Some context, my sister is my half sister, so her grandparents on her dad’s side aren’t my grandparents. I’ve known them since I was a kid and even though I don’t talk to them anymore (our mom and her dad divorced years ago) we still get along mostly. Her grandparents, however, aren’t very open minded. They’ve said things that are pretty racist and sexist and I don’t like to be around them sometimes because of it. Now my boyfriend, who I have been dating for three years now and have lived with for two, is Native and I am white. I have told him I don’t want him to be around them because I worry that they will say something that will be offensive, and even though my boyfriend doesn’t get bothered by that stuff, I don’t want to be around it because it will bother me and I will feel like I have to say something. Recently, we had a party for my sister who graduated high school and some of her family members were joining us for the celebration. Some of these people who were joining I hadn’t seen for about ten years. One is my sister’s great aunt. She and my sister’s grandma came over to talk to me and during our conversation, my boyfriend came over. Grandma looked to the aunt and said “Oh and this is ______, her friend.” And she pointed at me. I looked at her confused. “No, he’s my boyfriend. We’ve been together for three years and we’ve been living together for a while now.” “Well, I know that, but I call everyone’s boyfriend a friend. You share the same love for a friend like a boyfriend right?” I paused completely stunned by what she was saying before going, “… no?” And then going inside with my BF. I sat down at a table with my BF, irritated. You see, she had said things before about family members dating people that were of a different race and how it was something along the lines of “abnormal” or “different”. Grandma had a great niece in another state and when she found out that she, a white girl, was dating a black guy, she was bothered and said that she couldn’t believe that she was dating a “black boy”. Only, she didn’t say black boy. This was at the forefront of my mind after I sat down. Also, I had dated other men before, who were all white, and she always referred to them as my boyfriends. So this time seemed different because of the fact that he wasn’t white. I told my mom about the interaction and she told me that I shouldn’t be so offended by everything and my BF told me that he was fine and I shouldn’t be bothered. So, am I the jerk for being bothered?

I'm 18 and I like cars,racing games,country music, and rc cars.
I'm not a good texter.
I'm dyslexic and autistic.
I'm from the USA and live in Tx.
I play games on a ps5 and a gaming laptop.
Anyone can message me.
AR24Race is my discord.
My name is Race.

I am a black woman who lives in, and has always lived in, an area with a low black population. I have noticed that black boys/men raised in this environment end up preferring white women (which I think makes sense, because white people are primarily what you see in television and films, and I also think that most people like what they grew up around.) In high school, it was very common to see black boys dating or seeking out white or white passing girls (if not that, they were with a light skinned mixed race girl, or otherwise a girl of another race who still didn’t phenotypically look anything like a black girl.)
I perhaps preferred white boys in middle school. As I’ve grown older, I have gained exposure to black boys and men, and have realized I am attracted to some of them and perhaps even prefer black men. Do you think that a black boy who was raised in the same environment is likely to eventually become more open to dating black women? Or do you think it’s unlikely that this would happen because of how black women are portrayed?

I live on the race path and want to escape the city tomorrow to surf. Will park presidio Golden Gate Bridge from the outer Richmond be blocked by the race? thanks in advance!

Background: Husband (34) and I (30) are in the process of recovering after about 8 years of his serial lying and cheating. We have two small kids, built a wonderful life for ourselves, and I really pride myself on our family unit.
After his last bout of lying about women a little over a year ago, he started DBT therapy and took it very seriously. He ACTUALLY seems to have changed. He recognizes his past trauma that was unhealthy. He is an Army veteran and so there’s definitely a lot to unpack there, which he’s finally doing. He’s been working so, so hard for about 10 months. I see the effort and I HAVE seen some really positive changes as well. I want to give him credit for that because it did take so much work for him to get the help he needed. He’s doing great, for the first time ever.
However, I had to leave for a military obligation (I also am serving) and have been gone for about 6 months. We all visit at least once a month…but that’s where all the problems came to my attention.
I’m not that happy to see him whenever I do. It’s not that I’m unhappy or that I dread it…he’s just kind of a guy that’s in my house with the kids. I don’t miss him. I’m happy to see my children and miss them painfully every single day, so I don’t think I’m emotionally entirely broken. But when my husband and I reunite, I can’t even remember to kiss him and when I do it’s just so I can check it off my checklist of stuff I know “normal” couples do. I don’t feel like I can really be intimate (I’ve tried. It feels like I have to talk myself into it every time.) I don’t feel any desire or attraction. I can’t imagine making out with him. It’s almost like I still am living in a “me vs him” mentality and being intimate would be like sleeping with the enemy. How fucked is that?
We have almost nothing to talk about and everything, to me, seems so forced and awkward. He tries to keep them going because he’s trying to connect with me, but I just never feel like having a fake conversation. He never makes me laugh. I’m super silly, but I don’t feel like we can play together or joke or really do anything. We just talk about the kids and then ask each other dry questions about our day before I can’t take it anymore and make up an excuse to stop talking. It’s all taking a toll and I feel like he doesn’t even know who I am. I struggle to even care enough to want to know who he is now. I thought I knew him, but apparently I had no idea.
He says he feels unwanted because he’s always missing me and happy to see me but I’m cold and physically unavailable. I don’t even hug him. I told him that if he feels unwanted that he should try being me…I’ve always been 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place to whatever girl he was trying to be with at the moment. I can’t get these types of thoughts out of my head. I don’t think he loves me even though he shows me every day with how hard he’s working in therapy.
He sends me gifts, flowers and seems to think of me often, but when it comes down to it I struggle to meet him halfway. I almost look at his kind gestures like he doesn’t mean it…it’s only just so he can say he’s tried. I say thank you but I don’t feel anything…
I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to loosen up or to love him again. For the first time, he’s actually trying. He’s doing everything I needed from him the entire time. I’m frustrated with myself.
I’m away until at least January and he’s home with the kids, so divorce isn’t an option. I’d love to use this time away as a way to try and build us back up. I can’t help but feel like I’m the problem now. He’s doing all this work and I’m just so shut down I can’t even really feel the results for myself.
I WANT to want him. I want to laugh and like him. I want to get lost in conversation…I wish he was my friend again but I just cannot get myself to allow him to even see me be goofy. It feels too vulnerable. My trust is so far gone that I don’t even CARE if I’m being lied to or not (I don’t think I am, for the record). I just live day to day and try not to think about it all.
Has anybody been through anything similar? I want to reconcile. I want to recover. But I’m in my own way. How can I get through this? I don’t even know who I am…who he is…how can I help myself? Are there any specific methods you used to love again? Any thought processes that particularly helped you? Books? Podcasts? Talking points? I am open to anything.

