TW: drug abuse and cruelty to animals
I’ve been abstaining from alcohol and cannabis for nearly three years, after about a decade of social drinking and what was eventually daily cannabis (ab)use. I’ve also been eating a mostly vegan diet (the exception is fish) for over a year.
Recently I’ve been feeling like it’s not fair to me the individual to try to live up to such pure ideals. Why avoid the self-harm of a little poison (alcohol) when so many are enjoying it, for the taste, for the inhibition, for the shift in consciousness. What about just a sip or two of alcohol? I haven’t had even a taste since quitting.
I wonder if I’m trying to live up to too severe of an ideal. Is it really my responsibility to reduce the suffering of myself and others with these pure disciplines? Perhaps the shadow is building up, demanding something from me. How do I appease it?
A little self-harm? (Studies are clear: alcohol in any amount is toxic to the body)
A little rape? (Dairy industry revolves around the rape of cows)
A little travel? (Leisurely tourism is a bourgeois decadence)
It’s not like I have all my behaviors in line with my ethics. I still operate in the capitalist system, paying taxes to fund genocide. I eat fish and have a leather bag. I am by no means a paragon of virtue. I sleep in a lot, I owe friends some money, I live most days with the chronic stress of fear.
Should I become an absolute lion?

So I made the upgrade by the skin of my teeth on this one. The gate agent saw that there were two openings which was incorrect. And she bumped the guy in second place on the upgrade list when I was first on the list even when the agent specifically instructed me to refresh my app and that I would likely get the seat. When I saw this happen I just couldn’t help myself and I asked the guy how did you do that? He said “I am 1k “ I said “I am too but how did you leapfrog me? “ he said there were two seats and just then the flight attendant came up and said the computer was messed up and they upgraded the wrong person. So this guy had to do the walk of shame to the back. EMFH (Every Man For Himself) on a red-eye with layflats “Ric, P.” I owe you a beer at the lounge fellow 1ker! The Question is what should United do for this guy? I mean he already that dang relief that you get when you make the cut then you have to go 20 rows back and try to find a slot for his bag. #Brutal

Got time off work all of a sudden that had to be taken during GW and my partner REALLY wanted to do Japan. I was game - I’ve been to Japan twice before, so it didn’t bother me that we’d have to be flexible and potentially miss/skip stuff.
How I booked/planned ⤵️
Exactly 3 weeks out, I booked flights to Haneda (used points, but they were about $900 from the East Coast). I booked all our lodging within the airline ticket 24 hour cancellation window. I wanted to be able to call off the trip and go somewhere else if I couldn’t lock down good lodging.
I booked 4 nights in Osaka at the Moxy in Shin Umeda using Marriott points. While the location wasn’t the most convenient of all time, it was a nice hotel and still in an okay area. I did request a room upgrade using my Platinum Elite benefits and they were not able to fulfill the request. May not have been a GW thing but I blame GW.
I wanted to do an overnight to Yakushima or Miyajima but both were too booked up. I switched gears and scored the very last room at the very last temple stay available in Koyasan. I paid $331 for what ended up being a gigantic room in a highly rated temple 5 minutes walk from Kongobuji (main attraction of Koyasan). Having looked up their non-Golden Week rates, I believe I paid a premium of ~$100 over the normal price. Really glad it worked out this way as Koyasan was very tranquil and uncrowded.
Surprisingly, the Art Islands were not totally booked out. I was able to book the exact hotel I wanted in Uno port for the exact dates I wanted. The price was about $40/night higher than normal. The only option left was a dorm room, which I expected to be a capsule, but it turned out their “dorm” rooms are all private rooms! The downside was a communal shower, but I never even used it because the stay came with free entry every day to the incredible seaside hot spring spa next door!
For the last night in Tokyo before flying out, I got a capsule at the exact hostel I wanted. I would have booked a private room if one was available, but for a stay totaling only 10 hours, the capsule was fine.
My partner reserved all our shinkansen tickets 1 week in advance using Smart Ex, and also reserved our seats on the train to Koyasan (not shinkansen, but reservation only). We actually ended up changing several of our reservations during the trip without any issues. For example, for the shinkansen ride from Okayama to Tokyo, we moved up our departure time twice the day of and booked an oversized luggage compartment at the last minute. I don’t believe any shinkansens we took allowed unreserved seats during GW so there was never any risk of having to stand.
I got scared off by posts about taking the shinkansen out of Tokyo on April 27, so I chose to fly to Osaka instead. Our transit ended up being nice and relaxed that way, plus I could take advantage of JAL domestic one-way flights being only 7.5k AA miles. I booked the flights 2 weeks in advance without any issues.
My partner booked ebike rentals and museum tickets for Naoshima and Teshima 3 weeks in advance. The only ticket we couldn’t get was Art House Project Kinza which is extremely difficult to get under ordinary circumstances anyway. It turned out our booking didn’t actually go through for Chichu Art Museum on Naoshima, and we didn’t realize it until the day of! It was obviously fully sold out during GW so I panicked but my partner kept refreshing the booking page throughout the day and several last-minute tickets popped up from cancellations.
In terms of meals, I didn’t bother with more than 1-2 restaurant reservations. We did fancy kaiseki meals, two different fancy wagyu experiences, and a high end sushi omakase in Japan less than a year ago. That doesn’t mean I winged it though. I planned every single meal in advance, and built our itinerary around restaurant opening times so we could always beat the queue. I also mapped out backup restaurants in case places were unexpectedly closed for GW, which did happen twice. Honestly not a bad idea to do so no matter when you travel, since Japanese businesses randomly close all the time.
Fully detailed itinerary below ⤵️
Day 1 (Saturday): Arrived HND. Left almost 3 hours between international arrival and domestic departure to Osaka. This ended up being way overkill but I didn’t know what kind of crowds to expect during GW.
Arrived at Itami late evening. Went out to see Massimiliano Pagliara’s DJ set at Compufunk Records until almost 3.
Day 2 (Sunday): Mostly a shopping day other than a quick stop at Namba Yasaka shrine. Hit the Tojiro knife store, Graf and Meetdish for fancy homewares, Indigena for all things vintage Snoopy, and Lara Vintage for vintage European womenswear where I scored some incredible pieces.
Got lunch at Oretachino-curry since the seafood izakaya I wanted to visit turned out to be closed for GW.
Got coffee at Glitch (the GOAT) and okonomiyaki & yakisoba for dinner at Ajinoya Honten.
I got a heavenly dry head spa treatment at I Refre Shinsaibashi while my partner window shopped in Denden town. Wanted Rikuro cheesecake afterward but it was mobbed and sold out so got consolation Mister Donut.
Day 3 (Monday): Successfully obtained Rikuro cheesecake in the shinkansen station on the way to Himeji!
Siphon coffee at the most charming shop in Himeji called Hamamoto Coffee (3.61 on Tabelog). No queue.
Visited Himeji Castle (busy but not uncomfortably so) & Kokoen Gardens (not busy) in the morning and Mt. Shosha/Engyoji (practically empty) in the afternoon. Got lunch at Ramen Koba in between. No queue.
Did more shopping after getting back to Osaka at Moyi Store (pottery), And Wander (gorpcore), Snowpeak (camping), and Mr. Kanso (tinned fish).
Horumonyaki for dinner at Yakiniku Susumu. No queue.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Woke up unnecessarily early to go to Kizu Market for breakfast at Maruyoshi Sushi. No queue.
Had really good tea and wagashi in even better pottery at Wad Omotenashi. No queue.
Hours of vintage clothing shopping at ACORN, Post Acorn, Kindal, NATS, and Village. If I came to Osaka again I’d definitely stay in Kitahorie or Minamisemba!
Got lunch at Udon Kyutaro (3.83 on Tabelog, no queue) and coffee at Aoma Coffee.
Walked through Kuromon Market then went tax-free shopping at Shinsaibashi Parco for random stuff like Miffy merch at Kiddyland, Hario coffee gear at Hands, and SK-II (IYKYK). Also did a ton of skincare shopping at Matsu Kiyo.
Dinner at Dotonbori Kani Doraku. Admittedly a tourist trap, but super tasty - glad I had a reservation as the wait was bananas. Got dessert at Cheese Tart Pablo. Short queue despite being in an incredibly crowded shopping street.
Day 5 (Wednesday): Traveled to Koyasan. Walked around and saw all the main shrines, had lunch at Hanabishi since the tofu shop I wanted to visit was closed for GW. Onsen at our temple stay before the shojin ryori dinner.
Did the obligatory and stunning night walk through Okunoin cemetery. We passed by the guided tour from Ekoin and were so glad we decided against it. It was way more magical being on our own in the misty dark night.
Day 6 (Thursday): Morning prayers and breakfast set meal at the temple, then looong travel to Uno for the Art Islands leg of the trip. Lunch at 551 Horai when changing trains in Osaka 🤤
Got kakigori at Omachido on reaching Uno, then took the ferry to Naoshima. Walked to the Lee Ufan and Benesse Art Museums and ate fresh locally farmed flounder at Yuunagi. No queues.
Closed out the night in the seaside rotenburo under the stars at Setouchi Onsen Tamanoyu.
Day 7 (Friday): Grabbed breakfast at the Marunaka grocery store, took the ferry to Teshima, and picked up our e-bike rentals from Setouchi Karen.
Hit Teshima Art Museum, Les Archives du Coeur, La Foret des Murmures, Needle Factory, and the Teshima Yokoo House. Got lunch at Shima along the way. No queue.
More kakigori at Omachido after getting the ferry back to Uno. Long queue! For dinner we had a very nice 14-course yakitori omakase at Sumi Habaki (Michelin Bib Gourmand). This was a reservation we had our hotel make for us a couple weeks in advance.
Hit the onsen again. It was a touch busy. More families with little kids than I’m used to seeing. GW problems.
Day 8 (Saturday): Grabbed breakfast at Marunaka again, took the ferry to Naoshima where there was an open-air marché going on right at the ferry terminal. Got a bunch of cute pottery and then took photos of the iconic red Kusama pumpkin.
Picked up e-bike rentals at Ougiya, booked it to Honmura lounge to get the best chance of a convenient entry time for Minamidera.
Saw Go’o Shrine, Kadoya, Gokaisho, Ishibashu, Chichu Art Museum, where we also had lunch at the cafe, Minamidera, Haisha, Tadao Ando Museum, Hiroshi Sugimoto Time Corridors, the yellow pumpkin, and Valley Gallery.
Ferried back to Uno, then headed to Tokyo, with a stop in Okayama where we got ramen at Fujiya. No queue.
Was so tired on reaching my hostel UNPLAN Kagurazaka that I just ate a Manneken waffle and passed out.
Day 9 (Sunday): Walked around Kagurazaka-dori and visited Tokyo Daijingu shrine.
Half the reason I stayed in Kagurazaka was so I could get breakfast at Pain des Philosophes (3.86 on Tabelog). Bread made with koshihikari koji and tangzhong 🔥 I only arrived 10 minutes before open and there was a substantial queue already.
Then immediately queued again at Tsujihan for their iiiiincredible kaisen don. Again, arrived 20 minutes before open but the queue was substantial.
My last stop before leaving for Haneda was tax-free shopping for souvenirs at the incredible Akomeya La Kagu. The other half of why I stayed in Kagurazaka. Got soo many fancy homewares and gourmet food items like hinoki room spray, kyoho grape jelly, Yuzusco hot sauce, a Tembea leather wallet, etc.
Haneda was not that busy. Had a nightmare scenario last summer where it took almost 2 hours just to get through the bag check queue. This time I had plenty of time to shop for Royce chocolates and eat Rokurinsha before my flight.

I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/Free_River_3388
Originally posted to TrueOffMyChest
Previous BoRU
NEW UPDATE MARKED WITH ----
[New Update]: I had a baby as a result of an affair and now his wife is reaching out to me
Trigger Warnings: infidelity, past abuse, mention of abortion, deadbeat father, coercion, manipulation
RECAP
Original Post: January 28, 2023
I (F, 26) had an affair with a married man (M, 42) a few years ago. I had no clue he was married when we first met and hooked up. I obviously looked him up on social media and while he did have photos of his kids on there, there was absolutely no mention or photos of a wife at all. I found out that he was married about a month after we first got together, but he told me it was just a marriage on paper and that they basically lived separate lives and agreed to remain married for practical purposes until the kids were older. They owned a business, which she really ran and he was just financially involved in.
I knew at the time that I probably shouldn’t believe him, but I convinced myself it was true. I was in my early 20s and so attracted to him and I guess almost infatuated with him. He made me feel so good. I know now that I should have ended it immediately, but I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. I was addicted to all of the attention he gave me, the great sex, the places he’d take me. I felt special. I was so naive.
I got pregnant about a year into seeing him. I had always been so careful with preventing pregnancy, but during my relationship with him I took stupid risks. I was so high in lust with this guy, it’s embarrassing. The things he’d asked me to do…I’d say yes to almost anything, even when I knew it was a bad idea.
I was in love with him, or I thought I was. I hadn’t intentionally wanted to get pregnant. I would of course dream about being his wife and having a family but I knew that wouldn’t be a possibility while he had this arrangement with his actual wife. I didn’t get pregnant on purpose with any intention of him leaving her for me, even if I wished that we could be a real, normal couple. I was surprised by how excited I was to be pregnant with his baby. I wanted that baby once I found out I was pregnant. The thought of carrying this baby of the man I loved was so special to me, but I knew he probably wouldn’t feel the same.
I told him I was pregnant and he told me I couldn’t keep the baby. I expected his reaction, but I was devastated and it hurt me to my core that he didn’t feel the same way I did. He offered to pay, to make a whole weekend of it somewhere exciting (wtf?) and to buy me something special if I’d just please get rid of the baby. He explained that he didn’t want any more kids and that he couldn’t openly be a father to another kid when he and his wife were still pretending to be happily married to the outside world.
I agreed to do what he wanted and we made plans for him to pick me up and find somewhere out of town to go get it done. I was all packed the night he was going to pick me up, but I started to feel really scared and really unsafe about the whole thing. I took my bag and checked myself into a hotel to hide because I couldn’t go with him. I texted him to say I promised to never contact him again and to never name him as the father or go after child support if he’d promise to leave me alone.
At first he tried to sweet talk me into doing what he wanted. When I didn’t cave in, he said some very nasty things to me and that I essentially better never contact him again or show up at his door.
I have a 2 year old now. At times, it’s been difficult, but overall we are thriving as best we can. I have kept my word about not naming his as the father or requesting child support.
His wife contacted me on social media. Well, she’s his ex-wife now. She wants to talk to me. She found out about me and told me that she divorced him 6 months ago. She wants her children to know their sibling and for my child to know his siblings. That’s weird to me.
I haven’t responded back to her yet. I am unsure about how to approach this. How to I respond to this? I wonder if I’m being selfish by not exploring an option for my child to know his siblings, if she’s being genuine about that. If I was married and my husband fathered a child outside of our marriage I don’t think I’d feel the same that she does.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Comment 1

I didn’t know he was married when we first got together. I acknowledged that I should have ended the relationship as soon as I found out he was married. I allowed myself to believe what he told me, which made it seem not so bad - like this was some sort of agreement he and his wife had. Emotionally, I was already hooked. I’m not making excuses.
I wouldn’t say I was “happy” to bring a baby into this situation. There was a huge mix of emotions. I felt like I was in love with him, so there was a part of me that was excited at first. That feeling soon died, but I felt that I loved my baby still. I tried to do the best thing that I could, which was to remove myself from his life and his family’s life. I just wanted to be able to keep my baby and love my baby. I did not get pregnant on purpose. I wasn’t on birth control. I had been on birth control when I was slightly younger and had a life threatening health complications as a result. He knew I wasn’t on birth control. He loved unprotected sex. I was stupid and I agreed to do it. I would do almost anything he asked sexually. I tried to track my cycle and would tell him when it was probably not a safe time to do it.
His wife isn’t really what I’m afraid of. Whatever she’d want to say to me is probably deserved anyway, and more.

Comment 2

He found out about the pregnancy before I “ghosted” him. And upon finding out I was pregnant with his child, there was absolutely no real discussion about what we were going to do. We were going to do what he wanted to do and he had it all planned out. He threatened me, by text and by phone calls and voicemails, when I told him I was not going to go with him on this abortion vacation he had planned. I begged him to please not force me to do that and he turned mean. I offered to never contact him again if he’d just let me go. After threatening me again, about what he’d do if I didn’t keep my word, he agreed. He has kept his side of the bargain and has never contacted me.

Comment 3

I’ve been assuming that she found out about me in her own, maybe saw something on his phone or computer and has probably known for a while before reaching out to me (if it’s actually her).
I get what some people are saying about siblings and such, but that man is not my child’s dad. He is the dad of his older kids but he’s not the dad of my kid. I’m still young and I hope to have more children one day, and those children would be my son’s siblings. I hope to find a man who loves me and my son and with whom I can have a legitimate relationship. I haven’t been with another man since I ended things with this guy. I actually just went on 2 dates for the first time very recently. I’m not desperate to find a man right now, but I hope to find real love one day.
Those people are not my son’s family. He’s 2 and they’re old enough to drive. So, I do t think they’re missing out on any sort of important relationship right now. I understand wanting to know your bio family, and I feel he can decide that later on when he’s old enough to have a day. Depending on where we are at in our lives at the time, he might not feel a need to know those people.
I don’t plan to lie to my son about his conception, but I don’t think we need to involve ourselves with the man’s ex-wife and teenage children at this time.

