There's Not Enough Power for America's High-Tech Ambitions; Georgia is a magnet for data centers and other cutting-edge industries, but vast electricity demands are clashing with the newcomers' green-energy goals
Uberti, David. Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y.. 12 May 2024.
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ATLANTA—Bill Thomson needs power fast. The problem is that many of the other businesspeople racing into Georgia do too.
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Thomson heads marketing and product management at DC Blox, which in recent years built a string of data centers in midsize cities across the fast-growing Southeast. The company more recently set its sights on Atlanta—the would-be capital of the region—joining a slew of tech and industrial firms piling into the state.
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Vying for a piece of one of America's hottest markets, those businesses tend to have two things in common. One is that they represent a U.S. economy increasingly driven by advanced manufacturing, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The other is that they promise to hoover up huge amounts of electricity.
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That combination means Georgia's success in luring this development comes with a side effect: Power is a big source of tension. The clean-energy goals of companies and governments are running up against the need for projects to break ground fast. So far, climate advocates fear the imperatives of growth mean more fossil fuels.
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Georgia's main utility, Georgia Power, has boosted its demand projections sixteen-fold and is pushing ahead on a hotly contested plan to burn more natural gas. Critics warn it will yield higher bills and unnecessary carbon emissions for decades. Some companies are scrambling to secure bespoke renewable-energy deals to power their development.
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One major source of disruption is data centers. The facilities are ballooning in size as people spend more of their waking hours online and companies digitize everything from factory processes to fast-food drive-throughs. All that computing requires power—and for firms like DC Blox to lock it in as quickly as possible.
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"Generally," Thomson said, "we find the guys with the fastest power win."
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Similar quandaries are rippling through other hubs of the new American economy, with utilities in Tennessee and the Carolinas forecasting their own unexpected surges in load growth. U.S. power usage is projected to expand by 4.7% over the next five years, according to a review of federal fillings by the consulting firm Grid Strategies. That is up from a previous estimate of 2.6%.
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The projections come after efficiency gains kept electricity demand roughly flat over the past 15 years, allowing the power sector to limit emissions in large part through coal-plant closures.
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"We haven't seen this in a generation," said Arne Olson, a senior partner at consulting firm Energy and Environmental Economics. "As an industry, we've almost forgotten how to deal with load growth of this magnitude."
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For states like Georgia, the fear is missing out on what could be once-in-a-generation investments. Wall Street is salivating over an artificial-intelligence-fueled tech bonanza, while Washington is throwing billions of dollars into domestic manufacturing.
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The added wrinkle is that it is all happening as many parts of America—corporate America included—are trying to wean themselves off fossil fuels.
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"These companies all have clean-energy goals," said Patty Durand, a Georgia Power critic who is campaigning to be a utility regulator in the state. "Those goals are at risk if Georgia Power gets what it wants."
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The Peach State's energy quandary stems from the type of economic dynamism that many counterparts would envy. Its growth has consistently outpaced the nation's. A smaller portion of Georgians are jobless than the U.S. average, while their incomes tend to be rising faster.
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State and local economic-development teams have courted large businesses to set up shop with sales pitches that have included generous financial incentives. Rail lines, ports and America's largest air hub also provide access to faraway customers.
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Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said energy is increasingly part of those discussions with newcomers. Officials tout the newly expanded Plant Vogtle, America's largest nuclear power plant , as a sign the state is ready for long-term growth.
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"We have a utility partner to make sure you can meet your energy needs on day one," Wilson said.
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Those needs include affordability, reliability and sustainability for firms like Aurubis, a German metals giant building a recycling plant in the outskirts of Augusta.
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U.S. energy prices are far lower than those in Europe. That is a boon for Aurubis, which uses mammoth equipment to shred old circuit boards and electrical wiring, melt the scraps, and separate copper from other materials.
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David Schultheis is in charge of a new recycling plant being built by German metals giant Aurubis in the outskirts of Augusta. PHOTO: Kendrick Brinson for The Wall Street Journal
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The company also boasts aggressive emissions-reductions targets for its power-intensive smelters. At its roughly $820 million Georgia plant, Aurubis will use up to 31 megawatts of electricity, enough to power thousands of homes.
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"Not every project itself has to reduce carbon emissions," said David Schultheis, president of the Georgia facility. "But the overall set of projects has to guide us there."
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The firm has made strides to that end in Europe by bolstering its usage of wind or solar power in a portfolio stretching from Belgium to Bulgaria. In Georgia, Schultheis pointed to Plant Vogtle, visible just 12 miles away, as a symbol of reliable energy.
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Companies prize nuclear power plants, since they produce carbon-free energy and—unlike wind or solar power—don't depend on the weather. But the projected power needs of new businesses in the state far exceed the expected output of the plant's recently added reactors, the second of which went online last month.
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Despite Aurubis' proximity to Vogtle, which is co-owned by Georgia Power, it is also difficult to trace the source of electricity that reaches the substation on the German company's property nearby. Schultheis instead relies on the utility's overall power production for his carbon accounting, meaning the Georgia site will add more to Aurubis' carbon footprint.
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"We get the full grid—the mix of the grid—of what they produce," he said.
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Many of the battles over that energy mix have been fought in a windowless room in one of the imposing government buildings crammed into Atlanta's South Downtown area. That is home to meetings of the Georgia Public Service Commission, which oversees utilities including Georgia Power.
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The investor-owned utility last fall made an unusual update to its periodic resource proposal to regulators. Citing a boom in new business customers, Georgia Power boosted its projected demand growth over the next seven years from less than 400 megawatts to 6,600 megawatts, or about a third more than the utility's total capacity at the beginning of 2023.
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To make up the gap, the company put forward a plan that includes adding battery storage, buying power from fossil-fuel-burning plants in Mississippi and Florida, and building three new gas-fired turbines in Georgia.
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The Southern Co.subsidiary has since sparred with renewable-energy-minded organizations as divergent as local municipal governments, the Sierra Club and the Pentagon.
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Opponents argued the utility should accelerate demand-side responses, such as allowing customers to dial down energy usage depending on costs. Others proposed more-aggressive use of solar power and batteries, or so-called "virtual power plants" that allow consumers with solar panels to sell energy back to the grid.
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In Georgia Power's view, adding gas is key to providing stable power and quickly ramping up electricity for moments of peak usage on the hottest days of summer and coldest days of winter. That is especially crucial given the utility's gradual retirement of coal-fired plants.
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The state is attracting so many power users, Georgia Power contends, that new investments will actually suppress ratepayers' bills.
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"We anticipate that we will not need to increase rates to cover the costs of these resources that we're adding," said Aaron Mitchell, the company's vice president of pricing and planning.
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A view of the Aurubis recycling plant. PHOTO: Kendrick Brinson for The Wall Street Journal
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Some Georgians are skeptical, noting utilities' previous overestimates of demand growth. Power companies have a financial incentive to pursue capital projects, critics say, and overbuilding now would risk saddling ratepayers with assets that have decadeslong shelf lives.
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The recent history of energy development in the state has also been rocky. The Georgia Power-led project to expand Plant Vogtle, the first U.S. nuclear development in decades, ran up more than $30 billion in costs and lagged years behind schedule.
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Since the project's early stages in 2007, the 12-month moving average of residential power costs for the utility's customers has surged 68%, according to the Georgia Center for Energy Solutions. That outpaced inflation, as well as cost increases for industrial and commercial customers.
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Price pressures and climate fears have pushed communities such as suburban Atlanta's DeKalb County, which has pledged to slash emissions, to lobby regulators for more aggressive oversight of the investor-owned utility. Ted Terry, a DeKalb County commissioner, warned that the state is using a 20th-century energy playbook while trying to attract 21st-century industries.
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The state's energy market "is not working for all of us," Terry said. Regulators approved much of Georgia Power's plan on April 16.
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'Essential to our economy'
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The tension hasn't slowed businesses' rush to the state.
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Alphabet's Google has operated data centers in Georgia for more than two decades, gradually expanding its footprint. In 2021, Microsoft established a new U.S. data-center region emanating from greater Atlanta. An Amazon Web Services spokesman said the firm recently bought land in the Peach State and is evaluating possible server-farm locations.
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All three firms purchase massive amounts of renewable energy to help power their facilities around the world. All three are also members of the Clean Energy Buyers Association, a trade group pushing utilities, including Georgia Power, to go green.
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Priya Barua, the organization's senior director of market and policy innovation, said the added difficulty in much of the Southeast is that traditionally regulated power markets sometimes give firms fewer opportunities to shop around for wholesale electricity.
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"They're more limited in how they can get clean energy," she said.
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Some analysts believe that could change as companies exert more pressure on regulators and developers strike deals with independent power producers. As part of Georgia Power's recent planning update, the utility said it would work with trade groups like Barua's to explore how commercial and industrial customers might build or contract their own clean-energy projects in the future.
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Those setups have been confined in recent years to nonprofit electricity cooperatives that tend to serve rural areas. Instagram-owner Meta, for example, joined with a Georgia co-op and solar developer Silicon Ranch as part of a broader deal to power data centers.
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But even in a more-competitive market, those deals may remain out of reach for most companies, such as DC Blox, the data-center operator building two facilities on opposing outskirts of Atlanta.
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Founded in 2014, the firm constructed its first data center in an old paper plant in Chattanooga. Power usage: one megawatt. DC Blox has since built out a network from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Huntsville, Ala., leasing space to municipalities, universities and manufacturers.
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Aurubis uses mammoth equipment to shred old circuit boards and electrical wiring, melt the scraps, and separate copper from other materials. PHOTO: Kendrick Brinson for The Wall Street Journal
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Now, the company is big-game hunting for big-tech customers. The larger of its two Atlanta-area sites could reach up to 300 megawatts.
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"The smart states and smart utility commissions are going to figure out how to do this because this isn't going to stop," said Thomson, the DC Blox executive. "AI is coming next."
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DC Blox executives see themselves as part of Atlanta's evolution from logistics center to the digital hub of the Southeast. Nowhere is that more apparent than west of the city in Douglas County, the most sought-after corner of the region's data-center market.
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Local officials including Chris Pumphrey, president of the public-private Elevate Douglas Economic Partnership, began seeking out data centers about a decade ago. While the facilities employ few full-time employees, operators and tenants pour property and sales taxes into public coffers. Another benefit to Douglas County was that the new industry reduced truck traffic to warehouses peppering the area.
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"At that period of time," Pumphrey said, "there wasn't this significant concern about energy."
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These days, Douglas County is home to current or forthcoming data centers by companies including Google, Microsoft, DC Blox, Flexential and Switch. As hundreds of construction workers etch the concrete structures into sides of hills like fortresses, Pumphrey is eagerly awaiting the payoff.
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"They're essential to our economy," Pumphrey said. As for the energy concerns, he added, "We have to figure something out."
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Cooling towers at Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power station, are visible behind the new Aurubis facility. PHOTO: Kendrick Brinson for The Wall Street Journal
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Write to David Uberti at [david.uberti@wsj.com](mailto:david.uberti@wsj.com)
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Credit: By David Uberti

