So I've been following CASTSTATION for a while now, they're the person who originally animated the whole rabbit hole trend. But recently they put out their first official animated music video, with a lot hidden.
Here's the video: https://youtu.be/19y8YTbvri8?si=fYD9qHurc4ad7tGY As people in the comments of the video have pointed out, there's sign language, hidden messages in the text, Morse code in blinking, subliminal body language and semi disturbing animation in itself. There's certainly a lot missing, but because of the creator's Twitter, I believe there may be more to find.
Here's one tweet. https://twitter.com/_CASTSTATION/status/1787051327492948277 Certain letters are capitalized, spelling "WATCH THIS", but that's in the message of the tweet anyway so I'm not sure it's important.
Here's another, the one that made me think something deeper may be going on: https://twitter.com/_CASTSTATION/status/1789143397292560480 This appears to be instructions on the intended way to view the video, my untrained mind says maybe doing so will show something different? However, as the replies to the tweet point out, if you okay with the brightness and contrast of the image, you can see the words "reverse key", and certain letters are bolded in the original image, spelling "watch this" again. If you keep playing with the image settings, you can see hundreds of smiley faces in the background of the image, and apparently something inside the center symbol, that symbol being a repeated motif throughout the whole thing.
I'm really not sure what to make of all this, but I feel like this sub might be able to help!

Earth's orbit experiences an “Orbital Eccentricity”, 100,000 year cycle orbit and inclination variation, going from circular to elliptical, the hemispheres experience more or less sun or exposure to the sun for extended periods, causing ice ages. Scientists estimate we are near the minimum, a 6% change in solar energy. At peak, the earth experiences a change of 30%.
Modern Day Primates, in the wild and captivity, are able to communicate, near and far, using verbal and gesture components, even to other species. Have been observed using wood as tools, and in using medicinal plants to treat wounds.
44 million y a - Hominid ancestors acquire Herpes virus.
10 million y a - Primate ancestors develop genes to digest alcohol.
6 million years ago - Primate ancestors split from Chimpanzee/Bonobo line (15 million DNA mutations have occurred since then; each person born today has 100 mutations distinct to them, most don’t survive.)
5.3 m y a - Mediterranean Sea experiences the Messinian Salinity Crisis, for 600,000 years the Straight of Gibraltar closed off, causing the Mediterranean to shrink down to two inland seas with Italy and Greece separating them. Ends in the Zanclean Flood, a river of Atlantic sea water flows thru Gibraltar and fills the Mediterranean in 2 years.
5 m y a - Arabian-African continent reconnects with Asia. Land based Turtle species start going extinct.
4 - 3 m y a - Hominid ancestors acquire pubic lice from Gorillas (genetic evidence).
3.6 - 2.58 m y a - Considered the Neogene Period.
3.3 m y a - Stone tools found in Kenya and Ethiopia.
2.6 m y a - Mode One Stone Tools found in Ethiopia, would subsequently spread. Flourished to 1.7 million y a in southern and eastern Africa. Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) Era (2.6 m y a till end of last Ice Age, 11,000 y a). Subdivided into the Early- or Lower Paleolithic (c. 2,6 million years ago - c. 250,000 years ago); the Middle Paleolithic (c. 250,000 years ago - c. 30,000 years ago); and the Late- or Upper Paleolithic (c. 50,000/40,000 - c. 10,000 years ago)
2.58 million - 11,700 years ago - Considered the start of the Quaternary Period, and covers the Pleistocene.
2.4 – 1.4 m y a – Homo Habilis (4.5-3.5 feet tall).
2 m years ago - Earliest Hominids start eating meat.
1.9 – 1.8 m y a – Homo Rudolfensis.
1.89 m y a to 110,000 y a - Homo Erectus (first to leave Africa and spread across Asia).
1.8 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found on Java.
1.7 m years ago - Mode Two Stone Tools (slicing, hand-axe/butchering, evidence of drilling tools) appear in Kenya and southern Africa.
1.6 m years ago - Mode One Stone Tools found in northern China.
1.6 - 1.5 m y a - Africa, Turkana Boy dies, likely from a tooth cavity infection. He was either 8 or 11-12 years old and 61 inches tall. Brain 880 ccm.
1.5 m y a - Kenya, possible start of Hominids using fire to cook food. (increase in caloric intake, which would lead to evolution; however, Paranthropus Boisei is the local species, brain 500-550 ccm, 54 inches tall)
1 million years ago - Likely split between ancestor of Homo Sapiens and proto-Neanderthal-Denisovan species. (Mitochondrial DNA evidence.) South Africa, evidence of fire use for cooking.
1 m - 700,000 y a - Java, Java Man dies, brain 900 ccm. 5' 8" tall.
900,000 y a – Possible earliest use of boats.
820,000 - 580,000 y a - Durum Wheat develops out of natural hybridization with Einkorn Wheat (genetic analysis).
800,000? y a - Low world temperatures recorded. Height of Ice Age?
790,000 y a - Levant, oldest Fire hearths found. (Homo Heidelbergensis, 1,250 ccm brain, 69 in tall)
740,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
7-200,000 y a – Homo Heidelbergensis (East Africa and Europe, likely first to hunt large animals with spears)
640,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
550,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
540,000 - 430,000 y a - Art: Sea shell formed into decoration by Homo Erectus. (Could indicate when sea shells began to be used as whistles and horns.)
530,000? y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, high CO2 content in the atmosphere, 524-474,000).
500,000 y a - South Africa, evidence of Spears. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spread from Europe to Caspian Sea, Denisovans occupied land from Caspian to the east.
450,000 y a - Earliest physical evidence of Neanderthal.
450,000 y a - Global temperatures had dropped, stayed that way for thousands of years.
430,000 - 230,000 y a - Durum Wheat cross-breeds with wild Goat Grass (genetic analysis).
400,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 424-374,000).
400,000 y a - Germany, oldest Spears found. France (Terra Amata), possible evidence of manmade shelter using prepared wood.
360,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
335-236,000 y a – Homo Naledi (South Africa, 4’9”)
310,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 337-300,000).
300,000 y a – Mode Three Stone Tools (smaller knife-like, scrapers, developed in Europe by Neanderthals)
300,000-200,000 y a – Africa, Origin of Male Y-Chromosome that all current males are descended from. (40% of males do not reproduce.)
270,000? y a - Height of Ice Age.
240,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 242–230,000).
200,000 y a - France, evidence of Neanderthals fishing. Africa, "Mitochondrial Eve," source of all Human Haplo-groups that everyone is descended from, existed at this time.
194,000-135,000 y a - Penultimate Glacial Period.
190,000 y a - Early physical evidence of Denisovans. (At least three interbreeding events would occur with Homo Sapiens. EPAS1 gene, hemoglobin concentration, Tibetan plateau.)
190,000-50,000 y a - Flores Island, evidence of tool use by the Human Hobbit.
170,000 - 80,000 y a - Body Lice evolve (genetic evidence, feed on human skin, live in clothing; evidence of clothing)
164,000 y a – South Africa, heat treating Silcrete Stone to enhance stone tool production.
140,000 y a - Homo Sapiens found in Europe.
130,000 y a - Evidence of humans in North America. Crete, earliest human settlements found on the island. Art: Neanderthal necklace made of eagle talons. Croatia: Neanderthal teeth show possible dental work.
125,000 y a - Interglacial Peak (between Ice Ages, 130-115,000). Sea levels 4-6 meters (18 feet) higher then today.
110,000-15,000 y a - Last Glacial Period. Grey Wolves would migrate from North America back to Asia prior to the maximum.
100,000-60,000 y a - Flores Island, bone fossil evidence of the Human Hobbit.
100,000 y a - Oldest example of proper human burial. South Africa, Pigment (paint) Creation Kit found. (would cover bodies in mud/clay and then spray the paint over the bodies, sun screen-protection from insects)
90,000 y a – Harpoons.
86,000-37,000 y a – Neanderthal and Homo Sapiens begin interbreeding, based on genetic evidence found so far.
75,000 years ago - Likely rise of Hunter Genotype in Homo Sapiens.
75,000 y a - Art: Drilled snail shells found in South African cave.
73,000 y a - South Africa (Blombos Cave), evidence of Red Ochre art on pieces of stone, stone with deliberate lines cut into it possibly representing count marks.
72,000 y a - South Africa, Beads found in cave.
70,000 y a - Mitochondrial DNA suggests this is when the Haplo-group of early humans migrated out of Africa to populate the rest of the world.
70-60,000 y a - Earliest evidence of bone and stone arrowheads (for Spear Throwers), found in South Africa. 64,000?
70,000 - 35,000 BCE - Neanderthal burials in Europe and Middle East.
68-16,000 y a – Smallpox evolves from an African Rodent Virus.
67,000 BCE - France, burial shows skulls with Trepanation (cutting holes to relieve brain pressure), earliest example of surgery.
65,000 y a - First humans settle Australia.
64,000 y a - Spain, oldest evidence found of Cave Art (Neanderthal hand).
61,000 y a - South Africa, possible evidence of a Sewing Needle.
60,000? y a - Height of Ice Age?
60,000 y a - Evidence of man/Neanderthal using herbal medicine.
55,000 - 40,000 y a - Italy, evidence of Neanderthal using Pine Tree Resin and Beeswax for hafting tools, in cave. (Beeswax can be used in making Candles.)
52,000 y a - Last evidence of Denisovans.
52,000 – 41,000 y a – Archaeological find of “Bast” tree fiber twisted into primitive cordage, possibly as handle for a Stone Tool. (meaning they had access to Clothing, Nets, Cord for Fishing or Hafting tools, rope; thinking processes of Counting, Sets, Patterns, and possibly abstract thinking)
50,000 - 10,000 y a - Mode Four Stone Tools (long blades).
50,000 y a - Australia, last evidence of megafauna. Siberia, needle made from bone found in Denisovan cave. Genetic evidence of Neanderthal spreading to western edge of China.
50,000 years ago - End point of development of Gatherer Genotype (can survive famine), Teacher Genotype (can handle new and different environments, analytical).
45,000 y a - Evidence of Neanderthal and Homo Sapien interbreeding. (Fossil found, DNA tested.) (France, to create stone tools required precision, “Soft Hammers” were likely used.)
44,000 y a - Evidence of art found in Indonesia.
44,000-40,000 y a - Europe experiences cold and dry weather, displacing populations.
43-42,000 y a - Germany, oldest musical instruments (flutes) found.
42,000 y a - Australia, skeleton of man suggests Atlatl use, pre-dating earliest evidence; earliest example of cremation found. Spain, small amounts of Natural Gold found in a cave.
40,000 y a - (Mankind is at the “Forager” level.) Last evidence of Neanderthal. (Inheritance of "STAT2" gene, immune response. HYAL2 gene, helps skin recover from sunburns.) China, test on body found that ate a lot of fresh water fish. Possible example of oldest petroglyphs. Beads found in Lebanon.
40,000 - 26,000 y a - Studying toe bones, showed they became smaller and weaker, indicating shoes were worn. Prior to this, shoes were likely bags wrapped around feet to protect from cold.
38,000 BC - First appearance of Mode Five Ground Stone tools on Japan. (rock was quarried; thin slivers of flint stone, attached to hafts, man is learning the use of a "handle" for tools and "leverage", create Adzes, Celts, and Axes; grinding helps to penetrate trees and was likely discovered when grinding plant matter; found buried with owners; were traded) Lasted till 14,000 BC. (Would not become popular elsewhere until 10,000 BC?) Germany: Clay Figurine featuring human with lion like appearance, thought to be earliest representation of a Deity.
35,000 BCE - Europe, earliest examples of "Venus figurines" found buried in graves (some showing they were deliberately broken or stabbed repeatedly); would later spread to rest of Eurasia. Early examples of skulls and long bones showing red ochre, indicating possible relic worship.
35,000 y a - Germany, flute made from a vulture bone found.
30,000 BCE – Solomon Islands, first humans settle (60 km sea voyage).
31,000 - 27,000 y a - Evidence of Pit Fire (Earthernware) Pottery developing.
30,000-20,000 years ago - Explorer genotype (Ice Age refugees, idiosyncratic, asymmetrical, contrarian mentality)
30,000 y a - Evidence of starch residue on rocks, indicating where plant matter was pounded and ground. (Would likely be the pre-cursor of developing bread from roots of cattails and ferns. Quern Grinding Stones would spread and gain popularity.) Georgia, Flax used as a textile (harvested, dyed, and knotted) found in Dzudzuana Cave. Fertile Crescent, Einkorn wheat harvested in it's wild form. Evidence of man using the Atlatl. Poland: Boomerang carved from mammoth tusk found. France, Lunar Calendar. Likely when Bolas (stone weight(s) and length of cord) began to be used.
28,000 y a - Europe, oldest evidence of rope.
25,000 - 15,000 BCE - Blood Type A develops in the Fertile Crescent. (able to survive Plague, Cholera, Smallpox)
27,000 y a - Australia, oldest example of petroglyphs found. Czech Republic, earliest example of "Weaving" of material together to create baskets and basic cloth. (Leads to counting and simple math, organizing.)
26,000-13,300 y a - Considered "Glacial Maximum", ice sheets extend to the 45th parallel north. (26,500 considered to be maximum glacial reach.)
23,000 - 12,000 y a – Europe, Perforated Batons found, made of antler, assumed to be a form of Atlatl that uses a leather strap or string to wrap around the spear and give it a slight spin, arrow or spear thrower (similar to Swiss Arrow). Right and left handed throwers find preference. Most carved with Horses, have one or two holes (one had 8 holes).
23,000 y a - Israel, Ohalo archaeological site, hunter-gatherer society (6 brushwood shelters, 132 stone tools some attached to hafts, stone Sickles, dwellings showed flint tools were made at entrance, cooking at other end, grind stone showed sand and cobbles to place and had U-shape of seeds around it) that grew/harvested Barley, Millet, Bromus (grass in same tax tribe as wheat/barley/rye, can be used for fermenting beverages, can be eaten by humans and animals), Rubus (same family as Rose plants, similar to blackberries), and various fruits (seeds from 13 different species), earliest evidence for “Bedding” material.
22,000 – 17,000 y a – France, Solutrean inhabitants make use of Antler.
21,000-17,000 y a - France, Atlatl's found in caves.
20,000 y a - Height of the Ice Age, sea levels 120 meters (360 feet) lower. Mode Five Stone Tools (microliths glued to handles, Fertile Crescent). Earliest example of a building/house found. Ukraine, Bullroarer (wood on rope that is swung around to create sound over long distance) found. Iraq-Iran, Zarzian Culture, had domesticated Dogs.
19,050? - 13,050 y a - Oldest Dryas Period, stadial, abrupt cooling period. Sea levels rose 10-15 m in 500 years.
17,000 BCE - Mesopotamia, Wild Emmer Wheat harvested.
18,000 - 17,500 y a - Siberia, earliest example of a domesticated dog found frozen. Germany, Bow and Arrows found. Early evidence of Darts used.
18,000 y a - Japan, oldest pottery discovered.
15,100 - 14,000 y a - Morocco, earliest example of a cemetery.
15,000 y a – Mode Five Stone Tools reach Europe. Southern France, cave art depicting possible Musical Bow, Nose Flute; "The Sorcerer," a figure showing human and many animal qualities (bison), made out of Clay.
15,000 – 10,000 y a – France, Stone Oil Lamps.
14,500 y a - Oldest example of bread making, Jordan desert.
14,160 - 13,820 y a - Archaeological find: infected tooth partially cleaned out with flint tools.
14,600 - 13,600 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 16-24 m.
14,000? y a - Older Dryas Period, around 200 year cooling period.
13,500 - 8,200 y a - China, wild Rice domestication event occurs.
15-10,000 BCE - Himalayas, development of Blood Type B.
11,050 BCE - Syria, attempts at domesticating Rye.
13,000 y a - Greece, evidence of lentils found. Earliest evidence of Amber used in jewelry. Israel, archaeological evidence of beer like gruel for ceremonial purposes found at Haifa. Likely beginning of Slavery.
13,000 - 12,700 y a - Fertile Crescent, archaeological evidence of man corralling and using pigs.
12,900 - 11,700 y a - The Younger Dryas Period, when temperatures went cold instead of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum.
10,000 BCE - Jericho, considered mankind's first town, is established. Buildings of clay and straw, dead buried under homes. (Would reach 70 dwellings by 94,000 BCE.) Chickpeas domesticated. Earliest evidence of the Bottle Gourd being domesticated and used (Africa and Asia variety). Azerbaijan (Caspian Sea), petroglyphs of reed boats. Starting point of Ocarina type flutes. Cyprus, humans arrive. Germany, Jet artifact (Botfly larvae, which can be eaten). Curved Stone Oil Lamps.
11,700 y a - Considered the beginning of the Holocene.
9600 BCE - Southern Levant, earliest use of wild Emmer Wheat.
11,500 - 11,000 y a - "Melt Water Pulse," sea levels rose 28 m.
11,400 y a - Cypress, archaeological evidence of pigs (indicating they had been domesticated and brought from the mainland).
9400 - 9200 BCE - Jordan Valley, Fig trees found, indicating earliest agriculture since these trees could not reproduce.
9130 - 7370 BCE - SE Turkey, Gobekli Tepe, oldest known worship location.
9000 BCE - Syria, oldest (Saddle) Quern found. Mesopotamia, Copper first used. Bartering of Cattle and agricultural products likely occurring at this time.
9000 - 3300 BCE - Neolithic Era, roughly. Time period of when man has begun herding, before using bronze.
11,000 - 9,000 y a - Mesopotamia, domestication of Sheep; Rammed Earth construction technique developed. Iran, Domestication of Goat (focused on management of the animal, varieties would come later).
11,000-4,000 years ago - Warrior genotype (farmers, soldiers, inventors); Nomad genotype (life upon a horse, can handle different environments, good immune system)
11 or 10,000 y a - Last Ice Age ends.
8800 BCE - Emmer Wheat spreads beyond the Levant.
8700 BCE - Iraq, Copper pendant.
8500 BCE - Domestication of Barley. Domestication of peas occurs around this time. Turkey, Beer production found at Gobekli Tepe. Domestication of Cattle from the Aurochs (two separate populations, one in Mesopotamia [pop. 80], the other Pakistan). (Rendering cattle bones into Tallow allows for the creation of Candles. Beeswax also used.) Oregon, oldest pair of shoes found made from bark twine. Oats possibly start to be harvested, crop mirrors wheat (is like a weed).
8400 BCE – Cyprus, earliest dug Water Well (26 ft).
10,300 - 8,700 y a - China, Millet harvested.
10,200 - 9,500 y a - Emmer Wheat domesticated(?).
10,000 - 7,000 y a - Archaeological evidence of boats.
8000 BCE (10,000 years ago) – Genetic evidence of breeding Pigeons. Palestine, archaeological evidence of pastoralism. Pre-Pottery Neolithic people in the Fertile Crescent form perfectly smooth stone vases. Iran, Goat domestication. Believed to be when primitive dairy-cheese making began. Flax cultivation. China, Quern Grinding Stones. England, Antler used in headdress costume.
9,500 y a - Cyprus, earliest evidence of cat domestication. SE Anatolia, cold-working, annealing, smelting, lost wax casting of Copper.
7570 BCE – Indus Valley, Lapis Lazuli artifacts.
7500 - 5700 BCE - Anatolia, Catal Hoyuk develops as a spiritual center, found many clay figurines and impressions (feminine, phallic, hunting).
7400 BCE - A monolith ends up submerged in the Straight of Sicily.
7176 B.C. – Earth hit by one of the most massive Solar Storms from the sun ever recorded (visible at night with the magnetic field interaction).
7000 BCE - Archaeological evidence for pastoralism in Africa. China: evidence of mead (honey, rice, water fermented) in pottery; evidence of musical instruments. India, first archaeological evidence of Dance (cave art); evidence of dentistry. Armenian Highlands, art depictions of Cymbals. Durum Wheat made thru artificial selection in Europe and Near East. Greece, earliest evidence of grain silos. Turkey, Catal Hoyuk, art depiction of a Slinger. Afghanistan, Lapis Lazuli mined and traded to Indus and Mesopotamia societies. Europe, Cave Wall art of Honey Collecting.
7000 - 6600 BCE - China, domestication of Soy beans.
7000 - 6000 BCE - Turkey, domestication of Bitter Vetch. (Too bitter for human consumption without being boiled several times, has been found to be great for cattle feed.)
6500-3800 BCE - Ubaid Period (Mesopotamian citystates rise, evidence of specialized workers, evidence of taxation)
6500 BCE - Turkey, evidence of lead smelting at Catal Hoyuk. (Wrapping the dead in textiles, too.) China, archaeological evidence of Silk. Kosovo, oldest Ocarina found in Europe.
8,200 - 7,600 y a - Sea levels rise rapidly. Linked to North American great fresh water lake (Agassiz, Ojibway) sudden draining into Atlantic Ocean. 8,400 y a?
6050 BCE - Moldova, evidence of man extracting salt from a natural spring.
8,000 y a - Western Europe, white skin first appears. Iran: earliest evidence of irrigation; man starts choosing sheep for their wooliness, not just meat and skin (2-3,000 years later, would start wearing wool). Georgia, earliest evidence of wine. Spain, cave painting shows people collecting honey from a wild hive, using a container to hold. China, Buckwheat cultivated (near Tibetan plateau), possible first example of Influenza. Earliest evidence of the Ard Plow used (castrating bulls to train 4 years to become Draft Oxen, also means they can be used to haul logs thru and from forests). Mediterranean, Broad (Fava) Beans, Broccoli. Portugal: Almendres Cromlech, begins, aligned to equinox and solstice, occupied for 2,000 years, would become largest complex in Iberian peninsula, equal to other large complexes in Europe. Anatolia: Obsidian polished into mirrors. Spelt Wheat appears. First Stone hafted Axes. Earliest evidence of “Cock Fighting” game fowl. (Iraq, Kiln.)
6000 - 3500 BC - Mesopotamia (Sumer), Poppy domesticated.
7,8-5,000 y a - SE Turkey, Einkorn Wheat grown and domesticated.
5600 BCE - Evidence of The Black Sea Flood, turning the fresh water lake into a salt water sea, rose shorelines and displaced populations (source of flood myths in religions).
7500 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? Lasts for 500 or more years.
7500 y a - Earliest example of chickpeas being used. Poland, archaeological evidence of cheese making. Ukraine, Romania, earliest examples of traps used for hunting. Pakistan, evidence of Cotton found in copper beads. Egypt, earliest Combs found (placing a leaf in the teeth can create a primitive sound instrument).
5500-5000 BCE - Serbia, Copper Smelting.
5200 - 4700 BCE - Iran, earliest evidence of a wheel, for pottery, made of stone or clay.
7,000 y a - Earliest example of Dolmen, single chamber tomb, consists of two stones supporting another on top (table design), found in western Europe, would spread and be common 4000 - 3000 BCE in Europe. Iranian plateau, evidence of Bronze made with naturally occurring arsenic. Tin would replace as the major ingredient (and releasing non-toxic vapors) in the late 3000 BCE period. Iran, evidence of wine found, using sealed containers. China, Hemp domestication (smoking was likely cause for spread, Iron Age would use for production); Rammed Earth construction technique, Silkworm domestication begins. Egypt, Badarian culture starts farming, used boomerangs. Roundels, circular enclosure often with entrances aligned to solstice, would be constructed in Central Europe (Germany, 120-150 altogether). Siberia, oldest carpet found (likely a funeral gift, from Armenia, featured griffons). Mesopotamia: first use of Stamp Seals for government purposes; Rotary Quern milling stones are introduced. Armenia: possible origin of Apricots. Lake Zurich, cultivation of Pear. Indus Valley Civilization, using Bitumen aka Asphalt for waterproofing (a basket), adhesive. Bulgaria, Turquoise beads.
6950 - 6440 y a - Papua New Guinea, cultivation of Taro and Yam.
4800 BCE - Egypt, early evidence of peas being grown. Cairn of Barnenez, Brittany, England, begins (burial monument and later bronze age use, considered one of the oldest and largest man made structures).
4700 - 4200 BCE - The town of Solnitstata, considered the oldest known settlement in Europe. Built around a salt deposit.
6,500 y a - Croatia, earliest example of an oven found. Slovenia, dental filling made with beeswax. Indus Valley, irrigation. Wine production reaches Greece. Carnac Stones, Brittany, France; would become large complex of standing stones, menhirs, domens, tumuli (burial mounds, with passage tombs), large rectangle formed by stone. Americas: various tribes domesticated “chili peppers.” Bulgaria, Carnelian beads. Manufactured Red Pottery Oil Lamps.
4500-4000 BCE - China, Investment Casting develops.
4200 - 4000 BCE - Mesopotamia develops true, easy to spin pottery wheels.
6,000 y a - Earth experiences a cold climate period? (Starting maybe 500 years earlier and ending 500 years later.)
4000 BCE - (Mankind has achieved “Farmer status.”) (Thought to be when Cattle were turned into Oxen for Draft Animal purposes.) Egyptians start building big Brick structures; manufacturing Papyrus; Gold artifacts; (domesticated Donkeys?). Earliest examples of Kilns. NE Italy, archaeological find of Appleseeds. Sicily, evidence of wine found. Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Horse domestication begins (they became small and varied in size as compared to their wild ancestors). “Pontic Language Explosion”. [People from north of the Caspian and Black Seas migrated around Eurasia, ancestor of western languages. (shared origins with: milk, horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, grain, copper, carts, yoke, weaving, mead; patrilineal clans)]. Earliest examples of Viticulture (wine making). Levant, earliest examples of harvesting Olives; start using grain Silos. Art: Earliest depiction of Shoes, Sandals. China: example of a Loom for Silk production; Ramie (similar to flax, requires chemical processing, not as popular, believed to be used for Egyptian mummy wraps). Persia (Iran), Mung Bean domestication?, Chang (precursor to Harp) found on artwork, made with sheep guts. Mesopotamia: Stamp Seals come into use; Mirrors made of Copper; 30-40% of animal bones in settlements were pork (understood to be a way of removing trash from community, easy to feed and raise many); Uruk clay tablet describes two temples owning a herd of 95 pigs to be rendered into soap to clean linen; clay pipes for sewage. Europe, farming reaches northern regions. Anatolia, Silver production.
4000 - 1000 BCE - Ethiopia, Teff is discovered (can feed people and livestock, building material).
3800 - 3500 BCE - Czech Republic, possible evidence of earliest plowed fields.
5,700 y a - Lolland Island, a blue eyed, dark haired, dark skin woman spits out some Birch Bark gum; oldest complete human genome extracted; had Mononucleosis ("kissing disease"). Possible archeological evidence of pit traps used for migrating animal hunting.
3630 BCE - Oldest example of silk fabric found.
3600 BCE – Pork bones in settlements (Levant, Mesopotamia) dropped to 16-30% of total livestock.
5,500 - 4,700 y a - Georgia, tomb found had honey remains on pottery. (This culture could identify Linden, Berry, and Meadow-Flower varieties.)
3500 BCE - City of Uruk: (Mesopotamia) begins outward expansion and influence, later first example of organized warfare (would influence Egyptians to start building pyramids); "Cylinder Seals," a type of noble seal, that can be rolled unto wet clay (would be popular until 1000 BCE). Iraq, Kish Tablet, considered to represent the early transition from pictographic to cuneiform. Mesopotamia, earliest Harps and Lyres found; Gold artifacts. Modern humans settle the western coast of Europe, hunter-gatherers. Egyptians show Cat domestication; Gold Smelting; used a vertical Gnomon as a primitive Sundial? Iran, Beer made from Barley. Armenia, earliest Leather Shoe found. China, Pottery in shape of silkworm indicates earliest example of Sericulture (silk worm production).
3500 - 3350 BCE – Mesopotamia, earliest evidence of wheeled vehicles. Indus Valley civilization uses Stamp Seals with a type of script.
3400 BCE (5,400 years ago) - First metal casting. France, Cow skull showing Trepanation found.
5,400 -5,100 y a - Itzi the Iceman dies in the mountains of Northern Italy. Had a copper axe. Earliest evidence of tattoos. Shoes made from two types of animal skin (bear and deer). Arsenic residue in his hair.
3300 BCE - Egypt, tomb paintings show people Dancing. Indus Valley, develop Sanitation.
3200 BCE - Examples of using symbols to represent real life objects (would go to form written language). Ireland, construction begins on Newgrange, largest passage tomb in Europe, aligned to winter solstice. Egypt, Bead made of Meteoric Iron found.
3100 - 2900 BCE - Jemdet Nasr period (following fall of Uruk) would be known as establishing Cuneiform as a proper language.
3100 BCE - Upper and Lower Egypt unified. Mesopotamia, likely evidence of the earliest Lute type device.
3000 BCE - Onset of Bronze. Mesopotamia, Irrigation; Glass Beads appear (possible side effect of making metal); possible earliest Iron working (required higher temperatures), cuneiform mention of Pigeons. Sumer, Medical text found on tablet, believed oldest ever found. Egypt, Hieroglyphs of Pigeons and use of Homing Pigeons for message delivery, first record of a Doctor named, Imhotep; Antimony harvested from rock and made into eye makeup; earliest evidence of domestic Donkeys in the south. Egyptian Mummies show evidence of Smallpox (deathrate 30% especially among babies, can leave people blind). Dromedary Camels likely domesticated in Somalia at this time. (Camel hair can be harvested for shelter and clothing, outer guard hairs make for water proof coats. Camel milk readily turns into yogurt. To turn into butter requires a clarifying agent and extended process.) Chicken reaches Europe from Asia. England, earliest Stone Circles found. Slovakia, Romania, earliest chainmail found. Sheep chosen for wooly coat, not long hair. China, Clay Bells found. India, River Buffalo domesticated (water buffalo); Jute grown for fiber (burlap). Northern Iran, earliest examples of Trumpets. SE Asia, earliest records of Radish. Pakistan, Terracota female figurines.
2800 BCE - Solid evidence of plowed fields. China, Copper smelting discovered. Babylon, evidence of manufacture of soap like substance.
2700 BCE - Chinese treatise on health. 40 kinds identified.
2650 BCE - Egypt, dental work found.
2630-10 BCE - Egypt, Pyramid of Djoser constructed by Imhotep, considered first.
2600 BCE – Egypt, domestication of Honey Bee complete.
2600 - 1900 BCE - Indus Valley, Stoneware Pottery (meaning fired at 1000 degrees Celsius), would become a major industry; (Ivory?).
2580-50 BCE – Egypt, creates first true Ocean Dock for sea trading vessels (with Indus Valley).
2560 BCE - Great Pyramid of Giza completed.
2500 BCE - Evidence of The Amber Road, trade route from the Baltic Sea to Mediterranean Sea. E Iran, Bactrian Camels domesticated. Iraq, "Lyres of Ur," considered world's oldest stringed instruments. Peru, oldest Sling ever found. Egypt, earliest depiction of a Khopesh (sword). Sumerian Clay Tablet with instructions for manufacturing soap (heating mixture of oil and wood ash, earliest record chemical reaction, used for washing woolen clothing). China, axes with Corundum (precious stone). Harappan Culture of Indus Valley, chicken used for Cock Fighting, not food.
2500 - 2000 BCE - Mali, domestication of Pearl Millet. Turkey, Meteoric Iron dagger.
2400 BCE - Sumer, description of Prostitution and a Brothel-Temple to Fertility Goddess.
2300 BCE - Mesopotamia, Urukagina of Lagash, considered the earliest Law Code. (Widows and orphans exempt from taxes, state pays for funeral expenses, the rich must pay in silver and cannot force the poor against will, checked power of priests, protect from usury, abolished polyandry). Iran, Quince (fruit). China, oldest Gnomon (painted stick that casts a shadow for sundial purpose).
2200 BCE - China, first known tax, using salt. Iraq, tablet reads “22 jars of Pig Fat” (each jar 18 liters of Lard, 396 liters total, require 45 adult pigs; likely used to make soap to clean wool of sheep before turning them into textiles)
2200-2000 BCE - Turkey, Iron Smelting.
2100 - 2050 BCE - City of Ur: Earliest written Code of Law discovered. References Butter. (Fines for bodily harm, references murder, robbery, adultery, rape. Two classes of people: free and slave.)
4000 - 3000 y a - Mesopotamia, earliest Scissors (shear, spring type). India, Mung Bean domesticated.
2000 BCE - Murals show horses pulling chariots. Horses become common in western Europe. England, Great Orme Mine started, would become largest copper mine in region (most productive between 1700 - 1400 BCE), used bone and stone tools. China, Bells made out of metal (Bellfounding); domestication of the Swamp Buffalo (water buffalo). Ghana, earliest evidence of Cowpea (black eyed pea). India, Canola/Rapeseed; Diamonds being used to drill beads. Egypt, Lupin Beans. Greece, Kale grown.
1900 BCE – Homing Pigeons used for warfare.
1800 BCE - Egypt, medical text on gynecological issues; Safflower for pigment. India, Iron working.
1754 BCE - Code of Hammurabi (recognized Prostitution and gave women protection and inheritance; theorized that a fertility goddess had a temple that offered sex workers).
1700 - 1200 BCE - (Late Bronze Age) 8 societies in Middle East: Aegean, Egyptian, Hittite, Canaanite, Cypriot, Mitanni, Assyrian, Babylonian. Considered a "globalized world system." Next time this would occur is today.
1700 BCE – Mesopotamia: The "Mari Letters" reference Minoan society, King Hammurabi; clay tablets list Trigonometry Tables and Applied Geometry (for land ownership, speculated to aid in construction).
1628 BCE - Island of Thera/Santorini experiences huge volcanic eruption, possibly causing a tsunami thru eastern Mediterranean.
1600-1500 BCE - Greece, Helmet formed of boar tusks found.
1600 BCE – Levant, Mesopotamia, Pork bones rarely found in settlements (banned from temples in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt). (Found amongst the poor classes, difficult to tax since it did not produce wool or milk or could plow a field.)
1550 BCE – Papyrus Ebers, Egyptian medical text, mentions Chlamydia.
1500 BCE - Modern Trumpet design found in eastern Mediterranean. India, Pigeon Pea domesticated. Egypt, Mercury found in tombs; archaeologists find earliest Sundials; Emerald mines. China, Water Clocks.
1400 BCE - Syria, Hurrian Songs, cuneiform music tablet in Ugarit. Greece, oldest body armor found, made of bronze, Dendra Panoply (not actually worn, more of a showpiece, but clear representation of body armor for battle). China, Meteoric Iron axeheads. Art representation of Scale Mail in Egypt. Art: representation of Shields.
1350 BCE - Turkey, Hittites chronicle Egyptian prisoners of war bringing "the plague.”
1300 BCE - Uluburun Shipwreck, off coast of Turkey, had 300 sixty pound copper ingots (10 tons), 1 ton of tin, and tin objects and ingots of colored glass (blue, rose, brown). From Cypress/Minoa.
1300? - 900? BCE - Eastern Mediterranean experiences a 300? year drought. (Could also be: Cypress 1200- 850. Syria 1250-1187. Galilee 1250-1100)
1279 BCE - Battle of Qadesh (Egypt vs Hittites).
1200 BCE (3,200 years ago) - Onset of Iron smelting. Earliest Camel saddles appear. Last appearance of Megaliths. India, earliest evidence of Firewalking.
1200 BCE - Eastern Mediterranean civilization collapse. Drought in Greece. Earthquake series.
1188-1177 BCE - Egypt suffers invasions from "The Sea People."
1185 BCE - Syria, Ugarit Letter, Famine.
1140? BCE - Ramses 6th, mummy found to have Smallpox. No record of people dying from Smallpox.
1100 BCE - Phoenicians establish nation. Europe, Iron Age.
1100? BCE - Earth experiences a cold temperature period?
1100-750 BCE - Egypt, Iron Smelting.
1070 BCE - Egyptian mummy found with Silk in hair, earliest evidence of Silk Road.
1000 BCE - Early Cuneiform script (late stages, still pictograph in nature). Bactria, Barbat (primitive lute). Egypt, Kenaf is grown for fibers, leaves can be eaten by animals and humans (similar to Jute and Hemp; rope, rough fabric, sails). Mediterranean, Cabbage domesticated. China, Iron Age. Sport: racing Homing Pigeons.
930 BCE - Camel bones found in Arabian peninsula. Jordan, earliest Bloomery for Iron working found.
800 - 600 BCE - Ethiopia, Sorghum Wheat begins to be harvested.
800 BCE - Considered the beginning of Ancient Greece, after the Mycenae Civilization. China, Bloomeries used.
700-500 BCE - The Illiad orally composed. India, Diamond mining starts.
708 BCE – Greece, Olympics, Discus Throw.
700 BCE - Turkey, first Coins in Lydia. Assyria, first equipment recognized as a Saddle for a Horse.
660 BCE – Massive Solar Storm hits Earth.
600 BCE - Earliest example of a Steel Sword.
600-400 BCE - Ancient Greece rise of scientific inquiry and philosophy
550 BCE - The Illiad written down.
540 BCE – Sri Lanka, earliest record of Pearls.
500 BCE - Camels used in warfare. Persians use kettle drums for military maneuvers, frighten enemies. Greece, Grape Syrup, early form of sweetener and preservative; earliest written mention of what could be Influenza. Blackberries consumed around Europe. Spain, Disk Quern developed. India, Cholera described in Sanskrit. Romans manufacture dipped Candles.
430 BCE – Athens, Typhoid Fever outbreak during siege by Sparta.
400 BCE - The "Celts/Gaeil" settle Ireland. Greece, the “Hippocratic Corpus” seventy collected medical texts, mentions Pneumonia, Meningitis, Valerian Root.
396 BCE - Olympics, horn blowing competitions.
314 BCE - China, first mention of Sweet Orange.
298 BCE - Foot powered Loom.
200 BCE - China starts making paper.

