2024-228 / Zedd MAP: 77.35 / MLZ MAP: 90.20 / Score Gap: 12.85
Wikipedia / IMDb / Official Trailer / Our Collection
For those of us that’s read books like The White Goddess, The Golden Bough, or The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, there was very little secret in Harvest Home. ((Muhahaha, er I mean…)) you know - books read for academic purposes. Folk horror has never felt like horror to either of us, more like an easy pick for “which genre fits your real life”.
From IMDb: A young couple moves to a quiet New England village, only to soon find themselves mixed up in mysterious rituals.
Mrs. Lady Zedd has been keen to get this one in the machine since we managed to snag a copy of it earlier in the year. We first caught sight of it through the documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror which came in the compendium set, All the Haunts Be Our from Severin. It should be noted this was originally a limited TV series that ran 5 hours - this presentation (sans commercial breaks) ran about 2 hours. The reedit, bedsides counting against the year’s 500, ran very smooth story-wise… makes you wonder what those missing hours contained (yikes, right?) we’re choosing to assume this cut was the “best parts version”.
You probably noticed a fairly large score gap between our MAPs - it’s a solid pagan fertility worship story and we can both agree - Bette Davis doing a bunch of “spooky assed old lady” roles in her twilight years - yeah, we’re fans of that decision. Beyond that I needed her to explain what she was seeing that I missed.
“I’m not sure this is a case of me seeing something you missed - maybe more like you found the low quality production values more detracting that I did.” She says.
It’s true - detracting or just straight distracting, I’d have found the production more enjoyable if the video and sound weren’t so murky - this looked like a VHS to DVD transfer - I’ll take what I can get here, it’s not a complaint just noting the reality.
Home plans may have shifted with our vet emergency this week but today felt a lot more settled. Brunnhilde is settling into her new normal and us along with it. I can tell you today was the first day since Tuesday that I didn’t feel like I was living minute to minute… more like whole hour to hour at a time. Take it as it comes. We’re both very appreciative of our circle of friends (including you) during this bump in the road.
Movie on.

It’s important for us to recognize that sacrifice is a deeply important component in the human psyche. It’s been practiced throughout all of human history. Most current and ancient human cultures have made sacrifices.
Sometimes, the sacrifice is a goat. Other times, it’s something more extreme i.e the Aztecs sacrificed young, virgin women. Other times the, sacrifice is something symbolic.
When we look back at this behavior, we regard it as irrational and illogical. “We would never do anything like that”, we implicitly believe while failing to recognize we are not much different than the people who did those things.
Fortunately for us, Rene Girard identified why humans feel the irrational and mostly unconscious need to go through with these sacrifices. He called this the “scapegoat mechanism” which is essentially a 4 step process.

1. The first step that occurs is a society/community descends into chaos via mimetic contagion. Human desire is deeply mimetic. We want things simply because other people want them too. This means not everyone can have what they want leading to anger and resentment.
2. Once the collective anger and resentment reaches a boiling point, a scapegoat is chosen. People’s anger becomes directed at a single target that takes the blame. That target is often killed violently.
3. The third step is deification. The victim is deified into a God. This is paradoxical so I’m not sure why it happens. Guilt maybe?
4. The fourth step is institutionalization. Myths and institutions are formed around the victim making them the backbone of the now pagan society.

Knowing this, we can map on the steps of the scapegoat mechanism onto the trans movement. We’re currently experiencing a fertility crisis. Relationships between men and women have been deteriorating. Almost 50% of women are expected to be single and childless by 2030.
This causes a lot of grief and resentment which has been exceedingly obvious to anyone who actively uses the internet. So what’s the scapegoat for all these negative emotion? Well that’s going to depend on who you are, but for a lot of women, that scapegoat is men. Or maybe masculinity itself or “the patriarchy”. Or maybe even the masculine libido. This means the sacrifice becomes the essence of that masculinity. Towards the extreme end, the sacrifice would be of the phallus (and the balls).
Why else to would these type of women so heavily advocate for the feminization and castration of men? They tell themselves it’s because it’s the right and ethical thing to do but it’s really their shadow unconsciously pulling the strings. Rene Girard refers to this as a manifestation of the Anti-Christ i.e evil thru the guise of compassion. These trans women are then deified and elevated into priest-like positions.
A similar phenomenon occurred in Ancient Rome with the cult of Cybele (hermaphrodite Goddess). They also had castrated priests called Galli. The cult had been around since Ancient Greece but “ just happened” to gain popularity around the time elevated lead levels in Rome began to cause widespread fertility issues. It wasn’t until it was heavily restricted by Roman authorities that the cult began to decline. The same thing is happening now.
Dylan Mulvaney is an example of a “trans woman” whose status has been elevated as a consequence of enacting the sacrifice. You can find examples of women who are highly resentful of men everywhere you look. This can even be seen in some famous celebrities. Someone like Meagan Fox is raising her three sons to be as feminine as possible. We haven’t reached the institutionalization phase but looks like we’re working our way there.
TLDR: Resentment surrounding failed relationships leads to scapegoating masculinity and fuels a certain percentage of trans supporters.

It’s important for us to recognize that sacrifice is a deeply important component in the human psyche. It’s been practiced throughout all of human history. Most current and ancient human cultures have made sacrifices.
Sometimes, the sacrifice is a goat. Other times, it’s something more extreme i.e the Aztecs sacrificed young, virgin women. Other times the, sacrifice is something symbolic.
When we look back at this behavior, we regard it as irrational and illogical. “We would never do anything like that”, we implicitly believe while failing to recognize we are not much different than the people who did those things.
Fortunately for us, Rene Girard identified why humans feel the irrational and mostly unconscious need to go through with these sacrifices. He called this the “scapegoat mechanism” which is essentially a 4 step process.

1. The first step that occurs is a society/community descends into chaos via mimetic contagion. Human desire is deeply mimetic. We want things simply because other people want them too. This means not everyone can have what they want leading to anger and resentment.
2. Once the collective anger and resentment reaches a boiling point, a scapegoat is chosen. People’s anger becomes directed at a single target that takes the blame. That target is often killed violently.
3. The third step is deification. The victim is deified into a God. This is paradoxical so I’m not sure why it happens. Guilt maybe?
4. The fourth step is institutionalization. Myths and institutions are formed around the victim making them the backbone of the now pagan society.

Knowing this, we can map on the steps of the scapegoat mechanism onto the trans movement. We’re currently experiencing a fertility crisis. Relationships between men and women have been deteriorating. Almost 50% of women are expected to be single and childless by 2030.
This causes a lot of grief and resentment which has been exceedingly obvious to anyone who actively uses the internet. So what’s the scapegoat for all these negative emotion? Well that’s going to depend on who you are, but for a lot of women, that scapegoat is men. Or maybe masculinity itself or “the patriarchy”. Or maybe even the masculine libido. This means the sacrifice becomes the essence of that masculinity. Towards the extreme end, the sacrifice would be of the phallus (and the balls).
Why else to would these type of women so heavily advocate for the feminization and castration of men? They tell themselves it’s because it’s the right and ethical thing to do but it’s really their shadow unconsciously pulling the strings. Rene Girard refers to this as a manifestation of the Anti-Christ i.e evil thru the guise of compassion. These trans women are then deified and elevated into priest-like positions.
A similar phenomenon occurred in Ancient Rome with the cult of Cybele (hermaphrodite Goddess). They also had castrated priests called Galli. The cult had been around since Ancient Greece but “ just happened” to gain popularity around the time elevated lead levels in Rome began to cause widespread fertility issues. It wasn’t until it was heavily restricted by Roman authorities that the cult began to decline. The same thing is happening now.
Dylan Mulvaney is an example of a “trans woman” whose status has been elevated as a consequence of enacting the sacrifice. You can find examples of women who are highly resentful of men everywhere you look. This can even be seen in some famous celebrities. Someone like Meagan Fox is raising her three sons to be as feminine as possible. We haven’t reached the institutionalization phase but looks like we’re working our way there.
TLDR: Resentment surrounding failed relationships leads to scapegoating masculinity and fuels a certain percentage of trans supporters.

