Earlier I posted about how I was fighting the secret boss and he was absolutely kicking my ass, I couldn’t get past the first phase whenever the curse takes effect and it turns into a DPR check. I asked for advice and got a ton of it, so thanks to everyone who commented their tips and strategies! In the end I did a mix of sticking to a similar plan to that of my original, but making some slight optimizations and minor changes, and following the advice of others on my original post. I wanted to go over how I beat the boss so that,

1. Others who are potentially struggling can give this strat a try and see how it works for them.
   
2. I can document how I beat so I can remembered back on it in the future (I don’t fully remember how I beat him in the first game).
   

Disclaimer I wanna just say that this build is VERY unoptimized and I’m sure I could have done things sooooo much better, but this is what I came up with and it worked for me. Enjoy!
To start off my party comps were as follows
Phase 1: Throné (Warrior) Ochette (Apothecary) Osvald (Cleric) Agnea (Inventor)
Phase 2: Hikari (Arms Master) Castti (Cleric) Partitio (Arcanist) Temenos (Dancer)
Phase 1: The biggest thing with this phase is dealing with the souls as quickly as possible. I began with a step ahead on Agnea and used the spring boots on her so that she would always go first for the next few turns. Next round she would have full BP with boost start (as would everyone but Throné) and would then use the dancer divine skill on Osvald. On his turn is use a max analyze every enemy to insure I get all their weaknesses. On Throné’s turn I’d give a large pomegranate to Agnea, getting her back to near full BP and I’d have ochette use a Dotter’s charity. Next round is when things start happening. Agnea is up first and I instantly use her latent power and the elemental bomb bottle skill. Boosted this hits everyone elemental weakness multiple times and breaks the souls instantly. With the souls broken I’d go right into an Aeber’s reckoning with Throné. It’s worth knowing that I did this fight at night time so the buffs you get from Throné’s passive are still up. As such Aeber does a lot and sometimes kills, if it doesn’t I’d have ochette use a dotters boosted Large pomegranate and have Osvakd cast Aelfrics Blessing to let Throné go again at the end of her turn. With the souls defeated the main body is next.
Essentially my strat this phase is all about setting Throné up for big damage with Aeber’s. There are ways to increase its damage to, like getting her speed and physical attack up with her own skills (Abide, swift step) lowering defenses on the eye (I did this with the dreadwolf monster summon) and finally, using the critical scope with inventor to make all hits are critical. With my unoptimized build I was doing 70k per Aeber with the full set up and that would be twice per turn as long as I had Aelfrics up.
Depending on how much damage you do and when the main body is done being broken you can either go into the curse phase or you might skip it and get to the absorbed phase. Most of the time I got the curse phase, but despite my previous troubles, I was prepared. So long as I made sure that Agnea was rebuilding her inventions and had her latent power gauge up, things would be good. However, these souls have new weaknesses, and with the curse there’s no time to do the whole dancer skill into max analyze. Luckily for this part you don’t need to.
So long as someone goes before Agnea and Agnea is at max BP you should be good. Just have whoever is first use a wind soul stone, all the curse souls are week too wind. This’ll expose one weakness and allow Agnea, with a max boosted bottle, to break both the souls and the body. Follow these up with some more Aeber’s and the souls, and potentially the body as well, should be done for. As for me after a few Aeber’s and a latent power one true magic II from Osvald, I defeated phase 1 and made my way to phase 2….
Phase 2:
It took me while to work out my phase 1 strat, so when I finally got it to work only to be shown that my phase 2 strat was not optimal and have my ass handed to me again…. Well it was rough. Phase two is a whole different game to phase 1. Where phase 1 was a game of a abusing weaknesses and breaks, phase two tosses those to the side in favor of raw damage without break.
My original start was to try to fight this like any old fight, with arcanist Partitio doing the good old diffusion and sidestep combo, while Castti and Temenos healed and Hikari was the main damage dealer. However, Galdera is a little bitch and his second phase limbs are nasty and can mess you up. My first few attempts ended up being defensive fight with constant healing. Which in turn made it take longer to defeat the limbs, and the one thing the phases have in common is that you NEED to get rid of the extra enemies as quickly as possible, but my current set up wasn’t doing it, so I called in a favor from a certain accessory and a old friend of a strat from octopath 1.
That’s right it’s the good old 1HP and a dream warrior with the ability that lets you do more damage when your HP is low. This time the ability comes from the “Alpione’s Amulet” item which can be gotten by completing Alpione’s side quest in Gravell. Then all you gotta do is have hikari get down to 1 HP and throw him against a dark god and hope for the best.
For this phase EVERYONE had step ahead. The idea is to set up hikari to do as much damage as possible and to every foe, so long as temenos doesn’t go first, this is possible. First thing you gotta do is give temenos the BP needed to cast the dancer divine skill on hikari. Partitio went first for me followed by Hikari who had defend so he would go first next turn. I cast the spell with Temenos so that Hikari’s skills would hit all the limbs and with Castti I concocted to boost BP and physical attack to everyone. Then the moment of truth occurred….
On Hikari’s turn I max boosted Limb from Limb, an ability that hits a single (now every) enemy with a sword attack 4 times. Even with shields, a max boosted attack up 1HP Limb from Limb had each hit doing well over 15k, and with that… only the head died, and the sword and arm lived with low HP, a bit scary but none of them attacked Hikari and I was able to finished them off with Partitio.
Now with Galdera himself exposed I went about repeating the processes. I was able to pull it off again, but it didn’t kill and hikari ended up going down. I revived him, but decided that since I didn’t one shot Galdera I’d play it safe and keep the HP full and play the fight normally with a focus on getting Hikari strong. After some healing and buffing of Hikari, I pulled off some more LfL’s and got Galdera down to red. On my last turn, I buffed Hikari’s attack with Castti, and had Partitio give him all the BP he could with a donate. And with one final max boosted LfL I finally took down Galdera! Victory at last!
If you made it this far holy shit I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to write all this out, but it’s nice to revel in how I was able to overcome this challenge. I hope you enjoyed reading or at least the meme I made for this post. Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice on my last post!
Take care!

Too Sensitive (Prologue):
In a sleepy forest just outside of town by the old industrial park, a fluffy family is beginning to stir from their slumber. Their humble nest was laid out inside a thick bush, within which dwells a lavender purple earthie mummah with a forest green mane. She awakens in her safe nestie to the hungry peeps of her children. She’s delighted by the sound as all mummahs are and greets them cheerfully with a “Gud bwight time babbehs! Nu wowwy, mummah haf wots ob miwkies fo aww babbehs!”.
With that picks up the two closest within her reach to place on her teats, nursing them in no particular order; she’s a good mummah after all. The two up first suckling away are a caramel brown colored earthie and a red unicorn, both fillies. Three foals remain waiting to be fed, peeping but content to be in their mummah’s presence waiting for their breakfast. These little ones are a royal blue pegasus colt, its tiny wings buzzing with great excitement for the day, and two more unicorn colts, one gray and the other a slightly chubby powder blue.
While looking over her litter beaming with happiness as the first two are nursing, the gray unicorn colt slowly opens his tiny see places. Revealed are two precious baby blue eyes, staring blearily but lovingly up at mummah as it adjusts to the bright new world. The mare squeals with joy. This is one of the most precious moments for a fluffy mummah. With careful movement so as to not disturb the currently nursing foals, mummah reaches to pick up her newly seeing foal and gives it loving lickie cleanies and huggies, telling the little one how much she loves it and how proud she is that it opened its eyes for her.
Then, in an even more miraculous moment, the little one peeps happily and says “wub mummah!” Its first words! The mare is so overjoyed at this that she gives it the biggest huggies and reaffirms to it “das wight babbeh, am youw mummah!”, with happy tears soaking her fluffy face. Soon another word is heard, as a tiny voice squeaks out “mummah?”. It’s her precious blue wingie babbeh! In her elation she scoops it up to also receive upsies and huggies. Pegasus fluffies love upsides oh so much, with mummah cooing proudly over her two talkie foals as they hug her back with all their might. This process repeats another two times, first with the red unicorn once it finishes its meal, and finally the caramel earthie. All that remains is the powder blue unicorn colt, getting its turn to suckle at last.
He wasn’t as rambunctious as his siblings, typically preferring to stay perched in mummah’s fluff to wiggle around and chirp, joyously basking in her warmth. Him being last to feed was the only conscious choice in ordering her foals this mare would make, as the baby unicorn was a hungry growing boy and was always eager for as much milkies as he could drink. If he went first there might not be enough to fill the bellies of the other babbehs! That was absolutely unacceptable, so he had to wait his turn. She didn’t have the heart to pull him off her teat before he was satisfied, so she was content to spoil him a bit with his extra long feeding sessions when everyone else had gotten their fill. He remained latched on for a good few minutes longer as his siblings were enamored by the world around them, eager to “spwouwe” the vast foliage that was their small bush home.
Mummah was overcome with joy by the events of the day, watching over her exploring brood and crying more happy tears. She was absentmindedly humming a mummah song to all the foals as she waited for her last little babbeh to open up his eyes. He had just finished his milkies and waddled blindly to her front to nestle below her, evidently not feeling up to playing with his siblings. His mummah wanted so badly for him to be able to see her, who loved him so very very much.
Unfortunately, today would not be the day. As the family lazed about enjoying their time as a happy little herd, mummah couldn’t help but feel anxious that her last foal hasn’t opened his eyes yet. All the others had opened theirs very soon after one another… Was something wrong? She would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed and maybe a bit scared, but some remnant of her ancestors’ factory breeder programming told her that babbeh just wasn’t ready yet to see the beautiful world of huggies and wub around him.
With this knowledge applied unquestioned, mummah looked down to the foal nestled below her and embraced it, whispeing “Iss otay babbeh, yu nu open see pwaces tiww yu weady. Mummah and bwuddas an sissies wub yu su bewy muchies, can’ wait fo yu tu see an pway!”. The mare cooed the last part softly as encouragement, with her sleepy little blue babbeh resting happily with intermittent chirps in between her front hoofsies. She laid comfortably on her belly where she could look down at her sightless babbeh, allowing him to bury himself as best he could in her warm chest fluff. As much as she wanted to stay like that forever, she had other babbehs to watch too and shifted her gaze back and forth regularly to make sure all was well.
After such an eventful day it was getting near dawkie time and everyone was feeling tired, so mummah called out to her straggling foals who wanted to play around the nest after dinner. The toddling balls of fluff made their way over as quickly as they could at the call, climbing awkwardly up mummah’s side to curl up in a fluffpile on her back. Fluffies all had it ingrained in their programming that mummah’s back was the bestest safest place for a babbeh to be, depsite how obviously flawed this idea was. The blue unicorn was the only one not in the pile, still tuckered out from a whole lot of nothing and remained resting in front of his mummah. She curled her front weggies around him into a big bed time huggie, eliciting sleepy peeps of bliss as she began to sing a sweepie time mummah song for all the foals:
“Mummah’s wittwe babbehs nee dey sweepies, gwow su big an stwong fwom pwayin aww day. Mummah nu wet da munstahs com an git you, safe in da nestie fo aww dawk time.”
It predictably had no tune to speak of and barely counted as a song. Mummah’s wonky vocals weren’t in anything resembling a key, but to the slumbering fluffs this was the most calming thing imaginable. Just hearing their mother’s voice was enough to lull them into a sense of safety and happiness, only matched by the feeling of having a human mummah or daddeh. Mummah briefly worried that maybe her last babbeh would open his see places in the night when everyone was sleeping and she’d miss it! This worry was quickly dispelled as she giggled to herself, thinking “mummah so siwwy, nu can open see pwaces when makin sweepies!” As the mare felt her fluffpile babbehs on her back breathing in sleepie rhythms, she looked down to her special unicorn who was snoozing away, drooling all over his face as he dreamed. She smiled with soft coos escaping her lips, giving his rotund baby face a gentle wipe so as to not wake him before closing her eyes herself. She rested her head beside the unicorn, nuzzling him into her cheek while keeping him netsled in her chest fluff. As sleep finally took her, she whispered sweetly in his ear: “Nu be scawed babbeh, mummah nu wet babbehs hab huwties ow scawdies. You awways be mummah’s pweshus wittwe sensitibe babbeh.”
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(I was initially writing this to brainstorm ideas for an upcoming comic, but it ended up being more fun to just write this as a bit of a prologue. Hope you guys enjoy the read regardless, it’s pretty short and sweet. This is not going to end well.)

I found out the morning after Valentine's Day my fiancee was cheating on me. Things were just seeming really off for a while and I was just getting awful feelings. Went through her phone when she was asleep and what all I saw was just... unexplainably awful. So of course, I woke her up and put the phone right in her face and asked "You wanna explain this?" She just said "Babe, wait." I got up out of bed and said "We're done, I want you to get all your shit and get out of here." And I went straight to the fridge to grab a beer and start drinking. She sat in the living room with me and I was just tearing into her, calling her every name in the book and she was basically just silent. How could I not have been angry? I threw a half full can at her and that was really wrong. That I do feel shitty about. I apologized later for it when her friends were there helping her get all her heavy stuff out of the apartment. When it was still just us there that morning, I put the ring in her face and said "Take one good last look cuz you're never seeing this again." Still just silent. She hadn't been wearing the ring for at least a month. It's just crazy cuz the night before, she told me her life would never feel right again if I wasn't with her. Handed her all the pictures we had hanging up and told her to go throw them away. Anyway, I haven't heard from her. Don't think I'm gonna. I essentially just think she doesn't care at all. Even after everything we did together and all the things I did for her and tried to do. I'm not a perfect partner. I'll take blame on things that are my fault, like being an alcoholic and that I fought with her drunk a lot and I was really mean on those occasions. Sometimes I wasn't very loving and I got irritated easily. Small arguments always turned into blowups. I was depressed a lot and just sat there staring off into space not giving her much attention. There was a point not long before that horrible day that I was really starting to try again. And something she told me that sparked that feeling I needed to try and do better. And that thing she told me was pretty terrible. I thought it was going well. I started laying back in bed again with her after getting ready for work and even though she was asleep, I'd kiss her forehead or her cheek, or sometimes just kiss all over her face cuz I knew she'd half wake up and smile at me. And I'd cuddle her for a few minutes and hold her tight. And whisper I love you before I left. I was trying so hard to show her effort again. So anyway, not long after she was gone, I had to leave the apartment we had together because I realized since I'd barely been working since after Christmas I couldn't afford the rent plus all my normal bills on my own. I was there another two weeks sleeping alone when I could actually muster up the courage to walk into the place after sitting in my car after work for hours trying to find the strength to go up there. Finally one day some family came and helped me get the remainder of my stuff out, and of course on a day I was hungover, didn't sleep, and was coming off a pill binge. Then two days later, I stopped at a bar after work. Got absolutely trashed and ended up with my car in a ditch. Totaled it, got arrested, OWI charge. And then lost my job. Then a few days later, my bandmates basically fired me. So now I'm not even getting to go play all the shows we have scheduled for this year. I still have hardly unpacked anything in the boxes in my room and I've been back living with family for over a month now. I just don't have the motivation or mental strength to do it. My mom has to pretty much drive me everywhere, I haven't had any luck finding a new job, I'm on a breathalyzer and have to stay sober. Which isn't necessarily the worst thing but just feeling all these feelings completely unaltered is hell. My grandfather was in the hospital recently after having a small heart attack and contracting pneumonia. And my dad told me a few days ago he has a tumor in his bladder and I just found out today he's having a manic episode and just acting and talking very strangely. I haven't been able to call him cuz I can't take anymore stress. From what I've heard from other family members, he's not making any sense when he's talking anyway. And he'll probably end up in a mental hospital. I'm in AA and have almost a month sober. Even though all these other problems have arisen, still the only thing that's constantly on my mind, and I do mean constantly, is the breakup and the fact someone I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with cheated on me. There was just no visible signs of it going on. I just had a bad feeling. And I was right. Apparently she'd been unhappy for a while. Which that also wasn't visible. I could still always count on being greeted at the door with a long hug and a kiss and a smile. And those eyes that always looked at me so kindly. The look that just says "I love you". There's no distraction strong enough to work. TV, video games, music, friends, writing. Nothing. And truthfully, I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm angry, sad, numb, bitter. Usually I'm talkative and try to make jokes as often as possible but that's stopped a lot. I barely sleep or eat. I've cried more than I have in years. I'm constantly stress sick and I dry heave for 5 to 10 minutes at a time until I throw up, even if I haven't eaten anything. I've lost almost 20 pounds since the breakup. I really don't know who I can even talk to all this about so I figured I'd just spill my guts somewhere that nobody knows me. Guess it helps a little to let it all out.

Hi there everyone! I hope you're doing well. 😊
As you can no doubt tell from the title of this post; I'm looking to explore an emotionally engaging & rewarding relationship with an older woman. I'd love to be able to find someone on the same wavelength as me, hopefully making some nice memories along the way!
So, why older women? Honestly I struggle to identify with women my own age. Don’t get me wrong I completely respect my peers, their personalities and their interests. However, I just find myself drawn strongly to older women and their values. I really appreciate emotional intelligence and empathy and am hopelessly introspective. I care about being intimate and loving. I try my best to be the most morally righteous person I can be. Often I find that older women identify with me and my struggles. It doesn't take me long to open up and talk endlessly about the things I love, struggle towards and aim for. I'm told I have an old soul - it's oceanic ;). Whether or not that is really true I will leave that up to your own discretion, aha.
As for myself, I’m a 24 year old white male from Australia. I’m around 5’8 and quite skinny! I've got wavy/curly brown shortish hair and eyes to match! I've got a few tatts and piercings - sorry if that ain't you thing. Obviously I’m happy to share pictures of myself when we both feel comfortable. More intimate details I find a little crass to put on here but am happy to answer.
I'm a bit of an airhead, and a bit of an idealist. I'm your basic lefty - extremely passionate about environmentalism and social justice. I love plants and animals and am aiming on starting a zoology degree sometime soon. I love literature and writing - I like to think I'm pretty good :P - and am a proud owner of a half-finished literature degree. (Which sorta reflects my ability to read half-way through a book before moving on to the next one). Other than that I really like self-care & fashion, board-games (I have way too many), heavy metal, jazz and new wave - but I like a bit of everything.
Anyways, I hope I’ve done an adequate job in describing my genuine self. All I can say is that if I’ve genuinely captivated you, I’d love to hear it! The last thing I am is discriminatory, so feel free to go wild! I do have my limits and I will tell you if you cross any boundaries, as I hope you will do too. I really want to create a consensual, safe environment for each other where we can feel appreciated and looked after. Bigots/racists/etc need not reply.