Good evening. I just got home from a fun day of a baby shower that turned into a cook out. Its been an action packed week with a rewarding weekend that I will NEVER forget, even if the lights only visited me one night but no graphs or imagery tonight. I have pondered the events of the last 10 days and as I look back, it was a dream come true. Not just seeing something I have always wanted to see in the AB, but meeting all of you, and sharing this experience. Building the foundations of a community here on Reddit where we can share, learn, discuss, and explore free from any restraint or encumbrance in an inclusive setting where there are only two rules. Respect one other along the lines of the golden rule, treat as you would like to be treated and no politics. Remember the sun gives light and warmth to all regardless of what party you are with or what church or place of worship you attend or dont attend. I will emulate that and I encourage you to as well.
With all of that being said, I took my own advice today, and I went about my day, kept my eyes on things, and had zero expectations. I wanted to see the lights tonight and I was with a group of people who would have loved to as well. It has not happened as of yet, and to be clear, while the chances are shrinking, but they are not dead, at least for those more northerly. I personally will not be staying up tonight, but would it surprise me if we had a brief stretch of more intense activity than we are seeing? Not at all, but at the same time we have to go back to the night of the X5.98 before any models had run. If you recall, I was concerned about the NW trajectory of the last CME owing to its location and LASCO coronagraphs, but I was swayed by the SWPC going G5 in their warning and the possibility of cannibalization. Gosh I wanted it to be true, but I just could not commit. I thought it would be more intense than it is but I never wavered in my uncertainty. Uncertainty can be a cop out, but truly I was uncertain and I tried to manage all of your expectations appropriately.
A spike or two cannot be ruled out and the Kp index forecast is elevated for the next several days, but I think we can all safely conclude that another Friday night is not in the cards here in the lower 48. Unfortunately alot of folks in Canada who would still be able to get a glimpse or two are dealing with wildfire smoke which not only makes viewing difficult, but makes breathing difficult. Here is hoping that gets better soon. If you decide to be a die hard tonight against the odds, I wish you luck, and you are not exactly crazy for trying, but the odds are long at this point. If there was a big CME in the pipe moving faster than the others, it would have likely been here by now but some fluctuation is expected at lower or even moderate levels for the next few days. All in all, I got some things right this week and I got some things wrong. The one thing I did not get wrong, is this stuff is difficult to predict, and the models struggled with timing and severity. I was impressed with DONKI Scorecard though, I think it is a heck of a tool. I love how it takes all of the models into consideration and will be consulting it always going forward. It was definitely the most accurate of the model systems in my view, but you may feel differently. This can get subjective and with so many readings from so many places, locations, levels, etc, its a data mess right now and I see the high end numbers quoted quite a bit but its important we wait for all of the data to be parsed and analyzed. I expect some revisions and we will see what it looks like when the smoke clears on this storm.
As far as any and all tools go, I will never hold them back from you. I am not here to gatekeep or play man behind the curtain. I have no degrees. I am a self proclaimed armchair analyst and while I take the moniker seriously and credibility is important to me as silly as that may sound, I want you to know that I am very much a student still. Several years ago, I was right where most of you are. My appetite for knowledge of all things has always been voracious and I have had various passions at times, but never one that I just had to share with somebody, anybody. My 9 year old loves this stuff, and I am working on my wife, but YOU are who shared my passion the most, and that is what it is all about to me. Sharing. Learning. Teaching. Growing. I feel good that I do not have to make any significant retractions or revisions and that I gave you the best advice I could and I am happy with the result. And you know what, even though there were no aurora overhead tonight at the get together I was at, it still ended up with the group marveling at the stars and objects in our sky, as we went through and identified each one and its characteristics. Saw a shooting star and starlink go by. My sister who lives in Tampa called me very excited and said that she saw a meteor overhead in the area around 830 EST. Like everyone, she is awed by beautiful and rare occurences, but is not what I would consider an enthusiast, but boy there sure was enthusiam in her voice when she called. I just smiled to myself, and thought about how grateful I am for how this all played out and I think we have set a pretty high bar here, but I will try my best to meet it for you each and every time. This sub is called SolarMax and that is our primary focus, but as my day 1's are aware, we get into alot more than just the sun. There are more spectacles yet to come this year, dare I say the chances exist for something just as special and just as rare, maybe more. Topic for another day.
I have just a few more housekeeping items to discuss and then I will be signing off for the night. I have alot to catch up on this week in my real job. I neglected it this past week with no regrets, but its time to pay the piper and get caught up. I do my best work back against the wall anyway and am no stranger to pressure. As a result though, I may not be as engaged or engaging, but I will keep you apprised. Whatever I know, you will know.
SHOULD I BE WORRIED?
No. Not just about the storm we had, but the next storm, or the mag field. I need to make something abundantly and unequivocally clear. We are in NO immediate danger, nor are we in danger in the forseeable future. We have new sunspots coming around and the growth curve on them may be ramping up. Again, I am excited. Its solar maximum. This is a natural process. Could a CE happen? NOAA just told you this weekend there is a 2 to 10% chance in the decades to come. You dont need me to tell you that its possible, but again, all manner of things are possible and COULD happen. You can't get yourself worked up about something that COULD happen, when there is no signs it is imminent. Look, there is some confusion about the mag field and its ramifications. Its a complicated topic, truly it is, but the concerns are not immediate. Our mag field has been weakening for over 150 years, yet here we are. You probably did not even know that, yet life has gone on still.
The other thing you need to take away from that is this other than its not an immediate concern you should suffer anxiety from, its a long term issue, just like climate, that is of course assuming that they are not sort of one in the same. If you are not losing sleep and fretting about our oceans literally trying to boil right now, then you are practicing some cognitive dissonance around the topic of existential dread. One fear is not greater than the other, and all fear is the enemy. We are just fine. We are safe. Our magnetic field does its job. It IS weakening, but its weakening slowly. Official estimates are at 5% per decade currently. That is not overnight. Its not next week. Its not even certain we should be concerned about it, there are two sides to the coin after all. For all of these reasons, you cannot get yourself worked up about it. Besides you know what else above all? Worrying your ass off about the world ending will not buy you a single minute more of time living your life and doing what you love with the people you love, so get busy living, or you'll stay busy dying from being eaten alive from stress and worry. Should you be prepared? Yes. Whether its a tornado, flood, EQ, war, hurricane, mega super duper extreme solar storm, its never a bad idea to have some supplies and most importantly a plan. This will calm you, and if you ever have to need it, youll be glad of it, and youll have something to anchor to when your anxiety and shock make it difficult to just get to the next moment. More than that, build a community, because in a really tough situation, a community gets through. Certainly some of you remember GoT. In the long night, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. If you really are so worried about something so big and so totally out of your control, do that.
So people, take care of your mental health. If this stuff stresses you out, take a step back because it aint worth it. Can you imagine how silly the people on X who thought the world was ending this weekend feel right now? Most of them will never mention they were scared, or that they were panicking about nothing, they will never speak of it, and they will look for the next scare. I just hope they at least got to see the lights. Look, I will be real with you. When all of this started unfolding in earnest, and I knew the chances were there for a big storm, I posted my work in 2 places. Here and prepperintel. I met many of you from there. I posted it there because I respect the hell out of the suns power and I know that in the very very very rare event a CE or something of that nature unfolds, a few precious hours may mean everything. I am true to what I say. I do understand the risks, and I treat them appropriately, but I can only do so from a place of understanding and that takes time. Right now, what you NEED to know, is that we are safe, this was a great experience, the next sunspots may be more active, less active, the same as the departing regions, but there is a reason why the auroras have not dipped that far south in 20 years. So many things have to line up juuuust right for what we saw on Friday let alone a grid frying event. You would need a HUGE flare, and I do mean huge, no X5.98 or a twin peaked X1/M9 will suffice. Not only do you need a rediculously large flare, you need it to produce an earth directed CME, and while AR3664 seemingly did it at will, its not usually the case, but the times when its most likely to happen are during solar maximum. So many solar max have came and went and you never even knew it and you are still here on your tech.
I would like to think I know my stuff pretty well for an armchair expert, but I understand my limitations. There are people who are much more experienced, educated, and knowledgeable about the finer finer details and components of the space weather game that I am just barely beginning to grasp. Do you know that when I was first learning space weather that I used to get caught up in the same hype? I see that we had an X-Class flare, and Newsweek tells me that they can destroy powergrids, which is technically true, but damn if it doesnt leave out alot of nuance and fine details which are absolutely critical to understand in depth. So I get on Prepperintel and I make a post about it and I am ran off the damn sub because the people in there who knew more than I did knew it was nothing to be scared of. I was that person guys. If you felt that way this weekend, just know that I am you. But here we are, and now if I post something in there, those folks know its at least worth knowing about. Its a process. Its a complicated and nuanced topic, but its not inaccessible. I bet many of you had no idea that you could be a space weather observer like the folks at the alphabet agencies looking at the same data they do, but I hope you do now.
When I sat down to write this "small" update and goodnight, I did not expect to fill a page. I will tell you one thing about me. I have been called many many things in my life, but inarticulate is NOT one of them. I have more than a few video or YT live requests and maybe we get there eventually because I do think it will be cool and interactive. I may still cherish the written word but I am no dummy, I realize that is analog thinking in a digital world. However, here we are and I like the readers, because they are careful and considerate. They usually ave the attention span to get into complex subjects and are able to orchestrate exquisite theater of the mind.
This has been one of the most exciting and gratifying weeks of my life. I tried my best to keep up with the comments but I know I failed. Esp last night and today, I had to stop and smell the roses and its always family first in my world. Even if I had all day, I could not have kept up. These are human limitations of course, but I want you to know that I saw 99% of the comments, the posts, the messages, the pictures. I am deeply moved and I really appreciate everyone who took the time just to tell me their story, their experience, how this experience touched them, how they learned something new, how they werent scared anymore, who just appreciated the fact that Reddit now has a thriving dedicated solarmax community. I wish there was a way I could let you all know just exactly how much it all means, but these words will have to do. Thank you friends. We are only getting started. If you find yourself needing a fix though, check out the rest of the sub. Solarmax blew up this weekend, but we have been trying to get established for a bit and I say we, because it is not just me. Others have contributed, even when it was just a handful of people. I just can't say it enough, thank you thank you thank you. Every writer just wants someone to read their stuff. That is why they do it. If you can make a living at it, cool, but every writer started for free, and just wanted an audience, any audience, let alone one as awesome as you all.
And one final shoutout to Mrs AA for putting up with me absolutely glued to my phone, computer, and keyboard for the last 14 days and yes 14 days, because before AR3664 stole the show, lil ol AR3663 was trying so hard to make a name for itself, but just did not have the juice, but did depart with an X4.5 IIRC offhand. Solar max continues everyone, we got new sunspot groups to analyze, a few more mild impacts to come, and a ton of stuff to break down on the May 2024 Storms as well as the other topics I promised we would get into. We are only getting started and I look forward to sharing all of it with you.
For all of you who asked about whether you should chase your dream of astronomy or something space related, I have one final piece of advice this weekend. It does not matter if its space related, it just matters that you have a dream. If you have the ability and circumstance to chase or still chase your dream, you need to do it, whatever it is. The lucky(wise) people are not the ones who make millions on millions in a 80 hr work week where seeing their kids ball game is not even possible. The wise people are the ones who never work a day in their life because they love what they do and make a living that suits them and their family.
Good night everyone, and may you have clear skies.
AA

