] (iTunes)
X-Men- Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut (iTunes/ports)

🦝

$5 HD

Anastasia [1997] (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Lady & The Tramp II: Scamps Adventure (MA + 150 points)
Priscilla [A24] [2023] (Vudu)
Swiss Army Man [A24] (Vudu) PENDING
Wish [2023] (MA + 150 points)

🦝

$4 HD

40 Year Old Virgin, The [Unrated] (MA)
BFG, The [2016] (MA + 150 points)
Blue Beetle (MA)
Bridge Of Spies [2015] (MA + 150 points)
Color Purple, The [2023] (MA)
Cut Bank [A24] (Vudu) PENDING
Drop, The [2014] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions [Theatrical & Unrated] (MA + Sony points)
Finest Hours, The [2016] (MA + 150 points)
Ghostbusters 1 & 2 (MA + Sony points)
Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny [2023] (MA + 150 points)
Jumanji double feature [Welcome To The Jungle & The Next Level] (MA + Sony points)
Meg 2: The Trench, The (MA)
Need For Speed [2014] (MA + 150 points)
Nun II, The [2023] (MA)
Pocahontas [1995] (MA + 150 points)
Rio [2011] & Rio 2 [2014] double feature (MA)
You Only Live Twice [1967] (Vudu or Google Play) PENDING

🦝

$3️⃣ Movies

$3 4K UHD

Baywatch (Vudu)
Big Hero 6 (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Birds, The [1963] (iTunes/ports)
Birth Of A Nation, The (iTunes/ports)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (iTunes/ports)
Bumblebee (Vudu or iTunes)
Cinderella [2015] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Clerks 3 (Vudu or iTunes) PENDING
Detective Knight: Rogue (iTunes)
Doctor Strange (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Frozen 2 [2019] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Guardians Of The Galaxy [2014] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Jurassic Park [1993] (iTunes/ports)
Kick-Ass 2 (iTunes/ports)
Little Mermaid, The [1989] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Moana (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Mummy, The [1999] (iTunes/ports) PENDING
Mummy Returns, The [2001] (iTunes/ports) PENDING
Quiet Place, A [2018) (Vudu)
Prometheus (iTunes/ports)
Psycho [1960] (iTunes/ports)
Rear Window [1954] (iTunes/ports)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports)
Robin Hood [2018] (Vudu)
Sicario (Vudu)
Spy Who Dumped Me, The (Vudu or iTunes)
Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Top Gun (iTunes)
Zootopia (iTunes/ports + 150 points)

🦝

$3 HD

Ad Astra (MA)
Angry Birds Movie, The (MA + Sony points)
Angry Birds Movie 2, The [2019] (MA + Sony points) or both for $5
Annie [1982] (MA + Sony points)
Avatar: The Way Of Water (MA + 150 points)
Bad Boys II [2003] (MA + Sony points)
Baby Driver [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Blackkklansman (MA)
Bloodshot [2020] (MA + Sony points)
Boy Next Door, The (iTunes/ports)
Call Me By Your Name (MA + Sony points)
Candyman: Day Of The Dead (Vudu or Google Play)
Chicago [2001] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Croods: A New Age, The [2020] (MA)
Dinosaur 13 (Vudu)
Do The Right Thing [1989] (MA)
Equalizer 3, The [2023] (MA + Sony points)
Escape Plan 2: Hades (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K) PENDING
Escape Room [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Expendables 1-3, The (Vudu)
Fast X [2023] (MA + Universal Rewards points)
Fortress [2021] (Vudu or Google Play)
Fruitvale Station (Vudu)
Ghostbusters [1984] (MA + Sony points)
Grown Ups 2 (MA + Sony points)
Harriet [2019] (MA)
Hocus Pocus (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
How To Train Your Dragon [2010] (MA)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Into The Woods [2014] (MA + 150 points)
Kick-Ass [2010] (Vudu or Google Play)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Vudu)
Krampus (iTunes/ports)
Liar Liar [1997] (MA)
Lion King, The [1994] (MA + 150 points)
Lockout & Battle: Los Angeles double feature (MA)
Lodge, The [2020] (MA)
Mamma Mia! + Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (MA)
Marvel Avengers [2012] (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
MIB International [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Midsommar [A24] (Vudu or Google Play)
Mindcage (Vudu or iTunes)
Neighbors 2 (iTunes/ports)
Nurse Jackie season 7 (Vudu)
Once Upon A Time In…Hollywood [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Pete's Dragon [2016] (MA + 150 points)
Possession Of Hannah Grace, The [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Preacher season 1 (Vudu)
Public Enemies [2009] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Punisher, The [2004] (Vudu or Google Play)
Queen Of Katwe [2016] (MA + 150 points)
Raid: Redemption, The [2012] [Theatrical & Unrated] (MA + Sony points)
Ready Or Not [2019] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Rock The Kasbah (MA)
Shallows, The [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Snowden (iTunes/ports)
Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs [1937] (MA + 150 points)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Spirit, The [2008] (Vudu)
Swing Of Things, The [2020] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Taxi Driver [1976] (MA + Sony points)
The Secret: Dare To Dream (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Toll, The [2021] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Tomorrowland [2015] (MA + 150 points)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (MA + Sony points)
Walking Dead season 9, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Way Way Back, The [2013] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Zombieland: Double Tap (MA + Sony points)

🦝

$2 Movies

💲2 HD

12 Years A Slave (MA or Google Play/ports)
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi (iTunes 4K)
31 [2016] (Vudu)
1917 (MA)
2 Guns [2013] (iTunes/ports 4K)
21 Jump Street (MA + Sony points)
22 Jump Street [2014] (MA + Sony points)
3 From Hell [Unrated] (Vudu 4K or iTunes 4K)
47 Meters Down (iTunes)
47 Ronin (iTunes/ports 4K)
About Last Night [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (MA)
Admission [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Adventures Of Tintin, The (Vudu or iTunes)
After Earth [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Age Of Adaline, The (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Alien Covenant (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Alita: Battle Angel [2019] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Allied [2016] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Aloha [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Alpha [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Alpha & Omega 2: A Howl-lday Adventure (Vudu)
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Amazing Spider-Man, The [2012] (MA)
Amazing Spider-Man 2, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
American Girl: Isabelle Dances Into The Spotlight (MA)
American Hustle [2013] (MA + Sony points)
American Reunion [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Vudu or iTunes)
Annie [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Apollo 13 [1995] (MA)
Arrival [2016] (iTunes 4K)
Assassin's Creed (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Atomic Blonde (iTunes/ports 4K)
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Avengers: Endgame (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Avengers: Infinity War (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Bad Words [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Battleship [2012] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Baywatch (iTunes 4K)
Beauty & The Beast [1991] (MA only/no points & no iTunes option)
Beauty & The Beast [2017] (MA + 150 points/iTunes option is expired)
Beirut [2018] (MA)
Ben-Hur [2016] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Best Man Holiday, The [2013] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Big Eyes (Vudu)
Big Short, The [2015] (Vudu or iTunes)
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Blackhat [2015] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Black Panther (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Blue Crush 2 (iTunes/ports)
Bohemian Rhapsody (MA or Google Play/ports)
Boss Baby, The [2017] (MA)
Bourne Identity, The (MA)
Bourne Legacy, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Boy, The [2016] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Boyhood [2014] (Vudu or iTunes)
Breakthrough [2019] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Bridesmaids [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Broken City [2013] (MA)
Bumblebee (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Bye Bye Man, The [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Cabin In The Woods, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Call, The [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Captain America: Civil War (MA only/no points or iTunes option)
Captain Phillips [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Case For Christ, The [2017] (iTunes/ports)
Celebrating Mickey (MA without points)
Chappie [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Chasing Mavericks (MA)
Choice, The [2016] (Vudu or iTunes)
Code Of Honor [2016] (Vudu)
Columbiana [2011] [Unrated] (MA + Sony points)
Company Of Heroes [2013] (MA)
Concussion [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Contraband (iTunes/ports)
Cowboys & Aliens [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Croods, The [2013] (MA)
Daddy's Home 2 (Vudu)
Dark Skies [2013] (Vudu)
Dark Tower, The [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Dead In Tombstone [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Dead Man Down [2013] (MA)
Deadpool 2 [2018] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Deepwater Horizon (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Despicable Me 3 (iTunes/ports 4K)
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Dirty Grandpa [Theatrical & Extended] (Vudu) or Google Play)
Divergent Series: Allegiant, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Django Unchained (Vudu)
Dog's Purpose, A [2017] (iTunes/ports)
Dolittle [2020] (MA)
Downsizing (iTunes 4K)
Downton Abbey [2019] (MA)
Dracula Untold (iTunes/ports 4K)
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse (iTunes/ports)
Duff, The (iTunes or Google Play)
Edge Of Seventeen, The [2016] (iTunes/ports)
Edward Scissorhands [1990] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Elysium (MA + Sony points)
Emoji Movie, The [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Empire State [2013] (Vudu or Google Play)
Ender's Game (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Epic [2013] (MA)
Equalizer, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Equalizer 2, The (MA + Sony points)
Escape From Planet Earth (Vudu)
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial [1982] (MA)
Everest [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Ex Machina (Vudu)
Exodus: Gods & Kings (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Exposed [2016] (Vudu)
Fast & Furious [2009] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fast & The Furious, The [2001] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fate Of The Furious [F8] [Theatrical] (MA)
Fences [2016] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Fighter, The [2010] (Vudu)
Finding Dory (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
First Purge, The [2018] (MA)
Flight [2012] (Vudu or iTunes)
Footloose [2011] (Vudu)
Forest, The [2016] (iTunes/ports)
Frank & Lola [2016] (MA)
Frozen [2013] (iTunes/ports 4K+ 150 points)
Fury [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Future World (Vudu)
Get Out [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Ghostbusters [2016] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA + Sony points)
Ghost In The Shell [2017] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Ghost Team One [2013] (Vudu or iTunes)
Gifted [2017] (MA or Google Play/ports, iTunes option is expired)
God Bless The Broken Road (Vudu or Google Play)
Gods Of Egypt (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Greatest Showman, The [2017] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Great Wall, The [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Grey, The [2012] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Guilt Trip, The [2012] (Vudu)
Hacksaw Ridge (Vudu or Google Play/iTunes option expired)
Hail, Caesar [2016] (MA)
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters [Unrated] (Vudu or iTunes)
Hateful Eight, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Heat, The [2013] [Theatrical] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Hell Or High Water (iTunes 4K or Vudu/Google Play HD)
Hercules [2014] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Hitman's Bodyguard, The (Vudu or Google Play/iTunes option is expired)
Hobbs & Shaw (MA)
Home [2015] [DreamWorks] (MA)
Home Alone [1990] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Homefront [2013] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Honey 2 [2011] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hotel Transylvania [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (MA + 150 points)
Hotel Transylvania 3 (MA + Sony points)
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (Vudu)
House With A Clock In It's Walls, The [2018] (MA)
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (MA)
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (MA)
Hugo (Vudu or iTunes)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The (Vudu)
Huntsman: Winter's War, The [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Hustlers [2019] (iTunes 4K)
I Am Wrath (Vudu)
Identity Thief [2013] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Impossible, The [2012] (Vudu)
Inside Out [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K + 150 points)
Instant Family (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Interstellar (Vudu or Google Play)
Interview, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Invisible Man, The [1933] (MA)
Invisible Man, The [2020] (MA)
Iron Man 3 (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
It Follows (Vudu)
Jackass 3 [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Jack Reacher (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (iTunes 4K)
Jarhead 3: The Siege [Unrated] (MA)
Jason Bourne (iTunes/ports 4K)
Jessabelle [2014] (Vudu)
Jigsaw (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
John Henry [2020] (Vudu)
Johnny English Reborn [2011] (iTunes/ports)
John Wick (iTunes 4K)
John Wick 1 & 2 (Vudu or Google Play)
John Wick: Chapter 2 (iTunes 4K)
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (iTunes 4K) or all 3 for $5
Joy [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (MA + Sony points)
Jurassic World (iTunes/ports 4K)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (MA)
Justice [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Kidnap [2017] (iTunes/ports)
Killer Elite (iTunes/ports)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Last Knights [2015] (Vudu)
Last Vegas [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Last Witch Hunter, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Lawrence Of Arabia [1962] (MA + Sony points)
League Of Their Own, A [1992] (MA + Sony points)
Legend Of Hercules, The [2014] (iTunes 4K)
Leprechaun: Origins (Vudu)
Leprechaun Returns (Vudu or Google Play)
Les Misérables [2012] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Life [2017] (MA + Sony point)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports 4K)
Lockout [Unrated] [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Logan [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Longest Ride, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Looper [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Lorax, The [2012] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Love, Simon [2018] (MA)
Love The Coopers (iTunes)
Lucy [2014] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (MA)
Magnificent Seven, The [2016] (Vudu)
Maleficent (iTunes/ports 4K + 150 points)
Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again (MA)
Marauders (Vudu)
Martian, The [2015] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Mary Poppins [1964] (MA + 150 points)
Maze Runner, The [2014] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Mechanic: Resurrection (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Men In Black 3 (MA + Sony points)
Million Dollar Arm [2014] (Google Play/ports)
Million Ways To Die In The West, A [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Mindgamers [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Minions [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Miracles From Heaven (MA + Sony points)
Mission Impossible: Fallout (iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (iTunes 4K) or all 3 for $5
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Moneyball [2011] (MA + Sony points)
Monuments Men, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Moonrise Kingdom [2012] (MA)
Mortal Engines [2018] (MA)
Mortal Instruments: The City Of Bones, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
mother! [2017] (Vudu)
Mother's Day [2016] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Mud [2013] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Mummy, The [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Murder On The Orient Express [2017] (MA or Google Play/ports)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (iTunes/ports)
Neighbors [2014] (iTunes/ports)
Noah [2014] (Vudu)
Nobody's Fool [2018] (iTunes 4K)
No Good Deed [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Non-Stop [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Norm Of The North (Vudu or iTunes)
No Strings Attached (Vudu)
Now You See Me 2 (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Only The Brave [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Open Road [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Ouija [2014] (MA)
Ouija: Origin Of Evil [2016] (MA)
Outlander season 1 volume 1 (Vudu)
Overboard [2018] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Overlord [2018] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Paddington (Vudu)
Parker [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Paranormal Activity [2009] [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Paranormal Activity 2 [Unrated Director's Cut] (Vudu or iTunes)
Paranormal Activity 3 [Extended] (Vudu or iTunes)
Paranormal Activity 4 [Unrated] (iTunes)
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Passengers [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Patriots Day (Vudu or Google Play/iTunes option is expired)
Penguins Of Madagascar (MA)
Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters (MA or Google Play/ports)
Pet Sematary [2019] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Philomena (Vudu)
Pitch Perfect (iTunes/ports 4K)
Playing With Fire (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Pompeii [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Poison Rose, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Premium Rush [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Prince, The [2014] (Vudu)
Project Almanac (Vudu or iTunes)
Prometheus (MA or Google Play/ports, no iTunes option)
Psycho [1960] (MA)
Pulp Fiction (Vudu)
Purge: Anarchy, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Quiet Place, A [2018] (iTunes 4K)
Ralph Breaks The Internet (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Red Dawn [2012] (Vudu or Google Play)
Redemption [2013] (Vudu)
Riddick [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Rings [2017] (Vudu or iTunes)
R.I.P.D. Rest In Peace Department (iTunes/ports 4K)
Risen [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Rise Of The Guardians [2011] (MA)
Robin Hood [2018] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Rock Dog (iTunes)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (iTunes/ports 4K + 150 points)
Runner Runner [2013] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Rush [2013] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Saban's Power Rangers (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Safe House [2012] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption (iTunes/ports)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (MA 4K or iTunes/ports 4K)
Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, The (MA or Google Play/ports, iTunes option is expired)
Serenity [2005] (MA)
Seventh Son [2015] (iTunes/ports)
Sex Tape [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Shack, The [2017] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Sherlock Gnomes (Vudu)
Show Dogs [2018] (MA)
Sicario (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Silver Linings Playbook (Vudu or Google Play)
Sing [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Sinister (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Skyscraper [2018] (MA)
Smokey & The Bandit [1977] (MA)
Snow White & The Huntsman [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Sparkle [2012] (MA)
Spider-Man: Far From Home [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Spider-Man: No Way Home [2021] (MA + Sony points)
Split [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Spy [2015] [Unrated] (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Step Up All In [2014] (Vudu)
Step Up Revolution (Vudu or Google Play)
Straight Outta Compton [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Super 8 (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Super Buddies (MA without points)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Terminator: Genisys (iTunes 4K)
Texas Chainsaw [2013] (Vudu or iTunes)
Think Like A Man (MA + Sony points)
This Is 40 [2012] [Theatrical] (MA or iTunes/ports)
This Is The End [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Thor: Ragnarok (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Top Five [2014] (iTunes)
Top Gun (Vudu)
Total Recall [2012] [Theatrical & Director's Cut] (MA + Sony points)
Tower Heist [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Tracers [2015] (Vudu)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (iTunes 4K)
Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (MA)
True Grit [2010] (Vudu or iTunes)
Tyler Perry's Acrimony (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Underworld: Awakening (MA + Sony points)
Underworld: Blood Wars (MA + Sony points)
Vendetta [2016] (Vudu)
Venom [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Victoria & Abdul [2017] (MA)
Vow, The [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Walk Among The Tombstones, A (iTunes/ports)
Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Warcraft [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
War Room [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Watch, The [2012] (MA)
White House Down [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Why Him? [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Wolf Of Wall Street, The (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Wolverine, The [2013] [Unleashed Extended Edition] (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Woman In Black, The [2012] (MA)
Wonder [2017] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Wonder Park [2019] (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Woodlawn [2015] (MA or iTunes/ports)
World War Z (iTunes 4K)
X-Men: Apocalypse (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Your Highness [2011] (iTunes/ports)
Zootopia (MA without points)

