2008 ford edge recalls transmission
Our German car made the list.
2023.03.25 01:05 RocketshipMico Our German car made the list.
 | Do you guys think the RS falls into this category? I mean it is a German made car. submitted by RocketshipMico to FocusRS [link] [comments] Your thoughts? |
2023.03.25 01:04 Chronos-X4 The Mismeasure of (Hu)Man
Originally written for HFY.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the War Diaries of Xelik Am'Dussias, former Scientist of the Lukonian Empire, translated from Standard Basic into English by Dr. Geraldine Wilcox, PhD...
Humans. I believe the term and the species attached to it need no introduction. They really weren't much to look at over one-hundred cycles ago, when they achieved FTL travel and carved a modest niche for themselves amongst the galactic community at the time. Nobody paid much attention to them, as they were just another newly discovered sentient race graciously invited to join our ever expanding Federation... we were gravely mistaken.
Humans are bipedal mammalians evolved from apes. They have no claws, distill no venom or poison, their physical strength is middling bordering on average at best, and their lifespans are pitifully short compared to most other races. Given the right conditions, an average human can live over ninety standard Terran years. A handful among them have lived to see their hundredth year (fewer still have lived beyond that), but these are exceptions rather than the norm. Moreover, most humans are hopelessly tired and infirm by the time they reach old age. Several among them suffer from a degenerative disease wherein their brain gradually shrivels up and dies, leaving the patient as a barely recognizable husk of their former self. I believe their medics call it "Alzheimer's"... but I digress.
As I approach the one-thousand and twelfth year of my life, I've come to realize I've been gravely mistaken about a great many things. However, grievous as those mistakes were, none troubles me more than the one I made regarding humans. Now that I think about it, it was only fitting a human would show me the error of my ways, all while not having the foggiest idea of what he'd done.
I was stationed on Terra, the humans' homeworld, some twenty cycles ago. My race, the Ailurans, ever proud of our strength and battle prowess, sought to expand our territories beyond the so-called pittance the Galactic Federation originally allotted us. Therefore, our leaders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to take Terra for themselves.
This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing, either. We'd been sending ambassadors, exchange students, and countless others to conduct spywork on our behalf. We infiltrated the highest ranking positions of human leadership, gathered data as we prepared for that glorious day where we would stab them in the back, to borrow a Terran idiom. We took every advantage we could get over our hosts. Not that it was particularly difficult, either. They revealed a little too much about themselves, their species, their blood-soaked history...
Our quarry was basically doing our job for us. So much the better...
The day finally came. As per our strategists' estimations, we sent a fleet of about a hundred-thousand ships to invade Terra. Their weaponry being primitive compared to ours, we envisioned an easy victory, to say the least. Gods above, how quickly we were proven wrong.
The moment our ships entered Terran space, they were disabled by some sort of "magnetic" waves, to quote one of their scientists. In a matter of microseconds, the newest, most powerful warships of the Grand Lukonian Armada were rendered inert, useless, as dead as our revered ancestors.
We next received a transmission from their main outpost. I expected them to use English or any of the numberless languages Terrans speak. My fur stood on end when the speaker, a dark-skinned male, addressed us in crisp Thelousian.
"{Greetings, dear friends. What brings you to our doorstep on such a fine day?}."
I growled out loud. The cheek of that oversized ape! I was about to speak, but the human cut me off.
"{We've known about your little scheme for well over a century. Turns out you cat folk become quite chatty after a coupla drinks. Even so, your so-called spies didn't need much coaxing to participate in our little show-and-tell. Once more good old Nepeta cataria has saved the day. Anyhow, my superiors will soon be meeting with you to discuss your unconditional surrender. Have a nice day}."
End transmission. Too little, too late did we realize: just as we had infiltrated the humans and gathered data on them, the humans had done the same to us. Once they caught wind (another Terran expression) of what we were doing, they said nothing, continuing their preparations in utmost secrecy for well over a hundred Terran years. When the day of truth dawned, they only needed to press a couple of buttons to render our best war machines completely useless. The shame, the ignominy of it all...
We were swiftly and unceremoniously apprehended. I was but a breath away from falling down on my laser-sword when a gargantuan human hand forestalled my own. It was him: the human who had spoken to us. He looked bigger in person... much bigger. I'm tall for my species, yet he was only slightly shorter than me.
I vividly recollect what happened next. Once we were taken to their prison camps, I and mine braced ourselves for what was sure to follow: torture, starvation, forced labor, then execution once we had outlived our usefulness... yet none of that happened. The humans saw to it we were treated as guests, with the utmost kindness and consideration, quite remarkable, all things considered. They freely shared their victuals (not that we could partake of most of them, on account of all that sugar and capsaicin). Overtime, we came to emulate their dress, their customs, even their ways of thinking.
I will never forget as long as I live, just as I will never forget him: Anthony Kwesi Martin; the human who gave me back my life. Being what he called a "man of science," Anthony naturally gravitated towards one of his own, as he referred to me. I barely managed to subdue my outrage: that overgrown ape had the audacity to compare himself, his race, to me, to my own! He then did the unthinkable: he showed me around his workshop. Gods above, what a mess! One could barely walk from Point A to Point B without bumping into something or tripping over something. I stifled a chuckle in time. I'd seen cubs' quarters better organized than this.
Searching around the piles, Anthony produced several among his inventions. One in particular caught my eye.
"What is this strange liquid within that flask?"
"Oh, this? Experimental compound, work in progress. I'll tell you about the technical aspects later on, but suffice it to say it's gonna be a lifesaver."
"A lifesaver?"
"We humans have been terrible stewards for our blue planet, to put it mildly. Some of our ancestors were so thoughtless and greedy, I can only wonder how we managed to not wipe out ourselves and Earth in the process. They created materials from a substance called "plastic," which for all intents and purposes is imperishable, indestructible, even. They began to mass-produce and discard these objects without thought of consequence, so we found ourselves drowning in them in a matter of decades. We reached our breaking point some four centuries ago, when temperatures skyrocketed to such extent, we were literally suffocating within our own atmosphere. Also, some kind of pathogen was wreaking havoc at the time. I can't quite recall its name, but I know it started with C. Anyhow, we managed to clean up most of our mess before we reached the point of no return, but there's still a lot of work to be done. That substance I just showed you is an experimental acid. Once it's complete, it will eat through plastic, metal, wood, and other synthetic materials, dissolve them into their most basic compounds to better dispose of them. This is just a cursory explanation, mind you. I'll fill you in on the details after supper."
Thus it began. Rather than cease hostilities, our leaders declared all-out war against humanity. Billions of casualties and hundreds of thousands of ravaged worlds later, it has come to an end. The once mighty Lukonian Empire is now less than a husk of what it used to be. Not that I care: not really... not anymore. I and several others have long since sworn other allegiances.
I have Anthony to thank for that. I learned more during those seventy-odd years with him than in all the centuries before and since. How he would throw himself into his work! How he would explain the most complicated concepts in the most simple and accurate way possible so that pretty much anyone from a child to a sage could comprehend! The insights he would share, the ideas he would come up with! Even his fellow humans were in awe of him.
Anthony explained the source of this "power" quite succinctly. His brain was "wired" differently from most other humans: his intelligence and mental dexterity were at their peak, yet his ability to comprehend and act upon something called "social cues" was hampered. He called it a funny name... Asparagus Syndrome, if I'm not mistaken...
His body... gods in the twilight. I'll never know how Anthony carried out all that work and still found time to exercise so completely and so thoroughly. It's been centuries, and I can still recall the contours of his form lying in bed, the acrid smell of what humans call "aftershave," which clung to him after bathing.
I'm not ashamed to admit it: I fell in love with a human, a male, to top it off. I turned my back on my people, my gods, my house, my mate, my cubs, my station, my honor, all for the sake of him. Given the chance, I'd gladly do it all over again. You're welcome to pass judgement, condemn me, skewer me with every curse and foul epithet your language can concoct: I'm long past caring.
My dearest Anthony passed on over five-hundred Terran years ago, and I still think about him. To this day I imagine him explaining a concept I have yet to grasp, caressing my fur as we bask in our afterglow, my claws gliding over him as he falls asleep... again, I digress.
Anthony was special. No other human, no other being could imitate him, let alone replace him. He taught me to look beyond what my eyes could see, to open my heart and mind to the unthinkable, the impossible, the mirific. Through my beloved I learned what I esteem to be the most important lesson of my life: it's one thing to know of humans as a race or as groups, yet to know of one human like one knows oneself, that's something else entirely. I knew Anthony at his best, just as I knew him at his worst. After all this time, as my own death approaches and the day of our reunion nears, I still recall one of the first things he said to me:
"My race isn't easy to like, let alone love. There's centuries of history to vouch for that. Even so, expect bewilderment whenever you deal with me and my kind. The things we do and the things we say won't always be right, but they won't always be wrong, either. Hell, they won't even make sense most of the time, but we'll do them, we'll say them anyway. Every moment, every instance is a chance to grow, an opportunity to learn from, to do better, to be better. That has been my experience. I intend to make the most of it."
submitted by Chronos-X4 to humansarespaceorcs [link] [comments]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the War Diaries of Xelik Am'Dussias, former Scientist of the Lukonian Empire, translated from Standard Basic into English by Dr. Geraldine Wilcox, PhD...
Humans. I believe the term and the species attached to it need no introduction. They really weren't much to look at over one-hundred cycles ago, when they achieved FTL travel and carved a modest niche for themselves amongst the galactic community at the time. Nobody paid much attention to them, as they were just another newly discovered sentient race graciously invited to join our ever expanding Federation... we were gravely mistaken.
Humans are bipedal mammalians evolved from apes. They have no claws, distill no venom or poison, their physical strength is middling bordering on average at best, and their lifespans are pitifully short compared to most other races. Given the right conditions, an average human can live over ninety standard Terran years. A handful among them have lived to see their hundredth year (fewer still have lived beyond that), but these are exceptions rather than the norm. Moreover, most humans are hopelessly tired and infirm by the time they reach old age. Several among them suffer from a degenerative disease wherein their brain gradually shrivels up and dies, leaving the patient as a barely recognizable husk of their former self. I believe their medics call it "Alzheimer's"... but I digress.
As I approach the one-thousand and twelfth year of my life, I've come to realize I've been gravely mistaken about a great many things. However, grievous as those mistakes were, none troubles me more than the one I made regarding humans. Now that I think about it, it was only fitting a human would show me the error of my ways, all while not having the foggiest idea of what he'd done.
I was stationed on Terra, the humans' homeworld, some twenty cycles ago. My race, the Ailurans, ever proud of our strength and battle prowess, sought to expand our territories beyond the so-called pittance the Galactic Federation originally allotted us. Therefore, our leaders, in their infinite wisdom, decided to take Terra for themselves.
This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing, either. We'd been sending ambassadors, exchange students, and countless others to conduct spywork on our behalf. We infiltrated the highest ranking positions of human leadership, gathered data as we prepared for that glorious day where we would stab them in the back, to borrow a Terran idiom. We took every advantage we could get over our hosts. Not that it was particularly difficult, either. They revealed a little too much about themselves, their species, their blood-soaked history...
Our quarry was basically doing our job for us. So much the better...
The day finally came. As per our strategists' estimations, we sent a fleet of about a hundred-thousand ships to invade Terra. Their weaponry being primitive compared to ours, we envisioned an easy victory, to say the least. Gods above, how quickly we were proven wrong.
The moment our ships entered Terran space, they were disabled by some sort of "magnetic" waves, to quote one of their scientists. In a matter of microseconds, the newest, most powerful warships of the Grand Lukonian Armada were rendered inert, useless, as dead as our revered ancestors.
We next received a transmission from their main outpost. I expected them to use English or any of the numberless languages Terrans speak. My fur stood on end when the speaker, a dark-skinned male, addressed us in crisp Thelousian.
"{Greetings, dear friends. What brings you to our doorstep on such a fine day?}."
I growled out loud. The cheek of that oversized ape! I was about to speak, but the human cut me off.
"{We've known about your little scheme for well over a century. Turns out you cat folk become quite chatty after a coupla drinks. Even so, your so-called spies didn't need much coaxing to participate in our little show-and-tell. Once more good old Nepeta cataria has saved the day. Anyhow, my superiors will soon be meeting with you to discuss your unconditional surrender. Have a nice day}."
End transmission. Too little, too late did we realize: just as we had infiltrated the humans and gathered data on them, the humans had done the same to us. Once they caught wind (another Terran expression) of what we were doing, they said nothing, continuing their preparations in utmost secrecy for well over a hundred Terran years. When the day of truth dawned, they only needed to press a couple of buttons to render our best war machines completely useless. The shame, the ignominy of it all...
We were swiftly and unceremoniously apprehended. I was but a breath away from falling down on my laser-sword when a gargantuan human hand forestalled my own. It was him: the human who had spoken to us. He looked bigger in person... much bigger. I'm tall for my species, yet he was only slightly shorter than me.
I vividly recollect what happened next. Once we were taken to their prison camps, I and mine braced ourselves for what was sure to follow: torture, starvation, forced labor, then execution once we had outlived our usefulness... yet none of that happened. The humans saw to it we were treated as guests, with the utmost kindness and consideration, quite remarkable, all things considered. They freely shared their victuals (not that we could partake of most of them, on account of all that sugar and capsaicin). Overtime, we came to emulate their dress, their customs, even their ways of thinking.
I will never forget as long as I live, just as I will never forget him: Anthony Kwesi Martin; the human who gave me back my life. Being what he called a "man of science," Anthony naturally gravitated towards one of his own, as he referred to me. I barely managed to subdue my outrage: that overgrown ape had the audacity to compare himself, his race, to me, to my own! He then did the unthinkable: he showed me around his workshop. Gods above, what a mess! One could barely walk from Point A to Point B without bumping into something or tripping over something. I stifled a chuckle in time. I'd seen cubs' quarters better organized than this.
Searching around the piles, Anthony produced several among his inventions. One in particular caught my eye.
"What is this strange liquid within that flask?"
"Oh, this? Experimental compound, work in progress. I'll tell you about the technical aspects later on, but suffice it to say it's gonna be a lifesaver."
"A lifesaver?"
"We humans have been terrible stewards for our blue planet, to put it mildly. Some of our ancestors were so thoughtless and greedy, I can only wonder how we managed to not wipe out ourselves and Earth in the process. They created materials from a substance called "plastic," which for all intents and purposes is imperishable, indestructible, even. They began to mass-produce and discard these objects without thought of consequence, so we found ourselves drowning in them in a matter of decades. We reached our breaking point some four centuries ago, when temperatures skyrocketed to such extent, we were literally suffocating within our own atmosphere. Also, some kind of pathogen was wreaking havoc at the time. I can't quite recall its name, but I know it started with C. Anyhow, we managed to clean up most of our mess before we reached the point of no return, but there's still a lot of work to be done. That substance I just showed you is an experimental acid. Once it's complete, it will eat through plastic, metal, wood, and other synthetic materials, dissolve them into their most basic compounds to better dispose of them. This is just a cursory explanation, mind you. I'll fill you in on the details after supper."
Thus it began. Rather than cease hostilities, our leaders declared all-out war against humanity. Billions of casualties and hundreds of thousands of ravaged worlds later, it has come to an end. The once mighty Lukonian Empire is now less than a husk of what it used to be. Not that I care: not really... not anymore. I and several others have long since sworn other allegiances.
I have Anthony to thank for that. I learned more during those seventy-odd years with him than in all the centuries before and since. How he would throw himself into his work! How he would explain the most complicated concepts in the most simple and accurate way possible so that pretty much anyone from a child to a sage could comprehend! The insights he would share, the ideas he would come up with! Even his fellow humans were in awe of him.
Anthony explained the source of this "power" quite succinctly. His brain was "wired" differently from most other humans: his intelligence and mental dexterity were at their peak, yet his ability to comprehend and act upon something called "social cues" was hampered. He called it a funny name... Asparagus Syndrome, if I'm not mistaken...
His body... gods in the twilight. I'll never know how Anthony carried out all that work and still found time to exercise so completely and so thoroughly. It's been centuries, and I can still recall the contours of his form lying in bed, the acrid smell of what humans call "aftershave," which clung to him after bathing.
I'm not ashamed to admit it: I fell in love with a human, a male, to top it off. I turned my back on my people, my gods, my house, my mate, my cubs, my station, my honor, all for the sake of him. Given the chance, I'd gladly do it all over again. You're welcome to pass judgement, condemn me, skewer me with every curse and foul epithet your language can concoct: I'm long past caring.
My dearest Anthony passed on over five-hundred Terran years ago, and I still think about him. To this day I imagine him explaining a concept I have yet to grasp, caressing my fur as we bask in our afterglow, my claws gliding over him as he falls asleep... again, I digress.
Anthony was special. No other human, no other being could imitate him, let alone replace him. He taught me to look beyond what my eyes could see, to open my heart and mind to the unthinkable, the impossible, the mirific. Through my beloved I learned what I esteem to be the most important lesson of my life: it's one thing to know of humans as a race or as groups, yet to know of one human like one knows oneself, that's something else entirely. I knew Anthony at his best, just as I knew him at his worst. After all this time, as my own death approaches and the day of our reunion nears, I still recall one of the first things he said to me:
"My race isn't easy to like, let alone love. There's centuries of history to vouch for that. Even so, expect bewilderment whenever you deal with me and my kind. The things we do and the things we say won't always be right, but they won't always be wrong, either. Hell, they won't even make sense most of the time, but we'll do them, we'll say them anyway. Every moment, every instance is a chance to grow, an opportunity to learn from, to do better, to be better. That has been my experience. I intend to make the most of it."
2023.03.25 00:52 Cobiuss My Presidential Voting History, with and without hindsight
Format: Vote W/out Hindsight / Vote with hindsight (only if different)
1796: Thomas Jefferson
1800: Thomas Jefferson
1804: Thomas Jefferson
1808: James Madison
1812: James Madison
1816: James Monroe
1820: James Monroe
1824: Henry Clay
1828: Andrew Jackson (maybe) / John Quincy Adams
1832: Henry Clay
1836: William Henry Harrison
1840: William Henry Harrison
1844: Henry Clay / James K. Polk (maybe)
1848: Zachary Taylor
1852: Winfield Scott
1856: John C. Fremont
1860: Abraham Lincoln
1864: Abraham Lincoln (write in Frederick Douglass as VP)
1868: Ulysses S. Grant
1872: Ulysses S. Grant
1876: Rutherford B. Hayes
1880: James A. Garfield
1884: James G. Blaine
1888: Benjamin Harrison
1892: Benjamin Harrison
1896: William McKinley
1900: William McKinley
1904: Theodore Roosevelt
1908: William H. Taft
1912: Theodore Roosevelt
1916: Charles E. Hughes
1920: Warren Harding
1924: Calvin Coolidge
1928: Herbert Hoover
1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt / Herbert Hoover (maybe)
1936: Alf Landon
1940: Windell Wilkie
1944: Thomas Dewey
1948: Thomas Dewey
1952: Dwight Eisenhower
1956: Dwight Eisenhower
1960: Richard Nixon (Would be tough decision though)
1964: Margaret Chase Smith with Nelson Rockefeller as VP (Write In)
1968: Richard Nixon (Rockefeller in Primary)
1972: Richard Nixon
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: Ronald Reagan
1988: George H.W Bush (write in Lynn M. Martin as VP)
1992: Ross Perot
1996: Bob Dole
2000: George W. Bush (write in Colin Powell as VP) (Supported McCain in Primary)
2004: George W. Bush
2008: John McCain (Close)
2012: Ron Paul
2016: Donald J. Trump
2020: Donald J. Trump
2024: The Republican Nominee. Currently hoping for a DeSantis/Haley Ticket.
As you can see, I'm a pretty hard Republican loyalist. I'm not even super far right or anything. I just think most of the conservative-aligned nominees have been pretty decent.
submitted by Cobiuss to AngryObservation [link] [comments]
1796: Thomas Jefferson
1800: Thomas Jefferson
1804: Thomas Jefferson
1808: James Madison
1812: James Madison
1816: James Monroe
1820: James Monroe
1824: Henry Clay
1828: Andrew Jackson (maybe) / John Quincy Adams
1832: Henry Clay
1836: William Henry Harrison
1840: William Henry Harrison
1844: Henry Clay / James K. Polk (maybe)
1848: Zachary Taylor
1852: Winfield Scott
1856: John C. Fremont
1860: Abraham Lincoln
1864: Abraham Lincoln (write in Frederick Douglass as VP)
1868: Ulysses S. Grant
1872: Ulysses S. Grant
1876: Rutherford B. Hayes
1880: James A. Garfield
1884: James G. Blaine
1888: Benjamin Harrison
1892: Benjamin Harrison
1896: William McKinley
1900: William McKinley
1904: Theodore Roosevelt
1908: William H. Taft
1912: Theodore Roosevelt
1916: Charles E. Hughes
1920: Warren Harding
1924: Calvin Coolidge
1928: Herbert Hoover
1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt / Herbert Hoover (maybe)
1936: Alf Landon
1940: Windell Wilkie
1944: Thomas Dewey
1948: Thomas Dewey
1952: Dwight Eisenhower
1956: Dwight Eisenhower
1960: Richard Nixon (Would be tough decision though)
1964: Margaret Chase Smith with Nelson Rockefeller as VP (Write In)
1968: Richard Nixon (Rockefeller in Primary)
1972: Richard Nixon
1976: Gerald Ford
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: Ronald Reagan
1988: George H.W Bush (write in Lynn M. Martin as VP)
1992: Ross Perot
1996: Bob Dole
2000: George W. Bush (write in Colin Powell as VP) (Supported McCain in Primary)
2004: George W. Bush
2008: John McCain (Close)
2012: Ron Paul
2016: Donald J. Trump
2020: Donald J. Trump
2024: The Republican Nominee. Currently hoping for a DeSantis/Haley Ticket.
As you can see, I'm a pretty hard Republican loyalist. I'm not even super far right or anything. I just think most of the conservative-aligned nominees have been pretty decent.
2023.03.25 00:49 PunkiesBoner Is it possible/feasible to case harden the outer edge of a repurposed disc brake rotor?
I'm building a motorized rotary shear with the purpose of taking recycled plastic and turning it into smaller pieces of recycled plastic that can fit into the shredder. The rotary shear blades themselves are standard cast iron disc brake rotors. I thought I might be able to leave the edges of the rotors square, like I found them, but I'm not getting the cutting action that I need so I am putting a 10 degree bevel on the upper rotor.
Since I'm just going to be cutting plastic with it , I didn't put much thought into the hardness of the brake rotors, other than vaguely kind of assumed that since cast iron is brittle, it is also pretty hard. It was probably a powder day when they covered this in my mechanics of materials class years ago, but no worries - I have been totally disabused of this notion as a result of this project.
I'm kind of stuck on brake rotors because I'm using hubs off of a Ford Ranger I think , to turn them . So I've got my eyes out for some used carbon steel brake rotors, which aren't super common I'm finding, but in the meantime I'm wondering if I can Harden the edges of the cast iron ones that I have now.
I considered just going around the Cutting Edge a couple times with 7018 welding rod, but based on what I've read that doesn't seem like a super good idea. Is there a welding rod suitable for cast iron that will give me strengths similar to that of carbon steel? Is there some other process that is within the reach of an enthusiastic, but often fatally optimistic civil engineer / construction manager that mostly checks emails and makes spreadsheets for a living?
I don't have a forge but I do have an oxy acetylene torch, and a laser thermometer that goes up to almost 3,000°
submitted by PunkiesBoner to metallurgy [link] [comments]
Since I'm just going to be cutting plastic with it , I didn't put much thought into the hardness of the brake rotors, other than vaguely kind of assumed that since cast iron is brittle, it is also pretty hard. It was probably a powder day when they covered this in my mechanics of materials class years ago, but no worries - I have been totally disabused of this notion as a result of this project.
I'm kind of stuck on brake rotors because I'm using hubs off of a Ford Ranger I think , to turn them . So I've got my eyes out for some used carbon steel brake rotors, which aren't super common I'm finding, but in the meantime I'm wondering if I can Harden the edges of the cast iron ones that I have now.
I considered just going around the Cutting Edge a couple times with 7018 welding rod, but based on what I've read that doesn't seem like a super good idea. Is there a welding rod suitable for cast iron that will give me strengths similar to that of carbon steel? Is there some other process that is within the reach of an enthusiastic, but often fatally optimistic civil engineer / construction manager that mostly checks emails and makes spreadsheets for a living?
I don't have a forge but I do have an oxy acetylene torch, and a laser thermometer that goes up to almost 3,000°
2023.03.25 00:46 MathematicianAway705 Wrestle Mania 39!!!
Women's Tag
Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai vs Becky Lynch (c) and Lita (c)
(6:00)
Bray Wyatt vs Big E Langston
(7:00)
Raw Women's
Asuka vs Bianca Belair (c)
(11:00)
Brock Lesnar vs Omos
(10:00)
Bayley vs Trish Stratus
(11:00)
Intercontinental
Sheamus vs Gunther (c)
(15:00)
Drew Mc Intyre vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
(8:00)
United States
John Cena vs Austin Theory (c)
(14:00)
Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (with Valhalla)
(13:00)
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey vs Ava Rain and Elektra Lopez vs Chelsea Green and Maxxine Dupri
(11:00)
Undisputed WWE Raw/Smackdown Tag
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs The Uso's (c)
(16:00)
Hell in a Cell
Finn Balor vs Edge
(18:00)
Smackdown Women's
Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (c)
(6:00)
Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio
(12:00)
Undisputed WWE Universal
Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns (c) vs Seth Rollins vs Logan Paul vs Bobby Lashley
(22:00)
Promotion WWE
Brand(s)
Raw
SmackDown
Date Sunday April 2nd, 2023
City Inglewood, California
Venue SoFi Stadium
Tagline(s) "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood"
submitted by MathematicianAway705 to fantasybooking [link] [comments]
Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai vs Becky Lynch (c) and Lita (c)
(6:00)
Bray Wyatt vs Big E Langston
(7:00)
Raw Women's
Asuka vs Bianca Belair (c)
(11:00)
Brock Lesnar vs Omos
(10:00)
Bayley vs Trish Stratus
(11:00)
Intercontinental
Sheamus vs Gunther (c)
(15:00)
Drew Mc Intyre vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
(8:00)
United States
John Cena vs Austin Theory (c)
(14:00)
Braun Strowman and Ricochet vs. The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) vs. Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar) (with Valhalla)
(13:00)
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez vs Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey vs Ava Rain and Elektra Lopez vs Chelsea Green and Maxxine Dupri
(11:00)
Undisputed WWE Raw/Smackdown Tag
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs The Uso's (c)
(16:00)
Hell in a Cell
Finn Balor vs Edge
(18:00)
Smackdown Women's
Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (c)
(6:00)
Rey Mysterio vs Dominik Mysterio
(12:00)
Undisputed WWE Universal
Cody Rhodes vs Roman Reigns (c) vs Seth Rollins vs Logan Paul vs Bobby Lashley
(22:00)
Promotion WWE
Brand(s)
Raw
SmackDown
Date Sunday April 2nd, 2023
City Inglewood, California
Venue SoFi Stadium
Tagline(s) "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood"
2023.03.25 00:35 Beautiful_Software93 Recall repair available (21 hybrid)
 | submitted by Beautiful_Software93 to ChryslerPacifica [link] [comments] |
2023.03.25 00:16 SleepyTimeNowDreams Feel good and fun sports movies
Hello, I am looking for fun and positive movies like The Replacements (2000) for example. If possible Baseball or American Football is preferred.
