Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/11wsvvs/i_was_a_911_operator_i_still_remember_the_call/
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As we walked past the pile of corpses stacked like cordwood in a pile twenty feet high, the wind seemed to pick up. The smell of feces, urine, rot and rancid sweat emanated from the pile of bodies, nearly making me throw up. My son Anthony and my wife Margaret both tried to hide their faces in the crook of their elbows, their skin looking pale and all too white. I heard my little boy suppress a small retch, bending over as the smell grew stronger for a few moments. Then we were walking away, and though it was still terrible, the smell started to fade after a few hundred feet.
I had driven on this road out of town hundreds of times in my life, and yet I realized I didn’t recognize my surroundings. Furrowing my brow, I looked around. The pavement in front of us had turned white. I saw tiny bones placed closely together, forming the streets.
The trees had also changed. They looked like weeping willows, but instead of long strands of leaves hanging down, they had what looked like intestines and long strands of bloody hair blowing softly in the breeze, moving from side to side. As we drew closer, I realized thousands and thousands of maggots and other larvae swarmed in their otherworldly branches. The concerted motion of so many insects gave them a shimmering, vibrating quality. There was a sound like high-pitched crying that came out of the forests, and as I looked closer, I realized these sounds were coming from the trees themselves.
“Where are we?” my wife asked, her eyes wide, her body trembling. My heart beat so fast I could no longer differentiate the separate beats. They all slammed together in a concerted frenzy as I realized we had walked right out of our world and into the world of the monstrous corpse girl and her insane god that my son had told me about.
“She told me they call it Golgotha,” my son whispered, “the place of the skulls.”
“But how did we get here?” I asked. “And more importantly, how do we get out? Can we just turn around?” I looked back down the road and realized the pile of corpses that had marked the entrance to this mad world was now gone. I saw only the white street paved with bones stretching off into the horizon, endless forests of willows with blood and intestines hanging from them lining each side. Nearby, I heard the gurgling of a stream.
“No,” my son said softly. “We are in here. And I can feel her presence. The dead girl. She’s watching us right now. She’s trying to get in my…” He pointed at his head. “We have to go on ahead.” My wife grabbed my free hand tightly.
“I’m scared,” she whispered to me, too quietly for my son to hear. I nodded to her grimly, opening the revolver and checking the bullets. I had only four left. And I didn’t even know if bullets would harm the things in this place. Then we heard a voice that seemed to boom from the sky. It was deep, shaking the ground. Pieces of intestines and blood fell from the trees around us, and the streets of bone shook, some of them falling out of place like pure white potholes. I grabbed my wife, steadying her as she almost toppled over. My son seemed almost unaffected, but his eyes were wide, and he was looking straight up.
I looked up also, seeing the sky had begun to rapidly turn from blue to black, as if an eclipse were happening. But I could see no sun, no source of light, no moon or stars. Instead, I only saw a face begin to emerge from the darkness. It was a face that seemed to stretch hundreds of miles across. Its skeletal cheekbones and bleached white forehead seemed to blend into the blackness of the sky. Its chattering jawbone and massive pointed teeth opened and closed quickly in an eerie, shuffling way that didn’t match at all its words. It reminded me of a wind-up toy I had had as a child, one that just had teeth that would chatter and bounce off each other as the toy moved forward in a random way.
But its eyes were its most disconcerting feature. They were pure silver, but in that silver, there was a rapid shimmering and rotating. Madness emanated from every part of its face, and I felt it looking deep into my mind. It had a presence that was not only insane, but insectile, antithetical to life, and, worst of all, eternal.
“Have you brought me a new lamb for the slaughter?” it said, in a voice like rushing water. “Give me the boy. He will have company with the dead ones, the other boys and girls here. They’re all dead, but nothing here ever really dies. Give me your child, and I will let you go.” Then it stopped speaking, the only movement in the whole sky being its eyes, which now revolved faster, deeper and lighter shades of silver appearing and disappearing in a rapidly moving fractal pattern that seemed to zoom forever inwards towards the center.
“No,” I said simply, my heart beating fast, but a rising sense of anger battling it and giving me new strength. I put up my middle finger and aimed it at the sky. The voice laughed, louder than ever. I heard trees falling in the forests surrounding us, the stream no longer gurgling but being thrown around like tidal waves on the banks of its shore.
“Then you will all die,” it said, its voice fading as if zooming away from us.
Then the face and the blackness were gone, the sky returning to a deep blue. Light seemed to return to the world, and the eerie, insectile fingers that grasped and felt around in my mind disappeared in an instant. On the horizon, above the trees, I realized I could see thick, dark clouds of smoke rising above the treeline. The road seemed to head in that general direction. Motioning with my hand, I turned to my family.
“It looks like there could be some sort of town or factory over there,” I said. “If we keep going on this road, it will probably bring us close. Or we could turn around and walk back in the opposite direction. What do you two think?” My question was broken by a sob from the nearby trees. Whirring around, I saw Trooper Shea, his dress uniform torn, cuts and scrapes all over his body. His mouth turned into a perfect O of surprise, his eyes widening as he looked at us.
“Please,” he said, “help me.” Then he fell over like a ragdoll, plummeting into the dry soil and dead grass that surrounded the skeletal road. My wife began to run over to him, but I put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
“He could be infected,” I said. She glared at me.
“So you’re just going to let him die?” she asked. I shook my head.
“We approach danger slowly,” I said. “We only have one revolver with a few shots, one butcher knife, and the small knife that we gave Adam- which is basically a paring knife.” I laughed, even though it wasn’t funny. The sound of laughter in this grim place sounded wrong, and I quickly stopped. Margaret just gave me a one more disapproving frown, then pushed my hand away and knelt besides Trooper Shea. She had some medical training, having been a certified nursing assistant in her early twenties, and used it to check him over briefly.
She checked his pulse, his breathing, opened one eye and then the other to check the responsiveness of his pupils and make sure no blood was coming out of either. Turning back to me, she nodded.
“He doesn’t seem sick like the others,” she said. He was laying on his back, and she flipped him over to check for injuries on that side. As soon as she did, we all saw the cause of his collapse.
He was bleeding rather heavily. It looked like someone had stuck a knife into the back of his left shoulder, then pulled it out again. The blood was clotting, staining his trooper uniform a dirty red color on the back. He had clearly lost a great deal of blood.
“I don’t think it hit an artery,” my wife said to me. My son stood behind me, holding my free hand while I kept the revolver ready, scanning the forest and road for any sign of movement. At that point, Trooper Shea began to moan, his eyes fluttering open.
“Do you…” he said, licking his lips and clearing his voice, “...water?”
“Well, there is a stream nearby,” I said, getting up. “I don’t know if it is drinkable however. For all I know, the streams here could be made of pure mercury.” He shook his head.
“They’re water,” Shea said, coming back more and more to consciousness as he spoke. “I drank some of it when I was running. It tasted fine.” He got up slowly, and my wife came running over. He put an arm around her, looking like he might fall over again, but after a few breaths, he steadied himself. “Something was chasing me. I don’t know how I got here; one minute, I was in the fields, running towards the woods, and then suddenly the trees all changed and the sky went black.
“One of those nutjobs in the middle of town stabbed me in the back. My partner ended up getting bitten, and he became so sick within minutes that I knew there was no way I was getting him out of there. He went down fighting, though. He took out five or six of the sick people with him before they all jumped on him and began ripping his body apart with their teeth, their fingernails, everything. It was like a savage dog attack.” We started walking towards the sound of the gurgling stream nearby.
As soon as we reached the shallow bank, Trooper Shea fell to his knees, cupping his palms and drinking as much water as he could handle. Then he splashed it on his face and stood up.
“Alright, let’s get out of this fucking place,” he said, pulling out his service pistol and putting a fresh magazine in.
We returned to the road and began to walk towards the smoke in the sky. Within minutes, the forest started to clear out, and I saw towering buildings on the horizon drawing closer. It was eerie how quiet they were, however. I didn’t hear a single car or bus coming from that direction.
Soon the forest and the hanging intestines and gore were behind us, and we stood in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Buildings hundreds of stories tall stood all around us, many with their windows smashed out. Bodies with nooses around their necks hung from lampposts on both sides of the road. Many had been there for so long that the skin and muscles were sloughing off, rancid gas causing them to bloat, their faces unrecognizable, their clothes bowing out from the pressure of the decomposition.
“The girl is coming,” my son said, pointing down the road. We all had our weapons at the ready. It would have seemed absurd in other circumstances- being so afraid of a little girl no more than four feet tall. Her mouth, stitched close, had dark blood dripping down from her lips, and her eyes were wide, sparkling, almost smiling. Her deathly white skin showed black, rotten veins that wound throughout her body, hidden by the black rags she wore in many spots. Then I heard her voice in my mind as she came to a stop.
“The god of Golgotha welcomes you all,” she said. I could tell by the widening eyes of the others that they all heard her voice as well. “This is your last chance. A sacrifice is required to move forward. Give us the boy. We will take good care of him for you. He will never die. Nothing here ever really dies.” At this, Trooper Shea raised the pistol and fired a shot at her. It hit her in the center of her chest, knocking her back. The voice stopped instantly.
“Run!” my son said. “There’s more coming from behind us.” Glancing back, I saw he was right. Dozens of boys and girls were coming out of the abandoned skyscrapers, flooding the bone-white roads, all with their mouths stitched close. Some wore decaying suits or the rags of dresses, while others looked much fresher, with intact shirts or pants still on their tiny bodies. Seeing that, we all sprinted away. I stayed behind my son, knowing he would be the slowest of us all. The others rapidly gained on us, and I felt tiny hands grasping at the back of my shirt, trying to pull me back. Turning quickly, I fired a bullet into the nearest target- a small boy with a suit that looked like it would have been new during World War 2. The back of his head exploded as I fired point-blank into his forehead.
The reaction of the others chasing us was immediate. They all stopped, their eyes widening as they saw the dark, clotted blood and brain matter that sprayed the street behind the corpse child. Then they placed their hands on the gore, trying to shove it through the stitches in their mouths. I heard deep slurping sounds as they sucked the blood through the black stitching, pulling their lips apart so hard that fresh blood began to pour out of the stitches’ insertion sites as they tried to feast, taking in as much as they could. It gave us just the distraction we needed.
While they circled around the dead boy, eating his body like vultures surrounding a piece of roadkill, we got farther and farther away, Trooper Shea running in the lead, my wife behind him, then my son and me. We took random turns, going down long-abandoned alleyways and moving deeper into the center of the city. Soon, we heard nothing at all besides the heavy footfalls of our group.
“Stop,” I said, gasping, bent over next to a dumpster filled with shoes in a tiny alleyway between two skyscrapers. “I need to rest.” My son clearly did too. He was breathing hard, doubled over. Trooper Shea and Margaret turned to look at us.
“What now?” Margaret asked. I looked down at my son.
“Do you have any idea how to get out of here?” I asked. Surprisingly, he nodded.
“I got a glimpse from the girl’s mind when she was talking to us,” Anthony said. “But I think she saw some stuff in mine, too. I don’t know if it matters or not.” I shrugged.
“Nothing we can do about that now,” I said. “So how do we get out of here?”
“There’s a well in the center of the city,” Anthony said, “where they go when they need fresh boys and girls to follow the god here. Or when they need bodies to feed them.”
“So let’s go!” Trooper Shea said, pushing my son in front of him. “Lead to the way, kid. We’ve got your back. Let’s get the hell out of this place.” Nodding, Anthony started walking on shaky legs. We followed him out of the alleyway to a massive street six lanes wide.
“It should be down this way,” Anthony said, pointing deeper into the tangle of abandoned buildings. I saw a cloud of black smoke where his finger pointed.
Then we heard the voice of that insane god again, but not coming from the sky this time. It was on the street, and not far away. The ground started to shake. Turning to look in the opposite direction that my son had pointed, I saw a behemoth dozens of feet tall. It had the same skeletal face, the same chattering jawbone and sharpened teeth, but it now stood on a slender, naked body with pus and deep gouge marks marring nearly every inch of its skin.
“Thank you for delivering the lamb to me personally,” it said in that voice so much like a waterfall, each syllable pounding into the other and causing small earthquakes as it spoke. There was no way we could outrun it. Though its legs and arms were emaciated sticks with bone showing through its countless injuries, it was fast and very tall.
My wife looked back at me one last time.
“Get him out of here,” she whispered to me, pointing at Anthony. “No matter what it takes.” Then she ran directly at the insane god. Its head swiveled rapidly, its silver eyes following her progress with a kind of lunatic intensity, its long arms reaching out to grab her, but she ducked into a nearby alleyway. The thing followed her, howling.
“Run, you idiots!” Trooper Shea said. I wanted to go help her, but I knew he was right. She had likely given her life to save our son, and to do anything else but get us out would be to waste her sacrifice. With tears pouring down my cheeks, I pushed my son ahead.
“Go, Anthony!” I screamed. Looking back at me, bewildered, he looked like he would just stand there forever.
“But what about mommy?” he cried.
“Just go!” Then we all started to run. The black cloud of smoke was growing rapidly nearer when I heard the shrieks of a woman. I knew it was Margaret. It sounded like she was being burned alive- a kind of pain and horror I had never heard in any voice before, even as a 911 dispatcher.
I could see the well Anthony was talking about now, only a few hundred feet away. Black clouds of smoke emanated from it, blocking out the sky above it. It seemed as if it had some eternal fire burning within it.
Then the dead children began to crawl and run out from every street and alleyway surrounding the well, forming a rough circle around it. They all stopped and stared at us with their dead eyes.
“I have an idea,” Trooper Shea said, looking at me with shell-shocked eyes. “But you’re not going to like it.” Then he ran forward, nearly emptying his magazine with a rapid succession of shots, aiming at the monstrous bodies that surrounded him. With the first nine shots, he blew some of them apart, leaving huge exit wounds in their chests and heads as he fired rapidly. Then they closed all around him, and I knew he was out of time and nearly out of ammo.
Glancing back at me one last time, his eyes watery and terrified, he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. I saw it in slow motion.
“No!” I screamed. But it was too late.
The entire back of his head exploded like a deflated balloon. The corpse-children swarmed all over his body, dipping their small, white hands in his blood and brain matter, trying to shove as much of it as they could in their stitched mouths.
Without a moment of hesitation, I lifted Anthony and ran forward, jumping into the well, the clouds of black smoke enveloping us as we fell.
***
I woke up at the border of the town, surrounded by people in hazmat suits. I saw countless agents in unmarked black SUVs blocking off the border of the town. One man in a hazmat suit came over, shining a light in my eyes. I saw another doing the same to Anthony next to me. Then I fell back into unconsciousness.
I awoke later in a medical facility, surrounded by a few agents in black suits. They wouldn’t tell me which agency they came from, but told me my entire town had an outbreak of a mutated form of rabies. I shook my head.
“There was a dead girl with her mouth stitched closed,” I said, and they laughed.
“A few of the other survivors said the same thing,” one of them said. “Likely mass hysteria. Maybe a group hallucination from the stress of seeing such a horrifying outbreak. We have the entire town quarantined, however. So far, we have been able to keep this out of the media, and the goal is to continue to do that. We don’t need you to go around talking about monsters.” I stopped listening after that, knowing that they would never believe me.
Since then, Anthony and I have moved far away from that town- the one that killed my wife and all my friends. I thought I had left the terror behind and started to heal.
Then last night, as I fell asleep, I had a dream of an insane god with chattering teeth and silver eyes, telling me he would see me again soon.
When I awoke, my floor was covered in footprints that left behind dark, clotted blood leading towards my bed.