Archana stepped off from the bus, pulling the shawl even more tightly against herself, taking care to wrap the woollen garment around her ears to protect against the bustling wind. Even with her full saree, socks, a cardigan and the shawl, she had been shivering in the rickety bus, with the broken glasses and wooden window shutters letting more of the cold air in than keeping it out.
Kunidanga was not the most crowded village in the district to begin with, and now at the end of December, with the temperatures hovering in the single digits, the roads wore a deserted look in the fading light of the dusk. Situated on the banks of the Torsa river in North Bengal, it was a tiny little hamlet which was barely a speck on the map. Archana was the only one who got off the bus, which left immediately for the final stop at Dinhata - nearly ten miles due south near the border with Bangladesh.
The bus stop, with its tin roof having long lost its shine, the mandatory stray dog lying in a corner in a ball of old newspapers, the walls completely covered in graffiti and posters of everything from the latest theatrical releases in the one movie theatre of the district in CoochBehar, the latest political agenda for the upcoming elections, ones extolling the virtue of the famous palmist Sri Abhaynanda while others that extolled the brilliance of D K Lodh - the infamous ‘sex doctor’.
Even with the musky odour of too many sweat stained bodies, months of public urination and defecation which hadn’t been washed away since the last rains, Archana sat down on the stone bench - just to balance herself for a moment.
She slowly patted her belly, calming the little one inside.
It was just the first trimester, actually the very beginning of it. Today was her first visit to the doctor in the district hospital. Archana had been experiencing the tell-tale symptoms of pregnancy for the past few days and Nakul was absolutely, joyously certain, that they were going to be parents! They had gone to the doctor together in the first bus from Kunidanga, starting at the break of dawn. Nakul had fidgeted the whole way there, nervous excitement bubbling through at every second while Archana simply tried to control her nausea - made worse by the rolling motion of the rickety old bus on the untarred roads. Waiting for the first consultation with the doctor, going for the blood tests, then another long wait for the reports and then the final confirmation from the doctor had taken them the whole day.
A quick meal at the hospital canteen, they had to rush to catch the last bus departing for Kunidanga. Nakul had gotten down from the bus at the last stop, he needed to visit the government depot there to collect some documents for his job as Kunidanga’s public works superintendent.
Their small government issued bungalow was not too far from the bus stop and Archana was confident that it was a distance she could cover well enough on her own - having taken the same short route countless times in the past. She stood up, clutching her small purse with some spare change and the regulation IDs, a bit tired, but with the additional spring in the step which happiness sometimes brings you!
Archana had only gone a few steps when she stopped, her senses overwhelmed by the unique smell of burning incense, fresh flowers and freshly cut fruit and milk - that typical combination which filled the air around all hindu temples - a smell so common and deeply ingrained among the god fearing Bengalis.
A few more steps along the dusty corporation road, and the source of the smell became clear to Archana. A sadhu - a kapalika to be more precise from the way he was dressed - had set up a small tenement on the empty plot of land just off the road, hardly a hundred feet from the bus stand.
A large man, well toned but not really muscular, the skin tanned with constant exposure to the elements, a thick beard and wrapped in the regulation red dhoti and uttariya sat in prayer.
It was a deep plot of land, opening up into the forested shrubbery at the back, butted on one side by the road and the bus stand, the other end a good two-three hundred feet away - completely empty except for a few shrubs and bushes, till Kanai’s small stationary shop.
In the middle of this huge plot of land, there stood an old Ashwathama tree, perennial, huge, imposing! The sadhu had created a small clearing at the base of this tree, burning away the shrub and the grass, the soil blackened and charred by the fire. He had planted his ornamental trident - the trishul - on the ground, the tips reddened with what seemed by red chandan powder. A small cloth tote bag hung from one of the low hanging branches - evidently containing all his worldly possessions.
The sadhu sat with his back to the tree, his eyes closed in prayer. Even in the dim light of the dusk, he seemed to have extremely sharp features, even though his face was gaunt and he had the emancipated look of someone who seldom has a proper meal. However, there was a sense of strength in him, an unexplainable aura of dark power, which however inspired more fear than fealty.
The normally god-fearing Archana instinctively folded her hands, palms touching, with that well known gesture of respect - in this case - somehow tinged with fear.
She stood rooted to the spot, trying to decide in her mind whether to approach this godman or not. On one hand, with the new pregnancy, she instinctively wanted the blessings and comfort from divine sources - and this one seemed to have quite literally fallen on her lap; on the other hand, there was a small tug of fear, a deep unnatural cold grasp of terror from deep within her which warned her to turn away from this man - and never catch his attention - ever.
Archana was brought out of her indecision by a sudden deepthroated fierce growling. A brown stray - so common on the streets of India, had entered the open land from the bush in the back. Perhaps this is where it slept during the night, finding a comfortable resting spot amidst the shrubbery and hedges. Having found an intruder who had taken over what the dog must have considered to be its own territory, he had reacted the only way he knew how - baring its canines and letting out a low fiery growl to warn the human away.
Archana was shocked by what happened next. She was about to shout out a warning to the meditating godman, when the man opened his eyes and with a cruel and brutal swiftness picked up his trishul from where he had fixed it to the ground and threw it at the crouching canine nearly fifty feet away. It happened so quickly that the poor creature barely had a moment to react, its growl dying away as the trident easily found its mark - cracking his skull open and breaking its jaw. The sadhu approached the fatally injured animal, picking up his formidable weapon once again, ostensibly to finish the job.
Archana didn’t wait around to witness the horrific aftermath. Shocked to her very core by the swift brutality and instinctive boorish behaviour of the sadhu, she gave credence to the tightly coiled fear in her stomach and moved as quickly as she could, past Kanai’s small stationary shop and beyond the bend in the road which lead to the barb wire compound of the government superintendent - Nakul’s official workspace as well as the small living quarters in the back.
She reached the sanctuary of her house, securely fastening the door behind her, breathless not only due to the sudden enforced exercise, but more so because of the sudden brutality which she had just witnessed.
Suddenly exhausted and drained, Archana went into the tiny bedroom, most of the space taken up by the large king-size wooden bed. A wedding gift from her grandparents, the huge bed covered almost three quarters of the room, leaving just enough space to fit in the old fashioned steel almirah and a mirror fixed on a hook on the wall to serve as a makeshift dresser.
Archana lay down on the bed, nauseated and deeply troubled by the sudden violence she had witnessed. She could still hear the crunching noise when the heavy iron trident hit the leaping canine, its yelp of pain. She grabbed the thick woollen blanket from the top of the almirah, wrapped it around herself, and curled up on the bed. Suddenly wracked by deep sobs, Archana wept. Wept in sympathy for the poor stray dog which was just doing what stray canines are supposed to do. Wept perhaps due to the sudden change in hormones in her body. Wept due to exhaustion and all the changes happening and about to happen. But mostly Archana wept in fear. Fear of the Sadhu who had suddenly appeared at the edge of the village, perhaps promising piety and salvation, but also promising a deep, dark violence.
X
Life moved at a breakneck pace for Archana and Nakul. Busy with Nakul’s work as the government administrator of public works, Archana’s work at the nearby primary school as a clerical staff and of course, getting ready to welcome the new addition to their family. Soon, the horrifying encounter with the Sadhu was an almost forgotten memory in Archana’s mind.
The first time they had to go back to the district hospital for a check up, Archana was worried. She hadn’t shared the incident of her first meeting with the Kapalik with Nakul. She didn’t see the point of unnecessarily worrying him and on top of that she wanted to push the memory of that incident as far away from her mind as she could.
However when they walked down the road to the bus stop early in the morning to visit the hospital, Archana was relieved to see that the godmans encampment was empty. The small camp had grown, it had a look of permanence about it now. A makeshift wooden fence created a border around the clearing around the tree. A small but sturdy wooden shed with a thatched roof had been built, a place for the worshipper to shelter in during the cold nights of the north. The large tree at the centre of it all bore various vermillion marks of sindur and sandalwood - the common symbols of hindu worship. However the man himself was nowhere to be seen.
By some strange twist of fate, Archana never ran into the man on her many visits to the clinic, passing by his ever expanding house of worship. There were obvious signs of his presence, and Nakul mentioned having seen him nearly every day, but luckily through some mystical working, Archana never had to face the strange sadhu who had taken up residence in their village.
She heard about him quite often. The young girl who came in twice a day to help with the household chores, the old bearded vegetable seller who came tooting on his van each morning, her few friends and the infrequent neighbour who dropped by, all had news about Kripali Baba.
He was known to be extremely pious, a follower of the goddess Kaali, he was known to keep the most difficult penances for himself as he tried to get closer to his venerated deity.
He was powerful too, quite capable of curing even the most incurable diseases, helping treat cancerous growth in an old coolie, treating the deadly lung infection in another. He was also known to be particularly partial to helping mothers - whom he considered to be an embodiment of his revered deity - Maa Kaali.
He was known to sit on long fasts right before every new moon, on which night he would disappear from his makeshift ashram and be away for days at a time.
Archana listened to all these tales with only half a mind, as she was completely occupied with the process of becoming a mother.
With every passing week, the small foetus growing inside of her grew more into a human and neither Archana nor Nakul could wait to get their newborn out in the world. They spent long hours planning for the baby’s name - Rabi if it was a boy and Nisha for a girl.
Their little island of happiness got a new inhabitant soon enough, when a handsome little boy, healthy and hale, was born to them at the turn of autumn. Rabi had arrived.
A precocious child, he was truly the Sun of his parents’ lives - the angel around whom Archana and Nakul spent doting around forever. Born during the auspicious Durga Puja, Rabi got the first glimpse of the majestic goddess Durga when he was barely a day old, the ecstatic parents taking him to the Durga Temple in the village to get him blessed and anointed.
The first few days of the young Rabi’s life were filled with joy, with the joyous grandparents, various aunts and uncles all coming to visit the newborn and celebrating the auspicious blessings of Maa Durga quickly followed by the Bengali Laxmi Puja - the celebration of the goddess of wealth and good fortune!
However, after a few days, the relatives all left, leaving the newborn and the new parents to their own schedule. Nakul had to rejoin his office, having used up his vacation days, and right the next week, was asked to go to the district office for some new instructions. Even though Kaali Puja was the next day, Nakul had to make the early morning journey leaving the sleeping Rabi and anxious Archana behind.
Promising her that he would come back right after the urgent meeting called by the new superintendent, Nakul left for the bus stop. Even though winter was still a few months away, the days were shorter and the morning Sun wasn’t fully up, the road lit by the reddish glow of dawn filtering through the mist which was still slowly receding.
As he passed by the ever expanding adobe of Kripali Baba, as he had done a hundred times over the past year, he saw the sadhu sitting in the traditional lotus pose - deep in meditation.
Nakul brought his hands together clasping them briefly against his forehead in the traditional show of respect, before hurrying on his way to catch the bus from Dinhata.
Archana and Rabi had a pleasant morning, the mother son duo enjoying the sunshine in the small garden which they had just outside their cottage. Rabi lay on his back on the small plastic crib - a gift from an indulgent uncle, while Archana sat on a blanket next to him, singing him lullabies, laughing at the various expressions the newborn unwittingly made.
After giving him a massage with the baby oil, Archana gave him a quick bath in lukewarm water before feeding him and putting him down for a nap in their bedroom. She sat for a moment staring at her sleeping son, her heart full of joy and satisfaction.
However she had to get moving soon, the time the baby slept being the only window when she could get any of the household chores done. Even though the girl who helped out with the household chores took care of the more manual work, Archana still had to cook for herself and Nakul. She also washed all of baby Rabi’s clothes and knickknacks on her own, unable to trust anyone else with her baby’s things.
Finishing all the household chores took a while - Archana always had an ear cocked for the slightest stirring sound. Rabi was a light sleeper and would cry his eyes out if he woke up and didn’t find his mother next to him.
Finally done with all the chores, taking a quick min long bath, and scarfing down her lunch, Archana went to bed, lying down exhausted next to her baby.
Rain in the autumn months in Kunidanga isn’t unheard of, but it isn’t a common occurrence either. Thundershowers are definitely a more uncommon sight.
Archana woke up disoriented and scared at the clap of thunder which had crashed somewhere close by.
She hadn’t realised when she had dozed off, tired from the constant crushing routine which she had as a new mother. Now, awake, she was scared at the dark cloudy sky outside, the gusting wind, the clapping thunder.
She suddenly turned - where was Rabi? The small infant was nowhere on the bed! Archana let out a wail of despair, probably her precious baby had rolled over and fallen from the bed. But then why was he silent? Why was he not crying? Was he hurt?
She scrambled off the bed, searching for Rabi, but he wasn’t there.
He was hardly old enough to turn on his belly, so it wasn’t likely that he had crawled out of the room.
Desperately, with an anguished cry, Archana searched all around the tiny house, darkened by the storm approaching, with no power. The only source of light was the now near constant flashes of lightning.
The house was empty.
There was no Rabi.
Now completely panic stricken, Archana ran outside, ignoring the large drops of icy rain drenching her, the uneven unpaved road striking her bare feet.
The road was empty, no one had ventured out in this weather. The wind and the rain made it really hard to see anything.
Not knowing which way to go Archana ran towards the bus stop, for no good reason other than knowing that’s the direction Nakul would come back from.
She passed by Kripali Baba but he was nowhere to be seen. The rain was pouring down now and there were small puddles forming on the sodden ground around the thatched hut which Kripal Baba had built for himself.
Somehow drawn in by some irresistible fear and a deep sense of foreboding, Archana turned off the road and into the venerated plot, taking trepidation filled steps towards the drenched hut. The makeshift abode didn’t have a door, just a heavy rug hung from a string like a curtain.
Archana flung the curtain aside and stepped inside - it was empty. No sign of Kripali Baba. No sign of Rabi.
There was a rolled up mattress on one corner of the tiny space, a few change of clothes on a wooden pallet, acting as a cupboard, and a few odds and ends lying here and there.
Archana didn’t know what she was expecting but she ran back out, somehow relieved to have not found her son there in the sadhu’s hut but also more scared wondering where he might be.
Much later that evening Nakul came back to find a comatose Archana wailing while a few neighbouring women tried to console her. Shocked and desolate, Nakul rushed into the house, convinced that their little boy was hiding somewhere. He turned the entire cottage upside down but alas there was no sign of the missing child.
Minutes stretched to hours, hours into days. The hapless parents remained comatose, completely clueless about what might have happened to their child. Neighbours, relatives, well wishers all had some sort of advice or the other, but none which did anything to alleviate the pain and suffering the distraught couple was going through.
Even though Nakul was fraught with an unbearable sense of loss, Archana was comatose wracked by an overwhelming sense of guilt which sat like a suffocating weight on her chest. She had been castigating herself for falling asleep and not even realising that her baby wasn’t next to her anymore.
When she heard someone saying to go to Kaali temple near Salmara, the last village on the banks of the Torsa river before it entered Bangladesh, she made up her mind to go. She had heard that the deity in that temple was particularly powerful and particularly keen to the plight of mothers - apparently the temple had been built and consecrated by a mother in memory of her child who had drowned in the river many years ago.
Nakul didn’t object. Even though he had given up hope and accepted it in his mind that their Rabi was lost, he didn’t want to dissuade Archana. They started off that very afternoon, taking a rickety old van from a kind neighbour, taking the long winding muddy roads along the bank of the river.
The Kaali Temple was old and bore a deserted look. It didn’t live up to its reputation of hosting a powerful deity who never let mothers return empty handed. There was no rush of devotees, no sound of clanging bells, no smell of incense or cut fruits - all the common sensitivities which one found afflicted near a temple.
Archana and Nakul hadn’t given any thought of bringing any offerings, they did not come here for any elaborate ritual, just to pray to a powerful deity to help them find their child.
As they walked towards the temple, they were surprised to see a lone figure sitting on the entrance steps, smoking a beedi.
Kripali Baba seemed to be equally surprised to see the couple, though he didn’t really seem to acknowledge their presence. If he had a flicker of recognition for them, he hid it well; neither did he raise an eyebrow at the couple’s dishevelled, unkempt appearance.
It was getting dark, seemingly the beginnings of another storm. Nakul hurried Archana inside the temple, they had a long way to go back.
Archana sat in front of the deity, elevated on a black stone. The deity was different from the others of the same goddess which she had ever seen. It seemed to be carved out of the same black rock as the base on which sat, the features carved out of stone. Even though the masonry was excellent, the features of the goddess had harsh edges - harsher than normal perhaps. What was most striking was her eyes. They seemed to be glowing, a strange lifelike quality quite astonishing to see in a stone carved idol.
Archana poured her heart out, dry eyed as there were no more tears left in her, she prayed to the goddess as only a mother can. She promised all that she had and all that she hadn’t, promised her own life and an eternal servitude to the goddess to have her child back.
All she wanted was for her Rabi to be back. Back to his mother’s embrace - where he belonged.
The stone deity had no answer. There was no sign, no crash of thunder as a prompt from the almighty that her deepest entreaties were heard.
Dejected, desolate Archana couldn’t control herself as she felt that the last vestiges of hope which she was nurturing in her heart were now broken. Her Rabi was not going to come back to her.
Nakul held Archana up, tears of a deep inconsolable grief flowing down his own face.
They stepped back out of the temple to dark skies. The wind had picked up and the heavy rain laden cumulonimbus clouds were racing in from the horizon shading the scenery with a dark hue.
Nakul suddenly shrank back, pulling Archana back as well. Kripali Baba lay on the ground, face up, eyes open, not breathing.
Quite dead.
There was a gaping wound in his stomach, a bloody, raw puncture.
Inside out.
As if something inside his stomach had tried to crawl out. Crawl out in a hurry. As if, that something, was being summoned. Summoned by a mother.