Ok so funny little backstory, I am from Russia and I used to know Spanish fluently like 15+ years ago, because I had a lot of internet + gaming friends, and even an e-girlfriend all from Mexico, but I never actually spoke, or listened to Spanish ever in my life. Except for the despacito song, but I don't understand a word of it lol. I eventually moved on from gaming/chatting on the internet 24/7 and got on with real life, so I haven't even used Spanish at all for over 15 years, (and I don't really see any point in re-learning it, I had my fun with it already)
But I still somehow vaguely, barely remember a little bit of Spanish, like enough to understand any random Spanish youtube comments that I happen to come across. I can still actually understand about 90-95% of it, but I can't really make any of my own sentences, or use correct grammar anymore. But today I tried to make a little song in Spanish with Suno AI (if you don't know what that is, it's an AI website where you can make any music you want, just by writing a prompt. it's really cool) I tried to do some kind of Russian-Spanish music style mix
This is the song -
https://suno.com/song/e8a0c19e-65d7-480b-b404-87c2dbc49687
I made the lyrics rhyme using the little amount of words that I can still remember. And I wrote the Spanish words using russian cyrillic alphabet so that he says it in the same way how I imagine those words sound like in my head. The AI singer guy has pretty much the exact same voice as me, and he says the words exactly how I think they should sound.
So my question is, does he have a russian accent? Can you understand what he's saying? Does it sound normal to you, or really weird?
For me, he has the most normal, regular voice ever, and I can't see any accent or anything wrong with it. But that's probably because I made it in such a way so that it's an exact copy of what's in my head. And also I don't know how the "correct" way is. I'm just really curious to find out about this. I mean I know about accents, I can speak English with a British, Australian, Jamaican or whatever accent I want. But when I first learned English, I remember thinking how I was talking normally without an accent, but everyone told me I had a weird accent. And then I really deeply analysed it and understood why they said that, and then I learned how to correct it. Even in Russia when I went to another city they told me I have an accent in russian and I was like whaaat do you meeean, how is that even possible, I don't have an accent, it's my native language bro, I speak the same like everyone else... But then you find out that you actually have an accent... I just find it really interesting, how the brain works, how everyone perceives things very differently. Like for you, something sounds perfectly normal, and for someone else it's really weird and not normal at all. You know what I mean? And you'll never really be able to know why for someone else it seems weird, unless they tell you in-depth about every detail. And only then, you'll be able to see. Like you need someone else's eyes/ears in order to perceive something which you can't. Anyway sorry for the random rambling. I'd appreciate what you think of the song and that's all :)

