WA STATE: I have 2 children under the age of 5 years old. Their father is an undiagnosed narcissist. We split up when the children were 3 months old due to him cheating on me twice. We remained roommates and friends for years afterwards. This last year however, he chose to lie about why he needed money, where he was going + why he needed babysitting (I worked 12 hour shifts as I was the bread winner of the house) and at times wold be out until 8-10 am without any notice. Finally, truth came out. He was seeing a woman. He was using said borrowed money to pay for dates, was crashing at her house and sleeping with her if ya know what I mean and was actually going out with her. When I found out, I had requested that until I know she was safe, that the children don't get involved yet. He went behind my back and brought her around my kids for almost a month. (When I had been seeing someone, I was not allowed to bring my person around my kids until he felt comfortable with it and I respected that request). Now, this last year he has presented what is called a campaign smear. Anyone who told him he was wrong for the way he was handling things, he got angry. He cut off all of his family, destroyed our friendship and lost his job as he was her supervisor. He at one point told me he would be willing to sacrifice all of his relationships and job for a relationship with this woman.
Now, the father has a history of yelling at the children for very minor things, he has shoved my son by his head while he was only a year old (because he was "frustrated with him". He has a history of:

• falling asleep during random points of the day, leaving the children unsupervised and able to get into things they shouldn't like sugar, nail polish, flooding sinks etc....
• having headphones in/on nearly all day.
  
• Allowing children to answer front door when he is a different room without checking for who it is first.
  
• not brushing their haiteeth
  
• not giving baths when needed
  
• leaving them in dirty clothes the entirety of the day, even to sleep.
  
• Had a suspended license yet continuing to drive my children around
  
• leaving soiled diapers on flooon them without changing for extended times
  
• allows them to sit in pee soaked sheets/clothes.
  

In current times, he has moved in with this woman and is engaged to her in less than a year. Moved in within 3 months, engaged within 4 months. I live on my own. He Couldn't pay me child support after October. His fiancé paid me in December. I was donating plasma to make ends meet. We are supposed to have 50/50 but we have no legal plan or anything. We were never married. I get the kids early or I get to keep them longeasked to keep longer because of "stress" he has or no babysitter. So technically I have had them 70/30. Finances are a lot better now for me so im not as stressed about child support however, my kids are saying "daddy mean, daddy scary, daddy angry, daddy hit me, daddy hit me harder. I don't like daddy, I don't want to go to daddy's." They'll gesture to their cheek. In December, my son came back to me with odd bruises on the sides of his cheeks by his mouth. I only was told he hit his face at the park on his left side but he had a exact same bruise in the same spot on the other side of his cheek. I asked about that and he got very defensive and angry and tried to claim he hit his face on the monkey bars at the park then hit his other cheek by jumping on the bed. My daughter has said daddy hits them on the arms, feet and head. The bruises they come back with are hard to identify as them playing and being children or abuse. Whenever we do swap, they are quick to leave to come to me but fight me on going to their dad's. What can I do? I have witnesses to his neglect and abuse but not much evidence from the past. I have some and a ton from current. Ive been trying to keep screenshots, photos anything. I just want to do right by my kids. His fiancé keeps their apartment spotless as she had OCD. My kids sleep in a small bed together. They also prefer his fiancée over their father and this has been vocalized by them several times. Please help me. Also he had lost his job in February and finally got one about 1.5-2 months ago. I lost my job but had a new one within a week.

Hi everyone 👋 I just got back from the largest annual jewelry trade show in North America and have all sorts of cool new items for sale this week!
Pretty much everything listed today is brand new from the manufacturer and remaining items are all pre owned but in excellent condition.
All items ship in a gift box along with re-usable polish cloth.
FREE SHIPPING on all orders this weekend!
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/3tSNzNf
Gold & Diamond Chains: https://imgur.com/a/3tSNzNf
1.) 24” 14k Yellow Gold Cuban 6mm 71.8g $3500 https://imgur.com/a/shlyh1X
2.) 16” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 2mm 3.0g $193 https://imgur.com/a/FOxy1Oy
3.) 18” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 2mm 3.3g $200 https://imgur.com/a/muBhzI6
4.) 20” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 3mm 3.0g $193 https://imgur.com/a/hVB36iM
5.) 22” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 3mm 3.3g $200 https://imgur.com/a/FkG25NX
6.) 18” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 4mm 6.8g $395 https://imgur.com/a/VcdP5xG
7.) 20” 14k Yellow Gold Paperclip 4mm 4.9g $290 https://imgur.com/a/X4ubSrA
8.) 16” 14k White Gold 4ctw Natural Diamond Tennis Chain 11.2g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/kj9yFOV
9.) 18” 10k Yellow Gold Cuban Chain 4mm & .25ct Diamond Pendant 10.5g $575 https://imgur.com/a/RBDCz63
10.) 18” 10k Yellow Gold Chain & .4ctw Dual Princess Cut Natural Diamond Pendant 1.6g $260 https://imgur.com/a/N4Fsdus
11.) 20” 14k Yellow Gold .75ctw Diamonds by the yard necklace 4.0g $470 https://imgur.com/a/JnIzmLU
12.) 18” 14k White Gold .5ctw Diamonds by the yard necklace 2.7g $325 https://imgur.com/a/5iIUZtG
13.) 20” 24k Gold Baht Chain 3mm 37.24g $3150 https://imgur.com/a/6S5msRk
14.) 8.5” 14k Yellow Gold Cuban 8mm 15.82g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/CtTtufE
15.) 20” 14k Gold Diamond Cut Curb Chain 7.5mm 25.1g $1170 https://imgur.com/a/vHjxmoR
16.) 24” 18k White Gold Diamond Cut Fancy Link Chain 2mm 11.5g $705 https://imgur.com/a/FdqxYTS
17.) 24” 18k Yellow Gold Cuban 2.3mm 11.4g $700 https://imgur.com/a/C03PsYA
18.) 7.5” 24k Yellow Gold Cuban Bracelet 10mm 75.0g $6000 https://imgur.com/a/rF1rRGU
19.) 18” 14k Yellow Gold 5 Motif Solid 14k Gold Necklace 10.9g $570 https://imgur.com/a/V24Bllt
20.) 18” 14k Yellow Gold 5 Motif Mother of Pearl Necklace 7.1g $380 https://imgur.com/a/gnjdlE4
21.) 18” 14k Yellow Gold 5 Motif Black Onyx Necklace 6.8g $380 https://imgur.com/a/mtArnIV
Brand New Italian Gold Chains/Bracelets:
22.) 26” 10k Yellow Gold Hermes Link Chain 3.5mm 14.2g $515 https://imgur.com/a/iM57bx2
23.) 7.25” 10k Yellow Gold Paperclip 5.5mm 6.5g $265 https://imgur.com/a/ny8FKqa
24.) 7.5” 10k Yellow Gold Franco 1.5mm 2.0g $83 https://imgur.com/a/rBuBUlv
25.) 20” 10k Yellow Gold Franco 1.5mm 4.5g $183 https://imgur.com/a/geGp1VF
26.) 22” 10k Yellow Gold Franco 1.5mm 4.9g $200 https://imgur.com/a/Fe4taP7
27.) Size 10 10k Rolex Style Signet Ring 6.74g $270 https://imgur.com/a/TdrhTEw
Gold & Diamond Pendants:
28.) 2.5x1.25” 10k Cross Pendant 1.5ctw Natural Diamond Cross 6mm Bail 6.7g $750 https://imgur.com/a/wSVyKL6
29.) 1x1.5” 10k Yellow Cross Pendant 3/4ct Natural Diamond 6mm Bail 3.62g $440 https://imgur.com/a/M674Hak
30.) 1x.75” 10k Cross Pendant .4ctw Natural Diamond 5mm Bail 1.5g $230 https://imgur.com/a/e4kt3cZ
31.) 1.75x1.25” 10k YG Cross 2ctw Vs/Si Natural Diamonds 8mm Bail 5.5g $940 https://imgur.com/a/SkWd0xd
32.) 10k Yellow Gold Cross Pendant 1ctw Natural Diamond 3.4mm Bail 2.35g $400 https://imgur.com/a/AKNwZMM
33.) 10k Yellow Gold Ankh Pendant 2.5ctw Natural Diamonds 6mm Bail 6.3g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/2SPFmgc
34.) 10k Yellow Gold Cross 2.5ctw Natural Diamond 7mm Bail 6.83g $940 https://imgur.com/a/LNvemtS
35.) 10k Yellow Gold 1ctw Natural Diamond Rolex Pendant 5mm Bail 4.2g $490 https://imgur.com/a/BzSaRJQ
Bracelets:
36.) 7.25” 10k White Gold 5ct Diamond Tennis Bracelet 13.7g $1200 https://imgur.com/a/Cx7sXkU
37.) 7.25” 10k Yellow Gold 1ct Natural Diamond Tennis Bracelet 5.0g $450 https://imgur.com/a/jyUQVXe
38.) 7” 10k White Gold 1ct Natural Diamond Tennis Bracelet 5.0g $450 https://imgur.com/a/oyjKOOS
39.) 7” 10k White Gold 3ct Diamond Cluster Tennis Bracelet 13.5g $900 https://imgur.com/a/64BH7dY
40.) 7.5” 14k Yellow Gold 2ctw Rainbow Sapphire Tennis Bracelet 1.95g $375 https://imgur.com/a/WTlaGfm
41.) 7.5” 14k White Gold 2ctw Rainbow Sapphire Tennis Bracelet 2.12g $375 https://imgur.com/a/OXncMsI
42.) 7.5” Blue Sapphire & Citrine Silver Tennis Bracelet 12.2g $150 https://imgur.com/a/MYqQh6y
43.) 8” Silver 8ctw Moissanite Tennis Bracelet 10g $100 https://imgur.com/a/DBFym7R
44.) 8” Silver 18ctw Moissanite Tennis Bracelet 15g $140 https://imgur.com/a/WqQHRy5
45.) 7.25” Silver Opal Tennis Bracelet 14.3g $120 https://imgur.com/a/g5bJXmi
46.) 7.25” 14k Yellow Gold 5 Motif Black Onyx Bracelet 6.7g $320 https://imgur.com/a/MiPcTEd
47.) 7.25” 14k Yellow Gold 5 Motif MOP Bracelet 6.7g $320 https://imgur.com/a/QjQTClY
48.) 7.5” 14k Yellow Gold 3 Motif Black Onyx Bracelet 3.9g $200 https://imgur.com/a/4J3FkPL
49.) 7.5” 14k Yellow Gold 3 Motif MOP Bracelet 3.9g $200 https://imgur.com/a/8MdEdSa
50.) 7.5” Silver Tennis Bracelet 12ct White Topaz 8.6g $100 https://imgur.com/a/kakktxl
51.) 7.5” Silver Tennis Bracelet 12ct Garnet 8.3g $100 https://imgur.com/a/jmDbphV
52.) 7.5” Silver Tennis Bracelet 12ct Peridot 8.5g $100 https://imgur.com/a/iXgts8K
53.) 7.25” 10k Yellow Gold Opal Tennis Bracelet 7.24g $240 https://imgur.com/a/UwolKOo
54.) Size 18 14k Yellow Gold C artier Juste un Clou style nail bracelet 15.0g $750 https://imgur.com/a/It3AP4z
55.) Size 19 14k Yellow Gold C artier Juste un Clou style nail bracelet 23.1g $1150 https://imgur.com/a/EEi2GJg
56.) Size 20 (7.5”) 14k C artier Love Style Bracelet 8.7g $420 https://imgur.com/a/MOlZs6f
57.) 7.5” Silver Tennis Bracelet 1ctw Natural Diamond 9.5g $160 https://imgur.com/a/MHpNCQg
58.) 7.5” Silver Tennis Bracelet with Rainbow Gemstones 11.6g $45 https://imgur.com/a/zPDRl9B
59.) 7.25” Silver Bracelet 2 Row Rainbow Gemstones 17.2g $55 https://imgur.com/a/fnNAtsR
60.) 7.25” Silver Bracelet Floral Style Multicolor Gemstones 15.2g $55 https://imgur.com/a/ilVWKxA
61.) 7.25” Silver Tennis Bracelet with Green and White Gemstones 7.4g $35 https://imgur.com/a/0ZVzSKU
62.) 7” Silver Women’s Station Bracelet with Yellow and White CZ 6.7g $30 https://imgur.com/a/sG1d6oA
Earrings:
63.) 10k Yellow Gold .25ctw Si Natural Diamond Studs $155 https://imgur.com/a/gVyEUnZ
64.) 10mm 14k White Gold Huggies 1/4ct Natural Diamonds 1.5g $180 https://imgur.com/a/O041eBc
65.) 10mm 14k Yellow Gold Huggies 1/4ct Natural Diamonds 1.6g $180 https://imgur.com/a/TsN4QjV
66.) 10k Yellow Gold 1/2ct Cluster Studs $260 https://imgur.com/a/GGyizt9
67.) 10k Yellow Cluster Studs 1/8ct Natural Diamond $150 https://imgur.com/a/UK6p3vQ
68.) 10k Yellow Cluster Studs 1/8ct Natural Diamond $150 https://imgur.com/a/UK6p3vQ
69.) 10k Yellow Cluster Studs 1/4ct Natural Diamond $200 https://imgur.com/a/sdtsLIT
70.) 14k Yellow Gold 6mm Peridot Studs .7g $90 https://imgur.com/a/2TdmdYm
71.) 14k Yellow Gold 6mm Amethyst Studs .6g $90 https://imgur.com/a/q38CzlL
72.) 14k Yellow Gold 5mm Ruby Studs .5g $100 https://imgur.com/a/ATVzApU
73.) 14k Yellow Gold 6mm Aquamarine Studs .6g $100 https://imgur.com/a/2rOXZEw
74.) 14k Yellow Gold 5mm Emerald Studs .5g $100 https://imgur.com/a/U753Chy
75.) 14k Yellow Gold 6mm Opal Studs .6g $100 https://imgur.com/a/qfEW8np
76.) 14k Yellow Gold 5mm Sapphire Studs .54g $100 https://imgur.com/a/ZcVh6Qw
77.) 14k Yellow Gold 2ctw Oval Blue Sapphire Studs 1.0g $180 https://imgur.com/a/zmSVmnU
78.) 14k Yellow Gold 2ctw Oval Ruby Studs .95g $180 https://imgur.com/a/eZJ88TF
79.) 14k Yellow Gold 1ctw VS Lab Diamond Studs .8g $320 https://imgur.com/a/jVWTUXo
80.) 14k White Gold 1ctw VS Lab Diamond Studs .7g $320 https://imgur.com/a/KHKkb6b
81.) 24k Yellow Gold Mene Earrings 6.0g $475 https://imgur.com/a/86cEHDb
82.) 14k Yellow Gold 1 Motif MOP Earrings 2.32g $130 https://imgur.com/a/39QwZIP
83.) 10k White Gold 1/2ct Black Diamond Studs .8g $140 https://imgur.com/a/7p1pM3I
84.) 10k White Gold .35ct Black Diamond Studs .5g $90 https://imgur.com/a/0pD1cdh
85.) 10k Yellow Gold 6mm Square Citrine Studs .9g $90 https://imgur.com/a/p2PIZvn
86.) 10k Yellow Gold 6mm Garnet Studs .5g $90 https://imgur.com/a/arVhDsA
Rings:
87.) Size 7 10k Yellow Gold .15ct Diamond wrap around Arrow ring 1.6g $175 https://imgur.com/a/iUfEct8
88.) Size 7 10k White Gold .15ct Diamond wrap around Arrow ring 1.6g $175 https://imgur.com/a/AAzaVI2
89.) Size 10 10k White Gold 1/2ct Diamond Men’s Ring 8.33g $450 https://imgur.com/a/k4LbhCV
90.) Size 7 10k White Gold 1ct Diamond Triplet Ring 3.7g $390 https://imgur.com/a/iTMCoD0
91.) Size 7 10k Yellow Gold 1/4ctw Diamond Cuban Ring 3.6g $270 https://imgur.com/a/o2Z3IIn
92.) Size 10 14k White Gold 1/2ct Natural Diamond & Blue Sapphire Men’s Rings 11.9g $730 https://imgur.com/a/IijC5UE
93.) Size 10 Silver 1ct Moissanite Square Men’s Ring 7.0g $45 https://imgur.com/a/uMTQnOk
94.) Size 10 Silver 1ct Moissanite Cuban Ring 7.5g $50 https://imgur.com/a/mZ9nXzV
95.) Size 11 Silver 1ct Moissanite Cuban Ring 7.5g $50 https://imgur.com/a/mZ9nXzV
96.) Size 6.5 14k 1ct+ Natural Emerald & 6 Diamond Ring 1.84g $175 https://imgur.com/a/BHwCCjl
97.) Size 9 10k Gold 2 Tone Men’s Ring with 1/4ct Round Brilliant Natural Solitaire Diamond 7.5g $290 https://imgur.com/a/U7yZWBt
98.) Size 7 10k White Gold & .2ct Natural Diamond Promise/Engagement Ring 2.7g $125 https://imgur.com/a/XbKM3VV
99.) Size 7 14k Yellow Gold Ruby & Natural Diamond Fashion Ring 2.0g $230 https://imgur.com/a/7auS2AP
100.) Size 7 14k White Gold Blue Sapphire & Natural Diamond Ring 2.0g $230 https://imgur.com/a/FevzOle
101.) Size 7 14k Yellow Gold Floral Design .65ct Natural Diamond Ring 3.2g $240 https://imgur.com/a/4ggt41A
102.) Size 5 10k White Gold Star Sapphire 2.6g $80 https://imgur.com/a/k4trN2N
103.) Size 6 14k Gold 1/4ct Natural Cluster Diamond Ring 1.8g $165 https://imgur.com/a/Bd1jbNg
104.) Size 7 10k Yellow Gold & 1/10ct Diamond Band 1.6g $100 https://imgur.com/a/ES2fP7e
105.) Size 10 Men’s Silver Ring with .05ct Natural Diamonds 6.5g $45 https://imgur.com/a/qSWV19M
All items purchased this weekend SHIP FOR FREE! Normal shipping rates are via first class ($5) or priority ($9). All items ship within 24 hours of purchase.
Payment via Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, eCheck, PayPal (It’s a biz acct so I only have G&S which is +3.5% due to the PayPal fee).
I DO NOT ACCEPT FORMS OF PAYMENT NOT LISTED. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS.
Any questions please let me know! Thanks
P.S. My chats don’t always come through. Please send me a follow up if you don’t get a response from me. Thank you 🙏