I am a firm believer that action films require a male lead in order to be effective in the action market. Nearly every one of these films is about revenge, taking on a spirit of vengeance, or taking on the role of justice. But the strange part of this is that both vengeance and justice are feminine deities in mythology, and at multiple levels. The male action hero is less about taking revenge or enacting justice and is more about understanding their role in taking revenge, which can result in not wanting revenge at all or realizing there is something more grand to the journey they enter. This is why mystery and whodunit stories appeal to women, because women enjoy aspects of revenge and justice, while being less interested in the more masculine aspects like enlightenment and the hero’s journey.
That statement alone is enough to set any wokescold’s blood a’boiling, because it’s a factual statement.
None of this means it’s impossible to make an action movie with a female lead, it just means it will be built differently with themes exclusive to the female role. I’ve talked about the movie Furie here and there when talking about female roles in stories because it’s a clear example of how to do it right when the female role is meant to be a tiger mother archetype. The story is simple: a mother has her child kidnapped by bad guys and she goes out to retrieve her child and save her from the dangerous world they live in. This kind of story is very primitive, with how it’s no different than if a tigress lost her cub and had to find it in the wilderness. The tiger mother finds her strength by being more feminine, closer to mother earth, and using her nurturing spirit to stay dedicated to her main goal: protect her cub.
Not only protect, but also allow her cub to flourish in the world by making sure her child studies hard, gets a good job, and gives the air of “not being good enough” because that is what the world tells us every day. We will never please the world and feel comfortable at any moment for any reason unless we willingly let our guard down, and that’s when the snake devours the cub. The tiger mother views the world as harsh, unforgiving, and a constant threat of corruption that will swallow their child whole. They are not paranoid, they are realistic. They are not carefree, they are careful. This mentality causes them to become very authoritarian, and so the tiger mother might as well be called the empress, because they are to be the empress of both their world and the world of their child’s.
A fury is one of the Furies from Greek mythology, who are the 3 goddesses of vengeance. Nemesis came before them as a goddess of revenge, but it is more like Nemesis handles anger between gods and the furies cast curses upon humans. In the movie Furie, there is a detective who is after the same villain, with the villain being this drug lady(as in female version of drug lord) and she is the dark sorceress of the streets. The Drug Lady represents the terrible chaotic side of the earth mother, with her minions being these evil demons who kill and rape anything in their path. The entire story of Furie was a mythological tale presented in modern day Vietnam in one of the most beautiful depictions of such a tale I’ve seen in a while.
This is not meant to be a hero’s journey other than the journey of the detective, who gains a gift from the tiger mother in the form of protection while he also saves her in the end, meaning there is a supportive synergy going on in their relationship. The authoritarian femme fatale assisting the masculine authority is a story about control between both family and society. An action movie like this is why I love action films when they have effort put into them, because there is deep subject matter being played out through simple interactions between individuals and between that we get epic fight scenes.
Let me tell you: these fight scenes are awesome.
It’s not just about a woman beating up a bunch of dudes. It’s about how she struggles to get through each fight but will still carry on because that’s what a mother does for her child. It’s no different than when a noir hero fights his way through hordes of goons in order to enact his revenge. All of these little fights represent thoughts in our head like “give up” and “go back”, which are meant to detract us from our main goal. Get hit too much or get surrounded and we are forced to play defense or hide behind something, which is no different than being like a turtle hiding in their shell. The turtle, the hermit, only works in isolation and it’s meant to be the moment of introspect.
All of that is a way of saying that the action hero should only play defense to plan a better attack, because the world around them will not give up on the onslaught. These are the moments in an action movie where someone is healing or planning a new attack, with the occasional doubt hitting them near the end. The movie Furie has these moments, specifically for the tiger mother to heal and make a plan to get her daughter back, which enhances the movie’s credibility. We need these high and low points of an action movie for rest, progression of story, getting to know the characters more, and also we don’t expect a budget to be constant expensive action all the time.
If anything, the furie in this movie is a representation of Alecto, goddess of unceasing anger, due to her dedication that goes beyond the death of those who wrong her. In the mythology, the furies are three sisters who live in the underworld, specifically Erebus(meaning darkness), which is why it’s appropriate to have this movie mostly at night and involve the criminal underworld. Whenever an action movie involves the criminal underworld as a setting, they are mirroring the underworld of mythology in a form of katabasis, a journey into the underworld. Think of something like Orpheus or Dante or Jesus making a trip into the underworld in order to achieve a goal. The underworld in this case is always related to something like a wilderness or a hedonistic primitive state of mind that’s full of everything unlawful because the primitive state is before society and order is established.
The male enters the underworld to become enlightened and the female lives there because it’s their domain.
Rape, murder, theft, drug use, kidnapping, everything that we are able to do as humans but only do once our shadow has taken over. The shadow, the darkness within us, is what is so present in the underworld that the entire world is enveloped in darkness, under this shadow. When taken symbolically, this movie works beautifully and it makes sense to have the evil villain kidnap the child of our tiger mother heroine and also try to harvest her organs. This villain, named Thanh Soi, appears to be something like a big bad wolf who goes around and devours children. Being a female antagonist, she represents the ruthless underworld and chaos that causes the world to be so treacherous and causes the tiger mother to be so dedicated.
I have nothing but praise for this first movie because it sticks so close to mythology and fits itself into an alchemical form of storytelling. It’s no surprise this movie was nominated for awards and it probably would have won a lot of them if people respected the beautiful choreography and neon noir aesthetics. I would even go far enough to say that it’s one of my favorite action movies of the decade, if not in the top 10 of all time. It provides a female action heroine in a way that works because she is entirely feminine in her approach to everything, down to her not really having a hero’s journey because that’s reserved for the male assistant she has, who is in the form of a detective.
Sadly, thanks to the colors pink and purple always being present in these neon noir movies, we have encountered a massive issue in how these kinds of movies will be made in the future.
For a quick reminder, noir is the film genre where a cynical hero enters an existentialist journey that changes them for the worst because they were touched by the darkest elements of the world. In noir, the femme fatale always aids in bringing this male hero to his downfall, because the femme fatale is a representation of Lilith and this existential crisis our hero enters represents the fallen state of Adam. These stories are aided by German expressionism and poetic realism, to both ground and extend the story into an almost surreal world that we can relate to. The inner mind of the hero gets reflected out onto the world to cause this expressionism, which allows aspects like elongated shadows and warped environments to symbolically fit into the story and make it look fascinating.
Neo-noir is a postmodernist form of this genre that takes some of the aspects of noir and tries to experiment with more current trends, keeping some of the aesthetics and aspects that resulted from decades of pulp stories being told and merged together in what I would like to call “mental slop” that is created in media by merging elements together after years of experimentation and deconstruction. No longer does it have to do with a cynical hero or an existential crisis, because now the barriers of the genre are removed and people simply recognize it as noir for some vague aspects that might relate to noir, such as dealing with a criminal underworld or the snappy way hardboiled dialogue would be written.
A good way to put it is that neo-noir holds noir “themes” and “sensibilities”.
This is further continued into neon noir, which is not a fully established genre quite yet, but is noticed recently with the increased popularity of retrowave and cyberpunk. The neon lights of the 80s are brought into this neo-noir story to create a contrast between two colors, similar to how noir was filmed in black and white. This is an aesthetic choice and is usually in the form of contrasting purple against a blue because these are complimentary colors. Lights are very present in this new genre, but the light is less of a source of clarity and more like a new form of obscurity. The expressionism in these movies are used for mood enhancing, due to the tranquility of blue and the excitement of red.
All of this is important to note because postmodernists will take everything that works about these factors and then try to avoid anything that makes sense about it. They go by whatever they feel and hope their experimentation doesn’t blow up in their face. Sometimes it works, like in the case of the movie Drive, and other times it doesn’t like in the sequel to Furie called Furies.
Everything was set up for this sequel. There was no way for it to be worse. It had more money, it had Hollywood investing in it, and the concept of the tiger mother can be used as much as any typical action hero setup could be used. Just have a villain who runs a crime syndicate, have a person who was wronged by this crime lord, they seek out revenge, and it ends with the villain being defeated.
Simple, right?
Well… this movie didn’t do that. I mean, it did, but it didn’t in the way that works. There’s a villain, a male drug lord who runs a casino and kidnaps women to sell their bodies for sex. There is a person who is wronged, who is a woman that lost her husband and child at the hands of this drug lord. This woman is seeking revenge and she defeats the villain at the end.
But she’s not the protagonist. She’s not even A protagonist. In fact, they made her the actual villain of the story. The villain… kills the villain. They probably thought they were doing a “Darth Vader killing off the Emperor” kind of thing, but they weren’t.
We are told in the beginning that this woman is to be like a mentor, the fairy godmother who protects our protagonist and guides her through this treacherous world. She’s meant to be a sort of adopted tiger mother, the way lesbians do it, and instead turns into the wicked stepmother by the end. But it seems I’m getting ahead of myself, so I’ll explain this story in a more coherent manner.
This sequel is a prequel. It happens before the first movie. We are introduced to a character named Bi(pronounced like BEE) who claims in a monologue that she was “destined for darkness”. Hey, makes sense. The Furies were born from Nyx in one of the mythologies, so being born from night to be destined for darkness is a sort of match made in heaven for this kind of character.
She becomes a homeless wreck after a drunk man tries to rape her and killed her mother. She killed him and is forever reminded of that moment every time she gets blood on her hands(a running theme we will see later). This is where a lady named Jacqueline finds her and brings her under her wing, hiding her with two other girls. Symbolically, we can determine these three girls are meant to be the furies: Alecto (“Unceasing in Anger”), Tisiphone (“Avenger of Murder”), and Megaera (“Jealous”).
Already, this entire thing fell apart and deviated from the mythology.
I say this because the other two girls are nothing like the furies of mythology and I can only assume Bi is meant to be Tisiphone because her mother was murdered. But she already got her revenge, so there’s not much for her to do in that regard. The girl named Hong is meant to be a cute Harley Quinn style psycho and the girl Thanh Soi is meant to be a butch biker. The two girls want their own forms of revenge against the drug lord that runs the streets they live in, mostly because both used to be slave girls and want to free their fellow women who have been enslaved. Jacqueline convinced them that she wants to free the slave girls as well, and all of this training that she puts them through is for this mission, but there’s a catch.
Jacqueline kept her relationship with this drug lord secret, because she was working with him and ended up having her husband and child killed by this drug lord. For years, she planned out revenge and set up several spies within his ranks, including the boyfriend of Hong. All of this is revealed in the end, so we go through the whole movie believing they are out for vigilante justice against crimes, specifically against women, when it was all because a bitter mother was betrayed after trusting a man too much. Already, this sounds like a mess, and it is. This prequel makes such a simple story incredibly convoluted and tries to use twists as a plaster for weak narrative and symbol subversion. But there’s a reason for this.
The woman who acted as the main heroine in the first movie also plays the role of Jacqueline. These are two different women in the movie’s setting, being played by the same woman. On top of that, the first movie was directed by a man and now this prequel is written and directed by… this same actress in question, Veronica Ngo. That’s right, she decided to play the villain after she wrote the script and directed the entire thing.
It was designed for this woman to crank herself silly.
And boy does it show in the movie. Quite literally in every scene. I say this because the first movie held shots for a while and had the simple story unfold slowly, with long moments to settle down and let the beautiful environment sink in. In the prequel, we are supposed to enjoy flashing colors as every scene is cut and edited like a movie trailer. I’m not kidding when I say that.
Every. Single. Scene.
Even the scene where Bi is being raped by a drunkard is treated like a movie trailer, with the camera changing all over the place and music playing as she monologues about how everything sucks. This camera is a massive pain to sit through, because it’s either constantly moving, getting splashed with CGI blood, zooming over people’s shoulders, or switching between 5 different conversations before a single thought could be finalized. It does that thing where someone is talking in a different scene and then a few seconds later the camera goes to where the person is talking, as if the transition was meant to be meaningful, but it would be for any little thing.
This is the sign of someone trying to experiment with things but are completely incompetent in what they’re doing. It gets worse when we enter fight scenes that look like they were edited frame by frame to hide the fact that they didn’t know what they wanted the fights to look like. The only time a camera holds for longer than a second is when someone dies off screen or Bi starts to suffer from her PTSD. And boy does she suffer.
They have a moment where she kills a random goon, gets blood on her hands, and when they return to their hideout, she vomits in the sink. She gets flashbacks to her first assault and the day her mother dies, which results in her trying to fight Thanh when she tries to calm Bi down. They fight in the bathroom and one of them knocks a valve loose, which causes the shower to turn on and shower both of them as they try to grapple and fall to their knees. This moment is meant to be a loving embrace between sisters during a time of need and support, with Thanh being a protective sister who is dedicated in making sure the new sister is able to get through harsh mental anguish whenever she is triggered.
This, my friend, is the entire problem with this movie.
I understand it’s meant to be emotional and heartfelt. I don’t deny there is thought put behind a moment like this. The music swells, the colors are somber, the water slowly falls on them as if to say the water purifies their thoughts and cools their head. I get it. But what the hell does any of that have to do with being a fury?
This isn’t about taking vengeance, this all feminist woes being presented for the sake of representation. Hong later on has a birthday party and they all celebrate by singing 90s songs(because this movie is meant to take place in the 90s) and when Bi came into the picture they had a makeover montage. This is an action movie written like a teen romcom without the romance and nothing in it is meant to be comedic. There are light hearted moments, sure, but I would never call it a comedy except for this one moment where a drug addict begs for drugs and the drug lord throws it on the ground for him to snort it, and then the drug lord pisses all over him.
To me, that is funny, but it’s treated as a horrible moment to make us hate the villain who doesn’t even really do anything. One of the most disappointing moments is when the furies sneak into a bedroom with him by disguising themselves as club whores and they have the perfect moment to kill him. Bi messes up by being too obvious with her stab attack and he runs away with a slight wound. This is where we have a fight that is meant to be a key moment: a hallway decorated with silhouettes of dancing women as the place fills up with black suited goons.
This moment is meant to show how brave and powerful the girls are, and all it does is accidentally present a massive stereotype where women can't get the job done and they are granted luxuries by having beautiful bodies while wearing a lot of makeup. When I saw this, I figured at least the action scenes will make up for the lack of theme, and… boy was I wrong.
These action scenes, as I said before, are a mess. Everything is a close up so we can’t see what’s going on and every attack is a wide swing that gets blocked by an arm that comes up 5 seconds too early. There is this back and forth that happens with each fight that makes it look functional and the music keeps it pumping, but it always looks like the fight coordinador told them to do everything wrong as a joke and the director was none the wiser. There are even moments where they use the wrong sound effect, like when someone gets punched and it does the stabbing sound effect.
Sure these are tiny technical things, but it gets worse when I am forced to mention the infamous bike scene.
So, Hong dies at the hands of this guy called Son, who is meant to be the dragon below the drug lord. Her boyfriend sees it, with her boyfriend acting as a spy who has infiltrated the drug lord’s ranks, so he’s standing there shocked and everyone ignores him. The remaining two sisters decided to run away on a bike and ensue in a chase sequence that is some of the worst CGI fighting I’ve seen in a while. There was no reason for any of this, they just put it in because the director thought it would look cool. I have no idea what it is with women and motorcycle chases, but there’s something where a woman on a motorcycle is seen as a “sexy” thing, specifically for women.
Not sexy to be sexual, but it’s something that women find aesthetically pleasing, and I can only imagine that it has something to do with the feeling of a bike vibrating between their legs. It also has to do with the idea of danger, because it’s easier to fall off a motorcycle than it is to fall out of a car with the doors closed. That, and I think it’s a fantasy for women to actually ride them without crashing. It’s the director’s way of saying “See! Women can ride motorcycles too!”, as if refraining from instantly crashing is an achievement.
But considering these are women and they are Asian, the fact they are not crashing instantly is a miracle.
What makes it funny is that in order to say “women can ride motorcycles too”, they put these women on a motorcycle and then transition it into a CGI race through the city with the motorcycle sitting in place in front of a greenscreen. We can easily tell this is happening because the wheels aren’t moving and there is the world’s fakest looking background flying by with whacky angles and movements being made with the camera. Bad guys fly into the screen from behind like TIE fighters in the old Star Wars movies, clearly breaking through the scenery, and I could not stop laughing at how terrible it all looked. And they somehow managed to make it worse by having a moment where one of the girls gets knocked off the bike and the other keeps riding to go up a ramp and onto a roof, only to get knocked off the bike herself and the bike flies off the roof and explodes in a corner.
I think I forgot to mention this but EVERYTHING EXPLODES in this movie. It’s as if the direct thought “hey, this part doesn’t have much substance to it, let’s fill it up with explosions.” There’s even a part earlier where they light a building on fire because it was a place where girls were being held captive. They throw lighters in random areas that have lamp oil or alcohol conveniently placed for them and random areas of the building start blowing up. What are you guys lacing in your cocaine over there, nitroglycerin?
Finally, we come back to the ending, the part of the story that ruined it for the movie. Bi and Thanh go to the drug lord’s hideout, they seek revenge for their lost sister, and meanwhile we have Hong’s boyfriend kill Son because… he was her boyfriend and had sex with her. Way to go movie, that sure shows what men care for. We only fight for those we bang and the sex was really that important for him. Forget meaningful things like a firmly built relationship or a child being made between a man and a woman, those aren’t important to a man. It’s all about the dedication someone has to a girl who sold her body for money.
But you know what? His motives and story aren’t important because we don’t even really see him. In fact, they bring in several characters that we’ve never seen before and act as if we’re supposed to know them. This is when they enter the drug lord’s underground casino, with the casino representing a massive gamble that this entire mission has been taking. However, the concept of gambling doesn’t mean much since the story repeatedly hits us with talk about fate, which is meant to relate to the sisters of fate in Greek mythology. I thought we were going to get some kind of motif going on every time they mentioned fate, but they just said “this is our fate” and that was it.
So they enter the casino and start shooting up the place. I don’t know what guns they are using, but they have enough ammo in their magazines to practically be infinite. There’s even an editing flub where they were supposed to show one of the girls reload, but they just show her pulling the slide back to load a bullet in the chamber, as if that’s enough. At least this part of the movie tries to implement gun-fu, but the way they do it is surreal because it’s entirely for show and there’s nothing practical in any of their attacks. They come with limited ammo and see themselves outnumbered, but they end up shooting people in the hands and feet while fighting as a way to ease off some attacks, to then shoot the enemy in the head.
Fast forward a bit and we have one of the stupidest twists enacted on screen. Jacqueline came with the girls to finish this once and for all, and while fighting she is seen getting stabbed in the back by a henchman. The drug lord watches it happen on a CCTV and celebrates. This looks like a perfect time for Bi to get her revenge on the main villain. But no, that would be the smart thing to do.
Instead, they have Bi and Thanh held at gunpoint in a room after a surprisingly difficult fight against a crackhead armed with a syringe who walked up to them like a zombie, and no I am not making that up. It sounds stupid, because it is, but they put that into the movie because someone decided it would be a good time to include something zombie related in a movie that has nothing to do with zombies. So, they’re held at gunpoint and then Jacqueline barges in and shoots the drug lord’s limbs to make sure he suffers. The boyfriend of Hong also comes in and is like “yeah, let’s get our revenge on this sick bastard”.
Then Jacqueline shoots the boyfriend of Hong. Everyone in the room is like “what the hell is going on?!” and Jacqueline kills off the drug lord and goes “Ok, now Thanh has to kill Bi” and both of them are just as confused as the audience. Even if Jacqueline was this new villain who becomes the new drug lord, it’s not like either of the girls would join her if she continued the sex trade. So, Thanh does the expected and tries to shoot Jacqueline instead, but was too slow and gets shot herself. The final fight is between Jacqueline and Bi, with Bi shooting Jacqueline several times.
But this is the part that made me really pissed: they fire the same gun over 30 times without reloading and then the second the gun is trained on Bi’s head… it’s empty.
The only way for this to be more convenient for Bi is if a bird flew in and airdropped a white turd into the eye of Jacqueline and had it explode for good measure. But because that didn’t happen, we have Bi tired as all hell and she collapses in a room full of dead bodies. Police come in and find her alive, arrest her, and then imprison her for 15 years. The big twist of this, the reason this is a prequel is revealed in this single moment where we see her leave her jail cell.
Who was Bi this whole time?
She was the villain of the first movie: Thanh Soi.
Apparently, the name is meant to be something like “she-wolf” and she took the name in honor of her dedicated sister in battle, Thanh Soi. This means that this entire time, the one we’re to be rooting for ends up being this horrible monster from the first movie that was kidnapping children and harvesting their organs. All because she… didn’t like to get blood on her hands.
If you think that none of this makes sense: welcome to the club.
The first movie was brilliant and coherent all the way down to a mythological level. It hit us deep in our unconscious and is something to be remembered years after watching it for how heartfelt each scene was made. It even brought some sympathy to some of the villains with how one of them was spared by the tiger mother because the guy’s own mother was present. It followed a theme of motherhood, while the second movie tried to follow a theme of sisterhood.
Where motherhood was filled with morals and justice, the sisterhood was filled with contradictions and partying.
I do not believe this was done out of a lack of budget or a rushed job. This was the result of how wokeness infiltrates even some of the least western influenced countries to create senseless garbage that nobody likes. We are not only to sympathize with one villain, but we are told that we have to sympathize with two, while the male villains are completely reprehensible. This movie was designed with woke Charlie’s Angels in mind and it shows with how they took three women to fight for a mentor and the only male on the team is treated like a bag of meat. What makes it more hilarious for me is that I’m constantly told by the woke that it’s bad to give women tragic backstories for why they become villains and there’s no excuse for having rape as part of this tragic backstory.
This is the feminism that is designed to trigger western feminists while hoping that Hollywood accepts it as “feminist enough”. This movie was not designed with men in mind, because female action movies are always plagued with over edited fight scenes, girl power moments, and romcom montages. I wish I was kidding, but I have yet to see a female focused action movie that refrained from doing these pointless representation calls, because the goal is to represent in this way.
She Hulk, Charlie's Angels, feminist Ghost Busters, Men in Black International, Atomic Blonde, Captain Marvel, Gunpowder Milkshake, Lucy, Jupiter Ascending, Disney Star Wars, basically every Disney and Pixar movie now. All of these movies are designed specifically to say women can do stuff guys can and then fail to show them doing stuff guys can. Then they wonder why these movies flop and get memed into oblivion. The only people who care about seeing a woman beating up men are angry women, because that is a low resolution view of what the movie is even supposed to say. The only people begging to see that on screen are women who hate men enough to want to beat them up.
This is not a lot of people. This is surprisingly a small fraction of the population and this is who these movies are trying to appeal to. Everything else around this low resolution declaration is meant to be spectacle for the sake of spectacle.
Why did the motorcycle explode? Because explosions are cool.
Why did the girls light a building on fire? Because fire is cool and it leads to explosions.
Why are they shooting the limbs of people? Because shooting limbs is cool.
Why does the camera get covered in CGI blood every 5 seconds? Because blood splatters are cool.
I’m not going to sit here and say something like that lacks style. It has style and it is spectacular. But when placed in a movie with zero meaning and zero purpose, this baseless spectacle gets lost in a sea of nonsense and there’s nothing to hold onto other than the possible impressive choreography or the impressive practical effects. This movie had a little bit of something, but it could never hold a candle to the dedication and effort put into the first movie. I also want to mention the camera work because this is also tied into woke ideology.
Every time the plot is trying to be expressed or shown, the camera and scenes are given the smallest amount of lingering. For example, a turf war begins after they blow up the slave holding… place and it’s shown as a turf war in two events. A person gets shot and people start getting attacked by random. These events lasted for about 5 seconds each. We’re told that Bi is homeless and fighting the local gang by having her steal a wallet and then have someone shout “hey, this is our turf!” all in the span of 5 seconds. We go from the girls going through an outfit montage during a plan to the girls working at the club of the drug lord in about 5 seconds.
If you didn’t get it by now: everything in this movie goes by the 5 second rule, but only when it is about the plot.
Do you want to know what lasts longer than 5 seconds? Moments where the girls are talking about stuff they like and parts where they pose together to present girl power. So to the woke, it takes the tiniest amount of time to show how someone enters the worst stage of their life, but it takes minutes to let us know that these girls plan to stick together and fight side by side. Everything important is done with quick flashes and everything unimportant is lingered on. This is a tactic of the woke to bring the mundane into the essential.
The goal is to feature tiny bits of important things to let the viewer understand why they are in that position, and then hammer in the idea of wokeness that the director or writer wanted to virtue signal for. The woke do not dedicate their focus on the themes of the story that matter to the audience and instead force the viewer to put up with things the woke writer is focused on so that the propaganda is viewed in the first place. We are promised a story about a mother seeking revenge and instead we are treated with the rise of a villain who became that way because she was abused as a child.
Using the woke lens of intersectionality and critical feminist theory, we can determine that the themes of this movie dwindled into arbitrary concepts like PTSD and girls trying to stay friends till the end. All of these are the result of mental weakness and toxic behavior that is now being given an excuse because the context of why they do these toxic actions are presented, even if it’s for 5 seconds. Now a woman like Bi is able to be excused for harvesting the organs of children and even blame men because it all started when her mother was a prostitute and a random drunk guy raped her. This is the polar opposite from how a tiger mother acts, because we are not trying to give excuses for a dedicated mother doing what a dedicated mother does. The tiger mother is a big part of what causes us to survive and is something to strive for because that’s what allows us to reproduce.
Being raped and then suffering PTSD over it doesn’t.
Thanks to intersectionality, the woke demand to present vices as virtuous and weakness as strength because this is how they take the outliers and bring them to the center. This goes beyond postmodernist subjectivity. It becomes subjective advocacy to obfuscate reality itself and pretend it’s incoherent just because their own agenda is incoherent. This is why every time there is a rule, they will pretend there is an exception to it, just because they don’t understand what that rule is or it’s not detailed in a way that prevents horribly bad faith takes. Every established rule for writing established doesn’t have an exception, just an attempt to reject what’s actually effective. These rules were established because they work and because people respond to them positively.
The woke hate positive results because those are the results that signify the rules work.
I don’t mind a female lead in a movie. I also don’t mind when a female lead is in an action movie. I don’t even mind a sisterhood or girls having magic powers or anything like that. Those things make sense to me when they are done properly, which the movie Furie did when they had the tiger mother as the protagonist and a harvester of child organs as the antagonist. That makes 100% sense to me, both symbolically and entertainment wise.
What I don’t like is when wokeness barges into established IPs and tries to change everything to say absolutely nothing of value. I’ve noticed that these feminist and LGBT stories always try to deal with the same nonsense that is done in a sad attempt to connect with some sort of audience they have in mind. Sexual abuse, PTSD, feeling oppressed, mental disorders, spousal abuse, prostitution, sexual deviancy, leaving their family to be with a sexual partner, drug abuse, being found by a guardian lesbian to feel protected, entering a sisterhood or a group of fellow LGBT agents of destruction.
These types of stories don’t mean anything to normal people. We can see some of these things as a terrible thing to have happen and we can attach a negative symbol to these things, but there’s no way in hell a person who’s never experienced any of this feels represented. The representation of a minority, that just wants to claim oppression because of their own choices or because of something that rarely happens, is a losing game. Normal people will either hate it or not care. I have every reason to blame the director for these horrible decisions and I have every reason to claim her poor decisions are because she fell for woke nonsense as a woman.
But no matter what, I refuse to let such an issue deter me from liking the first movie, even though she’s the main actress. The people featured in a story mean nothing to the story outside of how well they can act the part and be the character. Now we even have to say that the actor must retain the source material and culturally make sense, all because the woke want to bring the outliers to the center and turn every Disney character black. Especially the red heads. I only covered the feminist aspect of wokeness here, so we can leave woke race swapping for another time.
Furie is an amazing movie that will be remembered positively for years to come.
Furies is woke trash that will only be remembered for how terrible it was.