 
Update: February 18, 2024
I made a post 3 weeks ago and things have only gotten stranger. I had an affair with a married man a few years ago. I regret it and I will never do anything like that ever again. I knew it was wrong from the very beginning, but he captivated me. I was naive. I allowed myself to believe when he told me they were pretty much just married on paper for the sake of their kids. I got pregnant and while he tried to talk me into getting an abortion I ultimately decided to keep the baby. I have a 2 year old little boy now. I promised this man that I wouldn’t expose our affair and I wouldn’t formally identify him as the father or request child support. I did that because he was becoming very nasty about the whole thing and I felt like due to the mess that I had created and the way I felt by the end of it, a clean break with no involvement with him would be the best thing for everyone. I moved back to where my family is, hundreds of miles from where he and his family live.
About a month ago his ex-wife reached out to me via social media, claiming they had been divorced for 6 months and that she wanted our children to be able to know each other. Now, their kids are teenagers, so I didn’t really think they’d want anything to do with the toddler and the woman their father was having an affair with. It seemed odd to me. After posting here, I sort of decided that I wouldn’t respond to her. I’d just ignore it. She just sent me the one message, so it wasn’t as if she was badgering me about talking to me or meeting me.
On Friday night I decided to message her. I don’t really know why. I think it was really just for my sake so I could have the chance to apologize to her. I told her that I would be more comfortable speaking with her face to face since I couldn’t trust that it was really her. She said she understood. I was too nervous to meet her in person, but we did a video chat. I didn’t know what to expect, if this was all a ploy just to unleash her fury on me or what. I mean, I’d deserve that. She wouldn’t be wrong to feel that way.
It was really her. She told me she discovered our affair when she found communications between the two of us, after our relationship had ended. She told me I’m one of many women he had affairs with over the years and she knew about somebody even before he met me, but she didn’t divorce him at the time. Finding out about my child was the final straw for her. I told her I was sorry for my relationship with her husband and admitted that I knew he was married. She graciously told me she forgives me and that while she harbored a lot of anger towards me initially, she ultimately blames her husband. I’m not blameless, but she chooses to not hate me, essentially. She said she couldn’t have said this 6 months ago or a year ago when she first found out about me, but she has moved past that. She still has anger toward him, in addition to many other emotions surrounding him. She started pouring out her heart to me about their 20+ year marriage and life together and it was very awkward because what do I even say?
Her kids know about me and my son. She says they’re very mad at their father. Somehow I don’t think they’re mad about the fact that he’s not involved with my son’s life. And why would they be mad about that? I would hate me if I were them.
I told her with my son being so little right now, I don’t really feel comfortable with him meeting her kids or being involved with their family. I feel unsure about it and it’s just not something I feel needs to happen right now.
Then she told me her ex husband was in a bad accident 2 months ago. He’s fine now, still not allowed to return to all his normal activities just yet, but will be fine. He is probably the most physically active person I’ve ever met, barely ever seems to sit down, so he must be terribly annoying to be around if he’s not allowed to go go go all the time. She told me he wants to meet my son. Apparently she moved back in with him temporarily when he first came home from the hospital. She said the accident really shook him up and he has been expressing a lot of regret about my son, not being involved, not providing for him.
So now it’s like was everything she said just a lie and he somehow got her to reach out to me on his behalf? And she actually did it? It felt almost like a relief talking to her initially, but then it’s like was any of that true or you were just trying to be his messenger? I don’t even know if that part is true now. Why wouldn’t he just contact me himself?
I’m just feeling so uneasy about the whole thing now.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Comment 1

I don’t believe I HAVE to involve his teenage children in my son’s life. Maybe when my son is old enough to decide if he wants that.
He is not named on the birth certificate and I do not receive child support from him. I have asked nothing of him, except to let me move away and not try to force me to have an abortion. I basically had to promise him to not contact him, not make him as the father, not request child support.
If he truly wants involvement with my son he can reach out to my directly and he can take the legal route to establish himself as our son’s father.

Comment 2

He did not legally sever his rights. He never established rights in the first place. He has no rights until he goes to court and establishes himself as the father. He is welcome to do that.
Honestly, I wish my son did have a father who was involved in his life and loved him. Yes, this guy has faults, but he has plenty of positive qualities. He is really involved with his older children. I met them many times because they’d be at work with him or he’d have to drop by the office in his way to take them somewhere. He was always doing things with them. They seemed like good kids who really loved their dad. I wish my son could have that experience too. I didn’t think it was an option based on how he behaved when I was pregnant. He wasn’t interested and wanted me and our baby to go away. That’s what I did. And I accepted it.

Comment 3

He is not legally my son’s father at this time. This means that currently he has no legal parental rights or responsibilities regarding my son. I cannot stop him from taking the legal steps to establish paternity if he wishes to do so.
He will always be my son’s biological father. I can’t change that fact. Regardless of whether or not he ever legally establishes paternity, my son will likely be curious about his biological father and who knows, maybe they will establish a relationship one day regardless of legal paternity.
There is no way to say if I will meet a man who may want to adopt my son one day, thus becoming his legal father. It’s something that I think would be nice, but nothing that I’m “intent” on doing. By choice, I’ve only been one 2 dates since my son was born and that was only within the year 2024. I realize that it will not be as simple as signing a piece of paper.

 

----NEW UPDATE----

Update #2 - April 30, 2024 (2 months later)
I posted about this few months ago.
To summarize very quickly, when I was fresh out of college I had an affair with a married man and father. I became pregnant. He wanted me to get an abortion. He had arranged to “take me away” in a “vacation” to get an abortion. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do but I agreed to go along with what we wanted. At the last minute, when he was on his way to come pick me up, I told him I couldn’t go through with the abortion. I just really didn’t feel comfortable about his plan and how he was orchestrating everything. It scared me. I realized at that time how deep I had gone with this mistake, how screwed up the whole relationship was.
He was really mad. He threatened me, said a lot of nasty things to me. I told him if he just left me alone and let me have my baby then I’d leave him alone and wouldn’t name him as the father or seek child support. I moved back home (I was living in a different state when I met him). I kept my word and I did t it name him as the father or seek to establish paternity. I have never sought child support. My child is 2 now.
A few months ago his wife contacted me via social media. At first she made it seem like she wanted my child to have the opportunity to know his siblings. It was sort of weird since the siblings are teenagers. She said she had divorced him 6 months prior.
I agreed to talk to her virtually, not in person. I felt that I owed it to her to apologize for what I had done. I do feel bad about it. But at the end of the conversation I told her that I didn’t feel it was the appropriate time to connect my son with her kids. He’s a toddler and their teens, plus I had promised her husband to stay out of his life. That’s when she told me that he was recently in a bad accident and she had been helping to take care of him. Supposedly he was going to be fine and was fairly recovered at that point, but she said he had expressed interest to meet our child. So she was basically his messenger.
I have not been in contact with her since then. I deleted my social media. I don’t know why, but the whole thing just really made me uncomfortable.
Since I last posted here….
Then, I received a handwritten letter from him. In it, he expressed how he wanted to get to know our son, he wants to be a father to our son, he wants to provide financially for him, he’d like us to come visit him. He asked me to sign a paternity affidavit. I refused to do so. I know he is my son’s father but I’m not going to make this that easy for him. After the things he said to me and threatened me with, he at least has to work for this.
At that point, my parents felt that we needed to meet with a lawyer. All communication from me has gone through a lawyer. I have never responded to him personally/directly.
Now, I have a court order for paternity. I have to present my son to have a specimen taken tomorrow. I already know what it’s going to say.
It’s not that I don’t want my son to have a dad in his life. It’s just…the whole situation is a mess. And he lives a few states away from me. I don’t know what to do. I can’t really do anything. He’s doing things legally. Next, I’m sure he’ll petition for some form of custody or visitation. He’s not married anymore, supposedly, but he’s a lot more established than I am. He has considerably more financial resources. I also know he has all sorts of connections where he lives. Luckily they don’t hold as much weight here in my state but it’s still so scary to me.
I’m a bad mom. I brought my son into this world knowing it was a messy situation. I just got so comfortable with it just being the 2 of us and now I don’t want to give that up.
Relevant Comments
OOP on if the father would be moving closer to her and her son now that he’s divorced from his ex-wife

OOP: To touch on just a few things…
I don’t think he’ll move away from where he lives. He has way too much established there.
He’s in his early 40s. I don’t know how this supposed accident (if that even really happened) has affected him, but he was incredibly physically active when I knew him. He only slept like 4 hours a night, took a 20 minute power nap daily, and rarely ever sat down. He was also HIGHLY involved in his children’s lives. I’d even say overprotective, like a helicopter dad instead of the typical helicopter mom.

Careless_Welder_4048: How did he have time to cheat?

OOP: He only slept a few hours a night and moved at about a million miles a minute. Everyone joked about it. Somehow he always had time to get up at 5 am, go surfing, do some work, take his kids to school, do some work, take his Power Nap, get coffee, pick his kids up after school and take them wakeboarding or some other sort of thing like that, do some more work, be at his kid’s basketball game, and so on and so forth. He literally never ever stopped.
I was just another thing to help fill out his calendar to prevent him from getting bored.

OOP on the father’s relationship with his ex-wife and their children

OOP: I also don’t think he and his wife had much of a relationship, although it wasn’t quite as he described it to me. They lived in the same house but I believe they lived pretty separate lives. He bought her a business to give her something to do and keep her busy. She was there most of the time. They didn’t even go to their kids activities together. He was always the one going. So I think that freed up time too. I don’t think they liked being around each other so she was happy to have him out of the house. She admitted to me that I wasn’t the first affair he had and she knew about most of the time we were together.

 

DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT OOP

100 Magic Items 1. Staff of lesser healing: This staff appears as a quarter staff with a heart shaped ruby on top. The staff can heal for 1d4 hit points. It can do so in three ways 1. If holding the staff 2. If holding the staff and touching another player with your hand. 3. At a range of 25 feet provided the the character holding to staff makes an arcana check of 15. If the arcana check fails it does nothing. The staff has 3 charges and recovers 1d3 charges at dawn.

1. Living Cloak (Requires Attunment): While wearing this cloak you can say the words “Living Cloak” as a bonus action and the cloak comes to life. The cloak has 1d4 hit points and an AC of 15. It can not attack and its main purpose is to give flanks. On your first turn the cloak has a flying movement of 25 feet. On every turn after that it has a flying movement speed of 100 feet. The cloak remains alive for 1 minute or until killed. On death the cloak flys back onto the character.
   
2. Potion of Mind-flayer (1d3): This potion is make from the tentacles of a mind-flayer. When a character consumes the potion it looks just like a Mind-flayer except their size does not change. The creature takes a -3 to Str, Dex, and Con but gains a +5 to Wis, Int, and Cha. The character also gains magic resistance. This potion last 1d4 hours.
   
3. Potion of Troll (1d3): This potion is made from the eyes of a troll. When a character consumes this potion they look just like a troll except their size does not change. The character takes a -3 to Int, Wis, Cha but gains a +5 to Str, Dex, and Con. They also gain dark vision up to 60 feet. This potion last 1d4 hours.
   
4. Forever smoking pipe: This pipe never runs out of pipe-weed and can be light by saying “Smoke” in halfling. You can only use this pipe if you know how to speak halfling. While smoking the pipe you have +5 to all charisma throws with halflings.
   
5. Staff of Webs: This staff appears to be made of rotten wood held together by spiders webs. The user can use the Staff as a bonus action to shoot a spider web in a straight line for 25 feet. It pulls the caster as far as it shoots. It has 1d5 charges and recovers 1d5+1 charges at dawn.
   
6. Staff of Light: This is a white wooden staff with a glass ball at the top. This staff can cast light 1d10 times. If cast overtop of the light cantrip the range changes to 40 feet of bright light and 20 feet of dim light. It recovers 1d10 charges at dawn.
   
7. Wand of Random Cantrips: This is a wand covered in ancient runes. Roll 1d50 and a Random Cantrip is cast. The wand has 1D3 charges and recovers 1d3 charges at dawn.
   
8. Bag of Magic Arrowheads (1D20): This is bag contains arrowheads that slightly glow. A character can try to make +1 arrows with this item. To do so they must make an arcana 13 throw for each arrow. If they fail the arrowhead stops glowing and losses all magical properties. If the character has Magical Tinkers Tools they gain advantage.
   
9. Bag of Hot Stones (1D20) This is a bag of small red stones. They can be used in a sling. They do 1d4 damage bludgeoning as well as 1d4 Fire damage.
   
10. Sack of holding: It appears as a bindle on a stick. The stick is caved with runes and the sack is made from fine silk. Works just as a bag of holding but can only carry 100 LBS and 25 Cubic Feet.
    
11. Ring of Detect Evil (Requires Attunment Cleric, Paladin, Monk): The ring is made of gold with a red crystal inside. When an evil creature is within 100 feet the red crystal glows.
    
12. Magical Sharpening Stone: This stone is made from a blue rock. A character can spend an hour to sharpen a weapon. Do do so they must make an arcana 15 check. A magically sharpened weapon becomes +1 on its first hit. If the attack roll misses it keeps its +1 magical properties. On a hit to weapon losses all its magical properties on the next turn. If the character rolls a natural 1 while sharpening a weapon the stone violently shatters doing 2d4 damage to whoever is using it.
    
13. Sleep Compass: This compass is sliver. It always points in the direction of your last long rest.
    
14. Tracking Compass:This gold compass comes in a small leather case. When removed from the case it allows points back towards the case.
    
15. Magical Sleeping Bag: This sleeping bag is made from owlbear hide that has runes branded into it. When a medium or smaller creature sleeps inside it on a long rest they gain one extra hit die in health back. It takes one turn to get in or out of the sleeping bag.
    
16. Fire Stick: This is a foot long stick of oak wood with runes caved in the side. You can rub your fingers against either end of the stick and it produces a small flame. This flame provides 10 feet of dim light and can be used to catch things on fire.
    
17. Potion of long sight(1d3): This potion is light blue. When a character drinks this potion they can see twice as far as they normally could. This potion last 1d4 hours
    
18. Potion of all sight(1d3): This potion is leaves off a strong glow of white light for 5 feet. When a character drinks this potion they can see under any light conditions. They also cannot be blinded even by magic. This potion last 1d4 hours.
    
19. Highland Cloak (Requires Attunment): This is a wool cloak made of Tartan fabric. It grants +2 to constitution.
    
20. Banner of the Firery Sword: This banner comes in a wooden tube with instructions for its use. The banner depicts a yellow sword with flames on a red background. When the banner is raised all slashing and piercing attacks are at advantage and can do an extra 1d12 fire damage. After a minute the banner erupts into flames consuming it.
    
21. Potion of Goblin(1d3): This potion is made of a goblin’s ears. When a character drinks it they gain +10 to Dex and a -3 to Str, Wis, Cha. They appear as a goblin however their size does not change and they gain dark vision for 60ft. This potion last for 1 hour.
    
22. Music Rocks: These two small rocks are shaped like the inside of an ear. They’re covered in music notes and come in a velvet case. When placed in a character’s ear music starts playing. The character must make a Wisdom 10 save or be deafened for 1d4 minutes. After the deafening wears off they can try the save again. After a successful save they gain advantage to performance throws for an hour. After an hour they must make another Wisdom saving throw. The character can tap the stones with their hand and say out loud the kind of music they wish to play with the stones.
    
23. Bag of Magic Coins: The bag contains 1d4 silver coins. Every day at dawn 1d4 silver coins appear in the bag.
    
24. Horn of Helmor: This is a brass horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a Veteran magically. After 5 minutes the Veteran magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
25. Gloves of Animal Handling (Requires Attunment Druid, Ranger, Fighter) These are leather gloves that fit only a medium sized character. When worn they grant a +5 to Animal Handling.
    
26. Magic Hat (Requires Attunment Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock) This hat once belonged to a powerful Wizard. When wearing this hat you gain a +5 to Arcana.
    
27. Magical Tinkering Tools: These tools allow you to tinker with magical items.
    
28. Mountaineers Arrows (1d20): These arrows when shot produce a magical rope behind them. The rope cannot be cut by non-magical means. The arrows sticks into the ground using magic and can hold 1000 pounds of weight. After an hour the rope dissolves into dust and the arrow loses all magical properties.
    
29. Cavaliers Horn: This is a silver horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a white riding horse magically. After an hour the riding horse magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
30. Blood Dagger: This is a dagger covered in blood. No matter how hard the character tries to clean it the blood always comes back. When attacking with this dagger if you roll a 20 it also does 1d4 necrodic damage. You heal the amount of damage taken on this roll.
    
31. Fire Dagger: This dagger is always warm to the touch. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d8 fire damage but if you roll a 1 you take 1d4 fire damage.
    
32. Ice Dagger: This dagger is cold to the touch. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d8 cold damage but if you roll a 1 you’re frozen in place and Incapacitated for 1d4 turns.
    
33. Acid Dagger: This dagger is covered in corrosive metal. When attacking it has a 1d4 chance to have a -1 to damage. If you roll a 20 it does 1d10 extra acid damage.
    
34. Lightning Dagger: This dagger gives a tingling sensation when being held. In order to not drop it you have to make a Constitution 7 save. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d10 lightning damage.
    
35. Magical Cornucopia: This appears to be a normal cornucopia. However each day it produces enough food to feed 1d4 people.
    
36. Fishing Rod of Morn: When making a survival check to catch fish you have a +5.
    
37. Portable Raft: This is a small wooden carving of a raft. When you speak the words “Float” while looking at the carving it enlarges into a raft that can hold 500 Lbs. When looking at the raft and you say “Carving” it shrinks back into the small carving.
    
38. Lucky Clover (Requires Attunment): This is a small golden four leaf clover. While attuned to this item a character can reroll any skill check once a day.
    
39. Lucky Scabbard (Requires Attunment): This is a Scabbard made of gold and silver. It can fit a Shortsword, Longsword, Greatsword, Rapier or Scimitar. At the beginning of the day the character must chose a weapon to put in the scabbard. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with that weapon.
    
40. Lucky Quiver (Requires Attunment): This quiver is made of gold and silver. This quiver can hold Arrows or Crossbow Bolts. At the beginning of the day the character must choose what ammunition to put in the quiver. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with any weapon that takes that kind of ammunition.
    
41. Lucky Ammunition Pouch (Requires Attunment): This pouch is made of fine black silk and is pulled shut by gold strings. This pouch can hold either Blowgun Neddles, Sling Bullets, or Darts. At the beginning of the day the character must choose what ammunition to put in the pouch. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with any weapon that takes that ammunition.
    
42. Crystal of the Heart. (Requires Attunment) This small heart shaped red crystal gives you advantage on Insight checks.
    
43. Adventurers Boots (Requires Attunment): These boots give you advantage on savings throws against exhaustion while doing a Forced March.
    
44. Thieves Boots (Requires Attunment): These boots give a +5 to stealth checks.
    
45. Thieves Gloves (Requires Attunment): These gloves give a +5 to Sleight of Hand checks.
    
46. Boots of Jumping (Requires Attunment): These boots allow you to jump twice as high.
    
47. Bag of Waterproof : This blue 3x3 foot bag has a zipper on it. When closed any items inside remain completely dry even if completely immersed in water. The bag always floats as long as there is only 100 LBS in it.
    
48. Trusty Boots (Requires Attunment): You are not effected by difficult terrain
    
49. Barbarians Helmet (Requires Attunment): This helmet is made of iron and has two horns sticking out the top. This helmet allows you to rage once a day as if you were a 1st level barbarian. If you are a barbarian already you can rage one more time and do one more point of damage on this rage.
    
