Hi Liverpool, I could really use your help.
My friend and I got tickets to Taylor Swift in June and we live in Sheffield. Is there any way we can make it back to Sheffield after the concert?
Assuming the concert ends at 11:30pm
What’s the best way to get back to sheffield the same night?
Ps non of us drive

Since its launch, Instagram has become a major force in social media, connecting over 2 billion monthly users globally.
Our Instagram Statistics 2024 report offers comprehensive insights, essential for marketers and content creators aiming to harness Instagram’s social power effectively.
Here is a quick summary of the full post:

Instagram Usage Statistics

• As of January 2024, India leads with 362 million Instagram users, highlighting significant market penetration and strategic importance for marketing and content strategies targeting Indian audiences.
• Over 45 million Generation Z members in the U.S. are active Instagram users, underscoring the platform’s popularity among younger generations.
• Instagram’s monthly active user base exceeds 2 billion people, making it the fourth largest social media platform globally.
• Instagram reaches 39% of mobile users in the United States as of November 2023, emphasizing its importance in mobile marketing strategies.

Instagram User Demographics

• Female users aged 18-24 represent 16.4% of Instagram’s user base, and male users within the same age group constitute 14.3%.
• For the age group 25-34, females have a share of 16.3%, while males have 15.4%.
• Among users aged 35-44, 8.2% are female and 7.8% are male.
• In the 45-54 age bracket, females account for 4.8% of users, compared to males at 3.9%.
• The 55-64 age group shows females at 2.7% and males at 1.8%.
• For those aged 65 and above, the distribution is 1.6% for females and 1.2% for males.

Instagram Content Engagement and Performance

• Instagram image posts expanded their average reach to 2,002 users in 2023, up from 1,850 in 2022, reflecting their ongoing relevance.
• Carousel posts on Instagram saw their reach increase to 2,641 users in 2023, up from 2,325 in 2022, indicating rising effectiveness and popularity.
• The average engagement rate across all Instagram post types is 1.89%.
• Photo posts achieve the highest engagement rate on Instagram at 3.38%.
• Carousel posts have an engagement rate of 1.10%, while video posts have a notably lower rate at 0.78%.
• In 2023, Instagram received a score of 69 out of 100 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), providing insight into user satisfaction and potential areas for improvement.

Preferred Content Types

• Funny content is the most preferred, with 50% of respondents enjoying it.
• Creative content is the second most popular at 46%.
• Informative content is preferred by 41% of users.
• Relaxing content has the approval of 37% of the respondents.
• Inspirational content and engaging content are both favored by 36% of users.
• Trendy content is preferred by 35%.
• Exciting content interests 34% of respondents.
• Relevant content is chosen by 33% of users.
• Helpful/How-to content is the least preferred, with 28% of respondents enjoying it.

Instagram Video Content Statistics

• The view rates for Instagram Reels diminish with larger follower sizes, with accounts under 5K followers experiencing a high rate of 28.21% and those over 100K followers seeing a lower rate of 6.63%.
• Instagram Reels show an overall average video view rate of 10.53%, highlighting their effectiveness in capturing audience attention on Instagram.
• Instagram Stories have an average video view rate of 4.42%, with a decrease in view rates as follower sizes increase, similar to Reels.
• Over the course from early 2023 to early 2024, Instagram’s reach rate decreased from 9.34% to 7.60%, an 18% year-over-year reduction.
• Instagram Reels have an average engagement rate of 4.36%, higher than YouTube Shorts at 3.80% but lower than TikTok.
• Despite the decline in reach, Instagram maintained a relatively high average engagement rate by reach of 4.55% in 2024.
• The average comment rate on Instagram Reels is quite low at 0.05%.
• Brands are actively using Instagram Reels, posting an average of nine Reels per month, which is more frequent than YouTube Shorts but less than TikTok.
• Instagram Reels achieve the highest average watch rate among comparable platforms at 13.08%, significantly outperforming TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Top 20 Instagram Accounts by Followers

1. Instagram (Official): 672 million
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: 628 million
3. Lionel Messi: 502 million
4. Selena Gomez: 429 million
5. Kylie Jenner: 400 million
6. Dwayne Johnson: 397 million
7. Ariana Grande: 380 million
8. Kim Kardashian: 363 million
9. Beyoncé: 319 million
10. Khloé Kardashian: 310 million
11. Nike: 306 million
12. Kendall Jenner: 294 million
13. Justin Bieber: 292 million
14. National Geographic: 283 million
15. Taylor Swift: 283 million
16. Virat Kohli: 268 million
17. Jio: 253 million
18. Nicki Minaj: 229 million
19. Kourtney Kardashian: 224 million
20. Neymar Jr.: 220 million

