Nicknames for a cousin

Significant Other drama and rants

2015.07.22 00:10 apotero Significant Other drama and rants

A place to post about your SO who is just the *worst*. Come for support, come for advice, or just to vent and get it all out. That's what we're here for.
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2013.11.09 22:12 OppaWumboStyle A place for all your great nicknames!

Pokenames is a place for all your fun, creative, or genius nicknames that you came up with for your pokemon. Pictures of your favorite nicknames, ideas for nicknames, and questions about what to name your Pokemon are all welcome here.
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2014.03.12 12:36 CrayonsForBrains Corrupting children's coloring books.

Get some crayons and a coloring book to turn adorable pictures into twisted and or hilarious corruptions of their former selves.
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2024.05.16 05:09 OrangeCatsRule13 Crazy bridezilla story for everyone who like the tea ☕️

All names have been changed to protect everyone’s info. When this happened I was 21.
Long one so buckle up! So I (21f at the time) met this girl we’ll call Amy. I met Amy volunteering at a library where she just ordered people on what to do, despite only being a volunteer herself, not a librarian. Anyway… only after 7 months of knowing her she dates this guy, (we’ll call him Ben) and gets engaged within two months because she was pregnant. I kid you not, she married this guy 3 months after meeting him. I thought that was a questionable choice, but was not confrontational.
When my then fiancé and I went on a double date with Amy and Ben, Ben was nice. My fiancé loved hanging out with him due to similarities in hobbies. After dinner in bed, my fiancé is on his computer and trying to add Ben on Facebook. After searching his name up and trying nicknames and full names, we find a FRICKIN ARTICLE about how this dude slly a*ted women. I was shocked and sent the link to my Amy, worried for her. She replies with “Don’t worry, I know! He’s a changed man!! I can’t have my baby with no daddy!” Literally that, with some other stuff. Keep in mind he was only charged 2 years ago with barely any punishment. (It didn’t say exactly on the article) I, decided to leave it at that but told Amy that if she needs me, she can text or call anytime and I can help.
Fast forward to when Amy becomes a bridezilla…
Amy asks me to be her MOH! Not a BM, (not baby mamas auntie charlotte 🤭) a MOH!! And my fiancé was asked to be a best man. I accepted because Amy and I were pretty close. As soon as I accept, Amy clicks a switch. She informed me as a MOH I should be paying for the catering, BM dresses, and HER dress. As well as the Air BNB for a resort area in Hawaii! I told her that I would be willing to pay for catering and the BM dress, as well as mine (my fiancé and I were pretty well off, he said it would fine to do so.) just the total of those things would have been almost 3,000 dollars. (1,500 for dresses and 1,500 for food) she tells me that she needs help because she’s pregnant and can’t work. Amy was 2 months pregnant and worked part time at a desk. I tell her I’m sorry, but 10k quite a bit. She huffs and puffs but gets over it.
ONE DAY before the wedding we are rehearsing. It’s going well, until Amy tells me I need to change the menu for food and the BM dresses. I was shocked and asked why to which she said the menu we had now was not trendy enough and she liked a new color for the dresses. I inform her that I can’t make that happen with adjustments with the dresses and we already had the food in a freezer. Amy gets LIVID. Saying how she’s done soo much for me by being my friend and she can’t afford to change the menu. Like okay then don’t do it girl. Her fiancé took her home. I got a text from her saying how she sooo pregnant (as in 2-3 months) and she just gets cranky sometimes. More like delusional (not even delulu).
Day of the wedding comes and I see the cream white BM dresses an olive/baby poop green.I was shocked and asked Amy what happened. She said she dyed them the color she wanted them! I was surprised but didn’t bother her about it because it was her wedding. 20 minutes later, she asks if I can do her and her BMs makeup. I asked where the makeup artist was and she said she cancelled them to save herself some money. I told her I don’t do very good make up and I only do simple make up and she’s like oh OK sure do it good though. So I do 5 full faces of makeup including mine. By the time that’s done I’m exhausted mentally and we have 2 hours until the ceremony. I go to find Amy’s dress and can’t so I ask her where it is. This MF tells me I was to buy it!! I tell her I bought mine and the BMs dresses. Amy starts freaking out and lashing out on me. I tell her to calm down and I can get a white party dress if mine (looks like it could be for a wedding) and it will still look great in her. She goes “Ooh nice I don’t have to charge anyone for me renting a dress” and I’m like gurl.
Ceremony comes without too much trouble… until.
I have this teenage cousin (15-16f) of Amy who tells me Ben has been trying to get him and her alone. This poor girl we’ll call Carla was having a panic attack so my fiancé (he’s a psychologist) calms her down quickly and has her explain the situation to Amy hoping Amy will know what to do. What does Amy decide to do? To tell Carla she is a liar and Ben is too perfect to want a DISGUSTING LITTLE GIRL LIKE HER. This is when I had enough and tell Amy that that was horrible of her and I will be leaving with Carla and her accompanying people. Amy scoffs at me and just goes back to the crowd to look like the perfect wife and person in front of everyone.
I eventually was able to completely cut off ties with Amy and her family. Ben is now in jail or was and Amy now has a drug addiction (probably from the help of Ben) with her parents raising her kid to keep him safe.
That is my tea. (Sorry it’s so long and if there are spelling mistakes)
submitted by OrangeCatsRule13 to CharlotteDobreYouTube [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 19:20 Truthsurge_24 Could George owell have been a shill ?

Could George owell have been a shill ?
https://preview.redd.it/fp6xlfibjm0d1.jpg?width=468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e291f5665c1823b16b7816cb59298a6b84938524
Orwell, whos actual name was Eric Blair, is most famous for his book "1984" which was released in 1949, but what about his life before this ?
In Orwell's younger years he was a student of Aldous Huxley, author of the dystopian novel Brave New World, which mirrors Orwells depictions in the aforementioned 1984. Aldous Huxley was a member of the Huxley family, who had strong ties with the Elite. Aldous himself was friends with a man named jiddu Krishnamurati, who was groomed by the theosophical society to become a "world teacher" before he gave up the role, he was brother to Julian Huxley, who was head of the racial cleansing program "eugenics" and high up in the United Nations and was even the grandson of the Famous Freemason Thomas Huxley, who had the nickname of "Charles Darwin's Bulldog"
Orwell's connection to the huxley family doesn't end with being taught by a family member and mirroring their literary works.
George Orwell also worked in the BBC, (the Elites biggest propaganda pushing machine in the uk) between the years 1941-43 with none other than Aldous Huxley's cousin, Peter Eckersley. And what was Orwell's job during that time ?.. literal propaganda.
George Orwell was working on literal propaganda for the BBC 6 years before 1984 was released, not only that, but his first wife, Eileen, worked for the Government in the Ministry of Information, again, on propaganda.
Could it be that George Orwell was a shill ?
submitted by Truthsurge_24 to conspiracy_commons [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 04:19 SothoryosFan lomas "Big Lom" Hardy - But a humble crab man he is

Reddit: u/SothoryrosFan
Discord: NorvosFan(Cuuner)
Name: Lomas "Big Lom" Hardy
Age: 46
CG: Firstmen
Appearance: Age has been kind to Lomas, refining the sharpness of his jaw, and strengthening his cheekbones. His hair is a comforting shade of brown and his eyes are a soft green, not unlike fresh grass. Years of working the fish trade and handling heavy weapons have left Lomas incredibly broad in stark contrast to his otherwise small stature.
Trait: Strong
Skill(s): Two-handed(E), Firstman warrior(E), Reckless
Talents: catching crab, cooking crab, eating crab
NT: N/A
Start Title: Lord of Strongbox
Start local: The Event
TIMELINE
FAMILY TREE
Da fam
NPCS
Maester Megellen (Medic) - An old man who has had too many conversations about crab related topics over the years
(This is the only NPC I want)
submitted by SothoryosFan to ITRPCommunity [link] [comments]

2024.05.15 00:46 BrooklynNotNY The etymology of a nickname.

I figured this might fit here.
I just found out that my boyfriend’s family nickname is Junebug which is a nickname I’ve heard about so that’s not that unusual. The history is the fun part. So the name is because he was born in June(1995) and apparently he is the first person on his mom’s side of the family to have been born in June since like the early 1910s. Why they were even keeping track of this? Who knows but it was a big deal when my boyfriend was born. There was a big party and everything. What’s funny is that he wasn’t even due for another 4 weeks. There are several family members who came close and were born on the last day of May and first day of July though. And there has yet to be another baby born in June on my boyfriend’s mom’s side of the family since he was born either.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see if him, his younger siblings, or cousins will break the seal again when/if they have children.
submitted by BrooklynNotNY to namenerds [link] [comments]

2024.05.14 18:08 Mophandel Archaeotherium, the King of the White River Badlands

Archaeotherium, the King of the White River Badlands
Art by Bob Nicholls
Nowadays, when we envision the words “prey,” among modern mammalian fauna, few taxa come to mind as quickly as the hoofed mammals, better known as the ungulates. Indeed, for the better part of their entire evolutionary history, the ungulates have become entirely indistinguishable from the term “prey.” Across their two major modern branches, the artiodactyls (the “even-toed ungulates,” such as bovids, pigs, deer, hippos and giraffes) and the perissodactyls (the “odd-toed ungulates,” including horses, rhinos and tapir), the ungulates too have created an empire spanning nearly every continent, establishing themselves as the the dominant herbivores throughout their entire range. However, as a price for such success, their lot as herbivores have forced them into an unenviable position: being the food for the predators. Indeed, throughout the diets of most modern predators, ungulates make up the majority, if not the entirety, of their diet, becoming their counterparts in this evolutionary dance of theirs. They have become the lamb to their wolf, the zebra to their lion, the stag to their tiger. If there is a predator in need of lunch, chances are that there is an ungulate there to provide it. Of course, such a dynamic is not necessarily a recent innovation. For the last 15-20 million years, across much of the world, both new and old, the ungulates have served as prey for these predators through it all. Over the course of whole epochs, these two groups have played into these roles for millions of years, coevolving with each other in an eons-long game of cat-and-mouse. The shoes they fill are not new, but have existed for ages, and within their niches they have cultivated their roles to perfection. Indeed, with such a tenured history, it seems hardly surprising the ungulates are wholly inseparable from the terms “prey,” itself.
However, while this is the case now, as it has been for the last 15-20 million years, go back far enough, and we see that this dynamic is not as set in stone as we would think. Indeed, back during the Eocene and Oligocene, during the very earliest days of age of mammals, things were very different for the ungulates. While today they are considered little more than food for modern predators, during these olden days, the ungulates weren’t quite so benign. In fact, far from being fodder for top predators, the ungulates had turned the tables, instead becoming top predators themselves. Indeed, though nearly unheard of today, throughout much of the Eocene and Oligocene, carnivorous ungulates thrived in abundance, developing specializations for catching large prey and establishing themselves as top predators that competed alongside the more traditional carnivores, and even dominating them in some instances. Given such success, it’s no wonder that multiple such clades had arisen during this time. Such predators included the arctocyonids, a lineage of (ironically) hoof-less ungulates with large jaws and sharp teeth for capturing large prey. There were also the mesonychians, a lineage of dog-like ungulates with massive skulls and jaws that allowed them to reign as the top predator across much of the Eocene.
However, among these various lineages, one stands stands out among the rest, by far. Arising during the Eocene, this lineage, though superficially resembling modern pigs, hailed from one an ancient lineage of artiodactyls far removed from swine or most other ungulates in general, with few close relatives alive today. Through perhaps not the most predatory of the bunch, it was among the most formidable, as their superficially pig-like appearance came with giant predatory jaws and teeth unlike anything from the modern era. And of course, as if all of that wasn’t enough, this lineage also went on to earn arguably one of the most badass nicknames of any lineage of mammals, period. These predators, of course, were the entelodonts, a.k.a the “hell-pigs.” More so than any other predatory ungulate lineage, these formidable ungulates were the ones to turn the current paradigm upside down, becoming some of the largest and most dominant carnivores in their landscape, even with (and often in spite of) the presence of more traditional predators. Through impressive size, fearsome teeth and sheer tenacity, these animals became the top dogs of their time, ruling as behemoth-kings of their Paleogene kingdoms, domineering all comers, and throughout the ranks, one entelodont in particular demonstrated such dominance the best. Though not the largest or most powerful of their kind, it is one of the most iconic, being among the most well-known members of its lineage to date. Moreover, this enteledont also has some of the most complete life histories ever seen out of this clade, with its brutality and predatory prowess being displayed in the fossil record in a way seen in no other member of its kind. More than anything else, however, it was this predator that best turned the notion of “ungulates being prey” on its head, living in an environment that bore some of the largest carnivoran hypercarnivores to date and still reigning as the undisputed top predator of its domain. This fearsome beast was none other than Archaeotherium, icon of the entelodonts, terror of the Oligocene American west and undisputed king of the White River badlands.
The rise of Archaeotherium (and of entelodonts in general) is closely tied to the ascendancy of carnivorous ungulates as a whole, one of the earliest evolutionary success stories of the entire Cenozoic. Having become their own derived clade since the late Cretaceous, the ungulates were remarkably successful during the early Paleogene, as they were among the first mammalian clades to reach large sizes during those early days after the non-avian dinosaurs had gone extinct. As such, it was with incredible swiftness that, as the Paleogene progressed, the ungulates swooped upon the various niches left empty by the K-Pg mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs. This of course included the herbivorous niches we would know them for today, but this also included other, much more carnivore roles. Indeed, early on during the Paleogene, it was the ungulates that first seized the roles of large mammalian predators, becoming some the earliest large mammalian carnivores to ever live, well before even the carnivorans. Such predators included the arctocyonids, a lineage of vaguely dog-like, hoof-less ungulates with robust jaws and sharpened teeth that acted as some of earliest large carnivores of the Paleocene, with genera such as Arctocyon mumak getting up to the size of big cats. Even more prolific were the mesonychids. More so than what pretty much any other lineage of predator, it was the mesonychids that would stand out as the earliest dominant predators of the early Cenozoic. Growing up to the size of bears and with enormous, bone-crushing jaws, the mesonychids were among the most powerful and successful predators on the market at that time, with a near-global range and being capable of subjugating just about any other predator in their environments. Indeed, they, along with other carnivorous ungulates (as well as ungulates in general), were experiencing a golden age during this time, easily being the most prolific predators of the age. Given such prevalence, it should be no surprise that there would be yet another lineage of predatory ungulates would throw their hat into the ring, and by early Eocene, that contender would none other than the entelodonts.
The very first entelodonts had arisen from artiodactyl ancestors during the Eocene epoch, at a time when artiodactyls were far more diverse and bizarre than they are now. Through today known from their modern herbivorous representatives such as bovines, deer, and antelope, during the Paleocene and Eocene, the artiodacyls, as with most ungulates of that time, were stronger and far more predaceous, particularly when it came to one such clade of artiodactyls, the cetacodontamorphs. Only known today from hippos and another group of artiodactyls (one which will become relevant later), the cetacodantomorphs emerged out of Asia around 55 million years ago, at around the same time that artiodactyls themselves had made their debut. These animals included the first truly predatory artiodactyls, with many of them possessing large skulls with powerful jaws and sharp, predatory teeth. Among their ranks included animals as puny as Indohyus, a piscivorous artiodactyl the size of a cat, to as formidable as Andrewsarchus, a giant, bison-sized predator often touted as one of the largest predatory mammals to ever live. Given such a predatory disposition, it wouldn’t be long until this clade produced a lineage of truly diverse, truly successful predators, and by around 40 million years ago, that is exactly what they did, as it was at that time that the entelodonts themselves first emerged. From their Asian homeland, the entelodonts spread across the world, spreading through not only most of Eurasia but also colonizing North America as well, with genera such as Brachyhyops being found across both continents. Here, in this North American frontier, the entelodonts began to diversify further, turning into their most successful and formidable forms yet, and it was around the late Eocene and early Oligocene that Archaeotherium itself had entered the scene.
Just from a passing glance at Archaeotherium, it is clear how exactly it (as well as the other entelodonts) earned the nickname of “hell-pigs.” It was a bruiser for starters; its body bore a robust, pig-like physique, with prominent neural spines and their associated musculature forming a hump around the shoulder region, similar to the hump of a bison. With such a bulky physique came with it impressive size; the average A. mortoni had a head-body length of roughly 1.6-2.0 m (5.3-6.6 ft), a shoulder height of 1.2 m (4 ft) and a body mass of around 180 kg (396 lb) in weight (Boardman & Secord, 2013; Joeckel, 1990). At such sizes, an adult Archaeotherium the size of a large male black bear. However, they had the potential to get even bigger. While most Archaeotherium specimens were around the size described above, a select few specimens, labeled under the synonymous genus “Megachoerus,” are found to be much larger, with skulls getting up to 66% longer than average A. mortoni specimens (Foss, 2001; Joeckel, 1990). At such sizes and using isometric scaling, such massive Archaeotherium specimens would attained body lengths over 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and would have reached weighs well over 500 kg (1100 lb), or as big as a mature male polar bear. Indeed, at such sizes, it is already abundantly evident that Archaeotherium is a force to be recorded with.
However, there was more to these formidable animals than sheer size alone. Behind all that bulk was an astoundingly swift and graceful predator, especially in terms of locomotion. Indeed, the hoofed feet of Archaeotherium, along with other entelodonts, sported several adaptations that gave it incredible locomotive efficiency, essentially turning it into a speed demon of the badlands. Such adaptations include longer distal leg elements (e.g. the radius and tibia) than their proximal counterparts (e.g. the humerus and femur), fusion of the radius and ulna for increased running efficiency, the loss of the clavicle (collar-bone) to allow for greater leg length, the loss of the acromion to enhance leg movement along the fore-and-aft plane, the loss of digits to reduce the mass of the forelimb, the fusion of the ectocuneiform and the mesocuneiform wrist-bones, among many other such traits (Theodore, 1996) . Perhaps most significant of these adaptations is the evolution of the “double-pulley astragalus (ankle-bone),” a specialized modification of the ankle that, while restricting rotation and side-to-side movement at the ankle-joint, allows for greater rotation in the fore-and-aft direction, thus allowing for more more powerful propulsion from the limbs, faster extension and retraction of the limbs and overall greater locomotive efficiency (Foss, 2001). Of course, such a trait was not only found in entelodonts but in artiodactyls as a whole, likely being a response to predatory pressures from incumbent predatory clades arising at the same time as the artiodactyls (Foss, 2001). However, in the case of the entelodonts, such adaptations were not used for merely escaping predators. Rather, they were used to for another, much more lethal effect…
Such notions are further reinforced by the entelodonts most formidable aspect, none either than their fearsome jaws, and in this respect, Archaeotherium excelled. Both for its size and in general, the head of Archaeotherium was massive, measuring 40-50 cm (1.3-1.6 ft) in length among average A. mortoni specimens, to up to 78 cm (~2.6 ft) in the larger “Megachoerus” specimens (Joeckel, 1990). Such massive skulls were supported and supplemented by equally massive neck muscles and ligaments, which attached to massive neural spines on the anterior thoracic vertebrae akin to a bisons hump as well as to the sternum, allowing Archaeotherium to keep its head aloft despite the skulls massive size (Effinger, 1998). Of course, with such a massive skull, it should come as no surprise that such skulls housed exceptionally formidable jaws as well, and indeed, the bite of Archaeotherium was an especially deadly one. Its zygomatic arches (cheek-bones) and its temporal fossa were enlarged and expanded, indicative of massive temporalis muscles that afforded Archaeotherium astoundingly powerful bites (Joeckel, 1990). This is further augmented by Archaeotherium’s massive jugal flanges (bony projections of the cheek), which supported powerful masseter muscles which enhanced chewing and mastication, as well as an enlarged postorbital bar that reinforced the skull against torsional stresses (Foss, 2001). Last but not least, powerful jaws are supplemented by an enlarged gape, facilitated by a low coronoid process and enlarged posterior mandibular tubercles (bony projections originating from the lower jaw), which provided an insertion site for sternum-to-mandible jaw abduction muscles, allowing for a more forceful opening of the jaw (Foss, 2001). All together, such traits suggest a massive and incredibly fearsome bite, perhaps the most formidable of any animal in its environment.
Of course, none of such traits are especially indicative of a predatory lifestyle. Indeed, many modern non-predatory ungulates, like hippos, pigs and peccaries, also possess large, formidable skulls and jaws. However, in peeling back the layers, it is found there was more to the skull of Archaeotherium that lies in store. Indeed, when inspecting the animal closely, a unique mosaic of features is revealed; traits that make it out to be much more lethal than the average artiodactyl. On one hand, Archaeotherium possessed many traits similar to those of herbivores animals, as is expected of ungulates. For instance, its jaw musculature that allowed the lower jaw of Archaeotherium a full side-to-side chewing motion as in herbivores (whereas most carnivores can only move their lower jaw up and down)(Effinger, 1998). On the other hand, Archaeotherium wielded many other traits far more lethal in their morphology, less akin to a herbivore and far more akin to a bonafide predator. For instance, the aforementioned enlarged gape of Archaeotherium is a bizarre trait on a supposed herbivore, as such animals do not need large gapes to eat vegetation and thus have smaller, more restricted gapes. Conversely, many predatory lineages have comparatively large gapes, as larger gapes allow for the the jaws to grab on to more effectively larger objects, namely large prey animals (Joeckel, 1990).
Such a juxtaposition, however, is most evident when discussing the real killing instruments of Archaeotherium — the teeth. More so than any facet of this animal, the teeth of Archaeotherium are the real stars of the show, showing both how alike it was compared to its herbivores counterparts and more importantly, how it couldn’t be more different. For instance, the molars of Archaeotherium were quite similar to modern herbivores ungulates, in that they were robust, bunodont, and were designed for crushing and grinding, similar in form and function to modern ungulates like peccaries (Joeckel, 1990). However, while the molars give the impression that Archaeotherium was a herbivore, the other teeth tell a very different story. The incisors, for example, were enlarged, sharpened, and fully interlocked (as opposed to the flat-topped incisors seen in herbivores ungulates), creating an incisor array that was seemingly ill-suited for cropping vegetation and much more adept at for gripping, puncturing and cutting (Joeckel, 1990). Even more formidable were the canines. Like the modern pigs from which entelodonts derived their nicknames, the canines of Archaeotherium were sharp and enlarged to form prominent tusk-like teeth, but unlike pigs, they were rounded in cross-section (similar to modern carnivores like big cats, indicating more durable canines that can absorb and resist torsional forces, such as those from struggling prey) and were serrated to form a distinct cutting edge (Effinger, 1998; Joeckel, 1990; Ruff & Van Valkenburgh, 1987). These canines, along with the incisors, interlock to stabilize the jaws while biting and dismantling in a carnivore-like fashion. More strikingly, the canines also seem to act as “occlusal guides,” wherein the canines help align the movement and position of the rear teeth as they come together, allowing for a more efficient shearing action by the rear teeth. This function is seen most prevalently modern carnivorous mammals, and is evidenced by the canine tooth-wear, which is also analogous to modern predators like bears and canids (Joeckel, 1990). Indeed, going off such teeth alone, it is clear that Archaeotherium is far more predatory than expected of an ungulate. However, the real stars of the show, the teeth that truly betray the predatory nature of these ungulates, are the premolars. Perhaps the most carnivore-like teeth in the entelodont’s entire tooth row, the premolars of Archaeotherium, particularly the anterior premolars, are laterally compressed, somewhat conical in shape, and are weakly serrated to bear a cutting edge, giving them a somewhat carnivorous form and function of shearing and slicing (Effinger, 1998). Most strikingly of all, the premolars of Archaeotherium bear unique features similar not to modern herbivores, but to durophagous carnivores like hyenas, particularly apical wear patterns, highly thickened enamel, “zigzag-shaped” enamel prism layers (Hunter-Schraeger bands) on the premolars which is also seen in osteophagous animals like hyenas, and an interlocking premolar interface wherein linear objects (such as bones) inserted into jaws from the side would be pinned between the premolars and crushed (Foss, 2001). Taken together, these features do not suggest a diet of grass or vegetation like other ungulates. Rather, they suggest a far more violent diet, one including flesh as well as hard, durable foods, particularly bone. All in all, the evidence is clear. Archaeotherium and other entelodonts, unlike the rest of their artiodactyl kin, were not the passive herbivores as we envision ungulates today. Rather, they were willing, unrepentant meat-eaters that had a taste for flesh as well as foliage.
Of course, even with such lines of evidence, its hard to conclude that Archaeotherium was a true predator. After all, its wide gape and durophagous teeth could have just as easily been used for scavenging or even to eat tough plant matter such as seeds or nuts, as in peccaries and pigs, which themselves share many of the same adaptations as Archaeotherium, include the more carnivorous ones (e.g. the wide gape, using the canines as an occlusal guide, etc.). How exactly do we know that these things were veritable predators and not pretenders to the title. To this end, there is yet one last piece of evidence, one that puts on full display the predatory prowess of Archaeotherium —evidence of a kill itself. Found within oligocene-aged sediment in what is now Wyoming, a collection of various fossil remains was found, each belonging to the ancient sheep-sized camel Poebrotherium, with many of the skeletal remains being disarticulated and even missing whole hindlimbs or even entire rear halves of their body. Tellingly, many of the remains bear extensive bite marks and puncture wounds across their surface. Upon close examination, the spacing and size of the punctures leave only one culprit: Archaeotherium. Of course, such an event could still have been scavenging; the entelodonts were consuming the remains of already dead, decomposed camels, explaining the bite marks. What was far more telling, however, was where the bite marks were found. In addition bite marks being found on the torso and lumbar regions of the camels, various puncture wounds were found on the skull and neck, which were otherwise uneaten. Scavengers rarely feast on the head to begin with; there is very little worthwhile meat on it besides the brain, cheek-muscles and eyes, and even if they did feed on the skull and neck, they would still eat it wholesale, not merely bite it and then leave it otherwise untouched. Indeed, it was clear that this was no mere scavenging event. Rather than merely consuming these camels, Archaeotherium was actively preying upon and killing them, dispatching them via a crushing bite to the skull or neck before dismembering and even bisecting the hapless camels with their powerful jaws to preferentially feast on their hindquarters (likely by swallowing the hindquarters whole, as the pelvis of Poebrotherium was coincidentally the perfect width for Archaeotherium to devour whole), eventually discarding the leftovers in meat caches for later consumption (Sundell, 1999). With this finding, such a feat of brutality leaves no doubt in ones mind as to what the true nature of Archaeotherium was. This was no herbivore, nor was it a simple scavenger. This was an active, rapacious predator, the most powerful in its entire ecosystem.
Indeed, with such brutal evidence of predation frozen in time, combined with various dental, cranial, and post cranial adaptations of this formidable animal, it’s possible to paint a picture of how this formidable creature lived. Though an omnivore by trade, willing and able to feast on plant matter such as grass, roots and tubers, Archaeotherium was also a wanton predator that took just about any prey it wanted. Upon detecting its prey, it approached its vicim from ambush before launching itself at blazing speed. From there, its cursorial, hoofed legs, used by other ungulates for escape predation, were here employed to capture prey, carrying it at great speeds as it caught up to its quarry. Having closed the distance with its target, it was then that the entelodont brought its jaws to bear, grabbing hold of the victim with powerful jaws and gripping teeth to bring it to a screeching halt. If the victim is lucky, Archaeotherium will then kill it quickly with a crushing bite to the skull or neck, puncturing the brain or spinal cord and killing its target instantly. If not, the victim is eaten alive, torn apart while it’s still kicking, as modern boars will do today. In any case, incapacitated prey are subsequently dismantled, with the entelodont using its entire head and heavily-muscled necks to bite into and pull apart its victim in devastating “puncture-and pull’ bites (Foss, 2001). Prey would then finally be consumed starting at the hindquarters, with not even the bones of its prey being spared. Such brutality, though far from clean, drove home a singular truth: that during this time, ungulates were not just prey, that they were not the mere “predator-fodder” we know them as today. rather, they themselves were the predators themselves, dominating as superb hunters within their domain and even suppressing clades we know as predators today, least of all the carnivorans. Indeed, during this point in time, the age of the carnivorous ungulates had hit their stride, and more specifically, the age of entelodonts had begun.
Of course, more so than any other entelodont, Archaeotherium took to this new age with gusto. Archaeotherium lived from 35-28 million years ago during the late Eocene and early Oligocene in a locality known today as the White River Badlands, a fossil locality nestled along the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Though a chalky, barren landscape today, during the time of Archaeotherium, the White River Badlands was a swamp-like floodplain crisscrossed with rivers and interspersed with by a mosaic of forests concentrated around waterways, open woodlands and open plains. As with most ecosystems with such a lush disposition, this locale teemed with life, with ancient hornless rhinos, small horse-like hyracodonts and early camels roaming the open habitats while giant brontotheres, small early horses and strange, sheep-like ungulates called merycoidodonts (also known as “oreodonts”) dwelled within the dense forests. Within this locale, Archaeotherium stalked the open woodlands and riparian forests of its domain. Here, it acted as a dominant predator and scavenger across is territory, filling a niche similar to modern grizzly bears but far more predatory. Among its preferred food items would be plant matter such as roots, foliage and nuts, but also meat in the form of carrion or freshly caught prey. In this respect, smaller ungulates such as the fleet-footed camel Poebrotherium, a known prey item of Archaeotherium, would have made a for choice prey, as its small size would make it easy for Archaeotherium to dispatch with its powerful jaws, while the entelodonts swift legs gave it the speed necessary to keep pace with its agile prey.
However, the entelodont didn’t have such a feast all to itself. Just as the badlands teemed with herbivores, so too did it teem with rival predators. Among their ranks included fearsome predators such as Hyaenodon, a powerful, vaguely dog-like predator up to the size of wolves (as in H. horridus) or even lions (as in the Eocene-aged H. megaloides, which was replaced by H. horridus during the Oligocene). Armed with a massive head, fierce jaws and a set of knife-like teeth that could cut down even large prey in seconds, these were some of the most formidable predators on the landscape. There were also the nimravids, cat-like carnivorans that bore saber-teeth to kill large prey in seconds, and included the likes of the lynx-sized Dinictis, the leopard-sized Hoplophoneus and even the jaguar-sized Eusmilus. Furthermore, there were amphicyonids, better known as the bear-dogs. Though known from much larger forms later on in their existence, during the late Eocene and Oligocene, they were much smaller and acted as the “canid-analogues” of the ecosystem, filling a role similar to wolves or coyotes. Last but not least, there were the bathornithid birds, huge cariamiform birds related to modern seriemas but much larger, which filled a niche similar to modern seriemas or secretary birds, albeit on a much larger scale. Given such competition, it would seem that Archaeotherium would have its hands full. However, things are not as they appear. For starters, habitat differences would mitigate high amounts of competition, as both Hyaenodon and the various nimravids occupy more specialized ecological roles (being a plains-specialist and forest-specialist, respectively) than did Archaeotherium, providing a buffer to stave off competition: More importantly, however, none of the aforementioned predators were simply big enough to take Archaeotherium on. During the roughly 7 million years existence of Archaeotherium, the only carnivore that matched it in size was H. megaloides, and even that would have an only applied to average A. mortoni individuals, not to the much larger, bison-sized “Megachoerus” individuals. The next largest predator at that point would be the jaguars-sized Eusmilus (specifically E. adelos) which would have only been a bit more than half the size of even an average A. mortoni. Besides that, virtually every other predator on the landscape was simply outclassed by the much larger entelodont in terms of size and brute strength. As such, within its domain, Archaeotherium had total, unquestioned authority, dominating the other predators in the landscape and likely stealing their kills as well. In fact, just about the only threat Archaeotherium had was other Archaeotherium, as fossil bite marks suggest that this animal regularly and fraglantly engaged in intraspecific combat, usually through face-biting and possibly even jaw-wrestling (Effinger, 1998; Tanke & Currie, 1998). Nevertheless, it was clear that Archaeotherium was the undisputed king of the badlands; in a landscape of hyaenodonts and carnivorans galore, it was a hoofed ungulate that reigned supreme.
However, such a reign would not last. As the Eocene transitioned into the Eocene, the planet underwent an abrupt cooling and drying phase known as Eocene-Oligocene Transition or more simply the Grande Coupure. This change in climate would eliminate the sprawling wetlands and river systems that Archaeotherium had been depending on, gradually replacing it with drier and more open habitats. To its credit, Archaeotherium did manage to hang on, persisting well after the Grand-Coupure had taken place, but in the end the damage had been done; Archaeotherium was a dead-man-walking. Eventually, by around 28 million years ago, Archaeotherium would go extinct, perishing due to this change in global climate (Gillham, 2019). Entelodonts as a whole would persist into the Miocene, producing some of their largest forms ever known in the form of the bison-sized Daeodon (which was itself even more carnivorous than Archaeotherium), however they too would meet the same fate as their earlier cousins. By around 15-20 million years ago, entelodonts as a whole would go extinct. However, while the entelodonts may have perished, this was not the end of carnivorous ungulates as a whole. Recall that the cetacodontamorphs, the lineage of artiodactyls that produced the entelodonts, left behind two living descendants. The first among them were the hippos, themselves fairly frequent herbivores. The second of such lineage, however, was a different story. Emerging out of South Asia, this lineage of piscivorous cetacodontamorphs, in a an attempt to further specialize for the fish-hunting lifestyle, began to delve further and further into the water, becoming more and more aquatic and the millennia passed by. At a certain point, these carnivorous artiodactlys had become something completely unrecognizable from their original hoofed forms. Their skin became hairless and their bodies became streamlined for life in water. Their hoofed limbs grew into giant flippers for steering in the water and their previously tiny tails became massive and sported giant tail flukes for aquatic propulsion. Their noses even moved to the tip of their head, becoming a blowhole that would be signature to this clade as a whole. Indeed, this clade was none other than the modern whales, themselves derived, carnivorous ungulates that had specialized for a life in the water, and in doing so, became the some of the most dominant aquatic predators across the globe for millions of years. Indeed, though long gone, the legacy of the entelodonts and of predatory ungulates as a whole, a legacy Archaeotherium itself had helped foster, lives on in these paragons of predatory prowess, showing that the ungulates are more than just the mere “prey” that they are often made out to be. Moreover, given the success that carnivorous ungulates had enjoyed in the past and given how modern omnivorous ungulates like boar dabble in predation themselves, perhaps, in the distant future, this planet may see the rise of carnivorous ungulates once again, following in the footsteps left behind by Archaeotherium and the other predatory ungulates all those millions of years ago.
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2024.05.14 16:25 Mophandel Archaeotherium, the King of the White River Badlands

