Pictures of all olyimpic pins

[INDEX]
I banked the fire and stared into the golden eyes of Beatale before I crept into my makeshift tent.
I still had my auric vision running and couldn’t help but notice the thin silver cord that ran from me to Horse. Firming up my aura, I reached out with my hand and grabbed it. I could feel the nearly imperceptible vibration between my fingers as I used my mind to probe at the thread. I could feel a bright spark of intellect, a light at the end of a tunnel. Pushing with my mind, I slid down the thread until the spark grew larger and eventually filled my inner vision with a hazy white light. Horsey thoughts nudged at me curiously.
I slid into the haze and immediately lost all sense of direction. If it wasn’t for the silver thread, I’d have no idea how to exit this shifting white fog. Horsey thoughts got stronger as I followed the thread while the haze thinned and cleared to reveal an endless prairie of green grass. I found myself standing before a naked man wearing a horse mask and I stared in shock. It was obviously me wearing a cheap costume horse mask — there was no mistaking my tattoos.
“What did you expect?” Horse neighed at me. “I am you and you are me and we are all together. Goo goo ga joob.”
Horse made a shooing motion with his hands and I accelerated backwards through the white haze and slammed into my own body with a gasp. I stared at the tarp overhead for a long minute, processing this new revelation. Horse was a part of me, a piece of my spirit. Whatever psychic stuff I did with that silver cord lead me into a house of mirrors where I got to look at myself pretending to be a horse. I can’t even deal with that right now.
Rolling into my blankets, I dropped off to sleep.
*Ding*
-=- - Welcome to the Dreamworld - Included in the Psychic Skills pack, the Inner Sanctum is your psychic domain. It is the mental fortress that you must secure and maintain to defend against psychic and spiritual assaults. All of your neurosis and fears are symbolised in this realm and must be defeated or subjugated before you can become master of the domain. Good luck. -=-
I banished the pop-up and looked around. I knew I was asleep, but everything was just as real as when I was awake. I was breathing, I could feel the floor under my feet, and if it weren’t for the pop-up, I would have sworn I had been teleported. The room I was in resembled an oversized luxury prison cell, maybe a thirty foot cube. No windows. Rough stone walls with thick mortar. Large brass wall sconces were set directly into the stone and suffused the room with a warm, golden light provided by glowing rocks. The stone floor had colourful Persian rugs tastefully placed. A high plaster ceiling was painted with a rendition of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’, depicting me as both Adam and God.
There was a comfy sofa in front of a large screen television that hung from one wall and an ornate grandfather clock ticked loudly in the corner. It was currently 10:08 PM. Another wall was a floor to ceiling bookshelf, stuffed with books of varying sizes. The third wall was covered with pictures and I could see at a glance that they were images from my life. The fourth wall had a thick riveted steel door on the right side, a full sized mirror on the left, and a computer workstation in the middle.
The picture wall was my first target. A few were quite large, nearly life sized, while others were tiny prints no larger than the palm of my hand. Scenes of my life were displayed in each one. The largest was me riding Horse with a shit-scared expression, shooting at a pack of wolves. Others were smaller, each with different frames. Some ornate gold or silver, others plain wood, a few wrapped in briars or barbed wire. Nanny Ramsey holding me as a young child. My dog Jean with a red ball in his mouth. My parents, screaming at me. I turned my attention to the books. Books are safe. Books don’t judge you.
The sweet, musty scent of a used book store filled my nostrils as I drew close to the honey coloured shelves. Hundreds of volumes filled the wall from floor to ceiling, with a ladder that could be rolled along a rail to access the top. I smiled at the sight. I had always wanted a library like this. I pulled a book at random and read the title, “Confused Fantasies about Joseph Harris, part XXIV of the Middle School Years”.
I slid the book back onto the shelf. Let’s see what’s on TV.
The remote was a slim, futuristic looking affair with a minimum of buttons. I pointed it at the television and moments later the huge screen came to life and presented me with a simple menu for movies, divided into six categories: Happy, Surprised, Afraid, Disgusted, Angry, and Sad. I scrolled through the offerings for a minute, reading the titles and reviews about the movies of my life. It really bothered me that there were so few selections in the Happy section.
The number of Sad movies increased by one.
I walked over to the mirror and noticed there was a small sticky note pasted to it. “Astral Realm. Experienced users only.” I shoved the note in my pocket and stared at my image. Sturdy black boots, black denim jeans and shirt with mother-of-pearl buttons, deep brown gun belt slung at my hip, red bandanna and black felt hat. All I needed was a pencil moustache and I would look like the stereotypical villain in any spaghetti western. At that very moment I decided to grow out a goatee. I’d rather be mistaken for a bad guy than a victim.
So how does this astral realm thing work?
The mirror appeared to be nothing more than a mirror. It was cold, smooth glass surrounded by a wrought iron frame, and reflected my image. I didn’t necessarily want to go walking into danger, but I wanted to know how it worked. I pushed and prodded the glass in frustration until I noticed my image grinning at me. I jumped back in surprise and it doubled over in silent laughter.
“Hilarious, dude. You got me,” I huffed. “So how do I get in?”
My mirror-self tipped his hat and stepped to side.
I reached up to the mirror again and my hand passed through, vanishing as if cut off. Okay, just a quick peek and we’ll explore the rest of the room. I stepped through and the world shifted around me. I was standing back at the campsite. My body was insubstantial as a ghost and the tarp was a wisp of substance running straight through me. Non living things don’t seem to have much presence in this realm. Glancing down, I saw my sleeping body rolled up in the blankets, a thin silver thread running from it to me, and another thread running to Horse.
Looking around, I surveyed the campsite. My astral vision seemed to be on and had an unlimited range. I could see the life all around me, the distant forest was a sea of greenish-gold, grasses and brush nearby glowed with spectral light. Tiny ghost insects scurried while ghost mice nibbled at whatever ghost mice nibble on. Ghost seeds and ghost insects, I suppose. I turned my attention overhead and gaped at the sight of a monstrous serpentine spirit flying through the inky void. I dropped back through the tent and rolled inside my body. That was plenty enough for now.
I rolled through the mirror and landed flat on my back, staring at the fresco on the ceiling. Vinnie-God winked at me and Vinnie-Adam grinned. Climbing to my knees, I brushed non-existent dust from my trousers and watched mirror-me doubled over in soundless laughter.
“Hey, laughing-boy!” I yelled at him. “You’re like the guardian or something, right? You got it covered?”
Mirror-me stood and saluted with a smile, then gave me two thumbs up. A moment later, his face took on a serious expression and he wriggled his right hand in the ‘maybe’ motion. Then he pointed at me, tapped his wrist, and then a finger to his head.
It all depends on how fast I learn stuff, I guess.
Two thumbs up and a winning smile reflected back to me.
A large cork board was mounted to the wall over the computer and a small note was pinned to it. “Note to self: Don’t fuck with the Elvish womens.”
The computer screen featured a screensaver of me as Vitruvian Man doing callisthenics over the words ‘HumanOS’. I tapped the spacebar and was rewarded with the sound of powerful fans kicking to life as the computer emerged from sleep mode and prompted me for a password. Should I assume it’s the same as the password on the computer I pawned in my previous life?
Password: *******esi
I was rewarded with a sweet R&M desktop and a couple of icons. System, NeuralNet, My-Tunes, My-Movies, My-Office.
System was just what I expected, lots of .dna files and other confusing scariness that allowed me to tweak my physical body and mental state. My-Tunes was a collection of every song I’d ever heard and My-Movies was a collection of every movie I’d ever seen. Not that I’m complaining, but it would have been nice to have “My-Games” so I could play RDR. My-Office was a clone of the popular software by a similar name. I have no idea what I’ll ever need a spreadsheet for in this world.
NuralNet opened up a search engine called Me-Seeks, featuring a familiar blue guy.
I typed in “beer” and several thousand results were displayed, anything I’d ever read, heard, or watched about beer, including how to make it. This right here made the price of admission totally worth it, access to an exact copy of everything I’d ever read, and I was a voracious reader. Sadly, most of the stuff I read was futurology — solar panels, electronics, biotech advancements, quantum computing. The material for steam engines, blacksmithing, farming and the like, were slim pickings. That’s okay though, I could still reproduce the Gutenberg press, the cotton gin, simple internal combustion engines, and basic batteries along with some sketchy knowledge of metal alloys, acids, bases, and other things I had read over the years. All that wasted time watching “How Things Work” was finally going to pay off. I copied a few likely money makers to My-Office, saved the file, and exported to my Notes, just in case they didn’t exist on Aerth.
A popup covered the screen.
📱 [New Upgrade Available!] 📱
🎉 Enhance Your Experience with the Latest HumanOS Features! 🎉
🌟 Features Include:

• 🧠 Memory Booster: Increase your Memory for smoother multitasking and improved performance.
• 🔋 Energy Optimizer: Extend your battery life with advanced power-saving techniques.
• 🛠️ Utility Upgrades: Access new apps and utilities to enhance your daily life and adventures.
• 🗺️ Advanced Mapping: Never get lost again with enhanced GPS and location tracking.

🔥 Special Offer: Only 2000 credits for version 2.0 or 5000 credits for version 3.0! 🔥
[Upgrade Now ✅] [Remind Me Later ❌]
Apparently I could upgrade myself, which reduced the cost of using my Utilities while providing other minor benefits. My Utilities would level up as I used them, which would increase their battery cost, so if I didn’t keep pace with an update to the OS they could become prohibitively expensive to operate.
Stupid pay-to-win world.
So, do I pay 2000 credits for version 2.0 or 5000 credits for version 3.0?
I selected version 3.0 and klicked [Install]. After watching it download the update, it popped up another screen that asked if I wanted to update now, or wait until Midnight for the mandatory update.
I selected [No] just as the grandfather clock chimed 10:30 PM. I wondered if time ran slower in here, because it seemed like I had spent a lot more time on the computer than 15 minutes. Walking over to the imposing steel door, I noticed a bronze key with a thin chain in the lock. There was another sticky note on the door. “Subconscious. Please keep the key with you at all times.”
That’s not scary at all, is it?
I unlocked the door with a loud clunk and pulled it open to reveal a bedroom straight out of some royal castle. I could tell immediately that it had seen better days. The tapestries on the wall were frayed and fading. The canopy over the bed had a few holes in it. A thin layer of dust covered the mantle of a small fireplace set into the wall. There was a window letting in bright sunlight and I moved over to look outside.
I was on the third floor of a keep surrounded by the walls and turrets of a modest castle. A castle that had fallen into serious disrepair. Did this represent the state of my inner mind? One tower was shattered and the curtain wall under it damaged. The lower bailey was full of litter. I could see a few soldiers walking around the allure, keeping watch.
I have people in my subconscious?
Someone behind me cleared their throat.
Whirling, I discovered a familiar old man standing in the door of the bedroom. What was left of his hair formed a white halo around his head, his face was unshaven and covered with several days of growth. He was dressed like a poor and tattered manservant, but carried himself with a dignified air.
“Woodhouse?”
“It’s nice to see the master at home,” He said with a proper English accent. “There are many matters that require the master’s attention.”
“Uh, sure,” I said, hanging the key around my neck and tucking it in my shirt. “And who are you again?”
“Your personal manservant, of course” he said with a slight bow. Walking over to the steel door, he pulled it closed and it locked with a solid thunk. “Master should always keep his inner sanctum closed. One never knows if something nasty will creep in.”
“Thank you, uh, Woodhouse. I’ll remember that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “So what needs tending and how do things work around here?”
He smiled and beckoned me with a white gloved hand. “If master would be so kind as to follow me, I’ll introduce him to the staff and explain the duties and obligations of his domain.”
I’m 99.9% certain that everyone here is just me wearing a mask, so I shrugged and followed Woodhouse out of the bedroom and into the rest of my subconscious.
Five minutes later I was on the ground floor and seated on a shabby throne with the cast of a popular —and probably very copyright protected— animation in front of me. Woodhouse was the head butler and my personal manservant. Pam was the cook and demanded that I start importing sugar and alcohol before she was shushed by Woodhouse. Carol was a maid. Krieger was chancellor and Cyril was the steward. Archer and Lana were in charge of security. Ray was the marshal in charge of everything from the stables to the blacksmith.
I stared in disbelief at the motley crew kneeling in front of me. No wonder my inner mind was in such shambles. I was overcome with an irrational sense of anger at myself.
“Arright, listen up,” I barked, my voice echoing around the room. “I swear to God that I will fire every single one of you and hire circus clowns to replace you if you keep fucking things up. No joke. Circus clowns, got it?”
I ran a hand over my face as Ray pissed himself. “The only reason I’m not putting a boot in your asses right now is because I realise that you’re aspects of me, and the people you represent are pretty damn good at their jobs when they give enough of a shit to actually do them. As a team, you’re dysfunctionally fantastic and always seem to come out ahead no matter the odds.”
Heaving a sigh, I continued. “Things have changed and I need to get my shit together. I’m going to need every one of you to pull your weight and help me help you. Get back to your duties, I’ll meet you one on one later.”
My subconscious caretakers scurried out of the room.
“I’ll have one of the maids tend to the piss,” Woodhouse assured me.
“Never mind that,” I snapped. “I honestly had no idea my mind was such a shit show. I’m very disappointed in myself.” I pictured the Angry, Sad, and Disgusted counters on my personal movies clicking up. “Show me what needs to be done and let’s get started.”
During Woodhouse’s walking tour, everything clicked into place. This was some altered version of Bodiam castle, a location that was on my bucket list of places to visit. The royal council room, located behind the throne room, contained a “living” tapestry on the wall that showed the castle and surrounding land in real time. The castle was located in the middle of a small lake, and a single wood bridge led to the mainland. A small town surrounded the lake and a wall encircled the town. Outside the wall, the land was an irregular patchwork of forest and field, with a stinking swamp to the south. The entire “kingdom” was maybe ten miles across, surrounded by impassable mountains with innumerable creeks that fed the lake which drained into the southern swamp.
“Zombies are the problem, sir.” Woodhouse said, as I surveyed the living tapestry of my mental domain.
“Zombies?” I prompted.
“Yes sir, Zombies” Woodhouse continued. “Nasty bitey things that come in from the mountains and harass the peasants. They’ve gotten especially worse over the last few months. The soldiers do what they can, but they seem to have lost all motivation. Probably because they haven’t been paid.”
“And who pays them?”
“Typically chancellor Krieger is in charge of financial matters, although Steward Figgis has taken over the duty, sir.”
“Then let’s make Figgis our first stop.”
“Very good, sir.”
The office of the steward was run by Cyril Figgis, who managed the kingdom in my absence. It was overflowing with paperwork and charts, books and scrolls piled high on every flat surface. Cyril was desperately attempting to tidy things when Woodhouse and I walked in.
“Yo..you..your majesty,” Cyril stuttered, bowing low. Scrolls fell from his overloaded arms, spilling across the floor. He dropped to his knees and scrambled to gather them up. “I didn’t expect you to visit so soon. Please forgive the mess, housekeeping has been slacking…”
This was the guy who ran things while I was conscious.
“Shut up, Cyril” I said. “You’re responsible for everything in this office. That includes keeping it organised and tidy.”
“Y..yes milord.”
“It’s my understanding that you’re in charge of making sure everyone gets paid. So why aren’t we paying people?” I asked.
“We’re nearly out of Fuks, your majesty. I’ve been saving them for emergencies.”
“Fucks?”
“Fuks,” Cyril explained, pushing a pile of books off a large chest and opening it. Reaching inside he pulled out two small bags and emptied them on top of his cluttered desk. “Gold and Silver Fuks, the currency of the kingdom. I can’t maintain the kingdom when I have no Fuks to give.”
Behold the subconscious kingdom of Vincent J. Carter, it runs on Fuks.
“So how do I get more fuks?” I asked, examining one of the coins. It had an image of me on one side and symbol on the other that could be interpreted as “peace among worlds”.
“You kill the zombies, your majesty.”
Of course I do.
Woodhouse and I left Cyril’s office and headed towards the office of the chancellor where Krieger worked. It seemed that Cyril took over financial matters when Krieger became erratic and proposed luring all the zombies into the city and setting it on fire. Not sure how that corresponds to my own self-destructive behaviour, but I’ve had some dark thoughts over the last couple of months and I’m sure they’re reflected here.
Krieger’s office was much neater in comparison to Cyril’s, but it wasn’t by much. Shelves lined the walls and were filled with an array of questionable items, including a still snapping zombie head in a jar. While the office of the chancellor was supposed to be in charge of financial matters, it looked more like a dodgy rummage sale.
Krieger was launching sword blades at a pig carcass when we walked in.
“What exactly are you doing?” I asked, standing in the doorway.
“Hm? Oh, your majesty!” he said, turning around and bowing deeply. “I’m testing a new invention. It’s a spring loaded hilt that shoots sword blades. Very useful for our soldiers.”
“Stupidest idea ever,” I snapped. “I hate everything about it.”
“Okay,” Krieger said, tossing the hilt into a nearby pile of junk. “But don’t blame me when you need to shoot a sword at a zombie and don’t have one.”
“So why aren’t you managing the financial affairs? Collecting taxes, paying people, stuff like that?”
“Because the population has declined so much none of that matters?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wellll, the population represents things you care about,” Krieger said, going into lecture mode. “And the zombies and other monsters are real or imagined problems in your way. Since you don’t care about too many things the population has shrunk to just what’s needed to keep everything running on the bare minimum of fuks. And since you don’t seem to have any long or short term goals, there’s no need to kill off the zombies and get more fuks. Everything is fine just the way it is.”
“No, it’s not Krieger” I said, grinding my teeth. “My mind is in a shambles. It’s a joke. I want it fixed. No, I want it better than fixed. I want it improved.”
“Oh! I’ve got just the thing for that!” He said, digging around in his pockets, “It’s a spring-loaded hilt that shoots swords!”
Pam and Cheryl were hanging out a gallery window jeering at Archer and Lana sparring in the inner courtyard.
“What the hell are you doing!” I snapped
They whirled in surprise and then dropped into deep curtseys.
“Your majesty!”
I took a deep breath, trying to regain my centre. “Get to work cleaning this place up. Find a room, clean it, and move on to the next. Start with my bedroom, then the throne room and the council chamber, then everything else.”
Cheryl spoke up. “Can’t do it. We got no fuks to clean with.”
“You need fuks to clean?”
“Gotta buy stuff,” Pam said. “Cleaning supplies, food. You wanna eat, you’re gonna have to spend some fuks.”
“Talk to Cyril,” I ordered. “Tell him I said to get you supplied.”
They ran off in the direction of the stewards office.
I watched Archer and Lana bashing each other enthusiastically through the window.
Several minutes later the sparring couple stopped and bowed when Woodhouse and I stepped into the inner courtyard.
“Your majesty”
“My liege”
“Enough,” I said. “If you have enough energy to smash each other, you have enough energy to smash zombies. Tell me what I need to know so I can start gathering fuks.”
Archer shrugged and spoke first. “You just kill the zombies and other monsters. They drop fuks.”
“Anything special about the zombies?” I asked. “Are they fast? Do people get turned into zombies when bitten?”
“Nope,” Lana said, resting her wooden sword on her shoulder. “Most of them are slow shamblers and just need a good wack to the head to kill them.”
“Some are special,” Archer interjected. “Occasionally you’ll have some fast ones, or those that need holy water to kill. They’re just bad memories, figments of your personality that need to be eliminated. Some are worse than others.”
“The zombies are bad memories?” I asked, imagining all the bad memories that I had.
“Memories, thoughts, insecurities, metaphysical mumbo-jumbo,” Woodhouse supplied. “They are endless, but constant vigilance can keep them under control.”
“So let’s get started,” I said. “Lead the way.”
Lana and Archer lead me up to the parapet over the front gate where I looked over at the dozens of zombies milling about aimlessly in front of the entrance to my mind. Pulling out my gun, I began to pick them off, easy as shooting fish in a barrel. The crack of my spell pistol attracted more zombies and I dispatched them with ease until no more were left around the gate. As I fired each shot I could feel some sort of existential energy flowing from me, draining some hidden reserve.
“Gather up the Fuks,” I commanded. “And Lana?”
“Mi’lord?”
“There’s no excuse for this. From now on, I expect the walls to be clear of all zombies.”
“Yes mi’lord,” she said, giving me a small bow.
Turning to Archer, I shook my head. “You’re obviously my personal narcissism, so just try to stay out of Lana’s way, or better yet - try to kill more zombies than her. If you think you can.”
Archer scoffed. “No contest. I took top marks in sharpshooting.”
“That means I should expect to see results by tomorrow. I look forward to it.”
Archer looked panicked for a moment then smiled. “Sure, I can give you results.”
Turning back to Woodhouse I said “Show me what else need attending.”
Woodhouse led me through the town that represented my mind, pointing out each business that had fallen into disrepair, suggested others that needed improvements, and additions that would benefit me. In the distance, I could hear Lana and Archer shooting at the crowd of zombies and with each echoing shot I felt a tiny bit better about everything.
[INDEX]

