Sailor s limerick

William was just about to scoop another mouthful of porridge and berries into his mouth when someone scooted into the seat next to him.
“Marline.” He inclined his head before returning to breakfast.
A breakfast that, prior to his teammate’s arrival, had been blissfully free of noise or interruption.
Which made sense given that the ‘rise and shine’ bell wasn’t going to ring for another thirty minutes or so. To that end, the cafeteria was near empty, but for a few servants flitting around the place as they set tables or partook of their own breakfasts.
Breakfasts that were something of a step down from what was normally served at these tables, given that the usual heaped piles of hot sausages, crisp bacon and hearty eggs were still being prepared in the kitchens.
Still, on this occasion, that was fine by William. Sure, the main reason he’d told his team to rise a little earlier than normal was to allow them to dine in peace without being harassed by the rest of the rumour hungry student body, but it was also useful in that it somewhat limited some of his more… difficult teammate’s breakfast options.
“William,” the dark elf hissed as she leaned down. “We have a problem.”
Despite his early morning lethargy, those words managed to send something akin to a shiver up his spine.
“What!? What’s the problem?” he asked as he whirled around, remembering only at the last minute to keep his voice down.
Sure, the cafeteria was relatively empty of both staff and students, but it hadn’t escaped his notice that pretty much all of them had had their eyes on him since he sat down.
“What do you mean, ‘what’s the problem?’” Marline whispered furiously into his ear. “The fucking alchemy lab blew up last night.”
“Oh, that.” She’d gotten him all worked up for nothing. “Someone’s enchantment probably went awry after being kept in storage too long.”
That was a lie and they both knew it. He’d explained to Marline in great detail why trying to gain access to his storage room was a poor idea without him present. To that end, it was obvious that someone had attempted just that.
As such, the old alchemy building was now a smouldering ruin, with dozens of academy guards and at least one member of the palace guard sifting through the rubble when he walked past.
Or at least, they’d been watching over a dozen menial servants as they sifted through the rubble.
Still, no one had been too alarmed by it. It was hardly the first time the building had been destroyed after all.
Alchemy was by its nature a fairly dangerous art.
A form of homeopathic magic that attempted to imbue objects with magical abilities by combining them with conceptually similar items, it tended to both be prohibitively expensive and notoriously unreliable.
Left eyes from forty-year-old salamanders didn’t grow on trees after all. Nor testicles from albino bulls in heat. And that was the kind of specificity one needed to create a half-decent stamina potion.
There was a reason that alchemy was gradually being phased out in favour of the slower but more reliable art of enchanting.
“Yes, very unfortunate,” Marline said through gritted teeth. “But what about ‘our’ ingredients that were being kept in the building. It might be… dangerous of someone stumbled across them in the rubble.”
Dangerous? Gunpower couldn’t explode more than…
“Oh, you’re talking about the gift we were holding for your family?” He realized.
“Yes!”
“Why didn’t you check last night?” he asked.
“...I tend to wear earplugs when I sleep,” Marline admitted reluctantly. “Given… Verity.”
William glanced towards the young woman’s long elven ears and thought about their orcish teammate’s tendency to snore like she was trying to wake the dead. The inner walls of their dorm weren’t particularly thick and Marline’s room was right next to the other girl’s.
Yeah, he could see why she might have invested in some hearing protection.
A decent set of earplugs wouldn’t drown out the noise of the morning bell, but they’d be more than capable of drowning out the distant whumph of an alchemy lab going up on the opposite side of the campus.
He momentarily wondered if the noise had caused any of his other teammates to get up, before dismissing the idea.
Strange noises in the middle of the night were far from unusual in a military academy and usually best ignored unless you had a very good reason to think they might involve you.
“Well, it’s not a problem,” he whispered. “I moved it last night before heading back to the dorm.”
The look of relief on the dark elf’s face was palpable, before it gave way to confusion. “Why?”
He shrugged. “For the same reason I booby-trapped the storage room in the first place. Once it got out that I had a mithril core – and might have had something to do with Al’Hundra’s death, well it seemed like there was a decent chance someone might go snooping around places I might want to hide something.”
And the alchemy lab was just about the first place someone would think of right after their team’s dorm room.
Fortunately for him, there were a few places that were quite impractical for hiding something long-term, but pretty ideal in the short term.
And just so long as Marline’s aunts arrived before next Welday, the mithril core would be safe.
Though as he gazed down at the bowl of porridge in front of him, he found his appetite wasn’t quite what it had been just a few moments ago.
“So where’d you hide it?” Marline asked excitedly, clearly relieved that her family’s future wasn’t currently buried in rubble.
William paused as he considered how to answer that question. Something his teammate was quick to notice.
“William,” she prompted. “Where’s my family’s core?”
He gazed down at his bowl, still thinking.
“William!” she shouted as best she could while still whispering.
“The safest place I could think of. Somewhere it’d be covered completely and no one would voluntarily look.”
“Voluntarily?” Marline said. “Covered?”
Credit where credit was due, no one had ever accused his teammate of being slow on the uptake. At least, where politics wasn’t concerned. So it was that it wasn’t long before he witnessed her expression morph from confusion to horror… to rage.
“You buried my family’s mithril core in the latrines?!” she hissed.
William scratched his chin awkwardly as he avoided her furious gaze. “More like dropped. I didn’t need to bury it because it sank on its own. Which is good given I wasn’t quite sure of the relative buoyancy of mithril in… well… you know.”
In his defence, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Indeed, if one were to be purely objective about the whole thing, it still was. The core was safely hidden at the bottom of one of the lesser used latrine pits. The bottom mounted… storage vats of which were pulled out and emptied into the bay once a week.
It was a fairly old fashioned system, given the existence of indoor plumbing across the rest of the academy. Indeed, he suspected the latrines were only kept around to serve as a form of punishment duty for any cadets that happened to royally piss off their instructors.
“They’ll be safe there until Welday,” William argued weakly. “At which point your aunts can collect them without anyone being the wiser.”
“Collect them from the latrine’s storage vats!” Marline hissed, slamming her head into the table. “Ancestors, the future of our house is now literally swimming in shit.”
Gingerly, William moved to pat the dark elf on the back. “Ah, but at least it’s safe.”
Once more he glanced away as two silver eyes peeked out angrily from between the girl’s arms.
Needless to say, he was rather glad for the eventual arrival of the rest of their team – even if Bonnlyn chose to complain at length about the fact that she was going to be forced to dine on ‘twigs and berries’ – as opposed to the gut busting pile of vaguely food shaped grease she normally chose to partake of in a morning.
Still, at least Marline had stopped glaring at him by the time they’d all finished eating – escaping just before the first of their fellow cadets piled noisily into the cafeteria.