Sector-Specific Instagram Engagement Rate

• Overall: 0.70%
• Education: 1.40%
• NGOs and Airlines: >1.00%
• Fashion: 0.28%
• Beauty: 0.35%
• E-commerce: 0.50%
• Automotive: 0.77%
• Alcohol: 0.80%
• FMCG - Food: 0.80%
• Home & Living: 0.43%
• Hotels & Accommodation: 0.85%
• Healthcare: 0.60%
• Jewelry: 0.33%
• Magazines & Journals: 0.68%
• Media: 0.75%
• Retail: 0.40%
• Software: 0.88%
• Sports & Outdoors: 0.75%
• Telecom: 0.50%
• Travel: 0.73%

Here are some additional sources if you’d like to explore more statistics:

• Facebook Statistics 2024 [Revenue & User Insights]
• Instagram Statistics [2024] Key Insights and Trends
• 2024 TikTok Statistics: Users, Revenue, Demographics
• Google Ads Statistics 2024
• Top Google Analytics Statistics 2024 (GA4 Stats)
• UK Ecommerce Statistics and Market (2024)

Conclusion
Our “Instagram Statistics 2024” report highlights Instagram’s vital role in social media marketing. By understanding user demographics, content performance, and engagement rates, marketers and content creators can refine their strategies to achieve better engagement and results. Staying updated with the latest statistics is essential for success on this dynamic platform.

So this just came to me, I feel like Charizard is the Taylor Swift of Pokémon cards. It’s obviously very popular, and makes loads of money, yet nobody knows why because everyone here seems to hate it, except for the fans, who are obsessed with it.

If we want to be part of the assemblage of species that coevolves to survive the coming upheaval then we need to revive that essential entanglement with other living things. We all need to learn once again how to think like a forest.
The Treeline: The Last Forest and the Future of Life on Earth, page 400. Ben Rawlence, Copyright 2022 St. Martin's Publishing group, New York

(ii) As what also causes lasting happiness, 1:12
Furthermore, practising generosity,
They will swiftly meet with a superior,
Completely cutting the stream of samsara.
Having such a cause, they proceed to the yield of peace.
Normally, people perform acts of generosity for worldly gains rather than for enlightenment. But here Chandrakirti says that even if people do not have this greater kind of motivation and if they practice generosity only with worldly motivations such as becoming richer, as long as they keep on practising generosity, then eventually they will meet a superior being. This also comes from a sutra, which says that aryas, which are non-samsaric beings such as bodhisattvas, are bound to go to generous people. They are attracted to them. For example, the Buddha’s begging bowl represents that he goes to town to beg alms.
Once there was a small tear in Buddha’s robe. Ananda offered to repair it, but Buddha declined his offer, put on his robe, and went to a nearby village to beg alms, as he usually did. He met a poor girl with nothing to wear who came and sewed this tear up with grass. At that moment Shariputra laughed, and when he was later asked why, he said that at that very moment in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, Lord Indra ordered Vishwakarma, the god of architectural design and engineering, to measure the palace for her when she would take rebirth there. But she did not want that, as her aim was enlightenment. I think she became the nun Utpalmo, named thus because she was as beautiful as the utpala flower. Although she was a nun, she was so beautiful that a local prince chased her. After many days she stopped and asked him which part of her body he liked most. By this time, she was already a Foe-Destroyer. The prince was stunned, and did not know how to reply, so he said he liked her eyes. Then she took out both of her eyes and gave them to him. At that moment, the prince realised the truth of phenomena, understanding that beauty is only a compounded thing, just an idea.
If a person keeps on engaging in generosity, one day he will meet a superior being. Then he will hear the teachings, cut the stream of Samsara and reach Nirvana.
page 68, Introduction to the Middle Way Chandrakirti’s Madhyamakavatara With commentary by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche Given at the Centre d’Etudes de Chanteloube Dordogne, France 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 Arranged according to Gorampa’s commentary Edited by Alex Trisoglio © 2003 by Khyentse Foundation

http://dzongsarinstitute.org.in/en/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Introduction-to-the-Middle-Way-by-DJKR.pdf

I love music history, reading books about it, listening to song in chronological order, exploring musicmap.info, listening to podcasts, et cetera.
One issue I hope y'all can help me with: the histories all stop about 20-30 years ago. Does anyone know good sources (books, websites?) on more recent music history?
For instance:

• history of electronic music including 2010s EDM,
  
• history of punk rock including a large chapter on the emo scene of the late 2000s and maybe even the early 2020s pop punk hype,
  
• history of hip hop which features Kendrick Lamar about as much as 2Pac or Eminem.
  
