Cute mottos

Hiii! I am seeking funny, interesting, and high energy conversation. I love to yap and I love to learn about other people. Give me the POV of your life. Give me memes. Give me your favorite song. I get along most with people who: Make me laugh and are open minded. I love some wit, banter, silliness, and people who are just simply fun to talk to !
Ok so meee: I am a Pisces sun, Libra rising, and Aqua Moon. I have a cat (pretty please send me pictures of your animals,) and a wife ! Fact about me: I am never bored! I always have something to do or want to do at all times. Life just truly isn't long enough. Motto: I'll try anything twice. : P I love everything cute, cats (once again, please send me pictures of your pets !!) coffee, reading, video games (Fortnite, Stardew, Sims, Cyberpunk 2077.) I love going to the movies, being in nature, and I am usually listening to music almost nonstop. My favorite artist is Grimes but I listen to everything/anything! I have been super into Deftones and heavy EDM recently!
Now telllll me about YOU! : " )
Once again, friendships only. Thank you!

So basically, he came to the school from across the state halfway through the year. We got along really really well and talked all the time as he got acclimated to the school (I had a very awkward introduction because the introduction did not happen naturally but I saw him and went.. we'll get along great.) And whenever we had to choose partners for big projects we went for eachother and he even said he felt the same when I told him, 'I feel like your the only one here who would wanna spend time with me'. (We first got partnered up with some big math project and he spent the entire time trying to flex how good he was at it, he was cute and very obviously nervous, but he was really good at math.) He also basically laughed at everything I said, more than I've seen him do with any of his friends now ever. Half way through that particular project, eh got really mad at me and annoyed at everything and avoided me as much as possible (I am absolutely awful at figuring out why people are upset, probably autistic honestly, so I figured it was my fault. I asked him what I could do to make him not upset because I didn't want him to be unhappy, and he just said 'nothing' and turned it into some weird 'dominance' thing which is totally out of character for him. (again, never seen him act that way again from the rest of this year. He is a bit of an outcast and kids make fun of him behind his back. I've seen him run from a few fights/kids trying to beat him up, admirable. he had this little motto that he kept saying after I told him it was very true which was, "Save your face, not your dignity" Whenever kids tried to fight.) I also may have been a little hostile with him because of this too (I didn't have a crush on him at this time and before.) And expressed some annoyance at having to work with him while he was so grumpy. After that, we talked rarely, and he even started making a few snide remarks (Just like, childish rude, not anything that was that bad) I did get seated next to him, ma have been when this crush started, and he would always try to avoid talking to me and leave his desk any chance, but he did always talk to the other girl he was next to, I'll call her M. Now, I see him trying to talk to M all the time and trying to impress her in a similar way (admittedly, he's half-assing it. As much as I think he doesn't like me back, I have to admit his trying to impress me and laughing at my every word for a while has not been matched so far.) She will like, half pay attention to him. There's also this other girl that he always steals her stuff jokingly like standard dumb teenager flirting, but that girl I do believe likes girls anyway. They started growing a bit closer and started doing projects together, but like I've said multiple times, doesn't have the same enthusiasm exactly. I stare at him, and it's very often that we'll meet eyes, but I'm no pussy so I just stare back. If I see him looking at me, he'll nervously look away, unlike if he sees me looking at him. Now I jest stalk his very far few between social media (mostly spotify, his songs are very.. him. He actually made me like Green day, Blink 182, and My chemical Romance. (He would always rant to me very proudly about what bands he listens to, and I think he accidently made a public playlist.) And a lot of the songs are about being nervous when you like someone, and he doesn't seem nervous like he was around me, and still is, but now it smore avoidant nervous. All that ranting, but basically, what the fuck do I do please help I am socially impaired LMAO. (Mini rant he was crying today and his own FRIENDS didn't comfort him, nor did M or the other girl, even though they were right next to him they just ignored his crying and me and this one other boy (the only one of his friends that showed any concern) were the only ones there for him, but he rejects every effort I make to talk to him.. still. He's just like me, and started crying because some other student were accusing him of calling some girl something ableist, even though he didn't. I would do the exact same thing, we're both emotional as hell in every sense. His tears are the most crushing thing, though.)

It was a winter morning, and I was standing on the railway station of Adityapur, one of Asia’s largest industrial hubs in the outskirts of Jamshedpur, formally known as TATANAGAR, the city known for TATAs & their steel. I updated my current whereabouts to my mother just before boarding the Tata-Gua passenger train, sounding her on my expected time to reach home. I was visiting home after 2 months, the longest interval in the 3.5 years at NIT Jamshedpur due to my business around hosting the first alumni meet of NIT Jamshedpur and a 15-day train travel across India through Jagriti Yatra. I was just carrying my laptop bag as it was a usual 2/3-day trip and I just had my Compaq laptop, a change of clothes & charger to be precise beside my small blue denim wallet & a Samsung smart phone. In 2012, smart phones were just stepping in and my brother-in law was generous enough to lend it to me to take pictures of the places I visit & the events I attend during Jagriti Yatra. Jagriti Yatra is a train ride across India with 600 yatris from different countries, different walks of life who embark on this journey to learn about various social & business enterprise. In that day’s train journey, I was travelling with a batchmate who would get down 2 stations before mine. We’d travel together many times during the four years, and we’d always take the morning train instead of the evening one. It was a passenger train which was always very crowded, and it passed through many small stations in that belt which were dimly lit, these stations were primarily existing to connect industries to the mining towns of Noamundi, Barbil, Jhinkpani and had goods trains plying with iron ore, limestone, cement, so evening trains seemed unsafe for girls travelling alone. Jhinkpani was a small town in that belt with a cement factory, ACC Cements, and a residential township for it. My dad had booked the station trip which was a Maruti Van to ply the resident of the colony from station to the colony which was around 3 kms away & there was no public transport available in this route. I was waiting to board the train all excited to show my parents the pictures of the Yatra clicked on the borrowed smart phone, I’d also met my sister and niece at Visakhapatnam while we visited Akshaya Patra mega kitchen and I remember getting clicked a cute photo of me holding my niece at the station but my excitement was short lived as soon as I kept the phone in the small zipper pocket of my laptop bag. I was modestly dressed in a kurta and leggings, without pockets of-course, pockets are a recent phenomenon in women’s Indian clothing. So, my phone and wallet were always kept in the bag.
As I boarded the train along with around 20 other people from that gate, I felt a sudden force pulling me back, but I managed to steer my way inside but with an eerie feeling, I quickly reached out to check the tiny pocket immediately only to find that both the wallet & the borrowed phone were gone. A shiver ran up my spine and I started to feel numb. There was Rs 200 in cash in that wallet which was a month of pocket money, my SBI ATM card and college i-card. Now, having zero cash, no phone I went about near the gate to see if I can find it, I spoke to couple of people but barely anyone knew Hindi, and it struck me real hard that reaching home was my single motto now. Although scared that I would be scolded by parents for being reckless, I had a sinking feeling as to how would I break this news to my sister & my brother-in-law whose smart phone I’d lost, what would I do about all the lost contacts that I’d woven so meticulously while organizing the alumni meet, what of the memories that I’d captured during the Yatra. My brain started to fizzle with all these entrapping thoughts when my friend shook me to bring me back to the dreaded train which was my reality then and I started planning my next course of action. I first called my mother from my friend’s phone to tell her about the loss, she comforted me and then she informed my dad to arrange a vehicle from the station, the trip was booked but it’d sometimes leave passengers if there are more people than capacity or not turn up due to technical glitch in the age old van that was used. My friend got down at Chaibasa and my heart started racing more as people around me in the train knew my situation and vulnerability and I tried to pose a strong and confident front. The train took more than 20 minutes to travel 17 kms but for me it seemed like ages, the sight of Jhinkpani station never made me so relieved. I quickly deboarded the train, holding on to my bag tightly this time and found a friend waiting there in his Maruti 800. He happened to have met my dad while coming to the station for a personal work and my dad asked him to pick me as well. I finally reached home travelling without a phone and a penny in pocket, my mom was so glad to see me safe and sound. I was taken aback a little to see her overtly calm demeanor at the face of such an adversary and having no concern whatsoever for my lost phone or the wallet. She prayed and thanked God for my safe return and narrated about her dream which she saw about me the previous night. She was very disturbed by it, and she’d been praying from dawn that day for my well-being as the dream was a very bad omen for me. She felt relieved that it was only few items that were lost, and I was completely unharmed. Mother’s love manifests in mysterious ways I thought while gobbling on my favorite sambar, rice that afternoon. Meanwhile, my dad deactivated my ATM card and arranged an old makeshift phone for me to be used in the remaining two months of college. When I sit back to think, I always think about my mother’s reaction and feel relieved that it happened, may be a way to appease myself of the guilt of not thinking through that somebody must have noticed me putting the phone in the small pocket and chanced upon it in the crowd while boarding. To compensate for the loss of phone, I gifted my sister with a digital camera after I started earning 4 months down from this incident. From then on, I never kept anything valuable in such obvious places in public while I maneuvered my ways in Delhi’s metro or the local trains of Mumbai, in the buses of Visakhapatnam or in the streets of Paris. I hold my wallet tight and my phone close.

It was a winter morning, and I was standing on the railway station of Adityapur, one of Asia’s largest industrial hubs in the outskirts of Jamshedpur, formally known as TATANAGAR, the city known for TATAs & their steel. I updated my current whereabouts to my mother just before boarding the Tata-Gua passenger train, sounding her on my expected time to reach home. I was visiting home after 2 months, the longest interval in the 3.5 years at NIT Jamshedpur due to my business around hosting the first alumni meet of NIT Jamshedpur and a 15-day train travel across India through Jagriti Yatra. I was just carrying my laptop bag as it was a usual 2/3-day trip and I just had my Compaq laptop, a change of clothes & charger to be precise beside my small blue denim wallet & a Samsung smart phone. In 2012, smart phones were just stepping in and my brother-in law was generous enough to lend it to me to take pictures of the places I visit & the events I attend during Jagriti Yatra. Jagriti Yatra is a train ride across India with 600 yatris from different countries, different walks of life who embark on this journey to learn about various social & business enterprise. In that day’s train journey, I was travelling with a batchmate who would get down 2 stations before mine. We’d travel together many times during the four years, and we’d always take the morning train instead of the evening one. It was a passenger train which was always very crowded, and it passed through many small stations in that belt which were dimly lit, these stations were primarily existing to connect industries to the mining towns of Noamundi, Barbil, Jhinkpani and had goods trains plying with iron ore, limestone, cement, so evening trains seemed unsafe for girls travelling alone. Jhinkpani was a small town in that belt with a cement factory, ACC Cements, and a residential township for it. My dad had booked the station trip which was a Maruti Van to ply the resident of the colony from station to the colony which was around 3 kms away & there was no public transport available in this route. I was waiting to board the train all excited to show my parents the pictures of the Yatra clicked on the borrowed smart phone, I’d also met my sister and niece at Visakhapatnam while we visited Akshaya Patra mega kitchen and I remember getting clicked a cute photo of me holding my niece at the station but my excitement was short lived as soon as I kept the phone in the small zipper pocket of my laptop bag. I was modestly dressed in a kurta and leggings, without pockets of-course, pockets are a recent phenomenon in women’s Indian clothing. So, my phone and wallet were always kept in the bag.
As I boarded the train along with around 20 other people from that gate, I felt a sudden force pulling me back, but I managed to steer my way inside but with an eerie feeling, I quickly reached out to check the tiny pocket immediately only to find that both the wallet & the borrowed phone were gone. A shiver ran up my spine and I started to feel numb. There was Rs 200 in cash in that wallet which was a month of pocket money, my SBI ATM card and college i-card. Now, having zero cash, no phone I went about near the gate to see if I can find it, I spoke to couple of people but barely anyone knew Hindi, and it struck me real hard that reaching home was my single motto now. Although scared that I would be scolded by parents for being reckless, I had a sinking feeling as to how would I break this news to my sister & my brother-in-law whose smart phone I’d lost, what would I do about all the lost contacts that I’d woven so meticulously while organizing the alumni meet, what of the memories that I’d captured during the Yatra. My brain started to fizzle with all these entrapping thoughts when my friend shook me to bring me back to the dreaded train which was my reality then and I started planning my next course of action. I first called my mother from my friend’s phone to tell her about the loss, she comforted me and then she informed my dad to arrange a vehicle from the station, the trip was booked but it’d sometimes leave passengers if there are more people than capacity or not turn up due to technical glitch in the age old van that was used. My friend got down at Chaibasa and my heart started racing more as people around me in the train knew my situation and vulnerability and I tried to pose a strong and confident front. The train took more than 20 minutes to travel 17 kms but for me it seemed like ages, the sight of Jhinkpani station never made me so relieved. I quickly deboarded the train, holding on to my bag tightly this time and found a friend waiting there in his Maruti 800. He happened to have met my dad while coming to the station for a personal work and my dad asked him to pick me as well. I finally reached home travelling without a phone and a penny in pocket, my mom was so glad to see me safe and sound. I was taken aback a little to see her overtly calm demeanor at the face of such an adversary and having no concern whatsoever for my lost phone or the wallet. She prayed and thanked God for my safe return and narrated about her dream which she saw about me the previous night. She was very disturbed by it, and she’d been praying from dawn that day for my well-being as the dream was a very bad omen for me. She felt relieved that it was only few items that were lost, and I was completely unharmed. Mother’s love manifests in mysterious ways I thought while gobbling on my favorite sambar, rice that afternoon. Meanwhile, my dad deactivated my ATM card and arranged an old makeshift phone for me to be used in the remaining two months of college. When I sit back to think, I always think about my mother’s reaction and feel relieved that it happened, may be a way to appease myself of the guilt of not thinking through that somebody must have noticed me putting the phone in the small pocket and chanced upon it in the crowd while boarding. To compensate for the loss of phone, I gifted my sister with a digital camera after I started earning 4 months down from this incident. From then on, I never kept anything valuable in such obvious places in public while I maneuvered my ways in Delhi’s metro or the local trains of Mumbai, in the buses of Visakhapatnam or in the streets of Paris. I hold my wallet tight and my phone close.

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/lolfuckno.
This post was originally posted to weddingshaming.
There was already a BoRU post by u/autochthonouschimera, which didn't include the last update yet.
TRIGGER WARNING: cheating, child neglect, extreme entitledness, talk of abortion
MOOD SPOILERS: infuriating, confusing, frustrating
The new update at the bottom of this post has been marked with --- ---
EDIT/DISCLAIMER: FFS FOLLOW THE NO BRIGADING RULE = DO NOT COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POSTS LINKED IN BoRUs!! THIS OFC ALSO INCLUDES NOT TEXTING THE OOP DIRECTLY, NOT REPORTING THEM TO SUBS LIKE care AND NOT INCLUDING THEM IN THREADS AND DISCUSSIONS!! LEAVE THEM ALONE, THIS SUB IS MADE TO LURK AND GET SOME SPICY STORIES WITH CLOSURE, NOT TO HARRASS PEOPLE WHO ALREADY GOT ALOT OF INPUT THROUGH DIFFERENT SUBs!!
Original story was posted on December 7, 2021
Okay, so this girl I know from high school is getting married. We're both 22, for reference. In our senior year of high school she got pregnant, with baby daddy A who will be referred to as Adam. Her super conservative parents kicked her out and she ended up moving in with a friend's family. She barely graduated high school. The only reason she did were because of the generosity and support of our teachers and students who volunteered to help her, which is how we met. We were in the same law class in the morning and she had the worst morning sickness that really affected her ability to be in class. So, I took extra notes for her, tutored her, and brought her her stuff if she hadn't come back by the bell. I wasn't the only one who did stuff like this for her and I know she really appreciates all the assistance we gave her. She had the baby a month after we graduated.
She'd signed up for a 911 dispatcher course for after high school because where we live it's a good steady job, with opportunity for certificates and promotions. But she didn't realize how intensive the course would be and had to drop out. She started working at a grocery store bakery, just until she had a better plan. Adam started an apprenticeship while working part time at a hockey rink, and proposed to her literally the day of her eighteenth birthday, and brought up marriage because "it's the right thing to do" (I don't really agree with that but this isn't about me) and she was always refusing.
She started cheating on him after a while (we're all 19 now), and eventually leaves him for another guy because... She's pregnant again and it is far more likely that this guy, baby daddy B who will be referred to as Brad, is the father of the child. Neither of them can afford lawyers so getting any kind of custody agreement is a mess, and then their parents got involved and they did 50/50 split (still not made official). She has the baby, that does turn out to be Brad's, and everything is okay for about nine months, when she finds out Brad has been cheating on her with his TA. Brad decides to pay child support but doesn't really want contact with the kid, only around holidays and one weekend a month for his parents' sake.
She moves back in with her parents (we're all 20 now) who only accept her back because there's grandchildren around. On the plus side, (when she's 21) she gets to take that year long dispatcher course, and passes with flying colours!
After working as a dispatcher for a year (we're all 22 now) she meets a police officer we'll call Chad, who's 26 and married... And Adam's second (?) cousin (I can't remember how they're related, just that Adam and Chad are related somewhat distantly). She has an affair with him (infidelity is super common among cops apparently). She gets knocked up, his wife divorces him, Chad proposes because "it's the right thing to do", she accepts, and her parents kick her out again for being a [insert expletive here], she moves in with Chad with her two kids. They've started planning the wedding, which... Given the background is something akin to a dumpster fire. Adam is LIVID. He was desperately in love with this girl and hasn't really recovered from what she did to him, and while she rejected his proposals years ago, she's accepted one FROM HIS COUSIN WHO PROPSED FOR THE SAME REASON HE DID.
Adam has basically made a call for loyalty in the family, dividing everyone one who should go, who should give money, etc plus they're having trouble planning anything because of COVID. Her parents have outright said that they're not going, along with half of her family, and her younger sister has been going around and sabotaging what plans they can make.
She has asked me to be a bridesmaid, I said that I couldn't because I live in a different province now, but the truth is, I do not want to be wrapped up in that clusterfuck in any way . I'm just watching the arguments and events unfold on social media because this is quite honestly the most entertaining thing I've seen all year. It's weird to me that she even asked because we're not friends, we never have been. We were friendly strangers in high school, I just helped her out for one class because she needed help and I could give it to her. I was just being nice. But based on how she turned out I'm just sad for her. Three kids in four years, and she's alienated so much of her friends and family because if her actions, and I'm torn between feeling sorry for her and putting my head in my hands.
EDIT 1:
First off, all of your comments are hilarious. Second, I'm going to answer some of the common questions.
We're from a city with over 400,000 thousand people, she just comes from the neighbourhood that is made of either bible thumpers or white trash, with no in between. But the high school we went to was in a completely different neighbourhood than that.
Our school had a pretty good sex Ed course, and they gave out free condoms and had resources to help girls get birth control, and they had programs in place for if students ever got pregnant/were going to be teen parents (they also had one of those classes with the dolls for girls who were high risk at teen pregnancy but she wasn't high risk so she wasn't in that class) I don't if BC just didn't work for her, or if she never tried it.
She started alienating her friends after the affair with Chad came out, because people weren't exactly jumping for joy that she'd broken up a marriage (Chad and his ex didn't have any kids, thankfully, so there were less obstacles). When people weren't immediately ecstatic for her she started getting very snippy, rude, and was "calling the bitches out" on social media for not supporting her new relationship or pregnancy. (Tbh I'm really worried about her health because having this many babies so close together is just not good for her health, mental or physical.) People are also worried that Chad will cheat on her "if he'll cheat with you, he'll cheat on you" and think she should avoid marrying him so that she can just leave him if it happens.
I'll give you updates as they come out, but so far it's just a lot of yelling on social media (mostly from her), some relatives slut shaming her, and people who are just really worried about her because, as funny as this is, this doesn't seem like healthy behaviour.
EDIT 2:
First off, I realized I never gave this girl a name. For the sake of clarity we'll call her Beth. I realize that I didn't mention this before, but all of these are fake names.
Second, to everyone commenting that Chad is at fault for his marriage breaking up, believe me I'm well aware of that. It is his ex wife and her family/friends who solely blame Beth. Chad is also older than her and has more life experience, so I do believe that he could potentially be taking advantage of her naivete. However, she is also an adult who is capable of making her own decisions and has chosen to make poor ones in the past.
Third, people who are upset that I'm posting this story here, claiming I'm humiliating her. She has been posting about this mess on every social media platform she has since they got engaged in July. She put this out there long before I did except she did so in front of friends, family, employers, and coworkers, as well as internet randos.
Fourth, despite getting engaged in July and attempting to start planning then, I was only asked to be a bridesmaid three days ago. I knew that there was a mess going on but I didn't really pay attention to it until she asked me to be a bridesmaid. I tried to ask what was going on, I said that she should talk to someone, but when she completely brushed me off I checked her FB and Instagram and found out about all of... This.
Fifth, I realized that I didn't really talk about how disastrous the wedding planning has been going, see here you go:

• they've had to rebook three times because venues and vendors kept cancelling when infection numbers got worse even thought their wedding was months away
• Beth has been flipping between having the wedding while she's pregnant saying she's proud of her bump, and wanting to wait until they're born because she feels fat, which is unfortunate because she's been breaking down due her insecurity on a public platform
• Beth is currently seven months pregnant
• Beth's great aunt was going to give her her wedding dress to wear (after she gives birth) but Beth's mom freaked and stole the dress from said aunt before Beth could get it and is now keeping it, the great aunt says she's too old to get in a fight and has shrugged it off
• Chad's immediate family is paying for the wedding and has been cut off by the rest of their extended family for 'choosing Chad'
• Beth's wedding colours are pink and green, which is usually a nice combo but the specific shades don't go great together, they're her and Chad's favourite colours, which is fine but she literally made a video talking about these colours for 14 minutes on her insta and both of her kids are just full on bawling in the background and she's ignoring them and she's gotten some flack for that
• Adam is finally settled into his trade and has now hired a lawyer and is trying to get primary custody and not allow his daughter to go to the wedding
• she's planning a zoom baby showebachelorette party and has sent out a registry and she's asking for crazy expensive things
• she's also set up a go fund me to help pay for a honeymoon and is making a lot of posts about how no one loves her cause the fund only has $1267 of the $20k she wanted

I'll update when I can but I'm still in school and while I do want to help her, she's refused help offered in the past and there's only so much of this I can take mentally right now.
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UPDATE:
Hey everyone, so some stuff has gone down, and it doesn't look like it's over yet. Sorry, I didn't update sooner, but Rona came back with a vengeance and totally messed up plans with uni and family. Anyway, onto the update.
From the last update - 16th - Lots of ranting and chaotic wedding planning on social media, she found a dress and has decided she will get married while pregnant, they found a local wedding venue that is very lovely, but I'm shocked she's still trying to book stuff with all of their previous venue cancellations.
December 16th - Her little sister unblocked her to call her a s*ut and tell her that all her wedding plans were stupid. This resulted in a petty and entertaining facebook war until the little sis blocked her again on the 17th.
December 18th - Beth went nuts on social media because Adam had "kidnapped" their daughter, what really happened is that because courts are moving at a snail's pace due to COVID and Adam had reason to believe that their daughter was not safe living with Beth he decided to just... Not give her back. They don't have a custody agreement, and when Beth tried to call the cops they couldn't do anything because he was kinda right. There were dozens of videos on her various social media accounts of her ignoring their daughter, yelling at her daughter for crying or doing other things that toddlers do, it turns out that everything she needed was bought by Adam, food, diapers, clothes, toys, daycare (while it was open) etc. on top of the unofficial child support he was paying every month (which turned out to be $500 a month, a number I find ridiculous because Adam was already paying for literally everything) because she refused to buy anything for her daughter and insisted it was Adam's responsibility. Additionally, after the immediate post-birth appointments, Beth never took baby A to a doctor's appointment, she always deferred that to Adam. Baby A's pediatrician has NEVER met Beth. Beth even tried to get Chad to push back or intimidate him or something, but the local police where we live are under one hell of a microscope after a bunch of dirty cops got busted a couple of years ago. Basically, the cops, and the social worker they ended up calling, ended up saying there was nothing she could do until they get to court. The social worker tried to get her to go to therapy and parenting classes, but Beth refused and went on a fifteen paragraph long rant on Facebook about how she doesn't need parenting classes or therapy (she really, really does though) and called the social worker some choice words.
December 19-24 - Just a bunch of ranting on social media, calling everyone who doesn't enable or justify her behaviour cuss words, slurs, and a whole bunch of other horribly creative things. Also, both she and Chad are under investigation at work now, but she has no idea why. I'm gonna take this time to remind everyone that 99% of this info is coming from her public social media pages where her coworkers are friends and place of employment is listed.
December 25 - I am officially embarrassed to know this woman. I didn't go on her FB page until the evening cause I didn't want to deal with drama, first thing in the morning, on Xmas. In the morning she put on a very beautiful blue maternity dress, got Chad in his police blues, and baby B in a purple romper, and then live-streamed her and her family going to the courthouse to get married on Christmas day. (According to her Twitter, part of this was because their newest venue cancelled on them after COVID numbers spiked) Overall, a pretty tacky thing in my opinion because she stated plain as day, several times, that she intended her wedding anniversary to eclipse Christmas for her children because it's just "so much more special, you know?" (I am so glad that Baby B's grandparents are filing for guardianship) But here's the thing... The courthouse isn't open. Because of COVID for one thing, but also because it's Xmas and Canada has a predominantly Christian history. She proceeded to have a full meltdown, and when Baby B cried because, y'know, the kid's mom was screaming up a storm and scaring her, Beth called her a c*nt. Yup. So done with this bitch.
December 28 - I ran into her at a vaccine clinic cause we were both getting our booster shots. She didn't recognize me at first but one of my old bosses (cause I used to work at the hospital the vaccine clinic was in) called my name and said hi, so she came up to me after my old boss had left. We talked a bit while we sat down for the mandatory waiting period after getting the shot. She asked how I was but didn't even wait for me to respond before she started ranting and complaining about her life. I was just going to sit there until the time was up and then just politely make my exit, but when she started talking shit about her kids something inside me snapped. I just said "Do you even like your kids? Do you like being a mom?" She got pretty quiet for a second and then said "no". Idk, her voice and demeanour completely changed and we just sat in silence until our time was up. I said goodbye but it was really awkward.
December 31st (today) - I just looked at her feed and, this is such a shocking what-the-actual-f*** moment. She's thinking about giving up her kids. She went on about how recently she was asked if she liked her kids or being a mom, and how she realized that she didn't. She hates her children and blames them for ruining her life, and how she doesn't want to be a mom. I mean, nothing is official yet, but what the hell?!
I'll update as stuff happens now that I have the time, but this whole thing has been a big giant mess. Also, sorry for any formatting or grammatical errors, I'm not used to using Reddit on my PC.
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UPDATE
Okay, so, some stuff has happened and most of it's good? Also, the TL:DR for this update will be at the bottom
Jan 4th - Beth (and Chad) stopped posting on all social media. I was actually a little worried she died, I mean this woman posts everything short of her trips to the bathroom on IG.
Oddly enough, this got people messaging or interacting with her social media pages because she was usually the one to start contact, and that contact was usually yelling. No one heard from them and some people started to be like "should we call the cops for a wellness check?" Until Chad posted a status saying that they're fine but are "busy, please stop trying to contact us right now". Everyone listened but it was weird.
Jan 11 - I got a notification that Beth and Chad are active on social media again, but I didn't feel like drama so I didn't check out any of their posts.
Jan 12 (today) - she messaged me on FB asking me to be her MOH. She also kept going on about the resort in Cancun that she and Chad were looking to have their wedding at... This coming February. Omnicrom is really bad where we are, so no one should be travelling anywhere. I've actually had to delay my trip back to the province where I go to university. No one should be travelling anywhere.
Beth also found out that Chad was cheating on her with one of her co-workers and called the woman a "homewrecker" on FB tagged her, and posted the texts she found on Chad's phone. But Chad is the "love of her life" so she's forgiven him, but not the other woman. Which I find very hypocritical, considering how she and Chad got together.
She also sent pics of possible bridesmaid dresses and they are the most hideous dresses I've ever seen. I know that some brides do that thing where they want to look a million times better by comparison but this was just ridiculous. One of them looked like a partially deflated balloon with feathers strapped to it. She also openly admitted that she expected everyone attending to pay 3k, 2k would go towards that guest's stay at the resort and 1k would go to her and Chad and they will expected wedding gifts, so that they could get their room for free. Apparently, she talked to someone at the resort and if she got enough people to book their rooms she and Chad would get theirs for free. She also wanted the money to be given to her instead of directly to the hotel so that people wouldn't realize that she was taking 1k of their money. Beth sent me a pic of the wedding dress she wanted, and it's definitely a clubbing dress. If that's what she wants that's fine (and for the record I do think she would look great in it, Beth's (current) dream wedding dress ) but she wants all the guests to be dressed black tie. And she's already sent a list of unreasonable requests. Such as;

• all women must wear heels (for a wedding in the beach???)
• no one is allowed to have a baby or be pregnant (really?)
• girls must have longer than shoulder length hair, boys must have very short hair, only and inch or two long
• no one is allowed to be skinnier than her
• she will be providing diets for everyone attending based on how she wants us to look
• she and Chad must get bachelor and bachelorette parties both in Canada and in Mexico that need to be "fit for a king and queen" and both must be paid for but anyone but the bride and groom "cause that's just tacky"
• no unnatural hair
• no tattoos (you have five tattoos, Beth, and in the dress you want all will be on full display)
• no one is allowed to talk to her directly, they must speak through the MOH and BM

Honestly there's a lot more but I didn't feel like typing all that out. She's posted the list on FB and IG and people are already calling her a bridezilla.
I was also just kinda weirded out because aside from the previous convo at the hospital and when she originally asked me to be a bridesmaid, we haven't spoken since high school. So I respectfully declined, stating that the virus and school were my top concerns right now. Then, I decided to check her socials to see if she'd posted anything. She had and everything was basically how it was before the hiatus... Except her kids are nowhere to be found. No "look at my cute baby" pics are kids crying in the background of her videos. Nothing. Though, based on her new pics of herself, she's given birth to baby C. I mean, she's definitely still recovering, but she also definitely had a baby and that baby is not on any of her socials, so when she responded to my decline with an attempt at guilting me to be her MOH, I asked her where her kids were. This was her response.
"Oh, I left them at the side of the road in our way home from the hospital those moochers could walk home lol"
I was like, please tell me you're not being serious (especially cause it looks like she had the baby days ago). And she replied "I was just joking you shouldn't be so serious all the time". Honey, you made a joke about child abandonment/abuse, you're not being serious enough. And then I finally got the update on the kids.

• Baby A is still with Adam, Beth signed away her rights
• Baby B and Baby C have been given to a mutual cousin of Adam and Chad who is infertile (tbh I didn't need that last tidbit of info or the three paragraph long rant about how God hates infertile women, I didn't even read all of it, I couldn't, and I didn't think that Beth could be so cruel to even think those things). I checked out the FB page of Baby B's grandparents and they're happy with their grandchild's new parents, it looks like the cousin and her husband and welcoming them to the family as another set of grandparents and will let them have access to B. So yay!
• One thing I do need to stress though is that because of COVID the courts in our areas are either moving at a snail's pace or closed, so none of this is "official" but Beth (and Chad) has signed paperwork and all that needs to happen now is presenting that to a judge.

And when I rejoined our convo she said the doc she had for baby C gave her brith control, and she was surprised cause after her first pregnancy she asked her doctor for it but he refused to give her any. She mentioned that her old doctor was also her mom's and sister's doctor, she ended up asking the doc who delivered baby C to be her new doctor, so I hope that works out.
After learning all this my convo with Beth started to go down hill...
Beth: wait, did you actually think I would just leave my kids at the side of the road! I just didn't want to be a mom, but I wasn't a bad one
Me: Beth, I think that you've been through a lot of trauma in the past few years, and that it's gotten to you mentally and that you should speak to a professional.
(Of course, Beth has been a bad mom, but she does need mental health help and I wasn't going to convince her to get it, or to not tell at me, if I said that )
Beth: what? You think I'm crazy?!
Me: no. I think that getting kicked out as a teen because of a pregnancy and having your family actively reject you and try to sabotage you must have been very painful. Plus, pregnancy puts a lot of mental stress on women and you've had three in such a short time span, I just want you to take care of yourself and get what you want in life, and I think that will start with you taking care of your mental health.
Beth: what I want... IS FOR YOU TO GO STRAIGHT TO HELL! Beth then calls me every cuss word, expletive, and derogatory word she can think of one of the words she called me was a derogatory word about people from my ethnicity and my blood is boiling that she thought it was okay to say that to me.
So, I'm now on her hit list. She's been blowing up my social media all day, on her last FB post where she called me a slur she said that she still expects a good wedding gift from me. Yeah, no. So I've blocked her on everything, and I've decided to completely cut off contact. This will be my last update.
TL:DR - Beth went on a social media blackout for a bit, had baby C. Gave up all her kids, baby A is still with Adam, Baby B and Baby C are with a mutual cousin of Adam and Chad and baby B's grandparents have access. Chad cheated on her and she forgave him, but she probably shouldn't have. She's decided to have her wedding in a little over a month in Cancun and is expecting unreasonable things of everyone already. She asked me to be MOH I respectfully declined. I also suggested that she talk to a mental health professional because she's been through a lot in the last few years and she cussed me out, she also called me a derogatory name directed at people of my ethnicity and that was the final nail in the coffin. I'm now on her hit list. But her kids are safe and I have no interest in going to wedding so I'm cutting contact completely and have already blocked her on all my socials. I'm refusing to be involved with her anymore and will not be updating on the situation.
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--- EDIT - NEW UPDATE --- - JANUARY 25, 2023 - TL:DR AT THE BOTTOM
Hi, everyone, I didn't think I would be making another update, but here I am. I don't know if anyone will even care but whatever. I saw a YouTuber, Charlotte Dobre, do an entire video about this post on Facebook (which was funny, she did it well), [editor's note: here's the video in question and also: check out Charlotte Dobre's subreddit !] and got so nervous that Beth was gonna see it. Turned out, she's seen it and does not give a single damn, because as I pointed out, the majority of the info in this post came from her public social media. She also doesn't know who posted it (more on that in the update). I am still no contact with Beth and have no plans to change that anytime soon, but we have mutual friends who have told and shown me what's happened.
First things first, she and Chad did get married, but they eloped. According to all sources they are completely and utterly miserable though. Chad has proven to be and overall lazy and unfaithful husband, and Beth has really gotten into feminism (with a focus on reproductive issues) after she started using birth control, and Roe v Wade getting overturned (even though we're in Canada) really caused tension in their marriage. As it turns out, Chad thinks that abortion is murder and God created women for the purpose of making babies.
Beth tried to argue that not all women want or should be mothers using herself as an example, and then Chad went ahead and used her as an example of why women should be forced to have kids, because in the end she gave kids to an infertile couple. She didn't take that well and said that her entire life and future was ripped away from her and destroyed the second she got pregnant with baby A. Adam was never slut shamed or demeaned like she was, both at home and at school (which is a fair point, myself and many others were helpful and supportive but there were a lot of people who judged the hell out of her and said really nasty stuff) and that if she hadn't gotten pregnant she would've gone to college or university because she lost the general and financial support of her family with that positive pregnancy test. Chad has made a Tinder account. Beth was informed but it doesn't seem like she gave a damn.
So basically you could cut the tension with a knife.
And with her family, her sister came out as gay and cut off/has been cut off from their parents. But she's got a partial scholarship so she's doing okay. She and Beth are NOT on good terms but have met up and acknowledged that their parents messed them up by being religious nuts and their parents encouraged them to be competitive with each other and sabotage each other. Apparently their dad's motto is "competition brings out the best in everyone" (ugh). But they've talked and that's good enough for now.
Neither Beth nor Chad have custody or visitation of their children, which Chad is starting to regret because he's suddenly getting more and more into the church and religion. Chad talked to Beth about getting baby C back but Beth shut that down hard and warned the cousin who adopted baby C (officially and legally btw).
Beth started going to therapy after she and Chad got married, which makes me very happy and excited for her.
There was a rumour going around that Chad has a mistress and it took me a while to confirm, but it's true. He's cheating on her with a paramedic and she knows. Beth is fully aware. Idk if she plans to do anything about it or just continue to ignore it, but I hope she leaves his ass. I'm still not gonna talk to her, she crossed so many lines, but she's grown and improved a lot and her life would be a lot better without that sac of scum in her life.
Now, I have given a few details in my post that should've revealed my identity to her, namely her asking me to be her MOH. I have found out that she actually asked around 15 girls (including myself) to be her MOH, without telling any of us about the others because she was trying to get money from all of us and because her mental health has just been very bad and she needed help. And of those 15, 8 have been going to school out of province and of those eight we all had basically the same classes in high school. And apparently doesn't remember our discussion at the vaccination clinic and had major blow up with everyone she asked to be MOH. So she knows it's one of 8 people and reportedly has no interest in trying to narrow that number down. (Chad did the same thing with his groomsmen, but idk any of the numbers)
TL:DR Beth and Chad got married (eloped), are miserable, have zero custody or visitation with any of their children, Chad's cheating and Beth doesn't appear to care, Chad is super sexist, Beth is a feminist now, Beth's sister is gay and they've talked but not reconciled, Beth asked too many girls to be MOH for money and doesn't know the ID of who made this post.
Dear "Beth", if this post gets forwarded to you or somehow graces your phone screen, leave Chad. He's trash and you'll be much better without him in your life. And though I'm not willing to talk to you again because of your words and actions, I do wish for you to have a wonderful and happy life.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please remember the NO BRIGADING RULE: do not comment on the original posts linked in BoRUs, see Rule 7. Doing so can result into a permanent ban from this sub and the other linked sub(s).
I'm not the OOP!

33 [F4M] Demisexual looking for Scandinavian based sweetheart
Looking for a full-time devoted partner who is respectful, supportive, and a special kind of awesome!
Hi, don't really know where to start with this. I made one of these a while back now and it had a lot more rizz...3 failed relationships later, I'm just blunt and to the point with it. I've been through the wringer so to speak, and invested a lot in with little coming back. Just want to be respected and shown the type of respect I give. If you don't know what demisexuality is, please don't write. If you're skeptical of "woke" culture, LGBTQIA+, BLM, or women's rights/feminism, don't write. And yes, I've dealt with enough people just trying to get with me because I "fit the physical type" of the woman they pictured being with, and in the end, the façade they tried to morph into fell, and whelp...nobody got what they wanted.
If you have all the following, you may be the man for the job: - Identify as a feminist (no doubts about it and any man who does and knows what it's truly about is extremely sexy...and no, please don't write telling me you "support equal rights", it's the same thing. And those who know that never phrase it that way. Move along.)

• Legal age (preferably somewhere between 26-40)
  
• Have a volunteer history with either animals or people (irresistible)
  
• Know anything material doesn't define your sexuality (awesome...means you're liberated and mature enough to procreate. Well done.)
  
• Know what toxic masculinity is and try to combat this when encountered in your daily settings (You get a sexy stamp)
  
• Respectful (Respect is the foundation of ALL healthy relationships. If you can't be consistently respectful to your partner, the foundation will crumble. Me no likey.)
  
• Kind-hearted/giving/affectionate/tries to put others first (because I do the same and I'm tired of people I'm with taking advantage of that. Everything I expect, I give.)
  
• Loyal, in mind and body.
  
• Preferably Scandinavian (not necessarily ethnically, but raised in a Scandinavian country or lived there long enough to fully embrace those ethical norms) or willing to relocate if things get serious
  
• Believes porn undervalues people, treating them like products, and has various ethical implications globally and therefore doesn't engage in it and are more interested in making sexy home videos with a committed partner for our own personal enjoyment (Exceedingly hot feature in a guy. Anyone who doesn't fit this, don't write me asking why. Skip on, skip on. Plenty of fish in the sea).
  
• Open to having kids (open doesn't mean obsessed to the point of pressuring me...been there done that)
  
• Ambitious and has carved out a life for himself (has an apartment, a job, goals/ambitions).
  
• Knows what he wants in a partner. No wishy-washy people, please... Like, "Yeah...so I discovered I like redheaded 20-year-olds now". Pass.
  
• Fluent in English but I will of course make a good effort to learn my partner's language. I think that's a sign of love. :-) I already know German, if that's of some reassurance of my willingness to learn other languages.
  
• Nonreligious, preferably agnostic or spiritual (but not like, "I'm living in an experimental community with 20 other people to find my zen" kind of spiritual. However, I'm not the one if you're one of the guys who tries to make people feel idiotic for believing in some greater power out there.
  