Previous Part
Morning eventually came, banishing the eyes that seemed to peer at me through the night. It was strange how suddenly the feeling left me, making me think that someone really was watching me. The whole thing was really doing wonders for my paranoia. Despite the rough morning and sleepless night, I still found myself waiting outside Bianca’s house bright and early that morning. The air was cool but not chilly, one of those perfect days that’s cold enough you’ll never start sweating unless you really try, but warm enough that a T-shirt will get you through without too much trouble.
I only had to knock once before Bianca threw open the door.
“Where you just waiting there for me?”
I asked, cracking a smile and raising an eyebrow.
“You’ll never know” she added playfully, “Are we ready to go then?”
Bianca had made some preparations for the trip, she didn’t have a backpack ready to go but she definitely made an effort to dress the part… sort of. She was wearing an old grey combat jacket that I imagine she pulled out of Stein’s closet. The jacket was way to big for her but she made it work. Her combat boots matched the jacket, looking old and well worn. What didn’t match was the bright red yoga pants she was wearing, but I wasn’t about to complain. Besides, I had packed each of us a spare set of clothes just in case.
“Oh! So I had an idea, its a long walk, not crazy but I’d rather not just walk the whole way if we can help it. Frank and Stein used to have some bicycles when we first came here so I asked them about it and well.”
Bianca chirped, as she led me around the back of the house and pulled a tarp off two abysmal looking bicycles. The bikes were both red at one point but that was a long time ago. Now they were covered in a layer of rust and I could barely make out the branding that may have once read, “Shwinn”.
“Um… Bianca I think I might get tetanus if I sit on that thing.”
“Oh come on! Aren’t you tired of walking everywhere? Lets just give the bikes a shot, if they crumble to dust we can leave them.”
“And get me a tetanus shot.”
I added quickly
“Fine, and get you a tetanus shot.”
Bianca shot back, she feigned annoyance but she couldn’t hide the smile that crossed her face.
Laughing to ourselves, we got on the bikes and took off North, out of town and onto a dirt path leading to the woods. Bianca didn’t say much on the way out but I could tell she was having a good time. This may have been her first time out of the house for something other than supervising Frank and Stein. She tried to hide it by riding fast and staying out in front of me, but I could still catch her eyes literally glowing with happiness every now and then. I thought back to what Frank had said about her eyes glowing when she experiences strong emotion. I hoped that was the case and she wasn’t just trying really hard to influence me, which he had also said would make her eyes glow.
As we neared the end of the path, the forest’s edge came into view. we let the bikes roll to a stop then got off and let them fall over onto the dirt. I half expected them to explode into a puff of rusty brown dust the second they touched the ground but to my surprise, neither bike did. I could’ve swore I heard Bianca sniffle almost like she’d been crying. I opened my mouth to say something and then thought better of it, if she wanted to tell me what was going on she would. Well, that or she’d just manipulate me away from the question. Wait, was she doing that now? It’s hard to tell, maybe that’s how everyone around her feels. The more I thought about it the more I realized how difficult it must be for her just to have friends or form relationships with people at all. If she told them the truth they’d never know if what they were feeling around her at any given moment was real. All they’d have to go on would be her word, could they really trust that, could I? If she kept her secret she’d know that at any moment she could just change how they felt about her, manipulate them into anything she wanted. Could she resist that kind of power over them and still look someone in the eyes and say she was their friend. Not to mention how hard it would be to keep that secret over years of knowing someone.
“So Keith, were exactly are we headed? You do have some Idea where this mine you’re looking for is right?”
Bianca asked skeptically, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Well about that…. I just know its out here in the forest somewhere. That’s pretty much all I have to go on from Frank, Stein, and that massive bartender in town.”
I told her sheepishly.
“Well that explains why you over-packed so much then. Seriously? How long do you think we we’re going to be out here, you’re packed like some kind of survivalist.”
She mocked, picking through the pack I’d made for her. After she finished rooting through the pack I made for her like some kind of giant squirrel and, chastised me yet again for not doing more research on the mine, we set off.
The forest felt imposing as we walked into the woods through a manicured patch of trees. Someone had gone to great lengths to braid a few trees over this little path before the forest turned back into its natural wild state. It gave off the feeling that civilization ended with this path and something else entirely began. As we got off the path our light faded quickly, chocked out by the limbs of massive pine trees. All this cover meant there was very little foliage on the ground which was covered in a blanket of needles. The though occurred to me that we were looking for a mine in a valley. That’s weird because what exactly would be in a valley that warranted the creation of a mine? Usually you’ll find them in mountains so what exactly was one doing out here.
“Bianca I just had a thought, Why would they build a mine out here? I mean what’s the point, is there even anything valuable out here to mine?”
“Yeah, come to think of it your right. What other reason would there be to have a mine out here?”
“Unless they were just mining from a cave but that still doesn’t answer the question of what they were…”
Bianca cut me off
“What was that first thing you said?”
“Um… mining from a cave?”
A lightbulb went off over her head as she exclaimed,
“That’s it! There’s caves under the town, I’ve heard Frank talk about them before! Maybe they didn’t have a real mine so they were just mining something out of the caves.”
“Not to burst your bubble Bianca, but that still doesn’t get us any closer to these caves or mines or whatever it is.”
I responded cautiously, trying not to sound to critical of her revelation.
“Well not exactly, Frank said they were in the East of the forest somewhere so all we have to do is head East till we run into them.”
Bianca said, full of confidence. Then something occurred to me, we had no real way of getting back to the bikes other than retracing our steps. Now that was easy enough now, if we went deeper into the woods we would get lost pretty quickly.
“One more thing Bianca, Maybe we should come up with a way to find our way out? I really don’t want to end up lost out here.”
I asked nervously, fidgeting with my hands.
“Way ahead of you on that one, I left my phone back by the bikes. Here give me yours and I’ll put my number in so you can track it and find our way back.”
She said, taking my phone, putting her number into it, and turning it to me to show she’d tracked her own phones location with it, giving us a path back to the bikes.
As we turned East and headed even deeper into the forest the terrain started to change. Instead of the pine needle coating we started to see rocks and the ground was more rugged. Here and there we’d even pass a boulder or two. I decided to break the silence of our search.
“So are you ever going to tell me how you met Frank and Stein?”
Bianca sighed before responding.
“I suppose you deserve to know if your sticking around. You probably guessed I wasn’t always living with them. Lets just say before that I was with someone who I though meant the world to me but I never meant the same to him. It was all a game to him and eventually I noticed that. Then, a little while afterwards I realized I wasn’t exactly powerless anymore and I did some things that I’m not exactly proud of to survive on my own.”
I could tell talking about this hurt her but I needed more.
“That’s not exactly telling me a whole lot Bianca.”
I pressed, maybe a little to hard.
“I found out I had powers and I used them ok! I got myself out of a situation where I was pulled so many way I didn’t know which direction was up! The second I found out I could do the same thing to people myself, I did! You’re the first person to actually seem to give a shit that wasn’t some crazy doctor that tolerates my existence or someone I just manipulated into caring! Maybe I even did that with you! I JUST DON’T KNOW ANYMORE!”
Bianca screamed at me, getting in my face with tears beginning to run down her own. Her eyes were glowing electric blue again and I knew I’d crossed a line.
“Hey I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you. I… I didn’t know.”
“No.. you didn’t but I guess you should”
Bianca sniffled out, trying desperately to pull herself back together and keep up the act the everything was ok. Bianca went silent for a while as we kept walking along, crying to herself before she finally took a deep breath and said,
“You know, this is the first time someone’s asked me to come along and do something outside the house in years. I spend so much time cooped up in there just helping with experiments and looking after Rocco. It’s actually nice to get out and talk for once.”
Her voice still a lifts hoarse from screaming at me before.
“Look if you want to talk about it we’ve got nothing but time out here. I’d like to know a bit more about you anyways.”
I said taking her hand and trying to sound comforting.
“Yeah maybe I should get some of it off my chest. Here it goes I guess.”
Bianca said, taking a deep breath and tightening her grip on my hand. Her eyes still glowed faintly as she told me her story as we ventured deeper into the forest.
I’ll give you the shorter version of it here, mostly cause I’m not sure how she’d feel about me spoiling all her secrets.. She ran away from her family and her college education for a guy, his name was Brooke. Brooke was from money and had a job lined up by his family at a law firm so Bianca thought she was set for life with him. Bianca was madly in love with him at the time but as days grew into months and years, Brooke became a monster. He cheated on her and told her she wasn’t enough, that her shortcomings drove him to do it over and over again and somehow it was all her fault every time. He became abusive not long after the cheating started, flying into fits of hysteric apology afterwards only further convincing Bianca she was somehow at fault. After three years of this she eventually got up the courage to leave and never looked back. On the road she discovered her powers of manipulation, letting her play with people’s emotions and she only got better at it with time. Unfortunately her abilities got her into a very specific form of getting money out of people, prostitution. One day she tried to solicit Stein and he saw straight through her. Stein took her with him to the hotel he and Frank were staying at and they took her in on the spot. The trio traveled together ever since, Bianca becoming a kind of daughter to them.
I was in shock once she finished her story, it sounded like she’d really been through the ringer.“I don’t know what to say, that’s awful, all of it.”
“It was, I lived it. But I made it through, doesn’t matter how at the end of the day. I’ve got Frank and Stein and that’s enough, they let me into their home and I recovered in my own way, I’m still here so I’ll take what I can get right?”
Bianca stated with a cold loom of determination on her face. It was painfully obvious to me that despite the masquerade of being fine she was barley holding it together underneath. Like just talking about it with me was driving a finger into old wounds.
“At least you’ll never have to go through something like that again. With your abilities you never have to get pushed around like that.”
I said with completely no tact whatsoever. Bianca stopped suddenly as I said this and whirled around to face me. The fire I’d seen in her eyes earlier reigniting in seconds.
“Do you really think that’s all this is?! I’m no better than him, even you don’t know what you really think when you look at me! Admit ti!”
Bianca growled at me, hysterical once again.
“No, Bianca I…”
“Look I know your trying to help but just leave it, ok? I’m done talking about this”
She cut me off, pulling herself back together and signaling very clearly we were done with that particular conversation.
“Besides look over there, That hole in the rock see it? That might be what we’re looking for.”
Bianca said, gesturing to the stone wall that now jutted out of the ground beside us.
The rock wall she pointed out was chipped near the middle in a way that couldn’t have been natural. Straight lines don’t really exist in nature and this hole was cut squarely into this rock wall. As we got closer I could see that it wasn’t just an entrance either. The hole opened into the rock wall but then suddenly dropped, like whoever carved it had hit a point where the ground just fell out from under them. From where Bianca and I were looking into the hole we couldn’t quite see the bottom.
“Well we found what we were looking for, is this bringing back any memories from those dreams you had?”
Bianca asked, sounding a little short tempered still as I searched through my bag.
“What are you looking for in there?”
“Rope, I’ve got to see what’s in there and I’m hoping I brought enough to climb down there.”
I replied hurriedly, still tearing apart my bag to get to the rope I had packed underneath everything else.
“Rope? you’re not seriously going to climb down that pit are you? I can barely see down there.”
Bianca complained, sounding exasperated.
“Here, this should help you see down there.”
I said, tossing her one of the two head mounted flashlights I brought along.
“ME? I never said we were going down there!”
Bianca panicked momentarily.
“Look, you can stay up here and wait for me if you really don’t want to go down there. But I would appreciate having you to watch my back.”
I added trying to soften her up. Bianca opened her mouth like she was going to say something but stopped, instead dropping her own pack to the ground and searching through it.
“Look if I’m going down there I’m going to need something better than yoga pants on and…. You actually packed a change of clothes in here. Geez you really did think of everything.”
As Bianca took the jeans I packed and went off to find somewhere to change I finally found the rope. It was about 50 feet of strong climbing rope that I kept for an occasion just like this. Now that’s not to say I was a professional climber by any means but a 20 or 30 foot rappel I should be able to do. I was hoping that the descent wasn’t much further than that. I anchored the rope to a tree a little ways away from the hole in the rock face and tossed the rope down the hole. It hit the bottom with a satisfying thud just as Bianca got back from changing. The jeans I had packed were a little big on her but she’d manage. She looked like a mess in her ancient combat boot and jacket, all of which were too big for her. I tried to open my mouth to tell her she looked nice, I swear I really did but what came out was hyena-like laughter at her appearance.
“I…. Oh god I’m…. It’s just”
I struggled to get out, laughing all the while.
“Well I’m glad you like it at least, ok seriously come on, stop laughing.”
Bianca scolded as she began giggling herself. Soon enough we were both laughing, Bianca’s earlier storminess cleared up by the absurdity of the situation.
Here we were, a succubus and a guy with a strange mark out in the woods getting ready to rappel into a hole in the ground that apparently didn’t exist. All this was almost starting to feel… I’m not really sure how to put it, not normal but not so strange. Honestly I finally felt like I’d found some kind of purpose again out here. As weird as it all was I was starting to enjoy… this, this whole odd situation I’d found myself in. Bianca and I finally got ahold of the laughter and stood back up from our place on the ground.
“Do I really look that bad?”
She asked
“I’ve never heard you complain about your looks before. But no, with those jeans on you look like maybe, just maybe you prepared a little bit for coming out here.”
I teased, getting a little wry grin out of her.
“Come on, lets get going. Hopefully we can be in and out of there pretty quickly.”
I said, handing Bianca her pack and shouldering my own.
Rappelling in wasn’t actually all that hard, really dangerous without safety equipment sure, but neither of us had any trouble descending the maybe 20 foot drop. At the bottom I saw something that shocked me, this place wasn’t abandoned. I saw lighting set up, not on but very clearly set up recently. Bits of old mining equipment were scattered around the… cave? Mine? Im not really sure what to call it anymore. What concerned me more than anything was the light I saw at the far end of the cave (I’m settling on calling it a cave). The light came from a massive bonfire and I could just make out the shadows of several people sitting around it. I have no idea how we didn’t see the smoke on our way in. It wasn’t filling the cave but it also wasn’t coming out from anywhere I saw on the way here.
