Ear fullness

https://archive.is/6GNWI
In her first foray into local politics, Nicole Gough won Monday’s Town Election to fill a one-year term on the Selectboard, besting Earl Sweat, a member of the Board of Assessors Gough won by only 26 votes, earing 123 votes to Sweat’s 97. A total of 235 of Phillipston’s 1,410 registered voters – just under 17% – turned out for Monday’s election.
Both candidates were running to complete the remaining year on the term of former board member Dan Sanden, who resigned in January for personal reasons.
Contacted Tuesday morning, Gough said she was “so excited” to get Town Clerk Karin Foley’s call Monday night informing her of her victory.
“I’m still in a bit of shock,” she said. “I honestly wasn’t really expecting this to happen my first time as a candidate. I now have a lot of responsibility on my plate, but I look forward to the challenges. I also look forward to getting to know the people of Phillipston better and of bringing some new ideas to the board. I’m excited for this next chapter and intend to represent the people of the town to the best of my ability.”
Gough will join current Selectboard Chair Bernie Malouin, who was unopposed in his bid for re-election to a full three-year term, and board member Gerhard Fandreyer. There were no other contested races on Monday’s ballot.
Voters defeated a proposed $175,000 Proposition 2 ½ override by a vote of 89-145. As a result, town officials must now determine how best to trim down the approximately $2.7 million FY25 budget approved at the recent Annual Town Meeting.
The amount that needs to be cut is less than the $175,000 sought through the override. At Town Meeting a building/groundskeeper position – which paid $35,000 a year – was cut and Administrative Assistant Melanie Jackson’s annual salary was reduced by nearly $13,000.
Jackson said the Selectboard and Finance Committee have scheduled joint meetings for May 23, 30, and June 6 to determine how and where to make the necessary cuts. If all goes according to plan, a Special Town Meeting will be held on June 26, just four days before the start of the new fiscal year.

I haven’t been officially diagnosed by a physician, but I have had problems with my left ear since mid February. It started off very uncomfortable with a lot of autophony and now it’s just mild discomfort.
After a very basic initial examination, my ent called it eustachian tube dysfunction and said I’d just have to live with it - which, I am not accepting.
The most significant thing about what I’m dealing with is - a constant feeling of fullness that fluctuates in severity. I notice most of the fluctuation isn’t random but will get worse depending on my diet. If I eat something high in fat - particularly dairy like butter or ice cream - then my ear will feel REALLY full for a few hours.
If I physically exert myself, I get pulsatile sensations.
It seems to go away when I lay down.
I also experience some autophony - but these days it’s only if I play around with it and hum loudly at different intensities - then I hear myself in that echoey way plus I get a pulse sound that is in sync with my pulse. And this tends to be positional - if I stand up super straight while humming it goes away and if I turn my head sometimes it goes away too. It’s super weird!
I was thinking it was caused by gerd or Tmj or a mix of those? I’ve been stressed out since January and find myself clenching my jaw sometimes. The gerd is being investigated and handled by a gi - since starting a PPI and nasal spray it has improved but not fully gone away

Species: Domestic medium hair - Age: ~1 year - Sex/Neuter: Male/Neutered - Weight: ~4.5 kg
Very long, so tl/dr: Skittish cat got very stressed by stranger staying at house overnight and I think felt trapped where he was (closet all night). Once found and isolated, kept intermittently panting for a little over an hour, slowly decreasing over time. Was acting fairly normal apart that (eating, drinking, litter box), and previous bloodwork/x-rays/pro-BNP were normal. Is this length of time after such a long stressful event normal, especially when there were pauses? Stranger is staying the night again (medical emergency) so I plan on putting him in a closed bedroom with Feliway.
Video link; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pf39S6Bjcp74PQKf0b9nFltFvetzh1uV/view?usp=sharing
More details (but long);
Cat is extremely skittish around strangers. My father slept over last night on a mattress on the main floor of our townhome and of course, the cat hid under my bed but seemed fine when I went to sleep (had brought litter box, watefood in the room). Shortly after, he headed downstairs and only when I woke up did I realize he hadn't come back which was odd for him. Found him in the hallway closet facing the wall tightly wedged between two recycling boxes, so it looked like he spent the majority of the night terrified there (I feel AWFUL).
Ran back to the bedroom and after my father left, I was able to coax him out with a Churu and then noticed he was panting like a dog. It was sort of intermittent, where he would stop to eat, or drink, or groom himself, but then start again - so like 10-15 seconds on and then 10-15 seconds off. It is warmer in the bedroom but not all that hot and I did try to cool him down with water and a cold towel on his paws and ears. He had full bloodwork before he was neutered last October including a pro-BNP test (not the SNAP, the quantitative Cardiopet), which was within normal, as well as x-rays in January due to an unrelated event (gastro) that included the chest and abdomen and were clear so I felt this was more stress than a more serious issue? I've seen a cat go into respiratory distress, and the cat looked bad with strong abdominal breathing and clear distress, whereas he seemed pretty normal apart that and acting skittish and a bit, er, emotionally distressed. Didn't want to rush him somewhere and stress him more for no reason so I just stayed with him and monitored him and the panting slowed down becoming less frequent and in shorter segments but it took a little over an hour to completely stop at which he stayed under the bed for another 30 minutes and then he was out and pretty much completely acting like himself. Is that length of time to calm down normal if the stressful event was all night? I'm planning on putting him in the closed bedroom tonight from the start, setting up an A/C, and I got a Feliway Optimum plugin, but I feel absolutely terrible (and worried!). Just wondering if this sort of thing is still within the realm of "possible due to stress" or what.
Thank you if you read this and thank you for any comments.

Hello everyone!! I’ve been non stop reading threads about online Masters Degrees in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Programs and I’ve created a spreadsheet of accredited schools that offer online programs. Most (but not all) of the threads I’ve found are about a year old or older. I know- there’s a lot of disagreement on whether online is a decent option, but I work full time and homeschool my kiddo so there’s only the evenings and weekends. So it is what it is. I’m also not trying to spend over $50k if I can help it, but quality of education and reputation are important to me.
My only hang up in my research so far is- how do I find out/ figure out if research & studies in psychedelics is something they offer or are open to? I’d really love to earn my masters from a school that sees this as a positive (if that is something that exists). I have personally dug into research about psychedelics quite a bit and plan on being a facilitator in my state if/when it’s legal because I truly see this as the future of therapy. For reference- I’m in Melbourne Beach, Florida, so if there’s schools near here with excellent online programs that won’t bankrupt me, I’m all ears! Or- if you just know of a great online program please feel free to drop that here too! Thank you all so much! 💕

The Truth was an anthology in the truest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It is kind of surreal that it is gone now.
I recently did a partial review of The Truth on my blog, and I thought I’d share it with you guys here.
The Truth is an anthology of nearly 200 episodes spanning a wide variety of genres. It billed itself as movies for the ears, and it certainly lived up to that description. Now, it is true that quite a few audio dramas fit that description, but you have to consider the context that The Truth occurred in. The first episode of The Truth premiered way back in 2011. The indie audio drama community was still very much in its infancy. Fiction podcasts tended to be short story readings like StarShipSofa or Lightspeed Magazine. If you were lucky, you might get something like The Drabblecast, with music and sound-effects added to the mix. The Truth was a full-cast show, performed rather than read, and with immersive sound-effects and music.
The Truth was an anthology in the purest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It spanned multiple genres and styles. The early years did tend to be a bit more experimental in terms of material. I had the opportunity to chat with series creator Jonathan Mitchell. Jonathan described these early episodes as scenes rather than stories. True, they are certainly shorter than later episodes, but that’s hardly a bad thing. Each of them was like a snapshot into a different life, and they were certainly memorable snapshots. I’m not the only one who is of this opinion. Many episodes from this era of The Truth were featured on various programs such as All Things Considered, Weekend America, Planet Money, This American Life, and Studio 360. Eventually, the need to pay the bills came knocking. So, the episodes began to favor longer stories in order to provide more space for ad breaks. Now, some people say this was the era when The Truth went into decline. Personally, I strongly disagree. There were still many quality episodes being produced.
The real decline, ironically, was around the time The Truth celebrated its tenth anniversary. Well, maybe not entirely ironically. I have noticed that many anthology podcasts tend to start going stale around the ten year mark. It was at this point the misses started to outnumber the hit. Now, to be fair, there were still a few diamonds in the rough. That being said, it was clear that the writers’ well of inspiration was starting to run dry. The episodes also increasingly had the same feel to them. The decline of The Truth didn’t come with a bang, but with a whimper.
It is certainly sad that the curtain has finally fallen on The Truth. No show can last forever. Eventually, if you smolder well past your time, you will see a steady decline in quality. In the immortal words of Harvey Dent, you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I certainly hope that The Truth is always remember for what it was, rather than the decline it saw during its final season.
And that, my friends, is what this review is all about. We are going to celebrate The Truth in all its myriad ways. From those early “snapshots of a life” episodes, to the more full-length episodes. We will also look at a few less than stellar episodes. They can make for a good teaching moment about what not to do.
Okay, all well and good, but what about science fiction? Well, I have reviewed three episodes that invovle science fiction.
“Moon Graffiti” is an alternate history tale. It is set in a world where The Eagle lander of Apollo 11 crash landed on the Moon. We follow Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin musing on life as they wait for their oxygen to run out.
“Brain Chemistry” follows a man named Richard. He was cryogenically preserved, but he’s been revived. The future isn’t quite what he expected. Oh, climate change is a bit of an issue, but the people are nice enough. Unfortunately, Richard, and others like him, could only be revived as a brain in a jar. He spends his days as an exhibit in a museum. He tells visitors, usually kids on field trips, about what the 21st Century was like. One day, he meets another cryonically preserved brain named Casey. Richard hasn’t had much to look forward to in a long time, but Casey lights up his world. They might be a couple of brains in jars, but they’ve got serious chemistry.
“Fish Girl” follows a girl named Win who has the ability to talk to fish. She befriends a porcupine pufferfish named Jane. Jane lives at an aquarium store, but longs to see the ocean. Win can’t do that, but she can take her down to the pond. Safely in a plastic bag, of course. It’s sure to be the adventure of a lifetime for them both.
This is merely part one. I’ll be making a part two, so be on the lookout for that in the near future. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s part three eventually.
Like I said, this just the start. More to come in the future.
Link to the full review is over here: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-audio-file-truth-part-1.html?m=0

