Part 1
I stood up, awaken from my sleep from the knocking sound on the elevator door. My friends stood up with me as we all heard it. The sound of banging became so much louder. Giggling can be heard with it. What's behind the door is unknown and I'd rather not face it than die to this thing. In the edges of the door, thin fingers began to seep through it. Such horrible looking fingers. I watched the door getting turned into a broken mess. Something grabbed my hand and I saw it was Rishika's. I looked at her and saw fear and sadness on her face.
Questioning death can be answered by judgement, revenge, luck, curse, or just nothing. The concept of fate over people sounds so simple that people think that it's ok that fate exists. Is it ok if I was in this situation? What if one of your loved ones died right in front of you by a murderer? You won't like it and you'd definitely blame god for that.
The door is beginning to make an opening. Sweat rapidly runs down on my forehead. My eyes widened with terror as I see the creature's face. It's as accurately described from the documentary. Its teeth shines like bright white marbles and its eyes are like melted butter. The creature's face slowly gets closer, while we stepped far back until there's no space for us to move anymore.
I can feel the cold shivering breath from its mouth. The breath that smells empty. From what I've heard, it's much stronger than the one we just ran away from. Ronald immediately punches the creature's face with his metallic fist. Steam pulses out from the gaps of it. He kept punching at it again and again but to no avail. It still not injured nor shown any pain. He only manages to recoil it farther back.
With a one quick slice, Ronald's hands fell to the ground. His scream was painful and terrifying to hear. I can see his face was in pain. Eyes widened with tears flowing down to his cheek. "Ronald!!" I heard Billy screamed out loud. Of course, this doesn't make any difference as the creature slowly crept closer and closer to us. I witness Ronald dying with his sockets bleeding so much blood. His eyes faded of life. If only he hadn't try to kill it out of bravery, he would've lived longer with us before our lives are taken away.
Its jaw started to open. The sounds of bone cracking can be heard within its teeth. The smile on its face grew more and more eerie. It laughs like a maniac ready to pounce on their victims. Such insanity can break people's minds with a laugh. I froze in place by the laugh. There's nowhere else me and my friends can escape from. What else can we do. Our weapons are futile here and this creature is far beyond comprehension.
Its many arms spread around the elevator room, trying to grab us with its menacing hands. We're going to die here and that's that. This would've been a goodbye to the world. I don't know the dead world in this universe. Many different universes should have a different afterlife. Here, I don't think there's a safe place after death.
Then, something happened right in front of our eyes. The creature was being pulled back by something. Something inside the darkness. I can hear it's the same women who saved me from the pale face. We couldn't see anything in the darkness but Billy's flames can surely help us along the way. I took his flamethrower and a torch. Lighting up the torch with it carefully. Not wanting to burn us. Turning off the flamethrower, I lighted the area with my torch in hand and saw them clashing each other with blade like arms.
We stepped out of the elevator with Ronald's dead body in Cody's arms. Why would Cody keep holding on to him for? He's already dead and there's no way for us to say a better goodbye. I guess maybe he wanted to bury him somewhere which I honored that idea.
She cuts the jaw of the creature that it screams the way a person should. I can see the whole body of the creature. It was humanoid and tall. About 9 feet tall and its body is dark skeletal human. It grabbed her with its large hand and threw her off into the wall. She crushes onto the wall with such heavy force. A groan can be heard from her before a blade penetrates through her abdomen. Her screams are both man and woman at the same time.
It's horrifying to hear someone scream like that if they're just human. In fact, it'll be much terrifying if she'd sounded like millions of voices.
She grabbed its face with her free arm and tears its face off. Its eyes bounces to the ground with a flesh grinding mush sound. The screams that came from within its voice box made a deafening pain in our ears that we both covered them with our hands.
The woman digs her sharp fingers into the creature eye sockets with the sound of digging flesh. She then splits its head with the pull of her hands. Black and bloody flesh spread onto the walls and ground. One of its discarded flesh landed on my shoe. My stomach twists and turns. Watching her brutally kill it while flesh and blood spills. I gagged, watching her 3 fingered hands dig into its throat and pulled out its large heart.
Geralt vomited to the ground, spilling the acid from his stomach. That didn't bother me. Instead I watched her feast on the heart. The sound of chewing on flesh and blood made me sick to my stomach from an imaginary smell of rotten flesh. The creature's body slowly melts away to the ground. Rendering it to be dead into a puddle of flesh and bone. There's nothing left of it. Just a puddle.
"Holy shit." With just one word came out from Billy's mouth, the woman turns her head to look at us. Her eyes seemingly looked bright and harmless. Not sure whether or not if this is a tactic to hunt or it's really her instinct. The familiar color of her right eye caught my attention.
She fell to the ground with a big gap in her abdomen. Heavy breaths came out from her voice as she slowly gets back up on her feet. The light from my torch reveals her hoodie to be grey and the gap in her abdomen slowly began to heal itself. Small tendrils from the sides of the gap stitching back together.
I stepped back, giving ourselves space in order for us to escape if she'd attack us. I held my hammer high and so does my friends with their own. "Darwin wait!" Did I just heard her say my name? I didn't know what to do or how to react. Either it's just a hallucination or trickery. "How did you know my name?" I asked with the fear in my voice.
"I uh. I just guessed I suppose." Her eyes were on the dead Ronald in Cody's arms. She looked saddened by it. Even grieved. She shook her head and went back to to us with a clear voice. "But that doesn't matter. You all need to get out of here before he gets here."
"Who's he?" Geralt asked with both curious and nerving tone in his voice. Her eyes are widened in fear. An expression I never thought she could do and feel about. "Cain. He's coming here and you all need to get out of here."
I've heard about Cain before. You might know this story from a book. It's about 2 brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. Abel being the most favored man of god, while Cain being the least favorite and jealous. Cain killed his brother out of jealousy. God is not happy about this and he casted him away with a curse. He's just a man. Maybe who she was saying was someone who is also named Cain.
"How are we supposed to get out?" Said Cody.
"I can help you get out. We just need to go outside and find the pool of clean water. But, it'll be far away, so we need to hurry up." She walked passed us quickly in a hurry. Billy was going to ask but I lay his shoulders, giving him a metaphor of saying no. Of course, he grunted from that. Rishika gave a face wash to Geralt. He gladly takes it and wipes his mouth and stained jacket.
We followed her through the hallways of the darkness. Our torches lighted brightly around the darkness. I was behind the woman whose guiding us to the exit. I haven't thought of asking her name. For someone like her, she should have. The voids blood doesn't seem to affect her mind but I don't think that's really the case.
The image of her blue eyes makes me recollect the memories of my long distant past. I still don't understand. How could she be so familiar to me, even know my name. We never met each other and we're from different worlds. Either it could be she had mind reading powers or just a simple guess. "Thanks for saving us back there. What's your name."
"My name's..." She looked unsure as to what to say or even know her name. I think she was hiding her true identity which I can understand that. Hiding your own identity from other people is a good way to keep yourself safe. But you needed to plan and design your own disguise. You need to come up with a story that doesn't give confusion or any cracks for people to get suspicious. Famous people like movie stars or scientist or anybody related to that stuff mostly do this to avoid getting attention.
With a warm and calm voice, she answered. "My name is Enid."
"Sounds good. Why did you save us? How are you still in control of yourself?"
"I saved you because I wanted to save you all. I was never the kind of hero or something but I still have the heart to save you all. And I'm losing a bit of my strength holding myself together. Everyday, I have to eat the creatures here. You've encountered them before. If I don't eat them, I'm going to turn into them. Turn into the void. But the more I eat, the closer I'm going to turn myself in. I'm glad you guys are safe, but I feel bad to see your friend die. Sorry that I'm too late to save all of you in one piece."
"Yeah. Wished he had enough time for you to arrive. He was a brave and cool friend to have a part of the team. He's always telling stories about greek gods and mythologies. He's a boxer too. I think he would consider you to be one of us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, of course. He kinda sometimes look scary to me in the night but he's a really good man." Geralt joins with us with a nervous look on his face. His eyes are tired as ours but they're wide enough for us to see his shining eyes. Enid returned smile on her face, but it faded away quickly in a short amount of time.
We finally left the building safely with her guidance. The bright shining sky brightens around us. Giving us the comfort of our safety. But still, we grieved the death of Ronald. Billy grieved the most out of everyone else. He kept muttering all over and over while we were following Enid. His mutterings, from what I can hear are apologize. "Billy. It's not your fault. I think he knew as well."
"No, it is. I kept saying mean and horrible things to many of you but mostly it's on him. I just wanted him to think I'm strong and all. I'm lost Darwin. And I shouldn't have said those awful things. All I want was to show you all that I'm strong. But look at me. I'm bloody weak and I can't do anything to protect you all. All I can do is to just stand still and spout bullshit."
He began sobbing so terribly that it shocks me to my core. His face turning red and he fell to his knees, unable to stand back up. We all stopped to try to give him the comfort we wanted give him. We've never seen him in such a state like this. Throughout our times together, he always acts like a jerk but now he's crying right in front of us. I didn't know what else to do except to sit down next to him. Ronald's body is now pale in Cody's arms. His eyes were shut.
"I know how it feels, Billy." Rishika, already knelt down in front of Billy, said with a warm tone in her voice. This has got to be the 3rd or 4th time I've heard her say a full sentence. Either way, it was encouraging. Billy doesn't seem to be able to reply. None of us does. "I used to be harsh and cruel to others because I wanted them to accept me. But I was wrong because that's not how it works. We can both change together. It's ok to be on your good side. It won't be too bad. I think Ronald would like that too."
"Look at me. Do I look like I can?"
"We all can. It's just how we grow in life."
"I don't know. Ronald's dead and I'm left to be the one who carries his death on my back. I don't think he'll ever forgive me."
"No. We don't know that. But what matters is that you move on instead of staying behind. I know it's hard but you have to if you want to change. It's ok to be scared. We're all scared."
"Yeah. Even me too. I get scared a few times but that doesn't mean that others will look down on me." Geralt stutters a bit in his voice but kept the strength to say those words.
"Same here. Even that I'm this, I'm still scared too." Enid joins in with a sad look on her face. For someone like her, I thought she never felt fear. I guess there are others like her that can feel that way.
I wanted to tell him something too. Something that feels connecting to each other that I don't want him to be left alone. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm scared too and that's alright because that's human. We can help you Billy. You're our friend. And I think Ronald would consider you as a friend too."
Billy wipes his tears away with his sleeve. We all sat there for a few seconds before Cody lays his hand on his shoulder, which makes Billy hug him back. "It's ok. We're here." Ronald's body lay on the boulder 5 feet away from us. Cody reaches his arms as a gesture for us to join in. We all did. So is Enid. I didn't think anything else but to be on Billy's side.
Suddenly, our moment was interrupted by a thunderous noise came out of nowhere. Enid's eyes are widened in terror. The world around us shook from the thunder. In the sky, the small clouds started to turn from grey to the color of blood. Enid jumps right up, catching a look above as we all stare into the sky. What I saw gave me enough imagination to fear whatever the unknown has.
Large gigantic shining eyes watch over the world below us from the sky. Its pupils are too big that they nearly reached the edge of their sockets. The grin of that thing gave me enough horror to freeze in my tracks. How nightmarish it is to see a gigantic abomination such as this in the morning and night. People would definitely scream and run all over the place while the cloud's face watches over them like a eldritch god.
By the time I stepped back, it turned its menacing eyes towards me. I felt like it was staring into my soul. My very soul in my body. Its own saliva dripping from its mouth. Hungry for our souls. It didn't move nor spoke a word. Thunderous noises kept coming from the abomination. They were red lightning and menacing. If people get hit by them, I'm pretty sure they'll turn into whatever nightmarish flesh creature they'll turn into.
"Guys! We have to go! There's not much time!" Edin ran and so we followed. Cody picked up Ronald's body with us. Billy gained back his strength to run. And I slowly started to run as I kept staring at its menacing eyes. It doesn't leave me alone. I don't see it following me or do anything than to smile with evil intentions. This is different than the ones we encountered. Not because of their looks. It's because I knew its intentions. The void creatures, I don't.
A great thunderous red beam shot out from the abomination's mouth and a loud boom can be heard far away from us. The sound snapped me out and I began to run as fast as I can, trying to keep up the pace of my friends and Enid.
Nothing else happened as we run to our exit. The thunderous noises kept booming around us as the clouds above slowly turned into blood red. A drop of rain hit my forehead. I touched it with my finger tip and saw blood. The rain is full of blood. I nearly slipped to the ground but my jacket was caught by Geralt. "Don't worry Darwin! I got you!" He pulled me up and ran.
The feeling of getting closer to something crept inside my chest that I began to feel the sensation of hope. Hope is said to be for the weak but I say otherwise. Hope may be a blind way to believe in something but sometimes it can be true to which we reach to something we can achieve.
Enid stopped in her tracks. There, right in front of us, was a pool of clean water. It doesn't make sense. It's raining blood and there, at the pool, it's clean. Droplets of blood dripped into the pool, then faded away into the clean water. We were shocked to see the pool to be clean in the middle of a shower of blood. The atmosphere suddenly turned red. Dark red flames started emerging around the world. It's everywhere and I can hear the distant screams behind me. The screams are hard for me to explain. They're like mixed with many variety of species all together into a rhyme of symphony.
I turned around to see something dark falling from the sky above into the ground like a falling star. The world shakes beneath us. I knelt down to get balance as I kept watching the falling darkness land onto the world. Far away, a dark silhouette rises from the ground. It looked to be tall. I could guess it's 4 feet taller than us. My eyes can't see clearly due to the silhouette being too far away. More of them began to rise as more fell from the abomination.
I turned myself around, nearly losing my balance. Cody held Rishika by the arm and Billy knelt beside Geralt. Enid reached her hands out into the pool. Sparks of bright light emitted from her arms, spreading light around her. The pool began to slowly swirl into a vortex as the sparks of light began to increase. The harsh blow of the wind hits us, making me fall to the ground.
Then, a bolt of light sparked into life in Enid's grip. The bolt was so bright that I shielded my eyes from it. It's so that I won't get blinded by the light. I looked back to see that something is walking towards us from far away of our tracks. I don't know if it's just me hallucinating or if it's really real. I think I can hear laughter. A humane laughter. It's like it came from a demon king. The dark silhouettes at the sky fly around with their wings.
Their wings are of a bat and their body was humanoid and blood red. Their mouths are menacingly enough to make me push myself away from it as far as I can. It shrieks so loudly that I can hear it from that distance. It began to fly towards us and its claws like a hawks are ready to grab one of us to feast on. I stood back up as the world turned still. I pulled out my hammer, ready to defend myself from it.
The demon nearly scratched my face before a bullet teared through the side of its brain. I turned my head to see Rishika, already wielding her sniper rifle. "I got you." She turned around and shot another bullet at another demon.
I heard a crushing noise coming from Cody. He slams his club right at a demons head, exploding it on impact. The demon wore an armor set of dark stones that could come from hell itself. It was carrying a blade that shines pure diamond. Geralt penetrated his spear at the demons chest, electrocuting it from a high voltage. "Holy shit! This is crazy!" A shout came from his voice. A voice of panic.
I turned around when I felt something was approaching me. There was a demon with 4 arms and held a large hammer, bigger than the one I wielded. Its face full of hatred that Its eyes glared into my soul. I quickly swung my hammer by the time it swings its own. Our hammers clashes together, making a loud slam around us. It swung again but I jumped away from its heavy blow. It's a good thing we had those boots. They're able to give us enough push to jump twice higher than the original person can.
I then swung my hammer directly at its face. I made impact as its face tears apart from the slam of my hammer. A crunching sound can be heard from its skull. Its head exploded into a pool of blood with scattered flesh and bones.
I landed on my feet and watched the world turned into the new hell as dark flames emitted everywhere around the buildings and the ground. More demons are rushing towards us in a pack. So many of them with many horrifying different forms. My body is shaking from the fear I had in me. I nearly dropped my hammer as sweat begins to appear on my hands. I bumped my back as I stepped behind. Geralt, Rishika, Cody, and myself are close together with our weapons in hand. They're all sweating with fear on their faces. There's too many of them for us to take them down. "Come on! Let's show those freaks what we're made of!" Shouted Geralt. By the times we raised our weapons and the demons now 10 feet away from us, a bright blue flame blazes the demons. They scream in pain and hatred as they slowly melted into a sludge of fried flesh.
"I'm not going to let those bloody fuckers take you all away from me!" Billy's face is mixed with fear and anger. Feeling very glad that he joined us. If not for him, we would be brutally killed by the horrifying demons. Then, a loud burst of water and electricity emerged from behind us. Enid faces us with wide eyes. "Get in now!"
"Will it take us home!?" Geralt asks with a panic in his voice. I can see the sweat pouring down on Enid's face as she stares back at us in a hurry. "No but it'll take you somewhere safe! Somewhere you can start a new life!"
Cody, with Ronald's body in his arms, is the first to get in the portal. By the time he jumps into the portal in the pool, a flash of blue energy can be seen emerging out of it. Then goes for Geralt. He was scared at first as he cowers back. "Will I be hurt if I fall?"
"Don't worry. You'll be fine." And so, he jumps in and flashes of light emerges out.
Then goes for Billy. He looked back at Enid for a moment before he jumps into the portal.
Lastly, Rishika stops near the edge of the pool. She turned around to see Enid with a hurried look on her face but also with relief. "Thank you Eddie." Then she jumps into the portal.
Did I just heard her right? Did she just said my lost friend's name. "What did she just say?"
She looked at me with a sad look in her blue eye. I felt a connection between us, as if we've known each other. I don't understand. Why would Rishika say his name. Enid is a woman to say the least or she's really something else. A sudden memory flashed before my eyes.
I remembered the time Eddie shape shifted into the Ice cream man. It was a time when we were young. We both got the ice cream we wanted just for free without anyone noticing. It was funny but also worrying because we could get caught. But that never happened and still felt funny every time I remember that day.
"Eddie? You're Eddie." She nodded in reply. A gesture of yes. Then, right in front of my eyes, she formed into a grown up version of Eddie. The Eddie I remembered. My heart felt shocked as to what I've just learned. I ran to him and hugged him deeply than I could've ever done. We both hugged for a moment until he gently pushes me off. Tears started to appear beneath my eyes. I don't know what I was feeling but what I can say was joy. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you would drag me with you If I tell you. You have to understand that I have to stay here. This is where I belong and I'm too dangerous to be with you."
"But we can figure things out together! We can go back to hanging out with each other! Play video games! Explore the world! Everything!"
"No Darwin. We can't. I'm a part of the void and I'm slowly losing myself. My left part of my face is nearly turning into the void."
"But we can fix that! We just need to find the answers to how we can get you better! I can't! I don't want to lose you again! I-"
"Darwin!" A shout came from his voice. I stopped with chills freezing behind my back. He looked at me in the eye with sadness. "I can't go back. I'm sorry I was never there for you when you graduated. I'm sorry for never waiting for you outside of school. I'm sorry for everything we could've done but we haven't! I have to save you. Even if it costs me my life. I don't want to lose you either. You have to go Darwin. There's nothing that can change my mind."
I thought I could finally bring him back. To do the things we've never have yet done. Here and now, this is our last time together. This is our last time to see each other again. He protected me wherever I go here. He saved me in order for me to live. I can't let him die here. I don't want him to be gone from me.
I hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. Tears dripped down from his eyes and onto my head. I can feel the pain in my chest starting to rise but I didn't let go. "I'm sorry Darwin. You have to let me go. You can choose. I won't stop you."
He's right. I can't keep him with me. Throughout my life I wanted to see him again. Every night, I look out the window to see if he's there but there's no one but cars and houses. I can't keep doing this. I really have to let go. Tears pours rapidly beneath my eyes. I let go and wiped the tears from my face. "I guess this is a goodbye then."
A sad smile plastered on his face. The world around us slowly turned into darkness. The kind of darkness in hell. "It is Darwin. I'm so happy to see you again."
"Well oh well!! Look at what we have here!" A very modern European accent voice of a man emerged from the world before us. We turned to see a man with a worn off brown coat. His hat looked to be as old as the ancient times. And his face. His face made my stomach turn. Bandages wrapped around his face, except for his terrifying grin. His teeth rotten to the very core of his rotten body. I stepped behind Eddie with the hammer in my hands. The man grins much wider than I anticipated.
"You must be wondering. Who am I? Well. I'm the one and only, Cain. You might've heard me from a very recognizable book. Also, I'm afraid you two are coming with me. We have a lot to discuss and a ton of things to do together." With that, he started laughing like a total maniac. His herds of demons followed with a laugh.
"Goodbye Darwin." Eddie suddenly pushes me off into the bright blue vortex that'll be my exit. I took one last glimpse of Eddie standing before Cain. As I fell into the portal, I can hear the echoing laughter of Cain and his demons. I screamed out for Eddie but my voice was out of reach.
Then, I landed on my back on the ground. The portal disappeared before me. I quickly stood back up and reached to where the portal had opened. It was gone. I looked around to see that I'm on a hill. The dark blue night sky displayed above me with the stars shining above. My mind racing with thoughts and fear. Witnessing Eddie being alone to fight against the evil we are meant to escape from. I screamed into the sky as tears rapidly starts to appear. I fell to my knees onto the grass floor and slam my hands at the ground as I wept. I kept screaming and sobbing until I was too exhausted that I fell to the ground. I heard footsteps before me. There were many.
My body being picked up by Billy in the arm as he carries me with him. "Darwin. What happened?"
The only words I can say now were."He's gone."
​
It's been 2 years since we left that world. The world we now stand upon was nearly the same as ours. What I mean by nearly was that there are strange phenomenons happening nearly every month. A girl who can turn into a form of a robot and killed a cancerous beast in Queensland. A military war criminal who considers killing the supernatural as a job. Even the real life wendigo sightings are on the news papers. Still though, the place is still good in the morning. Except in the night, there are sometimes threats we don't know in the dark.
We built a team together, even gather some new friends along the way. Rishika grew to be more expressive and a lot more kinder to us. The time we killed a literal Bigfoot, she gave me a fist bump. Gave me a chuckle and a smile on my face.
Billy was getting better everyday. He responds to us with kind words than insults like before. After Cody had buried Ronald's body in a proper, he said his words of goodbye to him and gave him the picture he secretly held with him. It was a picture of us hanging out in a movie place. It's heart warming and depressing to witness what he did there.
Cody went off to work as a psychologist. He's still with us. It's just that he wanted to help people's mental health issues. He did really well on that one and he even gave us some advice for a change. I wouldn't consider mostly on his advice but some I can really try. That's also where he met the girl who can turn into a robot. We've met after the news broke out about an incident of a wild destruction at Queensland. Forgot to mention, we're at Australia. Just to let you all know where we are.
Finally, Geralt took pictures everywhere we go and writes down in his diary. The reason he does this is that we're in another world and thought he could take pictures of them and reflect on them. Sometimes we even got to have a photograph of us in the middle of the good times. He said it was to keep memories of our times together. A frame with a picture of literally us huddled together in a bright sunny day in Canberra.
Me? I was building a portal device, for me to teleport to different worlds. It's going to take a long time for me yes. Been building other things lately with Rishika too. Weaponry, gadgets, devices, and fixing stuff. I stuck around with my friends and we've made a great team. Made new friends along the way and learnt many things too.
2 years ago, after my moment of grief, I woke up from my exhausted moment to see my friends standing before me with a relief on their faces. I nearly cried by the picture of that moment. After that, we both watched tv together in my new bedroom inside of a hotel room. After Rishika finds a new home for us, we moved out to Melbourne Victoria as a new place of our home. We moved in to a farm house where there is a larger basement for us to do our stuff. We knew we had to get a job at this point, so we did what we can to find one. It's a good thing there's a city nearby.
Rishika, Geralt, Billy, and I took the job as being a part of an investigation of the paranormal. That's how we managed to meet up with a bunch of new friends.
I missed Eddie. I wished he could come with me and didn't have to die. But, I learnt that I can't drag him with me. He wanted to stay there. I can understand that. I know he's gone already. It's hard to let go. But sometimes we have to. To live out our lives well. I have to look forward. To better myself through experience.
This is my message to you. My readers.
You better to stay where you are now. Don't go to other universes. Because maybe, you'll end up in the most horrifying places you never want to go.

Just back from a glorious 9 days in Rome. There's no other place like it and I felt so lucky to be able to go, My three initial aims in this trip were: (a) see my hometown hero Bruce Springsteen amongst my ancestral people (they literally sing along to not just the lyrics but the guitar riffs etc too) as well as (b) sink or swim as I continue to practice my Italian language skills (I've been taking lessons with a tutor for 2 years but there's nothing like just being thrown into the world of the language to sharpen up and get very comfortable conversing) and (c) do hours upon hours of photo walks (I ended up averaging 30k steps a day every day aside from the two sick days).
In brief, I split the trip up into two halves: the first half I stayed up on Avantino hill (it's very close to the Circo Massimo, so it was an easy spot for the concert) and the second half in a quiet pocket of Trastevere a block or two west of the river south of Ponte Paladino.My Avantino air bnb host gave me some great neighborhood places in nearby Testaccio (another wonderful neighborhood that tourists don't seem to wander into very much), and I found a fantastic and slightly quirky place for espresso also in Testaccio (I'm an espresso fiend).If you haven't been to Avantino, it almost reminded me of the Italian Beacon Hill (for those familiar with Boston).
It had the feeling of a Tuscan village that just happened to be somehow in the middle of Rome. It's where the famous key hole is that frames St. Peters, as well as the Giardino degli Aranci and Santa Sabina's, which is a gorgeous church from 422 AD. Staying here felt very relaxing and peaceful and even though some tourists did make their way to the keyhole every day, it had a very tranquil vibe, despite the fact that Circo Massimo was 5 minutes north and Testaccio was 5 minutes south.
Given that my favorite thing to do on vacation is just wander around with my Ricoh GR, I would begin every day in Avantino thusly:Get up, have an espresso at Tram Depot (always at the bar), walk around for a few hours and just see what I can find. Maybe I'd get a quick breakfast bite at the outstanding Casa Manco in the Testaccio market.
Then I'd go to for a big lunch at the wonderful Pecorino (also in Testaccio). This lunch would usually last an hour or two. It's a very cozy restaurant and the waiters are all very nice and so I'd often bring a book along with me or a notebook or I'd transfer pictures from my camera to my phone for editing in between courses. Lunch was often my largest meal of the day and sometimes my only "meal" of the day. (In normal life I train for marathons and am in the gym often and I'm super on top of my macros and making sure I get X amount of protein etc...on this trip, this was not the case.)
If I couldn't get into Pecorino for lunch or didn't end up in that area for lunch time, I'd either go there for dinner when they opened, or another excellent Testaccio spot called Perilli's. (There's also Piato Romano, which had excellent food but not quite the same cozy ambience as Pecorino.) I pretty much mainlined Amatriciana and Carbonara along with involtini, braised oxtail, and as much tiramisu as I could politely hurl into my maw. I like establishing some routines or rituals when I travel, especially when I travel solo, to help give the trip some grounding. It's also nice when you are far from home to be able to walk into a place where people begin to recognize you and accept you into their little circle, even if it is temporary.
For the second half of the trip in Trastevere...I got COVID! Sort of. The day after the concert, I noticed a heavy feeling in my upper airway/chest, but I figured it must have been all the second hand smoke I inhaled during the concert (from my observations, Romans thoroughly enjoy cigarettes). I wear an oura ring and while my HRV was low, nothing else stood out. That night though I developed a fever and spent the entire next day in bed. I was bummed, but frankly, after 5 nights in a row of being out from 8am to midnight, I needed a rest day anyway, so it wasn't bad timing. (How's that for spin?)
Not sure what my actual temperature was, but my oura ring said I was 4.3 degrees above my nightly average baseline, so I'm guessing my temperature was around 100-101 as my normal temperature on a thermometer seems to be around 96.6. I spent a good chunk of the next day in bed also, just napping (which was fairly pleasant as the cool breeze came in through the window, carrying the sounds of the three churches on Avantino, not to mention the bird calls and the pleasing sounds of people enjoying their meals on the street below). My baseline temp deviation was only +2 degrees the second night and by the end of the day, I felt good enough to have an appetite, but not quite good enough to stand upright, so I ordered some Trapizzino on uber eats (the polpetti/sugo and the melanzane were both glorious) and that revived me. By the next morning I was better!(In the end, I think this was covid because while I only had the fever for the two sick days, I lost most of my sense of smell sometime Thursday afternoon despite feeling fine. So maybe Covid? In the end, I missed out on a trip to Ostia Antica and a food tour, but the trip still felt extremely full of experiences.)
The rest of my time in Trastevere was great. Just wandering all around those crazy little winding streets, snapping away, always fueled by a caffè from the gruff but character-rich Bar San Calisto or the one across from my apartment, which was called "404 Name Not Found." I did eat lunch one day at Da Enzo which was good but not sure it's worth the hype given how much excellent food I had at restaurants with very little fanfare.
Da Enzo ended up being a great experience though because when they asked me how many and I said, "da solo," they asked if I would share the table if there was another single. I said sure, and ended up being paired up with a fellow endurance athlete, this one from France. Just one of the many fanciful moments that can happen when you travel solo. We also hung out again the next day for most of the morning and afternoon, and this was a sort of theme for my trip: running into people left and right, connecting, and making fast friends.
This is how I found myself getting invited to a Roman birthday party at the Piazza Testaccio one night for what felt like my 10th "out past midnight" night of the trip (again, a far cry from my normal life of "in bed at 9").In the end, what I will take away from this trip are a few things:
-the magic of learning a second language, and noticing your skills improving with every chat. Just the pleasure of hearing the Italian language and getting to practice it all day, every day (while making many mistakes). If you're going to Rome or Italy in general, I highly recommend you try and get yourself up to A2 in Italian. It's such a pleasurable language to speak and embrace, even if it's just at a beginner's level.
-the many conversations I had with shop owners or fellow bar patrons and the high-five I would give myself in my head when they would ask "if you're American, how come your accent is so good?" (Again, I'm a B1 speaker on my best day, but the compliment would always make my day given my beginner's nervousness at the start of the trip). A few times, people even just began talking to me, assuming I was Italian. (I am Italian-American, but having a Roman just start talking to you as one of their own meant a lot to the part of me that loves being Italian and feels a strong connection to the country, even from afar.)
-The Italian crowd at the Bruce show. Just a blast to sing along with them into the Roman sky, surrounded by ruins.-Mornings in Avantino spent in quiet contemplation in Santa Sabina or St Anselmo. A few times, the respective organists were practicing and I got my own concert.-After my two days sick in bed, when I returned to the Tram Depot and Casa Manco for sustenance, the proprietors both asked me one version or another or "tutto bene?" (as if to say, where ya been?). The man at Casa Manco blurted out "buon tornato!" when he saw me approach. Very warm-hearted people and they made me feel at home (along with the Pecorino staff, who were very kind to me and likely a little amused, wondering, why is this random American dude here every day eating for 2 hours?)
-A basic observation: I appreciated how people across seemingly different walks of life all talk to each other as equals. I saw street sweepers chatting with businessmen in the street in a way that would seem less likely in America. Maybe this is a class thing? Perhaps the gap in salaries is not so large like it is in America, and therefore people feel like one giant middle class together? Related: many younger Italians I spoke to told me how hard it was to live in Rome as a young person, as salaries were not very good, and unless you had 1-2 roommates or parents who could pay your rent, you would most likely have a longer commute coming into the city every day.
-The fact that behind every nook and cranny and around every corner, there is something spectacular to see. Whether it's the ruins that stand adjacent to the jewish ghetto in a reminder of the layers upon layers of civilizations that once existed in this city, or just the way the morning light creates a shaft down some medieval cobblestone street, it is a magical place to walk around. By the end of each very long day, my mind was just fried, both from working overtime with trying to speak Italian and from the sheer overstimulation of seeing so much beauty.
Anyway, this was not my first trip to Rome, but it was my first trip in MANY years, and it was precisely the life affirming and humanity affirming trip I needed this year after a rough and precarious start to 2023. Next trip, I will likely fly into Rome, spend 3-ish days there, and then head somewhere to the southern coast. As much as I love Roman food, it would be nice to be inundated with fresh sardines the same way this trip found me OD'ing on carbonara.
To me, this trip really captured the beauty of solo travel: I had plenty of experiences to enjoy my own company, but in my efforts to engage with the language and culture, I was eager to seek out interactions, and many of those interactions lead to further interactions. Whether it was helping an older Italian woman find the church she was looking for and the ensuing 20 minute conversation in Italian as we navigated, or wandering into a green juice place in Rome and expressing my shock and appreciation at the sight of vegetables to the owner that lead into a conversation about my union's current strike or finding an amazing children's book store while searching for a gift for my nephew and talking to the owner of the shop about books for an hour, just seeking ways to meaningfully engage and having a curiosity about the people and places I encountered really made for an enriching solo travel experience, because as Rolf Potts points out, had I been with a friend on this trip, we would have created our own bubble, and this bubble would have kept others out.
This being a solo travel sub, I will say that there's always that early part of the trip where you feel alone and disoriented after arriving in a new place after flying all night, like, "ah maybe I should have broken the trip up, or not made for such a long stay, etc" but whenever I felt that way in the early day and a half, I would just force myself to engage more fully with the world around me. Remember, the satisfaction of this kind of travel comes in the context of being outside your comfort zone, and the area outside that zone can be a little uncomfortable! But by the end, I didn't want to leave. And that's for me where the real magic of travel is.
Anyway, thank you to Rome and it's people for one of the best times in my 39 years.(If anyone is curious, I'll be posting many photos from this trip at my IG@ rovinglumix.

