This isn't really a rant or anything, nor is it a glowing review of uni life. I dont't really know what this is other than just being a personal recap of my experience so far, and I'm only posting it on here because some of you might find it interesting or maybe even useful in some way.
I'm a Sports Journalism student at Sheffield Hallam University. Yeah, it might not be a "traditional" course and it's definitely not a glamorous uni - but it's where I wanted to be and I'm still content with my course/uni combo.
Outside of studying, student life has been super different compared to home life, but I doubt my experience is actually too far different from many other people.
Nobody in my flat have exactly been best mates with eachother, and other than an incident around christmas where 2 people moved out and we had 2 people move in to replace them, we've all just mostly tolerated one another. Even if one of them is a filthy racist/sexist cunt who's only at uni so he can treat it as an "extended childhood" (his words). At this point, we're all basically just neighbours who happen to share a kitchen.
The flat itself isn't anything to write home about either, it's just a generic student hall which is too bloody hot all the fucking time because apparently we can't have the windows open more than a smidge because "what if someone tries to kill themselves" as if thatll stop someone who wants to die... But yeah, it's alright for a student flat. And other than the aforementioned scummer, we're usually all pretty clean and tidy too, so the kitchen has never been a tip like I've seen people ranting about. Win some, lose some I guess!
Learning to cook and eat properly as someone who was lucky/unlucky enough to have home cooked dinners every day has probably been one of the more difficult hurdles to overcome and I'm still not quite there yet. I don't eat enough fruit/veg, and I snack too much and eat too much red meat. I'll get there eventually though.
Social life has been very hit and miss too. Like I said, our flat don't really get along and I have fuck all in terms of coursemates. I like a drink, but I'm not huge into clubbing and getting properly drunk, so that ruled out meeting people on nights out too. So I took a punt on joining a couple of societies like people on here say to do if it's your last result. And you know what, it went okay!
I joined the Karting, Nintendo and Odyssey (travel) societies. Karting only really had a couple of socials before quietly shutting down around DecembeJanuary as most of the committee were 3rd years moving onto their dissertations and the weather didn't permit for much on-track action. It was good fun while it was still around though. The Nintendo people were all lovely and welcoming, and while I do enjoy my fair share of Nintendo games, these guys were proper "Nintendo Nerd" people and weren't really my vibe unfortunately. I'm still glad I gave them a go.
Odyssey was by far my best pick of the bunch though. I didn't go to very many of their socials as they were mostly nights out - I did finally go on my first one last week though, and actually quite enjoyed it, though I can't see myself doing it super often. The sober socials were great though apparently. They did karting and bowling, though I missed the bowling one as I was at the football. Maybe there'll be more of them next year, especially as I managed to get elected onto the committee so I may be able to get a say in certain decisions... hehe.
I wouldn't even say I've made any proper friends with any of the people in the society yet, but I feel safe and welcome around them and they're all really lovely people who I want to get to know better eventually.
And that's not even to mention the travelling. I did miss the 2 "in-country" trips to the Peak District and Edinburgh, but I didn't miss our abroad trip to Marrakech! I'd never been abroad before, so it was a super surreal experience to me and I loved every second. We were meant to do Croatia this month as well but plans for that fell through. Either way, I can't wait for what next year brings in terms of Odyssey.
So yeah, I definitely wouldn't say I've actually made any "friends" at uni yet, but there are people who now recognise me in the street sometimes and we will exchange a smile and a hello, and that's progress. Next year will be better for that and everything will come in time.
Being far away from home and my parents has been tough, as I knew it would be. It was really really difficult for the first 2-3 weeks and I was crying down the phone to my mum almost every day wondering why I even decided to do this, but it's gotten easier as time goes on and even though I've only been able to go home twice since September, I'm not missing it nearly as much as I did in that first month or so. It's usually my mum who ends up ringing me now, rather than the other way around. Funny how much things like that can change in such a short period of time.
With all that being said, in terms of my actual education, you know, the least interesting part, his year has been basically a total waste of my time. I chose to do a foundation year despite getting BBB at A-Level and meeting all the requirements to just go onto the regular first year. I thought it would give me a lot of free time to adjust to my surroundings as Sheffield is a long way from where I used to live, but I could never have anticipated just how much time I'd have on my hands.
I'm genuinely convinced that foundation years on more niche courses like mine are just an extra £9k fee that allow you to fuck around and do nothing for 7 months, because I've literally only had 4 proper hand ins the whole year, where the average word count equivalent would be about 1700-1800 words. You could easily bang that out in 3-4 hours including research if you want a quick and dirty 40-50% mark. There's no exam-based content either, so that's literally all the work I've had to do all year.
The content is also pretty much exclusively taught by the Photography, Graphics & Games Dev lecturers, as the uni thought it would be an awesome idea to lump Journalists in with their foundation year groups as a cost cutting measure, so whatever content we have been taught was taught by people who aren't even specialists in said area. It genuinely feels like an insult to my intelligence. Not to mention, it means that in my lecture/seminar groups, only like 3 people are doing the same course as I am, and we never properly gelled, so I haven't had the opportunity to make friends on my course. I've spoken to and made acquaintances with a few of the people on the actual first year course for my subject though, and the differences in what we both do, as well as actual student count, are night and day. So I'm not too worried about the same problems cropping up next year. Just a shame it had to be like that this year.
But yeah that's all I really think I can be bothered to write about and I've rambled way, way too much for any normal person to bother reading. But that's fine, posting this is mostly for my own sake anyway so I can turn my brain vomit into sort of coherent thoughts. It's not been in any particular order of like favourite to least favourite things, it's just the order that things have come to my head in.
I don't expect anyone to have read through all of this, especially as I'm writing this mainly to myself at 3am on a Sunday morning during what is most people's exam season - but if you did, thank you! I hope that it's given you an interesting perspective on how other people's uni lives are going, and it would be really cool if any other people coming off the back of their first years at uni could reply with their own experiences, or feel free to ask me questions about things I might not have thought about talking about.
Big love from me to all of you! ❤️

Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers advice. I know there’s a lot lol.
For context: I (M28) am a self employed music producer who didn’t go to college and I feel like I am doing pretty well for myself. I work very hard and do self imposed long hours. I often charge over 100/ hour for my work. I own a home in LA, invested in by me, my brother & my parents equally. We rent out all the rooms to pay for the mortgage. My family is very close. I built a full on studio in the main bedroom where I sleep on the floor and tuck away the Japanese mat when clients come over lol. I drive a shitty car and am pretty frugal. I make sacrifices to further my career and have been making some momentum in LA. Her parents think I am a total loser.
My gf (F22) comes from a very traditional middle eastern family. Both of her parents inherited insaneee wealth make a ton of money. The type of wealth that I can’t fathom or have ever seen prior to this. I feel like whatever I do will not be enough for them to feel like I am worthy of their daughter. They are extremely materialistic, my gf told me that her mom once gave her a list of plastic surgeries she wanted her to get (mind you this was when she was just in Highschool) and continues to occasionally drop comments in this vein to this day. All her father talks about is money. Will go to great lengths to flaunt his wealth. I am not a money focused person. I care about my career and making great art but this is not enough for them.
I love her with my entire heart. She is an unbelievably talented songwriter and that’s how we fell in love. I was hired to work on her EP and spent long hours in the studio together. She was unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She is the sweetest girl I’ve ever come across and treats me so well. She’s absolutely hilarious and so witty. We are truly best friends, I trust her 100% & as far as everything else goes, we have the best relationship. I could go on and on about her.
I represent everything they don’t want for their daughter. I feel like they care more about appearances than integrity. Her true passion lies in writing which her parents don’t approve of at all. Instead of pursuing her dreams she is forced to go into law school or else she will be cut off financially according to her father. Which honestly either way is great. She will succeed in anything she sets her mind to because she is brilliant.
They want her to date an extremely rich middle eastern dude who’s either a lawyer or doctor. They have had multiple “dinners” with many families and their sons to slyly try to set her up. The dad hardly looks at me or responds when I try and engage. To him, I am just filling the void until she finds the right guy in law school. She wants to stay inLA for grad school, her parents want her to go to harvard. They are pulling all sorts of strings to line it up.
I love her and care about her so much but this is weighing on me so heavily. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Reddit for allowing me to get this off my chest.
Tldr: my gf’s parents don’t approve, I’m not wealthy

Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers advice. I know there’s a lot lol.
For context: I (M28) am a self employed music producer who didn’t go to college and I feel like I am doing pretty well for myself. I work very hard and do self imposed long hours. I often charge over 100/ hour for my work. I own a home in LA, invested in by me, my brother & my parents equally. We rent out all the rooms to pay for the mortgage. My family is very close. I built a full on studio in the main bedroom where I sleep on the floor and tuck away the Japanese mat when clients come over lol. I drive a shitty car and am pretty frugal. I make sacrifices to further my career and have been making some momentum in LA. Her parents think I am a total loser.
My gf (F22) comes from a very traditional middle eastern family. Both of her parents inherited insaneee wealth make a ton of money. The type of wealth that I can’t fathom or have ever seen prior to this. I feel like whatever I do will not be enough for them to feel like I am worthy of their daughter. They are extremely materialistic, my gf told me that her mom once gave her a list of plastic surgeries she wanted her to get (mind you this was when she was just in Highschool) and continues to occasionally drop comments in this vein to this day. All her father talks about is money. Will go to great lengths to flaunt his wealth. I am not a money focused person. I care about my career and making great art but this is not enough for them.
I love her with my entire heart. She is an unbelievably talented songwriter and that’s how we fell in love. I was hired to work on her EP and spent long hours in the studio together. She was unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She is the sweetest girl I’ve ever come across and treats me so well. She’s absolutely hilarious and so witty. We are truly best friends, I trust her 100% & as far as everything else goes, we have the best relationship. I could go on and on about her.
I represent everything they don’t want for their daughter. I feel like they care more about appearances than integrity. Her true passion lies in writing which her parents don’t approve of at all. Instead of pursuing her dreams she is forced to go into law school or else she will be cut off financially according to her father. Which honestly either way is great. She will succeed in anything she sets her mind to because she is brilliant.
They want her to date an extremely rich middle eastern dude who’s either a lawyer or doctor. They have had multiple “dinners” with many families and their sons to slyly try to set her up. The dad hardly looks at me or responds when I try and engage. To him, I am just filling the void until she finds the right guy in law school. She wants to stay inLA for grad school, her parents want her to go to harvard. They are pulling all sorts of strings to line it up.
I love her and care about her so much but this is weighing on me so heavily. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Reddit for allowing me to get this off my chest.
Tldr: my gf’s parents don’t approve, I’m not wealthy

We really don't know much about the Morpho Machine - its origins, how it works, what its goal is, how many Morhpo's exist, who invented it, ect. Mr Johnson has said that he isn't even able to take out the money it collects.
If Jacob hadn't just hit next, next, next through the start up screens, we may have had a tiny bit more information...
Morpho Butterfly Mythology from a quick Google search:
Blue Morphos have long been a source of great fascination to humans. Traditionally, the indigenous peoples of the Amazon associated the butterfly with a long list of superstitious beliefs, and they’ve alternatively been considered both wish granters and evil spirits. They can play different roles depending on the tribe and the tale. In many fairy tales of the region, morpho butterflies serve as spiritual guides that show the heroes the truth about the world they live in. In other, less serious tales, the same butterflies can grant wishes. These fairy-like properties may be ascribed to these insects because of their striking color and “winking” ability. Tribes that often use insects as a source of poisons, in their turn, treat blue morphos quite differently. They consider them evil, murderous spirits instead, knowing their poisonous nature.
How does the Morpho Machine recognize people?
Jacob has proven that the Morpho doesn't use the fingerprint reader or Social Security numbers to recognize the person it is giving potential cards or showing visions to.
Jacob to Izzy: I decided to try the machine one more time, but I accidentally put in the wrong numbers for my Social and I got the same thing, the same card again. So I put in the wrong numbers again, different numbers, and I didn't put my fingerprints on it. I put on my arm and my elbow and my face. And no matter what I did, every time I got the same thing, which means it isn't even using the things people think it's using.
So does the Morpho use facial recognition to recognize people and Social media to gather information for "Potential" cards and "Self Discovery" visions?
Does the Morpho have a butterfly sense(Spidey sense)?
Or is it just magic? As a ridiculous, fun theory: Hana's family sent her away because she isn't actually their child. She is a butterfly alien/human hybrid sent here from another planet to learn our ways and customs. Soon they will return for her - to teach the others.
Theremin
We don't have answers who delivered/sent the machine or where it came from but we may have an answer for what caused it to arrive. It seems like the Morpho arrived after Dusty started playing the theremin. So maybe the Morpho was called by the theremin. Also, Dusty said that he thinks people get blue dots after playing the theremin. But it seems like only certain people are able to play the theremin. By playing it, I don't mean being able to play music, I mean making it make noise. Cass touches the Theremin when Mr. Johnson hands it to her in a store room in the back of Johnson's General. He say's it yours if you want it but it doesn't work. She touches it and it turns on. (BTW, Is this an example of Mr. Johnson's actual magic? Cass says, "Magic" when it turns on. ) Mr. Johnson and the hot repairman hadn't been able to turn it on. Hana was also able to turn it on. And how was Hana able to reproduce the notes that the Morpho machine makes after a handful of tries?
Potentials and Visions
The Morpho machines doles out cards that have POTENTIAL written on one side a just one vague word written on the other as if the machine "knows" what everyone's potential is. So that potential is entirely up to the interpretation of the person who receives the card. For example, the person who received Explorer interpreted it as sexual explorer. Was that the intention of the Morpho?? The person who received gum tried to use gum to fix the theremin. Was that the intention of the machine?? In the second stage, the Morpho tells them, "To achieve your Potential you must discover who you are." Many of the potentials are just jobs - lawyer, meteorologist, secretary, etc. Why would they need to discover who they are in order to have these jobs?
These are the POTENTIONAL cards I have noticed so far:
CharacterCardNotesNotes2 Alice Wickstead - Trina's music teacher date with DustyCellistWell, I was gonna be a cellist. You know, I was, like, pretty serious about it. You know, conservatory training ... applying to all the fancy music schools. You know, it's what my parents dreamed of for me. But there was just too much pressure to be perfect.Yeah. And that's what my MORPHO card said. It said "Cellist," you know, which just reinforced this feeling that I was, like, a failure for giving it up. Axel - Xander's stepbrotherMeteorologistMaybe it was just to help you believe in yourself, which is exactly what your mom said on the first night that we ever talked about this. Georgio said maybe he will keep a meteor from falling them :) Beau KovacSherriff Cary Hubbard - Dusty's FatherMale Model Cass HubbardRoyaltyBio dad was a tire King? Royal blue butterfly? Queen of the butterfly people??? Coach EaglesonCheater? Computer Graphics TeacherGlass Blower Dr. WoodsMortician Dusty HubbardTeacheWhistlerWhistler Ski Resort Dr. Eloise Hubbard - Dusty's MotherHealer Farid Malik - (married principal Pat)Lover Father ReubenFatherPriest(Picks up when he's by Hana's bar with father in law) Finds Priest card Gets Father card from Morpho GiorgioSuperstar Glen - married to Hawaii kid Axel PhotographerTakes pics of tree bark Hana - previous bar called Whistle Stop has a MorphoDon't know so farInventor?Top card in the dumpster was inventor Hawaii - kids XanderExplorerShe says it is sexual Explorer Ismenia IzzyGhostDancer(fake card)I'm practically invisible in this town these days. JacobHero Kid at Giorgio's Lawyer Kid2 at Giorgio's Real Estate Agent Kid3 at Giorgio's Cartographer KoltonInventor?has blue dots, top card in dumpster is Inventor after he leaves Hana's 1st bar Matt ReindersFamous Megan - Kyle broke up with herSecretary Mr. Johnson -convenience store ownerMagician(has magic kit from childhood) sucks at magic Natalie (Nat)storyteller Nurse MonroeTattoo Artist Principal PatBiker Random 1alchemist Savannah (Nat's Daughter) in love with JacobFrenchdidn't wann go to France just because I got "French." SheilaRockstarYou were painting rocks way before the machine arrived. Some guy talking to Rubenflorist Trina Liar Potter(fake card)Gondolier(fake card) you needed to be told that you could be a "Liar" in order to tell the truth. Uriesole survivor Xander - Axel's stepbrotherGum
These are the visions so far:
CharacterVision To achieve your protentional you must discover who you areTheir interpretation Alice Wickstead - Trina's music teacher date with Dusty She was floating through the air. go with the flow and being less controlling. I don't know, I could find a new way to be happy with this other life I've chosen. She was also at Whistler. Cass HubbardShe goes into the hay maze at Deerfest stabs Izzy multiple times with a knife and then stabs Dusty and dances on their bodies Cutting off her mother and Dusty. There are things we need to see to move in a new direction. We have both been holding ourselves back for so long because we were afraid of hurting each other. Whatever it is we're meant to see, isn't it better to know? Dusty HubbardA little minigame ensues of him skiing at Whistler. At one point, there is a "continue?" On the screen. He stops whenever he is challenged like with a jump.From last season during Mr. Johnson's magic act: skiing. Please describe it. It's snowy. More descriptive, please. I need you to really put yourself there. Okay. Um, yeah. It's, uh ... I'm skiing. It's snowy. Uh, I'm maybe 20 years old. And, uh ... I'm alone. You see, I-I've taken the wrong path on this ... Or the wrong hill, or whatever you call that. I'm supposed to be on the Beginner, but I'm on the Black Diamond. And so I start going real fast, 'cause it's basically like this. And I am hurtling so quickly down the face of this mountain.(Panting) And I don't know what's gonna happen, but it's ... God, it feels like, I'm honestly like I'm gonna ... like I'm gonna, like I'm gonna die. But I also feel very alive. (Is this Mr. Johnson's actual magic?)Every time I come close to something that scares me ... I stop. I pull back. I don't go for it. You've seen me. I never take the jump. I always take the easy path. EllenAnd he got in his paddle boat, and he paddled away. And that was my greatest relationship. Father ReubenIt was me when I was a kid, and I was with my father, and I was happyAnd it was nice to be reminded what that was like. And nice to think that maybe my "Father" card wasn't just about me. It's more that I don't wanna just be a priest anymore. I don't wanna just be giving guidance to everyone else. I need to do some work on myself and rediscover what... what brings me joy. GiorgioGiorgio, loading plates of spaghetti onto gondolas. The gondolas started moving faster and faster. And then more and more plates kept coming until finally I was missing the gondolas and dropping plates left and right.(the classic arcade game Tapper, except with him serving spaghetti onto gondolas instead of pouring beer) It definitely scraps my plans to have a gondola pasta delivery system. On a deeper level, I think that it means that if I take on too much, I'm gonna mess things up. Hawaii - kids Xander It was this vision of me in the jungle, and at first, I thought it represented sexual wilderness, but then the animated me arrived at this clearing in the jungle, and there was another me I realized I was the me I was seeking. The greatest relationship I could ever have is the one that I have with myself. So, I've only been having sex with women who look like me. Jacob Is serving tennis balls to Kolton who doesn't move and the balls pass through him until he eventually disappears. Beau is the ref.Being a twin is like a two-player game. Everything you do is either the same or it's different. People need to accept that Kolton's gone. Mr. Johnson -convenience store owner It's the same setting with Mr. Johnson waiting for Ian to come to dinner. But this time Ian shows up and Mr. Johnson asks him questions. I don't understand. Which is it? I just wanna know i-if you liked me back. I thought you did, but, um... I don't know. When you didn't show up, I thought I must have been wrong. At that point, it becomes like an interactive game, and Ian asks Walter how he’s doing, and Walter can answer through the keypad. The machine gives Walter two answers as to why Ian didn’t show up, basically telling him that it could’ve been either of the two things. Maybe Ian got a new job, or maybe he didn’t want to see Walter, and he now has family and kids. Walter finally realizes that he’s been blaming himself for being an unlikeable person this whole time. I think I've been blaming myself for something that wasn't my fault. But... I'm not gonna do that anymore, and I just wanted to share that with you. (to Beau) Beau Mr. J, it is a real honor that you chose to share that with me. Natalie (Nat)There were all these packages falling down on me. And I was trying to outrun them, but they just kept falling, faster and faster ... which is exactly what debt feels And then finally I was crushed.Which is how I'll feel if Giorgio leaves me. He might leave me when he finds out the truth. And that's why I was trying to gamble my way out. RitaI was walking in a meadow, and there was a fence. And on one side of the fence, there were all these sheep. And on the other side, there were foxes. And my, like, avatar started taking down the fence. And instead of … (gets interrupted) TrinaShe sees an avatar of herself from the day of a funeral, She’s on the roof of Giorgio’s and instead of smashing the sign marked as Giorgio’s, she sees it says “Liar” and she smashes out those letters.And it's like it was saying I can be anything I want now. Like, now that I've confronted my lying, I can decide who I wanna be.

Hey guys! This is a script of a battle from a fan roster I came up with, and my friend made some drawings of. Some things might be obvious in this, but I'll explain anyways. Text in italics, like this, means it's an action. A name in brackets like [THIS], with a colon after, means it's what someone is saying, their name being in the brackets. Anyone with an (S) after their name is a spectator who is speaking, not someone in the arena.
Anubis's Spectators:

• Amon-Ra
• Tefnut
• Ptah
• Osiris

Sun Tzu's Spectators:

• Genghis Khan
• Shizhen
• Zheng He
• Confucius
• Helu

The following is the actual story. Please enjoy!