Hi everyone!
I'm 21F and about two weeks ago I started to experience neck pain and then full-on head pains. I am a first-time experiencer of migraines (from what I believe it to be) It has been throbbing, stabbing, pressure, everything you can imagine. I went to the ER and they gave me a migraine cocktail which completely cleared it up for about a day and then it came back. I have basically tried everything. Resting a bunch, drinking water, hot and cold compresses, muscle relaxants prescribed, steroid pack, OTCs, naproxen. I went to see my PCP last week and she said it's probably a tension headache from recent extreme stress from what I have been experiencing but it doesn't seem like it. I also have ear ringing, dizziness, twitching, and muscle spasms. I am thankfully seeing a neurologist on Friday but I was just wondering if there is anything I can try in the meantime or if possibly anyone has experienced something similar. Thanks!

A gentlle whisper as soft as a summer breeze creeps into existence “Your mom is a hoe.”
Fredo the Crimson Fleet Corsair whirls around on his heels pointing the muzzle of his Kraken in the general area of the noise. All he sees is Jorge The Gordo leaning against a stack of recently purloined cases of UC assault rifles. He calms down after a bit and goes back to drinking and thinking about murder.
Once again the whisper arrives without warning “You’ve got a 230 credit rating. You owe credits to mother fuckers in the future you haven’t even met yet.”
Fredo slaps at his thigh holster and pulls the deadly machine pistol free. You can call his mom a hoe but you never EVER bring up his poor credit rating. Jorge The Gordo is standing quietly by thinking about sandwiches when small caliber bullets begin tearing through his third hand spacesuit. The lifeless body now stitched full of holes bounces gently away in the low gravity environment. A few pirates investigate the disturbance but considering Fredo kills people all the time this is within the norm.
Feeling at ease now the violator has been dealt with Fredo loads a fresh mag into the hungry magazine well of his Kraken. He begins thinking of Red Trench and Paradiso prostitutes, and also sandwiches.
The whispers are back yet this time they fall on other ears…
“You’re Wight is a floating pile of failure wrapped in a blanket of sadness”
“When you fire your Orion you look like an idiot.” (They can’t all be successful rolls…)
“Delgado makes fun of your accent when you’re not around.”
“You can’t maintain an erection.”
A bullet impacts the fibrasteel superstructure of the outpost next to Fredos head. Instinctively he drops to a knee, pulls his pistol, and scans for targets without thinking. Two of his former comrades have begun firing at his position from a distance. He does a right combat roll which looks magical in low gravity and rattles off a burst while sliding behind cover. The Kraken bucks and kicks in his hand, he knows all of his rounds went wide however it did slow the advance of the opposition which was its intent. He reloads and swings around the other end of the cover and catches them dead to rights. Bullets quietly zip into the nearest target killing him instantly. As his target falls his muscles contract and he clutches the trigger on his Maelstrom and empties the magazine towards Fredo. Quickly launching himself into cover saves his life if only for a few more moments.
Fredo reaches for another magazine to only realize there are no more. He pulls a Rattler from a boot holster and clutches it dearly. He can hear nothing but his screaming heartbeat in the cold vacuum of Titan. He notices the shadows of a rifle break the corner of his cover and charges it catching it under his arm. His attacker rattles off most of a mag and then Fredo shoved his backup pistol underneath the helmeted head and pulls the trigger seven times. The first three had little to no effect on the heavily armored spacesuit however the last four were more than enough to get the job done. He snatches the Maelstrom out of the air before it can float away and tips his head down to do a quick press check.
“Good.” He thought as the weapon was still loaded with at least ten rounds or so and chambered. As soon as he looked up from the weapon his vision went black.
The Razorbacks recoil was tripled in low gravity and ended its deadly arc of recoil at the twelve o clock position above Mavis’ head. As she looks at the lifeless body spinning end over end she wonders how she will spin this to Delgado. The Razorback as still on his downward return arc from the recoil when her upper body is removed from the lower half.
The Starborn looks up from the scope on his Magsniper 500 meters away.
“Excellent shot sir! What am I saying they are all excellent shots! I would wager you’ve never had a bad shot.” The adoring fan rants.

Unfortunately, i have had no improvements until now. And it is quite unlikely there will be any considering it has been 5+ months. For reference, i lost above 5khz - almost a straight drop to 0 but no impact under that. So not enough to impact speech etc - but fairly severe for music etc feeling all out of balance. I am also very sound sensitive - so my brain does not adapt and remains aware and irritated constantly.
But, as with most SSHL, there is no real medical test to find out the actual cause, besides the audiometry/tympanometry.
I did read up more papers etc on the topic to find out more about it, and i did come to a conclusion of potential causes.
I just had a laser eye surgery and was in recovery. I was on antibiotics, both orally and eye drops. I got COVID-19 (some newer variant, vaccine didn't help) at that time.
Covid-19 is known to cause or increase the risk of SSHL. Many antibiotics are ototoxic - unfortunately, i'm not entirely sure if the two i was taking were of that class.
And lastly - i had been on SSRI (Escitalopram) for a year now - and recently had increased dosage to 15mg (for anxiety).
SSRI and other antidepressants are also a SSHL risk factor.
So in summary - i may have been under triple risk factor.
I recently stopped SSRI - tapering off, stopping last week. So i have withdrawal (the full set of brain zaps, "resets" etc). But interestingly, i also have auditory "zaps" in my right ear. Kind of like radio when you get those loud random statics while dialling. It is only in my left ear, where i have constant tinnitus. This kind of proves further that SSRI has an effect on hearing - and tinnitus/SSHL likely just amplifies the effect.
Would be magical if after 2-3 weeks of SSRI withdrawal i had some improvement, but that is just a wishful thinking. Bop hopefully some of the in lab stem cell experiments etc to restore damaged cochlea/nerve will improve in the coming years.

