Isnt there any other games that r not blocked by schools
[BtS] My first impressions of Before the Storm!
2024.06.05 06:57 pje1128 [BtS] My first impressions of Before the Storm!
I have finally played Before the Storm, and I wanted to share my thoughts on the game! I've done this before back when I played Life is Strange 2 about a year ago, and people seemed to respond to it well, so I thought I'd make another post!
So I played the original Life is Strange back when it first came out and loved it, so when I first heard of Before the Storm, I was excited. Then I learned that it was made by a different dev team, and Chloe's actress was different along with a lot of the other characters. That all turned me away from the game initially, and then 2 was announced to be an anthology rather than a direct continuation, and at that point, I really stopped paying attention to the series. But one day, I saw 2 on a great sale alongside True Colors, which I hadn't actually heard of yet, but I had some money to spare, so I picked them both up. I replayed the first game to get back in the mood and then finally decided to jump in to the second, and I loved it. If you look at the post above, you'll see that I decided I would hop in to TC next, but I never actually did that when I learned there was a connection to BtS through the character of Steph, so I wanted to play this first. Unfortunately, by that time, I was jobless and couldn't afford to purchase the prequel, so I put the series on pause again.
Fast forward to this week, where I've finally been able to able to make the purchase, and I'm back! And let me tell you, first impressions were strong! It's so nice to be back in Arcadia Bay with all these familiar characters again, especially with Chloe. While I do still think it's a shame that they couldn't get Ashly Burch back for this (aside from the bonus episode), I think Rhianna DeVries did a great job of capturing Chloe's spirit while putting her own twist on the character, and I do think it helped the game find its own identity rather than just feeling like an expansion to Life is Strange. The other voice actors for the returning characters also did a really good job of portraying their characters, and I probably wouldn't have noticed how many were different if I didn't go into it already knowing that.
As for the game as a whole, I have to say, it didn't hit me as hard emotionally as the other two. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I thought it was great, and I was sucked into the story much more quickly than I was for the others, probably because I already knew Chloe and was already attached to her as a character. The main disconnect for me is just the fact that this is a prequel. Part of the emotional attachment for me in these games is the fact that they're choice-based, so the way I play will have an impact on the way the character's lives will play out after I'm no longer in control. While that's not untrue of this game, I already know exactly what will happen to these characters shortly after this game is complete. I mean, seriously, every time Rachel came onscreen, I couldn't help but think about how she's going to be killed by Jefferson in a year or two, however long it is. (Also, I seriously hate Mark Jefferson. That was a true statement before this game, but it has been reinforced now.) It's difficult to really care about how my choices will impact this story when I know for a fact I can't save the person Chloe cares about the most (aside from Max, though I'd argue she cares more about Rachel during the time that this story is taking place).
So that's my major complaint of the game out of the way, so let's get into the rest of the game. First of all, it was great getting to finally meet Rachel Amber. It was actually kind of crazy how much my reaction mimicked Chloe's in the first episode when she was excited and a little nervous to ditch school and hang out with her. I mean, she was talked about so much in the original game that it was exciting to finally get to meet her, especially with how well people regarded her to Max. It really did feel like I was finally getting to hang out with the popular kid, which was pretty cool. I also really liked seeing Chloe and Rachel's relationship grow. It felt like they moved to completely trusting each other a little too quickly. Maybe a little bit of time could have passed between the episodes to make that feel a little more like a lifelong bond as opposed to a sudden infatuation. That being said though, I do think it fit Chloe's impulsive behavior, and it does make sense that Rachel would need an outsider to feel like she can be herself with since she's put on a face with everyone else. Ultimately, it worked for me, and I was able to buy and root for their fast relationship.
The plotline of Rachel's family was fine, though I felt it was a little predictable. Granted, I was spoiled for this game a long time ago, so long ago that I don't actually remember what the spoiler was at this point other than it had something to do with Rachel's mom, so it's probably not a coincidence that I very quickly guessed that Sera was actually Rachel's birth mother. Maybe it wasn't as predictable if you just went in completely blind. Even so, I think it was a good storyline to choose as a way to explain Rachel's vulnerability towards Chloe and give Chloe something to focus on after her father's death.
Speaking of her father, I really liked the dream sequences she had with him. I mean, they were really sad, but it was such a good way of showing how she just couldn't move on. Her life was stuck in this moment, and she'd never figured out how to keep living and caring anymore, especially with Max gone. The only person in her life she cared about anymore was her mother, but even their relationship was strained by the way Chloe couldn't be polite and honest with her at the same time. It wasn't until she met Rachel and had someone else she could be herself with and something else to focus on that she was able to move forward with her life. She still brought her dad with her, as that scene where she talks to him on the side of the road before confronting Merrick at the mill, but she wasn't stuck just watching him die anymore. I thought that storyline of Chloe learning to accept her grief and move forward was exceptionally well done.
I want to talk about the final choice a bit, because I thought it was pretty underwhelming to be honest. With both the first and second game, I spent a long time thinking on that final choice screen about what I want to do. I didn't hesitate a second here. In fact, I think it was the easiest choices in the game for me. I am someone who thinks the idea of "protecting someone from the truth" is just another way of hurting them even more in the long run. On top of that, Chloe strikes me as someone who is brutally honest with everyone. So from both a player perspective and a character perspective, there was no way I was keeping that truth from Rachel. It was still pretty evenly split on the final results screen though, so maybe it was a more difficult choice for others, but for me, I had zero doubts and have zero regrets.
Speaking of the final results screen, apparently there is a way for Rachel to meet her mother!? I tried my hardest to convince Sera during our final meeting, but thought that it must not be possible once I got to the end, but apparently it is because it's right there on the stats page. So I'll have to go back and try to replay for that at some point.
Finally, I need to discuss that post-credits scene of Chloe trying to call Rachel while Jefferson was taking pictures of her in his studio. That just felt cruel. They didn't need to put that there. Like I said before, I thought of the tragic way Rachel's story would end pretty much everytime she was onscreen but actually seeing that (or I guess hearing it is more accurate)...ugh, it gave me chills and left me extremely disturbed. I mean, I get that's the reaction they were going for, but we all knew she would end up there. Did we really need to see it? I don't think I actually dislike them putting that there, it just sickened me a bit to actually witness that scene in any way. Once again, fuck Jefferson.
And I should probably talk about the bonus episode. I thought it was fun, though it felt more like a bonus episode of Life is Strange than Before the Storm. Still, it was cool to be back in Max's head, and it was nice hearing Ashly Burch as Chloe one more time. It was cool to see Chloe and Max as childhood best friends for really the first time (aside from when Max time traveled through the photo that one time, which I guess was actually right before this episode.) It was also really interesting to see Chloe before she lost both her dad and Max. She was still a little troublesome, but also focused on her studies and future a lot more than the Chloe we know now. I like that we got to see that side of her, even for just a little bit. And even though I figured out what day this was set pretty early into the episode, it was extremely sad seeing the episode's end. I just feel so sad for Chloe. She's had a rough life.
Anyway, I've written way too much. Thank you so much for reading it all if you got here! I love this series a lot, and I do plan to get to True Colors shortly now that it's the last one I have left! I'll probably post here again when I do so since I like sharing my opinions and thoughts but don't actually know anyone who's as into these games as I am right now. I'm really curious to hear other people's opinions on Before the Storm, particularly if they differ from what I've expressed here, so let me know what your thoughts are!
submitted by pje1128 to lifeisstrange [link] [comments]
So I played the original Life is Strange back when it first came out and loved it, so when I first heard of Before the Storm, I was excited. Then I learned that it was made by a different dev team, and Chloe's actress was different along with a lot of the other characters. That all turned me away from the game initially, and then 2 was announced to be an anthology rather than a direct continuation, and at that point, I really stopped paying attention to the series. But one day, I saw 2 on a great sale alongside True Colors, which I hadn't actually heard of yet, but I had some money to spare, so I picked them both up. I replayed the first game to get back in the mood and then finally decided to jump in to the second, and I loved it. If you look at the post above, you'll see that I decided I would hop in to TC next, but I never actually did that when I learned there was a connection to BtS through the character of Steph, so I wanted to play this first. Unfortunately, by that time, I was jobless and couldn't afford to purchase the prequel, so I put the series on pause again.
Fast forward to this week, where I've finally been able to able to make the purchase, and I'm back! And let me tell you, first impressions were strong! It's so nice to be back in Arcadia Bay with all these familiar characters again, especially with Chloe. While I do still think it's a shame that they couldn't get Ashly Burch back for this (aside from the bonus episode), I think Rhianna DeVries did a great job of capturing Chloe's spirit while putting her own twist on the character, and I do think it helped the game find its own identity rather than just feeling like an expansion to Life is Strange. The other voice actors for the returning characters also did a really good job of portraying their characters, and I probably wouldn't have noticed how many were different if I didn't go into it already knowing that.
As for the game as a whole, I have to say, it didn't hit me as hard emotionally as the other two. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I thought it was great, and I was sucked into the story much more quickly than I was for the others, probably because I already knew Chloe and was already attached to her as a character. The main disconnect for me is just the fact that this is a prequel. Part of the emotional attachment for me in these games is the fact that they're choice-based, so the way I play will have an impact on the way the character's lives will play out after I'm no longer in control. While that's not untrue of this game, I already know exactly what will happen to these characters shortly after this game is complete. I mean, seriously, every time Rachel came onscreen, I couldn't help but think about how she's going to be killed by Jefferson in a year or two, however long it is. (Also, I seriously hate Mark Jefferson. That was a true statement before this game, but it has been reinforced now.) It's difficult to really care about how my choices will impact this story when I know for a fact I can't save the person Chloe cares about the most (aside from Max, though I'd argue she cares more about Rachel during the time that this story is taking place).
So that's my major complaint of the game out of the way, so let's get into the rest of the game. First of all, it was great getting to finally meet Rachel Amber. It was actually kind of crazy how much my reaction mimicked Chloe's in the first episode when she was excited and a little nervous to ditch school and hang out with her. I mean, she was talked about so much in the original game that it was exciting to finally get to meet her, especially with how well people regarded her to Max. It really did feel like I was finally getting to hang out with the popular kid, which was pretty cool. I also really liked seeing Chloe and Rachel's relationship grow. It felt like they moved to completely trusting each other a little too quickly. Maybe a little bit of time could have passed between the episodes to make that feel a little more like a lifelong bond as opposed to a sudden infatuation. That being said though, I do think it fit Chloe's impulsive behavior, and it does make sense that Rachel would need an outsider to feel like she can be herself with since she's put on a face with everyone else. Ultimately, it worked for me, and I was able to buy and root for their fast relationship.
The plotline of Rachel's family was fine, though I felt it was a little predictable. Granted, I was spoiled for this game a long time ago, so long ago that I don't actually remember what the spoiler was at this point other than it had something to do with Rachel's mom, so it's probably not a coincidence that I very quickly guessed that Sera was actually Rachel's birth mother. Maybe it wasn't as predictable if you just went in completely blind. Even so, I think it was a good storyline to choose as a way to explain Rachel's vulnerability towards Chloe and give Chloe something to focus on after her father's death.
Speaking of her father, I really liked the dream sequences she had with him. I mean, they were really sad, but it was such a good way of showing how she just couldn't move on. Her life was stuck in this moment, and she'd never figured out how to keep living and caring anymore, especially with Max gone. The only person in her life she cared about anymore was her mother, but even their relationship was strained by the way Chloe couldn't be polite and honest with her at the same time. It wasn't until she met Rachel and had someone else she could be herself with and something else to focus on that she was able to move forward with her life. She still brought her dad with her, as that scene where she talks to him on the side of the road before confronting Merrick at the mill, but she wasn't stuck just watching him die anymore. I thought that storyline of Chloe learning to accept her grief and move forward was exceptionally well done.
I want to talk about the final choice a bit, because I thought it was pretty underwhelming to be honest. With both the first and second game, I spent a long time thinking on that final choice screen about what I want to do. I didn't hesitate a second here. In fact, I think it was the easiest choices in the game for me. I am someone who thinks the idea of "protecting someone from the truth" is just another way of hurting them even more in the long run. On top of that, Chloe strikes me as someone who is brutally honest with everyone. So from both a player perspective and a character perspective, there was no way I was keeping that truth from Rachel. It was still pretty evenly split on the final results screen though, so maybe it was a more difficult choice for others, but for me, I had zero doubts and have zero regrets.
Speaking of the final results screen, apparently there is a way for Rachel to meet her mother!? I tried my hardest to convince Sera during our final meeting, but thought that it must not be possible once I got to the end, but apparently it is because it's right there on the stats page. So I'll have to go back and try to replay for that at some point.
Finally, I need to discuss that post-credits scene of Chloe trying to call Rachel while Jefferson was taking pictures of her in his studio. That just felt cruel. They didn't need to put that there. Like I said before, I thought of the tragic way Rachel's story would end pretty much everytime she was onscreen but actually seeing that (or I guess hearing it is more accurate)...ugh, it gave me chills and left me extremely disturbed. I mean, I get that's the reaction they were going for, but we all knew she would end up there. Did we really need to see it? I don't think I actually dislike them putting that there, it just sickened me a bit to actually witness that scene in any way. Once again, fuck Jefferson.
And I should probably talk about the bonus episode. I thought it was fun, though it felt more like a bonus episode of Life is Strange than Before the Storm. Still, it was cool to be back in Max's head, and it was nice hearing Ashly Burch as Chloe one more time. It was cool to see Chloe and Max as childhood best friends for really the first time (aside from when Max time traveled through the photo that one time, which I guess was actually right before this episode.) It was also really interesting to see Chloe before she lost both her dad and Max. She was still a little troublesome, but also focused on her studies and future a lot more than the Chloe we know now. I like that we got to see that side of her, even for just a little bit. And even though I figured out what day this was set pretty early into the episode, it was extremely sad seeing the episode's end. I just feel so sad for Chloe. She's had a rough life.
Anyway, I've written way too much. Thank you so much for reading it all if you got here! I love this series a lot, and I do plan to get to True Colors shortly now that it's the last one I have left! I'll probably post here again when I do so since I like sharing my opinions and thoughts but don't actually know anyone who's as into these games as I am right now. I'm really curious to hear other people's opinions on Before the Storm, particularly if they differ from what I've expressed here, so let me know what your thoughts are!
2024.06.05 06:02 Direct-Caterpillar77 AITAH for snapping my parents after they told me they used what was intended for college to help my brother and his family?
I am not The OOP, OOP is u/familysuck96
AITAH for snapping my parents after they told me they used what was intended for college to help my brother and his family?
Originally posted to AITAH
Thanks to u/queenlegolas for suggesting this BoRU
TRIGGER WARNING: ableism, favoritism
Original Post May 28, 2024
Obvious throwaway account.
I was not planning to go straight to college, I wanted to take a year off I saved up some money from work. More or less school, sports, and work is all I have done. I wanted to live a little before I go to college. I told my parents about this two years ago. I assured them I all intentions to go to school just wanted to live for a little before hand. It seems they were cool with it.
Advance about a year and a half I told my parents I was looking to start college next semester this is when they told me that I no longer had any money. They did not think I was going to use it, and my brother's wife was diagnosed with MS and can no longer work so they gave my brother my college fund. It was a sizable amount. My parents did not do put it into a 529 plan, my father created an investment account that was in his name but intended for me. Last I was told total amount was around $224,418. Account has been open for 19 and half years.
I get legally I had no claim to the money since it was in my father's name. I also get I am not entitled to my parents financial assistance with higher education. All that being said I lost it with my parents and told them off and said many hurtful things some I regret some I do not.
My parents have told my family and been getting calls and texts stating how hurtful my comments were and the money my dad gave my brother and his family saved them. My initial reaction is why is that my problem? I get it must suck going from two incomes to one, and having a two child ontop of a wife with MS has is appears to be aggressive. While callous how is that my problem? Why should my future he impacted over someone else's life?
My father is not even willing to cosign a loan with me. I mean I am still going to school, I know you go find ways to make it cheaper go to community college for gen Ed's and stuff the transfer. Many grants and scholarships.
AITAH for more or less telling my family they all ducking suck trying to preserve the future of someone that has no real future. His wife MS has aggressively progressed in the brief time she has had it. Gone from working to needing assistance getting to the bathroom. Sure it may not inherently be a life limting disease, but it sure is a mobility limiting disease and she is only 33 and she is already this bad? Hate to be that person my father made an bad investment. That money is going to get eaten up rather quickly.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Agoraphobe961
petitefunsassy
Update: Have not read all of the comments, but wanted to clear some things up I have seen. I am going to be 20 in January. I did get accepted to U of Penn I will have to see what options are available for me, if nothing is available I will probably just go the state school route. Thankfully I am going to school for electrical engineering with a focus in power systems. Hopefully means I will not have a hard time finding a job. Reason I took the year off before going to straight into college is because some friends I game with are also engineers and they told me if they had the option they would hold off a year or two before going to college since from that point on it is all a grind. So that is what I did, I told my parents my plan they said they were okay with it and even told me the account was not going anywhere.
It was my mistake to put my trust in my parents. I should have followed the the mindset only person you can count on is yourself. Which is what I am doing going forward. My family does not care about me, and that is fine. I acknowledge what I said was harsh and I could have framed what I said better. Point still stands as others have pointed out. The money is a band aide, they are going to run through it and find themselves in a similar situation down the road. Sure I have options aviabile, but comparing them isn't getting my SIL on Medicaid a much cheaper and more viable option? Insurance could help fund her treatments and assistance she may need for as long as she qualifies.
The money will run out, and what then? I hope for my brother's and his family sake our parents don't just pull the rug from underneath him later down the road. As I have found out their word holds little value.
I also do not believe for a moment everyone saying they would be understanding would be as understanding had this happen to them. It is easy to say from the sidelines but it is hard to be open minded to the situation when you planned around a certain thing being there especially because your parents promised you. You expect your parents to be the ones that will keep a promise with their child.
Does not matter, at this point I know exactly where I stand. My brother not only had his college paid for by our parents, he has got a house from them as a wedding gift. I am unaware if he knew the money he got was my college fund or what but I do not care at this point. I will be fine going forward this is not the end of the world for me. So many people go to school without their parents money I can also do it. This is less about the money and more so the fact they are taking a piss on me and trying to pass it off as rain. I would have been more understanding if they just came to me at told me what they planned to do. I would be pissed but I could respect their honesty. How they went about it was scummy.
To those that are also saying they parents would not sign my loans because of what I said. I asked about the cosigner before I said all those things. At first I was upset but I knew with them cosigning I could still pay for school, and given their financial situation hopefully my rate would be on the lower side. Everything blew up the moment they told me they could not cosign a loan with me. So yeah I doubt that is why they said no.
I will keep reading the comments and will answer some I see throughout the day.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
cgm124
heepofsheep
DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS, REMEMBER - RULE 7
submitted by Direct-Caterpillar77 to BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]
AITAH for snapping my parents after they told me they used what was intended for college to help my brother and his family?
Originally posted to AITAH
Thanks to u/queenlegolas for suggesting this BoRU
TRIGGER WARNING: ableism, favoritism
Original Post May 28, 2024
Obvious throwaway account.
I was not planning to go straight to college, I wanted to take a year off I saved up some money from work. More or less school, sports, and work is all I have done. I wanted to live a little before I go to college. I told my parents about this two years ago. I assured them I all intentions to go to school just wanted to live for a little before hand. It seems they were cool with it.
Advance about a year and a half I told my parents I was looking to start college next semester this is when they told me that I no longer had any money. They did not think I was going to use it, and my brother's wife was diagnosed with MS and can no longer work so they gave my brother my college fund. It was a sizable amount. My parents did not do put it into a 529 plan, my father created an investment account that was in his name but intended for me. Last I was told total amount was around $224,418. Account has been open for 19 and half years.
I get legally I had no claim to the money since it was in my father's name. I also get I am not entitled to my parents financial assistance with higher education. All that being said I lost it with my parents and told them off and said many hurtful things some I regret some I do not.
My parents have told my family and been getting calls and texts stating how hurtful my comments were and the money my dad gave my brother and his family saved them. My initial reaction is why is that my problem? I get it must suck going from two incomes to one, and having a two child ontop of a wife with MS has is appears to be aggressive. While callous how is that my problem? Why should my future he impacted over someone else's life?
My father is not even willing to cosign a loan with me. I mean I am still going to school, I know you go find ways to make it cheaper go to community college for gen Ed's and stuff the transfer. Many grants and scholarships.
AITAH for more or less telling my family they all ducking suck trying to preserve the future of someone that has no real future. His wife MS has aggressively progressed in the brief time she has had it. Gone from working to needing assistance getting to the bathroom. Sure it may not inherently be a life limting disease, but it sure is a mobility limiting disease and she is only 33 and she is already this bad? Hate to be that person my father made an bad investment. That money is going to get eaten up rather quickly.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
Agoraphobe961
Info: did at any point did you or other relatives besides parents contribute to the fund? Your first statement sounds like you did which could give you some leeway for a legal case or at least leverage to get your dad to co-sign.OOP
While you are not “owed” the money, your parents did spend 19 years giving you a verbal contract that you had a college fund
~No I did not add to the account. I lived off the money I saved from working while also doing side hustles for extra cash when needed.
petitefunsassy
I don’t understand why they needed the entire amount right away.OOP
I don’t get how you can be close and communicating you will be going to college and they give away the money you were counting on without talking to you about it?
I don’t get how your SIL ms issues aren’t covered by insurance and social security disability.
When asked if he was living at home and off his parentsLiving expenses, it appears getting disability for MS is rather annoying to get. I do not know the extra details but I do know his wife did make good money before, she made more than my brother. They also have kids so yeah I am sure they money helped them a lot.
I do not know the ins and outs of their situation to answer your questions accurately.
I was not no, as mentioned I had some money saved up I lived off that and did side hustles when I need extra cash. I did not live with my parents either shared an apartment with my friendsOOP Updated the post the next day May 29, 2024
Update: Have not read all of the comments, but wanted to clear some things up I have seen. I am going to be 20 in January. I did get accepted to U of Penn I will have to see what options are available for me, if nothing is available I will probably just go the state school route. Thankfully I am going to school for electrical engineering with a focus in power systems. Hopefully means I will not have a hard time finding a job. Reason I took the year off before going to straight into college is because some friends I game with are also engineers and they told me if they had the option they would hold off a year or two before going to college since from that point on it is all a grind. So that is what I did, I told my parents my plan they said they were okay with it and even told me the account was not going anywhere.
It was my mistake to put my trust in my parents. I should have followed the the mindset only person you can count on is yourself. Which is what I am doing going forward. My family does not care about me, and that is fine. I acknowledge what I said was harsh and I could have framed what I said better. Point still stands as others have pointed out. The money is a band aide, they are going to run through it and find themselves in a similar situation down the road. Sure I have options aviabile, but comparing them isn't getting my SIL on Medicaid a much cheaper and more viable option? Insurance could help fund her treatments and assistance she may need for as long as she qualifies.
The money will run out, and what then? I hope for my brother's and his family sake our parents don't just pull the rug from underneath him later down the road. As I have found out their word holds little value.
I also do not believe for a moment everyone saying they would be understanding would be as understanding had this happen to them. It is easy to say from the sidelines but it is hard to be open minded to the situation when you planned around a certain thing being there especially because your parents promised you. You expect your parents to be the ones that will keep a promise with their child.
Does not matter, at this point I know exactly where I stand. My brother not only had his college paid for by our parents, he has got a house from them as a wedding gift. I am unaware if he knew the money he got was my college fund or what but I do not care at this point. I will be fine going forward this is not the end of the world for me. So many people go to school without their parents money I can also do it. This is less about the money and more so the fact they are taking a piss on me and trying to pass it off as rain. I would have been more understanding if they just came to me at told me what they planned to do. I would be pissed but I could respect their honesty. How they went about it was scummy.
To those that are also saying they parents would not sign my loans because of what I said. I asked about the cosigner before I said all those things. At first I was upset but I knew with them cosigning I could still pay for school, and given their financial situation hopefully my rate would be on the lower side. Everything blew up the moment they told me they could not cosign a loan with me. So yeah I doubt that is why they said no.
I will keep reading the comments and will answer some I see throughout the day.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
cgm124
Honestly I would go NC and block them from your life, what did your parents say to you when you called them out?OOP
~Nothing to me, they just checked out. Clearly they had a lot to say to my family though. Given the phone calls and text messages.
I know where I stand with them and yeah I am done with them.
heepofsheep
Have you talked to your brother? He basically got both college funds… would he be willing to at least co sign your loans?OOP
If your parents wanted to help that badly why didn’t they take a loan against their 401k?? Hell they could still do that fund your college…. Except of course they’d be sacrificing their wellbeing instead of theirs….
Why take a year off after high schoolPart of me wants to I really do but I am also afraid. I want to ask if he knew it was my college fund he was getting. I am afraid of the answer. Doubt I will ask though if I am being honest.
Yeah that is a good question. Overall they probably feel the same way I do. Why should they have to suffer because another person is sick. They just come off as being the good guys in this equation because they offered help. Knowing my parents especially my dad the money was never part of their plans. It was more or less extra money.
I took a year off because I saved up most of my pay over from 16 to 18. Had I known they were going to give away my college fund if I did not go I would have just gone.LAST COMMENTS FROM OOP
I thought it was best to take a year off now, cause after college I will be spending most of my life working. I had the means, I was using the money I saved nothing from my parents.
I made a plan based on a promise. You are right though if you cannot trust your parents to keep a promise who can you trust.
I am more so mad that my older brother got his free ride, a house when he got married, and on top got my free ride also. Yeah I came to vent, I also don't buy others wouldn't be upset either. My parents knew my plan, were on board, told me the money would be there when I was ready. Then when you go to collect they tell you it is all gone, and then when you ask if they would he willing to cosign they also say no. Pretty sure most people would be livid in that situation also. Sure maybe they would say what I said but the raw emotion probably would be present in nearly everyone. It is easy to say from the sidelines how they would handle it. Sure I am sure people will say they will handle it with grace. Good for you.When called on talking about someone with MS and what OOP said
I will be fine, I am still going to school and I will make sure to learn my lesson that I cannot count on my parents to keep their word and I will make sure I never in a position where I am relying on handouts. My parents taught me a great lesson cannot trust anyone but yourself not even family.
So you have never said anything hurtful in the heat of the moment after you had the rug pull from you?THIS IS A REPOST SUB - I AM NOT THE OOP
DO NOT CONTACT THE OOP's OR COMMENT ON LINKED POSTS, REMEMBER - RULE 7
2024.06.05 05:45 adorabletapeworm Orion Pest Control: Crows With Strange Shadows
Previous case
Victor hadn't been kidding when he'd said that the mechanic was going to become more aggressive. The only reason why this week wasn't my last was because I'd had Orion behind me as well as a plethora of precautions in place.
(If you're not familiar with what Orion Pest Control's services are, it may help to start here.)
For example, at Orion, all employees are advised to get lockboxes for their mail rather than regular mailboxes. It would be far too easy for a Neighbor to follow one of us home and fish out a piece of mail to find our names. This is only recommended for people who've had frequent or unpleasant interactions with the Neighbors.
You could also ward off your mailbox with iron. Salt, as always, would work as well, but I'm sure your mailman wouldn't appreciate getting seasoned every time he simply tries to give you your junk mail.
When it comes to monetary transactions, cash or pre-loaded debit cards are the safest, unless you can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the person ringing you out is human.
Another precaution that I've taken when it comes to the mechanic is that I've bought a cast iron fire poker from an antique store. Iron is one of the most effective weapons against the Neighbors, though it's best to think of it as an allergy rather than a perfect repellant. Some Neighbors will crumple instantly if they're within a few feet of it while others need direct contact in order to cause anything worse than hive-covered burns.
Given that the mechanic must have frequent exposure to iron during his daytime profession, I have to wonder how effective it is against him. I do see him wearing gloves from time to time, so it must do something, even if it's a minor skin irritation. Either it's a pride thing or he's just that committed to the ‘mechanic’ bit.
I've been keeping the poker in the company truck. Even if it's not lethal to him, I’m sure that getting smacked over the head with it probably wouldn't feel too good. Along with that, I've restocked my salt shells. If the mechanic decides to try anything, he'll have an arsenal waiting for him.
I don't have any delusions about being able to kill him. I think that's something only a true hero could accomplish. I'm talking about legendary individuals like Cú Chullainn, Beowulf, or Māui. People whose deeds are so great that their stories live on to this day. Find someone like that in the modern age. (Though, I would argue that Marc-André Fluery comes close. Flyers fans, don't interact.)
Reyna suggested bathing the hagstone in saltwater to amplify its deterring effects. She also wrapped red thread along the outside of the ring, explaining that it should help enhance its protective properties.
It's a good thing, too. Since my last interaction with the mechanic, promptly at dusk, I would hear the beating of wings outside, and always from the west. I risked a glance out the window one night to find a murder of crows. Ever since I saw that the birds’ shadows move independently of their owners, I don't look at them. I ignore their calls. I know who they serve.
After Reyna's additions, the hagstone vibrates against my chest whenever they're near.
However, in my case, these were only temporary solutions, unless I wanted to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life and fearing death even more than I did before. But in the meantime… raccoons.
A client called about hearing scratching and chattering in her attic. Her uninvited guest also put a hole in her siding. In other words, it was enough of a mess to momentarily distract me from my own problems.
Raccoons are incredibly destructive, chewing up anything that they can get their little hands on. From the client's description, it sounded like we could be dealing with a nest. Mother raccoons can be especially feisty when it comes to protecting their young, so I had Reyna join me in case there were any kits.
At Orion, we are licensed to use humane trapping methods on smaller wildlife, so don't worry, no garbage kitties are being harmed. Though I want yinz to know that raccoons are not to be underestimated. They may not try to take your soul, like some pests out there will, but they can spread a variety of diseases, including rabies and roundworm among others. They also present a major fire hazard when they claw their way into a home since they can chew through wiring like nothing.
The first thing we had to do was identify the garbage kitties’ entry point. Reyna opted to go on the roof while I investigated the attic.
The first thing I noticed was the telltale stench of dried urine. Yup, those were droppings over there in the corner. Delightful. Looking around, I found that the raccoons had torn out a few chunks of the insulation, but nothing that wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to replace. All in all, it seemed like it'd be an easy call.
Then I felt the hagstone begin to tremble. Not long after, Reyna screamed.
I rushed out, my heart surging with panic as I was greeted with the frenzied calls of crows. Shit! They followed me.
She was on the ground, swinging her silver-tipped knife clumsily against the swarm of black feathers swirling around her. I heard her cry out again as I got closer to her, then suddenly, the cloud of feathers dispersed, twisting towards the sky with a cacophony of angered caws. Reyna had managed to get some salt on them before they could gouge her eyes out.
My hand was coated with blood as I guided Reyna towards the house. She'd managed to keep her eyes, but they’d shredded her with their beaks and talons. I could feel her shaking as we retreated from the horde. Reyna tried to hide it, but she was crying, the tears mingling with the blood covering her nose and cheeks like a bandit's mask.
The whole time, the hagstone didn't stop vibrating. I think that was the only thing keeping the horde from coming after us. Their calls were piercing as we took cover in the house.
The client was alarmed when she saw the state Reyna was in, “What psycho ass raccoons do I have?!”
I promised I'd explain later (I honestly don't remember what bullshit story I gave her) then asked her to watch over Reyna as I went out to get the emergency first aid kit we keep in the truck.
Reyna held me in a grip so tight that it left bruises, pleading, “Don't go out there! Please!”
Now that we weren't on the run, I could see the injuries on her face more clearly. The deepest one went through her right eyebrow towards the bridge of her nose. The rest were shallow, painful-looking cuts that criss crossed over her skin.
“They can't come near me. And I’ve got something in the truck that’ll make them think twice.” I assured her.
She didn't let go. I couldn't find it in me to pry her fingers off, so instead, I put my hand over hers, hoping that it was comforting.
The client gently pressed a paper towel to the side of Reyna’s face, her voice heart-achingly motherly as she uttered, “It's okay, honey. Everything's going to be alright.”
I'm not sure if it was from pain or something else, but Reyna noticeably stiffened when the client spoke to her in that maternal tone, closing her eyes as if to keep more tears from falling. Her clutch loosened until my wrist was freed, her hand dropping limply to her side.
The fucking birds sounded like they were laughing when I marched out to the truck. The sound grated on me as I snatched the fire poker and the first aid kit.
“Laugh at this!” I snapped as I swung the poker at the nearest crow.
It let out a squeal as the poker grazed its wing, hopping as far out of reach as it could afterwards. They didn't cackle after that.
After we cleaned Reyna's injuries up, they didn't look quite as terrible, but just to be safe, I dragged her to the hospital. Thankfully, the client was an absolute angel about the whole thing and understood that one of our employees being injured was going to be a setback. I called up Victor to inform him of the situation as well as the entry points that we’d found; he took over where Reyna and I left off.
On the way to the hospital, Reyna muttered, “So… does my little Alfred Hitchcock moment initiate me as an official Orion employee?”
Wearily, I gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, you're one of us, now. Lucky you!”
“Hey, I’ll take the murder birds over Psycho Mantis.” She replied with a small smile.
Her nickname for the mechanic. I think it's from a video game. I don't know. Never quite got into them.
It was quiet for a moment. The smile faded away as she distantly said, “I think that's how they do it. They take your eyes, they take you, you know?”
I nodded, feeling a lump in the back of my throat, thinking about how the mechanic can control someone just by meeting their gaze. “I think you might be right about that.”
I couldn't help but wonder if the Hunt had attacked her simply because she's an Orion employee or if they were drawn to her because of something else. Was she grieving over something? I didn't know her well enough at that point to be able to tell. They hadn't hesitated to go for her eyes. If that was the case, that'd make her the most vulnerable of the three of us.
Another thing I want yinz to know when it comes to dealing with the atypical: if you or a loved one has been harmed, one of the best things you can do is to support the victim. And if you need support yourself, ignore that stupid little voice in your head that tells you not to bother anyone and reach out. Isolation will destroy you in more ways than one.
After I got Reyna settled at the hospital, I made a beeline to the river to find another hagstone. Clearly, Reyna was going to need one, too.
Naturally, the stupid birds followed me, causing my hagstone to quiver nonstop. I went into the woods armed with my toolbelt and the iron poker. I opted out of taking the shotgun simply because I was going to need a free hand to look for another hagstone. There was a part of me that hoped that one of them would try something so that I'd have the opportunity to smack the shit out of them.
While I was searching, among the crows’ calls, I heard whispers. They sounded close, like they came from behind some brush about twenty feet away, but I believed the False Egg when it said that the whispering thing likes to confuse its victims. Without listening to what they were saying, I glanced around as the river's cold water rushed around my boots, trying to figure out what was stalking me.
The whispers pretended to move further away. But still, I couldn't see the thing causing them. I clutched the poker tighter. The crows had stopped their chattering. They heard the voices, too. Hold on. What were they all looking at?
Gingerly, I pulled out the hagstone and held it to my eye in the direction of the crows' gazes. At first, it looked like one of the trees, until I was able to make out a triangular head with eyes the size of basketballs. It held up two massive, folded appendages that were lined with sharp spines. It looked to be as tall as a draft horse, yet it was so still that I couldn't even tell if this huge animal was breathing. The whispers were quieter than they'd ever been before.
Those huge eyes were fixed on me. I didn’t dare move.
One of the ‘crows’ glided to the ground near to the whispering thing, passing in front of my field of view. I stifled a shudder when I saw the state of its frail, humanoid body. Its skin clung like molten wax to its ribs and spine. Tattered wings extended from the sides of its torso, the feathers looking as if they were ripped from numerous other avians and fused to the miserable animal's stretched, contorted arms to make it fly. Where the eyes should have been were empty sockets. A curved beak had been forced onto the creature as well, driven into the skull hard enough to leave ridged, fleshy lumps.
Now that I've seen it, I think the crows were human, once. Transformed and disfigured to serve the Wild Hunt.
The crow shuffled a little too close to the whispering thing. Quicker than a blink, the whispering thing's folded appendage shot forward, curving around the crow's midsection, spikes driving into the crow's torso. My mind could barely keep up as the whispering thing then bit the crow's head clean off with a terrible crunch.
The other crows began to frenzy, shrieking as they dove towards the whispering thing. Without having to take a step, it snatched another crow out of the air. Flesh ripped with a wet tearing sound.
Since the animals were all focused on each other, I took the opportunity to dig frantically around for a hagstone, holding my own against my eye in the hopes it would lead me to another one.
There was a low hum that I felt more than heard. Deep within my chest, as if I was standing next to an amp at a concert. This was followed by an enraged screech from one of the crows. Still, I kept looking.
There had to be one. There just had to be!
One circular, black rock stood out among the rest, the water seeming to outline it from the view of my hagstone. There! I plucked it out of the water, looking over my shoulder to see if either the crows or the whispering thing were paying attention to me. They were too engrossed with trying to tear each other apart.
I shoved the black hagstone into my pocket and made a break for it, poker at the ready. One of the crows noticed and let out an ear-splitting cry to alert the others.
As I ran, I checked back to see that three of the crows split off to pursue me. I wasn't worried about them catching me. The whispering thing was another matter. This was only my second time encountering it and I hadn't had enough information to identify it, so I didn't want to find out the hard way if the defenses I had on me would be enough to stop it from tearing me apart like it did the crows.
There was another low hum that rumbled against my ribs as the whispering thing used one of its forelegs to swipe a crow out of its way. It had lost interest in them, its huge amber eyes focused on me once again. I prayed that the crows swarming around it would be enough to slow it down.
As I raced through the trees back to where the company truck waited, the whispers started anew. They became louder and clearer the faster I went, interrupted by the shrill cries of the crows tailing me. I did my best not to listen to any of them. The last thing I needed was to get led astray by any of my pursuers.
A crow swooped close enough for me to smack it with the poker. The sound the bird made when the iron scalded its skin made my teeth clench. The others joined it, bringing me to my knees, my ears ringing. High pitched, grating, like broken glass against a chalkboard. Disoriented, I swung desperately with the iron poker again, not hitting anything.
And among all that, the whispers hadn't stopped. My head rang, ears going numb. I swung again. One of the shrieks stopped as the poker found its mark. Even as the auditory assault continued, I got to my feet, grabbing the trees closest to me to keep myself going. The whispers became even more frantic as its prey got further and further away. The truck was right there.
The two crows tailing me had finally stopped their dreadful screaming and simmered down to furious clicking sounds with their beaks, as if they could think of nothing but stripping the flesh from my bones.
When one tested the limits of the hagstone as I got close to the truck, I swatted at it with the poker, the tip colliding with the creature's skull. The crow’s body crashed against an oak’s trunk, then went still.
As soon as I cleared the treeline, the whispering stopped. I looked over my shoulder. The whispering thing was retreating, only visible for a brief moment before blending in among the trees.
It couldn't leave the forest. That was good to know.
I closed myself into the truck, leaving the furious crows outside. They glared at me from the branches of a nearby oak. After taking a moment to collect myself, I drove back to the hospital, wanting to hand the black hagstone off to Reyna before anything else.
At a stop sign, I got a text from Victor: he had finished setting traps for the client's raccoon infestation and was going to meet me at the hospital.
Reyna was chilling in her hospital bed, face bandaged, wearing a hideous blue hospital gown decorated with faded green and pink squares.
“Guess who got her rabies shots!” She announced with a sleepy grin, holding her hand up in a shaka.
Someone was clearly given the good painkillers.
Victor arrived a few minutes later, wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose, smelling strongly of lavender. It made my nose itch.
“Why do you smell like an old lady?” I complained.
The mask intensified his withering stare, voice muffled by the mask, “Lotta blood around here. Probably wouldn't be too good if I smelled it.”
Reyna chimed in, slurring slightly, “If you're gonna eat anyone, go for the receptionist. He was reading Anne Rice, so he'd probably be into it.”
It was Reyna's turn to get The Glare. He said flatly, “You're high as a kite, aren't you?”
Reyna flashed a peace sign.
To summarize Reyna's condition, she's as okay as she can be. They had to close up her eyebrow and cheek, and they gave her a plethora of shots to make sure that she didn't catch any diseases from the crows. The hospital doctor wanted to keep her overnight to make sure that she didn't have an infection, then afterwards, she was going to take some time off of work to recover.
Also, I slipped the black hagstone into her purse so that it wouldn't be misplaced.
After we discussed Reyna's injuries, I decided to address the elephant in the room, “So… what can we do about the mechanic?”
Reyna shrugged, “Grovel and plead for our lives?”
Victor rubbed his eyes. “We might be a bit past that point.”
I asked Victor about the specifics of his deal with the mechanic. I knew that there had to be some sort of condition that had to be fulfilled before the mechanic could take someone, otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive to type this right now. Reyna was equally curious.
The boss seemed reluctant to speak on this matter, at first. I told Victor that he didn't have to share anything if there was any possibility of retaliation. The last thing I wanted was for him to be punished in some horrific manner for trying to help me.
He eventually shrugged a shoulder in resignation, “Whatever happens, I can handle it. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was the one that helped you find the hagstone. That wasn't pleasant, but…” He went quiet for a second, his eyes glazing in a way that reminded me of when I first came home from active duty. He then shrugged again, “I'm willing to risk it if that means getting a chance to hurt him back someday. Lord knows it's been a long time coming.”
He didn't tell us what the consequences had been for assisting me, and neither Reyna nor I pressed the issue. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.
Even though I was nervous to hear the answer, I didn't pull any punches and straight up asked, “Why hasn't the mechanic sent you after me yet?”
Victor considered for a moment, then explained, “I'm not sure on the specifics, since the mechanic doesn’t tell me anything other than what I need to know to get the job done. But from what I can tell, he takes those who are dead, dying, or… ‘dead inside,’ I guess is the best way to put it. Some souls appear to be harder for him to take than others. The hard ones need to be… broken down first. As of right now, he says you're not ready.”
Reyna numbly asked, “So if the birds tried to nab me, does that mean that I am ‘ready’? That they could take me at any moment?”
Victor hesitated before replying, “We won't let that happen. Alright?”
Reyna nodded, eyes low.
I wanted to ask her what was going on. Figure out why she was suffering in a way that made her fair game to the crows. But she'd been through enough for one day. That discussion could wait for another time.
My next question was another one that I dreaded the answer to, “And where do you come into all of this, Vic?”
Regretfully, Victor admitted, “I bring him the ones that are ready if he can't get to them himself.”
He glanced at Reyna, “As of right now, keep that hagstone on at all times. Even wear it when you're sleeping. The mechanic didn't know who you were initially, but I guarantee the fucking Lessers tipped him off. I think he’s more focused on Nessa, at the moment, but if I get sent after you, hit me with iron, salt me, do whatever and don't feel bad about it. Same goes for you, Nessa.”
I hated this. I hated that he was being used like this. I hated that he spoke about someday being sent to drag one of us to meet our fate at the hands of the Wild Hunt as if it was unavoidable.
The air suddenly felt like it was much thinner in the room. Somehow, I got enough oxygen to ask, “What if I learned the mechanic's true name? Would that end this?”
Victor let out a soft scoff, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his mask, “Probably, but good luck with that.”
I had already figured that the mechanic wouldn't dance around a fire singing his true name all willy nilly like Rumpelstiltskin. But I couldn't accept that all of us were screwed. There had to be a way. I had to believe that there was a way.
I announced that I'd be back in the morning. Reyna looked as concerned as her painkillers would allow, while Victor jumped out of his seat.
“What are you going to do?” He demanded.
“I'm going to talk to him.” I replied. “One of us is in the hospital and another one of us is undead-”
“I know it's looking bad right now, but they can easily get worse if whatever you're thinking of doing goes south.” He cautioned.
“I'm just going to see if there's some way I can… I don't know, talk him down? I haven't gotten that far yet, but something needs to be done.”
He didn't look convinced, and with how terrible my argument was, I don't blame him. “I'll go with you.”
I motioned towards Reyna. “And leave her alone?”
Reyna, looking like she was fighting sleep, groggily said, “I got the adder stone and I'm in public. I'll be fine. If you're going to confront Psycho Mantis, you're going to need Vic around more than I will.”
Victor agreed, “Like it or not, you're not handling this alone. Remember what I told you when you got hired in?”
We're not heroes, we're pest control specialists.
You know that thing I said about not isolating yourself? I can be bad about not following my own advice sometimes, especially that one.
Going forward, I do want to note that the decisions that were made on that night were extremely risky and I don't recommend for anyone to repeat them. Believe it or not, we are professionals.
On our way to our destination, we stopped by the 24-hr convenience store. Victor was about to question me until he saw me go for the whipped cream. I also got s'mores supplies, thinking that maybe some bribery would make the mechanic more amiable. I figured that if he rejected them then, hey, I like s'mores, too.
Afterwards, we followed the path to the skull trees.
During our hike, Victor whispered, “That fucker is hubris incarnate, but he's not stupid. If he offers you a deal, know that it's not going to be in your favor. And be careful with the way that he twists words.”
Something noteworthy is that the hagstone doesn't react to Victor. I think it's because he doesn't have the same malicious intentions as his captors. He may have changed after his murder (hell, anyone would) but at his heart, he was still Victor. Meanwhile, as we got closer to the skull tree clearing, I felt the stone gradually begin to quake.
Up ahead, orange light flickered. The mechanic had a small fire going. He lay on a blanket next to it, that cursed banjo on the ground beside him, one arm folded under his head, legs crossed at the ankle. His eyes were closed.
He didn't open them as he greeted us, “I was wondering when you two would show up.”
Keeping my nerves buried beneath the surface, I held up the bag of sugary goodness. “I'm here to negotiate.”
He laughed, still not looking at me. “Are you, now? And what exactly do you think a little thing of cream will get ya?”
“Not much, I imagine.” I said evenly. “But I thought it'd be a good jumping off point.”
Even though I’d originally protested Victor coming with me, I was glad that he was there. I don't think I would've been able to be so level-headed if I'd met with the mechanic alone. It would probably be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but I was counting on that.
As soon as I saw the mechanic begin to crane his neck towards us, I slammed my eyelids shut. He knew way more about me than I'd ever wanted him to know already, and I was afraid of giving him more.
Again, another potential sign of weakness. When it came to trying to get him to back off of Orion a bit, I figured it'd be best if he underestimated me.
I didn't have to see the mechanic to know that he had that wicked grin on his face, “Alrighty. Let's see what you've got.”
A hand that was as cold as the grave gently removed the bag of goodies from my grasp. Victor. Wordlessly, he brought the cavity-inducing offering over to the mechanic. I never realized how quiet his footsteps were until then. He moved like a shadow. He could've been five feet away or five hundred, for all I knew.
There was the rustling of plastic, followed by the trademark sound of whipped cream being sprayed from the nozzle. Sounding slightly less prick-ish, the mechanic told me I had his attention.
I had been trying to find the magic words that would make this whole situation blow over. Nothing that I came up with in my head fit that description.
So I decided to be straight forward, then go from there. “What will it take to de-escalate things between you and Orion?”
The whipped cream wailed once again. A moment later, the mechanic replied, “Why are you asking a question that you already know the answer to?”
“Other than my soul.”
He chuckled softly, the sound too casual and charming for this sinister discussion.
“You know, I’m curious, puppydog,” Fabric rustled. Without looking, I assumed he'd sat up, “Which o’ your parents are you most like?”
Here we fucking go.
I tried to redirect him, “With all due respect, that isn't relevant.”
“Oh, but it is.” His tone of voice brought chills to the back of my neck. “You see, I'd be willing to take a trade. Find a soul as mouth-waterin’ as yours, and all this goes away. Hell, I might even let you rest in peace! You know what choice your father would pick.”
I was hoping that the firelight wouldn't be enough for him to see my face flush and my jaw stiffen. That had touched a nerve, just as he knew it would.
That was also a horrible deal. One that I wouldn't even consider. There was no way that I could condemn someone else to an afterlife of torment. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even that weasel-faced client that I rescued the False Egg from. Not even my father.
Swallowing back the plethora of terrible emotions threatening to bubble up, I suddenly felt Victor subtly squeeze my shoulder supportively. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate to give anyone who insulted his employees a piece of his mind, but the mechanic was the last Neighbor to mouth off to. That was the best he could do for me, in the moment.
When I informed the mechanic that I wouldn't sacrifice someone else to save my own skin, he laughed again, “If only you knew how many times I heard those exact words! Thing is, I ain't even got started on you, pup. Given enough time, you might find you're more like your old man than you thought.”
I took a deep breath to keep the mixture of dread and anger confined to my chest, then calmly replied, “Sounds like you know exactly how everything will play out. Isn't that boring for you?”
The tension that filled the air after those words left my mouth made my chest feel tight.
The whipped cream can wheezed thoughtfully before the mechanic mildly admitted, “A bit, yeah.”
There it is.
“You already have all of the advantages,” I started, “It’s not much of a hunt if your prey can't even run, is it? There's no challenge in killing something that's already baited and trapped.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
Oh boy. I was about to do one of many things I warned yinz not to do: “The only way I can bring you the excitement you're craving is if I have a fighting chance. And a good one. I'll be searching for your name, but I need to know where to look first.”
His laughter made me suppress a shudder. I remember thinking that I should've known that he'd see through my words like he saw through everything else.
The mechanic then said, “I know what you're trying to do, pup. But the problem is, you're right! It's too easy anymore, especially since y'alls names are just available on the internet for anyone to find. I've been getting kind of soft lately.”
This was his soft side?
The mechanic continued, “You really think you can pull this off, pup? I know you're a fighter and all, but you're not a warrior, not really. Being a soldier ain't the same thing.”
“I may not be Cú Chullainn, but I'm as close as you're going to get in Mercer County. We've got a bit of a warrior shortage around here.”
He snorted, “You seem awfully sure of yourself for someone who can't even look at me.”
“I'm not sure about anything. That's why I'm here, isn't it?”
It was quiet for a moment with only the frogs chirping in the forest able to find their voices. Not even the whipped cream broke up the silence this time. I was tempted to risk peeking through my eyelashes, but managed to resist.
Just as my nerves started getting to me, the mechanic said, “So, you want me to give you a hint. That's a lot to ask, but you knew that already.”
“You want something in return.”
“Hagstone. Smash it.”
No way. It was too valuable. If I gave that up, I was dead. I promptly shook my head.
He sounded amused. “Shoulda known you wouldn't fall for that.”
Looking back, I wondered how many he'd tricked like that. Giving up some form of protection after being misled into thinking the mechanic was going to let them go, only to regret it seconds later. Probably far too many.
He continued, “Alright then, we'll talk for real. I'll give you that hint, but I got some conditions. You get three chances to guess correctly. Each time you guess wrong, you have to give me one of your names starting with your first, middle, then last name. Don't try fucking with me by trying to pass your middle name off as your first.”
That made my throat tighten even more. If I agreed to that, failure wouldn't just spell disaster for me, but for everyone I knew as well. I'd be dragging my mom and anyone else associated down with me. I'd essentially be doing what he already requested: sacrificing others to save my own skin.
I heard Victor faintly, from my right, “Don't!”
The mechanic wasn't pleased, “This ain't about you, blue eyes. This is between me and her.”
The stakes were getting way too high. I couldn't do this. But then what? The Hunt wasn't going to wait around for me to find another way, assuming that there even was one. Victor clearly thought it was a terrible idea. For the record, I did, too. I could feel the boss' eyes on me, willing me not to forget what he'd said earlier about dangerous heroics.
Maybe there was another way and I just couldn't see it. But desperation has a way of messing with your head.
“If I agreed to this,” I started, knowing that I was probably digging my grave even deeper. “And I haven't agreed to anything. just to be clear. If I did this, I'd need the assurance that you won't send your crows or hounds or any others that serve the Wild Hunt after those that I care about. That includes my colleagues and me, for that matter. Like you said, this is between us two.”
The mechanic chuckled and I heard him shift again. “You're feeling awfully bold tonight, aren't you?”
I reminded him, “You want this to be interesting, don't you?”
He considered, then with a click of his tongue replied, “You hear that, blue eyes? Means you, as well. On both sides, mind you. Same with that witch doctor. Yeah, I know about her. I keep mine out of it, if you keep yours out. All's fair, right?”
I didn't feel right with any of this, but the alternative was for things to continue as they were. If that happened, we were all screwed anyway.
“And if I agreed, the hint that you provide will have to be both true and helpful. And it'll also be given in easily understandable American English, no riddles or puzzles or any other forms of confusing phrasing. You’d also have to give it to me tonight. The whole thing would begin after that.”
Once again, he laughed, “Shit, you're not messin' around!”
I know how the Neighbors do deals. If I hadn't mentioned it, he probably would've given me the hint in the form of a riddle spoken in backwards Gaelic.
“Alright, pup, I get the picture. You know what you're dealing with. I’ll play nice.”
His voice had a subtle sardonic edge. Nothing about this was going to be nice, if I chose to go this route, but that wasn't news.
“Oh, and one more thing!” The mechanic added a little too cheerfully. “You have until Samhain. I’m sure you know why.”
It's June already; still a good while away from October, but this year feels like it’s flying by fast, like every other year following 2020. He didn't have to explain why: the Wild Hunt are at their most powerful during Samhain, which for those who don't know, was a Celtic holiday that eventually gave birth to Halloween. It's when the veil between the atypical world and ours is thinnest.
In short, it's a busy day for Orion. Looks like it’s going to be even worse this year.
Victor spoke again, “Can I talk to her for a moment?”
“Nope. You don't get a say. Either she takes it or leaves it.” The mechanic answered curtly.
As I deliberated, there were subtle taps on a tree nearby. Hold on. Morse code. M-I-S-S-I-N-G. What was I missing? Maybe it was because I hadn't clearly spelled out what I wanted to happen if I correctly guessed the mechanic's identity.
“If I accept this bet, then if I find your name, you’ll relinquish your claim on my soul, as well as all other Orion employees, whether they're living, dead, or undead. Have I made that clear?”
After a moment, the mechanic answered, the smirk blatant in his voice, “You have now.”
Of course. It was so simple. If I had gone through with the deal without being specific about the outcome, the mechanic wouldn't have been obliged to release any of us. I would've done all the work to identify him for nothing. Tricky bastard.
Thanks, Victor.
With a heavy sigh, I politely asked the mechanic to repeat everything that we'd just discussed to make sure that he wasn't going to conveniently forget something. To my surprise, he did it without comment, though he sounded like he thought the whole thing was funny. He left nothing out.
When I say that agreeing to this deal was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I mean it.
I instantly had second thoughts the moment I heard the mechanic stand up and cheerfully say, “Well, you ready for that hint? You’re gonna wanna open your eyes for this. I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Oh God, I made a mistake! No. I could do this. I had to.
Black cherries. He was in front of me. Steeling myself, I opened my eyes. The mechanic stood as close as the hagstone would allow, a dark silhouette in front of the crackling flames.
“Blue eyes, would you mind holding puppydog’s hagstone for her? Wouldn't want that gettin’ lost, now, would we?”
What?!
“Don’t get all frantic, I can’t do shit to you until you get your hint, per our agreement,” The mechanic said dismissively as Victor approached me. “You’ll get it back after.”
Victor looked apologetic as he gently removed the most powerful defense I had. He had an odd glint in his eye. Was that defiance?
I’ll get you out of this, Vic. I promise.
The very moment that he was able to, the mechanic grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.