I am not into drama-infused ones with tragedies and like how hard the boxer had it in his life.
Here is a list of sports movies I watched so far since I started recording the movies I watch. Half of them are dramas though, I just copy/pasted the list to make sure I don't get them suggested.
submitted by SleepyTimeNowDreams to MovieSuggestions [link] [comments]
I am not into drama-infused ones with tragedies and like how hard the boxer had it in his life.
Here is a list of sports movies I watched so far since I started recording the movies I watch. Half of them are dramas though, I just copy/pasted the list to make sure I don't get them suggested.
- 17 Again (2009)
- Above the Shadows (2019)
- Any Given Sunday (1999)
- Blades of Glory (2006)
- Bleed for This (2016)
- Born to Race (2011 Video)
- Caddyshack (1980)
- Cars (2006)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- Cars 3 (2017)
- Coach Carter (2005)
- Creed (II) (2015)
- Creed II (2018)
- Cuban Fury (2014)
- Draft Day (I) (2014)
- Fever Pitch (2005)
- Fever Pitch (1997)
- Field of Dreams (1989)
- For Love of the Game (1999)
- Foxcatcher (2014)
- Friday Night Lights (2004)
- Glory Road (2006)
- Greater (2016)
- Happy Gilmore (1996)
- Here Comes the Boom (2012)
- Hoosiers (1986)
- Hustle (2022)
- Invincible (2006)
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Just Wright (2010)
- Kickboxer (1989)
- Million Dollar Baby (2004)
- Moneyball (2011)
- Mr. Baseball (1992)
- North Shore (1987)
- Peaceful Warrior (2006)
- Playing for Keeps (2012)
- Point Break (2015)
- Raging Bull (1980)
- Real Steel (2011)
- Remember the Titans (2000)
- Rocky (1976)
- Rocky Balboa (2006)
- Rocky II (1979)
- Rocky III (1982)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- Rocky V (1990)
- Southpaw (2015)
- Space Jam (1996)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021)
- The Basketball Diaries (1995)
- The Blind Side (2009)
- The Bronze (2015)
- The Cutting Edge (1992)
- The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (2006 Video)
- The Fighter (I) (2010)
- The Karate Kid (1984)
- The Longest Yard (2005)
- The Natural (1984)
- The Perfect Catch (2017 TV Movie)
- The Replacements (2000)
- The Rookie (2002)
- The Waterboy (1998)
- The Wrestler (2008)
- Tin Cup (1996)
- Trouble with the Curve (2012)
- Undisputed (2002)
- Vision Quest (1985)
- Warrior (2011)
- Wimbledon (2004)
- Win Win (2011)
2023.03.25 00:08 capitalistkodama Looking to buy a 2018 Ford EcoSport S AWD
Hello everyone! I wanted to ask this subreddits advice in regards to a prospective purchase, so I hope that's okay. Allow me to preface that I'm on somewhat of a tight budget, but I've been in the market for a 4WD/AWD vehicle with low mileage for some months now with little luck. I live in the mountains and there's a lot of rough roads, so I wanted that added sense of security and capability in less than perfect conditions. There's a 2018 Ford EcoSport S with AWD, roughly 40K miles near me with an asking price around 15K, which is just around my budget. It has an extensive and clean maintenance history, and the 2.0 liter engine instead of the 1.0 liter. Now, I don't really care that it's simpler than alternatives, or smaller. I don't need much room nor do I anticipate that need arising in the near future. I presently drive a subcompact hatchback, so really anything is an upgrade. I know this question has been asked before on this subreddit, but in the wake of a still pretty bad used car market and my car starting to have more and more issues, I wanted second opinions. My only chief concern is long term reliability, particularly with the six speed automatic transmission. I've read that starting with the 2018 model year they put a traditional torque converter transmission in the EcoSport instead of the notorious dual clutch transmission that's the subject of all that legal trouble. I know some people might say "just buy a Toyota or a Subaru", but that's not really an option for me given the market. And again, I don't mind simple, I don't mind small, I don't even mind "unrefined", as I've heard this car called. Thank you for any and all feedback. 😁
submitted by capitalistkodama to Ford [link] [comments]
2023.03.25 00:00 JohnCena694269420 BEST of WWE BACKLASH
- Backlash 1999 Big Show v Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl
- Backlash 1999 Austin v Rock No Holds Barred for the WWF Title
- Backlash 2000 Malenko v 2 Hotty for the Lightweight Title
- Backlash 2000 HHH v Rock for the WWF Title
- Backlash 2001 Benoit v Angle in an Ultimate Submission Match
- Backlash 2002 Edge v Angle
- Backlash 2004 Orton v Cactus Jack No Holds Barred Falls Count Anywhere for the IC Title
- Backlash 2004 Benoit v Michaels v HHH for the World Title
- Backlash 2005 Benjamin v Jericho for the IC Title
- Backlash 2005 Benoit v Edge in a Last Man Standing Match
- Backlash 2006 Cena v Edge v HHH No DQs for the
- Backlash 2007 Cena v Edge v Orton v Michaels for the WWE Title
- Backlash 2008 Undertaker v Edge for the World Title
- Backlash 2009 Cena v Edge in a Last Man Standing Match for the World Title
- Backlash 2016 Ambrose v Styles for the WWE Title
- Backlash 2018 Rollins v Miz for the IC Title
- Backlash 2020 Edge v Orton
- WrestleMania Backlash 2021 Ripley v Asuka v Flair for the Raw Women's Title
- WrestleMania Backlash 2021 Lashley v Strowman v McIntyre for the WWE Title
- WrestleMania Backlash 2021 Reigns v Cesaro for the Universal Title
- WrestleMania Backlash 2022 Rhodes v Rollins
- WrestleMania Backlash 2022 Flair v Rousey in an I Quit Match for the Smackdown Women's Title
- WrestleMania Backlash 2022 The Bloodline v McIntyre & RK-Bro
2023.03.24 23:49 Dry-Location9176 ebrake locked up after going through the car wash
My 21 f150 was stuck after exiting a car wash where I was unable to disengage the ebrake. I was only able to get going again by lifting the release and holding it while driving.
It's in the shop right now, but I'm interested if anyone has seen this before? It's not likely a coincidence that the failure happened when it was being washed which begs the question where or how did this happen?
More information, when driving holding the releases on trio would slap to a gault when released. The truck eventually did start behaving correctly after it dried out.
I've had two serious electrical failures already in an almost new truck and a total of 3 safety recalls.
Is Ford losing their quality edge?
submitted by Dry-Location9176 to f150 [link] [comments]
It's in the shop right now, but I'm interested if anyone has seen this before? It's not likely a coincidence that the failure happened when it was being washed which begs the question where or how did this happen?
More information, when driving holding the releases on trio would slap to a gault when released. The truck eventually did start behaving correctly after it dried out.
I've had two serious electrical failures already in an almost new truck and a total of 3 safety recalls.
Is Ford losing their quality edge?
2023.03.24 23:45 jamamez Thoughts on the Mazda 3 being unreliable?
 | submitted by jamamez to mazda3 [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 23:34 lacoasta Just bought a 2008 Ford Edge SEL from my uncle. 45k miles. Didn’t even know there’s was a subreddit for Edge owners. Happy to be part of it. :)
 | submitted by lacoasta to FordEdge [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 23:25 SalaciousCrumb8 Re. Electronic Harassment: 'Rain fade' refers primarily to..
.. the absorption of a microwave radio frequency (RF) signal by atmospheric rain, snow, or ice, and losses which are especially prevalent at frequencies above 11 GHz. It also refers to the degradation of a signal caused by the electromagnetic interference of the leading edge of a storm front¹. Rain fade occurs when a signal encounters rain, snow, ice or storm in its path of propagation, which means it can affect signals if there is precipitation at t. It can affect both point-to-point terrestrial and satellite communication causing path loss, distortion, signal absorption, the introduction of noise, etc². (Source: Conversation with Bing).
Humidity can affect radio frequency (RF) signals by weakening their transmission. When there is an increase in humidity, it increases the air pressure and increases the number of water molecules in the air, leading to a weaker transmission of radio waves¹. This means that a higher humidity can weaken the signal strength while a higher temperature can enhance the signal strength of the radio waves² (Source: Conversation with Bing).
When temperatures lower, relative humidity increases, OR cold air has higher relative humidity than warm air.
Is it possible therefore to experience considerably less (and of very poor quality) RF electronic harassment in very cold climates?
submitted by SalaciousCrumb8 to Gangstalking [link] [comments]
Humidity can affect radio frequency (RF) signals by weakening their transmission. When there is an increase in humidity, it increases the air pressure and increases the number of water molecules in the air, leading to a weaker transmission of radio waves¹. This means that a higher humidity can weaken the signal strength while a higher temperature can enhance the signal strength of the radio waves² (Source: Conversation with Bing).
When temperatures lower, relative humidity increases, OR cold air has higher relative humidity than warm air.
Is it possible therefore to experience considerably less (and of very poor quality) RF electronic harassment in very cold climates?
2023.03.24 22:52 capitalistkodama 2018 Ford EcoSport S AWD
Hello everyone! I wanted to ask this subreddits advice in regards to a prospective purchase. Allow me to preface that I'm on somewhat of a tight budget, but I've been in the market for a 4WD/AWD vehicle with low mileage for some months now with little luck. I live in the mountains and there's a lot of rough roads, so I wanted that added sense of security and capability in less than perfect conditions. There's a 2018 Ford EcoSport S with AWD, roughly 40K miles near me with an asking price around 15K, which is just around my budget. It has an extensive and clean maintenance history, and the 2.0 liter engine instead of the 1.0 liter. Now, I don't really care that it's simpler than alternatives, or smaller. I don't need much room nor do I anticipate that need arising in the near future. I presently drive a subcompact hatchback, so really anything is an upgrade. I know this question has been asked before on this subreddit, but in the wake of a still pretty bad used car market and my car starting to have more and more issues, I wanted second opinions. My only chief concern is long term reliability, particularly with the six speed automatic transmission. I've read that starting with the 2018 model year they put a traditional torque converter transmission in the EcoSport instead of the notorious dual clutch transmission that's the subject of all that legal trouble. I know some people might say "just buy a Toyota or a Subaru", but that's not really an option for me given the market. And again, I don't mind simple, I don't mind small, I don't even mind "unrefined", as I've heard this car called. Thank you for any and all feedback. 😁
submitted by capitalistkodama to whatcarshouldIbuy [link] [comments]
2023.03.24 22:47 xtremexavier15 TSA 23
Chapter 23: 2008: A Shawn Odyssey
Boys: Shawn
Girls: Courtney, Heather, Shawn
Episode 23: 2008: A Shawn Odyssey
"Last time on Total Drama Action," Chris said over a shot of the film lot. "In a world they didn't create," the four teens were shown waking up in the forest, "two honorable warriors," Shawn and Lindsay's fight was shown, "and two foes battled it out for Kung-fu supremacy," Courtney and Heather were shown fiddling with their joysticks.
"No mountain was too high," Heather and Shawn were shown climbing. "No aquatic creature too viscous," Courtney was shown fighting a jellyfish.
"In the end, Shawn won the reward," the theorist was shown fighting the Sasquatch, "but lost his alliance with Courtney," he and Courtney were shown ending their partnership.
"But it's gonna take more than puny alliances to survive this week," Chris told the camera as it flashed to his close-up, "on Total! Drama! Action!"
XXXXX
The episode opened on a shot of the full moon. A rat walked on-screen in front of the camera as a grandiose tune started to play. The rat sniffed the air then scurried along what was revealed to be the top of a large speaker. The music reached its climax, and the speaker shook so much the rat fell off behind it.
The shot pulled out to show the cast trailers, both flanked by speakers as tall as they were. Further to the left was a tall blueish-green monolith-like set piece. The lights inside the trailers flicked on and the complaints of the castmates echoed out of them. The doors opened, showing the girls filing out; Courtney, then a hunched over Heather, then Lindsay at the end, all three in their pajamas. The camera cut over to the guys' trailer as Shawn exited similarly. The survivalist paused briefly to yawn and stretch his arms, and the camera moved back to the girls.
"What is wrong with those mattresses?" Lindsay asked. "It's like they were full of rocks."
Confessional: Shawn
"I slept on Noah’s bed, so I don’t have the same back problems that the girls do," Shawn said. "The layers on it are super soft."
Confessional Ends
The remaining four met up as a group. Heather looked over to see the lone male scratching his butt and armpit at the same time.
"Can you believe this guy?" Heather commented.
"What a neanderthal," Courtney said.
They looked over at Lindsay, who noticed the monolith off to the side, and pointed at it with a few animalistic grunts.
The shot cut to the top of it, the moon still visible behind it. The camera panned down to its base where Chef sat in a leopard-print loincloth banging on an upside-down soup pot with a couple bones as though it were a drum. Both the castmates and Chris, also wearing a leopard-print loincloth and with his hair unkempt, approached the monolith at the same time.
"Good morning, cast!" Chris greeted as Chef stopped playing. "Or should I say, good middle of the night? Hope you're all well-rested and ready to boldly go where very few men and even fewer ladies have gone before!"
"Wait," Shawn spoke up. "Didn't we already do the caveman movie?"
"We did, Shawn," Chris answered, "but we had to reuse the costumes since my astronomical salary accounts for oh, roughly ninety-seven percent of the show's budget."
"Chris," Heather said, "it is the middle of the night. Can't we do the challenge in the morning?"
"No can do Heather," Chris replied. "While today's movie genre may start at the dawn of time, it quickly moves up, up, and away!" The camera panned up to the night sky as a shooting star flew in front of the moon.
"So we're doing space movies today?" Lindsay asked as if she already knew the answer.
"What was your first clue, Linds-iot?" Heather told her.
Confessional: Lindsay
"I've been called a lot of things, such as moron, dimwit, idiot, and much more," Lindsay said. "I've been trying to prove myself, and no way am I letting Heather drag me down."
Confessional Ends
"Awesome!" Shawn cheered. "I love sci-fi movies."
"Don't you get enough science fiction from those movies you binge watch?" Courtney half-insulted, half-asked the boy.
"Don't you get enough pleasure from looking down and nagging on us?" Shawn retorted.
"Listen up, space cases," Chris interrupted. "You'll soon be facing some out-of-this-world challenges, but first..." He quickly ducked away, and the camera cut to him pushing away the monolith to reveal four small boxes set on a table behind it. "I have a very special surprise for you," he told the cast. "Each of you has received one special item sent to you from the outside world. Which by now," he picked up one of the packages and tossed it to Lindsay, who caught it before Heather was tossed her own gift, "must feel like a distant planet."
He tossed another one like a football and it was caught by Courtney, with Shawn also shown to have received his gift.
Shawn opened his, and looked at a silver tinfoil hat shaped like his beanie with excitement. "My tinfoil hat!" he cheered. "Nice!"
"You have a tinfoil hat?" Lindsay asked.
"Yup," Shawn answered. "It keeps the aliens from reading my brains and what I think."
Confessional: Shawn
"I used to wear this thing all the time," Shawn told the audience. "Unfortunately, my dad confiscated it since it made me look weird and unusual to others. Afterwards, I decided to get the beanie I’m wearing right now."
Confessional Ends
The shot cut to Lindsay as she opened hers and smiled. "My pom poms!" she exclaimed. "My cheer team didn't forget about them!"
The camera cut to Courtney and Heather, both having opened their boxes. The former took out a picture frame and let out a choked sob.
"What's wrong?" Heather asked. "Did you get a photo of a bad hair day?"
"Just… I need a minute," Courtney claimed.
Confessional: Courtney
Courtney had her picture with her. "When I was head of the school debating team, my partner walked out on me during the biggest debate of the year because she felt I wasn't being a "team player". I went on to win it without her! Take that, Brittany Reed!" She revealed her picture, which was her in the middle of a speech. "This photo is a reminder. If you want something done right, you do it yourself!"
Confessional Ends
Heather finally managed to open her box and pulled out a green jawbreaker. "A jawbreaker? How is this a prize?" She asked in frustration.
"I don't know, but sweet things usually go to sweet people," Courtney insulted.
"Damien must have delivered this to me!" Heather growled.
"Who the heck is Damien?" Courtney questioned.
"He's my little brother," Heather answered. "That twerp likes to pull pranks on me every chance he gets. He's almost like Sadie."
"What else were you expecting?" Courtney wondered.
"He could've given me my trophy for the annual ballet contest I participated in when I was eight," Heather grumbled.
Confessional: Heather
"I'm still going to keep this jawbreaker," Heather said as she held it. "Damien may have sent it as a joke, but I won't let him have the last laugh."
Confessional Ends
"Alright gang," Chris addressed the cast, "time to blast off to the great unknown. Everyone knows a good outer space movie has three things in common. One, the zero gravity is always a trip. Two, the G-forces are killer! And three, everything is recycled in space. Including number one, and number two."
"Gross," Courtney winced.
"Eww," Heather said in disgust.
"Which brings us to our first challenge," Chris continued. "I'll meet you at the thrill ride set in ten minutes."
The cast looked at each other in confusion. "Did he say thrill ride?" Lindsay asked.
\
The scene briefly flashed to the full moon behind the water tower for a moment before flashing away again to a close-up of the host, back in his normal clothes.
"The way to achieve zero gravity," Chris explained to the contestants, all of whom have also gotten dressed, "is to fly a jet on a parabolic course. With large vertical climbs, and even larger vertical drops." The camera panned across the faces of the cast, all of which looked freaked. "But with the price of jet fuel today," the scene flashed to a makeshift space shuttle tied to what looked like a roller coaster cart at a boarding platform, "we're gonna simulate the effect on this makeshift space shuttle!"
The shot flashed away again, the camera now panning up a spaceship-themed roller coaster set among several other theme park attractions. "Which will hit the optimum speed needed to keep you all in a perpetual state of zero gravity," the host explained before the shot cut back to him and the cast.
"Are we going to get killed?" Lindsay asked. "I won't go in if it will."
"Is that thing even up to code?" Courtney wondered.
"Your first outer space challenge will be to spend the rest of the night on the shuttle sleeping in zero gravity conditions," Chris told the cast.
"That doesn't sound so difficult," Shawn said with a pleased expression.
\
The footage flashed ahead to a close-up of an intercom speaker as the host's voice came in over it. "Y'all might wanna hold on to something bolted down," Chris told the cast as the camera pulled back to show them holding pillows in their hands, "'cause we're almost ready to launch!"
"Yes!" Lindsay cheered.
"He said launch," Heather told her, "not lunch."
"I know," Lindsay explained. "I just can't wait to be flying inside a spaceship."
The shot cut back to the intercom as an engine was heard starting up over it. "In five! Four! Three! Two! One!" The camera cut outside as the space shuttle strapped to the roller coaster cart shuddered to life. "Blast off!" At Chris' ecstatic signal, the shuttle's engines flared on and the contraption took off along the track. It quickly reached the main peak as the castmates screamed in terror, and the scene cut back inside.
"If I'm gonna die, at least make my death look cool!" Shawn yelled as he clenched his eyes shut. The camera began to pull back from his close-up as he slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and smiled. He and the other three were now floating inside the shuttle's cabin. "How about that? We're floating in mid-air!"
"Alright astronauts," Chris told them, the camera cutting from a close-up of the intercom to the host lounging in his chair at the monitor room watching the cast on the monitors, "it's gonna be a long night. Better get some sleep!" He pressed a button on the keyboard and added "If you can!" The monitor screens switched from Heather and Shawn to Courtney and Lindsay, and the host accepted a cup of coffee from Chef with a laugh.
\
"Can I borrow any of your pillows?" Courtney asked as she floated around. "I lost mine."
"That's your own fault then," Shawn relaxed on his pillow. "You lose it, you deal with it."
"Fine," Courtney looked away from his former ally. "We are floating in mid-air, so I won't complain… much."
Confessional: Lindsay
"Courtney and Shawn are at each other's throats just like me and Amy," Lindsay said. "There's only one person who could've made them split, which is obviously Heather."
Confessional Ends
The scene returned to a shot of a jawbreaker floating in the air, then panned out to show that Heather was chasing after it. "If that jawbreaker wasn't so big, I would be able to stash it into my pocket!" She said as she floated past Lindsay who was looking at her pom poms.
"At least what you got is tasty," Lindsay said. "I can't eat or lick my pom poms."
"Good thing you're smart enough to know what's edible," Heather snootily responded.
"If they were taffy, I'd likely eat them," Lindsay responded.
Confessional: Heather
Heather was focused on filing her nails. "I assume I'm the favorite to win. I mean, look who's left. A control freak, a smelly nut, and a dumb blonde. And the only thing Lindsay has going for her is that she hasn't made any enemies. Whoop-de-doo! We're not here to make friends. We're here to win." As she talked, she snapped her nail filer in half. "And that is exactly what I plan on doing."
Confessional Ends
The scene cut forward to the castmates as they slept peacefully with their pillows. This only lasted for a couple seconds before an alarm started to sound off loudly, and the lights in the cabin flashed red as the four teens woke up. "This is Houston," Chris said over the loudspeaker, "and you have a problem. You've been hit by an asteroid, and your guidance system is toast!"
"What do we do?!" Lindsay asked in a panic.
"I've watched Race to Save Space 3 before I came to this show," Shawn said. "We have to override the navigation controls."
"Quick!" Heather cried. "Someone grab the joystick thingy!"
Courtney sprung off a nearby wall and darted towards the shuttle's main computer. She grabbed onto a central joystick as she floated by, then planted her feet on the desk and pulled. The camera zoomed in on it and after a few moments of effort the stick moved to the side, shutting off the alarms and returning the lights to normal.
"Way to go Courtney!" Lindsay cheered.
"Nice job," Shawn said.
The camera zoomed in on Heather's jawbreaker as it drifted closer to a small window. It hit the window, cracking it slightly. The camera pulled back again to show it pushing back forward, but the force of its push-off caused the glass to shatter soon after it floated away. The air immediately began to be sucked out of the cabin, and the lights flashed red once more as Heather looked at the broken window with a shocked look.
Confessional: Heather
"At the very least, I can say that I'm not to blame for the window breaking," Heather claimed.
Confessional Ends
Heather, Courtney, Lindsay, and Shawn were shown floating in front of the shuttle controls. "Uh-oh!'" Chris announced jovially over the intercom. "Looks like you have a hole in your fuselage!" He laughed, and the camera panned across a closer shot of the four teens' faces. "You have exactly t-minus-ten minutes to plug the hole, or you'll run out of precious oxygen."
"We have to plug the hole!" Heather yelled.
"We just need something big and form-fitting!" Courtney replied.
They all turned to Lindsay. "Why are you looking at me?"
"We can use your pom poms to fill the hole," Heather said. "It's either that, or death."
Lindsay gave them a brief look and sighed. "They are valuable, but I can get new ones after the show ends."
The scene flashed back outside, the sun already up and the shuttle-coaster still flying along its track. The camera cut to the boarding platform as it finally came to a stop, and Chris was standing in wait as the shuttle door burst open with a puff of steam. One by one, the castmates fell out of it. Lindsay was first, then Courtney, then Shawn; all landed on top of one another in a heap. Heather was the last, and was the only one who maintained her balance.
"Will somebody help me down, or will I have to do it myself?" Heather huffed.
"Go with the second option," Lindsay replied. "There's a ladder in front of you."
Heather rolled her eyes, but climbed down the ladder.
The camera cut to Chef standing outside of the broken window, Lindsay's pom poms sticking out of it. "That was smart, sealing the breach with those pom poms," he said while pulling them out.
"It was my idea," Courtney claimed. "No sweat to it."
"You just love to pat yourself on the back," Shawn rolled his eyes.
Confessional: Shawn
"I really hope that I can get Courtney and Heather out," Shawn confessed. "Lindsay's the only one I'd like to face in the finale."
Confessional Ends
"Nice going Lindsay," Chris told her. "It was your pom poms that saved the group."
"Yes!" Lindsay jumped in Victory with her pom poms on."
"What?" Heather gaped. "I was the one who suggested we fill that hole!"
"Lindsay was the one who actually plugged in the hole," Chris said. "As a reward, she'll get to decide the order of who goes first to last at the next challenge!"
"I got it," Lindsay exclaimed. "The order is me, Courtney, Shawn, and Heather."
Confessional: Lindsay
"I don't know what the next part of the challenge is," Lindsay confessed, "but making sure Heather participates last was just too good to pass up."
Confessional Ends
\
(Commercial break)
\
The footage cut forward to a shot of the sun over a few of the film lot's fake buildings near one of the studios. The wind was shown blowing a few pieces of paper along the road between the studios, then the shot cut to and upward pan of the fake hill. The camera cut back to the front of a studio as its garage-like door began to open.
A few feet were briefly shown behind the door before the camera moved inside, showing the silhouettes of the four castmates against the light flooding in from outside. The feet were shown again in an angled profile as they began to walk outside, and the shot moved up to show the four staring forward. Lindsay was first, then Shawn, then Courtney, then Heather.