50. Scholars Robes (Requires Attunment): These robes are made of ancient fabrics. While wearing them you gain +5 to History checks.
    
51. Holy Crucifix: This item is made of Wood and Gold. Once a day the Crucifix can be held up. When this is done all undead within 100 feet run away. Every turn they start within 25 feet of the Crucifix they take 1d4 damage. The effects of the Crucifix last for 1d4 minutes.
    
52. Potion of Wildshape (1d3): This potion is dark green color. When you drink this potion you transform into a random CR:1 Beast. The effects last for 1d4 hours. If you die as the beast you return to the amount of HP you had when you drank the potion.
    
53. Potion of Good Looks: This potion is white skin colored. When you drink this potion you gain +5 to Charisma. The potion last for 1 hour.
    
54. Net of Restraint: This net can be thrown on a Small or Medium creature. The net automatically flys onto any target of the characters choice within 50 feet. The creature must make a Dexterity 15 save or be restrained for 1d4 turns. After the net is thrown it becomes magically tangled up. It’s becomes untangled the next day at dawn.
    
55. Horn of the Grave: This is a bone horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a 1d3 Skeletons magically appear to help you. After 5 minutes the Skeletons magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
56. Horn of the Undead: This is a rotten wood horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful 1d3 Zombies magically appear to help you. After 5 minutes the Zombies magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
57. Rune of Instant Damage (1d2): This is a smooth rock about the size of your hand. When you raise it it does 2d20+10 damage instantly. After you raise it the rune crumbles to dust.
    
58. Book of Cantrip Knowledge: This is a leather bound book containing all the cantrips. A character can spend 1 hour studying the book. After doing so they learn one Cantrip from any class. After that the book magically vanishes. In order to cast this Cantrip they must make an Arcana 15 check.
    
59. Magical Scroll Case: This scroll case is made of wood that is cover in leather. The leather has runes branded into it. At the beginning of each day a scroll appears with a random level 1 spell. If the scroll is not used that day it magically vanishes. These scrolls can not be sold and if attempted magically vanish.
    
60. Scroll of ableism: This scroll can raise or lower an ability score at random. The character that reads this scroll picks an ability score. Then they roll 1d4. The effects are permanent. 1:-2 2:-1 3:+1 4:+2
    
61. Book of Halfling Culture: This book has a cover made of beautiful flowers. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Halfling language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Halflings.
    
62. Book of Elven Culture: This book has a cover made of wood. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Elven language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Elves and Half-Elves.
    
63. Book of Dwarven Culture: This book has a cover made of stone. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Dwarven language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Dwarves.
    
64. Book of Goblin Culture: This book has a cover made of crudely tanned animal hide. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Goblin language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Goblins.
    
65. Book of Draconic Culture: This book has a cover made of dragon scales. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Draconic language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Dragons and Dragonborn.
    
66. Book of Gnome Culture: This book has a cover made of gears. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Gnome language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gnomes.
    
67. Book of Orc Culture: This book has a cover made of black hair. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Orc language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Orcs and Half Orcs.
    
68. Book of Underdark Culture: This book has a cover made of brains. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Deep Speach, Gith and Undercommon language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gith and Aberrations.
    
69. Book of Hellish Culture: This book has a cover made of brimstone. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Abyssal and Infernal language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Tieflings, Demons, and Devils.
    
70. Book of Ocean Culture: This book has a cover made of sea shells. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Aquan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all other Aquan speakers.
    
71. Book of Giant Culture: This book has a cover made of Granite. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Giant language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Giants and Orges.
    
72. Book of Heavenly Culture: This book has a cover made of white marble. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Celestial language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Clerics.
    
73. Book of Nature Cultures: This book has a cover made of Leaves. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Druid and Gnoll language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gnolls and Druids.
    
74. Book of Fire Culture: This book has a cover made of obsidian. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Ignan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all Ignan speakers.
    
75. Book of Sky Culture: This book has a cover made of glass. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Auran language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all creatures that speak Auran.
    
76. Book of Ground Culture: This book has a cover made of clay. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Terran language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all Terran speakers.
    
77. Book of Fay Culture: This book has a cover made of grass. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Sylvan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Fey.
    
78. Box of Illusions: This appears as a small metal box with a crystal inside. When the box is opened the character must make an Arcana check of 15. If successfully the illusion of any small creature of the characters choice appears right above the box.
    
79. Potion of Inner Strength (1d3): This potion is a dark red color. When drank the character gains +5 to Strength. This potion last 1d4 hours.
    
80. Rainbow Quill: This is a Quill that has a rainbow pattern in the feathering. It never runs out of ink and writes in rainbow colored ink.
    
81. Wand Kit (1d3): This is a kit for making magical wands. A character can use the kit to imbue the wand with any level 1 spell they know. Doing so takes 3 hours and an arcana 15 check. Any wands made have 1d4 charges.
    
82. Wand of Tame Animal: This wand is made of beech wood. When this wand is used any beast CR:1/4 or lower is tamed. Has 1d4 charges.
    
83. Cloak of Magical Warmth (Requires Attunment): This cloak is made of a thick wool and is warm to the touch. It gives you +5 to saving throws against cold and 1d4 chance of resistance to cold damage.
    
84. Cloak of Heat Resistance (Requires Attunment): This cloak is made of thin fibers and is cool to the touch. It gives you +5 to saving throws against fire and 1d4 chance of resistance to fire damage.
    
85. Ring of Detect Magic (Requires Attunment Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock): This ring is made of silver with a blue crystal in it. When the ring is within 10 feet of magic the blue crystal glows.
    
86. Portable Tent: This item appears as a simple piece of fabric 1x1 feet. When looking at the fabric and the word “Enlarge” it forms a full size tent big enough for 4 people. When looking at the tent and saying the word “collapse” it collapses back down to a 1x1 foot piece of fabric.
    
87. The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch: A golden hand grenade with a cross on top. First thou shall take out the holy pin. Then shall thou count to three. No more no less. Three shall be the number thou shall count and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shall thou not count, neither count thou two. Excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number be reached, then lobest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch toward thy foe. Who being not in my sight shall snuff it. Range 25 feet. Must make an Intelligence save of 10 to use it or it blows up in the characters hand. 1d100 damage all creatures in a 15 foot radius.
    
88. Box of Rotten Cheese: This box is made of wood and contains a large chunk of stinky cheese. The box can be opened once a day. When the box is opened the character must make a Constitution 15 save and 1d3 Swarms of Rats come to the characters aid. If the Constitution save is failed they take 1d4 damage and are poisoned for 1d4 rounds.
    
89. Book of Lore: This book gives you a +10 to history roles related to identifying monsters.
    
90. Book of Nature: This book gives you a +10 to nature rolls related to identifying monsters.
    
91. Book of Peoples: This book gives you a +10 to investigation rolls related to Identifying monsters.
    
92. Book of Arcana: This book gives you a +10 to Arcana rolls related to Identifying monsters.
    
93. Normalcy Gloves: These leather gloves are covered in runes. While wearing these gloves you can hold hot, cold, electric, or acid objects that would normally deal damage to you.
    
94. Refilling Vile of Poison: This vile has 1d3 doses of basic poison in it. Every morning at dawn 1d3 doses are restored to it.
    
95. Bell of Alarm: This small golden bell makes a loud ringing noise when rung. The sound can be used as a signal for up to a mile.
    
96. Bag of many Potions: This Bag is perfectly shaped to hold a singular potion flask made of silver. Every day at dawn one of the following potions are in the flask. Potion of Healing, Potion of Climbing, or Potion of Water-breathing. Roll 1d3 to determine what random potion you get.
    
97. Brewing Stand: This is a set of Alchemical tools specially designed for making potions. If used in combination with Alchemist tools you get advantage when rolling to make potions. You must find or experiment to discover potion recipes.
    
98. Magic Map (1d4): This appears as a simple piece of parchment. However when you rub your hand against it a map of 100x100 feet appears centered around you.
    
99. Potion of Frost (1d3): This potion can be thrown 30 feet. The creature this potion is thrown at must make a Dexterity 15 save or be frozen in place for 1d4 turns. While frozen in place the creature is incapacitated.
    

(Edit: Fixed formatting)

Here are some homebrew magical starting items. Plan on letting my players get 1 each at random for the beginning of my homebrew campaign.
100 Magic Items 1. Staff of lesser healing: This staff appears as a quarter staff with a heart shaped ruby on top. The staff can heal for 1d4 hit points. It can do so in three ways 1. If holding the staff 2. If holding the staff and touching another player with your hand. 3. At a range of 25 feet provided the the character holding to staff makes an arcana check of 15. If the arcana check fails it does nothing. The staff has 3 charges and recovers 1d3 charges at dawn.

1. Living Cloak (Requires Attunment): While wearing this cloak you can say the words “Living Cloak” as a bonus action and the cloak comes to life. The cloak has 1d4 hit points and an AC of 15. It can not attack and its main purpose is to give flanks. On your first turn the cloak has a flying movement of 25 feet. On every turn after that it has a flying movement speed of 100 feet. The cloak remains alive for 1 minute or until killed. On death the cloak flys back onto the character.
   
2. Potion of Mind-flayer (1d3): This potion is make from the tentacles of a mind-flayer. When a character consumes the potion it looks just like a Mind-flayer except their size does not change. The creature takes a -3 to Str, Dex, and Con but gains a +5 to Wis, Int, and Cha. The character also gains magic resistance. This potion last 1d4 hours.
   
3. Potion of Troll (1d3): This potion is made from the eyes of a troll. When a character consumes this potion they look just like a troll except their size does not change. The character takes a -3 to Int, Wis, Cha but gains a +5 to Str, Dex, and Con. They also gain dark vision up to 60 feet. This potion last 1d4 hours.
   
4. Forever smoking pipe: This pipe never runs out of pipe-weed and can be light by saying “Smoke” in halfling. You can only use this pipe if you know how to speak halfling. While smoking the pipe you have +5 to all charisma throws with halflings.
   
5. Staff of Webs: This staff appears to be made of rotten wood held together by spiders webs. The user can use the Staff as a bonus action to shoot a spider web in a straight line for 25 feet. It pulls the caster as far as it shoots. It has 1d5 charges and recovers 1d5+1 charges at dawn.
   
6. Staff of Light: This is a white wooden staff with a glass ball at the top. This staff can cast light 1d10 times. If cast overtop of the light cantrip the range changes to 40 feet of bright light and 20 feet of dim light. It recovers 1d10 charges at dawn.
   
7. Wand of Random Cantrips: This is a wand covered in ancient runes. Roll 1d50 and a Random Cantrip is cast. The wand has 1D3 charges and recovers 1d3 charges at dawn.
   
8. Bag of Magic Arrowheads (1D20): This is bag contains arrowheads that slightly glow. A character can try to make +1 arrows with this item. To do so they must make an arcana 13 throw for each arrow. If they fail the arrowhead stops glowing and losses all magical properties. If the character has Magical Tinkers Tools they gain advantage.
   
9. Bag of Hot Stones (1D20) This is a bag of small red stones. They can be used in a sling. They do 1d4 damage bludgeoning as well as 1d4 Fire damage.
   
10. Sack of holding: It appears as a bindle on a stick. The stick is caved with runes and the sack is made from fine silk. Works just as a bag of holding but can only carry 100 LBS and 25 Cubic Feet.
    
11. Ring of Detect Evil (Requires Attunment Cleric, Paladin, Monk): The ring is made of gold with a red crystal inside. When an evil creature is within 100 feet the red crystal glows.
    
12. Magical Sharpening Stone: This stone is made from a blue rock. A character can spend an hour to sharpen a weapon. Do do so they must make an arcana 15 check. A magically sharpened weapon becomes +1 on its first hit. If the attack roll misses it keeps its +1 magical properties. On a hit to weapon losses all its magical properties on the next turn. If the character rolls a natural 1 while sharpening a weapon the stone violently shatters doing 2d4 damage to whoever is using it.
    
13. Sleep Compass: This compass is sliver. It always points in the direction of your last long rest.
    
14. Tracking Compass:This gold compass comes in a small leather case. When removed from the case it allows points back towards the case.
    
15. Magical Sleeping Bag: This sleeping bag is made from owlbear hide that has runes branded into it. When a medium or smaller creature sleeps inside it on a long rest they gain one extra hit die in health back. It takes one turn to get in or out of the sleeping bag.
    
16. Fire Stick: This is a foot long stick of oak wood with runes caved in the side. You can rub your fingers against either end of the stick and it produces a small flame. This flame provides 10 feet of dim light and can be used to catch things on fire.
    
17. Potion of long sight(1d3): This potion is light blue. When a character drinks this potion they can see twice as far as they normally could. This potion last 1d4 hours
    
18. Potion of all sight(1d3): This potion is leaves off a strong glow of white light for 5 feet. When a character drinks this potion they can see under any light conditions. They also cannot be blinded even by magic. This potion last 1d4 hours.
    
19. Highland Cloak (Requires Attunment): This is a wool cloak made of Tartan fabric. It grants +2 to constitution.
    
20. Banner of the Firery Sword: This banner comes in a wooden tube with instructions for its use. The banner depicts a yellow sword with flames on a red background. When the banner is raised all slashing and piercing attacks are at advantage and can do an extra 1d12 fire damage. After a minute the banner erupts into flames consuming it.
    
21. Potion of Goblin(1d3): This potion is made of a goblin’s ears. When a character drinks it they gain +10 to Dex and a -3 to Str, Wis, Cha. They appear as a goblin however their size does not change and they gain dark vision for 60ft. This potion last for 1 hour.
    
22. Music Rocks: These two small rocks are shaped like the inside of an ear. They’re covered in music notes and come in a velvet case. When placed in a character’s ear music starts playing. The character must make a Wisdom 10 save or be deafened for 1d4 minutes. After the deafening wears off they can try the save again. After a successful save they gain advantage to performance throws for an hour. After an hour they must make another Wisdom saving throw. The character can tap the stones with their hand and say out loud the kind of music they wish to play with the stones.
    
23. Bag of Magic Coins: The bag contains 1d4 silver coins. Every day at dawn 1d4 silver coins appear in the bag.
    
24. Horn of Helmor: This is a brass horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a Veteran magically. After 5 minutes the Veteran magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
25. Gloves of Animal Handling (Requires Attunment Druid, Ranger, Fighter) These are leather gloves that fit only a medium sized character. When worn they grant a +5 to Animal Handling.
    
26. Magic Hat (Requires Attunment Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock) This hat once belonged to a powerful Wizard. When wearing this hat you gain a +5 to Arcana.
    
27. Magical Tinkering Tools: These tools allow you to tinker with magical items.
    
28. Mountaineers Arrows (1d20): These arrows when shot produce a magical rope behind them. The rope cannot be cut by non-magical means. The arrows sticks into the ground using magic and can hold 1000 pounds of weight. After an hour the rope dissolves into dust and the arrow loses all magical properties.
    
29. Cavaliers Horn: This is a silver horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a white riding horse magically. After an hour the riding horse magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
30. Blood Dagger: This is a dagger covered in blood. No matter how hard the character tries to clean it the blood always comes back. When attacking with this dagger if you roll a 20 it also does 1d4 necrodic damage. You heal the amount of damage taken on this roll.
    
31. Fire Dagger: This dagger is always warm to the touch. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d8 fire damage but if you roll a 1 you take 1d4 fire damage.
    
32. Ice Dagger: This dagger is cold to the touch. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d8 cold damage but if you roll a 1 you’re frozen in place and Incapacitated for 1d4 turns.
    
33. Acid Dagger: This dagger is covered in corrosive metal. When attacking it has a 1d4 chance to have a -1 to damage. If you roll a 20 it does 1d10 extra acid damage.
    
34. Lightning Dagger: This dagger gives a tingling sensation when being held. In order to not drop it you have to make a Constitution 7 save. If you roll a 20 it does an extra 1d10 lightning damage.
    
35. Magical Cornucopia: This appears to be a normal cornucopia. However each day it produces enough food to feed 1d4 people.
    
36. Fishing Rod of Morn: When making a survival check to catch fish you have a +5.
    
37. Portable Raft: This is a small wooden carving of a raft. When you speak the words “Float” while looking at the carving it enlarges into a raft that can hold 500 Lbs. When looking at the raft and you say “Carving” it shrinks back into the small carving.
    
38. Lucky Clover (Requires Attunment): This is a small golden four leaf clover. While attuned to this item a character can reroll any skill check once a day.
    
39. Lucky Scabbard (Requires Attunment): This is a Scabbard made of gold and silver. It can fit a Shortsword, Longsword, Greatsword, Rapier or Scimitar. At the beginning of the day the character must chose a weapon to put in the scabbard. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with that weapon.
    
40. Lucky Quiver (Requires Attunment): This quiver is made of gold and silver. This quiver can hold Arrows or Crossbow Bolts. At the beginning of the day the character must choose what ammunition to put in the quiver. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with any weapon that takes that kind of ammunition.
    
41. Lucky Ammunition Pouch (Requires Attunment): This pouch is made of fine black silk and is pulled shut by gold strings. This pouch can hold either Blowgun Neddles, Sling Bullets, or Darts. At the beginning of the day the character must choose what ammunition to put in the pouch. 1d4 times a day the character can reroll to hit with any weapon that takes that ammunition.
    
42. Crystal of the Heart. (Requires Attunment) This small heart shaped red crystal gives you advantage on Insight checks.
    
43. Adventurers Boots (Requires Attunment): These boots give you advantage on savings throws against exhaustion while doing a Forced March.
    
44. Thieves Boots (Requires Attunment): These boots give a +5 to stealth checks.
    
45. Thieves Gloves (Requires Attunment): These gloves give a +5 to Sleight of Hand checks.
    
46. Boots of Jumping (Requires Attunment): These boots allow you to jump twice as high.
    
47. Bag of Waterproof : This blue 3x3 foot bag has a zipper on it. When closed any items inside remain completely dry even if completely immersed in water. The bag always floats as long as there is only 100 LBS in it.
    
48. Trusty Boots (Requires Attunment): You are not effected by difficult terrain
    
49. Barbarians Helmet (Requires Attunment): This helmet is made of iron and has two horns sticking out the top. This helmet allows you to rage once a day as if you were a 1st level barbarian. If you are a barbarian already you can rage one more time and do one more point of damage on this rage.
    