• Takes care of himself. Hygiene is key. You comb your hair, you brush your teeth, you shower...daily. Wash between the crevices. Put deodorant on. Owns at least one cologne. No rippling pectoral expectations here, but should be fit enough for a weekly sporty excursion and occasional spontaneous frisky antics.
  
• Cultured...you've been around. You haven't lived your whole life in a village where an Asian or Black visitor is the most interesting thing to happen in 48 years! If you own a bookshelf with more than 5 books in it, cool.
  
• No smokers or drug users, please.
  
• Likes dogs and animals in general.
  
• D&D and habitual gaming are not something you'd put in your top 4 favorite hobbies. I actually like these things but many guys who list these as top interests often do them anywhere from every day to once a week. I don't game as much anymore and there are a lot of other skills and interests I'm more curious to learn about/explore at this point. I want a partner who is similar.
  
• A romantic at heart. Spoil and be spoiled is my motto.
  

Whew...I know, right? That was fricking a lot! Alright, if you got through all that...level up, dude! Splashes some water in your face accompanied by vigorous fist pumps You got this!
Pluses but not requirements:

• Have an adorable Scandinavian accent. Not a requirement obviously, but not gonna lie. It's a plus, hehe.
  
• Have a cute and witty sense of humor, somebody I can goof around with. My exes had the humor of a log. I can tolerate it but...damn...I don't want to be the stand-alone comedian all the time.
  
• Hair I can lightly tug on from time to time.
  
• High libido for me and me alone (not a must but a high drive for their partner is a huge plus if you're the right guy. Please note demisexuality disclosure which you should already know about before writing me).
  
• If acts of service and physical touch are some of your top love languages
  
• If you like writing and have general respect or interest in the arts, awesome!
  

Fanfare Achievement unlocked...OP will now reveal her stats/bio:

• Updated: recently found out I'm taller than I thought 😂 Height: 5'3"
• Age: 33
• Eyes: Blue/Green
• Skin type: Caramel tan
• Hair: Black/dark brown
• Nationality: American
• Body type: Average/Athletic
• Pronouns: She/her (cis)
• Love languages: Acts of Service (#1), words of affirmation, physical touch, quality time
• Status: Single (never been wed) and doesn't have children (but wants them, either adopted or biologically... preferably both)
• Fun fact: Natural blond streak that's hard to find...no Rogue jokes, please.

Well done. You made it. Sorry I had to put you through that but it's a jungle out there. I appreciate that you actually tried to get to know me! I tried to give people a keyhole glimpse of what I'm looking for before committing to endless hours of texting, voice chats, etc. I don't want to waste anyone's time. I'm a 33-year-old demisexual with heterosexual leanings. I've traveled to 16 countries and counting. I work in the private sector and occasionally in the educational sphere but as a screenwriter in my spare time. I'm an autodidact and a poor person's polymath, lol. I find philosophy, theology, tennis, foreign films, creative writing, and discussing dreams and fears intriguing. No small chat conversations, please. I'm a geek, writer, designer, and artist looking to find my little piece of the globe to call home. Perhaps it's a person and not a place? :-} As a demi, I have to have a concrete friendship first before I can feel anything more.
Ideal date with someone I'm in a relationship with already: going out after work for the occasional restaurant date or preparing a lovely meal together at home. After, we could go for a walk in the local park, spotting out constellations. Snuggling up by the fire together or watching a movie at home while giving each other massages and contemplating what we thought the film's open-ended conclusion meant. Passing each other's favorite books with beloved quotes highlighted and talking about why we like them. Creating our own little games, etc.
If that sounds like a good time and you passed the "test", hit me up and see where it goes. It's a roll of the dice. I thought I was done "gambling" with my heart, but if you never play, you never win...

Tale of a train journey
It was a winter morning, and I was standing on the railway station of Adityapur, one of Asia’s largest industrial hubs in the outskirts of Jamshedpur, formally known as TATANAGAR, the city known for TATAs & their steel. I updated my current whereabouts to my mother just before boarding the Tata-Gua passenger train, sounding her on my expected time to reach home. I was visiting home after 2 months, the longest interval in the 3.5 years at NIT Jamshedpur due to my business around hosting the first alumni meet of NIT Jamshedpur and a 15-day train travel across India through Jagriti Yatra. I was just carrying my laptop bag as it was a usual 2/3-day trip and I just had my Compaq laptop, a change of clothes & charger to be precise beside my small blue denim wallet & a Samsung smart phone. In 2012, smart phones were just stepping in and my brother-in law was generous enough to lend it to me to take pictures of the places I visit & the events I attend during Jagriti Yatra. Jagriti Yatra is a train ride across India with 600 yatris from different countries, different walks of life who embark on this journey to learn about various social & business enterprise. In that day’s train journey, I was travelling with a batchmate who would get down 2 stations before mine. We’d travel together many times during the four years, and we’d always take the morning train instead of the evening one. It was a passenger train which was always very crowded, and it passed through many small stations in that belt which were dimly lit, these stations were primarily existing to connect industries to the mining towns of Noamundi, Barbil, Jhinkpani and had goods trains plying with iron ore, limestone, cement, so evening trains seemed unsafe for girls travelling alone. Jhinkpani was a small town in that belt with a cement factory, ACC Cements, and a residential township for it. My dad had booked the station trip which was a Maruti Van to ply the resident of the colony from station to the colony which was around 3 kms away & there was no public transport available in this route. I was waiting to board the train all excited to show my parents the pictures of the Yatra clicked on the borrowed smart phone, I’d also met my sister and niece at Visakhapatnam while we visited Akshaya Patra mega kitchen and I remember getting clicked a cute photo of me holding my niece at the station but my excitement was short lived as soon as I kept the phone in the small zipper pocket of my laptop bag. I was modestly dressed in a kurta and leggings, without pockets of-course, pockets are a recent phenomenon in women’s Indian clothing. So, my phone and wallet were always kept in the bag.
As I boarded the train along with around 20 other people from that gate, I felt a sudden force pulling me back, but I managed to steer my way inside but with an eerie feeling, I quickly reached out to check the tiny pocket immediately only to find that both the wallet & the borrowed phone were gone. A shiver ran up my spine and I started to feel numb. There was Rs 200 in cash in that wallet which was a month of pocket money, my SBI ATM card and college i-card. Now, having zero cash, no phone I went about near the gate to see if I can find it, I spoke to couple of people but barely anyone knew Hindi, and it struck me real hard that reaching home was my single motto now. Although scared that I would be scolded by parents for being reckless, I had a sinking feeling as to how would I break this news to my sister & my brother-in-law whose smart phone I’d lost, what would I do about all the lost contacts that I’d woven so meticulously while organizing the alumni meet, what of the memories that I’d captured during the Yatra. My brain started to fizzle with all these entrapping thoughts when my friend shook me to bring me back to the dreaded train which was my reality then and I started planning my next course of action. I first called my mother from my friend’s phone to tell her about the loss, she comforted me and then she informed my dad to arrange a vehicle from the station, the trip was booked but it’d sometimes leave passengers if there are more people than capacity or not turn up due to technical glitch in the age old van that was used. My friend got down at Chaibasa and my heart started racing more as people around me in the train knew my situation and vulnerability and I tried to pose a strong and confident front. The train took more than 20 minutes to travel 17 kms but for me it seemed like ages, the sight of Jhinkpani station never made me so relieved. I quickly deboarded the train, holding on to my bag tightly this time and found a friend waiting there in his Maruti 800. He happened to have met my dad while coming to the station for a personal work and my dad asked him to pick me as well. I finally reached home travelling without a phone and a penny in pocket, my mom was so glad to see me safe and sound. I was taken aback a little to see her overtly calm demeanor at the face of such an adversary and having no concern whatsoever for my lost phone or the wallet. She prayed and thanked God for my safe return and narrated about her dream which she saw about me the previous night. She was very disturbed by it, and she’d been praying from dawn that day for my well-being as the dream was a very bad omen for me. She felt relieved that it was only few items that were lost, and I was completely unharmed. Mother’s love manifests in mysterious ways I thought while gobbling on my favorite sambar, rice that afternoon. Meanwhile, my dad deactivated my ATM card and arranged an old makeshift phone for me to be used in the remaining two months of college. When I sit back to think, I always think about my mother’s reaction and feel relieved that it happened, may be a way to appease myself of the guilt of not thinking through that somebody must have noticed me putting the phone in the small pocket and chanced upon it in the crowd while boarding. To compensate for the loss of phone, I gifted my sister with a digital camera after I started earning 4 months down from this incident. From then on, I never kept anything valuable in such obvious places in public while I maneuvered my ways in Delhi’s metro or the local trains of Mumbai, in the buses of Visakhapatnam or in the streets of Paris. I hold my wallet tight and my phone close.

So eto na naman ako, nanonood ng Kdrama. Pinapanood ko yung Lovely Runner. Grabe nakakakilig. Kdrama na lang ba makakapagpakilig sa akin? Haha.
Minsan naiisip ko bakit ba wala ako naka "meet cute" noong bata-bata pa ako. Ay oo nga pala, aral bago landi pala kasi motto ko noon.
Ngayon naman parang wala na chance maka meet ng guys. Tnry ko na online dating at may mga naka relationship naman pero ayun, may mga issue na hindi malampasan.
Oh well. Sa Kdrama na lang nga talaga kikiligin.

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Gojid Refugee Patreon Subreddit Discord Paperback NOP2 Species Lore
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Memory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: June 25, 2160
The next generation of humans were a third of the way through development in ectogenesis. Soon, there wouldn’t be only thousands left of my kind. When I remembered what I was fighting for, it gave me the willpower to push through the hell General Radai was throwing at us. Ever since our engagement with the Sivkits, the Resket seemed hellbent on trying to break us, more than he had before. He’d made us run laps for hours, having some surprise when that didn’t crack us—well, it dropped Quana and other non-humans, but not the Tellus recruits. His next resort was extreme weather conditions, depriving us of the cooling systems of our helmets; sweating proved a handy adaptation.
I’d grown accustomed to aching all over at the end of each day, collapsing in my bunk with little energy to expend. Sleep was no guarantee, since Radai loved to burst in at the late hours of the night, forcing us to get up and hustle to a “mission.” The Resket definitely had it out for us, and the way he’d spoken to Tellus’ soldiers as of late resembled Mafani’s vitriol. At least boot camp was almost over, though I was seething at the lack of activity on the warfront. Why hadn’t the Consortium sent out the cavalry? They’d had a hundred years to plan for this eventuality; there was no reason progress should be so slow!
“Back up, Cherise,” Gress was saying, as I returned to the dorm from a half-assed shower. “You’re telling me that you wear these ‘high heels’ to look taller, balancing on that tiny stilt? Why does everything you do have to be so cute?!”
She rolled her eyes at the Krev. “Maybe in another life, back on Earth, I’d be a fashionista. It’s interesting to think of all the trends we had, the styles that gained popularity. I’ve never been a girly girl, but still…I want the experience of just wandering one of those retro malls, and shopping for the hell of it. Carefree like we were before aliens.”
“Then we should set up one of these ‘malls.’ I mean, I myself prefer online shopping, but—”
“What do you shop for, Gress?” I interjected. “Obor combs?”
“I only asked to brush your hair once! You’re the one who grew it out and tempted me.”
Quana’s head snapped toward us. “Gress forgets you’re a sapient being yet again. He treats you like some ‘cute thing’ without your own wants and desires.”
“All I did was ask, Quana. Taylor turned me down, so I dropped it. I can’t help that his face screams adorable; that doesn’t mean I don’t know he’s sapient.”
“Where did your daughter get the idea to beg to ‘keep him?’”
“I should’ve never told you about that,” I scoffed. “Lecca is a child. It was unbelievable, but a little humorous.”
Gress slumped his shoulders. “I was horrified when she said that. She doesn’t understand what she’s asking.”
“Taylor wouldn’t make a good pet. He’s too temperamental,” Cherise commented.
“Exactly!” I declared, grinning. “See, everyone knows that.”
“You weren’t supposed to agree with that.”
“Well, I did. And Quana, you can fuck back off to whatever you were doing before you butted into our conversation.”
The Jaslip pinned her ears back and bared her teeth. “You already make a great pet, and you don’t even see it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Heard. So Gress, back to your shopping habits. What do you even do for fun, other than raising obors or Lecca?”
Quana angled an ear toward the conversation. “He watches Jaslip kids die.”
Gress drew a shuddering breath, but ignored her. “Well, I used to do improv classes before I got married. That was how I met my wife, Nevi. I always had a knack for getting into character on the spot. Knowing what I know now, maybe I’d have gone into theater. I got a lead role in most school plays I auditioned for.”
“You were a theater kid? You know what: I can see that,” Cherise commented.
“I’m picturing you doing a really dramatic reading of Hamlet right about now,” I offered.
Gress leapt toward me, jabbing a claw in my face. “Get thee to a nunnery!”
I snickered. Someone’s been reading The Bard’s works in his spare time. “How about no?”
“That’s not your line, Ophelia. Try again!”
“I think that Hamlet had more to say before Ophelia talked, Gressy boy. Go brush up your reading.”
“The only thing I intend to brush up is you! Get over here.”
The Krev pulled an obor comb out of his bag without looking back, and extended it toward me. I leapt away, holding out a hand to swat it away. The brush clattered to the ground, but that didn’t stop Gress. I yelped as the comms initiate chased after me, and grabbed at the underside of my upper arm with his claws. The green-scaled mammal’s machinations proved devious, lightly prodding and scratching the ticklish area. Involuntary laughter took over, as I jerked my arm away from the persistent fiend; it was difficult to breathe through the hysterics. Unrelenting, he tried to poke at my sides next, but I managed to fend off his plans.
“What are you doing?” I protested.
Gress paused for a moment. “Primates play through tickling. Your laughing fit betrayed that humans do as well.”
“You can’t just do that.”
“I can, and I did. What are you going to do about it?”
I lunged toward the floor, swiping the obor comb. Rather than resisting, Gress issued a happy sigh as I scratched his spine; his dark blue tongue flitted out of his mouth with contentment. That move hadn’t produced the intended results. What an irritating creature he was—he’d probably ask for me to do this again. I was glad I’d gotten to club him over the head once, that day on the landing pad, and I was thinking of braining him a second time right now. What had I been reduced to, all for some exchange program nonsense? To increase my humiliation, General Radai walked in as the Krev was leaning into the comb I grudgingly kept moving. I leapt to my feet in a hurry, trying to straighten up.
“Trench, with me. You’re meeting with Mayor Hathaway and myself in the command center,” the Resket squawked.
I tried to smooth over my still-damp hair. “Yes, sir. I’m right behind you.”
What is this about? If Hathaway wants me back in his office…first off, I thought that he hadn’t forgiven me for the drill fuck-up, and secondly, I wouldn’t take it. I don’t want to be a “pet” anymore; because I was his pet much more than I ever have been with Gress.
The training camp had become a permanent base, with its advantageous location on the Tellus hillside. Ever since the Federation incursion, the Trombil had diverted their resources away from building up our colony; everything that they had went to generating more ships and weapons, as many as they could possibly crank out. The metropolis was all but complete, yet most humans weren’t enjoying the new amenities—word of our system’s invasion caused almost every settler to volunteer for some wartime role. The abandonment of our build-up, after all, meant that there would be no cage around Tellus to safeguard our home.
“Sir, if this planet falls, the only humans left are the ones still growing in artificial wombs right now. I hope we’re doing something about the threat,” I ventured. “If I may, you seemed a bit hesitant when the Sivkits arrived. Almost as if you didn’t want to attack them.”
Radai’s steps became more forceful and pronounced, his lanky legs shoving down into the dirt. “I would’ve preferred to gather information and weigh possible attempts of other methods, because now, we’re locked on the path of all-out war. I don’t take that lightly.”
“Neither do I. My entire species got wiped out, sir, in our last bout. I sure as shit want my revenge. What made you decide to attack the Sivkits, if you preferred to sit on your wings?”
“I recognized that the crew would not heed my commands if I didn’t order you to annihilate them. You, and the majority of the human forces at my command, displayed gross insubordination. You panicked at the mere sight of them. I hope that I have not made a dreadful mistake. Either way, I’ve cemented a ghastly place in the history books, and I have blood on my wingtips.”
“We…we couldn’t let them bomb our home. We couldn’t let them find us. Not again.”
“I know you humans feel that way. However, you’ve proven that you’re not reliable assets in the field. Too obstinate, too headstrong. While your close-quarters combat skills are excellent, I can’t justify trusting you to the command of any non-human officer. This is why I’ve been testing you by the elements, because the only way you’ll see direct action is if electronics go down.”
“But sir—”
“Silence. Humans being briefed on our plans is a courtesy; you’re only here because you’re the liaison from Avor. You wanted this war, Trench, so let me fucking win it. Drones are more efficient than you could ever dream of being.”
I held my tongue as Radai stormed into his command center; I had to jog to keep up with the nine-foot-tall avian’s lengthy strides. A holographic starmap was projected from a large display, not dissimilar from those Terrans once had at the center of our bridges. It seemed to be a full display of the thousand-light-year bubble composing Federation space, with all known systems highlighted. Mayor Hathaway, riding a resurgence in popularity with the drastic improvements Tellus had seen, barely acknowledged me. He’d rebranded himself under the motto of a new era of workers’ rights, though he didn’t deserve the credit he’d received from that. I resented having been his fall guy and kissing the ring for so long.
The mayor stroked his graying beard in thought. “We need to reassure the populace of Tellus that they are safe, and that we have everything under control. The last thing we need is unrest; the citizenry is all too fickle. How do you suggest we go about this, General?”
“Management of the colonists here is in your domain. I’m here to relay the Consortium’s plans for the initial phase of the war, since you are a member state,” Radai responded. “Our plan is to utilize a decapitation strike. We’re sending an overwhelming drone force against the homeworld of each of the enemy’s founders: the Farsul and the Kolshians. We take down the peak of the Federation’s power.”
“Only two targets? What about the other 300 worlds?” I blurted.
Irritation flashed in the Resket’s eyes. “Three targets, swarmed by a hundred-fifty thousand ships each. We do want to leave a significant bulk of our force here, to protect Consortium worlds in case they come looking for us. Aren’t you the one who was so focused on protecting Tellus?”
“Yes, sir. That is sensible. Who is the third target you mentioned?”
“Nishtal, the Krakotl world.” Radai’s words brought gleefulness to my brain, at the thought of the birds who’d eliminated us getting their just desserts. “An old, powerful member that spearheaded the extermination fleet. As one of the most anti-predator factions, they must be crushed to break the Federation’s will.”
“I love your plan. It’s great.”
Mayor Hathaway heaved a sigh. “Let the grown-ups speak, Taylor. General, I’m certain that last target will buy us some political leeway. But how will we maintain contact with the vessels, so that we can know the results? Or touch base in case they need an update to their directives.”
“Our drones will be out of range of our FTL comms network,” the Resket replied. “We’ll try to drop buoys discreetly behind us, though each departure from subspace risks detection…and leaves traces of our tech that they could find. It’s also just flat-out a soft target that could be neutralized. In range of their primary systems, we’re better off tapping into their infrastructure.”
“Then it’s possible that we’ll lose contact with the drones for large chunks of time?”
“That’s correct. If they can’t uplink with us after the battle, they’re slated to make several attempts by doubling back. The footage of their battle and any intelligence gained is invaluable. Regardless, barring an immediate surrender, the secondary targets will be powerful and loyal Federation members, such as the Malti, the Drezjin, and most certainly the Duerten. The last one is extremely influential and well-connected.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay. And what about the Arxur?”
“The Arxur, while monstrous, can be left until after the Federation’s fall. They’re on the opposite side of Fed space, so they don’t directly threaten us. We can worry about them after what we hope will be a quick, utter collapse of our dear neighbors. They might surrender after decisive wins in the places I mentioned, preventing the need for further loss of civilian lives.”
Hathaway pursed his lips. “In the event we did need to go further, I must ask about our allies, the Venlil. For all of their flaws, we remember that they tried to help us, and planned to fight with us at Earth. I doubt public opinion is in favor of killing them.”
“Venlil Prime is designated friendly, and will be avoided unless we are given no choice. We listened to your story; we heard that they aren’t like the rest.”
“Thank you. We greatly appreciate being filled in and having our concerns met, as part of your organization. It’s delightful to be included.”
Radai dipped his head. “You’ll also be apprised of the war’s developments as they happen. We’re in this together, Mayor. Let’s just make sure your people don’t forget that.”
“I’ll do what I can to keep them in line. You’ll find me to be a dependable advocate for the Consortium; it’s the least I can do in exchange for your bountiful aid.”
“We did gift you many things to get you off the ground. All we ask in return is respect and support. You’re dismissed, Trench. As Mayor Hathaway said, the adults have things we need to discuss on our own.”
“I’ll see myself out, sir,” I retorted.
My mind was whirling as I strolled out of the command center. I was the first person on this base to know that we were taking the fight to the “prey” xenos, and it’d brought my enthusiasm through the roof! Humanity wouldn’t have to fear the Federation coming after us if we ended their threat; we’d bury them in their crib the way they’d done to us, over two decades ago. It was a shame that Radai ruled out future action in person, though I grasped that drones had higher efficacy. It was a glorious view when I’d watched the Sivkits blink out of existence live, as particle beams lit them up like a firecracker. A goofy smile lingered on my face, imagining the first images of a dead Krakotl homeworld.
An eye for an eye. I wonder what Gress would think of that saying. I can’t tell whether he’d say it exemplified a primate’s violent tendencies, or straight up agree. Cherise, and probably Quana, want those blue birds flayed as much as I do.
In my distracted stupor, I didn’t notice a blur of pink out of my periphery. A Resket bowled his head into my side, flinging me backward several feet. Pain signals shot through various parts of my body like a pinball machine; I struggled to pick myself up, and look at my assailant. Trainer Mafani had ambushed me when I turned back toward the dorms. He must’ve seen me tailing after Radai earlier, and despite the general’s warnings to stay away, he seized his long-awaited opportunity when I exited alone. Wasn’t it dishonorable on Tanet to utilize the element of surprise on an unsuspecting victim?
“You! You terrorist-loving, chatterbox snitch! You sicced General Radai on me, and now, I might never train recruits again.” Venom dripped from Mafani’s voice, as he stamped a foot onto my spine: pushing me back to the dirt. “I was humiliated because of some lesser cloacasucker who tried to govern my speech. You’ll pay for everything, Taylor!”
I struggled to breathe with the weight pressing down on me. “It’s over. I don’t want…to quarrel with you.”
“It’s not about what you want, primate. I want you dead for what you’ve done to me—and I have no moral qualms about fighting dirty with anyone who sides with terrorists!”
“That someone isn’t me! Stop please…you’ve made your point. I’m a refugee from a dead world; you don’t want to k-kill anyone from an endangered species. You can’t! What happens if Radai finds out about this?”
“Radai is preoccupied. He’s not here to save you this time. I’m going to tie you up, leave you out in the desert that I hear you wanted to explore, to bake in the sun I hear you craved on your face so badly. I’ll put a beacon on you so that you are found in a few days, and they see the pitiful way you died. They’ll find you bound like an animal, having soiled yourself and struggled against the restraints until your fingers bled. When you hallucinate for a drop of water, I hope you think of me.”
“That’s sadistic! You…I don’t want to die. Please, I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I’m going to inject you with a paralytic, so you won’t be able to struggle—or talk—until it’s too late. Enjoy being locked in your own mind, Taylor Trench.”
Mafani jabbed a needle into my neck, while I tried to scream for help; unfortunately, I couldn’t generate much noise with his weight pressing into my lungs. As my mind remained conscious, my body refused to obey my commands within minutes. I found myself wishing that Gress was here to save me, to play the role of hostage negotiator as he’d done in the past. However, as the twisted Resket trainer began carting me off toward a tucked-away vehicle, there was no one around to save me. I’d made plenty of mistakes over my lifetime, but I didn’t deserve to die like this!
Terror plagued my mind as I was hurled in the back of a truck, and rope was coiled tightly around my limbs.
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Gojid Refugee Patreon Subreddit Discord Paperback NOP2 Species Lore