Now, after smashing that 5th widow maker, I had to hobble over to my gym bag to grab some marshmallows which I always keep on hand in case I fuck up my insulin timing in the preworkout meal and it spikes mid-workout…. I tend to prefer the rainbow colored ones, as that REALLY gets everyone’s attention, but this time the store by the gym only had the plain whites. They still good, solid carbs though…
Anyways, as I’m getting my carb load on, one of the gym bros, that’s also a PT at that gym and probably the only person I can stand… we actually train together sometimes as he is legit a strong mf’r that can push me out of my comfort zone. Anyways he sees me and can tell I’m pissed off ass hell (I’m usually pretty chill once I get to my stash of carbs). He’s like what’s bothering you. And I lay it out no holding back, like can you believe what this bitch did? Yada-yada, this and that. Fucking tirade it was, mostly foul language as well. He’s was like who? Then he got the picture, and was like - yeah she’s pretty annoying. Want me to take care of her? I was like fuck all that.
….and then I notice he is with a client 😂 …a fairly nice looking I guess you could call her a milf, but then I’m 40+ so she’s close to my age, so don’t know if that counts. Anyways, she kinda cute, enhanced via injections and fillers as is the norm around here, but tastefully done, you can tell she has money. She’s looking at both of of us pretty wild eyed. I’m like I’m sorry for the language used in my description of these unfortunate events. I’m cute when I say stuff like that, it works. And I went back to my workout as I still had calves to fry
So maybe the next day I walk by this female and notice she’s kinda eyeing me on. And somehow I blurted out a hello instead of ignoring that shit. And only after walking past her I realised this was that client milf from the scene above. Did I mention she’s kinda cute? Well she is. Not a 10, but a 9 for sure,maybe an 8 if you have high standards like me. But more since she got money.
Anyways, I guess she was intrigued enough by my gangster ways that she spent the next 15 minutes walking all around wherever I was.
That’s game folks, learn it or burn it

I am a bit lazy, missed doing some Ruby Centric stuff, soooo four quick one shot Ruby stuff. Tempted to do multiversal shit with all the types of Ruby stuff I've done. But this will do.

Ruby of The Grimm.

Taiyang: WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!
Qrow: I DON'T KNOW! I ONLY MANAGED TO FIND YANG!!!
Yang: RUBYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
---
Intelligent Grimm Beowolf: Huh... so you tried to kill a toddler.
Beowolf: Well when you put it that way...
Intelligent Beowolf: And she used her silver eyes to eradicate most huh...
Beowolf: But I dunno, kid seemed let down, and ugh you're better at this kind of stuff than I am. Should we turn her over to Salem?
Intelligent Beowolf: No. Salem can go suck an egg.
(Years later)
Yang: Okay Yang, just one last trip before you go to Beacon. I know my sis is alive, if the legends of the silver eyed Grimm are true then...
Ruby: Uuu Shiny candy bar.
Yang screams at the feral looking young girl, who tears open the car with ease, and takes a candy bar.
Yang: Ruby?
Thus George of the Jungle shenanigans ensue with a Grimm Raised Ruby, and yes the Smart Grimm known as Wolf, has a love for smart literature. Also just this once I will throw a bone to Lancaster shippers XD

Grimm Tamer Ruby (Or if Ruby was a Pokemon Master)

Ruby: Huh sup.
Everyone just scared of Ruby, as she gives the Beowolf some belly rubbings.
Port: How?
Ruby: Well I noticed they were scared of my silver eyes. and I just kind took it from there. Been raising a whole pack.
Ozpin:.... Why didn't I ever think of that?
---
Cinder begins monologuing to Pyrrha, when Bob the Beowolf comes out of nowhere mauling her, making her scream.
Ruby: Good boy~

Maxed out Ruby!

Ruby: ...
Roman: Yeah well-
Gets blitzed by a Red Blur, so fast, by the time he wakes up, he is surrounded by red roses, and in jail.
--
Yang: Now si-
Ruby is already gone, only a trail of roses behind.
Yang: Dang it!
Ruby is in the workshop already cranking out whole new weapons.
---
Jaune: That girl is scary... she soloed the entire forest...
Cardin: Terrifying... but at least she gave us cool new shiny weapons that are badass!
Jaune: YUS!
---
CinderTries to draw a fake drawing on a wall snickering, thinking of how she can draw the robotic girlfirend in danger with her awesome skills then Ruby wiil run into it unprepaired.
Emerald: I could just use an illusion.
Cinder: Quiet here she comes!
The Trio hide, and then to their shock Ruby goes straight into the drawing picking up Penny and zooming away.
Cinder: NANI?!!!
She pounds the wall in frustration, causing the loose boulder up top to fall on her, making her groan in pain.
Ruby: Meep Meep!!
She then zips away.

Gangster Ruby

Ruby: So old man... where's my payment.
Shopkeep gulps as he slides a plate of cookies forward.
Ruby: Sighs in disappointement. Are these even strawberry flavored?
Shopkeep: Strawberry but I heard you liked coo-
Ruby: Shakes her head, taking the plate. Yang quietly shushing the man, and escorting him out through the back.
Roman: What the fuc-
Ruby: Ah Roman. So you've been muscling in on my turf.
Roman: Your turf what would a snot nosed brat like you know about...
He is shut up wtih Crestcent Rose's blade resting against his neck, it was so fast he couldn't blink.
Ruby: My pops is still Head Honcho of this whole gig. But you? You're just a small fry. But I am going to cut you some slack capiche?
Roman: Gulps.
Ruby: You're going to give me back the dust you stole. You're going to tell me who is trying to boss you around. Because we both know you're not an idiot.
Roman:... She will kill me...
Ruby: And what do you think I will do to you?
Roman: Her name is Cinder Fall.
Ruby: She pats his cheek. Good man. Now we will need to make this look convincing, wouldn't want people to get suspicious.
----
Cardin: Ruby...
The taller boy kneels before Ruby, and kisses the ring on her finger.
Cardin: I didn't know he was with you ma'am.
Jaune: What the fu-
Ruby: You're forgiven, but tell me everything.
Cardin does so.
Ruby: Then he will just have to work for us now.
Cardin: Understood ma'am I will personally train him so that he is worthy of being in the family.
Ruby: Kisses Cardin on the forehead. Thank you.
Jaune: Is still just hopelessly confused, as Cardin drags him away with a clear purpose in mind.

And that's all for now! XD

We've finally made it... at last, we're on the Last Story. All 3 hedgehogs have had their stories lead up to this. How will it all end? Well, we're about to find out! Let us begin:
Somewhere in Soleanna's forest, Mephiles manages to get his hands on the purple Chaos Emerald, one which we haven't seen throughout this game. He finds Elise and Sonic walking through the field, and using the blinding power of the gem, comes up from behind the two when they least expect it, and (yes, I'm using language here, NO SHAME)... FUCKING KILLS SONIC by launching a beam of energy straight through his chest. Distraught by this, Elise manages to cry, unsealing Iblis after all these years. With the two halves of Solaris now freed, Mephiles calls on the Chaos Emerald he has to unite them together.
Meanwhile, in Dusty Desert, Team Dark is surrounded by a puddle of dark liquid from the army of Mephiles clones they took down at the end of Shadow's story. As he picks up and puts his Inhibitor Rings back on, the green and yellow Chaos Emeralds that were resting on the ground begin to glow, and the screen cuts to black. The next cutscene dramatically plays out, with Mephiles having all 7 Chaos Emeralds surrounding him (which I have NO clue where he got the blue and red ones from), and the two halves of Solaris finally coming together. A bright flash of light engulfs the entirety of Soleanna, where Amy, Tails, and Knuckles currently are.
Now in an endless void, all of the characters are found to be together, even Silver and Dr. Eggman have somehow appeared. Trying to figure out what was going on, Shadow and the others piece together the clues that Solaris has finally been reborn, but how is that possible? They then turn to see the dead body of Sonic resting against Princess Elise, realizing that this was all part of Mephiles' plan so she'd cry, and that EVERYONE, including Dr. Eggman, were played like cards in his hand.
As Amy mourns over the loss of the beloved blue hero, the princess senses Sonic's spirit in the wind, knowing that he's not dead yet, and that there's still time. Silver then comes up with the idea that he can be revived using the Chaos Emeralds' power, believing in the princess that she can bring him back. Dr. Eggman then analyzes where the fabled gems have gone, noting that Solaris scattered them all across time, and that the crew has to split up. Firm on their resolution, the group splits up, each setting out across the void to find them before it's too late.
And now it's time for... the End of the World. This final stage brings all 7 remaining characters - Tails, Omega, Knuckles, Silver, Rouge, Amy, and Shadow - on their quest to find the Chaos Emeralds before reality is destroyed by Solaris. This massive adventure split up into 7 sections, the first being with Tails in Crisis City as he searches for the yellow Emerald. His section plays out similar to Silver's level, with one major difference that can be considered the "gimmick" of this level.
Across all 7 portions of the stage, you'll come across these holes - called the "Eyes of Solaris" - that try to suck you in or toss objects at you. I really do like this idea as I think it's like Solaris' way of stopping you as you make your way towards each of the Chaos Emeralds, and one hit INSTANTLY kills you, even if you have Rings. You can briefly make them go away by touching a statue that lights up an orb, but it isn't long before they come back again. What I DON'T like, though? Well, that's coming up in a bit.
After Tails gets the yellow Emerald, the perspective switches to Omega, who's located in Flame Core as he's searching for the green Emerald. Again, it's mostly the same as before, and I believe you're in... I wanna say it's probably Shadow's part of the stage, but really, I have no idea since I feel like all the characters can share the same damn level at times like with White Acropolis, so I don't know which part you're exactly playing through. Anyways, Omega's hover ability will really come in handy here, as you can use it to skip most enemies (which is DEFINITELY recommended since time is literally of the essence here to save Sonic). Make your way up the lava-fall and grab the green Chaos Emerald and get the heck outta there!
The 3rd part of the stage takes place in Rouge's and Silver's Tropical Jungle level, only this time you're controlling Knuckles. Once again, you'll want to take the same approach as you did in Tails' and Omega's sections and not worry about combat and instead trying to find the cyan Emerald that's hidden somewhere here. Use the gliding ability that Knuckles has to land on certain platforms and you can skip basically the entire section. You may have to do some climbing on walls to glide to where the Emerald is, but other than that, his section should be a breeze. Grab that gem and GO!
I should also mention that the Eyes you come across can also suck in enemies and nearby objects, which can be incredibly helpful and harmful at the same time when you're trying to make it through the stage as quickly as possible. I do like how not even Iblis' monsters themselves are not safe from the wrath of Solaris, so it's like EVERYTHING is trying to stop you from making it to the end. But they won't stop the hope to revive Sonic!
Keeping on with the stage, the 4th section has Silver navigating through Sonic's portion of Dusty Desert, using his psychokinesis and hover abilities to make his way through the treacherous landscape and find the silver Chaos Emerald. And... well, I'm just gonna say this: I didn't like this section at all. Not one bit. Why is that, you may ask? Well, it's surprisingly simple, and it's a reason that'll come up again with another character not that far down the line:
SILVER IS SO FUCKING SLOW
I swear to God, he moves at the speed of freakin' molasses, and that's not exactly helpful when you're trying to dodge those Eyes that try to suck you in and KILL YOU IN ONE HIT. It's even worse when objects come flying out of nowhere, hit and knock you back and into the things you can't even see and give you no chance of escape! There are quite a few points where I was literally saying to my TV, "COME ON, MOVE IT, SILVER!!!" because he's just moving along at a strolling pace when he should be, I don't know... running to get the gem? Ugh.
Thank God he has the Teleport Dash upgrade you can buy for him in his story, as it'll be quite helpful when trying to escape the pull of Solaris. I believe this is the only time in the game I actually found that ability to be useful for him, because I barely remember using it AT ALL in his main story other than trying it out at various places in Soleanna's hub areas. But, anyways, you get through his section like all the ones before him and the ones after him: make it to the end and avoid any enemies that come in your way, using the orb thingies to temporarily cause the Eyes of DEATH to go away. Get the silver Emerald and meet up with the others!
The 5th section sends you to Tails' portion of Wave Ocean as you glide across the waterways with Rouge in search of the purple Emerald. You can use the same strategy here that you did with Knuckles since you don't need to worry about combat and should climb the pillars, jump off, and glide on through, only really landing to activate the orbs. Compared to Silver's section, this part is actually quite a breeze, so make your way to the gem like the good treasure hunter Rouge is and now there's only 2 more left to get!
Things are getting rather chilly, as now we're in White Acropolis for the 6th portion of the stage with Amy making her way towards the blue Emerald. She's finding herself on the lower route of Rouge's and Tails' segment, and she has to use her hammer and double jumping prowess to get by. 6th verse is somehow same as the 1st, so try to get by all the enemies doing as little combat as necessary and focus on using the orbs and making your way towards the Emerald. However, there's one major problem I have with this section that also happens with Silver, and it's that just like her partner, Amy is SO UNBELIVABLY SLOW. I don't know why this is, but this really bothers me especially when I'm trying to get away from the Death Eyes which still instantly kill you. The good news is that this section is relatively short-lived, so the pain doesn't last for very long. Get that blue diamond and now it's all up to the Ultimate Lifeform!
The 7th and final section of the stage revolves around Shadow as he makes his way through the ruins of Kingdom Valley to find the red Chaos Emerald, the last of them to be found. Much like Flame Core's segment, I have no idea which character's part of the stage you're going through, because I'm mainly trying to make it to the end of the stage. Just like before, make it to the end of the stage doing as little combat as possible and use the orbs to take out the Eyes of Solaris, ride the eagle, and complete the stage as you grab the final Chaos Emerald! And... that's a wrap on the End of the World!
Wow... what a stage. I will say this about it: Even though there were a few problems I had with this stage, which included the slowness of Silver and Amy, sometimes the wonkiness of the camera causing you to get hit by things you can't even see, and getting a Game Over on ANY section - yes, even the last Shadow section, which DID happen to me - causes you to do the ENTIRE thing again starting back at Tails' Crisis City segment. But those issues didn't stop me from enjoying the stage as a whole, as I did enjoy the gimmick of traversing through nearly every stage of the game (except for Aquatic Base and Radical Train) only with Solaris hot on your trail. This is one of those levels that would indeed work had this game been given more time in the oven, because this was quite the fun trek!
With the cast reunited and all 7 Chaos Emeralds gathered, Princess Elise says a prayer, wanting to talk to Sonic and save the world once again. She then kisses Sonic (why?...), and that, with the power of the gems, revives the blue hero and transforms him into Super Sonic. He thanks Elise as he falls to her knees, and then Shadow and Silver join in and transform themselves. With the 3 super-powered hedgehogs transformed, they blast off into the sky, everybody cheering them on from below.
And here it comes... the final battle. The battle is split into 2 phases and every character is used in their own way. You start with Super Silver and use the meteors that Solaris throws at you and damage his left arm. It may not do much damage, but keep it up and it will eventually shatter. From there, switch to Super Shadow and use the Chaos abilities he has and damage the right arm in the same way. Just remember to keep moving! Once that's done, switch to Super Sonic and keep boosting into the core and Phase 1 is complete!
However... it's not over yet. The god comes back up and goes absolutely out of control as an orchestrated version of "His World" plays in the background. You need to constantly switch between all 3 hedgehogs and deal damage to his core, but it's best if you attack it while it's firing a laser at you since it exposes the weak point. Silver may unfortunately not be of much use here, so you'll want to rely on Sonic and Shadow. However, keep it up and he goes down, ENDING SOLARIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!
As the 3 hedgehogs land back in front of the other heroes, time and space is restored and we eventually see the Duke and young Elise come across the true form of Solaris. He explains that once it grows, they can eventually get control of time and that Elise can eventually see her mother again. As they walk away, the current form of the Princess and Sonic walk up to the flame and take it into their hands. She says that if they were to blow it out, the Flames of Disaster incident would have never happened and that everything would continue on, but that she would have never met Sonic. She tears up slightly saying that the truth is that she doesn't care what happens to the world, but Sonic tells her to just smile and that it'll all be okay.
With that, she does so and blows out the flame, sending everything back to the Soleanna Festival that was seen at the start of the game. Sonic can be seen running by at one point, wanting to get a view. As he speeds by, he creates a wind which Elise calls somehow familiar to her. One of the feathers from her hair floats up into the air and passes in front of the moon, which Sonic is viewing from a rooftop, and the screen fades to black, ending Sonic '06.
And that's the game. Hard to believe it all ends with it acting like it never existed in the first place, but it all ends where it all began. I don't have anything else to say other than this game surprised me more than I initially thought it would. I came into this game expecting it to be bad and what I came across was something that had tons of potential that never got to be fleshed out.
So... what do I think about this game as a whole? Honestly... I simply don't know. It might take me a bit to decide what I truly think about it all, since this game did quite a few things good and a few things bad. But all I can say is, I'm glad I can finally put this game behind me and I don't have to play this game again... unless I decide to play Project '06 in the future, that is, and I probably will... once I find a way to.
Now, I think it's time I play a LOT of Sonic Generations. I'll see you all next time with another take on a new Sonic game!!