A church surrounded by black water… A great feast of viscera and wildflowers… Black thorns drinking the blood of the unworthy… The great antlered headdress of the White Son of Mist… Pricking his finger on those horns… He signed in blood…
Victor pulled me back, not giving the mechanic even a picosecond to take full advantage of being outside of the hagstone’s influence. If he hadn't been holding me up, I would've been on the ground, still recovering from what I'd just seen.
“You find that ledger, you find me.” The mechanic said coolly.
That church. It reminded me of something. In the morning, I’m going to check our records. For now, I just want to crash. I'll keep yinz updated.
On the bright side, there weren't any crows waiting for me when I got home.
(Here's an index of all the cases I've discussed so far.)
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Victor hadn't been kidding when he'd said that the mechanic was going to become more aggressive. The only reason why this week wasn't my last was because I'd had Orion behind me as well as a plethora of precautions in place.
(If you're not familiar with what Orion Pest Control's services are, it may help to start here.)
For example, at Orion, all employees are advised to get lockboxes for their mail rather than regular mailboxes. It would be far too easy for a Neighbor to follow one of us home and fish out a piece of mail to find our names. This is only recommended for people who've had frequent or unpleasant interactions with the Neighbors.
You could also ward off your mailbox with iron. Salt, as always, would work as well, but I'm sure your mailman wouldn't appreciate getting seasoned every time he simply tries to give you your junk mail.
When it comes to monetary transactions, cash or pre-loaded debit cards are the safest, unless you can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the person ringing you out is human.
Another precaution that I've taken when it comes to the mechanic is that I've bought a cast iron fire poker from an antique store. Iron is one of the most effective weapons against the Neighbors, though it's best to think of it as an allergy rather than a perfect repellant. Some Neighbors will crumple instantly if they're within a few feet of it while others need direct contact in order to cause anything worse than hive-covered burns.
Given that the mechanic must have frequent exposure to iron during his daytime profession, I have to wonder how effective it is against him. I do see him wearing gloves from time to time, so it must do something, even if it's a minor skin irritation. Either it's a pride thing or he's just that committed to the ‘mechanic’ bit.
I've been keeping the poker in the company truck. Even if it's not lethal to him, I’m sure that getting smacked over the head with it probably wouldn't feel too good. Along with that, I've restocked my salt shells. If the mechanic decides to try anything, he'll have an arsenal waiting for him.
I don't have any delusions about being able to kill him. I think that's something only a true hero could accomplish. I'm talking about legendary individuals like Cú Chullainn, Beowulf, or Māui. People whose deeds are so great that their stories live on to this day. Find someone like that in the modern age. (Though, I would argue that Marc-André Fluery comes close. Flyers fans, don't interact.)
Reyna suggested bathing the hagstone in saltwater to amplify its deterring effects. She also wrapped red thread along the outside of the ring, explaining that it should help enhance its protective properties.
It's a good thing, too. Since my last interaction with the mechanic, promptly at dusk, I would hear the beating of wings outside, and always from the west. I risked a glance out the window one night to find a murder of crows. Ever since I saw that the birds’ shadows move independently of their owners, I don't look at them. I ignore their calls. I know who they serve.
After Reyna's additions, the hagstone vibrates against my chest whenever they're near.
However, in my case, these were only temporary solutions, unless I wanted to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life and fearing death even more than I did before. But in the meantime… raccoons.
A client called about hearing scratching and chattering in her attic. Her uninvited guest also put a hole in her siding. In other words, it was enough of a mess to momentarily distract me from my own problems.
Raccoons are incredibly destructive, chewing up anything that they can get their little hands on. From the client's description, it sounded like we could be dealing with a nest. Mother raccoons can be especially feisty when it comes to protecting their young, so I had Reyna join me in case there were any kits.
At Orion, we are licensed to use humane trapping methods on smaller wildlife, so don't worry, no garbage kitties are being harmed. Though I want yinz to know that raccoons are not to be underestimated. They may not try to take your soul, like some pests out there will, but they can spread a variety of diseases, including rabies and roundworm among others. They also present a major fire hazard when they claw their way into a home since they can chew through wiring like nothing.
The first thing we had to do was identify the garbage kitties’ entry point. Reyna opted to go on the roof while I investigated the attic.
The first thing I noticed was the telltale stench of dried urine. Yup, those were droppings over there in the corner. Delightful. Looking around, I found that the raccoons had torn out a few chunks of the insulation, but nothing that wouldn't be too difficult or expensive to replace. All in all, it seemed like it'd be an easy call.
Then I felt the hagstone begin to tremble. Not long after, Reyna screamed.
I rushed out, my heart surging with panic as I was greeted with the frenzied calls of crows. Shit! They followed me.
She was on the ground, swinging her silver-tipped knife clumsily against the swarm of black feathers swirling around her. I heard her cry out again as I got closer to her, then suddenly, the cloud of feathers dispersed, twisting towards the sky with a cacophony of angered caws. Reyna had managed to get some salt on them before they could gouge her eyes out.
My hand was coated with blood as I guided Reyna towards the house. She'd managed to keep her eyes, but they’d shredded her with their beaks and talons. I could feel her shaking as we retreated from the horde. Reyna tried to hide it, but she was crying, the tears mingling with the blood covering her nose and cheeks like a bandit's mask.
The whole time, the hagstone didn't stop vibrating. I think that was the only thing keeping the horde from coming after us. Their calls were piercing as we took cover in the house.
The client was alarmed when she saw the state Reyna was in, “What psycho ass raccoons do I have?!”
I promised I'd explain later (I honestly don't remember what bullshit story I gave her) then asked her to watch over Reyna as I went out to get the emergency first aid kit we keep in the truck.
Reyna held me in a grip so tight that it left bruises, pleading, “Don't go out there! Please!”
Now that we weren't on the run, I could see the injuries on her face more clearly. The deepest one went through her right eyebrow towards the bridge of her nose. The rest were shallow, painful-looking cuts that criss crossed over her skin.
“They can't come near me. And I’ve got something in the truck that’ll make them think twice.” I assured her.
She didn't let go. I couldn't find it in me to pry her fingers off, so instead, I put my hand over hers, hoping that it was comforting.
The client gently pressed a paper towel to the side of Reyna’s face, her voice heart-achingly motherly as she uttered, “It's okay, honey. Everything's going to be alright.”
I'm not sure if it was from pain or something else, but Reyna noticeably stiffened when the client spoke to her in that maternal tone, closing her eyes as if to keep more tears from falling. Her clutch loosened until my wrist was freed, her hand dropping limply to her side.
The fucking birds sounded like they were laughing when I marched out to the truck. The sound grated on me as I snatched the fire poker and the first aid kit.
“Laugh at this!” I snapped as I swung the poker at the nearest crow.
It let out a squeal as the poker grazed its wing, hopping as far out of reach as it could afterwards. They didn't cackle after that.
After we cleaned Reyna's injuries up, they didn't look quite as terrible, but just to be safe, I dragged her to the hospital. Thankfully, the client was an absolute angel about the whole thing and understood that one of our employees being injured was going to be a setback. I called up Victor to inform him of the situation as well as the entry points that we’d found; he took over where Reyna and I left off.
On the way to the hospital, Reyna muttered, “So… does my little Alfred Hitchcock moment initiate me as an official Orion employee?”
Wearily, I gave her a small chuckle, “Yeah, you're one of us, now. Lucky you!”
“Hey, I’ll take the murder birds over Psycho Mantis.” She replied with a small smile.
Her nickname for the mechanic. I think it's from a video game. I don't know. Never quite got into them.
It was quiet for a moment. The smile faded away as she distantly said, “I think that's how they do it. They take your eyes, they take you, you know?”
I nodded, feeling a lump in the back of my throat, thinking about how the mechanic can control someone just by meeting their gaze. “I think you might be right about that.”
I couldn't help but wonder if the Hunt had attacked her simply because she's an Orion employee or if they were drawn to her because of something else. Was she grieving over something? I didn't know her well enough at that point to be able to tell. They hadn't hesitated to go for her eyes. If that was the case, that'd make her the most vulnerable of the three of us.
Another thing I want yinz to know when it comes to dealing with the atypical: if you or a loved one has been harmed, one of the best things you can do is to support the victim. And if you need support yourself, ignore that stupid little voice in your head that tells you not to bother anyone and reach out. Isolation will destroy you in more ways than one.
After I got Reyna settled at the hospital, I made a beeline to the river to find another hagstone. Clearly, Reyna was going to need one, too.
Naturally, the stupid birds followed me, causing my hagstone to quiver nonstop. I went into the woods armed with my toolbelt and the iron poker. I opted out of taking the shotgun simply because I was going to need a free hand to look for another hagstone. There was a part of me that hoped that one of them would try something so that I'd have the opportunity to smack the shit out of them.
While I was searching, among the crows’ calls, I heard whispers. They sounded close, like they came from behind some brush about twenty feet away, but I believed the False Egg when it said that the whispering thing likes to confuse its victims. Without listening to what they were saying, I glanced around as the river's cold water rushed around my boots, trying to figure out what was stalking me.
The whispers pretended to move further away. But still, I couldn't see the thing causing them. I clutched the poker tighter. The crows had stopped their chattering. They heard the voices, too. Hold on. What were they all looking at?
Gingerly, I pulled out the hagstone and held it to my eye in the direction of the crows' gazes. At first, it looked like one of the trees, until I was able to make out a triangular head with eyes the size of basketballs. It held up two massive, folded appendages that were lined with sharp spines. It looked to be as tall as a draft horse, yet it was so still that I couldn't even tell if this huge animal was breathing. The whispers were quieter than they'd ever been before.
Those huge eyes were fixed on me. I didn’t dare move.
One of the ‘crows’ glided to the ground near to the whispering thing, passing in front of my field of view. I stifled a shudder when I saw the state of its frail, humanoid body. Its skin clung like molten wax to its ribs and spine. Tattered wings extended from the sides of its torso, the feathers looking as if they were ripped from numerous other avians and fused to the miserable animal's stretched, contorted arms to make it fly. Where the eyes should have been were empty sockets. A curved beak had been forced onto the creature as well, driven into the skull hard enough to leave ridged, fleshy lumps.
Now that I've seen it, I think the crows were human, once. Transformed and disfigured to serve the Wild Hunt.
The crow shuffled a little too close to the whispering thing. Quicker than a blink, the whispering thing's folded appendage shot forward, curving around the crow's midsection, spikes driving into the crow's torso. My mind could barely keep up as the whispering thing then bit the crow's head clean off with a terrible crunch.
The other crows began to frenzy, shrieking as they dove towards the whispering thing. Without having to take a step, it snatched another crow out of the air. Flesh ripped with a wet tearing sound.
Since the animals were all focused on each other, I took the opportunity to dig frantically around for a hagstone, holding my own against my eye in the hopes it would lead me to another one.
There was a low hum that I felt more than heard. Deep within my chest, as if I was standing next to an amp at a concert. This was followed by an enraged screech from one of the crows. Still, I kept looking.
There had to be one. There just had to be!
One circular, black rock stood out among the rest, the water seeming to outline it from the view of my hagstone. There! I plucked it out of the water, looking over my shoulder to see if either the crows or the whispering thing were paying attention to me. They were too engrossed with trying to tear each other apart.
I shoved the black hagstone into my pocket and made a break for it, poker at the ready. One of the crows noticed and let out an ear-splitting cry to alert the others.
As I ran, I checked back to see that three of the crows split off to pursue me. I wasn't worried about them catching me. The whispering thing was another matter. This was only my second time encountering it and I hadn't had enough information to identify it, so I didn't want to find out the hard way if the defenses I had on me would be enough to stop it from tearing me apart like it did the crows.
There was another low hum that rumbled against my ribs as the whispering thing used one of its forelegs to swipe a crow out of its way. It had lost interest in them, its huge amber eyes focused on me once again. I prayed that the crows swarming around it would be enough to slow it down.
As I raced through the trees back to where the company truck waited, the whispers started anew. They became louder and clearer the faster I went, interrupted by the shrill cries of the crows tailing me. I did my best not to listen to any of them. The last thing I needed was to get led astray by any of my pursuers.
A crow swooped close enough for me to smack it with the poker. The sound the bird made when the iron scalded its skin made my teeth clench. The others joined it, bringing me to my knees, my ears ringing. High pitched, grating, like broken glass against a chalkboard. Disoriented, I swung desperately with the iron poker again, not hitting anything.
And among all that, the whispers hadn't stopped. My head rang, ears going numb. I swung again. One of the shrieks stopped as the poker found its mark. Even as the auditory assault continued, I got to my feet, grabbing the trees closest to me to keep myself going. The whispers became even more frantic as its prey got further and further away. The truck was right there.
The two crows tailing me had finally stopped their dreadful screaming and simmered down to furious clicking sounds with their beaks, as if they could think of nothing but stripping the flesh from my bones.
When one tested the limits of the hagstone as I got close to the truck, I swatted at it with the poker, the tip colliding with the creature's skull. The crow’s body crashed against an oak’s trunk, then went still.
As soon as I cleared the treeline, the whispering stopped. I looked over my shoulder. The whispering thing was retreating, only visible for a brief moment before blending in among the trees.
It couldn't leave the forest. That was good to know.
I closed myself into the truck, leaving the furious crows outside. They glared at me from the branches of a nearby oak. After taking a moment to collect myself, I drove back to the hospital, wanting to hand the black hagstone off to Reyna before anything else.
At a stop sign, I got a text from Victor: he had finished setting traps for the client's raccoon infestation and was going to meet me at the hospital.
Reyna was chilling in her hospital bed, face bandaged, wearing a hideous blue hospital gown decorated with faded green and pink squares.
“Guess who got her rabies shots!” She announced with a sleepy grin, holding her hand up in a shaka.
Someone was clearly given the good painkillers.
Victor arrived a few minutes later, wearing a black mask that covered his mouth and nose, smelling strongly of lavender. It made my nose itch.
“Why do you smell like an old lady?” I complained.
The mask intensified his withering stare, voice muffled by the mask, “Lotta blood around here. Probably wouldn't be too good if I smelled it.”
Reyna chimed in, slurring slightly, “If you're gonna eat anyone, go for the receptionist. He was reading Anne Rice, so he'd probably be into it.”
It was Reyna's turn to get The Glare. He said flatly, “You're high as a kite, aren't you?”
Reyna flashed a peace sign.
To summarize Reyna's condition, she's as okay as she can be. They had to close up her eyebrow and cheek, and they gave her a plethora of shots to make sure that she didn't catch any diseases from the crows. The hospital doctor wanted to keep her overnight to make sure that she didn't have an infection, then afterwards, she was going to take some time off of work to recover.
Also, I slipped the black hagstone into her purse so that it wouldn't be misplaced.
After we discussed Reyna's injuries, I decided to address the elephant in the room, “So… what can we do about the mechanic?”
Reyna shrugged, “Grovel and plead for our lives?”
Victor rubbed his eyes. “We might be a bit past that point.”
I asked Victor about the specifics of his deal with the mechanic. I knew that there had to be some sort of condition that had to be fulfilled before the mechanic could take someone, otherwise I probably wouldn't be alive to type this right now. Reyna was equally curious.
The boss seemed reluctant to speak on this matter, at first. I told Victor that he didn't have to share anything if there was any possibility of retaliation. The last thing I wanted was for him to be punished in some horrific manner for trying to help me.
He eventually shrugged a shoulder in resignation, “Whatever happens, I can handle it. It didn't take him long to figure out that I was the one that helped you find the hagstone. That wasn't pleasant, but…” He went quiet for a second, his eyes glazing in a way that reminded me of when I first came home from active duty. He then shrugged again, “I'm willing to risk it if that means getting a chance to hurt him back someday. Lord knows it's been a long time coming.”
He didn't tell us what the consequences had been for assisting me, and neither Reyna nor I pressed the issue. Some mysteries are best left unsolved.
Even though I was nervous to hear the answer, I didn't pull any punches and straight up asked, “Why hasn't the mechanic sent you after me yet?”
Victor considered for a moment, then explained, “I'm not sure on the specifics, since the mechanic doesn’t tell me anything other than what I need to know to get the job done. But from what I can tell, he takes those who are dead, dying, or… ‘dead inside,’ I guess is the best way to put it. Some souls appear to be harder for him to take than others. The hard ones need to be… broken down first. As of right now, he says you're not ready.”
Reyna numbly asked, “So if the birds tried to nab me, does that mean that I am ‘ready’? That they could take me at any moment?”
Victor hesitated before replying, “We won't let that happen. Alright?”
Reyna nodded, eyes low.
I wanted to ask her what was going on. Figure out why she was suffering in a way that made her fair game to the crows. But she'd been through enough for one day. That discussion could wait for another time.
My next question was another one that I dreaded the answer to, “And where do you come into all of this, Vic?”
Regretfully, Victor admitted, “I bring him the ones that are ready if he can't get to them himself.”
He glanced at Reyna, “As of right now, keep that hagstone on at all times. Even wear it when you're sleeping. The mechanic didn't know who you were initially, but I guarantee the fucking Lessers tipped him off. I think he’s more focused on Nessa, at the moment, but if I get sent after you, hit me with iron, salt me, do whatever and don't feel bad about it. Same goes for you, Nessa.”
I hated this. I hated that he was being used like this. I hated that he spoke about someday being sent to drag one of us to meet our fate at the hands of the Wild Hunt as if it was unavoidable.
The air suddenly felt like it was much thinner in the room. Somehow, I got enough oxygen to ask, “What if I learned the mechanic's true name? Would that end this?”
Victor let out a soft scoff, rubbing the bridge of his nose over his mask, “Probably, but good luck with that.”
I had already figured that the mechanic wouldn't dance around a fire singing his true name all willy nilly like Rumpelstiltskin. But I couldn't accept that all of us were screwed. There had to be a way. I had to believe that there was a way.
I announced that I'd be back in the morning. Reyna looked as concerned as her painkillers would allow, while Victor jumped out of his seat.
“What are you going to do?” He demanded.
“I'm going to talk to him.” I replied. “One of us is in the hospital and another one of us is undead-”
“I know it's looking bad right now, but they can easily get worse if whatever you're thinking of doing goes south.” He cautioned.
“I'm just going to see if there's some way I can… I don't know, talk him down? I haven't gotten that far yet, but something needs to be done.”
He didn't look convinced, and with how terrible my argument was, I don't blame him. “I'll go with you.”
I motioned towards Reyna. “And leave her alone?”
Reyna, looking like she was fighting sleep, groggily said, “I got the adder stone and I'm in public. I'll be fine. If you're going to confront Psycho Mantis, you're going to need Vic around more than I will.”
Victor agreed, “Like it or not, you're not handling this alone. Remember what I told you when you got hired in?”
We're not heroes, we're pest control specialists.
You know that thing I said about not isolating yourself? I can be bad about not following my own advice sometimes, especially that one.
Going forward, I do want to note that the decisions that were made on that night were extremely risky and I don't recommend for anyone to repeat them. Believe it or not, we are professionals.
On our way to our destination, we stopped by the 24-hr convenience store. Victor was about to question me until he saw me go for the whipped cream. I also got s'mores supplies, thinking that maybe some bribery would make the mechanic more amiable. I figured that if he rejected them then, hey, I like s'mores, too.
Afterwards, we followed the path to the skull trees.
During our hike, Victor whispered, “That fucker is hubris incarnate, but he's not stupid. If he offers you a deal, know that it's not going to be in your favor. And be careful with the way that he twists words.”
Something noteworthy is that the hagstone doesn't react to Victor. I think it's because he doesn't have the same malicious intentions as his captors. He may have changed after his murder (hell, anyone would) but at his heart, he was still Victor. Meanwhile, as we got closer to the skull tree clearing, I felt the stone gradually begin to quake.
Up ahead, orange light flickered. The mechanic had a small fire going. He lay on a blanket next to it, that cursed banjo on the ground beside him, one arm folded under his head, legs crossed at the ankle. His eyes were closed.
He didn't open them as he greeted us, “I was wondering when you two would show up.”
Keeping my nerves buried beneath the surface, I held up the bag of sugary goodness. “I'm here to negotiate.”
He laughed, still not looking at me. “Are you, now? And what exactly do you think a little thing of cream will get ya?”
“Not much, I imagine.” I said evenly. “But I thought it'd be a good jumping off point.”
Even though I’d originally protested Victor coming with me, I was glad that he was there. I don't think I would've been able to be so level-headed if I'd met with the mechanic alone. It would probably be interpreted as a sign of weakness, but I was counting on that.
As soon as I saw the mechanic begin to crane his neck towards us, I slammed my eyelids shut. He knew way more about me than I'd ever wanted him to know already, and I was afraid of giving him more.
Again, another potential sign of weakness. When it came to trying to get him to back off of Orion a bit, I figured it'd be best if he underestimated me.
I didn't have to see the mechanic to know that he had that wicked grin on his face, “Alrighty. Let's see what you've got.”
A hand that was as cold as the grave gently removed the bag of goodies from my grasp. Victor. Wordlessly, he brought the cavity-inducing offering over to the mechanic. I never realized how quiet his footsteps were until then. He moved like a shadow. He could've been five feet away or five hundred, for all I knew.
There was the rustling of plastic, followed by the trademark sound of whipped cream being sprayed from the nozzle. Sounding slightly less prick-ish, the mechanic told me I had his attention.
I had been trying to find the magic words that would make this whole situation blow over. Nothing that I came up with in my head fit that description.
So I decided to be straight forward, then go from there. “What will it take to de-escalate things between you and Orion?”
The whipped cream wailed once again. A moment later, the mechanic replied, “Why are you asking a question that you already know the answer to?”
“Other than my soul.”
He chuckled softly, the sound too casual and charming for this sinister discussion.
“You know, I’m curious, puppydog,” Fabric rustled. Without looking, I assumed he'd sat up, “Which o’ your parents are you most like?”
Here we fucking go.
I tried to redirect him, “With all due respect, that isn't relevant.”
“Oh, but it is.” His tone of voice brought chills to the back of my neck. “You see, I'd be willing to take a trade. Find a soul as mouth-waterin’ as yours, and all this goes away. Hell, I might even let you rest in peace! You know what choice your father would pick.”
I was hoping that the firelight wouldn't be enough for him to see my face flush and my jaw stiffen. That had touched a nerve, just as he knew it would.
That was also a horrible deal. One that I wouldn't even consider. There was no way that I could condemn someone else to an afterlife of torment. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even that weasel-faced client that I rescued the False Egg from. Not even my father.
Swallowing back the plethora of terrible emotions threatening to bubble up, I suddenly felt Victor subtly squeeze my shoulder supportively. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate to give anyone who insulted his employees a piece of his mind, but the mechanic was the last Neighbor to mouth off to. That was the best he could do for me, in the moment.
When I informed the mechanic that I wouldn't sacrifice someone else to save my own skin, he laughed again, “If only you knew how many times I heard those exact words! Thing is, I ain't even got started on you, pup. Given enough time, you might find you're more like your old man than you thought.”
I took a deep breath to keep the mixture of dread and anger confined to my chest, then calmly replied, “Sounds like you know exactly how everything will play out. Isn't that boring for you?”
The tension that filled the air after those words left my mouth made my chest feel tight.
The whipped cream can wheezed thoughtfully before the mechanic mildly admitted, “A bit, yeah.”
There it is.
“You already have all of the advantages,” I started, “It’s not much of a hunt if your prey can't even run, is it? There's no challenge in killing something that's already baited and trapped.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
Oh boy. I was about to do one of many things I warned yinz not to do: “The only way I can bring you the excitement you're craving is if I have a fighting chance. And a good one. I'll be searching for your name, but I need to know where to look first.”
His laughter made me suppress a shudder. I remember thinking that I should've known that he'd see through my words like he saw through everything else.
The mechanic then said, “I know what you're trying to do, pup. But the problem is, you're right! It's too easy anymore, especially since y'alls names are just available on the internet for anyone to find. I've been getting kind of soft lately.”
This was his soft side?
The mechanic continued, “You really think you can pull this off, pup? I know you're a fighter and all, but you're not a warrior, not really. Being a soldier ain't the same thing.”
“I may not be Cú Chullainn, but I'm as close as you're going to get in Mercer County. We've got a bit of a warrior shortage around here.”
He snorted, “You seem awfully sure of yourself for someone who can't even look at me.”
“I'm not sure about anything. That's why I'm here, isn't it?”
It was quiet for a moment with only the frogs chirping in the forest able to find their voices. Not even the whipped cream broke up the silence this time. I was tempted to risk peeking through my eyelashes, but managed to resist.
Just as my nerves started getting to me, the mechanic said, “So, you want me to give you a hint. That's a lot to ask, but you knew that already.”
“You want something in return.”
“Hagstone. Smash it.”
No way. It was too valuable. If I gave that up, I was dead. I promptly shook my head.
He sounded amused. “Shoulda known you wouldn't fall for that.”
Looking back, I wondered how many he'd tricked like that. Giving up some form of protection after being misled into thinking the mechanic was going to let them go, only to regret it seconds later. Probably far too many.
He continued, “Alright then, we'll talk for real. I'll give you that hint, but I got some conditions. You get three chances to guess correctly. Each time you guess wrong, you have to give me one of your names starting with your first, middle, then last name. Don't try fucking with me by trying to pass your middle name off as your first.”
That made my throat tighten even more. If I agreed to that, failure wouldn't just spell disaster for me, but for everyone I knew as well. I'd be dragging my mom and anyone else associated down with me. I'd essentially be doing what he already requested: sacrificing others to save my own skin.
I heard Victor faintly, from my right, “Don't!”
The mechanic wasn't pleased, “This ain't about you, blue eyes. This is between me and her.”
The stakes were getting way too high. I couldn't do this. But then what? The Hunt wasn't going to wait around for me to find another way, assuming that there even was one. Victor clearly thought it was a terrible idea. For the record, I did, too. I could feel the boss' eyes on me, willing me not to forget what he'd said earlier about dangerous heroics.
Maybe there was another way and I just couldn't see it. But desperation has a way of messing with your head.
“If I agreed to this,” I started, knowing that I was probably digging my grave even deeper. “And I haven't agreed to anything. just to be clear. If I did this, I'd need the assurance that you won't send your crows or hounds or any others that serve the Wild Hunt after those that I care about. That includes my colleagues and me, for that matter. Like you said, this is between us two.”
The mechanic chuckled and I heard him shift again. “You're feeling awfully bold tonight, aren't you?”
I reminded him, “You want this to be interesting, don't you?”
He considered, then with a click of his tongue replied, “You hear that, blue eyes? Means you, as well. On both sides, mind you. Same with that witch doctor. Yeah, I know about her. I keep mine out of it, if you keep yours out. All's fair, right?”
I didn't feel right with any of this, but the alternative was for things to continue as they were. If that happened, we were all screwed anyway.
“And if I agreed, the hint that you provide will have to be both true and helpful. And it'll also be given in easily understandable American English, no riddles or puzzles or any other forms of confusing phrasing. You’d also have to give it to me tonight. The whole thing would begin after that.”
Once again, he laughed, “Shit, you're not messin' around!”
I know how the Neighbors do deals. If I hadn't mentioned it, he probably would've given me the hint in the form of a riddle spoken in backwards Gaelic.
“Alright, pup, I get the picture. You know what you're dealing with. I’ll play nice.”
His voice had a subtle sardonic edge. Nothing about this was going to be nice, if I chose to go this route, but that wasn't news.
“Oh, and one more thing!” The mechanic added a little too cheerfully. “You have until Samhain. I’m sure you know why.”
It's June already; still a good while away from October, but this year feels like it’s flying by fast, like every other year following 2020. He didn't have to explain why: the Wild Hunt are at their most powerful during Samhain, which for those who don't know, was a Celtic holiday that eventually gave birth to Halloween. It's when the veil between the atypical world and ours is thinnest.
In short, it's a busy day for Orion. Looks like it’s going to be even worse this year.
Victor spoke again, “Can I talk to her for a moment?”
“Nope. You don't get a say. Either she takes it or leaves it.” The mechanic answered curtly.
As I deliberated, there were subtle taps on a tree nearby. Hold on. Morse code. M-I-S-S-I-N-G. What was I missing? Maybe it was because I hadn't clearly spelled out what I wanted to happen if I correctly guessed the mechanic's identity.
“If I accept this bet, then if I find your name, you’ll relinquish your claim on my soul, as well as all other Orion employees, whether they're living, dead, or undead. Have I made that clear?”
After a moment, the mechanic answered, the smirk blatant in his voice, “You have now.”
Of course. It was so simple. If I had gone through with the deal without being specific about the outcome, the mechanic wouldn't have been obliged to release any of us. I would've done all the work to identify him for nothing. Tricky bastard.
Thanks, Victor.
With a heavy sigh, I politely asked the mechanic to repeat everything that we'd just discussed to make sure that he wasn't going to conveniently forget something. To my surprise, he did it without comment, though he sounded like he thought the whole thing was funny. He left nothing out.
When I say that agreeing to this deal was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I mean it.
I instantly had second thoughts the moment I heard the mechanic stand up and cheerfully say, “Well, you ready for that hint? You’re gonna wanna open your eyes for this. I can show you better than I can tell you.”
Oh God, I made a mistake! No. I could do this. I had to.
Black cherries. He was in front of me. Steeling myself, I opened my eyes. The mechanic stood as close as the hagstone would allow, a dark silhouette in front of the crackling flames.
“Blue eyes, would you mind holding puppydog’s hagstone for her? Wouldn't want that gettin’ lost, now, would we?”
What?!
“Don’t get all frantic, I can’t do shit to you until you get your hint, per our agreement,” The mechanic said dismissively as Victor approached me. “You’ll get it back after.”
Victor looked apologetic as he gently removed the most powerful defense I had. He had an odd glint in his eye. Was that defiance?
I’ll get you out of this, Vic. I promise.
The very moment that he was able to, the mechanic grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes.
A church surrounded by black water… A great feast of viscera and wildflowers… Black thorns drinking the blood of the unworthy… The great antlered headdress of the White Son of Mist… Pricking his finger on those horns… He signed in blood…
Victor pulled me back, not giving the mechanic even a picosecond to take full advantage of being outside of the hagstone’s influence. If he hadn't been holding me up, I would've been on the ground, still recovering from what I'd just seen.
“You find that ledger, you find me.” The mechanic said coolly.
That church. It reminded me of something. In the morning, I’m going to check our records. For now, I just want to crash. I'll keep yinz updated.
On the bright side, there weren't any crows waiting for me when I got home.
(Here's an index of all the cases I've discussed so far.)
2024.06.05 05:32 BOfficeStats Domestic BOT Presale Tracking (June 4). Thursday Previews: Bad Boys ($4.54M/$4.59M EA+THU), The Watchers ($1.18M), Inside Out 2 ($8.03M), A Quiet Place: Day One ($3.87M) and Deadpool and Wolverine ($28.50M). LotR re-releases each targeting $4M+ 1st days.
BoxOfficeTheory Presale Tracking
USA Showtimes As of May 31
Presales Data (Google Sheets Link)
BoxOfficeReport Previews
Quorum Update (June 3)
DOMESTIC PRESALES
Domestic Calendar Dates (last updated May 23):
JUNE
May 11
May 14
May 16
May 18
May 21
May 23
May 25
May 28
May 30
June 1
Note: I have removed most tracking data that has not been updated for 2 weeks. I think there is value in keeping data for a week or two but at a certain point they start to lose their value and should not be treated the same as more recent tracking data.
submitted by BOfficeStats to boxoffice [link] [comments]
USA Showtimes As of May 31
Presales Data (Google Sheets Link)
BoxOfficeReport Previews
Quorum Update (June 3)
DOMESTIC PRESALES
- YM! (Marcus is doing $7 matinees for children and seniors all day every day before 4 PM for the summer (May 31).)
- abracadabra1998 (Comp: $4.11M THU. REALLY good update, every comp went up significantly, save for Equalizer 3 which was already a really high comp to begin with. Hopefully keep showing signs of converging. I cannot overstate it, this state's demographics are overwhelmingly NOT the target audience for it (June 4). Not a great update, dropped against most comps (June 3). Biggest outlier here is Equalizer ($6.47M), but that is also probably the best comp... tough to say with a release like this where we don't know just how backloaded it will be (May 30).)
- Cmasterclay (Bad Boys as a franchise plays like Avengers: Endgame in my area, so unfortunately any insights will be totally useless, but I can say it's at least selling well in South Florida so far - the bare minimum! (June 2).)
- crazymoviekid ($4.07M THU comp. This boy better explode in walk-ups cause we have $4M-$6M for now, but it could go lower (June 3).)
- el sid ($5.1M THU Comp. $5.65M BB3 comp. 107% up since last MON. That's in line with expectations but honestly I hoped for a bit better jump. On one hand, the direct comparison number is good. OTOH BB4 definitely needs very decent walk-ups. Somehow I expected a bit more buzz till today. But for the moment oveunder 5M judging from my theaters (June 4). Counted yesterday for THU: 395 tickets with 10 days left. Bad Boys 3 (6.36M) had on MON of the release week 915 tickets = 43% for Bad Boys 4 with 7 days left to come closer or maybe overtake. My guess is that BB4 could have 800-1000k tickets by next MON, so it could be pretty much on par with BB3. BB4 does not have stellar presales and after several disappointments I shouldn't exaggerate but compared to the best comps it looks quite good for BB4 as you can see (May 28).)
- Flip (1.18x Furiosa T-2 great jump (June 4). 0.704x Furiosa T-3 (NYC area would tilt to Furiosa more so it’s not a great comp but the only one I have) (June 3). Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27).)
- jeffthehat ($4.18M THU Comp. Nice day. The Fall Guy and Civil War comps were pulled 8-10 hrs later so the average is probably undershooting a bit (June 4).)
- katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $5.74M EA+THU. I was looking for a low 20s jump today, but it exceeded that with a +32%! Things are looking up and I'm feeling good about a 5m floor for previews and could go 6m or higher if it keeps this up (June 4). Slightly outperformed all comps yesterday! Looking for around a 20-24% jump today (June 3). Three day pace is ahead of all comps. Good sign heading into the final week (June 2).)
- keysersoze123 (I think it was a good day. In line with what I expected. let us see how rest of the week goes (June 3). Its going below Apes movie at this point and that was quite backloaded as well. So that is a good target for this movie. Of course early shows for Apes movie was way wider and stronger while this is more limited shows (June 2). We have to wait until early next week to tell the tale. These movies finish very strong. That said at this point I dont see a path for it to hit last movies OW ($62.5M). That is going to be a stretch plus the internal multi will be weaker relative to MLK weekend release of last movie. So I hope it goes for at least 6m previews to keep 50m OW in play (June 1). Pace is definitely going up but is it enough. We will only with final week pace (May 31). Still at very low pace (May 30). Presales are again not that much at this point. I think its not going to hit the heights of last movie (May 28). It should start to amp up sometime this week (May 27). This wont be fan driven. Even the last one initially trailed Dr Do little in presales but amped up big time close to release. This will be a late bloomer. I am still expecting 50m+ OW (May 23).)
- Porthos ($3.43M EA+THU comp. Went with a mixture of R-rated films along with PG-13 films that should have had at least some urban skew (plus threw in GxK, because why not)? Problem is, I have a derth of R-rated tracked films. Of them, John Wick 4 ($2.53M) is probably the most "on point", but that has some frontloading concerns, probably. On the flip side, the horror comps are likely too backloaded, even for a film like this (only have the one EA showing, FWIW — but I tend to think it's just shifting Thr->Wed in this market) (June 4).)
- Rorschach ($4.2M THU comp and $6.53M FRI comp.)
- TheFlatLannister (Comp: $6.04M THU. Excellent day. Really starting to accelerate. Thinking $6M previews could happen (June 4). Comps still converging around $5M (June 3). Excellent T-4. I would say this is heading over $5M for previews (June 2). Pace staying steady, but it increased against all comps which is a good sign. 39% of total sales is coming from the greater Miami region, which is a really strong split. The demo for this film is perhaps coming out (June 1). Actually slowed down a bit (May 31). Not as good as yesterday's update, but still increasing against comps (May 30). Excellent jump today. Starting to see the acceleration (May 29). Steady pace, no acceleration yet. Switch to G x K since that had super strong walkups ($6.12M THU comp) and Bad Boys 4 will likely replicate this (May 27). Comps ($4.11M) would mean $40M+ Opening Weekend (May 24).)
- TwoMisfits ($5 Atom tickets went live at 5am today (June 4). Aging male-skewing franchises tend to get the biggest bump from this deal. Folks are on the fence but know what they are getting. Female skewing non-sequel ones tend to get zero help. You need baseline interest to get people willing to pay anything, b/c these still are $5. The other effect of the deal is that movies releasing around the $5 hits sometimes get hurt. June TMobile $5 Atom movie. This could help it go huge, like last year's Spider-Verse (May 22).)
- vafrow (Comp: $4.1M THU. Alright, now we're cooking with gas. It's starting to accelerate (June 4). It had the bigger day it needed. We'll just need to see if it sustains for the week, but a good start for sure (June 3). Still slipping. This needs a big day either tomorrow or TUES to have hope of reversing it's slide (June 2). Even without the slap, I don't think the 15-25 demographic has much affinity for Will Smith. That younger demo though is usually key to getting a big walk up. Breakdown of sales on my numbers tilt heavily to the ages 19+ VIP screens. That strikes me as older audiences looking for an outing without teenagers. That audience is important, but there's a limit to how much business they can drive. I can definitely be wrong. But every day that we don't see trends reverse is making me nervous. Slower than expected. It's staying pace with the films with a slow finish and falling behind the walk up heavy films (June 1). A good and steady day (May 31). A bounceback day that helped undo some of the damage from earlier this week (May 29). It's not having a great week. It's slowly slipping against comps, when the hope was that it would be gaining. New showtimes went up for the THU, and it's only gotten one additional screen. It's the 4DX screen, which makes sense, as what else justifies a 4DX screen at this stage (May 29). It's staying pretty flat (May 28). Zero sales day when all comps seemed to have done well. Not a great result. Note: This isn't a holiday weekend in Canada, so that doesn't explain the slow sales. Hopefully it's just an anomaly. This has been very steady to date (May 27). Ghostbusters and Apes both went up in comps, but I didn't have Hunger Games included, so it's brought the average down. Still, its growing at a steady pace (May 26). I still expect this to be more walk up friendly than the comps being used, and should see a gradual rise as the date gets closer (May 25).)
- YM! (Definitely overindexing in the more diverse areas of SE Wisconsin but underindexing in less diverse areas (like a reverse Furiosa). 57% ahead of Furiosa without EA puts us at 5.5M previews and whilst not the perfect comparison, I feel good about a surprise for this one so pencil me in at 4.5-5.5M previews. Looking to overperform in SE Wisconsin if my four theaters are anything to go by. About 57% ahead of Furiosa and 170% ahead of Furiosa with Early Access. Definitely showing strongest signs in the Hispanic and Black heavy areas of SE Wisconsin (June 1). Like IO2 the pace for Bad Boys is small but mighty. EA is only available at Majestic much like Garfield. With EA, it’s a few tickets shy of Furiosa’s T-6 but without them it’s only a bit over half. Either way both is really good. I think we’ll continue to see the gap grow over the week but as of rn, I am thinking around $6-7m previews without EA solely on vibes to an OW north of $55m (May 25). Same thing as IO2 for Bad Boys (see May 23 IO2 comment), I expect this to not only skew more GA friendly and should bulk up ticket sales as we get closer to release. It’s almost at half of Furiosa’s T-6 which is a pretty great thing. Should easily outdo it by T-6 imho (May 23).)
- abracadabra1998 ($0.92M THU comp. At this rate I would not be surprised with anything between $800k-1 Million at this point (June 4). Tarot horribly underperformed there, everything else pointing to around 800k-1 Million right now (June 2).)
- crazymoviekid ($2.28M THU comp. Wide range, but I'll be safe at $1M-$2M for now (June 3).)
- el sid ($0.80M THU Comp. Counted today for THU had 125 tickets. Knock at the Cabin had 1 day later, on WED for THU, 471 tickets and The Strangers had 360 tickets. Watchers won't reach those numbers but I think it will gain a bit in the comps in the next few days (theaters in NY were recently added and those in San Francisco very recently). At the moment I think it will miss double digits and get high single digits (June 4). Pretty muted start in my theaters. Yesterday 37 tickets sold for THU, May 6, and today it were 44 (with showtimes in 5 theaters). Comps (always counted for THU): Tarot (715k) 28 tickets with 6 days left. The First Omen (725k) 28 tickets with 8 days left. Abigail (1M) 97 tickets with 6 days left. The Strangers: Chapter One (1.2M) had on MON of the release week 215 tickets. I don't think The Watchers can reach Strangers presales, maybe half of that (= ca. 100 sold tickets next MON). I go with around 500k from previews for The Watchers (May 30).)
- filmlover (Hasn't sold anything near me (May 26).)
- Flip (Less sold than yesterday (June 4). These are good numbers considering it’s only playing in 2/3 theaters I track (May 28).)
- katnisscinnaplex ($0.95M THU Comp. Getting closer to 1m (June 4).)
- Rorschach ($1.36M THU comp and $2.59M FRI comp.)
- TheFlatLannister ($0.77M THU Comp. Yeah, I don't think this is hitting double digits OW (June 3).)
- BoxOfficePro (Fathom Events has also announced that select Regal Cinemas will present the films in 4DX on June 22/23/24 for Fellowship/Towers/Return respectively (May 14).)
- AnthonyJPHer (Theaters must be either extremely confident in this release or they are desperate because they added several showings from my last update. Or it’s possible that there was so much demand that they added more showings. Fellowship (468 tickets, 14 showtimes, 5 theaters) on June 8 and June 15 (97 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Towers (396 tickets, 13 showtimes, 5 theaters) on June 9 and June 16 (82 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Return (426 tickets, 10 showtimes, 5 theaters) on June 10 and June 17 (82 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). 1,551 tickets total. 1,290 tickets for the first week (62% growth from last update). 261 tickets for the second week (massive 342% growth from last update). It’s preforming really strong surprisingly. I could see an opening bigger than The Phantom Menace re-release if there are enough theaters and showtimes. (June 4). Fellowship (269 tickets, 6 showtimes, 4 theaters) on June 8 and June 15 (21 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Towers (243 tickets, 4 theaters) on June 9 and June 16 (22 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). Return (281 tickets, 4 theaters) on June 10 and June 17 (16 tickets, 4 showings, 4 theaters). 852 tickets total. 793 tickets for the first week. 59 tickets for the second week (May 28).)
- katnisscinnaplex (Opening Day Average Comps (June 8-10): Fellowship ($8.03M), Towers ($6.99M), and Return ($6.92M). [in response to "The number should be closer to 5 or 4M, walk ups really won’t be that good for a rerelease and there’s no PLF"] Yeah, you're probably right. Looking at these numbers against final 1hr comps would be around 2-2.5m. A lot of places have added additional shows so there is definitely room for growth this week. Currently thinking each of these make around 6m, assuming there are enough shows (June 2).)
- NRG (Now tracking for $85M domestic debut (May 30).)
- abracadabra1998 (Comp: $6.52M THU. Still mostly following along that Kung Fu Panda 4 ($6.32M) number for now (June 2). Keeps chugging along, comps will start converging soon (May 30). Good update, hopefully this keeps on rising (May 23).)
- AniNate (Finally a little movement here. 23 THU, 52 Fri-Sun (compared to 18 THU and 23 FRI-SUN on May 17) (May 22).)
- AnthonyJPHer (Some growth for THU, not bad but I expect sales to increase steadily as we get closer to release. Presales are good enough to not be a disaster like Garfield, but not big enough to guarantee a 100m opening. I still like what I’m seeing though. My local theater has finally shown some signs of life with this film. 5 tickets sold. Way better than Garfield at the same point. Might not be completely accurate, but looking extremely strong on FRI. 900 tickets for the 5 theaters I track. Maybe even 1,286 tickets if my numbers are accurate. That tells me this is not front loaded whatsoever. Or at the very least not preview heavy (May 27).)
- charlie Jatinder (Comp: $12.2M THU at MTC2. Moving along nicely (May 21).)
- Flip (Decided to add one more theater but there was good growth in both of the original two (May 27). Fan event on the 16th has 43 tickets sold from 2 showtimes (compared to 8 showtimes and 73 tickets sold for previews), so that might be depressing previews a bit.)
- katnisscinnaplex (Comp: $4.43M THU. No great comps for this. The last week and especially final few days will tell everything we need to know (May 31).)
- keysersoze123 (I expect presales to accelerate even more this week and of course leading up to final week (June 4). I think upcoming week pace is going to tell the tale. Not too happy with late social media reactions/reviews for this movie. That hinders any chance of early boost (June 2). If you compare this to any animation movies seen recently including Minions, its doing very well. Really good this far out for sure (May 25). Chugging along at this point (May 19). Show counts show Plexes are expecting a big OW. I dont remember when we last had a animation movie start with so many shows. I wont count Mario as that was a fan driven movie. Definitely not great presales but this is not a fan driven movie. Let us see where things are in the final week (May 15).)
- Porthos (BAD COMPS: $8.48M THU. I literally have zero good comps. I generally don't keep track of sub-5m pure kids animated films until right before release. It is too backloaded (or rather NOT frontloaded) for the AtSVs of the world to make much sense. IO2 had a (too) long (by half) pre-sale window which is wrecking a whole bunch of other slightly more plausible comps. If I had a complete track of KFP4, that'd probably help a great deal. As often the case with films that should be very backloaded, won't really know how backloaded they are until the week of release. (will note that IO2 does seem to be picking up a hint of steam right now. Which should bode well for its overall ticket total). Horror is, along side pure kids animation, THE most backloaded genre there is when it comes to pre-sales. ATP for the Nope comp will be wrecked, but the pace should be very instructive. Name recognition for Jordan Peele led to slightly stronger pre-sales for a non-franchise horror installment which should map fairly well with the in-built name recognition of IO2. Is complicated by the fact that Nope had an even longer pre-sale window than IO2, but that might help counterbalance some of the ATP errors. Won't be a good comp at the end but right now it might be one of the better ones, especially to show the insane growth that should be on the table. I don't think it's much of a coincidence that it's one of the few comps I have right now that is pointing to double digit previews (May 30). I don't agree with the undertone of concern when it comes to ticket sales. They seem perfectly fine to me, maybe even somewhat strong. It just isn't selling like a frontloaded CBM/fan driven franchise (even when adjusting for animation). So I suppose it really comes down to how much we think this will still act like a traditional kids animation film when it comes to buying pattern, how much demand has been burnt off, and how many people are still going to buy tickets but see no particular need to buy them early. Which I suppose really can't be answered until we get close to the time when kids animation films typically accelerate. But, I keep looking at the sales in Sacramento and not seeing much cause for concern (May 25). Decided to add Nope ($12.62M) to the comp block. Not because I think it's a particularly good one (ATP differences are a major red flag), but more for pace considerations considering how similar horror and kids animation are when it comes to being backloaded. The other consideration with Nope is that it was on sale for nearly two weeks longer, so it did have a small amount of extra time to pad some seats sold. But maybe the errors (ATP vs length of pre-sale) will cancel each other out. PROBABLY NOT! But the pace at the very least should be interesting (May 25).)
- Skim Beeble (I don't know if it's just me, but starting June 20th PLF showings for Inside Out 2 are stopping after around 4 PM. Is there possibly a surprise release coming or is it just a scheduling showtime thing from the chains. (This is AMC) (May 29).)
- TheFlatLannister (Comp: $8.52M THU Florida and $7.57M THU Orlando Comp. Thinking $85M OW is about right. Don't see much data as of right now to suggest a number much lower or higher than that (May 31). Excellent pace this far out. Does feel like something big is around the corner (May 27).)
- vafrow (THU comps are ignored since 2/3 comps (IF and Garfield) are obscenely high ($28M and $124M). Growth remains solid (June 4). Really strong day. I'm not sure what drove it, but it's pulled ahead of KFP4 in sales (June 3). Decent day (June 2). I still have a wide divide between comps. KFP4 just did tremendously well around here, making it a challenging comp to use. Or Garfield and IF being the opposite (June 1). Take the comps with a grain of salt. The low numbers on IF and Garfield really throw things off. Numbers were flat all week before a jump in the last day (May 29). It's starting to grow (May 25).)
- YM! (SouthEast Wisconsin: Already outdone Garfield minus EA. Ideally I’d like heavy buying to be prevalent next week with some form of buildup this week. Right now, looking at other data on here, put me down for 7-8M previews. At NS using pre-pandemic comparisons, it’s about 22% ahead of Onward’s T-9, 57% ahead of Sonic’s T-9 and 46% of Aladdin’s T-9 (June 1). Using Keysersoze123's earlier MTC1 data, the pace is pretty good. $6.74M average THU comp. The same caveats apply (higher ATP than the other animations due to older skew and PLFs but having lower ATP than TLM as that skews older and likely has more of audience to buy upfront, and Wish being on Discount TUES muddies things up) but the important thing is that pace healthy and gainer ground against its comparisons. Feel like tracking is right on the money of 75-85m OW but could grow stronger if pace continues strong and reviews are strong (May 26). The pace is moving nicely as we have about two and a half weeks left. Think there’s potential for ticket count pace to grow strongly. I have no comparisons but it is at Garfield’s EA-less T-3 ticket sales. Going to probably not say much on preview predictions but my thoughts of an OW in between 75m-100m still stand. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out (May 25). Little has changed as IO2 keeps on trucking along. I do theorize at least from the 250 ticket selling Funko Event, it’s plausible families and fans went for that date instead of THU night previews. Not much to make of things until we get to around 2 weeks for rudimentary guessing and opening week for figuring things out. At the very least, I like that it doubled its previous sales a week ago as it shows pace and outdid Garfield’s T-6 (May 23). Did some snooping around for the Funko Event as I was curious if perhaps families getting presales for the opening SAT vs opening THU as those sales are kind of weak THU and uhm it’s at 250 tickets. Which is like 5 times Garfield’s EA showing of 50 tickets all at PLF prices despite normal theaters. Most of which at 9:30 AM with only one theater having it at 11:00 AM (May 22).)
- Pinacolada (Actually sold some around me. It does seem like Focus is giving it kind of a shitty release though. Small screens. Definitely no PLFs, which 20th Century Studios was gonna get it Dolby back when they had it. There's 3 theaters really near me. Only 1 of them has this on sale as of now, though the other 2 theaters may come later? (May 26).)
- abracadabra1998 ($4.09M THU comp. Quite a good start, all of these (imperfect) comps had much larger windows so they should be going up the next couple of updates before it stabilizes (June 2).)
- AnthonyJPHer (Alright start to presales, although kind of muted in my opinion. I’m hoping it’ll start picking up the pace soon, but it’s alright. Not much to say here (May 31).)
- el sid (Counted on FRI (so after ca. 24 hours) for THU, June 27. Yesterday almost nothing happened sales-wise. Two days ago sold 315 tickets. Comps (always counted for THU): AQP II (4.8M) 402 tickets with 9 days left (Day One already at over 75%) and similar sales in the different regions (Very good sales in LA AMC, quite good ones in NY and pretty muted (which is normal with so many days left) in the heartland. Miami is the exception (Day One with 53 tickets to 26 back then). Scream (3.5M) 325 tickets with 26 days left. Halloween Ends (5.4M) 511 tickets with 10 days left. Nope (6.4M) 837 tickets with 11 days left. Insidious: The Red Door (5M) 260 tickets with 8 days left. Overall that was a quite good start in my theaters (June 2).)
- Flip (Has a fan event on the same day of previews, PLF only (May 30).)
- katnisscinnaplex ($4.84M THU comp.)
- Porthos (Took a look locally. Not too bad. Before I tracked DBOX, AQP2 sold 160 tickets at T-22 and AQPD1 sold 166 tickets at T-28. Now I am tracking DBOX seats, which at a glance sold 19 tickets tonight. However three theaters locally converted to having DBOX showings, so some local theaters will have more DBOX sales. In line with D1 of AQP2, more or less. Tickets sold for the 3pm fan event are practically non-existent right now (8 tickets sold). There are so many problems with an AQP2 comp as to make it nearly worthless but promising start (May 31).)
- TheFlatLannister ($4.44M THU Comp. Pretty good start, but nothing crazy or outright telling me a big breakout is coming (May 31))
- vafrow ($2.1M THU comp. This went backwards, which is never good. And three days in, I think the initial rush is gone and this stays pretty quiet until we get closer (June 2). Second day didn't go as well (June 1). Not a bad start. I don't have great comps with it starting at a month out (May 31).)
- AMC ("Some 200,000 movie fans have bought their AMC tickets already. This is more Day 1 ticket sales at AMC than for any other R-rated movie ever." Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that first-day sales are likely around $8 million to $9 million if extrapolating the 200,000 stat cited by Aron (May 22).)
- DEADLINE (Already heating up eight weeks before its debut, having already collected some $8M in first day ticket sales. $8M is pretty remarkable for an R-rated movie two months before release. While there are no direct comps on Deadpool & Wolverine ticket sales in post-Covid history, its current cash bests the 24-hour advance ticket sales of The Batman ($6.5M), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($6M) and John Wick: Chapter 4 ($1.4M). The Batman and GOTG3 opened to respective 3-day weekends of $134M and $118.4M (May 22).)
- FANDANGO (Broke Fandango’s best first-day ticket sales record for 2024. Best first-day pre-seller from the Deadpool franchise (May 21).)
- abracadabra1998 ($22.33M Average THU Marvels+Dune2 comp. Just wanted to give a frame of reference for how this is doing (pretty darn good!). Just chuggin along (June 2).)
- AniNate (THU sales still largely biased towards primetime evening showings. There may be FOMO but not enough for people to take off work early. Good lord already 80+ THU previews sold for Deadpool at Canton (May 20).)
- AnthonyJPHer (Extremely strong growth from OD for THU. We have a monster on our hands here people. Buuut. Let me temper the excitement somewhat. The FRI numbers are good, stronger than Inside Out 2 by a considerable margin. However Inside Out 2 is looking very backloaded. This is looking extremely presales heavy right now. Much more than IO2’s 1,200 tickets for FRI. But here lies the problem. There is only 122 tickets separating THU and FRI for Deadpool and Wolverine, and for IO2, there is 500 tickets between the two days for that movie. This far out I’m not freaking out. I think the gap will increase. It just alarmed me a little. I still think it’s going to be massive though. Just a word of caution (May 28).)
- Charlie Jatinder (Comp: $28.23M THU. BP2 added ~48K from T-39 to T-26. D&W added ~42K from T-66 to T-53. Amazing (June 3). Weirdly strong day today, selling 200+ tix (May 31). Moving along well (May 27). Nearly 300 sales day vs ~260 by Black Panther & ~200 of GOTG3. Another brilliant day. Given the length of sales window, comps be falling off but they have remained steady for first 4 days (May 24). Looking at keysersoze123's MTC1 data: These are incredible (May 22). $40.22M THU (MCU first day sales). Amazing day two at MiniTC2. Well ahead of BP2, GOTG3 and AM3. Not too far off from Thor 4. This is more impressive considering they all were ~25-35 days out while this is 65 days out. MTC2 has lower ATP generally due to smaller screens, less PLF, and more family friendly chain. Does much better PTA than MTC1 (May 21).)