An announcer’s voice echoes throughout the stadium. A voice not heard in centuries.
[ANNOUNCER]: I am honored to announce to the god and human spectators alike… the first round of Ragnarok!
Millions of cheers echoed throughout the stadiums, both by the gods and the humans.
[ANNOUNCER]: Our first contestants are entering the arena! On the gods’ side, you know him, you love him, Anubis!
From one of the two large gates leading to the arena, a dazzling man outfitted with jewelry and a crook steps out. Most prominently is what seems to be the skull of a wolf covering his face. Under what can be seen, Anubis seems to be attempting to hold back a laugh.
[ANNOUNCER]: Most well known for being the youngest god in all of Egypt, Anubis protected the graves of commoners and pharaohs alike!
Time flashes to the past. Anubis is younger, yet not a child, outfitted only in simple rags with his signature crook. He seems to have been trekking through a desert, but has reached his location of a small town. He walks up to the largest building he sees, and knocks on it.
[ANUBIS]: Anyone hoooome~?
The door swings open. The building seems to be a hostel. In front of Anubis is a young man, and behind the young man is a woman behind the counter. The man introduces himself as ‘Eman’.
[ANUBIS]: Nice t’meetcha, Eman!
Anubis smiled with childlike joy.
[EMAN]: Nice to meet you too. The man nodded. What can I do for you?
[ANUBIS]: I’d like ‘ta rent a room, please! Also, pardon my invasiveness, but that wouldn’t happen to be your wife, would it? Anubis pointed at the woman behind the desk.
Eman gave a hearty laugh.
[EMAN]: Of course, who else would she be?
Eman leaned in next to Anubis, bringing his voice to a whisper.
[EMAN]: She doesn’t want me to be telling people but… she’s going to have our child soon!
Anubis clapped and smiled.
[ANUBIS]: That’s wonderful!
Anubis proceeded to pay for his room and lay in the bed. He waited until the sun had set, and the town was dark. He stepped out into the middle of the town and held his crook upright.
Anubis was not born as the god of protecting the dead, nor did he choose to become it. He was born without a title, and cast down to Egypt, where he was expected to find himself. After being cast to Earth, Anubis discovered his hatred of humans. For decades he would wander Egypt, punishing humans town to town. How many humans he killed is unknown. All that remains is that his actions were known as the Ten Great Plagues of Egypt.
[ANUBIS]: I curse these people. By my power as a god, may they rot.
Anubis proceeds to hold his crook up for several more minutes. The town buildings into flames, then a beam of light appears from the sky. He seems to know what this means, as he smirks and shakes his head.
From the light, a man wearing the skull of a large bird appears. The god known as Amon-Ra.
[RA]: Anubis. You continue acting like a child. When will you realize you have responsibilities?
[ANUBIS]: You told me to find out what purpose I serve as god. This is my purpose.
[RA]: Indiscriminately killing humans?
From the hostel, a loud banging noise can be heard. Anubis looks towards it and sees Eman slamming on a window, attempting to escape. He scowls.
[ANUBIS]: What’s wrong with that?
[RA]: That is the job of a human, not a god. I’ll ask you once more, what god do you wish to serve as?
[ANUBIS]: The god of death.
[RA]: Too late for that. Osiris has that job. You know that.
[ANUBIS]: Then I don’t want to ‘serve’ as a god. I’ll just be a god.
[RA]: This is not an offer, this is an order. You must serve as a god.
[ANUBIS]: Leave me, Amon-Ra. I have no interest.
Amon-Ra sneers.
[RA]: Then I shall choose your godhood for you. You shall protect those of the dead. Those who you have killed, and more.
[ANUBIS]: You bastard…
Anubis’s role as guardian of the dead was merely a punishment by the god Amon-Ra to put him in his place. As a result, his hatred was redirected from Ra, to humans. Every human he had to protect was his own personal hell. Time flashes back to the future.
[ANNOUNCER]: Would you look at that folks? Anubis is brimming with excitement.
Anubis’s face distorts into a devilish smile. He whispers to himself under his breath.
[ANUBIS]: The first time I’ve been able to kill a human in so long…
[ANNOUNCER]: We can’t give all of the attention to our god however, as our human contestant is entering the arena! Known as a master of war, even proclaimed the guardian of humanity… Sun Tzu!
Sun Tzu enters the arena. He seems disheveled. Upon further inspection, there is a light missing from his eyes. Time flashes to the past again.
540 BCE, China. After the Battle of Bi, tens of millions of citizens were left without food. Millions were left dead. Families were ravaged most of all by the destruction caused. Sun Tzu, only four years old, had been left with no family at all. He lived in the slums of the city, with his only way of eating being to beg.
[TZU]: Ah, please! Does anyone have food?
A crowd rushed by Tzu. Hundreds of people, ignoring his calls. Tzu had always viewed his life as meaningless, but surely people wouldn’t run away from him.
[TZU]: Where are they going..?
Tzu followed the crowd and discovered a government official giving a royal decree.
[OFFICIAL]: His majesty Helu orders the body of one young human. Your family will be compensated for the departing of your loved one, but you must realize it is for the greater good of the state.
The crowd goes silent. No one offers up anything.
[TZU]: I… I will! I offer myself!
The crowd parted, allowing the official to see the young Tzu.
[OFFICIAL]: Oh, no young one… His majesty Helu is requesting a deceased body.
Tzu’s face remained unchanged.
[TZU]: I know that... Please, let me do this! Let me do this for my people!
The official showed a face of unsureness, and spoke to his advisor, who looked at Tzu and gave a nod.
The officials took Tzu off on a long voyage back to the emperor’s castle. After 33 days, Tzu was put before the emperor Helu.
[HELU]: What is this? I didn’t want a slave. I need the bones, not the human.
[OFFICIAL]: He was the only one who volunteered. He said he was okay with being killed, your majesty.
[HELU]: Volunteered? Not only that, but he’s willing to die?
Tzu looked up at the emperor and nodded.
[TZU]: I have nothing but my country, emperor. Please, let me do this.
Helu sat up from his throne and walked up to the boy. He looked deep into his eyes, then shook his head.
[HELU]: You are incorrect, boy. You have your nobility. I will not allow you to die.
[TZU]: But-
[HELU]: You shall become part of my family. Do not misunderstand, you will never be recognized as a royal, nor will you be in the line of succession, but you will be under my care.
Tzu’s eyes widened. He began to cry. After his family’s death, he found no use in crying. A waste of energy. Yet, now he couldn’t seem to do anything but it.
Twelve years from then, by not just the effort of the emperor, but Tzu himself, Tzu led his first army into battle. Tzu would go on to lead thousands more soldiers into battle. Out of the forty-five battles he had ever been in, the only one he had lost was one he was a bystander in, at four years old.
Time flashes to the present.
Tzu stumbles onto the stage.
[ANNOUNCER]: Sun Tzu seems to have the shakes already! Could it be that he had a few drinks before the match?
Anubis stares into Tzu’s soul.
[ANUBIS]: (to himself) No… That’s not it. There’s something off about him. I can’t tell.
[HELU (S)]: What’s wrong with him?
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: Shell shock, PTSD, who knows?
Tzu’s valkyrie, Gleipnir, runs next to him.
[GLEPNIR]: Tzu! Are you alright? Listen, if you don’t think you’re ready-
Tzu gives a half-hearted smile.
[TZU]: I’m more ready than I’ve ever been. Let's do this.
He grabs her hand, and in a flash of light she turns into a crossbow. The bolts of the crossbow surge with electricity.
[ANNOUNCER]: And… Begin!
Tzu’s hands shake as he grabs a bolt from his sheaf and places it into his crossbow.
[ANUBIS]: What’s wrong with you, gramps? For such a legendary fighter, you seem no more than a scared child, honestly.
The audience makes a collective sound of intrigue. Tzu shakes his head.
[ANUBIS]: You fought in tens of battles. Did you ever act like this? Is a god simply too much?
Laughs sprout from the audience of the gods, while the humans look on in horror.
[AUDIENCE]: This guy’s representing humanity..? No way… We’re screwed.
Tzu lets out a cowardice laugh, and flings his arms in the air.
[TZU]: You got me. But, wouldn’t you be scared too? To know your enemy is to know yourself, and I don’t know a damn thing about gods.
As Tzu puts his arms back down, he fires a rouge shot at Anubis, hitting him in the shoulder. Anubis gasps, shocked at Tzu’s skullduggery.
[CONFUCIUS (S)]: He who hits the first shot shall win. Tzu’s victory is determined in fate now.
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: We will see.
[HELU (S)]: Shouldn’t you be cheering for him? He’s on our side, at the end of the day.
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: I am but a realist.
[ANUBIS]: T-That was a lucky shot. I just had my guard down.
Anubis attempts to run forward, but stops himself. As the bolt surges electricity through him though, he follows through with his dash towards Tzu.
Tzu stumbles to dodge Anubis’s advance as he reloads his crossbow.
[ANUBIS]: It’s kinda sad, y’know? I took pleasure in killing people, but this? This just feels like I’m trying to stomp out a dog.
Tzu’s hands shake, approaching his own crossbow.
[TZU]: There is no pleasure in the taking of lives. It is a last resort, and any man who does it of his own will should be ashamed.
[ANUBIS]: For me there is.
Amon-Ra’s scoff can be heard from the audience.
Tzu grabs his bolt on his crossbow, surging electricity throughout his body.
Anubis gives a mixed expression of confusion, yet excitement.
[ANUBIS]: Is this guy insane?
Tzu looks up with a newfound confidence.
[TZU]: I didn’t spend my life fighting millions so I could cower when I met someone slightly stronger. Even if my body isn’t ready, my mind always is.
[ANUBIS]: I see… Then this will be fun.
Anubis dashes towards Tzu again, swinging his crook rapidly. Tzu dodges back.
[ANUBIS]: You can’t keep running!
[TZU]: Everything is fair in war, no?
Genghis Khan laughs in agreement from the stands while the other audience members look at him in horror.
Anubis throws his crook at Tzu, hitting his left leg and sliding back to Anubis. A small black patch appears on the area it hit.
[TZU]: What is this..?
[ANUBIS]: That’s your leg. It’s rotting. Anything my crook touches rots.
Anubis holds his crook to the sky, looking at it with an indiscernible expression.
[TZU]: If you think this means your victory, you have already lost… This is nothing.
[ANUBIS]: Oh really? Because it’s quite a shame. That leg will probably be gone soon, you know? The rot spreads quite fast.
[TZU]: I only need one.
[ANUBIS]: Minute? Or leg?
Tzu smirks and fires his crossbow, hitting Anubis in the stomach.
[TZU]: Both.
Anubis rips out the bolt and jumps towards Tzu, backing him into a corner and quickly closing the distance between them. Tzu begins fidgeting with his crossbow
[ANUBIS]: Don’t surrender now. I haven’t even gotten to the best part.
The entire stadium begins rumbling. Anubis holds his cane to the sky once again.
[ANUBIS]: You’re a good enough fighter to cause me a little trouble. So I’ll use it.
[ANNOUNCER]: It seems like Anubis is enacting some sort of grand finisher move… What could he be doing?!
[ANUBIS]: The Plagues of Egypt!
The entire arena becomes clouded in a dark thunderstorm.
[AUDIENCE]: What’s going on?
[RA (S)]: Here he goes again…
[TEFNUT (S)]: You think too little of him, Amon-Ra.
[RA (S)]: No matter what happens in this battle, he will always be a failure of a god.
An open gash appears on Tzu’s side, then a wound on his chest, then another, and another.
[ANNOUNCER]: It seems like Anubis’s move is opening all of Sun Tzu’s old wounds!
[ANUBIS]: I’ve brought back all of your old mistakes… Welcome to Hell.
Tzu gives a weak laugh.
[TZU]: This? This is nothing.
Gleipnir manifests next to Tzu.
[TZU]: I need you to lend me your strength, Gleipnir.
[GLEIPNIR]: I’m sorry, Tzu, but I cannot heal your wounds.
[TZU]: All I need you to do is make sure I keep producing blood, I can’t die of blood exhaustion, that’s pathetic.
[GLEIPNIR]: That I can do.
Tzu takes blood from his wounds and spills it on the ground.
[ANUBIS]: What’s that? Some human tradition or something? You’re trapped either way.
Tzu shakes his head.
[TZU]: Always offer your opponent an out, lest they get desperate.
Tzu fires three consecutive bolts into Anubis’s waist and leg. Anubis lets out a groan of pain.
[TZU]: While you were summoning your plagues, I modified my crossbow to become a repeater! Amidst chaos, there is opportunity; you should know.
Zheng He nods in agreement from the crowd.
Anubis lets out an exasperated laugh.
[ANUBIS]: Then I suppose it was an equal trade. Check your neck.
Tzu wipes his fingers on his neck to discover it too has begun turning back.
[ANUBIS]: You ran past me, but I managed to clothesline you with my crook. You probably don’t have any more than two minutes until it reaches your brain.
[TZU]: Then let this be a declaration of my will to live.
Tzu proceeds to take his last bolt from his pouch and cast it into the abyss. He puts his crossbow on his back.
[TZU]: I will defeat you with no more than my fists and my mind. You must be ready to put everything on the line to win.
[CONFUCIUS (S)]: What… is he doing?
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: He realized it. If he can’t win the war physically, he must win it mentally first.
Anubis throws his crook to the ground and dashes towards Tzu, grabbing him by the throat with his claws.
[ANUBIS]: Out of all of the humans I have killed… You were truly the most fun.
Before Anubis can kill him, Tzu hits Anubis in his kidney, causing him to fall to the ground.
[TZU]: Thank you, but our battle is not over yet.
Anubis laughs on the ground as he writhes in the pain.
[TZU]: You must continue to fight me. I cannot defeat you like this.
Anubis stumbles to his feet.
[ANUBIS]: You could’ve stomped on my head while I was on the ground… You could’ve finished me.
[TZU]: That is not how battles are to be won. It should be won with a fight of all of the power. Not just my power, but yours too.
[ANUBIS]: All of my power, huh? No, I think this is just enough.
Anubis walks towards the unarmed Tzu, and deals a kick to his chest, audibly shattering multiple ribs. Tzu’s blood spills everywhere. Anubis attempts to wipe it off his shoes.
Blood spills from Tzu’s mouth.
Tzu doesn’t move.
[SHIZHEN (S)]: You don’t think he’s…
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: Impossible! You think of him weak? If that was enough to kill him, he would already be dead.
[ZHENG HE (S)]: Get up, Tzu!
[CONFUCIUS (S)]: As long as you have us, you are not defeated, Tzu.
[HELU (S)]: Remember that boy who attempted to throw away his life! I didn’t let it happen then, I won't let it happen now! Fight, Tzu!
A bead of blood drops from Tzu’s head.
[TZU]: I know…
Tzu coughs.
[TZU]: I know that’s not your all!
The audience cheers for Tzu.
Anubis scoffs, and stands over Tzu menacingly.
[ANUBIS]: (reaching toward Tzu) When will you realize I’m not giving you-
Within less than a second, Tzu swiftly grabs Anubis’s left hand and breaks his wrist cleanly.
Anubis falls flat on his back, crying out in pain.
[PTAH (S)]: This is… embarrassing.
[RA (S)]: Pathetic, if anything.
[ANNOUNCER]: It looks like… Sun Tzu has totally immobilized Anubis’s left hand!
After a few seconds, he gains his footing.
[ANUBIS]: F-Forgive me for underestimating you, old man. But please, allow me to call you by your name.
[TZU]: I am Sun Tzu, Master of War.
[ANUBIS]: Sun Tzu, I give you my word, I will make this quick.
Anubis slams his crook into the ground and closes his eyes, he begins humming.
[ANNOUNCER]: What could this be? Is Anubis meditating?
The clouds from before begin to reappear. Droplets of blood begin raining from the sky. The moat surrounding the arena quickly turns blood red.
From the moat, a massive snake rises. Its eyes pour with blood. Anubis steps towards it.
[ANUBIS]: Shhh… Child of the Duat… Lend me your power.
The snake begins to dissolve, and Anubis turns back around. As he does so, his eyes can be seen pouring a black, viscous, liquid.
[ANUBIS]: Human… You have inconvenienced me greatly… So how about a deal? I’ll bring you Unyielding Death.
[OSIRIS (S)]: ‘Unyielding Death’, huh? Never heard of that before.
[RA (S)]: I believe he mentioned it to me before, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen him use it. He takes the strength of one of his undead creatures. If he kills anyone when he’s like that, they are sent to a personal Hell he created for them.
[TEFNUT (S)]: (scoffs) That cocky bastard. He doesn’t need to do this, he just gets some joy out of it.
Anubis dashes towards Tzu again, but this time differing. His dash was hasteful, over in a blink. He had used his claws to slice Tzu’s knees, causing him to fall to the floor.
[ANUBIS]: Death doesn’t come that fast, though.
Anubis takes his claws and begins to burrow them in Tzu’s neck.
[ZHENG HE (S)]: That bastard! He’s never taken a life honorably ever, has he?
[TZU]: You coward… Even as a god against a human, you couldn’t have an honorable fight?
[ANUBIS]: Honorable? You threw that out when you fired that shot at me. I was unprepared!
[TZU]: Yet it was your fault… (Tzu wails in pain) T-The round had already started.
[ANUBIS]: Either way, I have no concern for ‘honor’. Especially not against a human.
[TZU]: If you abandon honor, then so too must I.
Tzu quickly takes out his crossbow and loads it with a hidden arrow he had put under his sleeve. He fires it, but it misses and flies off into the sky.
The audience goes silent.
[HELU (S)]: No… No way…
Genghis Khan holds a solemn expression on his face.
[SHIZHEN (S)]: That’s it… I only wish I could say he fought honorably to the bitter end.
Anubis lets out a wicked laugh.
[ANUBIS]: You had me going there for a second man! I really thought you had an ace, but nope!
Tzu’s blood begins seeping from his neck, slowly weakening him.
[TZU]: Anubis… Do you know what trigonometry is?
[ANUBIS]: … Why the hell would I know what that is?
[OSIRIS (S)]: What is Anubis doing? He should kill him right here and now.
[PTAH (S)]: It’s one of his pitfalls. He’s too damn curious.
[TZU]: It’s a human invention. I only learned about it after I was summoned for Ragnarok. It didn’t exist when I was alive.
[ANUBIS]: Yeah, yeah? So? What’s the point here? Are you forgetting you’re on borrowed time?
Anubis pushes his claws deeper into Tzu’s neck, getting closer to his artery.
[TZU]: I-It’s the concept of triangles, and it allows you to calculate things like trajectory. Does it not make you mad you don’t know something that humans do?
Genghis Khan’s eyes widened, as if he had figured out something.
[HELU (S)]: What’s he doing?
[CONFUCIUS (S)]: Filibustering for his last moments alive, I believe.
[GENGHIS KHAN (S)]: That’s not it… He’s doing something… This match isn’t determined yet!
[ANUBIS]: No… It makes me happy, if anything. Humans waste their time doing stupid things like that, while I have no purpose to learn it.
[TZU]: It was used by men who launched cannon balls from cannons, though. Couldn’t it help you protect yourself from things like that?
[ANUBIS]: When would I ever get hit by a-
Anubis coughs up blood as a bolt goes into his back, barely stopping before the heart.
[ANUBIS]: W-What… I thought you only had… one..? Where… did that come from?
[TZU]: That was my ‘one’. I calculated its trajectory, and from that I knew it would come back and hit you, dead on.
[ANUBIS]: Guess that… didn’t work out how you… thought though, right? ‘Cause… I’m still alive.
[TZU]: That is your problem. You are too quick to expect results. You must learn to let time take its course.
[ANUBIS]: What the Hell is that meant to-
Before Anubis can say another word, Tzu’s bolts deliver a lethal dose of electricity into Anubis’s heart, killing him instantly. Anubis begins to fade away.
[RA (S)]: I told you from the beginning. He’s a failure.
[PTAH (S)]: A failure to the humans, not to us.
[TEFNUT (S)]: Rest your soul, Anubis. You fought valiantly.
[ANUBIS]: You… I curse you, Sun Tzu! I curse you to the deepest pits of Hell! You think you’re better than me?! I am a god, you ingrate human!
Anubis fully fades away, leaving the audience speechless, but most of all the announcer.
[ANNOUNCER]: I’m shocked by the words leaving my mouth but… the humans… have won the first round of Ragnarok!

My boyfriend's neighbor is your typical "alpha male" middle-aged white dude who goes running every mid-afternoon and bullies his kids, which is made all the more funny by the fact that they live in a lower-middle-class neighborhood (absolutely no offense intended to those who do, I'm not well-off by any means and neither is my guy). Picture a buzz cut and knock-off Oakleys.
The neighbor is the type who wants everyone to mow their lawns as soon as they don't look like a golf green. He'd love an HOA, but alas, he evidently can't afford one (neither could I, probably, for the record). He came over drunk once and confronted my boyfriend about his lawn (when my boyfriend had just moved in, was in college, and working two jobs on top). My guy is approaching 40, so this was some time ago.
To be clear - I'm probably pretty hippie-minded, save the pollinators and all - but I also believe in being a considerate neighbor. I don't have photographic proof, but you'll have to take my word when I say his lawn doesn't get out of hand. Hell, he mows it all with a $40 yard sale push mower - it can't handle much. And all his other neighbors like him.
This tremendous brown banana called the township and complained about his lawn, eliciting a visit from a representative telling him he needs to mow or pay a hefty-ass fine. This gentleman shared, of his own volition, that he had nearly ten more stops to make in the neighborhood responding to the same man's complaints, since he "evidently runs in the neighborhood a lot." So, we know which neighbor it is.
The guy is directly next door. Any advice on a petty little "fuck you, dude"? I've encouraged him to mow all but a 3" strip between their properties for the remainder of the season.

Thank you in advance to anyone who reads this and offers advice. I know there’s a lot lol.
For context: I (M28) am a self employed music producer who didn’t go to college and I feel like I am doing pretty well for myself. I work very hard and do self imposed long hours. I often charge over 100/ hour for my work. I own a home in LA, invested in by me, my brother & my parents equally. We rent out all the rooms to pay for the mortgage. My family is very close. I built a full on studio in the main bedroom where I sleep on the floor and tuck away the Japanese mat when clients come over lol. I drive a shitty car and am pretty frugal. I make sacrifices to further my career and have been making some momentum in LA. Her parents think I am a total loser.
My gf (F22) comes from a very traditional middle eastern family. Both of her parents inherited insaneee wealth make a ton of money. The type of wealth that I can’t fathom or have ever seen prior to this. I feel like whatever I do will not be enough for them to feel like I am worthy of their daughter. They are extremely materialistic, my gf told me that her mom once gave her a list of plastic surgeries she wanted her to get (mind you this was when she was just in Highschool) and continues to occasionally drop comments in this vein to this day. All her father talks about is money. Will go to great lengths to flaunt his wealth. I am not a money focused person. I care about my career and making great art but this is not enough for them.
I love her with my entire heart. She is an unbelievably talented songwriter and that’s how we fell in love. I was hired to work on her EP and spent long hours in the studio together. She was unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She is the sweetest girl I’ve ever come across and treats me so well. She’s absolutely hilarious and so witty. We are truly best friends, I trust her 100% & as far as everything else goes, we have the best relationship. I could go on and on about her.
I represent everything they don’t want for their daughter. I feel like they care more about appearances than integrity. Her true passion lies in writing which her parents don’t approve of at all. Instead of pursuing her dreams she is forced to go into law school or else she will be cut off financially according to her father. Which honestly either way is great. She will succeed in anything she sets her mind to because she is brilliant.
They want her to date an extremely rich middle eastern dude who’s either a lawyer or doctor. They have had multiple “dinners” with many families and their sons to slyly try to set her up. The dad hardly looks at me or responds when I try and engage. To him, I am just filling the void until she finds the right guy in law school. She wants to stay inLA for grad school, her parents want her to go to harvard. They are pulling all sorts of strings to line it up.
I love her and care about her so much but this is weighing on me so heavily. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Reddit for allowing me to get this off my chest.
Tldr: my gf’s parents don’t approve, I’m not wealthy

I was watching Public Enemies on Netflix last night and knew next to nothing about it going into it. I was familiar with the name of John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Faced Nelson prior to watching it, but never knew much about them outside of them being 1930s gangsters during the depression. I didn't know that Dillinger and his crew robbed banks or that bank robberies like that were even a popular thing back then in the 1930s and believes those were relics of the wild west. I also don't know how accurate the movie is to real life, but if it is a realistic depiction of the events which happened then I have a lot of criticisms about Dillinger. Before I start, what a masterful performance by Johnny Depp, he was phenomenal in that movie, he played a suave, charming gangster perfectly.
One of the biggest criticisms I had of Dillinger was that he only really had a small crew that was backed by a larger syndicate. Dillinger himself was not much of a criminal mastermind, he and his guys were just glorified thugs backed by the actual masterminds. Once Nitti's syndicate cuts off the Dillinger crew from their resources it's pretty much downhill for them. The whole glamor associated with them was rented from an much bigger fish than them. Nearly all of Dillinger's threats go out the window once you realize that. Point in case when Billie threatens the interrogator who beats her and says, "what do you think my Johnny will do to you when he finds out you touched his girl, fat boy." Completely empty threat, Dillinger dies not that long after, dating another woman by the way too.
Which leads into my second criticism, Dillinger never thinks about leaving America. His friend Alvin even brings this up. Dillinger is a highly wanted man who is being hunted by the FBI and not only does he stay in America, he stays in the same general region (Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Chicago). I was watching the movie waiting for him to lay low in Cuba or somewhere and cook up a super plan only to find him going to see a movie with his new girlfriend with a new hair cut and a hat for a disguise. Overall, while I loved the aesthetic and story of the film, I personally found Dillinger to be a bit disappointing as a character.

