Hard color pages

It seems there are many posts here complaining about yt2009 instances being slow/down and I'm just here using it locally without any issues. It's really not that hard to set up locally for yourself and here's also the github page for those who can't find it: https://github.com/ftde0/yt2009

Hi ,
I'm Andrei, solo developer of Coin-Op Vice. DEMO with 40-60 min of gameplay is available:

• Steam page with Demo
• Trailer

Plot. Detective of the 80s investigates a case involving arcade centers damaged by a cosmic beam. Crowds of visitors have turned into monsters, and arcade machines launch unusual versions of legendary games.
Retro Style. Limited color palette, monochrome sprites, CRT monitor glow, and even text mode - the graphic style is inspired by ZX Spectrum, Commodore, Apple, MSX, Atari, and MS-DOS games in CGA and EGA modes.
Procedural Generation. Rooms and map for each mission are procedurally generated. Each playthrough is unique as the buildings vary greatly. The structure of buildings is also random. For example, the first floor might be located on different sides of a river or highway, and the connection will be on the upper floors. Or some parts of the building might be a narrow high-rise tower.
Mini-Games. The main objective of each mission is to play all the damaged arcade machines. More than 100 different short mini-games are launched on them. From platformers to legendary titles like Arkanoid, Xonix, Digger, and Snake.
Deck Building. For each completed arcade, you receive a reward in the form of two random cartridges. Cartridges enhance skills, provide weapons, and endow abilities. By combining cartridges in a deck, you can take down the toughest monsters. Combining two cartridges creates a higher-level cartridge.
Features:
★ 16 main missions
★ Daily random missions available after completing the main ones
★ Procedural generation of buildings and map
★ 100+ different short mini-games
★ Dozens of cartridges for deck building
★ Horde of monsters with unique behavior
★ Stylish retro graphics with smooth animation and plenty of effects
★ Detective story with thriller elements
★ Chiptune music synthesized on the fly. Made in-game editor
I will be very grateful if you play the Demo. The release is scheduled for September this year.
Steam Page with the Demo.
Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/@bbclearningenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishpronunciationwithTom/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@Canguroenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=learn+british+english+beginner+level+
https://www.youtube.com/@Oxfordonlineenglish1/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@rachelsenglish/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@BookLove/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@EngfluentPlus/videos
https://www.youtube.com/@EnglishforCambodia/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEF6pwHhuQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXJiq888iLM
https://www.youtube.com/@CambodiansLearnEnglish2019/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/@EdnicheSchool/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dJztpQukPM
https://www.youtube.com/@DekRean9/playlists https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSKbdoWbc9c
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFsky1qIchUJ1y5jTMtrk7DmMm2VEOwkP
https://www.youtube.com/@studyenglishkhmerchannel/playlists
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCMMRIYgA8Z9H7pmT1r2IJPCzK7afSjzB
https://www.youtube.com/@ComprehensibleEnglish/videos
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening
https://www.memrise.com
https://www.busuu.com
Learn words in sentences and phrases not individual. Watch TV shows and online streams.
Watch movies/series/YouTube channels in English, with English subtitles at first and then without
My khmer family uses my Netflix and what they get out of it has been invaluable in terms of their English. Three years ago my brothers English was very poor. Just from reading subtitles he is now fluent
https://listenaminute.com
https://www.duolingo.com
https://en.islcollective.com
https://www.onestopenglish.com
https://cambodia.britishcouncil.org/english-online/mobile-apps
Reading and listening are important. Listen to English-speaking radio. You can get lots of them on the internet. Try different English-speaking countries. Watch TV shows if you can. Get them on YouTube or other similar sources. Look for programmes like news or documentaries. You have the pictures to help you understand. Language in them is more genuine than in a soap opera. Look for programmes or things to read that are of interest to you. So if you have a hobby or other interest, look for things in English that relate to them. You will learn English and maybe something about your interests.
Lately, I've just found out this site ( https://www.conversationexchange.com/ ) where you can chat/speak with native English speaker, it's really cool.
Always have a notebook with me to makes some notes or write down some new vocabulary or phrases.
And the most important thing … speaking practice. I can recommend you ,,speaky app.,, It’s really cool. Lot of weird people which do not distinguish this app from tinder there but I have found some decent people that I am able to speak a few times per week with. I can even say that after few months they even became my friends.

• try to embed yourself in english
  
• persistance and constistnecy, do it daily, event if it’s just one new word its always step forward,
  
• find an english speaking friend and stay in touch with him frequently
  
• exercise your speaking muscles everyday for 5 minutes
  

https://discord.com/invite/english in there you can find people to speak with anytime
I've learned English on my own through YouTube.
Step 1. Unsubscribe from all the channels in your native tongue.
Step 2. Subscribe to all English Learning Channels you can find.
Step 3. Watch Videos from the subscribed channels whenever you have occasion.
​In 2-3 months you will understand most of the content.
If you're a complete beginner, read books meant for kids.
Honestly I'd suggest trying a couple of nature documentaries first. The speech will be very slow and give you lots of time to understand what you heard. If you're still struggling with that, then worry about kids shows.
I'd also suggest looking at podcasts for English beginners. They should deliberately speak slowly and not use complicated words
Some that come to mind easily are two tv shows called Sesame Street and Peppa Pig because of their simple language (aimed at native English kids learning English).
For listening practice you could try this free Whatsapp group with daily British English listening practice - https://chat.whatsapp.com/ELjBO3HwTMgK3xxqq3mq6d
Try Nonsense.com :) It is free and you get to watch movies.
This explanation is a little long so you can translate it to your native language by using www.Deepl.com
There are many ways you can learn English as a beginner. First, I think it's important to find out exactly what your level is. A great framework for understanding language level is called CEFR "The common European framework for Reference". There are many free tests online you can take to find out your level. I recommend the EFSET test. It's free and fast. Here is the link.https://www.efset.org
After you have found out what your level is, you need to learn the necessary content. You also need to manage your time expectations. Each level of the CEFR A1 A2 (beginner) B1 B2 (intermediate) C1 C2 (Advanced) takes a different amount of time. The A levels take about 100 hours each. The B levels take about 200 and the C levels take about 300 hours.
To complete a level you will need to improve 8 areas:

1. vocabulary = Improve your vocabulary by buying an appropriate vocabulary book. Try to learn 20 new words each day. Download an SRS app (spaced repetition) to help you learn the vocabulary faster. e.g. Anki or Quizlet. Also, try to make or use mnemonics to remember what the words mean.
2. grammar = Buy an appropriate grammar book (I recommend Grammar in Use by Murphy) Each CEFR level has about 200 grammar structures. First, study the structures and understand what they mean, then activate them and make sure you can use them all in conversation. To help with this, you can use my Youtube. I post grammar lessons every day (Yes, I know this is a shameless plug) https://www.youtube.com/learngrammarwithstuart
3. conversation = Make sure to practice what you have learned by speaking to a native speaker. There are a lot of great apps like Italki and Cambly where you can practice this for a very low cost.
4. pronunciation = Improve this by shadowing (listening and repeating what people say) e.g. the audio content from the reading textbook. You can also improve your pronunciation by watching Youtube pronunciation channels.
5. conversation = Make sure to practice what you have learned by speaking to a native speaker. There are a lot of great apps like Italki and Cambly where you can practice this for a very low cost.)
6. reading = Buy a graded reader and practice reading at your level. To see if the content is at your level, use the following rule. If you need to translate more than 10 words per page, the book you are reading is too hard.
7. listening = Improve your listening by watching TV shows that use simple English. I recommend kids cartoons and sitcoms e.g. friends. There are also lots of great youtube channels that you can use.
8. writing = Improve your writing by using an app like Hello Talk or a similar SNS. It allows you to easily practice writing and communicating with other English speakers and language learners.