Archaeotherium, the King of the White River Badlands
Art by Bob Nicholls
Nowadays, when we envision the words “prey,” among modern mammalian fauna, few taxa come to mind as quickly as the hoofed mammals, better known as the ungulates. Indeed, for the better part of their entire evolutionary history, the ungulates have become entirely indistinguishable from the term “prey.” Across their two major modern branches, the artiodactyls (the “even-toed ungulates,” such as bovids, pigs, deer, hippos and giraffes) and the perissodactyls (the “odd-toed ungulates,” including horses, rhinos and tapir), the ungulates too have created an empire spanning nearly every continent, establishing themselves as the the dominant herbivores throughout their entire range. However, as a price for such success, their lot as herbivores have forced them into an unenviable position: being the food for the predators. Indeed, throughout the diets of most modern predators, ungulates make up the majority, if not the entirety, of their diet, becoming their counterparts in this evolutionary dance of theirs. They have become the lamb to their wolf, the zebra to their lion, the stag to their tiger. If there is a predator in need of lunch, chances are that there is an ungulate there to provide it. Of course, such a dynamic is not necessarily a recent innovation. For the last 15-20 million years, across much of the world, both new and old, the ungulates have served as prey for these predators through it all. Over the course of whole epochs, these two groups have played into these roles for millions of years, coevolving with each other in an eons-long game of cat-and-mouse. The shoes they fill are not new, but have existed for ages, and within their niches they have cultivated their roles to perfection. Indeed, with such a tenured history, it seems hardly surprising the ungulates are wholly inseparable from the terms “prey,” itself.
However, while this is the case now, as it has been for the last 15-20 million years, go back far enough, and we see that this dynamic is not as set in stone as we would think. Indeed, back during the Eocene and Oligocene, during the very earliest days of age of mammals, things were very different for the ungulates. While today they are considered little more than food for modern predators, during these olden days, the ungulates weren’t quite so benign. In fact, far from being fodder for top predators, the ungulates had turned the tables, instead becoming top predators themselves. Indeed, though nearly unheard of today, throughout much of the Eocene and Oligocene, carnivorous ungulates thrived in abundance, developing specializations for catching large prey and establishing themselves as top predators that competed alongside the more traditional carnivores, and even dominating them in some instances. Given such success, it’s no wonder that multiple such clades had arisen during this time. Such predators included the arctocyonids, a lineage of (ironically) hoof-less ungulates with large jaws and sharp teeth for capturing large prey. There were also the mesonychians, a lineage of dog-like ungulates with massive skulls and jaws that allowed them to reign as the top predator across much of the Eocene.
However, among these various lineages, one stands stands out among the rest, by far. Arising during the Eocene, this lineage, though superficially resembling modern pigs, hailed from one an ancient lineage of artiodactyls far removed from swine or most other ungulates in general, with few close relatives alive today. Through perhaps not the most predatory of the bunch, it was among the most formidable, as their superficially pig-like appearance came with giant predatory jaws and teeth unlike anything from the modern era. And of course, as if all of that wasn’t enough, this lineage also went on to earn arguably one of the most badass nicknames of any lineage of mammals, period. These predators, of course, were the entelodonts, a.k.a the “hell-pigs.” More so than any other predatory ungulate lineage, these formidable ungulates were the ones to turn the current paradigm upside down, becoming some of the largest and most dominant carnivores in their landscape, even with (and often in spite of) the presence of more traditional predators. Through impressive size, fearsome teeth and sheer tenacity, these animals became the top dogs of their time, ruling as behemoth-kings of their Paleogene kingdoms, domineering all comers, and throughout the ranks, one entelodont in particular demonstrated such dominance the best. Though not the largest or most powerful of their kind, it is one of the most iconic, being among the most well-known members of its lineage to date. Moreover, this enteledont also has some of the most complete life histories ever seen out of this clade, with its brutality and predatory prowess being displayed in the fossil record in a way seen in no other member of its kind. More than anything else, however, it was this predator that best turned the notion of “ungulates being prey” on its head, living in an environment that bore some of the largest carnivoran hypercarnivores to date and still reigning as the undisputed top predator of its domain. This fearsome beast was none other than Archaeotherium, icon of the entelodonts, terror of the Oligocene American west and undisputed king of the White River badlands.
The rise of Archaeotherium (and of entelodonts in general) is closely tied to the ascendancy of carnivorous ungulates as a whole, one of the earliest evolutionary success stories of the entire Cenozoic. Having become their own derived clade since the late Cretaceous, the ungulates were remarkably successful during the early Paleogene, as they were among the first mammalian clades to reach large sizes during those early days after the non-avian dinosaurs had gone extinct. As such, it was with incredible swiftness that, as the Paleogene progressed, the ungulates swooped upon the various niches left empty by the K-Pg mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs. This of course included the herbivorous niches we would know them for today, but this also included other, much more carnivore roles. Indeed, early on during the Paleogene, it was the ungulates that first seized the roles of large mammalian predators, becoming some the earliest large mammalian carnivores to ever live, well before even the carnivorans. Such predators included the arctocyonids, a lineage of vaguely dog-like, hoof-less ungulates with robust jaws and sharpened teeth that acted as some of earliest large carnivores of the Paleocene, with genera such as Arctocyon mumak getting up to the size of big cats. Even more prolific were the mesonychids. More so than what pretty much any other lineage of predator, it was the mesonychids that would stand out as the earliest dominant predators of the early Cenozoic. Growing up to the size of bears and with enormous, bone-crushing jaws, the mesonychids were among the most powerful and successful predators on the market at that time, with a near-global range and being capable of subjugating just about any other predator in their environments. Indeed, they, along with other carnivorous ungulates (as well as ungulates in general), were experiencing a golden age during this time, easily being the most prolific predators of the age. Given such prevalence, it should be no surprise that there would be yet another lineage of predatory ungulates would throw their hat into the ring, and by early Eocene, that contender would none other than the entelodonts.
The very first entelodonts had arisen from artiodactyl ancestors during the Eocene epoch, at a time when artiodactyls were far more diverse and bizarre than they are now. Through today known from their modern herbivorous representatives such as bovines, deer, and antelope, during the Paleocene and Eocene, the artiodacyls, as with most ungulates of that time, were stronger and far more predaceous, particularly when it came to one such clade of artiodactyls, the cetacodontamorphs. Only known today from hippos and another group of artiodactyls (one which will become relevant later), the cetacodantomorphs emerged out of Asia around 55 million years ago, at around the same time that artiodactyls themselves had made their debut. These animals included the first truly predatory artiodactyls, with many of them possessing large skulls with powerful jaws and sharp, predatory teeth. Among their ranks included animals as puny as Indohyus, a piscivorous artiodactyl the size of a cat, to as formidable as Andrewsarchus, a giant, bison-sized predator often touted as one of the largest predatory mammals to ever live. Given such a predatory disposition, it wouldn’t be long until this clade produced a lineage of truly diverse, truly successful predators, and by around 40 million years ago, that is exactly what they did, as it was at that time that the entelodonts themselves first emerged. From their Asian homeland, the entelodonts spread across the world, spreading through not only most of Eurasia but also colonizing North America as well, with genera such as Brachyhyops being found across both continents. Here, in this North American frontier, the entelodonts began to diversify further, turning into their most successful and formidable forms yet, and it was around the late Eocene and early Oligocene that Archaeotherium itself had entered the scene.
Just from a passing glance at Archaeotherium, it is clear how exactly it (as well as the other entelodonts) earned the nickname of “hell-pigs.” It was a bruiser for starters; its body bore a robust, pig-like physique, with prominent neural spines and their associated musculature forming a hump around the shoulder region, similar to the hump of a bison. With such a bulky physique came with it impressive size; the average A. mortoni had a head-body length of roughly 1.6-2.0 m (5.3-6.6 ft), a shoulder height of 1.2 m (4 ft) and a body mass of around 180 kg (396 lb) in weight (Boardman & Secord, 2013; Joeckel, 1990). At such sizes, an adult Archaeotherium the size of a large male black bear. However, they had the potential to get even bigger. While most Archaeotherium specimens were around the size described above, a select few specimens, labeled under the synonymous genus “Megachoerus,” are found to be much larger, with skulls getting up to 66% longer than average A. mortoni specimens (Foss, 2001; Joeckel, 1990). At such sizes and using isometric scaling, such massive Archaeotherium specimens would attained body lengths over 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and would have reached weighs well over 500 kg (1100 lb), or as big as a mature male polar bear. Indeed, at such sizes, it is already abundantly evident that Archaeotherium is a force to be recorded with.
However, there was more to these formidable animals than sheer size alone. Behind all that bulk was an astoundingly swift and graceful predator, especially in terms of locomotion. Indeed, the hoofed feet of Archaeotherium, along with other entelodonts, sported several adaptations that gave it incredible locomotive efficiency, essentially turning it into a speed demon of the badlands. Such adaptations include longer distal leg elements (e.g. the radius and tibia) than their proximal counterparts (e.g. the humerus and femur), fusion of the radius and ulna for increased running efficiency, the loss of the clavicle (collar-bone) to allow for greater leg length, the loss of the acromion to enhance leg movement along the fore-and-aft plane, the loss of digits to reduce the mass of the forelimb, the fusion of the ectocuneiform and the mesocuneiform wrist-bones, among many other such traits (Theodore, 1996) . Perhaps most significant of these adaptations is the evolution of the “double-pulley astragalus (ankle-bone),” a specialized modification of the ankle that, while restricting rotation and side-to-side movement at the ankle-joint, allows for greater rotation in the fore-and-aft direction, thus allowing for more more powerful propulsion from the limbs, faster extension and retraction of the limbs and overall greater locomotive efficiency (Foss, 2001). Of course, such a trait was not only found in entelodonts but in artiodactyls as a whole, likely being a response to predatory pressures from incumbent predatory clades arising at the same time as the artiodactyls (Foss, 2001). However, in the case of the entelodonts, such adaptations were not used for merely escaping predators. Rather, they were used to for another, much more lethal effect…
Such notions are further reinforced by the entelodonts most formidable aspect, none either than their fearsome jaws, and in this respect, Archaeotherium excelled. Both for its size and in general, the head of Archaeotherium was massive, measuring 40-50 cm (1.3-1.6 ft) in length among average A. mortoni specimens, to up to 78 cm (~2.6 ft) in the larger “Megachoerus” specimens (Joeckel, 1990). Such massive skulls were supported and supplemented by equally massive neck muscles and ligaments, which attached to massive neural spines on the anterior thoracic vertebrae akin to a bisons hump as well as to the sternum, allowing Archaeotherium to keep its head aloft despite the skulls massive size (Effinger, 1998). Of course, with such a massive skull, it should come as no surprise that such skulls housed exceptionally formidable jaws as well, and indeed, the bite of Archaeotherium was an especially deadly one. Its zygomatic arches (cheek-bones) and its temporal fossa were enlarged and expanded, indicative of massive temporalis muscles that afforded Archaeotherium astoundingly powerful bites (Joeckel, 1990). This is further augmented by Archaeotherium’s massive jugal flanges (bony projections of the cheek), which supported powerful masseter muscles which enhanced chewing and mastication, as well as an enlarged postorbital bar that reinforced the skull against torsional stresses (Foss, 2001). Last but not least, powerful jaws are supplemented by an enlarged gape, facilitated by a low coronoid process and enlarged posterior mandibular tubercles (bony projections originating from the lower jaw), which provided an insertion site for sternum-to-mandible jaw abduction muscles, allowing for a more forceful opening of the jaw (Foss, 2001). All together, such traits suggest a massive and incredibly fearsome bite, perhaps the most formidable of any animal in its environment.
Of course, none of such traits are especially indicative of a predatory lifestyle. Indeed, many modern non-predatory ungulates, like hippos, pigs and peccaries, also possess large, formidable skulls and jaws. However, in peeling back the layers, it is found there was more to the skull of Archaeotherium that lies in store. Indeed, when inspecting the animal closely, a unique mosaic of features is revealed; traits that make it out to be much more lethal than the average artiodactyl. On one hand, Archaeotherium possessed many traits similar to those of herbivores animals, as is expected of ungulates. For instance, its jaw musculature that allowed the lower jaw of Archaeotherium a full side-to-side chewing motion as in herbivores (whereas most carnivores can only move their lower jaw up and down)(Effinger, 1998). On the other hand, Archaeotherium wielded many other traits far more lethal in their morphology, less akin to a herbivore and far more akin to a bonafide predator. For instance, the aforementioned enlarged gape of Archaeotherium is a bizarre trait on a supposed herbivore, as such animals do not need large gapes to eat vegetation and thus have smaller, more restricted gapes. Conversely, many predatory lineages have comparatively large gapes, as larger gapes allow for the the jaws to grab on to more effectively larger objects, namely large prey animals (Joeckel, 1990).
Such a juxtaposition, however, is most evident when discussing the real killing instruments of Archaeotherium — the teeth. More so than any facet of this animal, the teeth of Archaeotherium are the real stars of the show, showing both how alike it was compared to its herbivores counterparts and more importantly, how it couldn’t be more different. For instance, the molars of Archaeotherium were quite similar to modern herbivores ungulates, in that they were robust, bunodont, and were designed for crushing and grinding, similar in form and function to modern ungulates like peccaries (Joeckel, 1990). However, while the molars give the impression that Archaeotherium was a herbivore, the other teeth tell a very different story. The incisors, for example, were enlarged, sharpened, and fully interlocked (as opposed to the flat-topped incisors seen in herbivores ungulates), creating an incisor array that was seemingly ill-suited for cropping vegetation and much more adept at for gripping, puncturing and cutting (Joeckel, 1990). Even more formidable were the canines. Like the modern pigs from which entelodonts derived their nicknames, the canines of Archaeotherium were sharp and enlarged to form prominent tusk-like teeth, but unlike pigs, they were rounded in cross-section (similar to modern carnivores like big cats, indicating more durable canines that can absorb and resist torsional forces, such as those from struggling prey) and were serrated to form a distinct cutting edge (Effinger, 1998; Joeckel, 1990; Ruff & Van Valkenburgh, 1987). These canines, along with the incisors, interlock to stabilize the jaws while biting and dismantling in a carnivore-like fashion. More strikingly, the canines also seem to act as “occlusal guides,” wherein the canines help align the movement and position of the rear teeth as they come together, allowing for a more efficient shearing action by the rear teeth. This function is seen most prevalently modern carnivores mammals, and is evidenced by the canine tooth-wear, which is also analogous to modern predators like bears and canids (Joeckel, 1990). Indeed, going off such teeth alone, it is clear that Archaeotherium is far more predatory than expected of an ungulate. However, the real stars of the show, the teeth that truly betray the predatory nature of these ungulates, are the premolars. Perhaps the most carnivore-like teeth in the entelodont’s entire tooth row, the premolars of Archaeotherium, particularly the anterior premolars, are laterally compressed, somewhat conical in shape, and are weakly serrated to bear a cutting edge, giving them a somewhat carnivorous form and function of shearing and slicing (Effinger, 1998). Most strikingly of all, the premolars of Archaeotherium bear unique features similar not to modern herbivores, but to durophagous carnivores like hyenas, particularly apical wear patterns, highly thickened enamel, “zigzag-shaped” enamel prism layers (Hunter-Schraeger bands) on the premolars which is also seen in osteophagous animals like hyenas, and an interlocking premolar interface wherein linear objects (such as bones) inserted into jaws from the side would be pinned between the premolars and crushed (Foss, 2001). Taken together, these features do not suggest a diet of grass or vegetation like other ungulates. Rather, they suggest a far more violent diet, one including flesh as well as hard, durable foods, particularly bone. All in all, the evidence is clear. Archaeotherium and other entelodonts, unlike the rest of their artiodactyl kin, were not the passive herbivores as we envision ungulates today. Rather, they were willing, unrepentant meat-eaters that had a taste for flesh as well as foliage.
Of course, even with such lines of evidence, its hard to conclude that Archaeotherium was a true predator. After all, its wide gape and durophagous teeth could have just as easily been used for scavenging or even to eat tough plant matter such as seeds or nuts, as in peccaries and pigs, which themselves share many of the same adaptations as Archaeotherium, include the more carnivorous ones (e.g. the wide gape, using the canines as an occlusal guide, etc.). How exactly do we know that these things were veritable predators and not pretenders to the title. To this end, there is yet one last piece of evidence, one that puts on full display the predatory prowess of Archaeotherium —evidence of a kill itself. Found within oligocene-aged sediment in what is now Wyoming, a collection of various fossil remains was found, each belonging to the ancient sheep-sized camel Poebrotherium, with many of the skeletal remains being disarticulated and even missing whole hindlimbs or even entire rear halves of their body. Tellingly, many of the remains bear extensive bite marks and puncture wounds across their surface. Upon close examination, the spacing and size of the punctures leave only one culprit: Archaeotherium. Of course, such an event could still have been scavenging; the entelodonts were consuming the remains of already dead, decomposed camels, explaining the bite marks. What was far more telling, however, was where the bite marks were found. In addition bite marks being found on the torso and lumbar regions of the camels, various puncture wounds were found on the skull and neck, which were otherwise uneaten. Scavengers rarely feast on the head to begin with; there is very little worthwhile meat on it besides the brain, cheek-muscles and eyes, and even if they did feed on the skull and neck, they would still eat it wholesale, not merely bite it and then leave it otherwise untouched. Indeed, it was clear that this was no mere scavenging event. Rather than merely consuming these camels, Archaeotherium was actively preying upon and killing them, dispatching them via a crushing bite to the skull or neck before dismembering and even bisecting the hapless camels with their powerful jaws to preferentially feast on their hindquarters (likely by swallowing the hindquarters whole, as the pelvis of Poebrotherium was coincidentally the perfect width for Archaeotherium to devour whole), eventually discarding the leftovers in meat caches for later consumption (Sundell, 1999). With this finding, such a feat of brutality leaves no doubt in ones mind as to what the true nature of Archaeotherium was. This was no herbivore, nor was it a simple scavenger. This was an active, rapacious predator, the most powerful in its entire ecosystem.
Indeed, with such brutal evidence of predation frozen in time, combined with various dental, cranial, and post cranial adaptations of this formidable animal, it’s possible to paint a picture of how this formidable creature lived. Though an omnivore by trade, willing and able to feast on plant matter such as grass, roots and tubers, Archaeotherium was also a wanton predator that took just about any prey it wanted. Upon detecting its prey, it approached its vicim from ambush before launching itself at blazing speed. From there, its cursorial, hoofed legs, used by other ungulates for escape predation, were here employed to capture prey, carrying it at great speeds as it caught up to its quarry. Having closed the distance with its target, it was then that the entelodont brought its jaws to bear, grabbing hold of the victim with powerful jaws and gripping teeth to bring it to a screeching halt. If the victim is lucky, Archaeotherium will then kill it quickly with a crushing bite to the skull or neck, puncturing the brain or spinal cord and killing its target instantly. If not, the victim is eaten alive, torn apart while it’s still kicking, as modern boars will do today. In any case, incapacitated prey are subsequently dismantled, with the entelodont using its entire head and heavily-muscled necks to bite into and pull apart its victim in devastating “puncture-and pull’ bites (Foss, 2001). Prey would then finally be consumed starting at the hindquarters, with not even the bones of its prey being spared. Such brutality, though far from clean, drove home a singular truth: that during this time, ungulates were not just prey, that they were not the mere “predator-fodder” we know them as today. rather, they themselves were the predators themselves, dominating as superb hunters within their domain and even suppressing clades we know as predators today, least of all the carnivorans. Indeed, during this point in time, the age of the carnivorous ungulates had hit their stride, and more specifically, the age of entelodonts had begun.
Of course, more so than any other ettelodont, Archaeotherium took to this new age with gusto. Archaeotherium lived from 35-28 million years ago during the late Eocene and early Oligocene in a locality known today as the White River Badlands, a fossil locality nestled along the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Though a chalky, barren landscape today, during the time of Archaeotherium, the White River Badlands was a swamp-like floodplain crisscrossed with rivers and interspersed with by a mosaic of forests concentrated around waterways, open woodlands and open plains. As with most ecosystems with such a lush disposition, this locale teemed with life, with ancient hornless rhinos, small horse-like hyracodonts and early camels roaming the open habitats while giant brontotheres, small early horses and strange, sheep-like ungulates called merycoidodonts (also known as “oreodonts”) dwelled within the dense forests. Within this locale, Archaeotherium stalked the open woodlands and riparian forests of its domain. Here, it acted as a dominant predator and scavenger across is territory, filling a niche similar to modern grizzly bears but far more predatory. Among its preferred food items would be plant matter such as roots, foliage and nuts, but also meat in the form of carrion or freshly caught prey. In this respect, smaller ungulates such as the fleet-footed camel Poebrotherium, a known prey item of Archaeotherium, would have made a for choice prey, as its small size would make it easy for Archaeotherium to dispatch with its powerful jaws, while the entelodonts swift legs gave it the speed necessary to keep pace with its agile prey.
However, the entelodont didn’t have such a feast all to itself. Just as the badlands teemed with herbivores, so too did it teem with rival predators. Among their ranks included fearsome predators such as Hyaenodon, a powerful, vaguely dog-like predator up to the size of wolves (as in H. horridus) or even lions (as in the Eocene-aged H. megaloides, which was replaced by H. horridus during the Oligocene). Armed with a massive head, fierce jaws and a set of knife-like teeth that could cut down even large prey in seconds, these were some of the most formidable predators on the landscape. There were also the nimravids, cat-like carnivorans that bore saber-teeth to kill large prey in seconds, and included the likes of the lynx-sized Dinictis, the leopard-sized Hoplophoneus and even the jaguar-sized Eusmilus. Furthermore, there were amphicyonids, better known as the bear-dogs. Though known from much larger forms later on in their existence, during the late Eocene and Oligocene, they were much smaller and acted as the “canid-analogues” of the ecosystem, filling a role similar to wolves or coyotes. Last but not least, there were the bathornithid birds, huge cariamiform birds related to modern seriemas but much larger, which filled a niche similar to modern seriemas or secretary birds, albeit on a much larger scale. Given such competition, it would seem that Archaeotherium would have its hands full. However, things are not as they appear. For starters, habitat differences would mitigate high amounts of competition, as both Hyaenodon and the various nimravids occupy more specialized ecological roles (being a plains-specialist and forest-specialist, respectively) than did Archaeotherium, providing a buffer to stave off competition: More importantly, however, none of the aforementioned predators were simply big enough to take Archaeotherium on. During the roughly 7 million years existence of Archaeotherium, the only carnivore that matched it in size was H. megaloides, and even that would have an only applied to average A. mortoni individuals, not to the much larger, bison-sized “Megachoerus” individuals. The next largest predator at that point would be the jaguars-sized Eusmilus (specifically E. adelos) which would have only been a bit more than half the size of even an average A. mortoni. Besides that, virtually every other predator on the landscape was simply outclassed by the much larger entelodont in terms of size and brute strength. As such, within its domain, Archaeotherium had total, unquestioned authority, dominating the other predators in the landscape and likely stealing their kills as well. In fact, just about the only threat Archaeotherium had was other Archaeotherium, as fossil bite marks suggest that this animal regularly and fraglantly engaged in intraspecific combat, usually through face-biting and possibly even jaw-wrestling (Effinger, 1998; Tanke & Currie, 1998). Nevertheless, it was clear that Archaeotherium was the undisputed king of the badlands; in a landscape of hyaenodonts and carnivorans galore, it was a hoofed ungulate that reigned supreme.
However, such a reign would not last. As the Eocene transitioned into the Eocene, the planet underwent an abrupt cooling and drying phase known as Eocene-Oligocene Transition or more simply the Grande Coupure. This change in climate would eliminate the sprawling wetlands and river systems that Archaeotherium had been depending on, gradually replacing it with drier and more open habitats. To its credit, Archaeotherium did manage to hang on, persisting well after the Grand-Coupure had taken place, but in the end the damage had been done; Archaeotherium was a dead-man-walking. Eventually, by around 28 million years ago, Archaeotherium would go extinct, perishing due to this change in global climate (Gillham, 2019). Entelodonts as a whole would persist into the Miocene, producing some of their largest forms ever known in the form of the bison-sized Daeodon (which was itself even more carnivorous than Archaeotherium), however they too would meet the same fate as their earlier cousins. By around 15-20 million years ago, entelodonts as a whole would go extinct. However, while the entelodonts may have perished, this was not the end of carnivorous ungulates as a whole. Recall that the cetacodontamorphs, the lineage of artiodactyls that produced the entelodonts, left behind two living descendants. The first among them were the hippos, themselves fairly frequent herbivores. The second of such lineage, however, was a different story. Emerging out of South Asia, this lineage of piscivorous cetacodontamorphs, in a an attempt to further specialize for the fish-hunting lifestyle, began to delve further and further into the water, becoming more and more aquatic and the millennia passed by. At a certain point, these carnivorous artiodactlys had become something completely unrecognizable from their original hoofed forms. Their skin became hairless and their bodies became streamlined for life in water. Their hoofed limbs grew into giant flippers for steering in the water and their previously tiny tails became massive and sported giant tail flukes for aquatic propulsion. Their noses even moved to the tip of their head, becoming a blowhole that would be signature to this clade as a whole. Indeed, this clade was none other than the modern whales, themselves derived, carnivorous ungulates that had specialized for a life in the water, and in doing so, became the some of the most dominant aquatic predators across the globe for millions of years. Indeed, though long gone, the legacy of the entelodonts and of predatory ungulates as a whole, a legacy Archaeotherium itself had helped foster, lives on in these paragons of predatory prowess, showing that the ungulates are more than just the mere “prey” that they are often made out to be. Moreover, given the success that carnivorous ungulates had enjoyed in the past and given how modern omnivorous ungulates like boar dabble in predation themselves, perhaps, in the distant future, this planet may see the rise of carnivorous ungulates once again, following in the footsteps left behind by Archaeotherium and the other predatory ungulates all those millions of years ago.
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2024.05.14 03:14 ChrisChris10-l Two Months Later

