The gray wolf sits in the darkness. She looks back to see a blue crystal clock. The clock turns once and lands on one. One blue flame is lit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZbmLLv1vM

As the moon started to set on the city, the sun started to rise from behind the mountains. A cool brezze flower through Mk’s window; waking him up. He lifts himself up in his sleepy state and looks around, seeing that it was early morning. 

“It’s seven? Might as well get up now.” He got up from bed and walked over to his window. He looked outside to see the moon out while the sun was still rising. “Oh cool. The moon is still out.”

Mk walks out the door and get’s in his car. He drives to the mountain. Once he arrives at the mountain, he walks up the stairs to Monkie King’s (Sun Wukong) training dojo. 

“Monkie King? Are you here?” Mk looked around and didn’t see Monkie King anywhere. “That’s strange…. He said he would be here.”
“And I am”, Sun said from behind Mk. Mk jumped and said, “Don’t do that!”
“Sorry, Sorry”, Sun said. “Ready for training?” Before Sun could take another step, he heard Mk’s bag ball to the ground. He looks back and sees Mk about to attack. “Guss that means yes.” Sun got into his fighting stance and started training in an instant. Mk and Sun continue to fight until Mk stands victorious.
“Yes!”
“Your getting better”, Sun said, picking himself up. He brushed off the dust and dirt from his clothes. “And your powers are getting stronger.”
“Maybe, but they’re not as powerful as you”, Mk says, giving praise to his teacher. Before Sun could say anything else, a crash could be heard from the city below.
“Not again….!”

My jumps down from building to building until he sees a huge demon roaring. 

“Oh come on…. Another demon”, Mk says in annoyance. Before he could act, a shadow figure enveloped by the sun jumps down and lands on a nearby building. They look up at the demon.
“This is gonna be fun.” The gray wolf raises her arm to the side of her and summons a claw-like weapon. “Now it’s time to go back to where you belong!” She jumps up and lands on one of the demon's extra arms and runs up to its face. The demon tries to shake her off, but the gray wolf jumps onto a nearby building and looks down on the demon. She jumps down once again and claws the demon’s face. From the impact of the blow, the wolf jumps up to the same building she was on before; her feet sliding against the roof. The demon roars in pain and agony until it disappears into the shadows. Magic surrounds the wolf’s claw-like weapon and it vanishes. “And that is how it’s done.”
“Wow, Monkie King, that was–”, Before Mk could say another word, he falls back. The gray wolf, wearied out by the situation, tries to walk away, but Mk reapers in front of her and says, “That was amazing Monk– O-Oh, your not Monkie King.” The gray toned wolf blinked a few times and then chuckled.
“Clearly.” The gray wolf looks at Mk’s staff and realized that the staff belong to Monkie King. She thinks, “How does he have Sun’s staff? He must be his apprentice.” She gathered her words and said, “You must be Monkie King’s apprentice. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have”, Mk asks.
“Yes. You're the talk of the celestial realm as of late”, The wolf says. She starts to walk away and says, “I’ll see you around, Mk.” Mk looked back at the mountain and then back at the wolf walking away. He looks at his staff and runs up to the wolf.
“Can you teach me that move”, Mk asks, his eyes growing big like a puppy. The wolf looks down and smiles. She then looks back up at Mk and says, “I’m sorry. I can’t. You already have a teacher. You shouldn’t go behind his back.”
“Oh… well, will I see you again”, Mk asked. The wolf looked back and smiled, then said, “Maybe one day.”
“When?”
“Let fate decide.”

“She what?” 

“She killed the demon on her own”, Mk explained to Mai. “I think she was from the Celestial Realm.”
“What did she look like”, Mai asked.
“She was gray toned and she had a pendant that looked like the moon”, Mk described. “She had gold eyes too.” Sun almost dropped the scroll he was reading and looked away. He could feel a bead of sweat running down his face.
“Hey, Monkie King, do you know who she is”, Mk asked.
“I-I have no idea who she is”, Sun said, acting ignorant. “And IF she was from the celestial realm, she wouldn’t have come down here. Beings from the Celestial realm don’t travel to Earth.” As Sun went back to reading his scroll, a bright blue light caught the side of his eye. The trio looked over and saw a blue lit portal.
“What the?” Mk walks over to the portal and puts his hand through. He goes to pull his hand back out, but the force of the portal pulls him in.
“Mk!” Mie and Sun try to pull Mk out of the portal but they all get pulled in.

A portal appears in the celestial realm and Mk falls from above. He hits the ground. He rubs the back of his head and looks around. 

“Is this… the celestial realm?”
“Mk?” Mk looks back to see the gray wolf looking at him from above. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s you again”, Mk says. “Am I in the celestial realm?
“You are”, the gray wolf says. “But right now, you're in the celestial forest. This is my domain.”
“I’m not here alone”, Mk says. “My friends are here too.”
“Your friends? Does that mean Monkie King is here too”, the wolf asks.
“Yes.” The wolf looks around for a moment and says, “Alright. I’ll help you find your friends. Follow me.”

Mk follows the gray wolf into the forest. Leaves the color yellow and gold fell to the ground. The yellow grass flows as the two walk. 

“Do you live here”, Mk asks.
“Indeed, I do”, the wolf says. “I am this domain's protector among all things.”
“Really?”
“Yes. do you know what an embodiment is”, the wolf asks.
“No”, Mk answered.
“Well, an embodiment is in charge of keeping balance in three places”, the wolf continues, “The celestial realm. Earth. And the lunar realm. There are many embodiments have different responsibilities for what they are named for.”
“So what’s yours”, Mk curiously asks.
“I am the embodiment of Luck and misfortune”, the wolf answers. She looks back and says, “We found them.” Mk looks down and runs over to Sun and Mai.
“Monkie King! Mei!”
“Mk!”
“Thank goodness you're alright”, Sun says. “How did you find us?”
“She helped me.” Sun looks up and sees the gray wolf looking down on him. Sun’s face turned somewhat not convinced and said, “So you came out of hiding, huh?”
“What are you talking about”, the wolf says. “I keep on the low because I don’t like to make a scene.”
“And look at what you did back on earth.”
“Mad that you didn’t kill a demon?” Mai and Mk look at each other and ask in unison, “Do you two know each other?” Sun and the wolf looked at each other for a moment.
“I will slap you, Sun”, the wolf murmured. Sun sighs and says, “She’s my sister.” Mei and Mk looked at both Sun and the wolf and said in unison and surprise, “WHAT?!”
“Yup, I’m his sister”, the wolf days.
“Little sister”, Sun clarified.
“You two don’t look related”, Mei pointed out.
“She looks more like our father and I look more like our mother”, Sun says.
“How did you even get here”, the wolf asked. “Last I checked, the only way to get up here is through the celestial gate.”
“A portal pulled us in here”, Mei said.
“Ah, I see”, the wolf said. “Those would be realm portals. They tend to pop up every now and then.”
“Can you get us home”, Mk asked.
“Well, you can’t go through the celestial gate”, the wolf said. “But there is a way to get you all back on earth. Follow me.” The wolf leads the trio to a wall. The wolf waves her hands in the shape of a moon and a portal opens. “There you go: one portal back to Earth.”
“Thank you”, Mei says. She runs over to the portal and goes through. Sun does the same.
“I guess I’ll see you soon, Mk”, the wolf said. As Mk was about to walk through the portal, he stops, turns around and asks, “What’s your name?” The gray wolf looked at Mk for a moment and smiled.
“Mischief. Mischief Wukong”, she said. Mk smiled and said while waving his arm, “I’ll see you soon, Mischief!” Mk runs through the portal while Mischief waves goodbye. Mischief, the gray wolf, looked at the wall for a moment and then walked back to her home. While she walked, a blue light whispered into her ear.
He’s the one….

Two young cheetah girls run to the front of a traditional, yet modern, Chinese house supported by a platform. 

“Do you think she’s here”, one of them asks.
“I don’t see her”, the other said. From the right side of the building, Mischief opens a sliding door. The twins smile and say, “Mischief”, In unison. Mischief looks over and smiles when she sees Clock Wise and Wise Clock.
“Hello you two”, she says, walking down the steps to the fence where the twins hunh off. “What brings you here?”
“We were playing in the forest, but we found something”, Clock Wise said.
“What is it”, Mischief asked.
“We don’t know”, Wise Clock answered. “But it was black, and it was covering the mushrooms and trees.”
“Black? Can you take me to where you saw it”, Mischief asked. Clock Wise and Wise Clock take Mischief’s hands and lead her into the west of the forest. Clock wise and Wise Clock point over to the tree covered in the black substance. Mischief walks over to the black covered tree and leans down on one knee. She looks at the black substance and her blood runs cold.
“Mischief? What is it?”
“Clock Wise. Wise Clock. Go home and don’y come back until I tell you it’s safe”, Mischief says. Clock Wise and Wise Clock nod their hands and run back to their home. Mischief gets up and summons her claw-like weapon. Black-like mist rolls in and stops at the infected tree. Mischief walks to the right side of the tree and yells, “Show yourself! You are in the domain of luck and misfortune!” Mischief stood in her defensive stance waiting for a attack. She narrows her eyes in agitation; her pupils becoming slits.
“So it is you. At last we meet again, Embodiment of Luck and Misfortune.” Mischief’s hair stood as she slowly looked behind her to see a bug-like demon smiling demonically at her. Mischief’s point-of-view goes dark.

The moon from above started to disappear from the rain clouds rolling in. Its brilliant light slowly becomes nothing but a dark shadow. Tang looked up at the sky as the rain started to come down. 

“I don’t think It’s gonna stop raining”, Tang says, walking back inside.
“I don’t remember the forecast saying it would rain today”, Pigsy pointed out.
“Well, what can you do”, Mei said. She looked over at Mk, looking up at the sky. She walks over to him and asks, “Are you still thinking about Mischief?”
“I don’t know why, but when I looked at her, it looked like she was in pain”, Mk said. He looks over at Sun and asks, “How come you never told me you had a sister?”
“You never asked”, Sun said. “And Mischief doesn’t associate with anyone outside her domain.”
“Right….” Mk looked out into the rain and saw a person walking to the entrance gate. But the person wasn’t normal. They had wolf-like ears and a wolf-like tale. A thunderbolt struck through the sky and showed Mischief hurt and beaten. Mischief looks up with her gold eyes as the lightning strikes through the sky and she mouths, “Help me….” Mischief falls to the ground. Mk and the others run over and help Mischief into the sanctuary. They lay Mischief up ugenst a wall.
“Mischief, What happened”, Mk asks with concern.
“He’s back….”
“Who”, Sun asked.
“The demon king”, Mischief answered in a hurt voice. “He’s the king of all demons on Earth and hell.” Mischief lifts herself up and walks over to the opening. “The embodiment of harmony banished him to the Lunar realm.”
“How did he get out”, Tang asks.
“I don’t know”, Mischief says. “He shouldn’t have been able to escape. He’s in the celestial realm, trying to destroy it.”
“Why?”
“Revenge, Sun”, Mischief says in annoyance. “He wants to destroy the celestial realm for what the embodiment of Harmony did. Mk, Sun, you two are the only ones who can destroy him.” Mk looks at Sun and says, “We have to go.”
“Mk, I don’t think this is–”, Before Sun could say another word, Mk interrupted and said, “This is your home we’re talking about! Mischief can't fight The Demon King. We have to.” Sun looks at Mk and then Mischief. He could see a lost and conflicted look on her face. He knew how much Mischief dedicated her life to protect the celestial realm. It was her home. It was his home too. He wouldn’t forgive himself if something happened to the celestial realm. Sun sighed and said, “Alright. Me and Mk will deal with The Demon King.”
“I can take you to the celestial realm”, Mischief says. She takes one step but holds her arm in pain. Tang and Pigsy held Mischief up to her feet. “I’m fine. I can still lead you there.”
“No, you can’t”, Sun says. “Stay here and rest. We have more than one way to get to the celestial realm.”
“I’ll go with you”, Mei says.
“Be careful”, Mischief says. Sun looks at Mischief and puts his forehead to hers.
“I promise, I’ll come back”, Sun said. He looked at Mischief one last time before creating his cloud. Mk and Mei jump on and the three of them fly to the celestial realm.
“Please be safe…”
“They’ll be fine, Mischief”, Sandy says. Mischief looks up into the sky and thinks, “I hope you're right.”

The trio fly down to the ground and look around to see the trees and ground in a darken state. The trees were nothing more than shadow, and the ground was a dark shade of purple. 

“What happened here”, Mk wondered.
“I’m not sure”, Sun responded. “But this isn’t Mischief domain anymore. It’s not supposed to be like this.” Mei looks over and sees a trail of darkness leading to the upper side of the forest.
“Looks like the dark energy is going upward”, Mei says, pointing to the upper forest.
“Then let’s not waste any time”, Mk says.

The trio make it up to the forest edge and look around. Sun and Mk’s hair stands. They look behind them and see three glowing red eyes looking at them. Mei looks back to see Sun and Mk in a worried state. 

“You two alright?” Mei looked in their direction and saw a red face. The demon growled and charged up the hill.
“Run!” The trio run to the open hill. The Demon King whips one of his tales around and hits the trio back into the forest. Mei hits the ground while Sun and Mk both hit trees. Mk looks up and sees Sun in pain.
“So that useless embodiment sent you here”, The Demon King said, a demonic laughter following after. Mk lifts himself up and takes out his staff. The Demon King looks down at Mk and says, “The staff of Ra? Oh you have got to be kidding m–” Mk jumps up to The Demon King’s face and hits the top of his head. The Demon King holds his head in pain.
“What in infernos throne?!” Mk hits The Demon King back and he falls on his side. Mk goes for the finishing blow when The Demon King uses his over sized claws to pin him to the ground. “I have faced warlords, kings, and gods, and this is what I face? To think you could have been more than what you are now.”
“MK!”
“Mischief?” Mk gets up with what little strength he has left and looks up to see Mischief ghost-like rendition. “H-How? Are you dead?” Mischief rolls her eyes and shops the top of Mk’s head.
“I’m not dead”, Mischief exclaims. “It's an astral projection.”
“O-Oh.” Mischief looks to the left and snaps her head up to see The Demon King.
“Is that The Demon King? He wasn’t this big when I saw him”, Mischief says.
“I thought you fought him like this”, Mk said.
“No”, Mischief exclaimed. The ground from below starts to rumble. “There’s not much time. Mk, I can give you my power for a short amount of time, but you have to make the last strike count.”
“Are you sure?”
“You're more powerful than you think. If you can master Monkie King’s power, then you can handle mine”, Mischief says, holding Mk’s hands in her own. She lets go of his hands and takes a few steps back and moves her hands in the kanji moon. “Your will becomes strength, and my will becomes your power.” Blue and silver magic flows into Mk’s being. His staff turned blue. Mk’s eyes glow a brilliant blue and he looks up at The Demon King. “Now, Finish him off!!!” The Demon King looks down in confusion and sees Mk covered in a blue mist like magic.
“What?!” Mk jumps up and punches The Demon King multiple times and pins him down to the ground.
“This ends now!!!” Mk dashes down and destroys The Demon King in one strike. The Demon King looks over to Mk in a weakened state and thinks, “So the moon has chosen their champion…..” Mk lands on the ground and holds his head. The blue and silver magic flies off of Mk and returns to Mischief’s astral form.
“You did well”, Mischief said. She looks up and sees the sky start to become a light blue. She smiles and says, “Thank you, Monkie Kid. I'll see you back on Earth.” With that said, Mischief’s astral projection fades away.
“Mk!” Mk looks back to see Sun and Mei run up to him.
“Are you two okay”, Mk asks.
“Aside from the hurting back, I think we’re good”, Sun says.
“You fought The Demon King without me”, Mei projects.
“Sorry”, Mk continued, “It was happening so fast that I didn’t really think.”
“At Least The Demon King is gone”, Sun says. “Let’s go home.”

Sun raps up the last of Mischief cuts. 

“That should do it”, Sun says.
“Mischief, is there a reason you where on earth”, Mk asked.
“Yeah, I was wondering that too”, Sun says. “You never leave your domain unless it’s to see the council of balance.” Mischief looks away and sighs.
“Well, Since you did save the celestial realm, you deserve to know why I was on Earth”, Mischief says. “I didn’t come to earth to fight a demon. That day, when we met, I was looking for an apprentice.” Sun blinks a few times and says, “An apprentice? Are you sure The Demon King didn’t knock your brains loss?”
“I mean it, Sun”, Mischief says. “I was going to travel outside the city, but when I saw you, Mk, your power was far more powerful than I thought. Mk, I have chosen you to be my apprentice.”
“Hold Up!” Sun hugs Mk in a protective manner and says, “You are not taking Mk to the celestial realm! And plus, Mk already has a mentor: Me.” Mischief rolls her eyes, pushes Sun’s nose and says, “I don’t plan on taking Mk to the celestial realm, you goof. I plan on staying here on earth and at night, I will train Mk. And plus, the celestial realm has gotten a bit stale. You have room for one more?”

Mk’s hand glows a soft red from magic. Mischief’s crest appears and hovers on Mk’s back. Once the spell is done, the crest fades away. 

“That’s it? Mk is your apprentice now”, Mei asks.
“Yes”, Mischief says. “He is now my apprentice. What were you expecting?”
“A light show”, Mei answers.
“ Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Are you sure you're okay with this, Monkie King”, Mk asks, holding his right hand with his left.
“I’m cool”, Sun says.
“Don’t you mean hot”, Mischief teased. She laughed and Sun chased after her.

A being covered in shadows and mist looks at several maps with multiple dates on the top left corner. A red light whispers in the beings leopard ear. The being laughs and says, “So she’s finally chosen an apprentice. This changes nothing. I will have my revenge, and the moon will pay for what she did to me.” 