“Bianca get down!”
I whisper shouted at her, turning off my headlamp and falling flat to the ground myself. Bianca dropped to the ground as she heard me with unexpected grace. I didn’t know if those figures by the fire had seen us but I certainly wasn’t taking chances.
“Ok, I’m going to creep up and see if I can hear them talking or something. Can you just stay here and watch my back? I don’t want you getting any closer than you have to.”
I instructed Bianca who answered with a quick nod and reached into the inner pocket of her jacket. She withdrew a jeweled golden dagger from it.
“I sorry, what’s this now?”
I asked, confused and thrown off guard by the weapon. It was a really beautiful blade, the hilt was silver with several purple gems inlaid in it. The blade was golden save for the razor sharp edge which was some kind of strange blue material that was roughly the same color Blanca’s eyes glowed.
“I had a life before this you know.”
Bianca responded.
“Yeah we talked about it but you didn’t really tell me much about this part apparently. Doesn’t matter I guess just surprised you have Jeff Bezos’s butter knife in your jacket pocket.”
I whispered, pointing at the dagger in her hand.
“Well we can talk more about how I ended up with this later, not really the time now. Just be careful ok.”
I got up as she said this, realizing she was right. Now really wasn’t the time to be asking about strange daggers, I had more pressing issues.
I crouched down and started creeping towards the figures by the bonfire, careful to avoid the rusty machinery bits scattered across the ground. As I got closer I saw a passage I had missed in the dark. I dared to turn my headlamp on for just a second, trying to block out most of the light with my hand. What I saw through the dim light and shadows of my finger left me awestruck. Inside the passage a coliseum had been constructed, with seats carved into the stone. The structure itself was made up of the rusted metal pieces that littered the room, collected and smelted together to form the walls of the structure. What frightened me the most was the symbol clearly and meticulously drawn on the dirt floor, the same symbol that adorned my back, the symbol of the thunderbird. Moving on, more shaken than ever I crept closer still to the roaring bonfire. I could just about make out the words the figures were saying. When I got close enough to make out the word “tests” the fire suddenly went out with a gust of wind.The room temperature must have dropped 10 degrees immediately and I could swear I heard the sounds of heavy rain above us. But the sudden lack of light isn’t what rooted me in place, cowering on the cave floor. What did that was the two illuminated grey eyes that pierced through the darkness like lightning in a storm, eyes I would never forget, the eyes of the woman from Imalone.
This time I clearly heard the voices of the figures from around the bonfire as they all dropped to their knees.
“Shaoni! We weren’t expecting you till later, Stormcaller.”
The figures all said some variation of in unison. Their tone sounding almost as though they were begging for forgiveness. In a voice that hissed like rain on pavement the woman apparently named Shaoni spoke.
“I’ve come to oversee the start of the trials, is everything prepared?”
In one bone chilling moment her eyes locked on mine and she said the one thing I’d hoped she wouldn’t.
“You didn’t tell me we had guests.”
The moment the words left her lips I turned back to where Bianca was waiting, her now glowing eyes cutting through the darkness of the cave. Giving up any form of subtly, I bolted for the rope behind Bianca. I just wanted to be out of this cave, whatever I might learn from searching around was far outweighed by the fact that Shaoni was here. I’d seen the kind of destruction she’d left in her wake in Imalone and I had no desire to see it happen again here. I banged my ankle on several of the little bits of rusty metal on the floor as I ran, sending sparks of pain up my leg. I didn’t hear anything behind me at all which was almost more unnerving than the footsteps I expected to hear. I closed in on Bianca and saw she hadn’t moved at all, her eyes fixed on something behind me. I dared to take a quick glance back over my shoulder and saw Shaoni taking her first step away from the extinguished bonfire. Lightning crackled around her like one of those novelty plasma globes. In the flashes of light I could see her face. There was no smile or frown, no emotion at all. She simply stared straight ahead towards me and took slow calm steps, inching ever closer.
“Bianca we’ve got to go… NOW!”
I shouted, snapping her to attention. She nodded and turned on her heels, back toward the rope we’d thrown in earlier. Only, when we got to the rope and gave it a tug, it came falling back toward us.
“There’s no way. I…I anchored it to that tree, it should’ve held!”
I cried in disbelief. Bianca and I starred up at the now stormy sky through the hole we would’ve escaped from. Two men walked into view on either side of the hole, glowering down at us. I notice a marking on one of the men’s hands in a flash of lightning from the storm. I could only assume if I was able to make it out I would’ve seen a marking just like the one on my back. Just as soon as the men had appeared a shape flew in from the left with a low growl, taking both men along with it.
“Ok, new plan! There’s something else up there and I really don’t want to get involved with… whatever that was either. I didn’t see any footprints near the entrance so I’m assuming those guys we saw by the bonfire got in another way. We’re just going to have to find where that was and get out that way.”
I instructed Bianca, gesturing to the men in toe with Shaoni and trying not to sound as afraid as I was.
“Ok, I’m with you but lets get moving, I don’t want to any closer to her than I have to be.”
Bianca answered, putting her hand on my shoulder. I suddenly felt a wave of calm rush over me and for the second time I was grateful for Bianca’s ability to simply turn off my fear response.
Shaoni now stood about 50 feet from us with four men following behind her. In the light she gave off I could see the men were all dressed like normal people. I kind of figured they would be more of those canvas wrapped weirdos from Imalone but no. There stood four men in jeans and flannels standing there. Shaoni looked like she could’ve stepped right out of a painting of Pocahontas. She wore an animal hide dress with frills along the bottom and arms. Her head was adorned with a leather band containing several hawk feathers. In short she looked like she’d stepped out of a different time. But I had no time to look over the finer details of her clothing as Bianca and I rushed towards her. Once we got within striking distance I pulled Bianca to the left, towards the passage I had seen earlier. Shaoni never made a move towards us, she just simply looked at me, the ghost of a smile briefly crossing her lips. One of the men with her grabbed at Bianca though, pulling her out of my grasp momentarily. That was a mistake because she was on him immediately with the ornate dagger I’d seen before. As the man grabbed her Bianca lashed out with the dagger, sticking him in the gut with the blade. He screamed in anguish and let go of her but Bianca wasn’t done yet. She followed up by stabbing the man in the back of the neck as he bent over, grabbing at the hole in his abdomen. The other three men were so taken aback by the sudden ferocity she displayed that they didn’t come any closer. As time stood still for a second the men all looked toward Shaoni, awaiting instructions but hesitant to get any closer to Bianca. Using the brief moment of disbelief Bianca had caused, we ran down the side passage towards the coliseum.
“What was that?”
I asked, still shocked by how suddenly Bianca had acted.
“He tried to grab me, I don’t like when they try to grab me”
Bianca responded, distant and… scared? I got the sense she was still in shock at what she had done too. But I couldn’t worry about that right now, we still had to get out of here. Luckily the men didn’t seem to be following us. Wether Shaoni called them off or they stopped to care for their friend I didn’t know, and frankly I didn’t care.
Rushing through the rusty coliseum was haunting. I expected something to jump out of every shadow in the imposing structure. As we slowed to a jog in the middle of the coliseum, right where that eagle symbol was, we stopped to look around. We had come into this arena through an open arch but the only other exit I could see was a similar but barred archway. The coliseum was huge for something constructed in a cave, probably 400 feet across. I had no idea how this thing could’ve been made without anybody finding out.
“Bianca are you seeing anyway out of here? Bianca!”
I asked, then shouted as I turned to see her standing still as a statue in the middle of the Eagle symbol. She was staring at the dagger she had stabbed that man with. Blood still stained the blade and dripped from it intermittently.
“Bianca are you alright?”
I questioned as I walked over to her. She still had this look in her eyes, like she was miles away.
“Bianca? Come on talk to me. Look, you did what you had to do back there, sure it wasn’t exactly pretty but it had to be done.”
I tried to comfort her with my words but the truth is, my heart just wasn’t in it. I was a little scared of what I saw from her in those few moments. She just lashed out and attacked him, not that he didn’t deserve it but going back for more was too much. But what would’ve happened if she didn’t act? It’s not something I could really dwell on now and I’m not sure it really mattered. I just wasn’t feeling all that great about the fact we may have killed someone.
“I don’t like it when they grab me.”
Bianca finally repeated, still appearing catatonic. I leaned down to her level, putting my face right in-front of her’s and putting her head in between my hands.
“Bianca I know enough to know that whole situation may have dug up some memories for you but nows really not the time. We have to keep moving, we have to find a way out of here, and I can’t do that without you right now.”
Bianca tensed up as I spoke to her, but I could feel her relax as I finished. A single tear fell from her eye as she gave me a nod and followed behind me as I walked toward the barred off archway.
Before I made it to the archway there was a massive crash as something tore the rusty bars from their mountings and fell into the room.
“Tuck?!”
I exclaimed, recognizing his colossal figure on the floor immediately. His shirt and pants were torn to shreds though, Like he’d flexed too hard and burst out of his clothes. Bianca and I rushed over to check on him but apparently he was fine. Before we even started walking towards him he was already back up on his feet and lumbering towards us.
“Tuck what are you doing here? Actually never mind, are you ok?”
I asked, concern in my voice.
“It’s going to take more than this to stop me son. I figured you might go looking for that old mine I mentioned the other night so I came to find you. I feel real bad about ya run’in off the way ya did and I got to thinking. Maybe I could make it up to ya if I told ya about the mine. So I came out here and found some shady look’in fellas poking around and figured maybe ya needed help, looks like I was right.”
Tuck explained, dusting himself off and brushing away some of the tattered remains of his shirt. I didn’t buy his story for a second but I wasn’t going to argue with this bear of a man.
“So how did you get in anyway?”
“Used the old entrance from back when this place was still run’in, come on I’ll lead ya out.”
Tuck answered, already turning and walking back the way he came.
The walk out was long and none of us talked much so I just looked around. The further we walked down this little tunnel the more I noticed crushed equipment. The walls looked like they were made up of bits and pieces of crumbled rock that may have once been the ceiling of a much bigger tunnel here.
“There was a collapse, just like the report said only, whatever caused it wasn’t any fault of ours. It was that damn thunderbird waking up.”
Tuck piped up, answering one question and making me ask another.
“Wait you knew about her?!”
“All the miners did, some decided to follow her after she woke up and brought the walls down on us. Others wanted revenge for the brothers we lost, I’m one of the former. You see son, the reason I stayed around this town so long was because of that bird. I want a chance to return the favor.”
“But what about Robert? If you hate the thunderbird so much why’d you let him in? You had to see that tattoo on his hand.”
“I know he thinks that damned bird will “save” him or something but I don’t blame him. Everyone deals with things in their own way and it’s not my place to judge folk for it.”
Tuck lectured, as we made our way further down the passage. His words made sense to me but I didn’t understand how he could be so understanding. From what I understood the thunderbird had a part to play in the original mine’s collapse and the death of the workers there. Only for some of the survivors to revere this creature. If I were in Tuck’s shoes I don’t think I could forgive and forget.
Finally we saw light at the end of the tunnel. We emerged into the whispers of what I’m sure was a monster of a storm. But that’s not what drew my attention, what did were the boulders scattered around the hole we just came out of. It looked like they had been moved, and recently. The suspicious red stain just barley peaking out from the bottom of one of them only served to convince me further. Tuck’s story didn’t quite make sense and this entrance seemed like it should’ve been blocked up until very recently. I wasn’t about to question the guy who saved us though, so I let the issue rest.
Bianca’s idea of tracking her phone to find our way to the bikes worked like a charm. We followed the directions my phone spit at us and eventually found our way back to the bikes. Tuck’s old Ford Bronco sat behind our bikes leaving me to question if he followed us on our way here.
“Well do you kids want a ride back to town?”
Tuck asked, his voice bellowing across the forest. Seriously it was like the guy swallowed a loudspeaker at some point and just spoke through it now.
“No we’ll find our own way back.”
“Alrighty then, stay safe son.”
Tuck called back to me as he got into his truck and drove off. Bianca and I stood up our bikes and got ready to head back to town.
“Hey Keith?”
“Yeah what is it Bianca?”
“Next time you offer to bring me along somewhere can you warn me about the damn thunderbird that seems to just show up around you.”
I laughed at this, it was nice to see Bianca joking around again. After what happened in the caves she seemed like someone else, none of her usual cheeriness was there. Not that I knew if that was what she wanted me to see from her or how she actually presented herself but still. I trusted her enough at this point to assume she wasn’t using her abilities to mess with my head.
When we got back to Bianca’s house the sun was just beginning to set, washing the town in shades of purple, orange, and red. We walked the bikes around to their place behind the house and I walked Bianca back to the front door.
“Thanks for today Keith,I don’t… get out very much anymore and it was… nice… to do something other than sit around the house for once. You know, despite everything that happened it was actually fun.”
I was taken aback by her words at first. If it was me I’d immediately want nothing to do with this person who just put me in danger.
“You had fun? The thunderbird showed up again and we may have killed a guy and you had fun?”
I asked, raising and eyebrow suspiciously.
“Can we not talk about that right now? Anyways I don’t exactly have a high bar for what is and isn’t fun at this point. I’ll see you later Keith.”
Bianca said, cracking a smile and walking into her house.
I was about halfway back to my own house when I realized she never gave me my backpack back. Well, looks like I’d be seeing her again then because I need that stuff back. I wasn’t sure what to think about what I’d seen today. If the thunderbird was in those mines years ago why did she end up in Wisconsin? There was also a very real possibility some people in this town worshipped her so I’d have to keep an eye out for that. The really interesting thing to me was the Shaoni never seemed to want to hurt me in the cave today. She was terrifying as all hell sure, but I didn’t get the sense that she wanted to cause me any sort of harm. If she wanted to do that my gut told me she would’ve done it quickly and efficiently.
Thunder suddenly cracked outside, interrupting my train of thought. As I stood up to see what time it was a knock came from the front door. I froze, who exactly could it be? I doubt Bianca would come over, I don’t think she even knows where I live but maybe she came by to drop off the backpack she absconded with? The knock came again, more forcefully this time.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
I shouted, as I jogged to the door. My heart dropped as soon as I opened it, On the other side of the door stood Shaoni. She was dressed normally for once, wearing a long flowing white nightgown. Shaoni stepped into my house as she cooed in her usual misty voice.
“Good evening. Keith was it? We have much to discuss.”