I've seen a few posts on YouTubes where the author shares their opinions as to the top five songs of Jem and the Holograms and The Misfits. (The Stingers don't even have five good songs. As far as I'm concerned, the series jumped the shark with the introduction of the Stingers.) And I find myself in disagreement with the choices. Some of the songs chosen seem kind of meh, comparatively speaking. while some truly great songs are overlooked, especially where The Misfits are concerned. So, I thought I'd review each song by The Misfits.
And I've set aside the listing of each song in order of appearance in the series, together with the links, so if anyone wants to do the same, you can just copy and paste the list and post your own ranking, if you'd like.
Outta My Way 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7_4hU_DuzI
Winning Is Everything 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkqCd7Zwdr4
Makin' Mischief 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMv4KJlWQb8
Takin' It All 14 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8SOeKZTS3A
Universal Appeal 18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXOiT5nBmGw
Welcome To The Jungle 23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqbtkDs3gOk
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dh1DA_QnJY
You Can't Catch Me 28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHn5-S0tGyk
You Gotta Be Fast 31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axV5cAIj8i4
Designing Woman 35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBZwMzLkHAk
We're Off And Runnin 38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ywNDprLjQQ
I Am A Giant 39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRkUEzGYGg
You Oughta See The View From Here 43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svgjeOi7HmA
Who Is She, Anyway? 46 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAjLrjGc_zg
There Ain't Nobody Better 50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiIb1n3eEXU
We're The Misfits In Hawaii 51 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cm6arnyKow
Queen Of Rock And Roll 54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQF_M3-dYjo
It Takes Alot To Survive 56 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM9hAGqVWPg
Jack, Take A Hike 58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xfgh_GurC8
Gimme A Gimmick 66 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhfydUDP5us
Surprise! Surprise! 68 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffOhFRNVqC8
How Does It Feel? 70 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vtmRL0__70
I Like Your Style 73 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0NCju1CzeI
I Love A Scandal 80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBKduayYfLE
Congratulations 83 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O4lxK1HY-4
Let's Blow This Town 92 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEUqtQFiL-I
Ahead Of The Game 95 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak3FTx35yFg
Abracadabra 100 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdAF8lqPpTI
Trapped 104 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usb_e_T2R9o
Free And Easy 106 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCg4MA9eg0
Listen Up 116 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEUqtQFiL-I
Don't Look Now 119 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmxtLzvhuuc
Star Spangled Fantasy 121 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxWn78U0NAo
I'm Gonna Hunt You Down 142 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCdadpRxiCA
Lovesick 155 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbCWHjzcyWY
Top of the Charts 171 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSAuuapsNc8

Five Best Misfits Songs:

Number 5: Takin' It All 14
This is one of those videos that I seldom see mentioned when people compile their list of favorite Misfits song. And I don't understand why. Granted, it's The Misfits being obnoxious, but isn't that what they're supposed to do for this series?
Tune is catchy, vocals are awesome, and by the standards of this series, the lyrics are also great. The video itself doesn't quite measure up, but it certainly isn't terrible. Overall, this video captures very well The Misfits' ambitious nature.
I especially like the refrain "We're takin' it a-a-a-a-a-ll. (We're takin' it, takin' it, takin' it all.")
Ironically, this song was used in the contest with Jem and the Holograms, and lost to Jem and the Holograms', Music is Magic. Personally, I thought The Misfits had a much better performance. Perhaps it was Jem's amazing high notes for Music is Magic that scored them the win.
9/10
Number 4: Surprise! Surprise! 68
"Do you like surprises?"
Not from The Misfits, I don't. At the beginning, the lyrics seem fairly innocuous, even benign. But the music, coupled with Pizzazz's ominous delivery, communicate beautifully that any surprise offered by The Misfits will be anything but pleasant.And the video worked very well with a fantasy sequence of what else? The Misfits tormenting Jem and the Holograms with nasty surprises.
9/10
Number 3: I'm Gonna Change (Roxy) 109
While this song is credited as being performed just by Roxy, it's obvious that Ellen Bernfeld performed this and used Pizzazz's voice. And there are backing vocals, which makes this a Misfits song in all but credit.
Roxy has decided to abandon The Misfits and live for herself. And this is her personal Declaration of Independence. It is nice to see this new insight into her character and find out that she can register other emotions besides anger and extreme contempt.
The video is quite excellent, underscoring Roxy's illiteracy as letters of the alphabet, incomprehensible to Roxy, blow in the wind like leaves. The way it alternates between black and white and full-color is an interesting effect.
I was planning on excluding this one in my ranking, as it's just Roxy and not all The Misfits. But I decided this is an undervalued gem (no pun intended) and add it to the list.
9/10
Number 2: I Like Your Style 73 (The title is actually "I Like Her Style" according to the opening credit, but the refrain is "I like your style.")
Welcome to The Misfits, Jetta! And may I say your debut was awesome?I think this one is so criminally underappreciated. The tune is catchy. The lyrics on point; for once, Pizzazz isn't singing about herself or her entitlement. The animation didn't do any fantasy sequence for this song; it depicted Pizzazz being Pizzazz, but hey, that's not always a bad thing. Jetta's sax was a nice touch, a few riffs here and there and not intruding on the singing. Love Stormer's and Roxy's backing vocals, too.
Why does this never seem to make anyone's top ten list? What's not to like about it?
10/10
Number 1: Universal Appeal 18
I've seen this one in Top Misfits Songs before, and for once, I understand why.
Music, lyrics, video, all are on point. The video was especially enjoyable, particularly the eclipse at the beginning, with Jem as the sun and Pizzazz as the moon. I also enjoyed the refrain of "universal appeal" when Roxy and Stormer come in from opposite sides. For once, Roxy isn't scowling or contemptuously sneering, and actually seems to be enjoying herself. I was so surprised by this, I almost started to like Roxy. I'm not kidding. I was looking at her in this video and thinking, "Who the hell are you, and what have you done with the real Roxy?"
Even The Misfits' costumes were cool. Reminiscent of the 1930s, but with a modern twist, down to the pillbox hat worn by Pizzazz.
This may their best one. Maybe even the best number in the series.
10/10.

Five Worst Misfits Songs:

Number 5: Free And Easy 106
In a word, bland. I've heard worse, but this song is so utterly flavorless and lacking in Misfits' character that it could be just as easily be sung by Jem and the Holograms. I can't even award extra points for Jetta's sax playing.
Besides, the song suggests that The Misfits are adverse to work. And while The Misfits' have many, many faults, laziness is not one of them. They often go to great lengths to put their machinations into operation, and they didn't attain their ability by being indolent. They have been seen many times in rehearsals. Say what you will about The Misfits, but they are hard workers.
This song just isn't The Misfits.
5/10
Number 4: I'm Gonna Hunt You Down 142
Oscar Wilde described foxhunting as, “The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable!”
Pretty insipid, flavorless stuff. The only thing that really stands out about this video is watching Jetta fall off a horse.
4/10
Number 3: Queen Of Rock And Roll 54
Another meh-fest. The most interesting thing about this video is the visuals itself. Pizzazz decked out as royalty and Jem and the Holograms bowing in homage to her. The song itself is lackluster.
4/10
Number 2: Outta My Way 1
Not just the first song by The Misfits, but the first song in the entire series.And to put it kindly, this is not an auspicious beginning. If I were watching this series from the beginning when it first came out, once I saw this video, I might have thought, "If this is what this series has to offer, I think I'll pass on the rest of it." The music's okay, but the lyrics are repetitious and not especially clever. If nothing else can be said for it, it does establish the general tone of The Misfits as a group, as their songs tend to be pushy, aggressive and very self-centered.
The video was a bit disturbing, as it depicts The Misfits torturing Jerrica. I was somewhat shocked when Pizzazz put on the boxing gloves; I expected it to depict Pizzazz beating up Jerrica in a boxing ring. Thankfully, Pizzazz only punched a target on a dunk tank that Jerrica was seated in. (You're meant to hit the target on dunk tanks with baseballs, not punch it. But since when does Pizzazz ever play fair?)
The visuals are what gives this song its low rating. Although the repetitious lyrics are hardly a saving grace.When viewed against the other Misfits songs in the series, this one comes across as a generic Misfits song, but a rather vapid one.
3/10
Number 1 (Worst of the Worst): Jack, Take A Hike 58
Full disclosure: like several songs in this series, this one was used more than once. And the first time I saw this one was in the episode, "The Jazz Player," where Pizzazz interrupts 1940's jazz trumpeter Tapps Tucker and physically forces him out of the studio. This is a new low, even by The Misfits' standards. Hence, my opinions on this might be somewhat biased by disgust, especially since the accompanying video to this song depicts a fantasy sequence in which The Misfits (mostly Pizzazz) torment the elderly musician, treatment normally reserved for Jerrica and Jem and the Holograms.
I'm especially baffled that Stormer would participate in such a thing. And what about Jetta, since she's a saxophone player and is obviously jazz influenced? You would think that at least Jetta would have some respect for a jazz legend like Tapps Tucker.
That aside, the song itself has an obnoxious, bratty-sounding "nyaah-nyaah-nyaah!" quality to it. And this seems to be a bad marriage of music and vocals. Somehow, Pizzazz sounds below the pitch when she sings it. Even being as dispassionate as I can, if I were ranking the worst of The Misfits songs, this would probably be at the very bottom.
Pizzazz, ESAD. And shame on you, Jetta. Shame on all of you. Musicians of your calibre should have more respect.
2/10

Disclaimer:

Despite how the title and intro may look, I am not here to dunk on feminism. If you came looking for a post that said, "Feminist Soy! Am i rite?" Sorry, got to disappoint. Conversely, this isn't a sermon about why you should convert. Believe whatever you want to believe bro. Also, Not a Christian, but I do like Wendigoon talking about it. Finally, Mods plz don't nuke my post this isn't about religion but about the mythology around the figure.