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Ceele strolled through the damp grass along the outskirts of the village, a spring in her step and the dwindling scent of dew following behind. It rained yesterday, which had prevented her from going out to gather supplies, but the mild morning air had been accommodating enough for her to get an early start and make the trip. She was glad she did.
One hand clutched her new prize to her chest, while the other held a fraying wicker basket filled with herbs and some edible roots she gathered by exploring the forbidden forest. Despite her reservations regarding where she chose to go, her excitement now lingered like a steady thrum of shifting stones, giving her energy that defied how long she had been walking. She all but pranced beneath the burgeoning night's sky, gleefully toeing the line between the dirt pathways of the settlement’s outskirts and the trees of unclaimed land. Normally, her path back home would never be so close to the village, but she was far too gleeful to mind. She had come back with a sense of fulfillment and a rare object—or if not rare, then hopefully of great value.
It was hard to point to any one specific reason that she came across the orb. There had always been a ‘draw’ during her travels, urging her that there was something missing in her life, yet it was no more than a mild whim to walk in a particular direction more often than not. Once she reached this part of the continent, she was compelled to wander, never quite able to explain why she obliged the sensation besides having nowhere in particular to be. Even when she finally settled somewhere, it stayed in the back of her mind, suggesting that she was close to whatever would make the pit of vacancy go away. She ignored it, purposefully distracting herself with her work and responsibilities, yet that could only last so long. When she awoke this morning with plans to resupply, and all of her newfound spots had been picked clean by wildlife, she turned to the depths of the forest where she was warned not to tread. It was all too easy to follow the subtle tug in her chest through the loose justification.
The urge to be somewhere grew unbearable with every step closer to the forbidden area. That sense of having a direction she needed to go became stronger and stronger, until she was well into land long since forgotten. She came across an overgrown depression in the hillside, and was entranced by the foreboding image. Something about the cave just…beckoned her. She was far too weak to resist.
Horrible tales echoed into her ears as whispers of fearful voices, warning and unending, yet but a dull drone compared to her hammering heart. She navigated the trees and brushed aside unkempt vines, stepping into the cavern with a mix of expectation and trepidation, then laid eyes on the small obsidian stone perched atop a crumbling pillar. The feeling of needing to travel somewhere…stopped.
The pull was absent, which was why she held the orb close instead of placing it into her basket. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but she recalled overheard tales of hidden gemstones, deep cavernous expanses, and the untold terrors that lay within. Comparing the scenes of those fables to the cave seemed foolish now; it wasn’t some torturous chamber, but a dusty depression in a small hillside. Besides, anything this pretty was sure to be worth a fair sum, and she needed the coin. Yet the thought of selling the precious-looking stone was a conflicting one. She shook off the thought for the time being, turning her attention back towards where she was going.
Shadows stretched and faded as the moon stole the last of the illumination afforded by the sun, replacing it with a calming glow that caressed the log frames and thatched roofs of various homes. A star-filled sky came into prominence as clouds lazily drifted away, revealing the promise of tomorrow’s fair-weathered arrival. It was too late for anyone to notice her treading on the edge of their town while lost in thought, but she was still careful not to get too close to the houses or livestock pens where people might be finishing the evening’s duties. It was best that they didn’t see her returning from a place she was told not to go. Still, her feet carried her near the dwellings as she took in the noises.
Ceele enjoyed the comforting chatter from a distance. Indistinct words floated freely. Meaningless gossip and warm goodbyes were exchanged between friends and family. Places of various occupations were dark and quiet, only the faint contented mewls and clucks of livestock coming from their pastures as they ate what was recently put out for them. No metal rang throughout the streets as it was struck inside a centralized smithy, no heated bartering came from an overactive trade house, and the crunch of dirt beneath transport or merchant wagons was absent, replaced by the rapid steps and yelps of children rushing to their homes before it got too dark out. It was all just gentle conversation and life drifting through the wind, taking the rustle of leaves along for the ride, just so she could hear it. Tranquil, in a word.
She wondered what it would sound like if she were yet one more voice within that crowd of kindness. Would it be loud like the larger cities? Would she struggle to maintain a thought with so many stray topics floating about? Would she once more yearn for the peace and quiet of solitude that she had grown used to, or would she immerse herself, free of judgment and laughing like the carefree young that scampered about? Did thinking about it even matter?
Her smile fell from its genuine intensity—still worn, but not as fully. She glanced downward as her stride lost its jubilant bounce, her tail losing its sway as her grey eyes examined the dry black scales that adorned her body against her wishes. It was the ugly hue of tarnished oil, unlike the skin of any other kobold she had met. Some had reds or greens, yellows or whites, while most were between a sandy tan or earthen brown. The rainbow of peculiarities was displayed by the lucky few, and she was one of them…
…Yet she was different in the worst of ways.
Even if she would rather any other colour, she supposed it was that way to make sure no one came near without accepting the unspoken risks. That was what her mother always said, anyway, though the woman hardly feared much of anything in her old age, and dedicated herself to giving her offspring all the love she had left to give—a perk of living a full life. She would always help her daughter bathe, complimenting the colour of what most were unnerved by. That was more than a decade ago now, however. Ceele’s parents had passed on while she was still young, and she took to travelling not long after, working at what she could to afford what little she needed. Never for long, though—just enough to get to the next town between where she was and where the urge to go lay. There were certainly moments she looked back on fondly, but the journey had taken its toll.
The crude material of her ‘dress’ was coarse, old, and heavy, but it helped ease the worst of spring's chill—even if it was more of a modified sack than proper attire. Still, it was all she had after the last of her clothing fell apart, and giving the repurposed material a name that reminded her of something else made it less uncomfortable to wear, somehow. It would have to do until she could afford a pitying seamstress or the like. Until then, she would pretend she didn’t look so desperate, even if it only highlighted her status and made finding work difficult.
But it did. The dishevelled garment was a far cry from the wonderful silks or breathtaking designs she had seen some women wear, harshly marking the distinction between herself and those of affluence. The clothing of commoners was also a leap in style and quality, so she couldn't say her attire was up to even modest standards. No matter how hard she squinted, and no matter how much she fantasized otherwise, she seemed every bit like the vagrant she was, down to the soil embedded in the curvature of her claws and the stains throughout her fabrics. She looked like a serf from the more oppressed lands, yet they too wore crude cottons, which said a lot about how she appeared to those who had never lived a life of servitude. It was obvious that she was an outsider. That she didn't belong amongst the rest. It made changing something as simple as her appearance all the more difficult; prospective employment always saw a young woman who seemed more likely to steal or swindle than make an honest day’s living.
There was one good twist of fate in recent memory, however, and she came upon the result of it after leaving the slowing bustle of the village behind. Her steps carried her through a small copse of trees on the outskirts of town, the small shaded path leading to the back of a large, carefully pruned clearing, a scattering of fruit-bearing trees providing even darker shadow than the already dim moonlight. She skirted along the aging fence on the border that kept predatory animals away, carefully hoisting herself over the barrier where a large vegetable garden she was responsible for tending resided. If one were to tell her she would be living in such an area several months ago, she would have smiled politely and walked away, yet here she was.
A modest, warmly lit home occupied the middle of the clearing, sitting front and centre when one approached from the village path. It looked quite cozy, surrounded by berry bushes that were just beginning to bloom as the last dregs of winter slipped away. A front patio displayed a nice table and well-loved chairs, the rustic appearance only adding to its charm as a place where friends and family spent the warm summer afternoons. A smithy to the left of the house functioned as an additional heated building during the colder months, but usually served as a storefront and to muffle the sounds of hammered iron, though that had become less common. An old stable was nearby, close enough to be accessible, but not so close as to disturb the once occupying animals with sounds of iron craft. It hadn't seen a horse in quite some time, apparently, so it was mostly a workshop for whatever tasks didn’t require fire or metal.
There was a long history attached to each little detail—from the scuffs along the wooden siding to the depressions in the ground where daily routine wore into the earth. Every fault suffered throughout the years was matched by a thousand quirks that made it feel welcoming, like the house itself was merely waiting for the next friendly face with one of its own. She knew that the inside of each building would look just as cared for.
Her concern lay outside, however. It was a comparatively miniscule space just barely visible through the sheltering trees, true, yet it was where her efforts turned into tangible results, and where a stranger’s trust was painstakingly repaid. Once overgrown grass had been laboriously trimmed, the weeds plucked and disposed of, and now nothing distracted from what she could claim she had done.
The small plots of rock-bordered soil had little buds of growing vegetables, a sense of pride never failing to bloom in her breast with the knowledge that it would be barren without her touch. When her troubles and concerns grew heavy, and fears of the future or spectres of the past loomed over her head, she could look at where she had brought life where it wouldn't otherwise be. Some days, that was enough. She smiled in appreciation at what was admittedly amateur work, the night’s sky helping to hide any inevitably made mistakes.
She enjoyed the sight for a moment longer, then turned to walk towards a neglected old tool shed that was well out of sight within the trees, far away from whatever warmth and comfort the larger house offered to everyone and anyone. She put a hand on the degrading wood of the entryway, giving one last sad smile at the garden as she dismissed selfish thoughts of taking the eventual harvest for herself. A breath cleared the uncertainty from her voice, and she pushed open the door.
“I'm home!”
= = = = =
It took a while for Altier to adjust to his situation, and even once he accepted that his mana wasn't being siphoned, he was still reeling from confusion. He had spent centuries with every year passing by without his notice, yet now he was painfully aware of each creeping second languidly dragging on with the expediency of growing grass. It was as disorienting as it was painfully nostalgic.
Time was something he was never good with, and it only got worse as a dungeon. He'd get lost in creating rooms, corridors, creatures, and whatever else needed doing, only pausing to watch or listen to the few adventurers he became interested in. There was a stint where he spent what felt like hours agonizing over new abilities or options while he let the system manage things in the background, though he supposed it might have been much longer. So many wasted days, yet he still hadn't managed to try everything he had gained access to. Some abilities were simply too niche, came with concerning titles, or held descriptions that made him wary. Anything with ‘Decay’ in the name was instantly ignored—he didn't need more reasons to fear his affinity, and from the few he took the effort to read through, they were always vile.
But his existence for the moment was no longer like those endless stretches spent pondering the minutiae of what would help his adventurers grow stronger. Now, he could follow the rhythmic sounds of footsteps and steady breathing that set a calming pace. They were someone else's, yes, but they contextualized how easy it was to slip away without the subtle noises of life that he had long since surrendered to help his family. Of course, there were more differences that he noticed since being removed from his crumbling cavern, and his sight was the newest change.
He never gave much thought to how far he could see before. Why would he? As a man, his world extended as far as he could fathom, yet was also confined to the room where he spent his days, and as a dungeon… Well, who was he to consider distance when an event happening miles away could be seen with a flicker of thought? Nothing was too far when it was within his creation. Or his ‘body,’ he supposed. Sadly, his entire perception currently consisted of the small sphere of his obsidian core, and maybe a finger's length beyond it—which is to say, not much. He could make out the fine details in the dirty burlap he was held against, and how pale moonlight slowly took over the blurred reds of sunset, but hardly anything more. It was all just frosted colours after a certain point, and he found it infinitely frustrating. He just wanted to peer beyond the haze and scaly hand holding him to confirm that the sky he remembered was still there. Alas, the sunlight faded at too quick a pace, yet one oh so agonizingly slow.
The ensuing darkness gave him nothing to do but think about where he was, not that he had any ideas. He was too curious about why he wasn't dead to bother much with his blurry surroundings after the soft-spoken kobold abducted him, thus why he only belatedly noticed how limited his worldview had become. There might have been a forest beyond his cave, but the greens and browns were gone, and the sounds of steps through brush was replaced by the distant din of a village. An idle curiosity pondered if he would recognize any descents of his ‘family tradition’ adventurers there, but he was being carried by what most considered a monster, so likely not.
That short musing was short-lived, however, and he brought his focus back to the matter at hand. He supposed he was being taken somewhere specific, but that was an obvious deduction, considering he was taken at all. The why of the matter was less so; for what purpose would someone want a Decay-aligned core? He hadn’t heard of them before…well, before he was made into one, but he couldn’t imagine many uses. Maybe he was being sold? His…kidnapper? His sudden companion seemed rather pleased by their discovery of him, so that might be the case, and it was morbidly amusing to think that a frail, sickly young man might one day become a coveted, highly valuable item. His abduction could also be a part of some cult’s nefarious activities, but he didn't want to think about that too hard. He experienced enough odd ceremonies from the adventurers who took the time to tell him their tales.
Either way, he wasn't in the dungeon anymore, and he couldn’t see where he was going. He tried to query his menu to glean an answer, but was met with a scrambled mess he suspected read ‘Synchronizing…’ and little else. It gave him a headache trying to make sense of it—which he didn't know was possible anymore—so he dismissed the text and distracted himself with blurs from whatever diluted senses he still had. There wasn’t much to observe other than the constant footfalls and the flicker of shadows on his companion’s burlap garment. They might have travelled through brush again, but it was too dark to really say for certain.
Eventually, there was something new. He heard an old latch rattle and rusted door hinges groan, then a shuddered clack that confirmed he was now in a building. His kobold acquaintance gently cooed at something before moving about the nearly pitch-black space, finally setting him down on a… He wasn’t sure what it was, besides old and wooden.
[D$#@m$n E@$*ded]
The headache from before became a blinding migraine that suffocated him under a flash-flood of suffering. Seconds passed in abject torture until it blissfully abated, the mental blinks clearing his mind enough to notice a change in his existence. Specifically, he could actually see something besides the rotting wood grain he was placed on top of.
And it wasn’t anything promising…
He was more or less in the centre of a room no bigger than twelve paces by maybe ten. Not a terrible size for a space, but it was clearly never meant to house someone. His resting place looked about as neglected as he surmised; it was an upturned feeding trough, he supposed, since calling it a table seemed too generous. The surface was rife with holes and degraded iron, so it was something that once saw regular use before being replaced and tossed into storage, never to see the light of day again.
Actually, most things in the room seemed to fit that description. The window shutters were installed with metal hinges that had since rusted them closed, the misalignment letting in a draft—and whatever weather was outside as well, most likely. A poorly carved bowl sat on the floor, the stain beneath it hinting that it collected any rainwater that slowly dripped from the leaky roof. The wooden floorboards looked old, splintered, and in need of maintenance or replacement, though an effort had been put into abrading it somewhat smooth lately.
A tiny and decrepit fireplace was to the left of the door upon entry, its brickwork slowly crumbling due to weathering and age. It was sized more for keeping the room warm during mild days than to keep away the frigid chill of night. Its base only held cold ashes, but there was a collection of deadwood and scraps nearby, so that would probably be rectified soon. A small wheel-less cart had been turned into storage against the opposite wall, some herbs and other foraged items stowed away in it for future use. Various things he remembered seeing his father and brothers use in the fields were scattered about, too. It was nostalgic to see, honestly, even if his recollections had blurred over time.
Bundles of tattered blankets formed a pair of nests in the far corner, the smaller of the two had a pile of rough plants nearby. That answered his silent pondering of the room's purpose somewhat, though he was pretty sure the bedding material was salvaged, and there didn’t seem to be any hay or padding underneath whoever was sleeping on it. He didn’t know what to think about the weeds; they were purposefully placed there, and whoever did so had taken the time to wash them, but it was still strange.
He couldn’t see a doorway besides the entrance, yet most of the hallmarks of residency were put where space could be afforded, however crude. All in all, he surmised that it was a gardening shed of sorts, and his new acquaintance apparently lived here. He wasn't sure what he was expecting when a creature he had only read about came into his dungeon, but it wasn't being brought to a rundown and decrepit shack for unknown purposes.
Even if he had been raised by parents who made a humble living at the best of times, and they had emptied their coffers for unsuccessful attempts to ease his ailments, his acquaintance's living space made him uncomfortable. His family's house was never anything fancy, true—it shared some of the worn qualities that inevitably gathered over the years—but it was never this bad. His home benefited from a father's touch keeping it robust and a mother’s love keeping it warm, whereas this place had seen neither in quite some time. Oh, there was evidence that such was once the case; a wall was adorned with carefully made and well-spaced hangers for the various gardening tools, though the implements themselves had become a victim of neglect. That being said, he could make out the fresh soil and recent scratches exposing furrows of silver, so they were seeing use again.
A scrape and clack of flint drew his attention to his kobold companion. They were kneeling in front of the fireplace, methodically sparking life back into a dead flame with twigs and dried leaves. A slow, steady breath into the reddened base illuminated its face with a dull orange glow, revealing its weary visage and the permanently etched smile that rested beneath its cold grey eyes. The black-scaled kobold looked tired, if he were to guess—much the same as Altier did when he spent countless days watching everyone living a life he could never have through the mossy window of his bedroom. He was probably humanizing it too much. Still, he was surprised by the muted pang of sympathy, and how he would feel much more than blithe curiosity after spending so much time alone in the crumbling crypt of his own making.
A mental breath cycled through him as he looked at the odds and ends yet to be observed. Hardly anything else was of note—everything else was degraded and neglected, too. He did notice a nest of blankets move though, which was as good a distraction as any. The answer to his previous ‘pile of weeds’ inquiry poked a tiny nose from a crease in the fabric, then rapidly pawed at the blankets to dig itself out. Altier stared at the creature in both recognition and confusion.
It was a rabbit…or at least it looked like one, assuming you were to also describe a porcupine and a sea urchin as well. He was pretty sure he didn’t remember any hare that had jagged metal-tipped fur, nor that had said fur arranged into a row of spiked horns that flowed down its spine, terminating at a large fluffy tail, which was equally bizarre to see. The whole of its coat could double as a weapon, with semi-sharp barbs sticking off seemingly at random, yet he remembered an adventurer saying most animals used that sort of thing defensively. He increased his focus as he tried to make sense of the odd creature. Surely he would have heard about—
[Hoppittttttt#%%÷ — Ferro-o-orabbit-it (Ma%$le)
Abil—]
[Null]
[Er0Rrrrrrrr—]
[Und#$f—]
He bit back the pain caused by the sudden intrusion of his menu, blanking out the text and mentally retreating to hide from the source. Did he just inspect something? How? Shouldn’t his entire…‘framework,’ was it…? Yes, that was it. Shouldn’t that have been corrupted? Why could he see the creature’s information when his entire framework was damaged? That was the first ability he lost, so why is it the first to be functional? How was it functional? Was it? It did just spit garbled text at him, but it was something, and that was more than he had gotten from it in a very long time. If it was somehow working—no matter how poorly—then that left the question of why he hadn't heard of anything called a ‘ferrorabbit’ before, assuming he read that correctly.
A soft thud vibrated the tro— table, startling him out of thought. He turned his attention to the button nose wiggling erratically at him, the short, stubby muzzle leading to surprisingly expressive and curious red eyes. Dull brown fur jutted off in random tufts and patches, changing to a darker tint on its paws and the upper half of its ears, while the tips of its spikes were a muted hue of iron. It still seemed just as soft as the less pointed variety he remembered, if a touch dirty. Upright ears twitched this way and that way as its head vigorously shook, eventually settling on pointing in his direction when it calmed down enough.
It was apparent that he had its undivided attention…for all of a few seconds. His scaly companion called something out in their foreign tongue, and whatever conclusion the pointy-furred animal came to, it seemed more interested in the kobold, parting from him after nudging his core with its nose.
[Cre-e-e—]
[Errrrrrr0r: Undefiiiiiiii—]
[Acceeeeep-t-t-t??]
[Yeeee— s s / Nnnnnnn—]
He winced at the intrusion, but the contents detracted from the pain. He couldn’t remember the system ever asking him a question without his explicit intent being involved. It wanted him to…accept something? Was it the system prompting him, or the animal? What was he to accept?
[Creatuuuuu—]
[Acce-e-e-%#@ed!]
…What?
= = = = =
“Hoppit, that's not food!” Ceele admonished half-heartedly, placing a larger branch on the burgeoning flame before she got to her feet. She wasn’t actually that worried; the stone was as big as his head, and she was pretty sure he couldn't bite into it. Hopefully. “Come here, momma has a treat for you!”
The ferrorabbit playfully bumped the gemstone and jumped off the low table, landing with a soft thud that belied how heavy he was for his tiny size. He wiggled in excitement, his ears flailing and releasing a slight clack whenever the two connected. It got even louder when she grabbed her basket and put away the useful herbs, taking out a specific item that she had gathered just for him. The little bun wasted no time in scurrying over and standing tall on his hind legs to judge if the offered plant was to his liking—and it was, based on how he dug in with enthusiasm. She stifled a laugh as she contentedly watched him nibble away on the treat, ignoring the guilt that came with knowing she couldn't afford proper vegetables for him. He had a hard life too, and it tore at her to have so little to give.
She came across Hoppit a year ago, during a storm that worsened while she was travelling between towns. The day had darkened to night in spite of it still being about noon, but the weather didn't care for how bright it was supposed to be. Wind and rain became a typhoon, forcing her to seek shelter in a thankfully abandoned den of what was probably a larger animal. She was fine with waiting out the squall, since the stone roof over her head was more than she usually had back then, but the sounds of dull bangs and thuds near her hideaway was followed by cries of animals yelping in pain. Curiosity won over reason, and she left the safety of her shelter to see what was causing the disturbance. Truthfully, she was hopeful that she'd come across scraps or the like, her hunger driving her forward, and she could always turn back if it seemed dangerous. Yet when she arrived at the source of the commotion, she found herself thinking of anything but food.
Two predators had fought over a small burrow, both trying to dig out a meal and taking offence to the other doing the same. What they didn’t know was that they were assaulting the home of ferrorabbits. Specifically, the home of an angry, protective, and well-fed mother that was keeping her newborns safe from the storm when predators decided to try their luck. From the scene Ceele came across, it was certainly obvious why most people dislike trying to hunt the creatures.
Sadly, the rabbit didn't survive an attack from two predators, but she did make their victory pyrrhic; neither could do much about their hunger with their bodies full of cuts and holes, and it was only a matter of time before they succumbed to blood loss or infection. The mother's sacrifice meant that the babies had avoided the imminent threat, but they were left unattended as a consequence, and it took an opportunistic bird swooping down to shake Ceele out of her shock. Despite her subsequent hurry, she only acted in time to save one of the orphaned young. The warren was new and barely dug out, which meant that it didn’t take much effort for the kits to be found—by both her and hungry maws. All she could do was scoop the ball of fluff into her arms and run back to the cave before anything else tried to eat it.
In retrospect, it was a stupid decision for a number of factors. She barely had the resources to supply herself, and an attempt to raise offspring of any type would only make the inevitable heartbreak worse. But when she saw how quiet and scared he was… How his tiny, shaking body calmed in her arms, those terrified red eyes seeking comfort… She should have just walked away when she knew there wasn’t going to be anything to fill her stomach. She should have put the baby animal down and let nature take its course…yet the preciously furry face stole her heart far too quickly for it to grow so cold. The next day was spent backtracking to the nearest town to get him something suitable to eat, which used most of her meagre savings. Still, it was worth every coin.
Hoppit had been accompanying her ever since. He grew quickly, transitioning from something she saved that stormy night into a presence she had grown to love like a child. The little lagomorph would bounce along beside her during her travels, then ride in her arms as he rested—though the latter happened with worrying frequency as of late. She hadn’t learned much about the springy herbivores, but she knew enough to say that he wasn't as big as he should be, nor was his fur as sharp. No matter how startled he was, his spiky coat never managed to do more than stiffen slightly, which was apparently a side effect of poor diet, according to snippets of conversation she had overheard on the topic. She wanted him to be healthy, but she didn't know what he needed. Not many farmers raised ferrorabbits, and those that did were far away, so she didn’t have anyone to ask what she should be doing. Her best course of action was to give him what little she had.
Ceele was well aware of how he would be better off on his own, but he followed her whenever she tried to set him free. Hoppit just kept launching into her arms and wiggling his ears, ecstatic that he was with her again, uncaring that food was scarce and that they spent most of their days travelling. No amount of cold nights spent bundling up under the tattered blankets she managed to find ever dampened his spirits, and he was content to eat the grass or flowers whenever he felt like it, oblivious to the fact that he wasn’t getting enough nutrition. He would dig and excitedly drag back oddities that he found, and the one time he found a plant that looked particularly good for him, he insisted that it be shared with her.
A black pit still lingered in her chest when she recalled how pleased he was while he munched on the rare vegetable he discovered, then how distressed he became when she wouldn’t have any as well. He bumped and nipped at her, all but begging her to eat. His ears pinned back against his head, his fur bristled in a way she hadn’t seen since. It was only when she took a small bite and let him inspect the new teeth marks that he seemed to calm down, but perhaps she had been looking too deep into the actions of her tiny friend. All she could say for certain was that he was scared she was going hungry.
A morbid thought wondered if his first mother had refused food shortly before being attacked, and he—as small and simple as he was—had connected the two events in his mind, making him absolutely terrified that something would happen if Ceele didn’t have something too. All of that fear, and desperation overwhelmed him, just because she was happier watching him eat. She was determined to erase that issue. She would find something that needed a worker and earn enough to feed them both. One day, she would be able to smile at how big and healthy her little fluffy boy had become, but until then, it was becoming increasingly difficult not to think about how she was spending so much time growing vegetables and fruit that he couldn’t have…
Every morning was an exercise in tending to the gardens while actively shoving down images of a pleased ferrorabbit happily eating the results. That never went well; no matter how determined she was to complete her duties without a single selfish thought, most tasks were done while picturing his full belly and delighted bounces. There were a few weeks until the fastest of the crops would be ready for harvest, and Ceele would have to collect them while fighting the urge to bring back just a few for him.
She couldn’t, because she knew exactly how quickly that could escalate. It would start small—A vegetable here, a fruit there—but seeing Hoppit happy was one of the precious few good things she had in her life. Crossing the line would only become easier each time. They couldn’t risk losing their new home over greed, and she was already betraying the trust given to her by housing a wild animal, especially one known to be a pest for crops. She didn't want to know how angry it would make her benefactors if she was caught taking their vegetables for one.
No matter how tame and precious Hoppit was, and no matter how well he listened, they would only see him as the same creature that ruined harvests in droves. Thus was why she had to tell him to stay cooped up by himself while she was working or scavenging. And to her surprise, he did.
Honestly, she had made the initial request with the expectation of needing to carry him back into their home until he understood that she wasn’t leaving him forever. There wasn’t much she could do to stop the ferrorabbit from digging through the old wooden building if he wanted to get out. He wouldn’t need to damage anything either—a rotting board on the door only needed a little push to nudge it out of the way, and his natural curiosity made sure he was aware of it. But no, Hoppit was well-behaved as always, keeping hidden until she walked through the door, where he would leap from the shadows to personally show her how good he was and how he stayed put like she asked him to. It never stopped amazing her that he had such a surprising level of understanding despite being an animal, and that was to say nothing of how young he was.
All that intelligence, joy, and companionship he offered her…and yet the best she could give back to him was the weeds from the garden and the odd plant she found while scavenging…
Soft clacks of flicking ears dragged her from her pondering, her mind returning to the present. Hoppit finished his treat of the small plant, then bounced in place and scurried over to his bowl of water, perfectly happy to have eaten only that. He was so joyful with how little she provided, approaching every day of scarcity with the same enthusiasm she could never muster, as if certain that everything would be alright.
“It’s bedtime, Hoppit,” Ceele announced through a soft sigh, stoking the fire with enough branches to hopefully last the night. The ferrorabbit perked an ear in her direction, then sat on his haunches to extend the rest of himself up, his two little forepaws adorably held to his chest as he inspected the room like he always did. She smiled and made sure everything was stored away, then laid down on her bundle of blankets, covering herself with the warmest one. Hoppit bolted over to snuggle once he decided everything in the shed was up to his standards, throwing himself to the floor in a dramatic flop of comfort. Her quiet laughter subsided as they both settled in for the night, her tail completing the rabbit’s encompassing cuddle, but her eyes fell towards the obsidian orb on the table, her thoughts following suit.
It sat there, just as she left it, as benign as anything else ever placed atop the improvised furnishing. Yet there was a sense of ease and purpose as well. The old wooden trough seemed…important with its adornment firmly laid upon its surface, and she couldn’t puzzle out why. She was starting to doubt her earlier excitement.
Should she sell it? Would anyone know where it came from? Would anyone know what it was, or if it was worth anything? If she could get even a modest sum for it, she would be able to buy clothing, food, and new bedding. It would be easier to convince someone to give her work if she was dressed better and wasn’t so thin, and then she would have the income to slowly improve both of their lives. She could pay for a wandering merchant to ask a ferrorabbit rancher about the animal, even if it would take time to get back to her, or maybe she could hire a local if they needed to go near one for some reason. The cost didn’t matter to her as long as it happened.
But there was something else bothering her about the idea of selling the stone. She had travelled so far with a tug in her chest, only for the feeling of wanderlust to dissipate as soon as she held it. Was that a sign? She was never one for things like ‘fate,’ but a niggling doubt in her mind discouraged the idea of making a profit off her discovery. Even if what she could gain was so very tempting, and even if Hoppit would be happier if she did…
She tore her dampened eyes away and closed them, ignoring the burning trails running across her face. It would be another early morning, and she needed to sleep so she could take care of the garden. Decisions like this could wait. Once she had nothing else distracting her, and she had time to properly think about it, she would see how she felt about the stone.
Eventually, she dozed off with Hoppit pressed against her chest, and a longing in her heart.
Next
—
A/N: Patreon and Ko-fi will be 1 chap ahead this time around, and I've set it so everything from the lowest tier up can read the newest trashfire! Anything above that is sheer show of love. Hope you enjoyed!