I've only had these for 3 years now. I don't get that many appreciate it's miniscule in comparison to others at most I get like 50 a day.
Also get the odd racing heart at rest but still seems to stay in rhythm.
Also sometimes chest pain.
All started 3 years ago when I had 30 seconds of normal beat missed beat on repeat.
I've had million ecgs, 2 holter monitors, echo, chest xray and stress test ecg all normal.
But I just can't shake the feeling that at some point it's going to escalate into a dangerous heart rhythm.
I get when people say don't worry about what you can't control but easier said than done.
Also all the stuff flying around still about covid and the vaccines potentially causing heart issues doesn't help.
Just feel like clearly somethings damaged with my heart that causes these things and struggle some days to get out of my head about it.
So how do you guys do it? How do you reassure yourselves? How long have you lived with it?

This situation is absolutely fucked.
Last night at 2am my girlfriend and I decided to get very very kinky on the phone. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but it was definitely the last thing you'd ever want your mother to hear. My girlfriends mom heard the entire thing. She told her to hang up and stay in her room. An hour later, her mom told her to call me on speaker phone and break up with me. So she called me, told me we're over right in front of her mom, and hung up. I was absolutely speechless. I don't know how to describe this feeling because I know I fucked up by letting things get that far. We are both legal adults and we're both religious. Her mom is a pious woman, and I really respect that about her. I definitely crossed a line by even letting this happen. After we broke up I couldn't sleep. Then she texted me and told me she wants to be with me regardless of what her mom made her do. We are secretly texting on different accounts now. I don't know whether to respect her mothers wishes and stay away, or stay with this girl because we have gone through thick and thin together and have made marriage a clear plan for the both of us. I bought tickets to see her for the first time this summer and I booked an air bnb but now I have no idea what the fuck to do because her mom wont let her visit me anymore. Her mom said I'm not a man, and I do this with other girls, and that I would cheat on her in a heartbeat. I've never done anything like this with anyone in my life before so it feels really shitty that she thinks I'm this sort of dude. For 95% of our relationship, things never turned sexual ever. We both made it clear that we wanted to wait for marriage but these past 2 weeks something changed and we wanted each other more than ever. I really don't know what to do and I know for a fact that secretly dating her over the phone until she moves out is a dangerous option. She told me that if she ever is caught speaking to me again her mom would tell her dad and her dad would find where I live and kill me. I really want to know what the healthiest option would be here. My mind is telling me to respect her mother's opinion but my heart is telling be to be with her no matter what. My girlfriend told me she would give up her relationship with her parents to be with me. She doesn't have the best relationship with her parents to be fair but I want to some how with them over again. What do I do?

