Events are listed by the day. Events that happen every week appear first, one time stuff after that. If you have anything you’d like people to know about, comment here or message me and I’ll add it in. If you’d like further info about any of the events, look it up! I usually don’t have any extra to add.
Ongoing and Multi-Day Events

• Faust @ 35! Spring Live Show at the Mickee Faust Theater in RR Sq. 35 years of original theater for the weird community. Dates and info here: https://www.mickeefaust.com/show-item/faust-35/
  
• Royal Hanneford Circus at the North Florida Fairgrounds. We promise to bring smiles and laughter to each and every audience with our wide variety of high-end acts and talents from all over the world. March 24 – April 2
  

Local Running, Walking, and Biking Info: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/
OutdooFarmer’s Markets:

• Lake Ella Grower's Market: Wednesday, 11am-2pm. Find organic vendors, and foragers: The Holistic Cannabis Community, Artzi Farms, Hickory Nut Gifts, and others. Farmer's Market Nutrition Program Coupons gladly accepted!
  
• Frenchtown Market: 524 N MLK Jr Blvd. Saturdays, 10am to 2pm. Come grow community and support your local farmers and makers, while you get your groceries for the week! Don’t forget! We match SNAP/EBT, so you DOUBLE your money to go towards locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables!
  
• Tallahassee Farmers Market: 2904 Kerry Forest Pkwy, Saturdays, 8am to Noon. Come see us at Tallahassee's longest-running farmers market! We are a year-round market, featuring local farms and vendors that provide the best seasonal produce, meats, baked goods, and more. We welcome you and your whole family (leashed pets included) to come out and meet your local farmers! Ample parking is available between our lot and the shopping center lot next door (by Red Elephant). Come early for the best selection.
  
• Tallahassee Downtown Market: Ponce de Leon Park, Saturdays, 10am-2pm. Join us for a stroll in the park among local makers, bakers, artists and farmers as live music is played by local musicians!
  

THURSDAY, 3/23

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour Pickfoolery. Butch Burns & Brent Kittrell of the local legendary bluegrass band Bottom Dollar Boys always put the happy in happy hour - even when they're singing those sad cry-in-your-beer ballads. 5pm
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Bingo. 5pm
  
• Dreamland BBQ: Weekly Open Blues Jam. If you'd like to sing, please bring your own mic. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Solforge Fusion Sealed-Deck Tournament. Anyone interested in SolForge: Fusion, please come out! Thursday nights at 6:00pm to 9:00pm ish will be dedicated to SolForge Fusion gameplay and weekly tournaments. If you play or have played MTG but would like to spend less, this is a great alternative CCG with inexpensive entry and minimal purchases to enjoy playing competitively. In-store and online tournaments may be played with the same decks purchased at any store. SolForge was created by the same designer for MTG, Netrunner, and Key Forge, Richard Garfield, and the designer for Ascension, Justine Gary. 6pm/$35 Entry Fee for 4 Sealed Half-decks, Special Art Playmat Prize for 1st Place
  
• World of Beer: Trivia Night. 7pm
  
• Lake Tribe III: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Smitty's Taphouse: Trivia Lab Thursdays. Teams of 6 or fewer players can compete for $30 / $20 / $10 Prizes + The Golden MacGuffin prize table! New format! Interactive smartphone answering for your comfort and safety! 6 Fun Rounds - 42 Total Questions. 7:30pm
  
• House of Music: Prime Rib Thursday & Karaoke. 7:30pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: The Million Eyes Of Sumuru: MST3K Thursday. Join us Thursday as we climb aboard The Satellite of Love along with Joel, Tom Servo and CROOOOW as the Gang tackles the peculiar, kinky, ladies vs gents action epic that is the 1968 film, THE MILLION EYES OF SUMURU! 8pm/free but donations encouraged
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Thursdays. There will be rotating music genres from local artists! 8pm/free/21+
  
• Poor Pauls: Trivia. 8/21+
  
• 926: Karaoke. 9pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Show. Join us for Experiment 002 and take a mind-bending trip into the sound of the future! Our electrifying music party will transport you to another dimension with cutting-edge beats and non-stop excitement. 9pm
  
• Bird’s: Karaoke with Nathan. 9pm
  

• Blue Tavern: Piano Jazz w/ Jack Quine, CLAVE: Bossa Nova, Blendik Experience: Joe Goldberg, Michael Bakan & Jack Staub. 5pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Tim Russell. 6pm
  
• Common Ground Books: Literary Open-Mic Night. Join us for our monthly literary open-mic night! Our open-mic is the perfect safe space for poets and fiction writers to share their work. 6pm
  
• Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee: 20th Anniversary Reception. Join us to celebrate our 20th Anniversary with a reception honoring our founders and supporting members. We'll be taking a look back at the last 20 years and unveiling our plans for the future. 6pm
  
• The Rose Room: Open Mic Night. 6pm
  
• 926: Brother Hawk with Pat Puckett and Brett Eugene. 8pm
  
• Club Downunder: CDU Presents: Daddy’s Beemer with Marabella. 8pm
  

FRIDAY, 3/24

• Lake Tribe: Flannel Friday. Flannel Fridays will be featuring a wide range of fall themed 'Pop-up' activities such as food trucks, live music, campfires, s'mores roasting, new seasonal brews, and more! Come dawn your flannel and cozy up to the simpler things in life. Our beers taste like the outdoors feel, let our tasting room be your Friday cabin retreat. 4pm
  
• Gamescape: MTG Friday Night Magic. FORMAT: Standard Constructed. Swiss rounds as determined by the number of players with a maximum of 5 rounds. 7pm/$5
  
• Hobbit West: Friday Night Dart Tournament. Anyone can Enter! Sign ups at 7:30, Darts fly at 8:00/$10 entry fee
  
• Ouzts Too: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 8pm
  
• Club Downunder: CDU X Hip Hop Club Presents Freestyle Friday. Show off your freestyle rap or poetry skills at Freestyle Friday! Doors are at 7:30 with the show starting at 8:00 in Club Downunder! Send an email to [email protected] to sign up! 8pm
  
• Just One More: Karaoke with DJ Rah. 9pm-11pm/21+
  
• 926: The Hot Friday Night Party and Drag Show. 9pm/$5/18+
  

• Retrofit Records: Emei in-store performance and DJ set. Noon
  
• Blue Tavern: Piano Jazz w/ Everett Young, Raga Bhakti, Chris Seepersaud & Belinda Bruno-Piverger. 5pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Free Jazz Night. On March 24th, Lemon City Trio and Soul Candy will be bringing the heat to our stage for an unforgettable night of soulful improvisation, scorching solos, and toe-tapping beats. 6pm
  
• Real Cool Time Records: Real Cool Time Records One Year Anniversary Fest featuring Saturnalia, Radio USA, Gangs of Paris, Speed Spirits, and Skunch. 6pm
  
• Eve on Adams: Upside Solo. 6pm
  
• Fish Camp: Southern Latitude. 6:30pm
  
• Island Wings: Deja Blu. 7pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: The Smith Band. 7pm
  
• RR Sq Craft House: Electric Apostles. 7pm
  
• The Bark: Colby Nathan, Chatterer, Good Real Estate, and No Face Presents: MTN/MAN. 8pm
  
• Crum Box Gastgarden: CACAH - Comedians Against Cards Against Humanity. Come out to The Crum Box Gastgarden and join us in playing Cards Against Humanity (CAH)! In a combination of CAH and comedy, local comedians will be reading, joking about, and scoring each team's card submission, with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! This is an absolute blast and you don't want to miss it! 8pm
  
• House of Music: The Allie Cats. 8pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: Humortals at CCVL Showcase. 9pm/$5/18+
  
• 1645 Airport Dr.: Cowboys Vs. Aliens. *Sounds by Nani, Forty-Two, Common Sense, Fly Docta. 9pm/$10
  

SATURDAY, 3/25

• Brinkley Glen Park: Invasive Plant Removal. Join Master Gardener Volunteers at this weekly invasive plant removal event. This is a great way to learn to ID our invasive plant species and how to remove them. We recommend wearing long pants and sleeves, closed-toed shoes, gloves, a hat and mosquito spray. Bring gardening tools such as hand clippers, loppers, trowels, etc. if you have them. We are removing coral ardisia bushes and berries, nandina, tung trees, Tradescantia flumenensis, cat's claw vine, winged yam, Japanese climbing fern, skunkvine and more. Directions: The best way to get there is to take Meridian Rd to Waverly Rd, go to the next intersection and turn left onto Abbotsford Way, then turn left at the next road called Woodside Dr. At the stop sign turn left onto Lothian. Lothian ends in a cul-de-sac and there is a sign that says Brinkley Glen Park. 8:30am-11:30am
  
• The Rose Room: The Rose Revue. Performances by your favorite entertainers and special guests! Shows at 8pm, 10pm, & Midnight! A unique cast EACH show! 7pm
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Line Dancing. 8pm/21+
  
• Bird’s Oyster Shack: Laughterday Night Fever. This week: Five Year Anniversary Laughterday Night Fever! Join us every Saturday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack for a free comedy show! 8:30pm
  
• La Casa Bar: Karaoke With Nathan. 9pm-1pm
  

• Tallahassee Junior Museum: Pioneer Breakfast 2023. Come out and join us on the 1880’s Big Bend Farm for a hearty breakfast to start the day! We will be serving scrambled eggs, pancakes, Register’s sausage, grits and of course, piping hot coffee and Milk and Orange Juice! 8am
  
• Making Awesome: Open House/Work Day. For non-members this is a great time to see the space, meet members, talk shop, and learn what MA is about. For members, this is day to work on anything with others around. Share what you'll be working on below so you can connect with like minds. 10am-3pm
  
• Kleman Plaza: Tallahassee History Festival. FREE community event with fun for the whole family, featuring programs and activities by historians from around the state as well as some of our local favorites. 10am-2pm
  
• Lake Jackson Community Center: Game Tally Gaming Day! We've had four successful gatherings, so we're doing it again! Each of our previous gatherings at this location have had 30 - 40 attendees. A whole day of gaming in the capital city! A great opportunity for heavy games, light games, and everything in between. Regulars and new players welcome. Join us! Start posting and organizing games in the Discussion. There are nearby restaurants and please feel free to bring snacks to share. There's a kitchen area with an ice maker, fridge, etc. 10am-8pm
  
• Tallahassee Auto Museum: Capital Craft Fest 2023. Amazing Local Vendors offering their Handmade Arts & Crafts, Jewelry, Boutiques, Handmade Soaps & Candles, Direct Sales, Artist & MORE! Grab a bite to eat from the variety of Food Trucks on site, Easter egg hunt for the kids, Visit with the Easter Bunny & enjoy music by DJ Felix Flo while shopping OVER 75 plus vendors! 10am-4pm
  
• Natural Life Midtown: Springtime Duval Plaza Art Walk. Please join Natural Life Midtown for our monthly Art Walk at the Duval Plaza! A FREE and fun-filled evening with games, prizes, free samples, and tons of amazing artistries from local artists and crafters. 11am-3pm
  
• Tallahassee Junior Museum: Tallahassee Jazz and Blues Festival Day One featuring TCC Jazz Band, Thursday Night Music Club, Tallahassee Swing, Yellow Dog Jazz Band, Thomas University Jazz Ensemble, and Warren Sutton. 11am
  
• The Puff: Marauders Market. Come join us at our newest smallest venue! Vintage resellers, local artisans, & good tunes! Noon
  
• Panacea: 2023 Panacea Beer & Oyster Festival. The Panacea Beer and Oyster Festival is an annual event that showcases local and national craft beers and our areas local farm raised oysters! Noon
  
• Fish Camp: Steven Ritter live at 1pm - 4pm followed by Brett Wellman and the Stone Cold Blues Band live at 5pm until late. 1pm
  
• Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee: Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D. In partnership with Tallahassee History Festival and sponsored by Lofty Pursuits, we are excited to announce a free screening of 'The Creature from the Black Lagoon' in it's original, red-blue 3D format. 2pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Piano Jazz w/ Andrew Salow, Jazzmatazz: Longinue Parsons w/ Michael Bakan & Brian Hall. 5pm
  
• Proof: Suckerdust. 5pm
  
• Cascades: Movies in the Moonlight - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 6pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: Pink Peugeot, Porch Coffin, Beloved Devotion, and Atomic Pipe Bomb. 7pm
  
• The Moon: The Rockitz. 7pm
  
• 926: Trash Panda with No Parts & Professional Businessman. 8pm
  
• 310 Murat Street: Tallwoodstock with Strictly Liquid. A night of Garms and Grooves. 8pm/$7
  
• Fire Bettys: Burlesque Show. 8pm
  
• The Plant: 50 Styles Of Women (All Female Showcase). R&B, Rap, Comedy, Spoken Word, Soul. 8pm/$10
  
• The Bark: Endbringer, This Dying Breed, Scold, and Beneath The Barrens. 9pm
  
• 1642 Sharkey Street: Casj, Franzini, Cilla, Akaishi. 10pm/$7
  
• 1905 Bellevue Way: Fae Fantasy. Techno Showcase with D3SIRE, 1-800-Lolita, and Daledi. 10pm/$7
  

SUNDAY, 3/26

• Bicycle House: Sunday Ride. Ride at 10:30 AM from Bicycle House. We will ride the Cascades trail to the St Marks trail and down to Wakulla station and return, about 31 miles. Ride speed is 12 to 14 mph, with periodic regroups. Vernon Bailey is the ride leader. Vernon is a new CCC member who’s been biking for 50 years enjoys riding with small groups and weekend touring. 10am
  
• Gamescape: Pokémon League. Come learn, play, and trade with the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon video games! We LOVE seeing new players, so come learn how to play! We play both the Trading Card Game and the Video Game casually and competitively. The store offers lots of different seating arrangements to meet our group's needs, as well as food, drinks, and Pokémon products for purchase. We are also hold regular, officially sanctioned tournaments for Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Competitions! 2-4pm
  
• House of Music: Songwriter Sunday. Songwriters of Tallahassee hosted by Rachel Hillman. Bring your original songs on Sunday - sign up is at 4:30. No Cover Songs please - this is an event celebrating original music. Accompanists and Bands Welcome - you must be able to set up within two minutes, so no crazy pedals or amp shenanigans. No Backing Tracks - Please find someone to play your song with you. 5pm
  
• The Plant: Open Jam. All instruments, all players welcome. 5pm-9pm
  
• The Rose Room: Synful Sunday. 8pm
  

• Tallahassee Junior Museum: Tallahassee Jazz and Blues Festival Day Two featuring Tillman and Taff, Brett Wellman & Dave Messler, Quanta, Billy Rigsby, King Cotton Band, and Coastal Highway. 11am
  
• RR Sq Craft House: Drag Brunch. 11am/$10
  
• Common Ground Books: March Drag Story Hour Featuring Aurora Starr! This is a free family friendly event for all ages. There will be a free craft for kiddos and coffee and conversation for grown-ups. The Books: Red: A Crayon Story by Michael Hall and Donut, The Unicorn Who Wants to Fly by Laura Gehl (illustrated by Andrea Zuill). 2pm
  
• Fish Camp: Far 2 Fresh. 3pm
  
• Riverside Café in St Marks: Cottonmouth Perry. 4pm
  
• The Bark: PM Tiger, Saturn Lights, and Sleep John B. 6:30pm
  
• The Moon: Get The Led Out: A Celebration Of “The Mighty Zep” (Led Zeppelin tribute band). 7pm
  

MONDAY, 3/27

• Just One More: Bingo. 5pm-6:30pm
  
• American Legion Hall: Cha Cha - Weekly Lessons. 6:15pm/$5
  
• Hangar 38: Bingo. 6:45pm
  
• Vino Beano: Tipsy Trivia. 7pm
  
• The Rose Room: Karaoke Night. 8pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: The Bachelor Watch Party! 8pm
  

TUESDAY, 3/28

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour with Paddy League. 5pm
  
• World of Beer: Poker Night. 6pm
  
• The Rose Room: Drag Bingo and Open Stage Night ft. Britney T. Foxx! 6pm
  
• Crafty Crab: BOOMIN' Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Trivia. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Tuesday Trivia & Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Burrito Boarder: Karaoke with DJ Roldus. 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Tuesday is Blues Day. Every Tuesday is Blues Day @ the Blue Tavern and Blues Meets Girl is a Tallahassee favorite. This perfect, intimate venue provides just what you need for both a mid-week break and authentic blues music experience. 8pm
  
• 4th Quarter: Professor Jim's Tuesday Night Trivia. Popular for a reason! 8pm
  
• Argonaut Coffee: Trivia Tuesday. 8pm
  
• 926: Tacos and Trivia. 9pm
  
• Fire Betty’s: Comedy Show. 9pm/21+
  

• Common Ground: House of Our Queer - A Talk with Author Bex Mui. 6:30pm

WEDNESDAY, 3/29

• Rose Room: Women's Wednesday. Featuring Our Rose Roulettes and drink specials all night long. A night for all of our female-identifying friends to enjoy a safe space and an awesome happy hour! 5pm-2am
  
• Birds: The Wednesday Night Lab Session hosted by Jim Crozier. 6pm
  
• Tara Angel’s Magic: D&D Experience - Adult (18+) Group. Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition - Candlekeep Mysteries. A one-shot is a D&D event that starts and finishes in the same session, typically lasting 3 - 4 hours. We have pre-generated characters for players to choose from. WHAT TO BRING: Pencils, Dice (can be purchased in store), Mask (encouraged for unvaccinated participants), Enthusiasm! Please sign up in advance to reserve a spot in this campaign. Tickets can be purchased in-store, over the phone, or on the website. For more information, please email [email protected], or call: (850) 878-4555 6pm-9pm
  
• Goodwood: Wonderful Wednesday. 6pm/$5
  
• Level 8 Rooftop Lounge: Trivia. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Open Game Night. 6pm/free
  
• American Legion Hall: Sue Boyd Country Western and More Dance Class. Session 2 - Beginner 6:30 to 7:45 pm What: East Coast Swing and Waltz. Cost: $8.00 per person. Wear comfortable shoes you can turn in. 7:45 to 8:15 - Practice dance with paid admission. 8:15 to 9:30: Intermediate - 2 Step and WCS. $8.00 per person or $13.00 for both classes. Vaccines are required. Face masks are optional. Changing partners is optional. 6:30pm
  
• Perry Lynn’s Smokehouse in Quincy: Wed Night Open Mic w/ Steven Ritter and Friends. 6:30pm
  
