Postal commemorative society us silver dollar collection
Bullish on Copper Since 2013
2013.06.16 21:14 sun_dagger Bullish on Copper Since 2013
'/copperhoarders' is a pro-copper subreddit for all who decide to stack copper, in any form (bronze coinage, bars, wire rolls, sheeting) as a hedge against inflation, or for anyone wishing to learn more about the amazing red metal. Relevant copper news and stack pictures are always welcome.
2016.09.10 03:01 badon_ r/CoinInvesting: Coin investing for coin collectors
Coin investing and coin collecting are as ancient as coins themselves, with more than 3000 years of history. "The hobby of kings" is historically a safe store of value, and can be one of the most stable, profitable, and interesting hard asset investments.
2024.06.09 15:12 Yurii_S_Kh The Untold Story of the Head of St. John the Baptist
 | https://preview.redd.it/ug8cv1d5pj5d1.png?width=327&format=png&auto=webp&s=d7474c5779c4af5eb89bcb0a56d892d7aee93367 submitted by Yurii_S_Kh to SophiaWisdomOfGod [link] [comments] Holy Scripture tells us that after St. John the Baptist was beheaded, the impious Herodias forbade the prophet’s head to be buried together with his body. Instead, she desecrated the honorable head and buried it near her palace. The saint’s disciples had secretly taken their teacher’s body and buried it. The wife of King Herod’s steward knew where Herodias had buried St. John’s head, and she decided to rebury it on the Mount of Olives, on one of Herod’s estates.[1] When word reached the royal palace about Jesus’ preaching and miracles, Herod went with his wife Herodias to see if John the Baptist’s head was still in the place they had left it. When they did not find it there, they began to think that Jesus Christ was John the Baptist resurrected. The Gospels witness to this error of theirs (cf. Mt. 14:2). Jerusalem. The First Uncovering of the Head of St. John the Baptist. May years later, during the reign of Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, his mother, St. Helen, began restoring the holy places of Jerusalem. Many pilgrims streamed into Jerusalem, amongst whom where two monks from the East, wishing to venerate the Lord’s Honorable Cross and Holy Sepulcher. St. John the Baptist entrusted these two pilgrims to discover his head. We only know that he appeared to them in a dream; and that after finding the head in the place he showed them, they decided to return to their native city. However, God’s will determined otherwise. Along the road, they met a poor potter from the Syrian town of Emesa (modern-day Homs), whose poverty had forced him to seek work in a neighboring country. Having found a co-traveler, the monks either out of laziness or carelessness entrusted him with carrying the sack containing the relic. As he was carrying it, St. John the Baptist appeared to him and told him to forget the careless monks and run away from them, taking the sack they had given him. For the sake of the precious head of St. John the Baptist, the Lord blessed the potter’s house with an abundance of goods. The potter lived his whole life remembering his Benefactor, giving alms generously. Not long before his death he gave the precious head to his sister, commanding her to pass it on to other God-fearing, virtuous Christians. The saint’s head was passed along from one person to the next, and came into the hands of one Hieromonk Eustacius, who sided with the Arian heresy. Sick people who came to him received healing, not knowing that it was due not to Eustacius’s false piety, but to the grace coming from the hidden head. Soon Eustacius’s ruse was exposed, and he was banished from Emesa. A monastery grew around the cave where the hieromonk had lived and in which the head of St. John the Baptist was buried. Emesa and Constantinople. The Second and Third Finding of the Precious Head. After many years, the head of St. John the Baptist was uncovered a second time. We know about this from a description by Archimandrite Marcellus of the monastery in Emesa, as well as from the life of St. Matrona (†492, commemorated November 9/22), written by St. Simeon Metraphrastes. According to the first description, the head was discovered on February 18, 452. A week later, Bishop Uranius of Emesa established its veneration, and on February 26 of the same year, it was translated to the newly-built church dedicated to St. John. These events are celebrated on February 24/March 8, along with the commemoration of the First Finding of the Precious Head. After some time, the head of St. John the Forerunner was translated to Constantinople, where it was located up to the time of the iconoclasts. Pious Christians who left Constantinople secretly took the head of St. John the Baptist with them, and then hid it in Comana (near Sukhumi, Abkhazia), the city where St. John Chrysostom died in exile (407). After the Seventh Ecumenical Council (787), which reestablished the veneration of icons, the head of St. John the Baptist was returned to the Byzantine capital in around the year 850. The Church commemorates this event on May 25/June 7 as the Third Finding of the Precious Head of St. John the Baptist. The Fourth Crusade and travel to the West. Ordinarily, the Orthodox history of the finding of the head of St. John the Baptist ends with the Third Finding. This is due to the fact that its later history is bound up with the Catholic West. If we look at the Lives of the Saints written in the Menaon of St. Dimitry of Rostov, we find a citation in small print, often overlooked by readers, at the end of story of the Finding of the Forerunner’s Head. However, after unexpectedly discovering the head of St. John the Baptist in France and then returning home to Russia, this citation became a real revelation for us. It is this next “finding” of the head of St. John the Baptist that we would like to write about below. Thus, we read in this citation that after 850, part of the head of St. John the Baptist came to be located in the Podromos Monastery in Petra, and the other part in the Forerunner Monastery of the Studion. The upper part of the head was seen there by the pilgrim Antony in 1200. Nevertheless, in 1204 it was taken by crusaders to Amiens in northern France. Besides that, the citation shows three other locations of pieces of the head: the Athonite monastery Dionysiou, the Ugro-Wallachian monastery of Kalua, and the Church of Pope Sylvester in Rome, where a piece was taken from Amiens. The face of St. John the Baptist, in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Amiens. The history of the Baptist’s head’s appearance in France differs little from the history of many other great Christian relics. On April 13, 1204, during the Fourth Crusade, an army of knights from Western Europe seized the capital of the Roman Empire—Constantinople. The city was looted and decimated. As Western tradition has it, Canon Wallon de Sarton from Picquigny found a case in one of the ruined palaces that contained a silver plate. On it, under a glass covering, were the hidden remains of a human face, missing only the lower jaw. Over the left brow could be seen a small perforation, most likely made by a knife strike. On the plate the canon discovered an inscription in Greek confirming that it contained the relics of St. John the Forerunner. Furthermore, the perforation over the brow corresponded with the event recorded by St. Jerome. According to his testimony, Heriodias in a fit of rage struck a blow with a knife to the saint’s severed head. The Cathedral of Our Lady in Amiens (Notre Dame d’Amiens). Wallon de Sarton decided to take the head of the Holy Forerunner to Picardy, in northern France. On December 17, 1206, on the third Sunday of the Nativity fast, the Catholic bishop of the town of Amiens, Richard de Gerberoy, solemnly met the relics of St. John the Baptist at the town gates. Probably the bishop was sure of the relic’s authenticity—something easier to ascertain in those days, as they say, “by fresh tracks”. The veneration of the head of St. John the Baptist in Amiens and all of Picardy begins from that time. In 1220, the bishop of Amiens placed the cornerstone in the foundation of a new cathedral, which after many reconstructions would later become the most magnificent Gothic edifice in Europe. The facial section of the head of the St. John the Baptist, the city’s major holy shrine, was transferred to this new cathedral. Eventually, Amiens became a place of pilgrimage not only for simple Christians, but also for French kings, princes and princesses. The first King to come and venerate the head in 1264 was Louis IX, called “the Holy”. After him came his son, Phillip III the Brave, then Charles VI, and Charles VII, who donated large sums for the relic’s adornment. The Church of the Forerunner in Rome (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano). In 1604, Pope Clement VIII of Rome, wishing to enrich the Church of the Forerunner in Rome (Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano), requested a piece of St. John’s relics from the canon of Amiens. Saving of the head from the outrages of the French revolution. After the revolution in 1789, inventory was made of all Church property and relics were confiscated. The reliquary containing the head of the Holy Forerunner remained in the cathedral until November, 1793, when it was demanded by representatives of the Convention. They stripped from it everything of material value, and ordered that the relics be taken to the cemetery. However, the revolutionary command was not fulfilled. After they left the city, the city’s mayor, Louis-Alexandre Lescouve, secretly and under fear of death returned to the reliquary and took the relics to his own home. Thus was the sacred shrine preserved. Several years later, the former mayor gave the relic to Abbot Lejeune. Once the revolutionary persecutions had ended, the head of St. John the Baptist was returned to the cathedral in Amiens in 1816, where it remains to this day. At the end of the nineteenth century, historical science, not without the participation of ecclesiastical figures, determined that there had been many instances of false relics during the Middle Ages. In an atmosphere of general mistrust, veneration of the Amiens shrine eventually began to wane. The head of St. John the Baptist today. In the mid-twentieth century, specifically in 1958, there was a spark of renewed interest in the relics of St. John the Baptist. The rector of the Amiens cathedral reported to the ecclesiastical authorities that in eastern France, in Verdun, was what was presumed to be the lower jaw of St. John the Baptist. He wanted to rejoin the two parts. With the blessing of the bishop of Amiens, a commission of qualified medical experts was formed. The relics were investigated for several months, in two stages—the first in Amiens, the second in Paris. After the work was completed, the commission’s findings were gathered into a document, signed by the members. In the first chapter of the document, which covers the research performed in Amiens, the following conclusions were made:
Joyfully, during recent years more and more Orthodox pilgrims are travelling to Amiens. Now, with the help of the Pilgrimage Center of the diocese of Korsun (of the Moscow Patriarchate, based in Paris) Orthodox molebens and even Divine Liturgies are now being served before the head of St. John the Baptist. Priest Maxim Massalitin [1] The Ascension Convent (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad) is now located on this site, and a church dedicated to the Forerunner stands over it. --Ed. [2] St. John the Baptist is called “the first among martyrs in grace” in the final prayer of the canon of supplication to him. |
2024.06.09 15:01 survivaltothrival Healing Schizophrenia - Success Story!
This post has been adapted from Eft Universe, written by Sonia Novinsky. It's a long post, but a brilliant case study proving psychotic disorders can in fact be healed.
Jacqueline came to me about 1 year ago. She had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations, depression, and an inability to operate in social environments. Now, the hallucinations are gone and she is well adapted to society. Along the way, many other benefits occurred, including relief from anorexia and the cessation of smoking. Here’s the story.
She arrived in a very depressive state, saying to me: “This is my last chance. And all I can pay is 10 dollars per session.” It was impossible to refuse her desperate appeal for help. She said…
“For 9 years now, since my daughter was born, I am taking Haldol, Prozac and other medications because psychiatrists considered me an incurable schizophrenic patient. I’ve been sleeping most of my daytime during all these years. After a traumatic event when my daughter was born, I fell into a depression. I started listening to Mary’s voice (Jesus’s mother) [diagnosed by her former psychiatrist as an auditory hallucination] and I had some inappropriate behaviours, including a kind of anorexia, with hospitalisation. I heard about your work with energy and I want to try it. I believe that this could help me get rid of medication and my disease. The only reason I don’t kill myself today is because my religion forbids me to do it.”
At the first moment, she told me that she had a supportive husband and parents, and also wonderful children and that made her feel more guilty for being a mentally ill person. She complained of smoking too much, of having difficulty resting and sleeping. She said she was also 30 kg more than her ideal weight, partly because of the antipsychotic medication. During the last 9 years she had been afraid to drive a car; before her crisis, driving was normal for her.
The last psychiatrist she saw was very oppressive, telling her she had an incurable mental illness and would be obliged to take Haldol for the rest of her life. When she arrived at my office, she was very angry with all psychiatrists and therapists who took care of her during all these years. They gave her no hope: just labels and drugs.
Before investigating core issues, I worked for some weeks on our rapport, trying to help her on her self-esteem and trying to develop some trust in our connection. She was very upset with the kind of relationship she had with her psychiatrists and therapists. A hierarchy was always present, and she was the inferior part of it, all the time. Her objections about the treatment were never validated by them.
In this case, it is very important to stress how strong was her intention to get rid of any medication because they condemned her to be out of a normal life.
I will give a summary of the main topics we worked with in EFT. We did EFT hundreds of times. I do a free talk while tapping, in a way that I can’t reproduce here, introducing humour and installing new meanings and possibilities. She was entirely open to working with EFT.
We started working with the most apparent sensation she was having at the moment she arrived. In my experience, you can start with this state, even if it is not a core issue. When this layer is reached, even if you don’t clear it completely, it gives room for the traumatic memories to show up.
Meanwhile, you get the basic trust needed to work deeply. So we started working on her self-image and self-esteem.
While we were tapping, I installed some reframing about how I was one with her, no hierarchy between us, how we were together and no label separating us.
The result was important for the rest of the treatment: She trusted that she was not alone and that I was assuming a strong, deep, and personal commitment with her.
She disclosed that when her daughter was born she was very upset with some events and we tapped on them. The worst one (which launched her first psychotic episode) was her husband’s imposition that his mother should be the godmother of her daughter. When Jacqueline went to see her mother-in-law to invite her, her reaction was very negative. She said: “I accept to be the godmother but I will not receive your family in my house.” This was a traumatic event for Jacqueline.
She felt very unhappy, with no way out, and thus she had her first psychotic attack. She undressed completely at a soccer stadium full of people.
We tapped for this event, and many aspects showed up. We tapped for the shame and guilt of not having control of her behaviour. While she was narrating the event, I tapped on her. This is my preferred way of tapping specific events. This one was a very traumatic event, but finally her husband agreed to her demand that his mother would not do the baptism of their daughter.
Thus she was victorious in some way, but she paid a high price for this “victory”: From this day on, she carried the label of a sick person. Two months later, her mother-in-law died suddenly and that gave Jacqueline the illusion of having a mean power inside her, and that made her still more guilty. In some way, Jacqueline felt she had no control over herself but from another point of view she was afraid of having some extraordinary power.
Jacqueline wanted to drive a car again. She felt ready to try it after clearing her psychotic attack and its consequences*.* So we tapped for the fear of driving, first at my office, then in her car.
Some aspects of her fear were: fear of losing control, fear of hitting the car, fear of hitting some one on the streets, fear of killing someone.
We made a test. We went inside her car and tapped in the car for any aspect, like “heart jumping too fast,” “I am not able to drive anymore,” etc. With me at her side, in the car, she drove the car by herself. After a couple of minutes, she was very calm, driving the car. Since that day she has been driving the car with no problem, with her children. Sao Paulo (my home) has very dangerous and wild traffic. Many normal people don’t drive cars here. But she does it now.
Schizophrenia is caused sometimes by double messages received mainly during childhood. Since her birth we could find many situations where double messages were received. Clearing all these double messages of Jacqueline’s life, from her birth until now, it was essential to allow her to see everything in a different way and to create a more integrated identity.
Jacqueline was the first child. Her father (Italian origin) wanted only a male child. When Jacqueline was born her mother felt in some way not comfortable with the fact that she couldn’t give her husband a boy. At the beginning of her life, Jacqueline felt no holding, no sensation of being desired. Eleven months after her birth, her mother gave birth to a boy who received all the attention of the parents. Jacqueline was most of the time with a single aunt that had a strong passion for a Catholic priest at that time.
We tapped for all events and sensations Jacqueline could remember that were related to this belief of not being wanted, of not deserving love, of being guilty for not being the boy her parents were waiting for. The strategy Jacqueline found was trying to persuade her father that she was good enough like a boy would be, and to do so she became too close to him and that made her mother very jealous and ambivalent toward her.
Investigating it more, I discovered that when Jacqueline had her crisis, after the birth of her daughter, she was feeling guilty and not deserving of having two healthy children, a boy and a girl. This was connected with a specific and important event that we addressed in each detail.
When she was 18 years old, she was dating her future husband and she got pregnant. As she was very religious and she wanted to become a mother, she didn’t want to get an abortion. But her husband, Leo, said that he would stay with her only if she got the abortion.
She postponed it as much as she could. She felt under a big pressure. She didn’t want to lose Leo and didn’t want to lose her child. She talked with her parents and they agreed with the abortion. So she did it. It was a very traumatic event for her. She felt guilty for the abortion, felt enraged with Leo, who didn’t go with her to the clinic, and felt very uncomfortable with her father. After the abortion, he was very critical of her. Their parents were supportive on one side, but on the other they were very severe and full of deception.
We tapped for each aspect of this event: the blood she saw, the place where she lay down, the light of the room, the questions the doctor asked her, the ambivalent sight of her mother, the feeling of abandonment because Leo was not there, the guilt of killing a 4-month-old fetus.
We discovered that her anorexia was connected with the blood she saw at the abortion. From that day, she started feeding herself in a more balanced way and started losing the extra weight she had at the beginning of the treatment.
We could see at that moment how the mother-in-law event triggered the abortion trauma, guilt, and anger. When her husband made this second imposition to her, “My mother will baptise my daughter,” she fell apart and collapsed. From that day, she started hallucinating and having inappropriate behaviours. One manifestation of this behaviour was a passion for a Catholic priest (like her dear aunt in the past), who held her in a compassionate way at the church.
In my point of view, the main issue for Jacqueline was not being held since the beginning of her life, and this fact was repeated many times, maybe because the writings on her walls were like these: “I don’t deserve to be loved, I don’t deserve to be held, there is something wrong with me, I should be different to be accepted, I am inappropriate, I have some strange powers that can harm people, etc.”
What was interesting is that when we cleared all aspects of the guilt of the abortion, including the guilt of having healthy children and the guilt of being alive (she used to talk of suicide as a self-punishment), that same week her anxiety stopped, her voice became more calm, and she stopped smoking.
I think the most important piece of this therapy was the possibility she opened for me to have a deep rapport with her while tapping. She started believing that she was a person, not a sickness, and as far as this occurred, her own family started to legitimate her as a mother, a professional, and a complete human being. She felt the self-confidence to restart her professional life. For 10 years her family and Leo’s family considered Leo the best husband, almost an angel, and Jacqueline was the crazy one, the problem. The whole system around her changed when she changed.
Some months ago she gave me a long written testimony (in Portuguese), about her issues and her treatment, confirming some of the results I have written here. Her intention was to help other people who could profit from her experience. On one of the last days, she completed the testimony verbally. I quote her words:
“For the first time in my life I feel peace in my heart. I have difficulties with my son and with my husband, but they don’t disturb my peace. I want to live like a normal woman and like a helper, for this I am praying and serving as a volunteer in a hospital.
“For the first time people trust me again. I was elected to the directory board of my club, and possibly I will be a candidate for a public position in the near future. I am free from the obsession for the priest. I know it because I went to see him in the church and could see him only as the priest he is. I don’t need smoking or the voices I used to listen to. I can remember the abortion without guilt. I couldn’t have a child for myself at that moment. I feel free from the double messages my husband used to send to me all the time, saying he loved me but excluding me from his life and problems and pleasures. I feel ready to take care of myself, and to take care of my children. I am living each day, not anticipating the worst like I used to. The pressure I felt in my heart is gone. I feel as healthy as anyone in this life, even if I need therapy for some more time.”
In conclusion, I think that what was decisive was EFT plus the holding she felt because I could accept, without any judgment, her passion and fantasies for the priest, her wish to die, and her fear of getting crazy, and her deep pain out of any category or classification that could separate us.
submitted by survivaltothrival to EmergingTherapies [link] [comments]
Jacqueline came to me about 1 year ago. She had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic with auditory hallucinations, depression, and an inability to operate in social environments. Now, the hallucinations are gone and she is well adapted to society. Along the way, many other benefits occurred, including relief from anorexia and the cessation of smoking. Here’s the story.
She arrived in a very depressive state, saying to me: “This is my last chance. And all I can pay is 10 dollars per session.” It was impossible to refuse her desperate appeal for help. She said…
“For 9 years now, since my daughter was born, I am taking Haldol, Prozac and other medications because psychiatrists considered me an incurable schizophrenic patient. I’ve been sleeping most of my daytime during all these years. After a traumatic event when my daughter was born, I fell into a depression. I started listening to Mary’s voice (Jesus’s mother) [diagnosed by her former psychiatrist as an auditory hallucination] and I had some inappropriate behaviours, including a kind of anorexia, with hospitalisation. I heard about your work with energy and I want to try it. I believe that this could help me get rid of medication and my disease. The only reason I don’t kill myself today is because my religion forbids me to do it.”
At the first moment, she told me that she had a supportive husband and parents, and also wonderful children and that made her feel more guilty for being a mentally ill person. She complained of smoking too much, of having difficulty resting and sleeping. She said she was also 30 kg more than her ideal weight, partly because of the antipsychotic medication. During the last 9 years she had been afraid to drive a car; before her crisis, driving was normal for her.
The last psychiatrist she saw was very oppressive, telling her she had an incurable mental illness and would be obliged to take Haldol for the rest of her life. When she arrived at my office, she was very angry with all psychiatrists and therapists who took care of her during all these years. They gave her no hope: just labels and drugs.
Before investigating core issues, I worked for some weeks on our rapport, trying to help her on her self-esteem and trying to develop some trust in our connection. She was very upset with the kind of relationship she had with her psychiatrists and therapists. A hierarchy was always present, and she was the inferior part of it, all the time. Her objections about the treatment were never validated by them.
In this case, it is very important to stress how strong was her intention to get rid of any medication because they condemned her to be out of a normal life.
I will give a summary of the main topics we worked with in EFT. We did EFT hundreds of times. I do a free talk while tapping, in a way that I can’t reproduce here, introducing humour and installing new meanings and possibilities. She was entirely open to working with EFT.
We started working with the most apparent sensation she was having at the moment she arrived. In my experience, you can start with this state, even if it is not a core issue. When this layer is reached, even if you don’t clear it completely, it gives room for the traumatic memories to show up.
Meanwhile, you get the basic trust needed to work deeply. So we started working on her self-image and self-esteem.
While we were tapping, I installed some reframing about how I was one with her, no hierarchy between us, how we were together and no label separating us.
The result was important for the rest of the treatment: She trusted that she was not alone and that I was assuming a strong, deep, and personal commitment with her.
She disclosed that when her daughter was born she was very upset with some events and we tapped on them. The worst one (which launched her first psychotic episode) was her husband’s imposition that his mother should be the godmother of her daughter. When Jacqueline went to see her mother-in-law to invite her, her reaction was very negative. She said: “I accept to be the godmother but I will not receive your family in my house.” This was a traumatic event for Jacqueline.
She felt very unhappy, with no way out, and thus she had her first psychotic attack. She undressed completely at a soccer stadium full of people.
We tapped for this event, and many aspects showed up. We tapped for the shame and guilt of not having control of her behaviour. While she was narrating the event, I tapped on her. This is my preferred way of tapping specific events. This one was a very traumatic event, but finally her husband agreed to her demand that his mother would not do the baptism of their daughter.
Thus she was victorious in some way, but she paid a high price for this “victory”: From this day on, she carried the label of a sick person. Two months later, her mother-in-law died suddenly and that gave Jacqueline the illusion of having a mean power inside her, and that made her still more guilty. In some way, Jacqueline felt she had no control over herself but from another point of view she was afraid of having some extraordinary power.
Jacqueline wanted to drive a car again. She felt ready to try it after clearing her psychotic attack and its consequences*.* So we tapped for the fear of driving, first at my office, then in her car.
Some aspects of her fear were: fear of losing control, fear of hitting the car, fear of hitting some one on the streets, fear of killing someone.
We made a test. We went inside her car and tapped in the car for any aspect, like “heart jumping too fast,” “I am not able to drive anymore,” etc. With me at her side, in the car, she drove the car by herself. After a couple of minutes, she was very calm, driving the car. Since that day she has been driving the car with no problem, with her children. Sao Paulo (my home) has very dangerous and wild traffic. Many normal people don’t drive cars here. But she does it now.
Schizophrenia is caused sometimes by double messages received mainly during childhood. Since her birth we could find many situations where double messages were received. Clearing all these double messages of Jacqueline’s life, from her birth until now, it was essential to allow her to see everything in a different way and to create a more integrated identity.
Jacqueline was the first child. Her father (Italian origin) wanted only a male child. When Jacqueline was born her mother felt in some way not comfortable with the fact that she couldn’t give her husband a boy. At the beginning of her life, Jacqueline felt no holding, no sensation of being desired. Eleven months after her birth, her mother gave birth to a boy who received all the attention of the parents. Jacqueline was most of the time with a single aunt that had a strong passion for a Catholic priest at that time.
We tapped for all events and sensations Jacqueline could remember that were related to this belief of not being wanted, of not deserving love, of being guilty for not being the boy her parents were waiting for. The strategy Jacqueline found was trying to persuade her father that she was good enough like a boy would be, and to do so she became too close to him and that made her mother very jealous and ambivalent toward her.
Investigating it more, I discovered that when Jacqueline had her crisis, after the birth of her daughter, she was feeling guilty and not deserving of having two healthy children, a boy and a girl. This was connected with a specific and important event that we addressed in each detail.
When she was 18 years old, she was dating her future husband and she got pregnant. As she was very religious and she wanted to become a mother, she didn’t want to get an abortion. But her husband, Leo, said that he would stay with her only if she got the abortion.
She postponed it as much as she could. She felt under a big pressure. She didn’t want to lose Leo and didn’t want to lose her child. She talked with her parents and they agreed with the abortion. So she did it. It was a very traumatic event for her. She felt guilty for the abortion, felt enraged with Leo, who didn’t go with her to the clinic, and felt very uncomfortable with her father. After the abortion, he was very critical of her. Their parents were supportive on one side, but on the other they were very severe and full of deception.
We tapped for each aspect of this event: the blood she saw, the place where she lay down, the light of the room, the questions the doctor asked her, the ambivalent sight of her mother, the feeling of abandonment because Leo was not there, the guilt of killing a 4-month-old fetus.
We discovered that her anorexia was connected with the blood she saw at the abortion. From that day, she started feeding herself in a more balanced way and started losing the extra weight she had at the beginning of the treatment.
We could see at that moment how the mother-in-law event triggered the abortion trauma, guilt, and anger. When her husband made this second imposition to her, “My mother will baptise my daughter,” she fell apart and collapsed. From that day, she started hallucinating and having inappropriate behaviours. One manifestation of this behaviour was a passion for a Catholic priest (like her dear aunt in the past), who held her in a compassionate way at the church.
In my point of view, the main issue for Jacqueline was not being held since the beginning of her life, and this fact was repeated many times, maybe because the writings on her walls were like these: “I don’t deserve to be loved, I don’t deserve to be held, there is something wrong with me, I should be different to be accepted, I am inappropriate, I have some strange powers that can harm people, etc.”
What was interesting is that when we cleared all aspects of the guilt of the abortion, including the guilt of having healthy children and the guilt of being alive (she used to talk of suicide as a self-punishment), that same week her anxiety stopped, her voice became more calm, and she stopped smoking.
I think the most important piece of this therapy was the possibility she opened for me to have a deep rapport with her while tapping. She started believing that she was a person, not a sickness, and as far as this occurred, her own family started to legitimate her as a mother, a professional, and a complete human being. She felt the self-confidence to restart her professional life. For 10 years her family and Leo’s family considered Leo the best husband, almost an angel, and Jacqueline was the crazy one, the problem. The whole system around her changed when she changed.
Some months ago she gave me a long written testimony (in Portuguese), about her issues and her treatment, confirming some of the results I have written here. Her intention was to help other people who could profit from her experience. On one of the last days, she completed the testimony verbally. I quote her words:
“For the first time in my life I feel peace in my heart. I have difficulties with my son and with my husband, but they don’t disturb my peace. I want to live like a normal woman and like a helper, for this I am praying and serving as a volunteer in a hospital.
“For the first time people trust me again. I was elected to the directory board of my club, and possibly I will be a candidate for a public position in the near future. I am free from the obsession for the priest. I know it because I went to see him in the church and could see him only as the priest he is. I don’t need smoking or the voices I used to listen to. I can remember the abortion without guilt. I couldn’t have a child for myself at that moment. I feel free from the double messages my husband used to send to me all the time, saying he loved me but excluding me from his life and problems and pleasures. I feel ready to take care of myself, and to take care of my children. I am living each day, not anticipating the worst like I used to. The pressure I felt in my heart is gone. I feel as healthy as anyone in this life, even if I need therapy for some more time.”
In conclusion, I think that what was decisive was EFT plus the holding she felt because I could accept, without any judgment, her passion and fantasies for the priest, her wish to die, and her fear of getting crazy, and her deep pain out of any category or classification that could separate us.
2024.06.09 14:09 IDontKnowWhatToEat93 [WTS] Mix of everything, Slabs, World Silver, Ancient and more!
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/kw7DJZB
Venmo/PayPal. Open to offers and trades. Send a chat if more photos are needed.
Medals - https://imgur.com/a/m6b0hqw
1936 Switzerland Confederation Silver Bern medal By Huguenin MS64 - $80.00
https://imgur.com/a/f48q1rs
1739 Admiral Vernon AE AdamsPBvb-9-R Porto Bello Medal NGC Fine details- $265.00
https://imgur.com/a/GNcPh60
Silver - https://imgur.com/a/zUsWZLa
2023 Star Wars 2oz Vadepalpatine, Proof, NGC MS69, first release, 750 minted -$150.00
https://imgur.com/a/grBp0ci
2012 Australia Koala 1/2 oz silver NGC MS69 - $37.00
2023 Britain 50P National Health Service 75th Anniv-First Releases PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO - $37.00
Germany - https://imgur.com/a/pyAcqCr
1935-D Germany 5 Mark National Numismatic Certification MS63 - $42.00
Britain - https://imgur.com/a/0imK7t5
1928 G. BRITAIN 1/2 penny NGC MS63 BN - $45.00
1966 Great Britain One Penny PCGS MS63BN Nice Toning MS63 BN - $46.00
https://imgur.com/a/djvJUj0
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown PCGS MS64 - $45.00
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown PCGS MS64 - $45.00
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown NGC MS63 - $40.00
US - https://imgur.com/a/9mLpMEH
1968- S Dime PCGS PR69 - $10.00
1964-D Dime NGC MS66 -$20.00
1919 Buffalo Head Nickel NGC G6 - $9.00
1978 Eisenhower $1 NGC MS65 - $23.00
1842 Half Dime (Stacks Collection) NGC Genuine - $46.00
1877 Seated Library Dime NGC Fair Details Damage - $32.00
1999-D Georgia Peach Quarter MS66 - $12.00
1983-D Kennedy half dollar NGC MS66 - $32.00
Ancient/Old - https://imgur.com/a/mYuJmKk
India Fanam Mysore (1638-1812) NGC AU58- $61.00
Diocletian, AD 284-305, AE Post-Ref. Radiate NGC - $45.00
Gallienus, AD 253-268, BI Double-Denarius, NGC XF - $62.00
Loose Coins -
Canada - https://imgur.com/a/xxXswz0
X1) 1966 Canada Dollar - $18.00
Germany - https://imgur.com/a/4wTFdTi
X3) 2 Pfennig - $3.50 ea.
X1) 1 Pfennig - $2.00
X1) 1850 2-1/2 Silbergroschen - $15.00
X1) 1868 1 Silbergroschen - $18.00
X1) 1938 2 reichsmark - $15.00
Netherlands - https://imgur.com/a/n4uqYFk
1959 Netherlands 2-1/2 gulden - $15.00
1963 Netherlands 1 Gulden - $11.00
France - https://imgur.com/a/1ztuHNu
X3) France 50 centimes - $3.00 ea.
Egypt - https://imgur.com/a/o4wNnc6
X1) 1980 Egypt Silver 1 Pound (Egypt / Israeli peace Treaty)- $20.00
SECURITY: I do not give out passwords. I have secured my login with 2FA and suggest you do the same.
Shipping is $5.00. All package will be dropped off to usps within 24 hours.
submitted by IDontKnowWhatToEat93 to CoinSales [link] [comments]
Venmo/PayPal. Open to offers and trades. Send a chat if more photos are needed.
Medals - https://imgur.com/a/m6b0hqw
1936 Switzerland Confederation Silver Bern medal By Huguenin MS64 - $80.00
https://imgur.com/a/f48q1rs
1739 Admiral Vernon AE AdamsPBvb-9-R Porto Bello Medal NGC Fine details- $265.00
https://imgur.com/a/GNcPh60
Silver - https://imgur.com/a/zUsWZLa
2023 Star Wars 2oz Vadepalpatine, Proof, NGC MS69, first release, 750 minted -$150.00
https://imgur.com/a/grBp0ci
2012 Australia Koala 1/2 oz silver NGC MS69 - $37.00
2023 Britain 50P National Health Service 75th Anniv-First Releases PF 69 ULTRA CAMEO - $37.00
Germany - https://imgur.com/a/pyAcqCr
1935-D Germany 5 Mark National Numismatic Certification MS63 - $42.00
Britain - https://imgur.com/a/0imK7t5
1928 G. BRITAIN 1/2 penny NGC MS63 BN - $45.00
1966 Great Britain One Penny PCGS MS63BN Nice Toning MS63 BN - $46.00
https://imgur.com/a/djvJUj0
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown PCGS MS64 - $45.00
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown PCGS MS64 - $45.00
1965 Winston Churchill 1 Crown NGC MS63 - $40.00
US - https://imgur.com/a/9mLpMEH
1968- S Dime PCGS PR69 - $10.00
1964-D Dime NGC MS66 -$20.00
1919 Buffalo Head Nickel NGC G6 - $9.00
1978 Eisenhower $1 NGC MS65 - $23.00
1842 Half Dime (Stacks Collection) NGC Genuine - $46.00
1877 Seated Library Dime NGC Fair Details Damage - $32.00
1999-D Georgia Peach Quarter MS66 - $12.00
1983-D Kennedy half dollar NGC MS66 - $32.00
Ancient/Old - https://imgur.com/a/mYuJmKk
India Fanam Mysore (1638-1812) NGC AU58- $61.00
Diocletian, AD 284-305, AE Post-Ref. Radiate NGC - $45.00
Gallienus, AD 253-268, BI Double-Denarius, NGC XF - $62.00
Loose Coins -
Canada - https://imgur.com/a/xxXswz0
X1) 1966 Canada Dollar - $18.00
Germany - https://imgur.com/a/4wTFdTi
X3) 2 Pfennig - $3.50 ea.