The first time was when I was 12 and it failed because: dumb kid.
The second time was when I was 19 and it failed because: dumb luck (also, way too wasted to do anything competently)
The third time I guess I didn't really try. But I planned.
I had been being sucked further and further into the hole for coming on a decade. Jan 1, my new year resolution was that I wouldn't see the next Jan 1 unless something significant changed. I made a plan, swore to myself that I would take active steps to make the necessary changes but would prepare for the date I had chosen, Dec 20 (there was a reason for that date). The year was passing, and everything I tried to get help or make changes hit a dead end. Somehow it felt even more hopeless than before.
Around the end of May I started reaching out to friends (and special places) to say goodbye. They didn't know that of course. Kept trying. But solidified plans which were designed to make sure a) I succeeded, b) it was indistinguishable from an unfortunate accident to reduce the impact on family, and c) maximized pay out to support the family I left behind.
October came, and nothing. Confirmed insurance etc in place. Made the arrangements needed to execute my plan on the date specified. Reviewed the plan, did some research to make sure it would work. Started recording messages for my kids.
Dec came. I planned some extended leave to maximize the last time with my family. I suggested to my wife that we go out for a special supper while I was off. For me to say goodbye, obviously, though she wouldn't know that.
Her reaction...broke me. It was hostile, demeaning. Basically called me childish for thinking it was normal to have a romantic evening with my wife, and inconsiderate to think that just because I had time off work she was free to just drop everything for an evening.
I was back at work the next day, and in a state I can see now was dissociative. A moment came when I nearly scuppered my careful plans . It was like I was a passenger in my body, and the urge to just do it and do it now was like a pressure behind my eyes.
Good news is I didn't do it. That moment scared me so much (not a fear of dying, a fear of it happening out of my control) and in the time until my "deadline" I finally managed to get the kind of help I needed.
That was Dec 2017. Meds and therapy later, I guess I'm in a better place. But there are still days where I am way too close to the ragged edge. Today I had to close the door to my office and pretend to be in a call so I'd have time to fight down the urge to cry and self-harm.
I feel worthless and filled with guilt and like a failure on a nearly daily basis.
They see a successful, popular professional. I slap on a smile for the public. I joke and treat my reports as kindly as I can. I take the shit before it gets to them because I don't think they deserve it....but I do. My ex-wife thinks I left her because I didn't like married life, but it's because the things she said to me - especially after she learned I was in treatment - both broke my trust and underlined things I already hated myself for. And the shame of leaving my children eats me every single day.
No one has a clue how bad I feel inside except my doctors. I have no one to tell. And I'm not sure how much longer I can stay in this "better" place, or if it's even worth it.