This situation is absolutely fucked.
Last night at 2am my girlfriend and I decided to get very very kinky on the phone. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but it was definitely the last thing you'd ever want your mother to hear. My girlfriends mom heard the entire thing. She told her to hang up and stay in her room. An hour later, her mom told her to call me on speaker phone and break up with me. So she called me, told me we're over right in front of her mom, and hung up. I was absolutely speechless. I don't know how to describe this feeling because I know I fucked up by letting things get that far. We are both legal adults and we're both religious. Her mom is a pious woman, and I really respect that about her. I definitely crossed a line by even letting this happen. After we broke up I couldn't sleep. Then she texted me and told me she wants to be with me regardless of what her mom made her do. We are secretly texting on different accounts now. I don't know whether to respect her mothers wishes and stay away, or stay with this girl because we have gone through thick and thin together and have made marriage a clear plan for the both of us. I bought tickets to see her for the first time this summer and I booked an air bnb but now I have no idea what the fuck to do because her mom wont let her visit me anymore. Her mom said I'm not a man, and I do this with other girls, and that I would cheat on her in a heartbeat. I've never done anything like this with anyone in my life before so it feels really shitty that she thinks I'm this sort of dude. For 95% of our relationship, things never turned sexual ever. We both made it clear that we wanted to wait for marriage but these past 2 weeks something changed and we wanted each other more than ever. I really don't know what to do and I know for a fact that secretly dating her over the phone until she moves out is a dangerous option. She told me that if she ever is caught speaking to me again her mom would tell her dad and her dad would find where I live and kill me. I really want to know what the healthiest option would be here. My mind is telling me to respect her mother's opinion but my heart is telling be to be with her no matter what. My girlfriend told me she would give up her relationship with her parents to be with me. She doesn't have the best relationship with her parents to be fair but I want to some how with them over again. What do I do?

I (19F)met my ex ( 19M) 2 years ago and had a rocky relationship with him.I had been dealing with a very hard time in my life and he was everything I have wanted in life at that point.I was 17 who never had a proper relationship at that point,so I was intrigued.
When happy phase ended after 5 months,I started to saw the red flags.He was childhish.He would just coldly broke up with me,saying that he didn’t love me anymore and next day,he would come back crawling,saying sorry,crying.At that point,I did not know any better,so I tolareted this behaviour.
After the uni acceptance exam I was screwed up.İt meant I had to take again next year. He basically told me that he was going to university and didnt want to deal with a high school graduate while he was off to another city,saying he wanted to live a “uni life” and dumped me in cold blood again.I found out he met someone that day and gave his Instagram and that was why he dumped me.He even described this girl as “drop dead gorg,made me forget my gf lmao”in his groupchat.
I was heartbroken.Crushed all over and did not want to leave my room for a whole week and crying all day. This is when my best friend(19M)comes to story.Let’s call him Edgar.
He was there for me.
Edgar and I have dated back in middle school when both 14.We were kind of that silly childhood sweethearts who randomly name their imaginary child.We broke up but wanted to stay in touch,so we decided on staying friends.We quickly got comfortable and even called each other “best friend”.We never lost touch and were always close.My boyfriend knew aboout us and claimed he had no issues,said he respected our friendship and even met him on my birthday.
Edgar was there for me when my boyfriend dumped me and basically dragged me outside when I did not want to leave my room.We spent time together which helped me heal a lot but I can’t deny that he was getting more touchy than ever (without being sexual and unappropriate) and always said phrases like “if we were 14 right now”or “if we were back to middle school,what would you do?”
That being there,my ex reached out to me and quickly started trying to reconcile.He was trying nonstop and bombarding with me with all the apologies.I am an idiot for this but I once again took him back.
But it only got worse from there. He was getting better and I was starting to notice that he was more serious about Our relationship and was more warm and but I had trust issues now. We had a fight when his family didn’t want to meet me.Appearantly,his mother hadnt even met his sister’s boyfriend (40F)because she did not think marriage.I found this off since we were fresh 18 back then and barely adults and had a huge fight about it.So,I invited Edgar to my place to talk and rant to him.
Drinks were involved and we ended up sleeping together that night which was my first time.I would never try to justify my cheating but I felt like he brought me back to life that night and felt an immense connection to him.Maybe,it had been there all the time?
I couldn’t keep it and came clean about everything to my boyfriend.He was furious but decided to forgive me.
Me and Edgar never talked about that night and had a fight over some trivial matter and hadnt speak for 9 months.Meanwhile I continued to date my boyfriend but I just felt so empty and really missed Edgar.My boyfriend always knew. 9 months later;everything started to clear up.We broke up with my ex after dating almost 2 years and we even made up with Edgar.
Well,we are trying to make it work.We have our problems after 5 years of being friends and suddenly getting into a relationship but it is great.I love him and he has became my everything. We had date and I decided to post it.My ex’s bff saw and ss’ed it to him.
He was angry and started to roast me on his WP status,calling me names,posting edgy/angry musics and making his friends comment mean things to my post.
I reached out to him and told him to get over it and he got even more angry,told me I am a cheating bed toy who deserves all the bad things in life.
I just dont understand this reaction when he LİTERALLY did cheat on me too and forgave me after mine too?And even knew he knew I had never gotten over that night with Edgar
Comments are getting mean but he refuses to get over it. Aita?

SYNOPSIS: Walking your OP monster girlfriend home is easy. No one messes with you. Getting back to your house on your own? That's the tricky part.
What's worse than an eldritch building? How 'bout a bigger one?
First Previous (See NEXT>> in comments)
Chapter Cover Art (From Mood Writing Sample)
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Norman took one look at the towering building to his left. Then he took off.
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“̷̵̵̷̶̷̶̶̸̶̶̸̴̡̛̮͉̹̪̼̙̤̲̤͔̗̮̥̣̜͓̟̞̃̔̈́̑̈̍͌̂̂̐̋͛̉̓G̵̶̸̷̴̸̵̵̴̶̸̷̸̴̶̨̢̧̞͈̠̜̳̪͎̬̜̱̫͚̝̩̑̒͐́͆̃̿̉̆̉̃̓̀̎̐͂̎̒̕̕͘͝͝Ǵ̷̷̷̴̸̸̷̷̷̷̵̨̢̞̥͓̰͖͙̰̝͖̩̺͍͎͉͌̽̂́͐̓̀͒̐͗́M̴̷̶̵̴̷̵̶̵̴̷̷̢̡̧̢̛̫̲͕͇̗̯͚̥͙͓͓̀̒͑͒̂̊̅̐͛̂̄͌̈̚͝M̴̷̶̵̴̷̷̶̷̬̼̭̗͍̺̳̩̱͍̂̄̾͂̔̽̇̀͝͝͝͠M̶̯̙̥͕̞̰̗̗͐̔!̸̞̞̬̼̖̩̈́̇͊͐̾͑͋̉!̷̧͈̘̬̆͑͝!̶̤̜̔̓̆̅̔͆͘͝”̸̨̧̼̭̫̒͜