Why Post This Here:

Lilith has been involved in literary discourse for a while as well as being seen as a Feminist Icon in literature. This post is meant to debunk these claims and misreading of the Abrahamic Myths.

Intro:

This really isn't a specific work of fiction, but rather, a general fictional trope I guess., Ever since the release of Hazbin Hotel, discussion has increased on Lilith being a sympathetic/feminist icon, and this is the most laughable idea to me as a guy who is currently studying Christian Mythology for a project. Today, I am going to debunk this claim of Lilith being sympathetic or any sort of feminist girlboss or even being anyway relevant to the Abrahamic Mythos. I'll try source all my arguments, so it doesn't look like I am talk out of my ass.

In The Bible:

Ah, the Bible. It is amazing how such a small book can cause so much violence, but we are not here for a religious debate (well not really). We are here to discuss Lilith. For context, I am going to be used the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) & English Standard Version (ESV). This is because NSRV and ESV and considered the most popular when it comes to the Bible Versions.
Let's start with NRSV, and Lilith shows up...once? Hell, she doesn't even show up. She's just mentioned.

Isaiah 34:14: "Wildcats shall meet with hyenas, goat-demons shall call to each other; there too Lilith shall repose,"

You can read the full chapter here, but the full chapter really doesn't change much. From what I could gleam (admittedly I ain't a theologian so I could be missing stuff), the dude in this chapter is talking about God's Judgment and is more focused on the natural disasters that would happen. Lilith isn't even really that important. She seems to be at best a higher demon with some power, but this same chapter says an undead apocalypse will happen. She is a footnote at best.
Okay what about ESV? It is even worse there. She doesn't even show up.

Isaiah 34:14: "And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place" (Source)

Okay, but I am clearly cherry-picking though right? What about the other versions? Well, it get even more nebulous. In certain version, it isn't even Lilith but an unnamed night-demon (Source). In others, it isn't even a demon but just a creature of the night/ animals of the night (Source). Hell one of them there are no demons instead an unnamed ogress (Source).
You'd think that Lilith, being the first woman and rebelling against Big G himself, should get more than one very sketchy mention. I mean Eve the mother of humanity is mentioned between 2,000 -2,500 times (Source), Mary the mother of Jesus Motherfucking Christ himself gets around 40 times (Source), hell Queen Sheba, whose existence I only know because a sword in KCD is name after her, is mentioned nearly 70 times (Source)(obviously this varies on which version you take as some books are just removed but the point stands). You mean to tell me a fucking side character is mentioned more than literally Female Satan. Funnily enough, Satan is only mention like 30 times in the Bible (Source).
Okay, so already the foundations of Lilith are shaky, but what do the other Abrahamic Religions say?

In The Quran/The Tanakh (IMPORTANT):

The Quran. She never shows up. Weird since both Eve and Mary get mentioned.
Okay, but what about The Tanakh? (For those who don't know the Tanakh is the "Hebrew Bible". A lot of people say that's the Torah, but the Torah is just the compilation of the first five books of the Tanakh.) Well, yes.

Otzar Midrashim, The Aleph Bet of ben Sira, The Alphabet of ben Sira, (alternative version) 34 - He said to him, "The angels appointed for healing: Sanoy, Sansanoy, Semangalof. When the Holy Blessed One created the first Adam alone, They said, (Genesis 2:18) 'It is not good for this Adam to be alone.' They created for him a wife out of the Earth like he had been, and called her Lilith. Immediately they began to challenge each other. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one…

So case closed - STOP. I ain't done cooking yet. See, I got to apologize a bit to you reader. I kind of lied, but to understand how I lied. You got to understand the Jewish Faith first, specifically their holy texts.
Okay, all Holy Jewish Texts fall under Sifrei Kodesh (aka Holy Books). . Within the Siferi Kodesh, there are two main categories texts fall into Tankah and Rabbinic. The Tankah is The Hebrew Bible. It is the considered the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures and is comprisied of the Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Ketuvim. (Source and Source). Meanwhile, the Rabbinic is Jewish Rabbis studying and interpreting the Tankah (Source, Source, Source). The Alphabet of Ben Sira is squarely in the Rabbinic.
Most of you have already seen a problem, but for those of who didn't, let me spell it out. When you are quoting this passage, you are not quoting from the Tankah. You are quoting a Rabbi's interpretation of the Tankah. This would be equivalent to me using My Immortal to critique Harry Potter (No offense to any Jewish Rabbis. This comparison is meant to be extreme).
Ah, but ain't done yet reader, I have saved the biggest bombshell for last.
The Alphabet of Ben Sira is a shitpost. It a satire. It isn't real.
The reasoning is several. This reddit comment sums it up. And This. Also This
From The Jewish Virtual Library:

There is no reason to doubt the unity of the work as a whole, despite the fragmentary character of the different versions. All the versions share a special, satirical, and even heretical, character, and this indicates that they all were written by a single hand. They seem to reflect varying degrees of censorship on the part of editors and copyists. The complete work contains four parts. The first part is the biography of Ben Sira from his conception until the age of one year. This story, omitted in many editions, explains how Jeremiah, the prophet, was simultaneously Ben Sira's father (the numerical value of Ben Sira's name equals that of Jeremiah), and grandfather. Ben Sira's mother was Jeremiah's daughter. The old prophet was forced to an act of onanism by wicked men, and his daughter conceived from his emissions when she came to bathe. The form of this story is based on a biblical verse that tells the glories and wonders of God's deeds; thus the story satirizes not only Jeremiah, but God's deeds as well.
The second part is more sophisticated in form. It tells how Ben Sira, now one year old, meets with his teacher, who tries to teach him the alphabet. Instead of repeating each letter of the alphabet after his teacher, Ben Sira responds with an epigram beginning with that letter. The epigrams lead the teacher to tell the story of his life. It may be assumed that the original structure of this part was 22 + 12 paragraphs, each containing a letter, an epigram, and a part of the story.
The third part is the longest and contains most of the narrative material in this work. It recounts the story of Ben Sira's life and adventures in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia. It also includes stories told by Ben Sira himself as answers to the king's questions. These stories often include pornographic elements, as well as derogatory descriptions of biblical figures, like King Solomon or Joshua. Some of the stories in this section contain motifs from international folklore and may be based on folktales, but they were adapted to the special framework of the work and satirical elements were added to them. Examination of the various versions indicates that here, too, there were 22 stories, arranged according to the letters of the alphabet, to which 12 other stories were added.
The fourth part, which is found in most versions and gave the work its name, contains 22 alphabetically arranged epigrams attributed to Ben Sira that serve as material for discussion and interpretation by Ben Sira's son, Uzziel, and his grandson, Joseph b. Uzziel. The contents are satirical and even heretical. It may be assumed that this part was constructed in the same manner as the two previous ones – 22 + 12 sections. The work, therefore, displays elements of unity both in structure and in its ideological aims. It is all but impossible, however, to discover the background upon which such a work could have been written. Some scholars (L. Ginzberg and others) believe that it aimed at ridiculing the story of Jesus' birth; but the basis for such a conclusion may be found only in the first part, and even this is not very clear, for the irony seems to be directed more against God than against Jesus. It is hardly possible that the author was a Karaite, as some of the abusive stories are directed against biblical figures, and not only against the Talmud and Midrash. It seems likely that the author did not belong to any organized group or definable ideological movement, but was merely a writer with an anarchistic tendency who used satire to ridicule all the institutions of established religion in his day.
Another difficult problem is the relationship between this pseudepigraphal work and the original proverbs of Ben Sira. Some of the proverbs and epigrams included in the work are originally in the work of Ben Sira, but many such proverbs are found in talmudic literature, and the author probably took them from there. The author of the pseudepigraphal work did not even know Ben Sira's first name. There is only one slight connection that might be accidental: the Wisdom of *Ben Sira has a preface written by the author's grandson, who edited the work, and in the pseudepigraphal work the figure of a grandson is also present.