Strap yourselves in. This is a long one. I’m so sorry.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a game that shouldn’t be as iconic as it is. It is an incredibly unique and niche mix of puzzle game, point and click adventure, and mystery visual novel. Yet, this game is still one of the most recognizable out there, especially in the conversation around iconic DS games (even though the original trilogy was on GBA in Japan). Even someone who has never played it has probably heard that iconic “Objection!” sound byte. I have a really soft spot for this game and wanted to break down and discuss basically everything about it.
While the entire original trilogy is fantastic, I do honestly believe that original game still holds up the best. In terms of gameplay, it’s true that the trilogy only ever got better at consistently giving the player engaging puzzles to solve, but the original Ace Attorney not only has the most consistently likable cast of characters, but also stands as the only Ace Attorney game to date in my opinion where every case is either great or fantastic.
In terms of actual gameplay, there isn’t honestly a lot to discuss. This is a visual novel, but it I’ve always seen it primarily as a puzzle game. There is quite a bit of gameplay meat on this game’s bones, but the actual challenge of this game is far less technical and more focused on logic puzzles where you have to examine the correct parts of the environment, figure out what information to show to different characters. In court, the game does begin to ask a little more of you and there’s more of a tangible challenge. There will be parts where you have to present certain evidence to make your case or answer multiple choice questions, but the main event of the game are the cross examinations.
When a witness is brought into court, they will give a testimony. They’ll tell their story and you’ll be given the opportunity to cross examine them. You get to go through each portion of the testimony and you have the option to either press or present. Pressing just means that you’ll ask a pre-set follow-up question to that part of the testimony to get more info. Most of the time, this leads nowhere, but pressing the right statements can give you the leverage you need to do what comes next. There is no penalty for pressing, so you should press every statement.
Presenting evidence is what this game is known for. You have to find exactly what part of the testimony is inaccurate and match it with the evidence that it contradicts. For example, an early witness in the game claims that the victim died at 1:00, but the autopsy report says they died at 4:00, so you present it there. However, you have to be sure when you present evidence. If you present evidence and it doesn’t disprove anything, you will lose a “life” so to speak. You get 5 lives each trial (which can last up to 45 minutes to an hour) and if you lose all 5, you are sent back to your last save (and the game does not auto save).
This sounds really basic and simple, but once you’re working with longer testimonies with like 10-15 pieces of evidence built up over an entire case, the game can get quite tricky. There’s also some beautifully handled moments where you have to make a leap in logic just large enough that it feels like a gamble, but not so big it feels out of nowhere and can’t be solved and reasoned out naturally. This is why when games like Danganronpa try to make the game faster and more exciting, adding layers of more technical gameplay at the expense of the more logical puzzle solving, the game just doesn’t feel as good, even if it does scratch a similar itch (also Danganronpa frequently asks you to run with some pretty batshit logic).
If I had some criticisms of the gameplay, I’d say this. While I enjoy the investigation segments before each trial, they can sometimes just feel like homework until you get to the good part. I said before that the original Ace Attorney has the most barebones gameplay in the series and it really shows in these sections. Thankfully, they never last too long and you’ll be in court soon enough. One last extremely minor critique I have is that if pressing a witness in a cross examination reveals new information, that information is critical to moving forward, so it solves half of the problem. If pressing a witness creates a new statement in the testimony, that statement will be the one you contradict. If you’re given a piece of evidence from pressing a witness, that evidence will be what you use to disprove another claim in the testimony. While I appreciate the work it must have taken to pace these cases in a way to ensure you have to have this information to move forward, my favorite parts of the game are where I make that match of statement to evidence on my own with pressing witnesses just being a way for the game to hint which statement may be fishy.
Now that I’ve gotten gameplay out of the way, I really want to talk about this game’s presentation, because it’s what really makes this special game even more special.
This game looks fantastic. Whether it be the original GBA/DS version or the remastered version on modern consoles within the Phoenix Wright Trilogy, the game still has a strikingly unique style in its characters, backgrounds, and especially animation. This is not a game that at all feels like it was made by like 10 people. If I had to pick a preference, I do think the original DS version still holds up the best visually. The pixel art blends in better, making the presentation even more visually cohesive and playing the game as it was on original hardware really drives home just how impressive this game was. However, the remaster is still a fantastic way to play and a more than worthy remaster.
I really want to highlight the animation in this game, however. The amount and quality of character animation in this game is stellar. For a game where none of the characters have voice acting and you’ll be spending 99% of the time reading, it’s incredible how much character and lively energy still exists within the gams. While the writing does most of the heavy lifting (this game has an incredible script), the way the characters move really makes them feel alive in a way video game characters often don’t.
The cast of characters in this game is incredible. I’d argue this game has the best cast in the entire series. They’re all so fun and quirky while still being somewhat grounded (unlike the Ace Attorney games after the core trilogy, which often have bizarre and cartoonish personalities and behavior quirks). However, these characters are absolutely paper thin and that’s okay. These characters don’t need to be super deep and developed to get the job done. This is still a fairly upbeat and cartoony game with an anime-style aesthetic and the characters and overall tone reflect that. However, that isn’t to say these characters can’t and don’t carry more emotional moments within the game. They’re just not super deep as characters overall.
The core recurring cast are all great. I love how Phoenix is depicted through inner monologues as a complete nervous wreck while acting mainly as the straight man to everyone else. Mia Fey’s calming confidence as a result of experience makes her a great mentor and safety net for Phoenix. Edgeworth acts as a solid rival even if you don’t learn much about him until the end. Gumshoe is really fun in the way that overtime he becomes less of an obstacle in your way and more into a reliable source of information without any part of his character ever actually changing. However, the star of the show is Maya Fey. It couldn’t be anyone else. Your assistant throughout the game, Maya is a ray of bubbly sunshine who adds so much energy to the entire game. She is the sole reason why the investigation segments aren’t a complete bore as her interactions with Nick (I just wrote out his nickname without even thinking about it) allow her character to shine. She isn’t dumb, but she is immature and incredibly energetic. She also acts as the highlight of the 3rd case, being a mega fan of the children’s show that case revolves around while Phoenix just kinda has to put up with her antics. Her arc near the end of the game is also the most emotional and heartfelt part of the entire game and leads to an amazingly sweet finale.
On the topic of presentation, we have to talk about the soundtrack. All the Ace Attorney games have great soundtracks, but this one is truly incredible. It’s such a perfect soundtrack that it feels off going to the next games and hearing it change. Perhaps my favorite tracks (outside the obvious courtroom ones) are both versions of the Turnabout Sisters theme (or the Maya Fey theme). I’d mention more standout tracks, but we’d be here literally all day. It’s good stuff.
But something I really wanted to talk about is the game’s sound design. Now listen. I am an audio guy. I pay a lot of attention to this kind of thing. So keep that in mind when I say Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney has the best sound design in any game ever and the same goes for its sequels as well. The iconic voice clips to the punchy sounds that accentuate certain dialogue moments make each interaction feel like a fight to the death. I love the slash sound used when you catch someone in a lie. Something about the fleshier impact sound compared to the others is so satisfying. I also love how you can immediately tell when an answer you give is correct because the music cuts out.
The result of this stellar presentation on top of the unique gameplay and clever writing is an almost euphoric feeling once you’re in a trial. Each element of this game is outstanding, but it all still blends together into a sum greater than any of its parts and it makes each trial feel like a legitimate battle more intense than most games. The back and forth as you try to make your case and get closer to the truth as Edgeworth just drops new evidence on you that sets you back is such an incredible dynamic that it’s insane to think it’s all told through mostly static character sprites. And the fact the player takes an active role in this battle, making each major move and presenting evidence at each turning point, you feel personally invested in this battle.
The pacing in this game is just so good. After the original trilogy, the later Ace Attorney games and the Danganronpa series (the only other series to my knowledge with similar gameplay) are all so incredibly slow. Trials go on forever with so much bloated dialogue. Not only are investigations and trials in this game nowhere near as long as the later ones, but reveals are dished out as just the right time and evidence is brought to you at a pace where it can be hard to get too ahead of a case. Something I also think adds a lot that other games miss the mark on is that whenever you catch someone openly lying, it’s a turning point in the narrative. The pace feels so brisk and light that there isn’t time for things to feel tired or boring.
Now for the story
Overall, the story in this game is quite good. The story develops over the course of 4 cases, so I’ll give my basic thoughts on each without spoiling anything.
The First Turnabout is a great start to the series. It’s a really simple case that’s purely designed to get you accustomed to how this game will work. It has a fun twist and is short enough to not overstay its welcome.
Turnabout Sisters is where the game properly starts. It has a great advantage as the murder directly follows several plot points from the first case, getting you more involved as you learn the investigation mechanics and begin to learn about some of the larger story. This is also the first case Maya Fey appears in and the first of many times she’ll be accused of a murder she didn’t commit.
A small note, but I like how both these cases open with showing you exactly who the murderer is. This may seem strange for a mystery game, but not only is finding out what happened enough of a mystery itself, but it helps motivate the player. You know who the murderer is, so you feel more of a drive to prove your client innocent and prove that to the court instead of each storyline simply being a basic murder whodunnit with extra steps.
Turnabout Samurai is more or less a filler case. It doesn’t push the main narrative forward, but don’t take that as I don’t like it. Rather, I think this case is a ton of fun with some of the best characters and comedic moments in the entire game. I also think it acts as a great status quo case before things are shaken up for the final act.
Turnabout Goodbyes is the final case in the base game while it was on GBA and it is fantastic. The premise of the case is immediately intriguing and shakes up the status quo immensely. It’s simply incredible working through this already complex case just to realize uncovering the whole truth involves finishing up an unsolved murder from 15 years ago as well. Not to mention this is the case where you cross examine a parrot and it’s incredible.
The stories in these cases and the overarching plot aren’t super complex, but they’re all still fun to piece together and the characters do a good job of keeping things fun and upbeat. It’s a game that’s funny a lot of the time, intense in just the right places, and can blindside you with something unexpectedly sweet or touching. It’s a solid story in its own right and a great jumping off point for the rest of the series.
This is where my analysis of the original Ace Attorney on GBA. However, we are still not done here.
Rise from the Ashes is a 5th case added when the original game made the leap from GBA to DS and is included in all future versions. This case is absolutely insane. Not only is it a weird anomaly in that it takes advantage of the new hardware, using 3D models in places and utilizing many of the DS’s gimmicks, but it stands as maybe the longest case in the core trilogy and easily the most complex and mechanically challenging.
There’s a lot I like about this case. The setup and overall story are great. I love how much the challenge is ramped up, especially in the trials, which are each like 3 times longer than anything in the base game. Even replaying this case, I get stuck constantly and have to make crazy leaps in logic, but ones that still feel satisfying to nail. This case has a cross examination that I was stuck on for literal days playing it the first time and I was a high schooler then, so being stuck on a single part of a game for days didn’t happen often, especially not in a puzzle game. I also like the new cast of characters. Angel Starr handing out random lunches is pretty funny.
The main problem with this case is that it’s in the first Ace Attorney and therefore has to be confined to that game’s simpler mechanics. To be fair, Rise from the Ashes does add to the investigation mechanics. You can now examine pieces of evidence in finer detail, which is great! You also have to sometimes blow into the DS microphone to progress which isn’t. The gimmicks really do bring this case down and it makes it feel a little out of place. Like you spend a whole game playing with these mechanics and NOW they’re adding more? It really makes the case feel tacked on rather than the natural conclusion to the game.
I think ultimately while I love Rise from the Ashes’ ambition and acknowledge it as the most fulfilling gameplay experience you’ll get out of the original Ace Attorney, I don’t like it as much as Turnabout Samurai or Turnabout Goodbyes. And a good part of the reason is Ema Skye. Listen. I love Ema Skye and think she’s really fun and endearing, but since she has to replace Maya Fey’s role as assistant, she simply can’t live up to it and it feels weird that we have to make a bond with this new character on the last case of a game where we spent the rest bonding with someone else. I think Rise from the Ashes is a fantastic case on its own, but it’s weird as the final act here after the game already ended. Ultimately, it is simply more game and at a higher quality in terms of gameplay, but it doesn’t come together quite as much.
If this overly long rant has made anything clear, I love this game. It came at a really formative point in my life and it’s a game that means a lot to me. However, I do think putting nostalgia aside, it’s still an incredibly fun and polished experience that still deserves a place in gaming. Maybe one day, I’ll write another overly long piece about the sequels, Justice for All (which has my favorite case in the series) and Trials and Tribulations (which has the fan favorite case). But for now, I’m gonna stop, because I’ve been writing this for literal hours.