• history of rock that doesn't end with Nirvana and Oasis but also features Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, and all the metal subscenes of the 21st century
  
• a history of pop music that takes Taylor Swift as serious as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley (though the Beatles still reign supreme) 😁
  

Miss ko na talaga may kakulitan, and sendan ng random thoughts everyday but i don’t think it falls under the friends tag haha, gusto ko may harot din 🥸
about me: * art grad * introvert/infp * agnostic * malaman but not plus size * low maintenance * tamad lumabas unless nakuha mo na interest ko so i don’t do meetups agad * self-sustained strong independent maluho but i will never ask u for anything * non-negotiables: apologist (duh), manchild, no sense of humor, di marunong ng house chores,,,,, maasim 🤧 * pet peeves: mansplaining, fragile masculinity, di supportive, inconsistent, di nagmemedyas pag nakasapatos, inuutusan HAHAHA * love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, sending memes * hobbies: tumawa magisa sa phone, gaming, matulog ng nakadapa * interests: mech keebs, pop culture, dark humour, TAYLOR SWIFT, spirituality, anime, kdrama, kpop (esp twice, day6 and new jeans) * i get easily bored with transactional messages so galingan mo
about you: * kahit papano may socmed presence and willing mag exchange para stalk natin isa’t isa 🤩 * 5’5 up * -/+ 3 ONLY!!!! * preferably gamer hehe willing ako mag pocket sage :p (tho i play other games din) * no big deal kahit big 4 at walang car basta willing ako puntahan in the middle of nowhere HAHAHA (1/2 chz) * with that said ok lang ldr until i move out from our house haha * hindi nagsasawang mag good morning tuwing umaga hmpf di yung sa una lang magaling * must be ok with virtual dates bec tamad nga ko lumabas * would want to stream movies w/me from time to time * nagrereact/reply sa lahat ng memes na sinesend ko kahit nakita mo na HAHAHA * walang gf/gbf/kabet/anak/asawa pls lang 😭
yun lang naman anything else comes naturally and lahat naman tayo may red flag haha 🏃‍♀️💨
if interested to move forward send your resume with 2x2 pic to… charot send something bukod sa hi hello what’s up basta something reply-ble naman HAHAHA and pic pls (i’ll send too) pass sa sadbois 🥰
ps i don’t use tg so send discord if we click 😬👍

The NFL is pulling back from contentious remarks made at a recent commencement speech by kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs. Apart from denouncing diversity and equity efforts and labeling Pride Month as a “deadly sin,” Butker also sparked outrage when, shortly after referencing a Taylor Swift song, he said that marriage and parenthood provide greater fulfillment for women than pursuing careers.
Since Butker made the remarks on Saturday during a speech to graduates at Benedictine College, a small Catholic university in Atchison, Kansas, the outcry has grown.

I am spinning up a London-based strategy consultancy with a friend. We both have 20 years of freelance IT/management consulting around company transformations and Agile, and have worked with big names in the industry. Now we thought it was time to give back, and make something on our own.

1. Created our business plan, and identified who our target clients/audience are.
2. Agreed on "what we want to sell", what we are, and what we are not.
3. Outlined our USP.
4. Researched our competition and saw what they do, frequence of events, people etc.
5. We've got a name.
6. We researched all the legalities of company shareholders, and agreed on what out working arrangements are e.g. what if someone dies or decides to leave, shares split etc. That's all ready to go with a push of a button.
7. Created a website with what we do, a few relevant blog posts, and a contact page.
8. Getting to grips with LinkedIn Navigator and making connections with the relative "decision makers" of the companies we are targetting.
9. Preparing a list of Webinars to launch and will start inviting people (found from LinkedIn) to get our name out there.
10. Found a person to beautify our pitch deck and webinar pages (colouring etc).

Off the top of my head, as it stands we only need to land one client to get us going.
Am I missing something in the above plan?