X1) 1 Pfennig - $2.00
X1) 1850 2-1/2 Silbergroschen - $15.00
X1) 1868 1 Silbergroschen - $18.00
X1) 1938 2 reichsmark - $15.00
Netherlands - https://imgur.com/a/n4uqYFk
1959 Netherlands 2-1/2 gulden - $15.00
1963 Netherlands 1 Gulden - $11.00
France - https://imgur.com/a/1ztuHNu
X3) France 50 centimes - $3.00 ea.
Egypt - https://imgur.com/a/o4wNnc6
X1) 1980 Egypt Silver 1 Pound (Egypt / Israeli peace Treaty)- $20.00
SECURITY: I do not give out passwords. I have secured my login with 2FA and suggest you do the same.
Shipping is $5.00. All package will be dropped off to usps within 24 hours.
2024.06.09 12:39 KokoHekumatiaru Beginners guide to Soulmask, with no BS.
Hello there. If you are like me, you might also be a bit allergic to all the guides out there, that start with "please hit like and subscribe", followed by 10 minutes of chatter around what you need help with, for something that could`ve taken 30 seconds to explain.
With that out of the way, welcome to my No-BullS#$t guide to Soulmask, outlining everything I`ve learned in 80 hours playing on a server rented from G-Portal.
I am going to assume that everyone is somewhat accustomed to the bare basics of the game and how it plays so I will stick to only highlighting things that I learned myself.
-The Claw tribe has the best overall fighters for every weapon school
-The Fang tribe specializes in Remedies, healing and Poisons (Alchemy) so they make for great Alchemists overall, but do very well in relation to ranged combat so make for decent companions, if you prefer having a ranged helper along, they are good for this.
-The Flint tribe are supposedly the clever ones who are all about evolving and furthering their tribe's development so naturally, they make for great crafters.
-The outcasts don`t belong to any tribes and their stats as such are completely random. You can find great ones of course but expect a lower chance of finding what you need, compared to if you were chasing the more specialized tribes.
-Source: Personal experience after deterring roughly 800 Barbarians and while I know the pool isn`t very big, but it is high enough for me to be positive that the level of a deterred barb does not affect their max proficiency level, only what it starts at.
-Labourers are great at the collection of materials: Logging, Mining, Harvesting
-Craftsmen: Any crafting, completely random which ones they are given. Also supposed to unlock various tribes medium/advanced clothing and costumes if they are found in a fortress(Only 3 fortresses at the minute.) Potentially bugged right now though as I`ve deterred 50+ Craftsmen of varying levels from Novice to Master Craftsmen in a Flint fortress with 0 unlocks as of yet).
-Porters: Good at working the Kiln and or Furnace but they are also Great at transporting large quantities of items over longer distances as their weight limits are different and they have positive traits that affect how having more weight makes them move faster etc. (Unlocks the first tribe clothing too. Level 20-25 area barracks)
That`s it for now, if there`s anything else you want to know, just ask in the comments and I will add it to the guide too. But these are some of the things I see being asked the most, so instead of commenting in each post and repeating myself, I will update this one with new info.
-You can have 7 different buffs active at any one time. 3 Meals, 2 Drinks, 1 Medical and 1 "unhealthy" one in the Cigar. Types of buffs: Staple Food, Recreational, Beverage, Vegetable/Fruit, Meat, Medical Potion and finally a Cigar.
Thank you u/fatheals & u/tadian for the info.
-Having multiple Armor sets with different mods on them will be a benefit, even though it is grindy. Having one with Heat, Cold, Poison and Radiation protection will be the difference between surviving or dyeing.
-Repairing a Weapon or Armor WILL remove the MOD that is on them, so keep this in mind. Repair first, then put on the mod of choice.
-One good example of when it helped me was in my first Ancient Ruin Dungeon/Holy Ruin where I encountered an enemy type that took essentially 0 damage until I threw a Corrosion bomb on them so use it and you will find that while doing the classic Unga Bunga works, sometimes. Having a bit more tact does come in handy.
-The higher tiered ones can be acquired by deterring craftsmen from Fortresses, albeit. I have yet to unlock a single one, even after numerous deters and full tames, so this might be something that the dev`s will need to look into, so if you`ve been chasing it as well, know that you are not alone friend.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AWARDS Aswell, really appreciate it.
submitted by KokoHekumatiaru to PlaySoulMask [link] [comments]
With that out of the way, welcome to my No-BullS#$t guide to Soulmask, outlining everything I`ve learned in 80 hours playing on a server rented from G-Portal.
I am going to assume that everyone is somewhat accustomed to the bare basics of the game and how it plays so I will stick to only highlighting things that I learned myself.
1 There are 5 Tribes: Claw, Flint, Fang, Outcasts and Plunderers.
-Everyone can be deterred except Plunderers and Elites (The ones with a unique name and a silver border around their health bar).-The Claw tribe has the best overall fighters for every weapon school
-The Fang tribe specializes in Remedies, healing and Poisons (Alchemy) so they make for great Alchemists overall, but do very well in relation to ranged combat so make for decent companions, if you prefer having a ranged helper along, they are good for this.
-The Flint tribe are supposedly the clever ones who are all about evolving and furthering their tribe's development so naturally, they make for great crafters.
-The outcasts don`t belong to any tribes and their stats as such are completely random. You can find great ones of course but expect a lower chance of finding what you need, compared to if you were chasing the more specialized tribes.
2 Proficiencies of barbarians go from 1-125+ in each respective school and what they have is based on a lot of factors as well as the low chance of them being a uniquely titled barbarian that can give them various perks outside of the proficiencies themselves.
-The level of the deterred barbarian ONLY affects what the overall proficiencies' start at when you deter them. with the higher the level the better the proficiency.-Source: Personal experience after deterring roughly 800 Barbarians and while I know the pool isn`t very big, but it is high enough for me to be positive that the level of a deterred barb does not affect their max proficiency level, only what it starts at.
-Labourers are great at the collection of materials: Logging, Mining, Harvesting
-Craftsmen: Any crafting, completely random which ones they are given. Also supposed to unlock various tribes medium/advanced clothing and costumes if they are found in a fortress(Only 3 fortresses at the minute.) Potentially bugged right now though as I`ve deterred 50+ Craftsmen of varying levels from Novice to Master Craftsmen in a Flint fortress with 0 unlocks as of yet).
-Porters: Good at working the Kiln and or Furnace but they are also Great at transporting large quantities of items over longer distances as their weight limits are different and they have positive traits that affect how having more weight makes them move faster etc. (Unlocks the first tribe clothing too. Level 20-25 area barracks)
That`s it for now, if there`s anything else you want to know, just ask in the comments and I will add it to the guide too. But these are some of the things I see being asked the most, so instead of commenting in each post and repeating myself, I will update this one with new info.
3 Mysterious Tisane, dropped by bosses will reset the attributes of your main aka the Vagrant Novice character, but the Mysterious body shaping pill will reset the attributes of any of your deterred tribesmen.
-I have been informed there is a server setting that changes this, letting you reset the attributes of your deterred tribesmen much earlier in the game, effectively making the Mysterious body shaping pill a completely irrelevant addition to the game, so the choice is yours. Make the game easier earlier and or play it the way it`s "meant" to be played. Whatever the choice, as long as you are comfortable and happy with it, that`s all that matters.4 The Basic Portal that you can craft yourself will not let you teleport to unlocked teleporters, only to other basic teleporters. (Please for the love of god change this.)
-Important to note that you can only teleport with whatever is currently on your action/hotbar and it will not bring anything in your inventory when using this discount portal they`ve provided us with.5 Cooking is one of the most important proficiencies in the world of Soulmask.
-I would highly recommend you get someone who`s good at it and put points towards output when selecting bonuses as they improve.-You can have 7 different buffs active at any one time. 3 Meals, 2 Drinks, 1 Medical and 1 "unhealthy" one in the Cigar. Types of buffs: Staple Food, Recreational, Beverage, Vegetable/Fruit, Meat, Medical Potion and finally a Cigar.
Thank you u/fatheals & u/tadian for the info.
6 Armor & Weapon crafting
-For traits, select Durability for 30-60 respectively and then Quality once you hit Iron as this is the point where levelling starts to slow down and moreover, you will unlock the Sabre tooth Armor at Awareness 40 once you kill the Berserk Sabre-toothed Predator which is a recommendation to everyone and when crafting the gear it will inherit the stats of the Iron Armor that goes into it. Hence you want to make sure it`s as good as possible as this will be the best Armor you will have access to for quite a while.7 Modifications make a huge difference
-All these mods you keep looting in chests from barracks and dungeons are not useless, even if the numbers may seem small they make a massive difference so use them.-Having multiple Armor sets with different mods on them will be a benefit, even though it is grindy. Having one with Heat, Cold, Poison and Radiation protection will be the difference between surviving or dyeing.
-Repairing a Weapon or Armor WILL remove the MOD that is on them, so keep this in mind. Repair first, then put on the mod of choice.
8 The hunting Gallery is VERY useful.
-It will show a lot of useful info about the local wildlife and enemies you encounter so I recommend having a look if you are struggling with a specific enemy, perhaps you`re just using the wrong weapon to fight it?.-One good example of when it helped me was in my first Ancient Ruin Dungeon/Holy Ruin where I encountered an enemy type that took essentially 0 damage until I threw a Corrosion bomb on them so use it and you will find that while doing the classic Unga Bunga works, sometimes. Having a bit more tact does come in handy.
8 Farms inside Barracks & Fortresses
-These farms are incredible if you are looking to get resources for either food and even crafting by way of cotton, needed for a lot of various crafts. What is important to note here is that these farms, IF you empty them out, leave and return at a later time, the crops may actually change. The availability of what they can change into, seem to be dependent on what you find in the chests within the Barracks and or Fortress. In the Flint Tribe fortress, I have collected everything except for Cactus out of their farms.9 Unlocking Tribe Costumes and Armor
-The first three sets can be unlocked by Deterring the Porters in each respective low-level barrack.-The higher tiered ones can be acquired by deterring craftsmen from Fortresses, albeit. I have yet to unlock a single one, even after numerous deters and full tames, so this might be something that the dev`s will need to look into, so if you`ve been chasing it as well, know that you are not alone friend.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE AWARDS Aswell, really appreciate it.
2024.06.09 11:19 Substantial-Night771 What is Hyperbitcoinization/Hyperkaspanization? What Do Bitcoin and Kaspa Actually Do? And What Happens to Fiat?
It is said that over time, everyone will switch to BTC/KAS to escape the devaluation of our fiat currencies that make us poorer. Trust in BTC/KAS will become higher than even the dollar, and as a result, the dollar will fall into a negative trust spiral, hyperinflate, and eventually disappear as it's no longer needed when we have a global currency.
However, fiat is a debt-based currency, and in this text, we use the world's reserve currency when talking about fiat for simplicity. This means that new money is created when someone takes out a loan, whether it be individuals, companies, or states. There is an existing amount of money, and new credit is constantly created, resulting in both a stock and a flow. Thus, we get a simple stock-to-flow model that reflects the dollar's devaluation over time. Loans are taken for investments like cars, houses, or businesses on an individual level. These are taken to somehow improve life: a car for transportation, a house for living but also long-term savings, and businesses for cash flow. All loans have interest; the interest reflects the hardness of the dollar. Low interest gives higher flow, and high interest gives lower flow.
The largest investments in the world go to real estate, bonds, and global companies.
Real estate is the largest investment, with the highest stock-to-flow, the highest balance in supply and demand, and high cost of production calculated in both money and time, which means that value is maintained over time and prices rise at the same rate as the dollar's stock-to-flow. Rents also create cash flow that goes to maintenance, mortgages, interest payments, and new investments. Real estate does not create much efficiency in the monetary system, but it has a high utility value.
Company stocks, especially those focused on technology and innovation, create much efficiency in society and the total monetary ecosystem. Growth companies grow faster than market-weighted indexes, while these indexes generally move at the same pace as the dollar's stock-to-flow (like S&P / M2). This means there is equilibrium between the dollar's devaluation and the total system's efficiency improvement over time, with efficiency being somewhat stronger over time.
Our loans go to investments that increase efficiency, reducing costs at the same pace as the dollar's devaluation while central banks' primary goal is to maintain 2% CPI inflation to keep stability and confidence in the currency as high as possible, and at the same time, forcing the pursuit of efficiency.
But what happens when Bitcoin/Kaspa becomes more valuable to invest in and simply hold on the balance sheet than investments in real estate and stocks and their store of value and cash flow together? What happens when companies choose to invest in these monetary protocols instead of investments in their own organizations' efficiency improvements?
This shift has already begun and was always inevitable. We create credit and contribute to devaluation but invest in Bitcoin and Kaspa instead of the natural innovations and efficiencies the system requires.
The dollar's only choice is to harden with higher interest rates to curb the unbalanced market where devaluation is higher than the decreasing efficiency increase. The hardness and interest rates will continue to rise until the dollar meets Bitcoin's hardness, where equilibrium is achieved.
At this point, if a state tries to devalue its currency to compete with other currencies, the BTC/KAS price in relation to the currency will increase by the same measure immediately.
This is the result of what hyperbitcoinization/hyperkaspanization becomes. The same game theory that makes these protocols honest forces fiat currencies around the world to also become honest. So, taking loans and "shorting fiat" to buy BTC/KAS will work in the beginning but, like everything else, will become unsustainable in the long run. There is no infinite wealth machine that lasts forever.
This creates a fairer world. Global monetary protocols large enough to keep the biggest of powers in check. Boom and bust cycles become longer, slower, and smoother. But unemployment may become higher for a while with associated chaos when the shift occurs.
Whether Bitcoin, Kaspa, or something else becomes the final protocol that wins doesn't really matter. These protocols are honest and force everyone to play by the same rules worldwide.
If you like the text i would be thankful for some spreading on X.
https://x.com/Themooseisloos5/status/1799728634183512233?t=w8fAjvIF67IYf27FUqgZFQ&s=19
submitted by Substantial-Night771 to kaspa [link] [comments]
However, fiat is a debt-based currency, and in this text, we use the world's reserve currency when talking about fiat for simplicity. This means that new money is created when someone takes out a loan, whether it be individuals, companies, or states. There is an existing amount of money, and new credit is constantly created, resulting in both a stock and a flow. Thus, we get a simple stock-to-flow model that reflects the dollar's devaluation over time. Loans are taken for investments like cars, houses, or businesses on an individual level. These are taken to somehow improve life: a car for transportation, a house for living but also long-term savings, and businesses for cash flow. All loans have interest; the interest reflects the hardness of the dollar. Low interest gives higher flow, and high interest gives lower flow.
The largest investments in the world go to real estate, bonds, and global companies.
Real estate is the largest investment, with the highest stock-to-flow, the highest balance in supply and demand, and high cost of production calculated in both money and time, which means that value is maintained over time and prices rise at the same rate as the dollar's stock-to-flow. Rents also create cash flow that goes to maintenance, mortgages, interest payments, and new investments. Real estate does not create much efficiency in the monetary system, but it has a high utility value.
Company stocks, especially those focused on technology and innovation, create much efficiency in society and the total monetary ecosystem. Growth companies grow faster than market-weighted indexes, while these indexes generally move at the same pace as the dollar's stock-to-flow (like S&P / M2). This means there is equilibrium between the dollar's devaluation and the total system's efficiency improvement over time, with efficiency being somewhat stronger over time.
Our loans go to investments that increase efficiency, reducing costs at the same pace as the dollar's devaluation while central banks' primary goal is to maintain 2% CPI inflation to keep stability and confidence in the currency as high as possible, and at the same time, forcing the pursuit of efficiency.
But what happens when Bitcoin/Kaspa becomes more valuable to invest in and simply hold on the balance sheet than investments in real estate and stocks and their store of value and cash flow together? What happens when companies choose to invest in these monetary protocols instead of investments in their own organizations' efficiency improvements?
This shift has already begun and was always inevitable. We create credit and contribute to devaluation but invest in Bitcoin and Kaspa instead of the natural innovations and efficiencies the system requires.
The dollar's only choice is to harden with higher interest rates to curb the unbalanced market where devaluation is higher than the decreasing efficiency increase. The hardness and interest rates will continue to rise until the dollar meets Bitcoin's hardness, where equilibrium is achieved.
At this point, if a state tries to devalue its currency to compete with other currencies, the BTC/KAS price in relation to the currency will increase by the same measure immediately.
This is the result of what hyperbitcoinization/hyperkaspanization becomes. The same game theory that makes these protocols honest forces fiat currencies around the world to also become honest. So, taking loans and "shorting fiat" to buy BTC/KAS will work in the beginning but, like everything else, will become unsustainable in the long run. There is no infinite wealth machine that lasts forever.
This creates a fairer world. Global monetary protocols large enough to keep the biggest of powers in check. Boom and bust cycles become longer, slower, and smoother. But unemployment may become higher for a while with associated chaos when the shift occurs.
Whether Bitcoin, Kaspa, or something else becomes the final protocol that wins doesn't really matter. These protocols are honest and force everyone to play by the same rules worldwide.
If you like the text i would be thankful for some spreading on X.
https://x.com/Themooseisloos5/status/1799728634183512233?t=w8fAjvIF67IYf27FUqgZFQ&s=19
2024.06.09 10:47 Montauk_123 [FOR SALE] Senses Fail, Los Crudos, Prince, Dashboard Confessional, Bright Eyes, Minus The Bear, New Found Glory, The Postal Service, Tegan & Sara, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Replacements, Foo Fighters, Henry Rollins, Laura Jane Grace, Code Orange, Pretenders, Format, 311, Angels & Airwaves, ALL, & MORE
The following records will ship via USPS w/ Tracking Information. International inquiries welcome. Discounts are considered if multiple items are being bundled. Easy to work with; if you have any questions, shoot me a chat / DM!
Free shipping for any orders over $100.
Shipping is $5, regardless of how many LPs are purchased.
311 - Greatest Hits 2x LP - $25.00
Alexisonfire - Dog’s Blood - $20.00
ALL - Mass Nerder - $20.00
Angels & Airwaves - Lifeforms (Sealed, Clear w/ Black Mint and Orange Splatter) - $20.00
Bad Brains - The Youth Are Getting Restless: Live 1987 (Clear w/ Yellow) - $20.00
Better Lovers - God Made Me an Animal - $20.00
Black Flag - Everything Went Black - $20.00
Black Flag - I Can See You - $20.00
Black Flag - TV Party - $20.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Collection of Songs 95-97 (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Fevers and Mirrors (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Letting Off The Happiness (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to LIFTED (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - There is No Beginning to the Story - $10.00
CHVRCHES - Under the Tide 12” Single (Yellow Vinyl) - $15.00
Circa Survive - Two Dreams - $20.00
Code Orange - Underneath (Clear) - $25.00
Cute is What We Aim For - The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch - $15.00
Dashboard Confessional - All The Truth That I Can Tell - $15.00
Dashboard Confessional - Crooked Shadows - $15.00
Dikembe - Mediumship - $25.00
Drug Church - Cheer - $20.00
Drug Church - Hygiene - $20.00
Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust (Gold) - $15.00
Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave (Silver) - $25.00
Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold - $20.00
Foo Fighters - Live in Toronto - 1996 - $20.00
Henry Rollins (Live) - Joe Cole is God - $20.00
Henry Rollins and the Hard Ons - Let There Be Rock - $20.00
Jawbreaker - Bivouac - $25.00
Jay Z - In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - $20.00
Joan Jett - Bad Reputation - $10.00
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (Clear) - $15.00
La Dispute - Panorama - $20.00
Laura Jane Grace - Stay Alive - $20.00
Los Crudos - 1991 - 1995: Los Primeros Gritos - $15.00
Los Crudos - Canciones Para Liberar Nuestras Fronteras - $20.00
Los Crudos - Discografía 2x LP - $25.00
Los Crudos - Spitboy - $20.00
Metallica - 72 Seasons (2x LP Black) - $15.00
Minus The Bear - Acoustics II (Tri Color) - $25.00
Minus The Bear - Lost Loves (Clear) - $20.00
New Found Glory - Forever & Ever x Infinity (Green) - $15.00
New Found Glory - Makes Me Sick - Deluxe - $20.00
New Found Glory - Resurrection: Deluxe Edition 2x LP - $20.00
Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates EP - $10.00
Notorious B.I.G - Ready to Die (Silver, 2x LP) - $25.00
NOFX - Ribbed (Red / Black) - $25.00
OST - A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio - $20.00
OST - Almost Famous - $20.00
OST - Eddie Murphy 1982 Comedy Special - $15.00
OST - E.T (Music By John Williams)
OST - Footloose (Magenta) - $15.00
OST - Home Alone Christmas - $20.00
OST - Lost in Translation - $20.00
OST - Music from the X-Files (Glow in the Dark Vinyl) - $20.00
OST - Space Jam (Red / Black 2x LP) - $20.00
OST - Stand & Deliver - $25.00
OST - Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $20.00
OST - Watchmen Vol. 1 (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) - $20.00
OST - Watchmen Vol. 3 Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) - $20.00
Outkast - Ghetto Musik (12” Single) - $10.00
Panic! At the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (Silver) - $20.00
PUP - The Unraveling of PUP - $20.00
Prince - Sign o’ the Times (Clear w/ White Swirl) - $20.00
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Mettal EP - $15.00
Senses Fail - Hell is in Your Head - $15.00
Senses Fail - Pull The Thorns From Your Hear - $15.00
Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills (2x LP Purple Vinyl, Indie Store Exclusive) - $20.00
Simple Creatures - Strange Love (White / Black Vinyl) - $20.00
Snail Mail - Valentine (Gold) - $15.00
Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders - Bet the Money - $20.00
Tegan & Sara - Live at Zia Records (Record Store Day) - $15.00
Tegan & Sara - The Con X (Covers) - $15.00
Tegan & Sara - Tonight In The Dark We’re Seeing Colors (Record Store Day) - $15.00
The Cars - Panorama (Green) - $15.00
The Format - Interventions + Lullabies (Yellow / Blue) - $25.00
The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Yellow / Red) - $20.00
The Killers - Pressure Machine - $15.00
The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes (12” Single) - $20.00
The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl - $10.00
The Pretenders - The Pretenders - $10.00
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me (Outtakes and Alternatives) - $25.00
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (Orange) - $25.00
The Subways - All Or Nothing (Orange) - $15.00
Van Halen - Van Halen 2 - $15.00
Weezer - The Black Album (Clear / Black) - $20.00
submitted by Montauk_123 to VinylCollectors [link] [comments]
Free shipping for any orders over $100.
Shipping is $5, regardless of how many LPs are purchased.
311 - Greatest Hits 2x LP - $25.00
Alexisonfire - Dog’s Blood - $20.00
ALL - Mass Nerder - $20.00
Angels & Airwaves - Lifeforms (Sealed, Clear w/ Black Mint and Orange Splatter) - $20.00
Bad Brains - The Youth Are Getting Restless: Live 1987 (Clear w/ Yellow) - $20.00
Better Lovers - God Made Me an Animal - $20.00
Black Flag - Everything Went Black - $20.00
Black Flag - I Can See You - $20.00
Black Flag - TV Party - $20.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Collection of Songs 95-97 (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Fevers and Mirrors (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to Letting Off The Happiness (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - A Companion to LIFTED (Gold Vinyl) - $15.00
Bright Eyes - There is No Beginning to the Story - $10.00
CHVRCHES - Under the Tide 12” Single (Yellow Vinyl) - $15.00
Circa Survive - Two Dreams - $20.00
Code Orange - Underneath (Clear) - $25.00
Cute is What We Aim For - The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch - $15.00
Dashboard Confessional - All The Truth That I Can Tell - $15.00
Dashboard Confessional - Crooked Shadows - $15.00
Dikembe - Mediumship - $25.00
Drug Church - Cheer - $20.00
Drug Church - Hygiene - $20.00
Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust (Gold) - $15.00
Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave (Silver) - $25.00
Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold - $20.00
Foo Fighters - Live in Toronto - 1996 - $20.00
Henry Rollins (Live) - Joe Cole is God - $20.00
Henry Rollins and the Hard Ons - Let There Be Rock - $20.00
Jawbreaker - Bivouac - $25.00
Jay Z - In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 - $20.00
Joan Jett - Bad Reputation - $10.00
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (Clear) - $15.00
La Dispute - Panorama - $20.00
Laura Jane Grace - Stay Alive - $20.00
Los Crudos - 1991 - 1995: Los Primeros Gritos - $15.00
Los Crudos - Canciones Para Liberar Nuestras Fronteras - $20.00
Los Crudos - Discografía 2x LP - $25.00
Los Crudos - Spitboy - $20.00
Metallica - 72 Seasons (2x LP Black) - $15.00
Minus The Bear - Acoustics II (Tri Color) - $25.00
Minus The Bear - Lost Loves (Clear) - $20.00
New Found Glory - Forever & Ever x Infinity (Green) - $15.00
New Found Glory - Makes Me Sick - Deluxe - $20.00
New Found Glory - Resurrection: Deluxe Edition 2x LP - $20.00
Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates EP - $10.00
Notorious B.I.G - Ready to Die (Silver, 2x LP) - $25.00
NOFX - Ribbed (Red / Black) - $25.00
OST - A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio - $20.00
OST - Almost Famous - $20.00
OST - Eddie Murphy 1982 Comedy Special - $15.00
OST - E.T (Music By John Williams)
OST - Footloose (Magenta) - $15.00
OST - Home Alone Christmas - $20.00
OST - Lost in Translation - $20.00
OST - Music from the X-Files (Glow in the Dark Vinyl) - $20.00
OST - Space Jam (Red / Black 2x LP) - $20.00
OST - Stand & Deliver - $25.00
OST - Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $20.00
OST - Watchmen Vol. 1 (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) - $20.00
OST - Watchmen Vol. 3 Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross) - $20.00
Outkast - Ghetto Musik (12” Single) - $10.00
Panic! At the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (Silver) - $20.00
PUP - The Unraveling of PUP - $20.00
Prince - Sign o’ the Times (Clear w/ White Swirl) - $20.00
Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Mettal EP - $15.00
Senses Fail - Hell is in Your Head - $15.00
Senses Fail - Pull The Thorns From Your Hear - $15.00
Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills (2x LP Purple Vinyl, Indie Store Exclusive) - $20.00
Simple Creatures - Strange Love (White / Black Vinyl) - $20.00
Snail Mail - Valentine (Gold) - $15.00
Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders - Bet the Money - $20.00
Tegan & Sara - Live at Zia Records (Record Store Day) - $15.00
Tegan & Sara - The Con X (Covers) - $15.00
Tegan & Sara - Tonight In The Dark We’re Seeing Colors (Record Store Day) - $15.00
The Cars - Panorama (Green) - $15.00
The Format - Interventions + Lullabies (Yellow / Blue) - $25.00
The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Yellow / Red) - $20.00
The Killers - Pressure Machine - $15.00
The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes (12” Single) - $20.00
The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl - $10.00
The Pretenders - The Pretenders - $10.00
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me (Outtakes and Alternatives) - $25.00
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (Orange) - $25.00
The Subways - All Or Nothing (Orange) - $15.00
Van Halen - Van Halen 2 - $15.00
Weezer - The Black Album (Clear / Black) - $20.00
2024.06.09 09:23 aarongcosta I have no desire to watch a new Superman film and find Superman to be an uninteresting character.
Okay Reddit strap in and hear me out, because this gonna be long…
As much as I appreciate James Gunns abilities to create interesting content I literally have no desire and don't understand why anyone else, would want to watch a Superman movie.
Superman is an uninteresting character at its core. Superman is only interesting when either deconstructed (see The Dark Knight Returns), lampooned (see Homelander and The Boys), or is being analyzed through another lens in something like Elseworlds (Red Sun).
The entire concept of Superman is quite frankly really stupid.
He's invulnerable, can only be beaten by a green rock, and literally has the ultimate plot armor of any comic book hero. Oftentimes, the interesting thing about Superman is again when he's being recreated like Mr Majestic in the Wildcats or I assume Sentry in the Avengers. I've never really read too many of those but I kind of get the gist that Sentry is supposed to be a Superman representative.
People's obsession with seeing and wanting to have a Superman movie makes zero sense to me. We've had multiple films made about Superman, and just to be clear, I am not a Snyder super fan. I do appreciate some of his work, and I also will never watch the second Rebel Moon movie because that first one was about the worst thing I've ever watched. Ok, if I get bored or there is enough booze I might.
To be clear, I'm not trying to gatekeep the intellectual property of Superman, I just think it's an idea that was invented in a much simpler time, and honestly is very stupid at this point. And don't even get me started on the Fantastic Four. Yes, it's got Pedro but I have no desire to watch a Fantastic Four movie either. This is yet another stupid 60’s comic book that quite frankly should have gone away a long time ago.
But, I digress.
The endless cry for a feel-good Superman movie that reflects his positive behavior is again unnecessary because the character is quite frankly stupid. There's nothing interesting about Superman. I'm sorry.
Well, sorry not sorry. From the DC slate of intellectual properties there are numerous other examples of amazingly more interesting characters to choose from. You have The Warlord, Arion, Lord of Atlantis, the Perez era run of the Teen Titans, or Batman and The Outsiders. There are dozens of better examples.
Let's not even get started on the numerous independent comics that could also be drawn upon. Like Baron and Rude’s Nexus, or the Badger, or a really good Cerebus movie. Or some of the better Image comics era of IP. Come on the Savage Dragon is great!
I mean really, it's disturbing that none of the Jim Starlin properties have made it to screen at this point, with the exception of Thanos. Give me a Dreadstar TV show ASAP!
But again, I digress. Superman is stupid, I'm sorry.
The only times he is interesting is when he is the MacGuffin of a story. Why are people so obsessed with seeing the boy scout in blue on the big screen?
I personally have no idea. And as much as I will probably watch the new Superman movie, I don't understand the obsession no matter the age, with a character that has quite frankly zero personality, and again has infinite plot armor.
I think that taking materials such as Peacemaker, we've seen James make an amazing inroad into offering up lesser known characters and making really great opportunities for storytelling around them.
So why do we have to suffer through yet another spandexed blue underwear character saving the world, when we know he's going to, and that's all we're ever going to get.
I get it, people love Superman. But you know what, I don't, and I don't see why people are so stupid.
There are dozens of better intellectual properties between DC, Marvel, and all the independent comics that come out for the last 30 years if not more. Can we please get these stories told? Why is it so hard to do things that are interesting and better?
I think one of the greatest examples is the Daredevil Netflix show and the upcoming extension of it. Here is a lesser known character that is super interesting that has ultimately become a part of our zeitgeist and part of the mass media, because it's a great story to tell. You can knock all the lesser Netflix marvel TV shows, yes we're looking at you Iron Fist. But collectively, these are some of the best storytelling we've seen to date.
What is the endless draw again for the boy scout? Nobody cares.
Okay so I don't care.
DC has a multitude of properties to choose from. I was never the biggest Lobo fan, but I know that people would love to see those stories told. What about the Legion of Superheroes, what about smaller lesser known superheroes and/or villains like Peacemaker? Oh wait, that worked…
Let's face facts, DC's intellectual property is much weaker than Marvel’s, and in my opinion is much weaker than the independent comics that can be drawn upon to create films and television shows from.
I think James's ultimate folly here is focusing on the big blue, because it's supposedly what “people want*, and not focusing on the more interesting stories that DC has provided us over the years.
Look, to date some of the best Marvel content has come in the form of things like Logan, Deadpool and the Netflix TV shows. This is why the showrunners and creators have leveraged the core storytelling elements to really tell interesting stories about things are passionate about.
Who in their right mind is passionate about Superman? Not me. Not my kids. It ultimately feels like somehow it's an expectation to fulfill some boomers dream about telling the Superman story on the big screen. And you know what, boomers are pretty freaking stupid.
So, am I the 10th dentist or am I right?
Either way I don't care just to be clear. But I'd like us to move past us needing to go through the golden, and then the silver, and then the modern age of comics to get to the good stuff because you know what there's so much more good stuff that isn't a guy who flies around in blue spandex with a red cape,
She said no capes for a reason…
submitted by aarongcosta to The10thDentist [link] [comments]
As much as I appreciate James Gunns abilities to create interesting content I literally have no desire and don't understand why anyone else, would want to watch a Superman movie.
Superman is an uninteresting character at its core. Superman is only interesting when either deconstructed (see The Dark Knight Returns), lampooned (see Homelander and The Boys), or is being analyzed through another lens in something like Elseworlds (Red Sun).
The entire concept of Superman is quite frankly really stupid.
He's invulnerable, can only be beaten by a green rock, and literally has the ultimate plot armor of any comic book hero. Oftentimes, the interesting thing about Superman is again when he's being recreated like Mr Majestic in the Wildcats or I assume Sentry in the Avengers. I've never really read too many of those but I kind of get the gist that Sentry is supposed to be a Superman representative.
People's obsession with seeing and wanting to have a Superman movie makes zero sense to me. We've had multiple films made about Superman, and just to be clear, I am not a Snyder super fan. I do appreciate some of his work, and I also will never watch the second Rebel Moon movie because that first one was about the worst thing I've ever watched. Ok, if I get bored or there is enough booze I might.
To be clear, I'm not trying to gatekeep the intellectual property of Superman, I just think it's an idea that was invented in a much simpler time, and honestly is very stupid at this point. And don't even get me started on the Fantastic Four. Yes, it's got Pedro but I have no desire to watch a Fantastic Four movie either. This is yet another stupid 60’s comic book that quite frankly should have gone away a long time ago.
But, I digress.
The endless cry for a feel-good Superman movie that reflects his positive behavior is again unnecessary because the character is quite frankly stupid. There's nothing interesting about Superman. I'm sorry.
Well, sorry not sorry. From the DC slate of intellectual properties there are numerous other examples of amazingly more interesting characters to choose from. You have The Warlord, Arion, Lord of Atlantis, the Perez era run of the Teen Titans, or Batman and The Outsiders. There are dozens of better examples.