The camera switched to a face-on shot, panning right across the castmates and stopping at Lindsay. A record scratch was heard as Chris ran across the shot with a scowl on his face, the teens following him with their eyes.
"Enough messing around," Chris said before the scene changed to the usual side-view as he addressed the contestants. "Alright gang, if you thought spending the night in zero G's was a stomach-churning experience, then you're gonna love this next challenge! Who can last the longest on the G-force Trainer?" The castmates were shown watching cautiously. "Or as I like to call it," Chris said before the shot quick-panned further to the right, "The Vomit Comet!" The machine he was referring to looked like a bulbous, oversized, and legless space suit attached by a hefty arm to a smaller wheeled cart.
"If you thought you were under pressure before," the host said giddily as the camera panned up a close-up of the suit, "wait 'til you feel the effects of four times Earth's gravitational force!"
"We just ate chili for lunch," Heather said. "This won't be good."
"That was a bad call," Lindsay agreed.
The shot quick-panned over to Chef Hatchet who was standing by a bubbling pot on a small table. "Plenty more where that came from," he told the camera while tapping the side of the pot with a ladle. The camera zoomed in for a close-up, showing a foul-looking vomit-green stew filled with a variety of bones, old socks, and octopus tentacles.
The focus moved back to Chris. "Remember crew, Lindsay's already picked the order, so she's up first."
"Wonderful," Lindsay said with a smile as she approached the machine. "I didn't know we were gonna barf inside this thing, but now that I know the order and I'm going first, I don't have to worry about getting covered in other people's barf."
Courtney quickly grew uncomfortable. "Uh, what's the order she picked for us."
Chris donned a villainous sneer. "You're not going to like this. After Lindsay goes Courtney, Shawn, and last but not least, Heather."
"WHAT!!??" Heather screeched. "Can I trade places with someone?"
"Too late," Chris said. "The order is set."
Heather shot daggers at Lindsay, who smiled innocently and shrugged in response.
Confessional: Lindsay
Lindsay was shown laughing to herself for a couple of seconds. "It's going to take a long time for her to wash the puke off!" She resumed her laughter.
Confessional: Heather
"When this is over, I'm going to kill Lindsay…" Heather shot the camera a deadly glare, "...right after I take a long shower!"
Confessionals End
The scene skipped to Lindsay as she was about to climb the G-force training suit. She looked over and said "This will almost be like the Hurlinator back at the carnival."
"But unlike that heap of junk, you’ll actually hurl inside that suit if you’re unlucky," Chris taunted.
Lindsay dropped into the suit and closed the helmet shut. "Have a nice spin, Lindsay!" Chris said with a wave before pressing the buttons on his stopwatch and remote control simultaneously.
The machine immediately started to move, and Lindsay began cheering out of fun and enjoyment. A bird's-eye view showed the arms rotating rapidly about the wheeled cart it was attached to. The camera cut to a close-up of the viewing window on the helmet, where the blonde's face could clearly be seen. Her happy expression changed to struggling to contain her vomit. She forced it down and exclaimed "Let me out!"
Chris obliged by pressing both buttons again, and the machine slowed to a stop. The helmet swung open and Lindsay pulled herself out. She was frazzled, but she didn’t throw up on herself.
"15.4 seconds!" Chris read off from his stopwatch with a grin. "Pretty impressive for a first run, and despite my theory, you did not hurl!"
"I did not want to smell bad," Lindsay groaned and fell over.
Confessional: Lindsay
"So I have this friend who ate twenty corn dogs as a dare," Lindsay confessed. "When we were inside the car, she started to throw up, and some of it got on us. I'm never eating a corn dog again."
Confessional Ends
"Alright Courtney, you're next," Chris told the control freak who approached him and the training suit. "Lindsay managed to keep her lunch down, so at least you'll have a dry run."
\
The scene flashed forward to Courtney in the suit, already looking nervous. "Let's get this over with," she said before the helmet swung down over her head.
Chris smiled and pressed the button on the remote control, and the camera switched over to the bird's-eye-view of the machine. The rotating arm rapidly built up speed, and unlike Lindsay before her, Courtney immediately screamed in terror. Another viewpoint change showed the panicking type-a through the helmet's viewing window, then back to the bird's-eye-view. The sound of vomiting was heard and the shot cut back to the host.
"27 seconds on the dot!" Chris announced.
"Am I in the lead?" a messy Courtney wondered after climbing out the suit.
"No," Chris answered. "I'm deducting ten seconds for puking."
"That was totally disgusting!" Courtney muttered. "I hope you can handle it, Shawn."
"I've dived through garbage and covered myself in fish guts once," Shawn shrugged her off. "This is nothing I can handle."
"I don't want to say it, but your determination is admirable," Courtney said.
"It's down to you two," Chris told Shawn and Heather. "Shawn, your slightly soiled chariot awaits."
\
"Ready or not, here I come," Shawn got in the suit.
"He's got high confidence," Chris told the camera. "Confidence that's going to disappear." The helmet closed, the buttons were pressed, and the machine began to spin.
The camera cut to the window of the helmet, showing Shawn screaming in panic. Sooner or later, ominous rumbling came from inside the suit and his cheeks bulged.
The scene cut back to Chris just as the sound of puke was heard, and the host stopped both watch and machine. "Whether Shawn will shower or not is up to him," Chris commented as the conspiracy nut exited the suit covered with vomit. "But he will definitely smell like his own lunch now. After the ten second deduction, he comes in at a grand total of 20 seconds."
"Thanks for choosing me to go last, Lindsay," Heather spat at her. "Two people threw up, and I have to be surrounded by their puke."
"Heather, you're the last one," Chris slyly said. "Unless you want to lose out on winning invincibility, I say you get inside the suit now."
Heather looked at the others and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not forfeiting."
Confessional: Heather
"The things I do to keep myself in the game," Heather rolled her eyes.
Confessional Ends
"This is so gross," Heather said in disgust as she got in the vomit-covered suit. "Start it already!" Heather yelled before slamming the helmet shut.
Chris pressed his two buttons. As with the others the camera switched first to a bird's-eye view of the machine as it began to move, then to a close-up of Heather's face through the helmet. Though she was wincing from the bits of vomit dripping down her face, she kept her determination still and wasn't about to quit.
The shot cut outside to the host and the other three castmates as they watched. Chris was focused on the stopwatch in his hands, Shawn was uninterested, Lindsay was nervous, and Courtney was scared.
"She's going longer than I thought she would," Chris said.
"Just barf already!" Courtney shouted.
The sound of vomiting was heard. The camera zoomed in on Chris again as a smile formed and he clicked his buttons, and the machine came to a stop. "That's time!" he called.
"Did I win?" Heather asked after swinging open the helmet and flopping over the side, vomit all over her head, chest, and mouth. "I know that was more than 27 seconds."
"35 and a half seconds! A new Vomit Comet record!" Chris told her.
"I know what this means," Heather grinned in victory.
"Since she lasted the longest inside that machine, I declare Heather the winner of today's challenge!" Chris announced.
"In your face, everyone!" Heather taunted the other three contestants.
"Can you mock us from far away?" Lindsay held her nose.
"We would like to be away from you," Courtney said.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I agree," Shawn stepped back. "You stink really bad, and I have horrible hygiene."
"That's just the smell of victory," Heather said.
A sudden whistle caught the group's attention, and they looked over to see Chef standing on a stepladder calmly slicing a carrot over the open suit. "Hope y'all like gumbo!" he told them before resuming his work.
The camera panned across the castmates and host as all wretched in sheerest disgust.
\
The scene flashed to Lindsay in the girls’ trailer alone. She had a pencil and paper and was seen writing on the paper but what it said was unknown.
"This should be about it," Lindsay said once she was finished.
She folded the paper hamburger style and left her trailer.
Confessional: Lindsay
"You're probably wondering what I'm doing," Lindsay said. "Courtney and Shawn can't stay mad at each other forever. They are a great duo, even if they're total opposites. This may cost me my spot in the game, but if it means repairing a friendship, I'll take that risk because friendship is magic and more important than money."
Confessional Ends
It was soon night time, and after focusing on the moon, the camera panned down to reveal that Shawn was standing near the tree he slept in.
"Lindsay said to meet here," Shawn said. "I don't know why, but I ain't gonna question her."
Soon Lindsay and Courtney both walked to the scene together and Lindsay smiled. "Good to have you both here."
Shawn was stunned to see Courtney. "Why is she here?"
"Why is he here?" Courtney asked in a startled tone.
"I brought you both here so you two could talk," Lindsay smiled brightly.
"I don't want to talk to a deadbeat survivor who can't act normal for more than a minute!" Courtney complained.
"I refuse to be with an uptight politician that thinks only about herself!" Shawn shot back.
"At least I have public decency!" Courtney shouted.
"At least I don't complain when things don't go my way!" Shawn yelled.
"SHUT UP!" Lindsay cried out furiously, earning her shocked looks from both Shawn and Courtney. "You two are clearly crushed and hurt over something really upsetting because if you were not, you wouldn’t be fighting! I’ve seen how close you both are, and I know that a small argument couldn’t be the reason you broke up." Courtney and Shawn's anger diminished as she spoke. "Something big happened but if I were to guess, Heather had something to do with it. Now please just tell each other what happened without screaming at each other!"
Shawn took a few deep breaths before speaking. "Last challenge, Heather told me about Courtney using me in order to make it to the finale."
"Why did you listen to her?" Courtney asked.
"She had a recording of you talking about it with your own voice," Shawn said.
"What exactly did the recording say?" Courtney demanded.
"Don't act so confused," Shawn said. "You said that working with me and Noah was practically torture for you and that you’ll be glad to ditch me once you claim the million!" he brought up angrily.
"If that's what you heard, then you're way wrong," Courtney glared. "I have a vivid memory, and I don't recall saying those things."
"But I heard your voice in the recording," Shawn raised an eyebrow, starting to rethink what he heard.
"I'm starting to think that someone impersonated Courtney's voice just to make her look bad," Lindsay chimed in.
"Shawn's a boy, and no way can you match my octaves, so that means Heather set me up!" Courtney grit her teeth.
Shawn then widened his eyes before groaning. "Your voices are pretty similar."
"See I told you. Heather caused a rift between you guys just like she did to me and Amy," Lindsay said.
"And I fell for her lie," Shawn admitted. "How stupid could I have been?"
Courtney’s gaze softened a bit before saying, "Well… you’re not the only one who’s fallen for it before."
"We've let her come this far," Lindsay continued. "And now that she has invincibility, we can't kick her out today. I just want you two to make up and vote together again."
Shawn and Courtney both turned to Lindsay and Shawn piped up, "But that means you’ll be on the chopping block."
"Friendship is worth more than a briefcase filled with dollars," Lindsay said. "Courtney, you can be really bossy. And Shawn, you can be really messy. But you've come this far. Don't break up your partnership just because of a mean girl."
Shawn looked at Courtney. "I shouldn't have let myself be tricked like that."
"I don't blame you," Courtney said. "I have been acting crazy the last few days. I just wanted to win."
"If I’ll be honest, I missed working with you. It’s not as fun working alone as it used to be once I started putting my faith in others," Shawn admitted.
"You want to patch up our alliance again?" Courtney held out her hand.
"Absolutely," Shawn shook her hand. "I won't let anything break us up again."
Lindsay watched the scene with happiness. "It's nice to see you two comfortable around each other. Jo and Brick are really lucky to be dating you two, if you're actually dating."
Confessional: Courtney
"That was really cool of Lindsay to patch up my friendship with Shawn," Courtney admitted. "I've been taking her for granted up until this point, and I won't think ill of her again."
Confessional Ends
[A grand theme played as the camera zoomed in on the amphitheatre. Several film strips of the host's highlights from the previous season flew past the screen, then the camera panned out from a solid gold screen to show a Gilded Chris.]
\
The camera flashed into a shot of the night sky. "And four," Chris said as the camera panned down to the amphitheater, "shall soon become three, as we bid farewell to another cast member. Everyone, cast your votes."
The shot cut to the cast members in the bleachers. Courtney and Shawn were on the top row and Heather and Lindsay on the bottom.
Courtney sighed before casting her vote.
Lindsay thought for a second before she made her vote.
Shawn shrugged and casted his vote.
Heather smirked deviously and then made her vote.
The scene flashed to a close-up of the three gilded statuettes on a tray held by Chef, who was wearing his formal pink gown once again.
"And the Gilded Chris goes to...," Chris began to read from his envelope, "Heather and Shawn," the two were shown catching their awards. Courtney and Lindsay were shown in a split screen and they both braced themselves.
"And the last statue goes to…" Chris said slowly as the music reached its peak, "No one yet!"
"What's going on?" Lindsay wondered.
"It seems we have a situation similar to episode fifteen," Chris told them. "Courtney and Lindsay got the most votes at two per contestant."
"Not again!" Courtney moaned.
"Is there going to be a tiebreaker?" Lindsay asked.
"You bet your boots there is," Chris said and turned to Chef. “Got any gumbo left?”
“Two pots full of it!” Chef cackled. “What do you want with it?”
“In order to stay in the game, Lindsay and Courtney have to eat a pot filled with Chef’s very own gumbo!” Chris declared to them.
“You do know that Chef made it with our own vomit!” Lindsay proclaimed.
“I know. That’s what makes it fun. For me!” Chris laughed.
“If I have to do this, then bring out the barf-bo,” Courtney shivered.
\
The scene switched to Courtney and Lindsay on the stage of the amphitheater. They were sitting on chairs while holding pots of gumbo and large spoons.
“Now remember,” Chris walked over to the two. “If you don’t finish your pot, you’re not going into the final two. Got it?”
“I did come this far,” Lindsay said.
“I’ll accept the challenge. I won’t give up when I’m this close to the finale,” Courtney said.
Heather and Shawn were watching from far away. “I’m rooting for you, Courtney!” the latter cheered.
“Whoever loses or wins, I don’t care,” Heather said.
"And… go!" Chris started the tiebreaker.
As soon as he said those words, Courtney and Lindsay began putting gumbo into their mouths. Courtney was rapidly scooping the meal while Lindsay was sipping on it. Both girls were repulsed, but they still wanted to be in the game.
Lindsay saw that Courtney was halfway done with her pot, so she started to follow her path and scoop up the gumbo in hopes of catching up to her.
Just when it seemed like Courtney was about to finish, her stomach started to grumble from what she'd eaten. She tried to fight it, but eventually, she puked inside of her pot.
Seeing that she had an opportunity to win, Lindsay opened her mouth widely and poured the gumbo in. Afterwards, she placed her pot down.
"I'm finished!" she declared, only to feel nauseous and barf into her pot.
"Man, you girls are sick!" Chris teased them. "Regardless, Lindsay's still in the game, and Courtney just went from 22nd to 4th place in two seasons!"
"Drats!" Shawn complained.
Both girls have finished throwing up. "Looks like you have to go," Lindsay told Courtney.
"I know," Courtney moped. "I almost got to the million dollars, and I've never been in 4th place before."
"At least you did much better than before, and you're not wearing a chicken hat this time," Shawn said.
Courtney smiled in response. "I wanted to win the season, but I did learn to value friendship and cooperation, and like Lindsay said, those are more worthy than cash."
"I'm just glad you're not being mean to me for once," Lindsay said.
"We'll take down Heather and be the final two," Shawn said. "We promised Noah, and we're also promising you as well."
"Not sorry to interrupt," Chris got between them, "but Courtney should be getting going right about now."
"Shove it, McLean!" Courtney shoved Chris to the floor with one hand. "I'm saying goodbye to my friends, but I will enter the Lame-osine soon."
\
The footage skipped ahead to Courtney standing near the limo. She saw Lindsay and Shawn waving goodbye to her. After returning the gesture, she entered the limo with a smile on her face. The limo's tires revved up and sped off into the night, leaving behind two trails of fire.
Just as Shawn and Lindsay were about to go to their trailer, they were stopped by a snobby voice.
"Love to stick around, but it's been a long day and I'm gonna hit the showers," Heather bragged and got off the stage. "Great work, everybody."
While Lindsay rolled her eyes and left, Shawn stayed back, but had a face filled with anger and vengeance.
\
The scene cut to a shot of the washroom. Inside, Heather was bathing herself and humming a tune.
Unbeknownst to her, Shawn snuck to the side of the bathroom. He had a barrel filled with gumbo with him. After placing it down, he hooked the shower pipe to the barrel, wrapped it with tape, and turned the wheel to let the gumbo flow through.
Heather was heard screaming once the gumbo rained on her. "What the... Ew! Ugh, oh! Is this sewage?! Stop it! Stop! Oh! No!"
Seeing that his job was done, Shawn laughed to himself and turned in for the night as Heather continued to scream in anguish.
Chris popped up into the camera's view. "And you'll see how our remaining contestants suffer next time on Total Drama Action!"
(Roll the Credits)
\
(Bonus Clip)
"I want Shawn to win Season 2, but I won't mind if Lindsay does the job for him," Courtney said inside the limo. "She's pretty capable of handling herself, and I did hear about her plan to become the Queen of France, which I kinda want to see come to fruition." The C.I.T. laughed for a few seconds. "I know my parents want me to succeed and thrive for victory, but I'm certain that they'll see how far I've gotten in the competition and be proud of it. That's not to say I won't quit trying. I just have to never give up."
16th/15th: Harold
16th/15th: Dawn
14th: Lightning
13th: Sky
12th: Jo
11th: Beth
10th: Brick
9th: Duncan
8th: Mike
7th: Amy
6th: Rodney
5th: Noah
4th: Courtney
submitted by xtremexavier15 to u/xtremexavier15 [link] [comments]
Boys: Shawn
Girls: Courtney, Heather, Shawn
Episode 23: 2008: A Shawn Odyssey
"Last time on Total Drama Action," Chris said over a shot of the film lot. "In a world they didn't create," the four teens were shown waking up in the forest, "two honorable warriors," Shawn and Lindsay's fight was shown, "and two foes battled it out for Kung-fu supremacy," Courtney and Heather were shown fiddling with their joysticks.
"No mountain was too high," Heather and Shawn were shown climbing. "No aquatic creature too viscous," Courtney was shown fighting a jellyfish.
"In the end, Shawn won the reward," the theorist was shown fighting the Sasquatch, "but lost his alliance with Courtney," he and Courtney were shown ending their partnership.
"But it's gonna take more than puny alliances to survive this week," Chris told the camera as it flashed to his close-up, "on Total! Drama! Action!"
XXXXX
The episode opened on a shot of the full moon. A rat walked on-screen in front of the camera as a grandiose tune started to play. The rat sniffed the air then scurried along what was revealed to be the top of a large speaker. The music reached its climax, and the speaker shook so much the rat fell off behind it.
The shot pulled out to show the cast trailers, both flanked by speakers as tall as they were. Further to the left was a tall blueish-green monolith-like set piece. The lights inside the trailers flicked on and the complaints of the castmates echoed out of them. The doors opened, showing the girls filing out; Courtney, then a hunched over Heather, then Lindsay at the end, all three in their pajamas. The camera cut over to the guys' trailer as Shawn exited similarly. The survivalist paused briefly to yawn and stretch his arms, and the camera moved back to the girls.
"What is wrong with those mattresses?" Lindsay asked. "It's like they were full of rocks."
Confessional: Shawn
"I slept on Noah’s bed, so I don’t have the same back problems that the girls do," Shawn said. "The layers on it are super soft."
Confessional Ends
The remaining four met up as a group. Heather looked over to see the lone male scratching his butt and armpit at the same time.
"Can you believe this guy?" Heather commented.
"What a neanderthal," Courtney said.
They looked over at Lindsay, who noticed the monolith off to the side, and pointed at it with a few animalistic grunts.
The shot cut to the top of it, the moon still visible behind it. The camera panned down to its base where Chef sat in a leopard-print loincloth banging on an upside-down soup pot with a couple bones as though it were a drum. Both the castmates and Chris, also wearing a leopard-print loincloth and with his hair unkempt, approached the monolith at the same time.
"Good morning, cast!" Chris greeted as Chef stopped playing. "Or should I say, good middle of the night? Hope you're all well-rested and ready to boldly go where very few men and even fewer ladies have gone before!"
"Wait," Shawn spoke up. "Didn't we already do the caveman movie?"
"We did, Shawn," Chris answered, "but we had to reuse the costumes since my astronomical salary accounts for oh, roughly ninety-seven percent of the show's budget."
"Chris," Heather said, "it is the middle of the night. Can't we do the challenge in the morning?"
"No can do Heather," Chris replied. "While today's movie genre may start at the dawn of time, it quickly moves up, up, and away!" The camera panned up to the night sky as a shooting star flew in front of the moon.
"So we're doing space movies today?" Lindsay asked as if she already knew the answer.
"What was your first clue, Linds-iot?" Heather told her.
Confessional: Lindsay
"I've been called a lot of things, such as moron, dimwit, idiot, and much more," Lindsay said. "I've been trying to prove myself, and no way am I letting Heather drag me down."
Confessional Ends
"Awesome!" Shawn cheered. "I love sci-fi movies."
"Don't you get enough science fiction from those movies you binge watch?" Courtney half-insulted, half-asked the boy.
"Don't you get enough pleasure from looking down and nagging on us?" Shawn retorted.
"Listen up, space cases," Chris interrupted. "You'll soon be facing some out-of-this-world challenges, but first..." He quickly ducked away, and the camera cut to him pushing away the monolith to reveal four small boxes set on a table behind it. "I have a very special surprise for you," he told the cast. "Each of you has received one special item sent to you from the outside world. Which by now," he picked up one of the packages and tossed it to Lindsay, who caught it before Heather was tossed her own gift, "must feel like a distant planet."
He tossed another one like a football and it was caught by Courtney, with Shawn also shown to have received his gift.
Shawn opened his, and looked at a silver tinfoil hat shaped like his beanie with excitement. "My tinfoil hat!" he cheered. "Nice!"
"You have a tinfoil hat?" Lindsay asked.
"Yup," Shawn answered. "It keeps the aliens from reading my brains and what I think."
Confessional: Shawn
"I used to wear this thing all the time," Shawn told the audience. "Unfortunately, my dad confiscated it since it made me look weird and unusual to others. Afterwards, I decided to get the beanie I’m wearing right now."
Confessional Ends
The shot cut to Lindsay as she opened hers and smiled. "My pom poms!" she exclaimed. "My cheer team didn't forget about them!"
The camera cut to Courtney and Heather, both having opened their boxes. The former took out a picture frame and let out a choked sob.
"What's wrong?" Heather asked. "Did you get a photo of a bad hair day?"
"Just… I need a minute," Courtney claimed.
Confessional: Courtney
Courtney had her picture with her. "When I was head of the school debating team, my partner walked out on me during the biggest debate of the year because she felt I wasn't being a "team player". I went on to win it without her! Take that, Brittany Reed!" She revealed her picture, which was her in the middle of a speech. "This photo is a reminder. If you want something done right, you do it yourself!"
Confessional Ends
Heather finally managed to open her box and pulled out a green jawbreaker. "A jawbreaker? How is this a prize?" She asked in frustration.
"I don't know, but sweet things usually go to sweet people," Courtney insulted.
"Damien must have delivered this to me!" Heather growled.
"Who the heck is Damien?" Courtney questioned.
"He's my little brother," Heather answered. "That twerp likes to pull pranks on me every chance he gets. He's almost like Sadie."
"What else were you expecting?" Courtney wondered.
"He could've given me my trophy for the annual ballet contest I participated in when I was eight," Heather grumbled.
Confessional: Heather
"I'm still going to keep this jawbreaker," Heather said as she held it. "Damien may have sent it as a joke, but I won't let him have the last laugh."
Confessional Ends
"Alright gang," Chris addressed the cast, "time to blast off to the great unknown. Everyone knows a good outer space movie has three things in common. One, the zero gravity is always a trip. Two, the G-forces are killer! And three, everything is recycled in space. Including number one, and number two."
"Gross," Courtney winced.
"Eww," Heather said in disgust.
"Which brings us to our first challenge," Chris continued. "I'll meet you at the thrill ride set in ten minutes."
The cast looked at each other in confusion. "Did he say thrill ride?" Lindsay asked.
\
The scene briefly flashed to the full moon behind the water tower for a moment before flashing away again to a close-up of the host, back in his normal clothes.
"The way to achieve zero gravity," Chris explained to the contestants, all of whom have also gotten dressed, "is to fly a jet on a parabolic course. With large vertical climbs, and even larger vertical drops." The camera panned across the faces of the cast, all of which looked freaked. "But with the price of jet fuel today," the scene flashed to a makeshift space shuttle tied to what looked like a roller coaster cart at a boarding platform, "we're gonna simulate the effect on this makeshift space shuttle!"
The shot flashed away again, the camera now panning up a spaceship-themed roller coaster set among several other theme park attractions. "Which will hit the optimum speed needed to keep you all in a perpetual state of zero gravity," the host explained before the shot cut back to him and the cast.
"Are we going to get killed?" Lindsay asked. "I won't go in if it will."
"Is that thing even up to code?" Courtney wondered.
"Your first outer space challenge will be to spend the rest of the night on the shuttle sleeping in zero gravity conditions," Chris told the cast.
"That doesn't sound so difficult," Shawn said with a pleased expression.
\
The footage flashed ahead to a close-up of an intercom speaker as the host's voice came in over it. "Y'all might wanna hold on to something bolted down," Chris told the cast as the camera pulled back to show them holding pillows in their hands, "'cause we're almost ready to launch!"
"Yes!" Lindsay cheered.
"He said launch," Heather told her, "not lunch."
"I know," Lindsay explained. "I just can't wait to be flying inside a spaceship."
The shot cut back to the intercom as an engine was heard starting up over it. "In five! Four! Three! Two! One!" The camera cut outside as the space shuttle strapped to the roller coaster cart shuddered to life. "Blast off!" At Chris' ecstatic signal, the shuttle's engines flared on and the contraption took off along the track. It quickly reached the main peak as the castmates screamed in terror, and the scene cut back inside.