- Inceptionzq (Denver Comp: $25.69M THU. Drafthouse THU/FRI/SAT/SUN comp: $31.04M/$38.62M/$40.21M/$22.35M (May 21).)
- jeffthehat (Took my first look in Indiana yesterday. Won't do a full post because I missed like 20 shows. But the gist is it was at ~3600 tickets sold and ~400 shows. Just as a point of reference, here are the highest values for tickets sold I have in my database. Bob Marley Wed T-1 = 3309 tickets sold. Dune 2 Thu T-1 = 3041 tickets sold. Godzilla x Kong Thu T-1 = 2328 tickets sold. Thus, sales are already the highest I've tracked with two months to go (May 29).)
- keysersoze123 ([response to Jatinder] Previews pace is terrific. Ahead of what I expected. Of course Wakanda was more backloaded because of Veteran's Day. FRI was way higher compared to where Deadpool is (3rd week of presales). I think Thor is better comp once we are into its presale window. I think we could be close to bottom end of the curve for this movie. Probably around 200K for previews/90k ish for FRI by end of June (June 3). Previews was taken late yesterday and FRI data was just now. Still going quite strong. very impressive after huge OD (May 28). Still really strong 3 days later (May 25). 1st few days of PS is all about fanboys so T-x does not matter. By this FRI it will be in steady state mode. With this long a cycle that would be at very low levels. Looking at FRI sales, its IM will be closer to Thor 4 than BP2. So we can do the projections based on how the previews will go. However Its really early. Let us wait until we have T-x comps. Probably will have to wait until July to get credible comps. MTC2 early sales tend to be way weaker for all movies. The disparity for big movies is even higher. Nothing out of ordinary in day 2 pace for MTC1 (May 22). Obvious skew on previews (compared to FRI) as its 9+ weeks from release. Excellent growth even past 2:15 PM. Finished ahead of BP2 and ~20K below Thor 4 (116k for DxW and FINAL The Marvels previews at 133k). It has the longer cycle. This includes fan shows which sold 18K+ in initial check around noon PST. Fan event is just MTC1. I dont see anything for any other MTC so far or smaller chains. I think at this point we need to comp with 2022 MCU movies if OD presales are on par. Until we are within T-x cycle for this movie, we cannot comp after 1st 2-3 days. Fan shows are yuge. Adding FanShows and Previews should put it between BP2 and Thor 4 for now. Terrific OD. Over time, GotG3 should provide great comps. I can say for sure, its no where in the ballpark of DS2 which did 36m previews. Really good start. Should finish the day ahead of Ant 3 I think. Sales will taper off after fanboy rush. This does not include fan shows. No full data yet but show counts for previews (MTC1 - 7427 and MTC2 - 2914). MTC1 shows they are ready for big numbers. MTC2 is more conservative and numbers will go up close to release. If I have to guess based on really early indications, its OD between Guardians 3 and Ant 3 at MTC1. MTC2 I unfortunately cannot get data (May 20).)
- Legion Again (Previews this early in summer are almost a THU opening, so Fri soemthing like +35-55% from Th is IM ~4.9-5.5. If we get some strong Fri sales when we’re close maybe I’ll drag it up to 5.6 or something but it will be really really tough to beat that. Expecting an IM close to Thor 4. Better reception (in avg case, just by regression to the mean) but bigger previews/more fanrush element, ~cancelling. T-65 Projection Matrix ($166M-$186M OW) (May 22).)
- Porthos (Comp: $20.87M THU. Approx Earned So Far (Sacto Market Based Comps): $7.41M (June 3). For long releases of MCU/SW Saga caliber, it usually takes about 6 to 8 days for the initial wave to stop. The Rise of Skywalker didn't really "bottom out" until D9 or so (T-51). Then at T-21, more or less, it started up its acceleration again. Can see similar patterns for MCU long runners (May 24). MCU/SW films tend to have a bit longer of a slope-down on the decent of the "u-curve" so I think I'll keep posting "Day x" comps for at least a couple more days (May 23). Pretty standard Day 2, really. Best sign, I think, is it nearly matching BP2 (that also had a long pre-sale window starting at T-38) (May 22).)
- TalismanRing (NYC Regal Local. 17 shows (3 3D, 3 RPX, 11 Reg 2): 102 tickets sold for first hour - almost half for the 7pm RPX showing. COMPS MON opening week: Marvels: 91 (11pm), Eternals: 266 (7pm), Black Widow: 239 (5pm), and Venom 2: 131 (6pm) (May 20).)
- TheFlatLannister ($150M locked imo. Don’t really see under $30M for previews and a 6x multi gets it to $180M OW. With GOTG 3 early reception I think $200M becomes a real discussion (May 22). $44.36M Dune 2 Day 2 comp. Pretty ridiculously strong day 2. Sold more tickets on T-65 than Dune 2 did in its final day of presales. $22.42M THU GOTG3 Comp. Considering this thing is 60+ days out, I'd say day 2 was amazing (May 21).)
- Tinalera (Toronto having an especially good run on pre sales- overall sales looking healthy (May 27). For a movie this far out, yea presales are doing well in Vancouver and Calgary. Its hard as very few movies open this early, but its healthy when we are getting between 5-10 percent sales for a movie not due out for 2 months (May 24).)
- vafrow (Comp: $37.8M THU. Growth not quite as high as I'd like for a full week, but I'm pretty sure I had a miscount for one of the big IMAX screens that probably has thrown off the numbers. I've kept comps in, but I'm really stretching the utility (June 1). 12% over two days is pretty strong once the rush passes. We're not at the bottom of the curve yet it seems (May 24). 8% growth at this stage is very positive. I expect another drop tomorrow, but I'm probably not going to touch this until the weekend at this stage. I'm comping high, and without a proper MCU comparison (Marvels doesn't count), it's hard to gauge, but I feel this is just doing really well here (May 22).)
- YM! (Sold ~10.6x Furiosa's T-6. Such a strong start. Definitely feels like we got a potential 25m previews/150m+ opener. Still don't buy 200m OW but am starting to see 30m previews/175m+ OW as a strong possibility (May 20).)
- Flip (Getting much more support than Inside Out 2, which currently has 16 showtimes for opening FRI whereas DM4 is getting 22 showtimes for WED opening day (June 4).)
- Porthos (There is an extra "event" (Wed July 3rd) called the "Super Ticket". At a glance, looks to be super limited (only one showing in the entire Greater Sacramento market), still could siphon away tickets from other showings in the locales that do have them. No idea what sort of chain limitations might be at play here. Secondly, (July 6th) "Despicable Me MEGA SAT Family Event". Looks to be a Marcus Exclusive, ala Inside Out 2 Funko event. Chance of siphoning off some amount of sales from earlier days, so might be kept in the back of the mind of anyone who is comping any regions that have Marcus/Movie Tavern Theaters.(June 4). The WED all-day release will mess with comps even more than a Discount TUES release will (June 3).)
- TwoMisfits (My Cinemarks are continuing the summer "put up or shut up" for presales with 2 screens and 12 showings at each for DM4 (1 has 1 PLF screen, so 1/2 the showings at one are PLF) (June 4).)
Domestic Calendar Dates (last updated May 23):
JUNE
- (June 5) Presales Start [Despicable Me 4]
- (June 6) Presales Start [Twisters]
- (June 6) THU Previews [Bad Boys: Ride or Die + Watchers]
- (June 7) Presales Start [Blue Lock: Episode Nagi]
- (June 8) 1-SAT Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
- (June 9) 1-SUN Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Two Towers Extended Edition]
- (June 10) 1-MON Re-Release (1st day) [LotR: Return of the King Extended Edition]
- (June 10) Social Embargo Lifts [9PM PT Inside Out 2]
- (June 12) Review Embargo Lifts [12PM PT Inside Out 2]
- (June 13) THU Previews [Inside Out 2]
- (June 14) Presales Start [MaXXXine]
- (June 15) 1-SAT Re-Release (2nd day) [Fellowship]
- (June 15) Inside Out 2 Funko Family Event (SAT: Marcus Exclusive?)
- (June 16) 1-SUN Re-Release (2nd day) [Towers]
- (June 17) 1-MON Re-Release (2nd day) [Return]
- (June 18) X One-Night-Only Fan Event (includes special sneak peek of MAXXXINE)
- (June 20) THU Previews [Bikeriders + Janet Planet]
- (June 22) 1-SAT Re-Release (3rd day) [Fellowship]
- (June 23) 1-SUN Re-Release (3rd day) [Towers]
- (June 24) 1-MON Re-Release (3rd day) [Return]
- (June 27) THU Previews [Blue Lock + Daddio + Horizon: Chapter 1 + A Quiet Place: Day One]
- (July 1) Presales Start [Fly Me to the Moon + Longlegs]
- (July 3) Opening Day [WED: Despicable Me 4 (including Super Ticket showings)]
- (July 4) Opening Day [THU: Possum Trot]
- (July 4) THU Previews [MaXXXine]
- (July 6) Despicable Me 4 MEGA SAT Family Event (SAT: Marcus Exclusive?)
- (July 11) THU Previews [Fly Me to the Moon + Untitled New Line Horror movie]
- (July 17) EA [Twisters]
- (July 18) THU Previews [Twisters]
- (July 25) THU Previews [Deadpool and Wolverine (including 1 PLF fan show at 3 PM) + Didi + Fabulous Four]
- (July 29) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus + It Ends With Us]
- (August 1) THU Previews [Harold and the Purple Crayon]
- (August 5) Presales Start [Borderlands]
- (August 8) THU Previews [Borderlands + It Ends With Us + Cuckoo + The Fire Inside + Trap]
- (August 12) Presales Start [Alien: Romulus]
- (August 15) THU Previews [Alien: Romulus + Horizon: Chapter 2 + Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure]
- (August 22) THU Previews [Blink Twice + The Crow + The Forge + Slingshot]
- (August 29) THU Previews [City of Dreams + Reagan + They Listen]
May 11
May 14
May 16
May 18
May 21
May 23
May 25
May 28
May 30
June 1
Note: I have removed most tracking data that has not been updated for 2 weeks. I think there is value in keeping data for a week or two but at a certain point they start to lose their value and should not be treated the same as more recent tracking data.
2024.06.05 05:17 healthmedicinet Health Daily News June 4 2024
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6-4-2024
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2024.06.05 05:15 Coyote_Havoc Gallóglaigh: Red Right Hand (Part 4)
First Previous
"Attack him where he is unprepared. Appear where you are not expected."
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War-
"This sucks."
The war game was a simple "capture the flag" event as Laird MacSweeney had stated previously, what hadn't been stares were the rules. Each units standard, once placed, could not be removed from where it had been planted. The field Commander had to maintain contact with their right hand on the standard at all times as well, limiting the movement of the Commander to arms distance from their standard. The objective was simple, knock the standard out of the opposing commanders hand in any way possible. If the colors left the Commander's hand for any reason, the opposing team won.
"I thought Hobbs was on the other team." Derrick mocked playfully.
"You make it sound like a sporting event." Robert shot back.
"Well, it is a game." Derrick replied.
A few rules had been changed as seen fit by Laird MacSweeney. Hobbies were allowed to test their combat effectiveness as well as maneuverability. This tipped the scales in the opposing forces favor as Hobbs had a full compliment of air skimmers while Derrick had only managed to accumulate half of what he needed. The other 50 would be ready soon, but not until after the mock battle. To balance out the force projection, 50 of Derricks troops were allowed to move forward and set ambushes as they saw fit, part of their objective was blocking the opposing hobbies in any way they could. Robert would rather have participated in the ambush parties, but the colors had to remain firmly in his hand, so participating in an ambush was out of the question. Likewise, and for the same reason, he couldn't participate in the main assault which made the suck even worse for him.
"I don't like it either sir." Captain Alvin Roscoe commented.
"Do you trust me?" Derrick asked.
"I trust you," Alvin replied, "the plan you cooked up is another matter."
"All you gotta do is protect the colors Alvin." Derrick said. "We will take care of the rest."
"It's not standard military doctrine." Alvin countered.
"That's why we'll win." Derrick replied with a smirk.
/////
"That was your plan?" Larry asked.
"Yep, granted we didn't know about the rules at the time." Hobbs confirmed.
"If the colors are not suppose to move, then how is he going to be knock down our standard?" Jaime inquired.
"If the flag is planted in something that can move then Rob can move too." Jacob explained.
"So I'll head toward where they are and try to find their ambushes." Hobbs explained. "Once I find one I'll play along for a bit and head right back to play a quick reactionary force that they can't outrun while the other three companies press in and knock down the standard."
Larry nodded in approval. "Good luck Captain Hobbs."
"Ain't no luck needed." Jacob replied as all four Captains left to go about their business.
"Of all the dirty and underhanded tricks." Jaime said shaking his head.
"Yep," Larry replied, "I wish I had thought of it too."
/////
Hobbs had taken a look at the map before his company left, giving the infantry time to close on Robert's forces, but also to identify the closest places for him to pass through the woods between Major Stone and Rob. Those would obviously be blocked and he would break down his own company to head into each trap so it would be that much more realistic for every man in his company while allowing Derrick's ambush units to be as creative as possible before turning around and heading back and waiting for Robert's charge.
As Hobbs lead his team into the firsr available pass he noticed that a tree had been used to block the route.
"Here we go everyone," He said into his headset, "try to make it look good."
Hobbs gently pressed the brake to slow down,expecting to be fired on at any minute, but the only fire he heard was off in the distance yo his right and left. Radio traffic from his units suggested that they had started to recieve fire with a similar blockage in their path, but there was nothing to greet his party except the tree.
"Should we move it sir?" Someone said from in back.
They had a point but something felt off, something he couldn't quite put his finger...
"ALL UNITS," Hobbs yelled into his mic, "RETURN TO BASE! I SAY AGAIN, RETURN YO BASE!"
"That sly son of a bitch." Hobbs muttered under his breath.
He hadn't thought about it earlier and that's probably what Robert had counted on.
"Sir, can't we just push through?" Someone asked over the radio.
"Negative, the actual colors are enroute to base right now." Hobbs explained.
Derrick's First Sergeant, Ramsey. That guy had showed them how to conceal their location using the surrounding terrain. Hobbs tore out of the pass as fast as his hobbie could move, allowing his party to trail behind. Derrick must have waited for them to pass, then patiently wait until the firefight started. Rob could be mere seconds ahead, possibly a minute, but no further than that. He coaxed the hobbie for just alittle more speed until the pack of 50 air skimmers were just in sight. The range was extreme, but he leveled his weapon at what he assumed was the nearest target and opened fire.
The first vehicle he targeted came to a slow halt and just watched as he passed, a light on his chest indicating he had been hit. Two more followed as his party began to catch up with him. He was in a good position, behind the opposition, but he had also been noticed as he heard the warning buzzer of near misses.
"Captain Hobbs?!?!" Major Stone began to say.
"We're on their six and moving fast." Hobbs replied, cutting off the Major.
Two more peeled off to stop, their chests illuminated, but that left 45 more and time was running out. A mix of adrenaline and panic made his blood run faster and another 5 fell out of the formation as another of the Dullahan parties closed on Hobbs flank. Derrick was shuffling his troops and another three fell out to the side as Hobbs closed the distance.
"Not today Derrick." Hobbs said as he sighted his target, a single skimmer with an extra rider carrying a staff.
He lined up the shot, using his knees to steer the skimmer beneath him and took the shot.
"Damn you!" Hobbs cursed.
Six had peeled off and begun to close on their pursuers, one had taken the shot meant for Rob or Derrick. Undeterred,Hobbs pressed on through a hail of fire, dodging and weaving like a drunk, but pushing through Derrick's distraction, looking for that opening he knew would be there. He could see the Major, not far off and knew time was almost out, Derrick's troops fell off to the side and the shot he wanted finally opened again.
"Say goodnight Robbie." Hobbs said its a sinister grin.
The shot flew true and Derrick turned and slowed, facing him. He had won and there was nothing Robert could do except take the shit Hobbs was going to dump on him.
"Nice try Derrick." Hobbs said.
"Try?" Derrick asked innocently.
"Don't give me that." Hobbs said before looking over at... Captain Roscoe?
Derricks radio crackled to life and he could hear Robert's voice clearly as one of Derricks hobbies grabbed the standard that Major had been holding.
"Is it over yet, I'm getting bored out here."
submitted by Coyote_Havoc to HFY [link] [comments]
"Attack him where he is unprepared. Appear where you are not expected."
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War-
"This sucks."
The war game was a simple "capture the flag" event as Laird MacSweeney had stated previously, what hadn't been stares were the rules. Each units standard, once placed, could not be removed from where it had been planted. The field Commander had to maintain contact with their right hand on the standard at all times as well, limiting the movement of the Commander to arms distance from their standard. The objective was simple, knock the standard out of the opposing commanders hand in any way possible. If the colors left the Commander's hand for any reason, the opposing team won.
"I thought Hobbs was on the other team." Derrick mocked playfully.
"You make it sound like a sporting event." Robert shot back.
"Well, it is a game." Derrick replied.
A few rules had been changed as seen fit by Laird MacSweeney. Hobbies were allowed to test their combat effectiveness as well as maneuverability. This tipped the scales in the opposing forces favor as Hobbs had a full compliment of air skimmers while Derrick had only managed to accumulate half of what he needed. The other 50 would be ready soon, but not until after the mock battle. To balance out the force projection, 50 of Derricks troops were allowed to move forward and set ambushes as they saw fit, part of their objective was blocking the opposing hobbies in any way they could. Robert would rather have participated in the ambush parties, but the colors had to remain firmly in his hand, so participating in an ambush was out of the question. Likewise, and for the same reason, he couldn't participate in the main assault which made the suck even worse for him.
"I don't like it either sir." Captain Alvin Roscoe commented.
"Do you trust me?" Derrick asked.
"I trust you," Alvin replied, "the plan you cooked up is another matter."
"All you gotta do is protect the colors Alvin." Derrick said. "We will take care of the rest."
"It's not standard military doctrine." Alvin countered.
"That's why we'll win." Derrick replied with a smirk.
/////
"That was your plan?" Larry asked.
"Yep, granted we didn't know about the rules at the time." Hobbs confirmed.
"If the colors are not suppose to move, then how is he going to be knock down our standard?" Jaime inquired.
"If the flag is planted in something that can move then Rob can move too." Jacob explained.
"So I'll head toward where they are and try to find their ambushes." Hobbs explained. "Once I find one I'll play along for a bit and head right back to play a quick reactionary force that they can't outrun while the other three companies press in and knock down the standard."
Larry nodded in approval. "Good luck Captain Hobbs."
"Ain't no luck needed." Jacob replied as all four Captains left to go about their business.
"Of all the dirty and underhanded tricks." Jaime said shaking his head.
"Yep," Larry replied, "I wish I had thought of it too."
/////
Hobbs had taken a look at the map before his company left, giving the infantry time to close on Robert's forces, but also to identify the closest places for him to pass through the woods between Major Stone and Rob. Those would obviously be blocked and he would break down his own company to head into each trap so it would be that much more realistic for every man in his company while allowing Derrick's ambush units to be as creative as possible before turning around and heading back and waiting for Robert's charge.
As Hobbs lead his team into the firsr available pass he noticed that a tree had been used to block the route.
"Here we go everyone," He said into his headset, "try to make it look good."
Hobbs gently pressed the brake to slow down,expecting to be fired on at any minute, but the only fire he heard was off in the distance yo his right and left. Radio traffic from his units suggested that they had started to recieve fire with a similar blockage in their path, but there was nothing to greet his party except the tree.
"Should we move it sir?" Someone said from in back.
They had a point but something felt off, something he couldn't quite put his finger...
"ALL UNITS," Hobbs yelled into his mic, "RETURN TO BASE! I SAY AGAIN, RETURN YO BASE!"
"That sly son of a bitch." Hobbs muttered under his breath.
He hadn't thought about it earlier and that's probably what Robert had counted on.
"Sir, can't we just push through?" Someone asked over the radio.
"Negative, the actual colors are enroute to base right now." Hobbs explained.
Derrick's First Sergeant, Ramsey. That guy had showed them how to conceal their location using the surrounding terrain. Hobbs tore out of the pass as fast as his hobbie could move, allowing his party to trail behind. Derrick must have waited for them to pass, then patiently wait until the firefight started. Rob could be mere seconds ahead, possibly a minute, but no further than that. He coaxed the hobbie for just alittle more speed until the pack of 50 air skimmers were just in sight. The range was extreme, but he leveled his weapon at what he assumed was the nearest target and opened fire.
The first vehicle he targeted came to a slow halt and just watched as he passed, a light on his chest indicating he had been hit. Two more followed as his party began to catch up with him. He was in a good position, behind the opposition, but he had also been noticed as he heard the warning buzzer of near misses.
"Captain Hobbs?!?!" Major Stone began to say.
"We're on their six and moving fast." Hobbs replied, cutting off the Major.
Two more peeled off to stop, their chests illuminated, but that left 45 more and time was running out. A mix of adrenaline and panic made his blood run faster and another 5 fell out of the formation as another of the Dullahan parties closed on Hobbs flank. Derrick was shuffling his troops and another three fell out to the side as Hobbs closed the distance.
"Not today Derrick." Hobbs said as he sighted his target, a single skimmer with an extra rider carrying a staff.
He lined up the shot, using his knees to steer the skimmer beneath him and took the shot.
"Damn you!" Hobbs cursed.
Six had peeled off and begun to close on their pursuers, one had taken the shot meant for Rob or Derrick. Undeterred,Hobbs pressed on through a hail of fire, dodging and weaving like a drunk, but pushing through Derrick's distraction, looking for that opening he knew would be there. He could see the Major, not far off and knew time was almost out, Derrick's troops fell off to the side and the shot he wanted finally opened again.
"Say goodnight Robbie." Hobbs said its a sinister grin.
The shot flew true and Derrick turned and slowed, facing him. He had won and there was nothing Robert could do except take the shit Hobbs was going to dump on him.
"Nice try Derrick." Hobbs said.
"Try?" Derrick asked innocently.
"Don't give me that." Hobbs said before looking over at... Captain Roscoe?
Derricks radio crackled to life and he could hear Robert's voice clearly as one of Derricks hobbies grabbed the standard that Major had been holding.
"Is it over yet, I'm getting bored out here."
2024.06.05 04:55 ferinsy [EVIL PRINCE AND THE PUPPET] Well, somebody had to break the streak of great JP husbando games
![[EVIL PRINCE AND THE PUPPET] Well, somebody had to break the streak of great JP husbando games](https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/5Wh9mFX4w8f9bC1CIvoMmcMI8b9dXlrUW2WtNztiHh0.jpg "[EVIL PRINCE AND THE PUPPET] Well, somebody had to break the streak of great JP husbando games") | Evil Prince and the Puppet (悪魔王子と操り人形), or Akuaya (あくあや) is the new Japanese husbando gacha released a couple of days ago. Another publication of Liber Entertainment (A3!, 18TRIP, Ride Kamens) -- they're on a roll! It's been developed by Drecom (Disgaea RPG) along with the concept of Black Crown. submitted by ferinsy to gachagaming [link] [comments] This is the fourth joseimuke (female-oriented) gacha released in less than 30 days (check them: Break My Case, 18TRIP and Ride Kamens)! The previous ones were pretty above-the-average, and this one kinda breaks that sequence, but oh well. Akuaya is a puzzle game of breaking gem clusters a la Crash Fever (rest in peace), and I know this info is very important for a lot of people, so I'll drop it here: you can choose your main character (MC) to be male, female or genderneutral (which is pretty rare in Japanese games). And the game has a female characters, surprisingly (more info in the next topic). The game has been announced in 2020, and after that there was a long hiatus, where the main company, Black Crown, just sold several pieces of merch while silent about the development until some tweets with clearer communications became to arise in late 2022. I've been following the game since the first stages (2020), so I held it in the biggest hype possible... And I can only say it was a disappointment. Not a huge one, because it's still a bit enjoyable, but the game is mediocre at best. Bias and disappointment aside, I'll try to review it objectively, but be warned about everything I mentioned above. Alright then, buckle up, at dawn we're riding! BOYS (AND GIRL)So, as I mentioned, this game is pretty uncommon for a joseimuke, as it has a female character. And to be honest, this one doesn't really have flirting or romance between the characters and the MC, so I dare to say it's more of a common RPG than a joseimuke, but due to some gameplay aspects I can see the female-inclined appeal it has.But yeah, yet / once again / another time / once more / repeatingly repeated / over and over / happens every time / for the 4th time, only white, slim characters (sounding like a broken record right here)... The characters are divided into 4 lands, and each one has the same number of playable characters in them: 3. These lands are:
Kingdom of Colchicum Empire of Aquilegia Holy Gypsophila Belladonna, City of Devils STORYAs I told y'all previously, I was pretty hyped for this game, so I've read the story for quite a bit (3 out of 6 available chapters at launch), a couple of card stories and even all the character interaction stories I've unlocked. My screen translator WORKED HARD! Basically the story was the main factor that made me disappointed about the game. It's very generic, and the presentation fells like an afterthought to justify the gacha and gameplay, with extremely lengthy story stages, but more than half of the dialogue lines are just ellipsis, interjections, "character-san!" and other lines that don't add anything; and while I know these dialogues are normal for Japanese games (I've literally played 3 of them in May), this one just exaggerates a whole lot.So, basically you (the MC) wake up without memories, just remembering your name. You're a human waking up in a castle ruled by the Dia and his knight Espada, both demons. The castle also has a princess from a neighbor kingdom, Fiore, who seemingly has obscure intentions since she apparently isn't very fond of demons. Dia, the demon king, plans to have you as his "puppet" (hence the title), but angels and demons are suddenly attracted by your power (as always, we're the chosen one), and apparently this universe's god has decreed that you should share your power with exactly three people (convenience reasons) and apparently they need to share you equally between the four kingdoms/lands. Every one of these lands is corrupted by impure souls and you purify them by playing a puzzle... Anyway, you also discover a guide (your Paimon) that's a wisdom spirit inside your head, trying to guide you in this unknown world, and you jump from place to place helping the 3 characters from each land to purify stuff. Well, at least the story is voiced and I enjoyed it (hahah). Some important observations ahead... Angels apparently are born from emotions, and they're too literal with them (the sad angel Kai is depressive and auto-depreciative, the "fun" angel Tis is extra happy and thrilled all the time etc.). Demons also might have a dominant emotion (one of the "demons" is actually a fallen angel, but it's not really implied the others were angels at some point). Humans, due to the military nature of their land, are VERY "I'm gonna defend you, captain" or "I'll be strong enough to fight for my land"... As I've said, everything is a bit too literal in this game, the "dere" archetypes are evident for a lot of characters. Woof woof (SR card evolved) GAMEPLAYThe game offers a couple of interesting ways to play, to be honest. Unfortunately not all of them are well developed. So, the main gimmick is the puzzle part where you tap a gem cluster of the same color and they're removed from the board; you have turns of 7 seconds to eliminate gems or clusters and it begins to count when you tap the screen, so you have time to plan your moves before your turn ends. Removing gems contribute to attacking the enemies (they'll attack you back at their turns, of course), which you can aim like most gacha RPGs --and you SHOULD aim. There's also an active skill that you charge as you delete clusters, power-up gems (obtained by removing clusters with 6 gems or more, and activated by tapping for a "color spread" a la Splatoon, painting the gems nearby with that color) and health gems that recover HP and serve as a wild card and can link to any gem color.This puzzle gameplay will be the main one for the story, material grind and even for the "endgame" mode (liberation quests). Like most gachas, there's also an elemental system, the usual RGB one (red beats green that beats blue that beats red) and the light and dark attributes that are strong against each other. My main gripe with it is that, contrary to Crash Fever, a staple in this kind of puzzle, Akuaya has a pretty janky gameplay and it takes quite some time to register the tap and delete the gems, you feel the delay and can't really attack a lot in one turn. Aside from the main game mode, you'll also encounter a decoration aspect of the game: each of the 4 lands have a common space where you can place furniture and decorate to your likings. It's everything 2D and you can't rotate the pieces. There are also 3 rooms in each land that you unlock as you progress the story, and you can decorate each one of them as well, with the the addition of changeable walls, windows and floor compared to the overworld scenario. And the game actually awards you a lot of furniture just by playing it, from crafting and from the free2play shop... But there are also pieces available through gacha 😬 (more about that later). Some minor complaints ahead... I can't understand some bad design choices. For instance, instead of upgrading the characters' affection, you upgrade their "story level" to unlock card stories and an alternative (evolved) art, and the upgrading mats are divided by land (one for each), but you get the 4 of them from the same grinding level. Also, crafting is quite boring and you need a lot of materials for most blueprints, and some of the items are hard to get, like, gacha exclusive (from the free gacha, but still, very hard to get 20 of a certain crafting material); but anyway, this can be ignored imo since furniture isn't that important and I got more than 130 different ones in less than 2 days. Puzzle overview: enemy in the center, HP at the bottom, 2 characters at the sides (you can also bring 3 more for support) and timer is the blue background that drops with the time. Decoration mechanic. Each square is a slot you can place something. Furniture may take a big number of slots, as evident in the picture. GACHA AND MONETIZATIONWell, where to start, where to start... The game appears to be heavily p2w, let's say that. Do you remember the "endgame" liberation quest I've mentioned? So, I was able to max 2 SSR cards and several SR cards and it was barely enough for the easiest levels. Where do power comes from? Dupes, of course.Akuaya has the worst kind of dupe system from the recent games I've reviewed: each "step" increases the max level of the card by 10 level, yes, TEN LEVELS (maximum of 4 "steps"). But please, notice I've said "step" and not "dupe", because you need more than 1 dupe to max the level in some cases. For instance, in the case of an SSR, you need a dupe to add 10 levels (60 fragments), but for step 2 you need 70 fragments, 80 for step 3 and 90 for step 4; that's a total of 300 fragments, or 5 dupes for only 4 steps of maxing the level. Cards can be R, SR and SSR, and the max levels for them are, respectively, 40, 50 and 60 with no dupes, and 80, 90 and 100 for step 4. Well, there's a catch: you can obtain universal fragments, that can replace the card-specific ones, but I can't tell how easy these can be acquired. For now, they're scarce and the liberation quests are the main sources for them, while some quests might award some as well. Still, 60 is a lot of fragments, and it's not looking fine so far (my account is rank 34 and I've only obtained 20 universal fragments from beginner missions). Gacha itself... It's terrible as well. So far, there's only a paid banner (10 pulls for a random SSR, not discounted) and the standard one. 1500 gems per 10 pulls, 75 paid gems per 1 discounted pull every day for the standard banner... Odds are 2.5% for SSR cards, 15% for SR cards and 52.5% for R cards... AND 4.2% for SSR furniture, 8.4% for SR furniture and 17.4% for R furniture. Yup, that's right, 70% chance for a card and 30% for furniture, so you have to gamble to even get cards instead of (mostly) useless cosmetic stuff... AND GUESS WHAT??? NO PITY, YAY! Well, at least there's a spark of 120 pulls for cards (30 for SSR furniture), so there's that, at least you can choose the card you want. We just have to see the pity/spark system for limited banners, as there's still none. On top of that, there's a gold (f2p currency) gacha that only offers material, basically. Well, it can give you furniture... At the rate of 0.1%, while the odds for training mats is 49.9% and crafting materials is 50%. You get 10 free pulls for this gold gacha every day. Ugh, this topic is lengthy already, but a last paragraph about it... There's nothing super important besides some discount packs in the shop, a pull (1500 gems) cost 3000 yen, so around 19 dollars. Gems income is pretty okay for the launch (already got 66 pulls after 2 days), there's a free 1500 gems given after loggin in for 3 days, the beginner missions are quite bad (1st step of 9 missions award a frame/furniture, then the 2nd step awards 3 gacha tickets and I'm not sure if there's more to it), and you can't pull mixing tickets and gems (so if you don't have 10 tickets to complete a multipull, you'll need to pull individually). But the long term doesn't seem promising, as the daily quests only offer 20 gems daily. IMPORTANT! The free 10x at the start guarantee you one SSR and you can reroll infinitely. It's also possible to get two SSR, but I'm not sure if you can get more than that. The game says there's a limit of max rarity cards distributed, and from a lot of people commention on Twitter and other social media, it seems like the cap is 2 SSRs. At least the art is pretty, right? (SR card evolved) CONSIDERATIONSWell, it's been a hell of a ride, right? I think that, despite the saltiness about the poor (and quite greedy) state in which the game has been released, I could actually inform interested people about most things that are important when starting Akuaya.It looks like I absolutely hate the game, but it's actually kinda cute. Like, I wanted to like the game, so there's that. But it kinda gives me a bit of nostalgia, it looks a bit outdated and reminds me of older Japanese gachas (like, from 2017-ish), but the loading screens aren't as terrible as those older games, and it's interesting to have different gameplays for the joseimuke genre, even if the execution isn't optimal. Due to the nostalgic/outdated approach, I believe the UI can be quite challenging to navigate if you aren't used to older gachas with busy menus, but it's just my perception. The game doesn't need a VPN, but if you can't login and the loading screen doesn't resume, you might have to change your phone region to US, and language to English (or Japan/Japanese, but I guess it's easier for most people here to use English). For Android (sorry, idk how to do it on an Apple devide), at least in my case, it's possible to do this change in Settings - Additional Settings - Language & region. I can't see a large international following for this game, contrary to the previous 3 ones I've mentioned several times in this post. But there's a fan English Twitter slightly active, so I'll link it at the end. Main screen. Love that you can put 3 characters in it. TL;DRPros:
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2024.06.05 04:28 foodaussie 1 Week Solo in May - Trip Report
Hi all,
I got so much great assistance from this board so I wanted to give back to the community. I (34F) travelled to Japan solo in May with a week on the ground (9 days including travel) from Australia, so no jet lag. I packed in a lot - I have a family with young kids at home and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity so wanted to make the most of it. For those not travelling solo the itinerary is likely less realistic, but worked great for me. I spent approximately 400,000yen for the 7 days including flights and accommodation, and approximately 100,000 of that was on souvenirs and gifts. I walked at least 30,000 steps each day (with the exception of day 1 which was around 25k + a 17km bike ride).
I tried posting to JapanTravel first but it keeps getting rejected by bots!
Day 1 - Arrive 5:30am Haneda, Tokyo (Fri)
submitted by foodaussie to JapanTravelTips [link] [comments]
I got so much great assistance from this board so I wanted to give back to the community. I (34F) travelled to Japan solo in May with a week on the ground (9 days including travel) from Australia, so no jet lag. I packed in a lot - I have a family with young kids at home and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity so wanted to make the most of it. For those not travelling solo the itinerary is likely less realistic, but worked great for me. I spent approximately 400,000yen for the 7 days including flights and accommodation, and approximately 100,000 of that was on souvenirs and gifts. I walked at least 30,000 steps each day (with the exception of day 1 which was around 25k + a 17km bike ride).
I tried posting to JapanTravel first but it keeps getting rejected by bots!
Day 1 - Arrive 5:30am Haneda, Tokyo (Fri)
- Flew into T1, but arrived a little early and had zero lines through immigration etc so decided to travel by free shuttle bus to T3 to pick up a Welcome Suica. This ended up being so worth it and making life easy.
- Train to Higashi-Ginza, drop off bags. Explore Tsukiji. I recommend Tsukiji Uogashi building for food rather than the markets themselves, significantly cheaper, you can take your meal to the rooftop.
- Coffee from Turret Coffee - a standout for coffee (latte) lovers).
- eBike tour by Compass bikes - I am not a huge fan of tours but this was great way to see a lot in a few hours and I really loved Fukagawa Fudou-dō temple which had a walkway inside that felt like it was designed by TeamLabs (no photos allowed unfortunately)
- Back to Higashi-Ginza, picked up my bags and went to check in to my hotel, Dormy Inn Ueno, which was perfectly located (I loved staying in this area).
- On to the Sumo Tournament for which I had purchased tickets through buysumotickets. I think my whole section had as they were all foreigners, haha! I loved this, a really different experience.
- Explored Ameyokocho before calling it a night.
- Up bright and early at 3am. Went to the sento, still couldn't sleep after so took the first train of the day to Asakusa. Explored Senso-ji without crowds. Back to Ueno station where I purchased tickets for the shinkansen the next day. It looks like the line gets busy so this was a good idea to do early.
- Explored Ueno park, Nippori, Ueno by foot.
- Back to hotel to get ready for the day, and out around 8:30am.
- Train to Yoyohi where I got a coffee at Dimlight Espresso then walked through Yoyogi park/Meiji shrine area towards Takeshita St. By now it was around 10:30am and most shops online looked like they didn't open until 11am but most did seem open. I bought some socks at Tabio and then a Harajuku special crepe from Godiva on Meiji-Dori Ave (so good!).
- Walked up Cat St which I loved and was much less busy than the rest of Harajuku and Shibuya. Got some sweets from Number Sugar. On to Shibuya via Miyashita Park. Shopped throughout Shibuya, but it honestly wasn't my favourite as there was just so much choice and so many people. It didn't feel unique to me (ie could have been in any country).
- Train to Akihabara, which was also very busy but felt more unique. I loved Yellow Submarine where I got some board games that are made in Japan but had English instructions, and did some other light shopping for my boys.
- Back to my hotel to rest and eat some gyoza I got on my way from the train station, before heading out for a 7pm localised tour of Shinjuku. Again this was good, but I think limiting doing tours works best for me as I can't take the slow pace, haha!!
- I took the shinkansen to Nagano in gran class which was truly amazing and worth the additional cost. I had the carriage to myself so a personal attendant, meal, slippers included and comfy reclining chair. Then took a train from Nagano to Matsumoto.
- Explored Matsumoto Castle then did a tour at Ishii miso (this was OK, but a bit more of an explanation rather than tour) and visited the Art Museum (this was good for a quick visit even for someone with passing art interest).
- On to Kiso for lunch and to explore, loved the foot bath. Train to Nagiso, where I walked the Nakasendo to my minshuku in Tsumago, Daikichi. Tsumago was just lovely, the people living there are just a wonderful community. Daikichi was incredible. Had a wonderful dinner and breakfast and highly recommend this sort of accommodation.
- Left at 7.30am after breakfast as the weather was not great and more rain was planned as the day progressed. Loved the tea house on the way to Magome. Got in to Magome around 10am, grabbed a coffee from Hillbilly coffee and walked to Chuodo Magome to get a bus as it was a better schedule than the bus from Magome to Nakatsugawa. I don't recommend this as it was a roadhouse with only locals and felt a bit awkward haha. But, it all worked well and was actually a really comfortable trip to Nagoya.
- I decided to take the slower Kintetsu Ltd Express from Nagoya to Osaka-Namba, as it was direct, and I could book a premium seat again which was a great place to rest on a rainy day. The premium seat on the Hinotori was incredible comfy (perhaps more so than the shinkansen?) and had a seat warmer function.
- Explored Kuromon market, Sennichimae Doguyasuji for kitchenware, Ota St, DenDen Town, Dotonbori. Took two trains to my hotel in Kyoto, Hotel Aru. Again this was a fab hotel in a really great location, and the room was much nicer and newer than the Dormy Inn (although no sento).
- Did some washing and crashed.
- There was a Typhoon in the Philippines today which brought with it significant rain. I had originally planned Nara but with flooding and rain inundation warnings thought I would stick close to my hotel instead.
- Walked to Sentido for a coffee, then on to Kyoto Gyoen National Garden and the Kyoto Imperial Palace. This wasn't in my original itinerary but I really enjoyed it and the audio guide was really well done (and all free!). Another coffee in School Bus Coffee Stop.
- Spent the rest of the day exploring the undercover shopping streets, department stores, Nishiki markets. Loved the Daimaru basement food court, the staff here were especially polite with every single one bowing and greeting me as I walked past.
- Back to my hotel to dry off my feet after they had been wet for the past 14 hrs. The rain had finally eased off so I then headed out at night to explore Yasaka shrine and Gion. I saw a Maiko (who unfortunately looked quite distressed, clearly still getting harassed by tourists!).
- Today I made up for lost time and fit in a LOT. More than I would like realistically, I would have loved more time in Uji and Nara, I would definitely like to spend more time in that region if/when I return to Japan.
- Train to Fushimi Inari, at 5:30am it was still quiet, at 6:30am it was already getting busy. I made the call at the halfway lookout point that I could probably squeeze Nara in if I left then, and tbh Fushimi Inari wasn't a standout for me.
- Grabbed some breakfast at the konbini while I waited for a train to Nara. I loved Nara. Not so much the deer, or Todai-ji (both were good) but the forest beyond and places like Todaiji Nigatsudo, Kasuga Taisha. I loved taking paths where there were no other tourists.
- On to Uji - bought several bags of matcha and sencha, some matcha treats, explored Byodo-in and had a matcha parfait at Tsuen overlooking the river. I would have loved to stay here longer but had a tour booking for 2pm on the other side of Kyoto (but an easy trip due to being on the same line)
- 2pm tour at Matsui sake, a tiny sake house in Kyoto. The tour was great and I loved their anime branding and innovative tasting system.
- The weather today was SO amazing and I really loved this area (Sakyo ward) so hired a bike from emusica edmachiyanagi and travelled north along Kamo River, exploring some temples along the way, having something to eat by the river. Rode to Circus Coffee which had the most lovely staff and I loved the branding. Explored some shopping streets, then on to Philosophers Path and returned the bike around 7:30pm.
- Got a massage at ボディケアボディ 三条河原町店 which was so cheap and so good. Had a 40 min wait so I went to Donki and bought a suitcase for all my extra shopping (had travelled carry-on only). After my massage I packed and crashed.
- Got up and took the train to Kiyomizu (could have walked but my legs were sore!), then walked up to Kiyomizu-dera. I wasn't sure if I would like it as I was disappointed with Fushimi Inari but it was simply spectacular.
- Explored Higashiyama then enjoyed a zen meditation session at Ryosoku-in. This was a great experience!
- Back to my hotel to change and check out then lunch at Roan Kikunoi, my Michelin restaurant (**) for the trip and a wonderful meal and experience.
- Went and grabbed my bags from the hotel, taxi to train station, shinkansen to Nagoya and train to Inuyama.
- Inuyama was a gorgeous little town. Nagoya has a lot less foreign visitors, and there were few signs, train announcements etc in English. I actually didn't see a non-Asian person my whole time in Nagoya (including in the airport the next day). The castle here was gorgeous and I loved the town, a great slower pace to end my trip.
- There is a train without changes to chubu airport from Inuyama. Unfortunately, I had miscalculated my remaining yen so was 200 yen short for the limited express, so had to take the commuter which meant standing for 1 hr in a crowded train. The ltd express would have been better but I didn't want to get out 10,000 yen just for the train and I wasn't sure whether I could use card at the airport for fare adjustment (I could have, it turned out).
- The airport was super clean and easy and not too busy. I had used points to fly SQ business which was a luxurious end to a truly incredible trip.
2024.06.05 04:24 ConansMonorail 40 [M4F] #Phoenix Tempe AZ - Work-in-Progress seeking a Cuddle Buddy
Hi, I could really use a caring, loving gal-pal, with the potential to develop into something more significant.
(When I 1st sat down to write this advert, my intention was to write a quick blurb about my lonliness and why I am this way, and then move onto more pertinent information about myself... but that portion turned into a long-winded trauma-dump. I don't want the trauma-dump to be your initial introduction to me... so I'm going to paste it at the bottom instead).
So, about me. I am the kind of person that enjoys hugs more than kissing, and cuddling anytime we watch movies, play video games, or listen to music together.
My ex (It's been so long) used to do this thing where she would use my chest as a pillow, and she would bury her face in my chest like how a cat rubs its scent on you. Then we would wrap the sheets over us and she could just sigh and disassociate. She always said it made her feel safe.
I just want more of that. That and head scratches, back rubs, gentle caressing (for both of us). That, plus night-drives for snacks while blasting vaporwave/synthwave/synthpop, urban exploration. Movie nights (both in-bed, on a couch, or in theater. Music nights (record shopping, live events, stand-up shows, listening in bed).
Love Language etc: Physical Touch Quality Time Words of Affirmation
Music: I like IDM/Experimental Techno, Breakcore, Surf Rock, Quiet Storm / Motown, 80s Synthpop, Yacht Rock, Synthwave, Vaporwave, SynthFunk, Soul.
Movies/TV: I like Comedy, and Sci-Fi, (specifically, Sci-Fi, about Robots, AI, VR, Dystopia, Dreams, Memories, Time Travel... and less about Aliens, Space Travel, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, Horror, Anime).
Radio/Podcasts/Youtube. I am an "Oldtime Radio" buff (think radio Dramas like Dragnet, Hitchhikers Guide, etc..). Beau of the Fifth Column, Big Joel, Legal Eagle, VeryTallBart, BadGear, ContraPoints, PDS, Chapo Traphouse, Blocks, Wendigoon.
I'm not materialistic. I don't care about gifts, money or status. I do not have a "wanderlust". I do enjoy road-trips, and night drives, especially with a partner. But travel is not my #1 way to relax and wind-down.
Relationship Style. It should be noted that, while I'm ideally looking for a long-term relationship, I'm not looking to get married and have kids (I've had a vasectomy).
I am not opposed to age gaps (me being older, you being younger) In fact, I would prefer to date someone in their late twenties/early thirties.
I want to be a shoulder to cry on, a chest to lay on. I want to be your big cuddly Teddy Bear (sidenote, I've lost 30 lbs in the last few months so I am not as big a Teddybear as I used to be, and no, I didn't cheat and use Ozempic lol). Maybe I can be your chauffeur if you don't have a car or don't like driving. Maybe you just went through a divorce or a breakup (like I went through a breakup 2 years ago) and you just want a kind and physically affectionate guy who is fun to be around, non-aggressive, reliable, emotionally attentive, patient, optimistic and can be the Friend you need when you have had a hard day at work, or school, or just life in general. I want to alleviate any loneliness you have, and in doing so, alleviate my loneliness in the process.
Personality: I'm extremely chill. Imagine if Jeff Lebowski (The Big Lebowski) was combined with the geekiness of Kevin Flynn from Tron/Tron Legacy + The humor of someone like Mitch Hedberg, or Norm Macdonald.
Politically , I'm a leftist (I'm not a liberal, because I feel like "The Center" has been pulled so far right at this point, that anyone willing to "Reach Across the aisle" is just wasting their time, and falling for all the bad-faith arguments and scams that the Right is dragging them into).
Black Lives matter. Gay/Trans Rights are Human Rights. Healthcare is a human right. Women deserve autonomy over their bodies. The workers should control and profit from the means of production. Religion has no place in politics.
In Summary I am not overly ambitious. I work a maximum of 40 hours per week... and no more. (at least I did when I had a job... more on that later).
I generally wear Dark T-shirts, Dickies pants, and a hoody. My weight fluctuates. When I get to 195, I go Keto, and exercise to get my weight back down, but I'm not a gym rat.
I think to really sum myself up... I do the bare minimum that's required to maintain my health and my financial situation. I would probably consider myself an "underachiever". I am not materialistic, and money and wealth are not a driving force in my motivations.
It seems like every time I go on social media, or a dating app, all I see are people in a "Grindset Mindset", or people that are cosplaying as such.
Everyone wants to play-up their gym routine, and how vegan they are, and drone on about how "active" their lifestyle is. Everyone has "wanderlust", and an "entrepreneurial spirit"... and so on... and so on...
Frankly, this is just not the kind of person I am looking to be, and though I am certain that many of these people are kind, and loving, and great partners... I have found that I can only date someone of that mindset for a short while before they become restless and decide they would be better off with someone else... or they become judgmental and begin trying to nudge me towards, or in some cases aggressively demand that I, "get on their level."
You might be reading this and thinking "Oh, he's looking for an emotional support, because he's lonely and sad and depressed." And, while I am lonely, and a bit sad as a result, I am not looking for someone to "fix" me.
I am actually looking to be YOUR emotional support animal. I don't want to go down a "manosphere" rabbit hole (as that entire space is pretty toxic), but one aspect of the dialogue surrounding a man's place in the modern world that I do resonate with is this...
A man needs to feel useful. Specifically, a man needs to feel like they are providing something for their partner, that they aren't looking to someone else for.
We've already established that I'm not super ambitious nor materialistic. I'll probably never be able to financially provide for two people, on my single income. I am not even looking to move-in together, have kids, or get married.
But what I do have a surplus of, is free time, and the potential for love and affection. (And I know, from experience, that the potential isn't theoretical, I have been in long-term relationships, and I have been in-love before, but in order to be a great boyfriend... I need a girlfriend to be great to).
(ok here's that trauma dump I mentioned). "I don't want to "trauma dump" or make appeals to your sympathy, and I know there's nothing unique about my situation... but I'm going to do my best to get the sad stuff out of the way, so I can move onto the things about myself that might be more appealing... so here it goes."
I am a high functioning insomniac with mild bi-polar, and mild anxiety. Both the Axiety and Bi-Polar are semi-situational, and I can usually manage them without treatment. (I'm NOT Kanye bi-polar, I'm more like... Stephen Fry bi-polar. Essentially... under normal circumstances... I go 45 days like a "normal person", and then I'll have a Manic Episode where I have heightened productivity/creatvity, and I'll lose some sleep... and if I can't get my sleep pattern back on track after a couple of nights of bad/no sleep... I become depressed, and anxious, and then eventually I get so tired/depressed that I'll spend an entire weekend (or more) in my room with the lights off until the cycle ends, and I catch up on all the sleep I've missed.
So, what are normal circumstances? Well, normal circumstances are; I have a job to occupy my time, my friends and family are doing okay, and essentially there's nothing bothering me that patience and self-reflection can't solve.
What are my current circumstances? Well, my current circumstances are: In the summer of 2022 my Longterm Girlfriend Graduated from College and dumped me so she could start her career-life with a 100% clean slate and no obligations to anyone. At the same time, my lease was about to be up, and the rent went up to a point where I couldn't afford to live anywhere in that region anymore (at least not without rooming with total strangers), so I moved back to Phoenix, because at least here I could be around friends and family, and I could room with people that I know and trust (even if they are a bit messier than I would prefer).
My Grandmother passed away a few months after I moved back. So, that was another blow to my emotional state. At least I was able to transfer my job with me when I moved back (and eventually got a significant raise). Unfortunately, my lonleyness and sadness at the loss of my Girlfriend, and my Grandmother have only been compounding this entire time. Initially, my attitude towards finding another girlfriend was "Don't waste anyone's time until you can go 48 hours without crying about something that reminds you of your ex"... but, at the end of April, a change in management at work resulted in me being stuck with a manager who is... for lack of a better term... a total jerkface, and as much as I tried to just do my job and lay low... eventually he got uppity and started firing people... and I was one of the people that got gired.
So, essentially, I'm at a point now were, caution and ethics be damned, I need someone to be by my side while I rebuild myself.
Right now my life consists of going on job boards, applying for jobs until there are no more jobs I qualify for in the queue, and then just waiting by the phone/inbox frustrated, while I binge-watch youtube... until the sun goes down.
I have a roof over my head, food in the frige, a room of my own, & comfortable bed. I have a 4 door sedan, and a motorcycle, I have video game consoles, I have a gaming PC and VR. I have access to all the major streaming services. I have a respectable record/cd collection, and a respectable collection of Synthesizers and Musical Instruments... and in the past, I have enjoyed using all of the aformentioned possesions in order to entertain myself.
Sadly, I have lost all motivation to even attempt to entertain myself. I think back on the start of 2022, when I had a girlfriend living 1 block away, and I could invite her over, and we'd just cuddle and watch Movies/TV together, or listen to music, or play videogames together... or drive around the area after dark, blasting tunes and grabbing snacks, and just enjoying the simplest things because we had someone to share those things with.
I need that again. It's no longer a want. It's a need. Love is what motivates me. Movies/TV is pointless without someone to watch them with. Videogames are a waste of time without someone to hand the controller too. Music is daunting to make, because it all comes out sad now... and I don't want to make sad music.
I know, from experience, (and from the testimony of former partners) that I can be a really great boyfriend (some have even said I'm the best, and their favorite)... but I can't be a good boyfriend... without a girlfriend. I truly wish I could just learn to be happy by myself... but unfortunately, looking back at my life, the best I could ever do alone... is contentment... and right now, I am having an extremely difficult time finding contentment. (The last time I was truly content, was after a divorce... and that's because I was just so relieved to have that person out of my life, that I didn't care that I didn't have anyone to share my life with... at least I didn't have to fall asleep next to someone that treated my like garbage). But, that's not where I am right now. Right now I'm still emotionally broken because I lost someone that I was truly happy with. Right now I'm just second guessing myself and wondering if I had done anything different, would she still have dumped me when she graduated? Or was she just using me as a long-term rebound following her divorce... and is everyone just going to get tired of me when they move-up a notch in their social climb to the top? (I hate all these toxic social heirarchies, and what they have done to people, and their relationships with others).
Ok, I guess I ended up doing the trauma dump I said I wasn't going to do. Let's move past that.
Let's get shallow for a second. I am lonely and sad, we have established this, however, I am not so desperate that I'm just going to latch onto the first person that responds. I have preferences (if I didn't have preferences I would just make a Grindr account and call it a day). So, what are some shallow things I look for in a partner?
I prefer hair that's on the longer side of the spectrum. (shoulder length or more, unless you are petite enough to pull-off a concave bob cut without coming off as a Karen). I prefer healthy weight distribution (At my largest I was 5 foot 10, 195 lbs, and I consider myself an egalitarian, so... we should assume that I would prefer someone right around that level of fitness, or better). I like short women, but I don't mind taller than me. I like glasses (but don't mind the able-sighted). I like Gothy (but don't care for betty paige bangs, nor excessive tattoos/piercings). I like a gal that knows how to apply a smokey-eye look, and maybe some contouring. I am really not picky about clothing. I like someone that's easy to get along with, and is excited to spend time with me.
Please, no cigarette smokers. Vape is fine, I just can't take the smoke, or the "aftertaste".
I guess the bottom line is that I enjoy everything in life 99% more when I have someone to share the enjoyment with. Are my memories even worth a darn without someone else to say "Hey remember that awesome time?..." to.
I would be really happy to find that person. thx for coming to my Tedx Talk. I hope to hear from you.
submitted by ConansMonorail to DatingAfterTwenty [link] [comments]
(When I 1st sat down to write this advert, my intention was to write a quick blurb about my lonliness and why I am this way, and then move onto more pertinent information about myself... but that portion turned into a long-winded trauma-dump. I don't want the trauma-dump to be your initial introduction to me... so I'm going to paste it at the bottom instead).
So, about me. I am the kind of person that enjoys hugs more than kissing, and cuddling anytime we watch movies, play video games, or listen to music together.
My ex (It's been so long) used to do this thing where she would use my chest as a pillow, and she would bury her face in my chest like how a cat rubs its scent on you. Then we would wrap the sheets over us and she could just sigh and disassociate. She always said it made her feel safe.
I just want more of that. That and head scratches, back rubs, gentle caressing (for both of us). That, plus night-drives for snacks while blasting vaporwave/synthwave/synthpop, urban exploration. Movie nights (both in-bed, on a couch, or in theater. Music nights (record shopping, live events, stand-up shows, listening in bed).
Love Language etc: Physical Touch Quality Time Words of Affirmation
Music: I like IDM/Experimental Techno, Breakcore, Surf Rock, Quiet Storm / Motown, 80s Synthpop, Yacht Rock, Synthwave, Vaporwave, SynthFunk, Soul.