Subreddit Patreon
First Prev
Anglestan
Augustus 5, 1923
Facility 9, Mancheston
Colonel Jacobs
His hands flew through the folders General Jorgenson and Colonel Thatcher had. There were dozens of them, stacked upon each other all filed in alphabetical order. It had only been a few days since he had woken up from his coma and visited his home— now his mother’s grave. He clenched his fists at the thought. The grief and rage threatened to bubble and spill over once again. He took a deep breath and dragged out the exhale, almost to the point where he had emptied out his lungs.
He was the only one with clearance, and so he couldn’t disclose any of what he learned with his team. They would simply have to trust him and his judgment. Which he was sure they would do. His hands went over one of the folders skimming through it. There were multiple secret projects, but the ones with the most notes were Project S.T.A.R, Project L.U.N.A.R.I, Project R.E.V.I.V.E, Project D.A.W.N, and Project T.E.M.P.L.A.R.
The colonel decided to start with the most notes and papers. Project D.A.W.N.
He skimmed through the notes, reading through some of the details and highlighted words. Project D.A.W.N, the espionage project Thatcher had started placed two spies in Verlin who were to report directly to a Crescent general named Sienna Moretti who was apparently on humanity’s side.
So I was right. There was an espionage element. With the recent attacks and Thatcher’s death, however, it’s safe to assume that it had somehow failed. Either they got found out or they betrayed us. Both seem very likely, but if they were found out, it would be possible that they had died.
He read through all of it before setting the folder down. There were no new notes recently. He sighed and assumed that Project DAWN was a failure. Whether or not the agents were still alive and well, it was too risky to check if they had been compromised. It was better to assume that they had been and cut all contact. The only way to find out now was to go there himself and check. I can’t contact them again. There’s no telling if it would still be Moretti or the agents who would see my messages. It’s a big risk, and judging by the state of things, best to assume it failed.
He picked up another folder. This one had the label ‘under development’ on the folder. Project Templar. He opened the folder and was instantly met with a blueprint and drawings of a massive bipedal machine. It looked humanoid with strange proportions and was supposed to be standing at an impressive 30 meters, or 100 feet. The Titanic Engine Mech for Personal Land Assault and Reconnaissance.
It was apparently a joint project with the Church of Sol, utilizing new and advanced technologies he hadn’t heard of. A 203mm Gatling cannon on one arm, while the other had three different weapons. A massive firestarter that utilized a new type of fuel mixture that could theoretically spew flames a kilometer away using a high-pressure nozzle. The fuel was ignited using an electrical spark. The second weapon was a high-powered light weapon that fired a single powerful beam of focused light that was even further amplified by layers of focusing lenses that could increase its output several times. Its third weapon was… a dust domina?
Mark read through the specifications of the so-called ‘sand cannon’ weapon. It was a massive cannon that accelerated tiny particles several times. Each particle was to be electrically charged, and it would travel at immense speeds. Near impossible speeds. The resulting impact of a microscopic particle at such speeds would be enough to form a small crater and punch through armor like it was nothing. This weapon would fire multiple at the same time, which could literally eat away at anything on the opposing end.
In terms of secondary weapons, the titan had two missile launch chambers in front of its shoulder each containing about 40 missiles, and two massive howitzer cannons on top of it. Both are 800mm in caliber. It had massive stumpy legs that served as bunkers for a small platoon on each leg. Each leg had machine dominas and 155mm cannons. Its chassis held two nuclear reactors inside providing for its power and weaponry. Its armor was the thickest and most ridiculous he’d ever read. Two meters of heavy steel armor.
How far are we in terms of technology? This thing looks like it came out of an H.G. Wells sci-fi novel. He thought, shaking his head. It was over the top, but there was no denying its combat capabilities. If it was already under-developed then it must be the first prototype. This has already been approved. Guess I better see it for myself later and check how it's coming along. Construction apparently started just a few months before the invasion.
Next was project L.U.N.A.R.I. It was a project involving Six. “Huh,” he said, continuing to read on.
The Light Undone: Nocturnal’s Adaptive Resistance Initiative. As he read further, his eyes widened. The reason why Six was so special wasn’t just because of her immunity to all strigoi weaknesses, but because of her impressive ability to turn any true born strigoi like her. She could transfer her strain like any other strigoi and transform them into a version of hers. It however only seemed to work for naturally born strigoi. The new species of ‘half-breeds’ were called ‘Blessed Children’ as Thatcher had coined in the folder.
The plan was to turn all willing true-born hemolite strigoi into these blessed children. Able to withstand the sun. Immune to silver. Free from the dependency on blood. They could remove all the weaknesses of the strigoi and after the war— make it possible to integrate them into society as normal citizens living on the surface. The project folder also made mentions of a city-wide draft in Dante and highlighted the possibility of turning all Dantenite true born strigoi into these blessed children and renaming them as ‘Lunari’. A mix of the dark and the light. The light of Sol reflected in the children of the night.
“Thatcher, what the fuck have you been up to…” Mark whispered to himself.
While it was true that it could help in the war effort by utilizing Six and the dantenite population, it would also invite some unforeseen problems and consequences. Would humanity be okay with the Lunari? Would the world even be ready for them? Strigoi who were immune to the sun. They wouldn’t be impossible to kill, but they would be immensely more powerful if we were to take away their inherent weaknesses. This is a gamble. Its gain would only be seen during the war period, but its unintended effects on society could be catastrophic.
He frowned, setting the folder down. It was obviously Thatcher’s main plan; seeing as all her moves could be traced to the path of the eventual completion of this project. It seemed dangerous in the long run, but the duskwalkers and dantenites had been monumental in the war effort. Maybe it was the time the world started to accept them more. Isolation and segregation was definitely not the way to disperse fears and foster understanding.
