Four tops river deep mountain high
Our Right to Rule
2016.11.20 14:34 Our Right to Rule
#We're cleaning things up for the next week or so - we'll reinvite everyone again. Don't worry!
2023.06.11 03:50 AutoModerator Todd Valentine - Verbal Academy (Complete Program)
Chat +447593882116 (Telegram/Whatsapp) to get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy.
Todd Valentine's Verbal Game Academy Course will teach you his top strategies for effective communication.
Todd V is known for the extreme high quality of his content. In Todd V - Verbal Game Academy you will learn how to:
Be the guy that speaks to her emotions
How to walk up with absolute confidence
Make conversation FUN and PLAYFUL
How to ignite her sex drive
GET HER on a deep emotional level
To get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy contact me on:
Reddit Direct Message to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets)
WhatsApp/Telegram: +447593882116
submitted by AutoModerator to VideosToddV [link] [comments]
Todd Valentine's Verbal Game Academy Course will teach you his top strategies for effective communication.
Todd V is known for the extreme high quality of his content. In Todd V - Verbal Game Academy you will learn how to:
Be the guy that speaks to her emotions
How to walk up with absolute confidence
Make conversation FUN and PLAYFUL
How to ignite her sex drive
GET HER on a deep emotional level
To get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy contact me on:
Reddit Direct Message to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets)
WhatsApp/Telegram: +447593882116
2023.06.11 03:34 penmaster3000 Garou Mark of the Wolves - Story Info
This is the official story content for Garou. Posting it separately from the fandom pages. Some of the details are different from other sources. Feel free to have it double-check if you can.
Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you're really hungry.
Fighting not to starve, and by continuing to seek, it will only make sense.
-Kain R. Heinlein
Once upon a time, there were men who risked everything in battle...
"One burns with revenge, while the other harbors ambitions..." Justice didn't matter to them. However, he put his beliefs into his fist and fought...and settled himself.
It's an old story now... Ten years had passed since then.
Ever since the invitation arrived, the boy had been lost.
・・・・・・・・King of Fighters.
A martial arts festival that brings together martial artists from all over the world. However, it has not been held since the organizer, Geese Howard, died mysteriously.
・・・・・・・・Why is that?
The boy read the letter again.
"Maximum Mayhem King of Fighters"
Notice of holding
We have decided to hold "King of Fighters" for the first time in 10 years. I would like you, the former winner, to participate as the defending champion.
Also, I would like to ask you to bring Mr. Howard with you. I've heard rumors of Rock's strength, so if you participate, there's no doubt that you'll have a blast.
In addition, if you win, we will prepare a large amount of prize money more than the previous time.
In addition, there is a special winning product from our family head who is the organizer.
that is········
"Maximum Mayhem King of Fighters"
About Rock's mother... I'll just say that for now.
I will tell you all the details when I win.
I look forward to hearing from you.
-Heinlein family butler, Arnold Sebastian
When the boy finished reading the letter, he closed his eyes again. And after a few seconds, he opened his eyes with a determined look, and he said to the man who was getting ready to go.
"Okay......I've decided."
"Yes, what are you going to do?"
The boy got up from his chair and answered.
"Oh, two tickets to Second South, Terry."
"These two had an immeasurable deep bond..."
Going back, 19 years ago. When Kain was still in the slums, he had a man he could call his best friend.
The man's name is Abel
Ever since they met each other as orphans they have come to understand each other.
One day, Kain and Abel witnessed a boy of the same age being lynched.
It was clear from their words and deeds that the attackers were a group of thugs who were famous for their viciousness in the slums.
Even so, the boy continued to be beaten without resistance. He knew if he resists, they would beat more... He had no choice but to endure.
However, the sound of creaking flesh echoed through the city dozens of times, and when the thugs finally left, the boy had already died...
After several hours·····. Kain and Abel generously buried the boy on a hill overlooking the sea.
The two of them were looking out at the sea. After a while, Kain turned to Abel.
"...I...don't like it. To rot in a place like this without fighting...I don't like it!"
"Kain... you?"
"Someday I'll get out of here. And I'll take everything! Then come with me! Abel!"
Abel was silent for a moment, but he soon turned to Kain as if he had made up his mind.
"...Okay, I understand. I don't want to die here either. If you want to push forward, I will push forward too. ”
“That’s right! We won’t die in a place like this!... I can't stand to die! ”
Kain clenched his fist... and further strengthened his resolve.
"I want power... power to have it all... and for that, I need your help, Abel!"
"... OK, Kain. I'll help you. If you're on the front, I'll be on the back..."
The evening sun casts its shadows on the ground. The two shadows were tight, holding hands.
Grant
Grant's true identity is Kain's best friend since childhood, Abel Cameron.
The ambition he dreamed of with Kain when he was a child... In order to embody true freedom in the Second South, he volunteered to assist Kain behind the scenes. Despite his dangerous backroom job, Abel's work was always flawless and helped strengthen Kain's power within the organization.
However, at one point, he was betrayed by an organization executive who was jealous of Kain's early promotion and received a bullet in his chest.
He managed to survive and had no problems with his motor function, but it hit so close to his heart that it could not be extracted. And the bullet is definitely approaching his heart, and it is said that when it reaches it will be Abel's end.
A room in an old apartment on the outskirts of Southtown.
A seven-year-old boy, Rock, lives a modest life with his mother.
His life wasn't very rich, but it was a happy day surrounded by his mother's love.
He know his father, but he never wanted to meet me.
"Don't cause trouble for that person." Was his mother's wish.
However, Rock's desire to meet his father someday grows stronger.
One day, his mother falls ill with a mysterious illness.
Rock took care of her, but it was too much for a child to handle.
He hears her calling his father's name in a whimper.
Thinking about his ideas, Rock decided to ask Geese for help.
Rock headed to Geese Tower alone.
And he finally met his father for the first time.
Rock immediately tells him about his mother's condition, and he begs for help.
However, Geese did not listen to his wish and sent Rock back.
That night... his mother quietly took her last breath...
Since then, he has come to hate Geese.
"Rock's State of Mind after the Death of Geese"
Time passes, and it's been a year since Rock came to Terry.
Terry finally settled with Geese.
However, it also meant the death of his father.
Ever since his mother's death, Rock has held a grudge against his father but now has mixed feelings.
It may have been the sentiment of losing his last relative.
But Rock didn't care why.
Unable to think of anything else, Rock challenges Terry to a street fight.
Without saying a word, Terry accepted and the two fought all day and night.
And that night...
Naturally, there was no way he could beat Terry, so he was beaten up and lay motionless, looking at the moon.
The moon and myself. He could faintly hear his heart beating.
It was strange that he felt life even in his powerless and small self.
And he was thinking... Wondering where he's headed...
And a few years later...
Rock was on an aimless journey with Terry.
It was also a journey of self-discovery that he desperately thought about.
Geese Howard's progeny was picked up by Terry.
He lost his mother to an illness when he was young, and holds a grudge against his father, Geese, for not helping her.
However, contrary to his feelings, he has inherited his father's natural fighting senses. He was unmatched even as a child, eventually taking up street fighting as a living.
He had absorbed many things from living with Terry. From learning martial arts to the ways of life.
He is currently traveling aimlessly with Terry, honing his skills at the various fighting tournaments he visits. His growth over the last few years has been remarkable, and rumor has it he's already on par with Terry.
This time he decides to join the "King of Fighters" in search of the truth about his late mother.
"Come on, Terry, let's get started!"
Terry Bogard has settled his long battle with Geese Howard.
After a fateful encounter with Rock the boy of fate, Terry left the now peaceful Southtown and set out on a journey without a destination. On this journey, Terry teaches Rock everything he's learned so far and gives direction to his wavering mind.
Terry receives an invitation to the fighting tournament "King of Fighters", which will be held for the first time in 10 years. What is the purpose of the tournament now that Geese is gone? Suspicious, Terry returns to the stage to solve the mystery.
"My fists don't rust! Take care!"
The eldest son of Taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan.
While Jae-Hoon is serious like his father, Dong Hwan is lazy and tends to skip the dojo. Each time he neglects his training wonders off he is scolded by his father.
However, his fighting sense is endowed with natural talent, and he uses a variety of techniques that are unique and varied. Some say that his strength surpasses that of his father in his prime. His younger brother Jae-hoon is also worried... If only he could come to training.
Though Dong Hwan seems to like doing whatever he pleases, he's actually a gentler man than most people. This time, he heard that Jae-hoon would follow in his father's footsteps and participate in the "King of Fighters", so he decided to participate in the same way in order to help him.
"Well, I'm a curious person too... but, I don't know what I'm gonna do!"
Second son of Taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan.
Even among the students at the dojo that Kaphwan taught, he is the most hard-working. Above all, he has a strong desire to improve and likes practicing more than eating. The way he practiced was enough to make his older brother, Dong Hwan, say, "I'm full just by looking at him."
However, at the end of that effort, he finally mastered his father's secret technique, "Phoenix Kick".
In addition, he was able to carry on his father's ideal of "spreading taekwondo to people around the world". And in order to put it into practice, he decided to participate in the "King of Fighters" this time.
He loves justice even more than his father and does not tolerate evil.
"Watch me, Dad! Now, I'm going to once again prove how great taekwondo is!"
A girl who continues her journey with her friend, Itokatsu.
She is searching for her father and brother, who went missing at the time of her mother's death. Though she behaves cheerfully and usually never shows weakness in public, she sometimes gets depressed.
The incident six years ago was the cause of such a trip. At that time, Hotaru was with her kind family. A strict father, a kind mother, and an older brother who protects her more than anyone else. Hotaru felt that he was a happy family even though he had strict training.
It all came crashing down with a sudden tyranny. When Hotaru rushes to her after noticing something strange, her father and brother are nowhere to be seen, only the cold corpse of her mother lying in the dojo.
From the time she lost her family, Hotaru's journey began.
This time she heard rumors of a man who looked like her brother at the "King of Fighters" fighting tournament, and she decided to participate.
"I might be able to meet my brother here... I have to do my best!"
A solitary lone wolf who follows his own path.
He seeks power to overthrow his father who caused his mother's death. He is training all over the world to acquire the ultimate martial arts. He is absolutely confident and doesn't shy away from anyone.
Much of his background is unknown, but he does not appear to be of Chinese nationality.
"...this little fish!"
The Byrne family; one of the world's leading conglomerates. Jenny was their only daughter.
In her carefree life, she always came to think the same thing.
That the purpose of life... Is doing something that only you can do that no one else can. Why was I given life, and why is she here?
In order to come to that conclusion, Jenny thought... If you can't find it while waiting, go find it yourself. If you can't find it, create it yourself. If you do it anyway, it will be thrilling and exciting! I want to surprise the world with flashy things!
That was the moment when the thief group "Lilian Knights" was born.
The purpose of this time is to go to the most mysterious fighting tournament "King of Fighters" and receive a huge prize.
"For me, it's a tournament!"
A student at Kyokugen-ryu Dojo Brazil Branch.
When he was just starting out, he heard rumors about Kyokugen-ryu and went to challenge the dojo in Southtown, but was defeated by the dojo's owner, Ryo Sakazaki. In that battle, he learned the strength and depth of Kyokugen-ryu, abandoned his previous martial arts, shaved his head, and entered Kyokugen-ryu.
After that, he continued his efforts and steadily raised his skills, and finally grew up to be appointed as a substitute teacher.
His karate was wild and full of agility, making use of the unique springing of his body. He made Ryo Sakazaki, the current leader of the Kyokugen-ryu, say, "Even if he's the king of beasts, he'll turn into a cat in front of him."
Among his disciples, now that Ryo has retired from the front line, he is rumored to be the strongest Kyokugen-ryu, or in other words, the strongest fighter in the world.
"Khushnood has mastered Kyokugen... you should try it on Chimi!"
A lively boy currently training in the Shiranui style deep in the mountains.
From an early age, he has trained in the Shiranui style. His master was a foreigner, but his technique was solid, and Hokutomaru respected such a master and immediately worked on his training.
However, when Hokutomaru reaches the age of 14, he will enter puberty. Various questions and worries come out in the training that continues every day.
Is he really good at his ninjutsu? How strong is his power?
And then, the outside world... What is going on in the world that I don't know...?
Once you start thinking about it, the thought becomes stronger and stronger.
Then one night, Hokutomaru finally decides to go down the mountain. The world he saw for the first time... What he jumped into was a poster for the "King of Fighters" event.
"Let's try my ninjutsu to see if it works in the city!"
"It's a boring day......"
He wanted to take risks.
It's already been 20 years since he was born into this world. The only thing he learned after spending most of his life in a dangerous slum... It is the conclusion that "it is only when you are next to death that you can always feel alive." He couldn't think of a way to keep his identity in the peaceful days.
The only thing that can satisfy his hunger is a serious street fight. The tension of fighting in a concrete ring... If you can beat it, it's not enough.
Alive or dead...? It was his favorite moment. To those who know nothing about that way of life, it may seem self-deprecating. But he thoroughly enjoys the insane danger.
This time, he hears that the strongest and worst demon of destruction will participate in "King of Fighters", and he feels excitement like never before and participates in the battle against this unprecedented enemy.
"...this moment...this moment is the only time I'm alive..."
Tizoc: a man who has maintained an undefeated record since his debut and climbed to the top at once. Once upon a time, he was a hero to children all over the country.
However, he loses to a mysterious man who suddenly appears.
For a moment, he loses self-confidence and completely loses sight of himself. But with the encouragement of the children and his fans, he regains himself.
From that day on, he began rigorous special training to regain everything.
And two years later………while being hit by a waterfall, he discovers the only weak spot in the stream. This is the catalyst for creating his strongest new special move "Big Fall Griffon".
With this new power, he returned to the stage of "King of Fighters".
"Children, I was revived by your cheers! Come on, let's go undefeated!"
"You're Uncle Kevin, aren't you? Take revenge on Papa...!"
That was last week. He had a close friend, but someone assassinated him. Even if he seeks revenge, he does not know who the culprit is.
When such days were piled up, the child appeared.
"But Bowes, I feel the same way, but I don't know who it is."
"I know who."
"What? For real?"
"Yeah, and my name is Markye, not Bowes."
"OK, let's go, buddy!"
Kevin immediately began to identify the route to Second South.
"My fist is the admiration of destruction...the one who sneers at God's scorn and worships power..."
Wherever he appears, it is said that there will always be conflict. In fact, there are countless cities that have turned into ghost towns. At some point, people feared Grant as a symbol of destruction.
It is said that the power that he obtained by selling his soul to the devil has the destructive power to overwhelm even the best fighters.
His motives are unknown, but while he prefers fighting above all else, he seems to have an extreme dislike of the weak.
It is rumored that the "King of Fighters" that will be held this time is actually controlled by Grant from the shadows.
"Come quickly... strong man... I am Grant, a martyr of battle..."
A clever man who wants to get everything in the free city, "Second South". His only purpose is... It is the complete independence of the Second South. And he is trying to create a slum of the whole district, a true law of the law.
The source of his ambitions is based on his childhood experiences. His hometown was in the worst part of the shantytown. He had no parents and was forced to live hand-to-hand with his only immediate relative, his sister.
A city where only power is everything. The only food you can get is the chips you get in street fights. Cain fought with a small body and came out alive.
That's when he realized. He is a protected human and a non-protected human. Humans who fight and pave their own way, and humans who are incorporated into the system and swept away. In this world, which one is facing the issue of "living" with sincerity...?
His position at birth is irrelevant. He wanted to create a truly free world.
When he was 8 years old, he got the chance to put that idea into practice. The appearance of Kain during a street fight caught the eye of Don Papas of the family (secret society) who happened to be passing by.
Kain, who was bought for his beauty and strength above all, was picked up by Don Papas and became a member of the family.
A dozen years later... Using his gifted talent as a weapon, he created his own power within the organization, overthrew Don Papas, and became the boss of the family. And now... at last, he has begun to put his long-standing idea into practice...
submitted by penmaster3000 to kof [link] [comments]
Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you're really hungry.
Fighting not to starve, and by continuing to seek, it will only make sense.
-Kain R. Heinlein
Once upon a time, there were men who risked everything in battle...
"One burns with revenge, while the other harbors ambitions..." Justice didn't matter to them. However, he put his beliefs into his fist and fought...and settled himself.
It's an old story now... Ten years had passed since then.
Ever since the invitation arrived, the boy had been lost.
・・・・・・・・King of Fighters.
A martial arts festival that brings together martial artists from all over the world. However, it has not been held since the organizer, Geese Howard, died mysteriously.
・・・・・・・・Why is that?
The boy read the letter again.
"Maximum Mayhem King of Fighters"
Notice of holding
We have decided to hold "King of Fighters" for the first time in 10 years. I would like you, the former winner, to participate as the defending champion.
Also, I would like to ask you to bring Mr. Howard with you. I've heard rumors of Rock's strength, so if you participate, there's no doubt that you'll have a blast.
In addition, if you win, we will prepare a large amount of prize money more than the previous time.
In addition, there is a special winning product from our family head who is the organizer.
that is········
"Maximum Mayhem King of Fighters"
About Rock's mother... I'll just say that for now.
I will tell you all the details when I win.
I look forward to hearing from you.
-Heinlein family butler, Arnold Sebastian
When the boy finished reading the letter, he closed his eyes again. And after a few seconds, he opened his eyes with a determined look, and he said to the man who was getting ready to go.
"Okay......I've decided."
"Yes, what are you going to do?"
The boy got up from his chair and answered.
"Oh, two tickets to Second South, Terry."
Backstory 01
Kain and Grant..."These two had an immeasurable deep bond..."
Going back, 19 years ago. When Kain was still in the slums, he had a man he could call his best friend.
The man's name is Abel
Ever since they met each other as orphans they have come to understand each other.
One day, Kain and Abel witnessed a boy of the same age being lynched.
It was clear from their words and deeds that the attackers were a group of thugs who were famous for their viciousness in the slums.
Even so, the boy continued to be beaten without resistance. He knew if he resists, they would beat more... He had no choice but to endure.
However, the sound of creaking flesh echoed through the city dozens of times, and when the thugs finally left, the boy had already died...
After several hours·····. Kain and Abel generously buried the boy on a hill overlooking the sea.
The two of them were looking out at the sea. After a while, Kain turned to Abel.
"...I...don't like it. To rot in a place like this without fighting...I don't like it!"
"Kain... you?"
"Someday I'll get out of here. And I'll take everything! Then come with me! Abel!"
Abel was silent for a moment, but he soon turned to Kain as if he had made up his mind.
"...Okay, I understand. I don't want to die here either. If you want to push forward, I will push forward too. ”
“That’s right! We won’t die in a place like this!... I can't stand to die! ”
Kain clenched his fist... and further strengthened his resolve.
"I want power... power to have it all... and for that, I need your help, Abel!"
"... OK, Kain. I'll help you. If you're on the front, I'll be on the back..."
The evening sun casts its shadows on the ground. The two shadows were tight, holding hands.
Grant
Grant's true identity is Kain's best friend since childhood, Abel Cameron.
The ambition he dreamed of with Kain when he was a child... In order to embody true freedom in the Second South, he volunteered to assist Kain behind the scenes. Despite his dangerous backroom job, Abel's work was always flawless and helped strengthen Kain's power within the organization.
However, at one point, he was betrayed by an organization executive who was jealous of Kain's early promotion and received a bullet in his chest.
He managed to survive and had no problems with his motor function, but it hit so close to his heart that it could not be extracted. And the bullet is definitely approaching his heart, and it is said that when it reaches it will be Abel's end.
Backstory 02
"Relationship between Geese and Rock"A room in an old apartment on the outskirts of Southtown.
A seven-year-old boy, Rock, lives a modest life with his mother.
His life wasn't very rich, but it was a happy day surrounded by his mother's love.
He know his father, but he never wanted to meet me.
"Don't cause trouble for that person." Was his mother's wish.
However, Rock's desire to meet his father someday grows stronger.
One day, his mother falls ill with a mysterious illness.
Rock took care of her, but it was too much for a child to handle.
He hears her calling his father's name in a whimper.
Thinking about his ideas, Rock decided to ask Geese for help.
Rock headed to Geese Tower alone.
And he finally met his father for the first time.
Rock immediately tells him about his mother's condition, and he begs for help.
However, Geese did not listen to his wish and sent Rock back.
That night... his mother quietly took her last breath...
Since then, he has come to hate Geese.
"Rock's State of Mind after the Death of Geese"
Time passes, and it's been a year since Rock came to Terry.
Terry finally settled with Geese.
However, it also meant the death of his father.
Ever since his mother's death, Rock has held a grudge against his father but now has mixed feelings.
It may have been the sentiment of losing his last relative.
But Rock didn't care why.
Unable to think of anything else, Rock challenges Terry to a street fight.
Without saying a word, Terry accepted and the two fought all day and night.
And that night...
Naturally, there was no way he could beat Terry, so he was beaten up and lay motionless, looking at the moon.
The moon and myself. He could faintly hear his heart beating.
It was strange that he felt life even in his powerless and small self.
And he was thinking... Wondering where he's headed...
And a few years later...
Rock was on an aimless journey with Terry.
It was also a journey of self-discovery that he desperately thought about.
Rock Howard
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 17 |
| Height: | 178 cm |
| Weight: | 70 kg |
| Birthday: | June 24 |
| Blood Type: | B |
| Nationality: | America |
| Fighting Style: | Kobu-justu + Martial Arts |
| Hobbies: | Touring, playing the base (he can perfectly copy any song he hears once) |
| Specialty: | Cooking (since making food for fast-food-loving Terry, he became a pro at it) |
| Most Important: | The hat that Terry gave him, his bike (Honda) |
| Most Unpleasant: | Women (growing up with a bunch of men, he's become a little shy) |
| Likes: | Driver Gloves |
| Dislikes: | People who boast all the time |
| Favorite Food: | Jumbalaya (but he doesn't like the sausages) |
| Favorite Music: | Hard Rock |
| Favorite Sport: | Street Basket (3 on 3) |
He lost his mother to an illness when he was young, and holds a grudge against his father, Geese, for not helping her.
However, contrary to his feelings, he has inherited his father's natural fighting senses. He was unmatched even as a child, eventually taking up street fighting as a living.
He had absorbed many things from living with Terry. From learning martial arts to the ways of life.
He is currently traveling aimlessly with Terry, honing his skills at the various fighting tournaments he visits. His growth over the last few years has been remarkable, and rumor has it he's already on par with Terry.
This time he decides to join the "King of Fighters" in search of the truth about his late mother.
"Come on, Terry, let's get started!"
Terry Bogard
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 35 |
| Height: | 182 cm |
| Weight: | 81 kg |
| Birthday: | March 15 |
| Blood Type: | O |
| Nationality: | America |
| Fighting Style: | Martial Arts |
| Hobbies: | Wall Paint |
| Specialty: | Making 50 3-point shots in a row |
| Most Important: | Ukee, his monkey (ran away from home) |
| Most Unpleasant: | Cigacigarettes |
| Likes: | Vintage Jeans |
| Dislikes: | Slugs |
| Favorite Food: | Rock's Special Club Sandwiches (he overate recently and is a little chubby) |
| Favorite Music: | Country |
| Favorite Sport: | Basketball |
After a fateful encounter with Rock the boy of fate, Terry left the now peaceful Southtown and set out on a journey without a destination. On this journey, Terry teaches Rock everything he's learned so far and gives direction to his wavering mind.
Terry receives an invitation to the fighting tournament "King of Fighters", which will be held for the first time in 10 years. What is the purpose of the tournament now that Geese is gone? Suspicious, Terry returns to the stage to solve the mystery.
"My fists don't rust! Take care!"
Kim Dong Hwan
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 20 |
| Height: | 181 cm |
| Weight: | 78 kg |
| Birthday: | June 13 |
| Blood Type: | O |
| Nationality: | South Korea |
| Fighting Style: | Taekwondo |
| Hobbies: | Hitting on girls |
| Specialty: | Gluttony (his record is 60 plates of clams) |
| Most Important: | His girlfriends |
| Most Unpleasant: | His father (although he does respect him) |
| Likes: | High-cut Sneakers |
| Dislikes: | Rats |
| Favorite Food: | Korean Barbeque |
| Favorite Music: | J-Pop |
| Favorite Sport: | Winter Sports (especially Snow Boarding) |
While Jae-Hoon is serious like his father, Dong Hwan is lazy and tends to skip the dojo. Each time he neglects his training wonders off he is scolded by his father.
However, his fighting sense is endowed with natural talent, and he uses a variety of techniques that are unique and varied. Some say that his strength surpasses that of his father in his prime. His younger brother Jae-hoon is also worried... If only he could come to training.
Though Dong Hwan seems to like doing whatever he pleases, he's actually a gentler man than most people. This time, he heard that Jae-hoon would follow in his father's footsteps and participate in the "King of Fighters", so he decided to participate in the same way in order to help him.