Here is the first chapter of Monkie Kid: Animal Fury. After seeing the fifth trailer of Monkie Kid season 5, I gave me the boost I needed to work on my AU story.
Monkie Kid: Animal Fury takes place in between season 1, and 2 of Monkie Kid.
Summary: As the journey begins, Mk meets Mischief, the little sister of Monkie King, Sun Wukong and their fate become intertwined.

Excited for the direction Sony is going with the Xperia VI line up. Here are my thoughts going on from it.
Go back to 21:9. In my opinion it's so good for 1 handed use and movies. Multitasking is also great since you get great amount of screen real estate. 19.5:9 is just akward imo. Maybe bigger screen for 16:9 content but trade of isn't worth it.
Make the screen QHD. QHD although being bit overkill for smartphone but for premium android phone it is standard. I think it is good balance between battery life and resolution. FHD just makes it in my mind seem like cutting corners.
Keep working on the point and shoot camera whilst keeping the professional modes. Good point and shoot is necessary to make the phone appealing to masses. Professional modes are amaizing in the right hands. Sony also has advantage when they have the chance to make the hardware and software.
Update support to 4/5 or 5/6 years. People do want their phones lasting and getting update as long as possible. Competition also offers this and 3 years of os support and 4 years security updates being better than 2 and 3 but pales in comparison to Samsung and Oneplus. Also the green thing to do.
Keep the good Sony things and improve. Like SD card support, dual front facing speakers and headphone jack. They should really try to push the limits on the size of the phone's "forehead" and "chin". If the phone looked more modern and competition it might sell better.
Re-think the lineup. 1 VII should be having all the features in a big package. 1 could maybe have QHD screen but 5 could go for FHD in my opinion since the screen is smaller. 10 VII really needs 120hz or atleast 90hz screen. 60hz screen is just bad for 400€ phone in 2024. 10 should be great budget option but now it feels like too many corners are cut. Core features should obviously be same across the line like now. 10 VII should be the phone to entice people try out Sony phones.
Marketing. Is non existing currently. If people don't see the new device it won't be selling at all. It comes down to money but the reality is just what it is. Making the phone available sooner is crucial. They have really improved on this compared to past years but still little room for improvement.
Sony has good vision for making phones. Many good features that many people miss but the features for average user are lacking. Marketing and support is also poor but all the things come down to money.

hi this is my first time writing something on too reddit and i just want an outside opinion on this. so me (14 F) invited my “friend” let’s call her alya (14 F) too my younger sister bella’s confirmation a few weeks ago. If your unsure what that is it’s basically a catholic thing where you dress up really nicely that consists of a prayer to the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands while the prayer is said and the anointing of the candidate with oil of Chrism in the church, usually after you go for food and have a party.
Where i live you go to the church make your confirmation then go for food and go to this place we call “the dogs” i’m not so sure of the real name so forgive me. it’s where you watch racing dogs do races and you bet on them also get food there etc.
Now abit of backstory on me and alya, we went to primary school together but we didn’t really become friends until 5th class (10/11yrs). we we’re extremely close from 5th class too the start of second year (13yrs) she tends to have abit of a victim complex, she thinks she’s never wrong and i have seen her genuinely switch up the story in situations and convince herself that’s what’s happened to make her in the right which is why i tend not to start trouble with her.
at the start of summer 2023 my friend group made a new “friendgroup” group chat and didn’t add alya because she was in a fight with one of the girls in the friend group and i assume didn’t add me i was alyas closest friend ?? i don’t know but after that the only friends i was left with were alya and kara (me alya and kara were a trio btw.) i was friends with kara since january 2023 and alya started befriending her in may 2023 and they became really close. so me and kara’s only friends were eachother and alya and we live about 5 minutes from eachother, whilst alya lives about an hour away (we met through school) so alya had friends out where she lived that she could go out with in the summer me and kara didn’t but we couldn’t go out with eachother without alya or else we’d be “leaving her out”. so me and kara did basically nothing all summer and alya didn’t come down often only once or twice so we could all only text eachother. a few months later when it hit october me and kara had been trying to organise hang outs for us but alya always had something else to do , she either had plans with her other friends or her boyfriend but keep in mind she’d get mad if we hung out without her so we didn’t. At one point after trying to organise a sleepover for weeks we decided me and kara were gonna have one, invite alya and if she wouldn’t come we just would have it anyway because we we’re sick of only getting to hang out when she wanted too. So the sleepover day comes around and in school that friday she told us that she had plans to go to town with her friend from where she lives so she can’t have the sleepover , so we said okay and had the sleepover anyway . she got really mad and said we were leaving her out and we we’re bad friends and we stopped talking.
she mended things with our old friend group and hung out with them in school (btw me and alya are in the same class whilst kara is in the year above us) me and my other people from my old friend group never have beef or anything because i’m not a confrontational person so when i found out they had basically kicked me from the friend group i never said anything and acted normal with them when school came around so i wasn’t fighting with them we were already talking again.
now after the fight me and alya we’re civil with eachother she would sometimes throw sly dogs at me but i would just ignore them. when like december had come around me and alya were (what i thought) talking again. she would get the luas home and i would walk a different way since i lived like 20 minutes from the school and she lives an hour but in december i thought we were okay again because on the days kara didn’t come to school (which was often) she starts walking home with me and then getting the bus home again like she used too one day we were walking home after school and i looked over at her phone and she was texting out mutual friend and she said how we were walking home together and the mutual friend went “oh i thought you said you were sick of her following you around all the time and and we’re just gonna ignore her if she talked too you again?.” and i pretending not to have seen it and never said anything but the point i’m trying to make is i’m pretty sure she’s friends with me too my face but shit talked me too others, now at this point (may) she’s back in the friend group and going out with them again . so she hangs around with them in school and honestly she only talks to me if i talk to her first. she constantly leaves me on delivered if i message her. btw me and kara aren’t friends anymore because she just got really close to another girl in her year and we slowly drifted. Now because we went to the same primary schools she was like oh what are you doing for your sisters confo and i told her and she kinda just invited herself so i just let her because again when you fight with her she makes it into this whole thing so i thought it’s just not worth it because i love alya. honeslty as mean as she is sometimes when we have our moments there the best it’s like our best moments are amazing but our bad moments are horrible i miss how close we used to be and i guess that’s why i still try maintain a friendship with her but i can acknowledge that she isn’t a good person at times and often finds ways to make everything about herself . like a few weeks ago my mam had to get texted for cancer and i was really upset and i told alya when we were walking home together and she started talking to me and bout how mer nanny died of cancer when she was 3 and i thought that was really mean of her too do . i can’t drop her because she’s my only friend i don’t have any other friends outside of school or anything i’m completely alone my only form of socialisation is school
basically iv noticed she’s been inviting other people to come to the confo. not to the meal but to the dogs after so she can hang out with them aswell but i don’t want this i don’t want my mam to spend the day playing for a my sister who’s making her confermation, me my other sister and then pay for alya to come just for her to invite other people to hang out with and not even be with me so i want to i invite her but i don’t know if that’s cruel since the confo is tomorrow but the only time she really speaks to me is to talk about the confo. because on one hand this day could (maybe) get me back into the friendgroup and i won’t be alone. anymore or i could be miserable the whole time. if i don’t invite her i can sit with my family and i won’t be alone but if i do invite her i have to hang around with her if that makes sense? like if she invites her friends and she’s with them i’ll basically spend my whole day miserable and following her around so what do i do i really need advice it’s tomorrow.

Chapter 4: Fires of Damnation
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[Previous] <<First>> [Next]
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June 1, 2030, Tokyo, Japan - 1:00 am JST- 2 and a half hours post-invasion
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Aquila Generalis scoured the ruined metropolis. She held a torch in her upper left hand and a gargantuan gladius in her upper right. She had large nets filled with writhing Japanese civilians in her lower left and right appendages. The civilians screamed and squirmed like fish in netting. Some humans were cradling streaming infants and crying children. Others cradled their spouses, elderly parents, or anyone nearby. Most just panicked. A few rational humans used small knives or their teeth to sever the netting, much to the amusement of an onlooking dragon. Movement from an apartment complex caught the attention of a tremendous soldier. The soldier stuck his hand into the ruined apartment complex while the rest stopped and stared at him.
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"What are you doing?" Asked another soldier. She raised an eyebrow and gave her fellow soldier a puzzled look.
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The giant stretched his right arm, straining himself. He pressed his left arm against the building to maintain balance.
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"Need some help?" The amused dragon sneered.
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The giant hissed in excretion and annoyance. He stretched his fingers, a determined fervor taking over him. He pushed a desk over, revealing a cowering human. The giant grabbed the human by its legs and dragged the Man toward his eye.
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"Got him." The soldier hissed.
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Some of the giants began crowding around the building. Most gathered to steal their compatriot's meal, while a few scoured the facility for more humans. The soldier's single eye widened with glee. He licked his lips with anticipation; the sight of fresh meat entranced him in a state of euphoria. A small gust of wind blew towards him as he dragged the screaming human towards his eye. The giants opened their maws in anticipation, a toothy grin plastered on their faces. The human revealed a small device, and the gigantic glutton paid no mind. The monster feasted on many humans when he entered the metropolis. He had never seen such a colossal city nor so many humans packed into one place. This human would be one of his many victims. When the human was before the titan, he sprayed a mysterious substance into the titan's eye. The giant released the human and covered his single elephantine eye. He wailed in pain and stumbled backward, knocking his comrades over. The Mammoth of a Monster cried like a newborn infant while his comrades groaned in pain.
Aquila Generalis glowered at her pathetic legion while the dragon erupted in laughter. Others stopped searching the building to see what the commotion was about. Upon seeing their fellow giant reduced to a weeping wimp, they laughed.
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"I'm blind. I'm Blind! I'M BLII-I-I-IND!" The giant wailed.
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"I CAN'T SEE. I. CAN'T. SEE-EE!!!" he whipped his eye furiously, Wailing all the while.
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Aquila Generalis put the nets down. She marched toward the foolish giant, pulled him to his feet, and glared at her soldiers. They quickly stopped laughing. The dragon, on the other hand, was hooting and hollering.
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"I'M bLiNd. I cAn'T sEe. Oh, HeLp MeE!" the dragon jeered.
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The general ignored him for the sake of her health. She shook the crying Cyclops, then slapped him.
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"What is wrong with you, soldier?"
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The cyclops sobbed quietly. "The h-human sp-sprayed me with s-something." He said between sniffles.
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The general clutched the bridge of her nose. I do not have time for this. As the general berated the legionnaire, Strange beasts dotted the night sky.
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—-----
Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force (JASSDF)
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"I have a visual on the targets. Be advised targets have hostages. Do not fire unless you have a clear shot."
—-----
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The dragon looked up while the commander chastised her soldier. Upon laying eyes on the strange flying contraptions, the dragon narrowed his eyes.
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"Aquila"
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"Aquila!"
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"Not now, dragon!" The general continued berating the Cyclops.
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"Look up, stupid giant."
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"Not now, you serpentine-"
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The dragon was blown to pieces. His scales, limbs, teeth, and other body parts were scattered on the roof he once stood on. Chaos ensued as the squadron of Mitsubishi F-2 fighters lit up the sky. Before General Aquila could react, A missile hit her head, detonating. Brain matter and skull fragments decorated the buildings, creating a collage of carnage. Most of the legion tried to bring out their slings, only for their bones and organs to paint the metropolis. The few remaining legionnaires fled, leaving their human hostages. Dragons from nearby, alerted by the explosions, came to investigate. A barrage of missiles shot down the dragons that flew toward the squadron. Blood, bone, and flesh rained down on the streets of northern Tokyo.
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—-----
“Clear. Send evac for civvies.”
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***
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June 1, 2030, Tokyo, Japan - 2:00 am JST- 3 and a half hours post-invasion
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North Gate- a park in northern Tokyo
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The invasion was successful. Thousands of humans fell before the trollish legion of Luath and the elven legion of Grásta; hundreds more huddled in cages, ready to be processed into food or slaves. The trolls fought in ritualistic combat for their human trophies. At the same time, the elves watched, knowing they would be given most of the quarry due to their inherent superiority. The lesser fae were presented their trophies early: the elderly, infirm, and those too young to be used. With nothing better to do, most of the lesser fae reentered the gate while a select few remained. Ginearálta de Grásta, General of the Grásta legion, speaks with one of his soldiers.
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"This is quite the nest."
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"Agreed, Sir. It is almost…." The soldier marveled at the large city, its towering structures piercing the heavens. "Impressive," the soldier sighed.
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"Uncanny? Yes. Impressive? No. These are intelligent animals capable of fabricating wonders, but animals nonetheless. They mimic our customs, art, and concepts but lack the capacity to create true marvels. True marvels are the domain of those who wield the arcane, for it is the arcane that elevates us to the realm of sapience. Only those capable of wielding the arcane can be called sapient and only sapients can build something impressive. Everything Man creates is a caricature of our achievements; remember that."
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"Of course, sir." the soldier said hesitantly.
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"You are a fine soldier; what is your title?"
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"Saighdiúir giolcach, sir." the soldier hastily replied.
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"I've seen you around, and you show great potential. Your loyalty to Tír na Nog and the elven race cannot be ignored. Follow me."
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Saighdiúir Giolcach, The soldier of reeds, obeyed his general's command. The soldier caught glimpses of the dueling trolls from the corner of his eyes as he passed by. Ginearálta de Grásta and Saighdiúir Giolcach passed by some trees and bushes until they reached a clearing full of human cages. Ginearálta de Grásta stepped directly in front of a cage and knelt to get a closer look at the captives. Saighdiúir Giolcach slowed down and stopped a few feet from his commander.
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"Come closer, soldier."
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The soldier hesitantly stepped closer and looked inside the cages. Humans were tightly packed inside, shoulder to shoulder, shaking and quietly sobbing. Their clothing was torn and filthy, and their faces were stained with dust and tears. They inched away from the general, squishing each other in the process. The site disgusted him, but he maintained his composure.
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"Have you ever seen a human before?" the general asked inquisitively.
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"No, sir. My father showed me pictures and told stories, but that's it. My family doesn't have enough money to own half-bloods, let alone pure humans." the soldier replied.
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"Well, boy, today is your lucky day. Pick one." The general commanded.
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Saighdiúir Giolcach gazed upon the mass of frightened humans. "Humans are master mimics; they cannot wield the arcane. They're just beasts," he repeated to himself as he stared into the cage in front of him.
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He stared at a frightened Japanese woman, an adolescent just like him. They're supposed to be animals, but their eyes ... their eyes. Anguish, anxiety, grief, sadness, and so many emotions swirled within those expressive eyes. The outside commotion faded as the soldier drowned in her eyes. As his breathing and heart rate accelerated, he began questioning everything he learned about humanity and the definition of sapience. This isn't right; nothing is right. The soldier of reeds remembered his father's stories of glorious manhunts and successful raids. He remembered his mother's proverbs on magic and how it separated them from their pets and livestock. The elves are the superior race, far superior to humans. Humans are pets, livestock, slaves, and —NO! He took three steps back. He was wrong, his family was wrong, everyone was wrong. This is ₩ⱤØ₦₲. I won't condone this.
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"C̸̵̨̨̳͕̙̤̥̞͕͇̦͙̟̲ͭ̋͑ͥͮ̌ͬͬ́̃ͦ̾͆͢͡ē̸̸͇͇̣͓̣̖̲̘̋ͮ̓ͭ̀͑̏̓͗_̙̰͓̲̠̪̮͔̔̎͌ͪ͐̈́̆͘a̢͖̱̱̙̲̩̠̯͔̙̖͚ͤ̈́̇̋ͯͬ͆ͥ̆ͮń̴̡͍̘̠͍̩̺͖̟̲̉ͫ̀ͤͧ̆̈̅͆̂̐̒̋͊̒̋͟͢͟͞͞ͅn̸̛̘̫̯̘̝̱̬͉̝̲͈̿ͪ́́̽ͦ̈ͯ̄͒̈̅̍̚ d͖̣̬͈͚ḭ̛̘͚͕̱́́ͧͭ̓̐̍̽͞ͅl̚į̸̧̹̖͎̻͓ͮ̐̒ͮ̋̂̀ͯ̎̉͐ͦ̑ͦͩͤ͘͟͡s͇̿̃ d͉̬̂ͦ͗è̷̷̻͓̭͎̣̠̱̞̮̦ͤ̈́̓͑̍̒̈̏ͭͯ̕͘͘͜ Ģ̢̙̼̩̮̪̤̮͚̭͖͖̥͍͈̳̲̠͒̉̂ͥ̔ͨ́ͧ́ͬͤ́ͩ̍ͫ̃͌ͯͤ̕͟͢͝ī̷̡̢̨̧̦̩̩̙͕̦͖̞̠̘̬̰͕ͣͧ̑̾̚͢͠ͅ_̛̀̀̉́ͬ͝o̴̘̭͈̜͍͕͉̤̜̘͖͍̠̎͑́ͫ̍̎̔̏ͮ͂ͩ́͘͟l̸̴̵̵̛̫͎͍͔̜̘͉̭̭̳̻̮̖̉͐̆ͫ̇͑ͧ̿̄͑̍ͦ́̅̅ͯ̀̈ͫ̓̊̍̆̃ć̸̴̵̻̪̻̘̮͎̟̫͚͉̗̳̞̦̒ͪ̇̏̄̈́ͤ͗͘͢͝ͅaͮ̒c̡̡͉̮̟̤̭̻̥̩̗̭͔̺̎̀̀̊̃ͬ̀͆͋̆ͣ̐̄́͛͒̏ͩ̾͆̾ͯ̚͟͡ͅͅh͎̞͓̳̞͙̼̱͇͓͂ͨͧ̂ͩͣ̈́̈͗̿̓̆͂́̈́͗ͯ̆ͩ̕͝͞ͅͅ, you faithless fool." The general growled. Arcane power filled his lungs.
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The general stood up, turned around, and scowled at the boy. At the invocation of his true name, the soldier froze. The general's magic seeped into his body, causing a sharp, burning pain to envelop him.
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Despite the agony, C̸̵̨̨̳͕̙̤̥̞͕͇̦͙̟̲ͭ̋͑ͥͮ̌ͬͬ́̃ͦ̾͆͢͡ē̸̸͇͇̣͓̣̖̲̘̋ͮ̓ͭ̀͑̏̓͗_̙̰͓̲̠̪̮͔̔̎͌ͪ͐̈́̆͘a̢͖̱̱̙̲̩̠̯͔̙̖͚ͤ̈́̇̋ͯͬ͆ͥ̆ͮń̴̡͍̘̠͍̩̺͖̟̲̉ͫ̀ͤͧ̆̈̅͆̂̐̒̋͊̒̋͟͢͟͞͞ͅn̸̛̘̫̯̘̝̱̬͉̝̲͈̿ͪ́́̽ͦ̈ͯ̄͒̈̅̍̚ d͖̣̬͈͚ḭ̛̘͚͕̱́́ͧͭ̓̐̍̽͞ͅl̚į̸̧̹̖͎̻͓ͮ̐̒ͮ̋̂̀ͯ̎̉͐ͦ̑ͦͩͤ͘͟͡s͇̿̃ d͉̬̂ͦ͗è̷̷̻͓̭͎̣̠̱̞̮̦ͤ̈́̓͑̍̒̈̏ͭͯ̕͘͘͜ Ģ̢̙̼̩̮̪̤̮͚̭͖͖̥͍͈̳̲̠͒̉̂ͥ̔ͨ́ͧ́ͬͤ́ͩ̍ͫ̃͌ͯͤ̕͟͢͝ī̷̡̢̨̧̦̩̩̙͕̦͖̞̠̘̬̰͕ͣͧ̑̾̚͢͠ͅ_̛̀̀̉́ͬ͝o̴̘̭͈̜͍͕͉̤̜̘͖͍̠̎͑́ͫ̍̎̔̏ͮ͂ͩ́͘͟l̸̴̵̵̛̫͎͍͔̜̘͉̭̭̳̻̮̖̉͐̆ͫ̇͑ͧ̿̄͑̍ͦ́̅̅ͯ̀̈ͫ̓̊̍̆̃ć̸̴̵̻̪̻̘̮͎̟̫͚͉̗̳̞̦̒ͪ̇̏̄̈́ͤ͗͘͢͝ͅaͮ̒c̡̡͉̮̟̤̭̻̥̩̗̭͔̺̎̀̀̊̃ͬ̀͆͋̆ͣ̐̄́͛͒̏ͩ̾͆̾ͯ̚͟͡ͅͅh͎̞͓̳̞͙̼̱͇͓͂ͨͧ̂ͩͣ̈́̈͗̿̓̆͂́̈́͗ͯ̆ͩ̕͝͞ͅͅ spoke.
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"This-Ack ₩ⱤØ₦₲, you-ack, every-ack..." He sputtered as blue blood leaked from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. Tears tried to crawl from his pale yellow eyes, but he held them back. He could feel his skin turn to bark, lungs to heartwood, hair to leaves, and eyes to flowers.
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"F̴̭̤̘̣̖̏̈͒̄ͫ̿͘͢a̢̰̳̦̺͓̥̗͉̦̻̖͇̯̹̺̓͆͗̀ͪ͌̈́ͧͯͧ͆̃̌̒̕͘͢͢͠͞͡i̛̩̙͕͌̉͂̇̃_̪̳̺͕̮͕̽͑t̸̶̿_̲͉͆h̶̷͚̣̠̥̪̳̲̝̳̱̟̫̯͍̝̩̱̱̦͎͇̳̯͇̱̜ͧ̃ͩ̐ͤ͆̏̈́̈ͪͪ͛ͧ͌̓̌͢͞f̷̘ͬ_̳̅ȕ̸̷̴̢̱͉̩̯̲̹̝̙͙̈ͣͨ̆͋͗̓͋̿͊̔͛̋̍̕͢ͅl̉̎͝͡ ǫ̧̺̲͍̯͖͙̥̦̦̮̇̑̈͆ͨ̈́̅̉̈ͯͥ́͌̃ͭ͘͜n̨̧̰̜̭̪͎ͥ̽ͪ̅̑ͦ͒͌̆ͮ̋͐͟͠e_̧̞͖͓̺͓̦̝̞̾͆̆͆̎̈ͬ̈́̑͗ͨ͟͠ͅ ǫ̷̴͎̙̥̝̝́̊ͫ̒͑͑ͨͥͨ̌̑͆̉͟͟f̲̗̜̤̪͉̪̮̘͙ͪͪͫͤ̄̂̌̐͑̽̉ͅ t̛̖̝̻͓̏͋̀̊̒͘͡͞h͔̜͕͖̼͋ͤ̇_̠̾e̡̳͉̟ͪ̍ͬ̊͡ r̷̨̛̛̘̦͓̭̙ͣ͑̍ͬ̈́̋̄ͮ̓ͦ͑͗͑̎̓͗͘͜͜ế̴̴̝̲̗͖̦̫̭͔͈̺̘̖̲̜̱͍͈̓͆͒̉̒ͫ̇̋̑ͧͮ̕͘͢͜͞͞͞ed̶̛̛̟̘̖̻̎̓ͯͨ̓͌̇͐̍̍͗̄̚̚͟ͅs̛͔̞̮̩̫̭̠̞̼̗̼ͮ̅̈̅ͯͧ̂̋̉̊̏͢͜,̨̡̠̰̰̇ͪ͊͂̏̈́ͮ̌̈ͪ̌̆̎͒͝ ẙ̵̷̡̡̛̛̬̺͈͎̭̟̲̻̲̥̩̗͉̔͋̑̏͐́ͥ͆̈̋ͪ͜͢͡ͅo̷̡̻̝̜̹̳͓͖̞ͯ̾͒̀́̇̍͂ͦ͘͘̚͟͢u̸̸̸̟͚̮͙͉̳̗̥̮̜̞͈͚͈̜̩̠̘̇̊ͥ͗ͣ̋̄͗̈́ͭ͆̾̈̃ͣ̔͆͑̑͐̽͟͢͝ ą̡̝̰͙̰̖͉͕̂ͨͬ̑͛́̂ͨ̋̏̾ͦ̑͠ŗ̴̠̭̦̺̖͍̘̖̦̗̞͕̦͉ͯ̂͐ͥͦ̀̒̀͊̄͌ͧ͊̄̾̍́̎̏ͩ̏ͮ͘̕͟ͅę̶̡̢͍̬͎̗̹̖̟̦͇̼̼͎͉̗̜̔̎́́̀ͪ͛ͪ͒̌͋͗̉̄̾͊̒̿̈ͪ̔͑̕̕͠͞ ń̵̢̨̧̹̲̮̮̝̣̩͙͚̠̥̻́̾ͤ́̀́̌̅̋͛̅̎ͩ̅̆͑ͧ͜͢͠͝͡_̡ͯ̎̎͑ͫ͛ơ̷̵̧̡͙͖͙̤͓͓̗̼͕͈̬̱̰̺̖ͣͩ͐͆͋̏̇́ͩ̈͐͗ͤ̾̎͗ͫ̑ͯͮ͂̉̃͘͜͠ f̟̞̥͇ͯ͛̄͆ͬ͒̊́á̯̬̄ͫ͝_̵̼̦̥͖͎͈̝̠̬̹̤̦̰̰͕͔̞̊̃͌ͦ̔̎̓̋ͯ̀ͫ͂͞͡ͅě̡̛̬̜̥̩͓͚̫̳̭̖͔̒̍͛ͨ̾̏̃̚͢͟͠.̵̡̟̲̗̤͙̺̌̍͐ͨ̌͂ͣ͂ͥ͋̑̾ͪ̈́̇ͣ͂͆̃͞"