So I just got into this whole FemPrimarchs and their Chosen lovers (male or female or purposefully ambiguous), and I just want to preface this now: what I write and present is my interpretations and ideas on what The Chosen are all about. Most of this is based on the existing "lore" that has been generously generated by those involved. Big, big thanks to the creative mind behind the idea, @Sweet_older-Sister, with her Primarch Girlfriend templates, and to everyone else coming up with the nicknames of the semi-mysterious Chosen lovers. I personally speaking, believe that they are all men or some male persuasion at the very least. But I digress.
This is all based on the idea that while yes, The Emperor in this scenario was convinced to make them all male, Malcador believed they still needed foils of their own to keep them stable, and a means to control them if they could not. That is where The Chosen come in. Each one is a composite human; a homunculus using DNA of their paired primarchs and other doners. How or if the Emperor knew of this, or if Malcador ever told his friend, I cannot say for sure. Again, all interpretation and opinion, so please bear with me. How the Chosen and their Primarchs met is both different and a mystery, but they do meet eventually, and it was by design. Mostly, anyhow. Each one has their own nickname from their respective spouse, so for the sake of clarity I will refer to The Chosen by their primarchs first, and what I believe their original purpose was for each primarch woman. Have a read, and tell me what you all think! ((Note: there ARE the two missing primarchs we know existed, but given their fates it is fair to say their Chosen may have fallen the same way.)
The Chosen by Primarch Legion order Lion El'Jonson - They exude an aura of trustworthiness and determination. They are receptive like all Chosen, but much more so as to understand the whims and wants of their mistress. Where She keeps secrets, they can find them and know how to eek them out from Her tough shell. Their purpose was to keep The Lioness honest with someone who can understand their reasoning without fear. Thus, they are the bravest of the Chosen, comparatively speaking.
Fulgrim - They are potential given form: always learning, improving, and even challenging their Phoenician goddess. Interestingly, they are plain and unremarkable, but Fulgrim can and does see the endless possibilities with them. Unlike Fulgrim, they are slow and steady in their improvements, and know how to step back from obsession. Most of all, they are meant to remind Fulgrim that "a flawed gem is more perfect than a hand cut emerald". Meaning that they were meant to keep Fulgrim's obsessive and complusive drive to improving and perfecting within more reasonable parameters. Easier said than done...
Perturabo - The Chosen of the Lord of Iron. Similar to Perturabo, they too exhibit aspects of being "different", but are far more patient with their mistresses' quirks and outbursts. They are the one that cheers and compliments their lord when she feels like no one notices or cares. More importantly, besides being avid inventors and architects themselves, this Chosen is the first to ask Perurabo if they are okay. They are the ones that looks for the hidden flaws and cracks that would threaten their lord in anyway, and quickly addresses their primarch about it. Whether Peteruabo listens and acknowledges these criticisms is a different matter.
Jaghatai Khan - The Chosen of the Great Khan is the wind at her back; the falcon that flies by her side, always. Much like the Khan, the Chosen of the Great Khan is independent. While they are not inhumanly fast, they are able to keep up with their primarch in other ways. More than that, they seem to always be around when she needs their presence or comfort the most. As if their speed moved faster than the thought comes. Jaghatai and her Chosen have an "open relationship" and do not restrict one another, but both are there when they need each other the most. Their purpose is to support without slowing down the primarch of the White Scars.
Leman Russ - Leman Russ, the She Wolf, is what you'd expect. The Chosen of the primarch of the Vulka Fenrika is to her, as Ullr was to Odin: the silent but competent reagent to the Executioner. They act and fight as all the space marines of the Space Wolves do, and because of it She and her sons see them as a fellow member, regardless of their size. After all, this Chosen CAN fight an astartes, surprisingly. The Chosen refuses to be ascended into a full astartes, however (as all Chosen seem to share), and prefer to fight as they are. Their purpose is to solidify the Wolf's loyalty, while also remaining loyalty to Leman, and she alone. They are often trusted with hidden secrets and roles of importance, and is believed to be the hidden reagent when Leman is away from Fenris proper.
Rogal Dorn - Chosen of the Praetorian of Terra, and similar to the Chosen of Peturabo, they are the small right hand to Dorn. Their purpose was to help Dorn navigate through interpretation of the social aspect, and also maintain the "human" aspect and quality in their primarch's great work. They are the only two, short of Magnus and their Chosen's telepathy, who can hold a conversation without words, but actions. They are also the only one among the Imperial Fists' legion that can see the hidden rage of their primarch from a mile away, and their constructive criticisms, while rare, are studied and accepted by Dorn often.
Konrad Kurze - Chosen of the Night Haunter. Somehow, Malcador seemed to know of Kurze's fate, because how else can someone so human, kind, and empathetic to both mercy and justice both survive and stand Konrad for so long? Their purpose was to keep Konrad from going to far, by providing the viscous daughter of Nostromo an outlet for her ravings, and an advisor for certain... methods of meting justice. There is only so much the Chosen can do when their paired primarch is both mentally unstable and plagued by horrific visions of the future. At best, this poor Chosen's greatest strength was to protect his mistress from herself, but you can only slow down an endless descent for so long...
Sanguinius - "A match made in heaven", one may say. This Chosen is both loved and beloved almost as much as Sanguinius herself in life. Her sons see them as their father figure, the people of Baal see them as either a saint, or even an avatar of the Blood Angel, and never fails to bring a smile to the primarch maiden's face. That said, there is... a secret design to their biology. Should Sanguinius go too far and drink the blood of her lover, the blood will react and kill Sanguinius within minutes. Otherwise, the Chosen helps and acts as a support fighter, aiding and abetting the rage and blood lust that hides just under the surface of their mistress.
Ferrus Manus - The Chosen of the Gorgon of Medusa is the reminder to Ferrus that "the flesh is weak, but deeds are forever". This Chosen is an over achiever, and often challenges his primarch. Not to belittle or doubt her postion, but to always improve where she would otherwise think is either perfect, or pointless in addressing. Interestingly, they are more merciful than their primarch is, and is often the first to be approached by non-astartes humans with tasks and requests. More than that the Chosen is the linchpin that holds the armor of Ferrus' will together. But what happens to a linchpin when the armor breaks elsewhere...?
Angron - The Chosen of the Red Angel was, originally, an "auxiliary battery" for Angron and her empathetic psyker powers. But because of Angron's butcher's nails implantations, they have had to work overtime just to keep Angron coherent. That said, their body was made to allow instantaneous reflexes and timing. While not as fast as Angron in a full sprint or spree of combat, the Chosen of Angron is a master reader of intentions and emotions on a surface level. The were meant for a different kind of Angron, but became more for their mistress' current condition. They are the cool waters that bring the burning blade that is the primarch of the World Eaters to a tempered state.
Roboute Guilliman - The Chosen of the Avenging Daughter is one step below their mistress' analytical and learning capabilities, but make up for it by being the most trusted advisor, friend, and single lover to the Mother of Ultramar. Where Roboute can see the bigger picture but miss smaller details, her Chosen is the opposite and covers her weak points. But even without all of these things, there is one thin that Roboute loves about their Chosen than anything else: they can make her laugh, and still find her jokes funny.
Magnus the Red - The Chosen of the Sorceress of Prospero is the cautious wisdom to Magnus' reckless intelligence. They are an active psyker themselves, and have learned much with and by Magnus herself. They are the hand that pulls an eager primarch away from the edge when sensing danger, but also enjoys their mistress' pursuit of knowledge. Much like Magnus the Chosen loves and cares for their step-sons. May know more about what really IS in the Warp than they let on...
Horus Lupercal - The First of the Chosen, and the first to meet their primarch. However, they were already aware of their true purpose and nature, as Malcador revealed to them. They were with Horus the longest, and much like Horus were well liked and respected by the other Chosen. They were also the ones who saw the cracks forming with the Emperor's expectations being piled onto Horus, and did their best to alleviate their worries. Most of all they brought out the best of both Horus, her sons, and those around him. They were the corona to Horus' rising sun... but just as they were the first to be born, and the first to be enlightened, they were the first of the Chosen to die. Without Horus' Chosen, her descent into madness quickened.
Vulkan - The Chosen of the Forge Master is the persistent flame that burns even in the most dire of circumstances. They are the firm heft to Vulkan's hammer head; always steadfast and never faltering. They assist the Mother of the Salamanders by reminding her that, while there are good reasons to die for, there are other reasons to live for. For Vulkan, she chose to live for her Chosen as a result, tempering her overly selfless acts of sacrifice. Much like their primarch this Chosen is a master smith, but creates toys for children and leaves surprise baubles and trinkets for Vulkan. She calls it her 'hoard' as a joke to her namesake of The Salamander. Their true nature is that they, like Vulkan, are a perpetual. When they die, they will reconstitute at the cellular level, and when and were Vulkan needs them the most. After the Horus Heresy, the Chosen of Vulkan reformed before a vault containing the artifacts of Vulkan herself. They act as the stoic, unmoving guard of their mistress primarch's weapons and tools, until she sees fit to return and relieve them of their duty.
Corvus Corax - The Chosen of the hero of Deliverance is the unseen personal spy of the Raven Lord. They practically live within her shadow, often coming out from around corners and doorways that were either empty or locked, respectively, and previously. Other than being the confidant to Corax, the Chosen is also the auxiliary eyes and ears that monitors unseen and unheard. More so, they were meant to monitor Corvus and her loyalties as well as her well being, but also act as the safety line that keeps her from becoming too aloof. Both however share their disdain for tyranny and their desire to liberate the downtrodden and oppressed, with the Chosen working so far as to preemptively sabotaging enemy nerve centers and key structures. While they lack the power of wraith slip, they have the passive power to appear as if they belong where they normally would not. Perhaps they are your neighbor walking down the street? Or the nobleman among the ball meandering to an unseen area. Whatever they could be, they are what Corax needs to be: her reliable shadow to her dark life.
Alpharius/Omegon - The Chosen of the Hydra is a peculiar one. More so than any other Chosen, they are the puzzle box that keeps both Alpharius and Omegon interested and preoccupied. No matter the mystery, the conundrums, or the hidden plots that are among them, the Chosen of A/O are deviously cunning and receptive. So much so that they figured out their nature far before Malcador revealed it to Horus' Chosen. They like to play their little games with their dual mistresses, with the latter attempting to pretend to be the other, and the former trying to figure out who is who. More importantly, their purpose was to keep A/O honest and sincere. At least, for the most part. Nobody knows where this Chosen is, or who they are now, and what they are doing. Some claim they still serve the Hydra to this day. Others think they are dead, and those who claim they ARE this Chosen are either lying, or brainwashed to throw off any pursuers of A/O's Chosen. Perhaps no one will ever know, and those that did are either dead or missing.

This is probably pretty light compared to what is usually on this sub, but I’m legitimately at a loss and am curious of Reddit’s opinion, so here goes:
So I (20m) have been dating a girl (21f) for a little over a month. Me and this girl have been decent friends for probably 6 months, both of us being part of a bigger group of friends, but it was only about 6 weeks ago we took an interest in each other and started dating. I know that 6 weeks is a very short amount of time, but we were really hitting it off. We both made it clear to each other that each of us were developing pretty strong feelings early on. Like it was going really well, to the point that I had officially met her parents. (She already knew mine from before)
However, about a week ago she started getting really detached and not like her normal self, telling me she had a lot on her mind. And 3 days ago, she ended things because “God was leading her in a different direction.” She said this really hurt her to do because she thought I was perfect and she wanted nothing more than to be with me, and she didn’t understand why God was doing this but she had to follow his will. I was pretty hurt because like I said, things were going so well. I really thought she may be the one. And an ultimatum like that really gives me no room to say anything. She said I did nothing wrong and she really badly wanted to be with me but she knew she had to follow God’s will.
But whatever, I got over it. I can’t be mad at her for breaking up with me, that’s her decision for her own life.
However, she still wanted to be like best friends. She said she still needed me as a friend. I basically told her no. I didn’t say I never wanted to be friends again, but I did say I would need some time away from her because frankly I was hurt and upset. Well, remember the big friend group we were a part of? They have all cut me off now. They all hate me. A bunch of them texted me the other night telling me how insufferable I was and how ruthless I was being. They said that I was toying with her emotions and being manipulative. They kept asking why I would date someone who I wouldn’t wanna be friends with. And it’s safe to say I’m not welcome to hang out with them anymore. I don’t have tons of friends in this stage of my life so these guys were my main people. They said if I give her the apology she deserves then it will help my case, and a big part of me is thinking about doing that. But at the same time, I truly don’t think I’m in the wrong here. Don’t I get to take care of my own headspace? I’m not saying she is wrong for breaking up with me, but it did feel a tiny bit unfair, so I was hurt and needed some time. Should I give her the “apology that she deserves”? AITAH?

I’ve (29f) have had this friend, we’ll call her Lilith (29f) since high school. Things were fine with our friendship, until about 3 years ago.
We were both unknowingly talking to the same guy, though he (we’ll call him Richie, 47m) and I showed more interest in each other than the two of them showed in each other; plus, she was still married and was talking to her now current boyfriend. I didn’t know they were talking until he asked me if I knew her and I said that she was my best friend. He apologized and said he didn’t know and that he wouldn’t talk to her anymore, I told him he didn’t have to do that, seeing as it was just a fwb type of thing anyway, so I didn’t care, but he still blocked her anyway. She said she didn’t care, since she was interested in someone else anyway. Around that same time, I was messaging with this guy (it was an online site), and he was nice, but I had a weird feeling, so I blocked him. A month later, I find out it was her HUSBAND and he was trying to catfish me. She filed for divorce and I got to serve him; she said she wasn’t mad at me, but she’s acted weird ever since. She denies any weird behavior on her part, but others noticed it too.
I’ve been there for her through thick and thin, been a good friend, but it’s never felt like enough. Her friends will bully me or be dicks to me for no reason, and I’m accused of being jealous, when I’m not. I’m literally nice to everyone, I don’t kiss ass, but I’m friendly, just always how I’ve been; I grew up deathly shy, but bursted out of that shell, which took me a long time.
She never defends me; she says she will, but she literally doesn’t, she’ll sit there with her friends and laugh at my grief or weaknesses behind my back. She got my ex best friend to turn against me by making up lies about me, and they told each other I said or did this about the other one, and none of it was true, and defending myself made it worse.
We also have kids roughly the same age, with hers being a little bit older, but they’re in the same grade. Her son has some neurological issues, my daughter doesn’t; as babies, my daughter tended to do things around the same time as him, because of his neurological issues, it would put him a bit behind. She saw this as insulting and a competition, and blamed me for “rubbing” it in her face that her son was delayed, but I never did, she just took it that way.
Fast forward, our kids are older, I rarely ever go over there or let her babysit, because she yells, a lot. Her son will do something bad, then come in to where we are and tell my friend that my daughter did it when she didn’t. But when my daughter tells her he did something bad, my friend has called her a snitch and enables his behavior because “he can’t help it”. I know this because the very last time she watched my daughter, my daughter told me all of this; apparently it had been going on and was told not to tell me; what sparked her telling me, was we got in the car when I picked her up and was buckling her in and saw a hole in the knee of her pants and asked what happened, since my friend told me everything went well; my friend’s son came up from behind her and shoved her and she landed on her knees. Talked to my friend about it the next day, and she lied and said my daughter fell off the trampoline. I get kids lie, and I have caught my daughter in lies before, but she was in tears (she’s 5).
Lilith and I got in a huge verbal altercation around Christmas time last year, regarding one of her friends, and we ended up blocking one another. Couple days passed and we talked it out and apologized to each other; but it hasn’t felt the same since. We hardly ever talk or message, and if we do, I’m never the one to reach out.
My birthday is coming up and she asked what I was doing. I’m busy, which is the truth, and then asked why I’m never around anymore. I should’ve just lied and said I’ve been busy, but I dove into the treatment I’ve received from her and her friends, and she twisted my words, per usual. Again, it blew over.
Long story short, I don’t want her in my life. I should’ve kept her blocked when we had that blowup, I know. But I’m afraid of her. She is the kind of person to make false CPS reports on somebody (which a friend of hers made on me 3 years ago because her friend yelled at my daughter for crying because she was tired and I stood up for my daughter; she still remained friends with her, too), and now I’m afraid if I just cut her off, she’ll do that to me. How do I approach this?

It’s been a while. I don’t know why it took so long for me to post. How long has it been? A year? A year and a half? And I have gained plenty of stories to share - while I’ve neglected you, dear friend.
But right now, you’re my catharsis. You, who might listen to me.
I still can’t believe what I witnessed this winter. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t spoken of it sooner. Perhaps that’s why I’m pretending it never happened.
I suppose though, it’s less that I can’t believe it and more that I don’t want to.
Because time can’t alter. Time doesn’t change. Time is time, right? Some missing time is normal, but not for… days. Right? But I have to believe because everyone else says it’s true. Everyone else says that’s how long I was gone, even as the sun hung still in the sky.
This winter in Alaska has been aggressive. Like last year we had record breaking snowfall and cold. Which I loved and adored. The white mountains touching dark skies. The trees bending with the weight of snow. And of course the mounds the plows would make at the end of my street.
I had missed Alaska.
Granted where I stay isn’t the village anymore. I’m in Anchorage. Or near it. You probably don’t know of the tiny towns along the highways. But if you did… well I don’t particularly want you to find me, now do I?
I’ve finally finished processing what happened. Now that I understand what I went through - after a stern tongue lashing from my grandmothers for my carelessness - I can talk about that day I heard a whisper. I wasn’t sure where it came from but it was ancient and spoke to me in Koyukon.
I can confidently tell you, dear friend, that not all monsters are large and hulking. Some monsters are small and spritely. With sharp teeth. And pointy weapons. And an uncanny ability to make the days pass while the sun stays high.
Everyone believes me. Except my father. My father can’t.
Do you know what comes with freezing temps and mounds of snow? Ice. Beautiful, solid, blue blue, blue ice. The beautiful frozen waterfalls that call to me every year.
Every winter I can’t help but be drawn to these natural wonders.
And every year I never fail to climb at least one. No matter how painful the cold is to my scar covered body, it will happen.
It was a normal day for me, all set for my adventure. Well, mostly normal. I woke with that nagging feeling in the back of my skull, as if something is watching, and you can maybe see it out of the corner of your eye. I attributed it to staying up late searching for and preparing my gear.
I was up and raring to go with breakfast and lunch ready to assemble. It was a process I’ve done many times and by the time I was throwing my backpack on my sister came out of her room, yawning. Lazy bum.
“Where ya goin this time?”
“Hatcher Pass. Checking out Hillside Pillars.”
She thought and gave a wave. “Six hours round trip and you’ll probably be out there on the falls with as much daylight as you can possibly suck out.” She stared at me expectantly. “So… see ya at 8 tonight?”
I gave a quick nod. “Yes.”
“Did you check the avalanche warnings?”
“Yup. Things are calm today. And with that, I’m going ‘mom.’”
She shot me a sharp look and stumbled past me to the kitchen. I gave one last grin before running out the door, ignoring the shiver that ran up my spine as I stepped out. It was cold. Very cold. That’s all, right?
The drive was peaceful, I was out well before the annoying traffic that bottles up at those special points along the Glenn Highway and in Palmer. Up the road to Hatcher Pass, getting little spikes of adrenaline as I got closer and closer to my destination.
Once there I chewed on my breakfast, and as soon as the sun rose I was out of the truck, beginning the long trek to the waterfalls. A hike, a river crossing, and a 20-30 ft step climb and I’d be at the main event.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it was the start of a beautiful day. The start of what would be a fun day. A day where I’d conquer a piece of the world in a way very few do.
As I climbed I felt the wind and listened to its gentle whistle through the trees. The shush of snow falling off with every gentle caress. The sound of small animals rushing about to find food or shelter.
A slow ascent, one foot above the other, one axe pull at a time. It was exhilarating. It’s hard to explain the satisfaction of knowing you’re one step closer to a view you can only find during this time of year.
I finished my climb and stood at the top of the WI4 rated beauty and enjoyed the view just long enough to curse the short days. The breeze picked up my loose hair and tickled my nose. It almost felt like it was congratulating me on a job well done. Even as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I shivered. I was just cold, right?
Unloading my pack, I sat down and chewed on a sandwich, taking in the sights. The mountain. The pure white snow. The small movements of life. The skiers and snowmobilers in the distance. As I was wiping the crumbs off my now freezing fingers I heard a sound I had become familiar with. One that would always give me pause. The screech of a hawk came from high above.
I couldn’t help but shudder. It’s the wrong time of year for one to be attracting a mate. What danger was it warning others of? I bit my lip and eyed the surroundings. What would scare a hawk in the middle of the day? Nothing pleasant. Never.
I looked up the frozen river, into the trees and to the foot of the waterfall when I heard a quiet whisper. I swallowed the thickening lump in my throat. I don’t fluently speak Koyukon. Never have I had the desire to. But I knew. I knew what the wind whispered. And it whispered in a rushed manner.
“Run, little flower.”
With that there was deafening silence and as I stood in confusion I felt a shiver that turned into a pain that radiated from the scars covering my body.
I didn’t even give the pain building in me a second thought as I began to see movement out of the corner of my eye.
As I reached for my gear, I heard a giggle like a mischievous child. One giggle turned to two. Two turned to four until I could no longer count as they surrounded me in the wind. I worked faster, gathering my things as the shadows began to move inside the trees.
“Fuck fuck fuckity fuck.” I repeated over and over.
I didn’t have much time, the darkness in the corner of my eye was growing. I made sure my bag was shut tight and secure before tossing it over the edge of the waterfall, hoping nothing in it would break. As I tied myself in I looked up the river and the breath was stolen from my chest.
They looked completely harmless. Child-like. But they were wrong. Out of time. I felt every hair on my body stand on end as if the static in the air concentrated. A group of seven came out of the trees, their giggles and smiles almost infectious. Their clothing were winter parkas and pants straight out of a museum and on a couple seemed comically oversized. You’d almost think they were cute. Harmless.
But their smiles were threatening as they bared their sharp teeth and their eyes shone mercilessly black. Their skin would be as white as the snow surrounding us if it weren’t for the gray undertone.
I practically threw myself at my line and clipped in, barely holding onto my axes as I swiftly threw myself over the edge, beginning my descent.
I felt the wind gust through the trees and I shivered at the implications. What else could I do?
I moved faster and faster, beginning to breathe heavily before my feet were on solid ground. Looking up I realized that the sun had begun to darken sooner than I had expected.
I swallowed back the built up fear and realized a freak storm was building. My brain raced through the only thing it could think. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…”
I shoved the remaining gear in hand into my bag, without regard for how secure my picks were outside of it.
And in the oncoming darkness I heard another screech… quickly cut off. But I heard its final word, a voice that I swore should have been long lost and dead.
It screamed part of a name that it didn’t even have to finish for me to almost lose my stomach. Because its name wasn’t just a warning, it was a promise.
Bringing my attention back to the solid land I now stood on I suddenly felt the wind knocked out of me. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. Catching my breath, I looked over my shoulder to see a vicious face. As the stars receded from my eyes I noticed the movement out of the corner of them slowly gather nearer. I stumbled to my feet, staring at the little monster.
The monster kept its eyes on me as it tilted its head and snickered. It pointed a spear at me and I shuddered. It had begun to toy with me.
“Well shit. Why do you have to do this to me today?” I uselessly asked.
Slowly raising into a crouch I began backing away. My heel caught on my bag and I reached awkwardly for it, hoisting it onto my shoulder as the small creatures moved in. They began giggling, drowning out any of the calming sounds that had been present in the morning.
Suddenly I felt a shock to the back of my head. I saw stars once again and fell forward. More giggling.
One came forward and pulled off my hat.
Another ran up and pulled my hair.
I heard a rip and turned in time to see my pack sliced open.
That could have been my back, adding more badges of honor to my body.
As I was distracted one of them came and dropped snow on my head.
The group continued giggling all the while.
I shivered as the snow melted down my neck and into my jacket. And the horrifying thought passed through my mind. “They’re toying with me.”
Suddenly I felt pain in my right hand. One had smashed the back of their spear onto it.
Just as quickly I was hit in the side, knocking me off balance. I caught myself just in time before another ran up and pulled on my hair until I hit the ground.
I grit my teeth and fought back as it tormented me. I heard a rip and felt my pack shift as one of my straps was cut.
Then I heard it and felt it all at once. It hurt. It hurt more than you could imagine or understand. I fell back when my hair suddenly released. As one of their knives sliced through it. I stared at the ragged end of one of my braids.
Then I screamed.
Then I cried.
Then I felt pain. I was hit across the face by a spear, busting my nose. It was almost as if they were telling me the old line “I’ll give you something to cry about.”
Their giggle cracked into a cackle. Then one walked up to me, their pitch black eyes staring directly into mine. I shuddered and forced myself not to look away.
I cautiously rolled up onto my feet and they simply watched. My pack swung awkwardly on one arm and I held back a growing gag as blood ran down the back of my throat.
It tilted its head and through its gnashing sharp teeth it told me, “Run.”
I could only feel relief that the sun was still high. Though overcast, I wouldn’t be running through the woods in the darkness. I turned heel and ran past the few behind me, barely dodging the stabs of their spears. They shouted as I began running, their giggles turning into a sound so wicked it echoed in my skull.
Now I was being hunted.
I ran awkwardly through the snow and ice, down the route I had taken just hours before. The high knee hop through the snow that has just been obliterating Alaska recently. As I ran the wind gusted and I would get blown off my feet, or the disturbed snow would fly into my face. Still I ran. I couldn’t quite see them when I looked back but I could sense it. They were behind me. They were next to me. They were above me in the trees.
Every time I tripped I cried out and I realized the voice was still with me. Still whispering “Run. Run. Run little flower or you’ll wilt and die.” I felt like it was mocking me. Mocking my name.
Shuddering, I felt the cooling beads of water on my forehead and cursed. Water means death. It means the minute I slow down hypothermia will kick in. And in the meantime I may frostbite because of the accumulated moisture in my gear.
But I couldn’t care about that. What would frostbite matter if I didn’t live? I’ve fought for my life before, I wouldn’t die this time.
My neck grew sore and I could feel that sense of impending doom. And I ran even harder, them watching my struggle and floundering about. I heard a thud near me and chanced a glance back to see a spear sticking out of the snow.
Gritting my teeth I pushed harder. The wind stroked the back of my neck and brought a sharp assault down the scars on my back. They began feasting on my fear.
But I could see it, the last stretch. I don’t know how I got through the steps but when I finally found the river and came to a pitching halt. I gasped and panted, tired and weighed down, muscles sore, bones slowly getting cold.
I made it to the river. I was safe. I was safe from the ones the hawk warned me of.
Until I wasn’t.
Until I heard a hoot, quickly turn into a screech.
I cursed. “Dena, why do you do this to me? What did I ever do?”
I heard the hoot again and shivered. I screamed at it. “Don’t you dare give me three.”
I didn’t wait for the third as once again they snickered at me.
I gritted my teeth and sprinted across the frozen river. I kept my legs pumping and moving until I tumbled over the other side. The other side and into my father with a shocked look on his face.
“Rosemary?”
I grabbed onto him. Felt him. Squeezed his arms tightly as I caught my breath.
“Ha… Ha ha. I made it.” I laughed out, shock taking hold. My laugh was short lived as I began coughing the blood that had pooled in my lungs from running in the cold.
I watched shadows cross my father’s face. Surprise, shock, relief, and finally something I hadn’t seen since I was a child. Fear.
He squeezed my face between his hands. “Stay with me. Don’t pass out.”
I continued laughing. “Me? Pass out? Never.” I stepped out of reach and bent over to vomit the blood that had built in my stomach from my broken nose.
My father shouted and I heard others come running from down the trail. “Calm down.”
Looking at him I grinned. “I made it.”
But then I heard it. It came through the trees. From all around. A swarm of giggles.
I watched my father pale. I heard the running footsteps from down the trail slow.
I shoved my father in the opposite direction. “RUN!”
And he listened. Bless the man, he listened.
He hurtled down the trail and when he saw the others in front of him he screamed at them to run. I came to a stuttering halt as I herded the others in front of me while the giggles came closer. Grew louder. Began swimming in my head again. I heard the swishing of snow falling as they ran by.
“Keep going!” I shouted at their backs until we got to the trail head, falling into the road. I screamed at the others to get in their cars. Luckily my family knows to listen without question. Their friends not so much. More corralling. More giggles. More movement in the corners of my eyes. At one point… a tug on my hair.
I got to my truck, hurtling into the side of it. Without pause I tossed my gear into the back and jumped inside. It felt like the old truck couldn’t turn on fast enough. All the while the wind swept through the trees and bullied it.
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck.” My mantra of the day.
My head began to feel cold while the blood on my face became even more annoying. I threw my car into first and I practically screamed when I heard a knock on my window. My sister Leah was on the other side. “GET YOUR ASS IN DUMBASS!” The movement in the trees behind her was too close.
I watched the final few people get into their cars and I peeled out. Skipping from first straight into third on the dangerously snowy road. I tried to clench my busted hand around the wheel only to be blasted with pain. Still, I continued driving as quickly as the roads would allow.
I was a mile down the long road when I heard the whisper.
“Shhh… shhh… shhh… shhh…”
And the sound of it grew louder. Slow at first then it became all consuming. I heard the crumbling and rumbling of the mountainside.
I looked toward the sound coming from the east and my jaw dropped as I saw the mountainside sliding in real time. Something told me I was safe. Just a faint whisper in the back of my head and the fact that the pain had receded.
With some remaining trepidation I stopped my truck and stepped out. I watched in terror and awe as the mountain fell… and fell… and crossed the river. I swallowed and shook my head and heard another raptor scream in the distance.
I got in my truck, turned the heat on as high as I could. I was shaking. Clearly from the cold, right? With a shiver I threw my truck into gear again and we made our way back to town. All the while the wind mockingly laughed behind me.
“Where have you been?” Leah asked after several miles.
“At the Pillars.” I whispered through my scratchy throat.
She looked at me, pale. “You left two days ago.”
I frowned. “I left this morning.”
“It’s been a day and a half.”
I didn’t respond. Even after her many pestering questions I didn’t answer. We drove the rest of the way home in silence as my brain tumbled.
Once we were home I stumbled to the bathroom. I stared at my busted nose in the mirror before climbing into the shower. Bruises covered my body and my hand began swelling, broken.
I wasn’t even allowed rest after that though. As I ate a well earned dinner my father sat me down and grilled me on where I’d been. Why I had been gone so long.
I learned a few things from our conversation - that I had been gone more than a day. That I hadn’t been seen on the mountain at all. That supposedly I shouldn’t have been alone with others having climbed the same time as me.
It was as I was chewed out I told my father I saw them. That I had seen the little people of legends. What the Athabascans give no real name to beyond “small ones.” What the Yup’ik call the Ircenrraat. What westerners call fae.
As I explained that I had been caught in a hunt my father’s face grew more and more incredulous. Before finally admitting he didn’t believe me. He dismissed me with few words after that statement. It hurt, but I understood.
I was gone only a day. That’s why my father can’t believe.
They’ve never allowed anyone gone less than a year.