It all started with a dream night, the end of which was the end of my world. It was 8:00 pm the full moon and the weather was a little cool, rainy and wet my hair, it was the end of spring, and we would enter the dark autumn a little bit pleasant, so California had the last celebration of spring, let's say the last celebration of my life. It was a celebration in the middle of the city, the streets were closed and there were lights. There were also fireworks that night. I couldn't believe I was sleeping or waking up with a friend of mine, Alex, who was late, had called him, didn't pick up his phone, I thought I'd have a drink while Alex was coming, I walked into the party, it was so crowded, it was like I was being crushed between two trucks, but it was worth it. Everyone was wearing a costume for someone they loved. I was a gamer، I wore a hitman suit with a red tie and a mask that showed my head bald with a barcode tattoo that I had behind me، just like Agent 47 and a silencer gun that wasn't real but very much like the real one on my back. I like it and doesn't bother me. On the contrary, most people who don't like clothes that are tight and they look stifling to them, by the way, I said that the red tie reminds me of blood I like blood, but not like a vampire to drink it. My drink was ready because I had ordered a special one, and it took a while until Alex arrived, I told him why you didn't answer your phone, he said I was in the crowd, I didn't hear him, I told him he was drinking, he said, "Yeah, I ordered a drink for Alex, like me, and they were going to start the fireworks for another hour, I didn't drink much because I wanted to remember the fireworks that night. I don't know why I had a feeling that it would be the last fireworks of my life, we talked to Alex for about half an hour before we went to school because I was interested in basketball, and I was on the school team, and I wanted the future career to be basketball, but Alex wasn't very interested in basketball and he just watched my games. One day when he came to watch me play he gave me so much energy that we won the game that we were 50 points behind and it was impossible to win, Alex would have been a joy and savior for me and I would have been a depressed person without him. On the one hand, the memories of the past were really beautiful and on the other hand, sad that they are over and are not going to come back Alex and I know each other from high school. People say college friends stay for you and high school friendships don't last, but they are wrong because Alex and I were so tight that we could say that we couldn't be separated once we were in seventh grade, Alex and I were in the seventh grade. We were talking a lot in class when the teacher took us out of the classroom and said that because they talk a lot about each other, I want to take your classes apart and it's not your first time we've asked her not to, but she didn't pay attention to us. And we talked to our mother to come and talk to our teacher, and finally they could satisfy it, but even if they couldn't, I wouldn't have been able to tell them that much.It was serious for me that I was even willing to change our schools Somehow, if it wasn't for Alex, I wouldn't be there either. Reviewing these memories gave me a good feeling, but after that Alex told me that Ash's life was coming to an end. Cursed fireworks. My hand went to the trigger, but my gun was not real, and I killed my best friend without realizing it (that's why I shot at that time because the sound of the gun didn't come out and people didn't notice, I know my gun had a silencer, but it doesn't do anything wrong) When the fireworks were over, I couldn't see the crowd anymore, I didn't know why, until a voice whispered in my ear saying, "get up, it's over, you won." The game was real and memorable. That night was the last night in the world for me because I have never found another game like this game, but all the details were observed and all my memories were true. I said to myself that this game should not read my subconscious mind and this happened. Really, until this thought came to my mind, I entered another place of the game again, as if I had entered a new stage and I had to kill another person. I was stuck in the game and time had no meaning for me anymore. I had no way back except to search. I could go out there. After completing one of the 10 stages, I heard a voice in my ear again, as if it was saying that I made you, you are one of the characters in the game. I realized there that I was just a game bot and my home was right here and my creator was so right that for once I experienced the feeling of a human being.The creator of the game shut down the game servers forever because every game has a death time and I had been living for many years but I didn't know that I died that night but the memory that my creator has of me is enough because that reason makes me I think I'm still alive

This is a crossover fanfiction between original fiction titles: Nature of Predators by SpacePaladin15 and The Last Angel by Proximal Flame respectively. All credit and rights reserved goes to them for making such amazing science fiction settings that I wanted to put this together.
You can read The Last Angel here: Be warned, it's decently long, and at its third installment so far. I highly suggest reading it before reading this, or this story will not make sense.