Bray Wyatt was a truly brilliant man, a mastermind of creativity that brought to life characters, the likes of which we never dreamed we'd see in WWE.
From a cult leader to a funhouse to a fiend and many more iterations, Wyatt left an impact with his career and with his passing.
Many would say his career was cut too short and he had so much more to give, so much unrealized potential.
I'm sure by now we've all heard the rumors of Bo Dallas's return and the shoes of Bray's he looks to fill. I aim to write the best possible run for Bo to make for a respectable, iconic tribute run that would hopefully be a worthy successor to the legend that was Bray Wyatt.
NXT, 4/9/24:
It's the NXT after WrestleMania and the wrestling world is buzzing, especially given the fallout from Stand & Deliver.
Everyone is anxiously awaiting the tag team championship bout, however, right before introductions begin, a video airs.
[The scene opens with a dimly lit room, filled with eerie masks and props reminiscent of Bray Wyatt's countless ominous personas. Bo Dallas stands in the center, dressed in a black tuxedo, a ruby red rose tucked into the pocket. His expression is solemn as he gazes at the array of memorabilia.]
"My brother Bray... he was more than just a man. He was an enigma, a mastermind of both darkness and light. He taught me, not just about wrestling, but about life. About embracing the darkness within us and finding strength in it."
[Bo picks up a white sheep mask, running his fingers along its intricate details.]
"These masks... they're more than just fabric and paint. They're symbols of his creativity, his imagination. Each one tells a story, a story of the man who wore it. And now, it's up to me to carry on that legacy, to keep his memory alive."
[He pauses, a somber look crossing his face as memories flood his mind.]
"Bray and I... we shared a bond that went beyond blood. We were kindred spirits, wandering in the darkness together. And even though he's gone, I can still feel his presence, guiding me, urging me to continue the journey."
[Bo walks around the room, touching various items, each one invoking memories of Bray. He runs his fingers along the mask of Uncle Howdy, and bits of Bray's feud with LA Knight flicker across the screen. He passes by the sheep mask, and images of The Wyatt Family fill the picture, scenes of their destruction on full display. Bo dares to grip The Fiend mask last, and the monstrous reign of terror Bray went on is summarized with flashes of his darkest showings.]
"I may not be Bray Wyatt, but I am my brother's keeper. I am Bo Dallas. And I promise to honor his memory in everything I do. To carry on his legacy, to spread his message. Because that's what he would have wanted."
[As the camera fades to black, a single candle flickers in the darkness, illuminating Bo's determined expression, a symbol of hope in the face of loss.]
NXT, 4/16/24:
[The scene this week finds Bo Dallas in a ring, not the NXT ring, but at an undisclosed location, surrounded by eerie lighting and haunting music. His demeanor has shifted slightly, displaying hints of the madness that once defined his brother, Bray Wyatt.]
"Welcome, my friends, to the theater of the mind. Tonight, we embark on a journey into the dark limelight. For too long, I have walked in the shadows of greatness, but now, it's time for me to step into the spotlight."
[Bo's eyes gleam with an unsettling intensity as he speaks, his voice carrying a hint of the manicness that consumed Bray.]
"You see, I've spent my time wandering in the wilderness, searching for answers, seeking the truth that lies beneath the surface. And what I've found... it's both beautiful and terrifying."
[He paces around the ring, his movements fluid yet erratic, mirroring the unpredictability of his brother.]
"But fear not, for I am not alone in this journey. No, I carry with me the spirit of Bray Wyatt, my brother, my mentor, my lantern in the darkness. Together, we shall unleash chaos upon the world, for it is in chaos that true enlightenment is found."
[As he speaks, cryptic images flash across the screen, hinting at the impending madness that awaits. Two stand out, a smiley face with blood splattered on the bright yellow exterior, and an uber-realistic heart still beating, decorated with disturbing facial features, the eyes gouged out and grey bruises left in the sunken holes.]
"So to those who dare to stand in our way, know this: the reckoning is coming. The shadows will consume you, and you will be left to live in fear. For the madness of the mind knows no bounds, and soon, you will understand the true meaning of terror, the true face of fear."
[The camera zooms in on Bo's face, a wicked grin spreading across his lips as he stares into the abyss, indescribable intentions lining his tortured mind.]
NXT 4/23/24:
Bo Dallas vs Scrypts
[Bo Dallas finally makes his in ring return, to the brand he once called home, the brand he was once champion of. He enters to Feared, seemingly confirming his past role. Across the ring from him is the highly acrobatic Scrypts, eager to get an upset victory over the, presumably rusty, Bo Dallas.
In the closing moments of the match, Bo Dallas delivers a new finishing maneuver. He locks Scrypts in position for a Sister Abigail, kiss and all, before securing the head and falling back into a devastating DDT laying out Scrypts for the three-count. As the referee raises Dallas' hand in victory, the arena is left with a mixture of awe and fear, witnessing the emergence of a new force on the white and gold brand.]
NXT, 4/30/24:
Bo Dallas vs Davey Vega (Local Competitor)
[In the heart of the performance center, Bo Dallas stands ready, his gaze fixed on his opponent, Davey Vega, a local competitor stepping into the lion's den. From the opening bell, Dallas unleashes a relentless assault, showcasing the brutal side of his newfound madness.
As the match progresses, the referee is forced to intervene, calling for the bell and awarding the match to Bo Dallas via referee stoppage, signaling the end of Vega's valiant effort.
However, Dallas shows no signs of mercy, launching a vicious post-match assault on the defenseless Vega, driving home the message that he is not to be trifled with.
Suddenly, the arena erupts with the arrival of Axiom, charging down the ramp to confront Dallas and put an end to his rampage. Bo Dallas, unfazed by the interruption, simply smiles in response, leaving a chilling sense of uncertainty in his wake as he retreats from the ring.]
NXT, 5/7/24:
The week after Bo Dallas bludgeoned a local competitor who was thankfully rescued by Axiom, a video airs detailing Bo's thoughts on this 'heroic' act.
[The scene opens with eerie music playing in the background as the screen flickers to life, revealing a dimly lit room. In the center of the frame, Bo Dallas sits, his expression veiled in shadows, radiating an aura of malevolence.]
"Axiom, my dear adversary, I have a message for you. A message that carries with it the weight of inevitability.
You see, Axiom, you and I... we exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. Where you seek light, I revel in darkness. Where you find solace, I find chaos. And in that chaos, there lies a power that few ever get to feel."
[As he speaks, the camera zooms in on Bo's face, revealing a sinister grin that twists his features into an unsettling visage.]
"But fear not, for I am not here to harm you... yet. No, I am here to offer you a choice. A choice that will define your destiny, a choice that will determine what kind of man you're going to be left as."
[His words hang in the air, heavy with implication and menace.]
"So heed my warning, Axiom, because I'm not a bad person. I don't wish to harm you. Believe me, it will hurt me more than it will hurt you, and that's truly, truly saying something. The choice is yours... choose wisely."
[With a flicker, the screen fades to black, leaving behind an ominous silence that lingers long after Bo's message has ended.]
Later that night, we cut to a scene of Axiom & Nathan Frazer in the locker room with Nathan Frazer anxiously pacing back and forth, his expression wrought with concern. Axiom, his tag team partner, stands nearby.
"Axiom, listen to me... I've got a bad feeling about this. You can't take this match with Bo Dallas. It's like... like there's something dark hovering over him, something... unnatural."
Axiom furrows his brow, puzzled by Nathan's urgency.
"Nathan, what are you talking about? We've faced tough opponents before. Hell, we just won the NXT Tag Team Championships last month. Bo Dallas is just another challenge for us to overcome."
"No, this is...this is different. I can't explain it, but, I know, somehow, that this guy is bad news."
The lights flicker, as Nathan's eyes begin to dart, wary of... something.
"Axiom, please, I'm begging you... don't do this."
Axiom shakes his head, his determination unwavering despite Nathan's pleas.
"I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I can't back down from this. Bo may be...troubled, but I refuse to let fear dictate my actions. We've trained hard for moments just like this, and, just imagine what it'll do for us if I beat a former NXT champion."
Nathan's shoulders slump in defeat, realizing that his words have fallen on deaf ears.
"Just... promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll watch your back. There's something... something sinister about him. I'm afraid that if you face Bo Dallas, you won't come out of it the same."
Axiom nods solemnly, trying to show Frazer that he takes his concerns seriously. He reassures Nathan that he's got this, and by this time next week, they will be on the road to bigger and better things. He goes to get the match made official, leaving Nathan alone with his dark premonitions.
NXT, 5/14/24:
In the backstage area, dimly lit and filled with an air of anticipation, Bo Dallas prepares for his upcoming match against Axiom. Dressed in his ominous attire, reminiscent of his brothers, but with a touch of his own style. He methodically wraps his hands with tape, his mind focused on the task at hand. Suddenly, Joe Gacy appears, his smile warm and inviting as he approaches Dallas.
"Bo, my friend! I just wanted to say, I've been admiring your work lately. Your commitment to embracing your darker side is truly inspiring. For example, what you're going to do to Axiom tonight. If a guy like that doesn't want to listen to guys like us when we're warning him, begging him not to oppose us. Well, they get what they deserve."
Bo Dallas, though polite, eyes Gacy warily, sensing an underlying tension beneath his seemingly friendly demeanor.
"Thanks, Joe. I appreciate the... kind words. But let me ask you something...I hear your gospel, and you preach a lot about redemption. Do you truly believe in redemption? Or are you just using it as an excuse to justify your own actions?"
Gacy's smile wavers slightly at the question, but he quickly regains his composure.
"Of course, Bo. Redemption is a core belief of mine. I believe that everyone, no matter how lost they may seem, deserves a chance at redemption. Even those who have embraced their darker nature."
Bo Dallas nods, though the skepticism still lingers.
"Because you know, guys like us, of course. We don't make apologies, we don't make excuses, we don't need redemption. If you feel that you do, well, maybe you're nothing like me at all."
Before either can dive deeper into the conversation, a stagehand interrupts, signaling that it's time for Bo's match.
"We'll continue this conversation later, Joe. Right now, I have a match to focus on."
With a curt nod, Dallas strides off towards the ring, leaving Gacy standing alone in the dimly lit hallway, his smile masking the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. As Dallas's theme music echoes through the arena, Gacy watches with a knowing glint in his eyes, hinting at the turbulent confrontation yet to come.
Axiom vs Bo Dallas
[The arena buzzes as Axiom makes his entrance, his determination palpable in the air as he clutches his Tag Title strap. Across the ring, Bo Dallas stands, a sinister grin etched on his face as he eagerly awaits his opponent.
As the bell rings, Axiom explodes into action, showcasing his high-flying prowess with dazzling maneuvers, but Bo Dallas is unfazed, meeting Axiom's athleticism with a ruthless onslaught of dirty tactics and underhanded tricks.
Bo sinks to new depths of depravity, resorting to underhanded tactics such as eye rakes and choking Axiom with the ring ropes when the referee's back is turned. He strategically targets Axiom's limbs, ruthlessly wrenching at joints and ligaments with painful submission holds, eliciting agonized screams from his opponent. At one point, Bo viciously slams Axiom's knee into the ring post, causing a sickening crunch that echoes throughout the arena, leaving Axiom writhing in pain on the mat.
He repeatedly drives his knee into Axiom's ribs with malicious intent, ignoring the referee's warnings and relishing in the damage he deals.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Axiom refuses to back down, channeling his inner resilience to mount a comeback against his twisted adversary. With every leap and flip, he defies gravity, inciting faint Axiom chants that become even fainter as the finish nears.
Axiom attempts a shooting star from the top rope and gets caught in Sister Abigail positioning, kiss, DDT. Commentary dubs it Grim Affection. A dominant victory for Bo Dallas over a game Axiom.
"I told you, Axiom, that you had a choice to make. A choice to define your destiny, to decide what kind of man was going to be left. You... you didn't believe me."
Bo drops the mic and drags Axiom out of the ring. He nears the announce desk and begins slamming Axiom's head into the table. Again, and again, and again. Repeatedly. After several sickening collisions with the desk, medical personnel back Bo up and wring his grip off of Axiom's neck.
Perhaps, people should be asking what drove Bo to do this, how he could do this, but then again, he did warn us. Rather, one question seems to linger.
Where was Nathan Frazer?]
NXT, 5/21/24:
Bo Dallas vs Riley Osborne
The following week, Bo Dallas is paired up with the impressive up and comer, Riley Osborne. Osborne, a dynamic highflyer known for his breath-taking maneuvers, brings an energy to the match that contrasts sharply with Dallas's dark and brooding presence.
With Dallas in the driver's seat, Joe Gacy emerges from the shadows, making his way to ringside with his trademark smile firmly in place. His presence unnerves Dallas, who becomes increasingly distracted by Gacy's watchful gaze.
Sensing an opportunity, Osborne seizes the moment, launching a series of high-flying attacks that leave Dallas reeling. With the crowd firmly behind him, Osborne delivers a flurry of strikes and aerial maneuvers, building momentum and gaining the advantage.
However, just as it seems that Osborne may secure the victory, Gacy interjects himself into the match, distracting the referee and creating an opening for Dallas to strike. Seizing the opportunity, Dallas delivers a devastating blow to the back of Osborne's head, knocking him to the mat and leaving him vulnerable to Grim Affection.
Dallas quickly executes the DDT, driving Osborne's head into the canvas with brutal force. Dallas covers Osborne for the pinfall victory, all the while, keeping a weary eye on Joe Gacy. His victory tainted by the interference.
As Dallas stands victorious in the ring, Gacy watches from ringside, his smile wider than ever as he silently applauds Dallas's triumph, his motivations indeterminable.
Backstage, Bo strides purposefully towards Gacy, his expression a mix of frustration and curiosity. Gacy stands nearby, his back turned to the approaching Dallas.
"Joe, we need to talk. What the hell made you think you could get involved in my match?"
Joe turns to face Dallas, his smile unwavering despite the tension in the air.
"Bo, it's simple. I got involved because that's what friends do. We look out for each other, we support each other, no matter what."
Dallas narrows his eyes, unpleased with the explanation.
"Friends, huh? Joe, let me make something clear to you. You and me are not friends. You talk about 'guys like us.' but if you were really anything like me, you'd know, guys like us don't get the luxury of friendship. Stay out of my way."
Dallas walks off, leaving Gacy alone in the dimly lit hallway, feeling confident his warning will be the last he hears from Gacy. As Gacy watches Dallas's retreating figure, his smile fades slightly, a hint of the darkness leaking out behind his facade of friendliness.
NXT, 5/28/24:
In the aftermath of Dallas's confrontation with Joe backstage, tensions between the two competitors continue to simmer beneath the surface. As Dallas prepares for his next match, Gacy lurks in the shadows, his smile masking the intentions that lie beneath.
Bo Dallas vs Je'Von Evans
As Dallas steps into the ring to face off with the spry Evans, Gacy watches from ringside, his presence a constant reminder of the brewing conflict between them. Throughout the match, Dallas's focus is split between Je'Von and Gacy, the unsettling feeling of being watched lingering on his mind.
As the match reaches its climax, Gacy's interference once again comes into play, this time in the form of distraction tactics that allow Evans to gain the upper hand, ending his dominant sequence with a huracanrana to send Dallas out of the ring. Frustrated by Gacy's meddling, Dallas lashes out, confronting Gacy at ringside.
"What are you doing?! I told you to stay out of my business."
"I'm just trying to help, Bo. Can't you see that? We're in this together, whether you like it or not."
The confrontation between Dallas and Gacy escalates, drawing the attention of the referee and the audience alike. Sensing an opportunity, Je'Von seizes the moment, delivering a springboard crossbody that leaves Dallas smashed against the barricade.
As the match comes to a close, Dallas finds himself on the receiving end of a corkscrew frogsplash, pinned to the mat as the referee issues the three-count. Gacy watches from ringside, his smile wider than ever as he revels in Dallas's defeat.
As Dallas staggers to his feet, his anger evident, Gacy offers a mocking clap of applause, his smile taunting Dallas from across the ring.
NXT, 6/4/24:
The following week, Bo is obviously beside himself, given his first loss since returning due to the meddling nature of Joe Gacy. He wants answers, and he gets them, but they are perhaps...not what he expected
The video opens with a dimly lit room, casting eerie shadows across the walls. In the center of the frame, in an old rocking chair, sits Joe Gacy. He's surrounded by a cluttered array of photos, newspaper clippings, and pins connected by lengths of yarn. His expression is intense, bordering on obsessive, as he addresses the camera.
"Greetings, my friends. I wanted to take a moment to share something with you. Something that has been weighing heavily on my mind as of late."
He gestures to the wall behind him, where a complex web of connections links various images together.
"You see, I've been doing some... research. Trying to understand the connections between us all, the threads that bind us together."
He points to individual photos, each depicting familiar figures, including Alexa Bliss, Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and even the iconic sheep mask.
"Bo Dallas... Bray Wyatt... They're more than just competitors to me. They're kindred spirits, souls bound by a shared vision of darkness and redemption. And now, with their guidance, I seek to create something truly special."
His voice takes on a fervent tone, his eyes gleaming with manic intensity.
"You may call me a fan, a devotee of their work. But I see myself as something more. I am a disciple, a vessel through which their legacy will live on. Together, Bo and me will forge a new path, a new family built on the foundations of their greatness."
As the camera zooms in on Gacy's face, his smile widens, revealing a hint of madness lurking beneath the surface.
"So to Bo, my dear friend and partner in crime, I say this: embrace the chaos, embrace the darkness, and together, we will create something truly extraordinary."
With a final unsettling chuckle, Gacy reaches forward to turn off the camera, a squeak echoing from the rocking chair and cascading across the disturbed audience.
NXT, Battleground:
Bo Dallas vs Joe Gacy
As the lights dim in the UFC Apex arena, anticipation hangs heavy in the air as Bo Dallas and Joe Gacy make their way to the ring, their paths on a collision course fueled by obsession.
From the opening bell, Gacy wastes no time in asserting his dominance, launching a relentless assault on Dallas with a combination of technical prowess and psychological warfare. Gacy taunts Dallas, insisting that he needs Gacy to unlock his true potential, but Dallas remains defiant, refusing to give in to Gacy's grand delusion.
Despite Gacy's mind games, Dallas fights back with a fierce determination, fueled by a desire for revenge against the man who has cost him victories and sought to manipulate him. The two competitors trade blows in a brutal back-and-forth, each refusing to back down in their quest for supremacy.
As the match reaches its climax, Gacy's desperation becomes apparent as he resorts to underhanded tactics to gain the upper hand. He attempts to lure Dallas into his twisted worldview, promising power and redemption through submission to his will, both literally and figuratively as he traps Dallas in Hell's Gate. Dallas sees through Gacy's deception, though, refusing to be swayed by his false promises and makes it to the ropes.
In a dramatic turn of events, Dallas mounts a ferocious comeback, unleashing a barrage of strikes that leave Gacy reeling. With the crowd rallying behind him, Dallas summons every ounce of strength to overcome Gacy.
In the final moments of the match, Gacy attempts his handspring lariat, but Dallas catches him! Dallas has him in position and connects with Grim Affection, Gacy's delusion shattered in the face of Dallas's unwavering resolve. With a triumphant roar, Dallas secures the victory, standing tall.
As Dallas celebrates his hard-fought victory, Gacy slinks away into the shadows, his facade of superiority crumbling under the weight of his defeat.
NXT, 6/11/24:
On the NXT following Battleground, Bo Dallas makes his way to the ring. He details how Gacy was one of the hardest fights of his career and he has a newfound respect for him. Gacy is clearly...confused about any potential connection he may have to Dallas, but Dallas has been a man of much confusion in the past and he can sympathize.
He asks Gacy to come out to the ring so Dallas can shake his hand after their war at Battleground. Instead, Gallus's music hits, the trio of bruisers signaling their arrival. The Coffey Brothers & Wolfgang have been on a Shield-esque run recently, terrorizing anyone they deem a threat to their success and dissecting them via the numbers game.
As Gallus surround the ring, preventing Dallas from making an escape, they bore their eyes into a trepidatious Bo.
Just as the wolfpack is about to swarm, Love Is Blind hits and Joe Gacy runs down wielding a steel chair. He jabs Wolfgang in the gut, and levels Mark Coffey with chair shots as well. This leaves Joe vulnerable to Dallas's attack, laying out Coffey. Coffey flees from the right side of the ring as Gacy enters from the left. Gacy and Dallas end up bumping, back to back, into each other.
They stare each other down cautiously, before Dallas sticks out his hand, Gacy shakes it and the two unlikely bedmates stand united against Gallus.
NXT, 6/18/24:
Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy vs Gallus (The Coffey Brothers)
[With Dallas & Gacy seemingly aligning for the moment, with the numbers game of Gallus being too great for either to overcome alone, this match is made.
Joe & Mark Coffey showcase their brawling ways and take the fight to Dallas, wearing him down throughout the match. It's not until Bo makes a hot tag to Joe Gacy that tides start to turn.
Gacy matches the brutality of Coffey and battles back as the freshest competitor in the match. As Gacy closes in on a victory, Dallas clears out Wolfgang at ringside who was attempting to get involved.
A moment later, Gacy is pinning Mark to secure the win for him and Bo.]
Later that night, Bo and Gacy run into Gacy's old running mate and NXT General Manager, Ava. She says that she was impressed with their performance and if they're interested in accepting it, would like to offer a Tag Team Title opportunity to them next week.
Joe looks to Dallas for his answer, and Bo agrees to the match. It seems Joe is finally getting his wish, to team with a man who's work he's admired for some time in Bo Dallas.
NXT, 6/25/24:
Axiom & Nathan Frazer (c) vs Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy: NXT Tag Team Championship Match
[Ever since Bo's encounter with Axiom, there's been tensions between Axiom & Frazer. Frazer has been somewhat absent, slacking in comparison to Axiom's extreme efforts. Not to mention, Nathan's choice to let Dallas brutally beat on him last month.
Earlier in the night, it's made clear that Frazer's most egregious example of this recent behavior is taking place at the most inopportune time. Axiom first gives an interview early in the show, Nathan isn't here yet but Axiom stays confident in their defense tonight. Axiom later voices concern to Ava over Nathan not being here yet. Finally, Axiom finds a note in his locker, clearly informing Axiom that Nathan isn't coming.
Axiom is asked pre match about these developments, the champion states he's going to go out there and vigorously defend his title, and if he fails...well he's no longer got a tag team partner, maybe he shouldn't be a tag team champion.
It's a big fight feel with the tag team titles up for grabs, but once Dallas and Gacy finish making their entrance, Axiom enters alone. The handicap is evident as despite Axiom's valiant efforts, the revolving door of tags from his opponents keeps him weak.
Axiom unleashes a series of big maneuvers on both men, fighting his heart out until his last breath. Axiom dives onto Dallas at ringside and attempts to on Gacy as well, but gets tossed into the ring apron. Gacy sends him back in and flattens him with a handspring lariat. He feeds Axiom to Dallas who lands Grim Affection.
With that, the Tag Team Championships now belong to Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy. A defeated Axiom writhes on the canvas, a harrowing loss noticably affecting him.]
NXT, 7/2/24:
It's the week after the big Tag Title victory, and Dallas & Gacy make their entrance, eager to celebrate Gacy's first WWE Title and Dallas's first in over a decade.
They seem very giddy to be Champions, Dallas compliments Gacy's vision and states that Joe knew they would make a great team even when Bo didn't want to accept it.
Dallas states that when he first came back, he was nervous, nervous he wouldn't live up to that legacy, fill those boots. Thanks to Gacy though, it was easier than Bo expected and know that he's got gold, he can finally relax. He feels that weight off of his shoulders.
This seems to unsettle Gacy who states that the hard part has just begun though and it's time to put in their best work. The tag titles are just phase one of the plan. Dallas says that, eventually sure, maybe they'll go after other titles and bigger things, but for now, this feels comfortable for Bo.
Gacy simply stares at him for a moment until Edris Enofé and Malik Blade arrive. Gacy turns away from Dallas to spot the young, hungry tag team. Enofé and Blade state that they are one of the longest tenured teams in NXT right now and they deserve a tag team title shot.
Dallas tries to tell them they'll need to earn it, not seeing the irony of how easy his road to the titles has been, Gacy however accepts on Bo's behalf and schedules the match for later tonight.
Joe tries to talk some sense into Bo backstage, letting Bo know that Gacy helped him capture gold as a way to inspire Bo to work harder, to fulfill his destiny and truly become great with Gacy. Dallas shouldn't become comfortable right now, now is when you double down on that effort and become undeniable. Dallas seems disinterested.
Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy (c) vs Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: Tag Team Championship Match
[The enthusiastic team of Enofé and Blade have the biggest opportunity of their young careers, as they take on two established foes with NXT tag gold on the line. The very different styles contrast throughout, the aggressive, smash-mouth style of Bo and Gacy opposite the adrenaline fueled, fast paced Edris and Blade.
It begins to look unlikely that the challengers will have a chance to fulfill their long awaited dream as Dallas and Gacy continuously cut off their momentum.
In a last gasp effort, Blade is able to turn the tides and neutralize Gacy at ringside, this leaves Dallas vulnerable to Enofé who closes the gap by standing on the back of Dallas and dropping into a DDT. Bo somehow gets the shoulder up, and Edris directs Malik to the top rope. Swanton Bomb by Blade, cover by Edris. New Tag Team Champions.]
After the bout, Gacy hugs a distraught Dallas. Bo is facing away from the camera, Gacy is facing towards it. Gacy whispers something in Bo's ear before planting a kiss on the side of his head. Dallas turns around just as Gacy connects with a handspring lariat. Joe stands over the flattened Dallas, and in disappointment, leaves the ring.
NXT Heatwave:
Bo Dallas vs Joe Gacy, Love & War:
[The stage is set for a hazardous clash as Bo Dallas and Joe Gacy step into the ring for their Love & War Match, a twisted variation of an Extreme Rules bout. The atmosphere is personal, the hurt of betrayal evident on the face of Bo, as the two rivals lock eyes, each determined to emerge victorious.
As the bell rings, Bo Dallas wastes no time in unleashing his pent-up frustration on Joe Gacy, launching a relentless assault with a steel chair in hand. Gacy, however, remains cool and composed, dodging Dallas's swings with ease before retaliating with a series of calculated strikes ending in a bodyslam on the open chair.
The match quickly spills to the outside, where Dallas sends Gacy crashing into the steel steps with a vicious Irish whip. The impact reverberates through the arena as Gacy writhes in pain on the cold concrete floor. Gacy eye pokes Dallas and tries for a sit-out piledriver on the bottom set of stairs, the top set tipped over beside it.
Dallas connects with a back body drop, though, sending Gacy cascading into the top half of the stairs. Back inside the ring, Dallas sets up a table in the corner, his eyes burning with determination as he prepares to put an end to Gacy's deception once and for all. Following a Sunset Flip, Dallas shows his strength, carrying Gacy across the ring and sending him crashing through the table with a devastating powerbomb, the wood splintering beneath the force of the impact.
But Gacy refuses to stay down, rallying back with a barbed wire bat in hand. With a sadistic grin, Gacy swings the bat at Dallas, striking him across the back with brutal force. The barbed wire tears at Dallas's flesh, leaving behind a trail of blood as he staggers back in agony.
Gacy introduces a ladder, propping it up in the corner, he slingshots Dallas into the hard steel. The ladder is set on Bo's neck, trapping his head in the middle of it, Gacy connects with a german suplex while Bo's head is trapped.
Joe fishes out a barbed wire wrapped table, setting it up outside the ring. Gacy re-enters and spots a vulnerable Dallas. He attempts a handspring lariat, but as soon as he goes upside down into the ropes, Bo spears Gacy, driving both men out of the ring.
Dallas and Gacy brawl on the apron, footsteps away from the barbed wire table. Gacy gets Dallas sat against the steel post and attempts a cannonball, Dallas pulls himself into the ring last second and Gacy crashes into the steel post.
Dallas runs the ropes and connects with a suicide spear through the barbed wire table. With Gacy reeling from the impact, Dallas seizes the opportunity to end the match once and for all. He sets a table ablaze in ring, the flames licking at the sky as he hoists Gacy into the squared circle.
Dallas sets up the ladder and begins to climb, he's thinking an elbow drop on the downed Gacy, but Joe climbs and gets Dallas in a fireman's carry position. Bo frees himself and gets Gacy in electric chair position.
The crowd waits in baited breath, as with a primal roar, Dallas falls backwards with Gacy on his shoulders, from fifteen feet in the air, into the table, the fire consuming them both in a blaze of glory. The crowd erupts into cheers as the referee counts the three-count, declaring Bo Dallas the winner of the Love & War Match.
As Dallas stands tall amidst the smoldering wreckage, a sense of catharsis washes over him, his victory a symbol of triumph over betrayal. As he gazes down at Gacy's body though, one thought runs through his head, a thought that scares him to his core, it's implications undeniable.
"That was fun."
WWE uploads an exclusive backstage video showing Gacy approach Bo. Dallas is on edge and stiffens up, Gacy grabs him by his face.
"Good. Now go fulfill your destiny."
Gacy claps Dallas on the chest and leaves, leaving Bo in a mix of emotions as he is forced to consider Gacy's betrayal may have been a selfless action.]
RAW, 7/15/24:
SummerSlam is just over two weeks away and things are heating up. Shortly before the respective parties make their entrance for the main event of the evening, a video airs.
[The camera flickers to life revealing the familiar face of one Bo Dallas, coming off arguably the most brutal match of his career and an enigmatic piece of advice from Joe Gacy.]
"It's been said that those who are baptized in the darkness, cannot handle the light, for it will surely blind them. As I stand here today, I feel the weight of those words.
I've spent so long living in fear, fear of not living up to those who came before me..."
[Flashes of The US Express and Bray Wyatt shoot across the screen.]
"Fear of failing."
[This time, flashes of Bo's initial run with WWE, losing his winning streak to R-Truth and then beginning his losing streak.]
"Fear...of judgement."
[Bo, previously staring at the ground, gazes up.]
"I thought I'd be able to feel him, but not like this. He's... he's everywhere. In everyone he's ever stood across the ring from. One man, he stands out in particular, not for no rhyme or reason, see my brother...he knew this man very well.
SummerSlam is fast approaching and I just wouldn't miss it for the world. And as for my opponent? Well, discretion is the better part of válor.
I can't tell you that part just yet, one thing I can tell you though? I am not afraid...anymore."
[The gaze of Bo stagnates on screen prior to the feed cutting off.]
RAW, 7/22/24:
Towards the end of the show, a big match occurs, harkening back to their days in NXT fighting over the top title, Finn Bálor collides with Pete Dunne in singles action.
It's a hard hitting affair, with McDonagh & Bate getting involved as well. Bálor scores the triumphant victory off his patented Coup De Grace. McDonagh has long disappeared, fighting with Bate to the backstage area.
Suddenly the lights go out, dimming section by section. Chills coat Bálor's body as deja vu swarms him. He's been here before.
Suddenly, Bo Dallas appears behind Finn Bálor, a single swinging spotlight allowing him to be seen. Bálor turns around and gets caught with a forearm to the face. Dallas drags him up and connects with Grim Affection.
Bo sits in the corner of the ring, murmuring to himself. The message is clear, Bo Dallas has set his sights on Finn Bálor.
RAW, 7/29/24:
The go home episode of RAW before SummerSlam, another video from Bo airs.
"My brother was a troubled man with a troubled mind. He loved this business more than anything else, and he gave his life to it. Bray was always...erratic, different and he was judged for it, believe me. I remember, five years ago, Bray called me in the middle of the night and just started to ramble about this thing. This thing that was going to finally make him. He was obsessed with the prospect of fear, fear is power, and Bray is a man who often had his power stripped from him. Fear was his way of getting it back.
In Toronto, maybe for the first time, Bray was a truly fearsome man, and with that, he became truly, truly powerful. Five years ago, Finn, you were the example. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I have a question for you, Finn, when you are at the center of all of the judgement that you cast, will you survive? I suppose I'll get my answer, on August 3rd."
[Bo settles back into his chair, contemplating before continuing.]
"You were supposed to be someone, Finn, there's a reason my brother targeted you in the first place, he saw that same darkness that he never could resist. That darkness though, is gone now. You've spent so much time...chasing rabbits. You've lost sight of who you were meant to be.
I fear, now, it's too late. There's nothing left of you to salvage, which is bad news for you, but very good news for me. Feeble as you are, you will be a perfect example, a sign of things to come, a canvas for which I will paint with my demons. Finn, I will ensure you do not die in vain, your sacrifice will be very, very worthy.
In five days, I become, for the first time, truly powerful. And in five days, Finn, you will find, we're all mad here."
[Bo exits the room as a small white rabbit skitters on to the desk in front of the camera.]