Hi I just came across a novel, chosen by the moon novel by izabella W. Its on pay by chapter websites, I've opened and read a few chapters but I can't seem to find any free version or chapter version anywhere. Please help. If anyone has read it I'm willing to take spoilers. Here's the advert I found below of it on Facebook.
Lycanthrope species is a disgusting race. And I, Delan Riley, am nothing more than a human scum in their eyes never expected those species would turn my world upside down. Since when the lycans managed to penetrate our town, like in the early 1900's we have a hierarchy, upper class = the lycans, middle class = mated humans, and lower class = the normal humans, who were basically considered scum. I endured their torment day after day, vowing to run away from them one day, until that day came and everything changed.
Dylan POV "Humans," I scowled at the principal's words from tannoy. "The Alpha twins will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow, as such, festivities are in order." Oh great, the Alphas twin children. Adrian and Arya are the worst lycans alive. I swear just because they are the alphas kids they literally get away with everything. If their birthday is tomorrow, then the wolves are going to be worse than ever. "All students will be present to greet them, two lines will be made, with humans on the left and the lycanthrope on the right. Any mated human will be at the front of the line for their year, you will all also be in order of your school year. That is all." Chat broke out the minute the tannoy was finished. "We haven't had a school gathering since the alpha king visited three years ago, before his sons coronation." Nick was right, the last time we all gathered like that was for the king and queens visit, when he decided to let the world know that he was to renounce his title to his only child, son Josh. "That sick bestard, he wants to make sure everyone is there so those idiot twins can find their mates." Yes I was mad, my fists connected with the table in front of me once more as I thought about how disgusting the situation was. You see the twins will be turning 17, so it's very possible someone in our school could be their mate, finding a mate is sacred to a wolf, the minute they say that one word your fate is sealed. They will turn your mind, morph you into being a lover of their kind, and then you'll give in.

That won't happen to me, I'm growing old to see the world as it once was, and I'm going to choose who I'll be with. No one will take that dream away from me.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to sleep. I'd had a very long tiring day, I quickly sat down on a small stool my mother kept in the storage closet and removed my shirt while my brother Freddy sat at the table to do his simple homework. It wasn't long before my mother came in with a large bowl of warm salt water and some cotton, this was going to sting I just knew it. She was here to help me with the wounds caused by wolves yesterday. She slowly began to unwrap the bandage from around my torso and slowed down drastically when it came to the final layer, I felt it peel off every wound and my fists clenched in pain. "Jesus!" I heard my mom exclaim once the dressing was completely removed. The air on my back was nice though and I sighed as my arm covered my once again exposed brests. "This is more than 15!" I began to hear sniffles coming from her and sighed turning round to look at her face, only to notice tears streaming down it. "Mom I'm fine, it's alright." She shook her head. "It's not alright, I'm your mother I shouldn't let these things happen. I'm so sorry. Your father would have..." here she goes again. Every single time something happened she'd always bring up dad, it really annoyed me because no matter how much we all wish he was here, he just isn't. My father was kiled by THEIR kind, almost 5 years ago when they actually managed to take over. When the lycans managed to penetrate our town my father rose up with some people from the neighborhood, to defend our livelihood, it was futile to say the least. We lost many people and I watched as my dad was ripped apart by two fully shifted wolves, I ended up shoting him to stop his suffering before they dragged me to the courtyard, i was the person to receive the first lashing of the town when I was 12! The wolves have been pretty strict with me since that day. "Stop being stvpid!" Was I harsh? Definitely! Did she need to hear it again, absolutely. "Dad is dead, we don't know what he'd do because he never knew this life. He never knew this world." I know what he'd have done, most likely attacked the guy who held the whip and got himself kiled in the process. "The best thing you can do for me, is stop crying and help me, next time don't insist on helping if you can't handle it." She began to wash my open wounds with the warm salt water causing loud winces to leave me, I knew it was necessary to prevent infection, but my god it hurt like a betch. "Some of these are really deep Dylan!" She sniffed again and my eyes rolled in my head. "I told you, I'm fine, just wrap me back up so I can get to bed." My mom was obviously more impacted by my injuries than I was, I suppose that always the case though. When it's happening to you, you've just got to get through it but when it's happening to someone you love, you just want to take their pain away. She quickly placed a fresh bandage around my waist and chest and wrapped it tightly for compression. The bowl of water that was used was now red in color, I guess from the blood my back was dripping with. "Can you keep your head down please? At least just this week. You can't take any more lashings." I simply nodded before standing up away from the stool, I walked over to Freddie and ruffled his hair in affection. "Good night squirt." He giggled and fixed his hair slightly. "Night Dilly." I smiled walking upstairs to my little bedroom, as soon as I was inside i shut the door and flopped down on to my bed on my stomach and I took a minute to cry to myself at the pain in my back, what my mom did was important but it hurt, not that I'd ever tell her. My hand covered my mouth quickly to muffle any noise I might be making. I couldn't tell anyone, I had to be strong because more and more people were crumpling these days, and my mom would break if she knew how much I was suffering. Sleep followed me shortly after, she was right though about me needing to keep my head down for the time being, I could not take another lashing! After a long night and an even longer morning, we were all finally stood in the hallway at school waiting for the twins to arrive. "Mine!" Everyone that was stood in the hallway tensed up, as we were seniors, me and Nick were stood towards the very back of the human line. All the mated people were situated directly opposite their wolf mates in their years. We stayed silent and still as Arya walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Nick. His eyes widened in fear, unsure of wether to look up or keep his head lowered. "Look me in the eye, mate." He glanced at me slightly as if asking what he should do. "I said, look me in the eye." He slowly moved his eye line up to look at her face. I took a glance myself to see her eyes pitch black with lust. "I... can't... I mean... erm." Before he was able to mutter anything else, two wolves from opposite, grabbed him out of the line and dragged him behind Arya. "Hey!" My head shot up before I could stop myself. My mouth also forgot its place as I jumped out of line. Everyone's head shot to me as my eyes widened in realization at what I'd done. Adrian, the other twin, walked up to me before punching me right in the stomach, I doubled over instantly. Feeling the sting in my slightly healed back. "I know you... You were publicly flogged only two days ago." God I hate this guy. "I also have it on good authority, that you openly spoke out against our rules and regulations in yesterday's class." My head shot down the line slightly to see Erin, looking a little frightened, her mate, the beta to be was looking at her, nodding his head in reassurance. "You traitor, you grassed on your own kind?" I yelled at her before feeling a fist connect with my cheek. My head whipped to the side from the force, while my class members gasped. I'm so done with this treatment, right then, I wasn't in charge of my actions. My fists curled up and my stance became a lot more defensive. My head snapped up to the alpha to be, and I looked him in the eye. "You don't know the meaning of the word disrespect." I suddenly hurled my fist towards his head, which he easily dodged, but my foot came up and kicked him instead. He stumbled backwards from the force with wide eyes. "You... you Actually hit me!" He didn't even sound annoyed, more shocked. Everyone in the hallway was watching, waiting for the alpha to do something but instead he simply stood up straight, regaining his composure. "I think everyone should get back to class." He began to walk away, following his sister when I called him back. "What about Nick?!" "Simple, He's my sisters mate. He now belongs to her." Argh, he's not an object. "He's not her property." A chuckle left his mouth, before turning his back to me again. "All humans are property." A short while later everyone made it to science class, our teacher Mrs Mathews is mated to the lycans pack doctor, she also now has a four and two year old with him. She was one of the first humans to be cohered into a false relationship. "What were you thinking young lady?" I rolled my head at her before looking at the empty seat next to mine. Nick was with that stvpid wolf girl right now. Being changed, I'm so angry it's ridiculous. "I was thinking, this guy is being a prick. Did you hear him? 'All humans are property.' It's bull shet." I looked up and the whole class looked at me like I had three heads. Talking shet about wolves is one thing, but talking about an alpha is punishable by death, attacking an alpha is an even worse offense. There was then a knock at the door and in walked Erin and her band of mated bestards. "Sorry we're late Mrs." "Erin, how are things between you and bata Monroe?" She blushed, the traitor actually blushed at the mention of his name. "He spoke to me last night about trying for a baby. We need a good strong boy to take over as beta." I scoffed looking at her as she took her seat. "You guys are actually pathetic, why can't it be a girl? Those mutts are basically Neanderthals" I voiced my opinion and saw all the shocked faces around me. Calling the lycans mutts, is the same as them calling us scum. After lesson had ended the entire school was called into the hall for assembly. This is where any human who has been found to have broken the rules were punished, usually 10 lashings were goven out or something similar. "Welcome to the school assembly, congratulations to the alpha twins for finding both your mates. Now on to the business at hand, as the 5 year anniversary of the new world is coming up, we have been informed that the alpha king will be visiting our district next week, this is very exciting news. We want you all to look your absolute best, she wolves and mated females will wear exemplary dresses made by seamstress. Male wolves and mated men will wear tailored suits. Anyone who doesn't comply will be reprimanded." The Alpha King?! No one has met him yet, he took over the throne three years ago when he turned 18. He really didn't make any appearances though, great, this month is going to be a nightmare. "As for the humans, you will be given a new uniform to wear for the visit, these are to be neatly ironed and worn to the highest standard. As for the following humans, based on your attitude this past week, you will be coming to the front and facing punishment. Tony summerset?!" Tony's head shot up as he looked around, he was in the year below but he shared my views when it came to the lycans. He slowly walked up to the front of assembly, almost instantly his top was t0rn in two and he received 10 lashings. A girl named Kara was next and she too received 10 lashings. A few more people went up slowly accepting their fate then suddenly my name was called. "Dylan Riley." Inside I was terrified but I simply shrugged my shoulders, I guess I did kind of expect this. Although I'm not sure if my back can take any more damage. "You attacked an alpha, correct!" His eyes bored into mine as I bowed my head submitting to his authority. "Technically, no." Everyone in the school gym looked on in fear, as my head moved to the front row of the wolf side. Adrian sat, with a werewolf girl in the year below, her name was Jana, I guess he found his mate. Nick and Arya were no where to be seen though. Adrian gave me a shrug as if to say he didn't tell, before smirking at my comment. "He hasn't officially taken the alpha title yet, so he's just..." i looked at the principle and noticed his eyes black and his claws out, he was in what lycans call a half shift, triggered when the subject has become angered. He turned to two security wolves and gave them a nod, Almost immediately i was forced onto my knees, my arm was slammed on a table and held in place by one wolf, while my body was held in place by the other. "Ok, I don't think this is needed, I have alpha blood, a stvpid human girl can't hurt me." My head snapped to Adrian who had stood up in front of the school to stop what was happening. "Nevertheless, humans need to know their place." With that the pressure on my arm increased as our principals hand pulled my sleeve up before a long claw punctured my skin. The searing pain shoting from the fresh wound had my eyes scrunched and my fist clenched, I bit the inside of my cheek hard instantly tasting blood, however no sound left my mouth. He continued to write, using my skin as a canvas and his claws as a marker, it went on forever, my vision blurred slightly at one point as I turned my head away. After minutes of torture, he was done and the pressure on my arm eased, instantly I snatched my arm away, hissing through my teeth at the pain. I was about to scurry off stage, when I was roughly grabbed yet again, my arm being held in the air by the principal while my feet were inches off the floor, blood dripped from the wound and the pattern he had made was on show for everyone to see. Loads of people gasped, even the wolves looked slightly horrified at what had happened. "This is what happens when a human decides to speak out. I can promise, anyone who so much as says one word about our way of life, will have the same punishment." My arm was starting to seriously ache from being held in the air for so long, and the lack of blood flow to my suspended arm was causing me pins and needles, still I refused to make a sound. I held the tears back and I bit my cheek harder causing more blood to fill my mouth. "That's enough Bradley!" Adrian growled, he was still stood up and looking at the scene in front of him. His eyes hard as he stared at the principal a low warning growl erupted from his chest which had the head teacher gulping, he quickly let go of my arm causing me to crash to the floor. A small cry left my mouth as I hit the hard floor. Immediately I scrambled away, my foot just missed the high step leading to the stage and I fell, waiting for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Two strong arms wrapped around me catching my weak body causing me to look up, my eyes widened as I noticed Adrian had caught my falling form. "This isn't part of the human punishment program!" Adrian growled causing me to tense in his grip, I pushed him away from me before fixing my uniform top. The room was deadly silent, taking in the scene in front of them, while I stole a glance at my forearm. Carved into my skin by his devastating claws were two words, words that would most definitely scar my body for life. 'Human scum' "Lessons must be learned, she received lashing merely two days ago, and clearly it had no effect on her." Another growl left Adrian's chest as he stepped on to the stage, I wasn't bothered though, you would think I'd be ashamed but I simply smiled slightly. I fixed my sleeve a little so it wouldn't rub on the fresh wound before speaking. "It doesn't matter," the whole room looked at me shocked by my attitude. "I would rather be labeled human scum, than have any resemblance to your kind. I'm proud of what I am, how many of you can say that?" After my amazing little speech, I walked right down the middle between the humans and lycans and out the door. No more compliance, I'm going to get away with as much as I can without getting into too much bother. There will come a day when the lycans power will fizzle out. When it does I'll be ready, I'll be waiting for the day we take our world back. As for the best part about my plan...