Otherwise, enjoy the story! Thanks again to u/jesterra54 and u/skais01 for beta and checking of work!
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Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, Federation Fleet Command
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
What I was doing was risky.
I kept thinking this, as I prepared to spring the idea I worked on. I had Samantha and Carlos look into acquiring a shuttlecraft, for the purposes of infiltrating Aafa. It took a day and a half longer than the UN's initial start date, but I promised them it was worth it. They believed that, and set to work on getting one through their few Venlil resources in the UN. Now that it was in my hands, I was on a trip to Aafa, alone, with no backup or human handlers to my name. They believed I wasn't a flight risk...a mistake on their part, but in a way, I was still performing their goal.
I was still suspicious of Federation governance, even before the humans took stage on the galactic scene. The Sivkit's refugee crisis turnaway, the Krakotl's military extortionate practice, the Federation was full of shady characters who ought to be exposed. I was even working on a source towards what I thought was frivolous and mismanaged Kolshian military spending budgets, but it was interrupted by the human's arrival, and I had set it to the wayside.
Though, neither of those were supposedly leaked by 'me'. Cilany was the one who put it into proper public eye, even if I was her source...
How I wish I could have her here with me, her sharp skill for coercion and interrogation of valuable info in interrogation and interview alike. But the colony she was on was under siege by the Arxur, who struck while the Federation fleet had gone to Earth. All the more fuel for the fire of my suspicions...
I could only hope that Cilany, and by extension the rest of the people there would hold out despite their actions against the humans. None deserved the Arxur thrust upon them.
It would have been far too risky to try and stop by a planet under siege by the Arxur. I would be, at best, blown to smithereens without hesitation, and at worst...eugh...don't think about it, don't think about it!
Plus, I didn't want to give any human assets an idea on my plans currently. I was already going behind their back on this, betraying their trust on this front.
If my hunch is correct, then the Arxur might be coordinating with them, and by extension, feeding info about Federation homeworlds back in their twisted little game. Seeing me pop up in a report would turn heads.
I'm sorry Humanity, but this is for your own good. You cannot trust the Arxur, and the only way we can prevent your manipulation by their Dominion is through convincing a proper attack on them from the Greater Commonwealth.
But now, I found myself on a course to Aafa, alone, all on my lonesome, seeking to do something akin to Noah, but to the most powerful person in the galaxy one-on-one...Nikonus. I felt my ability to pull rank and my reputation would precede me better than the predatory reception of humanity, even though they didn't deserve it. This was a pragmatic decision, not an emotional one…
The trip was not very eventful, roughly [6 days] one way in a ship with as underpowered of a FTL drive as this, but I was trying to sell an infiltration mission, not a courier one. I wouldn't have my claws on anything top-of-the-line for speed in a shuttle. But as my ship hit disruptor fields in-system, and I got a ping from Gunships asking for classic hailing codes, intent to visit, and the like, I sent a message that likely would have shocked their crew.
"This is Captain Sovlin of Federation Fleet Command. I have escaped human custody, and need to request an audience with Nikonus."
WARNING: Formatting of memory transcription non-standard, conversion may cause loss of data. Do you wish to continue?
[Yes]
Memory transcription subject: Chief Nikonus of the Kolshian Commonwealth
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
I walked the outer rungs of the capital gardens, looking for relief to the mounds of bureaucratic paperwork back in-office. A good walk could clear ones mind of most stresses every now and then, and given the circumstances nowadays, I think a longer one is in order.
The Affliaf blooms are quite vibrant today. That's a good omen, for what it's worth...
With the state of the galaxy in a comprehensive deadlock over what to do with humanity, I had to take to some under-the-table talks with Nishtal's military. While the Kolshian Commonwealth was not publically for humanity's invitation into the Federation, they were clearly vocal that they did not wish for the problem to be removed, so to speak. And so, I had to get my tentacles dirty planting seeds of inspiration to some military leaders in and around the Krakotl Alliance. They, thankfully took the predator threat as seriously as they ought to, and mobilized to rid ourselves of the pests.
It should have simply ended there. Humanity should have been exterminated, status quo restored, the whole cropland tilled. But no, a fleet of twenty-thousand failed to even kill a fledgling space-faring species like humanity! Even with the Venlil Space Corps on their side, the battle should have been a wash! And the worst part, was that the true believers on Venlil Prime were giving me garbage intelligence on the matter.
'A ship of unknown origin swooped in and saved humanity? One that was unheard of up to this point'? No, a wad of ectolan spulk, there was no chance it was humanity keeping something in reserve that could even the tide! They likely were feeding false data to their allies, the manipulative little apes. No, humanity being saved stunk of the Dominion's play, and that was worrisome.
Did Giznel and his lackeys go back on our deal, seeing blood in the water? I knew we groomed a deal out of Betterment that'd give them all the wrong ideas...
Needless to say, I had to now figure out where to start on approaching them and confirming our deal was still on the table, and to cease and desist assistance with humanity at once. If they didn't want to play ball anymore, we'd have to consider some Shadow Fleet excursions to pave a path for a public route to invasion. That would change the whole dynamic of the Federation's control structures, and was absolutely not the path this great galactic Commonwealth should go.
So now, I am stuck in a dilemma. Do I assume Giznel and the Dominion are still in on the deal, and haven't made allies with humanity in the backdrop, or do I take the only opportunity we get, and start mounting an offensive while the Dominion's unprepared.
Decisions, decisions...
Not long into my musings, an aide contacted me over holo-prompt. Odd, I didn't have anything scheduled this soon, and central planning proceedings weren't set to start up again until the following day, what was it?...
"Chief Nikonus. There's been a development on the outer edge of the system. Bulwark Patrol states that a shuttlecraft of Venlil-make warped in, one individual alone on scans. They identified itself as Captain Sovlin, seeking refuge from human captivity."
Oh dear. That's not anything I could have expected. The last thing I need right now is more complications...but that wording...
"Why hasn't he been boarded and processed yet? I am hardly the first authority to come to for a asylum dispute."
"He asked for you specifically, your graciousness. Said to request an audience with utmost urgency."
"Is that so?...Hmm." I am currently free of responsibilities for a solid chunk of time. While I did not know Sovlin personally, his record spoke for himself. If he truly was escaping human custody, it was likely he found something out about them that they shared by accident, not knowing he wasn't loyal to them.
If he's come here for the reason I think he might've, there's a very real chance...
"Send him my way as soon as possible then. He's lucky I can spare an audience now."
...that said opportunity has just walked itself right into my garden.
Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, Federation Fleet Command
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
There was thankfully little fanfare or media attention in bringing my shuttle in. The decision to come alone clearly disarmed their initial worries of human sympathizing or terrorist actions, and soon enough, I found myself amongst an escort of soldiers to Aslou's government district.
I had been to Aafa various times throughout my life. In my tenure as captain, you tend to visit the homeworlds of the larger species at least once in a lifetime, if not several. Most times were not very exciting or noteworthy...but this time, the visit felt downright off.
The gardens were as beautiful as ever, but there were little walking them. The Songbedas were oddly quiet, making an unsettling atmosphere. The population out in the outer and medial rungs of the city split to make way for my escort, as if expecting trouble on their doorstep should they draw attention.
Given what happened with humanity, I wouldn't put it past them. Why is it so...empty?
It was forced to be pushed aside as we finally reached the inner rings of the Capitol Spire. A gleam ran up into the heavens, and a sequence of block outcroppings spun around the structure, green architecture patterns spiraled up and up. It was a beautiful idol of the dedication of megalithic engineering and urban planning of the Kolshian Commonwealth. Under any other circumstances, I would have once felt comfortable walking under its shadow, but now I felt only unease at being in its monolithic shade.
Across from us, not far up the steps leading to the Capitol Spire, was Nikonus and his guards. They were clearly waiting for me. Nikonus looked pleased to see me, somehow. Was there no clear indicator...?
Does he trust my cover?
"Captain Sovlin, your reputation precedes you! I could have sworn you were interred so deep you weren't getting out. Yet, you say you broke out?"
Here goes nothing. Make it believable, Sovlin...
"I...yes, your graciousness. After I was imprisoned on Venlil Prime, the humans kept trying to get me to turn on the Federation. They were convincing, but my loyalties ultimately lie in this government, Chief Nikonus." I put my chest into the last bit of the statement, trying to give emphasis.
He seemed to mull on that for a split second, before he made a gesture to follow him. "We may talk more about your escape inside. I assume what you have meant to say to me is not for public ears?" He glanced about, subtly tilting his head out at the few gathered crowds out and about Aslou's Capitol District. Given how open and flat the area was, with the slightest elevation, you could practically see for [kilometers].
He was right on that. My suspicions would not be for the general public to hear, lest it cause a panic. "Yes. It would not do for the media to run wild with. It could cause unrest."
The Kolshian's eyes seemed to glint at that. "On that, you and I can agree. Come, to my offices." Him and his troop started up the stairs, and I followed soon after, my 'escorts' following closely behind. I could not yet tell whether I was actually in good trust with Chief Nikonus, or whether he was playing up the kindly elder act. Politicians were always shifty like that...
We walked a long way, took several lifts to reach the original Kolshian suites of the Capitol Spire. Passing through halls of elaborate aquatic decor, and indoor habitats, we approached our destination: Chief Nikonus' personal office.
He waved away all but two guards to stand outside the office, as we walked in. As he sat down, and the door closed, the visual look of the Kolshian shifted. His old, elderly demeanor sharpened to a politics-honed edge. The tone of the room felt far more off.
"I hope you know how much your position here is troubling, Sovlin." His voice had none of the kindness it held before. In its place, laid a piercing tone of seriousness. "If I'm anticipating right, you came here with distinctly bad news, given the state of galactic politics and military scuffles. That is...if I can even trust your story at all." He got up from his chair in a way that betrayed none of his age from before, and began to pace.
Or was his earlier light hobbling also just a disarming act?
"I mean really, you mean to tell me you turned yourself in to humanity for 'crimes against sentience', and then go back on your self-inflicted punishment? All so you could come to Aafa to let me know of something I'm already decently certain I know of before you even tell me? Your loyalty in question is a mind game Sovlin. I do not appreciate mind games. You'd best get to your point quickly and succinctly."
There was a chilling quality to that statement. I did not want to see what lied on the end of that thinly veiled threat.
A hitch came to my throat, but I pushed through the discomfort. "I...Chief Nikonus...I do not revoke my feelings about humanity's sentience, but neither do I revoke my faith in the Federation's dream. Despite their predator biology, they are capable of empathy and care for things outside what we'd consider stereotypical predatory behavior. They still deserve a chance at being within the galactic community, of being part of the Federation; no matter what preconceptions are of predators, they are clearly different. But, there's something we distinctly missed about humanity, and I think the Arxur are making an attempt to exploit it."
WARNING: Formatting of memory transcription non-standard, conversion may cause loss of data. Do you wish to continue?
[Yes]
Memory transcription subject: Chief Nikonus of the Kolshian Commonwealth
Date [standardized human time]: October 24, 2136
"You've seen the empathy tests, right?" Sovlin mentioned. Of course I had, it was only the thing that had kept me from having their ambassador Noah shot on the spot, where was he going with this?
"Yes, I have. Are you saying there isn't empathy for them?"
"No, Chief Nikonus. They are just as empathic as before. The problem is in how they use it. If a protective instincts in herbivore's is to block the danger from the person, then a predator's instincts is to remove the danger."
Huh?
"I'm not seeing the problem here, Sovlin. Aggression versus protection is a choice all sentients can make, even if one is uncouth for most herbivores to make."
But my rebuttal didn't shake his look any. No, there was mortification interwoven throughout it still.
"Follow with me here, still. The human's empathic desires to latch onto anything as a companion is an odd case, but a documented one. They are looking for friends among the cosmos, and given the first thing they found was the Venlil, they took to them immediately. When they found the Federation, they too attempted to befriend us. And over the Cradle, despite our best efforts to dissuade them, they were curious of the Arxur too. I would know, I was there."
Hmm, so the humans have been making some attempt at contacting The Dominion. Given their Prophet's Word, and their temperament for predators, they likely would act receptive if given some chance. More fuel to the fire...
I motioned him on further. "They...interrogated a Arxur above the cradle. They told them of how Federation first contact went; how the Arxur were starved by the Federation releasing a bioweapon, and how it lead them into conflict during the uplift."
I walked over to my desk, and sat down. My tentacle hovered over a concealed sidearm underneath the lip, just in case. "And...did you believe what that Arxur said was true, Sovlin?..."
Sovlin sighed in denial. "No, your graciousness...but I'm afraid...the humans do." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he talked. "The Arxur have picked up on a weakness we didn't see, Chief Nikonus. Likely due to them being predators themselves. They know humanity is a pack predator, so they're seeking to manipulate the humans onto their side using their empathy."
I brought my tentacles away from the gun while I considered, because this was only meaning one thing.
Those bastards ARE going back on the deal! Sovlin, your loyalty has just saved me a world of hurt...
But before I could get a word in edgewise, he continued. "They are using the empathy the humans latch on with to some effect. Given the choice between a galaxy that shuns and tries to kill their species, and a fellow predator lending a claw in the interim, why would they pick anything but the Arxur? Why wouldn't they pick self-preservation?"
Sovlin looked at me with a worried face. I shared in the worry too, the long-term survival of the Federation was unraveling from the worst case scenario. "The humans might be coaxed into cruelty as bad as the Arxur because of that. We missed how their empathy was their bloodlust. And now the Arxur are here to collect on our mistakes."
This is bad. While we had some agreement beforehand with the Dominion, the human's existence on the galactic stage changes the game. The Dominion would look to seek true control of everything, rather than just playing even with us. The [Prisoner's Dilemma] is broken.
...But there is still a solution. And Sovlin proved himself loyal enough to help with it.
I turned back to him, trying to assuage his worries. "Sovlin, while this is very bad news, there is a solution that the galaxy isn't considering here."
Sovlin piped up. "Yes. We'd need to form an intense first strike on Wriss itself, to devastate the head of their government, and collapse their attempts to indoctrinate humanity. Humanity might protest, but it would be for their own good that the Arxur fails to get their claws on them. From there, we can try to reestablish friendly connections, even as strained and painful as they are..."
Oh, you poor naive fool Sovlin. Don't worry, there is a better way.
I enabled a soundproofing field interladen in the walls of my office, for what came next was sensitive. "Not...quite Captain Sovlin, a good plan, and one that will be considered soon. But...what if I told you, there was a way to remove that fellow predator’ link?..."
First Prev Next (soon)