I hope this helps and good luck with your studies.
About me: I have been working as an English teachecurriculum developer for 16 years.
Mostly pdfs:
https://www.pdf-language-lessons.com/english/english-pdf-lessons/
https://www.infobooks.org/free-pdf-books/language-learning/english/
https://helenadailyenglish.com/101-short-stories-for-learning-english-beginner-to-advanced-level-text-audio-and-video
https://www.englishclub.com/pdf/
https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/course/how-to-speak-english/unit-1/downloads
https://www.englishclass101.com/learn-with-pdf
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-levels/understand-your-english-level/a1-elementary
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/basic-vocabulary
https://www.learnenglishteam.com/common-daily-english-phrases-for-beginners/
https://www.espressoenglish.net/wp-content/uploads/free/500-Real-English-Phrases.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/learningenglish/english/course/how-to-speak-english/unit-1/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/
https://www.lingoneo.org/learn-english/page/pdf-audio-video-downloads
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening/a1-listening
https://s1.papyruspub.com/files/demos/products/ebooks/educative-books/general-english/English-for-Everyone/Preview-Course-Book-English-for-Everyone1-Beginner.pdf
https://english-at-home.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/50-Speaking-Phrases1.pdf
https://english-at-home.com/
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/best-websites-to-learn-english/

TLDR: Someone possibly knew about the 75M share offering in advance and used that info to mess with GME investors, making the board and Ryan Cohen look like backstabbers. This ATM offering decision was made at least two weeks before last Friday, and short sellers possibly manipulated the price to devastate GME investors.
This is not my findings, and I'm not sure if it’s allowed to link a post from another sub that's mostly about DD into GME, but here’s the gist:
A company has to file a Supplemental Listing Application (SLAP) to get approval from the Exchange for various corporate actions, like issuing more shares. The Exchange needs at least two weeks to review and approve these SLAPs.
Source: Page 8 of 12 https://www.nyse.com/publicdocs/nyse/markets/nyse-american/NYSE_American_2024_Annual_Guidance_Letter.pdf
Tinfoil: If this info gets leaked to short sellers, they could mess with us. Imagine they pump the price on Wednesday and Thursday (especially after-hours), then on Friday pre-market, when most investors can’t trade, they short it hard when the news drops. This could seriously mess with GME investor morale. Ryan Cohen and the board could end up being scapegoated, making investors feel betrayed, and I'm guilty of it if this is true. This changes my perspective on what happened on last Friday. I don't know if a company can decide to do ATM offering at the last minute, but it looks highly unlikely.

Just bought this old 1924 old Dutch colonial in New England and the kitchen has me stumped. Hard layout, awful colors and choices in there right now. I don’t have the funds for a full kitchen reno right now, but here’s what we’re working with. We have lots of colorful accents and furniture in the house fwiw.
Already planning on:

• changing the hardware on the cabinets and drawers
• ordered a new stainless steel counter depth refrigerator
• we hope to remove all those upper most cabinet doors with just a long piece of wood (they can’t simply be demo’d completely because they’re covering an exposed pipe)

Need help with colors of walls, trim and cabinets; backsplash; and any ideas for less expensive flooring that we could maybe lay on top of that disgusting laminate.
I’ll try to include some pix of our current (rental) kitchen to get an idea of our aesthetic in the comments. I like fun pops of color, but also want it to age well enough so nothing too whacky.
Really struggling with this one! Thanks guys!!

TLDR, The QR code can get warn out or hard to read with the contrast on the black plastic/etc. Test to make sure you QR code actually works by scanning yourself.
Last night I found a pair of keys at an event and they had a TILE attached to them so figured maybe the owner would come back and find them. It was dark so I didn't notice the QR code and the "scan if found" but later in the evening I was thinking "oh, maybe I will load the app and see if there is any way to directly scan the tile and send info to the owner". Well, I did that and there was an option there for "Scan " without even creating an account so I did that and I couldn't get the app to scan the QR code at all! Tried everything with lights/ angles/etc. It was using my default camera app it seemed to do the scan.
So, then I loaded another "QR scan" thing I had on my phone and after a minute managed to get it to scan and load a URL but it didn't have any contact info and just said that the device was reported lost.
I tried creating a TILE account and doing the QR scan and even the bluetooth pairing but it didn't work!
I copied the URL into my note pad from the scan that worked and figured would refresh it over time in case there was contact info that was added later. Sure enough before I went to sleep I reloaded it and there was now an option to call or text the owner. I managed to talk to them and told them where the keys were so hopefully they can pick them up today.
Would have been better if there was a way for someone to find the key and give their contact details for owner if no owner info was on that page. Some people might get to that point and give up.

ChaCha has added "wedding expert" to her resume! Not that she's had one...or probably ever even been invited to one.
Does this woman ever get invited ANYWHERE? Does she have any idea how social gatherings work? I'm actually astounded at her take on the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster. Her insane rage about the Prince of Wales is ridiculous.
All of William’s leaking and briefing about Hugh’s wedding, and all he got was a shuttle ride, a position as an usher and no date. I wonder if Hugh even specified that William could not bring a plus-one. After the wedding service, William was seen hanging out with long-time friends like Rosie van Cutsem and dark-haired guy, who is probably Rosie’s husband William van Cutsem.
It's obvious she has no idea what the role of an usher is at a wedding.
And the dark-haired guy was "probably" Willam van Cutsem? That's some crack journalism there, ChaCha. Too lazy to even google.
William obviously didn’t come to the wedding with Kate, and it looks like he didn’t bring Prince George either. There were no photos of George, although there was some pre-wedding buzz that George would be one of the page boys, especially given that Hugh is George’s godfather. People Mag says George wasn’t there, likely because it was a school day. Apparently, someone in the crowd shouted "best wishes to Kate" as William exited the cathedral. He apparently “gave a nod and waved” in response. It’s bizarre that he seems so grumpy whenever anyone reminds him that his wife is supposed to be ill.
Here she goes again with reacting to a story in People magazine. Who cares what People magazine posts? People isn't even a British mag. Doesn't her internet provider allow her to see British publications?
And how is giving a nod and waving considered grumpy behavior? What was he supposed to do when people wished him the best? Fall to his knees and sob?
Then she starts frothing at the mouth about the Middletons not being at the wedding
where were the Middletons? All of the wisteria-sistering, all of that social climbing, and none of the Middletons were invited to the social event of the season? I have the feeling that Carole Middleton’s social climbing/hustler days are over, now that she’s been so thoroughly exposed as a rampant fraud. But what about Pippa and Terribly Moderately Wealthy James Matthews? What about James Middleton? Why weren’t they invited?
ChaCha is sooooooooo unnerved about the Middletons!!
She is twisting herself into knots over a beautiful wedding which is hardly surprising.
She has another post today criticizing the new Duchess of Middleton's wedding dress and shoes and a plywood platform used for photos and pretty much everything and of course throws in a mention of Meghan and I just can't.