Hi everyone, this is the first chapter of my debut novel. For information and links to other chapters click the link down below :
Reddit - Dive into anything
The Great One sat on his throne, gazing longingly into the hearts of man. Something was coming and he could feel it. Destiny riding on a white steed, like the tales of man long ago, coming to uncover his secrets. He could see it all, the wall, the castle, and the so-called gods that built it all. The ego of these creatures was laughable, if only the Great One could still laugh. He could still speak sure, but only through means not of man’s common means. Vocal cords were a commodity long since lost in this place.
As the Great One observed the coming destiny he could feel the approaching storm, in a hail of flesh and blood, the only things that the Great One lacked. He would never give up, never retreat to these things as they approached, for this was the Great One. He looked back to the castle, viewing the scene in its entirety, and he felt something like happiness enter him.
Divinity. That is what connected the walls surrounding Dundis castle, not stone or metal, this was not a mere wall but a divine gift from ones above. Divinity sealed the wall, made it whole, the walls sealed together without mark or blemish, something no man could ever replicate. The wall had stood for a century, and would likely last ten more, there was no weakness, no flaw in design. 50 metres tall the wall was unscalable, unbreakable. No man could break the wall, it was the Vaunghe empire’s crowning gift, their wonder of the world. Those that were hired to clean the wall’s dirt and grime were heralded as the truly faithful, and all longed to help the gift of the gods. And yet despite this the Alizian’s watched, standing with armies around the great wall, waiting to breach its crust and destroy the core.
The Vaunghe had watched their foes throw everything they had, hundreds of men attacking the steel doors of the wall to no avail, an attempted archer attack quickly squashed by the wall's height. The Alizian military was strong, a blend of the Alizian warriors and Strolim blacksmiths made for a truly terrifying army. The army was so terrifying that the Vaunghe inside the castle doubted there were any more Vaunghe troops left, this was the end to a long battle between man and man. Even the soldiers left weren’t particularly important, just those lucky enough to guard the king and a few trainees. But the Vaunghe felt their luck running out.
The food supplies had run low, even if the nobles weren’t in the castle there was no chance of resupply. The few men who had eaten in the past few days stood alert, gazing down from the ramparts at the enemy. The soldiers knew they had to either surrender or fight, but the Vaunghe were passionate people, they could never leave behind their identity in favour of life. So the men waited, bows and arrows at the ready, for the next attack. Heavy items such as ingots and chairs lined the rampart, ready to be thrown off at a moments notice.
They had waited in this position for many cycles, and as day turned to night, and night turned to day the Vaunghe were exhausted, finished with whatever feeble attacks these barbarians had planned. They could throw whatever armies and arrows they wanted at the wall but it would remain unphased, forevermore. When the Alizian’s next attacked they would be met with the last strength of the Vaunghe, and it would be a story remembered for milenia by man and the gods.
As the morning sun rose over the wall, the enemy was revealed in all their glory. Even from so high above the Vaunghe could see the glint of silver from the Alizian military. The bright greens of the Alizian armour created a dazzling sensation that they were one with the grass, which blended in so perfectly with their clothes. They stood in their thousands, armed with whatever they could find, and even on the wall the men could see him.
The slaughterer, the murderer, the man, the myth and the legend Osmund stood alone on an overlooking hill. The fiend was well known by the Vaunghe, he was likely the greatest foe that had come from the opposing sides. Vaunghe generals often fled at his coming, or surrendered first, but rumour had it that Osmund gave no mercy. Overseeing his army to destroy everything that was left, the Vaunghe soldiers knew today really was the end. The figure on the hill moved closer to his army and screamed. The battle-cry of the Alizian’s shook fear into each of the Vaunghe atop the rampart, being so loud that it even reached so high.
The hundreds of troops began to move in sync, forming three individual groups of soldiers, with 10 metre spaces between each. Each contingent comprised six hundred men, easily dwarfing the 82 Vaunghe soldiers that were left. But the Vaunghe were not afraid, at least not afraid of a breach anytime soon. These walls were built to withstand any damage, no man could breakthrough one.
Between the troops was movement, indeed there seemed to be movement down all three rows of men in blue. The Strolime empire had finally revealed themselves, with their short stature and mental prowess the Strolime were gifted inventors not expected to appear on the battlefield. And yet here they were, almost one hundred of them hauling forth three large metallic objects. The sun bounced off of these objects into the Vaunghe’s eyes.
None of the men had ever seen objects like these, seemingly composed of pure metals and on wheels. Some thought they were a testament to the gods, some holy objects, others believed it to be some new invention from the Strolime, however none of them could say anything for certain as they were pushed closer and closer to the wall. The Strolomites stopped in their advance, approximately 20 metres away from the wall. The purpose of these objects had yet to dawn on the men, although one of the younger men on the rampart claimed he could see small objects poking through the metal, which was now aimed at a forty-five degree angle towards the wall.
As the Strolimites halted their advance many began to move away into the safety of the Alizian wall, likely afraid of any precautionary Vaunghe archers. One of them, a rather short and plump soldier, stayed with the object, placing a hand on it and turning to the wall. It was a fleeting moment, but for a second it seemed the man was gazing at the Vaunghe soldiers in shame. One last condemnation to the ones that began this war, before it would all come crashing down. But then the moment passed, and the short man moved as the rest did, doing a slight zig zag to avoid arrows.
And now, just as quickly they had come, the Strolomite’s were gone in the ranks of the Alizians, still waiting in their groups for something, and then they came. Three figures, two women and a man, moved between the lines just as the Strolimites before them. These three wore no armour, only the greens of Alizia upon their tunics. They stood beside the objects and began to reach their arms into the underside of it. Before the Vaunghe’s eyes the objects began to turn slightly, aiming even more directly at the wall.
One of the Vaunghe had enough of this display, and raised his bow. There were low winds on this day, and he was a good enough shot to reach at least one of the Alizian soldiers. He aimed his bow, finger on the drawstring, and released. It is likely that this arrow would’ve drawn first blood in this battle, however the arrow never reached its target.
In the split second before the release of the bow, the Vaunghe noticed the smoke billowing out of the bottom of the devices, the flames that shot out, and finally they noticed for not even a fraction of a second the object that shot out of the metallic thing, something white and red that hit the wall in an instant.
The wall shook, and the following barrage of these objects shattered any notion of divinity. Crashing and crumbling the rampart was launched, sending soldiers flying everywhere. The Vaunghe beside the wall were subject to the falling rubble, both the crumbling stone of the walls and the miscellaneous objects they had left upon the wall. All of the objects crushed the few Vaunghe left, save for the few sickly starving soldiers left inside the castle’s inner walls.
Down went the walls, such a harsh strike against the wall that nothing stood in the path of this monster. The roaring splattered through the castle, the screams of the falling wall waking the King himself from his slumber. Such a vast creation had fallen in seconds before the might of the Alizian’s, and now there was nothing left but to watch the battle unfold.
Smoke flooded the inner walls of the castle, casting the few remaining into fits of coughing and blindness. The walls finished their crumbling, and yet the roars didn’t stop. These were not the roars of the wall but the war cries of the soldiers outside, and they began to get louder, echoing through the walls of Dundis and into the ears of the weak nobles and soldiers.
Through the smoke they came, weapons raised and charging the weak. The few that tried to fight were slaughtered, cut down by a sea of green soldiers. Those that were choking, sputtering or raising their hands in defeat were spared, hauled through the hordes and into one of the stables facing the inner wall. They were to be tried and jailed, for no human regardless of their crime should be killed. It is simply not the Alizian way.
Out of the one hundred and fifty two people who were in Dundis, forty two had died in the wall’s destruction, and a further eleven were detained by the Alizian military. There was nothing that the Vaunghe could do, save for locking their doors, shield themselves and hold out for as long as possible. The Vaunghe forces built barricades in their castle, locking away the Alizian combatants for as long as possible. And during all of this Osmund waited. Waiting for his time to end this war, this travesty of battle that had gone on for too long, and that time finally came.
* * * *
Osmund stood alone atop the hill, and watched the madness unfold. The walls crumbled at the face of these weapons with no more effort than a straw house, and the plumes of smoke assaulted his men, although not to the extent of the inner wall. After a few moments of sputtering and choking the men cheered, for this was the moment that they had been waiting for, the end of such a long war now in the Alizian’s favour.
The Vaunghe capital was in shambles, their military long crushed underneath Osmund’s almighty power, and all that was left was the King. Hiding behind his walls as if he didn’t deserve this loss, this final failure in his life. Osmund was willing to spare as many people as he could, it was the Alizian code, but there would be no mercy for the King. This wasn’t one final battle between two great armies, that conflict happened weeks ago, this was the last breaths of a psychotic monarch being silenced amongst the last of his troops.
Osmund gazed longingly at Dundis, the ruined walls and advancing soldiers and doubted. He felt something was off, something was very wrong with all of this. His heart began to thump, as Osmund’s eyes turned every way to understand what was wrong, what abnormality was here. It grew and grew, Osmund began to shake at what was about to happen, nothing was right here Osmund should be somewhere else helping someone, there’s something wrong here something very-
Peace. Osmund’s heart stopped thumping, body stopping its perpetual shaking. He looked again to the marching troops, now almost entirely inside the walls, and looked back to his back, and the reserve Strolomites that now stood. They were cheering, marvelling at the success of the assault, and how the god’s gift had saved so much effort on their part.
Such strange creations composed of metal and flame, Osmund marvelled at the power the gods possessed. These devices were so unique in design Osmund doubted if any army could defeat them. The large red tubes they released could easily destroy an entire village by itself, but with one hundred of them an entire valley could be bathed in flames. Something truly abnormal in this world, something so parallel to the code of battle that no army would ever think of it.
The Vaunghe were once considered to be the greatest fighters, with the tournaments they created bringing forth the greatest warriors from throughout the land. Their dedication and power were unmatched in ferocity and violence, some called the Vaunghe the standing due to their unmatched will to always get back up. Osmund recalled his days in the tournaments, those peaceful days when he was not yet a hero to people, but a simple military man. He was still only Osmu back then, and yet even those of the time knew he would be something special. As Christoff used to say, ‘Ozzie you’re going places, big ones’. Osmund missed Christoff, It had been so long since their last meeting, and all Osmund wanted was to meet again one last time.
Osmund’s assistant came to him, a younger Strolomite by the name of Gizmu. Gizmu was rather muscular for a Strolomite, a strong figure contrasting his associates' plumper bodies, and stature was fairly tall for one of his people at 6’5 ft tall. Hazel hair protruded through a blue helmet, and for the first time Osmund considered what his assistant could look like. Gizmu was one of the many Strolomite’s who refused to show their face until military success, a tradition that Osmund respected. He had no doubt that Gizmu's true face would one day be revealed to him, as the man possessed genuine prowess in the fields of agriculture, something sorely missed in the modern military.
“Osmund, your team is preparing now, they’ll come soon. I advise you to prepare your armour sir, as it won’t be long before you’re sent in.” Osmund sensed mild concern in Gizmu’s voice, but didn’t pursue it.
“Thank you Gizmu, my friend. I’ll begin my preparations, tell the guests to meet me here when they are fully prepared. And do ensure they understand that there is still risk of injury on this mission, ensure each of them wears their armour.” Osmund’s voice was deep and echoed his long life, commanding a sense of authority amongst all Alizian forces.
Osmund left the hill, passing the cheering Strolomite’s and the peasant farmers who supported the army, and entered the rows of tents. They stretched out on either side, one for every four soldiers, until he reached his own tent. Entering Osmund was surprised to discover a fellow commander still asleep in his bed, snoring away peacefully.
Osmund removes his upper clothing, the clean tunic falling to the ground. While removing these clothes Osmund kicks the sleeping man in the leg, which doesn’t actually amount to anything rather than halting his snoring. Osmund kicks the sleeping soldier again, this time in the buttocks, which does a far better job of riling him. The man looks around wide-eyed, before settling onto the sight of the giant Osmund.
“Hey, why'd you kick me? I almost had a bleedin’ heart attack don’t you know not to meddle with a sleepin man?”
“Don’t you know that you were meant to be on the battlefield at the crack of dawn? I don’t know what kind of promotion you’re expecting when you aren’t even going on the battlefield. Do you really want to be Balmun forever?” Osmund spoke coldly, now reaching for his chestplate.
“Well no sir. But the thing is I actually have a very cunning plan, I thought of it all myself.” A smile falls upon the man’s face, whose head bears an uncanny resemblance to a potato.
“And what is that?” Osmund halted his preparations briefly.
“Well if I say I was there but didn't actually go, who’d think I wasn’t? I can just sleep through it all until the battle is won and no one would be the wiser.” Osmund puts a hand onto Balmun’s fleshy shoulder.
“A fine plan, if I wasn’t your commanding officer you buffoon. By the gods I believe some divine creator mistakenly put a turnip in your head instead of a brain because no noble’s son has ever been as frankly idiotic as you have. You’re coming with me to the battlefield, and I suggest you get dressed or you’ll be facing the last of the Vaunghe army with your flopping cock dancing for all to see.” Balmun stood and began to slip some clothes on, as Osmund completed his own set of armour.
Osmund’s armour bore the mark of a noble family, some rich fools who wanted their family crest to be associated with a bloody conflict and a dangerous murderer. Osmund wore it because of the armour’s quality, customfit to encompass Osmund’s 9’5 ft tall body, something no other armour was able to achieve. Osmund’s height was always an oddity, reaching far above the average 8ft heights of most Alizian’s, and making him one of the tallest figures in the lands. It was this height and his skin’s colour that earned him the name of the black death, which he wasn’t particularly fond of due to the mention of his skin. And even then Osmund certainly didn’t feel like a black death, whatever that was meant to be, rather he felt like death itself. Osmund was to be fifty years old by the end of the week, and it showed on his body. The hair that was left on his head was grey, and while still possessing an impressive form Osmund’s body was not in its prime, he was old.
Osmund looked at himself in the full body mirror, grabbing his longsword and leaving the tent, dragging a half dressed Balmun with him. Back through the tents they travelled, back past the now eager Strolomite’s and atop the hill where Osmund’s infiltration team stood. In any other battle Osmund would’ve despised the one that left this group with him, a collection of subpar and mediocre soldiers with all the military future of an Otter in a stew. But then again Osmund’s battle history did feature a lot of important people dying under his watch, so perhaps this was for the better.
The force began with Edmun, a cross between a prostitute and a noble who unfortunately takes more from the noble. An egotistical brat, as well as a greedy goblin of anything that isn’t bolted down, Osmund had borne the unfortunate duty of his company for months, since the initial assault on the capitol. The man could barely hold a weapon, save for slight skill with a flail of all things which he wore by his side. It was a gold plated flail as well, specifically made for beating in the heads of the poor Vaunghe soldiers stupid enough to get close. Blonde hair obscured blue eyes that spoke to his red-light mother, in fact for a noble’s son Edmun had all the appearance of an incestuous dullard. The man had survived by pure luck, and was the only casualty that Osmund wanted his side to suffer.
The Enick twins Humun and Eumun were up next, named after their family crest of the god of alcohol Enick. In contrast to Edmun these were a pair of real soldiers, Osmund had seen the fruits of their labour many times. They were great at the art of flanking, Humon’s greataxe paired alongside Eumun’s spears proved to be an unbeatable combination. The only issue that Osmund had with the pair was their… peculiar relationship. While the two were great fighters, whenever they were together anything else became impossible to comprehend. Osmund had once caught the pair attempting to seduce a goat wearing a knight’s helm, and while they were drunk there is still clear evidence of idiocy amongst them. The pair were identical in appearance, burly figures of 8’5ft, short cut black hair and overgrown beards stretching down their faces, however the distinguishing feature between the two was Eumon’s cleft lip, which gave his speech a lisp.
Josmu was far more a scholar than a soldier, although Osmund enjoyed his presence greatly. Since they first met the pair had hit it off, often discussing each other’s lives in Alizian taverns across the kingdom. A gifted archer, Josmu was the son of two aspiring poets and enlisted into the military voluntarily to assist in the war efforts. Osmund had a great deal of respect for the man, and hoped that the two would one day have a drink together, and ruminate on the past once more.
And then there was Jumun, a gifted soldier and one of the few Osmund thought could take him in his prime. Long strands of red hair ran down her rough face, a pointed nose and peculiar eyebrow shape giving her a perpetual look of disappointment. At a height of 9’2 ft she stood almost toe to toe with Osmund, in fact there were many aspects about her that reminded Osmund of himself. The first was her attitude, she treated every war as a tragedy of its own, and yet she would never fail to perform against her enemies. Skilled in most weapons Jumun’s life had been long and arduous, her worn out armour covered in patches and dents. Osmund had offered her a new set of armour once, to which she vehemently refused, telling Osmund that she wished to end the war in the armour she started it in. Currently she held a single large sword nearly identical to his own, and Osmund predicted that she couldn’t wait for the battle to be over.
The group stood facing the smoking walls, watching the now descending Strolomite’s retrieve the three gifts from the gods. Pushing them back up the hill would take tremendous strength and a long time, which is why nearly double the number of Strolomite’s assisted in the endeavour. Osmund cleared his throat, prompting the looks of the team. All of their eyes were of Balmun, who was somehow already panting after a 2 minute drag through the ground. Osmund released the man and pushed him towards his new comrades, to which he sulked.
Osmund could see through the smoke of the ruins now, noting the strangely high number of bodies present from Osmund’s view. It appeared that there were more forces than originally estimated, as it was initially guessed there were around one hundred and fifty soldiers inside. Judging by the number of corpses inside those numbers clearly forgot to account for the possibility of trainees inside of the castle. This may be a slightly larger fight than initially predicted, although even supposing there were another hundred or so trainees locked inside rooms there were things Osmund could do against that.
“Alright then, good to see that some of you actually bothered to wake up today, Balmun, and I think we all know that this mission is going to end the war.” Balmun raised his hand.
“Yes Balmun?”
“Sir I have a very cunning pl-”
“Shove your plans up your slacker buttocks, you idiot. Now then, I’m gonna say this once, because quite frankly the more chances I give Balmun to interrupt the more likely I’ll butcher myself with this sword. Now then we are the backbone to the forces, our mission is to help take individual points of conflict from alternative points. We will accomplish this with the leaked maps of the castle gained from Vaunghe intelligence. Now then, originally it was believed that we were dealing with only around one hundred and fifty troops, but it looks like someone didn’t remember the number of rookie troops that are trained here, so we could be looking at a few more troops than expected.” Osmund saw the hand raised but tried to ignore it. The man with the potato for a head seemed adamant however, and raised his hand higher. When that didn’t work he raised both arms.
“By the gods what is it?”
“Well sir, what kind of weapons do you think they have?” Osmund stopped in his tracks, not expecting anything even related to an actual important question. A smile formed on his face, it seems that even fools can think every now and again.
“Decent question my friend, we can probably expect the basic mix of swords and axes, likely shields also, but we may have one or two archers running around however it’s unlikely any survived the wall’s collapse.”
“That is good Osmund, once we take a few down I need a weapon, I like the swords myself.”
“What’s wrong with your sword?”
“I left it in the tent sir.” Osmund cupped his hands into his face, cringing against the stupidity of this man.
“Listen…. just everyone follow me please, I mean by the gods man. Come on. Listen I don’t think we will need any armour with us today, we have the single thickest piece of meat just over there as we speak.” Osmund points towards Balmun, who turns to see what everyone is looking at. Without another word Osmund begins to walk down the hill towards the castle, muttering things that even the gods consider a little racy.
* * * *
The ruins of Dundis stood firm in their strength, with the ruined walls blemishing what was once a grand fortress that none had penetrated. Tall spires protrude from the shapeless stone complex. Along the gateway was a path leading directly into the Dundis entrance, which stood slightly ajar. Fragments of the wall had crushed many parts of the outside, with simple wooden stables and trees crushed by the weight of the plummet of the debris. The architecture that remained spoke to the complexities of the Vaunghe, as spiralling patterns adorned the walls of the castle, interlaced with rare jewels that coated the walls. The Vaunghe were so fortunate with minerals that one could find them coating their walls, despite the fact that no one other than a fellow Vaunghe was ever meant to see such a thing.
A veil of embarrassment and determination clashed as the group descended the hill, weapons at the ready. The group had reached the ruins of the wall now, debris coating the grass and the bodies that were surely there. Even destroyed Osmund still felt some of that divine power the Vaunghe always babbled about, he felt the strength in the walls and not for the first time wondered why the gods would bestow such a gift upon such a vile group.
The group began clambering through the ruins, over the cracked pieces of stone and through the divine walls final remains. There was a smell here, the remnants of smoke colliding with the smell of blood, but there was a third smell, one that Osmund knew well. It was the smell of inevitability, heavy in the hair. That which is unlikely to happen always will happen, and when it does the smell adds to it all, the smell of fate and destiny runs through this place.
Inevitability hides everywhere, in the trees and the skies, carried by the wind through it all. From nature it was born, but in man it thrives, the building’s will one day fall, the kingdoms will fade away, and everything will one day lead to something else. From every beginning comes an end, and each end becomes a beginning, this is how it has always been. This place thought itself against such things, and inevitability infected its walls, creeping along slowly rotting the once great walls into a hellish nightmare. Now the bubble has burst, and the smell of inevitability crowds the world, taking over everything.
Moaning. A low whimper. A cry for something. Calls for assistance. A terrified yell. Osmund approaches the source of these noises, his team close behind. At the source of these screams is a Vaunghe soldier, somehow alive after the rampart’s collapse, covered in piles of stone and smoke. His outstretched hand reaches towards Osmund, who in turn takes it.
The man mutters something, sputters blood, and begins to fade. As he does, Osmund moves towards the rocks, feeling against it. Somehow the rocks aren’t as heavy as they should be, and Osmund slowly moves the rocks. The first and second rocks move, and after some struggling Osmund moves the third rock, revealing a bloody leg, spurting forward. Osmund realises how the man survived, the remains of a metal box squashed around him. As the rampart fell the man landed inside, narrowly missing an immediate demise. Now he sat, bleeding in and out of consciousness, and moaning for help. Osmund put his hands around the man, slowly lifting him, and moving forwards into the inner walls.
There are running medics here, and as they see Osmund’s approach they run to him, taking the injured man and placing him onto a table. The man may survive, they told Osmund, however his bleeding may take too much from him. As Osmund turns to leave he hears the voice, the message of the man.
“T-t-th-than-” It was shaky, interrupted by coughs and convulsions, but bore strength, and Osmund felt the ghost of a smile play upon him.
“It wasn’t an issue.” And with that Osmund left the tent, admiring the surroundings in focus for the first time. Eyes bore into him from his party, and yet no one said anything, they couldn’t. Many had called Osmund a monster in his time, they had seen him do bad things to bad people, and yet none would call him a monster, for there is no such thing. Osmund is not some black death, he’s another beast entirely.
For the first time Osmund admired his surroundings, the inner walls were now filled with wreckage, and looked back to the tent. It was amazing how quickly the medics could establish tents, the battle had occurred for less than an hour and already there were three tents established side by side. Besides the wounded Vaunghe soldier were three other injured soldiers, each seeming to be hit by a minor injury likely from the smoke inhalation.
The captured and surrendered were lined up against the castle's wall, being carefully monitored by over sixty members of the contingent. There were only around twelve or thirteen of the captured, smoke-covered and sputtering. On the ground were bodies, those rookies that tried so valiantly to protect what they cared for. They now lay, looking up to the sky blindly.
Osmund saw the bodies and felt his stomach turn. The desire came back. The shaking returned, alongside it the painful sharp stabbing thoughts. Everything changed, he forgot who he was. What kind of person would approve of this, what even was Osmund was he real or fake, how is he even conceiving things like this. What is reality and why is it real, why can’t he understand-
Silence. Peace. Osmund returned to himself, the shaking never happening at all. He looked down at the bodies and continued to walk. There was nothing he could do for them, not anymore. The eyes of his group bore into him, shattering something that had broken a long time ago. He raised his hand and motioned for his team to follow, leaving this travesty of death and life behind.
Footsteps. Osmund turned to their echoing sound, the way they bounced through the place was unbelievable, the way it echoed between the walls and the castle structure itself. Through open castle gates he ran, a messenger in green, sword in its scabbard and now approaching Osmund. The man tripped on something, a large rock of some sort, before standing, dusting himself off and reaching the group.
“Osmund, we have hit the enemy’s points of defence.” The man was young, maybe twenty, and no more than twenty five.
“And? Where are they?”
“There are three fronts, the first is in the scout’s tower where a group of Vaunghe are amassing weapons and barricades fast. We can no longer enter the tower, as the amount thrown down makes common entrance impossible. The second location is the garden, where we believe the last of the nobles and the King himself are. We’ve faced harsh opposition from the enemies, who have formed a wall of shields to protect the door. Finally we have the guard’s quarters, where a few amount of Vaunghe are in active combat as we speak, although that will likely be taken without need for intervention.”
“Good job soldier.”
“Thank you sir.”
Osmund removes a slip of paper from his garb, and admires it in the sunlight. It was a complex map of Dundis, including the secret passages and escape routes of the entire place. It cost the annulment of many Vaunghe men and women, but was worth all the effort. Consulting the map Osmund noted the existence of an escape passageway inside of the tower. It was obscured behind a wall, thus explaining the lack of windows on that side.
“Report back to your commander that we’ll begin with the tower, there are several clear passages into an alternative staircase. Launching a pincer attack we’ll defeat the enemy and allow for the redistribution of forces. By that time I expect the guard’s quarters to be taken, allowing us to completely overflow any opposition protecting the garden.”
“Yes Osmund, I will inform her now.” And with that the young warrior ran back through the castle’s long iron gates.
And thus, the final battle was upon them. Osmund looked upon Dundis, the last symbol of the people who had taken everything from him, the ones who had slaughtered so many innocents, so many that Osmund cared for, and now the end was finally in sight. But it didn’t feel like the end, Osmund could feel no conclusion approaching, it felt like something else, as if this was all leading into something more, some grand massacre the likes of which Osmund had never seen. There’s a darkness ahead, something far worse to come than the echoes of a fallen monarchy, and as Osmund stands he can feel it inside of him, gesturing sensually, awaiting his return to the beginning. In a mental prison of nonexistent existence lies the mother, a slight smile on her lips. She awaits the grasp of Osmund forevermore.

This all started during quarantine, back when online school was the new thing. I thought to myself, "oh its school at home, this should be easy!" I was wrong. It was so fucking difficult because I couldn't pull myself together so I can just do my work. But I got through it.
Then next year. It was in person but I hated my entire class and the teacher seemed to hate me too. I could never get any homework done, I fell behind on chores, and my dad's side of the family had started having serious issues. But I survived.
This year. After the shitshow that was last year and having to watch my father get arrested twice, I asked them to enroll me into an online school. They agreed, and I thought that I'd finally get a break from traditional school and that I'd be able to relax more. I was wrong. The 1st week of school was bumpy at best, and it only went downhill from there. Every meeting I came empty handed with no work to be shown, and I was scolded for it every time. My teacher has an eagle's eye on me and everything I do so even before meetings he would have everything im fucking up on the ready to show my parents in an email, and my parents would yell and scream and threaten to beat me and so on as I just sat there and cried. Now obviously, threatening to beat someone isn't always the best motivator. So I continued to fuck up. Its gotten to the point where the teacher has suggested that I leave the school, and I would love to if it wasn't for the fact that my dad will take everything I have ever had away from me if that happens so I'm stuck. Its gotten so fucking stressful that I started to cut myself. When my parents found out, only my mom really cared about what I was feeling. My dad would just take any reason or proposal I had to make life bearable against me and basically tell me that every problem I have is my fault. Which it probably is but that doesn't mean that I'm not cutting at my arms or that I'm ok. He's told me that he'd rather send me to an institution than let me kill myself. He later used me cutting myself as an argument against my mom. I've had to keep my family from splitting. All of this and they don't appreciate me or my effort. They don't see that I am trying to fix my mistakes. They don't. Fucking. Care. I've started to get better in school but I'm very much considering ending my life but I don't know a painless way to do it. I've tried drowning myself but I couldn't stay in the water. I haven't tried since then but I really want to. I already know how I could do it but I'm too afraid I'll fail. I'm too afraid of what they'll say. All of this because I got fucking lazy. I hate myself.