Archana stepped off from the bus, pulling the shawl even more tightly against herself, taking care to wrap the woollen garment around her ears to protect against the bustling wind. Even with her full saree, socks, a cardigan and the shawl, she had been shivering in the rickety bus, with the broken glasses and wooden window shutters letting more of the cold air in than keeping it out.
Kunidanga was not the most crowded village in the district to begin with, and now at the end of December, with the temperatures hovering in the single digits, the roads wore a deserted look in the fading light of the dusk. Situated on the banks of the Torsa river in North Bengal, it was a tiny little hamlet which was barely a speck on the map. Archana was the only one who got off the bus, which left immediately for the final stop at Dinhata - nearly ten miles due south near the border with Bangladesh.
The bus stop, with its tin roof having long lost its shine, the mandatory stray dog lying in a corner in a ball of old newspapers, the walls completely covered in graffiti and posters of everything from the latest theatrical releases in the one movie theatre of the district in CoochBehar, the latest political agenda for the upcoming elections, ones extolling the virtue of the famous palmist Sri Abhaynanda while others that extolled the brilliance of D K Lodh - the infamous ‘sex doctor’.
Even with the musky odour of too many sweat stained bodies, months of public urination and defecation which hadn’t been washed away since the last rains, Archana sat down on the stone bench - just to balance herself for a moment.
She slowly patted her belly, calming the little one inside.
It was just the first trimester, actually the very beginning of it. Today was her first visit to the doctor in the district hospital. Archana had been experiencing the tell-tale symptoms of pregnancy for the past few days and Nakul was absolutely, joyously certain, that they were going to be parents! They had gone to the doctor together in the first bus from Kunidanga, starting at the break of dawn. Nakul had fidgeted the whole way there, nervous excitement bubbling through at every second while Archana simply tried to control her nausea - made worse by the rolling motion of the rickety old bus on the untarred roads. Waiting for the first consultation with the doctor, going for the blood tests, then another long wait for the reports and then the final confirmation from the doctor had taken them the whole day.
A quick meal at the hospital canteen, they had to rush to catch the last bus departing for Kunidanga. Nakul had gotten down from the bus at the last stop, he needed to visit the government depot there to collect some documents for his job as Kunidanga’s public works superintendent.
Their small government issued bungalow was not too far from the bus stop and Archana was confident that it was a distance she could cover well enough on her own - having taken the same short route countless times in the past. She stood up, clutching her small purse with some spare change and the regulation IDs, a bit tired, but with the additional spring in the step which happiness sometimes brings you!
Archana had only gone a few steps when she stopped, her senses overwhelmed by the unique smell of burning incense, fresh flowers and freshly cut fruit and milk - that typical combination which filled the air around all hindu temples - a smell so common and deeply ingrained among the god fearing Bengalis.
A few more steps along the dusty corporation road, and the source of the smell became clear to Archana. A sadhu - a kapalika to be more precise from the way he was dressed - had set up a small tenement on the empty plot of land just off the road, hardly a hundred feet from the bus stand.
A large man, well toned but not really muscular, the skin tanned with constant exposure to the elements, a thick beard and wrapped in the regulation red dhoti and uttariya sat in prayer.
It was a deep plot of land, opening up into the forested shrubbery at the back, butted on one side by the road and the bus stand, the other end a good two-three hundred feet away - completely empty except for a few shrubs and bushes, till Kanai’s small stationary shop.
In the middle of this huge plot of land, there stood an old Ashwathama tree, perennial, huge, imposing! The sadhu had created a small clearing at the base of this tree, burning away the shrub and the grass, the soil blackened and charred by the fire. He had planted his ornamental trident - the trishul - on the ground, the tips reddened with what seemed by red chandan powder. A small cloth tote bag hung from one of the low hanging branches - evidently containing all his worldly possessions.
The sadhu sat with his back to the tree, his eyes closed in prayer. Even in the dim light of the dusk, he seemed to have extremely sharp features, even though his face was gaunt and he had the emancipated look of someone who seldom has a proper meal. However, there was a sense of strength in him, an unexplainable aura of dark power, which however inspired more fear than fealty.
The normally god-fearing Archana instinctively folded her hands, palms touching, with that well known gesture of respect - in this case - somehow tinged with fear.
She stood rooted to the spot, trying to decide in her mind whether to approach this godman or not. On one hand, with the new pregnancy, she instinctively wanted the blessings and comfort from divine sources - and this one seemed to have quite literally fallen on her lap; on the other hand, there was a small tug of fear, a deep unnatural cold grasp of terror from deep within her which warned her to turn away from this man - and never catch his attention - ever.
Archana was brought out of her indecision by a sudden deepthroated fierce growling. A brown stray - so common on the streets of India, had entered the open land from the bush in the back. Perhaps this is where it slept during the night, finding a comfortable resting spot amidst the shrubbery and hedges. Having found an intruder who had taken over what the dog must have considered to be its own territory, he had reacted the only way he knew how - baring its canines and letting out a low fiery growl to warn the human away.
Archana was shocked by what happened next. She was about to shout out a warning to the meditating godman, when the man opened his eyes and with a cruel and brutal swiftness picked up his trishul from where he had fixed it to the ground and threw it at the crouching canine nearly fifty feet away. It happened so quickly that the poor creature barely had a moment to react, its growl dying away as the trident easily found its mark - cracking his skull open and breaking its jaw. The sadhu approached the fatally injured animal, picking up his formidable weapon once again, ostensibly to finish the job.
Archana didn’t wait around to witness the horrific aftermath. Shocked to her very core by the swift brutality and instinctive boorish behaviour of the sadhu, she gave credence to the tightly coiled fear in her stomach and moved as quickly as she could, past Kanai’s small stationary shop and beyond the bend in the road which lead to the barb wire compound of the government superintendent - Nakul’s official workspace as well as the small living quarters in the back.
She reached the sanctuary of her house, securely fastening the door behind her, breathless not only due to the sudden enforced exercise, but more so because of the sudden brutality which she had just witnessed.
Suddenly exhausted and drained, Archana went into the tiny bedroom, most of the space taken up by the large king-size wooden bed. A wedding gift from her grandparents, the huge bed covered almost three quarters of the room, leaving just enough space to fit in the old fashioned steel almirah and a mirror fixed on a hook on the wall to serve as a makeshift dresser.
Archana lay down on the bed, nauseated and deeply troubled by the sudden violence she had witnessed. She could still hear the crunching noise when the heavy iron trident hit the leaping canine, its yelp of pain. She grabbed the thick woollen blanket from the top of the almirah, wrapped it around herself, and curled up on the bed. Suddenly wracked by deep sobs, Archana wept. Wept in sympathy for the poor stray dog which was just doing what stray canines are supposed to do. Wept perhaps due to the sudden change in hormones in her body. Wept due to exhaustion and all the changes happening and about to happen. But mostly Archana wept in fear. Fear of the Sadhu who had suddenly appeared at the edge of the village, perhaps promising piety and salvation, but also promising a deep, dark violence.
X
Life moved at a breakneck pace for Archana and Nakul. Busy with Nakul’s work as the government administrator of public works, Archana’s work at the nearby primary school as a clerical staff and of course, getting ready to welcome the new addition to their family. Soon, the horrifying encounter with the Sadhu was an almost forgotten memory in Archana’s mind.
The first time they had to go back to the district hospital for a check up, Archana was worried. She hadn’t shared the incident of her first meeting with the Kapalik with Nakul. She didn’t see the point of unnecessarily worrying him and on top of that she wanted to push the memory of that incident as far away from her mind as she could.
However when they walked down the road to the bus stop early in the morning to visit the hospital, Archana was relieved to see that the godmans encampment was empty. The small camp had grown, it had a look of permanence about it now. A makeshift wooden fence created a border around the clearing around the tree. A small but sturdy wooden shed with a thatched roof had been built, a place for the worshipper to shelter in during the cold nights of the north. The large tree at the centre of it all bore various vermillion marks of sindur and sandalwood - the common symbols of hindu worship. However the man himself was nowhere to be seen.
By some strange twist of fate, Archana never ran into the man on her many visits to the clinic, passing by his ever expanding house of worship. There were obvious signs of his presence, and Nakul mentioned having seen him nearly every day, but luckily through some mystical working, Archana never had to face the strange sadhu who had taken up residence in their village.
She heard about him quite often. The young girl who came in twice a day to help with the household chores, the old bearded vegetable seller who came tooting on his van each morning, her few friends and the infrequent neighbour who dropped by, all had news about Kripali Baba.
He was known to be extremely pious, a follower of the goddess Kaali, he was known to keep the most difficult penances for himself as he tried to get closer to his venerated deity.
He was powerful too, quite capable of curing even the most incurable diseases, helping treat cancerous growth in an old coolie, treating the deadly lung infection in another. He was also known to be particularly partial to helping mothers - whom he considered to be an embodiment of his revered deity - Maa Kaali.
He was known to sit on long fasts right before every new moon, on which night he would disappear from his makeshift ashram and be away for days at a time.
Archana listened to all these tales with only half a mind, as she was completely occupied with the process of becoming a mother.
With every passing week, the small foetus growing inside of her grew more into a human and neither Archana nor Nakul could wait to get their newborn out in the world. They spent long hours planning for the baby’s name - Rabi if it was a boy and Nisha for a girl.
Their little island of happiness got a new inhabitant soon enough, when a handsome little boy, healthy and hale, was born to them at the turn of autumn. Rabi had arrived.
A precocious child, he was truly the Sun of his parents’ lives - the angel around whom Archana and Nakul spent doting around forever. Born during the auspicious Durga Puja, Rabi got the first glimpse of the majestic goddess Durga when he was barely a day old, the ecstatic parents taking him to the Durga Temple in the village to get him blessed and anointed.
The first few days of the young Rabi’s life were filled with joy, with the joyous grandparents, various aunts and uncles all coming to visit the newborn and celebrating the auspicious blessings of Maa Durga quickly followed by the Bengali Laxmi Puja - the celebration of the goddess of wealth and good fortune!
However, after a few days, the relatives all left, leaving the newborn and the new parents to their own schedule. Nakul had to rejoin his office, having used up his vacation days, and right the next week, was asked to go to the district office for some new instructions. Even though Kaali Puja was the next day, Nakul had to make the early morning journey leaving the sleeping Rabi and anxious Archana behind.
Promising her that he would come back right after the urgent meeting called by the new superintendent, Nakul left for the bus stop. Even though winter was still a few months away, the days were shorter and the morning Sun wasn’t fully up, the road lit by the reddish glow of dawn filtering through the mist which was still slowly receding.
As he passed by the ever expanding adobe of Kripali Baba, as he had done a hundred times over the past year, he saw the sadhu sitting in the traditional lotus pose - deep in meditation.
Nakul brought his hands together clasping them briefly against his forehead in the traditional show of respect, before hurrying on his way to catch the bus from Dinhata.
Archana and Rabi had a pleasant morning, the mother son duo enjoying the sunshine in the small garden which they had just outside their cottage. Rabi lay on his back on the small plastic crib - a gift from an indulgent uncle, while Archana sat on a blanket next to him, singing him lullabies, laughing at the various expressions the newborn unwittingly made.
After giving him a massage with the baby oil, Archana gave him a quick bath in lukewarm water before feeding him and putting him down for a nap in their bedroom. She sat for a moment staring at her sleeping son, her heart full of joy and satisfaction.
However she had to get moving soon, the time the baby slept being the only window when she could get any of the household chores done. Even though the girl who helped out with the household chores took care of the more manual work, Archana still had to cook for herself and Nakul. She also washed all of baby Rabi’s clothes and knickknacks on her own, unable to trust anyone else with her baby’s things.
Finishing all the household chores took a while - Archana always had an ear cocked for the slightest stirring sound. Rabi was a light sleeper and would cry his eyes out if he woke up and didn’t find his mother next to him.
Finally done with all the chores, taking a quick min long bath, and scarfing down her lunch, Archana went to bed, lying down exhausted next to her baby.
Rain in the autumn months in Kunidanga isn’t unheard of, but it isn’t a common occurrence either. Thundershowers are definitely a more uncommon sight.
Archana woke up disoriented and scared at the clap of thunder which had crashed somewhere close by.
She hadn’t realised when she had dozed off, tired from the constant crushing routine which she had as a new mother. Now, awake, she was scared at the dark cloudy sky outside, the gusting wind, the clapping thunder.
She suddenly turned - where was Rabi? The small infant was nowhere on the bed! Archana let out a wail of despair, probably her precious baby had rolled over and fallen from the bed. But then why was he silent? Why was he not crying? Was he hurt?
She scrambled off the bed, searching for Rabi, but he wasn’t there.
He was hardly old enough to turn on his belly, so it wasn’t likely that he had crawled out of the room.
Desperately, with an anguished cry, Archana searched all around the tiny house, darkened by the storm approaching, with no power. The only source of light was the now near constant flashes of lightning.
The house was empty.
There was no Rabi.
Now completely panic stricken, Archana ran outside, ignoring the large drops of icy rain drenching her, the uneven unpaved road striking her bare feet.
The road was empty, no one had ventured out in this weather. The wind and the rain made it really hard to see anything.
Not knowing which way to go Archana ran towards the bus stop, for no good reason other than knowing that’s the direction Nakul would come back from.
She passed by Kripali Baba but he was nowhere to be seen. The rain was pouring down now and there were small puddles forming on the sodden ground around the thatched hut which Kripal Baba had built for himself.
Somehow drawn in by some irresistible fear and a deep sense of foreboding, Archana turned off the road and into the venerated plot, taking trepidation filled steps towards the drenched hut. The makeshift abode didn’t have a door, just a heavy rug hung from a string like a curtain.
Archana flung the curtain aside and stepped inside - it was empty. No sign of Kripali Baba. No sign of Rabi.
There was a rolled up mattress on one corner of the tiny space, a few change of clothes on a wooden pallet, acting as a cupboard, and a few odds and ends lying here and there.
Archana didn’t know what she was expecting but she ran back out, somehow relieved to have not found her son there in the sadhu’s hut but also more scared wondering where he might be.
Much later that evening Nakul came back to find a comatose Archana wailing while a few neighbouring women tried to console her. Shocked and desolate, Nakul rushed into the house, convinced that their little boy was hiding somewhere. He turned the entire cottage upside down but alas there was no sign of the missing child.
Minutes stretched to hours, hours into days. The hapless parents remained comatose, completely clueless about what might have happened to their child. Neighbours, relatives, well wishers all had some sort of advice or the other, but none which did anything to alleviate the pain and suffering the distraught couple was going through.
Even though Nakul was fraught with an unbearable sense of loss, Archana was comatose wracked by an overwhelming sense of guilt which sat like a suffocating weight on her chest. She had been castigating herself for falling asleep and not even realising that her baby wasn’t next to her anymore.
When she heard someone saying to go to Kaali temple near Salmara, the last village on the banks of the Torsa river before it entered Bangladesh, she made up her mind to go. She had heard that the deity in that temple was particularly powerful and particularly keen to the plight of mothers - apparently the temple had been built and consecrated by a mother in memory of her child who had drowned in the river many years ago.
Nakul didn’t object. Even though he had given up hope and accepted it in his mind that their Rabi was lost, he didn’t want to dissuade Archana. They started off that very afternoon, taking a rickety old van from a kind neighbour, taking the long winding muddy roads along the bank of the river.
The Kaali Temple was old and bore a deserted look. It didn’t live up to its reputation of hosting a powerful deity who never let mothers return empty handed. There was no rush of devotees, no sound of clanging bells, no smell of incense or cut fruits - all the common sensitivities which one found afflicted near a temple.
Archana and Nakul hadn’t given any thought of bringing any offerings, they did not come here for any elaborate ritual, just to pray to a powerful deity to help them find their child.
As they walked towards the temple, they were surprised to see a lone figure sitting on the entrance steps, smoking a beedi.
Kripali Baba seemed to be equally surprised to see the couple, though he didn’t really seem to acknowledge their presence. If he had a flicker of recognition for them, he hid it well; neither did he raise an eyebrow at the couple’s dishevelled, unkempt appearance.
It was getting dark, seemingly the beginnings of another storm. Nakul hurried Archana inside the temple, they had a long way to go back.
Archana sat in front of the deity, elevated on a black stone. The deity was different from the others of the same goddess which she had ever seen. It seemed to be carved out of the same black rock as the base on which sat, the features carved out of stone. Even though the masonry was excellent, the features of the goddess had harsh edges - harsher than normal perhaps. What was most striking was her eyes. They seemed to be glowing, a strange lifelike quality quite astonishing to see in a stone carved idol.
Archana poured her heart out, dry eyed as there were no more tears left in her, she prayed to the goddess as only a mother can. She promised all that she had and all that she hadn’t, promised her own life and an eternal servitude to the goddess to have her child back.
All she wanted was for her Rabi to be back. Back to his mother’s embrace - where he belonged.
The stone deity had no answer. There was no sign, no crash of thunder as a prompt from the almighty that her deepest entreaties were heard.
Dejected, desolate Archana couldn’t control herself as she felt that the last vestiges of hope which she was nurturing in her heart were now broken. Her Rabi was not going to come back to her.
Nakul held Archana up, tears of a deep inconsolable grief flowing down his own face.
They stepped back out of the temple to dark skies. The wind had picked up and the heavy rain laden cumulonimbus clouds were racing in from the horizon shading the scenery with a dark hue.
Nakul suddenly shrank back, pulling Archana back as well. Kripali Baba lay on the ground, face up, eyes open, not breathing.
Quite dead.
There was a gaping wound in his stomach, a bloody, raw puncture.
Inside out.
As if something inside his stomach had tried to crawl out. Crawl out in a hurry. As if, that something, was being summoned. Summoned by a mother.

