Hello from Canada 🇨🇦!! It's been a while since I've been here and I'm happy to be back! I have mostly gently used or tested makeup, and a few new unused items. Smoke free home, I do have pets but they aren't allowed in my room. Shipping will start at $13 USD. Since my prices are low, there will be a $15 minimum before shipping. All prices are in USD. PayPal G&S only All makeup is gently used or tested unless written NEW
$1 EACH https://imgur.com/a/JcBWkJu
• Beauty Creations Dare To Be Bright Palette
• Chella Mini Blushing Rose Palette
• Ciate Starburst Highlighter Travel Size
• Reina Rebelde Rebel Eye Definer Pencil
• Nyx Jumbo Pencil - Black Bean
• Violet Voss Make Me Blush
• Phase Zero Rose Gold Powder Highlighter Travel Size
• Mo Beauty Set It Up Setting Spray Travel Size - Sprayed once
• Beauty For Real Blush/Contour Brush
• Toy Factory Translucent Mineral Niacinamide Setting Powder Travel Size
• Love Craft Beauty Eyeshadow Trio Outta Limits - NEW
• Just Ximena Sparkling Champagne Highlighter - NEW
• Physicians Formula Sharpener - NEW
• Ditto Ice Cream Liquid Lipstick - Lucky - NEW
• Purlisse Halo Glow BB Cream Highligher Travel Size - NEW
$3 EACH https://imgur.com/a/5Jaju4I
• Byroe Pro Berry Pore Refining Toner - NEW
• Pixie By Petra Hello Kitty Glow-y Powder
• Colourpop Waffle Cone Pressed Powder Palette
• Illamasqua Beyond Liquid Highlighter OMG - 75% full
• Elf Liquid Poreless Putty Primer - used 1x
• Kat Von D Trooper Tattoo Pencil Liner
• Wander Beauty High Line Black Liquid Eyeliner
• Symbiosis London Ultra Fine Balancing Sorbet Facial Cyro-Exfoliator Travel Size NEW
• Rodial Glass Highlighter in Champagne Glow Travel Size NEW
$5 EACH https://imgur.com/a/vrJc4fS
• Pixie By Petra Hello Kitty Glow-y Powder with damaged box (I purchased this as a backup with an already damaged box but the powder is new.)
• Seraphine Botanicals Mimosa + Magic Palette
$10 EACH https://imgur.com/a/gJ2IzJO
• Tarte Fairy Blush Brush - She's in very good condition. Only used a few times before realizing it's just a little too big for my cheeks. I only kept her because she's pretty haha.
$26 EACH https://imgur.com/a/XCHJrFt
• Rodial Blush Drops in Sunset Kiss Full Size NEW
• Rodial Blush Drops in Sunset Kiss Full Size NEW
FWP https://imgur.com/a/oNJU6sj
• Jecca Blac. Hydrate Primer Travel Size
• Tarte Tape Shape Fair Neutral Sample Size
• Ciate Extraordinary BB Cream Sample size Size

A few excerpts:

1. It's called shooting, but rather than expelling any kind of projectile, this little box sucks in all the world, its surfaces and contents, into its ravenous, mystifying interior.
   
2. Fassbinder's early films take place in a world where people either work themselves to death or find themselves in a permanent loose end; are way too busy or have all the time in the world; have too many emotions to process or absolutely nothing to feel and nothing to say. They keep themselves doing the least amount possible. They are both overstimulated and dolefully resigned.
   

These blank-faced groups of friends, family members, petty criminals, drinkers and idlers obey a choreography not of the damned but the debilitated. Saturated with lassitude and stifled want. Standing around not knowing what to do or say or who to hurt next. Boredom is the crucial factor here. In the face of so much 'free time' and so many 'lifestyle 'choices' one logical response is a kind of unfeeling blankness: anhedonia, existential wilting, mute withdrawal. Sudden bursts into hysterical violence. Something has torn open the social fabric, has frayed or distressed the relationship between social space, memory and experience; one consequence of this is that nobody much cares to investigate what that cause might be. It could almost be the end-result of one big successful psy-op: people who got everything they thought they ever wanted but only feel worse for it.

1. Nature is absent, by and large, from this world. No one is impatient to go back into that dark Germanic wood. Beneath the model town... unspeakable traces, tainted soil, spoiled dreams. Nowhere do we detect any hint of the utopian prospect of beneath the paving stones the beach.
   
2. Bright gaudy colours of the new consumer landscape: somewhere between Pontormo and a Christmas shop window. His films reproduce the asethetic of being right on the edge of not very tasteful at all. The huge Poussin mural in Petra Von Kant. Art as easy listening decor. Inner states made exterior in a wilderness of mirrors.
   
3. Fear Eats the Soul: a series of precise framings of people on thresholds. People framed by doorways or mirrors or windows, like figures in a painting. Astonishing colours, but also a necessary degree of distancing. It can feel at times as if we are intimately familiar with these interiors. This does not look like a movie-set room. It looks like a room you may have been in yourself, many times.
   

(Penman, author of Fassbinder Thousands of Mirrors, was a contemporary of Fisher's and that whole network of blogs in the '90s. Acc to a recent LRB review, Penman is the first to apply Derrida's concept of hauntology to contemporary popular culture, which I thought was interesting since Fisher is typically credited with that)

I usually watch once they’re done recording. Got some free time today so I tried watching the Hellblade review. Holy cow the chat is so toxic with everyone’s console war agendas. Is this how the chat is usually or this is because they’re discussing an exclusive game? Aren’t we old enough for these types of arguments on which plastic box is better? Might avoid reading chat next time if the community is this toxic.

at this point, nobody is surprised to hear about how the small businesses in lawrence pretend to be something that they’re not. anyone who has worked at a downtown/downtown adjacent business can tell you how different things are behind the scenes. every business has its own version of service culture. people tend to hang out where they work and/or with their coworkers. restaurants usually cultivate unhealthy drinking habits with post-work drink traditions. coffee shops and bakeries that underpay employees, using tips to compensate an hourly wage. bars that encourage unhealthy drinking and drug habits, exploit women who work for them, and have harassment or assault allegations. retail shops that buy cheap unethically produced products and sell them as “handmade”, then force the employees to be salespeople as an excuse to not pay them a proper hourly wage. i think it’s clear to many that it’s nearly impossible to have a completely ethical business practice. although, there’s a certain bad taste that comes with the facade that lawrence small businesses create a positive community. most people that you talk to can tell you how they’ve lost hope for a better work environment through working at business after business where the employers don’t respect or value those that work for them. it’s a special kind of exploitation when you are sold the idea that a smaller businesses can teach you skills and give you freedom and experience that corporate places can’t/won’t. there are very few businesses i feel comfortable supporting anymore. i can’t recommend any of the businesses i’m listing below, primarily because of the terrible ownership and treatment of their employees. (focusing mostly on the downtown area) - Javabreak - 715 - Basil Leaf Cafe - Wheatfields - Great Harvest - Cellar Door Cafe (& Decade when they were still open, same ownership) - Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop - Sylas & Maddy’s - ATC - Wildman - The Mad Greek - Minsky’s - The Striped Cow/Third Planet (same ownership) - Leroy’s - The Burgerstand - Merchants - Bon Bon/Taco Zone (same ownership since TZ was bought out) - Henry’s/Grounded (same ownership) - Wildside - Logie’s (probably doesn’t even need to be said, but i’ll include it just because) - Milton’s - Culinaria - Lawrence Beer Company - Wine & Dive - 1900 BarkeBarker on Mass/Taylor’s Donuts (same ownership) - Jazzhaus - McClain’s - Limestone - Louise’s/Big Mill (same ownership) I’m sure there are more places I’m missing, feel free to list them below

I’ve been looking for a little palate cleanser book to hold me over until I start another big series and holy cow 😳 I saw a TikTok about a ebook that just dropped on KU and figured I’d give it a shot(with almost no expectations bc I think the author is new) but when I say I was entertained!!! It was not a work of art by any means but it was fun and spicy(wish there was more tbh)! It was fast paced but the tension and the smut was chefs kiss. I only read knotting in Bride so I was not intimidated this go around and omg 🥵… I think it’s free rn for ebooks so you best believe I downloaded it forever (it was at 2am when I was binge reading it anyway) Title is The Witch and The Rogue from Madison L. McRae

DAY: MAY 20 2024
5-20-2024

Why nightmares and ‘daymares’ could be early warning signs of autoimmune disease

An increase in nightmares and hallucinations—or ‘daymares’—could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, say an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. The researchers argue that there must be greater recognition that these types of mental health and neurological symptoms can act as an early warning sign that an individual is approaching a “flare,” where their disease worsens for a period.
5-20-2024 Yoga and meditation-induced altered states of consciousness are common in the general population, study says
Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and other practices are gaining in popularity due to their potential to improve health and well-being. The effects of these practices are mostly positive and occasionally transformational, yet they are known to sometimes be associated with challenging altered states of consciousness. New research by a team including investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital reveals that altered states of consciousness associated with meditation practice are far more common than expected. Although many people reported positive outcomes, that were sometimes even considered transformational, from these experiences, for a substantial
5-20-2024 Examining the benefits of out-of-network care for pediatric moyamoya
Total in-episode expenses and resource use before the index surgery (preop) and including/after the surgery (postop). The comparisons are separated for analysis into (A) single institution cohorts (1 and 2) and (B) multi?institution cohorts (3 and 4). Moyamoya disease is a rare condition that affects the blood vessels in the brain, especially in children. Narrowing and blockage of vessels significantly increases the risk of stroke and requires surgical revascularization for treatment. Although research shows that outcomes of revascularization are better
5-20-2024 Study explores links between social media use, mental health and sleep quality
The more time you spend on social media, the greater the likelihood of having unpleasant social-media related dreams that cause distress, sleep disruption and impact our peace of mind. Flinders University’s Reza Shabahang says that the vast and rapid adoption of social media has the potential to influence various aspects of life, including the realm of dreaming. “As social media becomes increasingly intertwined with our lives, its impact extends beyond waking hours, and may influence our dreams,”
5-20-2024 How are asthma and heart health linked?
Although the heart and lungs are neighbors in your chest, people may think of them as separate entities with unrelated problems. But a growing body of evidence suggests that asthma—one of the most common lung disorders—is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Asthma is a serious chronic disease in which airways are inflamed, often in response to specific triggers. It affects about 25 million people in the U.S., including nearly 5 million children, causing millions of annual visits to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. “We call these major changes
5-20-2024 STUDY EXPLORES PATIENT TRUST IN PHYSICIANS
Trust in one’s physician drives positive health practices. In a scoping review, SUNY Poly Professor of Sociology Dr. Linda R. Weber discovered new developments in the measurement of trust, identified those measures of trust that have known reliability and validity, and compared those instruments’ conceptualizations, dimensions, and indicators. The paper is published in the journal PLOS ONE. Weber explains that 10 dimensions emerged from the study: fidelity, technical competence, communicative competence, interpersonal competence (i.e., caring), honesty, confidentiality, global, behavioral, fairness, and system trust/accountability. In addition, these findings provide the foundation
5-20-2024 TIMESAVING TIPS FOR COOKING HEALTHY MEALS
Living a busy, fast-paced life can make it hard to find the motivation to cook a healthy meal at home. However, learning some shortcuts in the kitchen can keep your healthy eating goals on track and help you avoid grazing on unhealthy snacks, grabbing the first thing you see in the fridge or going out for fast food. Why cook at home? Research shows that maintaining a healthy weight is challenging when you eat out too frequently. Restaurant portions often are super-sized
5-20-2024 UNDERSTANDING PERIMENOPAUSE VS. MENOPAUSE
Menopause marks a significant transition for women, yet understanding its precursor, perimenopause, and its symptoms can be complex. Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic’s Center for Women’s Health and medical director of The Menopause Society, says experiencing perimenopause and menopause can be confusing for some. She says it is not only patients who may find it confusing, but medical providers as well, due to lack of training in menopause management. “Menopause is defined by no menstrual cycle for a year,” says Dr. Faubion.
5-20-2024 LOW-DOSE IRON SUPPLEMENTATION HAS NO BENEFIT FOR BREASTFED INFANTS, SHOWS STUDY
The American Pediatric Association recommends iron supplements to all healthy infants who breastfeed longer than four months, while its European counterpart, Society of Gastroenterology, Hepataology and Nutrition, does not recommend it. These deviating guidelines stimulated researchers to design a new study. Breastfeeding is strongly recommended, and the proportion of children are breastfed during the first half of life is high. The researchers wanted to determine whether breastfeeding babies could benefit from extra iron.
5-20-2024 ALLERGY MEDICATIONS COME WITH HAZARDS: BE AWARE
People with seasonal allergies often turn to over-the-counter and prescription medicines to relieve symptoms like coughing, sneezing, runny nose, congestion and itchy eyes, nose or throat. But they often aren’t aware that these meds—including antihistamines—have as much risk for potential side effects, drug interactions and overdose as other drugs. “All medicines have side effects associated with them even when they are taken appropriately and according to dosing directions on the label,”
5-20-2024 I CAN’T AFFORD OLIVE OIL—WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?
If you buy your olive oil in bulk, you’ve likely been in for a shock in recent weeks. Major supermarkets have been selling olive oil for up to A$65 for a four-liter tin, and up to $26 for a 750 milliliter bottle. We’ve been hearing about the health benefits of olive oil for years. And many of us are adding it to salads, or baking and frying with it. But during a cost-of-living crisis, these high prices can put olive oil out of reach. Let’s take a look at why
5-20-2024 Researchers uncover biological trigger of early puberty
Heather Brenhouse, associate professor of psychology, says disrupting the caretaker relationship can really traumatize a child or a developing rodent. Credit: Ruby Wallau/Northeastern University New research conducted by the Brenhouse Lab reveals how early life adversity triggers early puberty and late-life anxiety, paving the way for potential interventions. The onset of puberty has been creeping downward for decades. In the United States, the average age of girls reaching puberty ranges from 8.8 to 10.3 years old. The early start of puberty, which is associated with many health risks, can be
5-20-2024 Bioluminescence and 3D-printed implants shed light on brain–spinal interactions
Brain-spinal cord duet’s neurodynamic symphony is now accessible to scientists via novel multi-organ implants. Credit: Dmitrijs Celinskis A sensory process such as pain is no ordinary phenomenon—it’s a symphony of neural and vascular interactions orchestrated by the brain and spinal cord. Attempting to dissect this symphony by focusing on a single region is like trying to understand a complex melody by listening to just one instrument. It’s incomplete, potentially misleading, and may result in erroneous conclusions. Enter the Carney Institute’s team of visionaries. Their mission? To develop tools that allow
5-20-2024 New thesis explores cancer treatment that can prevent relapse
. What is the main focus of your thesis? Relapse following initial treatment efficacy remains a major clinical challenge for many cancers. The focus of my thesis has been to explore the therapeutic impact of immune cells in patients with blood cancer (leukemia), by first investigating which cells
5-20-2024 New study reveals health and social benefits of car-free living
Participating in a three-week car-free challenge has enhanced the health and well-being of Oxford residents, according to research conducted by The University of Bath’s Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), in partnership with climate charity Possible and Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON), conducted this research project. After ditching their cars for three weeks, 10 out of the 12 drivers across Oxford who participated said they plan to continue with reduced car use beyond the project. The findings of this research project show that: Day-to-day transport emissions were slashed
5-20-2024 Research shows linked biological pathways driving skin inflammation
A certain biological pathway—a set of linked reactions in the body—drives the inflammation seen in the skin disease psoriasis, a new study finds. The work could lead to improved therapies for all inflammatory skin diseases, including atopic and allergic dermatitis and a type of boil called hidradenitis suppurativa, say the study authors. The findings are published in the journal Immunity. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to irritation and infection, but when out of control, it can lead to the reddish, flaky, itchy lesions that
5-20-2024 Prescription co-payments linked to more hospital admissions in New Zealand, study finds
A new study from researchers cautions that bringing back the $5 co-payment for prescription medicines could see a jump in hospital admissions. The study analyzed health data for 71,502 people and found those who didn’t pick up a prescription because they couldn’t afford the $5 fee had a 34% higher rate of being admitted to hospital.
5-20-2024 How a simulation is informing COVID-19 vaccine policy after our ‘return to normal’
As the saying goes “There is no such thing as normal” and this has been especially true after the pandemic. Before the emergence of the omicron COVID-19 variant, countries like the U.K. had high vaccination coverage along with widespread exposure to COVID-19 in the population. This combination of vaccine and infection-derived immunity is termed hybrid immunity and is different to vaccine immunity or infection immunity alone. In contrast, other countries, including Australia, New Zealand and those in the Western Pacific, had a very different pandemic experience.
5-20-2024 Researchers find intriguing connections between Alzheimer’s disease and other common conditions
A study has found that while some medical conditions appear to increase our likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, others appear to decrease the odds. The study, led by Dr. Yijun (Nicholas) Pan and Dr. Liang Jin, analyzed data from 2,443 older Australians living in Melbourne or Perth who are part of the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) study, an internationally recognized cohort for dementia research. “We found anxiety and other neurological disorders are associated with increased likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Pan said.
5-20-2024 Prepping autistic or sound-sensitive kids for cicada noise
As Chicagoans await the emergence of the cicadas, parents of children on the autism spectrum and/or who have sensitivities to sound can take a few steps to prepare for what is expected to be a loud summer. “Some children on the spectrum can struggle with loud or unexpected noises, such as toilets that automatically flush, fireworks around the Fourth of July or the emergence of a large number of cicadas,”
5-20-2024 Study highlights importance of screening for rare inherited iron metabolism defects
Over 40% of cases curated based on stringent clinical and laboratory criteria from the Indian subcontinent have an inherited iron metabolism defect on comprehensive genomic evaluation, report investigators in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. Although iron deficiency anemia is the most prevalent form of anemia globally,
5-20-2024 Study finds tyrosine kinase Csk promotes germinal center B cell survival and affinity maturation
The authors found that Csk (a tyrosine kinase that attenuates B cell receptor signaling) is required for germinal center maintenance and efficient antibody maturation. The immune system strikes a fine balance by identifying and neutralizing disease-causing agents while carefully avoiding destruction of healthy tissues and cells. Now, researchers from Japan have shed new light on one of the processes that helps train immune cells to act only against genuine threats.
5-20-2024 Significant gaps between science of obesity and the care patients receive, say experts
As research continues to produce evidence about the underlying causes of obesity and optimal strategies to treat and manage obesity have evolved, there are disparities in application of the latest scientific advances in the clinical care that people with obesity receive. Widespread adoption of current findings, consistency of care and expertise in obesity care varies by health care professional and institution.
5-20-2024 Improving online depression treatment
Symptom course of depression for individuals who dropped out of treatment and those who completed treatment. In the dropout group, there is an initial decrease in symptoms while the patients were still in treatment, which tapers off as they drop out. For completers, there is close to a linear change over time. This suggests there is a relation between the more that an individual continues to participate in ICBT and their depressive symptom improvement.
5-20-2024 Women face worse chronic kidney disease management in primary care
Women receive worse primary care-based chronic kidney disease (CKD) management than men, according to a research letter adult patients with CKD receiving primary care at 15 practices using electronic health record data to examine sex disparities in guideline-based CKD management
5-20-2024 Bisoprolol does not reduce exacerbations in at-risk COPD patients
For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bisoprolol does not reduce the number of self-reported exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids, antibiotics, or both, according to a study
5-20-2024 Anticancer potential of CLK kinase inhibitors 1C8 and GPS167 via EMT and antiviral immune response
The diheteroarylamide-based compound 1C8 and the aminothiazole carboxamide-related compound GPS167 inhibit the CLK kinases, and affect the proliferation of a broad range of cancer cell lines. A chemogenomic screen previously performed with GPS167 revealed that the depletion of components associated with mitotic spindle assembly altered
5-20-2024 Study sheds light on bacteria associated with pre-term birth
Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that multiple species of Gardnerella, bacteria sometimes associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) and pre-term birth, can coexist in the same vaginal microbiome. The findings, published in mSystems, add to the emerging picture of Gardnerella’s effects on human health. Gardnerella is a group of anaerobic bacteria that are commonly found in the vaginal microbiome. Higher levels of the bacteria are a signature of BV and associated with higher risk of pre-term birth, but it is also found in women who have no sign
5-20-2024 New AI model uses federated learning for multi-organ segmentation based on medical image data
Researchers have successfully developed the technology that can accurately segment different body organs by effectively learning medical image data used for different purposes in different hospitals, which is expected to greatly contribute to the development of large-scale medical AI models in the future.
5-20-2024 Second Phase 3 clinical trial again shows dupilumab lessens disease in COPD patients with type 2 inflammation
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with type 2 inflammation may soon gain access to a new drug—dupilumab—that showed rapid and sustained improvements in patients in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. This monoclonal antibody is the first biologic shown to improve clinical outcomes in COPD. The data supporting the use of dupilumab in COPD will be reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration in June. The disease improvements—as measured by a significantly lower annualized rate of acute exacerbations
5-20-2024 New AI model uses federated learning for multi-organ segmentation based on medical image data
Researchers have successfully developed the technology that can accurately segment different body organs by effectively learning medical image data used for different purposes in different hospitals, which is expected to greatly contribute to the development of large-scale medical AI models in the future.
5-20-2024 Second Phase 3 clinical trial again shows dupilumab lessens disease in COPD patients with type 2 inflammation
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with type 2 inflammation may soon gain access to a new drug—dupilumab—that showed rapid and sustained improvements in patients in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. This monoclonal antibody is the first biologic shown to improve clinical outcomes in COPD. The data supporting the use of dupilumab in COPD will be reviewed by the United States Food and Drug Administration in June. The disease improvements—as measured by a significantly lower annualized rate of acute exacerbations