https://www.reddit.com/GriefSupport/comments/1bykm11/anaia/
https://www.reddit.com/GriefSupport/comments/1bxzqi4/siste
About a month ago, I posted two separate posts on this subreddit about my younger sister, Anaia, who passed away on March 17th, 2024. In one post I gave photos, and in the other I wrote about her addiction, but I don't think I've really talked about myself.
It has been nearly two months since my little sister passed away, and I wouldn't describe it as grueling or depressing, just unusual. On April 22nd, it was confirmed to my family that Anaia died as a result of fentanyl toxicity, which was the reason I always assumed but to have it confirmed was very depressing. Yesterday, I went to my grandmother's house and there were a few copies of Anaia's death certificate, in the onset interval to death section, I said minutes. When talking to my mother (me and my parents talk all the time, my dad sits in my room and plays games while we talk about Anaia or something random, and me and my mother will talk about random things as well as Anaia too.), she told me her perspective of that morning. Long story short, around 11:45AM, I woke up to my mother screaming my sister's name and she soon realized she was unresponsive, me and my father woke up soon after and I called 911, and that's the short version. I assumed my sister was in her covers sleeping and fentanyl overrid her system, but no, my mom told me that when she walked into Anaia's room, she was laid flat out on top of all of her covers, arms outstretched to the side. Learning that was a major shock to me, and I'll explain why.
Sure, Anaia's death was nearly instant. But hearing the details of what my mom said really drove him that once it happened, it didn't matter whether we went into there at the right time or later, there was likely nothing that could've been done. From my understanding, it was almost as if she was up one second and collapsed the next. There was dried vomit on clothes next to her bed, making me assume that after vomiting, she just collapsed instantly after and died. After calling 911, my mother demanded out of fear for me to help her perform CPR, and I didn't hesitate to do so. But, anyone in that situation could tell, with no details given, that there was nothing that could've been done. The typical signs of a deceased body were very present, and even I (doing the mouth resuscitation) knew that if I felt no air coming back onto me, and touching her neck didn't give a pulse, I quickly understood that this was it, like there was nothing me or my parents could've done. When the paramedics arrived at 12 exactly, it took them a minute or two for them to tell us that there was nothing to be done, and ultimately, Anaia had died long, long before we got to her. They said roughly 6-8 hours, meaning at the earliest 3am, and at the latest 5am. It's a disheartening fact for him, and even my father expressed to me too a few nights ago, but we wished that at least there was a chance for us to get to her beforehand. Maybe if he and I or my mom went into her room for no real reason in the middle of the night, we would've been able to save her. What really struck me when my dad was telling me that was him acknowledging that while he and my mom were watching TV, he couldn't bare to imagine that simultaneously Anaia was dying. I felt the same way, I was awake around 3-3:30AM, and if she died during that time, I was totally unaware scrolling through my phone.
I wish that there was something to be done. During her time alive, and when she started doing street dealt percocets, I warned her about fentanyl, and ultimately I wish she had heeded my warning and stayed off them when she did quit in December. I'm a sociable person, and I'm one of those people that have a wide different variety of groups and friends I hang out with, and I may not be in extracurricular activities but even those that are popular in my school know me. As a result of being so sociable, I know people that do drugs, and only a set few who do percocets, one of my closest friends used to be a heavy percocet user and I used to tell her as much as I did my sister to quit. My friend and my sister quit, but one returned and one didn't. One is still here, and one is not. It doesn't matter how many people I told not to do percocets, of course I would've wanted my sister to be the one to really listen to me. But ultimately, the person I wanted to save the most didn't make it. I've saved others, but with my sister, it almost made my words feel like nothing after she died. No matter however many times I told her to please find something less dangerous and more beneficial, to not risk her life, she kept using and lost her life. Said friend and two other friends of my sister (I know both of them) were also at some point active percocet users, and they told me that they felt it like it should've been them, seeing my mother made them see that that could've been their parents, their siblings, their friends and relatives, etc. I told them bluntly that it in fact could've been them in Anaia's position, I told them that just because Anaia's clock stopping running doesn't mean there's has to, they can avoid being in her position. Then it got me thinking, there's plenty of other people who overdose on purpose, who overdose 9 times, who overdose and suffer long term effects like paralyzation, but still remain. Anaia overdosed once, and that was the final time. I believe in God and Jesus but I'm not a preacher, I believe and keep it pushing but I'm not religiously based. I believe in the concept of everyone having a time and a date, but sometimes I find myself questioning that if that's the case, are we just here to live a predetermined fate that we have no control over? At the end of the day, was I meant to go through this? Thinking like that plagues my mind, but I settle for it being her time to go, as seeing other drug users made me wonder what they may be here to prove on earth that Anaia could not. I don't like questioning others' lives and why they get to live longer, that's not me, and I'm glad they've been granted more chances, it just sucks my sister wasn't granted that chance in the grand scheme of things. Predetermined or not, there was so much she could've lived for, but I believe there's a reason time can't be reversed, and there's many unexplained miracles that somehow eases me into thinking that I shouldn't throw myself into a hole of questioning why she didn't get a chance, and just accepting that her race ended earlier than mine. I believe things happen for a reason, it's an insensitive statement depending on the situation, but things happen for people to learn and grow from them, but no one really knows why. I've just had to come to the conclusion hat my sister is okay, she's safe, and I have no reason to continue to question her life and worry about her if she's not here with me anymore, you feel?
From a brother perspective, it sucks. It feels somewhat lonely, to live and breathe as an only child. I've become accustomed to being an older brother to a younger sister, but I turned 16 without her, and that's how it'll be for the rest of my life. At her visitation on March 30th, I didn't cry, but seeing her body just made me shake my head. She looked very nice, the funeral home did an amazing job, but it hit me that this was really her. There were distinct things I saw that she had in life that made me come to that conclusion that that was what was left my little sister, and at the funeral + burial the next day, watching her being lowered into the ground left my head empty. No thoughts, she watching as her casket covered in a white sheet was lowered into the ground, and that'd be it. I grew up with this person, and now I have to look down on this person and go through life without this amazing person. I never imagine something like this happening, especially not like this. I always wanted to die first because I was older, a thought I feared ever since I was a child. That didn't get to happen, and milestones man. She'll never get to graduate the year after me, never get to have that lovely relationship with that special one that she always wanted, she never got to be an aunt, a mom, nothing. One day, I hope to have children and I will tell them about Anaia, but do I wish they'd have been able to meet her if that time came. Everyday, I walk past her room, sometimes I go in there and sometimes I don't. Two weeks after her death, her mattress was taken out by me and my dad's friend, up until a few weeks ago, her room was left scattered the way it was when she died minus the mattress, and now, everything has been cleaned up. It's empty, and the emptiness is another reality check. I'll never see Anaia again, and in the potential next life I believe I will, but the fact I can't now is a hard concept to grasp. No more walking to the bus stop, no more barging into her room or vice versa, no more waiting forever for her to complete her makeup, no more random room hangouts, no more of her asking me to flash a light for her Instagram pictures for an excruciating ten minutes, none of them. Her physical presence is gone, I come home everyday and instantly the thought of her being gone hits me. Riding in the car with my parents, being at school, going out, it doesn't feel the same knowing in the back of my head she's gone, no matter how much fun I have. Regardless, I've returned to normal life, matter of fact, I started going to school every day instantly after the funeral, and during the two weeks of March 17th-March 31st, I showed up to school here and there. It didn't take a toll to do so, because I've accepted that though Anaia died, I'm still alive? I don't stop when she does, that'll have more of an effect. Life still goes on, time doesn't stop for no one no matter how much I may want it to. I honestly sit my current happiness at like a 6.5-7, higher than one may expect. I still have my parents, my friends, and all of my relatives, an important chunk is just missing but I still have my people. I only feel alone in the sibling aspect, but in reality, people make me happy everyday and still continue to. I joke how I've always joked, people have said I look much better than how I did initially, there's notable sadness on my face, but I look happier. If that's true, then I hope it stays that way. I still go out to these afterschool events, outside friend hangous, they bring joy. I just miss my sister 25/8, but I've learned to appreciate life just a little bit more now. If she's okay, I'm okay.
Lastly, I wanted to mention dreams. People say they have dreams of deceased loved ones all the time, I personally haven't yet, would like to, but until then that hasn't been the case. I'm not talking dreams with the person in them, I mean direct communication dreams. My mother has had two, my dad's friend has had one, and my close friend mentioned earlier has had one, but the one that sticks out the most is my little cousin's dream. My mom has a younger sister herself and in 2018, she had her first child, his nickname is JP. During 2021-2022, me and Anaia lived with my grandmother due to losing our apartment (our parents stayed separately at a grouphome my dad worked at, they work for my grandmother's company), and my aunt as well as JP stayed with my grandma. JP essentially became me and Anaia's little brother that we didn't have, and vice versa for him, he sees me and Anaia has his older siblings. Seeing him seem so heartbroken after Anaia died was very sad, as you can see written on this five-year-old's face that Anaia was someone who truly mattered to him and he was so sad about it. However, in his dream, Anaia came to him and told him she loved all of us, that she regretted not seeing him grow older, and that what happened to her was an accident. The part that got me was that Anaia told him that where she was was beautiful, he asked to see it, and she told him he couldn't see it yet. Kids just don't make things like that up in my opinion, and he worded it very detailed for a kindergartener, and JP is at the age where his words don't conflict with other things he's said, he's consistent with it and he tells me the same thing he told me the first time when I ask him here and then. He can see it one day, but he can't see it, not yet. What that tells me is that if life is so hard, death must be so beautiful afterwards, and that there is an afterlife. Even if I believed in a separate religion, or if my current religion isn't the truth, I will always believe in an afterlife. I refuse to believe that this world is it, and kids just don't pull stuff out their butt in a serious situation. I believe him. If that's the case, then I'll gladly wait. It doesn't matter how many people die during my lifetime, whatever remains of it, and how many new people I might meet in my life. If my hope of living to elder age and I meet someone and create a family, and even if said wife and or children die before me if that plan does happen, there's only one person I wish to greet me. I hear that people see a loved one before they die, and I hope Anaia is the one that comes to see me when it's all over. Forever, no matter who else passes before me, Anaia's will stay the worst, the most impactful, and that's a strong statement to make but I'm sure of that. I have plenty of goals I have for myself, but my end goal once the others are done is to get past 70, pass peacefully, and have my sister wait for me there. I hope that wouldn't be much to ask for.
That's it.
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2024.05.13 19:44 Sept-gem Family baby names

Trigger warning (pregnancy loss)
This is my first time posting so I’m a little nervous! Leading up to my current pregnancy I experienced 3 early miscarriages. While each was disappointing, I bounced back quite quickly because they were at similar stages and just before a heartbeat. The third one was the most challenging, because I was pregnant with the same timing as my sister. While she carried to term, I didn’t, and I quietly found it difficult to watch her progress and eventually hold my nephew (he is a SUPER CUTE and ENGAGING baby and I love him so much!). While I didn’t voice any of discomfort with watching my sister’s pregnancy, my family innately stayed respectful and didn’t over share or over focus on her baby when having conversations with me.
When she was pregnant, my sister and her husband decided to keep their name choice private but in a special sister moment with me, she decided to let me in on the secret. I was shocked. Their choice was a variation on the boy name we had chosen. There is no way she could have known, and even if she did, I don’t believe in saving names for babies that haven’t been born. At the time, I remember telling myself, what if i eventually pregnant and have a girl. How special would it be then to still have such a lovely boy name in the family (even though again, it’s a variation of the name, not identical). I must have been quiet when she first told me because a moment later she panicked and thought I didn’t like it. I explained that it was the opposite and that I LOVE it so much it’s actually my first choice and I quickly whiped out my phone and showed her my baby name app where I had it listed as 1st place. She is super sweet and immediately said that the variation is different enough and that I should still use it. My husband and I agree it’s definitely not and we would be really weird using it, resulting in the same nickname and with us being second.
Fortunately a month later, I got pregnant again and I’m significantly further along and past much risk of miscarriage. The pregnancy seems super similar to my daughter, who I carried to term and she’s a healthy preschooler now. We’re just waiting to hear the fetal sex next week and really only want to know in order to pick a name (I would be just as excited for a girl as I would be for a boy and vice versa and I’m really not into “gender” reveal presentations). Part of me has been sort of wishing more for a girl just to be rid of this naming concern.
However, this morning I woke up and found out my cousin delivered a baby girl and used a variation of girl name we’ve been set on, again resulting in the same nickname. We are actually low contact, and there is absolutely no way she could have known. The variation she chose is a family name of her other side of her family and honestly I think it’s perfect for them. It also sounds adorable with her son’s name as a sibling set.
Not much gets me down but I’m feeling disappointed. I’m not upset with either my sister or my cousin, I’m just sad about the timing and circumstance. I regretfully shared this with my mom who is normally very understanding. I was really surprised to hear her frustration with my disappointment. She doesn’t understand why I’m sad, and said to go ahead and use the variation that I like. We live out of state so the kids won’t be around each other much, and since I’m low contact with my cousin, it doesn’t even matter. I still find it too weird to give basically the same name to baby born into a family as small as ours especially in the same year. In the two conversations we had about it, my mom thinks I’m being ridiculous. She said I’ll obviously just come up with something else since eventually all babies get a name. AITAH?
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2024.05.13 14:25 Putrid_Turn7265 I'm afraid my sister is loosing her sanity, it might be our fault and there's nothing I can do about it