Looking for a young woman with an unfulfilled [email protected] Kink who is interested in IRL play.
Me: Dominant/Top, White, Straight, DDF, Veteran, 6' Tall, and much stronger than you. I'm single, live alone, and my kids are grown. I enjoy new people, and risky adventures, so if you have a crazy idea, we might be able to make it happen as long as it only involves consenting adults.
Chat me if you are enthusiastically curious. Please include your age and City/State in your first message if it's not obvious from your profile. If you send a pic, send one with clothes on. If I want to see you naked, I'll undress you myself.
The Safeword Is "Red".
1st Date Ideas. 🌹You're out way too late, you would worry about being robbed, but you're sure you don't have anything anyone would want to take. 🌹You take a wrong turn trail running, and now your lost, but it looks like someone might be living in this part of the park. 🌹You're stuck on the side of the road, no cell phone service, and no one to help you.
Kinks: ● 1950s Household ● Abduction ● Accomplice ● AgePlay ● Anonymous Sex ● Asphyxia Play ● BDSM ● Being Your Father's Age ● Blowing Your Husbands Boss To Get Him A Raise ● Bondage ● Breath Play ● Bruises ● CNC ● Coercion ● Creampie ● Crying ● Daddy/Daughter Roleplay ● DD/LG ● Degradation ● Domestic Abuse ● DubCon ● Exhibitionism ● Face Slapping ● Forced Orgasms ● Free Use ● Groping ●Orgasm Control ● Pain ● PainKink ● Physical Abuse ● Public Play ● Public Orgasms ● Rape Play ● RapeKink ● Rape Kink ● Remote Control Vibrators In Public ● Sexual Slavery ● Stuffing You Into A Duffel Bag ●
Cities In/Near Eastern North Carolina: ■ Albertson ■ Atlantic Beach ■ Beaufort ■ Bell Fork ■ Beulaville ■ Bogue ■ Bridgeton ■ Calypso ■ Camp Lejeune ■ Cape Carteret ■ Charlotte ■ Cherry Point ■ Clayton ■ Coastal Carolina Community College ■ Dover ■ Dunn ■ Durham ■ Emerald Isle ■ Fayetteville ■ Garner ■ Georgetown ■ Goldsboro ■ Greensboro ■ Greenville ■ Hampstead ■ Havelock ■ Holly Ridge ■ Hope Mills ■ Hubert ■ Jacksonville ■ Kenansville ■ Kings Grant ■ Kinston ■ Knightdale ■ Leland ■ Lumberton ■ Magnolia ■ Maysville ■ Midway Park ■ Morehead City ■ Murrysville ■ New Bern ■ New River ■ Newport ■ North Topsail Beach ■ Ocean View ■ Pelletier ■ Piney Green ■ Pink Hill ■ Pollocksville ■ Raleigh ■ Richlands ■ Rocky Mount ■ Rocky Point ■ Rose Hill ■ Salter Path ■ Smithfield ■ Snead's Ferry ■ Spring Lake ■ Stella ■ Surf City ■Swansboro ■ Tarboro ■ Trenton ■ University Of North Carolina at Wilmington ■ Vanceboro ■ Wallace ■ Warsaw ■ Washington ■ Watha ■ Whitakers ■ Wilmington ■ Wilson ■ Winston-Salem ■

From my travel report (2014):
The second trip to Madeira we made to escape the winter. The weather was like a moody diva in winter. It changes not only from day to day, but also within a few hours. So you can never plan anything for the next day, because you should not think, today it is so nice and sunny and warm, it will be the same tomorrow. But if you are unlucky, the next morning it will be completely cloudy, only to possibly be sunny again in the afternoon.
It is always a pleasure to stroll in FUNCHAL's old town. Here times an ice cream to eat, there a coffee possibly with Nata to take. But this should be done when there are no cruise ships in the harbor. Then you see fortunately more locals than tourists in the streets.
For football fans: Christiano Ronaldo, who comes from Madeira, now has his own museum in Funchal - eagerly visited by his - mostly young - supporters...
Funchal is spreading out more and more - the slopes all around are already built on, and in the hotel zone construction continues eagerly. Although it is obvious that in the newly built apartment houses still very many apartments are empty.
The first two weeks we booked apartment at about 350 m altitude with a beautiful view of Funchal. The disadvantage was that it became - especially in the evening - but quite cool. Fortunately we had not only an electric heater but also a fireplace in the apartment.
From up here you can see how Funchal has grown in recent years. It is a huge sea of houses, which goes up to all the adjacent hills.
For the second part of our stay we had chosen an apartment house at Praia do Formosa with direct view to the sea and also to Cabo Girao.
One of the most beautiful and varied gardens of Madeira is located only about 9 km east of Funchal: the Palheiro or Blandy's Gardens. In 1801, the property was purchased by Count Carvalhal. A hunting lodge was built and the count had exotic trees imported from all over the world. The count's descendants squandered the fortune, and so in 1885 the estate became the property of the Blandy family of wine merchants. The villa above the garden is still inhabited by the Blandy family and is not accessible.
The gardens are famous not only for the variety of (often exotic) plants but also for their location on a 500 m high hill with a magnificent view of the bay of Funchal. The Count's hunting lodge was renovated in 1997 and is now the exclusive hotel "Quinta Velha do Palheiro".
The gardens are divided into the main garden, the sunken garden, the valley of hell (Inferno) with mighty fern trees, the rose garden, the ladies garden and the tea house area. There are also ponds with water lilies and beautiful flower beds.
Some of the numerous trees are 100 years old. The garden has been constantly developed. Hibiscus, bougainvilleas, jacaranda, African tulip trees, coral trees and orchid trees grow here. The Blandy family imported proteas from South Africa and had a rose garden planted and a small baroque chapel built. The gardens are also famous for their numerous camellias and magnolias.
The orchid garden, created by an Austrian, apparently has more than 5000 plants and is located below the botanical garden. At the moment the orchid garden is closed, because in the big fire of 2016 in Funchal not only many houses were destroyed, but also great damage was done to the orchid garden.
Carnival is also celebrated in Madeira and by chance we saw a children's parade. It was interesting to see with which eagerness the children were partly "there". Therefore, there will probably be no problem with carnivalistic offspring in Funchal.
The town of RIBEIRA BRAVA is located at the mouth of a wide - sometimes wild (brava) river (ribeira). From Funchal there is a highway to get there. In Ribeira Brava there is a wide pebble beach, and on the other side of the promenade there are cafes and restaurants. In the historic center there are small stores, and here is also the pink town hall from the late 18th century
The Igreja de Sao Bento was built as early as 1440, but was given a new look during the Baroque period. The spire with the white-blue tile pattern and the sphere symbol of the Portuguese explorers is striking.
We still drove to Punta do Sol. This place lies between two high rocky capes. In the old core there are only a few houses and the church, behind it already begin the terraced banana fields. There is a pebble beach and on the promenade you can have a drink in small cafes. Except for us, there were hardly any tourists in the village. But here we drank the best poncha on the island. Poncha (made of honey, lemon juice and sugar cane brandy) is a kind of national drink on Madeira.
The village of Camara de Lobos - situated between two rocky cliffs - is only 9 km away from Funchal. Camara de Lobos is still a typical fishing village with the many colorful boats (xavelhas) that you can admire in the small harbor. A small church was built at the harbor early on, this was remodeled in 1420 and the current Capella Nossa Senhora de Conceicao was built.
There is still fishing and some boat building in Camara de Lobos. However, these are no longer particularly lucrative, so tourism is now a larger source of income. The fishermen in this area mainly catch the black scabbardfish (Espada), which is offered in many restaurants - also in Funchal.
There is a promenade path from the Lido in Funchal to Camara de Lobos since 2011. The path - always with a view of Cabo Girao - is partly concreted and partly laid out on wooden walkways. If you walk in the direction of Camara de Lobos, you can see the approaching waves of the Atlantic Ocean on the left and the partly high cliffs on the right. Not far behind Praia de Formosa there are some beach bars or restaurants where you can have a drink or eat quite well.
Cabo Girao near Camara de Lobos is one of the highest cliffs in the world. More than 500 m the land here falls almost vertically into the sea. Since our last visit, things had changed here, there was now a large parking lot. Then the cafes and souvenir stores were also new for us. And surprising for us was also the glass viewing platform, which exists since the end of 2012. Here you can see that wine and vegetables are grown on the small rocky outcrops. The farmers can reach their fields on the coastal fringe with a cable car. Before the cable car was built, these fields were only accessible by boat.
From Funchal it was not far to CANICO. The original village became in the course of time one of the most important tourist places on Madeira. Large hotel complexes, apartment buildings and villas were built. However, we turned off before we reached the town in order to get to Ponta do Garajau. There on a rock cliff is the 14 m high Christo Rei statue, which was erected in 1927. From here you have a beautiful view of Funchal. Since 2007, there is a cable car nearby that goes 200 m down to the pebble beach.
CURRAL DAS FREIRAS is a small village nestled between huge almost vertical mountain slopes in the heart of Madeira. There is only one road that leads serpentine to the 633 m high valley. Originally the valley was inhabited by nomads and shepherds. Towards the end of the 15th century, the land became the property of the nuns of the Santa Clara convent.
The name Curral das Freiras means "pen of the nuns". In the 16th and 17th centuries, the island was repeatedly attacked by pirates, and the nuns retreated here to the protection of the mountains, which are up to 700 meters high. Here people still live from what they grow themselves on their fertile fields. One of the specialties of the village is chestnuts. They are used to make liqueur, cakes, bread and soups, which are also sold to tourists. On November 1 of each year, the Chestnut Festival is held here.
Not many tourists come to SANTA CRUZ, although this place is certainly worth a visit. There is quite a pretty old town with the church of San Salvador built in 1533 as well as like a large modern market hall just behind the long gray pebble beach lined with date palms.
Just north of Santa Cruz is Madeira Island's airport, renamed "Cristiano Ronaldo" Airport in 2007. Opened in 1964 and reconstructed in 2000, this airport is one of the most dangerous in the world. The 2777 m long runway is built on the rocky coast above the water and looks like a bridge with large concrete supports. A large parking lot has been built below this runway.
Before the landing approach, the mountain massif must be overcome so that the narrow runway can be approached. Unfortunately, there have been numerous accidents, but this is still one of the busiest airports in Portugal.
From Santa Cruz we drove to MACHICO, one of the larger towns of Madeira. Machico profited from sugar cane cultivation in the 15th century and is now a modern town, which is divided into two halves by the Ribeira da Machico. On the eastern bank of the river is the historic fishing quarter with the main square surrounded by tall laurel trees.
The town church of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao in the center was built in the 15th century and partially rebuilt in the 18th century. Opposite stands the town hall built in the early 20th century There are several fish restaurants here.
In the surroundings of the small village FAIAL there is still a lot of agriculture, e.g. wine and fruit growing. The village is dominated by the 600 m high Eagle Rock. Only a few tourists come here, because there is hardly anything worth seeing.
Most people come to Santana to see the famous "Casas de colmo". In total there are still about a hundred of these thatched historic wooden houses. They are very scattered throughout the municipality.
On the way back to Funchal we passed through Ribera fria. Here you can take a short hike up to the Miradouro dos Balcoes, from where you have a beautiful view of the mountains.
The peninsula PONTA DE SAO LOURENCO is 9 km long and 2 km wide. In 1982 it was declared a nature reserve, mainly to ensure the preservation of the fauna with the great variety of birds and the great occurrence of the native flora. The eastern tip of Madeira is barren and windy. One can no longer imagine that everything here was lushly forested.
Then, in spring, a carpet of flowers enlivens the bare hilltops. But also in other seasons the turquoise sea and the rocks in different shades - ocher, rust, gray and green-black - bring color to the area.
The south coast can be easily approached by boats, which is almost impossible on the drastically shaped north coast with its strong winds. There is a paved access road to the parking lot above Baia de Abra. Here you can also take the public bus.
From there there is a popular rocky hiking trail. This hike is absolutely not a walk. There are some climbs, often wooden stairs. You have no shade and are exposed to gusts of wind. To avoid being blown down somewhere, I ducked down and waited out the sometimes strong gusts - really quite extreme.
At the narrowest point with a land bridge only a few meters wide, the rock drops almost 100 m vertically - fortunately the place is secured with a fence.
The hike takes - depending on your condition - 2 to 3 hours. It also depends on whether you only walk to the plateau of Casa Sardinha - administration of the national park - or if you want to make the ascent to Pico Furado. Below the Casa there are some tables for picnics. From there there is also an entrance for swimming, which can certainly be pleasant in the summer.
On the way there are always beautiful views of the sea and the rock formations - e.g. the so-called rock gate. On the south side you can see the cages of a fish farm in the sea. In front of Sao Lourenco there are two small islands, on one of them stands the oldest (from 1870) lighthouse of Madeira.
From the cape we drove to CANICAL, the easternmost municipality of Madeira. This place is still characterized by fishing and boat building. Fishing boats are still built here and there is a large repair yard.
Over the 1000 m high Encumeada Pass we drove northeast to Sao Vicente. Unfortunately the old coastal road to Seixal and Porto Moniz was closed and we had to drive through many tunnels. A few years ago it was a special experience to drive on the narrow and winding ER 101 directly at the coast - on one side the high cliffs and on the other side the sea. But apparently the road has become too dangerous in the meantime because of constant falling rocks.
We got to Porto Moniz , and unfortunately the weather got worse, more and more clouds came up. The sea raged with huge waves to the shore. Porto Moniz is a nice little town located on the northwestern tip of Madeira, a region with high mountains and views of the endless Atlantic Ocean.
From Porto Moniz you can go hiking, for example on the coastal trail "Levada da Ribeira da Janela", one of the best hiking trails in Madeira.
Porto Moniz is known for its volcanic pools. Daytrippers mostly come for these pools filled with sea water.These pools owe their formation to a lava tongue that flowed into the sea here thousands of years ago, creating caves due to the force of wind and waves. The black basalt lava pools form swimming pools and are the attraction of Porto Moniz, because you can swim (swim) in them very well - at least in good weather...
There are two different lava pools in Porto Moniz: the completely natural pools and the western pools, which have been transformed into natural outdoor pools - there are no sharp rocks here. The surrounding rocks of the outdoor pool were built as a terrace , and here you can sunbathe. The pools are open every day - even in winter. But when we were there, there was no one in the water....
The natural pools are not safe because of the black sharp basalt rocks. It is very interesting to watch the waves as they crash against the rocks. The water is sometimes whirled into the air in such a way that it looks like a geyser.
The PICO DE ARIEIRO is the most visited mountain of Madeira, because it is the only one that has been opened up with a road, but it is only the third highest. The road was probably built primarily for the observatory and not necessarily for the tourists. Already the approach through pristine landscape with rugged rock and sparse vegetation is an experience.
If the weather is good, you have a breathtaking view all around. Equally beautiful, however, is the sight of white cushions of clouds hanging between the high mountains. In winter there can be ice and snow on the peaks. Since it had snowed on Madeira about 2 weeks before our trip there, we could still see the sparse remnants on the shaded layers.
From Pico de Arieiro you can hike up to Pico Ruivo (1861 m) if the weather is good. At the beginning, the path is quite wide and in places secured by railings. Some then walk at least to the first viewpoint - the rocky peak Niho de Mata with beautiful views. The entire hike up to Pico Ruivo is clearly difficult, even if there are partially secured stairways since the 1960s. Some of the paths are steep up to 700 m, the rock steps are high, the paths are sometimes narrow and beaten, and it also goes through unlit tunnels. So you should have a good condition and be free from giddiness and sure-footed.

To celebrate the "Return" of the "Big Gold Belt" on Raw, I thought I'd make a history combining all title runs from the first world heavyweight championship, through it's time in the NWA, its two off shoots in WCW and its appropriation by WWE. All lineages combined, all vacancies ignored, all reigns recognized and all champions holding the belt once.
​

Name	Date	Location	Days
George Hackenschmidt	May 4, 1905	New York, New York	1,065
Frank Gotch	April 3, 1908	Chicago, Illinois	1,824
Americus	March 13, 1914	Kansas City, Missouri	55
Stanislaus Zbyszko	May 7, 1914	Kansas City, Missouri	176
Charlie Cutler)	January 8, 1915	N/A	178
Joe Stecher	July 5, 1915	Omaha, Nebraska	644
Johan Olin	December 11, 1916	Springfield, Massachusetts	142
Earl Caddock	April 9, 1917	Omaha, Nebraska	1,026
Ed Lewis)	May 2, 1917	Chicago, Illinois	34
Wladek Zbyszko	June 5, 1917	San Francisco, California	5844
Wayne Munn	January 8, 1925	Wichita, Kansas	1360
Gus Sonnenberg	January 4, 1929	Boston, Massachusetts	705
Ed Don George	December 10, 1930	Los Angeles, CA	1693
Danno O'Mahoney	July 30, 1935	Boston, Massachusetts	216
Dick Shikat	March 2, 1936	New York, New York	54
Ali Baba)	April 25, 1936	Detroit, Michigan	48
Dave Levin)	June 12, 1936	Newark, New Jersey	109
Dean Detton	September 29, 1936	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	273
Bronko Nagurski	June 29, 1937	Minneapolis, Minnesota	507
Jim Londos	November 18, 1938	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	2628
Orville Brown	July 14, 1948	Des Moines, IA	501
Lou Thesz	November 27, 1949	Los Angeles, California	2300
Leo Nomellini	March 22, 1955	San Francisco, CA	359
Whipper Billy Watson	March 15, 1956	Toronto, ON	609
Édouard Carpentier	June 14, 1957	Chicago, IL	153
Dick Hutton	November 14, 1957	Toronto, ON	421
Pat O'Connor)	January 9, 1959	St. Louis, MO	903
Buddy Rogers)	June 30, 1961	Chicago, IL	145
Killer Kowalski	November 22, 1961	Montreal, Quebec	254
Bruno Sammartino	August 2, 1962	Toronto, ON	16
Bobo Brazil	August 18, 1962	Newark, NJ	1239
Gene Kiniski	January 7, 1966	St. Louis, MO	1131
Dory Funk Jr.	February 11, 1969	Tampa, FL	1563
Harley Race	May 24, 1973	Kansas City, KS	57
Jack Brisco	July 20, 1973	Houston, TX	500
Giant Baba	December 2, 1974	Kagoshima, Japan	373
Terry Funk	December 10, 1975	Miami Beach, FL	1350
Dusty Rhodes)	August 21, 1979	Tampa, FL	616
Tommy Rich	April 27, 1981	Augusta, GA	143
Ric Flair	September 17, 1981	Kansas City, KS	355
Jack Veneno	September 7, 1982	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	122
Carlos Colón	January 6, 1983	San Juan, Puerto Rico	487
Kerry Von Erich	May 6, 1984	Irving, TX	1238
Ron Garvin	September 25, 1987	Detroit, MI	515
Ricky Steamboat	February 20, 1989	Chicago, IL	502
Sting)	July 7, 1990	Baltimore, MD	257
Tatsumi Fujinami	March 21, 1991	Tokyo, Japan	116
Lex Luger	July 14, 1991	Baltimore, Maryland	363
Big Van Vader	July 12, 1992	Albany, Georgia	21
Ron Simmons	August 2, 1992	Baltimore, Maryland	10
Masahiro Chono	August 12, 1992	Tokyo, Japan	145
The Great Muta	January 4, 1993	Tokyo, Japan	48
Barry Windham	February 21, 1993	Asheville, NC	210
Rick Rude	September 19, 1993	Houston, Texas	178
Hiroshi Hase	March 16, 1994	Tokyo, Japan	123
Hulk Hogan	July 17, 1994	Orlando, Florida	42
Shane Douglas	August 27, 1994	Philadelphia, PA	85
Chris Candido	November 19, 1994	Cherry Hill, NJ	97
Dan Severn	February 24, 1995	Erlanger, KY	247
The Giant	October 29, 1995	Detroit, Michigan	29
Randy Savage	November 26, 1995	Norfolk, Virginia	974
Goldberg	July 6, 1998	Atlanta, Georgia	174
Kevin Nash	December 27, 1998	Washington, D.C.	78
Naoya Ogawa	March 14, 1999	Yokohama, Japan	29
Diamond Dallas Page	April 11, 1999	Tacoma, Washington	167
Gary Steele	September 25, 1999	Charlotte, NC	57
Bret Hart	November 21, 1999	Toronto, Ontario	56
Chris Benoit	January 16, 2000	Cincinnati, Ohio	8
Sid Vicious	January 25, 2000	Las Vegas, Nevada	83
Jeff Jarrett	April 16, 2000	Chicago, Illinois	9
David Arquette	April 25, 2000	Syracuse, New York	75
Booker T)	July 9, 2000	Daytona Beach, Florida	71
Mike Rapada	September 19, 2000	Tampa, FL	6
Vince Russo	September 25, 2000	Uniondale, New York	50
Sabu)	November 14, 2000	Tampa, FL	12
Scott Steiner	November 26, 2000	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	149
Steve Corino	April 24, 2001	Tampa, FL	91
Kurt Angle	July 24, 2001	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	6
The Rock	August 19, 2001	San Jose, California	26
Chris Jericho	October 21, 2001	St. Louis, Missouri	55
Shinya Hashimoto	December 15, 2001	McKeesport, PA	186
Ken Shamrock	June 19, 2002	Huntsville, AL	49
Ron Killings	August 7, 2002	Nashville, TN	26
Triple H	September 2, 2002	Milwaukee, WI	76
Shawn Michaels	November 17, 2002	New York, NY	236
A.J. Styles	June 11, 2003	Nashville, TN	401
Randy Orton	August 15, 2004	Toronto, ON, Canada	231
Ray González	April 3, 2005	San Juan, Puerto Rico	>1
Batista	April 3, 2005	Los Angeles, CA	77
Raven)	June 19, 2005	Orlando, FL	126
Rhino	October 23, 2005	Orlando, FL	112
Christian Cage	February 12, 2006	Orlando, FL	49
Rey Mysterio	April 2, 2006	Rosemont, IL	231
Abyss)	November 19, 2006	Orlando, FL	133
The Undertaker	April 1, 2007	Detroit, MI	37
Edge)	May 8, 2007	Pittsburgh, PA	70
The Great Khali	July 17, 2007	Laredo, TX	46
Adam Pearce	September 1, 2007	Bayamón, Puerto Rico	303
CM Punk	June 30, 2008	Oklahoma City, OK	33
Brent Albright	August 2, 2008	New York City, NY)	84
Blue Demon Jr.	October 25, 2008	Mexico City, Mexico	29
John Cena	November 23, 2008	Boston, MA	196
Jeff Hardy	June 7, 2009	New Orleans, LA	296
Jack Swagger	March 30, 2010	Las Vegas, NV	110
Kane)	July 18, 2010	Kansas City, MO	212
Dolph Ziggler	February 15, 2011	San Diego, CA	19
Colt Cabana	March 6, 2011	West Hollywood, CA	48
The Sheik	April 23, 2011	Jacksonville, FL	148
Mark Henry	September 18, 2011	Buffalo, NY	91
Daniel Bryan	December 18, 2011	Baltimore, MD	105
Sheamus	April 1, 2012	Miami, FL	215
Kahagas	November 2, 2012	Clayton, NJ	67
Alberto Del Rio	January 8, 2013	Miami, FL	67
Rob Conway	March 16, 2013	San Antonio, TX	294
Satoshi Kojima	January 4, 2014	Tokyo, Japan	407
Hiroyoshi Tenzan	February 14, 2015	Sendai, Japan	196
Jax Dane	August 29, 2015	San Antonio, TX	419
Tim Storm	October 21, 2016	Sherman, TX	414
Nick Aldis	December 9, 2017	Sewell, NJ	266
Cody	September 1, 2018	Hoffman Estates, IL	1093
Trevor Murdoch	August 29, 2021	St. Louis, MO	167
Matt Cardona	February 12, 2022	Oak Grove, KY	273
Tyrus)	November 12, 2022	Chalmette, LA	196
Seth "Freakin" Rollins	May 27, 2023	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	1+

​

Just back from a glorious 9 days in Rome. There's no other place like it and I felt so lucky to be able to go, My three initial aims in this trip were: (a) see my hometown hero Bruce Springsteen amongst my ancestral people (they literally sing along to not just the lyrics but the guitar riffs etc too) as well as (b) sink or swim as I continue to practice my Italian language skills (I've been taking lessons with a tutor for 2 years but there's nothing like just being thrown into the world of the language to sharpen up and get very comfortable conversing) and (c) do hours upon hours of photo walks (I ended up averaging 30k steps a day every day aside from the two sick days).
In brief, I split the trip up into two halves: the first half I stayed up on Avantino hill (it's very close to the Circo Massimo, so it was an easy spot for the concert) and the second half in a quiet pocket of Trastevere a block or two west of the river south of Ponte Paladino.
My Avantino air bnb host gave me some great neighborhood places in nearby Testaccio (another wonderful neighborhood that tourists don't seem to wander into very much), and I found a fantastic and slightly quirky place for espresso also in Testaccio (I'm an espresso fiend).
If you haven't been to Avantino, it almost reminded me of the Italian Beacon Hill (for those familiar with Boston). It had the feeling of a Tuscan village that just happened to be somehow in the middle of Rome. It's where the famous key hole is that frames St. Peters, as well as the Giardino degli Aranci and Santa Sabina's, which is a gorgeous church from 422 AD. Staying here felt very relaxing and peaceful and even though some tourists did make their way to the keyhole every day, it had a very tranquil vibe, despite the fact that Circo Massimo was 5 minutes north and Testaccio was 5 minutes south.
Given that my favorite thing to do on vacation is just wander around with my Ricoh GR, I would begin every day in Avantino thusly:
Get up, have an espresso at Tram Depot (always at the bar), walk around for a few hours and just see what I can find. Maybe I'd get a quick breakfast bite at the outstanding Casa Manco in the Testaccio market. Then I'd go to for a big lunch at the wonderful Pecorino (also in Testaccio). This lunch would usually last an hour or two. It's a very cozy restaurant and the waiters are all very nice and so I'd often bring a book along with me or a notebook or I'd transfer pictures from my camera to my phone for editing in between courses. Lunch was often my largest meal of the day and sometimes my only "meal" of the day. (In normal life I train for marathons and am in the gym often and I'm super on top of my macros and making sure I get X amount of protein etc...on this trip, this was not the case.)
If I couldn't get into Pecorino for lunch or didn't end up in that area for lunch time, I'd either go there for dinner when they opened, or another excellent Testaccio spot called Perilli's. (There's also Piato Romano, which had excellent food but not quite the same cozy ambience as Pecorino.) I pretty much mainlined Amatriciana and Carbonara along with involtini, braised oxtail, and as much tiramisu as I could politely hurl into my maw. I like establishing some routines or rituals when I travel, especially when I travel solo, to help give the trip some grounding. It's also nice when you are far from home to be able to walk into a place where people begin to recognize you and accept you into their little circle, even if it is temporary.
For the second half of the trip in Trastevere...I got COVID! Sort of. The day after the concert, I noticed a heavy feeling in my upper airway/chest, but I figured it must have been all the second hand smoke I inhaled during the concert (from my observations, Romans thoroughly enjoy cigarettes). I wear an oura ring and while my HRV was low, nothing else stood out. That night though I developed a fever and spent the entire next day in bed. I was bummed, but frankly, after 5 nights in a row of being out from 8am to midnight, I needed a rest day anyway, so it wasn't bad timing. (How's that for spin?)
Not sure what my actual temperature was, but my oura ring said I was 4.3 degrees above my nightly average baseline, so I'm guessing my temperature was around 100-101 as my normal temperature on a thermometer seems to be around 96.6. I spent a good chunk of the next day in bed also, just napping (which was fairly pleasant as the cool breeze came in through the window, carrying the sounds of the three churches on Avantino, not to mention the bird calls and the pleasing sounds of people enjoying their meals on the street below). My baseline temp deviation was only +2 degrees the second night and by the end of the day, I felt good enough to have an appetite, but not quite good enough to stand upright, so I ordered some Trapizzino on uber eats (the polpetti/sugo and the melanzane were both glorious) and that revived me. By the next morning I was better!
(In the end, I think this was covid because while I only had the fever for the two sick days, I lost most of my sense of smell sometime Thursday afternoon despite feeling fine. So maybe Covid? In the end, I missed out on a trip to Ostia Antica and a food tour, but the trip still felt extremely full of experiences.)
The rest of my time in Trastevere was great. Just wandering all around those crazy little winding streets, snapping away, always fueld by a caffè from the gruff but character-rich Bar San Calisto or the one across from my apartment, which was called "404 Name Not Found." I did eat lunch one day at Da Enzo which was good but not sure it's worth the hype given how much excellent food I had at restaurants with very little fanfare. Da Enzo ended up being a great experience though because when they asked me how many and I said, "da solo," they asked if I would share the table if there was another single. I said sure, and ended up being paired up with a fellow endurance athlete, this one from France. Just one of the many fanciful moments that can happen when you travel solo. We also hung out again the next day for most of the morning and afternoon, and this was a sort of theme for my trip: running into people left and right, connecting, and making fast friends. This is how I found myself getting invited to a Roman birthday party at the Piazza Testaccio one night for what felt like my 10th "out past midnight" night of the trip (again, a far cry from my normal life of "in bed at 9").
In the end, what I will take away from this trip are a few things:
-the magic of learning a second language, and noticing your skills improving with every chat. Just the pleasure of hearing the Italian language and getting to practice it all day, every day (while making many mistakes). If you're going to Rome or Italy in general, I highly recommend you try and get yourself up to A2 in Italian. It's such a pleasurable language to speak and embrace, even if it's just at a beginner's level.
-the many conversations I had with shop owners or fellow bar patrons and the high-five I would give myself in my head when they would ask "if you're American, how come your accent is so good?" (Again, I'm a B1 speaker on my best day, but the compliment would always make my day given my beginner's nervousness at the start of the trip). A few times, people even just began talking to me, assuming I was Italian. (I am Italian-American, but having a Roman just start talking to you as one of their own meant a lot to the part of me that loves being Italian and feels a strong connection to the country, even from afar.)
-The Italian crowd at the Bruce show. Just a blast to sing along with them into the Roman sky, surrounded by ruins.
-Mornings in Avantino spent in quiet contemplation in Santa Sabina or St Anselmo. A few times, the respective organists were practicing and I got my own concert.
-After my two days sick in bed, when I returned to the Tram Depot and Casa Manco for sustenance, the proprietors both asked me one version or another or "tutto bene?" (as if to say, where ya been?). The man at Casa Manco blurted out "buon tornato!" when he saw me approach. Very warm-hearted people and they made me feel at home (along with the Pecorino staff, who were very kind to me and likely a little amused, wondering, why is this random American dude here every day eating for 2 hours?)
-A basic observation: I appreciated how people across seemingly different walks of life all talk to each other as equals. I saw street sweepers chatting with businessmen in the street in a way that would seem less likely in America. Maybe this is a class thing? Perhaps the gap in salaries is not so large like it is in America, and therefore people feel like one giant middle class together? Related: many younger Italians I spoke to told me how hard it was to live in Rome as a young person, as salaries were not very good, and unless you had 1-2 roommates or parents who could pay your rent, you would most likely have a longer commute coming into the city every day.
-The fact that behind every nook and cranny and around every corner, there is something spectacular to see. Whether it's the ruins that stand adjacent to the jewish ghetto in a reminder of the layers upon layers of civilizations that once existed in this city, or just the way the morning light creates a shaft down some medieval cobblestone street, it is a magical place to walk around. By the end of each very long day, my mind was just fried, both from working overtime with trying to speak Italian and from the sheer overstimulation of seeing so much beauty.
Anyway, this was not my first trip to Rome, but it was my first trip in MANY years, and it was precisely the life affirming and humanity affirming trip I needed this year after a rough and precarious start to 2023. Next trip, I will likely fly into Rome, spend 3-ish days there, and then head somewhere to the southern coast. As much as I love Roman food, it would be nice to be inundated with fresh sardines the same way this trip found me OD'ing on carbonara.
Anyway, thank you to Rome and it's people for one of the best times in my 39 years.
​
(If anyone is curious, I'll be posting many photos from this trip at my IG @ rovinglumix.

My son (20 yr old) graduated AIT (Fort Lee) and is heading to his duty station this damn weekend.
He informed us LAST NIGHT that he has "too much gear" to put on the plane, doesn't trust fed ex/UPS etc to transport, and in fact never asked if that's even allowed to begin with. We are not wealthy, have to pay my father in law mortgage this weekend (long story short he's retired Navy, and in Florida because the snow/ice is too hard for him and his walker but his wife lives here in CT in an in-law apartment attached to the house as she also has horses and animals here)
My vehicle is a crappy 2005 jeep, and I've got to put water in it before and after every drive, even to work 15 minutes away. The only other vehicle is his brother's car, but as his brother is currently in basic training for the next couple weeks, I have no way to get his permission to use it and that's a huge violation and it wouldn't happen. He only gets his phone on Sundays, and my 20 yr old is leaving today.
Now, at 6 am my husband had to borrow his elderly mothers vehicle making her walk all the way up and down the hill to the barn several times today, so my husband can drive all the way to the base WHICH WE STILL HAVENT HEARD WHETHER THIS IS ALLOWED BECAUSE MY SONS DS WAS NOT AVAILABLE YESTERDAY, AND NOT AVAILABLE TODAY UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON. He has to drive from CT about 9-10 hours depending on traffic, all the way to Fort Lee and back home full round trip no stops, except gas where he'll pick up some crap he can eat on the road.
So, we STILL don't even know what the hell is allowed or is not allowed for my husband to travel to the base, pick up the cold weather gear, which son won't need until winter time, and since son will be home next week, will take as little as possible home, so he can bring the gear back.
Maybe I should have posted this on TrueOffMyChest or something, but I've seen new recruits posting and asking here, so this is basically for them because not everyone can scramble like we just did

 Please. Plan. Ahead. 