i know this is a common thing to be feeling when in a relationship, but it has been really making me struggle so i decided to reach out for advice, we have been together for almost 3 years now, it is long distance and we only meet once a month at best, our relationship has always been healthy, we talk on a daily.
kindly read until the end, i am sorry about how long this will be in advance.
i am asexual, neither of us see much worth in sex and through the 3 years of our relationship, we have not discussed it much, i am open to it if she wants to and i have made that clear. i always saw myself as a hopeless romantic and sought to find someone i can fully devote myself to. i have struggled with gender dysphoria at the age of 15/16, i gradually grew out of it while maturing because i realized i was merely confusing two things, admiring something and wanting to have it. the way i view women and womanhood was never the same after that, my girlfriend was the first and the only woman i would get close enough to, and she opened my eyes and helped me develop my views and ground them, i ended up idolizing her, i love everything that she does, i love what she wears and how she wears it, i love her make up and how she does it, i love to watch her putting it on, i love the way she carries herself, i love the friendships she has with other girls, the bonds she shares with her sisters, i have always adored the feminine urge to look and be pretty, and what she did and how she did it was exemplery, i grew to see much more in women thanks to her, and she has and had her own struggles for being one, which pains me so much, she takes pride in being a woman still, i am proud of her, and i adore her so much for that.
she is only one year older than me but she was always wiser and had her views and principles well established, we were both still learning from life and we still are but it always feels like she is a few steps ahead, i have always admired that and she helped me so much when it came to figuring life and myself out, i would always go to her for any sort of advice, i have always had a hard time dealing with emotions and sometimes i would feel like i was not able to feel them that strongly, prior to being in a relationship with her, being sad almost never made me cry, after getting together with her, it felt like my emotions were overflowing, thinking about her easily makes me cry when i miss her now. she has done so much for me, she has contributed so much to who i am now as a person, she is my number one motive to work hard in life. i have had self-loathe issues and still do to a certain point, she helped me deal with them, and i have always tried not to let them affect our relationship, especially that we are far from each others and my girlfriend would feel like her hands are tied, so i tried to address those issues together with her in the span of these past 3 years. i have this huge soft spot for her, i do not feel like i am connected to any person in my life besides her, i always put her first when it comes to anything.
now, to the core of the issue. i feel like a bland person, i do not have any particular talent, my girlfriend draws, and she does it brilliantly, she did some drawings of me and it made my soul leave my body each time, i have always hated how i looked but i just could not say that about the me in her drawing, that contradiction only felt like it can be put inside me by her, no one else on this earth can be as powerful as her, she can sing and her voice drives me crazy, i would go "wow" if i hear someone covering a song well but it is not the case when it is her, it makes me lose it so hard, she can dance and she is so good at it too, she has the finest taste in music, movies and series, and she is so passionate about everything she likes, i can listen to her go on for hours, no, days. i have never been so fed up with being a late bloomer. i know that is not very rational, and i have always categorized it as "me being me". i draw too but i am not as good, i have been pushed to develop it more because her body gives me the strongest urge to draw, i got more into music and movies which were already hobbies of mine but she lit my passion up, i have a one track mind and i am lazy so i am very slow when it comes to getting into stuff, she helped me with that too, even if unintentionally.
but there is more.
the biggest issue i have ran into is her body, at the beginning of our relationship, she was very reserved and we only texted, i did not have any issue with that, on the contrary, i was happy that i found someone with whome i can have such a deep and profound relationship only through exchanging thoughts, i think i got too comfortable with that, we have been trying to have phone calls more recently and the way my heart drops when i hear her voice every time ugh, i feel like both my mind and heart exaggerate a lot, but that is just how i am built, i have no control over it, which also applies to the videos or the pictures she sends me.
she has the most beautiful body, i have likened it to renaissance statues when it comes to how perfect it is, and i have complimented her for it numerous times, but at some point, it felt like what i say about it might be overwhelming, that made me become self-conscious of it all, i tried to do it differently after that but i slowly grew to think my reactions might have become underwhelming, i know i am overthinking this, but it is not something i can just discuss with her, she is a bit sensitive when it comes to her body, and it feels so unnatural to ask about how i should react to her videos and pictures, this spread and affected other stuff too, like her drawings, etc. i am the kind of person that really says a lot about something so i have always taken in consideration that it might be too much for some people. besides, i know she knows what she looks like and she already knows what i think about it, same goes for her talents and skills, i want to be as appreciative as i can be and it is genuine, i mean, i really do find and see that much in her and in what she does, but the way i do it ends up being overwhelming and it leads me to this whole overthinking fest, i sometimes feel like there are some things i need to normalize, i do not know, i am way too confused at this point, i always discuss my issues with her, but due to the nature of this one issue here, i could not, and that added to how bad it was for me, recently, it has escalated so much that it is making me depressed, i literally feel non-functional. it feels like i started seeing her as a being that is above me, something i should not be connected to, it felt like a relationship between a goddess and a human, i know that might be cheesy for some but that is the only way i can describe it. please keep in mind that she always reassures me about how appreciative i am of her, she never said i was lacking, and she always expresses how happy she is being with me, she appreciates everything i do too, and she expresses how she finds my body pretty too, she does it so naturally and so passionately, it even feels unfair sometimes because i look at what she says and it feels like i can not do it that way. i felt like i should do something about it, therefore, here we are.
do you think i am overreacting and feeling this is all normal~? what do you think i should do~? if anyone wants further clarifications, you can message me on discord, i would be happy to talk with someone about this, username is "sorani13." and yeah, that last period is included. also, i apologize if the post is not structured well, or if i did not phrase my thoughts properly, this is my first time doing something like this. thank you for reading, have a lovely day/night~

I picked up some anime UMDs in an auction bundle recently. One of them is a movie called "Ah! My Goddess the Movie." I can't find much about the UMD online as far as value. Does anyone know if this is a rare or highly collectable UMD?

Jerry
Another week of travel sees the Crimson Tear making her orbital insertion around Coburnia's Rest with a graceful ease that only comes with a steady and experienced hand at the tiller, and Ian McCoy was coming to prize his abilities as the Tear's senior helmsman significantly.
Jerry would have enjoyed watching from the bridge, but instead he was watching from a screen aboard the Olympia, loaded up with his contact team for the Hammerhands. He looks over to Masha.
"Time to go, gorgeous."
"You got it, stud."
"I believe that's 'sir' while we're working."
Masha gives Jerry a mischievous grin.
"Stud, sir."
She flips through a few comm channels, getting their clearance and throttling up the Olympia and slipping out of the landing bay near the Den, right as Audacious comes in for her choreographed docking maneuver that they'd first shown off making orbit around Serbow.
In a few moments the Tear and Audacious fall away and Jerry gets his first proper look at Coburnia's Rest. It really was a pretty world. Earth-like in many senses except there were aggressive mountain ranges just about everywhere, which had left the Cannidor two options once the ready available space had been taken up during the initial colonization. Start knocking mountains down, or start burrowing into them.
Being Cannidor, they'd actually done both, knocking down mountains where practical and digging in deep where it wasn't. Which led to the rather fascinating capital of Coburnia's Rest, and the seat of Clan Hammerhand, The Crucible.
“Well I can certainly see why they named it the Crucible.”
Jerry says, pointing at the features from the seat next to Masha.
“It really looks like one with the city ringed on all sides… those are some serious mountains too.”
“You can say that again, they’d fit right in with the Himalayas back on Earth.”
There was only one break in the ring of mountains round the massive city, where a path had been battered to the sea.
“Hmmm… going to take a wild guess without looking at the galactic fact book, this was once been a glacial valley,a big one, and the Hammerhands massively expanded till we get this big city of theirs.”
Masha nods. “Where’s all the industrial stuff though? I wasn’t really in for the briefing since I was prepping for the flight, but I was expecting more factories and stuff.”
“Well that’s the trick, the mountains are the factories, forges, fortresses and other less aesthetically pleasing, but critical facilities.”
“Oooh.” Masha’s eyes widen slightly. “Damn. That’s clever. The stuff an enemy would target first for their value are outright hidden away, and more importantly, protected, by many tons of stone.”
“Yep. Leaves a fairly pretty city behind all things considered.”
“Hmm. Can’t say I’m a fan of modern Cannidor architecture. Needs more spiral staircases and towers for charming princes to compose elegant couplets about the fair lady knights seeking his hand.”
The couple dissolve into chuckles until the radio crackles to life with automated instructions for them to check into approach control. Masha flips a few switches, then looks over to Jerry.
"You got the comms, stud, sir?"
"Yeah I got'em."
Jerry dials in the channel for approach control for the Crucible.
"Crucible space flight control, this is the Undaunted transport Olympia, here for an official diplomatic meeting with Khan Hammerhand."
"Olympia, we've been expecting you. Head for docking platform 1-1B, following the beacon I'm pushing to your system now."
Jerry checks the appropriate system and ties the beacon into the nav computer.
"We've got the beacon, proceeding to 1-1B, Olympia out."
Jerry's HUD and integrated network node lets him quickly dial in the beacon to a map and consider where exactly they were landing.
"Looks like they've got us on the surface, somewhat near the beach... the Khan's fortress palace is on the other end of the city."
Masha frowns. "Think they're fucking with us?"
"Hmm..." Jerry engages a nav program to route them on foot from the landing pad to the Khan's fortress, and finds it goes straight through a fair bit of the city. "I think Khan Hammerhand is introducing us to her people and the city in a more organic way. We'll likely be told to explore at our leisure or given a time a decent ways away to allow us to 'rest and recover' from our journey, which we will of course spend walking through the city, maybe having a meal."
Masha looks over her shoulder at Jerry for a second, arching an eyebrow.
"Damn, that's pretty slick."
"Khan Hammerhand has been Khan for a very long time from what Komugai told me. You don't keep a bunch of trade guilds and families together without being a fairly deft hand politically. It's also a good sign. If she wasn't sure about us in some way I doubt she'd be introducing her people like this."
"Yeah. Well, guess we'll have to see exactly what they're up to... I'm just glad we get to wear civvies for this."
Jerry looks down at himself. He felt a bit odd out of uniform, but the Apuk garb his wives had picked out for him still looked just as slick on him as it had on Serbow, and was damn comfortable. Mixed with his Crimsonhewer war ax, kukri and field pistol and he looked like something out of a fantasy tabletop game that had transitioned to scifi at some point.
"Yeah, the khan's not military, and she specified wanting a 'relaxed' meeting. Guess we'll just have to see exactly what that means, Komugai was damn certain she'd have some sort of test for us."
"Guess we'll find out! On the ground in five!"
Masha was wrong. She had the Olympia touching down in approximately four minutes from starting reentry.
“Alright, I’ll get the Olympia put up, and head for your beacon when I’m done.”
Jerry and Masha exchange another kiss and he walks into the back, where the rest of the contact team for the Hammerhands is waiting. Wichen had brought along Senior Chief Gunner's Mate John Halsey, her able right hand man and looming just behind them was Chief Gunner's Mate Yura Ironside, the Joruga arms dealer that Jerry and his team had met on the Pillars of Ascension a few months back. Carolatta Bisen was another familiar face. A loud mouth, but she was coming along as an expert power armor technician even if she couldn't keep a secret in a bucket.
Jaruna herself is waiting by the door leading to Olympia's passenger ramp, and has Vera, Sheryen, Vilka and Meela with her, the usual security detail augmented by Dar'Vok and her new trainees. Sheryen and the girls would actually be backing off as a ‘covert’ detail, letting Dar’Vok and her new trainees handle close protection along with Makula, who was picking at her new clothes a bit, as if she wasn't used to clothing that didn't fit under armor properly.
Jaruna greets Jerry with a kiss as he joins them by the door.
"Just finished a little briefing on Cannidor culture hubby, should be good to go."
Jerry nods. "Good. Alright folks, if this goes like I'm anticipating we're going to have a bit of time to walk around and explore as we make our way to the Khan's fortress. I want everyone to stay mostly within eyesight of the rest of the team, and always have a buddy with you. No wandering off solo, we'll accept some hospitality if it's offered but we are here to work. Do this right and I'm sure we can explore on R&R ourselves later on if we want."
Jerry smacks the button to open the hatch, and steps out on the ramp, getting a lungful of the cool sea breeze coming up from the south that just managed to cover over the slightly acrid smell of starship operations and taking a brief look around before heading down the ramp.
The architecture of the place seemed to be very much in the Cannidor style, which Jerry considered a mix of brutalism and what he thought of as 'heroic' architecture. Not the attempt to rebrand brutalism, but rather brutalism's pragmatism and raw materials crossed with the type of things you'd expect from a modern warrior culture.
For example, Jerry spied a tower nearby that just from a glance almost certainly held a couple anti-aircraft batteries, part of the space port's defenses. It was an armored, functional piece, but it had a large sculpture of a Cannidor war goddess shaped around it, elevating a practical object in a way that just screamed 'Cannidor' to Jerry. Every home is a bunker or fortress, every office a barracks in time of war. Every rooftop is an opportunity for a concealed turret or a small garden in equal measure.
If there was a species in the galaxy that could make concertina wire artistic in some way, Jerry knew it was the Cannidor, and while some people might find such an environment almost oppressive, the layering to build up defenses, the space between buildings to ensure clear firing lines between defensive points all contributed to making The Crucible feel very open and comfortable... for a Marine anyway. The actual 'violence' concealed within the airy open spaces even around their landing pad would probably make a lot of civilians just a bit nervous.
For a fighting man though? Paradise.
Jerry resists throwing his arms out to embrace the Crucible symbolically and settles for exchanging salutes with the uniformed guardswomen and the clan dignitary waiting for them.
The woman offers a bit of a bow before straightening up, showing off her heavy duty leather smock. This was ritual gear to a degree, but it was very clear these were the clothes of a hard working woman.
"Forgemistress Kalak, Admiral Bridger, I presume?"
"That's me. A pleasure to meet you, Forgemistress."
Kalak grunts in acknowledgment.
"The Khan bids you to relax and enjoy the city as you make your way to the fortress... we're not in any rush and you've had a decent journey since your victory at the edge of Cannidor space."
"Heard about that little skirmish did you?"
The forgemistress lets out an amused snort.
"You have no idea you're all over the news do you? Got everything a good news story for the Cannidor needs, an exotic new species of mostly men, violence in every domain imaginable including a proper drop by Cannidor shock troopers, hell I'll be surprised if the combat footage your people released doesn't get recut as a movie!"
Jerry arches an eyebrow, he did have Nyri'Jan release a super cut of footage from the engagement with the pirates, with a lot of the Undaunted special weapons carefully omitted, but he hadn't expected widespread interest outside Irgalas' domain.
"Well if everyone's enjoying the show I don't think I can complain too much."
"Uh huh." Kalak clearly doesn't buy the humble routine, but she's not going to press it either. "Anyway. Welcome to Coburnia's Rest, the laws are no killing without cause, and keep your hands to your own shit. No customs or anything, you're here or you aren't and taxes are paid on each sale of goods except for exempted stuff like food. There's guards around and they'll keep an eye out for non-Cannidor and men, but don't expect too many favors, especially if you pick a fight you can't win... though for you Undaunted types I can't imagine you do that often. Enjoy the city, and feel free to drop into my family store, can always use some business."
Masha looks up, clearly eager. "What does your family specialize in Mistress Kalak?"
"Blades of all kinds mostly, the only stuff we sell direct is results from apprentices we've deemed fit for sale. Most of our work's custom and goes direct to the intended owner or clan. You gotta be a clan friend to get that kinda work though, but you manage to pull that off with the Khan and I'll give you Undaunted a discount, heard you like a decent bit of fighting metal... and from the big war knife and that 'Hewer ax on the Admiral's belt I'd say that rumor's true. Anyway, I got shit to do, so I'll shove off."
Kalak strides off without ceremony, leaving an amused Jerry, a laughing Jaruna and a somewhat confused everyone else in their wake.
Jaruna chuckles again and composes herself. "Yep, proper Cannidor hospitality right there. You're not gonna get a warmer welcome than that anywhere in Cannidor space I suspect. Just about threw the doors open and embraced you like a long lost member of the family if we translate Cannidor to the rest of the galaxy."
Wichen cocks her head. "That's what the Cannidor call hospitality!?"
It's Jerry's turn to chuckle. "Extreme hospitality actually. They're letting us past their defensive lines, into their city, with no escort and we've got the run of the place until we get to the palace in more or less our own time. Would you let a stranger into our home with that kind of freedom?"
"...Oooh." Wichen nods. "Right, got it now. That is interesting!"
"It is, but let's not stop ourselves from getting some rest somewhere pleasant instead of standing around on a landing pad."
Jerry waves a hand forward, and leads the Undaunted into the city proper.
First Last

For phase one, see this. https://www.reddit.com/hasbro/comments/1d98069/how_i_would_execute_a_hasbro_cinematic_universe/
For phase two, see this. https://www.reddit.com/hasbro/comments/1d9gpqb/how_i_would_execute_a_hasbro_cinematic_universe/
For phase 3, our big bad is none other, then Unicron himself. Even the non-transformers characrers movies have indirect connections to him. And things get much darker as the heroes walk the thin lines between good and evil and become willing to do ANYTHING to achieve their goals. But new heroes show up as well.
GI Joe/Transformers Civil War
If you remember back in my Phase 2 post, I wrote that during the events of Enforcers: Somber Kingdom, tensions were brewing between the Autobots and the Joes. And Equestria finally makes first contact with Earth. Well, this story is the culmination to those events. After the the battle of the Crystal Empire in Somber Kingdom, both the UN, and Equestria's government, pass a law that places the Enforcers under Equestrian mandate and forces them to register to the Equestrian courts. Even the UN, agrees to these terms. (mainly for having the Enforcers be someone else's problem and leave Earth alone) The Joes are in favor of this law thinking that it would lead to less destruction when fighting enemies, and couple the fact they are already familiar with laws like this since they work for the U.S government. But the Autobots are against it saying they don't belong to Equestria and their own personal beliefs of freedom. So Duke forms a team that is for the law, with Optimus Prime forming one against it. The only one who doesn't side with either of them is Twilight Sparkle, who is distraught by the fact her team is divided by a law that Celestia or Luna would never allow to pass. Now Twilight must find a way to get her team back together. While doing this, she uncovers a dark secret behind the Equestrian ambassador to Earth who wrote this law.
Notable events include

• One of Celestia's nobles in her court, Quill Quibbler, helps pass this decree that forces The Enforcers to register to the Equestrian government.
• Quill locks Celestia and Luna in the dungeons as he reveals that he wrote the law as a part of his plan to usurp the throne and rule with an iron hoof.
• The Joes and Autobots battle in Manehatten and cause maximum damage, causing the citizens to grow more angry at the Enforcers.
• Optimus tries to reason with Twilight and tries to forcefully join his side, with her refusing, stating she want's to bring them all back together, leaving Optimus in disgust.
• Optimus, now impatient, fires at Twilght's castle and, with Twilight leaving in the nick of time with Spike but causes minor damage. Twilght, now infuriated, battles Optimus for nearly killing her and her friends.
• After reaching a stalemate, Optimus, now growing desperate, holds the Mane 5 hostage and threatens to kill them if Twilight doesn't join his side.
• Quill then tells the Autobots and Joes and the Mane Six about his plan, which enrages Duke and Optimus, causing a battle between them all.
• Quill is revealed to be a Changeling, then arrested and Duke disbands the Joes and the Autobots leave to go and repair and rebuild Cybertron, but not before help get started with the clean up efforts in Ponyville, Canterlot, and Manehatten.