The Truth was an anthology in the purest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It spanned multiple genres and styles. It billed itself as movies for the ears, and it certainly lived up to that description. Now, it is true that quite a few audio dramas fit that description, but you have to consider the context that The Truth occurred in. The first episode of The Truth premiered way back in 2011. The indie audio drama community was still very much in its infancy. Fiction podcasts tended to be short story readings like StarShipSofa or Lightspeed Magazine. If you were lucky, you might get something like The Drabblecast, with music and sound-effects added to the mix. The Truth was a full-cast show, performed rather than read, and with immersive sound-effects and music.
There are over 200 episodes to choose from, but since this is a spaceflight subreddit, I wanted to highlight one episode in particular.
“Moon Graffiti” is an alternate history piece about the Apollo 11 mission. In this story, The Eagle comes in for a crash landing on the Moon. The lander’s capsule is damaged in such a way that it can’t launch into orbit. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are stranded on the Moon until their oxygen runs out. After that, they will go down in history as the first men to die on the Moon. They take their remaining time to chat and muse about the nature of life and mortality.
This was the very first episode of The Truth ever, and they certainly started out of the gate strong. As you might imagine, the alternate history premise piqued my interest. This scenario was very much a concern during the real Apollo 11 mission. In fact, President Richard Nixon had a speech prepared just in case Armstrong and Aldrin became stranded on the Moon. The speech is actually read at the very end of the episode. The actor sounds nothing like Nixon, but he certainly captures the emotion of the speech. Ironically, there was a memorial to the victims of the Apollo 1 fire included with the other equipment on the lander.
What would it be like to experience such a stroke of bad luck? You are stranded hundreds of thousands of miles from home with no hope of rescue. You can see death slowly, but surely, creeping towards you. I try my best not to think too much about death, but the thought proves rather intrusive. I don’t know how I would like to die, as I would very much not like to die at all. But I’m also keenly aware that the reaper will claim me sooner or later.
Yeah, there are a lot of implications on how such a disaster would impact the Space Race. However, this episode is presented as a very intimate story about two men complimenting their own imminent mortality. I am of the opinion that this was absolutely the right move.
I have reviewed several other episodes of The Truth. Just seven at the moment, but I’m hard at work on part two of the review. There’s a lot more really great episodes to cover.
But if you want to read what I’ve got now, you can find that over here: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-audio-file-truth-part-1.html?m=0

This is my proposition for the MMO, The Legend of Zelda: War of Hyrule.
Object of the game: The armies of Queen Zelda and King Ganondorf are at war. The game is over upon the assassination of either. The player must choose a faction and cannot change sides until the defeat of Ganondorf or Zelda. It will all start again after. Ganondorf and Zelda are controlled by humans whose full time job is playing the game. There will be six people playing as each. Three people taking an 8 hour shift Monday-Friday and three people on Saturday and Sunday. When one has to call in sick or use PTO, one will take over another's shift. They can turn on AI when they need to go to the bathroom or out to lunch. The people playing as Link and Dark Link are rewarded to the player with the highest kills of their respective factions.
Ganondorf has a country to the north of Hyrule, over the gorge, past the badlands complete with it's own castle, depths, sky islands, and surface. Players to his faction start there. The country is named Drogmire.
Hyrule has been restored and even expanded. Hyrule Castle is even bigger because they put in a middle section of the castle when it got separated and they now have a really big basement going to the bottom of the depths. The final boss area in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is repurposed to be part of Hyrule Castle. The damaged areas are also repaired. Hyrule Castle Town Market has been restored to contain a variety of stores.
The game is $10 a month. $5 with a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. The players of the winning faction get the next month free. Everyone pays the first month. If multiple victories happen in one month, only the first one counts. The monthly fee will contribute to the wages of the people playing as Zelda and Ganondorf, maintenance, and adding additional features.
There are ten playable races. Five to each faction. Everyone starts out with 23 hearts. 17 shrines per race. Other races cannont enter the shrine designed to that particular race. There is a boss at the end of every shrine, but only 17 total. You can rechallenge three of the bosses a day. Upon the completion of a shine a heart container will be awarded. Stamina vessels will be purchased for 2000 rupees each. More shrines may be added as time goes on.
There will be a new separate armor set for shoes.
You can create your own character's physical appearance in an avatar creator. Players have the option of letting AI suggest a physical appearance. In order to avoid everyone wearing the same looking armor, AI will decide what each set of armor looks like or you can edit it yourself. The effect of the armor is the same for everyone. The Hateno Dye Shop can make other alterations besides color change.
Fast travel is limited to once per day. Completed shrines are the fast travel points and the map builder. Shrines also act as a launchpad. Maps are unavailable in enemy territory. This prevents an absolute frenzy to one location when the locations of Zelda or Ganondorf are revealed. Fast travel cannot be done inside enemy territory except to exit. Entering is not allowed.
The new type of Goo called Bliss will he introduced. It is the glowing yellow version of Gloom. Those in Zelda's Faction will experience healing in Bliss while those in Ganondorf's faction will be hurt by Bliss. There will also be a new food called Light Clumps. They offer Bliss Warding for Ganondorf's Factions, but are poison to Zelda's Faction. Dark Clumps are poisonous to Ganondorf's faction. It will cause poison damage if used as a weapon such as fused to an arrow or a melee weapon.
Powers of Purah pads for Zelda's Faction and Astor pads for Ganondorf's faction include Ultrahand, Fuse, Autobuild, Ascend, Rewind, Stasis, and the three new abilities: Grow, Shrink, and Arrow Prefusion. They also act as phones to communicate with other players over a distance.
Playable races to Zelda's faction.
Hylian: Level 3 Stealth Unarmed ability is Earthwake. Sprint upon pressing B. Material drops upon defeat: femurs and ears.
Rito: Level 2 Cold Resistance Unarmed ability is Gust Flight upon pressing B. No stamina is consumed when gliding, but stamina is consumed when obtaining lift. Material drops upon defeat:Beaks and wings.
Goron: Level 2 Fireproof Unarmed ability is Charge. Rolling upon pressing B. Cannot swim, but can walk on bottom of water. Cannot ride horses except giant ones. Material Drops upon defeat are back shells and hands.
Zora: Level 3 Swim Speed. Unarmed ability is Water Slash. Sprinting upon pressing B on land, super speed swimming in water. Cannot drown, even when stamina is depleted. Can swim underwater. Material Drops upon defeat: Head and arm fins.
Gerudo: Level 2 Heat Resistance. Unarmed ability is Riju's Fury. Sprinting upon pressing B. Materials dropped upon defeat: arm bones and rib cages.
Playable characters to Ganondorf's faction.
Bokoblin: Level 3 Speed Up. Unarmed ability is charge. Sprint upon pressing B. Materials dropped on defeat: horns and fangs.
Moblin: Level 3 Bliss Warding Resistance. Unarmed ability is Ground Pound. Sprint upon pressing B. Cannot ride horses except giant ones. Materials dropped upon defeat: horns and fangs.
Lynel: Attack Up Level 3. Unarmed ability is Fire Breath. Dash upon pressing B at the cost of one full stamina wheel. Cannot ride horses, shield surf, or paraglide, or climb. Materials dropped upon defeat: Sharp horn and blunt horn.
Lizalfo: Shock Resistance Level 3 Unarmed ability is Water Ball Spit. Sprint upon pressing B on land, super speed in water. Cannot drown even when stamina is depleted. Can swim underwater. Materials dropped upon defeat: horns and fins.
Gibdo: Defense Up Level 3. Unarmed ability is Sandstorm. Flight upon pressing B. No stamina consumed when gliding, but stamina is consumed when obtaining lift. Materials dropped upon defeat: ribcage and wings.
Ganondorf, Zelda, Link, and Dark Link all have 40 hearts, three stamina wheels, and all max level buffs. All their stock weapons are unbreakable. Melee weapons do 100 damage unfused, bows do 50 damage, and shields have 90 Shield Guard.
In game communication is avaliable. A USB keyboard can be plugged into the Nintendo Switch. Voice chat is also available. Since all Gerudos must be female and all Gorons must be male, there is also an AI voice changer you can use to sound like your opposite gender. Not that a wrong gender sounding voice is unacceptable. It can also be used to personalize your voice for your other characters if you choose.
All forageable materials respawn every midnight in the Pacific time zone because that is where Nintendo of America is located.
Players can buy, sell, donate, or trade items at their own agreed price. To prevent inflation, there will be only 2 billion rupees in the game. The prices in shops will be adjusted by AI in a supply and demand algorithm.
Local 2 player splitscreen is available.
There will be robot factories where people can assemble their own robots that are AI controlled to hunt down enemies.
There will be a real estate system. Players can buy and sell land and houses. They can design their own homes and store any excess items there.
Champions and Divine Beasts
Whomever has the most kills within that race is labeled the Champion. Each Champion is rewarded with a mansion that has its own armory, storage space, and garage for their own Divine Beast. Only Champions may use Divine Beasts. Kills made while piloting a Divine Beasts do not count towards your kills to keep your position as a Champion or to play as Link or Dark Link because Divine Beasts are overpowered. The Divine Beasts include the ones from the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and more for Hylians, and all of Ganondorf's faction.
Divine Beast Vah Epona: The Divine Beast that is a horse. Piloted by the Hylian Champion.
Divine Beast Vah Boko: The Divine Beast that is a boar. Piloted by the Bokoblin Champion.
Divine Beasts Vah Ursus. The Divine Beasts that is a bear. Piloted by the Moblin Champion.
Divine Beast Vah Leonis. Divine Beast that is a lion. Piloted by the Lynel Champion.
Divine Beast Vah Saurian. Divine Beast that is a serpent. Piloted by the Lizalfo Champion.
Divine Beast Vah Noctis. Divine Beast that is a bat. Piloted by the Gibdo Champion.
Kill Counts against AI based enemies do not count for being a Champion, Link, or Dark Link.
Death
Upon dying, another race within your faction must be chosen. Your other unplayed races will join you as avatars. The avatars can take damage and be defeated. Food can be used to heal Avatars. Avatars can be double teamed to use unarmed ability. Avatars have unbreakable stock weapons. Avatars can be healed with food. Upon the defeat of all five races, all can respawn. Upon your defeat you lose 1 of your weapons, bows, and shields for any surrounding players to grab. You will also lose 10 materials chosen at random.
New items Goron Bow: Normal arrows into fire arrows automatically.
Light Clump: Bliss Warding food. Poisonous to Zelda's faction.everything isthmus.
Armor of the Depths (Light Version): Bliss Warding armor for Ganondorf's faction.
Ice shoes: Freezes the ground with each step. Allows for walking on water and lava.
Iron Boots: Makes wearer heavy. Allows for walking on floor of water or to stay put in strong wind.
Cockpit: Zonai device that encases user. Possible uses can include the build for submarines. Also allows for shielding for vehicles.
Oxygen Tank: Zonai devices for extra air. Can be used for scuba diving or for additional air for submarine builds.
Gibdo Bow: Normal arrows turn into shock arrows automatically.