• 5-20-2024GALLBLADDER CANCER RISES AMONG BLACK AMERICANS AS CASES DECLINE IN OTHER GROUPS
• 5-20-2024US PEDIATRICIANS REVERSE DECADES-OLD ADVICE AGAINST HIV-POSITIVE MOTHERS BREASTFEEDING
• 5-20-2024UK REPORT FINDS COVER-UP OF DECADES-LONG INFECTED BLOOD SCANDAL
• 5-20-2024ASTRAZENECA TO BUILD $1.5 BLN CANCER DRUG FACILITY IN SINGAPORE
• 5-20-2024CHEMO FOR GLIOBLASTOMA ENHANCED BY TAPPING INTO CELL’S DAILY RHYTHMS
• 5-20-2024RESEARCH SHOWS THAT FERROPTOSIS, A FORM OF CELL DEATH, OCCURS IN SEVERE COVID-19 PATIENT LUNGS
• 5-20-2024BODY’S ‘MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE’ DELIVERS TARGETED CANCER TREATMENT
• 5-20-2024EARLY BLOOD GLUCOSE CONTROL FOR THOSE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES CRUCIAL FOR REDUCING COMPLICATIONS, PROLONGING LIFE
• 5-20-2024GRID CELL RESPONSES TO THE ILLUSION OF SELF-LOCATION
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS DISCOVER TOP-DOWN SIGNALS IN BRAIN CIRCUITS REGULATING DEPRESSION
• 5-20-2024BENIGN NAIL CONDITION LINKED TO RARE SYNDROME THAT GREATLY INCREASES CANCER RISK
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS REVEAL PROMISING TREATMENT TARGET FOR RESISTANT BRAIN CANCER
• 5-20-2024NEW MECHANISMS UNDERLYING TUMOR VARIETY IN BRAIN CANCERS DISCOVERED
• 5-20-2024STUDY EXPLORES PATIENT TRUST IN PHYSICIANS
• 5-20-2024MOTIVATED BY LACK OF DIVERSITY IN NEUROLOGICAL STUDIES, SCIENTISTS LOOK TO ENSURE EQUITY IN BRAIN RESEARCH
• 5-20-2024FLUORIDE EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF CHILDHOOD NEUROBEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS, STUDY FINDS
• 5-20-2024STUDY SUGGESTS BOTH STEP AND TIME-BASED EXERCISE TARGETS ARE EQUALLY BENEFICIAL
• 5-20-2024MEDICAID ‘UNWINDING’ DECRIED AS BIASED AGAINST DISABLED PEOPLE
• 5-20-2024TIMESAVING TIPS FOR COOKING HEALTHY MEALS
• 5-20-2024UNDERSTANDING PERIMENOPAUSE VS. MENOPAUSE
• 5-20-2024LOW-DOSE IRON SUPPLEMENTATION HAS NO BENEFIT FOR BREASTFED INFANTS, SHOWS STUDY
• 5-20-2024IS IT BIRD FLU JUST AN ANIMAL THING, OR CAN PEOPLE CATCH IT?
• 5-20-2024SCIENTISTS USE NEW APPROACH TO DISABLE BRAIN CANCER CELLS’ ABILITY TO SURVIVE
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHER FINDS MOTHERS LIVE LONGER AS CHILD MORTALITY DECLINES
• 5-20-2024U-SHAPED LINK DETECTED BETWEEN ADOLESCENT BMI AND MENTAL HEALTH
• 5-20-2024AI CHATBOTS SHOW HIGHER EMPATHY, READABILITY IN RESPONDING TO CANCER QUESTIONS, STUDY FINDS
• 5-20-2024ALLERGY MEDICATIONS COME WITH HAZARDS: BE AWARE
• 5-20-2024GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PIG HEARTS TRANSPLANTED IN TWO BRAIN-DEAD PATIENTS REVEAL MORE ABOUT IMMUNE RESPONSE
• 5-20-2024I CAN’T AFFORD OLIVE OIL—WHAT ELSE CAN I USE?
• 5-20-2024HOW NEWBORN CHICKS ARE HELPING TO SETTLE A CENTURIES-OLD DEBATE ABOUT COGNITION AND OUR SENSES
• 5-20-2024STOMACH PARALYSIS RISK MAY RISE IN PEOPLE TAKING OZEMPIC AND SIMILAR DRUGS
• 5-20-2024WHY AUTISTIC PEOPLE MUST BE AT THE HEART OF AUTISM RESEARCH
• 5-20-2024OUR BODIES DON’T JUST MAKE GALL AND KIDNEY STONES—FROM SALIVA TO TONSILS, THESE ARE OTHER ONES TO LOOK OUT FOR
• 5-20-20241 IN 4 PARENTS SAY THEIR TEEN CONSUMES CAFFEINE DAILY OR NEARLY EVERY DAY
• 5-20-2024EX-CIGARETTE SMOKERS WHO VAPE MAY BE AT HIGHER RISK FOR LUNG CANCER
• 5-20-2024DOING DAILY CHORES AROUND THE HOUSE IS BEST ACTIVITY FOR INDIVIDUALS RECOVERING FROM COVID-19, SAY SCIENTISTS
• 5-20-2024NEW AI ALGORITHM MAY IMPROVE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE PREDICTION AND THERAPIES
• 5-20-2024ALCOHOL USE DISORDER CAN BE TREATED WITH AN ARRAY OF MEDICATIONS—BUT FEW PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF THEM
• 5-20-2024VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY TIED TO WORSE OUTCOMES WITH EARLY KIDNEY DISEASE
• 5-20-2024NEGATIVE LINK SEEN FOR OXIDATIVE BALANCE SCORE WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
• 5-20-2024ANDEXANET YIELDS BETTER CONTROL OF HEMATOMA EXPANSION THAN USUAL CARE, FINDS STUDY
• 5-20-2024STUDY FINDS FAT CELLS INFLUENCE HEART HEALTH IN CHAGAS DISEASE
• 5-20-2024PEDIATRICIAN EXPLAINS WHY INFANTS NEED BABY FORMULA INSTEAD OF COW’S MILK
• 5-20-2024HOW TELEHEALTH HAS IMPROVED THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE DISORDERS
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS DEVELOP FIRST HUMAN MINI-BRAIN WITH FULLY FUNCTIONAL BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
• 5-20-2024FROM INFECTION TO CHRONIC ILLNESS: LEARNING FROM LONG COVID
• 5-20-2024PLATELET BIOMARKERS SHED LIGHT ON POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS FOR SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
• 5-20-2024DO PATIENTS WITH DEVICE-DETECTED ATRIAL FIBRILLATION AND PRIOR STROKE BENEFIT FROM ANTICOAGULATION?
• 5-20-2024CONTRACEPTION OPTIONS SHOULD BE GIVEN WITH ORAL RETINOIDS TO AVOID SERIOUS HARM TO UNBORN BABIES, SAYS STUDY
• 5-20-2024STUDY REVEALS INEQUITIES IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR JUSTICE-INVOLVED YOUTH AS THEY AGE
• 5-20-2024STUDY SHOWS EXERCISE SPURS NEURON GROWTH AND REWIRES THE BRAIN, HELPING MICE FORGET TRAUMATIC AND ADDICTIVE MEMORIES
• 5-20-2024RESEARCHERS DISCOVER BRAIN NETWORK THAT RECOGNIZES EMOTIONS
• 5-20-2024PHILLY HEALTH OFFICIALS DETECT A VETERINARY SEDATIVE MORE POWERFUL THAN XYLAZINE IN DRUG SAMPLES
• 5-20-2024PARC MODEL OF CARE ASSOCIATED WITH FEWER DEATHS AMONG VETERANS POST-ICU
• 5-20-2024CAR-T THERAPY IN PEDIATRIC LEUKEMIA
• 5-20-2024SPIROMETRY CLINICAL TRIAL ELIGIBILITY MAY DIFFER WITH RACE-NEUTRAL EQUATIONS
• 5-20-2024CAN PINK NOISE ENHANCE SLEEP AND MEMORY? EARLY RESEARCH DRIVES A COLOR NOISE BUZZ
• 5-20-2024NEW CRISPR SCREENING METHOD COULD REVEAL WHAT DRIVES BRAIN DISEASES
• 5-20-2024IS A GLOBAL PANDEMIC PREVENTION PACT WITHIN REACH?
• 5-20-2024NEW DEVICE HELPS PARAPLEGICS REGAIN PARTIAL USE OF HANDS
• 5-20-2024RELATIONSHIP STUDY SAYS PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE IN CHILDHOOD PREDICTS ABILITY TO FORGIVE AS ADULTS
• 5-20-2024SIMULATION-BASED TRAINING PROGRAM IMPROVES EVALUATION OF UNDESCENDED TESTICLES
• 5-20-2024UPTAKE OF FLU, WHOOPING COUGH, AND COVID-19 VACCINES REMAINS LOW AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN
• 5-20-2024NEW TOOL FLAGS HIDDEN SEXUAL STRUGGLES IN FEMALE PARTNERS OF PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER

I sit alone in my room on the seventh floor, writing what will surely be my last will and testament. The heroin which allowed me to forget and to sleep for the last couple of years has lost its power to keep the screaming terrors away. The drug destroyed my body and mind, gradually eating away at them like a corrosive acid. Now I have become a slave to it. And yet, without it, I do not sleep for weeks, but instead continuously see the scenes from that terrible night running through my head on repeat as worsening waves of madness crash on the shores of my consciousness.
In the caverns under the town of Frost Hollow, I found the meaning of true madness. Ever since I escaped that den of horrors, it is difficult to tell what is real and what is only the feverish delirium of an unhinged mind.
Even now, they wait behind the door to this cheap, bare rented room. They drag their claws over the wood. I hear them hissing in that strange, ancient tongue, the one I first heard in the tombs of rock that had been undisturbed for countless millennia.
***
I had first heard rumors of an unexplored cavern from my friend, an experienced caver named Sonia who had explored caverns all over the world. I had been looking for some excitement in my life, some break from the constant monotony and boredom of simply working and sleeping. I had gone caving quite a few times over the year leading up to the trip, but I was not nearly as experienced and had never explored a supposedly virgin passageway of cavern before.
“How do you know no one’s gone down there?” I asked, curious. We sat across from each other at a local diner, getting some early breakfast before our planned descent. The sunrise was still another half-hour away, the sky flat and dark. We would be joined by Sonia’s husband, Phil, who would meet us there shortly after sunrise. I repressed an urge to yawn, chugging half of the steaming hot coffee in one long swallow. Sonia leaned close to me, her nearly colorless blue eyes reminding me of chunks of ice floating down a muddy stream.
“Phil’s friend just found it randomly,” she whispered before glancing around conspiratorially, as if she feared someone would care enough to eavesdrop on a conversation about a cave. “Well, it’s in the middle of a farm, and Phil’s friend, Jack Graysole, owns the entire property and surrounding woods. Jack says he noticed the cows kept going over to a certain spot in the field when it got really hot during the summertime. They would all gather around this little indentation in the grass. After seeing it a few times, Jack got curious and went to investigate what the cows were doing.
“He found a small hole in the ground, almost entirely covered by weeds and grass. He said he felt a cool breeze constantly blowing out of the hole, a breeze that smelled like burning matches and charred metal. After bringing out some shovels and digging down a couple feet, Jack realized that the hole wasn’t a hole at all, but the beginning of a steep passageway leading deep into the bowels of the earth.”
***
The owner of the land decided to unofficially call the newly-discovered cavern Graysole Caverns. Out of respect for him, this is also the name we all used. This is the story of how I found myself in the bowels of a strange subterranean tunnel, a tunnel where creatures beyond my comprehension slunk and hunted, skittering monstrosities who would be more at home in a nightmare.
After grabbing a couple coffees to take with us, Sonia drove over to Graysole Farms. Cows stood out in the grassy fields, huddled in tight circles as they repetitively chewed. The thin silhouette of Jack Graysole waited for us next to the herd. He had a face like a raisin, I thought to myself. I watched his thin, shaking body standing in the middle of an overgrown grassy field. Jack stared down blankly at something only he could see. Sonia and I started unloading some equipment from the car while we waited for Phil.
Once we had the backpacks loaded with some simple supplies, such as water, food, headlamps, rope, a couple extra batteries, some buck knives, and radios, we headed over to accompany Jack. We weren’t taking much, as we didn’t really expect to be down there for more than six or seven hours at the most.
Jack Graysole’s withered old face was as slack and expressionless as that of a corpse. He stared down at the ground as if he were in a trance, waving back and forth slowly on his feet like a plant in a light breeze.
“Jack?” Sonia called out as we approached. I could hear the man’s teeth chattering as we got nearer.
“Hey, what are you doing over here this early? You interested in accompanying us down there?” Sonia joked. But Jack might as well have been totally deaf for all the reaction he gave. Sonia glanced over at me with an anxious expression. I wondered if the old man was having a stroke.
I quickly walked over to where he stood, staring down at a black circular hole about three feet across directly in front of his feet. The entrance to Graysole Caverns stared up at us like a sightless pupil. As I drew within a few feet of Jack and looked straight into his blank eyes, I noticed something alarming.
His pupils were quickly dilating and constricting before my eyes. They would shrink to tiny pinpoints, then, a couple seconds later, rapidly expand until they became dark and serious. I could see his thready, rapid heartbeat pulsating in a vein on the side of his temple. Alarmed, I reached forward and put my hand on his shoulder.
Instantly, he came to life, like a man waking up from a nightmare. Shrieking, he looked at me with fully dilated pupils, reminding me of a panicked deer surrounded by wolves. His quavering old man’s voice shook with ineffable existential horror and mortal fear.
He took a step back away from us, seeming to realize where he was and what he was doing. He looked around, confused, then straight at me and Sonia. His eyes focused with anger and fear, as if we were demons here to drag him down to Hell. His eyes flicked back and forth between us constantly. Jack raised a trembling hand and pointed it straight at my heart.
“It’s you,” he said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. His teeth chattered despite the warm spring air. His skin looked deathly pale. “You’re the one who will bring an end to humanity, who will release the ruler of nightmares upon us.” He continued to point accusingly for a long moment at me, his face turning chalk-white. Then his eyes rolled up in his head. Slowly, he stumbled and fell backwards onto the soft grass of the field.
“Jack!” Sonia cried, running over to the old man. Jack’s breaths had started to come in slow, drawn-out gurgles, like a man with a slit throat trying to breathe. Frothy blood bubbled from his lips as they turned blue. Staring up at the endless expanse of cloudless sky, he exhaled one last shuddering breath and died.
***
Phil showed up only a couple minutes later. He found me and Sonia in a state of utter panic, both of us bent double over the still body of Jack. Sonia was on the phone with 911, and I was trying to give Jack chest compressions. The way his fingernails and lips shone with that cyanotic blue cast made me feel sick and weak. I knew it was futile, that I was simply playing with a corpse at this point, but I didn’t know what else to do. I felt if I didn’t do something, I might explode.
I heard the faint wailing of sirens approaching as Sonia’s panicked voice continued babbling to the 911 operator. Phil stood by her side, his tall, dark features searching and lost.
“Oh God, I think he’s dead!” Sonia cried over and over to the operator, as if she thought the operator could do anything about it. I didn’t hear what the operator said in response. As the ambulance pulled in, I gave up on chest compressions. I stood up and took a step back, looking sadly down on the kindly old man’s dead body.
The paramedics ran over. Phil, Sonia and I stood back while they worked on the corpse, trying to shock the heart back into life. But Jack’s open eyes stayed glazed as they stared sightlessly up into eternity.
***
The paramedics left. A couple police officers stayed behind to ask us a few routine questions. Eventually, after an hour or so, they left, too.
“What a fucked-up day,” Phil said, shaking his head grimly. “Do you guys still want to do this? Maybe it’s an omen from God telling us to go home.” Sonia and I exchanged a glance, then we both nodded at the same time.
“Definitely,” she said. “It’s sad what happened to Jack, but realistically, we don’t know what’s going to happen to this property now that he’s passed away. It might get sold or taken by the bank for all we know. This could be our one and only chance to explore this cave.”
“I don’t believe in omens. I’m still down,” I said, feeling slightly sick from the experience. I still remembered how Jack’s body had cracked under the weight of my chest compressions, how his ribs had snapped like bones shattering in greedy hands. “We’ll do it in memory of Jack. I plan to put this up on YouTube.” I pulled my GoPro out of my bag, turning it on. Phil groaned at that.
“Do we have any idea how far down this cave goes?” Phil asked. I felt a sense of relief now that the topic had changed from the death of the old man.
“I sent a little camera down on a rope, but it only went about a hundred feet,” Sonia responded. “It’s pretty steep at first, then it levels out. I couldn’t really see much after it leveled out, but it looks like it should be easy to climb down. There’s plenty of handholds, lots of jutting rocks.”
Phil put on his headlamp and small pack. As he crawled down into the hole, his tanned face looked up at us and gave us one last devilish grin. Once he had gone down a few dozen feet, Sonia started descending. She looked excited and happy. I noticed how she couldn’t stop smiling as she disappeared from view.
I watched their lights grow smaller and dimmer in the circular tunnel. I marveled at how perfectly circular the entrance was. It almost didn’t even look natural.
Taking a deep breath in, I followed my friends down into the dark.
***
“This isn’t too bad,” I said as I climbed down. The jutting rocks gave plenty of handholds and footholds for us. It wasn’t so tight that it felt like a coffin, either.
“It only gets easier from here!” Sonia called up.
“How do you know?” I asked. “You said you’ve never been here before.” She laughed.
“I know. Probably just wishful thinking,” she said. Far below us, Jack’s voice drifted up, faint and weak. He had already reached the bottom.
“The tunnel really opens up down here, guys,” he called. “It’s somewhat… bizarre, though.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sonia asked. I looked down, seeing Sonia and I would reach the bottom in seconds. “Forget it, I’ll let it be a surprise.” I heard her drop down. Slowly and carefully, I lowered myself down the last few feet. There was a short fall onto a smooth granite floor. I looked up, seeing what Phil and Sonia were so mesmerized by.
“Oh, wow,” I said, speechless. I blinked rapidly, wondering if the image would clear like a mirage. The tunnel was cut into a perfectly triangular shape, each side about seven feet long. The ceiling met in a point above our heads.
All along the smooth walls of gray rock, I saw thousands of black orbs peeking out. They looked similar to obsidian, but they were perfectly smooth and circular, each about the size of an orange. They were formed into interlocking diagonal patterns and followed the tunnel straight down as far as the eye could see.
“What is this place?” Sonia asked, taking a tentative step forward. I looked up, seeing the distant pinpoint of sunlight far above our heads. Our voices continued to echo off down the massive tunnels, disappearing in eerie waves into the thick curtain of shadows.
“Are you recording all this?” Phil asked me. I laughed, giddy.
“Of course! This is internet gold right here,” I said. “No one’s going to believe that this isn’t man-made, however. I can’t even believe it. Do you think Jack was playing a joke on us or something?”
“Jack had the sense of humor of a wet paper towel,” Phil whispered, shaking his head. “No, he wouldn’t do something like this.”
“Well, let’s go check it out,” Sonia said, taking a step forward. Her headlamp bobbed up and down rapidly, throwing dancing shadows through the triangular tunnel. It continued straight ahead, without the slightest deviation or curve, disappearing off into a dark point in the distance.
***
We walked as fast as we could, excited to see where, if anywhere, the strange tunnel led. Phil, always the conspiracy theorist, babbled excitedly.
“This has to be aliens, man,” he said, running his fingers through his dark hair. “I bet that scientists will find out this shit is millions of years old when we get back up and tell everyone. Maybe aliens came to earth in ancient times and made a bunch of stuff underground.” Gradually, as we walked, I noticed the tunnel opening up. The pointed triangular ceiling rose up higher above our heads and the walls moved outwards, as we were walking up a triangular funnel. At first, it was so subtle that I didn’t believe it when Sonia pointed it out.
“No, look,” she said, raising her hand above her head. “When we first started down this weird tunnel, my fingers were only maybe a foot away from the top. Now it’s a couple feet.” I was about to respond when our headlamps illuminated something standing in the middle of the tunnel.
“What the fuck is that?” I whispered, stopping cold in my tracks. Phil and Sonia looked up at the abomination at the same time. Its back was to us. It stood nearly as tall as the tunnel, which was now about twenty feet high.
The bottom half looked black and spidery with dozens of long, jointed legs. A bloody, white spine rose out of the mass of legs. Inhumanly long, skeletal arms stretched out in front of it. Its face was pointed away from us, but the back of its head resembled an enormous pointed skull with deep fissures like the cracks of an earthquake running through the bone. The abomination stayed as still as a statue, and for a long moment, I wondered if we were looking at some macabre work of art.
Then, suddenly, one of its insectile legs twitched. A moment later, the other legs started jerking and twisting. There was a sound like bones shattering as it rose up to its full height, turning around to face us.
Its face was like something from a nightmare, melting and reforming constantly like dripping candle wax. I would see a black eye appear on its forehead, then a grinning mouth on its chin, then the features would get sucked back into the folds of melting flesh. After a few moments, two enormous eyes appeared on its face, dark and cold like craters on the surface of the Moon. The mouths and noses disappeared back into the dripping skin, and only the two lidless eyes remained, emanating a cold, reptilian consciousness beyond the ability of my mind to comprehend. I felt terror radiating from its body like freezing waves.
“Free me,” it cried in a gurgling voice that seethed with insanity. It had a shrieking, metallic ringing behind every word that gave it an alien quality. “Free me, and I will give you the waters of eternal life. Within me, I contain the seeds of immortality. Within the nightmares, we live forever, always together, never alone.”
“Who are you?” I asked, terrified. The black reptilian skin of the enormous beast glistened as it knelt down, its massive face drawing near to mine. A sideways mouth burst out of the liquified flesh, showing hundreds of fangs growing like tumors from its white, bloodless gums. The fangs varied in size from only a couple inches to long, sword-like projections that stabbed into the creature’s flesh, causing white blood glittering with rainbows to fall like raindrops all around me.
“I have many names,” it hissed, its thousand voices rising and falling in crashing waves of sound. “I was present at the beginning, when this planet was no more than dead cliffs and endless freezing oceans. Those holy ones who search for us, the ancient ones, call me Niralahoth.”
“How do we free you?” Phil asked, looking terrified. He held Sonia’s hand tightly.
“By letting me into your mind and body,” Niralahoth cried, shaking the cavern. “I was thrown down here, cursed and forgotten. I cannot leave this place of shadows within this body. But in the body of another, my consciousness can be free, and the seeds of new life can spread beyond this prison.”
“There’s no way anyone’s going to do that,” I said, my eyes widening as Niralahoth’s reptilian skull turned towards me in fury. “I mean, you’re asking one of us to give up our individuality, our lives, right?”
“I am asking you to become one with me and gain power undreamt of by mortals,” it cried. “I have within me the fountain of life, the waters that send death away screaming.” I glanced anxiously at Phil and Sonia, wondering if we would have to run.
“The answer is no,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, we can’t do that,” Phil said, backing me up. “But, anyways, I think our trip has ended. It’s time to turn around…”
“You will never return,” Niralahoth cried, skittering away from us. “If you will not accept salvation, then you must accept death.” Within seconds, it slunk away from us, backpedaling on its many skittering legs into the shadows.
***
All around us, a rumbling started.
There was a pounding that crashed through the rock tunnel, as if an insane blacksmith were hammering on a massive anvil. The ringing of crashing rock started off slowly, with a few stones smashing down around us with heavy blasts of sound. Within seconds, the cacophony sped up, rising into a constant stream of destruction. The black orbs were spinning in place all up and down the tunnel, their glossy obsidian surfaces flashing with sparks of blue light.
“It’s collapsing!” Phil cried, running back in the direction we came, holding Sonia’s hand as she tried to keep up with him. I could only stare for a long moment, not sure what to do. It seemed that the direction Phil was heading stood closer to total collapse.
“Wait!” I cried, but my voice was drowned out in the destruction all around us. I felt a rock smash into my shoulder, sending me down to my feet. I heard Phil give a scream of pain, then another stone came down and smashed into my forehead. I remember seeing everything spinning around me as the world went black.
***
I awoke to find my headlamp still shining straight up in the dusty tunnel. Large chunks of the tunnel had slid out of place and crashed to the stone floor. The granite chunks that had fallen looked unnaturally smooth, most of them in the shapes of cylinders or cubes and varying in size from that of an egg to that of a small car.
My head throbbed. It felt as if a tight belt of fire were wrapped around my temples. Groaning, I put my fingers up to my forehead. They came away slick with blood.
Slowly, I started pushing myself up on my feet. I was relieved that nothing seemed broken. I had a deep gash running from the center of my scalp down to my left temple and some shallower cuts on my shoulders and back, but I knew none of that was life-threatening.
“Sonia?” I whispered, my voice coming out weak and strained. I reached into my pack and found a bottle of water. I chugged it quickly in one long swallow.
“Phil?” I cried again, this time stronger. I heard a soft weeping nearby. Staggering, I followed the sound.
Sonia was bloody and covered in cuts and scrapes, sitting next to Phil’s prone form. I saw Phil’s right arm pinned under a massive slab of granite. His arm disappeared from the elbow down in a spreading puddle of thick, dark blood.
“Oh God, Max, I think he’s hurt really bad,” she wept. Phil’s eyes rolled wildly in his head, his face pale and bloodless. I looked down the way we had come, seeing the entire tunnel blocked by large slabs of stone, many with strange, black orbs peeking out like the lenses of cameras.
***
I don’t know how much time passed. My phone died after a day, and then we were counting the endless darkness in breaths and tears.
Phil swam in and out of consciousness as his arm putrefied and blackened around the crush site. After a couple days, Sonia and I agreed that something had to be done. We told Phil we would need to amputate his arm. He was half-delirious, but he came back long enough to understand us and nod weakly.
We made a fire with Phil’s pack, trying to find fuel to throw in it to get it roaring. As it grew, I saw one of the black orbs near the flames abruptly ignite, as if it had been covered in gasoline. Blue, almost colorless flames rose from its surface. We started throwing the small black orbs on the fire until it rose high in the air. I sanitized the buck knife with the flames and pulled a rope tourniquet tight around Phil’s arm. He was conscious but seemingly insane, talking to himself more than anyone else.
“How are we going to get the car started without a key?” he gurgled to someone only he could see. “We need to look around. It has to be here somewhere.”
“Phil, can you hear me, bud? We need to fix your arm. We need to get you out of this mess. OK?” I said as comfortingly as I could. Phil’s eyes rolled wildly, but they didn’t meet my own. I sighed and looked over at Sonia.
“Let’s do it,” I said, giving a grim nod.
I pulled the buck knife out, slicing quickly down through the flesh next to the tourniquet. His veins throbbed like fat worms as the blackened, necrotic skin split easily under the blade, releasing a rancid-smelling gas that hissed out of the wound.
I couldn’t believe how hard it was to slice all the way through the arm. It felt like I was stuck in that hellish task forever. Phil’s eyes rolled in his head as his skin turned the color of clotted milk.
“God, Jesus, make it stop,” Phil whispered over and over, exhaling ragged, pain-filled breaths. The blood spurted from the blackened, dying tissue all over the dust-covered cavern floor, covering my hands in its warm, slick embrace.
After what was probably only three or four minutes, but felt like hours, I had sliced all the way down to the bone. The infected tissue of his arm spurted great gouts of orange pus mixed with rivulets of blood. The hard part was over.
Standing up, I took my steel-toe sneaker and stomped down on his arm as hard as I could. Phil cried out in a powerful voice, as if all the agony and suffering in the world was contained in that one shriek. The bone snapped under my weight with a sound like a tree branch cracking. A moment later, Phil rolled away from the rock that had pinned me in place for so long. Something alien and spongy was shoved into my face, a mass of destroyed red tissue pulsating in time with a runaway heartbeat. At first, shell-shocked and revolted, my mind couldn’t comprehend that I was looking at the stump of Phil’s mutilated arm. I hardened my heart and forced the giddiness and madness to the back of my mind. The time had come to cauterize the wound.
“Sonia, give it to me,” I said with a tremor in my voice. I reached out a hand towards her, a hand stained with Phil’s blood. It looked as if I were wearing a wet, crimson glove. Sonia only stared blankly at me for a long moment, however. A surge of anger ran up my chest.
“Sonia, toughen the fuck up! He’s going to die if you just sit there!” I swore at her, hearing my deep, angry voice bounce around the caverns. Sonia pulled back, as if she were struck. Inwardly, I cursed having a woman as my only able-bodied companion in this situation. She was a competent enough caver, but what would happen if violence and blood came over us? What would happen if, or more realistically when, we needed to fight?
Grimly, Sonia leaned forward and yanked the burning black orb out of the roaring fire, handing it to me on the end of a buck knife that had just barely pierced its hard, strange exterior. The handle of the knife felt coarse and splintery under my filthy skin. I put it to the spongy stump of Phil’s arm. The stump twitched violently. Phil tried to pull away as black smoke rose from the burning flesh.
There was a smell like bacon sizzling. The searing meat of Phil’s arm blackened and crisped under the heat of the orb, which had become no more than a cylinder of glowing blue embers by this point. I felt simultaneously sick and giddy. I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or vomit. I felt like I was on the verge of some kind of madness, that the stress and insanity of the experience had started to shatter my mind.
His eyes rolled back in his head and he appeared to go into a seizure for a few seconds. With a long exhalation of breath, he finally, mercifully, lost consciousness. It’s hard to admit it, even this close to the end, but a small, sick piece of me was jealous of Phil. Most likely, he would be dead soon, maybe within hours, while Sonia and I would slowly starve and dehydrate like animals over a period of weeks. I looked at her lithe body and soft skin, seeing the feminine curves of her hips and chest. She was a beautiful woman. I knew Phil to be a lucky man. At least, before this trip, he was.
I watched her body, wondering if I had what it took to eat her or Phil if I had to. Did I have an iron heart that would allow me to slice into my friends and consume their raw, cold flesh? Perhaps, by that point, it would be hunger and madness driving me forward, and I wouldn’t even hesitate. I shuddered at the very thought.
***
I fell asleep that night, having strange dreams of massive gods with melting faces sitting in judgment in a circle around me. We had very little food or water left. No one knew we were down here. Rescue was not coming.
When I awoke, I found myself alone. Phil had died from his injuries while I slept, the black streaks of septic shock spreading up his arm towards his heart. His eyes stared sightlessly up at the rock ceiling.
“Sonia?” I called out, my heart racing as I sat up. “Where are you?” My headlamp was growing dim. I looked in my pack, realizing I was on the last of my batteries. I saw a silhouette walking out of the darkness, the thin, pale form of Sonia. She was trembling badly.
“I saw them,” she said. “Niralahoth and its priests. The priests aren’t human. They look reptilian with sideways mouths and too many eyes.” She shuddered.
“Why would you do that?” I asked. Her eyes grew distant.
“You know we’re not getting out of here alive,” she said. “Not on our own. I wanted to see what it offered. It says that if we take a piece of its nightmare into us, we will gain the power to leave this place, that it simply wants to see the surface and spread its nightmares there.” I shook my head.
“Insanity,” I muttered. “We’d be better off dead.” Sonia nodded.
“My thoughts exactly,” she responded grimly. I didn’t realize what she meant until the next day, when I woke up and found her hanging next to Phil’s body, her tongue swollen and blue as it poked out of her cyanotic lips. And then I was truly alone.
***
Soon after Sonia committed suicide, the last of the batteries for the headlamp died. I had run out of food and had only a small sip of water left. I don’t know how much time passed in the darkness, starving and raving, following the tunnel by running my hands over the walls. I heard many things skittering in the darkness, and a few times, I heard the demonic voice of Niralahoth as it split and distorted.
“You are on death’s door,” it hissed. “Will you not drink from the fountain of life?” I couldn’t tell where the voice came from in the maddening blackness. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. I had lost nearly all of my sanity in that pit of shadows by this point. I tried laughing constantly to keep my spirits up, and when that failed, I simply cried.
“I’ll do it,” I wailed. “I’ll do it. Just let me see the sky again. Get me out of here, Niralahoth.” Everything went deathly silent all around me, then a laugh rang out like the grinding of glass.
In front of me, I saw a tornado of fire descending from the ceiling, surrounding the massive, spidery form of Niralahoth. It rose its skeletal arms upwards, as if it were Zeus calling down lightning. In the sudden brightness, I saw the fiery form of snakes slithering and centipedes skittering forwards in that tornado, each massive creature sculpted from flames in the spinning cyclone of energy. Niralahoth reached into the tornado of fire with its sharp points of fingers and plucked something small from it. The fire instantly dissipated. In its hand, I saw a tiny, swirling orb that looked like it contained a firestorm within it.
“The nightmare seed,” Niralahoth gurgled as it skittered forward towards me. I could only stare, open-mouthed and starving. I hadn’t slept for days, it felt like, and everything seemed slow and unreal.
In a blur, its skeletal arm shot out and forced the orb into my mouth. Despite the fire raging within it, it felt freezing cold. As it touched my tongue, it gave off a sensation like frostbite all throughout my mouth. I screamed and tried spitting it out, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. It started liquifying, dripping down my throat.
I felt something cancerous and sick spreading throughout my body, radiating out from my heart and stomach to every inch of it. I tried to scream, but it caught behind my teeth. I fell to my knees, clawing at my face as that insane, alien laugh continued resounding all down the tunnel. I fell unconscious and woke up under a beautiful sky in the fields of Graysole Farms.
***
Soon after, I realized that my life would never be the same. Everywhere I went, I could hear the wailing voice of Niralahoth. Behind the trees, I always saw skittering shadows, creatures with long, spidery legs that stalked me every day and night. I slept with every light in the house turned on, yet when I woke up, they would all be shut off, and I would find myself in darkness, next to something in the bed with far too many legs and a face that dripped like burning wax.
I sold everything I owned and tried to move far away, to give as much distance between myself and those cursed caverns as I could, but the nightmares followed me like a shadow. I realize what a fool I was in those ephemeral moments of madness. Sonia was much wiser than myself; I should have killed myself or died rather than allowing that thing inside of me.
Even now, I can feel it creeping through my heart, spreading through my blood. I feel it trying to crawl its way out of my throat, the thin, black legs peeking out at the back of my esophagus.
I only hope that, when I finally jump and feel my bones shatter against the concrete far below, I will kill whatever is inside of me. For I fear the consequences for the world if it were to escape.

