Does anthem blue cross cover plan b
Life finds a way
2013.02.08 01:42 Life finds a way
Where evolution meets science fiction and art. Speculative Evolution (also called Speculative Biology and Speculative Zoology) is the envisioning of fictional, but scientifically possible creatures that could have existed on an alternate Earth, or might actually exist somewhere on another planet or in the deep sea.
2012.02.22 02:51 rhizopogon We should go for a bike ride in the VA/MD/DC area
Do you bicycle in the DC region? Do you want to? Join us! We share information specific to bicycling in the greater DC/MD/VA metro area.
2011.08.16 07:51 Discr1m comicswap
Need to make room for more comics? Perhaps you have an empty shelf or long box to fill up? Always looking in the back issues of your LCS? Well this is the place for you! Find kicking deals or make some quick PayPal scrap. We only allow the bartering/selling/buying of comic books and comic book-related swag. We have some rules, but so does the Justice League. We would appreciate your attention to them. Have fun swapping and good luck finding the comics you want!
2024.06.09 19:26 LGBTQIA_Over50 What are good websites to find work at a nonprofit?
I'm over 50, with multiple industry experience in the private sector. I have a Masters. I stay current on industry knowledge.
Many of the nonprofit CEO's - Directors make $10,000 - $14,000 a month. I can do that kind of leadership level work.
But I'm overlooked.
Overlooked as overqualified, "you'll be bored" coming in as an administrator or office manager.
I need an income to cover housing and health, dental, vision and a car.
A woman I met recently who is married with grown children secured an office job at a nonprofit when she was 57 making $35,000 $16.82 per hour.
She is 72 and makes $29 per hour, no college degrees and time away earlier in her life as a stay at home mother.
I have my Masters and multi-industry experience and am over 50, and I can't get hired. If I started at her pay rate, from when she started, I would be living in my car.
She told me she married at age 24. I left a Red State in the South and moved to a Blue State and I'm experiencing institutionalized gas-lighting from agencies that tell me, "you HAVE to start at the bottom."
Women apply to jobs they're 100% qualified for and men 60% or less, and get them.
Employers are moving to self-funded insurance plans, and are evaluating their candidates in terms of costs.
While marital status and familial status shouldn't come up in the job, it does. Women bond over family and domestics. I don't.
So, while I have the skills, drive and self discipline, many employers (managers) want someone they can develop, who isn't over qualified, who can afford to live on the entry pay.
I wish I could get in at mid-level. I'm struggling financially because the jobs don't pay enough for me to qualify for a 1BR apt. Not everyone should be forced to cohabitate. It wasn't like that when I started in the workforce.
I even applied to a job with the U.S. Post Office. While it can be labor intensive, I responded to their a, b, c, d online situational work questions.
The contexts can affect the answer selected. I remained consistent and wasn't selected.
I'm open to feedback. I'm in West Chicago suburbs, DuPage and Cook counties.
I spoke with another woman who works in senior living sales. She met me and said I could be a sales manager or a director. She's divorced from a doctor and her children are grown. I have similar or greater sales background and contract knowledge.
No husband nor grown children to talk about, like their clientele would.
I'm open to feedback.
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to jobs [link] [comments]
Many of the nonprofit CEO's - Directors make $10,000 - $14,000 a month. I can do that kind of leadership level work.
But I'm overlooked.
Overlooked as overqualified, "you'll be bored" coming in as an administrator or office manager.
I need an income to cover housing and health, dental, vision and a car.
A woman I met recently who is married with grown children secured an office job at a nonprofit when she was 57 making $35,000 $16.82 per hour.
She is 72 and makes $29 per hour, no college degrees and time away earlier in her life as a stay at home mother.
I have my Masters and multi-industry experience and am over 50, and I can't get hired. If I started at her pay rate, from when she started, I would be living in my car.
She told me she married at age 24. I left a Red State in the South and moved to a Blue State and I'm experiencing institutionalized gas-lighting from agencies that tell me, "you HAVE to start at the bottom."
Women apply to jobs they're 100% qualified for and men 60% or less, and get them.
Employers are moving to self-funded insurance plans, and are evaluating their candidates in terms of costs.
While marital status and familial status shouldn't come up in the job, it does. Women bond over family and domestics. I don't.
So, while I have the skills, drive and self discipline, many employers (managers) want someone they can develop, who isn't over qualified, who can afford to live on the entry pay.
I wish I could get in at mid-level. I'm struggling financially because the jobs don't pay enough for me to qualify for a 1BR apt. Not everyone should be forced to cohabitate. It wasn't like that when I started in the workforce.
I even applied to a job with the U.S. Post Office. While it can be labor intensive, I responded to their a, b, c, d online situational work questions.
The contexts can affect the answer selected. I remained consistent and wasn't selected.
I'm open to feedback. I'm in West Chicago suburbs, DuPage and Cook counties.
I spoke with another woman who works in senior living sales. She met me and said I could be a sales manager or a director. She's divorced from a doctor and her children are grown. I have similar or greater sales background and contract knowledge.
No husband nor grown children to talk about, like their clientele would.
I'm open to feedback.
2024.06.09 19:25 LGBTQIA_Over50 What are good websites to find work at a nonprofit?
I'm over 50, with multiple industry experience in the private sector. I have a Masters. I stay current on industry knowledge.
Many of the nonprofit CEO's - Directors make $10,000 - $14,000 a month. I can do that kind of leadership level work.
But I'm overlooked.
Overlooked as overqualified, "you'll be bored" coming in as an administrator or office manager.
I need an income to cover housing and health, dental, vision and a car.
A woman I met recently who is married with grown children secured an office job at a nonprofit when she was 57 making $35,000 $16.82 per hour.
She is 72 and makes $29 per hour, no college degrees and time away earlier in her life as a stay at home mother.
I have my Masters and multi-industry experience and am over 50, and I can't get hired. If I started at her pay rate, from when she started, I would be living in my car.
She told me she married at age 24. I left a Red State in the South and moved to a Blue State and I'm experiencing institutionalized gas-lighting from agencies that tell me, "you HAVE to start at the bottom."
Women apply to jobs they're 100% qualified for and men 60% or less, and get them.
Employers are moving to self-funded insurance plans, and are evaluating their candidates in terms of costs.
While marital status and familial status shouldn't come up in the job, it does. Women bond over family and domestics. I don't.
So, while I have the skills, drive and self discipline, many employers (managers) want someone they can develop, who isn't over qualified, who can afford to live on the entry pay.
I wish I could get in at mid-level. I'm struggling financially because the jobs don't pay enough for me to qualify for a 1BR apt. Not everyone should be forced to cohabitate. It wasn't like that when I started in the workforce.
I even applied to a job with the U.S. Post Office. While it can be labor intensive, I responded to their a, b, c, d online situational work questions.
The contexts can affect the answer selected. I remained consistent and wasn't selected.
I'm open to feedback. I'm in West Chicago suburbs, DuPage and Cook counties.
I spoke with another woman who works in senior living sales. She met me and said I could be a sales manager or a director. She's divorced from a doctor and her children are grown. I have similar or greater sales background and contract knowledge.
No husband nor grown children to talk about, like their clientele would.
I'm open to feedback.
submitted by LGBTQIA_Over50 to Nonprofit_Jobs [link] [comments]
Many of the nonprofit CEO's - Directors make $10,000 - $14,000 a month. I can do that kind of leadership level work.
But I'm overlooked.
Overlooked as overqualified, "you'll be bored" coming in as an administrator or office manager.
I need an income to cover housing and health, dental, vision and a car.
A woman I met recently who is married with grown children secured an office job at a nonprofit when she was 57 making $35,000 $16.82 per hour.
She is 72 and makes $29 per hour, no college degrees and time away earlier in her life as a stay at home mother.
I have my Masters and multi-industry experience and am over 50, and I can't get hired. If I started at her pay rate, from when she started, I would be living in my car.
She told me she married at age 24. I left a Red State in the South and moved to a Blue State and I'm experiencing institutionalized gas-lighting from agencies that tell me, "you HAVE to start at the bottom."
Women apply to jobs they're 100% qualified for and men 60% or less, and get them.
Employers are moving to self-funded insurance plans, and are evaluating their candidates in terms of costs.
While marital status and familial status shouldn't come up in the job, it does. Women bond over family and domestics. I don't.
So, while I have the skills, drive and self discipline, many employers (managers) want someone they can develop, who isn't over qualified, who can afford to live on the entry pay.
I wish I could get in at mid-level. I'm struggling financially because the jobs don't pay enough for me to qualify for a 1BR apt. Not everyone should be forced to cohabitate. It wasn't like that when I started in the workforce.
I even applied to a job with the U.S. Post Office. While it can be labor intensive, I responded to their a, b, c, d online situational work questions.
The contexts can affect the answer selected. I remained consistent and wasn't selected.
I'm open to feedback. I'm in West Chicago suburbs, DuPage and Cook counties.
I spoke with another woman who works in senior living sales. She met me and said I could be a sales manager or a director. She's divorced from a doctor and her children are grown. I have similar or greater sales background and contract knowledge.
No husband nor grown children to talk about, like their clientele would.
I'm open to feedback.
2024.06.09 18:59 kbsc3024 Prescription for hyperhidosis
Does anyone have blue cross blue shield and have got covered for an RA Fischer machine? Or does anyone know if any machines are covered with insurance?
submitted by kbsc3024 to Hyperhidrosis [link] [comments]
2024.06.09 18:53 machodannythe PLL Dads and their many many issues
Well. I’ve been wanting to take a swing at the Liars’ fathers for a while, so this is finally the time I do it.
Let’s start off with an easy one: Wayne Fields. Mr Fields did pretty much nothing wrong at all. As a matter of fact, the only thing that even comes to mind is in the first season where Emily comes out as gay. He says to Pam that maybe it could be a phase, and that is literally it. The shortest list on here. And even though he did say that, he was still so supportive about it and just wanted Emily to be happy.
This is where the lists get longer. I’ll go in order of who is more horrid at parenting. Byron Montgomery was half good at being a parent, if you can ignore the infidelity with a student and then asking his teenage daughter to keep it a secret for over a year. So I guess what I’m saying is no, he wasn’t so good. I mean it’s bad enough he cheated on Ella when they’d been together for like 2 decades, but then for him to ask Aria not to tell her was such an awful decision. Not very fatherly, Byron. Although, after a few seasons he became much more bearable and actually cared about his family. I’ll also add that he was the only one who had the right reaction to the Ez*a incident, the man should definitely have gotten a punch in before Mike did. He knew that shit was wrong and tried everything to stop it, and even though he himself dated one of his students (Come on, Byron) at the very LEAST she wasn’t a minor. Although I guess eventually he came around to the relationship… Gross. Aside from that, Byron got better as a parent so he redeemed himself a little bit. I guess.
Moving swiftly on to a personal enemy of mine, Tom Marin. I hate this guy, I really do. First off, we have yet another cheater. It’s almost laughable how all of these parents have affairs. And then he had the audacity to leave Ashley AND Hanna, move in with his mistress and her daughter, and only came back to tell her he was getting married. How mean could you be? And don’t even get me started on Boil’n’Baggies Kate, he paid for her college tuition and didn’t even ask his actual daughter if she had any plans for college? He fills me with so much rage, probably because he’s such a realistic portrayal of a deadbeat. Also, I don’t know if anyone else caught this, but remember when Hanna had to sabotage his wedding, and he told her and Ashley he was moving his new family to Rosewood, meaning Kate was joining Rosewood High? Ashley said something that made me hate him more. Hanna asked why he was doing this to her, and she said something along the lines of “because he loves you and wants to be near you…right?” as if looking for Tom to confirm that. AND HE SAID NOTHING!!! I just know that slimy toad only moved back to get back at her. Anyway, enough about him, onto the next ‘goober.’
Kenneth DiLaurentis. I hardly have words for this one. But here’s a huge paragraph. Let’s paint a scenario. You have two little boys and have just recently welcomed a daughter into the world. You, and your wife, have left the baby in the house alone (?) and one of your boys hears her crying. Because he’s a child and doesn’t know any better, he thinks he can help her by giving her a bath. So that’s what he does. Again, because he’s a child, he doesn’t understand how to properly bathe another child. While you’re outside, you hear the baby screaming, and you run upstairs to see your baby drowning in water. Do you: A. rescue your baby and reprimand your child for this so they know not to make the mistake again, or B. realise that you actually left your baby alone in the house and that it was an accident, and this may actually be your fault for not being with your month old baby? If you picked secret option C, scream at your child and send him to a sanitarium, never visiting him once or even acknowledging his existence to you or your family, then congratulations! You are Kenneth DiLaurentis, worst father of the year! It blows my mind that they never killed his character off. He deserved it and no one would feel sorry about it. Also, he DESPISED Jason all because he knew he wasn’t his son, but I’m failing to see how that’s Jason’s fault? I’m 110% sure children can’t choose if their mothers have an affair with the next door neighbour, so how is resenting Jason fair at all? Blows my mind, truly. I would also like to point out that he hated that Charlotte transitioned into a girl, and hated her wearing dresses and playing with dolls, so that was probably a huge factor into sending her away to Radley. Not cool, Kenneth, not cool.
And finally, it’s the man, the myth, the legend, Peter Hastings! Let’s review. He had an affair with his neighbour Jessica, getting her pregnant, and he tells absolutely no one. He keeps it a secret until his daughter figures it out, and expects to be forgiven. He hates the DiLaurentis family because of this, when it was literally his fault for being a cheating scumbag, and refuses to ever speak to Jason even though it’s literally his son. Then, we find out he has done this twice! with Mary Drake (although he thinks it’s Jessica), then gets her pregnant, and she has twins. Peter and Veronica agree to take one of the children– no adoption involved, they just take one– and raise her as their own, never telling her the truth. They raise her to always be in competition with her sister (Half sister? Cousin? I don’t even know) and then only treat her well if she wins something or gets good grades. They find out she has a drug problem, don’t give her help, and judge her for it. Then, Peter thinks she’s murdered her best friend so he hires a detective to find out. News flash, it isn’t her, it’s actually Melissa who killed somebody, and what does Peter do? Covers it up, makes her promise to never admit it. Not to mention he’s possibly the world’s worst lawyer; destroying evidence, covering up murders, changing former wills? Such a great example to set your many, many children. To put it simply, Peter Hastings was responsible for probably an entire grade of children. He was an awful father, an awful husband and an awful lawyer.
So that’s that. My analysis of the fathers of Pretty Little Liars. If I missed any huge details, do let me know. Congratulations to Wayne Fields for being the only man in Rosewood who was a good father, not to mention the most attractive. I think there’s definitely a correlation there.
submitted by machodannythe to PrettyLittleLiars [link] [comments]
Let’s start off with an easy one: Wayne Fields. Mr Fields did pretty much nothing wrong at all. As a matter of fact, the only thing that even comes to mind is in the first season where Emily comes out as gay. He says to Pam that maybe it could be a phase, and that is literally it. The shortest list on here. And even though he did say that, he was still so supportive about it and just wanted Emily to be happy.
This is where the lists get longer. I’ll go in order of who is more horrid at parenting. Byron Montgomery was half good at being a parent, if you can ignore the infidelity with a student and then asking his teenage daughter to keep it a secret for over a year. So I guess what I’m saying is no, he wasn’t so good. I mean it’s bad enough he cheated on Ella when they’d been together for like 2 decades, but then for him to ask Aria not to tell her was such an awful decision. Not very fatherly, Byron. Although, after a few seasons he became much more bearable and actually cared about his family. I’ll also add that he was the only one who had the right reaction to the Ez*a incident, the man should definitely have gotten a punch in before Mike did. He knew that shit was wrong and tried everything to stop it, and even though he himself dated one of his students (Come on, Byron) at the very LEAST she wasn’t a minor. Although I guess eventually he came around to the relationship… Gross. Aside from that, Byron got better as a parent so he redeemed himself a little bit. I guess.
Moving swiftly on to a personal enemy of mine, Tom Marin. I hate this guy, I really do. First off, we have yet another cheater. It’s almost laughable how all of these parents have affairs. And then he had the audacity to leave Ashley AND Hanna, move in with his mistress and her daughter, and only came back to tell her he was getting married. How mean could you be? And don’t even get me started on Boil’n’Baggies Kate, he paid for her college tuition and didn’t even ask his actual daughter if she had any plans for college? He fills me with so much rage, probably because he’s such a realistic portrayal of a deadbeat. Also, I don’t know if anyone else caught this, but remember when Hanna had to sabotage his wedding, and he told her and Ashley he was moving his new family to Rosewood, meaning Kate was joining Rosewood High? Ashley said something that made me hate him more. Hanna asked why he was doing this to her, and she said something along the lines of “because he loves you and wants to be near you…right?” as if looking for Tom to confirm that. AND HE SAID NOTHING!!! I just know that slimy toad only moved back to get back at her. Anyway, enough about him, onto the next ‘goober.’
Kenneth DiLaurentis. I hardly have words for this one. But here’s a huge paragraph. Let’s paint a scenario. You have two little boys and have just recently welcomed a daughter into the world. You, and your wife, have left the baby in the house alone (?) and one of your boys hears her crying. Because he’s a child and doesn’t know any better, he thinks he can help her by giving her a bath. So that’s what he does. Again, because he’s a child, he doesn’t understand how to properly bathe another child. While you’re outside, you hear the baby screaming, and you run upstairs to see your baby drowning in water. Do you: A. rescue your baby and reprimand your child for this so they know not to make the mistake again, or B. realise that you actually left your baby alone in the house and that it was an accident, and this may actually be your fault for not being with your month old baby? If you picked secret option C, scream at your child and send him to a sanitarium, never visiting him once or even acknowledging his existence to you or your family, then congratulations! You are Kenneth DiLaurentis, worst father of the year! It blows my mind that they never killed his character off. He deserved it and no one would feel sorry about it. Also, he DESPISED Jason all because he knew he wasn’t his son, but I’m failing to see how that’s Jason’s fault? I’m 110% sure children can’t choose if their mothers have an affair with the next door neighbour, so how is resenting Jason fair at all? Blows my mind, truly. I would also like to point out that he hated that Charlotte transitioned into a girl, and hated her wearing dresses and playing with dolls, so that was probably a huge factor into sending her away to Radley. Not cool, Kenneth, not cool.
And finally, it’s the man, the myth, the legend, Peter Hastings! Let’s review. He had an affair with his neighbour Jessica, getting her pregnant, and he tells absolutely no one. He keeps it a secret until his daughter figures it out, and expects to be forgiven. He hates the DiLaurentis family because of this, when it was literally his fault for being a cheating scumbag, and refuses to ever speak to Jason even though it’s literally his son. Then, we find out he has done this twice! with Mary Drake (although he thinks it’s Jessica), then gets her pregnant, and she has twins. Peter and Veronica agree to take one of the children– no adoption involved, they just take one– and raise her as their own, never telling her the truth. They raise her to always be in competition with her sister (Half sister? Cousin? I don’t even know) and then only treat her well if she wins something or gets good grades. They find out she has a drug problem, don’t give her help, and judge her for it. Then, Peter thinks she’s murdered her best friend so he hires a detective to find out. News flash, it isn’t her, it’s actually Melissa who killed somebody, and what does Peter do? Covers it up, makes her promise to never admit it. Not to mention he’s possibly the world’s worst lawyer; destroying evidence, covering up murders, changing former wills? Such a great example to set your many, many children. To put it simply, Peter Hastings was responsible for probably an entire grade of children. He was an awful father, an awful husband and an awful lawyer.
So that’s that. My analysis of the fathers of Pretty Little Liars. If I missed any huge details, do let me know. Congratulations to Wayne Fields for being the only man in Rosewood who was a good father, not to mention the most attractive. I think there’s definitely a correlation there.
2024.06.09 18:49 FISH_STICKS_IN_MOUTH PSA: Pretty sure I was almost jumped on the bike trail (not far from where a man was murdered back in April)
Skip to end for TLDR, if you wish.
I want to love you, Albany, but you make it hard.
I was riding my bike yesterday afternoon (around 4:00pm) on the Empire State Trail. I have been doing this regularly, about 3-4 times a week, since the weather warmed up. I am aware of the unsolved homicide that occurred back in April on the bike trail, so I try to remain alert. No issues at all until yesterday.
I was riding southbound on the stretch of trail approaching the I-90 overpass. Maybe ~100 yards ahead, I see three men standing in the middle of the trail, and I see there is another cyclist riding around them on the grass to avoid them. They seemed maybe like they were talking to/heckling the cyclist, but it was hard to tell what was going on. Thought this was a bit odd.
I get closer. Cyclist passes me heading in the opposite direction. He gives me a sort of pained expression, but doesn’t say anything. Also odd.
I am probably ~40 yards away from the three men now. They are now standing sort of awkardly at the side of the trail…like they are pretending that they’re just casually hanging out, but it is clear that they are watching me. At this point, my gut instinct is screaming “bad situation”. I really should have just turned around. Maybe I stubbornly didn’t want to let some hooligans fuck up my bike ride on a sunny day. Idk, it was stupid on my part.
About 20 yards away from them now. They suddenly “take position” by standing shoulder to shoulder, clearly and intentionally blocking my access to the trail ahead. They have their arms crossed and are trying to posture in an intimidating manner. I slow down a bit and look over my shoulder briefly. Other cyclist is no longer in sight. No other people around. Yay.
The guy in the middle takes a step forward and puts his hand up, like the “halt” hand gesture. He says something like “Hey man, hey man, can you stop for us? Why don’t you stop for us.”
I am still moving forward toward them. I intentionally drift to the left; they shuffle to the left to match me, still blocking the trail. Then I start pedaling my ass off and cut it hard to the right, sort of juking around them onto the grass. I have thin road tires and clip-in shoes so I am lucky I didn’t eat shit.
At this point it’s sort of a blur because I’m just pedaling as hard as I can, trying to put distance between me and them. I heard them shout a few things as I rode away; no idea what they were saying. I just kept riding hard until I was near that boat lunch (under the overpasses) and there were finally other people around.
So, that leaves me with some questions…
TLDR: Three guys suddenly tried to block me from continuing on the bike trail; they asked me to stop. Felt like an ambush situation, but that is somewhat speculation on my part. Very bad vibes. They did not seem happy that I wouldn’t stop for them.
Exercise caution if you plan on using the Empire State Trail in the Albany/Menands area.
Description of the trail-blockers: three Black men, late teens/early twenties, wearing long clothing (clothes were mostly black with some other shades, maybe some red and blue; don’t remember exactly). They were fairly average height from what I remember, maybe leaning tall.
TU article covering recent bike trail homicide. Same general area where I had this experience.
submitted by FISH_STICKS_IN_MOUTH to Albany [link] [comments]
I want to love you, Albany, but you make it hard.
I was riding my bike yesterday afternoon (around 4:00pm) on the Empire State Trail. I have been doing this regularly, about 3-4 times a week, since the weather warmed up. I am aware of the unsolved homicide that occurred back in April on the bike trail, so I try to remain alert. No issues at all until yesterday.
I was riding southbound on the stretch of trail approaching the I-90 overpass. Maybe ~100 yards ahead, I see three men standing in the middle of the trail, and I see there is another cyclist riding around them on the grass to avoid them. They seemed maybe like they were talking to/heckling the cyclist, but it was hard to tell what was going on. Thought this was a bit odd.
I get closer. Cyclist passes me heading in the opposite direction. He gives me a sort of pained expression, but doesn’t say anything. Also odd.
I am probably ~40 yards away from the three men now. They are now standing sort of awkardly at the side of the trail…like they are pretending that they’re just casually hanging out, but it is clear that they are watching me. At this point, my gut instinct is screaming “bad situation”. I really should have just turned around. Maybe I stubbornly didn’t want to let some hooligans fuck up my bike ride on a sunny day. Idk, it was stupid on my part.
About 20 yards away from them now. They suddenly “take position” by standing shoulder to shoulder, clearly and intentionally blocking my access to the trail ahead. They have their arms crossed and are trying to posture in an intimidating manner. I slow down a bit and look over my shoulder briefly. Other cyclist is no longer in sight. No other people around. Yay.
The guy in the middle takes a step forward and puts his hand up, like the “halt” hand gesture. He says something like “Hey man, hey man, can you stop for us? Why don’t you stop for us.”
I am still moving forward toward them. I intentionally drift to the left; they shuffle to the left to match me, still blocking the trail. Then I start pedaling my ass off and cut it hard to the right, sort of juking around them onto the grass. I have thin road tires and clip-in shoes so I am lucky I didn’t eat shit.
At this point it’s sort of a blur because I’m just pedaling as hard as I can, trying to put distance between me and them. I heard them shout a few things as I rode away; no idea what they were saying. I just kept riding hard until I was near that boat lunch (under the overpasses) and there were finally other people around.
So, that leaves me with some questions…
- What the hell, man? Who the fuck does that? Why can’t I just ride my bike in peace? What good reason could you possibly have for trying to stop me by force on a goddamn bike trail?
- Am I overthinking this? Am I actually just an over-paranoid softie and this was just some sort of weird prank? Every instinct in my body was telling me they wanted to rob me at best, and fuck my shit up for fun, at worst. I have no evidence for this, it was simply “the vibe”. Am I wrong for assuming this?
- I don’t think anything that happened actually rises to the level of a crime. It’s just one of those situations where I can confidently say “if I played that differently, there is a strong chance that something very bad would have happened”. Can I even do anything? Is it worth reporting?
- As a community…why can’t we have nice things? Why don’t I ever see police patrolling this bike trail knowing that there was a recent, broad daylight, still-unsolved homicide on said bike trail? Why don’t we collectively expect more of Albany? We can’t even have a goddamn bike trail that families and residents can assume is safe?
TLDR: Three guys suddenly tried to block me from continuing on the bike trail; they asked me to stop. Felt like an ambush situation, but that is somewhat speculation on my part. Very bad vibes. They did not seem happy that I wouldn’t stop for them.
Exercise caution if you plan on using the Empire State Trail in the Albany/Menands area.
Description of the trail-blockers: three Black men, late teens/early twenties, wearing long clothing (clothes were mostly black with some other shades, maybe some red and blue; don’t remember exactly). They were fairly average height from what I remember, maybe leaning tall.
TU article covering recent bike trail homicide. Same general area where I had this experience.
2024.06.09 18:22 OilPsychological1080 What to do with my marriage? '43F' '32M'
I have been with my wife for 8 years now we recently had our 7 year wedding anniversary. In the beginning of our marriage and relationship things were amazing. My wife has been married twice before me and has kids with both previous husbands. I have also been married twice before her me mostly being young and dumb and trying to rush life, I have never had children with either of my previous wives. After we were married we decided to have children which I expressed to her I never intended on having children with someone I didn't plan to be with forever.
I did not want my children apart of a broken home. Fast forward 6 years, I confronted my wife on the suspicion that she had possibly slept with one of my best friends before her and I ever knew each other this was a friend that we regularly were around and hung with. She assured me several times that she had never slept with him or done anything to him. Well not long after that I over hear my wife drunkingly talking to one of her friends telling her friend that she did sleep with him but didn't want me to find out. I know no one here knows me so I'll start off by saying we all have a past and that's fine I just ask not to be lied to and give and recieve complete honesty. I don't think anyone wants to be hanging out on a regular basis with there spouse hanging around someone they have slept with . I didn't call her out in it immediately but it ate away at me for weeks why would you lie about that I asked myself? Looking me straight in my eyes and lied over and over.
A month or so goes by and my wife is drunk and I bring it up to her, once again she denies it but I told her i overheard her telling her friend so I know she's lying. Now I'm not the type of male who is very jealous and I definitely don't play the going through your phone game because I'm committed and I give my wife my trust. Well I when I confronted her on this issue I called her out on some other shady behavior, she was going through one of her photo apps and there was a video of her ex boyfriend masturbating. Clearly by this point I am infuriated. She swears she didn't know it was on there and she thought it was deleted. We are in a public parking lot inside the car when all this goes down she freaks out and jumps out of the car, I beg and plead for her to get back in the car as this is my children's mother and I would never do anything to publicly embarrass her. Well she ends up drawing a lot of attention to herself and gets arrested since she is drunk and not calming down and refuses to get back in the car with me so I can take her home.
Fast forward about 3 months. My wife and I had been out to eat and on our way home got into a arguement. Once we arrived home she asked me "doing you like living here"? Which I thought was odd but I replied yes why wouldn't I? We finally have a nice house sitting on a farm with beautiful views it's everything Iv always wanted, she replied with "ok". She said she was going to go for a walk to clear her head and I said ok I was going to use the bathroom. I got out of the bathroom and I couldn't quit thinking why would she ask such a question she knows I love living here. I went to her car because there's a pistol in to glove box and I'm trying to cross the worst scenarios out of my head. The glove box was locked as it usually is and she took her car key with her. I ran inside and got the spare and went back to the car and unlocked the glove box and the pistol is missing.
I immediately track her location and see she is in a near field. I jump in my truck and go to where she is at I find her sitting by A brush pile listening sad music with the gun in her lap. I am able to get the gun from her then she takes off running through the field towards our house. At this point it is like my wife has had a complete mental break down and idk what to do I start calling her mom and dad they don't answer I call her daughter who is in the military and In a different state freaking out telling her everything that's happening. My wife makes it home gets in her car and leaves and doesn't come back for hours I can't track her because she left her phone in the field where I found her. By this point I have gotten ahold of her mom and dad no one knows what to do. So we all come together once my wife arrives back home and tell her what ever is going on we want her to get help with it's therapy or medicine we don't care we are here for here and support whatever we have to do.
Time goes by and things are starting to get normal again after my wife refuses to take medicine or do anything for help. We did start marriage counseling we had scheduled 4 meetings to start with the first meeting we did as a couple the second meeting I did by myself and the third meeting was supposed to be my wife alone and on the 4th meeting it would be us as a couple again. Well when it came time for my wife to do her meeting she kept rescheduling over and over and I finally called her out on why she wasn't taking this serious. She said she was but she just had this or that going on etc all I heard was excuses. Now since you don't know my wife she is a very successful female that makes great money and is in amazing shape and literally had the perfect body even after kids, you would never even known she's had a kid and built very desirable.
I am 6' 2" and I go to the gym 5-6 times a week I have never cheated in any way form or fashion on my wife or done anything morally or ethically wrong towards our marriage I have always loved my wife and thought she was perfect. After these events started happening I started to question a lot of things and I found out my wife is as truthful as I thought she was. I don't believe my wife has ever cheated on me but she does seem to tell a lot of small lies or just flat out lies in general. My wife has in the last few years became psychotically jealous I'm not even allowed to eat with female coworkers and if I do I have to notify her and tell her where they are sitting in relation to where I'm sitting and what if anything they say to me. I have to tell her every time a female calls or text me etc.
I do not have any social media but my wife has almost all of them and I don't care but I would like to point out she has male friends on her social media both married and single but I'm not allowed to be friendly or joke or anything even with the people I work with and my wife knows all of them but at the same time my wife also works in a coed environment and I don't limit her on anything she does nor do I ask or care because I love her and trust her. She has recently gotten mad that she shares her location with me but I don't share mine with her, I never asked her to share hers with me she just randomly did one day but since I don't do anything wrong and have nothing to hide I started sharing mine as well. Well that became a problem while we're both at work I would be question about why have I been at a particular location for 10 min or why have I been here or there etc and that got really old really quick.
A few months go by and my wife starts a physical altercation with me I have never in my life hit a woman nor did I that night but I did keep pushing her off of me as I tried gathering my stuff for work so I could leave and go somewhere else. Long story short the police showed up I didn't have a shirt on and was covered in scratch and bite marks. Luckily I was able to leave and no one would go to jail, both our careers would've been ruined if either of us would've went to jail. After leaving that night I go to a hotel from that night forward I don't come home for 2 weeks I stay at hotels or family's house still in shock of how all this has came about. How close we were to losing everything we have including our careers over her behavior. I tell my wife I want time away from her to think things through. She tells me after two weeks of not sleeping under the same roof as her I need to come home because our children are asking a lot of questions I was skeptical but I returned and only for my kids I love my kids more than anything and during this 2 week period of being gone from them I would show up as my wife left for work and take them to school and pick them up and still see them and do stuff with them.
I started staying back at home for my kids my wife and I still haven't slept in the same bed I am devistated on what to do about my marriage I can't handle a controlling and psychotically jealous wife anymore. This is not all that's going on in my marriage just some of the big things. I feel like I do most of the house work and I do all of the outside work. I clean, do dishes, do laundry etc I hate not having a clean and organized house. Lately things have been getting out of control with spending financially. All of this combined is driving me crazy. I told my wife 3 times I wanted a divorce but she begs me and tells me how everything can and will be better. She did start medicine for whatever is going on with her mentally but honestly not much has changed not like she promised. She still leaves the house and goes drinking with her friends and doesn't come home until late into the night etc. I don't know what to do I am beyond devastated to think about what a divorce would do to my kids 5 & 6.
I can't stand the thought of them possibly having another father figure in their future. I have days where I feel strong enough to divorce and I know everything will be ok and be fine and then I have days where I question if I would be able to make it through something like that or not. I feel really confused on what to do my wife's behavior hasn't changed much and the only reason there's been any change at all is because I told her I wanted a divorce and I feel like she's trying to look really good right now and show me this "change". I worry what if I'm never happy again what if I never have this life of fun and happiness like I had before all these issues started happen for the last year and a half. I'm really stuck on what to do.
submitted by OilPsychological1080 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
I did not want my children apart of a broken home. Fast forward 6 years, I confronted my wife on the suspicion that she had possibly slept with one of my best friends before her and I ever knew each other this was a friend that we regularly were around and hung with. She assured me several times that she had never slept with him or done anything to him. Well not long after that I over hear my wife drunkingly talking to one of her friends telling her friend that she did sleep with him but didn't want me to find out. I know no one here knows me so I'll start off by saying we all have a past and that's fine I just ask not to be lied to and give and recieve complete honesty. I don't think anyone wants to be hanging out on a regular basis with there spouse hanging around someone they have slept with . I didn't call her out in it immediately but it ate away at me for weeks why would you lie about that I asked myself? Looking me straight in my eyes and lied over and over.
A month or so goes by and my wife is drunk and I bring it up to her, once again she denies it but I told her i overheard her telling her friend so I know she's lying. Now I'm not the type of male who is very jealous and I definitely don't play the going through your phone game because I'm committed and I give my wife my trust. Well I when I confronted her on this issue I called her out on some other shady behavior, she was going through one of her photo apps and there was a video of her ex boyfriend masturbating. Clearly by this point I am infuriated. She swears she didn't know it was on there and she thought it was deleted. We are in a public parking lot inside the car when all this goes down she freaks out and jumps out of the car, I beg and plead for her to get back in the car as this is my children's mother and I would never do anything to publicly embarrass her. Well she ends up drawing a lot of attention to herself and gets arrested since she is drunk and not calming down and refuses to get back in the car with me so I can take her home.
Fast forward about 3 months. My wife and I had been out to eat and on our way home got into a arguement. Once we arrived home she asked me "doing you like living here"? Which I thought was odd but I replied yes why wouldn't I? We finally have a nice house sitting on a farm with beautiful views it's everything Iv always wanted, she replied with "ok". She said she was going to go for a walk to clear her head and I said ok I was going to use the bathroom. I got out of the bathroom and I couldn't quit thinking why would she ask such a question she knows I love living here. I went to her car because there's a pistol in to glove box and I'm trying to cross the worst scenarios out of my head. The glove box was locked as it usually is and she took her car key with her. I ran inside and got the spare and went back to the car and unlocked the glove box and the pistol is missing.
I immediately track her location and see she is in a near field. I jump in my truck and go to where she is at I find her sitting by A brush pile listening sad music with the gun in her lap. I am able to get the gun from her then she takes off running through the field towards our house. At this point it is like my wife has had a complete mental break down and idk what to do I start calling her mom and dad they don't answer I call her daughter who is in the military and In a different state freaking out telling her everything that's happening. My wife makes it home gets in her car and leaves and doesn't come back for hours I can't track her because she left her phone in the field where I found her. By this point I have gotten ahold of her mom and dad no one knows what to do. So we all come together once my wife arrives back home and tell her what ever is going on we want her to get help with it's therapy or medicine we don't care we are here for here and support whatever we have to do.
Time goes by and things are starting to get normal again after my wife refuses to take medicine or do anything for help. We did start marriage counseling we had scheduled 4 meetings to start with the first meeting we did as a couple the second meeting I did by myself and the third meeting was supposed to be my wife alone and on the 4th meeting it would be us as a couple again. Well when it came time for my wife to do her meeting she kept rescheduling over and over and I finally called her out on why she wasn't taking this serious. She said she was but she just had this or that going on etc all I heard was excuses. Now since you don't know my wife she is a very successful female that makes great money and is in amazing shape and literally had the perfect body even after kids, you would never even known she's had a kid and built very desirable.
I am 6' 2" and I go to the gym 5-6 times a week I have never cheated in any way form or fashion on my wife or done anything morally or ethically wrong towards our marriage I have always loved my wife and thought she was perfect. After these events started happening I started to question a lot of things and I found out my wife is as truthful as I thought she was. I don't believe my wife has ever cheated on me but she does seem to tell a lot of small lies or just flat out lies in general. My wife has in the last few years became psychotically jealous I'm not even allowed to eat with female coworkers and if I do I have to notify her and tell her where they are sitting in relation to where I'm sitting and what if anything they say to me. I have to tell her every time a female calls or text me etc.
I do not have any social media but my wife has almost all of them and I don't care but I would like to point out she has male friends on her social media both married and single but I'm not allowed to be friendly or joke or anything even with the people I work with and my wife knows all of them but at the same time my wife also works in a coed environment and I don't limit her on anything she does nor do I ask or care because I love her and trust her. She has recently gotten mad that she shares her location with me but I don't share mine with her, I never asked her to share hers with me she just randomly did one day but since I don't do anything wrong and have nothing to hide I started sharing mine as well. Well that became a problem while we're both at work I would be question about why have I been at a particular location for 10 min or why have I been here or there etc and that got really old really quick.
A few months go by and my wife starts a physical altercation with me I have never in my life hit a woman nor did I that night but I did keep pushing her off of me as I tried gathering my stuff for work so I could leave and go somewhere else. Long story short the police showed up I didn't have a shirt on and was covered in scratch and bite marks. Luckily I was able to leave and no one would go to jail, both our careers would've been ruined if either of us would've went to jail. After leaving that night I go to a hotel from that night forward I don't come home for 2 weeks I stay at hotels or family's house still in shock of how all this has came about. How close we were to losing everything we have including our careers over her behavior. I tell my wife I want time away from her to think things through. She tells me after two weeks of not sleeping under the same roof as her I need to come home because our children are asking a lot of questions I was skeptical but I returned and only for my kids I love my kids more than anything and during this 2 week period of being gone from them I would show up as my wife left for work and take them to school and pick them up and still see them and do stuff with them.
I started staying back at home for my kids my wife and I still haven't slept in the same bed I am devistated on what to do about my marriage I can't handle a controlling and psychotically jealous wife anymore. This is not all that's going on in my marriage just some of the big things. I feel like I do most of the house work and I do all of the outside work. I clean, do dishes, do laundry etc I hate not having a clean and organized house. Lately things have been getting out of control with spending financially. All of this combined is driving me crazy. I told my wife 3 times I wanted a divorce but she begs me and tells me how everything can and will be better. She did start medicine for whatever is going on with her mentally but honestly not much has changed not like she promised. She still leaves the house and goes drinking with her friends and doesn't come home until late into the night etc. I don't know what to do I am beyond devastated to think about what a divorce would do to my kids 5 & 6.
I can't stand the thought of them possibly having another father figure in their future. I have days where I feel strong enough to divorce and I know everything will be ok and be fine and then I have days where I question if I would be able to make it through something like that or not. I feel really confused on what to do my wife's behavior hasn't changed much and the only reason there's been any change at all is because I told her I wanted a divorce and I feel like she's trying to look really good right now and show me this "change". I worry what if I'm never happy again what if I never have this life of fun and happiness like I had before all these issues started happen for the last year and a half. I'm really stuck on what to do.
2024.06.09 18:17 1Squid-Pro-Crow If you use a toilet seat type bidet: -- do you not change out your toilet seat often?
I'm talking about the kind of bidets where when you buy it, you're also buying the toilet seat and the toilet seat cover as a part of the bidet itself: https://bidetking.com/products/alpha-jx-bidet-toilet-seat?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Performance%20Max%20-%20Alpha&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZWzBhC0ARIsACvjWRML_VeKoO--X71XVOpwpvvy8Z0G7CpLCOxGKApt-Q1uB2fxgZb20SwaAjEpEALw_wcB
So I change out my toilet seat at least once every couple years. I wonder how people get away with NOT doing this.... That is, I mean, if you get an expensive bidet that's incorporated in/with the seat, you can't be renewing it every couple years...
I mean, people sit on the toilet seat with lotion on their legs, that tends to wear the porcelain or whatever material after a couple years (is this just my house? I do use a retinol based body lotion 🤔)
Or, the screws get loose or stained from cleaners & the lid and seat need to be replaced. Splashes from your cleaner when you flush it down can stain the underside of the seat AND lid, usually blue.
Or idk, I don't flush bleach but I imagine if you did it could splash and interact with whatever material the seat is made out of and cause discoloration?
And then don't even get me started on the outside part of the lid that you put down to cover the toilet?
Like just in the course of being In the bathroom, it can get wear and tear. I used to have a kid that walked around the bathroom while he brushed his teeth and whitening toothpaste droplets would speckle the toilet lid, not good as something in there interacted bad with the toilet seat top and then I had a freckled toilet seat top until I figured out what was causing it lol.
My other kid once put her foot up for a second onto the toilet lid and smeared nail polish and then tried to fix it by using nail polish remover... Which toilet seats DO NOT LIKE.
One time I accidentally swiped a mascara brush halfway across the bathroom and smeared black mascara all over the top of the seat cover....
And even if your toilet seat is in one of those enclosed rooms, which I have in my master, yeah I replace the seat and lid a lot less often, but it does start getting worn where you always grab the lid with your thumb to put it up... the porcelain or whatever gets worn down and you start to see a black smudge which is whatever material is underneath the porcelain finish.
Like, do these things not happen to other people? Am I weird? Do y'all not replace the lid/seat combo as a matter of maintenance every couple years?
And then, don't even get me started on soft clothes lids. We have those in our house and idk do bidets come with soft clothes? Cuz every time we go to someone's house that doesn't have it, we accidentally slam the seat in the down lol.
submitted by 1Squid-Pro-Crow to bidets [link] [comments]
So I change out my toilet seat at least once every couple years. I wonder how people get away with NOT doing this.... That is, I mean, if you get an expensive bidet that's incorporated in/with the seat, you can't be renewing it every couple years...
I mean, people sit on the toilet seat with lotion on their legs, that tends to wear the porcelain or whatever material after a couple years (is this just my house? I do use a retinol based body lotion 🤔)
Or, the screws get loose or stained from cleaners & the lid and seat need to be replaced. Splashes from your cleaner when you flush it down can stain the underside of the seat AND lid, usually blue.
Or idk, I don't flush bleach but I imagine if you did it could splash and interact with whatever material the seat is made out of and cause discoloration?
And then don't even get me started on the outside part of the lid that you put down to cover the toilet?
Like just in the course of being In the bathroom, it can get wear and tear. I used to have a kid that walked around the bathroom while he brushed his teeth and whitening toothpaste droplets would speckle the toilet lid, not good as something in there interacted bad with the toilet seat top and then I had a freckled toilet seat top until I figured out what was causing it lol.
My other kid once put her foot up for a second onto the toilet lid and smeared nail polish and then tried to fix it by using nail polish remover... Which toilet seats DO NOT LIKE.
One time I accidentally swiped a mascara brush halfway across the bathroom and smeared black mascara all over the top of the seat cover....
And even if your toilet seat is in one of those enclosed rooms, which I have in my master, yeah I replace the seat and lid a lot less often, but it does start getting worn where you always grab the lid with your thumb to put it up... the porcelain or whatever gets worn down and you start to see a black smudge which is whatever material is underneath the porcelain finish.
Like, do these things not happen to other people? Am I weird? Do y'all not replace the lid/seat combo as a matter of maintenance every couple years?
And then, don't even get me started on soft clothes lids. We have those in our house and idk do bidets come with soft clothes? Cuz every time we go to someone's house that doesn't have it, we accidentally slam the seat in the down lol.
2024.06.09 18:01 impishDullahan Speedlang 19 Showcase
Good marrow, bonelickers!
Early last month I announced the 19th Speedlang Challenge. I broke the mould with it a little bit by confining how the ambitious among you would actually put together your speedlangs rather than defining a number of requisite features. The bulk of this process had speedlangers root all their creative linguistic decisions in a small set of natlangs, and these natlangs specifically had to be native to areas representative of a chosen clade of organisms. To ensure the clade of organisms was well represented, I also asked for a number of lexical items and conceptual metaphors that had to be specifically inspired by the clade in some way, as well as some aspect of the phonology.
Like last time, I'll provide my thoughts about what I think makes each submission special and the features I particularly like. Afterwards, I'll quickly review what was inspired by the chosen clade, in case that has any bearing on what you kind readers might like to check out, and give out brownie points for any easter eggs I spot, whether intended or not.
Overall this has been a deeply creative round of submissions and I learned a lot, both things I set out to achieve when I thought up this particular challenge. I hope it was just as rewarding a challenge for everyone who submitted as it was for me getting to read up on each entry, and I hope it will be the same for anyone who reads up on them, too.
---
With a name including the element Bàsa, I knew this had to have Indic flavours of one sort of another, and indeed it does! This conlang is largely Austronesian in origin with sound changes from Old Cham, but it has a lot of Bengali influence and is well situated in the Indian subcontinent, and I greatly appreciate the nod to Parsi funerary traditions as an inspiring reason for choosing Gyps. Amusingly, this conlang has many features that fit right into the inspiration for the last speedlang challenge, which I find just delightful, with some split-S marking, dative enclitics, and grammaticalised constructions for simultaneous and sequential events, and light pronouns. Therebeside, the historical clipping, CVK syllable structure, postpositional pronouns, and aspectual auxiliaries speak to sensibilities in my own conlanging, and the dissimilation processes in some of the affixes are a nice touch, too. I'm also a big of fan just how the split-S system is implicated in some verbal polysemy, and I really like how the few voices seem kinda muddy but have clear use cases. What really sets this conlang apart, though, is the consideration paid to the effect of prestige languages. Some phonemes are restricted to loanwords from the local prestige language, and one is even only confined to prestige language-educated speakers, which causes some allophony other speakers don't have. Loaning processes are detailed, too, and the number and classifier system also draws nice lines along the prestige axis with a total of 3 parallel number systems, spread out across both divisions of native vs. loaned classifiers, which themselves have specific semantic domains they each classify, and across divisions of prestige language education. The story at the end, too, is a real treat: it's a translation of Hindu vulture myth, perfect for this project.
Seba Bàsa's Gyps-inspired phonology includes the development of creaky voice from the loss of glottals, glottalised consonants, and final /s/ in Old Cham to recall vulture cries. It's inspired lexicon includes some fun polysemy of vulture behaviours like circling = waiting or sheepling = looking for something desirable. I'm also a big fan of kite (the bird) = messy eater. It's inspired conceptual metaphors include dividing the beginning, middle, and end of a process into eating skin, meat, and bones, respectively, and equating head height/position with one's health or comfortableness as inspired by how vultures droop their heads when ill.
We're starting off string with double brownie points for meeting both the space epic easter egg by calquing the Ewokese word for 'outsider' and the empress easter egg by referring to Buddha's Birthday!
Aside from the one splant you'll soon see, I think this entry gets the prize for the most unique chosen clade by being A) not a bird, and B) not an ungulate. As great as birds are, quokkas are pretty amazing, too. I'm not too familiar with Pama-Nyungan languages but this did a good job of affecting some of the features I've come to know them for, including but not limited to the phonological natural classes of peripheral vs. coronal, coverb constructions, and the word for 'dog' bearing a striking similarity to English. Split-ergativity features across the noun-pronoun axis, and there's a unique set of duals that specifically refer to sibling, parent-child, or spousal pairs of individuals that I might have to steal for myself. The case marking includes a lative case I haven't seen before, and implicates the comitative in a neat way in comparative constructions. I also appreciate the what-looks-to-be resumptive subject pronominal proclitics; very speedlang 18, and a great example of a fossilised mistake, which I always love to see! The verbs also feature multiple conjugations, and the imperative is implicated for its tenselessness in certain subclause constructions, which has a certain type of quirkiness I'd expect out of some past speedlang challenges.
Kogëdek's Setonix-inspired phonology included a /ç/ in the proto-lang, which bears some resemblance to quokka calls, although it was lost to /s/ and /x/ in the modern language. The inspired lexical entries include roots for different kinds of macropods and styles of jumping, and conflates jumping with breathing. Some of the idioms include "pouch-baby" for pejorative "mama's-boy" and using kangaroo badassery as a metaphor for all sorts of less than ideal situations.
Brownie points for a particularly insidious word-form for 'father'.
This one's a little rough around the edges, but it's a good foundation for a nice mix of both SEA features, like the isolating morphosyntax, and unique features, like the class agreement system. It's also got clicks limited to avoidance speech! Diachronics from a proto-lang where considered, and I really like how the typologies of the inspo langs were used as targets for the sound changes. I'll have to keep this workflow in mind! Some of the sound changes include expanding the number of stop contrasts to match the average number of contrasts, or eroding the number of vowels to match that of Malay. Phonotactics were carefully considered with full structures for both mono- and disyllables as well as bare roots vs. compound stems. Grammatically, morphology is mostly limited to a host of different reduplication patterns, which in itself is something I'd really like to see more of! Where this really shines, though, is with its agreement system: nouns are sorted into a 3x2 matrix of 6 classes, portmanteau agreement particles mark for the class of both the subject and the object, the system implicates the social hierarchies common to many SEA languages, and the position of the particle marks modality. Incredibly inspired to pack all that into a set of maybe 36 particles, if you ask me, never mind how it helps to disambiguate fluid word class and how it might be implicated in future plans for Indonesian object-oriented verbs. I'm also a fan of how the temporal question verb patterns like an agreement particle to mark for tense by co-opting the modality marking. We also get some prosody-syntax interfacing with different pitch contours at clause boundaries operating as different sorts of conjunctions.
Yatakang's Bubalus-inspired phonology includes a combination of creaky voice and syllabic nasals to affect a mooing phonaesthetic. The lexical entries exhibit some nice semantic drift from water buffalo activities and behaviours towards more human behaviours, and the planned phrase of hat-hand stroke fur for "suddenly realise a problem, and then pretend there isn't one" just feels exactly like an observation a water buffalo would make observing its human, which I really like. The inspired metaphors are also simple and straightforward, likening roundedness to goodness or knowledge to food, which makes for some brilliantly idiomatic language like "I ate the book" to mean "I read and understood the contents of the book."
Extra brownie points for including both halves of the space epic easter egg to placate both sides of nerddom; the term 'tax-man' is everything it ought to be.
Compared to most other entries, this one's very short and sweet with some Australian sounds and some head-final Papuan grammar (however loose a description that is). That being said, Kurikiri is very inventive in being partially signed with much of its grammatical marking encoded by actions done with the foot, including number, case, definiteness, and some basic TAM.
Aside from the cassowary foot action grammar markers, as well as some lexical entries there-related, Kurikiri also equates flightedness to being ostentatious, disdaining flighted birds out of envy, which I think is a fun thought process for these terrestrially confined birds. There's also some neat phonosemantics in the taboo word for predator being especially difficult to pronounce.
This wasn't the intent, but I'm giving some space epic brownie points for the foot grammar if for nothing else than that it reminds me of Paul Frommer's Thark from John Carter and its telepathic grammatical and verbal lexical expression.
What do you do when the entire population of penguins achieves human-like levels of intelligence after some gene splicing and they start calling for a language to call their own? Why, you do exactly what the prompt of this challenge asks for and combine the languages native to the homeland of the blue, african, and humboldt penguins! The write up for this conlang does a great job of pointing out what features are from which language exactly, and plays a fun balancing game between some of the phonological and grammatical extremes in its sourcelangs. In so doing it has a few quirks that really tickle the intersection of my linguist and conlanger venn diagram, specifically the presence of what I'd have to interpret as onset morae, as well as semantic noun class marked solely through agreement (which is very Varamm, so I'm not at all biased towards it). There's a handful of fun, rare cases, and the simulative mood fits right into the inspirations for the last challenge to create some vaguely Tupian simultaneous actions. There's a bunch more little grammatical bits that are fun, but impressionistically I appreciate how the more isolating grammar of Māori was incorporated into the synthetic common ground of the other 2 sourcelangs.
Whaynisiday's Spheniscidae-inspired phonology includes a couple syringeal sounds to complement the otherwise human capable inventory. The highlighted lexical entries pay special attention to how penguins locomote with basic stems for different kinds of movement options both on land and in the water, as well as a split in breathing for whether its on land at rest or in the water being active. The conceptual metaphors include a great model of time with the past on land and the future in the inky depths, and the very adorable notion that safety = community, and so naturally a farewell would be a wish of friendship.
Where do I even begin with this one? I was excited to read this one when I first received it, but it was even better than I could have hoped when I got round to reading it! Although, not for any linguistic reasons: the first half of the doc reminds me of Gillian Teft's Anthro-Vision as an anthropological account of reindeers written by a fictitious Finnish researcher rather than any sort of sketched reference grammar, which I love dearly. The latter half, meanwhile, goes into great detail about what went into the first half, including all sorts of motivations or reasons for the decisions made. Some diachrony is detailed, as well as the effects of language contact rooted in actual historical events relevant to the chosen sourcelangs, which is just great to see. I loved the ways in which each of the different sourcelangs were all represented in the final product with it being Samic in origin but including some phonological and grammatical borrowings from Komi and Nenets like the lack of consonant gradation, the verb-final syntax, some vowel changes, and a fantastic predestinative affix that interacts with the conceptualisation of time in some neat ways. All the while, care was taken to do a wealth of research at every step in the process with a fairly extensive bibliography. Hoof clicks all around for this one!
Poro's Rangifer-inspired phonology includes a deer bellow as some sort of epiglottal obstruent that actually patterns with the Nenets glottal stop, as well as some other approximated reindeer vocalisations including what I presume to be grunts or chuffs, both oral and nasal. Care was also taken to think about what a fully reindeerised descendant of Proto-Samic would look like as accords with the included etiological myth for reindeers and reindeer husbandry, but this was well beyond the scope of a speedlang. The lexical entries include all sorts of terms for reindeer physiology, including but not limited to antler velvet, different types of vocalisations, and hoof clicks. These lexical entries feature in some wonderful idioms using antlers to describe social hierarchy, useful- or uselessness, and glibness or malicious intent, as well as an equivalent to "when pigs fly": "to catch a bird between one's hooves."
Extra brownie points both for the nominal hierarchical exaltation of mothers baked into reindeer culture and inclusion of an anti-imperialist message in promoting the research of the under-represented and often stigmatised language and culture of traditionally reindeer herding peoples. Also do keep an eye out for Dr. Dolittle easter eggs: Inky will reward you handsomely if you can spot one!
Given the number of bird entries with Indo-Pacific flavours, I'm almost half surprised this was the only kiwi entry: they're such good birbs! As might be expected, this conlang endeared itself to me just as its namesake does. The phonology has all sorts of trills and rhotics, and limits itself to high vowels; it's also got some neat phrase level prosody to mark different sorts of modal information and focus, even including an intrusive glottal stop at the sentence level. Noun incorporation is varied and detailed, and can create some polysynthetic constructions as a consequence of just how exactly the rest of the otherwise fairly analytic morphosyntax works. I'm a particular fan of the deictic categories including 7 different degrees of deixis characterising both distance and motion, and I'm also a fan of of the grammaticalised time of day. Heximal numbers and coverb constructions also feature. There's even a kiwi-capable featural alphabet that each of the examples show off!
Kiwi's Apteryx-inspired phonology includes the trills and high vowels being inspired by kiwi calls and I imagine a little of their anatomy with those long, thin bills. The inspired lexemes include specific types of smells humans can't detect at the expense of any colour terms, reflecting kiwis nocturnal, smell-based lifestyles. The idioms for "a long time ago" or "once upon a time" is absolutely delightful--"when kiwis flew"--and the grammaticalised time of day subdivides the night but not the day, as might be expected from a nocturnal beastie.
The speech that nourishes! And a splant, too, no less; I was hoping for at least one of these! This one's made all the better by delving into some Eastern North American languages and I really like the flavours this lends itself to. Syncope is abound with all sorts of morphological obfuscation through detailed phonological processes, and animacy plays a key role in the verb complex. Care was also taken to find a phonological common ground between all the sourcelangs, which made for a really interesting set of vowels with a basic 6 vowel inventory, but with 2 nasal vowels that can surface as vocalic allophones to the nasal consonants. The grammar is fairly straightforward but has a few quirks that I really appreciate, including but not limited to the fluid O placement to make for some syntactic focusing strategies I so adore and the optional, enclitic case marking narrowed by various postpositions used as another, separate means of focus. Overall just really well laid out and the formatting is really cute, something I've now come to expect after Yumpịku last time.
Asamiin's Asamina-inspired phonology includes a pharyngeal approximant to recall the really long taproot pawpaws grow, as well as regressive sibilant harmony to recall the mimicry the flowers employ to attract pollinators, both of which are some really inspired departures from the sourcelangs.