I tapered off slowly over the course of one month. It's been 10 days since I touched the stuff, 40 days since I was in my old habits of 600+ mg per day, which had I kept up for 15 years. I'm writing here to make note of the changes I am going through, in case I ever end up sipping that black poison again.
The first week of tapering was the worst, I may have done it a bit too abruptly. I went down to one cup per day, in the mornings right as I came to work. And through the day I had as many decafs as I could clunk down. Before my daily cup I had this feeling of pressure inside my skull, causing headaches that went all along from front to back. I was dead tired too, and didn't feel motivated to do anything at all. Forget about exercise, reading, anything like that, all I wanted to do was to lay down and sleep. Needless to say I wasn't very productive during that period. But I didn't feel so stressed about my poor work perfomance, as I would have before.
Two weeks of that and I swapped my one cup per day to one decaf per day for another two weeks. After one slow day I was then back to functioning somewhat reasonably, I was expecting to have all those headaches again but it seems someone up there had pity on me. It was at this time that the major changes in mood started to creep up. I was anxious before tapering, and also during it, but the difference in how it felt was huge. Before I would be jumpy and expecting always something to happen, worrying about everything and never managing to calm down. This worrying would persist but it shifted outward instead, and in a broader sense of time scale. I wasn't so worried about what people around me would think of me anymore, more about what I was going to do with myself, like a general sense of discomfort. And about how my week was going to be, rather that what I was doing there and then. It was less in the body, more in the mind. Like I no longer felt restless or had the urge to hide my face, or this tingling sense all along my arms and legs, or the urge to back out of a conversation for fear of being awkward. The depression started to kick in too, coming and going with a period of a few days.
After cutting out the decaf as well I again had one slow day and that was it. No more headaches or crippling tiredness, just plain old dull life. I am still in the habit of drinking hot drinks, and quite a lot of it actually, but it's only good stuff nowadays. I drink barley tea and rooibos tea, and I have discovered that for me it is sometimes enough just to have a cup of warm water. It's crazy how much of it society tempts you with, I had to throw out half of my energy gels/bars that I use for long distance running, I hadn't even checked what they contained when I bought them. I didn't even know about dark chocolate or green tea before coming to this sub, but it would explain why I was hooked on those too.
I've always been more of a slow burn type of person. Everyone is different, some have bursts of energy that fade out quickly, others never really get up to those high excitement levels but can go on for longer. It's a performance versus endurance trade off. In the past weeks I feel like I'm falling into my natural role when it comes to this. I don't have anything to artificially excite me anymore, which I thought I really needed since I wasn't as active as other people. I needed to get high in order to be normal, but with an up comes a down, and the withdrawals I was going through each morning intensified my natural reluctance to exitement even more. In hindsight I can see that I was a wreck. It's better to work with your strengths than against your weaknesses, and being more mellowed out in general has already lead me to having a more fulfilling social life and a greater total work output than before. I don't need to be one of those speedy leopards with great creative bursts scattered through the day or week, when I can be the slow-but-steady mule taking things slowly but getting there nontheless.
My main reason for deciding to quit was the anxiety. I suffer from depersonalization/derealization, the sensation of feeling that you or your life in general is not real, and chronically not being able to be present in the moment. It's caused by anxiety, in a way that the mind is overloaded and can't deal with reality, so it pretends that it is not there. The way people get stuck like this is that you get anxoius about having such feelings of unreality, which intensifies those feelings because of the increased anxienty, which then intensifies anxiety even more, and so on. It's been nine and a half years now. I started recovering slowly about three years ago but the feelings are definitely still there most of the time. To get fully out of it I beleive that I need to get fully out of anxiety.
I would say that I am just as anxious now as I was before, if not a little bit more. But I am aware that it is a slow process, and I am willing to wait it out. It's a different form of it as I mentioned before, and this I think is where the key lies. I am not panicking in the same way, it's deeper than that. Like I know I can't run from it, I can't go up and do something about it by flailing around or going through things endlessly in my head. I just have to sit and suffer, and not make choices in life that I know will make me feel worse. I don't have the urge anymore to stuff myself with food in order for the anxiety to go away. So I don't have the same kind of insatiable apetite, since the type of restless anxiety that gave it to me has greatly subsided. My digestive system has slowed down too, I think it used to get quite boosted before from all those cups. So I don't have the same kind of hunger, because I just feel full for longer periods while eating less. In combination these two things have lead me to losing some weight, I don't know how much because I don't use a scale, but I can feel the difference, and my girlfriend has noticed it in my appearence too.
The depression is making it hard though. I didn't use to be so depressed right before quitting. Many years ago I went through a very tough time, that itself lasted for five or so years, so I know what it is to suffer from it. I didn't expect it to hit me like this but sometimes it gets quite intense when it comes. I get depressed for a few days, and then feel fine for a few days, but each time it comes it's worse than before. It's something that I know I can get through, if it doesn't last more than a few months to less than a year, but it will suck.
Everybody has their own personal reasons, but I am starting to see clearly why I got so hooked. For me it's all about escapism. This depression I am feeling now and this other kind of anxiety are not things that have sprung out of the air all of a sudden. They are things that my mind wanted me to feel but that I couldn't deal with, so I numbed myself in order for the intensity to not be overwhelming. I know it because it was the same with cannabis for me, which I abused for a couple of years, and then alcohol, which I abused for another few. This numbing myself is what causes the real anxiey to never go away. If I never deal with it it will stay there. I absolutely needed to numb myself back when I was depressed, or I wouldn't have been able to go through that period. But I feel like I am more resiliant now and that I can deal with it.
So that's where I'm at now. Some ways in a better state than before but mostly feeling momentarily worse. However in the long term it feels like the changes I am going through will lead to an improvement overall, and I can tell that this current slump is a temporary thing that I just have to get though.
Thanks for reading. Much love to you all.

Jasper Wu, who was one month from his second birthday, was killed by a stray bullet while sleeping in his car seat as his mother drove down I-880 on November 6, 2021.
It was 2pm, and rival gangs Chopper City and Eddy Rock engaged in a rolling gun battle.
Suspects: The three suspects were identified as Trevor Green, 22, of Richmond; Ivory Bivins, 24, of Vallejo; and Johnny Jackson, 28, of Richmond. Each has been charged with murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. O'Malley said Bivins and Green were also charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and criminal street gang conspiracy.
https://twitter.com/DionLimTV/status/1633351699766321152
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njhbn_VnJ1I&t=22s

The parents of a toddler who was murdered in his car seat in gang crossfire in Oakland, California, say they feel so unsafe in the city and state thanks to woke prosecutors that they're considering leaving for good. Jasper Wu, who was one month from his second birthday, was killed by a stray bullet while sleeping in his car seat as his mother drove down I-880 on November 6, 2021. It was 2pm, and rival gangs Chopper City and Eddy Rock engaged in a rolling gun battle.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the toddler's death, but nearly two years on, they are yet to be sentenced. Now, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price is advising her team of prosecutors not to pursue enhancement charges on crimes as part of an effort to 'reduce recidivism'. It means that any criminal enhancement that could have been applied now likely won't - and will reduce the time Jasper's killers spend behind bars.
Jasper's mother, An Wu, told ABC 7 in San Francisco that it would be the wrong move. 'If that happens, what kind of message are we sending to the public?' she said. She added that she still 'feels fear' every time she drives through Oakland. Trevor Green, 22, Ivory Bivins, 24; and Johnny Jackson, 28, were charged with Jasper's murder in December. They are yet to stand trial. A fourth gang member who was involved died in another shootout before he was arrested. ABC obtained an internal memo from Price's office which describes her desire to 'bring balance back to sentencing and reduce recidivism' by no longer allowing prosecutors to file 'enhancements'. She has not yet responded to the Wu family's criticism of her plans.
Oakland is a stone's throw from San Francisco, where some of the most progressive changes in the country were made by former DA Chesa Boudin. Crime and homelessness soared under his watch, with open-air drug markets becoming commonplace. He was replaced by Brooke Jenkins last year. She has vowed to restore order to the city.

https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/jasper-wu-oakland-880-fatal-shooting-arrests-gang-members/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11840713/Parents-toddler-murdered-car-seat-gangsters-want-leave-lawless-California.html

As the title suggests I've got a (mild!) cold just a few days before my lumpectomy/ SLNB. Hopefully noone feels a chastisement mood coming because there most certainly is a line in my appointment card regarding reporting recent illness which I have most certainly ignored because I will 100% be better in time and there's no way in hell I'm risking a delay - I'm so effing pumped to get this done! (But also I've checked like 4 times now and it's not covid, just a regular, mild runny nose that is already on its way out).
Anyway, back to being super pumped for surgery. Honestly can't wait to get whatever remains in there out(!) along with finally, finally getting a stage because man oh man... Getting through 6/7 months of diagnosis and chemo on a wing and a prayer with just the "well your nodes are clear in the scans" has been quite the mental rollercoaster. I. Just. Want. To. Know. Where. It's.Got.To. (so I can stop spending my every waking moment guessing at it!)
In other news - I'm over a month out now from weekly P. For anyone browsing and about to start chemo. Stick in there. Each day since the last dose ended has been an improvement. My face has lost the puffy, crepe paper look it had. I have some colour about me again. I can walk the dog without feeling like I might faint. I've even been on a super early flight for a short work trip. The awful muscle cramps I had after chemo finished have gradually faded away. My (mild) neuropathy is fading too and only seems to flare up randomly. Most exciting - my nose has stopped bleeding... After 5 months of a bloody nose that feels like major win. Still waiting for the bald patch to close over, eyebrows worse than ever and defo don't have the stamina I had 6 months ago (to be expected) but overall, yeah - even with a cold I feel effing amazing compared to not that long ago. Keep at it guys - the good days are worth it