I'm worried, and I'm sad, as I have this weird feeling that my dear sister is already gone, and there's nothing I can do to get her back. I come from a family of 3 siblings : my sister June (28F), me (25F) and my brother Alex (21M). We also took in our cousin Ariane (17F) when she was younger as her parents' divorce was very rocky. She was with us from 10 to 15 yo. I have to admit June was always more of a mother to us 3 than our own mother. Our parents were great and provided us with everything we needed, but they were not really available for us. My mother was a workaholic and suffered from work-related injuries. Her right arm was left paralyzed from this. My father worked everyday, even on weekends, and he would be gone from 7am to 7pm.
June was left doing everything in the house since she was at least 12 yo : cooking meals, chores, groceries,... She was the one we would wake up in the night when we were feeling ill, or had an "accident". She was the one who would bandage us up when we fell. She was the one comforting us when we were sad or had a nightmare. She was the one who helped us do our homework and recite our lessons. She always made sure we were happy and safe. It's useless to say that we adored her.
I hate to admit that I began to resent her growing up. I was jealous of my friend's sisters who would take them on shopping sprees, had boyfriends and went to parties. While the only outing June allowed herself was her part-time job as a groomer in a nearby ranch. She only had 1 friend she never saw, and her social skills were terrible. She was shy, socially awkward, and had a hard time outside of the house. She never told us, but I think she hated school. When she turned 18, she began to work full time at the ranch. And even then, she would came back home and do all the chores and take care of us 3 teens. My boyfriend always calls her Snow White. Anytime he would visit, she'd be scrubbing the floor, ironing, cooking,... And she was always humming or singing, surrounded by our pets. We thought it was cute, and never realized she was overworked.
There was an incident when my brother found her passed out in the bathroom. She would always stay close to 1 hour in the bathroom in the evening. We used to joke that she had to scrub every inch of her body to get rid of the manure stench. Once, she forgot to lock the bathroom, and Alex got in. He found her asleep on the floor, laying on a bath towel. She later admitted she was sometimes so tired she'd actually had a 40 minutes nap on the bathroom floor, then 20 minutes to shower and get ready. She said it was because it was the only place our parents will not bother her, but now I think we also had our responsibility in this. One by one, we left the house. Al moved to the city with his girlfriend to pursue their music career, and they are doing great. I moved in with my boyfriend of 8 years and we are engaged, and Ariane went back to her father. June was left alone with our parents. She cried every time one of us would move out, she seemed so happy that it turned out great for us. When our father retired, June was 26 and finally felt comfortable leaving the house as well. She bought a small bungalow in the countryside. Our father was worried as the location is pretty isolated, but June has a big dog, and it's only a 10 minutes drive from their house. We thought she was doing great, and she was finally in her element. We saw each other at family events, and she seemed still tired, but serene. One month ago, Alex wanted us to reunite for old time's sake, the four of us and our s.o. June invited us to her bungalow, it had been a while since we all went there together. She had dressed a beautiful table, and we could see she had put her heart in a delicious meal as always. However, her behavior was very off... She was very quiet, and had a sad smile. Like her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were like... lifeless. She seemed very "cautious" around us. Walking on eggshells all the time. Like she was talking, but adding "I hope it's okay if I say that " or "You don't have to tell me if it's to personal". Alex' girlfriend's name is Annabelle. "You want more wine, Ann ... oops. Hope it's okay if I call you Ann, Sorry, I know some people don't like when you use nicknames".
The way she dresses also changed. She used to wear dresses all the time. Girly dresses, with flowers and frills. But now she wears large baggy pants and simple black tops. She has like a dozen in her bathroom. I also found antidepressants in her bathroom while looking for a towel. It worries me. She's always been the strong one, the pillar of the family. She never told anyone about mental health issues she might have. When we were outside, a murder of crows landed in her garden. One of them was on the fence and she told it "Not today yet, friend". She then turned to us and said "He's waiting for me to drop dead so he can eat my eyes, the rascal". There are spiders everywhere in the house. Don't get me wrong, the house is squeaky clean, but the spiders remained untouched. My boyfriend tried to smash one above the sink, and June screamed "No !! Leave Betty alone, she's a friend!". She pretended it was because the spiders keep the fly and mosquitoes outside. But I have a weird feeling. Ariane asked to see the large cabinet in which June exposed some wooden miniatures she builds. It's really cute. But we noticed she also got into resin, and in one of the drawers was a collection of dead insects preserved in resin. It was never in her character to do something like that, and Al joked about the kind of "Jeffrey Dahmer" hobby this was. She got defensive, and told us the bugs were already dead, she just preserved them in resin for whatever reason. Something weird also, she talks to an "entity" in her house. Apparently it locked her in the attic once, bangs on doors, and plays with the lightbulbs in the house. I don't believe in paranormal at all. But when we were eating, the kitchen light began to flicker. June sighed and said "Come on, sir. I have guests. Stop now". And just like that, it stopped. Ariane was pale as a sheet, she's very into ghosts and stuff. June didn't elaborate further than "Don't worry, he's annoying but harmless". Alex had taken his guitar with him. He asked June if she'd be down to sing with him for old time's sake. June would never have passed an occasion to sing. But she pretended she had a sore throat, and "maybe next time". I don't know. She's not the sister I used to know. I worry something wrong is going on. I talked about it to Alex, who said she was just tired, and maybe she missed us, which is why she looked so nostalgic. I also aksed my boyfriend, who thinks now she had more free time, so her creative side is expanding. And even if it's in a way we don't like, who should just be glad for her. I didn't talk to Ariane about it, she's young and I don't want her to worry. But I can't help but think about June. She's not the same person. We used to hug a lot, but now she seemed tense when I hugged her goodbye. Almost... scared. I need to talk to someone about this. But I don't know who. I can't force her to see a therapist. Hell, I don't even know if something's wrong with her, or if I'm just overreacting. I send her some messages, and she always replies with smileys and "take care". But I don't know. Maybe we staid away from her too long, she's feeling alone, something in her broke... It's like she's a ghost of her former self. A shell. I'm so scared she might do something bad to herself.
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2024.05.13 03:22 11b403a7 What's In A Name - Short Story [Laaliíoota]

Context

This story fits into my world-building as an example of how people of the tribe at Saàkirlaasiik name one another. It illustrates that names are given by men to one another within their trade groups. Women ask their potential husbands to name them at their binding ceremony. This story illustrates both of those things.
The story is about two characters - 'Rows-in-loud-waters' and 'Hatchling'. They are on a battlefield against a tribe that broke apart from them long ago. Things get rough and a naming ceremony happens in the end. This takes place between the border of Saàkirlaasiik and Saàronit. It takes place in the second age after the Great Sundering.

Spoiler TL;DR

Summary: Rows-in-loud-waters is something of a squad leader to Hatchling. The two of them are in the alligator clan and are waiting for the 'Deceived' to come and fight them. When they finally do, the men fight with one of the Deceived for the majority of the story. This leads to some banter back and forth, but in the end, Hatchling dies. Hatchling tells Rows-in-loud-waters what he would have named his would-be wife if she had asked him to wed her. At the final end, Rows-in-loud-waters gives Hatchling a true proper name.

If You Read / Enjoy

Please drop me a comment. Just hearing that someone liked it would be awesome.

What's In A Name

“Stand firm! Men of Nafóótkirriinhaa”, Leans-on-the-spirit, chief of their clan spoke over all present before him. Riding by on a horse, he raised a spear and pranced the line of warriors. “It saddens me that we will shed the blood of our cousins! But they come to steal, pillage, and destroy. Show no mercy, brothers. For, I assure you, the Deceived will not return it.” His dark hair streamed in the air behind him as his steed carried him far down the line of men and out of earshot from him. Men cheered as he galloped by and smacked the flat of their weapons against their chests.
Hide banners whipped as the wind bid them to their will and the trees bent with each gust. Each banner displayed the spirit patron of the clan lined up to do battle. Some tribes gathered hides from the animals that embodied the attributes of their families' skills and nature. Behind him, alligator scales bent against the howling air. They dyed the animal biting its tail with an eye in the middle. A single line split the banner in the middle horizontally, and the eye peered out from the line. It represented the watchful eye of the clan, looking from the lands around Eversun. Sniffing, he smelt the hint of trees mingled mostly with warpaint against his flesh. A drum rang out behind him, then another sounded in the distance echoing it, and further out another did the same. This echoed on for a few more raps. His heart pounded in his chest, but he steeled his face.
The dark brown hair smacked the back of his tanned neck and his dark eyes scanned the woods before him. Across the grassland, they stood like a wall in the distance, dense and ominous. He had fashioned leather armor from the scaled hide of his swamp-dwelling, neighbor beast. He added stone studs to it in places that stuck out. On either side, men stood around him and he glanced out of the corner of his eyes. Younger men stationed themselves on either side of him entirely still and they both wore similar garb.
Each man painted their body with different symbols to display their strength, ferocity, or, in his case, battles fought. He used the black dye they made to draw scales against his skin where it remained exposed to the elements. Each drawn shape represented the number of times that he challenged a Deceived in combat and won. To his right, Paako Saàchalkoorrich Tínafsorlor, whom he lovingly calls Hatchling, dyed his face with ferocious teeth in the hope of scaring his enemies.
Hatchling's eyes widened as a horn sounded in the distance. Lootookcholatnapàrooti placed his hand on the young man's shoulder and smiled. Not showing his teeth, the sparkle in his eyes faded as quickly as it came. Recalling his first battle, the now chief, captained his line then. He hoped he could offer as much hope as the chief did then.
"Hatchling, I understand. This is your first bout with the Deceived. The tales we've weaved of them are terrifying and vicious. I must tell you, those tales are half true, but the half is still terrible" Lootookcholatnapàrooti's eyes trained on the forest head of them across the clearing. Any motion in the trees hid from his view and he sensed it lingered beyond the tree line, in the underbrush.
“Rows-in-loud-waters”, which Lootookcholatnapárooti meant, said Hatchling, “I don’t like the nickname. I am strong and proven in the tests.” Rows-in-loud-waters almost heard the pout on the young warrior's face. Smirking, he gave the young soldier a soft elbow to the ribs. “You’ve fought them enough times. How well do you know their tactics?”
Choosing to ignore the dislike of the nickname and how proven he may or may not be, Rows-in-loud-waters answered, "More than fought them. I engaged the enemy when the sundering happened, those years ago, when the clans had made it across Saàronit and into the valleys of the east. When Kolotatliíchiit revealed himself as the spirit of lies and trickery known to us as Naríhììnanathìnafòò”, chortled Rows-in-loud-waters. His mind rowed back to the day on the ship of his mind through the sea of memories. Every day, the river of life eroded them from his mind and they became less and less tangible.
The young man remained silent but peered from the corner of his sockets with intent. The horn blew again and the wind howled against the dusk sky. Rows-in-loud-waters guarded the lands of the tribe for several years, being an ‘eye in the swamp’. The Deceived envied Eversun and believed it promised to them instead of the men around him now. They fell, though, tainted themselves with the lies of the evil their false god fed them. The land of ever-sun had been promised for believers of the beat-giver, not the nest-stealer.
The horn sounded again, this time a bit closer. Rows-in-loud-waters tensed his hand around the shoulder of the young man again, in an attempt to reassure him. He worried the giant they built in tales to keep children near the settlements, backfired in moments like these. Fear, if unchecked by faith and courage created by faith, ravaged a man and tore through his resolve like the monsters created in stories of the age past and gone. “I have heard the Deceived are industrialized people with forges and explosives.”
"They hold fewer explosives and kilns as they once operated in the realms of Setting-Sun and the Teal Forests. We all practiced forging or so I’m told. The sundering was a quick bout of brother against brother and clan against clan. At the base of the white-ridged mountain, where the Nòònchààrrílììsììnat dwelt, we fought for what seemed like hours. We fought until our muscles ached, until our bones hurt, and until our lungs screamed for relief. In the end, Kolotatliíchiit fell and their usurper king called the retreat", he retold the story, holding on to the ax in his hand, keeping it at the ready in his off-hand. "The spirit of Naríhììnanathìnafòò spread over those who lost their way and inhabited all of them. It spread like sickness and as they fled, it fled with them." He shook his head and removed his hand from the young man's shoulder. "Half the priests left with them, and four of the seven first tribes dictated by Wááchlachtat, the great beat-giver."
Hatchling murmured a short prayer, both, Rows-in-loud-waters thought, in reverence for the name of their god but also the fear his heart currently harbored. "And they come now astride giant wolves, Rows-in-loud-waters and hunt in the dusk to find weaknesses in our resolve and steal into the land of promise. There they hope to kill our king, our clan chiefs, and place themselves at the seat of it all. How many times have they tried?" Fear waivered in the voice of the young man, but he kept his eyes straight ahead. They both did. The last they needed, Rows-in-loud-waters thought, wolf-mounted cavalry running them down while they stared into one another's eyes.
"Since the sundering", Rows-in-loud-waters asked and pondered in silence. The horns dinned again and got a bit closer. "In a host of the size the scouts report? Here I face them a second time, but they have always sent scouts almost yearly and they try skirmishes against us almost every five years. So in the twenty years since the sundering, there have been four skirmishes and two battles. Neither side seemed eager to meet the other in open war." To keep the young man from falling deeper into despair, Rows-in-loud-waters kept to himself the assumed reason. The potential allied dark powers of the Deceived deterred the king and the clan leaders from open war. They feared, maybe rightfully so, that the enemy sought other children of Naríhììnanathìnafòò like the Chììktonààn with their horrid owl-shaped faces and wrinkled talon-like hands.
Though none have seen a Chììknààn in a generation, tales of their malice lingered around the fires of public areas. Elders spun tales of heroes fighting the demi-god-like beings. Their eyes could see a spirit walker, and their strength could wrestle to the ground men twice their size. The claws, razor-sharp on each wrinkled and pimpled hand, extended its arm into the spirit world itself and could yank a spirit walker out from between the realms.
He ventured to guess the enemy refused open war with them because of the fear of the great beat-giver intervening against them, as he had done at the sundering. Spirits of the eagle, the buffalo, and the snake descended from the skies and took shape around them. The eagle came to the aid of the great teacher and fought with him against the enemy. The sight still filled Rows-in-loud-waters with awe and fear. These great spirits with such power existed in their realm - the Wààchlachtatpààtiit. Who knew what else existed beyond the reaches of the seas and northern mountains? The horn blew again, but this time it had not moved. He grabbed the other hatchet on his belt with his right hand.
"They're stalling", Hatchling breathed out, almost in a whisper as if he dared not alert the enemy to his position...
"They are and it is not like them to do so. But remember the spirit of our clan. We watch like the eye in our banner. We wait. We strike. Let the panther clan hunt through the woods and draw them out. We are to wait here." Rows-in-loud-waters convinced himself but pondered what the spirit-walkers of the panther clan waited for, or worse if the Chììktonààn horde lingered within the enemy host and snatched them from between the material and immaterial. "We wait." He echoed again and stood at the ready. The scales on his armor glinted in the setting sun to their left as it sank over the rolling hills at the place where the mountains met the lowlands and fled into the prairies.
A sea of pinks, reds, and oranges washed over the sky to the left of them as they faced north. The sun sat at the bottom of it all, at the horizon in the planes before the Saàronit. He failed to see it but, past the seas of grass - it sank. The sun sought its evening home beyond the lands of teal forests and red cliffs. In the land of gold and beautiful ridged coastlines. It almost yanked him away from the battle before him. It almost drew him away from the moment.
"So they're not as bad as you've told me my whole life?"
"They're bad, but they're human. They bleed and die like you do. The tales your elders have taught you as a child have not been altogether false or altogether true. They *do* practice human sacrifice of those they capture", Rows-in-loud-waters stated. He hid the fact they often sacrificed young children of their clans in the event they captured no one. "But they are not able to speak with wolves or command spiders. These are lies for story-telling effectiveness."
The young man grinned, "Ah then I will bring back my weight in scalps and wolf heads to the feasts of the return party." The young man raised his hatchet in response. "Each being an honor to my family and a possible trophy to convince Fóó Pafààlktiit Tínafsorlor to ask me to give her a name. Been courting her for two years now, and she still hasn't asked me. Perhaps this shows her my ability to provide and protect." Rows-in-loud-waters nodded. Sometimes spoils of war could convince a woman to request a naming. He wondered if women had it better in their tradition of naming. A woman received her name from her husband at the naming ceremony, but a man got his name from his peers. One bad name could stick forever.
His eyes scanned over to Chàànatatnafsorhapààt, named for hiding during a skirmish with the Deceived a handful of years ago. At least his name, he thought, sat in the middle of the road. Not too over the top to be too ridiculous but not to note some character flaw. Once given a name, your name stuck with you for the rest of your life. Shaking his head, he heard screams in the woods before them. "Get ready", he squatted in his ready position. Silence oozed over the field as the sun made a half-eye like of their banner against a pink sky.
"Fóó pafààlktiit tínafsorlor, I will bring you back spoils! I will show you I am a man to father your children", the young man mimicked the position Rows-in-loud-waters took. The two of them stood side by side. "Wááchlachtat, please be with us. Guide our strikes. Smite our foes", the young man glanced up at the sky. Rows-in-loud-waters followed his gaze with his own eyes and witnessed a single eagle flying overhead. “A good omen”, he noted. "He is with us", the young man shouted and pointed up to the sky. "He. Is. With. Us." The fervor spread through the line as men glanced up to spot the eagle before it disappeared.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Hatchling. Have faith, but the battle is not yet over. Wááchlachtat is not ours to master. We are his. His will is not ours. He will do as he wishes with this day." Then they came. Oversized wolves burst from the treeline and the men in the front of the formation readied their spears. "When the charge breaks, move with me. Understood, Hatchling", Rows-in-loud-waters asked. The young man nodded a response and the two of them faced their full attention to the front. Drums around them wailed with each passing moment and the panther clan did their duty - pinching the Deceived and drawing them out.
Rows-in-loud-waters smelled them before they got close enough to attack. They reeked of sulfur, oxidized iron, and sweat. Of all the deceits sown by the evil spirit, the greatest blazed fire and iron. Though he lived too few years to have experienced the splendors in the teal forests. The forest they laid bare, the mountains and valleys they flattened to build large metal works. All of this culminated in the great lie the beat-giver gave them conquest as a purpose. Their people knew the truth as inherited from the great beat-giver. Upon creation, he gifted man with more than a heartbeat, but also a goal, a purpose, and a stewardship over the world. The Deceived abandoned it and clad themselves in metal armor atop their steeds.
Charging furred beasts broke against the spears of the stag clan who had adorned their heads with antlers and little white speckled furs along their backs. Wolves howled and snapped their jaws at them as they died against the spears. The drool from their large agape mouths dripped onto the stag clansmen and drenched their armor. The area around Rows-in-loud-waters filled with the reek of wet dogs, which, smelled more pleasant than their riders.
One Deceived soldier, overlapping plated armor, hopped from his beast as it hit the spears, and landed behind the line, rolling as he did so. Tumbling to his feet, he drew two swords made of crude metal and eyed around the Rows-in-loud-waters and Hatchling. He licked his filed-down teeth and stepped forward to the two of them. The smell shifted back to the scent of sulfur and rust. Evil, its stench, hung to the Deceived.
Rows-in-loud-waters turned to face him and tugged Hatchling to do the same. The two of them flicked their hatchets in their hands and semi-circled the Deceived man This outsider appeared like they did: dark tanned skin, darker hair, dark eyes, and markings along his skin denote his tribe. This one hailed from the wolf tribe, which drew its heraldry from the initial Coyote tribe of Kolotatliíchiit. "Traitors", the wolf warrior shouted and raised his sword to charge forward. Rows-in-loud-waters noted the warrior before them bore the scarred claws of the man-butcher on his face. Three scarred lines trailed down his face and missed his eyes by a half-inch.
Other men broke through the formation of spearmen at the front of the line. One by one, more Deceived lingered into the lines of their tribe and the tempest of blades and shields whirled to life. Swords clanked against hatchets, spears against armor, and maces against faces. He heard the crunch of bone under the pressure of horse hooves. The air filled with the smell of metallic liquid, not like rust but a bit more like copper.
Hatchling and Rows-in-loud-waters moved in and, like the jaws of the mighty alligator spirit, pinched the Deceived warrior between themselves. Hatchling threw a slashing move with one of his hatchets, preparing a parry with the other arm. As he did so, Rows-in-loud-waters lunged forward and hacked hard downward to put a severe dent in the helmet of the enemy. The outsider struggled between them. He blocked one blow from Rows-in-loud-waters, then turned around to parry a blow from Hatchling. Sparks flew off the crude metal weapon as their chiseled stone axes hit it. The two of them stepped back from the Deceived outsider before he could counterattack.
Charging in again Hatchling dented his armor, leaving scuffs and scratches, while the enemy pushed Rows-in-loud-waters back away. "Traitors? You fight for the enemy, cousin!" Regardless of how far out the family they believed all clans related through the first men created by the beat-giver. "Turn your heart to Wááchlachtat and see! See the error of your ways and your kindred, they betrayed our ways and clung to Kolotatliíchiit even when revealed himself as the enemy!"
"Kolotatliíchiit was a hero, a paragon of our people! He hunted and slew the Chììktonààn. He mastered the realm given to us and showed us how to bend it to our will", with each phrase the enemy slammed his sword against Hatchling. Raising both his axes to catch the oncoming slash, Hatchling grunted as each hit staggered him backward.
"Perhaps it is not ours to shape?" Hatchling posed the question now and pride welled up in Rows-in-loud-waters’s heart. The young one came to grasp the purpose, the great mission for all of the men on Laaliíoota, one of them anyway. They lived in harmony with nature, not against it, not bending mountains to their will. To protect the young soldier, he jabbed forward with the ax in his main hand and moved back. It acted as a deterrent to pressing the young soldier further.
Around them, the din of battle drowned out the sounds of any other thoughts or fears. The Deceived soldier before them held their full attention. Another enemy sped toward them but caught a spear in the back of the neck. It pierced through him and pinned him to the ground. Gurgling nearby, he struggled and flailed his arms against the ground. A pool of crimson soaked the grass.
"Why", he pushed back Hatchling with his foot. "Would the beat-giver", he slashed and cut a gash in Rows-in-loud-water’s arm. "Give us", he kicked again trying to keep Hatchling back. "a realm to exist in. He wants us to conquer it."
Glancing at the blood running from his arm, Rows-in-loud-waters shook his head. "Then you are lost, cousin. The beat-giver never commanded us to conquer anything. He asked us to live in love with one another, to defend the wilds and beauty he created, and to worship him." Rows-in-loud-waters spun his hatchets around his hands and stepped back. Love of nature, love of others, and love of Wááchlachtat existed as the key commands of their god. The spirits echoed this in their defined sub-goals for each clan.
"Cousin", Rows-in-loud-waters said, "I will ask you once more to lay down your arms and come to try and reform... And we will see to it you are integrated with your people. That you see the truth and the life." In all ways, if possible, he felt required to extend out to the lost and try and pull them back to the way. His eyes met the Deceived man’s eyes and they shared a moment. Contemplation washed over the features of the enemy for but a moment as he narrowed his eyes to Rows-in-loud-waters.
"Never. Your way is a lie. Designed to deceive us." He kicked Hatchling back away again when the gap between them closed, then turned and charged. Rows-in-loud-waters and the enemy met at full force. The two of them traded blows. A slash on the cheek of the Deceived, bleed and he could see the ivory teeth within his joules. He hissed with pain and stepped back again. Droplets of blood oozed from the wound of the enemy’s mouth and down his chin. He reached up and wiped the blood away and licked into the wound with his tongue.
Hatchling charged at him from behind and jumped up into the air to attempt to plunge his axes upon the Deceived's shoulders with two raking blows. Rows-in-loud-waters rose his axes to try and deter the young warrior from his actions against the Deceived. With sudden premonition and supernatural celerity, the Deceived turned around and jammed his sword upwards in a single motion. Hatchling stopped in his tracks, his body caved save for the spasms. The pain must have racked him as he shuddered when the enemy pulled the blade out and fell to the ground.
"No!" Rows-in-loud-waters shouted and charged, but even as he charged forward Hatchling continued to fight. Standing from his prone position, he struck the Deceived in the back of the leg with his hatchet and it bit into him. Crimson liquid sprayed out onto the ground, but he pressed against his abdomen with his left arm. Slashing with the other arm in rapid succession. They wasted too much time, thought Rows-in-loud-waters and he needed to press the combat now. The enemy must fall before Hatchling expired.
Rows-in-loud-waters smacked him with the flat side of his weapon so he turned back around. The blood of his fellow clan mate dripped from the crude metallic blade. The air smelled of rusted metal. Fuming inside, Rows-in-loud-waters swung his weapon again and cleaved through the enemy's collarbone. The Deceived’s neck slacked and the weapon fell to his side. Ringing against his armored thigh, the sword clacked there, tapping as the enemy struggled to hold on.
Heaving for breath, Hatchling continued slashing with his axes and making deep cuts against the enemy until he stopped moving. Blood, a mixture of his own and the Deceived’s covered his face and shoulders. His body rested over the Deceived’s body and he lay there motionless. The battle swirled around them, cousin against cousin. Night fell around them and the three sister moons lit the darkness. The pale, vulnerable light glinted off crude metal and seeped into obsidian weapons.
Rows-in-loud-waters dropped to his knees beside the two bodies as Hatchling gasped for breath. The battle waged on, but numbers weighed on their side. The Deceived brought a thousand men to this battle, where they fielded three times. His ally wrapped both arms around his stomach to try and slow the bleeding.
"Rows-in-loud-waters, tell Fóó Pafààlktiit Tínafsorlor I wish I could have made it back to her. This", he lifted the scalped hair of the enemy soldier on the ground beside him, "is for her." He placed the skin and braided hair into Rows-in-loud-waters’s hand. "Tell her", he coughed, "I would have named her... The most poetic names." The scalp’s blood leaked from the cracks in his hands and down his wrist.
Wrapping his fingers around the other man's hand, Rows-in-loud-waters nodded his head. "What would have named her, Hatchling?" He squeezed as the young man faded a bit more, though he looked far older now than he had ever looked at him before. The mission at the moment remained to keep the young man from dying in fear and panic. Blood gushed from the open wound under his rib cage.
"I would have named her for the way the crickets sing in the summer as the sun sets under the moss-draped trees - Saàriifòònaforchiínaforchiit. I could have named her for the light reflected in her eyes as the fire burns under a full moon and frogs croak out beats for our souls to dance to. I would have named her", he gurgled blood between the words, "queen of my heart - Kiwáátattalkti. Most importantly, Rows-in-loud-waters, I would have named her my wife..."
"I know, friend. I know. I will tell her", blood leaked from the scalp in his hand and down his wrists as he pulled Hatchling's head into his lap. "Rest now, friend." Rows-in-loud-waters leaned in close to his friend and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around the wound with him and tried to provide him warmth as all the blood left his body. The savage blade of the enemy, ripped as it came out. Shuddering, Hatchling closed his eyes, knowing the end came soon.
"Tell her", he whispered again.
"I will", Rows-in-loud-waters responded.
The battle wrestled to an end with the final Deceived being chased away from the battle lines and into the woods where the Panther clan decided to let them go further by themselves. Rows-in-loud-waters watched from his place on the ground and hand on the side of Hatchling's cheek. A set of footsteps jingled through the battlefield behind him, but he kept his face downcast. A clattering of bones against quartz rung with each step. Blotting out the light from the moon, a shadow towered over him.
"Rows-in-loud-waters, losing a soldier in your line is unforgettable and crushing of the spirit, but he is not gone forever. You will see him again when we return to the beat-giver and live with him in the land of peace. Do distress yourself." The chief of the alligator clan knelt and placed a hand on Rows-in-loud-waters’s shoulder. He remained silent for some time, and Rows-in-loud-waters continued to look at the young man who served beside him.
"He fought valiantly, but even in the halls of the beat-giver he will be unnamed."
"Because he has not earned a name? Do you believe he has not earned a name, Rows-in-loud-waters? I hardly think that is fair." The chief shook his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth disapprovingly. Rows-in-loud-waters placed both hands of his friend on his chest and then placed his arms at his sides to shake out the anxiety and pent-up energy there.
"But, Leans-on-the-spirit, no one named him in life. He would not know it when we meet him in the halls of the beat-givers home. How would he answer". At this question, the chief sat and nestled into the ground near Rows-in-loud-waters. Squeezing his shoulder with his hand, and looked into the warrior's eyes.
Removing his hand from the shoulder of Rows-in-loud-waters he lifted the hand of Hatchling to his lap and took in a deep breath. "Do you imagine the names we give one another are for them to know who they are? Do you think our understanding of self is so small we have to have our brothers explain our behavior to ourselves?"
"So the names we give one another are for those around us."
"They're not for the beat-giver to know us", the chief chortled in response. "He already knows who we are before any name is given." The chief looked into Rows-in-loud-waters’s eyes and Rows-in-loud-waters sensed a tenderness and joy in the life of the man which grew in him like a ripened fruit. Here, the fruit offered out to him in guidance and words. “He knew us before the foundation of Laaliíoota and before the breath of the first man”
“Then I have a name for him.”
The chief motioned his hand. “Go on, Rows-in-loud-waters. He fought his trial against the Decieved. He may not have survived, but as far as I am concerned. He passed the test.”
Rows-in-loud-waters pondered for a moment and then closed the eyes of Hatchling on his lap. The wreckage of the battle around them reeked of shit and blood. "Goodbye, Nilchiiltatnawànàt." He inhaled and let out a long sigh. It ripped through him. He sobbed and tears dropped. "Goodbye..." The name echoed in his mind, and the meaning of the syllables slammed together. *Goodbye*, he thought, *Goodbye Died-in-honors-of-all.*
The chief bent over him, wrapping his arms around him and holding his shoulders. "We will see him again. I promise." Standing, he turned his back to Rows-in-loud-waters and looked over the battlefield. "Many of the men who died here will be seen again. Some will be seen in the final moments of the Last End. When we line up before the beat-giver he unfurls the hide of our hearts and examines the colors we dyed there. Should he find there are more colors of lust, hatred, envy, or pride than of love for one another and Him... We will have to answer for that."
Rows-in-loud-waters rose behind him and looked over the battlefield, he knew even the Deceived, flawed, and wrong, stood before the judgment of the beat-giver, regardless of their beliefs. Mangled men lay with broken arms and legs twisted in unnatural directions. The great wolves splayed out with matted fur and broken jaws. He scanned the carnage and another tear came along the curve of his cheek. "Will they attack again?" The sound of men directing clean-up echoed throughout the mass grave before him.
"The enemy will continue to push, ever-escalating the power at his disposal until he is finally defeated in the final moment of the Last End." The chief of the alligator clan offered his words and it warmed Rows-in-loud-waters' heart.
"I don't understand why we must wait for the living spirit of the forest to take on human flesh to defeat Naríhììnanathìnafòò'', a hint of anger rose in Rows-in-loud-waters’s voice as he placed his hatchets back against the belt that held his pants in place. "Why can we not hunt the enemy." He kicked the head of one of the enemy soldiers near him, forgetting his place and not respecting the dead that now belonged to the spirits.
"Even if you hunted every vessel of evil. Even if you slaughtered all the clans of Chììktonààn. You would remain with yourself and the evil in your blood and heart." The chief’s mouth twitched a bit, as he knelt and placed the enemy’s head back where it lay before the kick.
Rows-in-loud-waters took a step back, staggered by the thought he harbored some part of Naríhììnanathìnafòò in himself. "What do you mean? I have never accepted the tenets of evil. I do not forsake my vow to stewardship. I do not forsake my family. I do not forsake my god." He listed out the beliefs every man of the tribe agreed in their ideology. But the chief shook his head in response.
"You are thinking too largely, my friend." The chief pointed softly to the muscles over the heart of Rows-in-loud-waters and pointed out to the battlefield for them both to see. "It is not these large acts, though terrible, that will weigh our hearts with the ink of debt. It is the small ones. Like putting your wants above your wife's needs. Or talking back to your parents. The taint of Naríhììnanathìnafòò is in all of us from the earliest days of his coming to us. Big and small all these evils stain our hearts the same. The smaller ones are easier to commit."
"I... I don't know what to say", Rows-in-loud-waters stammered and stared down at his own feet.
The chief shrugged his shoulders. "Seldom does anyone. It is hard to imagine the taint or the extent of contamination that exists in the world. What we can do is attempt to bring our cousins back into the fold, so to speak, and lead them to a life of stewardship over the realm Wááchlachtat has given to us." The chief’s eyes closed and he mumbled under his breath. Turning again, he left the battlefield and the warrior behind him.
The banners flapped against the wind as they packed up. Men from each clan gathered the dead they had and placed them either over the backs of horses or over their shoulders. The three sisters, moons each larger than the last, trailed across the sky in various phases. Rows-in-loud-waters chose to carry Nilchiiltatnawànàat instead of casting him to the side on the back of a horse. The man's limp arm fell down Rows-in-loud-waters’s back and blood dripped. It trickled the sections of bare skin on Rows-in-loud-waters’s back.
They marched on into the night, headed back south toward their families in Eversun and the drums played a slow, solemn tone with each step they made through the woods. His eyes scanned from person to person. All their eyes cast down to the ground as if looking to make sure they would not trip and fall, but he knew they felt the pain of losing a young one or an unnamed one, or even a brother or a friend.
As they marched, the air started to smell more like home and less like sulfur and metal. The hint of pines, the stench of swamplands, and the sound of water lapping against the sides of shallow ponds in the soft wind. An inhale drug air into his lungs and past his nose where he sniffed the familiar smell of rotted leaves. As they left, he heard a voice from his left. When he turned to face and looked at the voice, no one stood in the darkness of the trees. A voice in his ear, or his heart, told him all calmed for now.
submitted by 11b403a7 to worldbuilding [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 23:21 MelodicConclusion625 My Broken Brain Broke my Life. Ending Tonight