Everything is named after the gods. All the planets, science, and trade. All the NASA "moon landings" named after Apollo the God of light. The statue of Liberty represents Helios the sun God. The Goddess Columbia reigns atop The U.S. Capitol building, and named after the Goddess The District of Columbia. MERCURY the messenger god meets you outside the Capitol building. The modern EMT symbol, and symbol from medicine comes straight from the Greeks, and the good Apollo's son teaching medicine to man. The snake emblem also reflects the Rod of Asclepius, widely used as the symbol of medical care worldwide. There are several theories as to its development; it is named for the Greek mythological figure Asclepius, who was said to have possessed healing power.
The American colonial revolutionary, Thomas Greenleaf, subtitled his newspaper "The Argus" after the mythological watchman and took the slogan "We Guard the Rights of Man."
The Pegasus appears frequently on stamps, particularly for air mail. In 1906, Greece issued a series of stamps featuring the stories from Hercules' life. Australia commemorated the laying of an underwater cable linking it to the island of Tasmania through a stamp featuring an image of Amphitrite.
The United States military has used Greek mythology to name its equipment such as the Nike missile project and the Navy having over a dozen ships named from Greek mythology. Greek mythology has been the source for names for a number of ships in the British navy as well as the Australian Royal Navy which has also named a training facility in Victoria called HMAS Cerebus. The Canadair CP-107 Argus of the Royal Canadian Air Force is named in honor of both the hundred eyed Argus Panoptes the "all seeing" and Odysseus' dog Argus who was the only one who identified Odysseus upon his return home.
In science and technology
The Apollo 16 lunar module on the moon Many celestial bodies have been named after elements of Greek mythology. The constellation of Scorpius represents the scorpion that attacked Orion and the scorpions that frighted the horses when Phaëton was driving the sun-chariot; while Capricorn may represent Pan in a myth that tells of his escape from Typhon by jumping into the water while turning into an animal - the half in the water turned into a fish and the other half turned into a goat. Demeter, a main-belt asteroid discovered by Karl Reinmuth on May 31, 1929, is named after the Greek goddess of fruitful soil and agriculture.[25]
The elements tantalum and niobium are always found together in nature, and have been named after the King Tantalus and his daughter Niobe. The element promethium also draws its name from Greek mythology, as does titanium, which was named after the titans who in mythology were locked away far underground, which reflected the difficulty of extracting titanium from ore.
The U.S. Apollo Space Program to take astronauts to the moon, was named after Apollo, based the god's ability as an archer to hit his target and being the god of light and knowledge.
Written more than two thousand years ago, texts by ancient Greeks still have a major impact on the modern militaries of today in numerous ways.
At the start of the Cold War, the then US secretary of state, George Marshall, read the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, convinced that the events of the Peloponnesian War and the fall of Athens were worthy of review in those unprecedented times when the United States and Russia— the Athens and Persia on the contemporary age, faced each other in conflict.
Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War is still studied at many military academies, including West Point, the Command and Staff College of the US Marine Corps, and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Recruits at army and naval colleges are encouraged to study what the text has to say about strategic leadership, garnering support in a protracted war and the impact of biological warfare.
The “Melian Dialogue” is considered particularly important, containing the Athenians’ justification for conquering Melos in what was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the late 5th century BC.
Also known to have studied Greek military texts are Colin Powell and David Pet­raeus, whose fall from grace in 2012 after the revelation that he had leaked classified information to his mistress has often been noted in Sophoclean terms. It did not go unnoticed at the time that “Petraeus” was the name of a centaur, a half-man, half-horse figure of Greek myth, renowned for his sexual appetite.
But Greek text also have a therapeutic nature for the military, as well as victims on the other side of the conflict.
The Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides continue to provide a powerful lens through which soldiers heal after returning from conflict. In his recent book, The Theater of War: What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today, Bryan Doerries describes his work with Theater of War, a traveling drama collective that performs Sophocles’s most intense explorations of the psychological impact of war for US soldiers and veterans.
USS Prometheus USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), a United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth (Operation Sandblast), doing so in early 1960.
The mythological Greek god Triton was the messenger of the seas. He's usually represented as a merman.
This can be associated with Triton because it explores the seas and it was the first submarine to go around the Earth.
Greek mythology in the military The Nike Missile Project was a U.S. Army Project proposed in 1945 and finished in 1953. The Nike Zeus, Hercules, and Ajax. Nike was the Greek God of Victory and can be associated with speed. It was made to shoot down jet aircraft.
Nike Missile Project USS Medusa (AR-1) was the United States Navy's first purpose-built repair ship. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1924 to 1946. Medusa wasa gorgon. Whoever looked in her eyes was turned to stone. Medusa can Be Associated with the ship because it was the first type of ship, like Medusa was the first mortal gorgon sister.
Gorgon Stare is a video capture technology developed by the United States military[1]. It is a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone.[2] The US Air Force calls it "wide-area surveillance sensor system"
HMAS Cerberus has always been Navy personnel training. With the establishment of four tri-service schools over the last 13 years, this role has been extended to training Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. Cerberus was Ares' three headed hellhound which had a serpent's tail, a mane of a snakes, and a lion's claw. This can be associated with the military because it is a military base that trains 3 different branches (like Cerberus' three heads)
The Argus was made for the Royal Canadian Airforce. In its early years, the Argus was reputedly the finest anti-submarine patrol bomber in the world. Argus was Odysseus' dog, the only one to recognize Odysseus when he first got back. The airplane can be associated with Argus the dog because it detects submarines/hidden things. Like Argus when he was the only one to detect Odysseus.
Canadair CP-107 Argus USS Prometheus (AR-3) was a repair ship that served the United States Navy during World War I and World War II.
Prometheus was a Titan, not a god. He is known to have given the mortals fire. Prometheus joined the Gods in the Titan war, instead of the Titans.
It can be associated with the Titan in the way that it repairs other ships and helps them, like how Prometheus helped out mortals by giving them fire.
HMAS Cerberus
USS Triton
USS Medusa
What is Project NIMBUS? Lightning has long perplexed scientists. Not only are atmospheric scientists unsure of exactly what initiates lightning, but they also don’t understand precisely how and why it is able to propagate over great distances, and where it will strike. That makes it, in DARPA’s view, “one of the major unsolved mysteries in the atmospheric sciences.”
First up is a fascinating request for proposals from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, who is looking to build a “Positioning System for Deep Ocean Navigation.” It has the handy acronym of POSYDON.
POSYDON will be “an undersea system that provides omnipresent, robust positioning” in the deep ocean either for crewed submarines or for autonomous seacraft. “DARPA envisions that the POSYDON program will distribute a small number of acoustic sources, analogous to GPS satellites, around an ocean basin,” but I imagine there is some room for creative maneuvering there.
The idea of an acoustic deep-sea positioning system that operates similar to GPS is pretty interesting to imagine, especially considering the strange transformations sound undergoes as it is transmitted through water. To establish accurately that a U.S. submarine has, in fact, heard an acoustic beacon and that its apparent distance from that point is not being distorted by intervening water temperature, ocean currents, or even the large-scale presence of marine life is obviously quite an extraordinary challenge.
As DARPA points out, without such a system in place, “undersea vehicles must regularly surface to receive GPS signals and fix their position, and this presents a risk of detection.” The ultimate goal, then, would be to launch ultra-longterm undersea missions, even establish permanently submerged robotic networks that have no need to breach the ocean’s surface. Cthulhoid, they will forever roam the deep.
U.S. naval forces need a way to project key capabilities in multiple locations at once, without the time and expense of building new vessels to deliver those capabilities.
DARPA has initiated the Hydra program to help address these challenges. Named for the multi-headed creature from Greek mythology, Hydra aims to develop a distributed undersea network of unmanned payloads and platforms to complement manned vessels. The system would integrate existing and emerging technologies in new ways to create an alternate means of delivering various capabilities above, on and below the ocean’s surface. The goal is to create a force multiplier that enables rapid, scalable and cost-effective deployment of assets close to the point of use

Backstory: I’m a single mom of two boys (7&9). I met my partner about years ago on my first and only ever Tinder date. I was a SAHM prior to getting divorced (2020) and started working at a daycare during. I don’t have a lot of money and never have. My ex-husband was in the military so I got used to scrimping by.
This brings in my partner. He’s a criminal defense attorney and possibly the best in our area. He knows it and often goes on elitist rants when he feels “disrespected” by other attorneys or clients. I just sit and listen because he is very quick to turn any discussion into an argument.
He really is a sweet guy. He has provided for me and my boys in ways I never thought possible. The kids love him to bits and call him their stepdad though we have no plans on getting married. He’s funny and extremely smart. But most of all, I love him.
Which brings us to tonight.
We’ve always had a bit of an issue with trust in our relationship. I’ve caught him texting other women very explicitly but I let him explain it away. My ex did the same so I normalized it. Last July, my partner got a new assistant. She’s fantastic and younger than us (27F) and also married. He’s had other assistants before so I saw no cause for concern. Needless to say, that was dumb of me. They’ve gotten much closer and have began to say “I love you” to one another. I only know this because I accidentally saw her message to him when we were watching TikToks.
Now, I had warned him about her falling for him because I had that gut instinct right off the bat. He swore it would never happen and reassured me. She is constantly texting him and he feels the need to answer because “she is the best assistant in the area and she needs to feel connected to me so she does a better job”. He justifies by claiming “I bring home the money so whatever I need to do shouldn’t be questioned”.
He has bought me a lot. A house, a car, helping me through college, etc. So part of me feels like he’s right. I’m benefiting so I should stay quiet. However, the other side of me is begging him for love and he doesn’t care. Tonight it came to a head. I had written him a letter explaining all of my hurt and frustration at feeling like the other woman between them. He read it and didn’t bat an eye. He told me I need to accept their relationship because of what I gain. I let him know I could care less about physical objects and material things, all I want is his friendship and love. He told me no, that I get enough.
I lost it. I started almost yelling because I felt so unheard. He just wasn’t getting it, I don’t want money. I want him. He told me that if I made him pick between me or his job and her, he’d pick them. I asked him to please leave and he did.
I regret it now. I miss him and want him back home. Am I insane?
TLDR: partner has a relationship with his assistant and expects me to accept it because he pays for everything. I just want him and his love.

As the world becomes more and more focused on research, it is critical to write research articles that are clear, concise, and impactful. However, there are a plethora of research article writing tips out there, and it can be challenging to know where to start. This article delves into some lesser-known tips for research article writing that can help you take your writing to the next level. From using the active voice to creating a concise and precise writing style, these tips will equip you with the knowledge you need to make your research articles stand out. So, whether you are a seasoned researcher or a student just starting out, read on to learn how to enhance your research article writing skills.
● Tip #1
Gaining Mastery Over The Use Of The Active Voice
○ Using the active voice in research article writing is an ideal way to make your writing more engaging, clear, and concise.
○ Active voice can help you to express your ideas in a way that is more direct and dynamic, and it can also help you to create a stronger connection with your readers.
○ Continue reading to learn about how to go about using active voice in your research article writing.
■ What Is Active Voice?
● Before we dive into how to use active voice, let's define what it is.
● Active voice is a grammatical construct wherein the subject of a sentence carries out the action described by the verb.
● For example, in the sentence "The researcher conducted the experiment," the subject (the researcher) performs the action (conducting the experiment).
● On the other hand, passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of a sentence is acted upon by the verb.
● For example, in the sentence "The experiment was conducted by the researcher," the subject (the experiment) is acted upon by the verb (conducted), and the agent (the researcher) is relegated to a prepositional phrase.
■ Why Use Active Voice In Research Article Ariting?
● Active voice can be a powerful tool in research article writing.
● Here are some reasons why -
○ Clarity
Using active voice makes it clear who is performing the action, which can make your writing more concise and easier to understand.
○ Directness
Active voice can make your writing more direct and forceful, which can help to keep your readers engaged.
○ Objectivity
Active voice can also help you to maintain objectivity in your writing. When you use passive voice, it can be easy to obscure who is responsible for certain actions or decisions.
■ How To Use Active Voice In Research Article Ariting?
● Now that we know why active voice is important let's look at some strategies for using it effectively in your research article writing.
○ Start With The Subject
■ When you're constructing a sentence, start with the subject that is performing the action.
■ This will help you to create clear and direct sentences that convey your ideas more effectively.
■ For example, instead of writing, "The experiment was conducted by the researcher," you could write, "The researcher conducted the experiment."
○ Identify The Main Verb
■ In active voice, the main verb is the key to expressing the action being taken.
■ Identify the main verb in your sentence and make sure that it is in the present tense.
■ For example, instead of writing, "The results were analyzed," you could write, "We analyzed the results."
○ Use Strong Verbs
■ Active voice is more engaging when you use strong verbs that convey action and intent.
■ Avoid using weak verbs like "to be" or "to have."
■ For example, instead of writing, "The experiment was successful," you could write, "The experiment succeeded."
○ Avoid Nominalizations
■ Nominalizations are nouns that are created from verbs or adjectives, such as "analysis" from "analyze" or "assessment" from "assess."
■ These can make your writing more abstract and less engaging.
■ Try to use the verb form of a word instead.
■ For example, instead of writing, "The data was subject to analysis," you could write, "We analyzed the data."
○ Keep It Simple
■ Active voice is most effective when it is used in simple sentences.
■ Keep your sentences crisp and to the point, and avoid using overly complex language.
■ For example, instead of writing, "It is the opinion of this researcher that the results of the experiment suggest that further research is necessary," you could write, "These results suggest that further research is necessary."
○ Using active voice in research article writing can be an impactful way to engage your readers, convey your ideas more effectively, and maintain objectivity in your writing.
○ By following these strategies for using active voice, you can produce top-quality research papers.
● Tip #2
Coming Up With A Solid Outline For How You'll Go About Concocting Your Research Paper
○ Creating an outline is an essential step in the process of writing a research paper.
○ An outline provides a roadmap for your paper, helping you to organize your thoughts and ideas in a clear and logical manner.
○ The steps listed below will give you a fair idea of how to go about creating an outline for your research paper.
■ Step #1
Understand The Assignment Requirements
● Before you begin outlining your research paper, it is important to understand the assignment requirements.
● Read through the instructions carefully, paying close attention to the topic, length, and formatting guidelines.
● Make note of any specific requirements or instructions that you need to follow.
■ Step #2
Choose A Topic & Research It
● Next, choose a topic for your research paper and begin researching it.
● You may already have a topic in mind, or you may need to choose one based on the assignment requirements.
● Once you have chosen your topic, gather relevant sources and take notes on the key points and ideas.
■ Step #3
Identify Your Main Points & Organize Them
● Based on your research and notes, identify the main points and ideas that you want to cover in your research paper.
● Organize these points into categories or sections that make sense for your topic.
● These categories will serve as the main headings of your outline.
■ Step #4
Create An Outline Structure
● Now that you have identified your main points and organized them into categories, it is time to create the structure of your outline.
● Your outline should follow a logical sequence, with each main point leading to the next in a cohesive and coherent manner.
● Start by creating an introduction section, where you will introduce your topic and provide background information.
● Then, create sections for each of your main points, including any subpoints or supporting details.
● Finally, create a conclusion section where you will summarize your key points and provide any final thoughts or recommendations.
■ Step #5
Flesh Out Your Outline
● Once you have created the basic structure of your outline, it is time to flesh it out.
● Add more details and information to each section, including quotes, statistics, or other evidence to support your main points.
● Make sure that each section flows logically from one to the next.
■ Step #6
Review & revise Your Outline
● Before you begin writing your research paper, review and revise your outline.
● Make sure that your main points are clear and well-organized and that your outline follows a logical sequence.
● Check for any gaps or inconsistencies in your argument, and make sure that you have included all the necessary information and evidence to support your points.
○ Creating an outline is a crucial step in the process of writing a research paper. By following these steps, you'll be able to create a clear and organized outline that will serve as a roadmap for your paper. Remember to keep your outline flexible and be willing to make changes as you go along. With a well-structured outline, you can approach the writing process with confidence and clarity.
● Tip #3
Ensuring Immaculate Conciseness & Precision
○ When it comes to research article writing, being concise while maintaining precision and detail is essential.
○ A well-written research article is not only informative but also easy to read and understand.
■ Suggestion #1
Use Clear & Concise Language
● Using clear and concise language is the first step to being thoroughly concise and ensuring precision and detail in your research article.
● Avoid using technical jargon, overly complicated words or phrases, and convoluted sentences.
● Instead, aim for simplicity and clarity in your language.
● Use the active voice instead of the passive voice to make your writing more concise and direct.
● For example, instead of writing "The experiment was conducted by the researcher," write "The researcher conducted the experiment."
■ Suggestion #2
Organize Your Thoughts
● Organizing your thoughts before you begin writing is another way to ensure that your research article is both concise and precise.
● Come up with an outline to help you organize your ideas and structure your article.
● This will help you to stay on track and ensure that you cover all the necessary points without including unnecessary details.
■ Suggestion #3
Use Examples & Evidence
● Using examples and evidence is an effective way to be concise while maintaining precision and detail.
● Instead of using general statements, use specific examples and evidence to support your arguments.
● This not only adds detail and precision to your writing but also helps to make your writing more concise and to the point.
■ Suggestion #4
Avoid Repetition
● Repetition is a common issue in research article writing, and it can make your writing seem wordy and unnecessarily long.
● Avoid repeating information, ideas, or phrases.
● Instead, find new ways to present the information or ideas that you want to convey.
● Use synonyms or related terms to describe the same thing, and avoid using the same phrases repeatedly.
■ Suggestion #5
Edit & Proofread
● Editing and proofreading are essential steps in ensuring that your research article is thoroughly concise and precise.
● After you have finished writing, take a break and come back to your article with fresh eyes.
● Read through your article carefully, looking for any unnecessary information or repetition.
● Make sure that your writing is crisp, concise, and to the point.
● Make sure to check for spelling and grammar errors and that your article is well-organized and easy to follow.
○ Being thoroughly concise and ensuring precision and detail with research article writing requires practice and attention to detail.
○ By using clear and concise language, organizing your thoughts, using examples and evidence, avoiding repetition, and editing and proofreading, you can create a research article that is both informative and easy to read.
○ Remember, the goal is to provide the necessary information without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary details.
● Tip #4
Adeptly Use Visual Aids To Amplify Your Writing
○ Visual aids can be an effective tool for enhancing the impact and clarity of research papers.
○ They help to present complex data and ideas in a clear and straightforward manner, making it more straightforward for readers to understand and engage with the content.
○ Detailed below are some suggestions on how to go about using visual aids in research paper writing.
■ Suggestion #1
Determine The Type Of Visual Aid Needed
● The first step in using visual aids in research paper writing is to determine the type of visual aid needed.
● Some common types of visual aids used in research papers include tables, graphs, charts, diagrams, and images.
● Each type of visual aid has its strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of which type to use depends on the data being presented and the purpose of the research paper.
● For example, if the research paper involves statistical data, a graph or chart may be the most appropriate visual aid.
● On the other hand, if the research paper focuses on describing a process, a diagram or flowchart may be more suitable.
■ Suggestion #2
Create Appealing Visuals
● Visual aids should be visually appealing and easy to read.
● Choose a color scheme that is easy on the eyes, and avoid using too many colors.
● Use clear and legible fonts, and make sure that the text is large enough to be read easily.
● Avoid cluttering the visual aids with too much information.
● Only include relevant data and information that supports the purpose of the research paper.
■ Suggestion #3
Label The Visual Aids Clearly
● Labeling the visual aids clearly is essential to ensure that readers can understand the information presented.
● Include a title and clear labels for each axis, column, and row in tables and graphs.
● Label each section of a diagram or flowchart clearly, and include a legend if necessary.
■ Suggestion #4
Place visual aids appropriately in the research paper
● The placement of visual aids in the research paper is also important.
● Visual aids should be placed in the appropriate section of the research paper, close to the relevant text.
● The visual aids should be easy to find and referenced clearly in the text.
● It is also essential to provide context for the visual aids.
● Explain the purpose of the visual aid and how it relates to the research paper in the text.
● This helps readers understand the significance of the visual aid and its relevance to the research paper.
■ Suggestion #5
Use Appropriate Citations & Permissions
● If you are using visual aids from other sources, it is essential to provide appropriate citations and permissions.
● This applies to images, graphs, charts, and any other visual aids that are not created by the author.
● Always provide a source for the visual aids, and make sure that you have permission to use them.
Visual aids can be a valuable tool in research paper writing, but it is essential to use them appropriately. Consider the type of visual aid needed, create visually appealing visuals, label the visual aids clearly, place them appropriately in the research paper, and use appropriate citations and permissions. With these tips from United Innovator, you can use visual aids to enhance the clarity and impact of your research paper.

I know, I know, it sounds like I'm avoiding the fact that I'm practically begging for money, but just hear me out for a second. I'm from Lebanon, and the situation here is in absolute shambles. Ever since 2020, Lebanon has been crumbling in front of our eyes with the astronomical spike in dollar rates (just make a quick Google search to see just how impactful it has been). This basically means prices have been breaking new borders every other week, so I cannot spend money on non-essential paraphernalia like videogames, devices, etc. Over the years, I've been gifted some games from friends abroad, but I just can't buy myself some games because of how ridiculous it would be.
The situation here is very depressing and crushing, so escaping into the world of videogames has been a great help mentally. Plus, i just miss regularly playing Switch.
However, I just cannot bring myself to ask for money knowing I won't be able to repay it. So, here we are back at the titular question, which I must admit, is really not smart, but I'm just giving it a shot. Maybe I get lucky. I do not have a set amount I'm asking for. Even 5 dollars would be spectacular. Optimally, in a magic world with the kindest of people, I'd want 60 dollars so i can get Zelda TotK, but i don't think I'd be morally okay with that knowing i will not be able to repay any of it.
If someone does indeed have that much money to dish out without a care, I'd want TotK for many personal reasons. BotW was a real life changer to me, and I cannot understate how much it still lingers with me 6 years later. So, as you can imagine, the wait for TotK has been too painful. Another reason is my little brother. He is also a big BotW fan, and I constantly feel disappointed in myself by not getting any good games for him to play. He's been massively excited for Sonic Frontiers and TotK, and I want him to be happy while playing on the switch again. Plus, I myself have been through a lot mentally the past 3 years I've been here, and I think some of you will understand what I mean when I say I need TotK as a form of healing and/or escape.
Again, I understand that this is very petty of me to do, but to go out of my way and get these games here for such prices would be am extremely foolish and irrational decision.
Friend code: SW-3238-6891-7306
Hope you can kinda understand my weird request. Thanks.

