Here are some of my beloved VR experiences from the past:

• Apollo 11 VR
• Titans of Space
• Senza Peso
• The Lab

I get that many of the great early demos were creators pushing the boundaries of a new medium. And I understand that with emerging technologies, sometimes creators are willing to prioritize innovation over commercial success.
But here are some of my favorite full VR titles that came later:

• Climby
• Ultrawings
• The Gallery Episodes 1 and 2
• Windlands 2
• Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality
• Obduction

What I don’t understand is why none of these titles show up anywhere in the first 20 pages of the Steam VR store. In any category. And I don’t understand why “mixed” rated titles with less than 10 reviews are getting displayed before any of these classics. Finally, I’m confused why Trover Saves the Universe is on Page 2 while Virtual Rick-ality isn’t anywhere to be seen (despite having over 2,000 mostly positive reviews).
I get that sex sells, and so do the adrenaline-pumping experiences of horror and racing games. But, I’m just curious, am I the only one confused about the plethora of low-quality titles obscuring classic gems?
I don’t want to sound like an old guy shouting “Get off my VR lawn!” and “Back in the DK2 days…” But I’m curious if anyone knows someplace to find experiences like these, since the Steam VR store just isn’t cutting it for me.
Thanks!

aligning character scenes from shows with viewers spoken words without hallucinations.
I guess the concept revolves around TV shows where the script remains unchanged, but it creates an alignment with the viewers thoughts and spoken words. As the viewer thinks or speaks, certain parts of the characters lines or actions on screen seem to coincidentally match up with what the viewer is saying or thinking, without any actual hallucinations. For example, the viewer thinks, "Is anyone here?" a character might nod their head, not because they're responding to the viewer, but due to an unrelated context, like nodding in agreement with another character or checking for traffic when crossing the street. The synchronization continues through the show, commercials, and into the next show. the alignment will happen with lines from the show. Example viewer says to themselves: I hope I didn’t leave the stove on
immediately on screen script: Ron: You know, it’s important to double check things before you leave
April: Yeah, but sometimes you just want to live dangerously like leaving the stove on and hoping for the best.
Andy: hey guys what’s cooking?
April: (smirking) hopefully not the kitchen. Ron’s giving us safety tips.
could also be more clever and not be related to the stove. Ron could have also said it’s important to double check things before you leave because April forgot to lock her door before she left. Parts of the characters sentence can have the same effect.
On screen Detective Smith: "was the suspect complicit?"
off screen viewer says: is anyone there?
show continues
Detective Jones: "Yeah, there's a lot of evidence pointing in that direction. The cctv footage from the gas station shows them at the scene just before the incident, and we found their fingerprints on the weapon. [Phone rings] Detective Smith (answering the phone): "Hello?"
Detective Smith (to Detective Jones): "It's the lab. They found a new lead." Detective Jones (nodding): "Yeah, let's go check it out."
Even if the person would record themselves talking about something unrelated, plays it back the same sort of thing should occur. really just looking for a purely hypothetical answer here, how would something like this work, would it even be possible with what we know today. I think there’s no real way to possibly know what someone is going to say or think before they say it. Are there clever ways around it or maybe a trick that makes it only seem like that?

I’m not sure who on here cares to answer, I’m just looking for a reason to care about this sport again. I look around at college football today and I’m just utterly shocked at what it is. I’m really not that old and I didn’t get into watching college football until I was in high school (only about 10 years ago), but even in that time frame, there has been so much change that it almost feels like it’s not worth it anymore.

1. Conference realignment. For anyone unaware, Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC, most likely for larger revenue streams and “more guaranteed post season access”. That meant the Big 10 had to grab Oregon Washington UCLA and USC and Cal and Stanford are now playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference with new arrival Southern Methodist (who are in Dallas), effectively killing a conference that has been around for almost a century.

I want to watch rivalry games that matter. I want to see the passion the fans have when Oklahoma faces Oklahoma State or Oregon and Oregon State face off. I want the regular season to actually mean something, give teams and alumni and fans regional bragging rights over their conference mates. Century old rivalries have been splintered without a second thought. The Miami Hurricanes of Florida are going to Berkeley CA for an IN CONFERENCE match up. USC in downtown Los Angeles are hosting Rutgers, who’s campus is 30 minutes from Times Square, in an IN CONFERENCE match up. It’s ridiculous, it’s enraging, but it’s not at all entertaining. The pageantry and tradition that the game is known for has been watered down and made Disney safe at the cost of losing part of the identity of the sport.

1. Everything is becoming about the post season. I’m not a huge fan of Josh Pate, but he has a really good view on this. Some programs just aren’t meant to be national championship contenders and are instead just supposed to focus on the regular season games. Only the top of the top, the best of the best should get to play for a title, and while I acknowledge that there are teams that got screwed out of contention in the past, how is this new post season going to be any better? Coaches will start benching players during the end of the season when they know they have a playoff spot secured just to guarantee longer rest before the playoffs.
   
2. The excess in commercials and marketing has my head spinning. The head of the SEC stated at the spring meetings that teams may need to start looking into on field branding or jersey patches. They are actively turning the game into a walking advertisement. Increased ads turning games are turning them into 4 hour slog fests, and while I would love to watch my team on tv and support, I almost can’t justify that time anymore.
   
3. This isn’t about the students anymore. I’m not sure that it ever was, but it was nice when everyone was at least still trying to pretend. There are guys that are making more money right now as college athletes than they will at the highest level in the NFL. I’m glad the players are getting paid, the fact they weren’t before was highly exploitative. But now it feels like the best are going to get better and everyone else just has to be ok with them being left behind. The sports betting scene has death threats being sent to athletes on a weekly basis during the season.
   

Again, I’m looking for reasons to watch again. I’m trying to find the fun in the game and experience again and I just haven’t been able to find it myself

Little help? I remember reading about a guy who was working on an alternative fuel for cars and died in a plane crash on his way to somewhere in Asia (I think). He was traveling with his core team of designers/engineers/researchers. Maybe 3-6 total.
Things I THINK I remember: -He was from, or the company was based, in Texas. -He was traveling to meet with investors -The company headquarters (also Texas, I believe) burned down shortly after the crash. Like, days after. -Occurred in the early to mid 2010s, possibly earlier. -May have been a commercial flight, but may have been a private/corporate flight.
-I know 100% for sure that was not Stanley Meyer. -I know 100% the crash happened OUTSIDE of the USA. Any plane crashes IN the USA are not it. -I know it wasn’t a super small plane, like a Cessna.
I spoke with a couple friends today, and they remember me talking about it when it happened. They even gave some of the basic details I mentioned above without me prompting.
That’s all I can remember for now.
Any ideas?
Thank you!