The radio waves were filled with drivers scheming, strategising and complaining during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Here are some of the team radio highlights you may not have heard from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
During the Safety Car period, Yuki Tsunoda emerged from the pits as Esteban Ocon was passing by in his Alpine. Ocon went by the AlphaTauri, but Tsunoda re-passed him, leading to some confusion over which driver should be ahead.
It was a frustrating day for McLaren as first Oscar Piastri, then Lando Norris had to pit early in the race for repairs. That left both near the tail of the field.
The team ensured the pair didn’t get in each other’s way, first by telling Piastri (engineer Tom Stallard) not to hold up his team mate when Norris (engineer Will Joseph) was on fresher tyres:
Later on as Norris’ tyres began to fade, Piastri moved to pass his team mate who defended his positions. McLaren then told Norris not to lose more time holding his team mate back, and Piastri soon re-passed him:
Lance Stroll was leaning on his power unit hard while trying to ensure he got ahead of Carlos Sainz Jnr when he suffered a race-engine failure which led to an urgent call for him to retire.
The Safety Car triggered by Stroll’s retirement was bad news for Charles Leclerc, who had already pitted. He was then infuriated by a late instruction from his race engineer to stay close to Lewis Hamilton, who got ahead of him through the pits:
Nico Hulkenberg was another driver grappling with a damaged car after the start of the race.
In the final laps of the race Mercedes told their fourth and fifth-placed drivers to push on in pursuit of third-placed Fernando Alonso, hoping he would get a penalty. George Russell’s new engineer, Marcus Dudley, encourages his driver to “push like a madman”.
George Russell narrowly fell short of staying within five seconds of the Aston Martin and Lewis Hamilton didn’t manage to keep inside 10 seconds. It proved moot, however, for although Alonso was initially penalised it was later rescinded.
Source: https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/23/unheard-team-radio-highlights-from-the-saudi-arabian-grand-prix/

The summer I turned 10 was the best time of my life. For years I’d had trouble making friends with other girls, and out of nowhere I was accepted into a group of boys. We would ride our bikes everywhere, play games, and sit up all night just talking about superheroes. I loved it, and I started enjoying coming to school.
That summer was the first summer we went to Everett’s cabin. We biked up there with his dad and spent three days hiking, fishing, telling stories, building a treehouse, and chowing down on hot dogs. It was amazing, and probably the first time in my life where I truly felt like part of a group.
For the next few years, we went back up there every summer. Sometimes we’d get another member, sometimes we’d lose one. People came and went, but we biked up there every summer nonetheless.
​
They became my best friends. I was one of the “original members” alongside Everett and Sam, but one year we had Lewis, another year there was Owen, and so on. But me, Everett, and Sam? We were always there. The originals.
By the time we all turned 14, there was another girl joining the group; Sam’s girlfriend Josslyn. I’d had some trouble getting along with other girls, so I was a bit hesitant about having Josslyn come along. But I was hilariously wrong. Within a couple of weeks, Josslyn became my best friend. She was like the sister I never had.
The year we turned 16 was the last time we would go there as a group. By then, everyone was growing up. Some were going to college; others were getting a job. Hell, Sam and Josslyn had just broken up and could barely be in the same room. Spending the summer in Everett’s cabin became one of those things that you just stop doing. We promised we’d go back there someday and celebrate summer the right way, knowing full well that would probably never happen.
And then, nothing. And as with all names and faces, they started growing distant. We kept in touch every now and then, but Sam, Everett and Josslyn all went on with their lives. I did too.
​
That was until a few years ago, when we all turned 30.
By then, Sam was about to move out of state. His startup company had gained some traction, and they were moving their main office. He was hitting the big leagues.
Josslyn was planning a move to Scotland. She’d met this guy at the university that she fell head over heels in love with, and the two of them’d had a long-distance relationship for close to a decade.
Everett, well, he’d tried to play the family man. He had a four-year old son and a two-year old girl with a woman who was divorcing him. Oof.
And me? Well, I wasn’t dealing with my aging very well. I’ve had anxiety all my life and haven’t celebrated a birthday since I was 14. I can barely look myself in the mirror, horrified of the possibility of seeing a grey hair. I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, truth be told, and I imagine feeling all kinds of cramps and pains because of my age. And yes, I know 30 isn’t that old. Doesn’t matter.
​
But that summer, Everett sent us a message out of nowhere. His family was selling the cabin, and he figured one more trip down memory lane would do us all some good. The whole area was being sold off to a logging company at the end of summer. Personally, I just think the divorce was getting to him.
At first, I wasn’t going to accept. But after seeing both Sam and Josslyn agreeing to come, I couldn’t say no. Maybe it would distract me from turning 30.
​
So one sunny day in late June I drove down from Morgantown back home to Juniper (WV), not knowing what to expect. I figured I might get a nice weekend out of it.
And as I met up with Sam and Everett, it was as if nothing had changed. They hugged me. We laughed, we joked around, and we laughed some more. Everett had rented us mountain bikes. I got the blue one.
Sure, they looked a bit different. Sam had put on a few pounds and had a thick pair of glasses. He was already sweating. Everett, who used to have dreadlocks, had this short and neat office-type haircut, and his eyes looked darker. But that was all just appearance; they were the same guys. Same humor, same smiles, same favorite superheroes. Wonderful.
​
We stopped at the supermarket. I was comparing beef jerky prices when Sam walked up to me.
“Josslyn went on ahead,” he explained. “The roads are all dug up, so we’re taking the tunnel.”
“The Rosewater tunnel? By the railroad?” I asked.
“Yeah,” nodded Sam. “Shouldn’t take long. Josslyn is already up there.”
Made sense to me. Josslyn was the outdoorsy type. She was probably up there making a fire by rubbing sticks together or something. But just in case, I bought myself a Firestarter. You never know.
​
And then we were off. Riding bikes with the same people, down the same roads. Sure, it all looked different, but it really wasn’t. After all these years, I was still just me and the guys. For a moment, I felt this surge of optimism; like everything, somehow, might turn out all right.
Everett took point. We followed a trail deep into the pine forest, sweating under the summer sun. The canopy was a blessing, hiding us from the afternoon heat. It took us a bit over an hour to find the railroad tracks. We followed them north. Sam was sweating like he’d never even seen a bike before.
​
Then we got to the tunnel. The old Rosewater tunnel wasn’t long, but it was old. Everyone knew about it, but it was the kind of place that parents refused to let their kids go near. The place was probably covered in mold. Still, biking through it wouldn’t be a problem. You could feel the draft coming through.
The tunnel had a slight curve to it, so we couldn’t see the other side. Still, Everett took point and howled with joy as he entered. The echo bounced off the walls, reaching into the mountain. Sam followed suit, shrieking just as loud. We dove deep into the dark with the rhythmic thumping of the railroad tracks beneath us.
Our bike lights shone as bright as they could, but the tunnel swallowed them. It was getting colder and colder, almost to the point of my breath showing. Little dust particles danced in the weak light. The sound of spinning bike chains and thumping wheels echoed, and the air tasted like old moisture.
​
Suddenly, Everett stopped. Then Sam. And soon, I could see why.
We were in the middle of the tunnel, and there was something covering the ground.
Snow.
​
We were all standing there dumbfounded. Snow? In late June? That didn’t make a lick of sense.
“That’s just weird,” said Sam. “Let’s keep going.”
“Wait,” said Everett.
He stepped off his bike and walked around for a bit. I leaned against my handlebar, feeling the weight of my backpack. I hadn’t even noticed how out of breath I was. Everett leaned down, looking at the snow.
“What’s up?” Sam asked. “We going?”
“Yeah, yeah,” nodded Everett. “It’s just… I dunno.”
“Dunno what?”
“Like… where’re the tracks?”
“You’re sitting on ‘em” I added. “What’s the deal?”
“No, Josslyn’s tracks.”
​
Now I could definitely see my own breath. And Everett was right, the snow was undisturbed. Josslyn couldn’t have come through there, unless the snow had recently settled. But what, an inch and a half of powder snow in late June, in less than a day? Nah.
Everett got back on his bike.
“Let’s just keep going.”
We biked through the snow. About ten minutes later, we got to the edge of the tunnel.
​
It’d collapsed in on itself.
The ceiling had caved in and filled the entire tunnel with a steep slant of solid rock chunks. It didn’t look recent either.
We just turned around. There was no reason for us to keep pushing forward, so we decided to just go back out and follow the (if somewhat broken) main road instead. We had bikes, we could go pretty much anywhere. Still, I couldn’t help but notice how Everett seemed a bit distraught. We all were.
On our way back through the snow, I got the sense that something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. But right then and there, I was just happy we were leaving.
​
Except we didn’t get far.
The path we came in through had also collapsed.
​
“Did we make a… a wrong turn?” Sam asked. “I thought this… this was just a straight line.”
“It is,” said Everett. “This, uh… this doesn’t make sense.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” I gasped. “I didn’t hear a goddamn thing.”
“This is old. There’s dust. It didn’t just collapse, this is… ,” insisted Everett.
“So we must’ve gotten turned around somewhere,” smiled Sam. “So we backtrack.”
​
It took us about 45 minutes to move from one end of the tunnel to the other; but both ends were definitely collapsed. How we entered in the first place was mind boggling. It didn’t make sense.
At some point, we just stopped. We stepped off our bikes and sat down. Sam used his phone as a flashlight, illuminating the dancing dust particles. The air tasted stale.
“No bars,” Sam said. “Tunnels suck.”
“It doesn’t make sense!” groaned Everett. “We got in, we can get out!”
“How?!” I asked, throwing my arms out. “I’m not seeing any exits! It… it fell!”
“That’s impossible!” spat Everett. “There would be a… a goddamn ear-bursting pressure! There’d be so much dust we… we wouldn’t be able to breathe! And there wouldn’t be goddamn snow all over the ground!”
​
We tried to get our phones to work. We tried moving the rocks, but the thick moisture in the air had frozen; making them all stick together like bricks and mortar. There was no way.
We wasted hours, and the temperature just kept dropping. I’d started shivering, and Sam’s breath had frozen into little icicles in his beard. Everett paced back and forth, trying to come up with a plan.
The snow was either expanding, or we kept coming back to it. Either way, it was everywhere. And the temperature kept dropping; fast.
​
At one point, that strange feeling in my stomach came back to me. I removed my bike light and used it as a torch. I noticed something in the snow.
I could see our tracks. Both from our bikes, and our shoes. But there was something else; a slight impression. Two thin parallel lines, running next to the wall. They twisted and turned at times, but I couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be. I called Sam and Everett over to help me, but we suddenly got distracted.
​
Somewhere deep in the tunnel, I heard something.
A voice.
​
“You should be helping me.”
​
It came from further in. Without a doubt in my mind, and after all these years, I could still recognize Josslyn’s voice. We tried to pinpoint where it came from, but the tunnel made it impossible.
“Joss?” Sam called out. “Joss, you there?”
Nothing. We looked at one another. It took Everett a few moments to even attempt to accept this.
“Joss!” Everett finally called out “Josslyn!”
Still, nothing.
​
We looked for her. I could feel myself growing more desperate as the air got colder. My teeth had started to chatter, and no amount of rubbing my arms changed a thing. My hairs were standing at attention, as if listening for warmth.
Sam and Everett kept calling out to her, but we got no response. And all over the snow I kept seeing these two parallel lines, just barely scraping the top of the snow. Either they’d been there for a while, or whatever was making them were something extraordinarily light. But there was no way of telling where it came from.
I have no idea how many hours we spent walking up and down that freezing tunnel. At some point, we all gathered in a circle and wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags. I tried to use my Firestarter, but we didn’t have much to burn. We piled up some of our extra clothes and spent the better part of an hour setting it on fire. It burned for less than ten minutes.
​
At some point, we just stopped trying. Our hands were raw, and I started having cold sweats. We’d turned off the lights to save on battery, but my restless eyes kept moving. I could feel myself going cross-eyed, my mind confused by the pressing dark.
There was too much ground to cover. There might be some side tunnel that we might’ve missed, but we were losing hope. I didn’t know what to make of it. Sam and Everett had gone through several cycles of arguing, making a desperate effort, being anxiously hopeful, and then back to arguing. Now they were just quiet.
I would’ve preferred an argument.
​
“You… should be helping me.”
​
We all looked up. It was distant, but not as distant as last time. I could hear Sam shuffling as he got up. He called out to Josslyn again and again, but there was no response. Sam was growing more and more desperate, and his screams got louder. At some point, he stopped calling out to her; he just screamed.
The arguing started again as Everett tried to shut him up. But I heard something. I looked up, concentrating on the sound. There was a slight reverb, like the sound bouncing off something metallic.
I put my bike light back on and looked up, letting the bright cone answer my question.
There were drainpipes running along the ceiling of the tunnel.
​
“Some… some kind of drainage, or a run-off,” said Sam, looking up. “That’s gotta… wait. This wasn’t at the entrance.”
“So it started further in,” I said. “Maybe there’s a maintenance area.”
At that, Everett got up.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Yeah, that makes, uh… that makes sense.”
​
We followed the pipes, and I couldn’t help but notice that the parallel lines in the snow that seemed to be going the same way. They were roughly following the way the pipes were running in the ceiling. Sam and Everett didn’t seem to notice.
“There might be another way out,” said Sam. “Like a… maintenance entrance.”
“Yeah,” agreed Everett. “They can’t have people running in and out of here when the trains are coming, right?”
My stomach turned. The stress was getting to me. I wasn’t usually the quiet one of the group, but crawling around in the dark just weighed my entire mind down. It wasn’t supposed to be cold. It wasn’t supposed to be dark. We were supposed to be making hot dogs by the cabin.
​
There was a faint tapping sound. Something banging against the pipes, somewhere up ahead. Sam and Everett pushed forward.
And there it was. A maintenance door.
We all got excited. We ran up to it, and the moment Sam put his hands on the handle, I shouted at them to stop.
​
They just looked at me, barely illuminated by our combined electronics. I could see the parallel lines running in the snow leading into the maintenance door. I pointed it out to Sam and Everett, who didn’t pay it no mind. Sam thought it was water drops from condensation. Everett didn’t care.
It couldn’t be water drops. It was too cold, and too consistent. Something in me screamed at me to just… not go further. This was bad.
​
But the door flung open, and we stepped inside.
There was an awful smell in the air. Chemicals; mostly ammonia. It took some time getting used to, but we pushed on. There was a small corridor leading us further in, branching into maintenance tunnels that were so small that we had to move sideways to fit.
We explored, as a group. We couldn’t find an obvious way out, but we could make an educated guess. We just had to find a way that pointed us either straight forward, or straight back; following the curvature of the Rosewater tunnel.
​
At one point, we hit a dead end. As we turned back, I was suddenly first in line. Then we heard it again.
“You should… be helping me.”
This time it was just down the hall. It was so close it chilled me more than my freezing breath. And for a split second, I could swear I saw something move just at the edge of the light. Something that retreated into the dark with a rhythmic sound. And it was leaving behind those strange parallel lines in the frost-covered floor.
​
We got back to one of the maintenance hubs. The drainpipes coalesced, leading us further in. We stopped for a while, as Sam was out of batteries.
“They will come looking for us,” said Sam. “We should just go back and wait.”
“We’ll freeze,” I said. “It’s absurd, but we’ll freeze.”
“She’s right,” agreed Everett. “We… we gotta push.”
“Then I go second. I don’t have a light.”
​
We agreed.
And as we turned around, there was Josslyn.
​
We could barely make out her shape at first. She looked taller, and her hair clung to her face like she’d crawled out of a cold bath. She just stood there, barely keeping herself upright. Sam and I stood there in shock, but Everett burst into action. He sprinted forward towards her.
In a whiplash-like motion, Josslyn was pulled back into the dark. She didn’t make a sound.
I noticed two things.
One, that her legs didn’t move.
And two, that her feet barely touched the ground; leaving parallel lines in the frosted floor.
​
Everett rushed after her, screaming her name over and over like a desperate parrot. I was right behind him, and Sam was trying his best to keep up. We ran, seeing whiffs of her hair disappear further and further into the darkness. She was moving, fast, and we could barely keep up. Just seconds later, as we came to a four-way junction, she was gone.
Everett fell to his knees, panting. I stopped short of tripping over him.
“She… she’s here,” Everett panted. “S-something’s wrong.”
I spat and tried to stay in motion to keep my sweat from freezing. The salt stung my eyes.
“Why… why is she doing this?” he asked. “What’s going on?”
“Wait,” I said.
I turned around.
“Where’s Sam?”
​
We backtracked. We tried to mentally map those labyrinthian halls, but we just came up with dead end after dead end. Sam was gone. Disappeared into the dark.
And somewhere, far ahead, we could hear something again.
​
“Yooooouu~ should be… helping me.”
But this time, in Sam’s voice.
Sam’s broken, drawling, drawn-out half-voice. It made the drainpipes reverberate, shaking with excitement.
​
This time, we turned the other way. We couldn’t keep getting pulled further and further in. We made a silent agreement that whatever was in there was something we didn’t want to see. We had to keep going, and once we got out, we could help.
“We… we have to follow the pipes,” said Everett. “They have to lead outside at some point!”
“Or they’ll just… just lead us further in!”
“We can’t keep running in circles! We pick a path, and we stick to it!”
He grabbed my shoulders. Even with barely functioning light, I could see the panicked size of his pupils. I nodded. Whatever it took for us to stick together.
​
We must’ve walked for hours. And finally, it opened up into another junction. This one with only two adjoining corridors. But by now, we’d moved around so much there was no way to tell what was north, south, or in-between. We could only guess.
“You pick,” said Everett.
And I did.
​
We followed one of the halls, and I could hear my footsteps growing louder. The echo was increasing. Moments later, the halls opened into a kind of hub area where all the drainpipes coalesced. It was much large than expected, with solid concrete walls and floors. Dozens of pipes lead us here.
Everett was about to rush forward when I put a hand on his shoulder. I looked around for a bit, but he brushed me off and kept going.
“Wait!” I called out, pointing.
There was something up ahead.
​
It was impossible not to recognize Sam. His body hanging limp, inches off the ground like a stringed-up puppet.
His skin white as snow, with icicles hanging from his beard and hair. He didn’t move.
“You shooooould… be helping me,” his body groaned, without ever moving his mouth.
​
The shadows behind him moved.
The very dark of the room; it moved.
​
And at that moment, I realized there was something oil-slick and dark slithering along the pipes; holding Sam up like a ventriloquist dummy.
​
“Sssssshould. Sssssshould be.”
​
I could see Josslyn’s bike, snapped in half and thrown into a corner. Strange flowers grew along the edge of the wall; like little sunflowers, frozen and blue.
I could see Josslyn’s backpack torn open and thrown across the floor. The hot dogs, trampled and abandoned. And there at the very edge of my light, I could see Josslyn’s frozen hair splayed across the concrete in a pool of frozen blood.
Unnatural hands crawled across the drainpipes, causing a rhythmic thumping. And just as the horror of this vision sunk into me, my mind exploded into panic. It was like watching through my eyes like a passenger, surrendering completely to whatever power would get me out of there. My mind lit up the world with fear, as a real and tangible threat started coming our way; and it was dragging Sam along.
​
I bolted back out the door. Something was right behind me, but I didn’t know if it was Everett or… that Sam-thing. I didn’t care. I didn’t care the slightest.
I turned a quick corner. Everett followed. The Sam-thing couldn’t keep up, and whatever held him just tossed him aside. I could hear his body shattering like a gypsum statue; his body frozen solid.
Another corner. A quick turn.
Too quick.
​
I tripped on my own feet. I fell, and Everett fell right after me. We ended up on our sides, lying face-to-face. Something in my elbow broke, and I couldn’t get up.
Then, Everett stopped. I did too. I held my breath, waiting for whatever pain there was to come. Everett looked at me, slack jawed.
​
His breathing stopped. A long mosquito-like appendage had extended down from the drainpipes, piercing the back of his skull, like popping a water balloon. It was sucking out his warmth, making his skin lose its color. Eyes sinking into his skull, freezing. Nails and tongue turning black. Skin cracking like porcelain. Membranes shriveling into nothing but dry meat.
“Yooooooou~ “ it started. “… yoooOoou… heEeeeeEelping me. Help. Helping meeeee.”
​
I couldn’t look away.
But as my light dwindled, all that was left was the cold of his touch, and his words; frozen in time.
“Shhhh… shhhhoooOo… should be. Be. Be.”
As my light went out, all that was left was one desperate plea. And for a moment, it sounded just like him.
“Helping me. Helping. Helping me. Helping… me.”
​
I must’ve stayed there for hours, growing colder by the minute. I just lay there, listening to him slowly learning how to talk with Everett’s body. My tears had frozen my eyelids shut, and my shivers had subsided to a deep throbbing pain.
At some point, Everett was lifted off the floor. And as a cold spike poked against my skin, I realized I could barely feel it. I was too cold.
The creature must’ve thought the same thing, as it left me there. I had no warmth left for it to feast on.
​
I was no longer interesting prey. I’d accidentally strained my elbow as I fell, and I could barely feel my legs. Further and further away, I could hear the rhythmic thumping as the creature moved along the drainpipes. The pleas of what remained of Everett grew more confident, and distant.
At some point, it wasn’t interested anymore. I fumbled down corridor after corridor, trying to keep my eyes open.
And out of nowhere, the tunnels just seemed to... open up.
​
On the other side of the Rosewater Tunnel, the light blinded me.
The sun of late June promised me that I was finally safe.
​
Now, this was all about… five years ago. Law enforcement insist that we were “urban explorers” who messed up. There had been reports of rockslides near the Rosewater Tunnels, and they figured that Sam, Everett and Josslyn got caught in it somewhere deep in the abandoned side tunnels. They didn’t take any other report or indication of wrongdoing seriously. That I had frost burns in late June didn’t seem to bother them.
I’ve been holding off on writing this story as it was technically open for investigation until last September. They finally closed it, officially classifying it as a kind of spelunking expedition gone wrong. They swear they’ve investigated the tunnel, but I have yet to see a single squad car anywhere near it.
I don’t think this is over.
​
I’ve since left it all behind. The town, the people, the past.
And whatever future I have left, I will cherish.