My boyfriend (29M) and I (26F) have been together for 5 years. Now in the beginning, I couldn't keep his hands off of me. Our sex life was AMAZING. Then he cheated on me twice. We worked through it but I could tell something changed. Now he watches porn and I don't mind because I watch it too. So no biggie fr. But now it's like he can't get hard when it comes time to have sex. He thinks that I should "talk" and say a bunch of nasty stuff during sex to get him hard. I don't have a problem with that as long as I'm in the mood. Not just bent over with a limp **** rubbing up against me. I do it anyway because I EVENTUALLY want him to get hard. But then HE DOESNT. It's like he gets hard enough to go in but not hard enough to complete the task at hand. My main issue is the fact that he only gets hard when he's watching porn now. Let me just say, I am a tall plus size black woman. He watches porn involving petite white girls. I'm starting to feel like hes really not attracted to me and I'm starting to feel really insecure. If you can get hard watching them, what's wrong with me? I can't change my color, my height or my size (the medication I take keeps the weight on). The women he cheated with were white and I can't help but to think that he didn't have to watch porn for them. We just finished, well he did. And just as I'm getting into it, I see him move his phone to the side. I was immediately so embarrassed and insecure. Am I crazy to think that I'm not what he wants? If he like white girls, that's what he likes. But you can't expect me to stick around when in reality you don't like me fr. I looooved sex with him but now it just feels like a pity f***. Am I crazy?

I’ve been on a seed buying kick and sometimes finding vendors is hard. I followed a page because of their plant pics (@_rare_seed_nursery). I would like to preface this with the fact that I am awaiting a refund so if this turns out to be a scam - I am not sure. But the process is way more complicated than it should be.
I requested a seed list and picked out what I want. Total came to $50 (reasonable price) with phyto cert. first the seller asked for me to pay via remitly which I wasn’t familiar with. After a google it seems they have mixed reviews, but seems it was possible my info would be stolen. I told the vendor paypal would work better and it was requested I pay “friends and family”. I accidentally paid for good and services and 2 refunds and 3 email addresses later we got payment solved.
This morning I got a message about customs. Seller told me I would get an email from them and they were asking for $50. Which is crazy and doubled what I was expecting to pay. I have also bought internationally and not once did I, as the buyer, have to directly pay for customs. Also - the email for the country’s customs as a gmail address. I told him I will not pay that and he told me he can get it down to $25. As an American I am not used to negotiating government services and this whole thing just felt sus.
I have cancelled the order. I told the seller to refund my money as this was an unexpected charge. Stick to sellers with websites or Ebay/Etsy if you’re buying internationally folks.
I might be out $50 but even if this whole thing was legit I would rather stick with vendors like Koehres who are absolutely legit and pleasant to deal with.

STOP blaming me for all your fkd up things in your life!! I have NEVER EVER spread a rumor about your son!! You must think you mean something to me! I don't follow you (you blocked me), I don't stalk you. I don't care if you live or 🪦. I live rent-free in your head. The same with the barbershop broad & her lies about those 62 pages of bullshit. I have not called the cops but 5 times within 2 years. I would personally speak with the Capt of the Sheriff's Dept on his opinion of what I should do. It's probably how many times you called the cops! When you were fighting with Alaska broad & me. Remember how Alaska broad set up across the street from your shop and you flipped out?? Also, I have never ever reinstated the charges. I should have, but I didn't want Ali to grow up without her unfit mother. I'm living rent-free in your head, too. But you said it yourself, you & Alaska broad are the same. You have bullied & doxxed 5 women in our town! One woman actually got an attorney for you to shut your trap. You are unhappy and get a hard on for being a bully. The only reason i know about all your lies, people come to me to ask questions, because they doubt you both, too. Leave me the fk alone!!

If you have the opportunity, go. Just go. We thought they were using a backing track, but after nearly 50 years and 4500 concerts, Russel Hitchcock can still frikkin sing. Close your eyes and it sounds just like you remember. And Graham Russell is a master guitarist. He did a 5 minute Pink Floyd Metal-esque type of thing that made my jaw drop.
They collected an incredible ensemble. The pianist and bassist are great, but the drummer is amazing - and slightly off his rocker. The lead guitar is so good it's hard to describe in words. Slash? Jimmy Page? Eric Clapton? Good god, where the hell did he come from?! Why the hell is he in this band?!
Soft rock my ass. They might sound like that on your record, cassette tape, CD or Spotify stream, but this was a full on classic rock concert with Rush drum solos, metal guitar solos... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd go see them again