So, as the title suggests, this is my idea for the Indigo Park Timeline and Lore, including the time before, and the game's events. This will be one of three parts due to character limitations, this part dealing with the time before the events of the game.
BEFORE THE GAME
So, this game is clearly based loosely on Disney, if it wasn't obvious enough: a man by the name of Isaac Indigo opening Indigo Park (Walt Disney, Disney World, self-explanatory), starting out with cartoons in the early 1900s.
Mr. Isaac Indigo started out his business ventures in the cartoon sphere, specifically with Lloydford L. Lion, or more commonly known as Lloyd the Lion. The reason that it's Lloyd specifically, and not anyone else, can be seen when interacting with the Retro Lloyd Plush, both from the protagonist and Rambley the Raccoon, the modern day representative of Indigo Park.
Protagonist in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I'm not sure it looked like this. I guess nostalgia sells..."
Rambley AI in regard to the Retro Lloyd Plush: "Ugh...I don't get why we even have those. And why did they only make one of LLOYD? Is it because he's the loudest? I CAN BE LOUD TOO! WHERE'S MY LIMITED-EDITION THROWBACK PLUSH?! WHERE'S MOLLIE'S? WHERE'S FINLEY'S?"
Protagonist in regard to the Lloyd Plush: “I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Loyd a lot more.”
If it wasn't obvious enough by Rambley's rather frustrated demeanor regarding the plush, only Lloyd received this sort of plush, while none of the others received such a collectible. Well, it's possible Salem the Skunk received one, since Rambley didn't mention her, but that might be more representative of his intense dislike for Salem, something that will be discussed down the line. Another thing to note is that this plush does not look like the original Lloyd Lion, which is a detail I will discuss in depth towards the end.
Anyways, over the years, the other mascots we know and love, Mollie the Macaw, Finley the Sea Serpent, Salem the Skunk, and Rambley the Raccoon are added. I would like to put forth the idea that Mollie, Salem, and Rambley were all added in the same general time period, thanks to the Rambley Rush Arcade Game.
The quick rundown of the game is thus: Mollie Macaw crashes somewhere in the depths of Rambleberry Woods, and Rambley goes to find her. Along the way, he must jump across rivers and pits, collecting Rambleberries, and stomping upon evil purple squirrels, eventually reaching Mollie, who is still near her crashed plane. When she gets up, she claims that she crashed because her vision became rapidly obscured, at which point Salem Skunk appears and takes credit for that, claiming that she needed better test subjects for her potions than a bunch of squirrels. Infecting Mollie with the potion, Salem flees, not before Rambley and Salem exchange some barbs. Rambley eventually knocks Mollie out by stomping on her a few times, and the game glitches and crashes.
This arcade game is important for several reasons, one of which is that it introduces us to the dynamic that Rambley and Salem have: one of enemies, different than with Lloyd, because Rambley is merely jealous of the fact that Lloyd came before him, and was the main character for a long period of time. There is also the fact that Salem's area in the Rambley Railroad is completely destroyed. Not even Lloyd's area is so damaged.
From my basic understanding of early black and white television, based on the Chapter 1 opening cutscene of Isaac Indigo, Indigo Park opens somewhere in the 1940s to 1950s, as the grainy, blurry footage and somewhat muffled audio is reminiscent of such times. All sorts of rides and attractions are available for families to explore, such as Rambley's Railway, Jetstream Junction, Oceanic Odyssey, and Lloyd's Main Stage Theater. Again, interesting to note that Salem doesn't have such an area dedicated to her, though that might just be a way of putting off that area for later in the game. People in costumes (note, not called Mascots themselves, as I will use the term to address the replacements of these costumes) roam about the place, likely acting like modern day Disney Cast Members do today, interacting with guests in character.
After a long period of time, and possibly into the early 2000s, the focus is drawn away from Lloyd and onto Rambley, and specifically after the park was open, and not before, because in that same commercial that I dated to approximately the 1940s or 50s, the front gates are decorated with artwork of Lloyd, which is different than in game, where the Lloyd artwork has been replaced by art of Rambley. The reasoning for this is unclear, though I do have a few speculations. It is noted, both by the Rambley AI and the protagonist when interacting with the limited Golden Rambley Plush, that the idea is kind of cheap.
Protagonist: "So wait. They were so money hungry that they just recolored a regular Rambley plush and called it a new product? Kinda lazy don't you think?"
Rambley AI: "... Seriously, our employees had to clean up SO many stray teeth and nails. Hard to believe that there was all this demand for a regular Rambley Plush we blasted with gold spray paint..."
The idea of cutting corners and lowering costs comes up a fair bit. This might be the reason that they swapped main characters, after all: it's easier to animate a cute, small raccoon with a bandana than a large lion in a full on suit. This might also be the reason that the park transitions from costumed staff members, or "Ranglers", to Mascots.
Another reason for the change could have been growing awareness of animal welfare issues at the time, with many circuses and zoos facing criticism for how they treated their animals, lions and elephants specifically, and is an issue that is still ongoing, so perhaps Indigo Park didn't want the negative press to come to them, so they swapped. However, it is important to note that these are purely my speculations, and no concrete reason for the swap was ever introduced in Chapter 1 (to my knowledge).
A third possible reason could be in reference to what Indigo Park represented, at least in the time that it was built. According to Isaac Indigo:
Isaac Indigo, giving a press conference outside Indigo Park: “Indigo Park offers a slice of the American dream to call your own. In this place, echoes of days gone are brought back to life as a new generation captures a glimpse of the exciting potential of Tomorrow. Indigo Park pays homage to the values, dreams, and unwavering truths that gave rise to our great nation.”
Let’s take a step back. Remember how I dated the opening of Indigo Park to the 1940s or 1950s? If that was true, that means that Indigo Park opened in the shadow of the Second World War, the deadliest human conflict ever recorded, with a death toll of over 50 million people, both soldier and civilian. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan, it was eventually public knowledge that the USA still decided to drop the second one, even after Imperial Japan had surrendered after the first one had been cast.
It's entirely possible that Indigo Park was, in some way, propaganda. Think about it, Lloyd the Lion was the mascot. And what do lions represent? Strength, power, unity, leadership. Lloyd could have been a symbol to the American people that proclaimed themselves as leaders, people who thought of the future, while trying to sideline the negative press the USA received.
After a while, however, there was no need to justify their victory. People, for the most part, accepted their victory, and as the world headed into a Cold War, there was no need to justify themselves; many people were afraid of the Communists, the Red, and the influence it may have. Clearly, the USA and its allies were the good guys. Communism was a threat to democracy, everyone knew that! So there was a switch to a more child friendly character, Rambley, as the main man himself.
That might also explain why the retro plushie doesn’t look like how Lloyd did in the old cartoons, as stated explicitly by the protagonist; perhaps that older Lloyd was more mature, older, and signified some much darker. There’s no need to stir up bad memories of WW2, so they changed his design to be softer, younger, much more unassuming.
The Protagonist, regarding the Retro Lloyd Plushie: “I always find it weird when companies make merch that’s supposed to look old. Lloyd obviously had an older look in the classic Indigo cartoons, but I’m not sure Lloyd looked like this.”
There’s also a case to be made that Disney also participated in some good old propaganda of their own, mocking Nazi Germany and their ideals.
Now, disregarding politics, because that thing is a minefield to safely navigate, this is just my theory. I am not trying to radicalize the game, and if you hate this theory, you can go about ignoring it! I personally don’t think it’s the correct answer, just a potential answer.
Another change that soon occurred was the change from costumed "Ranglers" to living, breathing, flesh and bones Mascots, introduced to us in the Rambley AI interaction with the Rambley mask.
Rambley AI, playing an old tape in the database in regard to the costumes: "First Person - Hey Jackson! You hear about the new mascots? Jackson - Yeah, you think it will put us out of a job? First Person - I think so, Old Sport, and right after we got this damn raccoon costume."
An important note to this is that this interaction is considered an Easter Egg to a FNAF fan game called Dayshift at Freddy's, alongside some other references such as the Golden Rambley being a reference to Golden Freddy, and the Poodle Plush being a reference to another FNAF fan game Playtime with Percy. Despite this, these items seem to carry a bit of significant lore in them, something that I think is an interesting way of hiding it. It opens up the possibility to state that it should be disregarded, since it's supposed to be an Easter Egg to something else, but I don't think so.
This quote makes me think that the switch from costumes to Mascots happened quite early on in Indigo Park's lifetime, considering it's said that the Mascots should appear quite soon after the introduction of the costumes, perhaps yet another clue that Indigo Park was looking to cut costs. After all, why pay people when you can have Mascots roaming about, doing just the same, if not better, of a job?
And everything seems to be going fine for quite a while. The protagonist notes several times that his family, and especially his mother and himself, were avid fans of the place and characters, his mother liking Mollie Macaw the most, while the protagonist favored a few, such as Lloyd the Lion, while disliking Finley due to his large size, which was revealed when interacting with a few different collectibles.
When the protagonist interacts with the Lloyd the Lion plush: "I feel like as a kid, Indigo used Lloyd a lot more. He was always one of my favorites."
When the protagonist interacts with the Mollie the Macaw plush: "I remember when my mom took us to the parks one summer. Her favorite was always Mollie, so when they first opened new Mollie Meet & Greet in Jetstream Junction, we were some of the first in line."
When the protagonist interacts with the Rambley Ears: "My dad promised me he'd buy me a pair when we went."
When the protagonist interacts with the Souvenir Rambley Cup: "When I was a kid they used to have free unlimited refills on those things. I once drank so much Bird Up that I got sick and threw up while riding Rooftop Races. That poor kid behind me..."
Anyways, we got the point: the family went there often and were huge fans of the park. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently a huge evacuation and closure of the park with no explanation whatsoever, to the point where the authorities also were not able give any reasoning or answers.
This comes from the newspaper we see in the beginning cutscene, after the old video of Isaac Indigo introducing Indigo Park. So, let's theorize a bit. Out of everything in the park, what could possibly lead to such a drastic evacuation of a place so well loved? Oh, I don't know, maybe the killer Mascots that try to kill you in Chapter 1 ...
What isn't so clear is what happened to them. Clearly, they were well behaved and safe to be around, even for small children, as the park remained open for 50 years (minimum) without issue, and almost as long with the actual mascots themselves. Obviously, they went rogue, as can be seen when the protagonist has to run away from Lloyd the Lion's attempts to attack and have the Rambley AI save the protagonist from the Mollie the Macaw by killing the Mascot with a metal door. I don't think it had to do with resources such as food, since the Mascots remained by themselves in the park for 2920 days, exactly eight years, and only seemed feral. Besides that, we see a bunch of vendor stations and a few cafes, still with food in them. Moldy, perhaps, and expired, but there's still food. There's also water (possibly) available in those self serve drinking fountains. The last time the park was operational was October 7th, 20XX (with the exact year being a mystery), and the reason I say operational is because of an announcement seen on one of the Rangler monitors in the reception area.
Announcement: "Attention Ranglers. The date is October 7th, 20XX. Charge guests the SATURDAY pricing indicated in your Rookie Rangler Handbook! Thanks! - Management."
What jumps out immediately is the way Saturday is so bold. So, what can we assume? The last operational day we have knowledge of was Saturday, October 7th, somewhere in the 2000s. Unless this is the future (which we have no reason to believe), we can assume this Saturday occurred somewhere between 2000 and 2023 (2023 and not 2024 because the creator, in a livestream, ended up giving a vague message of the game taking place in 2023). Looking up old calendars and looking specifically for an October 7th that lands on a Saturday reveals a couple potential years: 2000, 2006, and 2023. We can discount 2023, as we know the park was closed for 8 years. I did try to find a date on those three monitors the protagonist uses in the opening cutscene, but only found the time, 7:32 pm. Unfortunately, Harmony, a knock off of Discord (antonyms) also doesn't have a date, or even a time, for that matter. And besides, we know that we're the first actual person to visit in quite some time. So, we're left with 2000, and 2006. Assuming this game takes place in 2024, I have a feeling the year it closed is actually 2006.
First foremost because of the Rambley AI. Having AI Rambley be as advanced as he is makes it seem like the park was closed in 2023, but again, there is no evidence to say the game takes place in the future. And AI's back in 2000s and 2010s eras were good, but nothing like we have today. They were capable of basic object identification, and navigation, but the capabilities were limited, compared to today. And in 2000, it was much more basic. Image recognition consisted of identifying edges. That's it. Edges, not distinct features, and even then, the accuracy was pretty bad. At the time, AI was mainly used for data retrieval and predictive modeling, mostly for things like language translation, text classification, and such. They were basically office assistants.
Of course, that's assuming that the AI was introduced back then. It is entirely possible, and likely plausible, that the AI was introduced later. After all, the park may have closed, but Ranglers were still visiting the place as late as 2015, which was the last time the AI Rambley notes an actual person arrived. So, if that's true, then I am still not too sure as to which of the two years the park closed.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. And the present of the game and my conclusions shall be posted in separate posts, as there is a 40k character limit. Leave any theories of your own in the comments, and I'll be happy to theorize regarding and questions or concerns yall have!

I moved from a large city to a small city. Some of the guys I used to work with in commercial work tell me that when they do residential houses now they are installing cement board instead of sand & cement. I remember doing a house 15 years ago this way, did not expect it to become a thing. Just wondering if any fellow plasterers have seen this in your area, and looking for tips and tricks.
Here are some documentation from the manufacturer that I use. Not sure if other manufacturers have a similar system, so would be interested if you know of any that you can share
Adex VLS system
Adex cement board system with steel stud

I’m not the best at this but hear me out.

• Akademiks said that a “huge rapper” is secretly beefing with drake
• Akademiks says that the rapper has big songs with Drake(Sicko Mode is one of the biggest raps songs in recent history)
• Fans think it’s Travis Scott, (I also think its Travis, here’s why)
• Travis Scott was plastered all over the WDTY album, an album who’s rollout is centered around beefing with Drake+ Recently announced a shoe collaboration with Ye, who called for “The elimination of Drake” not too long ago
• Travis is known for being neutral during beefs(Let Drake is diss Ye on Sicko Mode, Let Drake diss Pharrel on Utopia{Pharrel is also on Utopia})
• But, this time I think it’s different, he’s definitely on a side, he SPECIFICALLY requested Metro/Future to play “Like That” at Rolling Loud
• But lets give Travis the benefit of the doubt, the version played at rolling loud wasn’t the Kendrick Diss version and “allegedly” Kendrick sent his verse last minute so maybe he aint know
• But he reposted the WDTY cover when it was about to drop, has 2 features and was in the Type Shit MV with CashXo(Also dissed by Drake)
• Travis knows Future/Metro are beefing with Drake he is showing them ALOT of support for a neutral guy
• I know what your thinking, there’s too much evidence that Drake and Trav are still cool such as the rumored European Tour, The floating Travis head at Drakes concert, and the “Travis got you wiped down” lyric on “push ups”
• I think these are all cover ups/smoke screens
• Starting off with the European Tour Rumors, it was hinted at via the grapevine on Twitter and Drake made a post hinting at it.
• But, Travis just announced his European/Worldwide leg for his tour, Drake is not involved, the Drake/Trav joint tour rumors are just rumors but if the rumors were actually true, this would mean Drake got removed from the tour. Well not “removed” but Travis didn’t wanna tour with him anymore.(Blind Items suggest that Drake doesn’t wanna go to the UK/Europe due to sex trafficking allegations)
• Next is the floating Travis Head that Drake shoots at, during Drake’s most recent tour this year, he had a massive Travis Scott head floating across stage whilst preforming “Meltdown”-
• Fans thought this was a jab at Travis, others think it’s “appreciation” or a “shoutout”
• I mean it’s obviously a shoutout right? Why would Drake have a massive Travis Scott head floating across stage if he didn’t like him?
• Let’s take look back at Drake’s character,
• On his most recent album “For All The Dogs” Drake has a song called “What Would Pluto Do” a song dedicated to his “friend” and long time collaborate, Future
• Fans loved the song and saw no maliciousness behind it, it’s a tribute song to Future, the title compares him to Jesus, and he’s rapping about how he’d fuck someone else’s girl because Future would do it. Great song displaying a friendship!
• However others found it weird that Drake didn’t feature Future on the song
• Nor did Future acknowledge the song, not even a post bumping it on his story
• Why would you pay a song made by your “friend” that’s shouting you out complete dust?
• Because he’s not shouting Future out
• It’s a massive sneak diss
• He’s bragging about fucking Future’s girl, and justifying it by saying Future would do the same to him
• “What would Pluto Do, He fucked the hoe so I did it”
• “What Would Pluto Do he definitely fucking on this hoe”
• So massive that no one knew it was a diss song until 5 MONTHS LATER, on the release of “We Don’t Trust You” “Sneak dissing I don’t understand dawg”
• It’s right there in the title track!
• The point is Drake is a massive sneak disser and bit extra/petty
• There has been smoke before the fire though, Future was allegedly mad at Drake for doing “Her Loss” instead of “WATTBA 2”
• But Drake was the first to publicly diss him
• Ye said “When Drake disses you, only you will know”
• If he can fake a an entire diss song towards Future, and mask it like they are still good friends publicly, he can do the same to Travis with the floating head.
• Not to mention, Metro was invited to IAAB tour in September 2023 and Drake first dissed Metro on a Metro beat with “More Ms” in November 2022 (He might’ve dissed Future there too)
• Don’t fall for the show antics, Drake hates these guys
• But there’s been tension before the sneak antics with Metro and Future but none with Travis, so maybe I’m just wrong.
• Next is Push Ups
• Everyone thinks the “Travis got you wiped down” bar is a Drake shouting out Travis
• But I think it’s something else, (I got the next point from a twitter dude)
• Drake wasn’t praising Travis, the point was to downplay Kendrick’s commercial success by naming other rappers and artists that are not Drake that outsold him
• He names Sza and 21 Savage, (21 Savage collab album with Drake sold 404k first week, Sos sold 318k, which is more than Mr Morales 295k)
• Other than Sza and Savage, how many other rappers/artists that are friends with Drake can say they “wiped down” Kendrick?
• He can’t say “Yeat got you wiped down, Sexyy Redd got you wiped down,” Durk Cole etc. They all sold less than Mr Morale.
• Therefore, he threw in Travis’s name as a placeholder to diminish Kendrick’s commercial success and add into the “he’s irrelevant” theory.
• Along with pretending to the public that he and Trav are still cool.
• The next part of my theory is all within the song Push Ups.
• On 4/12/24 after the release of Metro and Future’s second diss album, “We Still Don’t You”(Which had even more Drake disses) “Push Ups” leaked online
• It was the demo version that leaked and gained traction, Drake saw it and sent Akademiks the finished version, and dropped the song officially a week later.
• There’s some significant differences between the leaked version and the official, the beat is different, and the spoken word outro is cut off, but the lyrics within the song stayed the exact same, apart from two lines
• The Diddy Line
• And the “BM kiss and tell” Line
• Let’s start with the Diddy Line, when Drake was dissing Rick Ross in Push Ups, he brings up the Diddy raids
• Well not “brings up” he subtly mentioned it, didn’t even say his name
• “Every song he got it on the chart it came from Drizzy, worry about whatever going on with you and-“
• It cuts right before he mentions Diddy name which is supposed to be a subtle nod, but why is he scared to say Diddy name like he’s the boogeyman or something? Even on an unreleased demo
• The line is replaced with “Spend that lil check you got and stay tf up out by buisness”
• Could it be that Drake mentioning Diddy, and associating his name with sex trafficking could lead to some repercussions for Drake?
• Drake fans love bringing up the Diddy beef from a decade ago to insinuate that Drake is not involved with the weird sex stuff going on but Drake has been friends with Diddy for the last couple years.
• He drops a like on a Diddy ig post in September 2023, just months before Diddy’s first lawsuit accusing him of rape and abuse on Cassie
• This sub just revealed that Drake and Diddy are definitely associates via Nissan
• Drake would be the first rapper(Aside from 50, but first to do it in a song) to publicly call out Diddy for his sex crimes if he followed through with that line, the biggest one at that
• Drake saying that line would be throwing Diddy under the bus publicly.
• The blind items(which may or may not be true idk) suggest that Drake was throwing Dutchavelli under the bus with his sex crimes, and that another pedo rapper gossiped in jail that Drake should be with him
• And that’s exactly what Drake is doing, throwing Diddy under the bus
• Diddy still has access to social media and we know that other rappers, (Chris Brown, and Meek Mill friends with Drake) were at the Diddy parties fondling with minors.
• Drake follows Diddy son on IG, Diddy son was also partying with minors and sex workers, he’s just as complicit
• Could it be that if Drake name dropped Diddy and hinted at him being a pedo/trafficker in a song, hence throwing him under the bus, Diddy would have responded too? Would Diddy response be dragging Drake down with him? Is that why Drake deleted the line?
• “You gon make a nigga bring back Puff” could have a double meaning
• Kendrick can mention Diddy all he wants ”The Embassy bound to get raided TOO” Diddy can’t bring him down with evidence/confessionals.
• If Drake goes down, everyone else goes down, the industry is cooked, that’s why Metro had a tweet about “sparing the both of us”
• Kendrick isn’t going down, he’s not at these freaky rapper parties, he lives a boring life.
• But Drake?
• Who knows
• Keep in mind, when Push Ups first leaked, fans thought that Drake did it himself as a soft launch to test the waters and claim AI if the public thinks it’s ass
• But Akademiks(reliable Drake insider) says that the track may have leaked without Drake’s knowledge
• Also The Weeknd, who just had a song dissing Drake for having “leaks in their operation” posted a meme of him laughing the minute the song leaked.
• A reference track for Jumbotron Shit Poppin, made by Lil Yacthy also leaked a couple days after.
• If Drake does have a leak, and push ups leaking was a result, it adds onto the theory that Drake does NOT want to mention Diddy due to the potential consequences, and that the fans were not meant to hear that one.
• But Drake isn’t gonna publicly say “Guys don’t listen to that one I mentioned Diddy and I might get in trouble”
• He played it cool and changed the lyrics, no ones gonna notice
• Ok back to the main theory Drake V Travis Scott
• Another lyric change is “Rolling Loud stage y’all was turnt y’all was slick as hell, shit’ll change if your dog lil BM start to kiss and tell.” to “Shit’ll change if your Bm start to kiss and tell”
• Interesting…….
• We know that Push Ups is a direct response to Future/Metro, their “dog” is definitely Travis Scott, who was performing at Rolling Loud with Future/Metro, along with requesting “Like That”
• We know Drake hates the song, considering that according to Metro, he tried to block the song on radio.
• Travis Scott Bm is Kylie Jenner
• We know that 99% percent of Drake beefs center around women, if a rapper beefs with Drake their wife/significant other is getting mentioned. Unfortunately Travis on the receiving end.
• But this isn’t the first time Drake and Kylie have been paired together in a romantic context, theres been loads of dating rumors between them throughout the years
• Ye said ”Drake lives across the street from my wife and fucks all her friends” in a leaked phone call with Taylor Swift in 2016 . Does Kylie count as Kim’s “friend?”