• Hangar 38: Trivia. 6:45pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing Tallahassee: Trivia. Teams up to 6 players for three rounds with 10 questions and a tie breaker each round. Winners are by round so don’t worry if you need to come late or can’t stay the whole time! Prizes include a round of beer, a 6 pack and a gift card! 7pm
  
• Proof: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Vino Beano: Wine Bingo. 7pm
  
• Fermentation Lounge: Trivia. 7pm
  
• The Bark: Oceans in the Sky, Dizzy Bats, and Medians. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Open Mic at House of Music. Join us Wednesday nights for open mic in the bar with host Mike Ingram of The Brown Goose. Come early for Happy Hour and dinner! 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Warehouse Wednesdays Open Mic Night. The open mic night that has run continuously for almost 20 years, once housed at the Warehouse, lives on at the Blue Tavern. Doc Russell continues as the host with the most. Sign up starts at 8pm/free to attend
  
• Fire Betty’s: Karaoke! 8pm/21+/free
  
• Dukes and Dotties: College Night and Line Dancing Lessons. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 9pm
  
• 926: Dragged Out Wednesday. 10pm
  

• Ruby Diamond: Jay Leno. 7pm

Hello, so this is a bit weird and long story. A throw away account.
I am from Austria myself originally, and on this new year, I flew back here with my girlfriend, Korean girl. It was first time she visited Europe, saw my parents, family and everyone. And my uncle also happened to be with us this time, he is my father's twin brother. Very extroverted, easy to talk, and quite a crazy lad when gets drunk. And everything was going well and cool, we were eating, my grandma was talking to my gf, mother was cooking desserts, nephews were playing around, aunt was helping my mother, my father went for smoke.
So I was alone talking to uncle, who got a bit drunk by this point already, and he asks me this: - So, is everything serious between you two, or are you just trying different flavors? - No uncle, everything is serious, can you please lower your voice? He laughs and says:
- It's good that your Opa is not alive, he would not approve of this you know? He did not approve of your dad's adventure.
(my grandfather was a ww2 ss vet, though he was sorry for his past beliefs, some habits die harder I guess; though from what I remember him, he could have been ok with my gf, she's very charming after all))
- Well...maybe yes, maybe no. What do you mean, what he did not approve of dad?
My uncle smiles and tells me to not tell my mother, that this is nothing serious. - You know that we traveled to across the world during the 90s, right? Visited Asia too.
- Yeah.
- So, the thing you don't know, is that your father forgot there not only his family ring, but a kid or two.
I am thinking he is talking some bullshit cause he is drunk and laugh a bit. He looks for his wife and my mom, gets serious and continues.
- During our visit in Hong Kong, there were these two Chinese ladies, and I am not sure how this goes now, but those times, Europeans were a rare thing in Asia, and wherever we went, we were treated like exotic animals, in a good sense though.
At this moment I am very glad my gf's German is quite bad and she won't understand anything he is saying, and my grandma hears almost nothing unless you scream.
- So, once. We were in a bar, and there were these two Chinese girls, very pretty, but quite dumb now that I think about it. We had some fun time while drinking, they had good English, after some time - they were straight and open, they wanted a child from your father - to have children with blonde hair and bright eyes or something. Obviously, a young, dumb, and not very responsible jock as your father agreed. Unfortunately I had dark hair.
He laughs like crazy, then thinks about that and goes silent, my mother brings food and then goes away. He continues more silently, I am seeing where this is going and just listen.
- You know your father was very attractive back in the day, even more than you. Very tall, long blonde hair, green eyes, and athletic. Basically a wet dream of Hitler. And of those Chinese girls. So, he did impregnate them and after that never met them anymore. The only thing we know is surname of one of them and picture with both from that night, I still have it somewhere around.
- Uncle .... I am not sure if this is some bullshit story or if you are telling the truth. No way my father would do something like this.
He laughs and drinks.
- Well, just don't tell anybody.
I am sitting there completely shocked, don't know what to do or say, and thinking about talking to my dad but don't know what to say or begin with.
Then few minutes later my mother runs in the room and asks my uncle harshly: What you were talking about here?
He acts overly surprised: What? About the winter and how warm it is this year.
Her:
- Don't lie to me, your wife asked me to talk to you.
Basically my uncles 13 year old niece went and told my mother and aunt whatever she heard from us, my mother did not understand of course anything she said and asked my aunt about it, she could not come up with a lie and asked to talk to her husband. Then my mother asked me, then him, again and again until my father came in. All in all, my father told her the truth but did not consider it anything serious or worth paying attention to.
My mother cried a bit, my girlfriend tried to calm her with my aunt and she later called me in another room and before I started apologizing she asked me:
- So, what are you going to do?
- What?
- Are you going to find about your siblings?
- What? But...
- Don't be like your father, please. I am not crying because he slept with someone else, we didn't even know each other then. I am sad how lightly they treat this thing. There are children somewhere that don't know about their father or family from other part of the world, you should definitely look for them and try to find them when you visit Korea next in April. Hong-Kong is not far from there.
My mother is a sweetheart, I know)
So, I did not really try to say anything to her cause I did not want her to be more sad. Whenever my mother calls me, she asks me about my plan, and over the course of these few months I've been ensuring her that I will look into this and try, but the chances are low and all. My father thinks it's a waste of time, but has nothing against it if that's what we want.
Now, the advice I want on this topic is: Should I really try to establish contact with these people? Maybe they don't want to know anything about their biological father, maybe they hate him? Maybe they are not interested? Or maybe they would be? Should I seek them out and just try to be friends at least with my biological siblings? (over the course of these months, I am pretty sure I know who they are and where they live, but I am not really eager to contact them and interfere with their life).
What do you think, reddit? Should I follow my mother's advice or should I just continue living without touching the ghosts of the past?

Back again because I really need to vent. This post may seem like it’s just picking at my mother-in-law however, I just really need to vent or else I may lose it. Whenever I try to talk about this with someone, it always feels like they never fully understand the situation and just tell me that I have to accept her because she’s my mother-in-law and if I love my husband, I need to make things work. But I just don’t accept this for myself.
So for the past almost a year now, since me and my husband have gotten married, his mother has started to send us daily Bible quotes (I’ve already told her I’m not religious, but she still keeps sending these text messages daily) , sends me 5 to 7 videos on Instagram a day, likes all my Instagram stories (except for the ones where I’m doing some thing for myself like school, or some other type of achievement), has been trying to schedule plans with us weekly that we keep declining respectfully, and continues a weird competition with me (last night I posted a homemade dinner and this morning she’s sending me and my husband recipes of meals wants to cook us when we visit her just an example). So I know none of this sounds extremely bad I get that, but me and my husband have been together for 10 years and this lady has never showed any interest in getting to know me, except for when she tries to hang out with her son. Not once has she ever said hey let’s go to lunch just me and you or made any individual attempt to get to know me or my family. Now that we are married I wake up every day to AT LEAST 7 to 8 notifications from her on my phone. It drives me absolutely crazy.
I’ve told my husband to tell her about the religious text before but he hasn’t and every time I remind him about it, he seems to be able to change the subject somehow. I also feel like I don’t want to keep complaining to my husband about his mom because I know that’s his mom but it’s really hard when she tries to overly enmesh herself in our life/relationship. Me and my husband work a lot and I am in full-time school so we rarely have any days off and when we do I feel bad about posting or showing that me and my husband are doing anything because she takes that as we never want to make time for her. her entire family knows that she’s overbearing and dramatic, but they all put up with her because they say that’s just the way she is. I’ve had talks with my sister-in-law and she seems to always have my mother-in-law‘s back about this. Also saying she is adopted and probably needs us extra to show her that we love her. To me I just don’t have the time or energy and being around her really disrupts my peace I say this because whenever we’re around her, she needs all the attention at all times, treats my husband like he’s still a baby, and on top of that, she has completely archaic backwards views on things (cough cough MAGA).
Anyway, this is more of a venting post because if I don’t tell people who understand my situation, then I will literally go crazy. So thank you all for reading 😅😅

I had a few 20+ and 7+ day streaks before this streak, I don't count days so I assume it's more than 30 days since I started in February. I have been going string since February, a few wet dreams along the way, but they really haven't done any damage whatsoever.
Broken Hand
My hand my broken during this streak, I had surgery and it was bandaged for close to a month I have to say even the doctor was very surprised by my fast recovery. He told me that it would take 3 months to get back to normal capabilities after he took off the bandages. It took me 5 days .From the 17th to today precisely.I can do push-ups, chin ups, lift weights just fine, I can't go too heavy on the weights category, at least I haven't tried but only issue is a bit of mobility.
The recovery process was so goddamn fast even I am amazed, one day I can't even bounce a basketball, do simple yoga poses. A few days later I can do all that without any pain whatsoever.
Excercise
I had been stagnant for a month, a body few 15-30min body weight exercises some days and that was it. Nothing to brag home about.
I got to the gym this week, and I am dunking like crazy. Where the fuck did that bounce come from? I'm not even black.
Then I did something crazy today, played basketball for 4 hours. I am talking full games, high intensity, good players, some proffesional. I only had breakfast at 9:30. And this was from 3pm till 7pm, non-stop, only for a few water breaks and that was it.
I felt like passing out after, but that was due to my electrolytes being hella low. I ate some food after, and I felt like I can do it again(definitely not for 4 hours though)
I could never do something like this before, even if I was conditioned while I was PMOing. I would need to eat lunch and would be very exhausted afterwards.
Attraction
I've gotten very attractive during this streak. If I pulled a pic of me before and after, someone could easily say these are completely different people. I get compliments here and there. Most girls around my age seem to be very nervous around me at first, then seem to very receptive to things I say, body language, etc. I get looks everywhere I go, short glances, some soul gazing stares, inviting looks, and sometimes they come to my proximity.
A girl aquantince of mine that I saw before and whilst I was in this journey. Literally treated me as if I was a different person. Before very cold During the retention period, she just couldn't get enough of me. I'm trying to leave, it's getting late, she would tell me to stay, offer me tea, snacks, and keep filling my cup, so I didn't have to go.
I had this instance where I was working out, this lady came right near me and was for a moment copying my stretches note for note.
Shit Tests
I got shit tested by a lot of guys, usually old aquantinces. Some didn't even want to acknowledge my existence. We'd play pick up, and they'd create drama over nothing. Type of shit that would get on your nerves.
Others though, they would be way more friendly to you, try to help you out in some ways. I got free entry to my old gym. And he was like, you can come back any time you like. It's the type of gym where you have to sign up annually, there is no day passes.
Now this is a different country, I was staying at during my recovery. Friends can really go over and beyond for you. If you are liked.
Transmutation
After I hit a certain point, I had to transmute or else, I would just feel outright terrible. Energies that were stuck needed to be converted.
I'd get crazy craving to ejaculate or have sex. I'm talking they were so bad, it felt like withdrawl symptoms for a drug. You couldn't just hold it, it would fuck you up mentally. You had to transmute, or at some point you would succom to these lower emotions.
The thing is when your in this mode, all the benefits seem to disappear, chicks won't dig you anymore, and your a mess energetically.
Meditation, the type that you sync in with your body, and breathing helped tremendously.
Journeling as well, reading eye opening stuff, and mind set changes.
Once the blockages go, It feels great, even too great.
I had this instance today when I was at a coffee shop, drank a cup of coffee with friends. Now I don't usually drink coffee. But this time It felt so intense, it felt like a cocaine rush. For a moment I felt like I was going to die from the stimulation.
Edit: I have not made up anything, this is completely accurate. For all the deniers, deny it however you wish. Semen retention is goddamn real, I have nothing to prove to you. I've am just writing what I have experienced so far. I've been trying to get this thing right for over 3 years and this is the further I have ever gone.

They started last year on Instagram she has a fan page I clicked it and she started follow me we hit it off or cause that's who I'm fun she asked me what I do for a living I said I'm trying to get my job back at the janitor he said to me until I get it back this lady is very smart she taught me to Bible we FaceTime four times can we call each other three times I should never erase the conversation a I got this lady on video very nice at first and think I it got to a point she said she has a charity Foundation do you help me within us I don't got no money sorry and then she said $5 $10 fine I'll give it $10 a $5 and I went up to 20 30 50 100 150 another 150 $60 enough is enough I told her she said to me I'm crying because you don't want to be my friend no more she calls me call husband husband she said she wants to name the kids Erica and the boy Eric 2 soft hold on I love to take you out to the movies and drink coffee and walk around Manhattan okay was writing and she text me saying she cannot go she has to go to Ohio something about election day she never did that's okay when we do it at that time about Christmas she said fine she coming to my house and Christmas she's going to stay with me so she said to me I'm leaving to Washington d.c. I said how about a date she said can athletes Washington DC they're going to transfer me and she was right about that and I seen her want you to be seen doing her thing so I asked the web to your mom she said her mother died in the car crash her father it was bad so huh and I looked in the Google I see your mother's day and new pictures with you and your mom why you have to lie to me she said I didn't mean it like that I said my aunt died this is not good anyway that's okay forget about it so she called me last time when she send me I have a life insurance problem I still cannot help you with that I'll give it too much already Amazon gift cards too much apple $100 she said has $700,000 if you help me take this out the briefcase will go straight to your apartment so buddy will bring it over there he will keep $50,000 she's already talked to my lawyer mr. Beth and Greg I'll tell you my husband that's a really nice house okay I got up at 6 in the morning to brushing you and then I'll pay them can the lady from Western Union saying this looks like a scam you should never done this I said I know the lady of course I know the lady is FaceTime just lady we talked in the phone the man that lady was writing but she knew name I'll pay $485 I went home I'll show the picture of the receipt and everything my ID picture she said you going to get your money sweetie I promise you two days later she text me back how do you pick up how you pick it up so she call me FaceTime me she said to me play we got scammed I said by who she said about this man I'll talk with my lawyer mr. Branson Gray she say this lawyers a black guy he was scanning us how she really she said don't worry about it you with your money don't worry about it you want some money now say yes give me $485 right now she's have to go to work I'll call you back later and she called me back like nothing happened like nothing happened she said to me to give me a gift, and I'll set you crazy I don't got no money $485 + with my $50,000 he promised me that's how I'm going to the carnival Samba call to talk don't talk to me no more so and then she text me she said don't do that please my lawyer is here if the Bronx and Greg are you show me pictures of him I was talking to him texting back and forth which I got your money here on I want to know stuff about you awesome 43 years old open New York City I'm married to this lady I want to do the best thing for her he said good okay that was kind of funny the one you have been catching this lady she wake me up at 6 in the morning 6 in the morning 5 in the morning she's a reporter Hershey Kiss out but that man Mr Baston gray we was just texting that sounds just like her that text me that man doesn't sound very professional it sounded like huh trying to be a lawyer by profession I told her stop doing this I know this is you you going to hurt your family going to hurt your friends you going to get yourself fired from a call the cops in that yard on you he said to me I'm sorry so why are you doing this you shall forget about it forget it I'm sorry I said one more 50,000 she show me pictures of the money and a briefcase lots of pictures of fake waste my money she's not dropping my dick come down she told me videos some guy open a briefcase that was fate I reported to Fox fine she said she text me back she said to me you reported to Foxfire yes a yes I did and just the beginning and then she said don't do that please imma get your money today's date she still texting me she thinks it's a joke Yoshi has different emails seen using different faces of the people and she said it's a lot of hackers out there hacking us not me you the ones doing this to me I'm entitled to that money I want my money my paycheck was $3.67 okay from Chase I don't have no job I was my life savings I told him before Thanksgiving I can have no turkey this lady down the hallway she did my mom turkey I was so embarrassed me but thank you God thank you for that lady this lady doesn't care this lady he's going to pay for this he's going to jail for this she's always calling me sugar plum sugar plum somebody called me last week saying stop calling me stop calling me I said to the lady I'm not calling you she said hell yes you are you loser that got to be one of my friends but I'm going to get them back I got a big surprise ball New York on talk talking to the Washington cops hopefully FBI will be part of this because this is happening worldwide this smell funny if you think about it what's going on these days it's a lot of sick people out there that's my story you don't got a camera so I could show you pictures