"Well, I'm a curious person too... but, I don't know what I'm gonna do!"
Kim Jae Hoon
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 19 |
| Height: | 177 cm |
| Weight: | 72 kg |
| Birthday: | December 29 |
| Blood Type: | A |
| Nationality: | South Korea |
| Fighting Style: | Taekwondo |
| Hobbies: | Study Taekwondo's history |
| Specialty: | Reciting Pi to the 27th decimal place |
| Most Important: | His family |
| Most Unpleasant: | Really sweet candy |
| Likes: | Small animals (rabbits, hamsters, parrots, etc.) |
| Dislikes: | Evil people |
| Favorite Food: | Really hot Chi ge |
| Favorite Music: | Techno |
| Favorite Sport: | Mat exercises |
Even among the students at the dojo that Kaphwan taught, he is the most hard-working. Above all, he has a strong desire to improve and likes practicing more than eating. The way he practiced was enough to make his older brother, Dong Hwan, say, "I'm full just by looking at him."
However, at the end of that effort, he finally mastered his father's secret technique, "Phoenix Kick".
In addition, he was able to carry on his father's ideal of "spreading taekwondo to people around the world". And in order to put it into practice, he decided to participate in the "King of Fighters" this time.
He loves justice even more than his father and does not tolerate evil.
"Watch me, Dad! Now, I'm going to once again prove how great taekwondo is!"
Hotaru Futaba
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 16 |
| Height: | 156 cm |
| Weight: | 42 kg |
| Measurements: | B78 / W54 / H80 |
| Birthday: | May 11 |
| Blood Type: | A |
| Nationality: | Japan |
| Fighting Style: | Chinese Kenpo "Juu-kei" (Internal Kung Fu) (Taijiquan, Baguazhang, etc) |
| Hobbies: | Cute ribbon collection |
| Specialty: | She can make any animal out of snow |
| Most Important: | Itokatsu, her ferrot |
| Most Unpleasant: | Strong alcoholic beverages |
| Likes: | Dangling-style Linear Coasters |
| Dislikes: | Earthquakes |
| Favorite Food: | Chocolate Ice Cream Banana Parfet |
| Favorite Music: | Pop |
| Favorite Sport: | High jump |
She is searching for her father and brother, who went missing at the time of her mother's death. Though she behaves cheerfully and usually never shows weakness in public, she sometimes gets depressed.
The incident six years ago was the cause of such a trip. At that time, Hotaru was with her kind family. A strict father, a kind mother, and an older brother who protects her more than anyone else. Hotaru felt that he was a happy family even though he had strict training.
It all came crashing down with a sudden tyranny. When Hotaru rushes to her after noticing something strange, her father and brother are nowhere to be seen, only the cold corpse of her mother lying in the dojo.
From the time she lost her family, Hotaru's journey began.
This time she heard rumors of a man who looked like her brother at the "King of Fighters" fighting tournament, and she decided to participate.
"I might be able to meet my brother here... I have to do my best!"
Gato
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 180 cm |
| Weight: | 82 kg |
| Birthday: | May 27 |
| Blood Type: | A |
| Nationality: | Unknown |
| Fighting Style: | Chinese Kenpo "Gou-kei" (External Kung Fu) (Bajiquan, Xinyi Liuhe, etc) |
| Hobbies: | Calligraphy |
| Specialty: | He can hold his breath underwater for 10 minutes |
| Most Important: | Mother's necklace momento |
| Most Unpleasant: | Paying attention |
| Likes: | Anything grand, dynamite, beautiful |
| Dislikes: | Anyone who humbles himself |
| Favorite Food: | Tomyankun |
| Favorite Music: | Homey |
| Favorite Sport: | Swimming |
He seeks power to overthrow his father who caused his mother's death. He is training all over the world to acquire the ultimate martial arts. He is absolutely confident and doesn't shy away from anyone.
Much of his background is unknown, but he does not appear to be of Chinese nationality.
"...this little fish!"
B. Jenet
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 19 |
| Height: | 167 cm |
| Weight: | 49 kg |
| Measurements: | B 86 / W 57 / H 89 |
| Birthday: | January 23 |
| Blood Type: | AB |
| Nationality: | England |
| Fighting Style: | LK Arts |
| Hobbies: | Nail Art, invading territorial waters |
| Specialty: | Her "internal clock" is never off by more than one minute |
| Most Important: | Her "Lilien Knights" companions, and the newest weapons of the "Lilien Knights". |
| Most Unpleasant: | Mornings |
| Likes: | The silence and stillness of 1000 meters deep in the sea. |
| Dislikes: | Diesel ships (because they stink) |
| Favorite Food: | Sirloin Steak (she saves them valuably in the galley) |
| Favorite Music: | Euro Beat |
| Favorite Sport: | Tennis, Equestrian |
In her carefree life, she always came to think the same thing.
That the purpose of life... Is doing something that only you can do that no one else can. Why was I given life, and why is she here?
In order to come to that conclusion, Jenny thought... If you can't find it while waiting, go find it yourself. If you can't find it, create it yourself. If you do it anyway, it will be thrilling and exciting! I want to surprise the world with flashy things!
That was the moment when the thief group "Lilian Knights" was born.
The purpose of this time is to go to the most mysterious fighting tournament "King of Fighters" and receive a huge prize.
"For me, it's a tournament!"
Khushnood Butt (Marco Rodriguez)
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 40 |
| Height: | 183 cm |
| Weight: | 91 kg |
| Birthday: | September 4 |
| Blood Type: | A |
| Nationality: | Brazil |
| Fighting Style: | Kyokugen-style Karate |
| Hobbies: | Reading picture books (Cries reading Disney stories) |
| Specialty: | Sewing, tailoring. |
| Most Important: | His black belt, his Kyokugen signboard |
| Most Unpleasant: | Sake |
| Likes: | His hut for training |
| Dislikes: | Cockroaches |
| Favorite Food: | Chicken curry, rakkyou, grilled (roasted) chicken |
| Favorite Music: | Samba (it boils his blood) |
| Favorite Sport: | Shotput |
When he was just starting out, he heard rumors about Kyokugen-ryu and went to challenge the dojo in Southtown, but was defeated by the dojo's owner, Ryo Sakazaki. In that battle, he learned the strength and depth of Kyokugen-ryu, abandoned his previous martial arts, shaved his head, and entered Kyokugen-ryu.
After that, he continued his efforts and steadily raised his skills, and finally grew up to be appointed as a substitute teacher.
His karate was wild and full of agility, making use of the unique springing of his body. He made Ryo Sakazaki, the current leader of the Kyokugen-ryu, say, "Even if he's the king of beasts, he'll turn into a cat in front of him."
Among his disciples, now that Ryo has retired from the front line, he is rumored to be the strongest Kyokugen-ryu, or in other words, the strongest fighter in the world.
"Khushnood has mastered Kyokugen... you should try it on Chimi!"
Hokutomaru
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 14 |
| Height: | 154 cm |
| Weight: | 40 kg |
| Birthday: | October 7 |
| Blood Type: | O |
| Nationality: | Japan |
| Fighting Style: | Koppou and Shiranui-style Ninjustu |
| Hobbies: | Going to the hot springs in the mountains with monkeys |
| Specialty: | He can climb the tallest tree in the mountains in 16.3 seconds (now attempting to break the record) |
| Most Important: | His master and all the Shiranui-ryuu people |
| Most Unpleasant: | Big Sis Shiranui |
| Likes: | Hot springs |
| Dislikes: | Hairy caterpillars |
| Favorite Food: | Shabon Nabe |
| Favorite Music: | Japanese Kotone (Big Sis Shiranui plays it for him) |
| Favorite Sport: | Athletics |
From an early age, he has trained in the Shiranui style. His master was a foreigner, but his technique was solid, and Hokutomaru respected such a master and immediately worked on his training.
However, when Hokutomaru reaches the age of 14, he will enter puberty. Various questions and worries come out in the training that continues every day.
Is he really good at his ninjutsu? How strong is his power?
And then, the outside world... What is going on in the world that I don't know...?
Once you start thinking about it, the thought becomes stronger and stronger.
Then one night, Hokutomaru finally decides to go down the mountain. The world he saw for the first time... What he jumped into was a poster for the "King of Fighters" event.
"Let's try my ninjutsu to see if it works in the city!"
Freeman
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 24 |
| Height: | 185 cm |
| Weight: | 80 kg |
| Birthday: | November 21 |
| Blood Type: | Not Clear |
| Nationality: | England |
| Fighting Style: | Self-taught martial art "Shame" |
| Hobbies: | Popping bubble wrap |
| Specialty: | As long as his head can fit, he can slip through anything |
| Most Important: | Drill necklace (He likes it) |
| Most Unpleasant: | Flowers with a lot of pollen |
| Likes: | The edge of needles and blades |
| Dislikes: | The middle of a big crowd |
| Favorite Food: | Fish & chips |
| Favorite Music: | Heavy Metal |
| Favorite Sport: | Nothing Special |
He wanted to take risks.
It's already been 20 years since he was born into this world. The only thing he learned after spending most of his life in a dangerous slum... It is the conclusion that "it is only when you are next to death that you can always feel alive." He couldn't think of a way to keep his identity in the peaceful days.
The only thing that can satisfy his hunger is a serious street fight. The tension of fighting in a concrete ring... If you can beat it, it's not enough.
Alive or dead...? It was his favorite moment. To those who know nothing about that way of life, it may seem self-deprecating. But he thoroughly enjoys the insane danger.
This time, he hears that the strongest and worst demon of destruction will participate in "King of Fighters", and he feels excitement like never before and participates in the battle against this unprecedented enemy.
"...this moment...this moment is the only time I'm alive..."
Tizoc (Griffon Mask)
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 27 |
| Height: | 215 cm |
| Weight: | 118 kg |
| Birthday: | April 25 |
| Blood Type: | O |
| Nationality: | Mexico |
| Fighting Style: | Pro Wrestling |
| Hobbies: | N/A |
| Specialty: | He can hold 5 average men on his bridge |
| Most Important: | His Griffon mask |
| Most Unpleasant: | Magazine interviews |
| Likes: | The Smile of children |
| Dislikes: | Illegal moves, and the wrestlers who use them nonchalantly |
| Favorite Food: | "I eat anything a lot!" (quote from Tizoc) |
| Favorite Music: | "The Theme of Griffon" (His entrance song in wrestling) |
| Favorite Sport: | Triathlon |
However, he loses to a mysterious man who suddenly appears.
For a moment, he loses self-confidence and completely loses sight of himself. But with the encouragement of the children and his fans, he regains himself.
From that day on, he began rigorous special training to regain everything.
And two years later………while being hit by a waterfall, he discovers the only weak spot in the stream. This is the catalyst for creating his strongest new special move "Big Fall Griffon".
With this new power, he returned to the stage of "King of Fighters".
"Children, I was revived by your cheers! Come on, let's go undefeated!"
Kevin Rian
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 37 |
| Height: | 187 cm |
| Weight: | 89 kg |
| Birthday: | December 17 |
| Blood Type: | B |
| Nationality: | America |
| Fighting Style: | SWAT Mercenary Techniques |
| Hobbies: | Collects goods from a certain Sci-Fi movie (all 6 in the series, apparently saw it for the first time) |
| Specialty: | Survival |
| Most Important: | His best friend (Marky) |
| Most Unpleasant: | Medicine (He won't drink even if he catches a cold) |
| Likes: | Loose clothes |
| Dislikes: | Tight clothes |
| Favorite Food: | Spare Ribs |
| Favorite Music: | Jazz |
| Favorite Sport: | Darts |
That was last week. He had a close friend, but someone assassinated him. Even if he seeks revenge, he does not know who the culprit is.
When such days were piled up, the child appeared.
"But Bowes, I feel the same way, but I don't know who it is."
"I know who."
"What? For real?"
"Yeah, and my name is Markye, not Bowes."
"OK, let's go, buddy!"
Kevin immediately began to identify the route to Second South.
Grant
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | Unknown |
| Height: | 201 cm |
| Weight: | 105 kg |
| Birthday: | January 8 |
| Blood Type: | A |
| Nationality: | America |
| Fighting Style: | Ankoku Karate |
| Hobbies: | Making Pottery |
| Specialty: | Suppresses any emotion |
| Most Important: | A picture of him, Kain, and Marie from long ago |
| Most Unpleasant: | Highly humid locations |
| Likes: | His Ethnic Mask |
| Dislikes: | Begging for Life |
| Favorite Food: | Beef Stew |
| Favorite Music: | Doesn't listen to music |
| Favorite Sport: | Weightlifting |
Wherever he appears, it is said that there will always be conflict. In fact, there are countless cities that have turned into ghost towns. At some point, people feared Grant as a symbol of destruction.
It is said that the power that he obtained by selling his soul to the devil has the destructive power to overwhelm even the best fighters.
His motives are unknown, but while he prefers fighting above all else, he seems to have an extreme dislike of the weak.
It is rumored that the "King of Fighters" that will be held this time is actually controlled by Grant from the shadows.
"Come quickly... strong man... I am Grant, a martyr of battle..."
Kain R. Heinlein
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 183 cm |
| Weight: | 76 kg |
| Birthday: | February 16 |
| Blood Type: | B |
| Nationality: | America |
| Fighting Style: | Dark Void Fist |
| Hobbies: | Reading |
| Specialty: | Can see emotions through the eyes |
| Most Important: | All the people that surround him |
| Most Unpleasant: | Information |
| Likes: | Starry night skies |
| Dislikes: | Inertia |
| Favorite Food: | Apple Pie |
| Favorite Music: | Classic music |
| Favorite Sport: | None in particular (but, can do anything) |
The source of his ambitions is based on his childhood experiences. His hometown was in the worst part of the shantytown. He had no parents and was forced to live hand-to-hand with his only immediate relative, his sister.
A city where only power is everything. The only food you can get is the chips you get in street fights. Cain fought with a small body and came out alive.
That's when he realized. He is a protected human and a non-protected human. Humans who fight and pave their own way, and humans who are incorporated into the system and swept away. In this world, which one is facing the issue of "living" with sincerity...?
His position at birth is irrelevant. He wanted to create a truly free world.
When he was 8 years old, he got the chance to put that idea into practice. The appearance of Kain during a street fight caught the eye of Don Papas of the family (secret society) who happened to be passing by.
Kain, who was bought for his beauty and strength above all, was picked up by Don Papas and became a member of the family.
A dozen years later... Using his gifted talent as a weapon, he created his own power within the organization, overthrew Don Papas, and became the boss of the family. And now... at last, he has begun to put his long-standing idea into practice...
2023.06.11 03:29 ch-4-os The Weeping Dragon (A silly story I told my students.)
Once upon a time, there was a dragon.He was a huge purple and gold scaled creature with long teeth, strong wings, a spiked tail. He lived on the top of a mountain overlooking a village which was full of people who were terrified of him. The dragon was a nice dragon, though, and he was terribly sad because every time he tried to visit the villagers, they ran and hid or shot arrows at him. Every time he thought about it, he would cry rivers of tears which would flood the village. It wasn't a terrible flood, it was, however, a terribly annoying flood: everyone's shoes got wet and the basements had to be mopped, and the flower beds became mud beds.
No one liked it.
One day, after a flood, the bravest knight in the village decided to go see what was going on and handle it. He got on his trusty steed and rode up the mountain until he came face to face with the dragon who had just stopped crying.“Ho there, dragon,” said the knight. “Why are you flooding our village?”The dragon looked at the knight with big, wet, green eyes and said, “I'm crying because I am so lonely and you are all afraid of me.”
The knight looked at the dragon and heard, “ROAR roar ROOOOOAR.” Then, the knight pointed his sword at the dragon, announcing “You better beware! I am the greatest knight in the village. I do not want to have to use this, but I will.”
The dragon began to cry again as he said, “See? This is what I mean. I just want to play and you always think I'm threatening you!”Once again, the knight heard, “Roar? Rooooar!” At that moment, he had an idea. He looked into those green eyes and said, “I will be right back.” Then, he turned his horse and rode back to the village as fast as he could.
He rode directly to the home of the crazy scientist who had just finished wringing out his lab coat.“Professor!Professor!” called the knight as he rode into the yard, “I need your help!”
The scientist looked up and wiggled his bushy eyebrows, “Sure, sonny. What do you need? I'm always ready to invent something!”So, the knight explained that he needed a something to help him understand what the dragon was saying to him.
A few hours later, the knight was riding back up the mountain wearing a pair of blue headphones which let him have a wonderful chat with his horse as they traveled because the headphones translated every whinny. When he got to the top of the mountain, the knight walked up to the dragon and smiled his most friendly smile.
“Ho there, dragon,” called the knight, “I propose we try this again. Why are you flooding our village? It is annoying and inconvenient and we just don't like it. Please stop.”The dragon sighed a heavy sigh and said, “I do not mean to annoy or inconvenience you. I'm lonely and so sad that you always run away when I come to visit.” The dragon heaved another sigh and then lifted his head, his eyes widening in surprise. “You... you are not running away! Do you understand me? Nod if you understand me.”
The speechless knight nodded, his mouth hanging open in shock. He took a deep breath and nodded, “I understand you. The others do not, though. All of that roaring with all of those teeth and spikes made us think you were coming to eat us. We did not know where the floods were coming from. We assumed it was something you were doing to try to eat us.”
The knight turned and started down the path, calling over his shoulder, “Come, dragon. We will straighten out this miscommunication.”
The people began to panic when they saw the great purple and gold dragon following the knight. They met him at the edge of the village, pitchforks in hand.“Hold! Hold, my friends. The dragon does not want to eat anyone. He is not hungry, he is lonely. He wants to play.”
The villagers weren't sure about this and held back, though they dropped their weapons. No one moved and a hush fell over the crowd until one small girl walked up to the dragon and reached out her hand to touch his nose. The adults gasped and then the little girl giggled. Hearing this, the other children ran up to the dragon to touch his scales and climb up his tail. From then on, the dragon came to the village most days to play with the children and there were no more floods.
submitted by ch-4-os to flashfiction [link] [comments]
No one liked it.
One day, after a flood, the bravest knight in the village decided to go see what was going on and handle it. He got on his trusty steed and rode up the mountain until he came face to face with the dragon who had just stopped crying.“Ho there, dragon,” said the knight. “Why are you flooding our village?”The dragon looked at the knight with big, wet, green eyes and said, “I'm crying because I am so lonely and you are all afraid of me.”
The knight looked at the dragon and heard, “ROAR roar ROOOOOAR.” Then, the knight pointed his sword at the dragon, announcing “You better beware! I am the greatest knight in the village. I do not want to have to use this, but I will.”
The dragon began to cry again as he said, “See? This is what I mean. I just want to play and you always think I'm threatening you!”Once again, the knight heard, “Roar? Rooooar!” At that moment, he had an idea. He looked into those green eyes and said, “I will be right back.” Then, he turned his horse and rode back to the village as fast as he could.
He rode directly to the home of the crazy scientist who had just finished wringing out his lab coat.“Professor!Professor!” called the knight as he rode into the yard, “I need your help!”
The scientist looked up and wiggled his bushy eyebrows, “Sure, sonny. What do you need? I'm always ready to invent something!”So, the knight explained that he needed a something to help him understand what the dragon was saying to him.
A few hours later, the knight was riding back up the mountain wearing a pair of blue headphones which let him have a wonderful chat with his horse as they traveled because the headphones translated every whinny. When he got to the top of the mountain, the knight walked up to the dragon and smiled his most friendly smile.
“Ho there, dragon,” called the knight, “I propose we try this again. Why are you flooding our village? It is annoying and inconvenient and we just don't like it. Please stop.”The dragon sighed a heavy sigh and said, “I do not mean to annoy or inconvenience you. I'm lonely and so sad that you always run away when I come to visit.” The dragon heaved another sigh and then lifted his head, his eyes widening in surprise. “You... you are not running away! Do you understand me? Nod if you understand me.”
The speechless knight nodded, his mouth hanging open in shock. He took a deep breath and nodded, “I understand you. The others do not, though. All of that roaring with all of those teeth and spikes made us think you were coming to eat us. We did not know where the floods were coming from. We assumed it was something you were doing to try to eat us.”
The knight turned and started down the path, calling over his shoulder, “Come, dragon. We will straighten out this miscommunication.”
The people began to panic when they saw the great purple and gold dragon following the knight. They met him at the edge of the village, pitchforks in hand.“Hold! Hold, my friends. The dragon does not want to eat anyone. He is not hungry, he is lonely. He wants to play.”
The villagers weren't sure about this and held back, though they dropped their weapons. No one moved and a hush fell over the crowd until one small girl walked up to the dragon and reached out her hand to touch his nose. The adults gasped and then the little girl giggled. Hearing this, the other children ran up to the dragon to touch his scales and climb up his tail. From then on, the dragon came to the village most days to play with the children and there were no more floods.
2023.06.11 03:19 Archives-H I sell cursed artifacts for a living. So let's talk about selling crashed UFOs.
My name is Quentin Lorreno. I’m somewhat of a middleman in the criminal underworld. I mediate the crime families, I arrange diplomatic marriages, I keep things civil.
But above all I buy and sell cursed artifacts.
These dissonant pieces of the world can be as anything as a shrunken head that gives you bad vibes to things as dangerous as paintings that squeeze the life out of you once you look at them.
What my clients want with them, I don’t know. I don’t ask, and I don’t tell- for the most part.
So let’s talk about UFOs.
In recent times sightings have increased and I’m sure you, dear reader, have heard the commotion of the media and all the talk about them.
Whistleblowers, leaks, court cases- all the like.
Information about alien spacecraft, intelligent aliens coming to visit- hell, even asteroids carrying data from other worlds, other systems. But let me tell you one thing: the people you call ‘higher-ups’ and the ‘elites’ barely know a thing about UFOs, much less alien life.
But I know pieces of alien starcraft are highly desired. And the fact that recovered debris and a ship itself can fetch prices so high you’ll find yourself doubting your very eyes.
The artifact was in the center of the man’s shop. A simple trader in the wet market, haggling with customers and overcharging tourists for the smallest things. “Excuse me,” I said, politely.
He turned to me and smiled, revealing a single gold tooth. “Ah, come my friend,” he cheered, beckoning me inside. I followed; so did my assistant- and expert, Aster. “What do you desire?” he paused, and added, “friend.”
I observed the small artifact in the center of his shop. It was round, and inscribed with symbols I neither understood nor truly comprehended.
“I want this,” I indicated. Despite the freezing rain of the wet market, the small spherical thing felt hot to the touch, and I drew back. “And where’d you find this?”
“Down river, sir,” he explained, vaguely gesturing to the roaring stream past the market. “My friend, the fishman found his nets. All fish in there, dead.”
I turned to my assistant. “Aster, can you verify?” She nodded, slipped a leather glove off her hands and reached out into the ether.
She was a Canary- that’s what we in the artifact business call those with heightened senses, those with powers of the interesting kind. She began to shiver and I laid out a hand on her shoulder as her eyes started to roll back- I feared for her every time she reached out.
“Yeah, it’s legitimate all right- not of this world.” She closed her eyes, sighing. “And he’s telling the truth.”
I nodded to the shopkeeper. “How much for the er, magic sphere?”
He thought, not entirely sure what to make of it. “Five hundred dollars?”
I could get a better deal. “Three hundred.”
“Four-fifty.”
That was acceptable. “Deal!” And I slid out my wallet and handed over cash. He seemed happy, and handed me the still-hot sphere. I nodded to him, and the two of us headed back out into the rain.
The moment the water hit the sphere it hissed and smoke trawled out. “Agh!” I yelped, the metal suddenly turning boiling-hot. It fell, and steam poured from the ground.
Aster, gloves on held it. “How much do you think we can sell this one for?”
There were a few clients I had in mind. World governments, for one, charged more than they really needed to for alien artifacts. A representative from the U.S Department of Defense was a client I could easily phone.
So I thought. “A few thousand,” I assured. “Worth the trip here.”
Me, Aster, and my bodyguard (where had he gone?) had traveled to the market to seek out old artifacts. Aster, with her ability, would sense if these artifacts were objects of the interesting kind, and we’d buy them from the clueless merchants.
Then we’d turn right back around and sell them to shady rich people for a more than decent profit.
It was an easy game, save for the fact that self-proclaimed artifact bounty hunters were after us and the fact that handling cursed artifacts without proper precaution could just as easily wipe us (and bystanders.) off the map.
A clean cut man with dirtied hair and ripped clothes raced up to me. “Hey boss,” it was Matt, and with someone in tow, gripped tightly by the collar. “This guy says he knows you.”
I looked at the fiery redheaded man with odd, dark tinted glasses beside him. “I don’t.” I looked at the man more carefully. “Nope, and Matt- release him.”