Nerdy, nuerospicy, full time artist. I have a demanding schedule most of the time but can make it flexible for the right people. Introverted but loyal to the core once I connect with someone. I deeply care for my people and value honesty and open communication more than anything, and offer the same in return.
I have a nesting partner of 8+ years, and cannot offer “traditional” relationship escalator type stuff (like living together). We date separately. He prefers mostly parallel with a sprinkle of KTP. I’m very open to Garden Party or KTP but not interested in dating couples AT ALL. We do not do Veto or anything like that. Relationship Anarchy is more aligned. Been practicing poly for 3 years now. HSV2+ and medicated daily with very rare outbreaks. If thats not within your risk profile, we probably won’t work out - that said, I am very mindful (and more of a top with femme folk anyway). My career makes me hyper aware of pathogen transmission and I avoid activities that put others at risk by default. If you don’t even know what a risk profile is, keep scrolling elsewhere.
Child free but not opposed to those with kiddos. Homebody for the most part, though I do enjoy getting out sometimes (mostly to art shows and museums) - but my favorite part will always be getting home to put my pjs on and relax. I love watching movies and TV and my big obsessions right now are Star Trek, Dr Who, and Good Omens. I am 100% a nerd. I also love to craft in my spare time, especially crochet. I’m completely obsessed with Hozier right now. Common interests are really important to me. Fellow nerds to the front of the line. I love gaming, and mostly play Sky: Children of the Light, and Path of Titans for multiplayer fun. I also love cozy games on Switch.
Not big on purely sexual connections, I like connections that are deeply emotional and fulfilling. I can love intensely but I generally need some common interests, and prioritize feeling safe, stable, and supported and offer my partners the same. I take quite a while to get to know people before I sus out my feelings for them. If you’re not down for a slow burn with minimal flirting early on, keep scrolling. I do like to keep up with day to day goings on, and I’ll txt you novels.
I have some hang ups about my appearance (shitty teeth. Thanks genetics - and I mean real shitty) so best if you are non judgemental and accepting. Otherwise I’ve been told I’m cute. I am also non judgemental and accepting. Happy to exchange face pics early on. I am VERY left, tired to death of capitalism, an inclusive feminist, body positive, and a silly little goblin with the right people. I also sometimes hang out with furries so don’t be a hater. 420 is yay. Vaxxed + boosted and still masking in public spaces.
If you’re into the signs, I am a Capricorn, Scorpio rising and Scorpio moon. Year of the wood Rat. I get along with most everyone but have a very soft spot for Virgos, fellow Caps, Cancer, Pisces, and Libra. Looks, weights, heights don’t really mean anything to me. I’m more interested in who you are and what matters to you.
Cis men need not apply. I’m good on that front. Other hard NOs are TERFS, conservatives, Christians and Christian adjacent religions - we simply will not get along. Hail Satan and ACAB.
Looking for Afab and femme folx to connect with, please be between 30-42. Semi recently went through a breakup (in December) with my long distance gf, and am still doing some healing about it. But I’m ready to open my heart to someone special again. I’m a doting partner, a good listener, and genuinely care about people. I am okay with long distance, but the closer to the west coast, the better cus I’m a broke bitch and time zones are wibbly wobbly. It would be super rad if you’re like…not on the east coast. (No offense to my east coast girlies y’all are amazing) and if you are it would be cool if you’re a night owl so we could potentially still have some quality time in the early evenings. Friendship first is always my motto - good connections bloom from a strong friendship. I like to take my time getting to know people. If you’re interested in maybe kindling something special, shoot me a message. I’m fine with moving to Discord if we both feel comfortable.
NOT looking for hookups, casual connections, one night stands, FWBs etc. I’m looking to foster something long term and devoted. :) I’ve collected several friends from previous posts so also not looking for more platonic connections. sorry not sorry this is so long. Shoot me a message and tell me what your favorite sci-fi series/movie is. this is posted on my throwaway account because my main account is connected to my career which is very public facing

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PART 3 - CONTINUATION
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LAST UPDATED - 05 / 04 / 2024
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LINKS

Part 1 – https://www.reddit.com/Isekai/comments/1cga32j/list_i_have_distributed_all_the_isekais_i_have/
Part 2 – https://www.reddit.com/Isekai/comments/1cga4z3/list_i_have_distributed_all_the_isekais_i_have/
Part 3 – https://www.reddit.com/Isekai/comments/1cga7ta/list_i_have_distributed_all_the_isekais_i_have/

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Lets begin
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28 - Slice of life/Slow Life Isekai: There are several possibilities here. These are series focused not on the objective but on the characters’ daily lives. There are several subcategories.

28.1 – Open Store: MC open his own business.
Examples: [1] – Kami Tachi; [2] – Drug Store In Another World; [3] - My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World; [3] - Isekai De Uwamae Hanete Ikiteiku ~Saisei Mahotsukai No Yuru Fuwa Jinzai Haken Seikatsu~; [4] - Shounin Yuusha wa Isekai wo Gyuujiru!
28.2 – Lazy worker: MC have an easy job and dont have to fight;
Examples: [1] – Ascendance Of A Bookworm; [12] - The Girl Monster I Saved; [3] - I Got Reincarnated As A Son Of Innkeepers!; [4] - Kochira Isekai de yoroshikatta deshou ka?; [5] - Moto Home Center Tenin no Isekai Seikatsu ~Shougou "DIY Master" "Green Master" "Pet Master" wo Kushishite Isekai wo Kimamani Ikimasu~; [6] - Heroine? Saint? No, I'm An All-Works Maid; [7] - Sweets, Elf, And A High School Girl (reverse);
28.3 – Lazy Merchant: MC farm or uses his system to get itens and then sell to make easy Money.
Examples: [1] - I Shall Survive Using Potions!; [13] - Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!); [3] - The Fake Alchemist; [4] - Souzai Saishuka no Isekai Ryokouki; [5] - Arafoo Otoko no Isekai Tsuhan Seikatsu; [6] - Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu; [7] - Cheat na Tablet wo Motte Kaiteki Isekai Seikatsu; [8] - Teihen Ossan, Cheat Kokusei de Isekai Rakuraku Life;
28.4 – Lazy Noble/Elf: Just a normal noble/elf living a easy life.
[1] - Tensei Shite Inaka de Slowlife wo Okuritai; [2] - Tensei Shita Kedo Cheat Nouryoku wo Tsukawanai De Ikite Miru; [3] - Tenseisha wa Cheat o Nozomanai; [4] - Tensei Ouji wa Daraketai; [5] - Tensei Shite High Elf ni Narimashitaga, Slow Life wa 120-nen de Akimashita; [6] - Reincarnated as the Daughter of the Legendary Hero and the Queen of Spirits;
28.5 – Lazy Farmer: farmer life. Best Job/class. MC is usually OP and almost always end up with a harem;
Examples: [8] - Nonbiri Nouka; [9] – Yuru Fuwa Noka No Moji Bake Skill; [11] - Kamigami no Kago de Seisan Kakumei; [14] - Living a Laid-Back Second Life on the Island of the Strongest Species; [5] - Isekai de Tochi o Katte Noujou wo Tsukurou; [6] - Isekai ni Otosareta… Jouka wa Kihon!; [7] - Seirei-tachi no Rakuen to Risou no Isekai Seikatsu; [8] - Isekai ni Teni Shitara Yama no Naka datta. Handou de Tsuyo Sayori mo Kaitekisa o Erabi Mashita;[9] - Tanbo de Hirotta Onna Kishi, Inaka de Ore no Yome da to Omowareteiru (reverse); [10] - Tensei Shachiku no Cheat Saien - Ban'nou Skill to Benri na Tsukaima Yousei wo Kushishitetara, Kidzukeba Tairiku Ichi no Seisan Kyoten ga Dekiteita; [11] - Shokubutsu Mahou Chito de Nonbiri Ryoshu Seikatsu Hajimemasu Zense no Chishiki o Kushi Shite Nogyo Shitara, Gyakuten Jinsei Hajimatta Kudan; [12] - Isekai desu ga Mamono Saibai shiteimasu.; [13] - Tenohira Kaitaku Mura de Isekai Kenkokuki: Fueteku Yome-tachi to Nonbiri Mujintou Life; [14] - Orenchi ni Kita Onna Kishi to Inakagurashi Surukotoninatta Ken (reverse); [15] - Isekai Yururi Camp; [16] - Shoushaman no Isekai Survival ~ Zettai Hito to wa Tsurumanee ~;
28.6 – Frail boy/girl: cute/emotional stories about kids;
Examples: [1] - Fluffy Paradise; [2] - Zensei de Tsurai Omoi o Shita no de, Kamisama ga Shazai ni Kimashita; [3] - Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole; [4] - The Steam Dragon Express; [5] - A Ruined Princess and a Different World's Hero Make a Great Country!; [6] - Sekai Tensei Slum Machi kara no Nariagari; [7] - Tensei Youjo wa Akiramenai; [8] - Kamitachi ni Hirowareta Otoko; [9] - Saijaku Tamer wa Gomi Hiroi no Tabi o Hajimemashita;
28.7 – Lover Boy/girl: Living each day with his/her waifu/husbando and making friends.
Examples: [10] - Yuusha Shoukan ni Makikomareta kedo, Isekai wa Heiwa deshita; [1] - Lv2 kara Cheat datta Motoyuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life; [3] - I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King's 10 Children in Another World; [4] - Monster no Konkatsuya-san; [5] - Isekai ni Kita Mitai Dakedo Dousureba Yoi no Darou; [6] - Depressed Hero; [6] - I'm in Love with the Villainess; [7] - There Was A Cute Girl In The Hero’S Party, So I Tried Confessing To Her;
28.8 – Camping Isekai: rare stories about a MC who likes to camping.
[1] - Ossan no Remake Bouken Nikki: Autocamp kara Hajimaru Isekai Mankitsu Life; [2] - Isekai Shachuuhaku Monogatari: Outrunner PHEV;

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29 - Profession Isekai: MC was a professional in his previous world and after being isekai his/her knowledge end up being usefull enough to adapt and make changes in the new world.
Examples:

[1] – The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent; [2] – Parallel World Pharmacy; [3] – Handyman Saitou in Another World; [4] - I Used High-Level Medicine To Counter Magic; [5] - A Single Aristocrat Enjoys A Different World: The Graceful Life Of A Man Who Never Gets Married; [6] – Salaryman ga Isekai ni Ittara Shitennou ni Natta Hanashi; [7] - The Story of the Invincible Merchant's Rise in Another World ~Since I have the skill to order modern products at will, I have an easy victory in another world~; [8] - I Reincarnated As A Legendary Surgeon; [9] - How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom Focuses On A Civil Servant Saving a country; [10] - The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady; [11] - The Greatest Estate Developer; [12] - The Holy Power of Modern Medicine; [13] - Yuusha Ikkou ni Senzokui; [14] - Isekai no Meitantei; [15] - Madougushi Dahliya wa Utsumukanai ~Dahliya Wilts No More~; [16] - Inaka no Home Center Otoko no Jiyuu na Isekai Seikatsu; [17] - Cheat Kusushi no Slow Life: Isekai ni Tsukurou Drugstore; [18] - Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts with a Village; [19] – Exterminator; [20] – Isekai no Binbou Nouka ni Tensei Shita Node, Renga wo Tsukutte Shiro wo Tateru Koto ni Shimashita; [20] - Welcome to Sylvia's Garden; [21] - Can I, a Doctor, Save 10 Billion Lives in Another World?; [22] - Isekai Courtroom -Rebuttal Barrister-; [23] - Doctor’s Rebirth; [24] - The Crown Prince That Sells Medicine; [25] - Isekai Ten'i Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerareteiru Ken ~Aoi-sensei no Gakuen Funtou Nisshi~; [26] - BLACK CORPORATION: JOSEON;

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30 – RPG/Game/Novel Isekai: Isekai where MC is isekai’d with his/her own game character and build according to the game rules that they know, or use a class who's considered weak but it will become the strongest in the lategame, or even because they know the events of the world.

30.1 – Eroge game / Otome game / MMO / RPG / VRPG etc.
Examples: [1] – Live Dungeon; [2] – Log Horizon; [3] - Tsuihou Sareta Tensei Juu Kishi wa Game Chishiki de Musou Suru; [4] – Quality Assurance in Another World; [5] - The Unrivaled Reincarnated Sage of Another World ~The Strongest in Another World Through Game Knowledge~; [6] – Maou-sama, Retry!; [7] - Sword Art Online; [8] - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear; [9] - .Hack//Sign; [10] - Tyrant Of The Tower Defense Game; [11] - Surviving The Game As A Barbarian; [12] - Pick Me Up: Infinite Gacha; [13] - Dungeon Reset; [14] - The Nebula's Civilization; [15] - Rta Sousha Wa Game Sekai Kara Kaerenai; [22] - Manuke na FPS Player ga Isekai e Ochita Baai; [16] - Moto-Sekai Ichii Sub-chara Ikusei Nikki ~Hi-Player, Isekai wo Kouryaku-chu!~; [17] - The Player Hides His Past; [18] - Surviving With an SSS-Rank Inventory; [19] - Saiaku no Avalon; [20] - Ore no Shibou Flag ga Todomaru Tokoro wo Shiranai; [21] - Isekai Cheat Magic Swordsman; [22] - Shoukan sareta Kenja wa Isekai wo Yuku ~Saikyou nano wa Fuyou Zaiko no Item deshita~; [23] – Ernak; [24] - Hakoniwa Oukoku no Craft Master; [25] - Magical★Explorer - Eroge no Yuujin Kyara ni Tensei Shitakedo, Game Chishiki Tsukatte Jiyuu ni Ikiru; [26] - 100% Cleared Harem Route; [27] - Little Tyrant Doesn't Want to Meet with a Bad End; [28] - Yasei no Last Boss ga Arawareta!; [29] - I Have Max Level Luck; [30] - The Genius Medicinal Mage; [31] - Teenage Swordsman; [32] - Chounin A wa Akuyaku Reijou wo Doushitemo Sukuitai; [33] - Starting Out With Max Favorability; [34] - Monogatari no Kuromaku ni Tensei Shite; [35] - Mushoku no Saikyou Kenja ~Job ga Erarezu Tsuihou Saretaga, Game no Chishiki de Isekai Saikyou~; [36] - Try Me Again If You Dare!; [37] - I Reincarnated as a Villain of an RPG, But I Want to Survive; [38] - A Certain Middle-Aged Man's VRMMO Activity Log; [39] - Ester de Valonia; [40] - The King of Bugs; [41] - Ecstas Online; [42] - Solo Bug Player; [43] - The Count’s Youngest Son Is a Player; [44] - Indestructible Body of Vajra of the Village Leader; [45] - Reincarnation to the World of “Eroge”: The Story About Lazy Aristocrat Who Struggle for Resist His Destiny; [46] - The Holy Emperor's Grandson Is a Necromancer; [47] - Skeleton Evolution: Starting From Being Summoned By the Sorceress; [48] - Arafoo Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki; The Diary of a Middle-Aged Teacher's Carefree Life in Another World; [49] - The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide; [50] - Botsuraku Yotei Nanode, Kajishokunin wo Mezasu; [51] - Was Manager Seo Disposed of as an Industrial Accident?; [52] - I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain; [53] - Regenerate Top Players; [54] - Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa UraBoss desu ga Maou de wa Arimasen; [55] - Unparalleled ??? Rank Hidden Equipment; [56] - Legend of Mir: Gold Armored Dragon; [57] - Shinka Tokusei de Saikyou Necromancer; [58] - Only I Know That This World Is a Game; [58] - I Exploit Bugs; [59] - The Gamer: Fantasia; [60] - Game no Naka ni Iru!; [61] - Your Ancestor Is Online; [62] - Onmir The oddity; [63] - Lime Odyssey - The Chronicles of ORTA; [64] - Dungeon Defense; [65] - Saitei Chara ni Tensei shita Ore wa Ikinokoritai; [66] - My Way Of Killing Gods In Another World; [67] - Twisting the Arm of Fate with Cheat Magic; [68] - Brave Hero; [69] - A World-Class Walkthrough; [70] - I Am the Rising Villain; [71] - Master of Villains; [72] - I Rely on My Invincibility to Deal Tons of Damage Passively!; [73] - The Strongest Cheat Player; [74] - The Tutorial Is Too Tough!; [75] - RPG WORLD - Roleplay World; [76] - Twisting the Arm of Fate with Cheat Magic; [77] - Isekai Tensei ni Kansha o; [78] - Akuyaku Reijou no Shitsuji-sama: Hametsu Flag wa Ore ga Tsubusasete Itadakimasu (game); [79] - I Became the Crazy Emperor; [80] - Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior; [81] - I Killed the Player of the Academy; [82] – MEMORIZE (time travel isekai); [83] - Silver Gravekeeper; [84] - Cleric of Decay; [85] - Grimoire x Reverse - Tensei Kishin Roumantan; [86] - Ending Maker; [87] - Honobono Isekai Tensei Days ~Level Counterstop, Item Mochikoshi! Watashi wa Saikyou Youjo Desu~; [88] - Souzoushu nano de Motto Yasashikute Kudasai!; [89] - My Not-So-Fair Lady Is Doomed! (but Not If I Can Help It); [90] - Chibikko Kenja, Lv. 1 Kara Isekaide Ganbarimasu!; [91] - Kyoukai Meikyuu to Ikai no Majutsushi; [92] - Akugyaku Hadou no Brave Soul; [93] - Maou to Yuusha no Tatakai no Ura de; [94] - In the Land of Leadale; [95] - Next Life; [96] - Nichiasa Suki no Otaku ga Akuyaku Seito ni Tenseishita Kekka, Hametsu Flag ga Houkaishiteiku Ken ni Tsuite; [97] - Gokufuri Kyohi Shite Tesaguri Start! Tokka Shinai Healer, Nakama to Wakarete Tabi ni Deru; [98] - I'm Really Not Targeting the Mages; [99] - Hell Mode: Yarikomi Suki no Gamer wa Hai Settei no Isekai de Musou Suru; [100] - Reincarnated as the Villain in a Cultivation Game; [101] - Overlord; [102] - The Princess Has a Rosy Dream; [103] - My Inventory is Abnormal; [104] - Gal Maid & Villainess: Only Milady's Happy End Will Win!; [105] - The Wolf Is Fierce And Cautious;
30.2 – Novel / Book / Manga / Comig etc.
Examples: [1] - The Novel's Extra; [2] - City of Sanctuary; [3] - Youngest Son of the Renowned Magic Clan; [4] - The Novel’s Extra; [5] - The Extra Is Too Powerful; [6] - Akuyaku Kizoku to shite Hitsuyou na Sore; [7] - The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All; [8] - A Comic Artist’s Survival Guide; [9] - The Transmigrated Mage Life in Another World, Becoming the Strongest in the World with the Knowledge of the Original Story; [10] - I Am Reborn as the Sword God; [11] - [12] - I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel; [13] - Tensei Akujo no Kuro Rekishi; [14] - Lasboss x Hero; [15] - Genius Martial Arts Trainer; [16] - Death Game Manga no Kuromaku Satsujinki no Imouto ni Tensei shite Shippai shita; [17] - Master Villainess the Invincible!; [18] - Precious Daughter of the Greatest Martial Arts Villain;

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31 – Adventure/Action Isekai: Most common and extremely generic category focused on the life of an adventurer in general. Because of this, it was divided into 5 smaller categories.