Alice and I loved to explore abandoned buildings, especially if there was a hint of anything paranormal. Two months ago, we went to a dilapidated house two towns over. It is isolated from the rest of town, surrounded by woods and is boarded up. It has a sketchy history with strange deaths, dating back to when it was built in the 1800s. The last owners fled after their son died at the house in the 60s. No-one's returned since and so it fell into disrepair.
​
We arrived there just after dusk. There are signs along the dirt road leading up to the house, “no trespassing” and “turn back”. It didn't deter us but I wish it did. We parked the car amongst the trees and made our way across the grounds. The only sound was of branches snapping under our footsteps. You couldn't hear the trees or any animals in the surrounding woods. The heavy silence had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, it felt unnatural.
​
We done a quick lap around the outside of the house, looking for the easiest point of entry. There was a back door that had some wood nailed across it, it snapped and came off with not much effort. We entered in to the kitchen, my face involuntarily screwed up from the musty, stagnant smell which made Alice laugh.
​
We explored the house using our flashlights. It was still fully furnished and there were clothes hanging in the wardrobes. Every surface was covered in thick dust and there was mould on the walls and fabric. What we first found strange, was that it didn't seem as if anything had been touched since someone had lived there. Usually, when we explored abandoned buildings, there'd be evidence of others having been there before us. You'd expect to see graffiti or the place to have been trashed by kids or something. This house looked like it had been completely untouched since the owners left.
​
We were looking around the main bedroom when Alice asked me, “In all the places we've been, have you ever had such a strong feeling that we shouldn't be here?”
I laughed, “to be fair, we shouldn't be in any of these places.”
Alice shook her head with a slight smile, “maybe it's because it looks like we're the first ones to break in to this one.”
She was clearly uneasy, I should have suggested leaving at that point. I would give anything to go back and say “let's go”.
Instead I said, “this is the creepiest place we've been to, maybe we'll actually make contact this time.”
I pointed at the dusty, full length mirror in the corner of the room and asked “shall we try scrying?”
​
For those of you who don't know, scrying is a method that can be used to make contact with spirits. There are a few different ways of doing it, but Alice and I favored using a mirror. Basically you clear your mind of all thoughts, sort of putting yourself into a trance like state, whilst looking into the mirror. If it works, it allows you to see things in the mirror. We had tried scrying in every building we explored, although it had never worked for us before. We had been obsessed with the paranormal since we were kids though, so we never gave up on trying it.
​
This was the first time Alice had been reluctant to do it. She said she felt like it was a bad idea, that she had a feeling we might be messing with something we shouldn't. I ignored her hesitation. I ignored her obvious fear. Hell, I ignored my own gut telling me to leave it well alone. I pushed and convinced her to do it. I'll never forgive myself for that.
​
I wiped the dust off of the mirror as best I could and sat in front of it. Alice moved to the edge of the room out of the mirrors view, her eyes locked on me. I stared into the mirror and began clearing my thoughts. For a few minutes there was nothing, but I could feel the air in the room had changed. So I was patient and sat perfectly still. Eventually I saw some slight movement on the left edge of the mirror, a dark shadow. I watched intently as whatever it was would slightly come into view, disappear and come back. Then a second shadow showed on the opposite side. Then another at the top. Then another in the top left corner.
​
I spoke slowly to Alice, describing what I could see. I don't know what her reaction was to any of this, she knew she had to stay quiet as to not distract me and break the connection. I continued looking into the mirror, watching as more and more shadows came into view. After a few minutes, there was at least ten of them. The shadows became more defined, I could start to make out their faces. They looked sad and they were reaching out to me. I could see their mouths moving, but I couldn't hear them.
​
I don't know what came over me, but I had this overwhelming feeling of sadness and pity. I leaned closer to the mirror. I think I heard Alice take a step at this point. Maybe she was going to stop me, I wish she did. I put my hand on the mirror and asked them, “what happened to you?” As soon as I asked, multiple voices started screaming, “help us!”, “he won't let us leave!”, “he'll take you too!”. The voices were unbearable, there was so many screaming at me at the same time. I covered my ears, closed my eyes and shouted “STOP!”
​
The silence returned and Alice asked me what was wrong. I asked her if she heard them. Her face was as white as a sheet as she said no. I looked back to the mirror and the people were gone, I assumed the connection was broken and I was relieved. The feeling of sadness was gone, but I still felt pity for them. I knew something terrible had happened to them, that something terrible was still happening to them. I could feel it so strongly.
​
I stood up and started to explain to Alice what I had seen and heard. I looked back to the mirror briefly and in the reflection of the open door, I could see a dark, tall figure standing at the other end of the hallway. I kept my eyes locked on it and beckoned Alice over to look. She stood behind me and said she could kind of make something out, but it was dark. We both turned and shone our flashlights out into the hallway, but there was nothing there. We turned back to the mirror and it was right behind me, it leant into my ear and whispered “run.”
​
We sprinted out of the room and we could hear it running behind us, laughing maniacally. We ran to the kitchen, towards the only door we had taken the boards outside off. The figure was now stood in front of our only exit, blocking the way. I grabbed Alice's arm and dragged her back out of the kitchen. We ran into a bathroom and I locked the door behind us immediately. I stood back and listened intently, the silence of the house had once again returned. Alice was hyperventilating and I tried to calm her down. I told her it was just trying to scare us but, I didn't believe that.
​
We didn't know what to do, we couldn't hear any movement outside of the door but that could have been a trick to lure us out. We felt like we were trapped. We knew we couldn't stay in there forever, but we did not want to leave that room if that thing was still out there. We sat quietly, trying to think of a way to escape the house.
​
I thought about the spirits I first saw in the mirror, the sadness and pity that overwhelmed me when I connected with them. Then I thought about when I first saw the dark figure in the hallway, I was consumed with fear and knew we were in danger. I couldn't shake the feeling that the “he” the spirits referred to, was that figure. They were obviously connected somehow, so what if the spirits could help us? So I suggested trying scrying again.
​
Alice was adamantly against it. She felt the scrying was what set it all off, told me that we shouldn't have done it in the first place. I asked her what our other options were? There was something out there and we couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. She wouldn't budge. Then we heard laughing from the other side of the door. We stood as far away from the door as we could, watching it closely. We were both holding our breath, hoping it would just go away.
​
Every few minutes its activity would escalate. It started with the laughing. Then it began scratching at the door. Once it started throwing things at the door, Alice turned to me and said “fine, do it.” I frantically wiped the mirror down and tried my best to clear my thoughts. It was impossible with all the noise that thing was making and the fear saturating my brain. Alice could see me struggling and reached her hand out to mine. I gripped it tightly, took a deep breath and stared into the mirror intently. The spirits began to show along the edges of the mirror. The feeling of sadness returned. The fear also remained.
​
I asked them for help, they all started screaming over each other again. I pleaded for just one to talk at a time as I couldn't hear them. A teenage boy seemed to edge closer, he raised his hand to the others signalling them to be quiet. I asked him if he knew what was trying to attack us, he solemnly nodded his head and explained it was the same spirit that had trapped them all here. I asked him what he meant. He told me that this house has a dark spirit attached to it, he causes harm to people within it. I asked him why. An older lady spoke this time, she told me that the spirit wants people to die in this house, so he can trap their spirits here with him for eternity, where he can continue to torment them. The spirit outside of the door laughed wildly, the sound was almost deafening. Alice screamed at me to hurry up.
​
I asked the spirits in the mirror how to stop him. The lady told me the only way is to escape the house and never come back. She told me he likes to play with his victims first, but the longer you're here the more dangerous he will become. The lock on the bathroom door started to slide open slowly. I looked back to the mirror and the spirits were gone. Alice ran to the lock and was trying to keep it closed. I told her that we need to run out of this house right now. She screamed at me asking if I was crazy wanting to go out there. I told her we had no option but to get out of this house as fast as we could, I told her to trust me. She nodded and a tear slid down her face. I put my hand over hers and counted down from 3, we slid the lock open and burst through the bathroom door.
​
We ran as fast as we could towards the back door, furniture was being thrown around us as we ran. Alice was faster than me. I shouted at her that if anything was blocking that door, we had to run through it. We got to the kitchen and the figure was stood in front of the door again. Alice ran straight for it and braced to tackle it. I noticed it had something in its hand. I screamed “NO!” But it was too late. Alice barrelled into it and the figure disappeared. Alice fell to a heap on the floor. I ran to her and turned her over, the snapped wood we broke off the door sticking out of her stomach. I told her it'll be fine, that I'll get her out of there. She shook her head and pulled me closer, she lifted her head and whispered into my ear “run”. Then she was gone.
​
For the first time since I got there, I listened to her. I ran to the car and left. Once I got to the town, I called the police. They didn't believe me. They believe she had an accident when we broke in, that we were just stupid idiots messing around and it went wrong. There was a funeral but I couldn't bring myself to go. Her body might have been there but I know where she really is, stuck in that house. How do I ever forgive myself? I don't think I ever will. I need to find a way to free those spirits. To free Alice. I have to go back.