Last night was a crazy ensemble of mystery, magic, lively characters, pure luxury high class dreaming, attention to detail you normally only see in the fanciest of places! And it all started very normal. Let's dive into the dream space!
I am standing on a platform at train station Haarlem Centraal, Netherlands. Trains came and went. When I look around, I see people standing, waiting to catch the next train. Looking up, a digital sign said: “Groningen”. The next train went to Groningen, it actually sounds pretty nice, so I wanted to go there.
As I'm reaching into my left pocket, I notice I have my phone with me. I turned it on, and it was open on the Contacts app. On the top of the list, there was a peculiar person I never heard of before: Ben. I decided to give Ben a call.
A robotic voice made itself audible on the speaker. The robotic voice said: “Hi, I'm Ben! A dream AI. I can change any dream for you just the way you like it.”
“Anything?”, I ask. “We do anything for our customers. Your deepest desires, your wildest wishes and your greatest adventures come true. With Ben, you are 100% in control”.
Eager to test that theory, realizing as I was getting lucid — I'm not just anybody! I'm not going to stand here and wait for public transport like normal citizens do! I want a private train!
And so I speak my wishes in a clear English voice to Ben on my phone. No reply. Ben wasn't saying a word.
But something is changing… Looking up at the sign, it starts to flicker, as if someone is hacking into the sign in my dream, and quickly, the sign updated, saying: “Do not board — Private train”.
Not long after, I hear the train rolling into view — and my dragons — was it a marvel to behold, easily 100 cars long. The entire exterior is a silvery white train with red stripes on it. The red stripes are made from precisely cut ruby that is so thin and so flat that it surprises me it doesn't chip or crack. Surrounding the ruby stripes was chrome lining that holds everything together.
It looks shiny and beautiful, modern yet classical, drawing its inspiration from late 80s diners in the United States, along with Sci-fi elements from “Snowpiercer” and “Hunger Games — Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”.
What really strikes me at this point is that, this all feels man-made. Engineered. My fantasy doesn't extend to these exquisite tastes without much research beforehand. And yet, that initial fear of the unknown made it all the more tantalizing to step in and roll the fast-lane of the dream world.
The car at the front opens its door, and to my surprise, nobody of the crowd steps in, automatically obeying what the sign says. In a split second, Ben had changed the normal aesthetic of a public train station into a capitalist class-divided private railroad for the ultra-rich to get their own private trains. In real life I'd hate this, but now I couldn't care less!
I got inside the train at the front, just before the conductors' car. The first cabin is relatively simple. It has a few chairs, tables that's it. Nothing too shabby. Each car has the same silvery white colour as the exterior, separated by red doors, mimicking the ruby stripes.
For the first time since my command, the AI spoke again: it said the train would be departing soon, but that I'm allowed to explore the train as I wish.
So, I go into the next car — and this one is a freaking tennis court! It was absolutely insane. There even is a small place for people to watch the game!
I walk into the next car — this seems to be a little restaurant, and quickly becoming my favourite car!
Stockpiles of candy and snacks and everything laid for people to grab for free!
There are Maltesers, Snickers, Bounty, and variations of it all!
Sitting on the floor (as the cabin where the candy was held was quite low), I start munching on everything. And I mean, everything!
I started eating the whole supply, there is even white Maltesers, and oh my god, they tasted so good.
Throughout this feast, I keep thinking of how grateful I am that it feels so real, the taste, the crunch, the feeling of getting full… My synapses are firing like crazy at this point to make this taste so real.
After the entire bar is emptied, and I feel almost like puking, I walk into the next car, this one is a literal petting zoo! It has a cow behind a small fence, and some chicken above in a cage.
It was an absolute monster of a train, and it just kept going, and going, and going! Everything stayed so consistent. I could always find my way back to the first cabin and I could even look at the screens inside the train and see how fast we are going.
I could look outside and see biomes consistent of that with the Netherlands… But something happened along the way. The more and more I drove towards Groningen. I started noticing that there are other people around, too.
First just a few, but later on, it starts to become more and more. And I began to ask myself: Where do these people come from?
This was intense and at this point I am a little annoyed because they weren't supposed to get on. We didn't stop in front of a station, so they couldn't have got on in the first place.
At some point, I even see my family. My mom and my sister… I ask my mom: “how did you get in?”
And she tells me that she doesn't know, but she is very happy to be here, there are so many things to do, and it is so special to spend time together with us on this train. I actually feel a little emphatic. Yeah, this could be special, let's ride it out!
I walked also towards other people, strangers… They say they are lucid dreamers and that they wanted the private train. But for some reason, the private train, was the same train for all of us.
I guess the AI made a mistake and thought that this train was the private train and just gave it to every lucid dreamer out there. I don't know, but the whole thing felt almost spiritual because all of these people, felt real. It added life to the scene. I see people hanging out in the restaurant car — just talking to each other about completely random subjects, relaxing. You know, just taking a cup of coffee or something. The train, the engineering, the people, everything was alive. It was so real.
It is even more alive than that. To each other and to me, these people were strangers at first. But riding this out together, starts to feel like days as time begins to drift. We began closing in on each other, some strangers became friends, and the friend groups started doing things together having activities. And the kids started patting the cow together.
Couple of more days in, people start setting up shops together, and they start making their own things. From just a means of luxury transportation it soon shifted into a meters long artist hub. And slowly, but surely, as the days pass, it becomes a city on rails. There are kids playing and everyone knows each other.
It is a crazy experience to see all this unfold, a life intermingled and yet so different all having their own characters and their own clothing, their own movements. Everything. Just… oh… it fell into place in this one thing.
And then I start to feel that I am going to wake up… Being so attached to this place. I don't want to just leave without saying goodbye. So, I walk to the front of the train, to the conductor. Strangely enough, no human is driving the train. In front of me there is a desk with nothing but a single microphone and a button. I activate the microphone to make an announcement.
A jingle starts playing, the same one as in Snowpiercer. I started having my speech, and I remember exactly what I said. It was that I was very happy to be here, and that sadly, it is my time to go, and I hoped that everyone remembers everything.
I let go of the mic and I walk back into the other cars, by now, things have so heavily evolved we have plants growing in every car, mostly food to eat.
But I didn't quite hear anything on the speakers when I made the announcement, so I ask random people if they heard the passenger announcement, but they all reply: “no we didn't hear anything”. So I guess that the microphone didn't work.
I then walk up to my mom. She is playing around with my nephews and nieces in a makeshift playground someone made. I tell her that I really loved everything about it and I hope that she remembers everything, but I am afraid that she won't remember anything. She asked if I will remember anything, and my answer was yes.
I explain to them that them forgetting, but me remembering is some kind of protection mechanism. To make sure that no strange, spiritual secrets about mysterious worlds reveal themselves. Yet that these people like my mum can still feel the positive vibes. Still, a really strange thing to say, but it was how I interpreted it at the time.
I walk back into the other coaches and say goodbye to a few other people that mattered the most to me here since there was no way I could say goodbye to everyone.
I woke up with full closure.
Once I got up, I realized I hit snooze on my alarm clock for maybe about 20 minutes. Which means that this whole thing happened in just 20 minutes. Possibly even less because I wouldn't sleep right away.
And that felt kind of crazy.

Pesto is a nutritious sauce and condiment available in many tasty variations, but is pesto keto-friendly?
Yes, traditionally prepared pesto is low in carbs and can be a great way to add depth of flavor to various keto recipes.
Discover the benefits of regularly incorporating pesto into a ketogenic diet and learn how to make the best Healthy Keto® pesto recipe.

What is pesto?

Originating from Genoa, Italy, authentic pesto sauce is crafted from simple ingredients, including fresh basil leaves, garlic, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, pine nuts, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
The name pesto comes from the Genovese word pestare, which means to pound or crush. It depicts the traditional method of preparing pesto using a mortar and pestle to combine ingredients.
Here are common ingredients used in different pesto varieties.

Common herbs used in pesto

The original pesto recipe, Pesto alla Genovese, exclusively uses Genovese basil as the primary herb due to its unique sweetness.
Basil is a delicate herb, and using the mortar and pestle instead of harshly chopping or blending with a food processor slows down the oxidation of the leaves. This not only helps preserve the sauce's vivid green hue but also enhances its flavor and aroma.
However, pesto has evolved to encompass a broader range of ingredients.
Here are some other common herbs used in many pesto recipes:

• Italian flat-leaf parsley
• Cilantro
• Mint
• Oregano

In addition to herbs, many pesto sauces incorporate ingredients such as arugula, spinach, kale, lemon juice, or tomatoes.

Common nuts used in pesto

Similarly, some recipes replace the traditional toasted pine nuts with other types of nuts to add a unique twist to the classic dish.
Here are some commonly used nuts used to prepare pesto:

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios

Is pesto keto-friendly?

Traditional pesto is low in carbohydrates and contains less than one gram of net carbs per tablespoon. This makes pesto an excellent keto-friendly option that offers impressive flavors.
However, since there are many different pesto variations, it’s crucial to read labels to check that there are no added sugars or hidden carbs that could interfere with ketosis.
For those following Healthy Keto, a low-carb diet that focuses on nutrient-dense whole foods, checking the ingredients list is essential, as many pre-made pestos can include potentially harmful additives and preservatives.
Watch this video to discover the health and nutritional benefits of basil.
Amazing Health & Nutritional Benefits Of Basil

4 health benefits of pesto

Authentic basil pesto combines several superfoods high in nutrients, offering many potential health benefits.
Here are four reasons why you should incorporate more pesto into your meals.

1. Anti-aging properties

Research published in Frontiers in Nutrition shows that healthy fats, particularly the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil, can improve brain function and help reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
These fatty acids are also vital for supporting eye health and contribute to healthier skin by improving skin barrier function and hydration.

2. Supports the immune system

According to a study published in Foods, Genovese basil is particularly rich in polyphenols, including rosmarinic and caffeic acid.
These health-promoting compounds have been linked to potent anti-inflammatory effects that support immune system function and may lower the risk of chronic diseases.
3. Potential anti-cancer effects
Key ingredients in pesto, including basil, garlic, and olive oil, are exceptional sources of antioxidants that may help lower cancer risk.
Antioxidants can counteract the effects of free radicals, thereby preventing oxidative stress, which is linked to cellular and DNA damage, a leading cause of cancer.

4. Promotes digestive health

Parmigiano Reggiano, widely considered the best cheese for pesto, contains digestive enzymes and beneficial gut bacteria, also known as probiotics.
Probiotics help maintain a healthy gut microbiome essential for nutrient absorption, digestive health, and overall well-being.
Research published in Food Technology and Biotechnology found that Parmigiano Reggiano also contains oligosaccharides, which act as a prebiotic food source for beneficial gut bacteria.

Store-bought vs. homemade pesto

Italians will be the first to tell you there's no comparison between store-bought and homemade pesto sauce.
Pesto is a delicate sauce that’s best consumed fresh, as its flavor and quality can deteriorate quickly, becoming bitter and dull as the enzymes released from basil oxidize.
To help extend pesto’s shelf life, store-bought versions often contain preservatives and additives that can negatively impact the flavor and quality of the sauce and may harm your health.
Additionally, many store-bought pestos will substitute critical ingredients, such as extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), cheese, or fresh garlic, with cheaper alternatives or omit them entirely, leading to a bland or unpalatable flavor and a significantly lower nutritional value.

How to choose the best store-bought pesto sauce

Homemade pesto sauce is always preferred, but if you don't have time to make it, the best premade pestos can often be found in the refrigerated section.
Look for pestos that don't contain artificial preservatives or low-quality ingredients, such as sunflower oil or potato flakes. Instead, opt for certified organic and non-GMO products that use high-quality oil and real cheese sourced from grass-fed and pasture cows.

Keto-friendly pesto recipes

If you're looking for a way to add extra flavor to your keto meals, look no further than pesto. Chicken, fish, steak, and most vegetables pair exceptionally well with this tasty and versatile sauce.
Here are some delicious keto-friendly pesto recipes:

• Sun-dried tomato pesto dip
• Vegan keto pine nut pesto
• Vegan mint pesto and veggie bowl
• Keto creamy basil sausage casserole
• Macadamia nut and parsley pesto vegan bowl

To complete your pesto experience, try experimenting with keto pasta recipes.
Zucchini noodles, keto gnocchi, and keto egg noodles are excellent low-carb pasta alternatives that work well with keto pesto sauce.

Tips to make the best pesto sauce

Here are some tips on how to choose the best ingredient to make a nutritious and flavorful pesto at home.

Parmesan cheese

Opt for authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, an Italian staple that’s been in production for over 900 years.
Known for its rich, nutty flavor and granular texture, Parmigiano Reggiano undergoes a meticulous aging process and adheres to stringent production standards, ensuring its authenticity and superior quality.
The Parmigiano Reggiano standard guidelines underscore a commitment to natural production, prohibiting additives and ensuring cows are fed local forage.
This approach not only guarantees the cheese's premium taste but also preserves essential nutrients and probiotics.

Olive oil

Select only pure cold-pressed EVOO. Many olive oils on the market are diluted with cheaper oils that compromise flavor and can introduce harmful ingredients that may negatively impact your health.
In addition, evidence published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition summarizes, "phenolic content of olive oil is reduced by chemical extraction and refining."
By prioritizing cold-pressed EVOO, you ensure your olive oil is rich in flavor and health-promoting properties.

Fresh Genovese basil

Harvested during early growth stages to ensure optimal flavor, Genovese basil is the prime choice for making basil pesto.
As Dr. Berg explains, "Basil has some amazing health benefits. It’s loaded with vitamin K, manganese, and flavonoids, which can help support healthy bones, blood clotting, and skeletal health while offering potent anti-inflammatory properties.”

So I was listening to a podcast by comedian Andrew Heaton (X), and he had a very interesting episode examining people's nostalgia for the American 1950's complete with humorous skits. For illustration's sake he assumed 50's America was another country called "Fiftiesland" and compared it's stats like GDP or live expectancy to Modern America. He conclude that a lot of the nostalgia came from how many astonishing improvements happened between 1900-1950 vs 1950-2024, even though Modern America is superior in almost every metric.
At the end he had a long monologue where he was trying to explain to his fictional Grandma Edna Bickle, born in 1889 and elderly by the 50's, what it'd be like in the future compared to how she grew up. Imagine trying to explain Netflix to someone who grew up with a radio.
It really demonstrates, in a lighthearted way, just how far we've come in ~125 years.
So imagine how astonishing the world will be in another 100, 300, or 500 years...
Anyway, it's a bit of a read, but I thought some of you all might enjoy it and Mr Heaten was nice enough to send me the transcript. Enjoy!

My great grandmother, Edna, was born in 1889. My Dad and I were recently reminiscing about her, and he said, “Gramma Bickle, tough old bird, tough old bird. Went blind at ninety-two, quit driving at ninety-four, died at ninety-six. Almost lived in three different centuries.” I have some immediate questions about that chronology, and the realization that Gramma Bickle apparently drove her car blind for two full years before handing her keys in, but I digress.
In 1954 my great gramma Bickle was sixty-five years old. Think about how the country changed from her childhood to her golden years. From when she was born, to a little younger than my parents are today, she saw an entire country go from horse and buggies and pretty much nobody owning a car, to almost everybody has a car. Only six percent of the homes in America had electricity when she was a teenager. By the mid nineteen fifties, the whole country is throbbing with electricity.
In her lifetime, the country went from basically no light bulbs, radios, telephones, refrigerators, or washing machines, to a country where all of that stuff is ubiquitous.
In the year 1900, only ten percent of American households had a stove in them. By 1960,--when my great grandmother is the same age as my parents are now—95% of households do. When she was born, anti-biotics didn’t exist, and polio could cripple your baby. By the time she’s my age, penicillen—a miracle drug!—has been invented. By the time she’s my parents’ age, penicillen is widely available and some genius has recently invented a polio vaccine.
So, if we’re looking at Fiftiesland as a country around today, here’s what’s going on. All of the old people in this country, in their lifetime, went from a horse-and-buggy 19th century third world economy with polio and no electricity—something that, if it existed today, we would be sending anthropoligsts to—to a more modern second world economy perhaps akin to contemporary Guatemala. Which is no small jump.
And the people my age who live in Fiftiesland are still celebrating kicking the crap out of the Nazis, inventing the atom bomb, and enjoying an economy which is comparatively booming—because all of the neighboring economies are rubble.
If Gramma Bickle, at forty years old, my age now, could somehow visit me in contemporary America—she would think I made a pact with Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness. Or maybe, maybe her progeny somehow goes on to conquer Oklahoma as warlords, and all her great grandchildren become opulant Oriental sultans.
I have an icebox in my kitchen that’s powered by lightning that lives in my wall. I have another smaller box that makes my food hot by shooting it with invisible particles like the ray gun from War of the Worlds.
Not only do I let my dog sleep in a tiny bed inside my house, like a toddler, we just finished up a round of antiobitics from when he cut his foot. My great-grandfather—this is true—lived with tuburculosis for years before it finally killed him. Anyway, see that dog I make wear a necktie for my amuesment? Yeah, my dog takes miracle drugs unavailable to John D. Rockefeller. Last year Wallace got elbow cancer but the doctor fixed that, no problem, took a couple of months. Wallace literally has better medical treatment available to him a mile from my house than any human being alive in 1950.
Gramma, you wanna watch Netflix, Paramount Plus, HBO, Peacock, or Amazon Prime? It’s television. Well, television is sort of like radio, only much better, and with images, and I can watch it whenever I want, and there are thousands of options. Like, imagine Broadway, only, like, a few thousand of them, and they’re all inside of that rectangle.
Huh, yeah, I’m not explaining that very well. Right. Okay, so you know how in your time you know multiple people who were literally slaves at some point in their life? Like, you personally know some older people who were, at one point, legally a form of property?
So basically, I have this glass rectangle on my wall that a million of the world’s greatest comedians and dramatists live inside of as my slaves, and they put on plays for me when I’m tired after work. Except I don’t have to feed them or pay them because I use my friend Nick’s HBO account. They just eat the lightning that lives in my wall.
What? Oh yes, I get very tired from work, Gramma. Really get [sigh] worn out, you know? Well, you know how your dad was a wheatfarmer, who spent hours and hours plowing through dust and boneshards in Indian Territory, where he might literally be shot by a Commanche, and the threat of looming starvation for the entire family was never more than one drout away?
Right, so I… I talk for a living. Yeah, that’s right. No, a bunch of strangers just sort of send me money every month cause they enjoy hearing me talk. It’s actually very challenging. Because! Gramma, I do a lot research, you see. Like for this episode, I had to read a lot, and I had to do a lot of math. No, I did not personally do the math.
I have another magical rectangle that has several thosuand math slaves trapped inside that do the actual math for me. When I was a kid I had to perssonally punch the equations in myself, and the rectantle would crunch the numbers. Those were hard times. Now I have a smarter glass rectangle that I can just talk to. I just type in, “Hey, average these ten numbers, okay” and there’s, I dunno, like translater slaves that talk to the math slaves, and they all figure out whatever I’m trying to say, increasingly in lower case and with minimal punctuation, and then give me the answer.
But I have to do the research. Like, I have to read a lot. No, I don’t go to a library. I have another rectangle that has all of the world’s libraries inside of it, and also a lot of pornography, so I just stay at home and look at that particular rectangle, alteranting between research and pornography depending on my mood.
It sure is tough, Gramma. I don’t have any coworkers to keep me company. I’m all by myself here in my well-lit, smokeless, air conditionined home. That’s right, air conditioning! Not just in my house, either—in my camper—which is a tiny extra house I tow behind my armored, self-propelling buggy, which I feed fermented dinosaur juice they pump out of the ground. Oh yeah. It has a rectangle in it that plays music. I’d say I have roughly… three to eight million musician slaves who live in the rectangle in my car, so I don’t get bored when driving to the movies, which is a very large rectangle I go to when I’m tired of watching rectangles on my couch.
What? Good question. It’s called a “camper” because I go camping in it. It’s sort of my hobby. You see, Gramma, my life is so stupidly cushy and comfortable that I amuse myself by going out into the woods to forego wall lightning, air conditioning, and even pornography sometimes, when I can’t get a signal, and instead I sit in a hammock and shit in holes I dig for fun. We call that “roughing it.” For sport, I spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars doing what your entire family did their entire lives until they finally got indoor plumbing, except of course my camper has a propane stove built in, whereas your pioneer family had to dig a hole in the side of a hill and cower in it from the weather like cavemen while burning cow dung for warmth. I dunno where propane comes from. Probably dinosaur farts or something.
Anyway, I prefer to travel around in my camper rather than fly—that’s right, fly—yeah, like a spitfire pilot—which I do multiple times a year using frequent flier points. Which are sort of free, imaginary coupons that banks give me to thank me for using their credit cards, which are also rectangles, but these particular rectangles are small and flat and full of slave bankers that live in my pocket, next to my nine-billion dollar super computer I mostly use as a map, so I don’t have to go through the hassle of folding and unfolding maps, and also to send funny pictures to people in Scotland, in between watching porn in the woods.
I digress. Let’s all take a deep breath. Somebody from my great grandmother’s generation, who lived long enough to be an adult in Fiftiesland, would rightly think: We live in a golden age! We live in the future!
Back in contemporary America, my parents are in their early seventies. My parents today are about how old Gramma Bickle was at the end of the 1950s. And the jump isn’t bad, but it’s not nearly as mind-blowing. The developments they’ve seen since childhood are very impressive in terms of computers and telecommunications and medicine, but otherwise, the world they live in is a more efficient, clever version of the world they grew up in. Cars are safer and more comfortable and fuel efficient, but they’re still basically cars. LED lights are cheaper than incandescent bulbs, but they’re still essentially electric lights. Penicillan is better, but it’s still just clinical mold that strategically murders errant bacteria.
If Fiftiesland were a country, rather than our own history, we would pretty much look at it sort of how we see the poorer parts of Latin America or Eastern Europe: a very nice place with lovely people, wonderful to visit, try the food. Get some funky vintage clothes while you’re there.
But a comparatively poor economy to America or Western Europe. You wouldn’t want to immigrate there for the money. And also, not surprisingly, some views about gender, sex before marriage, having kids really young, having lots of kids, and skepticism about homosexuality that a globetrotter and even quite a few conservatives today might be tempted to call “quaint” or “traditional.”
Basically, if Fiftiesland were a country today, we would view it like Honduras or Moldova, or maybe Czechoslavkia after the wall came down.