Bray Wyatt was a truly brilliant man, a mastermind of creativity that brought to life characters, the likes of which we never dreamed we'd see in WWE.
From a cult leader to a funhouse to a fiend and many more iterations, Wyatt left an impact with his career and with his passing.
Many would say his career was cut too short and he had so much more to give, so much unrealized potential.
I'm sure by now we've all heard the rumors of Bo Dallas's return and the shoes of Bray's he looks to fill. I aim to write the best possible run for Bo to make for a respectable, iconic tribute run that would hopefully be a worthy successor to the legend that was Bray Wyatt.
NXT, 4/9/24:
It's the NXT after WrestleMania and the wrestling world is buzzing, especially given the fallout from Stand & Deliver.
Everyone is anxiously awaiting the tag team championship bout, however, right before introductions begin, a video airs.
[The scene opens with a dimly lit room, filled with eerie masks and props reminiscent of Bray Wyatt's countless ominous personas. Bo Dallas stands in the center, dressed in a black tuxedo, a ruby red rose tucked into the pocket. His expression is solemn as he gazes at the array of memorabilia.]
"My brother Bray... he was more than just a man. He was an enigma, a mastermind of both darkness and light. He taught me, not just about wrestling, but about life. About embracing the darkness within us and finding strength in it."
[Bo picks up a white sheep mask, running his fingers along its intricate details.]
"These masks... they're more than just fabric and paint. They're symbols of his creativity, his imagination. Each one tells a story, a story of the man who wore it. And now, it's up to me to carry on that legacy, to keep his memory alive."
[He pauses, a somber look crossing his face as memories flood his mind.]
"Bray and I... we shared a bond that went beyond blood. We were kindred spirits, wandering in the darkness together. And even though he's gone, I can still feel his presence, guiding me, urging me to continue the journey."
[Bo walks around the room, touching various items, each one invoking memories of Bray. He runs his fingers along the mask of Uncle Howdy, and bits of Bray's feud with LA Knight flicker across the screen. He passes by the sheep mask, and images of The Wyatt Family fill the picture, scenes of their destruction on full display. Bo dares to grip The Fiend mask last, and the monstrous reign of terror Bray went on is summarized with flashes of his darkest showings.]
"I may not be Bray Wyatt, but I am my brother's keeper. I am Bo Dallas. And I promise to honor his memory in everything I do. To carry on his legacy, to spread his message. Because that's what he would have wanted."
[As the camera fades to black, a single candle flickers in the darkness, illuminating Bo's determined expression, a symbol of hope in the face of loss.]
NXT, 4/16/24:
[The scene this week finds Bo Dallas in a ring, not the NXT ring, but at an undisclosed location, surrounded by eerie lighting and haunting music. His demeanor has shifted slightly, displaying hints of the madness that once defined his brother, Bray Wyatt.]
"Welcome, my friends, to the theater of the mind. Tonight, we embark on a journey into the dark limelight. For too long, I have walked in the shadows of greatness, but now, it's time for me to step into the spotlight."
[Bo's eyes gleam with an unsettling intensity as he speaks, his voice carrying a hint of the manicness that consumed Bray.]
"You see, I've spent my time wandering in the wilderness, searching for answers, seeking the truth that lies beneath the surface. And what I've found... it's both beautiful and terrifying."
[He paces around the ring, his movements fluid yet erratic, mirroring the unpredictability of his brother.]
"But fear not, for I am not alone in this journey. No, I carry with me the spirit of Bray Wyatt, my brother, my mentor, my lantern in the darkness. Together, we shall unleash chaos upon the world, for it is in chaos that true enlightenment is found."
[As he speaks, cryptic images flash across the screen, hinting at the impending madness that awaits. Two stand out, a smiley face with blood splattered on the bright yellow exterior, and an uber-realistic heart still beating, decorated with disturbing facial features, the eyes gouged out and grey bruises left in the sunken holes.]
"So to those who dare to stand in our way, know this: the reckoning is coming. The shadows will consume you, and you will be left to live in fear. For the madness of the mind knows no bounds, and soon, you will understand the true meaning of terror, the true face of fear."
[The camera zooms in on Bo's face, a wicked grin spreading across his lips as he stares into the abyss, indescribable intentions lining his tortured mind.]
NXT 4/23/24:
Bo Dallas vs Scrypts
[Bo Dallas finally makes his in ring return, to the brand he once called home, the brand he was once champion of. He enters to Feared, seemingly confirming his past role. Across the ring from him is the highly acrobatic Scrypts, eager to get an upset victory over the, presumably rusty, Bo Dallas.
In the closing moments of the match, Bo Dallas delivers a new finishing maneuver. He locks Scrypts in position for a Sister Abigail, kiss and all, before securing the head and falling back into a devastating DDT laying out Scrypts for the three-count. As the referee raises Dallas' hand in victory, the arena is left with a mixture of awe and fear, witnessing the emergence of a new force on the white and gold brand.]
NXT, 4/30/24:
Bo Dallas vs Davey Vega (Local Competitor)
[In the heart of the performance center, Bo Dallas stands ready, his gaze fixed on his opponent, Davey Vega, a local competitor stepping into the lion's den. From the opening bell, Dallas unleashes a relentless assault, showcasing the brutal side of his newfound madness.
As the match progresses, the referee is forced to intervene, calling for the bell and awarding the match to Bo Dallas via referee stoppage, signaling the end of Vega's valiant effort.
However, Dallas shows no signs of mercy, launching a vicious post-match assault on the defenseless Vega, driving home the message that he is not to be trifled with.
Suddenly, the arena erupts with the arrival of Axiom, charging down the ramp to confront Dallas and put an end to his rampage. Bo Dallas, unfazed by the interruption, simply smiles in response, leaving a chilling sense of uncertainty in his wake as he retreats from the ring.]
NXT, 5/7/24:
The week after Bo Dallas bludgeoned a local competitor who was thankfully rescued by Axiom, a video airs detailing Bo's thoughts on this 'heroic' act.
[The scene opens with eerie music playing in the background as the screen flickers to life, revealing a dimly lit room. In the center of the frame, Bo Dallas sits, his expression veiled in shadows, radiating an aura of malevolence.]
"Axiom, my dear adversary, I have a message for you. A message that carries with it the weight of inevitability.
You see, Axiom, you and I... we exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. Where you seek light, I revel in darkness. Where you find solace, I find chaos. And in that chaos, there lies a power that few ever get to feel."
[As he speaks, the camera zooms in on Bo's face, revealing a sinister grin that twists his features into an unsettling visage.]
"But fear not, for I am not here to harm you... yet. No, I am here to offer you a choice. A choice that will define your destiny, a choice that will determine what kind of man you're going to be left as."
[His words hang in the air, heavy with implication and menace.]
"So heed my warning, Axiom, because I'm not a bad person. I don't wish to harm you. Believe me, it will hurt me more than it will hurt you, and that's truly, truly saying something. The choice is yours... choose wisely."
[With a flicker, the screen fades to black, leaving behind an ominous silence that lingers long after Bo's message has ended.]
Later that night, we cut to a scene of Axiom & Nathan Frazer in the locker room with Nathan Frazer anxiously pacing back and forth, his expression wrought with concern. Axiom, his tag team partner, stands nearby.
"Axiom, listen to me... I've got a bad feeling about this. You can't take this match with Bo Dallas. It's like... like there's something dark hovering over him, something... unnatural."
Axiom furrows his brow, puzzled by Nathan's urgency.
"Nathan, what are you talking about? We've faced tough opponents before. Hell, we just won the NXT Tag Team Championships last month. Bo Dallas is just another challenge for us to overcome."
"No, this is...this is different. I can't explain it, but, I know, somehow, that this guy is bad news."
The lights flicker, as Nathan's eyes begin to dart, wary of... something.
"Axiom, please, I'm begging you... don't do this."
Axiom shakes his head, his determination unwavering despite Nathan's pleas.
"I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I can't back down from this. Bo may be...troubled, but I refuse to let fear dictate my actions. We've trained hard for moments just like this, and, just imagine what it'll do for us if I beat a former NXT champion."
Nathan's shoulders slump in defeat, realizing that his words have fallen on deaf ears.
"Just... promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll watch your back. There's something... something sinister about him. I'm afraid that if you face Bo Dallas, you won't come out of it the same."
Axiom nods solemnly, trying to show Frazer that he takes his concerns seriously. He reassures Nathan that he's got this, and by this time next week, they will be on the road to bigger and better things. He goes to get the match made official, leaving Nathan alone with his dark premonitions.
NXT, 5/14/24:
In the backstage area, dimly lit and filled with an air of anticipation, Bo Dallas prepares for his upcoming match against Axiom. Dressed in his ominous attire, reminiscent of his brothers, but with a touch of his own style. He methodically wraps his hands with tape, his mind focused on the task at hand. Suddenly, Joe Gacy appears, his smile warm and inviting as he approaches Dallas.
"Bo, my friend! I just wanted to say, I've been admiring your work lately. Your commitment to embracing your darker side is truly inspiring. For example, what you're going to do to Axiom tonight. If a guy like that doesn't want to listen to guys like us when we're warning him, begging him not to oppose us. Well, they get what they deserve."
Bo Dallas, though polite, eyes Gacy warily, sensing an underlying tension beneath his seemingly friendly demeanor.
"Thanks, Joe. I appreciate the... kind words. But let me ask you something...I hear your gospel, and you preach a lot about redemption. Do you truly believe in redemption? Or are you just using it as an excuse to justify your own actions?"
Gacy's smile wavers slightly at the question, but he quickly regains his composure.
"Of course, Bo. Redemption is a core belief of mine. I believe that everyone, no matter how lost they may seem, deserves a chance at redemption. Even those who have embraced their darker nature."
Bo Dallas nods, though the skepticism still lingers.
"Because you know, guys like us, of course. We don't make apologies, we don't make excuses, we don't need redemption. If you feel that you do, well, maybe you're nothing like me at all."
Before either can dive deeper into the conversation, a stagehand interrupts, signaling that it's time for Bo's match.
"We'll continue this conversation later, Joe. Right now, I have a match to focus on."
With a curt nod, Dallas strides off towards the ring, leaving Gacy standing alone in the dimly lit hallway, his smile masking the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. As Dallas's theme music echoes through the arena, Gacy watches with a knowing glint in his eyes, hinting at the turbulent confrontation yet to come.
Axiom vs Bo Dallas
[The arena buzzes as Axiom makes his entrance, his determination palpable in the air as he clutches his Tag Title strap. Across the ring, Bo Dallas stands, a sinister grin etched on his face as he eagerly awaits his opponent.
As the bell rings, Axiom explodes into action, showcasing his high-flying prowess with dazzling maneuvers, but Bo Dallas is unfazed, meeting Axiom's athleticism with a ruthless onslaught of dirty tactics and underhanded tricks.
Bo sinks to new depths of depravity, resorting to underhanded tactics such as eye rakes and choking Axiom with the ring ropes when the referee's back is turned. He strategically targets Axiom's limbs, ruthlessly wrenching at joints and ligaments with painful submission holds, eliciting agonized screams from his opponent. At one point, Bo viciously slams Axiom's knee into the ring post, causing a sickening crunch that echoes throughout the arena, leaving Axiom writhing in pain on the mat.
He repeatedly drives his knee into Axiom's ribs with malicious intent, ignoring the referee's warnings and relishing in the damage he deals.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Axiom refuses to back down, channeling his inner resilience to mount a comeback against his twisted adversary. With every leap and flip, he defies gravity, inciting faint Axiom chants that become even fainter as the finish nears.
Axiom attempts a shooting star from the top rope and gets caught in Sister Abigail positioning, kiss, DDT. Commentary dubs it Grim Affection. A dominant victory for Bo Dallas over a game Axiom.
"I told you, Axiom, that you had a choice to make. A choice to define your destiny, to decide what kind of man was going to be left. You... you didn't believe me."
Bo drops the mic and drags Axiom out of the ring. He nears the announce desk and begins slamming Axiom's head into the table. Again, and again, and again. Repeatedly. After several sickening collisions with the desk, medical personnel back Bo up and wring his grip off of Axiom's neck.
Perhaps, people should be asking what drove Bo to do this, how he could do this, but then again, he did warn us. Rather, one question seems to linger.
Where was Nathan Frazer?]
NXT, 5/21/24:
Bo Dallas vs Riley Osborne
The following week, Bo Dallas is paired up with the impressive up and comer, Riley Osborne. Osborne, a dynamic highflyer known for his breath-taking maneuvers, brings an energy to the match that contrasts sharply with Dallas's dark and brooding presence.
With Dallas in the driver's seat, Joe Gacy emerges from the shadows, making his way to ringside with his trademark smile firmly in place. His presence unnerves Dallas, who becomes increasingly distracted by Gacy's watchful gaze.
Sensing an opportunity, Osborne seizes the moment, launching a series of high-flying attacks that leave Dallas reeling. With the crowd firmly behind him, Osborne delivers a flurry of strikes and aerial maneuvers, building momentum and gaining the advantage.
However, just as it seems that Osborne may secure the victory, Gacy interjects himself into the match, distracting the referee and creating an opening for Dallas to strike. Seizing the opportunity, Dallas delivers a devastating blow to the back of Osborne's head, knocking him to the mat and leaving him vulnerable to Grim Affection.
Dallas quickly executes the DDT, driving Osborne's head into the canvas with brutal force. Dallas covers Osborne for the pinfall victory, all the while, keeping a weary eye on Joe Gacy. His victory tainted by the interference.
As Dallas stands victorious in the ring, Gacy watches from ringside, his smile wider than ever as he silently applauds Dallas's triumph, his motivations indeterminable.
Backstage, Bo strides purposefully towards Gacy, his expression a mix of frustration and curiosity. Gacy stands nearby, his back turned to the approaching Dallas.
"Joe, we need to talk. What the hell made you think you could get involved in my match?"
Joe turns to face Dallas, his smile unwavering despite the tension in the air.
"Bo, it's simple. I got involved because that's what friends do. We look out for each other, we support each other, no matter what."
Dallas narrows his eyes, unpleased with the explanation.
"Friends, huh? Joe, let me make something clear to you. You and me are not friends. You talk about 'guys like us.' but if you were really anything like me, you'd know, guys like us don't get the luxury of friendship. Stay out of my way."
Dallas walks off, leaving Gacy alone in the dimly lit hallway, feeling confident his warning will be the last he hears from Gacy. As Gacy watches Dallas's retreating figure, his smile fades slightly, a hint of the darkness leaking out behind his facade of friendliness.
NXT, 5/28/24:
In the aftermath of Dallas's confrontation with Joe backstage, tensions between the two competitors continue to simmer beneath the surface. As Dallas prepares for his next match, Gacy lurks in the shadows, his smile masking the intentions that lie beneath.
Bo Dallas vs Je'Von Evans
As Dallas steps into the ring to face off with the spry Evans, Gacy watches from ringside, his presence a constant reminder of the brewing conflict between them. Throughout the match, Dallas's focus is split between Je'Von and Gacy, the unsettling feeling of being watched lingering on his mind.
As the match reaches its climax, Gacy's interference once again comes into play, this time in the form of distraction tactics that allow Evans to gain the upper hand, ending his dominant sequence with a huracanrana to send Dallas out of the ring. Frustrated by Gacy's meddling, Dallas lashes out, confronting Gacy at ringside.
"What are you doing?! I told you to stay out of my business."
"I'm just trying to help, Bo. Can't you see that? We're in this together, whether you like it or not."
The confrontation between Dallas and Gacy escalates, drawing the attention of the referee and the audience alike. Sensing an opportunity, Je'Von seizes the moment, delivering a springboard crossbody that leaves Dallas smashed against the barricade.
As the match comes to a close, Dallas finds himself on the receiving end of a corkscrew frogsplash, pinned to the mat as the referee issues the three-count. Gacy watches from ringside, his smile wider than ever as he revels in Dallas's defeat.
As Dallas staggers to his feet, his anger evident, Gacy offers a mocking clap of applause, his smile taunting Dallas from across the ring.
NXT, 6/4/24:
The following week, Bo is obviously beside himself, given his first loss since returning due to the meddling nature of Joe Gacy. He wants answers, and he gets them, but they are perhaps...not what he expected
The video opens with a dimly lit room, casting eerie shadows across the walls. In the center of the frame, in an old rocking chair, sits Joe Gacy. He's surrounded by a cluttered array of photos, newspaper clippings, and pins connected by lengths of yarn. His expression is intense, bordering on obsessive, as he addresses the camera.
"Greetings, my friends. I wanted to take a moment to share something with you. Something that has been weighing heavily on my mind as of late."
He gestures to the wall behind him, where a complex web of connections links various images together.
"You see, I've been doing some... research. Trying to understand the connections between us all, the threads that bind us together."
He points to individual photos, each depicting familiar figures, including Alexa Bliss, Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and even the iconic sheep mask.
"Bo Dallas... Bray Wyatt... They're more than just competitors to me. They're kindred spirits, souls bound by a shared vision of darkness and redemption. And now, with their guidance, I seek to create something truly special."
His voice takes on a fervent tone, his eyes gleaming with manic intensity.
"You may call me a fan, a devotee of their work. But I see myself as something more. I am a disciple, a vessel through which their legacy will live on. Together, Bo and me will forge a new path, a new family built on the foundations of their greatness."
As the camera zooms in on Gacy's face, his smile widens, revealing a hint of madness lurking beneath the surface.
"So to Bo, my dear friend and partner in crime, I say this: embrace the chaos, embrace the darkness, and together, we will create something truly extraordinary."
With a final unsettling chuckle, Gacy reaches forward to turn off the camera, a squeak echoing from the rocking chair and cascading across the disturbed audience.
NXT, Battleground:
Bo Dallas vs Joe Gacy
As the lights dim in the UFC Apex arena, anticipation hangs heavy in the air as Bo Dallas and Joe Gacy make their way to the ring, their paths on a collision course fueled by obsession.
From the opening bell, Gacy wastes no time in asserting his dominance, launching a relentless assault on Dallas with a combination of technical prowess and psychological warfare. Gacy taunts Dallas, insisting that he needs Gacy to unlock his true potential, but Dallas remains defiant, refusing to give in to Gacy's grand delusion.
Despite Gacy's mind games, Dallas fights back with a fierce determination, fueled by a desire for revenge against the man who has cost him victories and sought to manipulate him. The two competitors trade blows in a brutal back-and-forth, each refusing to back down in their quest for supremacy.
As the match reaches its climax, Gacy's desperation becomes apparent as he resorts to underhanded tactics to gain the upper hand. He attempts to lure Dallas into his twisted worldview, promising power and redemption through submission to his will, both literally and figuratively as he traps Dallas in Hell's Gate. Dallas sees through Gacy's deception, though, refusing to be swayed by his false promises and makes it to the ropes.
In a dramatic turn of events, Dallas mounts a ferocious comeback, unleashing a barrage of strikes that leave Gacy reeling. With the crowd rallying behind him, Dallas summons every ounce of strength to overcome Gacy.
In the final moments of the match, Gacy attempts his handspring lariat, but Dallas catches him! Dallas has him in position and connects with Grim Affection, Gacy's delusion shattered in the face of Dallas's unwavering resolve. With a triumphant roar, Dallas secures the victory, standing tall.
As Dallas celebrates his hard-fought victory, Gacy slinks away into the shadows, his facade of superiority crumbling under the weight of his defeat.
NXT, 6/11/24:
On the NXT following Battleground, Bo Dallas makes his way to the ring. He details how Gacy was one of the hardest fights of his career and he has a newfound respect for him. Gacy is clearly...confused about any potential connection he may have to Dallas, but Dallas has been a man of much confusion in the past and he can sympathize.
He asks Gacy to come out to the ring so Dallas can shake his hand after their war at Battleground. Instead, Gallus's music hits, the trio of bruisers signaling their arrival. The Coffey Brothers & Wolfgang have been on a Shield-esque run recently, terrorizing anyone they deem a threat to their success and dissecting them via the numbers game.
As Gallus surround the ring, preventing Dallas from making an escape, they bore their eyes into a trepidatious Bo.
Just as the wolfpack is about to swarm, Love Is Blind hits and Joe Gacy runs down wielding a steel chair. He jabs Wolfgang in the gut, and levels Mark Coffey with chair shots as well. This leaves Joe vulnerable to Dallas's attack, laying out Coffey. Coffey flees from the right side of the ring as Gacy enters from the left. Gacy and Dallas end up bumping, back to back, into each other.
They stare each other down cautiously, before Dallas sticks out his hand, Gacy shakes it and the two unlikely bedmates stand united against Gallus.
NXT, 6/18/24:
Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy vs Gallus (The Coffey Brothers)
[With Dallas & Gacy seemingly aligning for the moment, with the numbers game of Gallus being too great for either to overcome alone, this match is made.
Joe & Mark Coffey showcase their brawling ways and take the fight to Dallas, wearing him down throughout the match. It's not until Bo makes a hot tag to Joe Gacy that tides start to turn.
Gacy matches the brutality of Coffey and battles back as the freshest competitor in the match. As Gacy closes in on a victory, Dallas clears out Wolfgang at ringside who was attempting to get involved.
A moment later, Gacy is pinning Mark to secure the win for him and Bo.]
Later that night, Bo and Gacy run into Gacy's old running mate and NXT General Manager, Ava. She says that she was impressed with their performance and if they're interested in accepting it, would like to offer a Tag Team Title opportunity to them next week.
Joe looks to Dallas for his answer, and Bo agrees to the match. It seems Joe is finally getting his wish, to team with a man who's work he's admired for some time in Bo Dallas.
NXT, 6/25/24:
Axiom & Nathan Frazer (c) vs Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy: NXT Tag Team Championship Match
[Ever since Bo's encounter with Axiom, there's been tensions between Axiom & Frazer. Frazer has been somewhat absent, slacking in comparison to Axiom's extreme efforts. Not to mention, Nathan's choice to let Dallas brutally beat on him last month.
Earlier in the night, it's made clear that Frazer's most egregious example of this recent behavior is taking place at the most inopportune time. Axiom first gives an interview early in the show, Nathan isn't here yet but Axiom stays confident in their defense tonight. Axiom later voices concern to Ava over Nathan not being here yet. Finally, Axiom finds a note in his locker, clearly informing Axiom that Nathan isn't coming.
Axiom is asked pre match about these developments, the champion states he's going to go out there and vigorously defend his title, and if he fails...well he's no longer got a tag team partner, maybe he shouldn't be a tag team champion.
It's a big fight feel with the tag team titles up for grabs, but once Dallas and Gacy finish making their entrance, Axiom enters alone. The handicap is evident as despite Axiom's valiant efforts, the revolving door of tags from his opponents keeps him weak.
Axiom unleashes a series of big maneuvers on both men, fighting his heart out until his last breath. Axiom dives onto Dallas at ringside and attempts to on Gacy as well, but gets tossed into the ring apron. Gacy sends him back in and flattens him with a handspring lariat. He feeds Axiom to Dallas who lands Grim Affection.
With that, the Tag Team Championships now belong to Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy. A defeated Axiom writhes on the canvas, a harrowing loss noticably affecting him.]
NXT, 7/2/24:
It's the week after the big Tag Title victory, and Dallas & Gacy make their entrance, eager to celebrate Gacy's first WWE Title and Dallas's first in over a decade.
They seem very giddy to be Champions, Dallas compliments Gacy's vision and states that Joe knew they would make a great team even when Bo didn't want to accept it.
Dallas states that when he first came back, he was nervous, nervous he wouldn't live up to that legacy, fill those boots. Thanks to Gacy though, it was easier than Bo expected and know that he's got gold, he can finally relax. He feels that weight off of his shoulders.
This seems to unsettle Gacy who states that the hard part has just begun though and it's time to put in their best work. The tag titles are just phase one of the plan. Dallas says that, eventually sure, maybe they'll go after other titles and bigger things, but for now, this feels comfortable for Bo.
Gacy simply stares at him for a moment until Edris Enofé and Malik Blade arrive. Gacy turns away from Dallas to spot the young, hungry tag team. Enofé and Blade state that they are one of the longest tenured teams in NXT right now and they deserve a tag team title shot.
Dallas tries to tell them they'll need to earn it, not seeing the irony of how easy his road to the titles has been, Gacy however accepts on Bo's behalf and schedules the match for later tonight.
Joe tries to talk some sense into Bo backstage, letting Bo know that Gacy helped him capture gold as a way to inspire Bo to work harder, to fulfill his destiny and truly become great with Gacy. Dallas shouldn't become comfortable right now, now is when you double down on that effort and become undeniable. Dallas seems disinterested.
Bo Dallas & Joe Gacy (c) vs Edris Enofé & Malik Blade: Tag Team Championship Match
[The enthusiastic team of Enofé and Blade have the biggest opportunity of their young careers, as they take on two established foes with NXT tag gold on the line. The very different styles contrast throughout, the aggressive, smash-mouth style of Bo and Gacy opposite the adrenaline fueled, fast paced Edris and Blade.
It begins to look unlikely that the challengers will have a chance to fulfill their long awaited dream as Dallas and Gacy continuously cut off their momentum.
In a last gasp effort, Blade is able to turn the tides and neutralize Gacy at ringside, this leaves Dallas vulnerable to Enofé who closes the gap by standing on the back of Dallas and dropping into a DDT. Bo somehow gets the shoulder up, and Edris directs Malik to the top rope. Swanton Bomb by Blade, cover by Edris. New Tag Team Champions.]
After the bout, Gacy hugs a distraught Dallas. Bo is facing away from the camera, Gacy is facing towards it. Gacy whispers something in Bo's ear before planting a kiss on the side of his head. Dallas turns around just as Gacy connects with a handspring lariat. Joe stands over the flattened Dallas, and in disappointment, leaves the ring.
NXT Heatwave:
Bo Dallas vs Joe Gacy, Love & War:
[The stage is set for a hazardous clash as Bo Dallas and Joe Gacy step into the ring for their Love & War Match, a twisted variation of an Extreme Rules bout. The atmosphere is personal, the hurt of betrayal evident on the face of Bo, as the two rivals lock eyes, each determined to emerge victorious.
As the bell rings, Bo Dallas wastes no time in unleashing his pent-up frustration on Joe Gacy, launching a relentless assault with a steel chair in hand. Gacy, however, remains cool and composed, dodging Dallas's swings with ease before retaliating with a series of calculated strikes ending in a bodyslam on the open chair.
The match quickly spills to the outside, where Dallas sends Gacy crashing into the steel steps with a vicious Irish whip. The impact reverberates through the arena as Gacy writhes in pain on the cold concrete floor. Gacy eye pokes Dallas and tries for a sit-out piledriver on the bottom set of stairs, the top set tipped over beside it.
Dallas connects with a back body drop, though, sending Gacy cascading into the top half of the stairs. Back inside the ring, Dallas sets up a table in the corner, his eyes burning with determination as he prepares to put an end to Gacy's deception once and for all. Following a Sunset Flip, Dallas shows his strength, carrying Gacy across the ring and sending him crashing through the table with a devastating powerbomb, the wood splintering beneath the force of the impact.
But Gacy refuses to stay down, rallying back with a barbed wire bat in hand. With a sadistic grin, Gacy swings the bat at Dallas, striking him across the back with brutal force. The barbed wire tears at Dallas's flesh, leaving behind a trail of blood as he staggers back in agony.
Gacy introduces a ladder, propping it up in the corner, he slingshots Dallas into the hard steel. The ladder is set on Bo's neck, trapping his head in the middle of it, Gacy connects with a german suplex while Bo's head is trapped.
Joe fishes out a barbed wire wrapped table, setting it up outside the ring. Gacy re-enters and spots a vulnerable Dallas. He attempts a handspring lariat, but as soon as he goes upside down into the ropes, Bo spears Gacy, driving both men out of the ring.
Dallas and Gacy brawl on the apron, footsteps away from the barbed wire table. Gacy gets Dallas sat against the steel post and attempts a cannonball, Dallas pulls himself into the ring last second and Gacy crashes into the steel post.
Dallas runs the ropes and connects with a suicide spear through the barbed wire table. With Gacy reeling from the impact, Dallas seizes the opportunity to end the match once and for all. He sets a table ablaze in ring, the flames licking at the sky as he hoists Gacy into the squared circle.
Dallas sets up the ladder and begins to climb, he's thinking an elbow drop on the downed Gacy, but Joe climbs and gets Dallas in a fireman's carry position. Bo frees himself and gets Gacy in electric chair position.
The crowd waits in baited breath, as with a primal roar, Dallas falls backwards with Gacy on his shoulders, from fifteen feet in the air, into the table, the fire consuming them both in a blaze of glory. The crowd erupts into cheers as the referee counts the three-count, declaring Bo Dallas the winner of the Love & War Match.
As Dallas stands tall amidst the smoldering wreckage, a sense of catharsis washes over him, his victory a symbol of triumph over betrayal. As he gazes down at Gacy's body though, one thought runs through his head, a thought that scares him to his core, it's implications undeniable.
"That was fun."
WWE uploads an exclusive backstage video showing Gacy approach Bo. Dallas is on edge and stiffens up, Gacy grabs him by his face.
"Good. Now go fulfill your destiny."
Gacy claps Dallas on the chest and leaves, leaving Bo in a mix of emotions as he is forced to consider Gacy's betrayal may have been a selfless action.]
RAW, 7/15/24:
SummerSlam is just over two weeks away and things are heating up. Shortly before the respective parties make their entrance for the main event of the evening, a video airs.
[The camera flickers to life revealing the familiar face of one Bo Dallas, coming off arguably the most brutal match of his career and an enigmatic piece of advice from Joe Gacy.]
"It's been said that those who are baptized in the darkness, cannot handle the light, for it will surely blind them. As I stand here today, I feel the weight of those words.
I've spent so long living in fear, fear of not living up to those who came before me..."
[Flashes of The US Express and Bray Wyatt shoot across the screen.]
"Fear of failing."
[This time, flashes of Bo's initial run with WWE, losing his winning streak to R-Truth and then beginning his losing streak.]
"Fear...of judgement."
[Bo, previously staring at the ground, gazes up.]
"I thought I'd be able to feel him, but not like this. He's... he's everywhere. In everyone he's ever stood across the ring from. One man, he stands out in particular, not for no rhyme or reason, see my brother...he knew this man very well.
SummerSlam is fast approaching and I just wouldn't miss it for the world. And as for my opponent? Well, discretion is the better part of válor.
I can't tell you that part just yet, one thing I can tell you though? I am not afraid...anymore."
[The gaze of Bo stagnates on screen prior to the feed cutting off.]
RAW, 7/22/24:
Towards the end of the show, a big match occurs, harkening back to their days in NXT fighting over the top title, Finn Bálor collides with Pete Dunne in singles action.
It's a hard hitting affair, with McDonagh & Bate getting involved as well. Bálor scores the triumphant victory off his patented Coup De Grace. McDonagh has long disappeared, fighting with Bate to the backstage area.
Suddenly the lights go out, dimming section by section. Chills coat Bálor's body as deja vu swarms him. He's been here before.
Suddenly, Bo Dallas appears behind Finn Bálor, a single swinging spotlight allowing him to be seen. Bálor turns around and gets caught with a forearm to the face. Dallas drags him up and connects with Grim Affection.
Bo sits in the corner of the ring, murmuring to himself. The message is clear, Bo Dallas has set his sights on Finn Bálor.
RAW, 7/29/24:
The go home episode of RAW before SummerSlam, another video from Bo airs.
"My brother was a troubled man with a troubled mind. He loved this business more than anything else, and he gave his life to it. Bray was always...erratic, different and he was judged for it, believe me. I remember, five years ago, Bray called me in the middle of the night and just started to ramble about this thing. This thing that was going to finally make him. He was obsessed with the prospect of fear, fear is power, and Bray is a man who often had his power stripped from him. Fear was his way of getting it back.
In Toronto, maybe for the first time, Bray was a truly fearsome man, and with that, he became truly, truly powerful. Five years ago, Finn, you were the example. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I have a question for you, Finn, when you are at the center of all of the judgement that you cast, will you survive? I suppose I'll get my answer, on August 3rd."
[Bo settles back into his chair, contemplating before continuing.]
"You were supposed to be someone, Finn, there's a reason my brother targeted you in the first place, he saw that same darkness that he never could resist. That darkness though, is gone now. You've spent so much time...chasing rabbits. You've lost sight of who you were meant to be.
I fear, now, it's too late. There's nothing left of you to salvage, which is bad news for you, but very good news for me. Feeble as you are, you will be a perfect example, a sign of things to come, a canvas for which I will paint with my demons. Finn, I will ensure you do not die in vain, your sacrifice will be very, very worthy.
In five days, I become, for the first time, truly powerful. And in five days, Finn, you will find, we're all mad here."
[Bo exits the room as a small white rabbit skitters on to the desk in front of the camera.]