Matt did so and the guy fell to the floor. He picked himself up and extended a hand. “My name is Quincy Kieni,” he pointed to the sphere Aster was holding, “and uh, that sphere belongs to me.” I looked at him in confusion. He scratched his chin. “Okay, not really- but I was about to buy that.”
I shook my head. “Well you can’t have it.”
He sighed and started to wave his hands rather eccentrically. “Well, I’ll pay you double!” He began to rant now, “You don’t understand how important that is. You tourists don’t realize that-”
“Okay,” I cut him off. “What’s so good about this?”
“You’re not going to believe me,” he continued, “but it’s an alien artifact. Debris from a crashed ship east of here. Now, I’ll pay double-”
Aster laughed at his words. “Yeah, we kinda already know that.” He stopped and saw the gloves. “We’re in the artifact underworld, you?”
He nodded- then tried to seize the sphere. Matt caught him again. “Okay, fine,” he hissed. “Can I at least propose a deal?”
This was getting tedious. “What deal?”
He cleared his throat dramatically. “For the past week-” he coughed, cutting himself off. Matt gave me a look, “I’ve heard rumors of a fallen meteorite east of here messing with phones, electronics, et cetera-et cetera.” I wondered where his rumors came from. “Also according to some Company scanners I stole- anyway.”
“Whoa!” I snapped. “You stole Company scanners? Not cool!” The Company were the people after us- those who stole artifacts for themselves in order to keep the world ‘safe’.
And getting in their way mostly led to death. “That’s not the important part,” he mused. “Look, I know they’re doing recovery somewhere nearby-” he pointed to the sphere. “I can put together a spell or something and track down the rest of the ship.”
I saw what he wanted then. “You want to work together.”
He nodded shyly. “I’ll locate the spaceship. We get in and out.” He gestured to his little messenger bag. “I got a list of spells in there. Invisibility, Bloomshape, Sanctified…”
Joining forces with the strange little magician would definitely put more Company men on our trail. However, recovering more artifacts for ourselves could net me enough money from my contact at the DoD to essentially bribe our way out of any Company trouble.
I sighed heavily. “Okay, you got a deal.” Matt released him, and for the second time he fell, splashing mud all over us.
Quincy Kieni, as it turned out, was not good at magic at all. The first three attempts to cast a location spell on the artifact ended in a series of sparks, fires, and explosions, each time worse than the last.
“Not to worry,” he seethed, “seventh times the charm!” At least he was right about that one.
Black smoky lines erupted from the sphere and pointed us east, cutting across hills and roads.
So we began the journey walking and splashing in the rain, the short fiery magician leading us forwards, whistling a tune to himself so annoyingly I considered cutting off the deal.
Matt walked beside him, making sure he didn’t pull any tricks. I and Aster walked behind, eyeing our surroundings for safety.
At a certain point Aster began to shiver. Not from the rain but- “We’re getting close,” she noted. “It’s not all debris-” she reached out into the ether and froze, “-Company Men- and- something else.”
I asked her if she could tell what it was. She couldn’t. The journey continued, and the boisterous Quincy started to the quiet, now muttering the tune underneath his breath.
And over a hill and through the brush we saw it. A river, cutting through rocky hills in a small unassuming valley.
And there it was, large and looming. A great metal disc, pulsing with energy and symbols that glowed against the rain. Smoke churned out as water reacted with the metal- just as the sphere had done.
All around the crashed ship were people. Explorers sent from the Company, bagging artifacts, taking photographs and even loading off large pieces of the ship itself into trucks coming and going.
They marched with urgency as the rushing waters eroded the ship, more and more parts of it being washed away.
“Well,” Quincy murmured, “this is a larger operation than I thought they’d send.”
I squinted. “Look-” I pointed to something like a chair being brought out. A dead body, short, gray, and clearly non-human lay dead on it, “a gray.”
It’s dead, large eyes, black as night looked eerily at us, sending a chill down my spine. “That’ll fetch a price,” Matt noted. This was true- corpses, though we never had the chance to recover one, sold at astronomically high prices, pun intended.
Quincy seemed to disagree. “But think of the blood in that thing,” he mused. “So many different applications to science. Cancer, the Flu, Covid…”
“For a magician,” Aster joked, “you seem to care a lot about science.”
I silenced them. “And we better get in there before they take all of that loot away.” I turned to our newfound magician. “So do your thing. Invisibility?”
He reached into his bag and whipped out a phone, opening an app and observing a photograph of a spellbook. “Well, see,” he nervously began, “I don’t exactly know that one.” I looked at him rather angrily. “But I can make them think we’re one of them?”
I sighed. “That’ll do.” That in fact, as we would find out soon enough, wouldn’t do.
The man read out the words and waved his hands eccentrically, and gold lines surrounded us like snakes, swirling around us. “Done.” And then he started to race down the rocky hill.
“Matt, keep an eye on him.” He nodded and went after the magician.
Aster and I followed, entering the camp and nodding to the clueless agents. We went into a tent, found a couple of powerful devices and pocketed them into our bag- one enchanted to fit in an unknown number of items.
We made sure not to take anything that looked particularly dangerous. Or important enough.
“The grey-” I remembered, “do you think we can?”
We observed the men transporting the body onto a truck. “Too well guarded.”
A woman came up to us, a look of annoyance in her face. “You two!” she snapped. “Stop idling about and get to work!”
The spell held, though the lines seemed to waver. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied. “Where to?”
She gestured. “We need more people inside the ship.”
I nodded and we headed off, the lines now starting to vibrate. This was not good. Her eyes were on us, and we quickly entered the alien ship before she saw through our deception.
The inside was definitely larger than the outside. It had seemed relatively small on the outside, enough to carry maybe a crew of four, or five.
But the inside was ginormous. It was a maze of halls crawling with Company Agents scanning and scraping samples of highly reactive metal.
Aster tugged at me, and we found a room deeper in. “Something’s here,” she whispered.
“Hey!” a voice shouted. “That area hasn’t been deconned.”
“We’ll uh, handle it,” I lied. The agent handed us a mask and we put it on, entering the room and closing the door behind us.
“Woah,” Aster gasped, shining a flashlight onto the room. It was some sort of… morgue. Dead alien bodies, oddly humanoid and gray, now decaying sat on tables across the room, some cut up, some still preserved, pristine and glimmering in an unknown yellow liquid.
I felt an odd sense of fear- and being watched by something hidden inside the room, watching with deep, bulbous black eyes.
The door opened behind us, and a woman with stark blue hair walked in. “Woah is right,” she agreed, spraying a bottle of something into the air. “What designation are you from?” She looked at us intently, and the spell started to drift. “Do you even have clearance to be in this deep?”
I looked at Aster in confusion, then back at her. “We, uh, got sent here by the woman in charge.”
The lines surrounding us started to vanish. “I need to see ID Tags-” she squinted as us- “now!” That was the moment the spell broke. Her brow furrowed and- “Intruder!” she shouted, “we’ve got artifact-”
Aster reached out and scrambled her mind. She fell, dazed. I heard the rumblings of people approaching. “Damn it!”
We backed into the morgue, the dead almost staring at us, wondering what would happen next. I shoved a table onto the door, and the agents of the other side started to knock.
“What-” the door started to open, “now-”
A uniformed man entered the room, saw us and started firing, bullets hitting the wall beneath us. They began to enter shooting as we hid behind a counter, firing back.
That was when the first man screamed.
Something leaped from the shadows slashing the man and pouncing off, leaving him bloodied and terrified. He fired around and screamed as it leaped back, falling to the floor, dead.
I dared a peek- claw marks, stab wounds. “We’ve got a live gray!” a second agent yelled. Radio chatter. “Non-lethals- the boss wants it alive!”
This was good news for us. A tranq dart would at least keep us alive- though spending time in a prison was not so good. On the other hand, more agents were coming down the halls, ready to seize the alien.
That’s when I had the plan. “Aster- this just might work, but-” I told her the plan.
She nodded and began to reach into the ether. Across us, the agents fired at shadows in darkness- there were two of them, fighting back. Agents started to be lifted into the air, carried by an unknown psychic and tossed aimlessly.
Then one of the Greys darted at us, and stopped. It bared claws and teeth sharp as knives and I grew scared for a moment.
But the plan had worked. Aster reached into its mind and- “A deal!” she whispered, harsh. She turned to me. “Let’s go!”
Temporarily, at least- they were on our side.
There were three, I realized, and we began to fight our way out. The agents started to retreat, overpowered by the surprise. The Greys led the way, and I headed out.
The hall ahead of us was clear, and in the midst of the confusion we quickly exited the craft. Outside was another mess though, and Quincy and Matt were shot and hid, spells cast, bullets deflected.
A Grey snarled and leaped at them. “Matt, Quincy!” I shouted. “Let’s get outta here!”
We were being surrounded. “The truck!” Matt shouted back, starting to back towards a truck loaded with artifacts. “I hotwired the truck!”
We ran, avoiding all we could. A bullet just barely grazed me and I yelped as I reached the truck. The others followed suit, climbing inside and I started it up- and so did the three extraterrestrials.
“Go, go!” Quincy shouted. “Should’ve-” the window shattered and a bullet hole emerged in the leather behind me, “made a Plan B.”
I hit the gas and charged forwards, knocking a tent over and spilling it’s contents. There was an explosion behind us, and suddenly, we were out of the hills and into fresh road.
Distracted by whatever chaos we had sown, they didn’t give chase. And it was smooth sailing from then; we headed into a little campground a little to the west, and stopped.
We got out, and cheered. The three aliens looked at oddly and seemed to nod, understanding. One had been shot and lay dying, leaking odd yellow from it. The two spoke words in a chittering sort of way to the third as it died.
It passed, breath leaving our world. The two stared at us with bulbous eyes and leaped into the trees, leaving us with the corpse of the third.
“So,” Quincy started, “that went rather well.”
“Are you insane?” Matt snapped. “We almost died.”
I shook my head. “But we got some great loot here,” reminding the two. “And we got…” I stared at the corpse, “that. It’ll pay off some of our debts and fetch a good profit for us all.”
“Ah, his share?” Aster inquired. “That spell was barely effective.”
The magician seemed nervous at that. “Well, I was actually thinking of another prize.” Oh dear. What more was he going to ask for? “You all seem like experienced people,” he pointed out. “What if I join you?”
“No!” we all shouted. He ended up joining us anyway. We did need a magician, and a rather useless one was better than none at all.
The alien artifacts- especially the corpse fetched a high price on the market. We, soon, were overflowing in cash. Sure, we didn’t know what our clients- much less the government was going to do with it.
But at the end of the day that didn’t matter. Our job was done, and we lived to see another day. Such was life in the world of the artifact underground- it’s really the small things that matter- the knowledge that you, at least, would live to see another day.
And that, by me, was okay.
submitted by Archives-H to nosleep [link] [comments]
But above all I buy and sell cursed artifacts.
These dissonant pieces of the world can be as anything as a shrunken head that gives you bad vibes to things as dangerous as paintings that squeeze the life out of you once you look at them.
What my clients want with them, I don’t know. I don’t ask, and I don’t tell- for the most part.
So let’s talk about UFOs.
In recent times sightings have increased and I’m sure you, dear reader, have heard the commotion of the media and all the talk about them.
Whistleblowers, leaks, court cases- all the like.
Information about alien spacecraft, intelligent aliens coming to visit- hell, even asteroids carrying data from other worlds, other systems. But let me tell you one thing: the people you call ‘higher-ups’ and the ‘elites’ barely know a thing about UFOs, much less alien life.
But I know pieces of alien starcraft are highly desired. And the fact that recovered debris and a ship itself can fetch prices so high you’ll find yourself doubting your very eyes.
The artifact was in the center of the man’s shop. A simple trader in the wet market, haggling with customers and overcharging tourists for the smallest things. “Excuse me,” I said, politely.
He turned to me and smiled, revealing a single gold tooth. “Ah, come my friend,” he cheered, beckoning me inside. I followed; so did my assistant- and expert, Aster. “What do you desire?” he paused, and added, “friend.”
I observed the small artifact in the center of his shop. It was round, and inscribed with symbols I neither understood nor truly comprehended.
“I want this,” I indicated. Despite the freezing rain of the wet market, the small spherical thing felt hot to the touch, and I drew back. “And where’d you find this?”
“Down river, sir,” he explained, vaguely gesturing to the roaring stream past the market. “My friend, the fishman found his nets. All fish in there, dead.”
I turned to my assistant. “Aster, can you verify?” She nodded, slipped a leather glove off her hands and reached out into the ether.
She was a Canary- that’s what we in the artifact business call those with heightened senses, those with powers of the interesting kind. She began to shiver and I laid out a hand on her shoulder as her eyes started to roll back- I feared for her every time she reached out.
“Yeah, it’s legitimate all right- not of this world.” She closed her eyes, sighing. “And he’s telling the truth.”
I nodded to the shopkeeper. “How much for the er, magic sphere?”
He thought, not entirely sure what to make of it. “Five hundred dollars?”
I could get a better deal. “Three hundred.”
“Four-fifty.”
That was acceptable. “Deal!” And I slid out my wallet and handed over cash. He seemed happy, and handed me the still-hot sphere. I nodded to him, and the two of us headed back out into the rain.
The moment the water hit the sphere it hissed and smoke trawled out. “Agh!” I yelped, the metal suddenly turning boiling-hot. It fell, and steam poured from the ground.
Aster, gloves on held it. “How much do you think we can sell this one for?”
There were a few clients I had in mind. World governments, for one, charged more than they really needed to for alien artifacts. A representative from the U.S Department of Defense was a client I could easily phone.
So I thought. “A few thousand,” I assured. “Worth the trip here.”
Me, Aster, and my bodyguard (where had he gone?) had traveled to the market to seek out old artifacts. Aster, with her ability, would sense if these artifacts were objects of the interesting kind, and we’d buy them from the clueless merchants.
Then we’d turn right back around and sell them to shady rich people for a more than decent profit.
It was an easy game, save for the fact that self-proclaimed artifact bounty hunters were after us and the fact that handling cursed artifacts without proper precaution could just as easily wipe us (and bystanders.) off the map.
A clean cut man with dirtied hair and ripped clothes raced up to me. “Hey boss,” it was Matt, and with someone in tow, gripped tightly by the collar. “This guy says he knows you.”
I looked at the fiery redheaded man with odd, dark tinted glasses beside him. “I don’t.” I looked at the man more carefully. “Nope, and Matt- release him.”
Matt did so and the guy fell to the floor. He picked himself up and extended a hand. “My name is Quincy Kieni,” he pointed to the sphere Aster was holding, “and uh, that sphere belongs to me.” I looked at him in confusion. He scratched his chin. “Okay, not really- but I was about to buy that.”
I shook my head. “Well you can’t have it.”
He sighed and started to wave his hands rather eccentrically. “Well, I’ll pay you double!” He began to rant now, “You don’t understand how important that is. You tourists don’t realize that-”
“Okay,” I cut him off. “What’s so good about this?”
“You’re not going to believe me,” he continued, “but it’s an alien artifact. Debris from a crashed ship east of here. Now, I’ll pay double-”
Aster laughed at his words. “Yeah, we kinda already know that.” He stopped and saw the gloves. “We’re in the artifact underworld, you?”
He nodded- then tried to seize the sphere. Matt caught him again. “Okay, fine,” he hissed. “Can I at least propose a deal?”
This was getting tedious. “What deal?”
He cleared his throat dramatically. “For the past week-” he coughed, cutting himself off. Matt gave me a look, “I’ve heard rumors of a fallen meteorite east of here messing with phones, electronics, et cetera-et cetera.” I wondered where his rumors came from. “Also according to some Company scanners I stole- anyway.”
“Whoa!” I snapped. “You stole Company scanners? Not cool!” The Company were the people after us- those who stole artifacts for themselves in order to keep the world ‘safe’.
And getting in their way mostly led to death. “That’s not the important part,” he mused. “Look, I know they’re doing recovery somewhere nearby-” he pointed to the sphere. “I can put together a spell or something and track down the rest of the ship.”
I saw what he wanted then. “You want to work together.”
He nodded shyly. “I’ll locate the spaceship. We get in and out.” He gestured to his little messenger bag. “I got a list of spells in there. Invisibility, Bloomshape, Sanctified…”
Joining forces with the strange little magician would definitely put more Company men on our trail. However, recovering more artifacts for ourselves could net me enough money from my contact at the DoD to essentially bribe our way out of any Company trouble.
I sighed heavily. “Okay, you got a deal.” Matt released him, and for the second time he fell, splashing mud all over us.
Quincy Kieni, as it turned out, was not good at magic at all. The first three attempts to cast a location spell on the artifact ended in a series of sparks, fires, and explosions, each time worse than the last.
“Not to worry,” he seethed, “seventh times the charm!” At least he was right about that one.
Black smoky lines erupted from the sphere and pointed us east, cutting across hills and roads.
So we began the journey walking and splashing in the rain, the short fiery magician leading us forwards, whistling a tune to himself so annoyingly I considered cutting off the deal.
Matt walked beside him, making sure he didn’t pull any tricks. I and Aster walked behind, eyeing our surroundings for safety.
At a certain point Aster began to shiver. Not from the rain but- “We’re getting close,” she noted. “It’s not all debris-” she reached out into the ether and froze, “-Company Men- and- something else.”
I asked her if she could tell what it was. She couldn’t. The journey continued, and the boisterous Quincy started to the quiet, now muttering the tune underneath his breath.
And over a hill and through the brush we saw it. A river, cutting through rocky hills in a small unassuming valley.
And there it was, large and looming. A great metal disc, pulsing with energy and symbols that glowed against the rain. Smoke churned out as water reacted with the metal- just as the sphere had done.
All around the crashed ship were people. Explorers sent from the Company, bagging artifacts, taking photographs and even loading off large pieces of the ship itself into trucks coming and going.
They marched with urgency as the rushing waters eroded the ship, more and more parts of it being washed away.
“Well,” Quincy murmured, “this is a larger operation than I thought they’d send.”
I squinted. “Look-” I pointed to something like a chair being brought out. A dead body, short, gray, and clearly non-human lay dead on it, “a gray.”
It’s dead, large eyes, black as night looked eerily at us, sending a chill down my spine. “That’ll fetch a price,” Matt noted. This was true- corpses, though we never had the chance to recover one, sold at astronomically high prices, pun intended.
Quincy seemed to disagree. “But think of the blood in that thing,” he mused. “So many different applications to science. Cancer, the Flu, Covid…”
“For a magician,” Aster joked, “you seem to care a lot about science.”
I silenced them. “And we better get in there before they take all of that loot away.” I turned to our newfound magician. “So do your thing. Invisibility?”
He reached into his bag and whipped out a phone, opening an app and observing a photograph of a spellbook. “Well, see,” he nervously began, “I don’t exactly know that one.” I looked at him rather angrily. “But I can make them think we’re one of them?”
I sighed. “That’ll do.” That in fact, as we would find out soon enough, wouldn’t do.
The man read out the words and waved his hands eccentrically, and gold lines surrounded us like snakes, swirling around us. “Done.” And then he started to race down the rocky hill.
“Matt, keep an eye on him.” He nodded and went after the magician.
Aster and I followed, entering the camp and nodding to the clueless agents. We went into a tent, found a couple of powerful devices and pocketed them into our bag- one enchanted to fit in an unknown number of items.
We made sure not to take anything that looked particularly dangerous. Or important enough.
“The grey-” I remembered, “do you think we can?”
We observed the men transporting the body onto a truck. “Too well guarded.”
A woman came up to us, a look of annoyance in her face. “You two!” she snapped. “Stop idling about and get to work!”
The spell held, though the lines seemed to waver. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied. “Where to?”
She gestured. “We need more people inside the ship.”
I nodded and we headed off, the lines now starting to vibrate. This was not good. Her eyes were on us, and we quickly entered the alien ship before she saw through our deception.
The inside was definitely larger than the outside. It had seemed relatively small on the outside, enough to carry maybe a crew of four, or five.
But the inside was ginormous. It was a maze of halls crawling with Company Agents scanning and scraping samples of highly reactive metal.
Aster tugged at me, and we found a room deeper in. “Something’s here,” she whispered.
“Hey!” a voice shouted. “That area hasn’t been deconned.”
“We’ll uh, handle it,” I lied. The agent handed us a mask and we put it on, entering the room and closing the door behind us.
“Woah,” Aster gasped, shining a flashlight onto the room. It was some sort of… morgue. Dead alien bodies, oddly humanoid and gray, now decaying sat on tables across the room, some cut up, some still preserved, pristine and glimmering in an unknown yellow liquid.
I felt an odd sense of fear- and being watched by something hidden inside the room, watching with deep, bulbous black eyes.
The door opened behind us, and a woman with stark blue hair walked in. “Woah is right,” she agreed, spraying a bottle of something into the air. “What designation are you from?” She looked at us intently, and the spell started to drift. “Do you even have clearance to be in this deep?”
I looked at Aster in confusion, then back at her. “We, uh, got sent here by the woman in charge.”
The lines surrounding us started to vanish. “I need to see ID Tags-” she squinted as us- “now!” That was the moment the spell broke. Her brow furrowed and- “Intruder!” she shouted, “we’ve got artifact-”
Aster reached out and scrambled her mind. She fell, dazed. I heard the rumblings of people approaching. “Damn it!”
We backed into the morgue, the dead almost staring at us, wondering what would happen next. I shoved a table onto the door, and the agents of the other side started to knock.
“What-” the door started to open, “now-”
A uniformed man entered the room, saw us and started firing, bullets hitting the wall beneath us. They began to enter shooting as we hid behind a counter, firing back.
That was when the first man screamed.
Something leaped from the shadows slashing the man and pouncing off, leaving him bloodied and terrified. He fired around and screamed as it leaped back, falling to the floor, dead.
I dared a peek- claw marks, stab wounds. “We’ve got a live gray!” a second agent yelled. Radio chatter. “Non-lethals- the boss wants it alive!”
This was good news for us. A tranq dart would at least keep us alive- though spending time in a prison was not so good. On the other hand, more agents were coming down the halls, ready to seize the alien.
That’s when I had the plan. “Aster- this just might work, but-” I told her the plan.
She nodded and began to reach into the ether. Across us, the agents fired at shadows in darkness- there were two of them, fighting back. Agents started to be lifted into the air, carried by an unknown psychic and tossed aimlessly.
Then one of the Greys darted at us, and stopped. It bared claws and teeth sharp as knives and I grew scared for a moment.
But the plan had worked. Aster reached into its mind and- “A deal!” she whispered, harsh. She turned to me. “Let’s go!”
Temporarily, at least- they were on our side.
There were three, I realized, and we began to fight our way out. The agents started to retreat, overpowered by the surprise. The Greys led the way, and I headed out.
The hall ahead of us was clear, and in the midst of the confusion we quickly exited the craft. Outside was another mess though, and Quincy and Matt were shot and hid, spells cast, bullets deflected.
A Grey snarled and leaped at them. “Matt, Quincy!” I shouted. “Let’s get outta here!”
We were being surrounded. “The truck!” Matt shouted back, starting to back towards a truck loaded with artifacts. “I hotwired the truck!”
We ran, avoiding all we could. A bullet just barely grazed me and I yelped as I reached the truck. The others followed suit, climbing inside and I started it up- and so did the three extraterrestrials.
“Go, go!” Quincy shouted. “Should’ve-” the window shattered and a bullet hole emerged in the leather behind me, “made a Plan B.”
I hit the gas and charged forwards, knocking a tent over and spilling it’s contents. There was an explosion behind us, and suddenly, we were out of the hills and into fresh road.
Distracted by whatever chaos we had sown, they didn’t give chase. And it was smooth sailing from then; we headed into a little campground a little to the west, and stopped.
We got out, and cheered. The three aliens looked at oddly and seemed to nod, understanding. One had been shot and lay dying, leaking odd yellow from it. The two spoke words in a chittering sort of way to the third as it died.
It passed, breath leaving our world. The two stared at us with bulbous eyes and leaped into the trees, leaving us with the corpse of the third.
“So,” Quincy started, “that went rather well.”
“Are you insane?” Matt snapped. “We almost died.”
I shook my head. “But we got some great loot here,” reminding the two. “And we got…” I stared at the corpse, “that. It’ll pay off some of our debts and fetch a good profit for us all.”
“Ah, his share?” Aster inquired. “That spell was barely effective.”
The magician seemed nervous at that. “Well, I was actually thinking of another prize.” Oh dear. What more was he going to ask for? “You all seem like experienced people,” he pointed out. “What if I join you?”
“No!” we all shouted. He ended up joining us anyway. We did need a magician, and a rather useless one was better than none at all.
The alien artifacts- especially the corpse fetched a high price on the market. We, soon, were overflowing in cash. Sure, we didn’t know what our clients- much less the government was going to do with it.