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: Following Duke disbanding the Joes, we find him in his home, still in his old G.I. Joe armor. We then see him rip the G.I. Joe patch from the shoulder of his shirt and him stitching on a patch that say "Action Man" with Duke saying to himself "This time, I follow my own rules on how to save people."
Magic the Gathering
In a new entry, on the mystical world of Amundus, a world of dragons, witches, warlocks, trolls, and other fantastical creatures, Four young wizards, Nym, Sardon, Hemus, and Regalna, find themselves facing Arcan, the terrifying King of Dragons. After a fierce battle, Arcan banishes them to Gaia (also know as Earth.) Now the young wizards must find a way to return to Amundus and stop Arcan and his schemes to merge the dimentions together and form a new world.
Notable events include

• The dragon king, Arcon, sends four young wizards, Nym, Sardon, Hemus, and Regalna, to Earth just before they are able to destroy him.
• The wizards end up in New York City and meet two teens named Jamie and Joesph.
• Arcon, in disguise as a greedy business man, tells the wizards and teens of his plan to sap the Earth of it's positive energy and bring his dragon army though the portal he created that sent the wizards to Earth.
• Using a crystal made up of the Earth's natural elements, the wizards and teens banish Arcon into an alternate dimension after a battle at the New York Stock Exchange.
• Rather then being disconnected between dimensions, Hemus develops a spell to create an eternal portal that connects Amundus to Earth, wether to hang out with Jamie and Joesph, or when they need to come and protect the Earth from magical and supernatural threats. The new normal for the people of Earth grows even more unpredictable.

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: We cut to a military base, where we find the Chinese Navy constructing a battleship, using schematics from 1945, the same schematics used to build the U.S.S Destiny.
Battleship: World War
After the events of Somber Kingdom, the crew of the U.S.S Destiny, with their captain Josh Patrick, are now members of the Enforcers, ready to protect the Earth and galaxy. However, they soon learn that the Chinese have built their own futuristic battleship dubbed the Dynasty. To avert war, the United States and China hold a series of competitions to prove who has the better battleship. But an unknown threat has diabolical plans to turn this friendly shoulder shove into a full-blown world war, so now Cpt. Patrickson and the Dynasty's captain, Tao J. Zhu, to settle their differences and stop this mysterious force and put a stop to his plans of World War III. But this is easier said than done.
Notable events include

• The crew of the U.S.S Destiny learn that the Chinese are building a battleship similar to the Destiny called the "Dynasty," which Captain Patrickson thinks is a stupid name for a ship.
• Captain Patrickson and Captain Zhu are revealed to be old rivals of the U.S. Naval Acadamy when Zhu was a foreign exchange student.
• The mysterious man is revealed to be a former Soviet spy named Vladimir Klorskov who defected from Russia believing that the world needs another World War to send it into another Industrial Revolution, thinking the recession in the U.S. robbed his father of a job.
• Captains Patrickson and Zhu are now friendly rivals after they arrest Klorskov, but Patrickson tells Zhu that he needs to start an investigation to find out if Klorskov had any followers.

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: We cut to a cave where a cloaked figure is holding a staff and she places it into a giant metal gate with four other staffs. The gate opens and the cloaked figure is revealed to be Chrysalis, who says, "Fine, I'll kill Celestia and Luna myself."
My Little Pony: Chrysalis Rising
Twilight's Brother, Shining Armor asks Princess Cadence for her hoof in marriage, to which she accepts in a heartbeat, but Queen Chrysalis finds out about this and, after gathering enough magic for her elemental staffs, finally reopens the gateway to Argatha, the realm of the Changlings. So in this film, after preparing for the wedding, Chrysalis unleashes her Changeling army and attacks Equestria. Chrysalis also kidnaps Shining Armor and Cadence and plans to use theiur magic to fuel Argatha's army. So Twilight, her friends, must travel to Agartha and save Celestia and stop Chrysalis for good.
Notable events include

• While preparing for the wedding, Twilight prepares for a special present for the royal couple.
• Clockwork has equipped herself with armor that protects her from any form of attack and allows her to absorb magic.
• Clockwork reveals that after she has full control of Equestria, she plans to attack the rest of the galaxy and find a way to have enough power to control all of reality.
• Celestia is apparently 'killed' after Cadence's and Shining Armor's love for each other amplify their magic enough to destroy Argartha completely.

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: NONE (Instead their is be a trailer announcing Enforcers: Rise of Unicron Part I and Part II and their release dates)
Action Man
In My Little Pony: Chrysalis Rising, Twilight would mention all of the Enforcers and why they are not attending the wedding. First, John Armstrong is busy with a tech show in Las Vegas, Then, Optimus and the Autobots are busy with the long overdue repairs on Cybertron since Phase 2, Next, Bob Banks is also busy with another tech show going on in Berlin, the crew of the U.S.S Destiny are investigating the events of Battleship: World War, and finally Duke sent a reply to Twilight saying he was busy with something.....which leads us to this story. Action Man takes place relatively at the same time as My Little Pony: Clockwork Rising. It is about Duke, following the fallout of G.I. Joe/Transformers: Civil War, forming a new team of heroes who, while upholding the law, go out of the way of the government to be the heroes the world needs. As a new threat arises, the new team, called Action Man, must stop this threat and save the world once again. This time, they must stop a rouge hacker from activating a device that will allow him to travel across alternate universes.
Notable events include

• Duke, now a freelance hero, forms a new team to fight off the evils of the world, named the "Action Man."
• The rogue hacker is revealed to be a former member of C.O.B.R.A. who reveals he is looking for an alternate universe where Cobra Commander survives the events of G.I. Joe: War Games.
• Agent Jameson goes to the home base of Action Man and tells them he has resigned from the CIA after the CIA heard and investigated the events in G.I. Joe/Transformers: Civil War, and tells them he has formed a new organization of his own called the Mobile Armor Strike Kommand (or M.A.S.K. for short) with the help of multi-millionaire philanthropist Matt Trakker, to which Duke says they might have need help once in a while from. (NOTE: The reason I'm introduction M.A.S.K. like this into the HCU is because: One, I wanted to bring Agent Jameson back since I haven't mentioned him since Phase 2. and Two: I want M.A.S.K. to be another TV series along with CLUE, and it might get a film somewhere in either Phase 4 or 5, depending on my mood.)

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: In the vastness of space, a sphere shrouded in shadow growls and claims for his hunger to be quenched.
Enforcers: Rise of Unicron. Part 1
The culmination of everything I have been leading up to! Enforcers: Rise of Unicron is a two part event that starts in Part I, moments after the events of My Little Pony: Chrysalis Rising. In Part I, Cadance and Shining Armor find out and announce that the former is pregnant, which brings much rejoicing among the Enforcers. However, during the baby shower, Optimus Prime receives a message from Vector Prime and Alpha Trion that Unicron has been devouring planets and is preparing to destroy Cybertron, which is the alternative mode of the Transformers creator, Primus (yes, I'm one of the Transformers fans that likes Cybertron being the alt mode of Primus.) So, the Enforcers go out into the vastness of space in search of Unicron. However, as a surprise to the Mane Six, Celestia, and Discord, it turns out Chrysalis is still alive, but is now a herald of Unicron, under the new name and form of Time Queen. So now the Enforcers must not only stop Unicron, but stop Time Queen from leading him to all of their worlds.
Notable events include

• Cadence and Shining Armor, after returning from their honeymoon, announce that Cadence is pregnant, to which the Mane Six cheer and congratulate the royal couple of the happy news.
• Chrysalis is revealed to still be alive after the events of My Little Pony: Chrysalis Rising and was 'summoned' by Unicron to destroy Cadence and Shining Armor and then destroy the Matrix of Leadership. zchrysalis refuses stating, "I do not work for anyone but myself!" Unicron then tortures her until she accepts the offer.
• Unicron then re-formats Chrysalis into Time Queen, and then re-formats some dead Chngeling solders into Time Queen's new minions and give them a new ship, to which Time Queen orders her new army to Equistria.
• During Cadance's foal shower, Optimus Prime freezes up and his chest opens up revealing the Matrix of Leadership and, just as everyone starts to get worried about him, tells them all that he is receiving a message from Alpha Trion and Vector Prime.
• While in the Matrix, Alpha Trion and Vector Prime reveal to Optimus that Unicron has made a resurgence and is devouring planets to gain enough energy to destroy Cybertron, ergo, destroy Primus and they tell Optimus to warn his friends and allies of Unicron's return.
• Optimus explains to everyone the story of Primus, Unicron, the Thirteen Primes, and how Cybertron was created, prompting the Autobots to leave early to go and activate Cybertron's defense systems, leaving the others wondering what to do.
• Time Queen attacks Canterlot and thinks she has killed Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Mane Six, but it turns out Twilight put a magic shield and an invisibility spell over them and they begin to plan out what there next move.
• Unicron gets angry at Time Queen after he senses Celestia's, Luna's, Cadence's, Shining Armor's, and Twilight's life forces, and tells Time Queen that, all though she will still be useful to him, he will deal with the royal family himself, as a huge chunk of Dark Energon spews out of Unicron and flings towards Equestria.
• Unicron battles Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Optimus using the Dark Energon to create avatars made from the ground ala Transformers Prime. While Cadence and Shining Armor retreat somewhere safe
• The Enforcers are teleported to Cybertron after Heatwave sends a transmission to Optimus saying Unicron was getting close to the planet.
• Minutes before Moon Base 1 was destroyed, the Enforcers, and Celestia and Luba all get knocked out and teleported, with Twilight blacking out as they travel though what appears to be a wormhole. Even Cadence and Shining Armor find themselves being teleported despite retreating to a safe house.
• As Twilight comes to, she finds herself surrounded by a couple unknown people, with her getting on to the defensive, until a winged-man named Jandar calms her down and says, "Well well, Princess Twilight Sparkle, you came to just in the nick of time. We have a lot to tell you."

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: Unicron witnesses the Enforcers disappearing from one of Cybertron's moons after it's destruction and roars in anger, telling Time Queen to scourer the galaxy for their life force
Littlest Pet Shop: World Tour
"WTF! Littlest Pet Shop....after something like what happens in Rise of Unicron - Part I!? What could Littlest Pet Shop contribute in the HCU?" Is what you guys might say, to which I say, "Yes!" But in all seriousness, the next two stories take place during and before Rise of Unicron Part I, starting with this. Now, the story that takes place has the Littlest Pet Shop show canon in the HCU. Basically, Blythe wishes to found a series of humane society's and pet good's stores that spans the world....until Blythe and her friends accidentally awaken an ascent Aztec warrior who plots destroy the power that allows humans like Blythe and animals the ability to communicate with each other (I know right, but what can you do huh?) So now Blythe and the pets must stop the warrior and his diabolical scheme. Nothing really impactful happens that changes the HCU other than bringing in Blythe and the pets, however, the Aztec warrior does mention about parallel dimensions which is another hint towards Phase 4.
END CREDITS SEQUENCE: Blythe and the pets, moments before they are blasted by the Aztec warrior's magic beam, are transported to the planet of Valhalla and meet a mysterious winged man named Jandar who tells them a great evil is approaching and they will need all of the help they can get.
Heroscape: Warriors of Time
Well, we are almost near the end of Phase 3, with our 22th story in the HCU. So how many of you remember the board game, Heroscape. All Thirty of you, well you guys are not alone. Heroscape appeared around 2004-2008 and sort of died in obscurity except for the die hard fans who to this day (at least I think) make fan made playable characters, terrain pieces, scenarios, and also hold tournaments. Back on topic though, if the HCU was real, I feel that Heroscape could be a franchise that can be revitalized with lots of merchandise. Oh yea...the story. Well, if you know the story of Heroscape, it's basically what this story is only with a major addition with Jandar's team finding a crystal that can be used to manipulate time and space, so they must keep it safe from the forces of Ugtar. Anyway, the plot.
With the discovery of the wellsprings on the planet of Valhalla, a Valkyrie general named Jandar forms a team, led by Sgt. Drake Alexander, to fight in the battle of all time against the forces of the evil Ugtar. However, when a Valkyrie warrior named Reylin finds a crystal that can manipulate time and space, Jandar orders his team to keep it safe, lest Ugtar uses it to win the war in his favor. The only two things that impact the HCU is the crystals Reylin finds will be important in Phase 4 and there will be a hint and reference to the threat that may or may not show back up in Phase 5, the final phase.
END CREDITS SEQUENCE: We find Jandar, stand on the top of a tower at the highest point on Valhalla, feeling the air and noise around him, until he opens his eyes, and a vision of the future appears in his head, which causes him to fall down and say, "The time for new allies is nigh my friends."
Enforcers: Rise of Unicron Part 2
Here we are, the end of Phase 3 with the second half of the Unicron story. Last time, the Enforcers, along with the Mane Five, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor somehow escape the destruction of one of Cybertron's moons by Unicron. Turns out the one who rescued them was Jandar, as he saw them in a vision defeating Unicron, and tells them he will assemble his team and Blythe and the pets (who he rescued at the end credits sequence of Littlest Pet Shop: World Tour) and they will all begin a final assault against Unicron. However, at the same time, Time Queen starts to sense a strong and powerful magic coming from the very edge of the galaxy, which is coming from Cadence's and Shining Armor's yet-to-be born foals. Also in this story, Nym, Sardon, Hemus, Regalna, Duke's Action Man team, Blythe, Jandar, and Drake Alexander join the Enforcers.
Notable events include

• After Jandar explains what is going on, Twilight assembles the Enforcers to prepare for a counter attack against Unicron after getting a jumbled message from Cybertron that Unicron is heading for Equistria.
• Twilight and Optimus have a conversion talking about Optimus' actions back during the events of G.I. Joe/Transformers: Civil War, but Twilight yells at him saying he was in the wrong and that using her friends as hostages went against everything he knew, leading Optimus, now sadden, to think about it. (NOTE: Twilight gains a grudge against Optimus back at the ending of G.I. Joe/Transformers: Civil War and is still angry at Optimus during the events of Rise of Unicron Part I.)
• Optimus regains Twilight's friendship and trust back after he takes on Sgt. Alexander, recruits Blyte and the Pets, Jandar, Duke's Action Man teammates, the recently transported Wizards of Amundus, and Sgt. Alexander into the Enforcers, and passes leadership to Twilight, after giving her a 'spark'-filled apology, to which Twilight shouts "ENFORCERS, ENFORCE!"
• The Enforcers find out that Unicron plans to rip out the core of Equistria and turn it into Dark Energon, giving him enough power to destroy Cyberton, ergo, destroy Primus.
• As the Enforcers attack Unicron's anti-bodies as a distraction while Celestia and Luna find Unicron's brain to paralyze Unicron. While this is going on, Cadence and Shining Armor remain in a safe spot, and Cadence goes into labor.
• After Cadence gives birth to her triplets, two colts (one who was an alicorn and the other a unicorn) and a filly alicorn (whose names are Sunspot, Amalgum, and Flurry Heart,) Unicron senses their magic and orders Time Queen to go and destroy the royal family.
• The Sun Triplets reveal they can talk and all three have full control of their magic and use their magic to save their parents and destroy Time Queen by turning her to dust
• The Mane Six use their Rainbow Power and Cutie Mark Magic and Optimus uses the Matrix of Leadership and finally destroy Unicron, who explodes and his head lands in the mountain that Canterlot is built into.
• Optimus congratulates the Enforcers for Unicron's defeat and congratulate, along with the rest of the Enforcers, Cadence's and Shining Armor's children's birth... who also reveal that their unusual intelligence at birth was only temporary, and is going to "reset", causing them to become normal babies.
• Optimus mentions that only one Prime has ever joined Unicron's side, Megatronus Prime, and says that he might never know his master was destroyed.