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BANG.

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Ceann dílis fell to the ground, gasping for air and too weak to stand. Japanese soldiers, carrying strange sticks, came seemingly from nowhere. Most Japanese soldiers rushed to break open the cages. Some stood over the dead general and the child soldier, who openly wept, paralyzed, and petrified.
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"Sir, we have a child in desperate need of medical aid." A Japanese soldier spoke through a strange object.
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The boy sobbed loudly.
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—-----
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"It wasn't supposed to be like this." Ginearálta de Luath, general of the Luath legion, whispered.
The humans had unleashed something, which wiped out the Grásta legion in seconds by filling the soldiers with metal stones. The stones were so fast, he couldn't stop them. They tore through the elves with ease and left marks on his skin. He used his magic to find the killers, but before he could retaliate, what could only be described as metal beasts launched fire blasts at him, exterminating most of his legion. Now, all he could do was run and hide. He climbed over the crumbling remains of his troll brothers and past the lesser fae, who chose to surrender. He was the only one alive to make it through the northern gate. The humans of this world can do magic. Somehow, in 200 years, they acquired arcane power. He didn't know how it happened, but what he did know was that Man was no longer prey. The humans of this world would bring perdition to Tír na Nog.
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{A/N: Hey guys, I did not die and this series was not canceled. These last two college semesters kicked my ass and burnt the heck out of me. It took me a while, but here it is chapter 4. I want to post as many chapters as possible before the next college semester starts. If you have any feedback or questions, I will happily respond.}
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Aquila Generalis pronounced (Ah-KWEE-lah jen-eh-RAH-lis)
Luath pronounced (LOO-ah)
Ginearálta de Luath pronounced (Jin-ah-RAWL-tah deh LOO-ah)
Grásta pronounced (GRAH-stah)
Ginearálta de Grásta pronounced (Jin-ah-RAWL-tah deh GRAH-stah)
Saighdiúir Giolcach pronounced (SAH-ee-joo-ir gee-ul-kahkh)
Ceann dílis pronounced (Kyann DEE-lish)
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C̸̵̨̨̳͕̙̤̥̞͕͇̦͙̟̲ͭ̋͑ͥͮ̌ͬͬ́̃ͦ̾͆͢͡ē̸̸͇͇̣͓̣̖̲̘̋ͮ̓ͭ̀͑̏̓͗_̙̰͓̲̠̪̮͔̔̎͌ͪ͐̈́̆͘a̢͖̱̱̙̲̩̠̯͔̙̖͚ͤ̈́̇̋ͯͬ͆ͥ̆ͮń̴̡͍̘̠͍̩̺͖̟̲̉ͫ̀ͤͧ̆̈̅͆̂̐̒̋͊̒̋͟͢͟͞͞ͅn̸̛̘̫̯̘̝̱̬͉̝̲͈̿ͪ́́̽ͦ̈ͯ̄͒̈̅̍̚ d͖̣̬͈͚ḭ̛̘͚͕̱́́ͧͭ̓̐̍̽͞ͅl̚į̸̧̹̖͎̻͓ͮ̐̒ͮ̋̂̀ͯ̎̉͐ͦ̑ͦͩͤ͘͟͡s͇̿̃ d͉̬̂ͦ͗è̷̷̻͓̭͎̣̠̱̞̮̦ͤ̈́̓͑̍̒̈̏ͭͯ̕͘͘͜ Ģ̢̙̼̩̮̪̤̮͚̭͖͖̥͍͈̳̲̠͒̉̂ͥ̔ͨ́ͧ́ͬͤ́ͩ̍ͫ̃͌ͯͤ̕͟͢͝ī̷̡̢̨̧̦̩̩̙͕̦͖̞̠̘̬̰͕ͣͧ̑̾̚͢͠ͅ_̛̀̀̉́ͬ͝o̴̘̭͈̜͍͕͉̤̜̘͖͍̠̎͑́ͫ̍̎̔̏ͮ͂ͩ́͘͟l̸̴̵̵̛̫͎͍͔̜̘͉̭̭̳̻̮̖̉͐̆ͫ̇͑ͧ̿̄͑̍ͦ́̅̅ͯ̀̈ͫ̓̊̍̆̃ć̸̴̵̻̪̻̘̮͎̟̫͚͉̗̳̞̦̒ͪ̇̏̄̈́ͤ͗͘͢͝ͅaͮ̒c̡̡͉̮̟̤̭̻̥̩̗̭͔̺̎̀̀̊̃ͬ̀͆͋̆ͣ̐̄́͛͒̏ͩ̾͆̾ͯ̚͟͡ͅͅh͎̞͓̳̞͙̼̱͇͓͂ͨͧ̂ͩͣ̈́̈͗̿̓̆͂́̈́͗ͯ̆ͩ̕͝͞ͅͅ pronounced (Kyann DEE-lish deh gee-ul-kahkh)
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[Previous] <<First>> [Next]
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I 18(m) and my gf Anna (18) fake name, have been together for a little over a year. Now when I first started dating her, I knew she was a little weird, but not to the extent that I know now. My relationship with Anna has had its up's and downs due to long distance but the problem came up yesterday.
I was going through Anna's icloud (as we normally do) to look for photos and videos of eachother or us together. I found a video of Anna from yesterday in which she is vlogging to the camera, but every couple seconds she made some very strange faces.Like sticking her tongue all the way out and going wide eyed type of faces. She also made some interesting sounds while making the faces.
Now I can't help but feel a little weirded out and get slight second hand embarrassment from watching these videos. She often makes strange faces like that when we're talking to eachother. I feel kind of bad for feeling weird because I don't know if this is normal for people to do or something she control.
I brought it up with her this morning and said. "Some of the faces you do can kind of weird me out" and she said "okay". I asked her how it made her feel and she responded " yeah it doesn't make me feel good when you tell me to stop being myself but whatever". She said she makes weird faces when she is excited or happy.
So how can I move forward from this? I love my girlfriend, but the faces she makes are very odd.