💲2️⃣ SD

127 Hours (iTunes/ports)

12 Rounds [2009] [Extreme Cut] (iTunes/ports)
All About Steve (iTunes/ports)
Amelia (iTunes/ports)
Beasts Of The Southern Wild (iTunes/ports)
Black Swan (iTunes/ports)
Bride Wars (iTunes/ports)
Crazy Heart (iTunes/ports)
Date Night [Unrated Extended Edition] (iTunes/ports)
In Time [2011] (iTunes/ports)
Max Payne [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Monte Carlo [2011] (iTunes/ports)
My Girl 1 & 2 double feature (MA)
Ramona & Beezus (iTunes/ports)
Street Kings (iTunes/ports)
Three Stooges: The Movie, The [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Tooth Fairy (iTunes/ports)
Unstoppable [2010] (iTunes/ports)
Walk, The [2015] (MA + Sony points)
X-Files: I Want To Believe, The [Special Edition] (iTunes/ports)

🦝

$1 Codes

💲1️⃣ HD

2 Fast 2 Furious (MA)
Alex Cross (Vudu)
Bad Grandpa [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Bad Moms (MA or iTunes/ports)
Battleship [2012] (MA)
Big Hero 6 (Google Play/ports)
Book Club (Vudu)
Bourne Legacy, The (MA)
Bring It On: Worldwide Cheersmack [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Deadpool (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Despicable Me 2 (MA)
Divergent (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Divergent Series: Insurgent, The (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Dracula Untold (MA)
Duff, The (Vudu)
Dying Of The Light (Vudu)
Expendables 2, The (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Expendables 3, The [Theatrical] (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Fast & Furious [2009] (MA)
Fast & Furious 6, The [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift, The (MA)
Fast Five [Extended] (MA)
Fate Of The Furious, The [8] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA)
Frozen [2013] (MA without points/no iTunes option)
Frozen: Sing Along Edition (MA without points)
Furious 7 [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Vudu)
Girls Trip [2017] (MA)
Good Day To Die Hard, A [2012] [Extended] (MA or Google Play/ports)
Grace Unplugged (Vudu)
Hard Target 2 [2016] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hidden Figures (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Hunger Games, The (iTunes 4K)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (Vudu)
I, Frankenstein (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Independence Day: Resurgence (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Inside Out [2015] (Google Play/ports)
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Vudu)
Jason Bourne (MA)
Jurassic Park [1993] (MA)
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain (Vudu)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (MA)
Last Stand, The [2013] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Lost World: Jurassic Park, The (MA)
Lucy (MA)
Maggie (Vudu)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Vudu)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (Vudu) or both for $1.50
Mummy, The [2017] (MA)
Now You See Me [Extended] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Parental Guidance [2012] (MA)
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Pitch Perfect (MA)
Purge, The [2013] (MA)
Quiet Place, A [2018] (Vudu)
Red 2 (Vudu)
Ride Along [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Ride Along 2 (MA or iTunes/ports)
Safe [2012] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (MA)
Selma (iTunes)
Skyfall (Vudu or Google Play)
Snitch (iTunes 4K or Vudu/Google Play HD)
Star Trek: Beyond (Vudu)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (iTunes 4K)
Straight Outta Compton [Unrated Director's Cut] (MA)
Taken 2 (MA or Google Play/ports)
Ted [Unrated] (MA) or [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Terminator: Genisys (Vudu)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Vudu)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection (iTunes)
Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor (Vudu or Google Play)
Unbroken [2014] (iTunes/ports)
Warm Bodies (Vudu)
What To Expect When You're Expecting (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
World War Z (Vudu)
Zootopia (Google Play/ports)

🦝

💲1️⃣ SD

21 Jump Street (MA + Sony points)
22 Jump Street (MA + Sony points) or both for $1.50
5th Wave, The [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Act Of Valor (iTunes)
After Earth [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Alpha [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Amazing Spider-Man 2, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
American Hustle [2013] (MA + Sony points)
American Ultra (Vudu)
Angry Birds Movie, The (MA + Sony points)
A-Team, The [2010] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Avengers [2012] (iTunes/ports + possible 150 points)
Big Mommas Like Father, Like Son (iTunes/ports)
Bloodshot [2020] (MA + Sony points)
Captain Phillips (MA + Sony points)
Chronicle (iTunes/ports)
Conan The Barbarian [2011] (iTunes)
Concussion [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Day The Earth Stood Still, The [2008] (iTunes/ports)
Dirty 30 (Vudu)
Don't Breathe [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Due Date [2010] (iTunes/ports)
Elysium (MA + Sony points)
Equalizer, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Equalizer 2, The (MA + Sony points)
Evil Dead [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Expendables, The [2010] (iTunes)
Family Guy: Blue Harvest (iTunes)
Family Guy: It's A Trap (iTunes)
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side (iTunes)
Forbidden Kingdom, The (iTunes)
For Colored Girls (iTunes)
Gamer (iTunes)
Green Zone (iTunes/ports)
Grown Ups 2 (MA + Sony points)
Haywire (iTunes)
Here Comes The Boom [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania 3 (MA + Sony points)
Hours [2013] (Vudu)
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (iTunes/ports)
Immortals [2011] (iTunes)
Insidious: The Last Key (MA + Sony points)
Interview, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Jumanji: The Next Level (MA + Sony points)
Knight & Day [2010] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Looper (MA + Sony points)
Marley & Me (iTunes/ports)
Men In Black [1997] (MA)
Men In Black II [2002] (MA + Sony points)
Men In Black III [2012] (MA + Sony points)
MIB International (MA + Sony points)
Mirror Mirror [2012] (iTunes)
Mortal Instruments: The City Of Bones (MA + Sony points)
Movie 43 (iTunes)
Nerve (Vudu)
Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (iTunes/ports)
Olympus Has Fallen (MA + Sony points)
Perfect Guy, The [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Peter Rabbit [2018] (MA + Sony points)
Pixels [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Predators [2010] (iTunes/ports)
Reclaim (Vudu)
Red Riding Hood [2011] (iTunes/ports)
Robin Hood [2010] [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Safe Haven (iTunes)
Shallows, The [2016] (MA + 150 points)
Sparkle [2012] (MA)
Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse (MA + Sony points) [2023]
Spider-Man: Far From Home (MA + Sony points)
Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse (MA + Sony points) or all 3 for $2.50
Taken [2009] [Extended Cut] (iTunes/ports)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Tough Love (Vudu)
Underworld: Awakening (MA + Sony points)
Venom (MA + Sony points)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (MA + Sony points)
Vow, The [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Wanted [2008] (iTunes/ports)
Warrior [2011] (iTunes)
Water For Elephants (iTunes/ports)
When The Bough Breaks (MA + Sony points)
X-Men: First Class (iTunes/ports)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (iTunes/ports)
Zombieland: Double Tap (MA + Sony points)

🦝

Super Cheap SD & HD Codes

All movies are 3 for $1 each/must spend at least $1 on total order.
Cabin In The Woods, The (Vudu SD)
Dirty Grandpa (Vudu SD only)
Dredd (iTunes SD only)
Expendables 2, The (Vudu SD only or iTunes SD only)
Expendables 3, The [Unrated] (iTunes HD only)
Fast & Furious 6 [Extended] (MA ports HD)
Fast Five [Extended] (iTunes/ports HD)
Furious 7 [Extended] (MA ports HD)
Good Day To Die Hard, A [2012] (iTunes/ports SD)
Hunger Games, The (Vudu SD or iTunes SD only)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (Vudu HD only)
Internship, The (iTunes/ports SD)
John Wick 3 (Google Play HD only)
Jurassic World (MA ports HD)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports SD)
Parental Guidance (iTunes/ports SD)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (Vudu HD only)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Google Play/ports HD)
submitted by mthw704 to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 23:33 Fresh_Start_05 23 [TM4F/TF/NB] Hopeless romantic looking for my person.