In the heart of New London, amid the biting cold, the gurgling steam pipes and the towering tenements, a weary engineer named Dr. Arthur Harwood laboured tirelessly in the First Workshop. A once-renowned scientist and inventor from Cambridge University, Dr. Harwood had been one of the brightest minds of his generation, a pioneer in the field of robotic automation. But now, relegated to the role of a mere craftsman, he toiled away in a dimly lit assembly room with a handful of other lost souls, crafting prosthetic limbs for those who had fallen victim to the merciless frostbite that plagued the city.
The First Workshop was a veritable menagerie of mechanical marvels, from the high-powered steam cores in various levels of repair, to intricate fabricators that could churn out the essential glow worm electrical lights that each citizen was instructed to wear when they left their homes, to replacement parts for the Silver Scot, the city's last remaining automaton.
As Dr. Harwood worked, his fellow engineers laboured alongside him, their once-brilliant minds reduced to mere cogs in the great machine that was the Glorious City of New London. There was the intrepid Dr. Leonard Macdonald, once a famous theorist of electromagnetism hailing from Oxford, and the ambitious American fluidic systems engineer Dr. Elizabeth Conley. Among them was also Dr. Percevel Leclair, a French astrophysicist with a long history of dabbling in robotics, and Professor Heinrich Schmidt, a German scientist who had once been hailed as the father of modern steam power. Together, they formed a motley core of a crew of New London’s finest intellects, bound together by their shared indignation at the demeaning work that had been thrust upon them.
After periodic demonstrations in the Central District organized by the working class of New London, the engineers of the First Workshop were surprised to watch the Brotherhood of the New Order sanction a series of meetings with Major Wilkins to revise the colony’s labour policy. There were celebrations in the street when the Mad Captain announced that the fourteen-hour workshifts that had persisted since the city’s founding would be reduced to a more tolerable ten hours a day. The engineers, traumatized by the draconian rule of the New Order, took heart that perhaps the months of emergency conditions were coming to an end.
It seemed the Wilkins administration could hew to reason, if only enough citizens could come together to demand it. Conversations ran long in the First Workshop and at the pub after hours about how even with the reduction of work hours, the people of New London were working themselves to death without a single day of rest. Conversations with the medics at the infirmary only confirmed their worries, as they counted the number of work accidents and deaths of despair and realized they were ticking up. Besides this, the engineers loudly criticized City Hall for misappropriating their unique talents in their mission to survive.
But the proposals of further reform by Dr. Harwood and the other engineers were swiftly crushed when the Wilkins administration announced at a morning roll call that talk of further protests had been noted by the secret informers of the New Order. He told everyone gathered there that there would be no further reduction in work hours; the city did not have the population yet to sustain it. Furthermore, they would all do well to not balk at any of the sawdust food additives in their soup that week. Angered, but also deeply concerned for the colony, Dr. Harwood, Dr. Macdonald, and Dr. Conley took their grievances to the Propaganda Centre that day after their maintenance work of the formidable Silver Scot was completed.
Dr. Macdonald, a tall and lanky man with wiry glasses and a perpetual frown etched upon his face, had drafted the formal inquiry, detailing their grievances and their hope for a more equitable work environment. He led the delegation down Coal Street one afternoon, the long windy Arctic night hiding any sign of the passage of time, and marched bravely into the looming Propaganda Centre, its awesome exterior and red banners striking fear into their chilled bones. It had been some time since either of them had entered the building, as to do so without permission by the Guards was an easy way to end up on a watch list. Dr. Harwood gulped heavily, then pulled back the imposing double-reinforced steel door to let his peers take the first steps inside.
Upon entering the lobby of New London’s Propaganda Centre, the engineers were met with silent stares from the guards posted besides the front desk, who gripped their bayoneted rifles with the seriousness of the King’s Guard. The three dusted off the snow on their boots and Dr. Macdonald tried not to gawk at the dazzling sight of the administration’s clerks, Ms. Abigail Green and Ms. Megane Black, beautiful and poised in old world work dresses, their nails painted red and their hair in good fashion, seeming to flaunt their comfortable working conditions.
Dr. Macdonald, his voice wavering slightly, stepped forward slowly, saying, “We, your humble fellow citizens from the First Workshop, have taken it upon ourselves to provide a statistical analysis and series of practical recommendations to help inform the policy choices of the city administration.” He brought the sheaf of papers that was the First Workshop’s inquiry to the secretaries’ desk, his eyes pleading for understanding.
The two clerks, however, seemed to regard the engineers' request with scorn, their faces twisted into mocking sneers as they scanned the first page. They exchanged derisive glances, then Ms. Green dropped the sheaf unceremoniously onto a stack of papers beside her. She turned to their leader, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Good sir, do you truly believe that your pitiful pleas will be heard by our esteemed Major Wilkins?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "You should be grateful for the work you have been tasked to complete by the New Order. Many are not so fortunate to work all day indoors under a steam vent."
The engineers’ faces flushed with anger and humiliation. Ms. Green reached for a dreaded clunky switch behind her, which would instantly trigger the facility’s radiogram, summoning more guards of the City Watch. The men on either side of the front desk watched with bated breath. The threat was clear: any further dissent would be met with swift retribution. Dr. Harwood’s courage failed and he turned hastily for the door. His two coworkers muttered apologies and they departed.
The following day, as they returned to their workshop, they found their workspace patrolled by stern-faced guards from the City Watch. The engineers surpassed their daily production quota of prostheses and made significant headway on finishing their blueprints for enhancements to the Generator’s overdrive couplings. Yet, their disgruntled conversations only continued late at night in the alleyways behind the pub. Dr. Leclair and Dr. Schmidt were oblivious to the three’s lackluster behavior at the Propaganda Centre. Meanwhile, Dr. Macdonald and Dr. Conley blamed Dr. Harwood in private for not standing strong in their convictions.
One evening, as Dr. Harwood and his colleagues made their way home through the frosted streets of New London, they discovered a pamphlet in the snow, only one side disfigured by a wet boot. The paper was coarse and the typewritten text faded: it was clearly the result of an illegal printing press somewhere in the city. The pamphlet spoke of revolution, of overthrowing the New Order and the Wilkins administration, to forge a new, better future for the people of New London. The engineers were not alone in their continued discontent!
The engineers gathered in secret that night at a cousin’s bunkhouse at the cold side of the Steamshires, their voices a low murmur as they debated what to do with the incendiary literature. Dr. Macdonald, his eyes alight with a newfound fire, urged his colleagues to consider joining the rebellion, to fight for the rights and dignity that had been stripped from them.
"We have been silenced for far too long," he declared, his voice trembling with passion. "If we do not stand up against the injustices that have been heaped upon us, who will? Are we to remain mere cogs, our lives and dreams ground to dust beneath the heel of the Mad Captain?”
Others, however, were more cautious, their eyes darting nervously to the shadows that seemed to press in around them. Dr. Conley’s cousin, a stout soldier-cum-miner by the name of Geoffrey, spoke up, his voice trembling with fear.
"Leonard, I understand your frustration," he began, his eyes pleading for understanding. "But we have families to consider, friends to protect. Do you truly believe that joining this rebellion will make things better? Or will it only bring more suffering upon us all?"
The engineers continued to argue amongst themselves, their voices growing louder and more heated with each passing moment. Dr. Conley disagreed with her cousin and was eager to throw their lot in with the rebels. Their two European colleagues also were impatient to fight for a brighter future. Dr. Harwood remained steadfast in his belief that the price of rebellion was simply too high; they'd already seen what had happened to poor Thomas Winslow’s uprising, to say nothing of the night of terror during the Great Storm at the Battle of the Scaffolds.
As the debate raged on, the young Dr. Conley stepped forward, her eyes bright with determination. "We cannot allow simple fear to dictate our actions," she declared, her voice clear and strong. "Yes, there is risk in joining a rebellion. But there is also risk if we let Mad Bill work the entire colony to death! If we do not fight, who will, and when? We have no time to waste."
Her words seemed to strike a chord within the hearts of the engineers, and as they stood there, huddled together in the darkness, they made a silent vow to one another. A spark had been lit. And as the engineers returned to their labors the next morning, their hearts burned with newfound purpose.
The next night, their discussions took a different turn as they met with hushed voices at the snowblown far corner of St. George’s Square. The question to be resolved moved towards whether to make an attempt to contact existing rebels or wait for the rebels to make another move.
"Patience, my friends," urged Dr. Macdonald, his eyes gleaming with steely resolve, as Dr. Harwood nervously rubbed his hands. "We must bide our time and wait for the right moment to strike. The rebels will show more evidence of their activity, or even contact us when they're ready. We will join our forces with theirs to bring about the change we all desire."
"But how long are we to wait?" asked Dr. Leclair, his impatience clear in his voice. “A week? A month? I’ve seen people that can barely put a spoon to their mouths in the mess hall, we’re so overworked! We will not survive at this rate.”
Dr. Harwood found the City Watch at the First Workshop the next day and nearly shat himself out of fear that they had been caught. Instead, the hard-nosed lieutenant simply informed them of their need to oversee and hasten the construction of the city’s new industrial hothouses. They did their best to hold back their disappointment. They would miss the steam vents above their work stations and their heated water closets.
Yet, as they were guided to their new posts far from the Central District, the engineers knew this could be an opportunity to spread their message to the working people of the city. Arriving at the construction sites, arranged around a single roaring steam hub, they were met with a cacophony of hammering, sawing, and the grunts of exertion, punctuated by the occasional expletive or barked order. Yes, it would be an opportunity indeed.
The engineers would soon meet after hours with stories recounting their marvel at the construction teams’ willingness to toil for long hours in the snowy winds, to hoist up enormous pillars of steel and carefully position the fragile panes of thermal glass. The workers, most British nationals with the odd handful of Americans and Europeans, seemed emaciated, filthy, their bodies even twisted by the requirement of their hard labour, but they nary stopped for a break outside of a brief respite for a quick lunch of hard tack and fish soup. To Dr. Conley, she was filled with empathy which fueled more exasperated calls for action. Dr. Harwood, on the other hand, argued that perhaps they misjudged and the common people had more energy than they expected.
One day, a worker, a burly man by the name of Hugo Walsh with a bushy beard and the calluses of a lifetime of labor etched into his hands, approached Dr. Harwood.
"Oi, Doc," he rasped, his voice gravelly from years of inhaling the icy air, "I hear it's you lot wot built them crank-powered prosthetics. Saved me mate's life, that did. He'd 'ave been a goner otherwise. So, thanks for that, guv."
Dr. Harwood, touched by the sentiment, replied, "It's our pleasure, sir. We're here to help our fellow citizens in any way we can."
Overhearing the conversation a man named Freddie Hudson limped over, "Here to help, aye? While we break our backs buildin’? Must be nice, workin' in them fancy workshops for months at a time. All them heaters an' hot water on tap. Ain't like out 'ere in the bleedin' cold." He spat on the ground and walked off.
Dr. Harwood’s face reddened with anger at the ungrateful comment. Hugo frowned and looked at the ground, ashamed at the fellow’s rudeness. An outspoken woman on the team by the name of Sylvie Pearson had watched the scene and promptly marched over.
"Give 'em no mind, sir. It's only complaints that come outta that one's gob! Harwood, is it? I can't wait to get inside these gardens an' see 'em grow," she said, her voice full of wonder. "Imagine, a place right 'ere in New London Crater with lamplights to make things grow right in the dark winter! I've 'eard tell them plants already sprouted in the two we already built. Ain't it a miracle?"
The inventor’s ego was still bruised and he lashed out at Sylvie, “That’s Dr. Harwood to you, madam. And grow lights are no miracle, they are simply yet another gift from the arduous project of science. You lot would be wise to acknowledge the fact that without our educated minds, survival in this wasteland would be a fool’s dream!” He stormed off.
Yet, the other engineers were not so dispirited. Dr. Conley won that night’s debate at Geoffrey’s tenement that they could spare no more time. They had at least the responsibility to win the construction workers over to their side, while they had the chance.
The next day, the engineers assembled together at the steam hub and gave each other courage. Dr. Macdonald took leadership once again and approached a burly worker nearby named Dylan Lee. The doctor's hands shook slightly as he proffered a carefully folded and sealed parchment, detailing their concerns and ideas to reduce work hours and improve the lives of New London's laborers.
"Read this, Mr. Lee," Dr. Macdonald whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "It contains thoughts on how we might make things better for all of us."
Dylan hesitated, his eyes darting to the parchment in Dr. Macdonald's hand, then to the other workers toiling nearby. He looked back at Dr. Macdonald and, with a steely determination, called out to the others. "Oi, gather 'round! The doc's got somethin' he wants us to read!"
The workers all stopped, curiosity piqued, then set down their tools and shuffled closer.
Dr. Macdonald winced, unprepared for such a public display. Dylan took the letter, unfolded it, and began to read aloud, his voice rough and unpolished.
As the words filled the air, a mixture of hope, skepticism, and confusion began to manifest on the faces of the workers. The air around them crackled with tension, the cold wind blowing down from above the Crater as they listened to the engineers' proposal.
"What do they know?" snarled a thin, wiry man by the name of Keegan. "They ain't never had to lift a finger in their lives, and now they think they can tell us what's best for us?"
"Wait a moment," interjected Sylvie, as she rubbed her hands furiously to keep them warm. "Perhaps they're just tryin' to help."
The site erupted into mutters and shouts. The engineers, unaccustomed to the raw, unfiltered emotions of the workers, began to stammer out explanations, trying to assuage their concerns.
Dylan cut through all that with his voice booming over the others. "We can't risk it! Rebellion would cost us everything. You ‘eard the Captain, it’s only obedience that’ll save us in these tryin' times!"
The man’s gaze fell upon a pair of guards who happened to be walking nearby, their boots crunching on the frosty ground. He called out to them, his voice urgent and powerful.
"Guards! Over 'ere, we've got some troublemakers!"
The guards exchanged glances before swiftly making their way toward the gathering. The engineers, sensing the danger, immediately began to protest, their voices rising in a desperate attempt to avoid the consequences of their well-intentioned plan.
"Wait, you misunderstand!" Dr. Macdonald implored, his eyes wide with alarm. "We only wished to help the Major see reason and improve life for everyone!"
"'Improvin’ life?" Dylan snorted. "By bringin' unrest an' questionin’ orders?!"
One of the guards, a broad-shouldered man by the name of Lieutenant Murray, looked at the engineers sternly. "Let me see this letter," he demanded, his hand outstretched. Dylan handed it over as Dr. Harwood’s heart filled with dread.
The guard's eyes flicked over the parchment, scanning the words quickly before he passed it to his companion. The second guard read it, his face betraying no emotion, and handed it back.
"It seems you've been inciting dissent," Lieutenant Murray said sternly, his voice cutting through the frigid air. "You'll be coming with us."
"No, please, you must listen!" cried Dr. Harwood, his hands shaking. "We never meant to cause trouble!"
The guards paid him no heed, instead producing iron cuffs and securing them around the wrists of each engineer. Their faces were impassive, as if the act of arresting these men held no more significance than any other daily task. As they prepared to lead the engineers away, a hush fell over the crowd of workers.
"Please," Dr. Harwood tried once more, desperation etching lines into his face. "We were only trying to improve things. Our letter makes that very clear! Can't you see that?"
The guards remained stone-faced and unyielding, turning the engineers around to march them off to jail cells. The workers watched, their expressions a mix of fear and resignation, as their foremen were led away. They returned back to their tasks in the half-frozen muck.
In the cold, dank depths of Gridiron Prison that night, the engineering team huddled together in a lower jail cell, their spirits sinking with each passing moment. The stone walls seemed to close in around them, and the imposing guards patrolled the corridors with a relentless, watchful vigilance. The air was heavy with despair, and the only sounds that echoed through the cells were the soft moans of misery and the idle clanking of the pipes.
Suddenly, the cell bars slid open, and Major Wilkins himself strode in, a wolfish smile playing on his lips. He surveyed the engineers with a predatory gaze, his eyes dancing from one disheveled figure to the next.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, his voice smooth. "The great engineers of New London, brought low by their own misguided ambitions."
Drs. Schmidt and Conley, their faces gaunt, immediately began to protest the gritty dregs they had been given for dinner. Major Wilkins merely chuckled at their outrage, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
"Ah, yes," he said, smirking. "I imagine prison food is a far cry from the victuals served at the mess hall.” "You know, it's quite ironic," he went on, his voice dripping with amusement. "Here you are, the finest minds in New London, and yet you find yourselves behind bars. I must say, I expected more from the brilliant creators of our steam-powered prosthetics and those ingenious electric lamps."
The engineers bristled at the Major's mocking tone and his feigned ignorance at the full record of their accomplishments as some of the brightest minds in a generation. Dr. Harwood, his jaw clenched and his eyes flashing with defiance, shot back, "We were only trying to help New London survive as you commanded us to do. You've been working our people to the bone!"
Major Wilkins laughed, a rich, dark sound that echoed through the prison. "Ah, yes, your noble intentions. But, in all your genius, do you really believe you can change the world with your pitiful attempts at rebellion?" he asked, his voice scornful. "The New Order is here to stay, and you’d be wise to learn your place in it is to obey."
The Mad Captain paused for dramatic effect, then continued, “But fear not, my dear engineers, for I have a proposition for you."
The engineers exchanged wary glances, their hearts pounding. Major Wilkins leaned in closer to them in the jail cell, his voice low.
"You are far too important to our city to remain here," he whispered, his words like honey. "We need your skills, your expertise, to ensure the success of our hothouses, our factories and ongoing industrialisation. Still, let us not forget the gravity of your actions… after all… that little letter of yours, well, that could be grounds for execution."
The engineers stiffened, their bravery faltering as the weight of their predicament settled upon them.
"However," Wilkins continued, drawing out the word, "I am not without mercy. I am willing to overlook your misguided attempt at insurrection, on one condition. You will swear your loyalty to me and the New Order, and you will work tirelessly from now on to ensure the success of our endeavors. ALL OF OUR ENDEAVORS AS YOUR COMMANDER SEES FIT! In return, you can return now to your homes and your work tomorrow."
Though they had been staunch critics of the Major, the engineers found themselves doubting their earlier convictions. Dr. Harwood thought that perhaps the Mad Captain could be reasonable, after all. With heavy hearts, they agreed to Major Wilkins' terms, and he smiled in his victory.
As the days passed, the engineers continued to work on the hothouses, their doubts and fears gnawing at them. Once the structures were complete, they even joined the work teams to plant row upon row of potatoes, broccoli, turnips, kale, radishes, tomatoes, and pumpkins. Not another word was spoken of dissent with them, but any friendliness that existed before had been extinguished, as their fellow citizens wouldn’t dare talk to them for long.
The engineers, however, remained torn by their consciences during that long night of New London’s first winter. Dr. Conley was adamant that the rebellious printers of that godforsaken pamphlet had to be out there somewhere. Dr. Leclair opined that the workers assigned to the hothouses must have been hand-picked for their loyalty. They would try again to raise the working conditions of their colony, but this time would operate in an even more secret matter, speaking with only the most trustworthy souls they could find face-to-face in the shadows of the night. Dr. Harwood was more quiet than ever during their whispered debates, but they set their plans into motion nevertheless.
Dr. Macdonald spoke to a foreman at the coal mine. Dr. Schmidt made contact with a group at the steelworks that had flirted with the idea of a work stoppage. A few engineers at the Wall Drill finally gave Dr. Conley the time of day to win them over to the cause and she proved most persuasive. Slowly, although reports always had to be questioned for fear of misinformation, the engineers of the First Workshop detected the number of their supporters were growing.
One evening, back in Geoffrey’s tenement, the engineers gathered with a group of representatives from the discontent to discuss their strategy.
"Friends, we must rally the people," he declared, his voice firm with conviction. "We must make them understand that at the current rate of malnutrition, accidents, infections, and frostbite, our lives in the Crater are at risk. If we don't act soon, we will all perish."
Dr. Conley, nodded in agreement, adding, "The Wilkins administration hoards supplies, dreading the worst, but we have already been pushed to the brink. We need more food, adequate rest time, and it’s high time the New Order return the right of all good Christian men and women to worship as we please!"
Their message resonated with the beleaguered workers. They expressed eagerness to join the protest and make their demands known. A coal miner named Samuel Holmes spoke up, his voice quivering with emotion. "Major Wilkins has no right to keep us living like this. We deserve better. We deserve to live, not just survive!" An engineer from the industrial tools factory, a woman named Margaret Palmer, chimed in. "Yes, we've been pushed too far! We must stand in unity and make our demands known!”
The group's resolve strengthened with each passing day, and finally, the night of the protest arrived. The engineers, coal miners, steel workers, toolmakers and lumberers came streaming out of their homes towards the Central District. With Leonard and Elizabeth leading the charge, they marched past their enormous steam-belching Generator toward the Propaganda Centre, their voices raised in unison.
"We demand better conditions! We demand more food! We demand the right to worship!"
The air was thick with tension as the protesters came around the corner, to see that Major Wilkins and the Brotherhood of the New Order were waiting for them en masse. Someone had informed the administration of their plans! The militia were even there, standing in rows like a regiment, wearing red armbands to illustrate their loyalty. A horn blast came from beyond the infirmary, and the protestor’s chants faltered as they saw the Silver Scot take up a position beside them, four guards with rifles standing at attention atop its steel back. They braced themselves for the confrontation that was sure to come, their hearts pounding in their chests.
The engineers stood at the front of the crowd of protestors, locking eyes with Major Wilkins, neither side willing to back down. With a deep breath, Dr. Macdonald addressed the Major, his voice filled with resolve.
"Major Wilkins, we stand before you today not as enemies, but as fellow citizens of New London, united in our desire for this glorious city to survive. In light of our people’s deterioration from months of exhausting work schedules, we demand fair treatment, proper nourishment, and the right to worship as we see fit."
Major Wilkins stared back, his eyes cold and unyielding. "Ah, a veritable League of Extraordinary Protesters! Well, let me enlighten you, my international friends. Survival requires sacrifice, and I'm afraid your little tantrum only serves to delay the progress we desperately need."
The protesters took heart as a couple of children began to bang on makeshift drums. The crowd shouted their slogans again, and Dr. Conley stepped closer to the Mad Captain, her voice ringing with conviction. “Sir, we cannot ignore the suffering of our people. The methods of your administration have been harsh and unsustainable. We need change, and we need it now.”
"You dare to question my attention to the survival of humanity?" Wilkins bellowed, his voice booming across the Central District. "I have worked tirelessly to ensure our city's survival, while you waste time on this foolish protest! How many times must I explain that we cannot afford a single extra moment of delay? There is much work to be done, and your doubt only hinders us!"
"Major Wilkins," Dr. Macdonald started, his voice wavering, "we believe that work hours should be reduced to eight per day, with construction projects continuing in the evening only on a voluntary basis. This would be suitable."
Elizabeth chimed in, tripping over her words in her haste, "A-and we d-demand Saturdays a-and Sundays off, too! To give the people a needed rest! A-and…"
The Mad Captain raised an eyebrow, a sly grin spreading across his face. "So you want to work less and rest more, do you?" He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing, "Tell me, my dear engineers, how will New London survive if we all laze about like it's a never-ending holiday?"
Some of the workers who had joined the protest began to waver. Major Wilkins went on, "Perhaps we should send you all to the Propaganda Centre for re-education. It seems you haven't quite grasped the concept yet of the New Man."
As the debate raged on, the drumming and slogans from the crowd began to fade, replaced by a tense silence as they listened to the verbal duel. Major Wilkins, unfazed, continued to mock the protest leaders. A crowd gathered then, as New Londoners were drawn to the spectacle unfolding in the Central District in the full view of the City Watch and their lone automaton.
The engineers began to exchange panicked glances, struggling to find adequate responses to their charismatic leader. The crowd, sensing their uncertainty, began to laugh and jeer.
Major Wilkins' eyes twinkled with mischief as he turned his attention back to Dr. Macdonald. "Tell me, Doctor," he asked with condescension, "do you consider yourself more intelligent than an Apis mellifera?"
Dr. Macdonald blinked in confusion, caught off guard by the unexpected question. "I-I'm not sure I-I…”
Major Wilkins smirked, clearly enjoying the famous theorist's discomfiture. "Why, Doctor, I'm surprised at your ignorance! Surely a man of your intellectual prowess is familiar with the Latin name of the humble European honey bee?"
As Dr. Macdonald's face reddened with embarrassment, Major Wilkins continued his lecture. "You see, my dear engineers, even the simple honey bee understands the importance of hard work and cooperation in the face of adversity. They labor tirelessly, each one playing their part to ensure the survival of their hive. They do not complain, nor do they demand rest and leisure. They work because they know that their very existence depends upon it."
The engineers shifted uncomfortably in silence. Major Wilkins, sensing their weakness, pressed his advantage. "Now, if a tiny insect can grasp this fundamental truth, why is it that you, with your esteemed educations and lofty ideals, cannot?"
The crowd, once sympathetic to the protesters, began to murmur in agreement, swayed by the Major's persuasive rhetoric. Dr. Conley raised her voice again, stammering, "Y-you must take into account th-the rising number of work accidents, the malnutrition, the-”
“Oh, I have taken everything into account, rest assured doctor! We all have our role to fulfill and I have not fallen short as you have tonight. But, fear not, my esteemed debaters, for I have a solution!" The biting wind whistled its way through the streets of New London, a ghostly reminder of the icy world beyond the city's confines. Major Wilkins, standing tall amid the swirling snowflakes, sensed the tide of the crowd turning in his favor.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that, in the past, I have spoken admiringly of General Napoleon for his force of vision and strength of will. I know that some of you may not approve, given the long years of war fought by our grandfathers against that tyrant. However, perhaps you would be more amenable to the ideas of the French leaders that came before Little Boney, the Jacobins.”
The crowd leaned in, curiosity piqued by the Major's dramatic shift in tone. He continued, "You see, the Jacobins sought to sweep aside the traditional systems of the past. They recognized that God had no mercy for humanity, even without the Great Frost as proof of his cruelty, and that the old ways, such as the seven-day Christian calendar, were holding them back. They understood the need for change, for progress."
Major Wilkins paused, allowing his words to sink in before delivering his proposal. "I believe we should adopt a new calendar, a ten-day calendar, much like the French Republicans of old. We will call it the New London Calendar, dated from our arrival here to honor the founding of our Glorious City."
The crowd murmured to each other, even the guards of the City Watch, wondering aloud where the Mad Captain was going with this. He raised his hands for silence before continuing. "By my calculations, eighty-nine days have passed since my arrival in the Crater with the vanguard group of the Arebates. As such, tomorrow shall mark the ninetieth day, a fitting time for us all to rest and reflect upon our sacrifices and progress... those who can be spared from vital labors, of course."
Cheers went up from the crowd and the engineers were stunned to see Dr. Leclair clapping in support. Drs. Macdonald and Conley stared at each other in disbelief. Well, that was something, at least. Would it be enough? Dr. Schmidt muttered about the need for new calculations of caloric expenditures.
Major Wilkins continued, his voice booming with authority as he raised up his hands to look around at the faces in the crowd, "From this day forth, the last day of each week of the New London Calendar shall be your day of recuperation and recreation!"
A band, having set up hastily nearby with trumpets and drums, struck up a lively military tune, their instruments cutting through the cold air and infusing the crowd with a sense of camaraderie. The music brought smiles to many the faces of those who had gathered, casting aside their worries. The engineers, realizing that they were losing the crowd's attention, made one desperate last plea for more generous working conditions. They shouted over the music, their voices hoarse and strained, but their words were lost in the cacophony.
Major Wilkins cut them off as the music’s volume increased. "My dear citizens," he shouted, “I know these are trying times. Which is why tonight,” the crowd leaned in, eager to hear, “Tonight, the last remaining jugs of moonshine shall be opened at the pub for all to enjoy.”
A cheer erupted from the gathered throng, their previous concerns momentarily forgotten in the promise of a night of revelry. As the jubilant crowd dispersed, Major Wilkins stepped towards the disheartened engineers, a wolfish grin upon his face. He draped his arms around the shoulders of Drs. Macdonald and Conley as he addressed them. "Ah, my esteemed colleagues, what an unfortunate series of events. it seems you have failed to fulfill your promise of loyalty to New London, to its people and more importantly… to me.”
The Mad Captain tightened his grip on their shoulders, a sinister glint in his eyes. "However, I have to admit my generosity sometimes exceeds my good sense. I shall grant you a chance to redeem yourselves. You see, there is a vital task that requires your attention – the improvement of the locomotive efficiency of the Silver Scot. You shall begin at once and work through the night and the holiday."
The engineers gulped as dread overcame them. Major Wilkins walked over to the automaton, peering up at the guards above, their rifles gleaming coldly in the light of the Generator. "Gentlemen, we’ll pass your drinks up shortly. You are to ensure that our respectable peers remain properly motivated during their labors. Understood?"
The engineers exchanged a resigned look, knowing they had no choice but to comply with the Major's orders as the militia stared on. As Dr. Harwood started to follow his colleagues to the city’s automaton, Major Wilkins stopped him with a firm grip on his arm. "Not you, Dr. Harwood. You have crossed no line, and your loyalty remains unblemished. In fact," he said, a warmth creeping into his voice, "I would like you to join me for a drink at the Swan & Plough. I find myself in need of some intelligent conversation."
Dr. Harwood hesitated, his eyes flicking to his departing friends, who looked back at him with fierce eyes accusing him of betrayal, a swirl of emotions washing over his face. Major Wilkins' smile widened, knowing that the young engineer was torn. "Come now, Dr. Harwood. One drink won't hurt, and we may even find ourselves discussing matters of great importance to the future of New London."
With that, Major Wilkins steered the reluctant Dr. Harwood towards the pub. The militia departed, eager to begin their house searches to find every calendar of the old world that now had to be replaced. As the snow continued to fall upon the city, a blanket of white grew thick upon the rooftops, and the citizens of New London reveled in their fleeting moment of respite, unaware of the trials and tribulations that still lay ahead of them.