Buh buh But thats just a reddit comment and some random websites. Whu Whu What are you gonna do OP? Analyze the entire text to prove its a shitpost.
Yes.
Mods turn the music on.

Analysis Of Alphabet of Sirach/The Alphabet Of Ben Sira:

The text we will be using.
We are going to skip most of it and just jump straight into the section with Lilith, but if you do chose to read it, have a good time. Shit is funny as hell. Let's start of with Lillith's Birth. Many like to potray Adam and Lilith's first interaction like this.
1, 2, 3
It is often either stated or implied Adam either tried to force Lilith into a s*x position she didn't want or that he he stated that she was inferior to him and she spit back. While this nicely fits into the "yas Queen SLAYYY" interpretation, its not the truth...mostly.
Here is the actual text:

When the Holy Blessed One created the first Adam alone, They said, (Genesis 2:18) 'It is not good for this Adam to be alone.' They created for him a wife out of the Earth like he had been, and called her Lilith. Immediately they began to challenge each other. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while I am to be the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the Earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the world's air.

So first, no she wasn't going to be sexually assaulted. Secondly, it was just a couple arguing with each other. Yes, Adam shouldn't have said that about Lilith, but we shouldn't take a statement said by an angry man as gospel for the religion. Plus, how on earth is blaspheming your Father and then running away from an argument an appropriate reaction to the situation? God didn't do anything wrong. Why you picking a fight with him? We will discuss this more, but lets continue.

The Holy Blessed One said to Adam, 'If she agrees to come back, good. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.' They departed and pursued her, and overtook her in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians would ultimately drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, 'We shall drown you in the sea.' She said to them, 'Let me be. I was created only to cause illness to infants. I have dominion over them for eight days after birth if they are male, and if female, after birth for twenty days.' When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted on taking her. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God, 'Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.' She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day.

There is much to go over here. First, WHERE ARE THE HUNDRED CHILDREN COMING FROM! These are the first man and woman. THERE ARE NO CHILDREN. Who is he talking about? And don't give me that bullshit that he mad a mistake. HE IS GOD. IN THE TORAH, HE IS OMNISCIENT. This makes no sense.
"I was created only to cause illness to infants. I have dominion over them for eight days after birth if they are male, and if female, after birth for twenty days." I am sorry fucking what? Who said that? God? No. Adam? No. The Angels? Definitely not. No one told Lilith she had to cause illness. She is just being a toxic bitch and offloading her problems. What the fuck?
Finally, "She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day." At this point, who has sympathy for Lilith? Lets objectively look at Adam's sin. Yes, he was sexist. Yes, that was wrong. Can't Lilith convince him to change? We know it is possible for a woman to convince Adam because EVE CONVINCED HIM TO EAT THE APPLE. So, clearly the man can develop his thoughts. Instead, Lilith just runs away from her problem, knowing that a hundred innocent children (HER CHILDREN BY THE WAY- hang on does that mean she fucked Adam and Eve's Sons. Isn't she like their aunt? I am pretty sure that's still incest) will die. Yes, God is partly to blame as well, but if I had to choose between a Misandrist Wife or dead innocents, I will go with the Misandrist Wife. Nothing shows Adam as violent just a dick, and she clearly has access to powers he doesn't cuz he can't fly.

Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write their names on the amulets of young children, and she sees them, she remembers her oath, and the child is healed

I guess that's nice? But does she even really heal them? She just takes away an illness she caused. This is like saying I put out the fire, but I am the arsonist who started it. There wouldn't be a problem if I didn't create one. And that's how the story ends. Seriously.
There is more, but it doesn't really matter. Ben Sira cures a girl of farting everywhere, talks about hair follicles, slanders David, explains why Donkey Urine is important, and ends with a raven cucking an eagle. Its pretty funny.

In Conclusion:

So, TL;DR: Lilith's entire existence is based on a shitpost. In said shitpost, she isn't even that great of a person and isn't even a feminist.
So yeah, that's all I got. There is more to this Rabbit Hole if you are willing to go down, but that is the gist of it. I don't see how a woman who runs away from responsibilities, blames others for her failures, and would rather kill babies than do something hard is a feminist icon, but here we are. I don't really know how to end this. Uh, were you entertained?
Addendum: If you are of the Christian, Muslim, or Jewish Faith please comment below and clear up any misconceptions I wrote in this post. I will try to edit it to make it better. Feminists please try to be respectful in the comments. Sup Mods. Uh yeah, cool.

Addendum #2 - Mesopotamian Lilith:

Some people have been saying that I should analyze Lilith from Mesopotamian Origins as this would give her a more sympathetic view. Very well. There are three main sources: Tablet XII of the Epic of Gilgamesh, a Burney Relief, Arslan Tash amulets
Tablet XII of the Epic of Gilgamesh (Text we'll use): Lilith, a snake, and a bird steal a tree from a goddess and squat in it. Gilgamesh comes around kills the snake. The Bird flees. Lilith chimps out, destroys her home, and runs. Tbf, this is Gilgamesh, so I guess Lillith W?

The dyer (?) had not dyed his leather with it (?)
At its root the serpent, 'that knew not silence (?)' had made its nest
At its top the storm-bird (Zû) had put his young
In its midst Lilith had built a house
The shrieking maid the joyful
The bright Queen of Heaven tears for them (?) wept
His lady said a word to him
'Warrior Gilgamesh, its .... will thee'
The ibbaru garment that was of 50 minas from his loins he removed
What was 50 minas 30 ... . he made
His (?) brazen axe a road (?) his ....
1 talent 50 minas his in his hand he seized
At its root the serpent ' that knew not silence (?) ' he slew
At its top the storm-bird (Zû)
took his young (and) went away to the mountain
In its midst Lilith destroys (her) house

Burney Relief (Source): Yeah no

Even so, the possibility that the Queen of the Night plaque, with its high degree of skill in craftsmanship and attention to detail would be a representation of a lilitu is highly unlikely. According to the Hebrew tradition, Lilith was the first woman made by God who refused to submit to Adam's sexual demands and flew away, thus rebelling against God and his plans for human beings. She was thought to have then occupied the wastelands and, like the lilitu, to have preyed on unsuspecting men ever since. In either tradition, the lilitu was not a popular enough figure to have been portrayed on a plaque such as the Queen of the Night. Dr. Black notes, “Evil gods and demons are only very rarely depicted in art, perhaps because it was thought that their images might endanger people” (62). The mountain range depicted at the bottom of the relief is also thought to suggest lilitu identification in representing the wilderness the spirit inhabits but the headdress, the necklace, the rod-and-ring symbols and the significance of the plaque all go to argue against Lilith as a possibility.

Arslan Tash amulet (Source):

Whispering-incantation against the Flying-one, the oath of Sasam, son of Pidrišiša, god, and against the Strangler of the lamb: “The house I enter, you shall not enter And the court I tread, you shall not tread!He has made an eternal contract with us. Assur made a pact with us, all the sons of El,, and the great council of all the holy ones,With the oath of heaven and earth With the oath of Baal, lord of the earth With the oath of Horon, whose utterance is true,His seven concubines and the eight wives of Baal Qudš”[Written around and between the images] Oh Flying one, from the dark room pass away!Now! Now, night demons! [Written on the Sphinx figure] From my house, O crushers, go away! [Written on the wolf-like figure] Oh Sasam, let it not be opened for him And let him not come down to the door-posts The sun is rising for Sasam. Disappear, and fly away home.[Written on the axe-wielding figure](modified from Cross and Saley 1970 and Berlejung 2010).

So where the fuck is Lilith? Well the text in its original language features lly- which if you add a "t" could be llyt [Lilith], but it also can be ll wyn which means "night and day." So, yeah not exactly a Lilith W. And that's it. I don't know how this makes her sympathetic, but to each their own.