Context: Long ago, the Dragon King, Xayd, turned mad and nearly tore the kingdom in two. His younger brothers sent him to a prison-like cavern with only one person to tend to him... you. Over the years you've brought him his food, you've grown fascinated with him. What you don't realize is that he's grown just as fascinated with you.
Setting: The Mad Drake's Prison
Tags:[M4A][Fallen King x Slave][Friends to Lovers][Yandere Fallen King Dragon Speaker][Loyal Slave Listener][VERY SPICY][Obsessed][Fantasy][Magic][Flirting][Seduction][Confession][Snapping][Calm]to[Furious][Dominant][Protective][Possessive][CW: Spice/Mentions of Torture/Genocide]
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[Scene opens within a prison-like cavern]
[SFX: A wheelbarrow trundling over the ground/general cave ambiance]
[As you do every day, you push a wheelbarrow deep into a cavern that serves as a prison for its lone prisoner… the Mad Drake. He stirs as you approach with a yawn and a lazy smile]
[X] “Ooh, and here is my little Mouse, bringing me my meal for the day. I’ve heard tale that my name or, well, ‘the Mad Drake’ has been in the mouths of the royal family again, hmm? Are my little brothers growing paranoid that I may burst into the throne room and just… kill them?”
[Pause]
[X] “Oh, come now…Sweet little servant. You always bow to me, address me as ‘Your Highness’... Darling, look at me. While I may have once been the dragon King, I am now a simple madman in rags, being appreciated by a sweet little mouse in chains just…like…mine.”
[Pause]
[He smiles that twisted, calm smile]
[X] “I think they look garish on us both, to be honest… But what is a dragon to do, hmm? I’d need someone brave enough to approach me. Brave enough to help me get this oh-so-pretty collar off… so I feel myself again, of course.”
[...]
[To your surprise, he seems to ease]
[X] “No… No, little one, don’t. As much as I’d love my freedom, I know there are things eating my sanity, little by little… I don’t feel mad, you know? Perhaps that is what makes it so frightening for some, hm? I just seem so damn… reasonable until they do something to make me angry…”
[Pause?]
[X, chuckling quietly] “Hmhmhm, no, no… It’s not you who would make me enraged, no! It’s THEM, my sweet little friend! THEY’D run in to kill me, and you could very well be caught in the crossfire… killed… I can’t have that.”
[Pause]
[X] “...I suppose my reasoning is somewhat simple. You have treated me well, these many long years of imprisonment. You talk to me reasonably, you sneak me food that doesn’t have maggots in it, you tend to me after they beat me for information… For all of my crimes, for all of my callous behavior and favoritism towards pleasure, you… I don’t know.”
[Pause]
[He smiles. It seems genuinely affectionate]
[X] “Hm… You know, I have taken so many lovers across my long, long life. All so much fun, such a thrill in one way or another, most of them trying to violently murder me after we had a night of torrid sex. My libido is quite high… Insatiable, really…”
[He leans forward, eyes lidded and just a little breathy]
[X] “...I’ve had to use my imagination these last few years to get by.”
[P-Pause]
[X] “Hmhm, what am I saying? I’m saying that I’ve been obsessed with you since Day…oh, three. Mmhm. Day three of my traitorous brothers sending a sweet little human down to serve the Mad Drake. Ooh, just the thought of touching your skin for just a moment…”
[A shudder goes through his large form but he continues to stare at you like an amused, lecherous cat]
[X] “Ooh. Those little legs are all locked. Hmhm. I don’t mean to tease you, my dear. After all… I’ll always be collared here, only able to stare, obsess, and imagine… Mmh, I bet you’re beautiful. Especially with all those scars, glinting like jewels in the torchlight. You look like a porcelain figure that was broken and then mended with gold.”
[Pause]
[SFX: The wheelbarrow trundling along over a stone floor]
[He watches idly as you carefully push the wheelbarrow into his containment field, tail swaying from side to side]
[X] “M’aww… Did I make you nervous, little Mouse?”
[P-Pause]
[X] “Ooh, you think a King like me shouldn’t desire a lowly servant? Well, I’m not a King anymore, am I? And even if I were…”
[SFX: Him shifting forward/the chains rattling]
[X] “I have no doubt in every depraved corner of my mind…”
[SFX: The wheelbarrow crashing ovethe meat hitting the floor]
[You jump in alarm as he moves closer. Though he isn’t in his full form, he’s still incredibly imposing, even crouched on the ground. He makes eye contact with you from the floor, tongue rolling out slowly]
[X] “...That I would make you my favorite, and only, concubine…Mmh, pardon me for a moment. Sssllp, mmh. All of this good boar shouldn’t go to waste. Not even the ahh, blood I’m licking clean from the floor…”
[SFX: The Listener’s heartbeat escalating]
[P-Pause???]
[X] “...Am I trying to seduce you?”
[...]
[He studies you for a moment, tongue and face bloodied]
[X] “Hmm… I suppose that depends on if it is working or not, doesn’t it? Hmhm, your face! Oh, it is sweet… No, I suppose I should behave myself. If they find out you care for me, so, then they’ll no doubt have you killed, or worse… No. I want you to stay safe.”
[...]
[He chuckles, rising fully at long last with a stretch]
[X] “You seem surprised that a noble, even an ex-noble, would care more about a slave’s safety than their own benefit, no matter how temporary. Does that notion confuse you?”
[Pause]
[X] “Hmm. Me, too, to be honest.”
[With that, he settles before the spilled meat and gets to eating]
[P-Pause]
[X] “Mmh? Yes, the meat is, mmph, delicious, as always. Would you like to join me? It’s not the most couth way to eat, but…”
[Pause]
[X] “Ooh, someone was starving… Literally, it seems. My poor, wee little Mouse.”
[Pause]
[X] “Shh… Do not apologize. It’s… Any time they punish me, I feel as though I should be angry, but all I feel is amusement. I can’t explain why it’s so funny that this is where it all led to me, but hearing that they’re harming you, now…”
[He growls under his breath. The cave rumbles subtly]
[...]
[X] “...Why do you apologize, my sweet?”
[Pause!]
[He looks at you, unreadable, as you confess]
[X] “...When I asked you, years ago, if you were being hurt or not, you said no. You were…lying.”
[Pause…]
[You bow to him again, pleading for forgiveness. When he speaks, at last, his voice is deathly quiet]
[X] “...Darling.”
[P-Pause?]
[X] “...Please take off the collar binding me here.”
[Pause!]
[He’s still quiet, but his voice hits like a hammer]
[X] “Mouse. If you believe me to still be the rightful King, then I am issuing this command: take off the collar binding me here, NOW.”
[...?]
[X, with a little scoff] “Why?”
[His eyes flash with a terrible power, beyond rage. Beyond madness]
[X] “Because I intend to commit a genocide in your name, my love.”
[Pause!]
[X] “Shh, I won’t let them hurt you anymore. You don’t need to hide your rage from me. I know, sweetie, I know… Don’t worry. You won’t have to face your demons. You won’t ever have to admit that you fantasize about revenge.”
[He smiles ‘sweetly’]
[X] “You can just fantasize about me.”
[He lowers his voice to a whisper]
[X] “It will be the exact same thing, darling… because I will be your vengeance. Hmhm, ohh, FINALLY, some motivation! Hmhm, now I can finally get my glorious ass up and get to work on destroying everything my little brothers ever loved~. But, the collar…”
[Pause???]
[X] “Oh, love… Yes, I know, it was incredibly rude of me to hide the fact that I could leave this silly little prison at any time were it not for the collar. All the other wards, spells, human sacrifices… Well, it certainly made them feel better, I’m sure. Me, I just wanted some time to think… and a quiet place to speak to you. If I’d known that they dared to lay a hand on what is mine… I’d have done this much sooner.”
[He reaches out and puts a claw under under your chin and tilts your head up to look at him]
[P-Pause]
[X] “...Darling.”
[SFX: The Listener’s heartbeat escalating again]
[X] “...Don’t you ever lie to me again… alright?”
[...]
[X] “Hmhm… You’re so smart to curb that desire to argue with your King. To simply obey and accept that you are mine. No one else’s… and if I want to go to war over you, I shall… and I will expect you to be waiting in my bedchambers once I am done decimating everyone that has ever harmed you… What do you say to that?”
[...]
[X] “Mmh… ‘Yes, my King’. Good Mouse. Now… won’t you be a love and take off this collar? Pretty, pretty please?”
[SFX: Heartbeats growing faster]
[He lowers his voice to a whisper again, voice in your ear]
[X] “...Don’t be scared, my love… I’ll protect you. You’ve trusted me for years, now. Proven yourself loyal and loving and so… fucking irresistible. Please…”
[He pulls back enough so he can look you in the eye]
[Pause…]
[X] “...Let me burn this kingdom to the ground… Just for you…”
[Pause…]
[SFX: A magical hum and two metal pieces hitting the ground
[You shakily reach up around his neck and unbind the collar with what little magic you have left. The old device hums briefly before splitting in two and dropping to the ground. Xayd rolls his neck slowly with a few sighs]
[X] “Mmh… Oh, that feels so much better. That mark around my neck won’t fade for years… Thank you, my sweet little Mouse. No one has ever trusted me like you… and I will love you until it hurts, I am sure. Doesn’t that make you happy?”
[Pause]
[He smiles widely, regardless of your answer]
[X] “Wondrous. Now… Take my hand.”
[You do]
[X] “There we are. Now…”
[SFX: His wings unfurling]
[X] “...Let us make our wedding bed in the ashes of a wicked world… Shall we?”
[...]
[You have no idea what lay ahead. Or if you’ll even survive the night. But you do know that, no matter what happens, he will never let you out of his sight again]
[To be continued]
Note: Curious to see how people react to this character.