FIRST CHAPTER
PREVIOUS CHAPTER
This product is a fanfic of the Sexy Space Babes/Between Worlds product of u/Bluefishcake and one I highly suggest you read. It was created with permission, but give the OG works some love.
Imgr gallery of Comissioned and Fan Artworks
I'm Back Bitches! Again!
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Junior Systems Engineer First Class Che’keero knelt before a semi-sparking control panel and sighed. She, and a large band of her fellow Engineers with Marine support, had boarded the pirate frigate with the singular goal of ensuring that the pirates didn’t scuttle their floating hulk and doom the slaves aboard to a, if they were lucky, a swift death in space.
The problem, of course, came with the pirate’s maintenance schedules and decisions to forgo certain… safety measures when it came to repair.
Like the panel before her. Usually a perfectly functional control system for the reverse-magnetic bulkhead doors that ensured void seals in power outages, some pirate at some point in their dumb, dumb life decided to fix the panel blowing a fuse… by ripping the fuse out and replacing it with a high density power cable. Which meant the entire thing was one massive shock hazard and actively sparking as the reactors deep in the ship flickered and surged due to damage.
Che’keero swore as an arc of electricity flashed towards her face after a tool that was not supposed to be magnetized, cheap dick WaDepth requisitions, caught a magnetic field, fusing the entire system shut and turning the formerly barely functional control system into nothing but pretty, decorative wiring and cheap solder. She punched the now utterly unfunctional control box and toggled on her radio. “Three-Two to Three-Lead, this door’s fried. You’ll need to bring in the cutters if we want to get to the rest of the ship. Might as well also bring in an inflatable airlock, I’m not liking how some of the metal strain sensors are flashing at me.”
A semi-synthetic voice replied back to Che’keero, “Three-Lead copies. I’ll be over there shortly with the stuff. Double check those sensors, I’m not getting the same readings, so let’s make sure something isn’t blocking errors from reaching me.”
“Copy that Three-Lead, Three-Two ou-” Something tapped against the back of her helmet and Junior Systems Engineer First Class Che’keero mentally swore.
“Now, now, lassie, how about you sit right there and don’t move.” A nasally, unfamiliar voice called out to her while tapping what a camera she set up to watch her back revealed to be a laser pistol to Che’keero’s helmet. “I think that you’re going to be our new best friend and way off this dead end ship.”
Che’keero paused, letting the situation settle in her mind, “Wait, what? Are… are you taking me hostage?”
“Yes!” The pirate replied.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you taking me hostage? This won’t work, none of the shuttles are jump capable and if you try anything, you’ll just end up jumped by marines. They specifically train to deal with pirates taking their engineers hostage. If you want to survive, you should just surrender and take the penal colony when it’s offered.” Che’keero mentioned, shrugging and continuing her inspection of the door.
The pirate seemed baffled at the sheer nonchalance of this response, the pistol slowly falling to merely point at her upper back instead of her head, “You… you really aren’t taking this seriously. I’m a pirate! I’ve killed people! I’ve killed boys, and you’re just sitting there like this doesn’t mean anything!”
“I mean… I wouldn’t say that.” Che’keero replied.
“THEN WHAT DO YOU MEAN!” The pirate screamed, the pistol moving away from Che’keero’s body by a fraction of an inch during an angry gesture.
It was at that point, a ceramic alloyed, carbon steel blade punched clean through the back of the pirate’s suit, slicing through their central nervous system and striking with enough force to shatter the faceplate of said pirate’s helmet on the way out. Muscles twitching, the laser pistol fired off randomly, missing Che’keero and slagging a chunk of bulkhead.
“I’m just buying time,” Che’keero replied cheekily.
“You really need to remember to check your cameras,” The semi-synthetic voice of Ventures Forth Bravely Into Great Unknowns commented as the ex-pirate fell to the ground and blue blood dripped from the long blade sprouting from her right arm and a toolbox hanging from her left hand. “This isn’t the first time you have been flanked, and this one wasn’t during training.”
“Look, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Che’keero replied a bit testily.
“I’m sorry…” Ventures Forth prodded.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am.”
“Much better. Right, now what do we see in this- yeah you were right on it being fried.” Ventures Forth gently shoved the Junior Systems Engineer aside and took her place at the control panel. “Do a sweep of the strain systems. I don’t want this section of the ship breaking apart. Feel free to call up our hull patches. We’ve got plenty to share and this might have to be a lifeboat.”
“Aye, ma’am aye,” Che’keero replied with a crisp salute before rushing off to her duty.
Deeper inside the ship, Ventures Forth could hear laser fire, clashing of metal on metal, and cries for help.
The pirate ship was doomed, it was shattered and broken, but it was not destroyed. Not yet. \
And if she had her way, Ventures Forth Bravely Into Great Unknowns would keep it that way.
//////////
Roshal stood still as her steward continued to clean the dark blue and rapidly congealing blood off her armored form. “Comms,” She called out, “Do we have any contact with the shuttle we sent to the station?”
“Negative, ma’am.” The comm officer replied. She wasn’t the same one that was present when Roshal left to fend off the boarders. At the unspoken question, the woman continued “Communication’s Mate Second Class Lev’tal, ma’am. My superior got a concussion when the pirate ship rocked our ship during boarding. Strap snapped, prior damage. I took over.”
Roshal nodded approvingly, “Good initiative. Send a message to the station, see if we can’t rai-”
“Ma’am! Contact!” One of her sensor techs called out, “Belay that, two contacts. First contact, nav point 782 spinward, possible bogey, cruiser weight. Unknown movements. Second contact, nav point 102 coreward, aerospace assets inbound. Small flight. Hard to determine numbers due to damage. No less than two, no more than five.”
“Focus on getting a hard contact on that possible cruiser. Weapons, what is the status of our anti-aerospace.” Roshal demanded, holding her sword arm out for the steward to scrub at a particularly clotted chunk of blood splattered over her wrist.
The weapons officer shook her head, “If we’re lucky, then we’ve got 20% coverage on half our sides. If we’re very lucky, I might be able to bump that number up to 35%. Not going to quote doctrine, but that’s not nearly enough to fend off a flight of Aerospace assets on a strike run, and that’s assuming they don’t hit us on an unprotected flank.”
Roshal nodded once more, “Sound general quarters and get weapons and tactical back online. Tell the damage control parties to not be distracted and focus on critical systems first. Engine room, report. Can you give me maneuvering thrust?”
The nearby ship phone chimed in with a staticy hiss, “Negative, ma’am. The shot we made with the spinal mount tripped breakers up and down the reactor room. This isn’t an engine problem, we need to make sure our reactor doesn’t blow up when we siphon power. Before you ask, emergency power is still flowing and none of their circuits tripped, but that means we’re down to life support, basic systems, and dockyard thrusters. It will take at least 20 to get the reactor in a safe state. If you want 10, send the chaplain down so we have someone praying for good luck. The fact most of our structural engineers are doing an EVA boarding to ensure the pirate ship next to us doesn’t go critical and render the entire exercise moot isn’t helping matters at all.” The engine room replied Roshal bit down a bit of annoyance at the snark, but engineers were always a finicky sort with authority. They were the first to remind uptight officers that while the Captain’s word may be iron law, it was their work that truly moved the ship.
“Confirmed, engine room.” Roshal instead replied. “Chaplains will be arriving shortly. Do what you can and inform me when you’re three minutes out from full power.”
The engine room didn’t even bother replying, just sending over the affirmative light as they got to work. Roshal approved of that. Sometimes, you just had to insult someone in order to get it working right.
“Captain, we have confirmation on contact. He’s an Alliance Karcharidon class Heavy Cruiser on intercept course. Energy readings are spiking… they’re charging their guns, ma’am!”
“Issue a hostile challenge and give me a firing solution with any gun still functional.”
“No response, ma’am. Hostile Karcharidon is increasing speed. Hard contact in 15 minutes.”
Roshal snarled, emotion breaking through her mask. “Of course, the pirates had one more vessel. Helm, fire our maneuvering thrusters, use the pirate hulk as cover. Weapons, get whoever’s left of our Interceptor flight to engage the enemy. Comms, get me in contact with the merchant fleet, tell them to evacuate. We’ll provide cover.”
“Aye ma’am.” The Communications Mate Second Class said with a shiver in her voice. “Sending-”
“Update on Aerospace assets!” Her sensor tech called out.
“Deliver!” Roshal demanded, cutting off the comms officer with a slice of her hand.
“Weapons fire. Definitely less than four contacts. Seems to be two grou- negative, only two contacts remaining- weaponsfire- one contac- IFF received, oh goddesses, IT’S RUNOFF THREE! FRIENDLY AEROSPACE INBOUND!”
//////////
Milk gripped her crash harness hard as Cookie slammed the Interceptor’s fusion torch clean past its safe thrust marker and into the red as g forces crushed her chest. “Last target down.” She reported after Cookie’s final laser burst hit something critical inside the final Aerospace fighter’s frame. “That’s 20 for 20. All enemy bogeys down. All standard munitions are in the black. Static drive is 48%, dump core ejected. All we’ve got left is our ASM and front laser.”
Cookie flashed back an affirmative signal.
“We going for that cruiser?”
Another affirmative.
“Well, I’m braced and ready on the release. Ready.”
“Ready.” Cookie spoke, his voice horse.
It’s funny what people think when their lives are on the line. Because charging towards a fresh enemy Heavy Cruiser, nothing but a single anti-shipping missile worth a damn, no allied support but the faint glimmer in IFF screens of their fellow flight doing the same… all Aoibhinn McDermott could think of was a poem she had read at least a decade ago or more at the Naval Academy.
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the Valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
//////////
Ventures Forth Bravely Into Great Unknowns could do nothing but furiously swear as the basic sensor system her engineering team had restored on the thoroughly ventilated secondary command bridge of the pirate hulk revealed an enemy Heavy Cruiser bearing down upon their homeship.
“Weapons are trashed. We cored their reactor, anyway.” One of the tangential engineers reported, “Other teams are calling in. Things are worse where they are. We’ve found the slaves, though, luckily it was one of the few airtight bays. Also, have some more captives, but that really doesn’t matter right now.”
“No shit.” Ventures Forth replied, “Can we do anything?”
The engineer looked back to her, visor depolarizing so the Gearschilde can look into the black and yellow eyes of her Shil coworker.
“Pray.” The woman replied simply.
Ventures Forth Bravely Into Great Unknowns did just that.
//////////
Low chanting filled the engine bay as a small group of priests stood around the engine praying to whichever god that would listen to allow them one more shot. One more fight.
Around them, black handed engineers scurried, ripping out blown fuses and replacing them with soldered in high strength wire. A final measure of desperation. Sparks flew as engineers swore and chaplains prayed, power still remaining in circuits needing to be bled out before bypasses could be installed, turning every bit of solder and every ripped out fuse into a deadly gamble.
Already, someone was lying on the ground, no longer twitching.
They didn’t have time to check on their fallen comrade, the work was too important.
A clock ticked down. Four minutes elapsed.
//////////
Lieutenant Commander Cenywyn swore as she watched Runoff 2 die.
Their single Interceptor had mistimed a maneuver and had been caught dead in the middle of an Anti-Aerospace array, shredded in an instant. The only consolation she could take was that, seeing as the first shot went clean through the cockpit, they didn’t even notice they died.
“Runoff 4, stay in formation.” She ordered over the radio, “We’ll lead you in for the run.”
“Yes ma’am.” The hesitant voice of Junior Flight Lieutenant Griogill replied. She swallowed, “We’re- we’re ready when you are.”
“No fear, Lieutenant,” Cenywyn called back to the child she was leading to her death. “We’re pilots in the Imperial Patrol. We do our duty. No fear.”
A clock ticked down. Six minutes elapsed.
//////////
“Talk to me!” The last remaining senior engineer in the reactor bay called out to anyone who was able to reply.
Someone, she didn’t even bother looking to see who, called back “We’ve bypassed 60% of the fuses. Should be able to give ourselves a burst of combat power. No more than 10 minutes of it before the entire system overheats and we either die, or the reactor shuts off.”
“Any chance we can get more than 10 minutes?”
“Not before that Heavy Cruiser delivers us straight to the stars.”
“Fuck it, good enough.” She slammed her fist on the ship phone’s dialing button resting near the console the engineer had just ripped the last safety override out of. “Captain. We’ve got your power. You give us the word, and we’ll give you ten minutes.”
//////////
Roshal breathed in, breathed out, and nodded. 10 minutes of combat power before the entire ship shut down into uselessness. She’d done more with less. She couldn’t remember when, but she had. Luckily, this was a Patrol Carrier instead of a standard ship, so it was more than capable of combat maneuvers with nothing but RCS thrusters. That should give her some time.
Movement, movement was going to be the key.
“Comms, tell the engineering crews on the hulk that they are ordered to figure out anything that could draw the attention of the Heavy Cruiser,” She began, “Systems, break our mooring lines. We’re going to have to split from the hulk. Helm, prepare for maneuvers. RCS only. We are going to have to do this carefully. Engineroom, prepare for power activation, but hold until my command.”
This needs to be perfect, Roshal thought, A single mistimed action ruins it all.
A clock ticked down. Ten minutes elapsed. The Karcharidon had entered maximum weapon’s range.
//////////
He of Slender Tail shivered where he stood. The secondary command bridge was silent as Roshal began giving orders to fight. This was… this was insane.
They were in a ruined ship with nothing but a merchant fleet beginning to flee and a three thirds dead pirate hulk on their side against a fresh Karcharidon class Heavy Cruiser.
They couldn’t win.
This was suicide.
They would die here.
\ So why didn’t He of Slender Tail feel afraid?
He stood at his post, a secondary bridge console where he would relay orders to other departments, freeing up the other Watchkeeper to collate those orders, there was nothing he could do to help win this impossible battle, and yet…
And yet he felt heat blossoming inside his chest with every single order delivered.
“Mooring teamsss, you are to cut your linesss immediately.” He relayed to a crew of Shil scurrying around the ruined bulkheads, “Damage control, prepare for electrical firesss and arcsss.” He commanded, switching between teams instantly.
He didn’t feel fear. He could see his Watchkeeper shiver every time the sensors reported the enemy contact was still closing, but he didn’t feel the same.
What he felt… was indignation.
How dare this pirate scum threaten his vessel, his crew. How dare they ambush this valiant ship after they had fought so hard to win. How dare they.
He let his fangs fold out as he spat the next order, “Anti-Aerossspace teamsss, prepare your batteriesss for grouped fire. Gunnery calculationsss are on their way.”
How dare they stand up to him.
A clock ticked down. 12 minutes elapsed. Weapons fire.
//////////
Roshal swayed slightly as she could feel the ship beneath her feet move. Movement is life in naval warfare, movement is death. “Right RCS fire, bring us clear of the hulk. Bow thrusters, up twenty.”
“Aye, ma’am, aye, right standard and bow up twenty.” The Helmswoman replied.
“Confirmed. Next maneuver, give us rear thrust-”
“Torpedo!” The sensor operator called out in a shrill voice, “Two marks on intercept course! Range, twelve K and closing fast!”
“Decorum!” Roshal snapped at the panicking sensor technician. “Comms, order Runoff flight to divert and intercept those torpedoes. Rear RCS to full, give us momentum.”
Roshal turned away from the bridge as affirmations were shouted, and the ship began to move, “Engineering, prepare to activate combat power on my mark and prepare for hard maneuvers. Mark in five.”
//////////
Griogill swallowed bile and tried not to feel too thankful that the enemy vessel had fired torpedoes at their home ship. Being diverted from an attack run had a much higher chance of survival than striking through an AA bubble.
“Runoff 4 engaging far torpedo. Moving in for intercept. Bre’kas, give me lock.”
Griogill’s backseater muttered something, and a target lock appeared on the far torpedo as Runoff 1, their previous Drill Sergeants, dashed by in a hard burn and blazed away at their own target.
“Right. We can do this. We can do this. No fear.” The rookie muttered as the sight of her friends in Runoff 3 being turned to vapor echoed in her mind. “I can do this.”
The target locked. She fired. The torpedo detonated.
A clock ticked down.
//////////
“Mark in four.”
//////////
The Heavy Cruiser loomed closer as the comparatively tiny Patrol Carrier spat its defiance in the form of two Interceptors dancing between the stars.
As a pair of torpedoes detonated, four more were launched, the anti-shipping weapons built for this specific purpose. Destroying disabled vessels.
And so the last two remaining Interceptors on CAP dove into the fray, risking themselves against an ever approaching AA bubble in order to save their ship.
A clock ticked down.
//////////
“Mark in three.”
//////////
All Cookie could do was stare and push his meager aerospace fighter further on its nuclear thrusters as shimmering dots of torpedoes lanced out from the Heavy Cruiser attacking his new home.
He pushed his hand forward and felt the throttle once more push back against him, the lever pushed all the way past safe thrust and into the further setting on his console.
The Interceptor was fast. It didn’t feel fast enough.
And so he spoke the words he spoke once before, back when he’d had to listen to his backseater’s screams of pain and the rush of wind after shrapnel pierced his fuselage, and the hospital was so, so far away.
Father, I pray that you will not hide your face from me. Whenever I pray, Lord please hear me and answer me speedily in Jesus' name. God, I pray that you will grant me speed through your help.
A clock ticked down.
//////////
“Mark in two.”
//////////
The Heavy Cruiser shifted, engine flaring and it began to close the range. A single disabled ship on emergency RCS thrusters and a pair of Aerospace fighters was nothing it would have to deal with.
It fired a third spread of torpedoes.
A clock ticked down.
//////////
They took the bait. Roshal thought with a vicious grin.
“Mark in one.” She paused, “Execute.”
In an instant, power flowed through the ship, emergency lights flickered off as the burning red boarding lights returned their fiery glow. The entire ship shook as the main thruster came back online, and capacitors began to charge for maneuvers.
“Hard burn, full thrusters, right, on my mark.” Roshal watched as the Heavy Cruiser began to react to her movements, the enemy ship was alive, you needed to roll to broadsides to begin bombardment, come on come on…
Roshal watched as a torpedo flickered out of existence, Runoff 4 gaining another kill.
Come on, dammit, you don’t get put in charge of a Heavy Cruiser without- THERE!
The Heavy Cruiser flinched, turning her bow away from the no longer stricken vessel, preparing for broadside.
The Captain’s grin showed more teeth than smile. “Execute! Full right thrust!”
“Full right thrust! Aye ma’am aye!” Her helmswoman called out as maneuvering thrusters dead cold roared to life and physically threw the vessel to the side, causing everyone not strapped in on the bridge to rock as a barrage of fire flew past their former location, manual targeting systems in play since the automatic systems would still be getting warmed up.
“Full thrust forward, prepare to divert all power to secondary weapons. Weapons, give me a firing solution.” Roshal commanded, hand raised and pointed at the enemy’s display as if she were commanding from a tall ship.
A chant of “Aye ma’am aye” flowed out across the bridge as the weaponsmistress was silent before calling out. “Port side is up to 45% secondary fires and 32% point defense. That’ll be our best bet.”
Roshal nodded. “Make it so. Target their main weapons. Helm, get us that facing.”
“Ma’am. We’re getting a call from Runoff 3. They are entering the AO and are asking for a target.”
Roshal smiled, “Weapons, shift target. Aim for the anti-aerospace systems. Let’s give Runoff 3 the opening they need.”
A clock ticked down.
//////////
“Cookie, we’ve got a targeting path.” Milk called forward. “Putting it up on your HUD.”
“One second… I’ve got it. Moving to comply. Did the Captain give us a plan?” her front seater replied, causing her stomach to do funny things as the Aerospace Fighter maneuvered while under high thrust.
“Something like that. She asked for a munitions report and specifically about our anti-shipping weapon.”
Cookie paused.
“Ah.” He finally said.
“Yeah.” She replied.
“Well, let’s hope they’re able to open us up to a window of opportunity. Or this will be a short charge.”
“Not our place to question why.”
“Just our place to do and die.”
Time to target… three minutes.
Into the valley of Death, rode the six hundred.
A clock ticked down.
//////////
Two vessels, three Aerospace fighters, one chance.
Six minutes of power remained. All actors took their places on the stage.
One hundred kilometers, close enough to check the weld quality of hull seams, the two ships danced across from each other. Maneuvering.
Five minutes of power remained.
The Karcharidon Heavy Cruiser rolled itself trying to keep the vulnerable top deck away from the Patrol Carrier’s presumably still working main gun as Roshal’s vessel jumped to the side. Thrusters roared.
Four minutes of power remained.
Runoff 1 and 4 shot towards their formerly separated comrade, forming up behind them in a wedge. The trio climbed towards the sun as their captain continued to chase and harass the Karcharidon.
Three minutes of power remained.
Roshal spoke. The lances of her vessel fired. Laser blasts carved across the hull of the enemy ship as it rolled.
The rolling ceased. A helmswoman swore as a full broadside caught the Patrol Carrier in the flank. The port hangar pod was ruined, armor shattered and all inside exposed to hard vacuum. Those who could scream died the fastest. The Interceptors had their opening.
Two minutes of power remained.
Silent wings swept through vacuum as three Interceptors began their dive, their formerly speedy arrowhead shape giving way to an inverted t as their wings swept out for stability, the ASF dove and dove and dove.
Five Kilometers away.
The range was too wide. They had one shot. It had to be perfect.
One minute of power remained.
The Into Harm’s Way spat its defiance into the world, limited power drained to give her pilots a seconds more of time.
30 seconds of power remained.
Three Kilometers.
Hard Lock! Milk shouted from the back seat of Runoff 3. Cookie was silent. The range was still too wide.
15 seconds of power remained.
Two Kilometers.
The Karcharidon seemingly began to roll before the Patrol Carrier once more fired, its last remaining weapons spouting their defiance against the world. Deep in engineering, systems began to blow, wires that replaced fuses sparked power and delicate circuit boards shorted out into useless scrap.
The lights went out.
No power remained.
Roshal, in her head, began to count down as lances of light began to sweep across her ship. Damage control did what they could, but the beams began to cut like an overly enthusiastic shipbreaker.
Five.
One Kilometer.
Four.
Cookie’s thumb depressed the firing stud as the Interceptor screamed at him.
Three.
The ASF launched its deadly payload.
Two.
Three Interceptors pulled back hard on their sticks to avoid colliding with the deck.
One.
The thruster of the anti-shipping missile roared as it rocketed the point blank aerospace distance to target.
Impact.
The armor piercing tip of the missile punched into the upper deck plating of the Heavy Cruiser, classified alloys allowing it to pierce into the armored plating just enough to allow the shaped charge to open up a hole as momentum kept the weapon moving.
Within the frame of a single second, the warhead of the missile had entered the ship and, before the alarms even had time to sound, detonated.
A new sun appeared in the void for a split second as a plasma-fusion warhead detonated inside the Karcharidon heavy cruiser’s hull.
//////////
Roshal allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief inside her head as the emergency power lights flickered overhead and the gravity ever so slightly lightened. What was left of their sensor arrays showed the enemy vessel powering down. “Engineering. Good work, your 10 minutes were just what she needed.” She called out, picking up the ship phone.
There was no answer from engineering.
She signed externally before pointing at one of the marines guarding the bridge, “Find a crewmate in a void suit. I have need of runners.” The marine clasped a fist to her chest before leaving to execute her captain’s commands. “Comms, do we have any contact with the engineering teams on the pirate hulk?”
The Comms officer held up a hand, Roshal waited, “No, ma’am. We aren’t getting- wait. We’ve got visual on flashing lights from the hull. Apparently, something shorted, so they’re having to rebuild broadcast arrays. They can receive just fine, though.”
“Good, once we can maneuver, bring us broadside of them. What’s the status of the merchant fleet?”
Navigation spoke up now, “Still heading for the Jump Point. Should we send the recall order?”
“Not yet, we are still unsure if the area is safe. If we have any sensors remaining, begin sca-”
The mentioned sensor technician interrupted Captain Roshal, “Ma’am, new contact, signature unknown. Just jumped in from outside the starlane!”
“Give me details. Course, range, and speed?” She demanded.
“Signal confused, can’t get a lock!” Navigation called out, “Can’t tell if confusion’s from them or us.”
Not another one… Roshal sighed, “All forces prepa-”
“Ma’am, we’re being hailed.” Communications called out.
“On squawk.”
“This is Captain Al’yosha Cal’rada of Her Imperial Majesty’s Ship Spear of the Knyaginya, responding to Merchant vessel distress calls. Imperial Patrol Carrier, are you in need of assistance at this time?”
Roshal recognized the voice. A junior officer from her days in the Navy and a fellow Sevastutavan. The memory of the fresh faced girl when she’d joined her as an Ensign straight of the Naval Academy flashed before her eyes. “Captain Cal’rada. Your timing is impeccable as always.”
“Admiral?” Roshal could hear the shock in her old protege’s voice.
“That’s Captain, now, Al’yosha. I require your aid in ensuring the disabled vessel still glowing from an ASM strike remains disabled along with Search and Rescue teams for our sister Carrier.
“Whatever you want, you’ll have it, Admiral_… Helm! All ahead flank and plot course to intercept. Launch gunships and prepare to deploy Bluejackets. We’ll test our _Orcas’ teeth today!”
The line cut out a moment later than it should have, and Roshal nodded in approval.
“Captain, I still don’t have a read on new contact. What is it?” Sensors asked.
“A Drep’na inspired vision, come to life.” Roshal watched, feeling an odd sort of parental pride as Al’yosha’s experimental warship began closing the distance towards the Karcharidon at breakneck speeds. “A swift sailing vessel and ten carriage guns…” Roshal murmured the line from an old Vaasconian poem from the ancient Age of Sail. She had heard Cal’rada had succeeded in petitioning the Navy to build her dream-ship, burning every favor and passing out favors to any and everyone to see the program through. Now, there she was, standing on the bridge bearing down on a ship twice her size, but if the rumors were true, only half her guns.
“Ma’am, contact is still not resolving, but IFF confirms Imperial Navy designation. An Akula Class Attack Transport. I’ve… I’ve never even heard of this class.”
“Perhaps we shall hear of them more in the future. Fortune favors the active.”
“Contact is disgorging multiple signals, moving at speeds consistent with aerospace assets.”
“That is our signal we may disengage. Comms, inform the merchant fleet that the area is secure and to begin refueling procedures. Helm, get us alongside the pirate hulk, we have people to recover. Marine, get me a runner to the MP’s, we shall need the port hangar prepared for an old tradition the Navy has regarding pirate prisoners…” Roshal commanded. The fight was over, it was time to begin the cleanup.
//////////
So… that took a while. Sorry about that.
Turns out when a combination of writer’s block, decision paralysis and LIFE hits you over the head, it becomes a touch difficult to get your shit together long enough to write something down.
On the plus side, we are out of the “unplanned bits” and right back into the parts I have brainstormed, so I won’t be staring at a screen trying to think how to make things connect as much anymore. On the other hand, that means we are now entering the epilogue of book 1 of Top Lasgun.
Don’t worry, the story isn’t ending, I’ve got “three” books plotted out in my head, so we’ll see how that shakes out, but for the most part, this is where I start wrapping up plot threads, laying down threads for what comes next, and all that other good stuff.
So yeah, next chapter is going to involve everyone wrapping up what happened here, some fun little Military Justice, and potentially a bunch of plot. Also, I’m planning on starting a “rewrite”/edited version of this to go up on AO3, so keep an eye out for that. Early installment weirdness is a bitch and I’m not proud of what the older stuff looked like.
Well, I hope you have a wonderful morning, afternoon or evening whenever you read this and I will see you next chapter.
[NEXT CHAPTER]