This is the final section of the record that led to the verdict and its reasons. I would like to apologize in advance for the length.
The motive for the murder [144]-[171]
“The state's case regarding the question of whether the accused had a motive to kill the deceased largely revolved around the letter she wrote to him that morning. His behavior before and after learning of her death was also important in this regard." The main question was whether the relationship was a sufficient reason for the crime and whether this motive led to careful planning with convincing acting in an "apparently" watertight alibi. The state relied on a crime scene analysis by a Senior Superintendent in the SAPS and commander of the Psychological Investigation Unit in Pretoria, who stated in his full report, dated 29 January 2007: “It is my opinion that the motive for this murder was a personal one due to the circumstances under which the crime was committed and the type of aggression displayed towards the victim. Therefore the offender must have been well-known to the victim and motivated by anger.”
=> I believe that examining the question of whether the planning included acting and alibi alone is insufficient. In my opinion, it would also have to include consideration of whether other people were involved and the defendant knew about it or even was an accomplice.
The deceased's letter, which is dated March 16, 2005 and addressed to "Dear Fred", displays at the top of the first page two crosses and a heart by the date and four crosses, a heart and a smiley face by his name. The same symbols can be found at the bottom of the letter It reads as follows: “This letter is going to be a bit more difficult than email (can't delete and change sentences over and over again), but I have to get these things off my heart this morning. (This sounds like following a request/demand not to write an email but a handwritten letter.) I'm sorry you left here in such a mess this morning - I was unreasonable at first and then the whole story just got out of control. (She immediately takes the blame for the argument, not as a conclusion, but as an introduction. It may indicate that she has had the experience in the past of being able to appease him with this approach.) First about you and your brothers…I pray that God will give you wisdom in how to handle the situation and that you will sort out what is between you. Remember, I am ALWAYS there if you want to talk and I REALLY want to be a part of your life and try to understand what you are going through. (He apparently conveyed to her that he didn't know what the actual reason for the arguments with his brothers was. The capital letters indicate a correction of the extreme accusation that she was NEVER there for him when he wanted to speak out and she is NOT interested in his problems AT ALL) The little things that bother me at the moment… (response to the possible request to write down what bothers her about the relationship; she starts very carefully, immediately makes her needs small and insignificant in comparison) I am truly sorry about some of the things I lost this morning. My biggest mistake of late was finding my security and solution to a poor self-esteem in you instead of in God. I didn't realize it until this morning/now, but God has incredible ways of coming and talking to a person and I realize now that I was actually the unfair one, not you. (Another apology for her behavior. She was unable to draw security and reinforcement from God for her low self-esteem. It suggests that she may have accused him of not feeling enough support in the relationship. This now describes it as an unfair demand on a partnership.) Furthermore, I am incredibly afraid of the Easter weekend and that you will see my father if he has had too much to drink. I don't want to lose you in that way and I don't want you to see that side of our family. It probably sounds silly, but it really is a big concern of mine. (She expresses shame about her father when he drank too much alcohol. Although this is understandable, it shouldn't make a person extremely frightened and/or losing a partner because of it. Unless she fears that the father has something against Inge's relationship and could insult Fred. In this context, I had to think of this ornamental hammer. Since it is much better for opening bottles than as a tool, this could also have been meant as a small swipe and taken as an affront.) And finally the usual old stuff - work, CT1 [apparently the abbreviation of a subject she was taking], am I going to get a job? what am I going to do with my apartment? (Why is she moving before the job prospects are clarified?) etc etc It sounds so silly now when I write it down on paper, but it's only right that you know what's going on. [the word "Actually" is crossed out here] Just don't want to bother you with the same issues over and over again! (Again the reference to the fact that this is unusual on paper, but that she wants to follow what she considers a legitimate wish. Furthermore, the accusation was apparently made that she was constantly annoying him with the same problems.) Sorry that sometimes I forget that you are only human - I look up to you so much and have so much respect for you, your opinions and the way you deal with problems, that sometimes I don't realize that you also sometimes have bad days or just don't get hurt. I don't always know how to support you and whether you need/want support at all... I don't understand how you process or deal with hurt - will you please tell me? I must learn to understand you in this respect and how to support you. (Essentially, she explains that she idealizes him so much that she seems to forget that he is even human. However, the statements about vulnerability are striking. Because of his superior attitude, she has difficulty anticipating when he could feel hurt by something. For me, this shows narcissistic traits on Fred's part, which Inge has to struggle with. She is very careful and criticizes her own actions rather than his, because he obviously doesn't deal well with criticism.) I feel like I'm disappointing you if I don't do the things I’ve mentioned above and that you deserve to have a beautiful girl who looks good, can cook food ( :-) !! ) and who is just as perfect as you in every way - and I sometimes struggle to come to that - maybe that is what is the most difficult for me... I know you don't expect it from me, but then you have to please show me how to be the perfect girl for YOU. (The insults could have been a manipulative strategy to further unsettle her and portray her as inadequate for him so that he would seem bigger and more valuable next to her.) I love you very much and I don't want to look any further - tomorrow it will be a year since I fell in love with you:-)(the 1st Wednesday afternoon that you came to me alone for coffee :-) - and I still have no doubting for a second from that day that it's you that I want. You have enriched my life in so many ways and every day with you is the greatest gift one could dream of. (Even if you can't draw any conclusions, the coincidence of the time of the first meeting and the murder is strangely coincidental.) You NEVER have to doubt for one second that I am absolutely committed and that I want to be with you forever with everything in me. I want to promise today that I will no longer depend on you for a good self-esteem and for security, but that I will go to God with it, that I will support you in everything you do and that I will be absolutely honest with you in all areas of my life. I can also promise you today that with God's grace I will always remain 'faithful' and that I [the words "will never cheat on you" have been crossed out] will never do anything behind your back. (One could assume that Fred said that he gets his strength confidence and inner strength from belonging to the church. If she no longer wants to go there, he would have to do / achieve this as a / her partner. He could also have expressed the assumption that she does not want to adhere to the regulations of the HPC in order to cheat on him.) I love you with all my heart and there is no doubt in my mind that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. (This confession seems to be forced by Fred because, according to Wimpie's statement, he asked Inge to consider whether she still wanted the relationship.) Good luck with everything at work...All my love“
According to the accused, there was also an undated short note in the envelope which the deceased gave him that morning. It came from a writing pad found in the deceased's flat and read as follows: “Hi Honey! I also just want to say how much I appreciate you and how special you are! Thank you for your love, support and soft heart and that you are ALWAYS willing to listen to my little problems! I love you VERY, VERY, VERY! Good luck with your day and week and know that Jesus is with you every moment! Love and xx Inge PS You are in my thoughts and prayers all the time... I"
=> As has been speculated, this note may have been written at an earlier date. I was wondering if there were any prints on the top sheet of the notepad.
The court found that the two letters differed significantly from each other. The note could have been an attempt to tone down the first letter and to emphasize her affection again. It is not relevant whether these two were in the envelope, but only that the defendant only gave the mother the short note. He placed the envelope in a file on his desk at Inge's request not to leave the letter lying around because it was private. On March 29, 2005, the defendant handed the long letter to the private investigator with the addition “The most important thing for me is that the paragraph about her father on the 1st page should not get to Uncle Jan [Professor Lotz] (if possible).“ On July 27, 2005, the letter was analyzed by the state in comparison with the statements of various people. “It was hard to escape the feeling that much further information had not found its way to the court.” The police also expressed suspicions that the defendant was jealous and the deceased was unfaithful. This set a direction that was not appropriate as the Court stated. The evaluation concluded that the letter was intended to restore peace between the two, taking the blame for their differences and assuring him of her eternal and unconditional love and fidelity. “In the process, she belittled herself and painted the accused as a perfect person, a person for whom she wanted to be the perfect girlfriend.”
=> What I'm missing here is a psychological assessment of the obvious imbalance in the relationship (her being insufficient, him being perfect) and Inge's statement that she has difficulty assessing when he's vulnerable and what makes him feel hurt.
“The accused questioned at all Wimpie's testimony about the "hell fight", as it was reproduced to him by the deceased during their lunch together. Despite their argument, he saw it as a love letter. “Whatever was said deeply upset her and brought her to tears.” Apparently she calmed down quickly because she didn’t tell her mother about the argument and was “cheerful”. The arrangement of the meeting to hand over the letters was loving. The defendant attended class, picked up the cupboard and then drove to work. “If he still felt upset and anger, he suppressed or concealed it extremely effectively, as no one seemed to notice. (…) After his (Wimpies) assurance that her relationship with the accused was "perfect", she was apparently so reassured that she told Wimpie that she would like to get engaged to the accused by the end of the year. (…) These loving messages over and over appear spontaneous and natural on the surface, creating the impression that the upset of the morning was a thing of the past.“
=>At the time of this case, text messages were already known to be much easier, quicker and less thought-provoking to write than a letter. Short answers often convey a certainty that does not have to be given, just as the lack of an answer can have both a meaning and be due to the circumstances. Hence perhaps the request to Inge to write a handwritten letter. Since this letter mentioned a dispute, it was probably safer to just hand over the note instead/at first.
“The later events in which the accused was involved tend at all to strengthen this impression.” At 8:11 p.m. he announced to her in a text message that he would call her later “just to chat and hear your voice.” When she didn't answer a call, he said, "at 9:38 p.m., on his computer, began typing a loving email, in response to the letter she had given him that morning. However, in mid-sentence, he interrupted the letter to send another text because he was worried about the fact that he hadn't heard from her yet.” Given the communication, it is difficult to understand why the defendant would have had a motive. If he had such uncontrolled anger and wanted to destroy her, he would have done it. “However, it didn’t happen that way.” On the contrary, they quickly calmed down again. If the plan had been premeditated, “one would not expect such excessive violence.” This would be more likely if the victim had been caught in flagrante with someone else.
=> At this point - as in this entire section - it is not clear to me who drew these conclusions. The court or the person responsible for the psychological analysis? I would like to assert that it is doubted here that there are any psychopathological abnormalities in the personality of the accused. To my knowledge, these have never been professionally assessed. A narcissistic insult can lead to a planned action, while an impulsive act can overtake virtually anyone. Furthermore, in my opinion, it is nowhere considered that the crime was carried out with his knowledge but without his presence.
The state's assumption is that the defendant did not show much interest in reconciliation because he took a lot of time to make personal contact. He lied when he said that he and Mrs. Lotz had been looking for Inge since 3 p.m. and that she might have fainted to underline a feigned concern. “This image was put into a new gear when he told Mrs. Lotz that everything would be “okay” and that he would become a child in the house, as it was, as a substitute for the deceased.” The delayed contact could result from the exchange of loving text messages beforehand. The statement that he had been looking since 3 pm could be an expression of exaggeration, as is usual when someone has been looking for something for a long time, and would not create a motive. The suspicion of fainting dates back to 2004, when Inge lost consciousness because she stood up too quickly and injured herself at the coffee table. “Although he was not present at the incident himself, he thought of it when he could not get hold of the deceased.” This could also have been a simple exaggeration towards Marius. “The accused could not remember whether he told Mrs Lotz that everything would be “okay” and that he would be the child in the house.” The state assumes that he said it, the court rates it as “merely a clumsy way of trying to alleviate Mrs. Lotz's suffering.” and sees no indication of a motive due to the circumstances and the concern shown.
=> These interpretations each refer to the assumption that the dispute was resolved and the relationship was healthy. The exaggerated timing of the search could also be a Freudian slip of the tongue, the contact being made to conceal his knowledge of the crime that had already taken place. Benevolently interpreted as a sign of great concern. On the other hand, offering “the child in your house” is not “clumsy”, but rather unempathetic at best. Seen as a personal characteristic, it shows that the state of the other person does not play a role in the expression, but is guided by one's own motivation.
On April 18, 2005, the defendant opened an account at The Video Place to rent the same DVD as Inge, namely “Stepford Wives”. The same employee worked there on both days. He introduced himself as "the deceased's boyfriend and remarked that it was "funny" that the deceased would take out such a DVD." He was with his parents at a friend's house at the time and they (edit: the private investigator) recommended that he borrow this DVD "in case he could “find out” something from it.” The accused said, he probably introduced himself as such, as his face was already known from the newspapers at that time. He already knew that his fingerprint could be seen on this case and he wanted to find out how this was possible based on the loan procedure. “Oddly enough, he then never watched the DVD because it upset him to think that the deceased had watched it at the time of her death.” He couldn’t remember the term “funny,” but he admitted that he did find it “strange”. The court assessed this either as a coincidence or in connection with her statement in the letter “she would like to be the “perfect” girl for him, just as “perfect” as he is.” Since one can only assume that, no “ulterior“ motive can be derived from this “however unsatisfactory the explanation of his actions may be on the surface.”
=>Of course, it is not possible to determine why or at whose request Inge rented this DVD, but the fact that he opened an account at the same video store during a visit in order to rent it is striking. The question also arises as to whether he wanted to find out if it had already been returned or if he already knew this and wanted to remove traces, because the blood stain made him a suspect a few days earlier. I see the term “funny” as an expression of his lack of empathy and inability to behave in a reflective and appropriate manner in a social context.
Despite the unsatisfactory aspects of his testimony, the defendant left a good impression. Although he had the opportunity to hear the presentation of evidence and the argument of the prosecution in full before he had to respond to it, his statements were consistent with his “plea explanation”. Although some statements contradicted those of Mrs. Lotz and Marius, they played no role in terms of the alibi and a possible motive.
“When all these considerations are taken into account, the court cannot, in my view, come to the conclusion that the state has succeeded in finding a motive for the murder in the accused. Neither the letter nor the accused's behavior at the relevant time provide sufficient grounds for such a finding."
These statements are very extensive and, in my opinion, come to an rather unfounded conclusion. Even the sparse psychological analysis of the letter is not sufficiently appreciated. The expressions of love and efforts to maintain the relationship came more clearly from Inge. The defendant's reactions are always presented as appropriate and are viewed overall as an indication that the relationship was intact again at the time of the murder. I think most young people today would describe it as “toxic” with lots of “red flags”. This does not allow for the immediate conclusion that one of the partners would be capable of such a brutal act, but IMO doesn't make it as unlikely as it was ruled out in this case.
Edited for typos and a wrong attribution.