I'm a 24f. Originally, I'm from Poland, however, I've been living in Georgia, the country, for over a year. I got divorced in January, after being married to a 30m for seven months. My main mistakes while being married were:

• not cooking and cleaning. I did not cook for my ex-husband because he constantly reminded me of the two times that a dish I made for him turned out bad (it was while I was still "adjusting" to the ingredients available in Georgia), criticized my cooking, saying it's not as good as his mother's (she's from a traditional household and a stay at home wife), however, I take all the blame for not cleaning. I also worked full time to support us both while we were married, while my ex-husband was unemployed. I have since started making sure that my house is spotless, and there's always at least some food in the fridge. I also learned how to make 5 new dishes (a Georgian stew called Chashashuli, cheese ravioli, chocolate-covered sugar cookies, homemade pasta and bread rolls). Also, while me and my ex-husband stayed at his then friend's place, I managed to cook every day, simply because there would be at least one person there that would appreciate my cooking.
  
• not taking care of my appearance. I used to be extremely insecure about my looks, and thought there was no point in taking care of them when I had narrow hips and "bad skeletal structure". The fact that my ex-husband never gave me any sexual attention, and that I got very little male attention and was straight-up called ugly back in Poland did not help either. Ever since he left me, though, I started taking care of my looks more. I dyed my hair for the first time in a year, got my nails done, started making sure that I wear clothes I look good in and dressing femininely and for my body shape. I am also planing to start going back to the gym.
  
• taking in a "ton" of cats. Unfortunately, I am still guilty of bringing several stray kittens to my place, nursing them back to health if necessary, and fostering them until they find a home. The main reason why I am doing this, is because I am living alone, and the cats have done wonders for my mental health. In order to cut down on the amount of animals at my place, I am currently working on building a network of cat fosterers, and "delegating" some kitties to my friend, who helps me help cats. I also learned how to minimize the "damage" the cats cause: I mop the floor with scented soap twice a day, clean all litter boxes and apply a scent masker daily, I discipline any cats that are misbehaving, and whenever someone visits me, they are shocked that I have, say, 7 cats at my place. My goal for the next month is getting that number down to 3-4 at a time.
  
• having emotional meltdowns. I always had a hard time regulating my emotions, which got even worse after I started living with my ex-husband, who would blow up at me for every slip-up, to the point where I would start getting upset not because something wasn't working out as planned, but because I was worried about what my ex-husband's reaction will be. Ever since he left me, I've slowly started having less and less emotional meltdowns. I currently have two people I can call and find emotional support when I need it. which "stops" a meltdown from developing, or if it develops, it isn't as severe as it used to be.
  

Currently, I'm looking for a long-term relationship. My standards for a guy are:

• masculine
  
• not overweight, since I was never attracted to fat guys. I weigh 54 kilograms/120 lbs myself.
  
• not short (as in, less than 5'5" - I'm 5'7"), since I most likely wouldn't be attracted to such a guy.
  
• will not rely on me to support him financially
  
• about 25-37 years old
  
• isn't "damaged" by porn (I never consumed it in any form)
  
• wants kids/more kids
  
• won't just get with anyone with a vagina between her legs/has standards/isn't settling for me because nobody else wants him. My ex-husband settled for me, because we've known each other for 5 years, I was good "on paper" and could get him to Europe, but he was never actually "in love" with me. If I get with a similar guy, I might be happy for some time, but the moment a better woman makes herself available to him or problems arise, I'll just get dumped again.
  

I am currently contemplating either staying in Georgia, or moving back to Poland and trying to look for a guy there. The main benefits of looking for a guy in Georgia are:

• Judging by the amount of male attention, treatment and pretty priviledge I get here, as well as looking honestly in the mirror and at the women around me, I am about a 7/10. The 10/10 Chads want to sleep with me, guys that are 8-9/10's looks-wise send mixed signals, indicating that they'd be open to a relationship with me if I play my cards right (such as offering to cohabitate with them, holding hands an acting like a couple when we see each other, bringing me small gifts, waking up at 5 am just to see me, calling me pet names), and guys that are 7's and below outright want to get into a relationship with me. The girls that I become friends with are also quite attractive, mostly in the 6-9/10 range looks-wise.
  
• There are almost no simps, desperate settlers, porn addicts or feminized men here - and if there are, they don't interact with me.
  
• The guys here tend to be a LOT more masculine, conservative, gentleman-ish and family oriented than in Poland
  

Unfortunately, staying in Georgia and looking for a guy here isn't without drawbacks. Namely:

• A lot of guys could only be trying to get with me to have sex with a ginger, blue-eyed, skinny woman, or only want me to gain European citizenship or access to my money.
  
• If I find a decent guy, his family might have trouble accepting me, since I am divorced and from Europe.
  
• Georgian culture is different from Polish/European culture. I need to adjust to it, as well as learn the Georgian language.
  
• A lot of guys in my "preferred age range", if not most of them, will have kids from a previous relationship. While children are not a dealbreaker for me, I would prefer a guy that doesn't have offspring yet.
  

Likewise, Poland also has its "pro's":

• The guy's family is more likely to accept me
  
• Many women my age in Poland don't know how to cook and clean very well, especially compared to Georgian women. I might not be quite there yet when it comes to running a house like the latter, but I am WAY better at taking care of a home than an average 24 year old Polish woman.
  
• I don't have to learn the language or adjust to the culture as much as in Georgia
  
• There will be less guys in my "desired age range" with kids, or who went through a divorce
  

Its main drawbacks, on the other hand, are:

• I am a 4/10 in Poland. Attractive guys don't want to touch me with a 10 foot pole, average guys only wanted to hook up with me there, and only bottom-of-the barrel men (autistic, obese, etc.) actually wanted to be in a long-term relationship with me. Unlike in Georgia, I never got cold approached, never had a chiropractor waive the fee for the session because "I'm such a pretty and nice girl", and when I slept with a guy at the age of 17 there, he couldn't even get it up, despite being 19 himself.
  
• There are way more simps and guys that would get with anyone who has a vagina between their legs and is nice to them in Poland, and I don't want to be settled for and dumped once my partner finds a girl he actually likes.
  
• Poland is becoming more and more liberal as time goes on. A LOT more people there are becoming lonely, depressed, antisocial and woke. I don't want to deal with that.
  

So, where would it be better for me to try and find a guy, in your honest opinion? In Georgia, or in Poland? Are my standards reasonable? What should I work on, aside from improving my social and domestic skills, and getting the cats out of my place? And, is there anything else I should keep in mind?

Chapter 1116 didn’t reveal much new information, so I decided to use this opportunity, and the break week, to talk about the increasingly more important character that is Imu, the Supreme Ruler of the World who sits on the Empty Throne. You might be wondering what there is to talk about a character whose appearance we don’t even know, but, after doing some extensive research, I found out there is surprisingly a lot to them. Or rather, a lot that we can infer thanks to their many appearances, and the reveal of their surname - Nerona.
https://preview.redd.it/udedkum7wb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=1edc4efe961b53613d67eab8ca82f8e272c91a7d

Imu Carries the Name of a Real World Emperor

When creating the many rulers we see throughout the story, Oda has more often than not based the Kings, and their Kingdoms, on real life countries. This is probably the most noticeable with the 50 Monarchs that could be seen attending the latest Levely, as they are all pretty much an amalgamation of the stereotypes of the countries they are meant to represent:
https://preview.redd.it/q2wmfzy8wb5d1.png?width=1617&format=png&auto=webp&s=b0cc2d0d54731111732602c19c18e08a344ade45

• King Ham Burger resembles the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and is named after hamburgers (stereotypical American food).
• King Tacos resembles the Mexican revolutionary, Emilio Zapata, and is named after the traditional Mexican food.
• King Tea IV has a hat resembling a Union Jack, his goatee resembles clock hands (Big Ben), and his name is a reference to how prominent tea is in British culture.
• Etc.

But more interestingly are the “First Twenty”; the twenty kingdoms that formed what is now known as The World Government, and the countries that inspired them. So far, we have learned about 3 of them:
https://preview.redd.it/crnc0i7bwb5d1.png?width=1916&format=png&auto=webp&s=bf1c65b30a5a336b53de5b86b2c24ea85ad84214
First is the Donquixote family, and the Dressrosa Kingdom, which are inspired by the country of Spain; particularly, the autonomous communities of Andalusia and Catalonia. The family name itself comes from the titular character of Don Quixote, one of the best-selling (Spanish) novels of all time.
Then we have the Nefertari family**,** and the Alabasta Kingdom, which are inspired by the modern day Middle East and Ancient Egypt. The Nefertari name most likely comes from the 14th century Queen of Egypt, Nefertiti, who is believed to have been a “female King”, for a brief period of time (sounds familiar, right?).
And finally, with Nerona Imu, and the Nerona family, they may be inspired by ancient Rome.
https://preview.redd.it/i2zx7vgfwb5d1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b89301475264369307d0d20535a9df41ae38f397
The last name “Nerona” might be a reference to Nero’s Torches *(*Polish: Pochodnie Nerona), a painting by Henryk Siemiradzki, which depicts a group of early Christian martyrs about to be burned alive as the alleged perpetrators of the Great Fire of Rome, during the reign of Emperor Nero. According to belief of some Christian scholars, Nero is/was the Antichrist, and they believed he will make his return, perhaps after being alive for centuries, before the second coming of Christ. He spent the last years of his life living in isolation in his palace, dedicating his time to arts and music. This comparison is also particularly interesting because of the relationship between another two Egyptian and Roman rulers, Cleopatra and Caesar.

Book of Genesis

I’ve written about the Biblical influence Oda has been using for his story, especially recently in relation to Imu, Gorōsei, and the “Great Flood”, and when Ivankov speculates about Nerona family and Imu, he uses a book titled “Genesis”.
https://preview.redd.it/4sgxxiggxb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb23fb0e26e151bb21c3c348dffa8758c9d8825c
This is likely a reference to the "Book of Genesis”, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, which details the creation of the universe. Imu is someone referred to as “Creator” by the Five Elders, which feeds into the idea of Imu being this godlike figure. An interesting thing about the full name of “Nerona Imu” is that, when written in katakana, it can be combined to form the kanji meaning “God” and “Budhha”.

• Nerona = ネロナ = 神 (“kami”) = God
• Imu = イム = 仏 (“hotoke”) = Buddha

When combined, the two Kanji characters (神 and 仏) form 神仏 (“Shinbutsu”), the word that is generally used to refer to the collective notion of all deities.
https://preview.redd.it/2zqak5dhxb5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5d2060b4c13e1005a3b2811c1366f1d2d270664
The first time we see Imu they are surrounded by flowers and trees, in a room that looks like a garden, called the “[Room of Flowers](https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Pangaea_Castle#:~:text=The%20Room%20of%20Flowers%20(,hung%20on%20one%20of%20the)””). A famous story from the aforementioned Book of Genesis is the story of Adam and Eve, eating the forbidden fruit (of knowledge of good and evil), and subsequently being banished from the Garden of Eden. Considering the importance fruit (Devil Fruit) and trees (Treasure Tree Adam and Sunlight Tree Eve) have, it's very likely Imu’s story itself has some heavy connection to the origin of Devil Fruits.
One thing I find particularly interesting about Imu comes from their connection to the Gorōsei - the Five Elder Stars. Where every member of the 5 Elder Stars is named after a planet in our system, alongside the 3 ancient weapons, Imu’s name so far has no meaning that connects it to our solar system. However, if we read the name in reverse, it reads “Umi”, the Japanese word for the ocean. This also tracks with another reading of the name Imu: Yamm.
“Chaos Monster and Sun God”
Yamm) comes from the Semitic word for the ‘sea’, and is an Ugaritic God of the Sea that is presented as the candidate for the position of “King of the Gods”. Yamm is consistently depicted as tyrannical, angry, violent and harsh. In the aforementioned Hebrew Bible - the one where the Book of Genesis comes from - Yam also appears and is the enemy of Yahweh, who is (the) God. Additionally, Yam is mentioned in Ancient Egypt as someone feared by the Egyptian seafarers throughout their travels, kind of like how the Pirates “fear” the Navy that is trying to stop them.

The Immortal Imu

The one other tree mentioned in the Garden of Eden, is the Tree of (Eternal) Life), which grants immortality to those who eat from it, and, while not directly stated, it’s beyond heavily implied that Imu is immortal. When talking about them, Ivankov wonders if the Imu that sits on the Empty Throne is perhaps the same Saint Imu who once ruled the Nerona family, 800 years ago, insinuating their immortality.
https://preview.redd.it/u9nj2v6mxb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e9aa2a0916402395dec8acda59223ac7f0675d4
Furthermore, there has been a long-running theory about the Gorōsei themselves being immortal, and the short flashback to the God Valley seemingly confirms this, with Saturn looking exactly the same ~40 years ago as he does in the present. I know Imu isn’t the same as the Gorōsei, but it would be weird if his servants were immortal while they weren’t. Lastly, Doflamingo’s number one priority before trying to take over the Mary Geoise, and become the ruler of the World, was to make Law use the Ope Ope no Mi to perform the “Perennial Youth Operation” on him, which might very well stem from the fact that the current ruler is immortal.
https://preview.redd.it/1o2ynl4nxb5d1.png?width=735&format=png&auto=webp&s=828e76a2d765df43c1ac9b879cb07487e745bc0f
Reminder that Doflamingo is aware of Imu’s existence as he had insinuated their existence a couple of times, and openly stated he had witnessed the “Treasure of Mary Geoise”.

Imu’s Appearance

While the blob of darkness that is Imu’s silhouette doesn’t tell us much about their appearance, the silhouette we see them assume after Sabo’s attack does.
https://preview.redd.it/5xgr6bcpxb5d1.png?width=816&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd673bf0574945c07891bedffda21213287c45e6
We see Imu’s round eyes take more of a triangle appearance, and Imu takes a bestial, yet still humanoid, form of what could be described as Dragon. Perhaps this is where the “Celestial Dragon” name comes from, since the names that Oda comes up with can often be quite literal (for example, “Big Mom” is quite literally both a “mom” and “big”, but also figuratively a “big mom” due to the size of her family). Imu chomps on Sabo’s flame, seemingly unbothered by the fire, before we see them come down from the throne, massive in appearance. There are a couple of deities that could tie nicely in what little we see from this appearance, with the prime suspect being Tiamat.
https://preview.redd.it/ex8vuv4qxb5d1.jpg?width=2500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72608b8e93509eba08ce878f7ad53ac07fedc0c3
Tiamat is a Babylonian personification of the primordial sea who is generally depicted as a dragon, and, while this is the general depiction, the most frequent depiction of Tiamat is, interestingly, as a woman (with some additional features, such as a tail). I say interestingly because there has been some debate around Imu’s gender, and the likelihood of them being a woman. I know the likelihood of this being the case is pretty low now, since the way the Elders refer to Imu (“Sei”) is the way the male Celestial Dragons are called (female Celestial Dragons are called “Gū”).
https://preview.redd.it/16m0po0sxb5d1.png?width=635&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea27753586e134822cde925863bd593a3663de35
Tiamat is often paralleled with Sea Deities from other mythologies, which includes the Jörmungandr - the World Serpent from Nordic Mythology that is so big it encircles the world (like the Red Line does) - and Leviathan - the Sea Serpent from the Hebrew Bible - which represents a Demon that is the personification of Envy.