Vote on a match featuring the detective teams allied against a masked vigilante having gone berserk!

(Shoutouts to u/ShimoDragon and Heart of the Rose for the match!)
Scenario: The Kamala Rose International, Vasitanagarh — 2:06PM
Weeks ago, in the very center of The Kamala Rose International lay the fantastical garden known as the Heart of the Rose, in the center of that garden stood a gazebo, and in the center of that gazebo was a table surrounded by four individuals in a heated discussion.
“That was sloppy work, Margherita!” Sulka slammed their fist against the table in an uncharacteristically loud fit of rage, “I told you to get rid of that man last week! Now because of your pointless delays he was able to leak that scandal to the news!”
“Hey hey, levati dai coglioni! I don’t appreciate the blame being thrown onto me here,” Margo threw up his arms in response, looking more annoyed than upset, “You never told me there was any urgency. Besides, it takes a bit of time to frame an accidental death. What, do you think you can just shoot a guy in the head and call it a suicide? You watch too many movies if you think that kind of thing can just happen overnight, mammalucco.”
“Do you even care that our operation here is in jeopardy now that that video is drawing prying eyes our way?!” Sulka almost spat at the italian man, “Your nonchalance is insulting!”
“Easy, Sulka,” Jim Peckle interjected, “Margo did his best. No way for him to know that things would turn this way.”
“You’re both right, actually,” Margo sneered, “I did my best, as I do with every job, but I honestly couldn’t care less if this little crime ring collapses. You lot are nothing more than a side hustle to me, my allegiances lie back in Italy. In other words, stop pestering me and vai a cagare.”
With a swish of his apron Margo left, leaving Sulka to smolder in a more recognizable quiet anger.
“That’s the last time we give him a time sensitive job, if you ask me,” Pluto spoke up for the first time since arriving (late), “The unwanted attention is a problem, don’t get me wrong, but I’m more concerned with how we even got to this in the first place, hey? That guy in the video was talking about missing people, Kiisseli. Just what the hell have you been up to?”
“Need I remind you, Hendrix,” Sulka’s cold gaze turned to meet Pluto’s, “that part of our arrangement involves the right to privacy. I do not intend to pry about what you use our resources for so I expect that you will do me the same decency.”
“Excuse me…?” Pluto straightened up from his relaxed position, “You don’t get to just shrug this off after bringing the feds to our damn doorste-”
“To be curt,” Sulka cut him off, “It’s none of your damn business, Pluto. So drop it.”
Behind Sulka’s back, Jim quietly scoped his nearest emergency exit.
Pluto’s vein bulged visibly at Sulka’s words, “You’ve got people paying attention to the airport cuz you’ve been pulling some shady bullshit and you just managed to get your ass handed to you by a cat and some whackjob in a mask, hey. Obviously this is my fucking business!”
“I may have been beaten by a “whackjob” as you put it,” Sulka slowly rose from their chair, “but I could certainly beat you if you’re going to keep acting like a thorn in my side.”
“You could beat who?” Pluto’s voice raised an octave in sheer frustration and confusion, “Trust me, you don’t want this smoke, Kiisseli.”
“What’s this about smoke?” Dark Disquiet shimmered into view and lit a fire in its palm behind Sulka as they spoke, “Because from where I stand you’re the only one who should fear getting burned, Hendrix.”
“This isn’t the time or place for a fight,” Jim stepped in between the two, holding up his hands. Behind his dark sunglasses, his eyes flicked cautiously over to Sulka. “Everything just goes up in flames. Nobody wins… Best cool things down and make peace.”
An uneasy silence hung over the gazebo until Pluto clicked his tongue in frustration, “Yeah. Fine. Better an ally than an enemy, I suppose. But let it be known that next time I have to deal with problems caused by your actions I’ll be expecting a damn good explanation, hey? Now I’m getting out of here before your self important face pisses me off any more than it already has.”
Once Pluto had left earshot, Sulka let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of their nose, “I hate to admit it but I too am in a state where I still need to rely on Hendrix’s assistance. Oh how I despise co-leadership…”
“I like having him around,” Jim replied, shrugging minutely, “He brings a lot to the Heart. He’s easygoing, and a lot more dedicated than he seems on the surface. It would be a shame to drive him away.”
“You’ve already deescalated the situation, Jim Peckle. Any further arbitration would be pointless, unless you mean to crawl your way back onto my good side. In which case you have a long way to go,” Sulka made a dispassionate gesture towards the exit, “You may leave as well, but don’t assume that this means you’re off the hook. You’ve not yet been forgiven for leaving me in the dirt and running off with that costumed clown after our fight.”
Jim hesitated for a moment before deciding to swallow his pride and take his own advice. Instead, he simply gave a light nod in response and scurried out of the gazebo.
For a time Sulka sat in silence, partially to gather their thoughts and partially to make sure their team members had cleared out. “Marko, Olli, come here now.”
Barely missing a beat, the Runoilija brothers ran in to greet Sulka, “Right here boss!” Marko, the bigger of the two, responded, “Sorry we weren’t here for the meeting–that kid you hired a while back was break dancing in the halls outside the garden and we were entranced by the little guy!”
“Enough!” Sulka was all too familiar with how the brothers could prattle on if left unchecked, “I didn’t call you over to have you discuss your simplistic entertainment. I have a job for the two of you.”
“Lay it on us boss, we’ll get it done in no time,” Olli rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“To be more accurate it’s closer to a reassignment than a job,” Sulka tucked their hands behind their back, beginning to pace across the raised dais. “Thanks to this mess we’re in, I’ll be forced to decrease, if not totally halt, my… cultivation, we’ll call it, her at the Rose. In order to make up for the drop-off in offerings we will need to expand operations outside of the airport. I’ve already made the arrangements. Starting tomorrow, you two will be stationed at Club Naraka over in Port Konwar. You will remain vigilant for any and all stand users that enter the building. I don’t care how you do it but make sure you check every guest. Once you find a stand user you are to restrain them and call for me. This is by far the most promising location I’ve managed to get a hold of, so I am expecting big things. Are there any questions?”
“Uh, it’s a club, yeah?” Marko cocked his head, “That means there’ll be booze, right?”
“...Yes Marko,” Sulka sighed, “There will be drinks of all kinds.”
“Alright! We won’t let you down boss! You can count on us!” Olli beamed—and promptly tripped on Marko’s heels in his haste as the two of them rushed for the door.
Sulka sighed again, if that pair of fools weren’t so loyal they would’ve discarded them long ago.
Scenario: ???, ??? — 1:20 AM
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
Reese’s eyes slowly opened, his vision hazy. His head stung—that was the first thing he noticed, the dull throbbing pain in his temple. He couldn’t think straight. Where was he? Why was he here? What was-
God, his head.
“Ghhh...” He massaged his temples, blearily trying to force some sense into his brain. He was... Where was he...
Memories came back to him slowly, filtered through heavy bass and the scraping of a rusty fan overhead. He was looking for leads on something... His father was looking into Nightblooms... There were rumors of knowledgeable Stand users here... His teammates had told him not to go, but he-
The door creaked open, slamming against a dingy, degraded concrete wall. Reese lifted his head, slowly. His head felt like a ten ton weight on his shoulders. He could hardly see. What the fuck happened?
Through the now open door a stream of light poured in highlighting the silhouettes of two men. The bigger man on the right spoke first, “So this kid is the fresh meat, huh? And you’re sure he’s one of us this time?”
“Oh definitely,” The skinny man on the left replied, “This guy’s a stand user, no doubt about it.”
Reese could hear what the men were saying but his mind was covered in a fog and it was difficult to comprehend the words. Fresh meat? Stand user? Did these two bring him here? What did they want?
The skinny man kneeled down to bring himself face to face with Reese. Even in the darkness of the room he was close enough that Reese could make out his distinctly crooked nose , “I’m gonna make this real simple for you, pal. You see our boss is a very important person. They are the type with big plans that some people might not agree with. Because of that, they like to make powerful friends whenever possible. Friends like you, for example. For that very reason the boss is on their way here right now to meet you! I’m sure the two of you will get along great but I thought I should give you a bit of a warning. The boss doesn’t like it when their offer of friendship gets turned down, you see. There’s only one thing they hate more than that. Unnecessary risk. If they can’t have you as a friend… Well, I’m sure you’ll make the right choice once you meet them.”
“Uhhh, Olli?” The bigger one tapped the skinny man on the shoulder, “I don’t think this kid is hearing you. Look at his eyes, it’s like he’s still asleep.”
“Wha-?” Olli aggressively grabbed Reese’s head and forcefully opened his eyelids all the way to stare into the boy’s pupils, “Goddamnit, the drugs still haven’t worn off! Urgh, just put him back to sleep Marko. I’ll give him the speech again once he wakes up.”
Reese wanted to run or fight or something but he could barely move as the skinny man- Olli let go of his head. Drugs? Had these two drugged him? His mind was swimming with Olli’s monologue creating a whirlpool of words and phrases that he recognized but could not focus on. With every ounce of his available strength he lifted his body onto his elbows and looked up to his captors.
“W-wait a se-” He couldn’t even form a full sentence before the bigger man- Marko reeled back and threw out a punch.
There was a violent shake.
A loud thud.
And then black.
Scenario: Club Naraka, Port Konwar — 1:22 AM
Club Naraka was, if nothing else, accurately named.
When you first stepped into the subterranean hell pit of human desire, you were greeted with the thick smell of booze and cigarettes and other far less legal things. It had a way of overwhelming every sense, actually. Harsh lights strobed against the otherwise dim chambers of each floor, and the bass thumped hard enough to feel in your ribs. When you eventually found yourself in a place where it didn’t smell so harshly of booze, it was because it smelled like vomit instead, or some other thing you didn’t really want to figure out the source of.
Emile Gulati, 27 years old, stared with half lidded eyes at the air freshener she’d hung behind the bar, wishing with all of her heart that it actually worked. It was her last little rebellion against this place. She tried wearing earbuds, but she couldn’t hear her own music over the stuff they played in the club. She tried normal earplugs, but those hardly worked, and just made it harder to bartend. She considered nose plugs, but that’d just make her look weird - customers gave her enough shit already.
“Evening, bartender~.” A sleazy looking man had somehow wandered over to the bar without her noticing, splaying himself over the counter. Emile tried her best to hide her immediate disdain. “You, uh, wow, huh, eheh.” He pointed at her. “Nnnn~ice outfit. Eheh.”
She scowled.
“You gonna order something or what?” Emile made sure to step back a few feet. Best not to stand too close to guys like this - she’d learned that the hard way just a week ago. “I don’t work here as a fucking model. Get a drink.”
“Bitch.” The man sneered. “You people should be more agreeable. Tsch.” He wandered off, having seemingly forgotten what he came for in the first place. Emile sighed in relief. She idly looked back at the little bottle under the counter, and winced. She’d made a routine of reminding herself it was there and feeling like shit about it.
Being a bartender here was bad enough, but every now and then she’d get a lovely text from a higher up on the burner phone they’d given her to slip a few drops of that into their drink. Within moments a security guard would drag them away, leaving Emile with no explanation. Not that she was expecting one, granted. But she would’ve liked to know what exactly she was doing here. For closure, or something. Maybe.
Couldn’t pay rent in Mist City without a job, she reminded herself for the fourth time that night. The latest one really got to her - some bright eyed youngster filled with determination who was trying so hard not to look like he was there on some sort of mission. She had hope that whatever job it was would succeed, but that hope seemed to evaporate like a fine mist when she watched him disappear behind the elevator doors.
She rubbed her temples.
“...”
And exhaled. This place got in the way of her reason, the music keeping her from thinking. Was next month’s rent worth the people she’d screwed over? Hell if she knew.
“I’m taking my fifteen,” said Emile, to no one in particular. She marched away from the bar, stalking towards the elevator. When the doors closed behind her, she found herself blessed by something close to peace and quiet. It reassured her.
Equally reassuring was the golden coin beneath her feet, glinting in harsh LED light.
“...Lucky coin, huh?” She picked it up, admiring it for a moment before pressing down on the lowest button on the elevator keypad. She didn’t know what she was actually going to do - but it’d probably be better than doing nothing.
When the doors opened, Emile found the floor was completely barren. No one wandered through the dusty concrete halls; the only thing that gave her company was the thick, noxious smell that clung to the air. Preferring not to investigate its source, Emile began walking through the halls…until her eye caught on an open door. Unsure where else to go, she peeked inside.
Curled on the cold floor was a body. Emile’s stomach dropped–until she saw movement in the person’s chest. Still alive. That she could work with. Rushing over, Emile knelt next to the unconscious person, as she had with countless blackout drunks. She made sure he was on his side, and then gently stirred him until he woke. All the while, dread tangled her organs in knots. Who would do such a thing? Why? Still, the answers didn’t matter. What mattered is that something was very wrong with this place, and they needed to leave as fast as possible.
Yet, when the young man opened his eyes, he didn’t look at her with shock or fear, but anger. A righteous fury that had him just about jumping to his feet.
“Woah! Woah, settle down, you were unconscious, your body needs time-” Emile began, before the man shook his head. That alone seemed to dizzy him, as he braced himself against the wall.
“I don’t have time. I need to- I can’t have been the only one. I need to-”
Emile stepped closer, trying to put a hand on his shoulder, but he immediately bristled at the touch, as if on reflex.
“You’re hurt- look, man… something’s up with this place. We need to get out of here.”
But he just shrugged her off, moving towards the nearest unlocked door. Without hesitation, he flung it open, frantically looking for other survivors. Yet, what he and Emile found…were rows of bathtubs. That horrid, sharpened smell was even stronger now, nearly overwhelming. It was all Reese could do to not keel over. Instead, Emile moved to support him, and the two crept closer, peering over the edge.
Inside the tub, something boiled, bubbled, churned.
The thing inside could barely be called human. The acid gnawed at the corpse like a desperate, starving animal, stripping the charred flesh off of its bones. Unable to support itself, it collapsed further, head sinking under the liquid. Soon, its blank, lifeless expression was stripped down to its gleaming bone. Gone. All gone.
Reese felt like he was standing in a tunnel. Lightless. Empty. Infinite. The feeling of Emile letting go, the sound of sharp retching, something splattering against the tile, all of it was muffled.
What cruel animal is man.
It was the twin jolts of fear and rage that hit him like an IED. Pounding adrenaline restarted his heart, clicking the world into focus. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emile heaving, shuddering, pulling at her hair. All the unconscious drunkards, for all the rowdy bar fights, none of it could have prepared her for these horrors. That adrenaline pumped through her in turn, she could feel that fear grow sharp and jagged-
She could feel something take that fear, guiding it towards a sound. Footsteps. Reese didn’t seem to hear them, only her. She tried to speak- nothing. No sound could escape her lips. The fear that gripped her chest was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She couldn’t make a whisper but with the full force of her adrenaline she could still move.
The next few moments were a blur. A bottle on a shelf, shouting from the previous room, a desperate lunge, and the distinct sound of rending flesh. Suddenly everything was vivid and clear again. She felt the guards blood trickle through her fingers as Emile looked down and witnessed what she had done. The bottle had become a knife, and she had stabbed someone.
The guard fell to the ground as Emile stared at her shaking, blood stained hands, “I- that wasn’t- I didn’t mean-” She was stammering all while Reese watched on in silent shock.
“He’s not dead Emile,” a feminine voice echoed through her skull, “You have to finish it. You have to make sure.”
Her eyes darted from one end of the room to the other, trying desperately to find the source, but the longer she delayed the louder it got.
“Kill him. Kill Him. KILL HIM. KILL HIM.”
What happens when an animal is backed into a corner?
It attacks.
Suddenly, something in Emile snapped- no, it shattered like a broken bottle. A low scream escaped her throat betwixt clenched jaws as she savaged upon the barely breathing man.The knife became her teeth, raised into the air and plunged into red flesh. A wet schlllrk rang as she pulled it back out, only to bury it down again and again and again.
Reese moved quickly, instinctually- tackling her to the ground. A desperate move- to break this haze that she was in, end whatever vile urge had overcome her.
His eyes widened as they tumbled onto the floor, spotting several pairs of feet. Guards. He had tackled them into the direct view of more guards.
”Shit.”
A snapping noise split the air. An ethereal crocodile came from the ether, ready to defend its user.
A cornered animal attacked.
Meanwhile in the upper floors of the club the Runoilija brothers sat at a bar. Olli casually nursed an elaborate cocktail as he criticized his larger brother, “I think you hit that guy a little too hard, he should be awake again by now but there’s no news from the guards… You better not have killed him by accident like that last guy, Sulka’s already pissed enough at us as is.”
“That was not my fault!” Marko slammed his beer mug on the counter, “That last one wouldn’t stay down, so I just kept hitting him until he did. How was I supposed to know that he’d die so easily!”
“You literally just gave a textbook description of negligence, you moron. Of course it was your fault!” Olli smacked Marko on the side of his head to emphasize his point.
“Why’d you always gotta hit me…” Marko grumbled as he rubbed his head, “If you’re so sure that I’m the moron then let's bet on whether the fresh meat has gone cold or not. Whoever loses pays for the other’s drinks for the rest of the night.”
“Alright deal,” Olli snickered as they shook hands, “I’ll go take a look.”
Olli’s hand restlessly gripped the switchblade in his pocket as he descended through the floors of the nightclub. He fully intended to finish off the drugged up kid in the basement, assuming he refused to work for the boss like most did. He would pin the blame on his dumbass brother and have him pay for his drinks for the whole night. A win-win scenario.
Suddenly, a vibration from his phone. An update from the guards:
The prisoner got out. There are two of them now.
Marko received the same message back at the bar above. In a fit of rage he chucked his mug of beer at the wall with his full strength, just barely missing the skull of the bartender who was serving him. Before he had a chance to cause any more senseless damage another message addressed to himself and all the other guards came through, this time from his brother.
Find them both, NOW! Kill them if you have to, just make sure they don’t leave! If they’re gone when Sulka gets here we’ll all be fucked!
Marko stood up from the bar and began to push through the flirting couples and stumbling drunkards of the nightclub as his Ultraviolet materialized. The fresh meat had a helper and the two were trying to scurry away like rats? That was fine by him. Marko specialized in hunting down rats.

The music seemed to distort more intensely the longer Reese listened. Maybe it was the dull ache of the base, punctuated by a hundred frenzied footfalls, a rhythm that toppled over itself. Maybe it was the rage that sent his own heart racing. He could feel it pound against ｢Magenta Mountain｣ as he held the hourglass close to his chest. Still, there was no time to rest.
Finally, the two of them found the source of the noise. A dark, dingy dancefloor. It stunk of sweat and mildew, and the dancing bodies seemed to twist in the low light. Even as the two entered, splattered in blood, no one took notice. They were too caught up in dance, alcohol, god knows what else. In this moment of respite, Reese turned to Emile. Her gaze was as vacant as his own, she seemed to look right past him.
“Hey, focus.” Impatience had made his voice sharp. There wasn’t time for niceties, not for her. Emile’s eyes readjusted, finding him. In the dark, he could not see that was shone in her expression wasn’t malice, but fear.
“What the hell was that!?” he pressed. She shrunk away in turn.
“...I had to get out.”
“I know that,” Reese frowned, “We’re in the same boat. But that’s not an excuse- I could have helped! You didn’t have to-”
“I have to get out,” Emile continued. Her gaze went past him yet again. Her body shuddered. “Please, please just let me out. I’ll do anything, anything you want, I can’t stand this hell- just let me out!”
“I…” Reese swallowed, hugging his Stand tight. “What?”
His mind reeled, trying to process his next steps. This woman was unstable, that was clear. Unstable, violent, dangerous—not just to others, but herself. If Reese allowed her to simply leave, without understanding what was happening, who knew how many would suffer? Yet, the crowd shifted in strange ways, the beat becoming frantic, the music growing warped and mutilated. Should he stop the woman? Should he protect her from these maddening halls? What should he do? What should he do?
The moment Reese looked up, trying to make a call–Emile was gone. She had vanished deep into the crowd, following that horrid, golden voice. The music reminded Reese of the howl of coyotes in the night. The raucous celebrations of beasts who found their meal.
Against his beating heart, he felt ｢Magenta Mountain｣. Inside those grains lay the vast expanse of evolution, and its uniting link: the will to survive at any cost. His beasts had all failed, each one had faced death, and lost. At this moment, Reese understood them. He knew what it was to be a cornered animal. He would deal with the moral quandaries of man once he escaped. But first, he had to escape. The grains of sand were slipping through the hourglass. He knew he would not die like all those beasts that came before him. He would escape. He would survive. He had to.
Nothing else mattered.
Lost in the crowd, he and Emile reached that same conclusion.
Nothing else mattered.
Open the Game.
Location: Club Naraka, with the players currently on the second basement floor. Throughout the stage, the brown sections of the map are doors, furniture, lockers, crates, and whatever makes sense for the location. The players may interpret the map to read furniture as what would make sense for the location and may find any items that would be reasonable to find in that area of a club; if these ever would conflict in strategies, treat both readings as, somehow, correct.
Green circles are guards, each of which have 333 physicals, Guard: 3, and Basic Weapon Use: 3. These are overall competent operatives who aren’t going to be utterly trivial to get past, and each is armed with a handgun loaded with 9mm bullets and a baton.
The 2nd basement floor has MARKOV on one side in the bar, and Reese on the other in the boiler room. A few guards are already on the map; neither has immediate line of sight on either player.
North of MARKOV is a storage closet, which opens into a bathroom. North of this is the backrooms of the club, with the currently full dance floor in the middle. North of the boiler rooms is the security guard room, and at the far northeast of the map is the office of the club’s owner, filled with various trophies.
Of note for Reese, there are a few dead rats (purple triangles) in the boiler room, and a piece of coral (purple circle) in the office. This chunk of coral is 8 kg, and when reanimated by ｢Magenta Mountain｣ forms as a sort of hemisphere 2m across and 1.5m high.
The 1st basement floor is mostly for club business, with speakers and various technical material spread around. Of note, the many, many guards on the south of the first level will, if the players choose not to fight through the closest stairways, slowly fill into the lowest level, chasing the players. In essence, there will be significantly less guards around the stairs to the ground floor if the players take the longer path.
Finally, the Ground Floor is an open warehouse space with no traditional obstacles- as everything in this room is currently floating airborne, with a gloating Sulka armed with a fire extinguisher acting as the final obstacle. Between Sulka’s mobility, their guards acting as easier targets, and the needs of the match, they may not be RETIRED, but attacks launched at them will temporarily distract them and force them to block or avoid them. Otherwise, Sulka will alternate between launching single massive crates and flurries of small objects at the players as they fight their way through the ground floor, up to the doors at the north.
Goal: Fight your way out of Club Naraka! In particular, leave the club in better shape than your opponent.
While combat is allowed and expected, for the most part guards won’t leave too far from their base location; they can be snuck past. The winner of the match is who gets out of the club in the overall best condition.
Combat between players with the intent or foreseeable result of RETIREMENT is not recommended, though other types of interference are.
Additional Information: MARKOV’s current user is Emile Gulati, who has 233 physicals and 3 Bartending; Bartending gives Emile a thorough understanding of the layout of the club as well as preternatural skill in being able to throw around glass bottles or other similarly hefty items.
As for other NPCs besides the guards, the clubgoers have 222 physicals, Ignoring Any Chaos Around Them 5, and Mostly Irrelevant To The Match 4. Essentially they can act as a sort of cover in the dance floor, but besides hiding among them, don’t worry about anyone besides guards too much.

Team	Combatant	JoJolity
Gallery of Wayward Reverie	Markov	“Come on, what are you doing anyway? Calm down—got up on the wrong side of the bed or something?” Use a variety of tools, items, and tactics during your escape!
I.M.P.A.C.T.	Reese McGuffin	“What I have to do is look for the bone using my strings…” Use a variety of tools, items, and tactics during your escape!

Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!

Well I just finished the campaign of Homeworld 3 today and I have to say I am massively dissatisfied with the presented story. I feel utterly disappointed that after 20 years of waiting for a sequel to one of my favorite game franchises; we got something like this.
I feel like this game's story and narrative direction went in a direction that goes counter to the fundamental experience the first 2-3 games delivered that made them memorable so many decades after the fact. I honestly think it is the worst/weakest game of the franchise narratively speaking. All the other aspects of HW3 are fantastic. I 1000% understand what Rob and the rest of the folks at BBI were trying to accomplish here when they said the tech wasn't available 20 years ago with HW2. This game is beautiful and it shows. Visuals, Audio, ship design, UI, are fantastic. Gameplay and mechanical issues are fixable so I'm not going to fault them for that being a bit rough at launch.
I'll try to explain as best I can, but I'm not the best at fully expressing my thoughts out into text, so (BRING SAJUUK TO BEAR) with me.
For context, I've been in the Homeworld community for a LONG TIME. Since the Relicnews days. Not as long as Uber, Shin, or some of the other folks, but long enough to have made many friends from this community I still know to this day, and also I am one of the moderators on the HWU Discord server. So I have spent the better part of my entire life a part of this community in some way.
Here we go... (quote shameless stolen borrowed from The Way of Kings)

Journey Before Destination

The ancient code of the Knights Radiant says “journey before destination.” Some may call it a simple platitude, but it is far more. A journey will have pain and failure. It is not only the steps forward that we must accept. It is the stumbles. The trials. The knowledge that we will fail. That we will hurt those around us.
But if we stop, if we accept the person we are when we fall, the journey ends. That failure becomes our destination.