The Truth was an anthology in the purest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It spanned multiple genres and styles. It billed itself as movies for the ears, and it certainly lived up to that description. Now, it is true that quite a few audio dramas fit that description, but you have to consider the context that The Truth occurred in. The first episode of The Truth premiered way back in 2011. The indie audio drama community was still very much in its infancy. Fiction podcasts tended to be short story readings like StarShipSofa or Lightspeed Magazine. If you were lucky, you might get something like The Drabblecast, with music and sound-effects added to the mix. The Truth was a full-cast show, performed rather than read, and with immersive sound-effects and music.
There are over 200 episodes to choose from, but since this is a lunar subreddit, I wanted to highlight one episode in particular.
“Moon Graffiti” is an alternate history piece about the Apollo 11 mission. In this story, The Eagle comes in for a crash landing on the Moon. The lander’s capsule is damaged in such a way that it can’t launch into orbit. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are stranded on the Moon until their oxygen runs out. After that, they will go down in history as the first men to die on the Moon. They take their remaining time to chat and muse about the nature of life and mortality.
This was the very first episode of The Truth ever, and they certainly started out of the gate strong. As you might imagine, the alternate history premise piqued my interest. This scenario was very much a concern during the real Apollo 11 mission. In fact, President Richard Nixon had a speech prepared just in case Armstrong and Aldrin became stranded on the Moon. The speech is actually read at the very end of the episode. The actor sounds nothing like Nixon, but he certainly captures the emotion of the speech. Ironically, there was a memorial to the victims of the Apollo 1 fire included with the other equipment on the lander.
What would it be like to experience such a stroke of bad luck? You are stranded hundreds of thousands of miles from home with no hope of rescue. You can see death slowly, but surely, creeping towards you. I try my best not to think too much about death, but the thought proves rather intrusive. I don’t know how I would like to die, as I would very much not like to die at all. But I’m also keenly aware that the reaper will claim me sooner or later.
Yeah, there are a lot of implications on how such a disaster would impact the Space Race. However, this episode is presented as a very intimate story about two men complimenting their own imminent mortality. I am of the opinion that this was absolutely the right move.
I have reviewed several other episodes of The Truth. Just seven at the moment, but I’m hard at work on part two of the review. There’s a lot more really great episodes to cover.
But if you want to read what I’ve got now, you can find that over here: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-audio-file-truth-part-1.html?m=0

The Truth was an anthology in the purest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It spanned multiple genres and styles. It billed itself as movies for the ears, and it certainly lived up to that description. Now, it is true that quite a few audio dramas fit that description, but you have to consider the context that The Truth occurred in. The first episode of The Truth premiered way back in 2011. The indie audio drama community was still very much in its infancy. Fiction podcasts tended to be short story readings like StarShipSofa or Lightspeed Magazine. If you were lucky, you might get something like The Drabblecast, with music and sound-effects added to the mix. The Truth was a full-cast show, performed rather than read, and with immersive sound-effects and music.
There are over 200 episodes to choose from, but since this is an alternate history subreddit, I wanted to highlight one episode in particular.
“Moon Graffiti” is an alternate history piece about the Apollo 11 mission. In this story, The Eagle comes in for a crash landing on the Moon. The lander’s capsule is damaged in such a way that it can’t launch into orbit. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are stranded on the Moon until their oxygen runs out. After that, they will go down in history as the first men to die on the Moon. They take their remaining time to chat and muse about the nature of life and mortality.
This was the very first episode of The Truth ever, and they certainly started out of the gate strong. As you might imagine, the alternate history premise piqued my interest. This scenario was very much a concern during the real Apollo 11 mission. In fact, President Richard Nixon had a speech prepared just in case Armstrong and Aldrin became stranded on the Moon. The speech is actually read at the very end of the episode. The actor sounds nothing like Nixon, but he certainly captures the emotion of the speech. Ironically, there was a memorial to the victims of the Apollo 1 fire included with the other equipment on the lander.
What would it be like to experience such a stroke of bad luck? You are stranded hundreds of thousands of miles from home with no hope of rescue. You can see death slowly, but surely, creeping towards you. I try my best not to think too much about death, but the thought proves rather intrusive. I don’t know how I would like to die, as I would very much not like to die at all. But I’m also keenly aware that the reaper will claim me sooner or later.
Yeah, there are a lot of implications on how such a disaster would impact the Space Race. However, this episode is presented as a very intimate story about two men complimenting their own imminent mortality. I am of the opinion that this was absolutely the right move.
I have reviewed several other episodes of The Truth. Just seven at the moment, but I’m hard at work on part two of the review. There’s a lot more really great episodes to cover.
But if you want to read what I’ve got now, you can find that over here: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-audio-file-truth-part-1.html?m=0

The Truth was an anthology in the purest sense of the word. Each episode was a new present to unwrap. It spanned multiple genres and styles. It billed itself as movies for the ears, and it certainly lived up to that description. Now, it is true that quite a few audio dramas fit that description, but you have to consider the context that The Truth occurred in. The first episode of The Truth premiered way back in 2011. The indie audio drama community was still very much in its infancy. Fiction podcasts tended to be short story readings like StarShipSofa or Lightspeed Magazine. If you were lucky, you might get something like The Drabblecast, with music and sound-effects added to the mix. The Truth was a full-cast show, performed rather than read, and with immersive sound-effects and music.
There are over 200 episodes to choose from, but since this is an alternate history subreddit, I wanted to highlight one episode in particular.
“Moon Graffiti” is an alternate history piece about the Apollo 11 mission. In this story, The Eagle comes in for a crash landing on the Moon. The lander’s capsule is damaged in such a way that it can’t launch into orbit. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are stranded on the Moon until their oxygen runs out. After that, they will go down in history as the first men to die on the Moon. They take their remaining time to chat and muse about the nature of life and mortality.
This was the very first episode of The Truth ever, and they certainly started out of the gate strong. As you might imagine, the alternate history premise piqued my interest. This scenario was very much a concern during the real Apollo 11 mission. In fact, President Richard Nixon had a speech prepared just in case Armstrong and Aldrin became stranded on the Moon. The speech is actually read at the very end of the episode. The actor sounds nothing like Nixon, but he certainly captures the emotion of the speech. Ironically, there was a memorial to the victims of the Apollo 1 fire included with the other equipment on the lander.
What would it be like to experience such a stroke of bad luck? You are stranded hundreds of thousands of miles from home with no hope of rescue. You can see death slowly, but surely, creeping towards you. I try my best not to think too much about death, but the thought proves rather intrusive. I don’t know how I would like to die, as I would very much not like to die at all. But I’m also keenly aware that the reaper will claim me sooner or later.
Yeah, there are a lot of implications on how such a disaster would impact the Space Race. However, this episode is presented as a very intimate story about two men complimenting their own imminent mortality. I am of the opinion that this was absolutely the right move.
I have reviewed several other episodes of The Truth. Just seven at the moment, but I’m hard at work on part two of the review. There’s a lot more really great episodes to cover.
But if you want to read what I’ve got now, you can find that over here: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2024/05/the-audio-file-truth-part-1.html?m=0

Tw: mentions of suicide, (mental) self harm ,depretion
Reminder, these are all theories that I thought of at literally the midnight. So just keep that in mind. It might also have quite a lot of grammar mistakes lol