31.1 - Effort is all Isekai: MC has not much talento so should train/grind/learn a lot to become stronger;
Examples: [1] - Tsuihousareru Tabi ni Skill wo Te ni Ireta Ore ga, 100 no Isekai de 2-shuume Musou; [2] - Reincarnation of the Veteran Soldier; [3] - The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest; [4] - Player (Oh Hyeon-Jun); [5] - The Black Pig Prince Recalls His Previous Life and Becomes the Strongest; [6] - My Job is Appraiser, but What is The [God Eye]? Living Freely with The World's Greatest Elementary Level Job; [7] - Sekai de Yuuitsu no Tenshokushi: Job Hopper na Ore wa, Isekai de Subete no Job o Kiwameru Koto ni Shita; [8] - 1RM’s Gigant Rider; [9] - Bijo to Kenja to Majin no Ken; [10] - Wizard of Arsenia; [11] - TRPG Player ga Isekai de Saikyou Build wo Mezasu; [12] - The Spearmaster and the Black Cat; [13] - Academy's Undercover Professor; [14] - Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World; [15] - Tanaka the Wizard; [16] - Ane ni Iwareru ga Mama ni Tokkun wo Shiteitara, Tondemonai Tsuyosa ni Natteita Otouto; [17] - Tanaka no Atelier ~Nenrei Equal Kanojo Inaireki no Mahoutsukai~; [18] - Isekai no Senshi toshite Kuni ni Manekareta kedo, Kotowatte Heishi kara Hajimeru Koto ni Shita; [19] - Id - The Greatest Fusion Fantasy; [20] - The Great Cleric; [21] - I Was Raised by the Boss; [22] - Machigai Shoukan! Oidasareta kedo Joui Gokan Skill de Rakuraku Seikatsu; [23] - Kekkaishi e no Tensei; [24] - Ken to Mahou to Gakureki Shakai;
31.2 - Weak but Strong: despised/shunned/banned for being weak but actually pretty Strong.
Examples: [1] - Jitsu wa Ore, Saikyou Deshita?; [2] - Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life; [3] - Level 1 no Saikyou Kenja - Noroi de Saikakyuu Mahou Shika Tsukaenai kedo, Kami no Kanchigai no Mugen no Maryoku o Te ni Ire Saikyou ni; [4] - People Looked Down on Me for Having a Crummy Job but It Really Isn't All That Bad?; [5] - Welcome to the "Outcasts' Guild"; [6] - Ikitsuku Saki wa Yuusha ka Maou ka; [7] - Homeland Dropout: The Time I Was Reincarnated as the Fourth Enchanter in the Entire World; [8] - Reincarnated as a Son of an Aristocrat; [9] - Rettoujin no Maken Tsukai: Skill Board wo Kushi Shite Saikyou ni Itaru; [10] - Overpowered Healer; [11] - Bocchi Tenseiki (Misanthrope); [12] - My Wife is a Demon Queen; [13] - Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers; [14] - Maseki Gurume: Mamono no Chikara wo Tabeta Ore wa Saikyou!; [15] - Sono Munou, Jitsu wa Sekai Saikyou no Mahoutsukai ~Munou to Sagesumare, Kizokuka kara Oidasareta ga, Gift "Tenseisha" ga Kakusei shite Zense no Nouryoku ga Yomigaetta~; [16] - Versatile Mage; [17] - Soul Land; [18] - Hazure Skill de SSS-Rank Makyo Ikinui wo Tara, Sekai Saikyou no Renkinjutsushi ni Natteita ~ Kaiteki Kyoten wo Tsukutte Nakama to Tanoshi Isekai Life; [19] - Genkaigoe no Skill wa, Tenseisha ni Shika Atsukaenai - Over Limit Skill Holder; [20] - Izure Saikyou ni Itaru Tensei Mahoutsukai; [21] - Moto Saikyou no Kenshi wa, Isekai Mahou ni Akogareru; [22] - Saikyou Juzoku Tensei ~Cheat Majutsushi no Slow Life~; [23] - Level 1 Dakedo Unique Skill de Saikyou desu;
31.3 - No Effort: MC is already stronger or got the best cheat or even all the blessings from ch1 without effort;
Examples: [1] - My Civil Servant Life Reborn in the Strange World; [2] - Isekai Tensei de Kenja ni Natte Boukensha Seikatsu ~[Mahou Kairyou] de Isekai Saikyou~; [3] - Botsuraku Yotei no Kizoku dakedo, Hima datta kara Mahou wo Kiwamete Mita; [4] - Saikyou no Ossan Hunter Isekai e ~ Kondokoso Yukkuri Shizuka ni Kurashitai ~; [5] - Novelist Can Fight Too; [6] - Kaminari Tei no Kiseki ~ Ore Dake Tsukaeru “Kaminari Majutsu” de Isekai Saikyou ni! ~; [7] - Tensei Shitara Sainou ga Atta Ken ~Isekai Itte mo Doryoku Suru~; [8] - Samurai in Another World; [9] - I Get Stronger the More I Eat; [9] - Zettai ni Damage o Ukenai Skill o Moratta node, Boukensha to shite Musou shite miru; [10] - Jimi na Kensei wa Sore Demo Saikyou Desu; [11] - Eiyuu Majutsushi wa Nonbiri Kurashitai; [12] - Ookami wa Nemuranai; [13] - Aiming For the Deepest Part of the Labyrinth Thanks to "The Vessel of Talent" -What Was Supposed to be a Normal Progression of Skills Turned Out to be an All-Purpose Cheat!; [14] - Global Power: I Can Control All The Elements; [15] - Fujimi Tensei: Kuzu Dakedo Saisei Cheat de Musou Shimasu; [16] - Climax Necromance; [17] - Chouetsu-sha To Natta Ossan wa My Pace ni Isekai wo Sansaku Suru; [18] - Sasensareta Munou Ouji wa Jitsuryoku wo Kakushitai; [19] - Sekai ni Hitori, Zenzokusei Mahou no Tsukaite; [20] - Ore to Kawazu-san no Isekai Hourouki; [21] - Karada wa Jidou, Nakami wa Ossan no Nariagari Boukenki; [22] - Tensei Shichattayo (Iya, Gomen); [23] - World Teacher – Other World Style Education & Agent; [24] - From Overshadowed to Overpowered: Second Reincarnation of a Talentless Sage (isekai with reincarnation); [25] - Saikyou Onmyouji no Isekai Tensei-ki ~Geboku no Youkai-domo ni Kurabete Monster ga Yowasugiru n da ga~; [26] - Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku ~Jichou wo Shiranai Kamigami no Shito~; [27] - Shachiku, Dungeon Darake no Sekai de Koyuu Skill "Gouyoku" wo Te ni Irete Saikyou no Balance Breaker ni Naru; [28] - Ore no Ie ga Maryoku Spot datta Ken ~Sundeiru dake de Sekai Saikyou~; [29] - I Received Blessings Meant For 2 People From God; [30] - Saikyou no Shuzoku ga Ningen Datta Ken; [31] - Tensei Shitara Dainana-ouji Dattanode, Kimama ni Majutsu wo Kiwamemasu; [32] - Karate Baka In Different World; [33] - Kuro no Shoukanshi; [34] - A Normally Dowdy Man Is in Essence the Mightiest War-God; [35] - Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute; [36] - Hachinan tte, Sore wa Nai Deshou!; [37] - Emperor's Mark to Rule the Monsters: Reborn Sage to Strongest Adventurer; [38] - Legend (Takano Masaharu); [39] - Isekai ni Tobasareta Ossan wa Doko e Iku?; [40] - SSS-Rank Paladin Who Transcends Common Sense;
31.4 - Weird skill/job: MC got the weirdest skill in a Isekai genre;
Examples: [1] - Isekai Walking (walk); [2] - Mezase Gouka Kyakusen!! ~Sen Shokan Skill De Isekai Rich Life Wo Te Ni Irero (create ships); [3] - Dungeon Athlete (regenerate musches); [4] - Tenshoku no Shinden o Hirakimashita (job changer); [5] - Tensei Kusushi wa Isekai wo Meguru (Apothecary); [6] - Shingan no Yuusha (god eye); [7] - Isekai Meikyuu no Saishinbu o Mezasou (???); 8 - Isekai ni Kita Boku wa Kiyoubinbode Subayasa Tayorina Tabi wo Suru (Jack of all trades); 9 - Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou Sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n desu ga (instant death); [10] - Tenkuu no Shiro o Moratta no de Isekai de Tanoshiku Asobitai (control a floating castle); [11] - Jiriki de Isekai e! (garbled text); [12] - Life of Hit-Tamer in Another World (tamer with one punch); [13] - Gakuen Kishi no Level up! (trial and error); [14] - Save & Load no Dekiru Yadoya-san (save and load); [15] - Saikyou no Shokugyou wa Yuusha Demo Kenja Demo Naku Kanteishi (Kari) Rashii Desu yo? (inspector); [16] - Wicked Trapper: Hunter of Heroes (trap master);

32 – Weak MC Isekai – here MC have weak skills, didnt got isekai'd with cheat and also didn't became OP.
Examples:

[1] - Pastoral Battle Hymn: Pioneer in the Fantasy Realm; [2] – Bokutachi Wa Isekai Geinin Desu; [3] - Aweon Mall Isekai Ten, Honjitsu Grand Open!; [4] - Zero Skill No Ryouriban; [5] - According to the Hero Who Returned From Another World; [6] - Isekai Nation Archimaira: The Weakest King and his Unparalleled Army; [7] - Isekai Demo Bunan ni Ikitai Shoukougun; [8] - Yuusha Shoukan ni Makikomareta kedo, Isekai wa Heiwa deshita; [9] – KonoSuba; [10] - Re: Zero - Starting Life In Another World; [11] - How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom; [12] - Now And Then, Here And There; [13] - Handyman Saitou In Another World; [14] - Grimgar: Ashes And Illusions; [15] - Ascendance Of A Bookworm; [16] - Meikyuu Black Company; [17] - Shinde kudasai! Yuusha desho?; [18] – Isekai Manless; [19] – Parallel Paradise; [20] – Alcafus; [21] - Karma na Skill de Musou suru Isekai Harem Kaitoudan; [22] - Kurogane no Mahoutsukai; [23] - Kaminaki Sekai no Kamisama Katsudou; [24] - Mezase Gouka Kyakusen!! ~Sen Shokan Skill De Isekai Rich Life Wo Te Ni Irero; [25] - Isekai Saikouhou no Guild Leader ~Guild Saijaku no Boku da Kedo, Guild Members Zen'in no ai ga Omokute Guild o Yameraremasen~; [26] - The Girl, the Shovel, and the Evil Eye; [27] - Yankee wa Isekai de Seirei ni Aisaremasu.; [28] - Isekai Demo Bunan ni Ikitai Shoukougun; [29] - Hero with Another Opinion; [30] - Amarimono Isekaijin no Jiyuu Seikatsu: Yuusha ja Nai node Katteni Yarasete Moraimasu; [31] - Neko no Te demo Yoroshikereba; [32] - Shoushaman no Isekai Survival ~ Zettai Hito to wa Tsurumanee ~; [33] - Zero no Tsukaima; [34] - Isekai Teni, Jirai Tsuki; [35] - Kami Neko Mii-chan to Neko Youhin Shoukanshi no Isekai Funtouki; [36] - Isekai de Slow Life wo (Ganbou);

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33 – No Fantasy Isekai: mangas in which the protagonist is not sent to a world with magic, classes, magical beast and similar, but to a futuristic, post-apocalyptic, medieval, world or even prehistoric world; .
Examples:

[1] - Mezametara Saikyou Soubi to Uchuusenmochi Datta node, Ikkodate Mezashite Youhei toshite Jiyuu ni Ikitai; [2] - Sousei no Taiga; [3] - It All Starts With A Group Of Primitive People; [4] - Animal Land; [5] - Arata Primal; [6] - Trinity Wonder (Reverse); [7] - Unparalleled Path ~ Reincarnated as the AI for a Space Battleship; [8] - Ore ga Heroine o Tasukesugite Sekai ga Little Mokushiroku!?; [9] - I'm The Evil Lord Of An Intergalactic Empire!; [10] - Blue Gender's; [11] - Now And Then, Here And There; [12] - The Legendary Mechanic; [13] - It's Not Easy to Be a Man After Traveling to the Future; [14] - The Novel's Extra; [15] - Strongest Caveman; [16] - Gunjou Senki; [17] - Heterogenia Linguistico;

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34 – Martial Art / Murim / Cultivation Isekai – Isekais where dealing with challenges through soft skills and cultivation. As is common in Xianxia mangas, the protagonist may have as his goal the search for immortality
Examples:

[1] – Overmortal; [2] - Martial Streamer; [3] - Delivery Man From Murim; [4] - Omniscient Immortal Cultivator; [5] - Embodiment of the Assassin in the Murim World; [6] - Million Times Attack Speed; [7] - I Became a Big-Shot on the Heavenly Leaderboard; [8] - Master: This Villainous Disciple Is Not The Holy Child; [9] - Live Broadcast, I Roam Freely In The Other World; [10] - Karate Baka Isekai; [11] - Karate Survivor in Another World; [12] - Villain Warrior; [13] - Starting with the Guhuo Bird; [14] - I’m A Godfather In Another World; [15] - I Pretended To Be An Npc In Cultivation World; [16] - Sword Intent; [17] - I Took Over the Demonic Sect Master; [18] - Keyboard Immortal; [19] - I, the Demon Lord, Am Being Targeted by My Female Disciples!; [20] - Rebirth of the Immortal Arrogant Son-in-Law (reverse); [21] - Heavenly Demon Instructor (reverse); [22] - Devil’s Advent; [23] - Martial Wild West; [24] - I Just Want to Be Killed; [25] - Androids Have No Blood; [26] - The No.1 Chef in Martial Art World; [27] - Leveling Beyond the Max (reverse); [28] - The Heavenly Demon Can't Live a Normal Life; [29] - The Heavenly Path Is Not Stupid; [30] - Baki Gaiden - Retsu Kaioh Doesn't Mind If He is Reincarnated in Another World; [31] - Top Tier Providence; [32] - I Picked up an Attribute; [33] - Demon Lord 2099; [34] – Murim Login; [35] - Rebirth of the Urban Mad Immortal; [36] - Strongest Fighter; [37] - After Ten Years of Chopping Wood, Immortals Begged To Become My Disciples; [38] - Global Martial Artist; [39] - X - Epoch of the Dragon; [40] - Ultimate Scheming System; [41] - Reverend Insanity; [42] - Yomei Nikagetsu no Isekai Kenkouhou; [43] - Phalaenopsis Dreamland; [44] - The Reborn Ranker Chronicles; [45] - Save The World, Uncle!; [46] - A Modern Man Who Transmigrated Into the Murim World; [47] - My Disciples Are All Big Villains; [48] - Off to an Invincible Start; [49] - I'm an Evil God; [50] - Precious Daughter of the Greatest Martial Arts Villain; [51] - Master Villainess the Invincible!; [52] - Cultivate with a Fairy;

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35 – Mecha Isekai – A rare type of Isekai in which the main conflicts and combats occur through the use of mecha. The protagonist is valued (or devalued) for his ability and potential in controlling mechas in combat.
Examples:

[1] - Sword Intent; [2] - Isekai Yuusha G-SHINE; Yuusha Shoutai Kamoku Yuusha Wa Nagasarenai; [3] - Class Saiyasune de Urareta Ore wa, Jitsu wa Saikyou Parameter; [4] - Knights & Magic; [5] - The World of Otome Games Kindergarten is Tough for Mobs; [6] - suisei no gargantia; [7] - Vision of Escaflowne; [8] - Sentai Red Isekai de Boukensha ni Naru; [9] - Magic Knight Rayearth; [10] - Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar; [11] - Aura Battler Dunbine;

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36 – Firearm isekai – Isekais in which the protagonist is reincarnated in a world of monsters and fantasy, and uses firearms as his main weapon.
Examples:

[1] - Isekai Shoukan Oji-san no Juumusou Life - Sabage Suki Salaryman wa Kaisha Owari ni Isekai e Chokki suru; [2] - Gun-Ota ga Mahou Sekai ni Tensei shitara, Gendai Heiki de Guntai Harem wo Tsukucchaimashita!?; [3] - Hokkaidou no Geneki Hunter ga Isekai ni Hourikoma Rete Mita ~Elf Yome to Meguru Isekai Shuryou Life~; [4] - Villainess: Reloaded! Blowing Away Bad Ends with Modern Weapons; [5] - Chounin A wa Akuyaku Reijou wo Doushitemo Sukuitai; [6] - Manuke na FPS Player ga Isekai e Ochita Baai; [7] - Immortal science and technology; [8] - Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou; [9] - "Souzou Mahou" wo Oboete, Bannou de Saikyou ni Narimashita. Class Kara Tsuihou Shita Yatsura wa, Sokora Hen no Kusa Demo Kuttero!; [10] - Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru; [11] - Magan to Dangan o Tsukatte Isekai o Buchinuku!; [12] - Bocchi Jieikan no Isekai Funsenki; [13] - Magical shooting : sniper of steel; [14] - Kouchuugun Shikan Boukensha ni Naru; [15] - Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni;

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37 - One more time Isekai - MC was isekai'd in more than one different world.
Examples:

[1] - Tsuihousareru Tabi ni Skill wo Te ni Ireta Ore ga, 100 no Isekai de 2-shuume Musou; [2] - Moto Isekai Tenisha datta Kachou no Ojisan, Jinsei Nidome no Isekai wo Kake Meguru; [3] - Class-goto Shuudan Teni Shimashita ga, ichiban Tsuyoi Ore wa Saijaku no Shounin ni Gisouchuu; [4] - Yondome wa Iya na Shizokusei Majutsushi;

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38 – Evil MC Isekai – Abuse, robbery, kidnapping, murder, fraud? All the protagonists here have character deviations from the beginning.
Examples:

[1] - The Saga of Tanya the Evil; [2] – Overlord; [3] - Sekai Saikyou no Assassin, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei Suru; [4] - Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute; [5] - Meikyuu Black Company; [6] - Meccha Shoukan Sareta Ken; [7] - FFF-Class Trashero; [8] - Isekai Mokushiroku Mynoghra: Hametsu no Bunmei de Hajimeru Sekai Seifuku; [9] - Joou Heika no Isekai Strategy; [10] - Virus Tensei kara Hajimaru Isekai Kansen Monogatari; [11] - Nidome no Yuusha; [12] - Maou-sama, Retry!; [13] - Re:Monster; [14] - I Get Stronger the More I Eat; [15] - the main character is the villain (+18); [16] – The world that i rule (+18); [17] - I Am the Fated Villain; [18] - Master: This Villainous Disciple Is Not The Holy Child; [19] - Reverend Insanity; [20] - The Reborn Ranker Chronicles; [21] - How to Live as a Villain; [22] - Is This Hero for Real?; [23] - Regressor Instruction Manual; [24] - Reincarnation of the Veteran Soldier; [25] - Reverse Villain;

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.