Movies/TV: I like Comedy, and Sci-Fi, (specifically, Sci-Fi, about Robots, AI, VR, Dystopia, Dreams, Memories, Time Travel... and less about Aliens, Space Travel, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, Horror, Anime).
Radio/Podcasts/Youtube. I am an "Oldtime Radio" buff (think radio Dramas like Dragnet, Hitchhikers Guide, etc..). Beau of the Fifth Column, Big Joel, Legal Eagle, VeryTallBart, BadGear, ContraPoints, PDS, Chapo Traphouse, Blocks, Wendigoon.
I'm not materialistic. I don't care about gifts, money or status. I do not have a "wanderlust". I do enjoy road-trips, and night drives, especially with a partner. But travel is not my #1 way to relax and wind-down.
Relationship Style. It should be noted that, while I'm ideally looking for a long-term relationship, I'm not looking to get married and have kids (I've had a vasectomy).
I am not opposed to age gaps (me being older, you being younger) In fact, I would prefer to date someone in their late twenties/early thirties.
I want to be a shoulder to cry on, a chest to lay on. I want to be your big cuddly Teddy Bear (sidenote, I've lost 30 lbs in the last few months so I am not as big a Teddybear as I used to be, and no, I didn't cheat and use Ozempic lol). Maybe I can be your chauffeur if you don't have a car or don't like driving. Maybe you just went through a divorce or a breakup (like I went through a breakup 2 years ago) and you just want a kind and physically affectionate guy who is fun to be around, non-aggressive, reliable, emotionally attentive, patient, optimistic and can be the Friend you need when you have had a hard day at work, or school, or just life in general. I want to alleviate any loneliness you have, and in doing so, alleviate my loneliness in the process.
Personality: I'm extremely chill. Imagine if Jeff Lebowski (The Big Lebowski) was combined with the geekiness of Kevin Flynn from Tron/Tron Legacy + The humor of someone like Mitch Hedberg, or Norm Macdonald.
Politically , I'm a leftist (I'm not a liberal, because I feel like "The Center" has been pulled so far right at this point, that anyone willing to "Reach Across the aisle" is just wasting their time, and falling for all the bad-faith arguments and scams that the Right is dragging them into).
Black Lives matter. Gay/Trans Rights are Human Rights. Healthcare is a human right. Women deserve autonomy over their bodies. The workers should control and profit from the means of production. Religion has no place in politics.
In Summary I am not overly ambitious. I work a maximum of 40 hours per week... and no more. (at least I did when I had a job... more on that later).
I generally wear Dark T-shirts, Dickies pants, and a hoody. My weight fluctuates. When I get to 195, I go Keto, and exercise to get my weight back down, but I'm not a gym rat.
I think to really sum myself up... I do the bare minimum that's required to maintain my health and my financial situation. I would probably consider myself an "underachiever". I am not materialistic, and money and wealth are not a driving force in my motivations.
It seems like every time I go on social media, or a dating app, all I see are people in a "Grindset Mindset", or people that are cosplaying as such.
Everyone wants to play-up their gym routine, and how vegan they are, and drone on about how "active" their lifestyle is. Everyone has "wanderlust", and an "entrepreneurial spirit"... and so on... and so on...
Frankly, this is just not the kind of person I am looking to be, and though I am certain that many of these people are kind, and loving, and great partners... I have found that I can only date someone of that mindset for a short while before they become restless and decide they would be better off with someone else... or they become judgmental and begin trying to nudge me towards, or in some cases aggressively demand that I, "get on their level."
You might be reading this and thinking "Oh, he's looking for an emotional support, because he's lonely and sad and depressed." And, while I am lonely, and a bit sad as a result, I am not looking for someone to "fix" me.
I am actually looking to be YOUR emotional support animal. I don't want to go down a "manosphere" rabbit hole (as that entire space is pretty toxic), but one aspect of the dialogue surrounding a man's place in the modern world that I do resonate with is this...
A man needs to feel useful. Specifically, a man needs to feel like they are providing something for their partner, that they aren't looking to someone else for.
We've already established that I'm not super ambitious nor materialistic. I'll probably never be able to financially provide for two people, on my single income. I am not even looking to move-in together, have kids, or get married.
But what I do have a surplus of, is free time, and the potential for love and affection. (And I know, from experience, that the potential isn't theoretical, I have been in long-term relationships, and I have been in-love before, but in order to be a great boyfriend... I need a girlfriend to be great to).
(ok here's that trauma dump I mentioned). "I don't want to "trauma dump" or make appeals to your sympathy, and I know there's nothing unique about my situation... but I'm going to do my best to get the sad stuff out of the way, so I can move onto the things about myself that might be more appealing... so here it goes."
I am a high functioning insomniac with mild bi-polar, and mild anxiety. Both the Axiety and Bi-Polar are semi-situational, and I can usually manage them without treatment. (I'm NOT Kanye bi-polar, I'm more like... Stephen Fry bi-polar. Essentially... under normal circumstances... I go 45 days like a "normal person", and then I'll have a Manic Episode where I have heightened productivity/creatvity, and I'll lose some sleep... and if I can't get my sleep pattern back on track after a couple of nights of bad/no sleep... I become depressed, and anxious, and then eventually I get so tired/depressed that I'll spend an entire weekend (or more) in my room with the lights off until the cycle ends, and I catch up on all the sleep I've missed.
So, what are normal circumstances? Well, normal circumstances are; I have a job to occupy my time, my friends and family are doing okay, and essentially there's nothing bothering me that patience and self-reflection can't solve.
What are my current circumstances? Well, my current circumstances are: In the summer of 2022 my Longterm Girlfriend Graduated from College and dumped me so she could start her career-life with a 100% clean slate and no obligations to anyone. At the same time, my lease was about to be up, and the rent went up to a point where I couldn't afford to live anywhere in that region anymore (at least not without rooming with total strangers), so I moved back to Phoenix, because at least here I could be around friends and family, and I could room with people that I know and trust (even if they are a bit messier than I would prefer).
My Grandmother passed away a few months after I moved back. So, that was another blow to my emotional state. At least I was able to transfer my job with me when I moved back (and eventually got a significant raise). Unfortunately, my lonleyness and sadness at the loss of my Girlfriend, and my Grandmother have only been compounding this entire time. Initially, my attitude towards finding another girlfriend was "Don't waste anyone's time until you can go 48 hours without crying about something that reminds you of your ex"... but, at the end of April, a change in management at work resulted in me being stuck with a manager who is... for lack of a better term... a total jerkface, and as much as I tried to just do my job and lay low... eventually he got uppity and started firing people... and I was one of the people that got gired.
So, essentially, I'm at a point now were, caution and ethics be damned, I need someone to be by my side while I rebuild myself.
Right now my life consists of going on job boards, applying for jobs until there are no more jobs I qualify for in the queue, and then just waiting by the phone/inbox frustrated, while I binge-watch youtube... until the sun goes down.
I have a roof over my head, food in the frige, a room of my own, & comfortable bed. I have a 4 door sedan, and a motorcycle, I have video game consoles, I have a gaming PC and VR. I have access to all the major streaming services. I have a respectable record/cd collection, and a respectable collection of Synthesizers and Musical Instruments... and in the past, I have enjoyed using all of the aformentioned possesions in order to entertain myself.
Sadly, I have lost all motivation to even attempt to entertain myself. I think back on the start of 2022, when I had a girlfriend living 1 block away, and I could invite her over, and we'd just cuddle and watch Movies/TV together, or listen to music, or play videogames together... or drive around the area after dark, blasting tunes and grabbing snacks, and just enjoying the simplest things because we had someone to share those things with.
I need that again. It's no longer a want. It's a need. Love is what motivates me. Movies/TV is pointless without someone to watch them with. Videogames are a waste of time without someone to hand the controller too. Music is daunting to make, because it all comes out sad now... and I don't want to make sad music.
I know, from experience, (and from the testimony of former partners) that I can be a really great boyfriend (some have even said I'm the best, and their favorite)... but I can't be a good boyfriend... without a girlfriend. I truly wish I could just learn to be happy by myself... but unfortunately, looking back at my life, the best I could ever do alone... is contentment... and right now, I am having an extremely difficult time finding contentment. (The last time I was truly content, was after a divorce... and that's because I was just so relieved to have that person out of my life, that I didn't care that I didn't have anyone to share my life with... at least I didn't have to fall asleep next to someone that treated my like garbage). But, that's not where I am right now. Right now I'm still emotionally broken because I lost someone that I was truly happy with. Right now I'm just second guessing myself and wondering if I had done anything different, would she still have dumped me when she graduated? Or was she just using me as a long-term rebound following her divorce... and is everyone just going to get tired of me when they move-up a notch in their social climb to the top? (I hate all these toxic social heirarchies, and what they have done to people, and their relationships with others).
Ok, I guess I ended up doing the trauma dump I said I wasn't going to do. Let's move past that.
Let's get shallow for a second. I am lonely and sad, we have established this, however, I am not so desperate that I'm just going to latch onto the first person that responds. I have preferences (if I didn't have preferences I would just make a Grindr account and call it a day). So, what are some shallow things I look for in a partner?
I prefer hair that's on the longer side of the spectrum. (shoulder length or more, unless you are petite enough to pull-off a concave bob cut without coming off as a Karen). I prefer healthy weight distribution (At my largest I was 5 foot 10, 195 lbs, and I consider myself an egalitarian, so... we should assume that I would prefer someone right around that level of fitness, or better). I like short women, but I don't mind taller than me. I like glasses (but don't mind the able-sighted). I like Gothy (but don't care for betty paige bangs, nor excessive tattoos/piercings). I like a gal that knows how to apply a smokey-eye look, and maybe some contouring. I am really not picky about clothing. I like someone that's easy to get along with, and is excited to spend time with me.
Please, no cigarette smokers. Vape is fine, I just can't take the smoke, or the "aftertaste".
I guess the bottom line is that I enjoy everything in life 99% more when I have someone to share the enjoyment with. Are my memories even worth a darn without someone else to say "Hey remember that awesome time?..." to.
I would be really happy to find that person. thx for coming to my Tedx Talk. I hope to hear from you.
2024.06.05 04:19 ConansMonorail 40 [M4F] #Ahwatukee Tempe AZ - Work-in-Progress seeking a Cuddle Buddy
Hi, I could really use a caring, loving gal-pal, with the potential to develop into something more significant.
(When I 1st sat down to write this advert, my intention was to write a quick blurb about my lonliness and why I am this way, and then move onto more pertinent information about myself... but that portion turned into a long-winded trauma-dump. I don't want the trauma-dump to be your initial introduction to me... so I'm going to paste it at the bottom instead).
So, about me. I am the kind of person that enjoys hugs more than kissing, and cuddling anytime we watch movies, play video games, or listen to music together.
My ex (It's been so long) used to do this thing where she would use my chest as a pillow, and she would bury her face in my chest like how a cat rubs its scent on you. Then we would wrap the sheets over us and she could just sigh and disassociate. She always said it made her feel safe.
I just want more of that. That and head scratches, back rubs, gentle caressing (for both of us). That, plus night-drives for snacks while blasting vaporwave/synthwave/synthpop, urban exploration. Movie nights (both in-bed, on a couch, or in theater. Music nights (record shopping, live events, stand-up shows, listening in bed).
Love Language etc: Physical Touch Quality Time Words of Affirmation
Music: I like IDM/Experimental Techno, Breakcore, Surf Rock, Quiet Storm / Motown, 80s Synthpop, Yacht Rock, Synthwave, Vaporwave, SynthFunk, Soul.
Movies/TV: I like Comedy, and Sci-Fi, (specifically, Sci-Fi, about Robots, AI, VR, Dystopia, Dreams, Memories, Time Travel... and less about Aliens, Space Travel, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, Horror, Anime).
Radio/Podcasts/Youtube. I am an "Oldtime Radio" buff (think radio Dramas like Dragnet, Hitchhikers Guide, etc..). Beau of the Fifth Column, Big Joel, Legal Eagle, VeryTallBart, BadGear, ContraPoints, PDS, Chapo Traphouse, Blocks, Wendigoon.
I'm not materialistic. I don't care about gifts, money or status. I do not have a "wanderlust". I do enjoy road-trips, and night drives, especially with a partner. But travel is not my #1 way to relax and wind-down.
Relationship Style. It should be noted that, while I'm ideally looking for a long-term relationship, I'm not looking to get married and have kids (I've had a vasectomy).
I am not opposed to age gaps (me being older, you being younger) In fact, I would prefer to date someone in their late twenties/early thirties.
I want to be a shoulder to cry on, a chest to lay on. I want to be your big cuddly Teddy Bear (sidenote, I've lost 30 lbs in the last few months so I am not as big a Teddybear as I used to be, and no, I didn't cheat and use Ozempic lol). Maybe I can be your chauffeur if you don't have a car or don't like driving. Maybe you just went through a divorce or a breakup (like I went through a breakup 2 years ago) and you just want a kind and physically affectionate guy who is fun to be around, non-aggressive, reliable, emotionally attentive, patient, optimistic and can be the Friend you need when you have had a hard day at work, or school, or just life in general. I want to alleviate any loneliness you have, and in doing so, alleviate my loneliness in the process.
Personality: I'm extremely chill. Imagine if Jeff Lebowski (The Big Lebowski) was combined with the geekiness of Kevin Flynn from Tron/Tron Legacy + The humor of someone like Mitch Hedberg, or Norm Macdonald.
Politically , I'm a leftist (I'm not a liberal, because I feel like "The Center" has been pulled so far right at this point, that anyone willing to "Reach Across the aisle" is just wasting their time, and falling for all the bad-faith arguments and scams that the Right is dragging them into).
Black Lives matter. Gay/Trans Rights are Human Rights. Healthcare is a human right. Women deserve autonomy over their bodies. The workers should control and profit from the means of production. Religion has no place in politics.
In Summary I am not overly ambitious. I work a maximum of 40 hours per week... and no more. (at least I did when I had a job... more on that later).
I generally wear Dark T-shirts, Dickies pants, and a hoody. My weight fluctuates. When I get to 195, I go Keto, and exercise to get my weight back down, but I'm not a gym rat.
I think to really sum myself up... I do the bare minimum that's required to maintain my health and my financial situation. I would probably consider myself an "underachiever". I am not materialistic, and money and wealth are not a driving force in my motivations.
It seems like every time I go on social media, or a dating app, all I see are people in a "Grindset Mindset", or people that are cosplaying as such.
Everyone wants to play-up their gym routine, and how vegan they are, and drone on about how "active" their lifestyle is. Everyone has "wanderlust", and an "entrepreneurial spirit"... and so on... and so on...
Frankly, this is just not the kind of person I am looking to be, and though I am certain that many of these people are kind, and loving, and great partners... I have found that I can only date someone of that mindset for a short while before they become restless and decide they would be better off with someone else... or they become judgmental and begin trying to nudge me towards, or in some cases aggressively demand that I, "get on their level."
You might be reading this and thinking "Oh, he's looking for an emotional support, because he's lonely and sad and depressed." And, while I am lonely, and a bit sad as a result, I am not looking for someone to "fix" me.
I am actually looking to be YOUR emotional support animal. I don't want to go down a "manosphere" rabbit hole (as that entire space is pretty toxic), but one aspect of the dialogue surrounding a man's place in the modern world that I do resonate with is this...
A man needs to feel useful. Specifically, a man needs to feel like they are providing something for their partner, that they aren't looking to someone else for.
We've already established that I'm not super ambitious nor materialistic. I'll probably never be able to financially provide for two people, on my single income. I am not even looking to move-in together, have kids, or get married.
But what I do have a surplus of, is free time, and the potential for love and affection. (And I know, from experience, that the potential isn't theoretical, I have been in long-term relationships, and I have been in-love before, but in order to be a great boyfriend... I need a girlfriend to be great to).
(ok here's that trauma dump I mentioned). "I don't want to "trauma dump" or make appeals to your sympathy, and I know there's nothing unique about my situation... but I'm going to do my best to get the sad stuff out of the way, so I can move onto the things about myself that might be more appealing... so here it goes."
I am a high functioning insomniac with mild bi-polar, and mild anxiety. Both the Axiety and Bi-Polar are semi-situational, and I can usually manage them without treatment. (I'm NOT Kanye bi-polar, I'm more like... Stephen Fry bi-polar. Essentially... under normal circumstances... I go 45 days like a "normal person", and then I'll have a Manic Episode where I have heightened productivity/creatvity, and I'll lose some sleep... and if I can't get my sleep pattern back on track after a couple of nights of bad/no sleep... I become depressed, and anxious, and then eventually I get so tired/depressed that I'll spend an entire weekend (or more) in my room with the lights off until the cycle ends, and I catch up on all the sleep I've missed.
So, what are normal circumstances? Well, normal circumstances are; I have a job to occupy my time, my friends and family are doing okay, and essentially there's nothing bothering me that patience and self-reflection can't solve.
What are my current circumstances? Well, my current circumstances are: In the summer of 2022 my Longterm Girlfriend Graduated from College and dumped me so she could start her career-life with a 100% clean slate and no obligations to anyone. At the same time, my lease was about to be up, and the rent went up to a point where I couldn't afford to live anywhere in that region anymore (at least not without rooming with total strangers), so I moved back to Phoenix, because at least here I could be around friends and family, and I could room with people that I know and trust (even if they are a bit messier than I would prefer).
My Grandmother passed away a few months after I moved back. So, that was another blow to my emotional state. At least I was able to transfer my job with me when I moved back (and eventually got a significant raise). Unfortunately, my lonleyness and sadness at the loss of my Girlfriend, and my Grandmother have only been compounding this entire time. Initially, my attitude towards finding another girlfriend was "Don't waste anyone's time until you can go 48 hours without crying about something that reminds you of your ex"... but, at the end of April, a change in management at work resulted in me being stuck with a manager who is... for lack of a better term... a total jerkface, and as much as I tried to just do my job and lay low... eventually he got uppity and started firing people... and I was one of the people that got gired.
So, essentially, I'm at a point now were, caution and ethics be damned, I need someone to be by my side while I rebuild myself.
Right now my life consists of going on job boards, applying for jobs until there are no more jobs I qualify for in the queue, and then just waiting by the phone/inbox frustrated, while I binge-watch youtube... until the sun goes down.
I have a roof over my head, food in the frige, a room of my own, & comfortable bed. I have a 4 door sedan, and a motorcycle, I have video game consoles, I have a gaming PC and VR. I have access to all the major streaming services. I have a respectable record/cd collection, and a respectable collection of Synthesizers and Musical Instruments... and in the past, I have enjoyed using all of the aformentioned possesions in order to entertain myself.
Sadly, I have lost all motivation to even attempt to entertain myself. I think back on the start of 2022, when I had a girlfriend living 1 block away, and I could invite her over, and we'd just cuddle and watch Movies/TV together, or listen to music, or play videogames together... or drive around the area after dark, blasting tunes and grabbing snacks, and just enjoying the simplest things because we had someone to share those things with.
I need that again. It's no longer a want. It's a need. Love is what motivates me. Movies/TV is pointless without someone to watch them with. Videogames are a waste of time without someone to hand the controller too. Music is daunting to make, because it all comes out sad now... and I don't want to make sad music.
I know, from experience, (and from the testimony of former partners) that I can be a really great boyfriend (some have even said I'm the best, and their favorite)... but I can't be a good boyfriend... without a girlfriend. I truly wish I could just learn to be happy by myself... but unfortunately, looking back at my life, the best I could ever do alone... is contentment... and right now, I am having an extremely difficult time finding contentment. (The last time I was truly content, was after a divorce... and that's because I was just so relieved to have that person out of my life, that I didn't care that I didn't have anyone to share my life with... at least I didn't have to fall asleep next to someone that treated my like garbage). But, that's not where I am right now. Right now I'm still emotionally broken because I lost someone that I was truly happy with. Right now I'm just second guessing myself and wondering if I had done anything different, would she still have dumped me when she graduated? Or was she just using me as a long-term rebound following her divorce... and is everyone just going to get tired of me when they move-up a notch in their social climb to the top? (I hate all these toxic social heirarchies, and what they have done to people, and their relationships with others).
Ok, I guess I ended up doing the trauma dump I said I wasn't going to do. Let's move past that.
Let's get shallow for a second. I am lonely and sad, we have established this, however, I am not so desperate that I'm just going to latch onto the first person that responds. I have preferences (if I didn't have preferences I would just make a Grindr account and call it a day). So, what are some shallow things I look for in a partner?
I prefer hair that's on the longer side of the spectrum. (shoulder length or more, unless you are petite enough to pull-off a concave bob cut without coming off as a Karen). I prefer healthy weight distribution (At my largest I was 5 foot 10, 195 lbs, and I consider myself an egalitarian, so... we should assume that I would prefer someone right around that level of fitness, or better). I like short women, but I don't mind taller than me. I like glasses (but don't mind the able-sighted). I like Gothy (but don't care for betty paige bangs, nor excessive tattoos/piercings). I like a gal that knows how to apply a smokey-eye look, and maybe some contouring. I am really not picky about clothing. I like someone that's easy to get along with, and is excited to spend time with me.
Please, no cigarette smokers. Vape is fine, I just can't take the smoke, or the "aftertaste".
I guess the bottom line is that I enjoy everything in life 99% more when I have someone to share the enjoyment with. Are my memories even worth a darn without someone else to say "Hey remember that awesome time?..." to.
I would be really happy to find that person. thx for coming to my Tedx Talk. I hope to hear from you.
submitted by ConansMonorail to PhoenixR4R [link] [comments]
(When I 1st sat down to write this advert, my intention was to write a quick blurb about my lonliness and why I am this way, and then move onto more pertinent information about myself... but that portion turned into a long-winded trauma-dump. I don't want the trauma-dump to be your initial introduction to me... so I'm going to paste it at the bottom instead).
So, about me. I am the kind of person that enjoys hugs more than kissing, and cuddling anytime we watch movies, play video games, or listen to music together.
My ex (It's been so long) used to do this thing where she would use my chest as a pillow, and she would bury her face in my chest like how a cat rubs its scent on you. Then we would wrap the sheets over us and she could just sigh and disassociate. She always said it made her feel safe.
I just want more of that. That and head scratches, back rubs, gentle caressing (for both of us). That, plus night-drives for snacks while blasting vaporwave/synthwave/synthpop, urban exploration. Movie nights (both in-bed, on a couch, or in theater. Music nights (record shopping, live events, stand-up shows, listening in bed).
Love Language etc: Physical Touch Quality Time Words of Affirmation
Music: I like IDM/Experimental Techno, Breakcore, Surf Rock, Quiet Storm / Motown, 80s Synthpop, Yacht Rock, Synthwave, Vaporwave, SynthFunk, Soul.
Movies/TV: I like Comedy, and Sci-Fi, (specifically, Sci-Fi, about Robots, AI, VR, Dystopia, Dreams, Memories, Time Travel... and less about Aliens, Space Travel, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, Horror, Anime).
Radio/Podcasts/Youtube. I am an "Oldtime Radio" buff (think radio Dramas like Dragnet, Hitchhikers Guide, etc..). Beau of the Fifth Column, Big Joel, Legal Eagle, VeryTallBart, BadGear, ContraPoints, PDS, Chapo Traphouse, Blocks, Wendigoon.
I'm not materialistic. I don't care about gifts, money or status. I do not have a "wanderlust". I do enjoy road-trips, and night drives, especially with a partner. But travel is not my #1 way to relax and wind-down.
Relationship Style. It should be noted that, while I'm ideally looking for a long-term relationship, I'm not looking to get married and have kids (I've had a vasectomy).
I am not opposed to age gaps (me being older, you being younger) In fact, I would prefer to date someone in their late twenties/early thirties.
I want to be a shoulder to cry on, a chest to lay on. I want to be your big cuddly Teddy Bear (sidenote, I've lost 30 lbs in the last few months so I am not as big a Teddybear as I used to be, and no, I didn't cheat and use Ozempic lol). Maybe I can be your chauffeur if you don't have a car or don't like driving. Maybe you just went through a divorce or a breakup (like I went through a breakup 2 years ago) and you just want a kind and physically affectionate guy who is fun to be around, non-aggressive, reliable, emotionally attentive, patient, optimistic and can be the Friend you need when you have had a hard day at work, or school, or just life in general. I want to alleviate any loneliness you have, and in doing so, alleviate my loneliness in the process.
Personality: I'm extremely chill. Imagine if Jeff Lebowski (The Big Lebowski) was combined with the geekiness of Kevin Flynn from Tron/Tron Legacy + The humor of someone like Mitch Hedberg, or Norm Macdonald.
Politically , I'm a leftist (I'm not a liberal, because I feel like "The Center" has been pulled so far right at this point, that anyone willing to "Reach Across the aisle" is just wasting their time, and falling for all the bad-faith arguments and scams that the Right is dragging them into).
Black Lives matter. Gay/Trans Rights are Human Rights. Healthcare is a human right. Women deserve autonomy over their bodies. The workers should control and profit from the means of production. Religion has no place in politics.
In Summary I am not overly ambitious. I work a maximum of 40 hours per week... and no more. (at least I did when I had a job... more on that later).
I generally wear Dark T-shirts, Dickies pants, and a hoody. My weight fluctuates. When I get to 195, I go Keto, and exercise to get my weight back down, but I'm not a gym rat.
I think to really sum myself up... I do the bare minimum that's required to maintain my health and my financial situation. I would probably consider myself an "underachiever". I am not materialistic, and money and wealth are not a driving force in my motivations.
It seems like every time I go on social media, or a dating app, all I see are people in a "Grindset Mindset", or people that are cosplaying as such.
Everyone wants to play-up their gym routine, and how vegan they are, and drone on about how "active" their lifestyle is. Everyone has "wanderlust", and an "entrepreneurial spirit"... and so on... and so on...
Frankly, this is just not the kind of person I am looking to be, and though I am certain that many of these people are kind, and loving, and great partners... I have found that I can only date someone of that mindset for a short while before they become restless and decide they would be better off with someone else... or they become judgmental and begin trying to nudge me towards, or in some cases aggressively demand that I, "get on their level."
You might be reading this and thinking "Oh, he's looking for an emotional support, because he's lonely and sad and depressed." And, while I am lonely, and a bit sad as a result, I am not looking for someone to "fix" me.
I am actually looking to be YOUR emotional support animal. I don't want to go down a "manosphere" rabbit hole (as that entire space is pretty toxic), but one aspect of the dialogue surrounding a man's place in the modern world that I do resonate with is this...
A man needs to feel useful. Specifically, a man needs to feel like they are providing something for their partner, that they aren't looking to someone else for.
We've already established that I'm not super ambitious nor materialistic. I'll probably never be able to financially provide for two people, on my single income. I am not even looking to move-in together, have kids, or get married.
But what I do have a surplus of, is free time, and the potential for love and affection. (And I know, from experience, that the potential isn't theoretical, I have been in long-term relationships, and I have been in-love before, but in order to be a great boyfriend... I need a girlfriend to be great to).
(ok here's that trauma dump I mentioned). "I don't want to "trauma dump" or make appeals to your sympathy, and I know there's nothing unique about my situation... but I'm going to do my best to get the sad stuff out of the way, so I can move onto the things about myself that might be more appealing... so here it goes."
I am a high functioning insomniac with mild bi-polar, and mild anxiety. Both the Axiety and Bi-Polar are semi-situational, and I can usually manage them without treatment. (I'm NOT Kanye bi-polar, I'm more like... Stephen Fry bi-polar. Essentially... under normal circumstances... I go 45 days like a "normal person", and then I'll have a Manic Episode where I have heightened productivity/creatvity, and I'll lose some sleep... and if I can't get my sleep pattern back on track after a couple of nights of bad/no sleep... I become depressed, and anxious, and then eventually I get so tired/depressed that I'll spend an entire weekend (or more) in my room with the lights off until the cycle ends, and I catch up on all the sleep I've missed.
So, what are normal circumstances? Well, normal circumstances are; I have a job to occupy my time, my friends and family are doing okay, and essentially there's nothing bothering me that patience and self-reflection can't solve.
What are my current circumstances? Well, my current circumstances are: In the summer of 2022 my Longterm Girlfriend Graduated from College and dumped me so she could start her career-life with a 100% clean slate and no obligations to anyone. At the same time, my lease was about to be up, and the rent went up to a point where I couldn't afford to live anywhere in that region anymore (at least not without rooming with total strangers), so I moved back to Phoenix, because at least here I could be around friends and family, and I could room with people that I know and trust (even if they are a bit messier than I would prefer).
My Grandmother passed away a few months after I moved back. So, that was another blow to my emotional state. At least I was able to transfer my job with me when I moved back (and eventually got a significant raise). Unfortunately, my lonleyness and sadness at the loss of my Girlfriend, and my Grandmother have only been compounding this entire time. Initially, my attitude towards finding another girlfriend was "Don't waste anyone's time until you can go 48 hours without crying about something that reminds you of your ex"... but, at the end of April, a change in management at work resulted in me being stuck with a manager who is... for lack of a better term... a total jerkface, and as much as I tried to just do my job and lay low... eventually he got uppity and started firing people... and I was one of the people that got gired.
So, essentially, I'm at a point now were, caution and ethics be damned, I need someone to be by my side while I rebuild myself.
Right now my life consists of going on job boards, applying for jobs until there are no more jobs I qualify for in the queue, and then just waiting by the phone/inbox frustrated, while I binge-watch youtube... until the sun goes down.
I have a roof over my head, food in the frige, a room of my own, & comfortable bed. I have a 4 door sedan, and a motorcycle, I have video game consoles, I have a gaming PC and VR. I have access to all the major streaming services. I have a respectable record/cd collection, and a respectable collection of Synthesizers and Musical Instruments... and in the past, I have enjoyed using all of the aformentioned possesions in order to entertain myself.
Sadly, I have lost all motivation to even attempt to entertain myself. I think back on the start of 2022, when I had a girlfriend living 1 block away, and I could invite her over, and we'd just cuddle and watch Movies/TV together, or listen to music, or play videogames together... or drive around the area after dark, blasting tunes and grabbing snacks, and just enjoying the simplest things because we had someone to share those things with.
I need that again. It's no longer a want. It's a need. Love is what motivates me. Movies/TV is pointless without someone to watch them with. Videogames are a waste of time without someone to hand the controller too. Music is daunting to make, because it all comes out sad now... and I don't want to make sad music.
I know, from experience, (and from the testimony of former partners) that I can be a really great boyfriend (some have even said I'm the best, and their favorite)... but I can't be a good boyfriend... without a girlfriend. I truly wish I could just learn to be happy by myself... but unfortunately, looking back at my life, the best I could ever do alone... is contentment... and right now, I am having an extremely difficult time finding contentment. (The last time I was truly content, was after a divorce... and that's because I was just so relieved to have that person out of my life, that I didn't care that I didn't have anyone to share my life with... at least I didn't have to fall asleep next to someone that treated my like garbage). But, that's not where I am right now. Right now I'm still emotionally broken because I lost someone that I was truly happy with. Right now I'm just second guessing myself and wondering if I had done anything different, would she still have dumped me when she graduated? Or was she just using me as a long-term rebound following her divorce... and is everyone just going to get tired of me when they move-up a notch in their social climb to the top? (I hate all these toxic social heirarchies, and what they have done to people, and their relationships with others).
Ok, I guess I ended up doing the trauma dump I said I wasn't going to do. Let's move past that.
Let's get shallow for a second. I am lonely and sad, we have established this, however, I am not so desperate that I'm just going to latch onto the first person that responds. I have preferences (if I didn't have preferences I would just make a Grindr account and call it a day). So, what are some shallow things I look for in a partner?
I prefer hair that's on the longer side of the spectrum. (shoulder length or more, unless you are petite enough to pull-off a concave bob cut without coming off as a Karen). I prefer healthy weight distribution (At my largest I was 5 foot 10, 195 lbs, and I consider myself an egalitarian, so... we should assume that I would prefer someone right around that level of fitness, or better). I like short women, but I don't mind taller than me. I like glasses (but don't mind the able-sighted). I like Gothy (but don't care for betty paige bangs, nor excessive tattoos/piercings). I like a gal that knows how to apply a smokey-eye look, and maybe some contouring. I am really not picky about clothing. I like someone that's easy to get along with, and is excited to spend time with me.
Please, no cigarette smokers. Vape is fine, I just can't take the smoke, or the "aftertaste".
I guess the bottom line is that I enjoy everything in life 99% more when I have someone to share the enjoyment with. Are my memories even worth a darn without someone else to say "Hey remember that awesome time?..." to.
I would be really happy to find that person. thx for coming to my Tedx Talk. I hope to hear from you.
2024.06.05 04:09 CrispyNuggins I never understood how artists might feel being "replaced" by AI, so why don't I try applying a similar scenario to something I can understand?
I should preface this by saying that the conclusion I reached in coming up with this analogy didn't change my opinion at all, so this exercise accomplished basically nothing for me lol. Feel free to let me know if I failed to note anything important or let me know what I might have been wrong about.
I've been a fan of generative AI since I first started playing with Dall E Mini in senior year high school. Of course back then everyone was just making funny images to show their buddies, but It was really fun. Over the next couple years, as it advanced further, I started to see images that genuinely impressed me. I've never been a person with a particular passion for art, but it was more the idea that impressive art could be made artificially that was very intriguing to me. That's why it's very dissatisfying to me to see the heavy discourse online about this subject, and the often uneducated arguments being thrown around on social media and such. Of course I'm aware that the advancement of GAI raises important concerns that need to be discussed, but its still aggravating to me. After all, I'm still just having fun lol.
Many artists feel that they are "stolen" from when images are scraped from publicly accessible sources on the internet for training. Despite the fact that their images are likely a tiny drop in the bucket of any given model's learning (if they're even included in training at all), this concern seems to be held by very many artists. I never understood that perspective personally, but I'm not an artist so it may not be fair for me judge their feelings. So I thought that I should try to come up with an analogy that might help me gain some perspective on how they might feel.
I really only have a couple meaningful creative outlets, but I think the most applicable for this purpose would be Minecraft building. I have been building in Minecraft for a few years now, and I like to think I've gotten pretty good at it. I think most would agree that Minecraft building is a valid creative process, at least for the purpose of this analogy.
Before I come up with the rules of this hypothetical, it is worth noting that this hypothetical is directed at the artists that aren't using art for income, and just object to AI art because its somehow evil to them. This has nothing to do with the concerns over money, that's an entirely seperate discussion.
So now let's say that there were an AI, that was trained to create a Minecraft build in the game based on a prompt written by the player. Also, this AI is trained entirely on Minecraft buildings that are posted publicly by players who were unaware that it could be used for this purpose. Given this rule, I'd be placing myself in a similar position as the artists who are concerned about their images being used, as its possible mine could be used for training without my knowledge. With these rules in place, I think we have a hypothetical that is very realistic, and very similar to the current discord related to art and GAI.
Now given the rules in this hypothetical scenario, what would my opinion of this AI be? After all it "stole" my creative work, and is enabling players with lesser skill to spawn buildings that sometimes look better than mine just by typing a few words! How can I accept this affront to humanity!? ITS UTTERLY OFFENSIVE! IT HAS NO SOUL!
Yeah I'm just kidding, I really wouldn't care. I think that's pretty obvious from how I started this post.
I wouldn't be offended by an algorithm learning how to create buildings based on publicly available images of the buildings. After all that's how most players learn! Nearly every player I know has at one point or another straight up copied a building they've seen online while they were still novice. Its the starting point for growth in building. For all I know players have been doing that for my builds already, and I don't mind that prospect at all. And in art the same applies: Attempting to recreate art that you see is a helpful exercise in improving your art in the early stages. And that's never been considered wrong by anybody as long as you aren't specifically claiming that its your own original work. If anything this could be considered more blatant copying than anything that a generative text to image AI does. Not to mention the AI generated structures could be used as a learning tool for new players as well.
I wouldn't be bothered by perceived worse builders being able to make better buildings through prompting. At the end of the day a nice build is a nice build and I don't care if it's made "the easy way". I may even see the generated buildings and take inspiration from them. I seriously don't see how these hypothetical other players' use of this AI should have anything to do with me just because the AI may or may not have learned from what I shared with the world. I made it publicly available and that means anyone can use it for anything that they want (as long as its legal of course). Now if this other builder used the AI and falsely claimed that they built the result block by block, that would be malicious. To be fair though I don't think anyone's arguing that its right to misrepresent your work like that anyway.
So in the end I kind of wound up with the exact same stance, albeit with a little bit more basis for thinking these artists are being unreasonable since I have a bit more perspective using this analogy. Did I miss any of the prominent arguments used by anti-AI people(of course excluding any of the money discussion because Minecraft EULA means this analogy doesn't apply for that)? Does this analogy work or is it flawed?
submitted by CrispyNuggins to DefendingAIArt [link] [comments]
I've been a fan of generative AI since I first started playing with Dall E Mini in senior year high school. Of course back then everyone was just making funny images to show their buddies, but It was really fun. Over the next couple years, as it advanced further, I started to see images that genuinely impressed me. I've never been a person with a particular passion for art, but it was more the idea that impressive art could be made artificially that was very intriguing to me. That's why it's very dissatisfying to me to see the heavy discourse online about this subject, and the often uneducated arguments being thrown around on social media and such. Of course I'm aware that the advancement of GAI raises important concerns that need to be discussed, but its still aggravating to me. After all, I'm still just having fun lol.
Many artists feel that they are "stolen" from when images are scraped from publicly accessible sources on the internet for training. Despite the fact that their images are likely a tiny drop in the bucket of any given model's learning (if they're even included in training at all), this concern seems to be held by very many artists. I never understood that perspective personally, but I'm not an artist so it may not be fair for me judge their feelings. So I thought that I should try to come up with an analogy that might help me gain some perspective on how they might feel.
I really only have a couple meaningful creative outlets, but I think the most applicable for this purpose would be Minecraft building. I have been building in Minecraft for a few years now, and I like to think I've gotten pretty good at it. I think most would agree that Minecraft building is a valid creative process, at least for the purpose of this analogy.
Before I come up with the rules of this hypothetical, it is worth noting that this hypothetical is directed at the artists that aren't using art for income, and just object to AI art because its somehow evil to them. This has nothing to do with the concerns over money, that's an entirely seperate discussion.
So now let's say that there were an AI, that was trained to create a Minecraft build in the game based on a prompt written by the player. Also, this AI is trained entirely on Minecraft buildings that are posted publicly by players who were unaware that it could be used for this purpose. Given this rule, I'd be placing myself in a similar position as the artists who are concerned about their images being used, as its possible mine could be used for training without my knowledge. With these rules in place, I think we have a hypothetical that is very realistic, and very similar to the current discord related to art and GAI.
Now given the rules in this hypothetical scenario, what would my opinion of this AI be? After all it "stole" my creative work, and is enabling players with lesser skill to spawn buildings that sometimes look better than mine just by typing a few words! How can I accept this affront to humanity!? ITS UTTERLY OFFENSIVE! IT HAS NO SOUL!
Yeah I'm just kidding, I really wouldn't care. I think that's pretty obvious from how I started this post.
I wouldn't be offended by an algorithm learning how to create buildings based on publicly available images of the buildings. After all that's how most players learn! Nearly every player I know has at one point or another straight up copied a building they've seen online while they were still novice. Its the starting point for growth in building. For all I know players have been doing that for my builds already, and I don't mind that prospect at all. And in art the same applies: Attempting to recreate art that you see is a helpful exercise in improving your art in the early stages. And that's never been considered wrong by anybody as long as you aren't specifically claiming that its your own original work. If anything this could be considered more blatant copying than anything that a generative text to image AI does. Not to mention the AI generated structures could be used as a learning tool for new players as well.
I wouldn't be bothered by perceived worse builders being able to make better buildings through prompting. At the end of the day a nice build is a nice build and I don't care if it's made "the easy way". I may even see the generated buildings and take inspiration from them. I seriously don't see how these hypothetical other players' use of this AI should have anything to do with me just because the AI may or may not have learned from what I shared with the world. I made it publicly available and that means anyone can use it for anything that they want (as long as its legal of course). Now if this other builder used the AI and falsely claimed that they built the result block by block, that would be malicious. To be fair though I don't think anyone's arguing that its right to misrepresent your work like that anyway.
So in the end I kind of wound up with the exact same stance, albeit with a little bit more basis for thinking these artists are being unreasonable since I have a bit more perspective using this analogy. Did I miss any of the prominent arguments used by anti-AI people(of course excluding any of the money discussion because Minecraft EULA means this analogy doesn't apply for that)? Does this analogy work or is it flawed?
2024.06.05 04:00 StillChillTrill ZERO DOUBT! They Attack Karl Nell's Credibility and Character Because They Can't Attack The Claims
THE PURPOSE OF THIS POST
Zero Doubt means zero doubt. Let's explore exactly who just made this statement to Wall Street at the annual SALT iConnections meeting in NYC a couple weeks ago.
SALT ICONNECTIONS
"Non human intelligence exists, non human intelligence has been interacting with humanity, this interaction is not new and it has been ongoing, and there are unelected people in the government that are aware of that."
Let me ask you all a question, did you hear any snickers in the crowd when Karl Nell said that?
"SALT iConnections will convene over 1,000 institutional asset owners, asset managers and entrepreneurs for two days of content and curated capital introductions powered by iConnections. The event is projected to have over 2,500 manager meetings and a 2:1 LP:GP attendance ratio."
These are some of the people that were featured at the event. I'll do a quick recap on one of them.
You shouldn't be.
Karl Nell is 4 steps removed from the United States President. He has friends and stuff.
TIM GALLAUDET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Gallaudet
Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet corroborates Karl Nell's statement on LinkedIn: "My colleague, retired Army Colonel Karl Nell said with 100% certainty that the world is being visited by higher level, non-human intelligence (NHI). I know he is correct with complete certainty."
It's wild to know that the other part include that we have covert agreements with them.
Gallaudet has been active in his support lately. His talk at Sol Conference was nuts. But everyone who's looked into the topic long enough or deep enough knows USO's are 10000% a concern so who can blame him for begging people to pay attention. There's been some great videos put together on USOs that mention Tic Tac's (I like the Tic Tac) going under water.
I like Tim Gallaudet's resume, he seems like somebody who might know something
Naval Career
He seems like he probably knows something about what's in our oceans and skies.
KARL NELL
Karl Nell has been coming up alot. Good, he's possibly one of the most critical pieces to this entire puzzle. His career is immaculate, he's likable, and he says some fucking incredible stuff in front of crowds of institutional investment representatives.
I mentioned him last in this post.
I trust Karl Nell's talks on the topic due to him being a previous colleague of David Grusch's. Karl Nell was the Army's UAPTF liaison and worked closely with Grusch in 2021-2022. He would be parallel to Jay Stratton in terms of org chart, but for the Army side of UAPTF. Grusch was on the Air Force side. Hey this is cool. Here is his promotion Colonel in 2016, good for him. Given his resume, it makes sense he was promoted.
I think this type of published work may give you insight into his feelings on some things
2012: Hearts-and-Minds: A Strategy of Conciliation, Coercion, or Commitment?
TECHINT Operations Officer (C/J-2)TECHINT Operations Officer (C/J-2)Defense Intelligence AgencyDefense Intelligence Agency 2001 - 2003 · 2 yrs
From my most recent post I did the other day: SAIC had UFO stuff in the 70s
You get loud. Stop letting people dictate your actions and discern for yourself. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that there is some crazy shit going on, so many people are saying it. This stuff needs to be looked at yesterday. Not today, not tomorrow, but yesterday.
Speaking toward the trustworthiness of Mellon, Nell, and the others involved with UAP Disclosure Fund, I believe these people are involved with the largest power struggle in known history and they are fighting for transparency.
This is how it happens. Lobbying and official activism. I have been tracking the corporate structure of what they're building to push disclosure and combat MIC gatekeeping since my first post. The potential board of Sol was identified early into this process, as it basically aligned with the UAPDA review board setup.
They initially setup a 501c3 (Sol Foundation) initially to begin the academic push for Disclosure, officially. Then the 501c4 (UAP Disclosure Fund) was setup to push for Disclosure legally as these entity types are allowed to lobby, as long as the activity aligns with their primary purpose of promoting social welfare (this is a good thing). Contributions are not tax deductible either.
I spent time with some of these people at Sol. I got what I needed to determine if these people are attempting to bury this further or hide things further from you.
They are not.
Sol = Sun
I think it is time that light is shone on some of these blatant examples of corporate greed and the unfair game that has been established, and ultimately maintained through political activism that's anti-human and meant to keep us divided and fighting each other.
submitted by StillChillTrill to UFOs [link] [comments]
Zero Doubt means zero doubt. Let's explore exactly who just made this statement to Wall Street at the annual SALT iConnections meeting in NYC a couple weeks ago.
SALT ICONNECTIONS
"Non human intelligence exists, non human intelligence has been interacting with humanity, this interaction is not new and it has been ongoing, and there are unelected people in the government that are aware of that."
Let me ask you all a question, did you hear any snickers in the crowd when Karl Nell said that?
"SALT iConnections will convene over 1,000 institutional asset owners, asset managers and entrepreneurs for two days of content and curated capital introductions powered by iConnections. The event is projected to have over 2,500 manager meetings and a 2:1 LP:GP attendance ratio."
These are some of the people that were featured at the event. I'll do a quick recap on one of them.
- Mark Anson, CEO, President & CIO, Commonfund
- Former President and Global Head of Investment Management at Nuveen Investments - $900 billion AUM
- Former CEO and CIO for the British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS), the largest institutional investor in the UK with assets of £65 billion
- Former CEO of Hermes Pensions Management in London, a £55 billion asset management company
- Current Chairman of the Investment Committee for the $65 billion UAW Medical Benefits Trust
- Serves on the Law Board of the Northwestern University School of Law
- He is the only person to serve on the Board of Governors for both the CFA Institute and the CAIA Association
- He was an inaugural member of the SEC Investor Advisory Committee and the Chairman of the Board for the International Corporate Governance Network
- Mark has published over 100 investment articles in professional journals and has won three Best Paper Awards and the author of five financial textbooks
- Mark earned a B.A. in Economics and Chemistry from St. Olaf College, a Ph.D. and Masters in Finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, all with honors
- he is a Member of the Law Bar of New York and Illinois.
- Carmelo Anthony, NBA All-Star and Entrepreneur
- H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Les Brun, Co-Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Ariel Alternatives
- Sec. Mark Esper, Former Secretary, Department of Defense & U.S. Army
- Dan Loeb, CEO, Third Point
- Stephanie Lynch, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Global Endowment Management
- Steven Meier, Chief Investment Officer & Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management, New York City Retirement System
- Sona Menon, Partner, Cambridge Associates
- Gen. Mark Milley, Former Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Robert Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets, BlackRock
- Howard Morgan, Chair and General Partner, B Capital
- Sam Rosenstock, Deputy CIO of External Alpha, Man FRM
- Edoardo Rulli, CIO, UBS Hedge Fund Solutions
- Greg Shell, Managing Partner & Head of Inclusive Growth, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
- Kristen Smith, CEO, Blockchain Association
- Carine Smith Ihenacho, Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, Norges Bank Investment Management
- Roy Swan, Director of Mission Investments, Ford Foundation
You shouldn't be.
Karl Nell is 4 steps removed from the United States President. He has friends and stuff.
TIM GALLAUDET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Gallaudet
Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet corroborates Karl Nell's statement on LinkedIn: "My colleague, retired Army Colonel Karl Nell said with 100% certainty that the world is being visited by higher level, non-human intelligence (NHI). I know he is correct with complete certainty."
It's wild to know that the other part include that we have covert agreements with them.
Gallaudet has been active in his support lately. His talk at Sol Conference was nuts. But everyone who's looked into the topic long enough or deep enough knows USO's are 10000% a concern so who can blame him for begging people to pay attention. There's been some great videos put together on USOs that mention Tic Tac's (I like the Tic Tac) going under water.
I like Tim Gallaudet's resume, he seems like somebody who might know something
Naval Career
- Former Oceanographer of the Navy and Commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command
- Former officer of the deck and Meteorology and Oceanography Division Officer USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63))
- Served under Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as the plans and programs officer
- Former program manager for Anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and commanding officer of the Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center. In this role, he established the first Navy SEAL program for unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles and other sensors to detect and locate enemy forces
- Former Deputy Navigator of the Navy as Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Staff
- Former Superintendent/Commanding Officer of the Naval Observatory
- Former Head Oceanographer of the Navy, Hydrographer of the Navy, and Commander of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (CNMOC) at the Stennis Space Center
- Retired from the Navy in July 2017
- Former Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
- Former Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Now he's a current advisor to Ryan Graves' organization, Americans for Safe Aerospace
He seems like he probably knows something about what's in our oceans and skies.
KARL NELL
Karl Nell has been coming up alot. Good, he's possibly one of the most critical pieces to this entire puzzle. His career is immaculate, he's likable, and he says some fucking incredible stuff in front of crowds of institutional investment representatives.
I mentioned him last in this post.
I trust Karl Nell's talks on the topic due to him being a previous colleague of David Grusch's. Karl Nell was the Army's UAPTF liaison and worked closely with Grusch in 2021-2022. He would be parallel to Jay Stratton in terms of org chart, but for the Army side of UAPTF. Grusch was on the Air Force side. Hey this is cool. Here is his promotion Colonel in 2016, good for him. Given his resume, it makes sense he was promoted.
I think this type of published work may give you insight into his feelings on some things
2012: Hearts-and-Minds: A Strategy of Conciliation, Coercion, or Commitment?
LTC Nell accurately contends that the oft cliché hearts-and-minds maxim, most popularly attributed to Sir Gerald Templar in the Malayan Emergency (1948 1960), transcends time and geography while the key strategy of conciliation and coercion, applied simulta neously and judiciously, drive a COIN environment. Most importantly, this work points out the value of a whole-of-government commitment—of time, troops and materiel—towards ensuring the most beneficial outcome for not only our forces but the population as well. It points to the necessity of such earnest ap plication, while reinforcing that the military may not always have the lead.His LinkedIn shows some pretty awesome things.
Summary of Career Roles
- Modernization Advisor to Vice Chief of Staff, Army Futures Command (2018-Present): Influential in a major Army reorganization and the advancement of high-priority acquisition projects. Key achievements include leading a cross-organizational study that established the multi-year, multi-million-dollar Project Convergence initiative.
- Deputy COO / Director, Special Programs, U.S. Africa Command (2016-2018): Managed operations for a 2000-member command, enhancing strategic partnerships across Africa. Played a critical role in budgeting, leading to significant fiscal savings.
- Vice President & General Manager, ENSCO, Inc. (2015-2016): Turned around a struggling business, driving organizational change and profitable growth in a research and development division.
- Chief Strategy Officer, US Army Reserves (2013-2015): Led the largest restructuring of the Army Reserve post-9/11, establishing robust training standards and reorganizing personnel and units.
- Vice President, Solution Architecture, Capture, & BD, CACI International Inc (2011-2013): Spearheaded major campaign strategies, securing substantial contracts and enhancing the company’s market position.
- Deputy CTO / Director, Systems Engineering & Integration, Northrop Grumman (1998-2011): Directed strategic initiatives and technology development, significantly contributing to business growth and operational efficiency.
- TECHINT Operations Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency (2001-2003): Deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, playing a pivotal role in intelligence operations and strategic material recovery.
- Senior Systems Engineer / Lead SATCOM SRE, Lockheed Missiles and Space (1996-1998): Managed critical operations of national satellite systems, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
- Member of Technical Staff, AT&T Bell Telephone Laboratories (1994-1996): Led development teams enhancing network capabilities and implementing quality standards.
- Commander / Operations Officer, U.S. Space Command (1990-1994): Commanded satellite communications operations, overseeing significant technological assets and personnel.
TECHINT Operations Officer (C/J-2)TECHINT Operations Officer (C/J-2)Defense Intelligence AgencyDefense Intelligence Agency 2001 - 2003 · 2 yrs
- First person deployed from the DIA Directorate of Intelligence Production and Analysis to participate in multi-agency planning for Operation Iraqi Freedom as the Foreign Material Program command representative to USCENTCOM / CFLCC in Kuwait. Served as C/J-2 for the one-star Combined Joint Captured Materiel Exploitation Center (C/JCMEC) in Iraq. Enabled the safe and successful recovery of hundreds of conventional weapons systems of strategic value and successfully addressed the question of potential WMD-existence asked by the President of the United States while incurring zero mission fatalities.
From my most recent post I did the other day: SAIC had UFO stuff in the 70s
You get loud. Stop letting people dictate your actions and discern for yourself. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that there is some crazy shit going on, so many people are saying it. This stuff needs to be looked at yesterday. Not today, not tomorrow, but yesterday.
Speaking toward the trustworthiness of Mellon, Nell, and the others involved with UAP Disclosure Fund, I believe these people are involved with the largest power struggle in known history and they are fighting for transparency.
This is how it happens. Lobbying and official activism. I have been tracking the corporate structure of what they're building to push disclosure and combat MIC gatekeeping since my first post. The potential board of Sol was identified early into this process, as it basically aligned with the UAPDA review board setup.
They initially setup a 501c3 (Sol Foundation) initially to begin the academic push for Disclosure, officially. Then the 501c4 (UAP Disclosure Fund) was setup to push for Disclosure legally as these entity types are allowed to lobby, as long as the activity aligns with their primary purpose of promoting social welfare (this is a good thing). Contributions are not tax deductible either.
I spent time with some of these people at Sol. I got what I needed to determine if these people are attempting to bury this further or hide things further from you.
They are not.
Sol = Sun
I think it is time that light is shone on some of these blatant examples of corporate greed and the unfair game that has been established, and ultimately maintained through political activism that's anti-human and meant to keep us divided and fighting each other.
2024.06.05 03:25 baughwssery Faker Skin Situation 2024
Since the time we have known about the upcoming event and skin, there has been a lot of outrage and complaints regarding the new price tier. And in an effort to get Riot to pay attention to the player-base and listen to them, some people decided to voice their opinion by boycotting the champ it was made for.
As much as I would like to keep this civil, there is definitely going to be some mentally-exhausted bias in my post. But hopefully some points get across and people can think rationally about the situation.
So get your pitchforks out and get your downvote button ready, it's a bit of a ride.
TL;DR at the bottom
I am by no means excited by, or endorsing, the new price tier. It is very outrageous, and I am NOT trying to defend this practice that is industry-wide in video games. I am looking to bring in the perspective of the timeline of events, as well as more rational arguments that aren't coming across as desperation.
Keep in mind this is a completely new "type" of event, but it is essentially just a battle-pass with more levels and more rewards.
But let's actually go back just a few years to the time of Covid. In this time, many people were gaming, and lots of different video games were actually flourishing. There was more dev time available, more players online, it was the silver lining of a shitty time. One thing that was also happening, however, was global bail-outs for companies and the shutting down of smaller business. This changed a lot of things in our current world, but one of the biggest things was that profit margin became the single most important factor in business. Not innovation, not loyalty, not effort or quality, simply numbers MUST go up to thrive in this new world.