I will always think of you I see your face when each day's through. Eddie’s room is still full of pictures and stuff of his wife. She is the first and last thing he can see in a day
And days go past Oh, so fast. I think here we see how depressive disorders have affected them.
But memories, they last. But no matter how much time can pass, the memories cannot.
Summer, winter, year by year (Year by year) I'll hear the song inside my ear. This song is one of the most vital pice of connection Ms Sugarman had to her brother. Just as she cannot forget him, she cannot forget the song either. I am guessing that Eddie and his wife had a similar story with the song, because of his song choice in distraction
Trying to restart That'd be smart. These lines show the desire to be happy, yet the inability to be too. We can also sense the regrets of them. For Eddie, it’s flying too high. And for Ms. Sugarman it was sending her brother to war. As she states herself as well.
But thoughts of you haunt my heart. This haunting is both literal, since the person they miss is dead, but also the mental self harm that they cause to themselves by the grief
No, I don't want to be alone now Just biding my time. We can see the effect of depressive disorders here too. Just like the last part, the inability to hold and live in time is expressed
I need somebody dearly And darling, you'd be sublime. This line shows again how much they miss having that someone be there. And the desire to “restart” like in the past verse. For Ms. Sugarman, it also references her brother’s best friend, who she tried to seduce in an attempt to get closer to her brother.
Spring and Autumn Up and down (Up and down). I think this “up and down” might be a reference to their mental health. With spring, nature “heals” and brings hope, going up. And in autumn leaves fall down. WW2 also ended in the start of spring iirc
I keep trying to escape this town. This town is the personification of their depression. A jail that chains them to their past. Being unable to leave the town is also being unable to move past. Even after the car crash, the damage done to the gas station is still there. This town doesn’t change, just like their past. Bojack breaks this curse in a way. He demolishes the old Sugarman’s place. Refusing to live in a monument to past. And changing the town.

If we take the town as a metaphor for life, escaping this town might be suicide and with Eddie’s case, not only is he suicidal, he also tried to kill himself (and Bojack) the same way his wife died, which he still blames himself for. He might take flight

And I just might I'll take flight. We see the intend to run away from the past. Ms. Sugarman wanted to feel alive again, so she forced her daughter to drive faster. Eddie refuses to fly after the incident, he might take flight, but knows he won’t
Maybe tomorrow, not tonight. Yet after everything, they are still chained to their grief and their past. And deep down hope that they’ll finally be free in the future. For Ms. Sugarman, that opportunity is gone. They cut her chained wings to free her (i.e. lobotomised her so she can’t feel grief) but in turn, they made her unable to fly away.

Ok reddit buckle up this is a long one. As a growing fan of the subs, I’ve decided to tell my story. I 26M was dating my high school sweetheart for five years. We’ll call her CF for short. Yep, you guessed it, young love ignorant bliss the whole nine. At the time, this girl was my world, my life, my future. Well as the title suggests, things got interesting. Reflecting on the relationship now and all I’ve learned, it was unstable, toxic and at times abusive. There were so many red flags I ignored trying to make it work. Not knowing any better I fought to keep us together despite constant fights, arguments, and sleepless nights. Nearing the end of the relationship, in a last-ditch effort to either save what was or get closure that it in fact is over, I naively suggested to open our relationship. My thought process was, if she slept with someone else and felt rotten and/or dirty, then there was hope we could move passed it together. If she had slept with someone else and came home to me seemingly unbothered, then I knew it was over and beyond fixing. I however did not consider the emotional damage I would in turn subject myself to. Now I should clarify I had done some homework on my suggestion and found most blogs, forums and panels all mentioned that rules are important. So, as I mentioned before, this was a trial in finding out just how far gone the relationship was. The rules we set forward are the following: we bring no one to our house, protection must be used, we would never meet the persons together, and the last and most important one for me was I wanted to know as soon as she hooked up with someone, so we could talk and I could make my decision based on her behaviour. I should mention I had no intention of seeing anyone else at this time,I was devoted to her, and had no desire to see anyone else. This was purely to see if she still had love in her heart for me. Ok now into the nitty gritty, so not only was her hook up less than a week after we opened, she also broke a rule and saw her partner for over two months without telling me. Now I know this may be a point to argue, but I saw this as betrayal and cheating. We made rules and they were ignored. Turns out CF was seeing a 45-year-old cop going through a divorce of his own, at the time CF and I were 22. I’m not shaming age gaps, but this one made me sick. One week after our 5-year anniversary yep, she dumped me.
Now I know this is becoming a novel, but the best is yet to come. Ok now where does the dog fit in you might ask. Right, now onto that. Two years into CF and I’s relationship we were given the opportunity to foster a rescue dog, lets call her GA. The day this beautiful kind soul of a companion came into my life, I was in love. Screw fostering we’ll take her. Now GA wasn’t perfect at first but with love, guidance and patience she honestly is one of the best dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting- let alone getting to call her my girl. Now like I said before, GA came with some areas to work on, like not eating couches; two to be exact. Also having a strong dislike of thunderstorms, and other behaviours most common with rescues, but she most notable has epilepsy, requiring medication twice a day to keep them at bay. This is important for later.
Alright so now we’re caught up to the breakup. After dealing with my world burning the best I can, I became angry and decided I wanted nothing to do with her. I helped get all her stuff out and she moved in with her dad. Knowing that GA would remind me of her, I told CF to also take GA. Now her dads a chain smoking, explosive drunk. After giving GA away, I lasted all of two hours before I begged to get her back, I realised I can’t lose everything all in one day. CF very willingly gave GA back. Both of us agreed that my house had more yard space for her and it was a cleaner, more stable home for her. I once again had GA in my life, and it was the best thing to have ever happened to me. Ok fast forward two weeks later I got sited from animal control for having an unregistered dog in the house and had 48 hours to register and pay the fee or I risk massive fines. I went that day, now where I live, pets become registered to the occupant of the registering address, then dog tags are issued to that name. GA also is micro chipped to the same address. So, to recap: CF moves out two weeks later, I’m forced to register GA solely in my name and my address. Now its time to talk about the verbal agreement we made regarding GA’s health, so I had agreed to what I’m choosing to call visitation rights. I’ll explain, so I worked weekends; three 12 hours shifts. GA gets her meds at 9am and 9pm so enter CF. She would come by on the weekend, with written notice, give GA her meds, and spend some time with her, then I would take over when I got home and the rest of the week when CF was working. So, the rules to the visitation: she was to give me written notice prior to stopping by and if I said no to her picking her up, that was final. CF was rarely told no unless I was already out with GA or it was late at night. Its worth mentioning CF still had her house key so effectively she could come and go as she pleased from my residence.
Now fast forward just under two years CF was very good at keeping with the program, written notice, healthy boundaries, and limited contact. I should add at the start, CF and I would chat about the relationship and possibly getting back together or not, then I was told that if CF couldn’t find anyone better than me, we would get back together. I’m no one’s safe bet and that comment broke me. I was hurt, broken, and angry from then on I was personally done with her. I started seeing other people and really living my own life. I’m a firm believer that when you buckle down and take charge of your own life, the universe will reward you. So, from then on, it was limited contact, if CF would message for GA. Then she could take her and I would leave the house and get coffee so I didn’t have to see her.
Ok let me introduce all of you to my current GF lets call her JT for short. She is an incredible, beautiful, smart, funny, and witty. I could use every possible vernacular in the English language to describe her and it still wouldn’t do her justice. Honestly folks, I couldn’t have gotten a better GF if I had ordered one from a magazine. She is truly my first love. CF may have been my first with a few things, but love wasn’t one of them, although at the time I thought she was. Ok I’m off topic so I met JT and things where surreal for the first time in two years since I was dumped. I believed I could love again. As my relationship with JT grew and the love not only grew but blossomed, its worth mentioning CF’s behaviour to me, and our arrangement became sparce. CF began showing up without notice to take GA. At one point me and JT were laying in bed bare under the covers, when CF opened my bedroom door to retrieve GA. Obviously this startled us both. I rushed to check my phone, that perhaps I missed a text... NOPE ok that was unsettling. Now to add to the disrespect of the arrangement, CF was keeping GA for days at a time without informing me. I would have to text her and ask “hey you got GA” CF. “ oh yea she’s with me” Me. “um ok no problem but as per our arrangement you need to make me aware of your plans with my GA”. CF. “yea ok slipped my mind”. Ok, so now you see my growing concern with the ongoing disrespect. I had no obligation to even let CF see GA legally, she was my sole property. Let me clarify real quick: remember how I was sighted by animal control? Well yeah, where I live animals are seen as property, and seeing as how I was sited after she left, GA became mine. Amiss my new found love and bliss, and growing concern, life hit me with one more unfortunate curve ball. I got evicted. Landlord got his GF pregnant and wanted the house I was renting for them to live in. Man, when I tell you that was a shock at the time, with some other things going on it was overwhelming. Turns out it was a blessing in disguise. We found an amazing house 40 minutes away from the city. I live on the cutest farm. Things with JT and I are going amazing! Not only has she made me feel things I thought were long dead, but she made me feel new experiences as well. Ok, decision time. I HATE CF for what she did to me, and I love JT with everything and more. One is getting in the way of the other. So, I devised a plan, taking advantage of my new residence and the distance, along with anonymity: I’m going to move out and cancel the arrangement with CF. Alright time to get to work. One week leading up to the move, I denied CF’s attempts to see GA. I rented a large box truck, and with the help of a small army of close friends and available family, we packed and move the entire house in one day. I would like the take the time now to thank all of you that helped me that day. It was such an empowering and liberating day. Right, so two pickup trucks and a mini van load go out off to the new house. Me, my old man and a dear friend pack the last into the box truck. Now I pre-wrote the message to CF in my notes, consulted a lawyer appraising them of the facts and documents to make sure what I had written was clear, concise, and contained the right verbiage for legal standing if need be. I hopped in the truck, started the engine, sent the text and drove off. Oh, I forgot to mention I did in fact change the locks and made my landlord aware of everything. Off I drove to start my new life happy, healthy, and full of bright prosperity.
So, as you may have guessed, my phone blew up from CF. Texts, calls, voice mails everything, it all fell on deaf ears. My word was final, and I was finally ready to close this ugly painful chapter of my life. So, well um, I will tell you all, I’m naturally a logical thinker that sometimes leads to a healthy level of paranoia. So, my new address was given to trusted people only. Written on paper and requested once we all met up at the new place and burned in the lane way. Why? Well, I know CF and her family, and I’ve seen them do less than legal things, and know who her dad is- and the contacts he knows. I took ZERO chances when it came to keeping my new life and address safe. Also remember I told you she’s dating a cop... knowing the fallout that awaits me, I took steps into protecting what I longed for. We moved in for June first of 2022. I should mention I live with my now GF and my roommate, my brother from another mother. My roommate moved in a month after CF moved out and I can update for any questions regarding him but for now back to the story. All members of the house were to follow strict security measures anticipating a reaction from CF. I had quickly found out that CF was trying to find out where I live through contacting friends, family and my old landlord trying to find the new address to no avail. Now, I work a full-time job, as well as run my own woodworking business. One day I was filing paperwork in the front office and I saw CF drive by in her vehicle. She drives an extremely recognizable car, so I knew it was her. I wasted no time. I drove to my local law enforcement and made them aware of everything. I wanted to start a case just to be safe if anything happened.