But at the end of the day that didn’t matter. Our job was done, and we lived to see another day. Such was life in the world of the artifact underground- it’s really the small things that matter- the knowledge that you, at least, would live to see another day.
And that, by me, was okay.
2023.06.11 02:59 mac_128 Unreasonable expectations at work
Oh, the delightfully paradoxical world of corporate expectations! Where managers, in their infinite wisdom, ask us to do the metaphoric equivalent of fitting an elephant into a Mini Cooper. It's all about being 'detail-oriented' while also keeping an eye on the 'big picture'. Or to think of every possible situation like a top ranking war strategist working at the pentagon with the time and resources of a clerk taking an order at McDonalds. As if our brains are the latest high-tech DSLRs that can zoom in on a ladybug's freckles while simultaneously capturing the entirety of the Grand Canyon!
You see, it's like taking a photograph. Are you aiming for a stunning close-up of a dew drop balanced precariously on a leaf? Or perhaps a wide-angle shot of a breathtaking mountain range? Pick one, dear friend, because you can't do both at once.
And yes, of course, if you had all the time in the world, maybe you could fiddle with your camera settings, switch between lenses, get the focus just right, then BOOM! Perfect detail-oriented, big-picture shot. But let's be real. In the whirlwind of the 9-5 grind, the only 'zooming' you're doing is bouncing between Zoom meetings.
Here's the thing: if you're so good at this game of photographic wizardry that you can focus on the nitty-gritty while taking in the whole panorama, then why are you still answering to your manager? You, my friend, are clearly destined for greater things.
Buddy, get out there and claim your corner office.
submitted by mac_128 to rant [link] [comments]
You see, it's like taking a photograph. Are you aiming for a stunning close-up of a dew drop balanced precariously on a leaf? Or perhaps a wide-angle shot of a breathtaking mountain range? Pick one, dear friend, because you can't do both at once.
And yes, of course, if you had all the time in the world, maybe you could fiddle with your camera settings, switch between lenses, get the focus just right, then BOOM! Perfect detail-oriented, big-picture shot. But let's be real. In the whirlwind of the 9-5 grind, the only 'zooming' you're doing is bouncing between Zoom meetings.
Here's the thing: if you're so good at this game of photographic wizardry that you can focus on the nitty-gritty while taking in the whole panorama, then why are you still answering to your manager? You, my friend, are clearly destined for greater things.
Buddy, get out there and claim your corner office.
2023.06.11 02:57 idlechat 2023 Lord of the Rings Read-Along Week 24 - Helm's Deep (Book III, Chapter VII)
'Devilry of Saruman!' cried Aragorn. 'They have crept in the culvert again, while we talked, and they have lit the fire of Orthanc beneath our feet. Elendil, Elendil!' he shouted, as he leaped down into the breach; but even as he did so a hundred ladders were raised against the battlements.
Welcome to Book III, Chapter VII ("Helm's Deep") of The Two Towers, being chapter 29 of The Lord of the Rings as we continue our journey through the week of Jun 11-Jun 17 here in 2023.
The host of Théoden rides from Edoras and are heading north-west towards Isengard, with them goes Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. They are planning to meet up with the king's men holding the Fords of Isen against the forces of Saruman.
As they ride towards the Wizard’s Vale a shadow creeps down from the feet of the Misty Mountains, whilst from behind them comes a storm of Mordor. On the second day the dark clouds have overtaken them when a rider approaches seeking Éomer and warning the host to retreat back to Edoras. The forces of Saruman; Orcs, wild hillmen and Dunlanders, have driven back the Rohirrim guarding the crossing and have slain the kings son Théodred. Erkenbrand of Westfold has pulled the remaining men back to Helm's Deep.
Gandalf counsels King Théoden to go to Helm's Deep now, before saying he must leave on a swift errand, promising to return and he will meet them there.
The host now turns south and rides towards the refuge of the Hornburg, a great keep originally built by Gondor before Rohan was ceded the land of Calenardhon. The fortress is built upon a heel of rock thrust outward by a cliff from the mountain Thrihyrne, beneath it there was a wide culvert from which the Deeping-stream flowed and behind it there were a great many caves leading into the heart of the White Mountains.
Upon arriving at Helm's Deep they find it in good repair and well manned, though many of those men were old or very young. They do not have long to prepare their defenses before the frist assault by the enemy. They come in far greater numbers and bring ladders and battering rams; they are repelled time and again from the walls. Just as the enemy appears to be breaking through the main gates Aragorn and Éomer attack the orcs through a hidden gate, yelling the name of their swords Andúril and Gúthwinë as they repel the attackers, in the aftermath Éomer is almost killed by a pair of hidden orcs but he is unexpectedly saved by Gimli who had been watching the pair fight.
The night wears on and the defenders weary as the forces of Saurman continue to pour into the valley and assault the Hornburg. Some broke through the culvert in the wall and attacked from behind, but they were quickly slain or driven into the chasm of the Deep by Gimli, Gamling and the men of Westfold. Gimli then directs the men to block up the culvert with small boulders and broken stones.
However that would not hold off the enemy for long, for Saruman had devised some devilry that blasted the culvert open with fire and at the same time the forces attacked anew. Aragorn and Legoals led what men they could back to the main fortress of the Hornburg, whilst many more were driven back into the caves behind the Deep, along with Gimli, Éomer and Gamling.
Théoden then begins to doubt the strength of his men and the fastness of the Hornburg but he is determined to go out at sunrise, ride into the enemy with his guard and make an end for themselves worthy of song. At dawn Aragorn rides out with Théoden and the lords of the House of Eorl the Young to the sound of trumpets echoing in the hillsides, they drove through the hosts of Isengard and pushed the enemy from the gates. The enemy who had started to fall back found themselves in fear and confusion as where before there had been a green dale, there was now a great dark forest. They tried to scramble up the hillsides to escape both men and the trees, but their final doom arrived in the form of Erkenbrand and Gandalf leading a thousand men on foot down the slopes from the west. The men broke, the orcs fled and after the battle the enemy were either captured, slain or disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again. [1)]
Join in on the discussions!
submitted by idlechat to tolkienfans [link] [comments]
Welcome to Book III, Chapter VII ("Helm's Deep") of The Two Towers, being chapter 29 of The Lord of the Rings as we continue our journey through the week of Jun 11-Jun 17 here in 2023.
The host of Théoden rides from Edoras and are heading north-west towards Isengard, with them goes Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. They are planning to meet up with the king's men holding the Fords of Isen against the forces of Saruman.
As they ride towards the Wizard’s Vale a shadow creeps down from the feet of the Misty Mountains, whilst from behind them comes a storm of Mordor. On the second day the dark clouds have overtaken them when a rider approaches seeking Éomer and warning the host to retreat back to Edoras. The forces of Saruman; Orcs, wild hillmen and Dunlanders, have driven back the Rohirrim guarding the crossing and have slain the kings son Théodred. Erkenbrand of Westfold has pulled the remaining men back to Helm's Deep.
Gandalf counsels King Théoden to go to Helm's Deep now, before saying he must leave on a swift errand, promising to return and he will meet them there.
The host now turns south and rides towards the refuge of the Hornburg, a great keep originally built by Gondor before Rohan was ceded the land of Calenardhon. The fortress is built upon a heel of rock thrust outward by a cliff from the mountain Thrihyrne, beneath it there was a wide culvert from which the Deeping-stream flowed and behind it there were a great many caves leading into the heart of the White Mountains.
Upon arriving at Helm's Deep they find it in good repair and well manned, though many of those men were old or very young. They do not have long to prepare their defenses before the frist assault by the enemy. They come in far greater numbers and bring ladders and battering rams; they are repelled time and again from the walls. Just as the enemy appears to be breaking through the main gates Aragorn and Éomer attack the orcs through a hidden gate, yelling the name of their swords Andúril and Gúthwinë as they repel the attackers, in the aftermath Éomer is almost killed by a pair of hidden orcs but he is unexpectedly saved by Gimli who had been watching the pair fight.
The night wears on and the defenders weary as the forces of Saurman continue to pour into the valley and assault the Hornburg. Some broke through the culvert in the wall and attacked from behind, but they were quickly slain or driven into the chasm of the Deep by Gimli, Gamling and the men of Westfold. Gimli then directs the men to block up the culvert with small boulders and broken stones.
However that would not hold off the enemy for long, for Saruman had devised some devilry that blasted the culvert open with fire and at the same time the forces attacked anew. Aragorn and Legoals led what men they could back to the main fortress of the Hornburg, whilst many more were driven back into the caves behind the Deep, along with Gimli, Éomer and Gamling.
Théoden then begins to doubt the strength of his men and the fastness of the Hornburg but he is determined to go out at sunrise, ride into the enemy with his guard and make an end for themselves worthy of song. At dawn Aragorn rides out with Théoden and the lords of the House of Eorl the Young to the sound of trumpets echoing in the hillsides, they drove through the hosts of Isengard and pushed the enemy from the gates. The enemy who had started to fall back found themselves in fear and confusion as where before there had been a green dale, there was now a great dark forest. They tried to scramble up the hillsides to escape both men and the trees, but their final doom arrived in the form of Erkenbrand and Gandalf leading a thousand men on foot down the slopes from the west. The men broke, the orcs fled and after the battle the enemy were either captured, slain or disappeared into the forest, never to be seen again. [1)]
Join in on the discussions!
- Here are some maps and further information relevant to the chapter from The Encyclopedia of Arda: Deeping-coomb, Deeping-stream, Deeping Wall, Dunharrow, Dunland, Edoras, Fords of Isen, Gondor, Helm's Deep, Helm's Dike, Helm's Gate, Hornburg, Hornburg-gates, Hornrock, River Isen, Isengard, The Mark, Mirkwood, Misty Mountains, Mordor, Moria, Orthanc, The Rock, Rohan, Thrihyrne, Westfold, Westfold Vale, White Mountains, Wizard's Vale.
- Phil Dragash narrates "Helm's Deep" at the Internet Archive.
- For drafts and history of this chapter, see The War of the Ring, pp. 8-24. From The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (2014), Book III, Chapter 7, pp. 412-8.
- Interactive Middle-earth Map by the LOTR Project.
- Announcement and Index: 2023 Lord of the Rings Read-Along Announcement and Index
2023.06.11 02:55 AutoModerator [Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download
![[Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download](https://external-preview.redd.it/N7gMF964saFF2DvuQ0Myxt1EeqGVpmrJj6rlu4U-5B8.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3c1ab233bbbf9392a75f9ad9362ab45655efdf4c "[Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download") | ➡️ https://www.genkicourses.site/product/chris-orzechowski-badass-black-friday-bundle/⬅️ submitted by AutoModerator to Genkicourses_Com [link] [comments] Get the course here: [Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download What You Get:Course #1Black Friday BootcampThis is a short course I created for one of my e-commerce coaching groups. It outlines the high level strategy you need to use to MAXIMIZE sales for BFCM.I go over everything from how to map out your promo calendar… what emails to send when… exactly when you should START and FINISH your promo(s)… and, most importantly… … how to STAND OUT and grab attention in an overcrowded inbox, so you can break every sales record. Once you watch this mini-course, you’re going to be pumping out high-converting BFCM campaigns in no time! Course #2 Make It Rain MonthlyBFCM/Q4 Planning CallThis is a special “members-only” coaching call I recorded with a handful of my top students to help them prepare their clients’ brands for BFCM success.I even critique (and edit) a few of my students’ BFCM emails during this call. You can look over my shoulder and see how I think about constructing these email campaigns and sequences – super valuable! Course #3 Make It Rain Monthly Issue #8The Black Friday / Cyber MondayMEGA Issue Part 1
Make It Rain Monthly Issue #9The Black Friday / Cyber MondayMEGA Issue Part 2
Make It Rain Monthly Issue #20The Black Friday / Cyber Monday2021 Gameplan
Holiday Sale Super SequenceWant to scoop up even MORE sales during the holidays (without the hassle of figuring out your promo calendar)?This Holiday Sale Super Sequence is based on campaigns I still run for my agency clients that generate anywhere between $30-$50K — without fail. Comes with SIX email templates, a quick-start implementation video and super secret bonus. So if you want to generate massive sales easily every time there’s a holiday… then this training is going to help you make that happen. This sequence is PERFECT for BFCM… but you can even modify it to run other holiday sales throughout the year. Courses proof (screenshots for example, or 1 free sample video from the course) are available upon demand, simply Contact us here |
2023.06.11 02:52 AutoModerator [Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download
![[Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download](https://external-preview.redd.it/HLrpxL2auV3eQLSGWm2VFV58kmg8abLg7bILcHAsIbA.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=f8cc06c400533d6d544ffdf739d86c0c97d068a6 "[Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download") | ➡️ https://www.genkicourses.site/product/ry-schwartz-coaching-the-conversion-ctc-circle-10-2022/⬅️ submitted by AutoModerator to Genkicourses_Com [link] [comments] Get the course here: [Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download What You Get:Program #1CTC Launches(to master your launch and funnel sequences)10X Launches is the first copywriting program fully engineered to speed up the execution and amplify your results of your emails no matter what kind of funnel or launch strategy you’re rolling out. It’s built not only for best-in-class launch copywriters… But for coaches, consultants, course creators, and ANYONE who stands to benefit from nailing down their launch and funnel copy faster and with more genuine impact. IN THIS TOP-SELLING PROGRAM, YOU’LL GET ACCESS TO: 2 “Core” ModulesThat will initiate you into the “Coaching The Conversion™ method, and how to leverage a new, more empowering definition of “direct response” that opens up the floodgates to greater intimacy, empathy, and conversions.5 “Launch” Modulesbreaking down every single phase of your launch or funnel in full detail (including some you didn’t even know existed). You’ll learn exactly what’s at play during the Segmentation & Confirmation, Pre-Launch, Launch, Sales and Closing phases of your funnel and how to quickly craft the messaging that coaches your prospect into the final conversion in a powerful, non-sleazy way.25+ Email TemplatesNone of that BS “plug’n’play” or “swipe and deploy” stuff that shoehorns your message into lifeless boxes that robs it of all life and power.Instead, you’ll get FULL breakdowns and walkthroughs of the go-to templates I turn to over-and-over again in 6 and 7-figure launch campaigns. Meaning, you get to craft your OWN high-converting launch emails in about 25 minutes flat and fire them into ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign (or wtv you’re using) while your coffee’s still hot. Program #2CTC Sales Pages(to master your long form sales page)This is it. It’s where the best paid copywriters, coaches and course marketers on the planet earn their keep. It’s where the conversion either happens or it doesn’t. In cold hard numbers that don’t care how many Clif bars you stress-ate in the process. It’s where the most admired online business owners transform interest, desire, and engagement and into what you actually want: Sales. So what is “it”? It’s your long-form sales page. And the truth is… most copywriters and marketers avoid long-form sales pages like the plague… treating it like a close-talking lepper with coffee breath… instead of the 24/7 salesperson your sales page – that final step in your marketing funnel – should be. So why do marketers (and even pro-level copywriters) avoid sales pages? Because writing a long-form sales page is intimidating AF. It’s the Night King of the Whitewalker army. It’s the Beef Wellington on Hell’s Kitchen. It’s the Lord Voldemort of your marketing funnel – aka the funnel asset that shall not be named. A long-form sales page is where you’ll spend dozens of hours writing THOUSANDS of words that will either confirm your claim as a top player in your space… Or will tell you with Gordon-Ramsay-esque candor that your marketing wasn’t as good as your business coach told you it was. There’s real pressure in that. But there’s even real-er payoff in being able to do it faster – and more profitably – than anyone else in your industry. A payoff that even affords you the right to make up words like real-er Confronting, yep? Conquerable. Absolutely. In CTC Sales Pages, you’ll go through the exact process I’ve used to write over twenty 6 and 7-figure sales pages for the likes of Amy Porterfield, Copyhackers, and many more. Program #3 & #4Six Figure Emails & Seven Figure Emails(for even more email conversion badassery)Welcome to the “Johnnie Walker Blue” of our email template series. This is the premium blend for more advanced marketing palates. All pulled straight from my highest-performing launches for industry titans like Amy Porterfield, Todd Herman, Traffic & Funnels, and Copyhackers. What you’re getting are 13 advanced email templates that you can use in a pinch when you need to write a standalone sales email, a webinar invitation, a post-webinar replay, downsell, or flash sale. To be clear, these aren’t those sketchy and lifeless “swipe and deploy” templates you may have seen swimming around the shadier parts of the online marketing cesspool. These are loose, flexible templates that guide you through deep-dive masterclasses teaching you the advanced psychology behind each one. Meaning, you actually understand WHY they work, and are fully empowered to engineer them to best serve your audience. Program #5Minimum Viable Launch 2.0(to quickly rock profitable and lean email launches)We’ve taken the single most impactful part of 10x Launches; the part that countless students have credited with producing game-changing ROI in record time… And given it a fresh-for-2022 facelift. Not only will you be getting access to a stack of NEW templates that we’ve added to the stack based on repeated tests and real-world results. But we’ll be offering you the one-click automation uploads to bring the whole sequence straight into your ActiveCampaign to save you and your team about 5+ hours of heavy-duty integration time. Program #6Application Funnel Amplifiers(for creating powerful pre-call enrollment experiences)Fact: The enrollment experience begins the moment your prospect books a call. If you mail it in for those 12-72 hours between when they book the call — and show up to it, you’re missing a golden opportunity to begin coaching the necessary transformations. In this brand new program, you’ll learn how we to consciously engineering your entire application experience to pre-empt objections, create magnetism, and stack the odds in favor of having a successful enrollment conversation You’ll get practical answers to:
Program #7Next-Level Automation & Optimization Stack(upcoming and ongoing automation tutorials)As the CTC Membership evolves, our resident Wizard, Philip Powis will be actively adding a library of importable one-click automations (into ActiveCampaign), leveraged software playbooks, and a running list of the most advanced (and cost effective) tools and systems that he recommends for fast-scaling course and coaching businesses. Courses proof (screenshots for example, or 1 free sample video from the course) are available upon demand, simply Contact us here |
2023.06.11 02:45 strawberrybrooks Sam & Frodo and Fingon & Maedhros; A connection with Music
These characters share something special in common that I had never connected the dots with before, and it has to do with Sam searching for Frodo in Cirith Ungol and Fingon rescuing Maedhros from Thangorodrim.
The similar story element on its own is a nice connection between the ages, but it goes a step further with Sam and Fingon both becoming surrounded by darkness, nearly reaching points of despair unable to go any further to find their friends, and choosing music as the next way forward.
Music is a deep element in the themes of Tolkien's legendarium going all the way back to the Ainulindalë, with characters who are more connected with the roots of the world like the Elves, the Dúnedain, the Ainu and Tom Bombadil all having music as an essential aspect of their character or culture. There is a feeling that certain music in Middle-earth is almost guiding along Eru's plan in a way, so these choices in these moments are significant. Now that I think about it, a similar connection can be made to Luthien rescuing Beren from Morgoth's dungeon.
The moment in Lord of the Rings comes after Sam defeats Shelob and takes the Ring from Frodo, who is captured by Sauron's orcs. Here is the passage from Return of the King Book 6 Chapter 1, The Tower of Cirith Ungol:
At last, weary and feeling finally defeated, Sam sat on a step below the level of the passage-floor and bowed his head into his hands. It was quiet, horribly quiet. The torch, that was already burning low when he arrived, sputtered and went out; and he felt the darkness cover him like a tide.
And then softly, to his own surprise, there at the vain end of his long journey and his grief, moved by what thought in his heart he could not tell, Sam began to sing. His voice sounded thin and quavering in the cold dark tower: the voice of a forlorn and weary hobbit that no listening orc could possibly mistake for the clear song of an Elven-lord.
He murmured old childish tunes out of the Shire, and snatches of Mr. Bilbo's rhymes that came into his mind like fleeting glimpses of the country of his home. And then suddenly new strength rose in him, and his voice rang out, while words of his own came unbidden to fit the simple tune.
In western lands beneath the Sun the flowers may rise in Spring.
The trees may bud, the waters run, the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night, and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white amid their branching hair.
Though here at journey's end I lie in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high, beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun, and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done, nor bid the Stars farewell.
'Beyond all towers strong and high,' he began again, and then he stopped short. He thought that he had heard a faint voice answering him.
And yes it is the voice of Frodo through a hidden trap door, who Sam is then able to rescue and escape with to finish their quest to Mount Doom. Special shout-out to that fantastic poem.
Going back to the beginning of the First Age, after Fëanor's host arrives in Beleriand and get promptly stomped by Gothmog's balrogs, his eldest son Maedhros gets captured and chained dangling by his hand to the cliffside of Morgoth's stronghold Thangorodrim, not unlike the punishment of Prometheus. The Noldor following Fingolfin then arrive to the aftermath of this after crossing the ice.
This passage is from The Silmarillion Chapter 13, Of the Return of the Noldor:
Then Fingon the valiant, son of Fingolfin, resolved to heal the feud that divided the Noldor, before their Enemy should be ready for war; for the earth trembled in the Northlands with the thunder of the forges of Morgoth underground.
Long before, in the bliss of Valinor, before Melkor was unchained, or lies came between them, Fingon had been close in friendship with Maedhros; and though he knew not yet that Maedhros had not forgotten him at the burning of the ships, the thought of their ancient friendship stung his heart.
Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes.
High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim he climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold.
Then in defiance of the Orcs, who cowered still in the dark vaults beneath the earth, he took his harp and sang a song of Valinor that the Noldor made of old, before strife was born among the sons of Finwë; and his voice rang in the mournful hollows that had never heard before aught save cries of fear and woe.
Thus Fingon found what he sought. For suddenly above him far and faint his song was taken up, and a voice answering called to him. Maedhros it was that sang amid his torment.
Just like Sam, music helps Fingon save his friend from the depths of despair, and these characters all go on to have pivotal roles shaping the history of Middle-earth. Whether Tolkien intended the story arcs of these characters to rhyme like this or simply used the same beat twice, I find it to be a really nice touch. Music being an essential aspect of the goodness of Tolkien's world has always been great to me. And in this case it's like both Fingon and Sam receive deep in their spirits a fated musical nudge to help them achieve their tasks.
Thanks for reading
Do you have any other connections between distant characters or moments in Tolkien's works? I'd love to hear some more
submitted by strawberrybrooks to tolkienfans [link] [comments]
The similar story element on its own is a nice connection between the ages, but it goes a step further with Sam and Fingon both becoming surrounded by darkness, nearly reaching points of despair unable to go any further to find their friends, and choosing music as the next way forward.
Music is a deep element in the themes of Tolkien's legendarium going all the way back to the Ainulindalë, with characters who are more connected with the roots of the world like the Elves, the Dúnedain, the Ainu and Tom Bombadil all having music as an essential aspect of their character or culture. There is a feeling that certain music in Middle-earth is almost guiding along Eru's plan in a way, so these choices in these moments are significant. Now that I think about it, a similar connection can be made to Luthien rescuing Beren from Morgoth's dungeon.
The moment in Lord of the Rings comes after Sam defeats Shelob and takes the Ring from Frodo, who is captured by Sauron's orcs. Here is the passage from Return of the King Book 6 Chapter 1, The Tower of Cirith Ungol:
At last, weary and feeling finally defeated, Sam sat on a step below the level of the passage-floor and bowed his head into his hands. It was quiet, horribly quiet. The torch, that was already burning low when he arrived, sputtered and went out; and he felt the darkness cover him like a tide.
And then softly, to his own surprise, there at the vain end of his long journey and his grief, moved by what thought in his heart he could not tell, Sam began to sing. His voice sounded thin and quavering in the cold dark tower: the voice of a forlorn and weary hobbit that no listening orc could possibly mistake for the clear song of an Elven-lord.
He murmured old childish tunes out of the Shire, and snatches of Mr. Bilbo's rhymes that came into his mind like fleeting glimpses of the country of his home. And then suddenly new strength rose in him, and his voice rang out, while words of his own came unbidden to fit the simple tune.
In western lands beneath the Sun the flowers may rise in Spring.
The trees may bud, the waters run, the merry finches sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night, and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white amid their branching hair.
Though here at journey's end I lie in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high, beyond all mountains steep,
Above all shadows rides the Sun, and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done, nor bid the Stars farewell.
'Beyond all towers strong and high,' he began again, and then he stopped short. He thought that he had heard a faint voice answering him.
And yes it is the voice of Frodo through a hidden trap door, who Sam is then able to rescue and escape with to finish their quest to Mount Doom. Special shout-out to that fantastic poem.
Going back to the beginning of the First Age, after Fëanor's host arrives in Beleriand and get promptly stomped by Gothmog's balrogs, his eldest son Maedhros gets captured and chained dangling by his hand to the cliffside of Morgoth's stronghold Thangorodrim, not unlike the punishment of Prometheus. The Noldor following Fingolfin then arrive to the aftermath of this after crossing the ice.