Addendum #3 - Lilith R*ped Adam?

u/howhow326 said that there was a tale about Lilith raping Adam and being thrown out of Eden. This intrigued me to search for it, but unfortunately, I can't find a source for this anywhere. The closest I get is this Blogpost, but this seems to be more of a hypothetical than anything. Frankly, I don't think this should be part of the debate.
Edit 1: Originally, there was a line that said : "Hell fucking Jesus gets mentioned the prophet of the ENEMY, but not Lilith." I have since been informed that this is a gross misrepresentation of the Muslim Faith, and it has been removed.
Edit 2: Spelling and Formatting Errors Corrected
Edit 3: Mesopotamian Lilith added. Lilith's Rape Accusations.

Hi! I’m from NY & currently based in NYC - but have lived in Phoenix & Chicago too. I am interviewing for a job in Norfolk. I’m hearing good things about it, GHENT in particular - already heard lots of not-so-good things re traffic, so I’m all set there, 🚫 no need for more lol. Not needing more intel on crime either. I hang out in the East Village/Alphabet City a lot, so I’ve prolly seen it all & worse already. 🤦🏻‍♀️
I’m more interested in hearing more about what life is like there.
About me for context: a Xennial urbanite who is starting to really crave the ocean, greenery & a slower pace, but still needs real culture. The kind of culture that is unique to a place versus manufactured to attract tourists. Places where you can people watch vs car watch. Big fan of European cities. Phoenix was difficult for me for many of these reasons. I adore art & socializing within the community. Definitely progressive AF but not an a-hole about it. LGBTQ+ mega ally here 🏳️‍🌈. Appreciator of diversity.
Also: I’m a single parent, so making friends & maybe eventually meeting someone would be swell lol.
Also also: I am a mom to a tween, so it’d be cool to hear how Ghent & the area in general are for kids in MS & HS.

Alright this is gonna be a long one.
I don’t like calling him my twin for reasons I will explain later on, but it’s the best description for our dynamic. It’s been over a year since I last saw him.
I met my twin in 2021 during my first year of culinary school. We both had similar names and looked similar. We quickly became part of the same friend group. Due to our names being alphabetically next to each other we sat next to each other and were paired up as partners. Even after we had the opportunity to change seats and partners we still stayed together. Even though we had just met people thought we were either siblings or dating because of how well we got along. We were both the biggest stoners in class and he sold so I started buying off him.
I wasn’t really interested in him romantically, but I felt a strong urge to be close with him. I wanted to be friends, best friends. I thought he liked me but I wasn’t sure. Us being opposite genders made things awkward at times. A couple months into school I told him we should hang out, and he said he wanted to. Later on when I asked about it again he said he couldn’t because his “girlfriend didn’t like me”. This is the first I’d heard of her. I gave up on the idea of us hanging out, and things stayed the same.
Until about a month later he got super sad out of no where. He was following me around like a puppy and wouldn’t leave my side. This was somewhat normal because I knew how to cook and he didn’t so he’d always follow my lead. But he wasn’t even taking his locker room smoke breaks like normal. I eventually asked about it but he just said he was sad nothing else. I was sad too at that time because my dog just died, so I like having him around. I eventually found out his girlfriend broke up with him, which I kinda thought that’s what happened.
He eventually got happier and became super flirty with me and seemed jealous, almost possessive, when I was around other guys, so I thought he was into me. I worked up the courage and asked him if he liked me, but he said no. Even still he kept being flirty, so I told him I liked him. Because in a weird way I thought I can’t be his friend if I’m a girl, I’d have to be his girlfriend. He told me he had already started dating someone new. He said he still wanted to be friends and partners, and that we could forget the conversation ever happened.
We pretended like everything was fine after that, but it wasnt the same anymore. I began smoking more (the stuff i bought off him) and taking more adderall because I couldn’t sleep and was tired all the time. I started spiraling and lost a lot of weight. Eventually I started missing school. We weren’t as close and he began spending more time in the locker room, leaving me with all the work. I heard him say to a guy friend “A key that opens many locks had a lot of value, a lock opened by many keys has no value at all”. That was the last straw. I decided I didn’t want to be partners with him anymore.
Without warning, I left him started working with some female friends. On valentine’s day no less. I stopped sitting with him. Which made it blatantly obvious to everyone in the class that something had happened between us. Everyone thought we were best friends. This was really hard for me because Ive always had trouble going to school, and I only liked going because of him. He’d still try to come around me and butt into my conversations even though it was obvious I was ignoring him. I remember a time he followed my with the mop bucket the whole time I was mopping even though I made it clear I didn’t want to be around him.
I’m not sure when it started, but I began to enter a spiritual psychosis, I started to lose my mind. I was convinced he was my twin flame. But I was pissed at what he’d said about locks and keys and how he’d acted towards me even though he had a girlfriend. I was convinced I had teach him right from wrong and then we would be in union. I started blowing up his phone and in hindsight I was acting totally crazy. We argued a lot and he blocked me. I’d somehow still convinced him to drive me to school one day which is beyond me.
At that point, I realized something was really wrong with me. I quite literally hadn’t slept for days and became extremely underweight. I felt like I was dying. I had horrible chest pain and constant ringing my ears. I started to believe people were after me because I knew things I wasn’t supposed to. I eventually decided to go to a mental hospital. I was diagnosed with severe psychosis. I was drug tested and found out I was laced it fent and amphetamines. The stuff I was getting from him. I know he didn’t do it on purpose, he was smoking his own stuff. And he took and lot of precautions to make sure his stuff was good. I strongly believe the psychosis as due to the drugs.
After two weeks I was released, but I wasn’t really better. When I got back to school, I told him I needed to talk to him in private so we started walking to his car. I told how I went to a mental hospital and they told me I was laced. He immediately got spooked and turned around saying that I was lying and that his stuff wasn’t laced. He didn’t believe me which I understood, I had been acting crazy. But this was life or death and he wasn’t listening. I kept trying to tell him to listen to me but he was avoiding me. Our mutual friend said he wanted to get a restraining order on me, which I get, I was acting crazy. But i wasn’t lying. I threat be to go to the cops on him if he did that.
I decided to drop from the program to avoid it from going anymore south. I came by on the last day before summer to see my other friends. Our mutual mentioned how my twin wanted to apologize to me but he’d already left for the day. My friend called him on his phone and he said he was sorry for being a shitty partner and stuff and how he’d stopped selling. That was that.
I decided to go back to school second year, thinking he wouldn’t be there. Turns out he was. We awkward smiled at each other. Later during class, I approached him, and he seemed happy to see me and asked how I had been. We chatted and went to go talk in private about what happened. We agreed we were cool.
We weren’t really close after that. We chat here and there but for the most part that was it. He became friends with a new kid at school who seemed to hate me. Probably because he couldn’t tell who I was to him. On the last day before winter break, I was hanging around him and some other guy friends. They were looking at cars and my twin compared a car having a lot of owners to a girl having a lot of boyfriends. I said I didn’t want to hear that. It escalated into an argument fast. His friend kept butting in which only made things worse. I told him to stay out of it because he didn’t know what was going on. I was yelling at my twin for lacing me and all trauma it gave me. My medical bills. How I could never like him. It got bad enough that eventually my twin pulled me to the side to calm me down. He tried to pinky promise me he wouldn’t say misogynistic things anymore but I didn’t accept.
I missed the first few days back to school after winter break. My twin wasn’t at school. Apparently, our chef had tried to put me and my twin in a group together and he said he didn’t want to work with me. I later found out he had dropped from the program because it was “waste of time” and to get a job. I dropped shortly after too for personal reasons. The last time I ever saw him was that argument we had.
I think of him everyday. I regret how I handled things so much. If it wasn’t for the drugs things never would have turned out this way. I’m grateful to have found out because someone could have ended up in the hospital or worse. But I hate how things ended between us. I miss him so much. I’ve never formed such a strong connection to someone and in such a short amount of time. I really want to reach out but I’m scared he wants nothing to do with me.