Is Riot a victim to this? Certainly not, they were perfectly fine before, during and after. But this did set a new precedent in that all business simply needs to increase in value or it's viewed as not being successful. I believe this has led to the current stagnation of innovative gaming and hyper-inflated value of assets, as it's one of the places that competitors can keep betting that customers will keep spending more (and they do). This is seen across everything right now (fast food, basic bills, and so on). THIS IS NOT SAYING THAT RIOT HAS ANY REASON TO BE BEGGING FOR US TO PAY MORE; IT IS SIMPLY A PATTERN THAT THEY ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO FOLLOW, BECAUSE IT WORKS.
$50= Risen Ahri + battle pass + Taunt + Emote + border + champion (kind of irrelevant). In terms of RP, the skin itself has elements of Legendary, but not so much ultimate, and thus shouldn't actually be priced as such. However, for an event that is supposed to honor a pro we all know, we can safely say the mark-up is more to do with a special event, and thus becomes more reasonable (for the most part).
$300= Risen Ahri + Immortalized Ahri + Ult skin transformations + Tower finisher + Champ finisher + New HUD + Immortalized border + Icon + Emote. While it seems like we get a lot, there is a MASSIVE mark-up for the VFX, ult skin dynamics, HUD, and different emotes/icons. At a stark $250 price increase, we don't actually get very much (for the average player), and the value of these assets is insanely high.
$500 = Previous mentions + Faker finisher + Faker Emote + Final boss title + signed banner+ signed LB banner + SKT1 Chromas + 100 pass levels. On top of the $250 increase, we now increase a further $200 for some chromas, more VFX, and a new border. The one part of this bundle that can be argued to have *some* value is the 100 pass levels, as you can simply buy 100 levels then grind another 100 in the event to buy even more event rewards. However, the mark-up for the signature and the chromas, as well as the VFX is simply too high, and again this asset is valued way too highly.
*One part of this bundle that isn't mentioned (but has inherent value) is the flex of playing the skin. As many people dislike it and can't have it, there is a certain flex that players love for having something that is very exclusive. This is something found across pretty much any game.*
We can see that the mark-up, and general value of these assets, is incredibly high. While many players respect Faker and appreciate being part of the event, these prices are outside the scope of what the average player can or is willing to afford.
However, one part that a lot of players don't recognize (for the sake of being "unfair") is that THE BUNDLES ARE NOT MEANT FOR THE AVERAGE PLAYER. This was specifically mentioned on the website that details all parts of the event. And this is the part that often becomes a part of emotional discussion.
Exclusivity exists in the world in many, many different forms. Card collectors; car collectors; first editions; misprints; the list goes on and on. There are many people who love to collect various things for various reasons, and when they have a reason to, can flex it to the population that also has a similar interest. No one bats an eye other than to say "that's cool man" and life continues.
Creating artificial exclusivity, in a video game, is a very weird subject on its own. It is a strange way to block people from being able to play and use things that they want, whether it's through short time windows, or huge costs. It's a strange thing to have in something that can always have anything available.
For the sake of collectors and the like, however, this is what it's about. Not every player is going to be around for every event. Not every player is going to have oodles of money to spend on a whim. And not every player is going to have the time to be super good at the game and be part of the top 1%. That's just the way it is. But for those that are die-hard fans, having the opportunity of exclusivity makes them bite and continue to spend time and money in something they are deeply invested in.
This is inherently NOT an issue. In fact, it is what keeps a lot of interest in many different hobbies. FOMO is the digital space of "first come first serve", the "first and only edition", so to speak. Some players will be ahead of it, some won't. That's the nature of exclusivity.
When people talk about "predatory practices", they are generally leaning toward a population that has a problem with impulsivity. As much as I hate to say it, this becomes an issue on the user, as they simply do not have to spend the money. If it's a continued problem, it's up to them to get the help they need to balance their life out and not spend on things they simply cannot afford. It may sound harsh, but that's the cold hard truth. I do not condone Riot in exploiting players, but I believe this is partly a matter of perspective and not playing victim. Both the user and the company have to come to an agreement on the paid services, and if the user is okay with it, then they buy the product. It's that simple.
This current event is not a "scam" as it has been made out. I have seen some people call this the "scamahri" or whatever skin, however there is nothing scam about it at all. The company did a very good job of telling you exactly what's in the bundle; detailed the prices; gave reasons to the prices; and even has it available on PBE to see for yourself what you are getting. There is no fraud, there is no question as to what you receive. Is it unfairly priced? Sure. But you aren't being scammed; you know EXACTLY what you are getting, and if you are willing to pay that price, then so be it. You are largely paying for EXCLUSIVITY.
So where do we go from here? Apparently some people thought a boycott to a specific champ was the way to go. I'm not sure how this ever took off from a couple of posts, as it does nothing in all sense of reality, but I believe since people have a tangible button that can be used in a game, with no setbacks or consequences, they used it as a way to voice their disdain to the company. But this accomplishes nothing.
And a final note before going into the next section. No, this is not an intention to uber-price all skins going forward. This is a specific event with a specific set of exclusivity that is based on a tiny % of players actually buying in. It is delusional to think this is going to become the new norm or that all skins will skyrocket in price because of this. Most of the money Riot makes is from their standard-effort skins. This is unlikely to change as the business model is very successful in reaching many different audiences. I obviously cannot speak on behalf of Riot, but please be real when you think about this argument, lol.
Using very quick math, Ahri currently has slightly over a 12% pick rate in Normal draft (the most likely players to use this skin) across the world. Using the average from 2023 at 150m players, we get 18m players. We will call these the Ahri mains/players.
If even 0.1% of these players bought the skin (18k players), Riot has already banked $9m ON THIS BUNDLE ALONE. If you try to consolidate collectors-only, your numbers actually go UP, as this encompasses a much larger portion of the player-base.
It is safe to say that these prices will NOT change (for this event), as the numbers demonstrate a massive profit from just the highest bundle sold alone to a tiny, tiny fraction of players.
(TL;DR) If you are truly unhappy with the prices, and you wish for Riot to stop over-valuing their digital assets, there are a few options that may actually do something:
* Boycott the GAME. It does absolutely NOTHING to simply ban 1 champion. The balance team may look at the ban-rate, figure out the few % is from an online tantrum, and continue about their business. You are not getting to the right people about this by doing this. But by showing a lower % of players engaging with the event and/or even playing the game, Riot has to answer because when THOSE numbers drop, they have to answer. A boycott on just 1 product of the same company just tells that company you are desperate and you will keep supporting it because you are addicted (eg, Starbucks has a new cup that is outrageously overpriced so I'm gonna boycott it to show I don't like it but I will keep buying their coffees every day! See how silly this sounds? You are still buying their products and showing up every day to keep counts up).
- If you want to take it a step further, ask to delete your account (or just delete it if you are really done). This will get their gears rolling and they will be prompted to ask you why you are deleting it, This is where you can share a lot of your concerns. If you can't fully commit (but have an alt), ask to delete that.
* Do NOT buy ANY MORE SKINS OR OTHER MERCHANDISE FROM RIOT. Again, one of the macro values that Riot actually cares about. If you do not participate in the event, and not buy any other products from them, you show that you are implying that you will take your business elsewhere, where you are valued as a playecustomer and would rather spend your money there. A large part of the player-base not buying goods will do a LOT more to Riot than banning a champ.
* Send in tickets to voice your concern! While this often feels futile as there are a lot of automated responses, there are eventual audits and reviews done to respond to the most ticketed areas of the game, and ultimately a flood of tickets for the same reason is at the very least brought to more attention.
* Continue to voice your complaints across social media outlets. Similar to tickets, these are under a constant observation, and ultimately brought to attention. This does NOT mean to complain in a way that is just complaining. Use rational discussions, voice a dissatisfaction of the customer experience, and don't play victim. You can have a very level head and simply tell the company that their assets are over-priced, and you will be taking your business somewhere that has more value as you see fit.
* Respond to surveys. Even if it's not about the price of skins, work it in there. These are also looked at and used for data analytics.
* Work on your impulsivity/addiction habits. This isn't just about LoL; this will have a drastic improvement in every part of your life. Companies like Riot can exploit this basic human flaw to turn profits; it is their worst nightmare for people to address it.
After this, it just becomes a matter of coping based on how you deal with this. Take up a new hobby, save up money for something else you want to buy, play a different game and praise it, the list goes on. Using your desperation and victim-mindset will get you nowhere. Change comes from the silent majority that is voting in different ways. It's not impressive, and it's not showcased, but that's how it's done.
If your plan is to ban Ahri to show you are upset; to bully players who buy the skin; to int games with the skin in them, and so forth, you are just playing the petty game. It is much easier from a psychological standpoint to take the petty stance because you feel like you are "doing something'. But that's not how change happens, and it only serves to hamper the gaming experience for other legitimate players. It doesn't help, it's just a cascade of hurting the players alongside you, and creates a vicious cycle of toxic gameplay. If a player wants to buy the skin at $500, so be it, they have their reasons and they aren't your own. That is completely fair and doesn't mean much else to you.
Be better, do the things that matter. And at the end of the day, understand that it is just a game, and some are willing to put more into it than others.
Best of luck gamers.
submitted by baughwssery to AhriMains [link] [comments]
As much as I would like to keep this civil, there is definitely going to be some mentally-exhausted bias in my post. But hopefully some points get across and people can think rationally about the situation.
So get your pitchforks out and get your downvote button ready, it's a bit of a ride.
TL;DR at the bottom
I am by no means excited by, or endorsing, the new price tier. It is very outrageous, and I am NOT trying to defend this practice that is industry-wide in video games. I am looking to bring in the perspective of the timeline of events, as well as more rational arguments that aren't coming across as desperation.
Situation
Riot recently revealed a brand-new event that will be honoring a pro player that dominated the game for many years. They have also made it known that they intend to make this a yearly event, and thus we can expect something similar with a different champ based on the pro player chosen. The hype around this was very real, and it was even leaked that the new skin would be "VERY expensive". We all heard that and decided "it can't be THAT bad", and thus left it alone. The new pricing tiers came out, and we were absolutely flabbergasted by it. And this extends to all players, as many across all regions and different social media outlets have complained about it. It is certainly a big change, however with the current climate of video games, it's not completely unexpected (that doesn't make it okay).Keep in mind this is a completely new "type" of event, but it is essentially just a battle-pass with more levels and more rewards.
Background
For a long time, Riot has slowly decreased what the player receives for the amount of time/money spent in game. From the pricing tiers of skins (1375 becoming the new 975); to decreased rewards in battle passes (each one has been a little bit worse); and even the new chests system, Riot is progressively valuing their digital assets much higher than the average player would value them. We have gone from Legendary skins, to Ultimate skins, to prestige skins, to mythic chromas, the list goes on. A lot of these skins appear to have the same level of work and effort put in, but for substantially higher prices in terms of direct price and/or work needed to obtain them.But let's actually go back just a few years to the time of Covid. In this time, many people were gaming, and lots of different video games were actually flourishing. There was more dev time available, more players online, it was the silver lining of a shitty time. One thing that was also happening, however, was global bail-outs for companies and the shutting down of smaller business. This changed a lot of things in our current world, but one of the biggest things was that profit margin became the single most important factor in business. Not innovation, not loyalty, not effort or quality, simply numbers MUST go up to thrive in this new world.
Is Riot a victim to this? Certainly not, they were perfectly fine before, during and after. But this did set a new precedent in that all business simply needs to increase in value or it's viewed as not being successful. I believe this has led to the current stagnation of innovative gaming and hyper-inflated value of assets, as it's one of the places that competitors can keep betting that customers will keep spending more (and they do). This is seen across everything right now (fast food, basic bills, and so on). THIS IS NOT SAYING THAT RIOT HAS ANY REASON TO BE BEGGING FOR US TO PAY MORE; IT IS SIMPLY A PATTERN THAT THEY ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO FOLLOW, BECAUSE IT WORKS.
Assessment
The current bundles of this event are higher than anything we have had to date. The base bundle at $50 is already a record high, and we go even steeper than that. Their value becomes exponentially less to the average player the higher up you go.$50= Risen Ahri + battle pass + Taunt + Emote + border + champion (kind of irrelevant). In terms of RP, the skin itself has elements of Legendary, but not so much ultimate, and thus shouldn't actually be priced as such. However, for an event that is supposed to honor a pro we all know, we can safely say the mark-up is more to do with a special event, and thus becomes more reasonable (for the most part).
$300= Risen Ahri + Immortalized Ahri + Ult skin transformations + Tower finisher + Champ finisher + New HUD + Immortalized border + Icon + Emote. While it seems like we get a lot, there is a MASSIVE mark-up for the VFX, ult skin dynamics, HUD, and different emotes/icons. At a stark $250 price increase, we don't actually get very much (for the average player), and the value of these assets is insanely high.
$500 = Previous mentions + Faker finisher + Faker Emote + Final boss title + signed banner+ signed LB banner + SKT1 Chromas + 100 pass levels. On top of the $250 increase, we now increase a further $200 for some chromas, more VFX, and a new border. The one part of this bundle that can be argued to have *some* value is the 100 pass levels, as you can simply buy 100 levels then grind another 100 in the event to buy even more event rewards. However, the mark-up for the signature and the chromas, as well as the VFX is simply too high, and again this asset is valued way too highly.
*One part of this bundle that isn't mentioned (but has inherent value) is the flex of playing the skin. As many people dislike it and can't have it, there is a certain flex that players love for having something that is very exclusive. This is something found across pretty much any game.*
We can see that the mark-up, and general value of these assets, is incredibly high. While many players respect Faker and appreciate being part of the event, these prices are outside the scope of what the average player can or is willing to afford.
However, one part that a lot of players don't recognize (for the sake of being "unfair") is that THE BUNDLES ARE NOT MEANT FOR THE AVERAGE PLAYER. This was specifically mentioned on the website that details all parts of the event. And this is the part that often becomes a part of emotional discussion.
Exclusivity exists in the world in many, many different forms. Card collectors; car collectors; first editions; misprints; the list goes on and on. There are many people who love to collect various things for various reasons, and when they have a reason to, can flex it to the population that also has a similar interest. No one bats an eye other than to say "that's cool man" and life continues.
Creating artificial exclusivity, in a video game, is a very weird subject on its own. It is a strange way to block people from being able to play and use things that they want, whether it's through short time windows, or huge costs. It's a strange thing to have in something that can always have anything available.
For the sake of collectors and the like, however, this is what it's about. Not every player is going to be around for every event. Not every player is going to have oodles of money to spend on a whim. And not every player is going to have the time to be super good at the game and be part of the top 1%. That's just the way it is. But for those that are die-hard fans, having the opportunity of exclusivity makes them bite and continue to spend time and money in something they are deeply invested in.
This is inherently NOT an issue. In fact, it is what keeps a lot of interest in many different hobbies. FOMO is the digital space of "first come first serve", the "first and only edition", so to speak. Some players will be ahead of it, some won't. That's the nature of exclusivity.
When people talk about "predatory practices", they are generally leaning toward a population that has a problem with impulsivity. As much as I hate to say it, this becomes an issue on the user, as they simply do not have to spend the money. If it's a continued problem, it's up to them to get the help they need to balance their life out and not spend on things they simply cannot afford. It may sound harsh, but that's the cold hard truth. I do not condone Riot in exploiting players, but I believe this is partly a matter of perspective and not playing victim. Both the user and the company have to come to an agreement on the paid services, and if the user is okay with it, then they buy the product. It's that simple.
This current event is not a "scam" as it has been made out. I have seen some people call this the "scamahri" or whatever skin, however there is nothing scam about it at all. The company did a very good job of telling you exactly what's in the bundle; detailed the prices; gave reasons to the prices; and even has it available on PBE to see for yourself what you are getting. There is no fraud, there is no question as to what you receive. Is it unfairly priced? Sure. But you aren't being scammed; you know EXACTLY what you are getting, and if you are willing to pay that price, then so be it. You are largely paying for EXCLUSIVITY.
So where do we go from here? Apparently some people thought a boycott to a specific champ was the way to go. I'm not sure how this ever took off from a couple of posts, as it does nothing in all sense of reality, but I believe since people have a tangible button that can be used in a game, with no setbacks or consequences, they used it as a way to voice their disdain to the company. But this accomplishes nothing.
And a final note before going into the next section. No, this is not an intention to uber-price all skins going forward. This is a specific event with a specific set of exclusivity that is based on a tiny % of players actually buying in. It is delusional to think this is going to become the new norm or that all skins will skyrocket in price because of this. Most of the money Riot makes is from their standard-effort skins. This is unlikely to change as the business model is very successful in reaching many different audiences. I obviously cannot speak on behalf of Riot, but please be real when you think about this argument, lol.
Recommendation
In the grand scheme of things, Riot will be making absolute bank from this skin. It is no debate that many players will be buying at least one of the bundles, and even just a few buying the $500 bundle will leave their wallets lined.Using very quick math, Ahri currently has slightly over a 12% pick rate in Normal draft (the most likely players to use this skin) across the world. Using the average from 2023 at 150m players, we get 18m players. We will call these the Ahri mains/players.
If even 0.1% of these players bought the skin (18k players), Riot has already banked $9m ON THIS BUNDLE ALONE. If you try to consolidate collectors-only, your numbers actually go UP, as this encompasses a much larger portion of the player-base.
It is safe to say that these prices will NOT change (for this event), as the numbers demonstrate a massive profit from just the highest bundle sold alone to a tiny, tiny fraction of players.
(TL;DR) If you are truly unhappy with the prices, and you wish for Riot to stop over-valuing their digital assets, there are a few options that may actually do something:
* Boycott the GAME. It does absolutely NOTHING to simply ban 1 champion. The balance team may look at the ban-rate, figure out the few % is from an online tantrum, and continue about their business. You are not getting to the right people about this by doing this. But by showing a lower % of players engaging with the event and/or even playing the game, Riot has to answer because when THOSE numbers drop, they have to answer. A boycott on just 1 product of the same company just tells that company you are desperate and you will keep supporting it because you are addicted (eg, Starbucks has a new cup that is outrageously overpriced so I'm gonna boycott it to show I don't like it but I will keep buying their coffees every day! See how silly this sounds? You are still buying their products and showing up every day to keep counts up).
- If you want to take it a step further, ask to delete your account (or just delete it if you are really done). This will get their gears rolling and they will be prompted to ask you why you are deleting it, This is where you can share a lot of your concerns. If you can't fully commit (but have an alt), ask to delete that.
* Do NOT buy ANY MORE SKINS OR OTHER MERCHANDISE FROM RIOT. Again, one of the macro values that Riot actually cares about. If you do not participate in the event, and not buy any other products from them, you show that you are implying that you will take your business elsewhere, where you are valued as a playecustomer and would rather spend your money there. A large part of the player-base not buying goods will do a LOT more to Riot than banning a champ.
* Send in tickets to voice your concern! While this often feels futile as there are a lot of automated responses, there are eventual audits and reviews done to respond to the most ticketed areas of the game, and ultimately a flood of tickets for the same reason is at the very least brought to more attention.
* Continue to voice your complaints across social media outlets. Similar to tickets, these are under a constant observation, and ultimately brought to attention. This does NOT mean to complain in a way that is just complaining. Use rational discussions, voice a dissatisfaction of the customer experience, and don't play victim. You can have a very level head and simply tell the company that their assets are over-priced, and you will be taking your business somewhere that has more value as you see fit.
* Respond to surveys. Even if it's not about the price of skins, work it in there. These are also looked at and used for data analytics.
* Work on your impulsivity/addiction habits. This isn't just about LoL; this will have a drastic improvement in every part of your life. Companies like Riot can exploit this basic human flaw to turn profits; it is their worst nightmare for people to address it.
After this, it just becomes a matter of coping based on how you deal with this. Take up a new hobby, save up money for something else you want to buy, play a different game and praise it, the list goes on. Using your desperation and victim-mindset will get you nowhere. Change comes from the silent majority that is voting in different ways. It's not impressive, and it's not showcased, but that's how it's done.
If your plan is to ban Ahri to show you are upset; to bully players who buy the skin; to int games with the skin in them, and so forth, you are just playing the petty game. It is much easier from a psychological standpoint to take the petty stance because you feel like you are "doing something'. But that's not how change happens, and it only serves to hamper the gaming experience for other legitimate players. It doesn't help, it's just a cascade of hurting the players alongside you, and creates a vicious cycle of toxic gameplay. If a player wants to buy the skin at $500, so be it, they have their reasons and they aren't your own. That is completely fair and doesn't mean much else to you.
Be better, do the things that matter. And at the end of the day, understand that it is just a game, and some are willing to put more into it than others.
Best of luck gamers.
2024.06.05 03:08 Tiny-Psychology-4740 My life sorta? / 20M
I feel like my whole life has kind of felt like a blur. Growing up I was really outgoing, I was a bit shy as a kid I guess around new people like anyone is, but I was normal and I loved meeting new people. I was a big extrovert as a kid and I loved talking and hanging out with people. I played a lot of sports like soccer and football mainly. I was a pretty popular kid as well growing up, I was friends with everyone in the school and I could confidently walk up to literally anyone I wanted to in middle school and talk to them and have a blast, because I was outgoing and fun, from what it seemed like, people loved to be around me because I was fun and was the class clown. This changed tho, pretty drastically. In middle school I did go through some hard personal times, had a lot of conflicts with my step dad, and I overall really started to decline from there ( grade 8 ). Some things I cant say due to rules and stuff but I got into doing some bad things, nothing like BAD bad but things I shouldnt do at that age and it hurt my family for a little bit. I was just a curious kid and was trying new things and I dont regret it because I learned from it, and it changed me for the better, but I think this still marked a big changing point in my life. Later down the road, around freshman year life was pretty good, I had some good friends and we would always hang out and goof around get into trouble but it was so fun. Me and my friend would mess around during class but we would be respectful about it and the teachers would even laugh they actually liked us a lot we would fist bump and had hand shakes and stuff it was really cool, one of the teachers would even play some of our favorite songs during the beginning of class. So life seems pretty great so far and it was, I had a great family (step dad questionable but he got a lot better with time) and a great school life so far. My close friend, the one id always goof around with moved tho during sophmore year, and ever since then it broke up the friend group really bad, and i didnt realize at the time but I really depended on him, and honestly I kind of lost myself after that. I stopped talking to people, obviously if they came up to me I would say hi and stuff but I never started conversation unless necessary. I instantly turned into the quiet kid no one talked to, in what felt like a flip of a switch. I started to struggle in school, I started to lose motivation and a will to want to try any more in my classes as I didnt enjoy school anymore. I only had a push to go because I had fun BECAUSE i got to see my friends, but ever since the friend group broke up, I lost my motivation, which in turn made my grades plummet. Ok so big deal, just lock in and get my grades up right? well no sadly, it wasnt that easy, I was struggling really bad, contimplating some bad things and although never went through with anything, I convinced my mom to let me go to online school.I switched to online school around the end of junior year in high school, I know a weird time but we were able to transfer grades over and it worked out. Life was a lot easier after this, I was able to stay home, avoid social interaction, and be at peace. I could do my schoolwork when I wanted to, i could plan my own schedule and it was really amazing. I pretty much played games all day as school was never really challenging itself, but the motivation and drive was the hard part, and if I had no push, then what was the point to care? My parents believed I was a gifted kid and have always told me that, even told my siblings that I am the smartest to there face which I always thought was very disrespectful, however I guess with time they started to agree, which was sad to see, almost like disappointment from them, but all I could do was thank them and try to be my best self. My classes senior year were incredibly boring, and this led to more feelings of hopelessness and so on, having no drive ruins me and makes me act in bad ways for myself and my well being. Some bad decisions were almost made and although they never were, they only escalate further later in life. I eventually graduate! I didnt even think I would make it to graduation but I did with a 4.0. 2 years in a row. My family was proud and I was happy I was able to make them proud and happy. But its interesting, because I never felt like I was living for myself, if that makes sense. I always felt like my purpose was to please my family, when in reality thats not what someones life should be about, it should be about living and hanging out and dating and making friends and going places, living life should be fun and amazing and crazy, but I never had that. My life was fun and I had a pretty normal kid life up until freshman/sophmore year ish. Although I know how life should be, and how fun it can be, and how amazing and beautiful it can be, It isnt for me, but thats okay. Im 20 now as the title describes, Ive never been on a date with anyone, I barely go out places, Im too scared of social interaction and I get nervous even thinking about going shopping that 90% of the time I order food which is too expensive and I feel guilty everytime I do it, but its not like guilt will stop me, its disgusting how much of an idiot I feel like. My mom is worried about me, she really wants me to meet people and talk to people my age. She wants me to take in person classes and interact with people because she says I need it. And yes I can agree I do need it, but I dont want it. I want to be alone, I want to be by myself where Im comfortable, not around anyone while im feeling anxious about every little thing that could go wrong and how im gonna make a fool of myself and so on. I beleive I have like agoraphobia or something like that im not really sure its just a good idea. My moms a therapist and she's very smart and knows a lot about this stuff and she brought that up as a possibility, but obviously she cant say if i am or not because im family. Every single day, I wake up, hop on my computer, play games, and do homework, for classes I dont even care about, but I have to do because a degree is necessary in my family, and I need to make them happy or else i will be hated forever or something idk! I am so tired. I want a break, I want to just stop and be frozen for a while, and just breathe, But i dont feel as though I can anymore, its hard. Im so scared of social interaction, the amount of opportunities ive thrown away due to it is literally uncountable and it makes me feel so worthless. I think theres a lot wrong with me, everyday I feel like I notice more and more and it sucks. I could have issues with my nervous system as my mom did, or I could have something else. For example I feel like somethings crawlign around my skin all the time randomly in different spots anywhere, usually legs arms or back but anywhere. It feels so bad because I cant concentrate on anything im doing, its like almost a really intense itch but not really, its like if an ant is crawling on your body but worse idk how to explain it. Not even showers help it, even if i get in the shower I get even more itchy, it doesnt even make sense. And I feel like im really paranoid a lot, i could just be walking around my house and i feel like someones near me or stuff like that. I feel like i see things out of the corner of my eye a lot and maybe this is what causes me to be more on edge which could be leading to me feeling paranoid but i dont think so? I dont really understand my own emotions it just sucks. Im not living life like how others are, im not living life like how I should, im not living life at all, im just existing. I dont feel as though I am using my time wisely, but whats there to do with no motivation? I dont know why im writing this, and I dont think anyone will even read past the first couple sentances, if that, but if on the off chance some random soul decides to read this, im sorry but thanks you for your time. I hope everyone has a good life and lives like how you should. Dont be like me, dont be scared of what other people think and have them dictate your life. Love yourself.
submitted by Tiny-Psychology-4740 to Vent [link] [comments]
2024.06.05 03:01 Storms_Wrath The Human Artificial Hivemind Part 521: The Fort Court
First Previous Wiki
Paizma stood in front of Edu'frec and Gaia. Both of them had grim looks on their faces. She'd been briefed on what they expected of her but worried over exactly what could go wrong. The age of the object was the first problem. The second was that it had some fourth-dimensional properties, like herself.
That meant it could damage her, which she didn't want to deal with. Damage could mean collapse or death, since she might actually be attacked. Paizma pulled in some of the three dimensional matter in the area from an asteroid a few billion miles away.
The extra material fattened her tail, increasing her reserves. The extra weight didn't show in the form she presented before the two, though. Despite that, Edu'frec's brows rose. It seemed he really could monitor her partially in the fourth dimension, which meant he might be accompanying her along the way.
"So is it doable?" Gaia asked again. The young concept entity looked worried. Paizma supposed that made sense since Gaia had named themself after an old word for Earth. And with the planet threatened, they were worried.
Paizma could see it in the subtle shaking of Gaia's hands and the posture they kept, which wasn't as proud as usual. Paizma wondered where Brey was.
"She's making additional preparations for the Psychic Investment Plan," Edu'frec said.
"What?" both of them asked.
"Paizma was wondering where Brey was."
"I don't like my mind being read."
"I can't read your mind, I just predict it," Edu'frec shrugged.
"Are you really going to be like this?" asked Paizma irritably. She inflated her form, increasing its size and height to exceed that of the android. More matter poured in, which Paizma regulated. She missed John already. But keeping two avatars in this way was taxing on her reserves. Plus, he was sleeping.
"Whatever. I am going to take a short look, that is all for now. Do you have your devices ready?" Paizma asked, shimmering with psychic energy. She mustered the force in the third dimension.
"Yes."
She moved it to the fourth. An invisible and massive body surrounding her curled and lashed out, up, and through reality. The vibrations came with a single android in its wake. He made a small mental connection to her, the only way to talk clearly for him in this space.
Paizma took him down to the approximate location of Earth. In the mindscape, it was a nexus of incredible power in two ways. The first was a mere blip, which was the alien facility they were so concerned about. It was sending out a constant pulse of power, as well as a thinner modulated one.
The second nexus of power was the Source. While it didn't really correspond purely to Earth in the third dimension, higher locations were different. With the fourth coordinate point, the Source sat almost directly below the facility. It opened a great eye.
Psychic power smashed into Paizma, then pulled back. The massive weight of the Source pressed her down and out, without moving at all. The psychic energy swirling around it was so immense she could barely survive it. All from its eye opening to look at her. The power of its gaze would have cooked her flesh, if that was possible in this dimension. Instead, the atoms shifted and moved, growing and shrinking in the fourth dimensional equivalent of temperature changes.
And then the eye closed. The nexus of power that was the Source buried itself deeper and lower, where she could still see it. But the swirling array of psychic energy was mostly drawn downward and inward, along with glimmers of darker things Paizma knew better than to pursue. She checked that Edu'frec had survived.
So far, he had. Paizma disgorged him from her mouth, so they could look at the object in Earth. Paizma shared what she was with him. The image was massive, bloating their connection to a large degree. She could see thousands of processors work on deciphering her sight, and then the connection narrowed again.
Now he understood.
"I won't be able to see anything myself," Edu'frec admitted. "You'll have to share your sight."
"How does it feel?"
"Immense. This would definitely break a weaker and smaller mind than mine. Do you filter it, or is this the natural vision?"
"I can expand it, if you can handle it."
"I certainly can. I'd like to see all I can. Can you show me the view you have of the facility from 'above' please?"
"Yes," Paizma said. She moved him closer and around the top. The facility's walls partially stretched to block her sight, but not entirely. She drifted closer, moving in and around. Slices of Earth's crust and mantle popped up in her vision, along with an increasing whole of the facility. With her higher dimensionality, she didn't just see the inside of the facility. She saw all of it, light or not, exposed or not. She saw everything inside the walls, everything on and around the walls, and every single atom within.
Her connection with Edu'frec swelled to fifty million times its normal size. Programs filed away the data neatly into an almost infinite quantum memory. They noted a small siphon of psychic energy from the facility, which seemingly connected downward somewhere.
Paizma followed it, searching and sniffing out everything she could. Something attacked her, throwing Edu'frec out and away. The connection between them snapped.
She moved back, feeling something dig into her side. She let off a flash of psychic energy, and a thousand more of them appeared. She recognized them, too. Reavers.
She lifted herself back to the third dimension, becoming too small for them to detect properly. Her real body appeared above Earth, thrashing for a moment before she steadied herself. She shrunk back down to her normal size and met up with Edu'frec and Gaia again. The android she'd left was rubbing its head.
"What happened?" Gaia asked.
"This was a military research facility for the Sprilnav faction you seem to be from. I think they might still exist, or their guardians do."
"What would that mean?"
"An extreme danger to all of you, if you poke the facility. But the same if you leave it be, now that it is active."
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The Council Director weathered the silence in the virtual meeting, which Phoebe had called upon reestablishing contact with Penny. Penny was wearing battle armor and had a distinctly cold aura about her. Juan had felt a shiver when first witnessing her, and the hivemind, through him, analyzed her appearance.
She looked incredibly angry. Clearly, something had eaten away at her, and she'd gained even more psychic energy in the process. Her skin glimmered with it.
"I'm sorry," Blistanna said, looking at the hologram Phoebe was projecting of Penny. "Can you repeat that? I mean, it almost sounds like you started a war against the Sprilnav in the middle of a Judgment by the same species that determines whether we all live or die. Surely I misheard."
Beside her, a Skira drone turned to gaze at the Guulin with an inscrutable expression. Penny took the question in stride, her firm demeanor not lessening like it usually would when confronted by her allies.
Something's definitely changed, Juan thought.
"You did not," Penny said. "The gangs enslaves billions of innocents, and they killed my friend. So they will be wiped from the planet."
"Perhaps you aren't getting with the program," Izkrala added. The matronly Acuarfar stood in her seat, her wings flapping involuntarily. The Empress was incredibly upset, but keeping it contained. But even she couldn't keep the slightest of a buzz out of her voice. "We actually need to win this Judgment, Penny Balica."
"Elder culture works differently," Penny said. "By declaring an official war, I will be capable of garnering more respect among their people and their elite class. I will show that I can and do act within their rules, artificial or stupid they may seem to all of us. I understand I've been playing it fast and loose beyond the Alliance, but I am not your slave. None of you have any true right to order me around. I am taking steps to help the Alliance in my own way, and that may be counter to your opinions."
"Well then," Dilandekar said. "Her ideas are set. It appears ours are as well. The recourse in this situation is clear. Penny currently has an Alliance citizenship, and is still subject to our laws. While no law exists to incarcerate her, and she hasn't done anything truly worthy of that, there is still the possibility of treason charges. Or, perhaps, stripping her of Alliance citizenship."
"That is a poor idea," Juan said. "I will not stand by and allow that. She is a member of Humanity and a citizen of Luna. Before the Alliance, and after the Alliance, if there is such a thing. While your outrage is shared by me, you must recognize the situation. Penny is what links us to Kashaunta in truth. She is also the one actually going to the Judgment. Given the lawyers and legal analysts that Kashaunta has access to, do you really presume this would harm her so massively in the Judgment? We could call down Kashaunta herself to have this discussion, though I am loath to breach the security status of these meetings to do so. But the presumption that she has no plan is one that I find objectionable."
"Of course you would defend this," President Iontona said. "She is your kind."
"Yes, I would, not only because of that, but because she actually is doing exactly what we want. Getting rid of slavery is a good thing. She has an Elder in her head, too. Do you really think she's entirely out of control, merely because she doesn't wish to be controlled right now by us? To the Sprilnav, she is the weapon, not us. All we can do is look divided and weak to make them want to overlook us. And who knows. If you don't like the way we do things, you can continue your internal discussions on whether this is worth it for you."
Juan stared at the wanderer, his unhappiness clear.
"What are you referring to?" Blistanna asked.
"They plan to cut and run," Izkrala said. "If it looks like we'll lose the Judgment. That's what he's upset about. Granted, I was pissed when I heard of it, because of all the trouble we've gone through to try and help you."
"What trouble have you gone through, Izkrala? You sit on your ass and eat all day. All of us wanderers are looking at death because of your human, even more so than the painful cancer the Sprilnav already cursed us with. She's the one who garnered the anger of Yasihaut. You want to know why we want to run? It's because of their sadism. What's to say that they don't put a cancer gene in all of you, or make ours even more excruciating? I have stood at the side of thousands of hospital beds, watching my people wither away. Each ship is looking at resorting to different things. But for you to sit here and pretend you know the fear we're facing is the height of arrogance, disrespect, and rudeness. I will not stand for this. The Sprilnav are going to roll over us if they choose. Penny is nothing to them, and we are nothing to them. They don't care. They're all evil alien animals, which would gladly feast on all our bones if they happened to taste good. This ludicrous idea of provoking them that the Council Director appears to support is exactly why these conversations are happening in the Wanderer Confederacy."
"Look, I know you all want to argue," Penny said. "But really, we should try to be united on this."
"Oh? How will you help with that, then? Perhaps by abandoning another agreement to help us with our cancer? Maybe making more of them, even? I'm sure you can tell us all what unity looks like. Go ahead. Look me in the eyes, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting what's best for my people."
Penny strode over to him. "You don't know what's best for your people."
"See? She-"
"You presume that because you are the President, that you somehow are more capable of understanding the needs of your species. You are a politician more than a person. Everyone here is. Do not forget what the Sprilnav have done to you, but remember that things are different now. We do have the backing of Kashaunta. That is a boon that few nations have possessed in the past. I have power that they respect, so they respect me in turn, or respect my power. Why complain that I am not here to complete my end of the deal when I am actually fighting for the Alliance? The ideas of freedom and liberty are not things to be tossed aside when convenient. I am not trying to insult you. I am trying to understand why you are so upset with me, when this is according to the plan of a Sprilnav elite of the highest order. Kashaunta needs me for my power, so she would tell me which actions are the most beneficial to my position. The same would apply to your position, which is linked to my identity among the Sprilnav. The Progenitors are a non-issue now."
"Considering that they are the gods of all civilization, they are hardly a non-issue."
Penny smiled. "I beat the absolute tar out of Twilight a while back. So yes, they are a non-issue."
"I think it is time to continue the heart of the discussion," Fyuuleen said. "Penny, you need to actually consult us on these things before you do them. While we can't tell you off like a mother Vuureensleev, we still are the rulers of the Alliance. If you don't respect us, who can you respect?"
"The people who put their money where their mouth is. You're not here, dealing with a dead friend. You're there, dealing with passing laws, catching spies, and signing bills. While yes, that job is important, it isn't nearly as stressful as being surrounded by aliens, and only knowing few of them. I can't make friends here without them being killed. There's a war across the planet right now, and I've freed tens of millions of slaves. The Judgment is in one day, and I've been preparing for that, too. I can't really say that I haven't been doing anything right."
"I understand, Conclave Leader. Recent days have been... difficult for me. Perhaps as a war veteran, you can understand my mindset right now. I know that you all expect to serve as some sort of oversight on me. I am willing to accept that, but your advice needs to be useful. Insulting me over avenging my friend is not the path to reconciliation. Nilnacrawla is telling me to keep your interests in my mind, and I am. But I will listen, not bow. I am not a soldier. I am not a general, or a commander. I am not part of any chain of command. I will ask Elder Kashaunta to establish better contact with you all, and will have Phoebe relay reports of what is going on. I do not plan to begin any major offensives before the Judgment."
"You do not think capturing a city is a major offensive?" Izkrala asked.
"Not compared to capturing hundreds of them," Penny said. "I am the Liberator. That means that I am fighting for everyone."
"But fighting for the Sprilnav is a waste of your time, effort, and talent," Iontona said.
"They are people too," Penny said. "This mentality of us and them is what has destroyed every nation of our kind before us. We need to accept that we need Sprilnav allies to win this war. To turn their strength against them, I must help them too. Kashaunta is a brutal despot, but she is fair in her rule, as much as many of you. She has fought wars of grander scale, which necessitates larger death tolls."
"You are not here to play defense for Kashaunta. You are here because you are threatening our future with your antics."
"I know," Penny said. "But my actions will have a positive impact, not a negative one. We have a plan in place to exploit the traps Yasihaut will seek to set. We have lawyers capable of defending us. I know you do not trust me, not truly. But that is acceptable. I will not let us lose this Judgment."
"And if you do?"
"There are plans in place for that, as well. The nuclear option is not something I will talk about now, and will only discuss if things get far worse."
"Very well, Penny," Fyuuleen said. "Do what you must."
"If you don't, billions of people will die," Iontona added.
Penny nodded again. "That weighs on me every day."
She left the meeting. The rest of them followed. Juan led Blistanna aside before she exited.
"What is it? I have things to do."
"Yes, we all do. But I wish to know what suggestions you have. I can tell that you are upset, and I believe it would be better for me to present your ideas to her."
"It is not anger at her, not really. I am upset that we have to forgo freeing slaves because of the Judgment. I am angry that it might endanger our own freedom and continued survival, because of this situation that has been concocted. Most of all, I am angry because they can just do this again and again. Nothing stops them. The Sprilnav have us at our throats, without having to lift a claw. All with one court case. They can just arbitrarily decide to kill us, and there's nothing we can do."
Blistanna's tentacles shook with anger. Her skin was paled in distress, and she stared at the place Penny had left. "Truth be told, maybe she's doing it right. But the politics of all of this is just nasty. Iontona's a coward, Dilandekar's cold, and Izkrala is too angry over the principle instead of the situation. We can't have more of these sorts of National Exchanges, Juan. If we do, we'll either drive Penny away entirely or rip ourselves apart. Maybe that's what the Sprilnav want. The more we bicker and argue, the worse it all gets. This is exactly how nations crumble."
"So we need to do something about it, then," Juan said.
"What grand idea do you have for this one? I hope it's not bringing Earth into this. They'll really tear it apart."
"No. We need an outward facing front. So what we need to do is push the youth against the leaders that are problematic, or the ideas that are. We showcase this division on the national stage, plug it with Phoebe's propaganda, and those in power will be forced to look like they're working together. The resentment won't last. We can get Kashaunta on board, if possible."
"Bad idea. She only speaks to her own interests."
"Not entirely," Juan said. "Tell me, what do you know about Sprilnav Soul Blades?"
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Penny watched the massive doors of the Fort Court swing open. Hundreds of thousands of guns, lasers, and missiles fixed upon her as she gently walked forward. The facility was mostly bare bones, with high amounts of alloy and stone visible in the upper layers. But at the lower levels, there was a large amount of holograms showing various symbols and golden overlays. It reminded her of the patterns on lace.
The Court was twenty miles tall, larger than a mountain. Even the doors went up for nearly two miles. They swung using unknown means, letting a second layer of sunlight fall upon the hardened floor.
Behind Penny was her own entourage. The Refined Elders, Pundacrawla, Phoebe, Kashaunta, and a few of her retainers were followed by guards, a thick shield, and several Correctors. But not just them. In a gradually widening triangle, tens of thousands of freed slaves also followed.
Penny had explained what she planned to Kashaunta to get this to happen, and the Elder enthusiastically accepted. While they would not be let within a certain radius of the Court, and their camps were widely spaced to prevent hiding anything of interest to the security, it would help to show the support Penny had of the people.
They were already tailgating. Music played from alien boom boxes and even a band Kashaunta had hired. Guides and security drones watched from afar but had already ensured the security threat would be minimal.
There were shields in place to prevent anything serious. In the distance, smoke from the dormant volcano the Court was built atop rolled out of specialized vents. The Sprilnav apparently could control when volcanoes erupted, which wasn't surprising to Penny once she'd learned of it. The Court was gigantic, and there would need to be a lot of stability for it to exist for as long as it had.
Inside, the chamber was circular. The Court was shaped like the Coliseum, complete with some pillar designs that held up the area where the High Judges were sitting. The twenty seats had been prepared ahead of time, and featured holograms below them on the sheer wall that supported them above the columns. The holograms read out various names in both Justicar Standard Script and in English.
Penny could see the High Judges themselves, but her gaze went to the 'empty' stands. The only people inside were either Guides, Correctors, or holograms of spectators. The holograms had a distinct unrealistic orange glow, probably some security apparatus.
Two house-sized tents were in the center, separated by a black and purple painted line. Above the line was a triple layer of shields: one yellow, one purple, and another yellow. The purple shield was so strong that Penny couldn't sense anything on the other side. It also surrounded her half of the Court in a bubble that met the ground in the same painted lines, suggesting that the shield went underground. The mindscape dropped away as soon as Penny crossed the threshold behind the massive doors.
The Court quieted. Millions of eyes, real or not, were all fixed upon Penny's waist. When Penny had passed the purple barrier, the Soul Blade had appeared on her hip. Penny didn't react, continuing to move forward to reach the Defendant's Booth. She could faintly see the Challenger's Booth on the other side through the shield.
Yasihaut had entered the Court first, as was tradition. Clearly, Justicar had decided to limit the contact between them. A sound decision. Penny didn't want to have to see her anymore.
The thick shields became more transparent, revealing Yasihaut's delegation. Elders and various Sprilnav, all wearing conceptual power blocking armor, stood in front of the Challenger's booth. The eerie silence soon ended when an Elder stood. Justicar wore an incredibly elaborate armor set, with designs that looked a lot like lace.
"In the name of Justicar, this Court is brought to order. I am High Judge Justicar. I am one of the 20 presiding High Judges over this case, appointed in this role by my birthright. This is the 4th day of the 18th year of the 803rd Age of Justicar. Let the record reflect that this trial's start time is exactly midday."
Justicar's imperious expression passed over them.
"Now, with that out of the way, I shall introduce the Challenger and Defendant, along with their submitted arguments for this Judgment. In summary, Challenger Elder Yasihaut, 1st Named in the Everlasting, has opened this Judgment claiming that the Defendant and her home nation, the Sol Alliance, should be classified as Class 9 Hostile Alien Threat and Class 7 Hostile Alien Threats, respectively.
The justification she provides for this is that the Sol Alliance hosts two psychic-variant AIs, has shown a willingness and future interest in attacking the Sprilnav people, and the capacity to carry out a destructive attack against Sprilnav civilians. Additionally, she claims that the influence of the Defendant has grown to a state unmanageable by any other party, including both the Elders and the Progenitors due to the backing of Elder Kashaunta. She claims the Defendant is capable of mass-casualty terrorist attacks and has shown continued interest in killing Sprilnav, with no regard for civilian lives lost in the process.
She claims the Defendant's conceptual and psychic power represents an active and severe danger to her life and those of her friends and family, the Defendant is disrupting the current order, and is conspiring with Elder Kashaunta to assassinate her enemies by illegal means. The sentence the Challenger requests as a result of this Judgment is the execution of every current member of the Sol Alliance, as well as the execution of the Defendant immediately upon the conclusion of the case by Conceptual Suffering doses. She cites Judgment 1826 of the 9th day of the 7th year of the 803rd Age, Judgment 662 of the 336th day of the 93rd year..."
As Justicar continued talking, Penny looked at Yasihaut, who smiled smugly back.
The death penalty, Penny thought. How fitting, considering what I will do to her.
"...the 28300th year of the 730th Age. It is important to note that this Trial by Majority will not only determine the guilt or innocence of the Defendant but also the means of the sentence within the realms of law according to the severity of the possible sentence found. It is also important to note that this Judgment will be the final matter between Elder Yasihaut and Penny Balica that will be approved for 30 years. An appeal of this decision will not be allowed, as this trial is of the highest jurisdiction possible, and I am already a High Judge involved in its arbitration. No lower courts or extraplanetary courts may argue this issue again for the same 30 year period, or sanctions will be placed on the offending party with extreme prejudice."
"The Defendant is Penny Balica, a human from the Sol Alliance with the title of Liberator, Champion of Humanity, and... holder of a Pact of Blades with Elder Kashaunta, 1st Named in the Everlasting."
He allowed for the proper amount of time for people to absorb the sentence.
"The Defendant has opened a counter case, suggesting that the Challenger is misrepresenting the Sol Alliance and herself as a threat to the Sprilnav, citing her cooperation with Elder Kashaunta, the Alliance's cooperation with the Van family, and her record of following and upholding treaties with Elders. Furthermore, she has opened a counter case, suggesting that the public statements the Challenger has published fall against the Justicar Defamation Law, notably Sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 20, 46, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 154, 155, 162, 177, 192, 201, and sixty-seven others, and is requesting 2 billion credits and a 30 year censure on public statements from the Challenger and affiliated parties on the Defendant."
"Now that the stakes of this Judgement are laid out, I will instruct the parties in this case on decorum, as neither of them are Justicar natives. The Court expects that the Defendant and the Challenger will hold to the rules of decorum, as will their company. The Court also wishes to avoid unfortunate incidents, so it has hired Progenitors Filnatra and Arneladia to uphold the security of the Court."
"It is also important to note that this Court is backed by the full might of the Elders of Justicar, the Status Quo Party, the Sprilnav Freedom Party, the Justice and Security Party, Elder Lilliana, Elder Napei, Elder Mashae, Elder Aryacrawla, Elder Nulyihaut, Elder Poleia, Elder Crissi, Elder Olei'paushe'ani, Elder Taubelibelibax, Elder Somalia, Elder Aneyti, Elder Wuseniau'palacrawla se Hautni'pelshinomalia, Elder Commu nar Galvi, Elder Commu nar Jelpha, Elder Radia, Elder Hwe'iaspehaut, Elder Maggracrawla, Elder Tishaunt'pali, Elder Kashaunta, and the Progenitors. Its legitimacy is their legitimacy."
Some of those names were downright hilarious. Penny kept her face straight. Justicar said basically the exact same thing Tassidonia had said weeks back.
"I shall instruct the parties of the rules of decorum. High Judges within this room are to be referred to either as 'High Judge' or 'Elder.' No other names or titles apply, with the exception of Progenitor Indrafabar, who is allowed his aforementioned title. No parties may threaten or influence the Challenger or the Defendant and their retinues. Camera drones and other news equipment are to be kept outside the main court chamber the allotted section at all times, unless the express verbal permission of at least 6 High Judges is given to allow a specific instance.
The Challenger and Defendant are to remain on their given sides of the shield, though they may be required to exit their booths upon request. They are not to engage in any actions construed as attacks upon their counterparts under any circumstances. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica may request breaks to consume food or water within reason.
The booths are equipped with bathrooms compatible with human and Sprilnav physiology, and the Challenger and Defendant are both allowed to declare their retirement to a bathroom and enter it for a period of 1000 pulses, or 1020 human seconds, which is also 17 minutes. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica are allowed to use Justicar-provided lawyers or may utilize those they have brought here today to assist with their arguments.
These conditions will not be changed by petition from either claimant but only upon the agreement of 16 High Judges and the condition of necessity to the point of impeding the progression of the Judgment.
Devices are to remain within booths unless they are direct admissible evidence in the case. Furthermore, they are to be silenced to prevent any interruptions. Documents to be displayed will be given to the Guides or Correctors standing by both booths. These documents will be shown to the entire Court with translations in both Justicar Standard Script and Post Modern North American English."
Justicar stepped back and moved to his seat. Progenitor Indrafabar stood and moved to the podium.
"Do either of you request additional clarifications on the rules of the Court? If so, indicate it verbally."
His voice was almost hypnotic. Penny resisted the effect. "I wish to know the punishments for violating these terms so both of us have an impetus not to."
Microphones carried her voice to the ears of everyone inside the Court, as if she was right next to their ears, with remarkable quality for such a massive room. Penny wondered if shields were aiding in the sonic feedback.
"This would have been stated in the next section of this proceeding, but I shall say it now for the Court. The punishments will vary based on the severity of the infraction. For this case, under the authority of Justicar, we have decided to fully reinstate Section 4 of the Justicar Common Case Conduct Law. It states the following:
'When any contempt is committed in the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may punish it summarily by fine, or imprisonment, or both. If any contempt occurs outside the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may levy the same punishments as before after an opportunity for defense has been given. Punishment for Contempt of a Judge, High Judge, or their Court will result in a 1% fine of the violating party's assets, 10-day imprisonment, a rescheduling of the hearing, a published apology to the aggrieved party, an update of their legal record to reflect the fact, and 4 days of community service. If the alleged misconduct has caused an actual loss or injury to any person, the Court shall order the offending party to pay the aggrieved party a sufficient sum to indemnify them, in addition to the other penalties that may be imposed. The payment and acceptance of this sum is an absolute bar to any action by the aggrieved party to recover damages for the loss or injury.'
The full law section is provided below. If either party wishes to read the law, time shall be allotted within reason. Express the decision verbally. When you are finished, you may give the tablet back to your assigned Guide."
"I wish to read the law," Penny said.
"I wish to view the law," Yasihaut said.
Guides carried a tablet to both of them. The display was purplish, and it had a hologram feature available upon selection. Penny took hers, reading the top, and then the next lines one by one. An information note at the top said 'Translation Available,' so she picked it. The English became Justicar Standard Script. The word count changed from 19,283 to 8,740. Justicar Standard Script had been built from the bottom up, so it could express broader concepts in fewer words.
Though her psychic energy enabled her to read incredibly fast, Penny took the time to understand everything that was said. Pundacrawla's tablet beside her showed the same law, though it looked like he'd finished it using his implant. Penny reached the bottom of the list in 10 minutes and handed the tablet back to the Guide.
Five minutes later, Yasihaut finished also.
"Do either of you have additional requests of the Court? If so, express them verbally."
Penny didn't. The more questions she asked, the longer this would take and the less favorable it would look. In a case like this, perception was everything. She didn't even pretend it had to do with fairness under the law.
"Now. The High Judges came to an agreement for this trial. Exactly 197 full laws will be relevant to this trial. We will peruse each relevant section, and each party will confirm their understanding until they move on to the next one. While this level of guidance is not normally necessary, interested parties want to ensure that no breaches occur during this trial."
Indrafabar gave them both a pointed look.
"The reason we are doing this here despite these sections being included in the necessary reading for the trial is for the interest of transparency."
Really, it was Justicar establishing his dominance over them. By making them sit for hours and read in front of millions of people, he was attempting to show that he was above them. Or to convey another message to his backers.
She also suspected Yasihaut's side had influenced this, trying to make Penny look worse by taking longer. It would set her up as the 'slow barbarian alien' in the High Judges' brains, which would unconsciously prejudice them against her a little more.
Unfortunately for them, Nilnacrawla was carrying the definitions for every single unfamiliar legal word in his memories. If each of the laws took her ten minutes, it would require almost 34 hours of reading to finish them all. Whoever took even a few seconds longer would lose respect in the Court, adding more time to the length of the Judgment.
Penny would win even this tiny, petty battle and set the tone for the rest of the Judgment.
submitted by Storms_Wrath to HFY [link] [comments]
Paizma stood in front of Edu'frec and Gaia. Both of them had grim looks on their faces. She'd been briefed on what they expected of her but worried over exactly what could go wrong. The age of the object was the first problem. The second was that it had some fourth-dimensional properties, like herself.
That meant it could damage her, which she didn't want to deal with. Damage could mean collapse or death, since she might actually be attacked. Paizma pulled in some of the three dimensional matter in the area from an asteroid a few billion miles away.
The extra material fattened her tail, increasing her reserves. The extra weight didn't show in the form she presented before the two, though. Despite that, Edu'frec's brows rose. It seemed he really could monitor her partially in the fourth dimension, which meant he might be accompanying her along the way.
"So is it doable?" Gaia asked again. The young concept entity looked worried. Paizma supposed that made sense since Gaia had named themself after an old word for Earth. And with the planet threatened, they were worried.
Paizma could see it in the subtle shaking of Gaia's hands and the posture they kept, which wasn't as proud as usual. Paizma wondered where Brey was.
"She's making additional preparations for the Psychic Investment Plan," Edu'frec said.
"What?" both of them asked.
"Paizma was wondering where Brey was."
"I don't like my mind being read."
"I can't read your mind, I just predict it," Edu'frec shrugged.
"Are you really going to be like this?" asked Paizma irritably. She inflated her form, increasing its size and height to exceed that of the android. More matter poured in, which Paizma regulated. She missed John already. But keeping two avatars in this way was taxing on her reserves. Plus, he was sleeping.
"Whatever. I am going to take a short look, that is all for now. Do you have your devices ready?" Paizma asked, shimmering with psychic energy. She mustered the force in the third dimension.
"Yes."
She moved it to the fourth. An invisible and massive body surrounding her curled and lashed out, up, and through reality. The vibrations came with a single android in its wake. He made a small mental connection to her, the only way to talk clearly for him in this space.
Paizma took him down to the approximate location of Earth. In the mindscape, it was a nexus of incredible power in two ways. The first was a mere blip, which was the alien facility they were so concerned about. It was sending out a constant pulse of power, as well as a thinner modulated one.
The second nexus of power was the Source. While it didn't really correspond purely to Earth in the third dimension, higher locations were different. With the fourth coordinate point, the Source sat almost directly below the facility. It opened a great eye.