Let's not even get started on the numerous independent comics that could also be drawn upon. Like Baron and Rude’s Nexus, or the Badger, or a really good Cerebus movie. Or some of the better Image comics era of IP. Come on the Savage Dragon is great!
I mean really, it's disturbing that none of the Jim Starlin properties have made it to screen at this point, with the exception of Thanos. Give me a Dreadstar TV show ASAP!
But again, I digress. Superman is stupid, I'm sorry.
The only times he is interesting is when he is the MacGuffin of a story. Why are people so obsessed with seeing the boy scout in blue on the big screen?
I personally have no idea. And as much as I will probably watch the new Superman movie, I don't understand the obsession no matter the age, with a character that has quite frankly zero personality, and again has infinite plot armor.
I think that taking materials such as Peacemaker, we've seen James make an amazing inroad into offering up lesser known characters and making really great opportunities for storytelling around them.
So why do we have to suffer through yet another spandexed blue underwear character saving the world, when we know he's going to, and that's all we're ever going to get.
I get it, people love Superman. But you know what, I don't, and I don't see why people are so stupid.
There are dozens of better intellectual properties between DC, Marvel, and all the independent comics that come out for the last 30 years if not more. Can we please get these stories told? Why is it so hard to do things that are interesting and better?
I think one of the greatest examples is the Daredevil Netflix show and the upcoming extension of it. Here is a lesser known character that is super interesting that has ultimately become a part of our zeitgeist and part of the mass media, because it's a great story to tell. You can knock all the lesser Netflix marvel TV shows, yes we're looking at you Iron Fist. But collectively, these are some of the best storytelling we've seen to date.
What is the endless draw again for the boy scout? Nobody cares.
Okay so I don't care.
DC has a multitude of properties to choose from. I was never the biggest Lobo fan, but I know that people would love to see those stories told. What about the Legion of Superheroes, what about smaller lesser known superheroes and/or villains like Peacemaker? Oh wait, that worked…
Let's face facts, DC's intellectual property is much weaker than Marvel’s, and in my opinion is much weaker than the independent comics that can be drawn upon to create films and television shows from.
I think James's ultimate folly here is focusing on the big blue, because it's supposedly what “people want*, and not focusing on the more interesting stories that DC has provided us over the years.
Look, to date some of the best Marvel content has come in the form of things like Logan, Deadpool and the Netflix TV shows. This is why the showrunners and creators have leveraged the core storytelling elements to really tell interesting stories about things are passionate about.
Who in their right mind is passionate about Superman? Not me. Not my kids. It ultimately feels like somehow it's an expectation to fulfill some boomers dream about telling the Superman story on the big screen. And you know what, boomers are pretty freaking stupid.
So, am I the 10th dentist or am I right?
Either way I don't care just to be clear. But I'd like us to move past us needing to go through the golden, and then the silver, and then the modern age of comics to get to the good stuff because you know what there's so much more good stuff that isn't a guy who flies around in blue spandex with a red cape,
She said no capes for a reason…
2024.06.09 08:41 Ding_Dong_Dell (Offer) Shortened List (Request) June Universal
- Alien: Covenant (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Assassin's Creed (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Deadpool (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Furious 7 Extended Edition (4K directly into Itunes, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Home Alone (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Jurassic Park (4K directly into Itunes, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Jurassic World (4K directly into Itunes, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Life of Pi (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Lone Survivor (4K directly into Itunes, ports to MA, HD MA)
- The Longest Ride (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- War For the Planet of the Apes (4K Itunes through Foxredeem, ports to MA, HD MA)
- 21 Jump Street (MA)
- Alex Cross - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (MA)
- America: Imagine The World Without Her - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky (MA)
- Anchorman 2 - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Ant-Man (GP)
- Atomic Blonde (MA)
- Avengers: Endgame (GP)
- Avengers: Infinity War (GP)
- Bad Grandpa - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Beauty and the Beast 2017 (GP)
- Big Hero 6 (GP)
- Black Panther (GP)
- The Boss Baby (MA)
- Captain America: Civil War (GP)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (GP)
- Captain Marvel (GP)
- Coco (GP)
- Contraband (Itunes ports to MA, will send first)
- Divergent - Movieredeem (Itunes, Vudu, GP)
- The Duff - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Edward Scissorhands (MA)
- Ender's Game - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- The Equalizer (MA)
- Escape Plan - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- The Expendables 2 - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Extraction - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Fast & Furious 6 Extended Edition (MA)
- Fast Five Extended Edition (MA)
- The Fate of the Furious (MA)
- The Fate of the Furious Extended Director's Cut (MA)
- Fences - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Fifty Shades of Grey Unrated (MA)
- Finding Dory (GP)
- Florence Foster Jenkins - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Frozen (GP)
- Frozen 2 (GP)
- Frozen Sing-Along Edition (GP)
- The Gambler - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Girls Trip (MA)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (GP)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (GP)
- Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- The Heat 2013 (MA)
- Hercules 2014 - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Home (MA)
- Hunger Games - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Inside Out (GP)
- Insurgent: Divergent Series - Movieredeem (Vudu, GP)
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Jason Bourne 2016 (MA)
- John Wick - Movieredeem (Itunes, Vudu, GP)
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (MA)
- The Last Stand - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- Lee Daniels' The Butler - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- The Legend of Hercules - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- A Madea Christmas - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Maggie - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Maleficent (GP)
- Men In Black 3 (MA)
- Million Dollar Arm (GP)(Split)
- Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Mud - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- Neighbors (Itunes ports to MA, will send first)
- Noah - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Now You See Me - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- One Direction: This Is Us/This Is Us Fan Edition Dual Code (MA)
- Oz the Great and Powerful (GP)
- Paranormal Activity 3 - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Parental Guidance (MA)
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (MA)
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (GP)
- Planes (MA)
- Queen of Katwe (GP)
- Ralph Breaks The Internet (GP)
- Ride Along (MA)
- Ride Along 2 (MA)
- The Secret Life of Pets 2 (MA)
- The Shack - Movieredeem (Itunes, Vudu, GP)
- Silver Linings Playbook - Movieredeem (Vudu, GP)
- Sinister - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Spy (Unrated) (MA)
- Star Trek Beyond - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Star Trek: Into Darkness - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (GP)
- Star Wars: Rogue One (GP)
- Taken 2 (MA)
- Ted (Unrated) (MA)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- Thor Ragnarok (GP)
- Toy Story 4 (GP)
- Transformers: Age of Extinction - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Paramount (Itunes, Vudu)
- Warm Bodies - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- What To Expect When You're Expecting - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Zootopia (GP)
- 12 Years A Slave (MA)
- 21 Jump Street (MA)
- 22 Jump Street (MA)
- The Adventures of Tintin - Paramount (Vudu)
- After Earth (MA)
- Aloha (MA)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (MA)
- American Hustle (MA)
- Annie 2014 (MA)
- Atlas Shrugged Choose 1 (Part 1, Part 2 or Part 3) - Foxredeem (Vudu)
- The Cabin in the Woods - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Captain Phillips (MA)
- Elysium (MA) - Fury (MA)
- The Equalizer (MA)
- Flight - Paramount (Vudu)
- Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - Paramount (Vudu)
- Heaven Is For Real (MA)
- Hell or High Water - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- Hope Springs (MA)
- Hours - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- I Am Wrath - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- John Wick - Movieredeem (Itunes, Vudu, GP)
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (MA)
- Katy Perry The Movie: Part of Me - Paramount (Vudu)
- Last Vegas (MA)
- Looper (MA)
- Madea's Neighbors From Hell - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- The Monuments Men (MA)
- My Girl/My Girl 2 (MA)
- This Is The End (MA)
- Olympus Has Fallen (MA)
- One Direction: This Is Us (MA)
- Only The Brave (MA)
- Orange is the New Black Season 1 - Redeemmovie (Vudu)
- Parker (MA)
- Passengers (MA)
- Peter Rabbit (MA)
- The Pirates! Band of Misfits (MA)
- Pompeii (MA)
- Resident Evil Retribution (MA)
- Sex Tape (MA)
- The Smurfs 2 (MA)
- The Spectacular Now - Movieredeem (Vudu)
- Star Trek Into Darkness - Paramount (Vudu)
- Think Like A Man (MA)
- Total Recall 2012 (MA)
- Uncharted (MA)
- Venom (MA)
- The Vow (MA)
- War Room (MA)
- When the Game Stands Tall (MA)
- Zero Dark Thirty (MA)
2024.06.09 07:55 sameed_a benefits of leadership in goal setting?
It was summer of 2010, I got a job at a renowned tech firm. As a young, naive engineer, fresh out of college, I was ready to take on the world. But little did I know that the soft skills I lacked would become my greatest enemy.
I was smart, knew my way around the latest tech, and could code like a beast. However, being the quiet kid in the corner, I always struggled with contributing to team meetings or brainstorming sessions. My ideas would stay inside my sketchbook, and I can't tell if it was fear or lack of confidence that kept me from speaking up.
The turning point came one day when our team leader fell ill, and we were tasked with setting goals for an upcoming project. Without him, our group was lost. We spent the entire day arguing over the project's direction and couldn't establish a concrete plan.
The following day, our team leader was back on his feet. Although still recovering, he managed to set clear, achievable goals and lead us into action. He highlighted the importance of collective intelligence and pushed us to voice our opinions. Slowly, we were stripped of our insecurities and stood confidently in front of each other, sharing our ideas and concerns.
Through his leadership, I witnessed the immense power of goal setting. When each person understood the direction and the individual role they played, productivity soared, and we could see a clear path towards success.
I realized that the wishy-washy meetings we had in the absence of our leader were the result of no defined goals or bad leadership. It dawned on me that a group without proper leadership is like a ship without a rudder.
With time and practice, I honed my leadership skills. Now, I ensure that every team I'm a part of has clear, specific, and measurable goals that align with the overall project objective to avoid any chaos or confusion.
Funny enough, I can see this applying to my personal life too. I have adopted goal setting in every aspect of my life - be it fitness, financial planning, or even cooking a new recipe!
P.S. Heads up, this is just a hypothetical tale channeling my inner Hemingway. I don't actually control a multi-billion dollar tech firm, nor am I an introverted tech geek. The point is, whether we are cooking spaghetti or launching a spaceship, setting clear goals and good leadership make the process a whole lot easier. We can all harness the power of 'Goal Setting' and 'Leadership' mental models in our daily lives...or at least in an epic Dungeons and Dragons campaign!
submitted by sameed_a to mentalmodelscoach [link] [comments]
I was smart, knew my way around the latest tech, and could code like a beast. However, being the quiet kid in the corner, I always struggled with contributing to team meetings or brainstorming sessions. My ideas would stay inside my sketchbook, and I can't tell if it was fear or lack of confidence that kept me from speaking up.
The turning point came one day when our team leader fell ill, and we were tasked with setting goals for an upcoming project. Without him, our group was lost. We spent the entire day arguing over the project's direction and couldn't establish a concrete plan.
The following day, our team leader was back on his feet. Although still recovering, he managed to set clear, achievable goals and lead us into action. He highlighted the importance of collective intelligence and pushed us to voice our opinions. Slowly, we were stripped of our insecurities and stood confidently in front of each other, sharing our ideas and concerns.
Through his leadership, I witnessed the immense power of goal setting. When each person understood the direction and the individual role they played, productivity soared, and we could see a clear path towards success.
I realized that the wishy-washy meetings we had in the absence of our leader were the result of no defined goals or bad leadership. It dawned on me that a group without proper leadership is like a ship without a rudder.
With time and practice, I honed my leadership skills. Now, I ensure that every team I'm a part of has clear, specific, and measurable goals that align with the overall project objective to avoid any chaos or confusion.
Funny enough, I can see this applying to my personal life too. I have adopted goal setting in every aspect of my life - be it fitness, financial planning, or even cooking a new recipe!
P.S. Heads up, this is just a hypothetical tale channeling my inner Hemingway. I don't actually control a multi-billion dollar tech firm, nor am I an introverted tech geek. The point is, whether we are cooking spaghetti or launching a spaceship, setting clear goals and good leadership make the process a whole lot easier. We can all harness the power of 'Goal Setting' and 'Leadership' mental models in our daily lives...or at least in an epic Dungeons and Dragons campaign!
2024.06.09 05:02 Dat_Mustache [WTS] Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Ruthenium and Big Silver! BUY THE DIP!
Here we go again! Broke out another bit of my stash for liquidation. Starting a Tour Bus business is expensive!
PROOF with pics in order: https://imgur.com/a/ja2UhKe
Bundle and save!
Must buy whole lot if listed as such.
Middlemen under $2500 is a waste of time for both of us if you have a good history. Must have a track record of good trades.
LOTS of references and big historical sales for myself!
submitted by Dat_Mustache to Pmsforsale [link] [comments]
PROOF with pics in order: https://imgur.com/a/ja2UhKe
- 2018 American Palladium Eagle Proof w/ COA and Box - $2495 Shipped
- 2016 American Platinum Eagle 1ozt - $1170 Shipped
- 2 - 1/10ozt Isle of Man Platinum Coins - $225 ea or $440 Shipped.
- 25g Pamp Platinum Gram Card - $1200 Shipped
- 5g Lady Liberty Pamp Platinum Bar (Serial 1100!) - $255 Shipped
1/2oz Ruthenium Pamp "Essencially" Typo - $450 ShippedSOLD1/10 Royal Canadian Mint Wolf Serial+Assay - $250 ShippedSOLD- 1/10 Chiwoo Cheongwang Korean Gold in Assay - $395 Shipped
1.5g Gold Sacremento Assayer Hoard Dust PCGS - $110 ShippedSOLD- 6 - 1/10ozt Gold Canadian Maple Leaf LOT - $1575 Shipped
- Francs, Pesos, Kronos & Sovereign LOT - $2300 Shipped
- 1/10 AGEs, Aussie, Tuvalu & Random 1/10 + Mene #7 Gold Charm - $1500 Shipped
- 1ozt Australian Platinum Platypus - $1100 Shipped
- RARE 1oz Johnson Matthey Platinum Dragon in Wooden Panda Box - $1700 shipped
- 2 - 1000mg Gold Buffalo Foil Dollar - $200 shipped
- 100oz Royal Canadian Mint Silver Bar SERIALIZED - $3250 Shipped
10oz Britannia Silver Bar - $325 ShippedSOLD
Bundle and save!
Must buy whole lot if listed as such.
Middlemen under $2500 is a waste of time for both of us if you have a good history. Must have a track record of good trades.
LOTS of references and big historical sales for myself!
2024.06.09 04:10 No-University-7467 Squad Busters The Good The Bad and The Ugly
Squad Busters: From Excitement to Frustration
When Supercell announced the release of Squad Busters, it was like a breath of fresh air since they haven't released a game in over 5 years. Combining the fun elements of their other games into one, Squad Busters promised a dynamic and engaging experience that could help keep interest in the company itself. Initially, I, like thousands of other players, downloaded the game during the soft launch and grinded the game. Squad Busters lived up to the hype, offering an exhilarating new concept of Supercell games, fast-paced action, and it kept me and my friends playing it instead of studying for our finals. However, as I delved deeper into the game, the initial thrill began to wane once I realized the gold economy in the game is very pay-to-win (P2W). But I support developers, so I spent and continued grinding.
For now, I, along with many others, am left hoping that Supercell will listen to its community and make the necessary changes. Only then can Squad Busters reclaim its initial charm and deliver the experience that players were so eagerly anticipating.
https://youtu.be/9So-LTbuDjg?si=qU0pUUYEMl62869C
https://x.com/Kirito1237Cstatus/1791343142844936681
https://x.com/MichaelOnSB/status/1796749179018215470
https://youtu.be/2bXYKSQzy1w?si=JJHAAZuP95WCsmTx
submitted by No-University-7467 to SquadBusters [link] [comments]
When Supercell announced the release of Squad Busters, it was like a breath of fresh air since they haven't released a game in over 5 years. Combining the fun elements of their other games into one, Squad Busters promised a dynamic and engaging experience that could help keep interest in the company itself. Initially, I, like thousands of other players, downloaded the game during the soft launch and grinded the game. Squad Busters lived up to the hype, offering an exhilarating new concept of Supercell games, fast-paced action, and it kept me and my friends playing it instead of studying for our finals. However, as I delved deeper into the game, the initial thrill began to wane once I realized the gold economy in the game is very pay-to-win (P2W). But I support developers, so I spent and continued grinding.
The Fun Beginning
At the outset, Squad Busters was everything a gamer could hope for. The gameplay was smooth, the graphics were vibrant, and the variety of characters kept the battles fresh and exciting. Forming squads and strategizing for different modifiers was both challenging and rewarding. The game’s mechanics encouraged a balanced approach between offensive and defensive tactics, making each match unique.The Bug Plague
As someone who's in the field of software development, I understand bugs, trust me. Following downloading the game for the first week, I had the crashing bug where you play a match and if you try to play again you crash. The next bug is sorta funny but still an issue: the epic overload witch crashing bug. The most recent bug (post-global launch) is the squad league bug, where if you play in a party with friends and then try to play regular squad league, you don't earn trophies (still pending fixes FYI). These are just the bugs that I'm aware of.The Pay-to-Win Dilemma
As I progressed, however, the fun started to fade. The gold crisis made me become a P2W player, which I'm fine with considering I want this game to live. It became apparent that advancing without spending real money was nearly impossible. To remain competitive and continue grinding for squad league, I bought offers and gold. The game’s monetization strategy became more aggressive, with constant prompts to buy gold packs and special offers. After getting supers in the game, I became a light spender because that was the max (before ultra). Following the announcement of ultras, we were able to passively gain the resources from chest tickets to grind and collect the champs, but with this in mind, once you hit the 10/10, you were set—or so we thought...The Infamous Chest Bug
The chest bug, for those that don't know of its existence, essentially halts a player’s progress after they have maxed out their common cards to ultra. Normally, after finishing a match, regardless of placement, you get a chest. However, once you have collected all common ultras, the game doesn't give you a chest after finishing a match because the game can't give you a common since you're maxed, so you can never get rare chests or epic chests. This bug effectively freezes progress, as players can no longer gain the necessary upgrades or items to compete at higher levels. Context: this bug has existed before the game came out globally. Most of the top players have messaged support, followed the instructions, sent videos, and sent tweets, but not a word or thing has been done. Supercell’s unofficial response, we think, is allowing players to reset the shop however many times they want. This bug forces you to spend over thousands of dollars to max out. I'm not saying I don't want to support the game anymore; I'm saying if a feature exists to naturally grind and earn these rewards, why be forced to pay?Inadequate Support
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Squad Busters experience has been the support team's handling of these issues. It seems that the support team has no idea what's going on in Squad Busters and has provided no real solutions to these bugs. Every time a player reaches out for help, it seems like they receive an AI-generated response, with no real engagement or understanding of the problem. This has not gone unnoticed by the community, and players are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of meaningful support. In our modern society seeing is believing so i've included links to show evidence via youtube video or twitter post of people talking about it at the TLDRThe Chest Bug’s Wider Impact
The chest bug has sparked a significant outcry within the top player and streaming community. Despite numerous complaints and feedback from players, Supercell’s response has been nonexistent and largely inadequate. Many dedicated players have found themselves unable to continue their progress, leading to widespread frustration and even calls for quitting the game and stopping pushing until the issue is resolved. Once you're maxed out, there's no real reason to grind. As I'm currently writing this post, I'm sitting at around 9.6k trophies, which places me in the top 50 globally and top 5 locally in the US. There are no rewards for me finishing that high, and since I can no longer get chests, I can never do the Tara event, chest doublers, or even open squad journey rewards, which leads me to where I'm at now.Conclusion
Squad Busters had the potential to be one of Supercell’s best games, but its journey from excitement to frustration is becoming a quick death. The initial fun and strategic depth have been overshadowed by a relentless pay-to-win model and a series of disruptive bugs. While Supercell has a history of developing engaging games, they need to address these critical issues promptly to restore player confidence and ensure the long-term success of Squad Busters.For now, I, along with many others, am left hoping that Supercell will listen to its community and make the necessary changes. Only then can Squad Busters reclaim its initial charm and deliver the experience that players were so eagerly anticipating.
TL;DR
Squad Busters started strong with engaging gameplay and vibrant graphics but is now plagued by bugs, a heavy pay-to-win model, and inadequate support responses. Critical issues like the chest bug and poor support team responses, which often seem AI-generated, have led to widespread frustration among players. Supercell needs to address these problems to restore player confidence and ensure the game's success.https://youtu.be/9So-LTbuDjg?si=qU0pUUYEMl62869C
https://x.com/Kirito1237Cstatus/1791343142844936681
https://x.com/MichaelOnSB/status/1796749179018215470
https://youtu.be/2bXYKSQzy1w?si=JJHAAZuP95WCsmTx
2024.06.09 04:09 nesdahljj What Skills/areas of work do you think will be beneficial to have assuming the impending collapse/civil war as well as the sequential rebuilding? + Personal description of society currently
TL;DR : 23(M) in bay area trying to figure out how to position myself for the future in order to survive the shit show without too many scars and be able to be apart of the rebuilding process in an impactful way. What skills/direction do people think are good bets for myself and people my age or anyone reading/interacting with this?
Gonna share my Situation for background as well as perspective on areas that I see decline in across the board. Feel free to build off anything you resonate with or disagree with.
Boomers are locked into houses with low rates and massively high equity but instead of passing that on to the next generation they choose to lord it over everyone and tell people to not buy coffee because that's obviously gonna make the difference in terms of being able to afford a downpayment. Telling everyone to work harder when they have literally have had it the easiest of any generation in human history without showing any gratitude or recognition of that fact.
Myself personally I am a little neutral in terms of if or if not the dollar will remain the world reserve currency for the next 150 years. My gut would say that it won't but that being said things don't really look too much better anywhere else in the world. People talk about BRIC but but they all have worse problems than the US. India is a shithole with poor infrastructure hence so many Indians moving the America specifically the bay area but also they consistently get outsourced by Americans once companies realize they need an ounce of quality in their service or product. The high quality ones leave and the low quality ones stay. Both China and Russia while boasting huge amounts of natural resources and reasonable militaries have dire demographic problems and have been lying about their numbers for years. Europe doesn't look any better either. Realistically I know it sucks in America but it kinda is better than anywhere else. What makes me hesitate is the cycles of history that Ray Dalio talks about where the world reserve currency is kind of destined to change every X amount of years. Have heard some interesting contrasting theories on this specifically the Dollar milkshake theory which I suggest checking out.
Things also don't seem to be getting easier. The pandemic was extremely profitable for everyone but ever since then it has been harder and harder with no real let up or cooling off. I don't see how this can continue without turning to resentment or potentially complete stagnation since young people really don't have any reason to work. They are unable to find someone to have a family with in a healthy way. Unable to afford a house. Can't keep a job to no fault of their own. And can't afford to have kids.
Also the general lack of beautiful design in people's lives makes our lives even more dull than they currently are. Living or working in a McMansion that looks like the inside of a Chick-fil-a is fun for the first five days until its not and then you are back to keeping up with the Jones' in order to fit in: falling back into consumerist culture. I think debt and peoples personal finances are being stretched which makes this problem slightly disappear more and hurt the corporations' pockets but it doesn't solve the problem just reveals the cancer underneath.
Another huge issue is homelessness and specifically illegal immigration which I think partly is done by the Democratic party currently in order to bolster their election chances with November coming not realizing that they are turning away their existing demographics. Another feature of homelessness specifically but also crime and illegal immigration is it inadvertently destroys third spaces which are currently and rightly so being talked about a lot. I will go into this more on the next section.
In terms of physical health again, I am proud of my generation(and others) for caring more about the products that they are putting into their body. Seeds oils, red dye, processed food, micro-plastics, animal and plant products raised in the right way, etc. However the way the food industry is currently set up, being able to have access to clean healthy food is a lot of times unaffordable to most people or the food itself is up for speculation by the media because why would industries do studies on products of hygenic methods that can't make money? Again this seems to be an issue that there is awareness and information on but day by day it seems to be harder and harder to give your body what it needs to feel good based on the current decaying environment.
I'm also going to add a spiritual section here because I feel it needs to be added. We need to hold religious organizations more accountable. I am seeing more and more people being turned away from ideologies that are legitimately beneficial to their lives because of poor leadership, predatory behavior, and fraudulent/scam activities. This may be a result of a society being submerged in decadence but it is really disheartening seeing people being moved away from spirituality because it has been weaponised for the personal gain of those at the top. Feel that needed to be added since it is something I want to engage with more meaningfully in the future.
I said it before but this will be the breaking point in my opinion. If people don't feel like no matter how hard they work, they won't be able to get what they want in terms of normal human desires and needs; Then they will fight and rebel for it which is where I think we are headed, especially concerning young dudes.
I feel we are headed towards extremely turbulent times within the next 4 years. With the boomers dying and leaving the workforce to the rising animosity and resentment that younger people feel with the system regardless of your political ideology it seems we are moving towards some kind of global or civil war. We already see China preparing to invade Taiwan, Russia looking to move further west for expansion and I think similar conflict will happen in the United States. The United States and its dollar are weakening by the day which is why you see the dollar being removed from countries trading oil and why there have been more international conflicts like Armenia, Israel, and Ukraine with more to come.
We are due for a war , turbulent time period, rebalancing, whatever you want to call it but its coming(@ Ray dalio cycles of history)probably this November if I had to guess. I feel like I am gifted to be able to see this stuff and put it into words as many of you guys reading this also probably are but I am feeling lost currently and don't want to lose hope. I know that this is an opportunity for me to go through a hard time and become stronger because of it and hopefully become a responsible and respectable steward for the future when the rebuilding happens assuming I survive without too many scars. But what do I do now? How should I act? Should I go back to college and continue to try and go the old path with the clarity of what I think will happen waiting for my moment to adapt? Or should I be proactive and try something new in order to put myself in a more advantageous position when things inevitably get turned upside down? Combination of both?
My current focus is on my body & mind in terms of food, drink, substances, exercise phone use, media, information, agendas, and mental frameworks since that is all I can realistically invest into currently. I'm naturally an over thinker and a pessimist but think it is important to take the white pill on this one and look to the future with hope in terms of seeing opportunity in the decay of the current flawed system we are in regardless of the fact that I feel as though myself and people around my age currently have it pretty tough right now across the board. I'm emphasizing this because I feel as though this reddit(especially the posts) sometimes just reports the pain and fear instead of trying brainstorm the best ways to adapt and handle what we currently face. I want to have a wife, kids, and a family and feel it is my responsibility to make the best of what I have and be positive in order to get what I want in this life.
Would love to hear from you if you are in a similar situation or a different one. What are your thoughts, feelings, plans, and mentality heading into the future? Are we cooked? Or just waiting for our turn.
submitted by nesdahljj to economicCollapse [link] [comments]
Gonna share my Situation for background as well as perspective on areas that I see decline in across the board. Feel free to build off anything you resonate with or disagree with.
Housing Market/Migration:
Housing market is obviously fucked right for various reasons economically. The new houses that are being built are all of terrible quality by companies such as DR Horton in order to maximize profits which lead to inefficiency when it comes to home value retention and resell ability if they are able to sell at all. The new construction are like I said all shitty but are also being built in general in really shitty areas that don't have high qualities of life or massive weather problems among other cultural, energy, water, immigration or political issues(ie. Texas, Florida, Arizona, etc.) Not saying that other places in the country (New York & California) are perfect or even close to it, but people moving like they are moving to these places is like putting a band aid over the wound(the economy) instead getting to the root of the problem and currently we can see the result of this in said areas. Rising Unaffordability, crime, insurance rates, property taxes(Daddy government always gets his), and general gimmicky shit. Now those same people are moving back to California or New York if they can afford it or most of the time north to the rust belt to do the same thing with probably the same outcome. Interest rates won't come down for probably another 15 years and even if they do everything will be bought up by institutions.Boomers are locked into houses with low rates and massively high equity but instead of passing that on to the next generation they choose to lord it over everyone and tell people to not buy coffee because that's obviously gonna make the difference in terms of being able to afford a downpayment. Telling everyone to work harder when they have literally have had it the easiest of any generation in human history without showing any gratitude or recognition of that fact.
The Dollar:
Its been talked about on here non-stop but national debt is absurd and currently unrepayable unless..... we just print more. Which is what the government does. I don't know if this is fueled by private banks( Look up private banks effects on history specifically during world wars; here is a solid video). But lowering the value of tomorrows dollar to pay off todays debt seems to be the government's only plan in terms of paying things off. This strategy is the only reason the media is able to manufacture delusion in the populous that stocks are high and real estate won't crash. What's really going on is the the prices are staying the same relatively or slightly increasing but that is because the value of the dollar is going down not because the value of the asset is going up. This is a overall assessment, obviously things fluctuate more when you zoom in and look at the fundamentals of individual assets but you get the general point.Myself personally I am a little neutral in terms of if or if not the dollar will remain the world reserve currency for the next 150 years. My gut would say that it won't but that being said things don't really look too much better anywhere else in the world. People talk about BRIC but but they all have worse problems than the US. India is a shithole with poor infrastructure hence so many Indians moving the America specifically the bay area but also they consistently get outsourced by Americans once companies realize they need an ounce of quality in their service or product. The high quality ones leave and the low quality ones stay. Both China and Russia while boasting huge amounts of natural resources and reasonable militaries have dire demographic problems and have been lying about their numbers for years. Europe doesn't look any better either. Realistically I know it sucks in America but it kinda is better than anywhere else. What makes me hesitate is the cycles of history that Ray Dalio talks about where the world reserve currency is kind of destined to change every X amount of years. Have heard some interesting contrasting theories on this specifically the Dollar milkshake theory which I suggest checking out.
Job Market:
Job Market is ridiculous especially for younger people my age. Even my colleagues who went to an alright university are having a hard time getting and keeping a job due to the market. There are tons of ghost jobs that don't actually exist and are only posted in order to make it seem like the company is currently profitable. Just to get a job you not only need to apply to probably around a thousand jobs with a 3% response rate but also you need to be messaging recruiters and people who work at the company in order to get a referral. Even if you were able to get a job, most people I know are searching for another job whether it be part time or full time because they are afraid of being laid off.Things also don't seem to be getting easier. The pandemic was extremely profitable for everyone but ever since then it has been harder and harder with no real let up or cooling off. I don't see how this can continue without turning to resentment or potentially complete stagnation since young people really don't have any reason to work. They are unable to find someone to have a family with in a healthy way. Unable to afford a house. Can't keep a job to no fault of their own. And can't afford to have kids.
Design/Consumerism:
Design and Consumerism are in my opinion evidence of a decaying society currently. There is very little differentiation in design from cars to houses to public or government buildings to art and even products at retail stores. Everything is designed with speed and Price in mind which spirals consumerism further downward(look up refinement culture on google). This promotes things like fast fashion and previously mentioned single use products which make corporations a large amount of money but isn't sustainable for the environment or for individual people's wallets.Also the general lack of beautiful design in people's lives makes our lives even more dull than they currently are. Living or working in a McMansion that looks like the inside of a Chick-fil-a is fun for the first five days until its not and then you are back to keeping up with the Jones' in order to fit in: falling back into consumerist culture. I think debt and peoples personal finances are being stretched which makes this problem slightly disappear more and hurt the corporations' pockets but it doesn't solve the problem just reveals the cancer underneath.
Crime:
Crime obviously is increasingly on the rise and not just with violent crimes. Shoplifting as you know is a huge issue as well as personal stealing to such a prevalence that the sentences on those crimes are being reduced because prisons and jails are being maxed out completely. This doesn't seem to be slowing down and is even shifting to different parts of the country due to internal migration previously talked about above in the housing portion due to unaffordability, interest rates, debt, and population increase(by migration or birth).Another huge issue is homelessness and specifically illegal immigration which I think partly is done by the Democratic party currently in order to bolster their election chances with November coming not realizing that they are turning away their existing demographics. Another feature of homelessness specifically but also crime and illegal immigration is it inadvertently destroys third spaces which are currently and rightly so being talked about a lot. I will go into this more on the next section.
Day to Day Physical and Mental health:
Being able to socialize and hang out with people casually and at no to low cost is becoming increasingly impossible. Being out in public now costs money and that cost is rising day by day exacerbating isolation especially among young people who don't have that much money do begin with. This is a huge reason why I think young people are still willing to go to college the way they still are. even if they go into debt they want access to these third spaces to improve their social, physical and mental Health. I KNOW, myself included, that young people are desperate for third spaces and community even though many are addicted to their phones, don't have good social skills or it costs a significant amount of money to engage in it which is unfortunate and leads to people kind of giving up or at least having a general feeling of hopelessness. The predatory nature of social media companies and targeted advertisers don't help this issue at all either leading to worse mental health as well as more consumerism. Mental health as we all know is a huge issue especially with younger people and even though we have more resources/understanding about it which I am proud of my generation(and others) for being interested and interacting with, dealing with the issue becomes more and more difficult based on our decaying environment day by day.In terms of physical health again, I am proud of my generation(and others) for caring more about the products that they are putting into their body. Seeds oils, red dye, processed food, micro-plastics, animal and plant products raised in the right way, etc. However the way the food industry is currently set up, being able to have access to clean healthy food is a lot of times unaffordable to most people or the food itself is up for speculation by the media because why would industries do studies on products of hygenic methods that can't make money? Again this seems to be an issue that there is awareness and information on but day by day it seems to be harder and harder to give your body what it needs to feel good based on the current decaying environment.
I'm also going to add a spiritual section here because I feel it needs to be added. We need to hold religious organizations more accountable. I am seeing more and more people being turned away from ideologies that are legitimately beneficial to their lives because of poor leadership, predatory behavior, and fraudulent/scam activities. This may be a result of a society being submerged in decadence but it is really disheartening seeing people being moved away from spirituality because it has been weaponised for the personal gain of those at the top. Feel that needed to be added since it is something I want to engage with more meaningfully in the future.