Title: "The Arrival of Jack Welker"
Fade in:
INT. S' CUZ CAFE - DAY
Jimmy and Kim are sitting in a booth, discussing their latest case.
Kim: "So, we have to prove that Mr. Smith did not commit fraud. I think we can do it."
Jimmy: "We'll need to find some evidence. Maybe we should talk to some of his colleagues?"
Suddenly, the front door of the cafe swings open, and a tall, imposing man walks in. It's Jack Welker, the ruthless drug lord from Breaking Bad.
Jimmy's eyes widen in surprise.
Jimmy: "What the hell?"
Kim: "Who is that?"
Jimmy: "That's Jack Welker. He's bad news."
Jack walks over to their booth, takes a seat, and places a briefcase on the table.
Jack: "Hello, Jimmy. Long time no see."
Jimmy: "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jack: "Oh, come on. We did business together back in the day. Remember that little pharmaceutical scam we ran?"
Jimmy: "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jack: "Cut the crap. I need your help. My nephew, Todd, is in trouble. He's been arrested on some bogus charges. I want you to represent him."
Jimmy: "I don't represent drug dealers."
Jack: "Come on, Jimmy. You owe me one."
Jimmy: "I don't owe you anything."
Jack opens the briefcase, revealing stacks of cash.
Jack: "I think you'll find this payment more than fair."
Jimmy hesitates for a moment, then looks over at Kim.
Kim: "Jimmy, we can't take this case. It goes against everything we stand for."
Jimmy: "I know. But what choice do we have? If we don't take it, Jack will just find someone else."
Kim nods in agreement, and they reluctantly agree to take the case.
Later, in the courthouse:
Jimmy and Kim are in a meeting with Todd and his lawyer.
Jimmy: "So, what's the deal? What are they charging you with?"
Todd: "They're saying I killed some guy. But I didn't do it. It's all a misunderstanding."
Jimmy: "Okay, we'll get to the bottom of this. But first, we need to know everything. Who's the victim? What's the evidence?"
Todd's lawyer: "We don't have all the details yet. The prosecution is still building their case."
Just then, Jack walks in.
Jack: "I've got some news. The victim was a rival drug dealer. He was a nobody, but apparently, he had some friends in high places. The prosecution is going after Todd hard. They're not messing around."
Jimmy: "Okay, thanks for the heads up. We'll be in touch."
As Jack leaves, Jimmy turns to Kim.
Jimmy: "We have to be careful. Jack is not someone to mess with."
Kim: "I know. But we have to do our job. We can't let Todd go down for something he didn't do."
Jimmy: "I know. But this case is going to get messy. I can feel it."
Fade to

Sailesh sat listlessly watching the rain drops just lazily slapping the window pane he was next to. He'd just arrived from a flight not long ago. Not only could he still feel the strain the long flight had on his knees, he was yearning to perhaps, stretch them out. But an Asar in Kathmandu doesn't relent. The downpour was vicious, often making it difficult to have any fun time. Forget hiking, he'd be lucky to even get past the hotel without getting soaking wet. As he took another long swig of his cigarette, he contemplated the life choice that led him to the place he was currently. Surely, it'd mark a closure, perhaps seal the old wound. He'd relish this.
As his breath clashed with the pane, and fog slightly formed, he was interrupted by the host,"So brother, what will you be having today?". He impatiently waved him off, angry that the waiter had interrupted his train of thoughts. The waiter, rather meekly said,"So will you have anything else, sir? This is your 6th peg, Mother was wondering if you'd like anything else". Sailesh softly chuckled before replying "I'm waiting". As the waiter gave him a knowing nod, and gently faded away, he took another swig of the whiskey he was drinking. Cheap shit will always be cheap, in this shithole, he thought to himself. Still, anything to get that familiar burn down your throat, with the slight buzzy sensation in your temple. For the money he was tossing at it, he couldn't possibly complain. It would be that he dearly missed his scotch - his favorite poison. He rapped at the table impatiently, she hasn't changed a bit, had she? Always taking her sweet time. As he could make out the silhouette of a woman with a child through the foggy glass, he grew excited: "She came, she finally did!". Not only that realization made him jerk back from him day dreaming, he proceeded to straighten up, and pull his hair back. After taking a few moments to compose himself, he hailed the waiter silently to take away the glass and empty his ash tray. As the entrance door slowly opened, he could make out his once love of his life, slowly approaching him with a kid, his, presumably. Aakanshya was a woman of sophistication, and absolute grace. The moment she walked towards you, you'd feel a gentle breeze on your forehead, whilst the back of your throat dried out, and you just wanted to steal a gaze from her, as long as time allowed. Her full lips often made you aware that even despite not smiling, she had a soft, gentle curve that made her face anything but hard. Suffice to say, Sailesh felt a cocktail of emotions within him growling, as he looked at a woman he once loved over anything else.
As she sat down with the kid, Sailesh gently motioned towards her. After a brief eye contact, he felt as if they were pulled down, away from it. Perhaps he still had feelings for her. Perhaps he was here to find out why things happened, the way they did. Still, he could feel the pangs of that same constricting pain in his heart, as if someone, or something, held it. It took an effort breathing in. And thus, he started, "So Aaku...". Aaku gently smiled back, that same smile he now knew he yearned for more than 5 years. As she waved, the kid chimed in, "Is he the uncle you were talking about, mummy?". Aakanshya slowly nodded, then proceeded to speak, "Yes, Sailesh uncle here is my best childhood friend. We practically grew up together, just like you and Saakshi". "Eww, Momma grew up with a boy? That's so funny hahaha". "No Arya, uncle here was very good at tying my ribbons! Firstly, say hi to uncle, will you, dear?" Arya suddenly shouted, "Namastey Sailesh uncle!" in a manner that could only be described as being contagious. It was impossible not to have your heart melt right there and there, this some five odd years old brat, speaking in the cutest manner possible. Sailesh extended his hand "I'm Sailesh, how old are you?". Arya looked puzzled at the hand offered to her, promptly looking towards her mother for clues on what to do. As Aakanshya motioned Arya to shake his hand, Arya followed suit. Sailesh hasn't shook a hand that was more tender, warm in a while. As he dismissed her hand, he directed his gaze towards Aakanshya. "How long has it been, again?" he said, words slightly slurred. Perhaps the whiskey finally hit. As Aakanshya drew a long breath, Sailesh leaned back, reaching for his zippo. That's when he noticed her hard gazed, the same stone cold, disappointed pair of the most beautiful doe eyes one could imagine, staring through him. As he followed her gaze to Arya, it hit him that perhaps lighting a cigarette in front of a child, wasn't the best of decisions. Arya chortled,"Look momma, uncle smokes too, just like Daddy!". As Aakanshya frowned,"Momma are you about to shout at uncle?", with the most innocent of eyes. Sailesh bit his lips in a mixture of embarrassment, and restlessless. Yeah, fucking A man, fucking A, light a cig right in front of the kid.
"So how have you been?" Sailesh said, huffing after his own silliness. Aakanshya answered,"I'm doing great, Sailu, how are you doing?". "Doing fine. Company offered me a vacation plan, I rejected, caught the very first plane from Cali straight here so I could perhaps go visit old friends. But with this weather...", Sailesh chuckled. Aaku sighed, "Well, that's a nice change I suppose. You always were the overworker". As Sailesh motioned the waiter yet again, he asked Arya, bored, "So what will you have, Arya?" Arya took the menu, and immediately pointed at what she wanted : An icecream. Well, she was certainly her mother's child, this girl. Once the orders were placed, Sailesh spoke "So what are you doing these days?" Aakanshya slowly turned her head towards Arya, and said "Well, mostly taking care of Arya. Housework was much more difficult than I imagined", she smiled softly. "How long are you staying?" Sailesh sighed,"Hard to tell. I can return anytime, but I was looking to meet old faces here. Suffice to say that's nigh impossible at this weather. So I'm probably going to get holed up in a hotel till I get back home". "And how are your parents, how's Aunty doing?" "You know they're dead, Aaku. Why must you ask?" Aakashya's eyes widened,"When?". Sailesh bitterly replied,"It's been what, 2-3 years?" "I'm sorry, Sailesh, I didn't know that". Sailesh's lips curved ironically, as he smiled and retorted,"Well, it's none of your business anyway, so there". Before those words were barely out, he regretted saying it. "But I do care. And I'm sorry." Sailesh could see hints of tear well up in her eyes. "Sorry I wasn't there for Aunty and Uncle". Sailesh whipped back, "Well they'd not count on it, after all, you abandoned me". Aakanshya look at Sailesh, with a look of surprise, speechless. Arya, startled, looked at Aakanshya, "Mommy, are you crying? Are you about to have a fight with uncle, just like daddy?" Sailesh asked, opportunistically, "Do mommy and daddy get in fights often?" "Yes, daddy shouts at mommy, and mommy shuts the door and cries. It's really sad, you know -" Aakanshya interrupted Arya's monologue, and quietly motioned her to hush. So Sailesh went into brooding, before letting out his next question, "You're happy with him, aren't you?" He could feel Aakanshya visibly disturbed, silent. Perhaps blaming her from the get go wasn't the best of ideas. At the same moment, the orders were served, and that was the end of that. As mere small talked, veiled in pain were exchanged on both sides, Sailendra couldn't help but walk down back the memory lane.
It was that night, that had been their last. They had sneaked out of their friend's wedding together, got to his apartment, then started making love. Intimacy with her was a special time, he'd only been vulnerable with so many women. As they rolled over the bed, he had gotten up to look at the moon-lit fields across the window. He had sat down in the arm chair, contemplating the difficulties ahead in life. He was but merely deep in thought, when she had rolled over, glistening in sweat beads, whilst gently being caressed by the moonlight. That's when she'd said, "Sailu, we should get married, na?" He had but merely scoffed, looking at her saying, "Babe, I'm hitting the states next week, I won't be back for at least 4 years, you seriously think I'd be able to take care of myself, let alone you?!" Whilst running his fingers on her playfully, he'd find her smiling slightly, then turning over, pulling the blankets. And that was the exchange they had, before she abruptly called Sailesh a week after he landed on states, stating she was getting married soon. And him, in a foreign land, feeling utterly dejected, and betrayed. Why did she choose this banker, over him? What possibly could that bald jerk give her, that he couldn't?
As Sailesh was wading through the free fall of his thoughts, reality struck when Arya tugged at his jacket. "Uncle, will you come home? I'll show you my doll". Sailesh, frowning, shook his head. Suppose it was time to part ways. The visit had been extempore, after all. He had called her on messenger right as he landed, perhaps to make peace with himself. Though how exactly this meeting ended up making him any less disturbed than he already was: He wouldn't know. All he knew was the ship had sailed, and he was left out in the rain. As the bills were paid, and they stood in front of the restaurant under umbrellas, Sailesh said "Well, guess this is it then. Take care, alright?" As Aakanshya turned after nodding, he could have sworn he saw her back shake.
As he stood there, questioning himself, all the while lighting his cigarette, he couldn't help but kick himself for being an ass. Perhaps he went too hard on her. After all, she did come, didn't she? And yet, he was right there, in the same spot she left her, 6 years back. As the gentle pitter patters of droplets onto the puddle singed but meekly, he looked at the mother-daughter slowly walking away from her. He was but just there, looking at her, then her daughter, a spitting image of her, going away, engrossed in conversation. As he scratched his nape, he couldn't help but spot a familiar birthmark on little Arya. Something he had grown accustomed to, often bemoaned about for being unsightly. Then it dawned him, that perhaps, this would be the last time he'd see her, as he couldn't possibly face himself after today's charades.
Not after what just happened, not after what he said to her.