"If I'm gonna die, at least make my death look cool!" Shawn yelled as he clenched his eyes shut. The camera began to pull back from his close-up as he slowly opened his eyes, looked around, and smiled. He and the other three were now floating inside the shuttle's cabin. "How about that? We're floating in mid-air!"
"Alright astronauts," Chris told them, the camera cutting from a close-up of the intercom to the host lounging in his chair at the monitor room watching the cast on the monitors, "it's gonna be a long night. Better get some sleep!" He pressed a button on the keyboard and added "If you can!" The monitor screens switched from Heather and Shawn to Courtney and Lindsay, and the host accepted a cup of coffee from Chef with a laugh.
\
"Can I borrow any of your pillows?" Courtney asked as she floated around. "I lost mine."
"That's your own fault then," Shawn relaxed on his pillow. "You lose it, you deal with it."
"Fine," Courtney looked away from his former ally. "We are floating in mid-air, so I won't complain… much."
Confessional: Lindsay
"Courtney and Shawn are at each other's throats just like me and Amy," Lindsay said. "There's only one person who could've made them split, which is obviously Heather."
Confessional Ends
The scene returned to a shot of a jawbreaker floating in the air, then panned out to show that Heather was chasing after it. "If that jawbreaker wasn't so big, I would be able to stash it into my pocket!" She said as she floated past Lindsay who was looking at her pom poms.
"At least what you got is tasty," Lindsay said. "I can't eat or lick my pom poms."
"Good thing you're smart enough to know what's edible," Heather snootily responded.
"If they were taffy, I'd likely eat them," Lindsay responded.
Confessional: Heather
Heather was focused on filing her nails. "I assume I'm the favorite to win. I mean, look who's left. A control freak, a smelly nut, and a dumb blonde. And the only thing Lindsay has going for her is that she hasn't made any enemies. Whoop-de-doo! We're not here to make friends. We're here to win." As she talked, she snapped her nail filer in half. "And that is exactly what I plan on doing."
Confessional Ends
The scene cut forward to the castmates as they slept peacefully with their pillows. This only lasted for a couple seconds before an alarm started to sound off loudly, and the lights in the cabin flashed red as the four teens woke up. "This is Houston," Chris said over the loudspeaker, "and you have a problem. You've been hit by an asteroid, and your guidance system is toast!"
"What do we do?!" Lindsay asked in a panic.
"I've watched Race to Save Space 3 before I came to this show," Shawn said. "We have to override the navigation controls."
"Quick!" Heather cried. "Someone grab the joystick thingy!"
Courtney sprung off a nearby wall and darted towards the shuttle's main computer. She grabbed onto a central joystick as she floated by, then planted her feet on the desk and pulled. The camera zoomed in on it and after a few moments of effort the stick moved to the side, shutting off the alarms and returning the lights to normal.
"Way to go Courtney!" Lindsay cheered.
"Nice job," Shawn said.
The camera zoomed in on Heather's jawbreaker as it drifted closer to a small window. It hit the window, cracking it slightly. The camera pulled back again to show it pushing back forward, but the force of its push-off caused the glass to shatter soon after it floated away. The air immediately began to be sucked out of the cabin, and the lights flashed red once more as Heather looked at the broken window with a shocked look.
Confessional: Heather
"At the very least, I can say that I'm not to blame for the window breaking," Heather claimed.
Confessional Ends
Heather, Courtney, Lindsay, and Shawn were shown floating in front of the shuttle controls. "Uh-oh!'" Chris announced jovially over the intercom. "Looks like you have a hole in your fuselage!" He laughed, and the camera panned across a closer shot of the four teens' faces. "You have exactly t-minus-ten minutes to plug the hole, or you'll run out of precious oxygen."
"We have to plug the hole!" Heather yelled.
"We just need something big and form-fitting!" Courtney replied.
They all turned to Lindsay. "Why are you looking at me?"
"We can use your pom poms to fill the hole," Heather said. "It's either that, or death."
Lindsay gave them a brief look and sighed. "They are valuable, but I can get new ones after the show ends."
The scene flashed back outside, the sun already up and the shuttle-coaster still flying along its track. The camera cut to the boarding platform as it finally came to a stop, and Chris was standing in wait as the shuttle door burst open with a puff of steam. One by one, the castmates fell out of it. Lindsay was first, then Courtney, then Shawn; all landed on top of one another in a heap. Heather was the last, and was the only one who maintained her balance.
"Will somebody help me down, or will I have to do it myself?" Heather huffed.
"Go with the second option," Lindsay replied. "There's a ladder in front of you."
Heather rolled her eyes, but climbed down the ladder.
The camera cut to Chef standing outside of the broken window, Lindsay's pom poms sticking out of it. "That was smart, sealing the breach with those pom poms," he said while pulling them out.
"It was my idea," Courtney claimed. "No sweat to it."
"You just love to pat yourself on the back," Shawn rolled his eyes.
Confessional: Shawn
"I really hope that I can get Courtney and Heather out," Shawn confessed. "Lindsay's the only one I'd like to face in the finale."
Confessional Ends
"Nice going Lindsay," Chris told her. "It was your pom poms that saved the group."
"Yes!" Lindsay jumped in Victory with her pom poms on."
"What?" Heather gaped. "I was the one who suggested we fill that hole!"
"Lindsay was the one who actually plugged in the hole," Chris said. "As a reward, she'll get to decide the order of who goes first to last at the next challenge!"
"I got it," Lindsay exclaimed. "The order is me, Courtney, Shawn, and Heather."
Confessional: Lindsay
"I don't know what the next part of the challenge is," Lindsay confessed, "but making sure Heather participates last was just too good to pass up."
Confessional Ends
\
(Commercial break)
\
The footage cut forward to a shot of the sun over a few of the film lot's fake buildings near one of the studios. The wind was shown blowing a few pieces of paper along the road between the studios, then the shot cut to and upward pan of the fake hill. The camera cut back to the front of a studio as its garage-like door began to open.
A few feet were briefly shown behind the door before the camera moved inside, showing the silhouettes of the four castmates against the light flooding in from outside. The feet were shown again in an angled profile as they began to walk outside, and the shot moved up to show the four staring forward. Lindsay was first, then Shawn, then Courtney, then Heather.
The camera switched to a face-on shot, panning right across the castmates and stopping at Lindsay. A record scratch was heard as Chris ran across the shot with a scowl on his face, the teens following him with their eyes.
"Enough messing around," Chris said before the scene changed to the usual side-view as he addressed the contestants. "Alright gang, if you thought spending the night in zero G's was a stomach-churning experience, then you're gonna love this next challenge! Who can last the longest on the G-force Trainer?" The castmates were shown watching cautiously. "Or as I like to call it," Chris said before the shot quick-panned further to the right, "The Vomit Comet!" The machine he was referring to looked like a bulbous, oversized, and legless space suit attached by a hefty arm to a smaller wheeled cart.
"If you thought you were under pressure before," the host said giddily as the camera panned up a close-up of the suit, "wait 'til you feel the effects of four times Earth's gravitational force!"
"We just ate chili for lunch," Heather said. "This won't be good."
"That was a bad call," Lindsay agreed.
The shot quick-panned over to Chef Hatchet who was standing by a bubbling pot on a small table. "Plenty more where that came from," he told the camera while tapping the side of the pot with a ladle. The camera zoomed in for a close-up, showing a foul-looking vomit-green stew filled with a variety of bones, old socks, and octopus tentacles.
The focus moved back to Chris. "Remember crew, Lindsay's already picked the order, so she's up first."
"Wonderful," Lindsay said with a smile as she approached the machine. "I didn't know we were gonna barf inside this thing, but now that I know the order and I'm going first, I don't have to worry about getting covered in other people's barf."
Courtney quickly grew uncomfortable. "Uh, what's the order she picked for us."
Chris donned a villainous sneer. "You're not going to like this. After Lindsay goes Courtney, Shawn, and last but not least, Heather."
"WHAT!!??" Heather screeched. "Can I trade places with someone?"
"Too late," Chris said. "The order is set."
Heather shot daggers at Lindsay, who smiled innocently and shrugged in response.
Confessional: Lindsay
Lindsay was shown laughing to herself for a couple of seconds. "It's going to take a long time for her to wash the puke off!" She resumed her laughter.
Confessional: Heather
"When this is over, I'm going to kill Lindsay…" Heather shot the camera a deadly glare, "...right after I take a long shower!"
Confessionals End
The scene skipped to Lindsay as she was about to climb the G-force training suit. She looked over and said "This will almost be like the Hurlinator back at the carnival."
"But unlike that heap of junk, you’ll actually hurl inside that suit if you’re unlucky," Chris taunted.
Lindsay dropped into the suit and closed the helmet shut. "Have a nice spin, Lindsay!" Chris said with a wave before pressing the buttons on his stopwatch and remote control simultaneously.
The machine immediately started to move, and Lindsay began cheering out of fun and enjoyment. A bird's-eye view showed the arms rotating rapidly about the wheeled cart it was attached to. The camera cut to a close-up of the viewing window on the helmet, where the blonde's face could clearly be seen. Her happy expression changed to struggling to contain her vomit. She forced it down and exclaimed "Let me out!"
Chris obliged by pressing both buttons again, and the machine slowed to a stop. The helmet swung open and Lindsay pulled herself out. She was frazzled, but she didn’t throw up on herself.
"15.4 seconds!" Chris read off from his stopwatch with a grin. "Pretty impressive for a first run, and despite my theory, you did not hurl!"
"I did not want to smell bad," Lindsay groaned and fell over.
Confessional: Lindsay
"So I have this friend who ate twenty corn dogs as a dare," Lindsay confessed. "When we were inside the car, she started to throw up, and some of it got on us. I'm never eating a corn dog again."
Confessional Ends
"Alright Courtney, you're next," Chris told the control freak who approached him and the training suit. "Lindsay managed to keep her lunch down, so at least you'll have a dry run."
\
The scene flashed forward to Courtney in the suit, already looking nervous. "Let's get this over with," she said before the helmet swung down over her head.
Chris smiled and pressed the button on the remote control, and the camera switched over to the bird's-eye-view of the machine. The rotating arm rapidly built up speed, and unlike Lindsay before her, Courtney immediately screamed in terror. Another viewpoint change showed the panicking type-a through the helmet's viewing window, then back to the bird's-eye-view. The sound of vomiting was heard and the shot cut back to the host.
"27 seconds on the dot!" Chris announced.
"Am I in the lead?" a messy Courtney wondered after climbing out the suit.
"No," Chris answered. "I'm deducting ten seconds for puking."
"That was totally disgusting!" Courtney muttered. "I hope you can handle it, Shawn."
"I've dived through garbage and covered myself in fish guts once," Shawn shrugged her off. "This is nothing I can handle."
"I don't want to say it, but your determination is admirable," Courtney said.
"It's down to you two," Chris told Shawn and Heather. "Shawn, your slightly soiled chariot awaits."
\
"Ready or not, here I come," Shawn got in the suit.
"He's got high confidence," Chris told the camera. "Confidence that's going to disappear." The helmet closed, the buttons were pressed, and the machine began to spin.
The camera cut to the window of the helmet, showing Shawn screaming in panic. Sooner or later, ominous rumbling came from inside the suit and his cheeks bulged.
The scene cut back to Chris just as the sound of puke was heard, and the host stopped both watch and machine. "Whether Shawn will shower or not is up to him," Chris commented as the conspiracy nut exited the suit covered with vomit. "But he will definitely smell like his own lunch now. After the ten second deduction, he comes in at a grand total of 20 seconds."
"Thanks for choosing me to go last, Lindsay," Heather spat at her. "Two people threw up, and I have to be surrounded by their puke."
"Heather, you're the last one," Chris slyly said. "Unless you want to lose out on winning invincibility, I say you get inside the suit now."
Heather looked at the others and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not forfeiting."
Confessional: Heather
"The things I do to keep myself in the game," Heather rolled her eyes.
Confessional Ends
"This is so gross," Heather said in disgust as she got in the vomit-covered suit. "Start it already!" Heather yelled before slamming the helmet shut.
Chris pressed his two buttons. As with the others the camera switched first to a bird's-eye view of the machine as it began to move, then to a close-up of Heather's face through the helmet. Though she was wincing from the bits of vomit dripping down her face, she kept her determination still and wasn't about to quit.
The shot cut outside to the host and the other three castmates as they watched. Chris was focused on the stopwatch in his hands, Shawn was uninterested, Lindsay was nervous, and Courtney was scared.
"She's going longer than I thought she would," Chris said.
"Just barf already!" Courtney shouted.
The sound of vomiting was heard. The camera zoomed in on Chris again as a smile formed and he clicked his buttons, and the machine came to a stop. "That's time!" he called.
"Did I win?" Heather asked after swinging open the helmet and flopping over the side, vomit all over her head, chest, and mouth. "I know that was more than 27 seconds."
"35 and a half seconds! A new Vomit Comet record!" Chris told her.
"I know what this means," Heather grinned in victory.
"Since she lasted the longest inside that machine, I declare Heather the winner of today's challenge!" Chris announced.
"In your face, everyone!" Heather taunted the other three contestants.
"Can you mock us from far away?" Lindsay held her nose.
"We would like to be away from you," Courtney said.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I agree," Shawn stepped back. "You stink really bad, and I have horrible hygiene."
"That's just the smell of victory," Heather said.
A sudden whistle caught the group's attention, and they looked over to see Chef standing on a stepladder calmly slicing a carrot over the open suit. "Hope y'all like gumbo!" he told them before resuming his work.
The camera panned across the castmates and host as all wretched in sheerest disgust.
\
The scene flashed to Lindsay in the girls’ trailer alone. She had a pencil and paper and was seen writing on the paper but what it said was unknown.
"This should be about it," Lindsay said once she was finished.
She folded the paper hamburger style and left her trailer.
Confessional: Lindsay
"You're probably wondering what I'm doing," Lindsay said. "Courtney and Shawn can't stay mad at each other forever. They are a great duo, even if they're total opposites. This may cost me my spot in the game, but if it means repairing a friendship, I'll take that risk because friendship is magic and more important than money."
Confessional Ends
It was soon night time, and after focusing on the moon, the camera panned down to reveal that Shawn was standing near the tree he slept in.
"Lindsay said to meet here," Shawn said. "I don't know why, but I ain't gonna question her."
Soon Lindsay and Courtney both walked to the scene together and Lindsay smiled. "Good to have you both here."
Shawn was stunned to see Courtney. "Why is she here?"
"Why is he here?" Courtney asked in a startled tone.
"I brought you both here so you two could talk," Lindsay smiled brightly.
"I don't want to talk to a deadbeat survivor who can't act normal for more than a minute!" Courtney complained.
"I refuse to be with an uptight politician that thinks only about herself!" Shawn shot back.
"At least I have public decency!" Courtney shouted.
"At least I don't complain when things don't go my way!" Shawn yelled.
"SHUT UP!" Lindsay cried out furiously, earning her shocked looks from both Shawn and Courtney. "You two are clearly crushed and hurt over something really upsetting because if you were not, you wouldn’t be fighting! I’ve seen how close you both are, and I know that a small argument couldn’t be the reason you broke up." Courtney and Shawn's anger diminished as she spoke. "Something big happened but if I were to guess, Heather had something to do with it. Now please just tell each other what happened without screaming at each other!"
Shawn took a few deep breaths before speaking. "Last challenge, Heather told me about Courtney using me in order to make it to the finale."
"Why did you listen to her?" Courtney asked.
"She had a recording of you talking about it with your own voice," Shawn said.
"What exactly did the recording say?" Courtney demanded.
"Don't act so confused," Shawn said. "You said that working with me and Noah was practically torture for you and that you’ll be glad to ditch me once you claim the million!" he brought up angrily.
"If that's what you heard, then you're way wrong," Courtney glared. "I have a vivid memory, and I don't recall saying those things."
"But I heard your voice in the recording," Shawn raised an eyebrow, starting to rethink what he heard.
"I'm starting to think that someone impersonated Courtney's voice just to make her look bad," Lindsay chimed in.
"Shawn's a boy, and no way can you match my octaves, so that means Heather set me up!" Courtney grit her teeth.
Shawn then widened his eyes before groaning. "Your voices are pretty similar."
"See I told you. Heather caused a rift between you guys just like she did to me and Amy," Lindsay said.
"And I fell for her lie," Shawn admitted. "How stupid could I have been?"
Courtney’s gaze softened a bit before saying, "Well… you’re not the only one who’s fallen for it before."
"We've let her come this far," Lindsay continued. "And now that she has invincibility, we can't kick her out today. I just want you two to make up and vote together again."
Shawn and Courtney both turned to Lindsay and Shawn piped up, "But that means you’ll be on the chopping block."
"Friendship is worth more than a briefcase filled with dollars," Lindsay said. "Courtney, you can be really bossy. And Shawn, you can be really messy. But you've come this far. Don't break up your partnership just because of a mean girl."
Shawn looked at Courtney. "I shouldn't have let myself be tricked like that."
"I don't blame you," Courtney said. "I have been acting crazy the last few days. I just wanted to win."
"If I’ll be honest, I missed working with you. It’s not as fun working alone as it used to be once I started putting my faith in others," Shawn admitted.
"You want to patch up our alliance again?" Courtney held out her hand.
"Absolutely," Shawn shook her hand. "I won't let anything break us up again."
Lindsay watched the scene with happiness. "It's nice to see you two comfortable around each other. Jo and Brick are really lucky to be dating you two, if you're actually dating."
Confessional: Courtney
"That was really cool of Lindsay to patch up my friendship with Shawn," Courtney admitted. "I've been taking her for granted up until this point, and I won't think ill of her again."
Confessional Ends
[A grand theme played as the camera zoomed in on the amphitheatre. Several film strips of the host's highlights from the previous season flew past the screen, then the camera panned out from a solid gold screen to show a Gilded Chris.]
\
The camera flashed into a shot of the night sky. "And four," Chris said as the camera panned down to the amphitheater, "shall soon become three, as we bid farewell to another cast member. Everyone, cast your votes."
The shot cut to the cast members in the bleachers. Courtney and Shawn were on the top row and Heather and Lindsay on the bottom.
Courtney sighed before casting her vote.
Lindsay thought for a second before she made her vote.
Shawn shrugged and casted his vote.
Heather smirked deviously and then made her vote.
The scene flashed to a close-up of the three gilded statuettes on a tray held by Chef, who was wearing his formal pink gown once again.
"And the Gilded Chris goes to...," Chris began to read from his envelope, "Heather and Shawn," the two were shown catching their awards. Courtney and Lindsay were shown in a split screen and they both braced themselves.
"And the last statue goes to…" Chris said slowly as the music reached its peak, "No one yet!"
"What's going on?" Lindsay wondered.
"It seems we have a situation similar to episode fifteen," Chris told them. "Courtney and Lindsay got the most votes at two per contestant."
"Not again!" Courtney moaned.
"Is there going to be a tiebreaker?" Lindsay asked.
"You bet your boots there is," Chris said and turned to Chef. “Got any gumbo left?”
“Two pots full of it!” Chef cackled. “What do you want with it?”
“In order to stay in the game, Lindsay and Courtney have to eat a pot filled with Chef’s very own gumbo!” Chris declared to them.
“You do know that Chef made it with our own vomit!” Lindsay proclaimed.
“I know. That’s what makes it fun. For me!” Chris laughed.
“If I have to do this, then bring out the barf-bo,” Courtney shivered.
\
The scene switched to Courtney and Lindsay on the stage of the amphitheater. They were sitting on chairs while holding pots of gumbo and large spoons.
“Now remember,” Chris walked over to the two. “If you don’t finish your pot, you’re not going into the final two. Got it?”
“I did come this far,” Lindsay said.
“I’ll accept the challenge. I won’t give up when I’m this close to the finale,” Courtney said.
Heather and Shawn were watching from far away. “I’m rooting for you, Courtney!” the latter cheered.
“Whoever loses or wins, I don’t care,” Heather said.
"And… go!" Chris started the tiebreaker.
As soon as he said those words, Courtney and Lindsay began putting gumbo into their mouths. Courtney was rapidly scooping the meal while Lindsay was sipping on it. Both girls were repulsed, but they still wanted to be in the game.
Lindsay saw that Courtney was halfway done with her pot, so she started to follow her path and scoop up the gumbo in hopes of catching up to her.
Just when it seemed like Courtney was about to finish, her stomach started to grumble from what she'd eaten. She tried to fight it, but eventually, she puked inside of her pot.
Seeing that she had an opportunity to win, Lindsay opened her mouth widely and poured the gumbo in. Afterwards, she placed her pot down.
"I'm finished!" she declared, only to feel nauseous and barf into her pot.
"Man, you girls are sick!" Chris teased them. "Regardless, Lindsay's still in the game, and Courtney just went from 22nd to 4th place in two seasons!"
"Drats!" Shawn complained.
Both girls have finished throwing up. "Looks like you have to go," Lindsay told Courtney.
"I know," Courtney moped. "I almost got to the million dollars, and I've never been in 4th place before."
"At least you did much better than before, and you're not wearing a chicken hat this time," Shawn said.
Courtney smiled in response. "I wanted to win the season, but I did learn to value friendship and cooperation, and like Lindsay said, those are more worthy than cash."
"I'm just glad you're not being mean to me for once," Lindsay said.
"We'll take down Heather and be the final two," Shawn said. "We promised Noah, and we're also promising you as well."
"Not sorry to interrupt," Chris got between them, "but Courtney should be getting going right about now."
"Shove it, McLean!" Courtney shoved Chris to the floor with one hand. "I'm saying goodbye to my friends, but I will enter the Lame-osine soon."
\
The footage skipped ahead to Courtney standing near the limo. She saw Lindsay and Shawn waving goodbye to her. After returning the gesture, she entered the limo with a smile on her face. The limo's tires revved up and sped off into the night, leaving behind two trails of fire.
Just as Shawn and Lindsay were about to go to their trailer, they were stopped by a snobby voice.
"Love to stick around, but it's been a long day and I'm gonna hit the showers," Heather bragged and got off the stage. "Great work, everybody."
While Lindsay rolled her eyes and left, Shawn stayed back, but had a face filled with anger and vengeance.
\
The scene cut to a shot of the washroom. Inside, Heather was bathing herself and humming a tune.
Unbeknownst to her, Shawn snuck to the side of the bathroom. He had a barrel filled with gumbo with him. After placing it down, he hooked the shower pipe to the barrel, wrapped it with tape, and turned the wheel to let the gumbo flow through.
Heather was heard screaming once the gumbo rained on her. "What the... Ew! Ugh, oh! Is this sewage?! Stop it! Stop! Oh! No!"
Seeing that his job was done, Shawn laughed to himself and turned in for the night as Heather continued to scream in anguish.
Chris popped up into the camera's view. "And you'll see how our remaining contestants suffer next time on Total Drama Action!"
(Roll the Credits)
\
(Bonus Clip)
"I want Shawn to win Season 2, but I won't mind if Lindsay does the job for him," Courtney said inside the limo. "She's pretty capable of handling herself, and I did hear about her plan to become the Queen of France, which I kinda want to see come to fruition." The C.I.T. laughed for a few seconds. "I know my parents want me to succeed and thrive for victory, but I'm certain that they'll see how far I've gotten in the competition and be proud of it. That's not to say I won't quit trying. I just have to never give up."
16th/15th: Harold
16th/15th: Dawn
14th: Lightning
13th: Sky
12th: Jo
11th: Beth
10th: Brick
9th: Duncan
8th: Mike
7th: Amy
6th: Rodney
5th: Noah
4th: Courtney
2023.03.24 22:25 Adventurous-Area-284 OPINION PLEASE!!
 | 2018 Ford Fusion se with 72,000 miles on it. Transmission needs to be replace ford dealership says!! Will cost $5,800! submitted by Adventurous-Area-284 to fordfusion [link] [comments] Should I replace the Transmission or the car ? |
2023.03.24 22:25 JenVixen420 This guide shows which car and year to avoid
 | submitted by JenVixen420 to u/JenVixen420 [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 22:17 wingwraith What’s up with the ‘19 Ascent?
| | submitted by wingwraith to SubaruAscent [link] [comments] |
2023.03.24 21:59 mthw704 (SELLING) BIG LIST OF 4K/HD/SD CODES. Great $1 & $2 selection. Over 4,000 transactions.
The Big List Disney codes are split & do not include the GP portion, but the DMI points are included. All Sony titles include points as long as the title is eligible. Please only redeem the portion of a code you are paying for. Prices are firm for now. I accept Cashapp, Venmo, Zelle, Fb pay & PayPal F&F. Comment & pm if interested. Thanks!