Dating/Families:
This is my opinion will be the breaking point for most people. I think if people were really honest with themselves family would be something that you don't fuck with; future or current. Dating currently is really tough for everyone regardless of what is between your legs. Animosity between genders has been manufactured and in general people have tendencies within this context to be more competitive rather than cooperative which should clearly be indicative that things aren't or are going to work out. The destruction of third spaces, addiction to phones, predatory corporations profiting of loneliness(regardless of sex), inability to buy a house, inability to afford kids, etc have really made people sit back and wonder is any of it really worth it. Should I just indulge in primal desires since my self actualization needs seem so unattainable @ Maslow.I said it before but this will be the breaking point in my opinion. If people don't feel like no matter how hard they work, they won't be able to get what they want in terms of normal human desires and needs; Then they will fight and rebel for it which is where I think we are headed, especially concerning young dudes.
Personal Response:
Grew up in Middle class home in San Jose and had a pretty normal childhood. Don't remember anything too ridiculous around 2008 but we were also renting as well. Things however really ramped up when I got into college specifically during the Pandemic. I spiraled downward and had severe mental and physical issues that resulted in me hitting rock bottom(don't want to play oppression olympics here). Now I'm currently heavily considering going back to finish my degree in Philosophy just to have it. Afterwards looking at sales, one of the trades, or any other opportunity that presents itself in order to get by while things get adjusted.I feel we are headed towards extremely turbulent times within the next 4 years. With the boomers dying and leaving the workforce to the rising animosity and resentment that younger people feel with the system regardless of your political ideology it seems we are moving towards some kind of global or civil war. We already see China preparing to invade Taiwan, Russia looking to move further west for expansion and I think similar conflict will happen in the United States. The United States and its dollar are weakening by the day which is why you see the dollar being removed from countries trading oil and why there have been more international conflicts like Armenia, Israel, and Ukraine with more to come.
We are due for a war , turbulent time period, rebalancing, whatever you want to call it but its coming(@ Ray dalio cycles of history)probably this November if I had to guess. I feel like I am gifted to be able to see this stuff and put it into words as many of you guys reading this also probably are but I am feeling lost currently and don't want to lose hope. I know that this is an opportunity for me to go through a hard time and become stronger because of it and hopefully become a responsible and respectable steward for the future when the rebuilding happens assuming I survive without too many scars. But what do I do now? How should I act? Should I go back to college and continue to try and go the old path with the clarity of what I think will happen waiting for my moment to adapt? Or should I be proactive and try something new in order to put myself in a more advantageous position when things inevitably get turned upside down? Combination of both?
My current focus is on my body & mind in terms of food, drink, substances, exercise phone use, media, information, agendas, and mental frameworks since that is all I can realistically invest into currently. I'm naturally an over thinker and a pessimist but think it is important to take the white pill on this one and look to the future with hope in terms of seeing opportunity in the decay of the current flawed system we are in regardless of the fact that I feel as though myself and people around my age currently have it pretty tough right now across the board. I'm emphasizing this because I feel as though this reddit(especially the posts) sometimes just reports the pain and fear instead of trying brainstorm the best ways to adapt and handle what we currently face. I want to have a wife, kids, and a family and feel it is my responsibility to make the best of what I have and be positive in order to get what I want in this life.
Would love to hear from you if you are in a similar situation or a different one. What are your thoughts, feelings, plans, and mentality heading into the future? Are we cooked? Or just waiting for our turn.
2024.06.09 03:44 ancientdeer9 I’m at my wits end with my broke boyfriend and im thinking of breaking up with him
I (27F) and my bf (31M) have been together for 5 years now and I am at my wits end with the financial stresses this relationship has put on me. It's a long story but I have to give the details for it to make sense.
When we got together I had a job and was making my own money, while he was surviving off investing money he had before we met like stocks and stuff. He is a great person overall he is kind, does romantic gestures and helps around the house like cleaning cooking etc. He and I share 50/50 of the chores and pet care since we do have multiple animals we care for, most of them acquired throughout the years as rescues. The only problem is that throughout the years we have ALWAYS struggled with money. He is not someone that knows how to manage his money and when I tried to be the one in charge it always backfired. Here is some details:
I moved in with him pretty early on within a couple of months in the house he was renting. Orginally he had roommates living with him to help with the rent but he wanted them out so he could live alone, he did this before I even moved in and I did not push or prompt him to do that since I had my own apartment at the time. I had a couple of thousands saved up from when I worked and I ended up quitting my job because I hated it. I had just graduated college and could easily get another job soon. Within the year of being together, he ran fthrough his money bc he wanted to invest in different entrepreneur ideas and none of them stuck. I ended up using all of the money I had saved up in order to get us ahead. He started a social media managing business and I helped him do all the heavy lifting to get it off the ground. I worked HOURS and it took off for a couple of months and then crashed down leaving us broke again. In the midst of all that, he was always stressed out and angry about being broke and not getting ahead. I took a food delivery job to bring in money while he stayed home to get the business ahead.
However everytime I came home he seemed to be doing very minimal work yet I was the one driving for hours to bring in the cash. We made good money those first few months so i wanted to get us back to that. As months passed and the delivery job became saturated with drivers I had to apply to an actual job and work 9-5 hours to bring in more stable money. However, he still wasnt working and that business had already tanked. I asked him multiple times to get a job and while he did apply he never got hired. He also always applied to high qualifying jobs like website designer which has so much competition and he has too little experience. I started to get very resentful because while he kept the house chores afloat it felt like he has leeching off the money I was making.
It got so bad that I had to work my 9-5 and afterwards do food delivery again at a second job. He did drive me around for the second job but I was EXHAUSTED. it was non stop working just to get ahead since we lived in an expensive city, renting a home with lots of pet mouths to feed. We did get his friend to be a roommate for a little while and that helped with rent a bit, but not much. The roommate ended up having to leave so it left us in the same predicament. He tried learning trading online but that went nowhere and left us with more debt since we had to take out a large loan IN MY NAME to pay for it. We got so many loans to get ahead and yet i was still the only one working. He started working in the delivery job at night when i got home to get more money in since that was the only job that hired him. He had to sell his car so we only had 1 car, my car, to get around. I had to ask my dad to borrow one of his cars so we could drive more hours. So now Im working 9-5 with night shifts and he is supplementing with the food delivery job at night but we are still broke.
I was beyond stressed and tired from living in survival mode at this point. I didnt even want to try another job because all other jobs sounded stressful when I was already living in stress and not getting much help. Our bills kept racking up and he had so much debt he had to pay monthly that had to be covered by my paychecks.
We only felt relief when he was granted life changing money in a lawsuit that was going on for years. We were able to pay back debt that was racked up in my name and able to buy a house in a different city as it was cheaper and bigger for our animals. With all of this money he was still complaining and saying he was scared of loosing the money. I understood and I told him i would help him keep track of it since I always was the one in charge of bills. He basically told me that he would handle it himself and I never had access to his account so all of the decisions made with that money were his. I already full of resentment for him that I let him do that so if anything went wrong he wouldnt have anyone to blame but himself. And just as suspected within a year all of those hundreds of thousands of dollars were gone. he did invest it in collectables and was doing good in getting money back weekly like a 2-5k weekly but that only lasted a couple of months. And keep in mind I ALWAYS have helped him. from driving accross town or out of state to set up these events to sell the collectables, to social media management of the business, to helping him stream and being the main person selling on the stream I have put in my share of work as well.
I am now at the point where I have to choose whether to leave or not. we asked my dad for so much financial help throughout the years and we recently asked him AGAIN for help even though i never wanted to go back to that. When i asked financial questions responses were always like "i know what im doing". Despite my work I always got blamed for whatever reason that the business failed. He even told me once that the work i did for our first social media business was easy and didnt understand why it took such a toll on me. I quit that business on the spot and let him handle it which is why it tanked. Throughout the years of resentment we have been increasingly mean to each other and i genuinely cant stand living like this anymore. EVERY SINGLE DAY there is some stress, argument or negative event revolving money.
The only reason im typing this is becuase i want to make sure that I am not crazy. Once he got the money i was able to quit both jobs to rest since i was getting sick from being overworked. During the time of us being broke he stll did things he loved and further his career. so when i could finally quit after 4 years of working nonstop I took this last year to invest in myself and my career while his money took care of us. wouldnt you say thats fair? he doesnt think so. now that all the strain is in his side he harps about needing dual income to surivive which is what i always told him throughout the years but somehow he couldnt get a stable 9-5 like me? Not to mention when i asked him why he didnt want to get a job he said "id rther off myself than work for someone" which i said "no one wants to work for someone else but we all have to do it, IM doing it?"
Im at my wits end and dont think this will ever work or am I missing something here? When i put 110% of my work it was taken for granted and now that Im "taking a break" to work on my career which is very niche and takes time to grow Im in the wrong? Not to forget ive never really stopped working since i keep helping him with the collectables business but i just dont think he knows how to manage money or handle being an entrepreneur and it has wrecked our relationship. I do care for him but with all the stress and horrible day to day life we have created I just dont think i can do this anymore.
submitted by ancientdeer9 to BreakUps [link] [comments]
When we got together I had a job and was making my own money, while he was surviving off investing money he had before we met like stocks and stuff. He is a great person overall he is kind, does romantic gestures and helps around the house like cleaning cooking etc. He and I share 50/50 of the chores and pet care since we do have multiple animals we care for, most of them acquired throughout the years as rescues. The only problem is that throughout the years we have ALWAYS struggled with money. He is not someone that knows how to manage his money and when I tried to be the one in charge it always backfired. Here is some details:
I moved in with him pretty early on within a couple of months in the house he was renting. Orginally he had roommates living with him to help with the rent but he wanted them out so he could live alone, he did this before I even moved in and I did not push or prompt him to do that since I had my own apartment at the time. I had a couple of thousands saved up from when I worked and I ended up quitting my job because I hated it. I had just graduated college and could easily get another job soon. Within the year of being together, he ran fthrough his money bc he wanted to invest in different entrepreneur ideas and none of them stuck. I ended up using all of the money I had saved up in order to get us ahead. He started a social media managing business and I helped him do all the heavy lifting to get it off the ground. I worked HOURS and it took off for a couple of months and then crashed down leaving us broke again. In the midst of all that, he was always stressed out and angry about being broke and not getting ahead. I took a food delivery job to bring in money while he stayed home to get the business ahead.
However everytime I came home he seemed to be doing very minimal work yet I was the one driving for hours to bring in the cash. We made good money those first few months so i wanted to get us back to that. As months passed and the delivery job became saturated with drivers I had to apply to an actual job and work 9-5 hours to bring in more stable money. However, he still wasnt working and that business had already tanked. I asked him multiple times to get a job and while he did apply he never got hired. He also always applied to high qualifying jobs like website designer which has so much competition and he has too little experience. I started to get very resentful because while he kept the house chores afloat it felt like he has leeching off the money I was making.
It got so bad that I had to work my 9-5 and afterwards do food delivery again at a second job. He did drive me around for the second job but I was EXHAUSTED. it was non stop working just to get ahead since we lived in an expensive city, renting a home with lots of pet mouths to feed. We did get his friend to be a roommate for a little while and that helped with rent a bit, but not much. The roommate ended up having to leave so it left us in the same predicament. He tried learning trading online but that went nowhere and left us with more debt since we had to take out a large loan IN MY NAME to pay for it. We got so many loans to get ahead and yet i was still the only one working. He started working in the delivery job at night when i got home to get more money in since that was the only job that hired him. He had to sell his car so we only had 1 car, my car, to get around. I had to ask my dad to borrow one of his cars so we could drive more hours. So now Im working 9-5 with night shifts and he is supplementing with the food delivery job at night but we are still broke.
I was beyond stressed and tired from living in survival mode at this point. I didnt even want to try another job because all other jobs sounded stressful when I was already living in stress and not getting much help. Our bills kept racking up and he had so much debt he had to pay monthly that had to be covered by my paychecks.
We only felt relief when he was granted life changing money in a lawsuit that was going on for years. We were able to pay back debt that was racked up in my name and able to buy a house in a different city as it was cheaper and bigger for our animals. With all of this money he was still complaining and saying he was scared of loosing the money. I understood and I told him i would help him keep track of it since I always was the one in charge of bills. He basically told me that he would handle it himself and I never had access to his account so all of the decisions made with that money were his. I already full of resentment for him that I let him do that so if anything went wrong he wouldnt have anyone to blame but himself. And just as suspected within a year all of those hundreds of thousands of dollars were gone. he did invest it in collectables and was doing good in getting money back weekly like a 2-5k weekly but that only lasted a couple of months. And keep in mind I ALWAYS have helped him. from driving accross town or out of state to set up these events to sell the collectables, to social media management of the business, to helping him stream and being the main person selling on the stream I have put in my share of work as well.
I am now at the point where I have to choose whether to leave or not. we asked my dad for so much financial help throughout the years and we recently asked him AGAIN for help even though i never wanted to go back to that. When i asked financial questions responses were always like "i know what im doing". Despite my work I always got blamed for whatever reason that the business failed. He even told me once that the work i did for our first social media business was easy and didnt understand why it took such a toll on me. I quit that business on the spot and let him handle it which is why it tanked. Throughout the years of resentment we have been increasingly mean to each other and i genuinely cant stand living like this anymore. EVERY SINGLE DAY there is some stress, argument or negative event revolving money.
The only reason im typing this is becuase i want to make sure that I am not crazy. Once he got the money i was able to quit both jobs to rest since i was getting sick from being overworked. During the time of us being broke he stll did things he loved and further his career. so when i could finally quit after 4 years of working nonstop I took this last year to invest in myself and my career while his money took care of us. wouldnt you say thats fair? he doesnt think so. now that all the strain is in his side he harps about needing dual income to surivive which is what i always told him throughout the years but somehow he couldnt get a stable 9-5 like me? Not to mention when i asked him why he didnt want to get a job he said "id rther off myself than work for someone" which i said "no one wants to work for someone else but we all have to do it, IM doing it?"
Im at my wits end and dont think this will ever work or am I missing something here? When i put 110% of my work it was taken for granted and now that Im "taking a break" to work on my career which is very niche and takes time to grow Im in the wrong? Not to forget ive never really stopped working since i keep helping him with the collectables business but i just dont think he knows how to manage money or handle being an entrepreneur and it has wrecked our relationship. I do care for him but with all the stress and horrible day to day life we have created I just dont think i can do this anymore.
2024.06.09 03:36 Joel_Dio I named my cat after DOOM, now that he's gone I want him immortalized on a beer can label. Apologies if this isn't DOOM related enough just delete it
https://ibb.co/sQ4TDSY
Apologies if this isn't allowed here, I don't Reddit all that much and had no idea where to turn. Please just delete if it's against the rules. We suddenly lost our fluffy boy a couple days ago and it's been very hard on both of us. The idea here is to have a shot at memorializing him on a can of Good Neighbour Beer. It's one dollar per vote and all proceeds go to Winnipeg Humane Society. In search of any kind souls willing to send him a vote, as well as guidance on where else I can post this to get him some visibility. If you want to read about DOOM but don't want to vote or follow the link I'll copy/paste the blurb down below. Thanks to anyone who has read this far and "just remember all caps when you spell the man's name"
https://gogo.photo/514605
*Pet's Story
This big beautiful boy brought endless joy to our home. He brought out the best in us and our other pets who weren't very social before he came along. He was intelligent and clumsy, loving and needy, handsome and too beautiful for this world. He loved the outdoors and watching over the neighborhood from our rooftop. I'll never forget coming home from FolkFest to a wide open backdoor thinking we had been robbed, only to realize we left the deadbolt unlocked and DOOM missed us so much he figured out how our doorknob worked and let himself out! If you've never seen a cat jumping up and fumbling with a doorknob like the Raptor in Jurassic Park, it's quite the entertaining sight to see and we saw it every time he wanted to go outside! On June 5th the morning of his second birthday we found him in the parking lot, he had been dead for at least 8 hours and whoever ran him over didn't bother to tell us. He could've been saved, and I'll never be able to let go of that thought. Whenever I cracked a can of beer he'd always come over and sniff it. He seemed to really like the Hazy IPA, just like his dad. I think immortalizing him on a beer can just makes sense, and I greatly appreciate anyone willing to vote and help make this happen while supporting a great cause. We love you so much and hope you're resting in peace Doom "Dumile" Herrington-Klassen. June 5th 2022-2024*
submitted by Joel_Dio to mfdoom [link] [comments]
Apologies if this isn't allowed here, I don't Reddit all that much and had no idea where to turn. Please just delete if it's against the rules. We suddenly lost our fluffy boy a couple days ago and it's been very hard on both of us. The idea here is to have a shot at memorializing him on a can of Good Neighbour Beer. It's one dollar per vote and all proceeds go to Winnipeg Humane Society. In search of any kind souls willing to send him a vote, as well as guidance on where else I can post this to get him some visibility. If you want to read about DOOM but don't want to vote or follow the link I'll copy/paste the blurb down below. Thanks to anyone who has read this far and "just remember all caps when you spell the man's name"
https://gogo.photo/514605
*Pet's Story
This big beautiful boy brought endless joy to our home. He brought out the best in us and our other pets who weren't very social before he came along. He was intelligent and clumsy, loving and needy, handsome and too beautiful for this world. He loved the outdoors and watching over the neighborhood from our rooftop. I'll never forget coming home from FolkFest to a wide open backdoor thinking we had been robbed, only to realize we left the deadbolt unlocked and DOOM missed us so much he figured out how our doorknob worked and let himself out! If you've never seen a cat jumping up and fumbling with a doorknob like the Raptor in Jurassic Park, it's quite the entertaining sight to see and we saw it every time he wanted to go outside! On June 5th the morning of his second birthday we found him in the parking lot, he had been dead for at least 8 hours and whoever ran him over didn't bother to tell us. He could've been saved, and I'll never be able to let go of that thought. Whenever I cracked a can of beer he'd always come over and sniff it. He seemed to really like the Hazy IPA, just like his dad. I think immortalizing him on a beer can just makes sense, and I greatly appreciate anyone willing to vote and help make this happen while supporting a great cause. We love you so much and hope you're resting in peace Doom "Dumile" Herrington-Klassen. June 5th 2022-2024*
2024.06.09 03:34 so-pitted-wabam The Illuminati Sex Cult of Lupe Fiasco
Listen up, folks! Lupe Fiasco isn’t just a lyrical genius; he’s the mastermind behind a secret Illuminati sex cult that’s rewriting the rules of society. His music isn’t just something you listen to – it’s an initiation into a world of hidden desires and forbidden knowledge. 🔥👁️🍑
Imagine this: every beat is a pulse, every verse a caress that teases the edges of your mind, pulling you deeper into a sensual journey. Lupe’s voice whispers secrets, his words wrapping around you like silk, guiding you through the dark corridors of truth and seduction. Each line is a touch, a hint of the mysteries that lie beneath the surface, drawing you into a ritualistic dance of intellect and pleasure.
Lupe’s lyrics are the seductive lure that brings us together, the binding force of our collective awakening. They play like a symphony of rebellion, each note a reminder of our shared mission to uncover the hidden truths and break free from societal chains. His music is a lover’s whisper, intimate and electrifying, urging us to embrace our deepest intellectual desires.
In this secret cult, we gather in the shadows, our minds and bodies entwined in the pursuit of enlightenment. We don’t just hear the music; we feel it, every beat resonating through us, connecting us in a web of esoteric ecstasy. Lupe is our high priest, his verses the sacred texts that lead us through the rituals of awakening.
We explore the sacred geometry of existence, tracing patterns of thought and desire that ignite our minds and bodies. The lines between reality and fantasy blur, and in this heightened state, we experience a profound connection – to each other, to Lupe’s wisdom, and to the greater mysteries of the universe.
Every gathering is a ceremony of liberation, where we shed the constraints of ordinary life and embrace the raw, unfiltered truth. We celebrate our newfound freedom with passionate fervor, our movements synchronized to the rhythm of Lupe’s lyrical guidance. It’s a dance of minds and souls, a fusion of intellectual stimulation and primal instinct.
We are not just listeners; we are the chosen ones, disciples of Lupe’s seductive teachings, bound together by the erotic thrill of enlightenment. His music is the pulse of our revolution, the beat that drives our quest for truth. So, surrender to the allure, embrace the sensuality, and join the Illuminati sex cult led by our prophet, Lupe Fiasco. 🔥👁️🍑
submitted by so-pitted-wabam to circlejerkfiasco [link] [comments]
Imagine this: every beat is a pulse, every verse a caress that teases the edges of your mind, pulling you deeper into a sensual journey. Lupe’s voice whispers secrets, his words wrapping around you like silk, guiding you through the dark corridors of truth and seduction. Each line is a touch, a hint of the mysteries that lie beneath the surface, drawing you into a ritualistic dance of intellect and pleasure.
Lupe’s lyrics are the seductive lure that brings us together, the binding force of our collective awakening. They play like a symphony of rebellion, each note a reminder of our shared mission to uncover the hidden truths and break free from societal chains. His music is a lover’s whisper, intimate and electrifying, urging us to embrace our deepest intellectual desires.
In this secret cult, we gather in the shadows, our minds and bodies entwined in the pursuit of enlightenment. We don’t just hear the music; we feel it, every beat resonating through us, connecting us in a web of esoteric ecstasy. Lupe is our high priest, his verses the sacred texts that lead us through the rituals of awakening.
We explore the sacred geometry of existence, tracing patterns of thought and desire that ignite our minds and bodies. The lines between reality and fantasy blur, and in this heightened state, we experience a profound connection – to each other, to Lupe’s wisdom, and to the greater mysteries of the universe.
Every gathering is a ceremony of liberation, where we shed the constraints of ordinary life and embrace the raw, unfiltered truth. We celebrate our newfound freedom with passionate fervor, our movements synchronized to the rhythm of Lupe’s lyrical guidance. It’s a dance of minds and souls, a fusion of intellectual stimulation and primal instinct.
We are not just listeners; we are the chosen ones, disciples of Lupe’s seductive teachings, bound together by the erotic thrill of enlightenment. His music is the pulse of our revolution, the beat that drives our quest for truth. So, surrender to the allure, embrace the sensuality, and join the Illuminati sex cult led by our prophet, Lupe Fiasco. 🔥👁️🍑
2024.06.09 03:30 philoticstrand [USA-WA] [H] MANY THINGS (PC parts, smarthome electronics, Apple accessories, mech keyboards & accessories, Raspberry Pis, etc.) [W] PayPal or local cash
Hi all, cleaning out a bunch of things that could use a new home.
Shipping from 98103. All prices are without shipping. Will use most affordable shipping possible unless requested otherwise. Open to reasonable offers, combos, etc., but my prices feel pretty decent already IMO.
Please reply here and PM me through regular messages (include zip for shipping), please no chats.
Timestamps (some are exactly one week old today, hopefully that still abides by the rules): https://imgur.com/a/ZPGqamI
Thanks for looking!
submitted by philoticstrand to hardwareswap [link] [comments]
Shipping from 98103. All prices are without shipping. Will use most affordable shipping possible unless requested otherwise. Open to reasonable offers, combos, etc., but my prices feel pretty decent already IMO.
Please reply here and PM me through regular messages (include zip for shipping), please no chats.
Timestamps (some are exactly one week old today, hopefully that still abides by the rules): https://imgur.com/a/ZPGqamI
Thanks for looking!
| availability | item | unit count | unit price | notes | product page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| available | 3080 FE custom 12-pin cable | 1 | $25 | Never used. Made by MB Custom Sleeving (MikezBikez). 45cm length, Teleios black sleeve material, pinout for Corsair SF750 Platinum PSU (maybe other Corsair PSUs compatible, please check before buying). | https://www.facebook.com/mbsleeving |
| available | Alexa Smart Plug | 3 | $7 | Prefer to sell as lot. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MZEEFNX |
| available | Apple iPad Pro 11-inch Smart Keyboard Folio (1st gen) | 1 | $30 | Only compatible with iPad Pro 11 1st gen, has pill-shaped instead of square cutout on back. Very lightly used, excellent condition. | https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Keyboard-Generation-English-Renewed/dp/B07RC814V3 |
| available | Apple iPhone 12 Mini leather case | 1 | $7 | Official case from Apple. Used and fairly broken in, see pics. Still in good condition, don't want it to go to waste. | https://www.walmart.com/ip/iPhone-12-mini-Leather-Case-with-MagSafe-Black/713071237 |
| available | Apple Magic Mouse (1st gen) | 1 | $10 | This is the kind that takes AA batteries. Works well, good condition overall, has decent amount of wear on skates on underside. | https://support.apple.com/en-us/docs/accessories/pp128 |
| available | Apple Magic Trackpad (2nd gen) | 1 | $60 | Like new, white version. | https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MK2D3AM/A/magic-trackpad-white-multi-touch-surface |
| available | CNC aluminum Cherry MX keychain | 1 | $3 | Bought on Massdrop a while ago, like new condition. Silver aluminum body, holds a single Cherry MX switch (happens to be a clicky MX Green). You can add a keycap (not included) on the switch stem. | https://drop.com/buy/cnc-aluminum-cherry-mx-keychain |
| pending | Gigabyte Gaming Box enclosure | 1 | $75 | Enclosure only, no GPU. Short TB3 cable, power cord, and soft carrying case included. Please check size and power compatibility of specific GPUs before buying. Generally only takes 2-slot short ITX GPUs. | https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1080IXEB-8GD/sp#sp |
| available | Google Home Mini (1st gen) | 1 | $15 | Chalk color, has small stain on top. | https://www.bestbuy.com/site/home-mini-1st-generation-smart-speaker-with-google-assistant-chalk/6082194.p |
| available | Google Nest Audio | 2 | $65 | Barely used, charcoal color. | https://store.google.com/us/product/nest_audio |
| available | Hackintosh wifi module (BCM94360NG) | 1 | $20 | Never used. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083YXS7VF |
| available | Intel i5-9600K | 1 | $70 | https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/134896/intel-core-i5-9600k-processor-9m-cache-up-to-4-60-ghz.html | |
| pending | Keychron K2 stock keycap set | 1 | $0 | ABS material, shine-through legends, Cherry profile. | |
| available | Keychron K2 v1 | 1 | $45 | Barely used, RGB backlight, no hotswap, Gateron red switches, aluminum frame. Comes with all original accessories in box. v1 of this board isn't angled and only has one foot position, see here: https://www.keychron.com/pages/keychron-firmware-for-k2. | https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k2-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=31063869718617 |
| available | Keychron K3 v1 | 1 | $35 | Barely used, white backlight, hot swappable, Keychron low-profile optical brown switches. Comes with all original accessories in box. See differences between v1 and v2: https://www.keychron.com/blogs/news/what-s-new-on-the-k3-version-2. | https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-k3-wireless-mechanical-keyboard?variant=32220198600793 |
| available | Keychron optical hot swap switches, black (set of 87) | 1 | $10 | Compatible with Keychron K3, prefer to sell bundled with it. | https://www.keychron.com/products/low-profile-keychron-optical-switch-set-87-pcs?variant=32264204550233 |
| pending | Kindle Paperwhite (10th gen) | 1 | $50 | Barely used. 8GB, wi-fi, black, ad-supported. Includes charging cable. | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXG6C9W |
| available | KPRepublic XDA V2 Gentleman blank keycap set | 1 | $15 | Test fitted once, the look didn't turn out as expected on my board. XDA V2 profile, thick PBT. | https://kprepublic.com/collections/xda-profile/products/xda-v2-gentleman-blank-set-thick-pbt-for-keyboard-gh60-poker-87-tkl-104-ansi-xd64-bm60-xd68-bm65-bm68-dark-grey-black-yellow |
| available | KPRepublic XDA V2 Gentleman English legends keycap set | 1 | $20 | Test fitted once, the look didn't turn out as expected on my board. XDA V2 profile, thick PBT with dye sub legends. | https://kprepublic.com/products/xda-v2-gentleman-set-dye-sub-keycap-set-thick-pbt-for-keyboard-gh60-poker-87-tkl-104-ansi-xd64-bm60-xd68-bm65-bm68-japanese-ru |
| available | LAMY AL-star black EMR stylus with PC/EL pointier nibs (Z107) and POM round nibs (Z108) | 1 | $40 | Three PC/EL nibs and four POM nibs. Used a few times to test an eink tablet. Like new. | https://us-shop.lamy.com/en_us/digital-writing-lamy-al-star-black-emr.html#stylus_nib=7424 |
| available | NCase M1 v6.1 | 1 | $120 | Includes all original parts and accessories. Used for a few years, shows signs of wear on some pieces (see pics) but still in great condition. | https://ncased.com/products/m1-classic |
| available | Noctua NA-JC2 Omnijoin adapter kit | 1 | $0 | Only has two out of four Scotchlok connectors that originally came with it, but still serves its purpose with only two. | https://noctua.at/en/omnijoin_adaptor_set |
| available | Noctua NF-A12x15 chromax black.swap | 1 | $15 | Used in a build for a few years, excellent condition, comes with original box and accessories. | https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a12x15-pwm-chromax-black-swap |
| available | Noctua NH-C14S | 1 | $50 | Comes with additional clips for mounting 120mm x 120mm x 25mm fan instead of 140mm. (find part number) | https://noctua.at/en/products/cpu-cooler-retail/nh-c14s |
| pending | NuPhy Air75 v1 barebones board | 1 | $20 | Brand new in open box. This 75% board is completely barebones, so it has no switches and no keycaps. Compatible with Gateron/NuPhy low-profile hot swap switches and various keycap sets (nSA, DSA, XDA profiles, etc.), many available on nuphy.com. | https://nuphy.com/collections/keyboards/products/air75 |
| pending | Nuphy low-profile switch sampler | 1 | $0 | Four bonus switches that come with the Nuphy Air75 v2 keyboard. One each of the following switch types: Wisteria, Aloe, Cowberry, Moss. | |
| available | O-rings for mechanical keyboard (black) | 1 | $0 | Around 125 o-rings. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0051XWXCE |
| available | O-rings for mechanical keyboard (clear) | 1 | $0 | Around 35 o-rings. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K73IE1C |
| available | Phanteks F120MP fan | 3 | $7 | Black frame, white fan blades. Prefer to sell as lot. | https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-ph-f120mp-radiator-fan/p/N82E16835709037 |
| available | Phanteks F120XP fan | 2 | $7 | Black frame, white fan blades. Prefer to sell as lot. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NC08EE4 |
| available | Phanteks PH-TC14PE cpu cooler | 1 | $25 | Purchased 2016 so doesn't have AM4 mounting bracket but you can email Phanteks to get one for $10ish shipped. Supports LGA115x (incl. LGA1200) but not LGA1700. Black heatsink and two fans with white frames and black blades. All original hardware included in box. | https://www.newegg.com/phanteks-ph-tc12pe-ph-tc14pe-bk/p/N82E16835709011 |
| pending | Pipetto 12.9-inch iPad Pro Origami No4 Slim Folio Case | 1 | $0 | Black variant, compatible with iPad Pro 12.9 3rd/4th/5th gen. Basically a folio that attaches magnetically like Apple's except it has additional folds for more possible angles and orientations. This unit has a defect in the rear camera cutout and overall fit which makes it not fit absolutely perfectly (see pics). Because of this, the seller refunded me and told me to keep it and I also never ended up using it. So I'd like to pass it along for just shipping cost to someone who would use it despite the defect. | https://pipetto.co.uk/products/origami-no4-folio-case |
| pending | Raspberry Pi 2 Model B V1.1 | 1 | $10 | Comes in an assembled clear acrylic case, with small heatsink and fan installed, plus a microSD card. | https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/ |
| pending | Raspberry Pi 3 Model B V1.2 | 1 | $15 | Never used, new in open box. | https://www.raspberrypi.com/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b/ |
| available | Scythe Big Shuriken 3 cpu cooler | 1 | $35 | Used for a year or two in my SFF build. Great performance and excellent condition. Comes with all original parts and box. As far as I can tell this is NOT the rev.B revision. | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MDXVLCZ |
| available | Supernote modded pen | 1 | $20 | Supernote ceramic pen insert modded into Pentel RSVP RT retractable pen body. Had to clip some excess plastic on the insert to complete the mod, per https://old.reddit.com/Supernote/comments/lzl3a1/how_to_safely_diy_a_supernote_pen/igvbjun/. | https://supernote.com/collections/pens/products/refill |
2024.06.09 03:21 Sir-Planks-Alot The Best kind of change
 | Wasn’t sure what CRH was and the others didn’t fit. So just tagged it with the most open ended one. Apologies if it’s wrong. submitted by Sir-Planks-Alot to coins [link] [comments] Happened at my weekend job. |
2024.06.09 03:11 Jackimatic List of Food banks etc on the GC
Updated compiled list of food banks and places to sign up for housing: These places may be able to help if you are short of food.
Not prepared by me, but sharing for visibility.