Nefertari D. Lililth

Imu’s obsession with Lili, and in turn with Vivi, has been so apparent that it has reached the point of ridicule. They literally have a giant picture of, what I assume is, Neferari Lili in the Room of Flowers.
https://preview.redd.it/u6m1blxsxb5d1.png?width=561&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f88bdf117563df3aac475f9e263bd71dce5991b
If the twist isn’t that Lili and Imu are the same person, then there is a certain envy that I feel Imu might have toward Lili, and her family/ancestors. When we see Imu in the Room of Flowers, we see them cutting up the pictures/wanted posters of four people:

1. First is Luffy, who we now know is Joyboy, in possession of the Nika fruit.
2. Second is Shirahoshi, who we know is one of the Ancient Weapons (Poseidon).
3. Third is Blackbeard, who we don’t know exactly how he ties into this whole thing, other than to assume it was due to his “special lineage”.

And the last one is Vivi, who we now know was due to her connection to Lili. Besides Lili’s name being interesting because it carries the will of D, there is also the official English translation of it, “Lily”, the flower, while the etymology of the name could be tied to “Lilith”.
“Lady Lilith” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1866-1868, 1872-1873)
Lilith is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam. There is way too much stuff about Lilith, from all kinds of religions, that could be said here, but I think the most important information to mention is her connection to Adam, due to the nature of recent (biblical) developments in the story. With Imu taking this omnipotent God role in the story, Lili being the one to not comply with the rest of the 20 Kings in forming the World Government, does make her similar to Lilith; especially considering she spread the Poneglyphs around the world, and especially if we consider Joyboy as the “Adam” equivalent in the One Piece.
https://preview.redd.it/rlspfz5wxb5d1.png?width=760&format=png&auto=webp&s=9bbc9dd33c59fc287ba22adb98d009ad548f6ec0

The Many Saints of Mary Geoise

Those who inhabit the “Holy Land” of Mary Geoise - the Celestial Dragons - are all called “Saints”: Saint Charloss, Saint Garling, Saint Saturn, etc. The meaning of the term saint depends on the context and denomination. In doctrines like Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, all of those in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. What is interesting about this is that Imu isn’t referred to as “Saint Imu” by the Five Elders.
https://preview.redd.it/4woau7xwxb5d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=e7f5ec62196ad5c5558e82a4c2a527c4977bd033
The Imu from Nerona family, mentioned by the Ivankov, is referred to as “Saint Imu”, but the one we see in the present isn’t. This is likely because Imu ascended above the “mere” rank of a saint, once they took the Empty Throne, and became something akin to God (the Creator). Hence, why the name of those who judge even the saints, is “God’s Knights”; they enforce the will of God. There appears to be a hierarchy going around here, with the “Saints”, “God’s Knights” (most likely meant to be the Angels), and the “Creator”.

Credits

Big thanks to u/mitzbitz16 for their post regarding the meaning of the Nerona Imu name

If you enjoyed reading this, and want to see more of my stuff, make sure to follow me for more weekly/bi-weekly One Piece posts!

Chapter 1116 didn’t reveal much new information, so I decided to use this opportunity, and the break week, to talk about the increasingly more important character that is Imu, the Supreme Ruler of the World who sits on the Empty Throne. You might be wondering what there is to talk about a character whose appearance we don’t even know, but, after doing some extensive research, I found out there is surprisingly a lot to them. Or rather, a lot that we can infer thanks to their many appearances, and the reveal of their surname - Nerona.
https://preview.redd.it/udedkum7wb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=1edc4efe961b53613d67eab8ca82f8e272c91a7d

Imu Carries the Name of a Real World Emperor

When creating the many rulers we see throughout the story, Oda has more often than not based the Kings, and their Kingdoms, on real life countries. This is probably the most noticeable with the 50 Monarchs that could be seen attending the latest Levely, as they are all pretty much an amalgamation of the stereotypes of the countries they are meant to represent:
https://preview.redd.it/q2wmfzy8wb5d1.png?width=1617&format=png&auto=webp&s=b0cc2d0d54731111732602c19c18e08a344ade45

• King Ham Burger resembles the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and is named after hamburgers (stereotypical American food).
• King Tacos resembles the Mexican revolutionary, Emilio Zapata, and is named after the traditional Mexican food.
• King Tea IV has a hat resembling a Union Jack, his goatee resembles clock hands (Big Ben), and his name is a reference to how prominent tea is in British culture.
• Etc.

But more interestingly are the “First Twenty”; the twenty kingdoms that formed what is now known as The World Government, and the countries that inspired them. So far, we have learned about 3 of them:
https://preview.redd.it/crnc0i7bwb5d1.png?width=1916&format=png&auto=webp&s=bf1c65b30a5a336b53de5b86b2c24ea85ad84214
First is the Donquixote family, and the Dressrosa Kingdom, which are inspired by the country of Spain; particularly, the autonomous communities of Andalusia and Catalonia. The family name itself comes from the titular character of Don Quixote, one of the best-selling (Spanish) novels of all time.
Then we have the Nefertari family**,** and the Alabasta Kingdom, which are inspired by the modern day Middle East and Ancient Egypt. The Nefertari name most likely comes from the 14th century Queen of Egypt, Nefertiti, who is believed to have been a “female King”, for a brief period of time (sounds familiar, right?).
And finally, with Nerona Imu, and the Nerona family, they may be inspired by ancient Rome.
https://preview.redd.it/i2zx7vgfwb5d1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b89301475264369307d0d20535a9df41ae38f397
The last name “Nerona” might be a reference to Nero’s Torches *(*Polish: Pochodnie Nerona), a painting by Henryk Siemiradzki, which depicts a group of early Christian martyrs about to be burned alive as the alleged perpetrators of the Great Fire of Rome, during the reign of Emperor Nero. According to belief of some Christian scholars, Nero is/was the Antichrist, and they believed he will make his return, perhaps after being alive for centuries, before the second coming of Christ. He spent the last years of his life living in isolation in his palace, dedicating his time to arts and music. This comparison is also particularly interesting because of the relationship between another two Egyptian and Roman rulers, Cleopatra and Caesar.

Book of Genesis

I’ve written about the Biblical influence Oda has been using for his story, especially recently in relation to Imu, Gorōsei, and the “Great Flood”, and when Ivankov speculates about Nerona family and Imu, he uses a book titled “Genesis”.
https://preview.redd.it/4sgxxiggxb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb23fb0e26e151bb21c3c348dffa8758c9d8825c
This is likely a reference to the "Book of Genesis”, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, which details the creation of the universe. Imu is someone referred to as “Creator” by the Five Elders, which feeds into the idea of Imu being this godlike figure. An interesting thing about the full name of “Nerona Imu” is that, when written in katakana, it can be combined to form the kanji meaning “God” and “Budhha”.

• Nerona = ネロナ = 神 (“kami”) = God
• Imu = イム = 仏 (“hotoke”) = Buddha

When combined, the two Kanji characters (神 and 仏) form 神仏 (“Shinbutsu”), the word that is generally used to refer to the collective notion of all deities.
https://preview.redd.it/2zqak5dhxb5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c5d2060b4c13e1005a3b2811c1366f1d2d270664
The first time we see Imu they are surrounded by flowers and trees, in a room that looks like a garden, called the “Room of Flowers”)”. A famous story from the aforementioned Book of Genesis is the story of Adam and Eve, eating the forbidden fruit (of knowledge of good and evil), and subsequently being banished from the Garden of Eden. Considering the importance fruit (Devil Fruit) and trees (Treasure Tree Adam and Sunlight Tree Eve) have, it's very likely Imu’s story itself has some heavy connection to the origin of Devil Fruits.
One thing I find particularly interesting about Imu comes from their connection to the Gorōsei - the Five Elder Stars. Where every member of the 5 Elder Stars is named after a planet in our system, alongside the 3 ancient weapons, Imu’s name so far has no meaning that connects it to our solar system. However, if we read the name in reverse, it reads “Umi”, the Japanese word for the ocean. This also tracks with another reading of the name Imu: Yamm.
“Chaos Monster and Sun God”
Yamm) comes from the Semitic word for the ‘sea’, and is an Ugaritic God of the Sea that is presented as the candidate for the position of “King of the Gods”. Yamm is consistently depicted as tyrannical, angry, violent and harsh. In the aforementioned Hebrew Bible - the one where the Book of Genesis comes from - Yam also appears and is the enemy of Yahweh, who is (the) God. Additionally, Yam is mentioned in Ancient Egypt as someone feared by the Egyptian seafarers throughout their travels, kind of like how the Pirates “fear” the Navy that is trying to stop them.

The Immortal Imu

The one other tree mentioned in the Garden of Eden, is the Tree of (Eternal) Life), which grants immortality to those who eat from it, and, while not directly stated, it’s beyond heavily implied that Imu is immortal. When talking about them, Ivankov wonders if the Imu that sits on the Empty Throne is perhaps the same Saint Imu who once ruled the Nerona family, 800 years ago, insinuating their immortality.
https://preview.redd.it/u9nj2v6mxb5d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e9aa2a0916402395dec8acda59223ac7f0675d4
Furthermore, there has been a long-running theory about the Gorōsei themselves being immortal, and the short flashback to the God Valley seemingly confirms this, with Saturn looking exactly the same ~40 years ago as he does in the present. I know Imu isn’t the same as the Gorōsei, but it would be weird if his servants were immortal while they weren’t. Lastly, Doflamingo’s number one priority before trying to take over the Mary Geoise, and become the ruler of the World, was to make Law use the Ope Ope no Mi to perform the “Perennial Youth Operation” on him, which might very well stem from the fact that the current ruler is immortal.
https://preview.redd.it/1o2ynl4nxb5d1.png?width=735&format=png&auto=webp&s=828e76a2d765df43c1ac9b879cb07487e745bc0f
Reminder that Doflamingo is aware of Imu’s existence as he had insinuated their existence a couple of times, and openly stated he had witnessed the “Treasure of Mary Geoise”.

Imu’s Appearance

While the blob of darkness that is Imu’s silhouette doesn’t tell us much about their appearance, the silhouette we see them assume after Sabo’s attack does.
https://preview.redd.it/5xgr6bcpxb5d1.png?width=816&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd673bf0574945c07891bedffda21213287c45e6
We see Imu’s round eyes take more of a triangle appearance, and Imu takes a bestial, yet still humanoid, form of what could be described as Dragon. Perhaps this is where the “Celestial Dragon” name comes from, since the names that Oda comes up with can often be quite literal (for example, “Big Mom” is quite literally both a “mom” and “big”, but also figuratively a “big mom” due to the size of her family). Imu chomps on Sabo’s flame, seemingly unbothered by the fire, before we see them come down from the throne, massive in appearance. There are a couple of deities that could tie nicely in what little we see from this appearance, with the prime suspect being Tiamat.
https://preview.redd.it/ex8vuv4qxb5d1.jpg?width=2500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72608b8e93509eba08ce878f7ad53ac07fedc0c3
Tiamat is a Babylonian personification of the primordial sea who is generally depicted as a dragon, and, while this is the general depiction, the most frequent depiction of Tiamat is, interestingly, as a woman (with some additional features, such as a tail). I say interestingly because there has been some debate around Imu’s gender, and the likelihood of them being a woman. I know the likelihood of this being the case is pretty low now, since the way the Elders refer to Imu (“Sei”) is the way the male Celestial Dragons are called (female Celestial Dragons are called “Gū”).
https://preview.redd.it/16m0po0sxb5d1.png?width=635&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea27753586e134822cde925863bd593a3663de35
Tiamat is often paralleled with Sea Deities from other mythologies, which includes the Jörmungandr - the World Serpent from Nordic Mythology that is so big it encircles the world (like the Red Line does) - and Leviathan - the Sea Serpent from the Hebrew Bible - which represents a Demon that is the personification of Envy.

Nefertari D. Lililth

Imu’s obsession with Lili, and in turn with Vivi, has been so apparent that it has reached the point of ridicule. They literally have a giant picture of, what I assume is, Neferari Lili in the Room of Flowers.
https://preview.redd.it/u6m1blxsxb5d1.png?width=561&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f88bdf117563df3aac475f9e263bd71dce5991b
If the twist isn’t that Lili and Imu are the same person, then there is a certain envy that I feel Imu might have toward Lili, and her family/ancestors. When we see Imu in the Room of Flowers, we see them cutting up the pictures/wanted posters of four people:

1. First is Luffy, who we now know is Joyboy, in possession of the Nika fruit.
2. Second is Shirahoshi, who we know is one of the Ancient Weapons (Poseidon).
3. Third is Blackbeard, who we don’t know exactly how he ties into this whole thing, other than to assume it was due to his “special lineage”.

And the last one is Vivi, who we now know was due to her connection to Lili. Besides Lili’s name being interesting because it carries the will of D, there is also the official English translation of it, “Lily”, the flower, while the etymology of the name could be tied to “Lilith”.
“Lady Lilith” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1866-1868, 1872-1873)
Lilith is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam. There is way too much stuff about Lilith, from all kinds of religions, that could be said here, but I think the most important information to mention is her connection to Adam, due to the nature of recent (biblical) developments in the story. With Imu taking this omnipotent God role in the story, Lili being the one to not comply with the rest of the 20 Kings in forming the World Government, does make her similar to Lilith; especially considering she spread the Poneglyphs around the world, and especially if we consider Joyboy as the “Adam” equivalent in the One Piece.
https://preview.redd.it/rlspfz5wxb5d1.png?width=760&format=png&auto=webp&s=9bbc9dd33c59fc287ba22adb98d009ad548f6ec0

The Many Saints of Mary Geoise

Those who inhabit the “Holy Land” of Mary Geoise - the Celestial Dragons - are all called “Saints”: Saint Charloss, Saint Garling, Saint Saturn, etc. The meaning of the term saint depends on the context and denomination. In doctrines like Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, all of those in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. What is interesting about this is that Imu isn’t referred to as “Saint Imu” by the Five Elders.
https://preview.redd.it/4woau7xwxb5d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=e7f5ec62196ad5c5558e82a4c2a527c4977bd033
The Imu from Nerona family, mentioned by the Ivankov, is referred to as “Saint Imu”, but the one we see in the present isn’t. This is likely because Imu ascended above the “mere” rank of a saint, once they took the Empty Throne, and became something akin to God (the Creator). Hence, why the name of those who judge even the saints, is “God’s Knights”; they enforce the will of God. There appears to be a hierarchy going around here, with the “Saints”, “God’s Knights” (most likely meant to be the Angels), and the “Creator”.