—
“.....”
Rika stared at her hand, at the backside of her palm, her skin color is that of an overripe and sweet sapodilla. She doesn't know what that thing is, but that's what her dad used to call it, apparently some sort of fruit, but she doesn't know what fruit is either. it’s slightly blue now, stained by the blood of a… thing. She looked at it, the… she doesn't know what to call it, pink thing… pink… pinky? Sounds good enough for her, she looked at pinky.
“hmm…”
Pinky is… weird? She's seen some weird things in her life, an irradiated wasteland can always hold a surprise, but this is… peculiar. In a way she couldn't really put her finger on, more so because she can't touch pinky for too long because they are really cold. But she wants to touch pinky, pinky is interesting. Pinky has four eyes, no hair, and a beautiful skin, she's almost jealous.
“.....”
Her curiosity took over and she scooted over to where pinky is, laying on her bed, with bandages on their tummy. She's honestly not sure why she instantly knows that pinky is bleeding, when she found them in that fire pit, created by that blue light that came from the clouds. Actually, she remembers it quite fondly. She remembered her dad coming back home, bleeding from his tummy, and asked her to fetch some bandages. He told her it was done by bad guys.
Poke
“Pinky? Are you awake?”
Poke
He told her bad guys don't like her, or dad, and want to kick them out. Dad said don't listen, and fight back, since then she really hates bad guys, and thought everyone but her and her dad are bad. She got a lecture for thinking that, and her dad told her not everyone is bad, some people are good, friends he called it, Rika never had friends before but she would love to have one someday.
Poke
“Hello?”
Poke
As Rika continuously poked Pinky, she wondered if Pinky is a bad guy or friend, or maybe they got hurt by a bad guy, are there bad guys in the clouds?. Pinky looks nice, they don't look like bad guys, but who knows, once her dad said that bad guys sometimes lie and make themselves look like friends.
“Wow…”
Pinky’s skin is cold, very cold, it hurts if she touches it too long, but if she touches it for just a few seconds, it’s actually comfortable. So Rika did just that, occasionally putting her palm on Pinky, and enjoying the cold. But suddenly Pinky doesn't feel as cold anymore, she was wondering why when Pinky woke up, and slapped her.
—
“AHH! Get away from me!”
“@#!”
Ciro’s not having it today, she just woke up, and expected maybe the white and yellow of her ship’s medical bay, the feeling of a soft bed on her back, hoping maybe all that she saw before is just a very long and weird dream.
“Shoo! Shoo!”
“...?”
It isn't, unfortunately. She woke up to the brown and black of a cave, and the feeling of what barely passes as a bed laying on rough sand and pebbles on her back, it is not in fact a very long and weird dream. It is, in fact, reality, reality is terrifying as they say and she would agree, as she immediately sees the creature again the very next second of her eyes opening.
“Shoo! Get out of here! D-d-don’t hurt me!...”
“€π?”
“W-what?”
It spoke…? In language she doesn't recognize, it seems… confused? She's not sure if whatever the creature is doing with its face counts as an expression. But it does seem… curious, undeniably so, it tilted her head at her, and looked at her with its curious brown eyes before leaning forward. That, of course, scared the soul out of Ciro.
“Eek! Stay away!”
Now it looks surprised, kind of. It backs away slightly, with their back facing the entrance of the cave, a harsh ray of sunlight peered through the cave’s mouth and some violent wind can be heard. It still stared at her, with that… admittedly… beautiful brown eyes, she's never seen it before. She found herself locking gaze with the creature, feeling a strange sensation as she did.
“Uhm…….. hi”
She suddenly strangely relaxed, as if she didn't just experience ejecting out of her exploding ship and meeting a foreign alien right after. But it got her mind calm, and more rational, now that she is, she should probably stop calling it creature, it's undoubtedly sapient. It had clothes, a terrifying helmet as she recalls, and clearly some decent technology, looking at… gnarly looking weapon resting on the wall next to them.
“π¥! ¥^# £¥¢@!”
It- no… they spoke again, it kind of sounds like an introduction, but it's not like Ciro knows what it means so who knows, could be a threat. They kept staring at her, rather inappropriately. Their eyes wandered to somewhere on Ciro’s lower body, and pointed at it with one of their five clawed fingers. She was about to think about the predatorial implications that the claw gave her, but she's too busy panicking about the wound on her stomach right now.
“Oh God…”
It’s patched up, neatly and appropriately, but also rather tightly. The moment she became aware of it the pain came rushing through like a busted dam. She held her stomach as she curled to a fetal position, tears coming out of her eyes.
“Argh…!”
That's when a hand grabbed her shoulder, she looked up to see the… she should really give it a name, the first thing to come out of her pained mind is critter, and she stuck with it. Critter was staring at her, they seemed to be worried, Critter looked around, before getting up and running towards a dark green colored backpack. Critter rummages through it, before finding what they were looking for, signified by them going what Ciro assumes to be “AHA!”
“Huh?”
They ran up to her and presented it in their hands, an assortment of what look like pills, they're giving her medication?
“I… i can't, i don't know what's in it, it can- ergh!... Mmph… it can kill me…”
Critter insisted, all the while looking at her with all the worry in the world, for a second she wanted to question why it’s so… passionate? The amount of compassion shown to someone they probably have never seen before, it’s kind of sweet. She would appreciate it, if she's not in great pain right now, with a shake of the head she refused the pills, leaving Critter confused and even more worried.
“Sorry… i can't”
Ciro closed her eyes, maybe if she can get her mind away from it the pain would recede. She got nothing, even though her kind is known for how well they can handle their own minds she can't seem to suppress it. But when something touched her head she calmed down, it felt warm, and comfortable, and soft. She opened her eyes again to see Critter…
“...?”
“Uh…”
Are they…. Are they petting her? They are, and it… it feels good, oddly so.
—
Rika caressed Pinky's, they seemed to be in pain and when she offered them painkillers, they refused, she was at a loss at how to calm them down, until she remembered something. When she was little, she found a stray kitten that wandered near her home. It was crying and she had no clue how to calm it down, until she touched the kitty’s head and petted it.
“Okay? Are you okay?”
Her dad didn't like kittens, made him go achoo achoo, he calls it… al… ler… gi…? Something like that, she's not very good at spelling. Doesn't matter though, Pinky looks to be enjoying it, they're not crying any more, that's good if you ask her. A couple of minutes pass, filled with nothing but oddly awkward silence and the sound of someone being petted.
“Hmm?”
When she was done Pinky had completely stopped crying and holding their tummy. At the same time they seemed to snap out of a trance, and looked at her, she replied with a smile, after remembering that Pinky doesn't speak like her.
“Hi!”
She tried anyway, surely anyone knows what a "hi" is right?. Surely, as sure as the lightness in her head, she felt it suddenly, it was unpleasant and it felt like someone was poking the inside of her head.
“Ow…. That hurts”
She laid down on the cave floor, and wondered why she's like this all of a sudden. She looked at dust carried by the wind outside. It might be that the air can be kind of funky sometimes, she should really cover the cave with a tarp. She did just that, though making sure the tarp’s color can blend in with the surrounding is a little hard when she can barely even focus from all the lightheadedness.
“There… set and sound… ow…”
She's still feeling it, even more severe now. Probably because it already got to her, oh well, what can she do? It should pass soon enough, she's been through more, a headache is not going to take her down, maybe. She sat down next to her rifle and sighed, messaging her head as she did, it relieved some of the pain, but didn't make it go away.
“Hmph…”
Maybe she should go back trying to talk with Pinky, maybe that can calm it down-
“Hey…”
“Huh?”
—
One thing Qo’kvells can do other than telepathically communicate with each other is… look into the mind of a non-Qo'kvell. Unethical, dishonorable, despisable, medically problematic, since it hurts anyone who isn't mentally capable, which everyone who is not a Qo’kvell. But… it can help, in some things. Like… knowing the ill intentions of others, or a problem in their mind, or getting to know them, or… learning their language.
“Ow…”
And she has never seen a language so complicated it hurts her head just thinking about it. Not until she probed Critter’s head, to see if there's a way to communicate, it visibly affected them, but they handled it far-far better than anyone else, most would pass out in the first 3 seconds, Critter seems mostly unfazed. From it, she knows a lot, but understands few, she did learn Critter is a she, so hey, fellow girls at least.