• The Grocery Club place at Ashmore near Spotlight • Destiny Storehouse Located in: near Ormeau train station. Located 4/2 Guara Grove Pimpama near Ormeau train station. No membership or criteria to shop All discounted food and household goods Free sections available around 2-3 times p/week after every shop in store. When you purchase through the storehouse we can provide more free items for our community Shop local, save money and give back • Serving Our People located in Mermaid Beach, they deliver too. Phone: 04 7677 6707 2582-2584 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218 (entrance on 4-6 Seaview Avenue) • New Life Food Bank 12-16 Dunkirk Cl, Arundel QLD 4214 Phone: 0410 565 781 • Show The Way at 5 Windmill Street, Southport. They do $25 food parcels on Tuesday. You need to register with them on Monday. The phone number is 0432 005 285 All the information is in the link. My experience is that you get a lot of real food from this place, including meat. They are really lovely people to deal with They have a great op shop next door as well • Food Bank Molindinar You have to register and make a booking. Booking is open from Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 2pm by calling 07 5597 5622 you can register at your first visit. Collection every Thursday from 10am to 1pm. Please bring your own grocery bag. No booking, no service • https://www.ozharvest.org/your-local-ozharvest/gold-coast/ Ph: 1800 10806 • .Nerang Neighbourhood Centre (07) 5578 2457 • Set Free Care at 21 Rawlings street Southport do 15 dollar pantry packs in the op shop plus maybe community lunches and breakfasts. Ph: (07) 5500 4454 • St Johns Church Surfers Paradise https://stjohnscc.org.au Text 0402 117 770 • Walk with Us Uniting Church Burleigh Heads CNR Burleigh Street and Reedy Creek Road info@walkwithusgc.com.au www.walkwithusgc.org.au • Agape Outreach do a food service meal for the ones in need/ homeless every Friday between 5 and 6. Runaway Bay Community Centre • YHES House in Southport supports young people 12-21 years old and young parents up to 25 years. Open Monday-Thursday 55285333. • GCPHY have crisis beds and can help Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth. May help adults too. Ph: (07) 5591 3746 • https://www.facebook.com/goldcoastcommunityfund/
• https://www.vibecarepantry.com.au Vibe Care Palm Beach. Shop/10 Eighth Ave, Palm Beach QLD 4221 Ph: (07) 5536 7575 • Palm Beach Neighbourhood Centre offers a range of community support to persons to the southern Gold Coast. http://www.palmbeachnc.org.au/ (07) 5598 1505 reception@palmbeachnc.org.au • Surfers Paradise Anglican Crisis Care Ph: (07) 5531 6013 36 Hamilton Ave. • Angels Kitchen Community Centre, 6 Lawson Street, Southport (Room G3). Operating hours: Sunday ONLY (Open: 3pm and Close: 4:30pm) Ph: George Bent – 0412 961 447 • CrossLife - a baptist church. 170 Nerang St, Southport QLD 4215. Phone: (07) 5531 2946 • Foodbank Queensland Brisbane. 179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170 Phone: (07) 3395 8422 • St John's Anglican Church 14 Park Ave, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 Phone: (07) 5535 6066 • Studio village community centre donates food boxes for people in need mon, tues, thurs and friday you need to ring on the day to receive the next day and the lovlely people there will let you know a collection time 55298253 • Reedy Care at Reedy Creek • Lighthouse Care Loganholme QLD Ph: (07) 3806 0639 • Loaves and Fishes. Street Meet Care Service is a Not-for-Profit Organisation Unit 1 26 Monte Street, Slacks Creek, QLD, Australia, Queensland (07) 3808 5713 enquires@loavesandfishes.org.au www.loavesandfishes.org.au • St Vincents Ph 1800 846 643 • New Life church Robina 4 Greenwich Ct, Robina Ph: 5578 9322 • Kings Church Reedy Creek 68 Gemvale Rd, Reedy Creek Ph: 5593 4233 • There is a new Vibe Pantry at Ern Harley drive next to Elevation Church. M-F 9am -3pm. Free bread, fruit and veges after spending $5 in store. People are amazing! • Tribe of Judah 101 park road, 4114, Slacks Creek Ph: (07) 3290 3610 • Twin Rivers Outlet https://twinrivers.org.au/food-outlet Monday - Saturday 9am - 4pm 104 Twin River Hills Rd, Eagleby, QLD Email: reception@twinrivers.org.au Phone: (07) 3382 4000 • You can also get a food hamper further south at Agape in Recreation street Tweed Heads
• Nils Good Money in Southport on Nerang street they will sort you out with no interest loan up to $1500.
• https://7careconnect.com/ for homeless people • Southport community centre is open Sunday afternoon.
Homeless help
• Mica Projects helps anyone homeless or needing home support Ph 07 30364444
• Try Kalwan Services-Broadbeach. They’re indigenous service but they don’t discriminate. • https://www.unitingcareqld.com.au/services.../homelessness Are you registered with the Homeless Hub? Put in an application with Dept Housing ? Speak to Nerang Neighbourhood Centre, Salvation Army and St Vinnies
Set Free Care in Southport for meals, shower and washing and also I think it's Lawson street in Southport they have hot meals of a night that is beside the RSL. Unfortunately I'm not sure RE accommodation but Set free care also have people from housing and other places come in on Fridays . 21 Rawlins St, Southport QLD 4215 Hours: Wednesday 7:30 am–2:30 pm Thursday 10 am–3 pm Friday 7:30 am–3 pm Saturday 7:30–9:30 am Sunday Closed Monday 10 am–3 pm Tuesday 10 am–3 pm Phone: (07) 5500 4454
• St Vincent de Paul will give you a homeless case worker.
submitted by Jackimatic to GoldCoast [link] [comments]
Not prepared by me, but sharing for visibility.
• The Grocery Club place at Ashmore near Spotlight • Destiny Storehouse Located in: near Ormeau train station. Located 4/2 Guara Grove Pimpama near Ormeau train station. No membership or criteria to shop All discounted food and household goods Free sections available around 2-3 times p/week after every shop in store. When you purchase through the storehouse we can provide more free items for our community Shop local, save money and give back • Serving Our People located in Mermaid Beach, they deliver too. Phone: 04 7677 6707 2582-2584 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218 (entrance on 4-6 Seaview Avenue) • New Life Food Bank 12-16 Dunkirk Cl, Arundel QLD 4214 Phone: 0410 565 781 • Show The Way at 5 Windmill Street, Southport. They do $25 food parcels on Tuesday. You need to register with them on Monday. The phone number is 0432 005 285 All the information is in the link. My experience is that you get a lot of real food from this place, including meat. They are really lovely people to deal with They have a great op shop next door as well • Food Bank Molindinar You have to register and make a booking. Booking is open from Monday to Wednesday from 10am to 2pm by calling 07 5597 5622 you can register at your first visit. Collection every Thursday from 10am to 1pm. Please bring your own grocery bag. No booking, no service • https://www.ozharvest.org/your-local-ozharvest/gold-coast/ Ph: 1800 10806 • .Nerang Neighbourhood Centre (07) 5578 2457 • Set Free Care at 21 Rawlings street Southport do 15 dollar pantry packs in the op shop plus maybe community lunches and breakfasts. Ph: (07) 5500 4454 • St Johns Church Surfers Paradise https://stjohnscc.org.au Text 0402 117 770 • Walk with Us Uniting Church Burleigh Heads CNR Burleigh Street and Reedy Creek Road info@walkwithusgc.com.au www.walkwithusgc.org.au • Agape Outreach do a food service meal for the ones in need/ homeless every Friday between 5 and 6. Runaway Bay Community Centre • YHES House in Southport supports young people 12-21 years old and young parents up to 25 years. Open Monday-Thursday 55285333. • GCPHY have crisis beds and can help Gold Coast Project for Homeless Youth. May help adults too. Ph: (07) 5591 3746 • https://www.facebook.com/goldcoastcommunityfund/
• https://www.vibecarepantry.com.au Vibe Care Palm Beach. Shop/10 Eighth Ave, Palm Beach QLD 4221 Ph: (07) 5536 7575 • Palm Beach Neighbourhood Centre offers a range of community support to persons to the southern Gold Coast. http://www.palmbeachnc.org.au/ (07) 5598 1505 reception@palmbeachnc.org.au • Surfers Paradise Anglican Crisis Care Ph: (07) 5531 6013 36 Hamilton Ave. • Angels Kitchen Community Centre, 6 Lawson Street, Southport (Room G3). Operating hours: Sunday ONLY (Open: 3pm and Close: 4:30pm) Ph: George Bent – 0412 961 447 • CrossLife - a baptist church. 170 Nerang St, Southport QLD 4215. Phone: (07) 5531 2946 • Foodbank Queensland Brisbane. 179 Beverley St, Morningside QLD 4170 Phone: (07) 3395 8422 • St John's Anglican Church 14 Park Ave, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 Phone: (07) 5535 6066 • Studio village community centre donates food boxes for people in need mon, tues, thurs and friday you need to ring on the day to receive the next day and the lovlely people there will let you know a collection time 55298253 • Reedy Care at Reedy Creek • Lighthouse Care Loganholme QLD Ph: (07) 3806 0639 • Loaves and Fishes. Street Meet Care Service is a Not-for-Profit Organisation Unit 1 26 Monte Street, Slacks Creek, QLD, Australia, Queensland (07) 3808 5713 enquires@loavesandfishes.org.au www.loavesandfishes.org.au • St Vincents Ph 1800 846 643 • New Life church Robina 4 Greenwich Ct, Robina Ph: 5578 9322 • Kings Church Reedy Creek 68 Gemvale Rd, Reedy Creek Ph: 5593 4233 • There is a new Vibe Pantry at Ern Harley drive next to Elevation Church. M-F 9am -3pm. Free bread, fruit and veges after spending $5 in store. People are amazing! • Tribe of Judah 101 park road, 4114, Slacks Creek Ph: (07) 3290 3610 • Twin Rivers Outlet https://twinrivers.org.au/food-outlet Monday - Saturday 9am - 4pm 104 Twin River Hills Rd, Eagleby, QLD Email: reception@twinrivers.org.au Phone: (07) 3382 4000 • You can also get a food hamper further south at Agape in Recreation street Tweed Heads
• Nils Good Money in Southport on Nerang street they will sort you out with no interest loan up to $1500.
• https://7careconnect.com/ for homeless people • Southport community centre is open Sunday afternoon.
Homeless help
• Mica Projects helps anyone homeless or needing home support Ph 07 30364444
• Try Kalwan Services-Broadbeach. They’re indigenous service but they don’t discriminate. • https://www.unitingcareqld.com.au/services.../homelessness Are you registered with the Homeless Hub? Put in an application with Dept Housing ? Speak to Nerang Neighbourhood Centre, Salvation Army and St Vinnies
Set Free Care in Southport for meals, shower and washing and also I think it's Lawson street in Southport they have hot meals of a night that is beside the RSL. Unfortunately I'm not sure RE accommodation but Set free care also have people from housing and other places come in on Fridays . 21 Rawlins St, Southport QLD 4215 Hours: Wednesday 7:30 am–2:30 pm Thursday 10 am–3 pm Friday 7:30 am–3 pm Saturday 7:30–9:30 am Sunday Closed Monday 10 am–3 pm Tuesday 10 am–3 pm Phone: (07) 5500 4454
• St Vincent de Paul will give you a homeless case worker.
2024.06.09 02:38 SylvioHalpert [For Sale] The “Having a baby is expensive” sale! (Olivia Rodrigo, Poppy, Bad Omens, Glass Casket, Dance Gavin Dance, Bieber, Iron Maiden, the Lonely Island, The Midnight, Rex OC, Thornhill, Dayseeker) Many titles under $10
All titles are priced below Discogs for the specific variant I’m selling. All records are in great condition. No scratches as far as I’m aware of, comes from a smoke free home, all have been spun multiple times. The packaging may have some slight wear on edges/corners, but not bad. These are more priced to sell and enjoy, not necessarily for pristine collections. I’m willing to send pics if requested.
Shipping to CONUS for $5 for 1 record, then $1 additional for each after, if buying multiple. PayPal G&S ONLY.
Titles I’m selling:
Actor Observer- Pareidolia $8 (coke bottle clear)
Ryan Adams- Gold $30 (black)
Aenimus- Dreamcatcher $10 (purple w/ black splatter)
Alien Weaponry- Tangaroa $20 (teal)
All Pigs Must Die- Nothing Violates This Nature $9 (black)
Anamanaguchi- Summer Singles $20 (white)
Architects- Lost ForeveLost Together $15 (black)
At the Drive In- Interalia $12 (clear w/ purple splatter)
Atreyu- Long Live $15 (black)
Bad Omens- Live + Unplugged $60 (RSD release, magenta inside clear w/ black splatter)
Beat Connection- Product 3 $5 (clear blue)
Beneath the Massacre- Fearmonger $18 (yellow)
Justin Bieber- Changes $20 (red)
Justin Bieber- Justice $15 (silver)
Black Table- Sentinel EP $7 (black)
Bleeding Through- Love Will Kill All $20 (clear w/ black splatter)
Caliban- Zeitgeister $13 (black)
Carnifex- Hell Chose Me $28 (red)
Carnifex- World War X $13 (gold)
Tyler Carter- Moonshine $12 (black/blue split w/ yellow splatter)
Chelsea Grin- Self Inflicted $10 (orange)
Coldplay- A Rush of Blood… $17 (black)
Convictions- I Will Become $18 (black)
Counterparts- Tragedy Will Find Us $15 (silveblack split)
Counterparts- Nothing Left To Love $20 (black inside red w/ black splatter)
Dance Gavin Dance- Mothership $40 (black 180gram)
Dance Gavin Dance- Afterburner $30 (picture disc)
Dayseeker- What It Means… $25 (tigers eye)
Dayseeker- Origin $30 (silver)
Depths of Hatred- Inheritance $20 (black/red split)
Doc Robinson- Licks $10 (black)
Dream State- Primrose Path $16 (white)
Drug Church- Cheer $22 (clear w/ red splatter)
Eisley- I’m Only Dreaming… Of Days Long Past $12 (pink)
Ether Coven- The Relationship… $16 (green/silver smash)
Fit For a King- Descendents $30 (blue/white smash)
Fit For a King- The Path $20 (white/gold smash w/ black splatter)
Frontieres- La Trilogie Insomnia $30
Frontieres- La Trilogie Menace $30
Galactic Empire- s/t $40 (cleaorange split w/ splatter)
Glass Casket- DMD $55 (frankenflame)
Glass Casket- s/t $35 (frankenflame)
Mindy Gledhill- Winter Moon $20 (black)
God Is An Astronaut- Beginning… $16 (2xLP black)
Gorgoroth- Instinctus Bestialis $12 (clear orange)
Great Grief- Love, Lust, and Greed $14 (cloudy pink)
Happy Fits- Awfully A’Peeling $12 (yellow)
Hate Eternal- $15 (red)
Hollow Earth- Silent Graves $10 (purple)
Holy Fawn- Dimensional Bleed $22 (coke bottle clear)
Brittany Howard- Jaime Reimagined $10 (black inside neon pink)
I Am Abomination- To Our Forefathers $20 (clear w/ white, orange, and blue splatter)
I Prevail- Heart Vs. Mind/Lifelines $40 (clear w/ blue blob, clear w/ orange blob)
I Prevail- Trauma $20 (clear green)
In Hearts Wake- Skydancer $12 (clear yellow)
Iron Maiden- Senjutsu $23 (silver)
Issues- Headspace $25 (clear w/ purple splatter)
King Gizzard- Live in London $47 (2xLP, Black w/ holograph, yellow w/ black and white splatter)
Knuckle Puck- 20/20 $10 (black)
Knuckle Puck- Disposable Life EP $15 (cherry red)
Lamb of God- Live in Richmond $10 (black)
Last 10 Seconds of Life- s/t $8 (silver in clear w/ black splatter)
Lonely Island- Turtleneck and Chain (No dvd) $80 (black)
Lonely Island- The Wack Album (no dvd) $25 (black)
Lord Dying- Poisoned Altars $8 (black)
Nick Luca- Line of Sight $12 (black)
The Maples- Nocturnal Play $10 (purple transparent w/ purple splatter)
Martyrdöd- Elddop $6 (black)
Meg and Dia- happysad $8 (pink Galaxy)
Meg and Dia- December, Darling $8 (white w/ gold splatter)
The Midnight- Change Your Heart… $35 (light blue)
Moody Blues- Live at the BBC $22 (3xLP, light blue, dark blue, yellow)
Motives- This World, Not Dead… $8 (clear red)
Northlane- Node 7” Collection $22 (11x clear 7”s)
Parkway Drive- Killing With a Smile $15 (black)
Poppy- I Disagree $60 (black/white smash)
Prep- Futures EP $10 (blue transparent)
Real Friends- Torn In Two $10 (clear w/ mint, pink, blue splatter)
Refused- Freedom $7 (black)
Rex OC- Who Cares? $10 (black)
Rings of Saturn- Gidim $17 (Orange)
Olivia Rodrigo- Sour $15 (transparent blue, alternate artwork)
Schematic- Color Inside the Lines $10 (2xLP, blue)
Secret Band- LP2 $22 (clear w/ yellow, orange, blue splatter)
Seizures- The Sanity Universal $18 (2xLP, clear and black)
Seizures- Reveries $22 (neon Orange)
Shreddy Krueger- Deeper, Darker $8 (clear)
Skyharbor- Sunshine Dust $12 (red)
Sleep On It- Pride & Disaster $8 (black)
State Faults- Resonate/Desperate $12 (black)
State Faults- Clairvoyant $10 (red)
Surprises- Natural Disaster $15 (neon purple)
Svalbard- When I Die, Will I Get Better $22 (violet/orange/white smash w/ splatter)
Thornhill- Dark Pool $55 (baby blue/black smash)
Thornhill- Heroine $28 (gold nugget)
Thy Art Is Murder- Human Target $30 (black/brown smash)
Underoath- Erase Me $13 (acid green)
Venom Prison- Erebos $13 (black)
Vexed- Culling Culture $8 (black)
Vita and the Woolf- Anna Ohio $8 (clear w/ blue and pink splatter)
Walk the Moon- Heights $6 (black)
Waxwing- One For the Ride $18 (cleaopaque blue)
Wear Your Wounds- Rust on the Gates... $12 (2xLP, black)
The Wedding- s/t $30 (2xLP, black)
Whitechapel- Kin $30 (2xLP, black in transparent blue)
Woes- Awful Truth $15 (red/purple split)
Deathgasm soundtrack $45 (2xLP, Black w/ silver splatter, white w/ black splatter)
Edward Scissorhands $35 (clear blue w/ white splatter)
Frozen II $6 (black)
Halloween Kills $27 (clear w/ red and white splatter, art edition)
Me and You and Everyone We Know $6 (blue marble)
Righteous Gemstones (no 7”) $40 (2xLP, gold and white)
submitted by SylvioHalpert to VinylCollectors [link] [comments]
Shipping to CONUS for $5 for 1 record, then $1 additional for each after, if buying multiple. PayPal G&S ONLY.
Titles I’m selling:
Actor Observer- Pareidolia $8 (coke bottle clear)
Ryan Adams- Gold $30 (black)
Aenimus- Dreamcatcher $10 (purple w/ black splatter)
Alien Weaponry- Tangaroa $20 (teal)
All Pigs Must Die- Nothing Violates This Nature $9 (black)
Anamanaguchi- Summer Singles $20 (white)
Architects- Lost ForeveLost Together $15 (black)
At the Drive In- Interalia $12 (clear w/ purple splatter)
Atreyu- Long Live $15 (black)
Bad Omens- Live + Unplugged $60 (RSD release, magenta inside clear w/ black splatter)
Beat Connection- Product 3 $5 (clear blue)
Beneath the Massacre- Fearmonger $18 (yellow)
Justin Bieber- Changes $20 (red)
Justin Bieber- Justice $15 (silver)
Black Table- Sentinel EP $7 (black)
Bleeding Through- Love Will Kill All $20 (clear w/ black splatter)
Caliban- Zeitgeister $13 (black)
Carnifex- Hell Chose Me $28 (red)
Carnifex- World War X $13 (gold)
Tyler Carter- Moonshine $12 (black/blue split w/ yellow splatter)
Chelsea Grin- Self Inflicted $10 (orange)
Coldplay- A Rush of Blood… $17 (black)
Convictions- I Will Become $18 (black)
Counterparts- Tragedy Will Find Us $15 (silveblack split)
Counterparts- Nothing Left To Love $20 (black inside red w/ black splatter)
Dance Gavin Dance- Mothership $40 (black 180gram)
Dance Gavin Dance- Afterburner $30 (picture disc)
Dayseeker- What It Means… $25 (tigers eye)
Dayseeker- Origin $30 (silver)
Depths of Hatred- Inheritance $20 (black/red split)
Doc Robinson- Licks $10 (black)
Dream State- Primrose Path $16 (white)
Drug Church- Cheer $22 (clear w/ red splatter)
Eisley- I’m Only Dreaming… Of Days Long Past $12 (pink)
Ether Coven- The Relationship… $16 (green/silver smash)
Fit For a King- Descendents $30 (blue/white smash)
Fit For a King- The Path $20 (white/gold smash w/ black splatter)
Frontieres- La Trilogie Insomnia $30
Frontieres- La Trilogie Menace $30
Galactic Empire- s/t $40 (cleaorange split w/ splatter)
Glass Casket- DMD $55 (frankenflame)
Glass Casket- s/t $35 (frankenflame)
Mindy Gledhill- Winter Moon $20 (black)
God Is An Astronaut- Beginning… $16 (2xLP black)
Gorgoroth- Instinctus Bestialis $12 (clear orange)
Great Grief- Love, Lust, and Greed $14 (cloudy pink)
Happy Fits- Awfully A’Peeling $12 (yellow)
Hate Eternal- $15 (red)
Hollow Earth- Silent Graves $10 (purple)
Holy Fawn- Dimensional Bleed $22 (coke bottle clear)
Brittany Howard- Jaime Reimagined $10 (black inside neon pink)
I Am Abomination- To Our Forefathers $20 (clear w/ white, orange, and blue splatter)
I Prevail- Heart Vs. Mind/Lifelines $40 (clear w/ blue blob, clear w/ orange blob)
I Prevail- Trauma $20 (clear green)
In Hearts Wake- Skydancer $12 (clear yellow)
Iron Maiden- Senjutsu $23 (silver)
Issues- Headspace $25 (clear w/ purple splatter)
King Gizzard- Live in London $47 (2xLP, Black w/ holograph, yellow w/ black and white splatter)
Knuckle Puck- 20/20 $10 (black)
Knuckle Puck- Disposable Life EP $15 (cherry red)
Lamb of God- Live in Richmond $10 (black)
Last 10 Seconds of Life- s/t $8 (silver in clear w/ black splatter)
Lonely Island- Turtleneck and Chain (No dvd) $80 (black)
Lonely Island- The Wack Album (no dvd) $25 (black)
Lord Dying- Poisoned Altars $8 (black)
Nick Luca- Line of Sight $12 (black)
The Maples- Nocturnal Play $10 (purple transparent w/ purple splatter)
Martyrdöd- Elddop $6 (black)
Meg and Dia- happysad $8 (pink Galaxy)
Meg and Dia- December, Darling $8 (white w/ gold splatter)
The Midnight- Change Your Heart… $35 (light blue)
Moody Blues- Live at the BBC $22 (3xLP, light blue, dark blue, yellow)
Motives- This World, Not Dead… $8 (clear red)
Northlane- Node 7” Collection $22 (11x clear 7”s)
Parkway Drive- Killing With a Smile $15 (black)
Poppy- I Disagree $60 (black/white smash)
Prep- Futures EP $10 (blue transparent)
Real Friends- Torn In Two $10 (clear w/ mint, pink, blue splatter)
Refused- Freedom $7 (black)
Rex OC- Who Cares? $10 (black)
Rings of Saturn- Gidim $17 (Orange)
Olivia Rodrigo- Sour $15 (transparent blue, alternate artwork)
Schematic- Color Inside the Lines $10 (2xLP, blue)
Secret Band- LP2 $22 (clear w/ yellow, orange, blue splatter)
Seizures- The Sanity Universal $18 (2xLP, clear and black)
Seizures- Reveries $22 (neon Orange)
Shreddy Krueger- Deeper, Darker $8 (clear)
Skyharbor- Sunshine Dust $12 (red)
Sleep On It- Pride & Disaster $8 (black)
State Faults- Resonate/Desperate $12 (black)
State Faults- Clairvoyant $10 (red)
Surprises- Natural Disaster $15 (neon purple)
Svalbard- When I Die, Will I Get Better $22 (violet/orange/white smash w/ splatter)
Thornhill- Dark Pool $55 (baby blue/black smash)
Thornhill- Heroine $28 (gold nugget)
Thy Art Is Murder- Human Target $30 (black/brown smash)
Underoath- Erase Me $13 (acid green)
Venom Prison- Erebos $13 (black)
Vexed- Culling Culture $8 (black)
Vita and the Woolf- Anna Ohio $8 (clear w/ blue and pink splatter)
Walk the Moon- Heights $6 (black)
Waxwing- One For the Ride $18 (cleaopaque blue)
Wear Your Wounds- Rust on the Gates... $12 (2xLP, black)
The Wedding- s/t $30 (2xLP, black)
Whitechapel- Kin $30 (2xLP, black in transparent blue)
Woes- Awful Truth $15 (red/purple split)
Deathgasm soundtrack $45 (2xLP, Black w/ silver splatter, white w/ black splatter)
Edward Scissorhands $35 (clear blue w/ white splatter)
Frozen II $6 (black)
Halloween Kills $27 (clear w/ red and white splatter, art edition)
Me and You and Everyone We Know $6 (blue marble)
Righteous Gemstones (no 7”) $40 (2xLP, gold and white)
2024.06.09 01:40 Slidebyte101 [STORE]: 🧧 --- Slidebyte's Ship Shop --- 🧧 (Main Store) Rare Ships, Unique Paints, Legacy Alpha Game Packs & Awards, Store Credit, Middleman Services, Account Liquidation Services, MSR Nightrunner, Free Hangar Fees Award, Subscriber Items & More 🛰
![[STORE]: 🧧 --- Slidebyte's Ship Shop --- 🧧 (Main Store) Rare Ships, Unique Paints, Legacy Alpha Game Packs & Awards, Store Credit, Middleman Services, Account Liquidation Services, MSR Nightrunner, Free Hangar Fees Award, Subscriber Items & More 🛰](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/7pHrSBRqJnZdMvDRBlhk2LjKCP-CEDaibMraDGIn7Z0.jpg "[STORE]: 🧧 --- Slidebyte's Ship Shop --- 🧧 (Main Store) Rare Ships, Unique Paints, Legacy Alpha Game Packs & Awards, Store Credit, Middleman Services, Account Liquidation Services, MSR Nightrunner, Free Hangar Fees Award, Subscriber Items & More 🛰") | Greetings fellow Citizens o7! Long time backer and trader here. submitted by Slidebyte101 to Starcitizen_trades [link] [comments] I've been forced to condense the store to only the rarer items due to an ongoing bug with Reddit's new UI that now prevents me from editing store pages for regular updates. If you're looking for a CCU or something specific feel free to ask. If you're hesitant on a price also feel free to ask, many items are being sold on someone else's behalf so flexibility may vary. Keep an eye out for "SALE" tags where the seller has decided to sell at a loss, less than market value or extremely rare / limited items. -------------------------------------------------- ORDER PROCESS -------------------------------------------------- You will need to provide your Paypal email for the invoice as well as BOTH your RSI email & RSI name that the item/s get sent to. Please familiarize yourself with CiG's gifting rules & ToS on their website. Please understand that some of these items are in buyback and prices are subject to change without my knowledge. If this happens, I'll let you know, and we can reevaluate the transaction. Abbreviations: OC = "Original Concept" obo = "or best offer." OST = "Official Soundtrack" LTI = "Lifetime Insurance" Please understand that this is "not" my job, but I will respond as quickly as possible, usually within a 24hr period. Please allow a minimum of 24hrs for a response. Thanks for understanding! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ IMPORTANT^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ If you're interested in anything or have any questions about items, transfers, CCU chaining or Star Citizen in general, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message. Happy to talk about anything SC related! If you're new to Star Citizen and thinking of buying a game package, feel free to use my promo code to get extra goodies, promotional ships & /or credits added to your account: STAR-YC6L-5ZTY If you're interested in building a fun community, in need of an Org to join & folk to play with, feel free to check out ours: Crypteian State Syndicate [CRYPTEIAN] https://preview.redd.it/4mmre1ziof5d1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b788068320d96d9eb6d45ceaac5ea633a082d59 TABLE OF CONTENTS:
https://preview.redd.it/7atnmjckof5d1.png?width=2900&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd349c70e4829fdb10878ac5b2e4319e27bba579 Game Packages / Ship Packs:
2. Standalone Ships:
3. Unique Paints:
4. Armors / Weapons / Other:
Subscriber items being sold at a loss (no markup for fees):
These store credit sales are Middleman sales for clients, so prices are firm. The price for each transaction is ~59% of melt value + $20 per transaction to cover each giftable host ships. Transactions will be billed independently & limited to 1 per day to stay within CiG's $1000/day limit. Available transactions are as follows:
5. Accounts: - 2014 Space Marshal Account with Unique MSR Night Runner Paint, OC Buyback Ships, Unique Limited Subscriber Items (Big Bennys Machine, 2946+ Trophies Etc.) & Legacy Backer Awards SEE FULL DETAILS HERE -2013 Original Backer High Admiral Account with Original & Veterans Backer Reward, Free Hangar Fees Reward, RSI Class II Test Pilot Space Suit, OC buyback Ships & Legacy Alpha Packages, Unique Limited Subscriber & UEC Items from 2013-2014, F7A Mk II Upgrade & Legacy Backer Awards. SEE FULL DETAILS HERE See ya round the Verse Citizen... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024.06.09 01:27 CIAHerpes I was a member of the Church of the Final Rapture. Our leader wishes to bring about the Apocalypse.
“Before I met the Savior, I was a worthless piece of garbage, barely a human being,” Lovebug droned at the front of the enormous room. Lovebug was a monster of a man, two-hundred and fifty pounds of hard tattooed muscle. Like myself, he was a high-ranking member of the Church.
His flat gray eyes scanned the room with a fanatical gleam. I sat in the first row, watching and waiting. Followers of the Savior would tell their stories, how the Savior had reached down and lifted them out of sin and filth to bring them up to the divine. The bright fluorescent lights overhead droned on with a low hum. Thousands of men crammed together in seats or stood at the back of the room.
The Savior taught only two commandments: to murder is holy, and to die for the Savior is the highest bliss. An army of warriors followed the Savior, knights on a holy crusade, priests who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the foul bodies of any witches or demons we encountered. I thought of myself as a knight for the holy king, our Savior, the mouthpiece of the eternal.
“Now, it is like the hand of God has reached into my heart and loosened all the knots there, the knots of anxiety and fear and uncertainty.” He raised his black, military-style rifle into the air for emphasis. “I never realized the true nature of reality before- the fact that we are living in a simulation where the final battle of good versus evil is playing out before our very eyes. And I will be on the side of the good, until my dying breath. I will be on the side of the Savior and of God!”
The crowd roared and clapped. Men got to their feet, sweating heavily in the boiling hot conference room. I felt the surge of energy pass through me like a tidal wave, the pure confidence and iron will of truth. Lovebug lumbered down off the stage as the Savior came out from behind the red curtains, walking with the straight spine of a soldier. He wore a silky black robe that fluttered softly around him, the hood pulled back.
The Savior had horrific burns running the length of his body. His arms had melted folds of keloid scars visible all the way to the tips of his fingers. His scalp had also melted, and the Savior had no hair except for his eyelashes and eyebrows. But the fire that had nearly killed him had spared his face, an aristocratic visage with ferocious green eyes like those of a cat. That face seemed like it had been sculpted out of marble by DaVinci himself, the high cheekbones jutting out over a chin so sharp that it looked like it could have hammered nails into boards. He stared out at the crowd for a long moment, his gaze unblinking.
“The final battle has begun,” he said in a low voice, no more than a whisper. Yet, in the deathly silence of the hall, his words rang out loud and clear. “Those in charge of this illusory world know that we see them. We see them very well, how they hide behind the curtain. They control the world economy, the justice system. Every government, whether they call themselves communist, authoritarian or democratic, is no more than a puppet in their dancing fingers.
“When anyone tries to stand up and lead the masses of suffering people towards freedom from slavery, they are vilified by the mainstream media, brought up on false charges or killed, their bodies staged to look like a suicide. Look what they did to Jesus, and for what? For telling people to love God more than their rulers? And those who speak out today are also crucified, murdered in prisons or killed by their governments. Truth is the most precious commodity, after all. It is one that can only be purchased with blood.
“So what can we do? How can we fight against such evil?” There was a quiet muttering among the pale, frozen faces that stared up at the stage with adoration and love.
“We can fight it by using their own weapons against them!” the Savior said, his voice rising in speed and pitch. He raised his fisted hands to his chest, accentuating each syllable with a back and forth stab of his hands. “Fight fire with fire, and pay back blood with blood! The only thing these global terrorists understand is greater levels of force. We must show them death on a scale they have never before imagined.” I felt nervous as the Savior delivered his message. I saw other men shuffle anxiously in the crowded auditorium, most of them having high-caliber rifles slung around their shoulders.
I felt the rising violence and bloodlust in the air like electricity before a lightning storm. At that moment, I knew we would all have to fight before too long.
***
The Savior called me and Lovebug back to his office after the speech had ended, sending his squirrely assistant over to deliver the hand-written note in the Savior’s blocky, copperplate handwriting. For a long moment, I simply watched the crowd filtering out of the doors, heading back towards the complex where all the holy soldiers of the Savior lived. Feeling dissociated and light-headed, I followed behind the massive muscular form of Lovebug, the heavy weight of the M16 bouncing against my chest. We pushed through the blood-red velvet curtains, winding our way past stage equipment and down a hallway of pure marble.
Mystical paintings similar to those of Alex Grey covered both walls, showing the inside workings of the human body through art. It was as if the painter had X-ray vision and could see the heart chakra and the countless thin vessels that spiderwebbed up to the crown. But, unlike Alex Grey’s hopeful depictions of mysticism, these showed men and women being burned alive, crucified, decapitated or strangled. Dark colors composed the paintings: the dark blue of a suffocating face, the clotted red of an infected stab wound, the black of death. They captured the essence of struggle perfectly.
The Savior’s office had a thick mahogany door with silver engravings of leaves and vines running the length of it. At the top stood a single staring eye with twelve wavy tentacles emerging from the perimeter of it- the symbol of God, who the Savior had seen personally. God would sometimes speak through the mouth of the Savior, always during times of great tribulation or suffering. Lovebug knocked at the door. The Savior’s deep voice echoed out faintly.
“Come in.”
We entered slowly, the sprawling desk of the Savior filling half of the room. He sat in a comfortable chair behind it, reclining. On the walls behind him, he had pictures of Jesus, Saint Stephen, Gandhi, Hitler, Jim Jones, Shoko Asahara and others who he taught had fought against the world elites and been killed for it.