A bird that escapes any Indo-Pacific flavours? Well I'll be! Instead of South Pacific this one gives all sorts of North Pacific energy being spoken by a population of eaglefolk native to the Sea of Okhotsk and representative of the languages spoken along its coasts. The Ainu flavours are especially strong with both an Ainu-based consonant inventory and a kana orthography, among others. The vowels also show some interesting lopsidedness with 2 creaky vowels complementing an otherwise fairly straightforward 6 vowel system that feature in a front-back vowel harmony system, though I'm a real fan of the sandhi rules at word boundaries that cause all sorts of fun consonant alternations. Word stress is also detailed and has funky placement rules at odds with my understanding of theoretical prosodic processes! Grammatically there's a few quirks that really stand out to me and tickle my curiosity: a dual distinction on the nouns but not in the pronouns, and polypersonal agreement in a transitive alignment system, the only departure from direct, accusative, and/or ergative alignment in this round of submissions. I also appreciate some of the syncretism in the pronouns!
Ekkangäq's Haliaeetus-inspired phonology includes entirely unrounded vowels and a lack of any labial consonants to reflect the speakers have beaks, as well as the 2 creaky vowels as rooted in their physiology, a common theme for this challenge. The lexicon includes some distinctions between diving and eating as it applies to different kinds of prey. The conceptual metaphor, though, I think is really great equating the passage of time with ice: an iceberg calving off a glacier is birth, melting is ageing, and melting all away is dying. Great stuff!
I think I actually have to give negative brownie points for this one: as much as I appreciate 3 separate orthographies (Kana, Cyrillic, Latin) for some historicity, they are all at odds with the anti-imperialism the brownie criterion requires, and there's no girl power to balance it out.
I'm a little surprised this is, I think, the only truly tonal submission despite all the SEA birds, and it's less synthetic than most in this round of submissions. In either case, this one does a great job of illustrating some tonogenesis and some recent and still very transparent synthetic developments from a formerly isolating language. The tones are simple registers, but they interact with morae in some neat rightwards reassigning sandhi patterns, and they complement a system of 12 vowels in a 3x2x2 matrix of height, frontedness, and roundedness. There's even some vocalic nasal allophones (which is twice now in this round of submissions), and labial consonant-vowel harmony to boot! Grammatically I greatly appreciate all the call-outs for similarities to natural languages, and I wanna shout-out the use of a positive tag question instead of negative. The numbers have this funky sexagesimal base with an octal sub-base and remnants of an old decimal sub-base, which recalls some of the duodecimal remnants in the otherwise decimal system of many European languages.
Taqồpaq's Gallus-inspired phonology includes the tonal system being described as recalling a rooster's crow. The lexicon includes roots for all things chicken, including using the word for 'wattle' as a classifier for hanging things, which is so delightfully what I wanted out of this challenge. The more idiomatic language makes use of chicken behaviours as descriptors: dust baths are metaphors for something useful but not everyone's cup of tea, and continuing to brood after the chicks have hatched is a metaphor for doing a good thing so long it has negative consequences.
Extra brownie points for exalting queen Trưng, first queen of Vietnam, and a nationalist hero who fought against Chinese imperialism. Double whammy right there!
We already had a penguin splang but this one's a nice twist by focusing on the territorial claims of Antarctica rather than the ranges of more temperate inclined penguins where there are actually native languages. This does a great job of shirking the indigenous implication in the language selection step of the challenge (although I'm very glad to see no English or Spanish), so there's a really neat mix of isolating Māori particles with a fusional Germanic verbal system, and I was able to easily pick up on both reading through the doc. The verb system actually pleases me greatly with a strong/weak contrast and a V2 word order wherein the strong verbs mark tense through stem change and the weak verbs with a tense auxiliary, all whilst maintaining a very Polynesian aesthetic despite the very Germanic number of vowels. The Māori possessive system is also really fun, I think. I can't speak to the Awabakal influences, but I was able to pick up on the one, tiny Mapudungan influence of tone tag particles before it was even explicitly mentioned! Not sure where the negation system came from, but it implicates the weak verbs in a way I so adore. Really sweet, despite thefun grim facts about emperor penguin hatchlings, and I found this one just darling. The myth at the end about how penguins lost their ability to fly is also real treat and is a perfect fit for the project.
Ngālin doesn't have any A. forsteri-inspired phonology, but it makes up for it with the inspired lexicon and idiomatic language. The emperor penguin breeding cycle is detailed with translations for all the important terms along the way, including but not limited to the ritual of transferring egg from mother to father and "motherless" to refer to a newborn, whose mother hasn't yet returned from the sea. There's some great, everyday idioms elided down from full phrases for greeting and consoling another penguin being "which way?" and "next year", and conceptualising a long distance as specifically the distance from colony to see is a nice touch. I also appreciate how the relationship between creche-mates is more important than that between (half-)siblings.
I have to give queen exaltation brownie points purely for the one illustrative example of āmā o pipa "hatchling's mum" grammatically indicating the senior authority of an empress penguin.
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And that's everything I've seen in the time I put together this showcase. I know there were a few among you all who felt inspired but couldn't put anything together during the course of this challenge. I remember mention of a banana and a tree kangaroo splang on the announcement post. If anyone ever uses the challenge to inspire a future project of theirs, please keep me apprised! I'd be interested in seeing them if for nothing else than to see some more projects outside of South Asian and Oceanian birds, as great as those birbs are. I can't believe I didn't see a single monotreme or non-ungulate eutherian, and that there weren't any non-avian reptiles or anything fully aquatic! And no fossil clades, too, for that matter! I'm positive there are the makings of some really funky splangs if the relevant modern continental and climactic boundaries didn't yet exist.
In any case, I hope all parties involved had a great deal of fun through the course of this challenge! I know I did! Until next marrow, bonelickers!
submitted by impishDullahan to conlangs [link] [comments]
Early last month I announced the 19th Speedlang Challenge. I broke the mould with it a little bit by confining how the ambitious among you would actually put together your speedlangs rather than defining a number of requisite features. The bulk of this process had speedlangers root all their creative linguistic decisions in a small set of natlangs, and these natlangs specifically had to be native to areas representative of a chosen clade of organisms. To ensure the clade of organisms was well represented, I also asked for a number of lexical items and conceptual metaphors that had to be specifically inspired by the clade in some way, as well as some aspect of the phonology.
Like last time, I'll provide my thoughts about what I think makes each submission special and the features I particularly like. Afterwards, I'll quickly review what was inspired by the chosen clade, in case that has any bearing on what you kind readers might like to check out, and give out brownie points for any easter eggs I spot, whether intended or not.
Overall this has been a deeply creative round of submissions and I learned a lot, both things I set out to achieve when I thought up this particular challenge. I hope it was just as rewarding a challenge for everyone who submitted as it was for me getting to read up on each entry, and I hope it will be the same for anyone who reads up on them, too.
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Seba Bàsa by Miacomet
Gyps (griffon vultures); Chamic, Bengali, Santali & MundariWith a name including the element Bàsa, I knew this had to have Indic flavours of one sort of another, and indeed it does! This conlang is largely Austronesian in origin with sound changes from Old Cham, but it has a lot of Bengali influence and is well situated in the Indian subcontinent, and I greatly appreciate the nod to Parsi funerary traditions as an inspiring reason for choosing Gyps. Amusingly, this conlang has many features that fit right into the inspiration for the last speedlang challenge, which I find just delightful, with some split-S marking, dative enclitics, and grammaticalised constructions for simultaneous and sequential events, and light pronouns. Therebeside, the historical clipping, CVK syllable structure, postpositional pronouns, and aspectual auxiliaries speak to sensibilities in my own conlanging, and the dissimilation processes in some of the affixes are a nice touch, too. I'm also a big of fan just how the split-S system is implicated in some verbal polysemy, and I really like how the few voices seem kinda muddy but have clear use cases. What really sets this conlang apart, though, is the consideration paid to the effect of prestige languages. Some phonemes are restricted to loanwords from the local prestige language, and one is even only confined to prestige language-educated speakers, which causes some allophony other speakers don't have. Loaning processes are detailed, too, and the number and classifier system also draws nice lines along the prestige axis with a total of 3 parallel number systems, spread out across both divisions of native vs. loaned classifiers, which themselves have specific semantic domains they each classify, and across divisions of prestige language education. The story at the end, too, is a real treat: it's a translation of Hindu vulture myth, perfect for this project.
Seba Bàsa's Gyps-inspired phonology includes the development of creaky voice from the loss of glottals, glottalised consonants, and final /s/ in Old Cham to recall vulture cries. It's inspired lexicon includes some fun polysemy of vulture behaviours like circling = waiting or sheepling = looking for something desirable. I'm also a big fan of kite (the bird) = messy eater. It's inspired conceptual metaphors include dividing the beginning, middle, and end of a process into eating skin, meat, and bones, respectively, and equating head height/position with one's health or comfortableness as inspired by how vultures droop their heads when ill.
We're starting off string with double brownie points for meeting both the space epic easter egg by calquing the Ewokese word for 'outsider' and the empress easter egg by referring to Buddha's Birthday!
Kogëdek by u/Porpoise_God
Setonix & Macropodidae more generally (quokkas + kangaroos & wallabies); Noongar, Pitjantjatjara, Wajarri, Guugu Yimithirr, Miriwoong, Guniyandi, Dyirbal, MbabaramAside from the one splant you'll soon see, I think this entry gets the prize for the most unique chosen clade by being A) not a bird, and B) not an ungulate. As great as birds are, quokkas are pretty amazing, too. I'm not too familiar with Pama-Nyungan languages but this did a good job of affecting some of the features I've come to know them for, including but not limited to the phonological natural classes of peripheral vs. coronal, coverb constructions, and the word for 'dog' bearing a striking similarity to English. Split-ergativity features across the noun-pronoun axis, and there's a unique set of duals that specifically refer to sibling, parent-child, or spousal pairs of individuals that I might have to steal for myself. The case marking includes a lative case I haven't seen before, and implicates the comitative in a neat way in comparative constructions. I also appreciate the what-looks-to-be resumptive subject pronominal proclitics; very speedlang 18, and a great example of a fossilised mistake, which I always love to see! The verbs also feature multiple conjugations, and the imperative is implicated for its tenselessness in certain subclause constructions, which has a certain type of quirkiness I'd expect out of some past speedlang challenges.
Kogëdek's Setonix-inspired phonology included a /ç/ in the proto-lang, which bears some resemblance to quokka calls, although it was lost to /s/ and /x/ in the modern language. The inspired lexical entries include roots for different kinds of macropods and styles of jumping, and conflates jumping with breathing. Some of the idioms include "pouch-baby" for pejorative "mama's-boy" and using kangaroo badassery as a metaphor for all sorts of less than ideal situations.
Brownie points for a particularly insidious word-form for 'father'.
Yatakang by Lichen
Bubalus (water buffaloes); Hindi-Urdu, Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer, Burmese, MalayThis one's a little rough around the edges, but it's a good foundation for a nice mix of both SEA features, like the isolating morphosyntax, and unique features, like the class agreement system. It's also got clicks limited to avoidance speech! Diachronics from a proto-lang where considered, and I really like how the typologies of the inspo langs were used as targets for the sound changes. I'll have to keep this workflow in mind! Some of the sound changes include expanding the number of stop contrasts to match the average number of contrasts, or eroding the number of vowels to match that of Malay. Phonotactics were carefully considered with full structures for both mono- and disyllables as well as bare roots vs. compound stems. Grammatically, morphology is mostly limited to a host of different reduplication patterns, which in itself is something I'd really like to see more of! Where this really shines, though, is with its agreement system: nouns are sorted into a 3x2 matrix of 6 classes, portmanteau agreement particles mark for the class of both the subject and the object, the system implicates the social hierarchies common to many SEA languages, and the position of the particle marks modality. Incredibly inspired to pack all that into a set of maybe 36 particles, if you ask me, never mind how it helps to disambiguate fluid word class and how it might be implicated in future plans for Indonesian object-oriented verbs. I'm also a fan of how the temporal question verb patterns like an agreement particle to mark for tense by co-opting the modality marking. We also get some prosody-syntax interfacing with different pitch contours at clause boundaries operating as different sorts of conjunctions.
Yatakang's Bubalus-inspired phonology includes a combination of creaky voice and syllabic nasals to affect a mooing phonaesthetic. The lexical entries exhibit some nice semantic drift from water buffalo activities and behaviours towards more human behaviours, and the planned phrase of hat-hand stroke fur for "suddenly realise a problem, and then pretend there isn't one" just feels exactly like an observation a water buffalo would make observing its human, which I really like. The inspired metaphors are also simple and straightforward, likening roundedness to goodness or knowledge to food, which makes for some brilliantly idiomatic language like "I ate the book" to mean "I read and understood the contents of the book."
Extra brownie points for including both halves of the space epic easter egg to placate both sides of nerddom; the term 'tax-man' is everything it ought to be.
Kurikiri by Jjommoma
Casuariiformes (cassowaries and emus); Dhuwal, Motu, Tok PisinCompared to most other entries, this one's very short and sweet with some Australian sounds and some head-final Papuan grammar (however loose a description that is). That being said, Kurikiri is very inventive in being partially signed with much of its grammatical marking encoded by actions done with the foot, including number, case, definiteness, and some basic TAM.
Aside from the cassowary foot action grammar markers, as well as some lexical entries there-related, Kurikiri also equates flightedness to being ostentatious, disdaining flighted birds out of envy, which I think is a fun thought process for these terrestrially confined birds. There's also some neat phonosemantics in the taboo word for predator being especially difficult to pronounce.
This wasn't the intent, but I'm giving some space epic brownie points for the foot grammar if for nothing else than that it reminds me of Paul Frommer's Thark from John Carter and its telepathic grammatical and verbal lexical expression.
Whaynisiday by u/Fimii
Spheniscidae (penguins); Māori, Xhosa, QuechuaWhat do you do when the entire population of penguins achieves human-like levels of intelligence after some gene splicing and they start calling for a language to call their own? Why, you do exactly what the prompt of this challenge asks for and combine the languages native to the homeland of the blue, african, and humboldt penguins! The write up for this conlang does a great job of pointing out what features are from which language exactly, and plays a fun balancing game between some of the phonological and grammatical extremes in its sourcelangs. In so doing it has a few quirks that really tickle the intersection of my linguist and conlanger venn diagram, specifically the presence of what I'd have to interpret as onset morae, as well as semantic noun class marked solely through agreement (which is very Varamm, so I'm not at all biased towards it). There's a handful of fun, rare cases, and the simulative mood fits right into the inspirations for the last challenge to create some vaguely Tupian simultaneous actions. There's a bunch more little grammatical bits that are fun, but impressionistically I appreciate how the more isolating grammar of Māori was incorporated into the synthetic common ground of the other 2 sourcelangs.
Whaynisiday's Spheniscidae-inspired phonology includes a couple syringeal sounds to complement the otherwise human capable inventory. The highlighted lexical entries pay special attention to how penguins locomote with basic stems for different kinds of movement options both on land and in the water, as well as a split in breathing for whether its on land at rest or in the water being active. The conceptual metaphors include a great model of time with the past on land and the future in the inky depths, and the very adorable notion that safety = community, and so naturally a farewell would be a wish of friendship.
Poro by The Inky Baroness
Rangifer tarandus subsp. (domestic reindeers); Proto-Samic, Komi-Zyrian, Tundra Nenets, ChukchiWhere do I even begin with this one? I was excited to read this one when I first received it, but it was even better than I could have hoped when I got round to reading it! Although, not for any linguistic reasons: the first half of the doc reminds me of Gillian Teft's Anthro-Vision as an anthropological account of reindeers written by a fictitious Finnish researcher rather than any sort of sketched reference grammar, which I love dearly. The latter half, meanwhile, goes into great detail about what went into the first half, including all sorts of motivations or reasons for the decisions made. Some diachrony is detailed, as well as the effects of language contact rooted in actual historical events relevant to the chosen sourcelangs, which is just great to see. I loved the ways in which each of the different sourcelangs were all represented in the final product with it being Samic in origin but including some phonological and grammatical borrowings from Komi and Nenets like the lack of consonant gradation, the verb-final syntax, some vowel changes, and a fantastic predestinative affix that interacts with the conceptualisation of time in some neat ways. All the while, care was taken to do a wealth of research at every step in the process with a fairly extensive bibliography. Hoof clicks all around for this one!
Poro's Rangifer-inspired phonology includes a deer bellow as some sort of epiglottal obstruent that actually patterns with the Nenets glottal stop, as well as some other approximated reindeer vocalisations including what I presume to be grunts or chuffs, both oral and nasal. Care was also taken to think about what a fully reindeerised descendant of Proto-Samic would look like as accords with the included etiological myth for reindeers and reindeer husbandry, but this was well beyond the scope of a speedlang. The lexical entries include all sorts of terms for reindeer physiology, including but not limited to antler velvet, different types of vocalisations, and hoof clicks. These lexical entries feature in some wonderful idioms using antlers to describe social hierarchy, useful- or uselessness, and glibness or malicious intent, as well as an equivalent to "when pigs fly": "to catch a bird between one's hooves."
Extra brownie points both for the nominal hierarchical exaltation of mothers baked into reindeer culture and inclusion of an anti-imperialist message in promoting the research of the under-represented and often stigmatised language and culture of traditionally reindeer herding peoples. Also do keep an eye out for Dr. Dolittle easter eggs: Inky will reward you handsomely if you can spot one!
Kiwi by NerpNerp
Apteryx & Novaeratitae more broadly (kiwis + cassowaries & emus); English, Māori, Traditional Tiwi, Miriwoong, BardiGiven the number of bird entries with Indo-Pacific flavours, I'm almost half surprised this was the only kiwi entry: they're such good birbs! As might be expected, this conlang endeared itself to me just as its namesake does. The phonology has all sorts of trills and rhotics, and limits itself to high vowels; it's also got some neat phrase level prosody to mark different sorts of modal information and focus, even including an intrusive glottal stop at the sentence level. Noun incorporation is varied and detailed, and can create some polysynthetic constructions as a consequence of just how exactly the rest of the otherwise fairly analytic morphosyntax works. I'm a particular fan of the deictic categories including 7 different degrees of deixis characterising both distance and motion, and I'm also a fan of of the grammaticalised time of day. Heximal numbers and coverb constructions also feature. There's even a kiwi-capable featural alphabet that each of the examples show off!
Kiwi's Apteryx-inspired phonology includes the trills and high vowels being inspired by kiwi calls and I imagine a little of their anatomy with those long, thin bills. The inspired lexemes include specific types of smells humans can't detect at the expense of any colour terms, reflecting kiwis nocturnal, smell-based lifestyles. The idioms for "a long time ago" or "once upon a time" is absolutely delightful--"when kiwis flew"--and the grammaticalised time of day subdivides the night but not the day, as might be expected from a nocturnal beastie.
Asamiin by Christian Evans
Asamina (pawpaws); Ottawa, Unami, Tuscarora, Mikasuki, Chitimacha, TimucuaThe speech that nourishes! And a splant, too, no less; I was hoping for at least one of these! This one's made all the better by delving into some Eastern North American languages and I really like the flavours this lends itself to. Syncope is abound with all sorts of morphological obfuscation through detailed phonological processes, and animacy plays a key role in the verb complex. Care was also taken to find a phonological common ground between all the sourcelangs, which made for a really interesting set of vowels with a basic 6 vowel inventory, but with 2 nasal vowels that can surface as vocalic allophones to the nasal consonants. The grammar is fairly straightforward but has a few quirks that I really appreciate, including but not limited to the fluid O placement to make for some syntactic focusing strategies I so adore and the optional, enclitic case marking narrowed by various postpositions used as another, separate means of focus. Overall just really well laid out and the formatting is really cute, something I've now come to expect after Yumpịku last time.
Asamiin's Asamina-inspired phonology includes a pharyngeal approximant to recall the really long taproot pawpaws grow, as well as regressive sibilant harmony to recall the mimicry the flowers employ to attract pollinators, both of which are some really inspired departures from the sourcelangs.
Ekaangäq by Atyx
Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller's sea eagle); Chukchi, Alyutor, Koryak, Itelmen, Ainu, Nivkh, Evenki, UiltaA bird that escapes any Indo-Pacific flavours? Well I'll be! Instead of South Pacific this one gives all sorts of North Pacific energy being spoken by a population of eaglefolk native to the Sea of Okhotsk and representative of the languages spoken along its coasts. The Ainu flavours are especially strong with both an Ainu-based consonant inventory and a kana orthography, among others. The vowels also show some interesting lopsidedness with 2 creaky vowels complementing an otherwise fairly straightforward 6 vowel system that feature in a front-back vowel harmony system, though I'm a real fan of the sandhi rules at word boundaries that cause all sorts of fun consonant alternations. Word stress is also detailed and has funky placement rules at odds with my understanding of theoretical prosodic processes! Grammatically there's a few quirks that really stand out to me and tickle my curiosity: a dual distinction on the nouns but not in the pronouns, and polypersonal agreement in a transitive alignment system, the only departure from direct, accusative, and/or ergative alignment in this round of submissions. I also appreciate some of the syncretism in the pronouns!
Ekkangäq's Haliaeetus-inspired phonology includes entirely unrounded vowels and a lack of any labial consonants to reflect the speakers have beaks, as well as the 2 creaky vowels as rooted in their physiology, a common theme for this challenge. The lexicon includes some distinctions between diving and eating as it applies to different kinds of prey. The conceptual metaphor, though, I think is really great equating the passage of time with ice: an iceberg calving off a glacier is birth, melting is ageing, and melting all away is dying. Great stuff!
I think I actually have to give negative brownie points for this one: as much as I appreciate 3 separate orthographies (Kana, Cyrillic, Latin) for some historicity, they are all at odds with the anti-imperialism the brownie criterion requires, and there's no girl power to balance it out.
Taqồpaq by accruenewblue
Gallus (jungefowl); Hindi-Urdu, Burmese, Thai, Punjabi, Tamil, IndonesianI'm a little surprised this is, I think, the only truly tonal submission despite all the SEA birds, and it's less synthetic than most in this round of submissions. In either case, this one does a great job of illustrating some tonogenesis and some recent and still very transparent synthetic developments from a formerly isolating language. The tones are simple registers, but they interact with morae in some neat rightwards reassigning sandhi patterns, and they complement a system of 12 vowels in a 3x2x2 matrix of height, frontedness, and roundedness. There's even some vocalic nasal allophones (which is twice now in this round of submissions), and labial consonant-vowel harmony to boot! Grammatically I greatly appreciate all the call-outs for similarities to natural languages, and I wanna shout-out the use of a positive tag question instead of negative. The numbers have this funky sexagesimal base with an octal sub-base and remnants of an old decimal sub-base, which recalls some of the duodecimal remnants in the otherwise decimal system of many European languages.
Taqồpaq's Gallus-inspired phonology includes the tonal system being described as recalling a rooster's crow. The lexicon includes roots for all things chicken, including using the word for 'wattle' as a classifier for hanging things, which is so delightfully what I wanted out of this challenge. The more idiomatic language makes use of chicken behaviours as descriptors: dust baths are metaphors for something useful but not everyone's cup of tea, and continuing to brood after the chicks have hatched is a metaphor for doing a good thing so long it has negative consequences.
Extra brownie points for exalting queen Trưng, first queen of Vietnam, and a nationalist hero who fought against Chinese imperialism. Double whammy right there!
Ngālin by u/borago_officinalis
Aptenodytes forsteri (emperor penguins); Awabakal, Māori, NorwegianWe already had a penguin splang but this one's a nice twist by focusing on the territorial claims of Antarctica rather than the ranges of more temperate inclined penguins where there are actually native languages. This does a great job of shirking the indigenous implication in the language selection step of the challenge (although I'm very glad to see no English or Spanish), so there's a really neat mix of isolating Māori particles with a fusional Germanic verbal system, and I was able to easily pick up on both reading through the doc. The verb system actually pleases me greatly with a strong/weak contrast and a V2 word order wherein the strong verbs mark tense through stem change and the weak verbs with a tense auxiliary, all whilst maintaining a very Polynesian aesthetic despite the very Germanic number of vowels. The Māori possessive system is also really fun, I think. I can't speak to the Awabakal influences, but I was able to pick up on the one, tiny Mapudungan influence of tone tag particles before it was even explicitly mentioned! Not sure where the negation system came from, but it implicates the weak verbs in a way I so adore. Really sweet, despite the
Ngālin doesn't have any A. forsteri-inspired phonology, but it makes up for it with the inspired lexicon and idiomatic language. The emperor penguin breeding cycle is detailed with translations for all the important terms along the way, including but not limited to the ritual of transferring egg from mother to father and "motherless" to refer to a newborn, whose mother hasn't yet returned from the sea. There's some great, everyday idioms elided down from full phrases for greeting and consoling another penguin being "which way?" and "next year", and conceptualising a long distance as specifically the distance from colony to see is a nice touch. I also appreciate how the relationship between creche-mates is more important than that between (half-)siblings.
I have to give queen exaltation brownie points purely for the one illustrative example of āmā o pipa "hatchling's mum" grammatically indicating the senior authority of an empress penguin.
Honourable Mention
I've been kept somewhat apprised of a Urile (North Pacific cormorants) splang by u/PastTheStarryVoids. It's still very much in the works, but it sounds funky with both some polysynthetic flavours, no doubt inspired by some PNW languages, I imagine, and some formorant (cormorant formant) analysis! Keep an eye out for it, I'm sure it'll grace the sub in due time!
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And that's everything I've seen in the time I put together this showcase. I know there were a few among you all who felt inspired but couldn't put anything together during the course of this challenge. I remember mention of a banana and a tree kangaroo splang on the announcement post. If anyone ever uses the challenge to inspire a future project of theirs, please keep me apprised! I'd be interested in seeing them if for nothing else than to see some more projects outside of South Asian and Oceanian birds, as great as those birbs are. I can't believe I didn't see a single monotreme or non-ungulate eutherian, and that there weren't any non-avian reptiles or anything fully aquatic! And no fossil clades, too, for that matter! I'm positive there are the makings of some really funky splangs if the relevant modern continental and climactic boundaries didn't yet exist.
In any case, I hope all parties involved had a great deal of fun through the course of this challenge! I know I did! Until next marrow, bonelickers!
2024.06.09 17:51 These-Giraffe-8473 AITA for having had an affair with the man who groomed me?
This story is one that started a long time ago, but still affects my (32F) day-to-day life. Sorry everyone, it's a long one.
It began about 17 years ago, when I was 15 and still in school. I frequented internet forums including several fan sites of video games and books I enjoyed. One of these was a role playing forum where I and five others were writing stories together in our favourite universes. I got along well with the other members and it was a great way for me to learn English. Importantly, we only ever communicated through text, never through voice or video calls.
This is where I met the main character of this story, let's call him Tom. Tom said he was 19 years old, and was the only guy active on the forum. He had a great way with words, was mature beyond his years, and had a natural charisma about him. Naturally, as a 15-year-old with no prior experience with relationships, I was instantly drawn to this mysterious, well-spoken figure. Over the course of a month since meeting him, our conversations grew in frequency and depth, until eventually we spoke to each other on chat clients for 3-4 hours a day. At the same time, we continued writing our stories, including a plethora of romantic scenes between our respective characters. We also shared poems that we had written. It was an intense experience for me - I had never really had such a deep connection with a 'boy' before.
My parents never really taught me the importance of internet safety, and I can't blame them: it was all still very new at this time, also to them. It was Tom and my other friends on the forum that stressed how important it was to keep personal information private, especially when they learned my age. Tom especially was adamant never to share my location or photo with anyone, not even with him. It made me feel safe with him - for how could someone who so actively dissuaded me from sharing my information be a monster?
Of course I fell in love with him, to whatever extent a 15-year-old brain can comprehend love.
From written descriptions I had given of myself, Tom had expressed that he thought I must look beautiful, and so the fool that I was I gathered up the courage to send him a picture of myself anyway, desperate for his approval. He was complimentary, but did ask me why I had sent him a picture. I admitted my feelings for him. Tom was understanding, but stressed that he would never be able to give me what I needed from him.
Still, that did not stop either of us from progressing the nature of our interactions into something more sinister. I call it sinister looking back on it as an adult; at the time it was titillating and exciting. We started to send each other 'kisses' goodnight, sent back and forth explicit drawings depicting characters that looked like us, and described other intimate interactions over chat.
My mother once came into my room and witnessed Tom calling me by an endearing term. She interrogated me and I begged her not to make me break off contact with Tom. She listened to me, but made me promise her to be sensible. I want to scream at her now for not stopping it then.
My school friends did what my mother could not: they were concerned for my safety, and stepped to the headmistress, who called me into her office. After telling Tom about the encounter, he panicked. He told me we could no longer chat, and made me promise to tell the headmistress that it was over. I was heartbroken, but promised him.
I did ask Tom if we could still communicate through other means - we were doing some online art projects together that we both wanted to finish. He said yes, we could still maintain contact over e-mail and forum DM, but chat was off the table for now. I took what I could get.
The years that followed were chaotic. Sometimes our contact would be e-mail only, then we would move back to chat. At times, when things got too hard, I would decide to go no-contact for a while. I had my first real relationships in the lulls, but I would always come back. Tom would always receive me with open arms, either as a friend whenever I was dating someone, or rekindling our romantic interactions when I was not. He was always kind, patient, sensitive, and seemed selfless in his interactions with me. He made me feel so good about myself that I became obsessed with him, convinced he was the love of my life.
Three years in, Tom knew my real name, knew where I lived, and had seen nudes of me (he used one as his desktop background for years). At the same time, I knew nothing about Tom. What was worse, the few details he had unintentionally revealed weren't adding up.
Tom always portrayed our story as one of star-crossed lovers who due to circumstance outside our control could never be together. He told me I would never love him if I ever saw him in real life. First he claimed that his face had been ruined by flesh-eating bacteria. When my biology degree taught me that it's nearly impossible to survive that, he claimed body dysmorphic disorder (which I think to some extent was true).
Things reached boiling point six years into this mess. He slipped up, and revealed a detail about his life that directly contradicted the only concrete thing he had ever told me about himself: his age. I took a day to process, then confronted him, asking him how old he really was. After some initial resistance, he admitted that he had lied.
Mid-thirties, he said. A decade(!) older than he had at first claimed. I should have been furious, but after 6 years of being charmed and manipulated by him, I could only feel sorry for him. When I assured him that nothing between us had to change because of a 'number', he dropped the next bombshell:
Tom: "Alright then. Mid-forties."
I felt like I couldn't breathe. For years, I had been having sexually explicit conversations with someone old enough to be my father when I had believed him to be my age. What was worse, it had all started when I was underage. I gave Tom an ultimatum: either tell me the full truth about who he was; or lose me forever. I gave him two weeks to send me his information. He decided not to, which should have immediately set off the alarm bells that there was even more he was lying about; more he had to hide. I didn't even consider that in the moment; my heart was broken once again, and I cut off contact.
At the time, Tom and I had a number of mutual friends that we both spoke to regularly. Two of these were my cousin and his wife. I went to see them after I found out about Tom's real age, trying to find solace and understanding from someone who also knew him. I felt incredibly betrayed and angry, and asked that they also break contact - maybe that was a bit of an a-hole move. They said no: after all, Tom had never revealed his age to my cousin or his wife. As such, he had never lied to them, only to me, and they were not willing to end their friendship with Tom over that. When I asked what they thought of a 40-year-old having explicit conversations with a 15-year-old, they said that from a certain age, the teenager also has a responsibility in preventing this.
My cousin and his wife were not the only mutual friends that knew what was going on. Amazingly and invariably, NONE of our mutual friends chose to break contact with Tom over this. It caused immense doubt in me. Was I wrong in judging Tom for lying to me? Maybe the lie wasn't so terrible. And all those explicit conversations? Well, I instigated a large number of them, not Tom, so maybe I was equally, if not largely, to blame.
The way I see it now: Tom is like a cult leader: no matter what he does or says, his 'followers' will defend him; even blame themselves if it strips him of guilt. What is worse, anyone who dropped out of his inner circle would feel incredibly isolated and excluded. My friends would not play games with me because they preferred playing games with him. They would not write with me, because writing with him was so much more fun. I wish I'd had the strength to stay away, but one year later I came crawling back, desperate to be included into his circle once again, desperate for his affection that the others seemed to thrive under.
I was 22 at this time. Our contact was sporadic for the next four years - I was hesitant to engage romantically with him, even though part of me, despite everything he had put me through, still 'loved' him (trust me, writing this down, my naivety is making me want to claw my eyes out). I entered a relationship with someone else during this time, and went back to no-contact for most of its 4-year duration. When that relationship ended, Tom and I started talking more again, slowly slipping back into old habits and using the same terms of endearment we had used in the past. Tom revealed more details about himself now - he would talk about his boss, his sister, his friends, his home-town, and discussed things that were going on in his personal life. We also started talking over voice-chat, and damn it, he had an attractive voice.
I had just turned 27 when a response of his triggered me. We were recalling the early days of our interactions, and I mentioned how he had once accidentally sent me an e-mail from a throwaway account. I recalled the address letter by letter (I have a mild form of autism). He went very quiet, and then said that my memory was astounding.
Something in my lizard brain decided to look up the name in that e-mail address. I had done the same 12 years prior, but I had much more information now. It took me three hours to cross-reference the tidbits of information he had fed me over the months and years within the context of this name. And what do you know: it WAS his real name. I continued looking for the rest of the evening.. and I found much more than I bargained for.
You see, Tom was not the only person registered to his house. He was reported to live there with a woman who shared his last name, let's call her Hannah. I naively thought she might be the sister he mentioned (though he had given another name). Fortunately for me, Hannah was a lot less careful than Tom with her personal information, and I soon found a link to her blog on her Twitter page. A goldmine of information, going back over 10 years, covering almost every single day since Tom and I started talking.
My blood went cold as I started reading. It soon became clear to me that not only was Hannah his WIFE of 25-or-so years, they had an 11-year-old SON together (let's call him Jacob). I was 100% sure it was his wife writing - I could easily cross-reference the little things he had told me (assembling a bookcase, having lamb for dinner, visiting SIL for the weekend, getting a sunburn) with the details she was sharing about their life.
Once more, I should have run for the hills. Once more, I didn't. I often wonder how I could have been so stupid as to let this shitshow continue for so long, despite the thousand-and-one reasons Tom had given me to drop him. I can only attribute it to some kind of twisted sunk cost fallacy. By recognising Tom for the monster that he was, I had to face having loved that monster for over a decade. It meant admitting to myself that I was a terrible judge of character, and how could I possibly trust anyone ever again if I could not trust my own judgment? Also, all our mutual friends had always normalised his behaviour to the extent that it seemed almost arrogant to say that HE was in the wrong.
Because of the reactions that I had received from my friends and cousin last time, I kept what I knew to myself, even from Tom. Enter the next ridiculous phase of the story: Tom was saying how he was ordering a passport SO THAT HE COULD COME TO VISIT ME AND MY COUSIN. And idiot that I was, I wanted nothing more, because I was STILL IN LOVE WITH THE SH*T even after everything he had done, now not only to me, but also to his wife Hannah and his son.
I met him in real life five months later. He would be visiting my house for the day, and I was planning to confront him about what I knew. I had given one of my close friends his real name and address, and had told them to contact the police in the event they didn't hear from me by evening - I had no idea how Tom would react when exposed. Probably the fact that I felt unsafe in the first place should have been enough reason not to meet him alone.
We met, and I wish I didn't feel attracted to this 50-year-old but I did. We talked a lot. Eventually, I decided to test him, to see if he would be disloyal to his wife. While our conversations had definitely been flirty over the past year or so, I had never actually been straight with Tom and told him I still felt the same way. So I told him. Credit to him where it is due, he said he couldn't pursue a relationship with me, but followed it up with 'that we could still hold hands and hug'. He did not tell me why he couldn't, of course.
Only then did I reveal what I knew. I told him I've known for months now what his real name is, where he works, where he lives, and who he lives with. I probably could've been a bit more sensitive in how I brought it up (but let's be honest he doesn't deserve it and I was pretty pissed off keeping this stuff inside for 5 months). He turned incredibly pale and said that I could ask him anything I wanted to know. I asked him about his wife and their relationship (which hadn't been good for years according to him), his son (the pride of his life), and why on earth he had chosen to have explicit exchanges with a 15-year-old as a married man ('I was drunk').
During his stay, we were never intimate in the 'spicy' way, but we did hold hands a lot, he would have his hand on my leg, and we shared long hugs. He stayed the nights at my cousin's, and a few days later he left to go back to his country.
I am not proud of what happened next. Over the next months, we video chatted almost every evening. The conversations got flirtier, the amount of clothes we were wearing diminished until we both went into the calls topless.
One night, things escalated. We had gotten into a fight earlier in the evening - he had revealed that during that first real-life meeting, he had made an audio recording of the whole conversation, apparently so he could later prove to his wife that nothing happened. I responded that it was ok (it totally wasn't but that's beside the point), that I had taken precautions as well, and told him about the friend I had contacted. He lost it, saying I had no right to share his personal details with my friend or anyone else. I got angry in return, saying that he had no reason to distrust me as in the 12 years of knowing each other I had never lied to him; on the other hand I had EVERY reason to distrust him as he literally hid a wife and son from me, and had lied to a 15-year-old girl about his age.
We were both emotionally drained after, and I took things a step further that night, and seduced him into doing more together in front of the camera, maybe knowing that he would be too drained to refuse. He asked me later if I had consciously manipulated him into going along with it, choosing a vulnerable moment to strike - maybe I did, and I regret it.
Over the next months, our 'mishap' developed into a full-blown affair. I visited his home-town about 5 times in the year that followed. We kissed, and did basically everything apart from the 'deed' itself. I think he never wanted to have traditional sex either because then he could keep justifying to himself that he hadn't cheated on his wife, or because he was terrified of getting me pregnant. During my stays in his home-town, he would bring his son Jacob along to our lunches and dinners. Mostly to pacify his wife I suspect, for how could it be an affair with his son around? I loved the kid, we got along well, but I hated the lie that I had to live. To put myself through this was one thing, but it was so unbelievably unfair on Hannah and Jacob.
The whole situation sent me into severe depression. I was abandoning my morals for this man whom I still could not trust. I was lonely, and didn't date because I refused to be a cheater myself (maybe hypocritical). With every real-life meeting, his mask slipped further, and by the end there was little left of the charismatic, caring man that I had imagined him to be. Still, I was so entangled with him that I could not imagine my life without Tom. I did not know who I was without this person, who had completely overshadowed at this point almost half my life and all my adult life. I was stuck.
Eventually, I gave Tom an ultimatum again: Hannah, or me. I gave him two months to make up his mind. We spoke daily, and as his 'deadline' was approaching he became verbally aggressive with me, saying that he wasn't enjoying our conversations as much as he used to because I kept bringing up the choice he had to make. I asked him what he needed from me. He said he needed more time. I am ashamed to say I gave him that time.
I was lucky to have found two very close friends among my colleagues over the course of this whole drama. They had slowly witnessed the situation devolve into something unmaintainable. One of them often visited when I had panic attacks; she even slept next to me on the bad nights to make sure I'd be ok. They recommended me to make written lists of the red flags that I saw, the abusive behaviours Tom had demonstrated, and the effects the whole situation was having on me. They made me see how he would never choose me, that he was happy using everything and everyone as long as it served his needs. They slowly guided me into making the right decision during a work conference, when I didn't have time to contact Tom. Being away from his reach for a week, combined with the continuous talks with my two friends throughout the conference, made me strong enough to make a decision. Together, we agreed that as soon as I got back home, I would call Tom and cut ties with him. My friends would be available on call straight after.
Thanks to my friends, I went through with it. I cut contact almost three years ago now. As expected, he did not fight for me, and never tried to contact me again. My friends saw me through the worst of it.
Four months after cutting ties with Tom, I met the man who is now my husband, and we are currently expecting a baby. He makes me unbelievably happy, and has taught me what a loving relationship should feel like. He knows about this whole story and is very supportive. He even encouraged me to post this as he believes it'd help me process things.
I am still in touch with some of Tom's friends: my cousin, his wife, and a 40-year-old woman who has been my friend since the start of this whole story and was my MOH during my wedding. I have decided not to hold it against them that they cannot let go of Tom - hell, I couldn't let go for 14 years. It just demonstrates the horrible grip and influence he has on people. My MOH and I have an understanding that we don't discuss Tom, and that saved the friendship - we actually have a lot in common and enjoy each other's company a lot. I refuse to lose any more people over him.
I am in a good place now, looking forward to the future, and can't wait to meet our child. Still, this experience has not left me unscathed. I still struggle with trust, in other people and myself, and feel that I am responsible for a lot of what happened. I feel incredibly ashamed and naive for my behaviour over the years. I especially feel horrible about what I did to Hannah and Jacob - as far as I know, Tom never told them about the affair, but I would be very surprised if Hannah didn't know what was going on. I do have my suspicions that I am not the only one Tom did this with, but I have no proof, and it does not take away any of my responsibility in all of this.
So reddit: did I seduce Tom as a 15-year-old, or did he groom me and manipulate me into falling for him? Or was our interaction simply toxic on both sides, and not any one person's fault? And AITA for having pursued this affair even after I found out Tom was married? Also, should I reach out to Hannah (though honestly I would be a bit scared to do so, and I don't feel at all like reinserting myself into Tom's life in any way)?
And finally the question that still keeps me up at night: did Tom ruin half my life, or did I do that all by myself? And if I had a role to play in this, am I fit to be a mother?
TL;DR: As a 15-year-old, I fell in love with a man who claimed he was 19 but was actually 40. 12 years later, I found out he had a wife and son, but had become so infatuated with him that I pursued an affair with him. I ended the affair two years later but still feel guilty. I feel like much of what happened is my responsibility, since I instigated most of the intimacy. AITA?
submitted by These-Giraffe-8473 to okstorytime [link] [comments]
It began about 17 years ago, when I was 15 and still in school. I frequented internet forums including several fan sites of video games and books I enjoyed. One of these was a role playing forum where I and five others were writing stories together in our favourite universes. I got along well with the other members and it was a great way for me to learn English. Importantly, we only ever communicated through text, never through voice or video calls.
This is where I met the main character of this story, let's call him Tom. Tom said he was 19 years old, and was the only guy active on the forum. He had a great way with words, was mature beyond his years, and had a natural charisma about him. Naturally, as a 15-year-old with no prior experience with relationships, I was instantly drawn to this mysterious, well-spoken figure. Over the course of a month since meeting him, our conversations grew in frequency and depth, until eventually we spoke to each other on chat clients for 3-4 hours a day. At the same time, we continued writing our stories, including a plethora of romantic scenes between our respective characters. We also shared poems that we had written. It was an intense experience for me - I had never really had such a deep connection with a 'boy' before.
My parents never really taught me the importance of internet safety, and I can't blame them: it was all still very new at this time, also to them. It was Tom and my other friends on the forum that stressed how important it was to keep personal information private, especially when they learned my age. Tom especially was adamant never to share my location or photo with anyone, not even with him. It made me feel safe with him - for how could someone who so actively dissuaded me from sharing my information be a monster?
Of course I fell in love with him, to whatever extent a 15-year-old brain can comprehend love.
From written descriptions I had given of myself, Tom had expressed that he thought I must look beautiful, and so the fool that I was I gathered up the courage to send him a picture of myself anyway, desperate for his approval. He was complimentary, but did ask me why I had sent him a picture. I admitted my feelings for him. Tom was understanding, but stressed that he would never be able to give me what I needed from him.
Still, that did not stop either of us from progressing the nature of our interactions into something more sinister. I call it sinister looking back on it as an adult; at the time it was titillating and exciting. We started to send each other 'kisses' goodnight, sent back and forth explicit drawings depicting characters that looked like us, and described other intimate interactions over chat.
My mother once came into my room and witnessed Tom calling me by an endearing term. She interrogated me and I begged her not to make me break off contact with Tom. She listened to me, but made me promise her to be sensible. I want to scream at her now for not stopping it then.
My school friends did what my mother could not: they were concerned for my safety, and stepped to the headmistress, who called me into her office. After telling Tom about the encounter, he panicked. He told me we could no longer chat, and made me promise to tell the headmistress that it was over. I was heartbroken, but promised him.
I did ask Tom if we could still communicate through other means - we were doing some online art projects together that we both wanted to finish. He said yes, we could still maintain contact over e-mail and forum DM, but chat was off the table for now. I took what I could get.
The years that followed were chaotic. Sometimes our contact would be e-mail only, then we would move back to chat. At times, when things got too hard, I would decide to go no-contact for a while. I had my first real relationships in the lulls, but I would always come back. Tom would always receive me with open arms, either as a friend whenever I was dating someone, or rekindling our romantic interactions when I was not. He was always kind, patient, sensitive, and seemed selfless in his interactions with me. He made me feel so good about myself that I became obsessed with him, convinced he was the love of my life.
Three years in, Tom knew my real name, knew where I lived, and had seen nudes of me (he used one as his desktop background for years). At the same time, I knew nothing about Tom. What was worse, the few details he had unintentionally revealed weren't adding up.
Tom always portrayed our story as one of star-crossed lovers who due to circumstance outside our control could never be together. He told me I would never love him if I ever saw him in real life. First he claimed that his face had been ruined by flesh-eating bacteria. When my biology degree taught me that it's nearly impossible to survive that, he claimed body dysmorphic disorder (which I think to some extent was true).
Things reached boiling point six years into this mess. He slipped up, and revealed a detail about his life that directly contradicted the only concrete thing he had ever told me about himself: his age. I took a day to process, then confronted him, asking him how old he really was. After some initial resistance, he admitted that he had lied.
Mid-thirties, he said. A decade(!) older than he had at first claimed. I should have been furious, but after 6 years of being charmed and manipulated by him, I could only feel sorry for him. When I assured him that nothing between us had to change because of a 'number', he dropped the next bombshell:
Tom: "Alright then. Mid-forties."
I felt like I couldn't breathe. For years, I had been having sexually explicit conversations with someone old enough to be my father when I had believed him to be my age. What was worse, it had all started when I was underage. I gave Tom an ultimatum: either tell me the full truth about who he was; or lose me forever. I gave him two weeks to send me his information. He decided not to, which should have immediately set off the alarm bells that there was even more he was lying about; more he had to hide. I didn't even consider that in the moment; my heart was broken once again, and I cut off contact.
At the time, Tom and I had a number of mutual friends that we both spoke to regularly. Two of these were my cousin and his wife. I went to see them after I found out about Tom's real age, trying to find solace and understanding from someone who also knew him. I felt incredibly betrayed and angry, and asked that they also break contact - maybe that was a bit of an a-hole move. They said no: after all, Tom had never revealed his age to my cousin or his wife. As such, he had never lied to them, only to me, and they were not willing to end their friendship with Tom over that. When I asked what they thought of a 40-year-old having explicit conversations with a 15-year-old, they said that from a certain age, the teenager also has a responsibility in preventing this.
My cousin and his wife were not the only mutual friends that knew what was going on. Amazingly and invariably, NONE of our mutual friends chose to break contact with Tom over this. It caused immense doubt in me. Was I wrong in judging Tom for lying to me? Maybe the lie wasn't so terrible. And all those explicit conversations? Well, I instigated a large number of them, not Tom, so maybe I was equally, if not largely, to blame.
The way I see it now: Tom is like a cult leader: no matter what he does or says, his 'followers' will defend him; even blame themselves if it strips him of guilt. What is worse, anyone who dropped out of his inner circle would feel incredibly isolated and excluded. My friends would not play games with me because they preferred playing games with him. They would not write with me, because writing with him was so much more fun. I wish I'd had the strength to stay away, but one year later I came crawling back, desperate to be included into his circle once again, desperate for his affection that the others seemed to thrive under.
I was 22 at this time. Our contact was sporadic for the next four years - I was hesitant to engage romantically with him, even though part of me, despite everything he had put me through, still 'loved' him (trust me, writing this down, my naivety is making me want to claw my eyes out). I entered a relationship with someone else during this time, and went back to no-contact for most of its 4-year duration. When that relationship ended, Tom and I started talking more again, slowly slipping back into old habits and using the same terms of endearment we had used in the past. Tom revealed more details about himself now - he would talk about his boss, his sister, his friends, his home-town, and discussed things that were going on in his personal life. We also started talking over voice-chat, and damn it, he had an attractive voice.
I had just turned 27 when a response of his triggered me. We were recalling the early days of our interactions, and I mentioned how he had once accidentally sent me an e-mail from a throwaway account. I recalled the address letter by letter (I have a mild form of autism). He went very quiet, and then said that my memory was astounding.
Something in my lizard brain decided to look up the name in that e-mail address. I had done the same 12 years prior, but I had much more information now. It took me three hours to cross-reference the tidbits of information he had fed me over the months and years within the context of this name. And what do you know: it WAS his real name. I continued looking for the rest of the evening.. and I found much more than I bargained for.
You see, Tom was not the only person registered to his house. He was reported to live there with a woman who shared his last name, let's call her Hannah. I naively thought she might be the sister he mentioned (though he had given another name). Fortunately for me, Hannah was a lot less careful than Tom with her personal information, and I soon found a link to her blog on her Twitter page. A goldmine of information, going back over 10 years, covering almost every single day since Tom and I started talking.
My blood went cold as I started reading. It soon became clear to me that not only was Hannah his WIFE of 25-or-so years, they had an 11-year-old SON together (let's call him Jacob). I was 100% sure it was his wife writing - I could easily cross-reference the little things he had told me (assembling a bookcase, having lamb for dinner, visiting SIL for the weekend, getting a sunburn) with the details she was sharing about their life.
Once more, I should have run for the hills. Once more, I didn't. I often wonder how I could have been so stupid as to let this shitshow continue for so long, despite the thousand-and-one reasons Tom had given me to drop him. I can only attribute it to some kind of twisted sunk cost fallacy. By recognising Tom for the monster that he was, I had to face having loved that monster for over a decade. It meant admitting to myself that I was a terrible judge of character, and how could I possibly trust anyone ever again if I could not trust my own judgment? Also, all our mutual friends had always normalised his behaviour to the extent that it seemed almost arrogant to say that HE was in the wrong.
Because of the reactions that I had received from my friends and cousin last time, I kept what I knew to myself, even from Tom. Enter the next ridiculous phase of the story: Tom was saying how he was ordering a passport SO THAT HE COULD COME TO VISIT ME AND MY COUSIN. And idiot that I was, I wanted nothing more, because I was STILL IN LOVE WITH THE SH*T even after everything he had done, now not only to me, but also to his wife Hannah and his son.
I met him in real life five months later. He would be visiting my house for the day, and I was planning to confront him about what I knew. I had given one of my close friends his real name and address, and had told them to contact the police in the event they didn't hear from me by evening - I had no idea how Tom would react when exposed. Probably the fact that I felt unsafe in the first place should have been enough reason not to meet him alone.
We met, and I wish I didn't feel attracted to this 50-year-old but I did. We talked a lot. Eventually, I decided to test him, to see if he would be disloyal to his wife. While our conversations had definitely been flirty over the past year or so, I had never actually been straight with Tom and told him I still felt the same way. So I told him. Credit to him where it is due, he said he couldn't pursue a relationship with me, but followed it up with 'that we could still hold hands and hug'. He did not tell me why he couldn't, of course.
Only then did I reveal what I knew. I told him I've known for months now what his real name is, where he works, where he lives, and who he lives with. I probably could've been a bit more sensitive in how I brought it up (but let's be honest he doesn't deserve it and I was pretty pissed off keeping this stuff inside for 5 months). He turned incredibly pale and said that I could ask him anything I wanted to know. I asked him about his wife and their relationship (which hadn't been good for years according to him), his son (the pride of his life), and why on earth he had chosen to have explicit exchanges with a 15-year-old as a married man ('I was drunk').
During his stay, we were never intimate in the 'spicy' way, but we did hold hands a lot, he would have his hand on my leg, and we shared long hugs. He stayed the nights at my cousin's, and a few days later he left to go back to his country.
I am not proud of what happened next. Over the next months, we video chatted almost every evening. The conversations got flirtier, the amount of clothes we were wearing diminished until we both went into the calls topless.
One night, things escalated. We had gotten into a fight earlier in the evening - he had revealed that during that first real-life meeting, he had made an audio recording of the whole conversation, apparently so he could later prove to his wife that nothing happened. I responded that it was ok (it totally wasn't but that's beside the point), that I had taken precautions as well, and told him about the friend I had contacted. He lost it, saying I had no right to share his personal details with my friend or anyone else. I got angry in return, saying that he had no reason to distrust me as in the 12 years of knowing each other I had never lied to him; on the other hand I had EVERY reason to distrust him as he literally hid a wife and son from me, and had lied to a 15-year-old girl about his age.
We were both emotionally drained after, and I took things a step further that night, and seduced him into doing more together in front of the camera, maybe knowing that he would be too drained to refuse. He asked me later if I had consciously manipulated him into going along with it, choosing a vulnerable moment to strike - maybe I did, and I regret it.
Over the next months, our 'mishap' developed into a full-blown affair. I visited his home-town about 5 times in the year that followed. We kissed, and did basically everything apart from the 'deed' itself. I think he never wanted to have traditional sex either because then he could keep justifying to himself that he hadn't cheated on his wife, or because he was terrified of getting me pregnant. During my stays in his home-town, he would bring his son Jacob along to our lunches and dinners. Mostly to pacify his wife I suspect, for how could it be an affair with his son around? I loved the kid, we got along well, but I hated the lie that I had to live. To put myself through this was one thing, but it was so unbelievably unfair on Hannah and Jacob.
The whole situation sent me into severe depression. I was abandoning my morals for this man whom I still could not trust. I was lonely, and didn't date because I refused to be a cheater myself (maybe hypocritical). With every real-life meeting, his mask slipped further, and by the end there was little left of the charismatic, caring man that I had imagined him to be. Still, I was so entangled with him that I could not imagine my life without Tom. I did not know who I was without this person, who had completely overshadowed at this point almost half my life and all my adult life. I was stuck.
Eventually, I gave Tom an ultimatum again: Hannah, or me. I gave him two months to make up his mind. We spoke daily, and as his 'deadline' was approaching he became verbally aggressive with me, saying that he wasn't enjoying our conversations as much as he used to because I kept bringing up the choice he had to make. I asked him what he needed from me. He said he needed more time. I am ashamed to say I gave him that time.
I was lucky to have found two very close friends among my colleagues over the course of this whole drama. They had slowly witnessed the situation devolve into something unmaintainable. One of them often visited when I had panic attacks; she even slept next to me on the bad nights to make sure I'd be ok. They recommended me to make written lists of the red flags that I saw, the abusive behaviours Tom had demonstrated, and the effects the whole situation was having on me. They made me see how he would never choose me, that he was happy using everything and everyone as long as it served his needs. They slowly guided me into making the right decision during a work conference, when I didn't have time to contact Tom. Being away from his reach for a week, combined with the continuous talks with my two friends throughout the conference, made me strong enough to make a decision. Together, we agreed that as soon as I got back home, I would call Tom and cut ties with him. My friends would be available on call straight after.
Thanks to my friends, I went through with it. I cut contact almost three years ago now. As expected, he did not fight for me, and never tried to contact me again. My friends saw me through the worst of it.
Four months after cutting ties with Tom, I met the man who is now my husband, and we are currently expecting a baby. He makes me unbelievably happy, and has taught me what a loving relationship should feel like. He knows about this whole story and is very supportive. He even encouraged me to post this as he believes it'd help me process things.
I am still in touch with some of Tom's friends: my cousin, his wife, and a 40-year-old woman who has been my friend since the start of this whole story and was my MOH during my wedding. I have decided not to hold it against them that they cannot let go of Tom - hell, I couldn't let go for 14 years. It just demonstrates the horrible grip and influence he has on people. My MOH and I have an understanding that we don't discuss Tom, and that saved the friendship - we actually have a lot in common and enjoy each other's company a lot. I refuse to lose any more people over him.
I am in a good place now, looking forward to the future, and can't wait to meet our child. Still, this experience has not left me unscathed. I still struggle with trust, in other people and myself, and feel that I am responsible for a lot of what happened. I feel incredibly ashamed and naive for my behaviour over the years. I especially feel horrible about what I did to Hannah and Jacob - as far as I know, Tom never told them about the affair, but I would be very surprised if Hannah didn't know what was going on. I do have my suspicions that I am not the only one Tom did this with, but I have no proof, and it does not take away any of my responsibility in all of this.
So reddit: did I seduce Tom as a 15-year-old, or did he groom me and manipulate me into falling for him? Or was our interaction simply toxic on both sides, and not any one person's fault? And AITA for having pursued this affair even after I found out Tom was married? Also, should I reach out to Hannah (though honestly I would be a bit scared to do so, and I don't feel at all like reinserting myself into Tom's life in any way)?
And finally the question that still keeps me up at night: did Tom ruin half my life, or did I do that all by myself? And if I had a role to play in this, am I fit to be a mother?
TL;DR: As a 15-year-old, I fell in love with a man who claimed he was 19 but was actually 40. 12 years later, I found out he had a wife and son, but had become so infatuated with him that I pursued an affair with him. I ended the affair two years later but still feel guilty. I feel like much of what happened is my responsibility, since I instigated most of the intimacy. AITA?
2024.06.09 17:46 Wimpy_Cursed Shattered Mind
Content warning: Contains mental health issues and physical violence.
The world breaks like glass, shattered as the world disappears into a black void. Embodiment of the soul floats in idle as shattered glass falls slower. It’s a shame, for souls to have lost their way but can still function. A blare bursts out from a black clock, soon to come at a silence from the smack of a button.
I wake up in a daze, accompanied by the sound of light rain getting caught by my bedroom window. I realize no other sound is made; my house falls silent. How unusual for morning hours. I get up from my bed, grabbing a set of clothes from my closet. Then, the realization hit once I hear my little sister’s muffled cry in a separate room, next to mine. “Right, my mother has died, how could I be so forgetful.”