This passage is from The Silmarillion Chapter 13, Of the Return of the Noldor:
Then Fingon the valiant, son of Fingolfin, resolved to heal the feud that divided the Noldor, before their Enemy should be ready for war; for the earth trembled in the Northlands with the thunder of the forges of Morgoth underground.
Long before, in the bliss of Valinor, before Melkor was unchained, or lies came between them, Fingon had been close in friendship with Maedhros; and though he knew not yet that Maedhros had not forgotten him at the burning of the ships, the thought of their ancient friendship stung his heart.
Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes.
High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim he climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold.
Then in defiance of the Orcs, who cowered still in the dark vaults beneath the earth, he took his harp and sang a song of Valinor that the Noldor made of old, before strife was born among the sons of Finwë; and his voice rang in the mournful hollows that had never heard before aught save cries of fear and woe.
Thus Fingon found what he sought. For suddenly above him far and faint his song was taken up, and a voice answering called to him. Maedhros it was that sang amid his torment.
Just like Sam, music helps Fingon save his friend from the depths of despair, and these characters all go on to have pivotal roles shaping the history of Middle-earth. Whether Tolkien intended the story arcs of these characters to rhyme like this or simply used the same beat twice, I find it to be a really nice touch. Music being an essential aspect of the goodness of Tolkien's world has always been great to me. And in this case it's like both Fingon and Sam receive deep in their spirits a fated musical nudge to help them achieve their tasks.
Thanks for reading
Do you have any other connections between distant characters or moments in Tolkien's works? I'd love to hear some more
2023.06.11 02:35 raging-loon [Web] [Unknown] web based or emulated rougelike
I remember playing this game in 2013-14 maybe. You had a group of four dwarves(I think they were dwarves) and they would wander around mountains and the wilderness killing and finding things. I don't remember if you actually told them where to go or if they did that themselves. I definitely played it on a website so it was either flashed based or was emulated. It may have had pixel graphics. I apologize if this is too vague, I haven't played it in ten or so years when I was like 8.
Thanks!
Edit: I'm pretty sure it was a top down 2d game
submitted by raging-loon to tipofmyjoystick [link] [comments]
Thanks!
Edit: I'm pretty sure it was a top down 2d game
2023.06.11 02:32 IrreliventPerogi Deadhouse Gates: A First-Time Reader's Experience, Thoughts, and Observations - Book 1: Raraku Pt. 1
Book 1: Raraku
Epigraph
Another entry of Sayings of the Fool by Thenys Bule. I've wondered before what kind of Fool the title refers to; I'm now comfortable saying that these are sort of anti-proverbs, which are examples of folly that must be avoided in others. The fool swims across the desert sands, because he has "seen shells and the like//On this desert floor." Thus, he "swims this land's memory//Thus honoring its past." Curiously, the Fool recognizes the suicidal nature of the task, "For [he] shall drown long before//[he is] done." Also, he is not dying of dehydration, but specifically drowning. It is the past that shall kill him.The Fool has prioritized honoring the past over his life, the present. Such seems to be our lesson, and given the following chapter (and I assume Book 1 as a whole) being filled with characters making drastic choices for the sake of the past, I feel like this is a most relevant, and thus ominous, warning.
Chapter 1
A new setting, a new cast. I'd known this before I'd started GotM, but it conceptually bothered me far less than it seems to bother others. You learned a new setting and cast in the first book, right? You'd be doing the same if you backed out for another series, right? Anyway, with longer scenes and samples, I can confidently say the prose, characterization, and dialogue are all much improved after a decade's training on Erikson's part. This all also feels very Dune-ish, as well. But without further ado...Epigraph
A poem or excerpt of a poem titled The Path of Hands by Messremb (whom the Dramatis Personae tells us will make an appearance himself at some point) It ties rather closely with the opening scenes of the chapter, so I'll give my thoughts on this once we have some more context below.The Chapter Itself
It is the next year, 1164 B.S. and what is locally called the Sixth of the Seven Years of Dryjhna, the Apocalyptic. We get some indication as to what this means later. Mappo Runt watches a rising plume of dust moving across the desert while informing his companion, Icarium, of what it is he sees. Flat-headed, long-necked, shaggy, and black with three legs, he judges it to be some creature known as an aptorian. He also berates Icarium for his running hairdye. Disguised as a Tanno, the seven-foot, Jaghut-blooded Icarium speculates that their passage has been marked by anyone caring or knowledgeable enough to guess who they are, but such could not be helped. The presence of the aptorian speaks to another impending convergence, one which Shadowthrone is inspecting. This particular creature, ranging wide of its pack, has seemingly fallen under the sway of Sha'ik. We get some slight information on who or what Sha'ik is, but not terribly much. They do hold an army out somewhere in the desert, by a watering hold the two aim to reach.Icarium eyes his friend, a millennium old, and as a Trell, large with a shaggy mane down his neck and back, bearing long, sinuous arms. He recognizes reluctance in his friend, and calls it out. It seems the aptorian is a demon of sorts, and Mappo is reluctant to face such creatures. Icarium, in contrast, is driven by curiosity and would press forward. They pack up camp and enter the basin.
Later, by nightfall, the two continue into the desert, and we get some nice descriptions of the land and its fauna. resting in some ruins, the two prepare for tomorrow's search. Of note, the sand faintly glows to Mappo's eyes, so I assume Trells can see into infrared? We already knew his sight was much better from the previous scene, but this helps contextualize it. We get confirmation that the land is indeed littered with tels, as that's just how long-term civilization works, especially in a desert. Separated fairly evenly at fifty years apart, there was once a rich and powerful civilization that lived here. Many of the ruins tell of a swift and violent end, although the exact nature of this end is uncertain. From this time, legends of Dryjhna the Apocalyptic have formed, resurging once again across the Holy Desert Raraku.
Curiously, the ensuing thoughts of Mappo, despite their strangeness, are considered "familiar ruts" by the text. Thoughts that deny they can discover what occurred here, that they are "no closer" than they've ever been, and that he has no reason to doubt such thoughts. They're looking for something in the lost past, and the nature of that hunt has Mappo checking himself. In the courtyard, Icarium has found something. Tiny scratch marks along the base of a column, coordinated. Could these be the imprints of passage the Epigraph speaks of? This is enough to suggest to the two that there are D'ivers nearby, and we soon find out why. They even assume a specific D'iver, Gryllen. They anticipate more shapeshifters, and it is now that I should point out that all the characters of this storyline are designated as ON the Path of Hands, indicating that this is a literal path/route which is part of some ritual or ceremony. One which seems to attract many shapeshifters, which is described here as "the fever for which there is no cure." The references to Ascendancy both here and in the epigraphs seem to indicate that this path has some ties with that as well. They also reference gates (Deadhouse Gates?) which some believe offer Ascendancy.
Speculation Time:
The Path of Hands is a path that leads to an Azath. Not the Deadhouse but the Odhanhouse in Seven Cities. Namely, because they themselves are near Pan'potsun Odhn, and are, well, in Seven Cities, lol. There is a belief that entering the fickle gates of an Azath provides ascendancy. Considering Shadowthrone and the Rope entered the Deadhouse, and Shadowthrone is evidently interested in the goings on here, there likely isn't nothing to the idea, but Icarium and Mappo seem to be heading for it for some other reason. Namely, Icarium's eternal goal, which we receive some indication of.
Icarium has lived for centuries, possibly millennia,* yet cannot remember his own past (whether this is because of magic shenanigans is currently unknown, but immortals with a mundane/finite memory are one of my favorite niche tropes in fiction so I'm all in on this storyline. It may be that he inherited a Jaghut lifespan and a human/whatever memory, causing this, but the continual reference to a curse may very well be literal) and seems to be seeking a way to recover them for what seems are personal reasons. Mappo seems to regret something in his or Icarium's past, considering his friend's curse a gift.
*This also makes his question "how long have we been friends?" into a bit of fun foreshadowing rather than just the tired "catch the audience up" question. He's legitimately asking on top of the rhetorical device.
A pack of six wolves follows them into the ruins, betrayed by their scent to be shapeshifters, or rather, one shapeshifter in six bodies. D'ivers, it seems, change into groups of animals, be it a swarm of rats or a pack of wolves. Absolutely sick. They recognize the shapeshifter as Ryllandaras, but he does not recognize them. The Trell offers to open their discourse, calling him the brother of Treach (an ascendant himself, the "First Hero") whom thought him dead. The creature responds psychically, promising to kill them, but curious of their story. They seem to feign ignorance of one another, an alliance of convenience rather then friendship, boasting that they'd be able to take him on. They do soon give up the charade, calling one another by name as a final intimidation tactic, and this dissuades the pack from taking them on. We get the implication that Icarium resorting to violence would be a very bad thing for everyone involved, such that Mappo is sworn to prevent such an occurrence. The D'ivers does not seem to recognize Sha'ik, and seems to think killing it's aptorian is no big deal. We leave Mappo and Icarium for the chapter with their disagreeing with that diagnosis, but allowing Ryllandaras to pass regardless.
The next morning, the Imperial Harbor of Hissar is filled with a fresh transport of troops, surrounded by native tribesmen and women armed and shouting, building towards a riot. Such are the musings of Imperial Historian Duiker, the same man who defended Heboric in his trial. Meeting him is Mallick Rel, advisor to the local High Fist, also named as a jhistal priest of the Elder god of the seas. That he was merely greeted by the advisor was a calculated insult. Curiously, this adviser has quickly ascended the ranks to get where he is, inviting countless dark rumors of what he may hold over the High Fist, such that any who stood in Rel's way seemed to meet an accidental end. With the ship now unloading is the new Fist of the 7th, Cotaline of the Crow Clan. Although Duiker doubts his capacity to navigate the political web of the Empire, we shall soon see he is more than adept at cowing the locals.
Mallick Rel near immediately insults the man, his words smooth and insidious. The historian remembers his quick-formed dislike of the creature. Rel informs him that the Empress has no active machinations in Hissar, whatever his source. Duiker is here to observe the new batch of prisoners bound for the Otataral Mines. It doesn't seem like a stretch to assume this is the same ship that Felisin and co. were boarded onto. Mages were often used in the Otataral mines so that they may double as a containment facility. While the mages within often went mad, it is unkown if this was from Otatartal changes or Warren deprivation. With the new batch containing so many muggles, long-term Otataral exposure can be studied in depth.
The two are approached by two more, an unnamed rough-looking captain and the lone surviving Cadre mage of the 7th, Kulp. The two newcomers express significant distaste for their new Fist and the Wickan people as a whole. MR inserts himself into the conversation to note that Coltaine is an odd choice, given the tension between the two groups as well as the Wickan's status as formerly one of the Empire's strongest rivals. But Duiker comments that this is not at all strange, Coltaine was the one to unite the clans and establish a rebellion, one the Empire had a terrible time putting down. The Emperor, in his usual fashion, acquired Coltaine's loyalty through unknown means. While the man was placed in Quon Tali backwaters to rot after Laseen's coup, the degredation of events on Genebackis necessitates the maintenance of order on Seven Cities at all costs, hence, the skilled local Coltaine is placed back in command in the face of the prophesied rebellion.
The man himself approaches the seething mob, who had been continuously escalating their hostilities over the course of the above conversation. With a sheer undulating shout he manages to quell them; compelling them to fall in line and quietly move out. Admiring this show of skill, the four comment on it, with the captain mentioning how Coaltine's political savvy matches his savage people skills. Mallick Rel thanks him for the advice. I must admit, despite spending several paragraphs describing how loathsome the man is, that his directness and frankness, calibrated to match the new energy of the conversation such to drop everyone's defenses was very well done. I myself didn't note the Captains blunder until it was pointed out. He may be a schemer but his people and manipulation skills match.
Elsewhere, sailing down from the Skara isles, our Bridgeburner crew of Crokus, Apsalar, Fiddler, and Kalam continue their journey home-ish. Fiddler, for his part, is bored and seasick, internally lamenting his presence. Crokus and Moby attempt to comfort him, with minimal success. The monkey/demon, for his part, has adopted the sapper as many creatures do.* Fid's internal monologue is a delight to read BTW. He internally frets over their coming excursion in 7C, and all the danger the continent posses.
*While I mentioned this before, it is weird to me that Mammot's familiar is just hanging around after his death. There's something there.
Apsalar calls out a school of flying fish, running from something large. Kalam mentions that its odd the hunting fish would themselves be hunted round these parts, being apex predator's in the area. The dherabi of Seeker's Deep hunt them, but they never come out into water this shallow, or on the opposite side of the continent. Unfortunately, a dhenrabi, one who's scent betrays it as Soultaken, far more massive than any natural creature, appears and begins pursuing them. I will say, this is some excellent creature design. Sure, it's "just" a centipede sea serpent, but the added details of how it swims/sinks with filling/emptying it's caprice with air, along with how it uses this to hunt is the kind of creative and interesting detail that makes this stand out without devolving into an exposition dump.
Interestingly, the Soultaken uses the opportunity to out itself by communicating with them. Fiddler uses the opportunity to warn the creature not to approach. It ignores his warning, moving in for the kill, and promptly has it's head blown off by Fiddler using a munition. My guy is just wandering around a fantasy world with a backpack of thermite grenades while being vaguely unimpressed with all the wizard shenanigans he come across. What an excellent character. As an aside, I assume this particular Soultaken was heading much in the same direction the others were, for whatever reason. I also wonder if they survive the deaths of their animal forms. Hours later, they notice some ridders on the coast, a Malazan messenger and his guards. The two Bridgeburners comunicate through glances, one touch I like with this is how Kalam's messages, while clear, are in Fiddler's pattern of speech, as we're in his head.
I'll note the likely importance of whatever this messenger is hoping to convey, but not speculate as there's nothing to speculate about. Also, Blue Moranth are apparently a thing (although they may have received a passing mention in GotM, now that I think on it) and the route that Fiddler internaly lays out gives us a rough idea of some of the geography of this world. Crokus attempts to make small talk, giving the audience a peek into the Bridgeburner's last time on 7C. The time when Kalam and Quick Ben were on the opposing side, the T'lan Imass marched for the Emporor, and somehow, the two were folded into the Bridgeburners themselves. I'll also note the mention of the "Seven Holy Falah'dan" for later. Fiddler demands the boy be quiet, as "all wars are ugly, but that one was uglier than most." Kalam himself only revealed these details while drunk.
Crokus, thwarted from one line of communication, demands that the BBs explain why they're passing almost completely through the wrong continent on their way home. They explain that they intend to assassinate Empress Laseen. Apsalar takes to this well, muscle memory brining an old smirk of Sorry's to the forefront all the while. She remembers that Kalam himself was a master assassin, high ranking within both his time under a Falah'dan and in the Claw, and is thus confident in his skills. For whatever reason, their plans and preparations begin in 7C with the rebellion. Whatever it is they intend to do here is in accordance with Quick Ben's (who can apparently just warp wherever) scheme he was cooking up at the close of GotM. For the sake of Darujhistan, Crokus agrees to the plot; and so we leave them as they land upon the coast.
Well this has been one heck of a setup! Expanding the world while still being constrained to what's been referenced before. Shapeshifters are racing an immortal amnesiac down the Path of Hands, rebellion is closer than ever, and our good old Bridgeburners are scheming to take the Empire down from the head. I, for one, cannot wait to see how it all unfolds!
2023.06.11 02:23 MeraboAt The Best Bluetooth Gaming Headsets For Every System
 | submitted by MeraboAt to u/MeraboAt [link] [comments] Gaming Headsets If you are someone who thinks gaming is simple, all it requires is a phone or gaming system and a wifi connection - then you are very much wrong. For those who take gaming seriously, it is a skill, a proper sport which requires specific tools to be able to play up to one's potential. And mind you - serious gamers take their tools seriously. While having a comfortable chair, a steady internet connection is important - it is also important to have the best bluetooth gaming headphones or wired gaming headphones by your side to fully enjoy virtual gaming. Gaming is not only a virtual experience, it has very strong audio components as well that add to the feeling of playing online games. You need to be able to hear and see everything clearly in order to forget about the ambient surroundings and fully immerse into the virtual world. You need to be able to hear everything - be it a bomb blast at a distance or enemy footsteps, be it firing of a gun or some instructions from your gaming partners. And on top of all this - no chaotic noises from your surroundings should disturb you! Now if you are thinking - where can i find such versatile and cool headphones then this is your lucky day. We have curated a special list of headphones that will ensure a good and comfortable listening experience. Checkout the below list of gaming headsets that you can buy right away: Immortal 300 Get. Set. Slay! Get ready to be your best at the gaming field with these stylish and powerful wired headsets. The 5 RGB LED modes add to the overall vibe of the headphone. Simply put these on and get in control of your listening experience. Just turn on the 3D driverless spatial audio mode and get that edge in every firefight. They pump out the ultimate surround sound that provides pinpoint positional accuracy. With these, you get to hear every movement of the enemy with 3D driverless spatial audio for PC and Mobile. The 50mm drivers know how to keep on pumping the right audio for you to enjoy online gaming. Furthermore, with these headphones, you will not only be able to hear everything clearly but also be heard clearly. The mic is enhanced with ENx Technology that carefully isolates your voice so your squad hears your instructions loud and clear! When you are not killing the online demons, you can switch on the music mode that will help you seamlessly enjoy your favorite music or movie with relevant optimisations. Immortal 1300D If you love gaming then you have to check out these bluetooth headsets. Designed to enhance your gaming experience, they come loaded with many interesting features. The automatic breathing LED effect on the earcups looks absolutely cool. Increase your immersion and in-game awareness with ultimate surround sound that provides pinpoint positional accuracy. Listen to directional footsteps from far away with 3D spatial sound for fps games like BGMI, COD, Free Fire etc. They pump out boAt signature sound that keeps you entertained and immersed in your favorite source of entertainment - be it music, movies or games. It supports dual connectivity - bluetooth & aux. This way you get to experience more freedom to connect the gaming system of your choice with this bluetooth wireless headset. The dual microphone also adds convenience. The power of ultra-low latency further ensures that your audio & video is always in sync. These bluetooth headsets are designed for long gaming hours as they are not only powerful but also extremely comfortable. Wings Vader 350 Get ready to conquer any battlefield with these amazing gaming headphones. Whether listening to music or playing a game, the huge 50 mm driver will provide a dramatic and detailed audio experience, enveloping you in deep bass and immersive sound. The low latency gaming mode guarantees a smooth and uninterrupted audio experience that is always in sync. It doesn;t matter whether you are using them to play online games or watch your favorite moves, your audio & video will always be in sync. These headphones ensure that there is no loss of quality or time when you are speaking or hearing. Thanks to its 20-hour battery life, you can play your games, watch your movies, or listen to your music for hours on end without worrying about running out of juice. Razer Barracuda X These ultimate gaming headphones that are guaranteed to keep you company during those tense gaming moments. They are lightweight and the earcups come with a memory foam that ensures comfort for long hours.With a high-speed 2.4GHz cnnection, enjoy seamless audio whether you’re gaming at home or out with your phone, easily jumping between devices. The 40mm drivers push out exceptional highs, mids and lows. They provide deeper gaming immersion and a more dynamic listening experience for music and videos. Hope you enjoyed reading through the list of these headset wireless and wired headphones. You can count on them for your next gaming marathon! |
2023.06.11 02:20 PurpleSolitudes Best Microphone For Streaming Available On Amazon
 | A microphone is a crucial component for streaming, as it allows you to capture high-quality audio for your audience. When streaming, your voice and any other sounds you make are the primary means of communication with your viewers, and clear audio is essential for creating an engaging and enjoyable experience. submitted by PurpleSolitudes to storedekko [link] [comments] Best Microphone For Streaming can help you communicate more clearly and effectively, which can lead to higher engagement and better viewer retention. It can also help you stand out from the many other streamers who may be competing for viewers in the same space. There are several factors to consider when selecting a microphone for streaming, including sound quality, convenience, and budget. Some popular options include USB microphones, XLR microphones with audio interfaces, and headset or lapel microphones. Ultimately, the importance of a microphone for streaming cannot be overstated. A high-quality microphone can help you create a polished and professional stream, and it is an investment that is well worth considering if you want to take your streaming game to the next level. Best Microphone For StreamingRazer Seiren Mini USB Condenser Microphonehttps://preview.redd.it/w7zpu959cs4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=9244db788b30637931cfb52598f2157bff888bf0 Razer Seiren Mini USB Condenser Microphone is a compact and affordable microphone that delivers excellent sound quality, making it an ideal choice for content creators, streamers, or podcasters. In this review, we will take a closer look at the features, pros, and cons of this microphone. Read More Below View on Amazon HyperX QuadCast – USB Condenser Gaming Microphonehttps://preview.redd.it/p7w6cvxfcs4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=609546c012a194c318bca276addd3dc7e8aad011 HyperX QuadCast is a USB condenser gaming microphone that promises high-quality audio capture for gamers and streamers. With its sleek design and impressive specs, it has quickly become a popular choice among content creators. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the pros and cons of the HyperX QuadCast to help you decide if it’s the right microphone for you. Read More Below View on Amazon Elgato Wave:3 – Premium Studio Quality USB Condenser Microphonehttps://preview.redd.it/60t6xfnhcs4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=6ec7bd85c6d2a49ed3a6637025056d342d676a3a Elgato Wave:3 is a high-quality USB condenser microphone that promises to deliver studio-grade sound quality for all your recording and streaming needs. Designed with the modern content creator in mind, it features a sleek design, intuitive controls, and advanced audio processing capabilities that make it an indispensable tool for anyone looking to create professional-grade content. In this review, we’ll take a deep dive into its features, pros, and cons to help you decide if it’s the right microphone for you. Read More Below View on Amazon Logitech for Creators Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Microphonehttps://preview.redd.it/znx27lmlcs4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=0b708a717e4d7337ef8b03a0ac7cd0de77c99c41 Logitech Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Microphone is a compact and sleek microphone designed for creators. It provides excellent sound quality, ease of use, and versatility at an affordable price. Read More Below View on Amazon HyperX QuadCast S – RGB USB Condenser Microphonehttps://preview.redd.it/wbox26sxcs4b1.png?width=1500&format=png&auto=webp&s=d910b32b22caabd361379a7cebcde250e91b4d1f HyperX QuadCast S is a top-of-the-line USB condenser microphone designed specifically for gamers and streamers who demand the best audio quality possible. With its sleek design, customizable RGB lighting, and powerful features, this microphone is a standout choice for anyone looking to take their content creation to the next level. Read More Below View on Amazon |
2023.06.11 02:17 InsanelySpicyCrab General Quick-Guide for Zangief
Hello all,
I have been watching Snake Eyes play and compiled some notes for my fellow Zangiefs based on what I've seen. Please note that I am NOT a top pro (currently plat 5) and i'm still not 100% sure on any of this so if anyone has any corrections, please let me know! I hope this can help some of you that are trying to make sense of Zangief's various options.
Without Drive Rush
submitted by InsanelySpicyCrab to StreetFighter [link] [comments]
I have been watching Snake Eyes play and compiled some notes for my fellow Zangiefs based on what I've seen. Please note that I am NOT a top pro (currently plat 5) and i'm still not 100% sure on any of this so if anyone has any corrections, please let me know! I hope this can help some of you that are trying to make sense of Zangief's various options.
GENERAL TIPS
In no particular order, these are just useful things that I noticed.- If opponent is in burnout, headbut is so +++ that it chains into itself on block AND threatens tic-throw. The only way out is a true reversal or jump whenever you decide to stop and tic throw (or you can convert into another pressure string.)
- Drive Rush c.mp is good.
- Drive rush charged s.hp is good
- Backwards ground slam normal throw follows into light SPD (if not teched) and cannot be mashed out with jab
- Backwards ground slam follows into s.lk xx DR xx c.mp + tic-throw threat
- EX Lariat combos into EX AIR SPD in corner if the lariat hits high. (Does this work outside of corner?)
- S.hk can be followed up with ex spd as a counter to people jumping spds just like sfv
- Level two super will invalidate projectiles and vacuum opponent in.
- Headbutt beats jump out attempts vs tic-throw
- Level 2 vacuum makes it a very strong poke, as a (buffered) reaction, in neutral since it will vacuum in fireballs and normals from a fair distance.
- c.lp to check drive rush
- after level 3, drive rush + s.mp will hit meaty
- After SPD, Drive Rush over + sweep will catch jump outs. (Can I get a fact check?)
- Lariat DOES NOT HIT BEHIND YOU; it's also not a very good anti-air. Be careful out there!
- s.lk xx drive rush is a useful to start to a lot of effective pressure for Zangief. You can also cancel the drive rush directly into SPD which will catch many players consistently and is an easy source for a lot of damage in neutral just be careful about players getting wise and jumping out as you drive rush in as you'll have to adjust your follow ups accordingly.