Hello everybody. Okay, so I'll start out by saying that I live in Arkansas and would prefer someone closer to me. Though, I don't really mind distance all too much, so long distance is alright too. I'm 23 and will be 24 in May.
I am FtM so I go by he/him pronouns. I'm not sure when or if I'm going to make any changes to myself regarding transitioning physically. Even if I do decide to do anything to physically transition, I'll probably always be pretty feminine, so please just keep that in mind. Regarding what I look like, I have green eyes, pale skin, and my hair is naturally a dark brown color.
I have my hair in a buzzed style right now but, when I don't, it's either that color or some other probably bright or unnatural color that I've dyed it. I have glasses and stand at around 5'11 to 6'0 tall. I am also a plus sized person. I'm not particularly religious even though I was raised in a Christian household.
I am asexual and panromantic, but I've had a preference for women or more feminine presenting people for a long while. I live in a very small town that doesn't have many employment opportunities, so I'm looking for work at the moment and I stay with my family for now. I don't drive currently. I have a lot of anxiety around driving and don't have my license at the moment.
I'm going to work on changing those things hopefully in the near future. I'm a huge nerd and a big hopeless romantic. I like to both play and watch other people play videogames. I also like to read, swim when it's warm enough, listen to all kinds of music, and I write a bit as well.
I have also been known to enjoy cooking and baking from time to time. I love animals and have two outside cats. I am unsure if I want children in the future. I'm hoping that, by putting myself and my intentions out there into the world, that I'll be able to find the person that I'm looking for.
In the end, I'm looking for the person that I'll want to spend my life with. I want to find someone to hold hands with, cuddle with, and get kisses from. Someone who I can ask about their day and be asked in return. Someone who I can say goodnight and wish good morning to.
I want someone who I can talk with for hours about everything from silly stuff to serious things without getting bored. I want someone to love me for me, flaws and all, and I want to love someone that way in return. A real relationship is my end goal, but I also don't want to rush. I want to take my time and actually get to know someone as much as I can.
I'd like to videochat and joke around or just talk once we get comfortable with each other. If you're interested, then please feel free to message me with a little information about you. I would love to get to know you. Thank you for reading and I hope to speak with you soon.
submitted by Fresh_Start_05 to asexualdating [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 23:25 WeirdViper Friday Night Smackdown Month 3 Week 4

Michael Cole: Ladies & Gentlemen welcome to a sold out Friday Night Smackdown
Corey Graves: We are kicking things off hot tonight, as we will have a 3 team tag match to decide who will challenge our Women's Tag Team Champions at Wrestlemania lets get right into it!
__________
Winners face Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez at Wrestlemania
Katana Chance & Kayden Carter vs Asuka & Giulia vs Zelina Vega & Dakota Kai
Results: All three teams try to steal quick victories but to no success, after awhile the match slows down and we settle into a quality high intense match. Just as it looks like Asuka & Giulia are closing in on a win, Cora & Roxanne run down the ramp each with what has become their trademark pipes and starts to level everyone, once satisfied the Women's Tag Champs stand tall over the 3 fallen teams
__________
As Cora & Roxanne are walking backstage they are confronted by current General Manager Kelly Kelly
Kelly: Great girls, you really showed everyone tonight... I may be stepping down from this job but tonight I still have it, so I am making it official at Wrestlemania you will defend those Tag Team titles against all 3 of those teams you just attacked, in a 4 team elimination match!
Roxanne & Cora are both pissed, Cora is about to say something when Roxanne stops her and they both just walk off
__________
Karmen Petrovic vs Charlotte Flair
Results: Charlotte shows her experience as she controls much of the match, whenever Karmen gets a bit of momentum Charlotte shuts it down. Charlotte nails Natural Selection but then poses and taunts the crowd and calls for the Figure 8. As Charlotte leans down to lock it in, Karmen sits up grabbing Charlotte's head rolling her into a pin and the ref counts 1 2 3. Karmen rolls out of the ring having stolen the quick victory over Charlotte Flair
__________
Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs Becky Lynch & Scarlett
Results: This match has chaos all over it as Scarlett tries to get revenge for last week, it looks like the revenge may come as Becky locks in the Disarmer on Skye Blue, as the ref is checking if Skye wants to quit, Julia sprays mist in Becky's eyes allowing Skye to get a rollup and get the pinfall win over Becky
__________
Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch & Scarlett are backstage and all very angry, they storm into Kelly Kelly's office and demand revenge on the trio of Karmen, Skye and Julia
Kelly: You know what, fine! At Wrestlemania it will be a 6 woman tag, you three against the team of Karmen Petrovic, Skye Blue, and Julia Hart!
Flair, Lynch & Scarlett all seem satisfied with that and walk off
__________
Toni Storm is in the ring and calls out Rhea RIpley for interfering last week
Rhea comes out and both begin arguing and getting into eachothers face when suddenly Tiffany Stratton appears and attacks Rhea, it looks at though it was a set up as Toni & Tiffany team up to attack Rhea, when suddenly "Watch Me" hits and out runs the freshly returning Liv Morgan who gets in the ring to even the odds attacking Toni Storm.
After the 2 sides fight abit and are finally separated a tag team match is made
__________
Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm & Tiffany Stratton
Results: This match has a lot of awkward moments as neither team wants to work together and there is tension all over the place, after both teams have miscommunications everything breaks down as all 4 women begin to fight and it is total chaos. After officials finally separate all 4 women General Manager Kelly Kelly walks out on the stage
Kelly: Since you all seem to want to kill each other, my last official decision as General Manager of Smackdown is a big one, at Wrestlemania you Rhea will defend your women's championship in a Fatal Four Way match... inside a steel cage... Good luck ladies
All 4 women are yelling at each other before Liv gets free from officials and goes after Toni again as Smackdown goes off the air
submitted by WeirdViper to RedflamesBookingNow [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 23:19 Makaphin [H] Transformers: JP, CHUG, Mainline, SS, 3P, etc; Various Anime [W] Paypal

Hello, all. Welcome to my sales thread! Looking to sell some figures here; some new, some old, some in-between.
Figures are currently adult-owned and stored in a smoke and pet-free home. Condition is listed with each figure.
Payment: All prices are in USD. Payment through Paypal.
SHIPPING IS FREE from SoCal unless outside the CONUS. Applies to items over $25. Overseas shipping can be negotiated.
Deals are negotiable so don’t hesitate to DM me if you’re interested in anything. Additional pics are available upon request.
Pictures can be found in this timestamp. Additional pictures, Feedback, and Wants from TFW can be provided upon request.
Newest items will be in Bold
Official Transformers Japanese Releases $15 - JP Release Beast Wars DVDs and VHS set (see pics) $10 - QTransform - Sideswipe (CIB, minor paint touch-ups, magnets in feet) HOLD $10 - QTransform - AOE Lockdown (CIB, minor paint touch-ups) HOLD $50 - Takara Legends - Chromia (CIB) $15 - Takara Legends - Gong "Brawn" (Loose, missing Headmaster) $35 - POTP - Dinobot Slash (MISB, JP Packaging)
CHUG $10 - RID - Wedge (Loose) $65 - Earthrise - Barricade (Loose) $25 - Legacy - Minerva (MISB) HOLD $10 - Legacy - Knockout (Loose, custom wheels) HOLD $25 - Legacy Velocitron - Shadowstrip (CIB, incl. upgraded wheels preinstalled) $20 - Legacy Velocitron - Road Hauler (MISB) $35 - Legacy Velocitron - Crasher (MIB, custom wheels + 5mm shoulder mount) $15 - Legacy Velocitron - Burnout (Loose) $10 - Kingdom - Road Rage (Loose) $40 - Legacy - Devcon (CIB)
Mainline $40 - DOTM - Shockwave (Loose, Complete) $4 - Flex Changers - Nightbird (Loose and MISB, 2x, free w/ Purchase)
Studio Series $8 - SS86 - Wheelie (Loose, missing weapon, nerd) $15 - SS86 - Arcee (MISB) $80 - SS - Battletrap (CIB, instructions + box) $45 - SS - Optimus Primal (NIB, Axe not included, Prime stole it) $80 - SS - Ironhide (Loose, 15th Anniv. Pack)
Non-Official Transformers Newage $40 - Newage - Max H6 (Cosmo, Loose) $40 - Newage - Lamont Cranston H42B (SG Mirage, Loose) $100 - Newage - Mista (Movie Soundwave, CIB, missing acc. box + Ravage) HOLD
MMC/OX $45 - Ocular Max - PS-19 Grifter (Hubcap, CIB)
Iron Factory $190 - Iron Factory - City Commander Genesis (Delta Magnus, CIB) $100 - Iron Factory - City Commander (Ultra Magnus, CIB, extra white gun and white hammer handle) $65 - Iron Factory - Tyrant's Wing Amethyst (Hotlink, CIB) $50 - Iron Factory - Phantom (Mirage, CIB)
Incomplete/Junkers $40 - RID - Megatron (Loose, missing foot guard + dragon head) $15 - Siege - Ultra Magnus (Loose, core bot only, missing front bumper) HOLD $10 - AOE - Strafe (Loose, broken tail) $10 - DOTM - Sideswipe (Loose, missing hood and MechTech weapon) $35 - SS - Roadbuster (Loose, missing rear bumper and minigun)
Non-Transformers $50 - Nendoroid - 1792 Hololive Uruha Rushia (MISB) $50 - Nanoblock - PAC-MAN Translucent Limited Edition Collectors Set SDCC 2021 Exclusive (MISB) $200 - Funko Pop - 253 My Hero Academia Ochaco (Masked) SDCC 2017 Exclusive (MISB, free box protector included) $25 - Bandai - Rent-A-Girlfriend Ruka Sarashina (Exhibition Ver.) Prize Figure (MISB) $20 - Gacha lot $15 - EXQ Sword Art Online Code Register - Leafa Prize Figure (Loose, Force Cast-Off) $25 - Maito - 350Z NISMO 1:18 model (MISB) $100 - Snail Shell - Hotaru Phantom-001 (CIB, broken secondary stand-ask pics)
submitted by Makaphin to toyexchange [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 23:16 Mizzno [H] Games [W] art of rally, Games (Listed Below), Steam Gift Cards

N.B.: I'm mainly looking for the games listed in the title and at the bottom of the thread. Feel free to post other offers, but if I haven't responded to your comment(s) by my next posting, I likely wasn't able to find a trade that interested me.
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For sale (for Steam Gift Cards or gifted Steam Wallet balance):
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For trade:
*signifies that a game is tentatively up for trade, assuming I buy the bundle
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IGS Rep Page: https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/ti26nz/mizznos_igs_rep_page/
submitted by Mizzno to indiegameswap [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 22:23 dynam1keNL mikefive, a Kailh PG1316 keyboard