Why do people love HW1/HWC to this day? What about those games made them so well loved by the community that they are widely considered the de-facto games of the series when it comes to their story telling? But what about it was good that made it that way?
DanVanCrone wrote a fantastic piece on the old Relicnews forums that the entire forum base loved to referenced for many years of how heartfelt and masterful the story connected with its audience.
For me and many others. it was the experience of the story; the journey that took place within those games that gave us the player something to connect with; to relate with. The story of Homeworld presented a simple premise. A people on a planet who discovered their home was not their own. Their true home was out somewhere among the stars. The reasons how they got here or why lost to time and ancient memories turned to myth and legends. Their struggle to survive, their rise out of near extinction to climb into the heavens and stumble upon a lost secret that would transform their entire society in such a way that would drive them across the galaxy.
So we set out on this journey not as a third party viewing Commander Shepard do his thing, or as a specific character; but as someone who had their place right along side the entire Kharakian people as they set out to find their home. Sure we had Fleet Command/Intel, as they were voiced and spoke, but their agency as a character was done in such a way presented them moreso as proxies or acted as a voice for the entirety of the Kharakian (Kushan) people. Karan did have her own voice due to the nature of her linkage to the Mothership and so she had a sort of duality with her position. But both her and Fleet Intelligence were able to act as a means to deliver the emotions for moments of pain, grief, anger, sadness, revenge, hope and everything we experienced as we played the campaign.
We experienced the journey to Hiigara along with the entire crew of the Mothership. We had the welling of anger and sadness when Kharak burned. The anxiousness and anticipation at the Bridge of Sighs as we gained entry to the Hiigaran system. Panic, concern, worry as we fought to survive in orbit around our Homeworld.
The story of Homeworld was never about a character or about chasing 'a thing' but moreso the exploration and experience of an idea that resonated with everyone; to find your home. In doing so, the story unfolded naturally of uncovering the history of what happened in their past of how they came to be on Kharak, experiencing loss, exacting revenge, hope for the future and eventually tears of joy at the accomplishment that the did in fact find Hiigara. And we were there along the way as an active participant to experience all of it along the way as if we were there with them.
The glorious vistas of the galaxy as we jumped from mission to mission. We cried at the end NIS as we saw the epilogue of our journey. The lives lost from the conflict of the fight to gain our Homeworld. The awe and wonder of seeing a lush world to those who knew only endless sands, and especially when we saw Karan insisting that she be the last person to disembark and set foot on the Homeworld.
The agency we had as a player was not viewed through the lens of one person; but through the eyes of an entire people and the journey they took. The universe had enough backstory written within the manual to lay the foundational ground work just enough that you didn't need a lot of technical exposition dumps, or have to have things blatantly explained to you right to your face. So in a sense, you were like part of the crew going on the journey along with them, as part of them.

Homeworld Catacylsm

HWC worked much the same way within its own twist. For this game, the focus was much smaller in scope and placed you with the crew of the Kiith Somtaaw mining vessel.
Here HWC built upon the foundations that HW1 put in place with the lore of the Kiiths, the fallout of returning to Hiigara, and touched upon and provided interested world building elements about the universe. From the aspects of Kiith politics; and the explorations of galactic geopolitics resulting from the Return of the Kushan people.
It was an underdog tale and also one that mirrors and parallels aspects of a Hero's Journey. Only again the hero here is not a person but a group of people. The story aspect of The Beast acted as narrative driving force to drive those concepts of the growth and journey of the Kuun-Lan and her crew as they had that Hero's journey.
You fight alongside the Kuun-Lann, you feel and hear the fear in their voices of the ship engineers as they struggle to understand the Beast when it captures and subverts ships. The tension as the story progresses as the circumstances get more dire. The interactions with the Bentusi and seeing a culture so powerful be shook to their core was a fantastic element of exploring who the Bentusi were as a people. We saw the horrors of the Imperialist experiments and their alliance with the Beast. We got the the thrill of victory with the Siege cannon working as we fought back in the last mission. And lastly at the end of the epilogue sequence where the Somtaww fought, died, and earned their place among the great martial Kiith; the naming of their children as Beastslayers. Truly it was fantastic story telling under the guise of using science fiction and some space horror.
All of the gameplay, and the emotions come out as the story and narrative is experienced. Everything that is told within the game, works within the confines of the established lore of the game, and the prior game. Nothing is over explained, nothing is just hand-waved away. We saw them grow as a crew, saw their fear, stumbles falls, and triumphs along the way. All this while exploring and growing the established lore of the Homeworld universe.
In my view those two stories worked so well for so many people because fundamentally, they were a story of the Journey; not the destination. We lived through those experiences as if we were there with them; we experienced the ups and downs of the emotions of the stories told about the people and their growth within those stories. We were able to connect and relate to those experiences in our own way. And in my view, the ability to connect to those stories made them so fantastic.

“And so, does the destination matter? Or is it the path we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. Our callused feet, our backs strong from carrying the weight of our travels, our eyes open with the fresh delight of experiences lived.”

The Stumble

"What you saw belongs to you. A story doesn't live until it is imagined in someone's mind."
"What does the story mean, then?"
"It means what you want it to mean," Hoid said. "The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think , but to give you questions to think upon. Too often, we forget that.”

In my view Homeworld 2 is where things started to have problems.
Many of us in the community know of the development of Homeworld 2, its cancellation, its rushed story and development. However the story of HW2 mostly throws out the concepts mentioned before. While the story and gameplay is presented in the same way as the prior two games; in my view it fails to present the user a story and experience they can truly and fundamentally connect with and is more 'generic science fiction'.
The driving force of the story is some prophecy we've never seen or heard of before this game in any of the lore. And the main reason for all of it is the now retconned nature of the hyperspace cores. Throw on top of this heavy leaning into the religious themes and mysticism focusing on Karan and Makaan who now and take the stage as the primary protagonists and antagonists of the story.
The character motivations of the Makaan/Vaygr, Karan, and the Bentusi are in my view mostly shallow or very hollow to the point its basically cookie cutter tropes without a lot of nuance to it. The story becomes and is less about the people and more about a MacGuffin game of Hide and Seek. The prior exploration and expansion of the HW universe is entirely ignored in favor of this hide-and-seek of the cores that the entire game has driving it forward. There's no understanding of the growth of the world, of the Kushan people, geopolitics, or anything like that. Just lots of woo-woo mysticism about the Cores and the Progenitors.
With regards to the plot; we're mainly just told 'hey the bad guys are coming, keep the cores away and go find the others'. The Bentusi are unceremoniously killed off without any real build up or explanation. Why are they the last? What happened to them? None of that is explored in a way that gives us any sort of satisfying reason to why this makes sense when they detonate their Harbour Ship to give us their Magic Space Core.
To me there's no personal emotional connection to the story. Why should I care about a magic space prophecy I've never heard of until now? Why are the Vaygr the way they are? None of that is given time to breathe or has enough depth to make me care beyond superficially. The narrative doesn't make you feel less of an active participant in the journey you are going through, and makes you more of a passive viewer of a conflict that has little explanation as to why you should care or understand the importance of said driving forces. The reasons for getting to and through the the game feel rushed so much that the narrative doesn't have a lot of depth or time to breathe in my view.
While the backstory in the manual does give context to the pre-exile events and how it does relate to the events in game which helps with overall universe world building; it's done so in such a way that is retconning the fundamental established soft-rules of the universe that HW1 and HWC laid the ground work on which further compounds or allows the weak story of HW2 to take place, and undercuts the accomplishments of the Kushan people as I will explain shortly.

The Fall - Homeworld 3

However the worse crime is what was squandered with the ending of the HW2. The epilogue of Homeworld 2 put forth a massive chance for some incredible story options to take place with the opening of the Hyperspace Gate Network across the galaxy. A chance for exploring stories that can connect with the player on that personal level like HW1 and HWC and the explorations of what could be explored in this new open universe. What will the Hiigarans do now, what about the Taiidan, the other Inner Rim species, what now will the galaxy look like with the Bentusi gone, why were the gates closed in the first place?! So many fantastic ideas were possible with scopes as large or as small as possible. The discovery, exploration of the Homeworld Galaxy would have been tremendous.
Instead we got the story of Homeworld 3.
Now I don't want to be unnecessary harsh or mean to the writers or the team at BBI/Gearbox for the effort they put into the work for Homeworld 3. This game is a niche title and not anywhere near popular like COD, or Warcraft or Zelda. But to be frank, I really truly feel that y'all need to have some direct constructive criticism of this story's campaign. I don't know what the motivation was for putting this story together, or what was attempting to be told here, but whatever story you were trying to tell did not land well.
I backed this game on fig at the Admiral level, so I threw down hard for this and am truly grateful we got the game at all. I truly want BBI and Gearbox to take this to heart in a way this is not demeaning, but a cold bucket of water that I feel needs to be throw.
The best way I can succinctly put this is that the story of Homeworld 3 lacks the fundamental soul that made Homeworld 1 and Homeworld Cataclysm the absolutely best in the franchise. This game makes Homeworld 2's rushed narrative and slight stumbles look somehow not that bad by comparison. Those on the HWU discord know my passionate dislike of the overall story of HW2 and the retcons that introduced that were further compounded by HWDOK. The story of HW3 makes HW2 look polished and well thought out by comparison.
So I'll be straight with my gripes on this.

• More and worse of the same that came from Homeworld 2. Retcons of established lore, de-emphasizing and diminishment of the motivations of the persons and people's in the prior games. Putting the Progenitor hyperspace cores as the singular driving force of the entire franchise
  
• Everything is now about KARAN SJET. Karan saved the Kushan people. Karan lead the revenge against the Taiidan, Karan found the magic space cores. Karan opened the hyperspace gate network, Karan tries to stop the anomaly. Karan probably cured cancer and saved JFK from assassination for all I know.
  
• The compounding of the Progenitor hyperspace SpaceMagic and making Karan the primary protagonist of the series continues to massively undercut the accomplishments of the Kharakian people off at the knees. The entire back story of HW1 that details their struggle and clawing up the tech tree, the struggle to survive on the harsh conditions of Kharak, how the discovery of the Guidestone and the goal of Hiigara the singular unifying goal of reaching their lost Homeworld uniting their entire population. Everything the HW1 manual details and gloriously shows the accomplishments of their PEOPLE to get to where they were at the start of HW1. All of that is diminished because 'magic hyperspace core'. I could go on but you get the gist. (I won't get into the further compounding retcons of HWDOK, but this just furthers that same narrative direction.) In my view, the Homeworld series has and never been about a person, but the story and journey of a group or people whose plight or experience is something that can be emotionally and personally related to by anyone.
  
• Karan was only a small person out of her entire population and only ONE person of the entire crew of the mothership. She was not some messianic figure, but someone who sacrificed for her people. Now I get the messianic implications of that, but the first game was never about her.
  
• HW2 already crossed over the line of making the story about a person rather than about the people. HW3 takes that and makes it worse. Gone is a story about the Hiigaran people and how their place in the Inner Rim has taken hold a century after landing back home. No explaination of how the inner rim has changed since the gates opened. Nothing about the Galactic Council. Nothing about other species or factions.
  
• The world building of HW3 is basically non-existent or is very poorly done as compared to the last games. No real understanding of the world at large since the ending of the last game or how the events have unfolded and affected the universe as we have come to understand it. Unless you go on the HWU website to get some level of backstory to get an idea of what's going on leading into HW3, you'll have no idea what the hell is happening.
  
• The antagonist of HW3 makes the life-size cardboard cutout of Makaan win the Oscar for best actor in a science fiction video game. They are bad and lack any sort of depth at all as a character. They instead come off at worst as cringe at and best cliché trope-y bad. Throughout the entire campaign we have no idea how/why/what they are doing the things they are doing. Nothing is explained that makes any sense. They just monologue at us with some over the top badguy speeches without any real understanding of what they are after or what their motivations are. Seriously, the the cut scenes from Homeworld 1 with Emperor Riesstiu IV the Second or Makaan from HW2 had more narrative depth and in universe understanding of their motivations than the antagonist of HW3. I have seriously no idea how this Incarnate Queen got the power she did, or why she was doing what she was attempting. No reasons why beyond I AM BADGUY WITH ULTIMATE POWER. JOIN ME OR DIE. It was the equivalent of 'Somehow Palpatine has returned levels of bad. How did she get the Progenitor tech she did, how did she live as long as she does, how does she have magic hyperspace cores that let her go into the Magic Hyperspace Navigator Mind Realm?? No idea Something the OG Homeworld games did very well was of show don't tell, and telling just enough for it to make sense without having to go into crazy techno battle or massive mystical assumptions of how things worked. This is one of those moments I feel like it did the opposite of that. We're shown a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF, but have no way to reconcile it in game in a way that narratively makes sense or resonates with the playeuniverse.
  
• The massive in-universe violations of established lore regarding hyperspace. Holy shit this is so bad I don't even know how this came about. The Progenitor hyperspace cores and their special spacemagic look mostly normal by comparison. There is no lore or story elements that help explain how any of this is possible. It's never explained at all beyond 'it happened just go with it'. Absolutely nothing, nada, not a bit of information is explained or made attempts to understand at how the Incarnate Queen is using hyperspace as a weapon. The violation of the mass override safety interrupts or gravity blocking or interfering with hyperspace is never explained at all. Nothing to show how she is THROWING PLANETS AT OTHER PLANETS. This is the equivalent of the Holdo Manuver from 'The Force Awakens'; massively cool to see on screen; but holy shit this violates so many in-universe conventions of how FTL travel works that it fundamentally causes problems.
  
• MASSIVELY more leaning into the mysticism aspects and moreso science fantasy side of storytelling are done within this game than the prior four games. I am not sure on the motivations here, but I feel like it was done in such a way that that leaves much to be desired for HOW/WHY. I get that they may have been trying to lean more into the nature of the Unbound and how the Navigators of the mothership class vessels are connected to their ships and have a much more profound view of the universe (similar to what the Bentusi alluded to). But this just felt very out of place and didn't make a lot of sense to me why it was presented in this way. I feel like it could have been done better or in such a way that helped it link up better to the ideas of the Unbound, but this was not it.
  
• The way HW3 story plays feels like someone only had a cursory understanding of the Homeworld lore and just did their own thing with it irrespective of the established lore and world building that was previously done. Shutting down the gate network??? WHY. This just takes the ending of HW2 and throws all those chances I mentioned and just throws it in the trash.
  
• No explanation of why the Incarnate Queen thinks she can make a new race of Unbound?? Why is this important? Don't know! Why are Karan and Imogen somehow special and able to stop her within the Hyperspace Mental universe? No idea and it really pushes things way into Science fantasy.
  
• Imogen as a character I feel is 'okay'. I am not sure if its the relationships she has with the other characters in the game, or if its just the story as a whole doesn't give her a lot to work with. To me it feels like there some aspect of her story and character I feel is missing from the game. Again its probably my displeasure of the game focusing on individual characters instead of larger abstractions of people like the prior games before HW2.
  