If Thatcher thinks this is the next step forward… then I’ll put my faith in her plans.
Next up was Project S.T.A.R, or the Superior Tech and Adaptive Resistance. An upgrade to the current hemolite weapons and gear by using new researched studies. The Starfire Pattern Domina. The SFD-23 This thing features a new loading system and magazine, ditching the rotating cylinder most domina used, or the rotating helix magazine design of the current hemolite standard BM-16 domina.
The new domina had its magazine like a box… a strange design but it was certainly easier to handle than the bulky cylinders the helical mags used. In terms of ergonomics, it was smoother and fit more. Its placement however was on top of the domina, just above the barrel. Most of the weapon were to be made of lightweight polymers and the barrel itself were to be crafted out of reinforced aluminium. In addition to that, it had a 10-inch bayonet attached to it.
There were other new things as well, such as the composition of the bullet. Looking at the conceptual cross-section designs, Mark read through its description and how it would function. A .308 cased telescoped bullet covered in a silver jacket with break-away petals surrounding the main body. Inside the jacket was a penetrator core that was to be made of depleted uranium. It had a small amount of incendiary compound and… powdered white phosphorus behind an explosive compound. The thin silver jacket would deform and trigger the explosive compound inside the body. It would blow up causing massive internal damage and release the incendiary materials into the body with the flecks of powdered white phosphorus. The penetrator core could still potentially keep going and hit a second target, or punch through heavily armored targets.
Part of the new Project S.T.A.R was overhauling the armor and gear of not just the Hemolites but the Hunters as well. Starfire Mk 1. Carapace Armor. Carapace? It looked like plates of steel covered in a rubberized coat. It was supposed to be slipped on over the original hemolite body armor. It added a spring-loaded wrist blade to the gauntlet, a thicker coat made of resistant materials, and added extra padding for the knees, shoulders, and elbows.
However, the hemolites weren’t the only ones mentioned in the folder. It was to serve the Hunters as well. “Hunters…” Mark said. “August’s group is part of this initiative too.” He flipped through some of the pages. There were blueprints and drawings of an armored suit. A mechanized suit even smaller and more compact than the jotunn units. The Mark 1 STR battlesuit. It was supposed to hug the wearer’s frame and increase their overall power. It was supposed to be built of titanium alloy and a heavy steel frame with composite armor. It had a cooling system, life support systems that could recycle bodily fluids, and an exoskeleton frame that could increase the wearer’s strength and speed.
However, the real eye-opener was Thatcher’s notes. She had been ranting about the new human evolution, and how the Hunters were the first of the ‘Solari’. She wanted to enhance human genetics and push past the peak of human ability to reach greater heights. Implants and restructuring of the anatomy to make it more efficient. Using the blood of the goddess herself. She must have lost it. These are the ramblings of a lunatic. At least… if she didn’t mention the goddess. Why was the goddess important here?
The writings ended with the words: “See Project R.E.V.I.V.E, for more details.”
Mark eyed the final folder. His hands shook as he reached out to take it. Flipping it open, his hands nearly dropped it in shock. The goddess Helena was alive. There were pictures of her naked form floating in a giant tube of fluid. There were more of Thatcher’s ramblings and excited rants about the possibilities of such a discovery. Resurrection, Enhancement, and Veneration: Implementation of Visionary Evolution.
The goddess is alive?! According to the file, she’s currently under the Cathedral of New Lundun. Not only that, but the file also detailed the extraterrestrial tech that lay beneath the cathedral. So the goddess is real and she’s— not really a goddess, but rather, a vampyr who created herself a human body to stand in the sun, and decided that it wants to be on humanity’s side… what the fuck.
Mark’s frown and confusion only increased as he read on. Thatcher’s notes seemed to nearly descend into madness as she had written about creating ‘the first hundred’, alluding to the 100 members of the Hunters division. Her plan was to revive the goddess, and with her help and expertise in genetics— use her DNA to transform the Hunters into demi-humans. Super soldiers. Literal children of the goddess Helena. They would then don the STR battlesuits, the first of the superhuman warriors to defend humanity. Solari.
Their lightning-speed advancement into technology was heralded by studying the alien tech, which deepened the understanding of physics and engineering. Nuclear technologies, chemical warfare, new material sciences, the mechs, and walkers, it was spearheaded by trying to reverse-engineer technology centuries ahead of our own… for the past hundred years. It wasn’t completely stolen, however. More or less borrowed ideas that had been made into our own with our own designs and implements. Still, the speed at which the Church and the military had deciphered such advancements all by themselves was… impressive to say the least.
Still, the fact that the goddess was alive, and could be brought back was big news. Checking the file for details, he found that the previous general, Jorgenson, had already approved this project. It was their next step as soon as they returned from New Amsterdam; which never happened.
If Helena was alive, then she could end this war swiftly, or at the very least help greatly like she once did during the War of Darkness. Having the goddess back would throw a massive wrench in the Crescent’s plans. It would certainly be something they wouldn’t expect. Not even I expected this, since many sources say that the goddess had already ascended to watch over humanity, while conspiracy theorists claim she had died in battle and that the Church was worshiping a corpse. This could be the trick up our sleeves that no one would even consider.
The colonel quickly got up from his seat and gathered the main files he had read. He placed them in a bag and rushed outside of his office in Facility 9. He went over to a nearby room and flicked the lights on. “We need to go,” he said. In an instant seven hemolite soldiers got up from whatever they were doing and instantly stood in line.
“Sir! Whatever you need of us, sir,” the group said in unison.
They were Hemo-1. His former squad members. He had taken up Louis' suggestion that they be his personal security detail. It was a shame that he had basically placed the best hemolite team out of commission, but after all he had been through he convinced himself that he could be just a little selfish. He didn’t want to lose any more friends. Not on his watch. Not while he was in an office, and they were out fighting.