🦝
Dolittle [2020] (MA)
Incredible Hulk, The [2008] (MA)
Morbius (MA + Sony points)
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (Vudu or iTunes)
🦝
Big Lebowski, The (iTunes/ports)
Black Panther (MA + 200 points)
Captain America: Civil War (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Captain Marvel (MA + 200 points)
Christopher Robin [2018] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Doctor Strange (MA + 200 points)
Frozen II (MA + 200 points)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Guest, The [2014] (iTunes/ports)
Heat [1995] (iTunes/ports)
Hocus Pocus (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Hunger Games, The (Vudu)
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (iTunes)
Invisible Man, The [2020] (MA)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (MA)
Pretty In Pink (iTunes)
Ralph Breaks The Internet (MA + 200 points)
Rear Window [1954] (MA)
Scarface [1983] (iTunes/ports)
Thor: The Dark World (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
🦝
Company Of Heroes [2013] (MA)
Jungle Book, The [1967] (MA + 150 points)
Justified season 4 (Vudu)
Night Of, The [2016] (iTunes)
Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World (MA + 150 points)
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Aladdin [2019] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (MA)
Captain Marvel (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Coco (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Doctor Strange (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Escape Plan (Vudu)
Everest [2015] (iTunes/ports)
Frozen II (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Home Alone (iTunes/ports or HD MA/GP)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (Vudu)
Incredibles 2, The (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Interstellar (iTunes)
Iron Man 3 (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Jigsaw (Vudu)
Logan Lucky [2017] (iTunes/ports)
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (iTunes/ports)
Mission Impossible [1996] (iTunes)
Mission Impossible 2: MI2 (iTunes)
Mission Impossible 3: MI3 (iTunes)
Moana (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Primal (Vudu or iTunes)
Purge: Anarchy, The (MA)
Purge: Election Year, The (MA)
Rango (iTunes)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Vudu)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Vudu)
Zootopia (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
🦝
About Last Night (MA + Sony points)
All The Money In The World [2017] (MA + Sony points)
American Assassin (Vudu)
American Underdog (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Baby Driver (MA + Sony points)
Bad Boys [1995] (MA + Sony points)
Banshee season 4 (iTunes)
Big Sick, The (iTunes)
Breakfast Club, The [1985] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Chappie (MA + Sony points)
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark [2011] (MA)
Downton Abbey: A New Era (MA)
Eternals [2021] (MA + 150 points)
Free Guy (MA + 150 points)
Hotel Transylvania [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Insidious: Chapter 3 (MA + Sony points)
Interview, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
John Wick 1 & 2 (Vudu or Google Play)
Last Full Measure, The (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Les Miserables [1998] (MA)
Lightyear (MA + 150 points)
London Has Fallen (iTunes/ports)
Lone Ranger, The [2013] (MA + 150 points)
Love, Simon [2018] (MA)
Max Steel [2016] (MA)
Midsommar [A24] (Vudu or iTunes)
Molly's Game (iTunes)
Monster Calls, A [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
News Of The World [2020] (MA)
Olympus Has Fallen (MA + Sony points)
Outlander season 1, volume 2 (Vudu)
Overcomer [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Over The Hedge (MA)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (MA)
Phoenix Forgotten (MA or iTunes/ports)
Pirate Fairy, The (MA + 150 points)
Pixels (MA + Sony points)
Poison Rose, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Rhythm Section, The [2020] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue [2020] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Sex Tape (MA + Sony points)
Sleeping Beauty [1959] (MA + 150 points)
Space Between Us, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Starship Troopers: Invasion (MA)
Super Buddies [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Superfly [2018] (MA + Sony points)
This Is The End (MA + Sony points)
Uncut Gems (Vudu or Google Play)
Wedding Ringer, The (MA + Sony points)
When The Bough Breaks (MA + Sony points)
Wire Room [2022] (Vudu)
🦝
All codes are $2. Prices are firm for now. Please only redeem the you are paying for. Any Disney codes are split. MA/iTunes Disney will include points but not the GP redeem. All Sony titles include points as long as the title is eligible. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I accept Cashapp, Venmo, Zelle, Fb pay or PayPal F&F. Comment & pm if interested. Thanks for checking out my list.
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2 Guns (iTunes/ports)
Action Point (iTunes 4K)
Adventures Of Tintin, The (iTunes)
Age Of Adaline, The (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Alien Covenant (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
All Eyez On Me (iTunes)
Allied [2016] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Aloha [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Alpha & Omega 2 (Vudu)
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
American Assassin (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
American Girl: Lea To The Rescue (iTunes/ports)
American Made [2017] (MA)
American Reunion [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Arrival [2016] (Vudu)
Assassination Nation (MA)
Assassin's Creed (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Atomic Blonde (iTunes/ports 4K)
August: Osage County (Vudu)
Bad Grandpa (Vudu or iTunes)
Bad Moms (MA or iTunes/ports)
Battleship [2012] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Baywatch (iTunes 4K)
Beauty & The Beast [2017] (MA + 150 points/iTunes option is expired)
Ben-Hur [2016] (Vudu)
Big Wedding, The (iTunes)
Black Panther (MA + 150 points/iTunes option is expired)
Book Club (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Boss, The [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Bourne Legacy, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Boy, The [2016] (MA)
Brian Banks (MA)
Cabin In The Woods, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Cars 3 (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Case For Christ, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Choice, The [2016] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Coco (Google Play/ports)
Contraband (iTunes/ports)
Cowboys & Aliens [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Cult Of Chucky [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Daddy's Home (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Daddy's Home 2 (Vudu)
Dark Tower, The [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Death Race 3: Inferno [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Deepwater Horizon (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Despicable Me 2 (iTunes/ports 4K)
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (MA or iTunes/ports)
Dirty Grandpa (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Divergent (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Divergent Series: Allegiant, The (iTunes 4K)
Divergent Series: Insurgent (iTunes 4K)
Django Unchained (Vudu)
Dog's Purpose, A (MA or iTunes/ports)
Downsizing (Vudu)
Dracula Untold (iTunes/ports 4K)
Duff, The [2015] (iTunes)
Dying Of The Light (Vudu)
Edge Of Seventeen, The [2016] (iTunes/ports)
Edward Scissorhands (MA)
Emoji Movie, The (MA + Sony points)
Ender's Game (iTunes 4K or Vudu/Google Play HD)
Epic [2013] (MA)
Equalizer, The (MA + Sony points)
Escape Plan (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Everest [2015] (MA)
Ex Machina (Vudu)
Exodus: Gods & Kings (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Fast & Furious 6, The [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fate Of The Furious [F8] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA 4K or iTunes/ports 4K)
Fault In Our Stars, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Fences [2016] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Fifty Shades Darker [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fifty Shades Freed [Theatrical] (MA)
Fifty Shades Of Grey [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Finding Dory (iTunes/ports 4K or HD + 150 points)
Five Feet Apart (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Flight [2012] (Vudu or iTunes)
Frozen (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Furious 7 [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Gemini Man (iTunes 4K)
Ghostbusters [2016] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA + Sony points)
Gifted [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Girl On The Train, The [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Girl With All The Gifts, The (Vudu)
God's Not Dead 2 (iTunes/ports)
Gods Of Egypt (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Gotti (Vudu)
Grace Unplugged (Vudu)
Greatest Showman, The (MA)
Great Wall, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Grey, The [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Gunman, The [2015] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hacksaw Ridge (Vudu or Google Play)
Hail, Caesar (MA or iTunes/ports)
Halloween [2018] (MA)
Hanna (iTunes/ports)
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters [Unrated] (iTunes)
Hardcore Henry (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hateful Eight, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Heat, The [2013] (MA)
Hell Or High Water (Vudu or Google Play)
Hercules [2014] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Here Comes The Boom (MA + Sony points)
Hidden Figures (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Hitman's Bodyguard, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Hocus Pocus (Google Play/ports)
Home [2015] (MA)
Homefront [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Host, The [2013] (iTunes/ports)
How The Grinch Stole Christmas [2000] (MA)
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (MA)
Hugo (Vudu or iTunes)
Hunger Games, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
I Can Only Imagine (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Ice Age: Collision Course (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (MA)
I, Frankenstein (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Independence Day: Resurgence (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (Vudu)
Inferno [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Instant Family (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Interstellar (Vudu or Google Play)
Jackass 3 [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Jack Reacher (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Jarhead 2: Field Of Fire [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Jason Bourne (iTunes/ports 4K)
John Wick (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (iTunes 4K)
Joy [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (MA + Sony points)
Jurassic World (iTunes/ports 4K)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (MA)
Kick-Ass 2 (MA or iTunes/ports)
Kidnap [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Killer Elite (iTunes/ports)
Killing Them Softly (Vudu)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Last Stand, The [2013] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Last Witch Hunter, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Legend Of Hercules, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Leprechaun: Origins (Vudu)
Leprechaun Returns (Vudu or Google Play)
Let's Be Cops (iTunes/ports 4K)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Lion King, The [1994] (Google Play/ports)
Lion King, The [2019] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Logan (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Lone Ranger, The [2013] (Google Play/ports)
Lone Survivor (iTunes/ports 4K)
Longest Ride, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Lorax, The [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Love The Coopers (iTunes)
Lucy (iTunes/ports 4K)
Maggie (Vudu)
Maleficent (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Mama [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Mama Mia: The Movie [2008] (MA)
Man With The Iron Fists, The [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Martian, The [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Marvel's The Avengers [2012] (Google Play/ports)
Maze Runner, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Mechanic: Resurrection (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life (iTunes)
Mindgamers (MA or iTunes/ports)
Minions (iTunes/ports 4K)
Mission Impossible: Fallout (Vudu 4K or iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (iTunes 4K)
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Mountain Between Us, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Mr. Holmes [2015] (Vudu)
Mulan [2020] (MA + 150 points)
Mummy, The [2017] (MA)
Noah [2014] (Vudu or iTunes)
Non-Stop [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Norm Of The North (Vudu)
Now You See Me 2 (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Nut Job 2 : Nutty By Nature, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Office Christmas Party (Vudu)
Orange Is The New Black season 2 (Vudu)
Other Woman, The [2014] (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Overdrive [2017] (iTunes)
Oz The Great & Powerful (MA + 150 points)
Pain & Gain (iTunes)
Paranormal Activity [Theatrical] (Vudu)
Paranormal Activity 2 [Unrated Director's Cut] (Vudu)
Paranormal Activity 4 [Unrated] (iTunes)
Peppermint (iTunes)
Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters (MA or Google Play/ports)
Pet Sematary [2019] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Pirate Fairy, The (Google Play/ports
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (MA + 150 points only/iTunes option is expired)
Pitch Perfect (iTunes/ports 4K)
Pitch Perfect 2 (iTunes/ports 4K)
Planes [2013] (MA + 150 points)
Possession, The [2012] (iTunes)
Prometheus (MA)
Purge, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Purge: Election Year, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Queen Of Katwe (Google Play/ports)
Quiet Place, A [2018] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Rango (Vudu)
Raya & The Last Dragon (Google Play/ports)
Riddick [2013] [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Ride Along (MA or iTunes/ports)
Ride Along 2 (MA or iTunes/ports)
Riot: Caged To Kill (iTunes/ports)
Rise Of The Guardians [2012] (MA)
Robin Hood [2018] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Safe House [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Same Kind Of Different As Me (iTunes)
Savages [2012] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Saving Mr. Banks (Google Play/ports)
Schindler's List (MA)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, The (MA or Google Play ports/ iTunes option is expired)
Selma (iTunes)
Show Dogs [2018] (MA)
Sicario (Vudu 4K, iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Silver Linings Playbook (Vudu or Google Play)
Sing [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Sinister (iTunes)
Skyfall (Vudu or Google Play)
Sleeping Beauty [1959] (Google Play/ports)
Snatched [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Snitch (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Snow White & The Huntsman [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (MA + Sony points)
Split [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Star Trek [2009] (iTunes 4K)
Star Trek Beyond (iTunes 4K)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Straight Outta Compton [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Super 8 (Vudu)
Ted [Unrated] (MA)
Terminator: Genisys (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
This Is 40 [Theatrical] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Thor [2008] (Google Play/ports)
Thor: Ragnarok (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Toy Story [1995] (Google Play/ports)
Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (MA)
Trolls (MA)
True Grit [2010] (Vudu or iTunes)
Turbo [2013] (MA)
Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor (Vudu)
Underworld: Awakening (MA + Sony points)
Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets (Vudu)
Venom (MA + Sony points)
Warcraft (iTunes/ports 4K)
War For The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Warm Bodies (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
War Room [2015] (MA + Sony points)
When The Game Stands Tall (MA + Sony points)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (iTunes)
Why Him? (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Wild Card (Vudu)
Wolf Of Wall Street, The (iTunes 4K)
Wolverine, The [Unleashed Extended Edition] (MA, iTunes or Google Play ports)
Woman In Black, The (MA)
Wonder [2017] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Wreck It Ralph (Google Play/ports)
X-Men: Apocalypse (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
XXX: Return Of Xander Cage (iTunes 4K)
Zero Dark Thirty (MA + Sony points)
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Babylon A.D. (iTunes/ports)
Get The Gringo (iTunes/ports)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (iTunes/ports)
Unstoppable (iTunes/ports)
X-Men: The Last Stand (iTunes/ports)
🦝
2 Fast 2 Furious (MA)
Aladdin [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Alex Cross (Vudu)
Aladdin [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Vudu)
Atomic Blonde (MA)
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Google Play/ports)
Avengers: Endgame (Google Play/ports)
Avengers: Infinity War (Google Play/ports)
Beauty & The Beast [2017] (Google Play/ports)
Big Hero 6 (Google Play/ports)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (MA)
Bumblebee (Vudu)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (Google Play/ports)
Captain Marvel (Google Play/ports)
Cars 3 (Google Play/ports)
Deadpool (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Despicable Me 2 (MA)
Divergent (Vudu)
Divergent Series: Insurgent, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Doctor Strange (Google Play/ports)
Dredd (Vudu or Google Play)
Escape Plan (Vudu)
Expendables 2, The
Expendables 3, The [Theatrical] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Expendables 3, The [Unrated] (Vudu or iTunes)
Fast & Furious [4] (MA)
Fast & Furious 6 [Extended] (MA)
Fast & The Furious, The [1] (MA)
Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift, The (MA)
Fast Five [Extended] (MA)
Fate Of The Furious, The [8] [Theatrical] (HD MA)
Fate Of The Furious, The [8] [Extended] (MA)
Finding Dory (Google Play/ports)
Frozen (Google Play/ports)
Furious 7 [Extended] (MA)
Girls Trip (MA or iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Google Play/ports)
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise (iTunes/ports)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (Vudu)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (Vudu)
Huntsman: Winter's War, The [Extended] (MA)
Incredibles 2, The (Google Play/ports)
Inside Out (Google Play/ports)
Iron Man 3 (MA only/no points or Google Play/ports)
Jason Bourne (MA)
Jaws (MA)
John Wick 3 (Google Play)
Jurassic Park [1993] (MA)
Jurassic World (MA)
Katy Perry Part Of Me: The Movie (iTunes)
Lion King, The [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Lone Survivor (MA)
Lucy (MA)
Maleficent (Google Play/ports)
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (Google Play/ports)
Mary Poppins Returns (Google Play/ports)
Minions (MA)
Mission Impossible: Fallout (Vudu)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Vudu)
Moana (Google Play/ports)
Mulan [2020] (Google Play/ports)
Now You See Me (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Oblivion (MA)
Oz: The Great & Powerful (Google Play/ports)
Parental Guidance (MA)
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The (Vudu, Google Play or iTunes)
Pitch Perfect 2 (MA)
Planes (Google Play/ports)
Red 2 (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Google Play/ports)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (MA)
Sing [2016] (MA)
Snow White & The Huntsman [Extended] (MA)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker (Google Play/ports)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Google Play/ports)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Google Play/ports)
Taken 2 (MA)
Ted [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Thor: Ragnarok (Google Play/ports)
Thor: The Dark World (Google Play/ports)
Toy Story 4 (Google Play/ports)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Vudu)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection (Vudu or iTunes)
Unbroken [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Warcraft (MA)
Warm Bodies (Vudu)
World War Z (iTunes)
XXX: Return Of Xander Cage (Vudu)
Zootopia (Google Play/ports)
🦝
About Last Night [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (iTunes/ports)
Amazing Spider-Man, The (MA)
Bloodshot [2020] (MA + Sony points)
Deliver Us From Evil [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Devil Inside, The [2012] (Vudu)
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (iTunes/ports)
Don Jon (iTunes)
Due Date (iTunes/ports)
Evil Dead [2013] MA + Sony points)
From Paris With Love (iTunes)
Fury [2014] (MA + Sony points)
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (iTunes)
Glee: The Concert (iTunes/ports)
Haunting In Connecticut, The (iTunes)
Heaven Is For Real (MA + Sony points)
Here Comes The Boom (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania (MA + Sony points)
Inglourious Basterds (iTunes/ports)
Insidious: Chapter 2 (MA + Sony points)
Judy Moody & The Not Bummer Summer (iTunes)
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (MA + Sony points)
Life As We Know It (iTunes)
Magnificent Seven [2016] (Vudu)
Monsters [2010] (iTunes)
Monuments Men, The (MA + Sony points)
Mortal Instruments : City Of Bones, The (MA + Sony points)
Nerve (Vudu)
One For The Money (iTunes)
Parker (MA + Sony points)
Perfect Guy, The [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Public Enemies (iTunes/ports)
Rambo [2008] (iTunes)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports)
Rite, The [2011] (iTunes/ports)
Safe Haven (iTunes)
Superfly [2018] (MA + Sony points)
That Awkward Moment (MA + Sony points)
Vanishing On 7th Street (iTunes)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (MA + Sony points)
Warrior [2011] (iTunes)
When The Game Stands Tall (MA + Sony points)
VVitch, The [A24] (Vudu)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (iTunes/ports)
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Alex Cross (iTunes only)
Divergent Series: Allegiant, The (Vudu only)
Fast Five [Extended] (iTunes/ports)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports)
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The (iTunes only)
Red Dawn [2012] (iTunes only)
Skyfall (iTunes only)
Warm Bodies (iTunes only)
submitted by mthw704 to DigitalCodeSELL [link] [comments]
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💲5️⃣ 4K UHD
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (MA + 200 points)Dolittle [2020] (MA)
Incredible Hulk, The [2008] (MA)
Morbius (MA + Sony points)
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (Vudu or iTunes)
🦝
💲4️⃣ 4K UHD
Alita: Battle Angel (MA)Big Lebowski, The (iTunes/ports)
Black Panther (MA + 200 points)
Captain America: Civil War (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Captain Marvel (MA + 200 points)
Christopher Robin [2018] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Doctor Strange (MA + 200 points)
Frozen II (MA + 200 points)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Guest, The [2014] (iTunes/ports)
Heat [1995] (iTunes/ports)
Hocus Pocus (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Hunger Games, The (Vudu)
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (iTunes)
Invisible Man, The [2020] (MA)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (MA)
Pretty In Pink (iTunes)
Ralph Breaks The Internet (MA + 200 points)
Rear Window [1954] (MA)
Scarface [1983] (iTunes/ports)
Thor: The Dark World (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
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💲4️⃣ HD
Blacklist season 1 (Vudu)Company Of Heroes [2013] (MA)
Jungle Book, The [1967] (MA + 150 points)
Justified season 4 (Vudu)
Night Of, The [2016] (iTunes)
Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World (MA + 150 points)
🦝
$3️⃣ Movies
$3 4K UHDAladdin [2019] (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (MA)
Captain Marvel (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Coco (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Doctor Strange (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Escape Plan (Vudu)
Everest [2015] (iTunes/ports)
Frozen II (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Home Alone (iTunes/ports or HD MA/GP)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (Vudu)
Incredibles 2, The (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Interstellar (iTunes)
Iron Man 3 (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Jigsaw (Vudu)
Logan Lucky [2017] (iTunes/ports)
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (iTunes/ports)
Mission Impossible [1996] (iTunes)
Mission Impossible 2: MI2 (iTunes)
Mission Impossible 3: MI3 (iTunes)
Moana (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Primal (Vudu or iTunes)
Purge: Anarchy, The (MA)
Purge: Election Year, The (MA)
Rango (iTunes)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Vudu)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Vudu)
Zootopia (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
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$3 HD
22 Jump Street (MA + Sony points)About Last Night (MA + Sony points)
All The Money In The World [2017] (MA + Sony points)
American Assassin (Vudu)
American Underdog (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Baby Driver (MA + Sony points)
Bad Boys [1995] (MA + Sony points)
Banshee season 4 (iTunes)
Big Sick, The (iTunes)
Breakfast Club, The [1985] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Chappie (MA + Sony points)
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark [2011] (MA)
Downton Abbey: A New Era (MA)
Eternals [2021] (MA + 150 points)
Free Guy (MA + 150 points)
Hotel Transylvania [2012] (MA + Sony points)
Insidious: Chapter 3 (MA + Sony points)
Interview, The [2014] (MA + Sony points)
John Wick 1 & 2 (Vudu or Google Play)
Last Full Measure, The (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Les Miserables [1998] (MA)
Lightyear (MA + 150 points)
London Has Fallen (iTunes/ports)
Lone Ranger, The [2013] (MA + 150 points)
Love, Simon [2018] (MA)
Max Steel [2016] (MA)
Midsommar [A24] (Vudu or iTunes)
Molly's Game (iTunes)
Monster Calls, A [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
News Of The World [2020] (MA)
Olympus Has Fallen (MA + Sony points)
Outlander season 1, volume 2 (Vudu)
Overcomer [2019] (MA + Sony points)
Over The Hedge (MA)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (MA)
Phoenix Forgotten (MA or iTunes/ports)
Pirate Fairy, The (MA + 150 points)
Pixels (MA + Sony points)
Poison Rose, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Rhythm Section, The [2020] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue [2020] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Sex Tape (MA + Sony points)
Sleeping Beauty [1959] (MA + 150 points)
Space Between Us, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Starship Troopers: Invasion (MA)
Super Buddies [2013] (MA + Sony points)
Superfly [2018] (MA + Sony points)
This Is The End (MA + Sony points)
Uncut Gems (Vudu or Google Play)
Wedding Ringer, The (MA + Sony points)
When The Bough Breaks (MA + Sony points)
Wire Room [2022] (Vudu)
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All codes are $2. Prices are firm for now. Please only redeem the you are paying for. Any Disney codes are split. MA/iTunes Disney will include points but not the GP redeem. All Sony titles include points as long as the title is eligible. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I accept Cashapp, Venmo, Zelle, Fb pay or PayPal F&F. Comment & pm if interested. Thanks for checking out my list.