TICK-THROW NORMALS
From what I can tell; since SPD is 5 frame startup; you must be at least +2 to enforce Zangiefs tic-throw game. If your normal is +1 or less, your opponent can jab out before SPD. If you are at least +2 and you go for a SPD, your opponent must jump or reversal to escape. (Can I get a fact check; can they also backdash? Don't think I have seen that happen yet.)Without Drive Rush
- s.lp (+2)
- headbutt (+4 on block!!)
- Advancing Knee (up to +8 on block, depends on perfect spacing.)
- c.lp (+1 = +5)
- s.mp (-2 = +2)
- c.mp (-1 = +3)
- c.mk (-2 = +2)
COMBOS
Some random useful combos I have observed.- Drive Impact (or deep aerial) -> Headbutt xx DR xx Headbutt, c.f+mp (Party Starter), lariat super.
- jumping normal -> s.lp, s.mp (OR TIC-THROW)
- Jumping Normal -> c.f+mp, ex-SPD,
- Forward + HK (overhead), c.f+mp, ex lariat (Useful as punish counter after blocking a reversal?)
- Drive Impact (Causes Air Tumble) -> c.f+mp (party starter), ex lariat,
- Level 2 (Hold), normal dash, c.f+mp, EX SPD
Some questions for my fellow Zangiefs:
- When opponents are consistently jumping out of your tic-throw pressure by BACK-JUMPING, what do you feel is the best and most consistent response?
- What do you feel is the best way to deal with enemies that do a lot of forward jumping at that awkward crossup angle that Zangief seems to have trouble covering?
- Why does Zangiefs Siberian Express (running bear grab) sometimes cause him to stop running and give up JUST before he gets to my opponent, when other times he will run completely full screen without stopping? Why do you vex me so Zangief!?!?
2023.06.11 02:16 Frame_Late Interloper (Part 1 Finale)
The Iconoclast was very different on the inside than it was on the outside. The outside was painted a dark, rusty red and kept simple to help blend into the void of space. It was large, sure, about a kilometer and a half long, but it was also bulky in a sleek way, two words that shouldn't have fit together but did in this case. The ship had a lot in common with those of tilfish design; substantial in tonnage for its purpose but still practical and efficient. But it was also clearly pieced together from several salvaged tilfish ships by humans, making it thinner and and more predatory in nature than what you'd normally see constructed by the aquatic insectoids.
The inside, however, well that was a different story. It was a warm orange color throughout, and filled to the brim with things you wouldn't expect to see inside of a warship. The first place she saw just down the hall when she entered the ship was the dining hall. The dining hall was actually more like a very large dining room, with dozens of wide circular tables that were bolted to the floor surrounded by elegant dining chairs. Two red vintage soda machines sat side-by-side next to a series of glass-door fridges containing all sorts of drinks from soda to bottled water. A buffet was to the far side of the hall, next to a pair of push doors leading to the kitchen. A few dozen members of the crew were already seated, most of them being Arxur and Humans, although she spotted a few Gojids and Harchens in the mix. Babushka Polina hobbled past them back to the kitchen while mumbling about something, a Venlil wearing an apron opening the doors to the kitchen for her before following her inside.
Everybody was chatting and socializing, dinner apparently not having been served yet. She preened her feathers nervously, scared of what would be served. Even if it wasn't a sentient, the idea of these predators tearing apart a live animal terrified her. She didn't want to be here to observe their eating practices, even if she had seen some outliers. Would they even serve anything other than meat? Sure, Song Lui had served her vegetables, but these people were very different; they had different accents, skin tones, names, clothing, and probably a different culture. She couldn't assume they would act the same as Song Lui, as it would be both foolish and unbecoming of her.
She felt Sargen's clawed paw squeeze her shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort her. "Whatever you think is going to happen, it wont. Just sit down and relax, and I promise I'll be right next to you."
Silijima took a deep breath in the vain attempt to calm down. "What will they be serving," Silijima hissed, the panic in her voice readily apparent. "I don't want to be eating meat from some carcass like a predator. I know that the predators on this ship won't eat me, but that still doesn't change the fact that they eat like predators."
Sargen just chuckled. "You really don't have a clue. Let's just go sit down, I'll introduce you to some of my coworkers before Igor gives his speech and Babushka announces the beginning of the feast."
Silijima fidgeted but relented, allowing Sargen to steer her into the dining hall and to a table with a few crew members along with a tall, white bottle containing some kind of potent and clear liquid; alcohol maybe? Their presence didn't ground her at all, rather it only made her even more anxious, but she pulled herself together and shooed Sargen away before sitting down. The largest of the humans, practically a giant in size and only a few inches shorter than Tarlim himself, looked at her and she nearly jumped out of her feathers. He was young, but still mature enough to seem jaded, and he had a mop of messy black hair that covered his dark hazel eyes. His lip was scarred, and his neck had a few nasty scars as well that reached down under his loose t-shirt and onto his chest. He was muscular and toned, reminding Silijima of a tree trunk you'd find on her homeworld, and his arms were the size of bridge cables. He was sitting in a larger chair than usual, probably because any normal chair would've seemed comically small in comparison, and probably break under his weight.
"Who's your little friend, Sargen? Is she the new blood?"
Sargen nodded. "That she is. This is Silijima, our newest hull engineer and weapons maintenance coordinator." Sargen gestured to the truly massive human gently. "Silijima, this is Haran, also known as Goliath. He's one of our assault specialists and heavy gunners."
Silijima waved meekly, and Haran nodded. "She doesn't seem too confident. Lucky for us she isn't a grunt."
Sargen scowled at Haran, obviously not happy with how he spoke about Silijima. Silijima, on the other hand, wasn't too offended; she understood she wasn't exactly confident even if she was a trained soldier.
"Haran, please try to show some respect; she's our newest crew member."
Haran shrugged. "I didn't mean to offend, just pointing out that she doesn't exactly have nerves of steel."
"No, no; it's fine," Silijima interjected. "Don't worry about it, Sargen, I know what he means." And she did. She wasn't brave at all, or at least she didn't think she was brave. Sure, she had fought before, but she was just an engineer. Her combat experience was limited to assisting the ship guard in defending the more vulnerable parts of the ship. It wasn't her job to go out of her way to be face to face with predators, and thus she wasn't used to it. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she was able to last so long inside civilian society after her temporary discharge; most of her fellow soldiers were desensitized to predator glares, a surefire symptom of predator disease, while she was merely capable of reacting in time to not be gutted by an Arxur.
Haran simply nodded. Next to him was a tall, youthful and pale-skinned human with brown hair and green eyes. He gave Silijima a friendly human snarl and a small wave. "It's good to meet you, hun, I'm Timothy."
Silijima imitated him, waving her wings nervously. "It's nice to meet you too, Timothy. What's your role on the ship?"
Timothy chuckled for a moment before responding. "Oh, me? My job's pretty boring. I'm just the quartermaster, essentially the guy who manages the ship's stores and assigns rooms."
Sargen nodded behind her. "Timothy's a good man; he helped me through some hard times and he still does from time to time."
"Yep, I try to help everyone on the ship when I can; Sargen is just special to me because he's one of my close friends." Timothy then turned his attention to Sargen, who seemed to shrink under his carefree gaze. "That reminds me, Sargen, you missed dinner last night. What's that all about?"
"I… something came up." The enormous Gojid stuttered, obviously nervous.
"Oh really? Well, we have a few days before our next assignment. You should come over tonight."
Sargen didn't seem too amused by that idea. "Timothy, you don't have to invite me over every week."
"Oh, but we do," Timothy countered. "Sargen, when you're at home on the station you subsist off of takeout and whatever junk food you pick up at the insta-mart. Me and Madison want to make sure you eat at least one healthy meal every week."
Sargen grumbled for a moment, but didn't resist causing Timothy's smile to only grow. "Good, I'll expect you to be there. Siijima ,hun, you're invited too if you want to join us. We don't serve meat at the table when our crew members join us for dinner, I promise."
Timothy's kindness shocked Silijima. Inviting someone over for dinner on Nishtal was only done for business or if the individuals in question were good friends. For Timothy to invite Silijima, a relative stranger, over for dinner showed that he truly saw her as a potential friend. "I would be honored, but I wouldn't want to intrude on whatever… this is."
Haran snorted in amusement at Silijima's synopsis of the odd relationship between Timothy and Sargen, obviously having experienced this conversation beforehand.
"Nonsense," Timothy replied, "We always make extra, and any friend of Sargen's is a friend of ours."
Silijima didn't say anything in return, but Sargen spoke in her place. "Timothy, let's just get through lunch before you start inviting people to dinner."
Timothy shrugged, a smile on his face. "I understand. Just make sure you come tonight; Gabbie misses her Goji."
Silijima had never seen a Gojid blush so deeply before. "Please don't use that name in public, it's degrading."
Timothy made a face that implied he obviously wasn't going to respect Sargen's request, causing the Gojid to fume.
To the right of Timothy was a Venlil female. She didn't wear anything except for a simple pearl necklace, but her fur was meticulously combed and groomed. She gave Silijima a soft, motherly smile, a smile that put her at ease.
"Don't mind the boys, dear, they're just acting like fools as usual. My name's Varka, one of the resident nurses under Dr. Kaczemeric." Venlil stuck out her paw, and Silijima was confused until she remembered to take Varka's hand. Varka simply giggled, obviously amused by Silijima not being used to human social norms. "It's nice to meet you too, dear. Why don't you sit down next to me? Carphano and I are probably less intimidating than our human friends."
Varka gestured to the final crew member at the table, a male Harchen with a scar across his face. He waved as well, his side facing eyes droopy and full, as if he hadn't had much sleep recently. "My name's Carphano, communications officer, nice to meet you."
Silijima sat in between them, the feeling of being amongst a group of species she was familiar with making her feel much more comfortable. Sargen and Timothy were still arguing quietly, while Haran watched with an amused look on his face. Suddenly, she heard the loud and repeated clinking of a spoon against a glass. Across the dining room, Igor stood on a podium made from inlaid mahogany, a bright snarling smile plastered on his face. "Friends! Today is a good day! In the past week, we made history!"
The entire dining hall went silent at the sound of his voice. This must be a man that commanded their respect.
"Five days ago, we returned from what may just be the greatest group liberation in Commonwealth history. Thirty two cruiser-class cattle ships were captured, their prisoners saved and their guards captured or killed. Today, the Coalition has finally given us the exact number of cattle liberated, as well as our cut of the spoils!"
The entire dining hall was dead silent, the anticipation palpable. Finally, Igor gestured to a man next to him, a shorter human with a thin brown mustache and olive skin. The man passed him a paper, which Igor opened like a giddy child receiving a birthday card. Finally, he read the contents, his snarl only growing.
"The final number of liberated cattle was… one hundred and twenty-two thousand, three hundred and seventy four; the largest liberation in history."
The entire room broke into cheers, aliens of all races holding each other and yelling. It was pandemonium, but Silijima couldn't help but join the crowd, both the news and her herd instincts causing her to join in with triumphant squawks. The idea of saving over a hundred thousand sentients from slavery was so incredible that it invoked a euphoria inside of her that she hadn't felt for a long time.
Igor gestured for the crowd to quiet down, and as they did so he spoke up again. "We must remember, however, that this was not only our doing. We must congratulate our comrades who assisted us, all seven ships, their crews and captains, as well as mourn those who were lost while fighting for the freedom of others." With that statement, Igor held up a small glass of the clear liquid, as did many of the crew members. Then, he shouted at the top of his lungs "mortem tyrannis et oppressoribus!" Before downing the liquid in a few gulps and slamming the glass onto the podium with a loud thump. The rest of the crew followed suit, the largest arxur to the tiniest dossur drinking and shouting the motto Igor had proclaimed. Silijima didn't have a glass, so she just watched expectantly, waiting for Igor to continue.
"Now, for the part all of you have been waiting for; payroll. Even after the Coalition took their cut, and we split the profit eight ways, we made out like bandits. Needless to say, you'll all be getting the maximum bonus on top of your commissions."
More cheering, even louder this time. Silijima didn't blame them; Igor seemed like a good boss if he was giving out the maximum bonus for a job well done. Even Sargen had a bright smile on his face, as if he was already planning on what he was going to spend the money on.
"And finally, our future work; we won't be taking part in any liberation fleets any time soon. Instead, the Coalition sees fit to assign us on a defensive rotation, so it should be a calm few weeks. This means that if you've been on a few back to back missions, you should go home and rest for the month. Spend time with your family, or vacation planetside for all I care; God knows you all need it after our last victory. The rest of you; be prepared to take off on Friday and be space-born for at least a week at a time. And be prepared for a fight; NeoSec has detected a small Farsul fleet in the area, at least five thousand ships. Nothing cataclysmic, mind you, but still a worthy challenge."
There was murmuring now, people discussing the change of pace and whether they liked it or not. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sargen practically pouting, arms crossed and eyes refusing to make contact with Timothy's. Timothy, to his credit, seemed very pleased with himself.
"So hun, what brings you to our little slice of chaos?" Asked Timothy, eyes twinkling. He took another sip of his drink, a bottle of soda so green it almost looked radioactive. He seemed really nice, like a preacher, but without any of the feelings of hesitation she'd get from speaking to one. He lightly tapped the wedding band on his ring finger against the neck of the green glass bottle, causing it to make light clicking noises.
"I uhh… I wanted to get away from Nishtal. Too much is going on there for me to be comfortable with."
Timothy nodded. "That explains why you came to the Commonwealth, but not why you decided to become a Corsair. It's not an easy life, you know."
Silijima pondered his query for a second before responding. "Military life is all I know. When I finished secondary school I joined the navy because I had nothing better to do, but now that I'm out I can't imagine any other life. Sure, it's hard, and especially dangerous, but without that certainty and structure that I get from being on a warship, I feel lost."
Timothy nodded, his face becoming a little somber. "I understand that feeling. I'm ex-military, although I didn't see much combat. Getting out is the hardest thing I've ever done, although I'm pretty sure I never really left the service, I just changed who I served."
Silijima nodded. "It's refreshing to talk to someone who understands. That life… it changes you, and not for the better. Everyone at home, well, they're scared of me, they say I'm diseased and it's a matter of time before they throw me into some clinic where they drug and shock me until my brain melts. Even the people I served with, if they weren't already taken away for 'treatment' then they're too terrified to say anything because we don't know who we can trust."
For the first time since she had met him, Timothy didn't seem amused or amicable. He had a deep frown on his face and his eyebrows were bent downwards, an expression she had been told meant anger. She backed away a little, but he held up his hand. "I'm not mad at you, it's just the idea of an entire society treating those who risk their lives to protect them like dirt is despicable. On earth, we celebrate our heroes, not vilify them."
Silijima nodded. "In a perfect world maybe, but I'm used to it."
"But that's the problem; you shouldn't have had to live like that, in fear of the same people you swore to protect… it's not right."
"Maybe, but what's done is done. I left Nishtal and now I'm here, so maybe I can experience that respect for once."
"You don't have to hope, because I know you will. The people here are different, even the former feds, you'll see."
And with that uplifting though, dinner began. Polina and her assistants, two Venlil and a Sikvit, rolled out massive wheeled tables filled to the brim with different steaming pots, pans and bowls containing all kinds of food. To her dismay, there was meat on the table, but there was also a section entirely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, and it was even longer than the table dedicated to meat.
Some of the naval staff ran up to help, with Polina shooing them away stubbornly. They simply ignored her and helped anyway, rolling the tables to the far wall next to the kitchen. Soon, a massive feast was gathered, with over two dozen tables of all sorts of human delicacies.
The crew quickly made their way to the tables, forming lines at each. Plates, bowls and cups were passed out by the kitchen staff, and soon people began piling their plates high with all sorts of food. Sargen had two whole bowls of what seemed to be a deep red colored stew, which she first foolishly assumed was blood, but quickly realized was just the liquid taking on the red color of the beets and cabbage. Timothy had a bowl of hearty cabbage stew that she had learned was called Schi and a shallow plate of small, ear-shaped dumplings on the side called Pelmeni, swimming in a fragrant broth and topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of black pepper. There were other dishes, so many that Silijima couldn't count them all, but she was introduced to many of them by Timothy when he led her up there to get her a plate. There was all sorts of vegetarian dishes for her to try, ranging from cold soups like Svekolnik, Okroshka and Botvinyah, all sorts of salads with based on salted pickles and beetroots, several variations of hot soups like Schi and Borscht, Vareniki dumplings, farmers cheese shaped into cakes and shallow fried and so much more. Timothy insisted on making sure she got her fill, so he made her plate for her, filling her a bowl of Svekolnik and some Vareniki dumplings on the side with Smetana and black pepper. Only then did he let her sit down, after he quickly said grace, of course. Silijima didn't know what saying grace meant exactly, but she guessed that it involved them thanking their strange human God for their food, which felt anything but predatory.
Timothy took a bite of his Pelmeni. "So, how're you liking the station so far? Anything peak your interest?"
Silijima chuckled. "Everything, actually. This place is so unique and alien compared to anything in the Federation; it makes me think about what my species would be like if the Federation hadn't erased our old culture."
Timothy gave her a small smile, but she could tell he was troubled. "And you don't mourn for that lost culture?"
Silijima paused, thinking about his question. "I suppose I do sometimes. The idea of us being freer and less… inane with our thinking really strikes me as a wonderful change of pace. I could never see myself as an omnivore… no offense!"
But Timothy wasn't offended. "I don't blame you for not suddenly being enamored with omnivore; the same happened with cloned meat on earth. A bunch of elites tried to make cloned meat the rule and not the exception through all sorts of government restrictions and subsidization schemes. All these rich influencers and wealthy magnates who can still afford to buy the real thing, and still do to this day mind you, told us how we were supposed to live and what we were supposed to do, that we were supposed to sacrifice while they enjoyed every luxury imaginable. To this day it doesn't sit well with a lot of people on the station."
Suddenly, Silijima's mouth dried up and her appetite disappeared. "You guys don't clone meat here?"
Timothy shook his head. "Nope, not a single pound. In fact, it's been lawfully and democratically voted into illegality by the citizens of the station, to protect our cattle farmers planetside. Most humans on earth aren't vegan and vegetarian by choice; it's really expensive to buy meat because of meat cloning, and that was before the war and the deals with the Arxur. Now you have to be vegan because of the massive decrease in available cattle. That doesn't stop the rich from eating their fill though."
Silijima looked away, internal disgust battling moral indecision. On one hand, the idea of eating live cattle was far more disgusting to her than cloned meat, but on the other hand she understood his metaphor clear as day; it was about the Commonwealth and the Federation. "You support cattle farming not because it's better, but because it benefits humans more."
"It's not about 'you' or 'me', Silijima, it's about 'us' and 'them'. At the end of the day, a government is supposed to represent everyone and see to their requests, not what the government thinks they need or want. That also means everyone should be equal under that representation, and not that the rich and wealthy should receive all the attention and benefits while the lives of you and I get harder and harder. Sadly, people had to learn the hard way that when you give governments the right and the power to provide you with everything, suddenly they provide you with nothing. Medical care, for example, started out as a right after the satellite wars. It quickly became a privilege for the 'good citizens' who voted the right way, and said the right things, and if you didn't suddenly you got a bill in the mail for hundreds of thousands of dollars for your daughter's chemotherapy, stating that you had waived your right to state-sponsored medical care the moment you chose to practice your right to free speech in a way that was deemed unsavory by the UN." Timothy looked straight at her, his eyes boring into her soul, and she quickly realized that he was speaking from experience.
"What are you getting at," Silijima stated hastily, nervous over Timothy's sudden change in tone.
"What I'm getting at, Silijima," he stated, his eyes downcast as he ate another dumpling, "Is that rights shouldn't come with caveats. Just like you shouldn't be punished for coming back a changed woman after you dutifully served your people, I shouldn't have my daughter used against me for practicing what should be a universal right. Unchecked power is a cancer, and the Commonwealth was created to prevent that from ever coming into being."
Silijima mulled over what he said. Would humans really do that to each other in the name of power? Deprive each other of basic rights? Silijima was used to the Federation deceiving her people, but what punches had humanity pulled in the name of retaining power.
"Timothy, if I may ask, what is humanity really like?"
Timothy chuckled. "What made you think I implied we were any different from what the UN had shown you?"
"The reveal of my species' former omnivory, and your statement about caveats and free speech. You made it sound like humanity was hiding something."
Timothy sighed, obviously weary. "It isn't humanity that's hiding anything, Silijima; it's the UN. They want you to think that they were all these wonderful, misunderstood balls of cloud fluff. In reality we're assholes. We hate each other with a passion and we're not afraid to show it. War, racism, misogyny and misandry, prejudice; we'll find a way to hate each other even if it's impractical because we need some great enemy to battle or otherwise we'll start asking questions, questions that will be of a detriment to the UN. The rich and powerful used this for a long time to make us forget we were fighting a class war and not a culture war. They made us enemies of each other because of how strong our convictions could be."
Silijima's heart sank. She had guessed as much.
But Timothy wasn't done. "Before you start judging us too harshly, I'd like to add that the pendulum swings both ways. Humans, we often hate each other, but we can be even more passionate. We live, we love, and we protect those who dedicate themselves to our cause with a fury like no other. And even though we have problems with our many differences, we are equally able to see beyond it when the reality of how petty it is is presented to us. And to me, Silijima, you aren't a Krakotl; you're family, and there's no bond stronger than family."
Silijima considered whether she liked that or not. Then she realized that her standards had been far surpassed. These strange primates had been everything she hoped for and more. She figured she could pull a human and looked past their differences from now on.
"I'd like that," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'd like that very much."
Timothy smiled again, that bright, mischievous smile, and for once she wasn't alarmed or frightened. She was comforted. "I'm glad you do. But there's something else I wanted to tell you. There's a city from my old nation, and at the entrance of that city stands a great statue. Most of it was obliterated during the bombing, but one piece remained; the plaque. It read as followed;"
Then Timothy spoke poetry that reached into Silijima's soul, and her tears became unbearable. She cried as he spoke it, as if they were the words she wished to hear all her life, a promise that could set her free.
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”"
"We took the plaque with us when we fled, I helped carry it myself," Timothy said, a shadow of a smile formed on his lips, as if he was reminiscing the moment, "they're still demanding it back to this day, which is why we welded it to the wall behind the seats of our council chambers; the UN doesn't deserve it back, they lost the right to speak those words long ago. But the message is universal; you are welcome here, as is your family, and you will not be silenced or suppressed. We want you at your best, and we are willing to deal with your worst. All we ask is that you have an open mind, and do the same for us."
Silijima nodded, tears streaming from her eyes. "I can do that."
Timothy's smile grew even brighter, and he wrapped his arm around Sargen's shoulder, pulling him in close. "Then I'm sure me and my family would gladly welcome you, isn't that right Sargen?"
"Hmmmkmfh?" Sargen said, confused and with his mouth full of borscht. Silijima laughed, and for the first time in years the stress that had built up in her chest was gone. She was free. She was where she belonged.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm back. This is officially the end of the first Gunbirb Saga. I won't be focusing on Silijima for a while because I'll be focusing on other places, and other topics. The Galaxy of Interloper is even bigger than the standard NOP galaxy, and I've got so much to show you (;
I posted the first chapter of the next Part prematurely: that was a mistake on my part but I was dying to write more about Dojur and his consolidation of power. The next five or so chapters will be of a very different tone than the first five, much darker but also filled to the brim with Arxur and Dominion worldbuilding about culture, religion and daily life.
If you like what I've written so far, and you like my terrible writing and my inane worldbuilding, go check out other stories that I've written:
Waking Dreams: An insane pokemon/bleach crossover, and my first real attempt at writing something. It's a long story that's nowhere near finished, and it's got the deep worldbuilding that I'm not really known for [:
The Spider's Stronghold: Another insane fanfic crossover between Pathfinder and PJO, primarily Jason-centric. Take that as you will.
I also just wanted to thank everyone who either helped with this story or gave me support in the form of art (That would be u/BushBacon69 ) Or simply taking the time to comment ( u/A_Tank_With_Internet, u/AcceptableEgg5560, u/bltsrgewd, u/WonderfulMagpie, u/se05239, and others.) Thank you all; without the motivation you all have given me, I wouldn't have finished this fic.
submitted by Frame_Late to NatureofPredators [link] [comments]
The inside, however, well that was a different story. It was a warm orange color throughout, and filled to the brim with things you wouldn't expect to see inside of a warship. The first place she saw just down the hall when she entered the ship was the dining hall. The dining hall was actually more like a very large dining room, with dozens of wide circular tables that were bolted to the floor surrounded by elegant dining chairs. Two red vintage soda machines sat side-by-side next to a series of glass-door fridges containing all sorts of drinks from soda to bottled water. A buffet was to the far side of the hall, next to a pair of push doors leading to the kitchen. A few dozen members of the crew were already seated, most of them being Arxur and Humans, although she spotted a few Gojids and Harchens in the mix. Babushka Polina hobbled past them back to the kitchen while mumbling about something, a Venlil wearing an apron opening the doors to the kitchen for her before following her inside.