EDIT I FORGOT THIS -Drake even has an unreleased song where he says”Real Shit, Kylie Jenner as a side piece, I got 20 damn Kylies”
EDIT AND THIS -Drake apologizes for the song later, but still weird to say that about a girl who you first met when you were a grown ass man and she was a minor?

• Drake would be the first to break his silence on these rumors and CONFIRM them by saying he smashed Kylie for the sake of the beef.
• Drake has known Kylie ever since she was young as 16, if Drake came out and said he smashed Kylie, people would make the connection that Drake fucking a girl that he first encountered as a minor, would be grooming
• And Drake definitely doesn’t want that label on him, considering that he “expected” it. So he changed the line and made sure it was directed at Future and Future only.
• The only lines that changed in the released and unfinished versions of Push Ups are coincidentally, the ones that cause Drake to Freudian slip himself(Kylie) or get him in trouble(Diddy)
• Hence why the track was leaked by a hater inside OVO and not Drake

In Conclusion IF the rapper beefing with Drake is Travis Scott it’s probably because of Kylie, if Drake smashed Kylie before/during/afte her relationship with Travis, he’s a certified pedophile. He doesn’t want the public to know that though, that’s why he removed Travis sub in Push Ups, we weren’t supposed to hear that, along with the Diddy line. There’s a leak in OVO, and that’s why the Travis beef is “secret”
Thank you to everyone who read through this, I apologize for it being a bit unorganized, I’ll add photos/tweets as evidence for the stuff in here soon. If I made a mistake/missing something lmk. If someone can make a shorter TDLR version that’s be appreciated ✌🏾.
UPDATE:Akademiks confirms the secret rapper is Travis right as I post this 😂

Be me, gymrat at heart, everyone knows me from name or rep cause powerlifters are rare in commercial gyms, have no other option.
Known this girl from name/face in the gym for about 2-2.5years now, nothing ever happend between us. She aint even my type.
Couple weeks ago, see her again since months, ask whats up and why i havent seen her around for ages? (other gymrats will know, you will get the feel of someones days/times pretty much on point within 1 or 2 hours of any given day they train if on a set schedule).
Girl tells me she been struggling with a couple things in personal life, also with gym and staying/being consistent, and having motivation to train. Talk to her about it a bit and ask then if she'd appreciate it if i'd remind her through text to come train? Cause ive known her as a regular i figured she might appreciate someone expecting her to show up.
She agrees to it and i remind her that im not one to bullshit, if i should text you or remind you to come, i will, and i *expect* you to show up. She says it's not a problem.
1.5-2weeks pass, i send her a text, and i quote:
Me: Hey, dont forget to come train.
*no reply*
more then 1 week passes, haven't seen her any day of the week, i mostly come late in the evening, as its open 24/7 and i come train every day.
1 week later: Me: Hey, when do you come train again? shoulders/arms tomorrow.
about 10min later,
Her reply: Hey, *name*, i havent replied earlier because my boyfriend doesn't like you texting me.
So i'd prefer if you left me alone. See you around.
Me: Okay, later.
*end of conversation, no reply from her further
So am i the asshole for keeping my word for texting her to come train? Did i do something wrong as she wants to be left alone?
Or am i being gaslighted here somehow?
What to do now if i see her again in gym? say Hi at all? ignore her, cause ''leave me alone'' part.
if boyfriend has so much a say in who texts her, in something she agreed to. Let alone talk to some guy that texted her, that he doesnt want her to talk to i suppose. And i am not looking to get canceled.
For extra context: we have never dated, or as much even had coffee together.
Neither do i have any of her social media, never even bothered her except in the gym with gym talk like: you know you can go heavier, right? you're holding yourself back too much. (my fellow gymrats will probably know what i mean). I've never flirted with her, and she isn't even my type. Was not even aware of said ''boyfriend'' or that, that was even in her life.
Actually i am very awkward around women, and i prefer to avoid them all together in general if i can.
Bottom line is: am i the problem/asshole? what to do now? advice?

There was a commercial from prior to 2020 done by Xfinity it’s my favorite commercial ever and I can’t find it! It showed a guy riding a bike (I think) and the world was glitching out as the song life of illusion played in the background. Thanks for any help finding this!

May 13, 2024 (Bedfordshire, England)
Ely reveals the WWW Warfare Championship
The show starts with Ely showing up…. “Are you guys excited?” Ely paces around the ring mic in hand, holding it up. “well you guys better be ready…. Because it’s about to be a war zone up in here” the fans cheer. “But before…. We start the first match… I’d like to bring someone out who is very well known in the hardcore wrestling industry…. WWE HALL OF FAMER… FORMER WWE WORLD CHAMP… FORMER HARDCORE CHAMPION!…. MICK FOLEY!! Cactus Jack music plays and mick foley comes out as cactus jack. Mick comes in the ring and looks at the blanket covering the championship and reveals the Warfare championship that has a red streak and red gems in them with sword and weapons in the center with blood red paint splattered on it. “BANG BANG! This is a nice title. It looks like a title I’d go for back in my day but I don’t think I will this time so it’s gonna go to someone else, but it can only go to one man. And it will be decided in a 6 man WarFare match. The rules of this match. Is…. THERE IS NONE! But the match is really interesting and intense so you better be ready for weapons, cages, 2 rings and blood because this is gonna get crazy.” The fans cheer. “We gave a select 12 people an opportunity to be in this match…. He points at the Titantron as they show all 6 matches contested under hardcore rules… Dijak vs Blake Christian, Jon Moxley vs Konosuke Takeshita, Charlie Crowley vs Joe Gacy, Chris Ridgeway vs Homocide, John Morris—“ Ely taps foley’s shoulder and whispers “no warfare” mick looks at Ely confused “you sure?” Ely looks shaking his head “”yes” mick then says “JOHNNY WARFARE VS SAMMY Guevara, and after Damien Priest is not able to travel next week… SAMI CALLIHAN. Will face a mystery opponent” Ely smiles as the fans cheer. Mick foley looks at fans and soaks it in as we go to commercial break.
Dijak vs Blake Christian
Dijak and Blake Christian are in the ring. Who will be the first to qualify for the WarFare match? We’ll find out here.
The bell rings and Blake Christian and Dijak circles the ring and Blake tries to lock up with Dijak but that was a big mistake as Dijak just pushes him back in the corner. Blake Christian realizes he is gonna have to play the fast game and tries to charge at Dijak with big strikes and kicks but eventually Dijak catches one of the strikes, picks him and hits a standing rib breaker and then throws Christian to the outside. Dijak looks to run off the ropes and jumps over for the Fosbury flop but Blake Christian slides into the ring and then runs at Dijak and hits the Fosbury Flop knocking him down finally. Blake goes under the ring and grabs a light tube and smacks it over Dijak’s back and continues doing that before he grabs 2 chairs and sets up light tube table like construction ontop of the chairs and lays Dijak on top looking for a springboard 450 through the light tubes but Dijak gets up and trips him up before putting over his shoulder on the around and Death Valley drivers him through the light tubes for the cover 1…2… Christian kicks out. Dijak then gets angry and starts beating down on Christian. Dijak then grabs a table and sets him up for a chokeslam off the apron but Blake gets off of it and hits a spear on the apron. Blake then hits a springboard knee onto Dijak that lands him on the table. And Blake hits a Moonsault through the table through DIJAK! For the cover on the outside 1…2… Dijak kicks out! Blake starts getting upset and picks up Dijak for the Golden Trident but Dijak gets out of it and hits a huge Superkick on Blake and a Discus clothesline. He then throws Blake in the ring and goes under the ring and grabs tape and then puts it in the ring and grabs a metal plate. He smashes the plate against Blake’s skull and busts him open, blood all over his face. He picks up the metal plate and tapes it to his knee. He picks up Blake and hits the GTS with the metal place against the nose of Blake before picking him up in an Argentina rack and hits the FEAST YOUR EYES WITH THE METAL PLATE. 1..2…3 DIJAK WINS! Dijak advances but Blake is bleeding profusely.
Jon Moxley vs Konosuke Takeshita
2 of the greatest strikers in wrestling right now. They both come out. Don Callis hoping on commentary. Mox getting cheered and Takeshita getting cheered slightly. As soon as the bell rings. Jon Moxley looks to lock up with Takeshita. Moxley gives him a side headlock and they continue going back and forth with lock ups into Moxley throws Takeshita into the ropes looking for a clothesline that is ducked by Takeshita and Takeshita hits a huge big boot on Mox. That causes mox to bounce off the ropes and hit a big boot of his own. Takeshita then bounces off and hits a huge rolling elbow that knocks Mox down to his knees. Takeshita goes to the corner and looks for the power drive knee early but Mox reverses it, trips him up and hits him with an elbow drop. Mox then goes to the outside of the ring and looks under the ring and grabs a chair but before Mox can get in the ring Takeshita flies at him with a Tope Con Hilo. Takeshita then grabs Mox’s head and repeatedly smashes it against the barricade before throwing him into the barricade. They continue fighting to the outside for a good 5 minutes before Takeshita gets Mox in the corner of the barricade and then looks for the power drive knee through the barricade but Mox moves out the way and Takeshita knees himself through the barricade into the walkway between the crowd. Moxley starts to get up and slams Takeshita’s knee into the barricade wall (that wasn’t broken) and puts him back in the ring and grabs another chair and throws both of the chairs into the ring. Jon Moxley puts one of the chairs around his knee and looks to grab the chair and hit his knee but Don Callis hops off of commentary and takes the chair from Mox. Mox sees this and gets out out the ring and chases Callis around the ring before Callis goes in the ring and Takeshita is back up and hits Mox with a huge lariat before picking him up and hitting a wheelbarrow German suplex 1…2… Mox kicks out at 2. Takeshita goes outside and grabs a table. He sets it up but Mox gets back up and hits the King Kong lariat but Takeshita reverses throws him into the corner for the running Big boot in the corner. Putting him on the top rope and looks for the super lariat he hits it but Mox flips and trips Takeshita off the rope and on the turnbuckle as he flips right in front of the table. They’re both out but Takeshita looks to get back on the top but mox drops him on the top turnbuckle again Mox gets up and hits the PARADIGM SHIFT OFFp dTHE TOP THROUGH THE TABLE for the cover 1…2…3 MOXLEY WINS!
Nick Aldis vs Joe Gacy
The main event of the night. Docking’s own, Nick Aldis comes out with huge cheers as he walks down to the ring followed by Joe Gacy as he gets cheered from some but not as much as England’s own.
This match is too hard hitting men going at it with a mix of high flying action from Gacy they go back and forth for while the whole match is crazy and unpredictable as they both get weapons like chairs, kendo sticks, tables and more. They use the hardcore weapons to their advantage as Gacy hits a uranage off the apron on the floor for the cover 1.2..3 Gacy throws Nick Aldis back in the ring and grabs a bag from under the ring and opens IT HOLY SHIT ITS THUMBTACKS!. Gacy pours the thumb tacks all over the ring. And locks in the Rings of Saturn on the thumbtacks but Aldis gets himself out of it and hits the Mack Daddy Driver on the tacks then FLIPS HIM OVER GACY’s BODY AGAINST THE TACKS HE GETS PUT IN THE CLOVERLEAF AND FORCED TO TAP OUT! Nick Aldis wins!