END CREDITS SEQUENCE: Some near the planet Jupiter, on the moon of Io, lies a dormant Decepticon ship called the "Nemesis" where a ship flies into it. It then transforms and it's revealed to be a Decepticon who bears a slight resemblance to Megatron. This Decepticon is then confronted by Starscream (who's spark survived and was placed into a new body resembling a mix of his Prime and Live Action designs) who is confused because he remembered that Megatron had joined the Autobots. The Decepticon then grabs Starscream by the neck and tells him that he is not Megatron, but a clone made by Shockblast named Galvatron, who has learned that Unicron has been destroyed and is reporting it to his master. It is then revealed that Galvatron's master is none other than Megatronus Prime (aka The Fallen(who's design is the same as his look in ROTF, but with a more "Prime-ish" look to it.)), who tells Galvatron that Unicron's body was merely a vessel for his mind and power, which can never be destroyed. The Fallen then reveals that during the battle, Cadence's and Shining Armor's kids, when they were born, had absorbed enough Dark Energon to contain all of Unicron's memories and powers. The Fallen then tells Galvatron that the children are the key to reviving Unicron, and The Fallen then declares that soon, he will get his revenge. Galvatron then tells The Fallen that the kids are under The Enforcers protection, since Optimus Prime is the co-leader. The Fallen then say that the Enforcers will lead them to the children, and order's Galvatron to kill Optimus Prime, considering that only a Prime can kill The Fallen, and only Optimus remains.
To be continued...

Greetings and salutations!
Now before I say what I wanna say, I want to make it clear that I enjoyed both Avatar movies. The visual effects were awesome and I loved the visual design of the stuff. The story for both movies weren’t the best, but I really appreciate how much hard work and passion that James Cameron has put into this world. The Na’vi in particular have an incredibly well thought out culture and the fact that an entire language was invented for them is mind-boggling. So Kudos to the creators entirely.
But there’s something that’s always kind of bothered me about them too (at least before TWOW), and that’s that I almost feel like they are too perfect in a lot of ways. Just look at the following:
-Their ways of life and theirs alone are shown to be infinitely better than humanity's
-They somehow live 30% longer than humans? (I get that Pandora has all the sci-fi plants and animals but still)
-Their consistently written as innocent victims defending themselves
-War and violence amongst Na'vi only happens (basically) once a century?
-They can insert their thoughts into plants to preserve their memories and communicate long distance
-They've been around longer than humanity but inventions like metal, the wheel, and stone architecture are forbidden in Na'vi society? And none of em' ever tried to change that? (I get that they respect nature deeply, but some clans like the Ash People or Windtraders live in places where that would barely work, If you want rl comparisons look at the Gunditjmara People who made their dwellings from stone or the Aztec (who were expansionists like the Romans that made bloody sacrifices to their gods mind u) were wiped out for their gold and even a few Native North Americans accepted metal things from Europeans cups, knives etc and Eventually found a way to make their own, bear in mind, Even some Native American tribes Took part in Slavery and even fought for the Confedercy. Mainly you'll disagree only cause we're all living much easier lives compared to them, imagine surviving at a time and place where getting mauled by animals, drowning in faster waters, or succumbing to disease was 30 times more common you're either gonna change how you meet those threats or be a bit lucky in a lot of respects.)
Please make no mistake I don't want to start a war in the comments, I'm just looking at this in terms of survival or practicality. Just because an Indigenous peoples way of life was better than before any colonizers came does not mean they were perfect or even really good.
Now credit where it's due TWOW Did provide some nuance to the Na'vi, they have and word for "Murderer" and "Demon" in their own language which mean there've been Na'vi who've met the criteria for these things, they can also be prejudiced and generally commit familiar crimes.
Do I hope in A3 they realize everything I don't like and be assimilated by the RDA? F#$K NO!!! It's their planet their land they can do damn whatever the hell they want!!! Do I hope in A3 it's elaborated that the only reason their as different from the humans as they are is just because of their upbringing? Of Course.
That is all thank u 4 reading.

Obsession
Prologue
The room was impersonal, white and deathly hot. One table, three chairs, two people.
Intense eyes that are seemingly devoid of light. Hands, sticky and red folded in a semblance of calm. Tears sliding over an emotionless face dragging lines in the blood that didn’t dry yet.
The question that gets asked by the strict face on the other end of the table hangs in air between them, the air smells of iron.
‘why?’
after what seemed like an hour there comes a monotone answer:
‘Because i loved her’
Today is the day the world will end, and I will be the one to do it. The realization of what we are about to do sits heavy in my stomach but it is the only way, the only way She can be.
My girlfriend, I can't fathom why She would even choose me. We are traveling in my car, She is so beautiful. I feel guilty, She deserves so much better. She falls asleep, trusts me enough to be alone with me. She is my life, my death. My beginning and my end.
I gently shake her awake, we are there. The wind blows, white blonde hair tries to escape. Her scars shine in the sun, glitter and make her surrealistic. Broken and glued back together with gold. She takes my hand and laughs, her eyes change into little half moons.
A short walk from the meticulously picked parking lot, to the end. I am enjoying my time, She is here.The world is happy, despite everything.The world feels real. She does it, She saves me.
I relish in her now that it is still possible. We are prepared. We have to walk a little, a last cup of coffee, a conversation about everything except our plans. I can’t help but stare at her. Will I be able to honor my promise? I can do anything, for her
Who am i to reject her.
I can see her enjoying her time, something I haven't seen in a long time. I edge it into my memories.This day is special to her. Sacred, a last chance, a last wish
We walk on, she takes my hand again, warm and comfortable. I look at her as much as i can, white blonde hair, green blue eyes, a light scatter of freckles. Remember it, never forget it.
It has been a long time since i have seen her laugh this much, I love her. A tree and a street. We are at the place we have to be. I ask her one last time, are you sure? and i think; are you able to do this to me? Are you sure you are able to do this to me? Is it worth it? Is it worth the end of the world?
I look at her scars, woven gold on her body and know, the last scar will be the last and most beautiful i will reach in this life. I don't see a way out, I don't see any choices. Captured in her will, her love, her revenge. Her will and her desperation is the only worth I have. So I ring the doorbell. My hand goes to my bag, Just in case. She already has it in her hand
The door opens and there is a man. Elegant and put together. A wolf in sheep's clothing. Her eyes betray fear, desperation, rage and sorrow hiding her smile. She changes into stone, and fire and hell.
Before I know it there is a syringe in his neck, and he gets pushed inside. Tears stream over her cheeks, rivers of grief, weakness and fury. She becomes even more beautiful and powerful. A Goddess of vengeance, blood and the end.
I walk behind her and close the door, lock it and help her drag the body of the man that broke her. I know what he has done.
She didn’t have a chance, no hope, no mercy. When he was done with her she was a broken soul, smashed to pieces. Violated and murdered again and again. The only thing that remained was a hollow cocoon.
And i fell for her. I wanted to fill her up, glue her together with gold and rubies. And this is how, this is her only chance for peace, for vengeance and the peaceful nothing.
I am her last chance.
And I love her too much, I am not selfish enough. So I help her drag him, plant his paralyzed body on the couch and wait for her to return.
Is she wearing a white dress on purpose?
The world becomes unreal with the first stab, even more surreal then it already was. I stare, transfixed and obsessed. I follow how the knife goes in and out of the body. Staring at how her dress slowly changes into the color of life and death. How her rage spreads with the smell of blood. Until she is completely exhausted. And she laughs, in a way I have never heard her laugh before. Free and exuberant, all chains broken.
Then she walks up to me, still holding the knife.And in a split second of madness, I feel fear. Dread I had never felt before. Fear of death and damnation. But she turns the knife around and gives me the handle.
This is my hour, this is my time. This is the most important thing I will ever do in my life.
We agreed to this. This is her last wish, a last effort to give her happiness and bliss. There is no way I am going to decline, I don't have the right. So I take the knife, the sharpness and the cold that signal the ending of my world.
She falls on her knees before me. The trust and weakness she shows me by exposing her throat to me makes my heart swell with love. I caress her neck and give her one last heartwarming kiss full of passion, trust and surrender. I look pleadingly at her for one last time and ask with tears that keep streaming without end: ‘ Are you sure?, are you able to do this to me? Are you sure you are able to destroy my world for your freedom? Please tell me you want to live, please tell me that you can live for me?
She shakes her head, and I don't have a choice. My life is hers and she is my world. She wants to lay the world to ruin, so who am I to deny her that.
One last kiss, one last hug, and one last touch.
Then the knife slits through her throat, my face fills with tiny splashes of her life, tears won’t stop coming. As if a dam has broken in my soul.
The world is dead, the end is here.
Regret slithers through my veins, like a deadly poison. I try to stop the bleeding in a blind panic, I cry, and kiss and hug.
I am a monster.
As if I have been drained, a feeling of emptiness dawns on me, I am numb and calm, as I have never been before. It is as if I am in a trance, the world becomes unreal, the blood around me is a movie, a nightmare without end.

I am not The OOP, OOP is u/ThrowRANinjaLegend
I (28M) cosplayed and LARPed as Naruto to prove a point, now my girlfriend (25 F) is pissed. Can this be saved?
Originally posted to relationship_advice
Original Post Nov 22, 2020
My girlfriend (25F) and I (28M) have been together for five years now. She has always been highly into Dungeons and Dragons, Lord of the Rings, and high fantasy content in general. I am into it somewhat and enjoy indulging her hobbies, but am mostly an anime fan. On the other hand, she has no interest in indulging in my hobbies. While I play D&D with her, partake in a yearly LoTR movie marathon with her, and go to the renaissance festival three times a year with her, she has no interest in even trying to watch anime with me, going to conventions, etc. She honestly thinks anime is pretty cringy and would rather just let me partake in it by myself.
That's fine, whatever. Our relationship is good in most aspects. The issue is that starting around the beginning of the year, she has been going out in public dressed as her elf persona. She will wear elaborate medieval gowns, wear fake elf ears, and speak in a fake Irish accent. This will happen multiple times a week when we go shopping, visit friends, and more. She even showed up to dinner with my family dressed as an elf. She will talk about nature spirits and the "Mother Goddess" and basically randomly LARP as an elf.
While I want to be supportive of her, it can frankly get pretty embarrassing. My tipping point was when I got on. a Zoom call with family so we could spend time with my cousin who is undergoing Chemo and can't see people face to face due to the pandemic. My girlfriend joined the Zoom call from her own room, fully dressed as an elf. She was doing the accent. My whole family was very confused but polite. At one point, my girlfriend said something like "I will send my wishes to the lunar goddess and ask for her blessing of recovery to cast upon you. Her magic will help cleanse the illness from your body." It was honestly mortified and the call ended very soon after.
I ended up taking her aside and spoke with her very politely and gently, saying something like this. "Hey, I want to support you and I will always love you. I know dressing up as your character and fantasy stuff in general means a lot to you. But I would really like it if you could lighten up on the cosplaying and LARPing randomly in everyday life. I would be happy to put aside one day a month and we can go out together like this. But it can be a little embarrassing, and with the comment to my cousin, a little inappropriate at times."
She blew a gasket and started snapping and yelling at me. Going on about how I am trying to repress her. How I should NEVER be embarrassed at my girlfriend expressing her true self, etc, etc. She said she was humiliated by what I said and that it was just adding salt to the wound when I suggested just doing it once a month with me.
She didn't want to talk about it after that so I just apologized for upsetting her and let her know it wasn't my intention to upset her. Well, she basically acted as nothing happened and continued to be an elf. Nothing had changed at all. I should mention I also suggested she bring her habit up with her therapist, but this offended her because I was implying she had a mental issue.
I decided that enough was enough. I couldn't stop her from being an elf, but I could still retaliate. She was meeting up with three friends and wanted me to meet up with them. (Yeah, yeah, pandemic. There are virtually no cases where we are and have no lockdown). I decided to dig up my old Naruto cosplay and then drove to meet them at the park. I was in full getup and waved over to my girlfriend. She looked at me like I just shot her dog.
I put my arms behind my back and Naruto ran as fast as I could down to meet them and said "A true ninja is always on time, BELIEVE IT!" And made some hand signs randomly with my hands. Her friends seemed horribly confused and had no idea what to do. After we walked and talked a bit, my girlfriend took me aside more privately and started yelling at me, saying that I was humiliating her. That I was just being petty and trying to get revenge on her and bully her because she likes to cosplay.
I simply told her that because she is comfortable enough to be her true self in public so often, I thought she could accept who I really am as well. I told her that cosplaying and being Naruto in daily life was something I had always wanted to do, but didn't think I would have a significant other that was okay with it. I told her that I realized I couldn't control her and be cruel, so I instead needed to embrace my inner ninja and become Naruto more often. I told her that she should be supportive of me like I am of her.
She wanted to yell more, but we all had to go to a cafe for lunch. When we walked there, (only about ten minutes) we were talking about ourselves at the table. One of her female friends asked me hesitantly "So, what do you do for a living?" On command, I responded with "I'm going to become Hokage! The strongest ninja that ever lived! I need to train even harder and refuse to lose to Sasuke, BELIEVE IT! I then let them know I had to use the restroom and proceeded to Naruto run to the bathroom with my hands behind my back.
Once all of this was over and we were home for the day, my girlfriend sobbed and said I was humiliating her. How Naruto and anime were way, way cringier than fantasy LARPing and how I was obviously just trying to punish her. I insisted I am just being my true self and that she is a massive hypocrite. I let her know that as long as she is randomly allowed to be an elf in public and social situations with me, that is innately enough permission for me to do the same as Naruto.
Well, it's been a few days now and she's really not happy with me. She went out as an elf the other day with me and I was dressed normally. When we got to the bookstore, I went to the bathroom with my backpack (which is normal for me to have) and changed into my Naruto cosplay before once again Naruto running back out to her saying "Let's go find a good bowl of ramen, believe it!" and making random hand signs.
Well, she ended up walking out and hasn't talked to me since. Here's where I think I might be the asshole. I absolutely have no desire to be Naruto. it isn't my true self at all. I am lying about that and she is 100% right that I am doing this a revenge for her being an elf so often and refusing to compromise. I really am just doing this to make a point and I know I am being petty.
Is this even salvageable? I had tried to bring this up a few times before cosplaying Naruto and really tried seeing if we could compromise. She refuses to not be an elf around my family and sees nothing wrong with how she acted in the Zoom call. She basically thought I was controlling and unhinged for suggesting she act like an elf less often. Now I am being petty in return and it's just kind of spiraling out of control.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
OOP

To be honest, I really just kind of want to start growling and acting feral in public and then saying "AHH, THE NINE-TAILED FOX IS TAKING OVER!!" if she won't stop.