No one can stop me.

"Ouch, not so hard." I seethed as the school nurse cleaned my new wound with antiseptic. "If you had of just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened." I turned to my right looking out the window at the few clouds that were floating in the blue sky. "Like I said, I'm proud to be human, and now everyone knows what I am." I clenched my fist together as the nurse began wrapping a bandage around my forearm. It had been a good few hours since the incident in the hall, and I had been forced to come to the nurces office after I had tried to clean my wound by splashing it with water from the tap, it also refused to stop bleeding. "You are impossible. Can you please just try and stay out of trouble? For one day, that's all I ask." Our school nurse is a wolf, she's one of them. However she hates the way they treat us mere humans, she thinks we should all just live in peace with equal rights. Like that would ever happen. "All I've done is stay out of trouble, but you are just going to humiliate me anyway, so what's the actual point?" "The pack were discussing a public execution, Dylan. You need to walk on egg shells from now on, not just for you but for your family as well." No ones been publicly executed in over 4 months, I'm flattered they're considering it. They only execute people who they believe are the biggest problems to society. "Well then... I'm flattered." I chuckled, before looking at the patch job. 'Huh, not too shabby.' I quickly stood up from the human nursing station and pulled the sleeve of my shirt down covering the evidence of ever being hurt. "This is serious!" I just gave her a blank look before leaving the room. On the way out I heard her call back to me. "Please just think about it." I gave a clipped nod as I walked away wondering how I'm going to tell my mom about this. Later in the evening... "Dilly why you say that?" Freddie looked up at me with a mouth full of bread. "Don't speak with your mouthful!" My mom scolded him as a bashful blush made its way to his cheeks. "Sowwy mommy." His reply was muffled as he swallowed the last chunk of food. "I said it Freddie, because it's the truth. The wolf race are a pathetic excuse for..." my mom cut me off with an extremely stern look. "Dylan! They have ears everywhere, one more word out of you and it's your room." I scowled, my hatred for the Lycan kind growing stronger as each day passes. "What more can they do to me, lash me? Beat me? Brand me? They've ran out of options." I stated slamming my hands down, then severely regretting it as sharp pain shot though my wound. "What was that?" My head shot to regard my mothers worried expression. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were dull and judging as she looked at me. "Nothing, it was nothing." I quickly took my plate in my hand and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm not really hungry, and I have homework to do!" My mom caught hold of my forearm causing me to drop my plate suddenly, I watched it slowly fall before shattering on the floor. I retracted my arm quickly and turned to Freddie. "Stay there and don't move until it's cleaned up ok sport?" He just nodded with wide eyes, I turned back to my mom and noticed her curious stare on my arm. Her grip shifted to the other side as she turned it around before pulling my sleeve up. The bandage was showing and a bit of blood was seeping though after the wound had been disturbed. "What the hel happened?" My moms eyes widened as she began to fumble with the bandage. Before she could unravel any of it I snatched my arm away. "I had an accident at school. No big." I began to gather the large pieces of the broken plate up ready to put them in the bin. "What did you do Dylan?" She looked at me with pure worry and only then did I realize what the wound must look like to someone who didn't know. "For gods sake! I didn't do it to myself! I got publicly punished at the assembly alright? It's no big deal." Her face dropped instantly and she stepped towards me, causing me to step backwards. "Mom, I'm ok. So back off will you." "What did you do? I've never known them to cut someone's arm as a punishment." Her shock and accusation was evident in her voice and I sighed heavily. "I spoke against the alphas son." I may have hit him too, but I wasn't going to divulge that part to her. "It's not one big cut, mom, it's a brand, 'human scum' carved onto my arm." "They've branded you now too?!" My eyes rolled at her hurt tone as I went to get the dustpan and brush. "You're so much like your father." A sigh left her mouth as she spoke, running a hand through her hair, while I quickly swept up the little pieces of the broken plate. "You've had a new uniform delivered. It's laid out on your bed. Dylan, Please just try and stay respectful in the future, I don't want my daughter to be completely mutilated. Although you're not far off." "Gee, Thanks." I then walked over to my little brother Freddy before blowing a kiss into his neck and hearing him giggle. "So sport, how's school going?" "It's ok." He shrugged before going back to coloring a dinosaur picture in. "Well that's good, stay out of trouble, ok little man?" Heading upstairs and into my room, my thoughts wandered to the permanent graffiti scar very slowly healing on my arm. Disgusting beasts. Think they own the world because they're faster, stronger and can shift. Pah. If you ask me they are not all that.

The second I walked into my room my mouth dropped open. On my bed was some grey pants laid out neatly, which wasn't the surprising part, no, what shocked me was the grey high neck no sleeved button down shirt, every single set of uniform had sleeves except this one. They've done this on purpose those, mutts. They want the world to see my arm and know what a disgusting creature I am. They want the world to know that I, Dylan Riley, am nothing more than 'human scum'.

During the last week, I've been horrible, in class I've been loud in voicing my views, I've insulted at least everyone to some degree, I didn't care about the consequences, and I certainly didn't think about them. I haven't seen Nick at all since he was claimed, and to make matters worse today was the royal visit. Oh yes, werewolves and mated humans alike were spending every waking minute preparing themselves to meet his royal majesty, king of the wolves. Unclaimed Humans however would rather stick pins in their eyes. "Dylan, get down now... you're going to be late." She was right, I was dawdling this morning, I really couldn't be bothered today, I gave myself one last look in the small mirror and sighed when my eyes met my newly uncovered brand. It had bad bruising around the letters, and was still extremely tender to touch, it was definitely healing now though. I made my way down the stairs and came face to face with my mother who was seeing to Freddie, she was helping my brother get his coat on when she turned to me. "You ready sport?" Freddie nodded his little head at me and smiled while I quickly slid my shoes on. "Just Remember, the alpha is bad enough, Dylan, please, please don't do anything to anger the king." My mother stopped us from walking out the door to tell me something she had been telling me continuously for the last couple of days, it was almost as if the entire human population of our district was expecting me to do something stvpid. "Try and have a good day." I rolled my eyes but nodded, even I know not to push the king, he could kil me in the hallway like it was nothing. In fact I plan on staying out of his way for the entirety of the day. "We will see you tonight mom." I stated before me and my brother began our walk to school, his little hand clutched my own tightly as we went. Usually Nick would be with us, as he lives next door, well he used to, now he's residing in the main pack house. I quickly dropped Freddie off at his school and watched him get the wolfsbane neutralizer before walking into him building giving me a small wave before he went in. With my new scar on complete show, and my figure being complimented by the skin tight shirt I was wearing, I sauntered down the street to school, I gave my name and year in and took the wolf's bane neutralizer injection with no problems at all. It was finally getting into school that the problem occurred. Walking through the halls I was met by many looks, some of pity some of disgust. You see every single non mated human in the school was wearing a long sleeved version of the uniform I was given. All the Wolves and mated couples were scattered around in fancy floor length dresses or tailored suits. As I turned the corner I noticed a couple, now this couple happened to catch my eye the most out of all of them because it consisted of Arya and Nick, eating each other's faces off. "What the hel!" Nicks head shot to me as his eyes widened. He too was dressed in a tailored suit, a navy blue tie hung on his neck to match Aryas dress. Why was this happening all the time? It's always my friends that get completely brain washed. I shook my head in disbelief before turning my back on him. I heard his fast footsteps behind me as I rounded the corner. "Dylan?!" He ran right in front of me, stopping me in my tracks, making me drop my bag off my shoulder and almost causing me to bump into him. "Let me just explain..." "Has she marked you?" I mean you could almost see it in his eyes, she had marked him, and knowing the way life goes he's probably even mated with her. "Actually... Don't even answer that." I aggressively picked my bag up off of the floor and stormed off down the hall. "Dylan, just listen to me, Erin was right, it's so hard to resist your soulmate, and Arya is actually ok once you get to know her." I just kept walking, he caught up to me walking beside me but it didn't matter, I completely ignored everything and everyone. 'I'm so not in the mood today' getting into class was good though, I said hello to Mr Foley and took my usual seat. Nick sighed then took his bag off ready to sit next to me, but I snapped before he had the chance. "Traitors and mated idiots sit on that side of the room." I didn't look him in the eye as I pointed to a seat right at the front of the classroom on the opposite side. His eyes widened as he turned his attention back to me. "You can't be serious Dylan." I gave him a blank look before grabbing my book out of my backpack, I placed it on the desk then began to write the date on the top line. "I've sat in this seat for as long as I can remember." I ignored him, his voice sounded sad and shocked. "Dylan? Wait! What is that?!" Before I could react Nick had grabbed hold of my branded arm and turned it to see the letters. "Oh my God! What happened?" I snatched my arm away from him and shrugged as I continued to write in my book before grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. "The principal happened, it was my punishment for speaking out against Adrian and Arya. I wear it with pride." He just held a complete look of disbelief. "You spoke out against them?" I shrugged, what did he think I'd do. "It's no secret that I despise this stvpid new world and the mutts that control it. You were my friend, I wasn't going to let them just take you without saying something, although that is exactly what you seem to have done. Enjoy the view from your new seat!" "Don't be like that, Dylan, I'm your best friend, I'm sorry about your arm, but..." my eyes rolled inside my head at my friends words. "Anything with the word 'but' in, isn't an apology, it's a rationalization." I took a drink of water from my bottle and kept my eyes facing forward, ignoring his every attempt to try and talk to me. "Dylan?.. Dylan?... Do you know what? Erin is right, if you push us all away you won't have any friends left." He huffed before walking over to the empty seat and sitting down, I could feel him glancing up at me every now and again but I didn't respond. "Good morning class, please settle down." He looked at me then at Nick and frowned, we've never sat apart, we were friends before the new world even began. I just shook my head telling him to forget it. "So... as you know the king will be arriving in a short while, but until then lessons will go on as normal." Its funny seeing teachers in the same uniform your wearing, mr Foley and his wife are the coolest. Human teachers and doctors only have slightly more respect than we do. Because of Mr Foley's status him and his wife have better access to food and drink, Mrs Foley is cool, sometimes she even makes sure mr Foley brings some in for me. Ya know, coz I'm their favorite student. It's not in a weird way, it's just they were friends of the family before the new wold took effect. Mr Foley and my dad were buddies from high school, so it goes without sayin really. "All the mated humans will be at the front of each years line again, after that you will all be placed in status, Nick, as your mated to Alpha Arya, you'll be at the front of your line. Dylan as you have been branded..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. "Yeah yeah, I'll be at the back of the line behind everyone. I get it." I huffed, moving my sight towards the window once more. "I am sorry." I turned to face Mr Foley again, he looked genuinely upset and that look of pity wasn't something I wanted to see. I gave him a clipped nod then turned away again. "Anyway, on to the subject matter, 'Of Mice and Men, page 64, Nick why don't you start us off with the reading."

"Of course sir." Nick began reading the book but I switched off, today is going to be a long day. After almost an hour and a half of reading comprehension, the bell chimed signaling lunch. I shot up and out of the classroom before anyone could say anything. Today, I was avoiding drama like the plague.

I wandered the corridors straight to the lunch hall. All the people I would normally hang out with we're all mated so I grabbed my lunch quickly, and sat down at the end of the human table. Let me lay the lunch hall out for you. On one side of the room you have two long rows of tables, with simple benches that make it look like prison, on the other side of the room you have multiple round tables with fancy chairs. Yup you get it. The humans sit at the prison tables and the wolves and traitors sit on the fancy tables, they get fancy food, fancy drink and most importantly they get pudding. what I would give to have some pudding. "Dylan can we just talk?" Nick quickly took the spot next to me as he set his lunch tray down. I looked at his food which had been placed on a ceramic, circular white plate. God that looked good. I sighed knowing he was going to talk anyway. "Fine, you have two minutes." I used my fork to take a bit of pasta off his plate and shoved it into my mouth. God that was good. "After I left school, I was taken to the pack house with Arya, and I really got to know her. It took a few days for me to finally accept being with her, but ever since life has been ok, and the sax... well that's a whole other story." Eww, I didn't need that mental image in my head. "I'm glad your happy." I stated before deciding I had no appetite. His face held shock before he sighed in relief. "That means a lot Dylan, I mean you know that your opinion matters to me." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "I said I was glad your happy. I didn't say I approved of what you've done. You've basically turned into one of THEM, I can't ever forgive you for that." He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less about his feelings. He placed his hand gently on my arm and went to open his mouth when a growl sounded out. All heads whipped to where it came from, Arya was stood holding a glass of soda and a plate, she was looking right at me and Nick and I would totally be dead if looks could kil. Nick quickly retracted his hand, his whole face fell and you could see sorrow flood his irises. "You sit with me now, get away from that, that... scum!" Wow, Nick was such a lucky guy. NOT. "You heard her. Get away from me, go sit with your new friends. I'm happy for you, and I understand where your coming from, but don't come up to me again and pretend you didn't betray your own kind. Don't pretend you didn't betray me." I shoved a little bit of food into my mouth before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria, leaving my tray on the table. I was walking through the hallway to the classroom, you see I decided to spend lunch with Mr Foley in his room, when I happened to hear voices in the corridor. "Is it wise for her to actually be present when the king arrives? Surely she could be placed in the dungeons, it might actually teach her some respect?" My principal was speaking to the alpha of our district, huh, if I stayed and listened do you think they'd notice, maybe they could smell me?! "Everyone is to be present, if the Riley girl does one thing out of line she will be dealt with severely, child or not. That girl has been a blight to the district since day one, she's dangerous, if she puts one hair out of place I will personally break her into submission." Oh shet, they were talking about me specifically, and they mentioned the dungeon, that's not been used in months. Normally I would have listened in more but something about the entire situation didn't sit right with me, all of a sudden, I was on edge, and simply wasn't interested in the slightest in hearing how my misery was to be enhanced. I backed up slightly before turning around and bumping head first into one of the hottest man I had ever seen. I lost my balance immediately and fell straight on to the floor letting out a small grumble in the process. His eyebrows knitted together quickly and his breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon my fallen state and gasped. "Mate!" He whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. Now, I had seen and heard that many times to know what that means, I gasped before taking a step back. 'No, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening.' He growled slightly before stepping towards me. Oh Shet!