When I first took this job, I never could have predicted what would happen. After all the years of training and the experiences that I have had throughout my life, I am pretty good at being prepared for the worst. But before I begin this story, a little bit about myself.
I was a bit of a troubled child some might say. I lost both my parents to a car accident when I was 2. After that, I bounced from foster home to foster home. I blame it on the system. Almost every foster home I was put in was terrible. The parents were only doing it for the money and barely took care of the foster children. And when Social Services came, you think they listened to the children? No. But, I took on a personality that did help throughout this time. I decided that I wouldn't take shit from anyone. When some of the foster homes' actual children tried to bully me or other foster kids, they very quickly learned not to after several broken bones. In addition, I took this attitude to the public schools. Bullies would pick on the weak, and they would suddenly have broken noses and fingers. But, since it was the public school the bullies were not punished. Only me. However when the bullies would see me or get close to their victims while I was around they would quickly go the other way. This went on for the entirety of my youth. I never had a plan for my life. All I knew was that I was unwanted anywhere, and had nowhere to go. But one day, I was passing by the living room, and I saw a commercial on the tv that changed my life's course. It was an ad to join the United States Marine Corps. After this, I found a new purpose for my life. Unfortunately I was 15 at the time. But I immediately started training myself physically and mentally for this new course. I studied at the public library since I wasn't allowed to use the foster home's computer. I started working out at the high school's gym after class. And finally at 18 I joined the Corps. The next 8 years were the best of my life. After boot camp, MCT (Marine Combat Training), and SOI (School of Infantry) I soon learned about the Raiders. Which is Marine Corps special forces. I immediately put in for it and got selected. I was able to go to several foreign countries and fight many battles. All of my fellow Marines were the greatest family I ever had. Once I was at the end of my second enlistment I decided it was time for me to enter the civilian world again. At that time, we had a bad mission and I lost my closest friends. So I did what anybody in this situation does. I found a reasonably inexpensive apartment and drank excessively for the next month. Once I felt that my liver had been well punished, I began searching for a job. Now, money was not an issue for me at this time. I had plenty in savings to last most people a couple of years. While I was in the military, I never really bought anything since I knew I would be traveling all over. I also still had money saved from the insurance when my parents passed all those years ago that I refused to spend. So I tried finding a job that I would fit into given my skill sets. After some time I found what I was looking for. It was a position within a security company that provides its services to companies in both the private sector as well as government facilities. I immediately applied and got accepted. For the next year after this, I was able to complete some training required for the job and bought my own house in Nevada. I worked as a fill in guard for multiple high ranking officials here and there within my state. But one day, I was given a position that would alter my perception of reality forever.
“John!” my boss bellowed as he entered the locker room. I had been getting my gear, body armor, and rifle ready to head to the meeting room. I look up and see this mountain of a man standing in the doorway with a large jolly smile on his face. “Got a job for you” he continued, waving a file in his hand. “What's the Job?” I asked while doing my best to give back a friendly grin. I've been told I’m not great at expressing my emotions. But I’ve been trying. “Well, good news. It's a government facility that needs a pair of guards.” My ears perked up as he said this. “Where at?” I asked with some excitement in my voice. “A warehouse in the desert just outside of the town where you live.” My shoulders drop a little with disappointment. “What sort of warehouse is it?” I ask. “It is a government funded science facility. Something about monitoring seismic activity in the area. During the evening, you and one other guard will be posted there to watch over the equipment.” I thought for a moment and I remembered the place he was talking about. About 5 miles from my home on the outskirts of town, there is a fenced off plot of land that has one large building out in the middle. I had always driven past it on the way to a rifle range and saw the no trespassing signs on the fence and didn't think much of it. “What's the uniform situation?” I ask. “Standard Polo, slacks, and duty belt.” “Body armor and weapons?” I asked, already feeling the boredom seeping in. “None required. You can wear soft armor if it makes you feel better. But there will be a locker with shotguns as a last resort. Aside from that, just your nightstick.” It is at this point I let out a disappointed sigh. After a long moment I look up and ask, “why did you pick me specifically for this position?” He looks at me with that unwavering smile and says, “well, nobody wanted to volunteer for it. So I decided to volun-tell the first person I saw this morning.” He leans over and gives me a strong pat on the back and walks out. I sigh again, take off my usual gear and just dress in the uniform he told me. I do grab my soft armor though. With my duty belt and the file in hand, I head to my SUV. Opening the file, there was the basic information about the warehouse and a padlock key labeled “Front gate”. I shake my head and begin my drive to this warehouse. Luckily, this place was in between home and our headquarters. So once I started this job, at least I wouldn't have to drive as much.
I pulled up to the gate and pulled out the key that was provided with the file. After entering and securing the gate, I look toward the building and see two vehicles parked out front. One large gray sedan and a red prius. Once I pulled up, a round looking man alongside a woman that was wearing our security uniform stepped out of the building and headed toward me. “Welcome!” the man said with a blinding smile. Man, these morning people really are something else. The woman approached me with an equally bright smile holding out her hand. “You must be my new partner. I'm Stacy. Nice to meet you.” “Likewise.” I said, shaking her hand and trying to put on my friendliest smile. Stacy, on first impressions, has a very friendly personality. She had fairly light brown hair and emerald green eyes. She stood roughly a foot shorter than myself, and her physique is slender and well toned while still being curved in a very attractive way. What caught my attention was the fact that, despite her size and stature, she carried herself with a sense of confidence while not trying to be overly imposing. The man that was there I could only describe as plump. He was about 2 inches shorter than Stacy. He had a balding head with a very poor attempt at a comb over. “Well then, Mr. Miller.” He said. “Just John is fine.” I responded. “Alright John. You can call me Bill. Now that we are acquainted, let's begin the tour.” He turned around and headed to the main entrance. Upon entering, I quickly identified the four quadcons and large mobile research vehicle parked in the center. There were dirty tire tracks leading from the large double doors to the vehicle. “Here is the research equipment you will be guarding. Every evening, once the scientists put their equipment away, you will be responsible for verifying that all of the locks are secured. The keys will be given to you and placed in a lockbox that is kept in your office.” Glancing to the right, I saw what I assumed to be our office. It was a small shack built into the side of the main building. Beckoning us toward it, Bill said, “and over here is where you will likely be spending most of your time.” In the office, there was a long desk with large windows looking out to the interior of the warehouse. At the back there was a small restroom that was surprisingly clean. And, what I was looking for, at the back corner was a locked green weapons locker that housed two Mossberg 500 pump action shotguns. Next to that was a small table with walkie talkies on charging stations. Above the charging station were two flat screen TVs with the video feed of security cameras monitoring both the inside and outside of the building. On the desk was a land line telephone, coffee pot, and a microwave. Underneath was a minifridge and a locking filing cabinet. Bill motioned to the cabinet, “This is where the keys to the storage units and truck will be kept with at least one of you having the key to it nearby. All the amenities are available to use, the AC works, and the chairs are comfy.” He grinned proudly like a child that had just finished his chores. “And if you'll follow me,” he said exiting the office door. As we followed, he went around the office shack where a side by side ATV was parked. Attached to it was a spot light on the front and an extra fuel container in the back. “This will be your steed” Bill says with exaggerated grandeur. “You will be able to use this to go around the compound if needed. Just log your driving so we know when the fuel needs to be replenished. Now, over here,” turning on his heel, he walked toward the opposite end of the warehouse. In this direction was a door labeled Janitors closet. Opening it, there were shelves of cleaning supplies, a push broom, and a wheeled bucket with a mop in it. “You can use these if you need to. There are cleaners that take care of the whole building during the day.” Well, at least we won't be doubling as janitors. Bill clapped his hands together, “do you have any questions?” He began walking back toward the office. “Do you get much disturbance out here that requires guarding?” I asked. “Well, the equipment and research is funded by the government. So they want to be sure nothing gets taken. As far as the disturbances, there are the occasional teenagers that try to sneak onto the property at night to do whatever teens do these days.” “What sort of research is being done here?” Stacy asked. We got back to the office and Bill leaned on the wall sweating and out of breath. “I don't know all the details. But it has something to do with monitoring the seismic readings in order to predict earthquakes or something. But I'm sure they can explain it better.” He pulled out a white cloth and wiped his head. I guess he used all his energy for the introduction. At that moment, we heard the crunching of graven as more vehicles pulled up outside. “Speak of the devil” Bill put the cloth away and looked at his watch. Through the window of the office the clock on the wall read nine in the morning. “If you follow me, we can meet the researchers.” For the next several minutes, we were introduced to the lead researcher Mike and his four grad students. Once introductions were finished, they loaded up the large truck and headed out to the desert. “Allright,” Bill said again, clapping. “You will be on guard during the night. Be here at six this evening. for the start of your shift. At six in the morning we will have two other guards relieve you during the day.” He headed over to the red Prius. “If you have any other questions, my cell number is in your files. Good luck” He hopped in and drove off leaving the two of us standing in front of the building. “Well,” Stacy said after a moment of silence. “I look forward to working with you, and I guess I'll see you tonight.” I nodded at this. “See you then.” We both left the site for the day. It turned out that Stacy and I both lived in the same town not too far apart. At least the company chose guards that live close to the site to save on driving.
The next four weeks were fairly uneventful. On the first night, we were able to talk with the researchers. Their explanation was the same as Bill had said. They were monitoring the seismic reading to predict earthquakes. But when the lead researcher said that, I got the sense that there was more to it. After some interrogation tips that I got from a CIA member that was stationed in Syria with me, I began to get good at knowing when someone was lying or withholding information. But, I didn't press the issue. If this was something more serious, there would be alot more security than two guards at a time with minimal equipment. After some deliberation with Stacy, we came up with a routine for our shifts. Every hour, one of us would take a walk around the inside of the warehouse. And every four hours one of us would take the ATV and do a patrol around the perimeter of the fence. The whole drive takes about twenty minutes. As far as issues during this time, not much happened. Every once in a while a camera would go down and one of us would check on it. After either jiggling the cable or just resetting it, the feed would go back to normal. There was one night that we noticed some teens outside of the fence seemingly daring each other to climb over. After revving the ATV and hitting them with the spotlight, they decided to leave. But during our shifts I did get to learn more about Stacy. She is a near polar opposite to me. She is very cheerful and chatty. From what she told me, I learned that she was mostly raised by her grandfather who was a police officer for the majority of his life. She had great respect for him before his passing. She wanted to be just like him with his sense of justice and strength. However, she decided to become private security instead of a police officer. I did notice that she seemed to avoid the topic of her parents. From the different walks of life that I encountered within the military, I decided it was best not to press the topic. She also seemed to like the horror genre of stories and films. During our shifts we were allowed to bring things to pass the time. She would bring a wireless speaker and play music and something called creepypasta. I on the other hand would put in one ear bud with music and read a book when we were not chatting. During the first week, we did have to stand guard for the entire 7 days. But after that more guards were stationed at the warehouse for the weekend to give us time off. This did come with an issue. Stacy would ask to hang out during the weekend. She would want to go to the movie theater or get lunch somewhere. But when she asked, I would say that I had plans. Which isn't a lie, but it mostly consisted of meal prep, physical training, and going to a shooting range. The problem I had was this, I never had a girlfriend. While Stacy is both kind and beautiful, I have no idea how to proceed with this. I would only feel awkward. Despite this, she didn't seem to have any intention of giving up. She would still ask every Friday, and when I told her I was busy, she would say, “maybe next weekend then.”
It was Friday of the fifth week when it happened. Me and Stacy were five hours into our shift, and I had just gotten back from a patrol on the ATV. “See any of the Graboids that they are looking for?” Stacy asked, grinning. “I'm afraid not,” I said disappointedly. “Just the usual rodents and reptiles. Although maybe they turned to shriekers and left.” I grinned as well. After logging the patrol, I entered the office and picked up “The Art Of War” and continued reading where I left off. Stacy was listening to one of those creepypastas on her phone. It was about something called a Skinwalker hunting hikers in a national park. It seemed kind of interesting. Maybe I should start looking into these stories. “So,” Stacy said, pausing the video. “You wanna catch a movie this weekend?” Her emerald eyes glistened with anticipation. “Sorry. I have plans.” I responded. She sighed and slouched sadly. “Well. Maybe next weekend then.” I know if anyone saw me in this situation, they would be screaming at me. A beautiful woman is asking me if I want to spend time together outside of work. After this exchange we continued with our activities waiting for my alarm to go off signaling a patrol. It was at this moment when we felt a strong tremor beneath the warehouse. Feeling tremors wasnt that unusual for this area. Every once in a while we might feel a light one during our shifts. But this one was stronger than any other that we've felt. But before we could get under our desk expecting it to be an earthquake, it was already over. The whole thing had lasted less than a minute. We both sat back in our chairs and looked at each other with a sigh of relief. Soon our nerves were settled and we returned to our entertainment. Fifteen minutes later the alarm on my phone sounded. Stacy stood up stretching. “I'll take this one”, she said. I nodded in agreement and looked back at the camera feeds. The camera that overlooked the corner by the janitors closet was static. “Could you look at camera three when you walk by it?” I asked, pointing at the monitor. She nodded and gave a thumbs up. “Got it.” She grabbed a walkie off the charger and clipped it to her belt. Once she left the office, I returned to my book, occasionally glancing at the monitor. After a few minutes, I heard a click on my radio and then a door slam from the other side of the warehouse. I picked up the radio, “Stacy, you good?” I asked. From the way the office was positioned, the view of that closet is blocked by the truck and quadcons. I looked at the monitor and that camera was still out. “Stacy, you good?” I repeated. No answer. I grabbed my radio and a flashlight and headed out the office to check on her. My worry was that during that tremor, some of the cleaner spilled and she might have slipped on it hitting her head. I very quickly walked over to the closet. I didn't see Stacy anywhere, but her radio was on the floor by the door. I ran over and opened the door worried. But instead of seeing Stacy laying on the floor unconscious, there was a large hole on the concrete. I stood there for a moment trying to process what I was looking at. But remembering Stacy, I pulled out my flashlight carefully looking down the hole. Instead of going straight down, it went in at an angle almost like a tunnel. It was large enough for myself to crawl into if I needed to. “Stacy!” I yelled. “Are you down there?” No response. “Shit” I muttered to myself. I then got down and headed in.
The tunnel seemed to go down for at least twenty feet before leading into another much larger tunnel. Once there, I was surprisingly able to stand up with plenty of room. “I wonder if this is what those researchers were looking into.” I thought to myself. Looking left and right, this tunnel continued further than my flashlight could reach. “Stacy! Can you hear me?” I yelled. The only response I got was my own echo. Looking down, I tried to find any indication of the direction she might have gone. At first I didn't see anything. I did notice that there were drag marks in the dirt going left. No boot marks though. I made a mark in the dirt to indicate the tunnel back to the surface, and started down the left tunnel. For the next ten minutes, I was quickly walking my way through this dark tunnel, yelling Stacy's name all throughout. The tunnel kept going down and curving every now and then. But still no sign of Stacy. Eventually I came to a fork. It was here that the drag marks stopped. After calling Stacy's name a few more times, I knew I had to get to the surface and call for backup. As much as I hated the idea, I knew it was necessary. But right as I was about to turn and head back, I heard a scream. It was very faint, but it came from the right tunnel. Now that I had a direction, I decided to continue quicker than before. I traveled deeper and deeper into these unknown depths. It was at this point that I noticed a turn off up ahead going left. I knew that if there wasn't another sound at this intersection, that I would have to return. I got to the turn off and yelled for Stacy. After a few minutes I heard what sounded like footsteps coming toward me. “Stacy?” I yelled. I carefully walked forward. There was another sound. Heavy breathing. The tunnel turned right. As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw something straight out of a horror movie. It stood on all fours with short legs and long arms, head just about touching the ceiling at roughly eight feet in height. Its skin was an ashen gray color with small tufts of fur near the shoulders. The face and large ears reminded me of a bat. Its eyes were so white, they almost seemed to glow in the darkness. I got the sense that, while it couldn't see me, it knew I was there due to my yelling. As soon as I lock eyes with this creature, before I can do anything, it inhales and lets out an ear piercing shriek. I covered my ears, but it didn't do anything as my vision started to fade to black.
“Sergeant!” There was somebody yelling. “Sergeant Miller!” I opened my eyes and I was on the ground looking at the bright sky. Then a figure appeared reaching down to help me up. Corporal Johnson grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “You good sergeant?” He asked. “Yeah, I'm good!” I yelled back grabbing my rifle and getting back to the cover of the hummvee. As bullets riddled the opposite side of the vehicle, I went to the front and returned fire over the hood taking out two of the attackers. Johnson came up behind me doing the same. “The fifty is down, and Rodriguez is hit!” He yelled while reloading. I looked at the hummvee ahead of ours. The doors were open and I saw Corporal Smith messing with the radio while being covered by Private Williams. On the ground beside them was Rodriguez being treated by the Corpsman. I looked back to Johnson, “Cover me! I'm moving up”, I yelled to him. He nodded, racking his rifle. “Moving!” I yelled as I sprinted to the next vic. A couple of bullets hit near my feet. As soon as I got to the rear, I yelled, “set!” Johnson started running while I kept him covered. Once we were both there, we checked on Rodriguez. The corpsman looked up at me, “we need a medevac now!” He yelled holding a wound near the neck. I nodded quickly and got up to Smith who was yelling on the radio. I knelt down, “what's the ETA on those birds?” I asked. He shook his head angrily. “They are at least five minutes out!” He said cursing as a bullet hit the top of the door next to him. “We won't last that long! Just get on the 240 and fire back now!” I yelled in his ear. “Aye Sergeant!” Smith climbs into the hummvee and mounts the turret with the 240 machine gun firing back. I looked back at Johnson, “we need to get to the lead vic and mount the Mark 19!” I yelled back. Johnson gave me a devilish grin, “aye sergeant!” He yelled back. The lead hummvee was two vehicles ahead. With the help of Williams’ suppressing fire, we got to the second vic. “Just one more” I thought to myself. Johnson got ready to move to the next hummvee. I nod at him and get set for suppressing fire. “Moving!” He selled. Right as he started running there was a snap and he hit the dirt as blood started pooling by his head. “Sniper!” I yelled back to the others. But as soon as I looked back to where Smiths’ 240 was roaring, the entire hummvee exploded as an RPG detonated below it. A large piece of what I assume was the door, hit me in the helmet and I was back on the ground. I looked up with blurred vision seeing an attack helicopter unloading its payload toward the enemy placements. But as I blinked, there was a large face staring at me from across the street. An inhuman face. Almost like a bat. I start to remember what this thing is, just as my vision fades to black.
“Sergeant!” There was somebody yelling. “Sergeant Miller!” I opened my eyes and I was on the ground looking at the bright sky. Then a figure appeared reaching down to help me up. Corporal Johnson grabbed my hand and pulled me up. “You good sergeant?” He asked. “Yeah, I'm good!” I yelled back grabbing my rifle and getting back to the cover of the hummvee. As bullets riddled the opposite side of the vehicle, I went to the front and returned fire over the hood taking out two of the attackers. Johnson came up behind me doing the same. “The fifty is down, and Rodriguez is hit!” He yelled while reloading. I looked at the hummvee ahead of ours. The doors were open and I saw Corporal Smith messing with the radio while being covered by Private Williams. I looked back at Johnson. “Wait.” I thought to myself. “I-I was just here.” I watched as Johnson continued to make the same moves as he did in this memory. I stand up and look around as he runs to the next hummvee. I hear the corpsman yell about evac. Smith yelling about the ETA on the birds. “This,” I said to myself. “This was the last mission.” Then I remembered. A face. An inhuman face. I looked across the street where I saw it. I close my eyes and shake my head. When I opened my eyes, I was back in the darkness of a tunnel. The monster was now looming over me reaching out with its large clawed hand. I immediately jumped back out of its arms reach. The monster seemed surprised that its trance was broken. It began to inhale, readying another shriek. But before it could let out its scream, I drew the compact Sig pistol that I keep under my uniform and put two rounds between its eyes. Now when I asked the boss about having weapons, he said they weren't required. He didn't say I couldn't conceal one just in case. The creature slumped to the ground lifeless. Despite the ringing in my ears from the shot, I knew I had to continue forward to find Stacy. I looked down and was glad to see the footprints and drag marks were clear and continued forward. As I continued down the tunnels, the walls started to change. The texture went from the dirt and stone to a black and almost rubbery plastic. If I had to compare, it looked almost like the walls in that Aliens movie. That thought also unnerved me. Soon after noticing the changes, I started to hear a voice further down the tunnel. It was Stacy's voice. Faint, but there. I quickened my pace. The tunnel then seemed to open up into a large cavern. It was so large that my flashlight couldn't reach the opposite end. The walls had that same alien-like texture. I then noticed bulb-like growths attached to the walls. Walking to the nearest one I peered in. There was the remains of a human skeleton. From the looks of it, the bones were here for many years. The clothes, or what was left of them, looked similar to those I've seen in mining pictures from the 1800s. Moving forward, each bulb, or pod I guessed, had a similar sight. A human skeleton, no flesh remaining. They were all in a pose that suggested they all died screaming. At least, those that still had a jaw attached. After looking into the fifth one, I heard Stacy’s voice again from across the cavern. I immediately started walking in that direction. At that moment I looked up toward the ceiling and saw a nightmare. There were hundreds of those creatures attached and encased in similar pods. All seemingly asleep and ready to get out at a moment's notice. Off to the side, there were several of those bods that were empty. Immediately lowering my light, I hastened my pace as quietly as possible. At the end of the cavern, I saw the pale face of Stacy peeking out of what I now assumed were feeding pods. “No daddy, no.” She was muttering to herself quietly. “Don't hurt mommy.” I lifted her head up and her eyes were open but unfocused. “She must be in that trance” I thought to myself. Reaching to my belt, I pulled out a pocket knife and began cutting away at the pod. Luckily for me, whatever this was made of had not hardened yet. As soon as there was enough give, I pulled Stacy out and placed her on the ground. “Come on. Wake up Stacy.” I said quietly into her ear. After about a minute of speaking to her and giving a light sternum rub, her eyes finally came back into focus. “John?” She asked. I put my hand over her mouth and whispered into her ear, “Shh. We need to get out of here quietly.” I pointed the light up at the creature pods. Her eyes widened. Then she looked at me and nodded slowly. I removed my hand and helped her to her feet. She was a little wobbly. “Can you walk?” I asked. She nodded again and we began our track to the surface.
I took point and followed the tracks that led me here. Seeing me with my pistol aimed ahead Stacy asked, “are there more of them in the tunnels?” “Yeah.” I said gesturing up ahead at the carcass of the creature that I shot earlier. She nodded approvingly. She then pulled out her own Sig pistol from her waistband. I think I’m in love. We continued down the tunnels with haste. When we rounded one corner, another two more of the creatures were shuffling towards us. As soon as I saw them, I took a knee and put two rounds in the first one killing it. The second one climbed over the body and sped up taking a deep breath. But before I could fire at it, Stacy put three rounds into its head. I looked back at her and she was in a perfect shooter's stance the muzzle of her pistol still smoking. With our ears still ringing, I gave her a thumbs up and we continued. After some time, we finally reached the smaller tunnel leading up to the janitor's closet in the warehouse. We got out and looked around making sure that none of the creatures were waiting above. After clearing the building, we both sighed with relief. Stacy then started toward the office. “I'm going to call for backup,” she said. I shook my head. “No. We need to collapse that cavern before those things can get up here.” She looked at me with confusion. “And how do you expect us to do that? I doubt the researchers have explosives in their truck,” she said pointing at the vehicle. “Just follow me,” I said heading to the front door. Stacy hesitated and quickly followed. I immediately ran to my SUV and opened the rear. As soon as Stacy caught up, I opened the plastic cases and her eyes widened. “Take your pick,” I said gesturing toward the case full of guns and armor. After a moment, she grabbed a suppressed Honey Badger rifle, a glock 17, and a chest rig for spare magazines. I took my own Suppressed M4 rifle, glock 19, and my plate carrier. After we strapped on the gear, I handed her a pair of noise canceling headphones to help with the gunshots underground. “So, you usually carry this much gear?” Stacy asked, turning on the headphones. “Well,” I said. “You never know when you need it.” After putting on my own headphones, I pulled out a duffel bag from a much deeper compartment of the case. I set it on the ground and opened it. Stacy's eyes went even wider than before. “Is that?” she stammered. “Yep.” I said, looking down at the large bag full of plastic bricks marked as C4. “Where did you?” she started. “Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy.” I responded, pulling out a detonator and making sure I had enough components. “Let's move.” I said, throwing the bag over my shoulder and loading my rifle. She nodded, loading her rifle.
Once we reentered the tunnel, the mics on the headphones were able to pick up the faint sounds of the creatures footsteps and distant shrieks. I looked back at Stacy, “ready.” I asked. “Let's go,” She responded. I placed a glow stick at the entrance and began the move forward. After only a few minutes of walking one of those creatures rounded a corner. As it did, it let out one of those ear piercing screams. But, fortunately for us, those headphones worked very well at canceling out the effect that it had. I grinned and promptly put two rounds between its eyes. After stepping over the body and rounded the corner, there were two more. “Shit,” I thought. “More of those pods must have opened.” Despite this revelation, we continued. Killing every creature along the way. Stacy did surprise me though. All of her moves were smooth and calculated. She clearly had more training than what the security company provided. Maybe I should ask her about it when we get out of here. She might make a good range buddy. It took twice as long to get to the cavern the second time. A couple of those creatures almost got the jump on us. They would wait around corners or try to attack from behind. I did get hit, but somehow it only damaged the armor plate. I did note that it went through the plate like butter. Definitely didn't want to get directly hit by that. Once we finally arrived at the cavern, there were more empty pods. And even more were starting to move. I dropped the duffel bag and gave Stacy some of the bricks and detonators. “You take that side and I'll take this one,” I told her. “Got it,” she said. I quickly showed her how to arm the device and we began planting. I put some of them in the empty food pods as well as sticking them to the wall. A couple of the pods burst open. I was quickly able to dispatch them. Once we finally finished planting the C4, we met back at the entrance of the cavern. I took out a timer and attached it to the wall. “We are going to have to run,” I said, punching in fifteen minutes. She took a deep breath and nodded. I nodded back and hit start. We bolted down the tunnels. The bodies of the creatures we killed on the way in, did slow us down. But I calculated that. A couple of them did try to ambush us, but we quickly put them down. Throughout this run, I was able to place a couple of the remaining C4 at key intersections in order to collapse the tunnels. We finally reached the last turn and saw the first glow stick up ahead. I glanced down at the timer on my watch. 5 minutes. “Perfect,” I thought, grinning to myself. I helped Stacy up the tunnel. “Keep going. I'll be right up.” I said. I knelt down and planted the last C4 charge at the base of the exit. I then began crawling up the tunnel. But just before my legs entered the hole, something grabbed my right foot and yanked me back down. It held me upside down and I was able to get a good look at my assailant. It was one of those creatures, but this one seemed bigger. There were scars all over its face and torso. “And you must be the leader,” I said. It snarled. My rifle was on my back so I couldn't grab it. It reared its other arm back and readied a slash. “I don't think so,” I said, drawing my pistol and dumping half the mag into its body. It let out one last scream dropping me and falling dead. I looked at my timer. 2 minutes. Shit. I dove into the tunnel and crawled up as fast as I could. When my head popped out, Stacy was there and she helped pull me out. I looked at her and quickly motioned to the door. “We need to haul ass!” I yelled. Without hesitation, she sprinted with me to the door. She passed me and slammed into the door opening it. I guess I'll need to work on my run time. As soon as I passed the threshold, I heard the beeping of my watch indicating the 5 second mark. We bolted toward the gate. Once we got there, the timer went off. There was a rumble underground as I knew the C4 had detonated. It was a moment later that the backside of the warehouse exploded, as the rest of it caved in. I noticed that a section of the desert seemed to sink slightly. That area was where the researchers seemed to spend the most time. I knew they were hiding something. I shook my head and looked back at our vehicles. Somehow, by some miracle, no debris had hit them. We glanced at each other and both let out a big sigh of relief. We began walking back to my SUV. “So,” I said. “What’s playing in the theater?” Stacy looked up at me, smiled and began laughing. I laughed too as she leaned on my shoulder. “Don't know. As long as it's not horror.” I put my arm around her shoulders. “I agree.”