My name is not important. I was born January 2nd, 1993 with Cerebral Palsy. My mother and father were loving in raising me at an early age. So loving in fact, that my five year old sister became resentful of me and mistreated me for the next 15 years of my life. She would often treat me like I was useless, or ignore what I needed. I remember being 6 in the Santa Claus Day Parade with skin tight pajamas on in -15 weather. The doctor said I could've had hypothermia. I remember being 7 and watching the Hunchback of Notre Dame, with her saying "see, that's you!" as my mother bought me the Quasimodo doll. I remember being told that I would "Never make it" in highschool because I was a loser in her eyes.
This is where the problems started.
I can forgive my sister, for what happened, and have since move past it, but the self deprecation started there. It did not help that for a lot of my childhood, my father was clinically depressed and rarely talked about my life or needs or concerns. I still remember in February, 14, 2001 when Dale Earnhardt died him curled up into a ball on the couch. He became depressed for many years. I also got molested by my cousin around this time (which was a fun memory to remember)
With a Depressed father and antagonistic sister. My growing up life was less then ideal. Of course it didn't help that when my friends would come over for a sleepover, my sister would make fun of me. It taught them how to use my own insecurities and vulnerabilities against me, and it was pretty easy. Getting a word in edge wise while having a physical disability is pretty tough, and its even tougher when everyone labels you the goofy dumbass of the group.
This kept getting worse and worse until high school, where my friends would simply demean me. I felt like I couldn't compare to them, and they just wanted to see me do funny things. I quickly taught myself to be the court jester in order to crave attention: constantly demeaning myself in order to achieve the goals I needed to achieve. Demeaning myself was the only way I had control in a body that I couldn't control.
By Grade 12, I truly did hate myself. I got all the attention I ever wanted. Heck I even won Prom King. But still, people did not treat me as their equal. I was always the stupid one. This coupled with the fact that no girl was interested in me was very frustrating.
I went into University with the hopes of dating. I met a girl who was super Christian. Like the whole "I don't drink and have premarital sex" schpiel. She said if I became religous like her she would "definetely" fall madly in love with her. So I went to her church, did everything I asked, all for her to say at the end of it "No I can't date you. And I can't do it because your disability would be a burden on me". Might as well just killed me right there and then. But I moved forward
By the end of university I had graduated and become a school teacher. I soon then met my ex Girlfriend Christine. Christine also had Cerebral Palsy and lived in British Columbia. I fell for her. She fell for me. We would talk virtually for hours and we were both happy.
Until one day that happiness turned to abuse. Every weekend I would spend 4-6 hours helping her with her schoolwork, only for her to say that I was "selfish" and "not trying hard enough". Due to my depreciation of myself by most in my life, I believed her. And so I was now in a cycle of being with someone who would only show me love when I did things for her. Sometimes I would get emails that said "I wish I could hit you". And somehow, I kept going
She pressured me to move to British Columbia to be with her 3 years later. There was no way she could move to me. Her mother (who I believe now is a narcissist), would always get involved in our conversations and the two would gang up on me, beating down any kind of backbone I could have. As her mother said to me once, "Remember Darrell, I always get my way"
I moved to BC. in July 2022 I felt relief at first as I thought I would never have to fear Christine again. I mistook my elation for freedom, when in actuality it is submission. As soon as I got to BC, I began to be heavily abused by her mother and her. Her mother for example, called me the nickname "boy". Like "Hey boy, go get something out of the fridge". She also once yelled at me for saying "Hi" to her in a text, because that was disrespectful and I am "Not like one of your students".
It just kept getting worse. Every day I would trudge over to Christine's house (a 1.5 km walk), and I woud sit with her and help her with feeding, or video games, or art, or schoolwork. I became enmeshed in her life, considered myself co-dependent. I didn't think about my needs or wants anymore, only hers. After all, that's what I thought being a good boyfriend was. I went home in September for a week. Christine was angry with me, calling me not dedicated enough. She would call me a piece of shit when she was mad at me.
I started thinking I was co-dependent. I even made A reddit post about it here:
https://www.reddit.com/AmItheAsshole/comments/xaesky/aita_for_going_home_and_seeing_my_parents_instead/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
This should've been the biggest hint looking back, but I kept thinking that I was the problem. So I went back home and I read a book about Codepedency. Eventually I contacted the author and sat with her for a session. I wrote the following in my Explanation to her:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1alWZHZW8oCY3qJrQCLZ86Me1K_vuQqTM/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100060198783867941141&rtpof=true&sd=true
And you want to know what she said when I asked for a solution? "I don't know". Because if someone is codependent on you (as I realize now my girlfriend was with me), the whole point is to make them do thing independently. Except you can't do that with someone with a disability. So, I'm now entering a territory where solutions to my problems DON'T EVEN EXIST.
September and October go by. Christine and I talk about me being more independent. She says she agrees but then goes back to her old ways. I ask her in November, "Can I go home to see my parents?" she responds with "I guess you're not committed to me". And accuses me of being a Mama's boy. Her mother gets in on this, and when I say my sacrafices should prove my dedication to her, she responds with "she's sacraficed by waiting for you". So I am convinced and I tell my parents I am not coming home. My parents get even more worried that I am getting controlled (and I am). My sister gets involved. She tells me I'm no longer part of the family because I keep going back and forth between going and not going. She thinks I am being abused. She's totally right, but at this point I am being brainwashed to think that I am not enough and need to prove it to Christine and her mother. She tells me to "not bother coming home". So I now have 3 people constantly calling me a shitty person: My sister hates me because I am not coming home. Christine hates me because I am not good enough for her, and her mother, Nansey is reinforcing all of this heavily.
To make matters worse, Nansey is constantly age regressing me. If I want to go to a movie with Christine, I must schedule it with her mother. If I want to stay over and cuddle Christine, she must call her mother in approval. I can only take the route home she approves walking home, otherwise she will get angry at me. I must keep my apartment tidy at all times. She wants me to buy certain foods. She will tell me if I am being fair to Christine or not. Lots of Triangulation between the 3 of us: some in my favor, some not, but always with her mother in control. If I get mad, her mother says that I have anger issues.
With these three forces constantly pulling me, I begin to develop CPTSD. It is a 4-way psychological abuse, where I must pick between my family (with a member who hates me), and my best friend (who Ashley has gotten involved) or my partner (who also hates me). Either way I am screwed. A paradox. So the tug of war begins for the next few months. My body is storing all of this trauma, not knowing what to do with it. I begin to experience dissociation, and derealization. I remember putting my hand on a stove to see if I could feel it (Thanks Kanye for that idea). My cerebral palsy is already brain damage, so we are now adding brain damage on top of brain damage.
My cerebral Palsy coupled with CPTSD begins to destroy my body. I am constantly tight due to CP, and now the PTSD gets added to the mix and I need the hardest dopamine hits imaginable to stay alive. I turn to pornography and masturbation as an outlet, acting like a feral animal in order to stay afloat. Every Saturday, I begin my night after seeing Christine by getting an edible, wearing a diaper (which I found self soothing however fucked up it is), and I masturbate.
But as the pressure begins to get to be too much, I start getting addicted to crazier and crazier pornography in order to keep myself alive. I am fully dissociating when I do this, because I don't want to feel anything. I basically become suicidal and think to myself "what's the point of even existing" and start doing anything to get that hit. It is at this point I begin to turn to CP (yes that kind) in order to fulfill my urges.
I go home at Christmas. My sister is still angry at me and I am scared of being around her too. She gets my best friend to yell at me and they both make me feel like shit. On New Years Eve, I write a suicide letter. I have full intentions to end it.
But I go back to BC and the trauma bonding continues. I keep telling Ashley that I know Christine is bad for me, but I can't have the confidence to end it. Of course, now I know that it is trauma bonding. This continues for another few months, as I try to make both sides happy.
In March, my sister wanted me to go to a MUSE concert, and so I secretly flew out to Ontario to see the concert, all while faking a background in my room to make it appear to my girlfriend like I was back home (this is how scared I was). After the concert, I get on a plane back to BC just so I can see my girlfriend for 2 DAYS, then fly back to Ontario for a week. Essentially I did 2 round trips from Ontario to BC in a 72 hour span, just to make other people happy while lying to both sides.
By April, Summer was fast approaching and I had very little money left. Nansey suggested at the age of 31 that I work at Red Seals Summer Camp, a job usually designed for teenagers. I realize I have to get out or I will be age regressed to forever.I decide to commit to my old job late April.
At the beginning of May, Christine yells at me from 10 AM, to 8 PM over texting because her mother wouldn't allow her to make a video call. When her mother leaves, she turns on video and yells at me until her worker forces her camera off No matter what I do, I can not make her happy. I know the end is approaching. I want to go over to her house to end it the next day, but she won't let me.
I leave to go see my parents on May 24 weekend. When I come back, Nansey will quarantine me for 2 weeks at my house. I need to break up with her face to face. And after a week, I get that chance
I meet them in public, in the park. Nansey comes over to me with a written list of demands and "stop signs" for the both of us. She demands that if either one of us get mad we hold up the stop signs. As soon as she leaves I listen to Christine talk and read her demands, On it? "When I am angry, please don't respond to me"
These aren't written by Christine, they're by her mother. I tell Christine that I cannot tell the difference between her and her mother. I tell her its over, and walk away with the stop sign and list of demands in hand. Nansey eventually finds me and rips these out of my hands. I am terrified. I run home and lock my doors. I type an account of everything that happens. I go to the police, but no crime has been committed according to them,
I am all alone in BC now with very few allies. I am terrified as Nansey could come any time she wants, I block her on everything so she cannot speak to me. But back in September, I gave my copy of the apartment contract to her to make photocopies. She keeps these and starts harassing my landlord. She says that whenever I drop items off at the house (to give Christine back her stuff) I am harassing them. I want to die, but as long as I stay in my house I am okay. I start selling my stuff hoping to go back home by July. I even start to heal a bit, but I am so terrified that I am constantly in a Freeze because of the looming threat of Nansey
And then the cops came and seized my house 2 weeks later. Throughout all of this time while being totally traumatized, totally terrified, and completely abused, I had used CP. They take me out in handcuffs and seize most of my electronics. I had used CP because while being abused I was suicidal and hated myself. An act of self destruction, taken to the max by a brain that had both Cerebral Palsy and CPTSD to manage. Also a way to masturbate and still get the cortisol out of my system.
I am in a cell for 6 hours. The police talk to me but I am barely in sane mind. The lawyer I talk to says that they'll just search my stuff. They find CP in a few areas. When they ask why, I only respond with the word "Innocence".
I am back in ontario now, its been 6 months and they're still doing the investigation. My life is over, and I don't think I had any control over any of it. And it was due to CP, CPTSD, and CP
I am pretty sure I will end my life, as after doing extensive research its nearly impossible to prove in Canadian court that Psychological Abuse caused either mental illness or automatism.
So this is how my life ends. I will be ending my life in just a few days. I have no idea whether I am a good person or not. Perhaps this is up for you to decide. But I am happy that my life is coming to an end. Nobody should have to go through what I have been through
Good night
submitted by MelodicConclusion625 to SuicideWatch [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 19:02 Plentifulcacti AITA for allowing my adopted daughter to name herself after me

I am posting this on behalf of my coworker and she has requested I don’t use any names.
My coworker (36F) has a daughter (9F) who she adopted when she was an infant. She and her husband are white and their daughter is mixed race (bio mom is black and dad is hispanic) For the record, it was an open adoption which means the bio family can be in the adopted child’s life and she has grown up knowing that she is adopted and they are her family by blood. Her bio family on her mom’s side live in the same city as my coworker and her husband (42 M) and as far as I am aware they’ve never been able to contact anyone on her bio dads side and they’ve never met any of them. I do not know why she was put up for adoption but I was told that bio mom was only 19 so I imagine that’s a big part of it.
Despite the adoption being open, her daughter’s biological family isn’t really in her life at all. Bio mom liked my coworker and her husband enough to let them adopt her baby but once the adoption was finalized it’s been a struggle to get any of her bio family to see her. She sees them maybe once a year on her birthday. The bio mom and grandma get invited to things like school events and holidays but they have a habit of, more often than not, not showing up without any word. The daughter knows her bio mom, grandma and a few other family members from the times they have come to her birthdays. but, according to her, despite their best efforts to be welcoming, her bio family is disinterested in actually getting to know her daughter. My coworker and her husband would love for their daughter to have a real relationship with them but it’s always horribly awkward and her bio family keep to themselves and speak less than a handful of words to the daughter before silently leaving after everyone has cake.
That being said, she is super attached to my coworker and her husband. She is their only child so she has their full love and attention.
A major detail of this story is that the daughter has a very unique name given to her by her biological mother and her daughter absolutely hates it. She has always insisted on being called by one of her nicknames and will sometimes refuse to answer if called by her official name.
A few months back their daughter approached them and said she would like to change her name to my coworker’s middle name. It’s an old fashioned name that’s not super popular anymore (family name) but she really likes it and one of her preferred nicknames can be a shortened version for it.
Her daughter wants to feel more connected to the people who love her and have raised her for 9 years and she really wants to name herself after her “real” mom. My coworker is extremely honored and they have no problem calling her by this new name, but they decided she does have to wait until she is 18 to legally change it. In our country changing legal names is hard and they want to make sure she still wants that name years down the road.
Well their daughter’s 9th birthday was two weeks ago and her bio mom, grandma and a couple of cousins came to their house and apparently flipped when they saw her new name on the cake and birthday banner. She and her husband forgot to inform them of the change so it was a shock. They tried to explain that it’s what their daughter wants and legally her name hasn’t changed, but the bio family said they feel incredibly disrespected and that they’re trying to erase her culture and who she really is. The bio family stormed off and the daughter is apparently still upset that there was a giant argument at her party (the daughter doesn’t know why they were fighting as she was off playing games in the backyard but she could hear the raised voices and saw her cousins get snatched up and taken from the party)
She’s worried that now her daughter will never see any of her bio family again and that in the future her daughter will resent them for it. She wants to know if she and her husband are wrong for calling her daughter by her old fashioned, “white sounding”, chosen name and if they should have told her she can’t change her birth name that apparently connects her to her birth family’s culture.
Is she TA?
submitted by Plentifulcacti to AITAH [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 04:28 shaneka69 MINNESOTA NUMEROLOGY DECODE

MINNESOTA NUMEROLOGY DECODE

Today I will be decoding the state of Minnesota. I recently did one for Massachusetts if you would like to check that out. I will begin decoding the letters in the state letter by letter and then point of conclusive insights afterwards.
M - This is the 13th letter of the alphabet which will point to the energies of 4 which represents caution, privacy, withholding, responsibility, order, restriction, and family. A place with this letter as the first letter will likely have things in order or order will be of significance.
I - This is the 9th letter of the alphabet which brings the energy of adventure, learning, wisdom, experience, and expansion.
N - Being the 14th letter, N vibrates at the energy of 5 which is the use of responsibility being used for creative purposes. This can take place in many forms, especially when it comes to a state and not a person.
N - Being the 14th letter, N vibrates at the energy of 5 which is the use of responsibility being used for creative purposes. 5 is the number of war and combat as well.
E - 5th letter of the alphabet which points to love, joy, romance, child-like energy, and creativity. 5 is the number of war and combat as well.
S - 19th letter which vibrates at the energy of 1, but in this case, Minnesota isn't a state looking to be in control or to get too much attention since the 1 energy isn't overbearing. In this case, the 1 represents being self-motivated and capable.
O - 15th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 6. 6 is about discipline, hospitality, compassion,etc.
T - 20th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 2. 2 is a money number and the number of cooperation, stability, and comfort. 2 is also about compassion as well.
A - 1st letter of the alphabet which is about action, observation, and opportunity.
Based on what we have decoded regarding the letters in Minnesota, we can see that the main repetitive number and energy is 5. 5 shows up 3 times in this state's name which equals 15 and then 6 when added and reduced. This is definitely a state that focuses on discipline, balance, and fairness. Justice or the justice system could be very significant for this state. This is also good for financial purposes because maybe they avoid causing financial problems for their residents. Family and love can also be significant for this state. They may welcome outsiders more easily than Massachusetts(I did a decode for them first). When violence arrises, they most likely take care of it as soon as possible to keep the state at a balanced medium.
We have the energy of 1 only repeating twice which means that this state may be more welcoming and cooperative in general. Could be nice acts of kindness pretty often. They likely create a fair workforce and living arrangements of their residents as much as possible.
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submitted by shaneka69 to NumerologyPage [link] [comments]