And to end the post I want to give a shout out to all current and "former" service members, across all American branches and say, thank you for your service, hard work and hardship and or loss. There are people who truly appreciate all you have done/are doing.
I owe you a beer or a cola. Or both.
Edit formatting and stupid autocorrect on mobile.
Edit again: update. Husband has been driving since 630 am. It's currently 950 am....and has been told to turn around and head home. Not allowed to grab military gear. Also, he apparently isn't even leaving until next Friday, and he just found out when asking. Sheesh. Things could be worse, no training accidents, etc, but damn kid.
Third, and hopefully final edit. Yes, he bought a bunch of soldier gear while in AIT. He's thinking big picture, as he plans on staying the full 20, but not paying attention to the IMPORTANT details: that he will be moving a bunch of times, even though he was reminded by us whenever showing his new stuff.
I appreciate the feedback, truly, even some of the harsher ones. We are very close, my children and I, and we chat either daily or weekly. I had a very bad childhood, and so did my premade children until I entered the picture. We honestly weren't seeing him, and the situation was in the exact right way. I came here to help someone else who might have this issue in the future, get feedback, and have potential ideas, and I got all of that, with a side of snark and humor which I appreciate, seriously.
First, I'm gonna own it. I wasn't thinking of my son as a grown ass man, who is also a soldier moving.
I was thinking more along the lines of my soldier son moving, so we should help, if that makes sense, kind of like no different than a civilian child moving from one home to another and wanting parents, friends, siblings etc helping out. It's important to help your children, regardless of age and family, but NOT to the potential detriment of their adulting and adult learning curves. If we had bailed him out, he wouldn't have the embarrassing learning curve he's had today (I copy and posted many of the comments, even ones that were harsh)
He had no idea that he could actually fed ex/ups his PERSONAL items to his duty station, and he said he didn't trust them to do his extra service stuff (like his cold weather equipment which his north ass thought he would need on top of his army issued apparel. He's now pfficially understanding the heat of the south. Again, he's thinking 20 years, and wanted this since he was a kid) That one piece of info, plus the "he's an adult" and "we, THE MILITARY, will take care of him" etc helped.
It also helps that he doesn't have much civilian stuff, like 2 shirts, 2 pairs of pants and a pair of civilian shoes, a laptop, and a personal binder for addresses and important paperwork.
Also, on another side note, I misspoke in the comment section and have to find it and fix it. I said he flew only once, and that's his only experience flying. That was when he went to basic. That's actually not true. He came home during holiday block for New Year but only had 1 pair of ocps he had to bring home (wearing) and one set of civilian clothes minus the shoes. He has the idea that it'll be at least 1k for his fees for an extra bag or two, and it seems like the comments below state that he's on orders traveling so it should not cost him anything unless it's 5 or 6 bags, like above the actual limit.
Anyway, this post is way too long, but it's important that you all understand that my husband and I DO get it now because we were looking at it the wrong way. I'm still glad that I posted because I hate the idea that I was going to make a mistake thinking I was helping my son, but it could have been a mistake to kinda bail him out, instead of him learning the hard adult leasons that every functional adult has to go through. He loves the Army and has been planning this since his age was in single digits.
Again, thanks for the feedback. It has helped, and thank you for your service!

I randomly saw another post from this sub recommended this morning about their first experience in Oslo, so I thought I would share mine as well, as this is my second day now too. I should preface that I am not a seasoned traveler and that this is my first time anywhere in Europe! Glad to be here of all places honestly.
Here is what I first noticed..
Your metro, buses and train are all very fast and arrive to pick people up much quicker than what I am used to in Toronto. So, huge plus there.
Most vehicles and transit are electric, right? I barely heard any engine noises. This is how I imagined society as a kid and I'm very content that Norway is a green forward country.
Yes the architecture of the surrounding neighbourhoods is a bit chaotic but it's refreshing for me to walk through these types of places. Lots of bends, hills, stairs, bridges, old factories and churches mixed with new apartments/condos. It feels better than the car dependancy I'm used to in my home city (Toronto). It promotes transit and/or biking/scootering.
All the environments I noticed were incredibly clean, not a piece of garbage or recycling in sight.
No homeless people or strangers bothering you for the wrong reasons. I'm fine with beggars but sometimes in Toronto you have to be careful for your life when dealing with mentally unstable people.
Most people seem to be active, healthy and well dressed. Seriously, keep up the good work. You all look awesome :D
People coming up to me saying, "Americanos!" Okay, I get it. I am north american but I'm a little insulted as I'm Canadian and America is a whole different culture and situation. Other than that most people started friendly conversation with me out of nowhere which is a pleasant surprise always.
Waaaay less fast food such as McDonald's, Subway, etc. Actually you guys have very diverse food similar to what I'm used to which is of course comforting. I tried a Kebab Pizza place last night and was impressed with the flavour. (looking for restaurant recommendations by the way while I'm here)
I'll write more towards the end of my two weeks here but this is just what I noticed in one night. I had high expectations and was met equally, this place looks and feels great so far. So thank you for being kind people and I hope to see some of you on the streets. Feel free to say "hello" as I stick out like a sore thumb apparently. (If you see me, I have a bright blue septum piercing)

Roughly 7 years ago u/TheGreatZiegfeld did an experiment of a post to determine what the best films of each year would be from 1940 to 2011 (before the 2012 S&S polls).
With the recently updated TSPDT and the 2022 S&S list, I decided to do the same from 1940 to 2021 regarding what critics thought were the best of each year.
Keep in mind this is all from a critics' poll, not from one specific critic's list. Also no short films or miniseries (meaning no Twin Peaks or Meshes of the Afternoon), as well as those from 2022 and beyond because of the last S&S poll.
With all that in mind, let's begin.
1940
Winner: His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks)
Other nominees: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin), The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford), The Shop Around The Corner (Ernst Lubitsch), The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor)
1941
Winner: Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)
Other nominees: The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges), Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges), The Maltese Falcon (John Houston), How Green Was My Valley (John Ford)
1942
Winner: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
Other nominees: The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles), To Be Or Not To Be (Ernst Lubitsch), The Palm Springs Story (Preston Sturges), Cat People (Jacques Tourneur)
1943
Winner: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Day of Wrath (Carl Theodor Dreyer), Shadow of a Doubt (Alfred Hitchcock), I Walked with a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur), Ossessione (Luchino Visconti)
1944
Winner: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)
Other nominees: Ivan the Terrible, Part I (Sergei Eisenstein), Meet Me in St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli), A Canterbury Tale (Powell and Pressburger), To Have and Have Not (Howard Hawks)
1945
Winner: Children of Paradise (Marcel Carné)
Other nominees: Rome, Open City (Roberto Rossellini), Brief Encounter (David Lean), I Know Where I'm Going (Powell and Pressburger) Les Dames du bois de Boulogne (Robert Bresson)
1946
Winner: It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra)
Other nominees: A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger), Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock), My Darling Clementine (John Ford), Paisan (Roberto Rossellini)
1947
Winner: Black Narcissus (Powell and Pressburger)
Other nominees: Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur), Monsieur Verdoux (Charlie Chaplin), The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
1948
Winner: Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica)
Other nominees: The Red Shoes (Powell and Pressburger), Letters from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophüls), Spring in a Small Town (Mu Fei), Germany Year Zero (Roberto Rossellini)
1949
Winner: The Third Man (Carol Reed)
Other nominees: Late Spring (Yasujirō Ozu), Kind Hearts and Coronets (Robert Hamer), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (John Ford), White Heat (Raoul Walsh)
1950
Winner Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees; Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder), All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz), Los Olvidados (Luis Buñuel), In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray)
1951
Winner: The River (Jean Renoir)
Other nominees: Diary of a Country Priest (Robert Bresson), Miracle in Milan (Vittorio De Sica), Early Summer (Yasujirō Ozu), Strangers on a Train (Alfred Hitchcock)
1952
Winner: Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
Other nominees: Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa), Umberto D. (Vittorio De Sica), The Life of Oharu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Quiet Man (John Ford)
1953
Winner: Tokyo Story (Yasujirō Ozu)
Other nominees: Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi), The Earrings of Madame de (Max Ophüls), The Band Wagon (Vincente Minnelli), Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Jacques Tati)
1954
Winner: Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa)
Other nominees: Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock), Journey to Italy (Roberto Rossellini), La Strada (Federico Fellini), Sansho the Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi)
1955
Winner: Ordet (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
Other nominees: The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton), Pather Panchali (Satyajit Ray), All That Heaven Allows (Douglas Kirk), Floating Clouds (Mikio Naruse)
1956
Winner: The Searchers (John Ford)
Other nominees: A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson), Written on the Wind (Douglas Sirk), Aparajito (Satyajit Ray), Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray)
1957
Winner: Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman), Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini), Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa), Sweet Smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick)
1958
Winner Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock)
Other nominees: Touch of Evil (Orson Welles), Ashes and Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda), Ivan the Terrible, Part II (Sergei Eisenstein), The Music Room (Satyajit Ray)
1959
Winner: The 400 Blows (François Truffaut)
Other nominees: Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder), North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock), Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks), Pickpocket (Robert Bresson)
1960
Winner: Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock), La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini), L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni), The Apartment (Billy Wilder)
1961
Winner: Viridiana (Luis Buñuel)
Other nominees: Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais), La Notte (Michelangelo Antonioni), West Side Story (Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins), Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa)
1962
Winner: Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean)
Other nominees: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (John Ford), Jules and Jim (François Truffaut), Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda), L'Eclisse (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1963
Winner 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: Le Mepris (Jean-Luc Godard), The Leopard (Luchino Visconti), The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock), The Executioner (Luis García Berlanga)
1964
Winner: Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Gertrud (Carl Theodor Dreyer), The Gospel According to St. Matthew (Pier Paolo Pasolini), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy), Black God, White Devil (Glauber Rocha)
1965
Winner: Pierrot Le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: Chimes at Midnight (Orson Welles), Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Sergei Parajanov), Le Bonheur (Agnes Varda), Doctor Zhivago (David Lean)
1966
Winner: Persona (Ingmar Bergman)
Other nominees: Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky), Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson), The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo), Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni)
1967
Winner: Playtime (Jacques Tati)
Other nominees: Mouchette (Robert Bresson), Le Samouraï (Jean-Pierre Melville), Belle de Jour (Luis Buñuel), The Graduate (Mike Nichols)
1968
Winner: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone), Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski), Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea), Faces (John Cassavetes)
1969
Winner: The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah)
Other nominees: The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov), Kes (Ken Loach), My Night at Maud's (Eric Rohmer), Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville)
1970
Winner: The Conformist (Bernado Bertolucci)
Other nominees: Wanda (Barbara Loden), Performance (Nicholas Roeg), Husbands (John Cassavetes), Tristana (Luis Buñuel)
1971
Winner: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)
Other nominees: Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman), A Touch of Zen (King Hu), Out 1 (Jacques Rivette)
1972
Winner: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog), Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Buñuel), Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky)
1973
Winner: Amarcord (Federico Fellini)
Other nominees: The Mother and the Whore (Jean Eustache), The Spirit of the Beehive (Victor Erice), Don't Look Now (Nicholas Roeg), Badlands (Terrence Malick)
1974
Winner: The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Chinatown (Roman Polanski), A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), Celine and Julie Go Boating (Jacques Rivette)
1975
Winner: Jeanne Dielman (Chantal Akerman)
Other nominees: Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky), Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick), Nashville (Robert Altman), Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
1976
Winner: Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: News from Home (Chantal Akerman), Kings of the Road (Wim Wenders), In the Realm of Senses (Nagisa Oshima), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes)
1977
Winner: Annie Hall (Woody Allen)
Other nominees: Star Wars (George Lucas), Close Encounter of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg), Eraserhead (David Lynch), The Ascent (Larisa Shepitko)
1978
Winner: Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
Other nominees: Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick), The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino), The Tree of Wooden Clogs (Ermanno Olmi), In a Year with 13 Moons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
1979
Winner: Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
Other nominees: Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky), Alien (Ridley Scott), Manhattan (Woody Allen), All That Jazz (Bob Fosse)
1980
Winner: Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)
Other nominees: The Shining (Stanley Kubrick), The Empire Strike Back (Irvin Kershner), Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino), The Elephant Man (David Lynch)
1981
Winner: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg)
Other nominees: Possession (Andrzej Żuławski), Blow Out (Brian de Palma), Mad Max 2 (George Miller), An American Werewolf in London (John Landis)
1982
Winner: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)
Other nominees: Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg), The Thing (John Carpenter), The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese)
1983
Winner: Sans Soleil (Chris Marker)
Other nominees: L'Argent (Robert Bresson), Videodrome (David Cronenberg), Nostalgia (Andrei Tarkovsky), A Nos Amours (Maurice Pialat)
1984
Winner: Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone)
Other nominees: Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders), Love Streams (John Cassavetes), Amadeus (Milos Forman), Stranger Than Paradise (Jim Jarmusch)
1985
Winner: Shoah (Claude Lanzmann)
Other nominees: Come and See (Elem Klimov), Ran (Akira Kurosawa), Vagabond (Agnes Varda), Brazil (Terry Gilliam)
1986
Winner: Blue Velvet (David Lynch)
Other nominees: The Green Ray (Eric Rohmer), The Sacrifice (Andrei Tarkovsky), Aliens (James Cameron), Hannah and Her Sisters (Woody Allen)
1987
Winner: Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
Other nominees: Where is the Friend's House (Abbas Kiarostami), The Dead (John Huston), Withnail and I (Bruce Robinson), Yeelen (Souleymanne Cisse)
1988
Winner: My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki)
Other nominees: Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore), Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies), The Thin Blue Line (Errol Morris), Grave of the Fireflies (Isao Takahata)
1989
Winner: Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)
Other nominees: A City of Sadness (Hou Hsiao-hsien), Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen), When Harry Met Sally (Rob Reiner), The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)
1990
Winner: Close-Up (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese), Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai), An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion), Paris is Burning (Jessie Livingston)
1991
Winner: A Brighter Summer Day (Edward Yang)
Other nominees: Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash), The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski), The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme), Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou)
1992
Winner: Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)
Other nominees: The Quince Tree Sun (Victor Erice), Orlando (Sally Potter), Life, and Nothing More (Abbas Kiarostami), Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino)
1993
Winner: The Piano (Jane Campion)
Other nominees: Schindler's List (Steven Spielberg), Three Colors: Blue (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis), The Puppetmaster (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1994
Winner: Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
Other nominees: Satantango (Bela Tarr), Chungking Express (Wong Kar-wai), Three Colors: Red (Krzysztof Kieslowski), Through the Olive Tree (Abbas Kiarostami)
1995
Winner: Heat (Michael Mann)
Other nominees: Underground (Emir Kusturica), Safe (Todd Haynes), Casino (Martin Scorsese), Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch)
1996
Winner: Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
Other nominees: Fargo (Joel Coen), A Moment of Innocence (Mohsen Makhmalbaf), Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh), Crash (David Cronenberg)
1997
Winner: Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami)
Other nominees: Happy Together (Wong Kar-wai), Lost Highway (David Lynch), Boogie Nights (Paul Thomas Anderson), Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki)
1998
Winner: Histoire(s) du Cinema (Jean-Luc Godard)
Other nominees: The Thin Red Line (Terrence Malick), The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen), The Celebration (Thomas Vinterberg), Flowers of Shanghai (Hou Hsiao-hsien)
1999
Winner: Beau Travail (Claire Denis)
Other nominees: Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson), The Matrix (Wachowskis), Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick), All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar)
2000
Winner: In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai)
Other nominees: Yi Yi (Edward Yang), The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda), Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr), In Vanda's Room (Pedro Costa)
2001
Winner: Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
Other nominees: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki), La Ciénaga (Lucrecia Martel), A.I: Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg), The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
2002
Winner: City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
Other nominees: Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (Wang Bing), Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar), Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sukurov), Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay)
2003
Winner: Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-liang)
Other nominees: Dogville (Lars von Trier), Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola), Elephant (Gus van Sant), Oldboy (Park Chan-wook)
2004
Winner: Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry), The Intruder (Claire Denis), Before Sunset (Richard Linklater), Sideways (Alexander Payne)
2005
Winner: Caché (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu), Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee), The New World (Terrence Malick), Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
2006
Winner: Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Inland Empire (David Lynch), Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro), The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
2007
Winner: There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Other nominees: No Country for Old Men (Coens), Zodiac (David Fincher), Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas), 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu)
2008
Winner: The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel)
Other nominees: WALL-E (Andrew Stanton), Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman), The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan), Hunger (Steve McQueen)
2009
Winner: The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)
Other nominees: A Prophet (Jacques Audiard), Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold), Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino), Avatar (James Cameron)
2010
Winner: Uncle Boonmee (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Other nominees: Nostalgia for the Light (Patricio Guzman), The Social Network (David Fincher), Mysteries of Lisbon (Raul Ruiz), Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
2011
Winner: The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
Other nominees: A Separation (Asghar Farhadi), Melancholia (Lars von Trier), The Turin Horse (Bela Tarr), Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
2012
Winner: Holy Motors (Leos Carax)
Other nominees: The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer), The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson), Amour (Michael Haneke), Tabu (Miguel Gomes)
2013
Winner: Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
Other nominees: The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino), Blue is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche), Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski), 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
2014
Winner: Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
Other nominees: Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson), Girlhood (Celine Sciamma), Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
2015
Winner: Mad Max; Fury Road (George Miller)
Other nominees: Carol (Todd Haynes), Cemetery of Splendor (Apichatpong Weerasethakul), The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien), No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)
2016
Winner: Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
Other nominees: Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade), American Honey (Andrea Arnold), Arrival (Denis Villeneuve), Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2017
Winner: Get Out (Jordan Peele)
Other nominees: Zama (Lucrecia Martel), Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson), You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay), Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
2018
Winner: Roma (Alfonso Cuaron)
Other nominees: Happy as Lazzaro (Alice Rohrwacher), Burning (Lee Chang-dong), An Elephant Sitting Still (Hu Bo), Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
2019
Winner: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: Parasite (Bong Joon-ho), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino), Atlantics (Mati Diop), First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)
2020
Winner: Nomadland (Chloe Zhao)
Other nominees: Time (Garrett Bradley), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hitman), Days (Tsai Ming-liang), Quo Vadis, Aida? (Jasmila Zbanic)
2021
Winner: Petite Maman (Celine Sciamma)
Other nominees: The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion), Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Titane (Julia Docournau), Memoria (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

First Previous
Wiki RoyalRoad
Cover Art & Travis Portrait by Pedro Puglisi
Journal Entry #8
I left the village today. It will never be my home again.
I managed to muster enough dignity to at least walk out with the hunters and witch. I've seen plenty of sad sacks that needed to be hog-tied and thrown onto a wagon before, so I knew there was no escaping my fate.
We walked and walked and walked, until my exhausted body fell to the ground when we camped that night. The sky was clear, and the largest moon Porta shone brightly.
I wonder... Do the gods even care that my life as I know it is over?
Travis
Mattius and I escaped the rapidly filling cafeteria with our precious cargo of sandwiches, then stood at one of the outdoor tables between the main walkway and green space, hoping to catch Drozuk or someone else before our mission briefing.
Well, Arc was looking, I was busy trying to console Mattius while he routinely kept rechecking the squad assignments between bites of sandwich, the dread on his face growing more and more pronounced as it refused to change who he was going to be in a squad with. From what I've been able to gather, Mattius took the advice I relayed from Arc to heart and hasn't done anything stupid. However, he hasn't done anything bold either. The only communication between each other so far have been short conversations during specialized weapons training a couple of times per week, meaning that they've barely gotten past basic introductions at this point.
"Isn't this your chance to get to know her better?" I cautiously asked, "You'll be in the same squad, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to talk."
Mattius didn't bother to finish his last bite of sandwich, opting instead to mope about, "Please, like she'll give me the time of day when there's a pair of twins to flirt with."
I sighed in response to my friend's pessimism, and to Arc hinting with his snickering that he knew more than he was willing to divulge. I didn't even know how to empathize with Mattius' situation. Here he was with a golden opportunity, but all he could do was sulk. Exchanging letters with Caldia has been nice, but it couldn't hold a candle to how wonderful it was to spend the day with her.
Well... it was, until our... sort-of-date got hijacked.
"Hey! Professor Quinsandoral is approaching with an elven Ice Mage. How much do you want to bet that's his son?"
Welcoming the interruption, I perked my head up in time to see my Wind Spells professor walking along the main path with a young elf who, despite some obvious attempts to look different, was clearly his son. Unlike his dad who normally wore traditional high elf robes of varying colors and only carried a wand for spellcasting assistance, he was wearing the same uniform I was. Albeit his arming jacket was blue instead of forest-green, and had an additional leather bandolier across his chest filled with throwing knives that must have also acted as a mount for the oddly shaped shield on his back.
The faces were what truly confirmed they were father and son, not just because they had nearly identical sharp and angular faces topped with platinum blonde hair, but because they both had matching looks of irritation furrowing their brows. The younger also had a dozen silver piercings to differentiate him, the most notable ones being a spike in each eyebrow, a pair of studs in his nose, and two more in his pointed ears. Something I haven't once seen in any of the other elven students, although I'll be the first to admit I've barely interacted with the non-humans on campus.
Raising my hand in greeting, I shouted out to Professor Quinsandoral, who to my delight, smiled upon seeing Mattius and I by the outdoor bar table. His son, however, visibly sighed and dragged his feet as they moved towards us.
"Young Master Mattius, Travis," Quinsandoral greeted us with a gleeful tone, "I was hoping to meet you before my son's mission briefing." He gestured to his scowling child, "This is Vesril, future Lord of Vörðuhálsmýrdalsjökull, or as you may know it by it's poorly translated name, Glacier-cut Edge."
Raucous laughter violently erupted from Arc in my ears so loud that I instinctively brought both hands up to my ears and winced in pain. My obnoxious sword at least had the decency to quiet down, but a hand on my pauldron and worried look from Mattius made it obvious that I needed to think of an excuse fast.
"You okay?"
"Yeah..." I massaged the sides of my head and back of neck to stall, "just... uh, tweaked my neck is all..." I made a show of relaxing my shoulders to help sell the lie, then secretly vowed to test Arc's heat resistance at the spell range later tonight.
Vesril watched our interaction with his violet-colored eyes, completely cold and expressionless throughout, then in a sudden shift, looked over my shoulder and smirked, "That's a gnarly looking axe."
Professor Quinsandoral tensed up, then spoke through clenched teeth, "Yes, Travis does have an eccentric choice of weaponry..."
Vesril huffed, "Figures, it's perfectly fine for your pet human to wield a unique weapon, but if I want to---"
"Travis isn't an elf!" Quinsandoral barked. "And he doesn't have the legacy of his forebears to uphold."
Vesril rolled his eyes, "Monsters haven't attacked the mountain pass in over six eras, that's hardly a legacy. Why do I need to use the same weapon my great-great-something wielded while cowering behind a wall and never using the thing?"
My professor grabbed his son by the shoulder in a tight grip and cut into him with his glare, "You are on the narrowest of branches boy. Your mother still sees you as a child, and your uncle may only be indifferent as of now, but I have final say on whether you can attend this academy. And let me tell you boy, self-expression isn't looked upon kindly at Krisneirous University. They'll rip out those piercings, burn away your tattoos, and snap that ridiculous thing you call a weapon in half before you take a second step on school grounds."
The tension in the air was near to boiling as the two stared each other down in defiance. Mattius looked just as scared as I was to say anything, knowing that this kettle was only a single bump away from exploding.
Ironically, it was a student bumping into Professor Quinsandoral that broke the tension as they rushed by in a hurry, barely able to spurt out an apology. The father and son broke off their staring contest, and in unison with matching faces, cringed upon realizing they just had a very public argument.
Mattius, showing way more initiative than me, pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, "We should probably get to our meeting." He forced a smile towards Vesril, "Want to join us?"
Vesril shrugged his shoulders while rolling back his eyes, "Sure, I'm heading there anyways."
Arc
As the Ethics & Law building came into range, I decided to scout ahead with my focus and see if I could eavesdrop on anyone coming to the mission briefing or at least figure out where Drozuk was. I found him already in the room, seated with his arms crossed, and looking especially grumpy.
Hmm... I'm guessing he's not too thrilled about getting teamed up with Travis, a princess, and an edge lord.
I watched for a few seconds, but after determining that no one in the room was saying anything of substance, I flung my focus over Travis as he entered the building and back outside to watch Princess Seleyna approaching with Sir Asher and another unknown knight. To my surprise, she looked just as grouchy, completely ignoring the unknown knight behind her as they quietly whispered to Asher.
"So, what's got her kindling snapping in the hearth?"
Asher let out a tired sigh, "She's convinced that I'm the one who put her on a team with Travis and Reidar, and flat out refuses to believe I didn't submit anything."
The unknown knight raised her eyebrow, "You didn't? I'm surprised, even I requested a roster change."
Asher chuckled as they approached the building, "Didn't have to, someone already did." He then spoke louder to ensure Princess Seleyna could hear as well, "Honestly, she's being a bit of a hypocrite, given that she submitted a request of her own."
Seleyna ignored the gossip as she stormed in and made her way to the meeting room. By this time, Travis had already sat down in the front row between Vesril and Drozuk, and Mattius took a seat in the second row next to the Creeksmith twins Thaddeus and Zaccheus, so when Seleyna saw Travis' smiling face and friendly wave at her upon entry, she noticeably relaxed and put on a royal smile of her own.
Vesril nodded to the princess as she took the seat next to him, "Princess Seleyna."
"Young Lord Vesril, it's been a while... last year's Spring Gala?"
"Sounds about right." He gestured to Travis, "Your parents pay off the general to put you on the same team with him too?"
Seleyna stifled a laugh, "Not sure, no one's admitted to it yet, but it's safe to assume. That shadow show about us does need a sequel after all." She leaned forward to get a better look at the surly orc, "Drozuk, it was quite the surprise to see that your father was elected Jarl of Coldwater Spring Fortress. Has he been able to settle into his new role?"
"Don't know," Drozuk growled, "he hasn't told me a thing..."
Jarl? Huh... I'm surprised Drozuk never spoke about that, unless... ah, I'm guessing Travis isn't the only one with a dad keeping secrets from them.
The door opened to permit a dozen people in Logistic Corps uniforms, Mattius' crush Treblana, and a tall burly half-orc wearing half-plate. He stepped up to the unknown knight who walked in with Seleyna and reached to shake her hand.
"Captain Adaline, pleasure to finally meet you."
The Royal Knight took the offered hand, "Same as well, Captain Aguk, it's nice to have a face and voice to put to your correspondences."
My focus drifted back towards Mattius, who looked just as nervous as ever whenever he tried talking to Treblana, but at least managed to hide it well and produce a semi-stoic nod of acknowledgement when she took the seat next to him.
"Looks like I'll get to see you fight up close now." Treblana spoke cautiously.
Mattius smiled, "Same here, umm... I'll be counting on you to help overwhelm the opponent, since... you're much more talented at Earth Magic than me. I don't even have the needed mana to mimic the [Earth Wall Slide] you used a couple of weeks ago to shove that muledeer into the arena wall."
"Really? I think you're the talented one. Even from the stands I can tell every repeated structure you build is identical in dimensions and spaced out the same distance."
As usual, their conversation was cut short, right as they were about to build momentum, when Brigadier General Jonas called the meeting to order.
"This looks to be everyone, so let's begin." The general reached to pick up a box in front of him, "Your mission will be twofold; monster eradication in the Coldwater Spring Fortress' territory, and diplomatic relations with the fortresses you'll be harboring at during your journey." He opened the box to pull out a very familiar looking baseball sized sphere infused heavily with Order Mana and a Wind Mana gem embedded in its core. "This is a Master Message Stone. Unlike the private ones some of you carry or the inscriptions in your helmets, this does not vibrate or create sound. Its construction does have a unique advantage though..."
General Jonas grinned madly as he let the orb roll off his hand and crash onto the stone floor with a loud bang, causing all the students to flinch. He softly chuckled as he reached to pick the extremely valuable artifice back up, "It can maintain its paired frequency for a minimum of twelve years, despite how roughly its treated. Princess Seleyna will be presenting one of these to each fortress you visit, partially to build positive public relations with the populace outside of the capital, but also as part of a test run for the Queen's proposed long-range communication improvements."
Twelve years! Holy gods and God, I know the gift Travis received from the queen was expensive but... wow! The inscriptions in Travis' helmet require daily resynchronizations for the private and squad channels to ensure they don't randomly cut out, the battalion channel needs a weekly reset (assuming normal amount of chatter), and the emergency channel can maybe last two months if he doesn't take a blow to the head to rattle the inscription.
Travis must have had the same thought since I caught him stiffening up and gently placing his hand over the valuables pouch on his belt.
The general continued with the mission brief, starting with introductions to the battalion's leadership, "Captain of Squad 1, Royal Knight Adaline will have general command of the battalion's diplomatic and over all mission, Spartan Captain Aguk of Squad 2 will be acting lead for combat operations, and Raven Four will provide scouting and logistics security with their squad." He paused to gesture to the back row of people wearing the double-breasted jackets of the Logistics Corps, "Staff Sergeant Julien and his team, along with six horses, will manage supplies, field maintenance, and the camp. Keep in mind that they will be outnumbered three to one, so you will be expected to assist when needed."
I continued to listen in on the dry presentation, taking notes so Travis could consult me if needed, but I did take time to enjoy watching the corpsmen and mages struggle to stay awake as the general droned on and on. Honestly, two hours to basically state that everyone will take a gun boat down and up the rivers, stopping occasionally to overnight at some of the more prominent riverside fortresses on the way, then coordinating with the Jarl of Coldwater Spring Fortress to kill as many monsters as possible after arrival seemed like overkill, but maybe that's just because all Travis really needs to do is whatever his squad captains tell him to do.
Eventually, the torture session... err, I mean meeting... ended, and Travis was preparing to leave with his friends for a late lunch when one of the logistics corpsmen called out to him.
"Sir Travis, can you spare a moment of your time."
Travis whirled around to face the approaching man and nervous teenager accompanying him, "Uh... sure, what do you need sergeant?"
He saluted Travis, then reached into his satchel, "This morning, during our preparations, we discovered to our dismay that one of the horses assigned to our mission will not be fully recovered in time from an injury to be cleared for deployment. As a result, we need a last-minute replacement, and Private Tomas has kindly informed me that your horse, 5751054, enlisted last night."
Heh, he almost makes it sound like Travis' nameless horse enlisted on his own.
Travis pondered the request, "Doesn't he need training?"
The Staff Sergeant glanced towards the private, until the social pressure forced Tomas to speak, "Sir! 5751054 is already trained to ride, haul, and self-navigate. He will not be required to know more for this mission given the limited need for equine support."
Travis shrugged, "Well, if he's willing... then I guess I am too."
Sergeant Julien smiled, then handed Travis a document, "Just need your final approval."
Travis signed the sheet, handed it back, then addressed the private, "Will you be in charge of the horses?"
The corpsman saluted, "Yes sir, I'm Private Tomas, my main duty will be to act as stablemaster and coachman."
Travis nodded, then spoke in a stern voice, "5751054 is precious to me. My parents saved up for two years to purchase him for my eighteenth birthday, and still had to do so on credit from my village's horse breeder. If something were to happen to him..."
Tomas gulped, "Understood sir, I will ensure he's properly cared for."
Super serious Travis gave another nod, but broke character instantly after taking two steps away, "Oh, wait! When does he need to report in? I was going to take him to run a few errands this afternoon and might need to make a run to get some last-minute supplies tomorrow."
Staff Sergeant Julien smirked, "As long as he's in his stable when you drop off your personal supply crate tomorrow night, you should be fine."
Travis exhaled a sigh of relief, noticed that his friends had already left for lunch proper, then rushed out the door to go catch up.
Julien gave Tomas a firm slap on the back, "See, I told you he'd be amenable. Most mages are too preoccupied to fuss over small details, so the trick is to make it seem like you're doing them a favor, instead of trying to save your own ass."
Tomas grumbled, "I still can't believe 5640161 did something so stupid."
"Meh, it's probably for the best. You know how primes can be when told to pull carts in a team."
"I know, but still... prancing backwards down the exit ramp?"
The Staff Sergeant could only shrug their shoulders in reply.
Travis
"Your left one's drifting again."
I paused the warmup routine Reidar taught me to check over my [Water Bracer] enchantment and scowled. This spell was proving much more difficult to maintain than [Earth Cleat] or the [Message] enchantment I created on my helmet's dust filter.
It seemed so simple when I got the spell at first too. Basically, just a trio of condensing arrays on the inside of my forearm to collect Water, and six evenly spaced lines at 60-degrees on my outer vambrace to create a thin layer of fast-moving water capable of deflecting small objects down and away from my face. I didn't even stumble much on the diagram's mentioned tricky part of getting the Water to jump over the gaps between my forearm plates, just having difficulty keeping the parallel lines evenly spaced and at the correct angle.
"Hmm... it's a lot harder to keep my formation consistent without a flat surface, and I don't have anything to act as guidelines..." Trying to puzzle out a solution, I thought back to the serving pots Ansel's family used. They were rounded as well but had decorative indentations and ridges to help with spacing and line shape, similar to how I could use my boot treads as a reference for forming [Earth Cleat].
"Ah, I think I understand now why the inscriptions senior students use are so different from the one on Lancel's sword and other knight weapons. When I got a good look at that shield Vesril carries, I noticed it had a lot of directionless Water inscription lines running along it. I'm guessing any enchantment he casts will use the inscription as a skeleton to keep it from falling apart in combat."
I nodded along as I cast a cloud of Fire Mana off my palm and tried to squeeze it into as tiny of a ball as possible, allowing some of my frustration to bleed out, "That makes sense. It'd be like using graph paper to write out a formation. I bet it's a lot easier to invert or neutralize the direction of a line too if the core is made up of mana dust or gems."
"Thramreat mentioned that dwarves used to paint spell formations on their bodies, maybe you can do something similar with your bracers?"
"Good idea." I tossed the ball of Fire Mana above my head, reshaped it into a [Fire Orb], then nodded to Arc sticking out of the ground down range, "Okay, I'm ready."
Light and Shadow Mana pools around Arc as he starts playing music, until a wireframe statue of a bull's head emerges from the ground. Slowly, but surely, the rest of the creature appears, starting with a wattle, pair of giant chicken feet, bull's body and hind legs, and a chicken's tailfeathers.
Bullcock, a single element monster, this stable hybrid of a bull and rooster is well known for their aggressive charges, fast swipes with their spurs, and ability to spit Fire from a distance, but mostly for their excellent tasting meat and valuable leather.
I froze for a moment, eyes locked onto its claws... this is the monster that nearly killed my dad...
Anger floods my body with battle lust, and I nearly forget to dodge when it starts rushing towards me, not even leaving a full foot between us. It digs one of its oversized claws into the ground after it misses me, then swings the rest of its body around in a 180 to quickly about face. I raise my hand to cast [Fire Bolt], but a horn screeches loudly in my ear, disrupting my concentration.
"You want friendly fire? Because that's how you get friendly fire."
I swear as the bullcock makes another charge. Idiot! You can only launch spells downrange! I'll get my boat axed if I damage the building or accidentally lob a spell into another person's private spell range.
The bullcock angles his charge, so I can't safely launch a spell after dodging again, but that doesn't stop it from doing so. The wattle underneath its chin swells up, and a trio of [Light Bolts] fly towards me after the bullcock opens its mouth. I bring up my forearms to block, and manage to deflect the first projectile, but the second and third harmlessly splash against my chest, prompting Arc to start taunting me.
"Oh, c'mon! I've seen children with better reflexes than that."
Clenching my teeth, I try to block out all outside distractions, and focus solely on the task at hand. Using [Earth Cleat] to give my side-steps an extra burst of speed on top of my mana reinforced strides, [Water Bracer] to allow me to forgo a shield and deflect the spit attacks, and at every opportunity, I launch as many Bolt spells as I can downrange.
Like usual, Arc keeps increasing the difficulty, first by making the bullcock move slightly faster, then having it extend a claw to try and swipe at me during its charge, and finally varying the number of Bolts he spits back at me. We keep fighting, long past the point where the monster or I would have died, only allowing short pauses for me to fix my bracer enchantments, but without any warning or fanfare, Arc abruptly stopped the music and dispersed his controlled mana.
Confused as to what happened, I darted my head around, until I spotted Hector entering through the door.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you again."
I released the breath I was holding in, then reached up to take off my helmet and shake away the sweat from my face, "It's alright, just... wasn't expecting company is all. You're the first person to come visit me here."
The bearded Packer made a nervous chuckle as he looked back towards the door, "Yeah, I think the only reason the rangemaster let me pass was because I'm your drill instructor."
My eyes perked up after finally noticing what was on his back, "You got your poleaxe made!"
Hector grinned as he handed it to me for inspection, "Yep, did the final assembly with the polearms club this afternoon, and even demonstrated what I've been teaching you."
I groaned with guilt after taking his weapon. I definitely could have made time this afternoon to visit the club, it's not like I didn't know when they were meeting this week. Looking down despondently, I began to inspect Hector's re-creation of my weapon, seeing quite a few differences before even looking with my mana sight.
Overall, the material quality and mana density was much lower, using the same mid-grade dwarven steel my armor was made of and ironwood, but it did have some good quality leather wrapping around the middle of the shaft and part way up the langets.
"What's with the leather?"
"That's what I'm using right now as a workaround to improve my attunement connection to the weapon heads. Tristan and Percy are heading up north for their Fall Expeditions, so they promised to try and win an elmek horn or something similar to replace the shaft with."
I nodded along, checking over the structural build to see if there were any errors, "Speaking of, I'm surprised you're not at the Hopkins' estate. Aren't you on leave until classes start again now?"
Hector scratched the back of his head, "I... uh... didn't have any brothers growing up, so... those three can get a bit too... rowdy for me."
"Ha, I can relate, I'm an only child." I finished my inspection, not finding any obvious flaws in the build, "Alright if I attune to it?"
"Go ahead."
The mana inside the poleaxe ramped up to match mine in only a fraction of the time it took me to sync with mine, and unsurprisingly, I was able to maintain the attunement when I tried using mana reinforcement. It did feel a little strange however, like I was squeezing my body through a narrow gap in the fence each time, so I must have been near my limit for how large and mana dense an object can be for me to attune with.
Hector watched me test out his new toy, but cocked his head when he noticed Arc planted in the dirt near the back wall, "What's your sword doing down there?"
"Oh, umm..." I turned towards my best friend and had a spark of inspiration, "Since it's indestructible, I like to use it for target practice."
Target practice? What do you---
Arc's words cut-off right as I hit his blade with a [Fire Bolt].
"Ouch! That actually hurt a little..."
Hector barked a few laughs as he placed a hand on my pauldron, then suddenly wrapped his fingers around the edges to dig painfully into my deltoid, "Initiate, when in uniform, you are expected to keep your sword sheathed and on your person when not in use. I strongly advise you to do so in the future."
I gulped, "Yes sir."
The pain stopped, replacing it with an affectionate pat as he gave me a sly grin, "Now, when you say indestructible, do you really mean indestructible? Because I've heard the stories and rumors about these blades, but never quite believed them."
Arc began to moan. "Ugh, I knew this was going to happen eventually."
Arc
Snowsday, the 32^{nd^} of Eighthmonth
Travis looked down at his directions, then back up to the intersection in the artificer burrow and sighed.
"It just says left, not left-left or first left?"
My bestest buddy in this whole world shook their head and frowned. We'd come up to another intersection, but instead of the usual four-way cross, the left side hallway entrances were spaced 60-degrees apart.
"Well, logic would assume they mean the first left..."
"Yeah, but that one is newly constructed. There's no scuff marks or scratches on the walls, unlike the second one on the left."
I mentally groaned. That does it, I'm putting a pin in the auto-translator upgrade on my soul's patch and am going to implement a mapmaking feature. Not like Travis really needs the translator anyways, humans all speak the same language, despite originally being four distinct cultures, and common is used as the international trade language between the three kingdoms.
I still don't get how that's possible. I mean, nowadays you have the military shuffling soldiers all over the kingdom and congregating every year for the Spring Flood to help spread and reinforce the language, but according to Travis' history books, humans all spoke the same language before the four tribes united. Maybe the alphabet being phonetic helps prevent regional dialects from forming? These guys don't even have a word for homophone. Although, I don't get how that's possible either... elves are the ones who invented paper, humans had to use good old-fashioned leather scrolls before Oskar made contact.
"Arc?"
"Oh, sorry, got lost in my head. Uh... just pick a direction, if it's not right, I can replay my memory and help you backtrack."
Travis nodded, then took the first left, walking down the tunnel for a full minute before a couple of familiar looking dwarves, plus a human and an elf, came into view.
Thramreat was pacing in full armor with an anime-sized war-pick on their back, glaring occasionally at what I now recognized was the entrance to Durinn's workshop as the elf held her ear up to the tumbler lock. The beardless dwarf kept mumbling, eventually letting their thoughts be heard. "I still don't feel comfortable doing this..."
Orebeck, also decked out in full plate, but with an extra bandolier of glass vials across their chest and a heavily modified crossbow on their back, was looking completely fed up, "Well... I didn't feel comfortable making an aphrodisiac so you could seal the nest with my best friend. So, we're all just going to have to pound sand for a while."
The brawny knight (who might have been a goliath, I couldn't tell for sure), looked down at the two dwarves with a completely baffled expression, then leaned towards the elf to whisper, "Umm... I thought he just mixed up a thing of beard oil?"
The elf stopped her lockpicking attempt to lightly pound her head against the door and sigh, "Yes, they did. But dwarves... work differently when it comes to mating." She snapped her head towards Travis as he approached and hissed at the party, "Quiet! Someone's approaching."
Travis waved to the group, blissfully unaware of who they were at first until Thramreat began to panic.
"Travis! Umm... it's not what it looks like!"
Orebeck and the bow wielding elf both facepalmed, unlike the knight who grinned and waved back, "Hi Travis! Are you coming back to the estate for the training camp?"
"Uh... no, I'm going on a Fall Expedition... Do I know you?" Travis gave the Darius-sized knight a second glance.
The knight padded their chest, "Oh, sorry, don't have my tabard on. Thramreat said it would get dirty." He extended a cheerful hand forward, "I'm Knight Lieutenant Evan Raycraft. You have a really pretty singing voice."
Travis shook the offered hand, "Thank you." He turned to look at Thramreat, but abruptly stopped part way to look at the door, "Oh, this is Durinn's workshop... Wait, why are you guys here?"
Thramreat, still looking as guilty as a rat in a grain bin, quickly spoke first, "Just passing through. That's all."
Orebeck rolled their eyes at the dwarf's pitiful attempt to lie, "We're trying to break-in to Durinn's workshop. I know where they keep their hidden files, so we can use them to help prepare while we ride out to the nesting grounds."
Travis still looked confused, "Umm... why would you need that? Also, why are you all fully decked out and armed to the teeth?"
"Always smart to use protection when approaching a bearded's nest." Thramreat replied, then grumbled, "And as for the former... Durinn is apparently a sinner in the eyes of the bearded."
Orebeck finally lost their temper, and unloaded on the beardless, "Oh, would you quit being such a self-righteous beaver you orthodox piece of slag! Every bearded does it. It's perfectly natural."
"Enough!" The elf shouted, forcing the argument to stop. She glared at each dwarf to ensure their silence, let out a huff of frustration, then smiled at Travis, "Apologies, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Watcher Ariawyn Famaris. Was there a reason you came to visit Durinn's workshop?"
"Oh, umm... actually, I was looking for Thramreat." Travis turned towards the dwarf, "I've been having troubles with a Water enchantment for my bracers and was wondering if dwarves still used monster paste to help assist with their spellcraft."
Orebeck let out a chuckle as they dug through one of their pouches to toss something dense with Water Mana towards Travis, "Here, catch. Monster paste will just wash away after a few minutes. We use mana-infused wax nowadays for Water Enchantments. Just heat it up a bit to apply, but be careful not to let it melt off in combat, oh... and make sure you wipe your armor clean every night. It'll corrode the rust protection if you don't."
"Thanks," Travis gave a nervous wave goodbye, "umm... tell Durinn I said hi."
Travis
A pair of golden eyes stared up at me, catching the sunlight from the patio door in my dorm's living room just right to make them look like they were glowing. I reached forward to tickle the baby's tummy and started grinning like a madman when Boris started to giggle and smile back.
"Ugh, I can feel my soul getting stretchmarks just from looking at the cute little guy."
I leaned back to relax in my chair, enjoying the sight of Gramps completely taking over not just the packing of my crate, but Drozuk's too.
"Waterproof cards, dice set, blank notebooks, charcoal sticks, barbecue sauce, sandals..."
Caldia, to my surprise, came with her dad, but she was busy designing the family crest that Drozuk wanted to submit for reservation before leaving tomorrow and decorating our crates so they'd be easy to identify.
Oh, and Barry was here too. He brought up a crate of "essentials" that every soldier needs, including a pair of paperback "adventure novels" that he told me not to worry about if they get ruined or misplaced. I think my face was still red from blushing when he snuck those into the bottom of my crate.
Everything was just so... peaceful. With Gramps taking charge, I had absolutely nothing to do at the moment (other than anger Caldia by getting to hold the baby). The care package I spent my afternoon assembling yesterday was already sealed and labeled to ship to Aelder Creek, the aelderwood scraps I received from Father Viburnum were secured in my lockbox, and Gramps already agreed to store it in the Hopkins' vault while I'm away.
My respite eventually ended though. Gramps finished off the checklist that he brought, and closed the lid on Drozuk's crate, but stopped before doing the same for mine.
"Drozuk, would you mind taking the baby for a moment?"
Not sure what was going on, I stood up so I could approach my roommate, and smiled as he went as stiff as a statue when I handed Boris to him. I then turned back to see that Darius was holding a blanket in his hands.
"Travis, if you don't mind, there's an old Packer tradition that my family would like to conduct with you, given how you're technically a former ward of our house. It's a very old one that dates back long before the kingdom was founded and is observed whenever a young man comes of age. It originally started as the final parting gift of a mother to her son before he went to become a spartan, a reminder of which clans he and his ancestors were descendant of, but over time, as our values changed, so has this tradition."
I nodded my head, not even considering the possibility of saying no, especially with how emotional he and Barry were becoming.
Darius unfurled the blanket, allowing me to see the majestic work of art it was. It was a deep black, but the fabric shimmered with a swirling mix of violet, silver, pink, and blue light. The moons and stars were stitched into it, arranged into the constellations of the Elemental Eight greater monsters. Thunderhawk, the screeching death. Thunderhoof, the raging bull. Sunbeaver, the mountain shaper. Copperdillo, the invulnerable force. Diamondback, the walking fortress. Bushtail, the forest tender. Dark Drake, the unexpected disaster. And Icefang, the sun eater.
"In the Southern Plains, it's easy to get lost after fighting countless battles in the seemingly endless expanse of grass and gentle hills. Should you ever find yourself alone and in need of comfort, let the stars guide you, and eventually you'll find your way home."
I gazed up at Gramp's blubbering face through my own welling tears and reached forward to receive one of his legendary hugs.
"It's beautiful. Thank you so much."