“We’re going to New Lundun. Better pack up, it’s going to be a long night.”
“Mark,” Olivia said.
Jacobs turned to her direction and gave her a nod.
“Colonel, sir, may I ask where in New Lundun?”
“Liv, you don’t need to do that with me. Please. I give all of you special permission,” the colonel groaned. “It’s so weird. I mean, ‘captain’ was bad enough, but now you’re acting like I’m an authority figure.”
“You… are, though,” Emma shrugged.
“I’m your friend, and Liv I’m literally your partner. Unless you have some kind of weird fetish, save it for later.”
Olivia grinned, shaking her head. “Duly noted!” she chirped.
“That’s better,” Mark chuckled. “Now come on, we have a cathedral to visit.”
“Uhh, I’m not sure if you noticed, but we’re kinda… strigoi?!” Louis groaned. “I’d burn the moment I step in that place! Plus, it’s coated in silver! Anything I even touch will give me burns!”
“Oh come on, Lou. You have fucking gloves on. As long as you’re not a clumsy dumbass you’ll be fine… oh wait.’
“Uh huh, just sayin’ what I think, boss.”
The group headed out and Mark said something on his radio. He then sat on the ground, making his joints pop. The rest of the squad shrugged and followed his example, sitting down on the grass and waiting for… nothing. Charles and Zach looked at each other in confusion. “Uh, sir?” they asked. “Aren’t we supposed to be heading out and traveling right now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re just waiting.”
“Foooor…?”
The colonel gave them a smirk as a loud noise began to make itself known. A hummingbird transport appeared out of the distance and stopped right above them, slowly descending into the grass. “Being colonel has its perks,” Mark said with a smile. He stood up and hopped inside the hummingbird as soon as it landed. “Come on now! We’ve got work to do! Last one aboard buys everyone food later!”
Emma zipped in before Mark could even finish his sentence, followed by Olivia, Phineas, Charles, Zach, and then Louis, who sadly took too long to process what the colonel said, and lagged behind.
“Aw, man! Fuck this shit.”
“Rules are rules, Lou. Prepare your wallet later.” Mark grinned.
With a smile, the colonel pulled Olivia to his side, who blushed for a moment before shaking her head. “Take us up! New Lundun Cathedral! How long would it take?” he asked the pilot.
“About an hour and a half!” The pilot replied. “Less if you want to get there as soon as possible!”
“Take your time! The night’s still young.”
The hummingbird started to lift up, taking them into the air. The group settled down in their seats and watched outside the open. Mark opened up a bag inside the hummingbird and took out some ear muffs built for a strigoi. Extremely loud noises were damaging for a strigoi’s enhanced hearing, so the military started implementing ear muffs for them after complaints from early deployments of the hemolite squads.
The trip didn’t take too long. In only an hour and twenty minutes they had arrived at the safe zone of New Lundun, heading straight for the cathedral. The night mass had just ended and people were leaving the cathedral. “Looks like we made it in perfect time!” Mark smiled. They hovered for a few minutes in the air before eventually landing down right in front of the statue of Helena.
As soon as they landed, the colonel and his group left the hummingbird. Mark instructed the pilot to wait for them. He went straight for the cathedral with his group following behind. He entered inside, clearing his throat. “Hello?”
“Well this is surely unexpected,” an old man said, walking up to greet them.
“Great Grandfather Aurelius. It’s uh, an honor.”
“Please. The honor is mine… I see you’re the new colonel. Yes, I’ve heard the news,” he said. “Would you mind telling me your name, young man? As well as your companions, if they feel so. I usually don’t allow duskwalkers here but, I have nothing against them. I’ll make an exception for your group.”
“Thank you, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “I am Colonel Mark Jacobs. These are my friends and security detail. Olivia, Zach, Phineas, Charles, Emma, and Louis.”
“I see, and what brings you here?”
“Since Thatcher’s demise, I was given access to her research and project folders upon taking up the title. I’ve learned about what’s under your cathedral,” Mark cleared his throat. “Would it be alright if we could see it? I’d like to check it for myself. Of course, under your permission and guidance, Great Grandfather.”
The church head looked from Mark to his companions. He pulled a slight frown and hummed. “Do these companions of yours have the clearance? Surely, we wish to keep our secrets hidden,” he said. Mark nodded.
“They do not have clearance to know what is in Thatcher’s folders and her findings,” the colonel nodded. “However, I give them permission to accompany me, and should they discover things for themselves, then you have my word and my trust that I can keep them from spilling state secrets.”
The Great Grandfather gave a short pause before ultimately relenting. “Very well,” he let out a sigh. “Follow me.”
Aurelius walked behind the altar and pulled the same lever, which opened the same staircase leading underground, where Jorgenson and Thatcher had once gone. “Over here, colonel,” he said. “I do not know you completely yet, but this is a big deal of trust I am giving you. Perhaps you would be the one to do things that Thatcher could not have.”
Mark nodded, he and his group followed the Great Grandfather down the staircase. It led down to a massive underground facility, with numerous priests, researchers, and scientists. Libraries, records, instruments, and artifacts of old. It was a treasure trove of learning.
“So,” Aurelius cleared his throat. “What would you like to know about?”
“This isn’t all of it,” Mark said. “Thatcher mentioned a living, breathing, Helena.”
His group behind him let out a soft gasp, but they tried their best to hide their surprise.
“Hm,” the Great Grandfather nodded. “Perceptive young man aren’t you? Very well.”
They were then led into another room, behind a set of heavy blast doors. If the whole group were trying to hide their surprise then, now they could barely contain it. Even the colonel stared awestruck at the things he had seen. Despite the near-magical objects around them, the true shock was the massive starship at the end of the hallway. “It’s impressive isn’t it?” Aurelius said. “All of the goddess’ artifacts and items at our disposal, to use and learn from, to integrate into our own. This is why Anglestan is the most powerful nation in the UHT in terms of development. When it comes to industry, however, that would go to the UNA. But we share our secrets with them. All our advancements are handed to them first before any other nation.”
“This is all amazing, Great Grandfather,” Mark replied. “But this is not what I’m here for.”
“No, it’s not.” Aurelius nodded.