So we live in a subdivision and we have a neighbor on one side and they were on the other side so the neighbors who moved in because we were here first and it's a brand new subdivision they are pretty cool they keep themselves they are kind of private just like us, the other neighbors beside us they from the start have been very adamant and in your face kind of neighbors
But that's not the issue the issue is how we ended up on meeting and what's been going on ever since
Usually my family we go ahead and we take my children myself and my husband to go knock or ring the doorbell and introduce ourselves and strike up friendly conversation etc, this is how we see it appropriate or just meeting everybody so we're not going back and forth then doing that whole thing we just want to get it out the way and have everybody meet everybody
So I'm working from home in my home and my husband is outside playing basketball with my children and the neighbors who are kind of in your face are home but the husband and the wife are home and the children the woman next door sends her children inside and then walks over to my husband and just loudly just waves him over and she's like always your wife home and he's like she's busy, and she just like oh I wanted to meet all y'all and all this other stuff and she just said that her children have been trying to meet my children and it was kind of odd because she sent them in before she came over to say hello to my husband and didn't bring her children to say hello to my children who are out there playing basketball with my husband also she didn't make it a point to go inside and get her husband who was also in the home to come outside so they can all collectively say hello which was kind of off-putting.
But nothing else was thought of it so it had been a while since any interaction, me and my children ended up bumping into her husband on our way to the mailbox and we had a conversation and said hello and a few things and my children met his children they started to play because they actually wanted to meet them just like she said and what not so we let them play for a little bit we only just talked for a moment and then I left went back home and then shortly later in the day the whole family comes and shows up to our home I guess he told her that we had a conversation and the children played so I guess she then wanted to come and meet me.
So they show up to the door they come at dinner time and we're just kind of in a rush and so we all say hello and this is when the red flag weird stuff starts to happen is after her husband is standing in front of her she's lightly kind of behind him so he can't really see what she's doing but she's just like back and forth staring down my husband like a piece of meat, giggling and trying to catch his gays repeatedly, and then looking back and forth at her husband trying to see if he's looking or not she didn't look at me one time while she was standing on my porch and then I made a comment and said that I had met one of her relatives when I was going on a bike ride and she said that she likes my hair and my outfit and she said oh okay and then she continued to glance back and forth at my husband and her husband and she had no interest in me and having any kind of conversation or real meeting of hello or anything.
So after that it left a bitter taste in my mouth because people like that they tend to have it all but they need more and they need like attention from the outside even though they have everything right in front of them they can't really see it. but anyway she struck me as this attention seeker and it turns out she actually is.
so her whole family came to the door, we were eating dinner, and they wanted to know if our children could come out and play and I said we just sat down to eat and you can tell that she was bothered by that and bothered by the fact that I answered the door because before she came up she was primping herself on the doorbell camera,
So I let her know that we would be coming out later after we're done so we go over and then I have her children come out and play with my children for a little bit.
We end up having a conversation while they were playing and at first she did seem kind of genuine but then she started to get over the top and just started saying I was so funny and she kept hitting me and trying to be buddy buddy and over and over again putting her hands on me laughing and it was very off putting and very fake feeling like she was trying to get bloody buddy with me somehow very quickly.
She referred to my husband as Daddy and it was kind of off-putting the way she had said it and then because I didn't like the way she said, what about daaaadyy is what she said when she asked about my husbands involvement in our day today which was kind of weird.
So I went ahead and when we were talking I said it back to her yeah your children probably need daddy too and I said exactly how she did and hopefully she got the head but nope and also she was asking me for advice about staying home and needing to be out just needing to be doing something because her husband was taken care of her too much and working but he wasn't even working a lot he work from home and in the office but he said she didn't have to and that he takes care of her but she doesn't want him to she wants to just be out there in the streets essentially doing something and being seen.
Her words not mine.
And she said she can't help it because she had her children she doesn't want to be just cooped up in the house everyday or something like that.
And so that was kind of off-putting and then I mentioned focusing on your family like being present with them and focusing solely on them reaps really good benefits because you create a closer Bond and you don't need outside anything to feel complete essentially what you have is inside of you and I just kind of reference that when she kept saying that she needs to just be on the go when she can't sit still and she said her husband always says that he's got her and that their mom needs them and things like that and I said I agree because I know how I am with my children and I have my children all the time and my family works really great because of the way our dynamic works and I tried to like give some knowledge and information to her but she kind of wasn't hearing it and didn't seem interested really in that dynamic.
So after that day she text me and wants me to go to the park with him but I'm in the shower and I never see her text message till I'm done and I have like this whole routine so it takes about an hour or so until she's just like in the park and I finally text her back the park is up the street and I text her back and she's just like kind of upset that I didn't show up and that's understandable but I did let her know like hey I was busy and I didn't see your text message can we try and do something else and so I let her know that we can have the boys hang out and we hang out tomorrow and then the next day me and my kids went for a walk and she was also on a walk with her child, we briefly passed each other cuz I'm coming out of my house and she's entering up the sidewalk to the driveway to her house she sees me and I just kind of stand there waiting so I can wave her and she just like looks through me and continues to walk
So I didn't think anything of I just kind of laughed to myself because it was kind of a petty cuz she clearly saw me but whatever but I texted her when I got back from the walk and said hey I saw you on our walk a few minutes ago I don't know if you saw me, but I just wanted to let you know that the boys are available at this x amount of time, she text me back later lets me know the time works out so the boys and I come out there later on that day at that time then this was before our dinner time so I tried to accompany and accommodate, my children are out there playing basketball and this woman literally at the exact time at her children are supposed to be out there text me and said one of her children were in trouble and can't come out there we'll catch you all next time
And I said thanks for the courtesy etc and so the next time we saw her was when my husband was cutting the grass I was inside doing some housework he was outside cutting the grass with my children running back and forth doing everything like they usually do and so during that time she makes her way outside and she's got this really short pink dress on and it's like really cold outside and it was just like really alarming to me and she's just like out there walking around sweeping her front porch and then like while my husband is cutting the side that's closest to their house she's like back to back with him and she just makes it a point to be like hey how you doing and just other stuff even though earlier in the day when we got home we both wave to them from the car and said hey and so it was kind of odd that she made another appearance to try and speak to my husband, he brought this to my attention and he said that he was very brief about it because he knows how things are between me and her and how we revives were between us and so he just briefly said Hi and then turn back around and kept cutting the grass and so I guess that wasn't enough attention for her
So after he was done cutting the grass I never took myself outside even though he said that she was out there and was trying to strike up a conversation, after that and he started to do the wrap up , but the hose away put the gutters back on and all that stuff blow the grass away.
And so basically I get a notification on my phone from the doorbell camera and the garage camera went off as well and I'm like okay someone has been spotted that's what it says and I look and I see this person standing there in a pink dress mini dress she's right there in front of my house sweeping the grass out of my driveway and sweep in the grass almost basically to the other side of the neighbor's house she's directly in front of my house sweeping my grass up going back and forth essentially waiting for my husband to come out there and I don't know what have an interaction talk I don't know look at me I'm cleaning up your grass I have no idea
And so I let my husband know like I see this happening right now on the camera and then he's just like I'm about to go cook dinner he goes to go cook dinner and I let him know I'm going to handle the cleanup and then I go out there with the broom and I walk out there I don't say anything to her and I just started sweeping and then she looks shocked to see me cuz I don't even think she knew I was home because the car wasn't in the driveway and then she just walks past and she's just wiping her nose and has her head down and she just walks back up to her driveway, her husband was cutting the grass on the other side of the house by the way her children were running around but she was in front of my house and in my driveway back and forth sweeping my grass instead of over there helping her husband with his yard work she was in my driveway and the other side of my yard sweeping the grass
And then she just after she gets back to her side of the house she's just like hey how you doing? And I say good and then I keep sweeping and then like she got this like grin on her face and she's just like see that I'm like visibly like annoyed with her and so she just keeps it moving, and so after that I went to the house and got the leaf blower and just started blowing the grass out so I can get back in the house cuz I was just like I was just really irritable, I'm blowing the grass and then I hear her come up right behind me and say hey hey where did you get that leaf blower at and I turned around and I said I don't know it's old and then I continue to blow the grass away and I guess she took the hat because I was pretty Stern with it and I think she came back to say something to me to see if I was in a good mood or to see if I was still like angry essentially because she got caught doing what she was doing
I didn't sugar coat when I spoke to her and I'm thinking okay she got the hint. And then a few days later she tried to make a playdate and then I said my children are unavailable at that time then, we were going to a nearby Creek and taking my children they wanted to go and we ate before we left we were going to leave around like 4:30 and so we didn't leave at 4:30 we ate and then we were going to leave now as we are eating I get a notification on the doorbell camera and the garage camera yet again and it says person has been spotted I checked the camera and she's out there walking back and forth back and forth back and forth with her children trying to see if we're going to come out trying to see if she can wave at us in miraculous and any kind of way I don't know but she's in front of our house her house on the complete other side and she's just back and forth walking with them
And we ended up leaving a close to 5:00 p.m. so by that time she already went in the house
And after that I just was done with any kind of interactions with her because she is very off putting and she gives off this vibe and energy of I am being fake. And I have an ulterior motive and I need to Garner attention from Men even though I have one.
Even the guy next to us was outside cleaning his car and then her husband was in the house yet again and after he went inside I guess he was like busy , So she took it upon herself to scream across the yard and say ooh that looks good. Referring to his car and so he comes over and then starts talking to her across from our yard and and her yard and she starts complimenting his car ridiculously and was just asking a bunch of stuff about his car and his pain and and what he does and how does he get it to look like that and just a bunch of stuff and what crossed my mind was the whole married women complimenting another man's car perfusively was kind of off-putting.
And so they carried conversation for a while and then to the point that he ended up getting his phone and trying to show her something about his paint job and then he actually paused before he actually had her come over and like look at the phone and she goes oh you can send it to me and I don't know if they have each other's numbers or whatever but I heard her say that and then he actually paused and said I sent it to your husband actually and then she was just like oh okay and then she stopped the conversation and went in the house
Just yesterday because we haven't had a moment to cut the grass in a while my husband cut the grass after he got off of work so me and the children were outside and we were all doing yard work like we usually do I was trimming and the boys were trimming and picking things up in the yard and she pulls up. Usually she picks up her kids and then goes in the home closes the garage and we don't see her the rest of the day, but since we are all out here and my husband's got in the grass she made it a point to pull up leave the garage open open trunk and just bring her kids out and have them running around in the driveway which I knew was going to happen, because whenever my husband's out there she makes it a point to be out there but when I hop out she flies inside of her house
So I'm out there packing up my grass and I was done because my mom had called and so I'm on the phone with her and my husband is starting to cut the side of the grass closest to her house and so, I say on the phone and I'm just like talking on the phone while looking into her driveway and garage knowing that she's going to pop out at any second to try and get some kind of attention from my husband because she's been doing that, she actually came out when I was right there just waiting and then she briefly raised her hand and waved while my husband didn't see her so he's over pushing the mower back and forth back and forth and conveniently she's in the garage going from one side of the car to the next side of the car from one side of the car to the next side of the car she did this about eight times
And he never looked her way didn't give her any kind of attention so eventually she went ahead and close the garage cuz I guess she saw me actually noticing what she was doing so she closed the garage and went house so my husband stops or is finished cutting the grass on that side of the house so he pushes it to almost the back of the outside of the fence now they don't have a fence, so her kids ran out and were right there while my husband was cutting the grass I'm guessing she was all so back there as well to try and say hello to my husband from the back of the house because she knew I was in the front of the house
And he said he didn't actually see her he was just focused on cutting the grass but I'm sure she was back there since her children were running around back and forth back there as well.
So that was pretty long but that's what has been happening since she moved in here, I am not sure how to go about anything her children seem very kind her husband is very nice and not red flaggy at all she on the other hand has the need to go up to every single neighbor and talk up people but specifically because I live next door to her it's like a game to her because she finds every moment to speak to my husband I haven't even mentioned the other times that he was out there just like cleaning out the car and she just hopped out it would just stand there and try and get his attention and then he would not give her any attention I wouldn't even look her way, it's like she can hear when we're out there or here when he's out there doing something and she can find a way to speak to him and it's really off putting and I'm not really sure what to do I've been closing all of my curtains and blinds because when she first got here she was actually looking and standing straight across looking straight. Into my house for a lot of good 5 minutes while I was vacuuming and so I close all my stuff up.
I would love some recommendations on how to peacefully handle this situation I am not sure what is going on mentally in this woman's head or why she needs to Garner this attention and I just want to be kind about it because I actually tried again and wished her a happy mother's day but then this incident happened after that so I am just done with the situation I feel like, I don't have any desire to try and be friends with her or even just be neighborly.
I would love some feedback or advice on how to peacefully go about this, the only time we are really out there is to cut the grass and do yard work which is pretty rare so I guess we don't have to really see them.
All feedback is welcome, I am close to pushing 40 so I really don't have the mental energy to deal with this kind of situation anymore I'm feeling like it's beneath me and very childish to actually do any kind of intentional situation as far as ignoring and things like that or being unkind I don't want to get roped into drama and things like that and I just wish that woman healing to be honest.
But I would love some feedback on this scenario thank you.