Having a really hopeless moment rn. I just found out I have another stalker. Like all of them, when confronted and told how much it scares me and that he needs to knock it the fuck off (luckily I know this guy, in the past when it’s strangers I’ve had to move gyms, where I park my car, where I grocery shop, etc) he reacted really angrily and actually argued with me that he was in the right and just flirting (sending hundreds of unanswered texts/dms/etc) and why shouldn’t he be allowed to “flirt” (harass me) bc I am single and therefore, fair game.
I’m almost 40. My first serious stalker was a Jamaican dude renovating my childhood home, had to get cops involved restraining orders etc I was 10. In college I had a professor start following me around but I didn’t care bc he was cute until he started standing outside my window on Cornelia street (if you know, you know it’s not a place to be yelling) shouting up at my 6th floor walk up that he’d leave his wife for me after I interned for him for a couple months and let him kiss me once.
After my husband died I dated a guy who so throughly stalked me it turned my life upside down (tracking everything through findmyiphone, contacting professional contacts on my LinkedIn and personal contacts on fb, crashed my friends wedding threatening to shoot himself had the cops called ruined the wedding and that friendship)
Somehow I still had the temerity to date after all this. Dated a nice environmental lawyer. Told him about the stalker and that a hard line for me was looking through my phone or snooping of any kind. I was still dealing with grief from my husbands sudden death and couldn’t sleep so was taking ambien. This ghoul would take advantage of my ambien sleep and go through everything in my phone, reading even the emails I’d send my parents. It was so shocking and disheartening that I haven’t dated seriously since. I keep to myself, I do not put out the vibe. I still work as a commercial model so I have to keep my hair and hands and skin and body on point. But I am by no means trying to turn heads nor do I. I feel like I’m just quietly existing. And these dudes won’t stop fucking with me.
I just opened a dm thread from the latest stalker right before writing this post, I ignored it for months bc he spams me. It was so disgusting. Blabbering about how he’s been bingeing real housewives so he can “figure me out” (rude as hell) learning how to waltz like Amelie bc I use the Amelie soundtrack in vids of my dog, I’ve never even seen that movie I just like the music, it suits my dog. He said he’s learned my walking route with my dog hoping to see me and when he does he claims I ignore him.
Will this ever end? Do I need to get married again? I just wanna live in peace but these men won’t let me. The thought of being in my 60s and having to change my grocery store bc of a creep constantly trying to chat me up is so depressing.