THE COOKIES HAVE ALL BEEN CLAIMED!

Wonderful Redditor u/Bdizzleontheskittle is making 6 boxes of chocolate chip cookies and Fluffernutter cookies²…and she'd like to offer them to anyone in the area who is having a hard day and could use some cheering up!
Fab Redditor u/BullLoney will be delivering within a radius of about 3 miles from the Target in North Hills. Use this map to see if you’re within the delivery circle.
Please check this map…it changes every time!
Hint: You can use the tool to create a circle with a radius of .5 miles around your address and see if you are within the delivery area.
If a box of cookies would brighten your day, please DM ME WITH YOUR FULL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. The phone number is important in case the driver gets lost. Also include your city, and an apartment/building number if you have one. For example:
123 Main Street, Unit 6, Raleigh, 919-555-1212.
No need to explain or justify your bad day…we trust you!
Also no need to ask if there are cookies left...just send me your info, and if the cookies were claimed before you messaged me, I will let you know.
u/BullLoney will drop the cookies off on your doorstep sometime tomorrow (Saturday, May 27) and text you when the drop-off is complete.
I’ll update this post as soon as the 6 boxes have been claimed.
NOTES

1. No catch! We don't expect payment, and we’re not taking photos or videos for social media. We’re just a handful of volunteers who like to bake and/or deliver cookies, and this is our way of improving people’s day when we can. :)
2. Please know that goodies may contain gluten, nuts, eggs, and other potential allergens. Thanks!

The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) on Wednesday gave planning consent to Victorian developer Flagship Property Holdings to build a mixed-use development featuring 192 apartments – including state government-backed affordable housing – behind the vacant 146-year-old Royal Hotel on the corner of North and Dequetteville Terrace.
Flagship’s plan, in conjunction with design consultants City Collective, is to build a 15-storey, 47-metre tall “City Building” approximately 11 metres behind the Royal Hotel. The state heritage listed former pub in the eastern CBD fringe was built in 1877 and added to the heritage register in 1986. It has been vacant since 2019. The pub will be retained under the development and restored as part of an adaptive reuse plan.
A slightly smaller 14-storey, 44.4-metre tall “Hills Building” is proposed further east on North Terrace. The twin apartment towers will span a 92.6 metre frontage along North Terrace and include retail food and beverage tenancies on the ground floor. The western City Building will feature 90 apartments, including 40 classed as affordable housing, while the eastern Hills Building will offer 102 apartments.
Twenty-two of the affordable housing apartments will be listed via the state government’s Homeseeker SA program, while 12 apartments will be purchased by community housing provider Junction Australia.
https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/05/26/go-ahead-for-heritage-pub-apartment-towers/

The 190th nest migration happened yesterday!
[Calgary Nest Map] Direct link (http://bit.ly/YYCNestMap)
Nest Migration start: May 24, 5 pm
Next Nest Migration: June 7, 5 pm
Nests are as accurate at time of reporting. Please keep in mind that sometimes nests change when certain events begin/end.
The majority of the nest list has been provided by https://www.theraidmap.com/ If you want more pokemon, please consider subscribing.
In order to keep the nest list updated as timely as possible I would kindly request that nest only be reported in top level comments and avoid editing previous posts to include new nests. The easiest way for me to see when the list needs to be updated is to see when I have a notification from reddit and I only receive those on new top level comments. Thank you very much!
Thank you to all our nest reporters! Without you, this wouldn't be possible!
Please keep the following in mind when reporting nests:
Spawn points in nests have a 25% chance to spawn the nest Pokemon. If a nest only has a handful of spawn points it is common to not see any of the nesting Pokemon if you are only at the nest for a short period of time. Due to this please ensure you have spent enough time in a nest before reporting your findings.
Happy hunting!!

Reported Nests

Downtown Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
Houndour	Central Memorial Park	5+
Grubbin	Eau Claire Park	?
Joltik	Princes Island Park	20
Snivy	Shaw Millennium Park	6
Spearow	Stampede Park	49

North East Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
Purrloin	Munro Park	10+
Marill	Nose Creek Parkway / Confluence Park	22
Houndour	Rotary Park	5
Houndour	St. Patricks Island Park	11

North West Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
Snubbulll	Botanical Gardens of SS/Sarcee Park	13
Burmy	Bowmont Park	15
Phanpy	Bowness Park	12
Poliwag	Confederation Park	29
Tympole	Crescent Heights Park	?
Snivy	Dale Hodges Park	24
Buneary	John Laurie Park	7
Tangela	Nose Hill Park	35
Snivy	Riley Park	9
Phanpy	Shouldice Aquatic Centre	?
Houndour	Shouldice Athletic Park	15

South East Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
Poliwag	Carburn Park	14
Tangela	Lake Sundance	12
Phanpy	Pop Davies Athletic Park	13

South West Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
Oshawott	Canada Olympic Park	40
Wooper	Edworthy Park	?
Houndour	Edworthy Park (river side)	?
Bunnelby	Lindsay Park	20+
Sandshrew	South Glenmore Park	?
Foongus	Stanley Park	14

Unreported Nests

Downtown Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
??	Barb Scott Park	4
??	Bow River Pathway Eau Claire	5
??	Central Memorial Park	5+
??	Century Gardens	4+
??	Connaught Park	5
??	Connaught School	3
??	Eau Claire Park	?
??	Harley Hotchkiss Gardens	4+
??	Harry Hayes - Red Machine Stop	2
??	Haultain Park	3
??	James Short Park	2
??	Lougheed House	5
??	McDougall Centre	10+
??	Nat Christie Park	5
??	Olympic Plaza	6
??	Princes Island Park	20
??	Rouleauville Square	5+
??	Shaw Millennium Park	6
??	Sien Lok Park North	3
??	Sien Lok Park South	?
??	South Bow Park	3
??	Stampede Park	49
??	The Family of Man	?
??	Thomson Family Park	?
??	Tomkins Park	?

North East Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
??	40th Ave Park	5
??	Abberfield Playground	3+
??	Airways Park	?
??	Bridgeland Park	2
??	Bridgeland Sport Fields / Park	6
??	Cityscape Music Playground	?
??	Coral Shores Pathway	3
??	Coventry/Country Hills Pond	11
??	Coventry Community Garden	3-4
??	Coventry Nose Creek Park	?
??	Crossroads Park	2-3
??	Deerfoot Athletic Park	9
??	Deerfoot Business Park	?
??	Don Hartman Northeast Sportsplax NESS	4
??	Ecole la Mosaique in Martindale	2
??	Edward H. LaBorde Viewing Area	?
??	Genesis Centre	9
??	Grant MacEwan School	?
??	Harvest Community Garden	?
??	Harvest Hills Playground	?
??	Highland Park Urban Beautification	2
??	Lester B Pearson School Field	?
??	Marlborough Community Association	?
??	Marlborough Park	20
??	Martha Haven Cricket Ground	?
??	McCall Lake Off Leash Dog Park	?
??	Monterey Community Centre	?
??	Monterey Park Fields	13
??	Murdoch Park	5
??	Munro Park	10+
??	Nose Creek Parkway / Confluence Park	22
??	Pinecliff Park Soccer Field	3+
??	Pinehill Playground	2+
??	Pine Ridge Road Playground	?
??	Pineridge Playground	2
??	Prairie Winds Park	10
??	Redstone Participark	3
??	Renfrew Athletic Park	?
??	Rotary Park	5
??	Rundle Community Association	2-3
??	Rundle Park	?
??	Rundlelawn Park	?
??	Skyview Landing Playground	7+
??	St. Patricks Island Park	11
??	St. John Paul II School	?
??	Temple Community Centre	?
??	Templegreen Park	4+
??	The District Outdoor Gym	4
??	Tom Campbell Park	7
??	Tuxedo Park Community Association	3
??	Village Square Leisure Centre	?
??	Whitehorn Community Centre	4
??	Whitehorn Field	10-15

North West Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
??	12 Mile Coulee Pathway	15
??	14th Street Pathways	10
??	Arbor Lake School Park	5
??	Baker Park	10
??	Blakiston Park	?
??	Botanical Gardens of SS/Sarcee Park	13
??	Bowmont Park	15
??	Bowness Park	12
??	Bow River Pathway - Kensington	10
??	Bow River Pathway - Point McKay	2-3
??	BP Birthplace Forest	6+
??	Brenner Park	5
??	Brentwood Community Garden	6
??	Canmore Park	6
??	Castle Ruins	3
??	Catherine Nichols Gunn School	3
??	Childrens Village School Field	?
??	Chipmunk Playground (Ranchlands)	2
??	Citadel Pathways	3
??	Citadel Way Playground	?
??	Confederation Park	29
??	Confederation Golfcourse Playground	4
??	Country Hills Golf Course	?
??	Crescent Heights Park	?
??	Crowchild Twin Arenas	2
??	Crowfoot Crossing Pathway	5
??	Crowfoot Library	3
??	Dale Hodges Park	24
??	Dalhousie Community Association	10+
??	Dalhousie LRT Pathway	3
??	Dalton Park	4
??	Edgemont Off Leash 3	15
??	Edgemont Park	?
??	Edgemont Ravine	14
??	Egerts Park	3
??	Evansborough Way Playground	2
??	Evanston Pathway / Ball Diamond	3
??	Evanston Pathways	5-10
??	Foothills Athletic Park	?
??	Funny Wood Pillars	?
??	Giddy-Up Playground/Silvercreek Park	?
??	Hamptons Athletic Park	5
??	Hamptons Park	?
??	Hawkwood Pathways	3
??	Helicopter Playground	?
??	Hidden Valley Pathways North	10
??	Hidden Valley Pathways South	5
??	Hidden Valley Pond	2
??	Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Assn.	4
??	Huntington Blue & Red Playground	2-3
??	Huntington Hills Community Centre	10+
??	Huntington Hills Skatepark	?
??	Inland Athletic Park	?
??	John Laurie Park	7
??	John Laurie Pathway: 14th to 19th St	10
??	John Laurie Pathway: 19th St to Charleswood	8
??	John Laurie Pathway: Charleswood to Brisbois	5
??	Karl Baker Offleash Park	10+
??	Laycock Park	11
??	Macewan Glen Park	?
??	McHugh Bluff Park	20
??	Montalban Park	?
??	Montgomery Ave Playground	3
??	Nolan Hill Park	8
??	Nolan Hill Playground	5
??	Nolan Lake Pathways	8-10
??	Nose Creek Playground	?
??	Nose Hill Park	35
??	Nose Hill Spring Park	2-4
??	Panatella Hill North Pathway	3+
??	Panatella Hill South	2-3
??	Panora Close Playgroundy	?
??	Panorama Hills North Pathway	10
??	Panorama Hills Pathway	4
??	Panorama Soccer	3+
??	Parkdale Community Centre	3
??	Patches Hill	?
??	Patrick Burns Gardens	?
??	Poppy Plaza	?
??	Queen Elizabeth Park	?
??	Ranchlands Community Association	4-5
??	Ranchlands Off-Leash Dog Park	5-10
??	Research Park	4
??	Riley Park	9
??	Rocky Ridge Pathways	7
??	Rocky Ridge YMCA	?
??	Rocky Ridge Point Pathway	3-4
??	Rocky Vista Park	6
??	RRROCA Park	3
??	Rosedale Park	2
??	Sage Hill Pathways	3
??	Sandstone Area 3 Off Leash Dog Park	4-5
??	Sandstone Macewan	1-4
??	Sandstone Park	15+
??	Sandstone Place	2+
??	Shouldice Aquatic Centre	?
??	Shouldice Athletic Park	15
??	Silver Spring Nature Park	20
??	Silver Springs Outdoor Pool	?
??	Triwood Community Association	4
??	Triwood Park	?
??	Tuscany Club	6
??	Tuscany Fire Hall Greenspace	5+
??	Tuscany Valley Playground	2+
??	U of C: Athletic Fields	20+
??	U of C: C Train Station	2-3
??	U of C: Gallagher Library	2
??	U of C: Prairie Chicken	?
??	U of C: Science Theatres	?
??	Utah Drive Park	12
??	Varsity Estates Park	?
??	Varsity Ravine Park	?
??	Varsity Sport Fields	?
??	Varsity Soccer Pitch	4
??	Varsity Village Park	5-8
??	Watermark Community Gazedo	5-8
??	West Hillhurst Community Assn.	10+

South East Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
??	Acadia Community Garden & Art Society	?
??	Acadia Tennis Courts	3
??	Applewood Park	7
??	Auburn Bay Kids Only Pokestop	?
??	Auburn Bay Kids Park	?
??	Auburn House	?
??	Carburn Park	14
??	Chapala Drive Playground	?
??	Chaparral Ridge Circle	12
??	Copper Pond	?
??	Copperfield Community Centre	3
??	Copperfield Hoodoo Park	3
??	Copperfield Park	6-7
??	Copperfield Park II	?
??	Copperfield Park III	?
??	Copperfield Trifecta	2
??	Copperstone Blvd Park	?
??	Copperstone Grove Park	3
??	Dogwood Crescent Park	?
??	Douglas Glen Park	4
??	Douglas Glen Pathway	?
??	Douglasbank Park	?
??	Eaglequest Golf Pathway	?
??	Eastside City Church	4
??	Elliston Park	3
??	Fairview Off Leash Dog Area/Flint Park	?
??	Fairview Park	6
??	Fish Creek Park	100+
??	Flavelle Road Park	?
??	Fonda Park	7
??	George Moss Park	?
??	Great Plains Recreational Facility	5
??	Harry Huish Park	?
??	Inglewood 11th Ave Playground	2
??	Inglewood Bird Sanctuary	20
??	Inglewood Golf Course	?
??	Inglewood Wildlands	5
??	Inverness Park	?
??	Jack Setters Park	5
??	Lake Bonavista School Field	?
??	Lake Sundance	12
??	Legacy Playground	?
??	Max Bell Centre	?
??	McKenzie Meadows Golf Club	?
??	McKenzie Towne Park	?
??	New Brighton Central Park	6
??	New Brighton Park Playground	3
??	Pearce Estate Park	25
??	Pop Davies Athletic Park	13
??	Penbrooke Meadows Park	6
??	Prestwick Fountain Park	2
??	Prestwick Inukshuk	2
??	Olympia Drive Off-Leash	3
??	Quarry Park Pathway	?
??	Raddison Heights Park	?
??	Raddison Heights Park East	6
??	Rainbow Park	?
??	Ralph Klein Park	?
??	Ramsay Community Association	5
??	Ramsay School Park	6
??	Reader Rock Gardens	4+
??	Remington YMCA in Quarry Park	?
??	Riverbend Community Centre	6
??	Riverbend Pathway	?
??	Southview Park	10
??	Sue Higgins Park	15+
??	The Lone Pony	?
??	Valleyview Park	3
??	Walden Playground	?
??	Willow Park Gardens Playground	?
??	Wyldewood Estates Trellis	?

South West Nests

Pokemon	Nest Location	Spawn Points
??	AD Ross Park	3-4
??	Babbeling Brook Park	3-5
??	Bankview Community Association	2
??	Battalion Park	25+
??	Battalion Park School	10+
??	Braeside Park	10+
??	Braeside Park Tennis Courts	7
??	Britannia Slopes	9
??	Buffalo Park (Garrison)	?
??	Canada Olympic Park	40
??	Champlain Park	2
??	Christie Estates Playground	5
??	Discovery Ridge Pathways North	?
??	Discovery Ridge Pathways NE	?
??	Discovery Ridge Pathways NW	2
??	Discovery Ridge Ponds	5
??	Douglas Fir Trail Lookout Platform	6
??	Edworthy Park	?
??	Edworthy Park (river side)	?
??	Eversyde Park	3
??	Flanders Park	3
??	Galbraith Park Playground	3
??	Glamorgan Park	?
??	Glenbrook Park	3
??	Glendale Meadows Park	?
??	Glenmore Athletic Park	12
??	Griffith Park Playground	10+
??	Griffith Woods	30
??	Haysboro Community Park	10+
??	James H Gray Park	?
??	Jenny Elliot Elementary Field	2
??	Killarney Glengarry Community Assn.	5
??	Lakeview Community Assn.	20+
??	Lindsay Park	20+
??	Mahood Commons - Ambrose University	2+
??	Meadowlark Park	?
??	Millcrest Park	3
??	Millview Greenspace	3
??	North Glenmore	13
??	Old Banff Coach Hill Off Leash Park	1+
??	Optimist Park	40+
??	Patterson Place	2
??	Peacekeeper Park	3
??	Picnic Park	4
??	Poplar Park	2-3
??	Prominence Park	7-9
??	River Park	13
??	Riverdale Park	?
??	Roxboro & Erlton Offleash	7
??	Sandy Beach	9
??	Shaganappi Park	5-10
??	Shawnessy Pathway	10
??	Sienna Hills Playground	3
??	Signal Hill Old Fashioned Playground	4
??	Signal Ridge Playground	6+
??	Simcoe Playground	3
??	Silverado Skies Pathways	3
??	Sirocco Park	10+
??	Somerset Water Park	6
??	South Calgary Park	12
??	South Glenmore Park	?
??	South Mount Royal Park	2
??	Springbank Hill Community Park	21+
??	Springborough Playground	5+
??	Springborough Stormwater	4
??	Sprucecliff Community Association	?
??	Stanley Park	14
??	Strathcona Christie Aspen Community Association	?
??	Sunalta Park	5+
??	Turtle Hill Park	6+
??	Valour Park	2-3
??	Westside Soccer Field	5+
??	Wildwood Community Association	3
??	Woodbine Athletic Park	4

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Respect Superman, The Man of Steel

Origin
Born Kal-El of Krypton, his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth to save him from his doomed planet. Found by Johnathan and Martha Kent, Clark Kent was raised to help others and use his powers for good. Starting out as an opportunistic hero, the trials he went through gradually turned him into Superman, the world's greatest hero.
Name(s): Kal-El, Clark Kent, The Blur, Superman
Family: Jor-El (Biological Father), Lara (Biological Mother), Johnathan Kent (Adoptive Father), Martha Kent (Adoptive Mother), Kara Zor-El/Kara Kent (Paternal Cousin), Kon-El/Conner Kent (Clone), Zor-El (Paternal Uncle), Lois Lane (Wife)
Appearance: Red-Blue Blur The Blur, version two Superman suit, version two
Feat index

• Feats will have a S followed by a number than a E followed by a number in the gif name. So S5E11 means the feat came from season 5 episode 11.
  
• Comic feats will come from what series or issue they came from which can be found here
  
• Bolded feats are the best feats are in a category (in my opinion)
  

Super Strength

Physical/Lifting
Superhuman

• Smashes Greg into concrete and throws Greg across a factory ^S1E2
• Overpowers Tina, throws her hard enough to break a tombstone, then throws her into a tree ^S1E4
• At age five he could easily lift 500 pounds ^S2E1
• Moves a pool table at super speed ^S2E4
• Throws a man through a warehouse roof and into a RV ^S4E5
• After Jed pulls Clark underground, he tunnels through the Earth and beats up Jed ^S6E9
• Tosses Brainiac through a barn and a well ^S7E15
• Overpowers Kara and later on catches her punch ^S7E2/E4
• Shatters a block of ice after being frozen ^S11V2

One to Five Tons

• Clark is capable of easily moving or lifting cars: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
• Casually lifts a generator. Later on he easily tosses it ^S1E9
• Spins a Ferris wheel ^S3E7
• Overpowers a car crusher ^S3E10
• Smashes through a wall and catches a falling elevator ^S5E19
• Overpowers Conner ^S10E16

Five to Ten Tons

• According to Martha Clark can bench press a tractor - flashback ^S1E12
• Eric Summers (who has stolen Clark's powers) flips a truck casually ^S1E12
• Flips a mobile home ^S2E1
• Overpowers Byron, who was strong enough to down a helicopter ^S2E5
• Throws a rock high into the air, lifts a large tree, and then smashes into the ground hard enough to crater it
• Lionel in Clark's body lifts a tractor ^S4E6
• Superior to Maxima who tossed a car a couple hundred feet into the air ^S8E4
• Stops a plane from crashing into the Daily Planet ^S9E21
• Lifts a helicopter ^S10E4

Ten to One-hundred Tons

• Overpowers a truck pulling down a large metal tower then fixes said tower ^S2E18
• Tosses a tractor miles away. He failed at first because of a solar flare ^S3E5
• Overpowers a helicopter and rapidly tugs it towards him ^S5E6
• Stops a runaway train ^S9E1
• Moves a loaded Semi-Truck ^S9E3
• Lifts the Daily Planet globe ^S10E1
• Stops a mag-lev train ^S11V6

Over One-Hundred tons

• Saves an airplane ^S10E22
• Lifts a large cargo ship ^S11V2
• Stops a falling space craft ^S11V4
• Tosses a golem made from the Washington Monument ^S11V5
• Throws a Green Lantern ring past the moon ^S11V7
• [Pushes Apokolips away from Earth](8j99zq) ^S10E22
  • The feat was noted as being accomplished with ease in Guardian. However it was later noted by Lois and Superman himself that he was high on adrenaline when he preformed the feat ^{V1 & V8}
  • While at first Apokolips was shown to be similar to Saturn in size, every single follow up appearance has shown it to be closer to Mars in size. So while still impressive, it seems the original size was lowered.