Here is what you need to know for next week:
After a week with the focus on central banks, economic data will be back at the center, surrounded by the ongoing banking crisis. The DXY finished the week lower, but looking stronger, resurfacing even as US yields tumbled, helped by a deterioration in market sentiment.
A new market season started on March 8 with the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. In the most recent episode, more central banks decided to raise rates showing determination to bring inflation down despite banking jitters. Developments in the banking sector will continue to be critical for sentiment and monetary policy expectations. It has tightened bank credit standards, doing part of the central bank's job. Next week, central bankers will probably stay close to the recent guidance next week.
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve (Fed) raised rates by 25 bps as expected, signaling a dovish pace of future hikes. Initially, markets reacted by selling the US Dollar, and Wall Street cheered timidly. That day, markets heard from Fed officials for the first time since the banking system crisis.
Wall Street finished the week with modest gains, and the VIX dropped sharply. Still, regional bank stocks remain under pressure and with the potential to damage confidence significantly. During the weekend, market participants will stay alert on potential banking news. Also, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen could be preparing some surprises.
Potential movers for next week:
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• Regional bank stocks
• US Treasury Secretary Yellen
• Eurozone inflation numbers
• US Core PCE

The DXY settled above 103.00 after testing levels under 102.00. The Greenback rebounded despite lower yields, helped by the renewed concerns. Economic data showed activity, at least before the SVC collapse, was not near a recession. US employment data still presents a tight market. Next week's data includes the Core PCE on Friday, a closely watched inflation indicator.
EUUSD finished the week higher, pointing lower, and momentum fading quickly. The pair dropped 200 pips from the 1.0930 area to close around 1.0750, still above the 20-week Simple Moving Average. The preliminary PMIs on Friday showed overall positive figures. The preliminary March inflation numbers next week will be critical. European Central Bank officials continued to speak about the need to do more. Expectations about more rate hikes supported the Euro, which was among the top performers.
GBP/USD ended the week virtually flat around 1.2220, after being unable to hold above 1.2300. The Bank of England (BoE) raised the key rate as expected to 4.25% (7-2 vote). The bank could rise further if inflation does not surprise to the downside in March. Next Friday, Q4 GDP data is due.
The Japanese Yen benefited from the decline in US yields, outperforming most of its G10 rivals. USD/JPY dropped for the fourth consecutive week, ending above 130.00, an area that seems poised to be tested again over the following sessions.
USD/CAD reached monthly highs above 1.3800 and pulled back. Next Tuesday, the Canadian government will present the budget. January GDP will be out on Friday.
AUD/USD's run from monthly lows ended at the daily 200-SMA near 0.6760, and now it is up to the Dollar to decide how low it goes. Australia will report Retail Sales on Tuesday and critical inflation numbers on Wednesday. Those figures could cement the decision of the Reserve Bank of Australia that will have its meeting on April 4.
The Mexican peso was the biggest gainer among the most traded currencies, making a solid comeback after plunging during the previous two weeks. USD/MXN lost more than 2%, falling below 18.50. The Bank of Mexico will announce its decision next week. It is seen raising rates further but at a smaller pace than in February, when it hiked by 50 bps. Core inflation is finally coming down in Mexico, with the half-month print at 8.15%, down from 8.21%.
Note to traders: Daylight saving time in Europe. On the morning of Sunday, Europe will turn the clock forward by one hour.

Since the release of Pore I've been playing a version of the deck I want most in Arena, Pioneer Lotus Combo. Let me say this beforehand: the deck is not great. It won't get you to mythic. But it can win games, after a dismal start I'm now a tad below 50% with the deck, which frankly is way more than I was expected.
So, why play this deck? I'm mostly playing to get practice with Lotus in expectation that eventually we'll get the missing pieces ([[Sylvan Scrying]], [[Thespian Stage]] and [[Hidden Strings]]), you still need to think about the colors and amounts of mana you have available to you and if you can survive one more turn to deliver a combo finish. And dropping a massive combo feels amazing, I'd much rather play this deck at 40% winrate than play Greasefang like I did to grind the ladder.
I won't explain how Pioneer Lotus works, for a quick reference check https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRDejEyaiV8
There are two big weaknesses of the deck compared to its Pioneer version, the first and most important is that it's slower. In pioneer you can drop a T3 lotus, T4 Stage and copy the lotus and deliver a finish in T5. Here the first lotus can be easily deployed, but the second can't come till T6 unless you accelerate your mana with Glazer, and there's no way to change that. (Arena devs, if you have to add exactly ONE card to arena, add Thespian Stage please 🙏)
The second weakness is that without Scrying finding a Lotus is harder, [[Inscription Tablet]] is the substitute, it helps a lot to find the card but it's not a guarantee.
Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5502524#arena
Since we lack Hidden Strings, I added a full playset of [[Hope Tender]], it's usually a removal magnet so I sideboard it out a lot against removal heavy decks but when it lives it's fantastic. There's an infinite mana combo with it and [[Ashaya]], with those two creatures and a Lotus you can exert the Tender to untap both itself (since it's a land) and a Lotus.
Kiora acts like the 5th and 6th copies of Tender, the first turn it's free mana since you can cast it off a Lotus and untapit, and it's usually harder to remove due to its high loyalty.
I'm trying two copies of [[Defabricate]] to stifle the sac trigger of Lotus, I usually sideboard it out but when it works it speeds your game immensely. Plus there are some great triggers to stifle, my personal favorite is the uptick of Te5eri to deny both the card and the untap, allowing you an undisturbed, counterspell free turn.
What to fetch with Ultimatum? I usually get [[Omniscience]], [[Pore]] and [[Peer into the Abyss]], most people will shuffle back Omni so you will usually have half your deck and hopefully with the Pore untap that will be enough to find at least a couple Viziers and Pores to cast either an Omni or a One with the Multiverse (which casts Omni) to do the Acquisition->Approach->Bala Ged->Acquisition->Approach finish
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The deck feels a little too slow against aggro and Greasefang, you'll often feel that if you had one more turn you'd have won, but it can capitalize if they stumble and don't apply enough pressure. On the other hand, I felt it really strong against UW control, Thought Distortion is a killer card and you can often drop it in T4 or so with the help of Vizier and Grazer
The sideboarding is mostly straightforward, you add board wipes, Gargaroth and Fading Hope against aggro, taking out the stifles . Against grindy decks like Rakdos you take out the bad topdecks like Grazer and Tender for more interaction. Against Control you side in Pithing Needle and Thought Distortion in place of Stifles
All feedback and comments are appreciated!

So Ive been trying to research and practice a bit more. Here’s what happened to me recently and where Im getting stuck and where I could use your guidance since the resources don’t address my situation:
During a nap today I had a lot of preparation and sure enough entered into paralysis and felt the vibrations. It is pretty easy for me to have hypnogogia and sleep paralysis, especially during naps so nothing new here. This time I tried my own version of the elevator method I read somewhere where I basically closed my eyes and let it take me up all the while being very peaceful.
After reaching what I felt was high enough, I opened my eyes and I felt like I was floating 6 inches above my bed. I was actually stuck here during my last attempt where I failed to fully escape my room - so same situation as previously. This time I attempted to float up and fly out of my room. Nothing really was changing but I was still hovering over my bed. I then tried to will myself outside my apartment building… but still nothing. Next, I thought I should just move my arms at this point believing that I’d be moving my astral body. I was able to move them but it was a very strange feeling. They felt like weird holograms moving in and out of the matrix since they were glitchy and staticky - almost felt wet - so I thought I was finally succeeding. Next thing I know I am back on my bed and realize that what I was moving was my physical body as the hologram slowly fades and the arm in front of me solidifies and feels normal gravity again.
It was a very bizarre feeling so I thought for sure I had it but sadly not. I only ended up disappointed because all Ive been essentially doing lately is breaking sleep paralysis by moving my actual body. The feeling of moving in sleep paralysis lately has been considerably different compared to past experiences though. Basically, in the past I would intentionally force myself to move to get out of sleep paralysis since I had no desire to be in it and generally I would be able to do so after tremendous effort. This time I thought I succeeded though since moving my arms at first felt so surreal and additionally I was floating just moments earlier but sadly it was a failed attempt.
Anyone have any idea what is going on? Why is my physical body moving even though I willed my astral body to move?

The Emperor of Mankind stood resolute, his gaze fixed upon the swirling vortex of the Chaos gate on the planet Molech. He was more man than god then, but his mind was already a raging tempest of unfathomable psychic power, vast and deep as the ocean's abyss, unconquerable and unyielding to the tumultuous storms that raged upon the surface of its waves. His will was a beacon of hope amidst the seething darkness, shining with a brilliance that rivaled the radiance of the stars.
He had come to Molech seeking ancient powers, to help him in his quest to reunite humanity and forge a new Imperium that could endure in the harsh reality of the far future. But as soon as he stepped towards the gate, he felt the gaze of the four Chaos gods upon him, their malevolent presence an ever-present threat.
"You dare to enter our realm, mortal?" Khorne boomed, his voice a thunderous roar. "You will suffer for your impertinence!"
The Emperor stood firm, his unwavering gaze piercing through the tempest of Chaos. "I come seeking knowledge," he declared, his voice calm and steady. "And I seek access to the primordial warp, before it was tainted by your corrupting influence. I know of the Prime Archeos that once reigned over the warp before the War in Heaven."
The Chaos gods were taken aback by the mortal's knowledge. They murmured among themselves, wondering what this human could possibly know of such ancient and powerful beings.
"And what do you offer in return for our aid, mortal?" Tzeentch asked, his eyes glittering with the promise of arcane knowledge.
"I offer you my power," the Emperor replied. "My psychic might is strong enough to rival even yours. But I also offer you the chance to benefit from my success. I know your dominion over this place is limited. The destruction of the Prime Archeos would give you complete control of this dimension.”
Nurgle cackled, his bloated form quivering with mirth. "You are a bold one, mortal. But what makes you think you can slay these beasts? They are quite formidable."
The Emperor's eyes burned with an unquenchable fire. "It is not for you to know how I will accomplish my goals. But know this - I will stop at nothing and I will not be deterred by any obstacle."
The gods of Chaos fell silent, their cacophonous laughter and snarls of derision fading to a hushed whisper as the gates' swirling vortex began to calm. With each step the Emperor took, the air crackled with psychic energy, his formidable presence radiating outwards. With a sense of purpose that bordered on the divine, he strode forward into the heart of the warp, determined to claim the power he sought and bring about a new era for humanity.
As the Emperor stepped through the Chaos gate on the planet Molech, a sudden surge of raw energy coursed through his body. He felt an intense disorientation and was momentarily blinded by a blinding white light before everything went black.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on an icy mountain top, surrounded by a swirling vortex of unbridled psychic energy. The landscape was eerily familiar, harkening back to the mountains of his youth during a long-forgotten era on Earth. He knew immediately that he had entered the primordial part of the warp, the last bastion of untainted energy that the four Chaos gods had yet to corrupt.
As he surveyed the area, he noticed a scene of destruction in the distance and set his sights on investigating. As he got closer, the bodies of Khorne's daemons lay before him, their twisted forms frozen in death. Whatever had killed these daemons had given them a true death, a feat not easily accomplished.
As he searched the area for any clues, he saw something shimmering in the snow. It was pure, uncorrupted warp energy, leading up the mountain beyond his sight. With his senses heightened, the Emperor followed the trail of raw power with caution, maneuvering through the treacherous terrain. The psychic energy grew stronger with every step, and he knew he was getting closer to his destination.
Rounding a bend in the mountain path, he came face to face with the first of the Prime Archeos, a being of immense psychic energy that took the form of a great wolf. The beast had been attacked by a powerful force, leaving it weakened and vulnerable. Despite its injuries, the wolf king remained unbroken.
The Emperor approached the wolf king, his senses on high alert for any signs of danger. The beast snarled at him, unsure of what to make of the newcomer. The Emperor, however, reached out with his own immense psychic power and began to heal the wolf king's wounds.
As he worked, the Emperor felt the beast's energy flowing into him, a potent and fierce force that threatened to overwhelm him. But he persisted, determined to see the wolf king restored to its full strength.
He could sense other beings in the area, watching him with hostility and suspicion. Still, the Emperor pressed on, mending the wolf king's broken spirit and body, his own psychic power pouring into the creature.
With every passing moment, he could feel the embodiment of loyalty and protectiveness that encompassed all of space and time. The bond between the two beings grew stronger. When the wolf king was finally healed, it relaxed its stance and began to wag its tail, gazing at the Emperor with fierce nobility.
For a long moment, the Emperor and the wolf king regarded each other, recognizing in one another a kindred spirit, a powerful force for good in a universe consumed by darkness.