Who do you think would win in these three one-on-one fights? The scenario is that it's in the training room, and things get a bit out of hand. I know it can be tough to determine power levels in this game because of a general lack of tangible feats, so this is based on known lore about them, plus just general vibes.
-Wendy vs Cinnabar: Crazy chainsaw lady versus disciplined shield woman. Does Wendy's unpredictability and aggression win out over Cinnabar's unflappable demeanor?
-Bai Yi vs Sumire: The two best sword users in the MBCC. One way or another, this will probably be over with before anyone else even realizes what happened. Does Bai Yi's superspeed win out over Sumire's ninja prowess?
Zoya vs Ninety-Nine: The two most aggressive women in all of DisCity, and probably the two best fighters in Minos. They're both basically unstoppable forces, but which one is more unstoppable?

this is kind of a hard post to make because 1. It's been almost a year since this guy and I have gone our separate ways, 2. I feel like a burden or a idiot for still bringing him up and 3. I'm scared that if he does up end being really that bad that it'll be hard for me to bear, especially cause I already have experienced abuse from my parents and that's hard enough in and of itself.
but anyway, here's the story, I'll try to make it as short as possible
so last march (tomorrow would actually make a full year) I met this guy at school, let's call him T, who I interacted with once before but forgot about. then T asked me my name, we exchanged numbers, etc. it felt nice but I didn't think much of it. literally that same day, he started talking about him and I being more than friends, which was weird but I didn't think much of it. he was giving me a bunch of compliments (like he said I had a nice voice, it was" beautiful, enchanting even")
anyway, fast forward a few weeks later, he tells me he has feelings for me and would like to kiss me. I'd never been kissed at that point in time but really wanted to kiss someone I trusted and have a kinda casual relationship in that realm (dating without ACTUAL dating basically) so I can have a nice teenage relationship without any real attachment. I told T ALL of this btw, he knew my intentions from the get go and said he was cool with it all. I also told him early on that I'm bisexual and he told me he didn't have an issue with that either (this'll be important later)
so we kissed, things were decent although he'd text me literally all the time and made it seem like I never texted him first, which was wrong, but whatever. then T expressed sexual attraction to me, which was reciprocated, but we didn't actually wanna go all the way. he joked about hitting/grabbing my ass and thighs. he touched my thigh once, I told him not to do that as it makes me uncomfortable, but he kept doing it/joking about doing it (even though he knew about my past sexual abuse), and I literally had to YELL at him to get to stop, which wounded his little ego a bit. things between us seemed to be moving/progressing very fast
not to mention that even though I would always tell him I didn't harbor the same strong romantic feelings for him that he did for me, T would always ask me "oh do you like me? do you have a physical attraction to me??" and I said no. I thought maybe one day I would or could, but at that point in time I wanted our relationship to stay right where it was. then one day T made some type of joke in our messages along the lines of "sorry, sometimes I just get so horny I can't control myself" after telling me about a particular fantasy of holding my leg up while kissing me. I told him to respect my boundaries or else he'd be sorry.
T said he will respect and understands, but literally the next fucking day got all sad and had an attitude saying what I said hurt his feelings and confused him since we "talk about sex all the time" he mentioned something about wanting to self harm in relation to what I messaged him. I don't remember if he was implying that I made him want to self harm, but it was weird. Told him his message reminded me of those guys who grab a girl's ass nonconsenually and justify it with "sorry can't help myself." T laughed and said "haha sounds like me when I was in 7th grade". he was in 9th grade at the time of saying that
last thing was finding out he's homophobic. told me out of no where that men shouldn't be with men and women should not be with women. it's gross, unnatural, goes against his religion. T claims to not be homophobic, as he doesn't hate queer people, but just doesn't "agree with them/the lifestyle". And says he didn't care that I was bi, yet obviously has shitty opinions about ppl like me? I confronted him on this ofc and I got defensive, he called me a skunt 3 times (basically some caribbean term meaning a bitch or cunt), which he knew I was uncomfortable with, told me I "clearly can't control my emotions" and that I'm "talking out the side of my neck" (talking nonsense/crazy basically)
we got into a huge argument about that, I was like "yeah fuck this guy", blocked his insta, number, etc. I missed him for a while and would even make up dumb excuses to talk to him, but not anymore. I still think about T from time to time as we still go to school together and see that asshole everyday, but I don't wanna be his friend anymore. I have resentment and pain from him, especially given past trauma, but since he doesn't wanna apologize or admit to anything, I gotta move on.. whatever we had going on only lasted like a month or so..
so was T a gaslighteemotional abuser and unwanted touching/seuxally coercing me like this lady on a mental health hotline said he was? or am I just crazy? I talked to a school counselor about this and she said he wasn't abusive cause if it was he'd have been doing it everyday, all the time, etc. what he did was hurtful and I'm not stupid for feeling that way, but we're just uncompatiable according to her. then again that counselor is kind of a bitch lol

January 3, 2023
WWS Ground Zero
All State Arena, Rosemont, Illnois
The show kicks off with William Regal inside the ring, he gets a huge reaction from the crowd. He grabs a microphone and says, “This is WAR. It is a time of WAR. Nothing in this world is fair. You cannot be spoonfed anything, not under my watch. You need to prove yourself worthy. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty because fear has no place under my watch. Prove it to me that you have it in you. In my watch this is going to be THE place for premier professional wrestling and you can take my word for it. ”
Regal then announces tournaments for the WWS Intercontinental, Tag Team and World Women’s Championships.
A six man round robin cup for the Intercontinental Championship which is named the Scott Hall Memorial Tournament.
Under a 15 minute time limit for each match, a win gets you 2 points, draw 1 and a lose none.
The participants of the cup are revealed to be : Kota Ibushi, Daniel Garcia, Matt Riddle, Cody Rhodes, Moose and Mike Bailey with Cody Rhodes vs Kota Ibushi and Matt Riddle vs Daniel Garcia slated for further down the card.
The Tag Team and Women’s Championships get 8 person tournaments.
The Tag Team eliminator will feature The Usos, Swerve in Our Glory, reDragon, The Acclaimed, The Gunns,G.O.D, Varsity Athletes and a mystery team.
Brackets for it are as follows
The Usos vs Swerve in Our Glory G.O.D. vs Varsity Athletes
reDragon vs The Acclaimed The Gunns vs TBD
The Women’s eliminator will feature Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Jordynne Grace, Athena, Toni Storm, Deonna Purrazzo, Alexa Bliss and Io Shirai.
Brackets for it are as follows Toni Storm vs Deonna Purrazzo Charlotte Flair vs Athena Rhea Ripley vs Jordynne Grace Alexa Bliss vs Io Shirai
He leaves as the crowd cheer and we cut to our commentators Mauro Ronallo and Nigel McGuinnes giving a rundown of the card later tonight.
It’s for the first ever match in WWS history, it’s Chris Danger making his debut against Trey Miguel.
Chris Danger vs Trey Miguel
(They approach each other for a collar and elbow tie up but Miguel quickly gets the better of the much inexperienced Danger as he puts him away with a german suplex. Danger gets back up and charges for a clothesline only to be ducked and hit by an enziguri by Miguel. Danger is perched on the ropes as Miguel goes for a clothesline but Danger reverses it and hits a backbody drop as Miguel lands on the outside hard on his back. Danger gets on the apron and hits a springboard moonsault to Miguel on the outside.
Danger sends him back in and as he rushes Miguel hits an elbow and looks for a superkick, Danger dodges and hits him with a V-Trigger. Miguel is staggered as danger runs the ropes and hits another V-Trigger. Danger goes into the corner to tune up the band for the superkick but Miguel ducks and catches him with a cutter. As Danger is on his knees, Miguel hits a meteora and goes for the win but only gets a two count. He continues the offense and locks in a sharpshooter but Danger escapes.
Following a headscissors, Miguel measures Danger for the Scorpion Kick but Danger blocks the kick, hits a knee, grabs the arm and hits the Taste of Danger. He then goes in the corner,tunes up the band again and hits the superkick and gets the pin)
Chris Danger def. Trey Miguel
Roman Reigns' theme plays as the entire Bloodline walks out with Paul Heyman. Roman, Jimmy, Jey and Solo, the personification of being in god mode. Heyman takes the mic, “Ladies and Gentlemen, My name is Paul Heyman and I am the Special Counsel for the most premier wrestling family that has ever existed. You are looking at peak specimens at the top of their game, physically and mentally. You are looking at Solo Sikoa, (points at Solo) the most exciting prospect this business has seen in years and a future face of the company. You are looking at Jimmy and Jey, the first tag team champions of WWS, they are the most prolific tag team in the business right now and they have no signs of stopping and finally you, ladies and gentlemen are looking at Roman Reigns. The biggest box office draw in professional wrestling. He is the head of the table, he is OUR Tribal Chief and he is going to be the first WWS World Heavyweight Champion, mark my words, not a prediction, it’s a spoiler. The Bloodline is here to conquer the pro wrestling landscape, which is something they have been molded by the elders to do since the very inception of their lives and they will not budge from the top because that’s where they belong.”
Roman takes the mic, “People, I’m here. I’m not here to impress anyone, I’m here to do what I do best, put butts in seats, sell t-shirts and rule what is rightfully, MY KINGDOM. I am not just the face of the WWS, I am the WWS. There are no sell out arenas without me, there is no publicity, no prime time television spot without me and all I want for giving everything to this business is for you to ACKNOWLEDGE ME”
Roman drops the mic and spreads his arms, looks up and closes his eyes just when
Swerve in Our Glory is here at the WWS
Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, Swerve in Our Glory, the Usos’ opponents in the first round of the World Tag Team Eliminator.
Swerve says, “Look Roman, we respect you,we get it you’re a draw but that doesn’t mean all of us busting our asses day in, day out are worthless. You are not the WWS, all of us, everyone in the back, we make the WWS and let’s set the record straight, Paulie, they are not going to be the next tag team champions, hell they won’t even go past Round One.”
Some more back and forth starts and Roman makes a reference to Keith Lee’s illness and they both charge the ring and a brawl starts. Solo and Swerve fight, while Lee takes on the Usos. Solo hits Swerve with the Samoan Spike outside. Lee in the ring hits Jey with the Big Bang Catastrophe as he rolls out to Solo. Keith then grabs Jimmy and throws him outside onto Solo and Jey. As Keith taunts and the crowd cheers, he turns and runs straight into a spear from Roman Reigns. Reigns leaves with Heyman as William Regal comes out to make a match, It’s Keith Lee vs Jey Uso.
Keith Lee vs Jey Uso
(Swerve, Jimmy and Solo are ringside for this one. Jey walks towards Lee cautiously but Lee charges at him and pounces him forward. Jey is on the mat looking shocked but he gets right back and runs for a shoulder tackle but Lee barely budges, Jey runs the rope and goes for it again but Lee doesn’t budge, Lee runs the ropes and hits a shoulder tackle knocking Jey off his feet and back rolls back to his knees. Jey looks determined but Lee runs and hits a basement dropkick but Jey reverses and hits a stomp to the grounded Lee’s chest. Lee gets up but Jimmy hits a Lou Thesz Press. Uso throws expletives at Lee as gets up at the corner but Jey gets him with a running forearm smash in the corner. Lee is seated in the corner as Jey hits the running hip attack, Lee falls forward but gets up to his knees but Jey lands a superkick and goes for the pin but Lee kicks out. Jey goes to the top rope as Lee gets to his feet,Jey dives but Lee catches him into a big spinebuster and Jey rolls out of the ring. The crowd cheers as Lee hits the somersault senton onto Jey outside.
Lee picks up Jey and as he is about to throw him back in the ring Solo gets in his face. Lee gets face to face with Solo but Jey pushes Lee from behind and he lands straight into the steel steps. Swerve uses the steel steps to catapult himself and take Solo out. Meanwhile, Jey takes Lee back in the ring. Jey starts working on Lee’s leg and eventually locks the Tequila Sunrise. Lee manages to break the submission but as he gets up he is met by a superkick. Jey goes to the top but Lee manages to catch him and he climbs the turnbuckle as well. He looks to go for the Spanish fly but Jey punches him in the abdomen and kicks off one of his legs. Jey capitalizes and hits a Canadian destroyer. He goes for the pin but Lee kicks out.
Jey goes to the top rope again looking for the Uso splash but Lee moves out of the way and he immediately hits a lariat that takes Uso’s head off and some more traditional Lee offence. Lee has the crowd rallying for him as he picks up Jey for the Big Bang Catastrophe but Jimmy shows up on the apron to distract the ref. Lee drops Jey and throws him at Jimmy which knocks him up, Jey turns around only to get into a Spirit Bomb and that gets the win.)
Keith Lee def. Jey Uso
A vignette airs with Karrion Kross in a dungeon punching a punching bag while Scarlett does a voiceover where she narrates the story of the herald of doom and the last line is, “When the clock hits zenith, everyone will feel the WRATH of Kross.”
We cut back from the commercial to see Edge cutting a promo ahead of his match with John Cena.
"Now if this was any other show, I would say you just saw the best of me and I'm in the best shape of my career but that's not the case clearly. I'll be 50 soon. Seeing that look on my daughters' faces made me realize something. Wrestling is a drug and I'm a junkie and this thirst for the business will leave me crippled one day but I won't let that happen to my girls.
I know that I do not have enough time left in the ring, so now let me make myself clear. I've had enough fooling around but that's it! I'm about to do what I said I will when I came back three years ago. I WILL END MY CAREER ON MY TERMS! and the only place a career like mine deserves to end is right at the top. So anyone who comes between me and the world title is going to face the worst in me."
"Wrestling has more than one Royal Family"
Cody Rhodes makes an emphatic entrance for his round robin match against
KOTA IBUSHI
Kota Ibushi vs Cody Rhodes - (15 minute time limit draw)
(Ibushi and Rhodes with a handshake in the middle of the ring. They go for a collar and elbow tie up but Ibushi snaps and smashes Cody face first onto the mat. Cody gets up grabbing his jaw and smiling. They go at it again and Cody gets the headlock and punches Kota square in the face. Kota reels back and comes back with a flurry of forearm attacks on Cody and he pushes him away, Cody runs to him and Ibushi counters into a spanish fly. Kota goes for a canadian destroyer but Cody counters with an Alabama slam. Cody takes control with some ground and pound strikes and as he lets Kota go he kips up but Cody springboards off the middle rope to hit a Disaster kick. Cody then goes to the top rope to hit a swanton bomb, he goes for the pin but Kota kicks out. Kota gets up near the ropes but Cody clotheslines him out. The crowd is behind him as Cody runs the ropes and goes for a suicide dive but Ibushi catches him with a V-Trigger. Ibushi slides in the ring, runs the ropes and tries to hit the Sasuke special but Cody moves out of the way and Kota lands on his knees hard. Cody grabs his ankle and smashes his leg on the ringside floor.
Cody sends him inside and as Kota limps to his feet catches him with a lariat. Cody grabs one of his legs and hits a dragon screw. Cody taunts for the crowd as Kota limps up to his feet as Cody grabs him from behind and hits a Cross Rhodes. He goes for the pin but Kota instinctively kicks out at and jumps to his feet to a huge pop only to collapse immediately. Cody grunts and picks Kota up and sets him for the Cross Rhodes but Kota collapses. Cody then works his leg, constant submissions and strikes. Kota is almost lifeless as Cody grabs his leg to lock in the figure four leg lock. The commentators remind us on how only a minute is left on the clock. Kota struggles to reach the ropes when he fails he gets up and Cody headbutts him hard, Kota falls back, ref counts, he gets up and starts heabutting Cody like crazy drawing the crimson mask as the bell rings. )
Cody Rhodes and Kota Ibushi go to a time limit draw.
Cody is in disbelief as he moves towards Kota and helps him get back to his feet and back to gorilla up the ramp as the crowd applauds.
We come back to from commercial as it’s time for some women’s action as it’s TONI STORM VS DEONNA PURRAZZO
Toni Storm vs Deonna Purrazzo
(The bell rings as Purrazzo charges at Storm but runs straight into a bicycle knee strike. She gets back up and goes back but runs straight into a no motion headbutt. Deonna is on her knees as Toni runs and punts her in the abdomen. Toni drops down and hits a slap on Purrazzo and locks in a guillotine choke. After struggling in the lock for a bit, Deonna gets back to her feet with Toni on her and hits a big Northern Lights Suplex. Storm bounces off the mat and goes back to her knees as Purrazzo jams a knee into her back and she locks in a dragon sleeper. Storm gets back to her feet, jumps up and kicks Purrazzo in the head as she releases the hold as Storm hits a big roundhouse kick and Purrazzo falls on the middle rope and Storm springboards off the ropes and hits a guillotine leg drop. Storm taunts on the outside as she climbs on the apron and gets on the top rope and hits a big elbow drop. She goes for the pin but Purrazzo gets a shoulder up.
Storm runs at Purrazzo for a clothesline but Purrazzo reverses it with a DDT followed by a penalty kick. Purrazzo picks up Storm for a suplex and rolls through for another and another. THE THREE AMIGOS! Following that Purrazzo seeks the opportunity to lock her Cosa Nostra submission but Storm gets out so Purrazzo instead locks in a fujiwara armbar. Storm struggles in the lock for a bit but slowly reaches the ropes. Purrazzo continues on the offensive with stomps. Storm rolls out of the ring Purrazzo follows suit but runs into a big boot. Storm smashes Purrazzos face on the apron and sends her in. Storm then lands a hurricanrana.
Storm runs in for a lariat but Purrazzo intercepts with a spear. Storm is down as Purrazzo locks in the Cosa Nostra. Storm struggles for a bit and moves her body while panicking she finally gets her feet to touch the ropes. Purrazzo leaves as Storm takes the ropes to get up Purrazzo goes at her but Storm hits a superkick to the gut followed by another that knocks Purrazzo to her knees as Storm goes for a Storm Zero lifts her up but Purrazzo counters with the rana. Purrazzo goes towards Storm again only to get a big rolling elbow which knocks out Purrazzo as Storm hits the Storm Zero and gets the win.)
Toni Storm def. Deonna Purrazzo
We see footage of William Regal’s office from earlier where he is sitting but is interrupted by Grayson Waller. He says that he could forgive him for not including him for the World Title Tournament but not putting him in the Intercontinental title tournament is plain disrespectful for the next face of the company. Regal berates him and then says that Grayson is talented though a little delusional and that’s not all the belts as he then announces a fatal four way ladder match for the WWS Television Championship at Genesis. The first qualifying match does indeed feature Grayson Waller and it is tonight.
We cut back from the footage to see Waller already in the ring with the mic in his hand. He says that though he feels disrespected for being put in contention for the WWS Television Championship, he gets where management is coming from. They need an exceptional talent to put the new title on the map and Waller promises to make it even bigger than the World Championship and he also feels sorry for whoever his opponent is for their wretched luck. As he says this the guitar hits
'With your feet in the air and head on the ground....'
Orange Cassidy is here in the WWS!
Grayson Waller vs Orange Cassidy
(Waller leans on the corner and asks Cassidy to bring it. Cassidy is still in his aviators as he removes his jacket slowly and puts his hands up and into his pockets as the crowd pop hard. Waller is clearly pissed as he charges at Cassidy with a lariat but Cassidy lazily ducks. Waller goes after him again but Cassidy ducks again. Waller goes again but Cassidy ducks, runs the ropes but Waller goes for a back body drop but Cassidy lands on his feet as the crowd pops and reverses a punch with an arm drag with his hands in his pockets. Waller gets back up and gets into Cassidy’s face and that triggers Cassidy to hit his KICKS OF DOOM. Waller is disgusted as he slaps Cassidy out of frustration and that makes the aviators fall off his face. Cassidy looks up to Waller and hits a front dropkick as Waller falls outside the ring and Cassidy hits a big suicide dive to the outside. He sends Waller inside but as he gets back in Waller hits a big boot knocking out Cassidy. He picks him up and gets him into the electric chair position into a big back suplex. Cassidy gets up with the momentum of the impact runs into a jumping sidekick. Waller measures Cassidy and hits a big famouser and goes for the pin but Cassidy kicks out. Waller is frustrated as he picks up the aviators and wears them himself and puts his hands in the pockets but as he turns around Cassidy leaps and hits an Orange Punch on his face which breaks the aviators. Cassidy goes for the pin, 1.2.3. )
Orange Cassidy def. Grayson Waller to enter the TV Title Ladder Match
Cassidy’s music hits as he celebrates but he is attacked from behind by…… Moose!
Moose clobbers Cassidy and hits him with a big Spear. When he’s done with Cassidy we hear the music of one notable prick.
MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN
MJF is here at the WWS. He enters the rings and spreads his arms to soak in the heat. MJF grabs a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and hits a really bad looking Orange Punch to Orange Cassidy and the segment ends with MJF and Moose standing tall.
Before we cut to commercial we see a vignette of John Cena hyping up his WWS debut in the main event tonight.
We cut back from commercials as it’s time for another Intercontinental Title Tournament Match.
It’s Matt Riddle vs Daniel Garcia.
Matt Riddle vs Daniel Garcia
(The two gladiators walk towards each other and start hitting each other with forearm strikes to each other and Garcia wins the forearm-off and hits a big belly-to-belly suplex Riddle gets up and hits a big german suplex. Riddle runs right into a big roundhouse kick, he staggers and hits a big spear. Riddle then hits a big senton on Garcia. Riddle gets him up in a fireman carry and hits a Bro to Sleep and another German Suplex and goes for the pin but Garcia kicks out. Riddle grabs Garcia and lifts him up for a gutwrench suplex and another and another. Garcia is still on his knees as Riddle grabs him for a deadlift sitout powerbomb but Garcia gets to his feet with the impact only to run into a final flash knee strike. Riddle gears up and tries to hit a spear but Garcia rolls through to lock in a guillotine choke but Riddle tries to escape seeing this Garcia turns the guillotine into a suplex hold and slams Riddle hard on his head with a brainbuster.
Garcia capitalizes and hits a big german dropping Riddle on his head again. Riddle is down as Garcia mounts him and starts bashing his head in with a barrage of elbows. Garcia is fired up as he goes to the top rope and tries to hit an elbow drop but misses as Riddle lands a senton on his back. Riddle climbs the top rope and goes for the Floating Bro but Garcia gets his knees up, Riddle is still standing as Garcia charges and hits a spinning back elbow to the back of Riddle’s head. With Riddle down, Garcia approaches his prone body and locks in a dragon sleeper. Riddle seems to be fading but gains consciousness and gets up lifts Garcia from the dragon sleeper position and hits a Bro Derek. He goes for the pin and gets the three counts. )
Matt Riddle def. Daniel Garcia
The commentators give us a heads up of the next week’s card
Swerve in Our Glory vs The Usos
Darby Allin vs Jonathan Gresham
Mike Bailey vs Moose
We hear from Rhea Ripley
It’s Main Event Time
JOHN CENA and EDGE both make emphatic entrances for the main event
John Cena vs Edge
(Cena and Edge lock up in the middle of the ring and they both get in a handshake. They lock up as Edge pushes Cena into the corner and starts kneeing him in the gut but the ref breaks it up. The lock up again as this time Cena gets him to the corner and hits knees to the gut. They lock up a third time with Edge pushing him to a corner but Cena punches him and explodes off with a big clothesline. This is followed by a suplex as Edge gets up grabbing his back but ducks a clothesline to hit Cena with a big boot which pushes Cena but he retaliates with a dropkick. Edge rolls out as Cena goes to follow him but Edge kicks him in the gut and smashes his face on the apron. Edge punches Cena but he no sells it and grabs Edge’s face to smash it on the turnbuckle. Edge gets busted open and in the rage he pushes Cena into the steel steps and hits a big boot sandwiching Cena’s head in between.
Edge sends Cena back in as he collects himself in the corner, Edge charges but Cena trips to go face first onto the middle turnbuckle. Cena grabs him from behind and hits a back suplex. Cena goes for the pin but Edge kicks out. Cena then heads to the top rope as Edge gets back up but Cena hits a leg drop on Edge. The crowd rallies behind him as he hits the four moves of doom. Shoulder tackle, shoulder tackle, duck and the protobomb. Cena raises his arm up, runs the ropes and hits the five knuckle shuffle. Edge gets up as Cena hits the AA. Cena goes for the pin. 1, 2 but Edge kicks out. Cena picks him up for another AA but Edge counters and hits an Impaler DDT. Edge goes to the top rope as Cena gets to his feet, he goes for a crossbody but Cena catches him in mid air and goes for the AA but Edge slides off his shoulder ducks a clothesline and hits a spear. He goes for the pin but Cena barely kicks out.
Edge is frustrated as he locks Cena in the Edgecator but Cena survives in it. Frustrated, Edge turns it into the STF. Cena struggles but manages to reach the ropes. Edge is pulled by the referee trying to break the submission. Edge goes into the corner looking for a spear just when the lullaby we heard in the press conference plays again. Edge looks shocked but ignores it and runs for the spear when Cena trips him catches the leg and locks in the STF. Edge withers in the submission for a bit but eventually taps out.)
John Cena def. Edge
Edge gets to his feet when we see a man in a mask on the titantron. He removes it to reveal BRAY WYATT.
He says just two lines
‘THE DARK FATHER AWAITS, HE WILL PROTECT YOU’
The lights go off and they come back to a similar mask to Wyatt’s lying in front of a kneeling Edge.