Let's spend the day together. Maybe we go to the park and have a picnic, sitting by the duck pond while we feed bread to the ducks and the fish. Maybe we go to the beach where we can both sit in the sun and enjoy an ice cream, and each others company. We could wonder around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds before finally finding a place to eat, we each pick something and decide who made the better choice. Or perhaps we just stay at home, cuddling together while we watch something or play a game together. Let's just spend our time in one anothers comfort and see where it takes us?
Hello there! I am Star and I am hoping to find someone that I might be able to enjoy experiences like those above with. I hope to find someone that is both my best friend and my partner. Ideally I would be looking for someone between the ages of 20 to 30.
I am 183cm (6 foot) tall, with a slim build. Blue/green eyes and black hair that's generally on the longer side.
I am the sort of person that enjoys chatting throughout the day, I like learning about the things you may enjoy. I am an introverted person for the most part, I don't go out drinking or partying and clubbing is not something I am interested in. I do not smoke and would appreciate if you did not as well, though it isn't a complete dealbreaker for me.
Things I enjoy doing would be playing games, reading manga, watching anime or shows and spending time on youtube. I enjoy exploring new places and trying new things when I can. I have a job in the tv industry that I enjoy and keeps me active outside of my free time.
The person I am looking for should be kind and caring and share an interest in the things I have already mentioned. While I am more attracted to personality then appearance it does still play a factor, so I would appreciate seeing a picture to connect a face to who I am talking to.
If you made it this far and any of this sounds interesting to you then please send me a message! Tell me a little bit about yourself and ask any questions you wish. I look forward to chatting with you :)

Let's spend the day together. Maybe we go to the park and have a picnic, sitting by the duck pond while we feed bread to the ducks and the fish. Maybe we go to the beach where we can both sit in the sun and enjoy an ice cream, and each others company. We could wonder around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds before finally finding a place to eat, we each pick something and decide who made the better choice. Or perhaps we just stay at home, cuddling together while we watch something or play a game together. Let's just spend our time in one anothers comfort and see where it takes us?
Hello there! I am Star and I am hoping to find someone that I might be able to enjoy experiences like those above with. I hope to find someone that is both my best friend and my partner. Ideally I would be looking for someone between the ages of 20 to 30.
I am 183cm (6 foot) tall, with a slim build. Blue/green eyes and black hair that's generally on the longer side.
I am the sort of person that enjoys chatting throughout the day, I like learning about the things you may enjoy. I am an introverted person for the most part, I don't go out drinking or partying and clubbing is not something I am interested in. I do not smoke and would appreciate if you did not as well, though it isn't a complete dealbreaker for me.
Things I enjoy doing would be playing games, reading manga, watching anime or shows and spending time on youtube. I enjoy exploring new places and trying new things when I can. I have a job in the tv industry that I enjoy and keeps me active outside of my free time.
The person I am looking for should be kind and caring and share an interest in the things I have already mentioned. While I am more attracted to personality then appearance it does still play a factor, so I would appreciate seeing a picture to connect a face to who I am talking to.
If you made it this far and any of this sounds interesting to you then please send me a message! Tell me a little bit about yourself and ask any questions you wish. I look forward to chatting with you :)

Let's spend the day together. Maybe we go to the park and have a picnic, sitting by the duck pond while we feed bread to the ducks and the fish. Maybe we go to the beach where we can both sit in the sun and enjoy an ice cream, and each others company. We could wonder around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds before finally finding a place to eat, we each pick something and decide who made the better choice. Or perhaps we just stay at home, cuddling together while we watch something or play a game together. Let's just spend our time in one anothers comfort and see where it takes us?
Hello there! I am Star and I am hoping to find someone that I might be able to enjoy experiences like those above with. I hope to find someone that is both my best friend and my partner. Ideally I would be looking for someone between the ages of 20 to 30.
I am 183cm (6 foot) tall, with a slim build. Blue/green eyes and black hair that's generally on the longer side.
I am the sort of person that enjoys chatting throughout the day, I like learning about the things you may enjoy. I am an introverted person for the most part, I don't go out drinking or partying and clubbing is not something I am interested in. I do not smoke and would appreciate if you did not as well, though it isn't a complete dealbreaker for me.
Things I enjoy doing would be playing games, reading manga, watching anime or shows and spending time on youtube. I enjoy exploring new places and trying new things when I can. I have a job in the tv industry that I enjoy and keeps me active outside of my free time.
The person I am looking for should be kind and caring and share an interest in the things I have already mentioned. While I am more attracted to personality then appearance it does still play a factor, so I would appreciate seeing a picture to connect a face to who I am talking to.
If you made it this far and any of this sounds interesting to you then please send me a message! Tell me a little bit about yourself and ask any questions you wish. I look forward to chatting with you :)

Let's spend the day together. Maybe we go to the park and have a picnic, sitting by the duck pond while we feed bread to the ducks and the fish. Maybe we go to the beach where we can both sit in the sun and enjoy an ice cream, and each others company. We could wonder around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds before finally finding a place to eat, we each pick something and decide who made the better choice. Or perhaps we just stay at home, cuddling together while we watch something or play a game together. Let's just spend our time in one anothers comfort and see where it takes us?
Hello there! I am Star and I am hoping to find someone that I might be able to enjoy experiences like those above with. I hope to find someone that is both my best friend and my partner. Ideally I would be looking for someone between the ages of 20 to 30.
I am 183cm (6 foot) tall, with a slim build. Blue/green eyes and black hair that's generally on the longer side.
I am the sort of person that enjoys chatting throughout the day, I like learning about the things you may enjoy. I am an introverted person for the most part, I don't go out drinking or partying and clubbing is not something I am interested in. I do not smoke and would appreciate if you did not as well, though it isn't a complete dealbreaker for me.
Things I enjoy doing would be playing games, reading manga, watching anime or shows and spending time on youtube. I enjoy exploring new places and trying new things when I can. I have a job in the tv industry that I enjoy and keeps me active outside of my free time.
The person I am looking for should be kind and caring and share an interest in the things I have already mentioned. While I am more attracted to personality then appearance it does still play a factor, so I would appreciate seeing a picture to connect a face to who I am talking to.
If you made it this far and any of this sounds interesting to you then please send me a message! Tell me a little bit about yourself and ask any questions you wish. I look forward to chatting with you :)

All values in USD.
Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: nope because I'm planning on leaving the US (for my bf) after finishing school. Not sure how retirement balance works across countries.
Equity: nope but almost bit and bought a house in the middle of the insane housing price crisis? windfall?? in 2021. Boy would my life be different rn
Savings account balance: zip but 90k in bonds
Checking account balance: 60k
Credit card debt: nada, and using a debit card in Europe
Student loan debt: nothing, because my parents (bless them) paid for my (subsidized, bless FAFSA + need based scholarships) college tuition, and I got a free masters (thanks to my advisor + TAships) and am currently doing a free (aka on my advisor's bill again lmao + TAships) phd
Income
Income Progression: a string of tech internships (every single summer except freshman and masters and first year of phd) with pay from between 5500/month to 11000/month (pre-tax, adjusted for bonus and currency exchange rate) That high end was from a fancy startup and pre-brexit lmaoooo. Low end was gov work. And my current phd income is 2500/month, so this is actually an income regression lol
Main Job Monthly Take Home: Current internship is 5000/month but my overall taxes are low because I'm not here long enough for it to bump up my income taxes more than one rung. So keep in mind I make like 1700/month the rest of the year
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: I wish! Once I get my big girl job I'm going remote and setting up a ceramics studio, a grocery store, and then volunteering and making games. Work can go stuff itself. Honestly the more and more I work the more and more I feel like I want to turn stage left exit society, tyvm. People meme academia as being abstract and useless (and sometimes toxic...that one's deserved maybe) but unless you are at a specific type of company, corporate research can be equally "useless" but by way of having insanely short (as in, to production by year's end) deadlines so you're kind of forced to "fit a square peg into a round hole" eg work on a business problem that you (or your higher up) did not spend enough time defining and then somehow make it look like research when maybe the most cost-effective solution was something else entirely...sorry for rant
Do your parents pitch in monthly? Been financially independent since last year...to my great surprise. I used to be financially independent since undergrad graduation but apparently my mom started sneakily paying off my CC debt again in my phd so I had to change the linked bank account back. My mom thinks I'm poor lmao...I'm not
Expenses
Rent (includes utilities): 2000 ouch (Europe) + 500 (US) monthly
Transport: bike (free after fixed costs, yay!) and bus (free with school)
Renters insurance: none. Getting renter's insurance is like wearing my retainer...everyone tells me to do it (including myself) but I make up a million excuses as to not
Savings contribution: whatever's left in the month. Usually 400+-100
Investment contribution: is the stock market even real? I'm just kidding. But I don't really understand my finances, and I feel embarrassed about that, but at the same time I feel like after factoring in all my personal considerations, I'm better off not doing anything other than guaranteed bonds.
Debt payments: no. college is done, no house, no car
Cellphone: Prepaid in Europe, like 5 a month. But my US phone is actually on my parent's family plan. So I guess I'm still not financially independent...
Subscriptions: Occasional magazines 50 annually, school union 100 annually
Regular therapy: None. Therapy has been a hit and miss for me
Paid hobbies: Art supplies like 100 a year, books like 300 annually, audio like 100, bike stuff 100, kitchen stuff...400, fancy specialty ingredients...800, clothes 400 but my mom gifts me a lot over the holidays like 500-1000 worth, and gifts for f&f I budget around 800 a year
[Money Diary]
[Tuesday]
7am: wake. super groggy. Drink two gulps of fanta to actually wake and immediately regret it
8am: on the bus to work. Today is going to be a slow day which is nice.
8:30am: grab a rhubarb and rose yogurt for breakfast ($2). Delicious. Have to order this somehow when I'm back in the states.
12pm: Brought eggplant and bolognese for lunch. Eat with another intern and talk random stuff about our phds.
4:30pm: leaving early cuz today is my bf's last night in the country. I head to a bakery and grab a croissant and pretzel and baguette ($7) for him as an apology for an argument we had yesterday. I also head to a grocery to grab a pumpkin ($10) for curry later. I race to the bus! Almost miss it. Everyone is looking at me because I'm panting and I feel that strange awkwardness you get from being caught running without gym clothes.
6pm: Back home. We heat up leftovers (ramen for me and bolognese for him) and watch a chill video about balancing in gaming. It was either this or a math video and the math video was too long.
7pm: I ask him about when he's coming back to see me so I can let my mom know if my schedule fits my family's June paris trip or not (my mom's extremely hyped about this so I would like to come.) Because he's been dragging his feet figuring out his schedule we get into another argument, which then carries back into our argument from yesterday.
9pm: Answer some emails and book a flight for my return trip because my sister is going to her dream college and I want to be with her on visit week ($156)
10pm: I'm trying to read my paper for tomorrow's meeting but it's not going well because we are still talking about our problems
12pm: We cuddle and sleep. Argument's not resolved because neither wants to give
Total: 19 (Food) + 156 (Plane)
[Wednesday]
6am: wake. notice that it's 6am and go back to sleep
7am: wake and wake up bf. He's leaving today and so we cuddle, but like sadly (LDR, whats new.) Eventually I get hungry so I go and munch on plums. I am a bit distracted because I have a lot of meetings that I'm not well prepared for.
8:30am: catch bus. We joke a bit about yesterday's argument. Eventually, say goodbye when I transfer trams. I watch a video to prepare for my first meeting on the tram. Then I have a meeting, read to prepare for next meeting, rinse, repeat. Go out to eat with coworkers ($18)--conversations are so awkward (because of me. I don't have the extra mental capacity to try socializing with overworked dudes 4 years older than me and I've lost a concerning amount of EQ over the course of my phd.)
2:00pm: After a particularly stressful meeting (went well, thanks to my clutch skills) I decide I need to take a walk outside as a break. I go to the bakery to buy a chocolatine and apple danish ($5). I am not even hungry. I am just retail theraping and desserts look cute and smell good. Head back and have string of meetings until the end of the day. Very angry about my schedule
5:30pm: say fuck it cuz my brain is shot and go home. Why am I the only one who leaves before 6? Isn't this supposed to be Europe? I hate working a 9-6.
6pm: eat dinner (ramen), shower with rice on the stove (no rice cooker), rice burns omg now the bottom of the pan is burnt. I soak the pan overnight and leave my personal pan out for people to use.
7pm: reddit as revenge procrastination. I make a note to buy steel wool for the burnt pan
9pm: start writing money diary. Have wayy too much fun writing money diary while snacking on Comte and aloe vera water
11pm: realize its late and I have to finish reading a paper for Friday. I read a bit of the paper
1am: sleep
Total: 23 (Food)
[Thursday]
6am: Wake and look at random stuff on reddit for an hour and a half. I don't feel that hungry so I head out to work.
8:30am: I am very sleepy for some reason. I don't have a lot of meetings today, so I check emails, slack, and find a manageable task for the day. I end up getting distracted dealing with administrivia (ugh visa work!) I see that I have a seminar I want to attend the night and mark that down too.
10am: I decide I should try doing something productive so I start brainstorming. It doesn't really get anywhere, but I've realized that I probably need to read another paper to get a better idea of what I should do.
12pm: Head out to eat with other interns. I get shawarama ($16.) Delicious. Head back for more meetings. I try to read a bit but my focus is pretty shot so I start doing a more chill writeup instead.
7pm: We are having drinks at a bar tonight, and it takes time for people to get ready so I work late. We head out to the bar, which is crowded. I order a burger and soda because I don't want to make my sickness worse ($20.) We have a good time chatting and I get closer with some coworkers I didn't know well.
7:45pm: I say goodbye and leave early. As I'm scrolling through my phone on the late night bus, I realize that I've missed the seminar. I'm legitimiately devastated. I was thinking this seminar would help a lot with me pushing through a huge bottleneck in my thesis that's been stressing me out for the last year. I panic message my labmate to ask if the seminar was recorded, and thank the fucking lord, buddha, allah, hayao miyazaki, yes. It was recorded. My pants on fire are doused, my soul is saved. I cannot wait to fucking graduate.
9pm: I get back and notice the cleaning lady's cleaned the burnt pan. I feel a bad but grateful. After showering I am tired as hell. I really can't work today, but I stubbornly stay awake thinking that if I lay in bed scrolling through eBay long enough I might recharge. It doesn't work but I find some really nice stuff (cool architectural glass vase from a designer whose stuff I usually hate, secondhand clothes from one of my fav designers, suitcase from a brand with a style that I love but quality that is absolute trash for its price, and a gift for my college friend for her next bday) that I want to bid on.
11pm: Sleep
Total: 36 (Food)
[Friday]
6am: Wake and look at videos but now with zen. I have come to terms with my laziness. I get out of bed at 7:30 instead of 7:45 (progress!) and I snack on the chocolatine from two days ago. I finally find the time and motivation to deal with some administrivia and I head to work. On my morning bus trips, I like to press my forehead against the cool window glass and zone out to stripes of greenery but today I'm thinking about eBay and how I might travel to go visit my favorite eBay stores in person lol. A quick google search shows that a roundtrip ticket is $200. Interesting.
12am: Nice lunch with coworkers at a bakery. I get a croissant sandwich ($6) and a gift for one of my coworker friends ($14).
4pm: I wrap up writing a draft and go chat and review some stuff for school and then catch up with my coworker friend to give her the gift. 6pm: Head to the grocery for a dinner salad, plums, and some orange-mango juice ($13). Look for steel wool but there is none???
6:30pm: shower because I feel a little under the weather.
8pm: call my bf and tell him some juicy gossip at work. He gets bored around the 1 hour mark.
11pm: I start working on my writeup for school. I message the dude who is receiving the writeup that it's gonna be late. He is really nice about it but I feel like I'm taking advantage of his kindness because I am always late. Disappointed in myself but not sure how to change.
1am: sleep
Total: 33 (Food)
[Saturday]
6am: wake. Seriously not motivated to continue the writeup. I waste time on eBay and youtube for 5 hours.
11am: get dressed, brush teeth, and look alive. I've been planning out my day a bit so I call my bf while I clean my room and check up on my fridge. I toss out a quarter kg of ground beef that I forgot to finish, it is two days past expiry. I take stock of what I need for meal prep this week (carrot, onion, meat, steel wool) and load up my laundry before heading to the grocery. I end up also getting a lightweight aluminum bowl (it says stainless steel though??) for washing, blueberries, dried mangos, mushroom medley ($35.) I make curry with rice for next week and rice balls to add to miso soup later.
4pm: Eat curry. I call my bf after and try to write my writeup but I get very frustrated over trying to understand a paper and complain to my bf
7pm: I head over to my friend's place for a going-away party. I feel a bit ambivalent about attending because I still have my writeup but I had already agreed to come and I will miss these people when they leave. I want to aim to leave around 9pm. The host's house is lovely and we have some great food.
9:40pm: I head back home, shower, and work on my writeup.
11pm: sleep
Total: 35 (Food)
[Sunday]
7am: wake. My wakeup time is off from normal but then I remember that today is daylight savings in Europe. I still feel tired so I end up watching some dumb videos on youtube. I bid on two items on eBay ($70...tentatively). My friend from uni messages me about meeting up to chat tonight. Hyped.
11:45am: I remember my clothes are still in the dryer. The landlord wants the laundry room free between 11am and 3pm for airbnb reasons. I rush down to grab them. I got there right on time because the landlord has 3 minutes on the washer left.
12pm: Heat up curry and eat it with an apple, some Comte, and a plum. I take a supplement with water. I've been forgetting to do that.
12:30pm: Start working on writeup. I am determined to finish it before there is no sun left so I can enjoy the outdoors a little this weekend. Have my bf on vc.
4pm: One of my bfs jokes lands the wrong way and we have to talk about it. I'm fuming mad because I'm wasting time here.
6pm: Facetime with my friend from college! It's been awhile so we catch up for a long time. 9pm: Heat dinner (curry) and eat. Then I go and read a bit more.
11pm: I have a bit of a mental breakdown because I can't finish the writeup by the weekend, and it's not because I don't have time, but because I have bad mental health around it. I have a long heart to heart with my bf over the phone. I cry a little. Life is sometimes hard and everyone's life is really hard at some point. At some point I just start rambling about nothing. I fall asleep at 1:30am.
Total: 70 (eBay)
[Monday]
4am: wake. I have a bit of a shitty morning because my eyes are still swollen. I woke up early to work on this writeup but tbh I'm barely awake and not in the mood. This was a bad idea. I intermittenly wake and sleep between 4am and 6am, of which at tail end I realize that I'm just playing myself for a fool and then I actually sleep for a good hour or so.
7:15am: Wake for real and get ready.
8:30am: Arrive at work. I buy yogurt ($2) and eat a banana while checking emails. I decide to use company time to work on my writeup because I'm blocked at work by someone else right now anyways (this is about as far as my lukewarm ass will r antiwork.)
12am: Lunch with coworkers. I have a sandwich I really don't care for ($10.) I'm a bit woozy from lack of sleep so I don't remember much. Also, I got my period.
1pm: Meetings, meetings, meetings. So many meetings.
6:30pm: Meetings end. Catch up with my intern friend before she leaves. Will miss her. I go the grocery to buy a baguette ($1) and then go to the fancy, overpriced but also conveniently-located-right-next-to-my-bus-stop bakery to get a croissant and chocolates for my period ($25.)
7:30pm: I grab Mickey D's because I want to. Fish filet sandwich, fries, chicken nuggets, and a soft drink ($18.)
8:00pm: zone out in bed and chat with my bf
11:00pm: Work on the writeup
1am: sleep
Total: 56 (Food)
[Reflections]
Weekly total:
Food + Drink: 207
Home + Clothes + Beauty (aka eBay): 70
Transport: 156
Honestly, this was the first time in a long time that I had done such a detailed review of my week. I was honestly a bit impressed by how often I wound up on eBay (ngl the times I'm on reddit, I'm oftentimes searching for new brands and designers I like, so that I can go find them...on eBay. It kind of feels a little like I may have a bit of a shopping addiction?) I use it wayy too often to cope. The nice thing about it is that I always find great deals on eBay, but I think it's probably time to switch hobbies.
Also, I need better work hygiene. Like sleep hygiene but for work. I might start going into the office weekends just so that I can wrap up stuff early, leave, and then actually have a weekend.
This week was a bit pricier than usual because I ate out for dinner and bought a plane ticket, but tbh it's not that ooc for me. Food is almost exactly the same as what I spend a week in the US and usually I budget 400/m for misc stuff so it seems like my habits haven't changed much even after moving lol. I know some people might balk at the idea of 800/m for food and 400/m discretionary spending on a 2k/m income but being no car + having the school pay for my insurance (& offering a lot of free things in general) + most importantly, no debt makes it less of a dangerous risk and more of a poor choice lmao. In Europe, I think I will end up spending more on misc things here than back in the US because Europe offers a higher density of concerts, entertainment, and designers that I like within a 30 euros train distance (and 200 euros plane distance for the ones I really like.) My personal preference is to spend <2 hours a month total thinking abt finances (so basically budgeting if I have a major life change + just going thru my CC statement and updating my tracker) so I am happy with how I spend and prefer to overspend a bit rather than think about it too much.
For those who are curious, my monthly budget here:
food (weekly): 70 for groceries + unavoidable 50 for eating with coworkers 3x a week
overall (monthly): 3700 (income) - 2500 (rents) = 1200 - 300 (food after sodexo) = 900 - 600 (misc spending) = 300 (base savings) + 1000 (relocation) = 1300 (total savings) + a bit more after tax return
​
Hope you enjoyed reading! I'm curious to see people's reactions.