2024.05.12 04:08 shaneka69 MASSACHUSETTS NUMEROLOGY DECODE

MASSACHUSETTS NUMEROLOGY DECODE

Interestingly enough, we don't hear much about this state. It's almost easy to overlook or straight up forget unless you are looking at a map. We are going to decode this state using Numerology and point out the reasons/indications that point towards it being such a silent city or at least not popular and frequented like other places. This will get very informative so enjoy the read.
We will now begin decoding each letter in detail.
M - This is The 13th letter of the alphabet Making this letter vibrate at the energy of 4. The energy of four represents privacy and caution. When it comes to 13 and the energy of 4, you have a person or an energy where it's more focused on self rather than connecting with others. So, like I mentioned, 4 is about privacy, caution, and withholding. 4 is pretty restrictive so when a person or place has this name, that you know these are very cautious people or you know that these are not people that take action without thinking. 4 is a very organized type of energy. As a state, this can translate to being a very restrictive state or a state that has particular rules in place. People who live in this state can even have some of these traits. This isn't the type of place to move to unless you want some type of restriction or a relaxed type of energy in your life. M is the strongest energy of this state since it is the first letter of the state's name. So, that alone can start speaking to why this isn't a state that is talked about as much as, let's say, New York or Florida.
A - This is the letter that represents number one as it is the first letter of the alphabet which lets you know that this is about initiation or fresh starts. When it comes to people, this speaks to having that focus on self or being self-motivated.
S - As the 19th letter of the alphabet, this letter vibrates at the energy of one, but it is from a place of being in power or being extremely independent. As a state, that's why the state can seem alone or like a stand alone and not really talked about because we already have a lot of indications that talk about being too self absorbed or too withheld.
S - As the 19th letter of the alphabet, this letter vibrates at the energy of one, but it is from a place of being in power or being extremely independent. As a state, that's why the state can seem alone or like a stand alone and not really talked about because we already have a lot of indications that talk about being too self absorbed or too withheld.
A - This is the letter that represents number one as it is the first letter of the alphabet which lets you know that this is about initiation or fresh starts. When it comes to people, this speaks to having that focus on self or being self-motivated. This is the second time we got this letter and energy.
C - 3rd letter of the alphabet which can represent communication and creativity
H - 8th letter of the alphabet which talks about structure, pressure, seriousness, and mastery.
U - 21st letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 3. This shows compassion, especially when an individual has this in their name. This also can add more creative juices to a person or the state.
S - As mentioned above, this is the 19th letter of the alphabet and vibrates at the energy of 1.
E - 5th letter of the alphabet which points to combat, creativity, romance, joy, change, and events.
T - 20th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 2 which can point to cooperation, stability, comfort, and proactivity. This is a money number just like the number 8, but 2 represents more frequency.
T - 20th letter of the alphabet which vibrates at the energy of 2 which can point to cooperation, stability, comfort, and proactivity. This is a money number just like the number 8, but 2 represents more frequency.
S - As mentioned above, this is the 19th letter of the alphabet and vibrates at the energy of 1.
As you can see, Massachusetts has 6 letters that vibrate at the energy of 1 which equals 6. 6 is about comfort, family, beauty, and discipline. We can see that this may be a state that values discipline which goes well with the fact that it starts with M which is similar to discipline because 4 energy is responsible and even family oriented. We can assume that this state operates from a place of balance and fairness. They may not tolerate what a lot of other states tolerate. Jobs could possibly be a little easier to get here just based on how a lot of the numeric values barely get to the number 9. 1 is the main number that stands out within this state which can point to them doing their own thing and not wanting to identify with how other states do things.
Very individualistic type of energy. People that live in this state could either be workaholics, dogmatic, serious, responsible, controlling, family oriented, shy, or even mean. Routine could be a big thing here. Some or a lot of the residents could even be big on being business owners. This could even be a state where couponing is or can be a big deal. This state may not have too many outside visitors like Florida or Nevada does and the residents could have been there for a long time.
This is a good place to live if you plan on settling down with your own family or partner, if you want a simple and quiet life, if it's just you and only you, if you want to downsize, etc. You get the point. The energy of Massachusetts is very much on the personal and private side.
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submitted by shaneka69 to NumerologyPage [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 19:48 ShadowSV-U1 Self-promotion Thread

Use this thread to promote yourself and/or your work!
(Descriptions of fictional crimes investigated by the story's main Character Max.)
Detective's Fate
It's august of 2008.....
Max is a detective living in Chicago He checks his pistol and puts on his police badge as he walks out his front door.
He has been searching for a serial killer known as the Caller for years and always been one step behind due to the red tape.....
More importantly the chief's lazy attitude towards getting search warrants and actions approved by the courts for raids. Twice Max had good intel on the suspect's locations and photo evidence showing him at the sites.
The department needs more vigilant, caring officers and leaders but no one steps up to do it, instead they just complain about the slow progress and officers. And hinder investigations.
Now Max has decided that it might be time to stop playing by the rules and catch this scumbag.... .... ....
Starting his car Max sets his GPS to the address that "The Caller" was last seen and pulls out of his driveway as the 50 miles of directions pop up.
The killer's nickname being for his signature of calling in as he is committing the crime.
As he drives he remembers his first case, five years ago now..... ..... .....
A woman, Joane Taylor, was found dead in an alleyway after going out for the night. She showed no signs of struggle leading the police to believe she had drank to much and expired from alcohol poisoning.... ...
The death was written off as a "party gone wrong".... That is until several more were found and the coroner decided on a whim to test for other substances.
Once it came out that the deaths were possible murders...
The calls started coming in, almost like the suspect wanted credit before revealing himself....
Then ways of the deaths began changing as the Serial Killer explored his twisted desires searching for his preferred method.
The last case being a young woman found stuffed in a dumpster after the killer apparently got scared off.... Max will never forget it.... .... ....
The GPS finishes and the car beeps its final direction, taking an exit off the highway. Ramps out here are always confusing... Which is funny since he has driven this one for five years now...
The chief says he should sit this one out but he can't... The latest victim 3 months ago.
Marie Spelner, a waitress out on her smoke break talking to her spouse on the phone.
Survived by her husband, no children or living relatives. ....
Max Spelner turns into the driveway of the house he was directed to... Stepping out of the car he walks up and knocks on the door. Looking at the house he knows the family must be doing well if they live here.... Raising his hand to knock again he hears a scream from inside....
A second later the door is answered by a middle aged butler holding a tray with wine glasses on it... "Hello Sir, I'm sorry but this house does not wish to partake in any offers at this time..."
Max calmly says. "I'm not selling anything."
The butler looks confused for a moment before his eyes dart over Max's shoulder seeing his unmarked cruiser and he nods.
Looking past the butler Max sees that a woman is cleaning up after their dog.
"Have you seen this man?" Says Max holds up a picture of the one suspected of being the killer.
The butler gives it a once over before replying. "I'm sorry sir, no I have not." His tone sounds like he is lying... ....
"Are you sure?" The detective asks.
"I would not lie about something like that, sir." He states, his eyes not meeting Max's.
The woman calls from inside "Fletcher, who are you talking too?"
"Some man asking about a killer" he calls back.
"The killer is an inside job!" The woman quickly states.
"What?!" Max says.
"The Killer, it's an inside job." She says again, louder this time. In the same Max also hears a child begin to cry in another room.
"We should start from the beginning, it will be easier to explain trust me." The woman says.
'She seems to know what is going on....
"How do I know your story holds water?" He asks out loud.
"Oh I wouldn't lie. I have been following the case myself and it seems like an inside job to me." She states, somehow sounding hurt.
"Is there anyone else in the house besides you two and the baby?" He asks noticing the baby isn't crying anymore.
"Just Fletcher and I live here, the baby is my cousins but he just stays the night sometimes." She replies.
Max draws his gun and enters the house upon reasonable suspicion of an emergency in progress or suspect on the premisses as the man seems to be deceiving.
While the woman still seems unconcerned that the child is now silent.
He pushes past the butler and rushes towards the area he heard the crying. passes the entryway, the dinning room, and a kitchen before finally finding a child in a playpen.
"There there..." He says in a sing song voice picking up the child. "I'm officer Max, do you know where your mommy is?"
The child just cries louder.
Then he sees the man from the photo walk out of the bathroom, upon seeing him he bolts for the door and Max sets the child down gently then gives chase.
He runs through the house, following the man as he can hear the woman screaming at him to stop but he doesn't."
"Stop or I'll shoot." The man doesn't even break stride.
Instead he runs out of the front door and jumps into his car.
Furious that the man might escape he fires at the car as it drives away.
The back window shatters and he hopes he got his tire, but he doesn't wait to find out as he runs to his car and initiates a pursuit....
He flips on his concealed lights in his cruiser as he reverses down the drive and into the street.
The suspects car is fast but he manages to keep up with it weaving in and out of traffic as people move over for the siren.
As they approach a red light there is heavy traffic in the intersection..... ....
The suspect slams on his brakes and Max's cruiser only just stops short of hitting it. Jumping out the Detective points his firearm at the vehicle running up beside seeing heavily tinted windows.
"Get out of the car and on the ground now!!" He shouts as he moves to the driver's side door.
After seeing no response....
Max throws open the door and the driver is gone with the passenger side open.
He quickly runs to the other side catching the man trying to sneak off tackling him to the ground and then takes his arms putting them behind his back.
Max grabs his radio and calls it in as the man cries.
As he is waiting he hears a noise that sounds like static.....
"Wrong guy moron.. Did you ever stop to think I wanted you close for this one. That I planned everything...Even framing the pothead..... I almost lost interest until you pulled in the driveway... The attic is kinda cramped tho... I think I'll go carve some meat. Maybe graduate to other things to. I'm not sure yet. Lets see if you can catch me before......" A familiar voice says over the radio then cuts off... ...
Max looks at the man on the ground. "Why did you run from me?" He asks.
"Cause I have like 19 grams of marijuana in my pocket." He replies...
"Do you know how stupid that is?! I don't care about that I'm looking for a killer."
Before he can answer Max hears the woman from the house screaming for her life and a child's cries on his radio.
Then from below Max. "He's in the house, he's in the house! My mom and the baby!" The man on the ground says crying.
Max uncuffs him and runs to his car heading back to the house as he lays down rubber on the road... ... ...
As he approaches and pulls into the driveway he notices the front door is open.
"Hold on I'm coming!" Max screams jumping out of his cruiser...
He runs into the house finding the woman's body arriving too late. Moving over to her he checks for a pulse but she is gone, a large gash in her neck.
As he stands up he slips in a fluid but gains his balance and tries not to think about what it is....
He rushes to the room the baby was in finding the play pen empty. He leaves the room searching the rest of the house and still doesn't find the child.
"Where are you!!!" He calls out....
"This is the Callers first kidnapping and the media would eat up the fact I failed to stop the man." He thinks as he blames himself.
Sirens begin to blare in the distance as backup is about to arrive... ... ...
"There's a woman dead and a baby missing! The woman is in the dinning room straight ahead of the front door, Hurry!" He yells into his radio...
Looking over at the mother seeing a piece of paper on the floor.
He walks over to it seeing writing.
"So close... Looks like I'm a kidnapper now.... Good luck finding me.... And... I so enjoyed killing that sweet wife of yours. Might do it that way again. Not to the kid tho....later Max. Ps. This game is so fun.." It says.
"He was here..." Is all he can muster as the team enters.
"He was right in this house and I missed it because her son freaked over weed and ran..." He says as another officer speaks to him gently.
"Don't beat yourself up Detective, it's not your fault. He must have hid before you got her and left after you arrived." The words do little to comfort him "First day back on the job and the killer escaped taking a child..." He says as he walks away.
The chief arrives in his new lexus with a screeching of rubber as he lurches to a halt.
He quickly exits and leaves his door hanging open as he rushes into Max's face....
"I told you to stay away from this case MAX!!!!....(takes a breath)...
"If I catch any flak from my superiors, I won't suspend you.... That'd be to easy. Desk duty and an entry level demotion. The new guy will have a higher rank than you if things go my way.... Now get outta my sight...". "(Sighs)...
"This job is gonna be the death of me..." He says walking away from Max and towards the Coroner's van..... ..... .....
On the way home the detective stops by the store close to his house which is unlike him because he usually follows the same routine.
He nears the front door and he hears a kitchen timer ding loudly from behind him as his car explodes throwing him through the storefront windows as they are blown out..... .....
Alarms around the lot and others nearby create a cacophony of noise. His head pounding as his body aches, Max pushes himself up and collapses as the store manager runs over to him telling him not to move as he dials 911.... .... ....
Waking in the hospital Max recalls the feeling of the Shockwave as he flinches in phantom pain.
"Who woulda thought its like holding a ringing metal bat that hurts your hands but all over and way more intense." He thinks.
He suddenly feels tired and falls asleep.... .... .... ....
The next time he wakes, he sees a breaking news story that Jane Saltani is reporting on....
"Young toddler Accidently Shoots Serial killekidnapper ending his life and Alerting residents in the Area." The news anchor says.
Sighing to himself Max thinks about how crazy that is and laughs.
Tho he really wanted to bring the guy in. He closes his eyes to get some much needed sleep as his door opens.
Max looks up to see a man with a silenced pistol pointed at him.
"Hm. Now they think I'm dead. Funny how they just assume they got the right guy. Just like.... You did Detect... ....." Max hears but then hears no more as his end comes at just over the speed of sound....
The Caller leaves the hair of another intelligent convicted murderer that he obtained in a spot that's believable and quickly leaves.....
He disables the surveillance system and sends a virus out to any device that has received video data from the hospital.
Erasing and corrupting the systems. Leaving a master hackers finger prints on a glass from his home....
"Sorry, no witnesses." He says to the security guard as he fires... ..... ..... .... ....
submitted by ShadowSV-U1 to Shadow_Demon_Slayer [link] [comments]

2024.05.11 00:41 Professional-Yam5398 Why is Compton SO Infamous for Being Hood?

In America, when you think of the most famous “hoods” you think of Compton and Southside Chicago.
This is not meant to prove a point or act tough at all. I’m a very normal guy just being objective from my experiences.
I visited Compton for several days and saw the “worst” areas of it according to my cousin who lives there.
I was shocked by how underwhelmed I was compared to how infamous it is. I honestly didn’t feel very unsafe at all. It felt very comparable to the slightly lower income area of any small city I’ve been to. I’m from NC, and Durham, NC is probably what we would consider the most “hood” area around me. I would choose to live in the projects in Compton 100 out of 100 times compared to Durham.
I’ve also visited Southside Chicago, and that felt like a literal war zone. I felt extremely unsafe walking around there. The “Chiraq” nickname is definitely accurate.
Honestly, aside from a few low income apartment buildings, Compton borderline felt like a nice enough area. Kinda just felt like any other working class place.
Again, this is not at all meant to sound like a badass. I’m just genuinely interested. Is the famously bad wrap mainly leftovers from the 80s? Has there been a major clean up there in modern times?
submitted by Professional-Yam5398 to LosAngeles [link] [comments]

2024.05.10 00:08 Chyaroscuro Episode 2.8 of Lady Mary Crawley being iconic for 1 hour and 9 minutes straight: the truth would set them all free