Psychic power smashed into Paizma, then pulled back. The massive weight of the Source pressed her down and out, without moving at all. The psychic energy swirling around it was so immense she could barely survive it. All from its eye opening to look at her. The power of its gaze would have cooked her flesh, if that was possible in this dimension. Instead, the atoms shifted and moved, growing and shrinking in the fourth dimensional equivalent of temperature changes.
And then the eye closed. The nexus of power that was the Source buried itself deeper and lower, where she could still see it. But the swirling array of psychic energy was mostly drawn downward and inward, along with glimmers of darker things Paizma knew better than to pursue. She checked that Edu'frec had survived.
So far, he had. Paizma disgorged him from her mouth, so they could look at the object in Earth. Paizma shared what she was with him. The image was massive, bloating their connection to a large degree. She could see thousands of processors work on deciphering her sight, and then the connection narrowed again.
Now he understood.
"I won't be able to see anything myself," Edu'frec admitted. "You'll have to share your sight."
"How does it feel?"
"Immense. This would definitely break a weaker and smaller mind than mine. Do you filter it, or is this the natural vision?"
"I can expand it, if you can handle it."
"I certainly can. I'd like to see all I can. Can you show me the view you have of the facility from 'above' please?"
"Yes," Paizma said. She moved him closer and around the top. The facility's walls partially stretched to block her sight, but not entirely. She drifted closer, moving in and around. Slices of Earth's crust and mantle popped up in her vision, along with an increasing whole of the facility. With her higher dimensionality, she didn't just see the inside of the facility. She saw all of it, light or not, exposed or not. She saw everything inside the walls, everything on and around the walls, and every single atom within.
Her connection with Edu'frec swelled to fifty million times its normal size. Programs filed away the data neatly into an almost infinite quantum memory. They noted a small siphon of psychic energy from the facility, which seemingly connected downward somewhere.
Paizma followed it, searching and sniffing out everything she could. Something attacked her, throwing Edu'frec out and away. The connection between them snapped.
She moved back, feeling something dig into her side. She let off a flash of psychic energy, and a thousand more of them appeared. She recognized them, too. Reavers.
She lifted herself back to the third dimension, becoming too small for them to detect properly. Her real body appeared above Earth, thrashing for a moment before she steadied herself. She shrunk back down to her normal size and met up with Edu'frec and Gaia again. The android she'd left was rubbing its head.
"What happened?" Gaia asked.
"This was a military research facility for the Sprilnav faction you seem to be from. I think they might still exist, or their guardians do."
"What would that mean?"
"An extreme danger to all of you, if you poke the facility. But the same if you leave it be, now that it is active."
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The Council Director weathered the silence in the virtual meeting, which Phoebe had called upon reestablishing contact with Penny. Penny was wearing battle armor and had a distinctly cold aura about her. Juan had felt a shiver when first witnessing her, and the hivemind, through him, analyzed her appearance.
She looked incredibly angry. Clearly, something had eaten away at her, and she'd gained even more psychic energy in the process. Her skin glimmered with it.
"I'm sorry," Blistanna said, looking at the hologram Phoebe was projecting of Penny. "Can you repeat that? I mean, it almost sounds like you started a war against the Sprilnav in the middle of a Judgment by the same species that determines whether we all live or die. Surely I misheard."
Beside her, a Skira drone turned to gaze at the Guulin with an inscrutable expression. Penny took the question in stride, her firm demeanor not lessening like it usually would when confronted by her allies.
Something's definitely changed, Juan thought.
"You did not," Penny said. "The gangs enslaves billions of innocents, and they killed my friend. So they will be wiped from the planet."
"Perhaps you aren't getting with the program," Izkrala added. The matronly Acuarfar stood in her seat, her wings flapping involuntarily. The Empress was incredibly upset, but keeping it contained. But even she couldn't keep the slightest of a buzz out of her voice. "We actually need to win this Judgment, Penny Balica."
"Elder culture works differently," Penny said. "By declaring an official war, I will be capable of garnering more respect among their people and their elite class. I will show that I can and do act within their rules, artificial or stupid they may seem to all of us. I understand I've been playing it fast and loose beyond the Alliance, but I am not your slave. None of you have any true right to order me around. I am taking steps to help the Alliance in my own way, and that may be counter to your opinions."
"Well then," Dilandekar said. "Her ideas are set. It appears ours are as well. The recourse in this situation is clear. Penny currently has an Alliance citizenship, and is still subject to our laws. While no law exists to incarcerate her, and she hasn't done anything truly worthy of that, there is still the possibility of treason charges. Or, perhaps, stripping her of Alliance citizenship."
"That is a poor idea," Juan said. "I will not stand by and allow that. She is a member of Humanity and a citizen of Luna. Before the Alliance, and after the Alliance, if there is such a thing. While your outrage is shared by me, you must recognize the situation. Penny is what links us to Kashaunta in truth. She is also the one actually going to the Judgment. Given the lawyers and legal analysts that Kashaunta has access to, do you really presume this would harm her so massively in the Judgment? We could call down Kashaunta herself to have this discussion, though I am loath to breach the security status of these meetings to do so. But the presumption that she has no plan is one that I find objectionable."
"Of course you would defend this," President Iontona said. "She is your kind."
"Yes, I would, not only because of that, but because she actually is doing exactly what we want. Getting rid of slavery is a good thing. She has an Elder in her head, too. Do you really think she's entirely out of control, merely because she doesn't wish to be controlled right now by us? To the Sprilnav, she is the weapon, not us. All we can do is look divided and weak to make them want to overlook us. And who knows. If you don't like the way we do things, you can continue your internal discussions on whether this is worth it for you."
Juan stared at the wanderer, his unhappiness clear.
"What are you referring to?" Blistanna asked.
"They plan to cut and run," Izkrala said. "If it looks like we'll lose the Judgment. That's what he's upset about. Granted, I was pissed when I heard of it, because of all the trouble we've gone through to try and help you."
"What trouble have you gone through, Izkrala? You sit on your ass and eat all day. All of us wanderers are looking at death because of your human, even more so than the painful cancer the Sprilnav already cursed us with. She's the one who garnered the anger of Yasihaut. You want to know why we want to run? It's because of their sadism. What's to say that they don't put a cancer gene in all of you, or make ours even more excruciating? I have stood at the side of thousands of hospital beds, watching my people wither away. Each ship is looking at resorting to different things. But for you to sit here and pretend you know the fear we're facing is the height of arrogance, disrespect, and rudeness. I will not stand for this. The Sprilnav are going to roll over us if they choose. Penny is nothing to them, and we are nothing to them. They don't care. They're all evil alien animals, which would gladly feast on all our bones if they happened to taste good. This ludicrous idea of provoking them that the Council Director appears to support is exactly why these conversations are happening in the Wanderer Confederacy."
"Look, I know you all want to argue," Penny said. "But really, we should try to be united on this."
"Oh? How will you help with that, then? Perhaps by abandoning another agreement to help us with our cancer? Maybe making more of them, even? I'm sure you can tell us all what unity looks like. Go ahead. Look me in the eyes, and tell me I'm wrong for wanting what's best for my people."
Penny strode over to him. "You don't know what's best for your people."
"See? She-"
"You presume that because you are the President, that you somehow are more capable of understanding the needs of your species. You are a politician more than a person. Everyone here is. Do not forget what the Sprilnav have done to you, but remember that things are different now. We do have the backing of Kashaunta. That is a boon that few nations have possessed in the past. I have power that they respect, so they respect me in turn, or respect my power. Why complain that I am not here to complete my end of the deal when I am actually fighting for the Alliance? The ideas of freedom and liberty are not things to be tossed aside when convenient. I am not trying to insult you. I am trying to understand why you are so upset with me, when this is according to the plan of a Sprilnav elite of the highest order. Kashaunta needs me for my power, so she would tell me which actions are the most beneficial to my position. The same would apply to your position, which is linked to my identity among the Sprilnav. The Progenitors are a non-issue now."
"Considering that they are the gods of all civilization, they are hardly a non-issue."
Penny smiled. "I beat the absolute tar out of Twilight a while back. So yes, they are a non-issue."
"I think it is time to continue the heart of the discussion," Fyuuleen said. "Penny, you need to actually consult us on these things before you do them. While we can't tell you off like a mother Vuureensleev, we still are the rulers of the Alliance. If you don't respect us, who can you respect?"
"The people who put their money where their mouth is. You're not here, dealing with a dead friend. You're there, dealing with passing laws, catching spies, and signing bills. While yes, that job is important, it isn't nearly as stressful as being surrounded by aliens, and only knowing few of them. I can't make friends here without them being killed. There's a war across the planet right now, and I've freed tens of millions of slaves. The Judgment is in one day, and I've been preparing for that, too. I can't really say that I haven't been doing anything right."
"I understand, Conclave Leader. Recent days have been... difficult for me. Perhaps as a war veteran, you can understand my mindset right now. I know that you all expect to serve as some sort of oversight on me. I am willing to accept that, but your advice needs to be useful. Insulting me over avenging my friend is not the path to reconciliation. Nilnacrawla is telling me to keep your interests in my mind, and I am. But I will listen, not bow. I am not a soldier. I am not a general, or a commander. I am not part of any chain of command. I will ask Elder Kashaunta to establish better contact with you all, and will have Phoebe relay reports of what is going on. I do not plan to begin any major offensives before the Judgment."
"You do not think capturing a city is a major offensive?" Izkrala asked.
"Not compared to capturing hundreds of them," Penny said. "I am the Liberator. That means that I am fighting for everyone."
"But fighting for the Sprilnav is a waste of your time, effort, and talent," Iontona said.
"They are people too," Penny said. "This mentality of us and them is what has destroyed every nation of our kind before us. We need to accept that we need Sprilnav allies to win this war. To turn their strength against them, I must help them too. Kashaunta is a brutal despot, but she is fair in her rule, as much as many of you. She has fought wars of grander scale, which necessitates larger death tolls."
"You are not here to play defense for Kashaunta. You are here because you are threatening our future with your antics."
"I know," Penny said. "But my actions will have a positive impact, not a negative one. We have a plan in place to exploit the traps Yasihaut will seek to set. We have lawyers capable of defending us. I know you do not trust me, not truly. But that is acceptable. I will not let us lose this Judgment."
"And if you do?"
"There are plans in place for that, as well. The nuclear option is not something I will talk about now, and will only discuss if things get far worse."
"Very well, Penny," Fyuuleen said. "Do what you must."
"If you don't, billions of people will die," Iontona added.
Penny nodded again. "That weighs on me every day."
She left the meeting. The rest of them followed. Juan led Blistanna aside before she exited.
"What is it? I have things to do."
"Yes, we all do. But I wish to know what suggestions you have. I can tell that you are upset, and I believe it would be better for me to present your ideas to her."
"It is not anger at her, not really. I am upset that we have to forgo freeing slaves because of the Judgment. I am angry that it might endanger our own freedom and continued survival, because of this situation that has been concocted. Most of all, I am angry because they can just do this again and again. Nothing stops them. The Sprilnav have us at our throats, without having to lift a claw. All with one court case. They can just arbitrarily decide to kill us, and there's nothing we can do."
Blistanna's tentacles shook with anger. Her skin was paled in distress, and she stared at the place Penny had left. "Truth be told, maybe she's doing it right. But the politics of all of this is just nasty. Iontona's a coward, Dilandekar's cold, and Izkrala is too angry over the principle instead of the situation. We can't have more of these sorts of National Exchanges, Juan. If we do, we'll either drive Penny away entirely or rip ourselves apart. Maybe that's what the Sprilnav want. The more we bicker and argue, the worse it all gets. This is exactly how nations crumble."
"So we need to do something about it, then," Juan said.
"What grand idea do you have for this one? I hope it's not bringing Earth into this. They'll really tear it apart."
"No. We need an outward facing front. So what we need to do is push the youth against the leaders that are problematic, or the ideas that are. We showcase this division on the national stage, plug it with Phoebe's propaganda, and those in power will be forced to look like they're working together. The resentment won't last. We can get Kashaunta on board, if possible."
"Bad idea. She only speaks to her own interests."
"Not entirely," Juan said. "Tell me, what do you know about Sprilnav Soul Blades?"
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Penny watched the massive doors of the Fort Court swing open. Hundreds of thousands of guns, lasers, and missiles fixed upon her as she gently walked forward. The facility was mostly bare bones, with high amounts of alloy and stone visible in the upper layers. But at the lower levels, there was a large amount of holograms showing various symbols and golden overlays. It reminded her of the patterns on lace.
The Court was twenty miles tall, larger than a mountain. Even the doors went up for nearly two miles. They swung using unknown means, letting a second layer of sunlight fall upon the hardened floor.
Behind Penny was her own entourage. The Refined Elders, Pundacrawla, Phoebe, Kashaunta, and a few of her retainers were followed by guards, a thick shield, and several Correctors. But not just them. In a gradually widening triangle, tens of thousands of freed slaves also followed.
Penny had explained what she planned to Kashaunta to get this to happen, and the Elder enthusiastically accepted. While they would not be let within a certain radius of the Court, and their camps were widely spaced to prevent hiding anything of interest to the security, it would help to show the support Penny had of the people.
They were already tailgating. Music played from alien boom boxes and even a band Kashaunta had hired. Guides and security drones watched from afar but had already ensured the security threat would be minimal.
There were shields in place to prevent anything serious. In the distance, smoke from the dormant volcano the Court was built atop rolled out of specialized vents. The Sprilnav apparently could control when volcanoes erupted, which wasn't surprising to Penny once she'd learned of it. The Court was gigantic, and there would need to be a lot of stability for it to exist for as long as it had.
Inside, the chamber was circular. The Court was shaped like the Coliseum, complete with some pillar designs that held up the area where the High Judges were sitting. The twenty seats had been prepared ahead of time, and featured holograms below them on the sheer wall that supported them above the columns. The holograms read out various names in both Justicar Standard Script and in English.
Penny could see the High Judges themselves, but her gaze went to the 'empty' stands. The only people inside were either Guides, Correctors, or holograms of spectators. The holograms had a distinct unrealistic orange glow, probably some security apparatus.
Two house-sized tents were in the center, separated by a black and purple painted line. Above the line was a triple layer of shields: one yellow, one purple, and another yellow. The purple shield was so strong that Penny couldn't sense anything on the other side. It also surrounded her half of the Court in a bubble that met the ground in the same painted lines, suggesting that the shield went underground. The mindscape dropped away as soon as Penny crossed the threshold behind the massive doors.
The Court quieted. Millions of eyes, real or not, were all fixed upon Penny's waist. When Penny had passed the purple barrier, the Soul Blade had appeared on her hip. Penny didn't react, continuing to move forward to reach the Defendant's Booth. She could faintly see the Challenger's Booth on the other side through the shield.
Yasihaut had entered the Court first, as was tradition. Clearly, Justicar had decided to limit the contact between them. A sound decision. Penny didn't want to have to see her anymore.
The thick shields became more transparent, revealing Yasihaut's delegation. Elders and various Sprilnav, all wearing conceptual power blocking armor, stood in front of the Challenger's booth. The eerie silence soon ended when an Elder stood. Justicar wore an incredibly elaborate armor set, with designs that looked a lot like lace.
"In the name of Justicar, this Court is brought to order. I am High Judge Justicar. I am one of the 20 presiding High Judges over this case, appointed in this role by my birthright. This is the 4th day of the 18th year of the 803rd Age of Justicar. Let the record reflect that this trial's start time is exactly midday."
Justicar's imperious expression passed over them.
"Now, with that out of the way, I shall introduce the Challenger and Defendant, along with their submitted arguments for this Judgment. In summary, Challenger Elder Yasihaut, 1st Named in the Everlasting, has opened this Judgment claiming that the Defendant and her home nation, the Sol Alliance, should be classified as Class 9 Hostile Alien Threat and Class 7 Hostile Alien Threats, respectively.
The justification she provides for this is that the Sol Alliance hosts two psychic-variant AIs, has shown a willingness and future interest in attacking the Sprilnav people, and the capacity to carry out a destructive attack against Sprilnav civilians. Additionally, she claims that the influence of the Defendant has grown to a state unmanageable by any other party, including both the Elders and the Progenitors due to the backing of Elder Kashaunta. She claims the Defendant is capable of mass-casualty terrorist attacks and has shown continued interest in killing Sprilnav, with no regard for civilian lives lost in the process.
She claims the Defendant's conceptual and psychic power represents an active and severe danger to her life and those of her friends and family, the Defendant is disrupting the current order, and is conspiring with Elder Kashaunta to assassinate her enemies by illegal means. The sentence the Challenger requests as a result of this Judgment is the execution of every current member of the Sol Alliance, as well as the execution of the Defendant immediately upon the conclusion of the case by Conceptual Suffering doses. She cites Judgment 1826 of the 9th day of the 7th year of the 803rd Age, Judgment 662 of the 336th day of the 93rd year..."
As Justicar continued talking, Penny looked at Yasihaut, who smiled smugly back.
The death penalty, Penny thought. How fitting, considering what I will do to her.
"...the 28300th year of the 730th Age. It is important to note that this Trial by Majority will not only determine the guilt or innocence of the Defendant but also the means of the sentence within the realms of law according to the severity of the possible sentence found. It is also important to note that this Judgment will be the final matter between Elder Yasihaut and Penny Balica that will be approved for 30 years. An appeal of this decision will not be allowed, as this trial is of the highest jurisdiction possible, and I am already a High Judge involved in its arbitration. No lower courts or extraplanetary courts may argue this issue again for the same 30 year period, or sanctions will be placed on the offending party with extreme prejudice."
"The Defendant is Penny Balica, a human from the Sol Alliance with the title of Liberator, Champion of Humanity, and... holder of a Pact of Blades with Elder Kashaunta, 1st Named in the Everlasting."
He allowed for the proper amount of time for people to absorb the sentence.
"The Defendant has opened a counter case, suggesting that the Challenger is misrepresenting the Sol Alliance and herself as a threat to the Sprilnav, citing her cooperation with Elder Kashaunta, the Alliance's cooperation with the Van family, and her record of following and upholding treaties with Elders. Furthermore, she has opened a counter case, suggesting that the public statements the Challenger has published fall against the Justicar Defamation Law, notably Sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 20, 46, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 154, 155, 162, 177, 192, 201, and sixty-seven others, and is requesting 2 billion credits and a 30 year censure on public statements from the Challenger and affiliated parties on the Defendant."
"Now that the stakes of this Judgement are laid out, I will instruct the parties in this case on decorum, as neither of them are Justicar natives. The Court expects that the Defendant and the Challenger will hold to the rules of decorum, as will their company. The Court also wishes to avoid unfortunate incidents, so it has hired Progenitors Filnatra and Arneladia to uphold the security of the Court."
"It is also important to note that this Court is backed by the full might of the Elders of Justicar, the Status Quo Party, the Sprilnav Freedom Party, the Justice and Security Party, Elder Lilliana, Elder Napei, Elder Mashae, Elder Aryacrawla, Elder Nulyihaut, Elder Poleia, Elder Crissi, Elder Olei'paushe'ani, Elder Taubelibelibax, Elder Somalia, Elder Aneyti, Elder Wuseniau'palacrawla se Hautni'pelshinomalia, Elder Commu nar Galvi, Elder Commu nar Jelpha, Elder Radia, Elder Hwe'iaspehaut, Elder Maggracrawla, Elder Tishaunt'pali, Elder Kashaunta, and the Progenitors. Its legitimacy is their legitimacy."
Some of those names were downright hilarious. Penny kept her face straight. Justicar said basically the exact same thing Tassidonia had said weeks back.
"I shall instruct the parties of the rules of decorum. High Judges within this room are to be referred to either as 'High Judge' or 'Elder.' No other names or titles apply, with the exception of Progenitor Indrafabar, who is allowed his aforementioned title. No parties may threaten or influence the Challenger or the Defendant and their retinues. Camera drones and other news equipment are to be kept outside the main court chamber the allotted section at all times, unless the express verbal permission of at least 6 High Judges is given to allow a specific instance.
The Challenger and Defendant are to remain on their given sides of the shield, though they may be required to exit their booths upon request. They are not to engage in any actions construed as attacks upon their counterparts under any circumstances. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica may request breaks to consume food or water within reason.
The booths are equipped with bathrooms compatible with human and Sprilnav physiology, and the Challenger and Defendant are both allowed to declare their retirement to a bathroom and enter it for a period of 1000 pulses, or 1020 human seconds, which is also 17 minutes. Challenger Yasihaut and Defendant Balica are allowed to use Justicar-provided lawyers or may utilize those they have brought here today to assist with their arguments.
These conditions will not be changed by petition from either claimant but only upon the agreement of 16 High Judges and the condition of necessity to the point of impeding the progression of the Judgment.
Devices are to remain within booths unless they are direct admissible evidence in the case. Furthermore, they are to be silenced to prevent any interruptions. Documents to be displayed will be given to the Guides or Correctors standing by both booths. These documents will be shown to the entire Court with translations in both Justicar Standard Script and Post Modern North American English."
Justicar stepped back and moved to his seat. Progenitor Indrafabar stood and moved to the podium.
"Do either of you request additional clarifications on the rules of the Court? If so, indicate it verbally."
His voice was almost hypnotic. Penny resisted the effect. "I wish to know the punishments for violating these terms so both of us have an impetus not to."
Microphones carried her voice to the ears of everyone inside the Court, as if she was right next to their ears, with remarkable quality for such a massive room. Penny wondered if shields were aiding in the sonic feedback.
"This would have been stated in the next section of this proceeding, but I shall say it now for the Court. The punishments will vary based on the severity of the infraction. For this case, under the authority of Justicar, we have decided to fully reinstate Section 4 of the Justicar Common Case Conduct Law. It states the following:
'When any contempt is committed in the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may punish it summarily by fine, or imprisonment, or both. If any contempt occurs outside the immediate view and presence of the Court, the Court may levy the same punishments as before after an opportunity for defense has been given. Punishment for Contempt of a Judge, High Judge, or their Court will result in a 1% fine of the violating party's assets, 10-day imprisonment, a rescheduling of the hearing, a published apology to the aggrieved party, an update of their legal record to reflect the fact, and 4 days of community service. If the alleged misconduct has caused an actual loss or injury to any person, the Court shall order the offending party to pay the aggrieved party a sufficient sum to indemnify them, in addition to the other penalties that may be imposed. The payment and acceptance of this sum is an absolute bar to any action by the aggrieved party to recover damages for the loss or injury.'
The full law section is provided below. If either party wishes to read the law, time shall be allotted within reason. Express the decision verbally. When you are finished, you may give the tablet back to your assigned Guide."
"I wish to read the law," Penny said.
"I wish to view the law," Yasihaut said.
Guides carried a tablet to both of them. The display was purplish, and it had a hologram feature available upon selection. Penny took hers, reading the top, and then the next lines one by one. An information note at the top said 'Translation Available,' so she picked it. The English became Justicar Standard Script. The word count changed from 19,283 to 8,740. Justicar Standard Script had been built from the bottom up, so it could express broader concepts in fewer words.
Though her psychic energy enabled her to read incredibly fast, Penny took the time to understand everything that was said. Pundacrawla's tablet beside her showed the same law, though it looked like he'd finished it using his implant. Penny reached the bottom of the list in 10 minutes and handed the tablet back to the Guide.
Five minutes later, Yasihaut finished also.
"Do either of you have additional requests of the Court? If so, express them verbally."
Penny didn't. The more questions she asked, the longer this would take and the less favorable it would look. In a case like this, perception was everything. She didn't even pretend it had to do with fairness under the law.
"Now. The High Judges came to an agreement for this trial. Exactly 197 full laws will be relevant to this trial. We will peruse each relevant section, and each party will confirm their understanding until they move on to the next one. While this level of guidance is not normally necessary, interested parties want to ensure that no breaches occur during this trial."
Indrafabar gave them both a pointed look.
"The reason we are doing this here despite these sections being included in the necessary reading for the trial is for the interest of transparency."
Really, it was Justicar establishing his dominance over them. By making them sit for hours and read in front of millions of people, he was attempting to show that he was above them. Or to convey another message to his backers.
She also suspected Yasihaut's side had influenced this, trying to make Penny look worse by taking longer. It would set her up as the 'slow barbarian alien' in the High Judges' brains, which would unconsciously prejudice them against her a little more.
Unfortunately for them, Nilnacrawla was carrying the definitions for every single unfamiliar legal word in his memories. If each of the laws took her ten minutes, it would require almost 34 hours of reading to finish them all. Whoever took even a few seconds longer would lose respect in the Court, adding more time to the length of the Judgment.
Penny would win even this tiny, petty battle and set the tone for the rest of the Judgment.
2024.06.05 03:01 AutoModerator [NEWBIE CORNER] If You Are a New Rep Buyer or New Agent User, Please Read This Post PRIOR To Posting!
This thread will be posted by the automoderator every 48 hours at 6:00 PM PST.
Hi all,
This thread will attempt to limit the amount of low-effort posts we get in the subreddit. Yes, we all started somewhere at some point, and being new can be difficult and scary, but that is no excuse to not do any research and think that every question that pops into your head warrants a brand new post.
This post will initially be made by me, but will subsequently become a recurring automoderator thread.
Most questions can usually be answered with the following guides:
Basic, Commonly Used Replica Terms Defined (QC, GL, RL, Batch Names, Batch Tiering, etc)
In the current landscape, it is difficult to recommend any agents. Once an agent arises that seems trustworthy and efficient, a How-To Guide may be written. At this time, this group does not have a How-To Guide for agent purchases.
"How can I order this pair? The website (Weidian/Taobao) is in Chinese."
Web Browser's such as Apple's Safari or Google Chrome have built-in translation features that you can use to translate the page. Additionally, copy-pasting the link into an agent website translates the page for you.
"W2C?" "Do you have a link?"
I see these comments underneath posts at least daily, and I fear those of you commenting these things will not read this post either. All QC posts are mandated to have W2C links. All W2C links are either in the caption of the photos or in the comments section. Please check these two areas before posting "W2C?"
"I don't know what size to purchase"
If you've never ordered from an agent, you may not have ever referenced European sizing. Weidian listings are most commonly listed in EU sizing. I am a US 8.5, and that is an EU 42. Convert from your US or UK size to find the appropriate size! There are multiple size charts online, but the one I use myself is this one from N1k3.
In my experience, most shoes and batches are true to size, or at least fit like their retail counterparts. Order whatever size typically works for you in that silhouette. If it's your first time buying a certain silhouette, you can ask for insole measurements, though this isn't something I typically do.
"Wait - but X Middleman in another subreddit charges double the price for these! Am I being scammed by purchasing of Weidian?"
No, you are not being scammed. In short, middlemen do not produce pairs - they source them from the same places Weidian sellers do. Middlemen mark up the price as they are profiting off of user laziness and desire for maximum convenience, as well as providing usually faster UPS/FedEx shipping (a ~$55 value to the US). Some middlemen will lie and say Weidian is scamming you - this is not true. These sellers are simply trying to instill fear in ignorant, usually newer rep buyers in order to maintain business. These sellers also usually pay off other group moderators in order to be given the "trusted seller" status. This status was not earned, but bought. Keep this in mind when perusing other subreddits with weaker moderation.
As stated in my guide, batch is what matters, not seller. If you buy the same batch from a middleman as an agent, it will be the same exact quality. Please do not discuss overpriced middlemen from other groups here as that is against subreddit rules. Please try to do your own research on any outside information prior to bringing it into this subreddit as it may be unreliable. The only discussion regarding direct shipping allowed in the group is for Weidian sellers in the community as they offer the most competitive prices and have maintained a good reputation.
"I bought a pair in another subreddit from a middleman and want to know what they sent me! Can I post here asking for the batch identity?"
That is unfortunate that you purchased from a seller in another subreddit where sellers are not upheld to standards for transparency and putting the seller first. This group was not made to be a crutch to these other subreddits. We here encourage you to purchase from sellers who have gained their reputations organically, and who will be held to consequences if they breach that trust. You are welcome to post in other groups asking for batch identities, though that is not allowed here in order to maintain our ecosystem and not help maintain other, shadier subreddits.
"But middlemen said that if I use an agent, I can't get QC pictures or RL pairs?"
This is false and again, an attempt to keep your business and keep you from saving money. You can see all of the QC pictures in this group. Being able to GL or RL pairs depends on the listing. Certain sale listings or B-Grade listings are non-refundable, so you will get QC pictures, but you won't be able to return them except for severe circumstances (seller sent wrong shoe, seller sent wrong size).
"What is a B-Grade pair? How do they differ from regular products?"
B Grades or B Versions have imperfections that prevent the pairs from being sold at regular price - it’s impossible to know what imperfections will be present, though typically for top-tier batches, the imperfections are relatively minor. The flaws can range from scuffs to loose stitching, differences in tumbling to wrinkled leather. Sometimes, but not always, do the sellers state what types of flaws to expect on the pairs. I typically avoid any pairs where the sellers warn about mold, as that is not something I want to deal with or put on my feet.
"Well, do you recommend B-Grade products poncecatchemall?"
If you can’t tolerate minor flaws, do not purchase. These pairs are typically non-refundable. If you’re willing to compromise minor flaws that you’ll likely acquire rapidly anyway from wearing your shoe, pick the B-Grade pairs up and enjoy the discounted price - I personally recommend B products from top batches as I’m not bothered by imperfections that quickly come from wear.
Because the group will temporarily allow direct shipping from our Weidian sellers, QC Post Flairs were split for each price range into Agent Purchases and Direct Shipping Purchases. Please use the appropriate flair for how you purchased the item.
"Can I post screenshots of my QC pictures instead of downloading the pictures and posting the actual QC pictures?"
No. Posting screenshots of the QC photos reduces the picture resolution and makes actually providing any accurate QCs much more difficult. On your agent site, download the QC photos the agent has provided. Users should post the actual QC pictures with the appropriate title format.
"Wow, the pair I ordered using an agent looks like the colors are all off - why is that?"
Warehouse lighting is terrible and often distorts colors. You cannot QC color shades or saturations through warehouse lighting QC pics. Either 1) ask for natural lighting pictures (though not all agents do this) or 2) look up in-hand pictures of the batch you are purchasing, as in-hand pictures typically have better lighting. The latter tends to be easier unless it is a brand new batch on the market. Remember, colors typically do not vary within a batch. For example, all LJR TS1 Highs have a yellow midsole, and that does not change from pair to pair unless the batch is updated. The midsoles might picture differently among different agents or purchases, but they'll all look the same in person.
"I think I may have been bait and switched - what should I do?"
If you post asking if a pair you received is not what you purchased, your post must include specific reasoning as to why you believe that is so.
Acceptable reasoning includes specific characteristics of the shoe (leather cuts, wings logo placement, colors, etc) that differ from known pairs, different production dates from known pairs, sellers with confirmed recent history of bait and switch, etc. The most important part is to include some sort of reasoning. Posts without reasoning will be deleted, as these posts are typically made from newer members to the replica community, and the posts lead to unnecessary fearmongering and damage to seller reputations.
Please order a QC picture of the size tag so that we can see the production dates. Production dates on size tags can help rule out a batch identity. However, matching size tags does not guarantee a batch identity and requires some additional information. I order size tag pictures by asking my agent for additional "Detailed Photos" with the following statement in the request comment: "Complete picture of inner white size tag clearly showing both production dates."
"There are so many differing opinions! I don't know who to listen to. What do I do?
Being new in the rep game is hard - it is difficult to know who is a credible commenter, and who is not. For this reason, certain members in repweidiansneakers have been given User Flairs to distinguish them from the crowd as reputable, knowledgeable members of the community. They have earned their flairs, and if there are conflicting opinions on a QC, I personally would give their opinion more weight.
"What is the best batch for X shoe?"
Oftentimes, and especially for very popular shoes, these questions have already been asked and discussed in detail. Recommendations for navigating this are:
There are often too many variables to give a blanket answer. Which agent? Shipping to which country? Using which shipping method? The most optimal way to use an agent in terms of cost is to make a haul of at least 4kg in my opinion, which is about 3-4 pairs of shoes. Previously, I myself typically shipped out 8kg-10kg hauls using my agent through GD-EMS, the haul typically arrives in 2 weeks, and the shipping cost per shoe is usually around $30.
"How much should I declare for the value of my package for Customs?"
This varies by country. For the US, I declare $12/kg. For 10kg hauls, I thus declare $120. Other countries have different guidelines. Hopefully members from different countries can state what they declare for their hauls per kg in the comments.
"Is my package seized?"
Does your tracking say your package has been seized? If yes, then yes, your package has been seized. If no, then no, your package has not been seized. Patience is a virtue and is the name of the game. Read your tracking information. Whatever it says is what the current status of the package is. That is the purpose of tracking information.
"But my tracking information hasn't updated in 3 days? Should I panic?"
No. Again, patience is key.
"Should I post a generic picture of my boxed haul about to ship out with a corny caption?"
No.
No. Please keep the low-quality spam in other groups. Posting memes, "Fire up the rep machines" posts, or anything similar will result in a 14-day temporary ban from the group.
"I threw together a list of low-quality items in a spreadsheet and called it THE ULTIMATE FINDS LIST, just trying to get people to use my affiliate link for an agent - can I post it?"
Do not spam the group with low-quality "finds" spreadsheets. The majority of you doing this don't even know how to QC or make solid, informed recommendations. If you actually have good recommendations, I will make an exception. However, the majority of your "1:1 spreadsheets" are terrible, and thus are not allowed in this group.
submitted by AutoModerator to repweidiansneakers [link] [comments]
Hi all,
This thread will attempt to limit the amount of low-effort posts we get in the subreddit. Yes, we all started somewhere at some point, and being new can be difficult and scary, but that is no excuse to not do any research and think that every question that pops into your head warrants a brand new post.
This post will initially be made by me, but will subsequently become a recurring automoderator thread.
Most questions can usually be answered with the following guides:
Basic, Commonly Used Replica Terms Defined (QC, GL, RL, Batch Names, Batch Tiering, etc)
Agent Basics
"I have never used an agent - how do I learn?"In the current landscape, it is difficult to recommend any agents. Once an agent arises that seems trustworthy and efficient, a How-To Guide may be written. At this time, this group does not have a How-To Guide for agent purchases.
"How can I order this pair? The website (Weidian/Taobao) is in Chinese."
Web Browser's such as Apple's Safari or Google Chrome have built-in translation features that you can use to translate the page. Additionally, copy-pasting the link into an agent website translates the page for you.
"W2C?" "Do you have a link?"
I see these comments underneath posts at least daily, and I fear those of you commenting these things will not read this post either. All QC posts are mandated to have W2C links. All W2C links are either in the caption of the photos or in the comments section. Please check these two areas before posting "W2C?"
"I don't know what size to purchase"
If you've never ordered from an agent, you may not have ever referenced European sizing. Weidian listings are most commonly listed in EU sizing. I am a US 8.5, and that is an EU 42. Convert from your US or UK size to find the appropriate size! There are multiple size charts online, but the one I use myself is this one from N1k3.
In my experience, most shoes and batches are true to size, or at least fit like their retail counterparts. Order whatever size typically works for you in that silhouette. If it's your first time buying a certain silhouette, you can ask for insole measurements, though this isn't something I typically do.
"Wait - but X Middleman in another subreddit charges double the price for these! Am I being scammed by purchasing of Weidian?"
No, you are not being scammed. In short, middlemen do not produce pairs - they source them from the same places Weidian sellers do. Middlemen mark up the price as they are profiting off of user laziness and desire for maximum convenience, as well as providing usually faster UPS/FedEx shipping (a ~$55 value to the US). Some middlemen will lie and say Weidian is scamming you - this is not true. These sellers are simply trying to instill fear in ignorant, usually newer rep buyers in order to maintain business. These sellers also usually pay off other group moderators in order to be given the "trusted seller" status. This status was not earned, but bought. Keep this in mind when perusing other subreddits with weaker moderation.
As stated in my guide, batch is what matters, not seller. If you buy the same batch from a middleman as an agent, it will be the same exact quality. Please do not discuss overpriced middlemen from other groups here as that is against subreddit rules. Please try to do your own research on any outside information prior to bringing it into this subreddit as it may be unreliable. The only discussion regarding direct shipping allowed in the group is for Weidian sellers in the community as they offer the most competitive prices and have maintained a good reputation.
"I bought a pair in another subreddit from a middleman and want to know what they sent me! Can I post here asking for the batch identity?"
That is unfortunate that you purchased from a seller in another subreddit where sellers are not upheld to standards for transparency and putting the seller first. This group was not made to be a crutch to these other subreddits. We here encourage you to purchase from sellers who have gained their reputations organically, and who will be held to consequences if they breach that trust. You are welcome to post in other groups asking for batch identities, though that is not allowed here in order to maintain our ecosystem and not help maintain other, shadier subreddits.
"But middlemen said that if I use an agent, I can't get QC pictures or RL pairs?"
This is false and again, an attempt to keep your business and keep you from saving money. You can see all of the QC pictures in this group. Being able to GL or RL pairs depends on the listing. Certain sale listings or B-Grade listings are non-refundable, so you will get QC pictures, but you won't be able to return them except for severe circumstances (seller sent wrong shoe, seller sent wrong size).
"What is a B-Grade pair? How do they differ from regular products?"
B Grades or B Versions have imperfections that prevent the pairs from being sold at regular price - it’s impossible to know what imperfections will be present, though typically for top-tier batches, the imperfections are relatively minor. The flaws can range from scuffs to loose stitching, differences in tumbling to wrinkled leather. Sometimes, but not always, do the sellers state what types of flaws to expect on the pairs. I typically avoid any pairs where the sellers warn about mold, as that is not something I want to deal with or put on my feet.
"Well, do you recommend B-Grade products poncecatchemall?"
If you can’t tolerate minor flaws, do not purchase. These pairs are typically non-refundable. If you’re willing to compromise minor flaws that you’ll likely acquire rapidly anyway from wearing your shoe, pick the B-Grade pairs up and enjoy the discounted price - I personally recommend B products from top batches as I’m not bothered by imperfections that quickly come from wear.
QC Questions
"Which post flair should I use, Agent or DIRECT, and which price range should I select?"Because the group will temporarily allow direct shipping from our Weidian sellers, QC Post Flairs were split for each price range into Agent Purchases and Direct Shipping Purchases. Please use the appropriate flair for how you purchased the item.
- If you are purchasing through an agent, use the QC Post Flair that captures the price of the shoe on the Weidian Listing. For example, a 470¥ pair of GX Batch Jordan 4s would use the Agent QC 400¥ - 499¥ flair.
- If you are purchasing the same GX Batch Jordan 4s pair directly from a Weidian seller, without an agent, you should use the DIRECT QC post flair that captures the total price (including direct shipping). If that GX Batch Jordan 4 pair comes out to $119 shipped, or 861¥ (470¥ + 390¥ Direct Shipping), you should use the DIRECT QC 800¥-899¥ post flair.
"Can I post screenshots of my QC pictures instead of downloading the pictures and posting the actual QC pictures?"
No. Posting screenshots of the QC photos reduces the picture resolution and makes actually providing any accurate QCs much more difficult. On your agent site, download the QC photos the agent has provided. Users should post the actual QC pictures with the appropriate title format.
"Wow, the pair I ordered using an agent looks like the colors are all off - why is that?"
Warehouse lighting is terrible and often distorts colors. You cannot QC color shades or saturations through warehouse lighting QC pics. Either 1) ask for natural lighting pictures (though not all agents do this) or 2) look up in-hand pictures of the batch you are purchasing, as in-hand pictures typically have better lighting. The latter tends to be easier unless it is a brand new batch on the market. Remember, colors typically do not vary within a batch. For example, all LJR TS1 Highs have a yellow midsole, and that does not change from pair to pair unless the batch is updated. The midsoles might picture differently among different agents or purchases, but they'll all look the same in person.
"I think I may have been bait and switched - what should I do?"
If you post asking if a pair you received is not what you purchased, your post must include specific reasoning as to why you believe that is so.
Acceptable reasoning includes specific characteristics of the shoe (leather cuts, wings logo placement, colors, etc) that differ from known pairs, different production dates from known pairs, sellers with confirmed recent history of bait and switch, etc. The most important part is to include some sort of reasoning. Posts without reasoning will be deleted, as these posts are typically made from newer members to the replica community, and the posts lead to unnecessary fearmongering and damage to seller reputations.
Please order a QC picture of the size tag so that we can see the production dates. Production dates on size tags can help rule out a batch identity. However, matching size tags does not guarantee a batch identity and requires some additional information. I order size tag pictures by asking my agent for additional "Detailed Photos" with the following statement in the request comment: "Complete picture of inner white size tag clearly showing both production dates."
"There are so many differing opinions! I don't know who to listen to. What do I do?
Being new in the rep game is hard - it is difficult to know who is a credible commenter, and who is not. For this reason, certain members in repweidiansneakers have been given User Flairs to distinguish them from the crowd as reputable, knowledgeable members of the community. They have earned their flairs, and if there are conflicting opinions on a QC, I personally would give their opinion more weight.
"What is the best batch for X shoe?"
Oftentimes, and especially for very popular shoes, these questions have already been asked and discussed in detail. Recommendations for navigating this are:
- Check poncecatchemall's batch guide if available
- If the shoe isn't listed on there, utilize the group's search bar to search for the shoe in question to look at QCs. You can also utilize the group's search bar to search by the Rep vs Retail Flair in order to see comparisons of batches on the market.
- You can also check the comments history of any of the group experts to see if they've discussed these shoes in the past.
Shipping Questions
"How much will it be to ship X amount of shoes using an agent?"There are often too many variables to give a blanket answer. Which agent? Shipping to which country? Using which shipping method? The most optimal way to use an agent in terms of cost is to make a haul of at least 4kg in my opinion, which is about 3-4 pairs of shoes. Previously, I myself typically shipped out 8kg-10kg hauls using my agent through GD-EMS, the haul typically arrives in 2 weeks, and the shipping cost per shoe is usually around $30.
"How much should I declare for the value of my package for Customs?"
This varies by country. For the US, I declare $12/kg. For 10kg hauls, I thus declare $120. Other countries have different guidelines. Hopefully members from different countries can state what they declare for their hauls per kg in the comments.
"Is my package seized?"
Does your tracking say your package has been seized? If yes, then yes, your package has been seized. If no, then no, your package has not been seized. Patience is a virtue and is the name of the game. Read your tracking information. Whatever it says is what the current status of the package is. That is the purpose of tracking information.
"But my tracking information hasn't updated in 3 days? Should I panic?"
No. Again, patience is key.
"Should I post a generic picture of my boxed haul about to ship out with a corny caption?"
No.
Miscellaneous
"Wow I saw a hilarious meme on another subreddit, can I post it here?"No. Please keep the low-quality spam in other groups. Posting memes, "Fire up the rep machines" posts, or anything similar will result in a 14-day temporary ban from the group.
"I threw together a list of low-quality items in a spreadsheet and called it THE ULTIMATE FINDS LIST, just trying to get people to use my affiliate link for an agent - can I post it?"
Do not spam the group with low-quality "finds" spreadsheets. The majority of you doing this don't even know how to QC or make solid, informed recommendations. If you actually have good recommendations, I will make an exception. However, the majority of your "1:1 spreadsheets" are terrible, and thus are not allowed in this group.
2024.06.05 02:50 xtremexavier15 TMA 14
Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Jasmine, Justin, Millie, Topher
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, MK, Ripper
Episode 14: One Million Bucks, B.C.
"Last time on Total Drama Action! Tensions between Ripper and MK were still high while Izzy and Chase managed to bond. Much to the surprise of the teams, Ripper and Jasmine were captured and stashed into safes."
"After wasting a lot of time, the Gaffers asked their captive tough guy for help. Meanwhile, the Grips lucked out when they decided to have Jasmine escape through the air vents."
“Bulletproof girl Anne Maria got the surprise of her life when she was faced with none other than... Topher, who, thanks to yours truly, is back in the running. The Gaffers lost, and thanks to some confusing votes, Izzy took the lame-o-sine again.”
The recap footage ended, and portraits of the remaining contestants were shown on the screen – Anne Maria, Justin, Millie, and Topher on the top; Chase, MK, Ripper, and Jasmine on the bottom. "With only eight contestants left," Chris said before popping up in the foreground, "maybe one of them will stand a chance, on another awe-inspiring episode," the backdrop faded and the camera cut to the host in front of the cast trailer, "of Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
A small flock of seagulls flew across the morning sun as the episode started, and the camera panned down to the cast trailers. It zoomed in on the guys' residence as Ripper exclaimed "I can’t believe that Izzy would vote for me." The shot cut inside to show Ripper complaining as Topher combed his hair, Justin sprayed himself with hairspray in front of the mirror, and Chase sat on his bunk. "If she liked me, why would she not vote for MK?! It makes no sense!"
“I know we saw what we saw, but I don’t think that Izzy voted for you because she hated you,” Chase told him. “If she did, she would’ve let you know point blank.”
"Coming from the guy who voted for her," Ripper snorted and turned around. "You’re lucky that I’m going through a struggle, or I would direct all of my anger towards you."
"I’d deserve it, but I didn’t want to vote Izzy out at all," Chase said. "The voting devices probably had a glitch in them and we got unlucky!"
"Now this is interesting," Topher said with a smirk. "A voting that went wrong and got out the person that you didn’t want to leave."
"Stay out of it, blonde boy," Ripper snarled. "You weren’t even in the game for the first half of the season."
“And so? I just like to be entertained,” Topher rolled his eyes and turned to Justin. “How can you spend so much time on your coif?”
“My agent Jesús says it's my best feature,” Justin said while spraying his hair still. “Along with my neck, nose, chin, cheekbones, earlobes, eyebrows…”
“Know who's got stunning hair? Anne Maria,” Topher pointed out in admiration. “Her pouf is one of a kind.”
“Or maybe it's my eyes,” Justin spoke to himself while ignoring the dirty blond.
“Her hair is great, but nothing can top my couf,” Topher continued. “I’ve never told Anne Maria that though.”
Confessional: Topher
"I didn’t just come back for Anne Maria if that’s what you guys are thinking," Topher told the viewers. "I was kicked off first last season, and I don’t want to be known for just that. I want to wow everybody here with my charisma, charms, and good looks, and winning or making the final two like Eva and Geoff could help me get my own show."
Confessional Ends
The scene moved over to the girls' trailer as Jasmine put her trademark hat on in the mirror, then smiled at her own reflection. “Looking good as always.” She then turned to Millie, who was cheerily writing on her notebook. “What’s gotten you so chipper?”
"I am almost done with writing my book," Millie answered. "With our two-time winning streak, it’s given me less time to worry about the elimination and more time to add the finishing touches to my future publishing book."
“I can’t wait to read it when it gets published,” Jasmine said with a smile. “I can tell it’s gonna be a big hit.”
“I got my writing skills from my grandfather,” Millie confessed. “I owe everything to him for inspiring me.”
Their conversation came to a pause when Anne Maria barged through the trailer door in her towel. "Make way for the most smoking hot thing since smoky ribs and wings back at my place," she bragged as she walked across the room to the sink and vanity mirror on the other side.
The viewpoint shifted over her shoulder as she began to admire herself in the mirror. She briefly bent over to take a pair of identical blouses out of a drawer, and as she held them up against each other, Jasmine appeared through the mirror with an amused smirk on her face.
"I know you care a lot about your own appearance, but this is feeling different," Jasmine noted.
"My guy came back to the game," Anne Maria answered. "I don’t see anything wrong with getting dressed up for him and not looking all sloppy like some people here."
"I am not the most attractive woman in the world, but I’m also not an eyesore!" Jasmine exclaimed. She then noticed MK shifting around under her blanket, and went over to check out her discovery.
“MK, it’s time to wake up,” the Australian girl said before pulling the blanket off, revealing a fully-clothed MK with her hand inside her right pocket of her jacket.
“Hey, what was that for?!” MK demanded after turning around to sit on her bunk bed.
“I thought you were still sleeping,” Jasmine said. “Why are you already dressed up?”
"None of your business," MK scoffed as she got off her bed. "And don’t you usually sleep in your tree?"
“I came inside to fix my hat,” Jasmine answered, her eyes growing suspicious.
“Well don’t sneak up on me like that,” MK said and walked out of the trailer, Jasmine continuing to stare suspiciously at her.
The scene switched to the guys’ trailer once again. "So in case you were wondering," Topher told his roommates, "I didn’t throw a tantrum just to be here. That’s so elementary school."
"Like I care about how you got here," Ripper cut off his roommate. "You’re just another wimp I can take down."
"We’ll just have to see about that," Topher said confidently. “It’s clear who’s the better looking player here.”
"If you’re talking about me, then thank you for your compliment," Justin added.
"Um, I was talking about-" Topher attempted to say but got cut off by a loud and deep sound that shook the trailer.
"What the gnar was that?!" Chase exclaimed.
The scene flashed over to a laughing Chris, dressed in a leopard-print full-body loincloth and holding the mouthpiece of a massive curved horn that appeared to be made of shell or bone. He caressed the horn at the end of his laugh, and sighed happily.
The footage skipped ahead as the castmates assembled, lining up according to gender – Millie, Anne Maria, MK, Jasmine, Topher, Chase, Justin, and Ripper.
“What are you wearin’?" Anne Maria asked in disgust.
“I can't believe he's wearing a loincloth," Millie said with disbelief.
"Like it?" Chris asked.
Chase snorted. "It looks ridiculous, dude."
"If you think that's ridiculous," Chris said with an indignant frown, "then wait 'til you hear today's challenges!"
“Hold on!” MK interrupted. “The Grips have five members while we have three. It's obvious that they're going to curb stomp us in the next challenge!”
“Yeah, no fair!” Ripper protested as well.
“I was just getting to that, Gaffers,” Chris said abruptly. “Since the teams are feeling a bit lopsided in the Grips’ favor, I'll be conducting a team swap in this episode. One of the Grips will have to switch over to the Gaffers.”
This made the Grips gasp. “Are you serious right now?” Jasmine stammered.
“I'm not playing around,” Chris confirmed. “I'm giving you guys thirty seconds to decide who's leaving or I'm picking one of you at random. So who's it gonna be?”
“Okay, team. Huddle up!” Jasmine ordered, and her teammates did as she said and formed a circle.
“I don't feel like swapping to the Gaffers,” Topher said. “I should be excluded from this since I just got here.”
“And there's no way I'm getting separated from Topher here,” Anne Maria enforced.
“None of you will have to worry about that at all since I'll be the one who's switching,” Jasmine opened.
“But why?!” Millie asked in disappointment. “You're practically our team leader.”
“I want to keep an eye on the Gaffers and make sure that they're not up to any foul play,” Jasmine answered. “I know this'll be hard, but I'm positive you all can handle yourselves without me.”
“We're running out of time, so you can be the one to swap teams,” Topher said.
“We can still talk to each other when there isn't a challenge,” Millie added. “It's not like we're gonna be enemies.”
“Thanks for understanding,” Jasmine smiled and they broke the circle.
“And who is going to leave the Killer Grips for good and be a permanent member of the Screaming Gaffers?” Chris asked with an intrigued smile.
“I hope it's Millie,” Chase whispered to MK and Ripper. “It'll be so cool to be teammates with her again.”
“I take the liberty of doing so!” Jasmine raised her hand. “I've already discussed it with my team, and they're just as on board.”
“This is kinda awkward. I was gonna pick you had you guys not come to a decision, but it is what it is,” Chris said. “Gaffers, Jasmine is now on your team until you decide to vote her off or whatever.”
“It's not Millie, but I'll take what I can get with a girl who's at least six foot and above,” Chase smiled.
Confessional: Ripper
“This team is definitely going to win now that Jasmine is with us,” Ripper said in the make-up trailer. “She's basically a giant that can clobber anyone, and amazon girls like her are my type,” he smiled before smacking himself. “No, Ripper. You don't care about Izzy anymore!”
Confessional: MK
“Of all the Grip players, Jasmine being on our team is an upgrade,” MK bragged. “Her old team is nowhere near as powerful and physically adept as she is, and if Jasmine was able to help them win, imagine how she can assist us?”
Confessional: Jasmine
“Just because I want to keep things fair, doesn't mean that I want to take control of my new teammates,” Jasmine confessed next. “Chase is nice enough as it is. It's Ripper and MK that are hard to trust.”
Confessionals End
"I'm lovin' this show of hostility enough as it is," Chris said with a pleased smile, "but I think today's challenges will help bring out your more...," he thought for a brief second before smirking, "primal instincts. Today's genre," he announced, "the Period Movie!"
"Amazing," Anne Maria gushed. "I love period movies! Those oldern people know how to work petticoats and dresses!"
"I am not gonna wear a dress, Chris," MK told the host indignantly.
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Topher said. "We're clearly gonna be doing a caveman cavewoman movie."
"Exactamundo, Topher!," Chris said as a few primitive-sounding drumbeats and grunts played in the background. "Don't know why the rest of you didn't guess that, considering my loincloth," he added in an annoyed tone.
"Paleo-what now?" Ripper asked in confusion.
"It's the Stone Age," Jasmine corrected. “We're going to be cave girls and cave boys.”
"No talking!" Chris told them sharply. "Cave people grunt and look confused, which means for once, you're all perfectly cast!"
"Some of us more than others," MK snickered under her breath with a look at Ripper.
“Watch out!” Ripper warned her.
"Okay," Chris continued, "cave people in prehistoric flicks do two things: make fire, and use tools made of bones. Technically," he added, "you should also know how to bring down a mammoth with a stick, but since we didn't have enough room in the budget, no mammoth, no challenge."
He walked over to a clothing rack bearing several loincloths of various sizes and colors, where Chef, who was in his own loincloth, was standing. "Here are your costumes," the host told the castmates. "Get into character, people!"
"You have got to be joking," Millie hoped.
"I never joke," Chris told her, quickly losing his serious tone to a bout of laughter. "Actually I do, but never about something this funny."
"Don't worry. You'll be the hottest cave girl here!" Chase told his girlfriend.
"I don't want to wear animal skins, but your compliment is already lifting my spirits up," Millie smiled back and pecked his cheek with a kiss.
Confessional: Topher
“A prehistoric challenge will be a great way to show off my body,” Topher gloated arrogantly. “That's why I'll be picking a fur speedo. Who wouldn't want to see my six-pack?”
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed over to an obvious prehistoric-inspired set consisting of multiple strange-looking trees set up against a backdrop of rock spires. The camera zoomed in on a central hillock, then cut to a close-up of Chris as he walked through the area. "Hello, cast," he greeted with a grin. "Nice to see you all decked out for the competition!"
The castmates were shown lined up in a row according to their teams and wearing the loincloths that had been provided: Justin and Topher in furry speedos that showed off their muscular chests; Chase, Millie, MK, and Ripper in full-body loincloths similar to the ones worn by Chris and Chef; and Anne Maria and Jasmine in what amounted to furry bikinis.
"And might I say," the host told them all, "you all look pre-hysterical!"
"I really look good in leopard skin," Jasmine marveled as she looked down at her outfit.
"Agh!" Topher winced, rubbing his backside where something small and white seemed to be sticking out. "Did you remember to have these declawed?"
The footage cut to Chris in his control tent. "Please note," he calmly told the camera, "no animals were harmed in the making of this television program. Okay," he scowled and looked off-camera, "we good?"