June 7th, 2024, was the mark of my mother’s death. That night’s incident came at a flash. Me and my mother were walking on a familiar route. We were on a sidewalk with a silver railing attached on the opposing side of the black covered roads. During our walk, we discussed about my future while returning home with our groceries. Clouds were turning dark, so we sped up.
Then, a figure, that I can’t identify, came to me and my mother with a knife. This person kept going at my mother, enchasing their knife with blood. But why? Even when I landed jabs at this person, they wouldn’t stop stabbing my mother. After about five minutes of trading hits, this person ran away, dropping their blood filled knife, marking a path like a skipping rock. My mother sustained crucial damage and had a look of disappointment as I came to wrap her wounds and held her. In an immediate decision, I called for help on my phone. Rain started to settle, mixing with the blood of my mother’s body. As more blood exits her body, the more her heart rate diminished. Within a few moments, I was holding a corpse. Ambulance didn’t arrive on time.
A void started to close around me, leaving out all reality, and that was the last moment I could remember.
“That’ll be all for today, Mr. Mason. Thank you for telling us all the information from last night, we’ll be contacting you soon after we investigate this situation. You’re free to leave.” I exit out the interrogation after a brief amount of time, recollecting everything that has happened. My sister waited for me outside the room.
“Do you think they will be able to find the murderer?” My little sister has been tearing up for three hours, devastated from the loss of our mother. You could tell by her distressed look.
“Yes, don’t worry. We will be protected from this murderer.” I knew she would be worried about the murderer getting us next, though I am unsure if that is true. The murderer had one target last night, my mother in this instance, however I never understood the reason why. Did she have a debt overdue to a suspicious organization? Whatever the case, our family is in hot shit, and we need to protect ourselves.
“Are you sure, big brother?”
“Yes, let’s leave now, Julie. Come on, grab my hand.” We exit the stone building, having a few eyes following us as we left. As we step foot outside, rain welcomes us. Clouds are still darker than usual, longer than anticipated. We walk at a slow pace, my sister grabbing on to the wet silver railings as we pass the same street of last night’s incident. “The investigators are going to examine the knife tonight.”
“Will they be able to find the murderer soon, then?” There is a bit of an energy boost as she hears the news but is held back with grief once again.
“Yeah, possibility tonight. They will give me a call if they find anything.” My sister looks back to the ground in response.
We arrive home after a slow silent trip, knocking our shoes off towards the wooden shoe rack. “I’ll prepare lunch.” I grab some bread, cut two slices of tomato, cut some lettuce and prepare to cook bacon. I place two black pans on to the four heated stove, toasting bread on one pan, and placing bacon on the other. After a few minutes of flipping the bread and checking the bacon, I prepare to make our BLTs. I place our BLTs on our wooden family table. “Julie! Lunch is ready.”
We both sit in silence, eating our BLTs. Eating without our mother makes the family table seem pointless to attend, but we act as if she is still with us. Finishing our plates, I get up and head to my room to do my own investigation. “Julie, I am going to be busy for a while, okay?”
“Okay.” My sister has created a wall.
I get into my room, shutting the door behind me. I turn on my idle computer to wake from its slumber, soon followed by my monitor. Illuminating my face with light blue, I enter in my password and start searching the web for the location of the murder. There are a few articles about similar incidents happening, some dating back to recent months, the earliest being from a month ago, May 4th, 2024. Digging deeper into the articles, I discover about one man in particular, a tall black male that is about 6’4”, middle aged.
I research this man for about the second half of the day, coming to a realization that I haven’t made dinner yet. I open my door and make way to my living room, where I hear a news channel running on television. My sister is bundled up with her white bunny plushie, watching the news about our mother’s death. I look out a window, noticing a black void, and soon is followed by the same black figure climbing into the front window of my house, going straight for my sister. I lunge forward to the black figure, wrestling it, trading punches on the floor. My sister is screaming throughout the whole fight, but soon is silenced as the figure escapes my grasp and stabs my sister multiple times. I try to grab and strangle the figure, but the figure escapes by jumping out my window, dropping their knife once again.
I sit in silence, staring at the body of my sister, blood spilling out as she loses colour. “Why does this have to happen?” Void closes in on me once again, reality vanishing right before my eyes.
I wake up in an unfamiliar place, I am in a falling position, but I am not falling from anywhere. There is broken glass all around me. I look around and notice a figure, and it spoke, “Welcome back, how’s life?”
“Who are you? Where am I?” I am frightened by this event.
“Well, I am you, don’t you remember?” The area around us turned to a bright light, illumining the area. I am soon faced with the figure, and I realize the body is similar to the murderer going after my family.
“What sick joke is this? Why are you after my family?” My anger rises, still frightened.
“You mean, why are you going after your own family? You are the one killing off everyone you have left, don’t you remember?”
I step forward to the figure, but soon wake up in a hospital bed. “Must’ve been a dream, I guess.”
“Mr. Mason! Are you okay? Are you feeling well? You were knocked out in your home, along with your sister.” I am in a daze, feeling drained from waking up.
“Yes, I am okay. Is my sister alright?” I panic to await a response, hoping that my sister did not die that night.
“She’s alive, but in critical condition. You have been knocked out for a week, and the investigation has come to a finish. The investigators would like to speak to you whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” I am filled with hope after hearing all the news. I lay in bed for a few more hours to recover and rethink everything. Feeling ready, I arise from my hospital bed and take a tour around the hospital to find my sister’s room.
I step into the room, looking at my sister. Then a doctor comes up to me and says, “She’s still unconscious, but her vital signs are active. We’ll update you if there is any change to her condition.”
“Thank you.” Before heading out of my sister’s hospital room, two older men step into the room and come up to me.
“Mr. Mason? We’d like to speak with you about the recent incidents. Come with us to the police station.” I am so close to finding out who this murderer is. Before heading out of the hospital, I sign some documents to update my records. The two are patient with me.
“Alright, I am ready to leave.” I drop the pen and walk out the main doors with the two men. They guide me to their four seated black car, and gesture me to go into the back of the car. For all of the ride, we kept silent as we headed towards the local police station.
“We have arrived. Let’s go inside.” The three of us get up, stepping foot into the same stone building I was in a week ago. Inside the building, we head for the interrogation room, a different one from last time. The room didn’t look so different itself, but the location is different. This time, a policeman is attending this meeting. I didn’t question the reason.
“So, we came to a conclusion of who murdered Jane and Julie Smith. It took a long time to verify the information as it came to a shock to the whole investigation team. After examining the two knives that the murderer left on scene, the system came to one person. That person would be you, Mason Smith.” I am confused by the results as the man spoke his words, but before I could speak, the other man speaks.
“Mason, we bring you here today to ask a few questions. In case you get violent, we have this police officer here to assist the situation.” My anger starts to fuel.
“How could this be possible? I saw the man myself! You must be framing me; I cannot trust you. In fact, I think you guys are the people involved with murdering my family.”
“Calm down, Mason. A witness from Witwerld Street sent us evidence of you stabbing your mother and beating yourself to a pulp. With the information tied together, we can assume you are the murderer in both cases. We’ll play the video for you.” I look at the video, seeing myself stab my own mother while punching my face.
“How could this be? This can’t be real.” I am in disbelief as I see myself holding my mother’s corpse, but soon am filled with sudden anger. “I see now. All of this is to get me, an incident citizen, into jail. What have I done to all of you guys to deserve this? Framing me with knives and now making a fake video?” In the corners of the room, black void appears.
“You can play this act up all you want, but you’re the murderer. Now, we can help you if you need it, but we need you to cooperate.
“Help me? You are digging me into the dirt right here!” I get up and try to leave the room but am pushed back to my chair by the back of a rifle.
“Stay in your seat!” The policeman is a mean guy. I stare into his eyes with anger, and notice the void growing at a quick pace, closing in on the policeman. The world is gone again. In a blink of an eye, I am faced with a broken mirror, seeing my own reflection. The area is filled with white all around.
“What is this. Why am I here?” I touch the mirror, and the shriek of broken glass responds to my ears as the area turns into a void. The mirror disappears, and soon the glass starts falling with me. After what felt like an hour, I am on my feet again. As I step foot, ripples of water respond. I start walking in a random direction, memories being showcased for a quick moment as I make a path.
“Oh, hey there. After all these years, you are here with me at last. Welcome back, Mason.” The familiar black figure that has been with me for this whole journey, has appeared. They are sitting on a white chair, cross legged. Droplets of rain appear, making a silent rhythm, and soon a flash of all my memories surround me, playing vivid loops of my life. Then, they disappear to the command of a snap from the black figure.
“Yes, I am back home.”
Note: I am not sure if I am able to post short stories here as there is no clear rule to it. However, based off my own judgement, it seems that it is acceptable. Anyway, I am looking for sources to upload my writings, and I ended up finding this subreddit. I would upload on Wattpad, but.. Yeah, I think I am good on that. My goal is to get additional feedback on my writing. I am currently in a creative writing class, but I want to practice further outside of that.
submitted by Wimpy_Cursed to KeepWriting [link] [comments]
The world breaks like glass, shattered as the world disappears into a black void. Embodiment of the soul floats in idle as shattered glass falls slower. It’s a shame, for souls to have lost their way but can still function. A blare bursts out from a black clock, soon to come at a silence from the smack of a button.
I wake up in a daze, accompanied by the sound of light rain getting caught by my bedroom window. I realize no other sound is made; my house falls silent. How unusual for morning hours. I get up from my bed, grabbing a set of clothes from my closet. Then, the realization hit once I hear my little sister’s muffled cry in a separate room, next to mine. “Right, my mother has died, how could I be so forgetful.”
June 7th, 2024, was the mark of my mother’s death. That night’s incident came at a flash. Me and my mother were walking on a familiar route. We were on a sidewalk with a silver railing attached on the opposing side of the black covered roads. During our walk, we discussed about my future while returning home with our groceries. Clouds were turning dark, so we sped up.
Then, a figure, that I can’t identify, came to me and my mother with a knife. This person kept going at my mother, enchasing their knife with blood. But why? Even when I landed jabs at this person, they wouldn’t stop stabbing my mother. After about five minutes of trading hits, this person ran away, dropping their blood filled knife, marking a path like a skipping rock. My mother sustained crucial damage and had a look of disappointment as I came to wrap her wounds and held her. In an immediate decision, I called for help on my phone. Rain started to settle, mixing with the blood of my mother’s body. As more blood exits her body, the more her heart rate diminished. Within a few moments, I was holding a corpse. Ambulance didn’t arrive on time.
A void started to close around me, leaving out all reality, and that was the last moment I could remember.
“That’ll be all for today, Mr. Mason. Thank you for telling us all the information from last night, we’ll be contacting you soon after we investigate this situation. You’re free to leave.” I exit out the interrogation after a brief amount of time, recollecting everything that has happened. My sister waited for me outside the room.
“Do you think they will be able to find the murderer?” My little sister has been tearing up for three hours, devastated from the loss of our mother. You could tell by her distressed look.
“Yes, don’t worry. We will be protected from this murderer.” I knew she would be worried about the murderer getting us next, though I am unsure if that is true. The murderer had one target last night, my mother in this instance, however I never understood the reason why. Did she have a debt overdue to a suspicious organization? Whatever the case, our family is in hot shit, and we need to protect ourselves.
“Are you sure, big brother?”
“Yes, let’s leave now, Julie. Come on, grab my hand.” We exit the stone building, having a few eyes following us as we left. As we step foot outside, rain welcomes us. Clouds are still darker than usual, longer than anticipated. We walk at a slow pace, my sister grabbing on to the wet silver railings as we pass the same street of last night’s incident. “The investigators are going to examine the knife tonight.”
“Will they be able to find the murderer soon, then?” There is a bit of an energy boost as she hears the news but is held back with grief once again.
“Yeah, possibility tonight. They will give me a call if they find anything.” My sister looks back to the ground in response.
We arrive home after a slow silent trip, knocking our shoes off towards the wooden shoe rack. “I’ll prepare lunch.” I grab some bread, cut two slices of tomato, cut some lettuce and prepare to cook bacon. I place two black pans on to the four heated stove, toasting bread on one pan, and placing bacon on the other. After a few minutes of flipping the bread and checking the bacon, I prepare to make our BLTs. I place our BLTs on our wooden family table. “Julie! Lunch is ready.”
We both sit in silence, eating our BLTs. Eating without our mother makes the family table seem pointless to attend, but we act as if she is still with us. Finishing our plates, I get up and head to my room to do my own investigation. “Julie, I am going to be busy for a while, okay?”
“Okay.” My sister has created a wall.
I get into my room, shutting the door behind me. I turn on my idle computer to wake from its slumber, soon followed by my monitor. Illuminating my face with light blue, I enter in my password and start searching the web for the location of the murder. There are a few articles about similar incidents happening, some dating back to recent months, the earliest being from a month ago, May 4th, 2024. Digging deeper into the articles, I discover about one man in particular, a tall black male that is about 6’4”, middle aged.
I research this man for about the second half of the day, coming to a realization that I haven’t made dinner yet. I open my door and make way to my living room, where I hear a news channel running on television. My sister is bundled up with her white bunny plushie, watching the news about our mother’s death. I look out a window, noticing a black void, and soon is followed by the same black figure climbing into the front window of my house, going straight for my sister. I lunge forward to the black figure, wrestling it, trading punches on the floor. My sister is screaming throughout the whole fight, but soon is silenced as the figure escapes my grasp and stabs my sister multiple times. I try to grab and strangle the figure, but the figure escapes by jumping out my window, dropping their knife once again.
I sit in silence, staring at the body of my sister, blood spilling out as she loses colour. “Why does this have to happen?” Void closes in on me once again, reality vanishing right before my eyes.
I wake up in an unfamiliar place, I am in a falling position, but I am not falling from anywhere. There is broken glass all around me. I look around and notice a figure, and it spoke, “Welcome back, how’s life?”
“Who are you? Where am I?” I am frightened by this event.
“Well, I am you, don’t you remember?” The area around us turned to a bright light, illumining the area. I am soon faced with the figure, and I realize the body is similar to the murderer going after my family.
“What sick joke is this? Why are you after my family?” My anger rises, still frightened.
“You mean, why are you going after your own family? You are the one killing off everyone you have left, don’t you remember?”
I step forward to the figure, but soon wake up in a hospital bed. “Must’ve been a dream, I guess.”
“Mr. Mason! Are you okay? Are you feeling well? You were knocked out in your home, along with your sister.” I am in a daze, feeling drained from waking up.
“Yes, I am okay. Is my sister alright?” I panic to await a response, hoping that my sister did not die that night.
“She’s alive, but in critical condition. You have been knocked out for a week, and the investigation has come to a finish. The investigators would like to speak to you whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” I am filled with hope after hearing all the news. I lay in bed for a few more hours to recover and rethink everything. Feeling ready, I arise from my hospital bed and take a tour around the hospital to find my sister’s room.
I step into the room, looking at my sister. Then a doctor comes up to me and says, “She’s still unconscious, but her vital signs are active. We’ll update you if there is any change to her condition.”
“Thank you.” Before heading out of my sister’s hospital room, two older men step into the room and come up to me.
“Mr. Mason? We’d like to speak with you about the recent incidents. Come with us to the police station.” I am so close to finding out who this murderer is. Before heading out of the hospital, I sign some documents to update my records. The two are patient with me.
“Alright, I am ready to leave.” I drop the pen and walk out the main doors with the two men. They guide me to their four seated black car, and gesture me to go into the back of the car. For all of the ride, we kept silent as we headed towards the local police station.
“We have arrived. Let’s go inside.” The three of us get up, stepping foot into the same stone building I was in a week ago. Inside the building, we head for the interrogation room, a different one from last time. The room didn’t look so different itself, but the location is different. This time, a policeman is attending this meeting. I didn’t question the reason.
“So, we came to a conclusion of who murdered Jane and Julie Smith. It took a long time to verify the information as it came to a shock to the whole investigation team. After examining the two knives that the murderer left on scene, the system came to one person. That person would be you, Mason Smith.” I am confused by the results as the man spoke his words, but before I could speak, the other man speaks.
“Mason, we bring you here today to ask a few questions. In case you get violent, we have this police officer here to assist the situation.” My anger starts to fuel.
“How could this be possible? I saw the man myself! You must be framing me; I cannot trust you. In fact, I think you guys are the people involved with murdering my family.”
“Calm down, Mason. A witness from Witwerld Street sent us evidence of you stabbing your mother and beating yourself to a pulp. With the information tied together, we can assume you are the murderer in both cases. We’ll play the video for you.” I look at the video, seeing myself stab my own mother while punching my face.
“How could this be? This can’t be real.” I am in disbelief as I see myself holding my mother’s corpse, but soon am filled with sudden anger. “I see now. All of this is to get me, an incident citizen, into jail. What have I done to all of you guys to deserve this? Framing me with knives and now making a fake video?” In the corners of the room, black void appears.
“You can play this act up all you want, but you’re the murderer. Now, we can help you if you need it, but we need you to cooperate.
“Help me? You are digging me into the dirt right here!” I get up and try to leave the room but am pushed back to my chair by the back of a rifle.
“Stay in your seat!” The policeman is a mean guy. I stare into his eyes with anger, and notice the void growing at a quick pace, closing in on the policeman. The world is gone again. In a blink of an eye, I am faced with a broken mirror, seeing my own reflection. The area is filled with white all around.
“What is this. Why am I here?” I touch the mirror, and the shriek of broken glass responds to my ears as the area turns into a void. The mirror disappears, and soon the glass starts falling with me. After what felt like an hour, I am on my feet again. As I step foot, ripples of water respond. I start walking in a random direction, memories being showcased for a quick moment as I make a path.
“Oh, hey there. After all these years, you are here with me at last. Welcome back, Mason.” The familiar black figure that has been with me for this whole journey, has appeared. They are sitting on a white chair, cross legged. Droplets of rain appear, making a silent rhythm, and soon a flash of all my memories surround me, playing vivid loops of my life. Then, they disappear to the command of a snap from the black figure.
“Yes, I am back home.”
Note: I am not sure if I am able to post short stories here as there is no clear rule to it. However, based off my own judgement, it seems that it is acceptable. Anyway, I am looking for sources to upload my writings, and I ended up finding this subreddit. I would upload on Wattpad, but.. Yeah, I think I am good on that. My goal is to get additional feedback on my writing. I am currently in a creative writing class, but I want to practice further outside of that.
2024.06.09 17:38 Iaccodelodallamoto I ranked all the Beatles songs worst to best
Not that anyone at this gives a single flying fuck but I did this so I’m posting it. I have included all works from the main 13 albums and singles excluding
The b Side of yellow submarine as no actual beatle plays on it
Those German covers as they really aren’t so different from the original and I didn’t see the point
Unreleased material such as ultra deluxe or whatever the fuck and the l unreleased stuff from anthology (excluding the 3 last Beatles songs)
There’s a couple of unpopular opinions here so don’t go too hard on me I love them all in my own way,
214:WILD HONEY PIE: To be clear I don’t dislike the idea of the song, but I just think it’s a huge middle finger to the album. I can’t help but laugh at it as it is a mockery of Paul McCartney by Paul McCartney. I can’t help but think it’s what John thinks his little jaudy ditties sound like. However I think it’s horrible to have to listen to I’m not angry at it, just disappointed. It really could’ve been a good parody song, as it however. I think it’s a filler interlude.
213: BOYS: The original version is leagues better, and when it comes to the Beatles that’s saying something. I can’t think of anything that justifies the existence of this song. The only redeeming aspect is it’s refreshing to hear ringo sing sometimes, he does a fine job of it.
212: A TASTE OF HONEY Trashy song too sweet and pissy for me (for a great lack of a better term) Paul sounds bad on this, the whole thing sounds trashy. Drivel
211: P.S I LOVE YOU Does nothing for me.
210: SUN KING Oh a hot take. Or is it, I won’t count the medley itself as no one else seems to but if so I respect it way more than it’s placed. It’s a bit trippy but not to an extent of intriguing me. The translation to mr mustard is great but I’m not ranking that. On its own, In My Opinion, bad
209: PLEASE PLEASE ME Has everything that I dislike about the early work, especially the harmonica, fine singing but could’ve been synced better.
208: THIS BOY Forgettable and boring to me
207: SEXY SADIE fascinating song but not particularly good or interesting in my opinion. The stories of who’s it about however are worth looking into.
206: ASK ME WHY Might it have something to do with love. As you might tell I’m not big on please please me. This one blends in with the rest of the album
205: CHAINS Not an awful song but it’s not overly good. George’s vocals haven’t gotten great yet so he still could use some work. Perfectly bland song
204: DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET I am aware this song has a relatively large fan base but this is not for me at all. Sorry
203: THE END First off the “Oh Yeah! All Right!” Are indeed iconic. Everyone’s playing their heart out. Some of Ringos best work. But I don’t know, it doesn’t punch me like I think it should. I like this, but I should love it, and I don’t.
202: GOLDEN SLUMBERS Too repetitive for me to get into. This is the only Beatles song that could’ve been shorter. That’ll be ironic as I pretty much think every Beatles song is too short except this one.
201: ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN Berry did it better
200: ANOTHER GIRL I didn’t think anything of it at all to be honest.
199: TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Fine, not that good, but fine
198: YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER) They’re taking the absolute piss. I’m glad this exists but I don’t want to listen to it.
197: BIRTHDAY It’s a birthday song, you know, typical white album. Fine.
196: FLYING This is such a fucking vibe, not much after you’ve heard it the once but still, not bad at all for a mostly instrumental song
195: WHEN I GET HOME It wasn’t that bad, and it wasn’t that good
194: I WANNA BE YOUR MAN Eh
193: THINGS WE SAID TODAY Better but we’re not THE BEATLES yet
192: IM HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU Somewhat memorable, kinda boring, not shit
191: ITS ONLY LOVE I’ve heard worse
190: I CALL YOUR NAME Not much to say about these particular songs, they aren’t shit but they’re not at that quality of good, these are the awkward songs.
189: REVOLUTION 1 I originally heard it on the white album and thought “wow that was really mid” the I heard the original single and I thought “wow they really fucked that song” still noice lyrics
188: JULIA Calm ass song. A lot of people love this song to bits but I just don’t relate to it that much, with age I expect to like this song more
187: ALL TOGETHER NOW I guess it’s fine
186: DON’T BOTHER ME It’s just meh
185: HOLD ME TIGHT Still meh
184: DIG IT I like this but it’s so short and non sensical I can’t put it any higher
183: I SAW HER STANDING THERE I like this, but it’s still a bit too sappy
182: BLUE JAY WAY This is a weird ass song. Very George. It has those uppy downy lyrics, there’s a lot to like here but also a fair few things that I don’t like, like the lyrics could have been more defined and worked on, and it could use some more power in the vocals
181: I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER Karmas a bitch
180: THE NIGHT BEFORE This one has better production but the same blandness that culminates in old Beatles music
179: WAIT There’s going to be enough hot takes on this list anyway so I will contain my feelings on rubber soul. Let’s just say the Beatles evolutions had a middle ground from lovey dovey 60s bops to the psychedelic rock they’re know for. That middle ground is rubber soul, not a bad album, but like the stage from a child to an adult, kinda messed up. This album has some re great moments. But it also has wait, which isn’t bad, but it’s not everything you would want from this particular album.
178: CRY BABY CRY It’s good, idk what else to say not Beatles good but I wouldn’t skip it
177: LOVE ME DO This song just makes you feel happy, nothing else
176: KANSAS CITY/HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY It was ok but I can tell this track wasn’t over fixated on
175: I NEED YOU You can tell it’s an older Beatles
174: DIZZY MISS LIZZY I know there’s a recent dislike for this one but it never fails to make me smile. It’s so fucking chaotic I love it, it does have its production flaws but John is singing his heart out. This is what I want from a Beatles cover track
173: IVE JUST SEEN A FACE Charming enough song
172: TICKET TO RIDE A classic I’m sure. Really has a nice groove and what it lacks in lyrics makes up for in sound.
171: ONLY A NORTHERN SONG I agree with the rest of the group that if this was on Sargent peppers it would be the worst track. However that’s not to take away from it. It’s a charming piece, it has all the elements of Harrison but overall it is only a northern song
170: SOMETHING Damn here’s the first one I might not survive. People who were on the fence before will probably switch to the ‘eh, fuck this guy’ field. I don’t dislike the song, it’s a good song, it’s a great love song but it’s a very expected feet. Every line while sung with excellence is very conventional, it’s tropey. Perhaps it’s too far to call it cheesey. And don’t get me wrong I love the simple cheesey songs a lot (just wait till you see where I put silver hammer). But this one just doesn’t strike a nerve for me. I did think the same thing about strawberry fields forever for a while before listening to it more so maybe it’ll crawl up the ranks someday but overall I think it’s a nice love song that has some great production but after that it’s overshadowed by the rest of the album.
169: ALL MY LOVING Yeah, it’s a classic, who couldn’t like it
168: MOTHER NATURES SON This one has a huge fanbase as well. It’s a good song, great use of imagery and metaphors. Doesn’t do much after that in terms of production and the way it’s sang, just a nice song to chill to in my opinion.
167: ALL I’VE GOT TO DO Again, short, sweet song
166: YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY Yeah this one’s interesting. It goes through a fair amount of genres for one song. On one hand its structure is something of a mess, however it still is a good listen, it’s cute in the best sense. The fact that it’s about Allen Kline is also funny if not a little saddening
165: IT WONT BE LONG Wasn’t long, still nice
164: ANY TIME AT ALL Just another comfrey Beatles song
163: YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY Although I think this song is a little overrated not bad
162: DEAR PRUDENCE I know I like this song a lot less than others do. It takes a while to get going but when it hits that euphoric moment you know I’m talking about it’s bliss, but the first half kinda dull
161: BECAUSE A little oddity on the Abby road medley that’s just, I don’t know, conflicting. If it where longer maybe I could decide if I liked it or not but for now it stays here
160: THANK YOU GIRL Sweet little song that gives you a warm feeling
159: LONG LONG LONG At this point in the white album that’s what I was thinking. It’s not bad but it could’ve been longer (no pun intended) and released as a single with the right editing. George Martin could make it work I’m sure
158: I WILL Here’s how I feel. I always like it when I hear it, but forget what it sounds like 2 seconds after.
157: IF I FELL Cheesy but still pretty catchy
156: AND I LOVE HER This is nice also
155: LITTLE CHILD Though the lyrics in 2024 sound a little ‘noncey’ that’s part of the reason why it sticks out to me. It always gives me a chuckle. Little child… the way he says “I’m so sad and LoNeLy” is so cartoony and I like it.
154: ILL GET YOU Yeah, good, fine, acceptable
153: BACK IN THE U.S.S.R This is why the Beatles beat the beach boys for me this. Classic song that probably had America tugging at there collars, just genius
152: ITS ALL TOO MUCH Again this isn’t bad, am I blown away, not necessarily. But this is a bop
151: THERES A PLACE I like this quite nice I think
150: A HARD DAYS NIGHT A lot of people love it, I just think it’s fine, good song I guess
149: ILL CRY INSTEAD These are the songs that are well produced but lyrically forgettable. This is one of ‘em
148: EVERY LITTLE THING I really like Beatles for sale, it’s so fun, it’s a fun album. Every little thing isn’t badly written but I listen for the music. George is good on this, ringos subtly great. Just wholesome
147: EVERYBODY’S TRYING TO BE MY BABY A song of its time, and quite and tie tapper if you ask me
146: WORDS OF LOVE A pleasant song for any day
145: DAY TRIPPER Nice melody, ok lyrics, good enough song
144:BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR KITE When I first heard this song I didn’t listen to the lyrics, the ones I did catch lead me to believe that it was some sort of political song with mr k being some sort of satirical caricature. Upon second listen I realised it’s just a song about a circus performer putting on a show, I can interpret some lyrics as a reference to some political nature but I think it really boils down to a circus song. It’s giving me a sense of stereotypical Halloween music you’d hear with the way the rhythm goes up and down frequently in the same line. Just a fun little jingle. Also I believe if Paul had wrote it John would have hated it, many probably do hate it. What does everyone have against whimsy?
143: CANT BYE ME LOVE Cliché yes, catchy yes, enjoyable yes
142: THINK FOR YOURSELF Fine little song with not much to write about
141: FREE AS A BIRD I am quite conflicted on the 3 last Beatles songs. They are mostly John Lennon demos rather than Beatles mixes. I was of two minds including them but I thought I may as well because they are interesting to talk about. I don’t think these are as cash cow despicable as some would argue. A lot work has clearly been done to preserve them and restore them. It’s hard to look at this song on its own basis. On its own it’s pleasant, but overall I do not really know why they bothered to release it as a Beatles track, it feels very unbeatles to me but as I say I don’t dislike it, I’m just not sure on where I stand on its purpose
140: REAL LOVE I have the exact same opinion on this one I just like the song better
139: MAGGIE MAY I just think love the accents alright. How long is it 50 seconds? For the life of me I’ll never get why they didn’t make their songs longer. I fancy me chances with this one
138: DEVIL IN HER HEART Solid cover of a very good song
137: PIGGIES This one’s kinda weird. We all get the piggies are elite pricks but the way George pronounces dirt just sells me on it. Good effort, could’ve been longer.
136: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK I like it, don’t love it, it’s what you expect but it does deliver in that regard
135: HELP! Iconic, reasonably catchy, just wholesome man
134:IF I NEEDED SOMEONE Rubber soul being kind of quirky comes through softly but noticeably here
133: MEAN MR MUSTARD This song just flows man. I love the lyrics, like the instruments and how they bounce off each other. Just the right amount of absurdity. If only it were longer…
132: HELLO GOODBYE Classic, I do like this one, but you know I always forget how much until I listen to it again
131: LONG TALL SALLY A lot of people hate this one but I think it’s fine
130: TWIST AND SHOUT COMEONCOMEONCOMEONCOMEONCOMEOWWN
129: ILL BE BACK Yeah, not bad, not bad at all, rather good actually
128: TELL ME WHY Classes Beatles getting it right
127: TILL THERE WAS YOU You know, maybe with the Beatles gets too much hate
126: OLD BROWN SHOE Not one of George’s best and the mixing is jarring but the lyrics are very nice
125: FROM ME TO YOU Just a sweet song, nothing wrong with that
124: SHES A WOMAN Not much to unpack, Paul is good in this though
123: MICHELLE Everyone loves Michelle. It’s a dainty song that isn’t that great, but good, it’s just so quaint
122:THE WORD The n word. No love of course. Maximum corniness but still a treat to hear, Lennon sings it believably
121: WHAT GOES ON How eloquent, idfk
120: BAD BOY Now junior, behave yourself! I just needed to hear Lennon say that and I was hooked. Weird to release a cover as a single but I won’t complain
119 : FIXING A HOLE Fun psychedelia, bring the family
118: MATCHBOX Just a song on the struggles of life, Beatles style
117: ONE AFTER 909 Chaotic song that gets the blood flowing. Also regrettably relatable
116: GETTING BETTER The charm is in the McCartney Lennon dynamic. Paul says it’s getting better everyday. John says it can’t get much worse. Doesn’t that sum up those two quiet well. Just so vibrant. This era had so much colour.
115: FOR YOU BLUE Solid song, ain’t bad at all
114: ACT NATURALLY I like this song a lot. Ringo fits well for it, it’s playful, just so pleasing
113: I DONT WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY Another underrated song from Beatles for sale.
112: BABY ITS YOU This is fun
111: MONEY (THATS WHAT I WANT) Good cover, maybe not as good as the original but you can just feel the mayhem going on through the speakers
110: YOU WONT SEE ME Mmhm, mmhm, yup, that’s some nice music
109: YOU LIKE ME TOO MUCH A playful, goofy ass song that has some great lines and a pretty fine beat
108: YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW Heartwarming, just, heartwarming
107: YOU CANT DO THAT Not perfect but undeniably based
106: NOT A SECOND TIME A great story mixed with some simply beautiful descriptions making up a song that hits different form other songs of the similar nature
105: SLOW DOWN It’s the bluddy beetles mate, whatja expect
104: YOU’RE GOING TO LOOSE THAT GIRL The character in this story is such a dick but I just can’t help vibing with him. He’s such a cnt that he says he gonna steal the guys girl right to the guys face. That’s hilarious and I really like it
103: GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING Gets too much hate for what it is
102: RAIN I don’t know what it is about rain that grabs me but every time I listen I just get drawn in, it’s very clean
101: MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR ROLLUP ROLLUP. God I think this is so vibrant, so colourful, just really cool, great harmony, overshadowed by the rest of the album
100: MISERY Misery stuck with me, unexpectedly based for a first album
99: YES IT IS Yeah yeah yeah this one’s pretty good yeah
98: CARRY THAT WEIGHT I just sing this all the time randomly. It’s to the point, honest, fun. I don’t know what accents they’re singing in this time but it’s great. Not much of a lullaby though.
97: WHY DONT WE DO IT IN THE ROAD This one just makes me happy. I know it’s kind of filler but the way Paul increasingly hypes things up in his vocals make me smile. Big fan of this, thing
96:HONEY DONT I liked this a lot the first time I heard it and frankly I still do
95: IN MY LIFE When rubber soul gets it right it can end up like this song. And that’s a good thing
94: NOWHERE MAN Lyrically enchanting, some hot instrumentation. Production ok and a more memorable song from rubber soul
93: I FEEL FINE Yup this is fine
92: YESTERDAY A song you think is overplayed until you listen and it’s just so good. A real highlight from the early years, my favourite from help, a somber melody that is sang flawlessly by Paul
91: LOVELY RITA A song of a somewhat unlikely love that is different enough from the Beatles other love songs to stand out
90: WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS Why is it so low I hear you scream. Well to be honest FOR ME the verses while lyrically interesting don’t stand out in my mind. Obviously the chorus is incredible but it’s just as the rest of the verses which mind you are still good that bring it down for me. A song not really my thing till the chorus hits but still the fact that it’s there makes it worth the listen
89: HER MAJESTY Yes, I prefer this over while my guitar gently weeps. Moving on, I think this is a fun, tongue in cheek song that I always thought implied he was talking about money. Think about it, her majesty is on all the bank notes, she certainly doesn’t have a lot to say in that case, price changes from day to day. Paul loves it but to get it he has to get a belly full of wine to make it… think about it.
88: SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW Ah, this one. The intrigue of the contrast of the chorus and the verses. One of my favourite from the medley
87: YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME With the Beatles being underrated again
86: TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS Look, I don’t dislike this song, it’s just a bit messy for me. There’s a lot going on and I like that but ultimately the trippy style is done better in other songs like day in the life. But I do like that George Martin on the piano isn’t half bad, he’s one of twelve fifth Beatles I hear
85: HERE COMES THE SUN I like George I swear. This song is really good and I like it but I just wouldn’t listen to it as much as some higher ones below. The changing of the seasons to describe a relationship isn’t new but it fit’s really well here I think.
84: IM SO TIRED Would be higher if it were longer, good, very good, too short
83: POLYTHENE PAM The fucking accents. Love the weird ass story of the gender ambiguous Pam and her drag persona as in a polythene bag. Just a fun character song
82: DOCTOR ROBERT My least favourite from revolver but still charming enough
81: WHAT YOUR DOING Just good
80: BLACKBIRD I really like this. I want to love it, but it’s so goddamn short man. Oh well what we got is still great
79: DONT PASS ME BY Weird, goofy, sung by ringo. A real gem of a song off the white album.
78: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC A cover almost better than the original berry’s. Almost is still a hard feet to reach.
77: IM LOOKING THROUGH YOU The loss of a love has been done many times by these guys but this is one of there best
76: WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS The lyrics are kinda mid in my opinion but hearing ringo sing always has its perks
75: IVE GOT A FEELING Very good song, production a little iffy but not horrible, I think let it be is given too much shit for that
74: GOOD NIGHT They subverted my expectations with this one. What a way to end such a large album, I think this one is cute and light and just very sweet. Whispering is somewhat creepy though.
73: WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU We all know they were on a lot of serious shit during this era but goddamn the lsd vibes mixed with the Indian sitar sound is really fucking unique. And I like it, don’t love it but still
72: IM DOWN V good
71: THE INNER LIGHT V nice
70: BABYS IN BLACK This one strikes a nerve with me, a hood premise, John sings it well. A treat
69: ILL FOLLOW THE SUN Never got why people disliked this one. I had a theory that the guy in it is dead and he’s going away from his girl, you know, towards the Sun
68: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE More than inspired by Elvis but I can’t complain its a banger
67: PLEASE MR POSTMAN This is well suited for John to sing. I prefer this over the original maybe that’s controversial to say I don’t know. It’s great
66 : GLASS ONION The rocking beat is what hooks me at this one to be honest, the references are cool but a bit pointless
65: MARTHA MY DEAR Who doesn’t love dogs, just heartwarming. Just pure joy
64: IM A LOSER God this album doesn’t get enough love
63: MR MOONLIGHT I heard people disliked this one but John is really suited for this one. I do indeed prefer it to its counterpart
62: LOVE YOU TO Weird vibes, good track
61: I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND Just gets you grooving. Love it
60: DIG A PONY Nonsense song that sounds good in your ears, typical Lennon
59: DRIVE MY CAR Maybe overrated but still slaps
58: GIRL Love girl
57: SHE LOVES YOU Again one of those dancer songs that never fails to deliver
56: ANNA (GO TO HIM) Way better than the original, such a good cover, ah, bliss
55: NOW AND THEN You see is this the recency bias. I don’t think so I hope not but it feels like it is. Man I don’t know it just sounds like Lennon was going for something different and I get it. There was so much work that went into this I just don’t know. I do really like it.
54: I WANT TO TELL YOU Somewhat forgettable but when I hear it it comes rushing back to me.
53: GOOD DAY SUNSHINE Good vibes, peace and love you know
52: HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE Somewhat cliché but idk I like it
51: TWO OF US I just love this. I don’t think it’s as badly produced as some claim (the long and winding road is evidently over produced but it still goes absolutely hard)
50: TAXMAN We can all relate to this. More relevant than ever, and will continue to be in the future I’m sure
49: WHEN IM SIXTY FOUR It’s so jaunty that I feel like it would belong in a cartoon but that just makes it better for me. I love whimsy
48: IM ONLY SLEEPING This is great
47: PAPERBACK WRITER Be longer please
46: WE CAN WORK IT OUT Longer be please
45: HEY BULLDOG Kickass bass playing by Paul. Lyrics that were just fucked together by John are somehow incredible. Ringos drumming on this one is really good too. Wow, for a throwaway song it works really well
44: NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN) You can almost smell the pot off this one. Love Norwegian wood rubber soul at its best.
43: AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING Not much to say great song
42: GOT TO GET YOH INTO MY LIFE Iconic, great again
41: ELANOR RIGBY Maybe you’ll say I put this too low but I still like it to a great extent
40: LADY MADONNA One of their best character songs
39: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD Epic song, great lyrics, sang fantastically, so good
38: SHE SAID SHE SAID Tripping balls but goddamn amazing
37: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS Psychedelia on full force with this one. Some of the best imagery from any song. It’s charming and fun and at times mystical but overall Johns way with words really come to the top of the log pill with this track
36: I ME MINE In hindsight a song that highlights the way George felt the world around him was and he was probably right. I like the metaphor and the waltz aspect works more than any other of the Beatles attempts at the style, it’s a fantastic piece
35: THE FOOL ON THE HILL Oh I love this song so very much. The song has the fool as some sort of wise figure many (myself included) take to be god. And I like to think if there is a god he’s like this. Watching over giving the world his wisdom but we’re just to ignorant to hear it. Also the medieval sound is one of my favourite styles (love sunforest if you’ve ever listened to any of their songs) so the flute works just so well for me especially when it mixes with the piano. Oh I just love this song to bits it’s great
34: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The cheesiness is undeniable, the magic is unbeatable. This song is just such a good album ender. The chaos and randomness near the climax is such an incarnation of the love message and how it works as an organised mayhem. The anthem of love and joy and passion is overflowing and I really like this song, if you can’t tell
33: NO REPLY Oh the way people overlook this song is not right. Its well written, it’s well sang, everyone’s playing well, it’s delightful
32: HONEY PIE I know people hate this song however for me it brings me back into the 20s. It is a sweet ditty that works really well for me and I love this one
31: FOR NO ONE God I love this. It feels so personal and is reflective, as unbiased as it can be and just beautifully sang with no grit. It’s honest. Paul’s on piano here witch is always great. Ringos drums work well to I think. This one’s just brilliant
30: SARGENT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND REPRISE I love this, the best feels like fucking hip hop, it’s a nice way to lead into day in the life it’s just good no real flaws
29: SARGENT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND Well this is just a perfect way to start an album. Set up the setting, it explains why the music in this one’s a little different as it’s not the Beatles it’s Sargent peppers and that’s a good concept from the start. You get a real idea if what the world the album takes place in is like and you get a feel for the members of the band itself. Just a class act
28: SAVOY TRUFFLE Controversial one perhaps. I just like the song. The mixing is interesting, the lyrics are fun, I think George outdid himself with it, all just to mock Eric Clapton, hilarious
27: ROCKY RACCOON I know this one’s gonna be a war. Rocky raccoon is so listenable, and fun and encapsulating.Paul is singing it in a great way. I just like it, ok, just my taste. If you hate this song and believe it should be burned than that is perfectly fine, but don’t undermine someone else’s opinion
26 : DONT LET ME DOWN Oh this one’s so powerful, grand, fitting really.
25: YELLOW SUBMARINE I have a fee that I’m not going to survive this list. Can I not like fun, that’s what this is, pure unfiltered fun. This song makes me very happy ok. Ringo singing it just gives it that relaxing feel. Yellow submarine is that kind of happy go lucky song I love
24: REVOLUTION After hearing its bastardisation this is just so refreshing. It’s about a peaceful revolution. It sure as hell doesn’t sound peaceful what with the two electric guitars blowing my speakers out. This one just sounds like a revolution should in a song, and it’s really very good because of it.
23: GET BACK Shit, shit back, shit 1. No I love this. This is such a vibe man it strikes a nerve, it sounds incredible (considering it was recorded outside) and it helps that everyone is clearly giving it there absolute all. Love get back.
22: OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA I don’t know if this one is as controversial as it used to be but I know there are still some who fucking loath this song. I saw an article where it put this song as the worst the Beatles ever done saying that it was genuinely a horrible experience to listen to. I don’t know this song is just a tonic for a bad day, I will always feel a little bit better after listening to it and that really pulls it up the list. Don’t get the hate
21: A DAY IN THE LIFE Oh boy. This is so good damn it. The Lennon McCartney dynamic is the best it ever will be. Lennon reads the news of suicide and sees a war film while Paul dashes about in his chipper day. The rising orchestra is incredible, Ringos drumming is so different to other approaches in the genre. I can’t tell the scales of the strangeness and the depression aspect mixed with the weird ass ending it’s just an experience instead of a song.
20: OH! DARLING You can’t deny the power in this song, Paul gives it his absolute soul and it works for me, this rejection song is more of an explosion of emotions that gets you invested. Idk I like it
19: REVOLUTION 9 Well I’m dead, there’s no redeeming myself now oh well, however if you would at least hear me out on why I put number nine here then I will do my best. I love things that are different, things that go against the norm and defy expectations. And if we can all agree that revolution 9 is not what you expect when you think Beatles then we have agreed on something. This song (if you can call it a song) is doing for me something interesting. Celebrating the avant-garde while also making fun of it. It sounds impeccable. The mixing is superb, it makes full use of the stereo format. It makes me feel things, picture things, it’s a very interpretive sound that mixes together different instruments and words and phrases forwards and backwards to make something of a trip. This sounds like what a revolution sounds like, points getting muffled over time, being big and grand before shrinking into disarray. You can take what you want from the meaning but when I listen I get completely overwhelmed with feelings. It’s a collage of expression that is most certainly not for everybody but I think is a full on revolution in my head. That’s just how I feel
18: EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY There’s some dislike for this one too but I think it’s just a complete rocker, the lyrics also make me chuckle a fair bit
17: THE BALLED OF JOHN AND YOKO I don’t think this one is that hated. I love it. It’s genuinely very funny some highlights being the what you doing in bed interaction and the two gurus in drag. John was highlighting his problems with the media in a way that doesn’t sound bitchy or like he’s talking down to the listeners. Very good song
16: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE God the imagery, similes and lyricism is so beautiful. This is a beautiful song. So elegant
15: SHES LEAVING HOME I was somewhat shocked to find this in some worst of the Beatles lists. The people writing it seeming to miss the point that it isn’t that biased. Sure it shows the hardships of the parents, how broken they are but it realises that fun can simply not manifest in some places and has to be sought out. It’s a real understandable song that is softly sung by Paul in a mystifying way.
14: I WANT YOU (SHES SO HEAVY) Fucking insane song, it’s like a ride at an amusement park it ramps up over time and brings you right to the heights that you wonder how it’s going to end. This song subverts that by giving it no ending, it just gets cut off, which is brilliant. It’s like a ride through hell. A decent into madness of desire in a way making it shockingly relevant.
13: OCTOPUSES GARDEN Kudos to ringo bro just wants to be under the ocean. Calm as fuck. Beautiful expression of the desire to get away from the hassles of life and responsibilities which I’m sure we all relate to. Also bubbles, what’s not to love.
12: HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN It’s almost perfect, but goddamn it it’s too short. I love this thing but I feel it cuts off before it’s time is up you know
11: THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL I don’t get the hate for this one (well maybe I do but still) you got a fire ass spanish guitar. A balled of verses, a sing song chorus that feels like it’s taking the piss in a good way. Even an underlying message of hypocrisy and ignorance. Now I know that yoko is very loud on the song but honestly it just ads to the bizarre feeling that the whole song gives off, I love this.
10: YER BLUES One of the most explosive blues songs I’ve ever heard, incredible
9: STRAWBERRY FEILDS FOREVER You already know it’s fantastic, but that still shouldn’t take away how fantastic it is
8: MAXWELLS SILVER HAMMER … yeah, no joke. Listen it was on of the first Beatles songs I ever heard, if not the first. It has that jaunty Paul feel but then it hits you that it’s about a murderer and it just makes me take a step back and go damn, the Beatles could make anything whimsical. It’s so sing song while being so dark. Yea it is fruity but man I don’t know. The synthesiser near the end is also just really fun to me. It’s fun it’s nostalgic and I will always love it. Sorry not sorry.
7: HELTER SKELTER I applaud you Paul McCartney, you put everything you had into this one and it paid off
6: BABY YOU’RE A RICH MAN I don’t know what it is about this one I love so much, I’m not a huge fan of sitar but it works here. I like the lyrics. There’s a lot of interpretation around them but I always took it as a similar vane of the balled of John and Yoko where it is like a dickhead reporter asking John the questions we here Paul sing in a sense of leading him on and that they’re responding in the sense that these people nagging them about having money when most who were had money themselves. Just a thought.
5: COME TOGETHER Classic, genius rhyming scheme brilliant
4: HEY JUDE 2nd Best uplifting song I’ve ever heard
3: LET IT BE Best uplifting song I’ve ever heard
2: PENNY LANE A fantastic song highlighting the serenity in modern life that often goes unrecognised. It’s penny lane, what’s not to love
1: I AM THE WALRUS It’s I am the walrus. Lyrics are dazzling. The whole mixture of instruments and sounds the distortion making it sound like a dream at points. The way it uses the stereo medium is genius. The Beatles were geniuses. One of the best things ever written.
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The b Side of yellow submarine as no actual beatle plays on it
Those German covers as they really aren’t so different from the original and I didn’t see the point
Unreleased material such as ultra deluxe or whatever the fuck and the l unreleased stuff from anthology (excluding the 3 last Beatles songs)
There’s a couple of unpopular opinions here so don’t go too hard on me I love them all in my own way,
214:WILD HONEY PIE: To be clear I don’t dislike the idea of the song, but I just think it’s a huge middle finger to the album. I can’t help but laugh at it as it is a mockery of Paul McCartney by Paul McCartney. I can’t help but think it’s what John thinks his little jaudy ditties sound like. However I think it’s horrible to have to listen to I’m not angry at it, just disappointed. It really could’ve been a good parody song, as it however. I think it’s a filler interlude.
213: BOYS: The original version is leagues better, and when it comes to the Beatles that’s saying something. I can’t think of anything that justifies the existence of this song. The only redeeming aspect is it’s refreshing to hear ringo sing sometimes, he does a fine job of it.
212: A TASTE OF HONEY Trashy song too sweet and pissy for me (for a great lack of a better term) Paul sounds bad on this, the whole thing sounds trashy. Drivel
211: P.S I LOVE YOU Does nothing for me.
210: SUN KING Oh a hot take. Or is it, I won’t count the medley itself as no one else seems to but if so I respect it way more than it’s placed. It’s a bit trippy but not to an extent of intriguing me. The translation to mr mustard is great but I’m not ranking that. On its own, In My Opinion, bad
209: PLEASE PLEASE ME Has everything that I dislike about the early work, especially the harmonica, fine singing but could’ve been synced better.
208: THIS BOY Forgettable and boring to me
207: SEXY SADIE fascinating song but not particularly good or interesting in my opinion. The stories of who’s it about however are worth looking into.
206: ASK ME WHY Might it have something to do with love. As you might tell I’m not big on please please me. This one blends in with the rest of the album
205: CHAINS Not an awful song but it’s not overly good. George’s vocals haven’t gotten great yet so he still could use some work. Perfectly bland song
204: DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET I am aware this song has a relatively large fan base but this is not for me at all. Sorry
203: THE END First off the “Oh Yeah! All Right!” Are indeed iconic. Everyone’s playing their heart out. Some of Ringos best work. But I don’t know, it doesn’t punch me like I think it should. I like this, but I should love it, and I don’t.
202: GOLDEN SLUMBERS Too repetitive for me to get into. This is the only Beatles song that could’ve been shorter. That’ll be ironic as I pretty much think every Beatles song is too short except this one.
201: ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN Berry did it better
200: ANOTHER GIRL I didn’t think anything of it at all to be honest.
199: TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Fine, not that good, but fine
198: YOU KNOW MY NAME (LOOK UP THE NUMBER) They’re taking the absolute piss. I’m glad this exists but I don’t want to listen to it.
197: BIRTHDAY It’s a birthday song, you know, typical white album. Fine.
196: FLYING This is such a fucking vibe, not much after you’ve heard it the once but still, not bad at all for a mostly instrumental song
195: WHEN I GET HOME It wasn’t that bad, and it wasn’t that good
194: I WANNA BE YOUR MAN Eh
193: THINGS WE SAID TODAY Better but we’re not THE BEATLES yet
192: IM HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU Somewhat memorable, kinda boring, not shit
191: ITS ONLY LOVE I’ve heard worse
190: I CALL YOUR NAME Not much to say about these particular songs, they aren’t shit but they’re not at that quality of good, these are the awkward songs.
189: REVOLUTION 1 I originally heard it on the white album and thought “wow that was really mid” the I heard the original single and I thought “wow they really fucked that song” still noice lyrics
188: JULIA Calm ass song. A lot of people love this song to bits but I just don’t relate to it that much, with age I expect to like this song more
187: ALL TOGETHER NOW I guess it’s fine
186: DON’T BOTHER ME It’s just meh
185: HOLD ME TIGHT Still meh
184: DIG IT I like this but it’s so short and non sensical I can’t put it any higher
183: I SAW HER STANDING THERE I like this, but it’s still a bit too sappy
182: BLUE JAY WAY This is a weird ass song. Very George. It has those uppy downy lyrics, there’s a lot to like here but also a fair few things that I don’t like, like the lyrics could have been more defined and worked on, and it could use some more power in the vocals
181: I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER Karmas a bitch
180: THE NIGHT BEFORE This one has better production but the same blandness that culminates in old Beatles music
179: WAIT There’s going to be enough hot takes on this list anyway so I will contain my feelings on rubber soul. Let’s just say the Beatles evolutions had a middle ground from lovey dovey 60s bops to the psychedelic rock they’re know for. That middle ground is rubber soul, not a bad album, but like the stage from a child to an adult, kinda messed up. This album has some re great moments. But it also has wait, which isn’t bad, but it’s not everything you would want from this particular album.
178: CRY BABY CRY It’s good, idk what else to say not Beatles good but I wouldn’t skip it
177: LOVE ME DO This song just makes you feel happy, nothing else
176: KANSAS CITY/HEY-HEY-HEY-HEY It was ok but I can tell this track wasn’t over fixated on
175: I NEED YOU You can tell it’s an older Beatles
174: DIZZY MISS LIZZY I know there’s a recent dislike for this one but it never fails to make me smile. It’s so fucking chaotic I love it, it does have its production flaws but John is singing his heart out. This is what I want from a Beatles cover track
173: IVE JUST SEEN A FACE Charming enough song
172: TICKET TO RIDE A classic I’m sure. Really has a nice groove and what it lacks in lyrics makes up for in sound.
171: ONLY A NORTHERN SONG I agree with the rest of the group that if this was on Sargent peppers it would be the worst track. However that’s not to take away from it. It’s a charming piece, it has all the elements of Harrison but overall it is only a northern song
170: SOMETHING Damn here’s the first one I might not survive. People who were on the fence before will probably switch to the ‘eh, fuck this guy’ field. I don’t dislike the song, it’s a good song, it’s a great love song but it’s a very expected feet. Every line while sung with excellence is very conventional, it’s tropey. Perhaps it’s too far to call it cheesey. And don’t get me wrong I love the simple cheesey songs a lot (just wait till you see where I put silver hammer). But this one just doesn’t strike a nerve for me. I did think the same thing about strawberry fields forever for a while before listening to it more so maybe it’ll crawl up the ranks someday but overall I think it’s a nice love song that has some great production but after that it’s overshadowed by the rest of the album.
169: ALL MY LOVING Yeah, it’s a classic, who couldn’t like it
168: MOTHER NATURES SON This one has a huge fanbase as well. It’s a good song, great use of imagery and metaphors. Doesn’t do much after that in terms of production and the way it’s sang, just a nice song to chill to in my opinion.
167: ALL I’VE GOT TO DO Again, short, sweet song
166: YOU NEVER GIVE ME YOUR MONEY Yeah this one’s interesting. It goes through a fair amount of genres for one song. On one hand its structure is something of a mess, however it still is a good listen, it’s cute in the best sense. The fact that it’s about Allen Kline is also funny if not a little saddening
165: IT WONT BE LONG Wasn’t long, still nice
164: ANY TIME AT ALL Just another comfrey Beatles song
163: YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY Although I think this song is a little overrated not bad
162: DEAR PRUDENCE I know I like this song a lot less than others do. It takes a while to get going but when it hits that euphoric moment you know I’m talking about it’s bliss, but the first half kinda dull
161: BECAUSE A little oddity on the Abby road medley that’s just, I don’t know, conflicting. If it where longer maybe I could decide if I liked it or not but for now it stays here
160: THANK YOU GIRL Sweet little song that gives you a warm feeling
159: LONG LONG LONG At this point in the white album that’s what I was thinking. It’s not bad but it could’ve been longer (no pun intended) and released as a single with the right editing. George Martin could make it work I’m sure
158: I WILL Here’s how I feel. I always like it when I hear it, but forget what it sounds like 2 seconds after.
157: IF I FELL Cheesy but still pretty catchy
156: AND I LOVE HER This is nice also
155: LITTLE CHILD Though the lyrics in 2024 sound a little ‘noncey’ that’s part of the reason why it sticks out to me. It always gives me a chuckle. Little child… the way he says “I’m so sad and LoNeLy” is so cartoony and I like it.
154: ILL GET YOU Yeah, good, fine, acceptable
153: BACK IN THE U.S.S.R This is why the Beatles beat the beach boys for me this. Classic song that probably had America tugging at there collars, just genius
152: ITS ALL TOO MUCH Again this isn’t bad, am I blown away, not necessarily. But this is a bop
151: THERES A PLACE I like this quite nice I think
150: A HARD DAYS NIGHT A lot of people love it, I just think it’s fine, good song I guess
149: ILL CRY INSTEAD These are the songs that are well produced but lyrically forgettable. This is one of ‘em
148: EVERY LITTLE THING I really like Beatles for sale, it’s so fun, it’s a fun album. Every little thing isn’t badly written but I listen for the music. George is good on this, ringos subtly great. Just wholesome
147: EVERYBODY’S TRYING TO BE MY BABY A song of its time, and quite and tie tapper if you ask me
146: WORDS OF LOVE A pleasant song for any day
145: DAY TRIPPER Nice melody, ok lyrics, good enough song
144:BEING FOR THE BENEFIT OF MR KITE When I first heard this song I didn’t listen to the lyrics, the ones I did catch lead me to believe that it was some sort of political song with mr k being some sort of satirical caricature. Upon second listen I realised it’s just a song about a circus performer putting on a show, I can interpret some lyrics as a reference to some political nature but I think it really boils down to a circus song. It’s giving me a sense of stereotypical Halloween music you’d hear with the way the rhythm goes up and down frequently in the same line. Just a fun little jingle. Also I believe if Paul had wrote it John would have hated it, many probably do hate it. What does everyone have against whimsy?
143: CANT BYE ME LOVE Cliché yes, catchy yes, enjoyable yes
142: THINK FOR YOURSELF Fine little song with not much to write about
141: FREE AS A BIRD I am quite conflicted on the 3 last Beatles songs. They are mostly John Lennon demos rather than Beatles mixes. I was of two minds including them but I thought I may as well because they are interesting to talk about. I don’t think these are as cash cow despicable as some would argue. A lot work has clearly been done to preserve them and restore them. It’s hard to look at this song on its own basis. On its own it’s pleasant, but overall I do not really know why they bothered to release it as a Beatles track, it feels very unbeatles to me but as I say I don’t dislike it, I’m just not sure on where I stand on its purpose
140: REAL LOVE I have the exact same opinion on this one I just like the song better
139: MAGGIE MAY I just think love the accents alright. How long is it 50 seconds? For the life of me I’ll never get why they didn’t make their songs longer. I fancy me chances with this one
138: DEVIL IN HER HEART Solid cover of a very good song
137: PIGGIES This one’s kinda weird. We all get the piggies are elite pricks but the way George pronounces dirt just sells me on it. Good effort, could’ve been longer.