Gravediggers. Corpse Grinders. Skull Takers. Every unit that shared his profession had a name that was like that. As Corporal Brandy floated silently, his body suspended in a dense salt water based solution alongside eleven of his peers, he once again thought how he liked the name of his unit the best. Ghouls. His arms were stretched out, as were his legs, secured to four corners of the hull leaving him splayed open. His wrists were tethered, his ankles were tethered, all to keep him from drifting. The water was cold, felt even through the suit even though it didn’t touch him. It was only appropriate they called vessels like the one he was in Coffins. It was long, with seven feet between floor and ceiling when one could stand in it.
The patch of his unit was a zombified corpse, walking towards the one viewing it, with their arm outstretched, a large 17 behind the shambling figure. It was laser etched on the left shoulder guard of his SVS51 body suit, the symbol of the Terran Front of laser etched on the right. Right now, Brandy knew he was flying through the void, heading towards the wreck of a Vral Light Cruiser, his unit’s speciality. A countdown on the upper left corner of his vision was reaching the single digits. No one talked, not even the squad leader. Not even command. Brandy liked it like that. He had been selected for special operations early on in his life, as most operators were. Sure, you could volunteer to join if you joined the Fleet and decided to test yourself, but most humans were already training for something like this by the age of thirteen. Jesup, one of his squadmates, he was a joiner, one that had volunteered when he was signing up. Brandy though? Brandy was a lifer.
Lifers like him were singled out in school and made aware of their tentative selection. Lifers were trained harder, tested harder. No one really minded Jesup not going through what they had been through, but it did mark him out. Hence the term, but lifers and joiners all got the same specialized training. Five seconds left. Brandy knew his job well, knew the layout of the ship well. Four seconds. Brandy clenched his fists. He felt the liquid shift, knowing their craft had hit the hull. Suddenly he was free of his constraints, floating free in the dense salt water. There was a bright light from the front of the craft, the plasma torches already burning into the Vral light cruiser hull. Three seconds. The dense salt water solution suddenly was sucked into the floor, drawing him down. He tapped his heels together, hearing an automated voice call out ‘Maglocks Engaged’, just before his feet touched the deck. He was already yanking the protective cover off of his rifle, slinging it back over his back. Two seconds. Those in the front of the line had their rifles up and ready. Brandy on the other hand, reached to his sides and drew out two long blades from sheathes locked to his thighs.
One.
He felt the compression in his chest as the breaching charge detonated, and the segmented doors of the Coffin opened. The first four Ghouls entered, no shots fired as they cleared the room. He heard a soft whisper saying, “Depressurized.” The entire deck was without atmosphere. Brandy looked to his left, and nodded once. Jesup nodded back. The pair in front of them sprinted out. Jessup and Brandy sprinted out immediately after them, Brandy drawing his blades. The interior of the Vral ship was a dismal place, and within just seconds Brandy knew what kept their grav plates powered was already down. The difference in design priorities from the Vral to the Terran Front could be seen even from the hallway they were running down. The Terran Front fleet was designed to maximize the space they had, to deliver the most punch possible for the weight class the ship in question could hit with. The chua had lent their practicality to that level of ship design. It was why the standard Terran corvette could fight completely out of it’s weight class. Brandy knew that the standard Terran corvette was more than a match for any variety of Vral destroyer, it was even said that a light cruiser would have to go blow for blow with one.
Most who heard that wouldn’t understand until they saw what Brandy was seeing now. Terran hallways were built narrow, the space an artery for personnel to move through in a very direct way. The ceilings would be laced with piping and joists, covered by protective layers of material just in case an impact threw the crew against the ceiling. Standing shoulder to shoulder, even battleship halls on Terran ships only allowed two large humans to stand shoulder to shoulder and extend their elbows halfway to touch the walls. This hallway was broad, four, no, five times the width. You would never see such a waste of space onboard a Terran fighting ship. The only exceptions to this were the larger logistics ships, the carriers, and the Antares herself. Terran ship tonnage was dedicated purely to what the ship in question was made to do. Vral ships, on the other hand, seemed to be built to not just fight space conflicts, but carry the troops for ground assault. The Vral sacrificed tonnage meant for fighting for transport. They did not have dedicated troop ships, or even dedicated logistics ships.
Brandy guessed it made sense when you never had to worry about someone being able to really hit back.
The map of the light cruiser was laid out in wireframe in the upper right of his HUD, a pulsing arrow pointing his way. As they reached the first door it was clear that whatever powered the lights also powered the doors in this section. He sheathed the blades and raised his rifle as Jessup pulled his breach bar. A moment later Jessup applied the handheld pneumatic and nodded once to Brandy, who gave an almost imperceptible nod back. Jesseup pressed an activation stud, and Brandy breathed out as the door began to open. A brief glimpse of chitin was all it took for Brandy to immediately put two shells through the door, the only audible evidence of the shots being two ticks from the recoil traveling along his armor plate. .
“Contact.” Brandy whispered even as the shells tore through the Vral floating behind the door. The Vral flew away from the impact as the door opened further, revealing more Vral, all floating, all already dead. “KIA Vral.” He whispered into the mic within his helmet. A small tone let him know his information was received. Brandy and Jessup moved into the hallway and saw why the Vral were all already dead. There was a gash in the hull almost three meters long and a meter wide. The deck had been exposed to the vacuum, and judging by the hole further down the hall which Brandy glanced through as they passed, a railgun round from a cruiser had lanced straight through the entire hull. Brandy slung his rifle and began the halting half run, half jog of moving quickly on magnetized boots. Brandy cleared an adjoining hallway before looking back to the door. The Vral dead were everywhere, floating in the vacuum, and Brandy kept having to shove the floating corpses aside as he moved. The dead didn’t stop him. They didn’t stop Jessup either.
Jessup was already setting the breacher, and Brandy’s rifle was unslung and readied. As this door opened a forcefield came to life in front of it, and a sliver of light began to show through. Brandy’s thumb flipped his rifle from semi-automatic to full. He didn’t need to speak, Jessup was already pulling his own rifle. As the door was suddenly shoved open by the pneumatic Brandy’s entire body snapped forward. The Vral that was standing by the door, who had even watched it open, made it clear that the Vral didn’t even know they had been boarded. Brandy’s rifle butt slammed into the head of the Vral, and sound returned as he moved fully through the forcefield meant to keep atmospheric integrity but not keep him out. Beyond it, Brandy saw at least twenty milling around. A damage control team. The Vral turned to the sound of one of their own skulls caving in, chitin cracking, just to see Brandy’s barrel come down. He was already moving left to give Jessup room to enter, as he squeezed the trigger. Chitin and ichor erupted, the Vral leapt at the sound, some freezing in place, some charging. Jessup came around the corner, raising his rifle, taking single shots at individual Vral who reached for weapons even as Brandy’s fully automatic spray swept the hall. Brandy was the scythe, Jessup was the surgeon.
Brandy’s ammo counter quickly was cycling down, but he hadn’t been simply praying and spraying. As his counter read zero the last of the Vral was spasming violently on the floor. He thumbed the magazine release, the hand on his grip already having reached for his right hip to draw up a fresh magazine even as the empty one slid out and began falling to the floor. “I’m close.” He said. He slammed the new magazine into the rifle, racked the slide, then slid it behind his back. He drew his blades, then began to sprint.
“I’m far.” Jessup began sprinting behind him.
The next set of doors opened automatically this time, but to a familiar scene, but the Vral were already aware of them due to Brandy having firmly announced their presence in the previous hall. Brandy never stopped his full sprint, carving through the Vral with the edges of his monomolecular blades. Every so often a shot rang out, taking one of the Vral down just out of Brandy’s reach or one that was pulling up a weapon. Brandy used the suit’s speed and strength enhancements to their fullest, barely slowing as he tore through the group, both blades cutting. Suddenly he heard the retort of full auto and spun to decapitate one of the remaining Vral to look as Jessup was emptying his magazine into an open door. Brandy let both blades drop, popping his hip to the side and curling his waist, letting the weight of his rifle carry it around his body into his hands. As the Vral tried to come into the hall they were cut down, caught in a fatal funnel of fire by their own hatchway.
“Reload.” Jessup said, tucking himself back against the wall. “Control, need sweepers. My location.” A tone was the only reply to Jessup’s words. Twelve men, organized into six teams. That was the boarding party. Each had a part to play, and as Jessup made the call for sweepers Brandy was already preparing to move. As Jessup slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle Brandy was still covering the door. The other doors in the hall remained closed. Jessup reached to a small bandolier of grenades and pulled one of the X-04 flashbangs, throwing it hard through the door against the opposing wall. A second later a dull pop sounded. Brandy and Jessup continued their run, but now both had slung their rifles. Both had blades out.
Following the skeleton map on his HUD, Brandy led the way through the next door to find the hallway empty. He didn’t mind that state of affairs at all. A dull klaxon began to sound throughout the crippled ship, and neither Brandy nor Jessup needed to be told twice that the Vral were now more than aware they had been boarded. Brandy turned down a corridor, instinctively lashing out and taking the head off a Vral had been moving towards him. “Breaching bridge.” He said into his microphone, hearing the tone of acknowledgement from Control as he saw the large bay doors that marked the command and control center of the Vral vessel they intended to take. He sheathed a blade as he came to a stop beside the bay door, out of range of the motion sensor that would open it automatically. Jessup was right behind him, freeing a hand of his own. They both reached up, yanking X-04 grenades off their pins banded to their armor. Brandy and Jessup looked at each other and nodded. As Brandy kicked out his foot to trigger the motion sensor, the door slid open. A torrent of laser fire erupted from the doorway, painting the floor and wall beyond. Brandy snapped his arm around, exposing only his hand as he threw the flashbang around the corner. Jessup’s own flashbang flew past Brandy towards the other side of the room. They both immediately pulled a second, even as the first detonated in the room beyond. Almost instantly the weapon’s fire stopped, and wails of chittering echoed into the hallway. They threw the second set of flashbangs into the door.
As the second pair of dull crunches sounded, Brandy and Jessup breached the bridge. The bridge was arrayed like a bowl, stations arranged orbiting a center divot in the deck where the captain would stand. None of the Vral in the room were standing. While flashbangs disoriented humans, essentially stunning them into stupfication, the same flashbangs had even more pronounced effects on the Vral. Most of them were simply laid out on the ground, completely insensate, and screaming incoherently in their chittering tones. Brandy and Jessup had entered having expected at least one of them to have donned protection, perhaps even a warsuit, but their boarding had caught the Vral completely by surprise. Jessup turned to the door, tapping the control panel and closing, then locking it. Brandy had already begun moving from station to station. Jessup joined him as they quickly and methodically dispatched the crew. Brandy turned and moved down into the captain’s pit, coming to the Vral that had commanded the ship.
“Attempting to access.” Jessup said, stepping to one of the panels even as Brandy reached the side of the Vral commander. Brandy watched dispassionately as the Vral’s body curled and spasmed on the ground. Without replying to Jessup, Brandy was already securing the commander. He flipped the commander over on it’s back, yanking it’s limbs together and zip tying them together.
“Control. Commander secured alive. Bridge secured.” Brandy said, and he glanced over to Jessup. Jessup looked over to him and grinned, his teeth showing through the dark tint of the armored glass of his helmet. A tone of acknowledgement came into his helmet. Brandy moved to the panels, just as Jessup was moving. “Anything yet?” He asked, letting his suit’s speakers carry his voice.
Jessup moved to another panel. “Nope. Wiped.” He said.
Brandy brought the panel to live and was already moving on, and cursed silently under his breath. Several times teams like his had breached the bridge of a Vral ship only to find what they were finding now, wiped computer cores, dead panels. Brandy continued to move panel to panel, as did Jessup, moving up the bowl. Brandy heard Jessup muttering as he went, his voice carrying because of the speakers in his suit. Brandy glanced up at the other man, then continued with his work.
“Doesn’t make any sense. We still know nothing about these bastards. Nothing.” Jessup said as he was working on the last panel on the row he was on. “Aside from the fact they melt their cores down really well.” Brandy smirked behind the tinted glass of his helmet as Jessup balled up a fist. Jessup moved up a row, then started work on another panel. “I’m beginning to think the only thing they exist for is to piss off the universe.”
Brandy couldn’t argue with that, and Jessup stopped his grumbling, continuing to check the panels.
“Control, Sweep Two is down. I repeat. Sweep Two is down.” Brandy stopped in his checks and looked up, the voice of Talb in his ear from possibly the same location he had called for sweepers to come in. He hadn’t heard a call for sweepers from anywhere else.
“That’s Vlad.” Jessup said, his voice flat, having paused himself to listen in.
“Confirm.” A woman’s voice hit Brandy’s ear, and Jessup began walking across the bowl towards him. Brandy settled his hands on the panel that he had paused midway through working. The woman’s voice keyed back into his ear, their Control, and Brandy listened intently. “Prep Sweep Two for extraction. Sweep Three and Four enroute.”
Jessup reached his side and put his hand on Brandy’s shoulder. The silence in his ears now was deafening, and he knew he should be continuing on, checking the rest of the stations, but he couldn’t move his feet right now. Brandy and Vlad were close, they had gone through basic together, they had gone through Advanced Infantry, as well as Weapons and Tactics, hell, all of their advanced training schools. When orders had come through, they had both been delighted to have twin assignments to the 17th Breacher Corps “Ghouls.” Vlad had met Brandy’s family, his mother, his father, even his ice queen of a sister who was serving as a Drone Cutter pilot. Vlad was his friend, the brother that he had never had, and now Vlad was down, somewhere on this hellhole of a ship, unable to even communicate that he was injured.
Jessup stood by him, saying nothing, and Brandy’s eyes were focused on something far in the distance, something he couldn’t even see right now. Suddenly, like his mind was pulling itself from mud, he forced himself to continue working. Jessup stayed by his side. There was nothing he could do for Vlad right now, nothing at all, and he had work in front of him that needed to be finished. Jessup went back to the stations he was working through. Brandy finished the sweep of the panels on his side. Nothing, as was usual.
He walked down the bowl shape of the Vral bridge, standing next to the Vral commander, who was now very much aware and awake, not struggling as it lay on the floor of the carnal house that was the bridge of it’s ship. He ignored it, placing his hands on the hilts of the twin swords at his sides. Jessup continued his work, a little slower than Brandy was, but then again Jessup was newer than Brandy himself was to this sort of thing. Brandy had already served for nearly eight years, and had done the tear down from the sixth Vral war, alongside Vlad. Brandy grunted and pulled up his arm, opening one of the armor plates to reveal the communications controls for his suit. He set up a private channel to Control.
“Control, BT One. Status of Sweep Two?” He asked, and he heard two clicks in response. He was being transferred to another operator. Brandy felt his entire body tensing up. He didn’t know if being transferred was a good or a bad sign.
“Bridge Team One, this is Secondary. Sweep Two is stable. Sweep One is prepping him for extraction. He took an indirect hit by a plasma round to his left shoulder. His suit took the majority but he’s going to be in the burn unit.”
Brandy breathed out, and then nodded once to himself. “Thank you Secondary.” He heard a tone in response, then he set himself back to team communications. Vlad was alive. That was good enough.
“The void will take you.” He heard the chittering sound translated, and he slowly looked towards the prone form of the commander. Brandy turned and walked over, and purposefully stepped over, the Vral. He then knelt down next to the figure. “You will not survive. We will bathe in your ashes.”
“When.” Brandy said, a dark bit of amusement in his tone. “Come on. When. Daylight’s wasting.”
“The void will take you.” The vral repeated, then went silent again as Brandy stood up and stepped over the commander once more. Jessup was coming down to meet with him in the center of the bowl.
“Good news, Vlad’s going to make it.” Brandy told him, “He’ll be in the burn unit for a bit, don’t know where he got hit, but the suit saved him.”
“Good. What’s the word from the local moral officer?” Jessup said, motioning to the vral, who was laying again in silence.
“Same as normal. We’re gonna die. Void’s gonna take us. Ashes. Dancing on my grave.” Brandy shrugged. “You know, what they normally say, that friendly little conversation.” Brandy could actually feel Jessup’s eyes rolling.
“Control, Bridge Team. Secured and detailed.” Jessup said, and they both heard the click of acknowledgement. “Another two hours maybe?” Jessup asked, and Brandy nodded. “Welp, two today, that makes six boardings for me, how many for you?”
“Fourty.” Brandy replied, and Jessup whistled low. “And that’s just these types. I was actually put on a team as a standby sweep for a battleship or two, but mostly light cruisers. No corvettes or destroyers though. They normally just send the heavies to take those. The cruisers though? Heavy cruisers? Carriers? I’ve done a few of those too, but mostly this.”
Jessup leaned against the back of one of the panels that he had checked. “What kind of team do they send to a carrier?” He asked, and Brandy laughed.
“Put it to you like this. They send units of chua war machines, and what’s called a kill team. They don’t even bother sweeping like we do with these ships, they just punch holes in every room and open them to vacuum, and the kill teams go in to make sure none of them got into a warsuit.” Brandy tapped his chest, “We barely do anything. They just turn the entire ship into swiss cheese then call us in to check panels. Kill teams are just different, but it’s an experience. You don’t get to really do much though. Go in, stay behind the kill team, and check elect…”
Brandy stopped talking and both of them listened as a tone sounded from Control, then they heard her speak. “All objectives secured. Stand by in location. Prepare for tow and extraction.”
The two of them reached out and grabbed hold of a panel, and Brandy looked over at Jessup. “Well, quicker than I thought.” Just as he was finishing that sentence the entire hull seemed to shake, and he felt a small surge of negative g force before his body adjusted. “A lot quicker.”
“What do you think they’ll get out of this?” Jessup asked as he let go of the panel.
“Oh hell.” Brandy said, motioning to the ship they were in. “Three destroyers easy. Maybe a corvette added in. Couple of fighters. Ever seen the reprocessors?” Jessup shrugged at the question and Brandy pointed at him. “When we get back, if you have some downtime, just ask to watch. It’s some impressive shit. I watched one of those crews break down a corvette in two hours.” Jessup raised his eyebrow and Brandy held up two fingers. “Two. No shit. Something like this is going to take them maybe a day, probably less than that. It’s absolute magic.”
“I was raised on the Los Angeles flats.” Jessup said, and it was Brandy’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You know, where they had one of the landfills. They said they used a reprocessor for that too.”
“Yeah, the chua know how to make the most out of everything. Did you know there used to be a floating island of plastic in the Pacific Ocean?” Brandy placed his hands on the hilts of his blades as Jessup shook his head no. “Yeah, when the chua got set up, first thing they did was clean up all of that. Tons of plastic, centuries of fuck ups, and they fixed it in barely a month. Earth was trashy, real trashy. Now we just reprocess everything.”
“I never looked into how that works.” Jessup said, then laughed when Brandy raised his fingers and wiggled them in the air. “PFM?”
“Yeap. Pure fuckin’ magic. At least that’s how it looks to me.” Brandy sighed, then he motioned to the panels. “We had the technology centuries ago but we just never refined it like the chua did. I asked how it worked and I felt like I was an ape. They felt the same way about our computers the way we feel about their reprocessors though, so I guess it evens out.”
“What do you mean?”
Brandy glanced over at him and smirked, then he motioned to his suit’s right chest pauldron, where his suit’s electronic suite for his HUD was kept. “This here has more processing power than the chua had on one of their battleships. They just didn’t focus on it like we did. The concept of a microprocessor blew their minds. We know how to store a hundred terabytes on a fingernail, they know how to break down a landfill into bars of material.” Jessup leaned back against the panel again and grunted. “Seriously, ask to watch what they do to this thing. They are going to slice it up, put the pieces into the reprocessors, and by tomorrow it’s going to be raw materials. No waste, it’s crazy.”
Brandy turned his head back to the vral laying on the floor, hearing it muttering to itself. He narrowed his eyes for a few moments, listening to the sound of the clicking, then he looked back to Jessup. “Wish that thing would just shut the hell up.” A moment later he said a bit louder, “We get it asshole. The void is coming, it’s going to take us. Ashes, death, suffering. We get it. Shut the hell up.” He pushed himself off the panel and walked to the edge of the bridge nearer to the door. “Non-stop with them.”
Jessup gestured to the commander with his head. “What are we doing with him.”
“Well, he’ll get to tell an interrogation team about the void, bet he’s got a hard on for that.” Brandy replied, then paused and glanced at the upper right of his HUD, seeing a few green dots moving in their direction. “Then they’ll just toss his ass out of an airlock. Ready to go?”
“Yeap.” Jessup pushed up from the panel he was leaning on and joined Brandy near the door and waited as they both watched the dots approaching the door. Brandy reached over and toggled the lock, and the door slid open. Four humans in construction harnesses with atmospheric suits rated for vacuum were just coming to a stop. Behind them Brandy could already see the two other members of the team coming to relieve them.
“Is that Vodka?” One of them said, a hard feminine voice coming from one of the suits. Brandy’s eyebrow perked up, and so did Jessup’s entire body. Both of them knew Janet Shippen’s voice. Janet was what Brandy’s mother would call a feral tomboy. Short, muscled, her brown hair cut in a pixie cut, who felt more at home covered in engine fluid than anything else. She was also what his father would call an absolute knockout. Jessup had met her three times and was in love. Brandy’s relationship with Janet was a private affair, but Jessup wouldn’t find out about it, no sense in breaking his heart after all. Not to mention that Brandy looked at Jessup as a friend.
“How the hell are ya Shipwreck.” Brandy said with a smirk, “I got you a nice one here. I even got you a local to keep you company, ask him about the void. He’ll tell you all you want to hear.” The two figures in the back, clad in all black with no identifying markers, looked to Brandy, who simply pointed towards the vral commander laying on the floor.
“By the way. Ran into Vlad before I came over here.” She said, coming closer to the two Ghouls. “They got him out of his suit before they sent us over. He’s got an ass of a burn on his shoulder, but he said he’s going to be a bitch about it so they’ll give you fuckers some down time.” Brandy smiled, knowing if Vlad was joking around he was more than ok. Janet motioned to the bridge, “Lot of nothing?” She asked, and both of the Ghouls nodded. “Figures. Fuckers.” All three of them watched for a moment as the two black clad humans knelt over the vral commander. “Alright, I’ve got to prep this bitch for breakdown, then I’m done for the day. Salvagers are just putting most of the wrecks in orbit.”
Jessup glanced to Brandy before speaking, “Think they want to move again soon?”
“Bet your ass.” Janet reached for her side and pulled out a data pad. “Way I see it we’re just topping off right now, waiting for some of the boats out there to get their shit together, then they are going to move us out. Speaking of moving out, bounce your asses, I’ve got shit to do so I can get off once we pull back into Antares.”
“Call us a cab?” Brandy asked, using the slang term for the shuttle that had delivered Janet’s team that would take his own back to Antares.
“Yeap. We made entrance right next to where you did.” Janet started moving into the bridge, towards a grouping of panels hard mounted to the wall. She stopped and glanced back at Brandy. “It’s been a hell of a day, almost eighteen hours. I’m going to get a stiff drink in my quarters.”
“You do that. I’m going to check on Vlad and get him settled in before I do anything else.” Brandy said, and she turned and went to the panel. Brandy was glad for the tint of his helmet’s visor or else his smirk would need explaining from Jessup who was none the wiser. Once he went through debrief and turned over his gear already knew what he was going to be doing. Straight to engineering deck C, where Janet would be waiting.
Kukat was miserable, or at least was acting like she was. Vicky was rigidly standing at attention, as was Jess, standing stock still beside Kukat’s bed. The loud exclamation that had brought them to their feet of, “What the chicken fried fuck?!” had come from the man standing in front of them. Vicky wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Jess was trying to keep herself from laughing. Kukat reached out a three fingered hand towards the man wearing a captain’s eagle on his flight jumper, a hand that had two small bow tie stickers on it.
“Torture. Help.” Kukat said, as weak as a newborn kitten, and Jess’s breath escaped her in a buzzing of her lips from someone desperately attempting to keep in her laughter. The small sheet containing bow ties, smiley face, stars, and other cartoonish stickers fell from her hand that was clenched firmly at her side. Kukat was wearing half of them. Captain Yang stared in an expression of one who is seeing something for the first time when they had believed they had seen it all. “Help.” Kukat said again, holding out her other arm which had a line of stars stuck to it all the way down to the back of her hand. Yang slowly brought his fingers up to squeeze the bridge of his nose, and then he turned on his heel and faced away from the trio. Vicky just wanted to die. The captain of the cruiser had visited them a few times in the past three days since they had been brought onboard by the Barrowmore. Kukat had been immediately rushed to start receiving medical care, Victoria Brandy and Jessica Anders had been by her side from the second they were allowed back, barring short periods where either woman needed to file their reports. The problem was, every time Captain Yang had come back to visit them, it was always at the most inopportune time. The first time he had walked in to Jess cuddling the small chua in a bed that was almost a meter too small for her. The second time Vicky had taped Jess’ hands and feet to her chair. The third time Jess had been singing a nursery rhyme to Kukat. Each time Yang had walked in, Vicky had felt like crawling in a hole, Jess had desperately tried not to laugh, and Kukat had acted like a prisoner of war. Vicky was getting the feeling the captain was enjoying these trips down to see her and her crew.
“Can someone explain to me why the three pilots that I’m supposed to award the Terran Star to are acting like toddlers in my medbay?” He said, then he turned back to face them. Vicky didn’t want to die anymore. Jess stopped laughing. Kukat’s hands fell to the heated blanket that covered her. All three of them were to awarded the highest honor in the Terran Fleet. Now it was the captain’s turn to laugh as he stepped forward and grabbed Vicky’s hand, which almost knocked her off balance as he began vigorously shaking it. “Congratulations.”
Vicky stared at him for a few long moments, trying to parse through the entire scenario in her head. None of them had paid much attention to news outside of the medbay, Vicky had barely even been back onboard the Thumper aside from downloading nav data to be included in her flight logs. “Captain…” She said, sounding to even her own ears a bit disjointed, “What did we find out there.”
“First off at ease.” Yang said, then he smirked as Jess began to self consciously pluck the stickers off of Kukat, her eyes on him, he turned his attention to her. “Your flight records and the reserve drone data is being sent back to Earth to be implemented into training.” His attention turned to all of them in turn. “You really don’t know do you?” All three shook their heads, and Vicky took a step back to stand side by side with her crew.
“We haven’t been paying much attention to what’s been coming in.” Vicky said, and she placed her hand on Kukat’s medical bed. Yang nodded, understanding. This crew was a very tight group, and he could see that even from the small amount of time he had been around them.
“You scouted out the entire Vral fleet, they were evacuating. I don’t think they expected us to move as fast as we did on them, so when we jumped into the system they were barely organized into battlelines.” Yang interlocked his fingers in front of his belt. “Because of what you got on those scans, we knew exactly what we were jumping into. We knew exactly what we would do the moment we landed and…” He paused for a moment, letting his words stand out. “... we eradicated their entire fleet.” Vicky looked to Jess. Jess’s mouth hung slightly open.
“I knew it was a fleet!” Jess said after a moment. When she had been asked by Vicky a few hours after they had gotten Kukat settled, Jess had insisted she had been trying to evade fire from point defense and laser batteries from at least twelve ships. What she didn’t know, and what would be reflected on the citation for the award she was yet to receive, was that she had been evading around thirty individual vessels weapons fire.
“Not a fleet.” Yang said, and Jess looked back to him. “It was ‘The’ fleet.” Jess looked at him in confusion for a few seconds, as did Vicky.
“Shit!” Kukat chirped, and all three humans looked down at the small, sticker covered chua. Kukat’s mouth hung open slightly. Jess looked up to Vicky, and both seemed to realize what was said at the same time. Jess’ hand shot to her mouth, covering it, her eyes wide as Vicky stepped back to lean against the wall.
Yang waited a few moments then stepped forward. “Well, I hope you three are ready.” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Drone Cutters are supposed to cut and run the second they get in trouble. You three…” He motioned to them with a wave of his hand. “... you stuck around, and because you did, you handed us everything we needed to go after them.” Jess’ hand came down on Kukat’s small shoulder, and one of the smiley face stickers peeled off as Kukat wrapped her hand around Jess’ pointer finger. Vicky slowly pressed her back against the wall and started sliding down it. “Basically, to be blunt, now that this has broken, every news feed in the Terran Front wants pictures of you, details on your status…” He motioned to Kukut. “... and to be honest I’ve had to keep them from taking over the ship to get to you.”
Jess and Vicky exchanged a glance, and then looked back to Yang. Kukat had not looked away from him even for a moment. Yang shrugged his shoulders and turned to the display panel on the wall, and activated it. He tapped the panel for a few moments, then the sounds of cheering came through. On the display was a live news feed, and they could hear the reporter’s voice barely above the cacophony of the crowd around her.
“... action. The news of the destruction of the fleet has sparked widespread celebrations of joy. The foot of the enemy that we have all felt over us has been cut off. Thermopylae Station, for the first time in nearly a century, is standing down from Condition One to Condition Three.” The reporter was almost shouting, and Vicky breathed out, even as she heard a low tone from Kukat, and a sob coming from Jess. Yang had his back turned to them watching, and without saying another word he turned and walked out. “Once Condition Three was set at Thermopylae, the information began to pour in from the Zzisma system as well as the planet Zvitia located there. Fleet Marshal Simmons of the Antares battle fleet will be continuing to press into former Shesvie Accordance territory once consolidation is completed.” The reporter paused, the moment she had said Antares a chant had begun, and it was overwhelming. The thunder of uncountable human voices yelling, ‘We’re Still Here’ drowned her out entirely. The reporter eventually just held up her hands helplessly as the chant overwhelmed the microphone’s input threshold, turning the people’s chanting into a dull roar. The feed cut over to an image of man behind a news desk, the ticker at the bottom of the screen citing off ship names.
“Again if you’re just joining us the Vral have been soundly beaten in the Zzisma system. The enemy’s losses have been stated as total. Fleet Marshal Simmons, commander of the Antares battlegroup, will be holding a press conference at a later date to discuss the events of today, but has released a few names to us as well as their roles within the conflict.” Jess, Vicky’s, and Kukat’s individual service portraits slowly appeared on the screen while the reporter spoke.
“Holy shit.” Jess whispered. “That’s us.” Vicky stared at the screen, even as Kukat squeezed Jess’ finge
“Lieutenant Victoria Brandy, Drone Operator Second Class Jessica Anders, and Drone Operator Third Class Kukat were conducting a routine drone sweep of the Zzisma system when they sighted the Vral. The three managed to gain enough intelligence to warrant the immediate redeployment of the Antares battlegroup which had been in rescue and recovery efforts above the chua homeworld.” Vicky just stared at the man as he continued talking on the display. “From the feeds that we have managed to confirm, the crew of the scout ship stayed while exposed and under threat and under fire until such time as the information was confirmed transmitted. All three of the scout’s crew made it back safely, although Drone Operator Third Class Kukat was reported as needing medical attention, the reasons of which are unknown, but it is reported that she is in stable condition.” Their portraits fell away from the screen as another image came up, of a chua in a captain’s uniform came up, grayed out.
Vicky just stared at the screen, Jess breathed out a breath that she didn’t even know she had been holding. Kukat leaned back into her pillow.
“We famous.” Kukat chirped.
The news reporter was still speaking, something about a battleship that had engaged the Vral, some new story of heroism. The three of them sat in silence. Vicky wanted to look to Kukat and Jess, but both of them were quiet. Suddenly Vicky and Kukat flinched as Jess erupted out of her seat. “Yeah! That’s right! What do you think now Rick?” Jess said her ex-boyfriends name with vitriol. “Who’s not photogenic now huh? Galaxy wide baby!” She whooped and Kukat stared up at her in amazement as Vicky buried her head in her hands and laughed.
“You problem.” Kukat chirped low.
“I told you you suck at picking men Kukat!” Jess proclaimed. “You still suck Rick!”

​
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Emojis have transformed into a language of emotions in our digital era, bridging gaps in text-based communication. Here's how understanding and using emojis can deepen connections:
Role of Emojis in Communication:
Emojis add emotions to text, conveying feelings, humor, and affection that words alone struggle to express.
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Understanding Emoji Love Language:
1. The Heart 💖: Different colors symbolize varying emotions, like passion (red) and affection (pink), enhancing tailored expressions.
2. The Blushing Smiley 😊: Adds sweetness and shyness, enhancing sincerity in compliments or flirtatious messages.
3. The Kissy Face 😘: Expresses affection and playfulness, adding warmth to conversations.
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5. The Couple Holding Hands 👫: Symbolizes unity and connection, fostering intimacy and commitment.
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Avoiding Miscommunication:
Establish shared meanings and be mindful of cultural differences to prevent confusion in interpretation.
​
Tailoring Emoji Usage:
1. Creating Shared Symbols: Couples can develop their own emoji language for personalized communication.
2. Considering Context: Emojis carry different meanings based on context; using them appropriately amplifies intended emotions.
3. Consistent Expression: Regular use of specific emojis reinforces emotions, creating a unique emotional shorthand.
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Essence of Effective Communication:
Emojis have evolved into integral tools for emotional expression, enriching digital conversations and strengthening connections. Understanding Emoji Love Languages enhances digital connections, allowing individuals to forge meaningful relationships and add vibrancy to their expressions. Emojis transcend mere decoration, becoming dynamic elements of our digital communication landscape.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: TRIFLER