50. Scholars Robes (Requires Attunment): These robes are made of ancient fabrics. While wearing them you gain +5 to History checks.
    
51. Holy Crucifix: This item is made of Wood and Gold. Once a day the Crucifix can be held up. When this is done all undead within 100 feet run away. Every turn they start within 25 feet of the Crucifix they take 1d4 damage. The effects of the Crucifix last for 1d4 minutes.
    
52. Potion of Wildshape (1d3): This potion is dark green color. When you drink this potion you transform into a random CR:1 Beast. The effects last for 1d4 hours. If you die as the beast you return to the amount of HP you had when you drank the potion.
    
53. Potion of Good Looks: This potion is white skin colored. When you drink this potion you gain +5 to Charisma. The potion last for 1 hour.
    
54. Net of Restraint: This net can be thrown on a Small or Medium creature. The net automatically flys onto any target of the characters choice within 50 feet. The creature must make a Dexterity 15 save or be restrained for 1d4 turns. After the net is thrown it becomes magically tangled up. It’s becomes untangled the next day at dawn.
    
55. Horn of the Grave: This is a bone horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful a 1d3 Skeletons magically appear to help you. After 5 minutes the Skeletons magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
56. Horn of the Undead: This is a rotten wood horn with runes on it. When blown make a performance check of 15. If the character is proficient in Horned instruments they have advantage. If successful 1d3 Zombies magically appear to help you. After 5 minutes the Zombies magically vanishes. The horn can be blown once a day.
    
57. Rune of Instant Damage: This is a smooth rock about the size of your hand. When you raise it it does 2d20+10 damage instantly. After you raise it the rune crumbles to dust.
    
58. Book of Cantrip Knowledge: This is a leather bound book containing all the cantrips. A character can spend 1 hour studying the book. After doing so they learn one Cantrip from any class. After that the book magically vanishes. In order to cast this Cantrip they must make an Arcana 15 check.
    
59. Magical Scroll Case: This scroll case is made of wood that is cover in leather. The leather has runes branded into it. At the beginning of each day a scroll appears with a random level 1 spell. If the scroll is not used that day it magically vanishes. These scrolls can not be sold and if attempted magically vanish.
    
60. Scroll of ableism: This scroll can raise or lower an ability score at random. The character that reads this scroll picks an ability score. Then they roll 1d4. The effects are permanent. 1:-2 2:-1 3:+1 4:+2
    
61. Book of Halfling Culture: This book has a cover made of beautiful flowers. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Halfling language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Halflings.
    
62. Book of Elven Culture: This book has a cover made of wood. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Elven language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Elves and Half-Elves.
    
63. Book of Dwarven Culture: This book has a cover made of stone. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Dwarven language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Dwarves.
    
64. Book of Goblin Culture: This book has a cover made of crudely tanned animal hide. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Goblin language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Goblins.
    
65. Book of Draconic Culture: This book has a cover made of dragon scales. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Draconic language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Dragons and Dragonborn.
    
66. Book of Gnome Culture: This book has a cover made of gears. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Gnome language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gnomes.
    
67. Book of Orc Culture: This book has a cover made of black hair. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Orc language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Orcs and Half Orcs.
    
68. Book of Underdark Culture: This book has a cover made of brains. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Deep Speach, Gith and Undercommon language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gith and Aberrations.
    
69. Book of Hellish Culture: This book has a cover made of brimstone. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Abyssal and Infernal language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Tieflings, Demons, and Devils.
    
70. Book of Ocean Culture: This book has a cover made of sea shells. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Aquan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all other Aquan speakers.
    
71. Book of Giant Culture: This book has a cover made of Granite. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Giant language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Giants and Orges.
    
72. Book of Heavenly Culture: This book has a cover made of white marble. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Celestial language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Clerics.
    
73. Book of Nature Cultures: This book has a cover made of Leaves. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Druid and Gnoll language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Gnolls and Druids.
    
74. Book of Fire Culture: This book has a cover made of obsidian. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Ignan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all Ignan speakers.
    
75. Book of Sky Culture: This book has a cover made of glass. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Auran language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all creatures that speak Auran.
    
76. Book of Ground Culture: This book has a cover made of clay. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Terran language and get advantage on all charisma throws against all Terran speakers.
    
77. Book of Fay Culture: This book has a cover made of grass. A character can spend an hour studying it. Afterwards they learn Sylvan language and get advantage on all charisma throws against Fey.
    
78. Box of Illusions: This appears as a small metal box with a crystal inside. When the box is opened the character must make an Arcana check of 15. If successfully the illusion of any small creature of the characters choice appears right above the box.
    
79. Potion of Inner Strength (1d3): This potion is a dark red color. When drank the character gains +5 to Strength. This potion last 1d4 hours.
    
80. Rainbow Quill: This is a Quill that has a rainbow pattern in the feathering. It never runs out of ink and writes in rainbow colored ink.
    
81. Wand Kit (1d3): This is a kit for making magical wands. A character can use the kit to imbue the wand with any level 1 spell they know. Doing so takes 3 hours and an arcana 15 check. Any wands made have 1d4 charges.
    
82. Wand of Tame Animal: This wand is made of beech wood. When this wand is used any beast CR:1/4 or lower is tamed. Has 1d4 charges.
    
83. Cloak of Magical Warmth (Requires Attunment): This cloak is made of a thick wool and is warm to the touch. It gives you +5 to saving throws against cold and 1d4 chance of resistance to cold damage.
    
84. Cloak of Heat Resistance (Requires Attunment): This cloak is made of thin fibers and is cool to the touch. It gives you +5 to saving throws against fire and 1d4 chance of resistance to fire damage.
    
85. Ring of Detect Magic (Requires Attunment Wizard, Sorcerer, Warlock): This ring is made of silver with a blue crystal in it. When the ring is within 10 feet of magic the blue crystal glows.
    
86. Portable Tent: This item appears as a simple piece of fabric 1x1 feet. When looking at the fabric and the word “Enlarge” it forms a full size tent big enough for 4 people. When looking at the tent and saying the word “collapse” it collapses back down to a 1x1 foot piece of fabric.
    
87. The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch: A golden hand grenade with a cross on top. First thou shall take out the holy pin. Then shall thou count to three. No more no less. Three shall be the number thou shall count and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shall thou not count, neither count thou two. Excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number be reached, then lobest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch toward thy foe. Who being not in my sight shall snuff it. Range 25 feet. Must make an Intelligence save of 10 to use it or it blows up in the characters hand. 1d100 damage all creatures in a 15 foot radius.
    
88. Box of Rotten Cheese: This box is made of wood and contains a large chunk of stinky cheese. The box can be opened once a day. When the box is opened the character must make a Constitution 15 save and 1d3 Swarms of Rats come to the characters aid. If the Constitution save is failed they take 1d4 damage and are poisoned for 1d4 rounds.
    
89. Book of Lore: This book gives you a +10 to history roles related to identifying monsters.
    
90. Book of Nature: This book gives you a +10 to nature rolls related to identifying monsters.
    
91. Book of Peoples: This book gives you a +10 to investigation rolls related to Identifying monsters.
    
92. Book of Arcana: This book gives you a +10 to Arcana rolls related to Identifying monsters.
    
93. Normalcy Gloves: These leather gloves are covered in runes. While wearing these gloves you can hold hot, cold, electric, or acid objects that would normally deal damage to you.
    
94. Refilling Vile of Poison: This vile has 1d3 doses of basic poison in it. Every morning at dawn 1d3 doses are restored to it.
    
95. Bell of Alarm: This small golden bell makes a loud ringing noise when rung. The sound can be used as a signal for up to a mile.
    
96. Bag of many Potions: This Bag is perfectly shaped to hold a singular potion flask made of silver. Every day at dawn one of the following potions are in the flask. Potion of Healing, Potion of Climbing, or Potion of Water-breathing. Roll 1d3 to determine what random potion you get.
    
97. Brewing Stand: This is a set of Alchemical tools specially designed for making potions. If used in combination with Alchemist tools you get advantage when rolling to make potions. You must find or experiment to discover potion recipes.
    
98. Magic Map (1d4): This appears as a simple piece of parchment. However when you rub your hand against it a map of 100x100 feet appears centered around you.
    
99. Potion of Frost (1d3): This potion can be thrown 30 feet. The creature this potion is thrown at must make a Dexterity 15 save or be frozen in place for 1d4 turns. While frozen in place the creature is incapacitated.
    

(Edit: Fixed Formatting)

 Braxs wakes up in a cold sweat from the nightmare he has been having for the past 3 months the same nightmare that always puts fear into him. It is the same nightmare that he is always running in hearing screams and cries and when he looks up he always sees the thing he is scared of the vortex he doesn't know why but looking at the sky makes him unsettled. As he runs for something behind him that he can't escape from and every time before he wakes up he hears the words “ find the keys”. Braxs gets out of his bed he looks out his window into the vast of space and calms himself down and gets ready for what seems like an ordinary day on his ship with his crew. As he steps out of his room making sure his arm is properly put on he bumps into David. Braxs combat expert as they exchange good morning they go to their stations braxs in the cockpit and David in weapons storage. As Braxs enters the cockpit he hears the usual fight between Maylie and Dex. They are always fighting about something this time Dex took Mayle’s stop in the cockpit and like usual braxs had to end it. The two of you stop the bickering now there is no use in this now get out while I plot a course for the nearest atomic gaser station. Mayle and Dex leave giving each other death stares as they leave Kelly walks in and says wats up with Mr. Robot and Miss Grumpy she says in a sarcastic voice. Braxs chuckles and says are you serious if it's not one thing with them it's a completely different thing. Ke; takes a seat next to braxs as he is plotting a course and notices his eye bags have gotten worse she sighs and looks at Braxs and asks him” Are they getting worse?” Braxs gives her a tried glance and exhales and says” no there not even bothering me anymore” Kelly grabs his hand and looks at him “don't lie to me I can see you eye bags come on braxs I am here talking to me I didn't almost die trying to leave lextens army for you just to keep hiding things from me. I can't help if you don't speak to me the only way for you to get some rest okay” Braxs gives her tried and understanding looks as he lets out a big exhale he tells her about his nightmare and how it's been the same forever and once he finishes kelly gives him a relieved look and worried look about that he finally told her but that his nightmare is so vivid. “ keys? Do you have any idea what that means “ braxs think for a mommet and remembers something Lexten told him awhile ago when Brxs was under the influences of lextens controls it was about a vortex that can be opened with a device and it was called the keys to mothers tears or for short K.T.M.T and the device was split into many pieces because the purpose of it was o open a gateway to the gods and enter their realm. Braxs reclaims this to Kelly who thinks for a while and says well why would you be dreaming of such a horbile thing then if the device is split apart” Braxs does know and gets the course plotted and goes to his room to think about what all this could mean. 