I have been upgrading my pc of the course if a few months. Before I swapped classes from an MSI case to the Corsair 5000D case my computer was working fine. Specs: AMD 7800X3D Corsair 1000W PSU 4070 TI Super Asus tuff 16 GB 32 gigs vengeance 6000 hzs ram Corsair 320mm AIO MSI 1tb M.2 SSD Windows 11 X670 gaming tug motherboard plus WiFi
Before I swapped cases, the computer was booting and worked perfectly fine and had for days. I swapped cases and made the mistake of not taking pictures. Things I have tested: Shorting the power on pins Removing each stick of ram Removing GPU Reseating all power cables
I did add in a 4tb 990 ssd but removed it and tested without it after I saw it wasn’t working. There are no signs of life. No lights, no fans spinning. I don’t feel comfortable trying the paper lip method to test my cpu but I don’t really know what else it could be. It’s my second time building a computer. I’ll post pictures if anyone thinks that will help. I have been using a wristband to ground myself but at this point I am scared. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I know all of you like to tell your scary stories, I like them too. Way back when my voice was still high-pitched I knew a man who told the scariest stories you'd ever hear, well he wasn't a human exactly, but he sure was a man. A good man by estimation, but you can be the judge of that. See, my mama used to live way down in the rural bits of Texas. Ain't nothing much down there 'sides toads and mosquitos. Fireflies would light up the night sky, and once in a while you'd see a couple eyes comin' up from the water. We lived in a small house, a bedroom, a kitchen, nothing special, but nothing shameful neither. It was just me and mama, papa left a long time ago, mama says he was out on the lake and got eaten by one of them gators. I believed it, he was always drunk and on a tear. He'd go out into the reeds until they got as high as his head. He was big a fella, too. That man'd go out there and throw meat to the alligators, meat my mama said we couldn't afford. And he'd come back scratching from the mosquitos and what else was in those high reeds. He'd stumble into the house and fall asleep somewhere round the door.
None of that may seem wholly pertinent, but it will be, just give it some time. I was outside one evening, mama was asleep. Mama was a hard sleeper, I think she grew up by a train track - Chicago she said, mama was a city girl that came out to the country to raise a big family. It was just me though, I never asked why, but it was always just me. It was a gorgeous evening, the ones you see in those little photo booklets that advertise how beautiful the town is. Fireflies dotted the sky, and a big yellow moon lit the whole way down to the lake. As much as a lake as you could call it, the critters sure did like the water. Bugs, frogs, gators, big and little fish; you could stick a net in the water and be sure something'd be stuck in there.
So, I walked throught the reeds, taking little chunks off the ones nearest me so I could find my way back. It was just a straight walk, but you try walking in a straight line when you're blind. You'll end up going in a circle - I think that's why they say we have a circulatory system. As I'm just near the water, pullin' reeds, and swattin' mosquitos, I see a kid with a lantern, about my height. The lantern was half the size of his body, big flame in the middle of glass, the orange waves danced and flickered lighting everything it touched, and casting shadows where it didn't. The kid beckoned me too him: "Hey, come here" he said. Well, it wasn't a kid, it was a very adult voice. "Little person" I thought, that's what they liked to be called. Just the same I didn't feel too comfortable approaching a man I didn't know.
"Come here, it's all right." And he beckoned again. Something about him, seemed - familiar. I didn't need much convincing, I headed over to him, and he gestured with his hand for me to sit. I sat, and he sat beside me. Wasn't much of a man either, he had a bulbous yellow eyes that searched around and never found anything. Big lips, red splotches just about everywhere. He was fat too, well not quite fat, but somehow, inflated. He was barefoot, and smelled like old hamburgers. I breathed through my mouth, and waited for him to speak again.
"I've got tell you a story about that house you're living in" he said. He paused, just waiting for it to sink in. Somewhere I was livin'. Now, I loved my house, and I loved my mama, but there weren't nothing worth telling a story about there. And everyone in town knew about papa, so it couldn't be that.
"Just me and my mama here" I replied, shifting a bit on the dirt as the small tide lapped close to my sneakers, the shadows from the lantern playing on the water. I had my eyes fixed on the water, always expecting a couple of eyes and a big alligator mouth.
"Just hold on there, I've been around this place a long time, I might know something you don't." He waited again, his eyes whirling, and his hands shuffling around the dirt, like he was lookin' for something on either side.
"Okay, go ahead then."
"There's a woman in that house, sometimes thin, sometimes big. Sleeps heavy, talks about the trains in Chicago"
"That's my mama"
"It is?"
"yes sir"
"She good to you?"
I hesitated. Mama was good, but she was rough sometimes. Sometime she'd get sick, and, well, irrational. She'd yell about how people in the house tryin' to talk to her, wanted to 'get' her. Eventually she'd tire herself out, and then she was a sweet mother then. Cooked the best beef stew you'd ever had, I never had any other beef stews, but her's was real good all the same: "yeah, she's good" I said.
The little man waited again, then continued on: "Well, maybe I'm talkin' about another woman. I couldn't know, your mama seems a wonderful gal."
"Tell me the story" I said. My fingers were tapping on the ground, along the dancing shadows, under that big yellow moon. I could hear the plop of a fish flying out out of the water and right back in. That siren eek of a mosquito came by my air and I shooed it away. And I looked at the water, where it was lit by the flame I could still see the little man. His eyes still whirling, his hands still digging.
"Well, some woman lived in that house. And she had a husband, handsome fellow, maybe a little too hard on the bottle, but he got done what needed to be done. For years the two of them would talk about havin' kids, and it just never happened, well almost never. Don't worry - I'll get to that. Now I want go too into the details because you're so young, but boy did those two try. And sometimes, like woman do when they're ready to become mamas, she'd get nice and big. Then she'd get thin again. Now, her husband was confused to say the very least. His wife'd cry, say the child was taken by the Lord, and they'd continue on about their lives, alone, in that little house by the lake. But funny enough how God works, like a miracle, when they were at their saddest - plenty would come in. See, the woman had a sister from the city who'd send her big packages full of meat and she'd make that meat into a nice stew. Sometimes they even had a little extra, you know what they'd do with it?"
I paused, I knew, I heard the stories. "He'd go throw it to the alligators"
"You're right, he'd throw it right to the alligators, now I don't know if gators can taste spice, but if they can they're mighty tough. That stew was always filled with the habaneros and all sorts of chilis, something you gotta stop and sweat for every few bites. Not those gators though, they'd gobble them right up. I'll tell you though, one day those two did have a child, handsome one too. Fuzzy brown hair, and cute as all get out. Looked' something like you matter of fact. Named him Matthew."
"My name is Matthew" I knew what was going on, I did, and I felt something like fear and something like comfort. Knowing just who this man was saying he was.
"Is it? Well, that can't hardly be a coincidence. I'll tell you something though, Matthew, I lied earlier in the story, I s'pose I should go ahead and tell you the truth."
"What's that?"
"Well, you already figured out, wasn't too hard, that's your mama I'm talkin' about, and yes, I'm your papa. I'm sure you figured that out too. I know I don't look like much not after you know what happened, but I didn't die. I've been living around this here lake since you was born. Your mama says she don't want me back in the house account of how I look. I don't blame her, but it sure is frustrating." there was some rustling in the reeds behind us, and the croak of some old frogs - they always sounded old to me at least.
"And that meat, ain't no packages from Chicago, I don't think Carol ever lived in Chicago, maybe she did, but I never heard from anyone there. And there wasn't so much as a picture to prove it. Those was those little miracles from the Lord. Yes I'd put one in your mama, we'd wait a few months, and we'd have ourselves a nice meal. The first one really was a miscarriage, and we were hungry, so we tried just a bite. Maybe we were both a little too much on the whisky, but we were very hungry. And boy - it tasted good. Best meat I'd ever had. And as long as I could keep fishin' by that lake I could give your mama the energy she needed to make that delicious beef stew."
I got up as fast as I could muster, I tried to run, took a few good strides, and then felt arms on my shoulders, locking me in place, and shoving me down onto the floor. I squirmed and screamed: "Let me go, no!" I cried, and I hollered, but it was no use. It was my mama, she straddled me with her legs, and pinned my arms down so I couldn't move a muscle. She smelled like those old hamburgers. And she smiled the sweet smile she always smiled when she was in one of her better moods.
"We waited a bit longer with you, wanted you to be nice and ripe, and now I think you're ready. Don't you think he's nice and ready, Carol?"
Mama took one hand off me, whipped it behind her back, and pulled out a big kitchen knife. She held it in front of me, and I could say my eyes in the metal, tears were rolling, and my face was red and screaming. Can't say I'd been that scared since.
"Carol, darlin', before we make our meal, how bout' we kiss like we used to. It'd be nice for him to see what a happy family looks like"
"Kiss you?" Mama spat. "You ugly little drunk, not even the alligators would want to kiss your mouth. Last one tried to kiss you spat you right out. I ain't want nothin' to do with that."
"Darling, I missed you."
"I didn't miss you, I ain't lettin' you back in the house neither. You think I can't find another man? Just past this lake I've got a hundred suitors just waitin' to take a gal like me. Bet they have big cocks too, not like your little pecker."
That was enough for papa, He ran right toward mama, I don't know how he did it with those whirlin' eyes, but he did it. He came and pushed mama right off me. I started crawling away as quickly as I could. Papa bit her and mama let out a big yelp: "Fuck!" she screamed; mama didn't cuss much 'less she was real mad. And boy was she real mad. I crawled into the reeds and hid there, lookin' through to see what was gon' happen.
She stabbed him, right in his arm when he tried to block her form his stomach. Big nasty gash, blood running everywhere, a little brown, a little green, but still mostly red. But he kept just goin' kickin' and bitin'. "I'll kill you!" she screamed and slashed, and they both yelped and hollered.
Then, I swear, he started hummin' a little tune, sounded like a nursery rhyme, and the water started to bubble, and I saw two big eyes out of the water, and then that mouth, and a big gator came right up. whappin' his tail, snortin' and groanin' in that way gators do. Bit mama on the leg, and started draggin' back to the water, mama screamed, and kicked, but that gator hung on. Bit up on her thigh, boy was she bleeding, strips of meat, and bone cracked and split. That gator dragged mama right down into the water. There was some splashin' and the gators back would come up and then back down into the water, and occasionally I heard a gurgly scream, but before I knew it the whole thing was over.
My papa sat there, I have to say, even then I felt a bit bad for him. "Son come out of those reeds, I promise I ain't gonna eat you no more."
I came and sat by papa and papa started hummin' again. I started to get up, but he put his hand on me. "Don't worry, she ain't gon' hurt you. I just gotta go away for a while."
The alligator came back on to the land and papa sat right down on her back, she crawled into the water until just her back and his upper body were above the water. "I gotta go son, I'm sorry. One day we might see each other again."
I didn't say a word, what was there to say? I met my papa, and he tried to eat me, now he wasn't, and now he was riding an alligator. So, I just nodded, and secretly hoped that maybe I wouldn't see him again.
And then off he went across the lake until I couldn't see him no more, haven't seen him since either. I went back to the house, and I'll tell you, I heard those voices my mama used to hear, too. But they wasn't mad at all, they was saying thank you. I think those are my brothers and sisters, and I think they thought I did something right. I whispered, "Don't thank me, thank papa, he saved us after all." And then, I'll tell you, nobody ever heard those voices again.

As per the title. I encountered this (Every part is new), so I pressed y to enter the bios. I furnished the build, and everything seems fine, all my hardware is correctly recognized, but for some reason my mobo’s red CPU LED displays. I have no idea what could be causing it. The second picture is of the Mobo pins, so I could show that they are all good!

I'm not sure if it was last night or the night before. I try very hard to remember my dreams as I don't dream often. This was an odd one to say the least, but because it was so vague and ominous I thought it needs to be interpreted. I mean I feel like they all do because they typically feel like they are supposed to symbolize something.
So, sorry for all that explanation I just thought some context were needed. In my dream I woke up and went to the bathroom, to get ready for the day. The second I turned the light on and walked inside I instantly noticed I looked completely different. My neck had swollen and so had my face, unnaturally so. It looked like a caricature of a fat person. I'm not skinny but I'm no where near fat. I freaked out and instantly started to find a solution. I'm not sure how I found out this info I was told. It could have been me looking it up on Google or me calling a doctor. Probably was the latter. I was told it was "natural swelling and it will go down." I remember touching it and it felt numb. Whether it be pins and needles numb or medically numb I couldn't tell but it felt... weird... and normal I don't have like any feeling in my dreams so that's another reason it stood out. A few details I forgot to add was the fat on my face was so heavy it was pulling my eyelids, and I had like no hair. I don't remember anything else so it probably ended with me staring in the mirror in despair over how ugly I looked and felt. I'll draw a picture for reference.

Hello everyone! I'm looking for some help/insight on this topic if you don't mind. I have a -

• i9-14900k cooled by
• ROG Ryujin III 360 (ARGB White Edition)
• ROG Maximus Z790 Formula mobo [ 20-1-2 power phases ]
• running 96 Gb [ 2 x 48Gb ] T-Force 6800MHz Delta DDR5 ( [36-46-46-84] timings @ it's full 6800-7000MHz as it bounces up and down) {My best timings ever being [22-22-22-43] @ around 4400MHz approx.}
• 1200W ROG Thor
• ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC White Edition pushing 3400MHz Overclocked running 3 displays
• (2x) LG Ultra Gear 27" 165Hz Monitors @ 1080p side-by-side over top of a
• (1x) LG Ultra Gear 45" QHD (1ms) 200Hz Curved Gaming Monitor @ 1440p w/ VESA HDR 600

MY ISSUE :( I avidly monitor my voltages and temps etc. (via HWMonitor PRO, HWMonitor 64, AI Suite 3 & AID 64 and bench-marking with all the usual culprits) through various processes like intensive game testing and testing software while overclocking, as I'm sure most do. For the past 8 months (the PC's lifespan), TMPIN6 aka Pin 6 has always been the hottest. Though prior to just recently, it's hottest recorded temp was 84C I believe (approx 85). 120days ago I added Liquid metal thermal grease. 60 days ago, because it fuses with the copper, I re-oppened the seal between the AIO and CPU to clean the IHS to reapply the final coat of Liq Metal, and decided to de-lid the CPU and apply Liquid metal directly to the dye after I removed the solder. I then lapped the IHS and the AIO cooling plate applied Liquid metal to all surfaces, including the dye and inner IHS, added a contact frame and closed it back up.
RESULT Ever since then TMPIN6 (Pin 6) has been having thermal spikes when the CPU comes under an load above around 12-17%. It will, without apparent rhyme, shoot often specifically as hot as * 115C *2-3times every 10min or so. Its temps have exceeded as high as * 126C * for some reason. It will then hold in the red at that temp for sometimes as long as 30 seconds! After dropping back down, will shoot back up at random. Seemingly untied to activity causing CPU load jumps because with a single window open it acts the same way.
**Pin 4 is now getting over * 100C * with it's highest recorder jumping from * 64C 106C * Just doesn't make sense. I'm hoping to save myself time and money by asking first. Do I need to re-do the liquid metal again? Could the contact frame be holding one side down too hard? I feel like one of you guys knows exactly the cause and fix to this dilemma and I'm hoping this reaches that person. My fear is that these red-line temps drawn out for that long of a period is going to fry a core or something awful costing me thousands. I cannot seem to find any reference material depicting an similaidentical issue, potentially leading me to where the issue is likely transpiring from.
I've tried re-seating the AIO to no avail. I backed off the contact frame Allen screws and removed CPU and Frame. Then inspected the contact pins and was not able to find any bent or damaged. The Liquid Metal was a thin, yet fully covered coat bigger than the IHS itself. When I put the contact frame back on, I made sure to reverse turn the Allen until the screws seated itself into the thread pattern correctly with a little click, then only 1/4 tightening turn at a time in a star pattern until reaching the first bit of resistance, where I immediately stopped. I'm trying to address all the potential causes I know to look for before bringing this to you guys, but I will go as far as I need so please, no wrong answers IMO.
Summary I'm hoping one of you guys will save me from troubleshooting in the wrong direction. I don't know much about those specific sensors, or even their exact locations. So my hope is someone that experience here and might be able to tell me where to look for a potential physical issue like a bad contact or too much/not enough thermal grease etc... hopefully giving me some insight into the cause that lead to this. Possibly what damage or failures (IF ANY, NOT SAYING THERE WILL BE, I HONESTLY DO NOT KNOW), could occur as a result and/or potentially have already.
Again, I don't know with certainty that this is an issue at all in the first place, I could be overreacting to something you guys know to be normal. I just know the usual temps on those sensors and they are now reading abnormally high (red-zone) temps, opposed to their prior norm temps. Also that this is all coincidentally following a pretty drastic change to the CPU's operating conditions. Especially considering that the changes I made should cause temps to be falling, not spiking. Soooo! I would rather be pro-active than re-active.<3
Side Note -Sorry if this was overdone or too much detail. I'm a nerd with OCD, so I really do apologize if that annoyed anyone. I only mean to be thorough so you have the context behind the whole picture. <3<3
**<3__-- I really do appreciate your time spent reading this! Even if you can't help, thank you. -- __<3**
I hope to hear back from the Community. If I'm lucky, one or two that have solved this issue themselves before that might feel inclined to learn me a thing or two :)
Cheers Ladies and Gentlemen! <3
P.S. I tried to post pictures of the temp stats with the current and highest recorded numbers from today, but for some reason, this thread wouldn't allow access to the tab for uploading images. Hope this is sufficient.