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.
I decided to update everyone
https://www.reddit.com/HFY/s/ypogh9ZYrZ

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.
I decided to let everyone know how things are going.
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/s/TQJpCXsGMK

“Get the fuck out of my house with this ‘ old country’ shit Sylvia, I’m serious. “ I hear my dad say from the kitchen downstairs.
“I give children and idiots three warnings. That’s your first. “ It takes me a second to recognize my aunt’s voice. I’ve only met her a handful of times, and it’s nearly 2am.
“Syl, he’s right, this is crazy. I’m Roma, I’m proud, but your part of the family, and mine are two separate things. “ My mom interjects. Her voice is calm and level.
I woke up about half way through whatever is going on, and I’m fuzzy on the details, but everyone involved is three kinds of pissed.
“So you say, but just because you ignore the other side, doesn’t mean the other side ignores you. “ Aunt Syl replies, I could never quite place her accent, but it makes her statement all the more sinister.
“Might as well make that the family motto.
Syl, there are a couple dozen other kids Nikolas’ age in the family. Half of which are already hip deep in whatever is going on nowadays, you don’t need him. “ Mom isn’t pleading, but I can hear she’s worried.
“Why are we trying to reason with your crazy aunt? Time to go Syl. “ My dad isn’t worried, he’s angry.
“That’s two. “ Aunt Sylvia replies.
I hear a chair squeak then fall to the floor.
“That’s three. “ Sylvia says, her voice is cold, and I swear I could almost hear an echo.
I can hear my dad start to quietly cough, he sounds like he’s trying to talk but can’t. My heart starts to race, I don’t understand what’s going on, but I know it’s bad.
“Syl! Jesus Christ, that’s my husband. “ Mom sounds more offended than scared now. I wish I could say the same.
I stand next to my cracked door, fear beginning to take hold.
I can hear my dad start to take long wheezing breaths, I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing.
“Happy?
Now that any hope of doing this quietly is over, Nikolas and I have a long drive ahead of us. He’s 16, he has a license, yes? “ I hear Sylvia say, sudden footsteps walking up the stairs.
“No, he’s not interested in driving. You can’t take him Syl. “ my mom sounds frantic, Sylvia’s steps are measured and heavy.
“Not interested? You sure we are related? You raise soft children. “ Sylvia ends this with a dismissive laugh.
The few minutes that followed were kind of a blur, with my mom trying to convince me that I was just going to visit family, as if I didn’t just hear everything.
It's a couple hours into a long drive in a small car when my brain finally catches up to the fact that I’m awake, and going 30 miles an hour over the speed limit.
Aunt Syl sits in the driver’s seat, she’s 40 something, olive skinned with pitch-colored hair. Her style, it’s, something.
Her outfit was the middle of a Venn diagram of hippie, punk rock and carpenter. Bracelets, flannel, paisley, and enough piercings I lost count.
“Any chance of putting both hands on the wheel? “ I say, I’m mad, but I don’t even really know why.
She holds up her left arm, and I’m shocked. It’s an ancient looking blued steel prosthetic. She flexes, the clawed, almost mitten-like hand.
“Go through too many steering wheels that way. “ She says with a smirk.
“What’s going on? “ I ask, after an agonizing fifteen minutes of silence.
“You’re a big boy, so if you want the truth, I’ll give it to you. There’s a job that needs to be done, a dangerous job. And I want you to do it.
Now, I want you, not because you’re strong, or smart, or special. We have many strong, smart, special boys.
You, I want, because you’re unknown, and, little one, disposable. “ Sylvia lets this comment hang like rotten fruit.
The next hour goes in silence, at no point do I even entertain the notion this is some kind of joke. Something about this woman’s energy, about the way she carries herself, it scares the shit out of me.
We board a plane, somehow she had all of my travel documents. Even stranger is that we get escorted past the security checkpoints, into first class.
The next words I say to Sylvia are, “You have to put that out! “ as she lights up a short, yellow, hand-rolled cigarette.
She grins, taking a long drag, it smells horrible, the cheapest roughest tobacco odor I’ve encountered.
She relaxes, a cloud of thick, grey smoke forming.
I’m stunned, not a single person says anything. At first I think maybe she’s some kind of, I don’t know, mobster or something.
But that isn’t quite right. No one is looking at her in fear, no one is telling anyone else not to say anything. It’s like no one notices what she’s doing.
“How does she do this? The little boy wonders.
I don’t come offering you a thankless task Nik. I come with an opportunity. “ Sylvia says before crushing the cigarette on the arm of a chair and tossing it into the isle.
I had questions, and between the fear and the confusion I asked every one of them.
The only response she gave me was, “You’ll see when we get there. “.
She was right.
The flight lands, and after an hour or so of driving the world’s oldest pickup through the English countryside, we wind up at an old farm house, in the middle of nowhere outside of Hammersmith.
The sign outside says “ Gritt Auctions” the letters are old, bronze and tarnished, the grounds are littered with car parts, statues, and errata of every type.
Dozens, maybe even a hundred people mill about each stopping for a moment to give a suspicious look at the interloper in their midst.
Sylvia seems amused at my nervousness. I try and give the rough looking folks around me as much space as I can.
“They’re family, mostly, by blood or marriage, with a handful of lost souls and hangers on. “ She explains.
I probably should have guessed, seeing my mom’s family name on the sign, but my brain is basically nothing more than fear, anxiety and jet lag at this point.
“When do I get to know what’s going on? “ I say, waving at a cousin of some form and receive a uniquely English rude gesture in return.
My ear is ringing, and I stumble , the left side of my face burning. I’d say Syl slapped me, but it was more of a polite punch.
“Don’t whine. You’ve been stolen from your mother, treated like a dog, and judging by Robert’s attitude, rejected by your family.
I don’t want to hear whining, you angry, soft boy? “ Sylvia stops and turns toward me. I notice the people around us stop their tasks, interested in our conversation.
“No… “ I begin, not wanting to piss her off.
I don’t even see the next slap, but it puts me on my ass.
“Next one’s with the left hand.
Are you angry Nikolas? “ Sylvia looms over me like a raven.
I feel something before I get to my feet, a hot, quick flash of hatred. A context free rage at the fucked up situation I’m in.
“Answer is still no. Because to be angry, I’d have to know a God-Damned thing about what’s going on.
But my lunatic aunt just picked me up and now I’m standing in the middle of whatever the English equivalent to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre family is.
For all I know, I’m your new King. So no, I’m not angry, I’m annoyed, and maybe a bit worried my gene pool really needs some chlorine. “ I’m shocked at what I’m saying, but I see some smiles, hear a few laughs.
Sylvia’s face seems to soften slightly.
“There’s the Gritt in you. “ She says, starting to walk to an old barn.
I catch up to her as I attempt in vain to dust myself off.
Sylvia opens a small, strangely modern looking door, inside a row of lights automatically flip on.
In contrast to the rotten wood exterior, the inside of the barn looks modern, design wise it’s half way between a hospital and a car repair shop. Equipment of unknown purpose, gurneys and cages of all sizes and types surround me.
Sylvia walks to a door at the back, then pauses.
“Before I open this door, you need to understand something.
There is no fortune telling, or reading of cards here. The cloak of the traveller, the bangles of the gypsy, these are all ways of navigating the world to us. Ways to exist on the fringes of society.
The Gritt family, we trade in the unknown. We find, we collect, and we sell. And ours is no petty collection of trinkets and tools not meant for the hands of man.
Our grift, is livestock. “
The woman opens the door, and what I see, sitting, chained in one corner of the industrial cement walled cell shakes everything I thought I knew about reality.
He's six and a half feet tall, his skin a waxy yellow, and every spare inch is festooned with black stitching, rusted pieces of metal or small splinters of bone.
His face is noseless and asymmetrical, almost as if repaired or modified over and over. One eye is a small, sinister looking orb with a red pupil, the other a massive, almost reptilian thing, wildly twitching about.
He wears no shirt, but a long, grey hide Trenchcoat hangs down to his knees. I start to shake as I see it’s made from layers of stitched human skin.
He sneers at us, long, conical teeth catch the harsh halogen light.
The thing strains against the chains, but they bind him tightly enough to the wall he can barely move.
“You’re not lasting more than 4 seconds kid. Just turn the fuck around. I’ll have you slitting your wrists in the corner by nightfall. “ The thing says, it’s voice is foul, almost a physical force. Grating, rage filled, and with a lunatic edge to it that makes me question exactly how much those chains can take.
“ 3/10, Augustus, who do you think you are scaring with that limp dick of a threat? “ Sylvia says, confidently walking up to the creature.
It snaps it’s jaws with a sound like a rifle shot. No where near Sylvia, but enough to make me jump on the other side of the room.
“If I could stop being threatened and hearing my aunt talk about dicks, I’d be a huge fan. “ I say, something deep within me, pushing past the fear and lack of sleep, “And if anything feels like just telling me what’s going on instead of being vague and creepy, even better. “
The chained thing looks to me, curious. Sylvia smirks.
“Augustus is going to be forced to fight others like him until eventually he gets what’s coming to him for years of evil.
You, are going to stand next to him while he does it. “ Sylvia begins to walk away from the thing, ignoring vile threats of both the violent and carnal variety.
I try to follow her out the door and she blocks me.
“If your still sane and alive in the morning, I was right. Good luck soft boy. “ She says before closing the heavy metal door.
Without her, I feel tiny, that spark of rage is snuffed out and replaced with a cold sense of dread.
“You’re going to have to turn around sometime kid. “ The chained creature says.
I turn, slowly, resolving to make eye contact with the thing. I manage a second or two before looking away, the creature cackles, mocking me.
“Holy shit, they sent me an honest to God pussy. Whole family full of void fucked apes and they send me you?
The best part is, you don’t even get it. I can see what you’re thinking kid, I can see that tiny collection of hormones and goo you vainly call a brain going into overdrive trying to figure this out… “ Augustus starts.
The creature kept going, I don’t have an exact count but it was at least twelve hours.
I can only describe it as a verbal assault. Augustus drew from some dark wells, how it knew half of the things it did scared me as much as it’s clawed hands or, piranha-like teeth.
I lost something that night. The fears that thing drug up, the insecurities it played on, the secrets it knew, it crushed any childlike notions of safety or understanding the world I had.
Don’t take that the wrong way, I don’t mean it toughened me up. It broke any sense of confidence I had, took away any feeling of safety. That God Damned thing in the trenchcoat, changed me.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since I’ve slept, but I’m brought a tin plate heaped with eggs, sausage and for some twisted reason, brown beans. And realize it’s been at least a day since I’ve eaten.
I sit around an abused, graffiti carved picnic table with an eclectic combination of family I’ve never met. Syl sips a tea I can smell from ten feet away and looks at me like I’m a used car.
“I’m always right soft boy. Remember that. “ She says.
It takes a half dozen guys built like construction workers, with Sylvia following behind whispering things that wilt vegetation, to wrangle the creature into the back of an old, reinforced horse trailer.
The inside is covered in totems, runes, and other spooky looking errata. The entity becomes sluggish and disoriented as the heavy wooden doors close, and get sealed with a massive brass lock.
My mind begins to wander on the three hour trip through the back country of the UK. The sun sets, and my brain screams for sleep. That scream is silenced by the sense of mounting dread as we get closer to our destination.
We pull up to an abandoned theme restaurant, the parking lot is full, the windows are boarded, and the walls covered in graffiti. The place is huge, more the size of a small stadium than a diner.
The parking lot is full, the sputtering, sparking neon sign flashes “Faron’s Funhouse. “
It’s a few minutes outside of a town I forgot to catch the name of. We can see lights on the horizon, but there’s a feeling of wrong surrounding the building that makes them seem a million miles away.
A half dozen ‘cousins’ of mine move Augustus into a strange, almost coffin-like box made of wood, steel and glass, covered in trinkets and symbols. The thing sneers groggily from within, it’s mismatched eyes rolling in it’s skull.
I don’t hear Sylvia approach, I notice her as she smacks me in the back of the head hard enough to make my ears ring. The old, cruel woman is walking toward the doors of this meeting place.
“Eyes forward, sneer on your face, and walk like you know where you’re going. “ Are her only instructions.
For once, they’re clear and simple. What I see inside easily keeps my attention, and I’m equal parts scared and pissed off, so looking edgy and miserable is my default state.
At one point, this place was exactly what you’d think. I know you’re all expecting it to be a run down, rat infested haunted house now, but it was, stranger than that.
The place was well kept on the inside, but everything was either in use or repurposed to house the couple hundred eclectic customers milling around. In the centre, is a massive Lucite Cube, crystal clear and housing a ball pit, jungle gym and what looks to be a functional canteen, complete with a deep fryer and popcorn machine. It’s a couple hundred meters a side, and shaped like a flawed rectangle.
Smoke hangs in the air, my aunt greets old friends in a handful of different languages, I smile and nod, still trying to understand what the hell this place is.
We see Augustus being wheeled to the Lucite box, Sylvia cuts a laughing Cyrillic conversation short, and her and I make our way to the box that barely restrains the hatred and death inside.
At the other end of the Lucite Cube I see a few people dressed in blue and maroon uniforms ( if I were to guess vintage, from when this place served shitty food instead of violence.), they surround a massive, hulking, lanky thing. It’s obscured by smoke, and poor lighting, but it’s nine foot frame, and unnatural gait are clear.
The box holding Augustus sits about ten feet away from me, inside the massive cage. The front opens, my instinct is to step backward, get as much distance between me and the thing inside as possible, but instead, I’m shoved, before I can catch my balance, a workbook clad foot is in front of me.
I fall and stumble into the cage, I turn around to try and get out as fast as I can, I’m standing inches away from the creature, but I see Sylvia closing the clear, impermeable door.
It hits me then. For the first time since this ordeal started, I realize how grim things are.
Just like everyone else here, I’ve been raised on spooky shit packaged to be marketable. Little monsters, The Adams Family, Harry potter, hell let’s throw Pokemon and the like in there as it’s basically just dog fighting with a cute hat on.
And I thought what was happening to me, was somewhere on the Venn diagram of those things.
But as I see the impassive look on the face of a woman I’ve known since I was a child, ( at a distance or no.) as I’m locked in here with God knows what, I get it. I really get it.
His laughter is like an ice pick, I turn to face him, Augustus brushes himself off, casually looking around the massive arena.
“Just hit ya didn’t it, bud? “ He says, walking over to me, his steps impossibly quick, almost insect-like, “You’re not my trainer, or my wrangler, you certainly aren’t my fucking partner. “, the entity grabs my chin between two clawed fingers, “ You’re a bait dog. Something for me and that new blooded walking pun to fight over. “
My blood runs down his thumb, his grin cracks his face like a rotten melon, the monster pulls down, throwing me to the floor.
A buzzer sounds, and a three minute timer, projected in transparent red appears on the walls of the Lucite arena.
“If I’ve got to hunt you down in this shit-hole, things are going to be a lot worse for you. Stay put, bud. “ The trenchcoat clad thing says, casually walking toward the creature on the opposite side of the arena.
Closer now, I see it clearly. Inside of a pristine uniform, is a twisted attempt at the human form. The torso is lumpen, asymmetrical, but lean. It's arms nearly drag on the floor, yellow, infected looking flesh, weeping pus like a snail’s foot.
It's eyes are black caves, with just the hint of something deep within. It’s face is blank, a torn, haggard looking grey tongue runs over rotting green teeth.
The kid beside it looks around my age, he’s big though, just as confused and afraid as I am. He wears a similar uniform to the creature, but his looks, abused, torn, blood stained. Like it's been handed down from one unlucky owner to the next.
As the buzzer rings, the lanky, disgusting creature moves in a flash, tearing off the kid’s right arm and beginning to chew it.
The blood didn’t set me off, as terrible as it was. It was the three seconds between the act, and the poor kid realizing what happened that pushed me over the edge.
He started to scream, a horrible trapped animal kind of noise. He backs away from the monster beside him, gripping the crushed and torn remains of his forearm.
Augustus laughs, his trenchcoat drags on the floor, leaving a streak of blood as he walks.
“Man after my own heart.
So, I say, we split these sides of beef for two minutes then talk shop for a bit. Fuck these pretentious apes and their show. “ Augustus looks up to the massive thing. It remains impassive, gnawing on the hand.
“Don’t be like that. We both know two halves are better than one whole . Win-win for both of us“ Augustus gets a noise that sounds like an angry sewer pipe, and a dismissive wave of a long snake-like arm in response.
The thing in the trenchcoat shrugs, turning around and stalking toward me.
“You have no luck at all kid, I was going to let you go last.
But the pinworm back there wants to be a dick about things, so looks like things are getting started early. “ Augustus grins, his mouth opening shark like.
I stare down certain death, Augustus radiating fear, seeming to become more demonic with each step toward me.
From behind him, a noise.
I would have just assumed it was some part of the worm-like, filth ridden thing eating. Augustus clears up that misconception.
He turns, shaking, body language that of a wild animal.
“Was that a fucking snicker? A giggle? Are you fucking laughing at me, you literal fucking worm. “ He’s panting, hands twitching like dying insects.
He stands, inches from the other creature, dwarfed by it, teeth grinding, muscles straining.
The worm thing casually tosses the flesh bare hand toward Augustus. As it touches his coat, the arena erupts into a kind of wild, senseless, limitless violence.
It doesn’t feel like watching a fight, it’s more like a car wreck, or natural disaster. Pieces of jungle gym turn into lethal shrapnel as the blurred, filth spewing scrum destroys them.
I see the timer, 2:15. My mind starts to catch up, and I see the other kid, pale, whimpering, and trying in vain to staunch the blood spurting from his arm.
I’m running, low and likely poorly, pulling my belt from my pants, and thanking myself for actually listening when I was forced to take a first aid course for a summer job last year.
The kid is scared, he tries pushing me away, but I’m determined, and not down a couple pints of blood. I pull the belt with two hands, pull it through again and twist, it’s ugly, it’s not perfect, but the flow of blood begins to slow, then stop.
We crawl behind a prize counter, decades old candy and stuffed animals surround us as we cower. A liquid filled roar loud enough to crack the cheap glass cases fills the room.
The kid is looking rough, blood still trickling from the torn stump of his forearm. I see some plastic bags and get an idea.
I lean over to get them, and feel something strange, at first I think I pulled a muscle.
Then there is a deep, burning pain, instinctively I pull away, and turn around.
The kid is on his knees, sanity has left his eyes, a cheap hunting knife in his remaining hand he has a look of panic and determination on his face.
“We have to win. “ he says, lunging at me with the blade.
He’s slow, and I avoid it, but not by as much as I’d like. Blood runs down my back, for a moment I wonder how bad I’m hurt, but it doesn’t really matter right now.
I retreat, but the only thing keeping us from being torn apart by the whirlwind of shrapnel caused by the creatures is the counter, I can’t escape.
It's a stalemate, I’m no athlete, and the kid is built like a rugby player, but he’s missing a hand, and delirious from blood loss. I plead, I try and reason, and I dodge crazed strikes by increasingly narrow margins.
Something large, either thrown or knocked loose destroys the counter behind me. Suddenly all is chaos. I’m thrown into the kid in the uniform, plaster dust surrounds us in a grey cloud.
By the time the air clears the kid is on top of me. I have his wrist in one hand, keeping the split tip of the blade inches from my face.
The angle is too awkward, I can’t get any leverage. It’s not a stalemate, it’s a war of attrition that I’m losing.
I catch a glimpse of the two creatures. The worm thing is striking at Augustus, who stands still, limbs moving in arcing blurs deflecting the blows and tearing off chunks of foul, tainted flesh.
The tip of the knife begins to dig into my cheek. A drop of blood hits my eye.
I grab the makeshift tourniquet with a free hand and roughly yank forward. The kid on top of me screams, bloods begins to pour. Torn flesh and a gore soaked belt hit the ground.
For a moment the weight on me eases up, and I push the knife forward. But the kid, he’s too stupid or far gone to just back off. As I feel is strength start to fade, he presses himself harder.
I expect him to back off as I begin to drive the roughly sharpened back edge of the knife into his neck. But he doubles down, leaning forward, trying to press the knife toward me.
For a moment, every other fucked up thing going on around me doesn’t matter. The world is small, silent, and consists of nothing more than the image of the knife ripping away a fist sized strip from the kids neck.
He backs off when he realizes the extent of the damage. Staring at me shocked, as if just not realizing the consequences of his actions.
He dies slowly, poorly, and within inches of me. I feel no victory, no sense of being a winner, just a dark pit in the back of my mind. The loss of something that comes with taking someone’s life.
I stand, shell shocked, staring at the corpse. My safety the last thing on my mind.
The worm thing is hurt, and attempts to dive into the ball pit, but somehow, defying physics, Augustus grabs it, holding the half ton monster out with one hand.
He arcs the thing, slamming it into the floor behind him, the spray of gore and viscera rivals pyrotechnics, the force leaves a blood filled crater in the floor.
Without missing a beat Augustus starts to walk toward me, making a token effort of flicking pieces of bone and organ from himself.
I’m frozen, I know nothing I can do could stop whatever he has planned.
The creature picks up a jagged piece of lumber, and looks at the clock, “We’ve got 45 seconds of fun left kid. “ he says with a sneer.
But as he passes the counter, and sees the corpse the look of imminent violence turns into amusement.
“How’s it feel to be a child killer, bud? “, Augustus laughs, “Not that I can’t tell from the look on your face.
Fuck me, that knocked some gears loose didn’t it? “
The thing walks forward, looking me over like a collectable.
“I can’t let that go to waste, now can I? “ he slaps me lightly, “It’s going to be a fucking blast watching you break down kid, wonder what drives you nuts first, this kid being in your dreams, or the fact that, at some point I’m going to get bored and start giving you all the pain you feel you deserve? “
Of course, I made it out alive. It’d be kind of hard to have posted this if I didn’t.
But now, I sit in a dingy room in a farm house half way across the world from home. Surrounded by family and monsters, all of which seem out to get me. Being forced to risk my life in some kind of blood sport.
Maybe I’ll be back, maybe I’ll be dead by the next time I get a chance to post anything. If anyone has any help, please, post it in the comments. I’m in a dark place here and no one else seems to be on my side.