Female here (and no I'm not going to respond to DMs). But I need to rant today. I don't think any girl who lives here has gone without some kind of sexual harrasment. I need to rant about the multiple instances that I've experienced throughout the years
First time was when I was around 12. I wore a kurti + leggings and was travelling to summer camp with my grandad. Naturally, I was in the gents section with him. I was standing, trying to grab on to the handle on top. There was a small portion of my hip visible. Then, I could feel someone's hands touch my skin. I liked down and it was a man who was the same age my grandad. I didn't say anything and thought it was an accident or something. 5 minutes later it's the same. Got down soon after. I didn't realise what actually happened until years later.
Second time was in the metro. It was super crowded and I was with a male friend. I felt something on my ass and I assumed it was a bag. Nope. So so wrong. I could feel the guy behind me rub his tool and I was so shocked I couldn't do anything. It was so packed that I couldn't move and I tried to tell my friend that I needed to get out asap. I was bawling as soon as I stepped out because it felt disgusting and also because my friend had no clue what happened and I want in a situation to explain
Then there came multiple instances during covid when I used to see men fapp in public - this happened there times. First time the man was butt naked and was standing in a commercial complex. Second was next to some bushes. Third time was the most bold, on his bike parked on a road (not a main road but not residential as well) and just at it.
Apart from that, the number of men who just stare - ughhhh.
Men of reddit, I know that I can't classify all men as creepy. But if there is one for every 1000 people, we are bound to meet atleast one a day considering this annoying population density. If you'd really want to be there for your female companion, I beg you to please be aware. If a girl ever tells you that she doesn't feel safe, trust her instincts.
From a girl's POV, any kind of advancements from men is very very intimidating mostly due to the physical disadvantage. Moreover, women are taught to stay timid and "soft". It takes a while to break out of these stereotypes.
Freeze is a real response to alarming situations and we do fall prey to it quite often. If you can pull us out, I swear you'll be heros
We don't want supermans who fight the bad. Just pull us out of the situation and help us get to safety.
If any girl here wants to add on to this section, please do. What would be your request to the men here, that would help you feel safe?

Cephalapod Genesis
The pharoah ejaculated into the river and in the sand the sperm found refuge and grew into papyrus. This an example of genesis.
Vampyrapods are the first intelligent species to live on this planet predating the dinosaurs. They came here somehow. They did not evolve on this planet. Perhaps just an ejaculated sperm from another being landing in the water. The direct offspring of this cephalapod is the modern octopus. Octopus are responsible for nearly every animal genesis on earth including humans and subsequently man made inventions and accomplishments. Octopus taught trees to fruit, destroyed the dinosaurs through becoming tapeworms, and even walked to the moon. Some of the animals you may recognize from the cellular genesis may have fused with the other local staples such as canine, equine, and feline, and reptile as well as temporarily the pachyderms in post-actualization causal genesis. This can be done by mating with, killing, eating, dying, being eaten, or simply a laying of hands or physical actions. Octopus only live for about 4.5 years of our relationship with time, but they have beaten death through a mix of telepathy and cannabalism. They've also mastered time travel. There are only 3 actual beings here. Others died in getting here and are fossilized. 2 males and 1 female survived. I call them Jack, Seth, and Claire. This is why the genesis had to completed this way as any direct offspring would not work. because theyve have infinite time to complete it, theyve walked over every inch of the planet and affected every species. In fact our own existence is simply the echo of the combined knowledge of the cephs. We are an amalgamation like the 'too much good stuff' guy from am/pm commercials. Make a bird with your hands. ¿Where are the beaks? The latest project is to use genetic science in order to bring back the mammoth and obtain a sixth digit from its feet. Should happen around 2027. When the vampyrapods first encountered life here it was eating their tentacles. So the first genesis occured in the offspring of those that ate of the tentacles. This is why modern cephs only have 8 limbs. The first language period is Enochian. A language of the eyes and limbs. Through different manipulation of limbs and eye fluctuations communication was made. After a while though telepathy became the established communication.
Here are some examples but not all of cephalapod genesis:
• Spiders (rare from trilobyte mix, had to go back in time to accomplish) (they had to avenge the original vampyrapods from being eaten from early organisms, thisnis how scorpions were able to evolve) • Mango (foilage and ceph mix. Ceph hung from a tree upside down) • Star fruit (the tree missed the octopus and tempted it to return) • Pinecone ( the bite marks of ceph beak eating the fruit of the trees) • Toucan (the beak formation from ceph in flux probably consuming a failed aviary) • Peacock (feather formations still in flux from limbs partial fusion) • Salamander (reptile/chameleon mix) (skin breathing evolution) •Sloth (feline and foilage mix) • Mistletoe bird (octopus ate a mushroom) • Lyrebird (mirage, digitage, and aviary from peacock and pheasant. Mastered the art of sound mimickry to develop better auditory communications) • Dung beetle (rolling backwards the earth through time) • VW bug (trunk up front) (mirage, digitage, pachyderm mix) (invented higher than the model T but arrived later in time) • Goliath bird-eating tarantula ( set a web to catch a bird which did not exist fully until the web was cast. When the spider consumed the bird the psuedo cannabalistic action resulted in a poison tree frog) • Snakes (a ceph lost its mating limb for some reason in a mirage mix experiment) • venemous snakes (a snake ate the eggs of its own offspring)(the cursed dinosaur souls live inside these) • Gumby (using hands to mold clay made a show about being an octopus) • Chameleon (reptile, ceph, foilage, mirage mix)(a ceph was purposely eaten by a komodo dragon to telepathically send a reverse osmosis of its makeup inside its body to another ceph that was attempting to kill the dinosaurs in the past. How they programmed the tapeworm to destroy them)