There is a certain aura, a cultural meme, regarding the United Nations Armed Forces. A very particular version of events that is peddled across the galaxy, generally the result of an interstellar game of telephone. This aura is that of an unflinching, uncaring war machine. One that starts with the goal of total destruction of its opponents, and works towards that by any means necessary.
It is easy to see how this came about. Even putting aside the pre-Contact War conflicts, there is plenty of brutality to be found. The exploits of Spearhead Platoon during the Second Hekatian War, fighting it's way from the Susquehanna to the palace of the Hekatian Emperor, has particularly dominated the popular consciousness for many, and it is difficult to argue they did not experience some of the worst the war had to offer. A still frame of Corporal Heppell, gas mask concealing all but his eyes, half a second away from plunging his plasma-enhanced bayonet into a Hekatian platoon commander, has become one of the most reproduced images of the whole Battle of New York.
While plasma bayonets were only issued to a small portion of British units during the Second Hekatian War, melee fighting still occupied a disturbingly high proportion of the wars with the Hekatians a modern war. The Battle of London (both 2021 and 2025) saw civilians armed with little more than axes and clubs achieving at least some success against mechanised Hekatian forces in the tight urban confines of the city, with their contributions in the Second Hekatian War forming a part of the critical force that halted the Hekatian offensive. Less well commemorated, but by no means less brave, was the near-complete annihilation of the 8th Battalion Rajputana Rifles in the opening phases of the Battle of New Delhi. Caught out-of-position by the surprise landing of Hekatian forces, the soldiers rushed into battle against a far-superior Hekatian force. By the day's end, only 3 soldiers survived from the entire ordeal, but their counterattacks, waged with everything from rifles to chunks of rubble used as clubs, successfully held up the better part of a division for some critical hours. Doubtless similar stories exist across every front of the war.
Infantry fought with all manner of weapons, with KPA forces famously utilising shovels and large quantities of grenades while fighting from trench to trench on the slopes of Mt. Paektu. During the later stages of the Battle of New York, Gurkha units roamed the irradiated rubble of the city, wielding plasma-enhanced kukris: this was so extraordinarily effective that Hekatian units in the Brooklyn area had a bounty set on the weapons, on the basis that each collected meant another of the feared soldiers had been eliminated, and that soldiers would be more watchful in hopes of collecting said bounty. The actual effect was that the number of losses credited to Gurkha units went up, as their soldiers (now aware of just how effective they were) delved deeper and deeper into psychological warfare. Meanwhile, Hekatian soldiers became so jumpy that they often exposed themselves to Human forces by firing away at nonexistent targets, and were so nervous as to lose all composure when engaged. When the United Nations counterattack successfully trapped a large quantity of supply-starved Hekatians in the radioactive ruins of New York, an intimidation campaign of such ferocity was launched that even a century later headless Hekatians are occasionally located within the New York area.
There are, of course, other ways to be brutal than a bayonet or bullet.
The Second Hekatian War, for example, saw the mass deployment of nerve gas against Hekatian forces landing in Southern England, with this considered to be the single deadliest event in the history of warfare (excluding attacks targeted at civilian populations). True numbers on the death toll are hard to come by, but it is estimated these attacks alone killed roughly 100,000 Hekatians, unprepared for the gas as they were exiting their ships, with an unknown number severely wounded. This is at present the only confirmed deployment of chemical weapons in either war: rumours persist of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea having used significant quantities during the fighting across the Korean Peninsula, and into Northeastern China. To this day, neither the People’s Republic of China, nor the Korean Federal Republic have confirmed these rumours, and all files regarding the status of the DPRK’s chemical arsenal have been sealed away until 2155.
Chemical weapons were not the only weapons of mass destruction brought out in desperate defence of Earth. Biological weapons were deployed, albeit in significantly less flashy ways. Though continuously denied by the United Nations to this day, all evidence indicates that a modified form of Tularemia was deployed against Hekatian forces in the United States. By all accounts, this was extraordinarily effective in shattering Hekatian morale, along with generally degrading their ability to resist United Nations counterattacks. This disease, relatively minor as far as biological weapons go, was generally non-lethal, and thus believed acceptable to be used against the Hekatians without causing further escalation if discovered.
Currently, there is significant reason to believe the Hekatians may have deployed biological weapons of their own, which may later have morphed into the infamous Cincinnati Flu, though this is highly controversial amongst war historians, and is believed to have occurred independently of the use of Tularemia. It is also worth noting that declassified British documents speak openly of a large stockpile of anthrax being distributed across the island at the start of the Second Hekatian War, with the intent being to release it en masse as a form of vengeance should Britain fall. Still uncertain is why, even a century after the war and the collapse of the Hekatian Stellar Imperium, several Hekatian-majority worlds (including, most infamously, Kulabaddos) semi-routinely see severe outbreaks of a disease worryingly similar to H1N1.
The most destructive WMDs in pure terms were the InterStellar Faster-than-light Missiles. Effectively the old idea of the Relativistic Kill Vehicle, except with a hyperdrive strapped to them, they saw very little use across the war, except for a few carefully calculated deployments by United Nations forces. Using stolen missiles, the Muaytrov and Hualkinov anchorages were utterly destroyed, followed by the military staging post of Traxio.
But these are not the weapons of mass destruction thought of when the Second Hekatian War springs to mind.
In the course of the Second Hekatian War, nukes were tossed around in large numbers. City after city across the United States of America fell victim to Hekatian nukes, while American strikes (generally tactical in nature, directed at concentrations of Hekatian forces and key command and control sites) usually invited yet more retaliation. Historians are unable to come to much of a conclusion on the effectiveness of this strategy by the American military, in no small part due to the difficulties of credibly predicting what would have happened without it. It is arguable that these attacks were responsible for the collapse of Hekatian morale and eventual widespread mutinies: this can also be attributed to any of hundreds of factors. It must be noted, though, that the Hekatians began the nuclear game with the destruction of Washington DC, and that ultimately all responsibility lies with them.
After the war, there was much debate on the morality of this action, rather than just the efficacy. It was declared by some that Humanity, now no longer in an existential fight for it's liberty and potentially survival, was in a "post-nuclear" age, where it could step away from these insanely destructive weapons. While this did hold for biological and chemical weapons, it simply could not for nuclear weapons, as the reality of maintaining an effective military on the interstellar scale quickly caught up. Nukes are fielded in what could be described as a liberal amount: fashioned into Nuclear Explosively Formed Projectiles or Casaba-Howitzers, they form the backbone of the Stellar Navy’s anti-ship missile arsenal. Special forces units have routinely made use of sub-kiloton devices in the Rigel Campaign, and conventional forces maintain large stockpiles for tactical usage. Even the famous SIM-94, defender of the skies, is more commonly than not fielded with a nuclear warhead of some sort.
These are carefully calculated tactical uses, yes. A Casaba-Howitzer melting a warship is a far different thing than the nuclear bombardment of Los Angeles, both in scale and morality. But most commanders do still hesitate when they order a nuclear strike in an exercise. Failsafes abound for all devices intended for anti-ship purposes to prevent their usage in other ways, while devices for use as bombs are subject to hyper-strict command-and-control procedures. ISFMs are subject to even stricter control, since their misuse could devastate an unshielded planet.

The cumulative effects of such a war have continued to be felt for decades afterwards. The Second Hekatian War is believed to be the war with the single highest rate of PTSD amongst veterans. Post-war advances in medical technology helped to at least lessen the effects of physical wounds, and the general improvement in living standards that followed the wars has significantly helped many veterans, but some things can't be solved by getting to take a holiday to space on the cheap. This is of course not to mention the refugee populations of the former United States, many of them surviving by flukes while losing their entire family. It is a horror no one seeks to experience again.
Yes, the plasma bayonet is still technically fielded by both the Territorial and Stellar Army (though, notably, not the Orbital Infantry, who solely fight in the cramped confines of space stations). But it has not been used in combat in decades, and is widely agreed to only exist because of tradition, and also as a somewhat risky means of cooking food. To the average soldier, the idea of a bayonet charge is unthinkable, not least because it means a lot has gone wrong.
When the Hekatians were at the gates in 2025, it was necessary to project a certain image. The unflinching warrior, remorseless and unplagued by questions of morality. Even at the time, this had serious problems. Now, in 2150, things are different. That image is back in the box as far as the United Nations is concerned, even as the myth continues to spread. But the thing about boxes is that you can always open them up again. The only hope is it never will be.

---Authors Notes---

Some points: the Korean Federal Republic is supposed to be the unified state that now comprises the Korean peninsula. The Rigel Campaign thing is something I have been meaning to expand on for a while now, and has been mentioned before, though not by that name. Fingers crossed I can sort out the relevant stories for that some time soon.
Some may notice that there has been a slight retconning of ISFMs here. Originally they were intended to hit their target at FTL speeds: I have spent at least a year bothered by my earlier concepts of FTL. Firstly, the problem of where they got the energy to go FTL: this was covered by a "no one knows", which was eventually meant to be "no one knows but it's being siphoned from other dead universes and for some reason can't be harnessed by other uses", which was a cop-out to be honest. The second issue was that obviously any shield to protect against this would be absurdly powerful, so absurdly powerful as to render any planet basically invulnerable to everything. Thirdly, they had an interesting effect on space battles, in that they forced them to be more conducted in orbits of planets where collateral damage would prevent the usage of ISFMs. I really like this as a concept, especially since I think it's a kinda nice inversion of how anti-ship missiles work in reality (which force ships to get further and further away), but I realised that ISFMs were basically just too good at this. So I have decided to change it slightly, so that it's closer to a "slipspace" style. ISFMs are now just RKVs with the ability to go faster than light, then they drop out slightly before hitting the target. Still very powerful but less nakedly reality breaking. The point about forcing battles to be more in orbit still stands, but now those ships could better defend themselves or evade. Basically the difference between how hypersonic weapons are portrayed against modern carriers, and their current reality: still capable but not perfect. The same change applies broadly to regular hyperdrives, but they're not really that affected.
Anyway, if you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee, it helps a ton, and allows me to keep writing this sort of stuff. Alternatively, you can just read more of it.

Note from roberestarkk

I am blatantly copy-pasting this from elsewhere to help test a text-to-speech issue