136: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK I like it, don’t love it, it’s what you expect but it does deliver in that regard
135: HELP! Iconic, reasonably catchy, just wholesome man
134:IF I NEEDED SOMEONE Rubber soul being kind of quirky comes through softly but noticeably here
133: MEAN MR MUSTARD This song just flows man. I love the lyrics, like the instruments and how they bounce off each other. Just the right amount of absurdity. If only it were longer…
132: HELLO GOODBYE Classic, I do like this one, but you know I always forget how much until I listen to it again
131: LONG TALL SALLY A lot of people hate this one but I think it’s fine
130: TWIST AND SHOUT COMEONCOMEONCOMEONCOMEONCOMEOWWN
129: ILL BE BACK Yeah, not bad, not bad at all, rather good actually
128: TELL ME WHY Classes Beatles getting it right
127: TILL THERE WAS YOU You know, maybe with the Beatles gets too much hate
126: OLD BROWN SHOE Not one of George’s best and the mixing is jarring but the lyrics are very nice
125: FROM ME TO YOU Just a sweet song, nothing wrong with that
124: SHES A WOMAN Not much to unpack, Paul is good in this though
123: MICHELLE Everyone loves Michelle. It’s a dainty song that isn’t that great, but good, it’s just so quaint
122:THE WORD The n word. No love of course. Maximum corniness but still a treat to hear, Lennon sings it believably
121: WHAT GOES ON How eloquent, idfk
120: BAD BOY Now junior, behave yourself! I just needed to hear Lennon say that and I was hooked. Weird to release a cover as a single but I won’t complain
119 : FIXING A HOLE Fun psychedelia, bring the family
118: MATCHBOX Just a song on the struggles of life, Beatles style
117: ONE AFTER 909 Chaotic song that gets the blood flowing. Also regrettably relatable
116: GETTING BETTER The charm is in the McCartney Lennon dynamic. Paul says it’s getting better everyday. John says it can’t get much worse. Doesn’t that sum up those two quiet well. Just so vibrant. This era had so much colour.
115: FOR YOU BLUE Solid song, ain’t bad at all
114: ACT NATURALLY I like this song a lot. Ringo fits well for it, it’s playful, just so pleasing
113: I DONT WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY Another underrated song from Beatles for sale.
112: BABY ITS YOU This is fun
111: MONEY (THATS WHAT I WANT) Good cover, maybe not as good as the original but you can just feel the mayhem going on through the speakers
110: YOU WONT SEE ME Mmhm, mmhm, yup, that’s some nice music
109: YOU LIKE ME TOO MUCH A playful, goofy ass song that has some great lines and a pretty fine beat
108: YOUR MOTHER SHOULD KNOW Heartwarming, just, heartwarming
107: YOU CANT DO THAT Not perfect but undeniably based
106: NOT A SECOND TIME A great story mixed with some simply beautiful descriptions making up a song that hits different form other songs of the similar nature
105: SLOW DOWN It’s the bluddy beetles mate, whatja expect
104: YOU’RE GOING TO LOOSE THAT GIRL The character in this story is such a dick but I just can’t help vibing with him. He’s such a cnt that he says he gonna steal the guys girl right to the guys face. That’s hilarious and I really like it
103: GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING Gets too much hate for what it is
102: RAIN I don’t know what it is about rain that grabs me but every time I listen I just get drawn in, it’s very clean
101: MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR ROLLUP ROLLUP. God I think this is so vibrant, so colourful, just really cool, great harmony, overshadowed by the rest of the album
100: MISERY Misery stuck with me, unexpectedly based for a first album
99: YES IT IS Yeah yeah yeah this one’s pretty good yeah
98: CARRY THAT WEIGHT I just sing this all the time randomly. It’s to the point, honest, fun. I don’t know what accents they’re singing in this time but it’s great. Not much of a lullaby though.
97: WHY DONT WE DO IT IN THE ROAD This one just makes me happy. I know it’s kind of filler but the way Paul increasingly hypes things up in his vocals make me smile. Big fan of this, thing
96:HONEY DONT I liked this a lot the first time I heard it and frankly I still do
95: IN MY LIFE When rubber soul gets it right it can end up like this song. And that’s a good thing
94: NOWHERE MAN Lyrically enchanting, some hot instrumentation. Production ok and a more memorable song from rubber soul
93: I FEEL FINE Yup this is fine
92: YESTERDAY A song you think is overplayed until you listen and it’s just so good. A real highlight from the early years, my favourite from help, a somber melody that is sang flawlessly by Paul
91: LOVELY RITA A song of a somewhat unlikely love that is different enough from the Beatles other love songs to stand out
90: WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS Why is it so low I hear you scream. Well to be honest FOR ME the verses while lyrically interesting don’t stand out in my mind. Obviously the chorus is incredible but it’s just as the rest of the verses which mind you are still good that bring it down for me. A song not really my thing till the chorus hits but still the fact that it’s there makes it worth the listen
89: HER MAJESTY Yes, I prefer this over while my guitar gently weeps. Moving on, I think this is a fun, tongue in cheek song that I always thought implied he was talking about money. Think about it, her majesty is on all the bank notes, she certainly doesn’t have a lot to say in that case, price changes from day to day. Paul loves it but to get it he has to get a belly full of wine to make it… think about it.
88: SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW Ah, this one. The intrigue of the contrast of the chorus and the verses. One of my favourite from the medley
87: YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME With the Beatles being underrated again
86: TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS Look, I don’t dislike this song, it’s just a bit messy for me. There’s a lot going on and I like that but ultimately the trippy style is done better in other songs like day in the life. But I do like that George Martin on the piano isn’t half bad, he’s one of twelve fifth Beatles I hear
85: HERE COMES THE SUN I like George I swear. This song is really good and I like it but I just wouldn’t listen to it as much as some higher ones below. The changing of the seasons to describe a relationship isn’t new but it fit’s really well here I think.
84: IM SO TIRED Would be higher if it were longer, good, very good, too short
83: POLYTHENE PAM The fucking accents. Love the weird ass story of the gender ambiguous Pam and her drag persona as in a polythene bag. Just a fun character song
82: DOCTOR ROBERT My least favourite from revolver but still charming enough
81: WHAT YOUR DOING Just good
80: BLACKBIRD I really like this. I want to love it, but it’s so goddamn short man. Oh well what we got is still great
79: DONT PASS ME BY Weird, goofy, sung by ringo. A real gem of a song off the white album.
78: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC A cover almost better than the original berry’s. Almost is still a hard feet to reach.
77: IM LOOKING THROUGH YOU The loss of a love has been done many times by these guys but this is one of there best
76: WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS The lyrics are kinda mid in my opinion but hearing ringo sing always has its perks
75: IVE GOT A FEELING Very good song, production a little iffy but not horrible, I think let it be is given too much shit for that
74: GOOD NIGHT They subverted my expectations with this one. What a way to end such a large album, I think this one is cute and light and just very sweet. Whispering is somewhat creepy though.
73: WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU We all know they were on a lot of serious shit during this era but goddamn the lsd vibes mixed with the Indian sitar sound is really fucking unique. And I like it, don’t love it but still
72: IM DOWN V good
71: THE INNER LIGHT V nice
70: BABYS IN BLACK This one strikes a nerve with me, a hood premise, John sings it well. A treat
69: ILL FOLLOW THE SUN Never got why people disliked this one. I had a theory that the guy in it is dead and he’s going away from his girl, you know, towards the Sun
68: RUN FOR YOUR LIFE More than inspired by Elvis but I can’t complain its a banger
67: PLEASE MR POSTMAN This is well suited for John to sing. I prefer this over the original maybe that’s controversial to say I don’t know. It’s great
66 : GLASS ONION The rocking beat is what hooks me at this one to be honest, the references are cool but a bit pointless
65: MARTHA MY DEAR Who doesn’t love dogs, just heartwarming. Just pure joy
64: IM A LOSER God this album doesn’t get enough love
63: MR MOONLIGHT I heard people disliked this one but John is really suited for this one. I do indeed prefer it to its counterpart
62: LOVE YOU TO Weird vibes, good track
61: I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND Just gets you grooving. Love it
60: DIG A PONY Nonsense song that sounds good in your ears, typical Lennon
59: DRIVE MY CAR Maybe overrated but still slaps
58: GIRL Love girl
57: SHE LOVES YOU Again one of those dancer songs that never fails to deliver
56: ANNA (GO TO HIM) Way better than the original, such a good cover, ah, bliss
55: NOW AND THEN You see is this the recency bias. I don’t think so I hope not but it feels like it is. Man I don’t know it just sounds like Lennon was going for something different and I get it. There was so much work that went into this I just don’t know. I do really like it.
54: I WANT TO TELL YOU Somewhat forgettable but when I hear it it comes rushing back to me.
53: GOOD DAY SUNSHINE Good vibes, peace and love you know
52: HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE Somewhat cliché but idk I like it
51: TWO OF US I just love this. I don’t think it’s as badly produced as some claim (the long and winding road is evidently over produced but it still goes absolutely hard)
50: TAXMAN We can all relate to this. More relevant than ever, and will continue to be in the future I’m sure
49: WHEN IM SIXTY FOUR It’s so jaunty that I feel like it would belong in a cartoon but that just makes it better for me. I love whimsy
48: IM ONLY SLEEPING This is great
47: PAPERBACK WRITER Be longer please
46: WE CAN WORK IT OUT Longer be please
45: HEY BULLDOG Kickass bass playing by Paul. Lyrics that were just fucked together by John are somehow incredible. Ringos drumming on this one is really good too. Wow, for a throwaway song it works really well
44: NORWEGIAN WOOD (THIS BIRD HAS FLOWN) You can almost smell the pot off this one. Love Norwegian wood rubber soul at its best.
43: AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING Not much to say great song
42: GOT TO GET YOH INTO MY LIFE Iconic, great again
41: ELANOR RIGBY Maybe you’ll say I put this too low but I still like it to a great extent
40: LADY MADONNA One of their best character songs
39: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD Epic song, great lyrics, sang fantastically, so good
38: SHE SAID SHE SAID Tripping balls but goddamn amazing
37: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS Psychedelia on full force with this one. Some of the best imagery from any song. It’s charming and fun and at times mystical but overall Johns way with words really come to the top of the log pill with this track
36: I ME MINE In hindsight a song that highlights the way George felt the world around him was and he was probably right. I like the metaphor and the waltz aspect works more than any other of the Beatles attempts at the style, it’s a fantastic piece
35: THE FOOL ON THE HILL Oh I love this song so very much. The song has the fool as some sort of wise figure many (myself included) take to be god. And I like to think if there is a god he’s like this. Watching over giving the world his wisdom but we’re just to ignorant to hear it. Also the medieval sound is one of my favourite styles (love sunforest if you’ve ever listened to any of their songs) so the flute works just so well for me especially when it mixes with the piano. Oh I just love this song to bits it’s great
34: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE The cheesiness is undeniable, the magic is unbeatable. This song is just such a good album ender. The chaos and randomness near the climax is such an incarnation of the love message and how it works as an organised mayhem. The anthem of love and joy and passion is overflowing and I really like this song, if you can’t tell
33: NO REPLY Oh the way people overlook this song is not right. Its well written, it’s well sang, everyone’s playing well, it’s delightful
32: HONEY PIE I know people hate this song however for me it brings me back into the 20s. It is a sweet ditty that works really well for me and I love this one
31: FOR NO ONE God I love this. It feels so personal and is reflective, as unbiased as it can be and just beautifully sang with no grit. It’s honest. Paul’s on piano here witch is always great. Ringos drums work well to I think. This one’s just brilliant
30: SARGENT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND REPRISE I love this, the best feels like fucking hip hop, it’s a nice way to lead into day in the life it’s just good no real flaws
29: SARGENT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND Well this is just a perfect way to start an album. Set up the setting, it explains why the music in this one’s a little different as it’s not the Beatles it’s Sargent peppers and that’s a good concept from the start. You get a real idea if what the world the album takes place in is like and you get a feel for the members of the band itself. Just a class act
28: SAVOY TRUFFLE Controversial one perhaps. I just like the song. The mixing is interesting, the lyrics are fun, I think George outdid himself with it, all just to mock Eric Clapton, hilarious
27: ROCKY RACCOON I know this one’s gonna be a war. Rocky raccoon is so listenable, and fun and encapsulating.Paul is singing it in a great way. I just like it, ok, just my taste. If you hate this song and believe it should be burned than that is perfectly fine, but don’t undermine someone else’s opinion
26 : DONT LET ME DOWN Oh this one’s so powerful, grand, fitting really.
25: YELLOW SUBMARINE I have a fee that I’m not going to survive this list. Can I not like fun, that’s what this is, pure unfiltered fun. This song makes me very happy ok. Ringo singing it just gives it that relaxing feel. Yellow submarine is that kind of happy go lucky song I love
24: REVOLUTION After hearing its bastardisation this is just so refreshing. It’s about a peaceful revolution. It sure as hell doesn’t sound peaceful what with the two electric guitars blowing my speakers out. This one just sounds like a revolution should in a song, and it’s really very good because of it.
23: GET BACK Shit, shit back, shit 1. No I love this. This is such a vibe man it strikes a nerve, it sounds incredible (considering it was recorded outside) and it helps that everyone is clearly giving it there absolute all. Love get back.
22: OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA I don’t know if this one is as controversial as it used to be but I know there are still some who fucking loath this song. I saw an article where it put this song as the worst the Beatles ever done saying that it was genuinely a horrible experience to listen to. I don’t know this song is just a tonic for a bad day, I will always feel a little bit better after listening to it and that really pulls it up the list. Don’t get the hate
21: A DAY IN THE LIFE Oh boy. This is so good damn it. The Lennon McCartney dynamic is the best it ever will be. Lennon reads the news of suicide and sees a war film while Paul dashes about in his chipper day. The rising orchestra is incredible, Ringos drumming is so different to other approaches in the genre. I can’t tell the scales of the strangeness and the depression aspect mixed with the weird ass ending it’s just an experience instead of a song.
20: OH! DARLING You can’t deny the power in this song, Paul gives it his absolute soul and it works for me, this rejection song is more of an explosion of emotions that gets you invested. Idk I like it
19: REVOLUTION 9 Well I’m dead, there’s no redeeming myself now oh well, however if you would at least hear me out on why I put number nine here then I will do my best. I love things that are different, things that go against the norm and defy expectations. And if we can all agree that revolution 9 is not what you expect when you think Beatles then we have agreed on something. This song (if you can call it a song) is doing for me something interesting. Celebrating the avant-garde while also making fun of it. It sounds impeccable. The mixing is superb, it makes full use of the stereo format. It makes me feel things, picture things, it’s a very interpretive sound that mixes together different instruments and words and phrases forwards and backwards to make something of a trip. This sounds like what a revolution sounds like, points getting muffled over time, being big and grand before shrinking into disarray. You can take what you want from the meaning but when I listen I get completely overwhelmed with feelings. It’s a collage of expression that is most certainly not for everybody but I think is a full on revolution in my head. That’s just how I feel
18: EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY MONKEY There’s some dislike for this one too but I think it’s just a complete rocker, the lyrics also make me chuckle a fair bit
17: THE BALLED OF JOHN AND YOKO I don’t think this one is that hated. I love it. It’s genuinely very funny some highlights being the what you doing in bed interaction and the two gurus in drag. John was highlighting his problems with the media in a way that doesn’t sound bitchy or like he’s talking down to the listeners. Very good song
16: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE God the imagery, similes and lyricism is so beautiful. This is a beautiful song. So elegant
15: SHES LEAVING HOME I was somewhat shocked to find this in some worst of the Beatles lists. The people writing it seeming to miss the point that it isn’t that biased. Sure it shows the hardships of the parents, how broken they are but it realises that fun can simply not manifest in some places and has to be sought out. It’s a real understandable song that is softly sung by Paul in a mystifying way.
14: I WANT YOU (SHES SO HEAVY) Fucking insane song, it’s like a ride at an amusement park it ramps up over time and brings you right to the heights that you wonder how it’s going to end. This song subverts that by giving it no ending, it just gets cut off, which is brilliant. It’s like a ride through hell. A decent into madness of desire in a way making it shockingly relevant.
13: OCTOPUSES GARDEN Kudos to ringo bro just wants to be under the ocean. Calm as fuck. Beautiful expression of the desire to get away from the hassles of life and responsibilities which I’m sure we all relate to. Also bubbles, what’s not to love.
12: HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN It’s almost perfect, but goddamn it it’s too short. I love this thing but I feel it cuts off before it’s time is up you know
11: THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL I don’t get the hate for this one (well maybe I do but still) you got a fire ass spanish guitar. A balled of verses, a sing song chorus that feels like it’s taking the piss in a good way. Even an underlying message of hypocrisy and ignorance. Now I know that yoko is very loud on the song but honestly it just ads to the bizarre feeling that the whole song gives off, I love this.
10: YER BLUES One of the most explosive blues songs I’ve ever heard, incredible
9: STRAWBERRY FEILDS FOREVER You already know it’s fantastic, but that still shouldn’t take away how fantastic it is
8: MAXWELLS SILVER HAMMER … yeah, no joke. Listen it was on of the first Beatles songs I ever heard, if not the first. It has that jaunty Paul feel but then it hits you that it’s about a murderer and it just makes me take a step back and go damn, the Beatles could make anything whimsical. It’s so sing song while being so dark. Yea it is fruity but man I don’t know. The synthesiser near the end is also just really fun to me. It’s fun it’s nostalgic and I will always love it. Sorry not sorry.
7: HELTER SKELTER I applaud you Paul McCartney, you put everything you had into this one and it paid off
6: BABY YOU’RE A RICH MAN I don’t know what it is about this one I love so much, I’m not a huge fan of sitar but it works here. I like the lyrics. There’s a lot of interpretation around them but I always took it as a similar vane of the balled of John and Yoko where it is like a dickhead reporter asking John the questions we here Paul sing in a sense of leading him on and that they’re responding in the sense that these people nagging them about having money when most who were had money themselves. Just a thought.
5: COME TOGETHER Classic, genius rhyming scheme brilliant
4: HEY JUDE 2nd Best uplifting song I’ve ever heard
3: LET IT BE Best uplifting song I’ve ever heard
2: PENNY LANE A fantastic song highlighting the serenity in modern life that often goes unrecognised. It’s penny lane, what’s not to love
1: I AM THE WALRUS It’s I am the walrus. Lyrics are dazzling. The whole mixture of instruments and sounds the distortion making it sound like a dream at points. The way it uses the stereo medium is genius. The Beatles were geniuses. One of the best things ever written.
2024.06.09 17:21 arrow-bane The Wandering God - Chapter 2: Memories Part 2
Lydia awoke with Waldo screaming. Lydia quickly got up and activated the magic stones lighting the room, Lydia did not see a reason for him to be screaming and was about to wake him when he went quiet. Lydia wondered what had happened and as she watched him she became concerned he was not breathing but just as she was about to shake him away he started breathing again then he began to weep in his sleep saying “I would take it back if I could. I did not know what it meant. Please, I never meant for this.” Lydia watched over him for several minutes as he repeated this over and over. Lydia did not know why but after a while she embraced him gently.
“It is ok. We all make mistakes.” Lydia said quietly holding him. She did not entirely know why she chose to do this as she felt some concern over what he was apologizing for having done but something made her decide to stay with him. Eventually, he stopped and started sleeping peacefully. Lydia slowly fell back to sleep after he quieted and returned to a peaceful state.
Lydia awoke again with Waldo sitting dressed on the edge of the bed. “Good Morning.”
“Good Morning.” Waldo replied, turning to Lydia. “Sorry, if I woke you in the night. I do not always sleep well.”
“I can understand that. It took almost a year before I could sleep through the night.” Lydia replied.
“I brought breakfast up. Kna mentioned I screamed in the middle of the night. I rarely have a companion… So I did not know. I guess I was extra loud last night. I woke some other patrons.” Waldo said calmly. Lydia climbed out of bed and dressed herself as Waldo watched her but when she looked at him she felt he was lost in his own mind.
"Copper for your thoughts.” Lydia said as she started to lace up her dress. Waldo walked over to her and helped her.
“I thought I knew who I was…but I remembered things last night…” Waldo said hollowly. “I don’t know what I was fighting for… All that time as a soldier and now I remembered… what I learned before arriving here and it isn’t what I thought.”
“Do you want to elaborate?” Lydia asked.
“I am not sure I know how.” Waldo said and there was silence for a moment.
“Well, maybe you should stay here if you don’t know why you were fighting. At least, until you figure out what you want.” Lydia said and feeling better about what she had heard last night she kissed him gently on the cheek. “Thank you. I would stay for breakfast but I need to get to work.” Lydia said, grabbing a piece of bread with an egg off the plate.
“Have a nice day and I hope to see you later.” Waldo said, as she headed toward the door.
“Good luck today!” Lydia said, smiling and left. Waldo collected several things from his pack then stored it under the bed and took the plate of food to the common room where he ate slowly. Waldo noticed that Lydia was not in the common room as he ate breakfast. Waldo did not have to wait long after finishing his breakfast before Strisk arrived.
“Good Morning!” Strisk waved at Waldo moving across the common room.
“Greetings Strisk.” Waldo replied standing and moving to meet him.
“Are you ready to go down to the training grounds?” Strisk asked.
“Yeah, let’s head out.” Waldo said, motioning for Strisk to lead the way.
“Are you in a hurry?” Strisk asked, leading Waldo out.
“No, nothing like that just…” Waldo stopped in the door exiting the inn as he looked out into the city. Waldo had expected Protham to be small but realized it had been dark when he arrived and late that is why he had not realized how expansive it was. Waldo saw a wall sixty or seventy feet tall. Waldo stepped into the street and could see a gate two hundred or so feet down the road in one direction and in the other there was what appeared to be a small square. “How big is Protham?”
“It is just a small village, only five thousand or so. Most people are employed in fishing the lake or harvesting trees.” Strisk replied. “The gnolls recently opened a college here… Something about ley lines and increased power, but that is not my expertise.”
“I am surprised they even care about the ley line. The planet is so saturated with magic I would have thought everyone can easily use it.” Waldo responded.
“I wouldn’t know about that. Are you a mage?” Strisk asked.
“I cannot use magic… I can still feel it pooling.” Waldo said, wondering why he could feel it still since he now knew he could not use it. “It must be something to do with the leveling. I wonder if there is a construct powering the whole system.”
“You are suggesting a magic artifact causes people to level?”Strisk asked, shocked at the strangeness of the idea.
“Um… So I assume it is a mage college of some kind they opened?” Waldo asked, trying to change topics.
“Yeah. I would have suggested going and seeing the head there about your teleporting but from what I have heard they see almost no one who isn’t a student.” Strisk said, starting to walk down the street. Waldo followed, taking in the people and the streets. Waldo noticed most people were gnollish he saw drakes as well but it seemed to be ten to one.
“Lydia said you are a Drake. I have never learned to identify the scaled races apart from one another. It appears that Protham is mostly gnolls and Drakes. What makes a drake a drake and not say a lizardfolk?” Waldo asked, carefully.
“Lydia is right. I am a Drake. Lizardfolk always have tails. Drakes rarely have tails and those that do have a tail almost always have wings. That is usually the easiest way to tell us apart but it is more nuanced. A healthy Drake’s scales are vibrant, we stand out. A healthy lizardfolk has duller scales. Drakes can have horns or spikes across their head and back but never hair. Lizardfolk never have horns but can grow spikes. Usually they grow something more like a fin, which can be over their head or even down their chin to their chest. All the facial features are nuanced except the eye. Drake’s eyes face forward. Lizardfolk’s eyes face out enough to easily tell if you look at them.” Strisk explained calmly. “Kobolds are short but look like Drakes with a tail and all the other scaled races have gills.”
“Thank you. I realize that might have been rude to ask but I assume it is ruder to make a mistake.” Waldo said as they continued to make their way through the mostly empty streets.
“Most drakes consider it the pinnacle of rudeness to mistake us for the lizardfolk. Well the lizardfolk seem indifferent. I once saw a short Lizardman get mistaken for a Kobold and they laughed about it. Well a few days ago I had to break up a bar fight cause a gnoll called a drake a lizard.” Strisk said. “My people need to calm down about being mistaken for another race. Most cannot even tell the other races apart. No offense, but I assume you are a human because Lydia is one without looking at your ears, which are currently covered by your hair you could pass for an elf in my eyes and if you told me you were a dwarf I would believe it… even though, I think you are too tall to be a dwarf.” Waldo laughed at Strisk’s words.
“An elf you say?” Waldo said, smiling and moving his hair from over his ears. “I am a human. However, I can understand the confusion. Even among humans it is possible for some to mistake another human as one of our kin races.”
“Kin race?” Strisk asked.
“Yes, races that share certain broad features and where half races are possible.” Waldo said.
“Then would Drakes not be a Kin race.” Strisk asked.
“You ever seen a half human and half drake?” Waldo asked.
“Well no, but I was told it was possible.” Strisk said, wondering.
“Possible for our race's women’s bodies to respond as if they are creating a blend. However, it is largely my understanding no blend has survived birth. Maybe one is out there but largely our internal anatomy; bone structure, organ placement, organs in general, and finer points don’t blend into something that survives birth if a pregnancy occurs which to my knowledge is extremely rare and usually it is a half race not a full where that can occur according to one report I read most mothers die in labor if they carry the blend to term and the child still dies.” Waldo said calmly. Strisk stopped.
“How do you know this?” Strisk asked. Waldo thought about it for a moment. Realizing he did not know how to explain having millions of years of knowledge on hand a little surprised he had so easily recalled something from another life. As he thought about it he wondered how he could so easily access it. Then he knew. Four of his prior selves had learned to build a mind palace. When the Orc had implanted all the memories, those four had combined their knowledge and laid out everything, which made him wonder how he knew about the interbreeding of humans and drakes, which brought forth the memories of four doctors. One of which was drake. Strisk watched as Waldo stared off into the distance. Suddenly, Waldo went pale and threw up in the street. “What the hell?” Strisk said, jumping back to avoid getting splattered.
“Sorry.” Waldo said, feeling queasy. Waldo pushed the doctor’s memories away realizing he was not ready to go exploring all the memories aimlessly. Waldo pulled out his hip canteen and washed his mouth out. Spitting the water down a nearby drain “Damn. I was hoping to not have to eat until dinner. I assume the interview will have a combat skills test?” Waldo asked, looking at Strisk.
“Well yes, but what was that?” Strisk asked, feeling the response was unjustified for his question.
“Oh, right, your question. Um… I went to a memory I should have left alone. I was thinking about my time studying… when I strayed into an incident.” Waldo said, trying to explain without lying.
“An incident?” Strisk asked.
“I expect there are things you have seen as a city guard you would rather not remember.” Waldo replied, carefully.
“Oh… you mean something like that. I can understand that. Let’s continue on. Just another block or so.” Strisk said, letting Waldo follow him. Neither said anything until they got to the city's barracks. They had crossed near the center of town and were now at a lakeside gate that had a training arena with a large gatehouse next to it.
“How many positions is the guard filling?” Waldo asked as they approached the building.
“We are adding five new full time positions in hope of growth due to the mage college, three part time, and around fifty new reservists.” Strisk said and then opened the gatehouse’s front door.
“Good Morning, Strisk!” A female voice behind the counter greeted as they entered.
“Good Morning, Violet.” Strisk replied. “Is Trag in?”
“Yes, he got in a bit ago and…Who are you?” Violet asked, staring at Waldo as he entered the gatehouse.
“Waldo Winter.” Waldo said, step into the room and bowing slightly to the human girl behind the counter.
“He is with me. Violet. He arrived in town last night under strange circumstances.” Strisk said.
“Is he why you are meeting with Trag this early?” Violet asked, keeping her eyes on Waldo. “Is he a criminal?”
“Yes to the meeting with Trag and not as far as I am aware. You haven’t done anything illegal have you?” Strisk asked, grinning Waldo.
“Admittedly, I have not read your legal code, but assuming it follows traditional patterns of legal codes for structured societies. Not in this city. At least, I very much doubt I have.” Waldo said, smiling lightly at Violet.
“What are you doing here then?” Violet asked.
“Apart from identifying myself to local authorities due to the strange way I arrived. Hopefully, applying for a job.” Waldo stated. Violet frowned.
“Are you applying for citizenship in Protham or just submitting notice of intent to work in Protham?” Violet asked.
“Notice of intent to work, at this time.” Waldo replied, moving up to the desk as Strisk stepped away. Violet handed him a sheet of paper and pulled out a second enchanted page.
“Good luck finding work here. There are not many jobs outside of scribe, barworker, or general laborer for humans in Protham. The Drakes and Gnolls are larger and stronger than humans naturally and they are basically hiring enforcers right now.” Violet whispered to Waldo. “Where are you staying?”
“The Spriggan Inn.” Waldo said, looking at the form, surprised he could read it. As he started to fill out the form he remembered a passage about grown arrivals passing between world and being gifted languages of the worlds they arrived on from death. Waldo tried to remember the author's reasoning for the gift but could not. Waldo wished he had learned written gnollish languages but had only learned their spoken languages.
“How did you come to be there?” Violet said, showing surprise.
“Long story short…Some sort of teleportation accident.” Waldo answered, focused on completing the form.
“Wow… Lucky.” Violet said, thinking it strange he appeared in the only inn with a human working in it in Protham.
“Yes, but I suspect there is a good reason for that.” Waldo said, handing her the completed form.
“You how to read Grofeas gnoll?” Strisk asked, looking at Waldo holding the form out to Violet. “You said you had not heard of this country last night.” Violet took the form looking suspiciously at Waldo.
"No, I am familiar with other gnollish written languages and this is close enough to them that I guessed. Please check that and make sure my responses make sense.” Waldo said, looking at Violet. Waldo smiled at his omission. He was familiar with several gnoll written languages and had learned a few key words like bathroom, food, and price but had not even memorized their alphabet. Violet started to look over the document carefully. Waldo noticed the enchanted page on the desk had a picture of his face on it now with a list of several things about him, such as height, an approximate weight, and the like. Waldo heard a low growl with several inflections. Waldo looked at the gnoll standing by Strisk.
“Would you mind repeating that? I am not sure I quite heard what you said, because I thought you called me a fur lover.” Waldo said, looking narrowly at the gnoll. The gnoll made several more growls at Waldo. The gnoll had reddish brown fur and stood a little shorter than Strisk. Waldo thought the gnoll would probably be considered extremely handsome among gnolls. He was well groomed and clearly muscled under the fur. He even wore a steel breastplate that was polished to a shine. Waldo saw a stamp over his right peck that appeared to be a runic enchantment.
“Because I am not. I learned it at the time because my life depended on it. The gnolls I met were not as affluent as you are here and only knew one language. Their own. I had to learn it or live without speaking. Their treatment of me would have killed me if I had not learned their language. They knew next to nothing of humans and were a tribe secluded in the mountains. They meant well, but due to the harsh circumstances of the location I was slowly dying from starvation and exposure. It took four weeks to learn enough for rough communication after which I found them to be extremely friendly and curious. I spent two years with that tribe before making contact with a human settlement in the area. I managed to broker a peace there because I learned gnollish. So I continued my education and have since learned various spoken dialects.” Waldo responded to the newcomers' growls calmly.
“Why don’t you respond in gnollish?” The gnoll asked, changing languages. Waldo growled back in several inflections and moved a hand. Violet had noticed hand movements when gnolls growled and never associated it with them speaking but Waldo’s movements were so pronounced she realized it had to be part of the gnollish language. “Fair enough. I am Captain Trag. Strisk says you are a soldier.”
“Wait what did you say?” Violet asked Waldo.
“Violet. Don’t be rude.” Strisk chided, curious himself but having held himself back.
“I am sorry. I have just never seen a non-gnoll speak gnollish” Violet said, almost involuntarily. Trag slapped Strisk across the back of the head.
“Strisk, she is our scribe, do not order her around.” Trag said, smiling. Waldo got the sense that Trag did not like Strisk.
“I explained human throats are not well formed for the gnollish language, which hurts my throat the more I speak it and makes my accompanying hand movements more pronounced than is proper.” Waldo explained to Violet.
“Can you teach me?” Violet asked, seeing how beneficial it would be to know gnollish in her job.
“We can talk after the interview.” Waldo said, smiling at Violet.
“Right, sorry. Thank you.” Violet replied looking over at Trag apologetically.
“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation Violet. I will make sure to send Waldo back once we are done.” Trag said, smiling at Violet then turning to Waldo. “What level of soldier are you? Or is it some other fighting class?”
“I don’t have any levels in fighting classes.” Waldo replied.
“And you want to be a city guard?” Trag said looking angrily at Strisk who looked at Waldo surprised.
“Wait, are you a medic of somekind?” Strisk asked, remembering the other night.
“No, just give me a chance. We should go to the training ground if combat assessment is to be a large part of this process.” Waldo stated, a little surprised they had started asking questions in the entrance.
“It is. We can train you in Protham legal code, but we rarely do combat training for our guards; most people come to us with twenty or more levels in a combat class, when they are applying to be a guard.” Trag stated, as Waldo opened the door.
“Where I come from people do not rely on the leveling systems for combat training.” Waldo started walking to the training grounds as Trag and Strisk followed.
“Where are you from?” Trag asked.
“Halcyon. Heard of it?” Waldo asked, knowing the reply.
“Nope.” Trag replied, thinking this human could never keep up with a gnoll or drake in a fight. “What are you wearing?” Trag asked, no longer able to hold back the question as the human looked very strange to him.
“Desert Armored Combat Fatigues, my throwing knives, combat knife, an assortment of tools I have found useful over the years, and a magic sling.” Waldo said, touching different things on his body. “The armor is stab resistant and there are several metal plates spread out in the fabric. If I get the job I would like to wear this until I can afford to get some locally made gear.”
“A magic sling?” Trag asked.
“Yeah, but I have limited ammo for it. It only works with special magic ammo and I doubt you have that here.” Waldo replied.
“Have you heard of a magic sling Strisk?” Trag asked.
“No, that is new to me.” Strisk replied. “I thought you could not use magic.”
“I cannot not cast a magic spell but this is an artifact. I could teach anyone to use it. If I had unlimited ammo or access to a bullet manufacturer I would be happy to show it off but I only have ninety rounds for it.” Waldo explained.
“How long have you been a soldier?” Trag asked, Waldo had seen himself in a mirror and knew they would not believe the truth. Waldo looked like he was in his prime but Halcyon slowed aging massively Waldo was older than any human got to normally and he was still unsure if he had died or Death’s healing had further reduced the effects of aging.
“Nine years.” Waldo replied, pushing it as far as he thought he could. Waldo had put his age down as twenty nine on the form, but knew he looked closer to twenty now. “I expect I will be sparing with one of you?”
“No, we are waiting for your sparring partners. I sent for two reservists. They generally are not needed for regular guard shifts and if they are injured it should not interfere with their regular jobs.” Trag stated, show us how good you are with throwing knives.
“Alright.” Waldo said, pulling four of the weighted knives from their sheaths. Waldo carried twelve in all. Four on his left leg, two on each arm and four on his chest. Waldo started by juggling the knives as he moved into position to throw them. Waldo smoothly plucked them out of the air as he was juggling them and launched them one after another in quick succession down the lane, with the knives sinking deep into the wooden target in a tight group.
“For having no skills that is pretty good. Now for the moving targets.” Trag said, with Waldo looking back at him as he pressed a button. Waldo watched as the targets began to move side to side. Waldo could tell this was intended for arrows as the range was longer than he would usually throw when it came to moving targets.
“May I move up or do you want me to throw from here?” Waldo asked.
“Tark throws from there.” Trag replied, Waldo grabbed two more knives, throwing them half a second after looking back at the target. Both landed bullseyes but Waldo could feel the strain on his muscles. He was not used to this distance. Waldo pulled two more and turned his back to the targets. Waldo slowly strafed toward the center of the range as he had started to the right side. After a moment making sure to give the targets time to move he spun around and with one hand launched both knives. One landed in a bullseye, but the other fell short. Waldo turned his back to the targets and drew all of his remaining knives placing them at the ready in one hand. Waldo turned and threw three and turned back around quickly. He heard 2 thuds and one that was a clang. He was not sure what the third had hit. Waldo spun around and sent his final knife down the lane hitting another bullseye. The three quick throws were not bullseyes but they had all hit targets.
“That is all the throwing knives I carry.” Waldo said. “Shall I collect them?”
“No, Strisk go get the knives and report back on how deep they are.” Trag said, turning the moving targets off. Waldo moved over to Trag as Strisk retrieved the knives. “Only one complete miss, that is not bad. If you are hired then we are gonna have to replace the knives with some weighted rods. We can issue you some bolas while on duty. Unless a kill order is issued, but most the time we will expect people to be taken alive.”
“Understandable. What is a bolas?” Waldo asked.
“It is three pieces of rope tied to each other on one end and has a weight on the other side. When throwing it, the intent is to hit a person's legs and if it works correctly it will wrap around a fleeing person’s legs and trip them. In town it can be tricky to use and for people they have lighter weights. It was originally used to hunt various animals on the plains. If the weights are too heavy they can break bones.” Trag said, explained. “What class are you?”
Waldo had been preparing for this question since they had asked him earlier. “Diplomat.” Waldo replied.
“You have no levels in a combat class but you are a diplomat as a soldier?” Trag questioned.
“When I use skills from it as a soldier it is generally in interrogations, but my personal goal was to try and find less violent solutions to my nation's disputes. So, I ended up becoming a diplomat. The times I acted in that capacity I was glad to have trained as a soldier. Few people seem to want peaceful resolutions. So as a diplomat I have often been met with violence.” Waldo explained twisting the truth. They stood in silence as they waited for Strisk to finish retrieving the knives. Strisk handed Waldo eleven of the knives and Trag one of the knives.
“Six perfect hits. Three near perfects. Two hits. One miss. Ten hits were all very deep. The one that made the clang hit a metal frame holding the target. It dented the metal and chipped his knife.” Strisk reported as Waldo sheathed the eleven knives he had been handed. Waldo looked at Trag just in time to catch his face returning to a neutral state after what Waldo believed to be a frown.
“How is your hand to hand combat proficiency?”Trag asked.
“I am an expert with a knife, however, I could easily swap it out for a padded baton. It would be harder on me, but I am sure I can hold my own.” Waldo said, showing the knife sheathed across his lower back and trying to determine Trag’s mood. Trag examined the knife and could see it was custom made for Waldo and well used.
“Strisk, you are good to go on patrol. Your partner should be ready about now.” Trag said, with a hint of sadness.
“I was hoping to stay and see him fight the reservists.” Strisk said, a little excited and as Strisk said that it clicked for Waldo.
“No one is coming. To test my combat proficiency.” Waldo said, calmly. “Sorry, Strisk. I should have known better.”
“We should go to my office and talk.” Trag said and handed Waldo the chipped knife Strisk had handed him.
“Wait, why?” Strisk asked, Trag.
“Politics, Strisk. Guardsmen are just a little political, which means Trag cannot hire another human. Especially, not in a citizen-facing role.” Waldo said, with a smile. “Am I right?”
“Violet, is our scribe. Citizen’s see her.” Strisk said looking confused.
“Violet is my scribe. She assists with filing and compiling guardsmen reports. She has only covered the front desk on a few occasions and usually it is to give another scribe a break or chance to go to the bathroom.” Trag stated.
“Strisk, thank you for introducing me to Captain Trag. I truly appreciate this opportunity. I would be happy to speak to you in your office Trag.” Waldo said, smiling at both of them.
“Sorry, Waldo… I didn’t realize.” Strisk said dejectly. Waldo laughed lightly.
“You have done no harm at all and even helped me file documents I needed to in order to stay. You introduced me to your Captain. Strisk, you have been nothing but helpful. Please do not feel sorry.” Waldo said, smiling at Strisk.
“Thanks, I guess I should get going.” Strisk said, clearly feeling better. “Sir. Waldo.” Strisk said, nodding his head to each of them and leaving. Trag started heading towards the guard house and motioned for Waldo to follow, which Waldo did in silence. Trag opened the door and sure enough Violet was no longer at the front desk. There was a male Drake scribe sitting behind the counter.
“Sir.” The drake said, standing up to greet them. Trag waved his hand and the drake sat back down. Waldo followed him up a set of stairs and down a hall to an open room with three scribes working on various documents on a table big enough for four, one of which was Violet.
“Your morning report sir.” A female gnoll scribe said, smiling at Trag and holding a folder. She noticed Waldo and her demeanor changed slightly. She glanced at Violet as Trag grabbed the folder.
“Thank you. I have a meeting for a few minutes. Is there anything urgent?” Trag gestured at Waldo. The scribes all looked up and gave a negative nod. “If needed you may interrupt us.” Trag said, opening his office door and leading Waldo into his office. It was a plain room. There were several chairs facing the back of the room with a large desk and chair behind it facing the door. There were two sturdy looking bookcases organized with an assortment of documents. The room was clean and orderly. A couch sat against one wall with a window behind it that had shutters and Waldo noticed a plain axe with a rope next to it leaning against a bookcase. “Please take a seat.” Trag said, opening the folder as he moved around the desk and sat down. Waldo sat across from him. They sat in silence as Trag read over a few reports. “Thank you for your patience.” Trag said look up from the report.
“Anything important?” Waldo asked.
“No, just the normal going on. Except for you of course.” Trag said.
“Yeah, I made a surprising entrance last night.” Waldo agreed.
“Teleportation has a tendency to create some alerts. If Strisk had not reported your arrival last night, the guard may have interrupted your welcome to our fine city.” Trag replied.
“That report is more thorough than I would have liked.” Waldo stated.
“Kna is a friend and Aer is a gossip.” Trag replied.
“I should have waited in the common room. We could have talked last night.” Waldo guessed.
“Doubtful, but I would have known your face this morning if you had.” Trag stated.
“I had hoped this was an offer for contract work of some kind.” Waldo said, frowning slightly.
“It still might be. I have not determined what to do about you.” Trag replied.
“Oh, well is there something you would like cleared up?” Waldo asked, smiling.
“Kna is worried about one of her barmaids. Aer has never seen her friend respond so positively to someone so quickly.” Trag stated, calmly. Waldo knew they were straying into dangerous territory.
“I have never responded to another human as positively.” Waldo replied, honestly.
“Just two soulmates meeting for the first time?” Trag asked, Waldo jerked in surprise at the word reacting before he could stop himself. Waldo realized Trag did not mean it the way he had taken it but it was too late. Trag had been watching him closely and was now looking unsure at Waldo. “I think you have some explaining to do.” Trag said, prepared to strike. Waldo leaned forward and placed his head in his hand dropping his show.
“This cannot under any circumstances leave this room. If you have listeners they need to stop. If you have a way to make the room secure. I will tell you enough to know why.” Waldo said, unsure of what would happen next.
“What, so can you kill me in silence?” Trag asked, feeling concerned about this stranger's response.
“If you want to tie me up feel free, but I am not talking until I am confident the secret won’t leave this room.” Waldo said, sitting back and calming his nerves. Waldo was trying to figure out how to explain this with as little lying as possible. Waldo wondered if he could avoid lying all together. Trag hesitated for a minute then opened a drawer and pulled out a small box. Trag said a command word under his breath and the box activated.
“Alright, we are alone and no one can see or hear us. This better be good or I won’t keep your secret.” Trag said.
“Have you ever been in love so much it hurt your soul?” Waldo asked.
“What?” Trag asked, surprised.
“I have. If I had understood this was possible. If I had known. I would have done so many things differently.” Waldo said, deciding to be as honest as he felt he could. “I thought she was dead. I joined the wrong people to get vengeance. To make it stop. In doing, so I pissed off some really powerful people. I thought my master was strong enough to protect me and I thought I was powerful enough to protect myself. I want to tell Lydia so bad. I want her to remember our time together. Every second we spent together. If I had magic this would be so easy but using magic to accomplish it would be wrong.” Waldo said, with tears in his eyes. “I wish I could just show her. However, the people I pissed off took my ability to use magic. I did not even know that was possible.” Waldo said, holding out an open palm. “Light.” Trag felt magic tug slightly, but nothing happened. “They took my magic so I could not interfere. When they did that I thought they would send me to a prison cell or some equally horrible place. They cursed me with unwanted knowledge I can barely grasp. Part of my mind is still trying to rip itself apart. But instead of sending me to a desert. They toss me like I am nothing and I land inside Spriggan Inn, in Protham barely even hurt. I did know she was the same soul at first. Standing in the dim light of the inn. She looks the same. Alive working as a barmaid in a place I have never even heard of. She doesn’t even remember me but she was drawn to me just like I was to her all those years ago.” Waldo said. “Kna is worried I might hurt her and honestly so am I. However, if we are to separate again I would have her tell me to go. It would be the most painful thing I ever do but I would leave if she asked. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, but I have found my dead lover again, my soulmate and I never thought I would see her. She died so I figured that was it. I did not know about the cycle but now I do. So please give me the chance to win her.” Waldo finished with tears at the corners of his eyes. “Please, I am begging you.” Trag knew Waldo was leaving part out but felt he was being honest and looking at Waldo Trag knew he held this man’s life in his hands at this moment. Trag looked at Waldo and activated several skills he had for conversations like this. Trag knew Waldo did not intend harm at this time or harm to his city.
“For the moment. You have convinced me.” Trag said, still slightly concerned, something about him bothered Trag, but Trag was confident the stranger would be unlikely to deliberately cause problems in Protham.
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I will prove I mean no harm.” Waldo said, starting to recover his composure. Trag grabbed the rope and axe, placing them on his desk.
“Do you know how to cut down a tree?” Trag asked.
“Yes.” Waldo replied.
“As captain of the guard. I am allotted two trees every year. The town allows me to do as I will with the tree tokens, I am issued. The mill will pay me five gold per token on average. However, If I cut the tree down and turn in the tree with the token they will right now pay eight gold. If you cut a tree down and turn it in for me. I will let you keep two gold coins of those eight.” Trag stated placing a token on the table.
“Sounds like a good deal.” Waldo replied.
“Have you hunted boar?” Trag asked.
“I have hunted. Not specifically boar but I am familiar with the complexities they present.” Waldo replied, wondering where this was going.
“Currently, we have a boar problem on the western road and several groups have been attacked by boars. It is quite troublesome. Protham does not have an adventuring guild and most hunters will hunt safer game or only kill one or two boars at a time. You can rent a hand cart for a day for three coppers at the docks. Usually they are used to transport fish around town. They are sturdy carts and can hold several hundred kilos. There are several blacksmiths in town that sell quality steel tipped javelins, for a silver. Now they are not perfect for hunting boar but they should work well enough. Currently, I have placed a bounty on boar kills of a silver per boar jaw turned in. We will even buy the dead boar for one and half coppers per five pounds. However, you could show us the boar, collect the silver, then most local butchers will buy dead boar for two copper per five pounds. Those are the current rates for whole boars” Trag explained.
“Sounds like I have a tree to chop down.” Waldo said standing.
“Out the main gate past the mill and then pick an un-worked tree the taller the better. They pay less for trees shorter than twenty feet and more for trees taller than twenty five feet. If you are willing to search there are some forty and fifty footers out there. I expect six gold regardless.” Trag stated.
“Why are you doing this?” Waldo asked.
“It is not one thing. Lots of little things adding up. Kna is a friend and Lydia is important to her. Kna knows I cannot employ you as a guard. This keeps you out of trouble. Solves a problem for me and if you work hard. Kna might start to like you. I was not going to be able to cut my second tree down before the end of the year. There are more reasons, but in the end, I see no downside for me giving you this chance.” Trag stated plainly.
“Well thank you. I appreciate this.” Waldo said and picked up the axe smiling.
“Good Luck. I plan to eat dinner at Spriggan Inn. So if you get back after sunset you can find me there.” Trag said, gesturing for Waldo to leave.
“Thank you, again!” Waldo said, leaving. After he closed the door he looked for Violet but she was not there. Waldo headed to the stairs back to the entryway. Violet wasn’t there either so he left a message for her and headed back to the Inn. Waldo wanted to ditch his armor before heading out to cut down a tree.
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“It is ok. We all make mistakes.” Lydia said quietly holding him. She did not entirely know why she chose to do this as she felt some concern over what he was apologizing for having done but something made her decide to stay with him. Eventually, he stopped and started sleeping peacefully. Lydia slowly fell back to sleep after he quieted and returned to a peaceful state.
Lydia awoke again with Waldo sitting dressed on the edge of the bed. “Good Morning.”
“Good Morning.” Waldo replied, turning to Lydia. “Sorry, if I woke you in the night. I do not always sleep well.”
“I can understand that. It took almost a year before I could sleep through the night.” Lydia replied.
“I brought breakfast up. Kna mentioned I screamed in the middle of the night. I rarely have a companion… So I did not know. I guess I was extra loud last night. I woke some other patrons.” Waldo said calmly. Lydia climbed out of bed and dressed herself as Waldo watched her but when she looked at him she felt he was lost in his own mind.
"Copper for your thoughts.” Lydia said as she started to lace up her dress. Waldo walked over to her and helped her.
“I thought I knew who I was…but I remembered things last night…” Waldo said hollowly. “I don’t know what I was fighting for… All that time as a soldier and now I remembered… what I learned before arriving here and it isn’t what I thought.”
“Do you want to elaborate?” Lydia asked.
“I am not sure I know how.” Waldo said and there was silence for a moment.
“Well, maybe you should stay here if you don’t know why you were fighting. At least, until you figure out what you want.” Lydia said and feeling better about what she had heard last night she kissed him gently on the cheek. “Thank you. I would stay for breakfast but I need to get to work.” Lydia said, grabbing a piece of bread with an egg off the plate.
“Have a nice day and I hope to see you later.” Waldo said, as she headed toward the door.
“Good luck today!” Lydia said, smiling and left. Waldo collected several things from his pack then stored it under the bed and took the plate of food to the common room where he ate slowly. Waldo noticed that Lydia was not in the common room as he ate breakfast. Waldo did not have to wait long after finishing his breakfast before Strisk arrived.
“Good Morning!” Strisk waved at Waldo moving across the common room.
“Greetings Strisk.” Waldo replied standing and moving to meet him.
“Are you ready to go down to the training grounds?” Strisk asked.
“Yeah, let’s head out.” Waldo said, motioning for Strisk to lead the way.
“Are you in a hurry?” Strisk asked, leading Waldo out.
“No, nothing like that just…” Waldo stopped in the door exiting the inn as he looked out into the city. Waldo had expected Protham to be small but realized it had been dark when he arrived and late that is why he had not realized how expansive it was. Waldo saw a wall sixty or seventy feet tall. Waldo stepped into the street and could see a gate two hundred or so feet down the road in one direction and in the other there was what appeared to be a small square. “How big is Protham?”
“It is just a small village, only five thousand or so. Most people are employed in fishing the lake or harvesting trees.” Strisk replied. “The gnolls recently opened a college here… Something about ley lines and increased power, but that is not my expertise.”
“I am surprised they even care about the ley line. The planet is so saturated with magic I would have thought everyone can easily use it.” Waldo responded.
“I wouldn’t know about that. Are you a mage?” Strisk asked.
“I cannot use magic… I can still feel it pooling.” Waldo said, wondering why he could feel it still since he now knew he could not use it. “It must be something to do with the leveling. I wonder if there is a construct powering the whole system.”
“You are suggesting a magic artifact causes people to level?”Strisk asked, shocked at the strangeness of the idea.
“Um… So I assume it is a mage college of some kind they opened?” Waldo asked, trying to change topics.
“Yeah. I would have suggested going and seeing the head there about your teleporting but from what I have heard they see almost no one who isn’t a student.” Strisk said, starting to walk down the street. Waldo followed, taking in the people and the streets. Waldo noticed most people were gnollish he saw drakes as well but it seemed to be ten to one.
“Lydia said you are a Drake. I have never learned to identify the scaled races apart from one another. It appears that Protham is mostly gnolls and Drakes. What makes a drake a drake and not say a lizardfolk?” Waldo asked, carefully.
“Lydia is right. I am a Drake. Lizardfolk always have tails. Drakes rarely have tails and those that do have a tail almost always have wings. That is usually the easiest way to tell us apart but it is more nuanced. A healthy Drake’s scales are vibrant, we stand out. A healthy lizardfolk has duller scales. Drakes can have horns or spikes across their head and back but never hair. Lizardfolk never have horns but can grow spikes. Usually they grow something more like a fin, which can be over their head or even down their chin to their chest. All the facial features are nuanced except the eye. Drake’s eyes face forward. Lizardfolk’s eyes face out enough to easily tell if you look at them.” Strisk explained calmly. “Kobolds are short but look like Drakes with a tail and all the other scaled races have gills.”
“Thank you. I realize that might have been rude to ask but I assume it is ruder to make a mistake.” Waldo said as they continued to make their way through the mostly empty streets.
“Most drakes consider it the pinnacle of rudeness to mistake us for the lizardfolk. Well the lizardfolk seem indifferent. I once saw a short Lizardman get mistaken for a Kobold and they laughed about it. Well a few days ago I had to break up a bar fight cause a gnoll called a drake a lizard.” Strisk said. “My people need to calm down about being mistaken for another race. Most cannot even tell the other races apart. No offense, but I assume you are a human because Lydia is one without looking at your ears, which are currently covered by your hair you could pass for an elf in my eyes and if you told me you were a dwarf I would believe it… even though, I think you are too tall to be a dwarf.” Waldo laughed at Strisk’s words.
“An elf you say?” Waldo said, smiling and moving his hair from over his ears. “I am a human. However, I can understand the confusion. Even among humans it is possible for some to mistake another human as one of our kin races.”
“Kin race?” Strisk asked.
“Yes, races that share certain broad features and where half races are possible.” Waldo said.
“Then would Drakes not be a Kin race.” Strisk asked.
“You ever seen a half human and half drake?” Waldo asked.
“Well no, but I was told it was possible.” Strisk said, wondering.
“Possible for our race's women’s bodies to respond as if they are creating a blend. However, it is largely my understanding no blend has survived birth. Maybe one is out there but largely our internal anatomy; bone structure, organ placement, organs in general, and finer points don’t blend into something that survives birth if a pregnancy occurs which to my knowledge is extremely rare and usually it is a half race not a full where that can occur according to one report I read most mothers die in labor if they carry the blend to term and the child still dies.” Waldo said calmly. Strisk stopped.
“How do you know this?” Strisk asked. Waldo thought about it for a moment. Realizing he did not know how to explain having millions of years of knowledge on hand a little surprised he had so easily recalled something from another life. As he thought about it he wondered how he could so easily access it. Then he knew. Four of his prior selves had learned to build a mind palace. When the Orc had implanted all the memories, those four had combined their knowledge and laid out everything, which made him wonder how he knew about the interbreeding of humans and drakes, which brought forth the memories of four doctors. One of which was drake. Strisk watched as Waldo stared off into the distance. Suddenly, Waldo went pale and threw up in the street. “What the hell?” Strisk said, jumping back to avoid getting splattered.
“Sorry.” Waldo said, feeling queasy. Waldo pushed the doctor’s memories away realizing he was not ready to go exploring all the memories aimlessly. Waldo pulled out his hip canteen and washed his mouth out. Spitting the water down a nearby drain “Damn. I was hoping to not have to eat until dinner. I assume the interview will have a combat skills test?” Waldo asked, looking at Strisk.
“Well yes, but what was that?” Strisk asked, feeling the response was unjustified for his question.
“Oh, right, your question. Um… I went to a memory I should have left alone. I was thinking about my time studying… when I strayed into an incident.” Waldo said, trying to explain without lying.
“An incident?” Strisk asked.
“I expect there are things you have seen as a city guard you would rather not remember.” Waldo replied, carefully.
“Oh… you mean something like that. I can understand that. Let’s continue on. Just another block or so.” Strisk said, letting Waldo follow him. Neither said anything until they got to the city's barracks. They had crossed near the center of town and were now at a lakeside gate that had a training arena with a large gatehouse next to it.
“How many positions is the guard filling?” Waldo asked as they approached the building.
“We are adding five new full time positions in hope of growth due to the mage college, three part time, and around fifty new reservists.” Strisk said and then opened the gatehouse’s front door.
“Good Morning, Strisk!” A female voice behind the counter greeted as they entered.
“Good Morning, Violet.” Strisk replied. “Is Trag in?”
“Yes, he got in a bit ago and…Who are you?” Violet asked, staring at Waldo as he entered the gatehouse.
“Waldo Winter.” Waldo said, step into the room and bowing slightly to the human girl behind the counter.
“He is with me. Violet. He arrived in town last night under strange circumstances.” Strisk said.
“Is he why you are meeting with Trag this early?” Violet asked, keeping her eyes on Waldo. “Is he a criminal?”
“Yes to the meeting with Trag and not as far as I am aware. You haven’t done anything illegal have you?” Strisk asked, grinning Waldo.
“Admittedly, I have not read your legal code, but assuming it follows traditional patterns of legal codes for structured societies. Not in this city. At least, I very much doubt I have.” Waldo said, smiling lightly at Violet.
“What are you doing here then?” Violet asked.
“Apart from identifying myself to local authorities due to the strange way I arrived. Hopefully, applying for a job.” Waldo stated. Violet frowned.
“Are you applying for citizenship in Protham or just submitting notice of intent to work in Protham?” Violet asked.