This episode. So iconic. For so many reasons. Not the least of which being the fact that watching it post-covid is An Experience (like seriously, I get that they wanted us to see the actors' faces, but for the love of God, put a mask on a nurse every once in a while!).
Just one thing before I ramble on like I usually do: many thanks to u/RachaelJurassic and u/penni_cent, and everyone else really who has joined me in more conversations than I'd care to admit to (although, if you read these posts, you've seen the comments, you know we've gone overboard) for their valuable contributions. Thanks for nerding out with me guys xo
Aaanyway, back to our regular schedule of watching two idiots in love making every mistake from every romance novel available.
Isn't it wonderful when you wander into your family home, and your eyes just happen to fall on the woman you'll be marrying in a couple of days:
https://preview.redd.it/sahwvoek1hzc1.jpg?width=492&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0c7e43d915abf4de47f08742ecd95a0d35416580
Oh wait, sorry, my mistake, that's just his Cousin.
Matthew complains about his "damn stick" that he wants to get rid of before the wedding because he "wants to go up and down the aisle without any assistance".
Funnily enough, he says this as well while looking at his cousin, Mary, while his actual fiancée is Right There.
https://preview.redd.it/ancb38dp3hzc1.jpg?width=492&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=112b71ccb424b0252e651e64e33d56a2f99b4ff4
Said fiancée, points out that "he'll have her to lean on, on his way down the aisle" and he smiles at that, thankfully.
I do find it interesting however, that he minded needing the actual, physical stick, on his way to the aisle, and pointed this out to the person he later admitted to being his metaphorical "stick" who wouldn't be making the trip up and down the aisle with him.
Basically, if he can't lean on Mary, he'd rather be able to stand on his own two feet, even if he concedes to Lavinia's point later, she literally wasn't his first thought. His troubled look when Mary points out the wedding is in three days before she walks away does not help his case either.
Btw, I'm not saying this to mean Matthew didn't love Lavinia. He wouldn't have tortured himself so much if he felt nothing for her. But he did get attached to her when he was in a very depressed and desperate state, thinking he'd die in the trenches, and he did resign himself to her return, without having sought her out himself, so the truth was that now he was duty-bound rather than an enthusiastic participant to the union, even if he still cared for her.
https://preview.redd.it/x8ufcnem3hzc1.jpg?width=726&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=351b6d115da29970ce99ab8a7f9cad7ced07a74c
Btw, these are truly unprecedented, challenging times, when Mary and Edith JOIN FORCES to persuade Sybil to rethink her decision to marry Tom.
They don't dismiss her feelings. They simply point out the fact that regardless of what she feels for Tom, her life would change entirely once she married him. And I can see both POVs as valid, here. I can see why her sisters would worry that she'd regret it. None of them even knew how the other half lived. Sybil didn't even know how to brew tea before the war. And I can see how they'd fear it would be an unbearable change if the novelty of a different life wore of and she found herself stuck in a place she no longer wanted to be.
But I also see it from Sybil's perspective. Even if we put aside her feelings for Tom, Sybil never liked the aristocratic lifestyle. She never fit in. All Crawley sisters struggled under a system that didn't allow them to be themselves, because sexism, but Sybil could truly not find a place for herself in it.
Mary was the one destined to run Downton. We've said it before that she's quite male-coded for that reason, always striving to please her father. She struggled to find a place for herself outside of that role once it became clear to her that it wouldn't happen, but she still thought she could make it work, somehow. Because above everything else, Mary was devoted to the Crawley family. She was the eldest, that was her role, and she had bee raised to play it (and she did).
Edith was the truly traditional woman of her time (at this point). She followed in her mother's footsteps perfectly. She always played the role society deemed acceptable for women as well as she could (with a bunch of missteps, and a lot of space that left her extremely vulnerable to manipulation). This including all the Angel in the Home/caring mother-hen image the war propaganda had created for aristocratic women looking after male soldiers at the time. And it was frustrating for Edith to play this role as well because even if she exceled, she didn't thrive. We see that again at a later scene where she's arranging Lavinia and Matthew's wedding presents and moaning about her life. In any case, she still believed that she could find a place for herself within her social circle (and she did!).
Sybil was the baby of the family. And I know lots of people disagree with this but, just my opinion: Sybil was the most "spoiled" one out of all three sisters.
Both Mary and Edith had roles to play. Either imposed by the family (Mary), or strived for to prove ones worth (Edith). Nobody demanded, or expected, anything from Sybil, other than to be a regular society woman. And when she wasn't being one she was scolded, but nobody ever tried to change her.
The problem that occurred from this is two-fold:
  1. Sybil did get to see how the real world worked and she realised, she would be allowed to be freer there (true).
  2. Sybil did not have a real role to play within the confines of the Crawley family and the high society. Other than to become someone's wife.
Sybil, therefore, HAD to leave Downton. And she knew it.
https://preview.redd.it/hrhs7fv62hzc1.jpg?width=726&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=27cc0192319be590d09bb8e78d3abaa816aa25a4
I'm really sad to have to skip all of Violet's excellent, excellent lines in this but I've got to keep my head straight otherwise we'll be here forever: Speaking of being the eldest child, with a role to play, and always held to account, Robert blows the first gasket against Mary, who's already standing up so I think we can easily assume she announced her knowledge of Sybil's plans herself.
Just look at how all eyes of the family (including Dad 2.0, and Matthew) are on her. Because she's responsible for Sybil, even though Sybil is a grown ass adult. Also: note how Mary NEVER mentions Edith's involvement. Because to Mary, it doesn't matter. She's the older one, she's the one shouldering the responsibility, and that's defining of her relationships throughout her life.
https://preview.redd.it/j9mk1as82hzc1.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a276fdad430f7758c1585e801ed0c6e984a3c498
Btw, I love Tom here. "Give your daughter some credit for knowing her own mind."
Preach. I'd also like to point out that none of the women in the family tried to infantilise Sybil. Mary thought it was just a crush and would "blow over" (having had one of those that ended catastrophically for her) and even Violet said "she must have something in mind". The only person who didn't respect Sybil here, was Robert.
I do love Sybil's response "You can posture all you like, Papa." because Robert has no power over her, so it doesn't matter if he rages and raves, Sybil is her own person. Also, this is something neither Mary, nor Edith, would ever dare do, defy their father like that. We'll talk more about Mary's reaction to Robert's disappointment later, but this is the defining baby-of-the-family moment because Sybil's is audacious enough to be this defiant.
By the way (and I would have written about this in the other user's post about it but work's been a killer):
https://preview.redd.it/x8xmmhla2hzc1.jpg?width=826&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b87cdf4db0523b91352c8729f576427654ae7bd
This is why Robert (attempted an affair with Jane).
Him and Cora were not agreeing on anything. On Matthew's wedding. On Mary's wedding. On Sybil leaving with Tom. Plus, Robert was feeling "neglected" because Cora was busy with the hospital and didn't have time to, Idk, baby him? Praise him for existing? Either way, with their disagreements and, mostly, with Robert feeling his Male Authority questioned at every corner, he did what almost every man does in that situation: he tried to have an affair with a younger woman, in a position that would allow him to have authority over her, so he could feel significant again.
Great stuff 🙄
https://preview.redd.it/b3jyjs0c2hzc1.jpg?width=716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d389b1c70ebce2b9547869c4b7c679aeecbcb4da
Side note: I love how Anna's decision here is influenced by watching two Crawley women, reacting very differently to a similar situation.
Mary was a coward, who didn't dare stand in front of Matthew and say this is who I am, and therefore she had to, somewhat, be reduced to watching as other people took precedence (well, in theory, if not in practice) in caring for Matthew, the man she loved.
Sybil was not a coward, and she stood in front of her family and said this is who I am, take it or leave it, I'm siding with the man I love.
Anna watched, and made a decision on which was the camp she'd rather find herself in, if the worst were to happen.
"I won't be moved to the sidelines, to watch how you fare from a distance with no right, even to be kept informed"
Apparently, nothing was worse than being in Mary's shoes at the moment, and especially throughout Matthew's recovery (even though their situation was obviously not as extreme, or as dire, as Anna's).
https://preview.redd.it/78g81q7e2hzc1.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa4a2fc639a363737c7201c1197ea577181e2c1d
Carson falls sick. Cora falls sick. Lavinia falls sick. Molesley falls sick (hangover is kind of a sickness, no? How had nobody told the poor man you're supposed to spit out the wine when you're tasting lots of them) and Fellowes is already rubbing his talented, yet tragedy-driving, hands together.
Just going to hate on Robert for another hot minute: He says here to Clarkson not to worry about Cora needing nursing for a while because "All their daughters are professionals" *Mary in the background coming back from having helped Lavinia to rest in her bedroom, and hearing Clarkson say her condition looks good. Lord knows she's been doing back and forths informing Matthew and Lavinia of each others health for a while now*.
Nice that Robert acknowledges Mary nursing Matthew here, sad he'll forget all about it at a later season when he won't be able to remeber "Mary doing anything" during the war. But it's Robert, expectations have to be kept to a minimum most of the time I guess.
https://preview.redd.it/540d5u1g2hzc1.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af2326462b5386781ca8b39b8fc480834690b440
Mary seeing Matthew and having to brace herself against the wall because it's only a few more days she'll be able to even watch him from afar.
She does do quiet suffering and longing like an absolute pro.
https://preview.redd.it/8pcipbxh2hzc1.jpg?width=698&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a00d504b3f6ed77b73fed86c3a6923db334f8033
Something I hadn't noticed in any previous viewing: Matthew does a COMPLETE once-over of Mary, and clearly deeming her irresistible, offers *both hands, clearly expectant* for a dance.
That absolute asshole 😭 Poor woman, look at the shock (and delight) on her face.
https://preview.redd.it/7knhnsgk2hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b50945741e41a5c381eacd281818a3b32491f901
Mary: Can you manage without your stick?
Matthew: You are my stick.
First of all, his face????? Absolute devotion 😭
Second of all, he cannot walk down the aisle to meet Lavinia without his stick and isn't that troublesome because how can he DO IT without being able to be completely 100% independent, but put Mary in his arms and he will, quite literally WALTZ AROUND because Mary is there, she'll keep him steady.
I can't. Someone take this away from me, I can't deal. I know they said so much about how "Lavinia was there for Matthew" but these two assholes right here knew the truth, even if they wouldn't admit to it to anyone else.
Also, make a note of *just how closely* he holds her, because we'll see them waltz again in the next episode and it will be VERY DIFFERENT. Either if it's because there's no one watching here so he can indulge himself, or because he actually needs her to keep him steady, it's such a thing of beauty.
Also also, I love that the camera lingers more on Matthew's expressions here because we know Mary loves him. We know how much he means to her, what we don't know is how much HE still loves her. We're about to find out:
https://preview.redd.it/zcbeelln2hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20472323a37248a57438813485be15816842d5df
And of course, why not try to bury his entire face in her hair while his soul practically leaves his body in grief.
Matthew: Oh, God, Mary. I am so, so sorry. Do you know how sorry I am?
Mary: Don't be. It wasn't anyone's fault. If it was, it was mine.
First of all, Matthew's affection for Mary's hair is further confirmed. Whether it's the texture, or the colour, or the smell, the man has a weakness.
Second of all, he doesn't have to explain, she doesn't question his words, they both know what the subject of the conversation is.
He apologises because he finally has realised he had his own part in things going sour between them. He'd been looking at world in black and white: You love me, or you don't.
Now he's been through the war and he knows things are actually not black and white. And he also knows that Mary loves him. That she's always loved him. And it no longer matters what her other reason was because her devotion cannot be questioned, and she has suffered for it as, or even more, than he has. So he has to say he's sorry, because he hurt her too.
He only says Violet "told him to marry her". He doesn't mention she had to spell it out to him that Mary loves him for him to either accept the truth of it, or finally decide to to say something about it. He probably thinks he's an idiot, not to have allowed himself to admit to the truth earlier. When she did everything she could to make him happy after he came back with Lavinia in tow. When she looked after him. When she offered to spend her life looking after him (twice).
He's too ashamed of himself, and I wonder at what point in their marriage, in the dark of night, it simply ate too much at him and he had to go "darling, I have to tell you something, I was such an idiot back then" and Mary would roll her eyes and tell him to go to sleep.
She absolves him immediately, btw. "It wasn't anyone's fault. And if it was, it was mine." Of course dear, pick that up. I can see how, in her mind, it was her fault, but we all know it wasn't. She was right at first, it wasn't anyone's fault. But never let me come between an eldest daughter and her responsibilities (unless it's my own sister in which case I'm THERE, guns blazing).
After he further explains his conversation with Violet, Mary asks "What did you say?" in such a small voice she literally made me cry. It was so important to her to know. Why. Why wouldn't he marry her now, after all this?
Matthew: That I couldn't accept Lavinia's sacrifice of her life, her children, her future, and then give her the brush off when I was well again. Well, I couldn't, could I?
Mary: Of course not.
Matthew: However much I might want to.
Mary: Absolutely not.
https://preview.redd.it/cke16d6v2hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3baa6aa15b55c0b3a3cf141febf05174330b7c0
Idiots, both of them.
I understand. I do. They're both creatures of duty. Mary gets it. Matthew has made a promise. Lavinia relies on that. She loves him. He's promised to marry her.
It sounds stupid to us now, but lives were different back then. Social norms had such a strong hold on people. Men didn't break engagements, it was shaming for their fiancees to be jilted.
But it's impossible for Mary and Matthew. Because they *do* love each other. And now they both know it. And it doesn't matter what the brain says, because the heart wants what it wants.
Btw, I'm so glad for this dialogue. Not just because it's on point, character wise, but also because Lady Mary Crawley would never in her life become a "pick me choose me love me" girl. You want to honour your promise to Lavinia, to prioritise it above your own, and Mary's, and Lavinia's happiness, you go ahead and do that Matthew Crawley. Mary won't fucking beg.
This scene was needed, for all those reasons. And for more than that, not including the fact that it's absolutely gorgeous and earned and makes my heart stop every time I see it. Because this way, Mary knows she had always been Matthew's first choice. That he chooses her, in this moment, even above his honour. First time, really, that a man prioritises her this much.
If he'd turned to her after Lavinia's death, WITHOUT this dance/kiss having happened, she'd always think she was his second choice.
And I think Matthew knows this and it's one of the reasons why he says "do you know how sorry I am?" because he can't bear to think of Mary not knowing how much she means to him.
I love that the camera spins around them a bit like the record spins on and all that while they were still dancing, the song was still going but when Lavinia came down the music was almost done so Matthew and Mary have no concept of time or for how long they were kissing and neither do we.
Speaking of this scene being necessary: Lavinia needed to see this.
https://preview.redd.it/uauu2nmy2hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cce335faae6bc791953e82f5efa17e294372209
She had been watching them, for months if not years. Even in 2.1 she watched Mary watch Matthew. She knew there was something there, she admits to it, that she was "having doubts". She bought into Cora's lies, came back into Matthew life and told him she wouldn't "accept him sending her away again" basically robbing him of choice, and now she came face to face with the facts: That Matthew loved Mary.
And I can understand that Lavinia did this out of love. I get it. I understand she didn't want to give up the fight. I also understand she had absolutely no reason to think Matthew didn't love her as well. He did. Just not enough.
Like I said, it takes four people to ruin two relationships. Lavinia's part in it was in her denial, Carlisle's in his malevolent actions, Matthew and Mary's in being so, so stupid (dutiful gives them too much credit, it was stupidity. And a hint of cowardice).
Anyway. Matthew didn't give Lavinia enough credit. Lavinia was braver than himself and Mary combined. Because even if she was the one who, presumably, had the most to lose here, she was the one most willing to stand up for what was right. And she had enough sense of self-worth, more than enough, actually, to know that living a life as someone's second best was simply not worth it.
You go girl. You deserved so much better than what this episode had in store for you. There isn't much that I don't like about season 2, but the one thing I hate is the fact that Lavinia had to die to drag on Matthew's guilt.
https://preview.redd.it/islxgfs13hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44ae93f69ef70df5eba1076262a5968921ae1b0a
Lavinia: The thing is...I might as well say it. When I came downstairs and you and Mary were dancing, I heard what you said...and I saw what you did.
Matthew: But that was--
Lavinia: No, it's not that I'm in a rage and a fury. In fact, I think it's noble of you to want to keep your word when things have changed. But I'm not sure it'd be right for me to hold you to it.
Matthew: Lavinia, I can explain.
First of all, "But that was" - what, mate? What was it? A mistake? I highly doubt you'd dare say that big a lie. Were you saying goodbye? Never to see Mary again so you can be devoted to your wife? I very highly doubt that. You can't explain anything, not unless you're about to admit to her that you love another woman.
Second of all, damn you Fellowes for making women pick up so much slack for the men in their lives. Lavinia immediately having to justify herself in questioning him, even without Matthew asking her to, a trained reaction when a woman is about to be emotional. That she's not raging, or being hysterical.
Lavinia confirms she's been having doubts about the marriage, saying Matthew and Mary "looked so fine together" and Matthew literally says he doesn't want to hear it. Well, of course not. You'd have to admit to being an idiot and neither you or Mary are capable of that at the moment.
He can't even admit to how Mary cared for him. Lavinia says she came back and thought it was right because "she'd look after him and Mary wouldn't do that quite as well" as herself, and Matthew laughs and says "No, not quite".
I hate to point this out, but Mary was the one who actually looked after him when he arrived at Downton, stayed with him, washed him, cleaned up his vomit. Mary was the one who stayed with him after Lavinia went back to London, who helped him out of his depression and spent time with him while he recovered.
So, I think Matthew is STILL either denying the truth (to spare Lavinia's feelings), or agreeing that Mary's version of care is different to Lavinia's.
Because Lavinia treated him like a child that needed mothering. Mary treated him like he was the man she loved who was going through a difficult time, and she'd see him through it even if that meant she had to step back and let him CHOOSE for himself, what he wanted out of this new life. So no, Mary wouldn't "care for him" the way Lavinia would.
https://preview.redd.it/ihommai53hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=985504415a470b61009baa71e319e16d71d807ce
Oh, speaking of cringe, Matthew, my mate, "What you're saying is pointless, Mary's marrying somebody else", is that really what you're going with? That you shouldn't break the engagement because you can't have Mary anyway? Smooth. At least it was honest because I do believe he doesn't THINK he'd try to get between Mary and Carlisle.
Lavinia knows better than he does: Is she? We'll see.
Darling, it still took them months. You did your best, honestly 💔
https://preview.redd.it/u16qvjs63hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=253053ee38fd1b621fd5574b9a0ecf2533c1a379
This absolute asshat. Honestly. Coming to Yorkshire to be there, in case Lavinia dies, to act as a reminder to Matthew that Mary is *engaged* actually, and you can't just trade one fiancée for another my mate.
I *love* that he felt this was necessary. That he thought (so accurately) Mary was dismissive of him she'd drop him in a heartbeat. And again, we'll talk about just how precarious his engagement actually was in the next episode, but he really is so heartless to even think that if Lavinia died, Matthew would just trade her for Mary. I suppose that's what he himself would have done so...
Mary, my dearest idiot, what are you marrying 🤦‍♀️
https://preview.redd.it/nk2zsvd93hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6f14bd1afd89016d814cba850b1993ccb3ebcce
Carson apologises to Mary for "being a disappointment" to her.
Mary responding with "Maybe". Largely because the men in her life not making her a priority isn't a novel condition for her, so she'd hardly be disappointed to be let down by yet another one. But also "maybe" because if there was one man she never thought would let her down, it's Carson.
And she admits it. "But I've relied on your support for too long to do without it entirely."
And they immediately make up. Carson saying she'll always have his support, and Mary saying he'll have hers, because he is actually her father in all the ways that matter.
She brings him his tray, and gives him a warning about Thomas, to reiterate that support.
Poor Lavinia dies and I won't share a screenshot because it's the kind of heavy-handed drama I could have lived without.
"Isn't it better this way" no darling. Not for anyone. At least, the poor girl was half-delirious, like Cora was, so we know (hopefully) she didn't mean it.
Carlisle's drama as well, "let him be with her, surely you owe her that", excuse me, sir, but other than an apology for that kiss, Mary owes Lavinia shit. She stepped aside the entire way. Helped Lavinia even, so, so many times. You can fuck right off Richard, and please, do it soon because I'm tired of seeing your stupid face.
https://preview.redd.it/8hntkakc3hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a78e9fe71ecf3c7e60d08f1d022d3e025955f2a
Also, in the midst of all this, Mary helping Anna (the secret Mrs Bates - another favourite nickname) to get married and have as good a day, and night, as possible, for being braver than Mary ever was herself.
https://preview.redd.it/6h2gyu4e3hzc1.jpg?width=584&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d37de08c86caf1478c18ff68ba80c1adfd5d916
I mean, grave sites are well known as a place to be dramatic AF.
I know there wasn't much anyone could say to Matthew in that moment but Mary, you idiot, agreeing with him? Letting him make the decisions, because he's done so well so far? I know you haven't had a great track record in decision-making when it comes to your personal life, but you could, at the very least, have said nothing at all. I know you can't stand up for yourself to save your life, unless it's to save face in front of Edith, but think of maybe not agreeing with Matthew's extreme morals every once in a while (she learns this lesson, thankfully, I think Isobel trains her to it).
P.S. It took a death to persuade Robert that Sybil can make her own choices.
P.P.S. Brace yourselves: It's the big Christmas melt-down next. And it's a Long One.
submitted by Chyaroscuro to DowntonAbbey [link] [comments]

2024.05.09 20:27 Infinite_Goddess1133 An old acquaintance revisits Mina's story - Q&A

EDITED : to add more Q&A about her first 2 marriages
I've compiled u/annoyedbasicbabe's responses to the questions asked in the comments of various posts :
CONTEXT
Were you following Mina’s channel like rest of us. And did ppl who know her called it BS from day one ?
I never followed her channel because her advice was not fitted to the type of person I am. I have recently been watching clips that have been posted here so I can help answer some of the questions. I am shocked to hear a lot of the things that have come up here. I wish I had known sooner.
People who knew her claim that they caught her bs from day one. I’m not sure of how accurate that may be. It’s hard to admit you’re wrong so I am not sure if they are being truthful.
so were you surprised at the kind of advice she was doling out?? I mean, given you'd known her almost her whole life....You said something about cutting her off "after she switched personalities in 2019"...did this "personality switch" come as a surprise and shock to you??
Yes- I was surprised at the type of advice she was giving. ESP lately!
But wasn’t really surprised at the personality change. She kind of always was a conniving person.
How is her image in-front of ppl now… now after this sub reddit ?
Most of us are shocked but then at the same time, we aren’t. She cut off contact with relatives quite a while ago. So many of them are just learning about it. Honestly, I don’t think she cares what others say about her. Even if she does, she will never admit it.
Sheena was her moms’ nickname ?
Nope. Not true. Never heard a soul call her that. Get a life, Mina.
Mina’s mom’s name does not sound like nor is similar to Sheena. Not the letters. Not the pronunciation.
Do you know her personally? If yes, please share more
Yes. Knew both. Mina and her Mom.
Ok, anything that Mina has shared on her channel that you know is untrue?
lol this will take a very long time to answer. Can you be more specific? She lies a lot so not sure how to go about answering your question. Sorry.
Like her life story of going from rape, sexual abuse to being a spoiled wife, happy kids, her income- i mean the thing for which women relate to her and then buy from her.
I can’t speak on the rape and SA but all I know is that it’s very unlikely that her parents would leave her with men off the streets as she claims. They were very loving people and helped their siblings, which is normal for immigrants. So I am shocked to hear any of that. I’m glad they didn’t live to see this day because they would be very hurt by this.
I don’t know what her standard of a spoiled wife is. She is very selfish. She gets what she wants so maybe she thinks that’s being spoiled. To me.. being spoiled is when others are lavishing you with things.
Her kids used to be very well taken care of before 2019-2020ish. It’s around that time when they those poor kids lost their mother to YouTube and coaching. Mina used to be a wonderful mother. She used to give them love and attention and then when she got all this attention online, she kind of let them be on their tablets and amongst themselves. So, to answer your question.. no. Her kids are not happy. They are living with a narcissist who always wins and gets their way.
I am not sure about her income because when someone lies to about several things, I don’t believe what they say.
CHILDHOOD
What was her childhood like, did she grow up in poverty, move home frequently, have parents that didn’t care for the children ( remember her saying her father threatened to kill himself and the children because he was mad with her mom - they had ropes around his/their neck I think ) ?
Growing up her parents were middle class immigrants who worked a lot. After reading your message, I asked about the story of being tied up and etc, but that has been denied by her siblings and they are appalled at Mina’s ability to make such terrible lies about her deceased parents. She’s officially bought her ticket to hell.
She behaves as if her parents made her do all house chores and shit.
Mina never did a single chore for them. They were even afraid to ask her to do something because of the manner in which she spoke with them.
Her mom and dad cooked for her when she was working. They looked after her son so she could work and have a life. Shame on her for lying about them.
And now selling her parent’s private life experience for money. Her parents were immigrants who were trying their best to survive through hardwork not like scammer Mina.
Yes. The dead can’t come defend themselves so she’s taking advantage of that.
HER 20’s IN CHICAGO
Did she really go to NWU ? what degree does she have ?
Yes. She went to Northwestern University. She told us that her bachelors degree is in philosophy.
Is this from first hand knowledge or is this from Mina?
I have first hand knowledge because I knew him before and during their marriage. I didn’t bother to keep up with his life after they divorced but I looked him up around 2019 and saw he had moved on quite a while ago.
Oh so u know the first husband? Can you spill more tea? Does everything mina say about him online true?
I don’t know him anymore because I didn’t keep in touch with him after their divorce.
I think Mina likes to play victim and exaggerate things. He was just as ridiculous as she currently is. He would do whatever to get what he wants. Sound familiar?
So why doesn’t he want a relationship with their son? Or is that another lie Mina tells.
I’m not sure about that. Like I said, I’m not in touch with him.
It takes a total of three years to get green card through marriage.
I know the process isn’t quick but her ex was in the picture until a few months after Armaan’s first birthday because we met him at his 1st birthday party. So, I do believe the green card story to be true.
Ohh so she divorced him after 2-3 years ? Because you have to stay married for 2 years if I am not wrong to qualify for greencard or maybe he found another woman later to sponsor his green card.
I am unsure of the green card process esp nearly 20 years ago but yes, they were married at least for at least 2 years. It was somewhere around 2006 where we stopped seeing him at gatherings.
Did she really have a real estate empire and owned multiple homes or did she just work as a real estate agent or neither?
She worked as a real estate agent. Her mom was the one with the empire and had multiple homes that she sold for investments. She was very successful. I recall going to her mom’s place and seeing all her awards.
Mina stopped working when she got married. This was a kind gesture from Irfan because he wanted her to relax. She didn’t have any money to contribute either.
Mina did not own a home to sell. I am not sure why she keeps saying that she had a house that she sold. She didn’t have a house or even a car to her name when she got married.
Did she ever own a luxury condo in Chicago? Or was that a lie as well?
She owned a condo. It wasn’t luxury lol. It was a normal condo worth around 120k-ish.
Her ex did not take advantage of this because she bought this after the divorce when she started working with her mom.
The lies are making me sick.
So she just gave all of her hard work away when her mother got sick? Where were her siblings, her father wasn’t working? She was the only one to sacrifice everything that she had, even though she had a young son that she needed to provide for?
Mina left right when it got bad with her mom’s health. She left her siblings and mom in a huge financial crisis and moved on with her new hubby. It angers me that she’s lying about all this when there are sooo many relatives who know exactly what she did when the going got tough.
What happened to all of Mina’s mom’s wealth after she died? Or did she really send it all back to Pakistan?
Mina’s mom fought cancer for 2 years before passing away. Her wealth was used during the time she didn’t work. She wasn’t as rich as one might think when they hear “empire” because she was an extremely giving person and gave a lot away whenever someone asked for help. I don’t think there was anyone she wouldn’t help.
And no.. her money wasn’t sent to Pakistan like Mina claims.
Her mom was not one to save money. She would spend it on others. Loved giving gifts and spending money on holidays and gifts. She also loved feeding people. She was an amazing person and her relatives still talk about her as if they just lost her.. although it’s been 14 years.
Did she really live with her parents when her mother was ill? She has made it seem like she was the caretaker of her mother.
No way. She should get struck by lightning for saying that.
She left right when her mom got sick. Maybe you guys don’t know this but Mina does not like elderly people nor sick people. She is not caretaker material. We didn’t see Mina back in Chicago her until her mom’s last few days and Mina left before the funeral, too. Wow. Just wow at Mina’s nerve!
Did I read correctly that Mona did not attend her own mother’s funeral??? That she left before the funeral???
That’s correct. Thankfully a lot of us were there to be there with her siblings. Some of her aunts and uncles tried to reach out to her to not to leave her younger siblings on their own during all this. But guess who could care less? lol.
Is it possible that Irfan is Mina's first scam victim? Or could her first "husband" (Armaan's father) be the true first victim? She bashes him all the time, but we don't truly know what happened between them?
Her first husband was just like her. Thats why it didn’t work out. He loved how he looked. He wanted to be center of attention. He wanted all the money in the world. Two people with these kinds of traits cannot live together. He was the textbook case of a narcissist… just like Mina. That’s why it didn’t work out.
By the way.. he moved on to marry someone he could control better. Just like Mina did.
A response to the post Her earlier (and maybe current?) teachings on selfishness
Mina was never a doormat. I don’t know where she got that idea from. She was always selfish.
The reason why her first marriage did not work was because Mina is used to being the manipulator in the relationship. When she married someone who was also a manipulator and probably a better one, she couldn’t be with him anymore. She needs someone who she can overpower and manipulate.
Interestingly she also mentioned that when her mom was passing. She was least bothered about Mina compared to other siblings because Mina was selfish and would take care of self.
This is absolutely true. She was least bothered by it. She also left the entire funeral care up to them and didn’t bother attending.
\New questions added**
How old was Mina when she got married the first time? (In other words, who was the first husband? Armaan's father ?)
The first husband was not Armaan’s father. That was the second one.
How long this marriage did last ? (the marriage with mysterious guy, not Armaan's father)
I don’t remember how long it lasted because the divorce was hidden from most extended family and friends.
Was it an arrange marriage ?
We were told it was arranged.
Did he need a green card ?
Not that I know of.
Why they divorced ?
Not sure of why they divorced since it wasn’t shared and people found out eventually.
How old was she when married the first time?
16.
Wow Bombshell ! Thank you ! We need even more clarification, cause it seems like Mina told her « first marriage story » based on her 2 former marriages
first marriage
No idea. Everyone was asking the same question and supposedly he belonged to a good family and so they didn’t want to let the proposal go.
Yes he was Muslim.
I have no idea. We are talking about over 25 years ago. Sorry.
Probably not since they divorced. Sorry.
Second marriage
Not arranged.
No. They actually didn’t want her to get married so quick.
No. She picked him
No one that I know knows what he did for a living.
Did Mina actually finish her high school back then at 16 ? Any idea ?
No. She didn’t.
What was the general feel in the extended family when everyone heard they are getting her married so young ? The reason I ask this is , is it very common in her maternal and paternal family that girls get married that young ?
I don’t remember because I was too young to realize this. Sorry.
Did the extended family feel like Mina was forced into this marriage at 16 ? At least did she look like a happy bride / content bride ?
No. Not from what u can recall. She seemed content.
Was her first husband ( the one at 16 ) some cousin or some relative by any chance ?
No. Not a relative/cousin.
MARRIAGE WITH IRFAN
Did Mina actually do rotational dating while dating her husband??
From what I remember, they got married really quickly. She may have been talking to other people before that but she when she met Irfan and realized he had stability to offer, she married him. Poor guy.
You could have just asked if she was a psychopath or not. lol. I would have told you that she is without needing an analysis on rotational dating. But yes, she was talking to people from what I remember. She joined that matrimonial jazz when she needed an exit strategy because the going got tough with her mom being sick.
Years ago Irfans mother supposedly moved in with them and then Mina stopped talking about it and she didn’t live there anymore. Do you know what ever happened to the MIL by any chance?
They weren’t getting along so the MIL left. Not sure to where though. I don’t blame Mina for this one. It’s typical for things not to work out in joint family systems.
Do you know if Irfan’s family is onto her?
They were before she showed her true colors. Now they oft gossip and laugh behind her back because she acts crazy.
Do you know if Mina had Rheumatoid Arthritis like she claims, or was it just a lie and stepping stone to boost her channel numbers in the early days? The fact she doesn’t know how to pronounce it makes me doubt she ever had it.
She told everyone she did. No way for me to verify it.
Do you think Mina and Irfan have a happy marriage? Does he bow at her feet and is he as devoted to her as she claims?
Mina has a happy marriage. Irfan does not.
He used to be. Before she got into all this coaching stuff and became masculine. He doesn’t pack up and leave because he worked really hard to save and earn the money he has. He is the type of person that would put up with someone like Mina just so he doesn’t have to give her half of what he has.
I think he created his own monster and can’t escape.
Spoiled Wife ? Who pays the bills ?
Mina’s lifestyle is 💯% from her money. They used to live on a tight budget before she started making all this money. Mina had to save up and wait for anything over $200-$300 and she had to discuss each purchase with Irfan.
HER CHILDREN
I would like to know what her lifestyle and family life is really like?
I can’t say anything about her life since 2019 because I stopped associating with her for the safety of my kids. Her personality and influence was not something I wanted my daughter to be around so I cut her out of my life. I’m still in touch with her siblings but not her.
Is her oldest son in uni and traveling the world ?
Her son does not live with them. He lives in Houston though. Out of all of the kids, I feel bad for him the most because he was really smart and had a great chance of getting into college and becoming something. Mina did not want to put in the effort it takes to support your child through college because she was consumed in her coaching business. She literally ruined his life. I hope he someday goes back to school and is able to provide for himself without having to follow his mom’s footsteps.
Do her kids mix outside of the house, have friends or hobbies ?
Mina’s kids never really mingled outside of the home and didn’t have hobbies because Mina didn’t like dealing with other moms. I think Mina has issues with women because she sees that they are better than her. So I doubt this has changed.
She dint know what grade her daughter is in??? Is that true???
I believe that Mina forgot what grade her daughter was in. She really doesn’t care. You have to care to remember. Mina only sees and remembers herself.
This was a whole different story before YouTube became her life. Mina was such a great mom. She took care of her kids and was involved in their lives, schools, etc. I guess the money got to her head real bad. She’s going to regret it when these kids don’t want anything to do with her.
I wonder would irfan put up with that for the other two kids?
I guess by not doing anything to stop it.. seems like he is putting up with it.
Irfan always loved Armaan as his own. He gave him the type of love he needed. Such a shame that Mina makes it seem otherwise.
RELATIONSHIP WITH SIBLINGS, EXTENDED FAMILY & IN LAWS
And speaking of family, I can only the type of embarrassment her immediate and extended family must be experiencing. This is why either she has cut off the relationships with them (to not feel the sting of embarrassment from them) or they cut it off with her (so that they don't die of embarrassment for her actions).
The latter for sure. They cut her out when she kinda went bonkers in the earlier part of 2020.
How is she getting away with no accountability to anyone about how she talks total crap about them?
Because her parents are dead. Survivors (her siblings) have no legal claim on behalf of a deceased relative’s good name. So basically, can’t sue her for defamation/slander etc.
She talks about people other than her parents. She talks so poorly about her in laws. That is never acceptable in a South Asian family. How are there no repercussions for that?
Well, they should do something about that. They probably aren’t because of Irfan. No idea 🤷🏻‍♀️
A response to the post Starting a YT channel was NOT Mina's idea but her sister
Her sister and brother tried their level best to get Mina to NOT have a YouTube channel. They even gave ultimatums… thats why they aren’t in her life anymore. Guess it’s obvious what she picked!
Why did they not want her to have a YouTube channel?
Because she was always the type to let things get to her head. She didn’t do well with praise and was easily influenced by people. Not a good mix for YT followers.
OTHER QUESTIONS
Do you know if she practices magic/is deeply into the occult?
I’m not sure since this is something recent as it seems. I keep myself and my family away from her. I don’t trust her around my kids since she shifted personalities in 2019ish.
Do you know if she was raised around people who believe and practice witchcraft? And if any of her family , cousins , friends etc are the type to pathologically lie and manipulate? I just don’t understand how people can grow up to be and do things like this
lol umm so basically are you asking me if I am or my family practices witchcraft? 😂 jk jk. I get you.
And no. Most of Mina’s dad said of the family are religious families that pray and work hard to support their families. They live humble lifestyles. No witch 🧙 action.
Her mom’s side of the family is mostly in Pakistan. Like most Pakistani people, they are afraid of black magic. I never heard of any instance involving them doing this sort of thing. Maybe Mina is pioneering this one for the fam.
A response to the post The Pakistani Jewelry Store story
How strange because Mina hasn't been to Pakistan in over 2 decades. When did she say this happened? The beginning of it is cut off so I am wondering when she is claiming that this happened. As someone who goes to Pakistan every year (same city as Mina would have went) and also as someone who buys jewelry from there often, I have never heard of this jeweler nor anyone ever talk about this except this video, lol.
A response to the post Mina irfan using terms from the Islamic and Jewish faiths to make a sale
This is hilarious because most of Mina’s life was spent not believing in God and she used to get annoyed if the idea altogether. 🙄
She’s probably reading notes that her husband wrote for her 🤣
He didn’t believe much either. They were on the same page with religion. Thought it was irrelevant.
submitted by Infinite_Goddess1133 to scammedByMinaIrfan [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 22:40 jndimolina "Jabalí Puck"