''Welcome, my guest, to the palace of Jericho!''
The prince said, waving his hands around, as we made it past the massive doors. Inside, a view very few peasants ever saw in their lives. Of absurdly tall ceilings, of intricate pillars, of statues commemorating past monarchs and high-standing officials. I Dieudonné couldn't believe my eyes, and followed the prince, savoring every sight and every second.
''Tell me, where would you like to have tea? We can go to the royal terrace, the balcony, the inner gardens...'' The prince asked me, as we made our way up the stairs of the atrium. I scratched my head and wondered, what would be the smartest answer?
''Well you see, I've always wanted to see what a prince's chamber would look like... If that's not asking too much of you, my liege.''
The prince turned around, with an annoying look on his face. ''Listen, you don't have to be so formal. Let's just be friends and enjoy ourselves.''
I jumped on the opportunity and raced to him, slapping him on his back, telling him how glad I was. ''But I don't want to be your friend just because you're the prince, don't get me wrong. I just like clever people is all'' I told him, and I saw him smile, through his nose and eyebrow gold chain, scintillating in the light of the hundreds of candles and torches around us.
Alone in the private chamber of the prince, I sat on the pillow on the ground, next to a low wooden table. My new friend the prince poured water in a kettle and put it over the fire. I wondered, why in the world would he make his own tea?
''Tell me, why not ask a servant?'' I finally asked him.
''Well I wouldn't really be treating you for tea, then, would I?'' He replied, walking toward me with a wooden box.
I made sure not to show any greed on my face, yet I couldn't stop wondering if that box was a present for me, considering the sheer luck I had of meeting the prince by chance, and becoming his friend as well. The prince put the box down in front of me, and opened it, revealing dozens of compartments, each holding fine quality ingredients, such as colorful powders, seeds like anis and cardamom, cinnamon bark and so many others I had never seen before.
''Tell me, what's your favourite tea? Do you like sweet, or bitter, hot or cold? Spiced or not?''
I Dieudonné was outmatched for once. I admitted I had no knowledge in tea whatsoever. ''I only know the dry, black one, that you break appart..''
The prince had a surprised look on his face; ''You mean tea bricks? I didn't think you'd be one of those types...''
I asked him what he meant by that, and he explained that people's taste in tea reveals a lot about themselves, who they are truly. I thought it incredibly funny how he needed tea preferences to tell the nature of people, when all I needed was to look at their face. But I rather enjoyed his little trick, this prince wasn't as stupid as people are usually...
''If I could have any tea, I'd have orange tea. I just don't think it's appropriate to ask for that, since you've already been so generous to me.''
For once I was being honest with him. I wouldn't dream of telling him the whole story about my father and the orange, the incense, but it felt good for once to tell the truth. The prince smiled and closed the wooden box, its overwhelming aroma taken away. He rushed out and left me all alone, in his room. For once in my life, I heard it. Complete silence. If not for the occasional crackling of the fire.
I Dieudonné closed my eyes and relaxed. I couldn't wait to sip on orange tea! Insidiously Greed got a hold on me once more, and I got up on my feet, remembering my plan, my princely plan...
I stepped around the room, looking at everything. The comically large bed, the white silken bedsheets, the pillows filled with feathers. The bookshelves full of not only books and scrolls but also of trinkets like a globe of the earth, a telescope and most intriguing of all a tiny chest, half-opened. I could see, if I got close enough, coins perhaps?
I kept listening to any coming footsteps, so as not to be caught in the act, but the kettle started boiling and whistling. I had to get back to my seat but my body was moving on its own! Only one of these gold coins would give me the life of a prince, if only for a single day... And the door opened. I shifted my gaze to the telescope, pretending not to hear the prince coming in, to be fascinated by the instrument.
''Tell me, do you look at the stars sometimes?'' The prince asked me, in his hands, a bowl, filled with orange powder.
''I don't think I've spent a single night not looking at the stars'' I lied, looking at him smiling.
He placed the bowl on the table, brought over the kettle, as I took my seat once more, just before stealing a last look at the tiny chest in the bookshelf. From under the table he took out a tea making kit, with a few cups, a tray and two peculiar statuettes, representing a dragon and a sheep.
I sat there and looked at my new friend, the prince of Jericho, brew orange tea. He gave me a tiny hourglass, instructing me to flip it over once he pours the boiling water on the tea. Instantly the aroma filled the chamber, and I noticed we both started smiling. I brought my cup closer yet to my surprise he poured the tea over the statuettes, wasting the tea.
''Why waste it?'' I couldn't help asking. He laughed and explained how the first steep is merely to wash the tea, and is offered to the tea pets. I sat there, nodding, arms crossed. Ah yes. It seems the prince is a tea connoisseur! I couldn't help but think he just wanted to show off to me, his new friend.
The prince poured the water once more, I flipped the hourglass once more, and he offered me the first cup. I brought it to my nose and Heavens did it smell good. I dipped my lips into it but at that instant I thought about Daysha, how happy she would've been to be here right now, and what she was doing instead, for my sake..
The tea was surprisingly bitter, yet so aromatic! The prince laughed and laughed, and poured himself a cup. His laugh was surprisingly familiar, much akin to the ones of my neighboors back in my hometown. He gulped down his tea and got up, clapping his hands. I did the same and saw him run to the telescope. He brought it over to the window, and gestured me to come over. Stargazing now, are we?
He took a few minutes to set everything up, while I waited outside on the balcony. The view was already incredible, overlooking the inner palace and most of Jericho as well. From here I could see the plaza, but not beyond the tall walls. The prince finally said it's ready, and I got closer, curious as to what that tool could show me that I couldn't see with my eyes. Stars are stars after all.
But what I saw, in that strange little tube was not a star but an orange, stripy ball, with some bright dots around it... What in the world?
''That, my friend, is Al-Mushtari, as the arabs call it. We call it Jupiter, the greatest god of them all!''
To gaze at gods themselves! I fell on my butt, suddenly dizzy. The prince laughed and looked through the telescope as well, smiling ever more. At that moment I really wanted to leave, but also to make sure I'd see the prince again, for my plan hinged on that.
''My prince I must thank you for your hospitality. What pleasure to share tea and spy on the gods with his majesty-'' I started, but he turned toward me with a puzzled look on his face.
''Don't tell me, you're off already?''
I explained to him how I just got to Jericho today, and that I had to get back to my sister and uncle, and he stopped me once more;
''Well remember, then. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at the plaza. I truly wish to meet this family of yours, and offer my blessings. Take care now, my friend.''
And for the first time in my life, the man I was talking to had the face of a friend, and I didn't know what to think for a while. He walked me out in silence, and shook my hand, leaving in it a tiny bag. I smiled and walked out, escorted by the palace guards, inspecting in my hand yet another present from the prince; more of that orange tea powder.
Standing there in front of the metal gate of the palace, that closed behind me, I felt somewhat alone, if only for an instant. I am, after all, Dieudonné, a man that is truly free. Yet I couldn't help but look forward to meeting my new friend again, the prince. And gifting the orange tea to my foolish sister, as an apology. Yet beyond that, the dark clouds that were my princely plans loomed over all.
Making my way back to the fruit shop, I couldn't help but think back on Daysha and that tall man Lemarcus. As much of a fool as she is, my sister truly saved me there, and made it possible to meet the prince as well. This present may not be much, but I hope it'll show her how grateful I am of her help. Though she did owe me one...
The streets of Jericho were unusually quiet and empty. Some loners were here and there, smoking and drinking. Others were hurrying their steps, as if late to some important meeting. How miserable. At that moment I Dieudonné realized I was one of them! One more of these rats, scurrying about in the dead of night, hurrying toward the void that is their lives!
No matter what face I have truly, that of a prince or of a peasant, what matters are my actions. No more of this! I know what to do, to become prince at last, and fate itself landed me a hand! Yes, I will go forth with my plan, no matter what. For the life of a prince is the only life worthy for me.
I passed under a low banner and in this dark alleyway I thought back on Daquan, that guard I had poisonned so cleverly. I couldn't help smiling, and I didn't really like what that meant about me. Is killing a man that simple? Behind me, a fool, coughing and stumbling, his breathing raspy and annoying. I hurried my steps, as I was close to the fruit shop, but it seemed like the sick fool behind me hurried as well. I turned around briefly, and in the feeble moonlight I saw his bearded, scarred face, no longer that of a gambler, but that of a vengeful killer. We crossed eyes and he yelled ''Dieudonné you peasant!''
I didn't like that. I faced him, separated by a few dozen meters, surrounded by boxes and garbage bins and low hanging banners. We were completely alone here in the alleyway, and the only thing I could hear was his struggling breathing, and his coughing, as he was hurrying toward me, holding something in his hand, what, a knife?
I Dieudonné had enough of that man. No matter how grateful I was of the hand of fate, bringing me closer to my goal using that despicable man, I decided to finish what I had started.
''What, you want to kill me, good guard?'' I taunted him, looking at his curved dagger in his shaky hand. Daquan coughed once more and leaped toward me, screaming, murder in his eyes, but he was so slow from the rat poison. I punched his arm and his dagger fell on the ground loudly. ''What did you do to me?'' he shouted, his face so close to me I could smell his incoming death. I remember just how ugly and pityful he seemed to me. He had the face of an angry child, throwing a tantrum for having his favourite toy taken away.
''You deserve this, you failure of a man..'' I whispered, as I grabbed him by the neck. His bloodshot eyes then filled with fear, with dread, and at that moment I let go of him, frightened. What was I trying to do?
But Daquan reached for his dagger once more and I remembered my vow. To do whatever it takes. ''I can't die, for I become prince tomorrow.'' And so I kicked his face and his belly, I turned him on his back and pummeled his face, his gambler face, and ignored whatever he was trying to say to me, until his weak arms couldn't stay up anymore.
I didn't notice rain had started, and I got up from down there, my fists bloodied in red, my head aching. I looked down at the dagger and laughed, what a ridiculous tool. I pushed Daquan to the side of the alley, under a few boxes and a fallen banner, and I spat on him, as he extended his hand to me, begging for help. ''Die as the rat you are..''
I ran away from there, back to the fruit shop. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh at the top of my lungs or collapse and cry. All I wanted was to be alone. I made it to a crossway, and looking around I- well I was lost. Where the hell am I? What am I doing here?
Tall dark buildings. Banners whirling in the wind, wires flailing about, crows cawing, flying around high above me, under the feeble rain. I looked to one side, and the other, I couldn't tell the difference! Where is Daysha, where is the black lake, and my hometown? Why am I here, in this hellish city, alone, my hands stained with murder?
I noticed I was shaking, and couldn't breathe properly, and my mind was spiraling, how dizzy I felt. I sat down, there in a dark corner of an alley, and I placed boxes over me, and covered my feet with a fallen banner, and tried to sleep, just to escape. I tried to sleep just to see if all that really happened. I tried to sleep and realized once more, I was nothing different from Daquan! Here I was, same as him, except I'm to keep living in this shithole of a life I have been so proud of living.
I, Dieudonné, thought of suicide for the first time that night.
The crows woke me up once more, not their cawing but their beaks! I jumped awake and chased the black birds away. Did they think I had died? As if I would die such a meaningless death... My head was aching all the more, and I got up, trying to piece out where I was exactly. I was just a few buildings away from the flower shop actually. All around me, the bustling life of Jericho had started anew, in the early hours of the morning. The sun had just started to rise, and a soft breeze washed away my worries, if only for an instant.
I Dieudonné entered the fruit shop, nonchalantly, my hands in my pocket, for they were still bruised. But no one was there. I was expecting Daysha, ready to jump in my arms, and the tall Lemarcus to be standing in his doorframe in the back, reeking of tobacco. Only the parrot greeted me, with his usual ''Thief, thief, thief I say!''
But I had had enough of that, and as I made my way to the back of the shop I shooed the bird with my hands. Upon seeing my bloodied, bruised knuckles the parrot flew away screeching ''Murderer! Thief! Murderer!'' and I froze. Did I really kill that man? And not by poison, with my own two hands? I walked in the bathroom there, and I noticed a big tall mirror. I made sure not to see my reflection. I jumped in the shower and washed away the dreadful night, to be ready for the dreadful day I become prince at last.
All ready I walked to Lemarcus's door, and knocked quietly. ''Daysha?''
I heard some rustlings, a few steps, and my sister whispered as well from beyond the closed door. ''Go away Dieudonné. I don't want to see you ever again. What a brother you are.''
Her words hit me like a brick. I kneeled down and slid under the door the little bag of orange tea, the prince had given me. ''All I want to say is, I'm sorry.'' I told her. And I meant it.
I heard her pick it up, and scuffle back to the bed. I heard Lemarcus's voice, and Daysha's voice, such loving words, and I was taken aback. I thought she would hate him!
I stole some lotion in the bathroom for my knuckles, thank you Lemarcus. I made haste for the plaza, for the prince himself was waiting for me. On the way there, I could hear faint music, festivities, growing louder and louder. I hurried my steps, much like a child would do, and low and behold a full on festival was taking place, with dozens of musicians playing drums, flutes, lutes and others singing. Dragons and sheeps were dancing to the music, their big colorful bodies going up and down, moved by the many feets beneath them. Kids were running around, petals were falling from Jericho's sky and a new, bold banner was erected, its calligraphy impeccable : Tea Festival.
And there, standing alone at the entrance of the plaza, the prince. Approaching him I noticed his smile, and how relaxed he looked. I took the time to really look at him, at the gold chains on his face, at his crown, at his clothes so elegant. On his face I saw the face of a happy man, and I didn't like that.
He saw me at last and ran toward me, smiling, his eyes full of life. I noticed around him, the people, recognizing their prince, and smiling, and bowing, and I could see how respected he was. I thought, back then, about just how badly I needed that, just how badly I needed everyone to look up to me, to worship me. My vow strenghtened once more, and hugging my new friend smiling I could only think of murder, of deceit.
We entered the fruit shop, and it was still empty, the closed door of Lemarcus in the back there made me wonder if they were still in or out. No matter. All I needed was a few minutes. ''I'd like to treat you to tea, as well, as we wait for my family.'' I told the prince, and he sat down. How glad I was of the parrot not being there, that irritating creature. To my surprise the prince said ''I always wanted to taste that tea brick of yours!'' and I couldn't help laughing.
The kettle whistling, just like it did the day before at the palace, I poured into it the harsh bits of black tea. A far cry from the expensive ingredients of the prince. I told him to bring over a few blackberries, how nicely would they go with our black tea. In the meantime I poured myself a cup, and quickly threw in the rest of the rat poison I had bought the day before in the kettle. I exhaled and closed my eyes for a second. The prince came back and pretended to throw a berry in my mouth, laughing. And he did, a perfect throw! How oblivious can the prince be?
''So, my prince, what are you planning to do today?'' I asked him, pouring down his death sentence in his tiny cup.
The bitter, almost poor aroma of the leaves surrounded us, and as he lifted his cup he told me how he didn't have much planned today, and that they could perhaps spend time at the tea festival. I looked deeply in his eyes, waiting for him to drink his tea at last.
Right then the backdoor opened, and tobacco filled the air, to my annoyance. The prince put down his cup and got up, bowing to the tall man and the curly woman looking at us. Right there I cursed the heavens, and slammed my cup on the table.
''My sister Daysha, uncle Lemarcus, please meet my new friend, the prince of Jericho!'' I proclaimed, a bit too loudly.
I remember the look on lemarcus's face, his squinty eyes, pinning me down, I could tell he didn't like me. Once again Daysha proved to be a useful fool and grabbed his arm, dragging him toward us.
The prince sat back down, and offered them to share tea with us. I got up and took the kettle, saying how I'll just make a new batch, but the prince insisted. ''As you told me yesterday, why waste it?''
Of course I wanted the prince to drink it and die, so that I could take his place. And I didn't mind if that man lemarcus dies, for I despised him. But I didn't want Daysha my sister to die such a meaningless death!
''Very well, but Daysha, you won't like it. Why don't you bring us some refreshments instead?'' I proposed, trying to get her to look me in the eyes, and notice what was going on. But the fool was clutching at lemarcus's arm, smiling, and told me she'll just add my present to the tea, that she took out.
The orange tea I gifted her! And so the prince took it upon himself to pour two more cups to Daysha and Lemarcus. She added the bright orange powder to her cup, and also to everyone's cups, smiling.
Daysha asked a few questions to the prince, as they ate berries, holding their lethal cups, warming their hands. I Dieudonné sat there, and debated if I should just flip the table and maybe punch lemarcus, as a pretext to stop everyone from drinking the tea. After all, I'd get another chance sooner or later.
I looked down at my cup, and catched a glimpse of my reflection, amidst the scintillating of the orange powder, much akin to the prince's golden chains on his face, and at once the fountain of greed within me sprang anew. Damn it all!
She's a fool, he's a lustful man, and he's the prince I'm meant to be!
''Now, let's drink to our new friendship!''
And I burned my throat, gulping down the tea, not even tasting it. I slammed the cup on the table, and to my horror, to my bliss, they all did the same.
With how much rat poison I had put in the tea, the effects would start rather soon. My sister, with rosy cheeks, asked me ''Dieudonné, you told us your friend is the prince, yes, but you never told us his name?''
And at that I couldn't hold my laughters, it was too much for me.
''Yes, you never did ask for my name, even after you told me you didn't care about me being prince...''
We all grew silent. The prince added, smiling, ''Tell me, are we really friends?''
This is when they started dying.
Coughing, and retching, and all that. I dragged Daysha and Lemarcus to their room, making my best impression of someone worried for his friends, for his sister. She held my arm, and in her eyes, the same fear in saw in Daquan the day before. She whispered, in my ear, how she wanted to give me a present, as thanks for bringing her with me here to Jericho. She placed in my hand, orange incense. We both got teary eyes. I told her, once again, for the last time, ''I'm sorry.''
I closed the backdoor. Alone once again with the prince, I towered over him. He was asking for a glass of water, and to go fetch a guard, to bring him back to the palace.
I lied to him once again ''Now, my friend. I have an antidote, but first you have to tell me everything I need to know about you, about the prince of Jericho.''
He was shocked, and couldn't breathe for a few seconds. I fell to my knees and slapped him. I told him ''You see, my friend, I'll take your place as prince, and become the man I was always meant to be.''
At that the prince struggled to laugh, holding my arms; ''I was never the prince! I did just like you, Dieudonné my friend. I took the jewels and the clothes and the knowledge of the last prince, and I made myself prince.''
I got up, and stared him down. He added ''And the prince before that! All pretending, all greedy, all imposters!''
He struggled to get up, fell to his knees, and whispered to me, holding my legs ''I have only ever showed you kindness, generosity, friendship... And you would kill me, and take my place?''
I saw, at that moment, the prince had the face of despair. I pushed him down on the ground, and I couldn't help but cry as I removed his clothes, his crown, and painstakingly removed his golden chains, the true symbol of his majesty.
All the while the prince was laying there on the ground, staring at the ceiling. He tells me, his voice raspy and his breathing short; ''So you'll get my haircut, get some new piercings, wear my clothes and my jewels... So you'll be the new prince of Jericho... Will that satisfy you?''
I froze. I looked down to him. he added, pleading;
''Will you at least spare me, your friend? I'll tell you everything you need to know, the name of the servants, how you should act, secrets, all of it. Just give me the antidote, and give Daysha and Lemarcus the antidote. And go, I'll forget about you, Dieudonné, the man I thought was my friend.''
He told me everything, and I lied to him once more, about how the antidote will save his life. I made him drink some of my tea, and he smiled. I asked him his name, and he told me, crying.
But I forgot.
As I walked out, the parrot rushed in, yelling ''Murderer! Murderer! Thief!'' Once more.
The next day, I was walking down the main road, on my way to the palace of Jericho. On my face, the gold chains, on my head, the crown. And adorning me, clothes beffiting of a prince. And on everyone's faces, admiration, love, respect.
I held my head high, and smiled broadly, for at last I was a prince, with the face of a prince. What bliss.
I entered the palace, and made haste to my chamber, where a few days ago I drank tea and laughed with the previous prince. I jumped on the bed, took a nap. Never slept better in my whole life. I awoke and filled my pockets with gold coins, emeralds and ivory. I demanded a servant to make me some orange tea, but I didn't drink it, I wasted it.
I pushed open the bathroom door, avoiding the mirror once more. And there, the bathtub of a prince, with lotions and soaps and warm water on tap. I poured myself a bath, filled with all the luxury products I could find. I reached for my pocket and took out the orange incense Daysha had given me, before dying of my hand.
I placed it down on the counter, in front of the mirror, and lit it, its fragrance, taking me all the way back to my hometown, to little Daysha and my family.
I glimpsed at the mirror at last, looking at my perfect reflection. Never before had I seen my face so clearly, if not from the still surface of the cursed lake. In the flickering of the candles, I saw the face of a murderer. I saw the face of a thief. I saw the face of a spiteful man.
I couldn't take it anymore, I punched the mirror, reopening my wounds on my knuckles. The mirror cracked, and my reflection was mutliplied. I looked at my bloodshot eyes, at my golden chains, at my stupid haircut, and I grabbed the golden chains and screamed as I tore them with all my force. Blood gushing out, pieces of my nose, my ear and my eyebrow, at the tip of the golden chains. I threw away the crown and tore down my clothes, drops of red staining the royal floor, as I ran away toward the exit, toward the roads of Jericho.
Outside, I walked around, aimlessly, my mind, numb. I was just so tired of it all. So what if I was prince at last?
There, walking toward me, peeling away his orange, the tall man in the white hat, the blind man, the man with the wise face. He puts a hand on my shoulder, and says, as if to himself :
''Ah! There is the man with the cursed face. Welcome to Jericho!''
Thank you so much for reading, please leave a comment! I would love to read your thoughts-

Back in 2012, I believe I stopped the Apocalypse.
I remember staring down at the endless hole in the desert with wonder and awe. It seemed to go on forever. A life-long friend of mine named Bear stood by my side. He scanned the ground and found a large, smooth rock. It must’ve weighed at least sixty pounds. He rolled it over to the edge of the seemingly infinite void and let it drop.
I heard the stone clatter against the walls, smashing against one side and releasing a rush of small pebbles and clods of dirt. They soared downwards with the rock, reminding me of the sands in an eternal hourglass.
“Look, there’s stairs,” Bear’s girlfriend Stephanie said, pointing a freshly-painted red nail at the steps. They looked hewn from solid rock and spiraled down into the darkness far below. Stephanie tilted her head slightly to the side, moving locks of dirty blonde hair away from her eyes. Her appearance reminded me of Emma Stone, and though nearly twenty-five, she still looked like a teenager.
We stood in the middle of Death Valley. The sun sizzled overhead, sending out blinding light that reflected off the sands. Rippling mirages rose off the burning hot ground. Dunes surrounded us, looking as dead and lifeless as an alien planet.
I looked up at the light blue sky and didn’t see a single cloud. It must’ve been 100 degrees out. Rivulets of sweat trickled down from my hair and forehead, stinging my eyes. I wiped it away, looking back down the hole. I kept expecting this aberration of a pit to evaporate like some sort of bizarre optical illusion, yet there it still stood, a large circle about thirty feet across with ancient granite steps. And, of course, the steps had no railings. They looked fairly narrow, maybe a couple feet across.
Well, I considered that narrow, considering the thousands of feet of empty space I would fall through if I slipped. I thought about how the drop would feel, screaming for minutes and knowing I was about to die, the ground coming up to meet me, the air roaring like a tornado in my ears. I shuddered. The mental image seemed far too vivid.
I glanced at my two friends. Bear was casually smoking a cigarette, raising his tattooed hand. I looked at the tattoo- a reptilian, slitted eye surrounded by the golden spiral.
He stood much taller than me and, having done physical labor his entire life, he also had a thick covering of muscle. He was a metal-head and urban explorer, and about 90% of his body was covered in tattoos. Stephanie and he made an unusual pair, she with her straight-edge, valley girl looks, and Bear looking like he just climbed out of a mosh pit at a Deicide show.
He flicked the half-smoked butt into the pit, smoothing his long black hair with his hands. I watched the red light of the ember streak across the darkness and disappear into the endless shadows waiting below.
“Do you think anyone else knows about this?” I asked. Bear had a sly grin across his scruffy face. His blue eyes flashed with amusement. He put his arm around Stephanie.
“Well, if no one has, maybe we can make money off of it,” he said. Stephanie smiled faintly at that. “I’ve heard of people who discovered caves making money off giving tours. Maybe we can buy this crappy little plot of land out here!”
“This might be state land,” I said. “Actually, it might even be federal. I’m not sure where the borders of the national park end. Not like anyone would be going around labeling borders out here.” I waved my hand lethargically at the dead, sunburnt desert all around us. Absolutely no one lived out here, except maybe the secret mutant descendants of the Manson Family.
“Regardless, we should go explore it,” Stephanie said. “If we’re going to claim we discovered some new wonder of the world, we should be able to tell people what’s in it.”
“Yeah, and what if we get lost and starve to death down there?” I asked. “There’s no cell service out here. No one would ever find our bodies. We would just disappear into thin air. We can’t even call anyone to let them know where we are.”
“That’s part of the adventure!” Stephanie said, laughing. “You weren’t complaining when you dragged us all to that abandoned mental asylum and took us to the underground tunnels.”
“I’m with Stephanie,” Bear said, gesticulating crazily with his hands. “I want to go explore. I think it would be awesome to have a cave system named after us. We still have flashlights and plenty of food and water in the car. I have lighters and knives, cigarettes and booze, hell, even my pistol. Not like I think we’ll need it, unless there’s rattlesnakes down there that we need to shoot.” In hindsight, it was amazing just how wrong he was.
***
We each had a backpack filled with goods. Since we had been traveling across California and camping, seeing every national park possible, we had plenty of extra supplies. In fact, the issue became the amount of weight each of us could carry. I had them fill the backpacks with as much food and water as possible, leaving only room for ammunition, jackets and some extra clothes.
“You act like we’re going to be down there for the next year,” Stephanie complained, rolling her eyes as she hefted the heavy backpack around her shoulder with a soft grunt. “Alright, let’s do this! I am so excited right now. I feel like Bilbo Baggins must’ve when he walked out his front door with Gandalf.” Bear grinned like a madman, lighting up another cigarette. Without a word or a moment of hesitation, he put his backpack on and jumped down to the first step, a drop of about five feet. My stomach did flips just watching him. He apparently had no fear of heights at all.
As I looked down on Bear, it struck me how perfect the circular formation of the pit was. It almost looked man-made or somehow unnatural. Nature rarely works in straight lines and perfect circles, after all.
Stephanie went next, lowering herself carefully from the edge and hanging down by her arms until her feet were securely on the step. Unlike Bear, who at times I thought might be slightly insane, she did not simply jump onto the stone.
I edged closer to the pit, looking down. A sense of vertigo overtook me. The eternal blackness of the void seemed like a dilated pupil, a staring eye. I felt watched from below.
But I was not going to look like a chickenshit in front of my friends. They were both clearly excited, especially Bear, who started hopping from one foot to another, anxiously looking up at me and waving me on. He reminded me of a puppy excited about going on a walk. They had already started descending and stood a few dozen feet below the first step.
With a thudding heart, I followed Stephanie’s example, slowly lowering myself down from the ledge onto the first step. Once secure, I looked down.
The circling stairs almost seemed like a slit-open conch shell, the swirling golden spiral extending into forever. My friends looked so small standing on those unceasing steps, and for a moment, my intuition screamed at me, “Get out! Get out!”
But instead, I took a deep breath and started the descent into the bottomless pit.
***
We traveled for hours. I lost track of time. All of our phones stopped working, and even though I had just charged mine, the screen simply went black. Stephanie’s watch stopped ticking after a few minutes descending. I didn’t know if there was some kind of magnetism in the pit that disabled electronic devices, but regardless, we no longer had any way to tell time.
“God, how long has it been?” Stephanie asked after our fifth break. We sat on the steps, our headlamps sending eerie bouncing shadows all around us. A few of the steps nearby had thin, jagged cracks running through the stone, branching like lightning bolts. I wondered if they would crumble under our feet as we passed.
“It feels like at least six or seven hours,” Bear said, no longer as excited as he was at the start. Part of it was undoubtedly fatigue, which we all felt. I had a creeping suspicion we had made a colossal mistake by coming down here. Bear still had a sense of determination, however, and he wanted to keep going. “How far down do you think we are?” No one answered. The air felt oppressive and extremely heavy.
“What do you want to do if we don’t find anything in the next hour or so?” I asked. “I mean, are we just going to keep going down forever? We should make a plan to turn around at a certain point.”
“Oh man, give me a break,” Bear said, rolling his eyes. “What in the hell do you have to do today? You act like this isn’t the coolest thing we’ve found on this trip. We should keep going down until we find something, or until we need to turn around because we’re running low on water and food. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, man.” I sighed. My legs ached and my feet screamed at me. I could feel the blisters rising on my toes. We rose and started descending again.
It was then that we heard a sound like a lion roaring echoing up from far below. It sounded predatory and animalistic but magnified to a deafening cacophony like an exploding hydrogen bomb. The stairs began to shake. Falling streams of dust and pebbles streamed down all around us. I tried to scream but I didn’t know if I actually was, because all I could hear was that demonic roar.
I clung to the wall of the pit as the sound started to fade and then rapidly died down to nothing. Within a few seconds, it had passed. I looked at Bear and Stephanie. They looked pale and shaken in the bright LED lights of the headlamp.
“Jesus Christ,” Bear said, his hands trembling as he reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. “I thought I was going to die for a few seconds there.” He had succinctly expressed all of our thoughts, I felt.
“We can’t keep going down,” I said. “This is insane. What if that was an earthquake? What if there’s more aftershocks coming? We should start heading back up now. I’m not dying here.” Stephanie and Bear nodded, agreeing without any argument. Even Bear, who was normally fearless, seemed to have lost all of his enthusiasm for this adventure.
But when we turned and shone our headlamps up, I saw the stairs a few hundred feet above us had collapsed during the bone-rattling explosion of sound. About thirty feet of steps had simply vanished, crumbling into the void. I suddenly felt very much less secure standing there. I wondered how structurally sound the step I stood on really was. My heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest.
“Well, I guess the only way out is forwards,” Stephanie whispered in a frightened voice. “Maybe this cave or whatever it is has branching tunnels that lead back up. Something this massive has to have more than one way in and out.” I didn’t really agree with her, however. This pit was not a natural cave system as far as I could tell. We had no idea if other paths led out.
We kept descending. I clung close to the wall in case that ear-splitting cacophony started again. I wondered what had made it. Perhaps the echoes of shifting tectonic plates amplified as they rose up the pit and just sounded like a predator’s thundering cry.
Far below, my headlamp ran over an aberration in the smooth golden spiral of the endless steps. I saw a massive archway, at least ten feet tall. Its sides met in a point at the top, forming an upside-down curving V.
Bear and Stephanie saw it at the same time as I did. Their eyes widened in surprise and delight. But a sense of fear gripped me when I saw the archway. Its architecture looked alien. As we got closer, I saw it glistened like obsidian. Gleaming black rainbows ran over its length when our lights touched it.
“Oh, thank God!” Stephanie cried. Bear ran ahead, sprinting down the steps, like a man dying of dehydration running towards water.
“Hey, wait up!” I called, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. I looked down the stairs. Far below me, I saw a thin crack that ran down the wall of the pit for hundreds of feet. I caught a glimpse of a face peeking out of it.
The creature had bone-white skin and pure black eyes. Its features seemed a combination of human and demon. Its insane rictus grin showed many sharp, long teeth. Within a fraction of a second, though, it disappeared into the crack, and I wondered whether I had really seen it. Perhaps all the darkness had caused me to start hallucinating. I knew that prolonged sensory deprivation could cause hallucinations and potentially bizarre experiences, having tried sensory deprivation tanks both sober and after eating magic mushrooms.
Stephanie and Bear stood in front of the obsidian arch, peering down a massive stone tunnel. The ceiling towered thirty feet overhead. Sharp stalactites hung over our heads like waiting guillotines. Natural formations of glimmering marble and jewels jutted out of the walls of the light brown rock.
Bear ran forwards, laughing. He stopped at the first cluster of gems he saw. They looked like the petals of a multi-colored flower, green, white, red, blue and black.
“These are diamonds,” Bear said, awed. “This is opal, this looks like jet-stone… that’s definitely a sapphire and the one next to it is an emerald.” He stood up straight, looking back at me, his mouth hanging open. “Holy shit, Juan, we’re rich. None of us will ever have to work again.”
“We still don’t even know how to get out of here,” I reminded him. I kept checking our backs, and I thought I had glimpsed that white, staring face with the black eyes again. But it moved like a ghost. Every time I tried to shine the light where I thought I glimpsed something, there was nothing there. I felt like I was losing my mind.
We kept walking for a few minutes. Smaller tunnels branched off the large ones periodically. We would hear soft moaning sounds and whispers coming from them. I could never pick out any words, as it came across as more of a low susurration, but it had the cadence and rhythm of speech.
“That is so creepy,” Stephanie whispered after we had passed our fourth branching tunnel. “It sounds just like voices and people whimpering, as if there were some medieval torture chamber over there.”
“It’s gotta be some natural echo from the earth,” I said. “There are sometimes subterranean rivers and waterfalls. If one was nearby, its babbling could get distorted in the tunnels and come across as whispering.” But I didn’t really believe the argument myself, even though I badly wanted to.
“Oh my God!” Bear said. He was out in front, walking ahead of us by at least ten feet. So he ended up seeing the two bodies first. He started running, kneeling down over the girls. Stephanie and I followed a few seconds later.
They looked like two high school students, still wearing their backpacks covered in pins about love and peace. The nearer of the two girls was clearly dead. Her entire body had swollen up like a tick after feeding, the skin turning green as rancid gasses bubbled under the surface. I couldn’t even tell if she once had eyes or a mouth because the flesh had expanded so much. Her bloated body pulled against the fabric of her short-sleeved T-shirt, skirt and straps of her backpack.
The other girl was a somewhat different story. At first, I thought she was dead too. I couldn’t see any breathing and she looked extremely pale with a blue tint to her lips. Bear knelt down and tried shaking her. He got no response. Then he licked the back of his hand and held it in front of her mouth and nose. After a few seconds, he looked up excitedly.
“She’s breathing, though it is very slow and shallow,” he said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.” Her eyes started to flutter open, and she gasped. Her fingers clenched and she licked her dry lips.
“Water,” she moaned. “Please. Water.” Bear immediately grabbed a bottle from his pack and held it up to her lips. She took small sips, pulling away and breathing hard after each one. But soon she had finished the entire bottle, then two more. The color started to return to her cheeks slightly, though that bluish cast stayed over her fingernails and lips. She motioned for us to get close, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
“I’m… not going to make it out of here alive,” she said. “This was given to me by someone else. It’s the only reason we’ve made it this far.” She coughed, rolling on her side and vomiting some of the water. I saw streaks of blood mixed in, dark red like a garnet.
Bear looked at the piece of paper, frowning. He stood back up and turned to face us. Then he started reading out loud.
“The first rule to survival is this: When you see the Angel of Death, the woman with the backwards-facing head, you must cut your flesh and give an offering of blood immediately.
“The second rule is that if you hear the first trumpet blow, you must hide. Anyone who does not leave the main tunnel by the time the second trumpet blows will know undying agony.
“The third rule is that if you see dark silhouettes coming down the corridors, shadows in the shapes of men and beasts, you must close your eyes and count to thirty. They are eaters of souls, and will suck your soul out of your eyes if you give them the chance, yet they will pass if not fed.
“The fourth rule is that, if you encounter anyone with the Mark of Cain, you must kill them immediately. You will know the Mark of Cain when you see it- it is a most hideous thing.
“The fifth rule is that if you see the ruler of the bottomless pit, whose name is Abaddon, you must not look at his face.”
We all stood in silence for a long moment. I felt the strong urge to laugh. Then I looked down at the swollen body of the dead girl and immediately changed my mind.
The blonde girl yanked her backpack off, gasping and spitting blood constantly. She reached around in the bag, frantically looking for something. With a triumphant smile across her pretty face, she yanked it out and handed it to me.
I took the ancient leather-bound Bible. It looked like it had some traces of a white, shining crystal smeared across its cover. I opened the cover and saw someone had written in spiky, copperplate handwriting, “Property of Smiley.”
A bookmark hung out of the back of the text. I opened it up and gasped. The “bookmark” was actually a tiny, mummified pinkie finger. It looked like someone had cut it off a small child’s hand. It smelled woodsy with a hint of pistachio, cinnamon and sulfur. I have never smelled anything quite like a mummified body part.
“Oh… my… God!” Stephanie cried, putting her hands above her mouth. “Is that a child’s finger?!” The girl didn’t answer. She had collapsed on her stomach now, and she looked like she was rapidly worsening.
“Who are you? How did you two get here? Why do you have someone’s finger?” I asked. The girl shook her head.
“No time for all that,” she said. “I got a glancing blow of the poison. A very small dose, but it’s doing its work nonetheless. I can feel it writhing like snakes through my blood…” She closed her eyes for a long moment, breathing slow. Then she fixed her unsteady, watery eyes on us again.
“My name is Isabella, though. I’ll tell you that we came here by accident, exploring underground tunnels with my Rainbow Family. We got lost, and the tunnels started changing…” A shriek echoed from further down the main tunnel, cutting her off.
Isabella’s eyes flew wide open, bright spots of red showing on her pale face. She began hyperventilating.
“They’re coming! They’re coming back!” she cried. “Oh God, help me!” I saw a shape far away, like a galloping horse. My mind couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing for a moment. It looked totally alien, something not from this world. There was a sound like helicopter blades slicing through the air, jarring and rhythmic.
As it got closer, I saw a bizarre and monstrous creature. It looked almost like a giant flying scorpion. It was about the size of a Great Dane. Its legs writhed and skittered, like massive alien eyelashes.
I saw its stinger dripping clear, lethal venom, as if it were salivating through its tail. Its spiky wings looked like those of a dragonfly’s, blurring in a sea of motion as they propelled it forward. It was, in reality, the face that affected me most, however.
It had a human face, complete with changing expressions. It had no hair on its body, but even without eyebrows, I could see the scowl of bloodlust and fury. The eyes had a filmy look, as if covered in cataracts. The pupils looked faded behind the veil, the irises a muddy gray. Bristling spikes stood out the top of its head, black, pushed-back quills with barbs on the end. Overall, the creature was one of the most instinctually repugnant and frightening creatures I had ever seen.
Bear and Stephanie stood there, their mouths opened, just staring. Isabella tried to crawl away. She had thrown her backpack to the side.
“Nooo,” she moaned, “noooo.”
“Bear!” I cried. “Shoot it! Shoot the goddamned thing! What are you waiting for?!” He looked like a man waking up from a nightmare for a moment, his eyes moving quickly around before focusing on me. Then a smile broke out on his face.
With the creature only a few steps away, I thought we were all dead. But in a blur, Bear yanked the giant black pistol from its holster. With a booming echo like a shout from God, he fired at the abomination’s eerily human face.
The head exploded in a fountain of bone splinters and bright-blue blood. Its wings continued to pound the air crazily, and the body continued coming at us for a few more feet. Then it crashed to the ground, sliding, its stinger and tail still striking out at the air. I jumped back and saw Bear and Stephanie do the same.
It landed on top of Isabella, soaking her in its blood. She screamed. The stinger continued to drip clear poison from its wicked-looking barb. I saw drops of it sliding off the creature’s body and onto Isabella’s skin.
“It burns, it burns!” she cried, trying to wipe away the poison. But she was on her stomach, and with the creature pinning her down, she couldn’t reach. Like some ancient Chinese water torture, the drops continued to fall, searing and lethal.
“I need help guys!” Bear said as he tried to lift the heavy creature off Isabella. Stephanie and I went around, giving the stinger and poison a wide berth. I reached under its body. It felt slimy, cold and just revolting. It was like the texture of drowned earthworms after a summer rain. As I pushed, I felt a sogginess in its skin, and blue blood the color of antifreeze soaked my hands. I wanted to pull away. I felt soiled. I wanted to take a long shower and wipe the filth of this creature off me.
The body started to lift. With a grunt, the three of us pushed it off Isabella. I looked down at her and realized it was too late.
Her eyes rolled back in her head, showing only the whites. Her legs began to kick violently, her fingers spasming as her arms jumped and danced. She began to make a choked, gasping sound.
Then her skin started to turn a sickly, cancerous green. Her whole body began to swell before our eyes. She gave a death gasp and stopped kicking, finally falling limp.
***
As we left the corpses behind, still shaken, Bear looked at the Bible Isabella had given us.
“Juan, why do you think there’s a human finger in here?” Stephanie asked, still repulsed by it. “Is that some sort of occult thing? Maybe witchcraft?” I shrugged. I knew a lot more about history and books than either Bear or Stephanie. They almost never read, while I read constantly.
“Fingers have been used in occult rituals for thousands of years. In the ancient Buddhist scriptures, a madman and extremely talented warrior used to go around killing random people and taking their fingers for a necklace. They called him ‘Angulimala’, or ‘Finger-necklace’. There may be some relation to worship of Kali, the goddess of destruction. He ended up converting to Buddhism, renouncing violence and becoming enlightened, though.
“In modern rituals, witchcraft still uses severed fingers. Fingers represent dexterity, touch and manipulation of far-away objects. Cutting off a finger also symbolically represents a cutting of ties in an occult ritual.” I shrugged.
“Well, thank you for that enlightening information, Chatbot,” Stephanie said jokingly. “You remind me of those AI robots where you can ask them any random question and they come up with an answer.”
“Hey, don’t shit on me just because I actually do research,” I said, smiling. “Speaking of research, what page of the Bible is the finger marking? It may be important. Those girls had two things, after all: the list of rules and the Bible. Isabella obviously considered them important, because those were the only two things she singled out to give to us while she was dying.” Bear opened the Bible to the page with the finger. He looked down, frowning.
“It’s Revelation 9,” he said, then he began reading aloud as we all took a break, passing around water and peanut butter crackers.
“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
“And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
“And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
“And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” He stopped reading, his voice reverberating eerily down the stone corridor, bouncing off of priceless gems and hard sandstone.
“So that thing we killed was a locust?” Stephanie asked. “It looked a lot more like a scorpion to me.”
“It doesn’t really matter; it’s neither a scorpion nor a locust,” I said. “It’s clearly a different species from either. Perhaps it’s lived down here for millions of years, hunting in the dark. But it just makes it all the more important to find a way out of here as soon as possible. There could be thousands of those things down here. Millions, maybe. I mean, really, who knows how big this place is?” Sighing, we got up and continued looking for a way out.
Ahead, I saw a faded sign. It looked made out of pure silver, without a sign of rust anywhere. But the letters had nearly disappeared over the many years it had clearly stood here.
When we got close, I brought my light right up to it and tried to make it out. After a few seconds, I realized it was a sign for a town.
“Bloodstone. Population: 144,000,” it read.
Part 2
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/192nglq/i_found_the_bottomless_pit_from_the_book_of/