mikefive, a Kailh PG1316 keyboard
I present you, my second keyboard project, and my first full custom project: the mikefive. If you like, read below how it came to be and more details about the build.
https://preview.redd.it/9ze3tggr1axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d58455d5912634e81660870740edf206309f01cd
The first keyboard project was a typeractive wireless Corne which I built about a year ago. After typing 6-finger-qwerty for my whole 38-year life, I switched to ortho, split, colemak-dh, blank keycaps, learned to touch type, and never looked back. However, I found that I was always orienting the Corne halves the same way and started thinking about an unibody.
A friend from work liked my 'alternative' keyboard and wanted to build something too. I showed him the rabbit hole including switch options and also showed him the Kailh X (PG1425) switches. These, and especially the keycaps, were hard to come by but we liked the idea of a slim keyboard, so we decided to email Kailh directly. To our surprise, we could order X switches and caps directly from them, although there was a somewhat high MOQ (minimum order quantity). So, him, me and my friends’ housemate decided to order together.
But Kailh suddenly said: “Are you also interested in these PG1316 switches?”. I never heard of those, but the spec sheet they sent looked interesting: tactile, even lower than the X switches, and completely surface mounted on PCB. Officially, these are laptop switches. But hey, potentially this could become something really slim. So we decided to order a sample batch of these too.
My friend continued his design for the X switches and Chocs (PG1350), but when the Kailh box arrived, and I saw and felt the PG1316’s, I knew I wanted to build a keeb with those. I learned to make PCB’s with help from Joe Scotto’s YouTube video and KiCad library, and the same friend who happens to be a mechatronic engineer. I am an industrial product design engineer, so I know my way around 3D CAD and product design.
And, here we are. The mikefive, which gets its name from, well.. me, and its complete thickness of 5mm. Including the keycap, the switch stands 4.2mm tall and is mounted on a 0.8mm thick PCB, making a total of 5mm. The switch has a travel of 1.8mm, and magically disappears completely inside the keycap volume when pressed. In the picture below you can see how thin it is, compared to my Corne with Chocs.
https://preview.redd.it/66j1j9eu1axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0557230fe08dd332c5db38998175a5e4eaf11e5c
Because the switch is surface mounted there are no solder pins sticking through the PCB and the PCB can be safely used as a bottom plate without exposing any contacts.
Kailh was nice enough to send the 3D CAD files of the switch and cap so I could use it for checking the fit in KiCad as well as make some nice renders to make design choices a bit easier. Here is a render of the final design before I ordered. Note how I made the bottom edge of the housing near the thumb clusters a little lower then the other edges so the user thumbs will not interfere with the edge there.
https://preview.redd.it/2gvasd483axc1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d930be16c29b186335aec58fa102e9704c0bd364
I chose a 17x17mm spacing, sometimes referred to as CFX spacing. This is 1mm narrower than the 18x17mm Choc spacing I was used too. The choice was primarily based on the square PG1316 keycaps, because I dislike unequal spacing between keycaps. I 3D printed a mockup and the CFX spacing felt very workable, so I went with it. The PCB’s and the CNC’ed aluminum housing are both from JLC. I did some splatter artwork on the back of the PCB including an isolated solder pad in the shape of the logo.
https://preview.redd.it/0qy7iolv1axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da29fdd8a83da84a3c320a6f437128f7e731c69c
Soldering was done all using a Miniware hotplate and solderpaste we have at work. It is impossible to solder the PG1316 switches by iron, because the contacts are located underneath the switch. Four larger contacts on the corners of the switch lock the switch its ‘frame’ to the PCB by solder. I placed vias in these corner pads for a more secure connection to the PCB. Because the hotplate is small, it took some time to solder everything, but is was easy and I enjoyed getting closer to testing it.
https://preview.redd.it/y7501i0x1axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ad295892ab851c8954841c170b138c44c8c6d34
Despite being the thinnest switches I have seen, there is space underneath the switch for a backlight LED, which I did not place. Instead, I used this space for the 1N4148W diodes in SOD-123 package. Soldering with a hotplate is easy and magical as the tiny components magically align by themselves. There is also a popular MSK12C02 power switch to disconnect the battery. The diodes, switch and controller were ordered from splitkb, which is in my tiny country. Bedankt voor de stroopwafeltjes Thomas 😉
https://preview.redd.it/entjmv1z1axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19049b31d1d8361db849ba786e10449256571b3a
Next to the extremely low profile switches I also needed to fit a controller and battery. Luckily, my typeractive Corne already showed me the right parts with the super thin nicenanov2 and the 301230 battery that both max out below 3mm. I never saw a through-hole controller mounted flush like this but using the hotplate the soldering was a breeze. I made some small additional pads next to the controller pads (you can see them on the picture above) to check if all the individual pads were connected well using a multimeter.
To my surprise, my first time designing a PCB, first time hotplate soldering, first time making a custom shield in ZMK, everything worked! It was a question whether there would still be a good Bluetooth connection with the metal housing covering the whole center controller, but everything just works perfectly. During PCB design, I removed the ground planes on the PCB locally where the Bluetooth antenna of the nicenano is, and the controller being so close to the bottom probably helps for getting out the radio waves through the bottom.
https://preview.redd.it/rkd3bdy02axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fce3fbc1d6c9e468e998e1d5dbd27c77e85263a4
I wanted the case to add as minimal as possible to the keyboard. I primarily wanted the case to stiffen up the relatively thin PCB and protect the surface mounted switches from side impact, when for example dropping it into my bag. That is also why the ‘holes’ are in the keeb, to make the contour is smooth for easy into-backpack-sliding. Each half is at 15 degrees, so 30 degrees total between halves. I experimented with this angle using my Corne and liked it this way. The center piece is as small as it can be for housing of the controller and battery.
https://preview.redd.it/5ywdcgm22axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d84d58cbac9ad3dc291c85a2527aa9460e8e754
The Kailh provided keycaps are transparent, and have the letters A, B, C and D on them from the inside. Probably mold marking from production. I guess these would be painted when used in laptops, and transparent to the light passes through. I decided on the white PCB color and natural aluminum housing to match the current switch appearance a bit.
https://preview.redd.it/loyify842axc1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a31ce7af3c9a17f5dd104ed45f1f9c7135ae748
There is one slight flaw, and that is that the PCB slightly warped during all of the hotplate soldering from one side. Therefore you can see it lifts slightly out of the housing at the bottom edge. Unfortunately, I did not put a screw there to hold it in place, like I did on each corner and in the middle using countersunk M2x3 torx screws. Yes, I did some manual countersinking using a countersinking drill bit in a 0.8mm PCB to make the bottom fully flat. I made sure to have no copper ground planes around the PCB holes to make countersinking easy, and it was.
So, how does it type? Well, the first thing I noticed, coming from Choc Red (linear 50g), it that PG1316’s are very tactile and very strong. I also have all the tactile Chocs sampled here, but nothing comes close the tactile bump in these. The spec sheet says 60g tactile force and 32g operation force, but actually I question those values. I am getting more used to it as I work with it more, but I think it is still a bit heavy for my taste. I emailed Kailh about my experience, so I am curious what they will say.
But then, the height. It is so comfortable, its incredible. Even with the low profile chocs I had some strain on longer sessions. But this, is incredible. No strain at all. It is like tapping the table surface.
And then there is the portability. This thing is slimmer than your phone or tablet. It slides into you backpack tablet compartment with ease. It is also very light. The case is aluminum, but is all very thin so it weighs nothing.
I am excited about it, and will keep you updated on revisions and such. I can share gerbers and stuff if people want it. Let me know in the comments or send me a message.
submitted by dynam1keNL to ErgoMechKeyboards [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 22:17 kiltedfrog Andurian recovers Flox, and much more.

Andurian was the strangest healer anyone had ever seen. He wore a black and purple robe, had a fancy staff (the only normal healer thing about him) and a powerful magic sword on his hip. Though not uncommon, the amount he had was excessive; he had five magic rings on one hand and three on the other. You could feel the magic flowing off his sword, staff, and particularly those rings, at pretty much all times. The power was like a gentle breeze constantly flowing outward from his gear that you could only feel with your magi-sense. At first it was startling, the kind of thing that would cause an entire tavern to stop making noise the moment he entered, and resume a moment later when they all realized it was just Andurian.
He'd made himself well known around town when he appeared out of no where and saved the lives of a handful of Steel Tier Adventurers after they killed the Tyrannus Lizard. It had bit their healer in half during the battle and somehow he even saved her too.
Vincent the Brave had introduced him to the guild, and he immediately signed up. Everyone starts at Tin tier, but Andurian rose up the ranks quickly. Clearly his ability to mend flesh was second to none, and he never seemed to tired from casting like most healers. When he wasn't out adventuring he worked, FOR FREE, at the medical clinic.
Well... Free in terms of currency, what he was really getting paid in was information. Every adventurer he healed talked with him, told him anything he wanted to know. He was, after all, the only healer that includes pain killing magic with his heals. Most healers will stitch you back together through screaming pain, but Andurian will put your whole damn arm back on and somehow give you an Armgasm as the same time.
Rumors about him spread too, far and wide. Six months after he arrived the first Adamantine adventurers started showing up at our town trying to recruit him. He was still technically only an Iron tier Adventurer when he turned down the Falconeer and her crew. Terrestria and the Earthlings also got shot down, though he did cure two of the Earthlings of a fungal infection they'd had for nigh on a decade that their old healer said was 'Impossible to fix'.
Andurian never permanently joined a party, at least for nine month he hadn't. He'd do one job with a random party here, and another there, nothing that was supposed to get too terribly dangerous, though the missions he chose always seemed to get out of hand somehow. Randomly coming across an undead horde, or a lindwyrm, or a pack of dire wolves. The tales the returning adventurers would tell would be fantastical. Tanks cut clean in two, and restored in mere seconds, back to fully fighting fit. Or an arm that was reattached from a distance, unlike other healers he didn't need to be touching you to heal. He never seemed to attack, he would use his staff to defend himself if a stray goblin or wolf came at him. Parrying and dodging while still healing, until help arrived to slay whatever it was attacking him.
The rumors about this man had become so powerful that if he asked to join your party you almost couldn't say no. Was it probably going to be one hell of a mission gone sideways? Almost assuredly. Would everyone survive? Also, without a doubt, so long as the man in the black and purple robes came with. Parties that had gone out and had haywire adventures with Andurian also seemed to level up pretty quickly afterward. The Tigers went from Bronze to Steel as a party within two months of their time with him, and that was pretty much the typical result.
Also, he'd never been said to join the same party twice. So the Scrip Scrappers were quite surprised when he approached their table at the tavern the day before their first mission out after their 'turn' being bless by him.
"I am coming with you." He told them, a serious look on his face. the entire tavern silenced to listen in. They all knew this was odd... odder than normal with Andurian.
Dean, the leader of the Scrip Scrappers swallowed hard into the sudden silence. "I... Uhm. What?" He wasn't mentally ready to be devoured whole by another Grunchalope Alpha, or whatever the future happened to have in store for him on this adventure out with Andurian.
"I am coming with you." Andurian repeated. "Your party will need me."
He never explained why he was joining parties, he just told them he joining. Dean's face drained of all color.
Samantha, the Scrip Scrappers regular healer smiled and placed her a hand on Dean's shoulder. "We would be honored to have you along again. I was hoping that perhaps this time I might pick your brain about a few things, if there's time."
Andurian smiled. He never smiled. "I believe that can be arranged."
They were on a mission into a goblin lair that had previously been cleared by three groups of mostly steel tier adventurers. They weren't called the Scrip Scrappers because they took on high value jobs. Mostly they did cleanup tasks. Frequently, members 'graduated' up to new parties. Andurian spent the walk to the goblin lair talking with Samantha about the human body. The functions of all the organs, and tips and tricks for non-magical healing, but he noticeable changed the subject several times when it came to healing with magic.
As expected this mission went sideways. Getting to the supposedly cleared lair was no problem, however when they arrived it seemed all the corpses were already gone. Blood trails indicated something had dragged them all back into the lair, or possibly that they'd dragged themselves. Normally, Dean would have called it there, and for the sake of safety told the party to head back to town. A waste of a days rations and a time, better safe than dead. Something amiss like that is a sure sign of trouble... but Andurian spoke up.
"We need to go in there, no time to wait for reserve troops." And with that he strode forth, leaving the party racing to catch up. Healers and spellcaster types usually aren't in the front when exploring sketchy dungeons.
Once they were all comfortably inside, the entrance collapsed. Sealing them inside. Andurian didn't seem bothered, or even startled by this, which did help put the other seven people at ease, sorta. The lack of startle was... well startling in it's own way.
Rather than say anything to allay their growing anxiety, he said, "The only way out is forward." After which he did something that ratcheted up all their anxieties to eleven. He drew his sword. Andurian hadn't drawn his sword in the entire time he'd been around. He'd been said to have blocked a few attacks with it still in it's sheath, but never actually took it out.
She sang, that sword, a sort of ringing that never stopped after he pulled her out. Scarlet Aria was her name, and once unsheathed all seven Scrappers could feel her power washing over them, invigorating them, and enhancing their senses and breathing. She cast an eerie light, which made all the goblin blood sprayed about the room glow an unnatural green. There were smaller bits that glowed white.
He held his sword high, lighting up the entire space, "Fan out and have a look around. We're looking for any purple blood. Green is the goblinoids, white is humans, elves or dwarves. Purple is... my target."
A few minutes of searching and Harlan, the rogue found a tiny spot of glowing purple in a piece of rock on the ground that looked magically manipulated and called Andurian over. Harlan suspected an orc shaman had opened a tunnel here at some point.
For a moment there was a flash of anger on Andurian's face, but he quelled his emotions and said. "Stand back."
He placed his hand that had five rings on it a fist pointed straight down. The Scrappers all felt a pulse of magic unlike anything they'd ever encountered, suddenly they were all falling. Andurian's five rings destroyed themselves in their usage, but punched a large hole all the way down into the underdark, that land beneath the surface from which goblins and orcs come.
As they fell he swung his staff around and caught them all in a slow falling spell, so they alighted softly onto the stone wreckage below. pushing away the cloud of dust that came with them.
Slow falling was supposed to be a wizard's spell, or so they had all thought.
As the cloud of dust cleared and settled, They saw that they were well and truly surrounded by a throng of orcs and goblins. They had crashed down in the middle of some huge ritual or ceremony. Inside the surprisingly well lit cave were hundreds, maybe even a thousand orcs and goblins. And underneath the pile of rocks that they had followed were probably twenty or so dead ones.
Andurian smiled. Fresh ground goblin and orc would work perfectly. He activated the three remaining rings on his sword hand, and a glowing light surrounded all of his companions. "Fight like my life depends on it friends, and don't worry about the wounds."
The scrappers all felt stronger than ever, they all were stronger than ever. Whatever magic Andurian used had juiced them up real good. Dean leapt twelve feet in a single jump to block an arrow headed toward Andurian. And then he kicked an orc that was climbing up toward them hard enough that the orc's head exploded.
Samantha stood next to Andurian, what else was she going to do? Andy had taken an arrow in the neck and just ripped it out and the wound sealed up and he kept fighting. So she watched Andurian to try to learn. She watched him point with his staff at the growing mess of dead meat, and then she watched it begin to form up into a massive flesh golem.
"Y- Y- You're a Carnomancer!?"
"And so much more!" Andurian said as he channeled his power into the staff and his monstrous flesh abomination hopped into action. Unnervingly fast for something so large, it swept orcs and goblins by the dozen down to the floor and stomped across them. Every one slain adding to it's mass and power.
"But... What? How?!"
The Scrip Scrappers acquitted themselves well in battle. The enchantment he put on them was unreal.
Dave, the unarmored barbarian, used to be covered in somewhat debilitating burn scars. Those ancient scars had all vanished about a half second after the enchantment landed on him, and he felt as young as powerful as when he had slain the dragon that burnt him twenty years ago.
Dean's strength grew to match Dave's, and Harlan and Harriet both become so fast and deadly accurate with their ranged attacks that they were killing enemies so quickly that running out of arrows would have been a serious concern, if not for the orcs and goblins shooting plenty back at them. If they needed another one they'd just yoink it from their own thigh, or their friend's back and the wound would painlessly close. In fact getting peppered with arrows was only a minor itchy annoyance at worst while under Andurian's ring enhanced enchantment. It was not, however repairing their armor, which would be truly beat to hell by the end of the fight.
Val and Tilly, the two offensive spellcasters found their mana reserves to be overflowing, like they were wearing beer helmets with mana potions instead of beers, and just absolutely chugging while fighting.
Samantha would have got more out of the enchantment if she wasn't so dumbfounded by conversation with Andurian while the chaos around her unfolded.
"What the hell do you mean More than a Carnomancer! Everyone only gets one Mancy!" She shouted at him, mostly to get over the noise of the screaming goblinoid horde trying to kill them. An arrow stuck her in the neck and he reached pointed his sword at her and it sprang out and flew back at the one who shot it.
"No offense lady, but you people have it all so wrong about magic on this planet." He said, "Look, I can do any mancy I want."
Then he copied Val's Pyromancy only stronger, and lit a dozen green bodies below aflame with a gesture from his staff. Another staff swipe put a wall of ice spikes through a line of twenty enemies that was about to loose arrows their direction.
"What in the nine hells..." Samantha was struggling with this, Church Dogma said that those blessed with magic could only master one mancy, but Andurian had clearly mastered many. "What... what are you?"
Andurian pointed his staff toward his flesh monstrosity and it collapsed from a vaguely humanoid in shape to a massive blob with hundreds protruding of bone tentacles. The boney protrusions reached out and claimed any orc or goblin they could and started hurling them to awaiting mouths at the blob center.
"I'm A Space Wizard. From up there." He gestured upward with his eyes, "One of my ilk has stolen something from me and has been hiding on this planet, and I've finally found him. So you wanna know what I am? I'm fucking mad. He stole my godsdamned Familiar!"
There was a sudden powerful pulse of magic, the kind that the Scrip Scrappers had only ever felt around Andurian, but it came from within a neighboring chamber of the cave. The orcs and goblins had been slaughtered down to the point that they were fleeing en masse, and this, enemy Space Wizard, had also just retreated.
"Run if you want Rathius, you son of a bitch!" Andurian shouted into the cave. then he turned to Samantha to say, "He can't force a teleport with Flox, so he's gotta still be in here somewh-oof!"
Andurian's Familiar cut him off by flying into his chest at high speed and unceremoniously taking him clean off his feet. It was an almost two meter long flying noodly shaped dragon thing. Flox was black and purple, like his owner's robe. He had four limbs on bottom, front legs with thumbs on the hands, and back feet more like a cats. On his back were a pair of wings, though the way he flew he definitely didn't need use them. It seemed the laws of Physics were merely suggestions to Flox the dragonling Familiar.
Andurian sat up and pet the aggressively wiggly dragonling in his lap. "Okay buddy, I know... I missed you too." Flox licked him and nuzzled him like a dog that hadn't seen it's owner in weeks, and as Andurian calmed Flox down the creature started purring like a cat. Once the beast was purring Andurian collected his sword and sheathed it, and grabbed his staff back to help himself back to his feet Around them, the Scrip Scrappers had reassembled. The flesh monstrosity had collapsed into inert meat the instant Flox had made contact with Andurian. The ol' space Wizard just didn't have the rage left in his heart to maintain such a thing when his Familiar was back with him. Also, all the remaining enemies had all fled.
"Did you say you're a Space Wizard?" Val had overheard.
"Yeah, he did." Samantha confirmed, while plucking one of the few remaining arrows from Harriet's back. "He also has multiple mancies. Pyro, Cryo, Carno, and more from what I saw..."
Coming from the cleric, the healer, the representative of the church in the group, that was quite the statement.
Andurian sighed while wrapping his purring pet around his neck like a scarf, "The jig is up. I'm not from 'round here. I'm from up there, all the way up there. And I know far more about the true nature of magic than you land dwellers down here, what with that damn fool church teaching everyone everything wrong. "
He waited a few seconds to see if any of them would say anything, and much to his surprise, all three of the spell casters in the group started talking at once.
"Can I go with you."
"I want to see it."
"No fuckin way, prove it."
Andurian smiled. "Alright, alright. You non-casters are welcome to come too, you all have potential to learn magic, even Dave here, I'm afraid.
Dave laughed. "If you can prove that, then I'm this little critter's uncle."
All the Scrip Scrappers laughed. Then they suddenly stopped laughing as the roof of the cave above them ripped opened up and sunlight poured in.
"That'll be our ride." Andurian said. "You know, I wasn't planning to recruit anyone on this planet.... but you guys are alright, and Flox didn't raise his hackles to a single one of you. So you've all passed the hardest test already."
Gravity slowly reversed over a few second. The Scrip Scrappers started to panic but since Andurian did not, they left it at 'starting to panic' instead of full blown panic. They started floating upward, and Andurian simply pointed with his staff and applied burst of kinetic energy to the largest rocks trying to join them. His ship above began to do the same, pushing all the stone and rock away, leaving only himself and the Scrip Scrappers to be pulled inside his ship.
"Welcome aboard Captain." A woman's voice said from somewhere. "And welcome, new friends."
submitted by kiltedfrog to AFrogWroteThis [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 22:01 A_Vespertine Bad Habits