“Mmh… oh… I shouldn't have done this…”
And her intent is well, she's trying to help her, the pills she offered were painkillers, and she saved Ciro from her pod’s burning wreckage. She suppose she can thank her, but learning a language takes some time and brain effort, and it certainly hurts, so she holds off for now. Critter’s memory is hazy, and hard to reach, it’s almost like her brain is actively fighting against her telepathy.
Maybe I should say something… hmm… this is… a word for introduction right? I hope, please don't be a slur or something’
“Hey…”
“Huh?”
‘did it work?’
“H-hi…”
From Critter's memory, she learned that waving her hand seems to be some sort of introductory gesture, so she did that. She was expecting shock, but what she got was a very happy Critter, who seemed to instantly forget about their headache.
“you can talk!”
“A… small-”
‘wait, no that's wrong’
“Me… mean… little?”
‘That's also wrong, what in the lands below is this language?!’
“Who are you? What's your name? I'm Rika! I’m friend!”
She can barely understand that wall of words, she did hear a name… Wi… no, Ric… e? No, wrong again, Ri… ka…? Sounds… correct-ish. She also noticed she was being asked her name, she tried her best to piece it together using the strange letters of Rika’s language.
“am… Ce… ehm, no… Ci… Ciro”
“Ciro? Oh man… Pinky is not right at all”
She has no clue what Rika is talking about, and it’s probably best she doesn't question it. But now she has to ask the important questions. She tried her best to form a sentence in her head before trying to speak. She could just try and probe again, but her head’s not having it so neither does she.
“When… no, me mea- no… I mean… Where… am… i?”
“Hmmm? oh, we’re in a cave”
“I… know… I mean… what place?”
“What? Uh… Oh! Yes, you’re not from here, sorry, we’re in a desert! My dad calls it wasteland, i don't know why, i don't a see a lot of trash out here”
Wasteland? Desert wasteland? Ciro was curious, what kind of species prefers to live in a desert? Wasteland no less?
“Why?”
“The whole world is like this, dad calls it end of the world, i don't see anything ending out here, so i don't really know”
End of the world… Ciro realized the grim implications of that sentence and frowned, with a bit of pity towards Rika.
“”stranded in post apocalyptic planet, great””
“What? You speak weird again”
“Oh… apologiz- uh, i mean, sorry, it is n-native… mouth”
“Oh, i’ve heard of that, dad used to tell me other people can speak another way, can you teach me?”
Rika’s eyes light up, she seems oddly innocent and childlike in… well… apocalypse, for gods know how long. She suppose education isn't as strong as it used to be in that condition, but shouldn't Rika be a bit more… aware?
“N-no, it… hard”
“Aww… it’s fine, you can speak like me anyway, how do you do it?”
“I…”
She's not sure what to say, Rika probably doesn't know what telepathy is, or maybe and she does, Ciro’s got nothing on her culture.
“Just… special… thing, i can do”
“Ooh!... What is it?”
“Difficult… explain… t-to explain, i mean”
“It’s okay… are you good? You’re wounded, i took care of it but you were still hurt”
“Am… fine”
She's really not, but she's functional which is good enough, Rika’s work on her wounds was surprisingly exceptional.
“Great!... Hmm… do you want to go with me?”
“W-where?”
“Hold on! Let me get it!”
Rika ran to her bag again, and took out some sort of… square? It unfolded to a large rectangular shape, is it made of… paper?
‘Her species still uses paper?’
She was a bit confused, if they can make advanced medicine then shouldn't they be way past that? Then she was reminded by the sound of the violent wind outside.
‘oh yeah… apocalypse’
She ran back to him all excited, Ciro can practically taste the thick naivety of this girl as she spoke with the largest smile she has ever seen.
“We’re here, not too far away from my home, but that's not where I'm going! I wanna go here! Look!”
She pointed to a drawing that resembles a mountain.
“It’s a really tall mountain! My dad’s been there before! He said it looks very pretty!”
“What… for?”
“To meet someone! My dad said there's someone very special there! That I should meet them! He said it’s important for everyone too… but he wanted to tell me first!”
Rika kept mentioning this “”dad””, and Ciro is going to go out on a limb to guess this dad is her parent.
“Is… dad mother?”
“Wha? No! My dad is a man! Strongest man ever!”
‘so a father?’
“Where is… dad?”
All the light in Rika’s eyes disappeared, replaced with something that made Ciro uneasy. Even when only partially connected, she can feel a strong feeling of sorrow from Rika, if she was probing her head Ciro probably would have been dead or atleast incapacitated from the sudden emotional overload.
“I…. Sorry”
“It’s okay… but he told me to go here, he gave me everything he has, and taught me everything, he said it can save me, everyone, i don't know what he means… but i’ll do it, for him, it’s all he always wanted”
Her voice wasn't as energetic as before, far from it. Ciro noticed that Rika glanced at the terrifying looking weapon on the wall, it seems it's more than just a tool of self defense.
“Ah… anyway, do you want to come with me?”
Ciro weighted her choices, she doesn't know this planet, she doesn't know how it is like after whatever happened to it, she doesn't know if others of Rika’s kind are as friendly as her, or if they even consider her approachable at all, she doesn't know how to survive, she's not that kind of person. At this point, she's not even worried, she nodded in response to her question, and perhaps, in a pleasant turn of event, Rika lit up once again, back to how she was.
“So you want to be friends?!”
“Y-yes…”
‘that feels regrettable in the long run’
“Yeeee! First friend! Uhm… oh, i forgot to ask, where are you from? Why are you riding that light?”
“What?”
“I save you, from a burning pit, light from the sky landed there, are you from up there? Why are you here?”
Ciro decided it doesn't hurt to just tell Rika, she would probably be more impressed and excited than terrified that there are other civilizations out there.
“Am from… uh… space, above sky, i am a…. Ko’k ehm… Q… Qo’kvell…”
“Above the sky? In the stars?”
Ciro was right, she looks absolutely excited.
“Yes… my kind… explore stars, am explorer”
“Oh! Are you exploring down here? What is it like up there?”
“Hard… to explain, explain… later”
“Aww… okay… let's go now should we? Storm is smaller now, we can go”
Rika was right, the wind outside had calmed down.
“Shure… S-sure, i mea- AHH!”
Rika pulled her up from her sitting position, and tore through cover protecting the cave from the winds outside. Outside was… bright, and hot, unpleasant, they seemed to be in a valley between two mountains. All Ciro can see is a dry landscape where trees used to be, hinted by the dry stumps barely poking out of the gravel and sand. A complete terraformation is she has to guess, something hit this planet hard.
“Wait here! I'll go get my stuff first!”
Ciro wondered how Rika managed to survive all this, but the more time she spent with her the more it seems to her Rika grew up in all of this, not forced into it.
‘how long has it been?’
“Let's go! We’re still far from it!”
Rika came out of the cave, bag on her back and weapon in hand.
“Where… is… vehicle?”
“Oh! It’s right here!”
She walked up to a large rock and pointed to it, Ciro was confused until Rika grabbed it and it turned out to be some sort of camouflage cover. It was nearly invisible, blending in with everything else, and it's clear why that is, her vehicle isn't the most discreet. Two wheels, all black, armored plates for the front and rear were welded to a long metal pole which itself is bolted on the vehicle’s side, acting as a mount for the armor.
“Hmm…”
“Cool right? My dad made it himself! He said it can’t ever go down!”
“Good… protection”
The mostly rubber wheels are slightly spiky, and have large ridges, probably to get better grip on smooth sand, and spikes for snow maybe?. It has two seats, one in front, one in the rear, surprisingly comfy looking seats despite all its brutal aspects. Rika got on it, and inserted a metal key, and the vehicle let out a fearsome roar. A mechanical Ignition tells Ciro that Rika’s kind probably isn't incredibly advanced.
‘no offense Rika…”
“Come on up! Another storm is probably coming soon! We don't want to get stuck!”
“O-okay…”
She got up on the back seat, it’s apparently leather, she wondered what kind of animal it came from.
“Ready?”
“Ye- EEK!”
Rika accelerated without warning, causing Ciro to almost fall off, she held onto Rika by hugging her, it felt inappropriate, but she seems fine with it. Ciro’s fine with it too, she's oddly comfortable to hold, maybe it’s just the heat from her body, she noticed that in the cave when she was being… petted, Rika's kind must be hot blooded.
‘Sigh… stranded in a wasteland planet, with a species never encountered before… How lucky am i?’
It would be any star mapper’s wet dream, that's for sure, she just wishes it went a little different, less explosions and less being stranded.
‘if only you’re here, mom’