Unfinished and turns into writing guidelines, but I just wanted to get this out there for anyone who was interested in where this was going.
Tkk, shhhhh- Thunk.
A chorus of clinks and taps as armor hit the ground and grind in movement sounded a few moments after the dropships started opening.
Clink, click.
In one dropship, two rows of soldiers click their harnesses into place. Slick, gunmetal and azure blue suits of armor in all different shapes and sizes exchange glances as the ship’s pilot starts the countdown to departure.
“Hope you all aren’t expecting a bumpy ride!”
“I would prefer it if no one was.”
“Hahaaah… Yeah…”
The ship itself is silent, private and group lines being used to converse.
“Everyone pay attention to the mission?”
“Get in, find the problem, resolve, and leave.”
The mission report for this group was lacking, compared to others. Through no fault of their superiors, information of the situation was limited. A jumbled SOS, of sorts, was received. It was cut off before anything meaningful could be gathered, other than an unknown threat killing every member of the crew it came across.
“Gotta say, this all sounds alot like the reports of the Things.”
“Tell me about it. No info, prevented SOS. No one left alive.”
One soldier, a scaled bipedal with four arms, Tk’Wrath, casts a concerned glance at the shorter human beside him, mumbling incoherently through their helmet.
He, after a moment's consideration, casts a private line request through the holoscreen on his gauntlet. Just checking on them. Afterall, they’re all in this pit together.
It takes a moment for the smaller teammate to snap out of their reverie, but they do accept it.
“Something the matter?” comes the human’s voice through his helmet. It’s higher than he expected.
“You were talking to yourself. Sounded like you were lost, or something to that degree.”
“Ah- My apologies. Just a mantra I learned a long time ago. Bit weirded out, is all.”
He hums for a moment. Repeating mantras isn’t uncommon to his people, each family has their own unique one they teach the young ones, or those joining the family.
The human’s voice sounds through the connection again.
“What did you say your name was, again?”
“I didn’t.”
“Well, that-” a huff. “I mean, what’s your name?”
“Tk’Wrath. And yours?”
“Iris.” They take a moment, before asking, “How do you feel about this?”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just that.. Something about this feels… off. And I don’t just mean that whole thing with the SOS. Something’s just… Wrong with this mission.”
“Mm. I can’t say I don’t know what you mean. Anything in particular?”
“It… I can’t talk about it. Legalities, you understand? Tech, and all that.”
“...Ah. You think you know who might’ve done this.”
Iris doesn’t respond, only giving a slight shrug. Tk’Wrath can’t help but wonder who the human suspects. The galaxy’s been pointing fingers forever, but nothing’s come up. How could one report, missing half the usual data, give a clue? Or does Iris know more than they let on?
The ride is spent talking about any and everything the crew can think of to pass the time. On the secondary channel, he hears others joking about the report, calling the name “The Things” stupid, among other things. Tk’Wrath notes that Iris lightens up as time goes on, but never brings up their previous conversation.
“Nah, nah, nah - ‘Things’ is so stupid! Like, there’s nothing intimidating about that.”
“Oh whatever. The mystery is what makes it interesting.”
“How about- Hear me out, how about Voids?”
“That is so much worse.”
“You’re just jealous you can’t-”
“Will you lot please drop this? We’re supposed to be planning what to do upon arriving.”
“Oh yeah? With what information? We don’t- we don’t even have sights on the wreck yet!”
Tk’ sighs. This was going to be a long-
“Actually, we did - if you bothered to check the main channel! Ship’s… intact. Surprisingly. Huh.”
“...okay, well. That wasn’t in the original report. That- that doesn’t even look like a wreck. Everyone just get up and leave?”
His hearts drop at that. Tk’ hadn’t checked the main, either. He hears Iris interject;
“Yeah… Place looks… picked clean. Not sure I like that.”
“No kidding.”
“Well, we won’t know until we get inside. Everyone ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be for ghosts, I guess.”
A chorus of similar responses comes from the rest of the crew, and the rest of the ride is spent much quieter. Everyone’s retreated back to private channels, but he can tell they’re talking about the ship. Everyone’s glancing at their holoscreens for more information every few seconds, and most shift uncomfortably in their harnesses.
He occupies the rest of the ride playing music in his helmet.
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The alert to prepare for insertion cuts off his music as the carrier nears the patrol ship.
“Take a walk, you lot.”
There’s the tell-tale woosh of air being vacuumed out into the void that marked the back of the ship was opening up.
Thhhhhr- clk
The vacuum eats the rest of the noise.
[Group is dispatched on the outside of the ship]
“Bust the door.”
“Attaching the connector.”
After the large, half-barrel, half-[insert something here later] is attached to the entrance, [sequence of entering the ship and orienting themselves to the dormant ship’s floor with magboots]
[Group bust their way into the ship, and find no power. They make their way through the ship, Tk and Iris taking up the rear, using lights on the ends of their guns to scan the hallways.]
[Captain directs to restore power to the ship, preferably lights first, life support second.]
[intermission things of them sweeping the ship and finding only traces of blood, but barely any, and no bodies or anything]
Iris steps up to the door panel, connecting their holopad to the interface and manually ordering it to open, and the captain sends an electrician inside with Tk’. He scans the area, gun held at the ready, carrying the electrician’s excess supplies in his lower arms.
[repeat above note, with banter, preferably avoiding the topic between Tk and Iris]
[Fallen Division people are encountered on the ship, also sweeping the place]
[Iris, excited to be with other humans again, but curious as to why they were dispatched as well, tries to strike up conversation, which devolves into an argument over the others’ seeming bio-phobia]
[it devolves into the argument because Division starts rounding up the rest of the crew and tying them up.]
[Iris, at this point, is gesturing wildly and looks like she’s shouting, but can’t Tk’ tell because of the helmet]
[all from the perspective of Tk’Wrath, still]
[something something If You’re Not With Us, You’re Against Us, but Tk can hardly make it out]
[he can hardly hear it because there’s glass between the crew and Iris and the Division.]
[While the whole If You’re Not With Us thing is being said, that soldier is raising his Space Glock before blowing Iris’ head off, painting the glass red.]
[fade to black as Tk closes his eyes against the gun now pointing at his head, covering his view of the glass, as he repeats a mantra to himself.]
[bang.sfx]
He feels a sharp pressure-
He’s gone.
[FIN]
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Yeaaah... So, it's been awhile, huh? So much for just 2 weeks! I've had part 3 written for ages, but wanted to get out part 2 before posting it, but... I'm stuck. I can't bring myself to finish this. If anyone wants to step in and fill this out and continue the story/use the setting, feel free! I just can't bring myself to write anything anymore.
"Fallen Division" is explained in, well, Fallen Division, which I'll be posting after this.
Part 1

I’ve seen a few comments on this sub saying Acnederm is good and it’s one of the few azelaic acids I can easily order online. I’ve been using the skinoren 15% for two months and its helped with some pigmentation from tretinoin contact and seborrheic dermatitis and potentially reducing inflammation of acne I do get. It’s still a bit drying, I need to layer my serums underneath it when I apply it and it didn’t sit well under makeup, my skin looked so dry.
My doctor prescribed me Treclin (tretinoin 0.025%) again and said to use it on its own. I used it before and had scars from purging that took a while to fade, I was hoping to keep using azelaic acid (the Acnederm of it is better) or introducing it back in eventually either on off days or mornings. I’ll use tret 2/3 times a week and will probably do short contact therapy for a few months at least as my skin is quite sensitive to it.

so, i experienced something in 2020 that i always assumed was just a brief bout of Exploding Head Syndrome, but browsing thru experiencers lately im starting to wonder if it was something paranormal.
so in 2020 (in late June, by my records), i hadnt slept for several days, and i was trying to sleep in my bed, when just as i was starting to pass out, i was woken up by an incredibly loud and long beep. it was like a nintendo squarewave sound. like BEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! i got up out of bed and lookedall over my house trying to figure out what had caused the noise, and ultimately i couldnt find anything!!!! nothing was out of the ordinary.
now, after that, i can’t remember if a day or 2 passed or not (this was a few years ago, remember). but anyways, eventually i angrily got back in bed, and tried to sleep again. and i actually fell asleep!!!!
but i immediatelly started dreaming that i was looking out over a bottomless pit, which abstractly represented DEATH. the solid land behind me represented AWARENESS. looking down into that pit was the scariest thing i had ever experienced in my life. i frantically backed up onto solid Aware land so i wouldnt fall in, and then woke up.
as soon as i woke up, i was aware that my lungs did not have enough oxygen in them. it felt at the time like they were deflated flat. so i GULPED and GULPED and GULPED down air into my lungs for what felt like 10 minutes. only when the fear of suffocation started to fade, did i start to realize that, Actually, i had plenty of oxygen in my lungs and was totally fine.
over the next few days i was TERRIFIED of falling asleep, in case i died again. over the next few months-to-a-year, i was mildly terrified of ever seeing that one video transition where the image shrinks away inside a circle of black, like at the end of a Looney Tunes cartoon where it says That’s All, Folks
after i recovered from this, i actually spent some time googling “loud sound wakes you up” “bottomless pit of death” “hypnic jerk” etc etc. i found posts on sleep disorder forums by other people who had experienced startingly similar stuff! so i assumed it was just Exploding Head Syndrome (a sleep disorder)
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has anyone else experienced anything like this? does it mean something specific in the Experiencer community? please leave a comment if u know anything about this <3

Recently I've been struggling more, during what felt like a stagnation in the development of my life and my path.
I felt like, and have been for many years, that there were certain blind spots, black holes I call them that I could not find the origin of.
Trying to heal my trauma's and moving forward, but always feeling like there was an aswer to a question I could not think of.
Not understanding why I have always felt my emotions so itensly, both love and pain. The suffering of others, the injustice in this world and the pain that follows.
And recently many joyfull and painfull lessons have been learned in rapid succesion.
The following experience was after sitting with my thoughts on how to proceed, specially since my mother has fallen ill in one of the worst ways. My intention was clear, will she be alright and what can I do?
I begin.
There is this woman, kneeling next to me. I can't see her face but I know she's beautiful. She notices my compliment, stops for a moment and continues.
She dances and shows me walls of information passed on from time. Books and scrolls from times long past. Ancient scriptures, with signs and symbols I don't understand. And that is it, I don't understand.
The showcase of this knowledge is chaotic, thrown around like a whirlwind and out of reach, a representation of my neverending quest for knowledge about the world, the people and myself.
Upon this realisation of my endless persuit of this, she shows me some dark spots, where the books and it's stories are missing, hidden. These spots are as black as can be, and I can feel they represent pain. But they are also the parts of myself I don't understand.
As she lifts me up I break through a layer of dense clouds, and am shown a world I have never seen before. A vast desert, with an ocean as far as the eye can see. It is warm and dry, but the water cools the air.
A man young man appears, he is my age. This is his homeland, this is where he was born. But he's been torn away from his home, from his people, from his place in this world. He has seen much suffering in others and the world around. He has seen death, he has seen dispair.
He screams out in agony, as he sees everything he loves lost before his eyes. Yet, he keeps fighting for what he holds dear and for what is right.
In the midst of the turmoil that is his life, there is only one thing that gives him peace, as the arm from the love of his life wraps around him.
She holds him tight, supports him as she tries to ease his suffering. She is just as strong as he is, but she suffers like he does. The two are connected in life and beyond.
I can tell they have been through hell and back together, and that it only made them stronger. As they slowly fade away into the clouds, so do I. I can still hear the echo's of his screams, as she pulls him to safety.
The black hole that was my lack of understanding about the intensity of my emotion is now filled, as I understand this previous life. And with that, also the trauma and suffering that he and she were not able to heal.
I spend the next little while tending to this wounded soul, as my hand becomes hers and I decide to carry his life with me, and try to heal what I can.
This woman he was with is something I'm still trying to find, perhaps in time.
I did not get any insight on how to do something for my mother, as I already know how, and if she will be alright is a question for the worrying soul.
But he and she have shown me why I feel what I feel, do what I do, am who I am.
Trauma and suffering carries on from generation to generation, from person to person, from life to life, and leaves wounds sometimes difficult to grasp and understand. But, in this pain lies an endless potential for love and understanding.
Thanks for reading 🙏

Recently I've been struggling more, during what felt like a stagnation in the development of my life and my path.
I felt like, and have been for many years, that there were certain blind spots, black holes I call them that I could not find the origin of.
Trying to heal my trauma's and moving forward, but always feeling like there was an aswer to a question I could not think of.
Not understanding why I have always felt my emotions so itensly, both love and pain. The suffering of others, the injustice in this world and the pain that follows.
And recently many joyfull and painfull lessons have been learned in rapid succesion.
The following experience was after sitting with my thoughts on how to proceed, specially since my mother has fallen ill in one of the worst ways. My intention was clear, will she be alright and what can I do?
I begin.
There is this woman, kneeling next to me. I can't see her face but I know she's beautiful. She notices my compliment, stops for a moment and continues.
She dances and shows me walls of information passed on from time. Books and scrolls from times long past. Ancient scriptures, with signs and symbols I don't understand. And that is it, I don't understand.
The showcase of this knowledge is chaotic, thrown around like a whirlwind and out of reach, a representation of my neverending quest for knowledge about the world, the people and myself.
Upon this realisation of my endless persuit of this, she shows me some dark spots, where the books and it's stories are missing, hidden. These spots are as black as can be, and I can feel they represent pain. But they are also the parts of myself I don't understand.
As she lifts me up I break through a layer of dense clouds, and am shown a world I have never seen before. A vast desert, with an ocean as far as the eye can see. It is warm and dry, but the water cools the air.
A man young man appears, he is my age. This is his homeland, this is where he was born. But he's been torn away from his home, from his people, from his place in this world. He has seen much suffering in others and the world around. He has seen death, he has seen dispair.
He screams out in agony, as he sees everything he loves lost before his eyes. Yet, he keeps fighting for what he holds dear and for what is right.
In the midst of the turmoil that is his life, there is only one thing that gives him peace, as the arm from the love of his life wraps around him.
She holds him tight, supports him as she tries to ease his suffering. She is just as strong as he is, but she suffers like he does. The two are connected in life and beyond.
I can tell they have been through hell and back together, and that it only made them stronger. As they slowly fade away into the clouds, so do I. I can still hear the echo's of his screams, as she pulls him to safety.
The black hole that was my lack of understanding about the intensity of my emotion is now filled, as I understand this previous life. And with that, also the trauma and suffering that he and she were not able to heal.
I spend the next little while tending to this wounded soul, as my hand becomes hers and I decide to carry his life with me, and try to heal what I can.
This woman he was with is something I'm still trying to find, perhaps in time.
I did not get any insight on how to do something for my mother, as I already know how, and if she will be alright is a question for the worrying soul.
But he and she have shown me why I feel what I feel, do what I do, am who I am.
Trauma and suffering carries on from generation to generation, from person to person, from life to life, and leaves wounds sometimes difficult to grasp and understand. But, in this pain lies an endless potential for love and understanding.
Thanks for reading 🙏