Introduction

The main purpose of this guide will be to help unlock the golden dice for those of you who feel less confident about tackling honour mode. This is designed to be a path of least resistance, so we won’t be experiencing everything this game has to offer. It’s also worth noting that instead of focusing on min-maxing for damage; we prioritise safe & consistent damage. We don’t need to be respeccing characters often, if at all, and we won’t be relying on strength elixirs. My girlfriend (u/-babyjanehudson) and I put this together as we’ve beaten honour mode a 5 times now without any failed attempts, we were even in the first 800 people to beat it which is kinda cool! Here’s how we did it. First starting with our builds, then a little general advice and finally just a list of some general Do’s & Don’ts. Apologies for the wall of text.
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Builds:

[Bardlock](https://www.reddit.com/BG3Builds/s/pMh6196Xp8) (party face) - Great old one Warlock 2, college of lore bard 10 - Cha16>Dex16>Con14>Wis12

• Key items are the spell sparkler until Markoheshkir, potent robe, quickspell gloves, necklace of elemental augmentation & the warped headband of intellect (great for general party face checks in acts 1+2) at least until you get the birthright at sorcerers sundries in act 3. Once I reach act 3 and have persuaded half of the shadow cursed lands into dying, I personally choose to respec into Sorlock: 2 goolock, 2 fighter, 8 draconic sorcerer. It’s not necessary but I find it gives the edge in combat while in act 3, as there are less dialogue checks available that bard can abuse. Being a sorlock means every morning in camp I can convert ALL level 1+2 spell slots into extra sorcery slots meaning my bonus action is now always being used for eldritch blast thanks to quickened spell meta magic plus we have action surge :) Skill priority for this character is Persuasuion > Intimidation > Deception > Performance > Perception > Investigation. Credit to u/kethrynweryn for this build, it’s easily my fav in the game.

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Life cleric 12 - Wis16>Con16>Dex14>Str
(light cleric does more damage so is technically better for experienced players but a life cleric is there to save your run in case of an emergency, something pretty invaluable to beginners in HM as we can’t assume we are winning every fight in the first 2 turns like we ideally aim to)

• key items are reapers embrace, sentinel shield, hell riders pride, the whispering promise & blood of lathander. Other items of note would be luminous armor & the radiant/illumation rings. Most fights will simply involve casting spirit guardians at its highest level and running through crowds of enemies like you’re mowing a lawn, picking up the war caster feat is brilliant for helping you keep concentration when taking attacks of opportunity but i know as a feat it’s a little divisive, just my personal preference. This setup trivialises all combat encounters in act 2. Just remember to check enemies for radiant retort, they’re few and far between but can fuck things up if you forget.

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Swords Bard Archer (Lockpicker) - 6 Swords Bard, 4 Rogue Thief, 2 Fighter - Dex17>Cha14>Con14>Wis12>Str

• Key items are hag hair (+1dex), titan string, risky ring, hill giant club, helm of arcane acuity & band of the mystic scoundrel. With this setup every time you attack, you can hold person, fear, vicious mockery or invisibility as a bonus action :) Just make sure to use your slashing flourish as much as possible to maximise damage. Don’t forget to get to the high ground whenever possible to increase your damage.

Skill priority for this character is Sleight of hand > Stealth > Perception > Persuasion > Intimidation > Deception > Acrobatics
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Barbarian - Wild heart Bear Barb 8, Battle Master Fighter 4 - Str16>Con16>Dex14>Wis12

• Key items are more flexible here as it’s less dependant on gear. I recommend grabbing the Everburn blade if you can, it really helps during the slog of act 1 (to get it easily, when you first find Shadowheart on the nautiloid immediately swap any one of the spells in her book for Command, then use command drop on Zhalk and steal his sword. I do not recommend trying to fight him for it) Most the time you’ll just wear the usual barb stuff, bracers of defence & a 2H weapon of your choice. If you’re willing to brave Raphael & Ansur this build becomes a powerhouse with the gauntlets of hill giant strength, amulet of health & Baldurans giantslayer. These items are incredible but are also locked behind fights which pose the highest risk to your run, prepare carefully and if you don't feel confident enough then don’t be ashamed to just skip them. Anyway we take wild heart bear because being resistant to everything but psychic damage is really underrated. You can use this character to abuse the poor souls that your swords bard has been using hold person on for easy crits. Make sure to *always* use reckless attack. Initially it sounds bizarre but stick with me, you want enemies to have advantage against your barb, doing this while keeping your AC capped around 17~19 means the computer always prioritises attacking your Barb over the rest of your party (all your other characters should have AC19-23ish by act 2). Not to mention if you’re always using reckless attack, the feat Great Weapon Master no longer has a downside, so it becomes a reliable +10 to damage.

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Final note for builds:
As you’ve probably noticed, yes almost everybody in the party takes a dip in fighter for access to action surge & shield proficiency. I learned this habit from Colby like everything else I know. He’s the Bob Ross of DnD builds and well worth your time.
​

General Advice

The most important factor in honour mode is “meta knowledge”, This means things like: knowing how to enter each combat effectively, making sure everyone is in a good position before starting, knowing exactly which enemies/spells you’ll face during that fight and ensuring you always take the enemy by surprise to gain a free turn. Being properly prepared is better than any build. As for difficulty, Act 1 is always going to be your biggest challenge so use plenty of rests and pick your fights carefully. For this guide I also recommend using your bard to persuade the act 2 bosses into committing suicide.

Do’s:

• Always have a these spells prepared: longstrider, aid, enhance ability, bless, misty step, heroes feast, counterspell, shield & guidance.
  
• Buy the ring of bless from Volo the moment you meet him at the grove.
  
• Steal Laezel’s armor at the start if you’re not using her, it’s great medium armor in the first few hours.
  
• Let Volo take your eye for a permanent see invisibility buff.
  
• Barbarian should always use reckless attack
  
• Buy & craft every potion of speed you can get your grubby mitts on. With the slight nerfs to Haste in HM potions of speed are a safer alternative.
  
• Take the Hag hair +1dex for swords bard and most the time just let Ethel have Mayrina, its fiddly to control who Ethel will offer the deal to so just go in being prepared to sacrifice Mayrina.
  
• Talk to crusher outside the goblin camp and persuade him to kiss your feet. He'll run off embaressed, follow him to the bridge away from all the other goblins. Now you can safely and easily kill him to loot his ring which increases movement speed.
  
• Use your party face to poison the goblin camp in act 1, killing over half of them outside before even entering combat and then the party face can simply deny everything.
  
• Look up the wiki page for every boss and check their legendary resistances/actions BEFORE starting the encounter. Ethel, inquisitor w’wargaz, cazador, steel watch titan & Nether brain specifically can do some seriously nasty stuff that’s exclusive to HM & can easily catch you off guard.
  
• Kill Balthazar in his room/lab where you first meet him. To make the fight even easier you can take flesh into the self same trial using the bell so you don’t have to fight him alongside Balthazar. Either way it’s a much easier than the fighting in the shadowfell.
  
• Take alert if someone has a spare feat available, otherwise increasing your main ability score is usually the best bet.
  
• Cast sanctuary on Isobel during the raid on the last light in, a lot easier than chasing after her trying to heal & blade ward her. Alternatively ignore her altogether, go straight to ambush against the drider, grab the lantern and release dolly dolly dolly, allowing you to skip the Isobel & Marcus’s fight altogether.
  
• Keep characters ability scores in even values when possible, odd values do not change anything (with a slight exception to constitution as odd values still give a little extra hp).
  
• Try to keep all characters at 12 Wis or higher to avoid being feared, charmed or hold person’d.
  
• Cast darkness over Halsins portal to prevent enemies attacking it.
  
• Take Gortash's deal to skip his fight & the steel foundry.
  
• Use minor illusion to group enemies together & pull them out of position before initiating combat. You can also use this method to fix broken NPC’s when they’re not standing where they’re meant to. Looking at you Alfira & Lakrissa.
  
• If you’re open to a little cheesing you can leave some ranged/throwing party members on the steps before the Grym boss fight. Now just rain hell down on the boss from safety.
  
• Globe of invulnerability is exactly as broken as it sounds. These scrolls restock daily at sorcerers sundries & trivialise every boss encounter in act 3. Ansur specifically has no way of countering this.
  
• Illithid powers. These wriggly little cuties are some of the strongest buffs/abilities available. I recommend having every possible party member take atleast: favourable beginnings, luck of the far realms, ability drain & cull the weak. If you opt to go half illithid then you get access to some outrageous kit such as: fly, psionic dominance, illithid expertise & blackhole.
  
• Summon any minions before casting Aid, Heroes feast, Longstrider & other morning buffs.
  
• Use your potions, elixirs & scrolls as much as possible. They’re literally everywhere & with good reason. A well timed potion of invisibility or scroll of misty step can save a run.
  
• Most people know this already but don’t forget you can throw healing potions at allies in a pinch.
  
• Before descending the stairs to Cazador’s fight have a party member go invisible. They can run over and free Astarion before rolling initiative. This method can also be used to free Volo, Mayrina, Aylin or set up smokepowder barrels for a one turn kill.
  
• Use darkness to cover any pickpocketing and then flee the area before the NPC notices they've been got.
  
• Only trade with vendors using your highest persuasion character.
  
• Give your frequently visited vendors a few hundred gold to max out their attitude. this way you have the best prices for both buying and selling.
  
• Remember you can skip the final fight altogether using the dialogue option (important distinction) to blow Gale up at the brain stem in act 3.
  

Don’ts:

• Don’t awaken at the Zaithisk unless you’re certain you can make the checks, there is a [great guide on respeccing for this exact moment](https://www.reddit.com/BaldursGate3/s/7uQ7MSzzBg) credit to u/kodiak3393.
  
• Don't use friends, guidance or any other spell when bargaining with Ethel for Mayrina & the hag hair. It will trigger Ethel's legendary action and prevent you from getting the hag hair.
  
• Don’t free Orpheus unless you're prepared to also fight the Emperor in the final fight.
  
• Don’t play as durge for the first time. Worth noting the cloak exclusive to durge is easily the best in the game but being durge throws the player some unexpected curveballs that can end a run if you're not prepared.
  
• Don’t keep sharpshooter toggled on permanenlty unless you’ve got risky ring or oil of accuracy.
  
• Don’t try & save the gondians, don’t go to the iron throne, do not pass go, do not collect £200
  
• Don’t underestimate Flind the and other Gnolls who are attacking Rugan in act 1, you ideally want to be level 4 before this fight. Ensure to start the encounter from insidde the cave where Rugan is trapped, it can be accessed from the area near the fake paladins of tyr & Karlach.
  
• Don’t use the cantrip Friends unless you plan on immediately leaving the area or killing the target.
  
• Don’t convince Ketheric to commit suicide at the mindlfayer colony. Instead use the first phase of the fight to get into position & takeout the Mindflayer asasp then get to work on the apostles. Makes phase 2 infinitely easier.
  
• Don’t talk to Wulbren or the Tieflings in the Moonrise prison until you’ve killed the warden and all the guards . These guards are utterly brain dead and somehow will never inform anyone upstairs of your massacre, regardless of how stealthily or raucously you tackle them. So just go hog wild. This’ll secure your potent robe with ease.
  

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[Updated and streamlined version of the guide i made a few months ago on my old account u/JoseMongo]

So I hoped that I'd never need to find out how good this system is, but I ended up finding out this morning!
I was on my way to work, taking the same road I've taken for the last 8 years to get there. There's an area where prior to an intersection, 99% of the cars in the left of two lanes divert left into two dedicated turning lanes at the light. I've built a habit of sitting in the right lane (less cars) until I get to this part of the route and the left lane opens up, then switching to that lane.
Well today, bleary-eyed with a half-finished coffee, the world decided to do things the other way around. There was a large truck in front of me in the right lane, but things were moving steady. We got to the part where the traffic usually diverts out of the left lane, and I kept cruising in the right lane while watching my driver's side mirror to see when it would be opportune for me to switch into that lane.
Little did I know, the right lane was the congested one that day, and I just couldn't see it because the truck in front of me was obscuring my vision of the cars ahead. I'm watching my driver's side mirror (for probably too long, a mixture of laxness due to routine and still being sleepy) and travelling about 45km/h when I hear a ping and see a yellow light light up on my HUD out of the corner of my eye.
I look in front of me and see the truck is at a full stop, with maybe 10 feet between us, tops. My life flashes before my eyes as I slam the brakes, and.......... my car stops damn near on a dime. Seriously, within like 3 feet of where I started braking. Of the 10 feet available, there was still the better part of a car length between me and the truck I was about to hit. It's been raining all morning, so the roads were soaked as well.
The terror that ran through me when I realized I was about to rear-end someone at speed was actually overpowered by my surprise at how fast the car stopped. I'm sure that to an observer, my soul-leaving-body face was replaced with one of incredulity mixed with pride in my vehicle
So I just wanted to say thank you Acura, for developing a system that is helping keep people safe on the road. And Acura drivers! - don't rely on this system to bail you out, but just know that you are in good hands should you ever need to rely on it.

name on my Admit card : Dude Perfect
name on my Aadhar card : Dudeperfect
The hall ticket specifically says that the names should match exactly. Did anyone of you face this issue as well? Were you just let go or will it depend center to center? Should I head to the Aadhar office and ask them to change it? I know it'll take more than 2 weeks but apparently they hand you this paper that says that said person has rectified his name. I was let in every exam I've written thus far but I really don't wanna take any chances with BITS. fucking stressed because of this
Thank you.

Long rant ahead.
I hope you're doing fine. I just want this to get off my chest because I've been mad about this for over a week now.
Last Saturday, I am in the bathroom for my morning ritual of answering the call of nature and preparing for shower when suddenly someone called my attention because someone is looking for me outside our house. I am literally in the middle doing my business and scoffed to my housemate "Can't they wait?", and wait they did until I'm done (I didn't get to shower at the time since it must be something really important). I put on my clothes again, rushed though our door and opened it. Lo and behold, I saw three "Manggagawa" looking for me. I thought they must be looking for my mom (my mom is still a member) but they confirmed they are looking for me instead.
I stopped attending WS on January 2022 and they never visited until last Saturday. Also the the same year, the one recruited me noticed I haven't been attending and told her I will not be attending anymore so she asked me to write a "salaysay" (I forgot what it's actually called) telling the reason why I will not be attending "samba" anymore. For almost two and half years I thought she submitted that salaysalay, that's why these loons are at my door now.
They presented themselves as manggagawa and they came to you know, asked me how I've been and why I haven't been attending, and why "pagsamba" is important (those who have experienced dalaw already knew the drill). I told them that I haven't been attending WS because I'm no longer believe in whatever they are saying and the past years have been really rough for me. But they keep asking why until I calmly snapped at them that "I don't owe them explanation, I hope you can respect my decision". I also told them that I already submitted a salaysay but they brushed it off and told me that I'm still listed as a member. I was so livid at the time, I can't keep a straight calm face the whole time (but somehow I managed) they are yapping about that the importance of attending WS, I must be falling out of INC beuxase I don't have any INC "friends" and they wanted to reach out to me and be their "friend". I can smell the fakeness their breaths and they must be desperate for get me back to WS because from what I heard and read on this sub, INC is bleeding members. That's probably the reason why they visited me now after two whole years of not attending. They must be in panic mode. It took me almost 30 goddamn minutes to deal with them ( and the whole time I'm just let them talk and I barely engage anymore at that point because I am bored and annoyed at the same time. After that grueling experience, the main manggagawa is the one talking most of the time tried to even shake hands with me after to which I refuse. I just said I just got out of the bathroom (which I did) but really, the reason is I don't want them to think these people ever have a chance to recruit me back. They should've treated my salaysay before as a message that I don't want to be associated INC, Manalo, and the members anymore.
That encounter must be the final straw. This coming Saturday I will be attending a whole-day online webinar and workshop which is important to my career and I swear if these people came back unannounced again, I would snap (hopefully not because I don't want unnecessary conflicts in my life).
Even until today, INC has always been a pain in the ass. Hopefully I can be fully excommunicated.