“Notice of intent to work, at this time.” Waldo replied, moving up to the desk as Strisk stepped away. Violet handed him a sheet of paper and pulled out a second enchanted page.
“Good luck finding work here. There are not many jobs outside of scribe, barworker, or general laborer for humans in Protham. The Drakes and Gnolls are larger and stronger than humans naturally and they are basically hiring enforcers right now.” Violet whispered to Waldo. “Where are you staying?”
“The Spriggan Inn.” Waldo said, looking at the form, surprised he could read it. As he started to fill out the form he remembered a passage about grown arrivals passing between world and being gifted languages of the worlds they arrived on from death. Waldo tried to remember the author's reasoning for the gift but could not. Waldo wished he had learned written gnollish languages but had only learned their spoken languages.
“How did you come to be there?” Violet said, showing surprise.
“Long story short…Some sort of teleportation accident.” Waldo answered, focused on completing the form.
“Wow… Lucky.” Violet said, thinking it strange he appeared in the only inn with a human working in it in Protham.
“Yes, but I suspect there is a good reason for that.” Waldo said, handing her the completed form.
“You how to read Grofeas gnoll?” Strisk asked, looking at Waldo holding the form out to Violet. “You said you had not heard of this country last night.” Violet took the form looking suspiciously at Waldo.
"No, I am familiar with other gnollish written languages and this is close enough to them that I guessed. Please check that and make sure my responses make sense.” Waldo said, looking at Violet. Waldo smiled at his omission. He was familiar with several gnoll written languages and had learned a few key words like bathroom, food, and price but had not even memorized their alphabet. Violet started to look over the document carefully. Waldo noticed the enchanted page on the desk had a picture of his face on it now with a list of several things about him, such as height, an approximate weight, and the like. Waldo heard a low growl with several inflections. Waldo looked at the gnoll standing by Strisk.
“Would you mind repeating that? I am not sure I quite heard what you said, because I thought you called me a fur lover.” Waldo said, looking narrowly at the gnoll. The gnoll made several more growls at Waldo. The gnoll had reddish brown fur and stood a little shorter than Strisk. Waldo thought the gnoll would probably be considered extremely handsome among gnolls. He was well groomed and clearly muscled under the fur. He even wore a steel breastplate that was polished to a shine. Waldo saw a stamp over his right peck that appeared to be a runic enchantment.
“Because I am not. I learned it at the time because my life depended on it. The gnolls I met were not as affluent as you are here and only knew one language. Their own. I had to learn it or live without speaking. Their treatment of me would have killed me if I had not learned their language. They knew next to nothing of humans and were a tribe secluded in the mountains. They meant well, but due to the harsh circumstances of the location I was slowly dying from starvation and exposure. It took four weeks to learn enough for rough communication after which I found them to be extremely friendly and curious. I spent two years with that tribe before making contact with a human settlement in the area. I managed to broker a peace there because I learned gnollish. So I continued my education and have since learned various spoken dialects.” Waldo responded to the newcomers' growls calmly.
“Why don’t you respond in gnollish?” The gnoll asked, changing languages. Waldo growled back in several inflections and moved a hand. Violet had noticed hand movements when gnolls growled and never associated it with them speaking but Waldo’s movements were so pronounced she realized it had to be part of the gnollish language. “Fair enough. I am Captain Trag. Strisk says you are a soldier.”
“Wait what did you say?” Violet asked Waldo.
“Violet. Don’t be rude.” Strisk chided, curious himself but having held himself back.
“I am sorry. I have just never seen a non-gnoll speak gnollish” Violet said, almost involuntarily. Trag slapped Strisk across the back of the head.
“Strisk, she is our scribe, do not order her around.” Trag said, smiling. Waldo got the sense that Trag did not like Strisk.
“I explained human throats are not well formed for the gnollish language, which hurts my throat the more I speak it and makes my accompanying hand movements more pronounced than is proper.” Waldo explained to Violet.
“Can you teach me?” Violet asked, seeing how beneficial it would be to know gnollish in her job.
“We can talk after the interview.” Waldo said, smiling at Violet.
“Right, sorry. Thank you.” Violet replied looking over at Trag apologetically.
“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation Violet. I will make sure to send Waldo back once we are done.” Trag said, smiling at Violet then turning to Waldo. “What level of soldier are you? Or is it some other fighting class?”
“I don’t have any levels in fighting classes.” Waldo replied.
“And you want to be a city guard?” Trag said looking angrily at Strisk who looked at Waldo surprised.
“Wait, are you a medic of somekind?” Strisk asked, remembering the other night.
“No, just give me a chance. We should go to the training ground if combat assessment is to be a large part of this process.” Waldo stated, a little surprised they had started asking questions in the entrance.
“It is. We can train you in Protham legal code, but we rarely do combat training for our guards; most people come to us with twenty or more levels in a combat class, when they are applying to be a guard.” Trag stated, as Waldo opened the door.
“Where I come from people do not rely on the leveling systems for combat training.” Waldo started walking to the training grounds as Trag and Strisk followed.
“Where are you from?” Trag asked.
“Halcyon. Heard of it?” Waldo asked, knowing the reply.
“Nope.” Trag replied, thinking this human could never keep up with a gnoll or drake in a fight. “What are you wearing?” Trag asked, no longer able to hold back the question as the human looked very strange to him.
“Desert Armored Combat Fatigues, my throwing knives, combat knife, an assortment of tools I have found useful over the years, and a magic sling.” Waldo said, touching different things on his body. “The armor is stab resistant and there are several metal plates spread out in the fabric. If I get the job I would like to wear this until I can afford to get some locally made gear.”
“A magic sling?” Trag asked.
“Yeah, but I have limited ammo for it. It only works with special magic ammo and I doubt you have that here.” Waldo replied.
“Have you heard of a magic sling Strisk?” Trag asked.
“No, that is new to me.” Strisk replied. “I thought you could not use magic.”
“I cannot not cast a magic spell but this is an artifact. I could teach anyone to use it. If I had unlimited ammo or access to a bullet manufacturer I would be happy to show it off but I only have ninety rounds for it.” Waldo explained.
“How long have you been a soldier?” Trag asked, Waldo had seen himself in a mirror and knew they would not believe the truth. Waldo looked like he was in his prime but Halcyon slowed aging massively Waldo was older than any human got to normally and he was still unsure if he had died or Death’s healing had further reduced the effects of aging.
“Nine years.” Waldo replied, pushing it as far as he thought he could. Waldo had put his age down as twenty nine on the form, but knew he looked closer to twenty now. “I expect I will be sparing with one of you?”
“No, we are waiting for your sparring partners. I sent for two reservists. They generally are not needed for regular guard shifts and if they are injured it should not interfere with their regular jobs.” Trag stated, show us how good you are with throwing knives.
“Alright.” Waldo said, pulling four of the weighted knives from their sheaths. Waldo carried twelve in all. Four on his left leg, two on each arm and four on his chest. Waldo started by juggling the knives as he moved into position to throw them. Waldo smoothly plucked them out of the air as he was juggling them and launched them one after another in quick succession down the lane, with the knives sinking deep into the wooden target in a tight group.
“For having no skills that is pretty good. Now for the moving targets.” Trag said, with Waldo looking back at him as he pressed a button. Waldo watched as the targets began to move side to side. Waldo could tell this was intended for arrows as the range was longer than he would usually throw when it came to moving targets.
“May I move up or do you want me to throw from here?” Waldo asked.
“Tark throws from there.” Trag replied, Waldo grabbed two more knives, throwing them half a second after looking back at the target. Both landed bullseyes but Waldo could feel the strain on his muscles. He was not used to this distance. Waldo pulled two more and turned his back to the targets. Waldo slowly strafed toward the center of the range as he had started to the right side. After a moment making sure to give the targets time to move he spun around and with one hand launched both knives. One landed in a bullseye, but the other fell short. Waldo turned his back to the targets and drew all of his remaining knives placing them at the ready in one hand. Waldo turned and threw three and turned back around quickly. He heard 2 thuds and one that was a clang. He was not sure what the third had hit. Waldo spun around and sent his final knife down the lane hitting another bullseye. The three quick throws were not bullseyes but they had all hit targets.
“That is all the throwing knives I carry.” Waldo said. “Shall I collect them?”
“No, Strisk go get the knives and report back on how deep they are.” Trag said, turning the moving targets off. Waldo moved over to Trag as Strisk retrieved the knives. “Only one complete miss, that is not bad. If you are hired then we are gonna have to replace the knives with some weighted rods. We can issue you some bolas while on duty. Unless a kill order is issued, but most the time we will expect people to be taken alive.”
“Understandable. What is a bolas?” Waldo asked.
“It is three pieces of rope tied to each other on one end and has a weight on the other side. When throwing it, the intent is to hit a person's legs and if it works correctly it will wrap around a fleeing person’s legs and trip them. In town it can be tricky to use and for people they have lighter weights. It was originally used to hunt various animals on the plains. If the weights are too heavy they can break bones.” Trag said, explained. “What class are you?”
Waldo had been preparing for this question since they had asked him earlier. “Diplomat.” Waldo replied.
“You have no levels in a combat class but you are a diplomat as a soldier?” Trag questioned.
“When I use skills from it as a soldier it is generally in interrogations, but my personal goal was to try and find less violent solutions to my nation's disputes. So, I ended up becoming a diplomat. The times I acted in that capacity I was glad to have trained as a soldier. Few people seem to want peaceful resolutions. So as a diplomat I have often been met with violence.” Waldo explained twisting the truth. They stood in silence as they waited for Strisk to finish retrieving the knives. Strisk handed Waldo eleven of the knives and Trag one of the knives.
“Six perfect hits. Three near perfects. Two hits. One miss. Ten hits were all very deep. The one that made the clang hit a metal frame holding the target. It dented the metal and chipped his knife.” Strisk reported as Waldo sheathed the eleven knives he had been handed. Waldo looked at Trag just in time to catch his face returning to a neutral state after what Waldo believed to be a frown.
“How is your hand to hand combat proficiency?”Trag asked.
“I am an expert with a knife, however, I could easily swap it out for a padded baton. It would be harder on me, but I am sure I can hold my own.” Waldo said, showing the knife sheathed across his lower back and trying to determine Trag’s mood. Trag examined the knife and could see it was custom made for Waldo and well used.
“Strisk, you are good to go on patrol. Your partner should be ready about now.” Trag said, with a hint of sadness.
“I was hoping to stay and see him fight the reservists.” Strisk said, a little excited and as Strisk said that it clicked for Waldo.
“No one is coming. To test my combat proficiency.” Waldo said, calmly. “Sorry, Strisk. I should have known better.”
“We should go to my office and talk.” Trag said and handed Waldo the chipped knife Strisk had handed him.
“Wait, why?” Strisk asked, Trag.
“Politics, Strisk. Guardsmen are just a little political, which means Trag cannot hire another human. Especially, not in a citizen-facing role.” Waldo said, with a smile. “Am I right?”
“Violet, is our scribe. Citizen’s see her.” Strisk said looking confused.
“Violet is my scribe. She assists with filing and compiling guardsmen reports. She has only covered the front desk on a few occasions and usually it is to give another scribe a break or chance to go to the bathroom.” Trag stated.
“Strisk, thank you for introducing me to Captain Trag. I truly appreciate this opportunity. I would be happy to speak to you in your office Trag.” Waldo said, smiling at both of them.
“Sorry, Waldo… I didn’t realize.” Strisk said dejectly. Waldo laughed lightly.
“You have done no harm at all and even helped me file documents I needed to in order to stay. You introduced me to your Captain. Strisk, you have been nothing but helpful. Please do not feel sorry.” Waldo said, smiling at Strisk.
“Thanks, I guess I should get going.” Strisk said, clearly feeling better. “Sir. Waldo.” Strisk said, nodding his head to each of them and leaving. Trag started heading towards the guard house and motioned for Waldo to follow, which Waldo did in silence. Trag opened the door and sure enough Violet was no longer at the front desk. There was a male Drake scribe sitting behind the counter.
“Sir.” The drake said, standing up to greet them. Trag waved his hand and the drake sat back down. Waldo followed him up a set of stairs and down a hall to an open room with three scribes working on various documents on a table big enough for four, one of which was Violet.
“Your morning report sir.” A female gnoll scribe said, smiling at Trag and holding a folder. She noticed Waldo and her demeanor changed slightly. She glanced at Violet as Trag grabbed the folder.
“Thank you. I have a meeting for a few minutes. Is there anything urgent?” Trag gestured at Waldo. The scribes all looked up and gave a negative nod. “If needed you may interrupt us.” Trag said, opening his office door and leading Waldo into his office. It was a plain room. There were several chairs facing the back of the room with a large desk and chair behind it facing the door. There were two sturdy looking bookcases organized with an assortment of documents. The room was clean and orderly. A couch sat against one wall with a window behind it that had shutters and Waldo noticed a plain axe with a rope next to it leaning against a bookcase. “Please take a seat.” Trag said, opening the folder as he moved around the desk and sat down. Waldo sat across from him. They sat in silence as Trag read over a few reports. “Thank you for your patience.” Trag said look up from the report.
“Anything important?” Waldo asked.
“No, just the normal going on. Except for you of course.” Trag said.
“Yeah, I made a surprising entrance last night.” Waldo agreed.
“Teleportation has a tendency to create some alerts. If Strisk had not reported your arrival last night, the guard may have interrupted your welcome to our fine city.” Trag replied.
“That report is more thorough than I would have liked.” Waldo stated.
“Kna is a friend and Aer is a gossip.” Trag replied.
“I should have waited in the common room. We could have talked last night.” Waldo guessed.
“Doubtful, but I would have known your face this morning if you had.” Trag stated.
“I had hoped this was an offer for contract work of some kind.” Waldo said, frowning slightly.
“It still might be. I have not determined what to do about you.” Trag replied.
“Oh, well is there something you would like cleared up?” Waldo asked, smiling.
“Kna is worried about one of her barmaids. Aer has never seen her friend respond so positively to someone so quickly.” Trag stated, calmly. Waldo knew they were straying into dangerous territory.
“I have never responded to another human as positively.” Waldo replied, honestly.
“Just two soulmates meeting for the first time?” Trag asked, Waldo jerked in surprise at the word reacting before he could stop himself. Waldo realized Trag did not mean it the way he had taken it but it was too late. Trag had been watching him closely and was now looking unsure at Waldo. “I think you have some explaining to do.” Trag said, prepared to strike. Waldo leaned forward and placed his head in his hand dropping his show.
“This cannot under any circumstances leave this room. If you have listeners they need to stop. If you have a way to make the room secure. I will tell you enough to know why.” Waldo said, unsure of what would happen next.
“What, so can you kill me in silence?” Trag asked, feeling concerned about this stranger's response.
“If you want to tie me up feel free, but I am not talking until I am confident the secret won’t leave this room.” Waldo said, sitting back and calming his nerves. Waldo was trying to figure out how to explain this with as little lying as possible. Waldo wondered if he could avoid lying all together. Trag hesitated for a minute then opened a drawer and pulled out a small box. Trag said a command word under his breath and the box activated.
“Alright, we are alone and no one can see or hear us. This better be good or I won’t keep your secret.” Trag said.
“Have you ever been in love so much it hurt your soul?” Waldo asked.
“What?” Trag asked, surprised.
“I have. If I had understood this was possible. If I had known. I would have done so many things differently.” Waldo said, deciding to be as honest as he felt he could. “I thought she was dead. I joined the wrong people to get vengeance. To make it stop. In doing, so I pissed off some really powerful people. I thought my master was strong enough to protect me and I thought I was powerful enough to protect myself. I want to tell Lydia so bad. I want her to remember our time together. Every second we spent together. If I had magic this would be so easy but using magic to accomplish it would be wrong.” Waldo said, with tears in his eyes. “I wish I could just show her. However, the people I pissed off took my ability to use magic. I did not even know that was possible.” Waldo said, holding out an open palm. “Light.” Trag felt magic tug slightly, but nothing happened. “They took my magic so I could not interfere. When they did that I thought they would send me to a prison cell or some equally horrible place. They cursed me with unwanted knowledge I can barely grasp. Part of my mind is still trying to rip itself apart. But instead of sending me to a desert. They toss me like I am nothing and I land inside Spriggan Inn, in Protham barely even hurt. I did know she was the same soul at first. Standing in the dim light of the inn. She looks the same. Alive working as a barmaid in a place I have never even heard of. She doesn’t even remember me but she was drawn to me just like I was to her all those years ago.” Waldo said. “Kna is worried I might hurt her and honestly so am I. However, if we are to separate again I would have her tell me to go. It would be the most painful thing I ever do but I would leave if she asked. I don’t blame you if you don’t believe me, but I have found my dead lover again, my soulmate and I never thought I would see her. She died so I figured that was it. I did not know about the cycle but now I do. So please give me the chance to win her.” Waldo finished with tears at the corners of his eyes. “Please, I am begging you.” Trag knew Waldo was leaving part out but felt he was being honest and looking at Waldo Trag knew he held this man’s life in his hands at this moment. Trag looked at Waldo and activated several skills he had for conversations like this. Trag knew Waldo did not intend harm at this time or harm to his city.
“For the moment. You have convinced me.” Trag said, still slightly concerned, something about him bothered Trag, but Trag was confident the stranger would be unlikely to deliberately cause problems in Protham.
“Thank you for giving me a chance. I will prove I mean no harm.” Waldo said, starting to recover his composure. Trag grabbed the rope and axe, placing them on his desk.
“Do you know how to cut down a tree?” Trag asked.
“Yes.” Waldo replied.
“As captain of the guard. I am allotted two trees every year. The town allows me to do as I will with the tree tokens, I am issued. The mill will pay me five gold per token on average. However, If I cut the tree down and turn in the tree with the token they will right now pay eight gold. If you cut a tree down and turn it in for me. I will let you keep two gold coins of those eight.” Trag stated placing a token on the table.
“Sounds like a good deal.” Waldo replied.
“Have you hunted boar?” Trag asked.
“I have hunted. Not specifically boar but I am familiar with the complexities they present.” Waldo replied, wondering where this was going.
“Currently, we have a boar problem on the western road and several groups have been attacked by boars. It is quite troublesome. Protham does not have an adventuring guild and most hunters will hunt safer game or only kill one or two boars at a time. You can rent a hand cart for a day for three coppers at the docks. Usually they are used to transport fish around town. They are sturdy carts and can hold several hundred kilos. There are several blacksmiths in town that sell quality steel tipped javelins, for a silver. Now they are not perfect for hunting boar but they should work well enough. Currently, I have placed a bounty on boar kills of a silver per boar jaw turned in. We will even buy the dead boar for one and half coppers per five pounds. However, you could show us the boar, collect the silver, then most local butchers will buy dead boar for two copper per five pounds. Those are the current rates for whole boars” Trag explained.
“Sounds like I have a tree to chop down.” Waldo said standing.
“Out the main gate past the mill and then pick an un-worked tree the taller the better. They pay less for trees shorter than twenty feet and more for trees taller than twenty five feet. If you are willing to search there are some forty and fifty footers out there. I expect six gold regardless.” Trag stated.
“Why are you doing this?” Waldo asked.
“It is not one thing. Lots of little things adding up. Kna is a friend and Lydia is important to her. Kna knows I cannot employ you as a guard. This keeps you out of trouble. Solves a problem for me and if you work hard. Kna might start to like you. I was not going to be able to cut my second tree down before the end of the year. There are more reasons, but in the end, I see no downside for me giving you this chance.” Trag stated plainly.
“Well thank you. I appreciate this.” Waldo said and picked up the axe smiling.
“Good Luck. I plan to eat dinner at Spriggan Inn. So if you get back after sunset you can find me there.” Trag said, gesturing for Waldo to leave.
“Thank you, again!” Waldo said, leaving. After he closed the door he looked for Violet but she was not there. Waldo headed to the stairs back to the entryway. Violet wasn’t there either so he left a message for her and headed back to the Inn. Waldo wanted to ditch his armor before heading out to cut down a tree.
2024.06.09 17:12 A-R-U Warrior Cats Game Ideas/Possibilities
So I came across a post recently, where the person asked what we would want in a warrior's game, and it got me to remember a document I had made ages ago now regarding that. Now warning, this post is extremely long, and much of what I've written down probably isn't possible to achive (I'm no game develouper). But if you're curious, and find something you like on this list that's do-able, then feel free to run with it, cause I would love to see this in action. (Sorry for any weird spelling/grammar, this is my second language).
Character Creation:
Breed:
-Pureblood.
-Mixed between 2 (choose which trait you want from which breed).
-A specific breed with some minor differences/changes, due to mix breeding.
-A mix of several breeds (from 6 to 10 different breeds, choosing between which trait/look you want from which breed).
-Normal house cat (breeds unknown/unrecognizable/unimportant, free to choose whatever looks/traits from whatever breed).
Fur:
Patterns:
-Single color (with/without different areas with lightedarker markings).
-Single color, except for one, partly or fully, different colored body part.
-Two colors (choose where you want which color to be and the size and shape of the different colors).
-Tabby (choose if the markings are paler or darker in color compared to the main, solid one): Spotted, Classic, Mackerel, Ticked, Patched Tabby markings (in regards to the patched tabby, the player can choose where they want which color to be and the size and shape of the patched areas).
-Multi Colored: Tortoiseshell (bridled, patched), Calico (traditional, dilute, patched tabby). The player can choose where they want which color to be and the size and shape.
-Color Points: Lynx, Seal-Mink, Seal-Point, Seal-Solid.
Colors: Amber, light amber, smoke, black, blue, caramel, caramel 2, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, light brown, red, ginger, cream, apricot, orange, white, gray, silver, brown, golden, golden-brown.
-Albino (half or full).
Choose realistic or unrealistic color patterns/combinations (unrealistic = the colors themselves are realistic ones that naturally show up in cats, but the colopattern combinations that can be mixed together aren’t).
Volume**,** Amount**,** Length**,** Appearance:
-Thick, dense, thin.
-Long, medium, short.
-Curly, glossy, wirehair, normal, fluffy.
-Extra fur around the neck, between toes and inside/on top of ears.
-Double layer coat.
-Hairless.
Build:
-Height: Small, big, normal, between small/normal and normal/big (a bar the player can slide to adjust the size).
-Shape: Skinny, lean, sturdy, muscular.
Looks:
Eyes:
-Color: Gray, yellow-gray, blue-gray, blue, blue-green, green, hazel, yellow, amber, orange, brown, red.
-In each: The same color in both eyes, complete heterochromia, sectoral heterochromia in both eyes, one eye with complete heterochromia and one with sectoral heterochromia.
-Shape: Almond, round, oval.
Nose:
-Shape: Flat, normal.
-Color(s).
Whiskers:
-Length.
-Shape: Straight, curly.
Legs:
Length: Hind legs can be longer than the front legs or all 4 can be of the same length.
Tail:
-Length.
-Look: Plump, feathery, thin, bushy or stumpy/bobbed.
-Tailless.
Ears:
-Size.
-Shape: Rounded, folded, floppy, loosely folded, curled (from 90 to 180 degrees), straight.
Shoulders:
-Size: Broad or normal.
Face:
-Shape: Flat (mild, moderate, profound, severe), round, triangle, square.
Scars: Choose the length, shape, how visible they are, where they are, the amount. (Some will show up after battle practice, and the others after fighting).
Mutation:
Face: Half the player character’s face is a darker color, the other half is a lighter one (the player can choose the two colors).
Paws:
-Split-foot (syndactyly).
-Extra number of toes - only front paws, or with back legs as well - , 4 to 7 on each (Polydactyly).
-Thumb-cat - 1 or more extra toes around the dew claw specifically - (Polydactyly).
Pelt: Vitiligo (players can choose between a spotted pattern, whole areas turning white, or both, and how much of the white color takes over).
Ears: Four ears.
Tail: Shortened and kinked (japanese bobtail gene), no tail (manx tailless gene).
Size: Dwarfism (dwarf cat gene).
Others:
-Missing body part.
-Reduced or complete loss of hearing or vision (one eaeye can also be completely gone - senses vice - while another is reduced, one eaeye can be gone/reduced while the other one is working, one ear and one eye each can be gone/reduced, and both eyes and both ears be gone/reduced. Although, I must admit, I have no idea how it would work gameplay vice if a character is completely blind and deaf, or has one eye/ear with reduced vision/hearing while the other 3 are completely gone).
Any missing/partly missing body part, mutation or reduced/complete loss of the senses will make the game harder and can cause the player character to go through a special training arc.
Other Choices:
Clan. (Player’s choice, or take an in-game test with the possibility of getting more than 1 clan as an answer - making the player a half-clan cat if they go with that, with the clan they got the highest percentage of being the clan the character is born in).
Blood ties: Full blooded, half-blooded cats (the player can choose what trait/skills they want from each clan. It will cause the player character to have a longer apprenticeship in order to prove the player character’s loyalty and dedication as gaining the trust of their fellow clanmates will be harder).
The half-clan option can lead to several different possible outcomes for the parents, the player character and siblings depending on how the player played the game and how well and how many in-game characters trust and like the player character unless the player chooses something specific. The player can also choose how far back in the family tree the half-clan blood runs and who (if only one) of the parents has it.
Family situation:
-If the player character’s parents live in different clans, if one of them moved to the other’s, if they’re still together and if they get along or not, if one or both of them found another mate, and if they end up switching clans at some point during the playthrough.
-Whether the player character grows up with their mother’s or father’s clan (if the parent’s lives in different clans. The game will provide the player character with a foster mother and siblings if the player chooses the father’s clan).
-If the player character grows up with siblings, and whether or not none, some of or all of their siblings live with the player character (if the parent’s live in different clans), and if the player character knows about their other siblings - and if the siblings knows about them, or only the siblings know - if they do live in different clans.
-The player can also choose if their character and clan knows or is unaware about the fact that they are half-clan (the player can also choose if only the clan or only the player character is aware/unaware of it).
-Parent(s) with half-blood (what traits they have from each clan, and if they’re in one of the clans they have blood ties to, or in one of the other three. If they are in one of the other clans this will give the player the opportunity to add traits from said third clan to their character, deciding how many/few traits the player character gets from each clan, as long as one of the player character’s other parent has blood ties to the third clan).
Most traits from=check off 6 boxes, some traits from=check off 4 boxes, few traits from=check off 2 boxes. In case of half-clans the player can check off 6 boxes from each side/clans, or remove some from one side and spend them on the other. If both parents have blood from the same clan, that clan/side has to be what the player character has the most filled out boxes from.
-What role the player character’s parents have (including being a medicine cat. The different roles affect how the player character is treated).
Character vice:
-Gender.
-Choose what the player wants their character to be honored for during the full name ceremony or have the game choose based on the player character’s game-play/performance (same with what lives the player character receives if they become clan leader).
Likes/Dislikes/Preferences, player character vice and npc vice:
-Fur color(s)/pattern, eye color, build, gender and personality regarding npc’s.
-Sayings/expressions.
-Rival clans.
-Other ranks within the clan.
-Half-clan cats.
-Places.
-Prey.
-Weather.
-Seasons.
How player character feels about:
-Rouges/loners/kittypets.
-The opposite gender.
-Different personalities.
These choices will affect the dialog options in the game.
After finishing the game the 1st time, the player will be able to go to the menu and choose one of the special powers mentioned in the series (maybe also some new ones) to give to your character. The player can also go into the menu and change it during the play-through if they want. And they can choose to play as a character from the Warriors series.
Possibly other choices:
-The personality of the player character’s parents (if they stay close or grow distant/cold towards the player character. What they feel about their former mate, if they still see the player character as their kit, or regret having them).
-The looks of the player character’s parents (unless they’re the foster family).
-The looks of the player character’s siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-Number of siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-The sibling’s names (unless they’re the foster family).
-The sibling’s genders (unless they’re the foster family).
-The personality of the siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-The future position of the siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-If the player character and the siblings are half-clan, what traits each of them got from the other clan(s).
-If the player character or one of the siblings are the player character’s parent’s favorite or if everyone gets equal attention/love (regardless if they’re the foster family or not).
-How the player character’s siblings feel about one another and the player character. Who’s their favorite sibling to hang out with, who they don’t get as well along with, if any (regardless if they’re the foster family or not).
-If the player character and the siblings are half-clan, what they feel about being half-clan, what they feel about the way the clan treats them and if they want to, and if they end up, switching clans.
-If one or both of the parents passes away and when (before birth, during your character’s kit-hood, as an apprenticeship, afteshortly after becoming a warrior), giving the player the possibility of being in a clan that mostly don’t trust the player character, with only the player character’s siblings for comfort if the player chose the “parents in different clans” option (if the player choose for both of the parents to pass away or the mom while the player character lives in their clan while the player character is a kit, the game will give the player a foster family).
-An option for it being certain and one for being uncertain about whether or not all of the player character’s siblings survive into adulthood/survive long enough to become elders, and whether or not the player character’s parent(s) survives long enough to become an elder.
-Having the option to start the second playthrough as a kittypet, loner or rogue (full, or part kittypet/rogue, kittypet/clan cat, rogue/clancat, lonekittypet, lonerogue, loneclancat). The player can choose if they encounter the clan through positive or negative reasons. Choose at what age the player character meets the clan. Choose whether the player character’s siblings, all of them or just some, choose to join the clan as well and if they choose to join the same or want to join a different clan.
-Choose which season (and possibly time of day/night) the player character is born in.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Other Choices and Possibly other choices“ part (apart from the Character vice, Likes/dislikes/preferences and How player character feels about part of the list).
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Character vice, Likes/dislikes/preferences and How player character feels about” parts specifically.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Character Creation” part.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Mutation” part.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make.
Every randomize button also gives the player the option to cross out boxes that they don’t want checked off, as well as check off boxes that they do want to specifically get chosen.
-A peace mode where the player can walk around and enjoy the territory without the risk of enemies/events, and possibly the other clan’s territories and camp, watching the in-game characters walk around, performing tasks and interacting with each other without the risk of getting attacked/hurt.
Game-play:
The Warrior Apprentice Path:
-Learn about the warrior code.
-Learn about the territory and its layout-how to use it to the player character’s advantage.
-Learn about predators and how to fight them or stay hidden from them.
-Look for, discover and learn about different tracks and track them.
-Learn about prey and how to detect, sneak up on and catch them as different prey requires different techniques.
-Learn where the borders are.
-Learn where scent marks are.
-Mark the territory.
-Learn to look for signs that someone has crossed the border and/or taken prey from the player character’s clan’s side.
-Master different battle techniques, learning when to attack and defend and what technique the player character can/should use when.
-Train and specialize in player character’s clan abilities:
ThundeShadow/SkyClan: Tree climbing.
ThunderClan: Moving/sneaking through heavy/thick undergrowth.
Shadow/Wind/RiveSkyClan: Sneaking in more open/exposed areas.
ShadowClan: Special night lessons.
RiverClan: Swimming and fishing lessons and fighting in water.
WindClan: Races and obstacle course.
SkyClan: Jumping/leaping lessons.
-Learn and detect the different scents of prey and predators, if it’s stale or fresh, and what kind of prey/predator it is, rivaling clans, dogs, two-legs and non-clan cats.
-Learn how to deal with cats waiting at the border.
-Collect moss and water.
-Fixing dens and nests.
-Removing ticks.
-Keep guard outside the player character clan’s camp (After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time it will take).
-Learn about the important cats from rival clans (leader, deputy, medicine cat, medicine cat apprentice), their scent and their clan’s specialties and weaknesses, and how to best beat them.
-Protect the kits and elders during camp raids.
-Travel with the player character’s mentor to the Moonstone and survive in the area outside the player character’s clan territory (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Race to the camp to warn the player character’s clan leader about surprise attacks, possibly outrunning a pursuer.
-Attend Gatherings and meet and mingle with other apprentices and make sure not to give anything important away.
-Train/fight against the player character’s fellow denmates while inside camp.
-Bring prey to queens and elders.
-Pass the warrior assignment (skippable).
After the first playthrough the player can choose from the menu to skip the parts where the player character learns about the territory, detecting/tracking/finding, prey and predators, hunting ,scent marks/borders, fighting/ battle techniques, cats waiting at the border and trespassers/signs of it, shortening the player’s time as an apprentice.
The Medicine Cat Apprentice Path:
-Learn about the medicine cat code.
-Learn about the territory and its layout-knowing where to find which herb and when they grow/are in season.
-Master basic battle techniques and when to use which.
-Attend Gatherings.
-Learn the scent of different herbs, predators and other cats and how to detect them.
-Learn the names of different herbs.
-Learn what the herbs look like.
-Learn what the different herbs do.
-Learn how to prepare different herbs.
-Learn how to make poultices.
-Learn what’s dangerous and not.
-Learn about different complications and stuff that can go wrong and what to do.
-Learn how to heal different wounds (keeping infection away), diseases and poisons.
-Learn to recognize symptoms for different diseases and keep it from spreading.
-Travel to the Moonstone (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Receive dreams/warnings/prophecies/omens from StarClan.
-Learn to assist queens giving birth.
-Learn how to deal with different patients.
-Make sure the plants don’t get destroyed or rot.
-Assist and go over the player character’s clanmates after a battle.
After the first playthrough the player can choose from the menu to skip the parts where the player character learns about the different herbs, injuries, illnesses, territory, fighting, kitting, predators, detecting, poultices, complications, preparation and prevention, shortening the player’s time as an apprentice.
The Warrior Path:
-Pick up interesting news and whispers at Gatherings without getting detected.
-Stand guard duty at night and after the player character receives their full name (Skippable, but the player can also, after the first playthrough, go into the menu and shorten the amount of time those nights will take).
-Lead patrols and decide where to hunt.
-Report back to the leader about any events outside of camp.
-Become a mentor (the player can ask for a specific kit. Mentorship is partly skippable: ceremony - both for the player character’s apprentice apprentices and warrior ceremony and assignment, as well as teaching the player character’s apprentice about territory, detecting/tracking/finding, prey and predators, hunting ,scent marks/borders, fighting/ battle techniques, cats waiting at the border and trespassers/signs of it).
-Make sure the player character’s clan has enough prey.
-Help the player character’s clan through battles and harsh seasons.
-If the player wants to find a mate and start a family, name some of the kits and watch them grow into warriors or a medicine cat.
-Go to other clans in times of war and ask for assistance.
-Join a patrol led by the player character’s leader to another clan’s camp.
-Help find lost kits.
-Rush to help during a border fight.
-Deal with trespassing non-clan cats or predators.
-Perform escort missions.
-Do side quests like playing with kits, rebuild/enforce dens and the camp wall, help out friends within or outside the clan and learn about their past, dreams and secrets.
-Share tongue with the in-game characters.
-Build the player character’s reputation and popularity and increase the chances of them getting chosen as deputy.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to Gatherings and tell them about other cats.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to the Moonstone (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Go on missions from StarClan.
-Guard any potionsoal prisoners.
The Deputy Path:
-Organize patrols (skippable, in which case the game will pick random npc’s).
-Report to and stand by the clan leader.
-Go on behalf of the clan leader to the gathering, or to deliver important messages to the other clans.
-Step in whenever the clan leader is away from camp.
Ceremony skippable.
The Leader Path:
-Go to the Moonstone and receive 9 lives (skippable, in which case the game will choose what lives the player character gets based on the actions they have taken and who they have supported).
-Choose the clan’s new deputy (skippable, in which case the game will pick the most suitable npc based on the in-game character’s personalities. But, the player can also have the game choose among only certain npc’s based on the player’s specific preferences, like: a cat that can challenge them, a cat that stands by them, a cat the player can teach/mold themselves, a cat that doesn’t need any guidance/help within the new role).
-Make decisions affecting just the player character’s clan or several.
-Get help and guidance from the medicine cat and elders.
-Travel to the other camps to discuss clan matters with that clan’s leader.
-Convince the npc’s about the decisions the player character made.
-Handle any negative feedback from the player character’s decisions, the player character’s popularity (both in the player character’s own and the other clans), and face any challenges about the player character’s leadership.
-Give reports at Gatherings (the player chooses how much they want to tell and what they want to hold back) and solve any possible outbursts.
-Listen to and decide what to do with rival clan cats or non-clan cats coming into the camp.
-Make sure the warrior code is being followed and punish rule breakers accordingly after hearing their explanation, if the player finds that necessary.
-Enter StarClan and receive tips, guidance, encouragement or comfort when the player character loses one of their 9 lives depending on what claimed one of their lives (skippable).
-Hold apprentice ceremonies and assign mentors (skippable, in which case the game will assign the newly made apprentice a mentor).
-Give warriors their full name and choose what to honor them for based on the reports from their mentors (skippable, in which case the game will choose a name based on the npc’s actions/personality).
-Guide and boost the warriors’ spirits during challenging/harsh times.
-Negotiate with rival clan leaders for the safe return of any imprisoned clanmates.
The Medicine Cat Path:
-Make sure there are enough herbs.
-Make sure the herbs are fresh.
-Keep as many of the player character’s clanmates as safe as possible during outbreaks and take precautions.
-Give advice to other medicine cats and/or pick up tips.
-Go to another clan and help their medicine cat (bringing herbs if necessary).
-Pick the herbs that might be needed before leaf-bare kicks in.
-Make sure the player character’s have enough herbs before a planned battle.
-Walk with the cats in StarClan, asking them for advice/guidance.
-Help elders and kits through leaf-bare.
-Make sure the player character’s clanmates get what they need in both herbs and knowledge before going on a long journey.
-Go to the Moonstone with the clan’s newly appointed leader (skippable).
-Get through a hard season with only a few herbs (be it having many different ones but few in numbers of each, many in numbers but few in types, or both few types and low in number.
-Race out of camp to help seriously injured clancats, cats who have accidentally eaten something poisonous, or queens giving birth too early.
-Break heavy news and comfort life changing, seriously injured or ill cats (or family members/mates of mentioned cats), and help train them back up again if recovery is possible/if they survive.
-Prepare fallen clanmates on their way to StarClan (skippable).
-Become the clan’s sole medicine cat (skippable).
-Train an apprentice and give them their full name based on their performance (skippable, in which case the game will choose a name based on the in-game character’s actions. Mentorship is partly skippable: ceremony - both for the player character’s apprentice apprentices and full medicine cat name ceremony, as well as teaching the player character’s apprentice about herbs, injuries, illnesses, territory, fighting, kitting, predators, detecting, poultices, complications, preparation and prevention).
-Help the player character’s clanmates keep faith in StarClan during times of crises.
-Join the player character’s clan leader and clanmates on trips to enemy camps as a show of peace/good faith.
-Share tongue with the in-game characters.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to Gatherings and tell them about other cats.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to the Moonstone every half moon (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough you can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Receive omens/prophecies/warnings, and find out which cat/event/clan it refers to.
Small side game:
-The player can play as the spirit of the player’s character, hunting and exploring StarClan or The Dark Forest.
-Get to meet and know the other clan cats the player might not have gotten a chance to in the main game.
-Look over the clan, the next generation in the player character’s family and how they’re doing.
-Visit the player character’s descendants in their dreams.
-Walk around the player character’s old clan camp, and its new members, invisible (and listen in on what kind of stories the player character’s predecessors are telling about them).
-Pass on prophecies/guidance/warnings/omens.
-Take part in meetings between fellow StarClan cats and decide what is best to do for the clans.
-Meet old, famous cats.
-Be part of the 9 cats that give a clan leader their extra lives (the player can choose what the life they give is for).
The Elder Path:
-Telling kits-possibly the player character’s grand or great-grand kits, stories about the player character’s life.
-Spend time and share tongue with the player character’s mate and/or fellow den mates that made it into their senior years.
-Roam freely through the territory whenever.
-Take fallen warriors to the burial place and help bury them.
-Based on the player character’s dialogue/options, the player character can either pass away during a raid on the camp, defending their clan members one last time, or pass away in their sleep during peaceful times.
-A cut scene plays out where the player character hears the voices of old clanmates calling them, and their spirit stands up and walks upwards towards the starry sky.
-As the camera goes from the ground to the sky (birdseye view), the player sees the player character’s clan leader give their speech about the player character at their vigil, and then after zooming further up, the player hears the player character’s clan leader informing the other clans of the player character’s passing during the next Gathering, before the player start playing as a StarClan/Dark Forest cat.
The Kit path:
-Spend some time exploring the camp, playing, make friends, practicing the hunter's crouch, leaping, surprise attacks and wrestling, meeting clanmates and listen to the elder’s stories (after the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and reduce the amount of time the player’s new character(s) spends as a kit).
-If the player character’s spend some time with a specific warrior the odds of that cat becoming the player character’s mentor increases.
-Go through the player character’s apprentice ceremony (skippable).
Playthrough:
-Starts with the player character’s opening their eyes for the first time.
-Encounter different cats outside the player character’s territory.
-During hunting or stealth/sneaking mode make sure not to step on or brush against anything that can make sound or move giving away the player character’s position.
-Make sure the wind is towards the player character, and keep to the shadows if possible.
-Activate a “scent mode”, where the player character gets to see everything in different colors, each color representing a scent (the amount of it telling how old or new it is).
-The player character’s get points based on how well the player character hunts, fights and helps out inside the clan, and if the player character’s do well enough the player character gets taken to Gatherings.
-Getting caught breaking the code will result in punishment.
-Stay a clan cat, switch clan, become a loner, rogue or kittypet (which can cause the player character’s to not end up in StarClan/The Dark Forest).
-The game ends with the player character joining StarClan or The Dark Forest after a lifetime (or 9).
-How your clanmates remember the player character will be based on the player’s choices, how well the player played, and how much they learned.
After the first playthrough the player can choose to start with their new character as a newly made apprentice or warrior (starting with the ceremony).
Other stuff in the game:
-Day/night and seasons cycle.
-Easy, normal, though, challenging and random mode. Makes it so that events such as outbreaks of different illnesses, different natural disasters, harsh/long seasons, prey shortage (and prey getting poisoned/contaminated), conflict/tension, invading forces (other clans/groups of cats/animals), low number of warriors/shortage of new kits being born, losing territory, two/three rival clans joining together to face off against your character’s clan, clanmate(s) trying to overthrow and take over leadership of the player character’s clan, and wars happen a specific amount of time within each mode.
Easy: 0-2 things.
Normal: 3-5 things.
Though: 6-8 things.
Challenging: 9-11 things.
Random lvl button: The game picks (same with the other randomize buttons, the player can cross out the challenge lvl the player doesn't want to be included).
Random events list: Allows the player to cross out events they don’t want to happen, and check off events they specially do want to encounter, before picking a lvl/clicking the random lvl button.
-The player character could end up being taken prisoner if they’re found sneaking around inside another clan’s territory. The player will either have to try to escape, or wait until their clan sacrifices something for the player character’s return.
-If the player character ends up getting too many punishments from getting caught breaking the warrior code too many times, the whole clan can grow to distrust, and eventually, even kick the player character out.
-If npc’s finds the player character on their territory alone often, that rival clan will be on a look out, more hostile/aggressive towards, and talk about/discuss the player character in a negative way during Gatherings (this could have a negative effect on a patrol if the player character is part of a patrol traveling to an enemy camp).
-If the player character has a good reputation, enemy warriors will respect and enemy apprentices might look up to and admire the player character and talk in an positive light and exited way about the player character at Gatherings (this could have a positive effect on a patrol if the player character is part of a patrol traveling to an enemy camp).
-Kits could end up playing pretend as the player character regardless of the distrust/trusted status.
-Follow an evil route and the player character could end up becoming a scary story that keeps disobedient kits inside their dens at night/inside their camp.
-Follow a good route and the player character could end up becoming a popular and exciting bedtime story for the kits.
Stuff that could possibly be different between each playthrough:
-Different cats could end up becoming mates and different she-cats can become queens (also resulting in different kits being born).
-Different characters could end up dying or be named deputy if the player character isn’t.
-Different cats could start off as leaders.
-Different cats could end up being leaders, medicine cats, medicine cat apprentices, and warrior apprentices could have different mentors.
-StarClan can send new, or no, prophecies/warnings.
-Npc’s could keep their personality/alliance throughout the playthroughs, or end up changing, depending on: If they fall in love with an outsider or rival clan member. Who they follow. If they have something against the leadethe way the leader leads the clan, or the player character. What happens to them throughout their lives.
-The leader could turn evil and try to prove the clan’s strength and glory through endless battles, try to drive off one of the other clans, or try to merge several clans into one (and this could be challenges the player character could end up facing if they become the leader).
-The medicine cat could lose faith in or be angry at StarClan, and use their powers/knowledge against the clan or to shatter other npc’s faith in StarClan.
It will be up to the player character to help prevent/solve these npc/leademedicine cat events. The player will have the option to choose if these specific events can happen or not during their different playthroughs.
-Different npc’s could end up trying to befriend, fall for and become rivals (both friendly and non friendly) the player character. This could give npc’s from a playthrough where they weren’t in focus/as important more depth/personality.
There could also possibly be a list over the different npc’s, where the player can cross off if a/some specific npc(‘s) should be more in focus/more important during their playthroughs, and what specific role that/those npc/’s will play.
If the player makes several characters, the player can see them in camp, and on the territory if they’re in the same clan, or during border patrols, Gatherings, attacks, or if they arrive in the player’s current character’s camp with their leader if they’re in different.
Controls:
-The view could be behind/over the shoulder, or through the player character’s eyes, or both switching freely.
-Fighting, battle training, tree climbing, fishing, swimming, leaping, pouncing on prey and obstacle course could be a combination of using the moving buttons and mouse or button clicking).
-The player can save and switch characters whenever they want.
DLC or Sequel:
-At a young age, the player character, and their siblings and mother spot a group of strange cats traveling from the mountains to the moorland and forest area not far from the two-leg place, where the player character’s family lives as loners.
-The player character’s mother makes sure the player character stays well away from them, as blood is suddenly being shed over newly made borders and the prey within, kin attacking kin over the right for space and having prey in their mouths.
-When the player character’s mother passes, the player character must make a choice. Try to survive on their own, or join this strange, rouge group of cats?
-Will the player character stay in the group or leave and try to fend for themselves?
-Does the player character switch alliances to a different group, or do they stay with the group that took the player character in when no one else might have had?
-Learn a new way of life and survival depending on where the player choose to live.
-Try to survive and get enough prey through leaf-bare as hostile strangers and hungry rivaling groups eye the player character’s prey.
-Help keep the campmates safe by helping them fight off intruders with the goal of chasing the player character’s group off.
-Get through harsh seasons and fight off dogs, foxes and badgers.
-Learn how to heal campmates with herbs or help them by training kits and gathering prey.
-Attend their meeting every full moon and learn their history (as a tribe or their personal one) and about the other groups.
-Find a mate, start a family, and fight to protect and keep them alive through storms and diseases.
-Watch them grow into independent adults and expand the family tree.
-Walk in the paw steps of the mysterious mountain cats and become a true wild cat and a part of the early 5 clans.
-A cut-scene at the end of the DLC/Sequel will play, showing the player’s 1st character, or the/one of the character(s) from the same clan the player character is in in this DLC/Sequel, from the main/1st game, as a kit in the nursery, being told a story about one of their earliest ancestors, the character the player just played, in modern ThundeShadow/Wind/RiveSkyClan.
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Character Creation:
Breed:
-Pureblood.
-Mixed between 2 (choose which trait you want from which breed).
-A specific breed with some minor differences/changes, due to mix breeding.
-A mix of several breeds (from 6 to 10 different breeds, choosing between which trait/look you want from which breed).
-Normal house cat (breeds unknown/unrecognizable/unimportant, free to choose whatever looks/traits from whatever breed).
Fur:
Patterns:
-Single color (with/without different areas with lightedarker markings).
-Single color, except for one, partly or fully, different colored body part.
-Two colors (choose where you want which color to be and the size and shape of the different colors).
-Tabby (choose if the markings are paler or darker in color compared to the main, solid one): Spotted, Classic, Mackerel, Ticked, Patched Tabby markings (in regards to the patched tabby, the player can choose where they want which color to be and the size and shape of the patched areas).
-Multi Colored: Tortoiseshell (bridled, patched), Calico (traditional, dilute, patched tabby). The player can choose where they want which color to be and the size and shape.
-Color Points: Lynx, Seal-Mink, Seal-Point, Seal-Solid.
Colors: Amber, light amber, smoke, black, blue, caramel, caramel 2, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, light brown, red, ginger, cream, apricot, orange, white, gray, silver, brown, golden, golden-brown.
-Albino (half or full).
Choose realistic or unrealistic color patterns/combinations (unrealistic = the colors themselves are realistic ones that naturally show up in cats, but the colopattern combinations that can be mixed together aren’t).
Volume**,** Amount**,** Length**,** Appearance:
-Thick, dense, thin.
-Long, medium, short.
-Curly, glossy, wirehair, normal, fluffy.
-Extra fur around the neck, between toes and inside/on top of ears.
-Double layer coat.
-Hairless.
Build:
-Height: Small, big, normal, between small/normal and normal/big (a bar the player can slide to adjust the size).
-Shape: Skinny, lean, sturdy, muscular.
Looks:
Eyes:
-Color: Gray, yellow-gray, blue-gray, blue, blue-green, green, hazel, yellow, amber, orange, brown, red.
-In each: The same color in both eyes, complete heterochromia, sectoral heterochromia in both eyes, one eye with complete heterochromia and one with sectoral heterochromia.
-Shape: Almond, round, oval.
Nose:
-Shape: Flat, normal.
-Color(s).
Whiskers:
-Length.
-Shape: Straight, curly.
Legs:
Length: Hind legs can be longer than the front legs or all 4 can be of the same length.
Tail:
-Length.
-Look: Plump, feathery, thin, bushy or stumpy/bobbed.
-Tailless.
Ears:
-Size.
-Shape: Rounded, folded, floppy, loosely folded, curled (from 90 to 180 degrees), straight.
Shoulders:
-Size: Broad or normal.
Face:
-Shape: Flat (mild, moderate, profound, severe), round, triangle, square.
Scars: Choose the length, shape, how visible they are, where they are, the amount. (Some will show up after battle practice, and the others after fighting).
Mutation:
Face: Half the player character’s face is a darker color, the other half is a lighter one (the player can choose the two colors).
Paws:
-Split-foot (syndactyly).
-Extra number of toes - only front paws, or with back legs as well - , 4 to 7 on each (Polydactyly).
-Thumb-cat - 1 or more extra toes around the dew claw specifically - (Polydactyly).
Pelt: Vitiligo (players can choose between a spotted pattern, whole areas turning white, or both, and how much of the white color takes over).
Ears: Four ears.
Tail: Shortened and kinked (japanese bobtail gene), no tail (manx tailless gene).
Size: Dwarfism (dwarf cat gene).
Others:
-Missing body part.
-Reduced or complete loss of hearing or vision (one eaeye can also be completely gone - senses vice - while another is reduced, one eaeye can be gone/reduced while the other one is working, one ear and one eye each can be gone/reduced, and both eyes and both ears be gone/reduced. Although, I must admit, I have no idea how it would work gameplay vice if a character is completely blind and deaf, or has one eye/ear with reduced vision/hearing while the other 3 are completely gone).
Any missing/partly missing body part, mutation or reduced/complete loss of the senses will make the game harder and can cause the player character to go through a special training arc.
Other Choices:
Clan. (Player’s choice, or take an in-game test with the possibility of getting more than 1 clan as an answer - making the player a half-clan cat if they go with that, with the clan they got the highest percentage of being the clan the character is born in).
Blood ties: Full blooded, half-blooded cats (the player can choose what trait/skills they want from each clan. It will cause the player character to have a longer apprenticeship in order to prove the player character’s loyalty and dedication as gaining the trust of their fellow clanmates will be harder).
The half-clan option can lead to several different possible outcomes for the parents, the player character and siblings depending on how the player played the game and how well and how many in-game characters trust and like the player character unless the player chooses something specific. The player can also choose how far back in the family tree the half-clan blood runs and who (if only one) of the parents has it.
Family situation:
-If the player character’s parents live in different clans, if one of them moved to the other’s, if they’re still together and if they get along or not, if one or both of them found another mate, and if they end up switching clans at some point during the playthrough.
-Whether the player character grows up with their mother’s or father’s clan (if the parent’s lives in different clans. The game will provide the player character with a foster mother and siblings if the player chooses the father’s clan).
-If the player character grows up with siblings, and whether or not none, some of or all of their siblings live with the player character (if the parent’s live in different clans), and if the player character knows about their other siblings - and if the siblings knows about them, or only the siblings know - if they do live in different clans.
-The player can also choose if their character and clan knows or is unaware about the fact that they are half-clan (the player can also choose if only the clan or only the player character is aware/unaware of it).
-Parent(s) with half-blood (what traits they have from each clan, and if they’re in one of the clans they have blood ties to, or in one of the other three. If they are in one of the other clans this will give the player the opportunity to add traits from said third clan to their character, deciding how many/few traits the player character gets from each clan, as long as one of the player character’s other parent has blood ties to the third clan).
Most traits from=check off 6 boxes, some traits from=check off 4 boxes, few traits from=check off 2 boxes. In case of half-clans the player can check off 6 boxes from each side/clans, or remove some from one side and spend them on the other. If both parents have blood from the same clan, that clan/side has to be what the player character has the most filled out boxes from.
-What role the player character’s parents have (including being a medicine cat. The different roles affect how the player character is treated).
Character vice:
-Gender.
- The Medicine cat path.
- The Warrior path.
- If the player character ends up becoming leader or not.
- The player character’s voice.
-Choose what the player wants their character to be honored for during the full name ceremony or have the game choose based on the player character’s game-play/performance (same with what lives the player character receives if they become clan leader).
Likes/Dislikes/Preferences, player character vice and npc vice:
-Fur color(s)/pattern, eye color, build, gender and personality regarding npc’s.
-Sayings/expressions.
-Rival clans.
-Other ranks within the clan.
-Half-clan cats.
-Places.
-Prey.
-Weather.
-Seasons.
How player character feels about:
-Rouges/loners/kittypets.
-The opposite gender.
-Different personalities.
These choices will affect the dialog options in the game.
After finishing the game the 1st time, the player will be able to go to the menu and choose one of the special powers mentioned in the series (maybe also some new ones) to give to your character. The player can also go into the menu and change it during the play-through if they want. And they can choose to play as a character from the Warriors series.
Possibly other choices:
-The personality of the player character’s parents (if they stay close or grow distant/cold towards the player character. What they feel about their former mate, if they still see the player character as their kit, or regret having them).
-The looks of the player character’s parents (unless they’re the foster family).
-The looks of the player character’s siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-Number of siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-The sibling’s names (unless they’re the foster family).
-The sibling’s genders (unless they’re the foster family).
-The personality of the siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-The future position of the siblings (unless they’re the foster family).
-If the player character and the siblings are half-clan, what traits each of them got from the other clan(s).
-If the player character or one of the siblings are the player character’s parent’s favorite or if everyone gets equal attention/love (regardless if they’re the foster family or not).
-How the player character’s siblings feel about one another and the player character. Who’s their favorite sibling to hang out with, who they don’t get as well along with, if any (regardless if they’re the foster family or not).
-If the player character and the siblings are half-clan, what they feel about being half-clan, what they feel about the way the clan treats them and if they want to, and if they end up, switching clans.
-If one or both of the parents passes away and when (before birth, during your character’s kit-hood, as an apprenticeship, afteshortly after becoming a warrior), giving the player the possibility of being in a clan that mostly don’t trust the player character, with only the player character’s siblings for comfort if the player chose the “parents in different clans” option (if the player choose for both of the parents to pass away or the mom while the player character lives in their clan while the player character is a kit, the game will give the player a foster family).
-An option for it being certain and one for being uncertain about whether or not all of the player character’s siblings survive into adulthood/survive long enough to become elders, and whether or not the player character’s parent(s) survives long enough to become an elder.
-Having the option to start the second playthrough as a kittypet, loner or rogue (full, or part kittypet/rogue, kittypet/clan cat, rogue/clancat, lonekittypet, lonerogue, loneclancat). The player can choose if they encounter the clan through positive or negative reasons. Choose at what age the player character meets the clan. Choose whether the player character’s siblings, all of them or just some, choose to join the clan as well and if they choose to join the same or want to join a different clan.
-Choose which season (and possibly time of day/night) the player character is born in.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Other Choices and Possibly other choices“ part (apart from the Character vice, Likes/dislikes/preferences and How player character feels about part of the list).
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Character vice, Likes/dislikes/preferences and How player character feels about” parts specifically.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Character Creation” part.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make in the “Mutation” part.
-A button that randomly picks every choice the player can make.
Every randomize button also gives the player the option to cross out boxes that they don’t want checked off, as well as check off boxes that they do want to specifically get chosen.
-A peace mode where the player can walk around and enjoy the territory without the risk of enemies/events, and possibly the other clan’s territories and camp, watching the in-game characters walk around, performing tasks and interacting with each other without the risk of getting attacked/hurt.
Game-play:
The Warrior Apprentice Path:
-Learn about the warrior code.
-Learn about the territory and its layout-how to use it to the player character’s advantage.
-Learn about predators and how to fight them or stay hidden from them.
-Look for, discover and learn about different tracks and track them.
-Learn about prey and how to detect, sneak up on and catch them as different prey requires different techniques.
-Learn where the borders are.
-Learn where scent marks are.
-Mark the territory.
-Learn to look for signs that someone has crossed the border and/or taken prey from the player character’s clan’s side.
-Master different battle techniques, learning when to attack and defend and what technique the player character can/should use when.
-Train and specialize in player character’s clan abilities:
ThundeShadow/SkyClan: Tree climbing.
ThunderClan: Moving/sneaking through heavy/thick undergrowth.
Shadow/Wind/RiveSkyClan: Sneaking in more open/exposed areas.
ShadowClan: Special night lessons.
RiverClan: Swimming and fishing lessons and fighting in water.
WindClan: Races and obstacle course.