It was actually rather amusing, that for all that the coming match had obvious implications for the country as a whole, in theory it was simply another practice match between two groups of cadets.
To that end, there was no great ceremony as the members of Team Seven made their way through the double doors leading to the Floats. There, as per usual, stood the members of the opposing team along with an Instructor from a ‘neutral’ house.
Never mind that the great bleachers to each side of the faux-ships were filled with eager spectators when they were normally all-but bare. Or that not one of the viewing orbs bolted to the gantries overhead was bereft of the ambient glow that signified they were in use.
Half the noble houses in the country were likely watching the events that were about to unfold through those crystalline orbs. Though William had to wonder if the Queen was one of them or if she was present in person, simply hidden behind whatever magic she used to render herself and her guards invisible.
Still, as he gazed upon the spectacle around them, William couldn’t help but be reminded of just how impressive a construction the Floats were, the stadium sized building hosting not just the ships that made up the field, but room for spectators, viewing orbs, staff and a myriad other smaller facilities that each worked to allow the practice matches to occur.
With that in mind, one notable absence from the building’s usual occupants was hard to miss.
“Where are all the sailors and marines?” Olzenya asked.
“I don’t know,” William said as they continued walking towards Tala and her team. “Maybe they’re already onboard?”
He doubted it though. He’d have been able to see people moving about inside the great vessels or marching across the deck.
No, something was amiss here.
Still, he’d known there was a possibility of House Blackstone attempting something. And the absence of the Float’s usual staff was likely to be related.
Nothing for it now, he thought. Whatever they’ve done can’t be too overt.
The Principal of the Academy might have been in New Haven’s pocket – which made her an ally of House Blackstone – but even her power had limits with the Crown and half the country watching.
“Ma’am,” William said as he came to a stop before the Instructor from House Summerfield. “Team Seven reporting.”
Instructor Halfin, ironically the woman who’d first introduced his team to the floats glowered at him.
“I don’t like this,” she said without preamble, her voice raised loudly enough that it was clear she was aiming her words not just at him, but Tala and the rest of the world besides. “The Academy and the Floats are supposed to be a training environment for the future leadership of the nation as a whole. Not a pissing ground for idiotic adolescents.”
“I didn’t choose the venue, ma’am.” Even as she spoke, Tala’s gaze stayed on William.
“And I didn’t ask your opinion, cadet.” Halfin’s words were biting as she turned towards the third-year. “The only opinion that matters here is mine. Not yours. Not his. Not your mummy’s. And not the rest of these upjumped cretins.”
Her hand flew out to encompass the veritable circus that were the stands. “So, with that in mind you can believe me when I say that my only concern is getting through this farce as efficiently and as fairly as possible. I don’t give a shit about what’s on the line or who doesn’t want to marry who. All that matters to me is whether or not you have wax or paint on your breastplate or enough harpy-venom in your system to put you down for the count.”
Both Tala’s and William’s eyes widened a little at that.
“Wax, ma’am? Paint?” Tala said.
The older woman grunted. “You heard me, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter. Let it be known I’m not happy about it. Nor about the fact that half the sailors on base have apparently come down with the shits.”
Ah, so that was why the float’s usual crew was missing. Clearly the work of House Blackstone, though to what end William was yet unsure.
Are they trying to delay the match? He thought.
That wouldn’t be ideal for a number of reasons – most of which centred around it giving House Blackstone more time to sabotage him and his team. There’d been a damn good reason he chose to have their match literally a day after he challenged her.
“This has naturally affected my ability to run a normal Float match. Normally that would be grounds for delaying this whole farce,” Halfin continued, tone darkening as she spoke the next few words. “But it has been ‘suggested’ to me by a number of parties that doing so would be impractical. So, we shall instead be making use of one of the scenarios available to us that does not require the use of regular crewmembers.”
She gestured towards the area between the two faux ships, the football field sized stretch of land normally empty but for a few overhead nets designed to catch falling cadets.
That wasn’t the case today. Instead, the area had been filled with a tangled mess of pre-fabricated structures and various other bits of paraphernalia.
“Airship down,” the Instructor said, and after a moment’s observation, William realized that the stretch of land really did look like what you might have seen if an airship crashed into it.
Assuming said airship crashed with enough force to scatter its component parts around rather than remain as a fairly battered single object. Which, given the heights said ships could drop from, wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
“Our third year cadets will be familiar with this scenario, but I will explain it briefly for our first years.” Again, there was no mistaking just how unhappy Halfin was with all of this. “In short, an allied or enemy airship has crashed in neutral territory. Both sides of the conflict have dispatched a mage strike team to search the wreckage for the ship’s core so as to deny it to the enemy. Unfortunately, neither side can effectively search said wreckage until the other strike team has been completely eliminated.”
Halfin’s gaze turned towards his team. “To clarify, do not let the flavor text of this scenario fool you. There is no core within the wreckage in this scenario. The only way to win is to completely eliminate the opposing team.”
Over the woman’s shoulder, William didn’t miss the small smile that flitted across his fiancee’s features.
Ah, so that’s her game, he thought.
Oh, he didn’t doubt she would have preferred this whole engagement be delayed so as to allow her more time to stack the deck, but on short notice simply changing the scenario to this still helped her.
Theoretically.
It reduced the number of ‘wild card’ factors that might benefit him or his team. No crew members. No orbs to collect. Just a straight up fight between the two teams.
Sure, said wild cards could have just as easily worked in Tala’s favour, but given the skill disparity between the two groups, it benefited her to reduce the number of random vectors present in the coming fight.
Plus, it also had his team attempting to navigate an unfamiliar scenario.
Well played, he thought.
“Any issue with that, cadets?” Halfin said as she finished her explanation.
“None at all,” William said before the rest of his team could interrupt, noting the small pout of disappointment that flitted across Tala’s face.
She’d probably wanted him to kick up a fuss and force the match to be delayed for the reasons he’d thought of before.
Alas, she wasn’t that lucky.
No, for better or for worse this was happening here and now.
Sure, it wasn’t an ideal scenario, but he could make it work for him. It simply required him to pull out another trick that he’d been hoping to hold onto for just a little while longer.
Amusingly, Halfin also looked a little disappointed. The woman had probably wanted the match delayed on principle. It was clear both his new weapon and Tala’s interference rubbed her the wrong way.
Though as he had the thought, he was pleasantly surprised to see there was at least one woman in the academy who placed her duty as an educator and impartial judge above politics.
Indeed, if she had a reputation for such, that was likely part of the reason why she’d been selected for this match as a compromise between the Crown and the Blackstones.
“Well, if that’s all, then you’ve got ten minutes to check out your weapons and get to your starting positions.” Halfin grunted, before she seemed to remember something. “And I suppose I’ll take possession of the ‘bet’ now.”
There was no missing the disdain in the woman’s voice, which actually made William feel a bit better as he gestured over to Verity.
Unslinging the backpack she’d carried all the way over, the girl still looked more than a little awed as she unveiled the glowing metal orb. It was actually a little amusing, the mixture of relief and reluctance that crossed her features as she handed it over to the Instructor.
An instructor who was apparently not entirely carved from stone, as she somewhat reverently accepted the object.
Even the distant stands hushed down a bit as the bowling ball sized core changed hands.
Of course, it was barely a second before the moment was interrupted.
“Of course you’d have the orc carry it,” Tala grunted, her tone resigned.
Verity flinched back at the words and every other member of his team – including Olzenya leaned forward to argue – but William forestalled them all with a simple raised hand.
“Of course I did,” he said simply. “She’s a valuable member of my team and I trust her. Far more than certain other individuals present.”
A core could also be deceptively heavy despite its ability to produce lighter than air aether and he had no real desire to carry it all the way across campus. It also went unsaid that Verity was best equipped to intercept any… opportunistic thieves.
Indeed, he’d have paid to see some enterprising moron attempt to wrestle the bag holding the core off his orcish teammate on the walk over here.
It hadn’t happened of course, the possibility had always been an outlier at best, but given the stakes it had seemed better to err on the side of caution.
…It had also been amusing to see the myriad emotions that had flashed across the faces of most of the team when he quite casually tossed the bag holding the core to the orc. One would almost think he’d just thrown a baby at her.
Indeed, the only one who’d not been affected had been Marline, who’d just looked quietly resigned.
Which was still fun in its own way.
It was a little childish perhaps coming from a man ‘his age’, but that same age was what gave him the experience to know that sometimes life was about being a little silly and enjoying the small things.
And what better silly fun was there than teasing a bunch of far too serious kids by throwing around a basically indestructible ball of magical space metal?
Of course, given the flash of irritation that shot across Tala’s face, it was clear she thought his smile was an accompaniment to his taunt.
However, before she could say anything, Halfin scooped up the core. “Well, I’ll be holding onto this until the match is over. At which point I shall hand it to whomever I deem to be the victor.” For just a moment, her expression softened. “You can rest assured, both of you, that I shan’t let it out of my sight or off my person for the duration of the match. This I swear – even if I’m irritated at this whole situation.”
William and Tala both nodded, accepting the solemness of the woman’s impromptu oath.
“Alright,” she said, slinging the thing under her arm as she returned to her previous acerbic personality. “You’ve got ten minutes to collect your weapons and be at your designated spots for the beginning of the match. Anyone not in the correct place at the correct time will be considered eliminated for the purposes of this match. Dismissed.”
With her bit said, she strode away, no doubt up to the judges tower - which had an eagle’s eye view of the entire arena.
Leaving two teams of rather combative cadets behind.
Ten minutes was more than enough time to collect their gear, so William allowed himself a few seconds to simply gaze at Tala’s team.
“Finally realizing how outclassed you are, William?” Tala sneered.
It was funny, normally that kind of open disdain was beneath her. Sure, she’d yelled at him before, but to his mind that was more of an expression of frustration than animosity.
Here and now though?
She hated him.
And he revelled in it.
Not because he hated her. He didn’t. Even if they were enemies. At worst he’d say he pitied her for her ignorance and worldview.
Much like him and his otherworldly views, she was a product of her environment.
She wasn’t evil. At least not in an intentional sense. Indeed, by the standards of this world she was actually a good person.
Loyal. Dutiful. Hardworking.
Simply in service to an institution that he abhorred.
With that in mind, the reason why he relished in her disdain was simple.
It meant that he was now worthy of it in her mind. No longer an irritating non-factor that refused to play along, his actions now had consequences.
He’d earned her animosity honestly.
He was a factor. A person.
It felt good.
“Just counting the numbers,” he said. “Some part of me wondered if you might be a team member or two short.”
Indeed, the fact that he’d hoped for the murder of a young man or woman last night was something he counted amongst the least of his sins. There’d be a great many more of those to come.
Still, ignorant of his thoughts, the girl stiffened, all but confirming his suspicions as her mind no doubt turned towards last night’s explosion.
It had been her people who’d tried to raid his alchemy storage room – though it seemed she’d not been so foolish as to send anyone on her team to accomplish the job. In all likelihood the unfortunate fools who’d run afoul of his trap had likely been little more than paid off servants or some other kind of catspaw.
Irrelevant in the scheme of things ultimately and chosen for that very reason. Unfortunate, but hoping that his enemy would be a teammate or two down had ever been a long shot.
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” Tala said. “My teammates are all ready and eager to serve not only me, but to honour their family names as well through that service. Though I know that’s a concept most alien to you.”
Around her, four other members of the girls team stood up a little straight, animosity burning in their gaze as they silently regarded his team with disdain.
Disdain his own team was quite happy to level back – if only out of loyalty to him.
Still, it was funny; Tala was more right than she knew. The values of this world were in many ways alien to him despite having lived here for nearly two decades.
“I suppose you’re right,” he chuckled. “To that end, I’ll see you in the arena.”
He took a moment to enjoy the look of puzzlement on his foe’s face at his placid rejoinder, before he strode away, his team falling in behind him.
Though as he walked, he made sure to turn to each of them. “Make sure to double check all of our equipment. If Tala was able to give half the Float staff food poisoning last night, I wouldn’t put it past her to be able to tamper with our equipment.”
Each of the girls nodded seriously at his words, no doubt leery of discovering a razor blade or some other such implement in one of their boots. Or that their bolt-bow had a faulty intake valve.
Indeed, the only piece of equipment William could theoretically have been sure of was that which he was currently wearing and the spell-bolts that would have been delivered clandestinely at the last minute by either Griffith or a palace guard.
And even then, what the fuck is this about wax and paint rather than rubber? He thought.
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Another three chapters are also available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bluefishcake
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So about me, I’m 34 a single parent, who is very busy most days, and as result let my social life die a bit. I’m from the Midwest USA, and looking for some online friendship. I swear like a sailor, very open and transparent, don’t believe in the PC culture we live in, and just looking for genuine real convos, with no filters. So please for the love of god have a sense of humor, and is able to take dark humor and sarcasm.
Im terrible at writing bio’s, so excuse the lack of “who am I”.
Anybody wanna chat?