The scene was now back at the challenge. "Let me get that for you!" Anne Maria volunteered, quickly picking at the troublesome piece. “All better?”
“I am now,” Topher shot a suave smile at his girlfriend.
"Chef!" Chris exclaimed dramatically. "The tools for the first stone age challenge, please!"
"Here's your rocks," Chef obliged, joylessly handing out a single rock to each castmate from the pile he was carrying. MK accepted hers with a blank face and immediately started to look closely at it, and Ripper did the same but with more enthusiasm. Chase was last to be shown, and immediately raised an eyebrow at the stone in his hand.
"Rocks?" the daredevil repeated in disbelief. "I think we should tone down the 'Stone Age' thing a little."
“Says you,” Ripper said in a miffed voice. “Rocks are good for a lot of things. Breaking windows, giving them as presents to your annoying cousins, making art on them…the possibilities are endless! And I know because I did all of them!”
“A rock being friends with other rocks? What a surprising discovery,” MK snarked.
As a reward for her smart mouth, MK had a rock dropped on her foot courtesy of Ripper, and she held her foot in pain as she squealed.
"I told you to watch out," Ripper told the pained girl smugly. "Friends always come through!"
(Commercial Break)
A long-distance shot of the film lot was shown as the episode resumed, before cutting back to Chris as he explained the first challenge. "First team to collect the hidden firewood," he told them, "and use the flint-stones to make fire, earns something to help 'em with the second challenge! Ready?" he furrowed his brow deviously as the camera zoomed in for a close-up. "Aaand, action!"
The Grips looked startled for a moment, but quickly scattered.
The scene skipped ahead, showing Jasmine looking at a bush and picking up a stack of wood from behind it while Ripper ran past. MK walked into the foreground, looking around inquisitively, but before she could take another step, she was grabbed by Chef Hatchet.
"Hey, let me go!" she demanded as Chef dragged her over to him. "My modesty needs to be protected!"
"Hand it over," Chef told her sternly, indifferent to her protests.
MK's eyes briefly went wide. "Hand over what?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Chef grumbled. "The camera guy caught you smuggling something in!"
MK pursed her lips, but looked slightly relieved. "It was just a screwdriver," she told her captor, taking the tool out and handing it over.
Just then, Ripper ran by screaming. "Somebody help! I don't want to be that thing's lunch!" The camera cut to him as he ran out from behind a particularly large tree carrying a load of firewood and getting chased by one of the large, predatory Woolly Beavers similar to the ones that had inhabited Boney Island the previous season. As he kept running and screaming, Chris walked over to Chef and MK, laughing happily.
"Looks like Ripper found the wooden beaver dam from the set of 'Rodents, Who Kill!" Chris told the camera.
Ripper and the beaver ran past behind them, prompting Chef to chuckle and add "And 'Rodents Who Kill: Part Two'!"
"Does anybody have a mammoth-sized rib?!" Ripper screamed as he ran past in front of the three, dropping a piece of wood as he was chased by two beavers.
"Um," MK said blankly as she watched her teammate run around. "Are those beavers real, or animatronic?" She looked over at the host who seemed to be thinking it over, then looked away. "Forget I asked," she said dryly.
Confessional: Ripper
Ripper gave his confessional covered with scratches and scrapes, hair messed up and bandages being wrapped around his forehead and right arm by someone mostly off-screen.
"I can't stand MK and she hates me," he told the camera. "That's how it's always been and is always gonna be," he said before thinking. "But I have been taught to always keep my enemies closer, so it's important that me and MK are on the same team, even if we're mortal rivals."
Confessional Ends
"Don't just stand there," Ripper shouted at MK, who was now watching alone. "Give me a hand!"
MK rolled her eyes, then picked up the piece of wood Ripper had dropped earlier. She threw it at the lead beaver, landing it in its mouth and causing it to skid to a sudden and startled halt. The second beaver, however, did not stop as well, and soon collided with its companion. As the two rodents began to snarl and squabble with each other, a relieved Ripper rejoined her teammate.
"About that!" he admonished the sarcastic woman. "Couldn't you have done that before?"
"I could have," MK said simply, grabbing the wood out of Ripper's arms and walking off. "Now go find more wood," she commanded, leaving Ripper to scowl in annoyance.
A growling alerted the bully to that the killer beavers had ceased fighting, and Ripper began to run and scream away from them again.
The camera cut to the Grips gathered around a fire pit.
"So does banging rocks together actually make fire?" Justin asked as he tested it out with two of the stones his team had been given while Anne Maria arranged the firewood that had been brought. "I always thought that was something just for the movies."
“We just need the right amount of power in the strikes and a fire will come,” Topher explained.
"Let me do it," Millie said as she grabbed the stones. "I was a girl scout in elementary school."
Confessional: Millie
"I was a girl scout," Millie told the camera, "but one of the more skilled girls, Riley Ingrid, wouldn't stop teasing me for my lack of social skills and it got to a point where I quit just so I wouldn't get my self-esteem damaged." The author gave off a sigh. “I wonder how far I could've gotten.”
Confessional Ends
“Don't worry, team,” Millie told them. “I'll have this done faster than a chipmunk nibbling a nut.”
"I can see why people invented lighters," Anne Maria said as she watched her banged the rocks together.
The camera moved over to Jasmine and Chase watching the Grips. "So how has it been over on the Grips?" Chase asked his teammate. "Has Millie talked about me?"
“One, Millie still cares about you, and two, we shouldn't be focusing on that right now,” Jasmine said sternly.
“Sorry. I was just asking,” Chase said.
Confessional: Jasmine
"This is going to sound pretty petty coming from me, but Chase and Millie dating is kind of reminding me of Brick," Jasmine admitted. "I'm still trying to push him out after the cheating he did, and Millie hasn't talked about Chase the whole time he was gone. I'm hoping that Chase will be as challenge focused as Millie."
Confessional: Topher
"Anne Maria is rocking that fur bikini as much as I'm glowing in my fur speedo," Topher confessed. "If we were actually in prehistoric times, we'd be the perfect couple!"
Confessionals End
"Things are finally heating up!" Chris announced happily before the focus moved back to the Grips.
"You can do it!" Anne Maria cheered as Millie struck her rocks together fiercely, producing a few tiny sparks. The camera panned over to the Gaffers, showing that Ripper and MK had rejoined their comrades while Ripper struck his rocks.
"I love it when sparks fly!" Chris told the camera.
The focus alternated between Millie and Ripper as they banged their stones and glared at each other, the music growing tenser and the close-ups getting closer with each pass. The two were eventually shown in a split-screen together, and as they each prepared another strike, the sound of a fire being lit startled them both.
Ripper's half of the screen slid away and the camera pulled back, revealing a roaring fire by the Grips.
"You did it!" Topher cheered.
"Great work, Millie!" Anne Maria added happily.
"I thought for sure you'd be the first to burst into flames, Richard!" Chris snarked. "Grips win the first challenge!"
"You gave me fake flints!" Ripper protested. "Nobody could start a fire with these stupid props!"
Chase grabbed the rocks, then struck them together one last time, which finally lit the firewood. "Looks like I got lucky," he said smugly.
Ripper growled in frustration.
The film lot was shown from a distance again as the same loud and deep horn blared. The shot cut to Chris standing with the massive instrument, grinning proudly. "Yup!" he told the camera. "Still lovin' this crazy thing!"
A flash took the scene to the contestants lined up with their back to a bubbling tar pit. "Time for our second caveman movie challenge!" the host announced as he walked into view. "But first, Chef will pass out your rewards from this morning. Chef?" he called out. "Weapons, please!"
The camera cut to Chef as he pulled a brown sheet off what turned out to be a pile of bones, all either femurs or humeri.
"Hold up," Chase said, mildly disturbed. "You're saying that our reward is bones?"
"Hey, for cave people, bones were cutting-edge technology," Chris told him as Chef handed out a tiny arm bone to each of the Screaming Gaffers, and larger leg bones to the Killer Grips.
"I hate to interrupt the most important man of the show," Ripper spoke up insincerely, "but how come they get the big bones, and we get these tiny things?"
"Because they won the first challenge?" Chris replied with disbelief. "I thought that was pretty obvious."
"Well, it's obvious that I should get a big bone," Ripper stammered in embarrassment. "I've seen bigger bones in chicken wings than what I'm holding."
"Just deal with it," Topher said. “It's not our fault that we did better.” A tiny bone hit him in the nose, causing him to moan.
Chris cleared his throat, hands on his hips and visibly annoyed. "The props department for caveman movies are bare-bones," he informed them, holding up a small arm bone. "Which means these are all actors have to fight their on-screen enemies with."
"Enemies?" Millie asked in alarm. "What enemies are we talking about?"
"Each other of course!" Chris announced excitedly. "Grip Tribe versus Gaffer Tribe!"
"That's my kinda challenge," Anne Maria said with a confident smirk as she hefted the giant femur she'd been given.
“No doubt about it," Topher told her. "I've seen you go up against an alligator before."
"Lovin' the enthusiasm, guys," Chris told them, "only you'll be fighting over there!" He pointed to the bubbling tar pit behind them, and the camera panned over to a pair of rough stone pillars standing in the middle of the tar pit.
"Each player that knocks his or her opponent off the column into that fake bubbling tar pit," he explained as the camera cut to a close-up of the pit, "scores a point for their team." The shot cut back to the grinning host as he dramatically proclaimed, "To the tar pits!"
Millie and Chase were the first pair up, the girl on the left and the boy on the right.
"I'd go easy on you normally," Chase told his girlfriend, "but me and my team need to win a challenge."
“No hard feelings,” Millie shook it off. “You guys are overdue.”
"When do we start anyway?" Chase called down to the host.
"Oh don't worry," Chris answered with a dark smile, "you'll know!" He laughed a few times, then took a deep breath and blew hard into his massive curved horn.
The booming noise startled the two contestants, causing each to nearly lose their balance. It was Chase who recovered first, however, leaning forward and accidentally throwing his small bone at Millie. Already unsteady, that was all it took for her to fall backwards off the column and plunge screaming into the tar below.
"Aww, gross!" she groaned when she resurfaced covered in fake tar.
“My bad, Millie!” A quick-pan back up to Chase showed him looking down apologetically, and a cut showed the other Gaffers celebrating.
"That's one point for the Gaffers!" Chris said from off-screen, and the shot cut to Millie as she pulled herself out of the pit.
"Thanks for helping me," Millie told her teammates. “Sorry for losing that round.”
"It's just the first one," Anne Maria said back. "We'll definitely bounce back."
"Next up," Chris said as he walked over to the team, "Justin and Ripper!"
"Booyah!" Ripper cheered, pumping his fist. "It's my time to shine!"
His revery was broken by a sudden and terrifying roar from above, the shot cutting to above the columns as a few prehistoric geese similar to the ones that had lived on Boney Island flew into view.
"Uh-oh," Chris said. "Looks like Millie's blood-curdling screams have attracted a swarm of prehistoric pterodactyls! This," he said as the camera switched back to his close-up, "should make things interesting!"
"Cool special effects, man. High five," Justin said, looking up in amazement and holding his hand out for Chris.
"Oh," Chris said while quickly backing away from the model, "totally special effects."
The monstrous geese were still circling when the footage flashed ahead, panning slightly to the left to show Ripper staring the camera down. "You're out of your league, eye candy," he said, "even if your bone is bigger!"
Justin cringed in terror as the geese around them roared, but gripped his bone tightly with both hands and focused on his opponent. "Bring it!" he told his competition.
As though on cue, one of the geese rammed Ripper in the back, causing him to fall towards Justin. The burly teen tried to hang on by grabbing his foe by the loincloth while the goose flew off, but he dragged both of them off the pillar, unintentionally stripping Justin of his loincloth in the process.
Confessional: Justin
"I'm gonna win the million," Justin told the confessional camera, utterly coated with tar, "but that shot of me standing atop the stone column is worth even more. It's gonna be an iconic image for the series.” The handsome boy took a moment to admire himself. “Hey, my skin does look even better with the tar."
Confessional Ends
The two boys were shown splashing into the tar and quickly surfacing, most of the other contestants looking disappointed by the result.
"Uhh, whose is this?" Ripper asked, holding up some tar-covered wad and looking at it in confusion.
Justin looked down at his body, then looked over at his foe with widened eyes. He quickly snatched the wad away from Ripper and sunk under the pit in order to put it back on. After doing so, he resurfaced and climbed out of the pit.
"And with that tie," Chris said, ducking into the shot with a grin on his face, "the score is still 1-0 to the Gaffers. Next up, Topher and Jasmine!"
Topher was hunched over on the top of his column, twirling his large thigh bone and smirking confidently. "I know I got you as my opponent, but I have the power of a huge bone on my side while you have a small bone," he told the Aussie standing opposite him.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, mate," Jasmine replied with an equally confident smile. "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"
The horn was sounded, signaling the start of the fight. Topher immediately took a swipe at Jasmine, but the tall girl ducked and used her weapon to deflect the blow over her head. Before Topher could make another move, a grunting noise got the attention of both competitors.
A pair of woolly beavers had arrived at the edge of the tar pit. The shot cut back to the duelists, both shooting curious looks down at the rodents.
"Eh, no worries," Topher said after a second. "They're not even real!" The fanboy took another swipe at Jasmine, who just barely leaned out of the way in time. Jasmine made no attempt to counter, and simply looked from her opponent to the lurking beavers.
Confessional: Jasmine
"I'm positive that the beavers were real," Jasmine told the confessional camera. "And even if they were animatronic, they're just there to interfere with the challenge."
Confessional Ends
“Would you do me a favor and stand still?" Topher griped as he missed another swing at his opponent, who still kept looking between the fanboy and the beavers.
"Topher!" Anne Maria called out. "Watch out! Those beavers are comin’ your way!"
"What?" Topher replied with considerable disbelief, finally looking down again as the two beavers jumped into the tar and began to swim across towards the columns. "I have to make this quick then," he commented before quickly blocking a thrust from Jasmine.
"Don't let some overgrown rats ruin this for us, Jasmine!" MK hollered before the camera cut back to the beavers. One began to climb the column on the left – the one assigned to the Grips – while the other took a large bite out of it.
"Whoa. Who knew prehistoric beavers could eat plaster?" Jasmine commented idly as Topher's column began to sway and the dirty blond struggled to keep his balance. "Not that I'm complaining about the assistance," she added with a smirk before thrusting her bone in her hands towards her opponent.
"I was about to say the same thing!" Topher said with a smile as he deliberately let his column sway away from Jasmine's weapon so that it missed him, then used his bone to swat Jasmine off her pillar and she screamed until she fell into the tar with a splash.
The climbing beaver reached the top of Topher's column moments later, and its weight sent the whole thing toppling. Tossing away his bone, he quickly jumped onto the vacant pillar, clinging to it and to safety. The other column fell, and both beavers dived into the tar moments after.
Confessional: Topher
“Beavers, you are now my favorite animals,” Topher told the camera. “Just don't tell my cat, Topher Jr., about this. He gets crazy jealous easily.”
Confessional Ends
Chris laughed. "That was awesome! Would've preferred to see some beaver carnage, but you can't have everything. Anyways, that leaves the teams tied at one-all and us with a match between Anne Maria and MK! On the same column! You just can't write this stuff!"
The camera pulled back to show the two girls standing on either side of the host. Anne Maria smirked and said "Why bother havin’ the final round? We all know who's gonna win."
“I'll show you why wits are better than strength!” MK shot back as cockily.
The scene flashed to a close-up of the lone remaining column, the camera panning up to show the two girls crammed together on the top. Anne Maria was holding her bone behind her back, and she appeared much more stable than MK. The smaller girl was already wobbling now and again, but her smaller bone was raised and ready to strike.
"I hope you're ready for a tar bath, techno girl," Anne Maria taunted.
"Not gonna happen," MK replied with a light laugh.
The horn sounded, and MK took a first strike that was not only easily dodged, but nearly caused her to lose what little footing she had. "Whoa-oa-oah!" she screamed, flailing her arms around and eventually regaining her balance – but in the process accidentally knocking her bone against Anne Maria's. The weapon was jarred from the techno's hand and plunged to the tar below.
"Uh oh!" MK cried when one of the prehistoric beavers rose up from the tar with a lump on its head.
Confessional: MK
"Fantastic!" MK griped in the make-up trailer. "The one time I don't intentionally try to tick off anybody, and a beaver is about to kill me because my bone hit its head."
Confessional Ends
With a bellowing roar that nearly shook both girls off the column, the beaver reared back and took a massive bite out of the plaster pillar. The camera quick-panned back to the top as it started to shake and fall, and MK stumbled off it with a squealing scream.
The shot cut back to ground level as the beaver dived down again and the pillar fell, MK splashing into the tar.
Chris laughed, and the footage paused. "I gotta check that out again," he said, and the footage rewound to just before MK fell. It replayed in slow-motion, and the host paused and zoomed in on MK's horrified expression as she fell. "Hahahaha! That was great!"
"Well," the host said as the footage resumed normally and MK crawled her way out of the tar pit in the background, "I'd say the Gaffers had a better chance at the one million B.C.! B.C.," he repeated, "before carnivores! As for the Grips, they win today's reward!" The camera panned over to show Chef Hatchet driving up in a golf cart with a truly gargantuan side of ribs strapped to the roof. "A mammoth-size prehistoric barbecue!"
The cart drove past Topher, Millie, and Justin, the latter two still covered in tar, and came to a stop right next to the tar pit as the winning team cheered. "Ehh, it's a living," Chef told the camera nonchalantly.
"Don't worry," Chris added. "The Grips may have won today's reward, but," he took a large egg out from behind his back, "we're not gonna let the Gaffers go hungry."
He tossed the egg to a tar-covered Jasmine, who looked at it keenly. "A giant egg? I've seen a lot of them back home."
"Should be enough for four," Chris told the losing team. "You'd better get to work on your fire, though!" The camera cut over to the Gaffers' fire pit from earlier that day, which was still pitifully unlit. The host added "Maybe the Grips will throw you a bone when they're done?"
"Ha ha ha. Barbecue time," Justin said excitedly as he and his teammates approached the cart.
Chef got out of his seat, but in doing so caused the cart to begin rolling towards the tar pit. The Grips were shown gasping in shock, and the camera focused in on the cart as it rapidly approached the tar pit, began to tilt, and finally stopped. The shot pulled back to show Anne Maria holding on to the front of the cart, Topher holding her around the waist, Millie holding onto his waist, and Justin at the end holding onto Millie's arm.
"Pull everyone!" Anne Maria commanded. "I'm not letting our rib get tarred because of some two-bit chef who parks worse than my elementary school bus driver!"
As the four began to pull, the camera panned over to Chef, who rolled his eyes and walked away with a grumble.
"Dang," Chris said, walking over with an impish smile on his face. "And here I was hoping to see the four of you use those bones to hunt like real cave people!"
"Shut up, McLean!" Anne Maria yelled at him as the Grips managed to drag the cart back onto level ground.
The camera panned over to the Gaffers, Jasmine still holding the giant egg in her hands and Chase the only one not covered in tar.
"Bet you're not happy about leaving that team," MK told Jasmine.
"I really missed out on a delicious meal," Jasmine lamented.
"On the bright side," Chase added proudly, "I didn't get tarred today."
"Good for you," Jasmine said uninterestingly. "I'll get started on that egg."
She was about to move when a terrifying cry rang through the air.
"Uhh, Jasmine?" Chris cautiously told the Australian girl. "I think the pterodactyl wants its egg back." The monster goose was shown hovering in the sky above, and it quickly dive-bombed the contestants below.
Jasmine screamed and her teammates scattered, and the goose was soon on top of her, buffeting her with its wings.
"Get off, you goose!" the Aussie shouted and was now fighting back. "I am not your appetizer!"
The shot cut back to Chris and Chef, who were cringing at the fight happening just off-screen. They looked at each other, and shrugged helplessly. "Ehh, they'll be fine," the host said right before another goose-cry was heard. "Probably. And hey, at least we'll be eating nice tonight!" Chef nodded happily.
They looked over at the Grips, who were now digging in to their reward dinner. “Glad I'm not a Gaffer,” Topher chuckled and pulled a large rib off the rack.
Chef and Chris walked off. They passed the Gaffers as they went, Jasmine pinning the goose to the ground while Chase and MK watched in excitement and Ripper, now grinning, finally lit the team's fire.
Confessional: Topher
Topher took a bite out of a rib he was holding. "Gotta give props to Chef for actually managing to cook something as tasty as this," he said while leaning back in the confessional chair. "I wish I did get knocked into that tar pit. Justin told me that it's great for the skin!"
Confessional: Ripper
"I hate prehistoric birds now," Ripper told the make-up trailer camera with a glare. "They're the reason why I'm not feasting on ribs. I wish that cart fell into the tar pit if I wasn't gonna get my share!"
Confessional: Chris
Chris was picking his teeth with one hand and holding a coconut drink in the other. "I know everyone was hoping for the Gaffers to win this challenge," he said, "which is good, because it proves that the underdogs can win." He paused to take a sip from the straw in his coconut. "Sadly, it just wasn't in their favor, even with Jasmine on their team." He shrugged, then picked his teeth again.
"See you next time, kiddies!" he told the camera. "Same Chris time," he tossed his toothpick away, "same Chris channel!" He tossed the coconut away next, and a tinkling crash from off-camera soon indicated it had broken something. "Uhh, wasn't me!" Chris called nervously before dashing off in the opposite direction.
Confessionals End
(Roll the Credits)
(Bonus Clip)
“Excluding us losing the challenge and me getting attacked by a bird, which I managed to overpower, my first day on the Screaming Gaffers wasn't bad at all,” Jasmine confessed to the audience. “And nobody on my team even made an attempt to cheat. Not even MK or Ripper. I do wish for us to win the next challenge. With me being the newbie, I could be the next target for voting!”
Eva - 15th
Geoff - 15th
Izzy - RETURNED
Trent - 13th
Sky - 12th
Brick - 11th
Scott - 10th
Izzy - 9th
Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Justin, Millie, Topher
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Jasmine, MK, Ripper
submitted by xtremexavier15 to u/xtremexavier15 [link] [comments]
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, MK, Ripper
Episode 14: One Million Bucks, B.C.
"Last time on Total Drama Action! Tensions between Ripper and MK were still high while Izzy and Chase managed to bond. Much to the surprise of the teams, Ripper and Jasmine were captured and stashed into safes."
"After wasting a lot of time, the Gaffers asked their captive tough guy for help. Meanwhile, the Grips lucked out when they decided to have Jasmine escape through the air vents."
“Bulletproof girl Anne Maria got the surprise of her life when she was faced with none other than... Topher, who, thanks to yours truly, is back in the running. The Gaffers lost, and thanks to some confusing votes, Izzy took the lame-o-sine again.”
The recap footage ended, and portraits of the remaining contestants were shown on the screen – Anne Maria, Justin, Millie, and Topher on the top; Chase, MK, Ripper, and Jasmine on the bottom. "With only eight contestants left," Chris said before popping up in the foreground, "maybe one of them will stand a chance, on another awe-inspiring episode," the backdrop faded and the camera cut to the host in front of the cast trailer, "of Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
A small flock of seagulls flew across the morning sun as the episode started, and the camera panned down to the cast trailers. It zoomed in on the guys' residence as Ripper exclaimed "I can’t believe that Izzy would vote for me." The shot cut inside to show Ripper complaining as Topher combed his hair, Justin sprayed himself with hairspray in front of the mirror, and Chase sat on his bunk. "If she liked me, why would she not vote for MK?! It makes no sense!"
“I know we saw what we saw, but I don’t think that Izzy voted for you because she hated you,” Chase told him. “If she did, she would’ve let you know point blank.”
"Coming from the guy who voted for her," Ripper snorted and turned around. "You’re lucky that I’m going through a struggle, or I would direct all of my anger towards you."
"I’d deserve it, but I didn’t want to vote Izzy out at all," Chase said. "The voting devices probably had a glitch in them and we got unlucky!"
"Now this is interesting," Topher said with a smirk. "A voting that went wrong and got out the person that you didn’t want to leave."
"Stay out of it, blonde boy," Ripper snarled. "You weren’t even in the game for the first half of the season."
“And so? I just like to be entertained,” Topher rolled his eyes and turned to Justin. “How can you spend so much time on your coif?”
“My agent Jesús says it's my best feature,” Justin said while spraying his hair still. “Along with my neck, nose, chin, cheekbones, earlobes, eyebrows…”
“Know who's got stunning hair? Anne Maria,” Topher pointed out in admiration. “Her pouf is one of a kind.”
“Or maybe it's my eyes,” Justin spoke to himself while ignoring the dirty blond.
“Her hair is great, but nothing can top my couf,” Topher continued. “I’ve never told Anne Maria that though.”
Confessional: Topher
"I didn’t just come back for Anne Maria if that’s what you guys are thinking," Topher told the viewers. "I was kicked off first last season, and I don’t want to be known for just that. I want to wow everybody here with my charisma, charms, and good looks, and winning or making the final two like Eva and Geoff could help me get my own show."
Confessional Ends
The scene moved over to the girls' trailer as Jasmine put her trademark hat on in the mirror, then smiled at her own reflection. “Looking good as always.” She then turned to Millie, who was cheerily writing on her notebook. “What’s gotten you so chipper?”
"I am almost done with writing my book," Millie answered. "With our two-time winning streak, it’s given me less time to worry about the elimination and more time to add the finishing touches to my future publishing book."
“I can’t wait to read it when it gets published,” Jasmine said with a smile. “I can tell it’s gonna be a big hit.”
“I got my writing skills from my grandfather,” Millie confessed. “I owe everything to him for inspiring me.”
Their conversation came to a pause when Anne Maria barged through the trailer door in her towel. "Make way for the most smoking hot thing since smoky ribs and wings back at my place," she bragged as she walked across the room to the sink and vanity mirror on the other side.
The viewpoint shifted over her shoulder as she began to admire herself in the mirror. She briefly bent over to take a pair of identical blouses out of a drawer, and as she held them up against each other, Jasmine appeared through the mirror with an amused smirk on her face.
"I know you care a lot about your own appearance, but this is feeling different," Jasmine noted.
"My guy came back to the game," Anne Maria answered. "I don’t see anything wrong with getting dressed up for him and not looking all sloppy like some people here."
"I am not the most attractive woman in the world, but I’m also not an eyesore!" Jasmine exclaimed. She then noticed MK shifting around under her blanket, and went over to check out her discovery.
“MK, it’s time to wake up,” the Australian girl said before pulling the blanket off, revealing a fully-clothed MK with her hand inside her right pocket of her jacket.
“Hey, what was that for?!” MK demanded after turning around to sit on her bunk bed.
“I thought you were still sleeping,” Jasmine said. “Why are you already dressed up?”
"None of your business," MK scoffed as she got off her bed. "And don’t you usually sleep in your tree?"
“I came inside to fix my hat,” Jasmine answered, her eyes growing suspicious.
“Well don’t sneak up on me like that,” MK said and walked out of the trailer, Jasmine continuing to stare suspiciously at her.
The scene switched to the guys’ trailer once again. "So in case you were wondering," Topher told his roommates, "I didn’t throw a tantrum just to be here. That’s so elementary school."
"Like I care about how you got here," Ripper cut off his roommate. "You’re just another wimp I can take down."
"We’ll just have to see about that," Topher said confidently. “It’s clear who’s the better looking player here.”
"If you’re talking about me, then thank you for your compliment," Justin added.
"Um, I was talking about-" Topher attempted to say but got cut off by a loud and deep sound that shook the trailer.
"What the gnar was that?!" Chase exclaimed.
The scene flashed over to a laughing Chris, dressed in a leopard-print full-body loincloth and holding the mouthpiece of a massive curved horn that appeared to be made of shell or bone. He caressed the horn at the end of his laugh, and sighed happily.
The footage skipped ahead as the castmates assembled, lining up according to gender – Millie, Anne Maria, MK, Jasmine, Topher, Chase, Justin, and Ripper.
“What are you wearin’?" Anne Maria asked in disgust.
“I can't believe he's wearing a loincloth," Millie said with disbelief.
"Like it?" Chris asked.
Chase snorted. "It looks ridiculous, dude."
"If you think that's ridiculous," Chris said with an indignant frown, "then wait 'til you hear today's challenges!"
“Hold on!” MK interrupted. “The Grips have five members while we have three. It's obvious that they're going to curb stomp us in the next challenge!”
“Yeah, no fair!” Ripper protested as well.
“I was just getting to that, Gaffers,” Chris said abruptly. “Since the teams are feeling a bit lopsided in the Grips’ favor, I'll be conducting a team swap in this episode. One of the Grips will have to switch over to the Gaffers.”
This made the Grips gasp. “Are you serious right now?” Jasmine stammered.
“I'm not playing around,” Chris confirmed. “I'm giving you guys thirty seconds to decide who's leaving or I'm picking one of you at random. So who's it gonna be?”
“Okay, team. Huddle up!” Jasmine ordered, and her teammates did as she said and formed a circle.
“I don't feel like swapping to the Gaffers,” Topher said. “I should be excluded from this since I just got here.”
“And there's no way I'm getting separated from Topher here,” Anne Maria enforced.
“None of you will have to worry about that at all since I'll be the one who's switching,” Jasmine opened.
“But why?!” Millie asked in disappointment. “You're practically our team leader.”
“I want to keep an eye on the Gaffers and make sure that they're not up to any foul play,” Jasmine answered. “I know this'll be hard, but I'm positive you all can handle yourselves without me.”
“We're running out of time, so you can be the one to swap teams,” Topher said.
“We can still talk to each other when there isn't a challenge,” Millie added. “It's not like we're gonna be enemies.”
“Thanks for understanding,” Jasmine smiled and they broke the circle.
“And who is going to leave the Killer Grips for good and be a permanent member of the Screaming Gaffers?” Chris asked with an intrigued smile.
“I hope it's Millie,” Chase whispered to MK and Ripper. “It'll be so cool to be teammates with her again.”
“I take the liberty of doing so!” Jasmine raised her hand. “I've already discussed it with my team, and they're just as on board.”
“This is kinda awkward. I was gonna pick you had you guys not come to a decision, but it is what it is,” Chris said. “Gaffers, Jasmine is now on your team until you decide to vote her off or whatever.”
“It's not Millie, but I'll take what I can get with a girl who's at least six foot and above,” Chase smiled.
Confessional: Ripper
“This team is definitely going to win now that Jasmine is with us,” Ripper said in the make-up trailer. “She's basically a giant that can clobber anyone, and amazon girls like her are my type,” he smiled before smacking himself. “No, Ripper. You don't care about Izzy anymore!”
Confessional: MK
“Of all the Grip players, Jasmine being on our team is an upgrade,” MK bragged. “Her old team is nowhere near as powerful and physically adept as she is, and if Jasmine was able to help them win, imagine how she can assist us?”
Confessional: Jasmine
“Just because I want to keep things fair, doesn't mean that I want to take control of my new teammates,” Jasmine confessed next. “Chase is nice enough as it is. It's Ripper and MK that are hard to trust.”
Confessionals End
"I'm lovin' this show of hostility enough as it is," Chris said with a pleased smile, "but I think today's challenges will help bring out your more...," he thought for a brief second before smirking, "primal instincts. Today's genre," he announced, "the Period Movie!"
"Amazing," Anne Maria gushed. "I love period movies! Those oldern people know how to work petticoats and dresses!"
"I am not gonna wear a dress, Chris," MK told the host indignantly.
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Topher said. "We're clearly gonna be doing a caveman cavewoman movie."
"Exactamundo, Topher!," Chris said as a few primitive-sounding drumbeats and grunts played in the background. "Don't know why the rest of you didn't guess that, considering my loincloth," he added in an annoyed tone.
"Paleo-what now?" Ripper asked in confusion.
"It's the Stone Age," Jasmine corrected. “We're going to be cave girls and cave boys.”
"No talking!" Chris told them sharply. "Cave people grunt and look confused, which means for once, you're all perfectly cast!"
"Some of us more than others," MK snickered under her breath with a look at Ripper.
“Watch out!” Ripper warned her.
"Okay," Chris continued, "cave people in prehistoric flicks do two things: make fire, and use tools made of bones. Technically," he added, "you should also know how to bring down a mammoth with a stick, but since we didn't have enough room in the budget, no mammoth, no challenge."
He walked over to a clothing rack bearing several loincloths of various sizes and colors, where Chef, who was in his own loincloth, was standing. "Here are your costumes," the host told the castmates. "Get into character, people!"
"You have got to be joking," Millie hoped.
"I never joke," Chris told her, quickly losing his serious tone to a bout of laughter. "Actually I do, but never about something this funny."
"Don't worry. You'll be the hottest cave girl here!" Chase told his girlfriend.
"I don't want to wear animal skins, but your compliment is already lifting my spirits up," Millie smiled back and pecked his cheek with a kiss.
Confessional: Topher
“A prehistoric challenge will be a great way to show off my body,” Topher gloated arrogantly. “That's why I'll be picking a fur speedo. Who wouldn't want to see my six-pack?”
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed over to an obvious prehistoric-inspired set consisting of multiple strange-looking trees set up against a backdrop of rock spires. The camera zoomed in on a central hillock, then cut to a close-up of Chris as he walked through the area. "Hello, cast," he greeted with a grin. "Nice to see you all decked out for the competition!"
The castmates were shown lined up in a row according to their teams and wearing the loincloths that had been provided: Justin and Topher in furry speedos that showed off their muscular chests; Chase, Millie, MK, and Ripper in full-body loincloths similar to the ones worn by Chris and Chef; and Anne Maria and Jasmine in what amounted to furry bikinis.
"And might I say," the host told them all, "you all look pre-hysterical!"
"I really look good in leopard skin," Jasmine marveled as she looked down at her outfit.
"Agh!" Topher winced, rubbing his backside where something small and white seemed to be sticking out. "Did you remember to have these declawed?"
The footage cut to Chris in his control tent. "Please note," he calmly told the camera, "no animals were harmed in the making of this television program. Okay," he scowled and looked off-camera, "we good?"
The scene was now back at the challenge. "Let me get that for you!" Anne Maria volunteered, quickly picking at the troublesome piece. “All better?”
“I am now,” Topher shot a suave smile at his girlfriend.
"Chef!" Chris exclaimed dramatically. "The tools for the first stone age challenge, please!"
"Here's your rocks," Chef obliged, joylessly handing out a single rock to each castmate from the pile he was carrying. MK accepted hers with a blank face and immediately started to look closely at it, and Ripper did the same but with more enthusiasm. Chase was last to be shown, and immediately raised an eyebrow at the stone in his hand.
"Rocks?" the daredevil repeated in disbelief. "I think we should tone down the 'Stone Age' thing a little."
“Says you,” Ripper said in a miffed voice. “Rocks are good for a lot of things. Breaking windows, giving them as presents to your annoying cousins, making art on them…the possibilities are endless! And I know because I did all of them!”
“A rock being friends with other rocks? What a surprising discovery,” MK snarked.
As a reward for her smart mouth, MK had a rock dropped on her foot courtesy of Ripper, and she held her foot in pain as she squealed.
"I told you to watch out," Ripper told the pained girl smugly. "Friends always come through!"
(Commercial Break)
A long-distance shot of the film lot was shown as the episode resumed, before cutting back to Chris as he explained the first challenge. "First team to collect the hidden firewood," he told them, "and use the flint-stones to make fire, earns something to help 'em with the second challenge! Ready?" he furrowed his brow deviously as the camera zoomed in for a close-up. "Aaand, action!"
The Grips looked startled for a moment, but quickly scattered.
The scene skipped ahead, showing Jasmine looking at a bush and picking up a stack of wood from behind it while Ripper ran past. MK walked into the foreground, looking around inquisitively, but before she could take another step, she was grabbed by Chef Hatchet.
"Hey, let me go!" she demanded as Chef dragged her over to him. "My modesty needs to be protected!"
"Hand it over," Chef told her sternly, indifferent to her protests.
MK's eyes briefly went wide. "Hand over what?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Chef grumbled. "The camera guy caught you smuggling something in!"
MK pursed her lips, but looked slightly relieved. "It was just a screwdriver," she told her captor, taking the tool out and handing it over.
Just then, Ripper ran by screaming. "Somebody help! I don't want to be that thing's lunch!" The camera cut to him as he ran out from behind a particularly large tree carrying a load of firewood and getting chased by one of the large, predatory Woolly Beavers similar to the ones that had inhabited Boney Island the previous season. As he kept running and screaming, Chris walked over to Chef and MK, laughing happily.
"Looks like Ripper found the wooden beaver dam from the set of 'Rodents, Who Kill!" Chris told the camera.
Ripper and the beaver ran past behind them, prompting Chef to chuckle and add "And 'Rodents Who Kill: Part Two'!"
"Does anybody have a mammoth-sized rib?!" Ripper screamed as he ran past in front of the three, dropping a piece of wood as he was chased by two beavers.
"Um," MK said blankly as she watched her teammate run around. "Are those beavers real, or animatronic?" She looked over at the host who seemed to be thinking it over, then looked away. "Forget I asked," she said dryly.
Confessional: Ripper
Ripper gave his confessional covered with scratches and scrapes, hair messed up and bandages being wrapped around his forehead and right arm by someone mostly off-screen.
"I can't stand MK and she hates me," he told the camera. "That's how it's always been and is always gonna be," he said before thinking. "But I have been taught to always keep my enemies closer, so it's important that me and MK are on the same team, even if we're mortal rivals."
Confessional Ends
"Don't just stand there," Ripper shouted at MK, who was now watching alone. "Give me a hand!"
MK rolled her eyes, then picked up the piece of wood Ripper had dropped earlier. She threw it at the lead beaver, landing it in its mouth and causing it to skid to a sudden and startled halt. The second beaver, however, did not stop as well, and soon collided with its companion. As the two rodents began to snarl and squabble with each other, a relieved Ripper rejoined her teammate.
"About that!" he admonished the sarcastic woman. "Couldn't you have done that before?"
"I could have," MK said simply, grabbing the wood out of Ripper's arms and walking off. "Now go find more wood," she commanded, leaving Ripper to scowl in annoyance.
A growling alerted the bully to that the killer beavers had ceased fighting, and Ripper began to run and scream away from them again.
The camera cut to the Grips gathered around a fire pit.
"So does banging rocks together actually make fire?" Justin asked as he tested it out with two of the stones his team had been given while Anne Maria arranged the firewood that had been brought. "I always thought that was something just for the movies."
“We just need the right amount of power in the strikes and a fire will come,” Topher explained.
"Let me do it," Millie said as she grabbed the stones. "I was a girl scout in elementary school."
Confessional: Millie
"I was a girl scout," Millie told the camera, "but one of the more skilled girls, Riley Ingrid, wouldn't stop teasing me for my lack of social skills and it got to a point where I quit just so I wouldn't get my self-esteem damaged." The author gave off a sigh. “I wonder how far I could've gotten.”
Confessional Ends
“Don't worry, team,” Millie told them. “I'll have this done faster than a chipmunk nibbling a nut.”
"I can see why people invented lighters," Anne Maria said as she watched her banged the rocks together.
The camera moved over to Jasmine and Chase watching the Grips. "So how has it been over on the Grips?" Chase asked his teammate. "Has Millie talked about me?"
“One, Millie still cares about you, and two, we shouldn't be focusing on that right now,” Jasmine said sternly.
“Sorry. I was just asking,” Chase said.
Confessional: Jasmine
"This is going to sound pretty petty coming from me, but Chase and Millie dating is kind of reminding me of Brick," Jasmine admitted. "I'm still trying to push him out after the cheating he did, and Millie hasn't talked about Chase the whole time he was gone. I'm hoping that Chase will be as challenge focused as Millie."
Confessional: Topher
"Anne Maria is rocking that fur bikini as much as I'm glowing in my fur speedo," Topher confessed. "If we were actually in prehistoric times, we'd be the perfect couple!"
Confessionals End
"Things are finally heating up!" Chris announced happily before the focus moved back to the Grips.
"You can do it!" Anne Maria cheered as Millie struck her rocks together fiercely, producing a few tiny sparks. The camera panned over to the Gaffers, showing that Ripper and MK had rejoined their comrades while Ripper struck his rocks.
"I love it when sparks fly!" Chris told the camera.
The focus alternated between Millie and Ripper as they banged their stones and glared at each other, the music growing tenser and the close-ups getting closer with each pass. The two were eventually shown in a split-screen together, and as they each prepared another strike, the sound of a fire being lit startled them both.
Ripper's half of the screen slid away and the camera pulled back, revealing a roaring fire by the Grips.
"You did it!" Topher cheered.
"Great work, Millie!" Anne Maria added happily.
"I thought for sure you'd be the first to burst into flames, Richard!" Chris snarked. "Grips win the first challenge!"
"You gave me fake flints!" Ripper protested. "Nobody could start a fire with these stupid props!"
Chase grabbed the rocks, then struck them together one last time, which finally lit the firewood. "Looks like I got lucky," he said smugly.
Ripper growled in frustration.
The film lot was shown from a distance again as the same loud and deep horn blared. The shot cut to Chris standing with the massive instrument, grinning proudly. "Yup!" he told the camera. "Still lovin' this crazy thing!"
A flash took the scene to the contestants lined up with their back to a bubbling tar pit. "Time for our second caveman movie challenge!" the host announced as he walked into view. "But first, Chef will pass out your rewards from this morning. Chef?" he called out. "Weapons, please!"
The camera cut to Chef as he pulled a brown sheet off what turned out to be a pile of bones, all either femurs or humeri.
"Hold up," Chase said, mildly disturbed. "You're saying that our reward is bones?"
"Hey, for cave people, bones were cutting-edge technology," Chris told him as Chef handed out a tiny arm bone to each of the Screaming Gaffers, and larger leg bones to the Killer Grips.
"I hate to interrupt the most important man of the show," Ripper spoke up insincerely, "but how come they get the big bones, and we get these tiny things?"
"Because they won the first challenge?" Chris replied with disbelief. "I thought that was pretty obvious."
"Well, it's obvious that I should get a big bone," Ripper stammered in embarrassment. "I've seen bigger bones in chicken wings than what I'm holding."
"Just deal with it," Topher said. “It's not our fault that we did better.” A tiny bone hit him in the nose, causing him to moan.
Chris cleared his throat, hands on his hips and visibly annoyed. "The props department for caveman movies are bare-bones," he informed them, holding up a small arm bone. "Which means these are all actors have to fight their on-screen enemies with."
"Enemies?" Millie asked in alarm. "What enemies are we talking about?"
"Each other of course!" Chris announced excitedly. "Grip Tribe versus Gaffer Tribe!"
"That's my kinda challenge," Anne Maria said with a confident smirk as she hefted the giant femur she'd been given.
“No doubt about it," Topher told her. "I've seen you go up against an alligator before."
"Lovin' the enthusiasm, guys," Chris told them, "only you'll be fighting over there!" He pointed to the bubbling tar pit behind them, and the camera panned over to a pair of rough stone pillars standing in the middle of the tar pit.
"Each player that knocks his or her opponent off the column into that fake bubbling tar pit," he explained as the camera cut to a close-up of the pit, "scores a point for their team." The shot cut back to the grinning host as he dramatically proclaimed, "To the tar pits!"
Millie and Chase were the first pair up, the girl on the left and the boy on the right.
"I'd go easy on you normally," Chase told his girlfriend, "but me and my team need to win a challenge."
“No hard feelings,” Millie shook it off. “You guys are overdue.”
"When do we start anyway?" Chase called down to the host.
"Oh don't worry," Chris answered with a dark smile, "you'll know!" He laughed a few times, then took a deep breath and blew hard into his massive curved horn.
The booming noise startled the two contestants, causing each to nearly lose their balance. It was Chase who recovered first, however, leaning forward and accidentally throwing his small bone at Millie. Already unsteady, that was all it took for her to fall backwards off the column and plunge screaming into the tar below.
"Aww, gross!" she groaned when she resurfaced covered in fake tar.
“My bad, Millie!” A quick-pan back up to Chase showed him looking down apologetically, and a cut showed the other Gaffers celebrating.
"That's one point for the Gaffers!" Chris said from off-screen, and the shot cut to Millie as she pulled herself out of the pit.
"Thanks for helping me," Millie told her teammates. “Sorry for losing that round.”
"It's just the first one," Anne Maria said back. "We'll definitely bounce back."
"Next up," Chris said as he walked over to the team, "Justin and Ripper!"
"Booyah!" Ripper cheered, pumping his fist. "It's my time to shine!"
His revery was broken by a sudden and terrifying roar from above, the shot cutting to above the columns as a few prehistoric geese similar to the ones that had lived on Boney Island flew into view.
"Uh-oh," Chris said. "Looks like Millie's blood-curdling screams have attracted a swarm of prehistoric pterodactyls! This," he said as the camera switched back to his close-up, "should make things interesting!"
"Cool special effects, man. High five," Justin said, looking up in amazement and holding his hand out for Chris.
"Oh," Chris said while quickly backing away from the model, "totally special effects."
The monstrous geese were still circling when the footage flashed ahead, panning slightly to the left to show Ripper staring the camera down. "You're out of your league, eye candy," he said, "even if your bone is bigger!"
Justin cringed in terror as the geese around them roared, but gripped his bone tightly with both hands and focused on his opponent. "Bring it!" he told his competition.
As though on cue, one of the geese rammed Ripper in the back, causing him to fall towards Justin. The burly teen tried to hang on by grabbing his foe by the loincloth while the goose flew off, but he dragged both of them off the pillar, unintentionally stripping Justin of his loincloth in the process.
Confessional: Justin
"I'm gonna win the million," Justin told the confessional camera, utterly coated with tar, "but that shot of me standing atop the stone column is worth even more. It's gonna be an iconic image for the series.” The handsome boy took a moment to admire himself. “Hey, my skin does look even better with the tar."
Confessional Ends
The two boys were shown splashing into the tar and quickly surfacing, most of the other contestants looking disappointed by the result.
"Uhh, whose is this?" Ripper asked, holding up some tar-covered wad and looking at it in confusion.
Justin looked down at his body, then looked over at his foe with widened eyes. He quickly snatched the wad away from Ripper and sunk under the pit in order to put it back on. After doing so, he resurfaced and climbed out of the pit.
"And with that tie," Chris said, ducking into the shot with a grin on his face, "the score is still 1-0 to the Gaffers. Next up, Topher and Jasmine!"
Topher was hunched over on the top of his column, twirling his large thigh bone and smirking confidently. "I know I got you as my opponent, but I have the power of a huge bone on my side while you have a small bone," he told the Aussie standing opposite him.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, mate," Jasmine replied with an equally confident smile. "You have no idea what I'm capable of!"
The horn was sounded, signaling the start of the fight. Topher immediately took a swipe at Jasmine, but the tall girl ducked and used her weapon to deflect the blow over her head. Before Topher could make another move, a grunting noise got the attention of both competitors.
A pair of woolly beavers had arrived at the edge of the tar pit. The shot cut back to the duelists, both shooting curious looks down at the rodents.
"Eh, no worries," Topher said after a second. "They're not even real!" The fanboy took another swipe at Jasmine, who just barely leaned out of the way in time. Jasmine made no attempt to counter, and simply looked from her opponent to the lurking beavers.
Confessional: Jasmine
"I'm positive that the beavers were real," Jasmine told the confessional camera. "And even if they were animatronic, they're just there to interfere with the challenge."
Confessional Ends
“Would you do me a favor and stand still?" Topher griped as he missed another swing at his opponent, who still kept looking between the fanboy and the beavers.
"Topher!" Anne Maria called out. "Watch out! Those beavers are comin’ your way!"
"What?" Topher replied with considerable disbelief, finally looking down again as the two beavers jumped into the tar and began to swim across towards the columns. "I have to make this quick then," he commented before quickly blocking a thrust from Jasmine.
"Don't let some overgrown rats ruin this for us, Jasmine!" MK hollered before the camera cut back to the beavers. One began to climb the column on the left – the one assigned to the Grips – while the other took a large bite out of it.
"Whoa. Who knew prehistoric beavers could eat plaster?" Jasmine commented idly as Topher's column began to sway and the dirty blond struggled to keep his balance. "Not that I'm complaining about the assistance," she added with a smirk before thrusting her bone in her hands towards her opponent.
"I was about to say the same thing!" Topher said with a smile as he deliberately let his column sway away from Jasmine's weapon so that it missed him, then used his bone to swat Jasmine off her pillar and she screamed until she fell into the tar with a splash.
The climbing beaver reached the top of Topher's column moments later, and its weight sent the whole thing toppling. Tossing away his bone, he quickly jumped onto the vacant pillar, clinging to it and to safety. The other column fell, and both beavers dived into the tar moments after.
Confessional: Topher
“Beavers, you are now my favorite animals,” Topher told the camera. “Just don't tell my cat, Topher Jr., about this. He gets crazy jealous easily.”
Confessional Ends
Chris laughed. "That was awesome! Would've preferred to see some beaver carnage, but you can't have everything. Anyways, that leaves the teams tied at one-all and us with a match between Anne Maria and MK! On the same column! You just can't write this stuff!"
The camera pulled back to show the two girls standing on either side of the host. Anne Maria smirked and said "Why bother havin’ the final round? We all know who's gonna win."
“I'll show you why wits are better than strength!” MK shot back as cockily.
The scene flashed to a close-up of the lone remaining column, the camera panning up to show the two girls crammed together on the top. Anne Maria was holding her bone behind her back, and she appeared much more stable than MK. The smaller girl was already wobbling now and again, but her smaller bone was raised and ready to strike.
"I hope you're ready for a tar bath, techno girl," Anne Maria taunted.
"Not gonna happen," MK replied with a light laugh.
The horn sounded, and MK took a first strike that was not only easily dodged, but nearly caused her to lose what little footing she had. "Whoa-oa-oah!" she screamed, flailing her arms around and eventually regaining her balance – but in the process accidentally knocking her bone against Anne Maria's. The weapon was jarred from the techno's hand and plunged to the tar below.
"Uh oh!" MK cried when one of the prehistoric beavers rose up from the tar with a lump on its head.
Confessional: MK
"Fantastic!" MK griped in the make-up trailer. "The one time I don't intentionally try to tick off anybody, and a beaver is about to kill me because my bone hit its head."
Confessional Ends
With a bellowing roar that nearly shook both girls off the column, the beaver reared back and took a massive bite out of the plaster pillar. The camera quick-panned back to the top as it started to shake and fall, and MK stumbled off it with a squealing scream.
The shot cut back to ground level as the beaver dived down again and the pillar fell, MK splashing into the tar.
Chris laughed, and the footage paused. "I gotta check that out again," he said, and the footage rewound to just before MK fell. It replayed in slow-motion, and the host paused and zoomed in on MK's horrified expression as she fell. "Hahahaha! That was great!"
"Well," the host said as the footage resumed normally and MK crawled her way out of the tar pit in the background, "I'd say the Gaffers had a better chance at the one million B.C.! B.C.," he repeated, "before carnivores! As for the Grips, they win today's reward!" The camera panned over to show Chef Hatchet driving up in a golf cart with a truly gargantuan side of ribs strapped to the roof. "A mammoth-size prehistoric barbecue!"
The cart drove past Topher, Millie, and Justin, the latter two still covered in tar, and came to a stop right next to the tar pit as the winning team cheered. "Ehh, it's a living," Chef told the camera nonchalantly.
"Don't worry," Chris added. "The Grips may have won today's reward, but," he took a large egg out from behind his back, "we're not gonna let the Gaffers go hungry."
He tossed the egg to a tar-covered Jasmine, who looked at it keenly. "A giant egg? I've seen a lot of them back home."
"Should be enough for four," Chris told the losing team. "You'd better get to work on your fire, though!" The camera cut over to the Gaffers' fire pit from earlier that day, which was still pitifully unlit. The host added "Maybe the Grips will throw you a bone when they're done?"
"Ha ha ha. Barbecue time," Justin said excitedly as he and his teammates approached the cart.
Chef got out of his seat, but in doing so caused the cart to begin rolling towards the tar pit. The Grips were shown gasping in shock, and the camera focused in on the cart as it rapidly approached the tar pit, began to tilt, and finally stopped. The shot pulled back to show Anne Maria holding on to the front of the cart, Topher holding her around the waist, Millie holding onto his waist, and Justin at the end holding onto Millie's arm.
"Pull everyone!" Anne Maria commanded. "I'm not letting our rib get tarred because of some two-bit chef who parks worse than my elementary school bus driver!"
As the four began to pull, the camera panned over to Chef, who rolled his eyes and walked away with a grumble.
"Dang," Chris said, walking over with an impish smile on his face. "And here I was hoping to see the four of you use those bones to hunt like real cave people!"
"Shut up, McLean!" Anne Maria yelled at him as the Grips managed to drag the cart back onto level ground.
The camera panned over to the Gaffers, Jasmine still holding the giant egg in her hands and Chase the only one not covered in tar.
"Bet you're not happy about leaving that team," MK told Jasmine.
"I really missed out on a delicious meal," Jasmine lamented.
"On the bright side," Chase added proudly, "I didn't get tarred today."
"Good for you," Jasmine said uninterestingly. "I'll get started on that egg."
She was about to move when a terrifying cry rang through the air.
"Uhh, Jasmine?" Chris cautiously told the Australian girl. "I think the pterodactyl wants its egg back." The monster goose was shown hovering in the sky above, and it quickly dive-bombed the contestants below.
Jasmine screamed and her teammates scattered, and the goose was soon on top of her, buffeting her with its wings.
"Get off, you goose!" the Aussie shouted and was now fighting back. "I am not your appetizer!"
The shot cut back to Chris and Chef, who were cringing at the fight happening just off-screen. They looked at each other, and shrugged helplessly. "Ehh, they'll be fine," the host said right before another goose-cry was heard. "Probably. And hey, at least we'll be eating nice tonight!" Chef nodded happily.
They looked over at the Grips, who were now digging in to their reward dinner. “Glad I'm not a Gaffer,” Topher chuckled and pulled a large rib off the rack.
Chef and Chris walked off. They passed the Gaffers as they went, Jasmine pinning the goose to the ground while Chase and MK watched in excitement and Ripper, now grinning, finally lit the team's fire.
Confessional: Topher
Topher took a bite out of a rib he was holding. "Gotta give props to Chef for actually managing to cook something as tasty as this," he said while leaning back in the confessional chair. "I wish I did get knocked into that tar pit. Justin told me that it's great for the skin!"
Confessional: Ripper
"I hate prehistoric birds now," Ripper told the make-up trailer camera with a glare. "They're the reason why I'm not feasting on ribs. I wish that cart fell into the tar pit if I wasn't gonna get my share!"
Confessional: Chris
Chris was picking his teeth with one hand and holding a coconut drink in the other. "I know everyone was hoping for the Gaffers to win this challenge," he said, "which is good, because it proves that the underdogs can win." He paused to take a sip from the straw in his coconut. "Sadly, it just wasn't in their favor, even with Jasmine on their team." He shrugged, then picked his teeth again.
"See you next time, kiddies!" he told the camera. "Same Chris time," he tossed his toothpick away, "same Chris channel!" He tossed the coconut away next, and a tinkling crash from off-camera soon indicated it had broken something. "Uhh, wasn't me!" Chris called nervously before dashing off in the opposite direction.