Man, I absolutely loved the ride. I’ve never read anything like these books. It’s insane the amount of plot threads and character arcs that we are keeping up with. I’ll be wondering what one thing meant and trying to keep it in my mind, only to be distracted by 5 other hints that are completely unrelated until I can’t hardly keep my eye out for anything coming! Erikson is a master at keeping me engaged and constantly speculating where he is going with things. And then when things resolve or click into understanding, it’s always better than what I had anticipated! Or it’s more heartbreaking or whatever he’s going for, it always lands or surprises me. I mentioned in another post that this book brought back that curiosity and wonderment that I had towards the series after finished GotM. I do not know why I didn’t like Deadhouse Gates. It took me a while to get through and I couldn’t rouse a lot of interest for many of the plots. Hopefully I’ll complete a re-read one day and have a completely different experience. It could be that I was simply attached to the GotM characters and didn’t find their replacements as compelling.
I really, really enjoyed Memories of Ice. I can’t imagine trying to write anything comprehensive about my reaction to the plot as a whole, so I’ll just share a few things that stuck out to me before moving to character discussion and the things I’m left pondering.
Tennescowri- These jokers are truly horrifying. One scene that sticks with me is Anaster pointing at the intruders led by Lady Envy, and the Tennescowri just lose their minds. Some of the things we saw or heard about through Toc’s perspective were truly awful. Ugh, I could have done without the dead seed explanation and then witnessing it in Capustan. Just revolting haha. I loved how Erikson milked them for all that they were worth though. Recruits for the Grey Swords, a mostly empty vessel for Toc to take over in Anaster, a deeper understanding of Rake as executioner through WhiskeyJack’s shared experience, and really just the context for how bad things can get for people in this series. Erikson really earns all of his big moment quotes and moments of philosophy by taking us through horrors all along the way.
The Grey Swords- This whole group slowly grew on me without me even realizing until I was really disappointed by their demise. I guess I’m glad Erikson didn’t save them all as the whole point was they were totally screwed in Capustan. But I went from thinking I wouldn’t be that interested in them to wishing more would have survived. I do have a lingering gripe on them which I’ll share in a bit. I came to really like all their formality in a weird way. I am glad that it will be continued on. I think it’s going to be funny seeing Toc deal with that level of stiffness as he is already seemingly more comfortable in Gruntle’s company.
I loved all the stuff with the Malazan/Brood/Tiste Andii Alliance. I can’t say as I understood everyone’s motivations, but the Malazans are becoming more transparent. I wonder what Laseen has planned for the Crippled God, as that does not seem to be her main focus at the moment. Unfortunately, I’m seeing more of the differences between Dujek and Whiskeyjack. I’m worried how interested I’ll be in the Malazan stuff now that Whiskeyjack is dead and the bridgeburners are decimated. I thought I liked Dujek from GotM, but he sank like a rock in my eyes and I currently don’t care what happens to him.
It’s worth mentioning that I am increasingly picking up on the humor in these books and really enjoying it. What little we’ve seen of the Mott Irregulars, they are hilarious to me. Of course my boy Kruppe constantly makes me laugh, and the stuff with him and Hetan was great. I also found this company of Bridgeburners to be pretty funny.
Favorite Characters:
1) Toc- I think he may be my favorite in the series at this moment. It’d be a tough call between him and Fiddler. What a brutal arc he went through in this book. I was surprised but happy to see that he has seemingly maintained some of his mischievousness even after all the torture he endured. I’m sure that’s going to change him a lot moving forward, but it was a nice ending to see him be himself with Gruntle and his new position.
2) Tool- I love this dude. I love how a throw away comment from Toc calling him friend touched something down deep in his bones. Loved the interactions between him and the Seguleh. And of course him coming to save his brother at the end was wonderful. The line about him destroying the torture chamber in a fit of rage was just brilliant. Tool, in a rage???? Love it. I’m curious what is next for our now barghast looking boy, after he tends to Hetan of course.
3) Kruppe- I still think he’s awesome. Haha. I think it’s Itkovian who notices K’rul looking at him all proud kind of like a prodigy, but something more than just that. I like the idea that an Elder God interested in saving the world would ally themselves with one of the world’s foremost geniuses. It was nice that Whiskeyjack was one of the first to notice Kruppe’s influence on everything. His intellect and abilities aside, I personally find his attitude and the jovial way he rambles to be such a breath of fresh air from all the tense, stiff, or tortured characters that pretty well make up the rest of the cast.
4) Itkovian- He shot up to one of my favorite characters after the fall of Capustan. I loved his ability to see straight to the heart of things. What a guy for what he did for those souls in Capustan and then taking the pain of the Tlan Imass. I was beginning to enjoy his friendship with Gruntle too. It’s a shame he won’t be around anymore. Surely this is a death that stays a death. This series is beginning to make me wonder about all of them.
5) Whiskeyjack- Finally got to understand more of why he is held in such high regard. He is another who quickly sees to the heart of things. I loved how he had the ability to forge a friendship with Rake so quickly and loved that he stirred Korlat to life as well. I think the sequence that sticks out the most for me is when he executes the Tenescowri witches while they’re stunned and gets a peek into Rake’s psyche.
6) Rake- I’m not fully understanding why he isn’t more front and center in this book, but I still love it when he’s around. The thought of him stumbling onto the Seguleh’s island and becoming the seventh accidentally is hilarious. I hope we get a reunion with him and some Seguleh.
7) K’rul- I find him super interesting. I love how he’s trying to put together resistance to the crippled god and that Kruppe is one of his main allies.
8) Quick Ben- What a mystery he continues to be. I love how he gives himself a minute to gloat any time he does anything particularly smart or powerful. His scene at the end over Whiskeyjack’s cask was pretty moving.
9) Paran- It seems like he is finally finding his feet and becoming more his own man and less tortured youth. He continues to stumble his way through everything, but he is getting more confident with the Master of the Deck stuff. He surprised Quick Ben the last time he went doggo to face off against Kilava. So I’m curious where that leads. I have a sneaky suspicion that Paran will be my favorite character in the end, once he masters his powers. If he survives that long, lol.
Remaining Questions/Thoughts:

• It bothered me a bit that Brukalian and Karnadas didn’t take down Rath’Fenner sooner. I get that they didn’t want to get entangled in Capustan affairs moving forward, but surely with their positions they could have arranged some new priest or official to take his place if they survived the siege. I guess it’s a moot point since Fenner gets pulled down anyway.
• It feels like Dujek and Tayschrenn have both changed a bit since GotM. Dujek seemed barely in line with Laseen and enraged by the events at Pale, but now he’s apologizing for Tayschrenn to Whiskeyjack and seems more of a lapdog than able to think and act for himself. I know we’ve gotten some explanations about Pale and stuff but all that still feels fuzzy to me. Did they not intend to kill all those bridgeburners and Whiskeyjack and even NightChill? Am I supposed to know what really happened, why, or what Laseeen/Tayschrenn want us to think?
• So it was Tayschrenn who threw Kallor into some portal away from Silverfox? I somehow initially thought that was the crippled god intervening to pull Kallor away.
• Caladan Brood for all that he has potential to be a cool character, he was completely forgettable in this book. I was excited to read more from him after the GotM tease, but man we really didn’t get much of a window into anything interesting with him yet. He seemingly doesn’t do anything of note other than try to smash Kruppe and heal Korlat. I thought he and Dujek would be stand outs for me with all of their strategic plotting and such, but I was disappointed in both instances. I haven’t seen many people talk about him. Does he get much love from fans?
• In the same vein, for all of Silverfox’s build up she was a bit of a letdown. I don’t care that her and Paran aren’t together or anything. I’m kinda glad my boy is swerving a 4-in-one crazy kid lady. Don’t get me wrong, it was sort of refreshing for things to not work out for her since she’s been such a chore this book. I am left wondering what she can do and where will her loyalties lie now. I hope she gets a lot more interesting in the future.
• Gruntle tossing Treach’s bracelets onto Itkovian’s barrow wasn’t him retiring as Mortal Sword was it? It would make sense given the state of his squad, and his attitude towards war and soldiering.
• Will we start to get more of a picture of what Rake is doing all the time when he’s not front and center being a badass? The man loves a dramatic entrance and I love him for it, but I kind of thought this book would have more of him being a driving force. I know he did get plenty of page time, but I am still left wondering things like why he waited so long to unveil Moon’s Spawn at Coral. I would have thought it was to maybe hurt the Malazans a little knowing their expansion goals, but he was genuinely sorry for the Bridgeburners who died, so I don’t know. I’m pretty confused about that. In fact I’m pretty confused in general why it doesn’t seem like more people are taking the crippled god more seriously at this point. It seems like it’s mostly Krul, Hood, Quick Ben and Paran who are making the most moves affecting the fallen one.
• Lastly and most importantly, is there something going on with Kruppe’s mule? Lol it cracks me up him trying to ride that thing, but why would he endure it if there isn’t something more to it? I began to wonder if the mule is able to provide a direct link to Krul like Garath did for Lady Envy. There was some line about the mule being able to sleep and keep walking. But that seems pointless since Kruppe can see him in his dreams. I’m probably just ruining the humor, but my faith in Erikson is so high that this mule might be a major player, haha.

Hope you guys enjoy the post. I have enjoyed being a part of this community. So far it's the only one I've posted in as I'm more of a lurker by nature. Thanks in advance for your input.

In overwatch, i (used to) despise support. i didnt like pretty much all of them and i would choose tank (whoah!!) over support 99% of the time. it is much better now (in OW2) but still not even close to paladins level IMP.
At the same time of despising OW supp, i was a complete support main in Paladins. i absolutely love playing most of them and they are just awesome. For anyone who played a fair amt of paladins, I was a Skye main but I tried Ying and she was a gateway drug for supports. i still am a ying main, but almost all of the others are fun to play and rewarding as well.
Now, yes, i know paladins is significantly worse when it comes to balancing (for ex, a support having grav thats like 3x the size (seris)) and that is definitely a factor, but I just wish overwatch was better when it came to supports.
here are my opinions on ow supps
Mercy is a joke, lame asl to play and playing against her is painful. love the dickriding she does to the 1 ranged dps that makes rhem nearly impossible to kill.
Lucios cool, requires a lot of team communication to be utilized the most but thats not a bad thing (maybe at lower ranks) but I think hes dope.
Bap is valid, i dont think hes very fun but hes a solid supp, plus lamp is ridiculous (why tf they buff that shit💀)
Ana is awesome, i actually like playing her a lot and theres sm stuff u can do with her util.
I also love moira, ik unpopular opinion but i like her split of dps and supp.
zen is dope but i feel like his heals are too low, dps is too high, and his ult is crazy.
kirikos great, but playing against her is pretty frustrating since she has an instant counter to everything in the game. i think she has practically no cons. no hitbox, great mobility, good dps (if u can aim) etc.
brig is cool but i personally dont like playing her at all. i also kinda suck with her tho lmao.
But yeah, i just wish overwatch had supports similar to paladins. one of the only things paladins has over overwatch in my opinion.
TLDR: paladins support = cool fun rewarding, overwatch support = some cool fun rewarding, some lame and rewarding

This happened around 2013....
So essentially I was helping someone through their depression. I'd go with them to the doctor to get their medications etc. We'd talk on the phone for almost ever 4 hours a day. She always wanted someone to talk to and I obliged. This was going on for 14 months.
Eventually she started feeling better, I remember being happy for her and so forth and she was like...."Oh! Guess What I have a boyfriend!!" I was like...."Ummm okay that was quick" So she was like..."Don't worry, he's someone who I know in my neighborhood" So I was like...."Oh....okay" I trying to act cool and all. I expressed my concerned that since she was under a sheet of sickness I mean she was losing weight, suicidal, having chess pains, constant vomiting whenever she ate. Yeah she was in a real bad shape.
Anyways so later on in the month she was like. Hey! I showed him some explicit photos of myself. So I was like...."Woah.....okay." So I told her I wanted to see as well and she was like......"I don't know it wouldn't be right....he's my boyfriend and all.
So I decided to act like a jerk (not something I'm proud of) and went like this... Considering the amount of time I spend with you on the phone off the phone when no one wanted to talk to you cause everyone thought you were crazy. I was the only one who was hanging out with you for months on end. Trying to reassure you that you're not crazy, that you're worth it. I never once tried to take advantage of you cause I already knew what I was signing up myself for. I know that this wasn't gonna be a holiday. I had to be there for you when you were crying.....shaking...suicidal. I had to remind you that your parents still love you and all. I stayed up all night talking to you till my parents wondered why this selfish young lady won't stop calling me and let me sleep and I had defend you. Now you're calling this fellow your boyfriend who never went through half the stuff I went through? Then showing him your explicit photos? Why? How did he earn any of those privilege? I demand some form of payment! (Of course I never really wanted anything from her but the moment I heard what her bf was getting, I was like...."Hell no!!!!!"
Needless to say she felt guilty and showed me those photos. Oddly enough I thought I would have felt a hard on in seeing those photos but honestly I just felt more disgusted. I was no different from her boyfriend. I never expressed this to anyone. I attempted to express a piece of it to my mother and she almost bit my head off haha.
So yeah that's what happened. The day I acted like an entitled jerk. I remember deleting those photos right after that.