I have a problem. The grammar correction software on my computer says I should rewrite this sentence to “I need help”. Maybe. It starts with a light grey fog if it is morning, and if it's nighttime, I will just see a glimpse of someone from the corner of my eye.
I cannot take shortcuts anymore.
I was a gifted child and would get by with minimal effort through my teens. There have been days when I’ve put more effort into things than others. This has helped me remain average, with those few moments of extraordinary success. Overall, I’ve managed to stay afloat and be in the field I want to be. But as time took me deeper into the season of adulthood, responsibilities increased and the stakes became higher. The consequences of actions had a bigger impact. A below-average grade in school might not affect one long-term, but during adulthood, one’s livelihood depends on one’s work, and to an extent, the other areas of life do too. I still couldn’t stop taking shortcuts. My relationships suffered because I wanted the easy way to do things. My work colleagues thought of me as lazy but intelligent. I just never learned consistent hard work so making that a part of my life in adulthood felt impossible. I tried, but motivation isn’t enough for consistency. You need habits and you need, well, you need, fear.
I didn’t learn to fear the consequences enough till I met my boss at my last job. Linda was very strict and would go out of her way to make things harder. The woman was a witch, but her daughter, Martha, was a true manifestation of evil. While Linda expected everyone to meet her demands regardless of the workload or high pressure, she didn’t apply the same work ethic to her daughter. Martha was then an intern at our office but Linda was trying to get her daughter placed at an A-tier firm. She was trying to get Martha’s name on pretty much all my work, the same with many of my colleagues.
One major task given to me was creating a list of resources for a big project which would involve me contacting our biggest clients and assessing the resources available at their companies. I kinda delayed sending out those emails and outreach attempts to clients till the last minute. By the time I sent out my first round of communications, we were already near the project’s initial deadline. I knew this was a big project and Linda was hoping for this to be the highlight of Martha’s success while she was at our office. Afraid of having to own up to what I did, I went to the companies’ websites and looked at our previous records. Based on that data, I created a rough estimate of resources. I put these estimate numbers on the list and changed every document to say this was a ‘tentative’ resource list. I told Linda that I hadn’t heard from all the clients and that some numbers had to be estimated figures from our previous records.
Linda seemed fine with the work and we moved on to other tasks. However, a few months later, the project came under ethical scrutiny. The financial ask by our office was based on the available resources from our present clients. However, the actual resources available and the numbers in the report ended up having a seven-million-dollar difference. Since Linda put Martha on the lead, her name was in the ethics committee complaint. Linda immediately tried to put the blame on me and wanted Martha’s name removed from the complaint investigation and process.
I explained to the committee that my numbers were based on the estimates from previous records and the website’s public information. More importantly, I had clearly communicated to Linda that these figures were mere estimates. Martha had taken over the responsibility of drafting the final report. She changed the language in the report and removed the word ‘tentative’ from the document’s language instead of asking me for final figures or getting them confirmed herself. Since most of this was proven by the evidence, I was cleared from the complaint process. Martha, however, got into serious trouble.
I understand where I was wrong and that Linda, expecting me to have done the entire work of researching the numbers, never asked Martha to confirm the figures. At the same time, the figures were estimates and they were tentative.
Regardless, both Linda and Martha blamed me for the downfall of Martha’s career and it was clear no top-tier firms, or any place, would hire her after this disaster. Linda and Martha called me to Linda’s private office during all of this. The conversation was long but essentially Linda told me that I must admit to the investigative team that the job of confirming the numbers had been outsourced to me and that it was my fault that the discrepancy in the final report happened. As much as I wanted for this process to be over, I too needed to think about my own future and this admission would be career suicide for me. I didn’t have the connections or nepotism advantages that Martha had. Linda told me that what I was doing was not right. “You are trying to use a shortcut instead of doing what is right. If you admit to the ethics team that you are responsible for the final report now, we will allow you to stay in the company. If you don’t, I will make sure you can never take any shortcuts in your life ever again”. I refused to admit what I was being asked to. I was fired shortly after.
A few days after I was fired, I got a letter in the mail. It was from Martha and it had her office address. I opened the white ashy-looking envelope. A small yellowing tarnished piece of paper fell out of it. The envelope was otherwise empty. I picked the piece of paper up and it had some strange words on it in a language I didn’t understand. The letters or the alphabet were in English; only the words themselves felt like they belonged to a different language. It was a very short letter, I think, ummm…, must have been like one sentence so seven eight words max. I immediately felt dizzy after seeing the words. I tried to read the words in my head to figure out if the letters actually were incoherent or if it was just me. As soon as I finished reading the sentence, I had the most intense wave of nausea hit me, and immediately after that I fainted.
I don’t know how long I was on the floor for, but when I woke up, it felt like an eternity had passed. The paper was no longer in the room. I had terrible nightmares for days after this. And just like that, I couldn’t take shortcuts in life anymore.
It starts with a light grey fog if it is morning, and if it's nighttime, I will just see a glimpse of someone from the corner of my eye. That’s when I know that I need to stop. Because from here it gets less controllable. I can hear time after this. Not in the ‘tick-tock from the clock’ kinda way. No, it's more of a, actually, I don’t think I can describe it. It's like, umm, well if you think about a color you’ve never seen before and it's not in the color wheel, not cool or warm, nothing like we’ve seen before, how would you describe it? You can’t. That’s what time sounds like. I can’t describe it because it's unlike any sound I have ever heard. I don’t think my brain can process this sound, or my ears for that matter. Because they always bleed after this. Sometimes it feels like something is crawling into them. And then, then, I….. I know they’re here.
It will come from an unexpected spot or opening, like the classic horror movie hands from under the bed. My reflection in the mirror reaching out. Or the door opening even though I locked it. I know to expect it, but I never know what to expect. Every time I experience this, the future version becomes worse and scarier. After this, everything goes dark. In this pitch-black darkness, wet hairy strong arms and hands wrap themselves around my neck. They ask me to choose between myself or another. And as fast as it disappears, my sight comes back. A horrible creature at a small distance, it is feminine and she always has a smile. A sinister smile. She starts to walk towards me, the speed increasing as she covers more and more of the distance between us. I have to choose before she reaches me.
I have always chosen others.
Whoever I choose always dies. Happens in a week. Yeah, as I’m trying to remember, the longest someone has stayed alive is a week: natural causes, accidents, and even murder. The causes can be anything, but they always die, always.
I don’t know if it is the curse itself or just my brain. Whenever I take a shortcut, this process starts. It starts with the fog or glimpse of a person and ends with me having to choose someone. The thing is, if there are others with me when I have taken a shortcut in life, my brain cannot choose a person outside of the crowd of people I’m with at that moment. If I am alone, the choices are unlimited.
A part of my gifted brain usually knows when I am about to take a shortcut in life. There are some moments when I only know because of the process starting. So despite me trying my best, I can’t always avoid it. I have learned to live with it. I had to tell my friends I had a rare type of OCD. So when we go on group trips, if I randomly make them stop or tell them we can’t go on a certain road, it's because of my disease, because my brain can’t take it. I have lost so many people from group activities that involved unexpected shortcuts. Now I try to drive and tell people my OCD is extreme and can lead to severe mental consequences. This helps me avoid fights or the inevitable. I, of course, try to avoid group outings or social events with others altogether.
So why am I reaching out now? Why write about this? You see, I am getting married. Yes, I know, seems crazy impossible. Congratulations to me, despite my condition, I found the one.
I have never met a more caring, loving, supportive, intelligent, and mature man. He compliments my personality perfectly. If it was anyone else, anyone, I wouldn’t be writing this. He doesn’t deserve my curse, though.
My fiance thinks I have some OCD-like mental challenges, and he understands that things need to be done a certain way for me. He respects that. But practically, I can’t always control what we do together. I thought I could, but I’m fooling myself. For instance, yesterday, we were talking about wedding budgeting. He is insanely rich, and his family wants to take care of certain things for the wedding. The fog and sightings have let me know several times that the money his family is offering hasn’t always been earned from fair means. They have used their political positions to earn money in corrupt ways. I can’t accept that money. I can’t take shortcuts. However, with my budget, things can’t be as extravagant as his family likes.
He understands my need to pay for things by ourselves. But that is just one tiny example. I know what you’re thinking. I’m sure you have many questions. How many times has this happened already? Many many times, yes, yes, I am responsible for the death of various people. Why would I do this anyone? I don’t want to, but I guess I’m selfish, I tell myself I have a shot at living a normal life. I tell myself that if I try hard enough, I can live without taking shortcuts and that means I won’t hurt anyone. Why do this to my fiance? Why risk it? I love him, and I can’t let him go. Giving up on being together is like telling myself to give up on life, to give up on, on hope. I just cannot give up on hope. Why not reach out to Martha or Linda? I can’t. I’m too afraid. I’m too afraid. I’m very very afraid. I am scared that if I go to the cemetery, and say something to them, they will answer back.
I told you Martha was the true manifestation of evil. Whatever she cursed me with, I think she anticipated I would try to come to her for a solution. A few days after I received the letter, I was given the news that Martha had hung herself in her office. Linda couldn’t take the news of her daughter’s death, so she followed suit soon after. They made sure I couldn’t take shortcuts.
As I am about to hit the submit button, I can see a glimpse of a person from the corner of my eye. If this is a shortcut, it gives me hope that whoever is reading this can help me find a solution.