~
mathcoreLV

Listen man, you made you right choice. Remember Naruto? Would he give in? Would he stop fighting for what is right? No he wouldn’t, he’d find a way, believe it!

OOP

i want to believe it, but sometimes it's hard to believe it.

THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP. DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP OR COMMENT ON THE ORIGINAL POST

This is a continuation of the first half of my March trip, where I hit up Kamakura, Yokohama, Tokyo, Hakuba, Takayama, Kanazawa, and Kyoto.
These last two weeks of my trip I was in Hiroshima, Miyajima, Okunoshima, Kyoto, Nozawaonsen, Fujikawaguchiko, and Tokyo.
The first half of my trip, I was working full time and barely sleeping. This second half, I had a lot more freedom.
Some things I did: fed some bunnies, watched a baseball game, attended an anime convention, waited a long time for donuts, wait through transport delays, wandered through a forest
A large portion of my trip was planned on the fly which was why I was able to make some seemingly nonsensical travel decisions. If I'd planned ahead of time, I wouldn't have missed out on certain in-demand experiences, for example, seeing a band I badly wanted to see, or returning to the Ghibli Museum to replace the kodama figure I'd smashed. However, one of the benefits of solo travel is the flexibility of doing whatever one wants, and I certainly did that.
On that note, most of the other people I saw throughout my trip were traveling with friends or significant others. There were plenty of occasions where I wished there was someone to share the experience with (the fact that I was still carrying a torch for someone the whole time didn't help).
In general, the hostels in Japan also seemed far less interested in promoting social activities, compared other countries I've visited. There were exceptions, like the one place that was run by a European guy. People on the streets also tended to do their own thing; I was approached by strangers twice during my trip, both times cos I was carrying a box from a very trendy donut shop.
This probably isn't Japan-specific, but one of the biggest lessons I learned was leave ample time for travel delays. I got caught by unforeseen circumstances and each time I wished I hadn't scheduled things so tightly. If hurrying between cities, I'd also take the train over the bus next time. It might cost a little more, but worth it just to avoid being stuck in traffic.
Expenses (gonna use USD):
Credit card $2802 / Cash $855
Total spent $3657
I charged my card as much as possible, both for the travel points and for fear of running out of cash. I arrived with almost $1k in bills and actually ended up with a bit left over
Lodging - $746 for 28 days, ranging from several $16/night hostels to a $52/night ryokan
Shopping - don't know total cos I used both card and cash, but my biggest expense was $217 electronic device from Don Quijote, followed by $49 at Uniqlo
Food - also don't know total, but most expensive meals were $70 and $35 for two tofu dinners, and $50 for wagyu lunch. The majority of my meals were <$10.
Other - notably $334 for one-week JR Pass and ~$200 for private lesson to level up snowboarding skills
Mon 3/18 - Hiroshima, Miyajima
Took off for Hiroshima on the shinkansen first thing in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised to by how much the JR Pass covered for this leg; I barely paid for any transportation costs the next few days. My pass covered the sightseeing bus that takes you from Hiroshima Station to a bunch of tourist locations (my hostel was right by one of them), the train and ferry rides to Miyajima, and my trains to Tadanoumi. IIRC all that was left was the 100yen Miyajima visitor tax and the ferry ride for Okunoshima. Score. Once again, Japan Travel by NAVITIME was super helpful for figuring out covered routes.
I got off the tourist bus at Peace Memorial Park and checked into my hostel, then immediately headed to a nearby okonomiyaki place (Henkutsuya Horikawa). Damn, that ooey gooey chewy flavour bomb seriously hit the spot. I wasn't expecting to be served right on the griddle where the food was being prepared.
After that, I walked around Peace Memorial Park, full of solemn tributes for everyone affected by the atomic bomb. The museum painted a very vivid picture of what transpired the morning of the bomb. It's hard for me to write about this. I'll just say people should know the human toll of war.
The park was built near the bomb had detonated; now everything is beautiful and serene, with only a few eerie vestiges of destruction like the Atomic Dome (kinda eerie at night).
I'd lingered a little longer than expected at the museum (it'd take hours to read through everything) and had to rush off to Miyajima. First things I noticed after getting off the ferry were the deer, so chill unlike the entitled ones I'd encountered in Nara. These, I like.
I spent some time walking through the shopping street, plenty of seafood, snacks, and souvenirs were available. Also diddle around Itsukushima Shrine a bit, waiting around for sunset and high tide. The view of the Great Torii was quite lovely.
Had some very cheap udon and egg sushi at Ueda, an adorable mom-and-pop restaurant near my hostel. The old lady there was just hustling to serve me; I wanted to hug her so bad. There was also a Dodgers game was on, and the camera kept cutting to Shohei Ohtani. The love for this guy here is real; I want to watch him play in person now.
Tues 3/19 - Okunoshima
Set off bright and early for a day trip to Rabbit Island for some eye bleach, and that was what I got, sorta. I'd bought some carrots and lettuce for feeding at the konbini beforehand, but you can buy bags of food pellets as well. The bunnies there were not shy at all; they come running out straight to you soon as they detect human presence, probably because they are so dependent on us for food. There were pans of presumably food and water around the island, which put my mind slightly more at ease.
Rabbits aren't all Rabbit Island is known for. It also used to be a secret island used for poison gas production, but maybe Poison Gas Island doesn't have the same appeal to it. There are still some creepy abandoned buildings and other traces of its martial past scattered around. I visited the poison gas museum, which was tiny but informative. Many of the plant workers suffered from ailments or straight up died here. There is now a resort where some of stuff took place.
Dark past aside, it was a nice quiet day of walking up and down trails. There are some decent views of the surrounding islands from the top of the hill.
Wed 3/20 - Tokyo
Well, today was a little unusual. About a week or so ago, I got the idea of seeing a baseball game in Japan. Was originally thinking the Hiroshima Toyo Carp but their schedule didn't work for me. Then I found out the historic Meiji Jingu Stadium, home of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, might get torn down soon, and I wished to see it before that happens. There was a home game today that fit my schedule. Also - I'd decided previously that I wanted to hit up another ski resort at some point for more riding, and my JR Pass was active this week. Yeah so that's how I found myself leaving Hiroshima for a pit stop in Tokyo, then finishing the day in Nozawaonsen.
Left hostel around 6am to catch the Shinkansen to Tokyo Station, where I found a locker to dump my bags. Quick tempura soba lunch at Tendon Tenya, then off to Meiji Jingu Stadium. I was 15 min late to the 1pm starting time, right as it was starting to rain.
It'd been a few years since I last saw a baseball game, and this turned out to be a great experience. The fans were super into it, singing and chanting every few minutes. They also did the Tokyo Ondo dance with their tiny ass umbrellas at the 7th inning and whenever the Swallows scored, so adorable. Concession fare was not bad either; I got udon and matcha parfait instead of hot dogs for a change, and it was funny to see the players hamming it up.
Home team won, a few rounds of Tokyo Ondo were sung, now it's back to Tokyo Station to take the Shinkansen toward Nozawaonsen. Now Japanese trains are renowned for their punctuality, with the average train delay less than one minute a year - well my train was two hours late to arrive. It was very windy and rainy that day, and a fallen tree had blocked the way or something. I arrived at my Iiyama stop way too late to catch the last bus and the taxi stand was empty. It was snowing hard outside and I thought I was SOL. Thankfully, a station attendant was able to call up a cab for me. What was supposed to be a $4 bus ride turned into a $50 cab ride but, shou ga nai. I was so so happy when I finally entered my room at Miyasakaya at 11pm and found a kotatsu and heater waiting for me.
Thu 3/21 - Nozawaonsen
I chose this place because it was a cute little village with both a ski resort and over a dozen public baths. Despite the travel mishaps the day before, I was glad I came. The village was very compact and it was only a short walk to the resort. I felt very fortunate to have fresh pow both times I went riding.
After that was over, I set off to explore the village a bit. Everything was beautiful and serene from the freshly fallen snow. There was Ogama, a hot spring used by locals as an open air kitchen for cooking food. Only villagers are allowed in, probably for good reason.
I tried one of the 13 free public bathhouses where, as is customary in Japan, the baths are gender-separated and everyone strips down completely. Big yikes. It seemed like elderly (locals) had no trouble wading right in whereas the younger generation, myself included, had to struggle a bit to acclimate to the high temperature of the water. I decided one bath was quite enough for me and went to enjoy a hearty dinner that included an onsen egg and the local pickled nozawana.
BTW, I understand the serious dangers that come with backcountry riding, but the dourness of this poster just sent me.
Fri 3/22 - Kyoto
Well, I ended up deciding I wanted to visit Fushimi Inari on this trip after all (but mostly I wanted an excuse to eat more tofu), so back to Kyoto I went. First stop was Nishiki Market which had a very wide delicious-looking assortment of food stands. The freshly fried tempura and freshly prepared seafood looked especially good; too bad I was full.
Then up some shopping streets, quick stop at Ippodo to buy some matcha which I forgot to do the week before. Afterwards, back to Kyoto Gyoen to scope out the tree situation. Well there was one big cherry blossom tree that was in partial bloom; nevertheless it was surrounded by people taking pictures (hey we take what we can get).
Hopped on the train to Fushimi Inari and got there in the late afternoon, still lots of people around. I started climbing the steps, stopping only for a city vista with the orange glow of sunset. The crowds were petering out, awesome. By the time I reached the top (~50 min later), it was already dark, peaceful, eerie almost. I'd never seen this place at night and was glad I came. (It's technically open 24/7 but there are warning signs about wild boars out at night.)
The rest of the night was kind of a bummer. I went back to the restaurant where I first had tofu dinner eight years ago. The only tofu set available included seafood which I was allergic to. I inquired about potential substitutions and there must've been some miscommunication; what I ended up getting was a plate of wagyu and rice, which was obviously quality but my heart was set on tofu. I was probably mostly mad at myself for the failed listening comprehension. Oh well, things don't always turn out when traveling.
Sat 3/23 - Tokyo
Back to Tokyo, where I would stay for much of the remainder of my trip. This was the last day of my JR Pass so no more stupid bouncing back and forth after today.
There were two concerts I'd really hoped to attend happening today, primarily King Gnu at Sapporo Dome. (They had an international ticket sale late last year, way before I'd decided on this trip.) Knowing how slim my chances are as a foreigner to get tickets, I hedged and bought a day pass to the AnimeJapan 2024 convention instead. It was only ~$16, way cheaper than any anime convention back home, a cost I would happily eat if I managed to score a concert ticket.
I was aiming to make it into the convention by 10:25 which alas did not happen. I had a chance to see the voice actor of my favourite anime in person but the wait to get in took too long and I missed the panel completely. Oh well... This was actually my first anime convention ever and it was certainly a interesting if not overstimulating experience. The place was completely packed with attendees, giant screens, loud noises. Many anime that I recognised, many that I did not. There was also a decent number of cosplayers; this one's my favourite. Oh yeah I also had the least-satisfying meal of my entire trip here (aside from non-tofu).
The rest of the day was less interesting - visited the life-size Unicorn Gundam, wandered into a random tulip festival nearby, checked sukiyaki off my list, arrived at my hostel in Chiyoda. I was pleased to have milked that JR Pass until the very end, an 11pm ride on the Yamanote line.
Sun 3/24 - Tokyo (Akihabara)
First stop of the day was the National Museum of Modern Art, which I ended up enjoying quite a bit. Modern art is sometimes known for being inscrutable, but this museum offered accompanying text for almost everything and I felt engaged the whole time. There was also a cherry blossom special exhibition going on, and they provided low benches to emulate the hanami experience, such a nice touch.
Next up was the Sumida Hokusai Museum, which only has replicas in its permanent exhibition but was still very informative about the many artistic periods of the man's life (he also went by over 30 names, depending on the period!) I especially liked this display on process behind the the Great Wave Over Kanagawa.
I'd originally gone to Asakusa for lunch at Ichiran around noon, but noped out after seeing the line out the door and around the corner. Returned right before 5pm, the queue was only 6 people long, score. All I can say is that it was GOOD to be back. My bowl was customised to perfection; it's still my favourite ramen chain.
After dinner, walked over to Akihabara to explore a bit. The streets were lined with a ridiculous number of girls trying to hand out flyers and get people into their maid cafes (also a couple of guys for butler cafes); I was just glad they were allowed to wear jackets and carry umbrellas standing in the cold. Already tried the maid cafe experience last time; being addressed as "your majesty" once was more than enough.
My hope was to locate a Gintama figure. I saw lots and lots of figures on display in various stores but sadly nothing for what I wanted. One of my stops was the eight-floor Mandarake complex. That place... was an experience. So much stuff, including a sorta creepy floor with customisable dolls. BTW, you might think all the hentai would be hidden at the top or something. Haha well, just don't take your kids into the fourth floor. On that same note, how DARE they defile Frieren like that!
I wandered around a bunch of other shops and saw and hundreds and hundreds of figurines, e.g. Gundam, One Piece, Spy X Family, all the shounens, etc. It was still fun to explore and see all the displays.
Mon 3/25 - Tokyo (Asakusa, Akihabara)
Today's schedule was relatively light as I'd planned to go hiking at Jimba today; however the rain kinda blew those plans away. Instead, I got some cardio in by running the Imperial Palace 5k loop. It was really pleasant, a lot of urban scenery to take in. Maybe a little pleasant - I stopped several times to snap pictures. If you go, make sure you run counterclockwise to not look like a knob!
Afterwards, I headed back to Asakusa to pay a visit Senso-ji. As expected, the place was completely packed, with good reason: every direction you turn, there was a pretty view. Honestly I didn't even mind the crowds; they added to the energy. This place is just so invigorating I would visit it every time I'm in town.
Also got matcha gelato at Suzukien right behind Senso-ji. The level 7 matcha really hit the spot, was totally worth the hype.
For dinner, I ventured back to Akihabara to try Japanese-style spaghetti at Spajiro. As a lover of noodle soup, it really hit the spot for me. Afterwards, picked up some stuff at Uniqlo and Donki (gotta love that duty-free shopping) before calling it a night.
Tues 3/27 - Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku)
It poured all day, which was rather unfortunate. I had plans to visit the Tokyo National Museum, and it seemed that many other tourists also got the idea that being indoors was better than wandering around Ueno Park today. Cue the hourlong queue.
The contents of the museum were as expected: many cultural treasures that they were (rightfully) proud of. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful folding screens, kimonos, calligraphy, and woodblock prints (including actual Hokusai ones). There's also a nice garden, which I almost had all to myself bc only one or two other people wanted to step out in the pouring rain.