Hi, My name is Lisa. I was involved in a car crash back in September of 2022, which totalled my Tahoe and left me with some serious injuries, that I still suffer from til this day. I was traveling South on highway 17, had just passed Hog Heaven Restaurant. It's a 45 mph speed limit through there so I always set my cruise control, which probably saved my life. I was traveling in the left lane, there were two cars ahead of me. Something told me to get over in the right lane, "that little voice", so I checked my blindspot and was going to get into the right lane. The two vehicles were a good ways up ahead but I just had a weird feeling. As soon as I checked my blind spot and seen it was clear, I put my signal light on and the small SUV had hit their brakes so hard they'd came to almost a complete stop because the car ahead of them suddenly, I guess saw that little cut through road that doesn't have a safe lane to get over in, it's just a small cut through in the median and it's right past the 60 mph sign. The little car that made a suddenly ILLEGAL U-TURN, hadn't use any signal light!!! I saw them swoop on in that cut through road to go back north!! I was so shocked but I knew I could get over, so I used my brakes and sterred right to get over so I wouldn't hit that car that was in front of me that had to suddenly stop so they wouldn't hit that car!! I almost got over and in control but the back end of my Tahoe fishtailed and when my right back tire made contact with the grass it jerked me backwards into a spin and over in the ditch and flipped over!! People stopped but I was so disoriented and scared because they were trying to get me out because they said gas was leaking and could catch on fire!! I told them I'd just filled up at Walmart station and I've always been terrified of burning up in a fire!! A guy pulled me through the windshield. I was bye myself and scared, the trooper on duty that day never came because he was actually called to another reck. The paperwork said that he'd actually gotten there 4 hours later because there was 3 or 4 recks that day!! I'm grateful to be alive but this is going to be on my insurance for a while. I live on a fixed income and it's very expensive each month now. If there is anyone who remembers this accident, anyone who saw what happened, please let me know, I was driving a green Chevrolet Tahoe.The officer had first reported my car stolen and the driver fled the scene of the accident in which days later when I discovered the report, I had to go through extreme circumstances to get that straightened out with them and my insurance company. The trooper must not have even checked with 911 or anything because EMS came and took me to Grand Stand Regional. When I got there to the emergency room, they were so nervous and upset because they were expecting a medivac to come and bring patients from another car crash! They were trying to put the dye in my IV so they could tell if I had internal injuries. The dye ran down my arm onto the floor! Another nurse came and tried again, actually stuck me several times. Anyway they finally got it in and they said I had nothing broken. But later , a year later, My primary doctor ordered an MRI and discovered that I had , had broken ribs. So I've really been through a lot!! If there's anyone that knows anything at all about this please contact me. My name is Lisa Childers Powell on Facebook, please send me a message or hopefully I can remember to check back on this page, I suffered a severe head concussion and still suffering memory loss even after all of this time. I wished some of those people would've talked to me and given me their names or contact information. Especially the car that was ahead of me, I was so scared that I could've killed or hurt them badly. Thank God they were safe and although I've been hurt seriously, I am still alive and Trying to piece my life back together ❤️ Thank You