Final Thoughts

Fundamentally I know this is a personal opinion of mine and not everyone will agree with it. That's fine, but for me I have so many issues with the story and many of the pillars that are supposed to hold it up that at a certain point I can only say that the story is for me very bad and goes against the grain of what the foundational games to me setup for the franchise. It does nothing to grow or expand the HW universe lore in any interesting ways. I say this as someone who's been in and grown up with the Homeworld community for the last 26 years.
Story-wise; it's disappointing, bland, and generic at the very least and doesn't live up to the GOAT levels of quality the originals of HW1 and HWC (and to an extent HW2) put forth; to being insultingly bad at worst. I don't mean this as an slight to the writing staff as I know that a LOT of the OG folks involved with the first games were involved, but I really feel like there was a misstep here. It plays well and the pacing is kinda faster than I'd have wanted within a Homeworld game. However the core story ideas that make up the game are poorly explained, weak, or are so counter the established lore that for me it doesn't hold up well. This is magnified by the antagonist motivations and actions being poorly explained which in turn doesn't give the story or world to grow in any meaningful way.
I honestly don't know where or how the path the franchise has taken can be corrected. In my personal opinion, its gone off in a direction that gave the first games their unique style that made them attractive in the first place. Without doing massive retcons to entirely course correct to bring the game to where I personally think would be more akin to the original games I don't know where they'll try to take the game. This recent game I feel it has pushed more into the generic bland science fantasy genre with this newest entry into the franchise; rather than taking the careful slow burn, grounded science fiction based abstract story approach that connects with a player on a deeply personal level.
For me, while may it may have the gameplay mechanics and RTS genre DNA of seasoned devs in the industry that have been involved with Homeworld and other games over the years, it lacks the soul that made the first games who they were and is Homeworld game in name only.
Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Hey everyone! Just in case you don’t remember or don’t know, let me give you a recap of the last entry. I was on the dark web watching gore vids as I do, saw that the cameraman was being a baby, complained, was forced to off an animal and now have to show the video of me doing that to a violent crazy. There was some stuff in between but that’s the gist. If you want the full context be my guest and click here.
I decided to stop being a pussy and go out into the living room. This guy had made the effort to gain my cousin’s trust enough to invite them over. Okay, maybe that wasn't the most impressive because he was a dumbass, but still. The point was that if they made the effort to do that, they probably wouldn't go serial killer mode on me while he was around. They could have shown up late at night like I expected, but they didn't, they wanted to blend in.
I walked in as they were starting a shitty action movie and sipping lean. Brick turned to me with surprise, drink.
“What you need?” he asked, already slouching.
“Nothing, I just wanted to hang out with you guys!” I tried to sound excited but it was hard to hide my pain.
An awkward silence filled the room as he contemplated if I was serious.
“Oh, alright, I don't know if you’ll like the movie we’re watching but you can join.”
I sat next to him for the first time in months and a few minutes into the movie with his commentary I started to miss when I was cleaning the cat’s corpse.
“Heh, this guy has zero brain cells! How does he not know that the dude with him is a spy?” he chuckled, and me and his friend looked straight at each other from across the couch.
His friend was quiet for the most part along with barely making a dent in their lean. Throwing out a few admittedly funny jokes and focusing on the film. It was a pretty normal night but I knew that wouldn't last long.
“That actress looks like a girl I dated back in New York. This Dominicana, we had a lot of good times, ended over petty shit though.” his friend pointed at the screen, chewing some cinnamon gummies. Shredding five of them in a matter of seconds with their sharp teeth.
“Woah dude, sorry, bet she was bad as…” Brick fell asleep mid-sentence.
I awkwardly eyed him to make sure that he was still alive.
His friend cranked up the volume on the TV and turned to me as the ads played.
“Not sure if you knew this but your brother can’t handle his purple.” they grinned, the screen reflecting in their brown eyes. The effects of lean had hit Brick like his namesake and he completely blacked out.
“Good thing his stubborn ass is set on proving he can.” they chuckled while getting up to close the blinds. They were exactly what I pictured when I heard their voice.
“Now show me the goods, kid, I want a peek before the rest of the crew sees it. I promise your bro won’t be getting up with how potent the shit is.”
I nodded as we went into my room and I pulled out my computer.
“Why didn't you spike his drink with something that would work faster?”I questioned while typing my password.
“If I did that then he’d get suspicious about why he passed out so suddenly. He’s not the brightest but he’s smart enough to know shit like that’s weird. It was best to let the syrup do the work for me.”
“Huh, surprised he has the cognitive skills for that.” I half-joked, putting on the video. The pressure was on, I was pretty sure I did a good job initially but watching it back I saw all the flaws. It was surreal seeing them nod their head and squint at sections like they were a teacher looking over a paper. Sure I reacted similarly but seeing it on another person’s face put it in perspective.
“So?”
They moved their tongue in their mouth and shook their head.
“Gonna be real, that was pretty basic.”
The color on my face flushed out as my semblance of a smile faded.
“I was gonna show it to my boys but I already know that they’ll turn this down.”
They got up, pulling two daggers out of their pockets.
“Wait are you serious man? Not even gonna give me a shot!” I put my hands up, subtly scooting further from them.
“Me giving you the chance to make this was you’re shot! So let’s get this over with, eye first.” they pointed with one of the blades, lunging at me. I rolled away and grabbed my bat from under my bed narrowly evading a stab.
“Oh come on!” I groaned with frustration, in truth, I was scared shitless but I would die before I let that show.
“Sorry, I refuse to waste anyone’s time, and don’t even THINK about running!” they screamed at me while putting one weapon in their mouth and pulling my hair. I swung my nail bat at their knee and they bit down, grabbing even more of my hair.
“You little shit!” they spat, slashing the arm I was holding my bat in. I bit my lip and breathed through my nose, still holding on. I smacked them in the legs twice, hoping the metal broke through their skin. They turned their head and spat one of the daggers out away from their face before falling to the floor. I kicked them in the side of the head and stood on their back. Raising it above them, it was going to hit when they slashed my heel.
I screamed, still bringing down the bat. They moved over and threw me off as I did, preventing it from slamming into their head. It was the most pain I’d felt and I held the urge to puke as I stood, swinging it into their stomach. They coughed and threw their sweaty beanie at my head. I gagged instantly as they ran at me like a bull, head-butting my torso. We fell to the floor as my bat rolled out of my hand. I panicked, trying to retrieve it, but they pulled me away from it with every attempt. Pulling themselves higher up on my body so my eyes met their neck and holding down both my arms. The handle of their blade, back in their mouth. With no other options, I kicked my legs beneath them. Kneeing them in the groin multiple times which they seemed to ignore.
“You asshole!” I growled, hating how small my voice was in comparison to theirs. I shouted but they placed a free hand over my mout and moved my dominant arm. I bit on their hand as they brought my thrashing limb closer to their face. I flailed it while doing everything I could to fight off their grip, but ultimately it didn't do shit. They stabbed right through my palm.
“FUCK!” I yelled, muffled by their skin.
My heart raced as the blood poured out and their face was inches from it, blade still in mouth. They removed the dagger from their mouth and pulled it from my hand with little regard.
“You know, I got some respect for the fight you put up,” they began with a tone that was strangely genuine. They remained on top of me but stopped holding down my now bleeding arm.
“Now, you are either gonna comply and let me kill you nicely, or I knock you out and take you somewhere where I can flay your skin.”
I nodded yes despite not wanting to.
“Good, now hold still-”
I tried to push myself up and they clicked their tongue, shoving me back down.
“I said hold still!” they reprimanded, bringing the knife closer to my face. I lashed more and they sunk part of their blade into my chest. At that point, I was seriously thinking I was going to die. In a final attempt, I strained against the pain and tried to grab my bat which they promptly threw from me. The fear of death overcame me as my heart raced faster than I knew it could. My eyes flickered and I thought back to how stupid I was for getting into this. I was sure I wasn't making it but the whole time I couldn't accept my death. I squirmed and screamed as the blade inched closer and they plunged their nails into the wound on my chest. Dodging each direct swing at my face until they used their bitten hand to clasp my face. Their grip on my jaw tightened, and they forced me to stare at them in their firey brown eyes. At that point, I was sure I was fucked. My movement settled as their blade made its way up to my eye. I was sure they’d stab me through one of my sockets, but they stopped. There was a long pause between us, only the sounds of the loud TV in the room audible.
They slowly looked at me up and down, gradually moving away. I was tempted to try to fight but I knew that was asking for death. They got off me, holding an arm out to help me up. The silence continued, but their irritated mumble made me hesitantly grab it.
“What are you-”
“Let me talk first,” they interrupted before I could ask.
“The video you made was pretty basic and it's clear you don’t have a lot of experience, but goddamn did you try.” they smiled, lifting me up. They walked back out to the living room. I limped behind them, suspicious of their positive attitude.
“Maybe you just caught me on a good day, but I think that someone like you shouldn't be taken this early.” they unzipped the bag they brought, taking out a medical kit.
“You remind me of myself when I was your age, a scrappy kid who’d seen way too much and got caught in shit as a result.” we walked into the bathroom, and they sat me on the closed toilet. Washing their hands before taking out some gauze. The whole situation was bizarre, seconds ago they tried to kill me, and now they were patching me up.
“Regardless, you shouldn't continue down this path. Take this as a warning, you will not be as lucky the next,” they cautioned applying rubbing alcohol. I winced as it dried up my injury.
“So, you're not killing me because I fought hard? I don’t get it, you kill people all the time, and some of them try to fight back.” I pointed out.
“That’s different, those victims are just that, victims, you are something more than that. To be honest, when I showed up didn't intend to kill you or propose a deal, I was hoping that being there at all would scare ya off, 'cause no kid should be watching murder.” They admitted, wrapping my hand.
“Unfortunately, you are even more stubborn, than your bro and I could tell that if I didn't do more you’d keep fucking around until you found out.”
It was believe what I was hearing.
“So this whole thing was your method to shooting me away?”
They nodded, grabbing a patch.
“Yeah, now do I have permission to pull up your shirt to patch the wound on your chest? Or do you think you can do it yourself and want me to turn around?”
I was surprised they were making an effort to accommodate me.
“Uh no it's fine, I don’t have anything there to hide. Even though I probably should.” I felt a bit embarrassed admitting that out loud.
“Hey don’t shit on yourself there is nothing wrong with how you look, besides I think you got more pressing problems than any body dysmorphia. Like, ya know, being a gore fiend.” their tone was light yet stern.
“Anyway, I hope this teaches you to stop getting involved. Something similar happened to me, and trust me the world doesn't need more people like myself.”
I was amazed at how they’d suddenly become so wise.
“Okay, I get the point of your painful PSA, but does that mean that you never intended to show the video?”
They pulled my shirt back down.
“I mean yeah,”
A smile slowly spread across my face and they furrowed their brow.
“Put that shit-eating grin away, I’m not taking you deeper down the rabbit hole.” They snarled, disinfecting my heel.
“Okay, well I guess I’ll just have to make another video and submit it elsewhere.”
They groaned, trashing the bloodied cotton ball.
“Have you learned nothing?” they grit their teeth, cutting more gauze.
“Look, I’ve been deep in for years. I know the danger, and I’m pretty shaken right now. But let’s be honest if you don't let me get involved under your supervision I’ll just go elsewhere”
I shrugged, I sounded dumb but I didn't care.
“Are you fucking kidding me! Kid, I could have killed you! That ass-whooping was me going easy on you!”
I sighed, trying to shift my bitch face to puppy eyes.
“I know the risks and as admittedly terrifying as it was, it was also exciting! Plus, if you help me train I could learn to better defend myself! Don’t you trust yourself over some random?”
Their face was cold but I could see the slightest sparks of warmth behind their eyes.
“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m agreeing to a dark web babysitting gig,” they muttered, wrapping my bandages.
“So, yes?!” I squealed with a bit too much excitement.
“Yes but if we’re doing this you gotta play by my rules. First, you work with my schedule. I drive you and control when you show up. If you can’t make it we got someone else who can do the job, but you can’t deal with this stuff without me.”
I found the first rule a little irritating but I knew I’d likely fuck up without them.
“Second, you can’t post any videos or photos of your work.”
I nodded, it was a given, though since they never said anything about writing about it… Well, here you are reading it you nosy freak.
“Lastly, under no circumstance are you to disobey me. We can disagree on things but if you go against me when I’m doing something for your good…”
They leaned in close and pulled my shirt.
“We will have an issue. Got it?”
“Yeah, I got it, now back up your breath smells like artificial sugar and red dye 40.” I winced as they pulled away.
“Whatever you look like you shower annually.” They snarled.
“Okay, I agree to your terms.” I held out my fist and we fist-bumped to seal the deal.
“Ight, I'm gonna head out now, check your DMs on our website, it’ll give ya more details.”
I tried to get up but my leg still hurt and I struggled to stand. They clicked their tongue and held out their arms.
“Need help?”
“Yeah, thanks to you dickhead.”
They scoffed and picked me up, placing me in my bed.
“Good luck getting better, you’ll probably need it.”
They tucked the blanket over me and left.
The next day I limped out of bed, to find that as expected, my brother left before I woke up. Though, for once, he cleaned up the trash from the night before. It was a weekend so I just spent my time recovering from my injury. Luckily the aid kit in our bathroom still had all its supplies so I was able to change out my bandages regularly. I reflected a lot on life and started to appreciate that I was still standing, well more like leaning but you get it. Being that close to death, while exhilarating looking back, also instilled a new sense of fear in me.
I had been surrounded by death for so long that I forgot how scary the concept of never coming back was. I’d seen it happen to others on such a regular basis it lost its meaning, but almost experiencing it put things in perspective. Hell, I didn't even go on any gore real or fictional the whole weekend. It was bizarre, it’s probably hard for people to understand what it felt like so I’ll use an analogy everyone should get. Not watching any visible death media for two days was like going without underwear. Technically you don’t need it and sometimes you even forget why it being gone matters, but then you move around in your jeans too much and you miss it. Is that probably not a fair comparison? Yeah, but whatever I think most can agree going commando leaves you uncomfortable, especially when you dwell on it.
When Monday rolled around I didn't want to go to school, but my brother would get a call and throw a fit if I ditched so I went. Wearing fingerless red gloves to hide the stab through my palm. Managing to remember to pack the sweater that Abdul let me borrow right before I left. I sat in my usual spot and left out one of my tees for him to sit on so he wouldn't have to make contact with whatever ungodly germs were there.
“Wait, are you being,” he paused as he took a seat on the spot I’d laid out for him.
“Considerate?” he feigned shock, setting down his backpack.
“Please, I’m just being decent enough to not give you a seat that’ll give you five diseases.”
He shrugged, running his hand through his loose curly hair.
“Still pretty sweet by your standards.”
I rolled my eyes, quickly shoving his sweater back into his arms.
“You can have your ugly not-Christmas sweater back.”
He chuckled, holding it out in front of him for a moment.
“Thanks, and while I don’t think it's ugly, I’ll let you hold onto it.”
He handed it back to me with a smile so warm I thought I’d pass out.
“Why? I can afford stuff.”
“It’s not about that, I just feel like letting you have it, the colors fit with the other stuff you wear. Plus, I know you DIY your clothes a lot and I think you could make it look cooler than I could.”
I looked at it, and then back at him. He was so damn sweet it made me internally panic. How could someone this nice be talking to me? I couldn't help but think back to how I got my ass kicked Friday but was now with the human version of honey.
“Hello?” he waved his hand in front of me, snapping me out of my frozen state.
“I am so lucky to be alive with you.” I blurted out with way less hesitation than I should have.
His expression shifted to one of confusion and concern. My eyes widened as I began to fold and put the sweater away.
“Wow, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable I just-”
“I’m lucky to be alive with you too.” he cut me off, stopping me dead in my tracks. We sat in silence for a second, both waiting for the other to say something.
“Listen, I know I’m the first person who’s given you a chance in a while. You’ve been an outcast at this school for as long as you’ve been here and even if you kinda do it on purpose it’s not fair to you.” he opened up, once again reading me as easily as a picture book.
“I know you're going through a lot you can’t explain and I’m not going to force that out of you.” he continued, leaning in a bit closer.
“But Utsidihi, I meant it when I said I want you as a friend, and if you haven't heard it today, your life matters. Anyone who gave you a fair chance would be happy you’re here.”
I went stiff, I had not expected to hear those words. Ever.
“Okay, seriously why are you being so damn nice.” I laughed cause I was scared that if I didn't I’d cry like a little bitch.
“You seemed pretty upset last time I saw you, and it didn't take me long today to see that you probably needed to hear that. I just care about you alright? It’s not deep.” He calmly explained, I held back some tears and zipped up my bag.
“Well, you were right.” I smiled, taking in the moment. It’s mushy and pathetic, I know, but I hadn't had someone tell me something like that in years. I know I sound like a fucking loser but hey it's the truth.
“Seriously though, thank you, Abdul. That means a lot to me.”
He nodded, and we moved on to something else after giving ourselves a moment to process. I felt my body relax the further we got into our conversation. Since the start of my physical recovery, I’d been on edge. Being with him calmed me down from my shoulders slumping to my overall state of mind. The rest of the day was pretty normal, apart from my Algebra teacher yelling at me for falling asleep in class. Hell, I didn't even watch any gore when I got home! I mean, the urge was there but suppressing it was easier than I first expected. I even went to bed at 10:30 which I rarely do. I started to wonder if this was what being a “normal” teenager was like. All the basic stuff in my life without the leering images of murder in my head and on my screen. It almost felt nice being average. Almost being the keyword.
The next day wasn't noteworthy, but the night was. I had a nightmare I hadn’t gotten in a while. I was seven years old again, my dad was driving me back from school, and my mom sat next to me in the back seat. They said they were proud of me for how good I’d been. I was back in my seven-year-old mindset so I didn't think that someone being proud of me was strange. I hugged my mom, closing my eyes. She wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“You’ll never leave me, right mama?” I asked her.
“Of course not, you are my baby.” her voice turned distressed, and I felt her shiver. I pulled away, opening my eyes despite knowing what was coming. She was there against the wall, stomach slashed open and braids cut off. I started screaming, running in search of my dad, and I found him in the same state.
“No!” I woke up sobbing, globs of tears running down my face. I felt like shit, shaking under my blanket. I held onto a stuffed toy I had, wishing there was someone there to hold it. The scariest part of the dream was that it wasn't just a dream, it was a memory. My parents did get slashed open in front of me when I was seven, and before it happened, I had to see them cut both their hair. I started running my fingers through the long side of my hair, it was meant to settle me but I just felt even shitter. They were the one death that truly meant something to me, not just because they were my first, but because they’re the only people I’ve truly loved.
My heart started racing, I just wanted the pain to go away. I wanted someone to tell me that as horrible as what I saw was, that it wasn't that bad. I mean people die all the time, sometimes they don’t deserve it, but sometimes they don’t. It would be great if there were just situations where it didn't matter. Where it was like a death scene in a movie, it means something but you can make it mean nothing to you. As I wished for that case where you could mindlessly witness death, I remember that it existed. Even brutal murders could mean nothing if you let them. Maybe they were still tragedies to some, but they wouldn't lead to sleepless nights.
“They do exist,” I muttered to myself under my breath, before turning on my laptop. It took me a second to mentally adjust to seeing gore again, for a few minutes it made me feel like a bigger piece of shit, but I soon remembered why it helped me. I know trivializing it is wrong, but if I didn't then how else was I supposed to live? I mean everyone does it, each second you live happily someone is suffering from a fate worse than death, but as a society, we accept that and focus on our lives. Why? Because if we did we’d never find joy in anything! After going through my favorite videos I started to feel better. My spirits lifted and my appreciation for guts and blood renewed, I decided to go back to the site that led me to the craziness of the last week. I noticed a notification in my chat box on the gore site my cousin’s friend found me on.
“Hey sorry it took a minute, we had to move locations. I’m giving you one more chance to back out of this cause I guarantee it’s gonna fuck you up more. I’d much rather you get some goddamn therapy than hang with me or any of the even weirder people here.”
I contemplated how to respond. The message was fresh which meant they’d likely respond soon. I thought about how pleasant it was to live kinda normally, hanging with Abdul and mainly worrying about grades. But then, I thought about how much I’d have to start unpacking if I wanted to go down the path of normalcy, and how it would be impossible without snatching on myself. I guess it's wrong to call myself damaged goods but if that was an accurate description for anyone it was me. Besides, this was an opportunity to live a life that so few did successfully! Being under the wing of someone who knew the ropes of this stuff! It would probably get me killed but it would at least be a more interesting ride than a long slow life of sinking into depression. Risk and excitement? Or regret and monotony? Yeah, I knew what to pick.
“I’m still interested, got a schedule?” I waited in bated breath for a few minutes, worrying I’d missed my shot, but they hit me back.
“Yeah, next Friday, I’m picking you up after you get home. Get some good rest till then, you’ll need it.”
My face lit up, was it scary? Hell yes! Was I excited FUCK YEAH! No matter what happened next, I knew it would make it worth the risk for the thrill alone.

Day 16: Dawning upon me

Ok, time for some final preparations. I decided the easiest one was to get ochette’s beasts. The first and most important one is the dark manta. This one is on the sea. It deals AOE dark damage and increases elemental attack. That’s very useful to help buff my party.
Anyways, I equipped more rare monster, along with evil ward on Osvald, and searched for it at night. After around 10 encounters, I got into an encounter with one.
I used Empoison with hikari and used provoke beasts with ochette to break with mahina. I used donate BP with Partitio on ochette and analyze with Osvald to check its HP (which was 5030).
Next turn, Partitio used darkest night without boosts to deal 1000 damage, Ochette used provoke beasts with mahina but it didn’t break because one of them didn’t hit a weakness, so hikari had to come in with elemental bomb to break it. It’s now at yellow HP, so I should be able to get it next turn.
I defend with everyone except ochette and then fully boost with capture and it was a 100% chance so I got it, replacing it with my old assassin bug. That thing was the first monster I caught but I literally never used it because I remembered beastly howl.
Anyways, now it’s time to go cait hunting. First I travelled back to tropuhapu to break into someone’s house with hikari and obtain some cait powder.
I then got the other cait powder by fast travelling to clockbank and doing the “my beloved Catherine” side quest, which was quite easy as all I needed to do was befriend the quest giver with ochette and go to the next screen.
I equipped both cait powders on Osvald, gave him evil ward and gave ochette more rare monsters. I then fast travelled over to crackridge and began looking for caits at night.
I did also get negotiate schedule on Partitio while looking for caits as it was taking awhile. It’s his first ex skill and I don’t know why I put it off for so long. It effectively gives him an extra turn and deletes the enemy’s turn for leaves, which we have plenty of.
Ok, uh, literally right after I got negotiate schedule I found the cait. I used darkest night with Partitio for 20 damage… and the kill. Come on! Ok, lesson learned, don’t damage it with Partitio.
Ok, it’s been about 30 encounters now with no caits. I decided to head back to the shrine to see if that somehow helps with my cait encounter rate.
Ok, after about 5 more encounters, I got one. Partitio fully boosts with his latent power to use negotiate schedule on the cait. Hikari uses lightning falls on the cait for 24 damage and the kill. Crap! Ok, I’m unequipping their elemental equipment.
Ok, it didn’t take too long to encounter another cait. Hikari uses lightning falls for 7 damage, knocking it to red health. Partitio then uses donate BP on ochette with 1 boost and Ochette fully boosts with capture at a 100% chance to get the cultured cait. I replace it with the treant and beat the rest of the monsters up.
That was a lot harder than I expected. I probably should have unequipped the elemental equipment earlier. Anyways, next up on my list is for hikari to get the learned skill vacant stare. It’s from an elderly lady in crackridge funnily enough, and it was very easy with compound formulae due to her low level. Vacant stare lowers elemental defence, so in a way it’s a more reliable beastly howl.
Anyways, I decided it was finally time for the conjurerer. The conjurerer has very useful skills and is a good job for Ochette as it gives the highest HP boost, in addition to a staff. It’s in Ku and I have to beat 5 bosses to get it. Luckily it isn’t consecutive, so I can actually fast travel and rest to restore my latent power.
I’m going into the tower with cleric throné, arcanist Osvald, armsmassti, and inventor hikari. Let’s do this.
The first trial was against Gken (that’s not a typo, that’s his really name). Castti was up first and used icicle for 3337 damage, hikari was next and used compound formulae for 3300 damage. Throné then used veil of darkness for 1845 damage and Osvald used elemental barrage for around 3000 damage.
Throné used veil of darkness again as Gken used fluid stance… which set up 5 reflects. Uh oh. Hikari used Empoison and Castti concocted a forget me do and a weed, removing the reflects and lowering his elemental attack. Osvald used analyze, revealing he has 16667 HP but no elemental weaknesses.
Hikari then fully boosted with vacant stare to lower his elemental defence for 4 turns. Gken used purple lightning which dealt 1000 damage and caused everyone except Castti to be knocked unconscious. What the heck? I thought this guy was easy. Castti then fully boosted with her latent power using a grape leaf, a cleansing leaf, a pomegranate leaf, a diffusing serum and a strengthen serum to heal and remove ailments.
Next turn, hikari used compound formulae at 2 boost for around 9200 damage. Gken then used cleave in 2 which hit and dealt some damage to hikari. Gken is now at red health, so throné fully boosted with darkest night for win with 14000 damage.
Onto trial 2 with the snake charmer, ichchadhari. Hikari was up first and used compound formulae for around 2800 damage but no shields. Throné used veil of darkness for 1651 damage and Castti uses icicle for 3106 damage. Osvald then used elemental barrage for around 3400 damage and knocked off 2 shields. It seems like it’s only weak to lightning.
The snake charmer then summoned her snake and locked her weaknesses, While missing a paralyzing fang on throné. Hikari used compound formulae for around 3000 damage, knocking a shield off the snake. Throné then used luminescence for around 1500 damage, knocking off a shield from the snake. Castti defended for later and Osvald used the one true magic 2 for 4600 damage and broke the snake.
Next turn, Castti fully boosted, using a plum leaf, a whimsical leaf, a pomegranate leaf, a diffusing serum and a strengthen serum to bring everyone up. Hikari then fully boosted with compound formulae for 10400 and killing the snake. Throné then used her latent power, using a fully boosted veil of darkness on the first for 6705 damage and the second with a 2 boost veil of darkness for 4900 damage. Osvald then fully boosted with his latent power, using the one true magic 2 for around 42000 damage and the win.
Ok, trial 3 with Tyran the seeker. Throné is up first and uses veil of darkness for 2177 damage and knocks off a shield. Hikari uses compound formulae for around 3400 damage and knocks off 2 shields. Osvald uses fire storm for 4000 damage and knocks off 2 shields, as Castti uses 2 darkdelions to knock off 2 shields for around 2500 damage.
Castti then uses another 2 darkdelions to break Tyran for around 3000 damage this time. Throné uses a plum basket to get everyone’s SP up, hikari uses critical scope for extra damage, and Osvald uses advanced magic on throné.
Next turn, Osvald fully boosts with his latent power using the one true magic 2 for 105000 damage and the win. To put that into perspective, that’s half of Vide’s phase one health. So yeah, that’s a lot.
Anyways, trial 4 is with Auðnvarg (I’ll call him Aardvark because that’s easier to spell). Anyways, throné is up first and uses veil of darkness for 1699 damage and his skull roller is killed. Osvald uses elemental barrage for around 3000 damage and knocks off 2 shields. Castti the concocts 2 lilies of light dealing around 2500 damage and knocking off 2 shields. Hikari then 1 boosts with elemental bomb, as I know I won’t break it before it acts if I don’t do it, to knock off 4 shields for around 2000 damage.
Throné then uses holy light for 2355 damage and the break on aardvark. Osvald then uses advanced magic on throné, just in case. Castti then uses icicle for 6153 damage and hikari uses critical scope.
Next turn, throné fully boosts with radiance for around 19000 damage. Hikari then uses vacent stare on aardvark to lower elemental defence, just so that I can see how much damage Osvald can do. Castti then uses icicle at full boost for 46600 damage, knocking it to red health. Osvald then fully boosts with his latent power, but unfortunately he’s too low on SP for the one true magic so he instead uses benediction for around 94000 damage and the kill on aardvark. Just imagine that with the one true magic. I get the feeling it’d do max damage.
Ok, final trial with priestess Hinoekargura. Osvald uses resentment to knock off 2 shields and deal 3600 damage. Throné uses veil of darkness for 2130 damage and another shield off. Hikari uses compound formulae for around 3000 damage and a shield off. Castti then uses 2 dark delions for 2400 damage and knocks off 2 shields.
Throné then uses darkest night for 2762 damage and the break. Osvald uses a medium plum on himself for some SP, hikari uses critical scope, and Castti uses icicle for 7405 damage.
Next turn, Osvald fully boosts with his latent power, using the one true magic for around 105000 damage, knocking her to yellow health. Throné then uses her latent power, fully boosting a darkest night for 21300 damage and using a veil of darkness for 4025 damage. Hikari then fully boosts with compound formulae for around 29000 damage. Castti then uses her latent power, using 4 bluster blooms and a strengthening serum for… 4 damage? What?
Hinoekargura uses conjure flames then attacks hikari for around 1300 fire damage. She then changes to her demon form. Osvald then uses elemental barrage for around 2500 damage, throné uses holy light for 2892 and a shield. Castti then uses 2 lilies of light for… 2 damage? What the heck is happening?! She has insane elemental attack. Hikari then uses empoison in hopes it somehow kills her.
Hinoekargura ends up killing everyone with a fiery dance. What the heck happened to castti’s concocts? She was dealing good damage in the previous fights and it’s not like the priestess has high elemental defence. Ok, let’s go in again for round 2.
First up for round 2 is throné, who uses darkest night for 2762 damage and a shield off. Osvald uses blizzard for 4000 damage and 2 shields off. Hikari then uses critical scope and Castti uses 2 darkdelions for 2 damage.
Throné uses her latent power, using darkest night twice for the break and around 7000 damage. Osvald then uses a medium plum on himself, castti uses icicle for 7400 damage and hikari uses vacant stare at 1 boost to lower her elemental defence for 2 turns.
Next turn, hikari one boosts with Empoison to set up poison for 4 turns, Osvald fully boosts with the one true magic 2 and his latent power for 15600 damage. Not max, but still a lot and it knocks her to red. Throné then fully boosts with darkest night for the win with 32000 damage.
Ok, that was an interesting fight. I’m still curious why the concocts dealt such low damage to her. I hope that doesn’t cause any problems. Anyways, I equip ochette with the conjurerer job and give her the bellowing baton. This will make her thunderbird a bit more potent (if she ever uses it).
I also get all of the conjurerer skills. This allows her to get SP saver (which is very useful for provoke beasts) and BP regeneration. This allows her to effectively spam provoke beasts. Throné unfortunately doesn’t have enough JP to get BP regeneration, so that’s a bit sad.
Anyways, I think it’s time for some of hikari’s other learned skills. Turns out, Plukk is actually weaker than the shield thief guy at only 5 challenge. I was able to beat them easily. Not in one turn like the elderly lady but it was still very easy with compound formulae, lightning falls, and elemental bottle.
This got me the learned skill “let’s end this” which I replaced with Hachimonjigiri, as it’s a sword skill and I can’t use it. Now all I have left in my preparations is shield thief and another monster. Shield thief is obviously very hard so I need a lot of jams.
I fast travelled back to cropdale and fought a villager with ochette. The specific villager I fought can drop refreshing jams 20% of the time. Someone told me about her last playthrough and she was very useful. She’s also quite weak at only a challenge of 1.
I fought her until I got 10 then went back to winterbloom to fight the shield thief guy. The first time I forgot the apothecary job. On the second attempt, I gave hikari the apothecary job along with alpione’s amulet and deal more damage in hopes of it turning the tides if things go south.
With the second attempt, I was able to win with Empoison and weak to poison, along with 5 refreshing jams. The extra damage from alpione’s didn’t help but the extra HP definitely did help a lot. I ended up replacing vacant stare with shield thief, as critical scope did effectively the same thing but better.
I also got SP saver on hikari, which will be extremely useful with shield thief and even compound formulae. With Melia’s amulet, hikari can effectively use his skills all day.
Anyways, the final thing I need is the light sentinel Mk.2, which is in the shrine of ulsterra. This will help break Vide’s final phase, where I can use multishine to break vide almost immediately.
The guard at the entrance was very easy and after several encounters I found it. Hikari used compound formulae which broke both the sentinels in the encounter. Agnea used elemental barrage killing one sentinel but lowering another’s HP to red. Perfect.
Next turn ochette was able to capture it with ease. I replaced the snow drake, as I feel like it not having a secondary effect is holding it back and I need multishine more.
I forgot one item, and it’s in merry hills near the entrance to the shrine of ulsterra funnily enough. It’s called the empowering necklace, and I give it to hikari to help him be a better supportive tank.
Anyways, so that’s all the errands I need to do for the dawn. I think now I’ll share my team’s set up as it probably won’t change much during the dawn. So here they are:
Throné- LV.50 Cleric

• Weapon(s): Heretic’s greatsword, Sunshadow staff
• Shield: crested great shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: blessed vestments
• Accessories: shadowsage necklace, eye of calamity
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Osvald- LV.50 arcanist

• Weapon(s): Battle tested staff
• Shield: Kite shield
• Head: Mermaid circlet
• Body: Mage’s robe
• Accessories: Stone of truth, fang of ferocity
• Support skills: Price of power, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Temenos- LV.50 Merchant

• Weapon(s): Hallowed rod
• Shield: Tattered sacred shield
• Head: Art of Disguise
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Laila’s amulet, librarian’s amulet
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Agnea- LV.50 Scholar

• Weapon(s): Mooneater, lost tribe’s staff
• Shield: Silver shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Mental belt, Blessing in disguise
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Agnea- LV.49 Scholar

• Weapon(s): Mooneater, lost tribe’s staff
• Shield: Silver shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Mental belt, Blessing in disguise
• Support skills: Elemental augmentation, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Partitio- LV.48 Thief

• Weapon(s): Fire starter, fire dragon’s glaive, moonfang, evening mist
• Shield: Spiked shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Mental belt, elemental augmentor
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, peak performance, a step ahead

Hikari- LV.50 Inventor

• Weapon(s): Eclipse edge, Well-worn pole, battle tested axe
• Shield: Silver shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Melia’s amulet, empowering necklace
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, SP saver, a step ahead

Castti- LV.49 Armsmaster

• Weapon(s): Guardian’s ice blade, tornado glaive, wind whisperer, frost axe, tornado bow, staff of carnage
• Shield: iron shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: mage’s robe
• Accessories: Elemental augmentor, mental belt
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, Deal more damage, Peak performance, a step ahead

Ochette- LV.50 Conjurerer

• Weapon(s): Double Tomahawk, shadow bow, bellowing baton
• Shield: Platinum shield
• Head: Ancient circlet
• Body: Sublime ornamental armour
• Accessories: Alpione’s amulet, protective necklace
• Support skills: Upgraded accessories, BP regeneration, SP saver, a step ahead