Credits

Big thanks to u/mitzbitz16 for their post regarding the meaning of the Nerona Imu name

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A while ago I went for Thermal Grizzly liquid metal on my Razer Advanced 15 rz09-0409x laptop (11900H / 3080). I also had to get the Grizzly nail polish stuff to cover the caps around the cpu. It was very easy to apply though.
It worked very well but after a few months the temps became worse. Then I opened it up and noticed the stuff pretty much dried out and "eaten" itself into the heatsink leaving a gray stain which I cant seem to get out. A waste of money if you ask me.
I replaced it with some cheap oem stuff I had laying around but I'd like to repaste it soon and also upgrade the ram to 64GB.
So which paste is generally good for laptops? (E.g. where the temps can easily hit 90+ and the pressure of the heatsink isnt thay great..).
Also I noticed the bios doesnt allow for any memory (xmp) profiles. Does faster RAM bring any improvements? Which would you recommend?
Any tips/advice is much appreciated!

Prologue part 2
Chapter 1: Song of rainfall, and snow part 1.
Date: Feb 12th, 2046 9:23 AM/PCT Location: Proxima Centauri B, Outskirts of Kashuna, Capital of Proxima Centauri
“Hey! hey! Your local Global occult defense initiative recruiter here. The world is gonna get worse before it gets better. No seriously look around you. Around you, you are surrounded by Aliens, the occult, and things beyond comprehension that God made just for fun. It's our job to protect humanity from these world ending threats.” The video cuts to an event where the skies suddenly turn blood red mixed with an aurora borealis, fissures appear in the crimson skies, and azure liquids falling from the skies. When the droplets of the azure liquids drop into the ground they turned into horrific amalgamations of flesh, and liquids. The video cuts to a person being engulfed by the azure entities, and after a while the azure liquids suddenly disappears and the person who was engulfed by it started to laugh.
A moment later the body started to morph into another form, and was immediately lit up by humanoid robots with cold azure eyes. Some parts looked human. Mainly the head, and the body. The ears looked like headphones, the limbs looked so robotic or something akin to that of a prosthetics, and the eyes… Looks akin to that of the creature from the azure liquid. Seeing that sent shivers down my mind. Suddenly I felt like wanting to run away but didn't because I didn't want to fall off a jeep running at 60 miles per hour. But a second later I felt like my body was being broken apart. I don't know why but I just felt that way. In some part of me I felt somewhat disgusted at myself. Seemingly seeing myself as one of them.
A tear appeared on my face, making me feel dread as the video played. I don't know why… But it both made me sad, and angry. Like how I felt when I lost both mom, and dad. I shook my head and tried my best to ignore it. It's probably just my imagination or my mental instability. Yet something nagged at me like it wasn't. “Whether domestic or international. Do you really think we haven't suffered through the stars just to get here? Well if you know history then your answer is no, and you would be perfect for joining our local mobile task forces. Such as MTF Fox-2 The sneaky bastards.” Suddenly the screen cuts to footage of robotic soldiers in full optical camouflage uniforms gunning down some sort of ghost like apparitions. One of the apparitions looked like a giant orangutan that was given steroids, and was gunned down by a 70mm canon fire from a robotic construct that looked like a giant mechanical spider armed to the teeth with machine guns, and a main 150mm Howitzer, and a secondary 70mm flak. It's eyes glowed azure blue as it continued to gun down more of these apparitions.
“Um… Nau? Why does the local internet have military recruitment adds for humans? Like I bet the only people sent here are probably military personnel mostly, and some are researchers. So why is there military recruitment ads?” I asked curious about the reason this kind of ad was playing in this side of human controlled territory to try and distract myself from what I just saw and felt. If the UN was a conventional military then hiring soldiers from other nations or species would be out of the question.
“Well honestly K, you humans have been fighting off incursions for the last 5,000 years albiet in such smaller scales than what your normal species outside of the Orion arm does. It takes up a lot of man power to fight a prolonged war against wave incursions, and mutants from BEAR zones. To why you are fighting such draining conflicts? Well if I remember correctly a lot of these zones contain a lot of valuable resources to the point that fighting a large scale guerilla war would be worth the sacrifices. Not to even mention the main directive of the global occult defense initiative. To fight the things that bump in the night, and kill whatever things that threaten the safety, and veil of normalcy.”
“Their main motto is ‘We cull the things in the dark in order to live a normal life. We fight not for glory, profit, nor borders. We fight to keep normalcy.’ and sometimes this is just what they do. It takes a lot of manpower to contain things that can't be killed, to contain threats that might prove useful, to cull incursions, and to keep the veil of normalcy you know. Sometimes you need to outsource your recruiting from your target demographic. Think of it as a large scale version of the french foreign legion.”
Defragmentation complete.
Neural cloud status: Somewhat stable
Main cause of crash: Gravitational forces, and Thawing.
Reverting memories…..
Welcome. Recreatant 01.
Project Snowfall. ^{⁠_⁠^} :⁠-⁠P
-P.S remember. Mommy loves you K. Remember. Keep on living. No matter what happens. Even if the world drowns in rainfall.
A message appeared on my vision before quickly disappearing. I shrugged it off, thinking of it as some sort of hallucination, and a side effect of being thawed out which probably messed with my neurons.
Suddenly my mind started to feel light as it something has been lifted from my conscience.
“Kyruger you okay? You've been spacing out.”
“Yeah….. I'm fine.”
“What did I tell you?” She asked me.
“Umm….”
“Honestly I don't remember.”
“Well it's not like I'm letting you join them. Plus I wouldn't want you to disappear again.”
“We'll let's start to talk first. What do you remember?” I offered.
“How have you been Nau?” I smiled and looked at her, and I could faintly see her start to tear up as she stared back at me. For an honest second there I wanted to hug her but didn't because I wouldn't want us to both die. She's driving a buggy after all.
“Sure.” She said as she looked at the azure horizon whilst sighing. Currently the road we are driving is nothing but dust, and empty desert. As said by Nausica it would take 30 minutes to commute from the port to the capital. And currently we're traveling 80-90 miles per hour.
“Well. How do I put it…”
“I miss you Kyu. It's been lonely since you left.” She said whilst trying not to tear up. So.. your lonely. Just like me huh?
“How long has it been since I had…. a sincere connection….” She sighs before continuing.
“The past…. Twenty years has been rough to say the least. Everyone I met either hated me just because of my species or how I looked. Despite me trying my best to adapt….”
“People…. Still hated me….”
“Just like when we were kids…. “
“Just like when the neighbor’s kids used to belittle me just because of my hair color, and my eyes.”
“Despite me doing my best to be a good person, people still hated me for what I am. When I brought it up, or if someone knew they would avoid me. The only people that don't do that is people from my race, my sisters, and my S.T.A.L.K.E.R colleagues. Thanks to my race I couldn't get any job other than being a field agent outside of my species territory since the other species were reminded of the entities that came from the rainfall events everytime they saw us. Thus I worked for research institutes or secret societies as a freelance survey agent/S.T.A.L.K.E.R in B.E.A.R zones because of my species tolerance to Borsch radiation, and high survivability.” When I heard that, it made me feel bad for her. And quite honestly made me want to stick with her more out of pity.
“Want a hug?” I offered. She laughed.
“Sure after we arrive at the city.” She humored me.
“So how about you? What happened after you left?” She asked me. Now that I think about it. 4 years were a blur to me. All I remember was studying, and being alone most of the time. Other than that. The 4 years were basically trips.
“Well. My life went downhill. I followed my dream to be an astronaut and become an adventurer of the stars yet I failed. Everytime I tried to apply to NASA, they always rejected me. Years after years of applications rejected. Even though I both excelled in academics and physical fitness the agency still chose other candidates. After that I gave up. My heart couldn't bare it anymore. So I tried to work for other corporations. But was turned down every step of the way since I was either too good or my expectations were too high for what they were willing to pay for me. Most companies even tried to guilt trip me despite them offering me wages that would've barely keep me afloat. Thus I had no where else to go than to work at a government agency since it was the highest paying job, with great benefits I could find. Thus I worked at the FBI. The department of unusual incidents. Though my work was mostly doing debugging, fixing vulnerabilities, and sorting out papers every once in a while.”
“But everytime I sorted out papers they would give me some sort of pill that would make time fly for me. Honestly I don't remember much from those paper filings but it took a lot of time, and drained the hell out of me. It was tedious, with very strict deadlines. Eventually making me hate the bureaucracy since it wasn't in my pay grade to sort things out for them. There was a dedicated division for that but was severely understaffed. Even my division was severely understaffed. The only division that was fully staffed is the counter terrorism division which handled field operations. I don't really know much about the counter terrorism division, and the things I remembered are mostly they make arrests or investigate unusual incidents too unusual for even the other FBI departments.” I told her. Honestly thinking about it, the more I remembered the more I think I was miserable there. I couldn't help but sigh, and look at my hand.
“So that's why you posted those posts about your frustrations. You couldn't find any outlet, and decided to scream into the void.” She's….. right…..
I couldn't help thinking that I felt like my self deprecating humor was a way to cope. A way to voice out my frustration in humor.
“Heh…… your right…..”
“I couldn't find someone to talk to so I coped by other means. Making myself laugh whilst internally I was in turmoil at how frustrating my life was. Always burnt out, and devoid of the passion I wanted to work with.” Saying that made me feel… vulnerable…. Emotions of sadness, rage, and yet… happiness.
Sad about how my life was wasted, spiteful and rageful at how everything turned out, and happy that I had someone to be vulnerable with. Happy to talk it out without having a person to shove my self esteem out like some of the therapists I talked to. Happy that someone understood, and didn't immediately start to chew me down. Blaming me for the life I've lived even though I had no say with most of my life. In some ways some parts of therapy made me feel even worse.
Some part of me wanted to hug her…. yet I feel like it would be inappropriate. Hmm .. Now that I think about it…
I never opened up like this before. Some part of me was relieved that i was heard, another was insecure, seemingly paranoid that she'll just use me, and discard me the moment I had no use to her anymore. I don't know why that is… but it feels… just like it. Like I was some sort of doll being repaired over and over again by it's owner.
I shrugged. No point in dwelling in that. I have nothing waiting for me at home. No family, no friends…
Just crippling loneliness only alleviated by endless distractions, manic humor, and fake people hiding behind consumerism to alleviate the sense of meaninglessness brought by the modern world. God it feels so absurd. I feel like a stranger brought into another world where things are the same yet so different at the same time. I wonder. How whimsical are the other worlds? How is it different from the world I came from?
Aliens, humans all the same things. These are just people. Of a different species with different aspects, yet one aspect unites them all.
Self awareness, and sentience.
A deafening silence lingered in the air. Caused by my own words.
“I feel you. Despite the universe being filled with whimsy, and the occult. It's mundane. Absurd even in it's irony. Despite being whimsical, people want a mundane life. Makes you want to side with the anarchist coalition. But those are just idealists. Thinking that people want whimsy and freedom rather than safety, and stability.”
“I want to live in a world where I'm free. Free to choose whimsy, and fantasy rather than depressing, and devoid of passion replaced by the mundaneness of the modern world where the magic of reality is hidden behind secret societies, and where it only benefits the few. Where the anomalous become a part of life, and things or people like me aren't hated for what we couldn't choose.” Nau said, seemingly agreeing with what I said. A moment later she laughs in a way similar to that of someone who's lost it all. She sighs, and suddenly begins to hum a tune.
“La, lala, lala, lala, La, lala, lala, lala.” Suddenly snow began to fall as she continued to hum the tune. Whilst humming the tone, she looked upon the skies only to see snow began to fall.
“Beautiful isn't it?” she said, before continuing to hum the tune. I looked upon the snowfall. Whilst looking at it, it reminded me of my childhood. It felt whimsical. Reminding me of a nostalgic time. Made me feel like a kid again. I chuckled. I then took off my mask temporarily. Out of habit I stuck out my tongue, jokingly yet seriously wanting my life to return to a more nostalgic time. Right after that wore it back on.
“That's magic. Specifically sympathy magic. Where music is a part of the casting process of magic. Where it uses emotions from music to cast magic and embues the emotions on reality. Often it is called another thing.”
“The magic of the scene.” I then swallowed the snow, making me feel somber, and carthertic.
“You can feel it too. The magic can make you feel…..”
“What the caster feels.”
“To why God made it as it is. He only said to us is experience without emotion is hollow and refused to elaborate. To this day we still don't know what that means. The living reality is really cryptic. The eternal monarch. Often he explains things through poetry, and references in history. Even if we only knew that history thanks to him. He oftens say the sweetness of reality is found in the sobering and emotional experiences.”
“Is there really a God? If so why didn't he just try to fix it all? Isn't God supposed to be benevolent?” She laughed at my words.
“More like a spectator. He tried to be benevolent but it only led to more problems. So he let it all be. When he tried to fix everything it only led to more suffering.”
“No matter what he did, the old civilization he so cherished so much crumbled to dust. In a world where God exist he is powerless to the consequences of his actions. Everything has consequences. Whether he liked it or not. That's just how reality is. Despite having sway on reality, it still had some consequences that one cannot undo lest more consequences come. The story of the eternal monarch, and the God inside the machine is quite tragic. Two lovers broken by the world that cared nothing about them.” She laughs again whilst trying not to cry.
“tsk. Hahahhaahha!”
“What's so funny?”
“It's so ironic. Gods who symbolized omnipotence towards reality broken by the thing they lorded over. They are the embodiments of concepts. Yet the concepts they embodied and lorded over still held sway on their lives.”
“No matter who you are. Reality shows no mercy.” Suddenly she started to cry, and laugh at the same time. Seeing her like this made me feel bad for her. What made her into this? What broke her to this point? The whole thing was both awkward and cathartic.
“Want a hug?” I offered.
“Sure…. Hahahhahah!” She said whilst laughing, and crying. I hugged her. When Nau noticed it, she caressed my hair. It was an awkward two minutes before she talked normally again.
“Um…. I'm sorry…. I kinda said too much…” tears fell on my head, and I let go.
“Feel better?” I asked, and she nodded whilst snickering to herself similar to that of someone laughing to seeing something so absurd.
“If you want you can always cry on my shoulders.” I offered her. She smiled, and looked upon the azure skies.
“Fine…” She smiles, she then jokingly leaned on my shoulder whilst driving. I started to sweat bullets from it. Nau quickly lifted her head from my shoulders, and focused on the road, smiling as she did it. For the next 13 minutes we sat there in silence until we arrived at Kashuna.
Towers adorned the horizon. Towers that would dwarf the burj khalifa adorned the surrounding. Shops littered the streets selling food, appliances, etc. And people of multiple species walked around side by side, along with humans and humanoid constructs. Robots that looked human but clearly distinct by the way their body is constructed. Some had prosthetic looking bodies akin to that of something you'd see in cyberpunk or the original ghost in the shell. There's also some constructs that had ears or limbs similar to that of earth animals. Most I'd see was ears and tails similar to that of fluffy animals. Some even had prosthetics with sharp looking nails. The attires were even more of a hodgepodge of different cultures, and ethnicities. Some wore traditional Chinese attire, some Hindu, some east Asian, some south east Asian, some Russian, some European, and some modern American. The sight in front of me was interesting.
“What's with them?” I asked, finally breaking the 13 minute long silence.
“Oh the constructs? Those are humans put into homunculus. Souls who has been extracted from their body using magic to be put in bodies they desired. They're often called transhuman but are generally used for warfare or fun. Often homunculi are used in order to kill those who are immortal in a sense. Even if their body dies the soul escapes, and basically makes a new body within days thus causing the perpetrator to live Scot free. Basically just executioners in a law enforcement sense. Only something dead is allowed to kill or shatter a soul to the point of destruction. These people are either dead nor alive but technically dead. Biologically speaking they are just echoes. Echoes of memories of those that died. Lingering spirits who's will is strong enough to linger and have a sentience of their own akin of that of the living. That's just how the world works. It's the reason why could even fight against incursions and rainfall events in the first place. But those who die in these events generally have their souls shattered. Unable to be retrieved or pass on into the dark forest. The after life where the dead lie stuck in a world where they can experience the life they couldn't experience for eternity. But sometimes it causes the soul to go insane. Thus tries to break out but loses their humanity or sentience in the process.”
“But if that exists why didn't just anyone try to destroy it?”
“God doesn't want to. The story of the broken God explains why he doesn't want to. He keeps clinging into the past. Whenever damage is caused to that plane he would always try to repair it. Even if it's completely destroyed he still recreates it. Even caused the destruction of that species. Historically speaking that has happened three times. Three species wiped off.”
“Why don't we just kill him?” She laughed before pausing, and answering my absurd question.