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At the world’s top college of magic and technology, every day brings a new discovery -and a new disaster. The advanced experiments of the college students tend to be both ambitious and apocalyptic, with the end of the world only prevented by a mysterious time loop, and a small handful of students who retain their memories.
Surviving the loops was hard enough, but now, in his senior year, Vell Harlan must take charge of them, and deal with the fact that the whole world now knows his secrets. Everyone knows about Vell’s death and resurrection, along with the divine game he is a part of. Now Vell must contend with overly curious scientists and evil billionaires hungry for divine power while the daily doomsday cycle bombards him with terrorists, talking elephants, and the Grim Reaper himself -but if he can endure it all, the Last Goddess’s game promises the ultimate prize: power over life itself.
[Previous Chapter][Patreon][Cover Art]
“The not-so-good Doctor is all set up,” Hawke said. “You are cleared to infiltrate.”
“Good. You been reading Ragnarok’s book?”
“Yeah, except Helena took our only physical copy,” Hawke said. “I had to spend seven dollars on the ebook.”
“Oh. I can, uh, get you back for that, if you want.”
“Nah, it’s fine, this is actually an interesting read,” Hawke said. “You remember that Agent Fleming jerk who showed up two years ago? Apparently Skye’s dad almost dropped him in lava once.”
“Fascinating,” Vell said. “What’s it say about starting one of these things?”
“Oh right, yeah,” Hawke said. “Okay, apparently step one is the ‘information gathering and infiltration’. I think you’re supposed to like, interrogate his minions to find out where his base is and then break into it.”
“Makes sense.”
“I can tell you right now there’s a suspiciously death-ray shaped cloaking field on the roof of the senior dorms,” Hawke said.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Vell said. Doc Ragnarok’s cloaking tech was advanced, but the loopers had some pretty advanced observation equipment as well. “I think that’s too easy though, right? I’m trying to give Skye some bonding time with her dad here, we need to do things the long way.”
“If you insist,” Hawke said. “Samson, any ideas on how to do things the old fashioned way?”
“You might start with the generic eastern european goons lurking around the dining hall,” Samson said. He forwarded a picture to Vell, showing off a table of middle-aged men sitting around one of the tables, smoking cigars and playing poker.
“Those definitely look like henchmen,” Vell said. “I’ll go check it out.”
Even if they weren’t related to the apocalypse, a random group of middle-aged men hanging around a college campus was suspicious. Vell headed for the dining hall, stepped through the doors, and adjusted his tux as he approached the table.
“Gentlemen,” he began. “This is a non-smoking campus.”
“Ve are not stoodents,” one of the smooking goons grunted, in one of the deepest pseudo-slavic accents Vell had ever heard. He briefly considered asking if the accent was genuine, or part of the role, but thought that might be offensive.
“The rules apply all the same,” Vell said. “If you’re not students, then why are you here?”
“Vork.”
“What kind of v- work?”
“De none of yor beeznees kind,” another mook toned.
“On this campus, everything’s my business,” Vell said. He didn’t want it to be, most of the time, but it ended up that way anyway.
“Mebbe you lurn noddo steeck nose where idon belon.”
“Okay, I’ve been trying not to bring it up, but that’s beyond the pale,” Vell said. “That accent is fake, right? You’re all just playing up the fake mook role?”
The smoking henchmen shared a nervous glance, and one of them pulled a walkie talkie out of their track suit jacket.
“He’s on to us! Accelerate the plan!”
“Ha! I knew the accents were fake,” Vell said. His good mood was short-lived, as all the of goons at the table stood up, fists clenched, and squared their shoulders towards him.
“Should’ve minded your own ‘beeznees’, stretch,” one of them grunted.
“I’ve never been...I, ah, screw it, pretend I said something witty,” Vell said. “So what are the rules on this part, is it like, pin-based, or is there a flag football type of thing-”
One of the goons dove into Vell for a full-body tackle, and then punched him in the face while he was on the ground.
“Okay, full contact,” Vell grunted. “Seems a little harsh for a-”
Another punch to the face shut him up, and made Vell realize this was not the time to be talking. He covered his face to block another punch and rolled out from underneath the thug who had him pinned, before spinning around to kick him in the gut.
“Hawke, this got a little bit loud,” Vell said. “Could you call Kim and tell her-”
Vell got grabbed by the shoulders, lifted off the ground, and then slammed into a table hard enough to snap it in two. Though he never finished his sentence, Hawke assumed Vell’s intent from the context clues, and from the faint sound of punching in the background.
Kim had been scouting out potential disasters close by, so it did not take her long to arrive on the scene and pry Vell out from underneath a mountain of track-suits. A robot with flaming fists was more than any of the hired goons had signed on for, so they dispersed after a few of their own were knocked unconscious burning punches. Once she was sure they were all scared off, Kim helped a heavily-bruised Vell off the ground and wiped some blood off his chin.
“Damn. You’re lucky I saw the other twelve guys or I’d think you got your ass beat,” Kim said.
“Yeah, I think I did alright,” Vell groaned. “Christ, though, what was with that? I thought the goons were supposed to rush me one at a time, at least.”
“You’d think so,” Kim said. That was the usual henchmen approach. “Maybe Doc Ragnarok actually does know you’re dating his daughter. Wanted some guys to beat your ass about it.”
“He just doesn’t seem like the kind of guy,” Vell said. “If only because he’s weirdly obsessed with being an old-school supervillain.”
Vell popped an illusion rune that would disguise the bruises, and the damage to his tuxedo, and got back on track.
“Speaking of his weird obsession,” Vell said. He popped his runic scanning glasses out of a pocket and did a quick scan of the unconscious guards. “There we go.”
Vell plucked a keycard from the coat pocket of one of the unconscious guards.
“In retrospect, I probably should’ve just scanned first and tried to pickpocket this,” Vell said. “Something to keep in mind for next loop.”
“I think we’d all prefer you not get your ass beat,” Kim said. “Are you really sure you’re still on board with this, after aforementioned ass-beating?”
“I have to see this through,” Vell said. “I’m sure it was all some mix-up on Doc’s part.”
“I sure hope so,” Kim said. “That dude’s probably going to be your father-in-law someday.”
The illusion that hid the bruises on Vell’s face was not quite powerful enough to disguise the redness in his cheeks. He set off without a word and headed for the senior dorms, and the invisible death ray atop them.
***
“We did try to make the relationship work, but ultimately we just didn’t work out in the long-term,” Doc Ragnarok said. “We set up a very amicable co-parenting arrangement, and Skye is an absolute delight, so it all worked out in the long run. But still, don’t ever try to mix dating and mad science. It’s a field that requires absolute commitment.”
“Fascinating,” Helena said. She had no idea how Doc Ragnarok had managed to segue “mad science advice” into a discussion about Skye’s mother, but somehow he had pulled it off. “Now, about the death ray...”
“Oh, yes, that,” Doc began. He gestured to the massive laser beam currently being constructed in the core of their makeshift lair. “Now, obviously, the retrofuturist look is borrowed from old pulp sci-fi, but I did personalize it with the addition of those dorsal ridges, and the ventilation gaps near the beam emitters, all to resemble the fins and gills of a shark. It lends a certain menace to the design, and Skye absolutely adores sharks, which is a nice bonus.”
“Yes, very adorable,” Helena said. “But how does it function? What puts the ‘death’ in ‘death ray’?”
Doc Ragnarok did a quick double take between the death ray and Helena.
“This one? Nothing,” Doc said. “This is a practice exercise, Ms. Marsh, that ‘death ray’ is just a light emitter, essentially a very powerful laser pointer. I suppose you could blind somebody with it if they started right into the beam, but otherwise harmless.”
“Of course it is,” Helena said. She didn’t bother to hide her disappointment.
“Hey dad, you still in the death ray room?”
“Yes, Skye, what do you need?”
“Just thought you should know Vell’s on his way,” Skye shouted. “Coming by the main entrance.”
“Oh a frontal assault, very bold,” Doc Ragnarok said, as he hustled towards the center of his lair. “It is a shame he won’t see all the work we put into the ventilation system or underground entrance routes, though.”
“I’ll let him know about the laser grid later,” Skye said. “He and I, uh, talk. Sometimes. We hang out on occasion.”
“Well let’s give you something to really talk about,” Doc said. “He’s nearly at the main entrance.”
Doc Ragnarok got into position in his big fancy villain chair, crossed his legs, and waited as the lock on the door clicked. Then clicked again. And again. The handle jiggled slightly as Vell tried it out, but it was still locked, and the lock clicked once more as he tried it again. After a momentary pause, the door was torn off its hinges by a sudden burst of force, and Vell stepped through, standing atop the fallen door.
“Your door’s broken,” Vell said. “And not just because I broke it. Like, the lock didn’t work.”
“A momentary delay that makes you too late, Vell Harlan,” Doc Ragnarok shouted, hamming it up with full force. “Now, fall!”
A trap door beneath Vell’s feet opened up, which might have worked were it not for the fallen door acting as a bridge across the pit. Vell looked down and shrugged.
“Note to self, put pitfall traps further away from doors,” Doc Ragnarok mumbled. “No matter! Deploy the contingencies!”
Two hatches on the wall opened up and revealed cannons aimed at Vell, and he dodged out of the way of two nets fired at him. Next up, two robotic drones came rushing at him, grasping claws at the ready, and Vell grabbed one to swing it at the other, shattering both. The quick swing saved him from the robots, but made him easy prey for a forcefield that descended from the ceiling. He bumped an elbow into the glowing field surrounding him, and found it impenetrable.
“That should keep you contained,” Doc Ragnarok said. “Ms. Marsh! Escort him to the viewing chamber. I want him to watch my plan unfold.”
“As you wish,” Helena said. She tapped one of her crutches into the forcefield, and it started moving out of the central lab and down a side hallway. Doctor Ragnarok watched it move with a smug smile on his face. Once Vell was out of sight, he dropped the smile, and his supervillain persona, entirely.
“Well that was quite good,” Doc noted. “Dodging the first trap was a bit of an accident, yes, but the next two, very skillful.”
“I feel like he should have said something, though,” Skye said. “Asked you what you were planning, made a quip about escaping, that kind of thing.”
“Oh, that would’ve been nice, yes,” Doc Ragnarok said. “But frankly those exchanges can get a little trite, once you’ve done a few dozen there’s really no benefit to the banter. We both know why he’s here.”
“I thought you liked the banter.”
“I like good banter,” Doc said. “If the man’s heart isn’t in it, I don’t want him to force it. That’s how you get cliches.”
***
“I feel like I should’ve said something,” Vell said. “At least like, ‘you’ll never get away with this’, or something like that.”
“Oh no,” Helena said. “Haven’t you read this book?”
Helena held up her copy of Doc Ragnarok’s supervillain guide.
“That’s one of the biggest cliches to avoid,” Helena said. “You’re the one who should know these things, you’re the hero.”
“I skimmed, I have a lot going on,” Vell said. He kicked the side of the forcefield again, and found it impermeable as ever. “So. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Barring Doc Ragnarok’s fatherly streak, yes, actually,” Helena said. “I could see myself doing this for a living. If I live.”
Vell bit his tongue. Helena had a way of making even the most casual chats a matter of life and death -though he supposed everything actually was a matter of life and death when a person was dying.
“There’s entire schools for this, you know, death ray workshops, speech classes focused on evil monologuing, the whole deal.”
Vell did know. Skye had given him some basic details on the courses now and then. Kraid had even attended some of them for a year or two, before getting expelled for being too evil for evil school.
“So, uh...on a related note,” Vell said. “All that stuff you said about being ‘driven to evil’.”
“Oh. I was just telling Doc Ragnarok what he needed to hear, obviously.”
Helena opened the door to a rooftop chamber with a view of Doc Ragnarok’s death ray, and shuttled the forcefield containing Vell into the center of the room. She tapped one of her crutches against the forcefield to remind Vell of his captive state.
“If I were really evil, I’d be using this opportunity to, say, experiment on your rune without your permission and accidentally kill you,” Helena said. “I’m not my sister, Vell.”
Vell nodded. He already knew that well enough -and it was exactly what worried him.
“You did blow me up that one time,” Vell said.
“For impersonal reasons. That was science,” Helena said. “Sure, reckless, maybe. Stupid, maybe a little. But not evil.”
“When you refuse to learn from them, recklessness and stupidity can be evil.”
“Actually, according to this great book I’m reading,” Helena said, holding aloft the supervillain handbook again. “Evil is just a word used by entrenched powers to derogate anything that challenges their hegemony.”
“That’s...an interpretation, I guess.”
“Doc’s a smart guy,” Helena said. “Speaking of, I need to ask him about his forcefield tech, that seems pretty sturdy.”
Helena walked away, leaving Vell alone in the viewing room, surrounded by the forcefield. He took a seat, poked the walls once more, and decided to leave it for a bit. “Planning his escape” was probably the best excuse to sit and catch his breath he’d get any time soon, and he desperately needed a bit of rest. His ribs still hurt from getting tackled by those goons earlier.
The respite, while much needed, was brief, as Vell soon found himself with another visitor. Thankfully, this one was of the more pleasant variety.
“Vell, hey,” Skye said. “Just checking in, you’re doing great so far.”
“Am I doing great? I’m in a forcefield.”
Vell tapped the translucent wall of energy.
“Getting captured doesn’t feel great.”
“Oh, everybody gets captured,” Skye assured him. “It’s part of the bit. Gives you a chance to pull off a cool escape.”
“Alright. Makes sense, I guess,” Vell said. He looked around his forcefield cage. “Are there any risks I should know about? Like, is any part of this going to electrocute me?”
“What? No, that’d be ridiculously unsafe,” Skye said.
“Yeah, well, those thugs of yours weren’t particularly safe either.”
Skye tilted her head like a confused puppy.
“Thugs?”
“Yeah, those slavic guys with fake accents,” Vell said. “The ones with the keycard, which, by the way, didn’t even work.”
“Vell, what are you talking about,” Skye said. “We don’t have any human minions -except Helena, I guess. You were supposed to find some drones in the robotics lab.”
“Well if they weren’t...hold on,” Vell said. “If there’s another bunch of thugs, and another key, doesn’t that mean there’s another-”
For the second time today, Vell was cut off by a thunderous crashing of waves. Thanks to the viewing chamber’s strategic vantage, he could see the waves part just offshore, revealing another towering skull-shaped structure rising from the water, but this time much larger, much darker, and much skullier. The massive structure was nearly as tall as the dorms they were on top of, and much like Doc Ragnarok’s lair, the peak had a very large raygun on top, aimed directly at them.
“There you are, you layabout traitor,” boomed a voice from within the skull-shaped fortress. “Cease your playacting and come witness true villainy!”
“What the fuck,” Skye said. “Dad!”
Dad was already on his way, and barreled through the door momentarily. He ran to the massive viewing window and pounded a fist into it.
“Bastard,” Doc Ragnarok mumbled under his breath. “Skye, we need to get out of here.”
“What about Vell?’
“Has he not escaped yet?” Doc said. He looked over his shoulder and saw Vell. “Oh, sorry, I’d assumed you got out already.”
Doc Ragnarok pressed a button and released the forcefield around Vell.
“You might be thwarting an actual supervillain today, Mr. Harlan,” Doc said. “That’s Mi-Go, an old colleague. Never really got over the fact that I quit.”
“Oh, Mi-Go, I remember him,” Skye said. “A real pioneer in genetic hybridization.”
The raygun aimed in their direction fired, bathing the room, and the entire island, in a blast of sickly green light. When the deathly glow finally cleared, Vell looked down at his hands, or rather at the pointed crab claws where his hands had once been. Skye and Doc Ragnarok had a similar set of misshapen, crablike appendages, and odd leathery wings sprouting from their slimy flesh.
“Not again,” Doc Ragnarok grunted from his new beak.
“I sure hope he worked on his genetic stabilization matrices,” Skye said. “Or else-”
Vell’s arm popped off his body and started melting on the ground.
“Or else that.”
Thankfully their brains melted first, so the rest of the melting didn’t hurt much.

[Steady beeping sound]
[Window Opens]
[Listener climbs through it. Walks across the room.]
[Window slams shut. Multiple locks around the room engage.]
[Beeping stops.]
Do you know how rescuers save a feral momma cat- Ah! Ah. Put. The Knife. Down. Your claws won’t help you here Kitten. You’ll just find yourself in an even more stressful situation. Hiss and spit all you want. But don’t scratch, and especially don’t bite. Got it?
Hmph. You’re not moving so I’m going to assume that if I stay over here I’m safe. Does that sound fair to you? [Sarcastic] Chatty, aren’t you? Well luckily for you I can talk for the two of us. [Sits down] Look, I’m sitting down now. All nice and relaxed. I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you. Especially if you keep standing all rigid like that. We have all the time in the world to sit and get to know each other a little better. Okay?
I’ll take your silence as a yes. As I was saying. The best way to rescue a feral momma cat is to catch all her kittens first. The kittens are easier to find and aren’t as fast. Preferring to hide and get out of reach if they can. The Momma however would rather lead you away from the kittens and as you so pointedly demonstrated, has the claws and teeth to defend herself.
To catch the Momma, you need one of her kittens. Put the kittens in their own cage, and prop up a larger one on top of that. When she comes to investigate their cries, drop the cage. The kittens can’t run off and are protected when the momma inevitably freaks out, and the Momma gets caught. Ready to receive medical treatment, be spayed- [Listener shifts back]
[Brief pause]
…All that Jazz. Obviously that last one doesn’t apply to you. You are very much human. But the comparison is apt. Far more apt than the “Rats in the walls” that the paper has decided would be a fitting name for your gang. With you as the “Rat King” I think. Didn’t really read much past that once I realized they were sensationalizing what you were. And what an awful name to call someone too. A “Rat King.” You’re not two kids under that cloak are you?
It matters because the name doesn’t fit unless you’re a bunch of people either stuck or working together. That’s why its an insult. Look. I can see you’re about to freak out. The kid you’re looking for is fine. In fact, [Rustles around] I think I have a remote- ah! [Clicks] There they are-
[Listener jumped when the TV turned on and threw a knife at it. Shattering the monitor.]
Ohkay, nothing fragile around you then. Glad damaging the screen doesn’t wreck the actual device. Anyway, looking past the shattered glass, what can you see? Well. You threw the knife at the picture of your own kid but- oh! Nevermind. There he is. That’s a playroom, by the way. In case you’ve never seen one. Depending on your behavior you might join him there. You and all the other little rascals we’re rounding up right now.
Yes yes your whole operation has been found out. Once we found one of your bolt holes, it was easy to find the rest. Since, you literally left instructions for the kids to find the other ones. Rotations. Backup plans. We’ll catch all your kittens in no time. Just wait and see.
[Listener charges at him]
[He gets up. Scuffling sounds. Primarily wrists cracking against wrists as he deflects the listeners blows]
[As they’re fighting] Right! Right right right I forgot. My bad. I should have gained your trust first before dangling the rest of the kids in front of you. That’s on me. Thing is- [Catches Listener by the wrist, twists them around, and holds them with their arms pinned to their back] Stealing from the rich means it was only a matter of time before someone smart enough or angry enough tried to smoke you out. Really should have stuck to raiding the middle class I mean, less bang for your buck but at least they don’t have the resources- or the ego- to track down who dared to steal from them. Be glad it was me who caught you, and not someone more sadistic.
[Listener struggles. Trying to pull away.]
Uh hahaha, no. My dear. You’re not getting away. Not this time. Not until I decide its safe for me to let you go. That you won’t attack me, my staff, or yourself in your panic to get out of here. And I’ll know you won’t do that when you stop lashing out like a cat and start behaving like a human. Got it?
[Listener goes limp]
Good. Now. I’m going to take the knife. You are going to sit. And we are going to talk. Okay? Like two human beings. Understood?
Use your voice.
Good. [Takes the knife. Sheathes it. Ties some string around it so it can’t be drawn again.] That should keep your claws tucked away without removing them entirely. I’m not that cruel. Here. You can even have it back- ah! But it is to stay tied into that sheath and tucked away, got it? Good. Here you go.
Now sit.
[Listener sits]
Good Kitten. [He sits]
Good question. What do I want? I guess my poor bleeding heart couldn’t handle the idea of my fellows catching and torturing a literal bunch of kids.
Oh technically you’re not a kid. But just because you’re the oldest and therefore their de facto caretaker and ringleader does not actually make you an adult. Deep down under that hostile exterior is a kid just as frightened as the rest of-
[Listener scrambles to the other side of the couch in a panic]
Ah. [Sympathetic] I struck a nerve, didn’t I? I didn’t mean- [Catches himself. Clears throat. Reasserts himself] Anyway, that was easy to draw out now wasn’t it? Its always sad when a cat has to care for kittens when she is barely more than a kitten herself. At least you, a fellow bleeding heart, chose to care for these kittens on your own, right? Riiiight?
Okay good. See? We’re making progress already.
[With humor] Suspicious as ever. With training you to be human of course. The children of your little gang won’t need much besides getting used to the idea of sitting somewhat still and paying attention. Then we can just give them a normal education like the rest of their peers. You on the other hand, Feral Momma that you are, need some special attention and some special tools to help you learn to live among polite society.
I’m giving you your life back is what I mean. Or rather, I’m giving you the life you should have had in the first place. Better. Even. I can and will find you and your friends-
No. As of this moment they’re your friends. Not your kids. Got it?
Hmph. We’ll have to work on that. Much, much farther down the road though. As I was saying. You will have the best education anyone can have. Any hobbies or fields that pique your interest? You will have all the resources to explore it. You’ll never have to worry about money or food or clothes. I’ll make sure you have all you need and more.
Because I want to earn your trust. Not that I have any illusions of gaining it anytime soon, but I want to establish a baseline going forward. If I break this most fundamental part of our relationship, I no longer deserve your trust. That doesn’t mean I’ll give you all the candy that you want. But you’ll never go to bed hungry either. How does that sound?
No catch. Or- well. Hm. I suppose there is one thing. [Opens a box] See this? It's funny, actually. Your little thief tried to snatch exactly this when he fell into my trap. Sure its a pretty enough little trinket. Pawning it off would have gotten you mmm, maybe a week- Ah. I’m guessing by your expression it would be less. Just how many kids are in your gang anyway? … Kitten. How many kids. Are in your Gang. [Sighs] You don’t have to answer. Its clear enough already you bit off way more than you could chew in that regard.
We’ll deal with that another time. For now, I want you to look at me and more importantly back to my pocketwatch. You see, being gold plated and embedded with jewels makes it worth a lot. But that’s not why I bought it. That’s not why any of my peers were trying to buy it either.
Its easy enough to con the rich. Sell them just the right story and they’ll buy anything you offer to them. The smart ones check the backstory. And oh let me tell you this has gone on some adventures indeed.
This, when held, gives its wielder the power to hypnotize.
Trick shows? I don’t- ah. Street Lingo. No. Not at all like that. I won’t wave this in front of your face and order you to make a fool of yourself. This is the real deal, my Dear. At its baseline, I can make you fall into a pseudo trance. Just dazed and unaware until something snaps you out of it. Handy, for a thief like you. Important for an emergency I think. In case you get into any real trouble. But with practice, and a target paying attention, I can make you fall into a real trance. Limp, and unaware, and unable to wake up without my say so.
With experimentation and skill? Well. I know you read papers too. That Mr. Maestro is a real scary guy huh? His poor assistant. I wonder who she was before he got his hands on her. Who any of his servants were, before they fell under his gaze. You don’t need to worry about that though. You’ll remember, and I won’t change a single thing about you. I promise. I won’t even make you be obedient with one, single exception. That you’ll come when called. And even that will have caveats. Okay?
Good question. I’m going to use this to slip past your guard and teach you how to relax. And after I teach you how to relax, I’ll teach you how to trust. And then except for any particularly unhealthy behaviors you struggle to unlearn and with your permission, I won’t have to use it ever again now will I?
Yes. Outside of “Don’t act like a feral animal” this is my only condition for seeing your gang. Is that amenable to you? [Before the listener can panic] You can take your time deciding, by the way. I don’t want to throw you into a panic and-
Okay then. We can start tomorrow-
Are you sure? You can take as much time as you need to get ready.
Very well then. Get comfortable. Like you’re about to go to sleep.
No, you don’t need to look at me. Or the pocket watch. You just need to be able to hear the sound of my voice. If you don’t think you can get comfortable enough- I know this is a strange place so, someone like you would probably struggle to feel safe enough to sleep here- don’t worry about it. That’s part of the watch’s power. Its safer and easier for you to be prepared, however. Brute forcing it has the potential to do some damage.
[Listener shifts around, getting comfortable]
You ready? Don’t need blankets or anything? No? Okay then.
[tone that indicates the watch has activated]
I want you to focus on… hm. Let’s see here. I can see your eyes are open so, pay attention to the area right in front of you.
Yes this is part of the hypnosis. I’m trying to teach you something okay? Just relax and follow my lead. Don’t second guess. Just do. Got it? Now, where was I…
Focus on the area right in front of you. You’ve probably never seen it before, so this should be pretty easy to grasp what I’m trying to say.
I want you to investigate it closely. Really look at all its little nooks and crannies. All its little details. Every imperfection you can see. What is its texture? How do you think it would feel to run your fingers over it? What is its smell.
If you can, I want you to reach out and touch the object. Lightly. Carefully. Just enough to get a sense of its texture. Really pay attention to how it feels against your skin.
This is called Mindfulness. Its a skill you will find very useful day to day as we go forward. Even outside of hypnosis. Let me teach you why.
I want you to look at your hand now. Both of them, if you want. But its better to direct all of your attention to one.
Easy, easy. I can see you getting mad. Its okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Or you can be mad at me that’s fine. Everytime you find your thoughts drifting away from the object of your attention though, I want you to bring them right back okay? Like… sliding a moving object across a desk. You do it often enough, it becomes routine. Now, back to your hand.
Look at your fingers. See the way they hang when you hold your hand up? How the weight of the tips affect each joint, up to your palm? Notice all the little lines. The swirls of your fingerprints. The boxes made by each tiny crease. Did you ever notice that before now, I wonder. How your fingers are divided by boxes within boxes below the first joint. All the way down to the individual cells most likely.
Now lets look at your palm. Its so different from your fingers isn’t it? While your fingers have some wobbly lines, they’re still straight and are either horizontal or vertical. Not your palm though. The lines on your palm go all over the place. All kind of angles, and never straight either. There are even swirls, and circles if you look close enough. Just like your fingerprints.
Now lets pull back, and look at the front of your hand as a whole. Notice the structure of it. All the joints. Wiggle your fingers for me, will you? Did you ever notice before, that there’s a sensation as you move your fingers? That if you pay attention to a specific digit, you can feel the individual muscles responding to your call? Moving under, and against your skin?
This is called Body Scanning. See, your brain receives input from your body all the time. You just don’t notice because your focus, that key component of mindfulness we learned earlier, was elsewhere. On more important things than the sensation of your fingers moving. But now they have all your attention and it puts that sensation under a microscope. Notice how you can only focus on one finger at a time, though. You can’t feel each individual muscle if you’re paying attention to the whole hand.
So it is with your whole body. If all your focus is on your stomach, you won’t notice a problem with your heart. If your focus is only ever focused outside, you won’t notice something wrong inside.
You need to give everything its due. Its own time. Its own place. But we’ll worry about that later. When you’re awake. When you feel safe.
For now, Direct your attention to your head. Your jaw. Let it relax so your teeth are not tight against each other. And, as with mindfulness, if you notice it tensing up again just let it relax, and move on.
Down, down to your neck- [Sound distortion as the listener drifts under hypnosis] Its okay to close your eyes. Its all part of the point. Let the muscles in your neck go limp. Feel free to shift if your head goes in an uncomfortable angle. [Listener shifts] Very good. Good Kitten. Good Kat. This next bit is trickier. Tense up your shoulders, all the way to your ears. Feel the muscles in them? Now let them slump. All the way down. Let your body tilt and fall, however it may. If you notice a muscle tensing up to hold your position, relax it. Let your body go completely limp on the couch. You are stable. You might feel strange like this. And its okay. This is what its like to be truly relaxed. To go to sleep.
Focus now on your breathing. How the fresh air goes in your nose, down your throat, fills your lungs. Your lungs have a top and bottom. As well as left to right. Take a deep breath. As deep as you can go. Slow. Steady. Like working a bellows. Notice how the top part of your lungs fills first, and then the lower part? And again when your lungs empty. The top part empties first, and then the lower part.
In. Out. Slow. Steady. Top. Bottom. Full. Empty. I want you to keep breathing, just like that.
[Second tone plays, deeper this time]
And just like that, you are under hypnosis. I want you to repeat this exercise whenever you need to relax. For sleep. Just to veg. Whenever you feel comfortable and safe enough to do so. Later, when I have your trust, I will teach you how to do a modified version of this exercise in times of crisis. So you can keep a cool head.
But not now. Now I want you to learn how to sleep in this strange place. Sleep is all too important to managing stress. Something I’m sure you are familiar with. Now more so than ever most likely.
We can change the trigger to one of your personal choice later, but for now… [Three musical tones, different from the watch, going down. I prefer Xylophone] That sound indicates its time to do the relaxing routine We just practiced, and to go to sleep.
When you do sleep, it will be deep, and restful. [Brief pause as he thinks. Add whatever “I’m thinking” tick here you want] Your mind will sort through the events of the day, and whatever is bothering you. Whatever you think is important. Even if its just something you strongly desire. You will wake thinking of it.
The second trigger I am going to teach you is to come when I call. When I, and only I, say “Quoth the Raven” Assuming you aren’t in the middle of something important. If there is no emergency. If the thing can wait until the next day, wrap up what you are doing and come to me right away. I won’t always use it when I want to see you. That will be your own choice. But when I have something to teach you, or we need to have another session. I will use it.
I want you to remember this session. What I’ve said. What the triggers are. And the caveats. I want you to remember how you got here. Why you came. The talk we had that ended in you agreeing to this.
When I snap my fingers, you will go to sleep. You will have the deepest, most restful sleep you have ever had. As long as you need. As deep as you need. And you will process all the stress you have experienced up to this point that you can without being in distress. All the small scares. The little moments where you were proud. Everything small that you’ve been too busy to acknowledge had an effect on you.
When you wake, you will remember you are deep within my mansion. You will know that you have been moved to a different room- your room- and that you have been promised safety.
When you wake, you will know that your gang, your friends, are safe or are going to be safe, and that they will be kept nearby. You will remember that so long as you behave like a human, and attend these sessions, you will get to see them. Protect them. Play with them. Teach them.
When you wake, there will most likely be a doctor by your side. Follow his or her instructions as it relates to your checkup. If you feel uncomfortable, say so. There will be a member of my staff observing, and they will intervene if need be.
There will be clean, warm clothes for you to wear. And hot, fresh food for you to eat as soon as you wake up. When your checkup is done, and you’ve eaten and prepared for the day, you can go see your friends.
I am going to snap my fingers in three… two… one… Sleep.
[Snaps]
End Audio Script. This was inspired by Jouska's recent hypnosis videos, Dr. Who's The Empy Child, and especially a recent trend of hypnosis videos I've seen around where the listeners free will is steam rolled and I personally don't like that. So here's a version where that doesn't happen.
If you want to record and make this into a public video please let me know! I would love to view the finished product and knowing what it looks like will help me to write more in this series in the future.
Do NOT edit, and do NOT take Kitten as suggestive. Its a referral to the characters age and behavior, not an attempt to flirt. This is a parent child relationship. Nothing more.