Now that that’s over with, it’s time to do the cross paths. All of them have no bosses, except for ochette’s and Castti’s. There are some fights in 2 of the second ones (Osvald and hikari’s) if something interesting happens, I’ll tell you about it. Otherwise, assume it went without much issue.
So something interesting happened during Temenos’ and throne’s chapter. In the cavern of the sun and moon, I encountered a chubby cait. Partitio was able to dispatch it with a staggering 198 damage. This still doesn’t get throné enough JP for BP regeneration. I need 12000 and I only have ~8000. Still though, it should be soon.
I forgot about the skill that Yomi gives you called Forlorn requiem. It’s an AOE ice attack that has a chance to sleep. I replace it with lightning falls, as it’s kinda not as good anymore. Plus forlorn requiem is also powered by the battle tested axe, so I shouldn’t be losing much power.
Anyways, next up is ochette and castti’s crosspath. This one is the only one with a true boss fight. I decided that I’m going in with armsmassti, conjurerer ochette, arcanist Osvald, and thief Partitio. Let’s do this.
First up against the creeping shadow is Castti who uses icicle for 2600 damage. Ochette then uses provoke beasts to summon 2 light sentinels and 1 cait, knocking off 4 shields and giving an additional 1 BP to all (perfect). Osvald uses elemental barrage, breaking it for 3400 damage. Partitio then 2 boosts with ember for 14500 damage. Next turn, Osvald fully boosts and uses his latent power with the one true magic 2 for the win with around 59000 damage. Nice.
Now all that’s left is the dawn. I restock up on materials for concoctions like grape leafs, plum leafs, pomegranate leafs, lilies of light, etc. Aswell as medium grapes and plums.
I think this is where I’ll end the session today. I save right in front of where the start of the Dawn will happen. I’m not entering right now because I might have missed a few things, Though I think it won’t really matter as Osvald and temenos are already pretty insane and I’ve prepared pretty darn well. Anyways have a great day/evening and stay safe.
Levels and subjobs at the end of the session:

• Cleric Throné: 52
• Arcanist Osvald: 50
• Merchant Temenos: 51
• Scholar Agnea: 51
• Thief Partitio: 50
• Inventor Hikari: 51
• Armsmaster Castti: 50
• Conjurerer Ochette: 50

The pair from nine were instantly laughed at by the carrers and the pairs from 4 and 7 causing Keith and particularly Winnow to embarrassingly walk further on. Keith embarked upon the chariot first before Winnow find Mayfair and Julia both from 12 chatting away with there mentor Harley Davidson victor of the 107th hunger games. WInnow soon befriended julia with the 2 bonding over there ridiculous outfits. Mayfair in particular found there conversation quite amusing before joining in. Harley seemed a little annoyed at his tributes lack of attention to what he was trying to tell his tributes but soon smiled before giving a knowing nod to junnius. However Keith remained rooted to the carriage apparently having his “Tough guy persona” wiped from his face as Silca put it. Junnius smirked before asking Keith if he “wanted to listen now?”
As Keith nodded Winnow soon returned as Frida did some final touch ups with the pair’s outfits. Pluto and Ariana were approached by London and Wyoming both from 6 marveling at the pairs outfits. Wyoming even gigled to herself before London complemented Pluto’s and Ariana’s outfits. He smiled before signing ‘thanks”
The boys soon signed to each other about there lives in there own districts London then asked the pair if they would be interested in a potential alliance, After Pluto looked back at Regina she nodded as Ariana and PLuto accepted this. London smiled before returning his loopy district partner back to there own horse carriage as Pluto and Ariana hopped back on there own carriage as the parade then begun.
After the usual fanfare for the carrers and the total contrast of outfits for the pair from 4 viewres seemed entranced with the pair from 5s garud themed outfits with Nico Anderson commentated that “A for effort at the title.” Pluto regaly waved to many audience members as they signed his name. Ariana looked at him before grinning signing “Sorry for the attuide I didnt mean the way I acted.’ Pluto smiled and nodded before taking her hand as they waved to the audience. Further down the parade line up the pairwere very embarrassed at there outfits with there faces of disgust being posted over future “captiol memes” on Golden 24. Still they did there best efforts in making a second impression as few captial citzens through roses and chocolates at the pair out of pure pity. As the parade came to an end president mcaine did his usual speech about the importance of panem before welcoming nico Anderson to the stage. He congratulated the stylists on a good job before crowning district 2 the title of Anderson fashions best dressed with there stunning stonemason inspired outfits.
The next day without to much fanfare from the night prior all mentors and brought there tributes to the training hall at percisly 10 am per usual. Head master Price gave his usual stern greeting before ‘reminding the tributes” about the consequences of tongfouleraly by turning on his taser as the training staff followed before dismissing the tributes to there own stations.
As per there argeement Ariana Pluto Wyoming and London practiced together mainly staying at the camouflage station for most of the first and second day until being ordered to practice at a different station. However when Ariana refused to a training staff member tasered her in the back before being removed from training for a day. Pluto turned to London before signing “She’s gonna get us killed before we even get into the arena.” London laughed before taking him to the toxilogical station as Wyoming somehow remained hidden in the camfolouage station until the end of the second day. When Apollo was shooing the tributes to the accesors room Wyoming jumped out at him causing Apollo to shreik before peacekeepers soon escorted Wyoming to the asscors room alone as most of the other tributes lauhjed.
As for Keith and Winnow Keith mainly practiced with Sailor from 4 at the trident station. However training staff had to break up a fight after Sailor after he angrily accused Keith of purposley distracting him after he coughed rather loudly after sailor missed his trident has it nearly projectiled back at him. Meanwhile Winow mainly stayed with Mayfair and Julia at the medic station watching Mayfair and Julia explain the basics of sowing a wound and cpr. At the end of the 2 days a rather angry training master price then escorted price to the training hall.
After the strong displays of the carrers and the mediocre displays of the outliers Pluto was welcomed in. As he was permitted an interpreter he signed that ‘he'd show his camouflage skills.” The game makers soon groaned before he also signed he’d “Like the lights off”. Curious sounds of intreigue went through out teh accors box as game maker monty allowed this as the assors room went dark. As his interpreter moved close to him as he begun his “camfoluage experties”. After 5 minutes the lights were turned on many of the assorcs were quiet suprised where the only spots that were seen was his white eyes. He then waved as the assecors appluaded. Ariana was welcomed in next unforeanutly for her knife display went poor as the game makers soon dismissed her,
Later on the line up Keith performed a rather decent sword display with poor accuracy. Winnow on the other hand bored the asscors with the typical toxical quiz.
As evening soon falled in the results were displayed on capital tv. WIth the usual good scores of the carrers Keith scored a 8 Pluto scored a 7 . London a 6 and Slip from 8 also scoring a 6 Winnow and Wyoming from 6 both scoring a 4 and at the bottom of the pack Ariana and Ignatia from 3 scoring a 3.
Regina was somewhat pleased with Pluto score but saractsicaly reminded Ariana that “Better scores more sponsors.” Ariana snarled back saying “Bite me im going to be dead in a few days anyway.” Regina grumbled to herself beofre Francis approached the pair with there uniforms for the interviews.
As Junnius he was pleased with both of his tributes scores awarding them with some captial cake before Frida quickly made her tributes interview outfits for her tributes as Junnius soon quizzed the 2 on “Propper interview edicate.”
Silca MOnty welcomed the excited capital audience regally waving and modeling her tropical dress consisting of real palm tree leaves and the top consisting of a light beige and to top it off Silca hair was dyed a light green making her a real life palm tree. After some comedic banterring session with the front audience members she welcomed in the carrers. After there successful interviews and the rather boring interviews from the pairs from3 and 4 Ariana was welcomed in. She walked dimly into the studious fashiong a silver gown with newly dyed silver hair. Even though this was Silca’s one of few years commentating she had to put on a strong face as she was unable to get any word to her as she was shouting obscenities at the capital and Silca in particular nearly tackled Ariana to the ground after she was shouting obscenities about the Monty family. After peace keepers escorted Ariana out Pluto was welcomed to the stage.
He was adorned in a silver suit with a light brown bountier and his reddish brown hair with her hair also dyed a crisp white. He was also allowed an interpreter she was adorned in a similar dress to Silca to commenterate the games. Pluto’s interview went rather dully at first but he soon “came out his shell’ before signing about how his district partner acted like a “Rotten brat’’ and how he’d “want to get the short holiday” done and over with as soon as possible. The audience was in a mix between jeers and cheers as Silca was pleased with the rather quick interview she then shooed the boy off the stage before continuing on. After the interview of Slip from 8 Winnow was welcomed to the stage. Winnow was adorned with a beige gown with corn themed embleshents littering her hair which had been put up into a bun.
Winnow gracefully chatted with Silca about every topic besides the games a fact that “Greatly surprised” many members of the audience. Even Silca tried her best to get a word in about the games Winnow would only talk louder completely erasing her graceful entrance. Soon the interview host shooed the girl of the stage before Keith was also welcomed in sporting the same scowl as Ariana had shown. He mainly insulted Silca through out his interview leading she and the audience to jeer Keith of the stage. After the easy interviews of the pairs from 10 11 12 and the and the popular interviews from the pair from 14 she happily welcomed her husband to the stage. As rapid cheers followed he kissed his wife before she rather “Akwardly” asked her husband for a hint on the arena. Game maker monty sniggered before surprisingly offering a small hint up. ‘An old game character from the time before spent most of his time on this beach trying to save a damsel in distress.’
Curious sounds of intrigue and shouts of “OOOOOOO” sounded as both husband and wife bowed as the audience cheered on. Back at the apartments both mentors seemed rather furious with there tributes Regina in particular became defeated after stopping an argument Ariana started with pluto.
The next day the tributes were given a breif breakfest before being flown to this years arena. This years arena’s outfits featured a light yellow tank top with a short sleeved over coat and shorts. Regina ultmaitley did not want to vist both of her tributes however Francis opted to vist Ariana which made Regina smile. Beofre Pluto got into his tube Regina smiled before signing “Stay out of trouble”. Pluto laughed before nodding as the pair had shock her hand Regina soon stooped him before saying “Love is the worse enemy of them all.” Pluto had become rather confused before he soon walked into his tube. As for Ariana she made on final attempt to escaping the games but Francis imedtlay swooped in and particularly yanked Ariana in her tube before he ordered peacekeepers to garud her tubes as ariana angrily bashed against her tube.
Unforeanutly for the pair from 9 Junnius did not vist them as Keith and Winnow nodded at each other the pair got dressed in there uniforms before being rose into the humid beachy arena.
This years games took place in Delfino Plaza
To many in the excited members in snow square this years arena was a reference to a very popular game from the time before known as “Super Mario Sunshine”. The corncopuia was below the shine sprite tower featuring mini knives swords and blow guns,. With a handful of foods in the heart of the corncopuia however tributes did not know this but these food items were highly vemnous. Outside the cornocpuia small boats were known to slowly go out to the islands that were connected to the arena. The first island featured a large mansion that featured many non venomous foods however every hour a large electric manta ray would regularly swim through the arena which would cause a near fatal electric shock if a tribute were to touch it. On the second island featured a bustling amusement park with rides that would cause a “Quick death” or “Nausea’ if these rides werent handled with care, Many yellow snapping turtles with green shells were also notted to freguent teh arena which these shells were called as “Koppas’ by SIlca.
Back in the main island featured many palm trees and buildings that also had many market places with more poisonous foods. Finally on top of the arena featured a large volcano that would reagulry pour only small amount of lava and “Unwanted Pests”. Such as many long raccoons with sharp teeth and walking bombs
Day 1
As the tributes rose into this years arena winnow imedtlay flagged down Julia from 12. She smiled dimmly pointed at the pair from 2 Marcus and Hera flagging the pair from 1 and surprisingly the pair from 4 as well. Keith was also flagged down by Mayfair from 12. Apparently realizing that the pairs district partners were friends Keith smirked before pointing at Slip from 8 walling loudly. However with the pair from 5 they were put next to each other as Ariana scowled as Pluto became relived seeing London and Wyoming from 6 giving them a careful nod, And as the gong trialed down to the final 10 seconds ariana begun shouting more verbal taunts resulting in many of the audience members to shout “Shut up”.
As the gong sounded the games finally begun. Surprisingly all 24 tributes barrled into the corncopuia building. Ariana darted in first with Wyoming soon following as London signed at Pluto to run in. He did this before pushing aside Slip from 8 as he was stabbed by Brock from 3 in the heart. Pluto soon grabbed a sword before being crashed into by the boy from 1 holding a dager to his throat. London shoutted out before unforenautly becoming the girl from ones target the 2 fighting very vicosuly . Thankfully for Pluto the boy from 1 was soon bashed into the wall by Arogrio from 11. He then got up before running away with Wyoming soon following him rapidly shouting “Come back there still in the hell bath.” Wyoming soon dashed after before being hit with a sword in the back by Hera from 2. Ariana soon grinned at seeing many of the knives before pocketing nearly every one of them resulting in Silca calling her “Selfish.” London gave a grim stare at Wyoming before grabbing Ariana’s hand running toward PLuto but in a diffrent direction nearly being hit with a knife by the furious girl from 1 who had been unable to save her district partner from Agorio. Keith then was the 14th tribute to dash in alongside Mayfair unforeanutly as the remaing tributes started to scatter Both Sailor and AnaMaria from 4 soon through there knives simtaneisouly into there backs as Julia and Winnow grimly looked on. However to avoid being the carrers next targets they only grabbed 2 knives before running away to the near by gondola as it brought them to island 2.
As the blood bath soon dyed out the 5 blood bath cannons sounded signfing the deaths of the boy from 1 Wyoming from 6 Slip from 8 Keith from 9 and Mayfair from 12. Pluto frantically ran into a near by market grabbing many fruits before running further away to the near by buildings climbing to the top of one curling up into a ball and looking concerningly out. However as Ariana and London soon came toward the building they soon yelped seeing PLuto standing toward the edge griping on for dear life. With a heavy effort London soon gripped onto Pluto’s body however as London successfully yanked Pluto down the 3 sat down in a disorganized heep. Ariana soon laughed before signing Pluto should “Not be such a wimp.”
Pluto snarrled back before tossing some fruit to Ariana. As she walked over and looked like she was about to eat some of it many viewers in snow square laughed hysterically with Silca recounting “She must be dnese.”
Before Ariana was about to eat the mango fruit a knife came whistling into Ariana’s shoulder. She winced as she saw Gerogio and Frida both from 10 hurling many near by koopas at the pair. However this idea soon back fired as the koopa Gerogio was holding chomped his hand he ket out a large yelp as Pluto soon barrled into Ariana removing the knife from her shoukder and throwing it into Frida’s heart, Her cannon soon sounded follwoing by his district partner. Ariana soon shouted “are you crazy!”. Pluto rolled his eyes before smiling as London fist bumped him.
The 3 of them soon surveyed the area nearly being found by the carrers however as London had grew hungry he grabbed a near by pineapple fruit. Beofre slicing it cleanly open. He soon was about to drink the liquids of this pinapple however Pluto angrily slapped London in the face. However as London soon was about to sign why he had just slapped him he brought a rather angry Ariana before dumping the liquid on her hand. As Ariana;s hand soon sweled PLuto signed “Put it in water youll be fine”. Ariana scowled as London laughed before signing back “Thanks.”
Pluto smiled before grinning as 2 sponsor gifts then flew down. Pluto smiled before opening his gift a blow gun with a hand ful of darts with a note attached saying “Keep that brat at an arms length” from R. He smiled dimmly before his eyes turned to a shade of suprise seeing Londons sponsor gift some morphine and an assorment of foods.
Pluto turned to London signing “You do this stuff?”
London nodded dully before saying “I have and still kinda do.”
Pluto dully looked forward before London asked “Something wrong.”
The boys did not say much for the next 10 minutes before Pluto signed “I knew someone who did those in the past.” Londons face whitened before pouring most of the context out as he smiled and nodded “ Pluto smiled however Viewers could see London’s face turned a grim shade of grey as he poured the remaining liquid into a near capsule before muttering to hismelf. Pluto soon tapped him on the shoulderi as the boys giggled seeing Ariana angrily fighting with some of the none violet koopas.
The boys soon helped Arianaout before cleaning her wound on her shoulder. Ariana gruffly walked in the other direction sleeping behind a near by palm tree. As Evening fell on the arena the boys soon rejoined there sleeping ally. With Pluto keeping watch for the night. As for Winnow and Julia they succesfuly ran aout the corncopuia fray hoping on the gondola. As the island arrived at the island they heard a sharp scream as Brock and Ignatia both from 3 went screaming in the opposite direction. As both of the girls looked on in horror as teh pair from 2 went running after them with knives at the ready. As Julia encouraged Winnow to hurry up before both girls screamed as the pair from 4 wet chassing after them.
Winnow soon hoped up toward the ferris wheel ride which had suprsingly been going slow. As she successfully boarded one of them Winnow soon shouted for Julia to hurry up. Foretanutly for the girl from 12 she successfully grabbed on to Winnows hand as the girls soon panted in exhaustion both the pair from 4 soon swore as the pair 2 and the girl from 1 angrily yelled at the pair for letting the outliars get away. However as Sailor shoutted at Marcus in particular for chassing down “The geeky brats” Marcus sighed before snapping Salior’s neck. As his cannon sounded Ana maria shoutted out in horror before she to had her neck snapped cleanly by the girl from 1. As 2 cannons sounded Winnow and Julia clinged on to each other for dear life as the carrers continued to search for them.
As the carrers soon gave up some viewers in snow square cheered as a sponsor gift soon flew in for the pair. Winnow and Julia smiled at the small feast that they were provided as they ate and talked about there own home lives with Winnow in particular being quiet surprised hearing about the recent changes that have happened in districts 12 that theyre mentor Harley Davidson had implemented.
As the girls fell asleep on the feris wheel horn of plently played featuring the 9 fallen tributes leaving 17 remaing.
Day 2
As the early morning sunrise entered the arena game maker monty made a live announcement to the arena. He congratulated the 17 remaining tributes on making it too the second day of the games before announcing that the tributes had 5 minutes to arrive at island 1 or 2 before the volcano woulf eurpt killing anyone in its way. As game maker monty signed off the remaining tributes stampeded to the near by gongdelas. Monica from 8 had been the first casuality to the event as the pair from3 enegerneered the walking bombs as Monica picked one up it exploded leaving nothing left.
Ariana Pluto and London soon darted out of there hiding spot as they imedtlay hopped on the gondola to island 1. However as the 3 painted in exhaustion Ashley and the boy from 7 hoped out at the pair with knives at the ready. Ariana soon shoved Pluto out of the way as she through her kife as it landed in the boy from 7s heart. As his cannon sounded Ashley caught London unspectedly off garud as she then threw her kinfe toward London’s head. Luckily fr London the knife only hit him in the lower adomen. Ariana soon charged into Ashley the 2 girls soon begun a viscous fist fight however as the volcano soon euerpted Ariana then got the upper hand pushing Ashley out of the gondola. As her cannon sounded Pluto imedtlay ran over to Lodon before taking out the knife from his adomen,
As London screamed out Pluto signed to him to “SHH”. However as another cannon sounded the three hid behind one of the walls for the time being. Silca explained to the captial audience that this was Daisy from 11 after she had a run in with the pair from 14 as they chased Daisy up into the volcano area as Hanah soon pushed the girl into the lava. As for the aliance of Winnow and Julia both girls stayed hidden on the ferris wheel as the reaming 3 carrers stayed below watching the ferris wheel intently.
As a suspenseful quiet soon crossed the arena and in snow square Julia gently climbed to the top of the box. As she quietly hoped out Winnow noticed before saying “The death pits down there and were 25ft in the air.”
Julia smiled before saying to “trust her”.
Winnow sighed before grabbing Julia’s hand. However unforeanytly for the girls the ferris wheel creaked rather loudly waking Hera. As she rubbed her eyes in a tired heep she alerted her other carrer allys as they begun hurling many of there weapons at the pair.
Winnow then looked back at Julia before pointing at Arogio from 11 who had about to attack Marcus. The girl from 1 soon noticed Arogio and shoutted in a rather horse tone that “he’d pay for killing her district partner.”

Arogio laughed and taunted the girl to try as the carrers soon changed there target to the boy from 11 allowing bith girls to make a mad dash to gongdela 1 with out the carrers noticing. Silca later recounted that “This year may be the werdist year in history.”
As Arogio’s cannon sounded the 2 outliar girls soon jumped off the ferris wheel only having a scraped knee between the both of them. After a short gomgdela ride they had arrived at the island. Due to it being noon and the captial being pleased with the amount of bloodshed teh tributes were allowed to have a rest “For now.”
Julia in particular was rather exhausted for the mormings events so the girls rested in the mansions first floor. The girls kept each other from boredoom by playing a popular childrens game called “Eye spy.” With most of there objects they wanted the other to look for being rather impoosible to find leaving both the girls laughing. However this laughter turned to horror as the manta ray soon mad her hourly appearnce as one cannon sounded.
After the run in the aliance of Ariana Pluto and London with the pair from 7 they imedtlay ran into the mansion and hid hwoever they triggered the next arena event.
As teh 3 went screaming they fell down into a casino room. However the three of them did not what was happening a ghostly voice soon eerily said. “Score 7777 and you’ll be free failure to do so one of you will be dead.”
As many casino machines popped up. PLuto imedtlay grabbed onto his blow gun and darts as London weakly rested on the ground as Ariana went to the near by cassino machine. As London begun to bleed out more Pluto screamed before trying to apply pressure on his friends wound however as London weakly grabbed onto Pluto before screamingas Ariana stabbed London in throat. Pluto screamed out before grabbing his blow gun and huffing 2 darts out. She soon signed and shouted that London would of been “Dead anyway.”
However Pluto then huffed into his blow gun as a dart when whistling into Ariana’s arm. She sighed before getting the 7777 number on the near by machine. As the ghost like figure nodded Ariana grinned before rather vindectively signing “You’’ll be London soon”. As the pair from 5 begun battling many citzens in the captial were shoutting at Pluto to win this “Fight” but unfroeanutly for him Ariana manged to steal the blow gun before pointing it over Pluto’s neck.
As Ariana held the blow gun to Pluto's neck, the tension in the room escalated. The citizens in the Capitol watched intently, their excitement palpable. Pluto's eyes darted around, searching for any possible escape route, but he found himself cornered with nowhere to go.
Suddenly, a loud alarm blared through the casino room, signaling the end of the event. The ghostly voice echoed once again, announcing that time was up and the game was over. Ariana hesitated for a moment, torn between her desire to eliminate Pluto and getting hell out of the casino.
Ariana then sighed in angry huff before helping PLuto up signing “Stop for now.”
However Pluto did not listen and continued teh fight as he held his knife to Ariana’s throat. Hwoever Ariana got the upper hand again as she then huffed into blow gun behind her as an dart flew into Plutos nose. He screamed out in pain before Ariana then blew another dart as it landed in Pluto’s heart.
His cannon sounded as many jeers sounded in snow square with Silca rolling her eyes saying “the girl will never change.”
The ghost soon pushered her back into the manison as Ariana returned to the dock of the island resting in a tired heep.
She then noticed Julia and Winnow making there way back to the main island. Another cannon sounded un the late evening signfing the death of Victente from 14 after he was betrayed by his own ally Hannah.
Julia kept watch as Winnow slept with Horn of plenty playing at midnight featuring the fallen tributes. Pluto from 5 London from 6 the pair from 7 monica from 8 the pair from 11 and Vicente from 14 leaving 8 tributes remaing.
Day 3
Ariana and Winnow awoke rather early making them the first 2 tributes to awake. Ariana in particular spent most of her time traversing the mansion becoming bored as she then tried to re enter the gambling room but she soon given blast area as she tried to open the shut door. She stood around in huff before quietly before rather suprisngly falling bacj to sleep in plain sight. As for the girls Julia smirked as Winnow had appeard to be talking in her sleep.
As she gently placed her hand through WInnow hair she woke up. Julia appokigezed before Winnow saying to “not worry.” As Julia’s face turned bright red Winnow laugehd As a some sponor gifts flew down for the pair they soon fell onto each other in amusment as 3 cannons osunded. This was proven to be the pair from 3. They were ambushed by teh carrers with Ignatia being able to throw a near by raccon at the girl from1 however. As the girls cannon sound the pair from 3 were then taken down by the pair from 2.
The girls soon opted to not move from there location as they rested in each others arms for the remainder of the day, Ariana on the other hand awoke from round 2 of her slumber before notcing one of the near by Koppas wandering near by. She then killed it as she then found a near bomb. After succesfuly diffused it she heard another cannon sound.
This was Marcus from 2 after Hera from 2 betrayed him on the second island while they were running as one of the near by rides when whistling into pair. Hera got to higher ground as she then pushed Marcus off the ride they were on resulting in a rather painful death for the boy from 2.
As Ariana returned to the corncopuia silca sighed in sacrastic manner saying she’d did not want to know what was going through the girls mind.
At midnight the fallen were shown dispkaying the portaits of the girl from 1 Marcus from 2 and both of the tributes from 3 leaving 4 tributes remaing. Hera from 2 Ariana from 5 Winnow from 9 and Julia from 12 remaing.
Day 4
In the early morning one cannon sounded. This was shown to the captial audience to be Hera from 2 after she fell into the shell trap set by Ariana from 5.
Game maker monty congratulated the final 3 tributes on making it to the finally before telling them they had 5 minutes to return to the coroncoupia towere before having there tracker denoated. As Julia and WInnow made there journey to the tower Winnow looked into Julia’s eyes as the gongdela arrived at the main island both of the girls took caution as they saw the sprite shine very brightly. Soon a voice was heard saying “Come closer.” Julia made the rather stupid desscion as she steeped on one of teh many shells that were put up in the corncopuia. Many of her supporters in snow square shoutted at her to walk back it was to late as she soon blasted into the air before landing rather on her back. Ariana laughed before huffing into her blow gun as an arrow flew into the barley conocius Julia’s throat. Her cannon sounded as WInnow looked on in horor.
She grinned saying “You look like you havent been (Alive enough).” Ariana barked out in laughter saying that “this was the time where she could be free from the pure horror room.”
WInnow imedtlay grabbed onto her remaing knife before dogding ,any of the darts ariana was blowing at her. However Ariana soon tackled Winnow to ground before a brutal fust fight took place. Many viewrs in snow square were shoutting at Winnow to get up. Rather surprisingly Ariana suddenly stopped. She looked up at Ariana before laughing horsely before throwing the turtle’s at Winnow.
Winnow sighed and then screamed “Stop throwing your toys at me there explodable.”
Ariana laughed before soon catching her breath in exhaustion shouting at her to come out.
As Winnow was no where to be found viewers in the captial sighed disparingly as many thought she had been exploded. But rather suprsingly Winnow had been right been Ariana before saying “Suprise”.
Ariana yelped as Winnow then hurled her knife into Ariana’s brain. Her cannon sounded imedtlay as Winnow smiled saying “Seeya physco.” As respectable appluse soundded game make rmonty crowned Winnow Fraiser of District 9 to be the victor of the 113th hunger games Winnow smiled before taking the peacekeepers hands as she was escorted out of the arena.
Winnow was delcared to have no major injuries in the arena before being brought to her victors interview with Silca Monty. Silca was adorned in a formal gown which resmbled a chinesse princess. A land that would be captured by the captial. Please see story 138 true history’s begings.
Winnow was also welcomed on with respctable appluse fashioning a heige gown with golden spirtes resmebling the corcnoupia littering the dress. Unforeanutly Winnow had been rather quiet during her victors interview leaving a rather uncomfortable silence within the studios however. Silca managed to gear the interview to a less depressing point by talking about Winnow’s time in the arena.
After going over her time in the arena Silca reavled her victors nickname to be teh sunshine shadow.
Winnow smilled saying she’d “take it.”