• Human organs (strife and love and tapeworm mix. Impregnating a mix of canine feline equine, ceph, pachyderm, reptilian, mirage, digitage, foilage, strife and love through years of experimentation lodged themselves systematically into more and more advanced versions and became functional in each iteration) • Sumi ink tattoo ink any ink really • The written word (anemone, sea urchin, porcupine quill, Bird feather and ink. Papyrus) • Floppy disk (suction cup on a piece of mail specifically a bill and the suction cup on the plastic window) • Cd, dvd, blu ray (laying of hands on a television screen) • Television (just a series of ceph exploring life through the inside of a glass tank with mirage and digitage mix) • Movie theater ( same but aquarium instead) • Papillon (love + insect from trilobyte and ink and papyrus needed training wheels to learn how to fly) • Taser (digitage mix of the two extra original tentacles lost from vampyrapod with mix of electric eel which was a detached limb of an octopus that had achieved ball lightning static existence) • Wisteria (ceph and foilage mix) (needed the seeds to play mancala or something) • Water strider (walked on water) • Lunar lander (digitage) (tapeworms in humans directed construction, the first electronic component gestalt high enough to become digital) (a tree really wanted to go to the moon) • Champagne cork (Ate some bark, vent plugged up and had to pee really bad) • Electrostatic Ball (attempting time travel, a ceph was meditating in complete non movement inside a digitized mirage flashing irridescence until it passed away) • Ball lightning (time travel attempt Same ceph tried a pure digitage and mirage mix) • Gnarwal (chameleon tongue, mirage and pachyderm) • Light bulb (ceph + mirage + digitage mix) (octopus crawled into a mirage jar and was irridescent) • Liquor bottle (octopus got stuck in a fulgarite and died temporarily trapping its soul in reflection but the invention of cork escaped it) • Silly string (mirage mix) (angry octopus sprayed another with diarhea from its vent) • Tapeworms (had to brave a walk into a volcano and die. As the octopus melted while running, it evolved the turkey, turkey vulture, vulture, and was just a slithering worm by the time it was engulfed by lava) • The Ten Commandments (vampyrapod fossils brought by a tapewormed moses to show people and try and explain the religion) • Dumbo (actually just a tiny cute octopus) • Hydra from capt america (introducing the public to idealogy of cephs) • Tobacco leaf (the laying of hands on deciduous plantlife, a gift to the early iterations of human) • Cow (equine ceph and pachyderm mix) essentially the Orca ate the Octopus, in its 4th stomach it finally died and so when the cow who has 4 stomachs manifested it came with udders symbolic of the octopus genesis in post actualization-causation • Rapa nui. The end of time. (Great stone heads disembodied) (mirage and strife)the final resting place. A graveyard. A place of rest always available

Had this idea bouncing around in my head about the little ferret guy, Etholin Esila. I figured with him being a 'merchant lord' he'd want to start cutting deals with Emma once the initial curiosity and amazement over Earth tech would have passed. Not sure where this is going, if anywhere, but just wanted to get it out of my head and onto 'paper'.
Thanks to u/DndQuickQuestion for helping with feedback on earlier drafts.
Afternoon Transgracian Academy of Magical Arts
The hulking minotaur loomed menacingly over me. "Crawling along the floor suits you well, Merchant Lord Etholin Esila!” it boomed in an intimidating baritone. “Merchant Lord, pfah! Even a mangy cur such as that Mercenary Prince has a legacy of valor and martial prowess behind his dubious title, but you?”
An accusatory finger was jabbed in my direction. “Nothing but puffery and bluster to buttress your status as a glorified shopkeep! Your ilk claims to broker fair trade between the Realms, but those with integrity and honor recognize the deceit you employ to conjure false value from nothing." It was difficult to tell if Lord Auris Ping's tirade was aimed more at myself, the Esila clan, or the concept of inter-realm commerce in general.
At the moment, I was more concerned with herding my scattered belongings back into my satchel. While rushing to my next appointment, I had the dubious privilege of colliding with this mountain of a brute. Naturally I was on the losing side of that contest, and was sent tail over head to the floor, scattering the contents of my school satchel across the polished granite. Not one to pass up the chance at a crass display of dominance, Lord Ping had launched into the rant that everyone in earshot was currently enduring.
"Look at you, scrabbling on the floor to fetch your little trinkets, a fitting match for your base and covetous nature!" Fairly pedestrian, as far as character assassination went. I’d been called far worse while helping Father with trade negotiations, sometimes at sword or stave point. One had to develop quite a thick hide when engaging in cross-realm commerce. Especially with many realms having rather… absolutist opinions about the value of goods, like Lord Ping here. But I had zero interest in contesting his assertions, despite how idiotic they were.
Haggling or arguing with Pronarthians was a singularly wretched experience. They were infamous across the Realms for their single-mindedness and a compulsive need to have the last word that bordered on lunacy. I didn’t have the patience for the endless ingratiating flattery required to bore through such stubbornness. If that wasn’t enough, a gentleman of my stature also had to consider Pronarthians’ sizeism; specifically their intrinsic respect for the larger and taller races.
And that was merely the average Pronarthian! Arguing with a belligerent lout, accustomed to deference as Lord Ping? I'd sooner try my hand at flying out the nearby window. At least the loamy soil below would give me a fighting chance, or a jagged rock would grant me the mercy of a swift end.
Instead, I busied myself putting my things in order, taking special care with one item in particular. It was a set of memory crystals I received from the Earthrealmer, Cadet Emma Booker. It was part of a ‘transdimensional cultural exchange pilot program,’ as she had described it with her nation’s peculiar bureaucratic jargon. I had previously conducted similar transactions in my initial dealings with Cadet Booker, and it was those first tentative steps that convinced me to make Cadet Booker a full-fledged premiere trade partner of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company, the pride of the Esila clan.
The myriad tomes and treatises from Earthrealm, such as the riveting "The Wealth of Nations," amply demonstrated that Earthrealm had an extremely sophisticated understanding of commerce, finance, and logistics. But it was the ‘video archive footage,’ transferred onto memory crystals for ease of viewing, that convinced me at a visceral level that these Earthrealmers were a sound investment. I felt it on my whisker-tips, as the commoners back home would say.
"May I offer a helping hand, Lord Esila?" inquired a familiar voice. I looked up to see a scaly, clawed hand extended toward me. “And perhaps a sympathetic ear? After all, that was a rather nasty bit of slander from Lord Ping, would you not agree?”
Wonderful. This nonsense again.
While I had been lost in thought contemplating Ocean Breeze’s latest windfall, Lord Ping seemed to have lost interest and resumed going about his business. Taking his place, as always, was Lord Qiv Ratom, ever ready to sift through the rubble of Lord Ping's latest ham-fisted antics for personal gain. "You will find that my views differ considerably from Lord Ping's. I, for one, admire the manner in which you extract value from your trade partners. After all, does it not require skill and cunning to convince the customer that your wares are worth far greater than their true value? Such nuance and subtlety is lost on the likes of Auris Ping, content to strong-arm what he desires from others."
I paused for a moment, at a loss for words. His tone suggested his 'praise' was sincere, but only stoked my ire further. What in the thrice-damned Hells did he think he was accomplishing? Did he really think that telling me, "Well, I still regard you as a thief, but I APPRECIATE your thieving nature, unlike that uncouth lout!" was going to win me over? Dealing with parties with this attitude to commerce and trade was tedious at best. But ever since making acquaintances with Cadet Booker, whose people's understanding and appreciation of commerce rivaled the Nexians, dealing with the likes of Ping and Ratom was nigh UNBEARABLE.
I rattled off the usual rigmarole we used at Ocean Breeze for clients we wished to keep at arm's length. "With respect, Lord Ratom, the value of the goods we sell is determined by the customer's needs and circumstances. The merchants of my clan arbitrate prices taking such factors into consideration. We see it as our responsibility to provide equitable trade that is not only beneficial to all parties, but also provides fair compensation for the tradesmen involved in executing the transaction."
"But of course, it is as you say," replied Lord Ratom with his signature oily charisma. "Fair and equitable trade, according to the customer's circumstances. Thus, you are but a facilitator of the Fates, a most humble tool of Destiny itself. And one who collects a respectable commission, at that," he continued. He stopped short of winking conspiratorially, but the impish grin playing across his features was a fine substitute. Every mote of my being wanted to shake him until he shed his skin. He continued, "Your... humility aside, my admiration of your clan's cunning and resourcefulness still stands. The insight of one so skilled is always welcome within my inner circle, should you wish to grace us with your presence."
It took all my restraint to not tell him into which orifice he could jam his charity-case friendship offer. After all, I'd been keeping far better and more like-minded company of late. Company that the Baralonian lord was likely dying to ingratiate himself with, given how Cadet Booker and her peer group had taken pains to keep Lord Ratom and his entourage of gossips at arm’s length. Instead, I left the smug reptile’s offer dangling in the air, twisting in the wind for a few agonizing moments while I finished tidying my things. Rising to my feet, I finally replied, "An offer most generous and kind. I will of course, have to consider the circumstances of both customer and merchant. Surely you would not begrudge a humble servant of Fate for waiting for the most auspicious circumstances?" Even at my best, I was hardly a master of rhetoric, so crudely tossing his words back at him was the best I could do.
"As you please, Lord Esila," replied Lord Ratom, finally sensing his return on investment wouldn't be worthwhile, leaving me alone to stew in the hallway. Such was the game played among the aristocracy. I looked down at the bundle of memory crystals in my hands, contemplating on their origin, and how Earthrealm could change how the Esila clan, perhaps even all of Rontalis, played the game.
I continued on my way, thoughts heavy once more.
Evening Ocean Breeze Trading Company, Elaseer Offices, Private Chambers
The Elaseer branch office of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company was a modest affair by Nexian standards, a second-storey affair nestled on the edge of the warehouse district. The restrained yet tasteful trappings were a calculated decision of the Esila clan, proprietors of the trading company. A fine balance had to be struck when it came to outward appearances, after all. Some measure of artful decoration was necessary to appease the Nexian eye’s obsession with projecting might and wealth, but not so much that it would attract too much attention.
Only in the private chambers would a guest finally see some personality in the decor, and a generous measure at that. These were the chambers of the nobleman assigned stewardship of these offices, Lord Rikad Esila, uncle to Etholin Esila. Colorful murals with aquatic motifs adorned the walls, highlighted with tastefully matching lacquered panels featuring artwork done in mother-of-pearl inlay. Similar decor was present in the dining room, where uncle and nephew were currently enjoying what Rikad thought would be a leisurely dinner.
CRACK!
The sharp sound rang out loud and clear in the small room, the source being a steamed crab claw, dashed to pieces on a smooth river stone placed between the two diners at the table.
Lord Rikad's branch of the Esila line hailed from the wetlands of Rontalis that opened up into the sea, and they regularly partook of the ocean's bounty. In antiquity, they were known to smash shellfish and other armored morsels against stones they carried with them to lay bare the tasty prizes within. This dining set configuration was a modern interpretation of that old tradition, with a communal stone for guests to open their shellfish.
Of course, such a homestyle service was available solely behind closed doors and shuttered windows and only then to Rikad and his close associates. Here in the Crownlands, such a 'barbarous and unseemly' artifact would be frowned upon by the prevailing Nexian culture and their gold and mother-of-pearl seafood forks that split the shell with a simple tap. But young Etholin labeled that languid dining as a boring conversational backdrop, inferior to the communal excitement of a well-placed strike.
Etholin’s spirited strike had a strong measure of anger behind it, a fact not lost on Rikad. "Steady now, lad. The aim is to crack the shell, not grind it to powder," chided Rikad, an otter clothed in well-tailored robes that melded practicality with muted elegance. He looked aged and gray compared to the ferret-like Etholin, clad in sumptuous silks and embroidery that assertively declared the young lord’s wealth and standing. Etholin hung his head in embarrassment. "Apologies, Uncle. I lost the reins of my temper."
"Well now, aggravated enough to make a mess of my dining set," observed the older gentleman. "It takes a great deal to get your humors churning like this, from my experience. So tell me lad, what urchin needles you?"
"Ugh, more Academy theatrics, what else? With Lords Auris Ping and Qiv Ratom being today’s star players."
"Ah, The Dunce and the Devil," remarked Rikad, nodding with understanding. This wasn't the first time his nephew had related the pestilent pair’s antics. "What two-act farce did they put on this time?"
"Ping opened with the usual blather about merchants being honorless tricksters, with Ratom swooping in to capitalize on the aftermath. Textbook at this point, really," explained Etholin, waving his hand dismissively. "It... it was just the way those two put forward their thoughts. In isolation, each would have been merely irritating. But with one following the other, I was ready to grind my fangs to nubs! To be cursed as a thief on one side, only to be praised as a thief on the other! It was like they were wielding ignorance as one would a greatsword, and managed to cut me with both edges! Gods, I wanted to THROTTLE the idiocy out of them!"
"‘Tis to be expected," said Rikad in consolation. "A great many noble families, even entire Realms at times, came about their status through force of arms or magical prowess, and thus they hold a dim view of commerce as a profession. It is a routine chore for us, navigating around them to find those with less absolutist views on the worth of goods, or more forgiving definitions of 'honest work'. An Adjacent Realm that does not cheat its creditors by altering the weight of its coins or debasing them with base metals and insisting otherwise while hiding behind the safety of their portal is worth its weight in gold."
"Sometimes I feel we ought to cut them out of our affairs entirely and deal with the Nexians, directly and exclusively," mused Etholin bitterly.
"Now, now, though your anger is justified, that's hardly reason for it to take hold of your mind's rudder," cautioned Rikad with a frown. "The Nexians have well-developed philosophies on trade in line with our own, but we only have the resources of a single Realm at our disposal, while the Nexians can leverage the bounty of their never-ending and mana-rich lands. Dealing solely with a behemoth that can devour us with a thought, no matter how frictionless those dealings are, is hardly my idea of a beneficial partnership."
Etholin sighed. "As always, your counsel is sensible, Uncle. Like I said, I lost the reins of my temper in a moment of weakness."
"Don't be so sour on things like this, lad. Our base nature gets the better of us at times, that is the animal within that we all struggle with. That you acknowledged such a lapse and took back the helm is proof that civility prevails. But, enough moping about!" Rikad jumped out of his seat with a little pep in his step. "Looks like we need to guide you back into good spirits, and I know JUST the thing for gentlemen such as us," concluded the elder merchant, twirling his whiskers playfully.
"Somehow I think a night at the theater or music halls will do little for me, Uncle. Or are you suggesting we seek respite at the bottom of a tankard?"
Rikad snorted derisively. "Oh please, I'm not senile yet, pup! Since when has SPENDING money brought joy to anyone worthy of the Esila name?" That made Elothin perk up a bit. Rikad continued, "No, I speak of a PROPER good time, I speak of..."
"COMMERCE!" they cried out in unison, fists held aloft in a triumphant pose. "Does that mean..." began Etholin.
"Indeed, we've just received the latest prototypes for the centralized mana ampoule, linking cords, and so-called 'mana motors'. Perfectly timed with the parts delivery from Cadet Booker not two days ago. Sukie, be a dear and clear this up, and have the remainder bundled up and sent to the young master's rooms at the Academy." Rikad motioned for the housekeepers to clear the table, then ushered Etholin to his private offices where they could discuss business strategy in depth.
Uncle Rikad’s offices were more than just a cozy place where Etholin could get a taste of home. Officially, Rikad was stationed here to oversee the administration of this branch office of the Ocean Breeze Trading Company. In reality, the office was a means to circumvent the Academy's prohibition against students communicating regularly with their home realm. Many aristocratic families employed similar cheats and dodges involving ‘familial duties’ and ‘business obligations’ to skirt the rules. If the Nexians cared about closing such loopholes, they didn’t show it. Perhaps the quaint maneuverings of their lessers amused the elves, who could say?
In this case, Rikad and Etholin were leveraging this loophole to the fullest, as they strategized on how to execute the next steps of their latest commercial venture, which Rikad would then relay to the head offices in Rontalis. As their planning session drew to a close, Rikad remarked on the time. “Well, it would seem that evening has fast become night. You are welcome to stay overnight here, as always, or perhaps you would prefer to retire to the Academy dormitories? Either way, I doubt you’d want to watch an old man doze off in his reading room listening to music.”
At the mention of leisure time, Etholin's eyes widened in surprise, and he began rooting around in his satchel. "Oh goodness, I entirely forgot!"
"What is it, lad?"
"Oh, Cadet Booker has provided us with more of her 'video archive files', transcribed to memory crystal," explained Etholin as he produced the set of crystals from his satchel, perfectly sized for the compact projection device that Rikad kept in his rooms.
"Ah, splendid! Another of the young lady's documentary presentations on commerce? Or perhaps one of her theatrical serials? Both are fine ways to while away the night."
“I’m not sure, but Cadet Booker said we would enjoy them a great deal,” said Etholin as he placed the crystal into the office's projector. As the machine spooled up, a moving image was cast onto the whitewashed wall across the room. As with all Earthrealm recordings, it was entirely mundane, bereft of any sign of manafields. Compared to mana based memory shards, Earthrealm recordings felt like faded sketches. None of that hindered the recording's impact on the viewers.
"Hoh? This is-" exclaimed Rikad, eyes lighting up in recognition.
An Earthrealmer with a thick, lustrous beard strode into view, his confidence and enthusiasm palpable despite the muted colors of the recording. The Earthrealmer’s voice rang out from the projector, carrying that same confidence and infectious enthusiasm like a barker worthy of the title of Grand Master.
Rikad and Etholin cheered in unison.
"HI! BILLY MAYS HERE, WITH ANOTHER GREAT PRODUCT!"