Everybody was chatting and socializing, dinner apparently not having been served yet. She preened her feathers nervously, scared of what would be served. Even if it wasn't a sentient, the idea of these predators tearing apart a live animal terrified her. She didn't want to be here to observe their eating practices, even if she had seen some outliers. Would they even serve anything other than meat? Sure, Song Lui had served her vegetables, but these people were very different; they had different accents, skin tones, names, clothing, and probably a different culture. She couldn't assume they would act the same as Song Lui, as it would be both foolish and unbecoming of her.
She felt Sargen's clawed paw squeeze her shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort her. "Whatever you think is going to happen, it wont. Just sit down and relax, and I promise I'll be right next to you."
Silijima took a deep breath in the vain attempt to calm down. "What will they be serving," Silijima hissed, the panic in her voice readily apparent. "I don't want to be eating meat from some carcass like a predator. I know that the predators on this ship won't eat me, but that still doesn't change the fact that they eat like predators."
Sargen just chuckled. "You really don't have a clue. Let's just go sit down, I'll introduce you to some of my coworkers before Igor gives his speech and Babushka announces the beginning of the feast."
Silijima fidgeted but relented, allowing Sargen to steer her into the dining hall and to a table with a few crew members along with a tall, white bottle containing some kind of potent and clear liquid; alcohol maybe? Their presence didn't ground her at all, rather it only made her even more anxious, but she pulled herself together and shooed Sargen away before sitting down. The largest of the humans, practically a giant in size and only a few inches shorter than Tarlim himself, looked at her and she nearly jumped out of her feathers. He was young, but still mature enough to seem jaded, and he had a mop of messy black hair that covered his dark hazel eyes. His lip was scarred, and his neck had a few nasty scars as well that reached down under his loose t-shirt and onto his chest. He was muscular and toned, reminding Silijima of a tree trunk you'd find on her homeworld, and his arms were the size of bridge cables. He was sitting in a larger chair than usual, probably because any normal chair would've seemed comically small in comparison, and probably break under his weight.
"Who's your little friend, Sargen? Is she the new blood?"
Sargen nodded. "That she is. This is Silijima, our newest hull engineer and weapons maintenance coordinator." Sargen gestured to the truly massive human gently. "Silijima, this is Haran, also known as Goliath. He's one of our assault specialists and heavy gunners."
Silijima waved meekly, and Haran nodded. "She doesn't seem too confident. Lucky for us she isn't a grunt."
Sargen scowled at Haran, obviously not happy with how he spoke about Silijima. Silijima, on the other hand, wasn't too offended; she understood she wasn't exactly confident even if she was a trained soldier.
"Haran, please try to show some respect; she's our newest crew member."
Haran shrugged. "I didn't mean to offend, just pointing out that she doesn't exactly have nerves of steel."
"No, no; it's fine," Silijima interjected. "Don't worry about it, Sargen, I know what he means." And she did. She wasn't brave at all, or at least she didn't think she was brave. Sure, she had fought before, but she was just an engineer. Her combat experience was limited to assisting the ship guard in defending the more vulnerable parts of the ship. It wasn't her job to go out of her way to be face to face with predators, and thus she wasn't used to it. In fact, that was one of the reasons why she was able to last so long inside civilian society after her temporary discharge; most of her fellow soldiers were desensitized to predator glares, a surefire symptom of predator disease, while she was merely capable of reacting in time to not be gutted by an Arxur.
Haran simply nodded. Next to him was a tall, youthful and pale-skinned human with brown hair and green eyes. He gave Silijima a friendly human snarl and a small wave. "It's good to meet you, hun, I'm Timothy."
Silijima imitated him, waving her wings nervously. "It's nice to meet you too, Timothy. What's your role on the ship?"
Timothy chuckled for a moment before responding. "Oh, me? My job's pretty boring. I'm just the quartermaster, essentially the guy who manages the ship's stores and assigns rooms."
Sargen nodded behind her. "Timothy's a good man; he helped me through some hard times and he still does from time to time."
"Yep, I try to help everyone on the ship when I can; Sargen is just special to me because he's one of my close friends." Timothy then turned his attention to Sargen, who seemed to shrink under his carefree gaze. "That reminds me, Sargen, you missed dinner last night. What's that all about?"
"I… something came up." The enormous Gojid stuttered, obviously nervous.
"Oh really? Well, we have a few days before our next assignment. You should come over tonight."
Sargen didn't seem too amused by that idea. "Timothy, you don't have to invite me over every week."
"Oh, but we do," Timothy countered. "Sargen, when you're at home on the station you subsist off of takeout and whatever junk food you pick up at the insta-mart. Me and Madison want to make sure you eat at least one healthy meal every week."
Sargen grumbled for a moment, but didn't resist causing Timothy's smile to only grow. "Good, I'll expect you to be there. Siijima ,hun, you're invited too if you want to join us. We don't serve meat at the table when our crew members join us for dinner, I promise."
Timothy's kindness shocked Silijima. Inviting someone over for dinner on Nishtal was only done for business or if the individuals in question were good friends. For Timothy to invite Silijima, a relative stranger, over for dinner showed that he truly saw her as a potential friend. "I would be honored, but I wouldn't want to intrude on whatever… this is."
Haran snorted in amusement at Silijima's synopsis of the odd relationship between Timothy and Sargen, obviously having experienced this conversation beforehand.
"Nonsense," Timothy replied, "We always make extra, and any friend of Sargen's is a friend of ours."
Silijima didn't say anything in return, but Sargen spoke in her place. "Timothy, let's just get through lunch before you start inviting people to dinner."
Timothy shrugged, a smile on his face. "I understand. Just make sure you come tonight; Gabbie misses her Goji."
Silijima had never seen a Gojid blush so deeply before. "Please don't use that name in public, it's degrading."
Timothy made a face that implied he obviously wasn't going to respect Sargen's request, causing the Gojid to fume.
To the right of Timothy was a Venlil female. She didn't wear anything except for a simple pearl necklace, but her fur was meticulously combed and groomed. She gave Silijima a soft, motherly smile, a smile that put her at ease.
"Don't mind the boys, dear, they're just acting like fools as usual. My name's Varka, one of the resident nurses under Dr. Kaczemeric." Venlil stuck out her paw, and Silijima was confused until she remembered to take Varka's hand. Varka simply giggled, obviously amused by Silijima not being used to human social norms. "It's nice to meet you too, dear. Why don't you sit down next to me? Carphano and I are probably less intimidating than our human friends."
Varka gestured to the final crew member at the table, a male Harchen with a scar across his face. He waved as well, his side facing eyes droopy and full, as if he hadn't had much sleep recently. "My name's Carphano, communications officer, nice to meet you."
Silijima sat in between them, the feeling of being amongst a group of species she was familiar with making her feel much more comfortable. Sargen and Timothy were still arguing quietly, while Haran watched with an amused look on his face. Suddenly, she heard the loud and repeated clinking of a spoon against a glass. Across the dining room, Igor stood on a podium made from inlaid mahogany, a bright snarling smile plastered on his face. "Friends! Today is a good day! In the past week, we made history!"
The entire dining hall went silent at the sound of his voice. This must be a man that commanded their respect.
"Five days ago, we returned from what may just be the greatest group liberation in Commonwealth history. Thirty two cruiser-class cattle ships were captured, their prisoners saved and their guards captured or killed. Today, the Coalition has finally given us the exact number of cattle liberated, as well as our cut of the spoils!"
The entire dining hall was dead silent, the anticipation palpable. Finally, Igor gestured to a man next to him, a shorter human with a thin brown mustache and olive skin. The man passed him a paper, which Igor opened like a giddy child receiving a birthday card. Finally, he read the contents, his snarl only growing.
"The final number of liberated cattle was… one hundred and twenty-two thousand, three hundred and seventy four; the largest liberation in history."
The entire room broke into cheers, aliens of all races holding each other and yelling. It was pandemonium, but Silijima couldn't help but join the crowd, both the news and her herd instincts causing her to join in with triumphant squawks. The idea of saving over a hundred thousand sentients from slavery was so incredible that it invoked a euphoria inside of her that she hadn't felt for a long time.
Igor gestured for the crowd to quiet down, and as they did so he spoke up again. "We must remember, however, that this was not only our doing. We must congratulate our comrades who assisted us, all seven ships, their crews and captains, as well as mourn those who were lost while fighting for the freedom of others." With that statement, Igor held up a small glass of the clear liquid, as did many of the crew members. Then, he shouted at the top of his lungs "mortem tyrannis et oppressoribus!" Before downing the liquid in a few gulps and slamming the glass onto the podium with a loud thump. The rest of the crew followed suit, the largest arxur to the tiniest dossur drinking and shouting the motto Igor had proclaimed. Silijima didn't have a glass, so she just watched expectantly, waiting for Igor to continue.
"Now, for the part all of you have been waiting for; payroll. Even after the Coalition took their cut, and we split the profit eight ways, we made out like bandits. Needless to say, you'll all be getting the maximum bonus on top of your commissions."
More cheering, even louder this time. Silijima didn't blame them; Igor seemed like a good boss if he was giving out the maximum bonus for a job well done. Even Sargen had a bright smile on his face, as if he was already planning on what he was going to spend the money on.
"And finally, our future work; we won't be taking part in any liberation fleets any time soon. Instead, the Coalition sees fit to assign us on a defensive rotation, so it should be a calm few weeks. This means that if you've been on a few back to back missions, you should go home and rest for the month. Spend time with your family, or vacation planetside for all I care; God knows you all need it after our last victory. The rest of you; be prepared to take off on Friday and be space-born for at least a week at a time. And be prepared for a fight; NeoSec has detected a small Farsul fleet in the area, at least five thousand ships. Nothing cataclysmic, mind you, but still a worthy challenge."
There was murmuring now, people discussing the change of pace and whether they liked it or not. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sargen practically pouting, arms crossed and eyes refusing to make contact with Timothy's. Timothy, to his credit, seemed very pleased with himself.
"So hun, what brings you to our little slice of chaos?" Asked Timothy, eyes twinkling. He took another sip of his drink, a bottle of soda so green it almost looked radioactive. He seemed really nice, like a preacher, but without any of the feelings of hesitation she'd get from speaking to one. He lightly tapped the wedding band on his ring finger against the neck of the green glass bottle, causing it to make light clicking noises.
"I uhh… I wanted to get away from Nishtal. Too much is going on there for me to be comfortable with."
Timothy nodded. "That explains why you came to the Commonwealth, but not why you decided to become a Corsair. It's not an easy life, you know."
Silijima pondered his query for a second before responding. "Military life is all I know. When I finished secondary school I joined the navy because I had nothing better to do, but now that I'm out I can't imagine any other life. Sure, it's hard, and especially dangerous, but without that certainty and structure that I get from being on a warship, I feel lost."
Timothy nodded, his face becoming a little somber. "I understand that feeling. I'm ex-military, although I didn't see much combat. Getting out is the hardest thing I've ever done, although I'm pretty sure I never really left the service, I just changed who I served."
Silijima nodded. "It's refreshing to talk to someone who understands. That life… it changes you, and not for the better. Everyone at home, well, they're scared of me, they say I'm diseased and it's a matter of time before they throw me into some clinic where they drug and shock me until my brain melts. Even the people I served with, if they weren't already taken away for 'treatment' then they're too terrified to say anything because we don't know who we can trust."
For the first time since she had met him, Timothy didn't seem amused or amicable. He had a deep frown on his face and his eyebrows were bent downwards, an expression she had been told meant anger. She backed away a little, but he held up his hand. "I'm not mad at you, it's just the idea of an entire society treating those who risk their lives to protect them like dirt is despicable. On earth, we celebrate our heroes, not vilify them."
Silijima nodded. "In a perfect world maybe, but I'm used to it."
"But that's the problem; you shouldn't have had to live like that, in fear of the same people you swore to protect… it's not right."
"Maybe, but what's done is done. I left Nishtal and now I'm here, so maybe I can experience that respect for once."
"You don't have to hope, because I know you will. The people here are different, even the former feds, you'll see."
And with that uplifting though, dinner began. Polina and her assistants, two Venlil and a Sikvit, rolled out massive wheeled tables filled to the brim with different steaming pots, pans and bowls containing all kinds of food. To her dismay, there was meat on the table, but there was also a section entirely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, and it was even longer than the table dedicated to meat.
Some of the naval staff ran up to help, with Polina shooing them away stubbornly. They simply ignored her and helped anyway, rolling the tables to the far wall next to the kitchen. Soon, a massive feast was gathered, with over two dozen tables of all sorts of human delicacies.
The crew quickly made their way to the tables, forming lines at each. Plates, bowls and cups were passed out by the kitchen staff, and soon people began piling their plates high with all sorts of food. Sargen had two whole bowls of what seemed to be a deep red colored stew, which she first foolishly assumed was blood, but quickly realized was just the liquid taking on the red color of the beets and cabbage. Timothy had a bowl of hearty cabbage stew that she had learned was called Schi and a shallow plate of small, ear-shaped dumplings on the side called Pelmeni, swimming in a fragrant broth and topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of black pepper. There were other dishes, so many that Silijima couldn't count them all, but she was introduced to many of them by Timothy when he led her up there to get her a plate. There was all sorts of vegetarian dishes for her to try, ranging from cold soups like Svekolnik, Okroshka and Botvinyah, all sorts of salads with based on salted pickles and beetroots, several variations of hot soups like Schi and Borscht, Vareniki dumplings, farmers cheese shaped into cakes and shallow fried and so much more. Timothy insisted on making sure she got her fill, so he made her plate for her, filling her a bowl of Svekolnik and some Vareniki dumplings on the side with Smetana and black pepper. Only then did he let her sit down, after he quickly said grace, of course. Silijima didn't know what saying grace meant exactly, but she guessed that it involved them thanking their strange human God for their food, which felt anything but predatory.
Timothy took a bite of his Pelmeni. "So, how're you liking the station so far? Anything peak your interest?"
Silijima chuckled. "Everything, actually. This place is so unique and alien compared to anything in the Federation; it makes me think about what my species would be like if the Federation hadn't erased our old culture."
Timothy gave her a small smile, but she could tell he was troubled. "And you don't mourn for that lost culture?"
Silijima paused, thinking about his question. "I suppose I do sometimes. The idea of us being freer and less… inane with our thinking really strikes me as a wonderful change of pace. I could never see myself as an omnivore… no offense!"
But Timothy wasn't offended. "I don't blame you for not suddenly being enamored with omnivore; the same happened with cloned meat on earth. A bunch of elites tried to make cloned meat the rule and not the exception through all sorts of government restrictions and subsidization schemes. All these rich influencers and wealthy magnates who can still afford to buy the real thing, and still do to this day mind you, told us how we were supposed to live and what we were supposed to do, that we were supposed to sacrifice while they enjoyed every luxury imaginable. To this day it doesn't sit well with a lot of people on the station."
Suddenly, Silijima's mouth dried up and her appetite disappeared. "You guys don't clone meat here?"
Timothy shook his head. "Nope, not a single pound. In fact, it's been lawfully and democratically voted into illegality by the citizens of the station, to protect our cattle farmers planetside. Most humans on earth aren't vegan and vegetarian by choice; it's really expensive to buy meat because of meat cloning, and that was before the war and the deals with the Arxur. Now you have to be vegan because of the massive decrease in available cattle. That doesn't stop the rich from eating their fill though."
Silijima looked away, internal disgust battling moral indecision. On one hand, the idea of eating live cattle was far more disgusting to her than cloned meat, but on the other hand she understood his metaphor clear as day; it was about the Commonwealth and the Federation. "You support cattle farming not because it's better, but because it benefits humans more."
"It's not about 'you' or 'me', Silijima, it's about 'us' and 'them'. At the end of the day, a government is supposed to represent everyone and see to their requests, not what the government thinks they need or want. That also means everyone should be equal under that representation, and not that the rich and wealthy should receive all the attention and benefits while the lives of you and I get harder and harder. Sadly, people had to learn the hard way that when you give governments the right and the power to provide you with everything, suddenly they provide you with nothing. Medical care, for example, started out as a right after the satellite wars. It quickly became a privilege for the 'good citizens' who voted the right way, and said the right things, and if you didn't suddenly you got a bill in the mail for hundreds of thousands of dollars for your daughter's chemotherapy, stating that you had waived your right to state-sponsored medical care the moment you chose to practice your right to free speech in a way that was deemed unsavory by the UN." Timothy looked straight at her, his eyes boring into her soul, and she quickly realized that he was speaking from experience.
"What are you getting at," Silijima stated hastily, nervous over Timothy's sudden change in tone.
"What I'm getting at, Silijima," he stated, his eyes downcast as he ate another dumpling, "Is that rights shouldn't come with caveats. Just like you shouldn't be punished for coming back a changed woman after you dutifully served your people, I shouldn't have my daughter used against me for practicing what should be a universal right. Unchecked power is a cancer, and the Commonwealth was created to prevent that from ever coming into being."
Silijima mulled over what he said. Would humans really do that to each other in the name of power? Deprive each other of basic rights? Silijima was used to the Federation deceiving her people, but what punches had humanity pulled in the name of retaining power.
"Timothy, if I may ask, what is humanity really like?"
Timothy chuckled. "What made you think I implied we were any different from what the UN had shown you?"
"The reveal of my species' former omnivory, and your statement about caveats and free speech. You made it sound like humanity was hiding something."
Timothy sighed, obviously weary. "It isn't humanity that's hiding anything, Silijima; it's the UN. They want you to think that they were all these wonderful, misunderstood balls of cloud fluff. In reality we're assholes. We hate each other with a passion and we're not afraid to show it. War, racism, misogyny and misandry, prejudice; we'll find a way to hate each other even if it's impractical because we need some great enemy to battle or otherwise we'll start asking questions, questions that will be of a detriment to the UN. The rich and powerful used this for a long time to make us forget we were fighting a class war and not a culture war. They made us enemies of each other because of how strong our convictions could be."
Silijima's heart sank. She had guessed as much.
But Timothy wasn't done. "Before you start judging us too harshly, I'd like to add that the pendulum swings both ways. Humans, we often hate each other, but we can be even more passionate. We live, we love, and we protect those who dedicate themselves to our cause with a fury like no other. And even though we have problems with our many differences, we are equally able to see beyond it when the reality of how petty it is is presented to us. And to me, Silijima, you aren't a Krakotl; you're family, and there's no bond stronger than family."
Silijima considered whether she liked that or not. Then she realized that her standards had been far surpassed. These strange primates had been everything she hoped for and more. She figured she could pull a human and looked past their differences from now on.
"I'd like that," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'd like that very much."
Timothy smiled again, that bright, mischievous smile, and for once she wasn't alarmed or frightened. She was comforted. "I'm glad you do. But there's something else I wanted to tell you. There's a city from my old nation, and at the entrance of that city stands a great statue. Most of it was obliterated during the bombing, but one piece remained; the plaque. It read as followed;"
Then Timothy spoke poetry that reached into Silijima's soul, and her tears became unbearable. She cried as he spoke it, as if they were the words she wished to hear all her life, a promise that could set her free.
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”"
"We took the plaque with us when we fled, I helped carry it myself," Timothy said, a shadow of a smile formed on his lips, as if he was reminiscing the moment, "they're still demanding it back to this day, which is why we welded it to the wall behind the seats of our council chambers; the UN doesn't deserve it back, they lost the right to speak those words long ago. But the message is universal; you are welcome here, as is your family, and you will not be silenced or suppressed. We want you at your best, and we are willing to deal with your worst. All we ask is that you have an open mind, and do the same for us."
Silijima nodded, tears streaming from her eyes. "I can do that."
Timothy's smile grew even brighter, and he wrapped his arm around Sargen's shoulder, pulling him in close. "Then I'm sure me and my family would gladly welcome you, isn't that right Sargen?"
"Hmmmkmfh?" Sargen said, confused and with his mouth full of borscht. Silijima laughed, and for the first time in years the stress that had built up in her chest was gone. She was free. She was where she belonged.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I'm back. This is officially the end of the first Gunbirb Saga. I won't be focusing on Silijima for a while because I'll be focusing on other places, and other topics. The Galaxy of Interloper is even bigger than the standard NOP galaxy, and I've got so much to show you (;
I posted the first chapter of the next Part prematurely: that was a mistake on my part but I was dying to write more about Dojur and his consolidation of power. The next five or so chapters will be of a very different tone than the first five, much darker but also filled to the brim with Arxur and Dominion worldbuilding about culture, religion and daily life.
If you like what I've written so far, and you like my terrible writing and my inane worldbuilding, go check out other stories that I've written:
Waking Dreams: An insane pokemon/bleach crossover, and my first real attempt at writing something. It's a long story that's nowhere near finished, and it's got the deep worldbuilding that I'm not really known for [:
The Spider's Stronghold: Another insane fanfic crossover between Pathfinder and PJO, primarily Jason-centric. Take that as you will.
I also just wanted to thank everyone who either helped with this story or gave me support in the form of art (That would be u/BushBacon69 ) Or simply taking the time to comment ( u/A_Tank_With_Internet, u/AcceptableEgg5560, u/bltsrgewd, u/WonderfulMagpie, u/se05239, and others.) Thank you all; without the motivation you all have given me, I wouldn't have finished this fic.
2023.06.11 02:11 Firm_Listen_4700 TERRIBLE GPA and ok ECs :(
Good Afternoon :D Demographics: Male, Hispanic, California, Public CA School, Low-Income, Big School over 2k students, Immigrant
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Hooks: First Gen Immigrant, Low Income, Very bad school
Income: Less than 30k
Intended Major(s): Chemistry or Biochemistry
ACT/SAT/SAT II: I won't submit, no matter what lols
UC GPA = 4.15W/3.76UW Community College GPA = 4.0 Rank = top 9.9% 38/383 (currently)
Coursework: AP Chemistry, Ap U.S. History, AP Lang, in my senior year I am taking AP Gov, AP Lit, and AP Calc AB. I took Dual Enrollment. LATTC (CC) = Intro to Psychology (A) Intro to Sociology (A) American Sign Language (A), Stanford University (Actual University) = CompSci 105 (A+), and also took Communication 101 (A) at USC but through LATTC, and will take 2 other college courses at USC during the summer which are astronomy and sociology 2. I will also take one more college class in my senior year at USC.
Awards: Top 10% Stanford Class Scorer Across the country: Since I had an A+, I scored top 10% out of 4,000 students across the country who took the Compsci class. Students from the National Education Equity Lab program. National Honor Society for National Equity Lab: Since I scored that high, they put me in their National Honor Society. High Honor Roll all High School: this is common but I’ll put it anyway. CompSci 105 Certificate: Since I took the class they gave me a certificate. UCLA Three-day Writing Bootcamp Certificate: I attended a boot camp with the UCLA EAOP program, and I stayed in the dorms for 3 days and took writing classes with other students across LA. Peer Mentor Summits Certificates x3: Certificate showing that I went to the summits to learn about ways to talk to students and colleagues. Pal/CLEF scholarship x2: 400 dollars in total. USC Summer Program Certificate: I will be getting a certificate by the end of the summer program.
Extracurriculars: Mental Health Resource Website(11th): Currently working on a website to add mental health and school resources for students at my school. I am using html, css, and javascript to build it. Took my own initiative to reach out to professionals and students to help me with the project.
English Tutoring(9th-11th): I tutored 1 college students from El Salvador in their college English classes for over 2 years, 3 hours a week during the weekends and sometimes Fridays. Went over their lessons, and tried to prepare lesson plans for them.
Peer Mentor Club(leadership position, maybe president?)(9th-11th)
Work Experience(10th-11th): I worked at a shapewear store, I was in charge of the inventory, and sales, and I was a cashier at the same time. I helped with the inventory system as well. Invited to events by the CEO.
Pop-Rock Club(11th): So far I am learning how to play the guitar and we have done multiple fundraisers to get the instruments and equipment that we need.
Chess Club (10th-11th)(President)
Leadership(10th-11th): I only went to leadership for 1 year since they turned the club into a class, and my school goes by mesters so I only take 4 classes and I have 3 APs so it doesn’t fit my schedule. But when I was in leadership, I would organize events like pep rallies, I would help with fundraisers during Valentine's day or Christmas, holidays basically. I might help them when they do events but I don’t attend meetings.
Chemistry Club (President/Founder): I founded the chemistry club.
Programs(9th-11th): I am in multiple programs, including UCLA EAOP which is a program by UCLA, we go to UCLA all the time which is cool. I am in the USC UpwardBound, I take college classes with them on Saturdays, and in the summer I will be staying at their dorms for 6 weeks taking 2 college classes. We also have community service opportunities in the program. I am also in the Gear Up program, we go on hella field trips and I learn a lot from it. I am in the National Ed Equity Lab which allows low-income students to take college classes at schools like Stanford, Harvard, etc.