In my last story, a space mermaid warned against the dangers of smoking. The Darlings did not heed that warning, so now Space Whale Aesops shall ensue.
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“The Darling Twins? Honestly, haven’t we all had enough of them by now?” Seneca ruminated as he tried to placate what was now the de facto triumvirate of the Ophion Occult Order.
Once again, he had been summoned to Adderwood Manor to account for his lapses in judgement, but rather than being on full public display in the Grand Hall, he instead found himself in a relatively small parlour. Across from the coffee table in front of him sat Ivy Noir, with her sister Envy to her right and her husband Erich to her left. Standing just to the side of them was the trenchcoat and fedora-wearing automaton who called himself The Mandrake. The one-eyed dream-catcher carved into his iridescent face rendered his emotions unreadable, but the spellwork pistols holstered in his belt made it clear that he was prepared to defend his employers against anything.
“I mean, this feud between them and Emrys is laughable,” Seneca went on. “They’re no threat to him now that he’s free of his chains, surely? Before there may have been a tactical element to his obsession with them, but now it’s just plain petty. Petra’s just out for revenge, and don’t get me started on the absurdity of that eldritch realtor wanting to flip their playroom. Does he think he can just relabel their torture chambers as BDSM dungeons and pass the Black Bile infestation off as some mould?”
“Seneca, I promised Emrys the Darlings, and the Covenant that we all signed binds us to fulfill that promise,” Ivy reminded him patiently, dropping a cube of sugar into her ouroboros-themed antique teacup. “You knew the Darlings better than any of us. You inducted them into the Order, you used them as assassins and bodyguards, and you let them withdraw every penny they had in your bank when they were fugitives!”
“Well, first of all, Crow, Crowley & Chamberlain is a financial institution, not a bank,” Seneca said flippantly. “Secondly, they had a numbered account and they didn’t show up in person, so the teller didn’t have the slightest idea of who they were dealing with.”
“You still could have frozen the account before they had that opportunity,” Erich stated.
Seneca made a display of languidly stirring some cream into his tea and taking a slow sip before responding.
“I’m very busy,” he claimed without an ounce of sincerity.
“You just didn’t want to get on the Darlings’ bad side,” Ivy said.
“I wasn’t aware they had a good side,” Seneca shrugged.
“There must be a paper trail we can follow,” Envy insisted. “Did the Darlings keep their assets anywhere else besides your bank?”
“Financial institution, and yes, I’m sure they have a proverbial Swiss bank account, but I haven’t the slightest notion of where to find it,” Seneca claimed. “It has come up in conversation that James invested about twenty percent of his income with me, twenty percent elsewhere, and shoved another twenty percent under their mattress. Mary enjoys being shagged on top of money, apparently. Their services commanded quite a high price on the underworld market, and sixty-plus years of compound interest have made them incredibly wealthy. They can afford to lie low for a long while.”
“Even if they can go without a paycheck indefinitely, they can’t go without killing,” Erich countered. “They need to hunt, and their egos mean they aren’t just going to cower from Emrys inside their playroom. They’re going to be out looking for victims and plotting against us, and you know what spots they’re likely to hit.”
“You’re wasting your time. James has had decades to scout out hunting grounds, and I’m sure he prepared for the possibility – no, inevitability – that he and his sister would become our enemies. He’s not going to risk showing up within a hundred miles of any of our Chapterhouses if he doesn’t need to,” Seneca said dismissively.
Ivy opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when The Mandrake took a step forward for the first time since the meeting began. He reached into his pocket and tossed a red and white pack of cigarettes with a shiny silhouette of a stag onto the coffee table.
“What is this?” Erich asked.
“Satin Stag cigarettes,” The Mandrake said flatly before shifting his gaze to Seneca. “That’s the Darlings’ brand, isn’t it, Mr. Chamberlain?”
“Um, yes. I believe I’ve seen them smoke those once or twice. What of it?” Seneca asked, failing to hide the nervousness creeping into his voice.
“These are artisanal cigarettes, and Harrowick County’s the only place you can buy them,” The Mandrake said. “That means that the Darlings, either directly or indirectly, are going to have to make the occasional sojourn back home, and the limited supply of these hand-rolled coffin nails means they can’t stock up too far in advance either. You know Harrowick County better than any of us. You know who makes these, you know who sells them. That’s how we track down the Darlings.”
“That’s preposterous. Do you really think they’d risk coming to Harrowick County rather than just switch brands?” Seneca scoffed.
“The Very Important Person at Pascal’s told me that Mary said they’ve been smoking these since they were kids, so they’re clearly pretty attached to them,” The Mandrake replied. “And somehow, I don’t think they’re the type to ever give up a bad habit.”
***
“Smoke & Mirrors ~ Fine Tobacco Products. Silvano Santoro, Proprietor. Est. 1949,” Envy read aloud as she, Seneca and The Mandrake stood outside the small, heavily fortified brick building.
Cast iron bars crisscrossed the windows and front door, which looked like it stood a decent chance of withstanding a police swat team. Security was obviously the shop’s proprietor’s key concern, as the ugly brown and yellow awning was tattered and faded, and the paint on the sign was so chipped it was barely even legible.
“How exactly does an unnoticeable and unattractive hole in the wall like this stay in business?” Envy asked.
“Repeat customers,” Seneca replied as he took a confident step towards the door. “Silvano knows me, and he doesn’t normally have a problem with me bringing guests along, but I expect both of you to be on your best behaviour!”
Envy gave him a reassuring nod, but The Mandrake continued to stoically stare at nothing with his hands in his pockets. Rolling his eyes, Seneca pressed a bulky plastic button on the antiquated door buzzer.
“Yeah, who is it?” a harsh and smoke-damaged voice demanded.
“It’s Seneca, Silvano. A pleasure to make your acquaintance again as well!” Seneca answered. “Just looking to pick up a few cases of cigars for a party, if you’ve got anything decent in stock, of course.”
“Who’s that you got with you?” Silvano asked suspiciously.
“Envy Noir, sir. I’m here on behalf of my sister Ivy, investigating a matter of considerable importance to the Ophion Occult Order,” Envy promptly introduced herself, much to Seneca’s chagrin. “The gentleman beside me is my bodyguard. Would you be so kind as to let us in?”
“Ah… of course. Just a moment, please,” Silvano replied.
“What’s he need a moment to buzz open a door for?” The Mandrake demanded, his stance immediately switching to full readiness.
“Making the place presentable for customers, I assume,” Seneca explained in exasperation.
“You mean he’s hiding evidence, or he’s running!” The Mandrake shouted.
“He’s a nonagenarian heavy smoker. He couldn’t run if his life depended on it,” Seneca insisted.
“I’ll see about that,” The Mandrake muttered.
Shoving Seneca out of the way, he kicked the door in with barely any effort. Storming into the shop, he saw a slender older man with thick white hair and rimmed glasses seated behind the front counter. His saggy, spotted skin was a living PSA against the products he peddled, and in his tobacco-stained hand, he held the receiver of an ornate rotary phone.
Staring at The Mandrake in cold fury, he calmly set the receiver back down in its cradle.
“Who were you talking to?” The Mandrake demanded.
“A client,” Silvano barked back with a shake of his head, picking up a burning cigarette from a nearby ashtray.
“Silvano, I am profusely sorry for this abject and uncouth behaviour! This being is no friend of mine, I can assure you,” Seneca asserted as he and Envy made their way inside.
“The feeling’s mutual, Chamberlain,” The Mandrake remarked. “Mr. Santoro, I apologize for the damage to the premises, but as Miss Noir has said, we’re here on urgent business.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ve been given to understand the Darling Twins are regular customers of yours,” Envy explained, before the smoke-saturated room sent her into a coughing spell. She fumbled around in her purse and pulled out a black N95 mask she had left over from the Pandemic.
“I’ve got plenty of regular customers,” Silvan replied defensively. “Customers who pay good money for that smoke you’re so offended by, young lady.”
“These ones have been coming here for over half a century and never aged a day,” The Mandrake said.
“That honestly doesn’t narrow it down that much,” Silvano chuckled, tapping his cigarette on his ashtray. “But yeah, I know the Darlings. What of it?”
“When was the last time they were here?” The Mandrake demanded.
“What’s it to you?” Silvano asked.
“They’re fugitives of the Order now and we want them brought in,” Envy replied, having donned her mask and mostly recovered from the smoke. “Mary Darling held a knife to my throat once in front of my sister, and later threatened to eat me alive in front of her and feed me to her pigs.”
“They were going to put me in their daughter’s doll collection,” The Mandrake muttered.
“And I have nothing but nice things to say about the Darlings, so I’m honestly not quite sure how I got dragged into this,” Seneca said. “That aside, it really would be of great help to us if you could share any information about them that you might have.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. They come in, they buy their smokes, they leave, just like most of my customers,” Silvano told them.
“But now they’re trying to lay low, so I’m guessing they’ve made some sort of arrangement with you to get their Satin Stag cigarettes without having to risk coming here in person,” The Mandrake said. “Maybe they set you up with one of their spare Retrovisions? Emrys said they had a few of those lying around, and they can use them as direct portals to their playroom.”
“Like they’d waste a fancy piece of technomancy like that on an old geezer like me. I haven’t seen them in months. Last year sometime, I think,” Silvano claimed.
The Mandrake casually strolled up to the front counter, rapping his fingers on the cheap glass display case.
“Real nice place you got here, Mr. Santoro. I mean, not really, but I’m sure you get the implication,” he said softly. “Ironic as it may be, a smoke shop isn’t exempt from municipal bylaws about smoking in public buildings and workspaces. You may not have had much trouble with local law enforcement before, but one phone call from my employers will change that real quick.”
“You think I’ve never been threatened before, punk?” Silvano asked, rising from his chair and staring him down.
“Boys, please, there’s no need for this,” Envy interjected. “Mr. Santoro, our Order has considerably more resources at its disposal than the Darlings, and we can certainly offer you a far greater reward for their capture than whatever they’re paying you for some cigarettes. You could retire; close this place down and get as far away as you like. How does that sound?”
“I’m not looking to retire, Miss. This business is all I’ve got, and it wouldn’t be good business to go around ratting out my best customers, now would it?” Silvano asked.
“It would be worse business to sacrifice everything you have to protect two customers,” The Mandrake threatened, his hands clamping down on the display cases so hard they began to creak. “Talk.”
Acknowledging him only with a furtive glance, Silvano took another drag from his cigarette and exhaled.
But this time, the smoke poured out from his mouth and nostrils without limit.
“What the hell?” The Mandrake cursed as he backed away.
Silvano pushed a button beneath the counter, putting his shop into lockdown with security shutters clamping down over every entrance point. As the smoke exuded from his body, it went limp and collapsed into a dried-out husk as the smoke coalesced into an animate form of its own, circling above them around the shop’s yellowed and textured ceiling.
“Damnit. Another egregore,” Envy muttered. “That explains his loyalties. The Darlings couldn’t eat him, but Emrys could.”
“So you’re saying we can’t negotiate it with it?” The Mandrake asked.
“Or fight it,” Envy clarified.
“In that case, it appears we’ve exhausted all our options. Time for a tactical retreat,” Seneca declared as he dashed for the now barricaded exit.
Whatever he was planning to do to get through it, the cloud of smoke cut him off before he got the chance. Rushing in through his nose and mouth, it immediately began suffocating him, sending him spasming to the ground as he choked for air.
The cloud assaulted Envy as well, but was unable to penetrate her mask.
“Godamnit, get away!” she shouted as she swatted it away from her burning eyes.
“Envy, get behind me now!” The Mandrake ordered as he drew out his pistols. “Sorry, Santoro, but you’re going to have to do a lot worse than that if you want to intimidate us!”
Seneca responded by gasping angrily and bashing his hand against the carpet.
“… A lot worse,” The Mandrake reiterated. “I may not be able to shoot you, but I will blow this health hazard you love so much to hell if you don’t tell me where I can find the Darlings!”
“There’ll be no need for that, Mr. Mandrake,” the voice of James Darling crackled in from some unseen speaker. A door off to the side slowly creaked open, revealing a Retrovision flickering with black and white static. The Mandrake wasted no time in shooting at it, but the bullets passed through the glass without causing any damage at all.
A hologram of James Darling manifested in the center of the room, a burning Satin Stag cigarette clutched neatly in his fingers. He saw Seneca suffocating on the floor, then turned his predatory and calculating gaze towards The Mandrake.
“Put the guns on the floor, and I’ll call Silvano off,” he offered.
The Mandrake didn’t seem to be the least bit tempted by this offer, but Envy tugged at his trenchcoat and gave him a commanding nudge. Reluctantly, The Mandrake tossed the guns to the carpet and placed his hands behind his head.
With only a single commanding wag of his index finger, the smoke cloud withdrew from Seneca’s lungs and collected itself above James like a thundercloud.
“No sense in killing you, Seneca. That would practically be doing Emrys a favour,” James said. “But Envy, what’s a pretty girl like you doing wearing a mask?”
“You’d better not let your sister hear you calling me that,” Envy taunted.
“Kind of you to worry, but it’s always the object of my flirtations who bear the brunt of my sister’s wrath,” James reminded her smugly. “Top-notch detective work tracking me down, Mr. Mandrake. Why don’t you walk in through the Retrovision and arrest me?”
“You knew we’d show up here looking for you. You were waiting for us,” The Mandrake growled.
“Again, brilliant detective work. You’ve truly earned that fedora,” James mocked him. “Yes, I knew you’d come here looking for us, so I’ve arranged for Mr. Santoro to set up shop inside our playroom. He was only hanging around here to set a trap for you. Let me tell you what’s going to happen. None of you, not even you, Mr. Mandrake, are going to be able to break out of this building. You can sit there and starve for all I care, or Miss Noir and The Mandrake could take their chances with us on the other side of the Retrovision. Sara Darling really would like to put you in her doll collection, Mr. Mandrake, and I can’t wait to tell Mary Darling exactly how pretty I think you are, Envy. If the two of you come across, I’ll let Seneca go and he can inform Erich and Ivy of your predicament. If they’d like to negotiate for your release, I… may be willing to consider it.”
“You’re a coward! If you’re going to threaten me, step across that screen and do it to my face!” the Mandrake ordered.
He took his hands off his head and took a step towards him, only for the acrid form of Silvano to interject itself between them. James took a casual drag from his cigarette, refusing even to flinch.
Envy took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the pair of spellwork pistols off of the floor, firing two rounds of consecrated lead into the limp body of Silvano. While the body didn’t react at all, the smoke cloud shook and screeched like a wounded animal, losing some of its integrity and dissipating across the room.
“That body’s not just a husk! Silvano’s bound to it!” Envy declared. “James, if you don’t let us go in the next thirty seconds I’ll have The Mandrake tear that body limb from limb and you’ll have to find some other cursed thoughtform to roll your cigarettes for you.”
The Mandrake looked back towards James who now, much to his satisfaction, had flinched.
“Thirty. Twenty-Nine. Twenty-Eight,” he began to count down as he theatrically cracked his knuckles.
Before James could come to a decision, a few wisps of smoke snaked their way back into Silvano’s body. They were enough to animate it like a marionette, its limbs moving jerkily as it input the code to retract the security shutters over the doors and windows.
“There, happy?” James asked facetiously. “You’re free to leave. Put those guns down.”
With a smug smile, Envy shook her head.
“Mandrake, grab that body. We’re taking him with us,” she announced.
When Silvano tried to slam the lockdown button again, Envy shot him, knocking him back into his seat. Before he was able to try a second time, The Mandrake had closed the distance between them. He grabbed him by the waist and slung him over his shoulder, impotently kicking and flailing like a toddler having a tantrum all the while.
“No!” James growled, his hologram disappearing and being replaced by countless others scattered throughout the room.
“What the hell?” Envy demanded as she fell back beside The Mandrake for protection.
“It’s a distraction! Shoot at the Retrovision! He’s coming through to get Silvano!” The Mandrake shouted.
Envy complied, firing multiple rounds at every image of James between them and the Retrovision, but all of them sailed clear through their targets. The smoke cloud suddenly condensed tightly around them, and The Mandrake made a break for the front door while he had the chance.
He was tackled from the side by someone moving at over fifty kilometers an hour, knocking him down and halfway across the room. When he looked up, he was completely surrounded by silhouettes of James bending down in the smoke to pick up Silvano. Jumping to his feet, he made his way back towards the Retrovision in the hopes of cutting James off.
Or at least, he thought that’s where he was going. The tumble to the floor and the encircling smoke had disoriented him, and he ended up tripping over Seneca, who was once again unable to stand from the sickening smoke.
James brushed by them in a blur, and Envy fired every last bullet trying to put him down. Each one either missed or succeeded only in striking Silvano, who was slung over James’ back.
The smoke retreated with them, and The Mandrake dashed after them in one final bid to keep them from escaping. They were just feet away from him before they leapt through the Retrovision, vanishing into the basement universe of the Darlings’ playroom. The Mandrake dared to reach in after them and pull them back, but his hand hit nothing but solid glass.
“Damnit!” he cursed, striking the top of the box set with his fist.
“Don’t break it!” Envy shouted. “If that Retrovision came from the Darlings’ playroom and was modified by James, it could be useful in tracking them down again!”
“It also gives them a two-way ticket to wherever we keep it!” The Mandrake shouted back.
“Oh yes, it would be a gamble taking this old girl with you. No doubt about that,” the black and white visage of James mocked them from the other side of the screen, taking a victory drag from his cigarette. “But on the other hand, it is one of my finer works. It would be a crime, an atrocity even, to destroy it.”
The Mandrake struck the box set again, but deliberately held back on damaging it.
“Mandrake, enough!” Envy commanded. “I know it’s risky, but we need it. Turn it off and pick it up. We’re getting out of this hellhole.”
“Don’t feel bad, Mr. Mandrake. I’m sure you’ll have another chance to end up in Sara Darling’s doll collection very soon,” James taunted just before The Mandrake managed to turn the Retrovision off.
“What an absolute waste of time,” he muttered as he lifted the vintage box set off the floor.
“Not entirely!” Seneca claimed, who had not only recovered from his spectral smoke inhalation but was now holding an unlit cigar. “Crow, Crowley & Chamberlain has a lien on this shop, and since Silvano just ran out on us and has thrown his lot in with the Darlings, this place and everything left in it is ours!”
He was just about to light it before Envy snatched it out of his hands.
“The Mandrake wasn’t bluffing about the municipal health bylaws,” she informed him. “From now on, this is a smoke-free building.”
submitted by A_Vespertine to TheVespersBell [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 21:44 rogerthat33 I’m probably a lunatic, but I feel like certain golf shoes greatly affect my golf game….