State of Play

I use to have a bay window. Back when I was six years old I lived in a small three bedroom, one bath house and it had this bay window that was sort of the forefront of the home. That section was where I’d play with my action figures. That section was where I guess you could say made the world that I was living in currently, bigger, larger than my own self. My imagination was at its high when posted up at that bay window. If you ask anyone who really seen me in action over at the bay window, they would tell you it seemed like I was invincible.
As much as I’m not really here to talk about bay windows and little coming-of-age homes, I’m just as equally here to tell you how much it plays apart in what I am here to talk about, and that’s the state of play. I recently wrote on my Facebook page on how it’s important to let kids be kids, be silly in a sense. It’s important to let their minds flourish with the most outlandish ideas in my opinion. That thought, has awarded me the opportunity to think like I do today. The opportunity to choose how I would like to process ideas and drive my emotions into certain directions and in result, be my own person. What does this have to do with the Paradise video? Everything.
I’ve lost touch. Wait, correction. I’ve been in and out of touch with the “state of play” idea. Life, more specifically adulthood sort of takes over and puts you in the position of immediate choices. Some people don’t grow straight with that sort of responsibility or, again, more specifically, the immediate choices, the “state of urgency” I’ll call it. I, me, ironically grew comfortable with the “state of urgency”. I’m good under pressure, focused and able to drown out noise. The “state of play” idea may seem to be the contrast to the “state of urgency” but the more I thought about it for this piece, I thought how similar they really are, or how they really complement each other. The eureka moment being that in the “state of play” mindset, you are in the moment of “state of urgency” because whatever is that task at hand while submissive to that “state of play” world, is most definitely urgent. Adulthood just makes you forget how similar they are. Think about Peter Pan and the Lost boys. I’m not going to dive too deep into that rabbit hole but you can sort of see where I’m going with all of this. Don’t grow up or DO IN FACT grow up because growing up is the only way you’ll find the similarities. Next.

Fly on the Wall

I crack open a beer in a low light setting painted in hues of purple and dust. I can’t speak on the bands psychological state but I can speak on what I see and what I see is growth. Something growing right before your eyes may seem like watching paint dry but, have you ever watched paint dry? It’s beautiful. What’s even more astounding is having the patience to watch something grow. I’m a father of two so I know what I’m talking about. The low light setting sends a guitar chord into existence, meaning, this is all real now. Another lesson I’ve learned while being this “fly on the wall” during a jam session is that nothing is real until you’ve played it. Once that thought became a stamp onto my brain, I thought about the chords I might play in life. I have plenty of streaming thoughts, ideas flowing into the nothingness that become the nothingness, a sea of nothingness. The jam session helps me realize how persistent these guys make ideas real. A strum on the guitar then a cord on the bass becomes a sonnet worth acknowledging, remember, In this world, in this “state of play”, IS, the “state of urgency”. The urgency makes it real right. It raises the question as I crack another Juicifur, in which if you have ever looked at the can of a Juicifur beer, it can send you into a world of possibilities while in that “state of play” mindset. The question being, how urgent are my ideas? Are they as urgent as these guitar strums, bass plucks? Purple dust, I take a sip and its fucking deep. We’re in it now boys I say to myself as NOW they’re laying down the foundation of something bigger than any of us in this room. “That section was where I guess you could say made the world that I was living in currently, bigger, larger than my own self” referrer back to paragraph one.
Flying Coach is their name, was their name, maybe still maybe THEIR name. I can’t say at this moment because I’m not them. What I’ve witnessed though is Flying Coach in my opinion. I’ve listen to their first album The Flying Five Family Funtime and comparing that to me being the “fly on the wall” during the jam session was all too familiar. So for the sake of this essay, they’re fucking Flying Coach. I hear the seat belt buckle tone go off and I’m prepared to ascend into what I’ve been calling the “state of play”. Listening to them jam out was only the slap in the face moment, “wake up”. I woke and from my slumber came the realization of adulthood and its way of saying, “I want to play”.

Fuckable Foundation

As I bleed the words out now, writing this, that’s the same effect I had when coming up with idea for the Paradise video. Talking Paradise though, I referred back to their album. Why Paradise? It’s simple. That’s my favorite song. Selfish as that may seem, in questioning the option to giving THEM the choice of what song should be made into a video I only referred back to the jam session that night. Low light levels and hues of purple dust you tend to become one of them in a sense. I trusted them to take me on a journey into the unknown and they did. Ultimately, I came out the other end KNOWING. As you’ve just read, KNOWING, everything up to this period (.) I wanted to pay it back in a way and do the same as they did for me. So I bleed. First reference for you, “I Bleed” by the Pixies from their 1989 album Doolittle, I played that song as typed up a five page essay on the “state of play” and it’s comparison to “the state of urgency” and youth and adulthood and fucking flies on walls, NOT actually “fucking” but fuck man i would say love was in the air at that moment and everywhere I look around it just got even more intimate. Making love to the essay I wrote led me to the birth of concept. As confusing as that may sound in terms of the actual human reproductive process, sex being conceiving, the act of creating, my process I guess, was that the essay I wrote was only foreplay.
So now I need to actually fuck. My belt is coming off to Drew Barrymore**. Second reference, I watched her opening performance to** the 1996 film Scream and I knew I wanted this to be the foundation to the video. A girl running up the stairs when she should be running out of the house, in which she did but that’s not the point. The whole idea being a “slasher film” type video. Blowing my load to this idea alone though, wouldn’t be all that intimate I thought. I didn’t want a one-night-stand type of idea. I want this idea to stick around for a while, I wanted it to know that I appreciated it. The sex had to have landmarks not pop-up shops. I referred back to my five page essay on the “state of play” and noticed the phrase I wrote in it, “He who dies with the most toys, wins”. It’s a quote by Malcolm Forbs, famous publisher of Forbs magazine. I referenced that quote in the essay because I seen it on a t-shirt once. As the sex became deeper that quote become prominent to the idea. “Toys”, being the idea of a slasher type of scene made up of toys. So instead of a live action video, it would be me playing with a bunch of toys in the world of Wes Craven’s 1996 film Scream, THUS my fuckable foundation.

Mad Scientist Soundtrack

“We all go a little mad sometimes” the character Billy Loomis says, played by the actor Skeet Ulrich referencing to what Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins says in the 1960 film Psycho. “we all go a little mad sometimes” I heard while thinking about this idea as a whole. It’s mad, but it’s ALIVE and if I were a mad scientist creating my monster I’d have to step away from the sound of “Paradise” By Flying Coach. If I wanted this thing to have a tone, a feeling, I wouldn’t find it in that song. This is for the betterment of the song though. Too many music videos these days cater to the material almost TOO literal. Maybe that has something to do with the new age viewer and their lack of attention and/or short term attention but that’s a whole other issue to talk about. I’ll address it by finding a contrasting sound to Paradise, something that sounds NOT paradise. I thought about that HBO show “The White Lotus” and its opening theme song, it’s soundtrack in general actually. I related to that in terms of “NOT paradise”. I thought about how the composer to that show may have had that same exact idea**. Reference three, Cristobal Tapia de Veer, the composer to** the White Lotus soundtrack. I listened to his music while figuring out how I wanted this video to sound. Again, on mute, this video is “NOT Paradise”. A mad scientist creating his monster would definitely be listing to Cristobal Tapia de Veer’s sound. I went mad to this.
Is this too rough? Am I hurting you? I thought about how acts of passion may bring out the worst of us. Fucking to a song called, “She who brings the gifts” really put that idea into motion. I honestly don’t know what lead me to thinking of the 2018 film Hereditary but it makes sense. I had to cling to this idea of passion bringing out the worst in someone but also stick to the innocence of childhood, “toys” for the sake of the video. How would this be visually represented? Reference four, Ari Aster, writedirector of the 2018 film Hereditary did it best when opening his film up to a doll house, A slow zoom into this idea of dooming passion. The part that made sense was my idea revolving around toys. A doll house would be a perfect fitting for the aesthetic. The whole thing would take place inside a doll house while the camera witnessed the story unfold.

Bird for Hire and “The Shape”

Scenes of a murder while hearing the tone of de Veer’s compositions all wrapped up in this “state of play” doll house setting was my targeted vision. At this point yes, I am going a little mad. It’s a wild and crazy idea but it’s so fucking passionate that it’s NOW a “landmark idea”. What makes it personal though? What makes it personal to the band? I have all sorts of blood in this thing it’s almost Hereditary. How can I let the band have some of their DNA be a part of this monster? Cum a little closer… They have a huge bird, on their album cover. As big as the idea seems to be for the sake of the cover art, I believe that that bird represents their most intimate image. My interpretation is that, in the world of Flying Coach, small things have big impacts, like the possibility a plane carrying 244 sols on board going down because of a small bird getting sucked into its engine system cause complete catastrophe. That’s what their cover art says to me. How can I relate that idea into the video? Who’s the plane in my video? Well obviously it’s the victim, the girl running up the stairs when she should be running out the house. Who’s the bird? At first I thought maybe the masked killer was the bird but then I thought why can’t the “bird” be the bird. To make my idea even more unique and mad, I thought about the killer just having a bird as his weapon of choice instead of the conventional knife, ax, chainsaw like you see in slasher films. This leads me to be drawn into who this masked killer really is.
I thought how I would never want Scooby Doo to solve this case. The masked killer is just a masked killer. He is who he is and nothing more. This brings me to “The shape”. If you’re a movie/film enthusiast like I am then you would have watch tons of “making of” “behind the scenes” docs like I have. Reference five, Halloween/Friday the 13th. In John Carpenters 1978 film Halloween, the mask that Michael Myers wears is actually a Captain Kirk mask, more specifically a William Shatner mask painted white with the eyes cut out. I wanted this idea and in vain of the original concept, instead of Captain Kirk, I chose Spock, Kirks right hand man in Star Trek. I chose to have my “shape” masked killer be a Spock figurine with the face painted blue. Blue being catchy on the eyes, with the eyes cut out. His persona would pair in the likes of Myers and Voorhees in the sense that they’re just them and nothing more, no mystery behind them. I also refer “it/him” to “them” because in the video you can come to an idea maybe that there is more than one. I like to leave that thought up to the viewer.

AI just figured it out

A gangbang of “Shapes” didn’t quite bring me to the point of edging though. I pretty much had the video in my head at this point and time was ticking to start putting pen to pad. I needed to have something “in the can” as Hollywood calls it. As ambitious as this idea started to form it was nearly impossible for me to execute without some sort of short cut. Midjourney came knocking on the doll house door like The Wolf from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Midjourney is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) art program that recently hit the web within the last past year. I won’t get into too much detail on how it works because they have numerous videos out there explaining the technology and its conception. The idea of me using this new technology as a tool to create the video was to me, a step above anyone else making ANYTHING today. Once I decided on using this as a tool, I felt like I was breaking new ground for the filmmaking world as a whole. I can hold the spirit stick of “it has never been done before” with this new idea and how I was to execute it. I think that’s what really separates this video from the norm. Take out all the sport fuck, meaning, all the bullshit, meaning, all the intricate backstory shit you’ve been reading up to this point. Take out all of that, and you still have something truly unique with the Paradise video.
“Make video horizontal again” I read on a hat as I was scrolling through Instagram advisements. I thought about how it’s so true. How we now live in a vertical world of viewing. It’s sort of strange also as to that’s how we decide to chew on content. The evolution process has had us go from monkeys to vertical video viewers. We didn’t gain an extra eye, we just skewed what the eyes should be looking at. In the thought of us looking at things long ways now, I became hung up on how I wanted to look at this particular video. It only makes sense for me to make the video horizontal for the sake of story but then I knew people might just think, “ew, fucking horizontal. Skip”. I would never fall lame to social constructs and their tribal-like influences but for this, I was sort of into exploring the psyche of the viewer themselves. Like one would tickle ones butthole, because remember, we’re still in foreplay, I decided to tickle the butthole of the masses and give them what they wanted by deciding on vertical video. I mean the path of the righteous “Shape” was already going to be strange enough. It’s nuts, so let’s play with them.

Cream color Wallpaper

Reference six, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. “Chivo” as his peers like to call him is a multi-awarded cinematographer. You might have noticed his most notable work in the 2014 film Birdman or the 2015 film The Revenant and if we’re sticking to sexual analogies for the sake of this essay, Chivo would be the strongest tongue to ever play the game. I chose him as a reference to lighting in saying to myself, Chivo plus John Carpenter, PLUS Ari Aster, introducing him into this world of animation might be a cool thing to see. Not just because he’s an award winning cinematographer but because of his lighting. If I wanted a whimsical tone I would have went with Robert Yeoman who does a lot of Wes Andersons stuff. I thought as a director for this project as to what needed to be divvied out accordingly. Chivo was the best fit for this project. So “Emmanuel Lubezki type kitchen lighting” goes into the Midjouney AI art prompt and it pops out what I need for the video. As easy as that sounds it’s hard to actually know what you want. For instance wallpaper played a huge part when it came to its lighting. These are all things that they’ll ask you on set. Set decorators I imagined hounding me with swabs of textures and colors of creams, colors in creams. “What’s a good lamp” they ask as I’m deciding on window shapes and design. This all went into the creation of the doll house effect.
It’s all about texture really. Feeling, i had to caress this monster before its climax. This video had to be sold in reality meaning, you had to believe it was actually something physical I was running a camera through. I learned that texture in visuals, texture in ANY visual are important but I noticed that THAT idea gets lost in most music videos today. I heard a movie review guy on YouTube state that it’s mostly tone and texture that frightens him. I thought about texture in pictures other than horror. What are romantic textures like? Action textures. A dramatic texture, not lighting, but to actually allow your audience to feel like they can physically feel a divorce or a miscarriage. I thought about this for the Paradise video and having Chivo’s lighting I knew I wanted to take drastic advantages. Maybe this beast would say, “stop, no”. Lust can only get you so far in this game of passion and if we’re playing for time, “stop, no” has to be persuaded to “yes, keep going”.

Was that Real?

Reference seven, the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project I remember infecting everything media when it first came out. I remember the wild west days of the internet and its vulnerability to content. Before content was what is considered content today, creativity was law. A thirty second video of a person doing the griddy wasn’t going to cut it back in the Windows 98 days. You’d hear about this video going around about this group of kids filming a documentary about a witch who killed children, then get lost in the woods while filming the doc. The seed of an image, grainy, shaky, eerie in asking yourself, “Why keep filming”. This short term urban legend eventually hit the press and supposedly the whole video was going to be released in theaters. It was called The Blair Witch Project. The wild west internet couldn’t keep up with its traffic at the time as people were flooding Ask Jeeves in asking, “is the Blair witch real”. No one knew what it was, this was all new, anything could be anything and everything was fucking exciting about it. Like watching a snuff film you WATCHED these kids get lost, freak out, cry, scream, beg for their lives as a fucking wooded witch terrorized them eventually, killing them. WTF! I mean ask Jeeves, go ahead and ask him. Still, nothing in 1999 was answered about this video. This idea of “WTF is happening”, I wanted for the Paradise video. I mean it was already WTF type of vibes but I think I can bring it closer to that, the concept being, a Blair Witch Project type of discovery but on TikTok. So as you watched mom do the griddy and baby laughing hysterical calling it “cute”, you flip your thumb up and there’s Paradise, this strange VHS looking video. VHS being the key ingredient I needed to get the panties off.