So about me, I’m 34 a single parent, who is very busy most days, and as result let my social life die a bit. I’m from the Midwest USA, and looking for some online friendship. I swear like a sailor, very open and transparent, don’t believe in the PC culture we live in, and just looking for genuine real convos, with no filters. So please for the love of god have a sense of humor, and is able to take dark humor and sarcasm.
Im terrible at writing bio’s, so excuse the lack of “who am I”.
Anybody wanna chat?

Need a UMO for a Sailor
I have a Sailor who is dead set for BUD/s, I have complete faith that the guy will make it through but he’s facing some difficulty in finding a UMO in the San Diego area. He’s reached out to the team UMO, Pendleton, NAB and no one can help him or are refusing him. He said he’ll pay out of pocket to fly wherever he needs to to be seen.
Is there anyone in the subreddit who can give me something solid to help him out? Even if it’s just POC or information on anything anywhere, it would help greatly. I’m not trying to see this Sailor’s career be sidelined because people are keeping him from his goal.

In the SCP-3301 testing log's second to last entry mentions a Supreme Divine being "The S-C-P-S Midnight Jacket" that kills SCP-169 and SCP-3000 to finish the game, it is a spacecraft the size of manhattan that appears through wormhole with an orangutan wearing an infamous red ruby necklace as its sailor, is this a particular reference to anything? Because all other Supreme Divines in the article and testing logs have links referencing various scp gods, but this one doesn't! This orangutan also mentions "woodpeckers" that have destroyed billions of universes, and in the card for this being it says "dead foundations tell no tales".