Braxs drifts off from his tiredness and finds himself in his nightmare again everything happens but this time he sees what comes out of the vortex and what he sees puts fear into him and what he sees is a man walking out of the vortex and the man has a look of sinister and he walks down and a giant bright light expelling into the sky. The screams stopped and the man walked to braxs in a calm but strong way the man grabbed braxs by the neck lifted him in the air and said “See you soon braxs and let's see if you beat my game Hahahaha” And braxs woke up on the ground in his room with one of his hands rubbing his neck and signs and goes to take a shower to clean his sweat cover boat from fear and he keep hearing voices and it starts getting louder and under they are all saying “ FIND THE KEYS AND FIND THE LIGHT FIND THE KEYS AND FIND THE LIGHT” and they stop braxs goes to his bed. Braxs takes a pill that lets him sleep but cuts off his emotions and stops the nightmares He falls asleep and gets much-needed rest from his nightmares and the voices. As Brax awakens in his room, he notices something feels off as if he is being watched and it's not a good feeling. As braxs was sitting feeling odd he heard his voice but not from his mouth but from his head as braxs jumped his voice chuckled and said “ Oh my is the strong leader of this little rebellion scared.” Braxs replied,” Show yourself NOW voice!!” The voice takes form into braxs vision and as he does He looks choked as in front of him is standing himself but with black his sclera is black and his eyes are red this is a form of braxs giving up and letting his demons and fear take hold on himself. Brax in a calm but hesitant voice says: w-w-what are you?” The voice chuckled again deepening his voice and saying” I am what makes a man fear the dark and himself I am the thing a man can never get rid of…..hahaha….I am guilty I am darkness I am BRAXTEN your demon that you made!!!....HAHAHAHAHAH” Braxs For the first time in a while was scared and had feared but he calmed down and said” Whatever you are doing care you will not stop me I am not going to let my head play tricks on me you are not real!!” Braxs closes his eyes breathes in and out and opens them and Braxten is gone Braxs get flashbacks to when he last felt that way.” it was 4 years ago…..and yet I still fear him I can't I need to stop this I can't choke when we fight him if I do I am costing my team there lives…..if lexten finds us….. I won't choke I will end everyone suffering once I see him……My “father” will die when he attacks us…” As braxs leaves his room he sees David cleaning the weapons and Maylie looking in old history files of the K.T.M.T to see if they can find it cause if lexten told braxs about lexten defiantly wants it that can't be good for the world if he gets his hands on it and gets to the gods who know what he could do. Braxs is angry that Maylie and Dex eavesdropped on his conversation with Kelly yesterday but lets it slide since she doing something useful to stop lexten. As they look through they find a section that says there is a dead sun solar system that there was a planet that was destroyed and most of it survived and now just floats in the void of space and that the activater to K.T.M.T is on it. Braxs is concerned because when a sun becomes dead a creature forms on any rock in that dead sun location that creature will eat anything and nest in in boulders to make more offspring. Maylie gets the idea of braxs getting reconnected to THE ONE a god that was once braxs Vishnu as braxs was his Avatar but a while ago The One broke their connection after braxs disobeyed an order and left braxs powerless. Braxs thought about it and decided he would try as he laid down in a tub full of warm water and chanted The one message” The one I call upon you the weaver of destiny and fate I what a word with you it me your Avatar” As Braxs vision closed his mind woke up in the domain of the one. The one Speaks in a strong voice” Braxs you are not my avatar you once were but you disobeyed me and I will not tolerate disobedience…..But I do and a choice for you I will reconnect us but only IF you will follow my orders and not go on using them from something I tell you not to mess with understand?” Braxs takes a minute to think getting K.T.M.T is very important so he agrees “OK I agree but I want you to stop watching me and hovering over me and let me use this power to get K.T.M.T activator from a dead sun “ The one thinks he needs an avatar and braxs is not asking for much and asking to do more heroism so the one snaps and braxs wakes up and see if he is reconnected he use activates his pure energy sword and it appears in his hand and he is electterfided that it works and walk out to his crew and says “ plot a course we have what we need” As they leave braxs feel his connect to the one is weak but there and keeps it to himself and let Mayie plot the course as he decides who will go with He knows everyone can handle themselves but he needs a group to protect the ship so he picks David to come with him. As he and David gear up Braxs grabs his cloak so that he does not freeze in the dead zone David grabs his suit to protect him from the gravity and cold and the forug blasters and waits in the hatch David inquiries Braxs about all the info that he has on K.T.M.T braxs replies “ its just something I picked up on” He lies to his team from the start minus one And kelly him and kelly were lextens right-hand man and medical adviser the rest are clueless to there past and Braxs want it that because he fears his team will be scared of him and he does want to lose his family but David isn't dumb he has known forever and he say to braxs” okay boss but remember i am a friend and friends don't judge a friend for there past but there present actions. Brax Looks at David with reluctance and before Braxs can say something the ship’s alert system Tells everyone that we are entering Lord Lexten territory and they must be careful Braxs yells to his team “ Get the cloaking device on NOW” His team gets to work getting in online and as they do the once beautiful lights in space die out in there view now is a dead sloar system and in the middle there traget the dead sun its said when a sun explodes it froms a dead sun with the planets in it solar system and that is what Braxs and his team faces are in aw and shoke then Dex speaks up” i see worse” Braxs chuckled at the fact that Dex has a point but neve mind that braxs and David get to the hatch again and they jump down on the planets surface as they do braxs can already feel the K.T.M.T energy and its deep in the planet so Braxs and David turn the lights on and walk as they pin point the location and as they do Braxs stops in his tracks and stop David who looks confused why they are stopping and Braxs point at what look like David but actually behind him and Braxs shoots killing one of the creatures that inhabbit the Dead sun and David was unfased and gets back to with Braxs finding the K.T.M.T and they had to enter a cave it glowed with a uneasy purple glow and they went in with there gruards up Braxs states “David be careful we dont know what could be down here “ David says “ On it boss” Braxs looks around the cave seeing that the creature arent going near them which made Braxs even more careful because something terrible must have scared them and as him And david walk deeper in the cave there coms go out Braxs keeps moving d David ge worried because they just lot there only connection to warn the team if something happens” boss shouldent we go back before we get hurt or something?” Braxs turns around “ NO we need to keep going before lexten gets to it if you are that worried go back I keep going” David looks around and turns around and leaves “I am sorry boss…. it too risky” David leaves Braxs alone in the cave With that. Braxs goes deeper into the cave he finds something odd an old ship the size of a small moon in the end. Braxs finds a broken window and jumps in he surveys the area and see a light coming from a room and above its door says K.T.M.T safety Braxs enters and finds the K.T.M.T activator and it is just a remote so he easily grabs it and then he feels it the presents of someone that someone with a past with Braxs As Braxs turns Around he sees him Lexten “HAHAHA I see you're still doing my job for me Braxs hand over that remote now” Braxs Gretts his teeth and let out smile and says” Oh my dear “father” thinks I will just hand him this no I will not let your hand on this thing if you want it you will have to fight me Lexten!” Lexten chuckles” Ha that's boring how about this I use my new toy on you” As he says that Lexten's New right-hand man walks in and is ten times Braxs size” Puny Ant, hand over the device now or I will make this fun for myself” Braxs try using his coms but forgot they were cut off and then he draws out his powers but before he can The one pulls him into his dreamscape and says” Braxs you must not fight you will not win” Braxs get mad and laughs” Are you questioning me I always have a plan”
With that Braxs pulled himself out of the dreamscape and realized he had been tied and Lexten took the remote Braxs broke free with ease. And runs Out of the cave to catch up with Lexten as he exits. He sees his ship and Lexens above it He runs to it but he gets surrounded by the creatures one bit his Robot arm off. And braxs was able to kill them all with the little energy he had left and as he makes his way to the ship his team is standing her Kelly with her normal look meanwhile the other Three Look at Braxs with looks of fear and judgment and Braxs looks confused then Maylie spoke up with tears in her eyes “is it true braxs?” Braxs looked and said,” What is true Maylie?” Maylie screamed,” Is it true you're the braxs that once who worked for lexten the one who hurt all of us the one that made us work day and night without breaks!!” Brax stood there in shock” Who told you this Maylie “ Kelly walked up “ I couldn't keep my story hidden from friends anymore and then I told them yours” Braxs felt his chest tighten as the one he trusted and had known forever would reveal his dark past. Dex pipes up” At least she had the guts to tell us our Leader didn't even tell us” Braxs looked at his crew the fear and hatred in their eyes. He tried to get in the ship but Dex pushed him out” You don't deserve to be up here we should let you die on this planet.” Braxs caught himself and Kelly tried to get Braxs on the ship but the group held her, And they closed the hatch, and started the Ship. Braxs was distraught; he tried to improve his life, but his past kept biting back. He looked down at his destroyed arm and then he heard it “ Oh this really took a turn for the worse all because you never told your dumb friends the truth” With that Braxs turned around and saw Braxten standing there with his smile Braxs stood there feeling like his life is already gone he fell to his knees as he saw his ship his friends leave him on the Dead sun And Braxten chuckled “ Ah is the great Braxs alone to bad I wanted your friends to see me take control of your body and take them back to where they belong” Braxs felt something odd he noticed his arm repairing its self without him rebuilding it then Braxten vanished and braxs herd The one “ My Avatar we must speak alone now that whatever that thing was has retreated into your Subconscious we can do that. I think it is time you look for a way off this planet because as we speak Lexten is finding the last piece of the K.T.M.T. Do it soon young one”. Just like that Braxs was alone again and he didn't know what to do anymore He sat there lifeless his mind racing with all the memories of his past actions but the ones that kept appearing were his crew and him eating and laughing together. He stood up and headed to that abandoned ship buried deep in the cave and as he got in there he went to the engine room and got to work he worked on it for hours and as he did the only thing he thought about was finding his crew and giving them the full story he know then they might understand he then hears something. As he walks out he sees something odd ghosts. No that's too silly he thinks to himself self then he sees it is not a ghost but hologram’s and it looks like it is a recording He finds the control room and asks it what the date is of this recording it states the recording was made over 500 years ago as he watches it he goes to the area where the K.T.M.T activater was held and sees several researchers studying it. Braxs hears them” We need to get this to the station this device is too dangerous to have” With that the ship's recording cuts to 5 days later and the ship is on fire and screaming and braxs hears a very familiar laugh. As braxs turned around he saw Lexten first Braxs had fear but then confusion how is lexten here in this recording if it was 500 years ago? Braxs then see someone clinging to life in the Recording and they shove themself into lexten and push him into an escape pod so he would not get his hands on the device. Then for the final moments of life, this person sent a beacon out to another ship so that when needed the device could be found. With that, the person lets go and dies. As braxs watched this he thought if this was from 500 years ago then lexten would be at least 534 years old now but that made no sense because both of them looked the same. Braxs shook it off and asked for the next recording it went quiet and braxs seen that this ship crashed into a planet and then was deep enough to survive the implosion as it happened he didn't see it but felt that this planet had been the core of the dead sun brith. Braxs then realized he was in a ship that could be stronger that all of the lextens combined he went back to the engine and finally got it running he went to the power box and gave it a punch with his robotic arm sending waves of energy starting it up got the light on and everything. But as he did the ship started to shake like 100 earthquakes all at once and the ship was pulling out of the dead sun Braxs Quickly got somewhere safe. As it shook and broke the dead sun braxs fell to the ground and when he got to his feet he sen that this ship was not a ship but a space station. And the dead sun was gone and all the creatures died put to rest. While all this happened His team was off going who knows where and Kelly was trying to convince them to go back and pick Braxs up. “ come guys you all know Braxs would never hurt us” Dex with a plain face replied” He kept a secret from us one that was way too wrong to hide he is a murderer he did lextens biding and look where that got everyone I may be a robot but the doest mean i don’t read facial expressions. “ Kelly continues to talk to them and Maylie pipes in “He may have been our friend but he didn't tell us the truth he betrayed our trust why should we trust him” Before Kelly could speak their ship was attacked and when they looked out it was one of lextens drone ships and it shot down there engine the n there power as they got ready for a fight lextens Right-hand man got inside “ well look at this these ants want to play it we gonna do this properly you should know this winner name they call me 5 and you would know that kelly haha let us play now” With that 5 used the darkness to his advantage and attacked he used an emp bomb to disable there weapon and Dex he then knock the other two out with ease and pick them up and took them to his ship before that he planted a few bombs on their ship and once inside his own he blew up their ship. 5 took them to the empire capital and were tossed in prison minus Maylie Lexten wanted a word with her” Ah young one you right one time to see my greatest creation be rebuilt do you know the one thing that defies a villain and an evil mad man its simple really a villain is always having a reason for what he does and lets the hero win because they are weak but not I this game is fun when you time every mommet” Maylie sat there and spoke “ get to the point old man I rather be in a cell then here you drag this on” Lexten with a chuckle and gave her an offer” how would like revenge on Braxs I know you want it he did, after all, betray your trust.” When we get back to Braxs he gets the space station out of the dead zone and he had one goal and asked the ship's navigation “ find Ax6-10 position and status.” It replied that they were 56 light years away and that status was the ship was destroyed. Braxs automatically had to take him there he got his suit on and jumped into the vacuum of space he went to what was left of their ship and he was revealed there was no sign of them but he knew there was only one person that never left something behind he knew who Lextens right-hand man was now and wasn't happy. Braxs quickly set a course for the capital and quickly took a look at what weapons this ship held since he needed a totem to channel the full length of his powers when he got to the weaponry he found a normal-looking gun as he thought but when he picked it up it changed its self to a grip that fit his hand and a barrel to a perfect for a hard shell bullet. Brxs was stunned he never heard of any weapons like this with the K.T.M.T. activator and now this gun had him thinking this ship had more to it than it seemed and as he got closer to the capital he was ready for a fight. When he was getting closer the Station Computer asked to activate the weapons and Braxs didn't think much of it because he was still far away from the capital then Warnings appeared hostile ships were heading to his location. Braxs quickly and smartly activated shields first then had the turrets and as they got closer the stations shot each ship with precision and ease Braxs wasn't going to let people die anymore he used the tractor beam and took in the pilots he knew that would fight back because they where to in fear of defining Lexten Braxs quickly get in the command deck and they were hesitant at first but Braxs told them with him as their leader he won't let Lexten hurt them ever again. They quickly got up and went to different consoles on the command deck maned them and got the station at 100% power affinity. They were on a direct pass to the capital and Braxs told the pilots that he needed them on command there because Braxs now had the ship to save every person from Lexten's control and power and he was keeping his promise to end Lexten. When Dex woke up his head was disconnected from his body he was stuck and confused he laughed it off and said “Well I could be dead right now ha…he….” He is not good when it comes to this and quickly panics and makes his head fall to the gourd and his head rolled close enough to his body for him to connect to it and pick his head up and reconnect himself. When he calmed himself he looked around and realized he was not in a cell with his friends he was in a lab but he felt like he was there before as Dex looked around he saw something that triggered a memory he saw a bloody table he felt his head hurt and as he tried fighting the memories he let one slip and see his reflection it was him he knew it was he was not a robot he was once a human his name was not even Dex. He let all the memory flood his head and realized Braxs wasn’t at fault he was. Dex in his memory puts a control device in braxs head for lexten and Dex gets a surge of regret. Then he heard clapping “Ah I see that brain of yours was not too far gone you remember everything good” Dex tried attacking but 5 pressed a button his wrist freezing Dex’s body. 5 walked around him and spoke” You think I wouldn’t be dumb enough to bug that body of yours you are my mercy Mr.Trever or my mentor” Dex looked at him now with his memories back “ 5 What the hell is this I took you in raised you as my son” 5 smiled” Oh you did do that but failed to do lord Lexten bidding 9 years ago and he had you punished he wants to know how you ended up like this so I will be breaking you and rebuilding you it's going to be so much fun!” Dex thought for a mommet “ I will tell you how I ended up like this and first of all my name is not Trever it's Dex plus I am not scared of you i have seen the dead sun’s more sickening than you 5 You are not scary ha yout not even creepy.” Dex looks over to a closet” Behind the panel is where I kept my journal you will find it in there 5 walks over to it and rips off the panel “Where is it all I see is a tunnel?” Dex tried hiding his chuckles” It's deep in there you will find it” 5 stepped inside and Dex yelled “ Computer shut test cell 45” Room 5 was in lights up brightly blinding him as the entrance closed off Dex could now move now that signal and walk to 5 “ Your grounded haha” Dex leaves 5 and goes and find his friends to reveal the truth. While all that happened Maylie woke up in her old room the door was guarded and she needed to find a way out she went to her old chemical lab and was stunned all her chemicals had been cleared out she had no hope of getting out she went to her bed and lost hope. David was the only one put in a cell he tried breaking out but ended up breaking his arm.” agh…. it's no use I am useless without a weapon if the boss was here what would he say” David was thinking for a while and remembered something Braxs said while he was training with him “ Remember David we may be good with our weapons but the greatest weapon is the mind when using it right you anything could be a weapon just use you head” David looked around and he took Braxs serious and used his head agest the lock David is so hard that it made a actual dent.” ow that hurt I probably should have cushioned the blow” Braxs made a quiet entrance and knocked out the guards. And went to the command center and unlocked all the cell doors he located everyone minus Maylie he could not find her location anywhere which worried him. Braxs bumped into Dex first and Dex tried apologizing but Braxs stopped him” Dex we will worry about this later this is a rescue mission and saving the world” Dex nodded They quickly made ease with guards after they picked up David who had fallen unconscious with that head bump from earlier and They quickly made their way to Kelly when they took down the guards and entered they saw Kelly's hopeless face fill with joy when she saw her friends “BRAXS!, DEX!, DAVID? What happened to him” Braxs looked over “ He probably took my advice seriously again” They all chuckled then the question Braxs knew was going to come up came “ Braxs how did you get here we left you on the dead sun” Braxs smiled” look out to the wall her name is Audrey “ He pointed to the ship he named like all good captains do.

Timestamp.
Pouches and stuff. Vanquest dendrite small. Very lightly carried. No marks or issues. SV40
Grab bag of pouches. Would fit nicely with the dendrite above lol. Zerofeud CUP size small, mkm leather slip with magnetic retention to the pocket. 2 random pouches as well. All have been carried once but show no wear. SV35
Kizer Cyberblade Titanium scales. S35vn steel. Snail trails on scales. Blade still has factory edge. Fun little knife. SV70
Large monkey fist SV15
Freebies with purchase.
Small monkey fist, it’s uneven but still neat.
Dango wallet. Definitely used but maybe someone wants to try one out.

A little idea that I had, Evolved Godzilla in GxK was just way too fucking cool, and I feel he was kind of underutilized. Especially for the extra little additions he had in his design, and in this story I want to put him up against the main threats that Goji himself had previously fought in the Monsterverse, just with his evolved state instead.
Will this be fair? Absolutely not lol, but will it be fun to write? Hell yeah.
Ao3 link if you want to read it there: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54956917/chapters/139311436
No one could have foreseen such a catastrophic event.

Ishiro Serizawa's heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst entirely as sweat poured from his weary head. He couldn't sit straight upon the metal seat he had confined himself to, no one at Monarch could say otherwise too. The subtle rocking of the aircraft carrier certainly didn't help the pounding sensation in his head either, further adding to the stress placed upon the old doctor's mind. The sleepless nights ever since... it broke out had taken their toll upon the man, his brows furrowing as he clasped his hands together.

He had seen it for himself after all, to say Janjira was an absolute disaster would be the greatest understatement in the past century of human history. They thought they had everything under control, how could they not at this point? They had studied it for a decade without an end in sight, making sure that they could pull the plug on it. The kill field around the spore was capable of outputting enough electricity to power half a damn city...
And it shrugged it off like it was a jolt of carpet static.
In hindsight,he could do nothing but mentally curse himself over their own hubris. Monarch had become another example of mankind prancing its supposed control over the world, and the world was quick to put their arrogance into the ground. Nature came knocking, and its message was one that was echoed through the annals of human history.
Nature was a beast, a beast like no other. No amount of technology, science, religion or whatever else Mankind could conjure would ever be truly able to conquer and tame it. The creature that sprouted from the ancient spore exemplified such a thought like no other. Those deep crimson slits it had for eyes spoke of total and utter malevolence, like the world itself bored back into their souls... seeing red at them playing god.
"Sensei..."
He was broken out of his crushing thoughts upon the soft voice of one Doctor Graham, who was quick to sit beside the Japanese man when she had seen her mentor so deep and stuck in thought. The brit was always a comforting presence to him and to many other people at Monarch. Even if it did little to alleviate the old doctor's stress at the moment, it was something at the very least.
"Ah, Forgive me for my current state... there has been much on my mind."
A dry scoff emanated from the woman upon hearing his words, looking to the side of the doctor's head.
"There's been a lot on everyone's minds as of late."
Her shoulders sagged as she sighed, a finger of hers going up and rubbing one of her temples. The old doctor leaned back a little, looking up at his apprentice who looked no better than him in this state. The bags under her eyes said it all, she too was at the containment site when the creature emerged. They were lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed, the same could not be said for the Brody's.
"Has it been located?"
The old doctor's thick accented voice asked, rearing his head from his palm to look towards his apprentice. The expression on her face said it all, the shake of her head only cemented such a fact. The thought of that creature, being completely left unattended to and free to wreak havoc upon... anywhere for all god knew in the world was beyond horrifying to Serizawa.
"No... but I saw something in the audio readings..."
She paused, standing up and going towards one of the computer screens of the control room they were in. Tapping on the keyboard and bringing up something on the green tinted screen. The old doctor sat down in front of the computer, seeing that it was the audio patterns recorded through the minutes of hell when the creature broke free. He was unsure on what Graham wanted him to see, but she looked over from behind the screen and briefly gazed at him.
"Keep scrolling, before the EMP." She urged, as he complied to her request. Skimming through the readings, just seeing the spikes in audio through the graph made those chilling noises ring out in his ears again, but he kept going.
"This." She pointed and tapped on the screen, an all too familiar pattern to the both of them at this point. The call of the thing. But what really caught his attention was what sat right next to it.

A second call... a response.
Serizawa looked back to his apprentice at the realization of such a thing. It couldn't have been... could it? That second spore...
"A response." He muttered, his eyes wide as he considered the possibility of another MUTO having been awakened. But how? That second spore from the Philippine dig site that decade ago was wheeled off to storage probably far, far away from any source of radiation, unlike the spore in Janjira...At least to his knowledge. Writing this fact down onto his notes, he pondered such a scenario. As if things couldn't have possible gotten even more grim for not only Monarch but the world.
Vivienne went off to talk about with the other personnel present in the room, but quickly the attention of all those present was drawn to something else.
"We've received reports of a nuclear Akula 50, disappeared about 50 nautical miles from Hawaii." The voice of the officer was both heard by Admiral Stenz and the two Monarch scientists in earshot. Instantly that caught their attention, making Serizawa spring up from his seat and Vivienne to look over to face the Admiral. Stenz's gaze upon the two scientists still exhumed an underlying hint of contempt, one that the both scientists picked up on but disregarded for the time being. There were far better things to worry about at the moment anyways.

"A Russian sub's up and disappeared off the coast of Hawaii... could be the Muto." The admiral reiterated their own assumption that they thought of, and the screens behind the Admiral showed that they were about to get their answers soon enough...

---


The depths of the world were a place that human hands had not touched in many millennia. In times immemorial, when man walked alongside their gods... their titans, both lived in coexistence with each other. It was not one without conflict of course, but it was an existence of stability thanks to the efforts of beings were larger than life, to the eyes of men who were but ants to their splendor.
But as time flowed and the great wars began, when the aureate storm came and ravaged the lands, and when the crimson tyrant obsessed over total dominion upon nature...

One stood.

A king amongst the old gods of the world, the one that cheated death. The last one of a once great race, a guardian to all those who sided with his cause, that being the continued stability of nature. But to those that basked in anarchy, spreading it forth like a malignant cancer...
He was a monster.

And as the great wars raged on across the lands, the monster set forth upon innumerable battlefields. The auric wings of destruction found their match against the wrathful king, forging a rivalry etched into the very fabric of the world. The crimson tyrant learned to feel fear in his blackened soul, weeping in the shadow of the God-King.
In the end of it all, the king emerged victorious. But it was not a victory without bloodshed, not only of his enemies and himself but also of those he held dearest to him. The unwavering martyred in his name, The little ones caught in-between the battles of titans, his beloved queen...
Never again, he promised to himself. For all his might he couldn't save them. The queen would return, he knew that she wouldn't just fade away into nothingness like that. But that never erased the sorrow, the pain, the grief on his soul. He may have won the wars in placing the golden death in an icy prison and locking away the crimson tyrant deep below, but he was nearly destroyed in the process.
Defeat was never an option, and the wars had been the absolute closest the lord of the titans was to being gobbled up by the jaws of defeat. As of late the king of the monsters had decided that his form was not sufficient enough to cement his dominance over his enemies. Evolution was in order, to be a proverbial step ahead over what threats lied in wait, threats that he knew would come one day to jumpstart the cycle once more.
Evolve he did, the primordial minerals of the Hollow was something his kind always had been able to utilize, blessed with the ability to draw power from the crystalline materials. That was how they were blessed with their fire after all, but some sources yielded more interesting results. Said sources however were considered taboo to him and his lot, as there was really no telling what could possibly come out of consuming such things, the ones that did try usually succumbed to madness or explosive demises at the hands of volatile energies.
It was a gamble really, but one that ended up paying off. That fucshia-tinted nest of the serpent was quite the deposit of the volatile energy, one that she would never have let go without a fight. She was to be removed and besides, he already had a distaste for Tiamat anyway. Robbing him of the satisfaction of bringing down the rival that had cast him out from his territory long ago, and having the gall to side with the Golden One in the great war, and her being in the way of power that would make his job easier in the future was another thing to add onto the pile.

It was either her life or the world potentially being in jeopardy in the future.
A very easy decision that was to the leviathan.