The Church of the Final Rapture was not a church in the conventional sense. The main teachings didn’t revolve around the divinity of Christ or the nature of original sin. What the Savior taught was far more profound- an illusory or simulated world where every single person could become their own Christ, could awaken to the truth and perform miracles, but only if they believed fully and followed the Savior.
“Sit down, please,” he said in his gravelly voice. “I have a mission I would like to discuss, and you two are the only ones competent and loyal enough to carry it out.”
***
“There is another anomaly spreading,” the Savior said, staring between me and Lovebug with his fanatical emerald eyes. “It is located in a rural part of the United States, in a town called-” he glanced down at the sheet of paper in front of him- “Frost Hollow. Supposedly, there are black-ops sites located nearby, secret alphabet agencies experimenting with magnetic distortion systems and creating rips in the fabric of spacetime with micro-wormholes.
“I don’t think it is much of a leap to say that the anomaly was likely started, either intentionally or unintentionally, by the government, as part of their research. The Cleaners would like to control that power, after all. They have been sending their men after it for years like sheep to the slaughter, expending billions of dollars researching it. If they and the US government end up being able to control the creation and spread of anomalies, they will use it to enslave the world. There is no question about it in my mind.” He leaned forwards towards us, his eyes growing cold.
“There is only one path forward I can see. We need to spread the anomaly, make it become unstable so the demons of Hell contained within it can spill out onto the real world. Perhaps it will awaken the downtrodden masses enough to begin the final revolution. We must fight terrorism with greater terrorism, and violence with greater levels of violence. For this mission, I am sending the two of you into Frost Hollow.
“Your job will be to find the Titan or Titans and lead them out to the border of the anomaly. These are horrendous beasts- indeed, the Church has seen them before. They are nearly impossible to kill. I want you two to go inside, bait it and have it follow you back to the edge, beyond the veil.”
“What’s a Titan?” Lovebug asked, his eyes flicking left and right nervously. The Savior stared at him stonily for a long moment. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites. All the blood seemed to drain from his face. His teeth chattered, his mouth opened, and through it, God spoke, the words pouring out like crashing stones. The voice did not sound anything like the Savior’s. It sounded much deeper, more mechanical, more alien somehow.
“I see you very well. I saw you when you were no more than a blood clot in your mother’s body. I see you even as corpses, rotted, putrefying, crawling with scavengers and insects. I see everything, every moment of time. But, in the anomaly, there are things I cannot see. For this, my holy ones must go forth.
“In the center of Hell, you will find a rose, a bird and a stone. These will be your salvation, if salvation can be found at all. Go with the blessing of Yaldabaoth.” The voice cut off abruptly, the silence deafening. I could hear my own heart pounding in my ears.
The Savior’s eyes came back down, looking confused and uncertain. His pupils were dilated and he was sweating heavily, even though it was cool and air-conditioned back here in his private office. We stared at each other across the table, a no-man’s land that protected me like a shield. For there seemed to be something dark in the Savior along with the light, and I didn’t know if any man could contain that power.
But there was no question of disobeying. Within the hour, Lovebug and I were on one of the Church’s private jets flying to the town of Frost Hollow.
***
The gently rolling hills of Frost Hollow loomed below us as the plane circled the small dirt airstrip in the middle of some cow farms. I looked up at Lovebug, trying to judge his stony expression. He had done many years in prison before joining the Church and finding salvation, even being the leader of one of the gangs. I knew he wasn’t afraid of violence. He had never told me what he did, what tortured him so much.
The Savior had told us much secret knowledge- how to find a Titan, a massive, bloated abomination that could come into being only within an anomaly, a combination of many rotted body pieces fused together in some sort of hellish black magic. The Savior had spies around Frost Hollow and the surrounding towns who had been monitoring the anomaly, watching the unstable gateways leading in and out and mapping them as best they could. We would be given a fast car, plenty of weapons and some body armor. I had no idea how nightmarish the journey would become, however.
“I’m driving,” Lovebug said as we descended the steps. A man in a black suit with the symbol of the eye and tentacles pinned on his black button-up shirt pulled up with a Mercedes AMG-One. It was a sleek, silver thing of immense luxury and power. The craftsmanship made it look like a work of art. I sighed, keeping my finger nervously on the trigger of my rifle as I glanced around the strange, empty town.
“If this thing won’t outrun a Titan, then nothing will,” I said, trying to break the tension. I looked at the speedometer, seeing it went up to 220 miles an hour.
“Damn fucking right,” Lovebug growled as we slid into the futuristic-looking leather seats. The engine turned on like a softly purring kitten. The GPS automatically turned on as well, the soft robotic voice leading us toward one of the more stable portals to the anomaly.
Lovebug sped down the empty forest roads of Frost Hollow, going twice the legal speed limit the entire way.
“The speed limit is only for the lowest common denominator,” Lovebug said pedantically, waggling a tattooed finger for emphasis. The GPS said we would reach the gateway to the anomaly in five minutes. Based on Lovebug’s speed, I thought it would be more like two. “Someone who actually knows how to drive and isn’t drunk or high can easily do 80 in a 40. Easily.” I glanced nervously at the speedometer, realizing he was going over 100 miles an hour now. The sports car hugged the tight corners of the winding forest roads with absolute precision.
“Turn right onto Snake Island Road Extension in five hundred feet,” the robotic female voice. Lovebug slammed on the brakes a few seconds later, the tires skidding and locking up. We looked around frantically, seeing no streets anywhere except the one we were on.
“What the hell?” Lovebug asked. The night was crawling in by now, the darkness covering the forests like a curtain. I squinted, looking at the thick grove of trees on our right, scanning it back and forth over and over. After a few seconds, I realized there was an overgrown dirt path there with no sign. It was nearly impossible to see at night, however, and calling it a road was somewhat of a joke.
“Oh, damn,” I said. “They should’ve given us an SUV.”
***
According to the GPS, our destination was only a thousand feet down Snake Island Road Extension. The low clearance of the Mercedes was a problem as Lovebug tried to navigate the flooded forest path. Deep tread marks flooded with black, stagnant water marked the entirety of Snake Island Road Extension. But ahead, the headlights illuminated something unusual.
Cutting straight across the trees and brush like a razorblade was a shimmering wall of translucent energy. It reminded me of a mirage, curving upwards in wavy spiral patterns. I could see through it easily, but it gave everything a dark, sinister covering. The forest seemed to be in constant motion as the grayish light distorted it.
“Look how huge it is!” I said in awe, staring up at the starry sky. The flat wall rose up seemingly forever, disappearing in the cold void of infinite space. Lovebug slowly ambled the car towards the anomaly, trying to keep the Mercedes from getting stuck with its low clearance.
“You ready for this, man?” Lovebug asked in a quavering voice as we inched towards the anomaly. It was only seconds away now. He grabbed my shoulder. “This is it. Remember the commandments.” I closed my eyes, concentrating my heart on the Savior’s words. Dying for the good is the highest bliss, he had told us.
“Let’s do this,” I said, my eyes flying open from my silent prayer as the hood passed through the anomaly. It disappeared in front of our eyes. We could see the forest on the other side, but the Mercedes looked like it was going through some sort of teleportation portal, being ripped apart layer by layer and sent somewhere else. Lovebug nervously grabbed my hand.
“For the Savior and for the Good,” he whispered as we passed through.
***
I heard screaming and wailing, full of agony and unimaginable horror, like the screams of those burning in Hell. My vision went white. A carpet of morphing dark colors covered everything as the shrieking intensified, until I thought my eardrums would explode.
“Stop!” I cried, feeling the pressure in my head like a splitting migraine. “Stop screaming!” I started kicking, punching, trying to get away.
“Calm the fuck down!” someone whispered, slapping me hard across the face. Stunned, I looked up, seeing Lovebug holding me down in the seat. He was covered in sweat, his face a blank mask of terror. “Don’t scream. There’s things outside that are looking this way.” I blinked fast, my senses coming back to me. I felt like a man waking up from surgery, confused and disoriented, my memories only returning in small trickles and drops.
We were sitting in the Mercedes on a road that looked like it had been made of human skin. The headlights showed the ragged patches of pale, leathery flesh sewn together with black thread. The road disappeared ahead of us in a straight line. The land here looked as flat as Kansas. Like a mirror world, it had houses and restaurants and churches lining both sides of the road, but they were all wrong.
The stone church looked like it was constructed of some kind of red volcanic rock. Baphomets and upside-down pentagrams covered the outer walls, engraved deeply into the glossy surface. Mutilated bodies covered the front lawn, impaled, crucified, skinned alive or burned at the stake. Hundreds of men, women and children lay dead in front of the Satanic temple.
Overhead, the sky bubbled and frothed with red clouds and constant explosions of blue lightning. Like missile flashes, the lightning illuminated the world around us, shining brightly before going dark. The incessant strobing gave the entire place a kind of circus freakshow vibe.
Many of the homes looked like they had been constructed from bones and covered in human skin, like some sort of hellish teepee. Arm and leg bones wrapped in razor-wire formed the pillars. Grinning skulls lined the top of the flat, rectangular roofs, thousands of bleached human heads staring down.
Staring out of the dark doorways, I saw gleaming, silvery eyes. They loomed eight or nine feet in the air on spidery bodies. Their limbs looked as thin as bones, jet-black and dull. The only color from these still revenants was from their unblinking eyes and grinning mouths, where teeth like those of a dragonfish jutted out. Every pair of eyes on that street was fixed intently on the Mercedes, the sick rictus grins on their alien faces never faltering.
“Jesus Christ, I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling weak. “I thought I was in a nightmare for a minute there.” Lovebug shrugged his massive shoulders.
“Yeah, I felt it too, though I came out of it a lot faster than you did,” he said, glancing over at the Satanic church as we passed. It had protective black spikes rising high into the air all around it. The broken body of a child who had been burnt at the stake stood in front of the gates like a death omen, his small, withered hand holding a black rose. Lovebug choked, retching. He nearly rolled down the window, until his eyes met the silvery ones of a nearby abomination.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking closer at the church. On top of the roof, I saw an enormous statue of a black raven, its wings spread as if it were flying. It had three gleaming, silvery eyes embedded into the dark rock.
“That boy just reminds me of my son,” Lovebug whispered glumly, inching along the streets.
“I didn’t know you had a son,” I said, surprised. Lovebug had never mentioned a family. He shrugged.
“I don’t. Not anymore. I killed him. I got drunk and high one night back when I was selling drugs. Fell asleep in the living room with a lit cigarette and burned down the whole house. I killed my wife and son, burned them. They sent me to prison, but what did that matter? The prison up here is far worse.” He tapped the side of his temple.
I was about to say something, but at that moment, many things happened at once.
***
Lovebug was staring at the corpse of the child when an inhumanly long arm reached up from the side of the car. It had fingers like spikes, as sharp as a knife and twice as long as normal human fingers. I gasped, a warning shout welling up in my throat, but the hand came smashing down into the driver’s side window and grabbed Lovebug’s neck.
The window exploded in a shower of safety glass, shattering like brittle bones. Lovebug’s scream was cut off as he was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the car. I swung open my door, leaping out and bringing my rifle around.
The Cheshire Cat grin of the abomination never faltered as it held Lovebug in front of its body like a human shield, holding him by the neck above the ground. Lovebug’s legs kicked and squirmed, his face turning blue as he slowly suffocated. His eyes bulged from their sockets, panicked and rolling, uncomprehending in their total animal panic.
I flicked on the laser sight. It danced over the ground, flashing over the body of Lovebug and the abomination. But I couldn’t aim for its torso or face, as I would probably hit Lovebug in the process. It was far too close.
I aimed for the monster’s thin, skeletal feet, the black toes twisting over each other like the roots of a tree. The gunshots rang out as a deafening counterpoint to the thunder blasts.
The monster gave a hissing gurgle as two bullets caught it in the right ankle. The creature seemed bloodless, and only dust and ashes rolled out of the exploded insectile flesh. It tried to skitter away, but its destroyed ankle caused it to fall forward, throwing Lovebug.
His body rolled across the road, the soft leather that looked like it was made from tens of thousands of human skins. Gasping, his lips still showing a faint blue cast, he struggled to crawl away.
I saw furtive movement from all around us. The creatures in the houses and doorways were moving forwards, drawn by the bloodshed or noise. Hundreds of glowing, silvery eyes surrounded us. I sprinted forward, dragging Lovebug to his feet.
“The church,” I hissed. “It’s the only place.” Still pulling the weak, confused Lovebug behind me, we staggered towards the black gates. They opened with a shriek of rusted metal.
***
The creatures stopped at the gates to the blood-red church, simply staring at us like statues. They didn’t even seem to breathe, their lidless eyes never blinking, the silvery glow never fading.
“I think this is the place we’re meant to go,” I whispered as we made our way towards the massive pointed doors. “When God spoke to us, he said something about a stone, a bird and a rose, that we would find the Titan through that.” I pointed back at the burnt body of the boy. “He’s holding a rose. On top of the building, there’s a bird. And the church is all stone. Maybe this is the place where God wanted us to go all along.”
“Maybe,” Lovebug muttered through heaving gasps, still grabbing at his bruised neck. “God, this hurts. It feels like I got hanged.” Side by side, we pushed open the doors to the Satanic church and walked inside.
***
Row after row of pews stretched out in front of us. Thousands of black candles were set up all around the perimeter of the enormous chamber. They sputtered and flickered constantly, throwing dancing shadows in every direction.
A small pair of bright eyes glanced up at us from under one of the nearby pews. I nearly jumped out of my skin, pointing the rifle at them and yelling.
“Show yourself! Come out now, or I shoot!” Lovebug looked at me, confused. He hadn’t seen it. But a few heartbeats later, a little girl crawled out, her eyes big and blue, her body an emaciated wreck. She wore ripped strands of what looked like leathery human skin to cover herself, tied together with black string. In one small, grime-streaked hand, she held a half-eaten raw mouse.
“Please, don’t kill me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m Emma. My mommy and daddy got dragged away and I’m scared.” I felt sick and weak looking at this small victim. I reached down and helped her up.
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” I said, kneeling down to her level. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. This is Lovebug, and I’m Jack.”
“This isn’t part of the mission, man,” Lovebug said nervously. “What are we supposed to do with her?”
“Well, we can’t just fucking leave her here,” I whispered back. “We need…” But I never got to finish that thought. Because, at that moment, the church woke up.
***
A red glow started at the front of the chamber, the altar where the priest would have stood and given speeches or holy communion. Here, they had a podium that looked like it was carved from a single block of obsidian. Reflected in it, I saw the screaming faces of people burning in Hell, grinning demons ripping off strips of human flesh and spiraling waves of flames, all sculpted by an artist who was able to capture the most miniscule details of agony and torture.
I looked around, realizing Emma had gone. I hadn’t seen her scurry away and hide, but her absence gave me a feeling of crushing dread in my chest.
“Lovebug, something’s wrong,” I whispered, still staring up at the altar. I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I glanced back just in time to see a man wearing full SWAT gear. I caught the flash of a pistol coming down, the butt aimed at my forehead. I heard the cracking, felt the immense pressure and pain. For a few moments, I swam in the currents of consciousness, trying to stay awake, but then the blackness crept in and stole me away.
***
I awoke suddenly, my hands tied so tightly behind my back that I couldn’t feel my fingers. I felt sick and wanted to throw up. I quickly choked those feelings back down. I tried to shake my head, to clear it, but that just brought jolts of pain like electricity shooting through my skull. Nearby, I heard a gunshot, then another.
“Bring it, fuckers!” Lovebug screamed in an insane voice. The explosion of a grenade rocked the building, and I smelled choking black smoke. I opened my eyes, seeing three men in SWAT gear laying dead, their bodies scattered haphazardly around the chaotic scene. One wall of the church had blown outwards, the stone still sending out gray wisps of wavy smoke into the air. I looked at my partner, seeing he had a bullet hole in his left arm and another one in his stomach. He was bleeding heavily, but the adrenaline and insanity seemed to keep him afloat- for now, at least.
I saw something walking towards us from the stage. It looked like a small boy, but black shadows spiraled up around his chest and face, translucent and shimmering darkly. He looked about five or six, his skin pale and smooth. As Lovebug’s face grew slack and distant, the boy abruptly erupted into flames.
“Don’t kill me again, Dad,” the small boy whispered in a hoarse voice choked with pain. The flames rose from his head and skin, melting his flesh, blackening it. Drops of boiling fat dribbled off his nose and chin. “Don’t send me to the dark place again, Dad…” He continued creeping closer to Lovebug, moving like a lion stalking an antelope.
“I didn’t know!” Lovebug cried, his face going paler. Tears streamed from his eyes as the rifle trembled wildly in his shaking hands. For a long moment, he looked torn, the finger tightening on the trigger as sobs escaped his chattering lips.
“Kill it, Lovebug!” I screamed. “Don’t let it get to you!” But as he dropped the rifle and knelt before the small boy, I knew it was too late.
The shadows spun faster and faster around the burning, dying body of the boy. He gave a scream of soul-shattering agony, reaching out to a small hand towards Lovebug.
“Help me!” the boy cried. Lovebug hesitated before bringing an arm up to take the boy’s hand.
“I missed you, Robbie,” Lovebug said before his fingers brushed the boys. The boy lunged forward, grabbing Lovebug’s hand with an iron grip. I saw Lovebug’s eyes widen in shock and surprise. A moment later, I heard the bones in his hand grinding together before breaking with a sound like snapping tree branches. The boy’s eyes darkened into jet-black orbs, the melted lips splitting into a sadistic grin.
“I missed you, too,” the thing hissed as its right arm changed, melting and reforming into something black and blade-like. The insectile limb swung forward in a blur, coming straight at Lovebug’s heart. He gave a panicked squeal a moment before it hit, trying to pull away with all of his considerable strength, his face turning chalk-white as the shattered bones in his hands ground together.
I closed my eyes, rolling away, trying to undo the knots that held my hands in place. Lovebug must have been greatly outnumbered. He would never have let that man tie me up. I heard the sounds of tearing meat and crunching bone nearby. Lovebug’s final breaths gurgled through the air, but I still kept my eyes closed, not wanting to look.
I felt a small tickle on my wrists, then heard a little voice next to my ear.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Emma whispered. I waited a few moments, then I heard the ropes snap. I looked back, seeing her holding a piece of sharp, broken glass in one tiny hand. In her other, she had the car keys. I wondered how she had gotten them, the little pickpocket.
“Thank God,” I said, rubbing my wrists. I looked around for my rifle, seeing it was laying next to the body of one of the SWAT guys. I wondered who these men were. I crawled towards it slowly, not wanting to draw attention.
“Don’t move another step,” a voice growled behind me. I glanced back, seeing the small boy, his features morphing into those of a demon. Curving horns spiraled from his temples. His jet-black eyes stared down at me with hatred and coldness. “You’ll follow your friend who killed my servants. His soul will stay alive forever within my body, a sickly thing wrapped up in an eternal shriek.”
“Fuck you,” I cried, lunging for my rifle. Emma disappeared behind a pew, running on all fours without looking back. I spun as I hit the ground, turning the barrel towards the morphing face of the shape-shifter. Its jaw unhinged, a snake-like tongue flicking out as it flew through the air towards me. Hollow fangs dripping clear venom grew from its mouth in a heartbeat, elongating and sharpening before my very eyes.
I fired twice, the bullets entering through its mouth and coming out the back of its head. Its flesh disintegrated in an instant, the body turning into light, gray ashes that disappeared in the breeze. Breathing hard, I waited, wondering if it was all over.
I heard a rumbling far below me, as if an earthquake were starting. A moment later, the church floor exploded upwards, sharp rubble and splintered boards flying in every direction.
***
“It’s coming!” Emma screamed, running over and grabbing my hand. I lay there, shell-shocked and unmoving for a long moment. In hindsight, the girl was a natural born survivor with much sharper reflexes than me. It was likely the only reason she survived as long as she had.
“The Titan,” I whispered grimly, trying to pull myself up to my feet. But it was like trying to walk on a heaving, sinking ship. Parts of the floor collapsed down into a seemingly never-ending abyss beneath us.
Near the stage, I saw hundreds of long, pale arms pulling something bloated and monstrous out of the ground. It was a Titan, and no explanation can ever convey the true horror of that thing.
It looked like countless human corpses had been melted together, fused into a ball with sagging, boneless chests, deformed faces and millions of writhing maggots. It groaned and gurgled with many lungs, exhaling a rotting, sulfurous breeze that made me want to retch. A soft susurration of many pained, muttering voices continuously emanated from the Titan.
“Emma, run!” I screamed, but she was already sprinting back towards the front door of the church. I backpedaled, afraid to look away from the creeping monstrosity, the juggernaut of rotting flesh moving towards us.
I heard the Titan closing the distance as I sprinted through the front door. The abominations with the silver eyes still slunk around the gate, blocking the car. I raised the rifle, firing blindly at the creatures, careful not to hit the little girl.
“Go to the car!” I screamed at Emma, feeling around for the keys. As the abominations saw the Titan, those still alive scattered, moving in a blur back into the shadows and homes of this rotten place.
The Titan broke the front wall of the church, sending splinters of red stone flying in every direction like bullets. It groaned and gurgled faster, its sickly cries more insistent. I ran to the Mercedes, starting it up and pressing the accelerator to the floor. I pulled a U-turn, heading back to the border of the anomaly.
***
The engine roared, the car bucking like a wild stallion as it pressed me and Emma back into our seats. But the creeping Titan continued gaining speed behind us, and for a few seconds, I feared we would be crushed to death under its massive weight.
The anomaly shimmered ahead of us. I crashed through it at two hundred miles an hour, skidding wildly as the Mercedes hit the dirt road. I nearly flew into a tree. I managed to right it at the last second, pulling onto the paved street as the Titan broke through behind us.
It followed us out. It’s in the real world now.
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His flat gray eyes scanned the room with a fanatical gleam. I sat in the first row, watching and waiting. Followers of the Savior would tell their stories, how the Savior had reached down and lifted them out of sin and filth to bring them up to the divine. The bright fluorescent lights overhead droned on with a low hum. Thousands of men crammed together in seats or stood at the back of the room.
The Savior taught only two commandments: to murder is holy, and to die for the Savior is the highest bliss. An army of warriors followed the Savior, knights on a holy crusade, priests who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the foul bodies of any witches or demons we encountered. I thought of myself as a knight for the holy king, our Savior, the mouthpiece of the eternal.
“Now, it is like the hand of God has reached into my heart and loosened all the knots there, the knots of anxiety and fear and uncertainty.” He raised his black, military-style rifle into the air for emphasis. “I never realized the true nature of reality before- the fact that we are living in a simulation where the final battle of good versus evil is playing out before our very eyes. And I will be on the side of the good, until my dying breath. I will be on the side of the Savior and of God!”
The crowd roared and clapped. Men got to their feet, sweating heavily in the boiling hot conference room. I felt the surge of energy pass through me like a tidal wave, the pure confidence and iron will of truth. Lovebug lumbered down off the stage as the Savior came out from behind the red curtains, walking with the straight spine of a soldier. He wore a silky black robe that fluttered softly around him, the hood pulled back.
The Savior had horrific burns running the length of his body. His arms had melted folds of keloid scars visible all the way to the tips of his fingers. His scalp had also melted, and the Savior had no hair except for his eyelashes and eyebrows. But the fire that had nearly killed him had spared his face, an aristocratic visage with ferocious green eyes like those of a cat. That face seemed like it had been sculpted out of marble by DaVinci himself, the high cheekbones jutting out over a chin so sharp that it looked like it could have hammered nails into boards. He stared out at the crowd for a long moment, his gaze unblinking.
“The final battle has begun,” he said in a low voice, no more than a whisper. Yet, in the deathly silence of the hall, his words rang out loud and clear. “Those in charge of this illusory world know that we see them. We see them very well, how they hide behind the curtain. They control the world economy, the justice system. Every government, whether they call themselves communist, authoritarian or democratic, is no more than a puppet in their dancing fingers.
“When anyone tries to stand up and lead the masses of suffering people towards freedom from slavery, they are vilified by the mainstream media, brought up on false charges or killed, their bodies staged to look like a suicide. Look what they did to Jesus, and for what? For telling people to love God more than their rulers? And those who speak out today are also crucified, murdered in prisons or killed by their governments. Truth is the most precious commodity, after all. It is one that can only be purchased with blood.
“So what can we do? How can we fight against such evil?” There was a quiet muttering among the pale, frozen faces that stared up at the stage with adoration and love.
“We can fight it by using their own weapons against them!” the Savior said, his voice rising in speed and pitch. He raised his fisted hands to his chest, accentuating each syllable with a back and forth stab of his hands. “Fight fire with fire, and pay back blood with blood! The only thing these global terrorists understand is greater levels of force. We must show them death on a scale they have never before imagined.” I felt nervous as the Savior delivered his message. I saw other men shuffle anxiously in the crowded auditorium, most of them having high-caliber rifles slung around their shoulders.
I felt the rising violence and bloodlust in the air like electricity before a lightning storm. At that moment, I knew we would all have to fight before too long.
***
The Savior called me and Lovebug back to his office after the speech had ended, sending his squirrely assistant over to deliver the hand-written note in the Savior’s blocky, copperplate handwriting. For a long moment, I simply watched the crowd filtering out of the doors, heading back towards the complex where all the holy soldiers of the Savior lived. Feeling dissociated and light-headed, I followed behind the massive muscular form of Lovebug, the heavy weight of the M16 bouncing against my chest. We pushed through the blood-red velvet curtains, winding our way past stage equipment and down a hallway of pure marble.
Mystical paintings similar to those of Alex Grey covered both walls, showing the inside workings of the human body through art. It was as if the painter had X-ray vision and could see the heart chakra and the countless thin vessels that spiderwebbed up to the crown. But, unlike Alex Grey’s hopeful depictions of mysticism, these showed men and women being burned alive, crucified, decapitated or strangled. Dark colors composed the paintings: the dark blue of a suffocating face, the clotted red of an infected stab wound, the black of death. They captured the essence of struggle perfectly.
The Savior’s office had a thick mahogany door with silver engravings of leaves and vines running the length of it. At the top stood a single staring eye with twelve wavy tentacles emerging from the perimeter of it- the symbol of God, who the Savior had seen personally. God would sometimes speak through the mouth of the Savior, always during times of great tribulation or suffering. Lovebug knocked at the door. The Savior’s deep voice echoed out faintly.
“Come in.”
We entered slowly, the sprawling desk of the Savior filling half of the room. He sat in a comfortable chair behind it, reclining. On the walls behind him, he had pictures of Jesus, Saint Stephen, Gandhi, Hitler, Jim Jones, Shoko Asahara and others who he taught had fought against the world elites and been killed for it.
The Church of the Final Rapture was not a church in the conventional sense. The main teachings didn’t revolve around the divinity of Christ or the nature of original sin. What the Savior taught was far more profound- an illusory or simulated world where every single person could become their own Christ, could awaken to the truth and perform miracles, but only if they believed fully and followed the Savior.
“Sit down, please,” he said in his gravelly voice. “I have a mission I would like to discuss, and you two are the only ones competent and loyal enough to carry it out.”
***
“There is another anomaly spreading,” the Savior said, staring between me and Lovebug with his fanatical emerald eyes. “It is located in a rural part of the United States, in a town called-” he glanced down at the sheet of paper in front of him- “Frost Hollow. Supposedly, there are black-ops sites located nearby, secret alphabet agencies experimenting with magnetic distortion systems and creating rips in the fabric of spacetime with micro-wormholes.
“I don’t think it is much of a leap to say that the anomaly was likely started, either intentionally or unintentionally, by the government, as part of their research. The Cleaners would like to control that power, after all. They have been sending their men after it for years like sheep to the slaughter, expending billions of dollars researching it. If they and the US government end up being able to control the creation and spread of anomalies, they will use it to enslave the world. There is no question about it in my mind.” He leaned forwards towards us, his eyes growing cold.
“There is only one path forward I can see. We need to spread the anomaly, make it become unstable so the demons of Hell contained within it can spill out onto the real world. Perhaps it will awaken the downtrodden masses enough to begin the final revolution. We must fight terrorism with greater terrorism, and violence with greater levels of violence. For this mission, I am sending the two of you into Frost Hollow.
“Your job will be to find the Titan or Titans and lead them out to the border of the anomaly. These are horrendous beasts- indeed, the Church has seen them before. They are nearly impossible to kill. I want you two to go inside, bait it and have it follow you back to the edge, beyond the veil.”
“What’s a Titan?” Lovebug asked, his eyes flicking left and right nervously. The Savior stared at him stonily for a long moment. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites. All the blood seemed to drain from his face. His teeth chattered, his mouth opened, and through it, God spoke, the words pouring out like crashing stones. The voice did not sound anything like the Savior’s. It sounded much deeper, more mechanical, more alien somehow.
“I see you very well. I saw you when you were no more than a blood clot in your mother’s body. I see you even as corpses, rotted, putrefying, crawling with scavengers and insects. I see everything, every moment of time. But, in the anomaly, there are things I cannot see. For this, my holy ones must go forth.
“In the center of Hell, you will find a rose, a bird and a stone. These will be your salvation, if salvation can be found at all. Go with the blessing of Yaldabaoth.” The voice cut off abruptly, the silence deafening. I could hear my own heart pounding in my ears.
The Savior’s eyes came back down, looking confused and uncertain. His pupils were dilated and he was sweating heavily, even though it was cool and air-conditioned back here in his private office. We stared at each other across the table, a no-man’s land that protected me like a shield. For there seemed to be something dark in the Savior along with the light, and I didn’t know if any man could contain that power.
But there was no question of disobeying. Within the hour, Lovebug and I were on one of the Church’s private jets flying to the town of Frost Hollow.
***
The gently rolling hills of Frost Hollow loomed below us as the plane circled the small dirt airstrip in the middle of some cow farms. I looked up at Lovebug, trying to judge his stony expression. He had done many years in prison before joining the Church and finding salvation, even being the leader of one of the gangs. I knew he wasn’t afraid of violence. He had never told me what he did, what tortured him so much.
The Savior had told us much secret knowledge- how to find a Titan, a massive, bloated abomination that could come into being only within an anomaly, a combination of many rotted body pieces fused together in some sort of hellish black magic. The Savior had spies around Frost Hollow and the surrounding towns who had been monitoring the anomaly, watching the unstable gateways leading in and out and mapping them as best they could. We would be given a fast car, plenty of weapons and some body armor. I had no idea how nightmarish the journey would become, however.
“I’m driving,” Lovebug said as we descended the steps. A man in a black suit with the symbol of the eye and tentacles pinned on his black button-up shirt pulled up with a Mercedes AMG-One. It was a sleek, silver thing of immense luxury and power. The craftsmanship made it look like a work of art. I sighed, keeping my finger nervously on the trigger of my rifle as I glanced around the strange, empty town.
“If this thing won’t outrun a Titan, then nothing will,” I said, trying to break the tension. I looked at the speedometer, seeing it went up to 220 miles an hour.
“Damn fucking right,” Lovebug growled as we slid into the futuristic-looking leather seats. The engine turned on like a softly purring kitten. The GPS automatically turned on as well, the soft robotic voice leading us toward one of the more stable portals to the anomaly.
Lovebug sped down the empty forest roads of Frost Hollow, going twice the legal speed limit the entire way.
“The speed limit is only for the lowest common denominator,” Lovebug said pedantically, waggling a tattooed finger for emphasis. The GPS said we would reach the gateway to the anomaly in five minutes. Based on Lovebug’s speed, I thought it would be more like two. “Someone who actually knows how to drive and isn’t drunk or high can easily do 80 in a 40. Easily.” I glanced nervously at the speedometer, realizing he was going over 100 miles an hour now. The sports car hugged the tight corners of the winding forest roads with absolute precision.
“Turn right onto Snake Island Road Extension in five hundred feet,” the robotic female voice. Lovebug slammed on the brakes a few seconds later, the tires skidding and locking up. We looked around frantically, seeing no streets anywhere except the one we were on.
“What the hell?” Lovebug asked. The night was crawling in by now, the darkness covering the forests like a curtain. I squinted, looking at the thick grove of trees on our right, scanning it back and forth over and over. After a few seconds, I realized there was an overgrown dirt path there with no sign. It was nearly impossible to see at night, however, and calling it a road was somewhat of a joke.
“Oh, damn,” I said. “They should’ve given us an SUV.”
***
According to the GPS, our destination was only a thousand feet down Snake Island Road Extension. The low clearance of the Mercedes was a problem as Lovebug tried to navigate the flooded forest path. Deep tread marks flooded with black, stagnant water marked the entirety of Snake Island Road Extension. But ahead, the headlights illuminated something unusual.
Cutting straight across the trees and brush like a razorblade was a shimmering wall of translucent energy. It reminded me of a mirage, curving upwards in wavy spiral patterns. I could see through it easily, but it gave everything a dark, sinister covering. The forest seemed to be in constant motion as the grayish light distorted it.
“Look how huge it is!” I said in awe, staring up at the starry sky. The flat wall rose up seemingly forever, disappearing in the cold void of infinite space. Lovebug slowly ambled the car towards the anomaly, trying to keep the Mercedes from getting stuck with its low clearance.
“You ready for this, man?” Lovebug asked in a quavering voice as we inched towards the anomaly. It was only seconds away now. He grabbed my shoulder. “This is it. Remember the commandments.” I closed my eyes, concentrating my heart on the Savior’s words. Dying for the good is the highest bliss, he had told us.
“Let’s do this,” I said, my eyes flying open from my silent prayer as the hood passed through the anomaly. It disappeared in front of our eyes. We could see the forest on the other side, but the Mercedes looked like it was going through some sort of teleportation portal, being ripped apart layer by layer and sent somewhere else. Lovebug nervously grabbed my hand.
“For the Savior and for the Good,” he whispered as we passed through.
***
I heard screaming and wailing, full of agony and unimaginable horror, like the screams of those burning in Hell. My vision went white. A carpet of morphing dark colors covered everything as the shrieking intensified, until I thought my eardrums would explode.
“Stop!” I cried, feeling the pressure in my head like a splitting migraine. “Stop screaming!” I started kicking, punching, trying to get away.