In a shadowy corner of the city, deep in the cobblestone streets of The Grand Stone, hid a man whose past was tangled in the skeins of corruption.
A being devastated by the atrocities in which he immersed himself due to ambition and the arrogant masculine need for power, His figure, worn by the passage of time and the wounds of the soul, seemed to reflect the weight of his sins in his eyes and manner of expression. talk. His name was "Puck", a burly man of unkempt appearance, with a protruding belly and the symbol of a wolf on his black vest. His long hair and a face that reminded him of a fierce wild boar. (Hence his nickname)
He tried to be someone since he was a child, his only influence was his cousins and uncles who were involved in illegal armed groups, pirates, etc. He managed to get rid of his debts when he finally found a family, which by the way was a mistake... He did not want a child, but his lack of understanding about everything led him to impregnate a prostitute who belonged to his gang. Years of conflict between gangs led him to worry more about his son than himself, the responsibility involuntarily invaded him every day until he decided to run away with the 3-year-old boy and the prostitute, they found him not far from their territory. Obviously being part of such a large and dangerous armed group... He prioritized being armed himself. (Many subplots in between) They murder the prostitute and her son in front of him, and then shoot him twice in the shoulder, falling into the mud of a canal and being carried away by the current of the water.
After years, he found refuge among bikers who took him under their protection. With them, he forged a small mechanical empire, a cover to redeem himself from his dark deeds. This man, at the risk of his life, ventured across dangerous borders, seeking redemption through work and sacrifice, a self-imposed sentence because of himself. In his eyes, a spark of humanity lingered. Puck did not live for himself, but for his employees, especially a young girl named Lara. A cold but deep bond was developing between them, a paternal relationship full of shared secrets, where mutual learning and appreciation were woven into a web of trust and affection.
In this hostile and gloomy environment, Puck and Lara were two souls who found refuge and solace among the gears of life, each hiding their own scars as they sought redemption in a world where darkness always seemed to lurk.
submitted by jndimolina to CharacterDevelopment [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 22:08 Remarkable_Try5327 Today is my grandfathers birthday and while everyone else misses him only I know the truth

I woke up this morning with pictures of him in the family group chats…Sweet memories they all have and share of the man who has been gone for almost 15 years. They get to remember sweet nicknames and tender loving hands touching them. Sweet innocent moments they miss of the man they all still love so greatly and miss so keenly.
I get to remember forced, lip bruising mouth kisses. His “loving hands” down my pants at the age of three… pulling at my shirt at the age of ten when I finally got a chest…the dread of him living down the hall…
But I prefer it this way. They get to remember a great, loving, respected, family member.
And I get to die inside.
Edit : To Add Response
To address the most common comments- TELL! Does anyone know?!?!? TLDR: Absolutely not, and yes.
For a longer response, well…
As a former rape crisis counselor who has worked with many survivors, I want to emphasize that no survivor is obligated to share their story with anyone. Often, with good intentions, police officers, friends, and loved ones tell survivors to name names and share their stories, all in the name of the next victim. However, it's important to understand that it's not a survivor's responsibility to prevent a predator from continuing to commit SA. They have already suffered enough and deserve to choose who they share their story with. Ultimately, it's their story, and they have the right to decide how, when, and with whom to share it.
I have often wondered if any of my cousins (my nieces and nephews were not alive until after his death) also endured my grandfather. We all have our own struggles in life. Unfortunately, everything about me screams Childhood SA Survivor, but thankfully, they do not. Based on how most of my family members speak about my grandfather, they did not go through the same thing as me. And to be honest, I hope that I am the only one who experienced this torture. He lived with my family from 9 to 18, so I hope I was the only one to endure it.
The biggest obstacle to sharing my story with my entire family is that I can’t tell everyone without risking ruining their mental health. I see it going a few different ways if I told: One, and the most unbelievable, everyone believes me, and they have to endure his death again. The death of their good memories. The death of their peace of mind…how could they love a monster? How could they not have known?
Two, the one I fear the most. No one believes me. How could their father, grandfather, and hero do that to someone they loved? He would not! Of course, he wouldn’t! He was an honorable man. A good man. He married my grandmother when she already had two sons and treated them like his own! He worked all his life for his family and never asked for anything in return. He gave to his community and helped others in need. How could a man like that do something as horrible as this? No, no, I must be misremembering; I must be wrong!
Third, and most likely, it's a mixture of both and tears my family apart.
Why, then, is telling necessary if only for my peace of mind? Why is my peace more important than theirs?
The people who need to know know. My husband, my best friends, my (many throughout the years) therapist (for all the kind people who told me I needed it), my OBGYN, and my mom. I told her after he died and had been long buried. It took her a long time to come to terms with the “good, honorable man” she knew; he was not even her father. Excuses of his “dementia” on her lips died in the face of my age and reality.
They (husband, best friend, and mom) are a great comfort to me and help me a lot when I get triggered. They especially help me when we have to get together as a family and memorialize him every year on his death date. I would not be as healed as I am without them. But now and then, when the stress of my job, an OBGYN appointment, or even my period triggers me, it makes days like yesterday difficult. I just needed to get it off my chest.
submitted by Remarkable_Try5327 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 20:05 Ok_Web_1877 Review: GIRL FAKES As Guy To PLAY FOOTBALL, What Happens Is Shocking

For this week's review, I will be going back to the very first Dhar Mann video I ever watched! Sometime last year, my school (I have since graduated) made national headlines for controversy over trans athletes. I fell asleep one night while watching news stories about it. I woke up in the middle of the night, and my phone was still auto-playing YouTube videos. This is the video I woke up to. I was like 90% asleep, so I couldn't tell if it was an actual news story or documentary or what. Turns out, this video has nothing to do with trans people. I clicked on the channel name after and the rest is history.
I haven't watched this video since then. I obviously didn't know the cast, tropes, or clichés of Dhar Mann at the time, so I thought it would be fun to go back to this!
Our story begins outside of (presumably) Bookside Highschool. We have our lead, Kate (Callie Walker) alongside her boyfriend and female bestie. Tbh I don't even recognize the actors for the friend or boyfriend. Straight out of the gate, we get an exposition dump from the obligatory best friend.
Already, I would like to digress for a moment. Dhar Mann is not a good writer. Not even factoring the many flaws with his messages and predictable plots, the dialogue is always so contrived. Show don't tell, Dhar Dhar. If your banter is thinly veiled exposition, go back to the drawing board. You shouldn't have to write dialogue such as "hey what's up, cousin?" in order to establish character dynamics.
Anyway, best friend is bummed because Kate is giving up cheerleading to try out for the football team. Kate has been playing football since she was 5, and now it's her time to shine! They're seniors in highschool and Kate won't get this chance again! Boyfriend objects to Kate trying out. At first I was about to rip into this guy, but come to think of it... yeah idk how I'd feel about my partner playing on the same football team as me. Like for me the gender aspect isn't a factor, but having your partner play on the same team... I can see why that would be weird. So I'll spare boyfriend... for now.
Boyfriend (I'm sorry, nicknames aren't jumping out to me this time) and Kate approach the coach. The coach is an asshole to Kate but lets her tryout anyway. Montage of her out-performing every male athlete ensues.
The next day at school, Kate and her friend check the board to see who made the football and cheerleading teams. Friend made the cheer team, but Kate didn't make the football team. Already, this video loses me. Why did the coach even have Kate tryout if he was just going to cut her? Was it just to placate her? She very clearly outperformed everyone, so the coach cutting her just makes him look sus. Is anybody in 2024 really this astonished at the idea of a girl trying out for a sport's team where no female-only alternatives exist? This discrimination case seems extra ironic considering that the coach (played by Melvin Ward) is a black man. What if some asshole didn't want him playing on a team?
Boyfriend and his way cooler best friend, Ben, arrive in time to comfort Kate on not making the team. Boyfriend seems sweet and supportive at first, but his true feelings start to show with little bits of dialogue he says. There is also an arguable continuity error. Boyfriend tells Kate "there's always next year, right?" even though they established that this is their senior year. Maybe it's supposed to imply that the boyfriend is feigning compassion or is just a bit dumb, but given the quality of Dhar's storytelling, I'm considering it a continuity error. Kate and her friend walk off, leaving Ben and Donny (Kate's boyfriend) to mourn over the tragedy that just took place.
Based on the music change, this is where we're supposed to see the true colors of Donny.... but what he said isn't that bad tbh. He said "It's too bad, but she's a big girl, she'll move on from this. At least we made the team, right?" Calling your girlfriend a "big girl" is a bit weird, but other than that, the sentiment isn't too awful.
We're treated to a few minutes of a football game with Kate cheering from the sidelines (in the crowd, not as a cheerleader). Their team sucks, Donny is bad, and they even get booed! This is almost Dhar Mann karmic retribution, because the quarterback gets injured too!
We fluctuate once again back to school, and there are flyers for a... quarterback tryout? Why? Wouldn't they just have somebody else on the team be the interim quarterback? Ben encourages Kate to tryout, but this time Donny actively objects. Later that day, Kate is helping her friend with her cheer moves, and they refer to the coach by a different name than he had earlier. Friend gets this silly idea to have Kate pretend to be a guy to tryout and make the team. This is where the video goes off the rails...
Kate agrees, taking on the info of friend's out-of-state cousin and enrolling as a transfer student. Meanwhile, Kate pretends to be sick. Before I even get into how bad the makeover is, let's discuss the many flaws with this plan:
  1. "Kyle" would need academic transcripts. Good luck bullshitting those.
  2. Given that the tryouts are yearly, is Kate going to be sick FOR THE WHOLE DAMN SCHOOL YEAR????
  3. This is identity theft, and is a legit fucking crime.
  4. There is ZERO indication that this actual person named Kyle is aware of this plan. What a good cousin you are...
  5. Is Kate basically doing double school work the entire year? Who is to say that Kyle is even in the same classes as her? They could have very different schedules!
  6. Kate is white and her friend is black. So unless there's some adoption or something going on, friend's cousin is not going to be white.
There are more issues I could discuss with this plan, but let's move on.
We get to the moral of the video, and.... it's not applicable. Friend says "If you set your mind to something, you can do anything. This is your chance to show that even a girl can kick their butts!" But that's the thing: This isn't an issue of her being non-committal. She has ALREADY demonstrated to be better than the male players, and they realize that. This is a matter of discrimination, which is mostly out of her control.
Second montage, and this time Kate gets a makeover. I didn't realize Dhar was already doing double montages. As you'd expect, it's not remotely convincing. It's on the same level of obvious as Katherine Norland in that recent video with Neela Jolene. It's completely unrealistic that nobody would recognize Kate, but I'm going to suspend my disbelief for the sake of continuing this review.
sigh once again, we fluctuate back to the field. This video seriously lacks set variety. "Kyle" outperforms the guys once again, and we continue that weird subplot about Donny's true colors slowly being revealed. Ben is actually concerned about Kate being sick, but Donny is all nah she's fine bro.
Flip flop back to school. Kyle is sitting with friend. I was about to comment how Kate is blowing her cover by sitting with her best friend anyway, but I guess it makes sense since Kyle is friend's cousin and he's new. But again, I emphasize, how would anybody even believe they are cousins? Come to think of it, schools in Dhar Mann only have like 12 people, so this would get sussed out even faster than it normally would at a huge state school. Kyle laments to friend that Donny is an asshole and saw a whole new side of him while on the field. Dhar Mann coincidence occurs, because Donny comes in and bumps into Kyle. He even goes supervillain and brags about how Kate isn't there, so he can do what he wants! Ben helps Kyle up, and goes on about how awesome of a person Kate is. It's pretty obvious where this is going.
We finally get a breath of fresh air with a new set change! Kate is outside of her house, changing out of her Kyle costume. Uh oh, Donny is here! They have an awkward run in, and Donny shows what a buffoon he is. He literally narcs on himself, telling his girlfriend that he's only checking in FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WEEKS because Ben told him to. Negative rizz, my guy.
Donny isn't the only stupid one though, because Kate makes the bad decision of breaking up with him right there. On an a super impromptu meeting. Not a good time. But that's not even the worst part! Kate cites her friend telling her how Donny has been treating "some new kid named Kyle" and uggggghhhh Kate you fuuuuucked uuuuup! Talk about blowing your cover, the LAST thing you want to do is mention your alter ego, even in passing. Not to mention, you're citing hearsay about some complete stranger you've never heard of before! She even missed the chance to play the whole cousin angle! She could've very easily have said "my friend says you've been an asshole to her cousin, and I don't appreciate that one bit. She's my best friend so picking on her cousin is like picking on family!" or some shit like that. Anything would have been better!
Donny tries to gaslight Kate into thinking she's just being sensitive, but at least she's smart enough to not fall for it. Donny asks for his hoodie back... what? What hoodie? This wasn't a plot point... Chekov items happen all the time in Dhar Mann but this is the opposite. There was ZERO mention or significance of any hoodie in this video whatsoever. It's just another example of abysmal Dhar Mann writing. He introduced this hoodie as a random excuse for Kate to temporarily leave so Donny can find Kate's backpack with the Kyle costume in it.
We cut to the team preparing for the big game in the locker room. Donny arrives late, with a big shit-eating grin on his face. He predictably exposes Kate right before the big game, and he comes damn close to unironically saying "There is an imposter among us". Kate comes clean, and the coach benches her. For some reason Donny becomes QB... even though he never was to begin with.
Coach is all "Just wait until the school finds out you lied to play on the team!" ummm dumbass, that's hands down the LEAST problematic thing of this whole scheme. Not even going to mention the identity theft or faulty physicals/paperwork/transcripts or anything like that???
Donny sucks, and the team is getting rekt. There's a bit of dialogue I find amusing. The coach says "unless Tom Brady shows up, we can't do much else." I'm from New England, so hyperbolic praise for Brady isn't unusual in the slighest, but this is in Cali... it's just weird to hear other parts of the country praise him considering anytime I ever travel anywhere I hear nothing but disdain for him.
Anyway, Ben finally convinces the coach to let Kate play, as herself. This video really came out in the wrong decade. I have a hard time believing there would be much pushback over a girl playing.
They win with Kate's help. The coach promises not to narc her out to the school on the condition that she plays for them again ne- ... really? Again?! The same continuity error has happened twice in this video?! And again, this scandal would be something way beyond the hands of the coach. He has no say.
We cut to next year, and..... I'm at a loss for words. This is now the THIRD TIME we've run into the continuity error over them still being at the school despite seniors and hammering that point home many many many times. I am astonished that the same continuity error was made less than 20 seconds later. Anyway, some freshman are there to tryout, and thank Kate for breaking the glass ceiling. They repeat the inapplicable moral of the video, and we see that Ben and Kate have become a couple.
Outro:
I saw this video in Dhar's Extended cut playlist. There is no extended cut. I watched this video twice looking for changes. Needless to say, this video was much more enjoyable when my brain was 90% shut off in the middle of the night. I'm honestly surprised that this was the video that introduced me to Dhar Mann. The first half is boring, the second half goes way off the fucking rails. It's not even enjoyably bad, just tedious.
I'll be posting a review every Wednesday! If you have any suggestions for what to review next, please comment below. My only exceptions are that I will not review videos about race or autism. See you in the next one!
submitted by Ok_Web_1877 to dharmann [link] [comments]

2024.05.08 19:47 PrinceLoki777 WAGER OF THE ASSASSINS

Year 2034, West Virginia, Planet Earth, in the Southern Arm of the Andromeda’s Way Galaxy, in the ZX-747 Universe, in the Cosmic Web Celestiality.
CHAPTER 1: Introduction
In a world where an evil AI Democrat president named Nero has taken over, and started chipping Humans and any other mortal being living on Earth in America with special computer chips called Beast Marks, which are legally required to be accepted by anyone they are forcefully equipped to, and anyone who refuses is immediately executed.
And now the State of Michigan has been split into two different states, separating the mainland of Michigan from its strangely detached add-on land, now being Michigan and Normia, making Normia the 52nd State, with the LITERAL MOON ITSELF being the 51st, that nickname being given to it by Neil Armstrong.
South Carolina ALSO has a new name, Kennedy, and North Carolina is just Carolina now.
The Doomsday Clock is also now 10 Seconds to Midnight.
A group of ragtag-post-teen-pre-adult-bounty-hunters named the Assassins have been hiding out in their handmade wooden log-cabin-mansion-hybrid-home, the Assassin’s Cabin, in the forests of West Virginia, the Home of Monsters, a name given to the State due to its inherent presence of monstrous creatures, such as Mothman, Owlman, Indret Kold, and the Flatwoods Monster.
There are 12 of these “bounty-hunters”, if you could call them that, all told.
Zenith, the 1st Leader of the Assassins, he is the son of the Mayan King Deity, Itzamna, and a Mortal Human American woman, Zenith also owns a Direwolf, named Fang.
Rexob, the 2nd Leader of the Assassins, the Blue Boxer Kobold and the 4-time Boxing Champion of Planet Reptilia, who even beat Reptilia’s King Vishnu II himself, Rexob won the Bronze-Knuckle, Silver-Fist, Golden-Gun, and even Platinum-Punch Champion Belts, all from four different Championships on his Homeworld.
Knightowl, the 3rd Leader of the Assassins, who was the 7th Ronin, out of the 15 Ronins, who were the royal guard of Lord Nokhuk, the Great Stag Owl Deity who ruled over Planet Nyx, and the Deity that the giant owl statue up at the politi-cult hotspot known as Bohemian Grove, is supposed to resemble, K-nightowl also owns a pet Owl, a Great Potoo Owl, named Nyctos.
Zaviour the Magnomaniac, the 4th Leader of the Assassins, and the one who provides most of the Assassins’ technology, a brand-name that Zaviour came up with for said technology is Z-Tekk, and Zaviour also owns a few pets that he created by reviving extinct species, such as a Dragon.
Beetell, the 5th Leader of the Assassins, an American boy who lived in Lithuania, whose animal-house was burnt down by ConAI Bot Troops, and now he seeks bloody revenge, Beetell also owns an Atlas Beetle, named Khepri.
Zenith, Rexob, Knightowl, Zaviour, and Beetell are the Five Founders of the Assassins, there are 5 other lower Members.
Meouna, the 6th Member of the Assassins, and Rexob’s soulmate-in-secret, who is also very athletic, as is every other female Kobold on Planet Reptilia, Rexob and Meouna’s shared Homeworld.
Archangel Elohim, the 7th Member of the Assassins, and the warrior-monk son of the two most powerful Archangels, Metatron and Sandalphon, who are the first and second most powerful Archangels, the third being Elohim, and the fourth being Michael.
Valk, the 8th Member of the Assassins, and the Walking Thunder, who gained the power of lightning by tazing himself, ALMOST TO DEATH, but his hard work and focus eventually paid off when he was struck by ACTUAL lightning once, when standing out in the rain.
Blaid, the 9th Member of the Assassins, and the Roly-Poly Kobold, who is also Rexob’s cousin, and owns a Velociraptor
Loki, the 10th Member of the Assassins, the Aesir Norse Deity of Lies, Deceit, and Trickery, who was thrown from Asgard by his older brother Thorr.
Keeper, the 11th Member of the Assassins, a Nyxbird, and the 7th member of the Void Viziers, a group of sorcerers who just vanished one day, without a SINGLE trace of their existence, and Keeper was the only one left.
And, Lamash-Tu, Loki’s soulmate and the 12th Member of the Assassins, she is a Demoness from the 2nd Underworld, but she is a GOOD Demoness.
These 12 misfits are The Assassins.
The looming threat of mystical annhiliation of the Andromeda’s Way Galaxy by any evil being who seeks it, grows ever closer, and the Assassins will need help from others to fix it.
7 different evil forces ALL seek to destroy the population of this Galaxy, which was ALMOST done FOR them when Andromeda FIRST collided with the Milky-Way, which destroyed an entire HALF of Saturn’s gigantic Orbital Ring, PLUS a few different Planets that were undiscovered and unknown by Earth’s Mortal population, excluding the STILL unknown Planet Nox, which was destroyed by an enraged evil Super Kobold warrior named Zerryk the Destroyer, who ALSO seeks to destroy Earth.
As if Planet Nox hadn’t suffered enough, it’s rocky, meteor-like remains became part of Saturn’s ring, and were ALSO destroyed when half of Saturn’s Orbital Ring was in the year 2025, the year that Andromeda collided with the Milky-Way, and gave birth to Andromeda’s Way.
6 other forces seek to destroy Earth as well, Zerryk is but ONE of them.
Thanatos, Greek Deity of Death, Khaos, the Primordiess of Righteous Vengeance, Thorr, the Aesir Norse Deity of Thunder and Storms, Kaizer the Super Kobold, who is Rexob’s older brother, Apophis, the Lord of the Void Serpents, and Noxethys, the Dreadful One of Fear, are all coming after the Andromeda’s Way Galaxy and it’s lonely Mortal inhabitants, and they have created a living plague in order to make such a task as this one, FAR easier.
This “living plague” is known as, or, ARE known as, the Homicidium Culex, or, as they’re peasantly referred to, the Fearbug, and these particular insects have four wings, four legs, and four forms.
Homicidium Culex is the regular Incessant Fearbug, a small, mosquito-like insect that is about as vicious as an Asian Murder Hornet, and twice as deadly.
Then, there’s the Maior-Caedes Culex, also called the Fear-Killer Bug, which happens when four Fearbugs merge together, and create a bigger, bipedal bug with a face like a Warmonger, but it has mandibles, which are always terrifying when applied to the face of an insect.
The Fear-Killer Bug also has a long, broad-sword-like blade in-place of its right arm, and a five-fingered hand with two pinkies, two middle fingers, and one thumb finger on its left arm, and it has legs with backwards knees like that of a livestock animal such as a cow, or a goat, or the back legs of a horse.
The third form of the Fearbug is called the Fear Knight, which is as tall as a Super Kobold, and even has the face of one, but it has mandibles, and also has four ovipositors that can come out of it’s upper back at will, and they each have slightly long, bladed stingers, and has long wristblades that can come out of its forearms at will, and gigantic wings with a 12-foot wingspan, the Fear Knight is born by the merging of two Fear-Killer Bugs into one single being.
The FOURTH form of the Fearbug is known as the Fear Queen, which looks like a centauric hybrid of the body of a tarantula with the top half being the torso of a Warmonger, with the four stinger-sword ovipositors that the previous Fear Knight form has, plus the head of a Kobold with mandibles, and a mohawk of spikes, with four horns that resemble antlers, and armblades that it uses that come out of its forearms at will, and this form comes from four Fear Knights merging together.
The Fear Queen also is independent, and does not need her work to be done by lower Fearbugs, unlike that of a Queen Bee, thus furthering the development of this new and extremely deadly species.
The Antichrist has ALSO joined in on this evil coup of destruction against this Galaxy.
submitted by PrinceLoki777 to Wagerverse [link] [comments]

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