Having seen many cringeworthy “analysis” from various armchair warriors dissecting IDF’s actions (usually ending with a backlink to their idea of “poof” of Israel’s “war crimes”), I figured I’d offer a more detailed perspective on things from someone more familiar with the topic than an average redditor.
This started as a response to a comment “what would you do different with unlimited budget” but then grew beyond a simple response – hence I’m making it into a couple lengthy posts.
I’m going to break it into two parts:
1. General perspective on urban war, what it’s like, and things to keep in mind when analyzing reports from the ground (Today).
2. More technical thoughts on urban combat, analysis of IDF’s operation, etc. (that I’ll probably do tomorrow)
About me: 10 years military (U.S.), intimately familiar with urban battlefield. Ethnically I’m part Moroccan, Bedouin, Jewish, and Finish. Born in USSR of all places. Immigrated to the US as a teenager. Third-generation military (the first two were in Soviet forces). Lots of formerly professional (and now, personal) interest and experience with all relevant aspects of this topic. Curious student of history – especially of the military variety.
Also of relevance – I’m an atheist, though baptized as Christian… but the only religion practiced in my family is Islam (about a quarter of my family is Muslim). I love my Muslim family members. I have no problem with "normal" Muslims or Arabs (as I’m part one myself). But I really, really f-ing hate Islamists and wish each one of them a slow, painful death – as soon as possible. Their ideology is the most insidious form of evil I’ve ever encountered personally. And it’s incompatible with modern civilization.
Ok… part one.

The realities of War (killing sacred cows)

1. War is fun. There – I said it. It’s not fun if you’re the one getting your rear end kicked. But when you’re the one doing the kicking – truth is… it can be a lot of fun. It’s taboo to say, but it’s true.

2. Reasons it's fun: clarity – routine concerns of peaceful life drop off. Your daily objectives become crystal clear. Basic human emotions become amplified. The highs are really high. The lows are really low. And, if you survive the lows, even they take on a special, perversely-nostalgic meaning later on.
3. Why this matters.
(a). The reasons one goes to war are critically important. Because war is fun – it’s stupid easy to enlist young men full of testosterone to fight. Most young men feel invincible until they aren’t – and by that point, bullets are already flying.
(b.) Hence, drawing moral equivalence between a side that responds to violence and the side that deliberately provokes violence is absurd. As the saying goes – old men start wars and young men die in them. These “old men” already know what war entails. Thus, provoking a war is a far more insidious act than reacting to it… all other circumstances being equal.
4. Side note (a personal theory of mine) – the energy of war begins with a lot of testosterone (until it takes on its own velocity). Which leads to a personal observation – societies where young men get laid, typically fight a lot less wars. Islamist ideologies are breeding grounds for wannabe jihadis. Primarily, due to the ideology itself. But also, by prohibiting the mating energy of young men and channeling it into rage and violence instead. If you think can change my opinion on it – feel free.
5. War is absurd. Each day consists of hours of boredom followed by minutes of terror and exhilaration. It’s a bipolar environment. The whole thing is absurd. And when you stumble upon trivial, idiotic things following hours of combat – the only way to stay sane is to embrace dark humor and laugh at things you’d never laugh at in normal life.
(a). Imagine a scenario – you just survived an hour-long close-proximity firefight. An Apache finally swoops in and takes the roof off the building you were unable to suppress for the past 30 minutes. You move in to investigate – stepping over dead bodies, trying not to slip on blood, cracking stupid jokes because you’re still terrified. You walk into a child’s bedroom and see spent shell casings, dead bodies, weapons, a copy of Quaran among children’s toys on the floor. You make your way through the house trying to ID who it belonged to, etc. You start opening drawers and what-dya-know – red, sexy lingerie of the former lady of the house. The ONLY sane reaction to this absurdity is uncontrollable laughter. Grown men will put the bra over their plate carrier, pose for pictures like idiots, etc.
(b). Is posting such pictures on social media a breach of discipline? Of course it is. But the idiotic joy of it – it’s a normal reaction. In fact, it’s a weirdly healthy reaction. People who post pictures of soldiers acting like idiots and claim them to be “proof” of some…idk… animal character of IDF soldiers are clueless. If you’re one of those – you have no idea what you’re talking about.
c. But I’ll tell you what I don’t see. I don’t see pictures of IDF dragging bodies of Hamas fighters and spitting on them. I don’t see pictures of IDF running behind detainees and yelling “Moses is Great”, etc. For those of you drawing moral equivalence between IDF behavior and that of Hamas – I’d like to congratulate you on being an idiot.

6. Controlled Violence.
(a). Fundamentally, the objective of a well-executed war is controlled violence in order to achieve political/strategic goals. How the violence actually plays out is very difficult to fully control. Therefore, INTENTIONS MATTER. A LOT.
i. A force intent on minimizing unnecessary casualties and failing is still far superior morally to a force intent on inflicting unnecessary casualties. IDF is the former. Hamas is the latter.
(b). ~Violence (once initiated) is extremely difficult to control~. That’s why a professional military (a real one) is much different in executing violence than a militia.
i. A militia (any militia) will inevitably escalate violence beyond necessary. The most “alpha” characters usually rise to the top. Often, via sheer brutality and fighting prowess. Human emotions (anger, revenge, pride) take over. And they’re difficult to control.
ii. A professional military operates by objectives and command structure. It will inevitably make errors and even commit war crimes – again, war is chaos that one never fully controls. However, “emotional” decisions rarely rise above tactical necessities. And conduct “unbecoming” is typically punished promptly by your own – because (almost) everyone understands the necessity of structure, rules, and strict moral code.
iii. Are there professional military units that end up committing crime deliberately or behaving in unbecoming manner? Of course – it only takes a few bad apples in key positions of command. But that’s rather an exception that proves the rule.
(c). ~Not all military units are made equal~. IDF, for instance, consists of some professional elements and a whole bunch of citizen soldiers. Everyone has a role to play. Some units are designated as more combat-focused than others. And even within designations, there is a hierarchy of combat readiness. It’s not always formal, but commanders have a good sense of it. Less combat-ready (even when combat-designated) units will usually be assigned more passive roles. “Better” units will be the ones moving forward and seeking contact with the enemy (provided that command has this luxury (i.e. enough options at their disposal).
i. IDF, however, has very few luxuries – it’s mostly citizen soldiers in a nation of only 8 million people. Their more “professional” units are world class – it really doesn’t get much better. But there aren’t a lot of them.
ii. IDF’s “citizen soldiers” are also quite good. Much better than any other conscripted military I’ve ever seen (and I happen to be intimately familiar with the Soviet and Russian militaries – once deemed the “scariest” conscripted forces).

7. War is Chaotic. Every unit will make mistakes. Through a combination of fear, fatigue, lack of clarity, and a very narrow “field of view” for each individual and most line units. That’s why things like Rules of Engagement, “Commander’s Intent”, etc. are critical. Yet, mistakes will happen. And the “citizen soldiers” will commit more errors than more “professional” units.
(a). The chaos is exacerbated by urban environment. In a city, each sub-element lives in its tiny “world” – at any given point, it’s rarely larger than a city block. When they hear gunfire – rarely do they have the context behind it unless they’re engaged in it. The information coming through is sparce and, often, it’s by design.
(b). Among this chaos and close proximity, these units operate in silos, trying to accomplish their objectives and not shoot each other while at it.
(c). Inevitably, someone gets jumpy – think of IDF shooting Israeli hostages a couple months back. Under the circumstances – I’m surprised things like that don’t happen more often. Truth is, most armchair generals who like to issue judgements on such things, would’ve been scared sh*tless themselves and probably would’ve pulled the trigger even quicker than the unfortunate idiot who killed those hostages.
8. The Soldier’s Field of View is very narrow. Rarely do you see the people shooting at you. Rarely do you know if you killed the person who was shooting at you or if someone else did. Rarely do you know that there are civilians somewhere in the house you’re taking fire from – usually you find bodies after the fact. Etc., etc. When you hear that a professional military unit killed a civilian in an active combat zone – if your first reaction is “they meant to do it” – congratulations again - you’re a clueless idiot.
9. The Islamist Enemy is Insidious. I can’t think of a more insidious enemy to fight than a bunch of Islamist lunatics with a plan, terrain knowledge, and very lose command structure. Every horror story you’ve heard about Hamas is true. How do I know? Because we’ve seen it all before. You don’t have to take IDF’s word for it – just ask any Amercian soldier who’ve seen sh*t in any other Islamist dumpster fire of a country. (Or any former Russian soldier who've fought in Chechnya or Afghanistan back in their day).
(a). Child rape – rampant
(b). Abuse of own population – daily. They’re straight-up thugs. Antisocial meatheads with a holy book, drunk on power, and convinced of their moral superiority.
(c). None of them can actually string together a coherent sentence explaining their grievances – but they can all recite a few sentences they heard from an imam… mostly some variation of “Americans are dogs” (they really f-ing hate dogs).
(d). Ultimately, it’s a death cult. But very few of them actually want to die. Most join militia groups because it’s what passes as “cool” in their neighborhood. Sure, they’ll yell something about Allah… but mostly it’s a “I belong to a group that has guns, and guns are fun” type thing.
(e). When push comes to shove – some of them will fight in a suicidal manner. But, when their leadership is dead and the group cohesion is broken – a surprising number will want to surrender. The whole “martyrdom” thing is just an obscure aspiration that many learn that they didn’t really mean it when they signed up for it.
(f). The truly ideological ones are a whole different type of evil. It’s a special kind of evil – one convinced of its own righteousness. They really do use civilians as human shields – especially children. Why children? Because kids are innocent – thus, by sacrificing a child, a truly lunatic Jihadi is doing them a favor… he’s sending them straight to paradise. It’s a shortcut, really. Wrap your head around that one and then imagine staring this evil, bearder, toothless f-ing monster in the face and watching him grin as he explains why he just shot up a building full of school girls. And then imagine what it takes not to drag this creature outside, douse him in fuel, and light a match.
So, these are some general thoughts on war for those unfamiliar. Tomorrow, I will post a more technical “play-by-play” breakdown on urban combat tomorrow, analysis of IDF actions, etc.

Out there - Patreon (for all those curious or wanting to support :))
At the Beginning
Adventure Arc - Arc 2
Wilderness Arc - Arc 3
Academy Arc - Arc 4
Nobility Arc - Arc 5
Previously on Leveling up the World...
The pain in what was left of Dallion’s legs had decreased to a dull ache. It was by no means pleasant, but not enough to distract him from the upcoming fight.
It was obvious that the archduchess was making a show of force. She didn’t bother using stealth or concealing the numbers of her army. Without any care whatsoever, she had ventured into the domain atop an awakened animal—a warhorse from what Dallion could make out.
Riding an awakened creature? he said to himself. Her new rank came with its privileges. He had to do his best not to disappoint.
Gleam, how are things on your end? he asked, summoning his Nox dagger.
She eats like a cow, the shardfly replied with mild irritation. Other than that, we seem fine. No one’s tried anything so far.
That’ll change soon. Priscord is here. She’s come for me.
I’ll be right there—
No! Dallion ordered. Stay with Aqui. Make sure she levels up as much as possible. I’ll deal with this.
Without bothering to cast an illusion in place of his missing feet, Dallion floated in the direction of Priscord’s army. With many of the buildings removed, the Academy seemed no different than a serene valley. That was just the calm before the storm. Although she hadn’t been present during the ceremony at the imperial city, she had probably heard about everything that had happened. The emperor had been careful to keep everything within the capital separate from everything outside. At the time, Dallion thought that was to guard himself. In fact, it was the opposite—the imperial city was nothing more than a target meant to attract everyone’s attention, while the emperor was elsewhere and his forces were scattered throughout the empire.
It didn’t take long for the countess to become visible in the distance. Wearing a highly expensive dress of diamond thread, she rode side-saddle on the back of a warhorse large enough to be a small building. A handful of domain rulers walked behind, all dressed in light armor of various designs and colors. Their levels were in the high eighties and low nineties—the equivalent of Hannah and Vihrogon. Further behind started a massive army made of fully armored soldiers who had passed the fourth awakening gate. Despite being made entirely of sky silver, the sets of armor were mostly for show. Everyone was aware that such armor would do little against an awakened of Dallion’s level.
​
The TOWN of ISAL is part of your domain.
​
A rectangle flashed in front of Dallion’s eyes. Euryale was doing quite well on the other front. Nearly all of Wetie province had been reclaimed with Dallion’s forces pushing in further north. It would have been nice if he were able to join in, directing his settlements personally. Sadly, facing the archduchess required all of his attention.
Both sides kept on moving towards one another. Once they got half a mile apart, the archduchess raised her hand, indicating her army to stop. Dallion, on his part, kept on floating forward for a few seconds more before doing the same.
“Lost your legs already?” the woman laughed. She was keeping a low voice, knowing that Dallion had the perception trait to hear her. “For someone claiming to be the emperor’s equal, that’s more than a bit disappointing.”
“So nice of you to come here personally to tell me that.” Dallion used his music skill to probe the woman’s defenses. He wasn’t just targeting her, but the horse, and every item guardian on her body.
Two of the domain rulers instantly reacted, taking out harpsiswords of their own. Their chords, although less sophisticated, were adequate enough to interfere with Dallion’s music attack. Preventing the music strands from attaching to their targets.
“So predictable.” The archduchess pretended to take it calmly, but Dallion could tell that she was tense. Likely, the attack had come closer than she felt comfortable. “What will it be next? Spells?”
“You’re in my domain now,” Dallion continued with his attack. Even if he had no chance of succeeding, it was keeping two of her nobles occupied. “What did you think would happen?”
“True, you appear to have the advantage. All the skills, all that raw power, and within your domain, no less.”
The war horse snorted. Dallion could feel its hostility. There was no way this was a natural creature. The magic threads within it were too many, clustered in an artificial order.
“You should have arrived earlier. That way, the mages would have—”
Before Dallion could finish, one of Priscord’s nobles darted forward. The person had changed considerably, but Dallion recognized him from Halburn. Back then, he was a small piece of crap with delusions of grandeur. After the arena fiasco, and the subsequent conquest of the small neighboring country, he had wormed his way into Countess Priscord’s court, remaining there as she rose to power. His skills were still crap, though.
The noble drew a sword and thrust it forward. The blade burst into millions of hair-length tendrils, all of which extended straight at Dallion.
Undoubtedly, it was a peculiar weapon. The magic within it was unlike most of the artifacts Dallion had seen. Among the properties was the ability to drain magic at contact. Clearly, the noble expected that to be enough in his fight against a “battle mage.”
Long before any of the metal tendrils got near, Dallion burst into instances, spreading out in all directions.
The cluster of tendrils followed. While numerous, their actions were far too slow for the threat to be taken seriously. In over a hundred instances, Dallion used his blades to deflect them well before they could do any serious damage. A bit of magic was drained from his aura sword at the points at which it made contact, but by no means enough to cause any serious disruptions.
You’re overconfident, Giaccia said.
Dallion didn’t reply, instead performing a multi attack as his instances pushed towards his opponent. After a series of parries, he followed up with two line attacks, believing that would be enough to slice them up.
While the strength was destructive enough to slice up the ground for miles, all it did was push the tendrils away. Not only were they stronger than he expected, but also incredibly flexible, letting the thread of destruction slide off them on its way forward.
Leaping back, Dallion slashed the air in an attempt to cast a dozen spells, but no magic circles formed. Even the minute disruptions of the magic flow proved enough to render his sword temporarily useless.
Not losing concentration, Dallion loosened his grip, using a finger to cast the spells. This time, everything was as it should be. The magic circles formed, shooting out steel chains that flew straight at the noble.
The speed seemed torturously slow from Dallion’s perspective, but his opponent didn’t even have the time to blink before the first one had wrapped around his sword hand. Based on experience, Dallion expected him to twist in an attempt to break free. The noble didn’t.
Move back! Giaccia warned.
Dallion did so on the second, performing a spiral attack as he did. That failed to snap any of the metal tendrils, but it twisted them in such a way so as to temporarily tangle them in one another, and get them away from him.
More chains wrapped around the noble’s body, followed by a series of crunches. In a matter of seconds, the man went into what appeared to be a series of convulsions, then stopped moving altogether. Interestingly enough, his weapon didn’t.
Before Dallion could clear the distance, the strands reformed the sword, which then darted back only to be caught by another of Priscord’s nobles.
“Bravo,” the woman clapped. “I didn’t expect this. Seems you’ve improved more than people give you credit for.”
Despite the vast difference in level between the two, Dallion felt a cold chill. In a one-on-one battle, there would be no doubt that he’d end up victorious even without using magic. No, that wasn’t the right way to frame it. Right now, he was in a one-on-one against her.
“You’re using symbiont echoes,” he said, splitting in a new set of instances.
“Why should the Azures be the only one using such tricks?” Priscord’s smile widened. “You have to admire the empress. The second empress and your former house used music to get people to do what they wanted. The nymph empress took a far more direct approach, becoming one with her armies. The only mistake she did was limit herself to one target.”
“You’ve been controlling all your nobles,” Dallion said in disgust.
“And they said you were the one thinking outside of the box. I’m controlling all my armies.” Two more nobles drew their weapons: a whip blade and an origami ax. They, too, were more intricate than Dallion had seen in the past. No doubt they were quite deadly as well. “Why ruin such good bodies with such feeble minds?”
“It’s never a good idea to fully rely on echoes. They tend to get opinions of their own.”
“Yes, I heard that as well. But it all depends on the will of the original. It’s said that otherworlders have difficulties in that, but only because they are trying to control something that isn’t them.”
Dallion didn’t respond, using his magic threads to restore the effectiveness of his aura sword.
“Despite everything, you’re not part of this world. How can anyone, even an echo, trust something that isn’t from here? It’s natural that it would form opinions, even if it knows that through your death it would die as well.”
Is it possible she doesn’t know about the emperor? Dallion asked within his realm.
Why would she? Adzorg replied. She’s an archduchess—someone who by definition is too ambitious for her own good. The emperor didn’t share that detail with anyone, myself included. As far as she’s concerned, the glowing puppet on the throne is the real deal. And, of course, it belongs to this world.
Three nobles charged at Dallion with the other two remaining near Priscord to protect her from any future music attacks. That wasn’t by any means all. The large mass that composed her army also charged forward—thousands of awakened, boosted in skill and level to the point that the emperor’s awakening altars would allow. There was no doubt that over three quarters of them would die, yet that didn’t matter. Like ants in a colony, one person was controlling them, the same person that possibly fancies herself a contender in the game of conquest.
As things stood now, she was fully aware she had no chance against the emperor, but once she took down Dallion, new opportunities might present themselves. It didn’t matter whether she lost her entire army, or even all her cities in this fight. As long as she was victorious, there would be at least one power to protect her until she regained the strength to take them on.
Spikes shot out from the ground, as Dallion resorted to domain ruler powers in his defense. Simultaneously, he made a series of line and spiral attacks indiscriminately at the approaching forces.
​
ATTACK NEGATED
Your attack has been sliced in two by IKSIAM.
Attack has no effect.
​
ATTACK NEGATED
Your attack has been sliced in two by VALORR.
Attack has no effect.
​
ATTACK NEGATED
Your attack has been sliced in two by VALORR.
Attack has no effect.
​
ATTACK NEGATED
Your attack has been sliced in two by VALORR.
Attack has no effect.
​
ATTACK NEGATED
Your attack has been sliced in two by HYNDA.
Attack has no effect.
​
Rectangles blinked in front of his eyes. Despite her terrible personality, the archduchess hadn’t risen to her level by accident. She had been taught how to manipulate, control, and be ready for everyone aiming for her spot. While Dallion hadn’t seen her lead armies personally, it was undeniable that she had emerged victorious against Archduke Lanitol, and held her own against the Azures up till now.
Still, she was just one person and, as she had said, part of this world.
Music spark attack, Dallion thought as he slashed the air with his harpsisword.
Next