Now transmogrified in the depths he remained, the crushing pressure of the entire ocean at this level made sure that very little life persevered here, let alone life that was intelligent enough to do anything to pose a threat to him. He rather enjoyed the relative silence, the only things being audible to him was the low churning of the rock all around him and the water rushing against his gargantuan form as he effortlessly glided through the water. Some peace and quiet was exactly what he sought, taking in those magenta crystals was quite the process he had to endure, but one that was worth the time to evolve.
The new form that he wore now was taking some getting used to, it felt like he had put on a completely new layer of skin to replace what once was. The lack of bulk in some areas was something he would have to rectify at a later occasion, but even then he hadn't felt so spry and filled with energy in a very, very long time. The more armored scales all over himself was something that he very much appreciated, the extra plates on his elbows and tail-tip were welcome additions of weaponry to use. Sustenance was in order if he wanted to regain his bulk and his home deep below would be able to quell the hunger he felt at the moment.

The peace ever since the last freeze proved to be a long one, but peace never was a permanent thing especially to him despite how much he would yearn and plead silently that it was. Despite the little ones unearthing him relatively recently, nothing seemed to come of it except for the strange incident at the remote atolls. Whether the little ones wanted to feed him or kill him was something that still eluded the leviathan but he definitely was displeased at seeing the damages that were incurred by the strange cylinder's detonation.
Continuing to trudge through the abyss and back to his home, the thought of him being overtly paranoid about all this crossed his mind. The innumerable sun cycles ever since the deep freeze started by the mother of ice marked a strange and silent point in his existence. At first it seemed too good to be true, but that first millennia going by without incident after the freeze started lulled him into a sense of security. Perhaps he was being overtly cynical about all this, evolving for threats that may never rear their ugly heads ever again. Had the Moth been around, perhaps the two of them could have finally gotten to "living a little." as the queen said to him.
A low grumble escaped the leviathan's throat, unheard to anyone in the depths as those bitter memories reemerged. How much he had wanted to have the "happy ending" that the goddess wanted not only for her, but for the both of them. A true sense of happiness was something that became a rarity to him long ago, when the wars first broke out at the auric death's arrival, it might as well have died alongside the queen in the last stretch of the conflict. He knew she would return, she would never be content to just fade way like that, even if it took millions upon millions of sun cycles for her to return, he would count down each and every day. In the meantime, he would ensure he did her and his own kind proud, continuing to tend to the lands as they always had done. But for now, home was calling.
When she did return, he would make sure that she would never fall to death's clutches ever again.

Come heaven or hell, he would make sure of it.


---

The air was tense upon the carrier, the two doctors watching the screens displaying the body cams of personnel on the ground. If a Nuclear submarine had gone up and missing near a relatively high-populated area like Hawaii would definitely be a cause for concern.

Especially considering there was a two hundred foot tall winged monster on the loose.

The nuclear submersible disappearing alongside the fact that the titan's main source of nourishment being radiation certainly painted a grim picture in their heads... that thing possibly being around, completely free to trample over the isles was a mortifying thought. The possibility of Monarch's secrecy to the public had now completely gone up in flames, but that was secondary to the potential millions that the existence of but one active titan could do. It was a nightmare born straight out of the darkest conceivable timeline to both Dr Graham and Serizawa, the top priority now in this dire situation would be to get a visual on the MUTO, and assess how to deal with it from there.
The men continued to march through the brush, being watched over by the two doctors from the screens, the night vision of the body cameras still doing little to give the clear picture to both of them. The disturbance that was picked up by the military at the very least was being taken completely seriously, both men on the ground and the air force had been called in for this, for a disturbance near Honolulu, combined with that sudden disappearance of that sub on top of the MUTO's escape probably had everyone on edge at the moment.

"We played god..." The old doctor thought to himself. How much he wished he could turn back time, destroy the damn spore the moment it had come to Janjira and nestled itself atop the irradiated wasteland. Nature was certainly giving him and everyone else at Monarch a hell of a lesson in not playing with flames they should never have even stoked in the first place.
"The consequences were bound to rear their heads at us eventually." Another thought ran through his mind, as he wiped the sweat from his weary head. Were they even able to do anything to the creature had they found it? He hated to be pessimistic, but considering the kill field around it's spore didn't even earn so much as a twitch from the thing as it was electrocuted... he had his doubts.

Though now... the prospect of him emerging again became very, very real.

"Gojira..." The old man whispered under his breath, to which his apprentice picked up on.
"Do you think he will come, sensei?" Graham replied back.

Had the tales been true, the old legends of a wrathful king emerging to weed out anything and everything that threatened the natural balance, Serizawa could only pray that forgiveness was something in Gojira's forte. They certainly did not give the King of the Monsters a welcoming taste of the modern world considering the in retrospect, utterly futile attempt on the King's life back in 1954 with Castle Bravo.
The aged man reared his bespectacled head to Graham, a look of uncertainty shining through his eyes.
"If the tales are to be believed... he will come. Nature's power will rise to alleviate the blight we have wrought upon it."
"We can only pray, that he does not consider us among the blighted."
Such words made chills run down Vivienne's spine, when Serizawa spoke in that way, she knew he was being more than serious. Others may have called his reverence of Godzilla as ludicrous, foolish even for placing his faith to tales of ancient 'uncivilized' humans, venerating what was 'just' a big animal. Serizawa saw it differently though, and while she couldn't exactly know why, she too believed in the old man's faith.
"I suppose we'll see." The English woman replied back, uncertain yet cautiously optimistic about it. Had Godzilla emerged due to the MUTOs, he would likely be at very least, focusing on them first and foremost. Whether he somehow knew that humanity was responsible for their reawakening was a scenario that she silently pleaded not to happen.

The eyes of all in the control room returned to the array of screens showing the men finally laying their vision upon something... it was hard to make out from the fuzzy vision of the cameras projecting the image and the nighttime darkness, but there was some sort of vague shape stuck up in the tree line. Was it the creature again? They got their answers quickly, when the group reared their lights upon the shape...
"Looks like we found your Russian sub." The stunned voice of one of the soldiers came over the comms, his camera completely frozen and transfixed upon the vehicle in very much not the appropriate terrain for it.
To everyone's total horror it was indeed the very submarine that was reported missing, stuck dozens of feet up in the tree line and from the looks of things, covered in some sort of viscous substance. Both the people watching from the carrier as well as the boots on the ground were all in utter shock, there could only be one thing responsible for the submersible's current predicament. The searchlights from the choppers above quickly got to scanning the immediate vicinity and from behind the suspended submarine... there was movement.
The choppers reared their way towards the flanks of the submarine, and everyone both watching and on the ground at that moment gasped from the sheer horror. It was not immediately spotted, but now with the illumination upon the side, the abyssal tinted hides of the MUTO once again showed itself... those crimson slits it had for eyes shining at the cameras like the uncaring gaze of a malevolent demon, the almost insectoid creature's dagger toothed jaws had been clamping down and munching upon the nuclear payload of the submarine. Just like they had suspected, these titans fed upon radiation. The question of if this MUTO was feeding just out of hunger or for something else crossed Serizawa and Graham's minds, but their current shock pushed it into the back of their minds.

"Cat's out of the bag now doctor..." The admiral's glare at Serizawa now returned, still maintaining a sense of calm but subtly the Doctor could tell that the current situation had definitely struck a chord within the man.
"No more keeping things under wraps, the public's safety is our utmost priority now." The admiral added, before going off elsewhere in the room as nearly everyone was sent into a complete panic as all hands on deck were sprung into action quickly, for the situation has now reached levels of potential danger that bode a grim outlook upon the local population on Hawaii.
Amidst all the panic now though, the doctors overheard another announcement from an officer manning the Radar...
"Second signature's coming in from the Pacific!"
Immediately, both doctors present knew immediately just who was coming... and just how utterly out of proportion this horrid situation that they already found themselves in had just gotten.

The king was coming.

For decades the great leviathan had remained docile and under the radar despite the uncalled provocation that was the welcoming he had received from Humanity in 1954, but now that Humanity had truly tipped the scales of the natural balance in a way that had never been shifted for countless millennia. Nature's power was to be called upon once more and Serizawa definitely wanted to be one of the first to witness such an event.
He sprung into action, quickly making his way out of the control room and into the busy halls of the manic carrier.
"Where are you going?!" Graham shouted as she followed the old man, nearly falling over due to the sudden rush.
"I have to see this!" Serizawa yelled back, his stride not breaking in the slightest as he practically sprinted for the main deck of the aircraft carrier.

As if History hadn't already been changed enough with the return of a Titan, now the very King of all the Titans was now coming. From the tales he knew of Gojira, while benevolent to the continued safety of the Planet he was also as capable of destruction like no other. As wrathful as he was merciful, for he himself was a true paragon of the two sides of Mother Nature itself, like the oceans as beautiful as they were yet capable of raging like no other...

He could only pray the his mercy graces humanity.

---

He had heard it.

Those familiar calls... reverberating through the murk, immediately being picked up by his senses.
A parasite.

The time of peace and introspection had now passed... and a king's work had to be done. Disorder had dawned upon the lands once more, and his services had been called upon once again.
Effortlessly, the leviathan shifted his course from headed back towards his undersea home and in the direction of the calls. The water around him raged and surged, heralding the king's incoming movements as he began to rise quickly towards the ocean surface from the crushing depths. This new body of his already proved its usefulness, the increased levels of energy that surged all around every ounce of his being giving him far greater speed than ever before. All that much better to address this tumor upon the balance he had tended and watched over from the shadows for all this time.
Rising and rising ever closer towards the water's surface, the moonlight gleaming through the waves that now swelled to be as large as trees to the beast's gigantic body waded past the waves. The adrenaline running through Gojira's veins were much like the very waves that he had kicked up now, driving him further and further as he felt his dorsal plates protruding above the ocean and knifing through the frigid air.
Focusing his eyes forwards and now seeing the deep abyss of the ocean give way to outline of land beneath the waves, he was close to making landfall now. Rearing the still massive bulk of his evolved form further and further towards the surface as he continued to trudge along... the subtle swishing of the air was audible to him, followed by the beating of what seemed to be... wings?
His momentary confusion was only furthered, as beams of light from all around traced over him and the beating and swishing grew louder and more intense as he travelled closer and closer inland. Averting his eyes up above and even through the rough waves he was kicking up, the lights seemed to have been coming from strange creatures that were tracking and following him as he swam.
They were nothing like he had ever seen before, those 'wings' that he had heard earlier spun around in a circular motion atop their strange looking frames, the lights attached to them were more like lamps that the little ones would use though even these ones were nothing like what he knew. What was stranger still, was that he could sense the little ones riding these metallic looking 'birds'. Truly strange creatures they had tamed, or maybe had even created but that was of little concern to him now.

If they still knew who he was, then they would stay out of his way.

Looking forwards once again now, the king was forced to slow down his current pace as what seemed to be an island came into his trajectory. Only upon another momentary inspection... this was no island at all. It was floating atop the water, the metallic material that made up it's land was a hallmark of being made by the little ones, much like the 'birds' that were illuminating him at the moment. It was less of an island and more like a manmade whale, and here too he could sense countless amounts of the little ones within and atop the 'whale'.
Rearing his body down below the waves once more, his dorsal plates narrowly missed ripping straight through the 'whale'. They were not his concern at the moment, and it would do him nothing to cause needless casualties towards the little ones when a potential disaster was running amok on the lands ahead.

Leaving the metal 'whale' behind but still having the 'birds' follow him from above, he picked up speed once more.

Land was ahead now... and a legend would voice his will once again.

Prices are OBRO and include shipping from IL. CONUS only and I can only accept PayPal. Lots of transactions on watchexchange with nothing but positive feedback! Happy to do a discount for multiples.
https://imgur.com/a/uXAPgkC
RM Williams Comfort Craftsman, 10G (US 11D)
Upper: Light Brown Suede
Price: $200
Notes: I’m the second owner. First owner removed the front pull tabs, which I prefer anyway. These have had some wear but tons of life left in them as you can see in the images:
https://imgur.com/a/GqV63R9
Allen Edmonds Liverpool Chelsea - Black, Size 11E
Upper: Black Calfskin
Sole: Vegetable-tanned leather soles with rubber V-treads at fore foot and toe for added traction
Price: $180.
Notes: I bought these new (not F2s) last year intending for them to be my dress up boots. Since I don’t dress up that often, and even less in black, I’ve worn them less than 10 times. As you can see in the pics, they show very little signs of use. Original box and boot bags included.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/eR2lX7V
Meermin Double Monk Cap Toe Shoes, US11.
Upper: Copper Antique Calf.
Sole: Leather.
Price: $90.
Notes: BNIB. Only tried on at home. Original packaging and bag included.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/uL183Az

Get summer ready! This little tote is beach ready!

• Photos (including PSP, and POP)
• Price Purchased: $58.37
• Price Selling: $50 plus shipping. I will give you shipping based on your location. I do want to pack this with care since it is a raffia tote.
• Condition: Brand new. Never worn. I purchased this for a trip I just took last week but never took it since I bought a couple of other ones.
• Included: Tote and strap. No dust bag.
• Seller: Dhgate
• Link to Auth
• Reason for Selling: I bought several other totes for a trip and did not bring this one.
• Review: It's low/mid tier but for DHgate it's pretty solid. I did not want to spend a lot for a beach tote so I went with one at DHgate with great reviews. It's well constructed. No fufu smell. The only thing is that the leather crossbody strap is not leather (I think) and there was glazing spots on it (as shown in the photos). I wasn't planning on wearing it crossbody anyway and wanted to use it more as a tote. Now compared to the auth, there is a reason why the auth is $$$$, the raffia is completely soft on the auth. I could never take the auth to the beach, hence, this one.
• Dimensions: 10.5" l x 4" w x 8" (not inc. handle, 13.25" inc. handle)
• I am active in other communities mainly as a buyer and a few times as a seller.

Prices are OBRO and include shipping from IL. CONUS only and I can only accept PayPal. Lots of transactions on watchexchange with nothing but positive feedback! Happy to do a discount for multiples.
https://imgur.com/a/uXAPgkC
RM Williams Comfort Craftsman, 10G (US 11D)
Upper: Light Brown Suede
Price: $200
Notes: I’m the second owner. First owner removed the front pull tabs, which I prefer anyway. These have had some wear but tons of life left in them as you can see in the images:
https://imgur.com/a/GqV63R9
Allen Edmonds Liverpool Chelsea - Black, Size 11E
Upper: Black Calfskin
Sole: Vegetable-tanned leather soles with rubber V-treads at fore foot and toe for added traction
Price: $180.
Notes: I bought these new (not F2s) last year intending for them to be my dress up boots. Since I don’t dress up that often, and even less in black, I’ve worn them less than 10 times. As you can see in the pics, they show very little signs of use. Original box and boot bags included.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/eR2lX7V
Meermin Double Monk Cap Toe Shoes, US11.
Upper: Copper Antique Calf.
Sole: Leather.
Price: $90.
Notes: BNIB. Only tried on at home. Original packaging and bag included.
Images: https://imgur.com/a/uL183Az