So I'm just here too vent I don't know where to start but I'll start at the beginning so some backstory, I grew up in a traditional household as in I was fending for myself from the age of 14 by that I mean that once I turned 14 I cooked my own meals I did my own laundry I cleaned my own room I did my own jobs where I got paid money for things Such as babysitting house cleaning and sitting. Also I feel like I should mention that I grew up in a sixth generational military household where we were Raised under strict discipline We were also raised to have strong moral values as in do not do anything illegal and be an upstanding citizen you see something wrong report it. So to the meat and potatoes of why I want to vent so For this we need to go back 12 years ago so I just graduated high school I decided I want to start dating so I ended up meeting the person who would become my life partner when I first met him and we were on our first date I specifically told him that if we are going to be serious there's a game changer or end of game for me would be If he Or any of his friends or family members Had a criminal record that it would be game over "sorry thanks for playing tell him what he has won Charlie". He very plainly told me that no everyone and his family and his life are good people. So I give him a chance and we ended up dating for 2 years. Eventually I ended up getting stationed far away and I asked him if he would like to move in with me and he said yes. After a short while of us living together we ended up getting pregnant with our daughter and then he wanted me to meet his parents. side note The reason why I haven't met his parents up until this point is because I was a strong believer in not meeting the in-laws until marriage was either on the table or at least in talks but I did not want to meet them unless I and he was absolutely sure that we wanted to take that step. So we eventually went to go meet his parents and siblings and his siblings kid and everything went well it was a very lovely meeting and there was nothing to complain about nothing out of the ordinary. It eventually got to the point where every weekend we would be going to his parents house and the rest of the pregnancy went by swimmingling no problems whatsoever. Eventually my daughter came into the world during the summer and she was full term healthy happy baby. After 2 months of recuperating from giving birth we went to go visit his family let them see their granddaughter, niece, cousin. When we arrived at my in-law's house his cousin was there just chillin sitting on the couch. My partner said "cousin you're out of juvee that's amazing I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon" Safe to say my eyes widen when I heard my partner say this because I flashback to when we first met and I specifically asked him if he had any family members or Or friends who Who had a criminal record. I pulled him to our room that we had aside at the In-law's house and hushley yelled at him saying that he had told me that he had no family members are friends with criminal records he very nonchalantly Said "oh cousin doesn't have a criminal record it was expunged when he turned 18" 🚩#1: I don't know about everyone else but this was a red flag when I first heard it cause he basically got me on a technicality But I still felt betrayed because his cousin was in juvee for a pretty bad crime.( Not gonna mention here but it will come into light later in the story.) I let it go for the moment And enjoyed the rest of my weekend unfortunately though I had left my ipod In my room cause I was told it would be safe there because I was also told that I should make my partner's room feel more homey to me. But when I had came back the following weekend to get my ipod it was not where I had left it I ended up tearing apart the room looking for it because it had sentimental value to me due to irreplaceable photos videos from high school of friends, friends who are no longer with us, events that I held dear from high school Especially all the events that come with senior year of high school. I asked all the family who were living in the house at the time if any of them had been in partner's room or Or borrowed my ipod and everyone said no everyone said I don't know where it is. I then asked who has been in the house during the week since I was gone and mother-in-law said oh cousin was here because he was having trouble with his girlfriend. I went to partner and asked him to call cousin to see if he borrowed my ipod because if he did then I would like it back because I have I have irreplaceable photos on the ipod. 🚩#2: Partner said no cousin wouldn't never take anything from my room cousin's not like that you're crazy why you being so upset and crazy over a few photos and a ipod. Partner also mentioned that because of my view of His cousin that that's clouding my Vision of him so of course I would automatically assume he would take it granted I did not specify he stole it I said borrowed did not say stolen please refer to previously mentioned reason why this ipod was so important to me...partner knew of the sentimental value of the ipod also that I paid for it with my hard earned money, it was the first expensive thing I had ever brought. Anyways partner had me second-guessing myself so I eventually just let go the fact that my ipod was missing I did not bring it up I should have it would save me a lot of mental health in the future anyways flash forward to 2015 my contract With the military was up I decided not to reinlist. As a goodbye gift my master chief had given me a deer antler bullet Pen that he had made personally for me. At the behest of his parents me and partner and our daughter moved into his parents place I kept the pen in a pen holder On my desk in my room At this point in time I was always out of my room and out of the house looking for a job. I didnt really need one I was making and still am making plenty from the VA. I'm sure a lot of you I probably gonna say that when I had moved in I should learn my lesson with the ipod and had installed a lock on the door but my in-laws were strong believers in a no lock policy in the house of course I did not And still do not believe in that policy I like privacy I do not like the idea of someone just randomly barging into my Space at any given moment. So eventually one of my old navy buddies had came to visit me and wanted to see the pen that master chief had given me. We wanted to compare the ones that Master chief had given both of us Every pen he had made was always unique so we wanted to see the difference Between the 2. Low and behold my pen was missing and I was devastated. And true Rinse and repeat fashion. I asked all the family members who were living in the house at the time if anyone had been in my room and took a pen they all looked at me like I was crazy and said are you going to get upset over a pen missing now and I specified that that pen was basically a parting gift from my boss for For being in the military. 🚩#3:After I realized that I was not gonna get anywhere with asking the family, I voice my concerns and grievances to my partner he also made me feel like I was crazy because he stated that "it's just a pen get over it". Eventually I did manage to get a few jobs over the next few years up until 2019 when I eventually decide I want to better my education and go to college so from June till may of 2020 I was going to college.side note: From when we had moved in with his parents all the way till even today I have been doing 90% of the housework as in I cook, I clean, I do laundry all the while working 40+ hour weeks. All partner ever does is just go do work with his dad And come home to fresh clean clothes and towel fresh out of the dryer laid out in the bathroom and a hot meal waiting on the table as I'm sure you're getting from the tone of what I'm saying right now I think you know Where this whole thing is gonna go real soon. So while I'm going to school and doing all the housework taking care of our child. My partner would come home shower do all the normal stuff and then go to bed but then he wouldn't touch me or be intimate with me he would always say I'm tired I'm not in the mood I have a headache. Maybe you dont understand partner but I never pressed on him because I assume because of certain work stressors He must be having a tough week so I never pressed him to be intimate with me. Pass to around a few weeks before Halloween I was just randomly scrolling on his phone looking at Halloween costumes for our daughter cause she wanted a very specific costume and he had gotten a text message from someone labeled under a male name and they said something that was very alarming and I looked in the text against my better judgment And what it said was hey how about we have another car date. I didn't want to jump to conclusions so me in stealth mode I text it back saying what would you like to do during the car date and the person replied oh the same thing we do every time we go on a car date you me in the back seat and you pounding me like crazy. With you saying my name and me screaming yours. Safe to say I was sick to my stomach just from reading what the person had text I had screenshot the text and I had sent it to myself and then deleted the text that I had sent to myself from my partner's fault I then put the phone away and then partner went and got his phone and I could see his face turned pale white as he saw that the Text had been opened but he didn't make any mention even brought it up. After this I went into FBI mode and I would casually look at his phone whenever he was in the shower he would always leave it charging as soon as he got home from work and then any text messages that seemed kinda off I would screenshot them and I would look app the number at a later time and back track it via Google. The information you can find on Google is crazy to me thank God for google. I eventually would get the person he was sending messages 2 send pictures as proof that they were together And evidence was unmistakable the things that she had sent made my stomach turn lowkey I could hear just what the episode of SNAPPED would have said about me if I had listened to that inner voice. After getting plenty of proof of his infidelity I eventually confronted him And here's where red flag number 4 comes into play. 🚩#4: He stated that I had become distant from him that I was more concerned with our child and school then I was with him and then also another thing that was basically as he said the straw that broke the camel's back was that I had put on weight. at this point in time I was Only 50 pounds heavier than when I got out of the military. He also mentioned that I didn't make time for him anymore Which was far from the truth if anything I always tried to push to have time with him on his days off but he was always "with his friends" I later found out that he was with her. Another reason he had given was that our relationship had grown stale and cold and boring and he wanted something exciting and new. I gave him the ultimatum either he picks me and our daughter or he picks his side piece. And true kid mentality he said it wasn't fair because he loved both me and her and he couldn't pick and he had the nerve to come up with the idea that we do a sister wife/polygamy type of relationship. 🚩#5: He even went As far to say that we should do an open relationship but primarily one where he would be in a relationship with someone but I would have to be faithful to him.another side note:he's not morman or LDS or muslim Very nicely I state did that it would be a cold day in hell when any of those options would be even viable to me.* Again I grew up in a traditional household where monogamy is a necessity And I also made it very clear when we started dating that I was a monogamous person so how this even became an idea in his head I have no idea.* So he tells me once he sees that I am dead serious that he chooses me and our daughter and I stated good choice and I thought that was the end of it until December of that year when I had heard his phone go off while he was again in the bathroom and I went to look at it and it was her and she had stated that He had left his wallet at her place when When he had seen her last week. I was feeling mad and when he came to sit back down on the couch I threw his phone at him I Called him out for the sleazy dog that he wasAnd brought up other harsh words Regarding events that had happened in the past years Since we had moved in with his parents. 🚩#6:He stated that he hasn't seen her since I had given him the ultimatum and that she is just trying to get rise out of me because he had told her that I had found out about her. Of course I did not believe him so once he left for work the following day I checked his Google location for the day that she had mentioned that he had left his wallet and lo and behold he had been at her house during that week and then also later in the day after the text he had been at her house again this time he was at her house for the better part of 3 hours when he strictly told me that he was gonna be super busy and working with yard tools where he would not be able to hear his phone go Off whenever I text or call him. * Yes I can hear you all screaming at me that I should have left him when he first had the affair but I don't know maybe I had my daughter in my mind and didn't want her to grow up in a broken household or whatever may be the case but for some stupid God forsaken reason I gave him another chance And kept giving him chance after chance every time I saw he had gone to her house* Eventually he had grown tired of the girl and then he settled back into being monogamous again and everything for the most part especially after covid happened was quiet and calm but that's what I thought. Queue cousin entering from left stage. Cousin ended up staying with us during COVID because again he had a falling out with his girlfriend now baby mama And one particular day I came home from working limited hours due to covid and I see an iPod that looks eerily similar to the one I had. Curious I looked at the back and low and behold there was still a sticker residue from A sticker that had previous There. Fun fact about my ipod I had an anime sticker That I had personally designed. Again curiosity got the better be and I unlock the ipod and check the serial number in IMEI numbers and check the same Info on the product box that I had gotten my ipod in and lo and behold they matched perfectly to a T. Stupidly optimistic I was hoping someone had found it where it might have been misplaced and I was hoping that my photos and videos were still on the ipod. But as I'm sure you're probably already guessing it was wiped clean and it was nothing but photos of and you guessed it cousin and his baby mama and their baby. every video and pic that I had on my ipod from when I first bought it In freshman year of high school to when I had eventually had my daughter Was gone forever. Cousin came out of the bathroom and asked what I was doing with his ipod. I'm sure you know where this conversation is going so I'm not gonna repeat it but let's just say a few harsh things were said and he eventually felt guilty for not coming to me and asking if the ipod was mine. I obviously gave it back to him because it had no more sentimental value to me because all my stuff was deleted and it was basically his at this point. So later that night I again leaned on Partner's shoulder and Express my grievances and how I didn't appreciate that he gaslet me into thinking that his cousin wouldn't take something out of his room when in later years it is found out that he did in fact I asked for an apology on the matter and he stated... 🚩#7: Why are you upset over something that happened in the past and over photos that Aren't that important.* Our daughter's entire birth was on the ipod by the way Not to mention all my pregnancy bump milestone photos were there too.Also I have fertility issues and was told carry children would be difficult...I think they meant conceiving because like a unicorn no morning sickness or any of the negative things you hear that comes with pregnancy* Later in the year 2020 partner's brother ended up moving out and moving about 2 hours North of us With his girlfriend now wife. In the same fashion as us not too soon after they moved into their new place they found out they were expecting their first child together. The entire pregnancy went by just as smoothly as mine but around December, Brother-in-law and cousin decided to do cross-country trip this is all that they told us we thought they were crazy because His brother-in-law was expecting his first child and cousin was expecting his second child And the babies were going to be due any day at most within the coming weeks. Well surprise surprise we get a call from brother-in-law's frantic wife stating something happened to brother in law and cousin and that she couldn't talk about it over the phone. When she eventually arrived she was hysterical, Tears rolling down her face I actually felt A sense of concern and dread for what she was about to say to us. So long story short cousin and brother-in-law had been working for unfavorable people and transporting unfavorable items across state lines. sil and cousins baby mama knew what they were doing and would tag along, they "didn't care because the money and their lives were good" * Brother-in-law's ex then gf had previously told me that he was working for the same unfavorable people and when I brought it up to 🚩#8: partner he said x is crazy don't listen to Her. (He later told he and fam always knew what bil and cousin were doing just never brought it up because 'thats cousin and bils business to tell us'* Again due to COVID the court system was delayed and brother-in-law did not go to jail right away. While we were awaiting a sentencing Brother-in-law set all the family down and asked us to look over his wife and kids (yes kids plural he ended up having a second child while awaiting sentencing stupid I know.) The rest of the family said they would look out for Brother-in-law's family. But here's where I'm going to sound like an a****** but I very plainly and bluntly told him that I will not look after his family because I did not marry "wife" and I did not have "kids" I also stated that he knew that he was expecting a kid and he went to do a run even though his kid was due any day and I also mentioned that he needs to suffer the consequences of his actions. To make it short the family looked at me like I was the devil for saying this but I have made it clear of where I stand when it comes to criminals and doing illegal activities. I also have made it very clear how I feel criminals should pay for their actions. I know this will sound cheesy but if you cannot do the Time do not do the crime. In my eyes this was a textbook case of f*** around and find out. I do not feel like I should bend over backwards when I am taking care of my own family and my own problems and adding my brother-in-law's problems to my plate. Again this is where I might lose people but as I previously I grew up in a traditional household where we pull our weight and take care our ourselves. Sister-in-law is now living with us she does not have a job, she does not want a job, she does not pitch in for any expenses. I am paying over 70% of the household expenses water, gas, Wi-Fi etc. * Also after looking at the mortgage payment statements the rent I pay my in-laws to stay in the house pays for more than half of the mortgage.* Sister-in-law does not pitch in a dime. She has no disability she can work she just chooses not to. Well if you couldn't guess it the house was tense for the rest of the time that brother-in-law was in the house until he was eventually sentenced and put in jail. So since brother-in-law has been in jail I still stick to the hole I don't help sister-in-law with anything pertaining to her, I don't ask her for anything. She's been making it a habit of calling my partner and having him move my car from the spots that Im able to get in front of the house before she got into the spot to have him move the car for her because she doesn't want to walk far with The kids. This was usually how things were done until yesterday when sister-in-law was calling my partner to have him move my car and he wouldn't answer because he was asleep due to being sick. So In a begrudging fashion I assume this was for her she calls me to have me move my car, I told her I don't mind the car being moved but she would have to come get the keys to move it as I was currently busy rearranging my Space, And that I was trying to get everything i needed to get done before my day was over cause this was my only day off during the week, And in A spoiled sounding tone she says whatever Forget about it. Later in the day when my partner had woken up he Received a call from Sister-in-law stating that I was being difficult and wouldn't move the car From my spot.* I think it's fair to Mention that there are plenty of spots In front of our house but for some reason she always wants to park where I park. She never calls anyone else who's parked in front of the house ,if they're parked there, to move their cars only me or my Partner.) Also full circle, I was cleaning out our family's "junk cabinet" yesterday during my cleaning frenzy and found my deer pen it was in fils work bag, and yes its mine says my rank and full name on it.(trust me it'll come into play) So after the call with sister-in-law partner starts berating me Stating that I'm a part of this family and that I should be helping everyone out nevermind that I pay 70% expenses and more then half of mortgage,among other things. I told him very sternly that I had let her know that she could come and move the car herself but I was currently busy. I also stated that I told her when When brother-in-law asked us to help out with his family that I would not be doing any favors I will not be dropping things at the Whim of a hat for sister-in-law. I have my own things I need to do I can't just be stopping what I'm doing just to help her just cause it'll make it more convenient for her. I also stated during the convo with partner that there are plenty Of Mother's whose Partners are also in the prison system Who have multiple kids who are doing just fine by themselves. And that sister-in-law needs to women up And handle things on her own. I also stated that I did not tell her to have the kids That was all her choice. I also stated that I have never asked or received help for anything during my time with him and his family. I've been a very self-sufficient independent person. I'd like to make it known that we primarily survive off my income alone most of his income that he gives to me goes into savings because I make a Remarkably large amount of money thanks to what I get from the VA and from my 40+ hr job in the federal sector. And with the hours I work I don't have to worry about childcare as I watch my daughter during the day, When partner comes home from his long day at work I will sleep for a couple of hours before I start my night shift, I also will sleep while my daughter is in school till I have to pick her up then I do housework and take care of my child till my Partner Comes home and cook dinner. The only reason we live with in-laws is to help them with the mortgage because the mortgage is so incredibly high in the area that we live in. So to reiterate I have never asked or needed help from any of partner's family. And I find it funny that they are now preaching that we're a family we need to help each other, Yet never once while I was living with them have ever offered help offer to watch a our child for the night or anything. Not that I would accept or anything just saying it would have been a nice gesture at the very least. But after partner said that we're family, I retaliated by saying family doesn't violate personal space and go in your room and steals your stuff. He sighed and said you're on that again and I said it's not just the ipod it is also the fact that your dad stole my deer pen. And that the ipod was and the deer pen is sentimental to me. Like a broken record I stated that the ipod had everything from my past that was irreplaceable memories of friends who are no longer with us and of our daughter's first breath into the world And the fact that he is not as mad as me about the fact that we no longer have the video of our daughter being brought into the World Is eye-opening. We ended the day on a sour note where he ended up sleeping on the couch and I in our bed. which has led me to write out my emotions because I just want to scream at him for 🚩#9: everytime he gave his free time to his family,when I couldn't even get 2 hours a day to just chat, the little bit of time I did get with him he just wants to "sit in silence" where he ends spends the time on tiktok. Also whenever I find out when i have a day off usually a month in advance. I try to plan an "US" day where its just me, him, and our daughter.spoiler alert I rarely if ever get to share a day off with him and when he manages one, on the day we had plans he says something along the lines of I have to do a tree trimmng job or fix a sprinkler head, he states "won't take long" then will call and say he'll be bit longer, rinse and repeat this and he spends the whole day at his clients house fixing his fuck up. no hes not seeing AP I have untraceable GPS trackers secretly hidden in all the vehicles, and no not illegal I legally own and insure all our vehicles at my suggestion due problems with the parents. Also partner owns piece of fils business so in a way its keeping track of work equipment in case it gets stolen. I've gotten to the point where the moment he says he's gonna take longer than planned I just leave with my daughter and do what I had planned like go to the zoo, museum, trampoline park, etc. Partner does not call me all day. im at the point idc,still frustrated but don't care. Also here's the cherry on the cake usually when me and daughter go out we get back right when partner gets home and is unpacking the work vehicle and he has this look like were you out of the house all day? Which is confirm with that very question coming from his mouth. I send our child to go in the house sensing where the convo was leading to and once she was out of ear shot. Again very bluntly I tell im not gonna cancel my day if your not gonna prioritize me and our daughter's time I had plans for today I told you in advance you made your choice of which is more important so while you used your day off to do an extra job I used my day off to make memories with our child. In true child fashion he says but I wanted to go to insert place too. You should've just waited to go on a different day. I tell him that he always postpones or comes up with a reason not to go (too expensive, too hot, will be crowded, blah blah blah) so instead I will make the plan to go tell him ahead of time if he takes time off great if not no sweat im still going. Boy he got so irritated for being called out especially when our daughter yelled from the doorway dad you always cancel on us. BTW daughter is unaware of partners affair on the day that I confronted him a close friend that I had told of my situation told me and partner that her daughter wanted to do a sleepover I was unaware this was her sneaky way of helping me. I just took advantage of the empty nest situation I'm sorry if this is more of a rant but my anger and emotions all over the place I'm half tempted of just ending things cutting ties with him and his family because they expect me to change my morality, which I'm very uncomfortable with that. Everything that I was taught respect the relationship your in, respect the law, dont do anything illegal etc these are basic common sense things. Mil, bil, and partner did not respect their relationships or partner. Mil and partner cheated (not with eachother gross but with other people). Bil left pregnant wife alone, due to have a baby anyday, to do something illegal. Also the mental abuse i deal with Partner's sisters bullying me by critiquing how my parents raised me, on my parenting, calling me a hypocrite on my morality because I was trying to pin a baby on partner (was not true he was given the choice to leave all the way up until before delivery) I'm just mentally, physically and emotionally tired. And separation is looking really like a good idea. I've asked for family and couples counseling, inlaws and partner say "we don't have issues you do,why dont you get it, your too needy and selfish always wanting to spend alone time with partner" Thats why I'm turning to reddit one to vent/rant and two for second opinions. I try to limit what I tell bout my family to my parents friends and sibs partly because I hate painting people I've chosen to keep in my life in a bad light also my dad and brothers wouldve have made partner and inlaws take a dirt nap in the desert if I had told them what they've been putting me through and what partner did around time of covid, no trace or evidence think scene from boondocks of the assassin who "took care of" the entire family.only my close friend has seen and knows the full extent of what I've gone through, so she could be a witness to my family if partner tries to spin this around in his favor. But also she suggest the reddit route so I can get opinions and see if maybe I'm seeing this in a different light like seeing this though a different POV. Any advice or insight would be appreciated. I know I most likely am gonna get hate for this next thing I about to say as well But when we found out she was pregnant with the second kid I said with a great deal of concern that she should "take care of it" because "if you arent sure if you can handle two kids while brother in law is away then maybe keeping this one isn't the best choice" Again family looks at me like I'm the devil for suggesting this.Just so It's made clear I was not pushing her to get an abortion I was just trying to make it clear to her that she is going to be having 2 kids under the age of 2 in her care While her husband is away. Also for further insight cousin broke up with baby mama while she was pregnant with second kid but after it was too late to do anything about it when baby mama announced her pregnancy (prior to the crime) i voiced my same concerns with her,in standard young dumb full of it fashion she state "we are in this ride or die" and now she cries to me saying she can't handle two kids and "why did i have a second one" baby mama is now regretting her decision.For any single parent taking care of two kids is a daunting task so I was just looking out for her mental health due to the fact that she would be Taking care of 2 kids by herself at the same time her partner was going to be going to jail for an undisclosed amount of time and at the time not knowing if she might have ppd like some people have after having Irish twins.