Striking

• Kicks Walt through a window and slaps him over ten feet into a wall ^S1E3
• Casually tosses a gate then punches a stone slab in half ^S1E4
• Kicks a metal door off of its hinges ^S1E7
• Palm strikes Sean hundreds of feet into the air ^S1E5
• Elbows Jeff multiple feet into metal pipes that bend on the impact ^S1E10
• No sells a baseball bat swing and punches Kyle ten+ feet into a door ^S1E11
• Karate chops logs in half ^S1E13
• Punches through the ground and into a coffin ^S1E20
• Shatters a wooden wall ^S2E3
• Easily defeats multiple people in a bar fight ^S2E4
• Shakes a train car ^S2E19
• Hits Jeremiah with a tree hard enough to break the tree ^S3E20
• Hits Greg through a brick and concrete wall ^~S2E20
• Clashes with Brainiac which shakes the Fortress of Solitude and overpowers him. For reference the Fortress is extremely large ^S5E8
• Knocks out Lois with a finger tap ^S5E16
• Rams Titan into a concrete pillar which destroys part of an area and it. Later on he overpowers Titan and smacks him into the ground which shakes the arena and punches Titan into the air with enough force to shake the arena again when he lands ^S6E17
• Punches Bizarro hard enough to shake a dam and later on they clash hard enough to shake the dam and break a part of it ^S6E22
• Punches Bizarro through a tree and into a electric tower ^S7E1
• Punches Bizarro through a dam and into the atmosphere ^S7E1
• Him and (an enhanced) Lana having sex causes earthquakes ^S7E7
• Punches Zod pretty far ^S9E21
• Destroys a window with a thunderclap and later on blow an entire group of apes away with one ^S11V1/V3
• Throws Cyborg Superman through a wall and punches him through multiple buildings ^S11V1
• Slams Batman into a concrete wall then body slams him through three thick concrete floors ^S11V2
• Destroys a truck ^S11V3
• Black Racer and Superman impacting each other creates a massive light explosion and cause earthquakes when hitting each other ^S11V3
• Throws Hades from outer space into the Earth ^S11V5
• Shatter a bunch of windows from the shockwaves of his headbutt ^S11V6
• Makes a big shockwave when he goes all out against the Omega Monitor ^S11V9

Tearing/Grip Strength

• Crushes a lock ^S2E13
• Rips off the roof of a car ^S1E1
• Casually bends a metal pipe ^S1E7
• Rips off a metal cover ^S1E9
• Casually bends multiple steel bars ^S1E9
• Rips off a hydraulic line and rips apart metal to save Ryan ^S1E16
• Bends a metal pipe around a man at super speed ^S2E20
• Stops a falling elevator by grabbing onto a pipe ^S3E14
• Overcomes the pull of the Phantom Zone ^S5E1
• Crushes coal into diamond ^S5E12
• Bends a metal vault door ^S7E6
• Bends part of a bus roof ^S8E2
• Crushes a rocket after out-flying it ^S11V1

Super Speed

Vaguely Fast/FTE

• Outruns a bus to school ^S1E1
• Saves Johnathan from falling onto a bunch of blades ^S1E2
• Runs and grabs a empty bowl before a teenager hurls ^S1E8
• Cleans up after a house party ^S1E8
• After throwing a safe onto a car he runs from the fifth floor of a building to in front of Sam ^S1E9
• Saves Lex and takes down a gunman without either noticing Clark's movements ^S1E14
• Catches up to a speeding truck
• Catches Kenny and Johnathan before they hit the ground
• Temporarily outruns an explosion to save Pete ^S2E13
• Steals a vial at FTE speeds ^S3E15
• [Moves so fast an entire stadium full of people cannot register his movements and saves Chloe](iszk92) ^S4E7
• Creates a vortex to get rid of a fire at FTE speeds ^S4E9/S10E1
• Outruns a energy beam ^S4E19
• Saves a child from a meteor ^S4E22
• Runs down a building to save Santa ^S5E9
• Saves Graham from being hit by a truck ^S5E20
• When view from a real time PoV he's completely FTE ^S6E16/S7E16
• Contemplates saving Lex as a canister flies at his face, then actually saves him ^S6E18
• Saves an actor from a car while both were falling ^S7E5
• At age 8 he runs to the local library and back before Chloe turns around ^S8E9
• Saves Cat from an exploding car ^S10E2
• Moves Cat across Metropolis before she can take a picture ^S10E5
• Saves Green Arrow from a rocket ^S11V1
• Grabs a casual Impulse ^S11V3

Supersonic

• Clark can easily catch and react to bullets: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
• Clark can dodge bullets: 1, 2, 3
• Clark can outrun bullets: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
• Saves Impulse from an electric trap that would trigger if he stopped running for even a millisecond ^S6E11
• Moves a armored van out of a building without a camera registering the event ^S10E15

Hypersonic

• Runs 425 miles pretty quickly ^S2E8
• Moves so fast rain slows down to a crawl ^S2E21
• Runs from Smallville to Metropolis and catches a bullet before it hits Lex ^S3E3
• Throws a bomb into a well after its detonator is activated but before it explodes ^S3E15
• Runs across Smallville to save Lana from a bullet after it had been fired ^S3E16
• Runs from Kansas to the Amazon Rainforest before a storm can end
• Runs from Smallville to Metropolis in around five seconds ^S5E5
• Outruns the explosion of a bunch of C4 ^S5E11
• Slaps a bullet after running across a room, outruns a electric bolt of energy, all while moving FTE to two humans ^S6E15
• Comparable to Bizarro who flew up a building and tossed a piece of C4 in under a second ^S7E9
• Saves Lois from an exploding rocket ^S10E7
• Catches dozens of bullets ^S11V2
• Saves men from an exploding tank ^S11V5

High Ends

• Comparable to Brainiac who Lionel claimed can move at near-light speeds ^S5E8
• Runs from Kansas to Honduras in under ten seconds ^S5E17
• Runs from Smallville to Vermont and back in under three seconds ^S7E4
• Moves so fast electricity looks frozen from his view ^S7E20
• [Runs from Metropolis to Campo Grande in a couple minutes](eoyvzh) ^S8E3
• Outruns the light of a camera flash ^S8E7
• Runs from Smallville to the North Pole and does it again later on ^S8E20/S10E17
• Runs from London to Metropolis in seconds ^S10E14

Leaping

• Jumps 10+ feet to slam dunk a basketball ^S2E3
• Leaps to the LuthorCorp building from the Daily Planet which was over 200 feet away ^S2E12
• Jumps on a truck ^S4E16
• Jumps on a flying ICBM ^S5E3
• Jumps to the top of the Fortress of Solitude ^S5E12
• Jumps across a couple of streets with Lois ^S6E13
• Leaps tall buildings in a single bound: 1, 2, 3
• Jumps out of a city with Doomsday and smashes it into a geothermal plant ^S8E22

Flight

• Flies from Smallville to Egypt ^S4E1
• Saves Lana ^S7E5
• Clark sees his future self contain a nuclear detonation by flying around it ^S10E4
• Flies from orbit to ground multiple times in seconds ^S11V1
• Flies from Metropolis to Mexico without Lex noticing ^S11V3
• Flies across the United States twice in seconds ^S11V5
• Flies to a Green Lantern ring which moves pretty fast ^S11V7
• Flies to Parallax who was located in another space sector, which are typically multiple solar systems or galaxies apart. ^S11V7

[Scaling] When he gains the ability to fly he's shown to be comparable to the following

• Martian Manhunter who flew from Earth to the Sun in seconds ^S8E1
• Supergirl who can rapidly fly into outer space and flew from [Kandor back to Earth](5mujsw) within two years (Krypton is 23 Galaxies away from Earth) ^{S7E15/S10E3/S8E8}
• Bizarro who flew from Mars to Earth in a short amount of time ^S7E10

Swimming

• Swims fast to save Troy ^S2E6
• Gets ahead of Aquaman ^S5E4

Invulnerability

Blunt Force

• Completely fine after being hit by a car through a road railing ^S1E1
  • The car was moving at 60 miles per hour
• Fine after being rammed through concrete by a truck ^S1E1
• Greg hits him across a factory ^S1E2
  • Greg is strong enough to flip cars
• Gets hit with a metal rod hard enough to be sent through a tombstone ^S1E4
  • Tina is strong enough to casually push Clark through solid wood
• No sells a bus smashing into him ^S1E9
• Byron slaps him dozens of feet into a shed, destroying it ^S2E5
• Falls hundreds of feet onto the ground and is fine ^S2E9
• A boulder shatters when it hits him ^S2E10
• Gets pounded on by Eric while possibly weakened by Kryptonite and later tanks him smashing a concrete slab on his head ^S2E20
  • Eric and his buddies are strong enough to flip vans and Clark noted they could actually hurt them
• Withstands Holly's acid touch which can eat through steel and takes a building collapsing on top of him
• Knives shatter when they hit him, overpowers four men, jumps out of an airplane and lands on the ground with no damage
• Falls over sixty stories into a generator, slams the ground hard enough to shake a underground complex, then gets rammed through concrete column ^S3E2
• No sells a car smashing into him at 80 MPH ^S3E8
• No sells a giant slab of concrete smashing into him ^S4E17
• Tanks a tractor being smashed into him ^S5E21
• Zod tackles him miles away, rams him into the ground, throws Superman into a tree, smashes him into a boulder, pounds on him for a bit, then throws him through a forest ^S6E1
• Aldar tosses Clark into a crane but it doesn't harm him ^S6E8
• Titan hits him multiple times with enough force to shake an arena and break a concrete pillar ^S6E17
• Gets punched through two pillars ^S6E21
• Bizarro rams into him hard enough to shake a dam, punches him into a generator, and off-screen delivers a hit that effects the surrounding area ^S6E22
• Gets smashed through a thick concrete pillar by an amped Bizarro ^S7E1
• Sent flying through a forest by Kara ^S7E2
• Sent through a concrete wall by Faora and falls on a van ^S8E8
• Punched through a building by Doomsday ^S8E22
• Punched through multiple skyscrapers and punched into the ground by Cyborg Superman ^S11V1
• After being weakened by red sunlight he gets punch across concrete by Batman and gets hit with a large explosion ^S11V2
• Withstands multiple attacks from Doomsday 2.0. This fight damaged New Krypton which is a planet sized ship ^S11V4

Piercing/Cutting

• A wood chipper can't break his skin ^S1E1
• A grain harvester's blade bends when he falls on them ^S1E2
• A knife shatters when it hits him. Also a strength feat ^S1E6
• While weakened by kryptonite a spiked mace shatters when it hits him ^S1E10
• Superman is shown to be bulletproof on multiple occasions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
• A chainsaw shatters when it hits him ^S1E19
• An ax shatters when it hits him ^S2E7
• Blocks multiple sword swings from Trent who previously chopped through a tombstone ^S4E2
• Scissors break trying to cut his hair ^S4E8

Explosions

• A close range car explosion doesn't do much to him ^S1E2
• A explosion that destroys a shed doesn't harm Clark ^S1E18
• No sells a truck explosion while inside the truck ^S1E21
• Unharmed from an explosion
• Tanks a point blank dynamite and blasting cap explosion
• Tanks a point blank explosion that turns people to ash and damages a building
• Survives a point blank explosion from his ship ^S2E23
• A explosion that destroys a semi-truck doesn't phase him ^S3E2
• Shields a man from an explosion that destroys a barn
• Survives Evan's death explosion. Previously one of his explosions made a 30 foot crater ^S4E20
• Survives the shockwave of a nuclear weapon and orbital reentry ^S5E3
• Plastique's explosion wave bounces off of him. Previously her explosion destroyed a bus and shook a city block ^S8E2
• No sells a point blank dynamite explosion ^S9E4
• Survives explosion that destroys a military base while weakened by Kryptonite ^S10E9
• Shields Lex from a city collapsing explosion ^S11V6
• Survives a monitor ship exploding. As a note Monitor tech can harm Superman ^S11V6

Energy

• Resist Jeremy's electric pulse. Also a speed feat ^S1E1
  • His electric shocks are capable of throwing people multiple feet away and cracking glass
• Withstands a lightning bolt ^S1E12
• Immune to Walt's fire powers ^S1E3
  • Walt's fire is hot enough to burn water
• Survives Walden's energy blasts ^S2E22
• Nam-Ek and Aethyr's heat vision doesn't notably hurt him and previously that easily destroyed helicopters, cars, and made some pretty large craters ^S5E1
• Withstands Baern's energy blast, which previously disintegrated a human ^S6E6
• An electric stun-gun that can instantly stop a person's heart doesn't effect Clark ^S6E15
• No sells Conner's heat vision which can burn through barns ^S10E16
• No sells Supergirl's heat vision. Supergirl can down massive ships with her heat vision ^S11V4
• Withstands blasts from Eclipso who can destroy airplanes and helicopters with its beams ^S11V8

Healing Factor

• When he regains his powers he rapidly heals from a cut ^S1E12
• Rapidly heals from Tyler's touch. Tyler can rapidly turn humans into ash piles by touching them ^S1E17
• Rapidly heals after being thrown into a blast furnace while weakened by Kryptonite. Also a strength and durability feat ^S2E20
• Heals from a bullet wound when kryptonite is removed ^S3E3
• Once a blow torch destroys his kryptonite-blinded eyes, he begins to regenerate new eyes ^S3E10
• Comes out of the scare toxin, which is something no one else was capable of doing without an antidote ^S4E10
• His hands rapidly heal after being cut ^S6E3
• [Rapidly heals after being stabbed through the chest by a giant spike](g8il8w) ^S6E3
• Once Kryptonite is removed from his presence he instantly heals a massive chest wound ^S7E19
• [Heals from deep burn wounds](m3qz7h) ^S10E6
• Heals after being stabbed in the heart ^S11V7

Other

• When Clark gets his future read both people see him outliving everyone else around him ^S1E6/S3E12

Heat Vision

• Heats up Lois and Jimmy ^S7E17
• When he first unlocks his heat vision he lights a screen on fire, lights part of the Talon on fire, and when practicing with his powers he lights a scarecrow on fire ^S2E2
• Vaporizes a bullet ^S2E2
• Easily lights a truck on fire ^S2E18
• Destroys a police car ^S3E1
• Melts a section of asphalt ^S3E7
• Vaporizes a bullet before it hits Lana
• Melts part of a water tower while in super speed ^S3E21
• Downs a helicopter ^S4E2
• Lights a bunch of hay bales on fire ^S4E6
• Heats up a bunch of vials to 1,000 degrees Kelvin ^S4E10
• Counters a man who can turn into sand ^S4E12
• After Lana gains Clark's powers she vaporize a vampire. Later on its mentioned by Chloe he can incinerate humans ^S5E5/E10
• Cuts a small hole in Chloe's shoulder ^S6E15
• Kills a giant monster ^S11V5
• One shots a bunch of Manhunters ^S11V7
• Overpowers Wes' force field. An earlier model of the same super-soldier took the equivalent of a mini-nuke to breach ^S6E21
• Vaporizes a tidal wave while in super speed ^S7E1
• Destroys two skyscrapers ^S9E13

Super Breath

• Blows a barn door seven miles away ^S6E2
• Causes an air draft in the Daily Planet ^S6E2
• Blows a steel vault door off of its hinges ^S6E2
• Blows out a fire ^S6E2
• Blows away some clouds ^S6E2
• Destroys a wall ^S8E5
• Causes a snow storm over Oregon ^S9E17
• With Zod he freezes Metallo ^S9E17
• [When Lois gains Clark's powers she stops a flood off screen](t17sm8) ^S10E20
• Stops fuel fire on a space shuttle ^S11V1
• Instantly freezes a man and a group of soldiers ^S11V2/V4

Super Senses

Telescopic Vision

• Finds Lana in the woods ^S3E4
• Zooms in on a earring ^S4E9
• With a telescope he sees two comets collide ^S4E16
• Zooms in on a person's hand ^S10E14
• Scans an entire base ^S11V5
• Sees a falling pod from orbit ^S11V9

Multi-Spectrum Vision

• When trying to find Jeff he taps into the ultraviolet spectrum ^S1E10
• After fully unlocking his powers he can see in the Gamma and Infrared spectrum ^S11V1
• Has thermal vision ^S11V2

X-Ray Vision

• Sees Tina's skeleton system ^S1E4
• Sees through Pete's skin. Then looks through concrete walls and metal pipes the girl's locker room ^{S1E4 NSFW}
• Sees through a locker and a backpack ^S1E4
• Looks through a safe ^S1E9
• Looks through a vault door ^S1E13
• Zooms in on a wooden beam to find a bullet ^S2E13
• Scans Cyborg's body ^S5E15
• [Limits] His X-Ray vision is incapable of seeing through dense material like lead: 1 2

Super Hearing

• Hears Chloe's conversation while on the opposite side of the school and his parents talking while in another building ^S3E10
• Hears Lois and Lucy's conversation in the back of a semi-truck while on a bridge ^S4E16
• [Hears Graham's heartbeat](2dyzve) ^S5E20
• [According to Clark him and Kara can hear things for miles](156w1f) ^S7E2
• Can detect Kara's voice when a computer couldn't after a dozen tries ^S7E20
• Hears a bomb tick at the roof of the Daily Planet while on the ground floor ^S8E14
• Can hear a dog barking from ten miles away ^S8E15
• Hears Chloe screaming in Edge City when he's in Metropolis ^S8E22
• Heard Lois' speech in orbit ^S11V1
• Can tell if a person's lying from their heartbeat ^S11V2
• Listens to the Earth while in orbit ^S11V6
• Can apparently hear Tectonic Plates shifting ^S11V8

Mental Capacity

• Does some quick math ^S1E5
• Chloe notes he has a freakishly good memory ^S1E10
• Chloe says he has never forgotten anything ^S7E10
• Can rapidly learn langues and is shown to know Hindi and Japanese

Resistances

Physical

• Resist Sean's heat drain ^S1E5
  • Sean can freeze fire and humans with his heat drain
• Immune to Geoff's powers which can paralyze people with a touch ^S4E13
• Immune to Brendan's powers which turn people to wax ^S4E21
• Withstands the bleed which destroys anything it touches ^S11V8
• Resists being rebooted by Blue Bleed energy ^S11V9

Mind Reading/Mind Control

• Resist Bob Rickman's handshake ^S1E11
  • [Bob Rickman can make people kill themselves with his power](euqr6)
• Ryan can't read Clark's mind ^S1E16
• Desirée can't control Clark with her pheromone powers ^S2E2
  • Desirée can control members of the opposite sex with her powers
• Is immune to Chloe's powers which forces everyone to tell her the truth ^S3E18
• Psimon can't read his mind ^S11V3

Skill

• Throws a bowling ball through a wall and into a man's chest ^S1E16
• Sinks a basket from a pretty far distance ^S2E3
• Throws a football at a wooden bucket from pretty far away ^S4E6
• Throws a knife into Brainiac ^S5E22
• KO's a shadow man with a tire ^S8E6
• Knocks a man out with a can ^S9E12
• After training with Jor-El he learned Martial Arts ^S9E1
• After training with Jor-El he won't kill humans by sleeping with them ^S9E15

Weaknesses

• Kryptonite
  
• Red Sun Radiation: Energy in the red sun spectrum can weaken and eventually depower Clark, since his body cannot process its low energy into his super powers.
  
• Magic: Superman has no resistances to magic, meaning he's can be effected as easily as a normal person by it.
  

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If you want to use the GST Scheme, submit an application. An apartment that meets those criteria requires a deposit. Within that category, it is not possible to receive the ITC.

4. A non-resident taxpayer

Choose this sort of GST Registration only when you reside anywhere but in India yet sell items to people who reside there.
Identical to the Casual Taxable Person category, while the Registration process is in effect you should first make a payment equivalent to the anticipated GST liability.
This sort of GST registration typically lasts for 3 months, however, it can be updated or extended when it approaches its expiration date.

Who May Register Under the GST?

The following people and organizations need to register for GST:

• People who enrolled for taxation prior to the implementation of the GST law.
• Non-Resident Taxpayer and Temporary Taxpayer
• People who use the reverse charge method to pay their taxes
• All online store aggregators
• Companies whose annual revenue exceeds Rs. 40 lakhs.
• Service representatives and dealers that the supplier has on staff
• People who provide commodities via e-commerce aggregators.
• Non-registered taxable members who provide access permission and internet resources to people residing in India from outside of India.
• Businesses with a yearly revenue of Rs. 20 lakhs or more are mandated to enlist for GST.

How to Perform GST Registration Online?

The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-profit, non-government company that offers shared IT infrastructure and service to both central and state governments including taxpayers and other stakeholders, and operates the GST online portal.
The online portal for GST registration and filing was manufactured by Infosys who had won the Rs. 1380 crore contract in 2015 to build the entire technology platform for the unified Goods and Services Tax.
You can do the GST registration seamlessly by visiting the GST portal and following these simple steps.

• Visit the GST portal online

Use your internet connection from a smartphone or a PC and visit the online portal - www.gst.gov.in.

• Click on Services

On the homepage of the government GST portal, you will find the ‘Services’ tab. Click on the tab and select ‘Registration.’

• Click on New Registration

After selecting ‘Registration,’ click on ‘New Registration.’

• Select the Type of Registration

Choose the type of registration you need. It can be anyone from the following - Regular, Composition, Casual Taxable Person, Non-resident Taxable Person, or TDS/TCS.

• Fill in the Details

Fill in the requisite details - Business Name, PAN, Email Address, Mobile number, and State.

• Enter OTP

Verify your mobile number and email id by entering the OTP that you have received on your mobile number and email.

• Submit your Application

After filling in all the requisite details, you need to submit your application. You will receive an application reference number (ARN) via the registered email address and SMS on the registered mobile number.

• Provide additional information

After completing your application, you need to furnish additional information and supporting documents. These are entirely dependent on the type of registration you have applied for. Some of the most common documents required are given below.

1. Business registration documents: This may include the Certificate of Incorporation, Partnership Deed, or any other business registration document.
2. Identity proof of the business owner: This may include a PAN card, Aadhaar card, or passport.
3. Address proof of the business owner: This may include a utility bill, property tax receipt, or rent agreement.
4. Bank account details: You will need to provide the bank account details of the business, including the account number and IFSC code.
5. Digital Signature Certificate (DSC): You may need to provide a DSC if you are registering as a company or a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP).
6. Photographs: You may need to provide passport-sized photographs of the business owner.
7. Business premises proof: You may need to provide proof of the business premises, such as a rent agreement, property tax receipt, or electricity bill.
8. Authorization letter: If the application is being filed by a representative of the business, an authorization letter signed by the business owner may be required.
9. Any other documents as required by the GST authorities.

• Wait for Approval

Once you have submitted the required information, your application will be processed. Following this, you will be notified of its approval.
Following these simple steps, you can complete your GST registrations online.
However, you should always ensure to keep the supporting documents handy before initiating the registration process to prevent any delays.

What to do when you have not received an approval notification for the successful completion of your GST Registration online?

If you have completed the GST registration process online but have not received an approval notification, it is important to check the status of your application on the GST portal.
To check the status of your application, follow these steps:

1. Go to the official GST portal at www.gst.gov.in.
2. Click on 'Services': On the home page, click on the 'Services' tab and select 'Registration'.
3. Click on 'Track Application Status': Next, click on 'Track Application Status'.
4. Enter your ARN: Enter your Application Reference Number (ARN) and the Captcha code, and click on 'Search'.
5. Check the status: You will be able to view the status of your application on the screen. If the application is approved, you will be able to download the GST registration certificate.

If you have not received an approval notification and your application status is still pending, it is recommended to reach out to the GST helpline for assistance. You can contact the GST helpdesk by calling the toll-free number 1800-103-4786 or by sending an email to [email protected].
It is important to note that you cannot start selling or issuing tax invoices until your GST registration is approved. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that your application is successfully processed and approved to avoid any legal repercussions.

Registration Exemption for GST

The following people and organizations are exempt from GST registration:

• Companies that produce supplies subject to reverse charges.
• Activities that are not considered to be part of providing products or services. Sales of real estate or buildings, burial services, and employee services are a few examples of this type of activity.
• Companies that produce non-taxable/non-GST commodities. Electricity, natural gas, high-speed diesel, and gasoline are a few examples.
• Organizations that produce exempt or nil-rated supplies.
• Organizations that qualify for the minimum exemption limit.
• Agriculturists

Conclusion

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been praised as among the most important tax changes and has streamlined the nation's current taxation regime for goods and services.
While most people are understandably concerned about how this may affect certain businesses, such as the GST on private loans, the payment amount is not excessive.

Part 1 - Cannor Part 2 - Escann and Deepwoods Part 3 - Aelantir Part 4 - West Serpentspine and Gerudia Part 5 - Bulwar
Ah the Forbidden Plains. Often called the worst region in the game. But does it deserve those heinous attacks? Yes. Yes, it does.
Centaurs ★★★☆☆
Before we get into any of the criticisms of the centaur playthrough, I’ll say that narratively the centaur story works really well. You are this unstoppable horde, trampling everything underfoot…err, underhoof. You start as a single centaur tribe, warring against other centaur tribes to prove you are the strongest. Your nation gradually grows and spirals and grows and soon you start crashing into the puny humans and their pathetic Lake Federation. All shall be crushed under the great wind of Ik Magthaal!
It's just the gameplay has problems in practice. Early wars against other centaur tribes can feel like real RNG that are impossible to recover from if the roll goes your way due to how their calvary work. If you lose a fight, everything you own dies and there is zero coming back from that. Declaring wars on the LakeFed can be frustrating because you don’t know how many of them will join the war against you. Even once you do start to destroy them, some lunatic decided to add reoccurring events that spawn massive amounts of human rebels in the old LakeFed, and it takes forever to correct your conquering strategy so you stop getting those events.
Then there’s the Salgae. However I’m going to shock you all by saying I really like the Salgae! I love the idea of collapsing empires and the fact EU4 doesn’t have more of it is sad to me (it’s more of a CK3 thing I guess). It could make playing next to the centaurs somewhat enjoyable too as you know that, if you can survive long enough, they’ll eventually splinter and you’ll have your opportunity. I actually survived the Salgae in my playthough by just straight up beating up the split-off centaurs and re-incorporating them into my empire. This was because nobody next to me that could threaten me even at a third of my size. This is an issue with the layout of the Forbidden Plains…but we’ll get to that.
Frosthide -> Skurkokli ★★★☆☆
While not quite Roadwarrior tier, Skurkokli are definitely one of the strangest nations in the entire mod. Their whole shtick is that they eat everything. Literally. Some demonic creature becomes their leader and turns them into zealots for eating people. They then proceed to eat the entire LakeFed (a clever use of the razing mechanics) before literally picking up their entire country and moving to Escann. It’s a wild journey and I wish I could talk more about it, but I can’t. That’s because my run failed.
The run started well enough. While any of the Ogre Hills nations can form Skurkokli, Frosthide is the easiest because you just beat up all your neighbours due to your wizard ruler. Uniting the Ogre Hills was easy enough. I also won some early wars against the centaurs (which is better than the AI ever manages anyway, just another major issues with the Forbidden Plains – there’s effectively only 3 nations there, and one of them just gets beaten up every run before you even have a chance to interact with them). The problem was, once again, not knowing how many LakeFed nations would join in the defence of their region. I won that war somehow, but a giant Grombar had migrated across the Northern Pass and declared on my weakened nation after the LakeFed war. After that there was no return.
I don’t actually mind that my run ended that way though. Heck it was nice to see Grombar actually get involved in the region, and it would be pretty hypocritical of me to get mad because other regions actually got involved in the Forbidden Plains for a change. I do take more issue with the decision not to let them do any alliances with the centaurs. Why!? I hovered over it and the tooltip was basically “fuck them horses”. I have a bit of a personal grievance with designers who go out of their way to not allow diplomatic relations, because it completely removes one of the better and more dynamic game dynamics in EU4. I sorta get why they don’t allow it once you become Skurkolki for lore reasons, although I’m still not fond of it. Finally, it is telling that the nation often said to have the best campaign in the Forbidden Plains has them straight up leave the region. Even though my run failed, I did have fun. Which is better than what I can say for…
The Lake Federation ★☆☆☆☆
The LakeFed is the only nation I’ve played twice. Not because I failed the first time (I did, but we’ll get to that later), nor because I enjoyed the run (I didn’t), but because I figured I had to be missing something. There’s no way this run could have been that boring every time, right? The LakeFed appears to have tried to emulate the Empire, which is a good idea in theory. The Empire allows for smaller tags to thrive and lets gameplay involve more than just blobbing and map painting. They even tried to emulate the empire events, like a religious split causing a crisis and massive war.
Except in practice, it’s you sitting in place and waiting to have enough mana to click missions. This is because if you don’t do this, you just lose. The entire region gets absorbed into the LakeFed formable and you’re left stuck looking like an idiot. There’s too many other nations in the region to slack off and roleplay, because eventually all will be absorbed into the end game blob. The crises feel disconnected and arbitrary – the fuck is a purse and knife faction and why has this become an issue that tears alliances apart? The religious event comes out of nowhere and has none of the buildup the Corinite crisis has over in Cannor. The centaur wars feel like something that should have a greater impact on who leads the federation, but you’re better off not partaking in them at all if you can afford to since the rewards aren’t good enough.
I’ve got more issues, far too many to list here, but the issues are so far ranging I barely know where to stop. Let’s talk about names, shall we? I know a shit ton of effort went into the individual nations of the LakeFed, but they all blend together as a normal player. The names are so long and difficult to pronounce. Negechimudh? Vantnhasadma? Yizuqkeyil? This is an issue in readability, accessibility, and memorability. Do you know what’s a good name for a nation? Lorent. Haraf. Jaddari. Zokka. Busilar. Tianlou. Ibevar. I know you put a lot of effort into these unique languages, but even in our normal world, most nations have short names, and the longer ones usually shorten theirs.
Most of the problems stem from geography. Once the Lakefed forms, you’re still miles away from anything and anyone, so it creates this boring situation where your only neighbour is some dumb horses who you can kill with relative ease as a brand-new superpower. This makes the game at this point horrendously boring, as you simply aren’t in any danger from anyone, especially as anyone who does try to attack you has to tredge through swathes of useless plains to reach anywhere. This makes even playing next to the Forbidden Plains bad. They’re supposed to be isolated; I get that. They certainly achieve that goal. But if the reaction people have to the new Thanos Snap feature on Bitbucket is “yay I can finally delete the Forbidden Plains” then maybe you need to look at the original design document and question whether the whole thing was a good idea.
You know what the most fun I had playing the Forbidden Plains was? It was when I failed. I was playing as the OPM city province called Zurka Quarshtuluu (argh names argh argh). Because I didn’t realise what would happen if someone beat me to the end of the mission tree, the entire LakeFed formed around me. I realised I had “lost”, but while staring at the generic mission tree I was left with, I decided I was determined to have fun that game. So I accepted my position as a tributary state, and instead tried to grow other ways. I no-CB’d the leftover ogre nations, took their lands, picked off straggling ogre and centaur nations, pushed into the Northern Pass, and actually grew decently large. That is, until the Big Blue Blob decided I was too big, made me a rival, then invaded me with their unlimited manpower. My second run I played as Zurkanrek in the north (the nation with the treasure fleet port) and while it was much easier and I won the race to reform the LakeFed, the experience was so boring I turned it off and vowed off the region ever again.
This was a long rant, and I feel a bit bad since I know it was all done by volunteers and hobbyists just trying to have some fun with their fantasy world. I know the region is currently under a rework right now. I haven’t looked too closely, but the goal appears to be to add more variety to each nation so they’re not just 2 different blobs and one punching bag. It definitely solves some of the issues, but the underlying issue of creating a region designed to be un-interactive is so fundamentally flawed that these new repairs feel like someone applying a new interior to a car with square wheels. I recognize that this is a fan mod, and to throw out work people put free time into creating would be terrible.
My suggestion is quite simple: The LakeFed needs to move. As in physically move where the lakes are so the nations inside can reasonably interact with other parts of the world. Somewhere that is still somewhat isolated and won’t break the lore, but allows nations to create outside allies before 1650. It also needs to be somewhere where there’s another powerful that can provide a reasonable stop to a united Lakefed. Perhaps somewhere that currently has no other nations. What I’m saying is: Put the LakeFed north of the Jade Mines. Add uncolonized caves and plains into the back of Gronstunad, or at the very least a buildable canal to Andriz, the hold behind Gronstunad. The Valley is cursed anyway, so remove it and replace it with the LakeFed. Go on! You know I’m right!