2023 Rookie Rankings
2022 Rookie Rankings
2021 Rookie Rankings
2020 Rookie Rankings

Superflex Rankings (Half & Full PPR)

Rank	Player	Tier	Position	Team
1.01	Caleb Williams	1	QB	CHI
1.02	Marvin Harrison Jr.	1	WR	ARI
1.03	Jayden Daniels	2	QB	WAS
1.04	Malik Nabers	2	WR	NYG
1.05	Rome Odunze	3	WR	CHI
1.06	JJ McCarthy	3	QB	MIN
1.07	Drake Maye	3	QB	NE
1.08	Brock Bowers	4	TE	LVR
1.09	Xavier Worthy	5	WR	KC
1.10	Bo Nix	5	QB	DEN
1.11	Brian Thomas Jr.	5	WR	JAX
1.12	Michael Penix Jr.	5	QB	ATL
2.01	Jonathon Brooks	5	RB	CAR
2.02	Xavier Legette	6	WR	CAR
2.03	Trey Benson	6	RB	ARI
2.04	Ladd McConkey	6	WR	LAC
2.05	Ricky Pearsall	6	WR	SF
2.06	Keon Coleman	6	WR	BUF
2.07	Roman Wilson	7	WR	PIT
2.08	Jermaine Burton	7	WR	CIN
2.09	Malachi Corley	7	WR	NYJ
2.10	Adonai Mitchell	7	WR	IND
2.11	MarShawn Lloyd	7	RB	GB
2.12	Ben Sinnott	7	TE	WAS
3.01	Ja'Lynn Polk	7	WR	NE
3.02	Ray Davis	8	RB	BUF
3.03	Blake Corum	8	RB	LAR
3.04	Jaylen Wright	8	RB	MIA
3.05	Javon Baker	8	WR	NE
3.06	Troy Franklin	8	WR	DEN
3.07	Tyrone Tracy Jr.	8	RB	NYG
3.08	Ja'Tavion Sanders	8	TE	CAR
3.09	Jalen McMillan	8	WR	TB
3.10	Kimani Vidal	9	RB	LAC
3.11	Devontez Walker	9	WR	BAL
3.12	Braelon Allen	9	RB	NYJ
4.01	Rasheen Ali	9	RB	BAL
4.02	Luke McCaffrey	9	WR	WAS
4.03	Jacob Cowing	9	WR	SF
4.04	Malik Washington	9	WR	MIA
4.05	Dylan Laube	9	RB	LVR
4.06	Bucky Irving	9	RB	TB
4.07	Jared Wiley	9	TE	KC
4.08	Theo Johnson	9	TE	NYG
4.09	Jamari Thrash	9	WR	CLE
4.10	Brenden Rice	9	WR	LAC
4.11	Will Shipley	9	RB	PHI
4.12	Keilan Robinson	9	RB	JAX
UDFA	Anthony Gould	X	WR	IND
UDFA	Tanner McLachlan	X	TE	CIN
UDFA	Cade Stover	X	TE	HOU
UDFA	Jordan Travis	X	QB	NYJ
UDFA	Spencer Rattler	X	QB	NO
UDFA	Audric Estime	X	RB	DEN
UDFA	Isaac Guerendo	X	RB	SF
UDFA	Tip Reiman	X	TE	ARI
UDFA	Erick All	X	TE	CIN
UDFA	AJ Barner	X	TE	SEA
UDFA	Ainias Smith	X	WR	PHI
UDFA	Bub Means	X	WR	NO
UDFA	Jaheim Bell	X	TE	NE
UDFA	Cornelius Johnson	X	WR	TEN
UDFA	Blake Watson	X	RB	DEN
UDFA	Michael Wiley	X	RB	WAS
UDFA	Dillon Johnson	X	RB	TEN
UDFA	Frank Gore Jr.	X	RB	BUF

​

Notes:

Marvin Harrison Jr.: Marv might be one of the safest draft selections in a long time. With prototypical size to be a top receiving option and landing in a promising situation, he's primed for success. He's entering a barren receiving room, and is paired with the talented Kyler Murray at QB. Harrison's precise routes maintain speed throughout the entirety of his route. His quick feet and sharp breaks allow him to easily separate from defenders. His excellent body control translates into stunning contested catches. However, he's not without flaws. Marv lacks twitch and offers very little yards after catch ability, both of which are traits I look for in receivers. He occasionally shows low effort, especially when he knows a play isn't coming to him. Lastly, he tends to avoid contact and will look to go out of bounds rather than fight for extra yards. This is not a hot take, but I would not hesitate to select him at 1.01 if my QB situation was secure.
Malik Nabers: Malik Nabers has exceptional athleticism and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Nabers has a sturdy build and impressive contact balance – he's a threat to turn any reception into a house call. Like Marv, he's walking into a situation where he'll dominate targets without much competition. However, unlike Marv, he won't benefit from a star QB like Kyler Murray; instead, he'll rely on Daniel Jones or Tommy DeVito. While Nabers checks all of the analystical boxes, there are some notable concerns. He lacks refinement in his route running, evident in instances where he struggles to maintain footing, leading to incompletions and interceptions (FSU, Alabama, and Florida). Additionally, his decision-making raises red flags, highlighted by a 2023 arrest for illegally concealing a firearm while on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Rome Odunze: Rome Odunze is a big-bodied receiver that has prototypical size and speed. He has exceptional hands and elite body control that allow him to consistently pull in contested catches. Rome is already building a rapport with fellow rookie Caleb Williams, and they should have a strong connection for years to come. However, his year one fantasy impact may be limited by a rookie QB and a competitive receiver room.
Xavier Legette: Xavier Legette's analytical profile is the reddest of red flags. Legette has an 8th percentile breakout age, and only one year of high-end college production despite minimal competition for targets. That being said, I loved his tape and am willing to take the risk on him. Standing at 6'1" and 221 lbs, Legette looks like a man amongst boys on the field. Boasting both size and impressive 4.39 speed, he has all the physical tools to be a game-changer. While not overly twitchy, he has a knack for making plays in open space. With strong hands and great body control, he excels at making contested catches. I understand the concerns with his analytical profile and the Panthers' situation, but I think Legette is a great value in rookie drafts.
Trey Benson: Benson's explosive burst makes him a constant home run threat, capable of breaking off big runs. He has a sturdy frame with exceptional contact balance that allows him to churn out extra yards through contact. His immediate fantasy expectations should be tempered, as he will likely be in a timeshare or backing up James Conner for the 2024 season.
Roman Wilson: Roman Wilson is a dynamic slot receiver with explosive burst and reliable hands. Despite joining a run-heavy offense, he's poised to have an immediate path to targets.
Jermaine Burton: Jermaine Burton is a confident, assertive receiver, with polished route running and excellent hands—he didn't drop a single pass in 2023. While he lacks explosiveness after the catch and his character concerns have drawn attention, his talent and landing spot make him worth the gamble in rookie drafts.
Malachi Corley: Malachi Corley is a twitchy playmaker, with solid speed, and remarkable contact balance, which makes him one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in this draft class. Corley could improve as a route runner, tends to struggle in contested catch situations, faced weaker competition in college, and had targets schemed open for him. Despite these knocks against him he has considerable upside.
Adonai Mitchell: Adonai Mitchell is a size-speed receiver that still has some work to do to bring it all together. Notably, he struggles as a natural hands catcher, often double-clutching the ball. He offers no YAC ability and doesn't look comfortable with the ball in his hands.
Ben Sinnott: Ben Sinnott was my TE2 pre-combine—I absolutely loved everything on his tape. Watching his tape reminded me of a young George Kittle. His athleticism and twitchiness are top-tier, paired with aggression that shows up every play. Sinnott eagerly embraces blocking assignments and his coaches consistently find ways to get the ball in his hands. He secured second-round draft capital, landed on a team with an exciting rookie QB, and has minimal competition in the tight end room. Sinnott is setup for immediate success.
Ray Davis: Ray Davis has a thick build and low center of gravity which gives him exceptional contact balance. With fluid hips, solid burst, and consistently fighting for extra yardage, he projects to be the thunder to James Cook's lightning.
Javon Baker: Javon Baker is a former 4 star recruit that had offers from multiple major programs, before ultimately deciding to attend Alabama. After two seasons at Alabama he transferred to UCF, where he broke out. Baker is a crisp route runner, has great body control, and is twitchy with loose hips. He plays with attitude and tenacity and is a big play waiting to happen. When I watched his tape I instantly saw shades of Stefon Diggs—he is a player that I desperately want on my dynasty rosters.
Kimani Vidal: Kimani Vidal was a pre-draft sleeper I had my eye on—but I had concerns about his potential draft capital and landing spot making him irrelevant. Luckily, he was drafted by a team without a clear lead back, that projects to run the ball a lot. Vidal has great initial burst and twitchiness. His impressive college production and solid pass-catching skills makes him a great candidate for a late-round dart throw at running back.
Rasheen Ali: Rasheen Ali is a human highlight reel on the field—with incredible agility, explosive initial burst, and reliable hands, he's a versatile threat. Standing at 5'11" and weighing 206 lbs, he has the ideal size to shoulder a lead back role. However, his path to significant playing time is blocked by Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. Ali is an excellent addition to the end of a roster or taxi squad, with huge upside when opportunities arise due to injuries.
Keilan Robinson: Keilan Robinson is an exciting running back prospect, that had multiple offers from major programs before ultimately committing to Alabama, and later transferring to Texas. Despite being 5'8" and 191 lbs, he plays much larger than his size suggests. Robinson has explosive burst, speed on demand, and great lateral agility—he absolutely explodes on tape. I think he is an interesting late-round dart throw or a priority UDFA pickup.
Updated: 5/16/2024

Y’all, I’m really not sure what’s still around. This list is somewhat edited, but please still make sure to check on all the regular events before you make big plans – I may have missed something.
Events are listed by the day. Events that happen every week appear first, one time stuff after that. If you have anything you’d like people to know about, comment here or message me and I’ll add it in. If you’d like further info about any of the events, look it up! I usually don’t have any extra to add.
Large Scale, Ongoing, and Multi-Day Events

Local Running, Walking, and Biking Info: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/
Guided Paddling Outings all around the area: https://www.facebook.com/hsmithoutdoors
Tallahassee Film Society Showings: https://www.tallahasseefilms.com/tickets/
Book Clubs for all tastes: https://www.facebook.com/midtownreadeevents
Live Theater:

• Making Light Productions: https://www.makinglightproductions.org/
  
• Theatre Tallahassee: https://theatretallahassee.org/
  
• Mickee Faust Club: https://www.mickeefaust.com/
  
• Monticello Opera House: https://www.monticellooperahouse.org/
  
• FSU School of Theatre: https://theatre.fsu.edu/productions/
  
• Young Actors Theatre: https://www.youngactorstheatre.com/
  
• Quincy Music Theatre: https://quincymusictheatre.com/
  
• Tallahassee Hispanic Theater: https://tallahasseehispanictheater.wordpress.com/
  

OutdooFarmer’s Markets:

• Lake Ella Grower's Market: Wednesday and Saturday, 11am-2pm. You can always find organic vendors, and foragers: The Holistic Cannabis Community, Artzi Farms, Hickory Nut Gifts, and others. Including Pita Queen! Farmer's Market Nutrition Program Coupons gladly accepted!
  
• Tallahassee Downtown Market: Saturdays, 10am-2pm, Park Ave Parks. Vendors display their arts and fine crafts, jewelry, handmade soap, pottery, Fresh from Florida produce, hand-raised beef and pork, fresh baked bread, jams and jellies, and honey. Live music from different local musicians every Saturday.
  
• Frenchtown Heritage Market: 524 N MLK Jr Blvd. Third Saturday of the month 10am to 2pm. Come grow community and support your local farmers and makers, while you get your groceries for the week! Don’t forget! We match SNAP/EBT, so you DOUBLE your money to go towards locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables! If the guy with the pineapple is there, get it. This is currently only happening on the third Saturday of the month for the next few months while road work is completed.
  
• Tallahassee Farmers Market: 2904 Kerry Forest Pkwy, Saturdays, 8am to Noon. Come see us at Tallahassee's longest-running farmers market! We are a year-round market, featuring local farms and vendors that provide the best seasonal produce, meats, baked goods, and more. We welcome you and your whole family (leashed pets included) to come out and meet your local farmers! Ample parking is available between our lot and the shopping center lot next door (by Red Elephant). Come early for the best selection.
  

THURSDAY, 5/16

• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Bingo. 6pm
  
• Dreamland BBQ: Weekly Open Blues Jam. If you'd like to sing, please bring your own mic. 6pm
  
• Honest Living Vape: Chess-Master Thursdays . Beginners and experts, join us every Thursday from 6-9 for Chess-Master Thursdays. All ages. Bring your board or play ours! Tournaments coming soon! 6pm
  
• Lake Tribe: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Takko Market Square: Bingo Night. 7pm
  
• The Getaway Grille and Bar: Karaoke with Jared Walker. 7pm
  
• Amicus Brewing: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Smitty's Taphouse: Trivia Lab Thursdays. Teams of 6 or fewer players can compete for $30 / $20 / $10 Prizes + The Golden MacGuffin prize table! New format! Interactive smartphone answering for your comfort and safety! 6 Fun Rounds - 42 Total Questions. 7:30pm
  
• Studio D: Bachata Fever. We always have a bachata workshop at 8 pm before Bachata Fever. We dance afterwards to the sounds of DJ Bacharod. The class is at 8 pm and Bachata Fever will start at 930 pm. Many times people are learning in class and may feel uncomfortable social dancing while they are still learning moves. We have a welcoming environment so stay and have fun and dance with everyone. That is how we learn. 8pm/Class $5/Bachata Fever $5.
  
• The Sound Bar: Comedy Night. 8pm
  
• Finnegans Wake: Open Mic. 8:30pm
  
• Brass Tap in Midtown: Karaoke with DJ Rah. 9pm
  
• 926: Karaoke. 9pm
  
• Bird’s: Karaoke with Nathan. 9pm
  

• Fire Bettys: Slasher Bash. This week we'll be showing: "Zombeavers". Prepare for an evening of horrific hilarity with comedy narration and devilish drinking games!🍻 Hosted by local comedians. 8pm/21+
  
• Blue Tavern: Seep's Gumbo Nation ft. Shanice Richards. 8pm
  

FRIDAY, 5/17

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour with Steve Malono. 5pm
  
• Lake Tribe Brewing: Flannel Fridays with Live Music. 6pm
  
• Hobbit West: Friday Night Dart Tournament. Anyone can Enter! Sign ups at 7:30, Darts fly at 8:00/$10 entry fee
  
• Ouzts Too: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 8pm
  
• Just One More: Karaoke with DJ Rah. 9pm-11pm/21+
  
• 926: The Hot Friday Night Party and Drag Show. 9pm/$5/18+
  

• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Rachel Hillman. 5:30pm
  
• Lake Tribe: Ben Wentworth. 5:30pm
  
• Amicus Brewing: The Tanglers. 6pm
  
• The Getaway Grille and Bar: One Year Anniversary Celebration Featuring Queen of Hearts Band. 6pm
  
• Southwood Golf Club: The Rhythm Remedy. 6:30pm
  
• Goodwood: The Big Bash Havana Nights presented by Brent Hartsfield. The Big Bash is Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend's signature fundraising gala of the year and directly supports the agency's youth mentoring programs. Guests will enjoy Cuban Cuisine, champagne mojitos, cigars, flights, classic cars, photo opportunities, silent auction vacation packages, LIVE music and dancing, and an exciting LIVE salsa dance performance from 12 community volunteers! The event is a tremendous networking opportunity for Tallahassee's top business professionals, local community leaders and philanthropists to come together to enjoy an evening to celebrate the achievements of Big Brothers Big Sisters. 7pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Wil Fulkerson Jazz Night. 8pm
  
• House of Music: Belly Dancing: Journey From The Nile To The Tigris. Habibi, join us on a groovy carpet ride across ancient deserts: Disco Iskandar embarks on a voyage of belly dance, folklore, cinema, and history in a theatrical dance production, JOURNEY FROM THE NILE TO THE TIGRIS. Highlighting the prominence of belly dance in films of the Middle East from the 1940s through the 1970s, we present a live showcase exhibiting dances from Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and beyond. It goes so much deeper than you think. Hookahs! Swords! Rhinestones, literally everywhere! This cross section of entertainment and education is the culmination of years of obsessive learning, two national tours, and travels to Egypt & Lebanon. JOURNEY FROM THE NILE TO THE TIGRIS is a trip unlike any other-- where the Middle East meets Vegas. This show’s cast is Gabi Corazon, Gia Bee, Liz Azi, Olya Clark, Vania Ojeda, director Veronica Lynn, and special guest star Omaris! 8pm/$15/21+
  
• The Sound Bar: The Old Schoolers. 8pm
  
• Vino Beano: Your Scumbag Neighbors. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Medians, No Yeah, Sleep John B, and Cloud Storage. 8pm
  

SATURDAY, 5/18

• Brinkley Glen Park: Invasive Plant Removal. Join Master Gardener Volunteers at this weekly invasive plant removal event. This is a great way to learn to ID our invasive plant species and how to remove them. We recommend wearing long pants and sleeves, closed-toed shoes, gloves, a hat and mosquito spray. Bring gardening tools such as hand clippers, loppers, trowels, etc. if you have them. We are removing coral ardisia bushes and berries, nandina, tung trees, Tradescantia flumenensis, cat's claw vine, winged yam, Japanese climbing fern, skunkvine and more. Directions: The best way to get there is to take Meridian Rd to Waverly Rd, go to the next intersection and turn left onto Abbotsford Way, then turn left at the next road called Woodside Dr. At the stop sign turn left onto Lothian. Lothian ends in a cul-de-sac and there is a sign that says Brinkley Glen Park. 8:30am-11:30am
  