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💲2️⃣ HDX
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)2 Guns (iTunes/ports)
Action Point (iTunes 4K)
Adventures Of Tintin, The (iTunes)
Age Of Adaline, The (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Alien Covenant (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
All Eyez On Me (iTunes)
Allied [2016] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Aloha [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Alpha & Omega 2 (Vudu)
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
American Assassin (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
American Girl: Lea To The Rescue (iTunes/ports)
American Made [2017] (MA)
American Reunion [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Arrival [2016] (Vudu)
Assassination Nation (MA)
Assassin's Creed (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Atomic Blonde (iTunes/ports 4K)
August: Osage County (Vudu)
Bad Grandpa (Vudu or iTunes)
Bad Moms (MA or iTunes/ports)
Battleship [2012] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Baywatch (iTunes 4K)
Beauty & The Beast [2017] (MA + 150 points/iTunes option is expired)
Ben-Hur [2016] (Vudu)
Big Wedding, The (iTunes)
Black Panther (MA + 150 points/iTunes option is expired)
Book Club (iTunes 4K or Vudu HD)
Boss, The [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Bourne Legacy, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Boy, The [2016] (MA)
Brian Banks (MA)
Cabin In The Woods, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Cars 3 (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Case For Christ, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Choice, The [2016] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Coco (Google Play/ports)
Contraband (iTunes/ports)
Cowboys & Aliens [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Cult Of Chucky [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Daddy's Home (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Daddy's Home 2 (Vudu)
Dark Tower, The [2017] (MA + Sony points)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Death Race 3: Inferno [Unrated] (iTunes/ports)
Deepwater Horizon (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Despicable Me 2 (iTunes/ports 4K)
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (MA or iTunes/ports)
Dirty Grandpa (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Divergent (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Divergent Series: Allegiant, The (iTunes 4K)
Divergent Series: Insurgent (iTunes 4K)
Django Unchained (Vudu)
Dog's Purpose, A (MA or iTunes/ports)
Downsizing (Vudu)
Dracula Untold (iTunes/ports 4K)
Duff, The [2015] (iTunes)
Dying Of The Light (Vudu)
Edge Of Seventeen, The [2016] (iTunes/ports)
Edward Scissorhands (MA)
Emoji Movie, The (MA + Sony points)
Ender's Game (iTunes 4K or Vudu/Google Play HD)
Epic [2013] (MA)
Equalizer, The (MA + Sony points)
Escape Plan (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Everest [2015] (MA)
Ex Machina (Vudu)
Exodus: Gods & Kings (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Fast & Furious 6, The [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fate Of The Furious [F8] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA 4K or iTunes/ports 4K)
Fault In Our Stars, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Fences [2016] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Fifty Shades Darker [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Fifty Shades Freed [Theatrical] (MA)
Fifty Shades Of Grey [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Finding Dory (iTunes/ports 4K or HD + 150 points)
Five Feet Apart (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Flight [2012] (Vudu or iTunes)
Frozen (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Furious 7 [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Gemini Man (iTunes 4K)
Ghostbusters [2016] [Theatrical & Extended] (MA + Sony points)
Gifted [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Girl On The Train, The [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Girl With All The Gifts, The (Vudu)
God's Not Dead 2 (iTunes/ports)
Gods Of Egypt (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Gotti (Vudu)
Grace Unplugged (Vudu)
Greatest Showman, The (MA)
Great Wall, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Grey, The [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (MA + 150 points/no iTunes option)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Gunman, The [2015] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hacksaw Ridge (Vudu or Google Play)
Hail, Caesar (MA or iTunes/ports)
Halloween [2018] (MA)
Hanna (iTunes/ports)
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters [Unrated] (iTunes)
Hardcore Henry (MA or iTunes/ports)
Hateful Eight, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Heat, The [2013] (MA)
Hell Or High Water (Vudu or Google Play)
Hercules [2014] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Here Comes The Boom (MA + Sony points)
Hidden Figures (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Hitman's Bodyguard, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Hocus Pocus (Google Play/ports)
Home [2015] (MA)
Homefront [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Host, The [2013] (iTunes/ports)
How The Grinch Stole Christmas [2000] (MA)
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (MA)
Hugo (Vudu or iTunes)
Hunger Games, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
I Can Only Imagine (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Ice Age: Collision Course (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (MA)
I, Frankenstein (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Independence Day: Resurgence (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (Vudu)
Inferno [2016] (MA + Sony points)
Instant Family (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Interstellar (Vudu or Google Play)
Jackass 3 [Theatrical] (Vudu or iTunes)
Jack Reacher (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Jarhead 2: Field Of Fire [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Jason Bourne (iTunes/ports 4K)
John Wick (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (iTunes 4K)
Joy [2015] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (MA + Sony points)
Jurassic World (iTunes/ports 4K)
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (MA)
Kick-Ass 2 (MA or iTunes/ports)
Kidnap [2017] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Killer Elite (iTunes/ports)
Killing Them Softly (Vudu)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Last Stand, The [2013] (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Last Witch Hunter, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Legend Of Hercules, The (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Leprechaun: Origins (Vudu)
Leprechaun Returns (Vudu or Google Play)
Let's Be Cops (iTunes/ports 4K)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Lion King, The [1994] (Google Play/ports)
Lion King, The [2019] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Logan (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Lone Ranger, The [2013] (Google Play/ports)
Lone Survivor (iTunes/ports 4K)
Longest Ride, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Lorax, The [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Love The Coopers (iTunes)
Lucy (iTunes/ports 4K)
Maggie (Vudu)
Maleficent (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Mama [2013] (iTunes/ports)
Mama Mia: The Movie [2008] (MA)
Man With The Iron Fists, The [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Martian, The [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Marvel's The Avengers [2012] (Google Play/ports)
Maze Runner, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Mechanic: Resurrection (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life (iTunes)
Mindgamers (MA or iTunes/ports)
Minions (iTunes/ports 4K)
Mission Impossible: Fallout (Vudu 4K or iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (iTunes 4K)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (iTunes 4K)
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Mountain Between Us, The (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Mr. Holmes [2015] (Vudu)
Mulan [2020] (MA + 150 points)
Mummy, The [2017] (MA)
Noah [2014] (Vudu or iTunes)
Non-Stop [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Norm Of The North (Vudu)
Now You See Me 2 (iTunes 4K or Vudu/GP HD)
Nut Job 2 : Nutty By Nature, The (MA or iTunes/ports)
Office Christmas Party (Vudu)
Orange Is The New Black season 2 (Vudu)
Other Woman, The [2014] (MA, iTunes or Google Play/ports)
Overdrive [2017] (iTunes)
Oz The Great & Powerful (MA + 150 points)
Pain & Gain (iTunes)
Paranormal Activity [Theatrical] (Vudu)
Paranormal Activity 2 [Unrated Director's Cut] (Vudu)
Paranormal Activity 4 [Unrated] (iTunes)
Peppermint (iTunes)
Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters (MA or Google Play/ports)
Pet Sematary [2019] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Pirate Fairy, The (Google Play/ports
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (MA + 150 points only/iTunes option is expired)
Pitch Perfect (iTunes/ports 4K)
Pitch Perfect 2 (iTunes/ports 4K)
Planes [2013] (MA + 150 points)
Possession, The [2012] (iTunes)
Prometheus (MA)
Purge, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Purge: Election Year, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Queen Of Katwe (Google Play/ports)
Quiet Place, A [2018] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Rango (Vudu)
Raya & The Last Dragon (Google Play/ports)
Riddick [2013] [Unrated] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Ride Along (MA or iTunes/ports)
Ride Along 2 (MA or iTunes/ports)
Riot: Caged To Kill (iTunes/ports)
Rise Of The Guardians [2012] (MA)
Robin Hood [2018] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Safe House [2012] (iTunes/ports)
Same Kind Of Different As Me (iTunes)
Savages [2012] [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Saving Mr. Banks (Google Play/ports)
Schindler's List (MA)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (iTunes/ports 4K)
Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, The (MA or Google Play ports/ iTunes option is expired)
Selma (iTunes)
Show Dogs [2018] (MA)
Sicario (Vudu 4K, iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
Silver Linings Playbook (Vudu or Google Play)
Sing [2016] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Sinister (iTunes)
Skyfall (Vudu or Google Play)
Sleeping Beauty [1959] (Google Play/ports)
Snatched [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Snitch (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Snow White & The Huntsman [Extended] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (MA + Sony points)
Split [2017] (iTunes/ports 4K)
Star Trek [2009] (iTunes 4K)
Star Trek Beyond (iTunes 4K)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (iTunes/ports + 150 points)
Straight Outta Compton [Unrated] (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Super 8 (Vudu)
Ted [Unrated] (MA)
Terminator: Genisys (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
This Is 40 [Theatrical] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Thor [2008] (Google Play/ports)
Thor: Ragnarok (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA + 150 points)
Toy Story [1995] (Google Play/ports)
Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (MA)
Trolls (MA)
True Grit [2010] (Vudu or iTunes)
Turbo [2013] (MA)
Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions Of A Marriage Counselor (Vudu)
Underworld: Awakening (MA + Sony points)
Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets (Vudu)
Venom (MA + Sony points)
Warcraft (iTunes/ports 4K)
War For The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Warm Bodies (iTunes 4K or Google Play HD)
War Room [2015] (MA + Sony points)
When The Game Stands Tall (MA + Sony points)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (iTunes)
Why Him? (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA)
Wild Card (Vudu)
Wolf Of Wall Street, The (iTunes 4K)
Wolverine, The [Unleashed Extended Edition] (MA, iTunes or Google Play ports)
Woman In Black, The (MA)
Wonder [2017] (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Wreck It Ralph (Google Play/ports)
X-Men: Apocalypse (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
XXX: Return Of Xander Cage (iTunes 4K)
Zero Dark Thirty (MA + Sony points)
🦝
💲2️⃣ SD
12 Rounds [2009] [Extreme Cut] (iTunes/ports)Babylon A.D. (iTunes/ports)
Get The Gringo (iTunes/ports)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (iTunes/ports)
Unstoppable (iTunes/ports)
X-Men: The Last Stand (iTunes/ports)
🦝
$1 Codes
💲1️⃣ HD2 Fast 2 Furious (MA)
Aladdin [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Alex Cross (Vudu)
Aladdin [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (Vudu)
Atomic Blonde (MA)
Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Google Play/ports)
Avengers: Endgame (Google Play/ports)
Avengers: Infinity War (Google Play/ports)
Beauty & The Beast [2017] (Google Play/ports)
Big Hero 6 (Google Play/ports)
Bourne Ultimatum, The (MA)
Bumblebee (Vudu)
Captain America: Winter Soldier (Google Play/ports)
Captain Marvel (Google Play/ports)
Cars 3 (Google Play/ports)
Deadpool (iTunes/ports 4K or HD MA/GP)
Despicable Me 2 (MA)
Divergent (Vudu)
Divergent Series: Insurgent, The (Vudu or Google Play)
Doctor Strange (Google Play/ports)
Dredd (Vudu or Google Play)
Escape Plan (Vudu)
Expendables 2, The
Expendables 3, The [Theatrical] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Expendables 3, The [Unrated] (Vudu or iTunes)
Fast & Furious [4] (MA)
Fast & Furious 6 [Extended] (MA)
Fast & The Furious, The [1] (MA)
Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift, The (MA)
Fast Five [Extended] (MA)
Fate Of The Furious, The [8] [Theatrical] (HD MA)
Fate Of The Furious, The [8] [Extended] (MA)
Finding Dory (Google Play/ports)
Frozen (Google Play/ports)
Furious 7 [Extended] (MA)
Girls Trip (MA or iTunes/ports)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Google Play/ports)
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise (iTunes/ports)
Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The (Vudu)
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The (Vudu)
Huntsman: Winter's War, The [Extended] (MA)
Incredibles 2, The (Google Play/ports)
Inside Out (Google Play/ports)
Iron Man 3 (MA only/no points or Google Play/ports)
Jason Bourne (MA)
Jaws (MA)
John Wick 3 (Google Play)
Jurassic Park [1993] (MA)
Jurassic World (MA)
Katy Perry Part Of Me: The Movie (iTunes)
Lion King, The [2019] (Google Play/ports)
Lone Survivor (MA)
Lucy (MA)
Maleficent (Google Play/ports)
Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (Google Play/ports)
Mary Poppins Returns (Google Play/ports)
Minions (MA)
Mission Impossible: Fallout (Vudu)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Vudu)
Moana (Google Play/ports)
Mulan [2020] (Google Play/ports)
Now You See Me (Vudu, iTunes or Google Play)
Oblivion (MA)
Oz: The Great & Powerful (Google Play/ports)
Parental Guidance (MA)
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The (Vudu, Google Play or iTunes)
Pitch Perfect 2 (MA)
Planes (Google Play/ports)
Red 2 (Vudu/GP HD or iTunes 4K)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Google Play/ports)
Secret Life Of Pets, The (MA)
Sing [2016] (MA)
Snow White & The Huntsman [Extended] (MA)
Star Trek: Into Darkness (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker (Google Play/ports)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Google Play/ports)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Google Play/ports)
Taken 2 (MA)
Ted [Theatrical] (iTunes/ports)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014] (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Thor: Ragnarok (Google Play/ports)
Thor: The Dark World (Google Play/ports)
Toy Story 4 (Google Play/ports)
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Vudu HD or iTunes 4K)
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (Vudu)
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection (Vudu or iTunes)
Unbroken [2014] (MA or iTunes/ports)
Warcraft (MA)
Warm Bodies (Vudu)
World War Z (iTunes)
XXX: Return Of Xander Cage (Vudu)
Zootopia (Google Play/ports)
🦝
💲1️⃣ SD
22 Jump Street (MA + Sony points)About Last Night [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (iTunes/ports)
Amazing Spider-Man, The (MA)
Bloodshot [2020] (MA + Sony points)
Deliver Us From Evil [2014] (MA + Sony points)
Devil Inside, The [2012] (Vudu)
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (iTunes/ports)
Don Jon (iTunes)
Due Date (iTunes/ports)
Evil Dead [2013] MA + Sony points)
From Paris With Love (iTunes)
Fury [2014] (MA + Sony points)
G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (iTunes)
Glee: The Concert (iTunes/ports)
Haunting In Connecticut, The (iTunes)
Heaven Is For Real (MA + Sony points)
Here Comes The Boom (MA + Sony points)
Hotel Transylvania (MA + Sony points)
Inglourious Basterds (iTunes/ports)
Insidious: Chapter 2 (MA + Sony points)
Judy Moody & The Not Bummer Summer (iTunes)
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle (MA + Sony points)
Life As We Know It (iTunes)
Magnificent Seven [2016] (Vudu)
Monsters [2010] (iTunes)
Monuments Men, The (MA + Sony points)
Mortal Instruments : City Of Bones, The (MA + Sony points)
Nerve (Vudu)
One For The Money (iTunes)
Parker (MA + Sony points)
Perfect Guy, The [2015] (MA + Sony points)
Public Enemies (iTunes/ports)
Rambo [2008] (iTunes)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (iTunes/ports)
Rite, The [2011] (iTunes/ports)
Safe Haven (iTunes)
Superfly [2018] (MA + Sony points)
That Awkward Moment (MA + Sony points)
Vanishing On 7th Street (iTunes)
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (MA + Sony points)
Warrior [2011] (iTunes)
When The Game Stands Tall (MA + Sony points)
VVitch, The [A24] (Vudu)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (iTunes/ports)
🦝
Super Cheap SD Codes
All movies are 3 for $1 (minimum of $1 purchase)
I accept Cashapp, Venmo, Zelle, Fb pay & PayPal F&F. Comment & pm if interested. Thanks!Alex Cross (iTunes only)
Divergent Series: Allegiant, The (Vudu only)
Fast Five [Extended] (iTunes/ports)
Life Of Pi (iTunes/ports)
Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The (iTunes only)
Red Dawn [2012] (iTunes only)
Skyfall (iTunes only)
Warm Bodies (iTunes only)
2023.03.24 21:53 EldritchEggoWaffle WARDEN OF THE WEAVER - PART 62: "A HARSH WORLD; HOPE EVEN IN DARKNESS"
•1•
Wings worked against wind, as the squad continued their aerial sprint.
In spite of their best efforts, they couldn't close the distance soon enough. They were still much too far from the city to gain any new insight into the attack--too far away to do anything, too far away to even know much of anything.
High Knight Von and Sergeant One-Wing led their respective squads onward, roaring through the air over the high grasses. Locust Spire was just on the edge of the horizon now. Within view, but still out of reach. Already, Von could feel that something was very wrong in the great Jikkellian settlement. Nagging dread in the pit of her gut gnawed at her as she drove forward. For a while, the wind carried with it the smell of smoke and ash. However, now those scents had dissipated, almost as if the wind had suddenly changed directions. The orange-red glow of flame had settled over the city like a corona, when the grand Spire of jade jutting up from the city's skyline first became visible. Now, the glow had softened to the point it may have no longer have been there at all.
And the Spire itself--the city's namesake, and jewel of Jikkellia--did not seem quite right. Von couldn't quite say why, but it seemed somehow... different; wrong; changed in some way.
What was going on? Was this what Lord Vellnoth was trying to tell them?
Come to think of it... what HAD Lord Vellnoth told them? Aside from ordering them to release the Amphibian and the suspected terrorist, there really hadn't been much information relayed, had there?
Von found it strange. She could hardly recall what the Gardener In Green had said, at all. She would've assumed something as life altering as speaking directly to the God of all Jikk would have left a greater impression on her. She'd assumed it would have inspired her mind, rekindled her soul. As it was, the event had hardly done more than leave her confused, feeling like a lost hatchling who'd just been introduced to something they didn't understand; some concept or experience they needed an adult to explain.
Her mind quickly turned from looking inward, to gazing out at the grasses stretched before her. Just ahead. There was movement.
Von glanced over to her right at One-Wing, but the frown on his face told her he'd already noticed the same thing she had.
High Knight Von drew her sword. Like clockwork, every Knight and Spire Watch behind her followed suit, drawing their own weapons. One-Wing was the last to unsheath his blade. He'd only just readied it when the sound and heatwave of an explosion broke out behind them.
The entire rear flank was taken out in a single strike. The remains of those soldiers caught in the blast were sent hurtling to the ground like small blackened meteorites.
"Post-Six!" Von called out.
The soldiers followed their orders--and their training--falling into a new, defensive position. Or, at least, they began to take up the Post-Six formation. They were interrupted partway through by a second explosion.
Where the fuck were the blasts coming from?
More body parts and scorched remains rained down to the landscape below.
"Ground!" One-Wing bellowed.
What was left of their rapidly thinning squad dropped altitude, coming down for a quick landing.
Von frantically scanned the surrounding grasses as she came to a landing with the others. She saw no one. There was no cover, and it was midday. There wasn't anywhere to hide, yet she still didn't see a single soul.
"No one move," said a commanding voice behind her.
Every head swiveled around, to face the assailant.
Von saw one, then three, then six seperate figures appear behind the soldiers. From the corners of her vision, more appeared. She could hear others, by the sound of their bootfalls and the clanking of their armor.
High Knight Von and her entire squad were completely surrounded.
The figures were Nerthran; mothmen of the Jagged Fields Kingdom. A lot of them. Von counted at least fifty, if not more. Ordinarily, Nerthran wore silver robes of fine silk, as part of their customs. These particular mothmen were wearing their robes, but had opted to don silver chainmail overtop the garments--or, in some cases, even steel plate. They wielded exotic-looking weapons. Crecent-shaped waraxes and ornate katanas; elaborately crafted claymores and thrusting blades shaped like wedges of pie. Even their more familiar arms--their longswords, daggers, and polearms--had been crafted in a way that would have intrigued even the greatest Jikkelian blacksmiths. Yet, of all the weaponry these mothfolk wielded, none stood out more than that of the one who'd stepped forward to call out.
The mothman called out a second time, shouting a single word: "Hold!" He held his unique weapon in both hands, gripping it at the center. It was a cold black color; as cold and black as a Lich's heart. It was as long as the mothman was tall. He held it at a tilt so that it crossed his body diagonally, like a large dark strike-through on a warning symbol. It was shaped like a staff. At both ends, it split off into two prongs like a serpent's tongue.
Now, Von began taking notice of the emblems on the breastplates, gauntlets, and bracers of the foes before her. They showed a symbol; a streak of silver running through a pair of moth wings, crossed by two blades. Her mind searched for meaning. After a moment, recognition finally set in.
Stonewing Pillar Mercenary Band.
They were ruthless criminals and sellswords, well-known in Jagged Fields but infamous even in Jikkellia. She'd never dealt with them personally, but she'd learned about them while undergoing the political and diplomacy training required to reach the rank of High Knight.
Bad news. That's what they were.
Von raised her sword. "You're interfering in official business!" This hardly encapsulated the scope of their crime (especially after launching a direct attack) but it was all she could think to say in the moment.
The mothman smiled. "Actually, you're all about to assist us with our business."
One-Wing scoffed at this. "What makes you think we'd do that?"
His smile broadened. "What makes you think you have a choice?"
•2•
They had a single goal now: reach the statue before the worms reached the surface...
Quijj took the lead. Councilor Lemma informed him she had wings of her own and therefore did not require his assistance when it came to flight (and also that if he continued treating her like a stack of lumber he needed to carry around, she was going to smack him silly). Quijj did not argue. The Councilor flew right behind him. And right behind her--bringing up the rear--was Flower-Seed. It was not a position he was particularly fond of--what with the worms on the loose and all--but he certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in front, either. Last wasn't as good as being in the middle, but of course, Flower-Seed was a gentlemen and Lemma was one of the city's honored leaders. So, back of the pack it was for ol' Flower-Seed.
They rushed up through the narrow hole in the cavern tunnel with a furious speed that would have made even a hive of Hellflies envious. The tunnel ended at an old well that had fallen into disrepair. In actuality, it had never really been used as a well to begin with. The 'fallen into disrepair' part--as the Councilor had explained--was just a story the Jikk of the city had always told one another. It was the sort of story that had been told so many times, for so many years, no one really questioned it or gave it a second thought. The truth of it was the Council of Three in Days Now Gone had decided to build a false well to cover the hidden entrance to the old city. It was sort of an emergency entrance, should one ever be needed.
If only those Jikk of the distant past had known their secret tunnel would not be used as an emergency entrance, but rather, an emergency exit. If they had known this, then perhaps Quijj, Flower-Seed, and Councilor Lemma could have avoided the problem they currently faced; *the fact that those same long-dead Jikk of yesteryear had elected to board up the false well so as to keep any hapless citizens or curious younglings from inadvertently stumbling upon their secret drop shaft to the old ruins.
Quijj had grunted something about this not being an issue when the Councilor broke the news of this "minor problem." Flower-Seed was fairly certain the old tavern keeper would have grunted the same grunt of reassurance, no matter what the Councilor had said. Quijj was painting himself more and more as the kind of Jikk who would take a sledgehammer to a door, if his key didn't fit. Grunting all the while.
When they reached the end of the shaft, Flower-Seed already knew what would come next. His hunch was confirmed when Quijj cautioned them to cover their ears. Flower-Seed now saw what would follow quite clearly in his mind. And how had he not seen this coming? Of course the crazy old bastard was going to blast his way out. Because of course he was.
Quijj was a valuable ally to have at a time like this, but once the smoke cleared, Flower-Seed hoped he would never again find himself in any dire situations with Quijj again, anytime soon.
Or ever again, if it could be helped.
When this was all over, if he made it out alive, Flower-Seed decided he was going to curl up on a nice warm cot by a hearth someplace, and sleep for about four straight Sun Cycles. Maybe even five. Six, while he was at it. Why not? He would certainly have earned it, if he managed to survive all of this chaos and bedlam.
There was a brilliant flash of white and orange; a roaring, echoing BOOOOM which ripped through the entire shaft. A loud crashing, splintering sound rose from above. Heat and a gust of hot air hit Flower-Seed in the face.
Then, they were shooting straight up into the air, no longer inside the shaft. The midday sky was above them again, fresh air in their lungs and the city stretched out all around them. The three of them came to a landing on a patch of scraggly blue kaynarr grass. The scattered stone and wood shrapnel that had once pretended to be a well lay scattered about, near the place where they'd made their exit. All that was left of the false well was a dark round hole and a broken ring of stone no higher than Flower-Seed's shin. There were black iron gates closing in a section of scrubby looking Debbler trees. The backs of several houses ran along the gate on one side. On the opposite side, a large warehouse loomed over the trio of . They were standing in a fenced-in raindrop shaped lot that had clearly been set aside for the sole purpose of secluding the well. The droplet shape of the lot came to a soft point between two houses, where a narrow gap had been left. The three of them wordlessly made for the opening.
The Councilor took the lead now. As soon as they'd made it to the other side of the row of houses, she took to wing. Quijj and Flower-Seed did likewise. They flew over the streets and walkways of a rundown residential neighborhood. Flower-Seed saw only a small handful of citizens. They were huddled together in small groups, hugging one another or saying silent prayers.
"What did I miss?" Councilor Lemma asked, looking around. "Is the attack over? And... where in Vellnoth's Name did all these vines come from?"
Flower-Seed tried to answer, but couldn't. He wasn't sure he had an answer. His vision had told him of the threats below ground, but hadn't filled him in on everything above the surface. What he and Quijj had witnessed with the Drill Flies seemed too miraculous to retell.
Quijj grunted. "A savior."
"A savior?" Lemma asked uncertainly.
Flower-Seed nodded. They were flying side by side now. "Yeah." He smiled to himself. It felt good to smile. Even after all the devastation and death, the fact that there had been a savior...
He didn't have the words for it.
They cut across the city, reaching the Cobbler's District in what felt like seconds.
"There's the statue," said the Councilor.
They landed just before the carved jade depiction of the Jikk hero of legend: Kylo the Great. This statue was identical to the one that had been in Lo Syy Tett, in Proeliator Plaza. There was another in front of the City of the Wandering Moon, as well as a fourth statue in Irogon Nath. Or, at least that's what Flower-Seed had been taught as a youngling at the Learning Hall. Kylo the Great had been one of the founders of Lo Syy Tett and Locust Spire. A true hero of all Jikkellia. Or so it was said.
Councilor Lemma hurried over to the back of the statue. There was a crevice just large enough for her hand. She stuck the Y of her fingers into the opening. Her face took on a look of deep concentration. After a moment, a panel was revealed in the base of the statue. There were gears, dials, and a single lever.
"Who would have thought," Flower-Seed mused.
The Councilor got to work. She began turning the gears and dials. Her hands became a blur for a moment as she input the secret sequence. Finally, she pulled the lever. Beneath the statue, there was a sound like gravel spilling from a wheelbarrow. Then, there was only silence for a moment.
Slowly, the statue began to rise several inches from the ground. When it stopped, the panel snapped back into place.
"It's done," said the Counilor, breathing a sigh of relief. "I just hope we weren't too late." There was a sadness in her eyes however.
Flower-Seed offered a sympathetic expression. "A bit overwhelming isn't it?"
Lemma waved a dismissive hand. "No, it's just... the Advisors. I just hope they made it out."
"There was no choice," Quijj said firmly.
"Yeah," Flower-Seed agreed. "We had to seal it off. Otherwise, who knows how fast those things might've spread."
The Councilor nodded. "I know. I know. Still... E'Shesh. She tried to protect me. When they were going to place me under arrest. She stood in front of the knights."
They all fell silent.
After a few moments, the three of them began to glance around at one another. A knowing look crept across all three of their faces. In unison, Councilor Lemma, Quijj, and Flower-Seed all whispered: "The Jailer."
Quijj nodded, giving one of his usual grunts. "Uhh huh." His expression had darkened. The look in his eyes was downright frigid.
Flower-Seed shook his head. "I don't know why, but ever since we were down in the ruins... it's been as if a curtain was lifted, from inside my mind."
Councilor Lemma nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. A part of me was fully aware of The Jailer and his deeds in Lo Syy Tett. Yet... it was almost like... I wouldn't quite call it a trance--I wasn't under any spell, or hypnosis, at least not as best as I can tell--but rather... it's as if I held a kind of complacency toward everything. I can see now how truly horrendous that Jikk is. Him, and what he's been doing. But... he must have had some way of making all of us intentionally ignore the problem."
"Mind Mother," said Quijj. "That'd do it."
Flower-Seed eyed the tavern keeper. "Mind Mother? Are those things even real?"
"Oh, they're quite real," said Lemma. "And if that's the case, it would actually explain a lot. From what little I understand of them, those creatures secrete a psychic enzyme that lulls the minds of those around it. The longer it occupies an area--so long as it's well-fed and undisturbed--the wider its field of influence. The Jailer must have somehow compelled a Mind Mother to do his bidding, and influence the minds of Jikkellians in a way that would further his terrible cause."
Flower-Seed considered this. "But if we're about to realize we were being influenced now... does that mean this Mind Mother is dead?"
"Tough to say," said Quijj.
"Indeed," said Lemma.
Quijj grunted in what might have been alarm, or perhaps frustration. He was gazing up at the sky.
"What is it?" Flower-Seed asked. But he already knew. He saw it too now. "What is that?"
His mind was overtaken with yet another vision. He saw the entrance to the underground ruins, as it was being sealed off. Just before the large stone slab blocked the passageway leading down into the City Before The City, five Jikk leapt through the rapidly shrinkly gap and onto the street. Breathless, they collapsed to the stonework.
A fraction of a second later, something else followed in their wake. It did not land, nor did it collapse onto the street as the Jikk had. Instead, it shot upwards into the air. The stone slab closed what remained of the opening.
But it was already too late.
One of the Jikk lying in the street began to scream. Flower-Seed saw that Temporary Councilor E'Shesh had indeed made it out of the ruins before the entrance closed. She was lying on her back, looking up at the sky with a look of pure terror plastered across her face.
The thing that emerged from the opening ignored the Jikk, however. It continued to climb through the air, until it was high above the vine-covered rooftops and city streets below. It rose higher still, before slowing. It hung there in the sky for several seconds, before rocketing away. It was headed toward a confrontation. Flower-Seed could not quite discern the nature of this confrontation, only that it would decide the fates of a great many.
And somehow, the outsiders were involved. Specifically, the outsider who had served as Locust Spire's unexpected savior.
Flower-Seed only caught a brief glimpse of the thing in his mind's eye, but that had been enough to fill him with a deep, almost existential feeling of dread.
The worms. They had fused together to form a single being. High Knight Pyx's plate armor. The thing was using it.
A giant parasitic worm-thing in platemail. It was coming for the outsider. And there was no stopping it...
The vision broke away. Flower-Seed found himself on his knees with dark green blood dripping from his eyes and mouth. The vision had been too much for him. Whatever had altered his curse--whatever force, whether it be supernatural, or simply the blow he'd taken to the head at the front gates--it had amplified it to a magnitude Flower-Seed could not handle. The previous vision had nearly caused him to black out. This one had almost ruptured his brain. He wasn't sure how many more of these "visions" he could take. The next one might very well kill him.
He slapped his palms down on the sidewalk, gasping for air.
"Are you alright?" Councilor Lemma asked.
Flower-Seed shook his head.
"What is it?" Quijj asked with much urgency. "Vision again? Did you see a mothman?"
Flower-Seed shook his head again, then promptly coughed up a thick glob of blood onto the stonework. He tried to stand, but his legs were much too weak.