Hi everyone! This chapter will read a bit quicker due to all of the dialog. As always, comments and upvotes let me know you're still interested in the story.
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Once everyone was aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mira seemed to relax a little. Davis and Thompson were chatting away with Vebi and Fennis. Povin still stayed near Mira when the officers were chatting with each other. She felt a little lost now that her services as translator was no longer needed. The winds were much stronger here, and one of Povin’s wings got caught in the wind, causing him to lift up. He reflexively opened his other wing.
“Povin! Remember! Glide! Do not flap!” Mira yelled at him.
“What was that Chief?” Thompson asked.
“I’m sorry sir. Ensign Povin’s wing got caught on a draft. They come from a lower gravity world so if he tries to fly, our gravity will break most of his wing bones and tear through his wing skin. The atmospheric belts they wear can maintain their own atmospheric conditions, but it can’t keep up if they full on fly.”
After riding the currents and getting used to how it felt under his wings, Povin was eventually able to land. He quickly wrapped his wings about himself tightly to avoid doing that again. The rest of the remaining Drala quickly tightened their own wings about their bodies.
“I see. Let’s get everyone inside.” Admiral Davis replied. “Chief Rodreguez, your Captain Martinelli sent over your uniforms.” He called over a sailor who had a duffle bag which was handed over to Mira.
Mira looked a little closer at one of the Destroyer escorts. “Sir, is that the USS Bainbridge I see?”
“Yes, it is. You think your Captain would allow us to come get you and not be a part of the escort? Once we stopped receiving responses, he has called in almost daily to NASA to get answers. Honestly, I was willing to bet that if we denied his ‘request’ to join the escort, he would have gone rogue to be here.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Captain Martinelli wouldn’t break protocols like that. He might have been hailing like crazy until someone gave him answers, but never would he go rogue.” Mira replied.
As she finished saying that a sailor came up the Admiral, “Sir, Captain Martinelli of the USS Bainbridge is on the horn for you.”
“You were saying, Chief?” Davis chuckled. “Maybe you should go take that call. We’ll be in the Ready Room. Come see us there after you have spoken with your captain and made yourself Navy presentable.”
“Yes, sir!” She saluted, received the return salute, and headed to the comms room. In the comms room, she was directed to the receiver. “This is Chief Mira Rodriguez speaking.”
“Chief. It’s good to hear your voice again. Do you have any idea how many calls I received from my nephew? I don’t know how he was able to get people to patch him through so frequently while on duty himself, but he’s very resourceful. I have to admit that. Did those aliens treat you well? And who took down communications like that?”
“Yes, sir. I was treated extremely well. I haven’t had a chance to be debriefed yet, so I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say over comms.”
“I understand. You should be able to say at least if the comms were interrupted by the aliens.”
“Not by the aliens I was with, sir.”
“I understand. Go do what you have to do, Chief. I hope to see you back on the Bainbridge soon.”
“I hope so too, sir.” She replied. The call ended and a sailor took her to where she could change her clothes as well as where the Ready Room was located. Once she was in her khaki-colored Shipboard Working Uniform, she headed to the Ready Room and then waited to be told she could sit. The Flx’usri each had their specialty chairs, and the Drala were able to manage the human chairs.
“Is Captain Martinelli well?” Admiral Davis asked.
“I believe his is calmer now, Sir. However, I suspect he will grill me himself once I am returned to his ship.”
“That sounds about right, Chief. I wouldn’t expect any less of him.”
“Grill? Are you in danger, Chief Mira?” Vebi asked worriedly.
“Grill is slang for question soundly, Rear Admiral. I promise that I will be completely safe with my Captain.” Mira looked around and noticed Commander Morris wasn’t in the room. “Excuse me, Sirs. What happened to Commander Morris? I thought he had survived the assault?”
“I’m sure he’s somewhere on board the ship. When we left to this room, he had been distracted. You know how these ships can be hard to navigate for non-Navy enlistees.” Davis replied.
General Thompson added, “If I had not spent my earlier enlisted time on board Navy vessels, I likely would have also been confused. I always did enjoy the Marine Taxi Service.” He joked. The Admiral gave him a poke with his elbow good naturedly. It was a sign that they had been friends as well as coworkers for a long time.
Admiral Davis explained to the aliens, “The General and I belong to different branches of service. Each branch has a love-hate relationship with all of the other branches. We all have our strengths, and our weaknesses are proudly backed up by the strengths of the other branches. It’s like having siblings. I can tease and make fun of my siblings, but if anyone else does, I will fight them to submission and make them apologize to my sibling.”
“Ah, I understand,” Vebi replied. “I feel the same way about my spawn-mates.”
Fennis cut in, “I understand the diplomate you had intended for us was lost in the conflict. We would prefer if Chief Mira were to be this for us. She has lived with us, and we have forged mutual respect for each other.”
“I believe that can be arranged.” Davis replied after a few moments of thought. “Bureaucracy takes time, and the rest of the Chief’s enlistment will have to be accounted for, but I believe this can be arranged.” He chuckled. “Captain Martinelli will be both happy for you and pissed we’re taking away his highest-ranking Machinist Mate aboard the Bainbridge.”
They began talking and getting to know each other and finally, Vebi asked, “I understand you will need to speak with others to make a real decision, but do you think your people will join the Federation?”
General Thompson beat Admiral Davis to it as he said, “They touched our boats. No one touches the US Navy’s boats and gets away with it.” Davis gave Thompson a small elbow to the ribs showing that the two men were friends outside of their official responsibilities.
Eventually, Commander Morris found the Ready room and General Thompson gestured for him to take a seat. “Now that we’re all here, Chief, how about you give us a full debriefing. Start from leaving Earth.”
“Yes, Sir. The mission started off great. Roger was able to correct course as needed, but the autopilot we were using was very accurate. We were all asleep when it happened. I’m a light sleeper and the pings against the hull woke me up. Looking back, there must have been a harder hit that woke me up first, but at the time, all I heard was the lighter pings. I got up to take a look around and then the alarms went off that we all knew meant to get into our space suits. Once I was in my suit, I realized no one else was in the room with me.
“I grabbed a suit with the intent to help someone into it and then we could go back and help others. They were all dead. The atmosphere in the ship was completely gone and we were no longer noticeably moving. I was staring at either a short and rough death once my air ran out, or if I could fix the life support, I could be looking at a long agonizing death from hunger. I never turned away from a challenge, so I was determined to fix the ship.
I fixed the life support and power at the same time. Now I was only going to face a long agonizing death. It was then that I jettisoned the dead. Hindsight being 20/20, I realize it was the wrong choice. I know that Commander Morris felt I should be able to make a refrigeration room, but if you look at the ship and the schematics, but assuming that I knew I was going to survive and make it back home, that ship did not have rooms that were airtight. They are close, but do not seal all the way. Secondly, I didn’t have the materials to make it so that the air didn’t circulate out of any room I put them in.
“At that time, I fully expected that I was going to die out there. It would take time for any message to get to Earth, time to fabricate a new ship and crew it, and time to get out to me. Time that I didn’t feel I had.”
Davis interrupted. “The seals weren’t airtight?”
“The exterior ones were, but any of the interior doors were not. They used a different kind of seal material, and in some cases, we could see light through a closed door. Even the door that was supposed to be the airlock for if we had to open the exterior door for anything. That one was the best seal, but there were still leaks.”
“Continue.” Davis said.
“I was out fixing the thruster when the crew of Black Hole found me. You haven’t met them, and I don’t think they can even come down here. The federation uses color outlines on their emblem to denote classes of ability to survive on worlds, I guess would be the best way to put it. Black Hole is a Green Class. They have the fewest worlds they can touch down on and survive. It’s based on allergy. If they were to even touch the plants here, they would get hives. The Meteor's crew is a Black Class. They can go to nearly every inhabited world. They might have to be careful of gravity, or if the air quality or temperatures are too extreme for the atmospheric belts to handle. Our world is classified as a Black Class planet.” She then relayed the rest of her journey.
“Do you think we can speak with these other heads of ships?” Thompson asked the aliens.
“Of course.” Fennis replied. To Vebi he said, “If you hail Commander Xuan’rawis, I’ll hail Captain S’sveta.”
After getting their targets on a video call, they both headed over and got their counterparts in view too. “We still have two hours until our nocturnal counterparts awaken. We’ll have about an hour of overlap, and then we will need to rest ourselves.” S’sveta said.
The leaders all spoke with each other, leaving Morris very confused as he did not receive a translator implant. Thompson told Mira she could act as his translator, so she did.
_____________________________
First / Prev / Patreon