The Lesser Engine seemed to whimper, just before its animalistic head was crushed under the heavy heel of the Logos Armor. Petra was looking around, her armor covered in hellish grime, pieces of fiery cables, her hammerhead scraped in some places by the metal chitin of the warpforged abominations. A swing of her weapon decapitated a screaming techpriest, and she could see her sons advance behind her, focusing their fires onto the creatures that hadn’t come into her range.
She raised her arm and the bolter array built onto it sang four times, each bolt hitting and penetrating into the bronze hull of a monster. A movement in the side of her view immediately made her turn, and Petra placed herself right behind the Automata that was raising its shield to parry the volley of ammunition that a vomiting amalgamation of tin and steel was spewing out. The machine painted in the colors of the legion marched towards it, shield still forward as it was raising its hammer. Another Domitar joined in, and they started hammering down the bear, striking at the places that Petra indicated them to with her Logos.
Not even leaving them a moment of respite, a shriek echoed through the halls of the corrupted forgeworld, announcing the arrival of a new transformed machine, this time using the shape of a massive scorpion of brass, painted in red - probably actual blood. A True Daemon Engine.
“Stay behind”, Petra ordered her own troops. “Only the Iron Circle will engage with me. Provide cover fire”. Immediately her soldiers reorganized themselves, walking slightly back while she moved towards the warped machine. It was big, but not so much more than some beasts she had taken down during the Great Crusade.
The Logos Bolt Array roared in rapid succession, spitting explosive shells that burst on the thing’s pincer shell it was protecting itself with. The cannon on its tail aimed at the little group approaching, and fired in response. The bullets managed to pierced the shield of one of the Automata, bringing it to the ground in skittering motions as the Primarch ran to the machine.
The shell of the left pincer bent under the shock of her hammer, but could see the interior mechanisms and integrity were still completely fine. As the monster hissed, she growled and climbed onto it, before it could move its appendix. Her array fired again, aiming at the creature’s low head, and it was assailed by the other Automata. Alas, the legion’s machines could do little when even their Primarch’s strength was only sufficient to dent its exterior, their hammers clanging with sound but no damage. The Engine shrieked and spun on its feet, sweeping the footing of the Domitars with its armored tail, almost shaking Petra off of its great body.
The Breaker of Stone jumped, landing her hammer onto the machine’s head, keeping its optics away from herself. The Automata had started to stand up, some of them already trying again to impair the Daemon Engine. The Scorpion managed to snatch the shield arm of one of the Domitars into its pincers, immediately starting to grind it, then using its second arm to crush its body, neutralizing it into a cloud of sparks and noises of bent iron.
A volley of missiles exploded onto its body, making it stumble a step or two. Petra’s Tyrant Siege Terminator squad had established a perimeter around them, alongside three Devastation squads of Space Marines armed to the teeth. The Lady of Iron used the opportunity, clasping her two hands around her hammer, and smashed the face of it onto the mechanical head, cracking the glass of its baleful eye.
Letting one hand on her weapon go, she shoved her fist into the eye, fully shattering it and grasping at cables, opened fire eight times, before pulling the sparkling fiber out. The creature’s feet skittered and scraped onto the ground, flailing as well as it could with its weakening strength under the hands of the Primarch and the shields of the Automata pressing against its body.
Her soldiers approached slowly, step by step and always keeping their visors onto the fallen beast. It stopped moving. Petra allowed herself a breath, before turning to her sons. The Terminator and the Devastation squads were meticulously reloading their weapons, while her tactical squads surveyed the corridors they arrived through, one of them moving further in the dark halls of the Forge World.
When her Marines were ready, she nodded a signal to her soldiers, and they moved forward. Not even five steps were made when she turned on her heels, hearing a sound from behind her.
[The. Beast. Sings].
Three words that echoed into the large, empty hall. Her blood curled hearing it. This wasn’t normal speech. She had mechanically translated it, only understanding what the means of transmission was after hearing the full sentence.
[The. Beast. Sings].
Scrap-code.The Chaos speech reserved for the machines. An odious parody of the already-nonsensical Lingua Technis in usage within the Cult of Mars. And the carcass was speaking it. She activated the Logos’ system used to communicate orders to the Automata accompanying them.
“Killswitch protocol, immediate deactivation”. She commanded, not willing to even let a chance at her Automatas being corrupted. The Iron Warriors moved to surround the legion’s Iron Circle, carefully laying them down and locking their joints.
[The Beast sings]. It was continuously psalmoding, like a broken disc, accelerating. [The Beast sings The Beast sings The Beast sings The Beast sings]- until she put her hands on its neck, her fingers slowly bending the metal, and she pulled at it until the head was separated from the neck in a horrible noise of brass. Petra switched her comms to contact the scouting unit sent forward.
“Watch out for any signal of chaotic machines, warn us at any movement”. She turned to the corridors that had been used by some of the Techpriests that had ambushed them, eyeing the corpses with disgust.
They had all been chanting the same fucking thing. The Beast sings. What even was the beast? She had first encountered this name on another forge world, where some of her Warriors had been hunted by a strange Warp Machine. It had disappeared moments before she arrived on site herself, and she had stored it away in her memories, until it resurfaced some time later on another planet, another corrupted cult dedicated to the Dark Mechanicum. And another time, it had fled an hour before she had reached the deployment zone.
At first, the writings had been about “The Beast wakes”. Then, “The Beast writhes”. “The Beast forges”, all in Scrap-code, again and again. Until they came here, to the Forge Worlds of the moons of Cercantyle, themselves orbiting around a planet that had fallen to the corruption and whispers of the Warp.
Vibrations. Noises. Explosions.
She turned her head toward the sound, raising one of her Bolt array in overwatch, but didn’t see anything. She didn’t see anything other than her Marines, prudently observing the source of the noise.
“Squad Iota, what is your status?”
No answer came back. She motioned to her Terminators, who placed themselves forward and raised their weapons.
“Squad Iota, respond”. Her answer was the same as for her first question. “We probably lost them. Squad Alpha and Beta, watch over the corridor. Squad Gamma to Epsilon, survey the other entries. I don’t want any surprises”.
She accessed a cogitator, trying to see if she could garner any information from the eight-point covered machine, growling when she saw all was written in Scrap-code too. Fucking lunatics, even more annoying the the “normal” Mechanicum cultists.
Large arrivals of metal, used for weaponry and vehicle propulsors. Well, alongside daemons that were used by the warped tech priests to inhabit those machines. Copious amounts of fuel, menial slaves and engineers had been brought here. She felt a chill creep up her spine. Petra raised her eyes from the cogitator, definitely weirded out. Because it was a familiar feeling. But not the same. Unnatural.
Again, vibrations, noises, explosions. This time so much closer, almost detonating where her squads Alpha and Beta were standing. “Form up!”, “Ambush!” She could hear her soldiers shout, spreading out to avoid cluster explosions, and moving into covers behind ruined machines and skull-decorated wall fragments. The Tyrant Siege squad was the first line, having survived the blast with little to no injuries thanks to the more robust Cataphractii armors.
Her helmet’s visors didn’t show her any movement coming from the corridors. Petra ran diagnostics seeing the shapes of the explosions on the ground, approaching her troops. The screens showed her trajectory probabilities, drawing predictions and attempting to locate the enemy’s position. She raised her eyes, just before one of squad Delta’s marine shouted “Contact! Above!”
There it was. A massive construct of plasteel, ceramite, and armaplas, exiting from a higher-level hallway, reactors spewing out warp-fire.
It was pristine.
Unlike the Daemon Engines and chaos machines she had destroyed and taken apart, it showed no decorations in honor to the Chaos Gods, no brass or gold trims organized in spikes and curves. No, this one was slick, almost T’au like in appearance, but with definitive elements of Imperial structure. The silver metal of its hull was reflecting lights.
A humanoid body about twice her size made up the centerpiece of it, a large construct latched onto its back, and a large ring circled around the main body. Multiple cannons on the back, three-gatling guns onto each arm, and Petra could even see it was shielded by technology akin to Iron Halos. A weapon of war that saw no surrender, no end to its decimation. The blood-red shining eyes fixated solely upon her.
The Beast was hovering above them, imitating what Space Marines had been called, and Angel of Death. And the Beast sang.
It opened fire on her troops and her, six gatling guns rotating and ejecting shells by the hundreds in a few seconds, and five of her sons fell before they could put their shields in a carapace to protect themselves from the projectiles. Her Terminators responded in the same way, hardly bothered by the bullets raining down on them and shouldering Combi-Bolter, the deafening noise of their weapons adding to the cacophony that the Beast was already composing.
It was fast. When her Tyrant Siege squad added their missiles to the exchange, it seemed to reave through the air as a broadsword, moving out of the way of the projectiles, never ceasing to shoot, and worse, beginning to circle around the less protected Tactical Marines, pinning them down, its traits piercing through the gray ceramite, again and again. Petra’s Bolt Arrays were shooting non-stop, her Logos calculating and predicting the movements of the flying machine, but her munitions were crushed against the Force-Field deployed around it.
“Get to cover! Use the corridors to hide yourself!” Petra ordered her troops, placing herself away from the eyes of the machine while using the Logos’ systems to reboot the Automata. Even though they were mostly equipped for close quarter combat, she had conceived the Olympia Bolt Cannon to arm them in addition to their bodyguard abilities she now used as first battle ranks, shielding her soldiers.
Thanks to her Trinket, always one to bring any advantage to their side in negotiations, she had had far enough to experiment multiple formations, and was satisfied with the weaponry they were now using - if the Iron Warriors were able to bring the Beast to the ground, they would fall upon it with their Graviton mauls.
For now, she unlocked the joints, and restarted their systems, the chest light flaring up green. One of the red eyes of the flying construct lowered to look at them, and immediately after, directed one of his arms in the same direction, the three gatlings starting to spin again, landing some hits that scratched their surfaces, resulting in one of the Domitar-Ferrum having a chestplate opened, and a pauldron bent under the heavy fire before it could raise its shield.
Did it have an unlimited amount of ammunition? Urgh, it had probably far enough to wage battle against them for hours on end, and they were currently engaged in a Forge-world. It could fly away any moment, and find some station to re-arm itself.
Petra opened her comms, directing her soldiers directly to always harass the Beast, forming into firing patterns as three squads gained altitude in the maze that was the architecture of the Forge-World. She counted. Eleven soldiers had been lost. Five were also injured - though not gravely enough that they had to stop fighting. A glance at the damaged automata let her know that it could still be pushed to fight, and could endure more damage. She opened cover fire to move herself, approaching her soldiers so that she would not be stuck in the middle of an open-space.
“Phase Four, Hammer Protocol”, she ordered on the Logos, and her soldiers moved as well as they could to accomplish their missions. Every single trigger belonging to a soldier under her command was pulled into a deafening noise that echoed into the large hall, lights of tracer fire producing a continued source of radiance that she wouldn’t even need the night vision provided by her helmet.
Even though the Conversion field around the Beast was sparkling, progressively advancing to the point where it would need to be deactivated to not overload, it was reaching it far too slowly for Petra’s taste. Frustration was building up faster in her.
Some movement in the construct made her change her focus, as she tried to identify why it was moving the way it did. The gatling guns on its right arm had folded back into the back construct part, and now it was a long, thin and rectangular armament that was attached to its arm. And aimed at her. A glance at it indicated her it was warped T’au technology, modified to be usable alongside those demonic systems. She felt a cold sweat immediately.
Mass launcher. Heavy Rail Cannon.
Petra stepped away in a blink, unsure even her armor would be perfectly safe from a weapon like that, a single instant later the place she had been in was shot at.
Light. Noise.
Silence.
A Warrior behind her had been less lucky, its upper body part simply erased by the projectile’s impact, which didn’t even explode.
It had penetrated into the metallic ground, dug deep until the meager warning lights of the hall couldn’t shed shine onto it. The body of her Marine fell onto the ground, blood finally flowing out as though it had briefly not realized it had been killed.
She processed it into the back of her mind, running to find some cover that would hide her from the weapon. It seemed however that the Daemon Engine didn’t have in mind to continue using its Rail Cannon, and started to rise, floating higher. She had another bad feeling. And she was rarely wrong on such occasions. It put away the arms that were latched onto its arms, and extended its hands forward.
Something started to roll on the horizontal ring, and exited the top of the back construct in the same way, stopping halfway, above the Beast’s head. Multiple dots of red upon light-gray surface, and Petra already knew it was multiple missile pod systems.
“Find cover!” she heard one of her soldiers scream out. Petra ordered the Domitars to defend the Marines that weren’t equipped with Boarding Shields like her Breacher Squads. Noises like pings emitted by the Machine started to rise, accelerating in tempo and volume.
It brought its hands downwards, a conductor's movement. The orchestra, a symphony of technological-brought death, began.
The Beast sings.
The sounds of their thrusters weren’t the one she was used to hearing from missiles in flight, no, it was far worse. Whispers, murmurs, talks, shouts, wails, screeches, howling. The noises each projectile was making were separate voices of pain and suffering, or shrieks of rage and anger.
A choir that the Beast was directing, the missiles following his hands, cues and downbeats, the screaming and bellows harmonizing to form a music that would be beautiful, if it weren’t so haunting, dangerous and in such an inopportune moment.
Petra locked her armor completely, focusing on defending against the missiles that were going for her. She recognized it. She crouched, protecting her head with her arms, and the noises of all missiles exploding at the same time, a fortississimo overbearing on her ears, and the shaking was the same as being just beside a Titan Ordnance weapon firing.
The instant she was safe, running diagnostic operations on the Logos integrity, she forced herself to move despite the shock she was feeling. Not just physical. The music It had imitated before the missiles exploded. She knew it perfectly. From its start, to the Da Capo, to its end and crescendo, with every single note in between.
Because she knew the composer. Because she was beside him when he composed. Because HE composed FOR HER. Because it was Trinket’s piece. A horrible, abominable parody, spitting on every musical pattern and expression he spent days and nights writing while she was drawing architectural blueprints and building dioramas of the multiple Olympia’s cities they oversaw reconstruction of.
The shared name of Elysia, the location of their planned Forever Home, and of the hymn they had decided on.
And nothing was making her more mad than the twisted parody of her favorite music, turned into something so… She didn’t even find the words for the utter disgust she was going through. Nor for her anger.
“Cover me! Switch back to Phase three, Protocol Nemea!”
Petra exited the smoke left by the detonation after shouting her order, and went straight for the broken corpse of the Brass Scorpion, teeth clenched. Hearing the weapons of her sons firing behind her, she swore she would destroy that thing, and free Trinket from its grasp. She had not a single doubt he was in it. Being the core of the Beast. She caught the tail of the machine monster, and dragged it to turn the Demolisher cannon that formed its parody of a mouth in the direction of Trinket’s prison.
Using the commanding functions of the Logos, she connected to the machine’s body, bluntly deleting every piece of Scrap-Code that she could, as the chaotic construct was off for now, and when she was done, she booted the firing systems up.
She was hearing the roaring of the Beast’s gatling guns, firing ceaselessly to kill her sons, the crackling noise of Boarding Shields and Karceri Shields as the hailing rain of bullets was caught against their power fields.
Petra’s will, translated into cybernetics commands, made the legs of the Scorpion skitter and rise, angling its maw at the flier. After a few seconds loading, and preparing the weapon, the Scorpion opened fire, crossing the distance between source and target in barely a breath. The noise of the detonation echoed the same as the missiles the Beast had previously fired in its orchestral volleys.
The flying machine trembled, the iron halo’s field crackling, turning on and off until it finally shut down.
“Now!” Petra shouted to her Warriors. “Engage Phase five, suppressing fire!” Exiting their covers, most of her Marines aimed and opened fire at the Engine. She aimed at its reactors when it showed its back to her, shooting with all eight of her shrapnel bolt array. As it lowered slightly, she calculated her odds. Satisfied, she started running toward it, accelerating to some of the fastest speeds she had reached on her feet, motivation and desperation both pumping fire into her veins of iron.
Using the ruined machinery that strewed the ground, she gained elevation, and fully jumped to catch on the ring surrounding the core construct. Its three eyes looked at her, and Petra could swear she could see them burning in hatred. It tried to aim its gatling at her, but she moved faster, opening fire without restraint straight at its arm, a barrage of bolts that started to tear through the weaknesses in the metal that she saw.
Unable to fly correctly anymore, the Beast lowered even more, to the point where the Automata, coming running at it, could extend their hammers to latch on the ring and body, pinning it down. Petra let go of the outer ring, and walked straight toward the core unit, ignoring the warnings that one of her sergeants was directing to her.
She couldn’t hear anything over a ringing in her ears suspiciously resembling the melody of Elysia.
She finally reached it, extending her hand toward its head, and ripped it off without a care, watching with satisfaction as the three-eyed lights faded from the optics. She tossed it aside. Under her awaiting hands was the gesticulating body of an iron maiden that jailed the person she wanted to see most.
Weaknesses.
In the frame, in the ossature, in the hull. She reached and grasped, and bent, and pulled, and tore, destroying the malignant thing bit by bit, piece by piece, seeing her soldiers in the corner of her eyes, but not registering anything other than the slowly opening torso of the machine.
Finally.
Finally.
Finally, she ripped open the cockpit, to be met with such a cherished and such a haunted sight. Her Velvet Glove. Her Trinket.
Finally.
“FeFe…” she whispered. She could feel her eyes water behind the iron skull of her helmet.
It was an abominable sight. Everything was him. Nothing was his. As the song, it was a parody of who he was.
It was his hair: white and in long locks. It wasn’t: oily, greasy and unkempt.
It was his body: olive skin and the same scars as she remembered. It wasn’t: skeletal, gaunt, emaciated and hollow. Ribs almost piercing out from under his naked dry skin.
It was his eyes, the same turquoise, the same golden decoration he had asked her to graft under the left one to mask one scar he had there. It wasn’t: there were no lights in those glassy and foggy balls, and the gold was tarnished, rusted.
His lips were parched and scarred, his eyelids scratched, and she was trembling seeing the sight.
He was missing an arm, cables and wires directly plugged into his torn flesh.
A ruined enveloppe.
A single terminal was held in his sickly thin fingers, showing characters writing on a loop. Two words. It wasn’t Scrap-Code, nor was it Lingua-Technis, nor even was it Gothic, be it low or high. No, it was their native tongue of Olympia.
Two words, repeating on a loop like a mad chant line after line.
Σκότωσέ με.
Kill me.
Kill me.
Kill me.
Kill me.
Kill me.
Petra slowly reached to her helmet, its hissing pops signaling the depressurization. She removed it, her braided lock falling onto her shoulder as she put it aside.
“No”.
She reached toward him, cupping his cheek in her gauntlet, as large as his head, not applying any bit of force. Her hand was trembling. She pulled his body from the machine’s carcass, carefully disconnecting the cables thanks to the Logos’ programming properties. She cradled his broken, shattered form in her arms like carrying a newborn. She could barely feel his heartbeat. Her vision of him was riddled in weaknesses that usually inhabited her vision, so, so many onto his form.
She tilted to whisper in his ear.
“I’m bringing you back home. We’ll go together. Do you remember, FeFe? To Elysia”.
She almost broke down when she saw a sign of recognition on his part when he heard that name. Just slightly, almost imperceptible, his eyes widened.
A Spark.