“A species tried that only for him to come back, and destroy said civilization.” Oh….
“Yet we still respect him. Despite him creating a place where we all end up, and go insane eventually it's not entirely a bad thing. It's just people generally go insane if stuck there in a long amount of time. It's just an unfortunate side effect. It's all for a good cause. It's not his fault for that. No matter what he did. He even modified souls multiple times yet everytime they would go insane sooner or later. It's just the consequences. But the means justifies the ends for him.”
“We have no say on what he does just as he has no say on what we do.”
“The monarch was always a tragic figure. An idealist, and an idiot. And we love him for it.” She snickered whilst saying that last line. A few moments later she stopped, and parked the car. Nau then pulled out her phone, and started to do something with it.
“Well let's go the venue. You'll love what your going to see.” She said, smiling at me as she said that, it made my heart melt. I left the car, and she held my hand making me flustered. The both of us walked towards the parade whilst holding hands. When we finally arrived there, a large amount of people gathered around guard rails. Five minutes later the sound of drums, and people singing echoed around the block.
“Why can't we be friends?” <4x!> The sound of multiple accents singing echoed through the air. Suddenly on the skies a rainbow appeared. Is this the same magic Nau described and used?
Also are they singing why can't we be friends?
“I seen you around for a long, long time I remembered you when you drank my wine!” Humans wearing cloaks, and gasmask wearing UN insignias and another faction with an insignia of a flaming torch sang together laughing and smiling under the masks. Something you can notice by the way their eyes look.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!> The people around me smiled, and laughed enjoying the parade.
“I seen you walking down in Chinatown I call you but you could not look around!” A bunch of people with thick Chinese accents sang together.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“I pay my money to the welfare line I see you standing in it every time!” Some soldiers with thick Louisianian, Texan, and New Yorker accents sang together making me chuckle. The differing accents made it so funny for me.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“The color of your skin don't matter to me As long as we can live in harmony!” People with Russian, Chinese, British, Indian, French, and American accents sang together.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“I'd kinda like to be the president So I can show you how your money's spent!” A bunch of American soldiers sang together, trying their best not to laugh.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“Sometimes I don't speak right But yet I know what I'm talking about!” A bunch of soldiers with thick Russian accents sang making the scene even more funnier.
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“I know you're working for the CIA They wouldn't have you in the mafia!”
“Why can't we be friends?” <16x!>
“Why can't we be friends? I want to be your friend. Why can't we be friends? I want to be your friend.”
“Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?”
“WOOOHOOOO!!!” The crowd around me cheered with a round of applause. Seemingly enjoying the performance of the army. Next above us a squadron of giant mechs flew by, seemingly partaking of the festivities. A moment later the squadron of high flying mechs fired a barrage of confetti. A moment later another squadron dropped a few mechanized spider unit with artillery strapped to it. Some sort of robotic quadrupedal tank. It's eyes glowed blue as it activated.
“Yes! Chaikovsky baby!” An alien speaking English said. The crowd cheered on. A moment later a symphony started and a bunch of constructs holding instruments gathered on the streets and started to play chaikovsky’s 1812 overture. The constructs marched to the beat for the whole durations. The people enjoyed their performance.
Suddenly the guns on the mechanized units fired as the iconic part of The 1812 overture played. The sound of artillery echoed as the units fired their guns. Thankfully it was just blanks, and didn't shower us with broken glass shards. The people cheered even more as they saw the artillery on the mechanized spiders fired.
The sound of people cheering drowned my ears with tinnitus almost deafening me. Right beside me Nau was enjoying the show. A genuine smile plastered on her face. Right after this the performance marched further, and further into the city. She tugged on my hand, wanting me to come with her to follow the parade.
The next performance was another song. But unlike the last songs it was sobering.
“This one is for our fallen. To those who've died in our war against those that threaten our ways of life.” A moment later a piano, and violins started to play.
A beautiful looking construct appeared amidst the formation of musicians. “It only takes one lone soul, it only takes one in a thousand.” Oh.. oh I remember this song! This was tranquility! I heard it from an anime I used to watch during my teenage years. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These. The legends of the galactic heroes. Gosh. That's a throwback….
“No, that's not bravery
As children we learn it's wrong
To put out the light of another
Our innocence lost over time
A means to an end” Hearing those words felt so healing. It put me both in a good and cathartic mood. It felt like my soul was being soothed.
“It's hard to hold your head up high, But we must try” suddenly the banging of bass dropped. Two beats, next one beat. It repeated.
“Sway together in the dark It's supposed to be,
'Cause I want to know the end And you never ever need to fight
But you're fighting everyday And I don't know when your light will go out
Innocent crying child, The heart of your enemy”
“My heart to heart with the light And we always get along
Counting the stars in the sky Thinking why they have to die!
Just face to face we can hear A voice telling us it's wrong.
Counting the stars in the sky It was like a lullaby.”
“For sunsets I'll break the rules We learnt playing down in the heather
The secrets behind all the veils We just use other words
For freedom we make our charge For friendship we bare down on others
Can't one of you just calculate Tranquility?”
“It's hard to hold your head up high But we must try”
“Ah, ah, Ah, ah, Ah, ah”
“Sway together in the dark It's supposed to be
'Cause I want to know the end And you never ever need to fight
But you're fighting everyday And I don't know when your light will go out
Innocent crying child The heart of your enemy”
“Sway together in the dark It's supposed to be
'Cause I want to know the end And you never ever need to fight
But you're fighting everyday And I don't know when your light will go out
Innocent crying child The heart of your enemy”
“My heart to heart with the light And we always get along
Counting the stars in the sky Thinking why they have to die!
Just face to face we can hear A voice telling us it's wrong
Counting the stars in the sky It was like a lullaby….” The crowd cheered at the performance given to them. The performer bowed, smiling doing so. I was left speechless as the music made me feel so emotionally vulnerable. Yet it felt so good. It's a paradox. I then looked at Nau who was shedding tears at the performance. Right after this the music changed, and they started to march towards the final destination. Right now they were singing uptown funk and it started raining moonshine, and booze. The surrounding felt so funky, and lively whilst the song played. I took off my mask quickly, and gathered some drops of rain to taste. It literally tasted like beer, and a bit of moonshine.
Nau then pulled my arms, and followed the parade. Under the mask I smiled. I followed her. Whilst following the parade I saw one of the hatches of those spider mechanized units open only to see a person crawl off it. The person eerily looked like my father but the difference was his more grizzled face, and a scar on the left eye. He wore some sort of general or officer's uniform with a patch similar to those people wearing the torch insignia's. Looking closer the doppelganger had a more robotic body so it can't be him. He's probably just a look a like. Suddenly the person looked around, and eyed me directly. Looking surprised when he saw me. Suddenly his face turned to both anger, and pity. Like I just pissed him off like I reminded him of something. When our eyes locked at each other I could see his eyes burn with a fiery azure passion when he saw me. He then tried to pull something out of his pocket but stopped. Suddenly he muttered something. He then looked away, and crawled back into the unit.
After a while the parade finally arrived at the destination. The press gathered around the venue seemingly like someone important was going to make an appearance. Currently we were in front of an arena. But unlike your normal arena this one dwarved even the Olympic stadiums. It looks like some sort of simulation arena for wargames. Something akin to the tank triathlon which is held in large open fields where tank crews and commanders outmaneuver each other with their expertise, and tanks. NATO holds them, even the Northern Russian Artic Parliament (N.R.A.P) holds them.
“Hey! Nau! Over here!” Someone shouted amidst the crowd. I looked around only to be dragged by her. When she finally stopped someone greeted me.
“Well if isn't Kyruger. Long time no see.” A woman a little higher than Nau, and much more younger greeted me. She had light green hair, pristine almost gemstone looking skin that was almost transparent, with the same greenish eyes, but unlike her sister she was quite petite.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Oh yeah you must've forgot. Well I'm Catherine. You used to hang out with my older sister back in the day. You're quite a lucky guy. Big sis over here wai-” suddenly Nau covered her mouth.
“Shut it.” Cath gulped, and slowly nodded seemingly afraid of her older sister.
“Well How long have you, and my sister been dating?” She asked, and suddenly Nau elbowed me in the side. Ow that hurt.
“Well… For 5 months before she brought me here.” I lied, and Nau smiled maliciously. Oddly enough I was turned on by that smile. A moment later the speakers roared to life as someone was trying to make a speech.
“Hello our galactic neighbors. Hello, I Am G-4 Able. I'm quite honored to talk to you today. It's our 57th year since we were able to colonize a place, and our debut as regional power and a year after the armistice between the coalition, and the initiative. As you know the current affairs in human controlled territory between the coalition, and the initiative has warmed up. This parade has shown despite our differences we can still arrive at an agreement. Although in recent times the directive of the initiative has slowly changed. From multiple Borsch reactor meltdowns in Kazakhstan, and some parts in the Caucasus due to governmental mismanagement. I hereby rewrite the main directive of the initiative. Alongside the coalition our main directive has changed. From protecting the veil, to protecting what normalcy is left. I know. I know.” The people around us talked seemingly enamored by the local geopolitics of humans. I was also interested since this was world charging news.
“Humanity has always tried to suppress the knowledge of the anomalous but right now there are pressing matters. Keeping the veil is useless especially in the current information age that we found ourselves in. You already know that considering the Serpent's Maw leaks information about the anomalous. Currently A.I can't stop the spread of information, and unfortunately it has caused widespread confusion, and chaos in Earth. The Artic Parliament has already started to show signs of collapse, and eastern Europe has already fallen to widespread protests calling for freedom of information acts. To the foreign dignitaries I must ask you all for assistance in speeding up Project Dawn. Currently Project Dawn is nearly complete but it would take 3 more months for the civilian ships are made. And the other G-11 council members are currently worried that if we tried evacuating some parts of earth using military craft it would cause widespread chaos. Essentially causing confusion, and riots as barely anyone knows what's happening causing more casualties than needed.” Suddenly more people around me started to get worried.
“Shit. That's a bad thing….. the more people killed the more likely another large scale rainfall event happens.” I heard one of the people on the crowd say.
The skies suddenly reddened, and an unnatural aurora borealis appeared amidst the former clear skies.
“SHIT! RAINFALL EVENT!” The crowd panicked, and a stampede happened. People pushed each other killing some civilians in order to hide themselves from this ‘Rainfall event’.
“ATTENTION ALL INITIATIVE PERSONNEL! ACTIVE RAINFALL EVENT HAS BEEN DETECTED. CULL THE SIRENS! I REPEAT CULL THE SIRENS!” G-4 shouted through the speakers.
Around me, people pushed each other, afraid of what's to come. Some kept shouting, others crying, whilst some were trampled to death. Nau, and her sis were separated from me, whilst I was trampled.
My consciousness started to fade as people trampled over my body. Faintly I could hear the faint breaths of those who are being trampled to death. Some gasped for help, some cursed at the people that trampled them.
“Remember. Don't try to let yourself be seen by the sirens. Hide. Don't make a sound. Remember. Daddy loves you…” Dad ruffled my hair, and quickly rushed outside to distract the monsters outside. Before he left he locked the attic trapdoor. Gunshots echoed through the air.
"COME AT ME YOU SUICIDAL ECHOES! FUCK YOU!” Dad shouted.
Outside my father tried to fight off the creature made of azure liquids. Outside the demonic sounds of tormented souls screeching echoed. I looked out at the attic window, only to see him being swarmed by the azure monsters. Gunshot after gunshot he tried to fight them off.
"KILLL UUSSSSSSS!!!! PLEAAAASSSSEEEEEE!!!” When the gun finally ran out of ammo he quickly ran to try, and divert the monsters away from the house. But right after he tried this, the monsters lunged at him, and pinned him down, bludgeoning him. After a minute of struggle dad’s body went limp. Right after that happened the monsters threw up a viscous blue liquid, and shoved it to his throat. The moment this happened, his body convulsed, and he woke up. But unlike how he normally is, his eyes looked so depressed. He then laughed, and started to smash his head on the pavement only for him to heal the wounds. Suddenly he made a guttural roar.
“GRAAAAAHHHHHH!” A monster in the shape of my father screamed. Suddenly the monster that was formerly my father noticed me from the window, and made a B line towards me. I pointed a gun at the trapdoor. Footsteps echoed through the house. I stayed my best to stay silent but was found. The trapdoor shook as something tried to forcibly open it up. After a while of loud shaking the trapdoor finally broke. A bloodied head came through the door. The thing that was once my father now looked at me with a homicidal gaze. Both of our eyes locked with each other. He then made a guttural screech.
“D-don't come closer!” I shouted, my hands trembling. My child like hands shook as I was afraid, and didn't know what was happening. The figure’s eyes locked on to me, smiling creepily. A moment later the creature lunged at me. I pulled the trigger multiple times but the creature still mauled me even if it had taken lethal amounts of damage.
“Help….. me…..” As I was nearing my death, azure liquids leaked from the roof, and some of the liquid dropped into my mouth. The last thing I heard was something akin to glass shattering. Right after that my mind blacked out.
“When humans doubt God, they are considered to have independent selves...but what happens when a doll doubts its manufacturer?” I looked directly at the CCTV maliciously smiling at the fact that when mom sees this she would be distraught. She deserves it. She deserves all of the pain…. It was agonizing having your soul recreated. It was like being put together, and broken again. Over, and over. In the span of months. I was nothing but a doll to her. A doll to relive her nostalgia of the past. To relive a tragedy…
My dad pointed a gun on my jaw as per my request.
“Pull it.” I smiled as he pulled the trigger. A gunshot rang through the air. The last thing I saw was dad running away. His Human yet robotic like visage ran farther and farther from me. Smiling as the nightmare finally ended.
“I should've killed that bitch when I had the chance. Tsk. I should've known this would happen.” I groggily opened my eyes only to see the doppelganger of my dad pointing a gun at my head. He looked like he was ready to pull the trigger. I quickly got up, and tried to disarm him only to get shot in the liver. The parts of the gas mask I was wearing fell to the ground as what was left essentially is shattered from the stampede.
To my surprise I didn't bleed. He quickly grabbed a knife from a compartment in his arm, and tried to stab me in the neck. What the fuck.
My body quickly moved by its own, and disarmed him. I then tried to dislocate his arm. His metallic prosthetic arm showing cracks as I forcefully elbowed the prosthetic. He frowns.
Suddenly a gunshot rang through the air, and his shoulder fragmented.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL A CIVILIAN?! THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A SIREN ATTACK! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL A CIVILIAN?!” I looked behind me only to see Nau holding a dragonov. She quickly fired another shot but was blocked by his knife.
“Tsk. You have nothing to do with this. Stop this foolishness.”
“What are you talking about?” He laughs. Whilst he was distracted I tried to get his gun but was quickly elbowed on the neck, numbing it, and making me feel nothing and unable to move. Nau clicked her tongue, and started to shoot him.
“Fine… I'll finish this later…”
“I'll free you from the nightmare….”
“Son.” He quickly ran away, but before he fully retreated he shot me in the left eye. Plastic, glass, and metal shattered, and scattered as the bullet ricochet. A large steel ding was heard because of this. Similar to that of a bullet hitting a steel target and ricocheting.
“Are you o-” she paused as she noticed the glass shards that shattered as my eyes were hit by the bullet fragments.
“I should've known…. Something wasn't right when I slipped some part of me inside of you.”
“Say what now?”
“Nothing.” She quickly tried to carry me but temporarily put me down to put the gun away. She quickly consumed the gun. Oddly enough I thought that was hot. I wish I was the gun….
God I'm starting to develop a vore fetish aren't I? Right after that she grabbed my shoulder, and piggyback carried me.
“Try your best to hang on to dear life, okay?” I faintly nodded. But as I nodded some sort of fluid flowed out of my left eye hole. Right after that my body started to heat up even more.
“Crap you're leaking coolant.” She quickly ripped part of her clothes and shoved those onto my left eye.
“Hang on. I'll try my best to get to a nearby evac zone.” Suddenly in the distance the same screams of the damned echoes through the air. She gritted her teeth, and started to run whilst carrying my body. Whilst she was running. I noticed it started to rain.
“Shit! Another rain!” She quickly threw something up, and grabbed it. Some sort of weapon’s case.
She continued running, but faintly you could almost hear the sound of flowing water akin to that of a flash flood.
“Crap!” She quickly let go of me, and opened the weapons case. When she opened it a giant slab of steel with a muzzle akin to that of a miniature railgun prototype I read about in some article by the BBC back in 2041. Out of her hand, a large cancerous growth appeared. A reddish growth that when it bursted, chunks of reddish mold, and liquid popped like a balloon covering me with what looks to be mucus or blood.