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The new hunting cry boomed through his body. It was much louder than the first building’s, albeit shorter, like a tap on the shoulder from a titan proclaiming its presence to the world.
Of course, the tap of a titan could flatten a man.
Norman fell. His legs had simply stopped working. Jaws clenched, he forced his will into wobbly muscles. His palms slammed into the waterlogged street, stopping the fall. With a sharp push, he sprang back to his feet and ran on.
Norman yanked out the remaining two flash grenades on the go, strung them together, armed and drew back for a throw.
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“̷̬̳̙̍̎̆G̴̥͇̥͔͕̫̈̀M̵̛͇̜͙͇̫͔̭̩̝̜̓̈̏̓̓̀͛̚͜͝͝M̷̩͈͉̘͙̿͌̃̽͂̃̏̏̓̾̈́͌̈́̉̅̄̉͘!̷̢̧̢̤͓̭̖̝̏̏̄̓̾̉̆͋͘͝!̵͍̱̼̮̯̺̲͙̖̮̗͓̻̓̊͂̒̔͐̎͘͘̚!̵̙͍̟̌͒̃͂̎͠”̶̡̛̠̱̭̞̹̟͉̒̎̎̂͂̐̈́̓̄̚̕

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That quick boom pounded through him. His fingers faltered. The flash grenades slipped from his grip and fell. He was still recovering from the sound when they went off at his feet. The nightsight filtered the flash, so he didn’t go blind. He’d gutted the flash grenade’s speakers, so he didn’t go deaf. The peeping building could deafen him all on its own … no, this wasn’t a peeping building. He’d slew a peeping building. They were small fries by comparison.
This was an eyescraper.
Tentacles the width of busses unsheathed from its sides. Even if he’d managed to launch the grenades and bathe it in smitelight, he suspected that wouldn’t be enough.
Norman sliced at its eyes with a focused beam. It barely flinched. Maybe if it got close enough, he could affect it a bit. By then, it would be too late.
Throbbing chuffs thundered from the monster. It sounded like a laugh.
Norman shot it a defiant glare. He bolted. Not fast enough. He could feel the giant closing in. So, he moved faster. Then faster, and still faster. His muscles blared their warnings. Rain lashed his face. He felt the air begin to resist his movements as he reached a speed at which it mattered. It was in his way, so he pushed through it too. No one was there to tell him he was moving far faster than any human known to history. All he cared about was hearing that thing fall behind him, and so it did. The tremours of its tremendous movements grew fainter.
At the end of the street, an apartment building came into view. Norman threw himself against it, climbing with the reckless abandon of a madman. He was halfway to the top.
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“̷̧̨̭̹̘̥̮͖̤̻̥̬̌̀͒̔͌̊̀̚͜͜͠Ǧ̶̨̨̧̺̘̰̗̘̥̝̗̦̩͖͎͋̈͑͐̒̽̉̔͛̾̒́̕ͅM̴̨̉́̾̉͂͆̔̿̀̃̇̎̍͆̂̽͗̔͘͠ͅM̷̝̻̱̆̍͜!̴̮̬̯̮̦̖́͂̆͋̿̇̎̄̄̅̂͑̎̀̕͘͝͝͝!̸̲͎̲̼̠̮̱͖̥̭̤̩͓̘̜͈̟̖̮̰̦͖̀̂͗͂̽̈́̋͌͂̐̓̈̕!̸̜̆̿̋̔̽̕”̷̢̦̜̰̼̳̝͓̆͗̈́̆̆̑̃̾͑̀͗͒͆́͐͒̈́̿̽̕̕͜

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His grip went limp. He fell. Struck the ground. His head bounced. The world grew fu...z z y.
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W
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_CHAT

• LEMMY.OUTA.HERE: (Stupse) Well, he ded.
• BAJANETTE11: ARN74, JUST GO AND FIND HIM!!!
• ARN74: HE DIDN’T SEND ME DE PIN! DIS BAAARE STRESS! NORMAN, YOU PUNK! YOU EMOTIONALLY INVESTED ME IN THIS CHANNEL! IF YOU DIE NOW I’M GONNA KILL YOU!

Something was yapping in the background, but it wasn’t important. He felt fine. Everything was fine. Why not rest? Why was he even-?

_CHAT

• ARN74: YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN’T LEAVE AMY!!

What? No he didn’t! Promises weren’t for trolls! Why would he leave Amy anyway?
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“̸̼͔̖̜̫͍͚̊́̽͆̓̂̋̋͐̕Ģ̴̢͕͉̯̺̗̖͔͙̪͓̻̯̫̭̙̱͕̠̭̩̌M̸̨̧̘̟̹̖̻̲͍̭͓͉̰͙̦̣̜͉̻̎̅͗̇̈́̈̏͌̓̾̀̈̈́͜M̵̢̢̖̯̦͍͕̝̯̥̹̪̠̥̰̝̖̊͛̀̇͜!̵̢̡̡͚͕̘̟͕̥̦̪͆̈́̿͆!̴̛̹͈̜̥͔̬͎̪̩͚̦̯̟̘̩̰̳̍̑̂́̌͌̎́̒͋̽̿̑͌͝͝!̴̛̥͕̪͂̂̂̈̓͆͗̇̄̈́̌̅̎͂̕̚̕͝͠”̷̧̧̛̠̝̰̞̘͙̥̖͎̭̞̜̳̟̓͆̌̊̃̔́͒͋̇̈́͘̚͠͝ͅ
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Oh, right. There was a skyscraper running him down. To think he lived in a world where that made any sense. He rubbed his throbbing head. It was hard to think, though.

_CHAT

• ARN74: TRY AN CLIMB DE TING OPPA!

Brain fog would have to wait.
In two twos he jumped onto the side of the building and kept going up and up without breaking the momentum of the leap. Adrenaline had challenged gravity. Gravity lost. There was no pause to assess handholds. There was no rain stinging his face. In his mind, there was only ‘CLIMB, CLIMB, CLIMB!’ Crest the rooftop. ‘RUN, RUN, RUN!’ Descend the other side ‘JUMP!’ Gravity greedily reclaimed Norman, dragging him 4 storeys down at breakneck speed. He hit the ground in a parkour roll. Bruised a bone. Nearly fractured a shoulder. Wrenched his spine. Joints, muscle, ligaments almost popped. They didn’t.
He was running again.
Norman had never heard a building shred like paper. He’d never thought to wonder what it sounded like.
*( ( BMMM! ) ) ( ( BMM! ) ) ( ( BOOM! ) ) \*

SHHHHHRRRRRRMMMM!

Now he knew.
Those booms … was it the eyescraper’s tentacles breaking the sound barrier, or punching holes through the apartment building? Maybe both. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was tearing the building in two with the ease of one parting curtains. Buildings were not designed to be parted. Two became legions as the sundered building collapsed.
Norman rushed for an abandoned truck, slid beneath the trailer. Not quite fast enough. Most of the rubble didn’t reach him directly, but upon hitting the ground? It pulverised into a blast of cloud like a sandstorm. Hissing beneath the trailer, the dust stung at his ankles. He ignored it, racing for the truck’s cabin at the front. Perched on the step beneath the door, he braced as the dust raced beneath, around and above him. The cabin was his shield. He flinched to a duck when its windows shattered as the dust cloud blasted straight through them. The truck rocked and slid slightly, bombarded by wind and dust. It lurched as a chunk of debris finally reached it, crumpling the trailer like cheap foil.
Time to move.
Particles prickled Norman’s eyes, finding their way through the nightsight. He took a fresh glimpse of the path ahead before clouds of grey engulfed it all.
Memorised.
He dashed on. A split second later, the cabin was levelled under a larger slab of concrete. More sporadically thundered down around him. His eyes were squeezed shut, denying entry to any more particles. He scrambled through the street, dodging obstacles from memory. As for the concrete rainfall that couldn’t be seen? He had some prayers about that, but it probably came out like half-baked gibberish.
Norman chanced opening his eyes. They watered like crazy. At least most of the dust was gone. Behind him, the eyescraper’s menacing silhouette was picking through the rubble. Finally, an unblocked street was in sight. He rounded the corner.
.
“̵̨̢̮͕̻̲̺́͠G̵̣̒́̓̽̅̊͘͝Ọ̷̝̣͓͙͔̀ͅͅǪ̷̜̺͚̲̯̭̈́̍͂͑̋̋̅͂̅́M̷̨̤̭͈̯̤͋̾̏̈̅̉̀̏͘M̵̡̢̙̱͌̊̓͒́͌Ḿ̸̳͗̀̀͐͒͗́͠ͅ!̷͍͉̣̪̫͙̳̲̤̎̀̾̅̈́̔̎̑͘͜͝͝!̴̨͈͖̘̖̅͛̋̽͠!̸͎̩͓̫̥̼̫̊”̵̫̗̞̣̝̃̅̕͘͜͜͝ͅ
.
Another peeping building, rumbling in from the new street. Alright. Straight it was.
.
“̷̢̧̻̹͚͔̾G̵̳̭̾̃̎̍̌̂̈́̂͛͘M̶̧̠͇͔͚͉̮͈̰͒͊́̏̔̄̾̊͐̒͂͜M̸̳͓̋͋̔͑̔̔̕͝Ő̷͓̟̱̮͓̍̂̾̽̇͘͠Ô̸̧̫͉̮͚̥̥̯̈̾͋̅͂͘̚M̶̢̫̥̰̮̪͙̬̙̗̺̽͒͐͌̋̈̄͆͝M̴̢̧̧̛̗͔͓̫̭̳̱͑̉!̵̡̛̛͍̲̓̅̑̈́̿̏͘̕͠!̸̧̖͔̣̩̏́͋̀͛͂̏̀̇̑͐!̴̧͕̝̮̤̱͈̬͋”̸͓̉̈́̑̎͊̌
.
Maybe not. A third building emerged from the rainfall ahead. All streets blocked. He glanced about. All alleys still blocked. This really was a hunting net, but this much energy for a tiny human? Predators weren’t usually like this.
He ran for the nearest building that wasn’t occupied by eldritch calamari.