Now for the crummy part: I had reservations in the afternoon for Shibuya Sky, but visibility was terrible. The rooftop was also closed due to rain. It was hard to see far, but at least the immediate surroundings, e.g. the crossing, were still easy to see.
Before going up the tower, I'd passed by this place called "I'm donut ?" that had a ginormous line. After the tower, line was gone so I went in to check it out. There was literally one single donut left and they closed up shop after I bought it. As I stood outside enjoying my pleasantly not-too-sweet chocolate spelt donut with the texture of fluffy bread, several other people came by and stared hungrily at my treat. Awkward...
This evening I was headed to Shinjuku's Golden Gai for dinner at Ramen Nagi, the first place I'd ever eaten at in Japan. It was eight years ago, way past midnight, and this cramped second-story ramenya was the first place we saw open on the way to our lodging. We were flustered by having to order off a machine for the first time, but the anchovy broth and curly ribbons of noodles, unlike any ramen we'd eaten back home, promised only more surprising delights to come for our trip... Anyways. It was as cramped and delicious as I'd remembered. I was happy.
After dinner, wandered around Kabukicho a bit, wondering what was going on inside all these buildings of the red-light district. The place was already very loud and bright from all the signs around, but the reflections off shimmering wet streets made things seem doubly so.
Walked through Omoide Yokocho, where I found myself getting pulled into one of the stalls. Goddamnit, I just ate. I politely ordered two skewers and the bill, which includes a $3 yen table charge, came out to be around $7. Well I guess in a way it was worth it for the "unique" experience - the guy grilling the skewers was casually just reaching into the snack mix bin and smoking a cigarette at the same time, that's the kind of place this was.
Saw something on Google Maps about a giant Godzilla head, which took me to a nearby movie theatre. Instructions unclear, watched Dune: Part Two instead.
Wed 3/26 - Tokyo (Ginza), Koga
First half of today would be Ginza, followed by a day trip to Koga in Ibaraki Prefecture to visit a trio of octogenarians I'd befriended at a cave in Vietnam.
I like Ginza. Very pretty and walkable, obviously you don't actually have to buy anything.
First stop was Kimuraya, supposedly the oldest bakery in Japan, originator of anpan and whatever the hell this is. Munched on shrimp katsu sando at their cafe on 2F and watched the passersby below.
Next, walked around the Kabukiza Theatre and checked out the free little kabuki museum in the tower behind it. Kinda cool angle of the theatre too. Didn't have time this trip, but I remember catching part of a kabuki show was a pretty nice experience, plus you can just buy tickets for a single act and then peace out.
Lunch at Ginza Hachigou, the reason I came today. It took me two weeks to get that reservation, basically the same experience as fighting bots for concert tickets. I ordered the one with the foie gras ravioli, which at $14 would be my most expensive ramen this trip. And, it was really good. Each part of it was prepared well; I especially enjoyed the flavourful lightness of the consomme and the pillowy softness of the ravioli (honestly feels more like a wonton to me). You only get 30 min of seat time and I took it pretty slow to savour everything.
Walked around a bit more to take in the glimmering architecture. There was a giant mass of people outside the Michael Kors store; apparently some kpop idol was inside and fans were trying to catch a glimpse of her.
A place I ended up really liking was the free Shiseido Gallery, which provides solo exhibition space for various artists. When I went, the featured artist was Zai Nomura, whose work really spoke to me. There was one interactive piece that invited visitors to submit their own photographs, which I gladly did.
Mid-afternoon, I hopped on the train to Koga to see my cave buddies. It was an hour and a half ride, and they picked me from the station to go to the local park. There was a peach blossom festival going on, with orchards of mostly Barbie-pink fluff as far as the eye could see. We took a lovely sunset stroll at the park, then headed off to a nice Japanese restaurant. I had input my order and gone to the restroom, when they decided that ordering off a tablet was too confusing and we should go somewhere else. (Like many of the elderly I'd encountered here, they are healthy and spry, but still utterly befuddled by technology.) Instead we went to a Chinese restaurant and I must say, the Chinese food I've tried in Japan has continued to disappoint me; at least the company did not. It was also nice hanging out in an average, non-touristy city for a change.
Thu 3/28 - Tokyo (Shibuya)
No real plans today other than wandering around Shibuya and eating. With only a few days left on my trip, this was gonna be my lazy weekender foodie day. Skip if you don't want to read me yammering on about food.
Took a stroll through Nakameguro to catch some cherry blossoms. The trees lining the streets were indeed coming along quite well, but the ones along the river were still barren. Everyone's been waiting expectantly but the recent cold snap delayed the blooms by a week.
Next up was a visit to the Kyu Asakura House, a well-preserved local politician's estate from the early 1900s where they absolutely do not want you touching anything. It really was a nice home that takes you back in time, even if barren of furniture - and the garden was even nicer.
Realising the house was only a 6 min away from the Shibuya I'm donut ?, I returned, again to a long orderly line (Japanese people really do not mind their queues). So I figured, already tried one donut of theirs that was good, why not see if the rest were worth the hype?
55 minutes later... I didn't notice it last time, but this particular branch was like an atelier of donuts; everything was arranged in such a beautiful, bougie fashion. And there were dozens of interesting flavours too! I picked out six and decided to save worrying about how to eat them all for later.
Next stop: Nanaya. The intense matcha and black sesame gelato I had at Suzukien was so enjoyable I decided to get it again, at Nanaya. (The 7 levels of matcha gelato was a collab between the two.) So good, made me wish there were a level 8 or 9...
At this point, I figured I should get some real food in my belly before I fill it up completely with sweets. Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, which charmed the hell out of me a few weeks ago, was nearby so I went back for an actual meal. The flower arrangements for the place had changed, but my omurice lunch was as aesthetically pleasing and delicious as expected.
Next up was Latte Art Mania that was recommended to me by a barista I'd met at the hostels. Their deal is that they specialise in latte art (duh) and their drinks are pitch black (charcoal, most likely). Apparently I got the same design as my friend, a swan, but the drink itself was very good and it tripped me out to see my matcha latte the colour of tar.
Rest of the day was just wandering around Shibuya, lots of big brand stores, lots of trendy boutiques, lots of people to see. Walked through Harajuku, which was not as busy as I'd remembered, maybe bc it was late afternoon.
I saw a sign for Harry Harajuku hedgehog cafe that included pictures of otters, some of my favourite animals, so I went upstairs to it for a peek. There were indeed otters outside, but most of them were running in circles restlessly in small pens. It was a little unnerving for me and I decided not to enter.
Next up, Shibuya PARCO, which had Pokemon Center, Nintendo Store, Jump Shop, Capcom Store, etc all on the same floor. It was, expectedly, crowded as hell, so I didn't stay too long. It was cool to see full-size statues of Mewtwo, Luffy, Link, and others though.
Took another obligatory Shibuya Crossing video (this time from the Mark City bridge) and decided I was done with crowds for the day. It was surprising to see how uncongested everything was even just 200m away from the crossing.
Tried to walk into Tofu Cuisine Sorano for you-know-what, but they were sold out for the night, four hours before closing. :( Instead I settled for a hearty plate of napolitan at Spaghetti no Pancho, which I doused in Kewpie mayo and parmesan until I felt bad about myself. And then I got to work on the donuts, which turned out to be very much worth the hype.
Fri 3/29 - Tokyo (Ginza, Shinjuku), Fujikawaguchiko
I returned to Shiseido Gallery in Ginza. As previously mentioned, Zai Nomura's exhibit had an interactive portion, which invited users to submit photographs of the deceased to be "printed" into a tank of water at a scheduled time. Hard to explain. My grandmother had passed the month before and it was a real cathartic experience for me.
Before leaving, I stopped at Ginza Ginger for this exquisite bowl of shaved ice. It was a seasonal sakura theme, delicate in flavour and varied in texture, a beautiful treat. The hot strawberry ginger drink was an excellent accompaniment as well.
Speaking of sakura, more were finally getting into bloom in Tokyo so it was time to visit Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The park itself was pretty vast and there were a lot of people, mostly crowded under the clusters of blooming sakura. I only had an hour, which was enough to see plenty of trees, but had to skip revisiting the Garden of Words pavilion.
I was on a tight schedule today. I had to catch my bus to Fujikawaguchiko and make it to my hostel by 8pm to check in. Based on the bus schedule, I should've made it on time, but alas traffic conditions prevented that from happening; I got off at 8:15 and reception was closed. This was a sleepy resort town with dark streets, and I legit started worrying having to find a hotel way out of budget, if any were even open, or the safety and legality of sleeping outside.
I wandered into an izakaya at the bus station that was open to ask for help and someone said they would call around for me. I sat around awkwardly for half an hour with my luggage before realising I'd only eaten a donut all afternoon, so what a pleasant surprise it was to find this place had tofu stew and horse sashimi, my two comforts, on the menu.
At around 9:30, the employee returned and said he found an available place ~2km away if I'd be willing to sleep at a hostel. Uh, are you kidding me??? I quickly agreed and he made arrangements for me. Thank you, tenin-san from Uotami Fujisan Station, for saving the day!
I walked 20 min the dark to get to this place and not a single car passed by. At $35, it'd be one of my more expensive lodgings this trip (and eating the cost of the original hostel) but who cares right now. I arrived at Cabin & Lounge Highland Station Inn and wow the place was way nicer than I'd thought, more of an upscale capsule hotel than a hostel. Spacious capsules with lots of lighting and charging options, huge lockers, the whole place was immaculately clean, vending machines, laundry machines, plenty of showers with soaps, lotions, dryers, etc. I slept very soundly that night (sheer relief may have also factored in here).
Sun 3/30 - Fujikawaguchiko
First stop of the day was the iconic Chureito Pagoda at Arakurayama Sengen Park. The earlier to go the better - I arrived around 7:30am and a few dozen people were already up there, plus I was kinda flushed after climbing the 400 stairs in the sun.
I realised that my trip was nearing its end and there was still nary a shred of evidence (screenshot of drained bank account maybe?) that I was in Japan. So, a photo here would have to do. Mt. Fuji - check, pagoda - check, cherry blossom - still in hiding. Eh, 2/3 ain't bad.
I hadn't noticed in the dark of night, but Mt. Fuji was so close by, casually looming over everything; just face the right direction and there it was, in your face. Pretty neat to experience.
Checked out of the capsule hostel and made it to Kawaguchiko Station to dump my luggage. It was a total zoo there and all the lockers were already occupied. I kept walking a few buildings down and found plenty of vacant lockers across the street from the 7-Eleven.
After securing bags, I went for lunch at the popular Hotou Fudo across the street from the station. Ordered the local specialty hoto miso noodle soup and horse sashimi, both of which I loved. It was a hearty and delicious meal.
Ambled along Lake Kawaguchi to where the cherry blossom festival was supposed to take place this weekend; however because the trees were still stubbornly refusing to blossom, there were barely any people around. I felt kinda bad for the people with booths out. It was a pleasant stroll along the lake but in all honesty, I wish I'd spent the day at Fuji-Q Highland amusement park.
Visited the Kawaguchi Asame Shrine, dedicated to the goddess of Mt. Fuji. This place is remarkable for having seven tall, healthy cedar trees clustered closely together, each one named and over 1,200 years old.
Went back to station to grab my bags and got picked up by the kind owner of my next hostel, Michikusa-ya. This place had a very lovely window seat.
Sun 3/31 - Fujikawaguchiko, Tokyo
Last full day in Japan!
There's this shrine on the lake called Rokkakudo that can only be accessed when the water level is low; other times it's on an islet. The inside of the shrine is bare but being able to get to the place was kinda cool on its own.
The majority of the day would be spent in Aokigahara aka Sea of Trees aka Suicide Forest. I was in a weird state of mind when I decided on this for the end of my trip. I had the two-day bus pass that gave unlimited rides on the red, blue, and green sightseeing buses. It's purchasable at Kawaguchiko Station or online, and is worth it for anyone making multiple stops.
I took the bus to the Bat Cave, closest stop to the forest entrance. There was an information center that naturally had three rooms full of Batman posters.
The forest really lived up to its name; the trails were clearly marked, but I did feel at numerous points as if I was standing amidst dense, undulating waves of trees. The forest floor is composed of impenetrable volcanic rock; thus most of the tree roots are splayed across the ground as tripping hazards. Though vast, there were plenty of exits to main roads or rest stops. I didn't think I'd meet a toilet I wouldn't like in Japan, but I was wrong.
At some point I decided that was enough forest and hopped on the sightseeing bus to the Narusawa Ice Cave. It was exactly as the name implied, a cave that naturally contained ice. I'd say it was borderline worth the price of admission: a cool phenomenon but you're also in and out in under ten minutes. I skipped the wind cave, which I think is similar.
With 24 hours left in Japan, it was time to head back to Kawaguchiko Station so I could catch the bus back to Tokyo and squeeze in last-minute activities. In hindsight, I should've taken the train. Just as the bus had taken longer to arrive than expected, it was stuck in traffic returning to Tokyo as well - this time delayed by three hours :/
I decided to spend my evening at Rikugien Gardens, which was specially lit up at night for sakura season. It was quite lovely and peaceful, in spite of the crowds, in spite of cherry blossoms not yet being in full bloom.
Final dinner was the familiar comfort of Marugame's nikutama bukkake udon, piled high with scallion and tempura bits. Also threw in vegetable kakiage and burdock root tempura since we don't have those items back home.
Watched the trains ride off into the night as I walked back to my hostel. Love you, Yamanote Line <3
Mon 4/1 - Tokyo
My flight was a little past 2pm but I wasn't quite ready to be done yet. Walked over to Ueno Park at 8am, where the trees were finally teasing pink and white cotton candy splendour. It wasn't very crowded yet since all the food stands wouldn't be open for another hour or so, but a bunch of people were already camping out their hanami picnic spots. I would've killed for a few more days...
I enjoyed Rikugien so much at night that I wanted to take the opportunity see it during the day as well. It was a peaceful stroll through a well-maintained garden; barely even register the dead grass anymore.
And with that, it was off to Narita. I wanted to give Ippudo a second chance and tried the akamaru ramen this time - much better flavour, and the chashu was perfection. After that, just hitting up the souvenir shops and making one final konbini run for my airplane "lunch". (Everything was fantastic except for the weird-tasting grapefruit gummies.) Also shoutout to Shiroi Koibito, the biscuits have a delightful buttery texture and they pack a good number into the boxes.
And that's the end of this trip. I didn't really want to go on it but I'm glad I ultimately went. Japan just has this certain charm makes you temporarily forget your troubles because you're so filled with wonder by what you're experiencing. Will probably return much sooner next time, to see the autumn leaves, and/or eat my way through Hokkaido and make use of pass at Niseko. Or go back to Koyasan, still a magical place for me. So many possibilities.
Anyways, that's it. Sorry it got kinda long. Thanks for reading, if you got this far.
Edit: fixed some errors and added missing photos