Prices FIRM - CashApp/Venmo/PayPal Friends & Family
Disney/Marvel titles are split codes. Only redeem what you pay for. Thank you.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6 (Vudu/HD) $4
12 Monkeys (1995) (MA/4K) $3.50
12 Years a Slave (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50
13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) (Vudu/4K) $5.50 (Vudu/HD) $2 (iTunes/4K) $3
2 Guns (2013) (MA/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
22 Jump Street (2014) (MA/HD) $4.50
355, The (2022) (MA/HD) $5.75
47 Meters Down (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
80 for Brady (2023) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $6.75
A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) (iTunes/4K) $3.75
A Clockwork Orange (1972) (MA/4K) $6.50
A Dog's Purpose (2017) (MA/HD) $4 (iTunes/HD) $3
A Man Called Otto (2022) (MA/HD) $7.50
A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.25
A Monster Calls (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
A Most Wanted Man (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
A Quiet Place (2018) (Vudu/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
A Quiet Place Part II (2020) (Vudu/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
A Wrinkle in Time (2018) (MA/HD) $3 (GP/HD) $2
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) (MA/HD) $4.25
Action Point (2018) (Vudu/HD) $2.25 (iTunes/4K) $1.50
Addams Family 2 (2021) (iTunes/4K) $5.50
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4.25
Adventures of Tintin (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
After Earth (2013) (MA/HD) $2.50
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Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014) (MA/HD) $4.75
Alice in Wonderland (1951) (GP/HD) $5.50
Alien Collection 1-6 (MA/HD) $19.50 1-4 (MA/SD) $9
Aliens Ate My Homework (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
All The Money In The World (2017) (MA/HD) $4.25
All the Way (2016) (GP/HD) $3.50 No Port
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Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Ambulance (2022) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.25
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Amsterdam (2022) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.75
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Beast (2022) (MA/HD) $5.75
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Boy, The (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
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Card Counter, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5
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Case for Christ, The (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
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Chappie (2015) (MA/HD) $3.75
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Cinderella (1950) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $3.75
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Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50 (MA/SD) $2.25
Clown (2014) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Clueless (1995) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) (MA/HD) $6.25
Colombiana (Unrated) (2011) (MA/HD) $4.25
Concussion (2015) (MA/HD) $3
Constantine: The House of Mystery (2022) (MA/HD) $3.50
Contraband (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2
Contractor (2022) (Vudu/4K) $7 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Counselor, The (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Cowboys and Aliens (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.50
Croods (2013) & A New Age (2020) (MA/HD) $6.75
Croods (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50
Croods: A New Age (2020) (MA/HD) $5
Cruella (2021) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Cult of Chucky (Unrated) (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Daddy's Home 1-2 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Daniel Craig Collection 5-Movie (Vudu/4K) $20
Dark Waters (2019) (MA/HD) $5.75
Darkest Hour (2017) (MA/HD) $3
Darkest Minds, The (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
Day After Tomorrow (2004) $7
DC League of Super-Pets (2022) (MA/4K) $8 (MA/HD) $5
Dead Man Down (2013) (MA/HD) $4.75
Dear Evan Hansen (2021) (MA/HD) $4.25
Death on the Nile (2022) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $3.50
Den of Thieves (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Dentist Collection 1-2 (1996-1998) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Descent, The (2005) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Detective Knight Collection 1-3 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $15 $5.75 Each
Detroit (2017) (iTunes/4K) Ports to MA $4.75
Devil Wears Prada (2006) (MA/HD) $5.75
Devotion (2022) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $6.50
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017) (MA/HD) $2
Die Hard 1-5 (MA/HD) $16 $4.75 Each
Disneynature Born in China (2017) (MA/HD) $5.25
DisneyNature: Bears (2014) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
DisneyNature: Monkey Kingdom (2015) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Doctor Strange (2016) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $4 (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $1.75
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $2.75 (GP/HD) $2
Dog (2022) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Don't Breathe (2016) (MA/HD) $5.50
Don't Breathe 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $7.50
Don't Let Go (2019) (MA/HD) $4
Don't Worry Darling (2022) (MA/HD) $5.50
Doors (1991) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.50
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) (MA/HD) $4
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (iTunes/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $5
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Dracula 2000 (2000), II: Ascension (2003) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $10.50
Dragonheart 5-Movie (MA/HD) $15
Dredd (2012) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Duff, The (2015) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Dumbo (1941) (MA/HD) $7.50 (GP/HD) $6
Dune (2021) (MA/4K) $5
Dying of the Light (2014) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Early Man (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Echo Boomers (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Eddie the Eagle (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $6
Edge of Seventeen (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Eighth Grade (2018) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Elvis (2022) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4
Emoji Movie (2017) (MA/HD) $2.25
Empire State (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Encanto (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) (GP/4K) $3.50
Ender's Game (2013) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
English Patient (1996) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
Epic (2013) (MA/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/SD) $1.25
Equalizer (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75
Escape from Planet Earth (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Eternals (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) (Vudu/4K) $8
Expendables 1-3 (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Extreme Prejudice (1987) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) (GP/HD) $4.25
F9: The Fast Saga + Director's Cut (2021) (MA/4K) $5.25 (MA/HD) $3.25
Fabelmans (2022) (MA/HD) $6.50
Faculty, The (1998) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6.50
Fantastic Beasts Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $8
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) (MA/4K) $5.25 (MA/HD) $3
Fast & Furious Collection 1-9 (MA/HD) $10
Father Stu (2022) (MA/HD) $5.50
Fatherhood (2021) (MA/HD) $3.75
Fatman (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.25
Fault in Our Stars (2014) (MA/HD) $1.75
Fences (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6
Fifty Shades of Black (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.50
Fifty Shades of Grey 3-Movie + Unrated (MA/HD) $9.75
First Cow (2019) (Vudu/HD) $6.50
First Purge (2018) (MA/HD) $4.50
Five Feet Apart (2019) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3
Flight (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3.75 (iTunes/HD) $3
Footloose (2011) (Vudu/HD) $5 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Forbidden Kingdom (2008) (Vudu/HD) $5
Forever Purge (2021) (MA/HD) $5.50
Fox and the Hound 2, The (2006) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $3
Foxcatcher (2014) (MA/HD) $4.50
Frank & Lola (2016) (MA/HD) $4.75
Free Guy (2021) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
French Dispatch (2021) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
From Dusk till Dawn (1996) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
Frozen (2013) (MA/4K) $5.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $1.75
Frozen 2 (2019) (MA/4K) $4.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $1.75
Frozen Sing-Along Edition (2014) (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $1.75
Future World (2018) (Vudu/HD) $4
Galaxy Quest (1999) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6
Gambler (2014) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Gangs of New York (2002) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Get on Up (2014) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Get Out (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3.75
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012) (MA/HD) $6.75
Ghostbusters (1984) (MA/HD) $3.50
Ghostbusters + Extended (2016) (MA/HD) $3
Ghostbusters II (1989) (MA/HD) $3.50
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Girl In The Spider's Web (2018) (MA/HD) $4.50
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) (MA/HD) $6
Girls Trip (2017) (MA/HD) $1.50 (iTunes/HD) $1
Godfather (1972) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Godfather Trilogy (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $14
Godzilla (2014) (MA/4K) $5
Gold (2016) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Gone Baby Gone (2007) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Good Dinosaur (2015) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3
Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) (MA/HD) $6.50
Goosebumps (2015) (MA/HD) $5
Grease (1978), 2 (1982), Live! (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $14
Great Wall (2016) (MA/HD) $2.50
Green Knight (2021) (Vudu/4K) $5.25
Green Lantern: Beware My Power (2022) (MA/HD) $3.25
Green Mile, The (1999) (MA/4K) $6
Grinch, The (2018) (MA/HD) $6
Grudge, The (2020) (MA/HD) $6.50
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $1.75
Hail, Caesar! (2016) (MA/HD) $3.75 (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Half Brothers (2020) (MA/HD) $5.75
Halloween Ends (2022) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4.50
Halloween Kills (2021) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $4.25
Happy Death Day (2017) (MA/HD) $6
Happy Death Day 2U (2019) (MA/HD) $6
Hateful Eight (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2
Heat: Director's Definitive Edition (1995) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $5.25
Hercules (1997) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5.50
Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Holiday Inn (1942) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3
Home (2015) (MA/HD) $2
Home Alone (1990) (MA/HD) $4
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) (MA/HD) $3.50
Hot Fuzz (2007) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/4K) $4
Hotel Transylvania (2012) (MA/HD) $6
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $6.75
House of 1,000 Corpses (2003), Devil's Rejects (2005), 3 From Hell (2019) (Vudu/HD) $6
House of Gucci (2021) (iTunes/4K) $5
House of the Dragon: Season 1 (2022) (Vudu/4K) $9 (Vudu/HD) $5.50
How to Train Your Dragon Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $7.50 $4.75 Each
Hugo (2011) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Hulk, The (2003) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $6.25
Hunger Games Collection 1-4 (Vudu/HD) $6 (iTunes/4K) $12
Hunt for Red October (1990) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.50
Hunt, The (2019) (MA/HD) $5.75
Huntsman: Winter's War - Extended Edition (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3
I Can Only Imagine (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007) (MA/HD) $3.50
Ice Age (2002) (MA/HD) $5
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011) (MA/HD) $6
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.25
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) (MA/HD) $4.50
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) (MA/HD) $5.25
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) (MA/HD) $6
Identity Thief (2013) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.75
Ides of March (2011) (MA/HD) $5.25
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) (MA/HD) $5.75
Impossible, The (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
In the Heights (2021) (MA/4K) $5
Incredible Hulk (2008) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $5.25
Independence Day: Resurgence (2014) (iTunes/4K) $2 (MA/HD) $1.50
Indiana Jones 1-4 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $20
Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Inferno (2016) (MA/HD) $3.25
Infinite (2021) (Vudu/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) (MA/HD) $6
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $5.25
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) (MA/HD) $6.50
Instructions Not Included (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Internship (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
Interview, The (2014) (MA/HD) $3.50
Into the Woods (2014) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $2.25
Iron Man (2008) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $7 (GP/HD) $3
Iron Man 1-3 (MA/4K) $21 (iTunes/4K) $16 (GP/HD) $7.50
Iron Man 2 (2010) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $6.50 (GP/HD) $3
Iron Man 3 (2013) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $3 (MA/HD) $2.25 (GP/HD) $1.50
Isle of Dogs (2018) (MA/HD) $4.75
It Comes at Night (2017) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Jack and Jill (2011) (MA/HD) $4.50
Jack Reacher Collection 1-2 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $7
Jackass Forever (2022) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Jackie (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Jane Got a Gun (2016) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Jaws (1975) (MA/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.75
Jaws (1975) Jaws 2 (1978) Jaws 3 (1983) Jaws: The Revenge (1987) (MA/HD) $15.50
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Jesus Music, The (2021) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Jingle All the Way (1996) (MA/HD) $5
John Wick Collection 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $16.50 (iTunes/4K) $14.50 (Vudu/HD) $8
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4
Jojo Rabbit (2019) (MA/HD) $6.75
Joy (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $4
Jumanji: Next Level (2019) & Welcome to the Jungle (2017) (MA/HD) $7.50
Jungle Book 2 (2003) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5.50
Jungle Cruise (2021) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3
Jurassic Park (1993) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $3
Jurassic Park III (2001) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $3.50
Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $3
Jurassic World (2015) (MA/4K) $5.25 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $2.75
Jurassic World Collection 1-5 (MA/4K) $20 (iTunes/4K) $17.50 (MA/HD) $10
Jurassic World Collection 1-6 (MA/4K) $23.50 (MA/HD) $11.50
Jurassic World: Dominion + Extended Cut (2022) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4.25
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $1.75
Justice League x RWBY Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part One (2023) (MA/HD) $4
Justice Society: World War II (2021) (MA/4K) $5.50
Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016) (MA/HD) $4.25
Kick-Ass 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/HD) $5
Kicks (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5
Kid Who Would Be King (2019) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.75
Kidnap (2017) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Kill the Messenger (2014) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5
Killerman (2019) (Vudu/HD) $2.25 (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Killing Them Softly (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
King of Staten Island (2020) (MA/HD) $4.75
King's Man (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Knight and Day (2010) (MA/HD) $6.50
Knock at the Cabin (2023) (MA/HD) $6
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) (MA/HD) $2.50
Kung Fu Panda Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $12.50
L.A. Confidential (1997) (MA/HD) $5.75
Last Christmas (2019) (MA/HD) $6.50
Last Duel, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $4
Last Night in Soho (2021) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $5.75
Last Vegas (2013) (MA/HD) $3
Lawless (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Leap! (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Legend of Hercules (2014) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $3.25
Legion of Super Heroes (2023) (MA/HD) $6.25
Les Miserables (1998) (MA/HD) $7
Let Him Go (2020) (MA/HD) $3.75
Let's Be Cops (2014) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
Life (2017) (MA/HD) $2.50
Life of Pi (2012) (MA/HD) $2.50
Light of My Life (2019) (Vudu/HD) $2.50 (iTunes/HD) $2
Lighthouse (2019) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Lightyear (2022) (MA/4K) $5 (MA/HD) $2.75 (GP/HD) $2
Like a Boss (2020) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Lion (2016) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Lion King 1 1/2 (2004) (MA/HD) $6.50
Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998) (MA/HD) $6.75 (GP/HD) $5.25
Little Fockers (2010) (MA/HD) $5
Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) (MA/HD) $6.75
Little Mermaid III: Ariel’s Beginning (2008) (MA/HD) $6.75
Little Women (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow (2014) (MA/4K) $5
Lodge, The (2019) (MA/HD) $5.75
London Has Fallen (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.75
Lords of Salem, The (2012) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Lost City, The (2022) (Vudu/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Love Actually (2003) (MA/HD) $5.50
Love, Simon (2018) (MA/HD) $3
Lovebirds (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.50
Luca (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) (MA/HD) $5.50
Ma (2019) (MA/HD) $5.25
Mad Max Collection 1-4 (Vudu/4K) $20
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2
Madagascar Collection 1-4 (MA/HD) $14
Maleficent (2014) (MA/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3 (GP/HD) $1.25
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (GP/HD) $1.75
Mama (2013) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.50
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) & Here We Go Again (2018) (MA/HD) $6.50 $4.50 Each
Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) (MA/HD) $6.25
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) (MA/HD) $6.25
Marksman, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5.50
Marlowe (2023) (MA/HD) $7.50
Marry Me (2022) (MA/HD) $6.50
Martian - Extended Cut (2015) (MA/4K) $7.75 (MA/HD) $5.25
Martian (Theatrical) (2015) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $3.25
Mary Poppins (1964) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) (MA/HD) $5.75
Matrix: Resurrections (2021) (MA/4K) $5
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) (MA/HD) $5.75
Memory (2022) (MA/HD) $3.75
Men (2022) (Vudu/HD) $4
Men in Black (1997) (MA/HD) $6.50
Men in Black Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $15.50
Menu (2022) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $4
Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 (2023) (MA/HD) $5.75 (GP/HD) $4
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004) (MA/HD) $6.50
Midsommar (2019) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $4.50
Million Dollar Arm (2014) (MA/HD) $4
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) & Minions (2015) (MA/HD) $8
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $5.25
Miracles From Heaven (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Missing Link (2019) (MA/HD) $4.25
Mission: Impossible Collection 1-6 (Vudu/4K) $25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $20
Mitchells Vs. The Machines (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50
Moneyball (2011) (MA/HD) $2.75
Monster Trucks (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.25
Monster's Ball (2001) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Monuments Men (2014) (MA/HD) $2
Moonfall (2022) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $5
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) (MA/HD) $4.75
Morbius (2022) (MA/4K) $5.25 (MA/HD) $3.25 (MA/SD) $2.25
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022) (MA/HD) $5.50
Mother! (2017) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Mr Popper's Penguins (2011) (MA/HD) $6
Much Ado About Nothing (2013) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Muppet Movie (1979) (MA/HD) $7.50 (GP/HD) $6
My All American (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.25
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4
My Boss's Daughter (2003) (Vudu/HD) $6
My Dinner with Herve (2018) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $5.25
Nebraska (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.25
Neighbors (2014) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2
Never Grow Old (2019) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Night at the Museum 3-Movie (MA/HD) $13.50 $6 Each (MA/SD) $9
Night House, The (2021) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3
Nightmare Alley (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (GP/HD) Ports to MA $3
Ninth Gate, The (1999) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
No Time to Die (2021) (iTunes/4K) $3.50
Nobody (2021) (MA/HD) $5.25
Nocturnal Animals (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3.25
Non-Stop (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Nope (2022) (MA/4K) $8 (MA/HD) $5.75
Nope (2022), Get Out (2017) & Us (2019) (MA/HD) $10
Norm of the North (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Northman (2022) (MA/4K) $7.25 (MA/HD) $4.50
Notting Hill (1999) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Office Christmas Party (2016) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Olaf's Frozen Adventure Plus 6 Disney Tales (2017) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3.25
Old (2021) (MA/HD) $4.50
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) (MA/HD) $5
On the Basis of Sex (2019) (MA/HD) $4.50
One Direction: This is Us + Extended Fan Edition (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
Only The Brave (2017) (MA/HD) $5.50
Operation Finale (2018) (iTunes/4K) $2.75
Oranges, The (2011) (MA/HD) $4.50
Other Woman (2014) (MA/HD) $2.25
Ouija (2014) & Origin of Evil (2016) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $9
Over the Hedge (2006) (MA/HD) $6.25
Overboard (2016) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5.75
Pain & Gain (2013) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Paper Towns (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.50
ParaNorman (2012) (iTunes/HD) $5
Paul (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $4.25
Paul, Apostle Of Christ (2018) (MA/HD) $4.50
Paw Patrol: The Movie (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $6
Pearl (2022) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Peppermint (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Pet Sematary (2019) (Vudu/4K) $4.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Peter Rabbit (2018) & 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $8.50 $4.75 Each
Peter Rabbit (2018) (MA/4K) $5.75 (MA/HD) $4.75
Peter Rabbit 2 (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Phantom Thread (2017) (MA/HD) $3.75
Philomena (2013) (Vudu/HD) $2
Pinocchio (1940) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.75
Pirate Fairy (2014) (MA/HD) $3.25
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $1.75
Pitch Black - Unrated Director's Cut (2000) (MA/HD) $6
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) (MA/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.75
Pitch Perfect Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $11.50
Pixels (2015) (MA/HD) $5.50
Planes (2013) (MA/HD) $2.25 (GP/HD) $1.25
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) (MA/HD) $4 (GP/HD) $2
Planet of the Apes 1-3 (Newer) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $12
Playing with Fire (2019) (iTunes/4K) $1.50 (Vudu/HD) $2
Pocahontas (1995) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.25
Pompeii (2014) (MA/HD) $3.50
Poms (2019) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Post, The (2017) (MA/HD) $2.75
Precious (2009) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6.25
Predator (1987) (MA/HD) $3.50
Predator (1987), 2 (1990), Predators (2009), Predator (2018) (MA/HD) $11
Premium Rush (2012) (MA/HD) $3.25
Prey for the Devil (2022) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6
Priceless (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) (MA/HD) $6.50
Prince of Egypt (2002) (MA/HD) $5.50
Princess and the Frog (2009) (iTunes/4K) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.25
Prometheus (2012) (MA/HD) $1.75
Prophecy Collection 1-5 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $14.50
Protege, The (2021) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $5.75
Psycho (1960) (MA/HD) (iTunes/4K) $5
Psycho (1960), Rear Window (1954), The Birds (1963), Vertigo (1958) (MA/4K) $17
Public Enemies (2009) (MA/HD) $6.25 (iTunes/HD) $4.75
Purge, The (2013) (MA/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3
Purge: Anarchy (2014) (MA/4K) $5.75 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $4.75
Purge: Election Year (2016) (MA/4K $5.50 (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $3
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) (MA/HD) $7.50
Queen & Slim (2019) (MA/HD) $3.75
Queen of Katwe (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
R.I.P.D. (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $3
Race (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.75
Rambo Collection 1-5 (Vudu/HD) $14
Rambo Last Blood (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $2.75
Rambo: First Blood (1982) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) (Vudu/4K) $6.75 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Ratatouille (2007) (iTunes/4K) $8 (GP/HD) $5.50
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.50
Red (2010) (Vudu/4K) $6.25
Red 2 (2013) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.25 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.50
Rescuers Down Under (1990) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $4
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) (MA/HD) $2.25
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $4.50
Respect (2021) (iTunes/4K) $4.75
Rhythm Section (2020) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Ricki And The Flash (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Riddick - Unrated Director's Cut (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Riddick Collection 1-3 (Unrated) (MA/HD) $14
Ride Along 1-2 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5 $2.75 Each
Rings (2017) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Rio 2 (2014) (MA/HD) $2.25
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2010) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5.75
Risen (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
Road to El Dorado (2000) (MA/HD) $5.50
Robin Hood (Animated) (1973) (MA/HD) $3.75 (GP/HD) $2.75
RoboCop (1987) (Vudu/HD) $7.25
Robots (2005) (MA/HD) $6.75
Rock Dog (2016) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Ron's Gone Wrong (2021) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $5.25 (GP/HD) $3.50
Rookie of the Year (1993) (MA/HD) $7.50
Room (2015) (Vudu/HD) $5
Rumble (2022) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Runner Runner (2013) (MA/HD) $4
Rush (2013) (MA/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Russell Madness (2015) (MA/HD) $4
Safe (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $1.75
Safe House (2012) (MA/HD) $4 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Saint Maud (2020) (Vudu/HD) $6
Sandlot, The (1993) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $5
Santa Clause (1994), 2 (2002), 3 (2006) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $10.50 (GP/HD) $6.50
Savages (2012) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.25
Saving Mr. Banks (2013) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.75
Saw Collection 1-7 (Vudu/HD) $10
Scream 5 (2022) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.50
Scream Collection 1-3 (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $13.50
Scrooged (1988) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
Second Act (2018) (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015) (MA/HD) $4.50
Secret Garden, The (2020) (iTunes/4K) $4.25
Secret Headquarters (2022) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $6
Secret Life of Pets 1-2 (MA/HD) $7.50
Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $5
Secret Life of Pets, The (2016) (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (MA/HD) $2.75
Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) (MA/HD) $2
Serenity (2005) (MA/HD) $3.50
Seriously Red (2022) (Vudu/HD) $6.75
Sessions, The (2012) (MA/HD) $4.50
Seventh Son (2015) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $1.50
Sex Tape (2014) (MA/HD) $3
Shang-Chi (2021) (MA/4K) $6.25 (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $3
Shaun of the Dead (2004) (MA/4K) $5
Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), World's End (2013) (MA/HD) $10
Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4
Shawshank Redemption (1994) (MA/4K) $6
She's Having a Baby (1988) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
She's the Man (2006) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Shooter (2007) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Shrek 2 (2004) (MA/HD) $6
Shrek the Third (2007) (MA/HD) $6
Sideways (2004) (MA/HD) $5.25
Silent Night, Deadly Night: 3-Film Collection (1989-1991) (Vudu/HD) $6
Sin City (2005) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014) (Vudu/HD) $6.50
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2007) (MA/HD) $6.50
Sing 2 (2021) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Sing Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6
Sinister (2012) (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Sisters (Unrated) (2015) (MA/HD) $4 (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Sixteen Candles (1984) (MA/HD) $5.25 (iTunes/HD) $4.25
Sleeping Beauty (1959) (MA/HD) $3.50 (GP/HD) $2.75
Sleepless (2017) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $1
Smile (2022) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/4K) $6.75
Smurfs 2 (2013) (MA/HD) $3.25
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) (MA/HD) $3.25
Snake Eyes (2021) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.25
Snatched (2017) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $1
Snitch (2013) (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.75
Snow White and the Huntsman (Extended) (2012) (iTunes/4K) $3.50 (MA/HD) $2.50
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) (MA/HD) $6 (GP/HD) $3.75
Snowden (2016) (MA/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $4
Snowman (2017) (MA/HD) $2
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Son of God (2014) (MA/HD) $1.25
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) (Vudu/4K) $6.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Sound of Music, The (1965) (MA/HD) $5.75
Southpaw (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Southside With You (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Space Between Us, The (2017) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5
Space Jam (1996) (MA/4K) $5
Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) (MA/4K) $5
Spider-Man Collection 1-8 (MA/HD) $26
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) (MA/HD) $5
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.75
Spirit Untamed: The Movie (2021) (MA/HD) $4.25
SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) (Vudu/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Spontaneous (2020) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $5
Spy (Unrated) (2015) (MA/HD) $2
Spy Game (2001) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $5.75
Stand Up Guys (2012) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Star Trek 1-3 (Vudu/4K) $18 (Vudu/HD) $9.50 (iTunes/4K) $13.50
Star Trek Beyond (2016) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.25
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.25
Step Up Revolution (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.25
Still Alice (2015) (MA/HD) $3
Stillwater (2021) (MA/HD) $5
Stir of Echoes (1999) (Vudu/HD) $4.75
Straight Outta Compton (Unrated Director’s Cut) (2015) (MA/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Strange World (2022) (MA/HD) $4.75 (GP/HD) $4.25
Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) (MA/HD) $3.50
Stronger (2017) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.50
Stuber (2019) (MA/HD) $4.75
Studio 666 (2022) (MA/HD) $6.50
Suffragette (2015) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $3
Suicide Squad, The (2021) (MA/4K) $5
Super Buddies (2013) (MA/HD) $5 (GP/HD) $3.50
Super Troopers (2002) (MA/HD) $5.75
SW: A New Hope (1977) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $6.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Attack of the Clones (2002) (GP/HD) $6.50
SW: Empire Strikes Back (1980) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $6.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Force Awakens (2015) (MA/4K) $5.50 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (GP/HD) $1.25
SW: Last Jedi (2017) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4 (GP/HD) $1.25
SW: Phantom Menace (1999) (MA/4K) $7.50 (iTunes/4K) $6.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Return of the Jedi (1983) (MA/4K) $7.50 (iTunes/4K) $6.75 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Revenge of the Sith (2005) (MA/4K) $7.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
SW: Rise of Skywalker (2019) (MA/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) $4.75 (GP/HD) $2.25
SW: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) (MA/4K) $6.75 (iTunes/4K) $3.75 (GP/HD) $1.25
SW: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) (MA/4K) $7.25 (iTunes/4K) $5.25 (GP/HD) $3.25
Sword in the Stone (1963) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $3.75
Taken Collection 1-3 (MA/HD) $9
Tar (2022) (MA/HD) $7.50
Tarzan (1999) (MA/HD) $6.50 (GP/HD) $5
Ted (2012) (Unrated) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4
Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse (2022) (MA/HD) $5
Terminator (1984) (Vudu/HD) $7
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $4.25
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) (Vudu/4K) $6.50 (Vudu/HD) $3 (iTunes/4K) $2.50
Terminator: Genisys (2015) (Vudu/HD) $1.75 (iTunes/4K) $3
Think Like a Man (2012) & Two (2014) (MA/HD) $9
This Is 40 (2012) (MA/HD) $3.75 (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Thor (2011) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $7 (GP/HD) $3.50
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $3.25 (GP/HD) $2
Thor: The Dark World (2013) (MA/4K) $7 (iTunes/4K) $4.50 (GP/HD) $2.25
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) (MA/HD) $3.50
Till (2022) (iTunes/4K) $6.50
Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014) (MA/HD) $6.25 (GP/HD) $4.50
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50
Titanic (1997) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $4.75
TMNT Out of the Shadows (2016) (iTunes/4K) $4
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $7
Tomorrowland (2015) (MA/HD) $5.50 (GP/HD) $3.50
Top Five (2014) (Vudu/HD) $4.75 (iTunes/HD) $3.50
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) (Vudu/4K) $6 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $5.75
Total Recall + Extended (2012) (MA/HD) $5.25 (Theatrical) $4.25
Toy Story of Terror! (2013) (MA/HD) $4.50 (GP/HD) $3
Trading Places (1983) (Vudu/HD) $4.50
Trainwreck (2015) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $1.50
Transformers 1-5 (Vudu/4K) $30 (Vudu/HD) $23
Transformers: Last Knight (2017) (Vudu/4K) $4.75 (iTunes/4K) $2.25 (Vudu/HD) $2
Transporter, The (2002) (MA/HD) $6.25
Trauma Center (2019) (iTunes/4K) $3.25
Triple 9 (2016) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $2.50
Trolls (2016) (MA/HD) $1.25
Trolls Collection 1-2 (MA/HD) $6
Trolls World Tour (MA/HD) $5.50
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) (Vudu/HD) $3.75
Tully (2018) (MA/HD) $5.75
Turning Red (2022) (MA/4K) $6.50 (MA/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $3
Umma (2022) (MA/HD) $4.75
Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) (Vudu/4K) (iTunes/4K) $6.75
Unbroken (2014) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3
Uncharted (2022) (MA/4K) $5.50 (MA/HD) $3.50
Under the Skin (2014) (Vudu/HD) $5.25
Underwater (2020) (MA/HD) $5.25
Up (2009) (iTunes/4K) $7.50 (MA/HD) $6.75
Up in Smoke ‘Cheech and Chong’ (1978) (Vudu/HD) $3.50 (iTunes/HD) $2.75
Upside, The (2017) (iTunes/HD) $2
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) (MA/4K) $7 (MA/HD) $3.50
Vice (2015) 'Bruce Willis' (Vudu/HD) $2.50
Vivo (2021) (MA/HD) $4
Walk the Line (2005) (MA/HD) $4.75
Walking Dead: Season 11 (2021) (Vudu/HD) $6.25
Walking with Dinosaurs (2013) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.50
Wanted (2008) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $6
Way, Way Back, The (2013) (MA/HD) $5.25
Weird Science (2008) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $6
Welcome to Marwen (2018) (MA/4K) $3.50
West Side Story (2021) (MA/4K) $6 (MA/HD) (GP/HD) $2.50
What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) (Vudu/HD) (iTunes/HD) $2.25
When the Bough Breaks (2016) (MA/HD) $4.50
When the Game Stands Tall (2014) (MA/HD) $4.50 (MA/SD) $1.75
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) (MA/HD) $4.75
Whiplash (2014) (MA/HD) $5.75
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) (Vudu/HD) $2.75 (iTunes/HD) $2
White House Down (2013) (MA/HD) $3.50
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022) (MA/HD) $6
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) (MA/4K) $5
Witch, The (2016) (Vudu/HD) $3.50
Wizard of Lies (2017) (Vudu/HD) $5 (iTunes/HD) $4.25 (GP/HD) $3
Woman in Gold (2015) (Vudu/HD) $2.75
Woman King (2022) (MA/4K) $6.75 (MA/HD) $5.50
Won't Back Down (2012) (MA/HD) $4
Woodlawn (2015) (MA/HD) (iTunes/HD) $3.75
World War Z (2013) (Vudu/HD) $3.25 (iTunes/HD) $1.50
Wraith, The (1986) (Vudu/HD) $5
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) (GP/HD) $4.25
X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) (MA/HD) $15
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) (MA/HD) $7
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50
X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) (MA/HD) $6
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2004) (iTunes/4K) (MA/HD) $2.50 Rogue Cut (MA/HD) $5
X-Men: First Class (2010), Days of Future Past (2004), Apocalypse (2014) (MA/HD) $11
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (2017) (Vudu/4K) $5.50 (iTunes/4K) (Vudu/HD) $1.25
Zathura (2005) (MA/HD) $7
Zookeeper's Wife, The (2017) (iTunes/HD) Ports to MA $4.50

Preamble:

We are a family of three. I previously lived in Japan for about 10 years. My wife is Japanese from the Kansai region, and we have a 6 year old son born and raised abroad, but who speaks/reads/writes Japanese at a native or near-native level for his age. My wife and son traveled back to Osaka several times during Covid, but I did not join them due to the additional logistics requirements at the time, and the sense that it would not be particularly enjoyable. Prior to covid we would typically spend about 4-5 weeks a year in Japan, but this was our first long day-in-the-life trip together in the past four years.
It was a phenomenal trip, and I wanted share what we did. Our trip is probably a little bit unconventional compared to most of the reports here as we all speak Japanese and are very familiar with Japan having lived there for quite some time in the past. Our main goals for our trip were to provide our son with immersion opportunities, to meet family, and to visit with old friends. We lived for many years in both Osaka and Tokyo and I have relatives in Shizuoka. We also love craft beer, games, and quirky museums; I think our trip itinerary reflects all of this.

General Pre-trip Preparation:

Our son is a second-year kindergartener in Zurich, Switzerland, but he also speaks Japanese and attends a Japanese school part time. He's very outgoing and enjoys new adventures (probably because we have been dragging him around to San Diego or Osaka almost every year for most of his life). This year we thought it would be interesting if he could experience a real Japanese elementary school during our stay. To this end about 2 months before we left, my wife contacted the local elementary school near her parents house in Osaka and inquired about the possibility of doing a short 'study abroad' (体験留学) at some point during our stay. To our surprise she received a prompt reply from the school principal, who was very enthusiastic about the prospect, and happy to arrange all the details upon our arrival. Apparently he had previously worked at an international school and had a very positive outlook on this sort of interaction. Final details were to be determined on site in a short family interview in order to get a sense of our son's Japanese ability and disposition.
We typically spend our long-term stays with our relatives but this time we decided to break our trip up into several stages: Osaka at Home, Osaka at Large, Return to Tokyo, Shizuoka, Osaka at home. The remainder of the report is broken up accordingly.

Part 1: Osaka-at-Home I.