Where’s a nice place to go for a birthday meal, in either Clare, Limerick or Tipp? Needs to be Child friendly, the mind has been blank for the past two days, want to go somewhere different.

I have a Sailor who is dead set for BUD/s, I have complete faith that the guy will make it through but he’s facing some difficulty in finding a UMO in the San Diego area. He’s reached out to the team UMO, Pendleton, NAB and no one can help him or are refusing him. He said he’ll pay out of pocket to fly wherever he needs to to be seen.
Is there anyone in the subreddit who can give me something solid to help him out? Even if it’s just POC or information on anything anywhere, it would help greatly. I’m not trying to see this Sailor’s career be sidelined because people are keeping him from his goal.

Hey looking to get an assessment my doctor has advised to go private since the HSE waiting list can take ages I’m in Limerick so don’t mind travelling but would rather if it’s possible to find someone under €1000 and if it’s online possibly

I am looking for anime recommendations. As a child, I loved "Sailor Moon," "Dragon Ball," "Dragon Ball Z," "Cowboy Bebop," and "Neon Genesis Evangelion."
As a young adult, I got into anime again and watched "Death Note," which I enjoyed.
Unfortunately, I lost my beloved brother last year. Since then extreme violence in anime isn’t something I’m too keen on. However, I've rediscovered my love for anime. After his passing, I took stock of my life and realised I had stopped doing the things I loved, years ago. But everything came to a grinding halt after his traumatic and sudden loss. Sorry, not trying to make a sob story.
Previously, I watched "Beastars," "Killer B," and a few other gory and violent anime, as they didn't bother me then.
Recently, I stumbled across "Way of the House Husband," and it reignited my love for anime. That silly yet lovable show helped me a lot.
Currently, I am rewatching "Beastars" and have also watched "The Seven Deadly Sins." To me, it wasn't overly violent because it was fantasy and over-the-top, similar to "Dragon Ball" (don’t come for me!).
I've loved "My Happy Marriage," and I am currently watching "Fruits Basket."
I think I really enjoy fantasy, romance, action, and comedy, but I'm not sure what those sub-genres are called in the anime world. I would love some education on that.
I would also love some manga recommendations! I think it would reignite my love of reading. I am in Australia and don’t know where to even look. I have seen that Kobo is a good way to read them digitally.
So, just a lost woman trying to find herself again after immeasurable loss.
Oh, and I have watched "Delicious in Dungeon"! That’s amazing! Surprisingly, it’s not violent to me. I think its storyline about reconciling with death has been quite good to watch.
To summarise: I'm looking for fantasy, romance, comedy, adventure, really good storylines, and plots—just good anime.
Thank you 🫶🏻🤘🏻✌🏻

My Old Man Withers

To my grandmother’s behest, her husband,
now withered and weary waning in his acuity, loved
to tell us stories. As we listened, each word
slipped out of himself with each sip he’d slid in
an attempt to clear the fogs of time that filled his mind,
with false allusions.

A soldier, sometimes a sailor, no just a storyteller,
with too much time to contemplate,
Ashamed of a past
that he willed into his own existence, a life of inaction,
vapid dissatisfaction, cast out to delegate fault to those who’d listen.

Reminiscing with a voice tinged by the wane of age,
his soul clearly pained with a soundless rage,
of the life he never had
just decayed in a cage of lingering regret.
He was left vain or ashamed, a wreck.
An old man forever stuck on memory lane.

Who is to blame? My bloodline now
stained with a rust that lingered,
a lust to linger on what has come to pass
and never will be again.

At times I feel it,
the heartbeat of a storyteller,
for I am a victim of
memory too.