Back in 2012, I believe I stopped the Apocalypse.
I remember staring down at the endless hole in the desert with wonder and awe. It seemed to go on forever. A life-long friend of mine named Bear stood by my side. He scanned the ground and found a large, smooth rock. It must’ve weighed at least sixty pounds. He rolled it over to the edge of the seemingly infinite void and let it drop.
I heard the stone clatter against the walls, smashing against one side and releasing a rush of small pebbles and clods of dirt. They soared downwards with the rock, reminding me of the sands in an eternal hourglass.
“Look, there’s stairs,” Bear’s girlfriend Stephanie said, pointing a freshly-painted red nail at the steps. They looked hewn from solid rock and spiraled down into the darkness far below. Stephanie tilted her head slightly to the side, moving locks of dirty blonde hair away from her eyes. Her appearance reminded me of Emma Stone, and though nearly twenty-five, she still looked like a teenager.
We stood in the middle of Death Valley. The sun sizzled overhead, sending out blinding light that reflected off the sands. Rippling mirages rose off the burning hot ground. Dunes surrounded us, looking as dead and lifeless as an alien planet.
I looked up at the light blue sky and didn’t see a single cloud. It must’ve been 100 degrees out. Rivulets of sweat trickled down from my hair and forehead, stinging my eyes. I wiped it away, looking back down the hole. I kept expecting this aberration of a pit to evaporate like some sort of bizarre optical illusion, yet there it still stood, a large circle about thirty feet across with ancient granite steps. And, of course, the steps had no railings. They looked fairly narrow, maybe a couple feet across.
Well, I considered that narrow, considering the thousands of feet of empty space I would fall through if I slipped. I thought about how the drop would feel, screaming for minutes and knowing I was about to die, the ground coming up to meet me, the air roaring like a tornado in my ears. I shuddered. The mental image seemed far too vivid.
I glanced at my two friends. Bear was casually smoking a cigarette, raising his tattooed hand. I looked at the tattoo- a reptilian, slitted eye surrounded by the golden spiral.
He stood much taller than me and, having done physical labor his entire life, he also had a thick covering of muscle. He was a metal-head and urban explorer, and about 90% of his body was covered in tattoos. Stephanie and he made an unusual pair, she with her straight-edge, valley girl looks, and Bear looking like he just climbed out of a mosh pit at a Deicide show.
He flicked the half-smoked butt into the pit, smoothing his long black hair with his hands. I watched the red light of the ember streak across the darkness and disappear into the endless shadows waiting below.
“Do you think anyone else knows about this?” I asked. Bear had a sly grin across his scruffy face. His blue eyes flashed with amusement. He put his arm around Stephanie.
“Well, if no one has, maybe we can make money off of it,” he said. Stephanie smiled faintly at that. “I’ve heard of people who discovered caves making money off giving tours. Maybe we can buy this crappy little plot of land out here!”
“This might be state land,” I said. “Actually, it might even be federal. I’m not sure where the borders of the national park end. Not like anyone would be going around labeling borders out here.” I waved my hand lethargically at the dead, sunburnt desert all around us. Absolutely no one lived out here, except maybe the secret mutant descendants of the Manson Family.
“Regardless, we should go explore it,” Stephanie said. “If we’re going to claim we discovered some new wonder of the world, we should be able to tell people what’s in it.”
“Yeah, and what if we get lost and starve to death down there?” I asked. “There’s no cell service out here. No one would ever find our bodies. We would just disappear into thin air. We can’t even call anyone to let them know where we are.”
“That’s part of the adventure!” Stephanie said, laughing. “You weren’t complaining when you dragged us all to that abandoned mental asylum and took us to the underground tunnels.”
“I’m with Stephanie,” Bear said, gesticulating crazily with his hands. “I want to go explore. I think it would be awesome to have a cave system named after us. We still have flashlights and plenty of food and water in the car. I have lighters and knives, cigarettes and booze, hell, even my pistol. Not like I think we’ll need it, unless there’s rattlesnakes down there that we need to shoot.” In hindsight, it was amazing just how wrong he was.
***
We each had a backpack filled with goods. Since we had been traveling across California and camping, seeing every national park possible, we had plenty of extra supplies. In fact, the issue became the amount of weight each of us could carry. I had them fill the backpacks with as much food and water as possible, leaving only room for ammunition, jackets and some extra clothes.
“You act like we’re going to be down there for the next year,” Stephanie complained, rolling her eyes as she hefted the heavy backpack around her shoulder with a soft grunt. “Alright, let’s do this! I am so excited right now. I feel like Bilbo Baggins must’ve when he walked out his front door with Gandalf.” Bear grinned like a madman, lighting up another cigarette. Without a word or a moment of hesitation, he put his backpack on and jumped down to the first step, a drop of about five feet. My stomach did flips just watching him. He apparently had no fear of heights at all.
As I looked down on Bear, it struck me how perfect the circular formation of the pit was. It almost looked man-made or somehow unnatural. Nature rarely works in straight lines and perfect circles, after all.
Stephanie went next, lowering herself carefully from the edge and hanging down by her arms until her feet were securely on the step. Unlike Bear, who at times I thought might be slightly insane, she did not simply jump onto the stone.
I edged closer to the pit, looking down. A sense of vertigo overtook me. The eternal blackness of the void seemed like a dilated pupil, a staring eye. I felt watched from below.
But I was not going to look like a chickenshit in front of my friends. They were both clearly excited, especially Bear, who started hopping from one foot to another, anxiously looking up at me and waving me on. He reminded me of a puppy excited about going on a walk. They had already started descending and stood a few dozen feet below the first step.
With a thudding heart, I followed Stephanie’s example, slowly lowering myself down from the ledge onto the first step. Once secure, I looked down.
The circling stairs almost seemed like a slit-open conch shell, the swirling golden spiral extending into forever. My friends looked so small standing on those unceasing steps, and for a moment, my intuition screamed at me, “Get out! Get out!”
But instead, I took a deep breath and started the descent into the bottomless pit.
***
We traveled for hours. I lost track of time. All of our phones stopped working, and even though I had just charged mine, the screen simply went black. Stephanie’s watch stopped ticking after a few minutes descending. I didn’t know if there was some kind of magnetism in the pit that disabled electronic devices, but regardless, we no longer had any way to tell time.
“God, how long has it been?” Stephanie asked after our fifth break. We sat on the steps, our headlamps sending eerie bouncing shadows all around us. A few of the steps nearby had thin, jagged cracks running through the stone, branching like lightning bolts. I wondered if they would crumble under our feet as we passed.
“It feels like at least six or seven hours,” Bear said, no longer as excited as he was at the start. Part of it was undoubtedly fatigue, which we all felt. I had a creeping suspicion we had made a colossal mistake by coming down here. Bear still had a sense of determination, however, and he wanted to keep going. “How far down do you think we are?” No one answered. The air felt oppressive and extremely heavy.
“What do you want to do if we don’t find anything in the next hour or so?” I asked. “I mean, are we just going to keep going down forever? We should make a plan to turn around at a certain point.”
“Oh man, give me a break,” Bear said, rolling his eyes. “What in the hell do you have to do today? You act like this isn’t the coolest thing we’ve found on this trip. We should keep going down until we find something, or until we need to turn around because we’re running low on water and food. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, man.” I sighed. My legs ached and my feet screamed at me. I could feel the blisters rising on my toes. We rose and started descending again.
It was then that we heard a sound like a lion roaring echoing up from far below. It sounded predatory and animalistic but magnified to a deafening cacophony like an exploding hydrogen bomb. The stairs began to shake. Falling streams of dust and pebbles streamed down all around us. I tried to scream but I didn’t know if I actually was, because all I could hear was that demonic roar.
I clung to the wall of the pit as the sound started to fade and then rapidly died down to nothing. Within a few seconds, it had passed. I looked at Bear and Stephanie. They looked pale and shaken in the bright LED lights of the headlamp.
“Jesus Christ,” Bear said, his hands trembling as he reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. “I thought I was going to die for a few seconds there.” He had succinctly expressed all of our thoughts, I felt.
“We can’t keep going down,” I said. “This is insane. What if that was an earthquake? What if there’s more aftershocks coming? We should start heading back up now. I’m not dying here.” Stephanie and Bear nodded, agreeing without any argument. Even Bear, who was normally fearless, seemed to have lost all of his enthusiasm for this adventure.
But when we turned and shone our headlamps up, I saw the stairs a few hundred feet above us had collapsed during the bone-rattling explosion of sound. About thirty feet of steps had simply vanished, crumbling into the void. I suddenly felt very much less secure standing there. I wondered how structurally sound the step I stood on really was. My heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest.
“Well, I guess the only way out is forwards,” Stephanie whispered in a frightened voice. “Maybe this cave or whatever it is has branching tunnels that lead back up. Something this massive has to have more than one way in and out.” I didn’t really agree with her, however. This pit was not a natural cave system as far as I could tell. We had no idea if other paths led out.
We kept descending. I clung close to the wall in case that ear-splitting cacophony started again. I wondered what had made it. Perhaps the echoes of shifting tectonic plates amplified as they rose up the pit and just sounded like a predator’s thundering cry.
Far below, my headlamp ran over an aberration in the smooth golden spiral of the endless steps. I saw a massive archway, at least ten feet tall. Its sides met in a point at the top, forming an upside-down curving V.
Bear and Stephanie saw it at the same time as I did. Their eyes widened in surprise and delight. But a sense of fear gripped me when I saw the archway. Its architecture looked alien. As we got closer, I saw it glistened like obsidian. Gleaming black rainbows ran over its length when our lights touched it.
“Oh, thank God!” Stephanie cried. Bear ran ahead, sprinting down the steps, like a man dying of dehydration running towards water.
“Hey, wait up!” I called, feeling suddenly very vulnerable. I looked down the stairs. Far below me, I saw a thin crack that ran down the wall of the pit for hundreds of feet. I caught a glimpse of a face peeking out of it.
The creature had bone-white skin and pure black eyes. Its features seemed a combination of human and demon. Its insane rictus grin showed many sharp, long teeth. Within a fraction of a second, though, it disappeared into the crack, and I wondered whether I had really seen it. Perhaps all the darkness had caused me to start hallucinating. I knew that prolonged sensory deprivation could cause hallucinations and potentially bizarre experiences, having tried sensory deprivation tanks both sober and after eating magic mushrooms.
Stephanie and Bear stood in front of the obsidian arch, peering down a massive stone tunnel. The ceiling towered thirty feet overhead. Sharp stalactites hung over our heads like waiting guillotines. Natural formations of glimmering marble and jewels jutted out of the walls of the light brown rock.
Bear ran forwards, laughing. He stopped at the first cluster of gems he saw. They looked like the petals of a multi-colored flower, green, white, red, blue and black.
“These are diamonds,” Bear said, awed. “This is opal, this looks like jet-stone… that’s definitely a sapphire and the one next to it is an emerald.” He stood up straight, looking back at me, his mouth hanging open. “Holy shit, Juan, we’re rich. None of us will ever have to work again.”
“We still don’t even know how to get out of here,” I reminded him. I kept checking our backs, and I thought I had glimpsed that white, staring face with the black eyes again. But it moved like a ghost. Every time I tried to shine the light where I thought I glimpsed something, there was nothing there. I felt like I was losing my mind.
We kept walking for a few minutes. Smaller tunnels branched off the large ones periodically. We would hear soft moaning sounds and whispers coming from them. I could never pick out any words, as it came across as more of a low susurration, but it had the cadence and rhythm of speech.
“That is so creepy,” Stephanie whispered after we had passed our fourth branching tunnel. “It sounds just like voices and people whimpering, as if there were some medieval torture chamber over there.”
“It’s gotta be some natural echo from the earth,” I said. “There are sometimes subterranean rivers and waterfalls. If one was nearby, its babbling could get distorted in the tunnels and come across as whispering.” But I didn’t really believe the argument myself, even though I badly wanted to.
“Oh my God!” Bear said. He was out in front, walking ahead of us by at least ten feet. So he ended up seeing the two bodies first. He started running, kneeling down over the girls. Stephanie and I followed a few seconds later.
They looked like two high school students, still wearing their backpacks covered in pins about love and peace. The nearer of the two girls was clearly dead. Her entire body had swollen up like a tick after feeding, the skin turning green as rancid gasses bubbled under the surface. I couldn’t even tell if she once had eyes or a mouth because the flesh had expanded so much. Her bloated body pulled against the fabric of her short-sleeved T-shirt, skirt and straps of her backpack.
The other girl was a somewhat different story. At first, I thought she was dead too. I couldn’t see any breathing and she looked extremely pale with a blue tint to her lips. Bear knelt down and tried shaking her. He got no response. Then he licked the back of his hand and held it in front of her mouth and nose. After a few seconds, he looked up excitedly.
“She’s breathing, though it is very slow and shallow,” he said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her.” Her eyes started to flutter open, and she gasped. Her fingers clenched and she licked her dry lips.
“Water,” she moaned. “Please. Water.” Bear immediately grabbed a bottle from his pack and held it up to her lips. She took small sips, pulling away and breathing hard after each one. But soon she had finished the entire bottle, then two more. The color started to return to her cheeks slightly, though that bluish cast stayed over her fingernails and lips. She motioned for us to get close, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
“I’m… not going to make it out of here alive,” she said. “This was given to me by someone else. It’s the only reason we’ve made it this far.” She coughed, rolling on her side and vomiting some of the water. I saw streaks of blood mixed in, dark red like a garnet.
Bear looked at the piece of paper, frowning. He stood back up and turned to face us. Then he started reading out loud.
“The first rule to survival is this: When you see the Angel of Death, the woman with the backwards-facing head, you must cut your flesh and give an offering of blood immediately.
“The second rule is that if you hear the first trumpet blow, you must hide. Anyone who does not leave the main tunnel by the time the second trumpet blows will know undying agony.
“The third rule is that if you see dark silhouettes coming down the corridors, shadows in the shapes of men and beasts, you must close your eyes and count to thirty. They are eaters of souls, and will suck your soul out of your eyes if you give them the chance, yet they will pass if not fed.
“The fourth rule is that, if you encounter anyone with the Mark of Cain, you must kill them immediately. You will know the Mark of Cain when you see it- it is a most hideous thing.
“The fifth rule is that if you see the ruler of the bottomless pit, whose name is Abaddon, you must not look at his face.”
We all stood in silence for a long moment. I felt the strong urge to laugh. Then I looked down at the swollen body of the dead girl and immediately changed my mind.
The blonde girl yanked her backpack off, gasping and spitting blood constantly. She reached around in the bag, frantically looking for something. With a triumphant smile across her pretty face, she yanked it out and handed it to me.
I took the ancient leather-bound Bible. It looked like it had some traces of a white, shining crystal smeared across its cover. I opened the cover and saw someone had written in spiky, copperplate handwriting, “Property of Smiley.”
A bookmark hung out of the back of the text. I opened it up and gasped. The “bookmark” was actually a tiny, mummified pinkie finger. It looked like someone had cut it off a small child’s hand. It smelled woodsy with a hint of pistachio, cinnamon and sulfur. I have never smelled anything quite like a mummified body part.
“Oh… my… God!” Stephanie cried, putting her hands above her mouth. “Is that a child’s finger?!” The girl didn’t answer. She had collapsed on her stomach now, and she looked like she was rapidly worsening.
“Who are you? How did you two get here? Why do you have someone’s finger?” I asked. The girl shook her head.
“No time for all that,” she said. “I got a glancing blow of the poison. A very small dose, but it’s doing its work nonetheless. I can feel it writhing like snakes through my blood…” She closed her eyes for a long moment, breathing slow. Then she fixed her unsteady, watery eyes on us again.
“My name is Isabella, though. I’ll tell you that we came here by accident, exploring underground tunnels with my Rainbow Family. We got lost, and the tunnels started changing…” A shriek echoed from further down the main tunnel, cutting her off.
Isabella’s eyes flew wide open, bright spots of red showing on her pale face. She began hyperventilating.
“They’re coming! They’re coming back!” she cried. “Oh God, help me!” I saw a shape far away, like a galloping horse. My mind couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing for a moment. It looked totally alien, something not from this world. There was a sound like helicopter blades slicing through the air, jarring and rhythmic.
As it got closer, I saw a bizarre and monstrous creature. It looked almost like a giant flying scorpion. It was about the size of a Great Dane. Its legs writhed and skittered, like massive alien eyelashes.
I saw its stinger dripping clear, lethal venom, as if it were salivating through its tail. Its spiky wings looked like those of a dragonfly’s, blurring in a sea of motion as they propelled it forward. It was, in reality, the face that affected me most, however.
It had a human face, complete with changing expressions. It had no hair on its body, but even without eyebrows, I could see the scowl of bloodlust and fury. The eyes had a filmy look, as if covered in cataracts. The pupils looked faded behind the veil, the irises a muddy gray. Bristling spikes stood out the top of its head, black, pushed-back quills with barbs on the end. Overall, the creature was one of the most instinctually repugnant and frightening creatures I had ever seen.
Bear and Stephanie stood there, their mouths opened, just staring. Isabella tried to crawl away. She had thrown her backpack to the side.
“Nooo,” she moaned, “noooo.”
“Bear!” I cried. “Shoot it! Shoot the goddamned thing! What are you waiting for?!” He looked like a man waking up from a nightmare for a moment, his eyes moving quickly around before focusing on me. Then a smile broke out on his face.
With the creature only a few steps away, I thought we were all dead. But in a blur, Bear yanked the giant black pistol from its holster. With a booming echo like a shout from God, he fired at the abomination’s eerily human face.
The head exploded in a fountain of bone splinters and bright-blue blood. Its wings continued to pound the air crazily, and the body continued coming at us for a few more feet. Then it crashed to the ground, sliding, its stinger and tail still striking out at the air. I jumped back and saw Bear and Stephanie do the same.
It landed on top of Isabella, soaking her in its blood. She screamed. The stinger continued to drip clear poison from its wicked-looking barb. I saw drops of it sliding off the creature’s body and onto Isabella’s skin.
“It burns, it burns!” she cried, trying to wipe away the poison. But she was on her stomach, and with the creature pinning her down, she couldn’t reach. Like some ancient Chinese water torture, the drops continued to fall, searing and lethal.
“I need help guys!” Bear said as he tried to lift the heavy creature off Isabella. Stephanie and I went around, giving the stinger and poison a wide berth. I reached under its body. It felt slimy, cold and just revolting. It was like the texture of drowned earthworms after a summer rain. As I pushed, I felt a sogginess in its skin, and blue blood the color of antifreeze soaked my hands. I wanted to pull away. I felt soiled. I wanted to take a long shower and wipe the filth of this creature off me.
The body started to lift. With a grunt, the three of us pushed it off Isabella. I looked down at her and realized it was too late.
Her eyes rolled back in her head, showing only the whites. Her legs began to kick violently, her fingers spasming as her arms jumped and danced. She began to make a choked, gasping sound.
Then her skin started to turn a sickly, cancerous green. Her whole body began to swell before our eyes. She gave a death gasp and stopped kicking, finally falling limp.
***
As we left the corpses behind, still shaken, Bear looked at the Bible Isabella had given us.
“Juan, why do you think there’s a human finger in here?” Stephanie asked, still repulsed by it. “Is that some sort of occult thing? Maybe witchcraft?” I shrugged. I knew a lot more about history and books than either Bear or Stephanie. They almost never read, while I read constantly.
“Fingers have been used in occult rituals for thousands of years. In the ancient Buddhist scriptures, a madman and extremely talented warrior used to go around killing random people and taking their fingers for a necklace. They called him ‘Angulimala’, or ‘Finger-necklace’. There may be some relation to worship of Kali, the goddess of destruction. He ended up converting to Buddhism, renouncing violence and becoming enlightened, though.
“In modern rituals, witchcraft still uses severed fingers. Fingers represent dexterity, touch and manipulation of far-away objects. Cutting off a finger also symbolically represents a cutting of ties in an occult ritual.” I shrugged.
“Well, thank you for that enlightening information, Chatbot,” Stephanie said jokingly. “You remind me of those AI robots where you can ask them any random question and they come up with an answer.”
“Hey, don’t shit on me just because I actually do research,” I said, smiling. “Speaking of research, what page of the Bible is the finger marking? It may be important. Those girls had two things, after all: the list of rules and the Bible. Isabella obviously considered them important, because those were the only two things she singled out to give to us while she was dying.” Bear opened the Bible to the page with the finger. He looked down, frowning.
“It’s Revelation 9,” he said, then he began reading aloud as we all took a break, passing around water and peanut butter crackers.
“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
“And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
“And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
“And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” He stopped reading, his voice reverberating eerily down the stone corridor, bouncing off of priceless gems and hard sandstone.
“So that thing we killed was a locust?” Stephanie asked. “It looked a lot more like a scorpion to me.”
“It doesn’t really matter; it’s neither a scorpion nor a locust,” I said. “It’s clearly a different species from either. Perhaps it’s lived down here for millions of years, hunting in the dark. But it just makes it all the more important to find a way out of here as soon as possible. There could be thousands of those things down here. Millions, maybe. I mean, really, who knows how big this place is?” Sighing, we got up and continued looking for a way out.
Ahead, I saw a faded sign. It looked made out of pure silver, without a sign of rust anywhere. But the letters had nearly disappeared over the many years it had clearly stood here.
When we got close, I brought my light right up to it and tried to make it out. After a few seconds, I realized it was a sign for a town.
“Bloodstone. Population: 144,000,” it read.
Part 2
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/192nglq/i_found_the_bottomless_pit_from_the_book_of/

Hi all! After posting the "Who is Balloon Boy?" question, I was wondering if there has been any official or unofficial complete record of the different symbols or metaphors used in the FNaF storyline, as well as the patterns that emerge from characters or environments. Things like the toes and eye colors, sure, even just colors in general because I'm sure a lot of the character colors are intentional.
... Actually, are they intentional? I genuinely forgot. Has Scott said that things like specific character design elements were crucial to their identities?
Thank you guys again for the warm welcome. Have a smiley day <3

G’day, hello, hope everyone is well.
Back before the internet was a thing, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth (haha), when I was in school, I loved dreams. There was a radio station I listened to. Mainly music. But every Tuesday or Wednesday, the morning presenter had on a guest, and this guest would take callers to interpret their dreams. Was a fun thing to listen to. The guest wrote a “Dream Symbol Interpretation” book. And I just had to get it. Because she’d always say, “write down your dreams”, to better remember them, and to better interpret them. Well, thanks Mum, who got me that book for my birthday. Because it started this whole journey!
I would later categorise awareness into these simplified steps; - Waking awareness. What you’ve got right now, reading this. Sober. Awake. In the physical world. - Low level dream awareness. When asked, some people swear they don’t dream. At this level, they’re effectively ‘dead to the world’. - High level dream awareness. When asked, they knew they had a dream last night. But can’t recall much of it, if any of the dream. - Low level Lucid-dream awareness. This is when you know you are dreaming. Without jotting the dream down after waking, it will be lost soon enough. - High level Lucid-dream awareness. You know you’re in the dream, dreaming. And can change any little thing about the dream, including the scenarios, environment, anything! - Astral awareness. It’s the same as waking awareness, except you aren’t on the physical plane.
So, after a while of writing down my dreams, usually three times during the night, my awareness levels got to high level lucid-dream awareness. And I most certainly had dreams where I’d stop the entire dream to ask my Higher-Self wtf? What was it trying to communicate? Some dreams I’d change little things. One dream I still vividly remember is being in a run down concrete and stone cityscape, and thinking how nice it’d be to be walking through tall lush verdant green grass on a slight sloping hillside, ringed by tall green trees. And bam! Dream environment completely changed for me.
During this time, a friend ‘allowed me to take and read his astral projection book’. We were stoned. I had no idea what AP was. But stoner talk being stoner talk, plus my growing ‘career’ in dreaming being what it was, piqued my interest in the subject. I read that book cover to cover, multiple times. Even went out and sought out other books on AP too, reading them over and over. Trying to follow the techniques in those books failed, for months. But the seeds were sown.
I focused back upon dreams. Interpretation of. And asking questions about where I was in my early life. What issues I needed solving. How. All of that, good mundane stuff. And I wasn’t disappointed. There’s a funny thing that happens when you really get good at interpreting your dreams. Dreams being the language of the subconscious. And the subconscious mind being hopeless at using language, really prefers imagery, emotion, and repetition, is like a little kid. Show a kid the rule book for baseball, read the rules verbatim. And see how quickly that kid looses interest. But, show one double page to that kid of a picture-book. Where upon the page they see two happy smiley kids, both wearing mitts, and joyously throwing a baseball between each other. That kid wants a mitt, a ball, and you to go play catch. Same with learning your subconscious mind and its ‘language’. Learn it, and life is a whole lot more fun!
Most people, if they experience déjà vu, have this fleeting second long moment where they think they’ve been in the present moment before. When I’d have them, déjà vu would last minutes. I knew I was in the right place at the right moment, lol. It was at this point in life, my AP journey began to take off.
So, one of the books I read had this weird little thing in it. It stated something like; “Don’t get too close to things in the astral, like your bedroom walls for example. The astral mind will zone in on and be totally engrossed by, the texture of the paint on the walls.” Hmmm….. challenge accepted. I mean, surely you could pull back from the walls, right? I kept pondering that passage. Why? Really? Hmm…?
One morning, on the weekend, I woke up early. Decided to snooze, after jotting down dreams. And that question popped back into my mind. ‘Do you really zone in on and get trapped by wall paint, while in the astral?’, I thought to myself. I also had an image of me hovering above the bed, eyes glued to the walls, staring at the spot intensely. And just relaxed, drifting back into snooze-sleep. Unbeknownst to me, these factors were the perfect ingredients for the recipe of AP.
I felt sleep paralysis. Never felt that before. Weirded out a little. And not having had the AP books mention it either, I just went with it. Had a consenting surrender mindset. Again, new and weird sensations began. New-ish, I should say. Next the vibrations. Or more so, a loud roaring electrical buzzing feel, came on and spread throughout my body and mind. I’d had these before. Usually, when people jolt back awake after nodding off. That’s the astral body and physical body realigning. The reverse of that jolt back awake begins with that roaring electrical feel, or the vibrations. Mentally took note of this, and continued on.
Everything was black. I could feel myself rising. Doing a slow somersault with a twisting motion too. And I thought about the intention, both the words part and visual part, of that question to project and see if the walls would draw me in too?
The next thing I know, I can see. But I, like a moth drawn to and circling wildly around a light, was a handspan shy of my bedroom ceiling light. Just wildly flying in circles, around and around it. I thought, “Stop! Hold still!”. Lesson one of AP, intentions are everything. That command, stopped the wild spinning around the light. And I stopped in a position where ahead of me… was me! Laying on the bed, under the covers, asleep! Bam! Back into body! Haha!
There was a lot I left out. But…. I figured that this would set the scene enough. Thanks for coming to my TED talk, hahah!
Love and light to you all 👍❤️🙏