The first week we flew in to Osaka KIX from Zurich via Seoul, and took the Hello Kitty Express :-) directly into Umeda where we met up with family and went straight to a Yakiniku experience at Yakiniku Toraji on the B2 floor of the Lucua building at Umeda. At first we planned to make the journey home to drop off our luggage but after we realized that the airport express now drops you off at essentially the Lucua B1, we decided to just head straight to dinner. Needless to say, it was epic. We grabbed some bread and pastries for the following morning and headed home with mom and dad.
GENERAL ANECDOTES:
Masks; Even on first arrival it was clear that we made the right decision to come after the covid restrictions finally lifted. Everything was open, and people were out. Roughly 90+% of people were still wearing masks everywhere, but this percentage steadily declined over the duration of our stay to, I would say, 65%-70% by the time we left on May 20th. We chose not to wear them, and my MIL/FIL were also not wearing them. At no point during the trip did I feel there was any concern about this in either direction. Anyone traveling in the near future should feel completely free to go whichever way you prefer.
During the first week we sorted out our jet lag, and spent a lot of time roaming around conbinis and the supermarkets remembering all the little delicious nothings that Japan has to offer. We stayed with mom and dad in Ebie, Fukushima, right on Yodogawa. This is about 5 min bike ride from Nodahanshin station, and 10-15min ride to Fukushima station or Umeda. We made all these rides many times during our stay! We made some mellow probing adventures:
Prepaid SIMs. I still have to answer emails and typically work on-and-off during these trips. One of the reasons we are able to do it is because I work in IT. This means it's always important to get a good prepaid SIM. On my last visit, four years ago I was able to find a great deal on a prepaid SIM at Yodobashi in Umeda, so one of my first orders of business was to repeat that experience this time. However after discussing with the sales and purchasing a SIM with 50GB for 1mo @ Y8000, I found out that it did not permit tethering. This was stated as a 'possibility' in the fine print and when I asked at purchase time the sales person said they couldn't guarantee it but thought it should work. I gambled and lost. This was quite annoying given the main purpose of purchasing a high volume prepaid SIM was for tethering to my laptop. Anyway as a result I discovered the eSIM tech which was also supported by my iPhone 14. I ended up buying another eSIM plan using Ubigi and this worked great and supported tethering without issue throughout my trip. It also worked great for our short return stop in South Korea. I'll never go back to prepaid physical SIMs and I still cannot believe that Docomo is still blocking tethering in 2023. Completely ridiculous.
Exercise: I am an avid swimmer and cyclist. Since we typically stay for around 1 month I like to be able to continue my swim workouts while we are in Japan. Cycling isn't a problem since we end up biking and walking all over the country anyway. I always join the Konami Sports Club network for 1 month as a regular member the first day we arrive. They provide a bunch of different plans and most of the Type III and Type IV gyms in the network have a 25SCM lap pool. If you join the network you can use any of facilities anywhere in the country, which is great if you spend time in more than one city. The Type III and Type IV facilities all have really great bath house areas as well, with multiple sento-style baths and usually a big sauna. You need to make sure that you join and quit on the same day (or at least in the same week) so that your membership will be properly cancelled at the end of the first billing cycle. This might be tough if you don't speak Japanese well, but if you do the staff is super accommodating and will definitely help you make it happen. In addition to the exercise, one thing I really like about doing this is that it gives me another day-in-the-life experience; it's like living there again; doing things that locals do. The Kitahama facility in Osaka is particularly nice; It's a new one and it's my favorite.
Internet Cafes: I worked on and off during the trip and usually do work days at local internet cafes. The three I liked best during this trip were:

• Brooklyn Coffee Namba : Big spacious area with lots of sockets and reasonably fast free wifi if you don't have a SIM (or don't have one that supports tethering...). It's really dedicated to remote work so there is zero pressure to leave. You can spend the whole day working there with a couple cups of coffee and no one will bug you. The only downside is that it is a bit of trek from Namba station.
• Brooklyn Coffee Kitahama : Same chain as above. This one is smaller, but has a similar vibe. It's right on the river which makes for a cool view. It's closer to the station but I definitely prefer the Namba shop.
• Starbucks Umeda MeRise : This is a pretty sweet Starbucks that is much more 'devoted' to remote work than most. They have a 'startup' area on the second floor, loads of seats, loads of plugs and a solid wifi connection. It's a hop skip and a jump from Umeda which also makes it convenient. Starbucks Japan still offers the one-more-coffee receipts which is a great bonus here. You can get a second cup of cold brew or hot coffee for about Y180 in the same size as the first one you purchase.

Cycling: We keep a couple of momma-charis at my in-laws place, including one with a kid-seat on the back. We did plenty of riding and my son loves the unique-to-him experience of riding on the back of the bike. We considered getting him his own bike this year, but eventually decided against it due to the complex traffic. Osaka is pretty easy to get around in by bicycle in terms of terrain - there are very few hills in the city proper, however the traffic is a little bit gnarly. Midosuji street is a great example of this. It runs in a mostly straight line from Umeda/Osaka station, across Oebashi and Yodobashi past Osaka city hall, and down through Dotonbori to Namba. It's a cool little ride if you have the time and inclination and it is mostly flat. It runs only in one direction for most of this length however many Japanese cyclists seem to not be aware of this fact. I was surprised/amazed/terrified by how many people I encountered riding against the flow of traffic on this quite busy street. Plenty of mama-charis with kids on back as well. It's pretty chaotic and not for the faint of heart! That said I enjoy the rides and the people watching and the adventure that a little chaos can provide as long as you keep your eyes open.
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LOCATIONS, FOOD AND ADVENTURES

• Osaka Kids Plaza : We made a solid day of visiting Osaka Kids Plaza. This place is great if you have 3-8 year olds and want to find something to do with them, especially on a rainy day. In past years we have also visited KidoKido Bornelund in Grand Front Umeda, but at 6 our son seemed to have outgrown it this time around. Osaka Kids Plaza was still plenty of fun.
• Yakitori Masaya: We looove all Japanese food and Yakitori is no exception. We usually visit the local Torikizoku but it was their day off so we tried this new place in Fukushima. It didn't disappoint.
• Honmachi Seimenjo Ten: I love cold bukkake udon and sanuki udon. This place in Lucua is pretty passable, easy access and great value for money. It's definitely not as good as Tokyo Mentsudan in Shinjuku, Tokyo - which is absolutely banging - but it was a good first taste.
• Round 1 Stadium Sennichimae : My son has started to enjoy gaming and I wanted to explore this with him so we dedicated our first father-son adventure day of the trip to a large game center - the likes of which simply do not exist in either Switzerland or the US. Needless to say it was a massive hit. They have plenty of Mario Kart, Densha de Go, and Taiko no Tatsujin (our favorites) as well as bowling, pool, gokarts and more. Of course there are also oodles of crane games to waste your money on as well. After the game center we walked for Ramen near Namba:
• Namba Ramen Ichiza this place is pretty much brand new from the look of it. It has a slew of different ramen shops and all they all looked delicious. We visited twice after the first success. There are many tourist oriented ramen shops in the shotengai in dontonburi and sennichimae, but IMO this was a much better experience. We found it because my son wasn't into the crowded dark vibe in the shops below. This place was well-lit and spacious, and the shops readily provided kid utensils and smaller tori-zara so that I could scoop more reasonable portions for him. It's also right next to Namba station.
• Edion Namba Kids Park : the Edion building with the Ramen Park on the 9F also has a huge toys, models, and kids park on 7F. We visited this before heading home. They have a big games section, a Bandai section, a very large Plarail and Tomika section, and a great Lego section. Super fun to browse; plenty of open stuff for the kids to play with too.
• Osaka Castle park: We roamed the park a bit then had lunch at the little Ramen park in the Castle Terrace area adjacent to Osakajokoen. The weather was nice and the back area of the ramen park has a great view of Osaka castle. After that we took the tourist road train that runs around the park and road it up to the last stop right in front of Osaka castle. There is always a lot of commentary about walking in this sub; if you don't want to walk all the way through the park for whatever reason, the little road train is a great option. You still have to climb maybe 4 floors worth of steps to get to the castle entrance, but the train gets you pretty close. In the end we decided not to go into the castle since the line was looking pretty long and we've been multiple times before. We ate some jihanki ice cream in the main plaza under the castle. After that we hiked back down to exit via the Otemon gate and made a quick stop at my wife's alma mater Osaka Otemae High School before hopping a bus headed towards Kitahama and eventually back home.

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BEER
As I mentioned, we love craft beer, and we particularly love Hazy IPAs in all their various forms. We made it a point in this trip to explore this aspect of Japan as it seems to have really exploded in popularity since our last visit. We followed (hazy_mmy)[https://www.instagram.com/hazy_mmy/?hl=en] for some great ideas outside the brewpubs.

• Lucua Craft Beer Market: This place has been around for several years, and is still going pretty strong. It features a lot of interesting IPAs, Stouts, Sours, and standard Pilsners and Pale Ales. They usually have a Hazy or two on tap as well. There is an unrelated beer and wine shop on the same floor that has a great selection of IPA and Hazy IPA cans as well.
• Ape Brewing: One of our first craft beer explorations of the trip was Ape Brewing. These guys just got started and we got to meet their brew master and taste some awesome brews. Food is great and the ambiance was great too; there's bar seating and nice views of those shiny vats if you're into that sort of thing. They were also very child friendly (as were I think all the spots we hit this time) and had plenty of soda and juice and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Yellow Ape Craft : Ape Brewing is an offshoot of the Yellow Ape Craft brew pub which we had visited on previous trips. It's also located in Kitahama, nearer to the station, and has a more general, different array of craft beers as well as a different menu. We ended up turning our Kitahama visit into a mini pub crawl and stopped off at this spot on the way home as well. It didn't disappoint.

We wrapped up this mini pub crawl with a walk through the Kitahama/Yodoyabashi area in the evening. This is more of business district but it actually has some interesting novel historical sites. There are a number of cool Meiji Era buildings with large explanatory placards. These are predominantly in Japanese and maybe a bit obscure, and you also won't be able to enter most of them, but if you are into this sort of thing it's can be a fun bonus. I'm guessing google translate in photo mode can get you most of the way through the placards:

• https://osaka-club.or.jp/ (a business social club / salon)
• Ikoma Building
• Former Konishi Family Residence (I believe you can actually enter this one)
• Douza no ato this is an even older one dates to the Edo period. It was initially seat of the local copper trade, then converted to an elite Kindergarten - the first in Osaka - in 1880. It still operates as a kindergarten.

there are a bunch more, these just happen to be the ones that caught our eye as we passed by on our mini pub crawl.

Part 2. Osaka-at-Large

We spent roughly our first two weeks in Osaka, but in order to get a change of pace and give our family a break, we opted to spend the second week in an apartment-hotel near Umeda. This was a great decision and a lot of fun. We were able to host friends, had even better access to Umeda and could relax and enjoy the city from a fresh angle.
We spent 7 nights in the rooftop luxury suite at Minn Kita Umeda and it was epic. My wife booked this about 6 months in advance and it was worth every last yen. The room was spacious and quiet with two large comfy beds. The bathroom included a deep Japanese style bath. There is a large rooftop deck with a jacuzzi overlooking Lucua/Umeda/Osaka station. This view at night was phenomenal. At present there is also a ton of highrise construction going on behind Grand Front which my son got a kick out of (and me too). The apartment has a large kitchen and living room space as well, and we used it to host some visits from friends.
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LOCATIONS, FOOD AND ADVENTURES
I ended up working most of this week so we only managed one major adventure.

• SpaWorld Osaka: Onsen from around the world. This was probably the one experience I would categorize as a strong do-not-recommend. My son and I were looking for another adventure day target and settled on an onsen adventure. I've been to Oedo Onsen Monogatari a couple of times and there is also a new one in Osaka city: Solaniwa Onsen but for some reason we picked Spa World. It is located about 5min walk from Dobutsuen-Mae station. This area is basically skid row; my wife and MIL warned me, but I didn't really believe them since I've never seen any truly 'run down' area of Japan. This area was hilariously decrepit and I got a lot of I-told-you-so's after we got back. Spa World itself is somewhat OK. The facility is pretty clean and the baths are relatively well kept. However the water-park area on the top floor was honestly pretty gross. We floated around the lazy river quite a few times; but it was more like a gross, overly warm moat. There was a kiddy slide area but it was not particularly great and had a bunch of really hard surfaces in the play areas that were not kind. There were a couple of pretty cool looking tandem water slides but they had a scale and a weight-differential requirement of 'no more than 20kg'. Unfortunately for us I'm 6'3", 92kg and my son is a gangly 6 year old weighing in at 21kg. They took one look at us and didn't even bother with the scale. The kicker here however was the bathroom. Right before we left to go down to the sento area, I used the mens room and it was absolutely filthy. The mens urinals had a high wooden shelf which is probably not visible to 95% of Japanese visitors but as I mentioned, I'm pretty tall. I could see this thing and it was not only absolutely filthy but crawling with little black bugs. I just about retched and headed out immediately afterwards. The Spas of the World on the floor below was in much better shape. It was clean and good fun; we visited Greece and Spain and Italy :-) and finally headed home. My son had a great time and I would have classified it as 'OK' if not for the bathroom experience which was just unbelievable. In retrospect I honestly should have reported it. As it stands I'd give it a hard NOT recommended; Oedo Onsen or Solaniwa should be much better bets.
• Hep5 Ferris Wheel: We've ridden this a few times in the day but never before at night. It was pretty cool and gives you a nice long view of the city from all angles. The contrast between the Osaka city night and Zurich is pretty extreme! My only minor complaint was that they had some kind of Care Bear theme going on an there was a large temporary Care Bear decal on the side of the car which obstructed part of the view.
• Shuns Kushiage, Kushikatsu: We also love kushiage/kshikatsu and we ate a ton on this trip. One of our favorite haunts is Shuns on 10F Lucua.
• Curry House CoCo Ichibanya: I also love Japanese style curry and CoCo Ichibanya. This is standard chain that can be found throughout Japan. They serve a bunch of Japanese style curry rice and you can customize them with things like tonkatsu, hirekatsu, sausage, cheese, etc. You can also customize the spice level and it goes up to seriously spicy which is sometimes tough to find in Japan!
• Pause Coffee: This little hole in the wall coffee shop is located just next to the Minn apartment hotel we were staying at. It was always packed with locals and made great coffee and great sweets.
• Craft Burger Co. : Solid burgers and some good craft beers on tap. They also had sliders that were perfectly sized for a 6 year old. We visited the Dojima shop. This wasn't the best burger we had, but it was definitely tasty and worth a visit if you like burgers and are in the area.
• Saien Yakiniku : This is a little hole in the wall yakiniku place that we've been visiting for over 20 years. It's good and we always visit at least once, but the biggest reason for this that we know the owner and it's a family tradition dating back to my wife's childhood. Their 'aji kurabe' (taste comparison plate) is pretty good though and comes with a selection of beef from every major region of Japan.

BEER

• Yellow Ape Craft: TheBottleShop & Kitchen: This was the final installation in the Yellow Ape franchise, also located in the Kitahama area. This one was really cool in that they have a self-serve tap setup using IC cards. The staff hands you an IC card when they seat you, and you can order food as normal. But the taps are all installed in a public facing wall on the opposite end of the pub and you pour your own beer by inserting your IC card into the reader above the tap. It then records your pour by the ml and charges you sort of like a gas station. I'd never seen this before and visited it with a friend, and later again with the family. It was pretty fun. They also have a few games and a rubiks cube if you're into that. They also have plenty of bottles for takeaway and had 3-4 Hazy IPAs on tap when we visited.
• Drunk Bears Osaka: This place has deep dish pizza and we were hoping it could compare with DevilCraft. The pizza was OK but the beer lineup ended up being pretty subpar.

Part 3. Return to Tokyo

For our third week we returned to Tokyo to visit old haunts and old friends, and take in the even bigger city. We headed up early on the Nozomi shinkansen after checking out of the Minn. We bought bento in Shin Osaka station and our son picked out a shinkansen shaped Ekiben box to bring back for school lunches.
We previously lived for about 7 years in Jiyugaoka, and planned to spend time there meeting friends, but we decided to stay in an area we were less familiar with in order to get a fresh perspective on the city. We spent 6 nights at the Blossom Hotel Hibiya which is about 5 min walk from Shimbashi station. It's a highrise with the hotel on the top. We had a room facing Tokyo Tower with a great view. The rooms themselves were clean and comfy with the external wall composed of a single huge bay window. The city scape was amazing night and day.
I ended up having to put out fires at work again during this week even though I had tried to take it off, and this put a little bit of a damper on some exploration plans, but we still managed to see all our friends and make a go of the time. Also since we already spent almost 10 years in Tokyo altogether, we didn't feel nearly as pressured to check out multiple tourist sites and focused on eating, drinking, and meeting with friends.
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LOCATIONS, FOOD AND ADVENTURES

• Poop Museum Tokyo: This place was absolutely bonkers. My wife found it randomly and jokingly suggested that we should check it out. We wandered around Odaiba and visited. There was a huge line. My wife opted to go shopping but my son and I decided we couldn't pass up this opportunity. It was bizarre, hilarious and entertaining and well worth the entry fee. The highlights including a fuzzy mechatronic Poop-animal petting zoo, an Unko speech recognition game where screaming 'unko' (poo) resulted in a poo tower visualization with size corresponding to the volume of your scream - this was then aligned with a landmark of corresponding size for reference, e.g., the Eiffel Tower. There were also various games and photo ops with cute poo and you receive a poo on a stick as a souvenir. Just a bizarre unique experience.
• Tokyo Tower: We climbed Tokyo tower with friends on a beautiful starry night. It was great. I had hoped to climb the stairs but we were too late. There was a special lighting arrangement related to Golden Week which we managed to catch. The view is great but the tower is now almost entirely surrounded by gigantic Mori office skyscrapers that are as tall or taller than the lower viewing platform!
• Tokyo Sky Tree: We also climbed the Sky Tree on another day. This was fun too. It's way higher, but it's almost so high that the features of the city are a bit obscured. I'm glad we did it and checked it off, but I kind of preferred Tokyo Tower in the end.
• GiGO Akihabara 1: With my son newly addicted to Game Centers, we couldn't pass up a chance to visit Akihabara :-)! We made a trip to the GiGO centers. This was a lot of fun. There are five installations, but we focused on 1 and 3. One was definitely the best. We found our favorite games: Mario Kart and Taikou Tatsujin, and also found a top floor packed with 80s and 90s hits, many with co-op options. We spent a few hours here trying as much as we could. Taikou Tatsujin was particularly fun as there were a couple of absolute masters just ripping apart the drums, yet still kind enough to take a break after 10min or so and let us get in a round of easy-level Tonari no Totoro. One thing I noticed was that there were a lot of tourists that seemed to want to try some of the games but had a lot of difficulty with the Japanese only interfaces and writing.
• Jiyuugaoka: As I mentioned, we lived in Jiyuugaoka for about 7 years so we made sure to return and spend a day wandering around and wallowing in nostalgia. I don't have anything in particular to say about it; it's just a nice area to wander and hang out. Plenty of good food and shopping, more relaxed than many areas of Tokyo.
• Akamon): I had planned to go back and visit my old lab here, but unfortunately time did not permit. The Todai Hongo campus is definitely worth a visit though. There are some good eats and it's an easy walk through the campus to Ueno.
• Karaoke-kan: We made one karaoke stop for old time's sake. This particular place in shimbashi is not notable; just part of a chain, but I think Japanese style karaoke is worth trying once, especially if you are only familiar with the western approach.
• Shu Shimbashi: We had a nice group dinner at Shu in Shimbashi. Pretty standard izakaya style fare but reasonably priced and tasty enough.
• Henry's Burger Jiyuugaoka: Great burgers and a nice rooftop area for eating. It's a 5 min walk from Jiyuugaoka station. It also has some nice craft beer that you can add to a set menu.
• Nantahama Jiyuugaoka: This is an amazing little Okinawa style izakaya that has been run by the same family in the same spot for the last 50 years. When we lived here we visited it regularly. Food and ambience is great and the family that runs it is very friendly.
• Mujaki Ramen Jiyuugaoka: Amazing ramen. Amazing.
• Clann Irish Pub Jiyuugaoka: Great little Irish pub with a friendly owner. My wife and met her 17 years ago so we always make sure to stop by for a pint of Guinness and a chat with the regulars.
• Boulangerie Asanoya Jiyuugaoka: Great bread and pastries.
• Devilcraft Tokyo - Jiyuugaoka: Epic deep dish pizza and solid selection of craft beer on tap. There are other locations in Kanda, Hamamatsuchou, and Gotanda.
• Sushi Gyoshin: Great kaiten sushi restaurant in Jiyuugaoka just a few steps from the station. This was another of our longterm haunts and we were happy to see that it hasn't changed. Our son ordered his first sushi by himself and we enjoyed another great meal.
• Quan an Tam: Great little Vietnamese place in Jiyuugaoka.
• Katoriya Jiyuugaoka: Great Yakitori place.

BEER
Tokyo is overflowing with great craft beer these days!

• ibrew Shimbashi: This little chain was great. The first one we visited was the Shimbashi installation. This is located in the Shimbashi Ekimae Building-1, just adjacent to Shimbashi station. The building screams Showa inside and out and the beer pub is just a little hole in the wall. They were just wrapping up an all-Hazy-IPA campaign and had a slew of great stuff on tap. The food was also great, and they had a decent non-alcoholic selection as well.
• Isekadoya Shimbashi: This craft beer bar is located inside Shimbashi station, just outside the wicket gates. It has a more modern vibe but plenty of good food and brew. The kushiyaki lineup was great.
• ibrew Akihabara: ibrew has another installation in Akihabara and we had a dinner here as well. They had great food and a different lineup of brews on tap. One thing to watch out for was that they only accepted cash, and the nearest ATM is about 5 min walk back towards the station. Fun spot with friendly staff.
• Antenna America Tokyo: We stopped by this place for lunch on the way to Shizuoka. Nice selection of cans, and a few good ones on tap. It's an open space, and they have a free-to-lay Fussball table which my son and I played a few games on.

Part 4. Shizuoka

After our stay in Tokyo we started making our way back to Osaka for the last segment of our trip. On the way stopped off in Mishima for one night to visit my relatives. Here we stayed at the Toyoko-Inn Fujisan Mishima-eki. This is a no frills spot but it had nice clean, quiet rooms and a surprisingly good breakfast buffet. We wandered around Mishima in the afternoon then had a big Yakiniku family dinner with my relatives at Anrakutei Yakiniku. I tried Horumon for the first time and actually enjoyed it!
The next day we headed to Mochimune for one of our long planned trip highlights:

• The Villa Barrel and Lounge. This place was flat out amazing. It's a brewery/hotel run by West Coast Brewing. We stayed one night in the Nelson & Mosaic loft room. This place was so much fun. The restaurant has some great food. We shared several flights of tasty brews including a bunch of tasty Hazy IPAs and the rooms were equipped with a personalized keg with 10L of beer to 'drink at your leisure'. They recommend bringing a growler to take the leftovers with you, and unfortunately they don't sell them onsite. The reservation also included free entrace for the whole family to the adjacent onsen, which was also fantastic and offered some nice views of Mt. Fuji.

It rained heavily in the evening and all through the night, but this made for a fun trip to the nearby 7-Eleven, and a good excuse to just hang out and tap the keg while watching Doraemon reruns on the big screen TV in the room. In the morning the weather had cleared up so we took a long walk on the beach which is just a few minutes from the hotel. The walk from the hotel back to Mochimune station is also quite nice if the weather permits. Truly amazing experience. Also requires booking several months in advance.
OUT OF CHARACTERS - SEE COMMENT FOR FINAL TRIP SEGMENT

Hi! I'm a Turkish fan interested in history and politics. I'm also bored and I want to read the entire codex and write down any similarities with the real life, especially with Turkish history down here. I will break the similarities down to categories for ease of categorizing and reading. I must say that I do not think the game is fully an allegory, it is obviously a brilliant and novel universe. I also should say that some parts could be subjective. The codex for reference: https://codex.torporgames.com

History

• Marks, Valgs, Agnos and Sords migrating from the inhospitable north to the south is very clearly the Migration Era in real life, which ended up destroying Rome. It is also a nod at Turkic migrations to Eastern Europe, Anatolia and Persia because both migrations have similar motives and Sords are very close to Turks. The tribes themselves also seem similar to Germanic peoples, with Valgs being Anglo-Saxons geographically and the others being continental Germanic peoples. Their languages and naming conventions are also thoroughly Dutch, German or British.
• Rums are basically Romans and Byzantines due to a similar name which is what Greeks are called in Turkish, as well as their relationship with and attitude towards the incoming tribes.
• Descension Day is basically Laylat al-Qadr, the day God first revealed himself to Muhammad. Which would make Saint Dast an allegory of him I guess.
• Markian Empire, at first glance, is the Mongol Empire by merit of being the largest empire of it's time, tribal steppe horde nature and it's capital being called Korakumun (IRL Karakurum).
• After Ungur, which is a Genghis Khan stand-in, dies the empire doesn't follow the Mongol allegory. Instead of collapsing it has a golden age and becomes a multicultural empire, much like the Ottomans or the Yuan, an actual Mongol successor state.
• Markian Empire gains a more Markian ethnic focus with Emperor Turuk, whose name sounds a lot like Türk/Türük.
• Its collapse by different nations declaring independence is reminiscent of the Ottoman collapse, but not entirely since it is before any republican ideals taking place.
• War of Dying Roses is a nod at War of the Roses.
• Renan Aristocracy is reminiscent of the later periods of Ottoman Empire post-Tanzimat. The country officially being called Renan (Ottoman) while unoficially being Sordland (Turkey) seems like a nod at this.
• Great Fire of Conriat seems to be a nod at the many times the Ottoman navy was burned down by rivaling navies. Especially the Battle of Navarino.
• King Egmund and the Kingdom are vaguely filling the niche the CUP and Enver Pasha filled in Turkish history, with expansionism and mass popular unrest as well as nationalism. This one is a stretch though.
• 15 Day War is the Caucasus Campaign and Armenian Genocide. Ottoman army under Enver Pasha attacked Russia (geopolitically close to Rumburg) and then killed local civilians, just as it happened in game.
• Century of Revolutions is like Spring of Nations meets post-War communist revolutions. Arcasian revolution bringing down the king and creating the first republic is essentially French revolution, while the Contanan revolution is Bolshevik revolution (communism) meets American revolution (continent spanning super power, and devs said Contana is close to a communist USA. It is also like the world wars, leading to the creation of AN and all. The subsequent bi-polar world is very transparently the Cold War.
• Annexation of Dome could be the Russian annexation of anywhere really. The Baltics or Caucasus?
• Helji Island crisis is actually really similar to the Cyprus crisis. How Agnolia lost the island (selling it under debt) is how Ottomans lost Cyprus (renting it to Britain for political support and never getting it back) Agnolians justify the invasion by citing the Agnolians living on the island but the population is majority Valgish. The major difference is that Turkey rejected the plans to fully annex the island and Turkey never claimed direct control on the island. Also Greece and Turkey were both NATO members, which also brings this crisis closer to Cuba. Due to it being a Cold War conflict and being controversial because of nuclear weapon placement by a superpower.
• Artor S. Wisci is basically like Atatürk's good side with a more civilian background. This one has been talked about a lot though. His method of achieving the revolution is much more reminiscent of Lenin though (not by pure military means but by popular outrage and military help, there also is a provisional government).
• Worth noting the republic is proclaimed on 9 September 1923, IRL Turkey became a republic on 29 September 1923.
• Artor Wisci's reforms are basically Atatürk's reforms. Exile of the royal family, secularization, democratization as a presidential republic are some of the similarities. Influence from both liberalism and socialism is also a common point.
• Some differences are that Atatürk was not explicitly socialist (albeit he called himself a state socialist at times) and that Atatürk's attempts at transforming into a multi-party democracy were cancelled for the threat of counter-revolution.
• Parties Wisci allowed to operate with religious and monarchist influences and leftists protested are a direct nod at this. IRL Atatürk didn't allow this, maybe that's why he didn't die in prison.
• Luderin is reminiscent of Alparslan Türkeş, the first leader of Grey Wolves. Several direct nods to this are in game (like his son joining NFP, much like how Tuğrul Türkeş joined MHP). He also is reminiscent of Memduh Tağmaç who did the 12 March 1971 coup which persecuted leftists.
• Rikard is reminiscent of Cemal Madanoğlu and other left wing Turkish commanders who followed Doğan Avcıoğlu's political line and his junta ideas. They attempted their junta on 9 March 1971, which triggered the other, succesful junta mentioned above.
• Sordish Civil War in general is reminiscent of the 1970's Turkish political violence between left and right, but it explores an alternative where both the coup attempts were succesful instead of only the right wing one so it is much more direct and brief. It is also mentioned that street fighting was done by the youth organizations, which is true for Turkey as well. Also seems like the 1960 coup, which involved socialist and nationalist army officers toppling the government together.
• Tarquin Soll's role in ending this is really just Kenan Evren's 1980 coup. He ended the political violence, basically decimating both sides. Kenan Evren famously said he hanged one guy from the right for every guy he hanged from the left.
• Now, from now on Soll becomes another Atatürk expy. His much expected reforms and brutal economical improvements with planned economy methods as well as his long and unchallenged rule are reminiscent of Atatürk's era. Him bringing back the multi-party system is what Atatürk's successor İnönü did.
• Izzam Incident is the Dersim Rebellion, vaguely. The actual rebellion didn't happen because of construction issues but because of religious and tribal concerns. The way it was handled by the state is similar though. And there is an actual Soll/Atatürk Dam in Southeastern Turkey.
• Watani Aschraf, is the primary martyr of this event. Which makes him an equivalent of Seyid Rıza.
• BFF, is, obviously PKK. PKK (Partiya Karkerên Kürdistan) means Kurdistan Workers' Party. IRL PKK doesn't have different names for the militant and political wings though.
• Now seems like a good time to mention that Bluds are Kurds. Their naming conventions, in-game mentions of their more traditional family structure, geopolitical position and the denial of their regional names are all references to the Kurds in Turkey.
• Wehlen Civil War is a bunch of Iraqi conflicts like the Iraq-Iran War, Kurdish insurgency in Iraq and Iraqi invasion in a trenchcoat because of how it started and how Wehlen was allied to Arcasia at first. It is also like the Syrian Civil War due to Americans having to pull back. Also kind of like Afghan War due to communist insurgencies starting it, Islamists getting American support and fighting against Americans, then winning and because it is a Cold War conflict. It also is like Yemen or Korea or Vietnam due to the country being divided.
• Ewald Alphonso is basically Turgut Özal for privatizing and opening up the economy, but far less fondly remembered and far less succesful. The Sordish Recession is the 2001 Turkish economical crisis, but that one happened far after Özal died, and post-Özal coalition governments are a reason.
• The position Anton is chosen in is basically the position Erdoğan came in back at 2002. He marketed himself as a more liberal candidate who would change Kenan Evren's constitution.
• KA-74, listed as a history article in the codex, is very transparently AK-47 with letters and numbers reversed, in case you didn't notice. Its qualities also matches up with the IRL weapon.

Religions

• Nurity seems to be pretty vaguely Abrahamic with its churches and saints, its Muhammad-inspired prophet who received revelation from the god around the same year as Muhammad and its purity elements. It is in-between Christianity and Islam.
• Dastnurity is like Asharism and other orthodox forms of Islam, due to an emphasis on solely following scriptures. It is also like Catholic, Orthodox and Oriental Churches or traditionalist branches of Judaism.
• Wruhecism with its emphasis on human additions to the religion and reason is like Mutazili or Quranist ideas of Islam, Protestantism or Reformist Judaism.

Countries

• Sordland is mostly a Germanic-speaking Turkey. obvious historical parallels and geographical similarity pretty much shows this and this one is uncontroversial.
• United Contana is according to developers a socialist United States with its federal structure. It also has a Soviet element due to Slavic naming conventions and its capital being Kyow (Kiev). 1907 Revolution which overthrew Kontanian government is 1917 and 1910 ending the civil war is also on par. Rotskis sounds like Bolsheviks. The mentioned Kontanian, Transcontanan, Byelocontanan and Kyovian nations sound like various East Slavic groups. Respectively Russians, Siberians, Belarussians and Ukrainians I presume? Its geopolitical niche and economy is unanimously Soviet though.
• Arcasian flag has a literal NATO emblem in the middle. Its location in Merkopa, how it became a republic and a few other things imply France and Britain. Its capital being the financial centre of the world is NYC meats Washington DC. Dwight Walker is also pretty much Reagan on steroids and Jonathan the XII is Louis the Last of France (can't be bothered to look up that guy's name right now). Its economical and educational power as well as diverse and vast landscape, also its economical system is pretty much America. But it also has no reference to federalism, which moves it back to the French territory.
• Valgish history is very British. They grew apart from their continental cousins, destroyed the native Galmanic people (sounds like Gal, which is what the Welsh are called in Turkish) and live on an island. The actual political system is more complicated though, and while a lot of people say Yugoslavia that doesn't make sense since they are firmly CSP leaning and DDR is also a meh guess because they are much more powerful. I maintain my idea that it's a thought exercise of what if Spartakist revolution in Germany became succesful and created another socialist big power. Their Germanic aesthetic supports this as well as their more decentralized and democratical stance. Their first revolutionary chancellor Ulbrik is Lenin due to the revolution and Stalin due to firm Malenyevism and purges. Hegel and his de-Ulbrikization is a Khruschev stand-in in that case.
• Wehlen is Iraq, Arabs in general and Yemen. Their division between a North and South Cold War conflict is reminiscent of Yemen, their rebellion against the Markian Empire is like the Arab Revolution and their first baron is like Sharif Hussayn. Them never being united also checks out, but sounds more Kurdish. Wehlen is very much ruled by a Baath Party stand-in that is lead by Assad McSaddam. Its terrestrial resources are reminiscent of Iraq and South Africa.
• Rumburg is historically Greece and geopolitically Russia. Their name is what Greeks are called in Turkish, they were not the core territory of Rome but became its heartland (Eastern Roman Empire not holding Rome) and were brought down by barbarians. Their colonization of barren lands is Russian colonization of Siberia adn their annexation of Dome is a really Russian type conflict. The role they had in 15 Days War is kind of like Armenia too.
• Agnolia is a really mixed bag. Its relationship with Sordland and traditional ties and brotherhood is like Azerbijan, Rum agression is like Poland and being under the personal union of a brotherly larger kingdom is like Norway. On top of it there is the Dutch language. The relationship of their migrants, its Russian aggression and geographical position as well as ties to Agnland makes it sound a lot like Georgia though.
• Hear me out, Lespia is Germany. They were once a collection of princedoms and city states much like HRE, unified in 1850 peacefully (German Revolution of '48 being succesful) and lived an economic boom being an Arcasian ally in the region. Japan also kind of checks out. If my theories on both Lespia and Valgsland are true devs are making us choose between communist and capitalist Germany in their best alternate history versions. Plus they have a Spanish aesthetic I guess.
• Merkopa seems to be Europe plus the Arabic peninsula, Contana is like a Russian continent, Rika is Africa and Xina is pretty much unknown but could be any colonized continent.