PC
Reddit Account: u/gengisan
Discord Tag: slizzard
Name and House: Carena Borrell
Age: 26
Cultural Group: Sisterman
Appearance: Tall as a man, broad shouldered, and shapely. Her complexion is sun kissed like that of a sailor, and her arms strong enough to pull her weight in their company. She has the mark of the sistermen between her fingers. Her hair is a raven black and worn shorter than most women of the island.
Delicate facial features, and a fondness for the fine fabrics and perfumes that flow through her Isles from the East maintain her air of nobility, though she is found in clothes fit for a deckhand as often as those befitting a noblewoman.
Trait: Mariner
Skill(s): Polearms, footwork, avaricious, shipwright, Navigator
Talent(s):Spearfishing, Swimming,
Negative Trait(s): N/A
Starting Title(s): Lady of Sisterton
Starting Location: starting hunt
Alternate Characters: Pacar Breakshore
AC
Name and House:Ser Pacar Breakshore
Age: 34
Cultural Group: Northman
Appearance: Tall and wirey, with a crooked nose. He has a gaunt face marred with pock marks and a kind, lopsided smile. His eyes bear subtle crows feet. His hair and beard are a mousey brown beginning to show the first strands of grey.
Trait: Steward
Skill(s): Axes, Chivalric, Logistician
Talent(s): Lutist, carouser
Negative Trait(s): N/A
Starting Title(s): Lord Consort of Sisterton
Starting Location: the hunt
Carena was raised in the ashes of Vhagar’s fury. When the dragon had come to the Three Sisters she had been but a child. The fire took the house of her overlords, as well as her father, mother, and nearly all of her other kin. She and her sister had only survived the burning of Sisterton due to her father’s foresight, sending them to sea in a fishing vessel before the battle began.
When she returned to shore, she found her home destroyed, and Sweetsister as well as the other islands thoroughly devastated.
Claiming legitimacy through her deceased mother’s line, and with scant other options, the child Carena was made Lady of the Three Sisters. A regency council was formed and swore a new oath to the Lords of Winterfell.
In the following years, the island was referred to in grim jest as ‘Sootsister’. Where the dragon’s breath had touched, even the buildings of stone had caught ablaze and crumbled. The Sunderlands’ old keep was destroyed entirely, reduced to blackened and twisted rubble atop its old perch over Sisterton’s harbor. It is said that only one in every ten buildings in Sisterton survived that day, and only those of stone. Breakwater itself was sundered by the dragonfire, though not destroyed entirely.
It was from what remained of the seat of the Borrells that the regency council convened each day before Corena would come of age. Consisting of what few powerful figures remained on Sweetsister as well as representatives of lords of the neighboring isles, it remained the guiding force behind the rebuilding of the island before Carena came into power.
The suffering did not end as the last embers faded. With their fields, storehouses, boats, and quays destroyed, famine followed. The council did what they could, buying grain and lumber from their neighbors to the north, but the first years following the scouring were a time of great hardship for peasant and noble alike.
As she grew up under the supervision of the regency council, gradually life returned to her home. She and her sister played games of foxes-and-moles in the ruins of the Sunderlands’ keep, and she learned to swim diving for guilder’s glass in the cold water of the town’s harbor. There along the old merchant’s row, the large windows of Myrish glass had warped and shattered out of the houses under the heat of Vhagar’s fire, before the pebbles on the harbor floor sanded them down to the gems she hunted as a child.
By her eighth nameday, the rebuilding of Breakwater was completed, and by then the same could be said about most of the surviving buildings in the town. Only the old castle of the Sunderlands remained ruined, shrinking as much of its masonry was used for repairs and new construction. It was said that every dwelling in Sisterton no matter how lowly had hearths made of ‘the Queen’s stones’. A squat, rotund tower that came to be known as ‘Marla’s Urn’ was built of warped, blackened stone facing the water on the hill they once ruled, replacing the more elegant lighthouse that had once adjoined the keep.
In the town and beyond, the land had slowly been resettled. The effort was driven mostly by surviving Sistermen. Land was scarce on the islands and second and third sons moved quickly at the opportunity to make a name for themselves. Northmen also came mostly from the lands that lay on the Bite, drawn in by the hope of opportunity in the wake of the Sistermen’s new pledge of loyalty to the Lords of Winterfell.
The council allowed these Northmen to marry the Sisterwomen left widowed by the dragonfire, with the same rights and privileges as the Sistermen who came from the other islands. It was only as a gesture of good will to their new liege that this was allowed, however. Opportunistic men of the Vale saw no such accommodation and were met with open hostility, as there was no love lost between them and the Sistermen.
She learned to fight alongside the other women of her generation, though Sisterwomen had not bore arms in the past, it was necessary after so many men had died. Carena could wield a spear just as well against a man as a seal, and was taught how to use a wrecker’s hook to sever tendons or rip a horseman from his saddle. She grew powerful with practice, and benefitted from her height as she grew older, standing at least a head above most women.
As soon as she was old enough, she took to the sea, learning to sail smaller vessels as well as command the warships of her house as they rebuilt the navy the Targaryens had burned.
When Carena reached her majority, the regency council disbanded, though many of the members settled into advisory positions doing much the same work as they had before. Soon after coming to power, Carena ordered the construction of a new keep near the site of the Sunderlands’ old castle. At the advice of her more superstitious subjects, who worried the souls that had been lost in the old keep could not rest, the old foundations and rubble were salvaged and brought to a new site, while the old keep was turned into a sept and godswood. The heart tree was one of the few on the island that had survived the fire, an ancient chestnut which had already earned a reputation from how its center survived while its branches burned away or charred.
With no parents left alive, she was left with the responsibility of choosing a husband. The decision to pick one of the ‘Sootmen’, newcomers to the island, was a tactical one. The man in question, however, was a favorite of Carena’s. Pacar Breakshore had been one of her regents when the council still ruled. A young, newly landed knight at the time, he had immigrated to the island with his father in one of the first waves of resettlement. The Breakshores had quickly grown to become one of the most prominent houses of Sootmen on the island, though they had remained landed knights. He was handier with a lute than his axe, and seen more often in the taverns and winesinks of Sisterton than the halls of Breakwater, but had a head for numbers and the favor of Carena.
Carena became mother to two children by Pacar, Faran and Mysa. When the new castle was completed in 23 AC, their family relocated and the title Lady of Breakwater was conferred to her sister, Dessa. The new keep was dubbed ‘The Claws’, and the occasion was celebrated with a tournament of a scale not seen since before the destruction of the Sunderlands.
Timeline:
9 BC - Pacar Breakshore is born to Demar and Alys Breakshore
1 BC - Carena is born to Guyard Borrell and Mysa Sunderland
2 AC - Dessa is born to Guyard and Mysa
2 AC - Guyard Borrell and the house’s retainers answer Marla Sunderland’s call to arms. While not all of the house was destroyed, as was the fate of their overlords, it was only a scant few that lived to see the next day. Guyard and Mysa perished in the dragonflame, as well as all of the Borrells of Talleaves and Fogstone.
3 AC - The regency council commences
4 AC - The Night Lamp shines again for the first time since the attack, having been badly damaged. This night, the sixth of the ninth moon, came to be known as the Day of Restoration, and is celebrated annually by peasants and nobles since.
7 AC - The rebuilding of Breakwater is completed
8 AC - A bastard daughter, Dena Tyde is fathered by Pacar Breakshore.
9 AC - Three seats on the council are granted to the Northern-born settlers, or ‘Sootmen’, so called because they blew in on the same winds that blew the soot and ash from the isles.
12 AC - Pacar Breakshore is given a position on the regency council.
12 AC - Pacar Breakshore fathers another bastard, Ademar Tyde.
15 AC - As Carena reaches her 16th nameday, the regency council is disbanded.
16 AC - Carena orders the construction of a new keep near the site of the Sunderlands’ old castle.
18 AC - Two moons after her 19th nameday, Carena and Pacar Breakshore marry.
19 AC - Carena’s first child by Pacar is born, a son, Faran.
22 AC - Carena has another child by Pacar, a daughter named Mysa.
23 AC - The new keep is completed, and dubbed ‘The Claws’.
Family

 Guyard Borrell (30 BC - 2 AC) Mysa Sunderland (22 BC - 2 AC) Carena Borrell (1 BC - m. Pacar Breakshore (9 BC - Faran Borrell (19 AC - Mysa Borrell (22 AC - Dessa Borrell (2 AC - 

Supporting Characters
Dessa Borrell (23) Boatswain - Sister of Carena, Lady of Breakwater Castle, Keeper of the Night Lamp, Shield of Sisterton
Loran Charcloak (54) Master at Arms- Commander of the Claws’ garrison, veteran of the Sunderlands’ rebellion
Dena Tyde (18) - Bastard daughter of Pacar Breakshore, lady in waiting to Carena.
Ademar Tyde (12) Bastard son of Pacar Breakshore, squire to Pacar.
Ser Doren Cobbledown (28) - Castellan of The Claws.
Maester Othell (60) - Maester of the Claws, from the Riverlands