An incomplete list of terrestrial Bioconstructs used by the Imperial Army.
Sentinels - Tetrapodal Bioconstructs based off the Dunkleosteus, with roles analogous to cavalry or guard dog.
Originally created as a cost-effective method of warding off predatory wildlife. The first Sentinels were made with components designed decades prior for a natural history exhibit.
The Bioconstructs were later repurposed by the Imperial Military after successful deployment of "Meatsuit" Bioconstructs generated renewed interest in biothaumatology. Becoming the first autonomous Bioconstruct to enter service.
Having proven to be a rugged and somewhat reliable chassis, the Sentinels were often used as testbeds for armor and other novel features. With some being converted for use by the Navy in anti-cetacean roles. They were upgraded over the course of the war, until their obsolescence became too glaringly obvious to ignore.
Notable Specimens Include: Felix, Tarrare
Equisapiens - Bipedal Bioconstructs utilized as shock troops.
As cheap and expendable Bioconstructs, the Equisapiens were created to fulfil the role of cannon fodder. They were deployed ahead of their human counterparts during offensive factions to absorb enemy fire. A useful feature in a war of attrition.
The simplicity of the average Equisapien meant it was also the first Bioconstruct to be mass-produced by Familiars. Utilizing a process that converted a dead or dying horse into a viable Bioconstruct in as few steps as possible. This process did not grant the Bioconstruct any grasping appendages, so specimens attacked by closing distance and punching the target.
Some notable steps of the process include: conversion to bipedalism, fusing the jaw shut, truncating the skull, shortening of "arms", installation of whistle (command variant only), and addition of bone plating on chest.
The Equisapien was produced throughout the first phase of the war, with units becoming more sophisticated as the means of production evolved. Only to abruptly shut down in part due to a cessation in military activity halting the supply of affordable horse flesh.
Notable Specimens Include: Newcastle, Salutation
Waddling Gunners - Anatine mobile weapon platforms.
The Waddling Gunners are Bioconstructs developed to reduce material attrition from counter-battery fire. Featuring webbed feet and oily exteriors, they're able to quickly relocate after firing without succumbing to the effects of a damp and muddy hellscape. Many find this gait to be endearing.
Specimens are able to mount a variety of light and medium weapons. Ranging from machine guns and mortars to howitzers and multiple launch rocket systems.
Every specimen is usually in some way tailored to their respective weapon. Machine gun carriers will use blood for barrel cooling. Howitzer units are fitted with a recoil spade and mechanical leg braces to manage weight. AT gunners can enchant their munitions to home in on targets.
More advanced Gunners can remotely synchronize with other specimens to share trajectory data and fire in unison. Effectively acting as an autonomous artillery battery.
Notable Specimens Include: Slow Otto
Grenadiers/Stormers - Simian Bioconstructs utilized as shock troops.
Conceived as a way to enhance the impact of Equisapien charges, the Grenadier was created to accompany its comparatively unarmed peers into combat. Unleashing its payload upon the enemy before retreating.
Every Grenadier possesses the ability to rearrange its upper musculoskeletal structure for either mobility (simian) or projectile usage (human). The latter of which renders the Bioconstruct temporarily vulnerable to attack as it is effectively immobilized by shortened limbs.
The Stormer by contrast, is a development of the Grenadier that exchanges projectile specialization for natural armor and improved dexterity. Being less fragile than the Grenadier, its purpose is to engage in close quarters combat in enclosed spaces such as bunkers. The Stormer is often armed with a pistol, submachine gun, or knife, in addition to an inferior sum of grenades.
Aside from minor improvements and changes to armor composition, neither Bioconstruct deviated much from their base design over the course of the war.
Grenadiers are notably the first type of Bioconstruct to demand payment for their services, a behavior that later spread to the Familiars. They are compensated in chicken bones.
Reavers - A horde on demand. Ephemeral, insectoid goop.
First conceptualized as a mine-clearing Bioconstruct that could detonate landmines by simply stepping on them. The Reaver was redesignated as a shock trooper after it became apparent the Bioconstruct also excelled at trampling barbed wire and absorbing high-velocity metal. It was used as a cheaper alternative to the Equisapiens.
Unlike other Bioconstructs, the Reaver can be made with essentially any source of protein, provided rigid material is introduced for structure. This had the side effect of vastly reducing its longevity, with a lifespan of up to 30 minutes under combat conditions. After which it experiences a catastrophic loss of integrity and dissolves into a puddle of toxic goop near enemy lines, substantially worsening their living conditions.
Used properly, it was like a flesh tsunami. A mindless mass of cannibalistic insectoids that absorbed and converted the biomass of those who fell before it into minutes of additional carnage.
However, the Reaver was considered obsolete after only a couple months due to several undesirable characteristics. Primarily the fact that the sheer amount of mana required to animate protein goo into a Reaver horde was an obvious indicator that foreshadowed the start of any assault. Prompting enemy forces to preemptively deploy chemical weapons. Devastating against a creation with no skin.
The reliance on magic also introduced a weakness, namely the mage directing the horde. Who suddenly became an obvious target for SEAD.
A version of the Reaver was created after the "Interwar" period as an antitank weapon. It functioned by racing towards a target, wrapping itself around the vehicle, and self-immolating.
The equipment necessary for Reaver animation is still in service for urban warfare applications, a role it excels at.
Operators - Shapeless Bioconstructs specializing in the operation of machinery.
Pushed into service as a replacement for human crews, the Operators are amorphous Bioconstructs that adapt to improve compatibility with the vehicles they inhabit. Representing a reversal of the ergonomic paradigm where traditionally a mechanical implement is designed to accommodate the user. This has resulted in the development of "pancake" tanks, low profile combat vehicles impossible for a human crew to operate.
The typical Operator also features: improved situational awareness, self-maintenance, thaumaturgic capabilities, and symbiote integration.
Unlike human crews, the Operator integrates with its "shell" on a physiological level. Resulting in a cohesive unit that is reluctant to separate.
Kobolds - Kleptomaniacal trench raiders.
As a diminutive, humanoid Bioconstruct even more fragile than the Grenadiers. The Kobolds were developed for one purpose, theft.
When deployed as intended, the Kobolds will accompany a raiding party to enemy trenches. Sneaking into vital areas to pilfer any documents they could find.
The humanoid design of the Bioconstruct was regarded with great concern by the Oversight Committee due to a potential breach of contract regarding prohibition of Homunculi. Triggering an investigation that backfired and weakened its influence.
Kobolds are paid shiny objects (typically polished coins) for captured documents.
Raptors - Flightless trench raiders.
Created for the purpose of nocturnal surprise attacks, the Raptors are stealthy Bioconstructs inspired by the anatomy of ratites. They compose the majority of Bioconstructs sent on night raids.
Their intended purpose has also resulted in their use as testbeds for several types of experimental silent weapons. Including an electrical organ, venomous darts, and integrated subsonic projectiles. One notable result of experimentation is the Poppycock variant, which overdoses enemy guards with powerful opioids.
The Raptor was also used to test PSYWAR developments, namely a voice mimicry module.
Notable Specimens Include: Forest Rocket
Shamirs - Vermal Bioconstructs used for tunneling.
A makeshift Bioconstruct rushed into production for a major military counteroffensive. Intended use was rapid excavation of trenches to solidify territorial gains and other sapper duties.
The Shamirs were never deployed.
Varroa - Varroid mobile weapon platforms.
Conceptualized as an alternative to the Waddling Gunner, the Varroa have the advantage of lower profiles, increased armor, and higher weight capacity. At the cost of inferior natural accuracy (which can be improved with symbiotes), and difficulty traversing certain types of terrain.
Unlike the Waddling Gunners, which mount weaponry more or less directly to the chassis. The Varroa instead mount weaponry as self-contained modules on its superstructure. Allowing for a damaged weapon to be quickly switched out. The Varroa also possess the ability to jump.
Improved survivability means Varroa often engage targets from point-blank range. This has resulted in the creation of: flamethrower variants, firefighting variants, and CHEMWAR variants. Notably including one version that sprays neurotoxic foam.
Radiation-proofed Varroa can directly confront Soviet Kondensators and other sources of intense, directed radiation.
Trap-Jaw Hounds - Tetrapodal Bioconstructs analogous to guard dogs.
Rushed into service as part of a time-sensitive contract with the Imperial Navy, the Trap-Jaw Hound was a replacement for the Bantam Sentinel after it became apparent the latter was unable to handle the arid climate of the Southern Continent.
The defining feature of this Bioconstruct is its beak, which can deliver a bite capable of piercing personal shields. The head is compartmentalized to reduce mechanical stress incurred from each bite. With eyes being offset in separate protrusions located on opposite sides of the head. The modular design is easy to repair.
The Trap-Jaw Hound was the first Bioconstruct to be classified as "Continental" (K) under the new regional clarification system. Which also retroactively classified most previous Bioconstruct designs not associated with the Underfleet as "Mainlander" (F).
Macropalpis - Acarine mobile weapon platforms.
Designed with the assistance of Familiars, the Macropalpis are some of the fastest Bioconstructs to ever exist. Being created to rapidly traverse the desert with novel movement techniques, albeit at the cost of armor and weight capacity.
Unlike its Varroa counterparts, the Macropalpis possess a high profile and a higher leap.
Canary Carriers - Bioconstruct missile half-track.
Evolving from Operator-controlled rocket artillery, the Canary Carrier is a distinct Bioconstruct specially designed to interface with Canaries. A miniature Turtledove variant named for the yellow colouration resultant from cross-contamination with manufacturing processes for their TNT warhead.
Standard operational procedure for Canary Carriers is to park in a concealed position and fire a salvo of Canaries before relocation. The Canaries are launched directly upwards, whereupon they will "swing" 90 degrees to properly locate and engage enemy targets.

Chapter 1116 didn’t reveal much new information, so I decided to use this opportunity, and the break week, to talk about the increasingly more important character that is Imu, the Supreme Ruler of the World who sits on the Empty Throne. You might be wondering what there is to talk about a character whose appearance we don’t even know, but, after doing some extensive research, I found out there is surprisingly a lot to them. Or rather, a lot that we can infer thanks to their many appearances, and the reveal of their surname - Nerona.
https://preview.redd.it/xmogfhw0m75d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=f34e3301601d505e05d1cce890cf2ef7bbcf4444

Imu Carries the Name of a Real World Emperor

When creating the many rulers we see throughout the story of One Piece, Oda has more often than not based the Kings, and their Kingdoms, on real life countries. This is probably the most noticeable with the 50 Monarchs that could be seen attending the latest Levely, as they are all pretty much an amalgamation of the stereotypes of the countries they are meant to represent:
https://preview.redd.it/fkucjyw1m75d1.png?width=1617&format=png&auto=webp&s=20c9f1c7630f0fd67d21d967d07d2897b50c2eb8

• King Ham Burger resembles the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and is named after hamburgers (stereotypical American food).
• King Tacos resembles the Mexican revolutionary, Emilio Zapata, and is named after the traditional Mexican food.
• King Tea IV has a hat resembling a Union Jack, his goatee resembles clock hands (Big Ben), and his name is a reference to how prominent tea is in British culture.
• Etc.

But more interestingly are the “First Twenty”; the twenty kingdoms that formed what is now known as The World Government, and the countries that inspired them. So far, we have learned about 3 of them:
https://preview.redd.it/1fyl5rx3m75d1.png?width=1916&format=png&auto=webp&s=26586450572fbb4fa3f8689a8db5dcfe7d67e7b5
First is the Donquixote family, and the Dressrosa Kingdom, which are inspired by the country of Spain; particularly, the autonomous communities of Andalusia and Catalonia. The family name itself comes from the titular character of the Don Quixote novel, one of the best-selling (Spanish) novels of all time.
Then we have the Nefertari family, and the Alabasta Kingdom, which are inspired by the modern day Middle East and Ancient Egypt. The Nefertari name most likely comes from the 14th century Queen of Egypt, Nefertiti, who is believed to have been a “female King”, for a brief period of time (sounds familiar, right?).
And finally, with Nerona Imu, and the Nerona family, they may be inspired by ancient Rome.
https://preview.redd.it/881e2as4m75d1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5a077cb3054ad6dc61254eea69cba182b206d82
The last name “Nerona” might be a reference to Nero’s Torches *(*Polish: Pochodnie Nerona), a painting by Henryk Siemiradzki, which depicts a group of early Christian martyrs about to be burned alive as the alleged perpetrators of the Great Fire of Rome, during the reign of Emperor Nero. This comparison is particularly interesting because of the relationship between another two Egyptian and Roman rulers, Cleopatra and Caesar.