Quijj hurried over and hooked an arm around Flower-Seed, helping him up. "Easy now," he whispered.
"Worms," Flower-Seed said, almost choking on the word. "Worm man. Man made of worms. Headed for the outsider." He took a deep breath, and that seemed to help. Not much, but a little.
Quijj eased him into a sitting position, before releasing him. He drew his strange weapon, examining it a moment before turning to the Councilor. "Can you tend to him?"
"Where do you think you're going?" she said in a tone of reproach. Her hands were on her hips. She gave the tavern keeper a look that reminded Flower-Seed of the way his mother used to look at him as a youngling, on evenings when he'd been out causing trouble with his friends.
"To stop it," Quijj said matter-of-factly. He turned back toward the sky, using his weapon to point at a dark, fast moving dot in the distance. The worm-thing. It was traveling at a tremendous rate of speed, trailing away from the city.
"Alright. In that case, I'm coming with you," said the Councilor.
Quijj grunted in disapproval.
"Don't give me that. I'm the High Councilor, afterall. I have a sworn duty."
"I'm coming too," Flower-Seed said, struggling to his feet.
"You can't," Lemma said. "You aren't well."
"I'll be fine. C'mon. Besides... you can't just leave me here on the sidewalk by myself."
Quijj eyed them both a moment, before slowly nodding. "Fine. Just keep behind me."
"Don't tell me what to do," said the Councilor smiling warmly. "I swore to serve and protect my city. That includes every last citizen."
"Humff," Quijj grunted.
Lemma regarded Flower-Seed with some concern. "Can you fly?"
"I think so."
"Alright. Then let's be off."
Quijj nodded, grunting again for what may have been the hundredth time.
•3•
The changes still hadn't fully set in.
He scarsely resembled his former self. His body was similar to that of a Jikk's, but his wings were like those of a giant moth. And his body, his wings, his entire form was entirely comprised of vines and sunflowers.
Doka was still getting accustomed to his new form. He was still getting accustomed to a lot of things. Ever since the outsiders first arrived in Lo Syy Tett, Doka had gone through a transformation even his new body could not fully represent. Which was saying quite a lot, considering his new form was the direct physical manifestation of the personal and metaphysical journey he'd undergone. He had died for Gods' sake!
He had died.
He'd died, but there had been no White Staircase. He hadn't seen the face of his creator. He'd seen only darkness, before his soul took up residency inside the Moon Moth.
So much of what he'd believed his entire life had been a lie. It made him wonder what else might also be a lie. What even was the truth? Did such a thing exist?
He had DIED!
His mind kept shouting the words over and over like a chant, as if reminding him of this fact might spark some greater intuition, or reveal some hidden meaning. It did not. The reminder only compounded his confusion with a whole lot of noise echoing inside his own head.
He had died.
This was a fact he was still grappling with, even now. Really, it had only been his body that had died. His spirit, soul, and mind had remained. He was now in a kind of life after afterlife. It was beyond strange, in a way that caused his brain to ache if he thought about it too long.
What a journey it had been since the duel with the Frog.
Doka had been granted revelation and realization, one after the other, in a constant barrage of perspective-shifting events. He'd been shaken to his very core--changed in the most fundamental sense of the word. He'd become someone completely different. Yet, at the heart of it all, he was still him. He was still Doka. Just a far more enlightened, less xenophobic and ignorant Doka.
However, this enlightenment also allowed him to see the problem; a problem that had not yet come up, but would have to be addressed sooner, rather than later.
The problem was, he'd been granted revelation and realization, without any real reflection. He'd been transformed, but hadn't yet had even a single spare moment to contemplate the meaning of it all. He was experiencing the effects, without fully understanding the causes. He'd been changed without stopping to consider the ramifications of so much change, on so many fundamental levels.
These things troubled him, but they were Deep Troubles of the Long Term. There were other, more urgent troubles to deal with in the meantime.
Doka and the soft shell soared over the open grasses; a flower-moth-grasshopper-hybrid and a curtain of shimmering blue. Doka looked down at the sheet of water below him. David was stretched out like one great flat square, casting no shadow as he passed over the land.
"What's wrong, bud?" asked the soft shell, taking notice of Doka's gaze. "You alright?"
Doka stilled his thoughts. "I want you to listen to me, Soft Shell. There's going to be trouble up ahead."
"Uh, yeah. I know. That's why we're coming to the rescue, remember? Don't tell me you're getting nervous?"
It was still a bit strange to hear the human's familiar voice coming from the shimmering polygon of liquid. Of course, the two of them had encountered far stranger things than this, on their journey. Particularly in the Sands. Doka had an idea that if not for some doing on the part of the cloaked figure, both his and the soft shell's minds would have been permanently shattered by the experience.
Doka said, "I don't mean once we reach the woods. There is an ambush waiting for us, well before then. A group of mercenaries."
The human was silent a moment. "I can't detect anything like that. Are you sure?"
"Aye. I'm certain of it. They're concealing themselves from your Energies ability to discern their plot. I am able to see it because of my connection with things that lie beyond the mortal world."
"Alright, well... we'll just have to take them out quickly, so we can hurry up and save Artie and the others."
"No," Doka said firmly. "I want you to continue on without me."
"What? But why? It doesn't make any sense to split up. We'll be able to deal with them faster if there are two of us."
Doka shook his head. "You don't understand. They are the ones who attacked Locust Spire. This is personal for me. You can't be stalled in reaching the woods. Your mission is far too important."
"Is that their big plan? To keep me fighting them, just to delay us getting to Artie?"
"That isn't their intention, but that will be the result of their actions, regardless. They have another reason for wanting to defeat you and I."
"Okay? Well don't leave me hangin. What's the reason?"
"Retaliation for stopping their attack on Locust Spire, for one. These mercenaries will try and destroy anyone who stands in the way of their goals. They wish to sew chaos and confusion. Anarchy. They don't want us undoing any more of what they have done, or what they plan to do. I can sense a dark plot. They're working with agents of Pharoah Dowlmad."
"I don't know that name, but I get some pretty fuckin' evil views from it, for sure."
"That would be an accurate assessment. The leader of these mercenaries wishes to leave the valley. There is something beyond the God Shelves he seeks, which will grant him unyielding power. Even I cannot discern his full intentions, but these are the things I have been able to determine."
"I see. Well, I still don't understand why you have to try and solo these guys. Let me help you knock 'em around. We can--"
"No," Doka said firmly. "This really is something I must do on my own. Please try and respect my wishes."
Doka could almost feel the human's mind turning, formulating further protest. Then, it was as if the soft shell finally came to a conclusion. Perhaps, he finally understood that this meant something to Doka--that this was important; a meaningful step on the path to redemption.
At last, the soft shell relented. "Alright, alright. Fine. But if you get into any trouble... if it's more than you can handle, or you--"
"I know how I call out to you," Doka said.
The human sighed. "Okay. Then I guess we'll split up. Um... where exactly is this ambush happening, anyhow?"
"Start traveling northward. Your mind will tell you when to correct your course again. That won't delay your arrival any. You would have had to travel North for a ways,, once you reached the woods. You're just doing it a bit sooner than necessary."
"Alright. Will do. Just... be careful, Doka. Okay? Seriously."
"And you as well, soft shell," Doka said. "Gods willing, I will see you again soon."
•4•
Deskant was well-versed in the power names held in the In-Between. This was why he'd worked so hard to become a Named Enforcer of the Stonewing Pillar Mercenary Band, on top of his other titles and stations. Most of the mercs in evidence were only foot soldiers, or Prospects. Leader Rave hadn't wanted all of his best warriors away from Home Base, afterall. The Stonewings were far greater in number and power than they'd ever let on to nonmembers. In their line of work, it was always best to hide your hand. You didn't want your rivals (or even your allies) knowing your full capabilities. Which was exactly why Deskant was joined on his current mission by the lower ranking members and memers-in-training, mostly. However, this was not the case with all of the mercs here in the open grasses. There was Angus the Arsonist, Vizloth the Philter, Gondin the Foul Ozmon the Worm-Wielder, Ujak the Unhinged.
Then, of course, there was him. Deskant the Demolisher. This was a moniker he had earned after many years climbing and clawing his way up the ranks of the band. He now filled the role of Chief Communicator, as well as being Rave's Right Hand when they were away from Home Base (even if that title actually belonged to Xider, whenever Xider wasn't around--like now--Deskant was the one who stepped up).
Rave had dubbed him the Demolisher because that was exactly what he did. He demolished things; people, places, anything and everything in his path.
"Just cooperate and everything will be fine," Deskant said.
The she-Jikk in the plate armor only glared at him.
"Yeah, I don't like those worms either, but they're effective." He waved his hand toward the infected Jikk soldiers. "We'll remove the parasites and we won't release anymore on your city, so long as you keep doing exactly as we say."
Ozmon the Worm-Wielder stepped forward, clutching his strange club--a dark, polished thing which which looked more like two long, slender serpents twisted around a stick than an actual club--and nodded. "All be righted, once we've finished here."
The she-Jikk said, "We shouldn't be negotiating with the likes of you."
Deskant laughed. "Good thing this isn't a negotiation. It's a hostage situation. If you hadn't noticed." His eyes scanned the row of infected Jikk. Half their number were currently inhabited by parasites. The other half were standing behind the she-Jikk and the one who'd identified himself as their Sergeant. "Now, remember... when you see the outsider, you flag him down. That's all you have to do. Leave the rest to us."
"Uh, 'Skant?" Angus said uncertainly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"They're almost here. I can smell 'em."
Deskant smiled again. This was just too easy. "Alright. Everyone out of sight. Time to do what we do best, fellas."
There was a collective cheer from the other mercs. The lot of them moved into position.
•5•
Zruu--Tri-Hook leader and newly appointed Chief of the Clawhook Bandits in the wake of Chief Xovvo's murder--felt the entire world shift with such remarkable suddenness, that for a moment, he was certain he'd lost his grip on reality. One moment, Zruu had been seated in the bridge of the Black Pyramid beside his fellow Tri-Hook members, Coldcradle and Fann. The next thing the new Bandit Chief knew, he was plopping down hard on his ass in a field of knee-high emerald green grass. He'd been watching a formation of Gliders appear through the viewing window of the bridge. Sky Pirates, he had no doubt. He'd been mentally scrambling for a course of action. His mind had of course first turned to the Pyramid's weapons system. However, just as he was about to suggest this to Coldcradle and Fann, all of a sudden, it was as if his chair had been pulled out from under him--and everything else around him ripped away, right along with it.
"What the FUCK?" Coldcradle bellowed.
Zruu saw his two companions in the grass, just a few short meters away. Fann was there beside Coldcradle, looking furious but saying nothing.
Zruu's eyes burned with rage. "My thoughts exactly." He looked up to the sky. The Pirates. They were up there in the Glider Pods. There were also small Gyff craft as well. Collectively, there were four dozen of the bastards. The Sky Pirates made up three seperate V patterns, while the Walking Stick Men flew in a straight row side-by-side. Together, they made what looked like three arrows and line segment. And there, in the patch of sky between them, was the place where the Black Pyramid had been. The place where Zruu himself had been, on the bridge of the Pyramid.
But the Pyramid was gone. And now, Zruu was down here on the ground.
It made no fucking sense.
"Uh, Chief?" Coldcradle said warily.
Zruu took his eyes away from the sky and leveled his gaze at the other Bandit. "What?"
Coldcradle pointed at something lying in the grass a few feet to his left.
Zruu cocked his head to one side. Then, he was back up on his feet in an instant. "Is that who I think it is?"
But he already knew it was. There, motionless on the ground, was the Vakk Onillcoth had sent as honorary reinforcement. Lequell's body was covered in so much blood, it barely looked like a body. Really, it looked more like a slab of meat glazed in strawberry jam. Zruu had never seen tickman blood before. He was mildly surprised to know it wasn't green, or yellow like many Insectoids. It was a deep maroon, much like his own blood.
Lequell's head was cleaner than the rest of him. Probably because his head had been separated from his body. It was sitting face up a few paces from his bloodied corpse. His lifeless eyes stared up at the sun. They'd gone a dull gray color, instead of their usual black.
Zruu had seen more dead bodies than he could ever recount. Seeing one more now meant about as much as any of the others had. He felt nothing for the Vakk he'd barely known. If anything, he considered him weak for dying so easily. And so soon before their mission was complete.
Zruu raised his boot and punted Lequell's head through the air. It shot up at an arc, before disappearing in the high grass. He turned to the other Bandits. *"What the fuck do we do now? How the fuck did we lose the fucking Pyramid?"
He kicked Lequell's body hard enough to splatter some of the blood, painting several blade of grass burgundy.
"Ziilkdamnit! Now I've got blood on my boot." He turned his foot sideways and attempted to rub the drying fluids off onto the dirt. This mostly worked, but there remained a streak of the stuff he couldn't quite wipe away. "Ziilkdamnit," he cursed again.
"Was it the Pirates?" Coldcradle asked.
Zruu glanced up at the sky. The Pirates had broken their formations and were now flying in a disorganized swarm. They were headed east. They didn't seem to have any interest in the three Bandits down on the ground far below them, from what Zruu could tell. "My gut says no. I think those Sky Pirates and Gyff are just as confused as we are. I have no fucking clue what just happened, but I can tell you one thing... we're gonna get Chief Xovvo's Pyramid back. I don't give a shit what it takes. If it costs all three of us our lives. We're gonna get that damned thing back."
"A Pharoah had to be involved," Coldcradle said. "They're the only ones who could pull something like this off."
Fann nodded his agreement. "That bitch Camaria, most likely."
"I don't give a shit," Zruu said. "Pharoah or no Pharoah. We're getting it back." He locked eyes with Coldcradle, then with Fann, before looking off toward the horizon. "But first... we're gonna keep heading where we were headed. We're gonna deal with the she-ant before we do anything else. We don't have the Pyramid now, but we won't need it. I'll kill her with my bare hands if I have to."
Coldcradle said, "Then let's get to it. Let's hunt that bitch down. For the Chief."
Zruu and Fann voiced a howl of agreement. "For Chief Xovvo!" they said together.
The three members of the Tri-Hook took to wing. The only thing on any of their minds was murder...
•6
"What's the matter?" Flower-Seed asked. His tone was that of someone trying to hide the fact they were in a great deal of pain.
Councilor Lemma studied his face closely. The two of them were flying side-by-side over the city, with Quijj just up ahead. The elderly tavern keeper insisted on taking the lead, it seemed. It was just as well. Lemma had wanted to stay back with Flower-Seed to make sure he was alright. He definitely wasn't alright, but wouldn't admit it.
As much as Flower-Seed's condition concerned her, it was the scene down below--down on the city streets--that concerned Lemma the most. She turned back to the group of younglings she'd spotted.
She and Flower-Seed had a bird's eye view of what remained of Elgganath Parkway in the eastern part of Locust Spire. Just as they'd flown past one of the only large structures that hadn't been reduced to rubble here, they'd caught Lemma's eye almost immediately. There were close to three dozen in all. Younglings no older than adolescents. Some of them were sitting on the sidewalk with their heads between their legs. Some of them were embracing one another. Many of them were simply standing in place, looking up and down the street as if they had no idea what to do, or where to go. Several of them were huddled together, speaking in frightened voices.
Lemma slowed her acceleration to a crawl. Seeing this, after a moment, Flower-Seed did the same.
Quijj craned his neck to look back at them. "You alright?"
Lemma nodded. "Yes." And after a moment's contemplation, she added: "You can go on without me."
Flower-Seed opened his mouth to say something. Then he saw the younglings. He looked from the group below, then back to Lemma. Understanding dawned on his face. He slowly nodded. "Go on without me, as well." After taking a brief moment just as Lemma had, he said (somewhat hesitantly), "If you can manage on your own, that is."
Quijj nodded in response, giving them a grunt of aye, before flying onward.
Lemma and Flower-Seed hung there in the air, and watched Quijj disappear behind a row of vine-covered warehouses. Lemma sighed, turning to Flower-Seed. "The city just suffered a horrible tragedy. They need their leader."
Flower-Seed nodded. "I know."
"Especially the youth. They look completely lost. Without hope. The fire and the explosions are over, but now they need guidance to know how to pick up the pieces."
"I know," Flower-Seed repeated, punctuating the words with a gentle smile. "Well... what do ya say we get down there? See how many we can reunite with their parents."
Lemma returned his smile. "I just hope most of their parents are still alive."
Flower-Seed looked away. "Yeah." He shook his head. "Gods. What a harsh world this is."
"It is. But as long as I'm around, there will always be hope left. That's what they need to see. The Jikk of this city. They need to see the light of hope still shines upon them. Even in darkness. There is always hope."
•7•
Doka could sense the terrible power radiating off the figures just ahead. There was a Fragment User in their midst. As well as multiple masters of the Old Arts and Dark Channels.
And there was something even greater. He could feel it, like a vibration inside his brain.
As he drew closer, he saw the Jikk he was supposed to see, and the mothmen he wasn't. One of the mercs was utilizing a Cyphering technique to hide their presence. Doka could only see them through his connection with the Realms beyond life, beyond mortals.
Doka flew faster, closer, closing in on them.
One of the Jikk--a she-Jikk High Knight named Von, Doka saw--held up her arms and began waving at him. She was trying to flag him down. Doka had no doubt, this was what she'd been instructed to do. The Jikk weren't apart of this. They were only pawns, used by the mercs.
Doka dove down, came to a landing.
In his new form, he could speak to more than just the soft shell. He called out to the High Knight. "It's alright. I know you've done all you could."
The High Knight and the other Jikk stared back at him, stonefaced. Doka could see beneath their expressionless faces; could see through them. He could feel their desperation, their shame.
That was when the mercs sprang their trap...
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Wings worked against wind, as the squad continued their aerial sprint.
In spite of their best efforts, they couldn't close the distance soon enough. They were still much too far from the city to gain any new insight into the attack--too far away to do anything, too far away to even know much of anything.
High Knight Von and Sergeant One-Wing led their respective squads onward, roaring through the air over the high grasses. Locust Spire was just on the edge of the horizon now. Within view, but still out of reach. Already, Von could feel that something was very wrong in the great Jikkellian settlement. Nagging dread in the pit of her gut gnawed at her as she drove forward. For a while, the wind carried with it the smell of smoke and ash. However, now those scents had dissipated, almost as if the wind had suddenly changed directions. The orange-red glow of flame had settled over the city like a corona, when the grand Spire of jade jutting up from the city's skyline first became visible. Now, the glow had softened to the point it may have no longer have been there at all.
And the Spire itself--the city's namesake, and jewel of Jikkellia--did not seem quite right. Von couldn't quite say why, but it seemed somehow... different; wrong; changed in some way.
What was going on? Was this what Lord Vellnoth was trying to tell them?
Come to think of it... what HAD Lord Vellnoth told them? Aside from ordering them to release the Amphibian and the suspected terrorist, there really hadn't been much information relayed, had there?
Von found it strange. She could hardly recall what the Gardener In Green had said, at all. She would've assumed something as life altering as speaking directly to the God of all Jikk would have left a greater impression on her. She'd assumed it would have inspired her mind, rekindled her soul. As it was, the event had hardly done more than leave her confused, feeling like a lost hatchling who'd just been introduced to something they didn't understand; some concept or experience they needed an adult to explain.
Her mind quickly turned from looking inward, to gazing out at the grasses stretched before her. Just ahead. There was movement.
Von glanced over to her right at One-Wing, but the frown on his face told her he'd already noticed the same thing she had.
High Knight Von drew her sword. Like clockwork, every Knight and Spire Watch behind her followed suit, drawing their own weapons. One-Wing was the last to unsheath his blade. He'd only just readied it when the sound and heatwave of an explosion broke out behind them.
The entire rear flank was taken out in a single strike. The remains of those soldiers caught in the blast were sent hurtling to the ground like small blackened meteorites.
"Post-Six!" Von called out.
The soldiers followed their orders--and their training--falling into a new, defensive position. Or, at least, they began to take up the Post-Six formation. They were interrupted partway through by a second explosion.
Where the fuck were the blasts coming from?
More body parts and scorched remains rained down to the landscape below.
"Ground!" One-Wing bellowed.
What was left of their rapidly thinning squad dropped altitude, coming down for a quick landing.
Von frantically scanned the surrounding grasses as she came to a landing with the others. She saw no one. There was no cover, and it was midday. There wasn't anywhere to hide, yet she still didn't see a single soul.
"No one move," said a commanding voice behind her.
Every head swiveled around, to face the assailant.
Von saw one, then three, then six seperate figures appear behind the soldiers. From the corners of her vision, more appeared. She could hear others, by the sound of their bootfalls and the clanking of their armor.
High Knight Von and her entire squad were completely surrounded.
The figures were Nerthran; mothmen of the Jagged Fields Kingdom. A lot of them. Von counted at least fifty, if not more. Ordinarily, Nerthran wore silver robes of fine silk, as part of their customs. These particular mothmen were wearing their robes, but had opted to don silver chainmail overtop the garments--or, in some cases, even steel plate. They wielded exotic-looking weapons. Crecent-shaped waraxes and ornate katanas; elaborately crafted claymores and thrusting blades shaped like wedges of pie. Even their more familiar arms--their longswords, daggers, and polearms--had been crafted in a way that would have intrigued even the greatest Jikkelian blacksmiths. Yet, of all the weaponry these mothfolk wielded, none stood out more than that of the one who'd stepped forward to call out.
The mothman called out a second time, shouting a single word: "Hold!" He held his unique weapon in both hands, gripping it at the center. It was a cold black color; as cold and black as a Lich's heart. It was as long as the mothman was tall. He held it at a tilt so that it crossed his body diagonally, like a large dark strike-through on a warning symbol. It was shaped like a staff. At both ends, it split off into two prongs like a serpent's tongue.
Now, Von began taking notice of the emblems on the breastplates, gauntlets, and bracers of the foes before her. They showed a symbol; a streak of silver running through a pair of moth wings, crossed by two blades. Her mind searched for meaning. After a moment, recognition finally set in.
Stonewing Pillar Mercenary Band.
They were ruthless criminals and sellswords, well-known in Jagged Fields but infamous even in Jikkellia. She'd never dealt with them personally, but she'd learned about them while undergoing the political and diplomacy training required to reach the rank of High Knight.
Bad news. That's what they were.
Von raised her sword. "You're interfering in official business!" This hardly encapsulated the scope of their crime (especially after launching a direct attack) but it was all she could think to say in the moment.
The mothman smiled. "Actually, you're all about to assist us with our business."
One-Wing scoffed at this. "What makes you think we'd do that?"
His smile broadened. "What makes you think you have a choice?"
•2•
They had a single goal now: reach the statue before the worms reached the surface...
Quijj took the lead. Councilor Lemma informed him she had wings of her own and therefore did not require his assistance when it came to flight (and also that if he continued treating her like a stack of lumber he needed to carry around, she was going to smack him silly). Quijj did not argue. The Councilor flew right behind him. And right behind her--bringing up the rear--was Flower-Seed. It was not a position he was particularly fond of--what with the worms on the loose and all--but he certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in front, either. Last wasn't as good as being in the middle, but of course, Flower-Seed was a gentlemen and Lemma was one of the city's honored leaders. So, back of the pack it was for ol' Flower-Seed.
They rushed up through the narrow hole in the cavern tunnel with a furious speed that would have made even a hive of Hellflies envious. The tunnel ended at an old well that had fallen into disrepair. In actuality, it had never really been used as a well to begin with. The 'fallen into disrepair' part--as the Councilor had explained--was just a story the Jikk of the city had always told one another. It was the sort of story that had been told so many times, for so many years, no one really questioned it or gave it a second thought. The truth of it was the Council of Three in Days Now Gone had decided to build a false well to cover the hidden entrance to the old city. It was sort of an emergency entrance, should one ever be needed.
If only those Jikk of the distant past had known their secret tunnel would not be used as an emergency entrance, but rather, an emergency exit. If they had known this, then perhaps Quijj, Flower-Seed, and Councilor Lemma could have avoided the problem they currently faced; *the fact that those same long-dead Jikk of yesteryear had elected to board up the false well so as to keep any hapless citizens or curious younglings from inadvertently stumbling upon their secret drop shaft to the old ruins.
Quijj had grunted something about this not being an issue when the Councilor broke the news of this "minor problem." Flower-Seed was fairly certain the old tavern keeper would have grunted the same grunt of reassurance, no matter what the Councilor had said. Quijj was painting himself more and more as the kind of Jikk who would take a sledgehammer to a door, if his key didn't fit. Grunting all the while.
When they reached the end of the shaft, Flower-Seed already knew what would come next. His hunch was confirmed when Quijj cautioned them to cover their ears. Flower-Seed now saw what would follow quite clearly in his mind. And how had he not seen this coming? Of course the crazy old bastard was going to blast his way out. Because of course he was.
Quijj was a valuable ally to have at a time like this, but once the smoke cleared, Flower-Seed hoped he would never again find himself in any dire situations with Quijj again, anytime soon.
Or ever again, if it could be helped.
When this was all over, if he made it out alive, Flower-Seed decided he was going to curl up on a nice warm cot by a hearth someplace, and sleep for about four straight Sun Cycles. Maybe even five. Six, while he was at it. Why not? He would certainly have earned it, if he managed to survive all of this chaos and bedlam.
There was a brilliant flash of white and orange; a roaring, echoing BOOOOM which ripped through the entire shaft. A loud crashing, splintering sound rose from above. Heat and a gust of hot air hit Flower-Seed in the face.
Then, they were shooting straight up into the air, no longer inside the shaft. The midday sky was above them again, fresh air in their lungs and the city stretched out all around them. The three of them came to a landing on a patch of scraggly blue kaynarr grass. The scattered stone and wood shrapnel that had once pretended to be a well lay scattered about, near the place where they'd made their exit. All that was left of the false well was a dark round hole and a broken ring of stone no higher than Flower-Seed's shin. There were black iron gates closing in a section of scrubby looking Debbler trees. The backs of several houses ran along the gate on one side. On the opposite side, a large warehouse loomed over the trio of . They were standing in a fenced-in raindrop shaped lot that had clearly been set aside for the sole purpose of secluding the well. The droplet shape of the lot came to a soft point between two houses, where a narrow gap had been left. The three of them wordlessly made for the opening.