period: april 28th to May 14th 2024.
Nights spent in: Tokyo - Sendai - Fukushima - Koriyama - Nagoya - Hakata ( Fukuoka ).
If it's really off the beaten path or not you'll decide, some destinations visited are really particular, other are way more popular even if usually not what you'll visit in your first trip to Japan. let's say i've been to japan last summer and did all the usual things one do the first time he's there, probably even something more: Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka - Nara - Nikko, Fukuoka, Matsumoto, Himeji, Miyajima. pretty much what almost anyone does for their first time if they have the opportunity.
Given the weak Yen and having still some time ( and money ) i could spend i decided to come back less than a year later, this time at the end of April up until half may in order to explore less popular destinations. I'll avoid to provide the usual tips anyone provide, like how to move from narita, how to get a Suica or how to book a train seat, how to operate a toilet and such things.
SOME TIPS
Concerning Suica: contrary to what most people suggest, i didn't buy one neither last summer or this time and frankly i've never missed not having it. I use my mastercard credit card, most places in japan accept it with zero problems and for the rest you can get Yen at any ATM machine that you can find in any combini with it and pay cash wich japanese still very much use
Concerning the period of the year: last year i went in August. I can confirm that moving around in April/May is so incredibly much better. The heat in august is some day even unbearable. This time the weather was mostly fine, got only one day of rain even if the temperatures were still a bit on the cold side overall. Unfortunately this year Sakura came early and I missed it by a week or two. But still apart from the cherry trees all the plants were blossoming and it was so nice to see flowers everywhere compared to the pain of the humidity and the torment of cicadas you have during summer.
Concerning golden week: one of the two weeks i was there was the golden week. I didn't book anything in advance but, maybe because of the fact i was moving off the beaten path, i almost never had problems booking trains or hotels during golden week ( i said almost, more details later ). Cant tell what's the effect when trying to book hotels in places like Kyoto.
concerning planning: my usual planning method goes the following: i book the plane, obviously. I buy JRP ( yes i still bought it even after the price increase ) and i book two days of hotels. The rest of my trip i have an idea of what i want to do and where i want to go but i book hotels and such, while going along. This gives me the flexibility to change my itinerary or react to bad weather ( last summer i run away from a typhoon with this trick ) or unexpected problems ( last summer i got food poisoning and i had to delay my program booking an hotel for three more days than expected: had i booked all nights in advance it would have been a huge problem ). I only book hotels using the booking website app and i can only say good things about it. I travel alone, maybe for couples or families this isn't as easy as it was for me.
Warning: I like to walk and I walk a lot. So if you need tips to move around, I’m not probably the right person because what you might want to do using a bus or a taxi I would probably do by walking. I’ve walked on average of 20 km a day and probably more and if a place is like 3-4 km from where I am I walk there without even looking if there’s a better option with a bus or something else.
I will give a vote to the places I’ve visited according to two parameters:
How off the beaten path it really is, judging by how many foreign tourists I met there. And an overall vote telling how worthy I feel the place is to visit. To make it short I will call them “OTBP VOTE and OVERALL VOTE”

SO LET'S START WITH THE ACTUAL TRIP REPORT:
Day 1: landing in Tokyo at midday in Narita. After finishing all the immigration process i moved to my hotel. This time i decided to book it for two nights in Omiya/Saitama. The place is less than half an hour from Tokyo Station and was the opportunity to see something different. I haven't seen much of the place but the area around the station was very lively, lots of restaurant and lots of people moving around. It was full of decoration with squirrells and a football team, i guess they were either promoting it or they won something cause decorations were everywhere, honestly didn't ask about. Well apart from checking in, recovering from the flight, looking for something to eat and checking a bit the areai didn't do much.
day 2: in the morning i took the train to Ashikaga Flower Park. I've seen picture of it online and according to the informations i gathered i might have been late for the sakura but the Wisteria were in full bloom and they had a lot of them in this park.
So i took the train, it was around an hour ride and Omiya was strategically on the way. I realized my trip plan was proably a good one when, once reached the Ashikaga flower park station ( there's a train station dedicated to this park ) all the people on the train got off. A little walk, ticket and i was in. The place, given the right time of the year, was AMAZING, UNBELIEVABLE. I can't begin to tell you how cool and how huge the wisteria plants were. they were in full bloom, and was something out of this world, it looked like something you see in the movie avatar. Like three or four wisterias as big as a basketball field if not even more, of different colours and kinds, plus a lot more of regular sized wisterias and a lot more flower plants of all kinds. Had to say, for some reason with all the flowers the air wasn’t at all full of their scent. I even got a wisteria flavoured ice cream, wich was probably a wisteria coloured ice cream cause it didn’t have any real particular taste. The place was packed with Japanese people and foreigners like me you could count them on the fingers of one hand. I arrived there early, so by early afternoon I was satisfied with my visit and moved away. A quick check on my train app and google maps and realized I could reach Kawagoe from there fairly easily.
ASHIKAGA FLOWER PARK OTBP: 9 OVERALL: 10
When I was on the train it stopped at the Tochigi station, it looked nice from the train so I decided to jump off and check the area a bit, because sometime I do that kind of things, and the idea wasn’t bad at all: the town itself doesn’t look anything special but there’s a canal wich was very picturesque, plus it was fully decorated with paper carps because of the time of the year and Japanese people were doing boat rides on the river on traditional little boats while singing songs. I won't say to go there specifically to see the place, but if you're on that train route or still around it, it might be worth a stop. So, once I finished checking the area I jump back on the train and finally reached Kawagoe.
TOCHIGI: OTBP: 10 OVERALL: 6 ½
Kawagoe is a small place north of Tokyo, not very far, wich is know for a small neighbourhood with old Edo houses. That neighbourhood is more far from the station that I expected, but still nice and worth a check. There’s a very cool bell tower there and one of the coolest Starbucks I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t spend a whole day in Kawagoe if you ask me but If you’re in Tokyo and have an half day available that you don't know how to spend I’d say it’s totally worth a train ride. Had my dinner there and then moved back to Omiya where I would spend my last night.
KAWAGOE: OTBP: 7 OVERALL: 7
Day 3: woke up early, jumped on the train and moved to Sendai where I had planned to stay the next three nights. Once again Omiya was a good choice cause I could take the shinkansen right from there without having to move back to Tokyo.
Arrived in Sendai, left my luggage in the hotel where I couldn’t check in cause it was still to early and hopped on a local train in direction of Matsushima. By midday I was already in Matsushima. This is another very famous destination for Japanese people, one of the most known panoramas in japan. Have to say, the town is a typical sea town, definitely welcoming. I had one of the best Sushi I ever had in japan in a local restaurant ( check matsushima sushi kou if interested ). Visited Zuiganji temple and then walked a bit on the coast, crossed the Fukuurabashi bridge, the long red bridge that you probably have seen in some picture, and walked around Fukuurajima. Here you can have a walk around the island it’s not small but is small enough that you can walk it all fairly quickly and it has some nice spots to discover. You have to pay a small fee to cross the bridge. Then went back, checked the Godaido of Zuiganji and it’s worth mentioning that when walking along the coast I’ve stumbled across a couple of signs giving instructions on what to do in case of a tsunami and what happened back in 2011, wich I didn’t even think about up until that moment and suddenly the memories went back to what happened there more than 10 years ago. Last thing, my advice is to walk down to Oshima island. This little island is less crowded, you can reach it crossing a little red bridge and honestly to me it’s the best spot to admire Matsushima. I didn’t went for the ferry ride across the bay cause the weather wasn’t very good and I was starting to be a little short on time, so I moved back to Sendai.
MATSUSHIMA: OTBP: 9 OVERALL: 8 ½
Once back in Sendai, I went to see the sunset from the panoramic floor of the AER building near the station, wich is totally free even if finding the right elevator that takes you up might be a bit tricky, but the view is totally worth it, you can even see in the distance the big white shape of the dai-kannon and from the other side of the floor you can easily see the sea.
Talking about Sendai, I didn’t dedicate to the city the time that should have been necessary because I was always on day trips and I spend there mostly the late evenings, but my impression is that Sendai is a very nice city that should appear more often in peoples itineraries. The city is particularly vibrant and alive, lot of young people, lot of things to see and do, a covered shopping street that is almost endless full of restaurants and shops, way more green than many other Japanese cities. I’d recommend anyone who had the time and the opportunity to spend a little time here. Also it has a very distinctive identity and everything proudly revolves around the image of its founder Date Masamune who is everywhere in senday, even the penguin of the local DonQuishotte mall was dressed up as Date Masamune.
So after the panorama, I went in the hotel, finally checked in and then moved back to look for food. Walked down what I think is called ichibancho street, wich as I said before is an endless downtown road full of shops and restaurant and stopped to have a try at the most famous local dish, Gyutan, wich is grilled cow tongue. Never had tongue in my life and have to admit it, it’s not bad at all, I quite enjoyed it. Had a little more walk around then called it a day.
SENDAI: OTBP: 7 ½ OVERALL: 9
Day 4: today trip is to Hiraizumi, a UNESCO world heritage site, where you can admire some historically significant buddhist sites. You had to catch a coincidence in Ichinoseki but the whole ride is pretty straight forward and doesn’t really take much time. At 9 am I was already ready to explore. As I sad I’m a walker, so I walked the walk from the station to the Chuson Ji temple wich is around 2 km and I totally recommend it cause the town is quite nice to walk through, very small village, very cozy and intimate. Chuson Ji it’s a very beautiful complex to explore, it’s inside a forest, kinda reminds a bit of Nikko atmosphere if you’ve been there even if the buildings aren’t as spectacular. The whole wood was full of blossoming plants and here and there I was able to spot some late cherry tree still full of flowers, giving me an hint to what sakura must really be.
You stumble in the temple buildings one after another while you go deep into the wood. I reach the main building and there’s a ceremony in progress. I discovered later that the next day was planned the Fujiwara festival where all people dress up like in Edo period and do a parade in the city. The day I was there instead the children parade was planned, so it was full of kids dressed up and judging by how proud and elegant their parents were I tend to think it was a pretty big thing for them. I enjoy the situation for a while, then went back to exploring, till I reached the main attraction of the temple wich is the Konjikido, a golden pavilion that dates back to the XII century wich is amazing to see in person.
Once I finished exploring the whole Chuson Ji complex I went looking for a restaurant and had a nice ramen set, because the visit took the whole morning, then moved to the second stop wich was Motsuji Temple: as much as Chuson Ji impressed me, Motsu-ji disappointed me. The thing is, you pay to enter and in the end what you see is a place mostly empty, where the only building there are reconstructions and most places are just a bunch of rocks with signs saying “here once was this building” “here once was that building” and the main thing you’ll see there is a pond whose importance is that it dates back to the time when Japanese gardens were kinda dull compared to what they’ll become centuries later. So it’s kinda a pond that you would completely ignore in a different context. I mean, I totally get the historical importance of this place, but, honestly from the ignorant eyes of a tourist it’s really nothing you would invest your time visiting, according to my opinion.
Another place that would have been worth visiting was Takkoku-no Iwaya Bishamondo, but isn’t really that easy to reach, it’s a bit far to walk to and I was once again out of time, therefore I decided to skip it and went back to the station and to sendai where I again went to look for something to eat and had a little night stroll, nothing worth mentioning.
HIRAIZUMI: OTBP: 9 OVERALL: 8
Day 5: today I decided to go to Kakunodate. The town is a easily reachable by train from sendai but a bit far compared to the day before. Went off the station and once again started walking. The place is known mainly for its many samurai houses, all indications point to them so it’s not possible to miss them. The town itself for the little I’ve seen doesn’t really seem to offer much apart from that but the samurai distict it’s nice. Many of the houses have been converted into small museums, that you can visit paying a small fee. I entered one of them, there was a little tour showing the history of the city and the history of the family of samurai living there. Among the things you could do you had the chance even to hold a real katana ( it felt quite a clumsy and top heavy sword compared to what I had imagined ). In fairness, to my taste, there isn’t much to do apart from visiting the samurai district, yes you can visit the local museum, do some craft shopping ( I bought a very nice box made of cherry bark there wich is a typical local craft ) therefore after a late lunch I was back to Sendai. In my opinion if you want to see a Samurai district you can also go to Kanazawa and there’s much more to see there overall compared to Kakunodate, but if you like the atmosphere of a smaller village instead of a big city and you like something more “off the beaten path” then I’d say go to kakunodate.
KAKUNODATE: OTBP: 8 ½ OVERALL: 6 ½
Given i was back to sendai relatively early, that gave me the opportunity to walk ( yes I walked even there ) to see the dai-kannon. The walk was nice, it took me through some very quiet neighbourhood that you wouldn’t normally visit. When I reached the statue It was too late to go inside it but I still had a good view of it. That is a quite impressive sight, you almost have difficulty to grasp the actual size of it. The area around the statue has really nothing to offer, therefore my honest suggestion is take a ride with the sightseeing bus and use that to reach it and once you’re finished with the statue move to a more interesting spot.
And this was my last day in Sendai. My plan at this point was to book two nights at Koriyama but probably because of the golden week I wasn’t able to find a hotel to my liking there therefore I decided to book one night in Fukushima and the next night in Koriyama. These were the two more expensive nights of all my trip and still ended up spending only around 70 € a night.
Day 6: plan for the day: leave the luggage in the hotel, visit Yamadera, go back to sendai, pick up the luggage and move to fukushima to spend the night. Yamadera is truly easy to reach from Sendai and a very recommended destination if you happen to be in Sendai. The place is mostly known for a temple that is reachable walking an abundant number of steps up a hillside. You reach the town, wich Is a very little and cozy village in the mountains west from Sendai and the temple is very close to the station so it’s not possible to miss it. You can tell the whole village revolves around the temple but it still maintain an authentic spirit. Lots of restaurants and little shops to visit on the road that brings to the temple. The temple itself is very “vertical” : sets of stone stairs will lead you up the side of the hills, till you reach the main building and a couple of satellite building where you’ll be rewarded by an amazing view on the village below. If you don’t mind stairs you’ll be rewarded with a very relaxing atmosphere. Here too given the latitude and the altitude I’ve been able to enjoy a couple of late blossoming cherry trees. The weather was amazing that day and all the gardens where full of flowers, this made the whole trip particularly enjoyable. Luckly I’m an early bird because later in the day the place was really packed with visitors. Once I was finished I had a nice set of Yamagata Dashi Soba in a typical restaurant with Tatamis low tables and a beautiful view on the river that cuts in half the village.
YAMADERA: OTBP: 10 OVERALL 9
After a late lunch I jumped back to the train, went back to sendai to pickup the luggage and moved to the next stop, Fukushima. Here I had the first disappointment of my trip. As my usual I booked a hotel that was close to the main train station, wich is usally the place where you want to be. I had a walk around there and the impression I got from Fukushima was that the place was miserable, a place that has really nothing much to offer to a tourist and not even to a citizen because compared to all the other places I’ve been in japan the impression was that even the locals weren’t as lively and enjoying life that much. I hope I’m not offending anyone and for sure I can’t give a proper review of the place after just an evening spent there, but the impression I got was of one of those town, that you can find in every country you'll visit, where young people can’t wait to get old enough to run away from.
FUKUSHIMA: OTBP: 9 ½ OVERALL: 4
DAY 7: wake up in fukushima, move to Koriyama, leave the luggage at the hotel, and then visit Ouchi-Juku and Aizu Wakamatsu. If you’re wondering, the thing is doable but you need to move early. Once you reach Koriyama you take the local train for Aizu Wakamatsu. There you jump on another local train, wich isn’t entirely operated by JR so you’ll have to pay a ticket, to Yunokami Onsen station where you end up in one of the coolest train stations in japan because it’s built in the style of a traditional house with wooden interiors and a straw roof, and it has a feet onsen right outside where you can wait the train while bathing your feet in thermal water, how cool is that?
From here you take a bus and reach Ouchi Juku. On paper it sounds harder than it actually is but you have to plan your trip properly. Ouchi Juku is a post town all made of traditional houses that reminds you a bit of Shirakawa Go, I frankly don’t know how it isn’t more popular among foreigners cause it’s truly a one of a kind place. Most probably is because it’s so off the beaten path and hard to reach. Still it’s extremely popular among Japanese people because the place was crowded and, when I left, the car traffic was stuck by how many people where trying to reach the place by car. I have to tell you in all honestly the place is probably a bit too touristy because there’s not a single house that isn’t turned into a gift shop or a restaurant. But still the place is so charming and picturesque that is totally worth a visit, plus the surrounding woods, mountains and rice field really act like a frame around the most beautiful picture. So I spend the morning here and around 2 pm I move back to Aizu, because there are really not many bus runs in the evening taking you back to Yunokami Onsen and you better reach the place early.
OUCHI JUKU: OTBP: 10 OVERALL: 9
That gives me the opportunity to visit Aizu Wakamatsu. Ive heard about the city for its castle and for the legend of the Byakko Tai. I get off to Aizu Wakamatsu main station and walk across town till I reach the castle. Keep in mind it’s Saturday and along the whole walk I might have crossed three people. The city was deserted and one thing I’ve learned is, if people on a Saturday evening flee a city like that, then there isn’t much to do or see there, and that’s the impression I got, kinda like Fukushima, probably even worse. Still, I reached the castle: the park is very nice, the castle is a beautiful Japanese castle but, to my understanding it’s a modern reconstruction cause the original castle was lost during the Meiji restoration as Aizu was one of the spots that rised against the emperor. At least around the castle there were now many people. From the castle, wich I didn’t visit inside, I went back to the train station, this time I reached Nanukamachi station and I have to admit it the area there seemed more alive and interesting to stroll around than the area around main Aizu station, therefore maybe I just walked across the wrong part of the town, I honestly can’t tell.
AIZU: OTBP: 9 OVERALL: 6
From Aizu I finally moved by train to Koriyama. I really didn’t spend enough time there to have a proper opinion but the impression I got was of a laid back place, more relaxing than sendai and definitely more alive than fukushima. If I had more time I’d probably give it a shot for a day visit, it might be a surprise.