Book of Genesis

I’ve written about the Biblical influence Oda has been using for his story, especially recently in relation to Imu, Gorōsei, and the “Great Flood”, and when Ivankov speculates about Nerona family and Imu, he uses a book titled “Genesis”.
https://preview.redd.it/as93tzs5m75d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=1724a080b70aa5eae4a6413646dd88e036bcf46b
This is likely a reference to the "Book of Genesis”, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, which details the creation of the universe. Imu is someone referred to as “Creator” by the Five Elders, which feeds into the idea of Imu being this godlike figure. An interesting thing about the full name of “Nerona Imu” is that, when written in katakana, it can be combined to form the kanji meaning “God” and “Budhha”.

• Nerona = ネロナ = 神 (“kami”) = God
• Imu = イム = 仏 (“hotoke”) = Buddha

When combined, the two Kanji characters (神 and 仏) form 神仏 (“Shinbutsu”), the word that is generally used to refer to the collective notion of all deities.
https://preview.redd.it/p8r10ao7m75d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc24444af138d56aab0397fbdcf0b7599adf6112
The first time we see Imu they are surrounded by flowers and trees, in a room that looks like a garden, called the “Room of Flowers”. A famous story from the aforementioned Book of Genesis is the story of Adam and Eve, eating the forbidden fruit (of knowledge of good and evil), and subsequently being banished from the Garden of Eden. Considering the importance fruit (Devil Fruit) and trees (Treasure Tree Adam and Sunlight Tree Eve) have, it's very likely Imu’s story itself has some heavy connection to the origin of Devil Fruits.
One thing I find particularly interesting about Imu comes from their connection to the Gorōsei - the Five Elder Stars. Where every member of the 5 Elder Stars is named after a planet in our system, alongside the 3 ancient weapons, Imu’s name so far has no meaning that connects it to our solar system. However, if we read the name in reverse, it reads “Umi”, the Japanese word for the ocean. This also tracks with another reading of the name Imu: Yamm.
“Chaos Monster and Sun God”
Yamm) comes from the Semitic word for the ‘sea’, and is an Ugaritic God of the Sea that is presented as the candidate for the position of “King of the Gods”. Yamm is consistently depicted as tyrannical, angry, violent and harsh. In the aforementioned Hebrew Bible - the one where the Book of Genesis comes from - Yam also appears and is the enemy of Yahweh, who is (the) God. Additionally, Yam is mentioned in Ancient Egypt as someone feared by the Egyptian seafarers throughout their travels, kind of like how the Pirates “fear” the Navy that is trying to stop them.

The Immortal Imu

The one other tree mentioned in the Garden of Eden, is the Tree of (Eternal) Life), which grants immortality to those who eat from it, and, while not directly stated, it’s beyond heavily implied that Imu is immortal. When talking about them, Ivankov wonders if the Imu that sits on the Empty Throne is perhaps the same Saint Imu who once ruled the Nerona family, 800 years ago, insinuating their immortality.
https://preview.redd.it/f4i3gbpdm75d1.png?width=739&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffd893436c1d66b7b72832abd198959a4ccbbaa1
Furthermore, there has been a long-running theory about the Gorōsei themselves being immortal, and the short flashback to the God Valley seemingly confirms this, with Saturn looking exactly the same ~40 years ago as he does in the present. I know Imu isn’t the same as the Gorōsei, but it would be weird if his servants were immortal while they weren’t. Lastly, Doflamingo’s number one priority before trying to take over the Mary Geoise, and become the ruler of the World, was to make Law use the Ope Ope no Mi to perform the “Perennial Youth Operation” on him, which might very well stem from the fact that the current ruler is immortal.
https://preview.redd.it/ecte6skgm75d1.png?width=735&format=png&auto=webp&s=8b82e8a43bfccce239960b7cbda0595c965dabe6
Reminder that Doflamingo is aware of Imu’s existence as he had insinuated their existence a couple of times, and openly stated he had witnessed the “Treasure of Mary Geoise”.

Imu’s Appearance

While the blob of darkness that is Imu’s silhouette doesn’t tell us much about their appearance, the silhouette we see them assume after Sabo’s attack does.
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We see Imu’s round eyes take more of a triangle appearance, and Imu takes a bestial, yet still humanoid, form of what could be described as Dragon. Perhaps this is where the “Celestial Dragon” name comes from, since the names that Oda comes up with can often be quite literal (for example, “Big Mom” is quite literally both a “mom” and “big”, but also figuratively a “big mom” due to the size of her family). Imu chomps on Sabo’s flame, seemingly unbothered by the fire, before we see them come down from the throne, massive in appearance. There are a couple of deities that could tie nicely in what little we see from this appearance, with the prime suspect being Tiamat.
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Tiamat is a Babylonian personification of the primordial sea who is generally depicted as a dragon, and, while this is the general depiction, the most frequent depiction of Tiamat is, interestingly, as a woman (with some additional features, such as a tail). I say interestingly because there has been some debate around Imu’s gender, and the likelihood of them being a woman. I know the likelihood of this being the case is pretty low now, since the way the Elders refer to Imu (“Sei”) is the way the male Celestial Dragons are called (female Celestial Dragons are called “Gū”).
https://preview.redd.it/1poled9mm75d1.png?width=635&format=png&auto=webp&s=5673c003f77b836f37f5463fd8d54b138feb2e82
Tiamat is often paralleled with Sea Deities from other mythologies, which includes the Jörmungandr - the World Serpent from Nordic Mythology that is so big it encircles the world (like the Red Line does) - and Leviathan - the Sea Serpent from the Hebrew Bible - which represents a Demon that is the personification of Envy.

Nefertari D. Lililth

Imu’s obsession with Lili, and in turn with Vivi, has been so apparent that it has reached the point of ridicule. They literally have a giant picture of, what I assume is, Neferari Lili in the Room of Flowers.
https://preview.redd.it/1z56pvcnm75d1.png?width=561&format=png&auto=webp&s=75ce4c35fcd9df20d17777fbcfa006abea9def39
If the twist isn’t that Lili and Imu are the same person, then there is a certain envy that I feel Imu might have toward Lili, and her family/ancestors. When we see Imu in the Room of Flowers, we see them cutting up the pictures/wanted posters of four people:

1. First is Luffy, who we now know is Joyboy, in possession of the Nika fruit.
2. Second is Shirahoshi, who we know is one of the Ancient Weapons (Poseidon).
3. Third is Blackbeard, who we don’t know exactly how he ties into this whole thing, other than to assume it was due to his “special lineage”.

And the last one is Vivi, who we now know was due to her connection to Lili. Besides Lili’s name being interesting because it carries the will of D, there is also the official English translation of it, “Lily”, the flower, while the etymology of the name could be tied to “Lilith”.
“Lady Lilith” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1866-1868 1872-1873)
Lilith is a female figure in Mesopotamian and Jewish mythology, theorized to be the first wife of Adam and a primordial she-demon. Lilith is cited as having been "banished" from the Garden of Eden for not complying with and obeying Adam. There is way too much stuff about Lilith, from all kinds of religions, that could be said here, but I think the most important information to mention is her connection to Adam, due to the nature of recent (biblical) developments in the story. With Imu taking this omnipotent God role in the story, Lili being the one to not comply with the rest of the 20 Kings in forming the World Government, does make her similar to Lilith; especially considering she spread the Poneglyphs around the world, and especially if we consider Joyboy as the “Adam” equivalent in the One Piece.
https://preview.redd.it/fkarj25rm75d1.png?width=760&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdaed7d983f7f4da18003ef691ff9b9a7a48adb8

The Many Saints of Mary Geoise

Those who inhabit the “Holy Land” of Mary Geoise - the Celestial Dragons - are all called “Saints”: Saint Charloss, Saint Garling, Saint Saturn, etc. The meaning of the term saint depends on the context and denomination. In doctrines like Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, all of those in Heaven are considered to be saints, but some are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. What is interesting about this is that Imu isn’t referred to as “Saint Imu” by the Five Elders.
https://preview.redd.it/rvie9om0t75d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=0ef52cfda6ae27b24562fdad10eeadfec76ef929
The Imu from Nerona family (mentioned by the Ivankov) is referred to as “Saint Imu”, but the one we see in the present isn't. This is likely because Imu ascended above the “mere” rank of a saint, once they took the Empty Throne, and became something akin to God (the Creator). Hence, why the name of those who judge even the saints, is “God’s Knights”; they enforce the will of God. There appears to be a hierarchy going around here, with the “Saints”, “God’s Knights” (most likely meant to be the Angels), and the “Creator”.

Credits

Big thanks to u/mitzbitz16 for their post regarding the meaning of the Nerona Imu name

If you enjoyed reading this, and want to see more of my stuff, make sure to follow me for more weekly/bi-weekly One Piece posts!

A few months ago I posted various Results from my +ARoT2024 Working here, including the Creation of a "Cube of Space Mudra". I also referenced the EleMental Attributions for Fingers (for me, that I Created for myself decades ago), but haven't given much in the Way of Reasons for such. I have since been given links to other EleMental Finger Models like this Vedic one or this one. The latter YT link actually has a similar approach to mine, particularly in Asking
"What does the ___________ Represent/Mean/Do?"
Adopting & reInForcing/Anchoring already existing Habits/&c. is 1 of my favorite Ways to do things.
Keeping in mind it's been decades since I 1st assigned Elements to each Finger, here are what I recall re: each:
~Spirit/Thumb: Makes each of the other 4 Fingers UseFull & where the 4 Elements & Spirit Meet is where Magick Works (Palm). The Thumb is also not only 1 of the MOST AMAZING & Highest of all of Evolution's endless Creations, but something that sets us apart from over 99% of them.
~Index/Air: Used to Draw in Sand, Points at This & NOT That, Index in Air is typical Mercury Pose in statuary. It's also the 2nd longest Finger.
~Middle/Fire: Is there anything more WillFull than the upright Middle Finger? Is there a more phallic Finger? Is there a longer, more upRight Finger?
~Ring/Water: The Weakest Finger, this is also the Finger that Rules our Hearts w/ Wedding Bands, &c. I also thought I came across something (again, back before the Internets) that stated 1 of the Eastern Practices (TCM?) also has the Ring Finger as Ruled by Water. 1 of the 2 shortest Fingers.
~Pinkie/Earth: Displays Wealth (ie, "Pinkie Rings") & forms a Base of the Hand along the outside edge, often being the 1st part of the Hand to STOP! incoming Force (in the Soft Martial Arts) for Protection. 1 of the 2 shortest Fingers.
I'll note that my Right Side in general is more Yang to my Left's more Yin, e.g., when combining Fingers from each Hand or using Bracelets for the InComing (L) &/or OutGoing (R) NRG's. I'll also note that, in retrospect, I could've easily reversed the 2 Male Elements & the 2 Female Elements re: which Fingers were which, but still same M/F attributions. I also just REAL-I'zd that the 2 knuckles that most Martial Arts (not Wing-Chun LOL) teach to use to Punch are the Index & Middle Finger Knuckles, arguably the Strongest & less likely to Break than the Ring & Pinkie Fingers.
TBH I use the Open Handed EleMental Weapons FAR more than I use my individual Fingers for Magick. The only real thing I can recall using my Fingers for is to Anchor things by Pinching various parts of various Fingers (for Anchoring) & wearing different Rings on different Fingers at Different Times - i.e., Ring Magick. I'll also note that I rarely see people wearing Rings on their Index & Middle Fingers as I think people intuitively sense this as more... ("confrontational?") than wearing Rings on Pinkies & Ring Fingers, which likely account for < 10% of all Rings worn in the West.
[Edit: I can't believe I forgot "FingerNail Polish/Painting & Chromamancy" re: the above, also]
Which Fingers Represent which Elements to YOU, & Why? Do you have specific Ways you Wear Rings? What do you think?
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Interestingly, my Thumbs, Index & Middle Fingers all use the same Ring Size, so I'm able to move around Rings betwixt these 6 digits. I don't recall & doubt (but won't rule out) that this had something to do w/ my original EleMental attributions.

Thank you in advance for any advice! My in laws live in a 15 year old manufactured home on the coast in the Pacific Northwest. As such, they receive a LOT of rain, and the deck is south facing, so water tends to blow in with the wind.
The 6’x24’ front porch of the home was built at the factory, so the foundation of the house is integral to the deck. There is no slope to the deck to help shed water. We discovered water damage around the front door, so I started investigating where it was coming from. Ended up pulling up the deck boards to discover that they were simply laid over the top of sheet metal and screwed through into the joists. There was an attempt at sealing the seams in the metal with butyl tape and caulk, but since the sheet could flex with no subfloor behind it, the butyl didn’t last long. There is EPDM sheet run up behind the siding that was also attached and failed in the same way.
I ended up pulling all the deck boards up, peeling the seams of everything apart, cleaning them and re sealing them with Lexel and some self sealing seam tape to make it through the winter. Now it’s time to fully fix this.
Short of cutting the concrete block foundation to add even a tiny amount of slope, I’m trying to figure out the best way to go about this. My plan is to use Trex decking so it doesn’t require painting or maintenance. They are about 3/8” shorter than a dimensional 2x6, so I was thinking of sistering new joists on to the existing with the one closest to the house 3/8” higher than the one farthest away to add any slope at all. Next issue is whether or not to add something like 1/8” Lauan to give a little more stability behind whatever membrane. After that, is sticking with sheet steel the best idea? I know running screws through EPDM isn’t a good idea. I would buy 4x8 (or whatever size sheets available), so there are as few seams as possible, and I would caulk them, then tape them on both sides before attaching them. Edges I would brake over the sides of the foundation with a drip edge. If anyone has suggestions on materials or methods I would really appreciate it! We don’t need this to last forever, just something I can do in a week that will last 5-10 years. Sorry for the wall of text, and thank you again for any ideas!
Edit to add photos. Imgur. And after I taped the seams and caulked the nail holes to get through winter. after

Introduction

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I (AMAB) have been out to myself as non-binary for a few years now. Knew I had some gender dysphoria issues in around 2021. But at that time, I was happy to slap a Non-Binary on it, continue presenting fully male, and call it a day. Not think too hard about it. Self-reflection is hard after all. Though I did start trying out a little bit of GNC things for men, like nail polish.
Recently though, I've been doing some introspection. I read through the Gender Dysphoria bible, and realized that it struck a lot closer to home than I initially realized, so I think I may be a trans woman.
So now I'm Trying to find ways to chase that gender euphoria (And if we're being honest, figure out what gender euphoria feels like, and how that's different from my SOP of overthinking things) so I can see where on the spectrum I lie.
So the actual question I'm here to ask is: What are some relatively low-stakes femme things I can do to chase that gender high? Because it's a little bit too early for HRT, and my state and America in general don't make it easy to get effective gender therapy. Additionally broadly what insights do those of you that have been in a similar situation have that might be able to help me figure this stuff out?