2 weeks later Lauren and Greyson drove up to her new home with boxes and whatever she hadn’t sold. Lauren had walked through her empty home and said goodbye to each room wondering if she was making the right decision. The house was pretty much sold already and Lauren reminded herself to keep going.
“Audrey will come around Ma. She really will miss you and she doesn’t want to change. God forbid she tell you right out that she is going to miss you. “ Greyson said. Lauren hadn’t spoken to Audrey directly since she had told the kids she was moving. She had come over at one point to get some furniture and mementos and had been snarky the entire time that Lauren had been in the house. Lauren had had quite enough of it and went to the backyard to smoke until Audrey and her man of the week had taken off. They hadn’t even come out to tell her they were leaving. Lauren had had another good cry after that and then made herself margaritas with her mixer and called Natalie to come over for a good farewell bitch session. They had gotten tipsy and talked about ungrateful kids and sent nice little waves to Grace who huffed at them.
“Well, maybe she will and maybe she wont. She always favored your father and I never told her she had to pick sides but all the same she felt like she had to. The divorce was harder on her than it was you older two.She was only 8.” Lauren said lamely.
“I think Cora and I were just glad you guys weren’t fighting. Dad was great with us but he treated you terribly the last few years you were together and it was just so much easier to not hate him when you guys weren’t around each other. Audrey was definitely his favorite though and any time she came over he just made sure they did everything she wanted because he was afraid she’d hit puberty and would decide she didn’t like him anymore. Like Cora.”
“Well that makes sense. How’s you-know-who?” Lauren asked changing the topic.
“Miranda? Alright I guess. Her mom picked Liam up last night for the weekend so I could help you, says she called a month ago and sounded good. I don’t know if that means anything or not but I don’t think she is going to come back wanting to be Liam's mom. At least not any time soon. I don’t really care, she had him and that was the deal. That’s all I asked for. I’d have supported the other way too but I really hoped she’d just let me keep him. She told everyone who asked she didn’t want kids. Everyone. I kind of wonder if she’ll want to meet him and be afraid to because everyone will expect her to be someone to him.” Grayson drummed his fingers anxiously. Lauren couldn’t understand this arrangement that Grayson and Miranda had. She kept wondering if it wasn’t some form of depression or something but Grayson insisted it wasn’t. He’d had Liam all to himself from day one and never complained.
“You think taking this was too impulsive? The job? I didn’t even do a face to face interview. It was on that skype thing. Eric set it all up. It’s legit but maybe I should’ve driven up first to check it out. Maybe I’m just running scared.”
“Maybe it was but taking risks makes your life exciting. Besides, I hate thinking of you alone in the house waiting for something bad to happen.” Grayson patted her leg. “Besides you said there were discounts on cabins and I’d like that. Plus unlike the last job, if Liam gets sick he can hang out with you when he can’t go to daycare.”
“I would like that.”
They pulled onto a winding dirt road and drove another 10 miles. The woods on each side of the road pressed in on them. It was a nice feeling. It was quiet out here and Lauren appreciated it. She had thought she would be more scared to be alone out here but she found herself looking forward to it now. Settling down and maybe a beer.
The GPS took them toa large sign marked Camp Thellgar in front of a fork in the road, one marked OFFICE and the other marked CAMPING. They turned into the OFFICE fork on the left. A man sat on the porch at the first building they came up to. He shaded his eyes and stood as they approached. Lauren took a shaky breath.
“Does my eye still look weird?” Lauren asked Grayson.
“Nah, the makeup covers whatever is left. It looks a little off I guess but I don’t think anyone would guess why. You’re old, he’ll think you had a stroke more than likely” Grayson teased. Lauren let out a high pitched laugh and took a deep cleansing breath.
“Hi I’m Steven Connor, you’re Lauren Jackson I hope.” Steven stuck his hand out for her to shake.
“I am indeed. Nice to meet you, you look different in person.” Lauren said laughing. He did, he looked older than he had on the computer, tired maybe. Steven shrugged. “This is my son Grayson, he’s helping bring my stuff up for me.”
“Right, good of you to help your momma. Come right in here. This is the main office, just off of what will be your cabin. Initially they were one in the same but years back we decided the caretaker could use some more privacy when we added more cabins in. The cabins have only been part of the deal for about 15 years, before that it was just the tent sites. No electricity on those. They’re a little easier to maintain. This time of year we mainly get people who want to use the tent sites, families out for a day hike. Summer rolls around and you’ll be pretty busy. We hire help from the nearby towns, you’ll let them know what to do but you’ll need someone in the office most of the day. There’s an alarm here that will pop up on your phone, when synced with the app of course, that way you can be out on the grounds. There’s an ATV for getting around a little easier. You’ll be in charge of taking reservations and handling the payment, cleaning up the campsites when they leave, looking in on them to make sure they’re kept up. Same with the cabins. Do a thorough cleaning and dust once a week. Aspen Cunningham, that’s the girl from town, she’ll be up every other day to assist with cleaning out the cabins. Here’s the card for Aspen, the card for a maintenance guy we use, Roger, and my card if you need to get ahold of me.” Steven led her from the office which was a small front room with a storage room behind it. Off of that there was a door with a good lock that led into a small house. It came in by a small half bath and then stairs leading to 2 bedrooms upstairs and a full bathroom. Next to the stairs a door led into a small living room with a few bookshelves and a dated TV, past that a kitchen with a dining area. It was cozy and Lauren was in love immediately.
“The last guy was pretty organized, we have our own binder we put together for new employees, he made his own as well. I skimmed through it, mostly a heads up on common maintenance issues. There’s a copy of maintenance performed on each cabin and site that also goes in the main book that’s stashed in the office.” Steven handed her a heavy worn binder.
“I’ll go ahead and start bringing in your stuff mom.” Grayson said backing out the main front door that didn’t lead into the office. Lauren followed Steven into the office and he showed her where anything she could need to find would be. She watched a safety video that featured Steven’s family, made when Steven was a kid. His smiling face running around in the background.
Grayson hung out for a while after Steven left. Lauren was overwhelmed and felt exhausted. She wandered through her new house while Grayson made her spaghetti. She laid on the bed. It was firmer than she was used to but it was ok.
After they ate Grayson hesitantly left. Reminding her to call if she needed anything, asking if she was sure she wanted him to leave. Lauren had a feeling he would’ve spent the night if Miranda’s mom didn’t have Liam. There was a firepit in the backyard so she got a fire going and sat back watching the flames while she drank a beer. She thought about getting stoned but it felt too new here and she was afraid of freaking herself out. The noises of the woods were relaxing. It felt quiet. Quiet was exactly what she needed.
The next few months went quickly, Lauren got in a groove of checking all the sites in the morning and doing general maintenance. Aspen, the girl who cleaned, came up twice a week not every other day like Steven had said. She was a sweet girl and spent a few hours dusting and vacuuming the empty cabins. Lauren and her got along really well and Lauren was grateful for the company. Summer came and Lauren was busy, she barely left the office it seemed. If it wasn’t reservations, it was families asking for maps of the trails or information on the town below. It was a nice busy. Lauren had expected the cleaning to be worse than it actually was, most people cleaned up after the campsites before they left. Fall came and the people started to slow down, most of the people she saw were people hiking the trails and less camping By November she was slow again.
One day her phone went off alerting her to a visitor in the office. She jumped on her ATV and headed back up. There was a small run down car waiting when she pulled up. Lauren ran her hands through her hair as she entered the door. 4 middle aged women stood waiting patiently.
“Sorry, I was a little further out today, how can I help you? Cabin?” Lauren asked, coming around the desk.
“Where’s Jim?” One woman with darker hair asked.
“Jim? Was he the man before me? I’m afraid he doesn’t work here anymore. Just me, I’m Lauren. Regulars?” Lauren grabbed the binder from underneath the counter and flipped through until she came on regulars. Scanning the list she found a November regular, along with a few other months. “Ok, here we are. It says the Helgas, tentsite 42. Yes?”
“That’s right, what happened to Jim? I'm surprised to see that he’s gone.” The dark haired woman handed over her credit card and tapped on the table anxiously. The other women moved around like they were trying to look as if they weren’t paying much attention.
“Not sure. No one really told me and I didn’t think to ask. I’ve been here since late spring, right before the summer rush. “ Lauren felt like she was being judged by the women.
“We’re particular about our privacy.” One of the women from the back said, trying to sound casual.
“That’s no problem, I won’t need to come by until you leave.” Lauren assured them.
“Jim left the entire area alone. I mean, we prefer to be left completely alone.” She clarified. Lauren was taken aback but nodded. After they left and had driven off she looked back down at the binder.
Helgas
Camp site 42
November Full Moon
December 21
March 21
Require all sites in the area empty. 3 day reservations. Noise level low, some disturbances.
Lauren closed the binder. She’d flipped through it before but obviously hadn’t retained much information. It occurred to her that this wasn’t in the main binder. She picked up the company binder, flipped through until she found regular reservations. Nothing helpful from the last 10 years. She booted up the computer and pulled up the spreadsheet. There it was. Reservations, regular. A list of people and campsites and cabins. The program was designed to automatically block off the areas that were supposed to be reserved. Campsite 42 was not on the list for today. Maybe because it was a full moon reservation and not a specific date? Lauren flipped through December and it wasn’t in there either. She sighed. Lauren went to the main screen and added in the December reservation and it stopped her. Ok. So it's here somehow. Or it wouldn’t have stopped her. But it doesn't show up. It’s hidden. Lauren crossed her arms and dropped her head down. She wasn’t completely computer illiterate but she really didn’t know how to see this. The last guy, Jim? Jim. That guy must’ve done something to the computer system. Why would he have done that? He did all the reservations. Unless he didn’t want the company itself to see. They could log in through the main office and see what was going on up here. There was another location they owned and the computer program was designed to work with that one. Lauren shook her head and sighed. Maybe she could get ahold of Steven and ask about Jim.
Lauren opened Jim’s binder again. There were only a few regulars that didn’t have reservations that showed up in the company system. By the time she was done it was dark outside. Lauren sighed and shut everything down. She locked up the office displaying the note to ring the doorbell. The doorbell that alerted her phone to a visitor that would need checked in. Lauren wasn’t worried about it, not in November. It was warmish for November but still cold. No one hunted up here because it had too many people walking up the trails, further out maybe but they would rent a cabin ahead of time if they stayed up here and on the weekends.
Lauren went into her kitchen and got a jar of chili out of the fridge. Cora had made some and sent it home with her after Saturday dinner a few weeks ago. It was easy to heat up. She got a glass of wine and started a fire in the fireplace to warm the house up. She turned the tv on and laid across the couch until she could smell the chili. She’d had a bus day and found herself drifting off before she’d finished eating so she cleaned up and took herself to bed.
Lauren found herself awake in the forest. Barefoot. It was silent. Completely silent. Lauren cautiously spun around trying to get her bearings. She saw movement off to the right. Her heart stopped, she looked over trying to make sense in the dark. Something moved next to the trees, an animal? Lauren took a step toward it without thinking.
Someone or something stepped out wearing an animal skull. Deer? Lauren couldn’t think through her fear. The clothes were baggy and run down. Like a t shirt over loose black pants tied up with a rope and black cardigan. With a black long jacket.
“Who are you?” Lauren asked, dazed.
“I should ask you the same thing. Where is the keeper?” The thing asked, but it wasn’t said aloud, she heard it in her head.
“I-I don’t know. I just got hired here a few months ago. My friend's friend helped me get the job.”
“Then the Keeper sent you here.” The thing insisted
“I don’t think so, the man before me, I didn’t know him.”
“I see. What did they tell you about this place?” The thing asked, circling her. Lauren realized it was tracing her with a skeletal finger.
“How to take reservations and how to clean.” Lauren murmured, trying not to look as scared as she felt.
“I could tell you.” The thing offered. Lauren felt her anxiety rise up and suddenly felt like she needed to be gone. She shouldn’t trust this thing, whatever it was.
“Um, no thanks.You could-could tell me who you are though.” Lauren said instead
“I’m insulted is what I am. You’ll have to figure out who on your own.” With that he was gone and she was in bed sitting up breathing hard. The raspy voice still echoing in her head.
Lauren blinked. A dream. It was a dream. But it had felt real. She checked her feet and saw that they were clean. A dream.
Lauren’s whole day was off after that. Everything looked sharper almost and she found herself pinching her arm to make sure she was actually awake. She avoided the tent sites circling around with the Helgas but found herself inspecting the rest of them carefully, unsure of what she was looking for. After that she rode down to the cabins and did a quick inspection, checking the windows for torn screens and the doors for any sign of break in, double checking the lock. All good. Lauren was done early and decide to walk one of the trails to shake off the oddness. There weren’t a lot of trails she hadn’t already walked so she picked one of the harder ones and grabbed her backpack with snacks and water.
In the months since moving up here she had grown stronger from the work and the access to trails. Anytime she felt herself slipping into a depressive episode or started thinking too much she would go on a long trail and try to exhaust herself. At some point she had started running in the mornings although had stopped in the last few weeks because of the cold and how long it took the sun to rise. Lauren ran a few miles awkwardly with the backpack and then slowed. There was a not well used trail off to the side. She was certain she was still on the company's property but had not seen this one before so she cautiously went off the main trail and headed down it. It didn’t take long for it to grow darker with the trees overhead. There were still nature noises but they seemed almost muted. Lauren pinched her arm just to make sure, it definitely hurt. She was definitely awake. Lauren pulled her camera out of her bag and began snapping pictures of the area around her, partly to remember where she had come from and partly because she was in awe of the area around her. It was beautiful out here and the trees made her feel small and light. She checked her phone and saw that it was nearing dark. She stopped and drank some water before turning around. Lauren moved at a brisk pace as she headed back and almost missed the flash of light off to her left. But as such she had just managed to catch it and it stopped her in her tracks.
“Hello?” Lauren called out, if it was a hunter she had run into, which she didn’t think it was, not as close to the campgrounds as they were, but if it was she wanted it clear they were dealing with a person. No one answered her though. She hesitantly stepped off the trail and walked toward it. She couldn’t think of anything that would flash out here. Cameras? She wasn’t aware of any out here but it had never occurred to her to ask anyone. Regardless, she should check to see if it was a camera before she asked about there being any. She came to a massive tree. She craned her head back and light hit her eyes so that it was difficult to make out the top of the tree. The branches started low giving her a compulsion to climb upwards. Off to the side of it the roots rose up seeming to form a circle. Lauren took a few pictures of it without thinking. She got as many different angles as possible. She had seen roots that came out of the ground but had never seen one that formed a perfect circle. Lauren looked around and realized that it was dark now, she checked her phone and saw the battery was almost drained. She had been here for 3 hours. Lauren blinked and shook her head. 3 hours? That was impossible. She started shaking and spun around when she realized how silent it was, even for night time.
SNAP
Lauren gasped and took off running. She didn’t think about anything other than heading back in the direction she had come. Adrenaline coursed through her and she felt like she was running faster than she had before. It was dizzying how sharp everything was and how fast it seemed to go by her. She hit the main trail and kept running. She could feel her energy start to dip and she pushed herself harder. By the time she emerged from the woods she fell on the ground sobbing and gasping for air. She grabbed a fistful of grass with one hand and put her other palm to her mouth to stifle the sobbing, screaming sounds she was making. It felt like an hour of laying on the ground trying to collect herself. It was one of the Helgas that found her.
“Are you ok? Ma’am? Guys! She’s out!” Lauren heard the thinner of the group yelling for her friends to come help The 4 of them lifted her to a sitting position and tried to get her to respond. Eventually Lauren started to come to and her breathing returned to normal.
“What happened? “ The dark haired one asked firmly,
“N-n-nothing. I-I-I don’t know. I was in the woods and I heard… I don’t know. I’m so sorry, I have no idea what came over me.” Lauren stuttered. Trying so hard to reign her emotions back in. “Nothing, I just lost track of time there and I guess I got myself spooked. I have quite the imagination. What are you guys doing here? Was there something you needed?”
“We came up to see if you were ok, we were doing a little night hiking and saw you running and we followed you.” The dark haired one said. Lauren thought she was lying but didn’t know why she thought that.
“I could use some wine honestly, would you 4 like some wine?” Lauren felt like she was drunk as she walked back to her back door, the short one linked her arm in Lauren’s and walked with her steadying her.
“Wine sounds nice, we have some back at camp, we could get ours and bring it back.” She told Lauren in a soothing voice. A mom voice.
“Nonsense. I always stock up in town, I have plenty. I’ll get a fire going and-”
“We can get the fire, you get the wine and Addy here will help you bring out the glasses.” The dark haired one gestured to the short one who smiled and headed toward the door to open it for Lauren.
Lauren had 2 wine glasses and used regular glass cups for everyone else. She grabbed a couple bottles of red wine she’d gotten clearanced out after Halloween, the bottle had a blurry outline of trees and Lauren had felt it looked so magical she’d bought 6. Of course it wasn’t her favorite so now seemed like a good time to try to offload a little.
“I’m Lauren by the way, I know that’s Addy, who are the rest of you?” Lauren asked as she and Addy passed out glasses and poured wine in front of the fire.
“I’m Sara. “ The dark haired one said taking a generous drink from her cup
“I’m Therese.” The blond smiled and waved,
“I’m Rian.” The thin one said, pronouncing it Ree-ann.
“Is this a girls trip? I hope I didn’t mess anything up.” Lauren asked, pulling her blanket from the house tight around her. The fire was nice and warm but not warm enough to fend off the November chill.
“You didn’t mess anything up, honestly we were hoping to speak with you anyway. We knew Jim fairly well, I guess as well as you can know someone you only see 3 times a year. He had a pretty good idea of what he’d signed up for when he started but we got the feeling you didn’t and we were curious.” Sara said, watching Lauren’s face intently.
“I guess I don’t. I’m not sure what you mean.” Lauren said, wondering if they were crazy. The witchy types who came out here to dance naked in front of a fire and sing before going back home to suburbs and corporate lives with toddlers and teenagers. Lauren had dealt with those types over the summer but not very many.
“Well how did you get the job?” Therese asked, spinning the wine in her glass like she’d already had a few before they started.
“A friend of a friend. I was looking to make some changes in my life and he thought I would be a good fit here.”
“The Keeper?” Sara asked, leaning forward.
“I don’t think so. He just seemed like a regular guy. Who is the Keeper? “ Lauren asked nervously. The woods looked darker and it occurred to her that she didn’t know if she could beat them back in the house if she wanted to run. Then she remembered the Keeper comment from her dream, now hazy but still there.
“The Keeper doesn’t do a whole lot from what I can tell, not directly I mean. He just keeps information and contacts who he needs. He got Jim hired on, we don’t know much about him, we’ve personally not seen him ourselves. We’re not sure if he changes every so often but as far as we know it’s been the same person always. These woods are full of magic you see and not all of it is good magic. “ Sara explained. “We come out 3 times a year to make a blood sacrifice to Eglas. He or She, is a … something. Hungry mostly. Instead of one person we use 4 or 5 sometimes. Same amount of blood and no one dies. Occasionally one person will donate more for a favor but it’s not often.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Lauren said dumbly.
“He/She said they came to visit you last night. They said that you didn’t know much about your job. Eglas seemed very angry so we came to help you” Rian told her.
“There’s not much to your job. You keep the grounds maintained and then you make sure that we are able to do our work. I don't know what else is in the woods but I know about Eglas. My family has for at least a century come out and offered blood to keep Eglas satisfied. When they started settling the area, they disturbed a lot of spirits. Eglas was curious and found the taste of human blood to be… good I guess. Eglas would go into homes and take people, in the beginning it was a lot. Most families fled the area, but the ones who stayed came to Eglas one night and offered to give him what he wanted if he backed off. Or she, really Eglas has no real gender. It’s a fairy or demon, I’m not sure. Either way, Eglas was satisfied with a person a year but that got old quickly, not a lot of people lining up to do that obviously, they really weren’t getting a lot out of that deal back then, they could farm the land peacefully and that was it. One day a young farmer offered himself but when it came time he talked Eglas into changing the deal, a little from the strongest men in town. Eglas got the best there was and it was willingly. Eglas threw in the part about 3 times a year since the body wasn't included in the deal. That’s the lore anyway.” Sara told her story well, moving her hands and body, changing her pitch like a natural born storyteller.
“I think fairy because it makes the most sense with the woods and the deal making. You don’t have to believe us yet, you will eventually, but we come out here and do our ceremony and leave.” Addy told her.
“That sounds, nice.” Lauren said hesitantly. She drank more and could already feel the events of the afternoon fuzzing away.
“He’ll come to you again tonight, you’ll know who he is now. “ Therese said, smiling nicely.
“And you’ve done your ceremony already?” Lauren asked, trying to see if there were cuts visible. The girls nodded and Addy pulled her pants down showing off a long cut on her thigh. Lauren hissed through her teeth at the sight of it.
“Oh it’s not so bad. It hurts but it always heals quickly like it was never there. “ Addy assured her.
“Jim knew about this? “ Lauren asked, remembering a note in the binder about them being .
disturbing or something
“Yes, he did.. He knew before he started though. It kept him safe. We were a little worried that leaving you to the wolves so to speak, that you wouldn’t survive.” Rian explained.
“I’m afraid I’ve worn myself out. I think I’ll go to bed.” Lauren said, getting up carefully. The women were nice company and Lauren couldn’t think of the last time she had sat around the fire with anyone, but the conversation made her nervous. They looked at each other and nodded.
“We leave early tomorrow but I’ll leave my card on your door, you can call if you need anything.” Sara assured her.
Lauren didn’t get into bed as much as she collapsed into it. Her legs ached already and she knew that she wasn’t getting around much tomorrow. Between the wine and adrenaline wearing off, Lauren was able to fall asleep quickly.
She was out in the woods again. She must be dreaming because she wasn’t hurting.
“Do you know who I am?” The creature asked in her head again. Lauren couldn’t see the creature but didn’t feel the need to look for it either, just stood waiting.
“Eglas.” Lauren answered out loud. There was a chittering sound that somehow sounded pleased.
“Smart woman. I have been watching you.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.” Lauren said dryly.
“You have questions.” Eglas stated.
“I can find answers.”
“I can give you answers if you ask me. It’s easy.” Eglas encouraged.
“Nothing is ever free and I have no intention of indebting myself to you. Accidentally or otherwise.” Lauren said, making herself clear. Eglas chuckled out loud and Lauren heard a swooshing through the trees. Lauren involuntarily shuddered.
“Have it your way, but you know where to find me.” Eglas said.
Lauren woke up the next morning as sore as she thought she would be. She managed to drag herself out of bed and to the bathroom and pulled on sweats that could pass as clothes. She thought that was the advantage of getting older, no one expected as much fashion wise. Lauren considered sitting on the stairs to go down but pushed through each painful step until she was in the kitchen. Ibuprofen and a freezer meal with a bottle of wine and she headed to the living room. She’d be close enough to answer any visitors if they came but she could sleep on the couch or watch tv. Lauren couldn’t find anything interesting on tv, or not enough to block out the clear dream she’d had last night that seemed to stick to her. When the ibuprofen kicked in she felt good enough to sit up, she looked around the room and noticed the bookshelf was getting dusty again. There were books on the shelf that had come with the place but Lauren had never really looked at them before. After flipping through movie selections and still not seeing anything she could find any interest in she got up and wandered over to the shelf. Reading the titles she figured out why she hadn’t wanted to read them before. History of the area mostly. Then a book about ghosts in the area, that sounded like it could be interesting. When Lauren was a kid she devoured books about ghosts. Next to it was a book without a title, it was slim and blended with the other books well. Lauren grabbed it as well, mostly curious. She settled back on the couch and pulled the blanket around her. The book was interesting, the usual ladies in the woods and drowned men, children warning of danger. Then there was a chapter that mentioned Elgas.
TRANCHLURE
He arose from the mud, hungry,ravenous.
He crept through the trees and on the strange mist observant first.
When the people came and Eglas fed He found a way to satiate the hunger and then slept for years and was awoken
He massacred the nearest town and those who lived in the woods found a way to drive him back into the caves, not dead but mostly sleeping until someone falls into his cavern, never to return.
Was it about Eglas? She didn’t think so.
Lauren went into the office and grabbed the binder that mentioned the Helgas. Even the binder was coded though obviously.
With her limited knowledge though she was thinking that they were groups of worshippers coming to celebrate differently. Lauren wondered if she could order some books on astrology to understand it better.
She opened up another book on fairies, but this had highlighted sections. A recipe for some kind of tea to see fairies. In the side there were some notes on things to leave out around the forest, offerings for the spirits. Lauren traced the handwriting and wondered if it was Jim who had written it or someone else. Apples was what it said.
There was a ring telling her someone was here. Lauren got up again carefully and headed in to the office. A man with a sleepy toddler on his shoulder stood waiting. He looked haggard and nervous.
“Cabin?” Lauren asked softly.
“Uhm, yes please.” He said.
“Any preference? You kind of have your pick this weekend.”
“Something toward the back.”
“Alright, cabin 15, more towards the middle honestly but it branches off so it’s a little more secluded?”
“Yes sounds fine. ‘
Lauren handed him his keys and a small map and sent him on his way, she then hobbled back to her couch. Sighing, she went back to the original book and started a story about a woman who had gotten lost in the forest and run into a sprit offering wishes. A wispy in between soul. Lauren noted that the spirit could be found by a landmark she knew. Slowly she started to doze.
Again she found herself barefoot in the forest.
“Hello again.” He or she whispered in her head
“Hello. Why am I here again?” Lauren asked dreamily.
“Because I am a generous soul. The man came today to ask for a favor from the fairies, he bought his offerings but he failed to realize he had put his daughter in danger. She’s gifted, she’s why he knows to come here. She’s also hit the magician and witches' radar, he needs protection.”
“Ah, and why do you care? There’s always a price.”
“I’ll protect her, for a price, obviously, just a little blood offering. From him if that isn’t clear. I need you to go and tell him my offer before his daughter is spirited away. Awaken now.”
Lauren woke up suddenly, she was annoyed and irate at being ordered around. But she got up and found a card that Sara had offered her the night before. Nervously she rang the number.
“Hello?” Sara answered.
“It’s Lauren, are you far away? “ Lauren asked, wondering how her rational world had changed in such a short span of time.
“Not far at all, maybe a mile.”
“Eglas, came to me, he wants to offer his services to a new camper here.”
“We’ll turn back around immediately.”
A few hours later Rian stood at the office smiling.
“It’s been taken care of, I didn’t realize what you being here meant. You’re the new Keeper.” Rian looked on at her with admiration.
“I don’t think so.” Lauren said firmly.
“You are, whether you know it or not, that’s why you’re here. Eglas might’ve told you that was why he was coming to you but he told us.” Lauren didn’t like the culty feeling she was getting off of Rian right now.
“Well, I don’t know what that means, I’m a caretaker, a well paid caretaker. Not a Keeper for things I don’t believe in. “
“I don't know much about the Keepers, but I have a very strong feeling that you should find the person who sent you here and ask some questions. I don’t know as much as the other girls about the magic in the forest but I do know that the fairies have an affinity for ceremony.”
After a few days of thinking, Lauren finally made a call to Eric. Eric was due up today.
Eric came to the regular front door instead of the office door.
“You’re the Keeper.” Lauren said without saying hello.
“Yes. Jim was a Keeper as well, but he… Well he isn’t anymore. You are up for the position obviously. I’m assuming you brokered a deal for someone out there if you figured it out. Which is accepting the position.”
“I don’t know about any of this. Eglas came and told me a girl was in trouble. I offered protection through another group that I know offers blood sacrifices. I feel like I’m too old to be any sort of Keeper. “
“Well it’s in your blood. That’s part of the reason you were chosen. The night you came to me I had a day of signs, then I heard about Jim. I was thinking of sending another established Keeper to this area and then I saw you. One big sign. I watched you for a few days and then I made the decision to send you up here. You have done very well so far. “
“Is there like a meeting for this? An instructional booklet? “
“I’m guessing Jim left a book of notes behind. He was good about notes in his day and when he realized he was coming to an end he told me he would leave things behind for whoever came next. I’d just look for books and binders.”
“But I don’t understand it.”
“Well you’ll have to learn fast”
“Rian said there was likely a ceremony.”
“There is an introduction. You’ll spill your blood by a great tree that connects all of the mountain. You’ll be recognized and the creatures will know to come to you.”
“What kind of fairy tale is this?”
“The kind that you’re a part of. “
“If it’s in my blood shouldn’t I know something?”
“I guess not.”
Lauren stood in front of the tree on the next full moon, freezing and nervous. The Helgas joined her for emotional support. Lauren held a sharp knife and sliced her hand to let the blood flow over the ground. Energy started from the ground and worked its way up her feet and through her body. With her feet firmly planted it felt as if she came up out of her body and rose above the trees, like looking through a microscope if she concentrated on a certain area she could see everything going on. At first she thought she saw people, but it was much too late for that. They were creatures. They roamed and played. I could see everything.
Welcome to Camp Thellgar