DISCLAIMER: This is a friendly reminder to all noobs/non-noobs that are struggling with this particular boss. This is not a post looking for advice or a dick measuring contest about how fast you can kill him (but if it was, 36 seconds is my record ;) ) . This is (hopefully) a post for someone struggling with or about to complete and use to help them. This is also not the only way to cheese Earle, just the one that I particularly use. If a commenter uses a different build/combo they are welcome to post it here.
First things first: You somehow picked up a quest called Something Sentimental. If you haven't, or don't know where it is, you can find it at Foundation. Maggie is the quest giver and she stands at the power armour stations near Ward's security shack. She will ask you to investigate Monongah Mine for sentimental items of her fathers and helpfully suggests that a nuke might loosen the heavy rock blocking the mine shaft over there.... Okie dokie, Maggie!
I will not go into the specifics of launching a nuke, that is for an entirely different time, but I will talk about the best placement. Which is entirely up to you, really. As long as the mine symbol is fully covered in the red ring, it will spawn A Colossal Problem. You can centre that nuke on the mine itself, but as a helpful tip: if you can get the mine symbol just inside the red ring, but on the outer edge of the nuke itself, it will make escaping later a lot easier.
Now we have the quest, we have our target, the next thing I'm going to discuss is your set up. I run bloodied crit build commando, which means low health overall for a massive damage and action point bonus with a specialisation in VATS critical shots but a general commando build will work too. At the very least you will need the following perk cards in the following special stats.
Perception: Commando 3 star, expert commando 3 star, master commando 3 star, concentrated fire 1 star
Agility: Gun Fu 3 star
Luck: Better criticals 3 star
As for guns, a regular Fixer or Handmade isn't going to do very much for Earle, this boss actually doesn't have a lot of health, what makes him so tough to penetrate is his resistances. Oddly enough VATS critical shots bypass a hefty chunk of his resistances so you can do maximum effectiveness. I recommend automatic Railway rifles for this reason, as by design they hit like a train (har har) but they are so unwieldy outside of vats that using them as a normal weapon is out of the question. By the time you've finished firing your clip you will be teaching that ceiling a lesson it wont forget in a hurry. They can only be effective with VATS. A decent railway to take in will undoubtedly be a quad, as that legendary stat increases the clip size on any weapon it's attached to, which is another drawback to the railway rifle as a standard railway will only hold 10 spikes. a quad allows you to hold up to 40, which is a boon as you will spend less time reloading.
Our next gun isn't technically a gun at all, its a syringer. Specifically an Endangerol syringer. You acquire this from following the main questline through the Raiders. Endangerol frenzies an enemy but lowers its resistance by 25% per person that shoots it for 2 minutes. If 4 people each shoot Earle just once his damage resistance drops by 100%. It will need to be reapplied after 2 minutes but that is hardly a hassle. Dropping Earle's resistance is a huge boon in the fight to come.
Next we are going to discuss food, drink, and chem/magazine buffs.
If you, like I have, have chosen to mutate to become a herbivore, you will note that all plant based items will become twice as powerful. It should be noted here, that you cannot mutate to become a herbivore AND a carnivore, you must pick one or the other, and if you choose to switch, the current mutation must be removed before the new one can be taken. That said, Herbivore has its uses. Specifically in the crit damage field. One blight soup that would give 50% crit damage to a normal individual will give 100% additive bonus to herbivores.
Canned coffee is a must for a prolonged VATS battle as up to three cans can stack to boost your AP when out of VATS quickly and efficiently. (Blackberry honey crisp increases your AP regeneration and it stacks with canned coffee but can be a pain to craft if you don't own the cookie jar from the Atom Shop)
Ballistic Bock is a good drink to use as well. It's classed as an alcohol so you cant stack it with Liquid courage as you can only have one alcohol in effect at any given time. While Liquid courage makes you immune to Earle's scream, it isn't that important as you can simply stay out of his scream range. The Ballistic Bock recipe is one of the rewards from the daily Tipsy Taste Test given by Biv in Morgantown. When consumed it will give you +15% damage using ballistic weapons at -15% weapon durability. Your gun will break faster, so have some repair kits on hand if you're going to use this item!
Overdrive is the preferred chem for most VATS users as it adds 30% critical damage bonus when active. It's just a pain to craft/find in vendors.
Guns and Bullets 3 also gives you +100% crit damage bonus on ballistic weaponry, and it stacks with everything else. Honourable shout out to Tales From The West Virginial Hills 1 magazine! As Earle is technically a Wendigo, this magazine works very well on him for an additional 15% damage against wendigos.
Small guns bobbleheads are stackable with this too, for +20% ballistic gun damage.
So, lets do some quick maths here:
Better criticals perk card: 100% crit damage
Commando perk card: +30% base damage
Expert commando perk card: +30% base damage
Master commando: +30% base damage
Blight soup with Herbivore:+100 crit damage
Ballistic bock: +15% base damage
Overdrive: +30% crit damage
Guns and bullets 3: +100% crit damage
Small guns bobblehead: +20% crit/base damage = 410% increase in base/crit damage overall.
Not too shabby. So, when ACP launches and you head into the mine, you will have 4 minutes of prep time before the shaft collapses, allowing you to fight that big beastie. To complete your quest for Maggie, you will need to pick up a holotape that should be directly in front of you upon fast travelling to the event. It sits on a barrel right at the end of the short corridor, beside an oil lamp. Once you've picked it up you can head deeper into the mine and wait. Other people should be joining you. In the last minute to 30 seconds of the timer use all your buffs and check your guns are loaded. Equip the syringer.
When the shaft collapses, dont just rush blindly into the hole as you'll fall, hit the floor and be downed outside of power armour. There are ledges you can fall to that will get you down safely.
Now, shoot Earle with your syringer and switch to your railway. Use vats and concentrated fire to target the screeching head. Hold down your trigger and your crit button simultaneously and watch your damage numbers go through the roof. You should start chipping his health almost instantly. If your un out of AP, chug some more coffee and go again,. Be wary of staying out of his screaming range and the baby wendigos he spawns. You have added difficulty by burning debris potentially opening up on top of you but with some careful manoeuvring you can stay safe.
Once Earle is dead, start taking out the baby wendigos and scoop your loot! If you die now, you will transported out into the nuke zone. Once you have scooped you could run up the shaft as your diamond marker tells you to, fighting wendigos and mad robots along the way, but it's just as useful to stay put until the timer runs out, as you will be transported to the entrance entirely unharmed. This is not Lode bearing, where you lose your hard earned junk if you outstay your welcome.
Here is where nuke placement comes in handy. If you have placed it right, you should be able to escape the radiation made by your nuke by simply running/waddling far enough away with limited rads gained.
Congratulations on cheesing Earle! Take your hard earned holotape back to Maggie for a modest reward, all things considered.
It may be a while before you see Earle again, it may be a day later. That's entirely up to you!
Stay safe, Wastelanders.

The destash is slowly and steadily continuing - and tax deadline day is tomorrow! 😱
SALE! 4/14 & 4/15 - BUY 3+ BOTTLES AND GET 10% OFF; BUY 4 OR MORE BOTTLES AND YOU ALSO GET FREE SHIPPING!
All perfumes are stored in boxes, away from light, heat, and moisture. Just a few things: It's OK if you change your mind - just let me know please! Please send payment within 24 hours of claiming; if payment isn't sent or other arrangements haven't been made within that time, items will be offered to the next person in line (if applicable). Photos available upon request! Paypal G&S only, shipping is $5 within the US for up to 3 bottles (free shipping for 4+ bottles per the sale) and I ship within one week - I am willing to ship to Canada/UK/EU, but it may take a bit longer to ship. I do have 2 cats, so you may get a hair here and there in your packaging but they do not go near my perfumes! All bottles are full to at least TOS unless otherwise stated. I am willing to consider reasonable offers, especially if you want to buy more than one bottle! I'll gladly peep your destash sheets, but am more inclined to sell rather than swap at this time unless it's a DISO/specific ISO, thanks!
Boo 2009 - $60 [Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream.]
The Bride - $50 [Vanilla chiffon, honey musk, and pale magnolia.]
Sugar Moon 2011 - $23 [Sugar cane, black currant, violet musk, black orchid, gardenia, plum nectar, carrot seed, teak, strawberry, and dusky rose.]
L’Essence de la Passion - $24 [Red musk, carnation, myrrh, and honey]
Liaison 2012 - $23 [Moroccan black musk, white tea leaf, Indonesian black sandalwood, frankincense, honeycomb, jonquil, and clove.]
Dragon Bell Z - $29 [Dragon’s blood and frankincense resins, sugared violets, blackberry pulp, and blackcurrant.]
Budding Realization - $26 [Damask rose, olibanum, red sandalwood, pink peppercorn, honey amber, and clove bud.]
The Balcony (TOL) - $29 [Voluptuous darkness: Bourbon vetiver, red patchouli, honey, helichrysum, and black rose.]
Carved Wooden Cultist Lair - $27 [Sweet, dark incense swirling around flame-scorched ebony wood that has been intricately carved with arcane symbols.]
Faint Blood Between Her Lips (~80% full) - $25 [Honey and daemonorops draco with rum absolute, tobacco, and vetiver.]
Crystal Phoenix - $30 [15-year aged patchouli, bourbon vanilla, oakmoss, Himalayan cedar, tobacco leaf, birch tar, tonka bean, and leather accord]
The Spectral Flower Girl (Liliths 2017) (just above TOL) - $30 [Black lilies, red roses, and baby’s breath.]
Snake Oil Lemonade - $30 [The result of going too fast while refilling Lemon Scented Sticky Bat and Snake Oil back to back.]
Jacob's Ladder 2006 (slight dip in shoulder) - $28 [Golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.]
Indonesian Clove SN (slight dip in shoulder) - $29
White Sage SN (~70% full) - $22
Dad! Let Me Do Your Makeup! (just under TOL) - $23 [Earl Grey tea, honey, heavy cream, and toasted marshmallows.]
Frostbitten Snake Oil - $45
Broadway - $40 [Sheer white patchouli, passionate red musk, caramelized vanilla, black opium poppy, and lilac.]
Road to Versailles at Louveciennes (just under TOL)- $22 [Cream vanilla, frankincense, and velvet-brown sandalwood with coriander, petitgrain, thyme, and wintry musk.]
Pleasures of the Imagination I - $25 [Black amber, leather, and myrrh.]
Midnight Snowfall (Bloodmilk Event Exclusive) - $33 [Frost-dappled night-blooming petals, Oman frankincense, champaca orchid resin, and opium tar accord.]
Hexentanz (Spiritus Arcanum) - $30 [Hazy clouds of bonfire smoke and dark, resinous incense envelops the silhouettes of shape-shifting witches dancing ‘round a blazing fire: black incense, woodsmoke, sumac, turmeric, dried ginger, cassia husk, red cedar berries, 7-year aged patchouli, wood moss, and blood-red vegetal musk.]
Please Scream Inside Your Snake Oil (wandcapped, just under TOL) - $22 [BPAL’s signature scent — deep, rich earthy notes swirled with vegetal musks, sugared vanilla bean, and dark spices — has been polluted by the funnel cake frenzy that is our Please Scream Inside Your Heart perfume blend. The results are so comforting, we almost forgot why we started screaming in the first place. (Almost.)]
Womb Furie 2020 - $28 [Snake Oil and three types of honey.]
Gargoyle Junk - $26 [Frankincense, rose resin, white patchouli, rockrose, and stone.]
Frostbitten Jersey Devil - $25
Hot Speckled Gloom - $24 [Sweet myrrh, patchouli root, and opoponax enflamed by red peppercorn.]
The Magi: Gaspar of India - $24 [Laotian oudh, labdanum, bourbon vanilla, red benzoin, and myrrh]
Black Satin Sheet Ghost - $39 [Glimmering lacquered black patchouli drenched in mate, clary sage, narcissus, and opium tar.]
Peach Brandy Snake Oil - $27
The Tears of Lillith - $34 [Hemlock and hydromel and gall, honey and aconite and wine, lavishly poured over a blend of deep red musk, velvet-red rose, and silvery ambergris.]
Under the Foot Warmer - $22 [Smoldering pine wood, black pepper, ho wood, amber embers, leather, green tea, and silken red musk.]
Frozen Pulse and Heart of Fire - $24 [Contentment, a soul warmed by inner fires: cashmere wool, Atlas cedar, and sweet amber with caramelized vetiver, chestnut, and hazelnut cream.]
Heart and Mind - $26 [The flowering of amber blood and bone blooming into the Moon’s shimmering mugwort, creaking oaken boughs streaked with frankincense tar, and a trickle of benzoin to echo the cold silence before the end of time.]
A Savage Veil, Severe and Strong - $23 [Black plum, 7-year aged patchouli, nutmeg, and tobacco leaf.]
Pumpkinville - $25 [A sultry, sweet red musk blend with pumpkin spices and pumpkin pulp.]
Candy Apple Smut - $27 [Tangy and sweet.]
Nasty Woman* - $24 [Black fig and patchouli, filthy b0urb0n vanilla, honeyed amber oud, and loukhoum.]
Le Pater - $39 [Wild black plum and dried berries deepened by blackened vanilla husk, 3-year aged patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, Mysore sandalwood, and black leather.]

What is Chikara Houses World Map ?

Content Disclaimer: The following content has been generated by a combination of human and an AI language model. Content is images, text and video (if any). Please note that while we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, the content generated by the AI may not always reflect the most current news, events, or developments.

Concept

Chikara Houses features a unique world map in all its locations. This map is distinct because it doesn't display borders between countries. Instead, it's a topographic map that showcases names of mountains, rivers, oceans, seas, lakes, and famous valleys. Notably, there's no mention of cities on these maps.

Purpose

The map serves as a tool to promote cultural understanding and appreciation. Residents are encouraged to mark their origin on the map, adding their name, a smiley, and the date they moved in. This fosters a sense of global community and connection among residents.

Interactive Element

The map is interactive, with various colored pens available for residents to mark their origins. This not only allows residents to express themselves but also acts as a bonding tool between them and visitors.

Impact

The world map has been a hit among visitors, adding a touch of prestige to Chikara Houses. It represents a dream of a utopian world free from conflicts and symbolizes the poetic side of Chikara Houses. The map also serves as a reminder of the environmental factors that can influence human behavior, emphasizing the importance of creating a peaceful and conducive environment at home.

Cultural Enrichment

Chikara Houses has observed that such multicultural shared spaces have enriched human experiences. Residents realize they've been living in "cultural bubbles" and, through interactions and the map, they begin to dream bigger, looking beyond their immediate horizons.
In essence, the Chikara Houses World Map is more than just a decorative piece; it's a symbol of unity, understanding, and the aspiration for a world where cultural boundaries blur, and people connect on a deeper level.

Other Rules

Discover also about Chikara Houses:

9 Rules Rooms:

• Inspections, temporary guests
• Free Cooking, evasion through cooking
• Free Space/Sharing Philosophy
• Minimalistic Furniture
• No Friends in room
• World Map
• No Chemical against pest
• Be clean With Yourself
• No Shoes Rules Origins

5 Needs Rooms:

• Anti-pest needs
• Host needs
• Cleaning needs
• Internet needs
• Guests needs

What is Chikara Houses World Map ?

Hi,
I still have my blackberry 8520 in good condition but it doesn't boot, it stucks at logo with Africa, when i checked there was no sd card so probably it doesnt find os to boot. I want to get this phone back to life, Im guessing probably the current os doesnt support anything such as whatsapp, facebook, youtube or maybe not even search engines.
I am open to install the original rom and where do i find it because official website doesnt have it and also if there is no blackberry rom i am also okay to install any custom roms.
(I have 2gb, 4gb and 16gb sd cards that i can use for this phone)
Thank you, have a nice day. :)

Hello Reddit!
I thought this would be a good place document my journey on trying to make $10k a month online via different models and techniques I see online on YouTube to see if it is actually possible to make $10k a month online without working a 9-5.
It was the end of 2023 and like the age-old cliche, I was and currently am pretty tired of my 9-5. I work as a software engineer with a pretty decent salary for a London UK-based developer. At present, I make around $6100 a month but by no means is that passive. My Goal is to replace my income with the passive stream.Why you ask? Well, the simple answer is I want to be able to travel the world and eat all the yummy food wherever I want, whenever I want. Without having to worry about how many days of holiday I have left and how expensive it is.
Here is what I have been doing since the end of 2023 and the start of 2024

• AI Books & Amazon KDP
• YouTube Shorts
• Affiliate Marketing

But will focus on AI Books & Amazon KDP as that is what I have spent the most time on at the moment.
AI Books & Amazon KDP
I came across an interesting video on how you can use AI to generate and create books that can be sold on Amazon using KDP. At the same time, there was a trend on YouTube showing that you can sell journals and empty notebooks to make good money using KDP.
So I thought to myself why not give it a shot? So I created the following journal based on stoicism. Link here
I used Chat GPT 4 to generate the image and then I used Canva to create the interior. I use the video here to help me learn how to set up Amazon KDP and use Canva to create the book.
Again I used Chat GPT to write the description and select keywords that would be ideal to use in order to rank highly on Amazon
I thought it was pretty awesome that I was able to generate such a cool-looking design and have my first product listed on Amazon. I thought all the people into Stoicism would be snatching this off the (online metaphorical) shelves. Below are my sales to date.
​

Royalty Date	Title	ASIN/ISBN	Marketplace	Transaction Type	Units Sold	Royalty	Currency
2023-12	The Stoic Sentinel: Journal of Mindful Reflections	B0CNHM8HRX	Amazon.com.au	Standard - Paperback	1	9.31	AUD

That's correct, till today there was one copy sold in December in the wonderful down under of Australia 😅. But even though it was just one book and I only made around $4.41 I was super proud. I had officially made my first source of income online, despite being way way way where I wanted to be. It is a start
My Second Attempt
Despite my feeble first attempt, I was armed with the following knowledge.

1. How to create a cover Image using ChatGPT
2. How to use Canva to add the details of the book
3. How to setup and publish a book using Amazon KDP

So for my second attempt after being inspired by the video.
Since Ramanda was approaching I thought it would be an ideal time to create a coloring book around Ramadan and Eid. Also like in the video I decided to go for a Kawaii-themed coloring book.
I followed a similar process as before in terms of creating a Kawaii-based cover image, however this time I learned about a plugin in Chat GPT called Coloring Book Hero. This GPT(Generative Pre-trained Transformer) takes any idea you have and turns it into a coloring book page.
This was an amazing find thanks to the YouTube video. So here is what I did. I used the following prompt in Chat GPT, which I took from the video and modified it.

I'm working on a Ramadan-themed coloring book for kids. I need ideas for items to include. Please suggest 10 items in each of the following categories, keeping them minimal and cute in Kawaii style. Mosques: Simple yet adorable kids going to the mosque. Eating Sehari: Happy Kawaii kids waking up for Sehri and eating Praying Fajr: Happy Kawaii kids praying Fajr Preparing Ifatri: Playful Kawaii kids preparing food for iftar Reading Quran: Happy Kawaii kids reading Quran Giving to Charity: Happy Kawaii kids giving to charity 

And ChatGPT returned the following
Here are some ideas for items to include in a Ramadan-themed Kawaii-style coloring book for kids, keeping the designs simple and adorable:
Mosques:

1. A Kawaii mosque with a smiling crescent moon above.
2. Little Kawaii kids in colorful attire walking hand in hand to the mosque.
3. A Kawaii mosque with a large, welcoming door.
4. Small Kawaii kids taking off their shoes before entering the mosque.
5. Kawaii children with prayer rugs rolled under their arms.
6. A group of Kawaii kids with lanterns outside the mosque at night.
7. Kawaii mosques with different architectural styles (dome, minaret, etc.).
8. A Kawaii family driving to the mosque in a little car.
9. Little Kawaii kids washing hands and feet for wudu (ablution) at a cute fountain.
10. A Kawaii mosque surrounded by stars and a moonlit sky.

Eating Sehri:

1. Kawaii kids sitting around a table with a small spread for Sehri.
2. Sleepy Kawaii kids with bed hair, holding a glass of milk.
3. A Kawaii family preparing Sehri together in the kitchen.
4. Kawaii kids with bowls of oatmeal topped with smiling fruit faces.
5. A little Kawaii child trying to wake up with a cute alarm clock.
6. Kawaii kids making sandwiches with happy face expressions.
7. A Kawaii child pouring water into a glass, preparing for the fast.
8. A small Kawaii kid praying before starting Sehri.
9. Kawaii kids with a variety of simple Sehri food items like dates and yogurt.
10. A Kawaii sunrise scene through the window as kids eat Sehri.

Praying Fajr:

1. Kawaii kids standing in a row performing Fajr prayer.
2. A single Kawaii child performing the prayer with a peaceful expression.
3. Little Kawaii kids with prayer hats and scarves.
4. Kawaii kids reading from a prayer book.
5. A Kawaii family praying together, with a little one trying to follow along.
6. Kawaii kids making du'a with raised hands after Fajr.
7. A Kawaii child looking out the window at the rising sun after Fajr.
8. A Kawaii scene of birds flying in the sky as kids pray Fajr.
9. Little Kawaii kids putting away their prayer mats with a smile.
10. Kawaii kids greeting each other with "Salam" after the prayer.
11. Preparing Iftar:
12. Kawaii kids in the kitchen helping to make fruit salad.
13. Little Kawaii ones setting the table with mini plates and cups.
14. A Kawaii child filling a jug with juice for iftar.
15. Kawaii kids making small sandwiches with smiley faces.
16. Kawaii children rolling out dough for iftar pastries.
17. A Kawaii kid arranging dates on a plate.
18. Little Kawaii ones hanging decorative lanterns for iftar.
19. Kawaii kids with aprons on, stirring a pot with a wooden spoon.
20. A Kawaii family sharing a big pot of soup, ladling it into bowls.
21. A Kawaii table spread with various dishes, ready for iftar.

Reading Quran:

1. A Kawaii child with a small Quran in hand, reading with focus.
2. Kawaii kids sitting in a circle, reading Quran together.
3. A Kawaii kid with glasses, studying the Quran attentively.
4. Kawaii children learning to read the Quran with a teacher.
5. A Kawaii child reciting Quran with a microphone.
6. Little Kawaii ones using bookmarks to mark their place in the Quran.
7. A Kawaii child under a tree, reciting Quran peacefully.
8. Kawaii kids with a digital Quran tablet.
9. A group of Kawaii kids listening to a Quran recitation.
10. Kawaii kids practicing Quran verses with colorful flashcards.
11. Giving to Charity:
12. Kawaii kids placing coins in a charity box.
13. Little Kawaii ones packing food parcels with a smile.
14. A Kawaii child handing a loaf of bread to a needy person.
15. Kawaii kids making greeting cards for charity.
16. A small Kawaii kid donating their old toys with a happy heart.
17. Kawaii children planting trees as a form of charity.
18. A Kawaii kid giving a warm blanket to someone cold.
19. Little Kawaii ones washing cars to raise funds for charity.
20. Kawaii kids running a lemonade stand for a good cause.
21. A Kawaii child hugging a globe, symbolizing charity for the world.

And then I used the Coloring Hero GPT and started entering the prompts.
The results were great, although I did not use all the images generated or all the prompts I ended up with 25+ images to use.
Once I had the images I headed over to Canva to create the cover and interior. I used the kdp cover calculator to calculate the dimensions of the book. You can then download that template to create the cover design and the interior design with correct dimensions so that you don’t face any issues when publishing using Amazon KDP.
After I had everything ready, I downloaded everything and proceeded to upload everything to Amazon so that it could be available to buy on Amazon. Oh, I forgot to mention I created two coloring books. One for the world and American market where colour is spelled as color and one for the UK market where colour is spelled properly 🤭
Setting up Book in KDP
I added the title description, used Chat GPT to generate my keywords, selected the print option, uploaded my cover and manuscript(all the contents inside the book) set my price and I was good to go.
My second-ever book was finally available to purchase on Amazon buuuuuut wait 🛑. Before your book goes live Amazon has to review it to make sure there is no copyright, and it is appropriate yada yada yada. This process normally takes about 72 hours, however, due to some technical issues (I emailed amazon customer support and said bruh what’s with the hold up) it took 6 days for the review to be completed and I missed the opportunity to have my book available before the start of Ramadan. But nonetheless, we keep moving forward. Below is my listing and here is the link to see the live listing
Despite the delay, I was super proud of my work and listing and I thought my targetted niche would be snatching it off the digital shelves.Are you ready to see my results including the sales of the Stoic-themed journal? Drum roll please 🥁TUDDDAAAHHHH
0 I sold zero copies 😂
That’s right folks! I have sold nothing 😭. But it is okay I will explain down below ⬇️
Learnings: Despite falling short of my goals I managed to learn a lot of awesome things. Let’s go through them

1. How to write effective prompts to generate great book ideas using Chat GPT
2. Using Coloring Hero to create images for a coloring book
3. Amazon KDP cover calculator to get the correct size and template so you don’t have to spend hours trying to fix margin out-of-bounds errors on KDP
4. How to design a book or a journal in Canva
5. How to set and create a KDP account and publish your book
6. Importance of time frames. ie. if you want to release a book close to a special event. Try to get everything ready and in for review at least 7 days prior

Again although I made $0 I feel like I have learnt some valuable skills that will help me achieve my goal of making $10k a month and leave the 9 - 5 behind.
Let's keep pushing forward
Current Progress

passive Income: $0 a month 9-5 Income: $6100 a month 

Some things.

1. iPhones are a status symbol in China.
2. Waning demand is not because of competition or lack of interest. People are generally not feeling as wealthy as they had been previously. Once the iPhone 16 come out, a lot of the demand that had been lost will be recovered. The Chinese sentiment for iPhone is strong. For example, most teens in China want a new iPhone for Christmas, but they are settling for other phones for now because economy has been bad for them.
   
3. Waning demand worries since 2011
   
4. Investors have for 13 years said Apple has finally lost its "magic" and nobody wants them anymore. That is not true. Every year, there's a new investor that claims apple is finally going bust. But why is it always a new investor that claims this you say? Not sure. What happened to the guys who said $30 is too expensive? $40 is too expensive? $50? $60? $70? $80? Oh no - there is no way it's crossing $100, "look at China's waning demand!!!" It can't possibly cross the $150 mark! - what happened to all these guys? Did they get short squeezed? Not sure. I expect them to be too embarassed to ever speak again on matters of Apple.
   
5. India as a new market in the next 3 years
   
6. India is growing at a whopping pace. So far, the general public cannot afford iPhones as easily as those in China. If India's economy grows as expected, there will practically be "2 Chinas" in terms of cell phone demand. About a quarter to a half of that cellphone demand will be iPhones.
   
7. DOJ Lawsuit
   
8. Legal payouts are nothing for the company's net profits. Several billions of dollars will be like a penny taken from a person's bank account. What investors should be worried about are injunctions, where courts legally stop Apple from forcing apps like Spotify to receive money through their App stores. This would be bad, since a lot of Apple's revenues are expected to come from commissions of those in-app purchases. The penalty damages though? Unless it's half a trillion dollars, some ridiculous amount that is more than 100s of billions, it won't really hurt Apple, especially not in the long run.
   
9. Apple Cars Scrapped
   
10. If it succeeded, it would have easily pushed the stock to above 200. However, a missed opportunity does not mean the stock itself is doomed. It's like you get into Harvard, that's great. If you don't get into Harvard, nothing really "bad" happens. There's still other Ivys, Stanford, MIT etc.
    

Also, just because it scrapped the project does not mean it's a useless endeavor. A lot of copyrighted tech and patents would have come from developing the apple cars. Just because we don't see the cars doesn't mean that R&D efforts are gone. Maybe we'll see better driving support apps and Siri support while driving. Or, maybe, we'll see more patents sold to car companies like Tesla or BYD.

1. Apple will someday fail like Nokia
2. Very truly unlikely. Nokia has never been a high tech company. They have never been a status symbol. Rather, their selling points were cheap yet sturdy phones. Apple iPhones, on the other hand, along with Samsung Galaxies, are the Kings and Queens of the market with ultimate high tech where both could theoretically take a break for 2yrs+ and still other phone companies would not have caught up.

Also, on top of Apple's tech, the company has settled as a status symbol. Just like a luxury good, you can't get rid of the affordable prestige that apple products give. You can't replicate it. Compare this to Motorola or Blackberries. Motorola had great design features but no tech, Blackberries had security and a symbol of business, yet they were not appealing. Apple has all of those - appealing design, high tech, services.

1. AI Weakness
2. Among the Fantastic 7 stocks, Apple is a bit behind. However, this is not an issue. Apple always has opportunities to purchase high tech midsized firms for cheap. In the worst case scenario, Apple can license such AI tech from competitors such as Google while earning time to catchup with their own proprietary tech.
   
3. Interest rates of the Fed
   
4. This is a true short term risk. If the Fed does not lower the interest rate at least twice during the year, iPhone sales will not skyrocket. However, if interest rate is lowered at least 2 times in 2024, iPhone sales across the world will skyrocket since the effect of Fed interest rates will increase liquidity to an astonishing amount, making all those who were saving up and hoping for an iPhone monetarily empowered to buy the iPhones.
   

Conclusion) If Fed lowers the interest rate at least two times by end of the year, China's increased demand for iPhones will dwarf the worries of waning demand. Also, iPhone sales across the globe will increase so much that Apple's stock will easily cross the $200 mark. Everything else is noise and comments made by "General" "Jack of all trades" stock investors who don't understand Apple as a company and its trademark.
Worst case scenario 1) Less than 2 interest rate drops 2) DOJ injunction on in-app purchases mandate 3) Trump election -> Trump's America First can bankrupt Apple if he goes too far. Apple phones are produced at $9/phone and is sold for $999. Even though that looks like a lot, the profit after paying for US workers and operation is only 25%.
Producing all iPhones in the US will easily increase cost per production to $100/phone. This can lower profit margins to lower than 15%.
This is an extreme scenario that is unlikely to occur even if Trump were to be elected.
Any of these worst case scenarios can lower the stock to below $150.