A big thank you to all the help I got on this sub while planning! Keep in mind that this is just one experience, your mileage may vary with any of the suggestions made.
INFO ON US: Mid 30s, this was my third trip to Japan (previously 2017 & 2018), my husband's first, and I picked the Kyushu spots because his only request was somewhere 'off the beaten path'. Kyushu is amazing! This was by-far my best trip, although to be fair it was also our honeymoon.
The post went long so I split it into two parts, the first being the Kyushu leg and the second being the Tokyo one.
THINGS I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY:

• We spent 6 days in Kyushu and 7 days in Tokyo, I would have preferred to add two extra days to Yakushima and one day to Kagoshima and spent less time in Tokyo. I love Tokyo and am glad we went but it felt very overwhelming and expensive after our experiences in the South.
• Flown directly to Tokyo and then flown Tokyo to Fukuoka instead of having a layover in Hawaii. The extra five hours of flying really killed us, and made both flights feel longer. I incorrectly thought Hawaii was 'on the way' because my grasp of geography is tenuous at best.
• Utilized coin lockers at train stations. A few days we lugged our backpacks/shopping bags around only to realize at the end of the day that we could have easily ditched them.
• This may be controversial, but researched and had more alternative options pinned for restaurants. The days I put 'find something good in X area!' were our most disappointing food choices.
• Not been afraid of buses. My last trips I had significant issues with navigating them (couldn't find the bus stop, got on the wrong bus, bus came at weird times) but this trip it was incredibly easy, especially with the IC card. I planned some activities around avoiding the bus which was unnecessary.
• Picked a 10AM time slot for the Ghibli Museum, when I came at 12 it was packed
• This is going to seem very obvious, but moved around less in Tokyo. I got stuck with an AirBNB reservation that I didn't cancel quickly enough, but oh boy were we tried of our luggage by the end.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS YOU MAY HAVE HEARD BEFORE:

• The IC card made riding trains and buses incredibly easy and no matter where you get your card it will work anywhere in Japan that IC cards are accepted.
• While many places take card now it's important to still have backup cash available
• The Charles Schwab checking account travel card has no foreign transaction fees and reimburses ATM fees at the end of the month. I also got lucky and ordered about $500 worth of yen from my bank while the rates were really good. For us $1500 USD each was enough for food, transportation, and souvenirs
• Google maps worked well everywhere except a few rural areas. You do, however, have to be mindful of what floor a store is on!
• On prior trips AirBNBs were cheapemore convenient than hotels but this time I found the reverse to be true.
• Out motto before leaving was 'take half the clothes and twice the money'. We had a backpack and smaller rolling bag each, the roller bag was about half-full of clothing. We brought 6 days worth of clothes and did laundry twice, I brought detergent slips to use.
• I planned by putting pins on Google Maps on everything I heard might be cool/was recommended/I found reading other trip reports and from there created my itinerary based on proximity. I also labeled the pins with different icons (one for food, one for stores, one for shrines etc). I was glad to have a ton of options as it allowed us a lot of alternatives depending on our mood. The itinerary had one or two 'must do' items each day and the rest we decided impulsively
• It was really helpful to know basic Japanese and I have a slight suspicion we got seated a couple times because I knew how to correctly indicate there were two in our party. I had taken a language course online, it was mostly helpful for numbers and simple interactions but still worth the time I put in.
• Google Lens seems to have improved and would now translate hand-written menus, although mysteriously my husband would often get better results than me
• Almost everyone we interacted with spoke enough English for us to reach understanding, when we couldn't we used Google Translate. A lot of people seemed to have Google Translate already downloaded on their phones.

DAY 0: Fukuoka
We arrived in the evening and breezed through customs and immigration, I think maybe it took 15 minutes total? Definitely use the QR code, we got to skip the only longer line because of it. After picking up our Namoca cards (the local IC card) and our pocket wifi we opted to take a cab to the hotel as my husband contracted food poisoning at the Hawaii airport and was feeling as well as you'd expect after spending 10 hours in an airplane bathroom.
We stayed at the Nishitetsu Grand Hotel. Really great location and service but the rooms were a bit outdated and we could not control the air conditioning. This would become a theme at many of our hotels! Most were set at something like 75 degrees so we baked at night. This hotel at least had a notice on the thermostat, the rest just had controls that did nothing or would only let us turn off the air temporarily before automatically turning it back on.
When we checked in I inquired about forwarding our luggage to Kagoshima and the receptionist suggested we send it two days early, which was a bummer as it meant we had to take two days worth of clothing in our backpacks. Not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind if you're planning on forwarding luggage.
For dinner we went to Torikizoku, a very cheap yakitori chain. There was a small wait and the food isn't spectacular, but it's inexpensive and easy after a very long flight and you don't feel bad only ordering a few items. After dinner we withdrew money from the 7-11 ATM, grabbed snacks, and called it a night.
DAY 1: Fukuoka
Despite staying up until 9pm we woke up at 430am. We both felt too excited to sleep anymore and decided to just get up and get breakfast tonkotsu ramen at the 24-hour Ichiran flagship store. We leisurely meandered along the river stopping to take pictures of small shrines and temples, the streets of Fukuoka are very peaceful first thing in the morning. Ichiran was unexpectedly busy, with a line forming by the time we left. It ended up being our least-favorite ramen of the trip but is by no means bad, just very heavy.
After returning to the hotel to rest for a bit I started what would become my daily tradition of tracking down a coffee shop for caffeine. I was surprised to find that many did not open until 9 or 10. This morning I went to Manu Coffee, and my attempts to use my Japanese reading skills were thwarted by the barista very nicely flipping their menu over to the English side. It's a cool shop with eclectic décor and one of the best coffees I had in Japan, I wish I had picked up some beans.
At 10AM we had an Airbnb tour of Hakata Temples and Shrines, which I highly recommend if you're in Fukuoka. The tour is run by a retired couple who do this for fun, it was just the four of us going to various locations. They were knowledgeable, funny, and generally a great hang. We learned a lot and it was nice to have insight into temples and shrines for the remainder of our trip. If you only go to one temple in Fukuoka I recommend Tochoji Temple for the giant wooden Buddha. It was here I acquired my goshuincho and got my first stamp!
After the tour we went back to the hotel to forward our luggage (an incredibly easy process, we showed them the next hotel address and paid, they took care of the rest) before going to Canal City Hakata for shopping and the fountain show. The mall has neat architecture and the show was charming but I wouldn't go out of the way for it. I'll say that after shopping in Tokyo I appreciate how uncrowded and calm it felt!
Finally we had dinner at Tempura Hirao and drinks at Citadel. The food at Hirao was good but not amazing, although our rating might be biased from how tired we were. The portions were GIANT, the price affordable, but the best thing was discovering that we liked shiokara (salted squid). It's appearance was a bit off-putting, slimy and grey, but it tasted amazing with lots of yuzu flavor.
Citadel was the real standout of the evening. They had a large selection of homemade liquor including truly bizarre flavors like Bolognese. The one picture I took that night shows a flight of Orange Gin, Lavender Gin, and Oolong Tea Gin; and they have things other than gin, that's just my favorite liquor. I'm not sure if the bartender is always this friendly or just wanted to practice her English but we spent over an hour chatting and laughing with her before calling it a night. Sit at the bar if you can!
Step Count: 29,611
DAY 2: Dazaifu and Kurume
We managed to sleep until 6am and spent a relaxed morning enjoying children's television, another staple of our trip. We often caught one that had various Rube Goldberg machines, there was another with puppets and stop motion animation that we enjoyed. My favorite from the trip was a segment that explained menstrual cycles, it's nice that it's destigmatized!
After packing and heading out I introduced my husband to the joys of warm vending machine drinks and the ease and convenience of the Japanese rail system as we navigated to Dazaifu for the day.
Our first stop was Kazamidori (風見鶏) for coffee and tea. It's a neat little store with beautiful china cups and antique furniture. My husband, who is a British by birth and and an avid tea drinker, rated this the best cup of tea of the trip.
Now adequately caffeinated we shopped on the main street, including a stop at a very cute Ghibli store, before making our way to Tenmangu Shrine. Despite being a weekday the main shrine was busy so we wandered up to Tenkaiinari Shrine, which took us on a really lovely walk through the forest. We paid our respects, I got my goshuin stamp from Tenmangu, and we headed to the Kyushu National Museum.
When buying our museum tickets I thought we could either get a ticket to the special exhibition OR regular exhibitions but not both on one ticket so we picked the special exhibition. This was wrong, and luckily we got kind of lost after finishing the special exhibition and discovered we could access both.
The special exhibition was on the works of Nagasawa Rosetsu and to be honest we weren't that excited and mostly went because it's a style we hadn't seen before, but it is pretty spectacular in person and I don't think online images can do the artwork justice. The regular exhibitions were also neat, especially the artifacts from before the 1500s, but we went through them rather quickly as I started to get shooting pain in my feet with every step.
After a short train and bus ride we got to our hotel for the night, Green Rich Hotel Kurume. I had originally booked a different hotel but swapped to this one after realizing we would have had a "Small Double Bed" and while we enjoy cuddling we are also starfish sleepers. Green Rich Hotel was an unexpected delight, with a giant room that had a surprise massage chair. I'm not sure how or why we got a massage chair, I didn't see anything about that amenity when I booked the room, but it was very needed after so much walking. It's a modern hotel with hot-spring public bath, although we have tattoos and when we asked if we could use it we were told no. Despite this I'd still recommend the hotel.
Kurume doesn't seem to get a lot of international tourists and we were asked by many people why we picked it. Simple answer: RAMEN. About 7 years ago I watched a video about Kurume Ramen Seiyoken and it had been a goal ever since. After utilizing the massage chair we opted to take a bus to the restaurant and I am happy to report it was the best ramen of our trip. The tonkotsu ramen was thick and creamy without being heavy or greasy and the fried rice was superb. The staff was friendly and helpful as well, I continue to think back fondly of that ramen. Honestly Kurume seemed like a nice town, I probably could have added a day there too.
Step Count: 20,347
DAY 3: Kagoshima
We had seen a ton of barbershops the night before and spent the morning unsuccessfully trying to track down a haircut for my husband. Almost a disproportionate amount of barbers? It seems wild that Kurume can support that many. Unfortunately the ones that were open didn't have availability until much later in the day so we headed to the train station to book our shinkansen ticket. We did a bit of shopping at the station and I bought one of my favorite items of the trip, a shirt with the Kurume city mascot on it. I don't think I'll ever stop being delighted by the use of mascots in Japan.
The next available train was in an hour so we split up, me to find coffee and him to try KFC. シャンブル is a small café that looks like a grandparents dining room and smells faintly of cigarettes. I was the only customer and had a very basic conversation in Japanese with the friendly older woman working, who I think is one of the owners. The coffee was excellent and cheap, I was proud of myself for knowing enough Japanese to converse, it was a delightful encounter.
The train ride was uneventful although I got unreserved seat tickets because they were cheaper, which eventually became standing-room only. About 30 minutes into the hour ride we gave up our seats to an elderly couple and stood the rest of the way, my feet were very displeased that I did not reserve seats.
I was pretty shocked by how different Kagoshima felt from other places I have been in Japan. I've done the Kyoto-Nara-Osaka-Hiroshima-Tokyo route, and even been to Shirakawa-go, but Kagoshima just had a different vibe to it. Before leaving the station we purchased the CUTE, a one-day pass that allows unlimited travel on some buses, streetcars and ferries in Kagoshima City and Sakurajima. It ended up not being worth it as we only used it once and the other bus we took was not covered by the pass, but it only cost 1200 yen so I'm not super upset about it. If nothing else it makes a nice souvenir.
We rode the tram to our hotel, Hotel Gate Kagoshima, to drop off our backpacks. Our luggage was there waiting for us, huzzah! It was one of our smallest rooms and it must have recently been renovated because our room looked nothing like the pictures. We're split on our opinions of it; I really liked the décor and didn't mind that our room was basically just a giant raised bed with a small space in front that led to the bathroom, my husband claims to have nearly died climbing into it at night and gave it the lowest rating of our hotels. The location was convenient and the staff was helpful, I wouldn't mind staying here again.
We were too early to check in but they were happy to hold our bags so we ventured out for lunch. I was craving yakiniku and in my experience these places are far more affordable for lunch so we picked Gyu do! based on proximity and rating. Really excellent meat, a brand of black Wagyu beef raised on the restaurant’s own farm and dry-aged, it was a bit pricey but understandably so. After lunch while walking through the Tenmonkan arcade my husband spotted a boat racing gambling spot he wanted to check out, I have no interest in gambling and dropped him off to acquire more coffee.
The first place I went was full, and I suspect they were telling me I could wait but when I didn't understand they just did the 'X' finger sign. Ashitanotizu was completely empty but the staff was nice and I could tell it was probably a fun place at night, I think it turns into a jazz bar with live music. The waitress, like most people in Kyushu who we spoke to for any length of time, wanted to know what brought us there. She said they were starting to see more international tourists but mostly it's domestic tourists who come to Kagoshima. I also go that vibe, but always felt any curiosity was friendly.
Meanwhile my husband was having quite the adventure at the boat races. The only Westerner in a sea of older Japanese gentlemen it took him several tries and the assistance of many people to figure out how to put in the bets. Perhaps unsurprisingly this was the place where the fewest people spoke English, but many people tried very hard to communicate and explain things. He eventually figured it out and had a grand time, it seemed like people enjoyed the novelty of having a tourist there.
We both slightly lost track of time and ended up asking our hotel to book a cab to go to Sengan-en, a garden and home built by a samurai family in the 17th century. The gardens close at 5pm and had we left earlier we could have used our pass but c'est la vie. Our cab driver was exceptionally amicable and communicated through a translation device that worked impressively well. He talked about living in Kagoshima, recommended some restaurants, and expressed his sadness that Akira Toriyama had passed.
We only had a little over an hour at Sengan-en but I'm glad we made the trek, it was a highlight. The weather was beautiful and we were both enchanted by the gardens. One benefit to going later is that it was pretty empty so we wandered alone, taking pictures of Sakurajima (the nearby active volcano) and pretending that we lived there. On the way back we accidentally took a bus not covered by our pass, but the fare was cheap and easily paid with coins.
Last-minute I had booked us a bar hopping tour after seeing it featured on Instagram, which started at 6pm. It was less polished than the tour we had in Fukuoka, and we later found out we were actually the first people to book this specific tour, but I'd still recommend it. The guide was very nice, we learned a lot about shochu and went to places we definitely wouldn't have tried without a guide, and eventually we inebriatedly befriended a random Japanese couple who came with us the rest of the night. We definitely drank more than is advisable, especially with an early morning ferry ride ahead of us, but our guide kindly stayed late and we all got ramen before turning in. I'm still friends with both our guide and the couple on Instagram, maybe one day they'll take us up on our offer to come visit!
Step Count: 25,408
DAY 4: Yakushima
We most definitely regretted our choices the next morning as we had to be at the ferry terminal at 700am. I had booked the high-speed ferry in the interest of time, and despite our hangovers we found it to be a smooth ride so we were able to get a bit more sleep before arriving at the Miyanoura Port.
When booking a rental car I had briefly panicked as we were arriving on Sunday and it seems that a lot of the rental car places are closed OR it might have been that no cars were available. Luckily I was able to book one through Budget Rent a Car, which was off-site from the port so they sent a van to pick us up. It was only about a 5 minute drive, their staff was friendly and helpful, and their office is decorated with hidden kodama in cedar sculptures which was very endearing. It was really easy (kind of alarmingly so) for my husband to get the international license, just a AAA form and passport photos and he was good to go. We loved our little red Kei car and even with fairly substantial driving didn't need to fill up until right before returning the car.
Yakushima is magical and was our favorite place of the entire journey. It's known for rain but we were blessed with sunny warm weather our entire trip. After picking up the car we first went to our hotel, Umi-no Cottage Tida. It's a small place, run by a husband and wife, with four two-story cottages that have amazing views of both the ocean and mountains. Each cottage has a partially open air bath with it's own ocean view. There's also a friendly orange cat! We had four twin beds in our cottage so we slept separately, but I think that may have helped us sleep more soundly. The only downsides are it's about an hour from Miyanoura, so staying here without renting a car is probably doable but difficult, and there aren't a ton of other dinner options if you don't eat at the hotel.
When we checked in we saw they had passionfruit juice for sale and mentioned to the owner that we hadn't had passionfruit before so she cut some open for us to eat immediately, 10/10 some of the best fruit I've ever had in my life. It was a small and thoughtful gesture that was emblematic of our experiences on the island.
We still had time to kill before we could officially check into the room so we drove to a grocery store, A-Coop, for supplies and snacks. The Pizza Bus happened to be outside, which sounded delicious in our still hungover state. Their bacon and potato pizza was good but could have used more salt, I think a more traditional pizza might have been better as the crust was excellent.
After grabbing our pizza we attempted to navigate to a nearby small park by the ocean we found on Google, 尾之間港. It's not really a park per se, there's no picnic tables or bathroom, but there is a small shrine and the water was beautiful. On our drive GPS had us go down some VERY narrow streets, to the point where we had to tuck in the side mirrors so as not to scrape them. It was stressful! We did our best to avoid similar roads going forward.
After our picnic we impulsively decided to stop at a nearby beach, Harutahama Beach (春田浜海水浴場), to explore tide pools and then made a brief stop at Torokki Waterfall, which is a short hike from the main road. The placard informed us that it's one of only two waterfall in Japan that fall directly into the sea. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to see it, but if you're passing by it's easily accessible and beautiful.
At this point our room was ready so we headed back to the cottage. I had reserved dinner at the hotel the first night so we spent the rest of the evening doing laundry, taking a long bath, and napping. The kaiseki dinner itself was spectacular, one of the best meals of the trip. We ate delicious food while watching the ocean at sunset, and our dessert came with a sparkler and a congratulations on our wedding. It was a very special memory that we'll always cherish.
Step Count: 10,441
DAY 5: Yakushima
In the morning we ate what was easily the best breakfast of our vacation (I still dream of those vegetables) and were asked our plans for the day. Our initial idea to drive around the island was thwarted by the road being closed for repairs, but we decided to drive as far north as we could before turning around.
We first stopped at Ohko Waterfall, a giant beautiful waterfall that I would recommend going out of your way for. As we drove further along the road we encountered dozens of wild monkeys and deer, all hanging out together for some reason. On the ferry we had watched a video of monkeys riding the deer but we didn't get lucky enough for that experience. We saw 0 cars and spent some time just stopped, watching the baby monkeys play from the safety of our car. The deer were slightly perturbed by our presence but the monkeys could not have cared less.
We turned around at the bridge and headed counter-clockwise, first stopping at Hiro Bakery for snacks. Really cute bakery with lots of variety, we fell in love with these cheese-bacon bread wraps that we tried to get more of the next day but they weren't selling them. Had I known that was our only chance we would have bought out the remainder. There aren't any bathrooms or seats at Hiro so we went to a grocery store down the road for drinks and feasted in the car.
After the bakery we drove to Hanii Kiln, a small pottery shop in the middle of nowhere. Google wanted us to park on the side of a road and walk through a forest, but as we didn't fancy bushwhacking we went back to where I had seen a sign earlier and followed that instead. We were still worried we had taken a wrong turn and were driving up the long driveway to some strangers home, but it was correct. The shop is run out of the artists home, he was very welcoming and spoke some English. Looking back I wish I had asked him more questions and spoken to him about his pieces more, but I was feeling oddly shy and a bit pressed for time. We bought a number of items, my favorite being a whale incense holder, that all made it home in one piece! It's completely a testament to how well he wrapped them. I had heard he has a dog but we tragically did not see the dog.
We waved goodbye and headed to Yakusugi Land, a nature preserve with giant ancient cedar trees, for some hiking. The drive was a bit harrowing at times but nothing too intense. You just had to be mindful of the corners as it's one lane in many places and there are giant tour buses.
At the preserve there's a nice free informational section above the bathrooms and the trails are well-maintained. You have the option to do a number of different hikes depending on length, the shortest being 30 minutes and the longest 210, we picked the 80 minute course. Gorgeous scenery, we only ran into a couple other hikers. I'd rate us both as moderately in shape and the course wasn't difficult for us. The photos we took don't come close to doing justice to how beautiful it was.
After our hike and spending too much money in the gift shop we drove to 牛床詣所, a very tiny Shinto shrine in the middle of the forest, and Yaku-jinja, a larger shrine where I got another goshuin stamp. Both are near Miyanoura and worth a visit. At this point it was about 4pm and my husband was feeling pretty bushed so we decided to forgo waiting for restaurants to open in Miyanoura and began driving the hour back to our hotel.
After some more laundry and another bath we picked BAR しらはま for dinner, which is labeled on Google as an izakaya but had a very minimal food menu that was half pasta dishes. Although the food options were limited it was still a really fun and memorable night as the one other customer, an older gentleman, encouraged us to sing karaoke with him. We all alternated, my husband and I sang some duets together, and after singing several Disney songs the hostess compared me to Belle which may be one of the highest compliments I've ever received. It was a Monday night and we left pretty early, but I could see this place being especially fun on a busier night.
Step Count: 14,968
DAY 6: Kirishima
After another spectacular breakfast at our hotel we sadly said goodbye to our hosts and headed to drop off the car rental. The cottages were very spacious and had well-equipped kitchens, we definitely wished we had more time especially since we did not manage to make it to the ocean onsens or Shiratani Unsui Gorge. We're already talking about our next trip and would really love to return to Yakushima.
We had time for a brief stop at Hiro Bakery again, which tragically did not have our beloved cheese bacon wraps, before dropping off the car. At the ferry terminal we learned that the slower car ferry had been canceled due to weather but ours was still scheduled to leave. Something to keep in mind when booking your transportation! I had booked our tickets several months in advance but it appeared some people were just buying tickets the same day, although this may be unavailable during busier seasons. It also says on the ticket that check in ends 20 minutes before departure but I saw people checking in later then that too, not that you'd want to be late.
At the ferry terminal in Kagoshima we purchased a ticket for the airport bus. The Kagoshima airport is pretty far outside the city, I think it took us about an hour to get there, but it was a really beautiful drive with a lot of trees blooming on the hillsides. We had booked another rental car at the airport through Nissan Rent A Car. It's offsite so you have to go to a desk to request transport, but after we figured that part out it was easy. This was a much fancier hybrid Kei car with Bluetooth capability and navigation that we first thought but was unnecessary but would later save us.
Since we had some time to kill before check-in we did a 7-11 run for snacks and drinks and then headed to Kagoshima Shrine. It's a lovely shrine next to a school, during our visit we were serenaded by a band practice. We also got to meet a shrine horse and feed him carrots! Uncrowded and very peaceful, if you visit I recommend walking through the torii gates up to the Inari Shrine where there is a picturesque small shrine in a cave.
Our hotel was Anraku Onsen Shumine (安楽温泉 朱峰), which was a thirteen minute drive or 30 minute bus ride from the airport. After asking for advice here about renting a car we decided to so we could see more of the area. I had picked this ryokan somewhat at random; I knew I wanted to stay near the airport since we were flying to Tokyo the next day and we also wanted to stay at a ryokan during our trip. This place is small with both western and tatami rooms. We had picked a tatami room to have that experience and were a bit dismayed to learn that since Covid you now had to put down your own futon, but with some googling we figured it out.
Where this hotel really shines is the onsen and the food. They had three baths inside and an outdoor onsen facing the mountains, and I honestly could have added an extra day here just to spend more time in it. The inside baths had three different temperatures, the coldest one being a lying down bath with headrest, but my favorite was the outdoor one. I lost track of time watching the trees and listening birds. My husband is not a bath-guy and even he loved the onsen, especially the water. At dinner we discovered that there were two other couples staying at the ryokan but I only ran into someone once, otherwise I had the onsen to myself.
The food was very traditional and excellent, I let them know about my allergies when I checked in and they were able to accommodate them. I'd rate the meals at our Yakushima hotel more highly but I'd still happily go to this ryokan again, the fish especially was excellent.
STEP COUNT: 10,581
DAY 7: Kirishima & Tokyo (Kichijoji)
After a full Japanese breakfast and a last dip in the onsen we checked out of the hotel. The couple running it very sweetly went into the road to make sure no cars were coming while we backed out and insisted on carrying our luggage despite my husbands protests. Our flight wasn't until 3pm so we decided to drive to Kirishima Jingu. We were surprised at how busy it was for a weekday morning until we discovered they were having a rice planting festival. We couldn't really follow what was happening but there were people dressed as cows, some wearing masks, and lots of Shinto priests chanting. It was a really neat event to stumble upon and even though it felt busy it was spacious enough to not feel crowded. I got my goshuin stamp and we wandered the grounds for a bit, the Yama Shrine was particularly beautiful.
Feeling refreshed and lighter we decided to seek out tea and coffee. Google suggested Cafe Cocorotte so we struck out in that direction. Things were going smoothly...until they weren't. Suddenly we were on streets that did not exist on Google, we kept arriving at dead ends, and the area appeared to be a neighborhood? Even our attempts to escape were thwarted as these tiny, one-lane roads were mazelike and would often start one direction before taking a sharp turn the other way. After another dead end brought us to a large red building with "TOY STORE" in giant English letters on the outside I briefly wondered if we were being Spirited Away. Luckily the car GPS seemed to understand the area better so we put in a random gas station and had it direct us. There were still definitely roads that did not exist on their map either, but it was enough to get us out of there.
Giving up on tea we headed to Ryusuien (川魚料理＆手打ち蕎麦 流水苑), a soba noodle shop where the owner has their own hatchery for rainbow trout, carp, and I think salmon? It was actually right across the border in Miyazaki. The waitress was friendly and made conversation with us, I ordered soba while my husband got udon and we split a grilled fish. The noodles were tasty but less memorable than the fish. My husband was still craving tea and asked if they had any black tea, and despite it not being on the menu they found a tea bag for him. We ate quickly and drove to the airport.
Kagoshima airport is small but we were worried about security so we skipped the hot spring footbaths, but I think it only took us maybe 10 minutes to get to the gate. We flew on JetStar, a budget airline that gets the job done and has decent legroom. The flight took about two hours and we landed in Narita.
While waiting in line to get Skyliner tickets I saw GoogleMaps had a link to where you could purchase the tickets online. I bought it and was briefly confused how to get through the gates as the ticket had our seat number but no QR code or anything, a friendly gate attendant explained that if you buy the online ticket you use your IC card to scan and then show the ticket on your phone to an attendant if asked.
After a few train changes, which went very smoothly, we arrived at our hotel Kichijōji Tōkyū REI Hotel. Very conveniently located right by the train station, the room was modern and functional if a bit small. We could not adjust the temperature of the room but the window opened which made it more tolerable. They had tea and coffee in the lobby on the 4th floor.
I really loved Kichijoji the last time I was in Japan in 2018 and remember it being quiet and laid-back. The area felt very different this time, the new train station is large and the streets were brimming with people. Not a ton of western tourists but still very busy.
For dinner we ventured to Harmonica Yokocho, an area full of narrow alleys that used to be an underground flea market but now has a ton of small bars and izakayas. We went to a few places, with Harmonica Kitchen and Bar being our favorite, but we didn't really vibe with the area generally. I think it may have suffered in comparison to how quiet and calm our last few days had been, if I could do it again I would have had us get dinner at a restaurant and then a nightcap in Harmonica Yokocho.
STEP COUNT: 16,636