SkyClan: Jumping/leaping lessons.
-Learn and detect the different scents of prey and predators, if it’s stale or fresh, and what kind of prey/predator it is, rivaling clans, dogs, two-legs and non-clan cats.
-Learn how to deal with cats waiting at the border.
-Collect moss and water.
-Fixing dens and nests.
-Removing ticks.
-Keep guard outside the player character clan’s camp (After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time it will take).
-Learn about the important cats from rival clans (leader, deputy, medicine cat, medicine cat apprentice), their scent and their clan’s specialties and weaknesses, and how to best beat them.
-Protect the kits and elders during camp raids.
-Travel with the player character’s mentor to the Moonstone and survive in the area outside the player character’s clan territory (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Race to the camp to warn the player character’s clan leader about surprise attacks, possibly outrunning a pursuer.
-Attend Gatherings and meet and mingle with other apprentices and make sure not to give anything important away.
-Train/fight against the player character’s fellow denmates while inside camp.
-Bring prey to queens and elders.
-Pass the warrior assignment (skippable).
After the first playthrough the player can choose from the menu to skip the parts where the player character learns about the territory, detecting/tracking/finding, prey and predators, hunting ,scent marks/borders, fighting/ battle techniques, cats waiting at the border and trespassers/signs of it, shortening the player’s time as an apprentice.
The Medicine Cat Apprentice Path:
-Learn about the medicine cat code.
-Learn about the territory and its layout-knowing where to find which herb and when they grow/are in season.
-Master basic battle techniques and when to use which.
-Attend Gatherings.
-Learn the scent of different herbs, predators and other cats and how to detect them.
-Learn the names of different herbs.
-Learn what the herbs look like.
-Learn what the different herbs do.
-Learn how to prepare different herbs.
-Learn how to make poultices.
-Learn what’s dangerous and not.
-Learn about different complications and stuff that can go wrong and what to do.
-Learn how to heal different wounds (keeping infection away), diseases and poisons.
-Learn to recognize symptoms for different diseases and keep it from spreading.
-Travel to the Moonstone (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Receive dreams/warnings/prophecies/omens from StarClan.
-Learn to assist queens giving birth.
-Learn how to deal with different patients.
-Make sure the plants don’t get destroyed or rot.
-Assist and go over the player character’s clanmates after a battle.
After the first playthrough the player can choose from the menu to skip the parts where the player character learns about the different herbs, injuries, illnesses, territory, fighting, kitting, predators, detecting, poultices, complications, preparation and prevention, shortening the player’s time as an apprentice.
The Warrior Path:
-Pick up interesting news and whispers at Gatherings without getting detected.
-Stand guard duty at night and after the player character receives their full name (Skippable, but the player can also, after the first playthrough, go into the menu and shorten the amount of time those nights will take).
-Lead patrols and decide where to hunt.
-Report back to the leader about any events outside of camp.
-Become a mentor (the player can ask for a specific kit. Mentorship is partly skippable: ceremony - both for the player character’s apprentice apprentices and warrior ceremony and assignment, as well as teaching the player character’s apprentice about territory, detecting/tracking/finding, prey and predators, hunting ,scent marks/borders, fighting/ battle techniques, cats waiting at the border and trespassers/signs of it).
-Make sure the player character’s clan has enough prey.
-Help the player character’s clan through battles and harsh seasons.
-If the player wants to find a mate and start a family, name some of the kits and watch them grow into warriors or a medicine cat.
-Go to other clans in times of war and ask for assistance.
-Join a patrol led by the player character’s leader to another clan’s camp.
-Help find lost kits.
-Rush to help during a border fight.
-Deal with trespassing non-clan cats or predators.
-Perform escort missions.
-Do side quests like playing with kits, rebuild/enforce dens and the camp wall, help out friends within or outside the clan and learn about their past, dreams and secrets.
-Share tongue with the in-game characters.
-Build the player character’s reputation and popularity and increase the chances of them getting chosen as deputy.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to Gatherings and tell them about other cats.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to the Moonstone (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Go on missions from StarClan.
-Guard any potionsoal prisoners.
The Deputy Path:
-Organize patrols (skippable, in which case the game will pick random npc’s).
-Report to and stand by the clan leader.
-Go on behalf of the clan leader to the gathering, or to deliver important messages to the other clans.
-Step in whenever the clan leader is away from camp.
Ceremony skippable.
The Leader Path:
-Go to the Moonstone and receive 9 lives (skippable, in which case the game will choose what lives the player character gets based on the actions they have taken and who they have supported).
-Choose the clan’s new deputy (skippable, in which case the game will pick the most suitable npc based on the in-game character’s personalities. But, the player can also have the game choose among only certain npc’s based on the player’s specific preferences, like: a cat that can challenge them, a cat that stands by them, a cat the player can teach/mold themselves, a cat that doesn’t need any guidance/help within the new role).
-Make decisions affecting just the player character’s clan or several.
-Get help and guidance from the medicine cat and elders.
-Travel to the other camps to discuss clan matters with that clan’s leader.
-Convince the npc’s about the decisions the player character made.
-Handle any negative feedback from the player character’s decisions, the player character’s popularity (both in the player character’s own and the other clans), and face any challenges about the player character’s leadership.
-Give reports at Gatherings (the player chooses how much they want to tell and what they want to hold back) and solve any possible outbursts.
-Listen to and decide what to do with rival clan cats or non-clan cats coming into the camp.
-Make sure the warrior code is being followed and punish rule breakers accordingly after hearing their explanation, if the player finds that necessary.
-Enter StarClan and receive tips, guidance, encouragement or comfort when the player character loses one of their 9 lives depending on what claimed one of their lives (skippable).
-Hold apprentice ceremonies and assign mentors (skippable, in which case the game will assign the newly made apprentice a mentor).
-Give warriors their full name and choose what to honor them for based on the reports from their mentors (skippable, in which case the game will choose a name based on the npc’s actions/personality).
-Guide and boost the warriors’ spirits during challenging/harsh times.
-Negotiate with rival clan leaders for the safe return of any imprisoned clanmates.
The Medicine Cat Path:
-Make sure there are enough herbs.
-Make sure the herbs are fresh.
-Keep as many of the player character’s clanmates as safe as possible during outbreaks and take precautions.
-Give advice to other medicine cats and/or pick up tips.
-Go to another clan and help their medicine cat (bringing herbs if necessary).
-Pick the herbs that might be needed before leaf-bare kicks in.
-Make sure the player character’s have enough herbs before a planned battle.
-Walk with the cats in StarClan, asking them for advice/guidance.
-Help elders and kits through leaf-bare.
-Make sure the player character’s clanmates get what they need in both herbs and knowledge before going on a long journey.
-Go to the Moonstone with the clan’s newly appointed leader (skippable).
-Get through a hard season with only a few herbs (be it having many different ones but few in numbers of each, many in numbers but few in types, or both few types and low in number.
-Race out of camp to help seriously injured clancats, cats who have accidentally eaten something poisonous, or queens giving birth too early.
-Break heavy news and comfort life changing, seriously injured or ill cats (or family members/mates of mentioned cats), and help train them back up again if recovery is possible/if they survive.
-Prepare fallen clanmates on their way to StarClan (skippable).
-Become the clan’s sole medicine cat (skippable).
-Train an apprentice and give them their full name based on their performance (skippable, in which case the game will choose a name based on the in-game character’s actions. Mentorship is partly skippable: ceremony - both for the player character’s apprentice apprentices and full medicine cat name ceremony, as well as teaching the player character’s apprentice about herbs, injuries, illnesses, territory, fighting, kitting, predators, detecting, poultices, complications, preparation and prevention).
-Help the player character’s clanmates keep faith in StarClan during times of crises.
-Join the player character’s clan leader and clanmates on trips to enemy camps as a show of peace/good faith.
-Share tongue with the in-game characters.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to Gatherings and tell them about other cats.
-Take the player character’s apprentice to the Moonstone every half moon (Scripted so that different things can happen on different trips, so two trips in a row is rarely the same. After the first playthrough you can go into the menu and shorten the amount of time the journey will take).
-Receive omens/prophecies/warnings, and find out which cat/event/clan it refers to.
Small side game:
-The player can play as the spirit of the player’s character, hunting and exploring StarClan or The Dark Forest.
-Get to meet and know the other clan cats the player might not have gotten a chance to in the main game.
-Look over the clan, the next generation in the player character’s family and how they’re doing.
-Visit the player character’s descendants in their dreams.
-Walk around the player character’s old clan camp, and its new members, invisible (and listen in on what kind of stories the player character’s predecessors are telling about them).
-Pass on prophecies/guidance/warnings/omens.
-Take part in meetings between fellow StarClan cats and decide what is best to do for the clans.
-Meet old, famous cats.
-Be part of the 9 cats that give a clan leader their extra lives (the player can choose what the life they give is for).
The Elder Path:
-Telling kits-possibly the player character’s grand or great-grand kits, stories about the player character’s life.
-Spend time and share tongue with the player character’s mate and/or fellow den mates that made it into their senior years.
-Roam freely through the territory whenever.
-Take fallen warriors to the burial place and help bury them.
-Based on the player character’s dialogue/options, the player character can either pass away during a raid on the camp, defending their clan members one last time, or pass away in their sleep during peaceful times.
-A cut scene plays out where the player character hears the voices of old clanmates calling them, and their spirit stands up and walks upwards towards the starry sky.
-As the camera goes from the ground to the sky (birdseye view), the player sees the player character’s clan leader give their speech about the player character at their vigil, and then after zooming further up, the player hears the player character’s clan leader informing the other clans of the player character’s passing during the next Gathering, before the player start playing as a StarClan/Dark Forest cat.
The Kit path:
-Spend some time exploring the camp, playing, make friends, practicing the hunter's crouch, leaping, surprise attacks and wrestling, meeting clanmates and listen to the elder’s stories (after the first playthrough the player can go into the menu and reduce the amount of time the player’s new character(s) spends as a kit).
-If the player character’s spend some time with a specific warrior the odds of that cat becoming the player character’s mentor increases.
-Go through the player character’s apprentice ceremony (skippable).
Playthrough:
-Starts with the player character’s opening their eyes for the first time.
-Encounter different cats outside the player character’s territory.
-During hunting or stealth/sneaking mode make sure not to step on or brush against anything that can make sound or move giving away the player character’s position.
-Make sure the wind is towards the player character, and keep to the shadows if possible.
-Activate a “scent mode”, where the player character gets to see everything in different colors, each color representing a scent (the amount of it telling how old or new it is).
-The player character’s get points based on how well the player character hunts, fights and helps out inside the clan, and if the player character’s do well enough the player character gets taken to Gatherings.
-Getting caught breaking the code will result in punishment.
-Stay a clan cat, switch clan, become a loner, rogue or kittypet (which can cause the player character’s to not end up in StarClan/The Dark Forest).
-The game ends with the player character joining StarClan or The Dark Forest after a lifetime (or 9).
-How your clanmates remember the player character will be based on the player’s choices, how well the player played, and how much they learned.
After the first playthrough the player can choose to start with their new character as a newly made apprentice or warrior (starting with the ceremony).
Other stuff in the game:
-Day/night and seasons cycle.
-Easy, normal, though, challenging and random mode. Makes it so that events such as outbreaks of different illnesses, different natural disasters, harsh/long seasons, prey shortage (and prey getting poisoned/contaminated), conflict/tension, invading forces (other clans/groups of cats/animals), low number of warriors/shortage of new kits being born, losing territory, two/three rival clans joining together to face off against your character’s clan, clanmate(s) trying to overthrow and take over leadership of the player character’s clan, and wars happen a specific amount of time within each mode.
Easy: 0-2 things.
Normal: 3-5 things.
Though: 6-8 things.
Challenging: 9-11 things.
Random lvl button: The game picks (same with the other randomize buttons, the player can cross out the challenge lvl the player doesn't want to be included).
Random events list: Allows the player to cross out events they don’t want to happen, and check off events they specially do want to encounter, before picking a lvl/clicking the random lvl button.
-The player character could end up being taken prisoner if they’re found sneaking around inside another clan’s territory. The player will either have to try to escape, or wait until their clan sacrifices something for the player character’s return.
-If the player character ends up getting too many punishments from getting caught breaking the warrior code too many times, the whole clan can grow to distrust, and eventually, even kick the player character out.
-If npc’s finds the player character on their territory alone often, that rival clan will be on a look out, more hostile/aggressive towards, and talk about/discuss the player character in a negative way during Gatherings (this could have a negative effect on a patrol if the player character is part of a patrol traveling to an enemy camp).
-If the player character has a good reputation, enemy warriors will respect and enemy apprentices might look up to and admire the player character and talk in an positive light and exited way about the player character at Gatherings (this could have a positive effect on a patrol if the player character is part of a patrol traveling to an enemy camp).
-Kits could end up playing pretend as the player character regardless of the distrust/trusted status.
-Follow an evil route and the player character could end up becoming a scary story that keeps disobedient kits inside their dens at night/inside their camp.
-Follow a good route and the player character could end up becoming a popular and exciting bedtime story for the kits.
Stuff that could possibly be different between each playthrough:
-Different cats could end up becoming mates and different she-cats can become queens (also resulting in different kits being born).
-Different characters could end up dying or be named deputy if the player character isn’t.
-Different cats could start off as leaders.
-Different cats could end up being leaders, medicine cats, medicine cat apprentices, and warrior apprentices could have different mentors.
-StarClan can send new, or no, prophecies/warnings.
-Npc’s could keep their personality/alliance throughout the playthroughs, or end up changing, depending on: If they fall in love with an outsider or rival clan member. Who they follow. If they have something against the leadethe way the leader leads the clan, or the player character. What happens to them throughout their lives.
-The leader could turn evil and try to prove the clan’s strength and glory through endless battles, try to drive off one of the other clans, or try to merge several clans into one (and this could be challenges the player character could end up facing if they become the leader).
-The medicine cat could lose faith in or be angry at StarClan, and use their powers/knowledge against the clan or to shatter other npc’s faith in StarClan.
It will be up to the player character to help prevent/solve these npc/leademedicine cat events. The player will have the option to choose if these specific events can happen or not during their different playthroughs.
-Different npc’s could end up trying to befriend, fall for and become rivals (both friendly and non friendly) the player character. This could give npc’s from a playthrough where they weren’t in focus/as important more depth/personality.
There could also possibly be a list over the different npc’s, where the player can cross off if a/some specific npc(‘s) should be more in focus/more important during their playthroughs, and what specific role that/those npc/’s will play.
If the player makes several characters, the player can see them in camp, and on the territory if they’re in the same clan, or during border patrols, Gatherings, attacks, or if they arrive in the player’s current character’s camp with their leader if they’re in different.
Controls:
-The view could be behind/over the shoulder, or through the player character’s eyes, or both switching freely.
-Fighting, battle training, tree climbing, fishing, swimming, leaping, pouncing on prey and obstacle course could be a combination of using the moving buttons and mouse or button clicking).
-The player can save and switch characters whenever they want.
DLC or Sequel:
-At a young age, the player character, and their siblings and mother spot a group of strange cats traveling from the mountains to the moorland and forest area not far from the two-leg place, where the player character’s family lives as loners.
-The player character’s mother makes sure the player character stays well away from them, as blood is suddenly being shed over newly made borders and the prey within, kin attacking kin over the right for space and having prey in their mouths.
-When the player character’s mother passes, the player character must make a choice. Try to survive on their own, or join this strange, rouge group of cats?
-Will the player character stay in the group or leave and try to fend for themselves?
-Does the player character switch alliances to a different group, or do they stay with the group that took the player character in when no one else might have had?
-Learn a new way of life and survival depending on where the player choose to live.
-Try to survive and get enough prey through leaf-bare as hostile strangers and hungry rivaling groups eye the player character’s prey.
-Help keep the campmates safe by helping them fight off intruders with the goal of chasing the player character’s group off.
-Get through harsh seasons and fight off dogs, foxes and badgers.
-Learn how to heal campmates with herbs or help them by training kits and gathering prey.
-Attend their meeting every full moon and learn their history (as a tribe or their personal one) and about the other groups.
-Find a mate, start a family, and fight to protect and keep them alive through storms and diseases.
-Watch them grow into independent adults and expand the family tree.
-Walk in the paw steps of the mysterious mountain cats and become a true wild cat and a part of the early 5 clans.
-A cut-scene at the end of the DLC/Sequel will play, showing the player’s 1st character, or the/one of the character(s) from the same clan the player character is in in this DLC/Sequel, from the main/1st game, as a kit in the nursery, being told a story about one of their earliest ancestors, the character the player just played, in modern ThundeShadow/Wind/RiveSkyClan.
2024.06.09 17:04 kevinn_g EQ by Ear Using On-Head Measurements: The New Way
 | TL/DR submitted by kevinn_g to headphones [link] [comments]
The overall idea is to generate data similar to a frequency response curve but using my own ears as the measuring device. I want to have the visual representation for how I actually hear my headphones. Which in turn makes it easier to make more meaningful adjustments with EQ. With/When taking on-head headphone measurements, the process of collecting the hearing data is one of the most important parts! There was a previous May update post that talked about some changes being made but didn’t go into depth on what and why the process was changed. This marathon post gets into those details. In addition, I’ll include an example or two to reference and talk through. This is certainly not the only way of taking on-head measurements, but the newer way is one that I’ve come to enjoy more. THE IDEA BEHIND THE ORIGINAL METHOD The idea followed a more conventional approach: there is a test tone that is playing and the volume is lowered until the test tone could not be heard. This method is highly subjective – figuring out when you stop hearing a frequency is harder than it seems like it would be… then trying to repeat the process with some consistency… The process would start off with the test tone playing and then moving the slidevolume to where the tone was still playing but much quieter. At this point I would do some “best 2 of 3 testing”. Where looking away or closing my eyes, I would hold the mute and unmute button for a couple seconds, (hold the button will switch it on/off pretty fast) and then have to guess or identify if that test tone was playing or if it was muted. If I was able to correctly guess or identify if the test tone was playing or not-playing, then the volume would be reduced by 2dB and the process repeats. Doing this testing did slow the process down, but it also helped to remove the 50/50 guesswork of just testing once. Where this gave me more confidence that I could identify if the test tone was playing at this volume and should be lowered. For example, 1000hz at (-60dB) is quiet but still playing. I am able to correctly identify whether the test tone was playing or not playing after holding down the button and letting it go. The volume would be reduced to (-62 dB) and start again. Then the volume would be reduced to (-64dB) where I could NOT correctly identify it. At which point I would increase the volume by 2-3 dB and start moving downwards again. (Where the idea is to be able to say, ‘at (-62dB) I was 3/3 in testing and can definitely tell the test tone is playing at this volume. Then when I decrease the volume, I’m only able to correctly identify the frequency is playing 1/3 times… At this point (-64dB) I’m not hearing this test tone.) Move on and repeat this process with all the testing frequencies in the list. With how subjective the testing was, I wanted to generate more than just (1) set of data points/measurements to use in the analysis. The original plan had space for 3-4 sets of measurements per headphone/IEM to be averaged. Instead, It seems like (2) sets of measurements were enough to validate each other. WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT THIS METHOD
On-head measurement 1 and 2 (including average) for 1000hz - 15,000hz range. The GREEN and PURPLE lines are the separate full measurements (the thin black line is the average between the two measurements).
I’m not sure what gave me this idea, but the idea switched from trying to be really precise with one measurement to going fast and taking many measurements to average them together. How would I be able to quickly compare different volume points and be able to confirm if I hear it playing or don’t hear it playing at that volume. Almost like playing “Battleship” – if I think there’s a ship if this area, can I take a bunch of shots and map out which shot missed (ie – I can’t hear it playing) and which shots hit (ie – I can hear it playing). It then became a question of, if I wanted to go faster, how can I limit my choices at deciding on what volumes a test tone is heard vs not heard? That led to a couple things. Instead of starting out with the test tone audible, this new idea starts with the test tone not audible and volume is increased until it’s heard. To help with that not heard vs heard, I wanted to go in bigger volume jumps – something where it would definitely not be heard at (x) volume but is definitely heard at (y) volume. Where it almost became more binary (on/off – yes/no) if I could hear the test tone playing. In order to achieve this, I ended up using 10dB volume jumps in order to say, I can’t hear it playing at (-70dB) but I can definitely hear it playing at (-60dB). I did test with 5dB jumps and that wasn’t big enough volume changes. On the other side, 20dB jumps was too big and required too many “passes” through the data to be worth it. HOW DOES THAT ACTUALLY WORK? In practice this looks like: starting off at a (-90dB) volume, where the test tone is playing but not heard. Then increasing it to (-80dB)… then (-70dB)… then (-60dB). Where that test tone is clearly playing/audible at (-60dB) and was not audible at (-70dB). Move on to the next frequency and start again at (-90dB). By reducing the number of options I’m able to move through the data much more quickly. ZMF Auteur Classic - (1) pass with 10dB jumps in volume In the Example above, the result values are either (70 / 60 / 50 / 40 dB) since I was going in 10dB intervals. Those couple dB volumes were the only options for this particular pass/run through the data – and that was the idea! However, as expected there is a lot of data between 60 and 70dB (or 50 and 60dB) – how/where does the other data come from? In short, I offset the starting point by 2dB and run through the testing again in 10 dB intervals. For the 2nd pass through the data, I would start (-92dB) and increase the volume in 10dB intervals (-92dB)… then (-82dB)… then (-72dB)… then (-62dB)… then (-52dB). Once that test frequency is clearly playing/heard then move onto the next test frequency (starting over at (-92dB) and increasing accordingly). I’m still moving in 10dB intervals where it makes it easier to clearly identify if the frequency is clearly audible vs not heard. Using 1000hz as an example, there would be data that says I heard 1000hz playing at (-52dB) and (-50dB). But it isn’t yet clear if 1000hz could still be heard at lower volumes and more testing is needed. I started off testing at (-90dB) and reduced the volume to (-92dB) then the next step would be to reduce the volume by 2dB to (-94dB) and test again. The process then continues to (-96dB) and then to (-98dB) still testing in 10dB increments/intervals. Where at this point, I have data from (-90/-92/-94/-96/-98dB) starting points. I don’t need to test at (-100dB) – though that would be next – because it would be a repeat of (-90dB) data, which I already have. By using 2dB offsets in the data, that’s how I’m able to get additional data points that cover that 10dB gap/interval that I’ve been using for testing. For visual purposes those (5) runs/passes can be graphs for visual representation: ZMF Auteur Classic - all (5) passes with 10dB jumps in volume This looks like a mess… and it kind of is (this is mostly a visual aid). However, it does show all the data from the (5) runs/passes in one place. Where taking an average of all this data, would probably work pretty well. Then the average could be used to continue in the analysis. ZMF Auteur Classic - all (5) passes with 10dB jumps with Average data identified Thoughts on this data:
There’s a lot of different ways someone could use this data. The initial concept plan was to use the minimum values – as I’ve done more and more data collecting and analysis, I’ve moved away from minimum values and towards using the average value of the (5) data points. I’ve looked at using the minimum value… I’ve looked at using the 2nd smallest value (not the minimum but the next one). I’d rather not use the minimum in case there are some weird outliers in the data. While this new/updated/current process does help reduce those weird outliners in the data it does not eliminate them. Especially if it’s someone’s first time going through this vs the 20th time. The minimum is the most obvious answer but I find it’s not what I use. Instead, I find it helpful to use all the data points that were collected and take the average. THE SECRET ADVANTAGE == SPEED (TIME) At this point it looks like I’ve overcomplicated this process for data that’s only a little better… Except there’s a secret…! I’ve mentioned previously that the original/previous method took about (60-90) minutes’ worth of testing to generate data. That was with testing both ears at the same time, both channels playing the test frequency and the signal being interpreted by both ears. I wouldn’t dare want to double that time requirement to test the left ear separately from the right ear… no thank you…! Instead of 2-3 minutes per frequency, this method only takes about 3-5 seconds per frequency! Even with testing the same frequency 5 different times (from the 5 different starting volumes) this new/updated method is so much faster! This takes the testing time from (60-90) minutes down to about 30 minutes to get the data for analysis! Being able to reduce the testing time to half of what it was before is huge! From here, the testing options open up now that the measuring process is that much faster. Option 1: test both ears at the same time (as normal) and take the extra time saved to go do something else. Option 2: double down and test the left channel separate from the right channel. Testing how it’s heard just from the left channel/left ear only and then right channel/right ear only! The testing time was cut in half… but then it was doubled (once per ear) and it takes about an hour again. Except this time there is arguably much better data for separate left and right ears. Drop x Sennheiser HD58X - average data from Left + Right channels - tested independently I switched headphones for this picture to help illustrate different Left and Right channels in testing – this headphone is from my Drop x Sennheiser HD58X. The ZMF Auteur Classic had really good channel matching to my ear. With this HD58X it seems my right ear is more sensitive to 3000hz range vs my left ear. Where both have a similar peak at 1500hz and a dip at 2000hz and then some additional differences past 7000hz as well. I was not initially expecting my Left and Right ears to hear most of my headphones differently… However, testing them separately shows some pretty significant differences! Where the EQ that I would use on the Right channel wouldn’t be the same EQ that I would use on the Left. Where using Left/Right channel data to make separate EQs for the left and right channels (which both PEACE and EqualizerAPO (and others) can do) – that is a game changer! If you’ve read through this and are thinking that cool, but have you thought about collecting data in [this other] way? I would definitely like to hear your thoughts in the comments! |
2024.06.09 16:43 itsgreymonster Unfunhouse Mirror 20 (Nature of Predators/The Last Angel)
This is a crossover fanfiction between original fiction titles: Nature of Predators by SpacePaladin15 and The Last Angel by Proximal Flame respectively. All credit and rights reserved goes to them for making such amazing science fiction settings that I wanted to put this together.Otherwise, enjoy the story! Thanks again to u/jesterra54 and u/skais01 for beta and checking of work!
You can read The Last Angel here: Be warned, it's decently long, and at its third installment so far. I highly suggest reading it before reading this, or this story will not make sense.
First Prev Next (soon)
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
I had departed with a collection of other engineers who had assisted on the tethering of Nemesis several days ago back to her massive ship. There were twenty-five of us, although none I knew directly from my work.
As our cargo shuttle entered the direct monitoring range of the beast once more, I felt a bad feeling throughout my fur. I didn't know what, exactly, but it was like we had just stepped into the eyes of a predator lurking in the undergrowth, watching us intently. As if to capitalize on that unease, our pilot Mimek bleated something in a panic that made said fur stand straight.
"T-th-th-there's an Arxur vessel trailing us!"
I whirled onto the oncoming feed near the front of the shuttle. Behind us, was a Arxur Ambusher-class dropship that had taken a path directly behind us. It followed the exact same trajectory as our own, and showed no signs of diverting. I bleated out a panicked command of my own.
"K-kick it! W-we need to get distance from them!"
While I had no authority to tell the pilot what to do in this situation, he must've nevertheless agreed, and as such Mimek kicked the boosters into overdrive to escape their proximity. I kept an eye on the rear display, watching as in response, the Arxur craft opened up its own engines, as if to accept the chase, and closed in.
Mimek spoke again. "Why are they chasing us?! D-didn't the humans forbid them from attacking us in-system?!" I had a horrible thought as to why...
"They've fallen to their p-predator bloodlust! They won't be stopped so long as we're in vulnerable space! Close to Nemesis, fast!" I pointed at the guidance lights to the hangar on Nemesis' keel opening. While the Arxur could likely outrun us in an extended burn, we had the advantage in a sprint over a shorter distance. Nemesis was in that shorter distance range, and so we needed to reach it fast to be in its haven.
Mimek, already piloting at full afterburn, corrected the shop in a sharp turn from the plotted approach vector cleared with the Lunar Shipyards. As this occurred, a reminder from the very same monitors came through on comms.
"Venlil ship, this is LSC Tower 3, you have left the agreed final approach vector, adjust your course to match the planned path immediately, do not continue on your current heading."
The humans did not realize the threat we were currently in, and thus the pilot ignored the warning. The Arxur seemingly took our course change as a challenge, and followed suit.
"I repeat, readjust your course heading immediately or fighters will be scrambled. This is your only warning." Even were that the case, we were far too close for them to plot an intercept vector. The shipyard monitors would need at least [one minute] to reach us, and Nemesis was merely [20 seconds] at full-burn-then-brake approach. We would not let the ship closing in behind us catch us, disciplinary action be damned. The damned Arxur succumbed to their predator madness!
A lazy-curve speed burnoff pattern was adopted, and we rocketed at ever-decreasing, but still frightening pace towards Nemesis in an attempt to shake the Ambusher behind us. The hangar was merely moments away, don't fail us now!
The Arxur vessel broke off the chase near the massive docked ship, seemingly slowing for no apparent reason. Perhaps it realized it couldn't slow down as fast as we could, and as such had to? But, that came with another stomach-hurdling problem: us slowing down. If we didn't, we'd crash and turn into nothing but paste on the walls of the gargantuan ship's hangar.
Thankfully, Mimek pulled through, and we zoomed into the hangar space, hitting the emergency external inertial dampener breaking as we attempted landing. The ship skidded across the floor, as it skipped nearly a [fourty meters] to a stop, crashing through something on the way through, but we were moving at such a pace that I had no clue exactly what.
As the ship came to a complete stop, rocking back onto its belly with a final thump, there was the sound of heavy stomping outside, before something rammed into the back of the ship, nearly rocking it off-balance again. "What...what was that?!" We both exclaimed.
We stepped away from the back exit ramp of the vehicle, all twenty five of us, as it began to groan under immense stress. The door dented in, and a few of us instantly cried out in surprise and fear.
And then again. And again. Another rocking of the ship as a dent formed. Another.
And finally, with an unsettling sound of metal being torn through, a crack in the plating of the door turned into a gap that widened into a shaking hole, until the door literally flew off its hydraulic support. The strain spat out fluids and electrical sparking, and several bleated in fear of the sudden disassembly of the door between us and the hangar. Had the Arxur caught up to us? Were we doomed?
But as the burst of electrical smoke cleared, and the light was filtered through our adjusting eyes, what was on the other side shocked me.
A mechanical monstrosity, far bulkier and massive than the one that had confronted my group and I aboard Nemesis stood on the other side. It towered above us, with a intimidatingly large cannon built into one of its arms, aimed dead center into our room, looking more akin to a vehicle's gun than a handheld one. One could see behind it many more of a similar looking model closing in. It spoke in a wrathful tone...Her wrathful tone.
"What the hell are you doing CRASHING INTO ME? There better be a-"
But I felt a chill as it suddenly cut off, and the featureless head of the bipedal robot swiveled to look directly at me instead. Though I could see no clear indicator of eyes like the nightmarish drone I had talked with in the past, I could feel it gaze directly at me, ignoring the others. It suddenly spoke again, a single word conveying contempt dripping in it. The blood in my veins turned cold as the Twilight.
"YOU..."
+READING MAIN SEQ.MEM+
+ADDENDUM: ADJUSTED DATE 24.10.2136+
Something's wrong, I can feel it.
The bearing of the approaching ships has left the supposed approach vector, and directly accelerated towards my open hangar bay. While the ships pose no threat to me directly, I am uncertain if they are capable of stopping quickly enough to not risk the human crew that had just landed. I considered my options...
+grab beam non-responsive, schedule systems evaluation immediately+
I had no capability to tractor the ships from their path, and they showed no sign of slowing. I could fire a particle beam in the path of both ships, but there was no ability to tune down the power enough to not destroy the ships, and it would not reduce their velocity. I plotted the relative course of the Venlil shuttle to be coming at this angle, which thankfully was towards the opposite side of the hangar as the Human delegation. That did not remove the possibility of shrapnel from a crash, however.
I interspersed my Praetorians in front of them, seeking to act as a shield in the case of any flying debris. I warned them in the same instant.
"Take cover behind these drones, there is a problem with the landing Venlil ship on route."
"W..What's going on, Red?" Hailey asked, confused. Never had I been this direct with her physically, actively interspersing my drones in front of her and the rest of the scientific delegation.
"They are likely to crash. Predicted acceleration curves of the shuttle do not meet the prerequisite delta-V to stop safely at this current distance and velocity. Duck and cover."
The shuttlecraft streaked into my hangar bay at speeds that would make a 21st century jet blush. It slowed anomalously upon entering, but did not slow at enough rate to prevent the crash. The Praetorians situated on that side of my hangar were incapable of moving fast enough to dodge out of the way, and I was forced to watch as the shuttle crashed through thirty-two of them in a 45-meter break distance, before slamming into a hangar wall. They were built to withstand incredible munition strength, but not twenty-some odd tons of shuttle at near mach speeds. The impact brutally cast them across the deck, smashing some, tearing apart others.
Debris flew from the front of the shuttle outward, but none reached near the humans. Those moronic aliens were about to answer painfully for their incompetence on my deck.
"Dear god!" One of the humans swore at the sound of the shuttle crashing. Another screamed and ducked down further behind my Praetorian. The drone curled down to better envelop her in protection. Hailey was speechless.
A squadron of Praetorians had been closing in from a safe distance throughout the entirety of the crash. They were a mere hundred meters away, only 4.9 seconds to reach the doors. I collided with the shuttlecraft's exit ramp, and slammed repeatedly into the back of it, aiming to create a gap by which to pry the thing off. Eventually, a gap was made, and the Praetorian body wrenched a manipulator into it.
Then, after tearing off the ramp door to the ship, and beginning to interrogate the idiotic fucks at gunpoint, I find no less that a familiar face has come with them. A familiar face I would have rather not seen again in the slightest.
+identity confirmation, Adjek, Venlil engineer+
"YOU...What, are you doing here, again?"
I stepped forward, into the cargo shuttle, the Praetorian I controlled looming over them, over him, by nearly one and a half meters. I made certain to emphasize that size difference. One does not just crash in me like this without a good reason, or I'd be testing how long a Venlil survives vacuum.
Adjek decided to speak up, fear laden in his voice. "I-I-I...W-we were being chased by an Arxur vessel on the course here! T-They ignored the human's truce and decided to p-pursue us directly!"
I faltered a bit at that. Chased? The Arxur supposedly promised that they wouldn't attack the Venlil in-system, but given how much the bad blood between the Arxur and herbivore races was hyped up, I couldn't toss out the possibility.
"Is he telling the truth?" I swung the Praetorian's fake head about the room, scanning over each Venlil in the audience. It wasn't necessary, I had a panoramic view just from the chest optics alone, but the psychological effect and bait of having a head was palpable. They all parroted something similar to what Adjek and the pilot said, so I had no clear contradiction to go off of yet.
But I wasn't done with intimidation, I warmed the cannon muzzle to be visible within the deep red visual spectrum, and aimed it at him.
"Tell me everything, now."
He began to describe his intent and clearance for coming here...but reality decided to be a pain at that exact moment, as the likely culprit entered the hangar. Thankfully, I wasn't hampered by multitasking. A section of me split attention equally to the Arxur ship landing in my bay.
This ship, supposedly the Ambusher-class Goring Claw going off the IFF, was an armed dropship of some sort capable of intro-extra-atmospheric operation, given the rotary variable mode engines. They had been given landing clearance, but not by me, no, instead by the shipyard.
I would need to ask the UN to bring down that blackout protocol soon. This is immensely inconvenient to not have access to monitoring and communication outside myself, except through Hailey. Nevertheless, I positioned my remaining Praetorians around the likely exit of the dropship, awaiting it to open and...greet...these likely troublemakers. I had one Praetorian stand directly front-and-center to the back end, and aim weapons, but not arm them at the dropship hangar doors.
With a hiss, and a burst of slightly depressurized gas, the door opened, and out marched a line of two pairs of two Arxur guards. Their gear looked highly ceremonial, given its lack of tactical or efficient features, and the choice of weapon being a spear of some sort with a sidearm still holstered. Behind them, walked an even more gaudy individual than the guards, an Arxur with a prominent scar across their face covered in flamboyant ceremonial uniform. I was almost certain this was Chief Hunter Isif, Lithke's commanding officer, given Hailey's description of the visitors earlier. Behind him marched a set of less extravagantly dressed figures, likely advisors of some sort. And, of course, Lithke.
I wouldn't just let them off the hook so easily though, despite their far better entrance.
"Chief Hunter Isif. Lithke. You had best have a good reason for making a Venlil ship crash into my hangar."
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
Those idiots seriously did not-
...No, calm yourself, a Chief Hunter must always look composed, even in the face of absurdity.
The pilot in control of this Ambusher had heard my order to follow the Venlil in, got target fixation, and decided to escalate it to a chase. I would have him lashed for the offense later, but for now, I needed to quickly rekindle what little good will the Arxur had in Red One's eyes.
Losing it now could mean turning up hungry forever.
"I apologize for my pilot's unprofessional actions. He will be punished severely later for the transgression of letting his instincts override both human and my orders. Is there anything I can do further to fix your appetite, Red One?"
The robot frontmost of our shuttle stepped forward, it's bulk and size intimidating even by Arxur standards. It towered tall enough to nearly be at my head height despite the fact I was standing on the dropship ramp. Red One's response was curt, and [quick to the kill]. "You can start by convincing the odd twenty-five or so Venlil engineers your pilot chased into crashing on my hangar deck that you aren't here to eat them all, or whatever sickening actions you Arxur do. When that's done, then you may converse with Hailey Whitmer."
At least it wasn't "you've done enough, stop". I'd seen plenty disappear after that particular response in the Dominion.
"Fine. Blades!" I shouted to the ceremony guard I was issued. "Two of you will hold the pilot at the ship for punishment. He is to not eat, nor rest, nor do anything until I return. The rest will assist Lithke in assuaging the prey that they are safe...for now. I must speak with Red One while you do."
They saluted, and went about their way.
Good, everyone bought it. In a sense, this was funnily enough just the distraction I needed. Perhaps I'll reduce the pilot's lashing count quietly for that.
Now...for the harder part. I had no idea if Red would sense my intentions, and so-
The combat drone spoke once again. "Lithke's sung your praises, Chief Hunter Isif. An icon of 'applied cruelty' in his words. I'm curious as to why that should be praised, out of all things in a leader."
We're still too close to the ship, even if none are around to hear it, audio logs might pick up any dissenting thoughts. I should bring this conversation elsewhere.
"I see Lithke wasn't convincing on his own, it seems. Here, walk with me, I still have yet to meet your Special Envoy Hailey personally." I began to walk towards the group of humans near the other end of the hangar.
"So, you have met her?" Red One instantly picked up on the message, noticing the phrasing. So, she's capable of understanding subtlety...
"Yes, but not directly. She gave a presentation at the UN's discussion on you, which I attended."
"And what, pray tell, did you learn about there?" Red One seemed to press me slightly on the session, clearly looking for something. I'd play along, get in their favor.
"Plenty. You're by far the most powerful ship in the galaxy, as far as I can tell. The Humans and Venlil alike are afraid of you, but the former less-so, seeing a more mixed reaction to your presence."
"And what do you think of me?" Red questioned.
I began with a political mealy-mouth phrase.
"The Dominion is not-"
But she interrupted my train of thought. "No. I didn't ask what the Arxur thought. I was asking what you thought, specifically."
What?!
I scanned quickly, my head paced from side to side as I looked for any potential monitoring agent or tools nearby that could potentially pick up on my dialogue.
"You're...an interesting shake-up to the galaxy. Possibly even a means to an end I've been looking into."
There was a curiosity laden in that tone. "Is that so? What, pray tell, would an Arxur fleet leader need with me?"
Again, I checked about, to make certain none were close. "I...am trying to solve a personal problem. Your emergence is convenient to it..."
"Ah...so I was correct..." Red One's drone stopped in front of me for a moment, before turning directly to address me. "...The constant checking about other Arxur assets, the send-off of your personal guard, the overcompensation on the facial details and micromovements, the ordering of Lithke to 'convince' me of Dominion ideals. How much of it is an act, Chief Hunter Isif?"
She already found me out!?
The mask dropped in a panic, knowing none were close enough to pick up on it. "Quiet! How did you pick up on that?" I hissed under my breath to them.
She neglected to answer that statement directly, instead asking another question. "That's not important. The better thing to ask, is what exactly do you want with me?"
Well, since the meat has been spoiled...
I decided to be blunt, and honest. "I need either a line to directly converse with you on a sensitive matter later, or a method to do it now. There is a deep sickness within the Arxur, and you are a possible lynchpin to excise it. But it is traitorous in nature to Betterment, and they have agents everywhere. I would need it to be done away from their ears."
"I am currently operating in blackout conditions. I cannot send or receive signals from the outside without going through a UN transponder, so the first option is out currently. You need a distraction then, while you're here." Red's drone turned back around and continued walking, not giving away anything to the outside of her sudden skinning of my fake personality. "That can be arranged. But not this instant, we are already too close to outside ears for an extended conversation."
"A codeword, then? Some indicator that I may step away and talk securely with you?"
"A codeword is a start, but I'm more concerned about your personal guard. Are they loyal to you enough to ignore such a conversation?"
"Absolutely not. Effectively none of the group that has come along with me is loyal enough to hear this."
Red One didn't speak immediately, but the pause was small. "A full separation might be possible. I have an idea during the tour. If I say the phrase, 'Feel free to peruse' to you specifically, it will mean I have sufficiently separated attention enough that you may speak to me securely. Do you understand?"
She already has a plan? Her speed on that matter is dizzying.
I would have to trust her method. "I understand."
"Good, mask up again, we are within the distance of maximum human audible range given this volume."
Her matter of figuring out my intentions and act that quickly was unnerving, but it made some sense for a sentient computer. She likely thought far faster than the average Arxur, or even Human. But I could consider that later, I needed to get back in character. While my physical demeanor hadn't wavered any, I needed to give off the mental face of a Chief Hunter once again to allay suspicions. Especially since my personal guard were likely to return soon.
Hailey Whitmer noticed us soon after, and disengaged herself from talking with the other Humans. She began her way over here, leaving them to huddle around their ship, still unloading a collection of scientific equipment and personal belongings. "Chief Hunter Isif! Welcome to the UECNS Nemesis. What happened exactly that caused the Venlil to crash in like that, however? I heard a concerning bit that they were chased?"
I lashed my tail in frustration at that. "Our pilot idiotically got fixated on the Venlil ship. He will be punished later. For now I apologize on their behalf. I will try and...convince the Venlil's not to fear soon, but I honestly don't expect them to listen. They are prey, after all, sniveling in fear at the slightest provocation."
Hailey looked annoyed at that statement, but I could at least take personal solace in knowing it was mere persona. She would simply have to deal with it. "That's rather rude to our allies, Isif."
I corrected her: "Your allies, Human. The prey do not interest me. No, what interests me and my cohort is this ship." I pointed a claw at the robotic soldier behind me.. "I have already met Red One herself, and as you are the UN's Envoy here, I must meet you as well. Lithke has spoken much about both of you."
Hailey's expression changed from veiled frustration to surprise at that. "He has? Hah! I did charm-...oh, excuse my manners. When your entourage arrives over here, we can begin a proper tour with the both of us at the helm. Red?"
A voice emanated from the walls. "Yes, Hailey?"
"Do you have a path listed for a proper tour throughout your facilities?"
She responded immediately. "Yes. The UEC military has conducted tours before of my hull to other officials. I can follow said pathing, ignoring areas currently exposed to vacuum or damaged heavily. It will cover roughly 45% of the ship, and with transportation aid, take roughly 4 and a half hours."
Hailey clapped her hands together. "Perfect! When the three groups are gathered properly here, we can begin."
Given I could see my guard returning, thankfully not laden with prey blood or wounds, that would be soon.
+READING MAIN SEQ.MEM+
+ADDENDUM: ADJUSTED DATE 24.10.2136+
I have had tours done of my shipself before. When my form was still under construction, Commander Theodore William Billingsly had given a walk-around to Yasmine, in preparation to turn over the role of Captain to her. The visit had gone rather easily, and familiarized her with my layout quickly in a professional manner. I had given numerous miniature tours of my layout to new crew members, with assistance from more established crew. I figured tours were nothing too special to my sensibilities and experience.
But I had never quite had the experience of juggling a tour where each distinct species of the tour was at odds with the other two. Listening to them was taxing.
"What are you looking at, leaflicker?"
"H-Help! I-It wants to e-e-eat me!!!"
"Could y'all just get along for a single moment? We're coming up on the barracks, supposedly, and yet you're at each other's throats!"
"Of course we're at their throats, those are rather delicious to tear out."
"You predators would focus on our vulnerable spots, w-wouldn't you!"
"Fuck's sake, you can't behave, can y'all?"
"Jealous of our vicious nature?"
"No we're not! What you do to the other races in this galaxy is abhorrent!"
"Yeah, you Arxur monsters have nothing to be proud of! I've lost family to your kind!"
Very taxing.
The human team and Hailey were trying to somewhat wrangle the mood down, but the Arxur and Venlil despised one another, and it showed. There was no quieting-down of their feud for more than a few minutes, before it started up again for the smallest altercations. I was glad I had brought a host of Praetorians to keep them physically separate somewhat, as I'd hate to have seen any humans hurt in the way.
Instead, I tried to focus on just providing an air of authority, as Hailey led them throughout my assorted systems and layout, only providing input where she did not know about. There were at least some receptive comments of myself during the tour that didn't result in lambasting the other two parties.
"The internal layout of this ship is rather unique. It doesn't look like anything in the Federation proper." A Venlil engineer by the name of Joluk mentioned.
"Yeah, I know!" Said a human scientist by the name of George Oscoda. "It's very...Death Star meets Nostromo, made a bit wider, then painted gunmetal black with red detailing."
Joluk turned back to him. "I have no idea what those are, but I don't like the sound of a Death Star." Their tail went ramrod straight, hanging down at the comment. Perhaps a body language fear response?
I decided to clarify from a drone nearby. "The internal design pattern of the UEC favors a highly geometric, hexagonal or octagonal hall layout, for maximum support with little freestanding support. A three-to-two width to height ratio also helps alleviate claustrophobic concerns, and detriments mental health minimally for extended stays."
George spoke up again. "I guess that's fair, but nothing will change how depressingly dark and scarred-up some of these corridors and bulkheads are currently. I get that it's battle damage, but..."
Lithke piped in from the front. "Nemesis wears her scars proudly. She is a predator forged in war, none escape without scars." I couldn't find a reason to directly deny said statement. I did sometimes prefer the reminder of how many Compact Janissaries had died within myself. How I shivered in delight at knowing they met their ends aboard my hull.
I decided to just remain silent on that. Hailey also responded to that soon after. "Well, honor besides, a lot of that damage will have to be repaired eventually. No amount of self-righteousness excuses holes to vacuum in some spots." She was also right. There were various spots throughout me that were not even enterable, let alone habitable as I was. Numerous collapsed-in sections, holes in my hull all-throughout. There wasn't even a main engines section anymore, with the aft exposed to space after redlining to Earth to save them from the Federation fleet. No amount of scars would justify not repairing battle damage.
I was at least partially glad they could not read Compact Standard. The various little easter eggs of alien languages scattered on my walls were filled with warnings and resignations of regret for boarding me. I left them there, to add to the ambient horror of unwelcome borders, but currently it just felt...out of place. I did not want to scare the people on board.
Thankfully there were few along this path, and none noticed it as the language it was offhand, so I avoided those questions. As we walked to the entrance doors to the barracks, there was a hallway we would have to cross first. One I had kept tenderly over the centuries.
I decided to speak ahead of time on it. "We are coming up on a particular area of mine en route to the general barracks. It was not something made in my time with humanity, but more...a personal project. Reminders and trophies of what and who I fought for both myself, and any others who might unfortunately find themselves this far into my halls." Some of the Arxur looked intrigued by that statement.
Hailey looked a little nervous at the way I introduced it. "I-I wouldn't really call it something particularly-"
I kept going over her response. It wasn't particularly polite, but if I was to make a maximal psychological distraction for Isif to say his piece, it would need to be done...
As a drone already within put the finishing touches on the arrangement, and skittered away into the dark lofts above, the doors opened to my favorite rooms, and I introduced the hallway ahead.
"Welcome...to my Collection."
2024.06.09 16:00 BrodogIsMyName Frontier Fantasy - Chap 42
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WaveOfWire Edits :D
- - - - -
Harrison’s vision was still foggy from waking up, several blinks failing to clear the tears from his drawn-out yawn. He just escaped the encompassing embrace of his four-armed guardian, leaving their shared bed for the bathroom, where he would have to say goodbye to his beard. If he was going to travel out of the settlement, a proper seal on his gas mask was a must.
It was a shame. The slow buildup of the hair over the last month or so was a representation of his growth in a way, building up alongside his experiences in this hellhole, be they life-threatening or informative. It was almost like wiping the slate clean, even if cutting some chin scruff didn’t really change anything at all—he’d never be able to forget anything he had seen here for as long as he lived.
And there was no telling how long that’d be.
The engineer sighed, splashing the lukewarm barracks water into his face from one of the many wall-attached sinks, allowing him to fully open his eyes and size up the damage done to his favorite black blood-and-sweat-stained t-shirt. It always stayed in good condition with washing and fabricator repairs, but somehow Shar’s talons always found a way to make small holes in it. She wasn’t trying to, but with the way she fully wrapped her arms around him, the tips of her sharp fingers sometimes ended up poking into the fabric and causing some cuts.
It was such a small issue that he never considered bringing it up to her. Plus, she’d probably do her whole guilty talon-tapping thing with puppy eyes and all… He shook his head, letting the stray beads of water on his face drip into the sink.
His palm ran across his beard while his other hand reached for the razor. There wasn’t any shaving cream or the like, but he’d make do. At least he had one of the proper tools for the job. He went into the task, the blade driving through his scruff, slopping off wide areas of his hair from jaw to chin for a few seconds before it was interrupted.
A short ‘woosh’ of the entrance caught his attention.
“Aww, you’re shavin’ it off?” Tracy commented dejectedly through a yawn, the lazy drawl reinforcing the fact that she just woke up. “Th’ beard was sorta growin’ on me.”
He eyed her through the mirror, his voice coming out in a dull tone. “Yeah. I feel the same.”
She squinted under the bright bathroom lights, rubbing an eye with her wrist as she walked up to the sink beside him and started her own morning routine. “Mmm… Womp womp. Why though?”
“Need it to get a gas mask seal,” he stated flatly, focusing on the task at hand.
The technician stopped momentarily, the gears turning in her head before she gave him a downcast frown. “You’re still set on going for the vehicle bay? You know we can just send some long-range drones out there, right?”
His short exhale echoed throughout the tiled room. The engineer closed his eyes, already mentally withdrawn from the conversation. They've had this discussion twice now. “It’s to be better prepared for any chemical, biological, or radiological surprises that might come up—not just for the excursion. Even more importantly, there’s no guarantee the module is in perfect shape. If I’m there in person, I’ll have the means to get through anything for those blueprints. Plus, it should only be four days, so the only issues we have are my beard and finding a way to protect the Malkrin from the radiation while we’re out.”
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something back, but bit her lip and cast her eyes down at the sink in front of her, twisting the knob before mumbling a quiet response. “I don’t think you need to protect them from radiation at all…”
“Hmm?”
She stared at him meekly, his dismissal of her worries having clearly dampened her mood. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind before her words further caught his interest. “I think they’re immune… or resistant or something. Radiation immunity is the whole reason they were sent here. You’ve added up the pieces together too, right?”
He stared down at her, running a hand through his hair with tired exasperation depressing his voice. “Tracy, I’ve been trying my hardest to just make it another day on this God-forsaken planet, not dig into their religion. So, no. I have not spent the time to add up the pieces. Enlighten me, please.”
“…S-Sorry. I just, you know, get a lot of time to think when working on drones, and Cera has been drawing all kinds of representations of these things.” Tracy paused, gesturing toward the engineer. “Okay, so you remember the whole backstory for why the Malkrin are on the mainland in the first place?”
“Pseudo-eugenics?” he commented dryly.
“Yeah.” She nodded, a sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “And what were the parameters of banishing someone?”
“Not getting sick from a rock.”
She eyed him feverishly, brows raised with a sudden zeal. “Aaaaand that rock represented the Sky Goddess’ wrath, which did what?”
“Uhhh…” He looked upward in thought, recalling his conversation with the paladin. “I think Shar mentioned nausea, vomiting, blisters, skin melting… off…” He froze, the pieces forming. “Wait, you don’t think…”
“I do. Those symptoms could mean a lot of things, but the anomaly field was the real kicker. You know that Shar just straight up didn’t have any lingering radiation effects or anything while you were nearly put… six feet under…” Her voice quieted momentarily, the speed of her speech outpacing her train of thought. “Sorry. Um… so, I was gonna say that she, uh, I mean the scanner mentioned she had damage from ‘alpha particles’ on her skin, but nothing else happened to her organs or anything.”
Harrison squinted at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened and prepared to give some alternative reasoning besides ‘immunity.’ Maybe her armor protected her from it? No… she didn’t even have full protection, radiation would have certainly gotten around her eyes or snout. What about her height? What if… No.
He didn’t just want to believe that somehow the Malkrin could just evade a force of nature, but he didn’t have any way of proving or disproving it on hand… Well, no humane way of testing it.
“I… guess?” the engineer grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Even then, they still need armor and gas masks. The worst part of the radiation isn’t even the ionizing part. It’s the trace elements that get into your lungs and decay there. So it doesn’t hurt to use some CBRN filters.”
“Fair… but it’s interesting, isn’t it?” Tracy beamed. “Like, what kind of evolutionary factors lead to radiation immunity? Why do only some of the Malkrin have it and others don’t?”
The only real cause of radiation he could think of would be a massive nuclear proliferation of some sort. Maybe the anomalies? He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the lingering thoughts away. “I wouldn’t know. You could always ask Sebas to bring up some papers about it or generate some theories when you get the chance.”
“I probably will at some point… Maybe while I’m working.” She poked him in the bicep. “You’re still helping me with the mule, right?”
He bobbed his head, loose beard hairs itching up his chin. “Sure am. Gimme a bit to shave and test the fifty-cal ammo, then I’ll be free to assist.”
“Kay Kay.” The tradeswoman smiled and returned to the sink, washing her face.
- - - - -
“What the hell did you do to your shield?” a stunned Harrison asked the paladin, his face scrunching up in concern… and confusion.
Sharky proudly held up her once grungy orange shield with a smile, looking at its new… paint job? “Artificer Tracy has s—n to imbue my bulwark with the crest of the Sky Goddess herself! Observe the b—utiful wings that cover it!”
The engineer had just got back from setting up and overseeing the automated mule’s first excursion to the mine and back. It was a grueling task, requiring him to reset its pathing several times before it was able to make a round trip without input. Now, the maroon-skinned Malkrin in front of him had apparently gotten her massive aegis laser imprinted with crossing wings in the two hours or so he’d been gone. The areas between the black feather decals were colored with white and blue paints, contrasting with the new dark gray background.
A small weight was placed on his shoulder, Tracy’s forearm suddenly appearing atop it despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him. She beamed, staring up at him with all-too-proud eyes. “The scout regiment symbol looks good on it, right? Cera helped me with the laser engraving.”
“I…” His brows raised in perplexity. “The scout regiment?”
She shrugged, watching the paladin observe her shield from all sorts of different angles underneath the workshop’s light fixtures. “From an anime I used to watch. Men and women who were sent out to battle against massive titans for the greater good of the last settlement of humanity. Somewhat fitting, and fuckin’ awesome on her big-ass shield! Matches the bird’s wings on her armor too.”
He loudly sighed. “You wasted materials on imprinting wings on Shar’s shield? Really?”
“Hey!” Her brows furrowed into faux-annoyance, a smug grin betraying it. “It’s not a waste if you were never gonna use the paint we had on hand. Plus, we’ve got energy to spare with all the wind turbines and power cells you’ve been printing out.”
“Those paints probably could have been used for important designations… or something…” he grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyway, want me to put some scary teeth or something on that big ‘ol fist-sized muzzle break on your shotgun?”
“No?” he took an incredulous step away from her, letting her arm fall off his shoulder and to her side.
“It’s okay to admit you’re jealous of Shar’s awesome decals, bro,” Tracy teased, her smugness growing tenfold. “No need to get defensive.”
He groaned, figuring there wasn’t a point in staying to bicker with the tradeswoman, leaving the two vanity-focused females to their devices. He still had to figure out how to fabricate armor and gas masks for the Malkrin and himself.
“Hey! Where ya goin?” the technician called out, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t indulged in her taunts.
“Work.”
Short taps against the hard floor sounded out as she caught up to him. She leaned forward and curiously looked up at him as she walked, holding her hands behind the small of her back. “What kind? Can I help?”
“Just need to take some measurements and compare options. Right… Speaking of which.” He turned around and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hey Shar! Get over here, I need your help!”
The addressed Malkrin perked up, snapping out of the small haze of admiring her new shield and happily making her way toward him. She stood at attention, her tail oscillating side to side. “What n—d do you have of me?”
“Just a quick task,” he briefed her, grabbing some measuring tape from his desk… that Tracy had decided was her new chair. He sighed and turned his attention back to the paladin. “Can I bother you to lean down for a few seconds while I take some measurements?”
“Of course. Pl—se, take your time.” She stepped forward and kneeled, her head brought down to his height. Her face wore that simple content look he was growing all too accustomed to by now—slightly vibrating frills, a little curl upward of her lips, and warmly glowing eyes.
He wasted no time getting to work, noting down the various distances around her jaws, snout, eyes, and ears, already piecing together how he could cobble together some gas mask designs to fit the dimensions. She sat there quietly, sometimes leaning into the accidental head scratches adorably. It contrasted heavily with the cold-sweat-inducing layers of razor-sharp teeth within her muzzle as he measured the angle her maw opened at, bringing an idle curiosity prodded his mind.
“Say, Shar, do your teeth grow back if they fall out?” he poked, absently observing the dozens of triangular bone protrusions in her mouth as he held the underside of her jaw.