The Councilor took the lead now. As soon as they'd made it to the other side of the row of houses, she took to wing. Quijj and Flower-Seed did likewise. They flew over the streets and walkways of a rundown residential neighborhood. Flower-Seed saw only a small handful of citizens. They were huddled together in small groups, hugging one another or saying silent prayers.
"What did I miss?" Councilor Lemma asked, looking around. "Is the attack over? And... where in Vellnoth's Name did all these vines come from?"
Flower-Seed tried to answer, but couldn't. He wasn't sure he had an answer. His vision had told him of the threats below ground, but hadn't filled him in on everything above the surface. What he and Quijj had witnessed with the Drill Flies seemed too miraculous to retell.
Quijj grunted. "A savior."
"A savior?" Lemma asked uncertainly.
Flower-Seed nodded. They were flying side by side now. "Yeah." He smiled to himself. It felt good to smile. Even after all the devastation and death, the fact that there had been a savior...
He didn't have the words for it.
They cut across the city, reaching the Cobbler's District in what felt like seconds.
"There's the statue," said the Councilor.
They landed just before the carved jade depiction of the Jikk hero of legend: Kylo the Great. This statue was identical to the one that had been in Lo Syy Tett, in Proeliator Plaza. There was another in front of the City of the Wandering Moon, as well as a fourth statue in Irogon Nath. Or, at least that's what Flower-Seed had been taught as a youngling at the Learning Hall. Kylo the Great had been one of the founders of Lo Syy Tett and Locust Spire. A true hero of all Jikkellia. Or so it was said.
Councilor Lemma hurried over to the back of the statue. There was a crevice just large enough for her hand. She stuck the Y of her fingers into the opening. Her face took on a look of deep concentration. After a moment, a panel was revealed in the base of the statue. There were gears, dials, and a single lever.
"Who would have thought," Flower-Seed mused.
The Councilor got to work. She began turning the gears and dials. Her hands became a blur for a moment as she input the secret sequence. Finally, she pulled the lever. Beneath the statue, there was a sound like gravel spilling from a wheelbarrow. Then, there was only silence for a moment.
Slowly, the statue began to rise several inches from the ground. When it stopped, the panel snapped back into place.
"It's done," said the Counilor, breathing a sigh of relief. "I just hope we weren't too late." There was a sadness in her eyes however.
Flower-Seed offered a sympathetic expression. "A bit overwhelming isn't it?"
Lemma waved a dismissive hand. "No, it's just... the Advisors. I just hope they made it out."
"There was no choice," Quijj said firmly.
"Yeah," Flower-Seed agreed. "We had to seal it off. Otherwise, who knows how fast those things might've spread."
The Councilor nodded. "I know. I know. Still... E'Shesh. She tried to protect me. When they were going to place me under arrest. She stood in front of the knights."
They all fell silent.
After a few moments, the three of them began to glance around at one another. A knowing look crept across all three of their faces. In unison, Councilor Lemma, Quijj, and Flower-Seed all whispered: "The Jailer."
Quijj nodded, giving one of his usual grunts. "Uhh huh." His expression had darkened. The look in his eyes was downright frigid.
Flower-Seed shook his head. "I don't know why, but ever since we were down in the ruins... it's been as if a curtain was lifted, from inside my mind."
Councilor Lemma nodded. "I know exactly what you mean. A part of me was fully aware of The Jailer and his deeds in Lo Syy Tett. Yet... it was almost like... I wouldn't quite call it a trance--I wasn't under any spell, or hypnosis, at least not as best as I can tell--but rather... it's as if I held a kind of complacency toward everything. I can see now how truly horrendous that Jikk is. Him, and what he's been doing. But... he must have had some way of making all of us intentionally ignore the problem."
"Mind Mother," said Quijj. "That'd do it."
Flower-Seed eyed the tavern keeper. "Mind Mother? Are those things even real?"
"Oh, they're quite real," said Lemma. "And if that's the case, it would actually explain a lot. From what little I understand of them, those creatures secrete a psychic enzyme that lulls the minds of those around it. The longer it occupies an area--so long as it's well-fed and undisturbed--the wider its field of influence. The Jailer must have somehow compelled a Mind Mother to do his bidding, and influence the minds of Jikkellians in a way that would further his terrible cause."
Flower-Seed considered this. "But if we're about to realize we were being influenced now... does that mean this Mind Mother is dead?"
"Tough to say," said Quijj.
"Indeed," said Lemma.
Quijj grunted in what might have been alarm, or perhaps frustration. He was gazing up at the sky.
"What is it?" Flower-Seed asked. But he already knew. He saw it too now. "What is that?"
His mind was overtaken with yet another vision. He saw the entrance to the underground ruins, as it was being sealed off. Just before the large stone slab blocked the passageway leading down into the City Before The City, five Jikk leapt through the rapidly shrinkly gap and onto the street. Breathless, they collapsed to the stonework.
A fraction of a second later, something else followed in their wake. It did not land, nor did it collapse onto the street as the Jikk had. Instead, it shot upwards into the air. The stone slab closed what remained of the opening.
But it was already too late.
One of the Jikk lying in the street began to scream. Flower-Seed saw that Temporary Councilor E'Shesh had indeed made it out of the ruins before the entrance closed. She was lying on her back, looking up at the sky with a look of pure terror plastered across her face.
The thing that emerged from the opening ignored the Jikk, however. It continued to climb through the air, until it was high above the vine-covered rooftops and city streets below. It rose higher still, before slowing. It hung there in the sky for several seconds, before rocketing away. It was headed toward a confrontation. Flower-Seed could not quite discern the nature of this confrontation, only that it would decide the fates of a great many.
And somehow, the outsiders were involved. Specifically, the outsider who had served as Locust Spire's unexpected savior.
Flower-Seed only caught a brief glimpse of the thing in his mind's eye, but that had been enough to fill him with a deep, almost existential feeling of dread.
The worms. They had fused together to form a single being. High Knight Pyx's plate armor. The thing was using it.
A giant parasitic worm-thing in platemail. It was coming for the outsider. And there was no stopping it...
The vision broke away. Flower-Seed found himself on his knees with dark green blood dripping from his eyes and mouth. The vision had been too much for him. Whatever had altered his curse--whatever force, whether it be supernatural, or simply the blow he'd taken to the head at the front gates--it had amplified it to a magnitude Flower-Seed could not handle. The previous vision had nearly caused him to black out. This one had almost ruptured his brain. He wasn't sure how many more of these "visions" he could take. The next one might very well kill him.
He slapped his palms down on the sidewalk, gasping for air.
"Are you alright?" Councilor Lemma asked.
Flower-Seed shook his head.
"What is it?" Quijj asked with much urgency. "Vision again? Did you see a mothman?"
Flower-Seed shook his head again, then promptly coughed up a thick glob of blood onto the stonework. He tried to stand, but his legs were much too weak.
Quijj hurried over and hooked an arm around Flower-Seed, helping him up. "Easy now," he whispered.
"Worms," Flower-Seed said, almost choking on the word. "Worm man. Man made of worms. Headed for the outsider." He took a deep breath, and that seemed to help. Not much, but a little.
Quijj eased him into a sitting position, before releasing him. He drew his strange weapon, examining it a moment before turning to the Councilor. "Can you tend to him?"
"Where do you think you're going?" she said in a tone of reproach. Her hands were on her hips. She gave the tavern keeper a look that reminded Flower-Seed of the way his mother used to look at him as a youngling, on evenings when he'd been out causing trouble with his friends.
"To stop it," Quijj said matter-of-factly. He turned back toward the sky, using his weapon to point at a dark, fast moving dot in the distance. The worm-thing. It was traveling at a tremendous rate of speed, trailing away from the city.
"Alright. In that case, I'm coming with you," said the Councilor.
Quijj grunted in disapproval.
"Don't give me that. I'm the High Councilor, afterall. I have a sworn duty."
"I'm coming too," Flower-Seed said, struggling to his feet.
"You can't," Lemma said. "You aren't well."
"I'll be fine. C'mon. Besides... you can't just leave me here on the sidewalk by myself."
Quijj eyed them both a moment, before slowly nodding. "Fine. Just keep behind me."
"Don't tell me what to do," said the Councilor smiling warmly. "I swore to serve and protect my city. That includes every last citizen."
"Humff," Quijj grunted.
Lemma regarded Flower-Seed with some concern. "Can you fly?"
"I think so."
"Alright. Then let's be off."
Quijj nodded, grunting again for what may have been the hundredth time.
•3•
The changes still hadn't fully set in.
He scarsely resembled his former self. His body was similar to that of a Jikk's, but his wings were like those of a giant moth. And his body, his wings, his entire form was entirely comprised of vines and sunflowers.
Doka was still getting accustomed to his new form. He was still getting accustomed to a lot of things. Ever since the outsiders first arrived in Lo Syy Tett, Doka had gone through a transformation even his new body could not fully represent. Which was saying quite a lot, considering his new form was the direct physical manifestation of the personal and metaphysical journey he'd undergone. He had died for Gods' sake!
He had died.
He'd died, but there had been no White Staircase. He hadn't seen the face of his creator. He'd seen only darkness, before his soul took up residency inside the Moon Moth.
So much of what he'd believed his entire life had been a lie. It made him wonder what else might also be a lie. What even was the truth? Did such a thing exist?
He had DIED!
His mind kept shouting the words over and over like a chant, as if reminding him of this fact might spark some greater intuition, or reveal some hidden meaning. It did not. The reminder only compounded his confusion with a whole lot of noise echoing inside his own head.
He had died.
This was a fact he was still grappling with, even now. Really, it had only been his body that had died. His spirit, soul, and mind had remained. He was now in a kind of life after afterlife. It was beyond strange, in a way that caused his brain to ache if he thought about it too long.
What a journey it had been since the duel with the Frog.
Doka had been granted revelation and realization, one after the other, in a constant barrage of perspective-shifting events. He'd been shaken to his very core--changed in the most fundamental sense of the word. He'd become someone completely different. Yet, at the heart of it all, he was still him. He was still Doka. Just a far more enlightened, less xenophobic and ignorant Doka.
However, this enlightenment also allowed him to see the problem; a problem that had not yet come up, but would have to be addressed sooner, rather than later.
The problem was, he'd been granted revelation and realization, without any real reflection. He'd been transformed, but hadn't yet had even a single spare moment to contemplate the meaning of it all. He was experiencing the effects, without fully understanding the causes. He'd been changed without stopping to consider the ramifications of so much change, on so many fundamental levels.
These things troubled him, but they were Deep Troubles of the Long Term. There were other, more urgent troubles to deal with in the meantime.
Doka and the soft shell soared over the open grasses; a flower-moth-grasshopper-hybrid and a curtain of shimmering blue. Doka looked down at the sheet of water below him. David was stretched out like one great flat square, casting no shadow as he passed over the land.
"What's wrong, bud?" asked the soft shell, taking notice of Doka's gaze. "You alright?"
Doka stilled his thoughts. "I want you to listen to me, Soft Shell. There's going to be trouble up ahead."
"Uh, yeah. I know. That's why we're coming to the rescue, remember? Don't tell me you're getting nervous?"
It was still a bit strange to hear the human's familiar voice coming from the shimmering polygon of liquid. Of course, the two of them had encountered far stranger things than this, on their journey. Particularly in the Sands. Doka had an idea that if not for some doing on the part of the cloaked figure, both his and the soft shell's minds would have been permanently shattered by the experience.
Doka said, "I don't mean once we reach the woods. There is an ambush waiting for us, well before then. A group of mercenaries."
The human was silent a moment. "I can't detect anything like that. Are you sure?"
"Aye. I'm certain of it. They're concealing themselves from your Energies ability to discern their plot. I am able to see it because of my connection with things that lie beyond the mortal world."
"Alright, well... we'll just have to take them out quickly, so we can hurry up and save Artie and the others."
"No," Doka said firmly. "I want you to continue on without me."
"What? But why? It doesn't make any sense to split up. We'll be able to deal with them faster if there are two of us."
Doka shook his head. "You don't understand. They are the ones who attacked Locust Spire. This is personal for me. You can't be stalled in reaching the woods. Your mission is far too important."
"Is that their big plan? To keep me fighting them, just to delay us getting to Artie?"
"That isn't their intention, but that will be the result of their actions, regardless. They have another reason for wanting to defeat you and I."
"Okay? Well don't leave me hangin. What's the reason?"
"Retaliation for stopping their attack on Locust Spire, for one. These mercenaries will try and destroy anyone who stands in the way of their goals. They wish to sew chaos and confusion. Anarchy. They don't want us undoing any more of what they have done, or what they plan to do. I can sense a dark plot. They're working with agents of Pharoah Dowlmad."
"I don't know that name, but I get some pretty fuckin' evil views from it, for sure."
"That would be an accurate assessment. The leader of these mercenaries wishes to leave the valley. There is something beyond the God Shelves he seeks, which will grant him unyielding power. Even I cannot discern his full intentions, but these are the things I have been able to determine."
"I see. Well, I still don't understand why you have to try and solo these guys. Let me help you knock 'em around. We can--"
"No," Doka said firmly. "This really is something I must do on my own. Please try and respect my wishes."
Doka could almost feel the human's mind turning, formulating further protest. Then, it was as if the soft shell finally came to a conclusion. Perhaps, he finally understood that this meant something to Doka--that this was important; a meaningful step on the path to redemption.
At last, the soft shell relented. "Alright, alright. Fine. But if you get into any trouble... if it's more than you can handle, or you--"
"I know how I call out to you," Doka said.
The human sighed. "Okay. Then I guess we'll split up. Um... where exactly is this ambush happening, anyhow?"
"Start traveling northward. Your mind will tell you when to correct your course again. That won't delay your arrival any. You would have had to travel North for a ways,, once you reached the woods. You're just doing it a bit sooner than necessary."
"Alright. Will do. Just... be careful, Doka. Okay? Seriously."
"And you as well, soft shell," Doka said. "Gods willing, I will see you again soon."
•4•
Deskant was well-versed in the power names held in the In-Between. This was why he'd worked so hard to become a Named Enforcer of the Stonewing Pillar Mercenary Band, on top of his other titles and stations. Most of the mercs in evidence were only foot soldiers, or Prospects. Leader Rave hadn't wanted all of his best warriors away from Home Base, afterall. The Stonewings were far greater in number and power than they'd ever let on to nonmembers. In their line of work, it was always best to hide your hand. You didn't want your rivals (or even your allies) knowing your full capabilities. Which was exactly why Deskant was joined on his current mission by the lower ranking members and memers-in-training, mostly. However, this was not the case with all of the mercs here in the open grasses. There was Angus the Arsonist, Vizloth the Philter, Gondin the Foul Ozmon the Worm-Wielder, Ujak the Unhinged.
Then, of course, there was him. Deskant the Demolisher. This was a moniker he had earned after many years climbing and clawing his way up the ranks of the band. He now filled the role of Chief Communicator, as well as being Rave's Right Hand when they were away from Home Base (even if that title actually belonged to Xider, whenever Xider wasn't around--like now--Deskant was the one who stepped up).
Rave had dubbed him the Demolisher because that was exactly what he did. He demolished things; people, places, anything and everything in his path.
"Just cooperate and everything will be fine," Deskant said.
The she-Jikk in the plate armor only glared at him.
"Yeah, I don't like those worms either, but they're effective." He waved his hand toward the infected Jikk soldiers. "We'll remove the parasites and we won't release anymore on your city, so long as you keep doing exactly as we say."
Ozmon the Worm-Wielder stepped forward, clutching his strange club--a dark, polished thing which which looked more like two long, slender serpents twisted around a stick than an actual club--and nodded. "All be righted, once we've finished here."
The she-Jikk said, "We shouldn't be negotiating with the likes of you."
Deskant laughed. "Good thing this isn't a negotiation. It's a hostage situation. If you hadn't noticed." His eyes scanned the row of infected Jikk. Half their number were currently inhabited by parasites. The other half were standing behind the she-Jikk and the one who'd identified himself as their Sergeant. "Now, remember... when you see the outsider, you flag him down. That's all you have to do. Leave the rest to us."
"Uh, 'Skant?" Angus said uncertainly.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"They're almost here. I can smell 'em."
Deskant smiled again. This was just too easy. "Alright. Everyone out of sight. Time to do what we do best, fellas."
There was a collective cheer from the other mercs. The lot of them moved into position.
•5•
Zruu--Tri-Hook leader and newly appointed Chief of the Clawhook Bandits in the wake of Chief Xovvo's murder--felt the entire world shift with such remarkable suddenness, that for a moment, he was certain he'd lost his grip on reality. One moment, Zruu had been seated in the bridge of the Black Pyramid beside his fellow Tri-Hook members, Coldcradle and Fann. The next thing the new Bandit Chief knew, he was plopping down hard on his ass in a field of knee-high emerald green grass. He'd been watching a formation of Gliders appear through the viewing window of the bridge. Sky Pirates, he had no doubt. He'd been mentally scrambling for a course of action. His mind had of course first turned to the Pyramid's weapons system. However, just as he was about to suggest this to Coldcradle and Fann, all of a sudden, it was as if his chair had been pulled out from under him--and everything else around him ripped away, right along with it.
"What the FUCK?" Coldcradle bellowed.
Zruu saw his two companions in the grass, just a few short meters away. Fann was there beside Coldcradle, looking furious but saying nothing.
Zruu's eyes burned with rage. "My thoughts exactly." He looked up to the sky. The Pirates. They were up there in the Glider Pods. There were also small Gyff craft as well. Collectively, there were four dozen of the bastards. The Sky Pirates made up three seperate V patterns, while the Walking Stick Men flew in a straight row side-by-side. Together, they made what looked like three arrows and line segment. And there, in the patch of sky between them, was the place where the Black Pyramid had been. The place where Zruu himself had been, on the bridge of the Pyramid.
But the Pyramid was gone. And now, Zruu was down here on the ground.
It made no fucking sense.
"Uh, Chief?" Coldcradle said warily.
Zruu took his eyes away from the sky and leveled his gaze at the other Bandit. "What?"
Coldcradle pointed at something lying in the grass a few feet to his left.
Zruu cocked his head to one side. Then, he was back up on his feet in an instant. "Is that who I think it is?"
But he already knew it was. There, motionless on the ground, was the Vakk Onillcoth had sent as honorary reinforcement. Lequell's body was covered in so much blood, it barely looked like a body. Really, it looked more like a slab of meat glazed in strawberry jam. Zruu had never seen tickman blood before. He was mildly surprised to know it wasn't green, or yellow like many Insectoids. It was a deep maroon, much like his own blood.
Lequell's head was cleaner than the rest of him. Probably because his head had been separated from his body. It was sitting face up a few paces from his bloodied corpse. His lifeless eyes stared up at the sun. They'd gone a dull gray color, instead of their usual black.
Zruu had seen more dead bodies than he could ever recount. Seeing one more now meant about as much as any of the others had. He felt nothing for the Vakk he'd barely known. If anything, he considered him weak for dying so easily. And so soon before their mission was complete.
Zruu raised his boot and punted Lequell's head through the air. It shot up at an arc, before disappearing in the high grass. He turned to the other Bandits. *"What the fuck do we do now? How the fuck did we lose the fucking Pyramid?"
He kicked Lequell's body hard enough to splatter some of the blood, painting several blade of grass burgundy.
"Ziilkdamnit! Now I've got blood on my boot." He turned his foot sideways and attempted to rub the drying fluids off onto the dirt. This mostly worked, but there remained a streak of the stuff he couldn't quite wipe away. "Ziilkdamnit," he cursed again.
"Was it the Pirates?" Coldcradle asked.
Zruu glanced up at the sky. The Pirates had broken their formations and were now flying in a disorganized swarm. They were headed east. They didn't seem to have any interest in the three Bandits down on the ground far below them, from what Zruu could tell. "My gut says no. I think those Sky Pirates and Gyff are just as confused as we are. I have no fucking clue what just happened, but I can tell you one thing... we're gonna get Chief Xovvo's Pyramid back. I don't give a shit what it takes. If it costs all three of us our lives. We're gonna get that damned thing back."
"A Pharoah had to be involved," Coldcradle said. "They're the only ones who could pull something like this off."
Fann nodded his agreement. "That bitch Camaria, most likely."
"I don't give a shit," Zruu said. "Pharoah or no Pharoah. We're getting it back." He locked eyes with Coldcradle, then with Fann, before looking off toward the horizon. "But first... we're gonna keep heading where we were headed. We're gonna deal with the she-ant before we do anything else. We don't have the Pyramid now, but we won't need it. I'll kill her with my bare hands if I have to."
Coldcradle said, "Then let's get to it. Let's hunt that bitch down. For the Chief."
Zruu and Fann voiced a howl of agreement. "For Chief Xovvo!" they said together.
The three members of the Tri-Hook took to wing. The only thing on any of their minds was murder...
•6
"What's the matter?" Flower-Seed asked. His tone was that of someone trying to hide the fact they were in a great deal of pain.
Councilor Lemma studied his face closely. The two of them were flying side-by-side over the city, with Quijj just up ahead. The elderly tavern keeper insisted on taking the lead, it seemed. It was just as well. Lemma had wanted to stay back with Flower-Seed to make sure he was alright. He definitely wasn't alright, but wouldn't admit it.
As much as Flower-Seed's condition concerned her, it was the scene down below--down on the city streets--that concerned Lemma the most. She turned back to the group of younglings she'd spotted.
She and Flower-Seed had a bird's eye view of what remained of Elgganath Parkway in the eastern part of Locust Spire. Just as they'd flown past one of the only large structures that hadn't been reduced to rubble here, they'd caught Lemma's eye almost immediately. There were close to three dozen in all. Younglings no older than adolescents. Some of them were sitting on the sidewalk with their heads between their legs. Some of them were embracing one another. Many of them were simply standing in place, looking up and down the street as if they had no idea what to do, or where to go. Several of them were huddled together, speaking in frightened voices.
Lemma slowed her acceleration to a crawl. Seeing this, after a moment, Flower-Seed did the same.
Quijj craned his neck to look back at them. "You alright?"
Lemma nodded. "Yes." And after a moment's contemplation, she added: "You can go on without me."
Flower-Seed opened his mouth to say something. Then he saw the younglings. He looked from the group below, then back to Lemma. Understanding dawned on his face. He slowly nodded. "Go on without me, as well." After taking a brief moment just as Lemma had, he said (somewhat hesitantly), "If you can manage on your own, that is."
Quijj nodded in response, giving them a grunt of aye, before flying onward.
Lemma and Flower-Seed hung there in the air, and watched Quijj disappear behind a row of vine-covered warehouses. Lemma sighed, turning to Flower-Seed. "The city just suffered a horrible tragedy. They need their leader."
Flower-Seed nodded. "I know."
"Especially the youth. They look completely lost. Without hope. The fire and the explosions are over, but now they need guidance to know how to pick up the pieces."
"I know," Flower-Seed repeated, punctuating the words with a gentle smile. "Well... what do ya say we get down there? See how many we can reunite with their parents."
Lemma returned his smile. "I just hope most of their parents are still alive."
Flower-Seed looked away. "Yeah." He shook his head. "Gods. What a harsh world this is."
"It is. But as long as I'm around, there will always be hope left. That's what they need to see. The Jikk of this city. They need to see the light of hope still shines upon them. Even in darkness. There is always hope."
•7•
Doka could sense the terrible power radiating off the figures just ahead. There was a Fragment User in their midst. As well as multiple masters of the Old Arts and Dark Channels.
And there was something even greater. He could feel it, like a vibration inside his brain.
As he drew closer, he saw the Jikk he was supposed to see, and the mothmen he wasn't. One of the mercs was utilizing a Cyphering technique to hide their presence. Doka could only see them through his connection with the Realms beyond life, beyond mortals.
Doka flew faster, closer, closing in on them.
One of the Jikk--a she-Jikk High Knight named Von, Doka saw--held up her arms and began waving at him. She was trying to flag him down. Doka had no doubt, this was what she'd been instructed to do. The Jikk weren't apart of this. They were only pawns, used by the mercs.
Doka dove down, came to a landing.
In his new form, he could speak to more than just the soft shell. He called out to the High Knight. "It's alright. I know you've done all you could."
The High Knight and the other Jikk stared back at him, stonefaced. Doka could see beneath their expressionless faces; could see through them. He could feel their desperation, their shame.
That was when the mercs sprang their trap...
2023.03.24 21:33 towtrucklol Anyone had luck selling a shuddering Focus to CarMax?
The Ford Dealership I bought my 2014 Focus from 9 months ago just told me it would cost $3,500 to “fix” the shuddering transmission (new clutches and new seal). I really don’t want to pay that, since I’m still making payments on the car and it only has 74k miles.
I’m currently still upside down on the loan for this car. I overpaid the dealer for the car by a couple thousand dollars. Tomorrow I get my next paycheck and I’m going to pay off the difference on the car loan so I’m not upside down anymore, but after that I’m kind of lost as what to do to get this car off my hands.
I’ve considered taking the car to CarMax to try and sell it but I’m not sure if they’d test drive it extensively enough to discover the shudder. My car only shudders if it’s been driven recently and has had about 30 minutes to warm up…has anyone had luck with selling a shuddering focus?
submitted by towtrucklol to FordFocus [link] [comments]
I’m currently still upside down on the loan for this car. I overpaid the dealer for the car by a couple thousand dollars. Tomorrow I get my next paycheck and I’m going to pay off the difference on the car loan so I’m not upside down anymore, but after that I’m kind of lost as what to do to get this car off my hands.
I’ve considered taking the car to CarMax to try and sell it but I’m not sure if they’d test drive it extensively enough to discover the shudder. My car only shudders if it’s been driven recently and has had about 30 minutes to warm up…has anyone had luck with selling a shuddering focus?
2023.03.24 21:19 WarriorofGroot 2020 Subaru Outback Base Trim
I found a decent deal for a used 2020 subaru outback with 64k miles. I know some years have had problems the transmissions in subarus and I've been reading about some recalls on this model. Is this a good car to get, or does it come with a ton of problems down the road that I should look elsewhere?
Thanks!
submitted by WarriorofGroot to whatcarshouldIbuy [link] [comments]
Thanks!