for context here I’ve always been a footjoy classics or footjoy icon player, full spiked design.
I tried some adidas ultra boost spikeless golf shoes friday and saturday and for whatever reason I couldn’t hit my driver off the ground to save my life…. just thin almost topped drives and thin irons.
I played today in my icons. I immediately went back to normal and scored well.
Only thing i can think of is the spikeless are putting me closer to the ground and I am standing up in my swing to make up for it… hence the thin balls.
or it could just be a complete mental thing.
Putting the spikeless on the bench for now… but just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience swapping shoes.
Feel free to roast me in the comments if this comes off as nuts lol.
submitted by rogerthat33 to golf [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 21:37 No_Jump6012 The Lunnettes story

For perspective, this story starts around October 2022 and ends around January 2023
October
When I was in year 11 I was pulled out of my English class along with 2 other students by a different English teacher , we'll call this teacher Lalo. Lalo told us that we were invited to an after school club he hosted called the creative writing club that took place every Wednesday after school.
I'm not much of a writer or anything but I decided to go one day to see what it was like, that and I think Lalo is a rlly cool guy.
So I walk in the room and I look across to the end of the room and I see a girl ( her codename was Lunnettes, my friends came up with it, we'll get to that later) in the year below me, I vaguely recognise her by face because our form rooms are opposite each other. We make eye contact and she instantly starts giggling with her friend. I was intruiged by this, but I didn't talk to them, I just sat and did the activities provided with someone I knew in my year.
I notice that Lunnetes and her friend, we'll call her Yoyo keep giggling and Lunnetes keeps looking at me. Despite all this, I still didn't say a word to her, nor did I catch her name, but she seemed lovely and funny.
This whole glancing and giggling thing continued when I showed again at the club, and it also started happening other places we passed by each other like at break, walking in the hallways etc
This all caused me to develop a lil crush on her, because she seemed lovely, funny and she was cute. Also the idea that she likely thought that I was cute was the main reason I liked her ( I know that that is a stupid reason to like someone, but I was stupid back then)
November
One day I accidentally found her on Instagram ( yes I know that sounds stupid but that's how it happened). I didn't follow the account, because at this point, we still haven't had a conversation, this was also how I found out her name. I also found out that she really liked a specific anime movie, so that gave me an idea, I decided to watch the movie, in hopes that when we do have a convo, and I could bring it up in that convo
At this point , I had told my 3 main friends about it, their code names will be Fox, Capybara and Cricket (ik they are stupid names I just thought of these on the spot), Capybara came up with the code name for her, " Lunnettes" , he decided upon that because she would wear glass's but never over eyes, only above her head which rlly annoyed him, we just decided to roll with it
Then one day I saw her walking by( keep in mind that because of the insta, i knew her name but she didn't know mine or the fact that I knew her name) then I went up to her and asked her if she was going to the writing club that week, and then asked her for her name (even tho i alr knew it), then gave her mine, this then gave me a valid reason to know her name yk
December
Fast forward to the last week of school before the Christmas holidays , one last writing club before Christmas break
I go to the writing Club, and I ask to work with her and her friends (Yoyo included), she said yes, and we actually got on really well. This was when I brought up the movie to her (as if I didn't just watch it to interest her)
Then the Christmas holidays had started and I decided to follow Lunnettes on insta, then at like midnight she follows me back and sends a friend request on snapchat ( my snap is in my insta bio) , I added her back on both
Then around 5 or so days into the holidays she sends a vid on snap to me, the problem is that I opened it in a go karting lobby, so I couldn't hear the vid very well. The vid was of her friends (Yoyo included) at a Christmas party all talking to the camera, the only words I heard were my own name, and the words "alpha male" , and since it was on snap, it wouldn't let me replay it , so I sent a snap back asking what that vid was about, and she responded later saying she didn't even remember sending anything, which was just odd
January
New years eve came round and I sent her a happy new year text, she sent one back with 3 heart emoticons
Holidays end and school starts again
This is where things start to go wrong, the glancing and smiling continued but less frequentthan before, but then I started to start talking to her on snap, and hope that I could get to tall to her at the writing club, I went to that club almost every week but she wasn't rlly showing up to it, and when I'd text her, her interest was lacking. But I was stupid, so I kept perusing.
Then one day she actually showed up to writing club, she didn't look as happy to see me as she did one month ago, I worked with her again, but there was no connection and she seemed disinterested, unlike the time we worked together just before the Christmas holidays. After the club was over, on my way out, I did one of the most regrettable and embarrassing things I've ever done, I asked her if she was free that weekend, she wasn't
Then the next day Capybara and Fox went up to her friend group but just stood next to them, in hopes that I and Cricket would follow them, I did, mistake number 3. And so there we are just stood like 7 metres away from them, and I'm really nervous whilst her friends and my friends are all laughing, then the bell rings and me and my friend walk away, but my other two friends stay there for a moment, as I'm walking away, I hear Yoyo and another one of her friends go over to Capybara and Fox who are still stood there and one of then says "ok, which one of you likes her". Me and Cricket are standing by the gate waiting for the other two to come back, we see them walking to us and they're absolutely dying of laughter, I can tell something bad has happened, my friends come back to me and my other friend and Capybara yells "SHES A LESBIAN!"
My world was completely flipped upside down, I remember feeling like the whole school was gonna find out and that I'd be a laughing stock
But a week passes and I get a text from Yoyo on insta telling me that the whole lesbian thing was a joke and that Lunnettes finds me "fit" (her words not mine) and suggesting that i talk to her, then her other friend messages me, I'm presuming to make fun of me or something but just ended up saying hi. Lunnettes then messages me saying not to listen to them.
Her friends started approaching me and my friend group in school asking us all sorts of weird questions, they even asked Fox if he was "coochie" (again, their words not mine) along with all sorts of odd things for about a week or so every break time.
Then Yoyo messages Fox, and Fox wanted answers, and he ended up finding out the truth. It turns out that lunnets used to like me but doesn't anymore, then lunnets messages him wanting to know what's going on, Lunnettes ends up telling him that she never liked me, according to him she was a "prick" and she said bad things about me to him, even something along the lines of "how could I ever like someone so unsociable" he told me that he was glad I didn't go out with her because she turned out to be horrible.
I believe him, but it's been over a year since all this, so I'm open to the possibility that she's changed, rumors about her tell me that she hasn't, but I take them with a pinch of salt, because at the end of they day, they're rumors/gossip
I haven't heard from her since (at least irl)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, anything at all.To those that actually sat through and read all this, thank you very much, I appreciate the fact there's so much to read. :)
submitted by No_Jump6012 to Crushes [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 21:01 A_Vespertine Bad Habits