“Calm the fuck down!” someone whispered, slapping me hard across the face. Stunned, I looked up, seeing Lovebug holding me down in the seat. He was covered in sweat, his face a blank mask of terror. “Don’t scream. There’s things outside that are looking this way.” I blinked fast, my senses coming back to me. I felt like a man waking up from surgery, confused and disoriented, my memories only returning in small trickles and drops.
We were sitting in the Mercedes on a road that looked like it had been made of human skin. The headlights showed the ragged patches of pale, leathery flesh sewn together with black thread. The road disappeared ahead of us in a straight line. The land here looked as flat as Kansas. Like a mirror world, it had houses and restaurants and churches lining both sides of the road, but they were all wrong.
The stone church looked like it was constructed of some kind of red volcanic rock. Baphomets and upside-down pentagrams covered the outer walls, engraved deeply into the glossy surface. Mutilated bodies covered the front lawn, impaled, crucified, skinned alive or burned at the stake. Hundreds of men, women and children lay dead in front of the Satanic temple.
Overhead, the sky bubbled and frothed with red clouds and constant explosions of blue lightning. Like missile flashes, the lightning illuminated the world around us, shining brightly before going dark. The incessant strobing gave the entire place a kind of circus freakshow vibe.
Many of the homes looked like they had been constructed from bones and covered in human skin, like some sort of hellish teepee. Arm and leg bones wrapped in razor-wire formed the pillars. Grinning skulls lined the top of the flat, rectangular roofs, thousands of bleached human heads staring down.
Staring out of the dark doorways, I saw gleaming, silvery eyes. They loomed eight or nine feet in the air on spidery bodies. Their limbs looked as thin as bones, jet-black and dull. The only color from these still revenants was from their unblinking eyes and grinning mouths, where teeth like those of a dragonfish jutted out. Every pair of eyes on that street was fixed intently on the Mercedes, the sick rictus grins on their alien faces never faltering.
“Jesus Christ, I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling weak. “I thought I was in a nightmare for a minute there.” Lovebug shrugged his massive shoulders.
“Yeah, I felt it too, though I came out of it a lot faster than you did,” he said, glancing over at the Satanic church as we passed. It had protective black spikes rising high into the air all around it. The broken body of a child who had been burnt at the stake stood in front of the gates like a death omen, his small, withered hand holding a black rose. Lovebug choked, retching. He nearly rolled down the window, until his eyes met the silvery ones of a nearby abomination.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking closer at the church. On top of the roof, I saw an enormous statue of a black raven, its wings spread as if it were flying. It had three gleaming, silvery eyes embedded into the dark rock.
“That boy just reminds me of my son,” Lovebug whispered glumly, inching along the streets.
“I didn’t know you had a son,” I said, surprised. Lovebug had never mentioned a family. He shrugged.
“I don’t. Not anymore. I killed him. I got drunk and high one night back when I was selling drugs. Fell asleep in the living room with a lit cigarette and burned down the whole house. I killed my wife and son, burned them. They sent me to prison, but what did that matter? The prison up here is far worse.” He tapped the side of his temple.
I was about to say something, but at that moment, many things happened at once.
***
Lovebug was staring at the corpse of the child when an inhumanly long arm reached up from the side of the car. It had fingers like spikes, as sharp as a knife and twice as long as normal human fingers. I gasped, a warning shout welling up in my throat, but the hand came smashing down into the driver’s side window and grabbed Lovebug’s neck.
The window exploded in a shower of safety glass, shattering like brittle bones. Lovebug’s scream was cut off as he was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the car. I swung open my door, leaping out and bringing my rifle around.
The Cheshire Cat grin of the abomination never faltered as it held Lovebug in front of its body like a human shield, holding him by the neck above the ground. Lovebug’s legs kicked and squirmed, his face turning blue as he slowly suffocated. His eyes bulged from their sockets, panicked and rolling, uncomprehending in their total animal panic.
I flicked on the laser sight. It danced over the ground, flashing over the body of Lovebug and the abomination. But I couldn’t aim for its torso or face, as I would probably hit Lovebug in the process. It was far too close.
I aimed for the monster’s thin, skeletal feet, the black toes twisting over each other like the roots of a tree. The gunshots rang out as a deafening counterpoint to the thunder blasts.
The monster gave a hissing gurgle as two bullets caught it in the right ankle. The creature seemed bloodless, and only dust and ashes rolled out of the exploded insectile flesh. It tried to skitter away, but its destroyed ankle caused it to fall forward, throwing Lovebug.
His body rolled across the road, the soft leather that looked like it was made from tens of thousands of human skins. Gasping, his lips still showing a faint blue cast, he struggled to crawl away.
I saw furtive movement from all around us. The creatures in the houses and doorways were moving forwards, drawn by the bloodshed or noise. Hundreds of glowing, silvery eyes surrounded us. I sprinted forward, dragging Lovebug to his feet.
“The church,” I hissed. “It’s the only place.” Still pulling the weak, confused Lovebug behind me, we staggered towards the black gates. They opened with a shriek of rusted metal.
***
The creatures stopped at the gates to the blood-red church, simply staring at us like statues. They didn’t even seem to breathe, their lidless eyes never blinking, the silvery glow never fading.
“I think this is the place we’re meant to go,” I whispered as we made our way towards the massive pointed doors. “When God spoke to us, he said something about a stone, a bird and a rose, that we would find the Titan through that.” I pointed back at the burnt body of the boy. “He’s holding a rose. On top of the building, there’s a bird. And the church is all stone. Maybe this is the place where God wanted us to go all along.”
“Maybe,” Lovebug muttered through heaving gasps, still grabbing at his bruised neck. “God, this hurts. It feels like I got hanged.” Side by side, we pushed open the doors to the Satanic church and walked inside.
***
Row after row of pews stretched out in front of us. Thousands of black candles were set up all around the perimeter of the enormous chamber. They sputtered and flickered constantly, throwing dancing shadows in every direction.
A small pair of bright eyes glanced up at us from under one of the nearby pews. I nearly jumped out of my skin, pointing the rifle at them and yelling.
“Show yourself! Come out now, or I shoot!” Lovebug looked at me, confused. He hadn’t seen it. But a few heartbeats later, a little girl crawled out, her eyes big and blue, her body an emaciated wreck. She wore ripped strands of what looked like leathery human skin to cover herself, tied together with black string. In one small, grime-streaked hand, she held a half-eaten raw mouse.
“Please, don’t kill me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m Emma. My mommy and daddy got dragged away and I’m scared.” I felt sick and weak looking at this small victim. I reached down and helped her up.
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” I said, kneeling down to her level. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. This is Lovebug, and I’m Jack.”
“This isn’t part of the mission, man,” Lovebug said nervously. “What are we supposed to do with her?”
“Well, we can’t just fucking leave her here,” I whispered back. “We need…” But I never got to finish that thought. Because, at that moment, the church woke up.
***
A red glow started at the front of the chamber, the altar where the priest would have stood and given speeches or holy communion. Here, they had a podium that looked like it was carved from a single block of obsidian. Reflected in it, I saw the screaming faces of people burning in Hell, grinning demons ripping off strips of human flesh and spiraling waves of flames, all sculpted by an artist who was able to capture the most miniscule details of agony and torture.
I looked around, realizing Emma had gone. I hadn’t seen her scurry away and hide, but her absence gave me a feeling of crushing dread in my chest.
“Lovebug, something’s wrong,” I whispered, still staring up at the altar. I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I glanced back just in time to see a man wearing full SWAT gear. I caught the flash of a pistol coming down, the butt aimed at my forehead. I heard the cracking, felt the immense pressure and pain. For a few moments, I swam in the currents of consciousness, trying to stay awake, but then the blackness crept in and stole me away.
***
I awoke suddenly, my hands tied so tightly behind my back that I couldn’t feel my fingers. I felt sick and wanted to throw up. I quickly choked those feelings back down. I tried to shake my head, to clear it, but that just brought jolts of pain like electricity shooting through my skull. Nearby, I heard a gunshot, then another.
“Bring it, fuckers!” Lovebug screamed in an insane voice. The explosion of a grenade rocked the building, and I smelled choking black smoke. I opened my eyes, seeing three men in SWAT gear laying dead, their bodies scattered haphazardly around the chaotic scene. One wall of the church had blown outwards, the stone still sending out gray wisps of wavy smoke into the air. I looked at my partner, seeing he had a bullet hole in his left arm and another one in his stomach. He was bleeding heavily, but the adrenaline and insanity seemed to keep him afloat- for now, at least.
I saw something walking towards us from the stage. It looked like a small boy, but black shadows spiraled up around his chest and face, translucent and shimmering darkly. He looked about five or six, his skin pale and smooth. As Lovebug’s face grew slack and distant, the boy abruptly erupted into flames.
“Don’t kill me again, Dad,” the small boy whispered in a hoarse voice choked with pain. The flames rose from his head and skin, melting his flesh, blackening it. Drops of boiling fat dribbled off his nose and chin. “Don’t send me to the dark place again, Dad…” He continued creeping closer to Lovebug, moving like a lion stalking an antelope.
“I didn’t know!” Lovebug cried, his face going paler. Tears streamed from his eyes as the rifle trembled wildly in his shaking hands. For a long moment, he looked torn, the finger tightening on the trigger as sobs escaped his chattering lips.
“Kill it, Lovebug!” I screamed. “Don’t let it get to you!” But as he dropped the rifle and knelt before the small boy, I knew it was too late.
The shadows spun faster and faster around the burning, dying body of the boy. He gave a scream of soul-shattering agony, reaching out to a small hand towards Lovebug.
“Help me!” the boy cried. Lovebug hesitated before bringing an arm up to take the boy’s hand.
“I missed you, Robbie,” Lovebug said before his fingers brushed the boys. The boy lunged forward, grabbing Lovebug’s hand with an iron grip. I saw Lovebug’s eyes widen in shock and surprise. A moment later, I heard the bones in his hand grinding together before breaking with a sound like snapping tree branches. The boy’s eyes darkened into jet-black orbs, the melted lips splitting into a sadistic grin.
“I missed you, too,” the thing hissed as its right arm changed, melting and reforming into something black and blade-like. The insectile limb swung forward in a blur, coming straight at Lovebug’s heart. He gave a panicked squeal a moment before it hit, trying to pull away with all of his considerable strength, his face turning chalk-white as the shattered bones in his hands ground together.
I closed my eyes, rolling away, trying to undo the knots that held my hands in place. Lovebug must have been greatly outnumbered. He would never have let that man tie me up. I heard the sounds of tearing meat and crunching bone nearby. Lovebug’s final breaths gurgled through the air, but I still kept my eyes closed, not wanting to look.
I felt a small tickle on my wrists, then heard a little voice next to my ear.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Emma whispered. I waited a few moments, then I heard the ropes snap. I looked back, seeing her holding a piece of sharp, broken glass in one tiny hand. In her other, she had the car keys. I wondered how she had gotten them, the little pickpocket.
“Thank God,” I said, rubbing my wrists. I looked around for my rifle, seeing it was laying next to the body of one of the SWAT guys. I wondered who these men were. I crawled towards it slowly, not wanting to draw attention.
“Don’t move another step,” a voice growled behind me. I glanced back, seeing the small boy, his features morphing into those of a demon. Curving horns spiraled from his temples. His jet-black eyes stared down at me with hatred and coldness. “You’ll follow your friend who killed my servants. His soul will stay alive forever within my body, a sickly thing wrapped up in an eternal shriek.”
“Fuck you,” I cried, lunging for my rifle. Emma disappeared behind a pew, running on all fours without looking back. I spun as I hit the ground, turning the barrel towards the morphing face of the shape-shifter. Its jaw unhinged, a snake-like tongue flicking out as it flew through the air towards me. Hollow fangs dripping clear venom grew from its mouth in a heartbeat, elongating and sharpening before my very eyes.
I fired twice, the bullets entering through its mouth and coming out the back of its head. Its flesh disintegrated in an instant, the body turning into light, gray ashes that disappeared in the breeze. Breathing hard, I waited, wondering if it was all over.
I heard a rumbling far below me, as if an earthquake were starting. A moment later, the church floor exploded upwards, sharp rubble and splintered boards flying in every direction.
***
“It’s coming!” Emma screamed, running over and grabbing my hand. I lay there, shell-shocked and unmoving for a long moment. In hindsight, the girl was a natural born survivor with much sharper reflexes than me. It was likely the only reason she survived as long as she had.
“The Titan,” I whispered grimly, trying to pull myself up to my feet. But it was like trying to walk on a heaving, sinking ship. Parts of the floor collapsed down into a seemingly never-ending abyss beneath us.
Near the stage, I saw hundreds of long, pale arms pulling something bloated and monstrous out of the ground. It was a Titan, and no explanation can ever convey the true horror of that thing.
It looked like countless human corpses had been melted together, fused into a ball with sagging, boneless chests, deformed faces and millions of writhing maggots. It groaned and gurgled with many lungs, exhaling a rotting, sulfurous breeze that made me want to retch. A soft susurration of many pained, muttering voices continuously emanated from the Titan.
“Emma, run!” I screamed, but she was already sprinting back towards the front door of the church. I backpedaled, afraid to look away from the creeping monstrosity, the juggernaut of rotting flesh moving towards us.
I heard the Titan closing the distance as I sprinted through the front door. The abominations with the silver eyes still slunk around the gate, blocking the car. I raised the rifle, firing blindly at the creatures, careful not to hit the little girl.
“Go to the car!” I screamed at Emma, feeling around for the keys. As the abominations saw the Titan, those still alive scattered, moving in a blur back into the shadows and homes of this rotten place.
The Titan broke the front wall of the church, sending splinters of red stone flying in every direction like bullets. It groaned and gurgled faster, its sickly cries more insistent. I ran to the Mercedes, starting it up and pressing the accelerator to the floor. I pulled a U-turn, heading back to the border of the anomaly.
***
The engine roared, the car bucking like a wild stallion as it pressed me and Emma back into our seats. But the creeping Titan continued gaining speed behind us, and for a few seconds, I feared we would be crushed to death under its massive weight.
The anomaly shimmered ahead of us. I crashed through it at two hundred miles an hour, skidding wildly as the Mercedes hit the dirt road. I nearly flew into a tree. I managed to right it at the last second, pulling onto the paved street as the Titan broke through behind us.
It followed us out. It’s in the real world now.
2024.06.09 01:26 CIAHerpes I was a member of the Church of the Final Rapture. Our leader wishes to bring about the Apocalypse.
“Before I met the Savior, I was a worthless piece of garbage, barely a human being,” Lovebug droned at the front of the enormous room. Lovebug was a monster of a man, two-hundred and fifty pounds of hard tattooed muscle. Like myself, he was a high-ranking member of the Church.
His flat gray eyes scanned the room with a fanatical gleam. I sat in the first row, watching and waiting. Followers of the Savior would tell their stories, how the Savior had reached down and lifted them out of sin and filth to bring them up to the divine. The bright fluorescent lights overhead droned on with a low hum. Thousands of men crammed together in seats or stood at the back of the room.
The Savior taught only two commandments: to murder is holy, and to die for the Savior is the highest bliss. An army of warriors followed the Savior, knights on a holy crusade, priests who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the foul bodies of any witches or demons we encountered. I thought of myself as a knight for the holy king, our Savior, the mouthpiece of the eternal.
“Now, it is like the hand of God has reached into my heart and loosened all the knots there, the knots of anxiety and fear and uncertainty.” He raised his black, military-style rifle into the air for emphasis. “I never realized the true nature of reality before- the fact that we are living in a simulation where the final battle of good versus evil is playing out before our very eyes. And I will be on the side of the good, until my dying breath. I will be on the side of the Savior and of God!”
The crowd roared and clapped. Men got to their feet, sweating heavily in the boiling hot conference room. I felt the surge of energy pass through me like a tidal wave, the pure confidence and iron will of truth. Lovebug lumbered down off the stage as the Savior came out from behind the red curtains, walking with the straight spine of a soldier. He wore a silky black robe that fluttered softly around him, the hood pulled back.
The Savior had horrific burns running the length of his body. His arms had melted folds of keloid scars visible all the way to the tips of his fingers. His scalp had also melted, and the Savior had no hair except for his eyelashes and eyebrows. But the fire that had nearly killed him had spared his face, an aristocratic visage with ferocious green eyes like those of a cat. That face seemed like it had been sculpted out of marble by DaVinci himself, the high cheekbones jutting out over a chin so sharp that it looked like it could have hammered nails into boards. He stared out at the crowd for a long moment, his gaze unblinking.
“The final battle has begun,” he said in a low voice, no more than a whisper. Yet, in the deathly silence of the hall, his words rang out loud and clear. “Those in charge of this illusory world know that we see them. We see them very well, how they hide behind the curtain. They control the world economy, the justice system. Every government, whether they call themselves communist, authoritarian or democratic, is no more than a puppet in their dancing fingers.
“When anyone tries to stand up and lead the masses of suffering people towards freedom from slavery, they are vilified by the mainstream media, brought up on false charges or killed, their bodies staged to look like a suicide. Look what they did to Jesus, and for what? For telling people to love God more than their rulers? And those who speak out today are also crucified, murdered in prisons or killed by their governments. Truth is the most precious commodity, after all. It is one that can only be purchased with blood.
“So what can we do? How can we fight against such evil?” There was a quiet muttering among the pale, frozen faces that stared up at the stage with adoration and love.
“We can fight it by using their own weapons against them!” the Savior said, his voice rising in speed and pitch. He raised his fisted hands to his chest, accentuating each syllable with a back and forth stab of his hands. “Fight fire with fire, and pay back blood with blood! The only thing these global terrorists understand is greater levels of force. We must show them death on a scale they have never before imagined.” I felt nervous as the Savior delivered his message. I saw other men shuffle anxiously in the crowded auditorium, most of them having high-caliber rifles slung around their shoulders.
I felt the rising violence and bloodlust in the air like electricity before a lightning storm. At that moment, I knew we would all have to fight before too long.
***
The Savior called me and Lovebug back to his office after the speech had ended, sending his squirrely assistant over to deliver the hand-written note in the Savior’s blocky, copperplate handwriting. For a long moment, I simply watched the crowd filtering out of the doors, heading back towards the complex where all the holy soldiers of the Savior lived. Feeling dissociated and light-headed, I followed behind the massive muscular form of Lovebug, the heavy weight of the M16 bouncing against my chest. We pushed through the blood-red velvet curtains, winding our way past stage equipment and down a hallway of pure marble.
Mystical paintings similar to those of Alex Grey covered both walls, showing the inside workings of the human body through art. It was as if the painter had X-ray vision and could see the heart chakra and the countless thin vessels that spiderwebbed up to the crown. But, unlike Alex Grey’s hopeful depictions of mysticism, these showed men and women being burned alive, crucified, decapitated or strangled. Dark colors composed the paintings: the dark blue of a suffocating face, the clotted red of an infected stab wound, the black of death. They captured the essence of struggle perfectly.
The Savior’s office had a thick mahogany door with silver engravings of leaves and vines running the length of it. At the top stood a single staring eye with twelve wavy tentacles emerging from the perimeter of it- the symbol of God, who the Savior had seen personally. God would sometimes speak through the mouth of the Savior, always during times of great tribulation or suffering. Lovebug knocked at the door. The Savior’s deep voice echoed out faintly.
“Come in.”
We entered slowly, the sprawling desk of the Savior filling half of the room. He sat in a comfortable chair behind it, reclining. On the walls behind him, he had pictures of Jesus, Saint Stephen, Gandhi, Hitler, Jim Jones, Shoko Asahara and others who he taught had fought against the world elites and been killed for it.
The Church of the Final Rapture was not a church in the conventional sense. The main teachings didn’t revolve around the divinity of Christ or the nature of original sin. What the Savior taught was far more profound- an illusory or simulated world where every single person could become their own Christ, could awaken to the truth and perform miracles, but only if they believed fully and followed the Savior.
“Sit down, please,” he said in his gravelly voice. “I have a mission I would like to discuss, and you two are the only ones competent and loyal enough to carry it out.”
***
“There is another anomaly spreading,” the Savior said, staring between me and Lovebug with his fanatical emerald eyes. “It is located in a rural part of the United States, in a town called-” he glanced down at the sheet of paper in front of him- “Frost Hollow. Supposedly, there are black-ops sites located nearby, secret alphabet agencies experimenting with magnetic distortion systems and creating rips in the fabric of spacetime with micro-wormholes.
“I don’t think it is much of a leap to say that the anomaly was likely started, either intentionally or unintentionally, by the government, as part of their research. The Cleaners would like to control that power, after all. They have been sending their men after it for years like sheep to the slaughter, expending billions of dollars researching it. If they and the US government end up being able to control the creation and spread of anomalies, they will use it to enslave the world. There is no question about it in my mind.” He leaned forwards towards us, his eyes growing cold.
“There is only one path forward I can see. We need to spread the anomaly, make it become unstable so the demons of Hell contained within it can spill out onto the real world. Perhaps it will awaken the downtrodden masses enough to begin the final revolution. We must fight terrorism with greater terrorism, and violence with greater levels of violence. For this mission, I am sending the two of you into Frost Hollow.
“Your job will be to find the Titan or Titans and lead them out to the border of the anomaly. These are horrendous beasts- indeed, the Church has seen them before. They are nearly impossible to kill. I want you two to go inside, bait it and have it follow you back to the edge, beyond the veil.”
“What’s a Titan?” Lovebug asked, his eyes flicking left and right nervously. The Savior stared at him stonily for a long moment. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites. All the blood seemed to drain from his face. His teeth chattered, his mouth opened, and through it, God spoke, the words pouring out like crashing stones. The voice did not sound anything like the Savior’s. It sounded much deeper, more mechanical, more alien somehow.
“I see you very well. I saw you when you were no more than a blood clot in your mother’s body. I see you even as corpses, rotted, putrefying, crawling with scavengers and insects. I see everything, every moment of time. But, in the anomaly, there are things I cannot see. For this, my holy ones must go forth.
“In the center of Hell, you will find a rose, a bird and a stone. These will be your salvation, if salvation can be found at all. Go with the blessing of Yaldabaoth.” The voice cut off abruptly, the silence deafening. I could hear my own heart pounding in my ears.
The Savior’s eyes came back down, looking confused and uncertain. His pupils were dilated and he was sweating heavily, even though it was cool and air-conditioned back here in his private office. We stared at each other across the table, a no-man’s land that protected me like a shield. For there seemed to be something dark in the Savior along with the light, and I didn’t know if any man could contain that power.
But there was no question of disobeying. Within the hour, Lovebug and I were on one of the Church’s private jets flying to the town of Frost Hollow.
***
The gently rolling hills of Frost Hollow loomed below us as the plane circled the small dirt airstrip in the middle of some cow farms. I looked up at Lovebug, trying to judge his stony expression. He had done many years in prison before joining the Church and finding salvation, even being the leader of one of the gangs. I knew he wasn’t afraid of violence. He had never told me what he did, what tortured him so much.
The Savior had told us much secret knowledge- how to find a Titan, a massive, bloated abomination that could come into being only within an anomaly, a combination of many rotted body pieces fused together in some sort of hellish black magic. The Savior had spies around Frost Hollow and the surrounding towns who had been monitoring the anomaly, watching the unstable gateways leading in and out and mapping them as best they could. We would be given a fast car, plenty of weapons and some body armor. I had no idea how nightmarish the journey would become, however.
“I’m driving,” Lovebug said as we descended the steps. A man in a black suit with the symbol of the eye and tentacles pinned on his black button-up shirt pulled up with a Mercedes AMG-One. It was a sleek, silver thing of immense luxury and power. The craftsmanship made it look like a work of art. I sighed, keeping my finger nervously on the trigger of my rifle as I glanced around the strange, empty town.
“If this thing won’t outrun a Titan, then nothing will,” I said, trying to break the tension. I looked at the speedometer, seeing it went up to 220 miles an hour.
“Damn fucking right,” Lovebug growled as we slid into the futuristic-looking leather seats. The engine turned on like a softly purring kitten. The GPS automatically turned on as well, the soft robotic voice leading us toward one of the more stable portals to the anomaly.
Lovebug sped down the empty forest roads of Frost Hollow, going twice the legal speed limit the entire way.
“The speed limit is only for the lowest common denominator,” Lovebug said pedantically, waggling a tattooed finger for emphasis. The GPS said we would reach the gateway to the anomaly in five minutes. Based on Lovebug’s speed, I thought it would be more like two. “Someone who actually knows how to drive and isn’t drunk or high can easily do 80 in a 40. Easily.” I glanced nervously at the speedometer, realizing he was going over 100 miles an hour now. The sports car hugged the tight corners of the winding forest roads with absolute precision.
“Turn right onto Snake Island Road Extension in five hundred feet,” the robotic female voice. Lovebug slammed on the brakes a few seconds later, the tires skidding and locking up. We looked around frantically, seeing no streets anywhere except the one we were on.
“What the hell?” Lovebug asked. The night was crawling in by now, the darkness covering the forests like a curtain. I squinted, looking at the thick grove of trees on our right, scanning it back and forth over and over. After a few seconds, I realized there was an overgrown dirt path there with no sign. It was nearly impossible to see at night, however, and calling it a road was somewhat of a joke.
“Oh, damn,” I said. “They should’ve given us an SUV.”
***
According to the GPS, our destination was only a thousand feet down Snake Island Road Extension. The low clearance of the Mercedes was a problem as Lovebug tried to navigate the flooded forest path. Deep tread marks flooded with black, stagnant water marked the entirety of Snake Island Road Extension. But ahead, the headlights illuminated something unusual.
Cutting straight across the trees and brush like a razorblade was a shimmering wall of translucent energy. It reminded me of a mirage, curving upwards in wavy spiral patterns. I could see through it easily, but it gave everything a dark, sinister covering. The forest seemed to be in constant motion as the grayish light distorted it.
“Look how huge it is!” I said in awe, staring up at the starry sky. The flat wall rose up seemingly forever, disappearing in the cold void of infinite space. Lovebug slowly ambled the car towards the anomaly, trying to keep the Mercedes from getting stuck with its low clearance.
“You ready for this, man?” Lovebug asked in a quavering voice as we inched towards the anomaly. It was only seconds away now. He grabbed my shoulder. “This is it. Remember the commandments.” I closed my eyes, concentrating my heart on the Savior’s words. Dying for the good is the highest bliss, he had told us.
“Let’s do this,” I said, my eyes flying open from my silent prayer as the hood passed through the anomaly. It disappeared in front of our eyes. We could see the forest on the other side, but the Mercedes looked like it was going through some sort of teleportation portal, being ripped apart layer by layer and sent somewhere else. Lovebug nervously grabbed my hand.
“For the Savior and for the Good,” he whispered as we passed through.
***
I heard screaming and wailing, full of agony and unimaginable horror, like the screams of those burning in Hell. My vision went white. A carpet of morphing dark colors covered everything as the shrieking intensified, until I thought my eardrums would explode.
“Stop!” I cried, feeling the pressure in my head like a splitting migraine. “Stop screaming!” I started kicking, punching, trying to get away.
“Calm the fuck down!” someone whispered, slapping me hard across the face. Stunned, I looked up, seeing Lovebug holding me down in the seat. He was covered in sweat, his face a blank mask of terror. “Don’t scream. There’s things outside that are looking this way.” I blinked fast, my senses coming back to me. I felt like a man waking up from surgery, confused and disoriented, my memories only returning in small trickles and drops.
We were sitting in the Mercedes on a road that looked like it had been made of human skin. The headlights showed the ragged patches of pale, leathery flesh sewn together with black thread. The road disappeared ahead of us in a straight line. The land here looked as flat as Kansas. Like a mirror world, it had houses and restaurants and churches lining both sides of the road, but they were all wrong.
The stone church looked like it was constructed of some kind of red volcanic rock. Baphomets and upside-down pentagrams covered the outer walls, engraved deeply into the glossy surface. Mutilated bodies covered the front lawn, impaled, crucified, skinned alive or burned at the stake. Hundreds of men, women and children lay dead in front of the Satanic temple.
Overhead, the sky bubbled and frothed with red clouds and constant explosions of blue lightning. Like missile flashes, the lightning illuminated the world around us, shining brightly before going dark. The incessant strobing gave the entire place a kind of circus freakshow vibe.
Many of the homes looked like they had been constructed from bones and covered in human skin, like some sort of hellish teepee. Arm and leg bones wrapped in razor-wire formed the pillars. Grinning skulls lined the top of the flat, rectangular roofs, thousands of bleached human heads staring down.
Staring out of the dark doorways, I saw gleaming, silvery eyes. They loomed eight or nine feet in the air on spidery bodies. Their limbs looked as thin as bones, jet-black and dull. The only color from these still revenants was from their unblinking eyes and grinning mouths, where teeth like those of a dragonfish jutted out. Every pair of eyes on that street was fixed intently on the Mercedes, the sick rictus grins on their alien faces never faltering.
“Jesus Christ, I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling weak. “I thought I was in a nightmare for a minute there.” Lovebug shrugged his massive shoulders.
“Yeah, I felt it too, though I came out of it a lot faster than you did,” he said, glancing over at the Satanic church as we passed. It had protective black spikes rising high into the air all around it. The broken body of a child who had been burnt at the stake stood in front of the gates like a death omen, his small, withered hand holding a black rose. Lovebug choked, retching. He nearly rolled down the window, until his eyes met the silvery ones of a nearby abomination.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking closer at the church. On top of the roof, I saw an enormous statue of a black raven, its wings spread as if it were flying. It had three gleaming, silvery eyes embedded into the dark rock.
“That boy just reminds me of my son,” Lovebug whispered glumly, inching along the streets.
“I didn’t know you had a son,” I said, surprised. Lovebug had never mentioned a family. He shrugged.
“I don’t. Not anymore. I killed him. I got drunk and high one night back when I was selling drugs. Fell asleep in the living room with a lit cigarette and burned down the whole house. I killed my wife and son, burned them. They sent me to prison, but what did that matter? The prison up here is far worse.” He tapped the side of his temple.
I was about to say something, but at that moment, many things happened at once.
***
Lovebug was staring at the corpse of the child when an inhumanly long arm reached up from the side of the car. It had fingers like spikes, as sharp as a knife and twice as long as normal human fingers. I gasped, a warning shout welling up in my throat, but the hand came smashing down into the driver’s side window and grabbed Lovebug’s neck.
The window exploded in a shower of safety glass, shattering like brittle bones. Lovebug’s scream was cut off as he was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the car. I swung open my door, leaping out and bringing my rifle around.
The Cheshire Cat grin of the abomination never faltered as it held Lovebug in front of its body like a human shield, holding him by the neck above the ground. Lovebug’s legs kicked and squirmed, his face turning blue as he slowly suffocated. His eyes bulged from their sockets, panicked and rolling, uncomprehending in their total animal panic.
I flicked on the laser sight. It danced over the ground, flashing over the body of Lovebug and the abomination. But I couldn’t aim for its torso or face, as I would probably hit Lovebug in the process. It was far too close.
I aimed for the monster’s thin, skeletal feet, the black toes twisting over each other like the roots of a tree. The gunshots rang out as a deafening counterpoint to the thunder blasts.
The monster gave a hissing gurgle as two bullets caught it in the right ankle. The creature seemed bloodless, and only dust and ashes rolled out of the exploded insectile flesh. It tried to skitter away, but its destroyed ankle caused it to fall forward, throwing Lovebug.
His body rolled across the road, the soft leather that looked like it was made from tens of thousands of human skins. Gasping, his lips still showing a faint blue cast, he struggled to crawl away.
I saw furtive movement from all around us. The creatures in the houses and doorways were moving forwards, drawn by the bloodshed or noise. Hundreds of glowing, silvery eyes surrounded us. I sprinted forward, dragging Lovebug to his feet.
“The church,” I hissed. “It’s the only place.” Still pulling the weak, confused Lovebug behind me, we staggered towards the black gates. They opened with a shriek of rusted metal.
***
The creatures stopped at the gates to the blood-red church, simply staring at us like statues. They didn’t even seem to breathe, their lidless eyes never blinking, the silvery glow never fading.
“I think this is the place we’re meant to go,” I whispered as we made our way towards the massive pointed doors. “When God spoke to us, he said something about a stone, a bird and a rose, that we would find the Titan through that.” I pointed back at the burnt body of the boy. “He’s holding a rose. On top of the building, there’s a bird. And the church is all stone. Maybe this is the place where God wanted us to go all along.”
“Maybe,” Lovebug muttered through heaving gasps, still grabbing at his bruised neck. “God, this hurts. It feels like I got hanged.” Side by side, we pushed open the doors to the Satanic church and walked inside.
***
Row after row of pews stretched out in front of us. Thousands of black candles were set up all around the perimeter of the enormous chamber. They sputtered and flickered constantly, throwing dancing shadows in every direction.
A small pair of bright eyes glanced up at us from under one of the nearby pews. I nearly jumped out of my skin, pointing the rifle at them and yelling.
“Show yourself! Come out now, or I shoot!” Lovebug looked at me, confused. He hadn’t seen it. But a few heartbeats later, a little girl crawled out, her eyes big and blue, her body an emaciated wreck. She wore ripped strands of what looked like leathery human skin to cover herself, tied together with black string. In one small, grime-streaked hand, she held a half-eaten raw mouse.
“Please, don’t kill me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m Emma. My mommy and daddy got dragged away and I’m scared.” I felt sick and weak looking at this small victim. I reached down and helped her up.
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” I said, kneeling down to her level. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. This is Lovebug, and I’m Jack.”
“This isn’t part of the mission, man,” Lovebug said nervously. “What are we supposed to do with her?”
“Well, we can’t just fucking leave her here,” I whispered back. “We need…” But I never got to finish that thought. Because, at that moment, the church woke up.
***
A red glow started at the front of the chamber, the altar where the priest would have stood and given speeches or holy communion. Here, they had a podium that looked like it was carved from a single block of obsidian. Reflected in it, I saw the screaming faces of people burning in Hell, grinning demons ripping off strips of human flesh and spiraling waves of flames, all sculpted by an artist who was able to capture the most miniscule details of agony and torture.