So, side note but very important, I was given the opportunity to purchase a puppy; FT for short. After discussion with the house, we decided getting GA a little sister was a great idea, you know, get her company and give her a friend to run around the farm with. To say they were inseparable is an understatement. They loved each other so much and it was the best move we ever made. I promise this is important later.
Right, June was great settling in, getting used to the new place, and watching GA play, mentor and thrive with her sister all was great! Moving to August 2022, our guards began to fall and we started letting the two out without being helicopters to them. August 12^th 2022 oh man that day will forever remain with me rent free. JT and I are at work and the roommate’s home with the kiddos. 4:15pm I receive a phone call that will change my bliss for some time… yes GA, GA is gone “the hell do you mean”!! roommate “I let them out back, door open I was doing the dishes turned around and only FT was there”. “well did you look for them?” “yes I did, call in the damn microchip now!!” roommate hangs up. It’s worth mentioning he misunderstood how a K9 microchip works and thought It was like a GPS tracker. Work refuses to let me leave early and by the time I got home, three hours have passed since the disappearance.
I spent at least an hour exhausting any search method I could think of at the time, thinking if she ran off, she couldn’t have gotten far. After that hour I started to think, no way GA runs off and FT, 6 weeks old at the time, doesn’t follow.. Welp now it dawns on me, what? No? damn she must have taken her… off to the police I go. “ hey officer M, remember me from a few weeks ago?” “yeah what can I do for you?” “umm well I think my fears came true, I think CF stole her?” Ensue crying, panic and fear. How’d she find me? How is this possible?? Officer M “ ok take a breath tell me everything.” As I explain, I’m asked questions like are you sure she didn’t run off? I explain, no way she did and FT a young pup didn’t follow. I make my statement, broken, drained and beside myself with concern and fear I go home. No more then two hours later I get a call from M “Hi T so I’ve made some calls and I’m 99% sure she took her.” Me “what how? I mean what did you find?” M “I called your vet and an order for medication was placed by CF 10 days ago.” Me “ok damn so what happens now?” M “well this seems pretty clear cut I’ll investigate a bit more and make a case to the Crown.” Ok well my fears are confirmed. Damn she somehow found me and actually stole my beautiful GA. To this day, I have no idea how she found me. I suspect she put a GPS tracker on my truck. I had officer M looking into the possibility if her cop BF looked me up in the system, but that was ruled out very quickly.
Now the painful waiting game hoping justice will prevail. Each week I call for an update. On week 3 I’m informed he’s built a case and sent it to the Crown to see if it’s a clear-cut case of stolen property. Week 5 I’m told to hang tight its under review. At this point I became impatient and decided I can’t sit and wait. I took all the evidence and paperwork I had. I took it to both our vets as well as every vet in the region I knew she lived, explained and made airtight protocols for if, and when statements. Week 6 again I call, and I’m hit with bad news: the Crown, quite annoyed I was told, made it clear to M that this was a property dispute and needs to be settle in family court. Well, now it’s time to lawyer up. I scraped every extra penny I had to hire a good family lawyer and man did I find a good one. Turns out she was divorced and took my case a bit personally. She starts to prepare the necessary documents. 2 more weeks go by and thank whomever you believe in, I became impatient and went full proactive mode. I receive a phone call at work from my family vet. Vet “hi this is vet clinic just confirming your appointment for Monday at 11:25am?” well I sure as hell am now. I ring my lawyer, explain what happened, and put a rush on the papers having to call my dad to borrow money. You see now that I know exactly where CF is going to be with GA, I needed a legal reason to wait for her. So, I used the court case as a reason to serve her in person, thus being able to obtain GA custody until the hearing.
That Sunday I didn’t sleep a wink. 6:30am, I park my truck at the hardware store around the back of the vet, so CF wouldn’t see it. 8:00am the clinic opens. I walked in, documents in hand, and tell them everything and insist they let her in so I may serve her the documents and take GA. Regrettably, I forgot this was a functioning clinic and was told this could not happen inside, out of respect to the other patients. Me “Oh crap that’s more then fair, well what are my options?” Vet. “Well, we can bar her from the clinic under the proceeds of crime and you can serve her in the parking lot.” Me. “perfect I’ll wait in the sub shop down the way. you absolutely can not inform her of this.” Vet. “Not a problem we hope you get her back; we wish you luck.”
Off to the sub shop I go, for the longest 2 hours of my life. I get a phone call from JT, fully aware of my plan “hey we got rained out I’m off work do you want me there?” Me. “YES please come right away you can help record and dial the police.” The dominos are stacked, my shaky finger on the last one. JT shows up and we rehearse the plan; I must have checked the time a million times. The time comes I say where the hell is she. JT, with the calmest voice goes “she’s right there.” Me. “WTF!!” I ran out, papers in hand. JT calls the cops and starts recording. I utter the legal jargon, serve her the paperwork and latch onto GA as gentle and firm as I can, so CF can’t break my grip and wait for the police. They arrive in minutes. Get our stories. Check my paperwork. Separate us and attempt to figure out the situation. Low and behold, cop BF shows up. I’m told he’s “off duty” and is here in a BF capacity. Me, JT, two uniformed officers, CF, and cop BF talking, waiting with a level of uncertainty of the outcome. 2 hours goes by, and we ask what’s going on. I’m told that they are trying to defuse the situation, but cop BF has requested a supervisor. Well, he shows up and talks in great length to the BF, seeming frustrated. 3 hours go by, the supervisor walks up to me and demands our paperwork; I happily oblige. He reviews the documents and walks off, then comes back a minute or two later. “You gotta leash?” This clinic happens to be right next door to a pet store. So, just in case, I bought a leash in the three hours I was waiting. I hand him the leash. Words cannot describe the feeling as we watch the supervisor walk GA over to us after so long. Gone for 10 weeks total and waiting for three hours for the cops to deal with the situation. October 31, 2022, will be a day I will never forget. We will forever celebrate that day. Folks WE GOT HER!! What was once stolen by someone who couldn’t move on, was finally returned.

Thank you to anyone who read all of this. I needed to tell my story and I hope this was a good cup of tea for someone. I mean what I say, if anyone is going through something similar and is looking for help, please don’t hesitate. to reach out. For any questions, comments, or PM’s, I will read them, but I wish to update them publicly

I was sick about two weeks ago with some kind of virus, and I recovered in about a week, about 5 days later, I randomly felt my sore throat come back and assumed it was just a reoccurrence or something. The next morning I woke up with an extremely sore throat, bad congestion, extreme headache/head pressure, and extreme fatigue. I thought maybe I got the new strain of Covid and just started resting it out, until I randomly started having ear pain and ear fullness as well. Went to urgent care and got diagnosed with sinus infection and an ear infection. This is honestly one of the most painful, disorientating illness I’ve ever had. The fatigue, head pressure, and brain fog have been more than a nuisance to deal with. My heart goes out to all of you who’ve dealt with this before, but especially those with Chronic Sinusitis. You guys are so strong.