https://www.cybertruckownersclub.com/forum/threads/the-best-day-of-my-life-4th-grader.17970/
I opened the fronk and her son & two friends sat in it. Then I did light show for them. More children coming over, some with popsicles. We had to keep them from getting too close while fronk going up & down. More children. Another light show. One of the friends asked if he could sit inside. Sure. I thought it was just for pictures, but then they discover the screens. I made the boys move to the back so the girl could have pictures in drivers seat. The boys apparently enjoyed turning on heated seats ( yes, in the summer). I teach the girl how to find the farts & well, that was the icing on the cake and an eruption of laughter.
Nothing wrong with supervised fun. And of course all vehicles have risks.
Let's see what's wrong on the Cybertruck with a lapse of attention:
Kids playing in frunk, managing to press "close" button, risk to fingers & entrapment. CT increases close force with each subsequent closing if it senses an obstruction. Sharp metal and metal points, especially the flawed sharp edges. Tonneau cover has no safety systems at the top edge. Pressing both scroll wheels, not a risk per se, but will reboot the screen
Starting and driving. Now this one takes a few things going wrong, but kids are kids, especially if they are just all allowed to mill around on the floor and cabin as a group. 1. Shut the driver's door. 2. Someone plays driver by clicking the belt. 3. Guy on the floor presses the brake pedal... And that's it, car automatically shifts into gear and any press to the accelerator and the car moves.
Sure you can negate that by watching them and having a PIN, but I'll bet few actually have a PIN. And this isn't exclusive to the Tesla, but these cars are silent and too easy to drive away when the key card or phone is "close" by

Proof: https://imgur.com/a/jQtT4dx
14K Imperial Gold USA Basket Style Woven Bracelet - 7” Inches Long - 7.5mm Wide - 12.10grams @ SPOT - $527
10K Yellow Gold Italy Choker Necklace - 16” Inches Long - 4.75mm Wide - 20.50 Grams @ SPOT - $638
14K Yellow Gold Two Foxes Interlinked Ring - Iced Out W/ Tiny Diamonds - Smallest Size 7 - Expands To Size 9 - 8.80g @ SPOT - $383
14K Yellow Gold Ring .25Ct Diamond - Size 10 - 4.25 grams @ SPOT - $185
Missing a 0.015 carat diamond, perfect for someone who wants to get a deal putting a small diamond in.
10K Yellow Gold Bypass Diamond Cluster Ring - Size 7.5-7.75 - 4.45g @ SPOT - $138
10K AFJC Yellow Gold Pear Shaped Amethyst Ring - Size 7 - 3.87 grams @ SPOT - $120
10 Yellow Gold Leafs Pendant - 1.60” Inches Wide - 2.75 Grams @ SPOT - $89
10k Yellow Gold Ring - Size 5.5-5.75 - 2.00 grams @ SPOT + $10 - $72
10K Vintage Yellow Gold Ruby/Pearl Leaf Brooch Pin - 2.06g - 1.35” Inches Long @ SPOT - $64
14K .28 Carat Round Cut Diamond Pendant Only - .72g - $145
14K Yellow Gold Heart Shaped 1.25 Carat Peridiot Stone Pendant ONLY - 1.05g - $99
14K Jade Chinese Good Luck Prosperity Donut Pendant - 8.41g - 5mm Size - $195
14K Yellow Gold Green Fire Opal Pendant - 5.52g - Up to a 4mm wide/7mm length Chain/Necklace - $650
Vintage 10K Yellow Gold Opal Ring - Size 7-7.25 - 3.30g - $240
10K Yellow Gold Diamond Cluster Ring - Size 7.5 - 2.75g - $100
14K White Gold Diamond Ring .40CT Center Stone - Size 5.5 - $700
18K White Gold Diamond Cluster Ring - 0.56TCW - Size 7 - 3.95g - $450
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I also have a bunch of 925 Sterling jewelry for sale, Rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings, pins/brooch’s https://imgur.com/a/IklyakC https://imgur.com/a/Lwy3Mkx
Can’t list it all, message me if you see anything that catches your eye and I could take pictures, sizes and send the price your way.
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Silver
925 Italy Sterling Silver Herringbone Chain - 20” Inches Long - 6mm Wide - 17.50g - $30
925 Italy Sterling Silver Herringbone Chain - 18.25” Inches Long - 4.5mm Wide - 10.04g - $15
925 Italy Sterling Silver Rope Chain - 18” Inches Long - 9.03g - $18
925 Italy Sterling Silver - 18” Inches Long - 4mm Wide - 17.00g - $35
925 Sterling Silver Chain/Necklace - 36” Inches Long - 17.66g - $35
925 Sterling Silver Filigree Style Butterly Ring - Size 7-7.25 - $20
Vintage 925 Sterling Silver Onyx Butterfly Ring - Size 7-7.25- $35
Vintage Southwestern 925 Sterling Silver Red Coral/Blue Turquoise Butterfly Ring - Size 5.5-5.75 - $35
925 Sterling Silver Butterfly Pendant - 2mm Wide/3mm Long - $10
Fleming Sterling Silver 925 Horse Belt Buckle W/ rubies - Mexico - 92g - $150
925 Italy Sterling Silver Tri-Multi Strand Bracelet - 7” Inches Long - 10.55g - $30
Mixture Multi Strand Byzantine Wheat Link Chain Bracelet - Hand Crafted In Bali - 7” Inches Long - $120
925 Sterling Silver Custom Ingot Pendant Family Crest Marks - 55g - $75
Atocha Shipwreck Pendant 925 Sterling Silver - $40
925 Liquid Silver 30 Strand Necklace With 10 Strand Earrings - $55
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Payment
I accept Zelle, PayPal f&f as a last resort.
Willing to accept trades potentially for low premium silver or gold
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Shipping
$6 USPS first class shipping, $10 Priority box, $18 medium box
•Signature Confirmation $4 (Optional)
•Insurance is also available at buyers expenses.
•I pack safely and discretely - All Sales Final
•Prices are subject to change at any moments notice, if error occurs in pricing then purchase is void or canceled.
•Message me if you have any questions.
•All packages will be dropped on Monday or Tuesday.
•Once I drop the package at the post office I’m not responsible for USPS mistakes or losses.

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/w1x96DK

• Unity LPVO 34mm w/offset mount, RMR plate, ACRO plate, and Aimpoint Micro plate - $250
  
• 6X - Floyd's Customs PDP FS +0 basepads - $25/ea
  
• 2X - Walther PDP SF +2 basepads - $20/ea
  
• Walther PDP SF +0 BASEPAD - $20
  
• KAC SR15 bolt catch plunger, 2x bolt catch plunger head, 2x mag release roll pins, 2x bolt catch roll pins - $50 for all of it
  
• 3d printed magpul ctr stock riser - $20
  
• ZR Tactical PDP SF LS guide rod - $95
  

Feel free to reach out with questions or if you want more pictures. Throw me offers, worst I'll do is say no.
Venmo preferred, PP f&f works too
Thanks

I (18F) have a best friend (18F) who I'll call Tara. She dated this guy (18M) for about two years before I knew her and they had a mostly great relationship. Near the end, he started treating her pretty badly as in always yelling at her and threatening to leave because she smokes and he hated it. They broke up, she hooked up with his best friend, their relationship ended very messy. About a month later I met this guy (I'll call him Brad) for the first time. Me and Brad soon started talking and unofficially dating, and we seemed to get along really well. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him except it did bother me how much he said he hated Tara while still having her pinned on snapchat, talking to her daily, watching her tiktoks and following her on everything. I thought it was weird so after maybe 3 weeks I brought it up to him and the conversation did not go well. He was driving when I told him I'm not upset with him, but I was hoping to know the reason he's still so close to her while he called her a cheater, bitch, and worse words. He got really upset and yelled at me a little bit just saying that it's stupid I brought it up and that I never should've said that because I made him feel awkward. I stayed quiet and left it, but the relationship turned bad very soon after. He would yell at me if I ever even said Tara's name in the context of saying she tried to talk to me or anything at all. I literally was not allowed to ask anything about her even when she was fully in his life and very close with him. They texted late into the night, and I really liked Brad plus I've had very bad luck in relationships before so all I really wanted was to accept it so I could make something last for once. I started struggling more when Brad started to hit me quite often, as a "joke" if I ever accidentally got too close to hitting or bumping into his no-no square. If I even moved in bed and my knee went up around that general area he would back up and punch me multiple times in my upper chest, even if I asked him to stop or almost started crying. This happened regularly, and it started happening even when I would say something he didn't like on accident. He told me about how his dad hit him lots as a child and still does, so I tried to have sympathy and tried to get him to go to therapy but he refused. I tried to leave him but I was scared and deleted my text before he saw it. After one night I sat in the car in a parking lot with my friend group at the time, I told them everything. I started bawling and they all told me I had to leave him while they hugged me. I finally worked up the courage to do it, and I did. I blocked him right after. Tara texted me and asked me about what happened and if I was okay, and in a moment of weakness I did tell her what happened. I was praying that she would be understanding and maybe that she had seen behaviour from him that would relate our experiences, but she told me he never did that to her. She was extremely supportive though, and told me she was already no contact with him (this was true) and hated him for her own experience with him. As happy as I am that she never had to experience that, I didn't understand why me. We talked for a while about how we both have BPD, and we actually became friends. Just casual friends, but one night I was at home and having a panic attack because my home life is not ideal and I had nobody to call, so I just called Tara. She immediately came and picked me up, and she told me I could stay with her as long as I needed to. We pulled an all nighter just talking about our entire life stories and all of our traumatic lore. We became best friends overnight. We were inseparable ever since then, being each other's only true friends. We have been friends for a while now, and I recently caught her texting Brad behind my back. When I talked to her, she said she couldn't help it and she loved Brad so much and couldn't possibly see him ever hurting me because he's the sweetest most charismatic and charming guy she's ever met. She said she didn't believe he ever meant to hurt me, that he was just playing and he's a big strong guy so he didn't know he hurt me. This is BS, I have experienced an unfortunate amount of abuse in my life, and I know the difference between playing and intentionally punching me to the point of bruises on purpose. She has been texting him for weeks, comforting him because someone close to me spread it around that he abused me and he's been crying to her about what people are saying about him. She has been feeding into it, telling him how sorry she is that he's being hurt like this and he's innocent. I had a fight with her about breaking my trust and lying about believing me, letting me cry so many times to her about what he did, and comforting him, sending him cute tiktoks, planning to see each other, all at the same time. I told her it's me or him, she can't have both and she started crying and saying she loves me so much and she can't live without me but he is equally important to her. I stopped contact with her, and she kept telling me she couldn't live without me and I'm killing her and causing her so much pain, begging me to not force her into a choice she can't make. I realized she's the only one who has been there for me, relates to me, and she's all I have. She is so important to me and I love her so much, so I went to see her and just accepted Brad in her life. I thought I'd rather have her and suffer than lose her. He's pinned on her snap as "My Love ❤️" and there's a picture of him on her lock screen above a picture of me. I've been suffering a lot because of this lately and she's asked me often why I seem off, but I tell her it's fine. It's not though, some part of me deep down absolutely hates her for doing that to me, but I love her so much I'd take a bullet for her. AITAH for wanting her to choose me over him?

Context, I'm 35, M. I'm still active in the church in Utah, but deconstructing since last February (SEC violation announcement). And for people who have trouble reading between the lines, I couldn't be happier about Chad's (and Trumps) guilty verdicts!
I've been emailing back and forth with my former mission president since February. I didn't want to discuss specific church criticisms or truth claims with him. (We have the internet for that.) I wanted to discuss more of the "philosophy" of asking questions. Is it ok or even preferable to simply 'Disengage' from information and live a happy life in ignorance? Or, is eating the metaphorical fruit of knowledge of good and evil and essential part of the plan? I was neutral enough that his initial response was:

"I have carefully read your email twice and cannot come to any conclusions on whether you are a believer with a testimony of the restoration, an apologist, a skeptic, or a non-believer"

My response has always been:

"I am still a member and active.... but definitely in a head-space where I am trying to figure things out".

Over the last 4 months of correspondence, I've purposefully kept my OFFICIAL opinion to that place of ambiguity. This morning I realized that I had a unique opportunity to make a dark point. I sent the following email:

Hi President,
I'm sure you've seen the news yesterday of Daybell's and Trump's convictions. I've never felt such a duplicity before.
It's hard to watch, over and over and over again, the persecutions of people who are simply trying their hardest to live according to their Mormon faith. Sacrificing and consecrating EVERYTHING for whatever the Lord commands them to do. These persecutions against Tim Ballard, Jodi Hildebrand, Ruby Franke, Lori Vallow, and Chad Daybell could be the result of secret combinations meant to hedge up the way of the Gospel. The same reason the secret combinations have gone after Trump, and his support of faith.
It's like I'm at a crossroads. Do I live according to logic and reason, putting my personal faith and revelation "on the shelf"? Or do I live by inspiration and faith, putting logic and reason "on the shelf". I can't seem to find a way to have all four of them co-exist. And all around me are members of the church who don't seem to live by logic OR reason OR inspiration OR faith. And all because they live in ignorance, and they are scared to ask questions, and are constantly disengaging with the hard questions, and don't look at the full picture of the gospel. And I envy them, wishing I could go back to ignorance.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for his reply.

Hi all,
Today my friend recieved a hand written letter to her address, apparently from a 13 year old boy in Germany. The contents explained a bit about themself, the town they are from, their hobbies, and that they like Scotland + the reasons why. At the end it says “I hope you are read my letter and write me bag” (errors due to language barrier I’d guess)
I can’t post a picture but it was hand written in blue pen, the handwriting defo looks like a kid doing their best handwriting with joining letters, they’ve done wiggly underlining and doodles with a felt tip pen, and it contained a picture of a local landmark from their city printed on normal paper and cut out - definitely seems like it was written by a 13 year old.
It wasn’t addressed to anyone by name, just the postal address, so it doesn’t seem like they knew who they were writing to only that it was whoever lived in that house. Postage mark and stamp are both German, and return address was included.
My friend and her family have no idea how they came to recieve this, as they’ve never signed up or opted in anywhere to recieved penpal letters, and I thought I’d see if anyone had experienced something similar? Is it a ‘done’ thing to drop a pin on Google maps and send to that address? Any other avenues?
Can’t see what the angle would be if it were a scam, as they haven’t asked for anything other than expressing the wish that they write back - also a lot of effort has gone into it, and they had to pay postage.
It seems totally harmless and really quite sweet, but very confusing!