I looked around, realizing Emma had gone. I hadn’t seen her scurry away and hide, but her absence gave me a feeling of crushing dread in my chest.
“Lovebug, something’s wrong,” I whispered, still staring up at the altar. I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I glanced back just in time to see a man wearing full SWAT gear. I caught the flash of a pistol coming down, the butt aimed at my forehead. I heard the cracking, felt the immense pressure and pain. For a few moments, I swam in the currents of consciousness, trying to stay awake, but then the blackness crept in and stole me away.
***
I awoke suddenly, my hands tied so tightly behind my back that I couldn’t feel my fingers. I felt sick and wanted to throw up. I quickly choked those feelings back down. I tried to shake my head, to clear it, but that just brought jolts of pain like electricity shooting through my skull. Nearby, I heard a gunshot, then another.
“Bring it, fuckers!” Lovebug screamed in an insane voice. The explosion of a grenade rocked the building, and I smelled choking black smoke. I opened my eyes, seeing three men in SWAT gear laying dead, their bodies scattered haphazardly around the chaotic scene. One wall of the church had blown outwards, the stone still sending out gray wisps of wavy smoke into the air. I looked at my partner, seeing he had a bullet hole in his left arm and another one in his stomach. He was bleeding heavily, but the adrenaline and insanity seemed to keep him afloat- for now, at least.
I saw something walking towards us from the stage. It looked like a small boy, but black shadows spiraled up around his chest and face, translucent and shimmering darkly. He looked about five or six, his skin pale and smooth. As Lovebug’s face grew slack and distant, the boy abruptly erupted into flames.
“Don’t kill me again, Dad,” the small boy whispered in a hoarse voice choked with pain. The flames rose from his head and skin, melting his flesh, blackening it. Drops of boiling fat dribbled off his nose and chin. “Don’t send me to the dark place again, Dad…” He continued creeping closer to Lovebug, moving like a lion stalking an antelope.
“I didn’t know!” Lovebug cried, his face going paler. Tears streamed from his eyes as the rifle trembled wildly in his shaking hands. For a long moment, he looked torn, the finger tightening on the trigger as sobs escaped his chattering lips.
“Kill it, Lovebug!” I screamed. “Don’t let it get to you!” But as he dropped the rifle and knelt before the small boy, I knew it was too late.
The shadows spun faster and faster around the burning, dying body of the boy. He gave a scream of soul-shattering agony, reaching out to a small hand towards Lovebug.
“Help me!” the boy cried. Lovebug hesitated before bringing an arm up to take the boy’s hand.
“I missed you, Robbie,” Lovebug said before his fingers brushed the boys. The boy lunged forward, grabbing Lovebug’s hand with an iron grip. I saw Lovebug’s eyes widen in shock and surprise. A moment later, I heard the bones in his hand grinding together before breaking with a sound like snapping tree branches. The boy’s eyes darkened into jet-black orbs, the melted lips splitting into a sadistic grin.
“I missed you, too,” the thing hissed as its right arm changed, melting and reforming into something black and blade-like. The insectile limb swung forward in a blur, coming straight at Lovebug’s heart. He gave a panicked squeal a moment before it hit, trying to pull away with all of his considerable strength, his face turning chalk-white as the shattered bones in his hands ground together.
I closed my eyes, rolling away, trying to undo the knots that held my hands in place. Lovebug must have been greatly outnumbered. He would never have let that man tie me up. I heard the sounds of tearing meat and crunching bone nearby. Lovebug’s final breaths gurgled through the air, but I still kept my eyes closed, not wanting to look.
I felt a small tickle on my wrists, then heard a little voice next to my ear.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Emma whispered. I waited a few moments, then I heard the ropes snap. I looked back, seeing her holding a piece of sharp, broken glass in one tiny hand. In her other, she had the car keys. I wondered how she had gotten them, the little pickpocket.
“Thank God,” I said, rubbing my wrists. I looked around for my rifle, seeing it was laying next to the body of one of the SWAT guys. I wondered who these men were. I crawled towards it slowly, not wanting to draw attention.
“Don’t move another step,” a voice growled behind me. I glanced back, seeing the small boy, his features morphing into those of a demon. Curving horns spiraled from his temples. His jet-black eyes stared down at me with hatred and coldness. “You’ll follow your friend who killed my servants. His soul will stay alive forever within my body, a sickly thing wrapped up in an eternal shriek.”
“Fuck you,” I cried, lunging for my rifle. Emma disappeared behind a pew, running on all fours without looking back. I spun as I hit the ground, turning the barrel towards the morphing face of the shape-shifter. Its jaw unhinged, a snake-like tongue flicking out as it flew through the air towards me. Hollow fangs dripping clear venom grew from its mouth in a heartbeat, elongating and sharpening before my very eyes.
I fired twice, the bullets entering through its mouth and coming out the back of its head. Its flesh disintegrated in an instant, the body turning into light, gray ashes that disappeared in the breeze. Breathing hard, I waited, wondering if it was all over.
I heard a rumbling far below me, as if an earthquake were starting. A moment later, the church floor exploded upwards, sharp rubble and splintered boards flying in every direction.
***
“It’s coming!” Emma screamed, running over and grabbing my hand. I lay there, shell-shocked and unmoving for a long moment. In hindsight, the girl was a natural born survivor with much sharper reflexes than me. It was likely the only reason she survived as long as she had.
“The Titan,” I whispered grimly, trying to pull myself up to my feet. But it was like trying to walk on a heaving, sinking ship. Parts of the floor collapsed down into a seemingly never-ending abyss beneath us.
Near the stage, I saw hundreds of long, pale arms pulling something bloated and monstrous out of the ground. It was a Titan, and no explanation can ever convey the true horror of that thing.
It looked like countless human corpses had been melted together, fused into a ball with sagging, boneless chests, deformed faces and millions of writhing maggots. It groaned and gurgled with many lungs, exhaling a rotting, sulfurous breeze that made me want to retch. A soft susurration of many pained, muttering voices continuously emanated from the Titan.
“Emma, run!” I screamed, but she was already sprinting back towards the front door of the church. I backpedaled, afraid to look away from the creeping monstrosity, the juggernaut of rotting flesh moving towards us.
I heard the Titan closing the distance as I sprinted through the front door. The abominations with the silver eyes still slunk around the gate, blocking the car. I raised the rifle, firing blindly at the creatures, careful not to hit the little girl.
“Go to the car!” I screamed at Emma, feeling around for the keys. As the abominations saw the Titan, those still alive scattered, moving in a blur back into the shadows and homes of this rotten place.
The Titan broke the front wall of the church, sending splinters of red stone flying in every direction like bullets. It groaned and gurgled faster, its sickly cries more insistent. I ran to the Mercedes, starting it up and pressing the accelerator to the floor. I pulled a U-turn, heading back to the border of the anomaly.
***
The engine roared, the car bucking like a wild stallion as it pressed me and Emma back into our seats. But the creeping Titan continued gaining speed behind us, and for a few seconds, I feared we would be crushed to death under its massive weight.
The anomaly shimmered ahead of us. I crashed through it at two hundred miles an hour, skidding wildly as the Mercedes hit the dirt road. I nearly flew into a tree. I managed to right it at the last second, pulling onto the paved street as the Titan broke through behind us.
It followed us out. It’s in the real world now.
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His flat gray eyes scanned the room with a fanatical gleam. I sat in the first row, watching and waiting. Followers of the Savior would tell their stories, how the Savior had reached down and lifted them out of sin and filth to bring them up to the divine. The bright fluorescent lights overhead droned on with a low hum. Thousands of men crammed together in seats or stood at the back of the room.
The Savior taught only two commandments: to murder is holy, and to die for the Savior is the highest bliss. An army of warriors followed the Savior, knights on a holy crusade, priests who wouldn’t hesitate to burn the foul bodies of any witches or demons we encountered. I thought of myself as a knight for the holy king, our Savior, the mouthpiece of the eternal.
“Now, it is like the hand of God has reached into my heart and loosened all the knots there, the knots of anxiety and fear and uncertainty.” He raised his black, military-style rifle into the air for emphasis. “I never realized the true nature of reality before- the fact that we are living in a simulation where the final battle of good versus evil is playing out before our very eyes. And I will be on the side of the good, until my dying breath. I will be on the side of the Savior and of God!”
The crowd roared and clapped. Men got to their feet, sweating heavily in the boiling hot conference room. I felt the surge of energy pass through me like a tidal wave, the pure confidence and iron will of truth. Lovebug lumbered down off the stage as the Savior came out from behind the red curtains, walking with the straight spine of a soldier. He wore a silky black robe that fluttered softly around him, the hood pulled back.
The Savior had horrific burns running the length of his body. His arms had melted folds of keloid scars visible all the way to the tips of his fingers. His scalp had also melted, and the Savior had no hair except for his eyelashes and eyebrows. But the fire that had nearly killed him had spared his face, an aristocratic visage with ferocious green eyes like those of a cat. That face seemed like it had been sculpted out of marble by DaVinci himself, the high cheekbones jutting out over a chin so sharp that it looked like it could have hammered nails into boards. He stared out at the crowd for a long moment, his gaze unblinking.
“The final battle has begun,” he said in a low voice, no more than a whisper. Yet, in the deathly silence of the hall, his words rang out loud and clear. “Those in charge of this illusory world know that we see them. We see them very well, how they hide behind the curtain. They control the world economy, the justice system. Every government, whether they call themselves communist, authoritarian or democratic, is no more than a puppet in their dancing fingers.
“When anyone tries to stand up and lead the masses of suffering people towards freedom from slavery, they are vilified by the mainstream media, brought up on false charges or killed, their bodies staged to look like a suicide. Look what they did to Jesus, and for what? For telling people to love God more than their rulers? And those who speak out today are also crucified, murdered in prisons or killed by their governments. Truth is the most precious commodity, after all. It is one that can only be purchased with blood.
“So what can we do? How can we fight against such evil?” There was a quiet muttering among the pale, frozen faces that stared up at the stage with adoration and love.
“We can fight it by using their own weapons against them!” the Savior said, his voice rising in speed and pitch. He raised his fisted hands to his chest, accentuating each syllable with a back and forth stab of his hands. “Fight fire with fire, and pay back blood with blood! The only thing these global terrorists understand is greater levels of force. We must show them death on a scale they have never before imagined.” I felt nervous as the Savior delivered his message. I saw other men shuffle anxiously in the crowded auditorium, most of them having high-caliber rifles slung around their shoulders.
I felt the rising violence and bloodlust in the air like electricity before a lightning storm. At that moment, I knew we would all have to fight before too long.
***
The Savior called me and Lovebug back to his office after the speech had ended, sending his squirrely assistant over to deliver the hand-written note in the Savior’s blocky, copperplate handwriting. For a long moment, I simply watched the crowd filtering out of the doors, heading back towards the complex where all the holy soldiers of the Savior lived. Feeling dissociated and light-headed, I followed behind the massive muscular form of Lovebug, the heavy weight of the M16 bouncing against my chest. We pushed through the blood-red velvet curtains, winding our way past stage equipment and down a hallway of pure marble.
Mystical paintings similar to those of Alex Grey covered both walls, showing the inside workings of the human body through art. It was as if the painter had X-ray vision and could see the heart chakra and the countless thin vessels that spiderwebbed up to the crown. But, unlike Alex Grey’s hopeful depictions of mysticism, these showed men and women being burned alive, crucified, decapitated or strangled. Dark colors composed the paintings: the dark blue of a suffocating face, the clotted red of an infected stab wound, the black of death. They captured the essence of struggle perfectly.
The Savior’s office had a thick mahogany door with silver engravings of leaves and vines running the length of it. At the top stood a single staring eye with twelve wavy tentacles emerging from the perimeter of it- the symbol of God, who the Savior had seen personally. God would sometimes speak through the mouth of the Savior, always during times of great tribulation or suffering. Lovebug knocked at the door. The Savior’s deep voice echoed out faintly.
“Come in.”
We entered slowly, the sprawling desk of the Savior filling half of the room. He sat in a comfortable chair behind it, reclining. On the walls behind him, he had pictures of Jesus, Saint Stephen, Gandhi, Hitler, Jim Jones, Shoko Asahara and others who he taught had fought against the world elites and been killed for it.
The Church of the Final Rapture was not a church in the conventional sense. The main teachings didn’t revolve around the divinity of Christ or the nature of original sin. What the Savior taught was far more profound- an illusory or simulated world where every single person could become their own Christ, could awaken to the truth and perform miracles, but only if they believed fully and followed the Savior.
“Sit down, please,” he said in his gravelly voice. “I have a mission I would like to discuss, and you two are the only ones competent and loyal enough to carry it out.”
***
“There is another anomaly spreading,” the Savior said, staring between me and Lovebug with his fanatical emerald eyes. “It is located in a rural part of the United States, in a town called-” he glanced down at the sheet of paper in front of him- “Frost Hollow. Supposedly, there are black-ops sites located nearby, secret alphabet agencies experimenting with magnetic distortion systems and creating rips in the fabric of spacetime with micro-wormholes.
“I don’t think it is much of a leap to say that the anomaly was likely started, either intentionally or unintentionally, by the government, as part of their research. The Cleaners would like to control that power, after all. They have been sending their men after it for years like sheep to the slaughter, expending billions of dollars researching it. If they and the US government end up being able to control the creation and spread of anomalies, they will use it to enslave the world. There is no question about it in my mind.” He leaned forwards towards us, his eyes growing cold.
“There is only one path forward I can see. We need to spread the anomaly, make it become unstable so the demons of Hell contained within it can spill out onto the real world. Perhaps it will awaken the downtrodden masses enough to begin the final revolution. We must fight terrorism with greater terrorism, and violence with greater levels of violence. For this mission, I am sending the two of you into Frost Hollow.
“Your job will be to find the Titan or Titans and lead them out to the border of the anomaly. These are horrendous beasts- indeed, the Church has seen them before. They are nearly impossible to kill. I want you two to go inside, bait it and have it follow you back to the edge, beyond the veil.”
“What’s a Titan?” Lovebug asked, his eyes flicking left and right nervously. The Savior stared at him stonily for a long moment. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the whites. All the blood seemed to drain from his face. His teeth chattered, his mouth opened, and through it, God spoke, the words pouring out like crashing stones. The voice did not sound anything like the Savior’s. It sounded much deeper, more mechanical, more alien somehow.
“I see you very well. I saw you when you were no more than a blood clot in your mother’s body. I see you even as corpses, rotted, putrefying, crawling with scavengers and insects. I see everything, every moment of time. But, in the anomaly, there are things I cannot see. For this, my holy ones must go forth.
“In the center of Hell, you will find a rose, a bird and a stone. These will be your salvation, if salvation can be found at all. Go with the blessing of Yaldabaoth.” The voice cut off abruptly, the silence deafening. I could hear my own heart pounding in my ears.
The Savior’s eyes came back down, looking confused and uncertain. His pupils were dilated and he was sweating heavily, even though it was cool and air-conditioned back here in his private office. We stared at each other across the table, a no-man’s land that protected me like a shield. For there seemed to be something dark in the Savior along with the light, and I didn’t know if any man could contain that power.
But there was no question of disobeying. Within the hour, Lovebug and I were on one of the Church’s private jets flying to the town of Frost Hollow.
***
The gently rolling hills of Frost Hollow loomed below us as the plane circled the small dirt airstrip in the middle of some cow farms. I looked up at Lovebug, trying to judge his stony expression. He had done many years in prison before joining the Church and finding salvation, even being the leader of one of the gangs. I knew he wasn’t afraid of violence. He had never told me what he did, what tortured him so much.
The Savior had told us much secret knowledge- how to find a Titan, a massive, bloated abomination that could come into being only within an anomaly, a combination of many rotted body pieces fused together in some sort of hellish black magic. The Savior had spies around Frost Hollow and the surrounding towns who had been monitoring the anomaly, watching the unstable gateways leading in and out and mapping them as best they could. We would be given a fast car, plenty of weapons and some body armor. I had no idea how nightmarish the journey would become, however.
“I’m driving,” Lovebug said as we descended the steps. A man in a black suit with the symbol of the eye and tentacles pinned on his black button-up shirt pulled up with a Mercedes AMG-One. It was a sleek, silver thing of immense luxury and power. The craftsmanship made it look like a work of art. I sighed, keeping my finger nervously on the trigger of my rifle as I glanced around the strange, empty town.
“If this thing won’t outrun a Titan, then nothing will,” I said, trying to break the tension. I looked at the speedometer, seeing it went up to 220 miles an hour.
“Damn fucking right,” Lovebug growled as we slid into the futuristic-looking leather seats. The engine turned on like a softly purring kitten. The GPS automatically turned on as well, the soft robotic voice leading us toward one of the more stable portals to the anomaly.
Lovebug sped down the empty forest roads of Frost Hollow, going twice the legal speed limit the entire way.
“The speed limit is only for the lowest common denominator,” Lovebug said pedantically, waggling a tattooed finger for emphasis. The GPS said we would reach the gateway to the anomaly in five minutes. Based on Lovebug’s speed, I thought it would be more like two. “Someone who actually knows how to drive and isn’t drunk or high can easily do 80 in a 40. Easily.” I glanced nervously at the speedometer, realizing he was going over 100 miles an hour now. The sports car hugged the tight corners of the winding forest roads with absolute precision.
“Turn right onto Snake Island Road Extension in five hundred feet,” the robotic female voice. Lovebug slammed on the brakes a few seconds later, the tires skidding and locking up. We looked around frantically, seeing no streets anywhere except the one we were on.
“What the hell?” Lovebug asked. The night was crawling in by now, the darkness covering the forests like a curtain. I squinted, looking at the thick grove of trees on our right, scanning it back and forth over and over. After a few seconds, I realized there was an overgrown dirt path there with no sign. It was nearly impossible to see at night, however, and calling it a road was somewhat of a joke.
“Oh, damn,” I said. “They should’ve given us an SUV.”
***
According to the GPS, our destination was only a thousand feet down Snake Island Road Extension. The low clearance of the Mercedes was a problem as Lovebug tried to navigate the flooded forest path. Deep tread marks flooded with black, stagnant water marked the entirety of Snake Island Road Extension. But ahead, the headlights illuminated something unusual.
Cutting straight across the trees and brush like a razorblade was a shimmering wall of translucent energy. It reminded me of a mirage, curving upwards in wavy spiral patterns. I could see through it easily, but it gave everything a dark, sinister covering. The forest seemed to be in constant motion as the grayish light distorted it.
“Look how huge it is!” I said in awe, staring up at the starry sky. The flat wall rose up seemingly forever, disappearing in the cold void of infinite space. Lovebug slowly ambled the car towards the anomaly, trying to keep the Mercedes from getting stuck with its low clearance.
“You ready for this, man?” Lovebug asked in a quavering voice as we inched towards the anomaly. It was only seconds away now. He grabbed my shoulder. “This is it. Remember the commandments.” I closed my eyes, concentrating my heart on the Savior’s words. Dying for the good is the highest bliss, he had told us.
“Let’s do this,” I said, my eyes flying open from my silent prayer as the hood passed through the anomaly. It disappeared in front of our eyes. We could see the forest on the other side, but the Mercedes looked like it was going through some sort of teleportation portal, being ripped apart layer by layer and sent somewhere else. Lovebug nervously grabbed my hand.
“For the Savior and for the Good,” he whispered as we passed through.
***
I heard screaming and wailing, full of agony and unimaginable horror, like the screams of those burning in Hell. My vision went white. A carpet of morphing dark colors covered everything as the shrieking intensified, until I thought my eardrums would explode.
“Stop!” I cried, feeling the pressure in my head like a splitting migraine. “Stop screaming!” I started kicking, punching, trying to get away.
“Calm the fuck down!” someone whispered, slapping me hard across the face. Stunned, I looked up, seeing Lovebug holding me down in the seat. He was covered in sweat, his face a blank mask of terror. “Don’t scream. There’s things outside that are looking this way.” I blinked fast, my senses coming back to me. I felt like a man waking up from surgery, confused and disoriented, my memories only returning in small trickles and drops.
We were sitting in the Mercedes on a road that looked like it had been made of human skin. The headlights showed the ragged patches of pale, leathery flesh sewn together with black thread. The road disappeared ahead of us in a straight line. The land here looked as flat as Kansas. Like a mirror world, it had houses and restaurants and churches lining both sides of the road, but they were all wrong.
The stone church looked like it was constructed of some kind of red volcanic rock. Baphomets and upside-down pentagrams covered the outer walls, engraved deeply into the glossy surface. Mutilated bodies covered the front lawn, impaled, crucified, skinned alive or burned at the stake. Hundreds of men, women and children lay dead in front of the Satanic temple.
Overhead, the sky bubbled and frothed with red clouds and constant explosions of blue lightning. Like missile flashes, the lightning illuminated the world around us, shining brightly before going dark. The incessant strobing gave the entire place a kind of circus freakshow vibe.
Many of the homes looked like they had been constructed from bones and covered in human skin, like some sort of hellish teepee. Arm and leg bones wrapped in razor-wire formed the pillars. Grinning skulls lined the top of the flat, rectangular roofs, thousands of bleached human heads staring down.
Staring out of the dark doorways, I saw gleaming, silvery eyes. They loomed eight or nine feet in the air on spidery bodies. Their limbs looked as thin as bones, jet-black and dull. The only color from these still revenants was from their unblinking eyes and grinning mouths, where teeth like those of a dragonfish jutted out. Every pair of eyes on that street was fixed intently on the Mercedes, the sick rictus grins on their alien faces never faltering.
“Jesus Christ, I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling weak. “I thought I was in a nightmare for a minute there.” Lovebug shrugged his massive shoulders.
“Yeah, I felt it too, though I came out of it a lot faster than you did,” he said, glancing over at the Satanic church as we passed. It had protective black spikes rising high into the air all around it. The broken body of a child who had been burnt at the stake stood in front of the gates like a death omen, his small, withered hand holding a black rose. Lovebug choked, retching. He nearly rolled down the window, until his eyes met the silvery ones of a nearby abomination.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking closer at the church. On top of the roof, I saw an enormous statue of a black raven, its wings spread as if it were flying. It had three gleaming, silvery eyes embedded into the dark rock.
“That boy just reminds me of my son,” Lovebug whispered glumly, inching along the streets.
“I didn’t know you had a son,” I said, surprised. Lovebug had never mentioned a family. He shrugged.
“I don’t. Not anymore. I killed him. I got drunk and high one night back when I was selling drugs. Fell asleep in the living room with a lit cigarette and burned down the whole house. I killed my wife and son, burned them. They sent me to prison, but what did that matter? The prison up here is far worse.” He tapped the side of his temple.
I was about to say something, but at that moment, many things happened at once.
***
Lovebug was staring at the corpse of the child when an inhumanly long arm reached up from the side of the car. It had fingers like spikes, as sharp as a knife and twice as long as normal human fingers. I gasped, a warning shout welling up in my throat, but the hand came smashing down into the driver’s side window and grabbed Lovebug’s neck.
The window exploded in a shower of safety glass, shattering like brittle bones. Lovebug’s scream was cut off as he was dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the car. I swung open my door, leaping out and bringing my rifle around.
The Cheshire Cat grin of the abomination never faltered as it held Lovebug in front of its body like a human shield, holding him by the neck above the ground. Lovebug’s legs kicked and squirmed, his face turning blue as he slowly suffocated. His eyes bulged from their sockets, panicked and rolling, uncomprehending in their total animal panic.
I flicked on the laser sight. It danced over the ground, flashing over the body of Lovebug and the abomination. But I couldn’t aim for its torso or face, as I would probably hit Lovebug in the process. It was far too close.
I aimed for the monster’s thin, skeletal feet, the black toes twisting over each other like the roots of a tree. The gunshots rang out as a deafening counterpoint to the thunder blasts.
The monster gave a hissing gurgle as two bullets caught it in the right ankle. The creature seemed bloodless, and only dust and ashes rolled out of the exploded insectile flesh. It tried to skitter away, but its destroyed ankle caused it to fall forward, throwing Lovebug.
His body rolled across the road, the soft leather that looked like it was made from tens of thousands of human skins. Gasping, his lips still showing a faint blue cast, he struggled to crawl away.
I saw furtive movement from all around us. The creatures in the houses and doorways were moving forwards, drawn by the bloodshed or noise. Hundreds of glowing, silvery eyes surrounded us. I sprinted forward, dragging Lovebug to his feet.
“The church,” I hissed. “It’s the only place.” Still pulling the weak, confused Lovebug behind me, we staggered towards the black gates. They opened with a shriek of rusted metal.
***
The creatures stopped at the gates to the blood-red church, simply staring at us like statues. They didn’t even seem to breathe, their lidless eyes never blinking, the silvery glow never fading.
“I think this is the place we’re meant to go,” I whispered as we made our way towards the massive pointed doors. “When God spoke to us, he said something about a stone, a bird and a rose, that we would find the Titan through that.” I pointed back at the burnt body of the boy. “He’s holding a rose. On top of the building, there’s a bird. And the church is all stone. Maybe this is the place where God wanted us to go all along.”
“Maybe,” Lovebug muttered through heaving gasps, still grabbing at his bruised neck. “God, this hurts. It feels like I got hanged.” Side by side, we pushed open the doors to the Satanic church and walked inside.
***
Row after row of pews stretched out in front of us. Thousands of black candles were set up all around the perimeter of the enormous chamber. They sputtered and flickered constantly, throwing dancing shadows in every direction.
A small pair of bright eyes glanced up at us from under one of the nearby pews. I nearly jumped out of my skin, pointing the rifle at them and yelling.
“Show yourself! Come out now, or I shoot!” Lovebug looked at me, confused. He hadn’t seen it. But a few heartbeats later, a little girl crawled out, her eyes big and blue, her body an emaciated wreck. She wore ripped strands of what looked like leathery human skin to cover herself, tied together with black string. In one small, grime-streaked hand, she held a half-eaten raw mouse.
“Please, don’t kill me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m Emma. My mommy and daddy got dragged away and I’m scared.” I felt sick and weak looking at this small victim. I reached down and helped her up.
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” I said, kneeling down to her level. “I thought you were one of the bad guys. This is Lovebug, and I’m Jack.”
“This isn’t part of the mission, man,” Lovebug said nervously. “What are we supposed to do with her?”
“Well, we can’t just fucking leave her here,” I whispered back. “We need…” But I never got to finish that thought. Because, at that moment, the church woke up.
***
A red glow started at the front of the chamber, the altar where the priest would have stood and given speeches or holy communion. Here, they had a podium that looked like it was carved from a single block of obsidian. Reflected in it, I saw the screaming faces of people burning in Hell, grinning demons ripping off strips of human flesh and spiraling waves of flames, all sculpted by an artist who was able to capture the most miniscule details of agony and torture.
I looked around, realizing Emma had gone. I hadn’t seen her scurry away and hide, but her absence gave me a feeling of crushing dread in my chest.
“Lovebug, something’s wrong,” I whispered, still staring up at the altar. I heard a floorboard creak behind me. I glanced back just in time to see a man wearing full SWAT gear. I caught the flash of a pistol coming down, the butt aimed at my forehead. I heard the cracking, felt the immense pressure and pain. For a few moments, I swam in the currents of consciousness, trying to stay awake, but then the blackness crept in and stole me away.
***
I awoke suddenly, my hands tied so tightly behind my back that I couldn’t feel my fingers. I felt sick and wanted to throw up. I quickly choked those feelings back down. I tried to shake my head, to clear it, but that just brought jolts of pain like electricity shooting through my skull. Nearby, I heard a gunshot, then another.
“Bring it, fuckers!” Lovebug screamed in an insane voice. The explosion of a grenade rocked the building, and I smelled choking black smoke. I opened my eyes, seeing three men in SWAT gear laying dead, their bodies scattered haphazardly around the chaotic scene. One wall of the church had blown outwards, the stone still sending out gray wisps of wavy smoke into the air. I looked at my partner, seeing he had a bullet hole in his left arm and another one in his stomach. He was bleeding heavily, but the adrenaline and insanity seemed to keep him afloat- for now, at least.
I saw something walking towards us from the stage. It looked like a small boy, but black shadows spiraled up around his chest and face, translucent and shimmering darkly. He looked about five or six, his skin pale and smooth. As Lovebug’s face grew slack and distant, the boy abruptly erupted into flames.
“Don’t kill me again, Dad,” the small boy whispered in a hoarse voice choked with pain. The flames rose from his head and skin, melting his flesh, blackening it. Drops of boiling fat dribbled off his nose and chin. “Don’t send me to the dark place again, Dad…” He continued creeping closer to Lovebug, moving like a lion stalking an antelope.
“I didn’t know!” Lovebug cried, his face going paler. Tears streamed from his eyes as the rifle trembled wildly in his shaking hands. For a long moment, he looked torn, the finger tightening on the trigger as sobs escaped his chattering lips.
“Kill it, Lovebug!” I screamed. “Don’t let it get to you!” But as he dropped the rifle and knelt before the small boy, I knew it was too late.
The shadows spun faster and faster around the burning, dying body of the boy. He gave a scream of soul-shattering agony, reaching out to a small hand towards Lovebug.
“Help me!” the boy cried. Lovebug hesitated before bringing an arm up to take the boy’s hand.
“I missed you, Robbie,” Lovebug said before his fingers brushed the boys. The boy lunged forward, grabbing Lovebug’s hand with an iron grip. I saw Lovebug’s eyes widen in shock and surprise. A moment later, I heard the bones in his hand grinding together before breaking with a sound like snapping tree branches. The boy’s eyes darkened into jet-black orbs, the melted lips splitting into a sadistic grin.
“I missed you, too,” the thing hissed as its right arm changed, melting and reforming into something black and blade-like. The insectile limb swung forward in a blur, coming straight at Lovebug’s heart. He gave a panicked squeal a moment before it hit, trying to pull away with all of his considerable strength, his face turning chalk-white as the shattered bones in his hands ground together.
I closed my eyes, rolling away, trying to undo the knots that held my hands in place. Lovebug must have been greatly outnumbered. He would never have let that man tie me up. I heard the sounds of tearing meat and crunching bone nearby. Lovebug’s final breaths gurgled through the air, but I still kept my eyes closed, not wanting to look.
I felt a small tickle on my wrists, then heard a little voice next to my ear.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Emma whispered. I waited a few moments, then I heard the ropes snap. I looked back, seeing her holding a piece of sharp, broken glass in one tiny hand. In her other, she had the car keys. I wondered how she had gotten them, the little pickpocket.
“Thank God,” I said, rubbing my wrists. I looked around for my rifle, seeing it was laying next to the body of one of the SWAT guys. I wondered who these men were. I crawled towards it slowly, not wanting to draw attention.
“Don’t move another step,” a voice growled behind me. I glanced back, seeing the small boy, his features morphing into those of a demon. Curving horns spiraled from his temples. His jet-black eyes stared down at me with hatred and coldness. “You’ll follow your friend who killed my servants. His soul will stay alive forever within my body, a sickly thing wrapped up in an eternal shriek.”
“Fuck you,” I cried, lunging for my rifle. Emma disappeared behind a pew, running on all fours without looking back. I spun as I hit the ground, turning the barrel towards the morphing face of the shape-shifter. Its jaw unhinged, a snake-like tongue flicking out as it flew through the air towards me. Hollow fangs dripping clear venom grew from its mouth in a heartbeat, elongating and sharpening before my very eyes.
I fired twice, the bullets entering through its mouth and coming out the back of its head. Its flesh disintegrated in an instant, the body turning into light, gray ashes that disappeared in the breeze. Breathing hard, I waited, wondering if it was all over.
I heard a rumbling far below me, as if an earthquake were starting. A moment later, the church floor exploded upwards, sharp rubble and splintered boards flying in every direction.
***
“It’s coming!” Emma screamed, running over and grabbing my hand. I lay there, shell-shocked and unmoving for a long moment. In hindsight, the girl was a natural born survivor with much sharper reflexes than me. It was likely the only reason she survived as long as she had.
“The Titan,” I whispered grimly, trying to pull myself up to my feet. But it was like trying to walk on a heaving, sinking ship. Parts of the floor collapsed down into a seemingly never-ending abyss beneath us.
Near the stage, I saw hundreds of long, pale arms pulling something bloated and monstrous out of the ground. It was a Titan, and no explanation can ever convey the true horror of that thing.
It looked like countless human corpses had been melted together, fused into a ball with sagging, boneless chests, deformed faces and millions of writhing maggots. It groaned and gurgled with many lungs, exhaling a rotting, sulfurous breeze that made me want to retch. A soft susurration of many pained, muttering voices continuously emanated from the Titan.
“Emma, run!” I screamed, but she was already sprinting back towards the front door of the church. I backpedaled, afraid to look away from the creeping monstrosity, the juggernaut of rotting flesh moving towards us.
I heard the Titan closing the distance as I sprinted through the front door. The abominations with the silver eyes still slunk around the gate, blocking the car. I raised the rifle, firing blindly at the creatures, careful not to hit the little girl.
“Go to the car!” I screamed at Emma, feeling around for the keys. As the abominations saw the Titan, those still alive scattered, moving in a blur back into the shadows and homes of this rotten place.
The Titan broke the front wall of the church, sending splinters of red stone flying in every direction like bullets. It groaned and gurgled faster, its sickly cries more insistent. I ran to the Mercedes, starting it up and pressing the accelerator to the floor. I pulled a U-turn, heading back to the border of the anomaly.
***
The engine roared, the car bucking like a wild stallion as it pressed me and Emma back into our seats. But the creeping Titan continued gaining speed behind us, and for a few seconds, I feared we would be crushed to death under its massive weight.
The anomaly shimmered ahead of us. I crashed through it at two hundred miles an hour, skidding wildly as the Mercedes hit the dirt road. I nearly flew into a tree. I managed to right it at the last second, pulling onto the paved street as the Titan broke through behind us.
It followed us out. It’s in the real world now.