“They do,” she confirmed, the way she was able to speak despite not moving her mouth still messing with his head. “Do y—rs not?”
“Nope. Only once.”
She attempted to tilt her head, but quickly returned it when it left the embrace of his palm. “Only once?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sometime a few years after birth. They’re replaced with the teeth I have now. Don’t get any new ones, so we gotta take care of ‘em.”
“Birth?” The Malkrin’s eyes widened. “You were not cr—ted as you are now?”
A shock of stress poured down his spine like a bucket of ice water, raising the hairs on his back. Fuck. How did he let that slip? He was supposed to have just appeared from the sky to her, right…? He was doing so well for so long in keeping that in. God, had he really gotten so comfortable with the paladin that he simply forgot what he was to her? His teeth clenched, a huff of air escaping his nostrils as he lightly shook his head. It was a bit too late to backtrack. It could be explained vaguely and brushed off, right?
“Yeah. I was born,” he affirmed flatly. His hand dropped away from Shar’s muzzle, her head falling an inch or two before she registered that she couldn’t keep leaning into his touch. “That’s it for measurements, so you’re free to leave.”
A frown carved through her small smile. “I… See… F—give me if I have brought up someth—g improper.”
His exhalation burned through his frustration at himself, his hand running through his hair to wash away the spike of anxiety. “You’re fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Th-Then I shall take my leave,” the massive alien stated softly.
He nodded, feeling a little regretful for pushing the kindhearted Malkrin away as he shuffled back to his desk. Tracy was still sitting atop it, giving him a disappointed reaction with low brows, forcing a pointed reaction from him. “What?”
The technician took a long inhale before shrugging. “Nothin’.”
“…Alright.”
The rolling chair squeaked lightly as he rested himself, his hands already going through the motions of opening the computer and the blueprint folders. There were plenty of tabs open of sensors and motor assemblies he hadn’t closed from the previous night. That wasn’t even mentioning the pile of notes he had on proper radio-protective methods, their corners bent from his frequent flipping through them.
“Soooo…” The short black-haired woman leaned forward from her perch atop the only clear part of his desk. “Can I help you with your ‘comparing options’ work, mister busyman?”
“Sure…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “How much do you know about armor?”
- - - - -
“No way. The back support is a must, so you can have extra plating over your shoulders and chest.” Tracy pointed out from her seat beside Harrison’s, all but forcing him to pause his Malkrin gas mask designing to give her argument his full attention.
He calmly took his hands off the mouse and keyboard. “A back support needs leg assistants, which means I’ll need to have at least a fifteen pound battery pack somewhere. Those kinds of exosuits are either all in or not at all. You can go full armor and engine, or lightweight protection and simple limb support.”
“So you’re just gonna go out there with normal armor? Just run-of-the-mill plates and gear? Those fucking things would go through that shit like butter! I know we can’t make synthetic muscle yet, but at least consider wearing something a bit more. Please. Even Sharky has heavy armor!”
Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. “Do I look like a several-hundred kilogram monster of pure muscle to you? I’m more than willing to put on a few extra kilos for protection, but I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of putting on more armor rather than more equipment. I’d rather fifty pounds of magazines and ammo than fifty pounds of armor. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah yeah… You and your storage space…” she mumbled, swiping through a few more images on her data pad when a familiar Mars-pattern suit showed up, catching his eye.
“Hey, wait, pull that one up…”
She rotated the tablet for him to see a little better—despite already being shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “This one? What’s so special about it?”
He analyzed the few pieces of equipment on screen, noting the rusty-orange and tan color scheme, the old Martian-American flag attached to its breastplate, and the iconic quad-nod integrated helmet. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “That’s… We have that in our blueprints?”
She raised a brow, clearly confused. “Whaddya mean?”
“That’s an Orbital Drop Ranger’s standard kit,” he stated slowly, a simmering sense of awe bubbling up—why the hell was it in their blueprints folder? “It was used during the Sino-Venusian incursion of southern Mars. It still has the Old Earth American flag embedded into it, so you know it’s pre twenty-two-hundred C.E.”
“Oh shit… Pre-St.Loual’s construction? This is ancient, then, huh? Would it be any good?” She leaned in closer to him, eying the tablet further.
“Does it have the assembly view of the armored pieces?”
“Mmhmm.” She tapped a few icons, showing an isometric, exploded view of all the parts and their individual components.
It was a piece of history alright. The armor was produced just about the time when Mars was connecting their orbital stations and ground colonies to work in tandem, allowing for specialized forces to be trained in space and launched anywhere across the planet from drop pods in mere minutes, leading to common nickname of ‘Minutemen’ given to the troopers. The suits were expertly designed to withstand the harsh environments of Mars and give the soldiers the ability to engage with enemy combatants for several days before extraction, though the adept units usually completed their objectives within twenty-four hours of their landing.
The helmet was very angular and blended in with the expected rocky terrain of Mars, each component taking on a sloped frontal design with rectangular prisms flowing behind—radio, breathing apparatus, and vision modules all sharing a sleek, yet bulky look in their own right. It reminded him of some in-atmosphere ships, with the overhanging visor above the quad-nod viewport being the only non-aerodynamic pieces.
The chest and legs were a bit different, following the design of late twenty-second-century operators with tan lightweight rigs, and ammunition pouches alongside armored plates that ran from the shoulders to wrists in segments. There was a rusty-orange undersuit beneath it all for the purpose of keeping air in, which required some sturdy polymer structures to ensure it didn’t rip. Then, of course, there were the classic shock-absorbing leg supports. They weren’t too far off what Tracy was asking about earlier, but these ones didn’t provide any assistance in moving with any motors—just straight-up structural reinforcements.
Hell, the blueprints on screen even had the mag-grip gloves used to scale domes, buildings, and satellites alike. There was no doubt that the Orbital Drop Rangers had some of the coolest equipment on Mars, especially considering that it was the last to keep the ‘operator’ look… It was such a shame the government decided the orb-like helmets and rounded bubble armors were more effective.
“Hey, you know what?” he asked the technician, a shot of excitement in his voice. “This might actually work out as a suitable armor replacement.”
She perked up, her brows raised. “Oh? Actually?”
He shrugged, trying to play off the smirk plastered on his face. “Wouldn’t need a horrible amount of changes to work for our purposes. Just need to remove the oxygen converter on the back and put a gas mask replacement in the front portion of the helmet. Plus, we could probably get rid of the airtight aspect and just keep the undersuit for scratch protection. And, most importantly, it’s radio-protective.”
“Meets all your criteria, then?” She tapped through some UI interfaces, sending the armor assembly to Harrison’s monitor, which he accepted quickly.
“Sure does.” He readily clicked through the different parts and systems to differentiate what needed to be kept. “We have the resources for it, and all it needs is a layer of cadmium plus a few replacements. Definitely doesn’t need the heads-up display since there’s nothing for it to interact with either, so that’ll save on print time and materials too. Shame I cut up the beard… the Orbital Drop Rangers were allowed to have some cool ones.”
The tradeswoman scooted in even closer, practically resting her chin on his shoulder and watching him sift through the working parts. “Yeah, rest in peace, beard. Still, your armor situation is solved. What about the Malkrin?”
“I’ll be working on their gas masks, then I was thinking I’d use another one of your modeled armors for their protection since they’ve helped Shar a hell of a lot. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Mmmmm…” She looked up in thought, a smile forming along her cheeks. “You know, until we can make them any real power armor, I was thinking just some regular phobos-pattern armor. Could color ‘em based on their skin too.”
“Phobos-pattern armor?” he hummed to himself, clicking through the folder to find it. It was just as bulky as Shar’s armor, except it appeared a good bit smoother, with more rounded edges compared to her horns-and-spike-lined gauntlets and pauldrons. The blue suit Tracy was proposing didn’t have the four-armed protection compared to the chaos version, but it certainly had the same thickness of its metal plates. “Looks like it’d work pretty well. Does it have any electric components or anything?”
“No…” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not so good with designing that stuff in the modeling program I did the WarHarberd stuff in. Could add in more sophisticated leg support or whatever if you gave me time, but for now it’s just maneuverable slabs of alloy.”
“I think that’s all we need for the time being.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want the others to be vulnerable to getting cut up by the little spider-crab grunts.”
“As long as it works for what we need, then.” Her elbow poked into his arm. “Here, how about I take care of that armor stuff while you finish up the gas masks? They need the extra arm slots too, yeah?”
“I’d actually appreciate that a lot.” He offered her a back-palm fist bump, to which she eagerly took, taking on a grin that he mirrored. “Thanks, Trace.”
“Don’t mention it. I wish work was always just doing my hobbies like this.”
\= = = = =
A grand pylon of metal construction taller than the mightiest female’s frills stood atop the beach. Blue-scaled surfaces extended near the foot of the tower, gathering the power of the sun itself. The lattice layering upon their sides hid the weaving wires and Goddess-blessed machinery. A staff the same as Shar’khee’s peeked from its top, the glass eye on its side given a wide view of the sandy environment it resided on, the defense it now provided becoming absolute. The aura it exuded as a creature of pure metal was awe-inspiring, its mere presence a showing of Harrison’s might and domain.
No abhorrent would dare step foot upon the meadow’s rolling hills, for such a mistake would ensure their immediate execution for encroaching upon his settlement—the ‘fifty-cal-e-bur’ bullet is not one to rend any beast with only simple injuries, especially with three hundred of them available at once.
The maroon-skinned paladin treaded up the hill, having completed her task of setting up the last turret. The craftsman, the juvenile, and the lumberjack had also assisted with its setup, pulling their weight in both mind and muscles to piece the components together. They completed a few others around the modules already, but this one was done without the star-sents’ oversight. The four Malkrin had practiced and learned enough to be entrusted with such.
The idea of Harrison having enough confidence in them sparked much conviction in the group, each of them more than eager to prove him right—none more so than Shar’khee herself, of course.
She finally returned to the workshop, the sun’s last rays pressing into the back of her head and frills as she crouched beneath the doorway, a small gnawing hunger for dinner digging within her stomach. The cacophony of machines soon reached her ears, the sounds of their efforts almost working in tandem with the strange melodic music playing from an unseen source above her.
Tracy was in her corner, working on new beings of metal as always. The bright lights above were turned off in favor of smaller, warmer emplacements atop her surrounding circle of desks. A hard worker, that star-sent was, though both of them were like that, the paladin supposed. Their kind was certainly intent on keeping their hands busy.
Shar’khee passed through the snakes of machines, finding her way to Harrison’s desk with an increasingly strong sway in her tail. He was working with a black object with light gray accents. It appeared to be partially flexible, yet firm in other places—notably, a large glass fixture on one side of it. There was very little she could make out about its purpose, but with the delicate touches he applied, it appeared to be quite important.
Her tongue clicked twice, garnering the attention of the Creator. He paused his work, swiveling his chair to face her and revealing a long blue-leaf jutting from his mouth. Her male appeared quite tired, but his voice did not show it.
“Oh, Shar, what’s up? Did y’all need any help with the last turret?”
She shook her head. “We do not n—d such, for it is completed. Would you care to join me for din—r? The rest of the settlem—t is enjoying their meals as of now. ”
He raised his brows before looking back at the myriad of notes, tools, and materials atop his cluttered desk. “Well, I’m kinda busy, but…” His jaw rolled around in contemplation. “Here. Let’s just test this thing real quick.”
Her head tilted. “What sh—l we be testing?”
“Your gas mask… er, well, a Malkrin gas mask. Kneel down real quick, I’ll run ya through putting it on.” He stepped off his chair and grabbed the equipment, uncomfortably rotating his shoulders. How long was he sitting on that chair? The male approached her and she did as requested. “I had the sewist help me with some of the design. Never considered you guys would ever wear hats.”
She nodded. “It is unh—lthy for one to have their frills touched by the sun for so long. Adequate shade is a must, and trees are not so p—valent along farm land.”
“Mmhmm. Shame this is just a mask… Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do the job.”
He stepped forward and slipped the black apparel onto her snout, pushing it over her face until it pressed against the sides of her head. A cool material rubbed against her skin, locking her into its embrace. It was encapsulating, surrounding her wholly.
Her breaths strengthened as she allowed the mask to cover her, a short shock of nervousness riding down her spine. She was only now registering how vulnerable she was, allowing him to possibly suffocate her… but she stayed put, keeping her four palms rested within her lap as he continued to apply the straps around her ears. She would allow it. She trusted him with her life. She would not falter.
The cords around the back of her head were tight, a few of which went along both sides of her frills, pushing up against their sides. He kept going, ensuring a ‘seal,’ but it was getting much too—
Pop.
A lightning bolt of pain rolled throughout the top of her head, sending her reeling. It stung for the briefest of moments, but its effects rebounded through her entire body, short sparks pulsing from its origin. She felt nothing but its agonizing hold for several more moments as the rest of her body caught up.
When her eyes opened once more, she found herself on the floor and staring at the ceiling. The star-sent rushed to her side, appearing to ask many questions while looking over her head, but all she heard was a piercing ring and the gruff vocalization he made whenever he shared his intent. No words reached her mind, only the now faint phantom pains from where her frills met her skull. It put everything in a haze, her eyes barely settling on her dearest’s, despite how nauseous she had become.
His deft hands quickly worked to loosen the straps, practically ripping them off until his voice suddenly reached her, like breaching the surface of the water. His voice was deep, attempting to be calculating, yet despite his calmly created stoic demeanor… she could feel his panic, his sheer worry almost flooding her senses through practiced medical queries. She slowly sat up on the floor, holding herself with two arms while the other pair quelled the kneeling male, assuring him that she was alright with their weight resting atop his shoulders.
“I am well, dearest Harrison. Do not fret for me. The straps were simply too tight.”
His anxious breaths barely slowed, narrowly allowing for his exclamation. “Too tight? Shar, you practically blacked out!”
“Too tight upon my frills, I mean. There was a pain there for a few moments, but it has passed,” she returned calmly, softly kneading his stiff shoulders with the joints of her digits.
He exhaled sharply, matching her gaze with regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shar. I should’ve known. I was just trying to see how…” He paused, resting his palm atop her forearm. “Nevermind. I just… Are you alright? Should I get you to the med bay for a quick scan?”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, no.”
His guard finally fell. “If… If you say so. Guess I have to redo the straps then. Definitely gotta make sure they’re not pressing on your frills like that.”
She smiled, appreciating his dedication. “Would you like my assistance?”
“As long as you don’t have anything else to do.” He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving upward against her massaging hands.
“There is no greater wish of mine than to be by your side,” she stated warmly.
He was frozen, the soft ministrations of his digits along her arm slowly stopping in contrast to the red flush growing from his cheeks to his ears. The crack of a smirk on his face finally with a short, heart-warming chuckle brought the statue back to life after a few moments. “You know… that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard for years.”
Her brows raised in subtle surprise at his response. “It… was not intended to be such… However… you are more than welcome. You must understand by now that I am speaking only the truth.”
The two of them sat there in relative silence amongst the desks and machines; her half laying on the ground with her hands on his shoulder, and him on his knees by her side, a singular hand running up and down her comparatively large forearm. She felt… weak, in a way. A vibrating sensation rummaged through her stomach, attempting to pull her muscles and nerves astray.
It was warm, just like his palm, each motion of his hand sending lightning through her skin. The upward curl of her lips into her cheeks was suddenly an insurmountable force, incapable of being put down by a thousand females. There was a tear within her to either look away or… close the distance, and she suddenly found looking anywhere but his curious green eyes to be a waste of her time.
Her talons wrapped further around his shoulders and his back, ever so slightly bringing him into her embrace—
“A-HEM.” A voice cut the moment down to its knees. “The fuck happened here?” Tracy’s swift interjection caused the paladin to flinch backwards, allowing her to see that Harrison’s other hand had been hovering right beneath her snout. The female star-sent wore a furrowed brow and crossed arms, looking down at them. “I heard a crash and came over. Are you two alright?”
Harrison cleared his throat, ever-so-subtly scooting away from the paladin. “Uh, yeah. Shar fell because, um, I tied the gas mask a lil’ too tight.”
The artificer wore an expression that told of her disbelief. “She fell because of the gas mask?”
“It was something with her frills.” The male returned with a shrug, picking himself off the floor before offering the paladin a hand up.
She took it, despite not requiring it, and wiped off some loose dust from her pants. The three of them quickly returned to work soon after, with both her and the black-haired star-sent joining Harrison in his quest to produce the gas mask. She was much less… What did the Creator call it? Bubbly? Yes, that was it. She was much less bubbly than usual, sometimes sending a cold yet emotionless glare toward Shar’khee… Nevertheless, the two females offered input on the design and applied help where they could, eventually creating the final piece of equipment.
Tracy commented on its looks, apparently drawing inspiration from the Leviathan itself, as she believed it to be like that of a ‘Sea Dragon’s.’ The maw-covering portion held two cylindrical canisters on the adjacent sides, the bottom portion being capable of distention, so that the user’s mouth may open somewhat. Its motion created what the female star-sent believed to be ‘the coolest teeth design on a mask’ she’d ever seen with how the separation formed alternating triangles.
The monster-like appearance was furthered by her own frills and horns that peeked out from behind the mask. That was not even mentioning the see-through visor that formed a malicious glare of sharp brows. The paladin looked through a hand-held mirror, finding it difficult to disagree with the look. She could imagine the horror on a fisherwoman’s face as such a terrifying creature approached from the depths.
And yet, despite its nightmarish visage, it was apparel designed to save lives, not take them—much unlike the unassuming metal rods that spewed fire with a mere flick of a lever. Curious indeed. The star-sents were seemingly never out of surprises. They even spoke of grand robots and firearms larger than Shar’khee herself as possible future projects.
Only time could tell what machinations of alloy would be birthed from their hands.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Under The Milky Way
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WaveOfWire Edits :D
- - - - -
Harrison’s vision was still foggy from waking up, several blinks failing to clear the tears from his drawn-out yawn. He just escaped the encompassing embrace of his four-armed guardian, leaving their shared bed for the bathroom, where he would have to say goodbye to his beard. If he was going to travel out of the settlement, a proper seal on his gas mask was a must.
It was a shame. The slow buildup of the hair over the last month or so was a representation of his growth in a way, building up alongside his experiences in this hellhole, be they life-threatening or informative. It was almost like wiping the slate clean, even if cutting some chin scruff didn’t really change anything at all—he’d never be able to forget anything he had seen here for as long as he lived.
And there was no telling how long that’d be.
The engineer sighed, splashing the lukewarm barracks water into his face from one of the many wall-attached sinks, allowing him to fully open his eyes and size up the damage done to his favorite black blood-and-sweat-stained t-shirt. It always stayed in good condition with washing and fabricator repairs, but somehow Shar’s talons always found a way to make small holes in it. She wasn’t trying to, but with the way she fully wrapped her arms around him, the tips of her sharp fingers sometimes ended up poking into the fabric and causing some cuts.
It was such a small issue that he never considered bringing it up to her. Plus, she’d probably do her whole guilty talon-tapping thing with puppy eyes and all… He shook his head, letting the stray beads of water on his face drip into the sink.
His palm ran across his beard while his other hand reached for the razor. There wasn’t any shaving cream or the like, but he’d make do. At least he had one of the proper tools for the job. He went into the task, the blade driving through his scruff, slopping off wide areas of his hair from jaw to chin for a few seconds before it was interrupted.
A short ‘woosh’ of the entrance caught his attention.
“Aww, you’re shavin’ it off?” Tracy commented dejectedly through a yawn, the lazy drawl reinforcing the fact that she just woke up. “Th’ beard was sorta growin’ on me.”
He eyed her through the mirror, his voice coming out in a dull tone. “Yeah. I feel the same.”
She squinted under the bright bathroom lights, rubbing an eye with her wrist as she walked up to the sink beside him and started her own morning routine. “Mmm… Womp womp. Why though?”
“Need it to get a gas mask seal,” he stated flatly, focusing on the task at hand.
The technician stopped momentarily, the gears turning in her head before she gave him a downcast frown. “You’re still set on going for the vehicle bay? You know we can just send some long-range drones out there, right?”
His short exhale echoed throughout the tiled room. The engineer closed his eyes, already mentally withdrawn from the conversation. They've had this discussion twice now. “It’s to be better prepared for any chemical, biological, or radiological surprises that might come up—not just for the excursion. Even more importantly, there’s no guarantee the module is in perfect shape. If I’m there in person, I’ll have the means to get through anything for those blueprints. Plus, it should only be four days, so the only issues we have are my beard and finding a way to protect the Malkrin from the radiation while we’re out.”
Tracy looked like she wanted to say something back, but bit her lip and cast her eyes down at the sink in front of her, twisting the knob before mumbling a quiet response. “I don’t think you need to protect them from radiation at all…”
“Hmm?”
She stared at him meekly, his dismissal of her worries having clearly dampened her mood. Guilt tugged at the back of his mind before her words further caught his interest. “I think they’re immune… or resistant or something. Radiation immunity is the whole reason they were sent here. You’ve added up the pieces together too, right?”
He stared down at her, running a hand through his hair with tired exasperation depressing his voice. “Tracy, I’ve been trying my hardest to just make it another day on this God-forsaken planet, not dig into their religion. So, no. I have not spent the time to add up the pieces. Enlighten me, please.”
“…S-Sorry. I just, you know, get a lot of time to think when working on drones, and Cera has been drawing all kinds of representations of these things.” Tracy paused, gesturing toward the engineer. “Okay, so you remember the whole backstory for why the Malkrin are on the mainland in the first place?”
“Pseudo-eugenics?” he commented dryly.
“Yeah.” She nodded, a sense of excitement leaking into her voice. “And what were the parameters of banishing someone?”
“Not getting sick from a rock.”
She eyed him feverishly, brows raised with a sudden zeal. “Aaaaand that rock represented the Sky Goddess’ wrath, which did what?”
“Uhhh…” He looked upward in thought, recalling his conversation with the paladin. “I think Shar mentioned nausea, vomiting, blisters, skin melting… off…” He froze, the pieces forming. “Wait, you don’t think…”
“I do. Those symptoms could mean a lot of things, but the anomaly field was the real kicker. You know that Shar just straight up didn’t have any lingering radiation effects or anything while you were nearly put… six feet under…” Her voice quieted momentarily, the speed of her speech outpacing her train of thought. “Sorry. Um… so, I was gonna say that she, uh, I mean the scanner mentioned she had damage from ‘alpha particles’ on her skin, but nothing else happened to her organs or anything.”
Harrison squinted at her for a moment, mouth slightly opened and prepared to give some alternative reasoning besides ‘immunity.’ Maybe her armor protected her from it? No… she didn’t even have full protection, radiation would have certainly gotten around her eyes or snout. What about her height? What if… No.
He didn’t just want to believe that somehow the Malkrin could just evade a force of nature, but he didn’t have any way of proving or disproving it on hand… Well, no humane way of testing it.
“I… guess?” the engineer grumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Even then, they still need armor and gas masks. The worst part of the radiation isn’t even the ionizing part. It’s the trace elements that get into your lungs and decay there. So it doesn’t hurt to use some CBRN filters.”
“Fair… but it’s interesting, isn’t it?” Tracy beamed. “Like, what kind of evolutionary factors lead to radiation immunity? Why do only some of the Malkrin have it and others don’t?”
The only real cause of radiation he could think of would be a massive nuclear proliferation of some sort. Maybe the anomalies? He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the lingering thoughts away. “I wouldn’t know. You could always ask Sebas to bring up some papers about it or generate some theories when you get the chance.”
“I probably will at some point… Maybe while I’m working.” She poked him in the bicep. “You’re still helping me with the mule, right?”
He bobbed his head, loose beard hairs itching up his chin. “Sure am. Gimme a bit to shave and test the fifty-cal ammo, then I’ll be free to assist.”
“Kay Kay.” The tradeswoman smiled and returned to the sink, washing her face.
- - - - -
“What the hell did you do to your shield?” a stunned Harrison asked the paladin, his face scrunching up in concern… and confusion.
Sharky proudly held up her once grungy orange shield with a smile, looking at its new… paint job? “Artificer Tracy has s—n to imbue my bulwark with the crest of the Sky Goddess herself! Observe the b—utiful wings that cover it!”
The engineer had just got back from setting up and overseeing the automated mule’s first excursion to the mine and back. It was a grueling task, requiring him to reset its pathing several times before it was able to make a round trip without input. Now, the maroon-skinned Malkrin in front of him had apparently gotten her massive aegis laser imprinted with crossing wings in the two hours or so he’d been gone. The areas between the black feather decals were colored with white and blue paints, contrasting with the new dark gray background.
A small weight was placed on his shoulder, Tracy’s forearm suddenly appearing atop it despite her being nearly a foot shorter than him. She beamed, staring up at him with all-too-proud eyes. “The scout regiment symbol looks good on it, right? Cera helped me with the laser engraving.”
“I…” His brows raised in perplexity. “The scout regiment?”
She shrugged, watching the paladin observe her shield from all sorts of different angles underneath the workshop’s light fixtures. “From an anime I used to watch. Men and women who were sent out to battle against massive titans for the greater good of the last settlement of humanity. Somewhat fitting, and fuckin’ awesome on her big-ass shield! Matches the bird’s wings on her armor too.”
He loudly sighed. “You wasted materials on imprinting wings on Shar’s shield? Really?”
“Hey!” Her brows furrowed into faux-annoyance, a smug grin betraying it. “It’s not a waste if you were never gonna use the paint we had on hand. Plus, we’ve got energy to spare with all the wind turbines and power cells you’ve been printing out.”
“Those paints probably could have been used for important designations… or something…” he grumbled.
“Doesn’t matter.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyway, want me to put some scary teeth or something on that big ‘ol fist-sized muzzle break on your shotgun?”
“No?” he took an incredulous step away from her, letting her arm fall off his shoulder and to her side.
“It’s okay to admit you’re jealous of Shar’s awesome decals, bro,” Tracy teased, her smugness growing tenfold. “No need to get defensive.”
He groaned, figuring there wasn’t a point in staying to bicker with the tradeswoman, leaving the two vanity-focused females to their devices. He still had to figure out how to fabricate armor and gas masks for the Malkrin and himself.
“Hey! Where ya goin?” the technician called out, clearly disappointed that he hadn’t indulged in her taunts.
“Work.”
Short taps against the hard floor sounded out as she caught up to him. She leaned forward and curiously looked up at him as she walked, holding her hands behind the small of her back. “What kind? Can I help?”
“Just need to take some measurements and compare options. Right… Speaking of which.” He turned around and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hey Shar! Get over here, I need your help!”
The addressed Malkrin perked up, snapping out of the small haze of admiring her new shield and happily making her way toward him. She stood at attention, her tail oscillating side to side. “What n—d do you have of me?”
“Just a quick task,” he briefed her, grabbing some measuring tape from his desk… that Tracy had decided was her new chair. He sighed and turned his attention back to the paladin. “Can I bother you to lean down for a few seconds while I take some measurements?”
“Of course. Pl—se, take your time.” She stepped forward and kneeled, her head brought down to his height. Her face wore that simple content look he was growing all too accustomed to by now—slightly vibrating frills, a little curl upward of her lips, and warmly glowing eyes.
He wasted no time getting to work, noting down the various distances around her jaws, snout, eyes, and ears, already piecing together how he could cobble together some gas mask designs to fit the dimensions. She sat there quietly, sometimes leaning into the accidental head scratches adorably. It contrasted heavily with the cold-sweat-inducing layers of razor-sharp teeth within her muzzle as he measured the angle her maw opened at, bringing an idle curiosity prodded his mind.
“Say, Shar, do your teeth grow back if they fall out?” he poked, absently observing the dozens of triangular bone protrusions in her mouth as he held the underside of her jaw.
“They do,” she confirmed, the way she was able to speak despite not moving her mouth still messing with his head. “Do y—rs not?”
“Nope. Only once.”
She attempted to tilt her head, but quickly returned it when it left the embrace of his palm. “Only once?”
He nodded. “Yeah, sometime a few years after birth. They’re replaced with the teeth I have now. Don’t get any new ones, so we gotta take care of ‘em.”
“Birth?” The Malkrin’s eyes widened. “You were not cr—ted as you are now?”
A shock of stress poured down his spine like a bucket of ice water, raising the hairs on his back. Fuck. How did he let that slip? He was supposed to have just appeared from the sky to her, right…? He was doing so well for so long in keeping that in. God, had he really gotten so comfortable with the paladin that he simply forgot what he was to her? His teeth clenched, a huff of air escaping his nostrils as he lightly shook his head. It was a bit too late to backtrack. It could be explained vaguely and brushed off, right?
“Yeah. I was born,” he affirmed flatly. His hand dropped away from Shar’s muzzle, her head falling an inch or two before she registered that she couldn’t keep leaning into his touch. “That’s it for measurements, so you’re free to leave.”
A frown carved through her small smile. “I… See… F—give me if I have brought up someth—g improper.”
His exhalation burned through his frustration at himself, his hand running through his hair to wash away the spike of anxiety. “You’re fine. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Th-Then I shall take my leave,” the massive alien stated softly.
He nodded, feeling a little regretful for pushing the kindhearted Malkrin away as he shuffled back to his desk. Tracy was still sitting atop it, giving him a disappointed reaction with low brows, forcing a pointed reaction from him. “What?”
The technician took a long inhale before shrugging. “Nothin’.”
“…Alright.”
The rolling chair squeaked lightly as he rested himself, his hands already going through the motions of opening the computer and the blueprint folders. There were plenty of tabs open of sensors and motor assemblies he hadn’t closed from the previous night. That wasn’t even mentioning the pile of notes he had on proper radio-protective methods, their corners bent from his frequent flipping through them.
“Soooo…” The short black-haired woman leaned forward from her perch atop the only clear part of his desk. “Can I help you with your ‘comparing options’ work, mister busyman?”
“Sure…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow. “How much do you know about armor?”
- - - - -
“No way. The back support is a must, so you can have extra plating over your shoulders and chest.” Tracy pointed out from her seat beside Harrison’s, all but forcing him to pause his Malkrin gas mask designing to give her argument his full attention.
He calmly took his hands off the mouse and keyboard. “A back support needs leg assistants, which means I’ll need to have at least a fifteen pound battery pack somewhere. Those kinds of exosuits are either all in or not at all. You can go full armor and engine, or lightweight protection and simple limb support.”
“So you’re just gonna go out there with normal armor? Just run-of-the-mill plates and gear? Those fucking things would go through that shit like butter! I know we can’t make synthetic muscle yet, but at least consider wearing something a bit more. Please. Even Sharky has heavy armor!”
Harrison pinched the bridge of his nose, his brows furrowed. “Do I look like a several-hundred kilogram monster of pure muscle to you? I’m more than willing to put on a few extra kilos for protection, but I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of putting on more armor rather than more equipment. I’d rather fifty pounds of magazines and ammo than fifty pounds of armor. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah yeah… You and your storage space…” she mumbled, swiping through a few more images on her data pad when a familiar Mars-pattern suit showed up, catching his eye.
“Hey, wait, pull that one up…”
She rotated the tablet for him to see a little better—despite already being shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “This one? What’s so special about it?”
He analyzed the few pieces of equipment on screen, noting the rusty-orange and tan color scheme, the old Martian-American flag attached to its breastplate, and the iconic quad-nod integrated helmet. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “That’s… We have that in our blueprints?”
She raised a brow, clearly confused. “Whaddya mean?”
“That’s an Orbital Drop Ranger’s standard kit,” he stated slowly, a simmering sense of awe bubbling up—why the hell was it in their blueprints folder? “It was used during the Sino-Venusian incursion of southern Mars. It still has the Old Earth American flag embedded into it, so you know it’s pre twenty-two-hundred C.E.”
“Oh shit… Pre-St.Loual’s construction? This is ancient, then, huh? Would it be any good?” She leaned in closer to him, eying the tablet further.
“Does it have the assembly view of the armored pieces?”
“Mmhmm.” She tapped a few icons, showing an isometric, exploded view of all the parts and their individual components.
It was a piece of history alright. The armor was produced just about the time when Mars was connecting their orbital stations and ground colonies to work in tandem, allowing for specialized forces to be trained in space and launched anywhere across the planet from drop pods in mere minutes, leading to common nickname of ‘Minutemen’ given to the troopers. The suits were expertly designed to withstand the harsh environments of Mars and give the soldiers the ability to engage with enemy combatants for several days before extraction, though the adept units usually completed their objectives within twenty-four hours of their landing.
The helmet was very angular and blended in with the expected rocky terrain of Mars, each component taking on a sloped frontal design with rectangular prisms flowing behind—radio, breathing apparatus, and vision modules all sharing a sleek, yet bulky look in their own right. It reminded him of some in-atmosphere ships, with the overhanging visor above the quad-nod viewport being the only non-aerodynamic pieces.
The chest and legs were a bit different, following the design of late twenty-second-century operators with tan lightweight rigs, and ammunition pouches alongside armored plates that ran from the shoulders to wrists in segments. There was a rusty-orange undersuit beneath it all for the purpose of keeping air in, which required some sturdy polymer structures to ensure it didn’t rip. Then, of course, there were the classic shock-absorbing leg supports. They weren’t too far off what Tracy was asking about earlier, but these ones didn’t provide any assistance in moving with any motors—just straight-up structural reinforcements.
Hell, the blueprints on screen even had the mag-grip gloves used to scale domes, buildings, and satellites alike. There was no doubt that the Orbital Drop Rangers had some of the coolest equipment on Mars, especially considering that it was the last to keep the ‘operator’ look… It was such a shame the government decided the orb-like helmets and rounded bubble armors were more effective.
“Hey, you know what?” he asked the technician, a shot of excitement in his voice. “This might actually work out as a suitable armor replacement.”
She perked up, her brows raised. “Oh? Actually?”
He shrugged, trying to play off the smirk plastered on his face. “Wouldn’t need a horrible amount of changes to work for our purposes. Just need to remove the oxygen converter on the back and put a gas mask replacement in the front portion of the helmet. Plus, we could probably get rid of the airtight aspect and just keep the undersuit for scratch protection. And, most importantly, it’s radio-protective.”
“Meets all your criteria, then?” She tapped through some UI interfaces, sending the armor assembly to Harrison’s monitor, which he accepted quickly.
“Sure does.” He readily clicked through the different parts and systems to differentiate what needed to be kept. “We have the resources for it, and all it needs is a layer of cadmium plus a few replacements. Definitely doesn’t need the heads-up display since there’s nothing for it to interact with either, so that’ll save on print time and materials too. Shame I cut up the beard… the Orbital Drop Rangers were allowed to have some cool ones.”
The tradeswoman scooted in even closer, practically resting her chin on his shoulder and watching him sift through the working parts. “Yeah, rest in peace, beard. Still, your armor situation is solved. What about the Malkrin?”
“I’ll be working on their gas masks, then I was thinking I’d use another one of your modeled armors for their protection since they’ve helped Shar a hell of a lot. Do you have any recommendations?”
“Mmmmm…” She looked up in thought, a smile forming along her cheeks. “You know, until we can make them any real power armor, I was thinking just some regular phobos-pattern armor. Could color ‘em based on their skin too.”
“Phobos-pattern armor?” he hummed to himself, clicking through the folder to find it. It was just as bulky as Shar’s armor, except it appeared a good bit smoother, with more rounded edges compared to her horns-and-spike-lined gauntlets and pauldrons. The blue suit Tracy was proposing didn’t have the four-armed protection compared to the chaos version, but it certainly had the same thickness of its metal plates. “Looks like it’d work pretty well. Does it have any electric components or anything?”
“No…” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not so good with designing that stuff in the modeling program I did the WarHarberd stuff in. Could add in more sophisticated leg support or whatever if you gave me time, but for now it’s just maneuverable slabs of alloy.”
“I think that’s all we need for the time being.” He shrugged. “I just don’t want the others to be vulnerable to getting cut up by the little spider-crab grunts.”
“As long as it works for what we need, then.” Her elbow poked into his arm. “Here, how about I take care of that armor stuff while you finish up the gas masks? They need the extra arm slots too, yeah?”
“I’d actually appreciate that a lot.” He offered her a back-palm fist bump, to which she eagerly took, taking on a grin that he mirrored. “Thanks, Trace.”
“Don’t mention it. I wish work was always just doing my hobbies like this.”
\= = = = =
A grand pylon of metal construction taller than the mightiest female’s frills stood atop the beach. Blue-scaled surfaces extended near the foot of the tower, gathering the power of the sun itself. The lattice layering upon their sides hid the weaving wires and Goddess-blessed machinery. A staff the same as Shar’khee’s peeked from its top, the glass eye on its side given a wide view of the sandy environment it resided on, the defense it now provided becoming absolute. The aura it exuded as a creature of pure metal was awe-inspiring, its mere presence a showing of Harrison’s might and domain.
No abhorrent would dare step foot upon the meadow’s rolling hills, for such a mistake would ensure their immediate execution for encroaching upon his settlement—the ‘fifty-cal-e-bur’ bullet is not one to rend any beast with only simple injuries, especially with three hundred of them available at once.
The maroon-skinned paladin treaded up the hill, having completed her task of setting up the last turret. The craftsman, the juvenile, and the lumberjack had also assisted with its setup, pulling their weight in both mind and muscles to piece the components together. They completed a few others around the modules already, but this one was done without the star-sents’ oversight. The four Malkrin had practiced and learned enough to be entrusted with such.
The idea of Harrison having enough confidence in them sparked much conviction in the group, each of them more than eager to prove him right—none more so than Shar’khee herself, of course.
She finally returned to the workshop, the sun’s last rays pressing into the back of her head and frills as she crouched beneath the doorway, a small gnawing hunger for dinner digging within her stomach. The cacophony of machines soon reached her ears, the sounds of their efforts almost working in tandem with the strange melodic music playing from an unseen source above her.
Tracy was in her corner, working on new beings of metal as always. The bright lights above were turned off in favor of smaller, warmer emplacements atop her surrounding circle of desks. A hard worker, that star-sent was, though both of them were like that, the paladin supposed. Their kind was certainly intent on keeping their hands busy.
Shar’khee passed through the snakes of machines, finding her way to Harrison’s desk with an increasingly strong sway in her tail. He was working with a black object with light gray accents. It appeared to be partially flexible, yet firm in other places—notably, a large glass fixture on one side of it. There was very little she could make out about its purpose, but with the delicate touches he applied, it appeared to be quite important.
Her tongue clicked twice, garnering the attention of the Creator. He paused his work, swiveling his chair to face her and revealing a long blue-leaf jutting from his mouth. Her male appeared quite tired, but his voice did not show it.
“Oh, Shar, what’s up? Did y’all need any help with the last turret?”
She shook her head. “We do not n—d such, for it is completed. Would you care to join me for din—r? The rest of the settlem—t is enjoying their meals as of now. ”
He raised his brows before looking back at the myriad of notes, tools, and materials atop his cluttered desk. “Well, I’m kinda busy, but…” His jaw rolled around in contemplation. “Here. Let’s just test this thing real quick.”
Her head tilted. “What sh—l we be testing?”
“Your gas mask… er, well, a Malkrin gas mask. Kneel down real quick, I’ll run ya through putting it on.” He stepped off his chair and grabbed the equipment, uncomfortably rotating his shoulders. How long was he sitting on that chair? The male approached her and she did as requested. “I had the sewist help me with some of the design. Never considered you guys would ever wear hats.”
She nodded. “It is unh—lthy for one to have their frills touched by the sun for so long. Adequate shade is a must, and trees are not so p—valent along farm land.”
“Mmhmm. Shame this is just a mask… Alright, this might be a bit uncomfortable, but it’ll do the job.”
He stepped forward and slipped the black apparel onto her snout, pushing it over her face until it pressed against the sides of her head. A cool material rubbed against her skin, locking her into its embrace. It was encapsulating, surrounding her wholly.
Her breaths strengthened as she allowed the mask to cover her, a short shock of nervousness riding down her spine. She was only now registering how vulnerable she was, allowing him to possibly suffocate her… but she stayed put, keeping her four palms rested within her lap as he continued to apply the straps around her ears. She would allow it. She trusted him with her life. She would not falter.
The cords around the back of her head were tight, a few of which went along both sides of her frills, pushing up against their sides. He kept going, ensuring a ‘seal,’ but it was getting much too—
Pop.
A lightning bolt of pain rolled throughout the top of her head, sending her reeling. It stung for the briefest of moments, but its effects rebounded through her entire body, short sparks pulsing from its origin. She felt nothing but its agonizing hold for several more moments as the rest of her body caught up.
When her eyes opened once more, she found herself on the floor and staring at the ceiling. The star-sent rushed to her side, appearing to ask many questions while looking over her head, but all she heard was a piercing ring and the gruff vocalization he made whenever he shared his intent. No words reached her mind, only the now faint phantom pains from where her frills met her skull. It put everything in a haze, her eyes barely settling on her dearest’s, despite how nauseous she had become.
His deft hands quickly worked to loosen the straps, practically ripping them off until his voice suddenly reached her, like breaching the surface of the water. His voice was deep, attempting to be calculating, yet despite his calmly created stoic demeanor… she could feel his panic, his sheer worry almost flooding her senses through practiced medical queries. She slowly sat up on the floor, holding herself with two arms while the other pair quelled the kneeling male, assuring him that she was alright with their weight resting atop his shoulders.
“I am well, dearest Harrison. Do not fret for me. The straps were simply too tight.”
His anxious breaths barely slowed, narrowly allowing for his exclamation. “Too tight? Shar, you practically blacked out!”
“Too tight upon my frills, I mean. There was a pain there for a few moments, but it has passed,” she returned calmly, softly kneading his stiff shoulders with the joints of her digits.
He exhaled sharply, matching her gaze with regret in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Shar. I should’ve known. I was just trying to see how…” He paused, resting his palm atop her forearm. “Nevermind. I just… Are you alright? Should I get you to the med bay for a quick scan?”
“I do not believe that to be necessary, no.”
His guard finally fell. “If… If you say so. Guess I have to redo the straps then. Definitely gotta make sure they’re not pressing on your frills like that.”
She smiled, appreciating his dedication. “Would you like my assistance?”
“As long as you don’t have anything else to do.” He shrugged, his shoulders barely moving upward against her massaging hands.
“There is no greater wish of mine than to be by your side,” she stated warmly.
He was frozen, the soft ministrations of his digits along her arm slowly stopping in contrast to the red flush growing from his cheeks to his ears. The crack of a smirk on his face finally with a short, heart-warming chuckle brought the statue back to life after a few moments. “You know… that’s probably the sweetest thing I’ve heard for years.”
Her brows raised in subtle surprise at his response. “It… was not intended to be such… However… you are more than welcome. You must understand by now that I am speaking only the truth.”
The two of them sat there in relative silence amongst the desks and machines; her half laying on the ground with her hands on his shoulder, and him on his knees by her side, a singular hand running up and down her comparatively large forearm. She felt… weak, in a way. A vibrating sensation rummaged through her stomach, attempting to pull her muscles and nerves astray.
It was warm, just like his palm, each motion of his hand sending lightning through her skin. The upward curl of her lips into her cheeks was suddenly an insurmountable force, incapable of being put down by a thousand females. There was a tear within her to either look away or… close the distance, and she suddenly found looking anywhere but his curious green eyes to be a waste of her time.
Her talons wrapped further around his shoulders and his back, ever so slightly bringing him into her embrace—
“A-HEM.” A voice cut the moment down to its knees. “The fuck happened here?” Tracy’s swift interjection caused the paladin to flinch backwards, allowing her to see that Harrison’s other hand had been hovering right beneath her snout. The female star-sent wore a furrowed brow and crossed arms, looking down at them. “I heard a crash and came over. Are you two alright?”
Harrison cleared his throat, ever-so-subtly scooting away from the paladin. “Uh, yeah. Shar fell because, um, I tied the gas mask a lil’ too tight.”
The artificer wore an expression that told of her disbelief. “She fell because of the gas mask?”
“It was something with her frills.” The male returned with a shrug, picking himself off the floor before offering the paladin a hand up.
She took it, despite not requiring it, and wiped off some loose dust from her pants. The three of them quickly returned to work soon after, with both her and the black-haired star-sent joining Harrison in his quest to produce the gas mask. She was much less… What did the Creator call it? Bubbly? Yes, that was it. She was much less bubbly than usual, sometimes sending a cold yet emotionless glare toward Shar’khee… Nevertheless, the two females offered input on the design and applied help where they could, eventually creating the final piece of equipment.
Tracy commented on its looks, apparently drawing inspiration from the Leviathan itself, as she believed it to be like that of a ‘Sea Dragon’s.’ The maw-covering portion held two cylindrical canisters on the adjacent sides, the bottom portion being capable of distention, so that the user’s mouth may open somewhat. Its motion created what the female star-sent believed to be ‘the coolest teeth design on a mask’ she’d ever seen with how the separation formed alternating triangles.
The monster-like appearance was furthered by her own frills and horns that peeked out from behind the mask. That was not even mentioning the see-through visor that formed a malicious glare of sharp brows. The paladin looked through a hand-held mirror, finding it difficult to disagree with the look. She could imagine the horror on a fisherwoman’s face as such a terrifying creature approached from the depths.
And yet, despite its nightmarish visage, it was apparel designed to save lives, not take them—much unlike the unassuming metal rods that spewed fire with a mere flick of a lever. Curious indeed. The star-sents were seemingly never out of surprises. They even spoke of grand robots and firearms larger than Shar’khee herself as possible future projects.
Only time could tell what machinations of alloy would be birthed from their hands.
- - - - -
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Next time on Total Drama Anomaly Island - Under The Milky Way
2024.06.09 15:53 gargoylin Success so far
I just want to let you guys know Ozempic is working for me and this community has been so helpful so I want to give back with my 9 week update… last part is TL;DR about doctors sucking.
I have hypothyroidism and insulin resistance and a history of restrictive disordered eating/ED (orthorexia) but am in full recovery just about and don’t restrict but do eat healthfully. Also CPTSD and depression. BMI is high thirties but I’m super muscular. Prediabetic at 5.7 A1C. Long history of doing a lot of mental health therapy and meditation, yoga, dance, working out, every holistic thing on the planet, and even too healthy of a diet to the point it was causing mental distress.
I did four weeks each on .25 and .5. And the results are in:
-Daily loose stool I’ve had for years is gone within days of starting first dose.
-Depression that can be severe occurs notably less severe and often. There is an element of just not seeming to care as much or being too tired to care.
-Waking up in the morning is significantly easier. This has been a major issue as I am extremely groggy and even confused in the mornings and can’t wake up even when it’s important. It makes me late to work often. But I’m waking up a lot more refreshed.
-Seems to have increased REM sleep because I am dreaming much more often. I used to sleep well and score in the low eighties or high seventies according to my Fitbit before Oz but I haven’t worn it since starting Ozempic and need to retest it now. I used to be slightly low in REM compared to deep and light sleep but mostly within normal range.
-Appetite significantly suppressed and was eating less.
-Continued eating almost like normal otherwise and continued working out intensely a few hours per week and continuing my healthy lifestyle. Was afraid to drink but never drank a lot in the first place. The few drinks I had didn’t affect me too much.
-Side effects blessedly minimal with mild nausea 2-3x a week or so that I can tie to hunger pains reimagined by my brain. One chewable pepto gets rid of it.
-More fatigued during the day somehow but not sleepy. I’ve also worked really hard last year, so I’m burnt out and this could be the cause instead of the medicine. I’m resting a lot more.
-Fluctuating weight that seemed to be trending downward but I not a significant loss overall, up to ten pounds between highest and lowest weight but I weigh in the high 200s so not big for me. And it really goes up and down a lot.
-I have lost over a foot in inches according to methreesixty! I feel slimmer to the touch. I can really see it in the app. It also says I gained 7.3 pounds of muscle. Have actually decreased heavy weightlifting and increased HIIT so this is weird. But I do look and feel different so it makes sense. Did add creatine supplement. Now at 144 pounds lean muscle mass.
-cravings for sugar increased kind of significantly. It’s not something I struggled with much before the medicine in the last few years.
Just started 1mg a week and two days ago. Since then:
-Weight loss seems to be really starting to kick in. A little too early to tell due to fluctuations but it looks very promising.
-I can usually only eat twice a day instead of three times. Food is not super interesting to me. Never was actually, and before Oz eating felt like a chore sometimes. I’m relieved to not be physically hungry as I’m not mentally hungry.
-One day I did have pretty bad diarrhea with cold sweats and had to take an Imodium after having one drink and some fried chicken the night before. Unsure if that was just more like food poisoning or what because alcohol and fried foods didn’t bother me with the low doses.
-Cravings for sugar now reduced.
-Sick with a sinus infection now so I can’t tell how I’m doing beyond this yet.
TL;DR below: some doctors suck. One was willing to help and other tried to deter me.
My OB gyn PA originally said she would write me a prescription for this years ago, and I wish I had started then. She had the good sense to check me for insulin resistance when my A1c was normal, and I did have prediabetes back then, but I had to started drinking more with a group of friends, and when I stopped drinking a few months later my A1C was totally normal again.
I was still thinking that I could do this myself, and was judging myself more than I care to admit now. I was offended by the suggestion I was that fat because I’m constantly offended by the fat phobia in our society, and people thinking I don’t live a healthy lifestyle or am not fit, because I am very fit and very healthy overall. Gave myself a damn eating disorder trying so hard. She is the one that I ended up messaging to get this prescription two or so years later as I’m still her patient. The sub and others like it have helped me realize that I really have medical conditions that I was trying to just white knuckle. I’m still getting used to the fact that I deserve help and trying to understand that I’m worthy of it. I sometimes wonder if whatever this drug does increases our sense of worthiness somehow because I find it really interesting how it works for addicts, too, and worthiness is often a main issue with addiction.
The first doctor I asked about this when I decided to do it basically told me that some people can die, and that he doesn’t recommend it because one of the side effects can be death. He insisted that insurance didn’t cover it. At the end he didn’t even put in the prescription for Wegovy that I asked for as discussed until I messaged him afterwards, and then he finally put the prescription in, but he still never did the prior authorization according the the pharmacy. I realized some doctors just don’t want to help with this drug.
This doc frustrated me obviously, so I messaged my original docto/the PA who suggested it. She had the prior authorization in immediately. I ended up asking for Ozempic because it seemed easiest to get. My insurance covers this completely for me with a $35 per co-pay. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield federal. So yes, some doctors suck. Get you a new doctor. I messaged the one that wasn’t supportive and let him know that it was covered, and I never received a reply. Ha ha.
submitted by gargoylin to Ozempic [link] [comments]
I have hypothyroidism and insulin resistance and a history of restrictive disordered eating/ED (orthorexia) but am in full recovery just about and don’t restrict but do eat healthfully. Also CPTSD and depression. BMI is high thirties but I’m super muscular. Prediabetic at 5.7 A1C. Long history of doing a lot of mental health therapy and meditation, yoga, dance, working out, every holistic thing on the planet, and even too healthy of a diet to the point it was causing mental distress.
I did four weeks each on .25 and .5. And the results are in:
-Daily loose stool I’ve had for years is gone within days of starting first dose.
-Depression that can be severe occurs notably less severe and often. There is an element of just not seeming to care as much or being too tired to care.
-Waking up in the morning is significantly easier. This has been a major issue as I am extremely groggy and even confused in the mornings and can’t wake up even when it’s important. It makes me late to work often. But I’m waking up a lot more refreshed.
-Seems to have increased REM sleep because I am dreaming much more often. I used to sleep well and score in the low eighties or high seventies according to my Fitbit before Oz but I haven’t worn it since starting Ozempic and need to retest it now. I used to be slightly low in REM compared to deep and light sleep but mostly within normal range.
-Appetite significantly suppressed and was eating less.
-Continued eating almost like normal otherwise and continued working out intensely a few hours per week and continuing my healthy lifestyle. Was afraid to drink but never drank a lot in the first place. The few drinks I had didn’t affect me too much.
-Side effects blessedly minimal with mild nausea 2-3x a week or so that I can tie to hunger pains reimagined by my brain. One chewable pepto gets rid of it.
-More fatigued during the day somehow but not sleepy. I’ve also worked really hard last year, so I’m burnt out and this could be the cause instead of the medicine. I’m resting a lot more.
-Fluctuating weight that seemed to be trending downward but I not a significant loss overall, up to ten pounds between highest and lowest weight but I weigh in the high 200s so not big for me. And it really goes up and down a lot.
-I have lost over a foot in inches according to methreesixty! I feel slimmer to the touch. I can really see it in the app. It also says I gained 7.3 pounds of muscle. Have actually decreased heavy weightlifting and increased HIIT so this is weird. But I do look and feel different so it makes sense. Did add creatine supplement. Now at 144 pounds lean muscle mass.
-cravings for sugar increased kind of significantly. It’s not something I struggled with much before the medicine in the last few years.
Just started 1mg a week and two days ago. Since then:
-Weight loss seems to be really starting to kick in. A little too early to tell due to fluctuations but it looks very promising.
-I can usually only eat twice a day instead of three times. Food is not super interesting to me. Never was actually, and before Oz eating felt like a chore sometimes. I’m relieved to not be physically hungry as I’m not mentally hungry.
-One day I did have pretty bad diarrhea with cold sweats and had to take an Imodium after having one drink and some fried chicken the night before. Unsure if that was just more like food poisoning or what because alcohol and fried foods didn’t bother me with the low doses.
-Cravings for sugar now reduced.
-Sick with a sinus infection now so I can’t tell how I’m doing beyond this yet.
TL;DR below: some doctors suck. One was willing to help and other tried to deter me.
My OB gyn PA originally said she would write me a prescription for this years ago, and I wish I had started then. She had the good sense to check me for insulin resistance when my A1c was normal, and I did have prediabetes back then, but I had to started drinking more with a group of friends, and when I stopped drinking a few months later my A1C was totally normal again.
I was still thinking that I could do this myself, and was judging myself more than I care to admit now. I was offended by the suggestion I was that fat because I’m constantly offended by the fat phobia in our society, and people thinking I don’t live a healthy lifestyle or am not fit, because I am very fit and very healthy overall. Gave myself a damn eating disorder trying so hard. She is the one that I ended up messaging to get this prescription two or so years later as I’m still her patient. The sub and others like it have helped me realize that I really have medical conditions that I was trying to just white knuckle. I’m still getting used to the fact that I deserve help and trying to understand that I’m worthy of it. I sometimes wonder if whatever this drug does increases our sense of worthiness somehow because I find it really interesting how it works for addicts, too, and worthiness is often a main issue with addiction.
The first doctor I asked about this when I decided to do it basically told me that some people can die, and that he doesn’t recommend it because one of the side effects can be death. He insisted that insurance didn’t cover it. At the end he didn’t even put in the prescription for Wegovy that I asked for as discussed until I messaged him afterwards, and then he finally put the prescription in, but he still never did the prior authorization according the the pharmacy. I realized some doctors just don’t want to help with this drug.
This doc frustrated me obviously, so I messaged my original docto/the PA who suggested it. She had the prior authorization in immediately. I ended up asking for Ozempic because it seemed easiest to get. My insurance covers this completely for me with a $35 per co-pay. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield federal. So yes, some doctors suck. Get you a new doctor. I messaged the one that wasn’t supportive and let him know that it was covered, and I never received a reply. Ha ha.