He led them to another room, one that was sterilized and sported advanced machinery. Things that Mark had never even seen. There were screens with luminous green texts that appeared in front of it. Large panels with numerous keys, levers, and dials. Graphs of all sorts and beeping monitors. In the center, was the very thing he had come all this way to confirm. A large cylinder filled with liquid, sporting tubes and pipes connecting to its base. Inside was a woman of large proportion. Four arms, two legs, and six wings. In her bare chest was a symbol of the sun that seemed to glow dimly.
“There she is, there’s you goddess.”
Neither Mark nor his group spoke a word. He walked up to it, eyeing the woman inside. It really is her. Down to the last details. Golden hair, six limbs, six folded wings, and she looks massive. Probably as big as her statue just outside the cathedral. This is it. The very goddess in the history books, the one spoken about in legends and the one worshiped in the Churches of Sol.
“Can we free her?” he said.
The Great Grandfather nearly choked on his spit upon hearing those words. “Free her?! That could kill her! We don’t even understand this technology, let alone control it!” he said pointing at the panels. “The machines you see here are the best and most advanced we have based on what we can reverse engineer, but even then, the consequences of tampering with its functions may be disastrous!”
“I understand, Great Grandfather,” Mark said. “But we are in a dire situation, and the goddess may be our hope of turning this around. Whatever secrets of her tech that you don’t understand, wouldn’t she be able to teach us directly? What good is she floating around in Sol knows what?”
“That is her miraculous healing fluid. She had already built this contraption centuries ago in case anything were to happen to her, that her body’s natural healing could not sustain,” Aurelius said. “During the War of Darkness, Helena was struck with a weapon so deadly, her very cells began to tear away. The Reaper. Dealt to her by Absolem the progenitor. Her flesh was peeling from her body, and she began to decay whilst she still breathed. She entered this contraption and gave strict instructions to the Great Grandfather at the time, not to interrupt the healing process. The machine that monitored her, however, began to fail over time.”
“So this… these screens and panels…”
“Is only what functions we can understand. We took it upon ourselves to rebuild and study it the best we could. What we have right now is only a cheap imitation of a technology we do not fully comprehend,” he said. “It took us decades to even figure out the fundamentals and create a working prototype of this machine. By some miracle, the goddess’ healing process had remained even while we replaced components of technology ahead of ours.”
“But you know how to free her, don’t you?”
“I… yes.”
“Great Grandfather Aurelius,” Mark began. “We can end this war. Imagine what we could do with the goddess fighting on our side. We could advance even further, we could finally end the bloodshed, and we can show humanity that there is still hope. Imagine how people all over the world would feel seeing as their goddess has returned.”
“I wish I had your enthusiasm,” Aurelius said. “But it is simply too risky. The Church’s duty is to protect Helena and her legacy. We keep her alive, literally and figuratively. She nearly died the last time she was involved in a war. Would you risk losing the goddess?”
“Would you risk humanity losing?”
The Great Grandfather fell silent, looking back at Helena floating inside the tube, then to the panels that controlled it. He frowned and let out a long sigh. “The goddess said that we should not interrupt it. That it would end as soon as it was finished. Maybe we should trust her words.”
Mark shook his head. “I don’t spot a single blemish on the goddess. Not a single scratch,” he argued. “You said it yourself that the machine had begun to fail and you replaced components. How would you know that the thing that’s supposed to wake her up was not tampered with? Think about it. What you may think is a useless piece may be integral to the whole machine. Or maybe your replacements were not up to the task. Just because nothing’s happened doesn’t mean its functions have remained whole.”
“Young man, we simply cannot gamble with the goddess’ life here.”
“Have you no faith? Great Grandfather?”
Aurelius stepped back in shock. Mark’s companions looked at each other, clearly surprised as well. “Mark… I don’t think we should keep arguing with—” Olivia tried to say.
“No,” the colonel said firmly, cutting her off. “Great Grandfather Aurelius, do you think that Helena will not be able to pull through if we wake her? How long has it been? A century? How much longer will we wait? She may be immortal but humans aren’t.”
“I'm sorry, but the chances of failure are too high. The probability of her—”
“I don’t care about the probability! Would you rather put your faith in a statistic?!” Mark raised his voice. “I lost my mother to this war! My friends! My job! My eye, and almost my life! I’ve put mine on the line out there! You don’t know what it’s like out there! Was my mother’s death just a probability too? Was she just a statistic to you?! That as long as the numbers are good, no matter how many are lost, we are ‘winning’?!”
“Mark—!”
“No, Liv! He needs to know what’s really going on out there!” he spat. “Great Grandfather, with all due respect, but you don’t have a damn clue what it’s like to be in the field. You’re a man of faith, aren’t you? Take a risk. Everyone else has.”
Aurelius stood there, dumbfounded. He bit the inside of his cheeks and clenched his fists. “For your insolence, I would have had you flogged and stripped of your rank,” he glared at the young colonel. However, his features slowly softened, letting out a soft sigh. “But I have never seen such conviction. Mighty is your faith.”
The Great Grandfather moved over to the panels and reached into his robe, pulling out from around his neck a key with the symbol of the sun. He inserted it into the machine and turned. A beep sounded, right before Aurelius pulled a lever. In an instant, the fluid inside the glass chamber began to drain out into the tubes under it. Slowly, the chamber emptied and all that was left was the nude form of the goddess sitting in the glass.
“Did it work?” Louis asked, stepping forward and looking at the woman.
Aurelius stayed silent, his hands shaking in anticipation. Mark moved toward the glass chamber, when suddenly, the glass opened up like a door, releasing a fragrant mist. They stood there, watching for a whole minute. Nothing. At first nothing. The Great Grandfather looked like he was about to break down. His knees shook as he covered his mouth, thinking that he was responsible for the death of Helena.
That was when… a soft sound was heard. Movement. Olivia immediately went over to Mark and stood in front of him. Ready to protect him should anything happen. Slowly, the goddess moved more, her arms inched to the side.
Then, her eyes opened.