In my last story, a space mermaid warned against the dangers of smoking. The Darlings did not heed that warning, so now Space Whale Aesops shall ensue.
____________________________________________________
“The Darling Twins? Honestly, haven’t we all had enough of them by now?” Seneca ruminated as he tried to placate what was now the de facto triumvirate of the Ophion Occult Order.
Once again, he had been summoned to Adderwood Manor to account for his lapses in judgement, but rather than being on full public display in the Grand Hall, he instead found himself in a relatively small parlour. Across from the coffee table in front of him sat Ivy Noir, with her sister Envy to her right and her husband Erich to her left. Standing just to the side of them was the trenchcoat and fedora-wearing automaton who called himself The Mandrake. The one-eyed dream-catcher carved into his iridescent face rendered his emotions unreadable, but the spellwork pistols holstered in his belt made it clear that he was prepared to defend his employers against anything.
“I mean, this feud between them and Emrys is laughable,” Seneca went on. “They’re no threat to him now that he’s free of his chains, surely? Before there may have been a tactical element to his obsession with them, but now it’s just plain petty. Petra’s just out for revenge, and don’t get me started on the absurdity of that eldritch realtor wanting to flip their playroom. Does he think he can just relabel their torture chambers as BDSM dungeons and pass the Black Bile infestation off as some mould?”
“Seneca, I promised Emrys the Darlings, and the Covenant that we all signed binds us to fulfill that promise,” Ivy reminded him patiently, dropping a cube of sugar into her ouroboros-themed antique teacup. “You knew the Darlings better than any of us. You inducted them into the Order, you used them as assassins and bodyguards, and you let them withdraw every penny they had in your bank when they were fugitives!”
“Well, first of all, Crow, Crowley & Chamberlain is a financial institution, not a bank,” Seneca said flippantly. “Secondly, they had a numbered account and they didn’t show up in person, so the teller didn’t have the slightest idea of who they were dealing with.”
“You still could have frozen the account before they had that opportunity,” Erich stated.
Seneca made a display of languidly stirring some cream into his tea and taking a slow sip before responding.
“I’m very busy,” he claimed without an ounce of sincerity.
“You just didn’t want to get on the Darlings’ bad side,” Ivy said.
“I wasn’t aware they had a good side,” Seneca shrugged.
“There must be a paper trail we can follow,” Envy insisted. “Did the Darlings keep their assets anywhere else besides your bank?”
“Financial institution, and yes, I’m sure they have a proverbial Swiss bank account, but I haven’t the slightest notion of where to find it,” Seneca claimed. “It has come up in conversation that James invested about twenty percent of his income with me, twenty percent elsewhere, and shoved another twenty percent under their mattress. Mary enjoys being shagged on top of money, apparently. Their services commanded quite a high price on the underworld market, and sixty-plus years of compound interest have made them incredibly wealthy. They can afford to lie low for a long while.”
“Even if they can go without a paycheck indefinitely, they can’t go without killing,” Erich countered. “They need to hunt, and their egos mean they aren’t just going to cower from Emrys inside their playroom. They’re going to be out looking for victims and plotting against us, and you know what spots they’re likely to hit.”
“You’re wasting your time. James has had decades to scout out hunting grounds, and I’m sure he prepared for the possibility – no, inevitability – that he and his sister would become our enemies. He’s not going to risk showing up within a hundred miles of any of our Chapterhouses if he doesn’t need to,” Seneca said dismissively.
Ivy opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when The Mandrake took a step forward for the first time since the meeting began. He reached into his pocket and tossed a red and white pack of cigarettes with a shiny silhouette of a stag onto the coffee table.
“What is this?” Erich asked.
“Satin Stag cigarettes,” The Mandrake said flatly before shifting his gaze to Seneca. “That’s the Darlings’ brand, isn’t it, Mr. Chamberlain?”
“Um, yes. I believe I’ve seen them smoke those once or twice. What of it?” Seneca asked, failing to hide the nervousness creeping into his voice.
“These are artisanal cigarettes, and Harrowick County’s the only place you can buy them,” The Mandrake said. “That means that the Darlings, either directly or indirectly, are going to have to make the occasional sojourn back home, and the limited supply of these hand-rolled coffin nails means they can’t stock up too far in advance either. You know Harrowick County better than any of us. You know who makes these, you know who sells them. That’s how we track down the Darlings.”
“That’s preposterous. Do you really think they’d risk coming to Harrowick County rather than just switch brands?” Seneca scoffed.
“The Very Important Person at Pascal’s told me that Mary said they’ve been smoking these since they were kids, so they’re clearly pretty attached to them,” The Mandrake replied. “And somehow, I don’t think they’re the type to ever give up a bad habit.”
***
“Smoke & Mirrors ~ Fine Tobacco Products. Silvano Santoro, Proprietor. Est. 1949,” Envy read aloud as she, Seneca and The Mandrake stood outside the small, heavily fortified brick building.
Cast iron bars crisscrossed the windows and front door, which looked like it stood a decent chance of withstanding a police swat team. Security was obviously the shop’s proprietor’s key concern, as the ugly brown and yellow awning was tattered and faded, and the paint on the sign was so chipped it was barely even legible.
“How exactly does an unnoticeable and unattractive hole in the wall like this stay in business?” Envy asked.
“Repeat customers,” Seneca replied as he took a confident step towards the door. “Silvano knows me, and he doesn’t normally have a problem with me bringing guests along, but I expect both of you to be on your best behaviour!”
Envy gave him a reassuring nod, but The Mandrake continued to stoically stare at nothing with his hands in his pockets. Rolling his eyes, Seneca pressed a bulky plastic button on the antiquated door buzzer.
“Yeah, who is it?” a harsh and smoke-damaged voice demanded.
“It’s Seneca, Silvano. A pleasure to make your acquaintance again as well!” Seneca answered. “Just looking to pick up a few cases of cigars for a party, if you’ve got anything decent in stock, of course.”
“Who’s that you got with you?” Silvano asked suspiciously.
“Envy Noir, sir. I’m here on behalf of my sister Ivy, investigating a matter of considerable importance to the Ophion Occult Order,” Envy promptly introduced herself, much to Seneca’s chagrin. “The gentleman beside me is my bodyguard. Would you be so kind as to let us in?”
“Ah… of course. Just a moment, please,” Silvano replied.
“What’s he need a moment to buzz open a door for?” The Mandrake demanded, his stance immediately switching to full readiness.
“Making the place presentable for customers, I assume,” Seneca explained in exasperation.
“You mean he’s hiding evidence, or he’s running!” The Mandrake shouted.
“He’s a nonagenarian heavy smoker. He couldn’t run if his life depended on it,” Seneca insisted.
“I’ll see about that,” The Mandrake muttered.
Shoving Seneca out of the way, he kicked the door in with barely any effort. Storming into the shop, he saw a slender older man with thick white hair and rimmed glasses seated behind the front counter. His saggy, spotted skin was a living PSA against the products he peddled, and in his tobacco-stained hand, he held the receiver of an ornate rotary phone.
Staring at The Mandrake in cold fury, he calmly set the receiver back down in its cradle.
“Who were you talking to?” The Mandrake demanded.
“A client,” Silvano barked back with a shake of his head, picking up a burning cigarette from a nearby ashtray.
“Silvano, I am profusely sorry for this abject and uncouth behaviour! This being is no friend of mine, I can assure you,” Seneca asserted as he and Envy made their way inside.
“The feeling’s mutual, Chamberlain,” The Mandrake remarked. “Mr. Santoro, I apologize for the damage to the premises, but as Miss Noir has said, we’re here on urgent business.”
“Yes, that’s correct. We’ve been given to understand the Darling Twins are regular customers of yours,” Envy explained, before the smoke-saturated room sent her into a coughing spell. She fumbled around in her purse and pulled out a black N95 mask she had left over from the Pandemic.
“I’ve got plenty of regular customers,” Silvan replied defensively. “Customers who pay good money for that smoke you’re so offended by, young lady.”
“These ones have been coming here for over half a century and never aged a day,” The Mandrake said.
“That honestly doesn’t narrow it down that much,” Silvano chuckled, tapping his cigarette on his ashtray. “But yeah, I know the Darlings. What of it?”
“When was the last time they were here?” The Mandrake demanded.
“What’s it to you?” Silvano asked.
“They’re fugitives of the Order now and we want them brought in,” Envy replied, having donned her mask and mostly recovered from the smoke. “Mary Darling held a knife to my throat once in front of my sister, and later threatened to eat me alive in front of her and feed me to her pigs.”
“They were going to put me in their daughter’s doll collection,” The Mandrake muttered.
“And I have nothing but nice things to say about the Darlings, so I’m honestly not quite sure how I got dragged into this,” Seneca said. “That aside, it really would be of great help to us if you could share any information about them that you might have.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. They come in, they buy their smokes, they leave, just like most of my customers,” Silvano told them.
“But now they’re trying to lay low, so I’m guessing they’ve made some sort of arrangement with you to get their Satin Stag cigarettes without having to risk coming here in person,” The Mandrake said. “Maybe they set you up with one of their spare Retrovisions? Emrys said they had a few of those lying around, and they can use them as direct portals to their playroom.”
“Like they’d waste a fancy piece of technomancy like that on an old geezer like me. I haven’t seen them in months. Last year sometime, I think,” Silvano claimed.
The Mandrake casually strolled up to the front counter, rapping his fingers on the cheap glass display case.
“Real nice place you got here, Mr. Santoro. I mean, not really, but I’m sure you get the implication,” he said softly. “Ironic as it may be, a smoke shop isn’t exempt from municipal bylaws about smoking in public buildings and workspaces. You may not have had much trouble with local law enforcement before, but one phone call from my employers will change that real quick.”
“You think I’ve never been threatened before, punk?” Silvano asked, rising from his chair and staring him down.
“Boys, please, there’s no need for this,” Envy interjected. “Mr. Santoro, our Order has considerably more resources at its disposal than the Darlings, and we can certainly offer you a far greater reward for their capture than whatever they’re paying you for some cigarettes. You could retire; close this place down and get as far away as you like. How does that sound?”
“I’m not looking to retire, Miss. This business is all I’ve got, and it wouldn’t be good business to go around ratting out my best customers, now would it?” Silvano asked.
“It would be worse business to sacrifice everything you have to protect two customers,” The Mandrake threatened, his hands clamping down on the display cases so hard they began to creak. “Talk.”
Acknowledging him only with a furtive glance, Silvano took another drag from his cigarette and exhaled.
But this time, the smoke poured out from his mouth and nostrils without limit.
“What the hell?” The Mandrake cursed as he backed away.
Silvano pushed a button beneath the counter, putting his shop into lockdown with security shutters clamping down over every entrance point. As the smoke exuded from his body, it went limp and collapsed into a dried-out husk as the smoke coalesced into an animate form of its own, circling above them around the shop’s yellowed and textured ceiling.