Hartmann flies towards Yu Huang on his new waterbound Hydra. As the plane begins to fire Yu Huang holds out his hand, the Hydra getting in the way again, blocking the bullets with one of its heads, another head snapping towards the plane, Hartmann going up and above it. “Damn! This new dragon would DIE for you huh, Herr Huang!?”
“It will do no such thing, Hartmann. I would not allow such behavior from my dragons! The hydra’s regeneration allowed it to live so long as a head remains!” He calls out, Hartmann laughing happily.
“Right. So I gotta take out ALL the heads at once!? Kinderspiel!” He calls out as he spins around to approach Yu Huang again.
Yu Huang scoffs, stamping down his staff. “Hmpf. Child’s play you say? Doubtful any child should find themselves in the midst of these battles! Unless you consider yourself a mere CHILD!”
Izanagi crosses his arms with a smirk. “You tell him, old friend! Bwahaha!”
Ao Kuang and his brothers all facepalm a little. “Our father needs to work on his banter huh, Tsukuyomi?”
Tsukuyomi looks back briefly. “Oh um… I guess so? It is not… what I admire him for.”
"Right… us neither.”
Yu Huang spins his spear back, thrusting forward and one of the hydra’s heads mimic his movement and FIRES off its head from the socket, Hartmann’s eyes widening as he does a full flip midair to fly over it.
Hartmann’s gaze suddenly drops a little, darkening. “I suppose we should stop using the baby guns then! Let’s switch to something more ADULT!” Hartmann approaches once again, confidently letting go of the control stick and suddenly he flips upside down in his glass bubble cockpit. On the opposite side is another two handles, which he grabs hold of and shoves them forward, thumbs on the buttons at the end of each. Two plates move aside on the bottom of the plane and two large gun-barrels shoot out, pointing in the direction Hartmann is looking. He starts firing, the heavy rattling of bullet-casings plunging off the sides of the jet and heavy bullets smashing against Yu Huang’s hydra, forcing him to dodge rather than merely block it with the heads as they are torn apart by these bullets, the head snaking back and forth in the water, the hydra’s underwater body darting backwards. “That’s right! Kinderspiel! Limiting yourself to only TWO planes of movement, Herr Huang!? Not a smart idea when you’re against the greatest three dimensional fighter in ALL THE HEAVENS! If this is your best idea then I will NEVER be shot down!” He laughs with a strained smirk. “Never…”
Yu Huang blocks a bullet, deflecting it to the side with his spear. “Such arrogance! And yet you too have limited your movement no!? Without your hands on that stick in your machine you move in ONE dimension! Straight ahead!” He pushes his palm forward, two hydra heads shooting forth from the water aimed directly at the jet.
Hartmann doesn’t have time to readjust his seat, but he smirks. “And here I thought you and I had an understanding, Herr Huang!” He suddenly kicks his foot past the yoke before pulling and catching it on his foot, yanking himself into the air, blood rushing to his head but he merely shakes it off. “Woooooohoooo!”
Yu Huang sees the jet twirling in the sky and he pauses. “To think once upon a time… I too believed myself untouchable… How foolish I was.”
-Ancient Past-
Yu Huang raises the gavel. “This meeting is hereby adjourned!”
“But we still have the matter of what to do with Wukong?” A god chimes in as Yu Huang slams down his gavel.
“I have no care for that monkey. Do not waste my time, you imbecile or I will show you why I rule this council,” He holds up his hand and the green energy flows up his wrist, forming little scales around his fingers.
The god flinches and swiftly rushes off. “Nevermind! My apologies!”
Yu Huang stands from his seat. “Hmpf. Wukong,” He mutters to himself before stepping off the throne onto the head of a few dragons acting as his staircase, the beasts whimpering as he does. “Silence. Follow,” He walks out of the council jumping into a saddled dragon which quickly flies him off towards the Jade Palace. “Before this. We go east,” He mutters with a smirk. The dragon roars and shoots towards the west, landing at a large temple, Ao Kuang standing outside, next to a large red pillar with golden rims.
“Father?! I-I did not expect to see you here!” Ao Kuang quickly kneels, as Yu Huang strides past him.
“You bow too late, dragon. A king you may be, but that is nothing to an emperor. I expect you to be kneeling BEFORE I arrive,” He says and Ao Kuang feels a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead. He upset his father… This is not good. “I am feeling charitable at the moment. So I will forgive it this once. So tell me. How is the caged ape?” He smirks and Ao Kuang stands and nods.
“The caged monkey! Yes of course! Um… I do not mean to upset you further, father… but…” As they walk in they hear banging of flesh on metal, wet bangs… as they walk in Wukong is standing in a large golden bird-cage elevated above a massive hole in the ground, water flowing into it from all sides. Wukong is HAMMERING his fists at the bars, blood dripping from his fists and feet as he goes, the golden pristine pillars making up the bars all colored red with blood. His eyes are wild and focused on the pillars. He has not even seen Yu Huang enter. “But the monkey has not stopped striking the cage since his imprisonment 1000 years ago.”
Yu Huang’s eyes go slightly wide. “Not for a moment, you say? Hmpf. Foolish mortal. MONKEY!” He calls out, Wukong’s eyes flickering and he stops with one final punch, shaking the cage. “How are you enjoying your endless life in Heaven?”
“Fuck you…” Wukong says, springing towards the closest point to Yu Huang. “Come in here you bastard! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you and ALL your BASTARD kids for what you did! Show you what it’s like!”
Yu Huang laughs. “Oh please,” He raises his hand and with a single palm strike a dragon-head blasts forth from his palm, striking Wukong and knocking him to the other side of the giant cage he is in. “You would stand no chance. I am not some mortal being. I am The Jade Emperor. Do not forget this,” He smirks and turns to leave. “I have seen what I need to see. I am going home.”
Ao Kuang bows his head. “It was wonderful to be graced with your presence, father,”
“You are most welcome,” Yu Huang steps onto his staddled dragon once again and it flies off. “Foolish monkey. Attempting to argue and challenge a god such as myself? Preposterous.”
And so… time passed. Every 1000 years or so Yu Huang would visit the temple to check in on Wukong. Each interaction between the two followed this same pattern. Yu Huang was quite pleased with his work. The disrespect Wukong had shown him, making him pleased to see the monkey getting his comeuppance.
Yu Huang is sitting in the Jade Palace, looking out into his garden seeing his mighty dragons, chained to the ground to ensure they do not fly away. Those darn beasts do not listen to authority! Yet undoubtedly the dragon is the greatest symbol of power in all of Heaven! He suddenly hears a loud and disruptive CRASH outside. “What is the meaning of this!?” He says waving his hand. “Guards. Deal with whatever that was,” However before any of the angel guards can even leave another angel comes BURSTING through the door.
“Lord! Lord Yu Huang! It’s… IT’S WUKONG!” He yells, Yu Huang’s eyes going wide as he stands.
“Wukong!?” He swiftly makes his way down to the bottom level. “That monkey escaped?! What trickery he must have used. I shall punish Ao Kuang DEARLY for this!” He says before the front door BLASTS open and an angel comes tumbling in, Yu Huang stopping him with a flick of his palm, causing a dragon tail to swipe the angel aside. He furrows a brow as Wukong comes walking through the door, an aura of DEATHLY killing intent following him like a thick black smog. “So… you have escaped. I am quite impressed. And what will you do now?” He says smirking confidently. Wukong tosses something he’s holding above his head into the room. Yu Huang hears four grunts of pain seeing the Four Dragon Kings writhing on the floor. “Ao Kuang! Stand and get your prisoner under control. This is ridiculous.”