She then waved as the audience cheered respectively as Silca welcomed her husband Cyrus to the stage.
Many cheers soon sounded as game maker monty regarly waved at the audience before kissing his wife. She then turned on a complamtion of his past 5 years of game making. Even showing a video of Quintin Mahoney Herminia Gold Ezra Montario Amanda mils Belle Figoura and even Winnow congratulating him on a succesful 6 years of game making. Cyrus smiled before bowing as the capital crowd cheered on as Silca ended the interview there.
Winnow returned home to district 9 the follwoing day, She alledly refused to stay for even party many genrous captial lights had offered to her. However she would return once year to the captial for her suty as an mentor. However she was adorned as hero throught district 9 as she moved into the victors village with her mother and grandmother.
When she became an adult she married a baker named Donmic Tanzi as the pair married and had two kids unforeanutly one of them would be chosen for a later games. She was known to be not to much of an helpful mentor but liked when her tributes “Actually shown the strength she approved of” Leading to have some what of an better track record in the games.
And that is the end of story 113 I hope you all enjoyed . This was one of my longer tales but one of my favorites to write. But yep after 114th games the european chrocnicle files will be out. As this shows what happens with Panems eueropean allies;. So i hope you all have a wonderful morning noon or night or what ever time it is for you and as we always say. Panem today panem tomrow panem forever.

I had been hiking down the Appalachian Trail for over two weeks without issue on the day when the nightmare began. My friend, X, was by my side the entire time. It was, quite honestly, comforting to have someone who stood nearly six-and-a-half feet tall with me, especially during the long, dark nights when the howling of coyotes drew near. Black bears, too, were a constant presence in these dark mountains. As we got farther from towns and civilization, more ancient predators than human beings took over the land, stalking the night like creeping shadows.
For this trip, we both had bought as few supplies as possible. Included in our packs were MREs, two sleeping bags, some tarps and hammocks, some light clothing, and two pistols with a few boxes of ammo. We didn’t want to be too weighed down that we wouldn’t be able to move fast, after all. We would source water from the streams, waterfalls and lakes along the way and filter it using Lifestraws.
As the spring breeze blew past us, cooling the sweat on my face, I noticed the trail ahead of us weaving its way through thick swampland. The buzzing of flies and mosquitoes increased with every step. The green, fetid waters of the swamp bubbled constantly, as if it were whispering secrets to us.
“Ah, shit,” X said, glancing down the hill with his dark, serious eyes. His tanned skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat as he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Another swamp. I hate swamps. You know there’s going to be a million mosquitoes and flies down there.” I pulled out the map, squinting down at it. I ran my finger down the trail, seeing the mountains and valleys we had already passed.
“The trail shouldn’t be going through any swamps,” I said. “They’re supposed to be marked. There’s no ponds or anything around here.” And yet there very clearly was. Either we were in a different spot than I thought we were, or the map was outdated. The trail also grew thinner as we descended. The sharp branches of the bushes stuck out like greedy hands, grabbing at our backpacks and clothes as we pressed forward.
“Well, whatever,” X said gruffly, plowing ahead. Twigs cracked under his massive bulk. The thin branches hanging across the path snapped as he plowed forward. I let him go first, since he was significantly bigger than myself. It was like following in the path of a bull.
“The faster we move, the faster we’ll be through it. We don’t want to camp anywhere around here when it gets dark,” X continued, looking grim. “We’ll be eaten alive by bugs by sunrise. We need to make it to the other side of these boglands before we can stop for the night.”
“Yeah, and I could use some more water,” I said, shaking my mostly empty canteen. “I wouldn’t drink this shit no matter what we did to it. It probably has brain-eating parasites crawling in it.” I checked my watch, realizing that dusk was only a half hour away. We would have to move fast indeed, especially as we didn’t know the size of the swamp. I was not enthusiastic about hiking in the dark with the many steep trails and sharp rocks that covered the surrounding land. A single misstep could lead to a very long, bone-shattering fall.
To my increasing dismay, I realized that the trail we were on no longer had the characteristic white markings of the Appalachian Trail. I kept checking the trees for the past fifteen minutes, and I definitely hadn’t seen a single one. I couldn’t remember the last time we had passed one, but I had a creeping suspicion it had been at least a couple hours ago.
“I think we have a problem, man,” I whispered. “I don’t know how it possibly could have happened, but I think we’re on the wrong trail.”
“There’s not supposed to be any other trails around here,” X argued. “Check the map.”
“Then where’s the white blazes? There’s not supposed to be any boglands around here, either, yet we’re walking through the middle of one,” I said. He shook his head.
“Listen, Ben, there’s not going to be markers on the entire Appalachian Trail,” he said. “Just trust me. We’re on the right path. Sometimes forests change. Swamps take over spots where forests used to lay. Hell, the Sahara Desert has been expanding for thousands of years, just eating the forests and plains all around it. There used to be lions and savannah in Morocco, and now it’s all dead and dry.”
I felt doubtful, but I continued forwards, following closely behind X. Neither one of us had ever done the full Appalachian Trail, after all. I hoped he was right. I was not enthusiastic about backtracking two or three hours if he wasn’t.
I thought back closely on our travels during the last few hours, wondering where we could have gone wrong. The trail had been rather overgrown and rocky on the peak of the last mountain. There had been a beautiful view spanning hundreds of miles, looking far off into state forests and winding roads. I remembered seeing the white marker near the top, but after we had started descending, it disappeared. That must have been where we went wrong, if we did, indeed, go off-course. But I couldn’t be sure, and I didn’t tell X about my suspicions.
We finished descending a steep, rocky trail into a valley where the boglands really started. The trees ended in a massive semi-circle around the open swamp. Thick peat covered the entire surface of it like rotted, grayish-brown skin. I saw water snakes quietly disappearing into the stagnant water, leaving behind slowly expanding ripples.
“This is pretty cool,” I said, stopping for a moment at the bottom of the trail to admire the boglands. Our trail continued directly through the center of it, no more than a raised patch of black earth surrounded by green swampy water. I could hear the many insects chirping and flying before we even took a step forward. Though the spring air felt warm and I was covered in sweat, I still reached into my bag, taking out a windbreaker that would cover up my arms and neck to help with the bugs. X did the same.
“Let’s move fast,” he said, giving me a knowing look. He was a much faster hiker than myself. He seemed like a machine sometimes, tireless and single-minded. I had seen him hike over twenty miles in a single day without looking too bent out of shape. I gave him a faint half-smile, picking up my pace.
“You know what they used to say about the boglands?” I asked X. He shook his head.
“I don’t read books,” he said. “If I have time to sit down and read, then it means I have time to go out and do something actually fun. But I’m sure you know all about it.” I gave a short bark of laughter at his off-handed insult. It sounded far too loud echoing back to us through the creepy swamp. The last rays of sunlight were disappearing behind the mountains now. Soon, we would be plunged into darkness.
“Well, in ancient times, people thought the boglands a place where the walls of reality were thin, where the gods would come through. They used to bring their victims out to swamps during rituals, then they would slice their throats or strangle them and dump their bodies into the bogs as an offering to the gods. They also said that strange, shape-shifting creatures would appear, sometimes to deceive travelers, other times to help them,” I said. “But as for human sacrifices, the bogs preserve bodies like nothing else, except maybe tar pits. Archaeologists keep finding victims with slashed throats or shattered skulls buried underneath the peat.”
X was silent for a long moment as we continued walking along the raised patch of earth that formed the trail. We got farther and farther from the forests, until the swamp seemed like a fetid ocean, spanning out to the horizon in every direction.
“Do you think they used to do that kind of stuff around here?” X asked.
“Used to?” I exclaimed, laughing. “I’m sure some psychopaths still do. This is a good place to dump a body, after all. Who the hell wants to trek through the muck and the snakes and mosquitoes out here looking for corpses?”
“The FBI and the cops will do it,” he said, “if they think there’s something to find.” I was about to respond when an ear-splitting shriek echoed out all around us. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from at first. X’s tan skin seemed to go pale as he spun, glancing in every direction.
“What the fuck is that?!” he screamed over the deafening wailing. I didn’t believe in cryptids, but my anxious mind immediately offered up an image of a banshee, a woman with chalk-white skin and black eyes whose shrieking jaw unhinged like a snake’s.
“I’m turning around!” I yelled, pointing back for emphasis. “Dude, fuck this! We need to get out of this swamp!” But X was no longer listening. He was looking past me, his mouth open and his eyes wild. He started backpedaling and nearly fell into the swamp. Windmilling his arms crazily, he turned and sprinted away without a word.
I was afraid to look back. The screaming was getting louder by the second, shaking the air all around me in deafening, crashing waves of sound. I felt like my head would explode if it got any worse. Instinctively, I took off after X, but I glanced back for a single moment before I did. Something loomed there from a nightmare, standing as tall as the trees. It moved through the swamp like a snake, its body slithering through the stagnant green waters towards us. When it met my eyes, the screaming stopped. The abrupt silence seemed deafening. I could hear the fervent pounding of my heart in my ears.
The creature’s skin looked honeycombed and rough, almost like a wasp’s nest. The thousands of tiny holes covering its body constantly opened and closed like hungry mouths. Its arms were long tentacles ending in sharp points of bone in the shape of scythes. The tentacles undulated like serpents. Its legs, too, were no more than four tentacles that alternatively slithered and stepped forward.
Its flesh was the color of peat, a sickly grayish-brown, and the smell that emanated from it was rancid and stagnant, the essence of all boglands and swamps. I nearly gagged as I ran. The putrefying stench seemed to follow me like a shadow.
Ahead of me, X was fumbling in his backpack as he ran, trying to grab his pistol. I knew he had a Glock 21 in that bag, and I had my Sig Sauer in mine. I cursed myself for not keeping it holstered on my body, but I had never had to use it before and hadn’t seriously thought I would need it for this trip. He glanced back at me, his eyes widening in horror.
“It’s right behind you!” he yelled. “Get down!” He dropped his backpack, revealing the sleek, black pistol clenched tightly in his hand. I barely had time to comprehend his words when an immense pressure and numbness radiated through my back. My head snapped backwards as a meaty thud resonated all around me. I went flying forward, feeling as if I had been struck by a car. As I flew through the air, the pain in my back exploded in burning pulses. I felt the deep slice open up from the sharp blade of bone that had slashed me like a knife. I felt trickles of blood pour from the open wound, making my stained shirt cling to my body.
I landed hard on the raised black earth of the trail, a bone-jarring impact that knocked the air out of me. At that same moment, X opened fire, pressing the trigger over and over, emptying the magazine as fast as he could. Something splashed over me, going in my eyes and mouth and nose. I crawled forward, moaning, my head spinning. I wiped my forehead, seeing spatters of green blood squirming with dark, maggot-like creatures covering my arms and face. It clung to my fingers, thick and rancid. I felt stinging sensations as the tiny worms bit me over and over. My ears rang with a high-pitched whine from the gunshots.
X was running towards me now. I continued to crawl towards him, shell-shocked and whimpering, trying to wipe the eldritch blood off my skin. With a muscular arm, he reached down and pulled me up.
“Where’d it go?” I mumbled, stumbling forward on unsteady feet. X put an arm around my shoulders and helped support me.
“It slunk back into the swamp,” he said. “Jesus, you’re bleeding really bad, buddy. We’re going to need to take care of that as soon as we get away from this hellhole.” I felt the deep slices from the creature’s blade-like hands across my back. The fabric of my shirt clung tightly to the skin as fresh blood soaked it.
“This isn’t the trail, X,” I gasped. “We went the wrong way. We need to go back.” He nodded grimly.
“We’re heading back right now. I know it’s the wrong trail now, it definitely is, but it’s dark. The trails back up the mountains are steep and dangerous, and we’ve already been hiking all day. How much longer can we really go?” he asked. In reality, I had a feeling X could go for quite a bit longer. I was the weak link in the chain, and we both knew it.
X took out a small, LED flashlight from his backpack, shining it ahead of us on the dark path. Across the center of the black earth, there was an obstruction, something that hadn’t been there when we passed this way originally.
“Shit! Is that a person?” X said, slowing down. He focused the light on it. As my eyes adjusted, I gave a gasp of horror as I saw a rough sacrificial table looming there, waiting with a ready victim.
Laying on the bare wooden planks in the center of the trail was an elderly man wearing the garb of a hunter. He was gagged, a bloody rag shoved deep into his mouth. I felt a sense of revulsion and terror as I realized his hands and feet were nailed to the planks, as if he were being crucified laying down. His eyes rolled wildly, white and insane, like a horse with a broken leg. When he saw us approaching, he tried to say something through the gag, pulling hard against the nails that bit so viciously into his flesh. Fresh rivers of blood spurted from his wounds.
I had my pistol in my hands. X had taken a fresh magazine out by now, throwing the empty one back in his backpack. Trembling, he went first, his shaking hand moving the flashlight around wildly. Its bright rays bounced off the dead, half-rotted trees that grew out of the boglands, the clouds of mosquitoes and moths that circled us constantly.
“Oh my God... he's like the victim of a serial killer or something,” he whispered, running a trembling hand over his face. “It looks like someone has set that poor guy up to have his heart cut out, like some sort of Aztec ritual.” He glanced worriedly over at me. We had both stopped cold in our tracks, looking around for any sign of danger, but we only saw the old man writhing on his rough table of torture.
“We have to keep going forward,” I whispered. “That thing is behind us. I don’t think it’s dead. I’m not sure it can even die.”
“But what’s ahead of us?” he asked grimly. “That’s the real question, isn’t it?” Far off down the trail, I saw small pinpoints of flickering light. They drew closer. We raised our pistols, waiting for the new arrivals to show themselves.
Dozens of people dressed in black, silky robes holding lamps slowly ambled their way towards us. They had their heads bowed, like monks on a holy pilgrimage. They drew close to the sacrifice. The one in the lead held a long, curving dagger whose blade looked like it was made of some kind of red volcanic rock. Its strange silver handle glittered in his pale, thin hand. At the end, I saw it was sculpted into the shape of a human heart.
“Stop right there!” X screamed, stepping forward. “Don’t come any closer! We are armed, I’m warning you.” The people in the black robes didn’t appear to hear or care in the slightest. They continued slowly following their leader with the strange dagger, almost floating forward in a nonchalant manner. Their leader began chanting in some strange, ancient language. It reminded me of Tibetan or Sanskrit in a way, like the chanting of some Vajrayana monk high up in the Himalayas. But it had a sinister, hissing quality to the words. Something ancient and powerful resonated in every syllable.
I raised the pistol, firing blankly into the dark, cloudless sky above. The smell of gunsmoke and fetid rot hung thick in the air. The leader of the group looked at me with his large, glassy eyes. His face looked sunken and pale, almost like a starving child. He had shaved all of the hair on his head, even his eyebrows. His lips were extremely thin and bloodless in his chalk-white face.
For a long moment, we stood staring at each other, my pistol aimed at his chest. X also had his pistol raised, aimed at one of those standing behind him. But the robed man didn’t speak. He gave me a faint grin.
“Let the old man go,” I commanded, my voice sounding hoarse and weak. The swamp quickly swallowed up my words, until only the buzzing of mosquitoes remained.
“I am sorry, my son, but I cannot do that,” the leader said in a voice as cold as endless space. “If we do not feed Mowdoroth, it will never sleep. The swamps will continue to expand, eating more and more of the surrounding forests and towns, and Mowdoroth, driven insane by hunger, will take far more victims in the process.
“This job has been passed down to us from generation to generation, from big hand to small, for over four centuries. Only twice has Mowdoroth not been fed on the New Moon, and each time, entire settlements full of people were wiped off the face of the Earth as if they had never existed. On one, they just had time to carve the word ‘CROATAN’ before they were taken.
“Mowdoroth looks for the place where the nightmares grow. It breaks open the chest and finds the place where the silent screams start, deep down at the base of the heart. All of the nightmares are planted there, like tiny seeds scattered during childhood. Those that fell on good soil in that abyss produced a great crop, yielding a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. If you do not allow us to complete our holy mission, then you do it: cut open the man's chest and remove his beating heart. As it beats, squeeze it as hard as you can, and let all the blood drain onto the top of your head. Hold the heart above your head and close your eyes until the god appears and takes it.” The cult leader finished, looking at us with sparkling eyes, as if he had said something profound.
“This shit is just insane drivel,” X whispered in a voice as low as possible. “I say we open fire and save the old man now. Fuck these cultists.” I nodded grimly in agreement.
“You need to all turn around and leave immediately,” X yelled, stepping forward. “I will give you three seconds to turn around and get the hell out of my sight. Three…” At first, the cultists stood as still as statues, simply staring. Finally, the leader sighed and turned away. He shook his head, reminding me of a disappointed parent.
“I tried to warn you,” he said in his thin, quavering voice. “The time has come to give the offering. You must cut out this man’s heart and raise it to Mowdoroth, so he can get the seeds of nightmares freshly sown. The choice is yours now, as you have demanded this power with violence. You can leave this man here to be eaten by Mowdoroth, or free him and, in exchange, guarantee the deaths of hundreds of other people.”
With those last words, the black-robed figures continued down the curve of the trail. Within seconds, they had disappeared behind dead, half-rotted trees that still dotted the edges of the boglands. X and I ran forward toward the struggling old man. X reached into his pocket and pulled out a folding knife. He cut off the old man’s gag, pulling the spit-soaked chunk of filthy cloth out of his mouth. The old man spat and licked his dry lips.
“Get me out of here, please,” he whispered, his eyes rolling wildly. “Those cult members are all batshit insane. And there’s something not right in these swamps. I caught glimpses of something while I was waiting. There’s something in the water…”
“What’s your name, bud?” X said calmingly, looking at the old man’s hands and feet to try to decide how to best get the nails out without causing more damage.
“Winchester,” he said in a coarse voice. It sounded like he hadn’t had a drink of water in days. While X looked at his hands with the LED flashlight, I reached into my pack for the small canteen of filtered water I still had. I started pouring it into Winchester’s mouth. He gulped greedily, his throat working hard to drink down the rest of it.
“I got it!” X said, taking a flat stone he had found on the ground. “I’m going to try to pound these nails out from the bottom.”
“Oh, please, no,” Winchester said, his wrinkled face turning pale. X shook his head.
“We need to get you out of here,” he said. “It’s going to hurt, bud. But we don’t have any tools here. The nails are large, almost like railroad spikes, and once we get the top part, the bottom should slide out easily since it’s a lot narrower.” As he grabbed the rock to begin his work, a bone-chilling wailing started up again from the swamps. It was the scream of Mowdoroth, that abomination with the skin of a wasp’s nest.
“Cover us!” X yelled panickedly as he continued his grisly work. Winchester screamed in pain when X first struck the nail on his right hand. It shot up a fraction of an inch, fresh blood pooling all around it and dripping through the bare planks.
I turned, but the banshee wail seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. The swamp bubbled faster and faster all around us, as if thousands of corpses were coming back to life. I heard Winchester scream again, then the dull thud of another nail hitting the earth.
A face peeked out of the swamp, only twenty feet away. Its eyes were green, the color of a putrefying wound. Its lipless mouth opened wide, showing a spongy black mass of skin with concentric circles of tiny, razor-sharp teeth. It reminded me of the mouth of a lamprey.
I opened fire, shooting wildly at the face, aiming at the body hidden under the dark surface of the swamp. Luminescent drops of green blood exploded from a bullet hole in its upper right shoulder, floating across the surface of the water like radioactive waste.
Its screaming cut off instantly. All I could hear was the pounding of the rock behind me and Winchester’s pained, horrified pleas for mercy.
“Please, you’re hurting me!” he pleaded.
“Shut the fuck up, Winchester!” I whispered. “It’s here with us now.” With considerable effort, he did, only moaning and violently jerking his head now as the waves of pain ripped through him.
“I got it!” X said suddenly. A feeling of elation filled my heart.
“Let’s go then!” I yelled, turning to help the old man up. I heard something massive rise up behind us. It mixed with the sound of dripping water and babbling waves that arose from the disturbance.
Winchester was weak, stumbling up to his feet and nearly falling over immediately. Staggering, he took off down the trail with no shoes, but he immediately gave a curse of pain and tripped. X and I started running, and at that moment, I realized the flaw in our plan. We wouldn’t be able to get Winchester out of the swamp without carrying him, due to the extensive injuries to his feet. And I knew we didn’t have time.
Mowdoroth’s body stood as tall as the trees as it looked down at the three of us with its strange, infected eyes. Its tentacles undulated faster and faster, seeming to whip around its body until they flew out towards us.
“Run!” I screamed. X and I sprinted behind a cluster of dead trees hugging the path. The blade-like hand of Mowdoroth chopped them in a half, raining bone splinters down on our heads.
Winchester continued trying to crawl forward. Mowdoroth slithered behind him. Winchester looked up as a tentacle started coming down in his direction. He gave a short, panicked scream as the blade smashed through his back legs, chopping both of them off at the knees. The ground shook with the force of it. The stumps began spurting seemingly endless amounts of blood. Winchester pleaded and made incomprehensible gurgling sounds as he bled out. Mowdoroth ended Winchester’s cries when it wrapped his tentacle around Winchester’s torso and threw it into its open mouth.
X and I shot as fast as we could while running forward in the dark, trying to hold a flashlight and a pistol. Most of my shots missed Mowdoroth, but with a sense of satisfaction and pride, I saw a few burst through its enormous body. Streams of radioactive green blood ran down its torso now. As its slithering legs took it up on the trail, it gained speed, coming behind us like a runaway train. I could feel the ground shaking with every thud of its tentacled feet.
A few hundred feet ahead of us, I caught a glimpse of the cultists. They were hurrying away from the area, not running but moving much faster than they had come in. Nearly out of breath already and exhausted from hiking all day, I pointed forward.
“Look!” I screamed. X saw them, his eyes widening. We sprinted in a blind panic, as fast as we could towards the stragglers in the black robes. Without warning, X raised his pistol and fired, aiming at the nearest of them.
The figure in the back of the pack fell forward without making a sound. He continued trying to crawl forward weakly for a few moments before he lost energy and lay still, no more than a bleeding black hump on the dark earth.
X gave a sudden cry of pain next to me as a tentacle came down like a guillotine blade. I heard it whip through the air with a high-pitched whine. A single breath later, I watched in horror as it sliced off his right arm. X looked down at the spurting stump for a long moment, his tanned face turning as pale as bones. He stumbled forward, then, with a hoarse cry, he fell.
Following X’s lead, I raised my gun and started shooting the cultists. They sprinted away in a random panic as bodies fell ahead of us. I jumped over the black lumps on the ground, hearing Mowdoroth shake the world as it gave chase. A long, snake-like tentacle reached down, picking up X’s spurting body and raising it towards Mowdoroth’s leech-like mouth. The massive abomination slowed, picking up the bodies of the dead cultists and crushing them. I heard the bones shatter as the wet gore exploded around Mowdoroth’s many sharp teeth.
I saw the woods again, living trees just a few hundred feet away. The trail of black earth ended abruptly, leading out of the boglands. Cultists sprinted blindly through the forest in every direction, scattering like cockroaches. I had nearly reached the border of the forest when I heard something whizzing past my head. I ducked, but the blur of a grayish tentacle coming down sent a jolt of fear like electricity sizzling through my body.
A moment later, a cold agony covered my left hand. In shock, I looked down, realizing that the blade-like hand of Mowdoroth had neatly amputated all four of my fingers. If I hadn’t ducked, it would’ve probably gotten my head instead.
Stumbling and screaming, my mind in a blind panic, I stumbled through the intersection of the boglands and the forest, falling forward. I knew I was dead. I closed my eyes, waiting. Yet nothing happened.
When I looked back, I saw something strange. Mowdoroth had stopped at the end of the boglands. It tried to push its body forward towards me, but it couldn’t enter the forest.
I lay there for a long time. After a while, I heard Mowdoroth slink back into the fetid waters of the boglands. And then I was alone.
***
I wrapped my hand in bandages as much as I could, trying to stem the bleeding. I felt weak and sick from blood loss, so I lay there until the sun came up. The next day, I was able to slowly make my way out of the forest and back towards the nearest town.
Now I hear stories of people mysteriously going missing in the area. An entire family in a nearby farmhouse only a couple dozen miles away disappeared in the middle of the night without a trace, leaving only smeared trails of blood leading into the forest. No one saw anything, but these six victims were only the first in a long line of strange deaths. Oddly enough, all of the victims lived next to swamps.
And I have the feeling that I was the one responsible.