International Organizations

• AN is UN.
• ATO is NATO
• CSP is Warsaw Pact.
• OMEC is OECD pretty transparently, but is also reminiscent of EU due to it being a local organization for Merkopa, which is Europe.
• Watchtower of Human Rights is Amnesty International. These are all pretty easy TBH.
• Wehzek Nationalist Party of Nurist Socialism is pretty obiously Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party.

Ideologies

• Sollism is Kemalism or Sun Yat-sen Thought, its three principles are pretty close to those. Kemalism especially seems close due to heavy Turkish parallels throughout the game and the deliberate word choice of statism (devletçilik). It lacks three of the Kemalist principles though: secularism, revolutionarism/reformism, solidarism/populism. So pretty much all the left wing and revolutionary part of it. As such, it is closer to post-Kenan Evren right wing "kemalism".
• Malenyevism is Marxism-Leninism and Trotskyism. Its dominant position in the worldwide left indicates the first, its permanent revolutionary theories indicate the second, as well as their heavy emphasis on world revolution.
• Valgslandian socialism is DeLeonism and Luxembourgism. It's economically and politically close to both to be honest, and geopolitically to the latter.
• Sordish socialism is socialism mixed with kemalist values as attested in Turkey.
• Arcasian capitalism is neoliberalism.

Internal Organizations

• USP is CHP (Republican People's Party) due to being the founding party of the country, the oldest one as well, and kemalist. It is closer to AKP (Justice and Development Party, Erdoğan) in 2002 due to being the ruling party and scoring a parliamentary majority due to the election threshold. Alphonso's takeover of Soll is similar to Ecevit's takeover of İnönü (CHP as well). Their voter profile is essentially AKP.
• PFJP has a logo similar to DSP (Democratic Left Party) with its pigeon and their share of votes and seats at the start of the game is closer to CHP IRL. Apart from that, their liberal agenda and push for constitutional reform was not really a party at that time in Turkey IRL. Maybe AKP in that regard? Or DP (Democrat Party) for being the party for opponents of CHP during the single-party era. Their voter profile is reminiscent of CHP.
• NFP, despite it's logo looking like Britain First, is really really MHP (Nationalist Movement Party). Their allocation of votes and seats at the start date is what MHP did IRL, they are also really close ideologically and their ties to the Young Sords is what MHP has with Grey Wolves. Also worth noting Kesaro refers to his party as "nationalist movement" and that "National Front" was the name of several right wing coalition governments in Turkey, involving MHP. Their ties to the mafia and government are similar as well. Kesaro was the soldier to announce Luderin's coup, as Türkeş, the founder of MHP announced the 1960 coup.
• CPS could be any of the leftist parties in Turkey. But their wide parliamentary support and ties to the Red Youth suggest TİP (Workers' Party of Turkey, the 1961 one) as well as their ties to the unionists.
• WPB, despite it's name being the same as PKK, are more like HDP, BDP and other Kurdish parties of Turkey. Their democratical methods unlike the militants but still having ties to the militant groups as well and their regionalist support suggests this.
• BFP is PKK minus the left wing tendency. I've mentioned this before.
• None of the corporations stand out to me. Koronti family vaguely resembles the Koç family, the richest family of Turkey with a respected patriarch who died (Vehbi Koç) but expect that they seem original. Heart of Sordland could be Demirören, a media conglemerate.
• Grand National Assembly carries the same name as the Turkish parliament and has similar seat allocations as well as a similar case of Kurdish MP's who entered as independents. The thresholds and the constitutions are basically the same as '82 constitution still enacted in Turkey. The Supreme Court carries the same role. The Kemalist grip on army and judiciary are similar, despite Soll not being entirely Atatürk. Turkish Armed Forces are similar, as are the other governmental institutions, gendarmerie operation change was applied by Erdoğan as was the general staff purge. The governmental institutions are pretty much the most transparently Turkish part of the game.
• Young Sords have a very similar logo, niche and political position to the Grey Wolves who also claim to be an educational and cultural foundation. Their name is close to the Young Turks movement in the late Ottoman Empire though. Them being founded by Luderin also checks out.
• Red Youth having Soviet support and foothold in universities, as well as their protests against the Arcasian Fleet mirroring the Turkish communist protests against American fleets clearly makes them the Dev-Genç (Revolutionary Youth). Their founder Johan Gasmich has a surname that sounds like Deniz Gezmiş, a Dev-Genç leader. The major difference is that they weren't connected to a political party, but were rather split from TİP due to radicalism.
• Again, BFF is PKK and Dewlen Arge is Öcalan.
• Magnus Cartus has a Magna Carta reference in name, and the allegations against their founder mirrors Osman Kavala.
• Labour Union of Sordland is close to DİSK and KESK, leftist unions in Turkey.
• HSU could be any Turkish university but doesn't have any direct parallels.
• Cartels with names and a famous rivalry don't sound like how the Turkish mafia operates. It sounds more Italian or Mexican TBH.
• The Radical has a very similar logo and stance to Radikal.
• The Ekonomists is a stand-in for Economist I think, pretty openly.
• Lotherberg Group could be TÜSİAD, an association of businessmen.
• FC Anrica and FC Gelsord could be Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, Turkey's biggest teams. But those teams are both from Istanbul. Gelsord's stadium being named after Soll and Wisci but being renamed under Alphonso sounds like the Atatürk stadiums being renamed under Erdoğan.
• Old Guard, Reformists and Oligarchs are pretty transparent.

Places

• Worth noting Turkey also has seven geographical regions.
• Erlory being the old Imperial capital sounds like Istanbul and Holsord the new capital sounds like Ankara. The twist is that Erlory is landlocked and Holsord is coastal, unlike what happened in Turkey. Plus in Turkey only the old capital is in this region. Still, being the most populous and industrious, Greater Holsord sounds like Marmara Region (northwestern Anatolia and Thrace).
• Nargis region sounds like the Aegean region (western Turkey) with non-coastal parts being mountainous and Lachaven being an important port like İzmir. But its position as the trade center is more like İstanbul. Also Aegean region doesn't have a lot of terrestrial resources save for some coal.
• Lorren's heavily forrested, non-populous nature and its reliance on forestry reminds me of Central and Western Karadeniz Region (northern coast of Turkey). Karadeniz also has lots of coal deposits and an important mining city.
• Agnland being reliant on fishing, having a lot of ties with Agnolia, being near Rumburg and having Agno-Sordish (Laz or Georgian Turks) makes it seem like Eastern Karadeniz and far northern parts of Eastern Anatolia reason. Turkish Caucasus basically, or north eastern coast.
• Bergia is obviously Southeastern Anatolia region and rest of Eastern Anatolia region. Heavily Kurdish, has a controversial name, has the Soll Dam, near border to Wehzek and it goes on and on. The Nurist Archsanctuary here is not really a parallel, but Urfa in IRL Southeastern Anatolia is called the "city of the prophets". So it's eastern and southeastern Turkey.
• Gelsland would sound like Central Anatolia and partially Marmara due to its good economy and scientific importance, as well as being where the Antel Rock is located.
• Gruni being fertile and having a center of tourism is clearly the Mediterranean region, or southern Turkey.
• Worth noting that since Sordland is entirely coastal save for one region and Turkey has three landlocked regions, and Turkey really just depending on two of them as centers while Sordland has three important centers, some of these are pretty much stretches.
• Onto cities, Holsord seems to be Ankara really. All governmental buildings, a bunch of the good universities, the army center, the palace. The Capitol Park could be Ulus Parkı
• Lachaven actually seems closer to İstanbul than İzmir. The Republic Avenue sounds like İstanbul's famous İstiklal Avenue. Plus its economical role. Their heavy reformist support is more reminiscent of İzmir though.
• Deyr, being a center of Bludness is like Diyarbakır, its name also being similar. But the religious nature and diversity makes it closer to Urfa.
• Benfi, being a tourism and nightlife center, sounds like Antalya.
• Arvory, as the regional capital of Agnland, is like Trabzon. Its diverse nature and being Agnolian long ago is more reminiscent of the once-Russian and very diverse Kars.
• Conriat, hosting the navy, sounds like it could be Sakarya also considering the river. Gelsord has no parallel.
• Anrica being where the revolution started and also bearing a similar name, could be Ankara.
• Erlory has parallels to İstanbul being the old capital but its irrelevance makes it closer to Edirne, another old capital. Lenkurg could be Samsun.
• Laren has no parallels, while Narbel is like Batman gaining relevancy for its energy sources. Uziren, having a Wehzek minority and being on the border could be Mardin. Jen's nationalism sounds like Kırşehir, Denizli or Osmaniye.
• Morna's heavy industrialisation is reminiscent of Kocaeli or Tekirdağ. Borin has no analogues. Erzaren sounds like Erzurum or Erzincan but its role is closer to Tunceli and Adıyaman. Ribery also doesn't have many parallels to anywhere.
• Valgen, with its fame for citrus and its ties to other countries and liberalism could be Adana, Hatay or Mersin. Estord as an oil city sounds like Batman. Ribel, as a Kurdish mining city, really doesn't have any parallels, maybe except the very non-Kurdish Karabük which is the center of Turkish steel industry.
• Sarna could be Mardin. Leiren sounds like Burdur. Morbel is definitely Zonguldak. Antel sounds like Mersin normally, Turkey has its most famous prisons in İstanbul and Diyarbakır. Vesord's economy sounds like Balıkesir.
• Onto landmarks, Camp Strongarm sounds like the General Staff building in Turkey, solely due to its purpose.
• Antel Rock could be a bunch of prisons in Turkey but no direct parallels.
• Archsanctuary could be Hagia Sophia in İstanbul but the placement of it and the Bludish nature makes it sound like Urfa.
• Library of Saint Wruhec visually looks like the library in ancient Ephesus, plus the mention to ancient "Grecan" architecture. But its unfortunate fate is like Alexandria or more like Baghdad, as it was sacked by Markians/Mongols.
• Basilisk of Baal is closest to Milion of Constantinople but not that much. Baal is IRL an ancient Mesopotamian god
• Soll Dam is Atatürk Dam, located in Bergia and named after the president.
• Hill of Pride could be Anıttepe where Atatürk is buried. Maroon Palace is Çankaya Köşkü, Turkey's presidential palace before Erdoğan. Its naming is reminiscent of the White Palace.

Characters

• Beatrice Livingston could be Catherine the Great or Victoria I guess? I see no obvious parallels.
• Wiktor Smolak with his oppression, ideology and theatrics is definitely Saddam Hussein, with elements of Gaddafi and Assad. Some things he does in game are jokes about Erdoğan though: post about this
• Malenyev is definitively Lenin. His brother being executed, him leading the Rotski faction among a party, people being called Marco-Malenyevists. His theories sound kind of Trotskyist but he is Lenin.
• Karlos Marcia is Karl Marx, somehow.
• Walker is Nixon kind of meets Reagan. His naval carrier in the world war is Nixon, he looks more like Reagan and talks like him too.
• I have no idea what to make of Alvarez. I feel like there definitely is a reference here but I just don't know the guy. Could it be Trump? Van Hoorten is even less indicative. Please let me know if there is anything.
• Hegel's carreer sounds like Khrushchev, his name and looks are like Hegel. He also looks like Walter Ulbricht, whose name seems to be the origin of Ulbrik.
• Anton's initial positioning in politics is kind of like Erdoğan, he looks like Ecevit and his overtaking of the party also resembles Ecevit's. Monica is basically Eva Peron and his children are not really references to anywhere.
• Lucian and Petr really do not seem to be references. Deivid Wisci could be one, but I don't quite recognize it. Atatürk had no children and closest guy to Deivid Wisci feels like the legendary Foreign Affairs Minister İsmail Cem.
• Symon Holl, with basically fixing economy no matter what stupid stuff you do looks like Kemal Deviş who did the same for the 2001 Turkish economical crisis. But Derviş was actually working at an international bank before he became a minister.
• Lileas doesn't seem like any political figure I know. Iosef, with his shining during the Wehlen Civil War and nationalist respect kind of sounds like Osman Pamukoğlu. Valken Kruger really really looks like Yaşar Büyükanıt, a chief of general staff around the time the game is based with similar kemalist views. Do not believe anyone who claims he is Fevzi Çakmak, they have no similarities.
• Ciara and Gus also bear no resemblances to anyone I know. Paskal Beniwoll is a lot like the leftist and legendary health minister Refik Saydam, also a prime minister. This one is probably unintentional. Nia Morgna kind of looks like Emine Ülker Tarhan but they have no other political similarities whatsoever.
• The Justices also do not feel like anyone I know.
• None of the party members resemble anyone from Turkish politics, save for Kesaro being sort of like Türkeş mostly due to announcing the coup and his views.
• Gloria Tory is like the conservative politician Meral Akşener who was also a speaker of the assembly and had a similar vibe all around. Her surname is also a pun.
• Katarina Horten is faintly like Arzu Çerkezoğlu due to union business. Mansoun Leke looks like Musa Anter and has a similar role to Selahattin Demirtaş. Manoly Suheil, Remus Holstron and Albin Clavin are not familiar at all. Curtan Leste is kind of similar to Melih Gökçek, the spare judges are not familiar and have really ugly portraits, Edith Agnoc also seems to have no references.
• I discussed the other businessmen before but Aven is also not familiar to me. I also talked about Soll, Rikard, Gasmich, Aschraf, Alphonso and Luderin.
• Serge, Evelyn and Livia are not really characters that could hold references.
• Herman Equa really sounds like Turkish diplomat and writer Kemal Karpat. Alfred Kcirbuk primarily seems to hold references to foreign directors but I think his Turkish equivalent would be Nuri Bilge Ceylan or Zeki Demirkubuz.
• Dewlen Arge is really, really transparently Abdullah Öcalan from all perspectives.
• Giralt of Ribery is just a Geralt of Rivia easter egg.
• Jon Dondern is a reference about Can Dündar, Turkish journalist accused of treachery who fled abroad.

I think this is all I found and deduced. Let me know if there are any others! Thanks if you've read so far. I'd also like to see what the developers think of this.

We are Back to The Island prequel. After our heroes finally came face to face with the master of their pain, which is of course the German crowned ‘’king’’. They are now forcefully listening to the German's backstory.
”....Ah the camera is back on…now where was I?” asked The german.
”We were at the part where we were gonna kick your- ” James answered, annoyed.
”*coughs out a crab leg*...Now I remember!...thank you for jogging back my memory…*snaps finger* here’s a frankfurter” said the german as he pointed at James aiming the sausage. And after a split second it bolted into James mouth to the point he couldn’t talk.
”Pffmmmpppmpmppfppm fppppfpffmpmfmm!” said James trying to talk.
’’*Puts hand over ear*…What was that coming from your tainted mouth?...you want to hear more of my terrible and treacherous backstory?...How cute…I must say to myself these are the best listeners since boarding school!".
"The only reason we're listening to this ADHD mess of a story is because we're held against our will…otherwise I would have already clawed out your eyes" said Bingo Truthly.
"Huhuhu…I DARE you…I am the best story teller you'll ever meet in your plant life!...now shut your flesh flabs and listen to the pickle I got myself into!" said the German slightly annoyed.
"...If I get called a plant one mor-" but before he could finish his sentence his mouth got zipped by a zipper in a cartoon manner.
"Pffppppfpffmp" said Bingo, attempting to speak.
"Now…are there any more interruptions?" said the German as his eyes had a slight tint of yellow.
"...". Thomas was silent.
"...Okey dokey!...Now where were we?...ah!...the pickle! *snaps fingers*". All of a sudden it seemed like reality shifted.
"Woah" said Thomas, surprised. The walls broke apart from each side as if they were in a cube. And somehow behind the walls was pitch black.
"...*sweats* Why did I agree to go back?" said Thomas contemplating his life.
"And if you have to lick a snail I suggest you do it soon!".
"... Do I even want to know what that means?" Asked Thomas.
"There is no need to describe intelligence to an already rotted brain!".
"Wow…rude mu-". Before he finished his sentence the floor started falling down.
"Woah," said Thomas, lifting from the ground.
"Huhuhuhuhu!” the German laughed as the floor con tinued falling.
”...Now you will witness the tragic story of a diamond in the rough if you will…and while we're waiting I'll be doing a complementary handstand," said the German maniacally.
"...I don't think I met someone this insane before…*nervous laughs while he turns to James* I would make a pun about insanity but I lost it…oh'" said Thomas jokingly. James stood in silence.
”Eh, I thought it would light up the mood”.
”Mhmmmpfppf *snaps fingers*”.
”What?” said Thomas confused.
”Mphphph…*points at the german and imitates punching*” James attempted.
”You want me to hit him?...but how am I gonna do that if I’m tied up?” asked Thomas.
”*rolls eyes* Phphm-”.
”What?...there's something on my face besides this itchy mess?...wait why do I feel like I have a moving headache” said Thomas confused. Apparently there was a spider crawling through his eye socket.
”Ah!...the nice smell of mold and rat carcasses brings back my salty teared memories” said the German nonchalant.
”Huh?” said Thomas, confused as he looked around. Everyone was in a semi-small room that seemed like an amateur ‘’testing facility’’ with the typical test tubes on a table. There was some giant green thing on a table.
"Oh, what?" asked Thomas.
"There I am in the pickle!" said The German nonchalant. Thomas looked harder and saw a giant pickle on the table.
"...Is there supposed to be-" before he finished his sentence something was squirming in the giant pickle.
"...Why do I have to-". The German extended his finger to Thomas's mouth.
"Shhh…the mind is a sensitive place…let me insert knowledge into it in a safe way" said the German weirdly.
"... Please don't say that ever again...and Can you please take your hand off my mustache?" said Thomas.
"...No! :)". The pickle was moving right before it burst open. Thomas's pupils were blacked out. It was the German on the ground covered in pickle juice.
"..." Thomas was speechless.
"*grabs handkerchief from nothing and blew his nose in a cartoony way* I remember this day like it was yesterday…the most advanced experiment that could change humanity itself" said the German proud of himself.
”...Do I dare ask?” Thomas said sheepishly.
”Why bother?...watch me bask in juice made from the greatest vegetable known to man!”. Now back to the past german.
”*coughs*...*slowly gets up*...”. They looked slightly different from his future self. He had shorter dark blonde hair with the same science jacket.
”...Well that was interesting…felt like I was being born again…*looks at his wrist*...temperature levels seem on par…granted that I stink like a pregnant lady's breath…*sighs* another day another dollar like my old vater used to say…that is if I actually had money".
"Ah poor Henry…you'll make it big someday,'' said a mysterious voice behind him. Henry turned around to the voice. It was a sphere shaped fish bowl like machine with four pistons pumping up and down.
"You say that every day, Sharon," said Henry.
"'Cause it's true sweetie!...you're getting closer to your goal each day!... remember what your mom said?" asked the robot.
"You're a bum that needs to stop with my fantasyland you "Bananenbieger" said Henry annoyed.
"...*sprays water on his face* No silly!...after that!".
"Oh…now I remember…"but you're still my son and I'll support you"...she could've used better words…but I guess that's how the world is…it can be grim but sometimes it isn't…*sighs* I guess I need to not sell myself short so much…just the depression and the bills I have to pay to keep us going" said Henry with a sad look.
"It's okay sweety I don't need to eat!...and this project will get recognized someday!...just always remember I love you no matter what~" said Sharon.
"*slight smile* Alright then, I'll go home and relax…I'll see you at home then…thank you for giving me hope again" said Henry.
"*blushes* You're welcome honey!" Said Sharon. All of a sudden the pause symbol appeared causing the three to look at Henry.
"Those were the days…I had nice brown loches instead of this damned cartoony gray hair…I'm as handsome as a mole rat…but it's all worth the power!...speaking of power" said Henry. The area there started melting around them.
"Uh, is this supposed to happen?" asked Thomas.
"Huhuhuhuhu!" Henry laughed. As he laughed their surroundings continued to melt into a puddle.
”Huhuhuhuh!” Henry laughed while rising in the air. While he was floating, the puddles of memory started to lift in the air.
”Huhuhuhuhu!”.
”This guy’s something huh?”. And about a few more seconds of melting and reshaping, they were in a different area. It was a brisk snowy area. It seemed to be a light snowy night.
”Here we are…the big moment that changed my life” said Henry seriously.
’’...And what would that be?” asked Thomas.
”...". The German was silent and pointed at something. It was at a large "building" Or better known as the Neuschwanstein Castle.
"...*whistles*... That's a pretty nice fort…that's the biggest thing I ever saw…besides pork fat that is…I pork rinda don't wanna talk about it…what are we doi-". Before he finished his sentence, past Henry walked through him.
"WOah…that felt weird".
"*exhales*...What a peaceful day…hopefully no one catches me here…this place should be closed right?" said past Henry as he walked forward towards the gate door.
"Now the old age question…how does one climb a 50ft gate?" said Henry to himself.
"A powerful man like myself doesn't have time for deals…what do you really want in this dimension hmm?...want to take over the world?...want to see it burn?...I’ve seen it all at this point” said an old voice.
”Huh?” said Henry, confused.
”Oh don’t give me too much credit there ringleader…I got bigger fishes to fry in another place away from this creepfest…but this place got my interest over the last century…and believe me I know the INS and outs of the multiverse…but this one thing I don't know…and your a wrinkled old flesh puppet who’s think they can stop something…something important” asked another voice.
”Th-....what are you on about?”. Henry got closer to the gate.
”Who are these people?”. What he saw was an old familiar looking old man talking to another familiar yellow mischievous being.
”...Is that who I think it is?”. It was Bob Mcgar talking to the ‘’all knowing’’ being Bill Cipher.
”Ah the classic human trope of acting like they can lie to an all knowing being…come on! *Bill says as a clone of him appeared behind Bob and puts his hand on his shoulder* I thought you were supposed to be smart, you wrinkled mess of molecules…haven’t your mother told you not to lie?” said Bill Cipher mischievously.
”My life has no business with you…neither does my company…now excuse me I have business to intend to” said Bob as he started walking away.
”.*shrugs* Your loss then…but if you wanna play it that way then I’LL PLAY!” said Bill Cipher while his eyelids grew sharp teeth as he used a deep voice. Bill Cipher grew slightly bigger and pounced on Bob with saliva drips from his eye socket.
”I TOLD YOU DARKNESS IS UPON US BUT YOU HAD TO NOT LISTEN DIDN'T YA?” said Bill Cipher angrily.
”Ah!...someone help me!” said Bob, terrified.
”Holy crap…is that an interdimensional creature?…I have to save that old man…can’t get past this gate though…maybe I should get his attention…hey!” said Henry. When he said that both Bill and Bob looked quickly.
”Hm?” said Bob.
”Huh?...Ah!, what a surprise!...another flesh puppet helping another flesh puppet…don’t you mortals ever learn where your place is?...but I feel a little generous today *snaps fingers*” said Bill Cipher surprisingly. Bill snapping his fingers made Henry teleport in front of them.
”Wh-...*looks back towards the gate in a confused manner and turns his head back* how did you-”. Bill then got off Bob Mcgar and started floating.
”*adjusts his bow tie*...The name’s Bill” said Bill Cipher as his mood changed.
”How did you do that?” Henry said, confused.
”...How I do a lot of things…you know humans aren't the only ones gifted the ability to change things around them just because they can…why do you think a robotic Nazi plans to rule the world?" said Bill Cipher.
”W-wha-".
"Eh let's not get into the details…so…what brings you to this classic castle made for a king?" Asked Bill Cipher.
"I would like to ask you the same".
"Look kid…there's a lot on my plate that doesn't revolve around you meatheads" said Bill Cipher dodging the question.
"Oook…I went here because I…I just wanted to escape from reality and have a nice day for once" Henry explained.
‘’Tuning out the fun thing that all universes have eh?…uncertainty!...well I happen to know a guy that could help you with that certain arrangement of a specific problem".
"Really?” asked Henry.
”Yup…annnnd there standing right here!" said Bill Cipher as a yellow sign pointing at the trickster himself.
"W-why should I trust you?...you were just literally about to kill that man" said Henry cautiously.
"Come on, you haven't killed anyone in your lifetime?...you flesh barbarians have killed your kind for the longest…pretty ironic you simpletons promate peace...with this many crazy induced idiots, murder is quite the cash prize what can I say?…I mean is it really that big a deal?...speaking of deals I think this might be the one that you might want to take part in".
"Ooo my favorite is coming up"
"I'm a German stereotype that thinks licking door knobs cures the flu".
"What?...dyvgyjhhj I'm a German stereotype that thinks licking door knobs cures the flu…wait why did I say that?".
"You really think, don't ya?... going to a flashback with an all powerful being that breaks logic inside your own mind jeez who wrote that line?...a mentally ill man?...oh right".
"What?...how the?".
"Yup plot twist!...I didn't really appreciate you putting a needle to my eye and stealing my power…kind of sums up the human race am I right?". As Bill said that the moon from above turned around and showed a creepy baby face"
"You're about to witness true power, kid!...the universe is a ticking time bomb until the big kaboom happens!...and you're just stirring the pot more than I would…but for now you're in MY WORLD!" Said Bill as he turned multi-colored.
"...Well this TV show is terrible '' said the German unfazed.
``....My show would always be better than yours!...anyways PREPARE TO SUFFER!” said Bill as his arms grew. As he transformed his arms turned blue while it also grew wavy while it had little snake faces as it would. His eye turned completely blue while a water like substance formed in his eye.
”SAYYY GOODBYYYEE”.
”Wait I want to make a deal!” yelled Henry.
”...Man you humans are pathetic, even if you had a ounce of power from a deity…gotta love fear…so…you said A D̴̡̛͓̹̩̳͓̂͐̃͌̾̽̈̄͗̈̚͝͝͝e̵̢̝͗̾̎̍̇͗Ȁ̷̧̝̗́l̸͔̜̈!̷̲̫͖̪̠̯͍̜̥̪͎̰͎͑͐͐͂̍͝ huh?’’ said Bill as he quickly went in his face.
”*whimpers*...Y-yes…my wife wouldn’t want me to be like this anymore"
”So you rather make a deal with a dream demon?” said Thomas confused.
"Oh save the dramatics…oh how would your robot that's programmed to love you think?...How about I cry about my eye getting stabbed?...oh wait I'm not a whiny baby that cries about how depressing my life is…I'm over trillion years old and killed my own planet including my own family…I least I accepted my life…yet you sit here moping" said Bill Cipher.
"...*eyes completely black*Jesus…you ok man?". The German was silent but looked insanely angry.
"Your mom doesn't even love you…and you might think not but I know about everything in the multiverse including how I'm about to kill that stupid toaster just for hell of it" said Bill mocking him. The German was slightly teary eyed.
"*rolls eye* Oh look he's crying again…how in the world were you sheeple afraid of this guy?".
"You said I'm worthless and have a depressing life eh?".
"Yes, that's exactly what I said".
"If my life means nothing then what do I have to lose?".
"Huh?" said Bill confused.
”I may be lost in life but at least I try to make the best of it…and don’t spread my misery onto other people…there should be no reason the way that you adore your negativity onto people…my mind is sane now thanks to you…I remember why I do these things”.
”Ah…so the uber power mouse wisen up huh?...*gets out of crossed legs and started floating normally*...you know what kid?...I admire you…I really do…I was just testing your buttons for the fun of it…but you gave me a great lesson…why do I do these things?...I’ve been told for centuries why I do these these things…who knows?...We might know the answer someday…so…you want a deal huh?”.
"...Yes…I would like to be sane again…your deals are helpful right?".
"...I didn't tell a person this in a million years….and I'm not exacrating either…it was a joke but still…so what I was gonna say was I'll make you a deal BUT there's always a catch…and I'm not telling you that because you stabbed me in the eye…so is it a deal or not?" said Bill Cipher as he chillingly brought out his hand with a iconic blue flame.
"Yes"."Are you sure you wanna do this man…something's not right about this"."Do I have anything else to lose?...my sanity is the only thing left".
"...You do you boo boo" said the moustache with a thick mexican accent on Sans somehow itchy lips.
"Then it's settled". And just another second they both shook hands. The blue flame spread on both hands. A second later and Henry started rising in the air while a yellow light surrounded him.
"...Ahhhhhhhh! *eyes turn yellow* Heh heh heh ha ha ha!" Henry laughed for some reason.
"What did yo do to him?" Thomas asked.
"I helped him…what can I say I'm a nice guy?...anyways byyyyyeee"." Said Bill micheavevsly as he poofed away.
"Wai- oh…damn coward". Slowly Henry started descending. After a another second Henry landed on the memory's floor.
"*clicks* Oh, nice *Thomas swiftly ran towards Henry*...hey man you ok?”.”.....He-he-heh heh heh…never been better SANS!” Said Henry as he ' ‘broke’’ his neck to make his head upside down staring at them.”Woah!...I guess that’s what happens when you do a deal with an angry triangle guy”.
”Oh, don’t act dumb in front of muah!” as Henry smiled with sharp teeth.
”Wait, are you serious?”.
”Ah, ah ,ah…me and Henry had a deal…besides this is the best he's gotten in years”.
”I highly doubt that…did you not see how hard his life was?...I doubt he wants to be possessed right now” said Thomas, angry.”Yeah yeah I saw that…I gotta say that’s what’s good about desperate people…they crawl to anyone…and did he really think about making a deal with a terrifying being like myself?”.”.....”.”That’s what I thought…and don’t worry I won’t affect anything in this universe…not like it’s not already dying anyway”.
”Wait, the universe is dying?”.
”Yeah, something you gotta worry about soon…but anyways…this part of the multiverse is made out of shapes, our overlords are really the problem, the universe will probably be a bore, this joke is old byeeee!” said “Henry” as he rises in the air and poofed away.
”....What a whack job…wait a minute”. Thomas turned around to see if the others were okay. They were right behind.
”Holy-...jebus I keep getting spooked”.
”Don’t worry coat…we're back to normal…uh hey you got some peach fuzz”.”...Huh…oh cool…anyway…I have no idea what just happened…and I seen everything”.
”To be honest I don’t even care…I tripped balls enough…we were surrounded by a killer amoeba that I don’t even know what happened to, the subway ‘been controlled by a lunatic german with god like powers…and last but not least…nearly fought a interdimensional being who looks like a nacho that I would get a stomach virus from if ate it…I think I’m done” said Bingo done with life.
”Really you don’t want to know how the uni-’’.
”Can you blame him man?...it’s been a hard case”.
’’But-’’.
”Jeez starting to sound dramatic don’t you think…I thought you saw everything…us ‘’monsters’’ shouldn’t be affected with human stuff…we’ll wait for you at the train” said Bingo as they both started walking away.
”....I guess I got shaken up for no reas-*poof in blue smoke*’’.
”OH my~...darling I thought I would never see you again!”.
”Nope” Thomas said as he ran away. Meanwhile back in the USA. It’s a cozy night. Completely silent away from trouble or unearthly beings. This certain area was at Steve’s and Randy’s house. Steve was trying to sleep while Randy was watching Adventure Time.
”Look sir!...there’s a robot just like me!”.”...Agh…Randy why can’t you go to sleep?”.”...I’m a robot, sir remember?”.”Oh right…can you go downstairs th-’’.
”Missed me?”.
”Aghhh!”. Steve fell out of the bed. Out of nowhere Henry was laying down next to Steve with his head leaning on his hand. “Who the hel- heck are you?”. Randy quickly turned around and brought out his blades.
”I’ll defend you to the fullest sir!” said Randy as his eyes turned red. Henry started rising in the air smiling.’
”What the heck?”.
”Aw you don’t remember me huh?”.
”No…I don’t remember a creepy man that can float”.
”Does this jog your pitiful mind?” A top hat poofed on top of his head.
”No?...wait how-...why are you here in this dimension again?”.
”Jeez seems like no one misses me huh?...*looks around* I kinda see why…*Poofs closer to Steve*...don’t worry old friends…we're cool now!” said Henry as he lend out his hand.
”Wait are trying to make a deal with me again?”.
”No, of course not!...you killing that beak face earned my respect…what, can’t take a helping hand?”.
”...Randy, why are you not talking?’’.
”Don’t freak out but I put a force field around him that blocks sound waves incase he had any bright ideas…I won’t hurt him trust me…I’m just about done affecting this universe…so need help or what?’’.
”.....I….fine”. Steve reached out his hand and grabbed Henry’s hand lifting him back up.
”...Wow you actually helped me…I never thought I would see you be friendly towards me…or even see you at all…why the change of heart?...or you know whatever you have heh”.
”....Just…uhh…I honestly don’t know…hopefully it’s not those feeble emotions you humans seem to have”.
”You don’t know why you're being nice?...I guess I can’t complain…you did kinda answered my question before…I guess anyone hated that thing back in the day…well…can you let Rand- wait why are you counting?”.
”Annnnnd”. The forcefield around Randy bursted and a high pitched sound was heard.
”Ow Randy stop that!”.
”Oh please Randy don’t, this is music to my ears!”.
”...Sorry sir…I had a break with my force decontructer”.
”Wow kid!...I’m surprised a robot broke raw power from a dream demon!...I did just blink it to existence after all…oh did I say blink?...look I got two eyes!...better than a rotting skeleton huh?”.
”Heh…yeah definitely…um…who’s body is-”.
”Welp…I’m just gonna stare into a corner downstairs like a hack that has literally no life!...you know because I don’t know how to sleep!...goooodnight!”. Said Henry as he busted through the door.
”.....Heh….I guess I have a new roommate”.
”I don’t know sir…do you think you can trust him?”.
”Probably…we’ll talk about this in the morning…I’m tired” said Steve as he laid back in bed.
”.....Hmmmm”. And that’s the end of the prequel of The Burning Island. We made foes and we made friends. And an unsuspecting ally if you call it. Of course the main trio eventually made it to the island and inspected it for Bob Mcgar later in the chapters of the main story of TBI. Bill somewhat changed his ways and lives in Steve’s house. What an amazing adventure that was. The mini sequel will be coming out hopefully soon. Bye bye for now