( ( BOOMM! ) )

The eyescraper’s tentacle crossed his path. Its supersonic shockwave sent him flying.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Norman came to. Rain poured against his face as he lay on his back. How long was he out? Why was it so cold? The atmosphere didn’t quite feel right. It didn’t look right either. Something about the colours, or subtle lack thereof. Everything seemed a bit desaturated. Norman sat up and coughed his lungs out, evicting a mix of dust and rain water collected in his slackly gaping mouth. Buildings towered above him on every side, a bit too close for comfort.
.

“̸̮̼͍̻̯̲̹͓̬̻̓̍G̷̛̖̙̰̰̟̓Ḿ̸̧̨͊̊̔͒͌̆͆͘͠͝M̷̧̺̏̿̆͑͆͋̅͌̕͝G̵̰̺͇̺̯̲͇̠͖͂͜M̸̡̨͕̹̗̥̎͑́̾!̸͇͙͚̝̩͕̙̒!̵͙̬̮̪̏̍!̶͔̪͉̙̘̃̐̄͝”̶̡̡̥̫̻̝̜̫͙̩͛ͅ

.
Oh, right, those weren’t just buildings.
Norman raised a finger, gesturing to wait. “Could you *kaff!* quit subwoofin’ at me for, like, ten seconds!”
“Plucky.̵͚͐͝ for all seasons I .̵̦̺͐̅see,” came a skin-crawling voice from behind him.
Norman swung back his smitelight. It barely moved half a foot, then it stopped. Rather, something stopped it. That ‘something’ was cold. So cold. His wrist felt the chill without even touching it.
Norman turned, slowly, so as not to trigger further attacks. He found himself looking up.
Eight feet tall. Dark grey skin. A grin that went a little too wide. Dagger teeth. An open-chested jacket, revealing sinewy muscles with luminous markings like tattoos. His ebony eyes bore penetrating white pupils. Of all his traits, the dreadlocks stood out most. They belonged in a nightmare, dancing through the air with a life of their own. Somehow, they looked blacker than black, absorbing every ray of light or heat that came their way. That icy chill in the air shifted with the movements of his dreadlocks. They seemed to drink life from the air itself. Norman almost found it hard to breathe. One dreadlock clutched Norman’s smitelight, only by the tip, but its grip was iron.
Norman stared the tall man down.
The nyctal’s grin grew by a smidgeon.
Taking a calculated risk, Norman released the smitelight. Perhaps a peace offering would do good.
“Good.̷̧͋͌̎̿ boy,” the tall man nodded, admiring the smitelight as the dreadlock rotated it. “Clever.̴̧̤̩͈͓̖͂ͅ toy.”
Norman noted an understated Jamaican accent in his voice.
More dreadlocks slithered across the smitelight, as if tasting its every nook and cranny.
Norman did his best to look casual as he scanned for an escape route. The eyescraper’s tentacles had wrapped around the street, fencing him in.

_CHAT

• BAJANETTE11: 😳
• DARCIE222: okay, i’m back
• HARD-BACK-M8N: who you is again?
• DARCIE222: i left after the twilight angel sleep paralysis
• LEMMY_OUTA_HERE: And you’re back for more?
• DARCIE222: wonna know it impossible to stay away from a channel like dis

Norman looked at the tall nyctal again.

_CHAT

• DARCIE222: 😲 WHO IS THAT?!? AND WHY IS HE KIND OF …??? 😍
• MUNSTER-VERSER: I KNOW!!!
• BAJANETTE11: HE LIKE A VAMPIRE RASTA MAN! ❤❤❤
• ENTO_MOLLY: MOVE OVER MIGUEL O’HARA!! 😍🥰😘
• BAJANETTE11: NORMAN ASK FOR HE NUMBER!!!
• NORMAN: I HERE ABOUT TO DIE AND WONNA WANT HE PHONE NUMBER!?!

The nyctal’s eyes shifted to Norman inquisitively. He frowned, raising an eyebrow as the comments piled up. Finally, he smirked mischievously.
“Your fanbase has peculiar tastes,” purred the tall man.

_CHAT

• ENTO_MOLLY: 😳 Is … he talking about us? HE CAN SEE THE CHAT???
• DARCIE222: THE WAY HE SAID IT!!!
• DARCIE222: HBVJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJKL;K''
• LEMMY_OUTA_HERE: Did she just pass out on the keyboard?
• LIKKLE-BOY: lol!
• ARN74: you’re simping. Norman’s about to die, and you’re simping

The tall man handed Norman his smitelight.
Norman’s suspicious gaze flicked between the nyctal and the weapon. Finally, he reached out and took hold of the smitelight.
It crumbled in his fingers like ice-cold ashes. If not for the insulation gloves, he might have gotten frostbite.
The nyctal laughed.
Norman didn’t find it particularly amusing.
The tall man sauntered towards the eyescraper. Beyond it was a darkness even the nightsight had difficulty piercing. He beckoned Norman as if it were an afterthought.
“Please come in, .̵̭̻͌̓̂Norman.̶̲͕͇̅̑̚,” the nyctal instructed.
Norman stared stubbornly, hands in his pockets as he rocked on his heels. He felt for his smartphone. It wasn’t there. When had he lost it?
Without looking back, the nyctal held up Norman’s phone. It disintegrated between his fingers as he rubbed them together.
Norman glared. At least the guy hadn’t pickpocketed deeply enough to find other things.
“Hey. To whom do I owe the … pleasure?” Norman almost had to push the last word through his teeth.
The nyctal stopped in the eyescraper’s doorframe. Shrouded in shadow, little could be seen of him, save the piercing white pupils peering out. Then the glint of his Cheshire grin.
“.̴̜͓̭̻̤̍̈́̆͑͑John Crow.̸̻̮̓̈́̏̓͘,” he answered, before receding into the darkness.
The eyescraper’s tentacles dragged in across the street, corralling Norman towards the building. With an exasperated groan, he trudged towards the main entrance.
“I want my bed,” grumbled Norman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Become a free member on Patreon to read Part 14, 'Sleeping Giant', early! It will be released there today or tomorrow. For the visual 'mood writing' version (previously called 'artitext') and more Caribbean sci-fi, become a paid member for only $3! See links in comments.
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Hi guys my modded Fallout 3 is without HUD, it never activates, and when I approach to talk to someone the interaction is black, I tried setting the gamma color from the menu (and it is the standard) and even tried disabling all mods (even Immersive HUD, which should equally show the HUD when you perform certain actions) but it doesn't appear at all!
I also downloaded Pulse ENB by downloading the ReShades and putting them in the game folder (also replacing dxgi and d3d9, now I don't remember the process exactly), I'm afraid the problem might be coming from there although I wouldn't know how that's possible.
This is my list of mods:
00 - Improved Male Vanilla Body - FOMOD Installer
4K Capital Wastescape with 4K Normals
Accurate Stars 4k
AmaccurzerO's Animated Wasteland
Andy's Darker Grass v2
Animated Interior Decorations
Animated Park Equipment v4 big update
Animated Statics - Anim
Animated Utility Poles (Ashens2014) Fallout 3
Animated Wasteland Trees (recommended)
Animation Compilation (First Person)
Animation Compilation (Third Person)
Archivelnvalidation Invalidated - Program Version - Recommended
ATMOS Ambient Sound Overhaul
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Dialogues Fixes - italiano
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Cheat Items
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Dialogues
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes italiano
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Optional
Clean-Deluxe - Dust Away vO-22
Clean-Deluxe - Paper-Shredder
Clean-Deluxe - Rock-Out
Clean-Deluxe GOTY Edition
Command Extender
Desolation Flora
Devastated City
Energy Visuals Plus
Enhanced Blood Textures
Enhanced Camera
EXE - Effects teXtures Enhanced - EXE FULL RES V1
Fallout 3 HD Overhaul
Fallout 3 Realistic Wasteland Lighting plus GOTY
Fallout 3 Rebirth - GOTY Version
Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)
Fallout Street Lights - Traduzione Italiana
Fallout Street Lights Version 2
Flashlight v1-5
F03 Redesigned Standard (No DLC) Edition
Games for Windows LIVE Disable
Gutsy Handy Animated Eyes
Helm Pov 2
HR Armored Vault 101 Jumpsuit_4k
Immersive HUD - iHUD
Iron Sights Plus
Kyu's Ballistics F03
Loot Menu
MGs Neat Clutter
MGs Neat Clutter - Ammo box
More Modest T4 - Main
MTUI
no more dots v01
NV Compatibility Skeleton - NVCS Installer
NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash
Out Of Memory Fix
PCldles03b
Power Armor Footstep SFX vl-2
PowerArmor Increases Height
RADiant Light Overhaul vl.2
Rustic Grass HQ 4K Version 1
Simple Sprint F03
Size Variable HD Moon Cycle Textures - F03 - NickKens Moon Cycle
Smaller Holotapes
Stewie Tweaks
Street Lights Bug Fix
The D.C. Interiors Project - DCinteriors_combo Edition Total Merge
TYPE4 - Body and Armors - T4 - Main
TYPE4 F03 - Body and Armors - T4 - Main
UIO - User Interface Organizer
Updated Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - OGG
Vandr HD Creatures
Wastelander Backpacks
Weapon Enhancement Pack
Wider Street Lights
zzjay's body and face textures workshop - Type 3 - 4 and 6 - 00 - Default Version - CORE