Ao Kuang pants, bleeding from his head and struggling to move. “I’m sorry father… I do not know… how this happened. He’s… too strong… he took the Pillar somehow. Ruyi Jingu Bang. He simply… picked it up. I have never seen anything like it.”
Yu Huang scoffs. “You expect me to deal with this myself then? How disappointed I am in you.”
“Sorry Father…”
Yu Huang looks up towards Wukong. “Tell me, monkey. What purpose have you brought these four to my doorstep? Simply to prove yourself worthy to fight me?”
Wukong slams his staff down. “I’m gonna kill these sons of yours in front of you. And then you. Let’s see how YOU like it when your family dies in front of your eyes!” He raises it and holds it to Ao Kuang’s head. “Simply letting go of this and his head is crushed to a paste.”
Yu Huang raises an eyebrow. “My sons? These are not my sons. These are my servants. The guards for my temples. You believe them to be irreplaceable to me? Though I suppose it would be a bother to do so. Very well. I shall allow you to face me,” He takes a stance, the green energy flowing into his palms, forming dragons to float around them ready to blast forward.
Wukong’s eyes widen. “You’re worse than scum… you don’t even care! This guy!” He nudges Ao Kuang. “Was more afraid of you being disappointed in him than he was of ME killing him! What kinda monster are you!?” He shoves the four dragon kings aside.
Yu Huang scoffs. “Insolent child! Allow me to show you the strength of Heaven’s mightiest god!” He strikes forward one of the dragons he created, shooting forward only for him to suddenly find Wukong’s hand wrapped over his face.
“This one is for Zhu, my best friend. The person who stood beside me all my life and helped me through countless tough decisions.” Yu Huang is BLASTED through the back wall of his palace, into the dragon-filled courtyard.
“Ngh!?” Yu Huang recovers, with a wave of his hand a dragon head forming under his feet to gently set him on the ground. “You caught me off-guard with that speed. I am impre-” He is forced to lean himself over backwards as Ruyi Jingu Bang SHOOTS forward out of the hole in the wall, Wukong suddenly above him, standing on the staff.
“This one is for Bai, the love of my life, the only woman I will ever love,” He strikes down, hammering Yu Huang into the ground hard enough to dislodge the pillars holding down his dragons who all scatter into the sky. Yu Huang claps, sending a pulse of energy out around him swirling with dragonic murals within the shield.
“So you are a little stronger than I care to admit! You are going to BEG me for mercy!” He says before suddenly Wukong is standing in front of his shield.
“This one’s for the chief, the man who took care of me, despite my faults, who was kind to me when I was unworthy of his kindness,” He kicks forward the shield shattering like glass, Yu Huang feeling his lunch coming up as he’s struck in the stomach, coughing up blood and vomit before he goes flying into the sky. As he reaches the pinnacle he feels Wukong’s hand once again grabbing him. He’s so fast! What is going on!? “And this is for my kids. Luohou, Yuebei and Jidu. Who did no harm to you or anyone else, merely teased one another as siblings do,” Wukong’s voice is practically lifeless as they fall towards the palace, Wukong HURLING Yu Huang downward, crashing through floor after floor after floor until he once more strikes the ground floor where their ‘fight’ started.
“Kah!” Yu Huang looks up seeing Wukong hurling his staff down as well, and it grows. Yu Huang is trembling in every bone. He cannot defeat this mere mortal. This MONKEY!? Where was this arrogance of his coming from? Supreme power? Birthright? How could all of it measure up to NOTHING? There was no divine pride left. A mere mortal, whom he had treated as less than dirt, was able to simply waltz into HIS palace, dismantle HIS guards and crush HIM effortlessly!?
“And THIS! Is for the rest of the Anima! A people plagued by war, but one that could have become something greater given time! The millions of lives YOU ENDED with your cruelty!” MONKEY KING’S GOD-CRUSHING…!! However, suddenly Yu Huang sees shadows looming over him. The Four Dragon Kings.
“Do not worry father! We will protect you!” Wukong’s eyes widen as he kicks the staff down, shrinking it back to normal size and it pierces through the floor, embedding itself without touching any of the five gods.
He lands in front of them rather nimbly. “What are you protecting this ASSHOLE for!? He treats you like servants! He doesn’t care about you!”
“He is all we have!” They all four hold their arms out. “We were worthless before he showed us a path. He may treat us as his servants. But to us he’s our FATHER! He gave us purpose. He showed us kindness when no other would! Killing him would do NOTHING for you, except… continue this cycle of revenge!” Ao Kuang calls out and Wukong grits his teeth, raising his hand to strike the weak and bruised Dragon Kings aside.
“Seeing your father struck down in front of you, huh? Revenge… violence,” He finds a string tugging at his heart, while Yu Huang looks at him, his eyes practically shaking and unable to focus. Wukong picks his staff out of the ground, stomping up to Yu Huang, picking him up by the throat, Yu Huang desperately firing a shot of jade energy at Wukong’s head, striking him dead on yet he didn’t even react. What is this ridiculous strength!? “What’s wrong, Yu Huang? Scared of a monkey? Don’t be. You got some good kids. But understand this. I am not forgiving you. I’m showing you something I don’t think you gods have ever heard of. Mercy. You gods have tormented me for long enough. It’s MY turn to torment you guys a little… by living a free life,” He tosses Yu Huang into the room, stretching as he walks out.
Ao Kuang and the other three kneel down to Yu Huang. “Father! Are you alright!? W-we apologize for not being able t-”
“No… I am the one who is sorry.”
“H-huh?!” They all look at one another in confusion.
“I have treated you poorly… What have I been doing? My arrogance, founded on my magical strength. Tormenting you, Wukong, the dragons. Oh the dragons!” He stands and looks to the skies seeing the dragons burning their saddles and muzzles from one another’s back, soaring free. “I truly… truly am not worthy of any of this…”
-Present day-
“You!? You defeated The Jade Emperor so effortlessly!? Incredible!” Sakai exclaims as Wukong looks at the screens with a light scoff.
“Yeah I did. Don’t think it’d be that easy anymore though.”
Pandora manages to strain herself to sit and look towards Wukong. “Ngh… what… do you mean, Wukong? You are… incredibly powerful still, right?”
Wukong nods. “I am, no doubt about that. But since I humbled that old bastard he bettered himself in every conceivable way. Even gave up his seat at the council.”
“So he’s… good now? Gah!” Pandora grabs her belly in pain as Hartmann begins to fire again.
“Ha! Fat chance! He still voted for your kind’s destruction and he STILL-” He cuts himself off, gripping his arm tightly from their crossed state, breathing in. “He’s not off the hook at all. I hate him moreso than any other. But with his newfound knowledge and understanding of dragons, the source of his power, his strength increased exponentially.”
Everyone’s eyes widen. “So simply that mental switch… and he’s THAT much more powerful?”
“‘fraid so, Pandora. That bastard’s one of the toughest gods in Heaven.”
Hephaestus pushes Pandora back onto her back. “Pandora… do not strain yourself, please!”
Pandora gives a strained laugh. “I’m fine, dad.”
Wukong squints. “I hope this Hartmann finally ends you, Yu Huang.”
Yu Huang smirks. “Truly incredible, Sun Wukong. To feel your animosity this far out…” He strikes the air with his palm again, sending Hydra-heads blasting towards Hartmann, who swiftly swerves aside, the hydra swimming away as fast as it can. “But for the sake of those who hold special places within my once cold heart…” Hartmann approaches again, switching his orientation again to fire his heavy cannons. “IT SHALL BE YOU WHO IS FELLED!” He yells out clapping his hands together the Hydra firing several of its heads towards the plane at once, Hartmann gritting his teeth.