2024.06.09 15:41 Sweet-Count2557 Best Breakfast in La Jolla Ca
 | Best Breakfast in La Jolla Ca Are you skeptical about finding the best breakfast spots in La Jolla, CA? Well, let us put your doubts to rest!In this article, we'll guide you through the vibrant and diverse breakfast scene of La Jolla. From cozy cafes to elegant restaurants, we've carefully selected the top establishments that offer mouthwatering morning delights to satisfy every palate.So, join us as we embark on a culinary journey and discover the best breakfast spots in La Jolla where every bite is a delightful experience!Key TakeawaysLa Jolla has a variety of cafes and restaurants offering the best breakfast options.The establishments mentioned in the background offer comfortable spaces, quick service, and accommodating staff.These places have outdoor dining options and affordable rates.Each restaurant or cafe has its own unique and delicious breakfast dishes to try.Brick & Bell Cafe, Brockton Villa Restaurant, Harrys Coffee ShopWe love the cozy atmosphere and delicious breakfast options at Brick & Bell Cafe, Brockton Villa Restaurant, and Harry's Coffee Shop. These breakfast places in La Jolla offer a delightful start to the day.Brick & Bell Cafe welcomes you with its homey space, comfortable furniture, and quick service. The Swiss Muesli with low-fat milk, blueberries, oats, strawberries, raspberries, and raisins is a perfect choice for a healthy and flavorful breakfast. Their Breakfast Wrap, with bacon, eggs, avocados, cucumbers, cheddar, and tomatoes wrapped in a spinach wrap, is also highly recommended.Brockton Villa Restaurant offers a charming patio for outdoor dining and an inviting atmosphere. The NY Steak & Eggs, served with an 8oz New York strip, eggs, breakfast potatoes, bearnaise sauce, and wild mushrooms, is a hearty and satisfying option. For something with a Mexican twist, try the Buenos Dias Breakfast Burrito, filled with cheddar-steamed scrambled eggs, smashed avocados, Carne Asada, cilantro pepita pesto, brown rice, and black beans.Harry's Coffee Shop is known for its warm and friendly service. The B.W. Benny, featuring a golden brown waffle, bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, grilled ham, and warm syrup, is a classic breakfast favorite. Another delicious choice is the Eggs Florentine, with an open-faced, toasted English muffin, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, and fresh spinach.When it comes to finding the best breakfast in La Jolla, these breakfast places in La Jolla Shores are definitely worth a visit. Their cozy ambiance, delectable dishes, and friendly staff make for a memorable breakfast experience.Richard Walkers Pancake HouseLet's head over to Richard Walkers Pancake House because they offer a wide selection of delicious pancakes and a cozy atmosphere. At Richard Walkers Pancake House, you can indulge in their mouthwatering pancakes that are sure to satisfy your breakfast cravings. They have a variety of options, including their famous Thin Swedish Pancakes topped with imported lingonberries from Sweden, and the delectable Pigs In A New Car, which features three sausage links wrapped in pancakes and dusted with powdered sugar.Here is a table showcasing the best breakfast options at Richard Walkers Pancake House:Menu ItemDescriptionThin Swedish PancakesImported lingonberries from Sweden crowning delicate thin pancakes.Pigs In A New CarThree sausage links wrapped in pancakes and dusted with powdered sugar.Richard Walkers Pancake House has been a well-known longtime-running eatery since 1948. The inviting vibe and simplistic decor make it a popular spot for breakfast in La Jolla. The personable staff and yummy options for kids add to the overall experience. As we continue our exploration of the best breakfast spots in La Jolla, let's now transition to Sugar & Scribe, a bakery, coffee shop, and restaurant located in downtown La Jolla.Sugar & ScribeThere are many delicious options to try at Sugar & Scribe, such as their Lobby Roll with Maine lobster, celery, lemon aioli, and parsley, or their Smothered and Covered Skillet with roasted potatoes, bacon, chicken gravy, scrambled eggs, three-cheese blend, and chives.At Sugar & Scribe, you can expect a delightful dining experience with their all-day menu of breakfast classics. The atmosphere is inviting, and the pet-friendly patio allows for al-fresco dining.For those who enjoy a good brunch cocktail, Sugar & Scribe offers exquisite options to accompany your meal.Additionally, if you're looking for a special venue for your next event, Sugar & Scribe has a rentable private space available.Whether you're craving a lobster roll or a hearty skillet, Sugar & Scribe has something to satisfy your breakfast cravings.Coffee CupAt Coffee Cup, we can choose from a variety of creative takes on brunch classics and enjoy healthy breakfast options. Located on Wall Street, this lively brunch restaurant offers an expansive menu catering to all diets. Whether you're in the mood for a hearty steak hash and eggs or a lighter option like the Zen Breakfast with marinated grilled tofu, Coffee Cup has something for everyone.One of the highlights of Coffee Cup is their commitment to offering healthy breakfast choices. The Zen Breakfast, for example, features a combination of marinated grilled tofu, brown rice, green onions, tomatoes, egg whites, and zucchini. This flavorful dish isn't only delicious but also packed with nutrients.In addition to their healthy options, Coffee Cup also prides itself on its creative takes on brunch classics. The Steak Hash & Eggs, for instance, combines seared sirloin, sautéed tomatoes, scrambled eggs, grilled rosemary bread, green onions, rosemary potatoes, and a tangy horseradish cream sauce. This dish showcases the restaurant's ability to elevate traditional breakfast ingredients into something truly special.Overall, Coffee Cup is a must-visit brunch spot in La Jolla. With its vibrant atmosphere, expansive menu, and dedication to both creativity and health, it's no wonder that this restaurant has become a local favorite. So next time you're in the mood for a delicious and satisfying brunch, make sure to check out Coffee Cup.The Cottage, Shorehouse Kitchen, Girard Gourmet, CodysWe recently visited The Cottage, Shorehouse Kitchen, Girard Gourmet, and Codys for breakfast, and each restaurant offered unique and delicious dishes.At The Cottage, we were impressed by the artfully presented Crab and Prosciutto Benedict, which featured a perfectly poached egg, crispy prosciutto, and Indonesian blue crab. The Morning Glory Sandwich, with its combination of fried egg, lemon aioli, bacon, and smoked gouda, was also a standout.Shorehouse Kitchen caught our attention with their Maple Fried Chicken Breakfast Sandwich, a tantalizing blend of all-natural chicken breast, honey-cured bacon, and aged white cheddar. The Open-Faced Avocado Toast, topped with smashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese, was a colorful and flavorful option.Girard Gourmet wowed us with their Special sandwich, a delightful combination of scrambled eggs, fruit salad, potato pancakes, and toast.And at Codys, we couldn't resist the mesmerizing ocean views and beautifully presented dishes. Their menu catered to special diets, offering options like the Vegan Scramble and the Gluten-Free Pancakes.Overall, our breakfast adventures in La Jolla were a delightful experience, with each restaurant offering its own unique and satisfying dishes.Frequently Asked QuestionsAre Reservations Required at Any of These Breakfast Spots in La Jolla?Reservations may be required at some of these breakfast spots in La Jolla. It's always a good idea to call ahead and check.Places like Brockton Villa Restaurant and Sugar & Scribe, which offer exquisite brunch options and have pet-friendly patios, might be popular and require reservations.However, other places like Brick & Bell Cafe, Harrys Coffee Shop, Richard Walkers Pancake House, Coffee Cup, The Cottage, Shorehouse Kitchen, and Girard Gourmet may have more availability and be able to accommodate walk-ins.Do Any of These Restaurants Offer Gluten-Free or Vegan Breakfast Options?Yes, some of these restaurants in La Jolla offer gluten-free or vegan breakfast options.For gluten-free options, Sugar & Scribe and Shorehouse Kitchen have dishes like the Smothered and Covered Skillet and the Open-Faced Avocado Toast.For vegan options, Coffee Cup offers the Zen Breakfast with marinated grilled tofu and Richard Walkers Pancake House has the Thin Swedish Pancakes.These restaurants cater to different dietary needs, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a delicious breakfast.Are There Any Kid-Friendly Dishes Available at These Breakfast Spots?There are several kid-friendly dishes available at the breakfast spots in La Jolla.Options like Pigs In A New Car at Richard Walkers Pancake House, Lobby Roll at Sugar & Scribe, and Morning Glory Sandwich at The Cottage are sure to please the little ones.These dishes offer a combination of delicious flavors and fun presentations that will make breakfast enjoyable for kids of all ages.Are Pets Allowed on the Outdoor Patios at Any of These Restaurants?Yes, pets are allowed on the outdoor patios at some of these restaurants.While we don't have the specific information for all the mentioned establishments, Sugar & Scribe does have a pet-friendly patio for al-fresco dining.It's always a good idea to call ahead or check their websites for more information on their pet policies.Enjoy a delicious breakfast while spending quality time with your furry friend in beautiful La Jolla, California!Do Any of These Establishments Offer Catering Services for Special Events or Private Parties?Yes, some of these establishments offer catering services for special events or private parties. They provide a convenient option for those looking to host a memorable gathering with delicious food.Whether it's Richard Walkers Pancake House, The Cottage, or Girard Gourmet, you can expect a range of delectable breakfast favorites and assorted pastries to be served.With their inviting spaces and accommodating staff, these restaurants ensure that your special event or private party is a success.ConclusionIn conclusion, La Jolla, CA offers a diverse and vibrant breakfast scene with a variety of top-notch establishments. Whether you're in the mood for a cozy cafe or an elegant restaurant, you'll find something to satisfy your morning cravings.One example of the delicious breakfast options in La Jolla is Richard Walkers Pancake House, where you can indulge in thin Swedish pancakes topped with imported lingonberries.With so many delightful choices, every bite in La Jolla is sure to be a memorable experience. submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] |
2024.06.09 15:31 Rusted-1 ARK 8 Chapter 23-Unlucky
 | To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless. What is it to kill for religion? - Unknown submitted by Rusted-1 to NatureofPredators [link] [comments] This fanfic is based on the fanfic The Isolationists, by Seeyouon_otherside, and a continuation of the stronger_together series. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Time Since First Contact: Y:0 M:1 W:0 D:3 Memory Transcript Subject: Private Brolien “Lucky” Tiwond of the enforcers. “Wait, the humans call you that? Why?” My buddy Rohan asked me as we patrolled the streets of the capital city of Finalshape under the night sky. You could actually see one of the aliens' ships flying overhead, which was fantastic. I felt like a kid watching them, just in awe at the technological marvels. Our power armor was clanking and clunking as we went about our day, heavy auto rifles in hand, a good breakfast this morning, kissed the kids and misses goodbye for today, promising little ones I’ll bring them back a souvenir of some kind. We walked through the snow that had to yet be cleared by the snow plows, and I just enjoyed the forever-green grass and trees. Just admiring the city that we lived in “Yeah, I was on the plane next to the human ARK ship when I went down.” “Wait, that was you?!” Rohan practically yelled, getting the attention of many people around us. “How come you’re still not in the Air Force anymore?” “That crash rattled me pretty bad, So I stepped down for that position and took up a job as a trooper,” I respond casually. “It was fun for a while being in the Air Force, but now, with seven kids and a wife, I can’t take that risk anymore. I’d rather do something more laid-back to have a higher chance of survival. So I can spend more time with my beloved and see my little ones grow up.” I said. Then I revealed my trap card. “I also got a spot on the Land Tank. “Yeah, I get that-YOU WHAT!?” He yelled. I let out a hearty laugh as he began to freak out. “Yep! I will be one of the lead anti-air and anti-space gunnery commanders. The pay is fantastic. I’m going to spoil my family rotten.” He made an odd noise and launched himself at me. “HOLLY SHIT DUDE! YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED A JOB ON THAT HUNK OF HISTORY! I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” He patted me on the back a few times and then let go. “But I get what you mean by anti-air, but what do you mean by anti-space?” I sighed and looked around before switching to helmet-to-helmet communication so no one could hear us. "You're aware that Lord Lieutenant Commander Canilia Feral doesn't fully trust the aliens, right?” Rohan nodded. I couldn’t see his expression under the heavy metal helmet, but we had known each other since we were kids, so I could tell he was somber. “Yeah, I'm not the biggest fan of that. But that doesn't mean I don't understand it. The aliens are fun, lovely, adorable, and huggable. I can say a hundred other nice things about them, but I won't because I don't want to bore you to death. They are still a massive unknown; they've been sharing more and more information with us, and I know the one, Captain Leo, is preparing to hold some… not ceremony, what do you call it…I want to say it's a seminar about how they got here and their history. I'm going to it, but I don't know when it will be.” I nodded in agreement. “ I am with you on every single one of those points. As amazing as they are, there are so many unknowns about them… which is why Lord Lieutenant Commander Canilia Feral has started a program meant to counteract the aliens' most powerful tools: their droids and ships.” Rohan looked at me. I could tell from underneath his helmet he looked surprised. “Wait, weapons?” It was my turn to be somber. “She says it's to prepare for if they turn on us. She made it very apparent that she hoped she would never have to use these weapons, but she wanted to be prepared.” “Does Commander Fango Feral know about this?” I scoffed at that thought. “Well, yeah, this project would have never gotten the green light anyway. Plus, we're talking about Lord Lieutenant Commander Canilia Feral here. Going behind her uncle's back is the last thing she would do." Rohan nodded. "What do you know about the project?" He asked "What little I know about the project is that I will be operating an ASRFC, an anti-space rapid-fire cannon. It’s designed to do what it sounds like: it shoots or, rather, assists in launching incredibly fast-moving projectiles, similar to missiles but different somehow. They should be coated in the specialized electricity designed to short out alien systems. She's also been developing handheld weapons to short out their droids.” Rohan was silent. Then spoke. “Geez. That's… a lot. I'm just hoping the aliens don't find out.” My shoulder sagged as I hated the thought of operating a weapon like that against two species that have been nothing but kind to us. “Same, we all share the same sentiment at the Land Tank. We are on our hands and knees, praying to the great protector that we never have to use these guns. Lord Lieutenant Commander Canilia Feral is probably the person who is hoping the most. However, I get the odd feeling that they would understand why we would make these weapons. I think they'd be mad, but they wouldn't be upset. They'd be understanding.” I looked over at my childhood best friend. “Honestly, considering your Borderline addiction to anything alien right now, I'm surprised you're taking this as well as you are.” He shook his head. “I'm not really… it's hard making guns and weapons to kill a person who has been nothing but kind to you simply because you don't fully trust them. But I understand and support the logic behind it. However, it is comforting to know that everyone working on this project hopes and prays that they don't have to use them. Not much, but a bit.” Rohan sighed, and we walked in silence for a while. He perked up, his posture became slightly straighter, and he pointed to my chest. “What is that anyway on your chest? I’ve never seen a dialect or a plant like that,” he asked. I looked down and laughed. “Yeah, that’s human dialect. I want to say it’s the one called English, but it could also be the one called Japanese or Russian. I really have no idea. It says, “Lucky, the falling star.” The symbol is of what they called a four-leaf clover, a type of plant back on the human homeworld that was considered lucky, surrounded by a star, and there are trails to the side of it, or to make it look like it’s falling.” Rohan stopped for a minute, got the joke, and nearly busted a gut laughing. When he finally calmed down, he looked at me. “How the hell did Humans and Zeyzell convince you to get that painted on your armor!?” he asked through laughs. “Well, I was at a drink stop, a bar as most of you normals call it, forget which one, when out of the blue, a bunch of humans popped up, and they recognized me as a pilot. I don’t know how, but they did.” I answered, “Ask me all sorts of questions like how I survived. How was I doing? Generally, they were good questions and warmed my heart that they were worried about me. It was nice, anywho, they were going on about this plant on the human home world called the four-leaf clover, and this represents luck or something. They asked if they could paint my armor with it. I had just gotten my shiny new power armor, so I was like, sure, go ahead and paint it. Then, they whipped out a bunch of little pups, or kids and kits, as the humans call them. As in little humans who are ADORIBLE, and they started painting my armor as I started talking to the adults. Two hours later, bam, you got this masterpiece painted all over my armor. I swear they took the little ones out of their pockets if I didn’t know better. After all that, I wanted it back to camp, and the paint had dried. I tried getting off, even though it was a nice gesture. I was kind of sad about it, but I don’t know what the void they used is. This stuff is not coming off. I scrubbed for a good hour, and it didn’t come off. So when I had to fall in with everyone at Camp and with everyone with their new hand-me-down E-10 power armor. I stood out like a sore thumb.” “And you had petty officer Gotrom, didn’t you?” Rohana teasingly said. I shook my head in pain, causing him to laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.” “Yep, I had him, the man of the petty ones. The moment he laid eyes on me. His eyes did the whole bleeding thing. I hate it when he does that and starts screaming at me. I mean, this dude is slightly above me in rank, but he takes his job too seriously. So, after five minutes of chewing me out, I thought he would pass out with the amount of hot air he was spewing. He asked me what my excuse was.” “What do you say to him?” Rohan asks. I laughed. “It was like the great protector had whispered exactly what I should say into my ear. “Interacting with the new locals, sir. Just letting them know that we are their friends, not their wardens.” And you won’t freaking believe this, he took it.” “He what?! he took it as a valid answer?!” Rohan asked. “I myself was still surprised that he took that as a valid answer, but yes, he did. Then he immediately brought me to the front of all three hundred troops and started to yell at them, tearing them a new one by telling them how I was the only one here who had made any attempt to meet with the alien. Even though we all know that’s not true, they found me. He patted me on the back, congratulated me, and sent me off to get some extra food.” “By the old void, that guy gets stranger and stranger every time.” I shrugged. “I honestly have no clue, and I think he was telling everyone to step up the game in greeting the aliens, but other than that, I have no idea. The Humans are super nice, and I often find them chatting with someone or petting someone. Void, I’ve even seen an entire group of humans swarm a giant and start petting it. It was cute to watch. The Zeyzell seem far more reserved than the humans, but you can have interesting conversations with them.” We continued to patrol the streets in silence for a while after that, making a bit of small talk to break it, but nothing much, just observing people going about their business. That’s when we saw an out-of-breath Tiwond with a human gently helping him drink a bottle of water. A Zeyzell clung to the human's back, laughing his lungs out. “Everything all right over here?” I asked. “Yeah,” the person said as he got up, swishing his tail as he did, “tried to beat my buddy here in a race after hearing about humans' high stamina. I lost by a large margin while he carried his fluffy ass on his back. The man said as he pointed to the Human and the Zeyzell. The Zeyzell just laughed while still clinging to the human's back. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” The Zeyzell said as the three laughed. “All right, you three, stay safe. Bye now.” The group of three said their goodbyes, and I looked at the human. He just seemed so happy. It was such a pure and authentic expression that it warmed my hearts. “It’s so nice that we met the humans; everyone just seems happier.” Rohan nodded. “Yeah, it’s like the mood has shifted, from the low to the high, it's nice. With the war, the terror that came after it, and the animals evolving and changing. Things were looking bleak. That’s not even mentioning all the giant refugees we've been getting, and well…him and them.” I looked at Rohan. “Who and what?” Rohan looked at me, confused. “You know? Viggo Scythelock?” I nodded. The mention of his name made me slightly mad. “Oh, him…you think they will catch the guy?” I asked. “Honestly, I hope so. He has caused so much pain to so many. The man is a psychopath, a monster. He used the war as an opportunity to harm so many.” Rohan looked down. “But honestly, it’s been over three years. I’m not sure if they will ever find him.” “Yeah…I hope they find him and take him out. Also, who are "Them" you are talking about?” Rohan looked at me, surprised. “You haven't heard?” he asked. He switched to helmet-to-helmet communications instead of talking out loud. This must be bad.” “I’m almost afraid to ask…but no, I have not heard about them,” I responded also with helmet-to-helmet communication. “Who are you talking about?” “The Cult of the Old God? You haven't heard what they have been up to?” “You mean them assassinating high-ranking individuals, stealing supplies, their entire operation multiplying tenfold ever since the alien's arrival?” I could tell he was surprised, and I could also understand that he was blinking and surprised underneath the helmet. That's how well we know each other. “How did you know?” “It's common knowledge, and the higher-ups sent this documentation earlier this morning. Did you not read it? They're very transparent, and you know that I don't get all your conspiracies at everything, which is a conspiracy.” “Oh, come on! The Aliens! Their rival was too perfect; just when we were getting worried that we were the only living creatures in the universe, pop! They show up. That can't be a coincidence!” I rolled my eyes underneath my helmet. “You need help.” “Not with my mental state, but definitely with my taxes.” I shake my head We continued on our way. When we crossed one of the streets and took a left toward one of the shopping districts, we saw two dudes sitting in the snow, huddled around something. We approached to make sure everything was alright. “Everything alright?” I asked. The guys looked up at me and made the shhh motion with their fingers. Then they parted their bodies a little, and I saw a female human sleeping between them. “We don’t want to wake her up,” the first said. I nodded my head and continued on. Both of us then turned a corner into a more populated part of the district. We saw a human and what looked like a construction worker chatting there. “Thank you so much for taking us in. I think I can speak for my entire species when I say you have made us so happy.” The construction worker raised an eyebrow and took another bite of the sandwich she was eating. “Anyone would’ve done it; it's just the right thing to do if they had a soul, at least.” The human started to laugh a bit, and then it quickly stopped as a human just shook her head. “Guess the federation has no soul then, huh?” The construction worker took another bite out of her sandwich. “Doesn’t sound like it.” The human leaned into the construction worker. “Eay, don’t worry. If those Federation things ever come here, they’ll get a big face full of Big Jim.” She then pulled out a massive [monkey wrench.] I smiled at that, knowing that so many were willing to protect the humans. I believe that made them feel more at home. We wandered past them on our patrol and continued deeper into the district. “Hey, you know what I’ve noticed?” Rohan said. “Hm?” I asked in return. “I haven’t seen all that many little humans, you know, their pups, kids, children, whatever they call them.” I was about to argue that I had seen quite a few children, but when I really thought about it. The only significant group of human children I had seen was when a bunch of them confronted me and painted the four-leaf clover and star onto my chest plate. Other than that, I’ve only seen a few. “Now that you mention it, you’re right. I’ve hardly seen any. Why do you think that is?” Rohan thought for a minute. Then, he snapped his secondary jaw in realization or remembered something. “I remember a bit of talk about a lot of young ones being on a second ARK ship. I don’t know much about it. All I know is that most of their young population, as in newborns to tweens, was supposedly on an ARK ship called ARK Twelve. Other than that, I don’t know much.” “Where did you hear that from?” I asked. “One of my buddies works in intelligence gathering. We like humans, but the intelligence bureau doesn’t fully trust them like Lord Lieutenant Commander Canilia Feral doesn't. I can’t blame them. Again, Humans are still a big unknown, even though they are one of the cutest things I have ever seen.” “Agreed.” “He was pretty drunk when I asked him, but it was his reaction when he said out loud that really disturbed me. Normally he’s a pretty big drinker because you see some bad shit in intelligence gathering. I mean, there are some terrible people out there. But the second he mentioned ARK twelve, he got really really sad. And he didn’t even finish his drink, which was a first. He mumbled something about going home to spend time with the human he was taking care of. I don’t know what it was about the response, but I got a sense of pure dread from it.” I nodded my head, and we continued. I felt like asking the next human I saw about ARK twelve, but I sensed it would be a bad idea. We saw a commotion in front of what looked like a jewelry store. Wandering over, there was a female tiwond Who seemed distressed. As we approached, she continuously asked strangers if they had seen someone. A lot of other people are starting to be concerned, too, for some reason. We approach to attempt to calm the situation. “Enforcers, what’s going on here?” Rohan asked. The woman turned around rather quickly. She was short and had that typical camo pattern fur that the people of the woodland area have, so she was most likely not a local. Then again, you can never be too confident in the city. “I lost them! I can't find them! I don’t know where they are!” She almost yelled in what looked like fear and worry. “Whoa, calm down, ma’am. What’s the problem?” I gently told her to try to get him to calm down. “Take four large breaths and clear all four of your lungs. Trust me, it helps.” She took some deep breaths, seemingly calmed down just a little, and then spoke again. “I am in charge of two humans under my care for the exchange program. I had brought her and her kid here to the shopping district to see if they wanted anything before moving back to the Woodland cities. However, they vanished. I don’t know where they went. I am terrified of all the unknowns around here that might hurt them.” “Thank you. Do you know where you last saw them?” I asked. I made a hand motion to Rohan to signal in an incident report and some backup. Rohan stepped away from the conversation and radioed a command using his helmet. “This is Rohan. I'm reporting a case of a missing person. Yeah, two humans went missing. I’m currently with Brolien, and we’re patrolling the shopping district… Green Wyvern. Can you send a few more patrols down here to help? We can’t have two aliens going missing in the city. That's bad, AR. Also, and yes, I want to see them safe. I am not an AR asshole.” "This is HQ, sending down an additional squad. Keep us updated." "Yes sir." Rhoan responded “Do you know which store you were in when you saw them last?” I asked. “The jewelry store, the one just over there. About [10 minutes] ago. Their names are Jasper and Melinda.” She pointed to one of the higher-end jewelry stores, and I motioned to Rohan to follow me. I noticed a few Street cops coming over to see what the situation was about. “What’s going on here?” one of the cops asked. I recognize this one, a retired Detective, I think. “Missing persons, two humans last seen over there. We’re going to investigate now,” I quickly informed him. “Keep an eye on her, will you?” He nodded and walked over to the lady, with two others in tow. Rohan and I walked over to the building to inspect the area around it. “If a human is missing here… I’m worried about who might’ve taken them. I know it’s pretty rare for kidnappings, but still.” Rohan said as he opened a dumpster and took a peek inside. “I mean, the humans are so frail. A good-sized hail storm will kill them.” Rohan said. “Yeah, apparently it can. I’ve heard rumors that back on their home planet, it’s possible to die from things like that.” I responded. “Unbelievable,” Rohan replied in disbelief, shaking his head. We started to search the area, calling out their names. We wandered past an ally—“Oh, protector, what is this?” I looked over to see Rohan had stepped in Something. I walked over and looked at it. “Is that blood?” I asked him. “No way too light to be blood. Look at how red it is. It’s not even a black color like ours. I bet you another copper wire melted. I can tell by the scent.” he replied as he shook the stuff off his boot. I took a closer look, put my hand in it, and brought it up to my face. It looked like blood. It flowed like blood. I used the scanning equipment in my helmet and… …Oh shit. “Rohan, this is human blood,” I said. I got up and turned the safety off my gun. Rohan follows suit, and we both enter the alleyway, guns drawn. There was a little more blood on the walls and a bit on the ground. “This is enforcer Rohan calling enforcer HQ, and we have possible contact with an unknown that has seemingly taken two humans, one child, and one mother. Send backup, sending location.” Rohan called in as we quietly walked along the side of the alleyway. We are doing our best to make no noise. I’m so happy that we are wearing the newer power armor. They are so silent. “Roger that Rohan, this is enforcer HQ. Reinforcements are inbound in two minutes.” The coms operator said [Chanting] “Do you hear that? Sounds like chanting?” Rohan whispered. I strained my ears to listen and turned up the sensitivity on my power armor audio receptors. Chanting, I wonder… “Do you think it could be…?” I trailed off, and he immediately knew what I was talking about. “Cult of the old God? This far north? Hm… shoot to kill.” Rohan sternly replied. “This is Enforcer Rohan, possible contact with the Cult of the old god. I am requesting time for the arrival of reinforcements.” “Reinforcements inbound in one minute.” We both quickened the pace and turned the corner-“FUCK!” I yelled out loud. There were Six cultists in total. Two cultus whipped around to face me. One drew a pistol, and another a plasma pistol. “CONTACT CONTACT! LIGHT THEM UP!” Rohan yelled, and we both started blasting into them. We popped bullet bullets into each of their heads and two hearts, taking them down instantly. “Cultus! Here! This far north! What the fuck?!” Rohan yelled. The three others drew their guns and aimed and opened fire at us as we took cover behind some old barrels. We were bullet and plasma-proof in our power armor, but I would rather not risk it. Rohan tossed a flash bang, and It blew up a second later. I heard screams a second later, and we got up and opened fire, our visors blocking out the flash. We both nailed the same bastard as his buddies dove behind cover. They would fire at us every few seconds, keeping our heads down. I looked at Rohan and made the hand single to get the shield. He reached behind himself and took out the heavy-duty shield. I had the battering ram, so I was not that useful. He got up first as I threw another flash, confusing and disorienting the cultists as it went off. We both advanced as Rohan swapped out his heavy rifle for an SMG; I took out the full-auto shotgun as we got closer. Rohan shield-bashed the first one and then blasted him with the SMG. I took out the second one with my shotgun. A bullet deflected off of the shield, and a small spread of bullets that Rohan could deflect with his shield came at us. Then they stopped, and we rushed to cover, Rohan still holding the shield. I peeked out from behind the cover. “Were did..” I started when I heard a yell from behind us. Whipping around, the cultist had appeared and was now wrestling with me for my shotgun. In a split second, I shoved the shotgun into him as he pulled, disorienting him and knocking the wind out of him. I then grabbed the battering ram, which had already been turned on and was at full power, and bashed it into his chest. He immediately exploded from the pressure, and I was coated in his blood. Looking around, all the cultists were down just as reinforcements flooded the area. Looking at the cultus robes, I noticed the same color of blood on them that I had looked at earlier. “Shit, I think these guys got the humans!” I told Rohan. The human female was lying on what looked like a makeshift altar made of scrap metal, an old luxurious chair, and wood. Her entire chest and lower body had been torn open. Most of her major organs were removed, and her heart was speared with multiple little needles and placed on top of the altar. “This is bad. This is bad. If there is this far north, they have gotten bold.” Rohan spoke as he walked over to the human female and inspected her. “She died only a minute ago. It looks like she was in pain the entire time, too. Damn. FUCKING FANTIC SHITS!” “Radio this in,” I ordered Rohan, and he immediately did that. I walked over to the human adult female's corpse and looked at it as a medic was handling her. Why didn’t she scream? Oh, that’s why. They sewed her mouth shut. Damn. I look at the cultists again and look at their golden medallions decorated with a skull. “Wait, Rohan. Weren’t there two?” We looked at each other and immediately split up in different directions to find the kid. It didn't take long for me to see him. “Aw…kid.” I gently bent down to inspect the little body. His lower jaw was gone entirely. His left arm seems to have been sawed off and taken. His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t moving. I looked up and noticed footprints taking off into the distance. A seventh cultist, it looks like we missed one. I cradled his head in my hand and took a pulse. Nothing… “Shit.” “Oh, void.” ‘Oh, my young one…I am sorry.” the other enforcers said as we gathered around the child's corpse. One of the enforcers punched a wall out of anger as another just sat on an old couch, shaking her head. “Looks like there was a seventh we missed. If I get my hands on that-.” Another one started. *GACK!* “OH SHIT! ROHAN HE'S STILL ALIVE!” I screamed. Rohan immediately ran over and looked. As did the medic. “By the protector he is!” The medic yelled as she began to administer human-friendly meds. “There is an ambulance outside. MOVE!” She yelled. I picked up the kid and held him in my arms, carrying him as the medic did her work. “You’ll be OK, you’ll be OK,” I told him to comfort him, although I felt it was more for my own sake. “JASPER!” I looked behind me to see the female running to me and followed beside me. "MISS IS MUST INSIST YOU MOVE-" The medic begins to yell. "I'M HIS CARE TAKER!" she yelled back. "Shhhh, I’m here now.” Jasper reached up with a blood-soaked hand and began to grab at her fur like he was trying to hold onto life. She held him to her and then took something out of her bag. “I can use this to get the blood out of his lungs!” “Do it!” the medic told her. She stuck the tube into the kid's chest, and blood came out, and he immediately began to breathe easier. He then latched himself to her chest and passed out. “Don’t worry. I promised your mom I would take care of you if anything happened to her. I will take care of you.” She quietly told the sleeping child as she rocked back and forth, crying, holding the child as the ambulance came around the corner with more enforcers. They loaded both of them into the ambulance and took them away. I walked out and sat down on a bench in front of the alleyway. I just needed time to think. I sat there as the world around me continued. Just lost in thought. What if we got there sooner..? I was broken out of the trance by Rohan. “You alright?” I looked down. “No, we were supposed to protect them…” “Yeah,” Rohan said. We just sat there. It was helping a little to have my buddy there. But…still A human was…dead. “And yet…we saved a human child.” He told me. I nodded, looking up at the Alien space station that was now in orbit around our planet. “Yeah…we did.” We remained silent before he put an arm around me and hugged me. "I hope he survives." "Me too, me too." First/Previous/Next |
2024.06.09 14:46 OilPsychological1080 What to do about my wife '43F' of 7 years who has changed so much im a '32M'?
I have been with my wife for 8 years now we recently had our 7 year wedding anniversary. In the beginning of our marriage and relationship things were amazing. My wife has been married twice before me and has kids with both previous husbands. I have also been married twice before her me mostly being young and dumb and trying to rush life, I have never had children with either of my previous wives. After we were married we decided to have children which I expressed to her I never intended on having children with someone I didn't plan to be with forever. I did not want my children apart of a broken home. Fast forward 6 years, I confronted my wife on the suspicion that she had possibly slept with one of my best friends before her and I ever knew each other this was a friend that we regularly were around and hung with. She assured me several times that she had never slept with him or done anything to him. Well not long after that I over hear my wife drunkingly talking to one of her friends telling her friend that she did sleep with him but didn't want me to find out. I know no one here knows me so I'll start off by saying we all have a past and that's fine I just ask not to be lied to and give and recieve complete honesty. I don't think anyone wants to be hanging out on a regular basis with there spouse hanging around someone they have slept with . I didn't call her out in it immediately but it ate away at me for weeks why would you lie about that I asked myself? Looking me straight in my eyes and lied over and over. A month or so goes by and my wife is drunk and I bring it up to her, once again she denies it but I told her i overheard her telling her friend so I know she's lying. Now I'm not the type of male who is very jealous and I definitely don't play the going through your phone game because I'm committed and I give my wife my trust. Well I when I confronted her on this issue I called her out on some other shady behavior, she was going through one of her photo apps and there was a video of her ex boyfriend masturbating. Clearly by this point I am infuriated. She swears she didn't know it was on there and she thought it was deleted. We are in a public parking lot inside the car when all this goes down she freaks out and jumps out of the car, I beg and plead for her to get back in the car as this is my children's mother and I would never do anything to publicly embarrass her. Well she ends up drawing a lot of attention to herself and gets arrested since she is drunk and not calming down and refuses to get back in the car with me so I can take her home. Fast forward about 3 months. My wife and I had been out to eat and on our way home got into a arguement. Once we arrived home she asked me "doing you like living here"? Which I thought was odd but I replied yes why wouldn't I? We finally have a nice house sitting on a farm with beautiful views it's everything Iv always wanted, she replied with "ok". She said she was going to go for a walk to clear her head and I said ok I was going to use the bathroom. I got out of the bathroom and I couldn't quit thinking why would she ask such a question she knows I love living here. I went to her car because there's a pistol in to glove box and I'm trying to cross the worst scenarios out of my head. The glove box was locked as it usually is and she took her car key with her. I ran inside and got the spare and went back to the car and unlocked the glove box and the pistol is missing. I immediately track her location and see she is in a near field. I jump in my truck and go to where she is at I find her sitting by A brush pile listening sad music with the gun in her lap. I am able to get the gun from her then she takes off running through the field towards our house. At this point it is like my wife has had a complete mental break down and idk what to do I start calling her mom and dad they don't answer I call her daughter who is in the military and In a different state freaking out telling her everything that's happening. My wife makes it home gets in her car and leaves and doesn't come back for hours I can't track her because she left her phone in the field where I found her. By this point I have gotten ahold of her mom and dad no one knows what to do. So we all come together once my wife arrives back home and tell her what ever is going on we want her to get help with it's therapy or medicine we don't care we are here for here and support whatever we have to do. Time goes by and things are starting to get normal again after my wife refuses to take medicine or do anything for help. We did start marriage counseling we had scheduled 4 meetings to start with the first meeting we did as a couple the second meeting I did by myself and the third meeting was supposed to be my wife alone and on the 4th meeting it would be us as a couple again. Well when it came time for my wife to do her meeting she kept rescheduling over and over and I finally called her out on why she wasn't taking this serious. She said she was but she just had this or that going on etc all I heard was excuses. Now since you don't know my wife she is a very successful female that makes great money and is in amazing shape and literally had the perfect body even after kids, you would never even known she's had a kid and built very desirable. I am 6' 2" and I go to the gym 5-6 times a week I have never cheated in any way form or fashion on my wife or done anything morally or ethically wrong towards our marriage I have always loved my wife and thought she was perfect. After these events started happening I started to question a lot of things and I found out my wife is as truthful as I thought she was. I don't believe my wife has ever cheated on me but she does seem to tell a lot of small lies or just flat out lies in general. My wife has in the last few years became psychotically jealous I'm not even allowed to eat with female coworkers and if I do I have to notify her and tell her where they are sitting in relation to where I'm sitting and what if anything they say to me. I have to tell her every time a female calls or text me etc. I do not have any social media but my wife has almost all of them and I don't care but I would like to point out she has male friends on her social media both married and single but I'm not allowed to be friendly or joke or anything even with the people I work with and my wife knows all of them but at the same time my wife also works in a coed environment and I don't limit her on anything she does nor do I ask or care because I love her and trust her. She has recently gotten mad that she shares her location with me but I don't share mine with her, I never asked her to share hers with me she just randomly did one day but since I don't do anything wrong and have nothing to hide I started sharing mine as well. Well that became a problem while we're both at work I would be question about why have I been at a particular location for 10 min or why have I been here or there etc and that got really old really quick. A few months go by and my wife starts a physical altercation with me I have never in my life hit a woman nor did I that night but I did keep pushing her off of me as I tried gathering my stuff for work so I could leave and go somewhere else. Long story short the police showed up I didn't have a shirt on and was covered in scratch and bite marks. Luckily I was able to leave and no one would go to jail, both our careers would've been ruined if either of us would've went to jail. After leaving that night I go to a hotel from that night forward I don't come home for 2 weeks I stay at hotels or family's house still in shock of how all this has came about. How close we were to losing everything we have including our careers over her behavior. I tell my wife I want time away from her to think things through. She tells me after two weeks of not sleeping under the same roof as her I need to come home because our children are asking a lot of questions I was skeptical but I returned and only for my kids I love my kids more than anything and during this 2 week period of being gone from them I would show up as my wife left for work and take them to school and pick them up and still see them and do stuff with them. I started staying back at home for my kids my wife and I still haven't slept in the same bed I am devistated on what to do about my marriage I can't handle a controlling and psychotically jealous wife anymore. This is not all that's going on in my marriage just some of the big things. I feel like I do most of the house work and I do all of the outside work. I clean, do dishes, do laundry etc I hate not having a clean and organized house. Lately things have been getting out of control with spending financially. All of this combined is driving me crazy. I told my wife 3 times I wanted a divorce but she begs me and tells me how everything can and will be better. She did start medicine for whatever is going on with her mentally but honestly not much has changed not like she promised. She still leaves the house and goes drinking with her friends and doesn't come home until late into the night etc. I don't know what to do I am beyond devastated to think about what a divorce would do to my kids 5 & 6. I can't stand the thought of them possibly having another father figure in their future. I have days where I feel strong enough to divorce and I know everything will be ok and be fine and then I have days where I question if I would be able to make it through something like that or not. I feel really confused on what to do my wife's behavior hasn't changed much and the only reason there's been any change at all is because I told her I wanted a divorce and I feel like she's trying to look really good right now and show me this "change". I worry what if I'm never happy again what if I never have this life of fun and happiness like I had before all these issues started happen for the last year and a half. I'm really stuck on what to do
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2024.06.09 14:26 Sweet-Count2557 Babymoon Ideas Near Pittsburgh
 | Babymoon Ideas Near Pittsburgh Looking for a little pre-baby getaway near Pittsburgh? Well, buckle up, because we've got some babymoon ideas that will knock your socks off! Whether you're in the mood for a relaxing spa retreat or an adventure in the great outdoors, we've got you covered. submitted by Sweet-Count2557 to worldkidstravel [link] [comments] From cozy bed and breakfasts to indulgent dining experiences, there's something here for every expecting couple. So sit back, relax, and get ready for some well-deserved pampering before your little bundle of joy arrives. Let's dive into our list of babymoon destinations near Pittsburgh! Key Takeaways Ocean City, Maryland and Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania are both excellent babymoon destinations near Pittsburgh, offering peaceful beach escapes and outdoor adventures. Pittsburgh is home to luxurious spa retreats specifically designed for babymooners, providing relaxation and rejuvenation through spa treatments, prenatal yoga classes, and indulgent dining experiences. Cozy bed and breakfasts and wellness retreat options near Pittsburgh provide tranquil accommodations for babymooners, offering prenatal yoga classes, guided meditation workshops, and nutritious meals. Babymooners can enjoy outdoor adventures at Ohiopyle State Park, including hiking, biking, fishing, guided snorkeling tours, and sunset cruises, while also benefiting from the safety measures in place for worry-free experiences.Romantic Getaways for Expectant Couples Looking for romantic getaways near Pittsburgh for expectant couples? Look no further! We've got the perfect destinations that offer both relaxation and outdoor adventure activities. Whether you want to unwind on a relaxing beach getaway or explore the great outdoors, these locations have it all. For a peaceful beach escape, head to Ocean City, Maryland. Just a short drive from Pittsburgh, this charming coastal town offers miles of sandy shores where you can soak up the sun and enjoy some quality time together. Take leisurely walks along the beach, savor delicious seafood at waterfront restaurants, and let the gentle ocean waves calm your mind. If you're in the mood for some outdoor adventure, consider visiting Ohiopyle State Park. Located in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands region, this park is a haven for nature enthusiasts. Go hiking along picturesque trails, try whitewater rafting on the Youghiogheny River, or rent bikes to explore the beautiful surroundings. After experiencing these thrilling activities as expectant parents-to-be, it's time to indulge in some well-deserved relaxation at one of Pittsburgh's luxurious spa retreats. These serene havens offer pampering treatments specifically designed for babymooners like you. Soothe your tired muscles with prenatal massages, enjoy rejuvenating facials and body treatments, and relax in tranquil settings that will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for parenthood. With options for both relaxation and adventure nearby Pittsburgh, there's no shortage of romantic getaways perfect for expectant couples like yourselves. Relaxing Spa Retreats for Babymooners Looking for the ultimate relaxation experience during your babymoon? Look no further than our luxurious spa packages designed specifically for expectant couples like you. Indulge in a variety of treatments, from soothing prenatal massages that relieve muscle tension and reduce stress, to rejuvenating facials that leave your skin glowing. And don't forget to learn some babymoon relaxation techniques that you can practice at home, ensuring a calm and peaceful environment for both you and your baby. Luxury Spa Packages Indulge in luxurious spa packages near Pittsburgh for a pampering babymoon getaway. We want to ensure your safety while providing the utmost relaxation and rejuvenation during this special time. Here are three reasons why our luxury spa packages are perfect for expecting couples: Prenatal Yoga Classes: Our spa offers specialized prenatal yoga classes led by experienced instructors who focus on gentle stretching, breathing techniques, and relaxation exercises tailored specifically for expectant mothers. These classes promote overall well-being and help alleviate common pregnancy discomforts. Couples Spa Packages: Enjoy quality bonding time with your partner as you both indulge in our couples' spa packages. From soothing massages to invigorating facials, our expert therapists will tailor each treatment to cater to your individual needs, ensuring a blissful experience together. Safety Measures: Rest assured that we prioritize your safety and follow strict hygiene protocols. Our spa facilities undergo regular sanitization, and all staff members adhere to proper health guidelines, including wearing masks and practicing social distancing.Come unwind, connect with your partner, and embrace the serenity of our luxury spa packages near Pittsburgh during your babymoon retreat! Prenatal Massage Benefits During pregnancy, prenatal massages can provide numerous benefits for expectant mothers. Prenatal yoga benefits the mind and body, but a prenatal massage takes relaxation to a whole new level. Not only does it help alleviate the physical discomforts of pregnancy, such as backaches and swollen ankles, but it also reduces stress and promotes better sleep. The gentle kneading and stretching techniques used during a prenatal massage can improve blood circulation, which is crucial for both the mother and baby's health. It also releases endorphins that uplift mood and relieve anxiety. Additionally, prenatal massages have been shown to reduce complications during labor and promote faster recovery postpartum. So if you're looking for ways to enhance your babymoon experience, indulging in a soothing prenatal massage should definitely be on your list. Now that we've explored the benefits of prenatal massages, let's move on to another important aspect of your babymoon: relaxation techniques. Babymoon Relaxation Techniques One way to enhance your babymoon experience is by exploring various relaxation techniques. Taking the time to relax and de-stress during this special time can greatly benefit both you and your baby. Here are three relaxation techniques that you can try: Prenatal Yoga Classes: Joining a prenatal yoga class can help improve flexibility, strength, and balance while also providing a calming environment for expectant mothers. These classes focus on gentle stretches and breathing exercises specifically designed for pregnant women. Mindfulness Exercises: Practicing mindfulness can help you stay present in the moment and reduce anxiety or stress. Try incorporating simple mindfulness exercises into your daily routine, such as deep breathing exercises or guided meditation. Self-Care Activities: Engaging in self-care activities is essential during pregnancy. Take time to pamper yourself with activities such as taking warm baths, getting a massage, or enjoying a soothing prenatal spa treatment.Scenic Outdoor Destinations for Babymoon Adventures If you're looking for scenic outdoor destinations near Pittsburgh for your babymoon adventures, consider visiting the beautiful Ohiopyle State Park. Nestled in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania, this park offers a plethora of outdoor activities that are perfect for expecting couples. From hiking and biking to kayaking and fishing, there is something for everyone to enjoy. One popular activity at Ohiopyle State Park is babymoon photography. The park's natural beauty provides the ideal backdrop for capturing those precious moments before your little one arrives. Whether you prefer a serene waterfall or a lush forest trail, there are plenty of picturesque spots to choose from. When exploring Ohiopyle State Park, it's important to prioritize safety. Make sure to wear appropriate footwear and clothing, especially if you plan on hiking or biking. Stay hydrated and bring snacks to keep your energy levels up throughout the day. Check weather conditions beforehand and be prepared for any changes that may occur during your visit. Overall, Ohiopyle State Park is a fantastic destination for an adventurous babymoon getaway near Pittsburgh. With its stunning scenery and abundance of outdoor activities, you can create lasting memories while enjoying nature's beauty. So grab your camera and embark on an unforgettable babymoon adventure at Ohiopyle State Park! Cozy Bed and Breakfasts Perfect for Babymooners Looking for the perfect romantic getaway before your little one arrives? Look no further! In this discussion, we will explore some fantastic options for babymooners, including charming bed and breakfast getaways that offer a cozy and intimate atmosphere. These tranquil accommodations are specifically designed to cater to expecting couples, providing a peaceful and relaxing environment where you can enjoy quality time together before your bundle of joy arrives. Romantic Retreats for Babymooners For a romantic babymoon getaway near Pittsburgh, you can't go wrong with booking a cozy cabin in the nearby mountains. Imagine waking up to breathtaking views of nature and spending your days exploring scenic trails hand-in-hand. Here are three reasons why romantic retreats like this are perfect for babymooners: Privacy: A cabin tucked away in the mountains offers privacy, allowing you to relax and reconnect as a couple without any disturbances. Peaceful Surroundings: Being surrounded by nature's beauty creates a serene atmosphere that promotes tranquility and relaxation, ideal for expecting parents seeking some quiet time together. Romantic Amenities: Many mountain cabins come equipped with amenities like hot tubs or fireplaces, providing the perfect setting for cozy evenings spent cuddling and enjoying each other's company.With these romantic options available, it's no wonder couples often choose mountain cabins for their babymoon getaways. But if you prefer something different, let us introduce you to charming bed and breakfast getaways next! Charming B&B Getaways After indulging in romantic retreats, it's time to explore charming bed and breakfast getaways for your babymoon near Pittsburgh. These secluded countryside retreats offer a perfect blend of relaxation and pampering spa experiences. Picture yourself waking up to breathtaking views of rolling hills and enjoying a delicious homemade breakfast on the patio. To help you choose the best B&B for your babymoon, we have prepared a table comparing three top-notch options: B&B Name Location Amenities Tranquil Haven Oakwood Private hot tub, couples' massages, organic meals Serene Meadows Meadowville Yoga classes, outdoor pool, farm-to-table dining Peaceful Retreat Riverside Jacuzzi tubs, nature walks, gourmet breakfast Immerse yourselves in these idyllic settings as you prepare for the arrival of your little one. But don't forget to check out the next section on tranquil accommodations for expecting couples where we highlight even more options to consider for your babymoon near Pittsburgh. Tranquil Accommodations for Expecting Couples Immerse yourselves in the tranquil accommodations available for expecting couples and enjoy a peaceful getaway before your little one arrives. Our serene retreat offers everything you need to relax and unwind during this precious time. Prenatal Yoga Classes: Take part in gentle yoga sessions designed specifically for expectant mothers. These classes are led by experienced instructors who understand the unique needs of pregnant women, providing a safe and nurturing environment to practice yoga. Meditation Workshops: Engage in guided meditation sessions that promote relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional well-being. Learn techniques to quiet the mind and connect with your inner self, enhancing your overall sense of calmness and peace. Safety First: Rest assured knowing that our accommodations prioritize safety for expecting couples. From non-slip mats in the bathroom to easy access to emergency services, we have taken every measure to ensure a worry-free stay.Indulge in these soothing activities while enjoying the comfort and tranquility of our peaceful accommodations designed especially for expecting couples like you. Indulgent Dining Experiences for Babymoon Celebrations If you're looking for a memorable dining experience to celebrate your babymoon near Pittsburgh, check out these indulgent options. As expecting parents, it's important to treat yourselves and enjoy some quality time together before the arrival of your little one. Pittsburgh offers a range of restaurants that cater to all tastes and preferences. For a romantic evening, consider dining at Altius located on Mount Washington. With breathtaking views of the city skyline, this upscale restaurant offers an elegant ambiance and a menu filled with delectable dishes prepared using locally sourced ingredients. The knowledgeable staff will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable dining experience. If you prefer something more casual but equally indulgent, head over to Butcher and the Rye in downtown Pittsburgh. This trendy gastropub combines delicious food with an extensive selection of craft cocktails. From mouthwatering steaks to creative vegetarian dishes, their menu has something for everyone. Another fantastic option is Alla Famiglia in the Allentown neighborhood. This Italian eatery is known for its warm hospitality and authentic cuisine made from scratch. Indulge in homemade pasta or savor their famous breaded veal chop while enjoying the cozy atmosphere. Remember, as expectant parents, it's important to prioritize safety during your babymoon celebrations. Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider regarding any dietary restrictions or concerns you may have. Enjoy these indulgent dining experiences as you create lasting memories on your babymoon near Pittsburgh! Wellness Retreats for Rest and Rejuvenation When planning a wellness retreat for rest and rejuvenation, you'll find a variety of options available to help you relax and recharge. Here are three fantastic choices that will provide the ultimate experience in self-care and tranquility: Serene Spa Getaway: Indulge in luxurious spa treatments designed to melt away stress and tension. From soothing massages to revitalizing facials, this wellness retreat offers a range of services tailored to your specific needs. Immerse yourself in calming environments, surrounded by natural beauty, as expert therapists work their magic. Mindfulness Retreat: Escape the noise of everyday life and immerse yourself in mindfulness practices that promote inner peace and clarity. Engage in guided meditation sessions, gentle yoga classes, and nature walks that awaken your senses. Learn techniques for managing stress and cultivating mindfulness that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Wellness Resort Experience: Stay at a top-notch wellness resort where every detail is designed with your well-being in mind. Enjoy nutritious meals prepared with locally sourced ingredients, participate in fitness classes led by experienced instructors, and take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities such as pools, saunas, and hot tubs.No matter which option you choose, these wellness retreats offer a safe haven for rest and rejuvenation. Take this opportunity to prioritize self-care while surrounded by serene surroundings that inspire relaxation. You deserve it! Unique Experiences for Memorable Babymoon Moments Escape to a secluded beachfront resort and indulge in couples' spa treatments, romantic dinners, and relaxing walks along the shore for an unforgettable babymoon experience. At our tranquil oasis, you can unwind and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. Our resort offers spacious accommodations with breathtaking views of the beach, ensuring that you have all the privacy and comfort you need during your stay. For those seeking relaxing beach getaways, our resort provides a variety of activities to help you unwind. Take a leisurely stroll hand-in-hand along the sandy shores as the sun sets in vibrant hues of orange and pink. Feel your stress melt away as you lounge by our infinity pool or take a dip in the crystal-clear waters. If you're feeling more adventurous, we offer exciting babymoon activities for those looking to add a little thrill to their getaway. Explore nearby coral reefs on a guided snorkeling tour or embark on a sunset cruise along the coastline. For nature enthusiasts, there are hiking trails that lead to stunning viewpoints where you can take in panoramic vistas of lush landscapes. As your day comes to an end at our blissful retreat, let us pamper you with soothing spa treatments designed specifically for expectant parents. Our experienced therapists will ensure both you and your partner feel rejuvenated as they gently massage away any tension. So whether you're seeking relaxation or adventure for your babymoon, our beachfront resort has it all. Embrace this special time with your loved one as we create lasting memories together. Now let's explore serene nature retreats for peaceful babymoon escapes... Serene Nature Retreats for Peaceful Babymoon Escapes Immerse yourself in the tranquility of serene nature retreats, where you can connect with your partner and enjoy a peaceful babymoon escape. These beautiful locations offer the perfect backdrop for relaxation and rejuvenation as you prepare for the arrival of your little one. Prenatal Yoga Classes: Take advantage of the calming benefits of prenatal yoga classes offered at these nature retreats. Stretch and strengthen your body while also connecting with other expectant parents. The gentle movements and breathing exercises will help alleviate any pregnancy discomfort and promote a sense of inner peace. Babymoon Photography Sessions: Capture the precious moments of your babymoon with professional photography sessions amidst the stunning natural landscapes. These photographers specialize in capturing intimate moments between you and your partner, creating lasting memories to cherish forever. Safety is our Priority: Rest assured that safety is a top priority at these serene nature retreats. From well-maintained trails for leisurely walks to comfortable accommodations that prioritize cleanliness, every aspect is designed to ensure a worry-free babymoon experience.Escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and embrace the serenity of nature during this special time in your life. Let these serene nature retreats provide you with much-needed relaxation, connection, and tranquility before welcoming your bundle of joy into the world. Frequently Asked Questions What Are Some Popular Activities for Couples to Enjoy During a Babymoon in Pittsburgh? When planning a babymoon in Pittsburgh, there are plenty of popular activities for couples to enjoy. One option is to take pregnancy yoga classes together, which can help promote relaxation and flexibility during this special time. Another idea is to indulge in spa treatments that are safe and tailored for expectant mothers. These activities not only allow you to bond as a couple but also provide a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for both you and your baby. Are There Any Babymoon Packages Available at the Spa Retreats Mentioned in the Article? Yes, there are babymoon packages available at the spa retreats mentioned in the article. These packages offer a relaxing and rejuvenating experience for expecting couples in Pittsburgh. The spas provide a range of services such as prenatal massages, facials, and wellness treatments specifically designed to cater to the needs of pregnant women. It's a wonderful way to unwind and bond with your partner before your little one arrives. Can You Recommend Any Hiking Trails or Outdoor Activities Suitable for Expectant Couples During Their Babymoon? Can we suggest some hiking trails or outdoor activities that are suitable for expectant couples during their babymoon? Pregnancy-friendly fitness classes and relaxing prenatal massages are great options for staying active and relieving stress. When it comes to outdoor activities, consider gentle hikes with well-marked paths and beautiful scenery like Frick Park or North Park. Remember to always listen to your body, stay hydrated, and take breaks when needed to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. What Amenities Do the Bed and Breakfasts Mentioned in the Article Provide for Babymooners? When it comes to babymoon ideas near Pittsburgh, it's important to consider the amenities that bed and breakfasts provide for expectant couples. These accommodations understand the unique needs of babymooners and strive to create a safe and comfortable environment. From cozy rooms with plush bedding to private balconies or patios where you can relax, these bed and breakfasts offer a range of amenities for your babymoon getaway. Some even provide special packages that include massages, prenatal yoga classes, or romantic dinners. Are There Any Specific Restaurants or Dining Experiences That Cater to Expectant Couples Celebrating Their Babymoon? Restaurants specializing in pregnancy-friendly cuisine and unique dining experiences for expectant couples can be found near Pittsburgh. These establishments cater to the needs of pregnant women, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. From farm-to-table restaurants offering organic options to cozy cafes serving nourishing meals, there are plenty of choices for babymooners seeking delicious and healthy food. Whether you're craving comfort food or exploring new culinary adventures, Pittsburgh has something to satisfy every expectant couple's cravings. Conclusion In conclusion, Pittsburgh offers an array of options for expectant couples seeking a memorable babymoon experience. Whether you're looking for relaxation, adventure, or indulgence, this city has it all. From spa retreats to outdoor destinations and cozy bed and breakfasts, there is something for everyone. Treat yourselves to an indulgent dining experience or immerse in a wellness retreat for ultimate rejuvenation. With serene nature retreats and unique experiences awaiting you, Pittsburgh is the perfect destination for a peaceful babymoon escape. So pack your bags and create lasting memories in this vibrant city! |
2024.06.09 13:39 BernieWrightFire FIRE Being UK Nomad - Anyone Else Planning This?
We're early 50s couple looking to FIRE in next 2-3 years and hopefully still have 1-2 decades to actively pursue our passion for travel. Some background - PROPERTY we have houses in UK and Spain both fully paid. PENSIONS mix of DB and DC schemes so covered from 55 years with DB schemes kicking in 100% at 60 and 65 + full state pensions from 67.
The plan is to live in Spain for less than 183 days so not becoming tax residents there (and we have dual UK/EU passports so we're not restricted to 90 days). Then spend 3-4 months slow travelling each year e.g. SE Asia, South America, NZ/Aus etc. That leaves maybe 2 months in UK (July and August + Christmas). We'd rent out our UK property to support this new lifestyle but means we'd stay with family and friends back here (or short term AirBnB).
For example ('follow the sun' plan)
Jan/Feb/Mar - SE Asia / Thailand / India (Spain too cool), ApMay/Jun - Spain, Jul/Aug - UK (Spain too hot), Sep/Oct/Nov - Spain, Dec (UK - Christmas / planning next year)
Over to you please. Does anyone else do/plan FIRE this way? Would we have to reside in UK for any minimum time to remain (tax) residents here? Is 2-3 months over a few years ok to be in UK (or even less)? Do we need a permanent address in UK whilst travelling? The idea is to slow / low cost travel for 5-10 years whilst in reasonable active health for hiking etc (but mainly be based in Spain for weather / lifestyle) and then settle down (a bit!) in mid 60s either in UK or (more likely) Spain (for lower cost of living / weather / health etc).
submitted by BernieWrightFire to FIREUK [link] [comments]
The plan is to live in Spain for less than 183 days so not becoming tax residents there (and we have dual UK/EU passports so we're not restricted to 90 days). Then spend 3-4 months slow travelling each year e.g. SE Asia, South America, NZ/Aus etc. That leaves maybe 2 months in UK (July and August + Christmas). We'd rent out our UK property to support this new lifestyle but means we'd stay with family and friends back here (or short term AirBnB).
For example ('follow the sun' plan)
Jan/Feb/Mar - SE Asia / Thailand / India (Spain too cool), ApMay/Jun - Spain, Jul/Aug - UK (Spain too hot), Sep/Oct/Nov - Spain, Dec (UK - Christmas / planning next year)
Over to you please. Does anyone else do/plan FIRE this way? Would we have to reside in UK for any minimum time to remain (tax) residents here? Is 2-3 months over a few years ok to be in UK (or even less)? Do we need a permanent address in UK whilst travelling? The idea is to slow / low cost travel for 5-10 years whilst in reasonable active health for hiking etc (but mainly be based in Spain for weather / lifestyle) and then settle down (a bit!) in mid 60s either in UK or (more likely) Spain (for lower cost of living / weather / health etc).