for anyone's wondering all these 5 variants are pre-orders only delivered this week lmfao this is mental illness...

Sorry - this is a repost! I attached a photo and somehow messed up the last one.
Anyways, my girlfriend is a huge Taylor Swift fan. She's had a passion project for the last six months, creating a "125 Facts" about Taylor Swift book. She literally watched idk how many interviews, music videos, read articles - you get it. But this book has literally been her focus for... half a year lol
She released it on Amazon, and its sitting dead lol I've been trying to gather reviews for her, but haven't had a whole lot of luck. She used to look at the book every day, and now she doesn't even mention it. (I guess she hadn't considered the marketing aspect of publishing lol)
Anyways, I really wanna surprise her! I'm gonna give away a bunch of copies, in exchange for honest reviews on Amazon. BIG NOTE: YOU DON'T HAVE TO REVIEW TO GET A COPY, I want you to enjoy it regardless. If you happen to find time, that would be amazing.
I wanna bring it up in a month and be like, babe - have you checked your book lately? She'll flip out if she sees like 100 reviews lol It would be golden. I can't wait.
Anyways, if anyone wants a copy, Write a comment below and I'll send it over in a chat message.

i never interact with any taylor content. literally dont even use my social media a lot.
but yeah i open instagram, some girls are posting her songs on stories or whatever, swifties in my explore page and reels (i always click on dont recommend but still it is being shown to me). i get fed up.
alr then i open reddit, cant escape her on reddit too. although i will admit this is a sub that i have joined, but other than that i never willingly engage in anything swift related. i have infact blocked all those swiftie subreddits, but still shes on my feed.
i open youtube and theres a video about her in my suggestions.
so now im fed up and decide to get off my phone, maybe read an actual newspaper. guess what i see as soon as i open it, AN ARTICLE ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT.
WTF is going on bruv????? Please what am i eveb supposed to do and why is she everywhere. So now im ranting about it here 🙂