Hello Kingston. God, I sound like that guy from those car commercials. What was his name? Was that Trevor Cotton? I swear I’m not him. It’s just me. Anyway.
I am messaging today to tell you all about a very unique and beautiful performance that will be taking place today. You all might be super busy with spring reverb. But have you ever wondered what it must’ve felt like for the Virgin Mary to discover that she was going to bear the saviour Jesus Christ? If you have, you can hear that today. Melos choir and period instruments will be performing four different renditions of the famous Mary’s song Magnificat. We have four different iterations of it from a 15th century Cambridge chant to Monteverdi‘s beautiful 16th century version. Then we have a version written by a very amazing and rebellious nun called sister Isabela Leonarda from the 18th century. Then we finished with the big boy. Mr. JS Bach himself wrote the final piece which is a half an hour of absolute amazement and glory.
On top of hearing some of the most gorgeous voices in Kingston, you will also get a treat for your ears in the form of real honest to God Cornetti and my favourite word sack butts. of course we have renowned players from Toronto and Montreal as well as an actual Baroque player from right here in Kingston. Also, if you are familiar with music by Ariel, as in Ariel, the music teacher in Kingston, she will be performing many solos in this performance because she’s awesome. So it would be amazing if you would come join us. Oh, and Margaret Walker is playing baroque Timpanys. I’m named dropping like crazy but I’m just so excited that I get to sing with all these remarkable musicians.
Show starts at 7:30 PM tonight. It’s at St. George’s Cathedral in the main church. You can buy tickets online at Eventbrite, but I don’t really know where. Your best bet is to just grab them up the door. It is going to be a beautiful program and apparently this is the first time that we have ever had coronet in Kingston according to some people. So that is really exciting and I hope I will see some of you there. https://www.melos-earlymusic.org/

This is Channel Ab3 Episode Fifteen: The Fat Guy Gets The Girl
When a group of friends goes camping, they stumble upon a mysterious ritual that threatens to take their lives, leaving only Adam - the overweight outcast - to save them all from certain doom.
It was read by Barnabas Demios
It was produced by CHILLING TALES FOR DARK NIGHTS
Music by incompetech and myuuji
Our unpaid scientific advisor is Adam J Thaxton
The Channel Ab3 theme was written and performed by Rachel F Williams
Channel Ab3 logo was designed by Antonio G
This is Channel Ab3 is distributed and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International License

This is Channel Ab3 Episode Fifteen: The Fat Guy Gets The Girl
When a group of friends goes camping, they stumble upon a mysterious ritual that threatens to take their lives, leaving only Adam - the overweight outcast - to save them all from certain doom.
It was read by Barnabas Demios
It was produced by CHILLING TALES FOR DARK NIGHTS
Music by incompetech and myuuji
Our unpaid scientific advisor is Adam J Thaxton
The Channel Ab3 theme was written and performed by Rachel F Williams
Channel Ab3 logo was designed by Antonio G
This is Channel Ab3 is distributed and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International License

This is Channel Ab3 Episode Fifteen: The Fat Guy Gets The Girl
When a group of friends goes camping, they stumble upon a mysterious ritual that threatens to take their lives, leaving only Adam - the overweight outcast - to save them all from certain doom.
It was read by Barnabas Demios
It was produced by CHILLING TALES FOR DARK NIGHTS
Music by incompetech and myuuji
Our unpaid scientific advisor is Adam J Thaxton
The Channel Ab3 theme was written and performed by Rachel F Williams
Channel Ab3 logo was designed by Antonio G
This is Channel Ab3 is distributed and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International License

This may upset some people. In fact I can count on it.
I only wrote this for 1% of you. For the rest, please disregard it.
A Different Game:
I'm not sure if I can explain this. I don't think that I totally understand it myself, but that's ok.
Long term fasting isn't about food, but you already knew that or you wouldn't be attempting a long fast.
This may not pertain to everyone that does a long fast. Maybe it won't pertain to any of them.
You may not know who I am, or of my situation. That's ok. I'm just some guy in a sub-reddit.
For me the battle is more important than the weightloss. Fasting can tear you down right to the core. It can lay you open and expose vulnerabilities that you didn't know you had.
That can be a good thing if you are ready for it. When you've faced something that stripes you down, you only have two ways to go. You either stay broken or you rebuild a new you.
Fasting isn't a team sport. The rebuilding process is a solo journey. You will face family and friends that mean well. You will face people on reddit that have watched a few videos of someone that thinks they know about fasting.
The fact is that after your first long fast, you have experience, they have hearsay.
Repeating what somebody else said about something that very few people have experienced is easy. There are way to many armchair quarterbacks.
For all intents and purposes they are standing on the sidewalk watching the parade go by.
We need to respect those people. They believe what they are saying. They don't mean to drag you down. They just don't understand that the game we are playing is nothing like the game they are playing.
Respecting them doesn't mean letting their opinions effect you. We leave their words to them. We step outside of their world.
We are outside of the box thinkers. We learn by doing, not by reading, watching, or listening.
In short, we cut our own path.
Long term fasting will cause you to question everything about your past, present, and future.
It will make you question yourself to the point that you lose the belief in your fight.
Don't be mistaken. This is war. You will fight battles every day of your fast.
TV commercials, concerned family members, concerned friends, people in the fasting reddit, all of these and more, are all battles. Each battle takes your energy to fight them.
We all have a limit as to how much unintentional abuse that we can take.
Remember, we are playing a different game. We aren't better than them, it's just a different game.
To succeed we close off there words. We smile and nod without telling them they are wrong. Their rules don't apply. Remember, ours is a different game. We need our energy for other challenges, tougher challenges.
Once we're in a long fast our mind will scream at us. It doesn't Remember why it stored the fat. How could it. We don't live in a world where using fat for energy is part of the equation.
We know the truth. Fat is fuel. Combine that fat with electrolytes and vitamins and your body has a built in smorgasbord.
You will face many days where you question whether it is worth it. Days when the scales aren't moving, and you are constantly thinking about your comfort food, can push you close to your limit. If you aren't confident and forward thinking it can break you.
We play a game that is much like chess. Our move is the result of a strategy that we decided on several moves ago. We don't make in the moment decisions. We know the obstacles but we don't care because we set this strategy in motion days before. Today is temporary. It is here and gone in the blink of an eye.
Tomorrow. That's how we win today's battle. Our mind is already in tomorrow. How can we giving in today if we are already in a tomorrow frame of mind.
Our battle is intense. As with chess, sometimes we have to sacrifice a pawn, maybe even a knight. We do this by skipping a family gathering or a superbowl party if they fall within our fasting plan.
I've missed Easter, Thanksgiving, my birthday, my mom's birthday, mother's day, and 4th of july cookouts.
This game requires sacrifice. The weightloss is great. I've lost 240 pounds, but that is irrelevant.
Our true opponent is our mind. Nothing else can matter. In truth, nothing else exists. We stand alone. Alone against family, friends, and armchair experts.
On one fast, I was on day 56. My mind was done. I didn't think I had anything left in the gas tank, but I've faced things in life that totally wiped me out. I knew there is always just a little more left if we reach deep.
I held on. My mind was screaming. I couldn't hear anything but, "give in, it's over"
I dug deep. I went to my room. I just wanted to go to bed. I climbed on my bed. I couldn't climb under the covers. That would take too much external energy. I knelt on my bed. I rocked back and forth for three hours. I was sobbing uncontrollably. My body was shaking from the depth of those sobbs.
I made it. The tears ended. The rocking ended. I collapsed on my bed and slept for hours.
I faced one of the hardest challenges in my 55 years on this planet.
That victory is mine. Nobody can take it from me. Believe it or not several people from this fasting community tried. They told me that I was lying. They said I got lucky because I didn't die. They said I would cause someone to take their last breath.
I didn't care what they said, and I don't care now. The victory is mine. Any time I struggle I look back on that morning. I remember the intensity. I fought so hard, and I won. What challenge can I face in the future that could compare. The answer is, nothing. Nothing I will face can hold a candle to that day.
I've faced some extreme challenges. My girlfriend passed from cancer while laying in the bed beside of me. My mom went to prison when I was little. Our friend was murdered. One of our friends came over after he had been shot. We were robbed at gunpoint. None of that compared.
Even Marine Corps boot camp paled in comparison to that day.
We face intense situations while fasting. This may sound bad but I hope you can experience that. I can't think of anything that could ever take me down. I look back on that day and it empowers me. With that memory I can tackle any opponent.
We play a different game. Don't forget that.
99% of people on here won't get it. Many will condemn and down vote this.
I'll say it again, we play a different game. They won't get it and thats ok.
After you face your demons. After you make it out the other side, there is nothing left to compare.
Our battle may be different but the final outcome is the same.
We win.
After that challenge,
we win because that's all we know.