Confessionals End
(Roll the Credits)
(Bonus Clip)
“Excluding us losing the challenge and me getting attacked by a bird, which I managed to overpower, my first day on the Screaming Gaffers wasn't bad at all,” Jasmine confessed to the audience. “And nobody on my team even made an attempt to cheat. Not even MK or Ripper. I do wish for us to win the next challenge. With me being the newbie, I could be the next target for voting!”
Eva - 15th
Geoff - 15th
Izzy - RETURNED
Trent - 13th
Sky - 12th
Brick - 11th
Scott - 10th
Izzy - 9th
Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Justin, Millie, Topher
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Jasmine, MK, Ripper
2024.06.05 02:34 AdForeign6463 AITA for making my partner pay for wifi?
I (25f) and my partner (25m) have been living together for almost a year. We used to have wifi for free through his student discount but after we moved (6 months ago) he changed our wifi plan. I don't remember if he told me or not, but I ended up with the bill of $67/m. I know this isn't that much necessarily, but when you are the only one working in the household it can be irritating to get surprise bills. Since my partner and I moved in together, he hasn't had a job. I wasn't upset about it when we lived away from his school bc he's still a student and had to drive an hour or 2 one way. But after we moved next to his school, I encouraged him to get a job. He used to get a few odd jobs from his school but nothing that offered reliable income. He didn't have any luck until 2 months ago.
I was really upset that he hadn't gotten a job that entire time because I felt like it was unfair and put a lot of pressure on me. At the same time, I think he was really trying but just not getting anything, but I also feel like he may have been too picky because he didn't want to work in food service and wouldn't apply to those jobs until I told him to after a few months. I didn't want to put more pressure on him, but I also couldn't carry the financial burden alone. I did my best to be patient and understanding, but it was really hard seeing him play video games or watch TV all day. I know that he felt really guilty not being able to contribute to our finances, I just wished it encourage him to do more for the house instead of make him depressed. We were also splitting household chores evenly for the majority of the time until I told him how I felt like I was working more than him. (I also have a skin condition that leaves open wounds on my hands which makes it really hard for me to work with chemicals, cook, wash my hands, etc.). He did more to help me and would prepare the ingredients for me to cook so all I had to do was spice them and throw them in the pot.
My partner started his new job a few weeks ago, the job only offered him part-time at 32hweek. I have a full-time and a part-time position. (I got the part-time two months ago because my checking and savings have been drained due to my partner not having a job as well as surprise veterinary and medical bills.) I make about 2x as much as my partner with the full-time alone (my part-time only gets me an extra $975/m). For this reason, we split our total monthly bills 75-25.
Now, the issue with the wifi is that my work pays for it when I put it in my expense report. I pay when the bill comes out, and I get reimbursed at the end of the month. So, we technically don't pay for wifi. But, I have included it as a part of our expenses. I feel guilty for including it, but at the same time I have been paying for both of us for 11 months and I feel like it would be fair for my partner to pay a little extra even though he doesn't make as much as me. The wifi bill is going up to $80 this month and because it's 75-25, he'll only be paying an extra $20/m.
Some additional things that people may want to consider is that my personal bills (car loan, insurance, etc) is an additional $1,100 that I do not get assistance with, while my partners is < $400. We also split household chores evenly for the most part, but I tend to cook more often and I take care of the cats 90% of the time (in my partner's defense, the cats like me more). I only mention this bc my friend said that the person who carries the most financial responsibility shouldn't have to do as much at home. With my full-time and part-time, I only have 1 day off a week, while my partner has 3.
My partner is amazing and sweet, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our future together. I feel like as partners we sacrifice things for each other to help both of us reach our goals. I've done my part for 11 months, is it wrong for me to want my partner to do his share now?
So, Dusty Thunder, AITA?
P.S. After writing all this out I realize that IATA for adding on the wifi because it's covered by my work. It's not wrong for me to want the help, but it is wrong for me to force it upon him without his knowledge. It's a breach of trust for something so insignificant. Like I said, it's just an extra $20 in my pocket. That's nothing compared to the future I'll get to have with him, and I trust that my partner will sacrifice for me in his own way when I need him.
So, yeah, I will be excluding wifi from our monthly bill (he hasn't paid it yet, so no harm no foul). Hopefully, you can still use this post for content 😂.
UPDATE:
I told my partner about the wifi and he laughed. He said that he would give me an extra $20 if I want. He was thankful that I was honest and was understanding of me feelings. I want to clarify that he was applying to 5-10 jobs every day- just bc he plays video games in between doesn't make him a freeloader. He is a college student and during the first 5 months living together he had to drive 1-2 hours to get to class most days of the week. And we have the goal of splitting finances 50-50 one day but he isn't in that position right now.
Some of y'all have made some crazy accusations- which he also laughed at. Please keep in mind that you are taking a glimpse at the worst part of our relationship. There are many sweet moments that you aren't aware of and reasons as to why we are partners. I assure you, I would not be with someone who abuses / manipulates me- so get that nonsense out of your head. ❤️
submitted by AdForeign6463 to dustythunder [link] [comments]
I was really upset that he hadn't gotten a job that entire time because I felt like it was unfair and put a lot of pressure on me. At the same time, I think he was really trying but just not getting anything, but I also feel like he may have been too picky because he didn't want to work in food service and wouldn't apply to those jobs until I told him to after a few months. I didn't want to put more pressure on him, but I also couldn't carry the financial burden alone. I did my best to be patient and understanding, but it was really hard seeing him play video games or watch TV all day. I know that he felt really guilty not being able to contribute to our finances, I just wished it encourage him to do more for the house instead of make him depressed. We were also splitting household chores evenly for the majority of the time until I told him how I felt like I was working more than him. (I also have a skin condition that leaves open wounds on my hands which makes it really hard for me to work with chemicals, cook, wash my hands, etc.). He did more to help me and would prepare the ingredients for me to cook so all I had to do was spice them and throw them in the pot.
My partner started his new job a few weeks ago, the job only offered him part-time at 32hweek. I have a full-time and a part-time position. (I got the part-time two months ago because my checking and savings have been drained due to my partner not having a job as well as surprise veterinary and medical bills.) I make about 2x as much as my partner with the full-time alone (my part-time only gets me an extra $975/m). For this reason, we split our total monthly bills 75-25.
Now, the issue with the wifi is that my work pays for it when I put it in my expense report. I pay when the bill comes out, and I get reimbursed at the end of the month. So, we technically don't pay for wifi. But, I have included it as a part of our expenses. I feel guilty for including it, but at the same time I have been paying for both of us for 11 months and I feel like it would be fair for my partner to pay a little extra even though he doesn't make as much as me. The wifi bill is going up to $80 this month and because it's 75-25, he'll only be paying an extra $20/m.
Some additional things that people may want to consider is that my personal bills (car loan, insurance, etc) is an additional $1,100 that I do not get assistance with, while my partners is < $400. We also split household chores evenly for the most part, but I tend to cook more often and I take care of the cats 90% of the time (in my partner's defense, the cats like me more). I only mention this bc my friend said that the person who carries the most financial responsibility shouldn't have to do as much at home. With my full-time and part-time, I only have 1 day off a week, while my partner has 3.
My partner is amazing and sweet, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize our future together. I feel like as partners we sacrifice things for each other to help both of us reach our goals. I've done my part for 11 months, is it wrong for me to want my partner to do his share now?
So, Dusty Thunder, AITA?
P.S. After writing all this out I realize that IATA for adding on the wifi because it's covered by my work. It's not wrong for me to want the help, but it is wrong for me to force it upon him without his knowledge. It's a breach of trust for something so insignificant. Like I said, it's just an extra $20 in my pocket. That's nothing compared to the future I'll get to have with him, and I trust that my partner will sacrifice for me in his own way when I need him.
So, yeah, I will be excluding wifi from our monthly bill (he hasn't paid it yet, so no harm no foul). Hopefully, you can still use this post for content 😂.
UPDATE:
I told my partner about the wifi and he laughed. He said that he would give me an extra $20 if I want. He was thankful that I was honest and was understanding of me feelings. I want to clarify that he was applying to 5-10 jobs every day- just bc he plays video games in between doesn't make him a freeloader. He is a college student and during the first 5 months living together he had to drive 1-2 hours to get to class most days of the week. And we have the goal of splitting finances 50-50 one day but he isn't in that position right now.
Some of y'all have made some crazy accusations- which he also laughed at. Please keep in mind that you are taking a glimpse at the worst part of our relationship. There are many sweet moments that you aren't aware of and reasons as to why we are partners. I assure you, I would not be with someone who abuses / manipulates me- so get that nonsense out of your head. ❤️
2024.06.05 02:24 torturedpoet0419 Taylor The Gladiator - Are You Not Entertained?
 | This is my first full fledged post on the sub. I apologize in advance for any formatting issues, the sheer length, any inaccurate takes, or if I’m potentially reaching. Constructive criticism is welcome (please be gentle though). I also humbly ask my elder Gaylors for their input on any Gaylore I may have missed weaving into this theory. I truly am a Baby Gaylor - having fallen down the rabbit hole before TTPD came out. I have devoured the posts on this sub as if I was starving. In some ways, I was. I now fully believe that she is laying the path to coming out. How this analysis ties into that story is beyond my knowledge; if anyone has great theories, I will happily add (with credit of course). submitted by torturedpoet0419 to GaylorSwift [link] [comments] Disclaimer: I am not an expert in Roman history, so if I have any facts incorrect, please let me know. Additionally, in discussing gladiators, it cannot be done without a large caveat. Many gladiators were prisoners of war, criminals, or slaves. For the purpose of this analysis, I am exclusively focusing on those that chose to enter the arena under their own free will. I am not well-versed enough on this topic to speak to the experience of those that were prisoners of war, criminals, or slaves. I can only imagine they had a vastly different experience than their free-person counterparts that was instead characterized by horrid treatment and conditions that resulted in a death they did not choose. On with the show - Please enjoy!In the Times Person of the Year article, Taylor quotes the line “Are you not entertained?” from the 2000 film Gladiator. From the about section on Google regarding the film: “Set in Roman times, the story of a once-powerful general forced to become a common gladiator. The emperor's son is enraged when he is passed over as heir in favour of his father's favourite general. He kills his father and arranges the murder of the general's family, and the general is sold into slavery to be trained as a gladiator - but his subsequent popularity in the arena threatens the throne.”The main character, Maximus (played by Russell Crow) makes that specific line at the end of a gladiatorial game. However, the full quote states: Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is that not why you are here?” Source Entertainment is why the spectators are there. From the Times POTY article: I included more than what was just surrounding the use of “are you not entertained” because I think it ties into several of the theories I’ve read on this sub regarding the religious imagery, the performance art, and the use of drug metaphors. “This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt, and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been,” Swift tells me. “Ultimately, we can convolute it all we want, or try to overcomplicate it, but there’s only one question.” Here, she adopts a booming voice. “Are you not entertained?”’ A few months before I sit with Swift in New York, on a summer night in Santa Clara, Calif., which has been temporarily renamed Swiftie Clara in her honor, I am in a stadium with nearly 70,000 other people having a religious experience. The crowd is rapturous and Swift beatific as she gazes out at us, all high on the same drug. Her fans are singularly passionate, not just in the venue but also online, as they analyze clues, hints, and secret messages in everything from her choreography to her costumes—some deliberately planted, others not. (“Taylor Swift fans are the modern-day equivalent of those cults who would consistently have inaccurate rapture predictions like once a month,” as one viral tweet noted.)”Comparing the concert as a religious experience, is likely extremely accurate. I have not had the privilege of seeing Taylor in concert (yet), but I have been to other concerts where there is a high from being in the crowd. It feels more spiritual to me than any church service I’ve been to previously (not knocking church - just not for me). Like a church (or a cult) the audience is captured by the person speaking, performing, and absorbing the shared experience around them. If you’ve ever been in an amazing crowd, you can attest to it being an euphoric and intoxicating experience - AKA a drug. Again, the spectators (this time the crowd at Taylor’s shows) are there for the entertainment.... I'll show you every version of yourself tonight. "Put narcotics into all of my songs. And that's why, you're still singing along." Origins of the GladiatorThis led me to start diving into the history of gladiators. The origins of the gladiator are subject to debate. Some believe they originated as part of the Etruscan Society as early as 1st century BC. Ancient Roman historian, Livy, believed the first games were held by Campanians in 310 BC as a victory celebration against their defeat of the Samnites.One thing is agreed upon though, is that gladiatorial games began as....funeral rites. Source. Where have we seen funerals and death? We gather here, weeping in a sunlit room... My Tears Ricochet Eras Tour Zombie Taylor LWYMMD Music Video Taylor at Her Own Funeral Anti-Hero Music Video Why would anyone volunteer to potentially fight to the death? Money. Fame. Glory. Successful gladiators were the movie stars of the first century – so famous that free men queued to take their chances in the arena...... The games were so popular that successful gladiators could become extremely rich and very famous. Source.But did they fight to the death? Yes, but only between 10 and 20% of gladiators died during matches (Source). Gladiators were valuable. They trained for months in specialized schools. This was funded by sponsors or wealthy investors. They were an investment (looking at you Scott Swift). Sponsors of private gladiatorial games had to front the expense of hosting the events. However, it was very effective in being used for self-promotion and provided exciting entertainment for their clients and potential voters. It became a business, a status symbol. So if the gladiators didn’t fight to the death, what happened? How did you determine who won? The fighting progressed until one of them surrendered. Surrendering was done by laying down their weapons and holding up a single finger. Taylor at QuestLove's Uno Party 2023. Note: the single finger and what appears to be pink wine. Taylor isn't pointing here (far right), but there is a lot of pointing going on. Taylor is also reaching for white wine now. Wine theory? Cool, but gladiators were men, right? Not exclusively."While sparse, evidence exists in art, laws and written accounts that women did participate in the brutal sport during the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire, fighting each other fiercely with weapons for entertainment. But they didn’t fight nearly to the same degree as men did—and did so mostly as novelty acts." Source.Roman marble carving depicting two female gladiators battling with swords and shields Found in present day Turkey Female gladiators in ancient Rome are referred to as gladiatrix in modern usage; in ancient texts they were referred to as ludia (female performers in a ludi, a festival or entertainment). An excerpt regarding women's time in Rome: Women in ancient Rome did not have a lot of freedom and they were defined by their relationship with men. Brian K. Harvey, scholar, writes: Unlike men's virtues, women were praised for their home and married life. Their virtues included sexual fidelity (castitas), a sense of decency (pudicitia), love for her husband (caritas), marital concord (concordia), devotion to family (pietas), fertility (fecunditas), beauty (pulchritude), cheerfulness (hilaritas), and happiness (laetitia)…As exemplified by the power of the paterfamilias [husband or father, head of the house], Rome was a patriarchal society. Source.And you were tossing me the car keys, "Fuck the Patriarchy;" that 1950s shit they want from me; I'm having his baby.... no I'm not. Small Tangent: There are poems by Sulpicia (1st century BCE) who is believed to have been a female poet of the time. Her poems tell a love-story arc that can be found translated here. I do think an analysis of her work in comparison to Taylor's would be interesting. There are similar themes in them. However, this post is long enough already. Back to the main event: how were gladiators trained? Female gladiators were most likely trained by their fathers or in private lessons with a lanista. Wooden swords were used in training by both men and women following the revolt of the gladiator Spartacus (73-71 BCE) who had used the iron weapons of his school to launch the insurrection. Men and women were trained in different types of combat and there were four types of gladiator: The Myrmillo (Murmillo) had a helmet (with a fish crest), oblong shield and sword. The Retiarius (who usually fought a Myrmillo): lightly armed with a net and trident or dagger. The Samnite had a sword, visored helmet, and oblong shield. The Thracian (Thrax): armed with a curved blade (a sica) and round shield. Source.Taylor has referenced combat, war, and daggers throughout her discography. More on this later. However, women were not welcome in this space and were criticized by satirists and historians. A few excerpts below: In his Satires, Roman satirist Juvenal (1st/2nd century CE) wrote: “What sense of shame can be found in a woman wearing a helmet, who shuns femininity and loves brute force...If an auction is held of your wife's effects, how proud you will be of her belt and arm-pads and plumes, and her half-length left-leg shin-guard! Or, if instead, she prefers a different form of combat how pleased you will be when the girl of your heart sells off her greaves! Hear her grunt while she practices thrusts as shown by the trainer, wilting under the weight of the helmet.” Historian Cassius Dio (155 - 235 CE) wrote: “There was another exhibition that was at once most disgraceful and most shocking, when men and women not only of the equestrian but even of the senatorial order appeared as performers in the orchestra, in the Circus, and in the [Colosseum], like those who are held in lowest esteem. Some of them played the flute and danced in pantomimes or acted in tragedies and comedies or sang to the lyre; they drove horses, killed wild beasts and fought as gladiators.” SourceI think it's interesting the idea of female gladiators preferring a different type of combat. Combat, I'm ready for combat, I say I don't want that, but what if I do? Furthermore, the idea of the Circus, Colosseum, and the orchestra all being forms of entertainment I think speak to "I was tame, I was gentle, 'til the (Your - OG lyrics) circus life made me mean. Don't you worry folks we took out all her teeth." Is this further commentary how the circus (media/entertainment industry), the orchestra (the music), and the gladiator (Taylor Swift™) are all interconnected? Battle: 17 uses “Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur.” The Great War, Midnights “And every day is like a battle.” New Romantics, 1989 “The battle’s in your hands now” The Story of Us, Speak Now “And the battle was long, it’s the fight of our lives.” Change, FearlessWeapons: 5 uses “Memories feel like weapons.” Would’ve, Could’ve Should’ve, Midnights “When did all our lessons start to look like weapons.” happiness, evermore “And swords and weapons that you use against me.” Mean, Speak NowArmor: 3 uses “You come around and the armor falls.” State of Grace, Red “But I would lay my armor down.” The Story of Us, Speak NowDagger: 3 uses (Thanks u/Kai_the_Fox for the additions!) “Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now.” Daylight, Lover "Took this dagger in me and removed it." tolerate it, evermore "One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen." The Albatross, The Tortured Poets DepartmentSwords: 2 uses “And swords and weapons that you use against me.” Mean, Speak Now “In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords.” Eyes Open, Not released (note: this reminds me of the fact that they had to switch to wooden post Spartacus rebellion)War: 21 uses “Flesh and blood amongst war machines.” Clara Bow, The Tortured Poets Department "If we survived the Great War.” The Great War, Midnights “There’s no morning glory, it was war, it wasn’t fair.” The Great War, Midnights “So yeah, it’s a war. It’s the goddamn fight of my life.” ivy, evermore “Like the war of words I shouted in my sleep.” long story short, evermore “No more tug of war. Now I just know there’s more.” long story short, evermore “Hung my head as I lost the war.” Clean, 1989 “Why they lost their minds and fought the wars” You Are In Love, 1989 “Left yourself in your war path.” Innocent, Speak Now “And you were headed off to fight in the war.” Timeless, Speak Now “Everyday now they’re talking war and I know this time is like it’s never been before.” Can I Go With You, Unreleased “Looks like we’re going to war.” Let’s Go (Battle), unreleased “The war outside our door keeps raging on.” Safe & Sound, The Hunger Games So tying it all together, aka TL;DRGladiators were used as a source of entertainment for the wealthy. Initially the gladiatorial games began as funeral rites; however, it evolved into a tool to be used by the elite to gain favor amongst each other and to garner support. Free men (and women) voluntarily chose to enter the games because if they were successful, they were the celebrities of the time, gaining money and fame. Evidence exists of women participating in the games, and they were met with heavy criticism for their participation. Lastly, gladiators did not always die in the games, but instead they would surrender by laying their weapons down and holding up a single finger. Taylor has referenced war, battles, swords, armor, and weapons throughout her entire discography.I think we are continuing to see the duality of Taylor. Taylor Swift, the authentic person, has been fighting with Taylor Swift™. Only one of them can come out victorious. I think Taylor Swift™ is surrendering now, holding up a single finger in her final battle. |
2024.06.05 02:13 Foresight143 Average Joe
My name is Joe Clarkson.
When I was a small child, I was gifted. Great at a lot of things, and adequate at most. That all changed when I moved to Oakfield. Not too far away, but somehow not in the same state.
Oakfield was a small town, somewhere near the Canada-US border, yet my parents never told me which state it was in. They couldn’t. Dad got a really good job offer.
I started third grade there, I was eight, and would turn nine later in the year. On my first day of school, there was nothing really academic, thankfully, so I had no chance to show off my proficiency.
However, the walk there was interesting, with the edifice that was the mental hospital. Edifice for the town at least, it was only a couple stories tall. It stood in the distance, and you could see it from the school yard, and the street there. Always looming.
I was bored between the three recesses, each being a little breath of fresh air on the otherwise stagnant school day. That was, until the last one.
It was the afternoon, and I hadn’t really made any friends yet. I was just sitting by myself under a tree, when I saw a rough looking man, standing behind the chain-link fence I was seated next to.
The fear of strangers had been forced adamantly into my mind by then, and I whimpered, backing away.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said. That’s what someone who wanted to murder you would say.
But, considering the fence, I deemed I was relatively safe from this haggard man, and so, I approached. He was coughing.
“I don’t have much time. Take this paper,” he said as he passed a sticky note to me. “Follow what this says. Take it seriously, and you will be fine.”
I heard Ms. Smith calling out to me and approaching and turned away for a second before looking back. The man was gone, the coughing silenced.
Knowing if the teacher had seen the man that she would with no doubt take the note from me, I stuffed it in my pocket, then waited for her to approach.
“Joseph, what are you doing over here? Who were you talking to?” she snipped.
Quick thinking saved me here. “Imaginary friend.”
“Well, you should know better than to do stuff like that. We don’t do strange things like that here.” She paused. “You’ve learned your lesson, but I will talk to your parents about this.
She left, and soon recess was over. That day as I walked home from school, I looked for the man, but he was gone.
As said, my parents had a word with me about imaginary friends, and how I was too grown up and that they would have to send me to the ‘psychiatrist’ for it.
I of course paid them no heed.
Later that night, I opened the note. It had barely legible scrawl, unlike Mrs. Smith who had perfect handwriting, which I was sorely jealous of. This is what it contained:
If you are reading this, I may be able to save you. I need you to follow these guidelines:
I have proof, so that you will believe me. Look at your classmates. Think about their defining features, whether physical, social, etc. They will change. For now, you have to trust me.
Once you have memorized this, destroy it.
The fourth rule seemed common enough, and the others seemed not too hard to follow. It was weird, but considering I had nothing to do at school, I decided to play along, holding in my laughter as I presumably tricked everyone. I would not laugh soon enough.
Xavier was a new kid. He moved in around the second week of school, when I was beginning to get bored of the ruse. He was bright and funny, yet Ms. Smith never laughed at his jokes. She got tired of him quickly, unlike me.
I was friends with him, we would play on the playground, mostly tag, but I made sure to never outrun him, nor anyone else. One day, we were playing tag, and I was chasing him. It had lasted longer than normal, and I was beginning to get very tired of the charade, so I decided to try and win this time.
We ran for so long, he eventually ran into the school, and I chased him, laughing, panting as he sprinted through the halls. The teachers were very mad at us and shouted at us often. But none chased.
However, after around fifteen minutes, we had slowed down significantly, and he stole away around a corner. When I turned the corner, Xavier was gone.
I didn’t see him for the rest of the day.
The next day, I went to school, ready to interrogate him about where he had gone. And, sure enough he was there. But when I asked him, he said he had gotten bored, and left it at that. It explained nothing, and I was grumpy about it for the rest of the day.
Xavier made jokes after that. But they were different, not funny. But Ms. Smith sure seemed to think so. She always chuckled at them, as did many of the other kids, and I chuckled along to follow suit. Xavier said to call him by his middle name, Steven. I didn’t talk to him much after that. The ‘psychiatrists’ had probably made him normal.
I dug through my backpack and eventually found the note from the man. It had been a few weeks now, and I hadn’t destroyed it.
I have proof, so that you will believe me. Look at your classmates. Think about their defining features, whether physical, social, etc. They will change.
Sure enough, it had happened.
I heard a knock at my door. My mom spoke in an indifferent voice.
“What are you doing in there, sweetie? Hopefully not talking to your imaginary friend again,” she said, giving a faint chuckle.
“One second mom!” I shouted, as I read through it a few last times, before shredding it, then scattering the pieces.
She opened the door. Her eyes grew frustrated for a single moment.
In an instant, I smiled slightly, rising, I coughed, partially because of my recent cold, partially to cover any anxiousness in my voice.
“Is it time for bed yet?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I went to sleep.
The man appeared in the newspapers. He had been taken to the mental hospital, locked away forever. I never disregarded what he had said, however.
I heard my mom talking to my teacher.
“Something’s wrong with him, he’s been acting weird. Watch over him, okay?” my mom said. “I’m worried.”
The only thing she should be worried about is my stupid cough that won’t go away.
I blended in throughout the years, getting a mix of B’s and C’s, as well as an occasional A. I didn’t raise my hand in class often, limiting myself to once a week. I chatted with a few other friends, though spending time with them left me unsettled.
On my sixteenth birthday, I ran away. I had just got a new car, drab and grey, courtesy of my father. I told them I was going to take a drive around the park. They believed me.
As I took it out, slow and steady, I noticed something. Ms. Smith. She was in her own car, tailing mine. I didn’t acknowledge her. The school hadn’t given her my address, yet she had been waiting for me.
I drove around the park a few times, then checked my mirror, making sure to not move my head. Ms. Smith was gone. I changed my route.
Moving through the town, I could tell something was off about the buildings. The same buildings everywhere, the same few colors of cars, no one outside, everyone inside at once. They were all gathered around a dinner table. Every single house.
I increased my speed, and my car started to screech, so I quickly slammed on the brakes.
I drove for a while, barely staying awake. After a few hours, I was back in town. Not in the distant byways.
Ms. Smith was behind me again.
In a moment of panic, I turned my head back, checking to make sure. Ms. Smith grinned. I waved at her, then continued back to my house. To this day, I’m not sure why I turned back. I wish I hadn’t.
As I approached my house, I remembered the fourth rule, and realized home would not be safe. I slammed the gas and veered in the direction of the high school. There was a football game going on, and there were lots of people there.
Ms. Smith had apparently been lost in the confusion and was not following me as I approached the field. I snuck in, then sat on one of the bleachers. Everything was normal, except for the highschoolers not being as rowdy as I had expected. I had seen things on television back at my old home, yet there were none of the old television programs here.
There were also no telephone wires. No outside communications. I realized this as I sat up there, next to one of my distant friends, Cody.
“Why are there no phones?” I whispered out loud.
Cody turned to me. “Of course there are.”
He turned back to the game.
“John’s doing so good today, would you look at that!” Cody said.
I heard my name being shouted. My parents had found where I had been, and were mad, they climbed up the bleachers, and I saw no use hiding from them.
“Cody, what have you been doing to our little boy?” Mom growled. She turned to me, “He’s a bad influence, sneaking off like this. Someone else will take care of that, come with me.” On the supervised drive back to my house, I noticed telephone poles lining the streets.
“What are you doing?” Mom asked.
“I’m calling Susie, from my old school. Just want to keep in touch,” I responded dully.
“She probably moved. That’s not her number anymore.”
“Their house was passed down through generations. Not likely,” I accused.
Three days later my mother came up to me. She turned on the news, then ushered me over.
“Breaking News: Local teen found dead, hit by car! Identity confirmed to be Susie Coleman, of local high school...”
I blocked out the rest of the speech. There was a picture of her corpse, and it was her, blood trailing from various wounds.
“That’s horrible!” I exclaimed. “Now I see why my call didn’t go through.”
The thing was, there was no news channel that broadcast things outside of the town. I barred my windows and door that night, then slept in my clothes hamper. I held my coughs in. When I woke up the next morning, things in my room were moved. My worst fears had been confirmed.
For the second time in a week, I tried to escape. Dawn would not strike for a few hours, and I knew no one could see me. The town was on lockdown, hunting for a ‘missing person’. I stole my mom’s car, not daring to use my own.
From the minute I pulled out of the driveway, I knew I was being followed. A car trailed behind me; the windshield tinted enough that I couldn't see the driver, but I knew it was Ms. Smith.
I floored the gas, uncaring, driving as fast as I could to the nearby forest. I jumped out of the car, placing my mom’s purse on the gas pedal to keep it running. It would hit ahead and throw them off my trail.
I entered the forest.
Stumbling through the trees at night was not a pleasant experience. I cut myself on branches and twisted my ankles trying to get out.
I made my way to a clearing. There was something moving there, a body. It was moaning and screeching, drenched in blood. Susie. She stopped when I drew near, then stared at me, eyes devoid of pain. Devoid of expression.
I ran out back into the forest and heard a limping figure behind me. Adrenaline pushing me as hard as it could, I slowly heard the limp grow stronger and stronger, becoming a full run.
Curving around a ditch, I tripped, falling into the hole, then heard the footsteps draw nearer. I saw the ditch led to a drainage pipe. I hid in there, making little noise, and waited until she left. Screams of anger echoed through the night.
After catching my breath, I peeked out, coughing. Nothing but the cool night air. Slowly, I made my way out. In the distance, I could see a light.
It took only a few more minutes to make it to the source. It was a gas station, and the man in there greeted me with something I had not seen in years. A warm welcome.
After getting some food and water – for free since I didn’t have my wallet on me – the man began to question me about my appearance.
“That’s a crazy story coming from Oakfield. Nothing ever happens there. I suppose they want to not be noticed, from your story. By the way, son, what is your name?”
“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“No.”
“Son, I just want to check your records, make sure you’re not a nutcase,” he sighed. “Afterall, you don’t want to have to go to the psychiatrists, do you?”
I backed away, and the man began to grow agitated, shouting for me to come back and tell him my name. I ran out and started down the road. There were no cars.
A day or so later I reached a town. A normal one, with normal people. No one following me. No one trying to take me away. It was hard to get back on my feet of course, going to high school in the day, then working at night to make ends meet.
I never told anyone else about the town. No one. That is until now. You see, last night I found something. A trail of blood leading to a field.
“Joe, come back...” it said. “You can’t leave Oakfield. It can’t get out.”
They still follow me. They do not want people to know about this, because they do not want people to know about Oakfield, and whatever goes on behind the doors of the mental hospital. I intend to go where they cannot find me.
No one will take me seriously. After all, nothing ever happens in Oakfield. And to them, I am insane.
submitted by Foresight143 to nosleep [link] [comments]
When I was a small child, I was gifted. Great at a lot of things, and adequate at most. That all changed when I moved to Oakfield. Not too far away, but somehow not in the same state.
Oakfield was a small town, somewhere near the Canada-US border, yet my parents never told me which state it was in. They couldn’t. Dad got a really good job offer.
I started third grade there, I was eight, and would turn nine later in the year. On my first day of school, there was nothing really academic, thankfully, so I had no chance to show off my proficiency.
However, the walk there was interesting, with the edifice that was the mental hospital. Edifice for the town at least, it was only a couple stories tall. It stood in the distance, and you could see it from the school yard, and the street there. Always looming.
I was bored between the three recesses, each being a little breath of fresh air on the otherwise stagnant school day. That was, until the last one.
It was the afternoon, and I hadn’t really made any friends yet. I was just sitting by myself under a tree, when I saw a rough looking man, standing behind the chain-link fence I was seated next to.
The fear of strangers had been forced adamantly into my mind by then, and I whimpered, backing away.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said. That’s what someone who wanted to murder you would say.
But, considering the fence, I deemed I was relatively safe from this haggard man, and so, I approached. He was coughing.
“I don’t have much time. Take this paper,” he said as he passed a sticky note to me. “Follow what this says. Take it seriously, and you will be fine.”
I heard Ms. Smith calling out to me and approaching and turned away for a second before looking back. The man was gone, the coughing silenced.
Knowing if the teacher had seen the man that she would with no doubt take the note from me, I stuffed it in my pocket, then waited for her to approach.
“Joseph, what are you doing over here? Who were you talking to?” she snipped.
Quick thinking saved me here. “Imaginary friend.”
“Well, you should know better than to do stuff like that. We don’t do strange things like that here.” She paused. “You’ve learned your lesson, but I will talk to your parents about this.
She left, and soon recess was over. That day as I walked home from school, I looked for the man, but he was gone.
As said, my parents had a word with me about imaginary friends, and how I was too grown up and that they would have to send me to the ‘psychiatrist’ for it.
I of course paid them no heed.
Later that night, I opened the note. It had barely legible scrawl, unlike Mrs. Smith who had perfect handwriting, which I was sorely jealous of. This is what it contained:
If you are reading this, I may be able to save you. I need you to follow these guidelines:
- Hide your identity
- Socialize only when necessary
- Be unexceptional
- If someone is following you, find a crowded place to be
I have proof, so that you will believe me. Look at your classmates. Think about their defining features, whether physical, social, etc. They will change. For now, you have to trust me.
Once you have memorized this, destroy it.
The fourth rule seemed common enough, and the others seemed not too hard to follow. It was weird, but considering I had nothing to do at school, I decided to play along, holding in my laughter as I presumably tricked everyone. I would not laugh soon enough.
Xavier was a new kid. He moved in around the second week of school, when I was beginning to get bored of the ruse. He was bright and funny, yet Ms. Smith never laughed at his jokes. She got tired of him quickly, unlike me.
I was friends with him, we would play on the playground, mostly tag, but I made sure to never outrun him, nor anyone else. One day, we were playing tag, and I was chasing him. It had lasted longer than normal, and I was beginning to get very tired of the charade, so I decided to try and win this time.
We ran for so long, he eventually ran into the school, and I chased him, laughing, panting as he sprinted through the halls. The teachers were very mad at us and shouted at us often. But none chased.
However, after around fifteen minutes, we had slowed down significantly, and he stole away around a corner. When I turned the corner, Xavier was gone.
I didn’t see him for the rest of the day.
The next day, I went to school, ready to interrogate him about where he had gone. And, sure enough he was there. But when I asked him, he said he had gotten bored, and left it at that. It explained nothing, and I was grumpy about it for the rest of the day.
Xavier made jokes after that. But they were different, not funny. But Ms. Smith sure seemed to think so. She always chuckled at them, as did many of the other kids, and I chuckled along to follow suit. Xavier said to call him by his middle name, Steven. I didn’t talk to him much after that. The ‘psychiatrists’ had probably made him normal.
I dug through my backpack and eventually found the note from the man. It had been a few weeks now, and I hadn’t destroyed it.
I have proof, so that you will believe me. Look at your classmates. Think about their defining features, whether physical, social, etc. They will change.
Sure enough, it had happened.
I heard a knock at my door. My mom spoke in an indifferent voice.
“What are you doing in there, sweetie? Hopefully not talking to your imaginary friend again,” she said, giving a faint chuckle.
“One second mom!” I shouted, as I read through it a few last times, before shredding it, then scattering the pieces.
She opened the door. Her eyes grew frustrated for a single moment.
In an instant, I smiled slightly, rising, I coughed, partially because of my recent cold, partially to cover any anxiousness in my voice.
“Is it time for bed yet?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I went to sleep.
The man appeared in the newspapers. He had been taken to the mental hospital, locked away forever. I never disregarded what he had said, however.
I heard my mom talking to my teacher.
“Something’s wrong with him, he’s been acting weird. Watch over him, okay?” my mom said. “I’m worried.”
The only thing she should be worried about is my stupid cough that won’t go away.
I blended in throughout the years, getting a mix of B’s and C’s, as well as an occasional A. I didn’t raise my hand in class often, limiting myself to once a week. I chatted with a few other friends, though spending time with them left me unsettled.
On my sixteenth birthday, I ran away. I had just got a new car, drab and grey, courtesy of my father. I told them I was going to take a drive around the park. They believed me.
As I took it out, slow and steady, I noticed something. Ms. Smith. She was in her own car, tailing mine. I didn’t acknowledge her. The school hadn’t given her my address, yet she had been waiting for me.
I drove around the park a few times, then checked my mirror, making sure to not move my head. Ms. Smith was gone. I changed my route.
Moving through the town, I could tell something was off about the buildings. The same buildings everywhere, the same few colors of cars, no one outside, everyone inside at once. They were all gathered around a dinner table. Every single house.
I increased my speed, and my car started to screech, so I quickly slammed on the brakes.
I drove for a while, barely staying awake. After a few hours, I was back in town. Not in the distant byways.
Ms. Smith was behind me again.
In a moment of panic, I turned my head back, checking to make sure. Ms. Smith grinned. I waved at her, then continued back to my house. To this day, I’m not sure why I turned back. I wish I hadn’t.
As I approached my house, I remembered the fourth rule, and realized home would not be safe. I slammed the gas and veered in the direction of the high school. There was a football game going on, and there were lots of people there.
Ms. Smith had apparently been lost in the confusion and was not following me as I approached the field. I snuck in, then sat on one of the bleachers. Everything was normal, except for the highschoolers not being as rowdy as I had expected. I had seen things on television back at my old home, yet there were none of the old television programs here.
There were also no telephone wires. No outside communications. I realized this as I sat up there, next to one of my distant friends, Cody.
“Why are there no phones?” I whispered out loud.
Cody turned to me. “Of course there are.”
He turned back to the game.
“John’s doing so good today, would you look at that!” Cody said.
I heard my name being shouted. My parents had found where I had been, and were mad, they climbed up the bleachers, and I saw no use hiding from them.
“Cody, what have you been doing to our little boy?” Mom growled. She turned to me, “He’s a bad influence, sneaking off like this. Someone else will take care of that, come with me.” On the supervised drive back to my house, I noticed telephone poles lining the streets.
“What are you doing?” Mom asked.
“I’m calling Susie, from my old school. Just want to keep in touch,” I responded dully.
“She probably moved. That’s not her number anymore.”
“Their house was passed down through generations. Not likely,” I accused.
Three days later my mother came up to me. She turned on the news, then ushered me over.
“Breaking News: Local teen found dead, hit by car! Identity confirmed to be Susie Coleman, of local high school...”
I blocked out the rest of the speech. There was a picture of her corpse, and it was her, blood trailing from various wounds.
“That’s horrible!” I exclaimed. “Now I see why my call didn’t go through.”
The thing was, there was no news channel that broadcast things outside of the town. I barred my windows and door that night, then slept in my clothes hamper. I held my coughs in. When I woke up the next morning, things in my room were moved. My worst fears had been confirmed.
For the second time in a week, I tried to escape. Dawn would not strike for a few hours, and I knew no one could see me. The town was on lockdown, hunting for a ‘missing person’. I stole my mom’s car, not daring to use my own.
From the minute I pulled out of the driveway, I knew I was being followed. A car trailed behind me; the windshield tinted enough that I couldn't see the driver, but I knew it was Ms. Smith.
I floored the gas, uncaring, driving as fast as I could to the nearby forest. I jumped out of the car, placing my mom’s purse on the gas pedal to keep it running. It would hit ahead and throw them off my trail.
I entered the forest.
Stumbling through the trees at night was not a pleasant experience. I cut myself on branches and twisted my ankles trying to get out.
I made my way to a clearing. There was something moving there, a body. It was moaning and screeching, drenched in blood. Susie. She stopped when I drew near, then stared at me, eyes devoid of pain. Devoid of expression.
I ran out back into the forest and heard a limping figure behind me. Adrenaline pushing me as hard as it could, I slowly heard the limp grow stronger and stronger, becoming a full run.
Curving around a ditch, I tripped, falling into the hole, then heard the footsteps draw nearer. I saw the ditch led to a drainage pipe. I hid in there, making little noise, and waited until she left. Screams of anger echoed through the night.
After catching my breath, I peeked out, coughing. Nothing but the cool night air. Slowly, I made my way out. In the distance, I could see a light.
It took only a few more minutes to make it to the source. It was a gas station, and the man in there greeted me with something I had not seen in years. A warm welcome.
After getting some food and water – for free since I didn’t have my wallet on me – the man began to question me about my appearance.
“That’s a crazy story coming from Oakfield. Nothing ever happens there. I suppose they want to not be noticed, from your story. By the way, son, what is your name?”
- Hide your identity
“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“No.”
“Son, I just want to check your records, make sure you’re not a nutcase,” he sighed. “Afterall, you don’t want to have to go to the psychiatrists, do you?”
I backed away, and the man began to grow agitated, shouting for me to come back and tell him my name. I ran out and started down the road. There were no cars.
A day or so later I reached a town. A normal one, with normal people. No one following me. No one trying to take me away. It was hard to get back on my feet of course, going to high school in the day, then working at night to make ends meet.
I never told anyone else about the town. No one. That is until now. You see, last night I found something. A trail of blood leading to a field.
“Joe, come back...” it said. “You can’t leave Oakfield. It can’t get out.”
They still follow me. They do not want people to know about this, because they do not want people to know about Oakfield, and whatever goes on behind the doors of the mental hospital. I intend to go where they cannot find me.
No one will take me seriously. After all, nothing ever happens in Oakfield. And to them, I am insane.
2024.06.05 02:00 AutoModerator NEW PLAYERS COME HERE! - Weekly Questions and Information thread - June 05, 2024
Downloads
Stable - Gaiman (Recommended)
Android, Linux, OS X, WindowsExperimental (Not recommended)
Automated Installation
Catapult Game Launcher (3rd party, pretty convenient, more details in the link)CDDA Game Launcher (3rd party, pretty convenient, more details in the link)
Manual Installation
Android, Linux, OS X, WindowsiOS
Compiling Guide
Controls (not up to date, controls for mobile can vary)
Helpful Guides
- Item Database
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- Modding
- Detailed Guide (mlangsdorf)
- Quickstart Guide (DracoGriffin & AMurkin)
- Improved Text Readability (Bilb0)
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- Video Guide (Vormithrax)
- More Video Guide (GrandpuhTy)
- Written Guide (Pr0manTwitch)
Featured Let's Players
Individuals that are currently known for playing C:DDA. List is subject to change (maintain active and current streamers), send modmail if you'd like to be added.| Player(s) | Twitch | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| Vormithrax | Link | Link |
| TheMurderUnicorn | Link | Link |
| TheCritsyBear | Link | Link |
| RyconRoleplays | None | Link |
| Orange01gaming | None | Link |
| nonsonogiucas | None | Link |
| GrandpuhTy | Link | Link |
Memorial
Individuals that used to play C:DDA but have gone on hiatus or stopped streaming. These are mentioned here as requested by the community for being noteworthy.| Player(s) | Twitch | YouTube |
|---|---|---|
| flakaby | Link | None |
| Pr0manTwitch | Link | None |
| CromulentArcher | None | Link |
Semi-Multiplayer - WatchCDDA.net
WatchCDDA.net is hosted by r7st and allows for semi-multiplayer ASCII version of Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. It can be a bit confusing to get started so make sure you check out the Instructions page for more details and join that Discord to communicate while playing. Any issues need to be expressed on WatchCDDA's Discord, not the subreddit - any troubleshooting posts will be removed.- Requirements:
- WatchCDDA.net Account (set up is on Instructions page)
- SSH client (like PuTTY)
- Willingness to use ASCII (no tilesets yet)
FAQ
- How do I use this subreddit?
- Flairs? What are those?
Changelog - these posts have very informative posts regarding changes.
Fixed - these posts generally have a solution to a bug or problem.
Lastly, if you flair a post [Help Wanted] and someone answered satisfactorily, make sure to re-flair it with [Solved] so others can find the solution instead of looking through tons of posts.
- Oh no, my anti-virus says the launcher is a threat!
If you are paranoid, you can always inspect the source code yourself and build the launcher from the source code. However, you are still likely to get false positives.
- The UI is broken or weird, is this normal?
- I think the subreddit should have ... or The subreddit should change ...
2024.06.05 01:44 AccomplishedAd9740 How To Fix The VP-61PS Shield (and shields in general)
TL;DR - adjust PA interference stat's for all respective weapons, from a range of 125%-147%, to 225%-300%. Additionally, swap the heat deploy stats for the VP-61PS, and the VP-61PB.
The VP-61PS shield makes an appearance in roughly 40%-50% of all top 20 builds on ranked singles leaderboards at any given time, this directly suggests the shield is unbalanced at the outset as balance would see a diversity of builds and equipment being used. That should be inarguable I think at least, and saturation of a specific item usually implies imbalance.
So why is the 61PS so dominant? It is because the shield is overpowered not only in relation to every other shield, but because it has no weaknesses other than to simply outrange and force the shield user to AB all the time, and no exploitable manuevers/attack types to counter it. Currently the PA interference stat on all "Shield Countering Weapons" is far too underpowered to compensate for this with an avg of 125%-147% multiplier to impact, which is then reduced by IG block stats (80% on the 61PS for ex) , which would equal 29% impact build up even ON THE PULSE BLADE, pulse is supposed to be strong against shields, yet this stat appears to have been balanced around non-IG block stats) a charged pulseblade against a PS parry does 1200x1.47x0.2=......352 impact..... Compare that to a majestic with zero PA, which does 218 after calculation. Pulse, and PA stat in general is a negligible stat.
In short, the VP61PS makes every other shield irrelevant by being able to do every other shields specialty if not outright better, than without those shields weaknesses and more flexibility, rendering every other shield unjustified (which is the definition of unbalanced,) Finally, no shields can be countered by PA interference at its current avg. Arguably PA should be avged around 250-300, doubling the effective impact buildup.
Some might argue, "the 61PS is fine, buff the rest of the shields. " this ignores the prevalence of shields on the leaderboards at all. 50% of leading builds should not be concentrated on one equipment category, much less one specific item in that category. Even more so if that item is low skill required like the PS. Low skill items ought to have lower ceiling of performance, and harder to use items ought to have a higher ceiling of performance. Additionally this item is forcing meta builds to centre around ones that can simply outrange shields which leads to stale build viability and a bipolar meta of either hyper range, or hyper tanky, with no middle room.
Lets look at why the PS has no weaknesses by breaking it down into categories of shields and respective counter strategies.
-It has strong parry stats at 78 dam/80 impact. This is powerful enough to get the job done even against nukes. Rebalancing the PA multiplier stat would help allieviate this however. Usually IG blocks are countered by overworking a shields number of deploys, or via the difficulty of a tight IG window. Neither of thesecapply to the PS. -it has a generous IG frame at 0.6s (basically easy to parry with, and can parry long hit box attacks like charged plasma, resulting in a low skill/high performance shield. IG windows are normally countered by hits-over-time weapons, or by exploiting low heat deploy stats and hitting many times in quick succession. Not applicable to the PS. -it has a ridiculous number of deploys at 5+1, resulting in a net parry window of 3.0/3.6s (these last three categories mentioned so far should NEVER be S tier in one shield, but in theory this stat is countered by high damage/impact hits that will exploit less effective block stats, given the shield has so much up time. -It has near max cooling, cooling is normally countered by exploiting that shields weakness in either IG/non IG stats, or IG window depending on the shield. These shields cant be over worked, and so you exploit the weakness applicable elsewhere (hence why all three aforementioned stats should never be S tier in one shield) -its non IG block stats rival even the best-in-class shield for this category (SU-R8) these shields are meant to relieve any IG skill, and are strong at trading with hits-over-time weapons and so are countered by nukes overpenetrating, or by lack of cooling and associated up time.
Lets compare the VP61PS to each other shield side by side and see why you would never take that shield over the PS
SU-Q5 - both shields are OP for combining the three most important IG stats that ought not be combined with all 3, and arguably both need a heat deploy nerf. But the SUQ5 has two notable weakness the PS doesnt, its IG damage reduction is weaker and so neccessitates tankier builds in order to offset the damage leaking through. The cooling is also bottom tier, meaning if you can survive long enough to bait out all deploys (unlikely against double zimm heavy bipeds) , it earns a long time of opportunity to attack. The IG window is longer on this shield, sure, but the cooling/ability to damage block much better far and away insists on taking the PS in virtually all situations and avoid these weaknesses.
SU-R8 - the lowest skill shield that effectively just relies on non IG 63% dam/48% imp block. Max deploys, and half bar cooling. But why give up the ability to parry 80%/80% with ease, plus max cooling instead of 50% cooling. The stat difference is negligible anyways at 58%/40%.
VP-61PB - The "Parry Shield" without a place in the game due to too many weaknesses. Globally buffing the PA interference stat on all respective weapons would give this shield more of a home by making it the only shield that can shut down PA weapons with parries and be cost effective, but until then there is no reason to forgo the 5+1 deploys of the PS vs the 2+1 on the PB even against builds where parrying is valued. The easier parry frames, the ability to effectively block damage-over-time weapon types, and the ability to parry 5 attacks at 80% reduction, over two attacks at 95%, as well as the low punishingly low non IG stats. In short, the 61PS, and the 61PB neex their heat deploy stats swapped, given tge PS 2+1 blocks at 0.6s IG for 1.2s/1.8s IG for the PS, and 1.5s/1.8s IG for the PB, while punishing the PB for failed IG blocks and not so much punishing for the PS.
SUTT/C focus on its long IG and high IG stats. Can be overworked easily due to its 1+1 deploy count however and often the full IG isnt needed. Just poke then retreat until it has been used 2-3 times. Why take this shield over the PS when you can just cycle the PS for an even longer total IG window, or break up the deploys as needed to prevent being over worked from pokes, AND take even better non IG stats for when you mess up? The IG stat difference is neglibible (actually better on the PS with higher impact reduction of 80 vs 76%)
Scutum is a unique shield so ill skip it for this discussion.
Coral shields impact mitigation has been nerfed into the ground however it allows firing the left hand weapon if non firing stance. Stat wise you cant parry impact, only damage effectively, you cant deploy nearly as often, and the IG windows are very close at 0.6s vs 0.8s.
Share any thoughts on this topic that you might have!
submitted by AccomplishedAd9740 to ArmoredCoreVI [link] [comments]
The VP-61PS shield makes an appearance in roughly 40%-50% of all top 20 builds on ranked singles leaderboards at any given time, this directly suggests the shield is unbalanced at the outset as balance would see a diversity of builds and equipment being used. That should be inarguable I think at least, and saturation of a specific item usually implies imbalance.
So why is the 61PS so dominant? It is because the shield is overpowered not only in relation to every other shield, but because it has no weaknesses other than to simply outrange and force the shield user to AB all the time, and no exploitable manuevers/attack types to counter it. Currently the PA interference stat on all "Shield Countering Weapons" is far too underpowered to compensate for this with an avg of 125%-147% multiplier to impact, which is then reduced by IG block stats (80% on the 61PS for ex) , which would equal 29% impact build up even ON THE PULSE BLADE, pulse is supposed to be strong against shields, yet this stat appears to have been balanced around non-IG block stats) a charged pulseblade against a PS parry does 1200x1.47x0.2=......352 impact..... Compare that to a majestic with zero PA, which does 218 after calculation. Pulse, and PA stat in general is a negligible stat.
In short, the VP61PS makes every other shield irrelevant by being able to do every other shields specialty if not outright better, than without those shields weaknesses and more flexibility, rendering every other shield unjustified (which is the definition of unbalanced,) Finally, no shields can be countered by PA interference at its current avg. Arguably PA should be avged around 250-300, doubling the effective impact buildup.
Some might argue, "the 61PS is fine, buff the rest of the shields. " this ignores the prevalence of shields on the leaderboards at all. 50% of leading builds should not be concentrated on one equipment category, much less one specific item in that category. Even more so if that item is low skill required like the PS. Low skill items ought to have lower ceiling of performance, and harder to use items ought to have a higher ceiling of performance. Additionally this item is forcing meta builds to centre around ones that can simply outrange shields which leads to stale build viability and a bipolar meta of either hyper range, or hyper tanky, with no middle room.
Lets look at why the PS has no weaknesses by breaking it down into categories of shields and respective counter strategies.
-It has strong parry stats at 78 dam/80 impact. This is powerful enough to get the job done even against nukes. Rebalancing the PA multiplier stat would help allieviate this however. Usually IG blocks are countered by overworking a shields number of deploys, or via the difficulty of a tight IG window. Neither of thesecapply to the PS. -it has a generous IG frame at 0.6s (basically easy to parry with, and can parry long hit box attacks like charged plasma, resulting in a low skill/high performance shield. IG windows are normally countered by hits-over-time weapons, or by exploiting low heat deploy stats and hitting many times in quick succession. Not applicable to the PS. -it has a ridiculous number of deploys at 5+1, resulting in a net parry window of 3.0/3.6s (these last three categories mentioned so far should NEVER be S tier in one shield, but in theory this stat is countered by high damage/impact hits that will exploit less effective block stats, given the shield has so much up time. -It has near max cooling, cooling is normally countered by exploiting that shields weakness in either IG/non IG stats, or IG window depending on the shield. These shields cant be over worked, and so you exploit the weakness applicable elsewhere (hence why all three aforementioned stats should never be S tier in one shield) -its non IG block stats rival even the best-in-class shield for this category (SU-R8) these shields are meant to relieve any IG skill, and are strong at trading with hits-over-time weapons and so are countered by nukes overpenetrating, or by lack of cooling and associated up time.
Lets compare the VP61PS to each other shield side by side and see why you would never take that shield over the PS
SU-Q5 - both shields are OP for combining the three most important IG stats that ought not be combined with all 3, and arguably both need a heat deploy nerf. But the SUQ5 has two notable weakness the PS doesnt, its IG damage reduction is weaker and so neccessitates tankier builds in order to offset the damage leaking through. The cooling is also bottom tier, meaning if you can survive long enough to bait out all deploys (unlikely against double zimm heavy bipeds) , it earns a long time of opportunity to attack. The IG window is longer on this shield, sure, but the cooling/ability to damage block much better far and away insists on taking the PS in virtually all situations and avoid these weaknesses.
SU-R8 - the lowest skill shield that effectively just relies on non IG 63% dam/48% imp block. Max deploys, and half bar cooling. But why give up the ability to parry 80%/80% with ease, plus max cooling instead of 50% cooling. The stat difference is negligible anyways at 58%/40%.
VP-61PB - The "Parry Shield" without a place in the game due to too many weaknesses. Globally buffing the PA interference stat on all respective weapons would give this shield more of a home by making it the only shield that can shut down PA weapons with parries and be cost effective, but until then there is no reason to forgo the 5+1 deploys of the PS vs the 2+1 on the PB even against builds where parrying is valued. The easier parry frames, the ability to effectively block damage-over-time weapon types, and the ability to parry 5 attacks at 80% reduction, over two attacks at 95%, as well as the low punishingly low non IG stats. In short, the 61PS, and the 61PB neex their heat deploy stats swapped, given tge PS 2+1 blocks at 0.6s IG for 1.2s/1.8s IG for the PS, and 1.5s/1.8s IG for the PB, while punishing the PB for failed IG blocks and not so much punishing for the PS.
SUTT/C focus on its long IG and high IG stats. Can be overworked easily due to its 1+1 deploy count however and often the full IG isnt needed. Just poke then retreat until it has been used 2-3 times. Why take this shield over the PS when you can just cycle the PS for an even longer total IG window, or break up the deploys as needed to prevent being over worked from pokes, AND take even better non IG stats for when you mess up? The IG stat difference is neglibible (actually better on the PS with higher impact reduction of 80 vs 76%)
Scutum is a unique shield so ill skip it for this discussion.
Coral shields impact mitigation has been nerfed into the ground however it allows firing the left hand weapon if non firing stance. Stat wise you cant parry impact, only damage effectively, you cant deploy nearly as often, and the IG windows are very close at 0.6s vs 0.8s.
Share any thoughts on this topic that you might have!