Who’d ever be afraid of postcards?
After all, it’s nothing but paper, right?
That’s how I’d have reacted if you’d asked me that question about a month or two ago.
It all started back in April. I’d just returned from the grocery store and checked my mail. I do it less than frequently. The only thing that ever finds its way there are fliers, random advertisement or the occasional bill.
That day though, as I stood in front of the big outdoor mailboxes of my apartment building, there was something else. Amongst a handful of fliers that had accumulated over the past week and a half, I also found a postcard.
After I’d crumbled up the annoying advertisements, I checked the postcard. Its front showed a pair of cute kittens and a ball of yarn.
When I turned it around, wondering who it was from, I found a postal stamp, my address written in fine letters, but no message. At least I thought so until I saw a single smiley face drawn where one would usually find a message.
I stared at the card for a bit, more amused than confused, wondering who’d sent it.
Without thinking much, I pocketed it and went inside. After I’d put away my groceries, I added it to a small bulletin board in my hallway where I’d put up all the postcards I’d received from friends and family over the years.
I’d forgotten it soon enough, if not for another one that arrived a week later.
This time the motif was a sprawling forest with the sun rising in the distance. When I turned it around, it was the same thing. A stamp, my name and address, and another silly little smiley face.
“What the hell?” I brought out before I shrugged. Back inside, I pinned it to the bulletin board and went on with my day.
A few days later, another two postcards arrived. One showed a couple of balloons flying through the air, the other what I assumed to be an important historical building. Once again, neither of them contained a message. Instead, both of them showed the same lonely smiley face.
By now, I couldn’t help but frown. This was getting creepy.
This time I didn’t bother to put the cards up on the board. In the trash they went, without a moment’s hesitation.
And yet, I couldn’t help but wonder what was up with this. Why’d anyone sent me those cards? Why not add a message instead of that stupid smiley face? Was this supposed to be a joke?
I didn’t find any answers to my questions, but the next time I checked my mailbox, I found another batch of postcards inside.
They depicted random motifs, were all addressed to me, and each one sprouted another smiley face.
This time, I wasn’t confused or puzzled. This time I was getting angry. Who the hell was sending them? In my anger, I tore them to pieces right then and there and grumbled up the remains.
Then I stopped and looked around to see if the perpetrator was nearby. Maybe this was all someone’s elaborate joke to see how a random person would react to something like this?
Then I shook my head. It wouldn’t do me any good to grow paranoid about a couple of silly postcards. And they all had a postal stamp, so they’d arrived via mail, anyway.
And yet, the next day, I found myself in front of the mailboxes again, checking it even though I told myself to not let it go to my head. But wouldn’t you know it, I found another one. The same was true for the next day and the day after. Each day, a new, cute little postcard arrived, address to me and sprouting another random smiley face.
Who the hell was doing this? Those cards, the shipping, it all cost money, didn’t it?
That’s when I wondered who it could be. I didn’t exactly have friends and what few old ones I had I hadn’t talked to in years. The next thing that came to mind were past relationships, but I hadn’t dated anyone in years. The only nasty break-up I could think of was with Lin, and that had been almost a decade ago. No, as much as I racked my brain, no one came to mind.
I went online, asked about it on Reddit and other similar sites, but most of the answers I got were silly jokes. What few serious replies I got suggested it might be some sort of marketing campaign, a social experiment or someone tricking random people to see how they’d react.
Great, that didn’t help me one bit. So much for the information age.
Each day, I thought about the damned cards more and more and each day new cards arrived.
Eventually, on my way to the grocery store, I ran into the mailman who’d just started on his delivery on our block.
“Hello, excuse me, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
The man turned to me and gave me a puzzled look before he nodded.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Well, for the past weeks, I’ve been getting those weird postcards in the mail. Do you by any chance know something about it? Maybe other people receive them too and I was wondering if there’s some sort of, you know, promotion or something.”
For a moment, he stared at me again.
“Haven’t heard of anything like it.”
“Yeah, but those damned cards keep arriving. By now it’s two or three a day and I was wondering,” my voice trailed off.
“They are like, landscapes, animals, greeting cards, anything basically.”
“All right,” he brought out in a strangely suspicious voice. “Do you live here?”
“Ah, down the road, in number sixty-eight.”
“Tell you what, buddy, I’ve no clue if I delivered any postcards, there’s a ton of mail and even more mailboxes. I’ll keep my eyes open though.”
“Thanks.”
From the way he held my gaze, I knew he wasn’t doing anything like keeping his eyes open. No, I could tell he was uncomfortable about the entire thing and just wanted to get over with. I sighed, nodded, and went on my way.
The next morning, while I put on some coffee, the same curiosity overcame me again. I put on my shoes and made my way outside. Wouldn’t you know it, another pair of postcards had found its way into my mailbox.
In an onset of fury, I tore them apart, cursing to myself, and threw their remains down in front of the mailboxes.
Once done, I found one of my neighbors, an old woman walking her dog, staring at me, a worried expression on her face.
“Ah, sorry,” I mumbled, more to myself than to her, before I hurried back inside.
Great, fucking great. If this continued, I’d be known as the local crazy guy in no time. But really, what the hell was up with those cards?
I had talked to the mailman, of course, but by that point he hadn’t been at my building yet. And he probably didn’t give a shit about a random guy pestering him about postcards. No, if anything, I had to talk to him right here, while he was delivering the damned things.
Yesterday I’d met him at about one in the afternoon. So he’d probably be back shortly after noon.
I tried my best to distract myself with my work, but I soon couldn’t concentrate on it anymore. Instead, I found myself sitting at the kitchen window, watching the street and mailboxes outside, waiting for his arrival.
I sat there for more than an hour, busying myself on my phone, when I noticed the bright-yellow delivery car. In an instant, I jumped up, put on my shoes, and dashed outside.
When I’d made it, he was rummaging through the back of his car, sorting through letters and parcels. Then he made his way to my building with a stack of them in his hands. The moment he noticed standing by the mailboxes, he gave me an awkward smile.
Shit, I told myself, now I’m the guy who’s stalking the mailman.
He gave me a friendly nod, trying his best to ignore me, but every so often his eyes wandered back to me. The way I watched him clearly unsettled him. Shit, I had to do something about this situation.
“Sorry about that,” I brought out, stepping up to him.
He gave me a half-questioning, half-scared look.
“You probably think I’m a nutcase but,” I broke up and couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, shit, now you definitely think I’m a nutcase.”
He joined my laughter, but his had an awkward, hollow sound to it.
“So about the postcards,” I started, but he raised his hand to cut me off.
He went through the stack of letters right in front of me, showing me one after another and then the three parcels.
“Nope, no postcards, same as yesterday,” he eventually said.
“Yesterday?”
“Yeah, when you asked me.”
“Motherfucker,” I brought out.
He gave me another curious glance as he pushed letter after letter into their corresponding mailboxes.
“Sorry, not you. It’s just, I found another batch this morning, so I thought maybe today there were more of them.”
“Well, as you can see,” he said, shrugging.
“Yeah, all good. I’m just trying to figure out who’s sending the damned things,” I said, giving him a little smile.
He gave me another curt nod before he hurried back to his car.
All right, if those things weren’t delivered by the postal service...
And so the biggest question on my mind changed from why to who and especially when.
For a moment, the strangest feeling came over me as I watched the mailman at his car and opened my mailbox again. Maybe he was fucking with me and hadn’t shown them. But when I stared into my mailbox, it was empty.
Back inside, I hatched a plan. They were there every morning, and the mailman didn’t deliver them, so someone else had to be behind it. I mean, they couldn’t just appear there out of thin air. So if I just waited by the kitchen window and watched the damned mailboxes, I should catch the perpetrator.
I found myself an interesting podcast, sat down by the window, and began my watch.
I sat there all afternoon, but all I saw were neighbors checking their mail. None of them touched my mailbox at all. When the sun set, I prepared myself a can of coffee.
When night fell, I was about to turn on the light, but then remembered what I was doing. Whoever was behind this would see me in the window and would just sit tonight out. Hell, maybe they’d already seen me and decided to leave things alone for today.
Shit.
Still, I had told myself I’d catch the one responsible for this and that I’d watch the damned mailboxes.
And yet, slowly, ever so slowly, hour after hour passed. Soon enough it was midnight, then one in the morning. At two, I grew tired and downed yet another cup of coffee. At half-past three, I almost nodded off.
I slapped myself across the face, downed another cup of strong coffee, and turned the podcast a few notches louder until it sounded like someone was screaming into my ear.
Eventually, morning came, and the sun dawned. I sat there, tired, exhausted, but most of all, discouraged. No one had shown up, no one at all.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but laugh. What the hell was I doing? Why was I sitting here all night just because of a bunch of stupid postcards?
And yet, I kept sitting there, watching the mailboxes for another hour and then another. Somehow, I couldn’t stop. It felt like the moment I’d step away from the window, someone would rush to the mailbox, put the cards in and dash away.
Then I started to think. What if they were waiting for exactly that? What if someone had seen me by the window and was waiting for me to give up, to falter?
My apartment was on the ground floor. I’d be out at the mailboxes within moments. If I was fast enough, maybe I could catch them red-handed.
For a moment I scanned the area nearby, the street and the sidewalk, the bushes and trees, but I saw no one.
Still, just to be sure, just so I wouldn’t miss a thing, I put my phone up near the window where it couldn’t easily be seen. Then I made sure it was pointed at the mailboxes and started a recording.
Once I was sure everything worked, I stepped away from the window. I put on my shoes, grabbed my keys and hurried outside to the mailbox.
I was all alone. My eyes darted around for movement, trying to see if anyone was nearby or hurrying away. All was as quiet as it could be. No one was nearby.
Then I walked up to my mailbox.
My fingers were sweaty as I put in the key and my hand was shaking slightly as I turned it.
It had to be empty, I told myself, it had to be.
But the moment the small mailbox opened up, I could already see them, three postcards. Cute kittens and puppies stared at me from each one. When I turned them around, I saw the postal stamp, saw my address and name and of course the damned smiley faces.
As they stared at me, I felt almost as if they were laughing at me, mocking me. Had someone actually made it to the mailbox in the few moments it took me to get here?
In an instant, another surge of rage came over me and I shredded the damned things. Then I made my way back inside and hurried to the kitchen.
The phone was still pointing at the mailboxes, still recording.
I was filled with the strangest sense of glee, of curiosity as I replayed the recording.
I brought the phone as close to my face as I could, gazing at it. The recording began, showing me the lonely mailboxes.
“Now, where are you, asshole?” I wondered as I continued watching.
Second after second passed with no one showing up, with nothing moving.
Then I saw something and at first I thought I’d caught the damned asshole playing tricks on me before I realized it was me walking up to my mailbox. I watched as I looked around, as I took out the key and opened it and eventually tore up the postcards.
In frustration, I dropped my phone onto the kitchen table and laughed.
How the hell had someone put those damned cards inside? I had seen no one!
Then I wondered if someone had dropped them in before I’d started watching the window. There had been a few minutes after my talk with the mailman. Hell, what if I had actually nodded off and hadn’t noticed it?
What if the damned mailman was behind it? Maybe that asshole pretended not to know anything and the moment I’d left him, he ran back to my mailbox and put the damned cards in? What if...
All right, stop. This is getting ridiculous. You’re sounding like a crazy person. Hell, you’ve acted like a crazy person. This entire ‘let’s watch the mailboxes all night long’ thing was crazy enough.
I rubbed my temples and shook my head. Shit, I was exhausted and all that for nothing.
The moment I fell into my bed I was deep asleep.
After that day, I made it a conscious effort to ignore whatever was going on here. Who knows, maybe that person did it all to get a reaction out of me. Maybe they were watching me, and maybe they’d seen me tearing up postcards and talking to the mailman. Maybe if I stopped caring they’d tire of their antics?
Either way, I told myself I’d better things to do than to worry about freaking postcards.
Still, whenever I was in the kitchen, I found myself at the window, staring down at the mailbox for a little while before I moved on.
I checked my mail occasionally. When I went to the grocery store or when I returned from an evening walk. Every single time, I found postcards inside and every single time there were more of them. They had to arrive in droves by now. At one point, I pulled out over three dozen of them.
It was the strangest thing, dumbfounding even, but I forced myself not to show a reaction. I wouldn’t give whoever was doing this any sort of satisfaction. No, I took out the postcards, closed my mailbox and went inside where I discarded them.
It was about a week later that my doorbell rang in the late afternoon. When I answered it, one of my neighbors was outside.
“I guess those are for you, aren’t they?” he brought out in a slightly annoyed tone when I opened the door.
I stared at him and then at the stack of postcards in his hand. My eyes grew wide, and I almost cringed back.
“Wait, what? No, those aren’t mine, they are,” I broke up, shaking my head.
“Look, no, those aren’t mine, they are-“
“But that’s your name on them, isn’t it? Right here, on every single one of them,” the man cut me off, his voice now more annoyed.
“Yes, I know, but-“
“Then how about you take them off me?”
“I... fuck, all right!”
With that, I ripped the stack of postcards from his hands.
“You know, it wouldn’t hurt to be a bit friendlier,” he brought out, staring at me.
At first I was about to retort something. To tell him to go fuck himself. But then I told myself to calm down. The guy probably brought them here because he thought the mailman had messed up. He was just trying to be a good neighbor in his own way.
“All right, I’m sorry,” I brought out. “Look, there’s something odd about those postcards.”
The guy’s face didn’t change. Instead, he kept staring at me.
“Someone’s been dumping them into my mailbox for weeks. Hell, probably for a month by now. Every day I find those stupid cards inside. Look, there’s not even a message on them! It’s all just those stupid smiley faces. I don’t know why they put them in your mailbox, but maybe they want to fuck with other people as well.”
“Who are... they?” the man asked me in a half-concerned, half-confused voice once my rant was over.
“Shit, I don’t know! The ones who are doing this, who are fucking with me, fucking with you!”
By now the man had grown apprehensive and taken a few steps away from me.
“Look, I’m not looking for any trouble,” he said, raising his hands in a defensive posture.
At that moment, I got an idea.
“Hold on, let’s go back to the mailboxes.”
“Why’d I-?” the guy started, but after a few moments of standing there confused and lost, he followed me.
After a few moments we were back outside, me standing in front of the mailboxes and him keeping a safe distance from who he thought to be a madman. After a quick turn of the key, I opened my mailbox. A flood of postcards descended upon me. The entire mailbox had been filled to the brim. The last ones had been stuffed inside with such force they’d crumbled.
“What the hell?” the man behind me brought out.
“That’s what I thought,” I reasoned. “They probably dumped the rest into another mailbox, into yours.”
“Look, if this is your idea of a joke, then-“
“What the hell kind of joke would that be? Look, there’s got to be dozens in here, maybe hundreds. Why’d I buy all those postcards just to play a joke on you?”
“Why’d anyone?”
This time, I couldn’t answer.
For a few more moments he stood there before he shook his head and left me alone with all my postcards. As I stared at the filled up mailbox, at the postcards who’d rained down on my feet, I couldn’t help but laugh.
This was insane, this was just utterly insane.
Over the course of the next days, things didn’t get better. More and more neighbors showed up at my door. The nice old lady from floor number three, a student from floor number six, and a young mother from down the hallway. Every single one of them would ring my doorbell to hand me a stack of postcards addressed to me that had accidentally been delivered to them.
As quietly and as normal as I could, I explained to them that someone was playing a trick on me. I told them to just ignore any cards addressed to me or throw them away.
They all nodded, but I could see the puzzlement on their faces, the confusion and the apprehension.
I could tell they were all wondering if this was my doing, and I was sure they considered me the local crazy guy by now.
It wasn’t long before even the mailman rang my doorbell. He told me there was a problem, and he had to speak to me for a moment.
When he saw who I was, he frowned.
“You know this is a problem, don’t you?” he asked, pointing at the mailboxes.
“What do you-?” I started but broke up.
Half of the mailboxes were stuffed with postcards.
I couldn’t help but laugh nervously, which prompted an angry glance from the mailman.
“That’s got to be hundreds... thousands,” I eventually brought out.
“Yeah, and I can’t deliver the mail, thanks to them. What are you going to do about it?”
“What am I... what?”
“Well, they are all addressed to you. This is clearly related to you!”
“But, I don’t, ugh,” I broke up in frustration.
By now, another neighbor had arrived, staring at her mailbox.
“Not again,” she brought out as she opened her mailbox and tore dozens upon dozens of crumbled up postcards from it.
As I watched, as I stared at all those stuffed mailboxes, I knew this wasn’t a prank anymore. No, something strange was going on here, something extremely strange.
I pulled out my phone and called the police. I made my report as vague as possible, telling them someone was stalking me and damaging the mailboxes at my apartment building.
When they arrived, I told them about the full situation. They listened intently, but I could see the look on their faces.
The longer I went on talking, the more angry they seemed to get.
I was quick to lead them to the mailboxes and pointed at the general chaos. Their anger dissipated almost instantly and was replaced by confusion.
“And, how long has this... whatever this is, been going on?” one of them asked while his colleague stepped up to the mailboxes.
“I guess, about a month and a half,” I started. “At first it was only a single postcard, but then more and more of them arrived, and now it’s come to this.”
The two police officers did the best to handle the entire situation professionally, but I could tell they were as perplexed as I was.
They asked me if I had any enemies, but I answered I couldn’t think of anyone. I told them I’d tried to figure out who was behind this for weeks, but I had no clue. I even told them of my nightly watch.
Eventually, one of them handed me his card with a phone number on it. They told me they’d take some postcards with them and look into it and they’d have someone to watch the nearby area.
With the police here and them taking action, I was sure this thing would finally end. Stuffing all those mailboxes had to take time, and I was sure they’d catch whoever was responsible.
The next morning, however, I found all the mailboxes in chaos again. Mine was so stuffed, I was surprised the door was still closed. Almost all other mailboxes were in a similar condition.
As I stood there, I took out my phone and called the number on the card the police officer had given me.
He answered, and I told him it had happened again. The man listened, but he couldn’t tell me much. They had someone watching the area, but so far, they hadn’t been able to see anyone suspicious.
The weird deliveries continued, and soon I wasn’t the only one in contact with the police. And yet, they never found out who was behind it, saw no one.
Even stranger, though, were the postcards themselves. None of them showed any label or a hint of a manufacturer. The same was true for the stamps.
And yet, nothing could be done and postcards kept arriving.
Before long people began pressuring the renting company. Something had to be done about this absurd situation. I knew some of them wanted me gone from the building while others wanted them to hire a mailbox security who’d watch it at all hours of the day.
The renting company, however, had a different plan. One day, they sent a maintenance team that took down the entirety of the mailboxes and simply moved them inside into the entry hallway of the building.
When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I did was to check on the mailboxes. Other people did the same thing.
I think we were all expecting them to be filled to the brim once more. Instead, everything was normal. There were no postcards with my name and silly smile faces on them anywhere.
I could see the relaxed faces of people around me, could hear them sigh in relief and talk about how it was finally over. And I couldn’t help but join in. They were still wary of me, still wondering how I’d spawned that madness, but I didn’t care.
Instead, still smiling, I went back to my apartment. I hadn’t even had coffee yet, I thought to myself.
With quick steps, I made my way towards my kitchen.
For the first time in weeks, hell, in more than a month, the world felt normal again. All I wanted right now was a nice, hot cup of coffee.
All those feelings vanished and changed the pure terror when I opened the kitchen door.
Right there, on my kitchen table and on the floor all around it, I found an uncountable number of postcards.
With a shaking hand, I picked up one of them. On it I found a postal stamp, my name and address and a stupid little smiley face.
And as I stared at it, as I stared at that silly, stupid little face, I couldn’t help but smile myself, smile and laugh about the absurdity of this entire mad situation.

Weird Seinfeld - Episode 6
FADE IN:
INT. MONK'S CAFÉ - DAY
Jerry and Kramer are sitting at their usual booth, drinking coffee. Elaine enters, looking excited.
Elaine: Hey guys, did you hear about the Soup Restaurant?
JERRY: What about it?
Elaine: It's up for auction because Peterman disappeared.
KRAMER: What happened to him?
Elaine: No one knows. But I want to buy the restaurant.
JERRY: Why?
Elaine: I want to show Sue Ellen Mischke that I can beat her at her own game.
KRAMER: What game?
Elaine: The game of life, Kramer.
Kramer nods his head, pretending to understand.
KRAMER: I get it.
JERRY: Good luck with that.
Elaine: Thanks, I'll need it.
Elaine leaves the café.
KRAMER: You know what I need?
JERRY: What?
KRAMER: A petting zoo.
JERRY: A petting zoo?
[Later at Kramer's apartment. Kramer is seen in his living room, surrounded by a bunch of rats.]
Kramer: [Talking to the rats] Alright, boys, we gotta get this petting zoo up and running.
Jerry: [Enters the room] What the hell is going on here, Kramer?
Kramer: [Excitedly] Jerry, I bought a bunch of rats and I'm starting a petting zoo!
George: [Enters the room] A petting zoo? With rats?
Kramer: Yeah, you know, it's an untapped market.
Jerry: I don't think anyone wants to pet a rat, Kramer.
Kramer: [Disappointed] What? Come on, guys, they're cute!
[Later, at the Soup Restaurant auction]
Auctioneer: [Addressing the bidders] Alright, we are now selling the Soup Restaurant. Who will start the bidding at $100,000?
Elaine: [Raises her hand] $100,000.
Sue Ellen Mischke: [Also raises her hand] $110,000.
Elaine: [Raises her hand again] $120,000.
Sue Ellen Mischke: [Raises her hand] $130,000.
[The bidding war continues until Sue wins the auction]
Elaine: [Sulking] Damn it!
Sue Ellen Mischke: [Taunting Elaine] Better luck next time, Elaine.
Elaine: [Determined] Oh, I'll get you back, Sue.
[Back at Kramer's apartment]
Kramer: [Frustrated] This petting zoo isn't going so well. I'm losing a lot of money, and my neighbors are complaining about the smell.
Jerry: [Trying to come up with a solution] Well, what can we do to help?
Kramer: [Thinking] I don't know, but I can't keep this up for much longer.
Elaine: [Enters the room] Hey, Kramer, can I take those rats off your hands?
Kramer: [Surprised] What do you want rats for?
Elaine: [Mysteriously] It's for a personal project.
Jerry: [Curiously] What kind of project?
Elaine: [Evading the question] Don't worry about it.
Kramer: [Handing the rats to Elaine] Sure, take them. I don't know what you're gonna do with them, though.
[The next morning at the cafe]
Jerry: [Concerned] Elaine, what did you do with those rats?
Elaine: [Grinning mischievously] Oh, you'll find out soon enough.
[At the Soup Restaurant]
Customer: [Eating soup] Mmm, this soup is delicious.
[All of a sudden, rats start coming out of the soup and scurrying around the restaurant, causing chaos]
Customer: [Screaming] Rats! Rats everywhere!
[The scene then shows the news broadcast of the incident, causing a national uproar]
News Anchor: [Reporting on the incident] The Soup Restaurant has been shut down by health officials after rats were found in the food. The restaurant's owner, Sue Ellen Mischke, could not be reached for comment.
[Back at the cafe, Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine are watching the news]
Jerry: [Shocked] Elaine, you did that?
The gang is shocked as they watch the news report on the rat incident at the Soup Nazi restaurant. Jerry and Kramer can't believe that Elaine would be capable of such a thing, but Elaine is smug and proud of what she's done.
ELAINE: (smiling) Revenge is a dish best served cold, boys.
KRAMER: (shaking his head) I don't know, Elaine. This seems a little extreme.
JERRY: (looking at Elaine) What did Sue Ellen do to make you do this?
ELAINE: (shrugging) Nothing, really. I just don't like her.
GEORGE: (sarcastically) Ah, the age-old reason for revenge.
KRAMER: (excitedly) Hey, speaking of revenge, I've got an idea. What if we start a new soup restaurant?
JERRY: (skeptical) A soup restaurant? What do we know about making soup?
KRAMER: (confidently) We'll figure it out. And we can call it the Rat-Free Soup Kitchen.
ELAINE: (rolling her eyes) Oh, great. That's just what we need, more competition.
JERRY: (thinking) Maybe we should focus on something else. How about we help Kramer with his petting zoo problem instead?
KRAMER: (grinning) Now you're talking.
The gang heads to Kramer's apartment to check out the petting zoo situation. They find a mess of hay and rat droppings, and the rats have chewed through the walls and escaped into the hallway.
GEORGE: (holding his nose) This place smells like a barn.
KRAMER: (defeated) I don't know what to do, guys. I'm out of ideas.
JERRY: (looking at the rats) Hey, Elaine, what did you do with those rats?
ELAINE: (smiling) Oh, I took care of them.
KRAMER: (confused) What do you mean, you took care of them?
ELAINE: (nonchalantly) I released them into the wild.
JERRY: (surprised) You what?
ELAINE: (shrugging) I figured they deserved a chance to be free.
KRAMER: (panicking) Elaine, those rats were my investment! Do you know how much money I'm going to lose because of this?
ELAINE: (smiling) Sorry, Kramer. I guess revenge is a dish best served with a side of collateral damage.
The episode ends with the gang looking at Kramer in disbelief as he starts to hyperventilate.

Hi!
Bonus to you if you get the Cinnamon Girl Type O Negative reference :P
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with someone around my age or older. Friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season
I had to list this one because I just adore the fall and everything that comes with it. My birthday is in October too so it's always been my favorite month. I much prefer fall and winter over a muggy humid summer. In the cooler seasons there's always ways to warm up.
• Candles and Incense
I love scented candles and incense and stuff like this!! I feel like you don't find guys into this stuff that much but I definitely am an exception. Right now I’m burning a citrus and sage one from Yankee Candle! Smells so nice.
• Technology
I'm good at fixing electronics and I'm quite nerdy in that aspect. So if something breaks I can fix it ;) I'm also good with my hands and quite inclined mechanically and quite the nerd.
• Music
I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order. But I like tons of older and newer bands as well. such as: Bauhaus, Velvet Underground, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, Nirvana, Rush, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, the Wipers, Spacemen 3, Meshuggah, Megadeth, Buzzcocks, MC5, Stooges, 13th Floor Elevators, Screaming Trees, Green Day, Alice in Chains, Asylum Party, My Bloody Valentine, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jefferson Airplane, etc.
• Cooking and Baking
I like to cook and learn new recipes, as well as bake fun things too! It's always nice when the house feels nice and cozy and smells good. I appreciate the simple pleasures in life, a cozy cup of tea and music or a movie in bed or sitting outside is so nice!
• Animals
I love animals of all types, and I currently have an older cat which I adore to death! We rescued her from the local shelter. She's the sweetest thing. (I think I love her more than anyone in the house lol, she just makes me so happy) :) I also don't kill insects or bugs, I catch and release them outside.
• Art
I enjoy art, both creating it from time to time such as drawing, and admiring other peoples work. There's just something so fun about it and seeing things so beautiful.
• Houseplants
I love houseplants and really anything nature related and also spiritual such as crystals and rocks. I love to help my mom in caring for all of our plants and also gardening outside when its a good growing season. Its fun! I also like cottage core and goblin core type vibes and enjoy sitting out on the deck burning incense, its peaceful :)
• Photography
I recently got a DSLR camera, a Nikon D5500 and a D200 and I've really been enjoying taking photos of my cat and nature landscapes! This includes closeups, photos of trees, the fields, etc. I've been working a lot on composition, long exposures, getting nice blurred backgrounds, depth of field, etc. It's interesting to me.
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.
Me: https://ibb.co/mqNwyRp https://ibb.co/YdxZtcH https://ibb.co/NLLmpvt https://ibb.co/4pT04Kk https://ibb.co/sF4q4TR https://ibb.co/Kj21Tmp https://ibb.co/Hh0n7wN