I've been using a small Levenger backpack- 12"x9" or so- daily for the past 10 years, and it's at the point where it definitely needs replaced (the leather in the back has worn all the way through in several spots and the interior is coming apart to where its unrepairable). This thing has been used in all types of weather conditions and is absolutely beat to shit. I don't like the styles of their current backpacks, and was wondering if anyone had recommendations of companies that offer a variety of options to pick from in that size while also being super durable and <$200? I am generally not kind to my bags, so they need to be able to be roughed up on a regular basis 🤷‍♀️

I've been a major, major Thief fan for nearly 20 years. Ever since a friend sat me down with Deadly Shadows and introduced me to how sublime and atmospheric the stealth genre could be, I've been a devotee of sneak-em-up immersive sims and never looked back. I've played all the games multiple times, a ton of The Dark Mod, and even cast & directed Stephen Russell in something of my own, mainly just to satisfy my inner Thief geek.
The moment I discovered The Black Parade's development, my anticipation was high. When it finally released last year to a chorus of rapturous praise, my anticipation went higher. But I still wasn't prepared for what it ended up being: The Black Parade is one of the greatest fanmade creations in the history of computing, blowing away all the official Thief games.
It has astronomical scale, incredible audio, terrifying enemies, and awe-inspiring architecture. It is not merely Mod of the Year 2023... its craftsmanship is so deliriously good that I wish it could have been eligible for GOTY.
Mission 1: Return to the City
From the get-go, The Black Parade tells its players that it’s not just going through the motions. In what becomes a trend across nearly the entire game, the first mission doesn't drop you into a contained area, but an entire city district with multiple large buildings to explore. It throws in a fully animated horse too, because why not. It's a pretty great, not quite spectacular mission, but it does signal that the campaign ahead is going to be extraordinarily worthwhile.
Mission 2: Where Old Faces Fade
Okay then! Here's where the game sets its bar early. GOD DANG, this level is one for the Thief history books. The design of the central manor is outstanding, with nothing else from the main series even coming close to comparing in scale. It's large, but it justifies the vastness by packing it so densely with detail. It amazed me how much I could get lost in it, not just from its size but from the complexity. Even the “normal areas” were easy to lose yourself in... and the growing weirdness of it was such a treat. Once it got into the surreal fantastical stuff, I was grinning like a madman. This mission is a tribute to TDP's The Sword, but it does so, so much more. Simply phenomenal. Nothing else reaches its level in The Black Parade… at least, for a while.
Mission 3: Trial of Iron
I loved this one. It feels the most straightforward and "normal" out of the whole game, but extremely well done. Not a whole lot to say about it, it's just a really really good Hammerite heist. It’s exactly the palate cleanser the game needed between the previous and next level…
Mission 4: Death's Dominion
Holy shit. A flawed masterpiece. What a breathtakingly massive catacomb, with such overwhelming variety of environments. It's only brought down by the sense of tedium that eventually sets in from the sheer sense of scale going on here. Even though I've never been a really big fan of undead-heavy levels in the Thief series, this one had such a great hook to it that gripped me from beginning to end. I love that you're following a failed expedition, using the information they've left behind about where it's safe to go. And oh god, that horrific sprinting monster! What the hell?!
Mission 5: The Brand
One of my least favorite parts of The Black Parade... but “least favorite” still means pretty damn great in this campaign. It's another undead-heavy level but with a totally different vibe than Mission 4's subterranean adventure feel, where this time you're tasked with entering an abandoned district to reach a horrific haunted manor. The crushing dread is effective, and toward the end of this level, I was so stressed and ready to be done with it. I think if there was a little bit more of a buffer (without undead) between Mission 4 and 5 I'd have enjoyed it more, but it's still a very admirable mission.
Mission 6: Kept Away From View
OH MY GOD. I wasn't fully vibing with this one at first, and I (foolishly) didn't tail the Keeper in the beginning, which led to me aimlessly wandering the city district for ages until I finally stumbled upon the hidden entrance. But when the whole Keeper compound opened up, my jaw was just about on the floor. Thief: Deadly Shadows is my favorite of the original trilogy, so to see so many loving homages to it in this mission was a pure delight. I was utterly astounded at the scale of the compound and the fact that it all seamlessly existed within the same map as the (fairly expansive) section of city above.
The big, big reveal in this level (Gamall's here! Oh god no!) and the return of one of the most terrifying Deadly Shadows enemies (Gamall's "FIND AND KILL AND CRUSH AND KILL" living statues) was sublime, and the fact that running into them is totally optional if you do a good enough job evading Gamall? Flat out amazing effort from the devs here. Absolutely bloody amazing. I'm floored, and in love.
Mission 7: The Long Shadow Falls
So. So. Satisfying. It's one of the best manors in the series, right up there with Mission 2’s, except more straightforward rather than esoteric, trading navigation challenges for blisteringly difficult guard encounters. I noticed a lot of people complaining about the sheer amount of marble floor in this level, but it added so much to the experience.
The challenge of pickpocketing the key off the un-blackjackable chief guard (while he patrols with his dog) was one of the tensest thefts I can recall in a stealth game, and the overall atmosphere here is just terrific. After all the craziness from the last few missions, it's the perfect time for a "straightforward" level, which I didn't fully realize until...
Mission 8: Jaws of Darkness
Ohhhhhhhh. My. God. Where do I begin with this.
There's levels in Thief where you feel like you've wandered into something deceptively normal that gets more and more weird as you go, in a "hey, the natural laws of physics aren't quite applying correctly here” sort of way, but nothing has remotely touched the level of cosmic, trans-dimensional fuckery of Jaws of Darkness — a literal trip to the underworld that feels like there's no coming back from. My heart was pounding so hard throughout this experiential masterwork.
This was the highlight of The Black Parade for me. From the onset, with the spooky intro in the forest, there's a sense that something is soon going to go very, very wrong. The pacing is magnificent in building up a palpable dread, with the ruined encampment and then the long descent into the giant pit giving me the willies long before any real danger arrives. The way the surroundings get less natural and more otherworldly was such a good buildup to the horrors that eventually followed.
And oh my days, when those horrors finally get started, it goes all-in. Nothing has made my heart sink with a sense of doom quite as much as the encounter with the first enemies, who sprint at light speed the moment they detect you but freeze like Weeping Angels when you look at them. Hearing their footsteps closing in from several rooms away because I clicked my boot on a tile too loud was just such a legendarily scary moment that nearly gave me a heart attack. Seeing how spectacularly effective they were made me wonder why an enemy like those had never shown up in the Thief canon... and then Jaws of Darkness swiftly dispenses with them to dig deeper into its seemingly never-ending bag of tricks.
The heebie jeebies don't get weaker after that either, with a hair-rising Kaiju-sized mega spider you have to sneak past, bizarre snake people guarding a water-based area, a shockingly speedy rock monster, traumatically terrifying skeletal goat demon guys, the magic-shooting spider with a massive statue on its back... the creativity on display here is truly inspired.
It's also fascinating how linear this level is, considering how well it works with the standard Thief gameplay mechanics. I loved this change of pace after so many open-ended levels — the whole thing feels like Thief by way of Tomb Raider and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, with a surprising amount of platforming, and it works very well (especially in novel sections like the low-grav air elemental tower).
As long as this level was (I clocked about 2.5 hours on my save, not counting reloads), it never got old to me. Not even a little bit… I just truly didn't want this one to end! Maybe it's from the sheer novelty on offer, in how it keeps changing up what it throws at you on a minute-to-minute basis, but this level was a total joy despite being an altogether horrific nightmare. Someone else said if this level was a standalone indie horror game, it'd win awards. They're right.
Mission 9: Arcane Sanctum
At this point, I wasn't expecting The Black Parade to have much left. How could it? I knew there were still a couple levels, but wouldn't it be running on fumes after giving its all for Jaws of Darkness?
A resounding "no" is its triumphant answer. This is maybe the largest open-ended level in a campaign known for large, open-ended levels — with not just one castle... but TWO! — and it's a total home run. After the laser-focused linearity of Mission 8, it's perfect for the last major chapter to be a massive robbery sandbox.
I adored the backdrop of this one. Wandering the festival in the streets during a beautiful dusky sunset was such a unique and enjoyable setting for a Thief mission... doubly so after the horrors I just had to go through. The pink clouds, the multicolored fireworks, the various bands and street performers (a juggler! A fire breather!) were all such "extra mile" touches that really spoke to the passion the devs have, and the glowing orange windows of the castle look so beautiful against the dark blue sky.
Once inside the castle grounds, I loved how the objectives essentially force you to ghost the mission at first, which is not the usual way I approach Thief levels (I love to put that blackjack to use, so again, The Black Parade is diversifying my gameplay experience). Then things all get turned upside down, you snag a master key to unlock the other 50% of the map, and the level truly gets going. And uh... let's just say that I was not expecting this chapter to have one of the scariest encounters of the entire game. Thank goodness a glitch in the Dark Engine allowed me to blow that two-headed abomination into the river through sheer fluke with a hail Mary mine toss... I was NOT looking forward to sneaking through its lair while it prowled!
When I finally completed the main objectives, and all that stopped me from victory was securing a paltry 10 additional loot, I realized that I hadn't even set foot in the entire OTHER castle yet... I just couldn't believe how large this area was!
Mission 10: The Black Parade
Woah! From everything I'd read about this one, I was expecting "not a real mission," and more of a tiny epilogue. I don't know what led people to this conclusion because The Black Parade is still plenty massive, with my save file clocking a full hour. It's like a mini Jaws of Darkness, full of horror and innovation, in a mostly linear fashion.
Despite being the last part of the game, it's STILL throwing multiple brand new types of monsters at you, which was insane to me. The lumbering enemies with the massive bludgeoning arms, the terrifying purple Dune worms that lunge at you at high speeds while rotating... and maybe my favorite, the semi-invisible giant tentacle slug beasts. Ugh! All of them creeped me out so good.
I appreciated the variety this mission brought to the fold, with a more combat-centric (though not totally forced upon you) approach to things. Was it a highlight of the game? No, pretty much everything that came before overshadows it, but it's still a great experience that concluded the game on a super satisfying note for me. The ending of the final cutscene, while a bit of a downer, is still pretty awesome and made me feel jazzed to immediately start a replay of The Dark Project.
Overall... wow. I can't say enough good things about this game, but I should probably shut my taffin' trap by this point. And it really deserves to be called "a game" and not merely "a mod" or "a fan campaign." It outdoes the original Thief games in scope and polish, and its long, long time in the oven really shows. The effort behind it is truly astounding... I don't think we could ever ask for a better "lost Thief prequel."
My Mission Rankings:

1. Jaws of Darkness - 10/10
2. Where Old Faces Fade - 9.5/10
3. Arcane Sanctum - 9.5/10
4. The Long Shadow Falls - 9.5/10
5. Death's Dominion - 9/10
6. Kept Away From View - 9/10
7. Trial of Iron - 8.5/10
8. Return to the City - 8/10
9. The Black Parade - 8/10
10. The Brand - 7.5/10

I was looking into getting a leather bag, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with Saddleback's backpacks? I have heard good things about their messenger bags and was curious about their backpacks.

I’m looking for a shoulder bag….leather, casual, holds its shape but isn’t super stiff, not too big….i mean I can’t seem to find one! Ordered the Songmont medium drippy tote and it was too big! Enjoy the LV Pochette Métis. Thought about the woven bag from Clare V but it is so slouchy I don’t think I’d like it. Would love your thoughts. Budget maybe up to $1500! I’ve carried a too handle/crossbody for years and still love that!