“Damnit. Another egregore,” Envy muttered. “That explains his loyalties. The Darlings couldn’t eat him, but Emrys could.”
“So you’re saying we can’t negotiate it with it?” The Mandrake asked.
“Or fight it,” Envy clarified.
“In that case, it appears we’ve exhausted all our options. Time for a tactical retreat,” Seneca declared as he dashed for the now barricaded exit.
Whatever he was planning to do to get through it, the cloud of smoke cut him off before he got the chance. Rushing in through his nose and mouth, it immediately began suffocating him, sending him spasming to the ground as he choked for air.
The cloud assaulted Envy as well, but was unable to penetrate her mask.
“Godamnit, get away!” she shouted as she swatted it away from her burning eyes.
“Envy, get behind me now!” The Mandrake ordered as he drew out his pistols. “Sorry, Santoro, but you’re going to have to do a lot worse than that if you want to intimidate us!”
Seneca responded by gasping angrily and bashing his hand against the carpet.
“… A lot worse,” The Mandrake reiterated. “I may not be able to shoot you, but I will blow this health hazard you love so much to hell if you don’t tell me where I can find the Darlings!”
“There’ll be no need for that, Mr. Mandrake,” the voice of James Darling crackled in from some unseen speaker. A door off to the side slowly creaked open, revealing a Retrovision flickering with black and white static. The Mandrake wasted no time in shooting at it, but the bullets passed through the glass without causing any damage at all.
A hologram of James Darling manifested in the center of the room, a burning Satin Stag cigarette clutched neatly in his fingers. He saw Seneca suffocating on the floor, then turned his predatory and calculating gaze towards The Mandrake.
“Put the guns on the floor, and I’ll call Silvano off,” he offered.
The Mandrake didn’t seem to be the least bit tempted by this offer, but Envy tugged at his trenchcoat and gave him a commanding nudge. Reluctantly, The Mandrake tossed the guns to the carpet and placed his hands behind his head.
With only a single commanding wag of his index finger, the smoke cloud withdrew from Seneca’s lungs and collected itself above James like a thundercloud.
“No sense in killing you, Seneca. That would practically be doing Emrys a favour,” James said. “But Envy, what’s a pretty girl like you doing wearing a mask?”
“You’d better not let your sister hear you calling me that,” Envy taunted.
“Kind of you to worry, but it’s always the object of my flirtations who bear the brunt of my sister’s wrath,” James reminded her smugly. “Top-notch detective work tracking me down, Mr. Mandrake. Why don’t you walk in through the Retrovision and arrest me?”
“You knew we’d show up here looking for you. You were waiting for us,” The Mandrake growled.
“Again, brilliant detective work. You’ve truly earned that fedora,” James mocked him. “Yes, I knew you’d come here looking for us, so I’ve arranged for Mr. Santoro to set up shop inside our playroom. He was only hanging around here to set a trap for you. Let me tell you what’s going to happen. None of you, not even you, Mr. Mandrake, are going to be able to break out of this building. You can sit there and starve for all I care, or Miss Noir and The Mandrake could take their chances with us on the other side of the Retrovision. Sara Darling really would like to put you in her doll collection, Mr. Mandrake, and I can’t wait to tell Mary Darling exactly how pretty I think you are, Envy. If the two of you come across, I’ll let Seneca go and he can inform Erich and Ivy of your predicament. If they’d like to negotiate for your release, I… may be willing to consider it.”
“You’re a coward! If you’re going to threaten me, step across that screen and do it to my face!” the Mandrake ordered.
He took his hands off his head and took a step towards him, only for the acrid form of Silvano to interject itself between them. James took a casual drag from his cigarette, refusing even to flinch.
Envy took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the pair of spellwork pistols off of the floor, firing two rounds of consecrated lead into the limp body of Silvano. While the body didn’t react at all, the smoke cloud shook and screeched like a wounded animal, losing some of its integrity and dissipating across the room.
“That body’s not just a husk! Silvano’s bound to it!” Envy declared. “James, if you don’t let us go in the next thirty seconds I’ll have The Mandrake tear that body limb from limb and you’ll have to find some other cursed thoughtform to roll your cigarettes for you.”
The Mandrake looked back towards James who now, much to his satisfaction, had flinched.
“Thirty. Twenty-Nine. Twenty-Eight,” he began to count down as he theatrically cracked his knuckles.
Before James could come to a decision, a few wisps of smoke snaked their way back into Silvano’s body. They were enough to animate it like a marionette, its limbs moving jerkily as it input the code to retract the security shutters over the doors and windows.
“There, happy?” James asked facetiously. “You’re free to leave. Put those guns down.”
With a smug smile, Envy shook her head.
“Mandrake, grab that body. We’re taking him with us,” she announced.
When Silvano tried to slam the lockdown button again, Envy shot him, knocking him back into his seat. Before he was able to try a second time, The Mandrake had closed the distance between them. He grabbed him by the waist and slung him over his shoulder, impotently kicking and flailing like a toddler having a tantrum all the while.
“No!” James growled, his hologram disappearing and being replaced by countless others scattered throughout the room.
“What the hell?” Envy demanded as she fell back beside The Mandrake for protection.
“It’s a distraction! Shoot at the Retrovision! He’s coming through to get Silvano!” The Mandrake shouted.
Envy complied, firing multiple rounds at every image of James between them and the Retrovision, but all of them sailed clear through their targets. The smoke cloud suddenly condensed tightly around them, and The Mandrake made a break for the front door while he had the chance.
He was tackled from the side by someone moving at over fifty kilometers an hour, knocking him down and halfway across the room. When he looked up, he was completely surrounded by silhouettes of James bending down in the smoke to pick up Silvano. Jumping to his feet, he made his way back towards the Retrovision in the hopes of cutting James off.
Or at least, he thought that’s where he was going. The tumble to the floor and the encircling smoke had disoriented him, and he ended up tripping over Seneca, who was once again unable to stand from the sickening smoke.
James brushed by them in a blur, and Envy fired every last bullet trying to put him down. Each one either missed or succeeded only in striking Silvano, who was slung over James’ back.
The smoke retreated with them, and The Mandrake dashed after them in one final bid to keep them from escaping. They were just feet away from him before they leapt through the Retrovision, vanishing into the basement universe of the Darlings’ playroom. The Mandrake dared to reach in after them and pull them back, but his hand hit nothing but solid glass.
“Damnit!” he cursed, striking the top of the box set with his fist.
“Don’t break it!” Envy shouted. “If that Retrovision came from the Darlings’ playroom and was modified by James, it could be useful in tracking them down again!”
“It also gives them a two-way ticket to wherever we keep it!” The Mandrake shouted back.
“Oh yes, it would be a gamble taking this old girl with you. No doubt about that,” the black and white visage of James mocked them from the other side of the screen, taking a victory drag from his cigarette. “But on the other hand, it is one of my finer works. It would be a crime, an atrocity even, to destroy it.”
The Mandrake struck the box set again, but deliberately held back on damaging it.
“Mandrake, enough!” Envy commanded. “I know it’s risky, but we need it. Turn it off and pick it up. We’re getting out of this hellhole.”
“Don’t feel bad, Mr. Mandrake. I’m sure you’ll have another chance to end up in Sara Darling’s doll collection very soon,” James taunted just before The Mandrake managed to turn the Retrovision off.
“What an absolute waste of time,” he muttered as he lifted the vintage box set off the floor.
“Not entirely!” Seneca claimed, who had not only recovered from his spectral smoke inhalation but was now holding an unlit cigar. “Crow, Crowley & Chamberlain has a lien on this shop, and since Silvano just ran out on us and has thrown his lot in with the Darlings, this place and everything left in it is ours!”
He was just about to light it before Envy snatched it out of his hands.
“The Mandrake wasn’t bluffing about the municipal health bylaws,” she informed him. “From now on, this is a smoke-free building.”
submitted by A_Vespertine to Odd_directions [link] [comments]

2024.04.28 20:42 BrainBurnFallouti Just joined a "dorm party". Except it wasn't a dorm party. Now having a panic attack in my room, but also not sure how to feel

My college dorm regularly has parties. Not big parties, but BBQ and such. I generally never join them cause...idk. Today i woke up to the sound of music as well. Evening, cause I was sick the past week with tonsilitis. So maybe because i was stuck in such a dry routine, I got the dumbass thought of joining this time. Not long of course. But you know. the "hey. Why not at least say hi. Be a bit social" kind of thinking. so after taking out the trash, I went there. The moment I say hi with my croaking voice, everyone immediately stares at me. Giving me this "You are at the wrong place at the wrong time" feeling. Well -guess what?! My luck sucks!! Turns out: this was NOT a dorm party! It was a private party for someone moving away. 90% of people not even living at the dorm!
But hey! It immediately gets worse!! As I'm standing there, one party-drunk person jumps in. Asking me if I want to join and free food. Normally I should say no. But because my ass just woke up, I was hungry. Instinctively replying "sure, that'd be nice" as the rest of my brain screams "WHAT?! WHY DID YOU JUST SAY THAT?!"
Now I'm the fucking focus even more. Like a crack in the record, or a rat in a clean living room. The same party-drunk girl that asked me to join is mothering me around food -which tbf is incredibly kind. Offering me all foods and all beverages, repeating "it's fine. We'd have to throw more away." Meanwhile, I can hear people whisper stuff like "who is this?" and "does anyone know her?" while staring at me so there I am. Stuck with a plate of couscous, salad and the driest bbq I have ever tasted in my entire life. To try and ease shit I try to make smalltalk. Asking in an even more croaking voice what kind of event this is, where they're from etc. As I'm also close to crying, I try to talk to myself "it's fine. they're all party drunk. You know how party people are. They love to host. The more the merrier" I even remembered the proverb my Ma used to tell me 'Wo man singt da lass dich nieder, böse Menschen kennen keine Lieder" ("Where people sing, sit down and rest. Bad people don't know any songs" -> people who party just want to be happy and have no thought for bad shit. So if you need help/rest go to those that are celebrating, cause they're more inclined to be helpful & nice). The music they played was also rather...Eastern? They also danced a form of folk dance at one point. Eastern cultures are often very hospital to strangers, I heard.
Anyway. At the end, a girl sits down with me. Turns out she DOES live in the dorm, hence the place decision. "so, just so you know we kinda want to be between us", she says, giving me another "why are you here look". Ironically, another anxiety-nightmare, but this time I felt relieved. Again: I WANTED to leave. I just got stuck because I'm an idiotic glutton. So I drink the rest of water, eat the rest of the couscous (as best as it got with the shitty plastic fork) and kidnapped the final part of dry-ass meat. Thanked everyone for the hospitality and basically ran home now i'm in my room. I'm currently having a panic attack, but also not sure if I should have one?! Some clearly seemed fine with my intrusion. But others as awkward as me?!
Can anyone please tell me how to feel rn?!
submitted by BrainBurnFallouti to Anxiety [link] [comments]

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