It was Nuttin’

The sex was okay. It’s not like painting. With painting your’re fucking right off the bat. It’s a continuous high. Assembling the video was tedious and not that I’m oppose to tidiness but, I’m trying to find that constant point of interest. Making something like the Paradise video, there was always a constant set back. My dick wouldn’t get hard at certain moments. I think the thing that keeps you afloat with something like this is the passion, the will to see the outcum. In the end I thought about “The Shape” (the killer) in the video and how he feels about the whole thing. How in the end his bird was always meant to be inside her and the meaning of word “paradise”. I figured that these are his words not ours. We don’t know what the fuck paradise is. He does though. He lives in a constant state of play, with urgency and as long as this video plays, he gets to play and she stays urgent. You only can understand this by growing into adulthood and until you understand the balance of adulthood, you can’t understand the balance between the “state of paly” and the “state of urgency” thus between the two, you’ll never be able to call it, “Paradise”.
"Lucky Day in Hell" by Eels

Baron Augustus Reinhold
Curious Village is a game near and dear to my heart. It was the second (oops) Professor Layton game that I played, because I saw Diabolical Box advertised in a Nintendo Power magazine and thought it looked fun, so I played it. After completing it, I rushed to GameStop to buy Curious Village as well because I had been captivated by the game’s world and puzzles that I loved.
Playing the game 10+ years later, I start to notice some things that seem, well, off. I suppose this is to be expected as it’s the world of video games, but I just couldn’t shake the idea that Augustus Reinhold was really not a great father.
The Character
Professor Layton and the Curious Village opens up with Layton telling us that the Baron has passed away and they were going to settle an inheritance dispute - his entire estate would go to whomever found the “golden apple” of St. Mystere. Layton had gotten a call from Lady Dahlia (I try my best not to think too hard about how this happened) to help in the search.
Every move we make, the characters tell us how wonderful a father Augustus was and how much he cared for his family. "You'd never seen a man so in love as Master Reinhold was," Ingrid would say. From all the expectations from Matthew, Ingrid, and the rest of the cast, I was expecting much more than what I got out of his tale. Being a father is the only role he has, that's basically the sole purpose of the game.
Look mom I’m """Helping""" (Before He Died)
Flora’s mother Violet died when she was young. Instead of helping her through grief and being there for her when she needed a parent the most, he went the opposite direction and built Lady Dahlia in Violet’s likeness instead. Flora was frightened by the new robo-mom, but Augustus didn’t seem to care - not a good look for someone who loves his daughter so much. Even after saying he would love Flora as much as he loved Violet after her passing, he still managed to show that he cared about his dead wife more than his living daughter by keeping the wife-bot around. Flora would play alone in the manor’s garden around her mother’s grave. Instead of helping cheer her up, spending quality parental time with her, or even thinking about what she might want, he builds a whole ass amusement park all the way on the other side of town for her. It came to no surprise that Flora didn’t care for this either, so he lets the park go into ruin and does nothing else to help her.
Look mom I have a """great idea""" (as he was dying)
So Augustus learns that he has a terminal illness and sets about securing a future for her daughter. Mr big money brains decides to build an entire town and fill it with robots (we all know how much Flora loved the first one) to keep her company and """protect""" her. He basically goes and isolates her from the outside world for !!!YEARS!!! I’m going to assume that Flora is around 13 during the events of the game and was no more than 5 when her mother died. Because it says Augustus dies only a few years later we can estimate that Flora knew and interacted with not a single real person for FIVE YEARS. She lived at the top of the tower with no one to interact with. I kinda feel like a lot of her childhood trauma stemmed from losing family and people close to her, so the best solution is obviously to isolate her, yeah? What a thing to do to your only child. What’s worse is what happens after that - the baron’s death is made public and the search for the Golden Apple begins. The will promised riches beyond belief to the winner, but was disguised to also be a contest to find the next family for Flora (I don’t even want to go into the original Japanese message at the end of the game, that’s a whole different rabbit hole). In my opinion, a contest that people went crazy over for untold riches would seem to draw the opposite kind of people that I would want to take care of an only child - “oh here’s a billion dollars, but also my daughter k thanks.”
Look mom I’m """dead"""
So Augustus decides to die, leaving Flora to grow up locked away in her tower, not ever knowing if his amazing riddle will ever be solved just like the useless father he was. Great guy.

Lilly hid behind a tree, her breath held as hard as she could. She cursed her burning legs as she peered around both corners for potential attackers. All she saw was a silent, unmoving walker on the ground next to a shed. Waiting about five minutes in the same spot, she checked her bullets. Two. Noting to make her shots count, she stepped closer to examine the body and gave it a light kick. Lilly took its lack of response as a blessing to dig through its pockets, glancing over her shoulder the whole time. But whoever killed them already took everything they had.
“Shit.” Lilly said. Yet, her hand landed on something firm but small…
A quarter. Virginia, 2005 was written on it. Her father never had that one in his collection, although Lilly could imagine his reaction if he did. Funny. After all he went through on the battlefield, these tiny pieces were one of the few things that brought him some solace. If nothing else, Lilly dared to hope he finally found closure. Amidst the endless pounding of their heart, the living could use such luxury.
“Ah!” She gasped, taken aback by a nearby rustling. In a steady and quiet pace, Lilly huddled back in her hiding spot with a trembling hold of her weapon. Was she really being followed? She couldn’t even trust her senses with how light-headed she constantly felt. She dared another peek… when a man burst through the leaves, carrying a pot of sunflower in his hands. It was normally Lilly’s cue to leave… but the glimpse she took of his face stopped her. Against her better judgment, she double checked…
“Oh god…” Lilly held her tightened chest and used the tree for support. He… was there. That fucking animal was right here. He had an unkempt beard and an eyepatch, but this wasn’t a face Lilly could forget. Not that she didn’t try to… but even her “sleep” wouldn’t allow her. Like she was still imprisoned in that meat locker. Like there was no way out… none except death.
It didn’t have to be her own.
Just as she was about to come out of hiding… the door of the cabin closed. He was definitely inside… but he’d see her coming. There would be better opportunities to make him pay.
To think she once tried to find common ground with that…
“... That guy.”
“Kenny.” Lee corrected.
“Right.” Lilly coughed. “You really think I should talk to him?”
“I guess that’s up to you.”
Despite his evasive reply, his flickering gaze from Kenny to her made Lee’s opinion on the matter clear. If they were to live together, it would be a lot easier to bury the hatchet.
Lilly met this man yesterday, but it already felt like she could understand him. Talk to him about a lot of things. Was it because they’ve been (quite literally) staring death in the eyes together? After spending so long planning or preparing for… the end, one would think she would be somewhat prepared for this.
Lilly turned to Kenny, who kept watch at the top of the RV. Next thing she knew, she let him take charge of the situation. And now she owed one to the last per How was she even supposed to go on about this? Something like “I’m sorry I was going to feed your son to these monsters”? This wasn’t gonna end well… but she was supposed to relieve him of his duty anyways.
She took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing. Hey, Kenny.”
As soon as Lilly announced her presence, the father’s very eyes wanted to bury her deep. “For the watch?”
“Listen…” Lilly rubbed the back of her left arm, “First, I wanted to… thank you, for helping me and my father back there… despite the circumstances.”
Kenny raised an eyebrow for a few seconds, before wearing a neutral expression. “It was just the right thing to do.”
“And… you should know I didn’t think he was in the right.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” Kenny replied through gritted teeth.
“We were all in a bad situation, Kenny. You saw what happened after that argument with my dad.”
“Oh!” Kenny laughed bitterly, “So now this is my fault?!”
“It’s not…!” Lilly inhaled and exhaled once more. “Look. Maybe that’s not an excuse but… he’s all I have left, and I’m doing whatever I can to keep him alive. Perhaps you can understand that?”
Kenny opened his mouth to say something else… but nothing came out of it. Instead, he had an almost vacant look on his face.
"Kenny?" Lilly called out to him.
"I… was just thinking of something else. It's not important.”
Lilly could tell it wasn’t true, but now wasn’t the time to ruin her progress with an inappropriate question.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kenny reached a hand towards Lilly, “Climb on."
Surprised by the offer, Lilly jumped up and let him help her up. There, she could see the walkers.
“Look at these guys.” He said. “All walkin’ around like they’re not about to fuck over the town. What do you think when you see them?”
“Lee asked me the same question.” Lilly said. “What’s even there to think?”
“I mean…” Kenny said. “When they talk about resurrection… I had a whole different picture in mind. Whatever happened to their souls-”
“Souls? What, you’re religious or something?”
“Born and raised a Christian man.”
“Well, I go back and forth. But religion and hope… Lee has seen the good it did that girl from the other night. It’s best to focus on being alive than relying on these things.
Kenny stayed silent for a few seconds.
“I’m aware this whole thing might be bullshit, Lilly. But where the hell would we be, if there weren’t people who believed in crazy things. Like that a piece of rock could somehow make a fire. Or… I’m sure Lee’s got historical facts for us. Point is, maybe we need to believe in some things to make it through this.”
“Well…” Lilly said. “I'm not in a hurry to find out which of us is right about the afterlife. Let me take over.”
“It’s alright. I think I’ve got another hour in me.”
“Okay… I’ll see you later.”
Lilly hopped down from the vehicle. While she refused to believe there was a golden house on a fluffy cloud with her mother waiting for her… at least they seemed to have worked something out.
Kenny watched the lady get further away from him before resuming his duty. An apology would’ve been nice, but realizing they were in the wrong would have to do for now. Besides… some of what she said wasn't total bullshit. His gaze drifted towards Katjaa and Duck’s room. If nothing else, these things gave him an opportunity to be with them. And he already had blood on his hands… it had to count for something.
Didn’t it?
“Why am I thinking about it all of a sudden?” Kenny muttered.
It probably wasn’t helped by… waking up early again. He had something to do anyway. Disregarding his canned food once more, Kenny picked up the pot and pushed the door open.
“Man…” his back made sure to remind him how old he was. About as soon as he came out, two walkers limped towards him. He briefly pondered over what it must have been like for them. Were they suffering on the inside? Or… was there nothing left? No longer weighed down by such things like age, or fearing for their lives… or being ashamed of anything they do.
Kenny kicked them both... barely staggering them. Another kick... and that was enough to knock down. Pondering on his unusual weakness, he continued on his path. His plans didn’t involve getting his hands dirty… besides, they could probably distract whatever was out there yesterday. He may have imagined it, though.
The former fisherman continued along the treeline to reach the makeshift tomb he had made. Too small of a grave for the pile of bodies he left in his wake, but it would have to be enough at that moment.
"Here, your favorite." Kenny said. “You know I was more of a fan of gifts that last… but what can I say? This world has a hell of a way to make you appreciate what doesn’t.”
He closed his eye.
“I didn’t look back, just like I promised not to. But Clem was right. I didn’t know these people. Or what will happen if this place falls one day. Should I have left her there? Am I even capable of looking after them?”
He tenderly touched the grave.
“Truth be told? I don’t even know what I’m doing here anymore. Do I even belong here? Sometimes… sometimes I catch myself thinking maybe it should have been me. You probably would have been smarter than me about things. You wouldn’t have tried to march people through a blizzard for nothing. You wouldn’t have… been alone.”
Kenny shook his head. "I guess it doesn't matter now. Same time tomorrow?"
Time had come to head back home. All this... somehow lightened the load on his heart somehow. Maybe today he would actually feel like feeding his body. Or better yet, actually grab some sleep. At least, it settled the argument: he truly was in no condition to take care of anybody else. In fact, he was more likely to drag them down with him and get them killed too.
When he pushed the door open, his blood ran cold a cold metal pressed against the back of his head.
“Guess your boat plan didn’t work out?” A woman said.
“The fuck?!” Kenny let out.
“Turn around. Slowly.”
Trying and failing to keep his heartbeat under control, Kenny did as he was told...
"Jesus..." Kenny muttered, as he faced the person he just about wanted to see the least.
Lilly approached with a smirk. “You remember me, yet you're awfully calm. Good. This will make things easier. Get inside.”
An impulse to just charge the she-devil and take her gun surged through him... Kenny shut down that impulse and obeyed Lilly.
"Sit down."
He did, sitting right next to the cans. Lilly closed the door and sat down as well. The sunrays piercing through the wood still betrayed many things about her. She always had a thin frame, but it got to sick levels since then. She wore her hair into a ponytail... and she had atrocious bags under her blood-shot eyes.
“The others aren’t with you." Lilly kept a stern tone. "So, they’re dead?”
Kenny didn’t respond, but this question felt like a sucker punch. Probably the way she wanted it to.
“Even… Clementine?” Lilly's voice remained stern, but slightly lower.
"... Yes." Kenny said.
Lilly blinked twice before getting closer to Kenny, but not within grabbing range.
"After all that effort." Lilly said, each word heavier than the last. "All the risk we took... and we still couldn't keep any of them safe. Maybe they weren’t meant to live."
Kenny formed a tight fist as everything just boiled inside of him. "We have nothing to talk about! If you're gonna kill me, just get it over with!"
“There is the Kenny I know! Hasty as ever. You didn’t think we were gonna rush this, did you?”
Lilly got up, with a sudden smile.
“I know Clementine is still out there.”
This reveal struck Kenny in his core. There was no way... no way she could have learned from it unless she got in Wellington or...
Fuck.
"Looks like you worked out how I learned about this." Lilly said. "You've gotten careless, Kenny. Do you know how many times I could have killed you? Luckily for you... I still have uses for you. Where is she?"
"Over my dead body."
As soon as he finished his sentence, a sharp pain on his knee ripped a scream out of him. "Fuck!"
"Consider it your final warning."
Kenny laughed. "How stupid do you think I am? You're gonna kill me anyways... and it won't change shit for you. After what you did, she'll never want anything to do with you."
As he said, he faked doubling over because of the pain, instead reaching for one of the cans.
“I will be the judge of that." You? You’ve got a different proble-."
Lilly didn't get to finish her sentence, as Kenny threw the item on her face. He got up while his enemy missed the second shot. With all the strength he could afford, he limped as fast as he could towards Lilly. He grabbed her throat with both hands and slammed her against the wall. Lilly frantically tried to reach for his hand... and he bit her finger in response.
Why? Why did she have to find him now? After all this time? Why couldn't he just be left alone?! This was on her. Not him. Not him.
This was for Clem.
"Just... fucking die." Lilly's efforts to fight Kenny grew weaker and weaker as her skin reddened.
Kenny's vision blurred... and his grip loosened. And soon after his balance broke, letting him fall on his back.
It was over. He couldn't stop Lilly now. He was too weak. Again, he let Clem down. Like everyone else in his life.
And now... now he would finally pay for it. He wanted this. God knows he had it coming for so long. So what is that shiver down his spine? Where was it coming from?
Before wondering any further... he finally shut his eyes.
Make some room for me, Kat...
"Shit..." Lilly finally let out once she recovered her breath. So close to the black out, her sight slowly cleared itself again.
Coming out of the shed, the two walkers from earlier were returning. If he somehow survived this... this would poetic justice to leave him to them.
How did she not see what Kenny was doing? This... could been her. Her burning throat signaled her life... but this would kill her one day.
Over the next few weeks following this incident, Lilly kept going. And going. She got justice... but nothing changed. Not one bit. Each piece of her very being were falling apart. And still, she was a prisoner.
"Clementine..."
Thus she kept going and going, chasing after that new reason to stay alive.
Chasing after her only hope.

Nearly a year ago I made this post:
https://www.reddit.com/Swingers/comments/uxhjiv/wrapping_my_head_around_why_i_40m_fantasize_about/
I figured an update was due because I've had people ask me periodically what has happened since.
In September of this past year, we did attend a swinger club near where we live. My wife has also become a bit curious about women. Those 2 things are covered in my post history.
Since our first club visit in September, she has really enjoyed going to the clubs. She has gotten all the male attention I knew she would get. I didn't realize how many women in the LS are bisexual and she's received a lot of attention from women as well. This has all been very tame. Basically enjoying the vibe of the club, having sex with each other and then going home and having more hot sex. She loves getting dressed up and ordering clothes for the theme nights. She has been buying and wearing really revealing outfits which I've loved.
Her confidence and self esteem has gone through the roof. I think she finally believes me when I tell her how attractive she is and how desirable she is to other men (and apparently women!). She no longer feels that I just tell her this out of obligation.
For New Year's we attended our first hotel takeover. We were literally having sex on a balcony overlooking the party shortly after the ball dropped. Friends of ours were watching us from the doorway of their room. Next thing we knew we were having sex on their bed parallel with 2 other couples. It was easily the most erotic thing we had ever done and we loved it!
Since then we've probably been to clubs a total of about 10 times. We've enjoyed meeting other couples and have parallel played several times with some light touching between the ladies. We've become much more comfortable discussing fantasies and boundaries and I think at some point we may be ready to soft swap. I realize our pace is slower than some other couples, but we are going at a slow pace to make sure we're both OK with what's happening and we don't want to make any mistakes.
There's been numerous changes in our relationship, but I'd summarize by saying she's lost weight, has become very confident in sexy outfits and being completely nude, has gotten much better at accepting sincere compliments from men and women, and has started becoming more comfortable flirting and talking to other men.
She also confided that she has been insecure about the size of her boobs since we were teenagers. She's very petite and does have small boobs. I've never thought about it or cared because she's gorgeous and I prefer petite women. I told her that she could have them done as long as she was doing it for herself and not for me. She's scheduled to get them done the first week of April and is very excited about it. I'm excited for her because I'm hoping it will finally make her feel the way I feel about her. She's already perfect.
We still haven't swapped, but we've talked a lot about it. I still don't know if we will, but neither of us is worried about it. We love each other and our current sex life so there isn't a need for it to happen. We have had a few small hiccups along the way and I think it would be disingenuous not to mention them.

1. A man she found attractive that we parallel played with at one point wanted her to join him and his wife for a soft swap. His wife was into my wife, but not into me. I'm fine with her not being into me. No hard feelings on my part. My wife explained that we only play together but would otherwise be interested. He didn't really seem to get the hint and made other comments about it and continued to pursue her. I was very conflicted and had trouble telling her how I was feeling. On one hand, I wanted her to have the experience if she wanted it, but on the other I hated the idea of being excluded. We discussed that our boundaries wouldn't change because of the fantasies of another couple and we've moved along. I'm open to the idea that maybe in the future if we've had other experiences, maybe her going with them wouldn't be a big deal, but we definitely aren't ready for that yet.
2. My wife still isn't comfortable of the idea of me flirting and communicating with another woman. She feels a lot of guilt about this because she wants everything to be "fair". I've explained that I'm totally fine working at her pace and this is about enjoying a collective experience for both of us. I don't mind hitting the pause buttons on things that she isn't comfortable with yet. CLARIFICATION FROM COMMENTS: I can and do communicate with other women online. She's been honest that she's insecure about it and working through it. She hasn't asked me to stop.

​
We've discussed doing a LS resort vacation, but nothing scheduled yet. For now, we'll continue to go to the club with no expectations and if something happens, it happens. We've got one particular couple that we're very comfortable being intimate around which has been a lot of fun.
Sorry for the rambling post, but it's difficult to summarize 10 months of craziness into one update. I can say that thinking back, it's insane to realize how much our marriage has changed and improved in the past 10 months. Considering we've been together for over 20 years, these changes in such a short time are very dramatic, but exciting!

Fucking Casshole.
ETA: prefacing this by saying that obviously an internet idiot stranger isn’t actually impacting me in any sort of significant way, no one should let some crazy lady from TikTok ruin anything meaningful - this post is just regarding those small little things that don’t really matter on any sort of level, like a yellow heart emoji etc. etc.
I used to use lots of heart emojis - in all colors (!!) - when texting or typing anything where an emoji keyboard is available, and now I find myself avoiding these 💛💛💛 and it pisses me off. I just keep thinking that it is now a symbol of her gross life and her baby daddy nick name.
Are there things you used to do/say that you now avoid because it gives you Casshole vibes? Has she used any specific products that now you think twice before getting? Does she do anything that you used to think was acceptable but now that you’ve seen her do it you can’t help but feel it’s obnoxious??
Share your annoyances below! There are no wrong answers. Cheers 😂

Im doing another run of Scarlet and decided to go for a shiny Petilil via outbreaks, but even with messing with the time for a few hours, I've not seen a single one pop up. I went to both area Petilill is said to spawn in the dex and no luck. Serebii says they can outbreak too and I'm starting to drive myself crazy. Do I need go further progress the gyms or is it just rare? Only one badge down on this run from the bug lady.