The missed out characters from the last voting polls will get one more chance Friday and Saturday will see three more characters added to fill in the gaps.
Monday (New Entry)

• Raiga Kadou (Tomica)
• Himura Kenshin (Samurai X / Ruroni Kenshin)
• Tomura Kamijou (A Certain Magical Index)
• Rikka Takanashi (Love Chuunibyou and Other Delusions)
• Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke)
• Baki Hanma (Baki)

Tuesday (Additional Character)

• Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh)
• Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail)
• Tengen Uzui (Demon Slayer)
• Vinsmoke Sanji (One Piece)
• Gaara (Naruto)
• Momo Yaoyorozu (My Hero Academia)

Wednesday (New Entry)

• Gene Starwind (Outlaw Star)
• Simon (Gurren Laggan)
• Toriko (Toriko)
• Kaiman (Dorohedoro)
• Gabimaru (Hells Paradise)
• Tetsuo Shima (Akira)

Thursday (Additional Character)

• Armin Arlert (Attack on Titan)
• Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
• Obanai Iguro (Demon Slayer)
• Kamen Rider Blades (Kamen Rider)
• Giorno Giovanna (Jojo's Bizzare Adventure)
• Zakuro Fujiwara / Mew Zakuro (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Friday (New Entry)

• Makia Sakuranomiya (Blend-S) (Returning)
• Doremi Harukaze (Ojamajo Doremi) (NEW)
• Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box) (Returning)
• Nagisa (Assassination Classroom) (NEW)
• Sunraku (Shangri-La Frontier) (Returning)
• Saiki Kusuo (The Diastorus Life of Saiki Kusuo) (NEW)

Saturday (Additional Character)

• Leopold Vermillion (Black Clover) (Returning)
• Chibiusa Tsukino / Sailor Chibi Moon (Sailor Moon) (NEW)
• Renji Abarai (Bleach) (Returning)
• Minato Namikaze (Naruto) (NEW)
• Sailor Galaxia (Sailor Moon) (Returning)
• Hikari Kujou / Shiny Luminous (Pretty Cure) (NEW)

View Poll

1. A cybernetic company manager builds a universe-wiping machine in an effort to save a lost loved one.
   
2. A sailor searches for a treasure, then betrays you later on.
   
3. A mysterious man attacks just because of his social awkwardness.
   
4. A witch causes havoc with blocks.
   
5. A robot creates havoc with blocks.
   
6. You become small because of a skull king.
   
7. Food shortage? Go beat up a penguin.
   
8. C A K E.
   
9. The planet is dying because of darkness, so you travel different planets to wipe it out.
   
10. A big misunderstanding caused by the hero thinking he knows what he’s doing…
    

Let me know how many you get! (it’s painfully easy, I know. Just decided to make a quiz.)

(Author‘ Note: This is my first story. Any writing advice is heavily appreciated. Also I do not have a full understanding of the physics and or total capabilities of any real life technologies presented within the story, but im doing my best in research and understanding their complexities.)
OG Chapter 01: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/s/jF22D3HtX1
Previous: https://www.reddit.com/HFY/s/bhIAJhgC9O
[Next]
 

Location: Groombridge 1618; Current year: 2089

Current time: ; Current in-system location: Unknown

Dervin‘s thoughts were racing. Competing about what should frighten him more.
Should it be the fact that it had been 9 top of the line UTN vessels, that were seemingly destroyed with no effort what so ever or should it be that they had no idea where the enemy vessel even was and what it‘s true capabilities were or lastly, that they were alone with the nearest manned star system being one light year away, but that thought was pointless as FTL-drives were only mounted on destroyer class and higher vessels and even, if they made the trip with their conventional engines it would take 10 years and their oxygen supplies were only made too last for about 4 month, if stretched to emergency rationing that was.
To summarize they were alone, cut of from help, had no ability to flee and forced to fight a highly advanced extraterrestrial threat, that had apparently crushed 9 UTN vessels with ease after having disabled one for more than 20 minutes with only one attack.
When he started looking around the room, still deep in thought, he noticed how everyone in it was experiencing something similar though in their own way.
Crewman Harry seemed paralyzed with fear, unmoving adding to that was the fact that plastered on his face was a mile long stare.
Dervin’s eyes then wandered over to Radioman Jenna. Her face strictly aimed at the screen of her terminal, with her hands pressing the same combination of buttons over and over again. Even though he didn’t know the exact buttons pressed, he could assume what was happening.
She was letting the scanners check and recheck and keep checking, if they didn’t pick up any life sign of the, now classified as destroyed, UTN ships, but she probably knew, that it was a futile action.
Her face was only partially visible to him, but the half he could see, displayed her eyes that were frantically going up and down the screen containing the scanner data as if possessed or wanting to change the reality of the situation through her intense stare alone.
Dervin‘s train of thought abruptly came to a stand still, when he became aware of the words spoken around him, courtesy of his Captain, Levin Renheart, who stood next to his chair, located in the middle of the room. One hand clenched around the back of it to keep himself stationary in the zero-gravity environment.
He was afraid himself. It was palpable in his voice, but at the same time there was a certain determination to fight that fear. Expressed in his eyes. A fire that hadn‘t been put out.
„… I get it sailors. None of you asked for this situation when signing up and most of you never thought it would even happen, but we need to put aside our fear, because we have a duty and I need you to perform this duty. For our loved ones back at home, for our fellow sailors and marines who might die, if we dont act and for our dead sailors, who bravely faced this threat. We need to fight for all of them and this time we need to win, because if we dont warn humanity about this threat then humanity will face dire consequences. So I ask of you Harry, Jenna and Dervin to follow me into battle, will you?“
The captains words resonated in Dervin’s mind slowly eliminating the poison, that was fear and building up and antidote of courage and purpose.
So he did the only thing he thought was right and saluted his captain with the simple words: „ I will sir!“
His actions were first copied by by Radioman Jenna. „It would be an honour sir.“
And lastly by Crewman Harry with a somewhat shaky salute and a distraught voice saying. „I will fight by your side, till the end sir!“
At that Captain Levin returned the salute with his free hand for multiple seconds until he dropped the salute.
In response Dervin and the others stopped theirs as well, but kept their attention on Captain Levin awaiting his next set of orders.
„First of are there anymore systems left, that require repair or restart?“
Dervin, after a short examination of his screen responded: „No sir. All that could be repaired has been, both AASRR drones have reentered the ship and all computer systems have reactivated at this point. Meaning we are as combat ready as we‘ll get.“
„Crewman Harry get ready to deploy any and all weapons mounted on the ship. I want the all safeties off and ready to fire at a moments notice.“
A voice now imbued with renewed vigor acknowledged: „Consider it done, sir.“
„Lastly, Radioman Jenna give me all sensor data focussed on our current location and on any active buoy‘s that could give us an advantage in finding the enemy ship, before it finds us.
Dervin heard a resolute „Sir, yes sir.“
Dervin occupied the following short frame of time by running a simulation on how their amour would stand up to attacks of similar magnitude as the one that hit them before. The results were grim. The computers came to the conclusion that depending on a number of factors such as what was hit and the angle of attack the Around Sol would only be able to take one or at maximum four more hits before being rendered glorified space dust or a floating debris fields.
It was the almost hopeful voice of Jenna that broke the current semi silence: „Sir, we have picked up a radio signal sent out by a sensor probe about 600 light seconds out. Additionally this probe was deployed by the destroyer UTN Wolf359c. Something survived the engagement between the 9 UTN ships and the alien vessel!“