• Gamescape: Saturday Gaming. Gamescape has relocated from Railroad Square to the Huntington Oaks Plaza (Suite 302, next to the Library) at N Monroe St and Fred George Rd. Open gaming tables are available. Noon-6pm
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Line Dancing Plus Lessons. 7pm/21+
  
• Bird’s Oyster Shack: Laughterday Night Fever. * Join us every Saturday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack for a free comedy show!* 8:30pm
  
• 926: Latin Night. Dance to the irresistible beats of Zeus and prepare to be dazzled by a spectacular drag show at midnight. It's more than a party, it's an experience. 9:30pm/$10 21+, $15 under 21
  

• Crawfordville: Big Bend Biodiversity Tour. See why our area is so ecologically incredible! Get up close and personal with creatures and plants galore. Join expert guide and outdoor educator, Ryan Means for this limited opportunity to tour the Apalachicola Lowlands Preserve. The day-long trip stops at points along the way to the privately-owned preserve nestled deep in the Apalachicola National Forest near Sumatra, FL. Explore the longleaf pine ecosystem, pitcher plant bogs, ephemeral wetlands, and blackwater streams - home to some threatened and endangered species. Learn what makes the Florida Panhandle one of the five richest biodiversity hotspots in North America. Perfect tour for photographers, outdoor enthusiasts and ecologists. $75 tour fee includes round-trip transportation (from 46 Kinsey Rd, Crawfordville, FL) , complimentary beverages, and supports efforts to preserve the incredible biodiversity of the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Spaces limited. Register here: https://coastalplains.networkforgood.com/events/71083-big-bend-biodiversity-tour for full details. 8am
  
• Dreamland BBQ: Rock Type One to None. Let's rock to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes! The Unicorn Wranglers are back on Saturday, May 18th at Dreamland BBQ in Tallahassee, Florida for the 2024 "Rock One to None" show. This show is benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) and will feature musical guests Midnight Caravan, Fallen Timber, and the Unicorn Wranglers. The show starts at 4 pm and runs until 7 pm at Dreamland BBQ in Music Alley, and is open to all ages. While the show is free, we encourage all rockers attending to donate to the cause. You can contribute at the show by visiting our donation station or by heading over to our online Unicorn Wranglers team page. Together, as one big mosh pit, we can help cure Type 1 Diabetes. 3pm
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Ethan Kyllonen. 4pm
  
• Amicus Brewing: Beza Alford and Rev. Dr. Sheldon Steen. 5pm
  
• Lake Tribe: Flamingo Party. 6pm
  
• The Getaway Grille and Bar: Billy Rigsby Band. 6pm
  
• Vino Beano: Brett & "Dangerous" Dave. 6pm
  
• Salty Dawg: Hot Mess. 6:30pm
  
• La Tiendita: Rhys Bennett & the Gringos as Vontade. Join us for an energetic evening filled with the vibrant sounds of Latin music, Brazilian beats, and jazz rhythms. Our local band, Rhys Bennett & the Gringos, will transform into the versatile ensemble Vontade, treating you to a delightful mix of rancheras, bossa nova, and more! Whether you're a seasoned dancer or a newcomer to the dance floor, you're in for a fantastic time at one of Tallahassee's hidden gems. Immerse yourself in a night of cultural fusion and musical celebration that is sure to create lasting memories! 6:30pm
  
• The Sound Bar: Tillman & Taff. 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Midnight Caravan. 7pm
  
• The Bark: Saturnalia, Brass Wizard, Van Season, and Psycho Tropical. 8pm
  
• Fire Bettys: 80's Video Dance Party. 8pm
  
• Just One More: One Eyed JAK. 9pm
  

SUNDAY, 5/19

• Bicycle House: Sunday Ride. Ride at 10:30 AM from Bicycle House. We will ride the Cascades trail to the St Marks trail and down to Wakulla station and return, about 31 miles. Ride speed is 12 to 14 mph, with periodic regroups. Vernon Bailey is the ride leader. Vernon is a new CCC member who’s been biking for 50 years enjoys riding with small groups and weekend touring. 10am
  
• E Peck Greene Park (Behind the LeRoy Collins Library): Food Not Bombs Free Mealshare. We offer free vegetarian/vegan food, water, coffee, personal care & hygiene products, bus passes, and clothing when we have some available to those in need. Contact foodnotbombstally@gmail.com to find out about getting involved. Noon-2pm
  
• LeRoy Collins Library: Tallahassee Go Club Meetings. Come play the captivating ancient game of Go, also known as Baduk, with some friendly games and discussions. Beginners welcome. Visit https://www.tallahasseegoclub.com for more information. 1pm
  
• Gamescape: Pokémon League. Come learn, play, and trade with the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon video games! We LOVE seeing new players, so come learn how to play! We play both the Trading Card Game and the Video Game casually and competitively. The store offers lots of different seating arrangements to meet our group's needs, as well as food, drinks, and Pokémon products for purchase. We are also hold regular, officially sanctioned tournaments for Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Competitions! 2-4pm
  
• The Plant: Open Jam. All instruments, all players welcome. 4pm-9pm
  
• Pedro’s: Mariachi Clasico. 6pm
  
• Fermentation Lounge: Open Mic Night Hosted by Conor Churchill. 7pm
  

• Ology Powermill: Marauders Market. Noon
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: The Barber Bros. 1pm-4pm
  
• Goodwood: Ice Cream Social. Get ready for a spectacular day of family fun at Goodwood Museum & Gardens! Treat your taste buds to a family fun day of FREE ice cream, FREE crafts for the kids, FREE activities, and more, all on the beautiful Goodwood grounds. Family-friendly musical entertainment will be provided by The Safari Man, who will have everyone tapping their feet and dancing along to his whimsical tunes. 1pm
  
• Common Ground Books: Contemporary Queer Poetry Book Club: Time is a Mother. This month, we’ll be reading “Time is a Mother” by Ocean Vuong. “In this deeply intimate second poetry collection, Ocean Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother's death, embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it. Vivid, brave and propulsive, Vuong's poems contend with personal loss, the meaning of family, and the value of joy in a perennially fractured American spirit. The author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds, winner of the 2016 Whiting Award, the 2017 T. S. Eliot Prize and a 2019 MacArthur fellow, Vuong writes directly to our humanity without losing sight of the current moment. Bold and prescient, and a testament to tenderness in the face of violence, Time is a Mother is a return and a forging-forth all at once.” 6pm
  

MONDAY, 5/20

• Just One More: Bingo. 5pm-6:30pm
  
• The Getaway Grille and Bar: Margarita Monday, Open-Mic Night hosted by The Saltwater Cowboy. 5:30pm-8pm
  
• American Legion Hall: Cha Cha - Weekly Lessons. 6:15pm/$5
  
• Hangar 38: Bingo. 6:45pm
  
• Vino Beano: Tipsy Trivia. 7pm
  

TUESDAY, 5/21

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour. 5pm
  
• The Getaway Grille: Tuesday Night Bikes and Trikes. 6pm
  
• Crafty Crab: BOOMIN' Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Gamescape: Hobby Night. Slay the grey together! Join your fellow gamers and turn your pile of grey miniatures into a battle ready army. Need some painting tips? Feel free to ask at hobby night. You can bring any miniature for any game to paint. 7pm
  
• Ology Midtown: Jazz Jam Sessions. 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Brass Tap in Midtown: Trivia. 1st Tuesday of the month is General Knowledge with rotating themes the rest of the month. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Tuesday Trivia & Karaoke. 7pm
  
• American Legion Hall: Tallahassee Swing Band Tuesday Night Dance. 7:30pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Comedy Night. 8pm
  
• Poor Pauls: Trivia. 8pm/21+
  
• Blue Tavern: Bluesday Tuesday with Bill Ricci. Every Tuesday is Blues Day @ the Blue Tavern and Blues Meets Girl is a Tallahassee favorite. This perfect, intimate venue provides just what you need for both a mid-week break and authentic blues music experience. 8pm/$5
  
• 4th Quarter: Professor Jim's Tuesday Night Trivia. Popular for a reason! 8pm
  
• Argonaut Coffee: Trivia Tuesday. 8pm
  
• The Sound Bar: Karaoke. 8pm
  
• Fire Betty’s: Open Mic Comedy Night. 8pm/21+
  
• 926: Tacos and Trivia. 9pm
  

• Tallahassee Junior Museum: Basic Blacksmith Skills Program. Light your curiosity at our upcoming Basic Blacksmith Skills Program! Join our resident blacksmith, Michael Murphy, as he shares his history of being a Smitty. Participants will be able to keep the fire going, sling a hammer, and throw knives during this two hour lecture program. This is an outdoor event. Must preregister online at tallahasseemuseum.org/events. This program is free for members and regular admission price for non-members. 10am

WEDNESDAY, 5/22

• Sugar and Spice Tally: Game Night. Join us every Wednesday Night for community game night. Bring your own or use ours! Let me know if you need to reserve space for a large group. Free to attend! 5pm
  
• Goodwood: Wonderful Wednesday. 6pm/$5
  
• Level 8 Rooftop Lounge: Trivia. 6pm
  
• La Florida Coffee & Wine: Trivia Night. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Open Game Night. 6pm/free
  
• American Legion Hall: Sue Boyd Country Western and More Dance Class. Session 2 - Beginner 6:30 to 7:45 pm What: East Coast Swing and Waltz. Cost: $8.00 per person. Wear comfortable shoes you can turn in. 7:45 to 8:15 - Practice dance with paid admission. 8:15 to 9:30: Intermediate - 2 Step and WCS. $8.00 per person or $13.00 for both classes. Vaccines are required. Face masks are optional. Changing partners is optional. 6:30pm
  
• Perry Lynn’s Smokehouse in Quincy: Wed Night Open Mic w/ Steven Ritter and Friends. 6:30pm
  
• Hangar 38: Trivia. 6:45pm
  
• Proof: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Vino Beano: Wine Bingo. 7pm
  
• Fermentation Lounge: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Wednesday Open Mic with Doc Russell. The open mic night that has run continuously for almost 20 years, once housed at the Warehouse, lives on at the Blue Tavern. Doc Russell continues as the host with the most. Sign up starts at 7:45pm/free to attend
  
• House of Music: Bar Bingo! Free to Play & Late Night Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Fire Betty’s: Karaoke! 8pm/21+/free
  
• Dukes and Dotties: College Night and Line Dancing Lessons. 8pm
  
• Finnegans Wake: Trivia. 8pm
  
• The Sound Bar: Open Mic Night. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 9pm
  
• Peppers: Karaoke. 9pm
  
• 926: Dragged Out Wednesday. 10pm
  

I've seen people struggle with the Gambler Challenges and the games, so I decided to make a full post with some tips for those challanges and an explanation of the games.

Gambler Challenges

Rank 1: Win five hands of Poker. — The description on how to play the game is gonna be further down. I suggest going all in. Going all in might make your opponents fold which would get you to win. You can also play poker in the mission “Who is Not Without Sin” since the wins are scripted there.
Rank 2: In Blackjack, double down and win the hand five times. — The description on how to play the game is gonna be further down. Double down if you’ve got 9, 10 or 11 without an ace. When you double down you’ll only receive one more card before standing with the cards you’ve got.
Rank 3: Win three games of Five Finger Fillet. — Look at the hand of your opponent when it’s their turn to see what buttons you have to hit. It’s not in a row, so when the game gets too hard leave and go somewhere else to continue playing.
Rank 4: Bust one poker table out in each location (Flatneck Station, Saint Denis, Valentine). — You need to bust one player out by making them lose all of their money. It’s easier the fewer opponents you have. Just go all in immediately. If you go all in and lose your money, quit the game and run away from the poker table a bit or sleep and then come back to join again.
Rank 5: Win three rounds of dominoes without drawing any tiles against two or fewer opponents. — The description on how to play the game is gonna be further down. It’s just about winning a round not the whole game so this is quite easy. Play and be lucky enough to not draw for three rounds.
Rank 6: Beat the blackjack dealer in two locations (Rhodes, Van Horn Trading Post). — Simple, you just need to beat the dealer in each of those locations, which is literally just playing the game and winning.
Rank 7: Beat the five finger fillet opponent in each location (Strawberry, Valentine, Van Horn Trading Post). — Basically the same as the third challenge. You just have to win 2 out of 3 rounds in one game to make your opponent leave the table in each location.
Rank 8: Win three hands of blackjack, with three hits or more. — The shittiest challenge R* could have come up with. Just bet the lowest amount of money each time if you care about saving money. Ties unfortunately don’t count. Good luck.
Rank 9: Win three games of dominoes in a row. — Make sure the table you’re at only has one opponent. It’ll be faster and easier for you to win that way. If you feel like you’re losing the game, quit while it’s your turn to make sure you don’t lose your streak. The one with the most points will win so play for points.
Rank 10: Win three hands of poker in a row. — Probably the easiest gambler challange. Make sure you already did the mission "A Fine Night of Debauchery" in Chapter 4. Then first, go to your story missions and replay the mission "Who is Not Without Sin". Accept to play poker before continuing the mission. It has two scripted poker games so you'll win each time. After finishing those make sure to continue and finish the mission. Then replay "A Fine Night of Debauchery". After getting to the poker game and winning it, since it's also scripted, you should have finished the challange.

Game Rules

Poker
Google the 10 poker hands and a ranking of them to look at while you’re playing if you don’t know them. The color of the cards doesn’t matter. The number and what kind of face card it is does matter. You'll get two cards at the beginning of the game and you'll keep those throughout the entire game. No one should see your cards, but since it's in RDR it doesn't matter. There's another set of cards in the middle of the table. Those are the cards everyone sees and everyone uses. They’re called „community cards“. After everyone made their bets there'll be a new card that'll get revealed in the middle. You have to create one of the hands I mentioned earlier, like a Royal Flush for example, with the two cards you've got and the community cards. If you've got a 6 and an 8 and there's a 7, 9 and 10 in the middle you've got a Straight Flush. You'll either bet high if you're sure of yourself and your cards (and the hand you might build), or you'll bluff by betting high if you've got terrible cards to make them think you've got amazing cards. You'll achieve that by betting higher, technically raising the pot each time. The NPCs might fold making you win. You can also give up your cards and lose your money by folding if you’re unsure of your cards. You might want to do that if the person before you bet too high and you don’t want to call (bet the same amount as they did) or raise the amount. It‘s to minimize your loss.
Blackjack
You’re at a table and either you’ve got other players or not but you’ve always got a dealer sitting in front of you which you’re (and other players are) playing against. You’re now making a bet and then trying to get as close to 21 as possible without surpassing 21 with the value of your cards. Each of the face cards are worth 10 and an ace is either worth 11 or 1 depending on whether 11 would make you surpass 21 or not. If it would make you surpass it the ace turns into a 1. If it wouldn’t it stays at 11. The dealer will give you two cards. If you got a 3 and a 7 that makes your total card value a 10. Now you’d “hit” meaning getting another card. If the card you got was, for example, a Queen your card value would be at 20. You can stick with that which you should or you can ask for another card and hope for an ace, since that’d make your value a perfect 21. You’re essentially just trying to be the one that gets closest to 21 or exactly 21 without surpassing that amount. After each of the players decide to stick with the amount they’ve got the dealer will reveal their cards and add more cards or stay just like you did. The one closest to 21 wins. If the other players didn’t surpass 21 and got amounts of, for example, 19 and 17 and the dealer is also under 20, or even surpassed 21, your 20 wins.
Dominoes
it’s relatively simple. If you’re doing it for the gambler challenges I suggest you always join a table with only one person sitting at it so you only have one opponent.
The main goal while playing is to be the first person with an empty hand. It’ll start with one person laying a domino in the middle of the table. Now you essentially just match the numbers of your domino to the dominoes that are on the table. If the first domino was a 6:5, you need to look for a domino in your hand that has either a 5 or a 6 on it. So 5:(any number) or 6:(any number). The 6 on your domino and the 6 of the domino on the table will face each other. That’ll continue that way. If you cannot match any numbers from your hand to the dominoes that are on the table you’ll need to draw another (or multiple) domino/dominoes until you can actually place another. The second goal is to reach a certain amount of points. In an “All Fives” game (which I recommend because it’s a bit easier) you need to be the first to reach 100 points. A game of dominoes will spread into multiple directions but each end is what you actually need to focus on. If all of these open ends add up to a multiple of 5 (5,10,15,20,25, …) you’ll be awarded points. So if your opponent laid down a 4:5 and you add a 5:6 both open ends added together make up 10. 6:5 5:4 The numbers in the middle (in this case 5:5) do not matter. Only the ends matter which in this case are a 6 and a 4. You’ll probably have multiple open ends as soon as you’re further into the game, but the rules stay the same.

To give some background, over the last couple years US law enforcement has been granted access to very powerful facial recognition software. This is a writeup and interview with an author with an upcoming book on one such AI company, Clearview AI (there's a link to the author's piece in the NYT, but it's a couple years old at this point). The TL;DR is that Clearview scraped every photo they could find on the internet to feed their AI, amassing over 30 billion photos, and created an incredibly robust facial recognition program that can identify even obscured faces.
I don't personally love this technology being in the hands of police as I feel the potential for abuse is high, but with that said, this worry is probably moot as there are now decent, publicly available copycats on the market. What this means is that anyone can simply take a photo of anyone else and within a few seconds know who they are and any info linked to photos of them. One unexpected aspect people have reported is finding pornography.
Do you have thoughts about people having the ability to identify nearly anyone in real time?