I was sitting down to read what I thought was going to be a cute article on a polycule, when I found myself horrified at the level of coercion happening for one of it's participants:

Robert (Ann’s husband) We have this motto: Feelings are not facts. That gets us through the hard times.
At the start, I was going through some depression, and when we had sex I had so much stress. There were issues in the bedroom with her, and that happened many times, which caused more stress. She started seeing this dude who was an absolute stud, having sex with him and having a great-ass time, and I felt totally lame and inadequate.
That was really hard for me, for obvious reasons. I felt like, I’m a hundred percent replaceable. It took a lot of conversations. She was like, There’s nothing wrong with you, this is going to pass, therapy will help. Lots of tears were shed. But medication helped me, talk therapy helped me, changing the way we do things helped. That’s where feelings are not facts really mattered. Because I would ask her questions, and she would be like, No, I don’t feel that way; and I would be like, I know you like being with him more than me; and she would say, I’m not lying to you, it’s different, but it doesn’t make me love you less, you provide so much more to my life than just sex. I totally get it now. That was the first instance of feelings are not facts. They feel like it. But they ain’t facts.

Ann, earlier in the interview, was blithely explaining how she isn't monogamous.
Robert, however, seems very clearly monogamous and uncomfortable with polyamory to the point where he needed medication and therapy because he was depressed.
Reading between the lines, I'm guessing he also experienced erectile dysfunction as a result of the situation. So at this point, I'm now majorly side-eying their many 'conversations' where Ann is telling her husband 'this is going to pass' and telling him he needs therapy instead of - I don't know - recognizing that he is not okay with this and it is damaging his emotional state and self-esteem. (Are these actually 'conversations', or is she low-key explaining to him why he is wrong and needs to change?)
I was just absolutely baffled that no one seemed to recognize that this isn't a two-yes's situation, and he is having to force himself to engage in the poly dynamic.
Ann's default presumption is that he needed to change: 'He just needs to know that his fears aren't true, then he won't be depressed/stressed anymore'. You know, because "feelings aren't facts".
Somehow his normal, reasonable fears are not facts but her feelings are driving this whole thing.
They treated his feelings as if they were something he needed to get over instead of an indicator that he is not non-monogamous. Her feelings are so valid and factual that she is completely okay with psychologically coercing her partner into non-monogamy...which is bizarre to me, because the whole point of ethical non-monogamy is that it is ethical.
I just couldn't figure out how they were completely missing the fact that this man is not someone who intrinsically wants to practice ENM, and then I read the rest of the article.

Poly as an Identity or a Movement or Both

• "We know why monogamy is still the dominant structure. The patriarchy."
  
• "Whenever you veer outside the confines of the status quo, it is political. We’re really intentional about the way we want to connect, really questioning why one type of relationship has to be more significant than others."
  
• "It is very much about social change. It is about making the world a better place. I want to be in relationships and be with people who make me live in this world better." (Ann)
  
• "I hope this is a social movement."
  
• "The structure of the nuclear family, the nuclear marriage, needs to shift."
  

This is no longer 'ethical non-monogamy', it's applying a social justice framework to relationships.
I went back to double-check, and while Ann contributed to the interview in the "Poly as an Identity or a Movement or Both" section, her husband Robert did not. I have to wonder if one of the reasons Robert was pushing himself so hard against his intrinsic orientation is because he is operating under the idea that 'monogamy is the patriarchy' and that there needs to be social change away from monogamous relationships.
Obviously, I have no idea if that is the case.
However, whenever you link relationships with ideology, it is a trap. Because people don't want to be a 'bad person', especially to the person they most care about. The pendulum swung so far that it's now the same pattern of linking relationship with ideology, even if the specific relationship style is different. The pattern is the problem, it isn't heterosexual marriage that is the problem.
But my jaw fell on the floor when the tool for coercion was 'feelings are not facts'.
Especially from the very group that supports people who are trans. (As in 'gender is not sex, it's based on the gender that feels right'.) Miss me with that. What we are NOT going to do is tell someone they need to be in a certain relationship dynamic even if they are depressed because 'their feelings are not facts'. Especially when we are prioritizing the other person's feelings about what kind of relationship dynamic is right or correct.
It isn't okay to force people to be in heterosexual marriages, and it isn't okay to force people to be in queer polycules.
Abuse is to power over someone else at their expense and for your own benefit, and a significant amount of abuse occurs because the person feels justified and that they are 'right'.
We have the right to choose our relationship dynamic.
Period.

Late to the Loona game, but Loosemble’s Girls’ Night MV moved me so much that I tried to dive deep into the Loona lore and make connections. So I’ve been watching whenever I can, many times with all different speeds - with or without lyrics! Here’s my personal interpretation of it all.
Something that went somewhat unnoticed at first was the sheer presence of the eye-shaped alien robots throughout the video. Some people already pointed to the symbolism of them, also linking them to the Möbius strip. From the beginning, that invasive presence surrounded the girls ever since their arrival on Earth.
I believe Loosemble follows the LoonaLore to its core with an even bigger focus on the Möbius strip, which to my understanding is the basic representation of the Loonaverse. They’re showing multiple versions of a single dimension, or plan if you will. There's a reversal where a group of girls, “searching for their friends”, begins this specific journey when “Loona Assemble”… There are missing pieces, then we think we know those familiar pieces. But do we? After all, we are all loonas, or moons, so…
I believe that those aliens present, the Loossemble ship arriving on Earth (that was already an inversion back in Sensitive when they were abducted) — this all points to the unknown intruding the girls’ lives. This could be read as personal transformation, going through turmoil with eyes on you, outsiders that you brought together through your hard long-distance journey. This is growth, something reflecting on these characters coming from the looble’s real lives, their authentic struggles.
Still, the way they’re indifferent to those things, which we can clearly notice in that car scene with YeoJin and Go Won driving; YeoJin turns and sees them, but she’s unaffected. This clearly shows acceptance of the process, indicating that the intruders are NOT a threat, even though we, as viewers, naturally think they are. To go further into this, for us they’re fragile and may be at risk in their delicate, sweet ways, no matter how fierce they start looking through the video. For their part, they just recognize and accept the intruders, following the script - it’s the girls’ night after all! The song & MV main theme are empowerment, unity, overcoming and trusting yourself, we can’t ignore how strongly that is coming through the imagery and the sound, just the whole thing.
This thematic girls’ night just subverts expectations from the start by the presence of mysticism. Magic card, multicolor scenery, mysterious serious face expressions amongst it. It’s all there from the start.
When we see the girls in their “dark” versions, the topic of transformation is further explored and elevated in an unexpected, impactful way. They flip that, the coin itself, representing two sides of the same thing: the Möbius strip! In the end, they’re quite contrasting looks. Colorless, futuristic, turning the mysticism sci-fi. This is clearly a self-discovery journey and strengthening while belonging to a group, so this is also about community. This is never an element that they ignore. There’s a frontier not only of space, but of time and of style - YeoJin knows best! It’s cute versus sexy, how could they, in their girls’ night?
Go Won’s scene, where they’re dormant, is particularly interesting. They’re beautifully cocooning together into something new, something where they unmake themselves and bloom into something else, completely different. While there, she wakes up and effortlessly, in her delicate and serene ways, disintegrates that bigger invasor watching them. This is newfound power inside of a new group, a hidden power of sorts that wasn’t expected. She’s breaking old barriers because she’s together with the others, through their most defenseless moment - sleep, cocoon - she went to the nucleus of the complete menace and broke it because she’s fortified by their connection.
This completely explodes not in a way to harm the girls, but from HyunJin’s splendid high note guiding the bridge into a chorus of choruses, fireworking all of the robots as they’re destroyed by this huge combination of female entity prowess. There’s liberation of tension. Victory! Their maximum celebratory dance occurs - spectacular, Loossemble!
All of this is especially exciting because it marks new beginnings, a smart, loyal reflection of classic Loona lore from my studies in a way that expands it in a satisfactory way that’s clear not only to me, but to everyone. We all just love this comeback!
…
BUT! This journey is far from over.
Do our eyes deceive us? Did we really see what we saw? What’s real? They reinvent the möbius strip here. They’re making us think; there’s a lot of focus on cycling repeating themselves - is it our fear? Or theirs? Collectively ours? Is YeoJin dead? Really? Her knowledge is focused when she vanishes in the image of the book she was reading, so there’s evocation of living on, still. To me, this is pointing to BIRTH.
The triangular superstructure was also explored by many, so I won’t really comment on it beyond what it makes me feel as I did through this reading - it’s a big, serious threat intruding this whole world where they’re at now after a long, long way that included hibernation and sacrifice, for example. This is clearly set up by a robot ViVi which evolved from a battery-charged vintage robot into a freaking cyborg!
The loss of the youngest, though, goes beyond it all. Telephones through the video, trying to make connection, now giving them up - the little one who was once lost in the forest and was rescued, the one that wasn’t in any unity before… They are connecting with the basic Loonaverse lore here. And the two swans? Also pointing out to past symbolism while reinventing their motto as the look for their peers.
The girls abandon everything and gather in the storm with simple protection. Despite the loss, there is still resilience.. “Searching for their friends” takes on a whole new level fo meaning, setting the mood for the next… Comeback? I just know that this is showing their strengths through adversity, their determination and how they’re up for each other like no other. I don’t even think that we might see a sequence of facts only by the next comeback, but if that’s the case — I’m more than OK with it, we just got a blast of ART and meaningfulness. I couldn’t be prouder of the girls for delivering so much together with their team. Thanks for reading.

DISCLAIMER: everything said here is a joke! Do not take it personally! Also, dead memes will probably be used. Also, sorry if wrong flair.
Any of the virtual singers: you were likely a vocaloid fan before a project Sekai fan
Ichika: You like miku, too.
Saki: You are a ball of sunshine!
Honami: You like apple pies! Or you're the mom friend! Or both!
Shiho: You believe in "tough love"
Minori: You're full of hope!
Haruka: You like penguins!
Airi: DAKARA MOTTO!
Shizuku: You just think she's pretty!
Kohane: You like hamsters!
An: You never give up, ever!
Akito: You like his voice!
Toya: You need a hug.
Tsukasa: HEY! GIRL! MY NAME IS TSUKASA TENMA, AND I AM A STAR!!! I AM A WORLD FUTURE STAR! DANCE! AND! SING!!!
Emu: WONDERHOYYYY!
Nene: You are a fellow gamer!
Rui: Your favourite song is Showtime Ruler, specifically his alt vocal.
Kanade: Cup noodles. Need I say more?
Mafuyu: You REALLY need a hug!
Ena: you like to draw!
Mizuki: You like cute things!