I just finished listening to the Teen Talk for the last episode of Season 2, and hearing about how much self-doubt Anthony felt reading the fan reactions to the second season, I felt the need to post about how much I personally loved Season 2: Legacy.
I am not on this subreddit often because I try to avoid engaging in discourse about a piece of media before I’ve cemented my own opinion about it. I think a lot of people would benefit from doing the same. I don’t even listen to the behind-the-scenes content until I’ve had time to digest the season. And I think if you go into the season fresh, without any preconceived notions about its “flaws,” you’ll have a very different experience with it.
Here are some of the things I loved, in no particular order:

• The pivot from S1 dads to S2 teens was such a boss move, particularly skipping a generation. I would have hated it if they’d just continued playing the S1 dads, even if they’d found a way to make it work mechanically. Getting to hear them play fresh characters with totally new personalities (except Will, who has one speed apparently) and explore new tropes and archetypes, while also getting to see what became of the kids from S1 and all the little mysteries about what happened in the time between the two seasons, made me leave S2 E1 invigorated. My buy-in at that point could not have been any higher.
• Speaking of feeling energized, the S2 theme song is such a bop. Huge improvement over S1 and (IMO) better than S3 as well. It helps make sure every episode ends on a high note.
• Personally, I liked the monster-of-the-week stuff and the structure of the early episodes. In fact, I was bummed that they abandoned it right when it felt like it was starting to find its footing, If they’d stuck with it for a dozen more episodes, I’d have been happy. I liked the later episodes too, but that early stuff where they’re still ostensibly in high school was such a good format that they could’ve explored more. It was basically Buffy meets Sailor Moon.
• Taylor Swift is much more likeable than Glen Close. Freddie is the one cast member who kind of grates on me, and I found him much more palatable this season. And speaking of Taylor, the recap where they did a parody of “One Week” is just flawless — perfectly encapsulating the episode while maintaining all the internal rhymes and polysyllabics of a rap could not have been easy. It also has one of my favorite lyrics ever: “Gotta get Hatsune Miku tunes ’cause that cartoon has got the boom vocaloid voice that gives Taylor a Swifty.”
• I also preferred Linc to Darrell. True to his paladin archetype, he was so pure and earnest, which I think plays to Matt’s comedic strengths (he is hilarious as the straight man, as the stand-up battle demonstrated — more on that later).
• And speaking of that recap, that scene where they played D&D on the Catbus and Scary just kept saying “no” was some of the funniest shit.
• What is more awkward than becoming a stepdad and having your stepson be a “junior”? Becoming a stepchild and having the same name as your new stepfather. Such a good setup.
• Loved Scary’s arc and how she went over to the dark side. It’s a bit tropey but I genuinely was not expecting it. I especially liked that Anthony built up her power level to be so much higher than the rest of the group’s and then made her a villain (or at least ambiguously on the other team).
• As much as I loved Rocks Rock EP, especially the title track, Sophomore Slump actually feels like it works as an album I enjoy listening to in addition to being funny, plus it fleshes out Scary’s character beautifully. So many clever and harrowing lyrics. Beth has a legit great voice for this genre of music, and it probably helps that I tend to like the kind of music they‘re parodying. “The Worst Thing in the World is Hope” could easily have been a Bright Eyes song, and I listen to it on repeat.
• Both episodes in Goof Realm were some of the funniest shit I have ever heard on a podcast, but particularly the stand-up one. It amazes me that Anthony keeps coming up with new and audacious ways to break the game. (And he was robbed of the win in that stand-up competition, although narratively I’m happy the teens won.)
• Dood is one of my favorite NPCs. I loved that they were just this distilled essence of teenage energy — awkward, unsure of themselves, highly suggestible. I also liked where they went with the Doodler leading up to this, but having them take the form of Dood and get embraced by this friend group is just *chef’s kiss*.

There are some little things I would have done differently in S2 (mostly that some story beats felt rushed or a little railroaded), but overall I can’t think of a better way they could have handled it. It was fresh, exciting, took the lore in some intriguing new directions, and the highlights of the season were easily on par with the best moments of Season 1. It’s honestly really impressive they were able to pull all that off, even if it didn’t always pan out the way they’d hoped. I’m personally really glad they tried something new that got them excited as players and creators, as opposed to running the same characters until they or the audience got bored. I loved S1, but we had 69 episodes of the S1 dads — a nice, round number. They had a complete story arc. I’m happy those characters are pretty much in the vault, except for cameos and live shows, and that they get to play around with new characters and new plotlines.
Season 3 feels very different so far, but I have a lot of faith in this team and I’m sure it’ll be brilliant too.

**Our Philosophy: The WTF Experience**
We're an all-welcoming community focused on nontoxic fun, and to chill with cool people. An experience unlike most, we focus heavily on a fun, active, and positive environment for all and embrace both solo and party gameplay. Our unique guild paths allow you to play your way and get higher weekly pay if you choose, but you're not locked into or out of anything! Everything is optional! We think PVE and PVP are both fun and should coexist and complement each other, as Yin and Yang. Our open-world PVP isn't aggressive and we take a more relaxed approach to node wars. We focus on raising personal skill and having fun, not being the best. By fusing our atmosphere and guild focus, with no requirement node wars, we craft an unforgettable experience. Both in node wars and out.
**Requirements:**
* Discord (Mic Optional)
* Be Active
* Not Toxic
* Just have fun!
**Benefits:**
* Relaxed Atmosphere
* Active Community
* Contribution Based Pay
* All Guild Skills
* Learn Node Wars
* Custom Guild Events
* Progression Goals
* Guild Hall of Fame
* Member Help
* All Welcome! LGBTQIA2S+ Inclusive
Activities We Enjoy: Something to do Every Day
[NA / PC / Midcore / PVX] WTF Guild is Recruiting!
**PVE** Sea Hunting, Sailing Dailies, Vell, Khan, Atoraxxion, Guild & World Bosses, Grind & Scroll Groups, Guild Missions, Custom Events.
**PVP** Node War, Guild RBF, PvP Training, Tournaments, GvG, Custom PvP Events.
Choose A Guild Path: Change Paths Anytime!
**General Path:** The standard guild path! If you're new, or just aren't much into node wars / sea hunting, this is the path for you!
**War Path (Must attend 1 guild hosted PVP event a week):** The path of bloodshed! Node Wars, Guild Wars: it doesn't matter! You live and breathe PvP.
**Sailor's Path (Galleass / Caravel+):** The path of the sailor! Bartering, Sea Hunts, or just exploring her vastness. You're most at home in the sea.
Join us via Discord: [https://discord.gg/sYbdwgb3Ju\](https://discord.gg/sYbdwgb3Ju)