When I started running my Dungeons of Drakkenheim I knew I wanted to have one set of rivals that grew in parallel with my party. I like the diversity offered in the book but the NPC need some flashing out. So here are three rivals that you can steal if you like them:
Diza Kanade
Race: Human Class: Barbarian Bio: Diza grew up as an orphan in Emberwood Village, lacking any parents when the meteor fell she stayed in the village's orphanage. She had to do whatever it took to survive in the desolate streets of Drakkenheim. Getting involved at a young age with the gangs of the Queen's men. Having grown up without a biological family taught her to value found family. Slow to trust but fiercely loyal once she does.
Personal Goal: Faction Aspirant (Queen's Men) - "I lived my whole life at the bottom., but I will fit my way to the top."
Spark
Race: Air Genasi Class: Wizard Bio: Spark was taken by the Amestist Academy as a baby. At a young age, he was considered a valuable asset of the Evocation Department, thanks to the elemental energy running through his veins. As he grew up his accomplishments were considered underwhelming, and the Academy started to neglect him more and more. Tired of being a cog in a machine that so easily discarded him, Spark left for Drakkenheim following the whispers of powerful magic being developed by hidden Malfeasants
Personal Quest: Arcane Secrets - "Knowledge is power and power is the only language the Academy understands."
Mars Moore (Von Kessel)
Race: Human Class: Rogue Bio: Scion of the house Moore of Caspia, Mars grew up hearing from her mother that she was destined for greatness. That she was destined to be a queen. Our Heroine snuck out of Caspia and made her way to Drakkenheim. Still unsure of her next steps, she knows is time for her to fight for her birthright. Little does she know that her mom has lied to her and fostered rumours in hopes of fabricating a claim for her daughter.
Personal Goal:: Claim the Throne (False heir) - "My name is Mars Moore Von Kessel, daughter of Leonard Von Kessel and rightful Queen of Drakkenheim!"
I hope you guys enjoying my babies. If it has a good reception I can add some other things I added to my version of Drakkenheim

Hi guys my modded Fallout 3 is without HUD, it never activates, and when I approach to talk to someone the interaction is black, I tried setting the gamma color from the menu (and it is the standard) and even tried disabling all mods (even Immersive HUD, which should equally show the HUD when you perform certain actions) but it doesn't appear at all!
I also downloaded Pulse ENB by downloading the ReShades and putting them in the game folder (also replacing dxgi and d3d9, now I don't remember the process exactly), I'm afraid the problem might be coming from there although I wouldn't know how that's possible.
This is my list of mods:
00 - Improved Male Vanilla Body - FOMOD Installer
4K Capital Wastescape with 4K Normals
Accurate Stars 4k
AmaccurzerO's Animated Wasteland
Andy's Darker Grass v2
Animated Interior Decorations
Animated Park Equipment v4 big update
Animated Statics - Anim
Animated Utility Poles (Ashens2014) Fallout 3
Animated Wasteland Trees (recommended)
Animation Compilation (First Person)
Animation Compilation (Third Person)
Archivelnvalidation Invalidated - Program Version - Recommended
ATMOS Ambient Sound Overhaul
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Dialogues Fixes - italiano
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Cheat Items
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Dialogues
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes italiano
CivisRomanus Unofficial Fallout 3 Fixes Optional
Clean-Deluxe - Dust Away vO-22
Clean-Deluxe - Paper-Shredder
Clean-Deluxe - Rock-Out
Clean-Deluxe GOTY Edition
Command Extender
Desolation Flora
Devastated City
Energy Visuals Plus
Enhanced Blood Textures
Enhanced Camera
EXE - Effects teXtures Enhanced - EXE FULL RES V1
Fallout 3 HD Overhaul
Fallout 3 Realistic Wasteland Lighting plus GOTY
Fallout 3 Rebirth - GOTY Version
Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)
Fallout Street Lights - Traduzione Italiana
Fallout Street Lights Version 2
Flashlight v1-5
F03 Redesigned Standard (No DLC) Edition
Games for Windows LIVE Disable
Gutsy Handy Animated Eyes
Helm Pov 2
HR Armored Vault 101 Jumpsuit_4k
Immersive HUD - iHUD
Iron Sights Plus
Kyu's Ballistics F03
Loot Menu
MGs Neat Clutter
MGs Neat Clutter - Ammo box
More Modest T4 - Main
MTUI
no more dots v01
NV Compatibility Skeleton - NVCS Installer
NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash
Out Of Memory Fix
PCldles03b
Power Armor Footstep SFX vl-2
PowerArmor Increases Height
RADiant Light Overhaul vl.2
Rustic Grass HQ 4K Version 1
Simple Sprint F03
Size Variable HD Moon Cycle Textures - F03 - NickKens Moon Cycle
Smaller Holotapes
Stewie Tweaks
Street Lights Bug Fix
The D.C. Interiors Project - DCinteriors_combo Edition Total Merge
TYPE4 - Body and Armors - T4 - Main
TYPE4 F03 - Body and Armors - T4 - Main
UIO - User Interface Organizer
Updated Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch - OGG
Vandr HD Creatures
Wastelander Backpacks
Weapon Enhancement Pack
Wider Street Lights
zzjay's body and face textures workshop - Type 3 - 4 and 6 - 00 - Default Version - CORE

Just wondering if anyone is doing this race this year, it's my first sprint and I live in london but don't have a car. So wondering on the best way to get there in time for the race

It is a time of restlessness and instability for the Empire of Berrithyca. Following the mysterious assassination of Emperor Halfax and kidnapping of the royal heir, Princess Estaeia, the empire has been in a state of regency by the Parliamentarian factions of the New and Old Nobility.
To the east the island of Longhook has virtually seceded, its "whaling" fleet engaging in piratical raids against Imperial shipping. To the north, the land of Caer Don is rife with religious tension as followers of the Old Gods of the rivers and hills feud with the state-mandated Gear Cult which holds Mortals as worthy of worship, not gods.
In the cities, the technological marvels wrought since the Great Spark have revolutionised people's lives. Steamships carry great shipments and transport hundreds about the seas and rivers of the land. Military and private airships dot the skies and all manner of everyday appliances are available to the common man which would seem possible only in the realms of magic centuries ago.
Yet there is a dark side to this technological innovation. The factories run incessantly and more than one desperate, poor worker has met their end falling into a machine or dropping dead from exhaustion. Pollution runs rampant in the slums and the wealth disparity between rich and poor grows wider and wider.
The journey begins with 5 strangers brought together by the death of a mutual associate, Professor Newt Forberry, an eccentric scholar and archaeologist whom you knew through reasons of your own. Prior to his death, each of you received a strange letter from him urging you to come to his estate in the case of his death, hinting at foul play yet remaining vague. And so, with a murder mystery afoot, your journey begins as you take the first step into a conspiracy stretching through millennia which will rock the very foundations of this world and decide its future.
Hey /lfg, I'm looking for 4-5 players for a fun, whimsical, Victorian-inspired steampunk styled campaign! Apologies if the prompt was a bit vague, I can't give too much away, but this campaign is to take place in a fleshed out world I've been working on for some time now.
Details
-This is intended to be a levels 3-20 campaign which will be run weekly and will last between 1-1.5 years
-There will be no restrictions on class/race
-All books will be allowed except for Unearthed Arcana
-This game will be using some homebrew steampunk supplements so I will be allowing homebrew provided I vet and approve of it
-This is an LGBTQIA+ friendly game. Discriminatory/bullying behaviour of any sort will not be tolerated and will result in instant banning from the group
-Sessions will last around 4 hours with a 10 minute break around the 2 hour mark
I'm sure there's more to add but questions are welcome if I've missed anything. If this sounds like your jam apply below!
https://forms.gle/EyGFhYdSoA8gjfg27