DAY 8: by this day I ended up with a terrible sore throath that I had to endure almost till my last day in japan. I never had a fever but there was definitely something going around, I kept hearing many Japanese people coughing on trains all around japan so there was definitely something going around, maybe it’s just the season changing, it happens during this season all the times to have some cold or cough. Anyway, the day I had to wake up early and move from Koriyama to Nagoya by Shinkansen, wich was a considerably long trip but at least it gave me the opportunity to take probably the best picture I’ve ever take of mount fuji, from the train. Once in Nagoya I left the luggage in the hotel ( wich, thanks probably to the fact that the golden week just ended, I happened to book for 4 nights for a whopping 25€ a night wich was a total steal even for current Japanese standard prices ). There I immediately jumped on another train and went to visit Inuyama.
The area around Nagoya is a bit tricky cause it’s full of railroads operated by a company that is not JR wich are not covered by the JR Pass but there’s a JR station a bit to the north of Inuyama that will do the job. The place is totally recommended for three reason: it’s overall nice, with the Kiso river cutting it, the castle is one of the few original ones and even if small is considered a national treasure and the whole area around the castle is very nice and worthy to spend some time on. So I visited the castle, the view from the top floor is awesome and in a clear day you can easily spot the skyline of Nagoya. Outside the castle there’s an edo style street full of shops, restaurants and street food that is nice to explore, totally recommended a walk there.
INUYAMA: OTBP: 8 ½ OVERALL: 10
Coming back to Nagoya I just had energy to look for food then I went back to my hotel for a good night of sleep.
DAY 9: a day trip from Nagoya to Ise. The trip isn’t that easy, you got to take a couple of trains if you move only by JR ( and a couple of stops of one of them aren’t even JR operated wich is a little confusing honestly ) and you end up in Iseshi station. From there I moved to Ise Jingu Geku, wich is the outer sanctuary and from there you can take a bus ( guess what, I walked instead ) to the main Ise sanctuary. If you don’t know Ise Jingu is the most sacred place in the Shinto religion and is regularly visited even by the emperor given his role in the Shinto religion. Inside the main temple one of the most sacred relics of Shinto religion is preserved.
Well, being totally honest here’s my impressions of Ise: it’s not simple to reach. The city itself, for what I’ve seen, looks like it has seen better days, meaning it looks like it’s falling apart. And the temples, there’s really not that much to see: they are in a forest, and the temples are not that spectacular, plus the most interesting parts are forbidden to visit. You can go to Atsuta Jingu without moving out from Nagoya and have a fairly realistic impression of what you would see in Ise without all the issues. I know people will attack me for what I’m saying, but that is what I’ve got from it. The most fun part was the edo style neighborhood that you can find right before entering the main Isu complex, wich looks almost like a theme park. I don’t say don’t go there, I say if you are, as you are probably, on borrowed time, with lots of places you want to visit and too few days to see them all, if Ise is in your list you might want to use the day to see something else.
ISE: OTBP: 6 ½ OVERALL: 6 ½
DAY 10: I decided to spend the day in Nagoya and take a look of the city, thanks also to the weather that was a bit rainy and really not inviting for another day trip. What I’ve seen in a day is the samurai exposition in Marunouchi. It’s free and it’s totally worth it, lots of beautiful samurai armours and swords. There’s another exposition that opened not many years ago that you can go nto too far but I didn’t visit so I can’t tell about that. From here I went to Nagoya castle. You pay to enter the complex but currently the Castle is under restoration and you can see it from outside ( it’s very impressive, Nagoya and Osaka castles are massive ) but not visit from inside. But the Honmaru Palace right beside it is open and totally worth a visit. From here took the subway ( yeah today I didn’t walk much so I got a subway day pass ) to the Osu Shotengai Shopping District, wich is the usual kind of covered shopping streets nest you can find in all the Japanese cities, and then moved again to Atsuta Jingu Shrine that, as I said, to me is a completely valid alternative to visiting Ise. The day went by without even noticing and I couldn’t see all the other places I had picked, like the Toyota museum, the tokugawa museum or the science museum, but that’s what you get when you only have one day dedicated to visit a city as big as Nagoya. Still I had time to get an impression of the city and I honestly don’t get the bad reputation it has among foreigners, the city looked to me quite interesting, nice, full of things to see and the people felt particularly laid back compared to cities like Tokyo or Osaka, it’s probably the place where I’ve seen the biggest number of tanned Japanese in all the country. To me Nagoya is totally worth at least two or three days dedicated only to visiting the city.
NAGOYA: OTBP: 5 OVERALL: 9
DAY 11: my original plan was to walk the Nakasendo from Magome to Tsumago. But the weather that day was kinda shit, I wasn’t feeling particularly In the mood of a walk because of my throath and I was starting to feel a bit tired, so I improvised and went for a day in Takayama and Gero Onsen. Takayama is pretty famous. I went there around 20 years ago and I remembered it as a very nice place. Getting back now, with all the Japanese places I’ve seen so far, I would say this: the train trip to Takayama is Spectacular, is a truly feast for the eyes. The town itself, it left me a little disappointed. The Edo style streets that its famous for, I’ve seen so many of them at that point around japan that it didn’t really leave a significant impression on me. And it was honestly smaller than I remembered it. Plus the weather, as I said, didn’t help. So overall the reality didn’t stand up to my memories and my expectations. Plus most of the houses there have now been turned in cheap souvenir shops with nothing giving you an authentic feeling. Don’t know, probably I wasn’t really in the mood that day.
TAKAYAMA: OTBP: 2 OVERALL: 6 ½
I took the opportunity on the way back to stop at Gero Onsen. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to actually stop for an onsen cause overall the whole day wasn’t planned and I mainly improvised. Still the town is very nice and probably, having no expectations or no knowledge of it, even more worth visiting than Takayama. Had a nice walk around the town, and at least had the opportunity to “feel” the thermal water cause there’s plenty of fountains with hot spring water where you can rest your feet or your hands. It was enough to make me aware that a proper onsen there must be a very enjoyable experience.
GERO ONSENS: OTBP: 8 OVERALL: 8
And after this I went to Nagoya where I spent my last night in the city.

DAY 12: moving to Fukuoka ( Hakata ). I booked a hotel near Hakata station so I jumped on the shinkansen and moved there. The ride was as confortable as any shinkansen ride can be and I reached the place sooner than I imagined. First thing was a good look of the city from the panoramic floor in the station. Then had a walk to the Canal City mall wich is a very weirdly and interesting designed mall that is a very popular location in town. Had a walk from there to Nakasu island where I got a quick dinner considering it was already time, and had another walk around the area wich unfortunately will turn out to be my only experience of Fukuoka. I’ll spend here three nights but the following days will be so full that won’t give me any chance to visit the town more, so in the end I don’t really have an opinion on Fukuoka if not that I should probably have spent more time there, but unfortunately the days you have are numbered and there’s so much to see that you have to give up something here and there, so i won't even give a vote to the city.
DAY 13: Destination is Kagoshima that it’s easily reachable by train. I went there with no real expectation and I was totally blown away. Something clicked and I instantly liked the town, I must say that probably the fact that one of the most beautiful girls I’ve seen in japan out of the blue started a conversation with me on the train probably helped a lot in putting me in a good mood.
From the station I walked downtown till the coast. On the way I stopped shopping a bit, found a local market where local artisans that day were exposing their crafts wich I liked a lot and went to the top floor of the Centerrace Mall to get a panoramic view of the city with an amazing view on Sakurajima volcano. If you don’t know it’s the symbol of the city and it’s said to be almost always active, the whole day I’ve been there he kept puffing little clouds of smoke from time to time, it was very cool. So, once reached the cost I walked ( you should know it by now ) till I reached Sengan-En wich is the garden and the palace of a local lord and it’s very beautiful, totally worth a visit, also compared to many other places in japan, this is more modern and therefore more unique both in the architecture of the palace and the style of the garden. I’d say if you are in Kagoshima you won’t regret visiting it ( maybe don’t do like me and take a bus cause it’s more than 6 km from the station ). After visiting Sengan En I went back to the ferries and took a ferry to Sakurajima. The ferry is very cheap, 200 yen, and quick to reach it’s destination, but on Sakurajima there’s really not much to do if you don’t plan to use a bus or some other kind of transportation. Since it was already evening, I had nothing planned and I had to go back to Hakata, I just took the time to have a walk on the Lava Trail wich is a walk in a natural park that has grown over an old lava flow, wich is a quite unique thing that I enjoyed more than I expected. Then I went back to Kagoshima, had dinner and moved back to Hakata. I have to say I really enjoyed Kagoshima, the city has a unique vibe, very laid back, the people seemed to be relaxed and happy and were much more open toward foreigners than anywhere I’ve experienced. If I’ll ever be back in japan I’ll surely manage to spend some more time in Kagoshima. I took the train and I was back in hakata at around midnight so I went straight to bed in hotel
KAGOSHIMA: OTBP: 10 OVERALL: 10
Day 14: Nagasaki. Another fairly easy destination to reach from Fukuoka. The city itself is very narrow and develops around its river. As a tourist I was immediately attracted to its atomic bomb museum, wich is north from the station. I went there, you don’t say, by foot.
And later, once I’ve done with the atomic bomb part, the Nagasaki near the sea.
And here starts the tale of the two Nagasaki, because it feels like two different places in one. The north part, wich I didn’t enjoy much, felt a bit neglected and it’s mostly houses where people live. And it’s the part where you’ll see more tourists because as I said all the atomic spots are there.
On the other hand the south part near the city was to me much more alive and full of life, I’m no expert but that’s probably where the locals like to spend their free time and on the other hand you’ll see way less tourists here.
Back to the morning, I did what most tourists do, and visited the atomic bomb museum, the peace park, the ipocenter, and went also to see the half standing torii that is one of the few authentic places left as testament of the bombing, around the city. Talking about the museum, I’ve been to both thins and Hiroshima and, even if Hiroshima is bigger and with much more to see, I would suggest if one has the opportunity to visit also the Nagasaki one, it absolutely has its own legs to stand on. On a side note, out of 10 visitors, 9 were foreigners, I guess Japanese already know their history and don’t feel the need to visit such a place on a nice Sunday morning.
The peace park it’s a park, there you can see the famous statue wich is one of the main symbols of Nagasaki and that, if you ask me, is one of the ugliest statues you can find in the world, but still if you’re in Nagasaki you probably don’t want to miss it.
After lunch I moved to the sea side, here I’ve seen DeiJima wich is the former artificial island where the Portuguese were segregated centuries ago, very interesting place, kinda like a mix of an open air museum and a theme park, felt a little bit plastic but still worth some of your time.
Then had a walk to the near seaside park wich is a very nice and relaxing place where flocks of eagles fly so low over your head that if you rise your hand you can almost touch them, and pretty much ended the day there before having to go back to Fukuoka.
NAGASAKI: OTBP: 5 OVERALL: 7 ½

Day 15 – 16 - 17: my last full days in japan. I was in need of some rest at this point and I needed to move closer to Narita where I had booked my flight for day 18, so i spent more than half of day 15 to transfer from Hakata to Tokyo. I booked my last hotel for three nights near Otsuka station, wich if you ask me is a nice spot to stay in Tokyo. When I arrived in the evening there was a rose festival and all around the station there were roses bushes in flower and there were people singing and the whole station looked alive but also quiet, if you like a place to stay In Tokyo that it’s not chaotic like Shinjuku or Shibuya I’d recommend Otsuka.
The last days aren’t really worth mentioning, I’ve spent most of the time shopping for souvenirs, and recovering for all the travel i did the two weeks before. I explored a couple of places worth mentioning that not everyone ever goes to in Tokyo, like Nakano Broadway ( a weird shopping district that feels like a little Akiabara ), Nippori where there’s a little known street nice for shopping, or Chiba where there’s one of the biggest mall in japan but apart from that nothing much that you can read in the report of anyone who have been to Tokyo.
And with this, I think I can conclude my report. If you want me to upload some picture and you have a site to suggest me where it’s easy to upload and you don’t have to make an account let me know and if there’s enough interest I will oblige as soon as I’ve finished downloading all the pictures from my phone.

What is a waiting mode and how it starts? People with adhd have time blindness OR just get so engrossed in some activities they forget about "what's planned". For example preparing for a wedding, or doctor visit. After trauma of rushing, breaking traffic law, running all sweaty and being still late, we adapt. We use alarm clocks, and what not. But did I really set up alarm clock? Just to be sure, let's be ready 3 hours before we should.
So as a consequence, if we have something important to do in 3 hours, we can't do anything. We can't start a video game, because we may forget "passing of time". We can't start cleaning, because it's so hard to start, it's a pity to stop halfway through. So we get dressed, ready, and we just sit. We may browse our phone, which also wastes time, but it's not like deciding to watch a 2 hour movie. And then we are WAY ahead of time for any meeting etc, because what else is there to do. At least when I arrived at the place I can finally DO SOMETHING guilt free. Because it will literaly take me a minute to walk through the door.
It's just my theory, but I think this stuff can work on weekly and monthly timeframes. Like I won't sign up for doctor wait list, because who knows, maybe in 2 months I will be living in a different place?
Okay so OCPD folks are usually anal about timetables. Now here's funny thing. If you treat appointments so seriously, how pissed you will be when your doctor or a friend is 10 mins late, or cancels? OCPD LEVEL PISSED!
Here's some example how it screws up my productivity. I work on farm, help my father and what not. Much of the stuff I need to do is based on when he starts certain tasks. He won't keep on schedule though. So I need to feed the baby calfs, first water right? But he just decided to wash the milking machine, so water won't flow. So I am stuck waiting. But since he washes the mashine, he will want my help with brining cows to the building any time now. So I don't know if I have 10 or 30 mins, so I do nothing. When all cows are ready inside, now I know I have an hour to feed the baby cows. Let's say it takes me 40-50 mins. Now I PROBABLY have 10 mins before I need to get cows out, but who knows? He's so random. There is nothing to do that takes exactly 10 mins, so I play with my phone.
Note, when he was sick in hospital, I did work of us both, and despite me being called lazy, procrastinating etc, I stuck to timetable VERY diligently. It was hilarious and shocking to everyone witinessing this :D
SO DO YOU HAVE WAITING MODE?

This happened this morning. I wasn't there. I had hired an experienced woman to oversee the loading in rural Wisconsin. My goats and my pet steer were to be moved from my old farm to my new property.
Yesterday, the trucking supervisor went to the farm. He said the steer was too big to fit into the semi side door, and might not even fit through the back door. So I hired a gooseneck cattle trailer guy to haul the steer.
This is how the story was told to me. I have it from three people: both shippers, and my supervisor.
I had hired two livestock trucks. One has a semi (tractor and 50' stock trailer). The other has a one-ton truck and a 30' gooseneck trailer.
150 goats were loaded into the semi trailer.
One giant, 12 year old, pet steer was loaded into the 30' trailer. Steer was 6'6" tall and weighed 2500 pounds. A gentle giant. My buddy.
I had been told by the head shipper that the steer would not fit through the semi side door. The farm where they were loaded did not have a loading ramp, which meant the steer could not be loaded through the back door. The side door is relatively low. The back door is more than 4' off the ground. The side door is fine for goats and sheep and pigs and calves, but not large bovines.
After all the goats were loaded on the semi, and the steer was loaded in the 30' trailer, the two drivers decided that they would put the steer in the semi.
My steer was safely loaded in the gooseneck. He would have travelled just fine that way. I did not mind paying both drivers to move my animals.
My supervisor objected to putting the steer in the semi trailer, but the drivers insisted that they knew better, that the steer would fit through the semi's side door. She tried to get them to stop, but again, they said they knew better. They ignored her. They backed the gooseneck trailer up to the semi's side door and tried to push the steer through the door.
The steer got stuck.
Instead of letting the steer relax, and figure out his own way to back up, they decided to drive the semi backwards against the gooseneck to force the steer free.
The moment they moved the semi, they broke the steer's pelvis. Effectively killing the steer.
At this point, the steer is immobilized, and stuck, 3/4 of the way inside a semi.
The gooseneck driver pulled forward, leaving the steer's back legs hanging in the air. The steer collapsed onto his front legs. You can imagine his cries.
The two drivers used a loader-tractor and chains to yank the steer backwards out of the semi. With a broken pelvis, the steer could not stand.
This is when I got the first phone call that things had gone terribly wrong. My supervisor was crying.
I immediately called the sheriff and a local vet. The sheriff basically ignored me. The vet, who has been this steer's vet since 2012, went straight to the farm. There was no saving the steer, and the vet euthanized him while my supervisor cradled his head and told him that he was a good boy.
Now the shippers are both claiming it's not their fault.
I have no idea how to value my steer. He was my only steer. He was my buddy. My pet. Totally tame. At night, at the end of a long day, or the end of a good day, I liked to smoke a cigar and drink a beer and just hang out with my gentle giant.
Now he's dead.
Me? I want financial vengeance. Since the sheriff says it's civil, I have one question: how much was my pet steer worth?
Edit: I know how to calculate the local beef prices and multiply by how much he weighed. That's easy. But I wasn't taking him to slaughter. He wasn't for sale.
I was going to spend at least 3,000 to ship him from my old farm to my new property, 2,000 miles away. I already spent tons on shipping horses. It is $9,000 to ship the goats.
Also, terminology matters to farmers: a steer is a castrated bovine. A cow is an adult breeding female bovine. A bull is an intact adult make bovine.
This guy was a steer.
Steers like him, especially of his size and athletic ability, were called oxen.

You're new. You want a 160% travel form because walking is for poor people. Understandable. These are my recommendations, in order...
BUT FIRST! Guardianship is a cheap $20 and unlocks a lot of travel forms, most of which are trivial to obtain. If you really enjoy the game you should consider supporting the developer with this one-time payment. You also get other things including an exclusive class. Anyway...
Free:

1. Time Flies Transformation is very easy to get and only requires you to complete Zom-BAE. Level scaled.
2. Fiend Lycan Travel Form is a straightforward RNG drop, but it's very rare and requires you to use the summon code of someone in the map*. Level scaled.
3. Salty Parrot is very easy to get, but it prevents you from making progress towards getting new classes and takes 14 days (10 for Guardians). Recommended level 17+.
4. Tasty Whale Pop is very easy to get, but it requires The Rotting Rod and takes 30 days.
5. Gar-Feld Travel Form is harder to get, requiring you to complete a dungeon for 30 days. Level 34+.
6. Wooden Stallion Travel Form is difficult to get unless you're excessively over-leveled. It requires very rare drops and takes 7 days. Technically level 7+.
7. Cat Travel Forms are very difficult to get, requiring an encounter with Dark Necrohencer and taking at least 8 days to gather pet feed. Level 20+.
8. Darkovian Werewolf Travel Form drops from a very short solo dungeon, but it's probably very rare. Level 45+.
9. Cerulean Kittarian Travel Form drops from your daily chest or can be bought for 5,000 Treasure Shards (which will take less than 168 days if you have the worst luck).
10. Bomber Travel Form is a boss drop, but you will probably die in a nuclear explosion.

^\Or make great progress in the Nulgath saga, but you're probably getting way ahead of yourself.)
Seasonal:

• March: Legion Dricken Travel Form (with daggers)^†
• April: Boneless ChickenCow Travel Form
• December: Gift'thulu Travel Form^†

^†Reminder: During seasonal holidays Guardians can get free gift monsters daily from Zoria! Save them for spawn parties to maximize drops for everyone.
Notable premium forms:

1. Dire Crimson Dragon is included in the $5 Starter Pack, but you must purchase it within 3 days. ^{Well that sucks.}
2. Nulgath Collector Chest II costs 3,500 DC's ($15) but is popular as it unlocks the Crag in a Cart utility pet (portable quests). If you plan on buying it, it comes with the Bamboozle Travel Form too.

Don't forget to get Sprint too. Recommended level 10+. GOTTA GO FAST!
.
If I missed anything, let me know in the comments.