Community Service Hours: 300+ with Gear Up and other programs. Will also do community service through the city I am in and will volunteer at a good bank this summer.
Essays/LORs/Other: UC PIQS : Prompt #2: Showing my creative side, I will talk about how I use twigs and leaves to create creatures and characters in order to use storytelling and create a story in nature since my mom taught me that when we used to go to the mountains in my home country, El Salvador, and how that shows my creative side because I am able to express my emotions and thoughts through storytelling.
Prompt #4: Which is how I took advantage of an educational opportunity, I will talk about USC Upward Bound and how it allowed me to find the person I want to be in the future through their resources and tremendous love and care for me (I will go in detail about the opportunities the program provides) and I will mention how I am the first undocumented student to join the program since 1977 which is a huge accomplishment and I want to be able to represent my community and myself.
Prompt #5: My significant challenge and how I overcame it, I will talk about my moms health, and how I had to become an adult at a young age to be able to process the emotions in my household and how I got a job in order to buy school supplies like a laptop and an iPad, to not worry my mom.
And lastly, Prompt #7: Which is how I made my community a better place, I will talk about the mental health resource website and how my exigence was hating to see my friends sad and missing out on big opportunities like I did when I was down, so I created a website to give mental health resources to students at my school.
Schools I want to apply to: I want to apply to UC mostly. I really really want to go to UC Irvine. That is my top choice for sure, please be brutally honest with UC Irvine with my stats.
Little Background: I am really worried about my GPA because my history teacher was a terrible human being so she never gave me an A. And since my school is in the quarter system, AP classes are a year long, however the 2nd and 3rd quarter are called honor classes while we are still in the AP class. Therefore, the AP is 4 grades in total and the teacher gave me 3 Bs and 1 C which brought my GPA down SINCE THEY ARE ALL WEIGHTED. I have all As in my sophomore and junior year except my sophomore year I had 2 Cs. So really, only the APUSH class is the one ruining my life basically.
UCLA UC Irvine UC Riverside UC San Diego UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz UC Davis UC Merced UC Berkley Stanford CSULB CSUF SDSU
submitted by Firm_Listen_4700 to chanceme [link] [comments]
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Hooks: First Gen Immigrant, Low Income, Very bad school
Income: Less than 30k
Intended Major(s): Chemistry or Biochemistry
ACT/SAT/SAT II: I won't submit, no matter what lols
UC GPA = 4.15W/3.76UW Community College GPA = 4.0 Rank = top 9.9% 38/383 (currently)
Coursework: AP Chemistry, Ap U.S. History, AP Lang, in my senior year I am taking AP Gov, AP Lit, and AP Calc AB. I took Dual Enrollment. LATTC (CC) = Intro to Psychology (A) Intro to Sociology (A) American Sign Language (A), Stanford University (Actual University) = CompSci 105 (A+), and also took Communication 101 (A) at USC but through LATTC, and will take 2 other college courses at USC during the summer which are astronomy and sociology 2. I will also take one more college class in my senior year at USC.
Awards: Top 10% Stanford Class Scorer Across the country: Since I had an A+, I scored top 10% out of 4,000 students across the country who took the Compsci class. Students from the National Education Equity Lab program. National Honor Society for National Equity Lab: Since I scored that high, they put me in their National Honor Society. High Honor Roll all High School: this is common but I’ll put it anyway. CompSci 105 Certificate: Since I took the class they gave me a certificate. UCLA Three-day Writing Bootcamp Certificate: I attended a boot camp with the UCLA EAOP program, and I stayed in the dorms for 3 days and took writing classes with other students across LA. Peer Mentor Summits Certificates x3: Certificate showing that I went to the summits to learn about ways to talk to students and colleagues. Pal/CLEF scholarship x2: 400 dollars in total. USC Summer Program Certificate: I will be getting a certificate by the end of the summer program.
Extracurriculars: Mental Health Resource Website(11th): Currently working on a website to add mental health and school resources for students at my school. I am using html, css, and javascript to build it. Took my own initiative to reach out to professionals and students to help me with the project.
English Tutoring(9th-11th): I tutored 1 college students from El Salvador in their college English classes for over 2 years, 3 hours a week during the weekends and sometimes Fridays. Went over their lessons, and tried to prepare lesson plans for them.
Peer Mentor Club(leadership position, maybe president?)(9th-11th)
Work Experience(10th-11th): I worked at a shapewear store, I was in charge of the inventory, and sales, and I was a cashier at the same time. I helped with the inventory system as well. Invited to events by the CEO.
Pop-Rock Club(11th): So far I am learning how to play the guitar and we have done multiple fundraisers to get the instruments and equipment that we need.
Chess Club (10th-11th)(President)
Leadership(10th-11th): I only went to leadership for 1 year since they turned the club into a class, and my school goes by mesters so I only take 4 classes and I have 3 APs so it doesn’t fit my schedule. But when I was in leadership, I would organize events like pep rallies, I would help with fundraisers during Valentine's day or Christmas, holidays basically. I might help them when they do events but I don’t attend meetings.
Chemistry Club (President/Founder): I founded the chemistry club.
Programs(9th-11th): I am in multiple programs, including UCLA EAOP which is a program by UCLA, we go to UCLA all the time which is cool. I am in the USC UpwardBound, I take college classes with them on Saturdays, and in the summer I will be staying at their dorms for 6 weeks taking 2 college classes. We also have community service opportunities in the program. I am also in the Gear Up program, we go on hella field trips and I learn a lot from it. I am in the National Ed Equity Lab which allows low-income students to take college classes at schools like Stanford, Harvard, etc.
Community Service Hours: 300+ with Gear Up and other programs. Will also do community service through the city I am in and will volunteer at a good bank this summer.
Essays/LORs/Other: UC PIQS : Prompt #2: Showing my creative side, I will talk about how I use twigs and leaves to create creatures and characters in order to use storytelling and create a story in nature since my mom taught me that when we used to go to the mountains in my home country, El Salvador, and how that shows my creative side because I am able to express my emotions and thoughts through storytelling.
Prompt #4: Which is how I took advantage of an educational opportunity, I will talk about USC Upward Bound and how it allowed me to find the person I want to be in the future through their resources and tremendous love and care for me (I will go in detail about the opportunities the program provides) and I will mention how I am the first undocumented student to join the program since 1977 which is a huge accomplishment and I want to be able to represent my community and myself.
Prompt #5: My significant challenge and how I overcame it, I will talk about my moms health, and how I had to become an adult at a young age to be able to process the emotions in my household and how I got a job in order to buy school supplies like a laptop and an iPad, to not worry my mom.
And lastly, Prompt #7: Which is how I made my community a better place, I will talk about the mental health resource website and how my exigence was hating to see my friends sad and missing out on big opportunities like I did when I was down, so I created a website to give mental health resources to students at my school.
Schools I want to apply to: I want to apply to UC mostly. I really really want to go to UC Irvine. That is my top choice for sure, please be brutally honest with UC Irvine with my stats.
Little Background: I am really worried about my GPA because my history teacher was a terrible human being so she never gave me an A. And since my school is in the quarter system, AP classes are a year long, however the 2nd and 3rd quarter are called honor classes while we are still in the AP class. Therefore, the AP is 4 grades in total and the teacher gave me 3 Bs and 1 C which brought my GPA down SINCE THEY ARE ALL WEIGHTED. I have all As in my sophomore and junior year except my sophomore year I had 2 Cs. So really, only the APUSH class is the one ruining my life basically.
UCLA UC Irvine UC Riverside UC San Diego UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz UC Davis UC Merced UC Berkley Stanford CSULB CSUF SDSU
2023.06.11 02:10 TalesFromDeadBird TW CSA. Extreme traumas are ravaging my marriage. I analyzed the convoluted history and I feel at a loss for how to proceed. Please help us.
Hello everyone. I (29M) am auditing the trauma-laden relationship with my DID wife (29F) after another bout of unwanted cheating. We are hypermonogamists. To us, infidelity is a sacrilegious violation of Love. Alas, my wife has Dissociative Identity Disorder and some alters are hellbent on reenacting trauma with abuser substitutes. Yes, the DID is diagnosed by a trauma specialist, not Dr. Google. To differentiate from her alters, I will refer to Her True Self as Wifey.
I tracked the cheating history by writing this behemoth of a post and did my best to connect dots between childhood trauma and modern consequences. I hope that the community’s outside perspectives can spot things to which we are still blind, provide advice, or give any input that might aid our situation. All opinions welcome. I will access them carefully.
Please note that I have a Dismissive-Avoidant attachment style, and my psychologist noted C-PTSD. I also have DID but unlike my wife, I worked long enough to achieve co-consciousness, internal cooperation, and current dormancy in my alters. My True Self is finally in command. We ran out of therapy money before my wife could address her own issues, hence online communities are our last resort until savings build up again.
OUR TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD ORIGINS
I was raised and abused by my narcissist grandmother for 25 years due to her orchestrating a rift between Mom and I (topic for another post). Her 16yo son aka my uncle sexually abused both my wife and I from infancy. In my case he had daily access. For my wife, it was because our fathers and my uncle were a trio of scum.
Despite the uncle link, I didn’t meet Wifey till age 3. She was dancing under a sprinkler and noticed my stare. Lightning hit us the second our eyes met and we breathlessly ran over to announce the mutual BOOM. After that, we were inseparable. At age 4 I proposed, she agreed, and we shared our first kiss. Adorable? No. We didn’t know how to be kids—due to sex abuse and grandma teaching us adult concepts, we related as boyfriend-girlfriend way too early and began playing the game ‘naked stuff’. Nothing beyond this first connection is purely innocent.
Soon after our romantic friendship started, my wife was groomed into nightly ‘special love’ with my uncle, laying a foundation of unfaithfulness towards me. When the ‘other boyfriend’ dumped her at 6, infatuation spiked and led to 9 years of cartwheels to regain his desire. Between that and my grandmother worshipping him, I competed for both women’s hearts by copying uncle into synonymity. I even used his playlists for dates and sex, believing that I am only worthy of love if I *am* him.
During and after my uncle’s abuse, my wife’s pedo father raped her too. I am loathed to call this BDSM given that he never abided by Safe, Sane, Consensual, but what he inflicted *is* BDSM activity. By age 5, he was trafficking his daughter and forced me to watch the rapes plus participate in sadism until I started doing it of my own accord. I was taught that boys are supposed to do this to girls, because they are girls. I didn’t know vanilla sex exists till age 11, at which point we finally shared positive intimacy—this formed the bedrock of what we are striving to build in adulthood. Alas, the learned fetishes persisted for years.
Meanwhile, my narcissist grandmother tormented me daily and brainwashed my wife to mimic her opinions, mannerisms, approaches, etc., thereby producing a mini-me alter and adding layers to our trauma bond. That alter learned toxic views on women (they exist to serve men) and pro-adultery, as the Narc preyed on committed guys for the fun of causing break-ups, obtained her husband by homewrecking, and caught a married lover long before grandpa died. As teens we were actually ghostwriters and phone sex assistants for that affair, obstructing critical stages in our own relationship.
Throughout this, Love existed. No one but her made me feel Loved, Seen, Heard, Safe, Certain. Moreover, me and Wifey expressed authentically only to each other, providing an oasis for Our True Selves to develop untarnished. We mutually soothed our demons, inspired creativity, and entertained one another. Teen Wifey also proved my angel. She endured hell to guide me out of darkness and prevented suicide attempts. Without her, I would be in prison or dead. At 23 we married in hopes of becoming wholesome and slowly inched toward that goal.
For Wifey’s wellbeing, I spent 2015-2022 deprogramming my BDSM porn addiction, fetishes, and toxic attitudes about women. Only last year I comprehended healthy relationships in concept. I think it is a beautiful way to live but it unnerves me as well. We also realized that vanilla D/s is our true preference, and we are highly compatible as a team. There is potential for absolute Paradise, but many issues still need to be overcome (communication struggles, ignoring Wifey for eons while she waits for me to interact again, etc.). The infidelity is my current focus. Here goes the trauma-fuelled history of online cheating.
AN UNCLE SUBSTITUTE EXPLOITS HER
Wifey has 7 alters. Some self-harm, some climb out windows, some rabidly scratch me or shriek enough for police to arrive, but the most annoying is that 9yo girl imprinted on my uncle. She always pines to get him back—which she finally did, in proxy form: AP1 (Affair Partner 1).
May 19th, 2022, my wife met a 31yo ‘virgin’ on Facebook who sucked her in via sob stories. While extracting info on her alters and rapes, AP1 made her a sex-ed teacher. Her confidence flourished. I had no concerns given my rock-solid trust in Wifey. Little did I know the 9yo alter was having an emotional affair of unrequited ‘love’. AP1’s eerie similitude in looks / job / zodiac / vibe / pedo streak made him an ideal projection, especially given how much Uncle 2.0 lavished the alter. He was her dream come true. Looking back, I invited this situation by depriving Wifey of attention for too long. She needs regular interaction with me to stay Her True Self.
Anyways, Wifey believed the hours spent texting / on the phone were recharging her desire for ‘me’. We were yet to understand that ‘me’ meant ‘uncle’, as the two were blended. I started feeling off, but kept trusting her. After all, she had befriended two FB guys in 2021 who stayed platonic (only now we recognize them as lighter emotional affairs). Besides, grandma taught me that getting randomly sidelined or devalued is ‘just the way things are’.
After 3 weeks of grooming, AP1 triggered my wife, fully infiltrating her subconscious. She fearfully hid from him for 2 days, then tried to end the friendship on June 8th. AP1 derailed the goodbye into engaging topics, followed by traumatic content that methodically wore her down into an aroused trance. Once he hit the trigger jackpot, her alter seized control and delved into 6 hours of abuse reenactment sexting, audio clips, nudes, unholy “I love yous”, etc. while Wifey’s undercurrent of extreme stress induced miniature heart attacks—this caused permanent damage. Once Wifey woke up and saw what transpired, a female FB friend moved mountains to prevent her guilt-ridden suicide. She desperately wanted to die.
Later, I walked into the room expecting nothing unusual. Instead, tear-stricken wife fell to her knees, grabbed my leg and frantically confessed sexting, giving away our gif collection and using terms sacred to us. The heartbreak annihilated me. While consoling her, I struggled to swallow reality: the ONE PERSON I thought would never break my trust, just shattered it. Another dude just *stole MY wife*. Long before I learned that my old rival (uncle) was the motive, I felt triggered.
Many talks / meltdowns ensued between us and Mom. 48 hours later, the alter cheated again (June 10th) while we thought Wifey was snoozing. AP1 had unlocked an oil spill of traumatic arousal, hence it took seconds to induce the marathon, this time centred on BDSM. AP1 then instructed the alter to give him first dibs every day—the Husband can only get sloppy seconds. Once he left, she ran over to Mom announcing that her boyfriend is going to marry her (old fantasy about my uncle) in a jarringly American voice (Wifey is Francophone). This unmasked DID as the cheating engine and introduced us to a previously-unknown alter.
Once awake, Wifey plunged into catatonic shock and depression. We all supported Wifey grieving AP1’s sick exploitation and processing why she succumbed. I never got a chance to focus on myself amid the revolutionary insights, plus Mom and I kept scrambling to stop that alter before she obeyed the “sext me daily” command that would only retraumatize her further. We also discovered AP1 is a predator who targets mentally-ill wives in addition to little girls. That vulture has a thing for the most vulnerable forbidden fruit.
Realizing the insidious influence made Wifey hyperfocus on Our Marriage. She was outraged that AP1 dared invade us and texted him revocations of love, condemnations for “raping her while drunk” and tried to hammer the sanctity of Marriage into his snide mug. We banded together against my uncle’s spectre and felt in-tune as a couple. Therapy sessions were scheduled. Had this continued, Our Love would be detoxed and stronger than ever. Alas, a parasitic distraction sapped its power 6 days later.
GRANDMOTHER TRAUMA BOND INTERFERES
My wife kept shutting down during intimacy due to intrusive memories of AP1, plus an urge to blot out the existence of non-abusive sex. Her alters were clinging to my uncle’s ‘style’. She quickly realized that AP1 had stained sex and rendered her numb to me. She was distraught.
When my wife sought advice on June 16th, 2022, her friend (also abused) nabbed the chance to confess a bewildering lesbian crush. This shock activated the trauma bond with my grandmother and prompted another alter affair. She declared that a bit of lesbianism will cure our intimacy problem. At first, I laughed it off. Then therapy was cancelled, my savings were spent on gifts, and I realized that my wife’s #heart# was stolen in addition to sex drive. A Facebook woman had burglarized my one remaining stronghold.
Given how romantic it was, I felt replaced, invisible, abandoned (childhood themes). It sliced and diced me, particularly since my wife blinded herself to my pain no matter how I pushed her to see it (grandmother theme). My wife cried that she wants us both and can’t choose—no wonder, since she was unknowingly reliving a childhood scenario where emotional incest with my grandmother accompanied and influenced Our Love.
I was clueless about this. To me, it seemed a heart-crushing romantic affair. Being a hypermonogamist forced into polyamory is indescribable. On June 23rd, I ranted at AP2 for stealing the Love of My Life and decided on suicide even if I’m hellbound—Heaven means nothing sans my wife. Panicked AP2 called the cops. Mom convinced the officers that it was a false alarm, knowing that I would try to get shot. Wifey was unrecognizably hollow while comforting me. I fell asleep in bitter tears, her hand numbly wiping them away.
My bitterness began erupting while teary wife insisted this is a mission. She swore to end the affair as soon as she solves the ‘mysteries of sudden lesbianism’. I refused to support it. Our fights incited a fullblown manifestation of my AFib and worsened heart issues for my wife. Daily vomiting turned her into skin-and-bones. We nearly died, which would have caused the suicide of My Mom and AP2. Poor Mom already suffered intense health issues from this affair. She adores us both. Our vitriol devastated her.
Eventually I put my wife’s happiness above my own and let her go: if she is meant to come back to me, she will. I spent another month in living death. Surprisingly, Wife kept her promise. She discovered that the emotional incest with mother figures in both her and AP2 caused them to ‘fall in love’. The alters tied to my grandmother lost their grip, the affair ended (August 13th), and Love for me flooded back.
Wifey returned a matured woman: more Self-Aware, rational, and opposed to adultery than ever. I fell in Love with her vibrancy. Meanwhile, AP2 became our mutual best friend, an invaluable source of epiphanies for my healing too, and the biggest supporter of Our Love. Turns out that we all share near-identical trauma plus share common interests. As a result, I felt gratitude for this affair. Short-term suffering reaped long-term blessings.
A STRAINED AFTERMATH
AP1 continued to highjack our sex life. The conscious resurrection of my uncle in my wife’s psyche permanently split him and I into two men and revealed the sexual imprint. Between bringing that into her awareness and the various desecrations, AP1 vandalized her. Damn the timing! We were on the verge of a sex life free from trauma!
We lived in tension despite Loving efforts, and I struggled to overcome the sense that my mate is tainted. I put the bedroom on hold until these stains were purified, and figured it was best not to impose myself until the alter stops craving Uncle 2.0. For months I patrolled my turf obsessively while screaming inside. Did my best to remember that Wifey never betrayed me—these are only echoes of the past wrecking havoc in modern day.
TRANSCENDING THE CHEATING
Fast forward a year since the two affairs. I was working on Self-development and finally grieving my grandmother trauma. My wife started reflecting deeper on infidelity and had epiphanies:
During Our Anniversary (mid-April), True Wife was a trembling ball of remorse and begged for an impromptu vow renewal. Her turn was a meltdown of apologies and fervent promises to never forsake Our Love again. She convinced me of her redemption, especially after rejecting FB dudes in her inbox while posting wishes to me. Hope was rebuilt. We seemed en route to healing. One problem: we still didn’t have sex.
ABUSER CONDITIONING RETALIATES
Avoiding sex since the cheatings was incredibly stupid. I didn’t realize that her alters, though dormant, felt owned by my uncle because I never reclaimed her. AP1 factory-reset my wife’s sexuality. The healthy things needed reinstallation before it was safe for her to face old trauma. My failure to do that made alters restless and our reconciliation was seen as a challenge to her fortified abuse programming. This was the worst time for my wife to post in a rape support sub.
In minutes the DM creeps descended and my wife met a pedophile whose way of abusing little girls woke the alters. My wife was in denial about the risk and texted me: “The affairs revealed truth about my alters and abuse. This man too. I gain awareness about my trauma as I tell it to him and understand more why pedophiles hurt us. I shall make sure it does not get personal. It is not a real affair. I am just researching.”
My heart was pounding but I tried to trust that she will stay within (barely tolerable) boundaries. NOPE. A mere 38 days after vowing never to betray me, her alter pleaded the pedophile to describe what *he* would do to 6-year old *her*. He whet her appetite with a partially-fulfilling fantasy before ghosting. Wifey entered a bizarre state of autopilot.
Inexplicably, she contacted a BDSM Redditor who is a known sanity risk, solicited him for sexting, then prayed for him not to respond. When he did, she felt scared shitless and obligated to describe her old tortures (as he commanded). The guy proceeded to demolish my wife’s barriers until she started craving her father’s tortures. The moment she called him “Master”, it was over for me.
I shut down and observed the trainwreck, feeling no sympathy. My wife invited all this shit and made a conscious choice to engage instead of block. I was dejectedly amused listening to the circus: “This is just research, I learn my mind by interacting with bad men—OMG OMG I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN SURVIVE THIS FILTH! I WANT ONLY YOU! Oh, another client needs my trauma for pleasure! Got to go!”
I felt too drained to realize that her unhinged sexting spree was stirring my trauma. Another oversight.
THE RIDE THROUGH OLD HELL
From May 27-28th, her alter became a snowball down Mt. Everest and the avalanche pulled me under. DM perverts verbally raped my wife while she took explicit photos right next to me in bed. Against all expectation, these e-rapes catapulted me back to boyhood: helpless to intervene, and too horrified to close my eyes. Taking away the phone didn’t cross my mind, nor could I. My body was paralyzed and eerily, I lost the ability to make sound. Seems that I contain significantly more trauma programming than anticipated. I resent my wife for subjecting me to this oppressive hell even more than I resent the cheating itself.
As if going down ‘memory lane’ wasn’t enough, possessed wife also channelled my grandmother. She would look at my tears and emit her sadistic CACKLE. Once I merged the two women, I was screwed. My trauma program dictates that I must endure whatever grandma wants; this includes watching her affair unfold.
As the ultimate insult, my wife spent the last 12 hours building an emotional affair on Reddit while I prayed for sleep. By dawn, her alter declared him a potential ‘boyfriend’. In her deluded head, the sexting arranged for nightfall would cure the rest through ultimate satisfaction plus bring True Wife back to Our Love, as this guy made her feel that “I am with you, not your uncle. Like *you* finally feel real.” The nonsensicality made me short-circuit. I was DONE.
INSANITY SLAMS TO A HALT
That afternoon, she finally jolted out of the binge-sexting. How? Wifey noticed my distress, 5 days too late. I watched her first comprehend that this is hurting me, then struggle to reset consciousness, then remember that Love exists. She did a 180 on her ‘client’ and viciously berated his perversion. That helped her regain footing.
My jittery wife proceeded to apologize, freak about the explicit photos, and spiral into a suicidal state over betraying me again. She erratically cancelled every sexting appointment, shut off the DMs, and spent days begging Divinity for help. We avoided each other.
In our first talk, Wifey confessed that she fears herself, as only her housebound life prevents physical cheating. While she wants nothing more than to be pure, her alters are begging for more due to trauma bonds. Wifey described it as: “Insatiable rocket blocked by a moral fence and waiting for release to zoom again.” Needless to say I was embittered.
REFLECTING ON THE AFTERMATH
While analyzing recent events, I realized something: my wife didn’t run to that BDSM sadist of her own volition. An elusive alter had taken the wheel: the brothel Madame who pulls my wife into prostitution re-enactments. No wonder she was cackling! It’s the alter’s trademark, based on my grandmother! That damn Narc used to say that it’s bad to deprive other men and let the body go to waste on one Husband. *No wonder* a vow renewal pissed off that alter! Now Wifey-on-autopilot made sense.
Wifey was stunned at the revelation and had a glitch (outraged cackles, whimpers, shudders) that confirmed its truth. She never knew this freaky alter steers her from behind the scenes. Took her awhile to digest the disturbing paradigm shift.
Interestingly, she later texted: “That alter does not excuse my choice to chat with a pedophile right after another creep showed me how vulnerable I am. I have ultimate responsibility even if later choices were not mine.”
I asked if that choice was really her own. She replied: “I think so, because he introduced himself as a retired counsellor. I never expected he was a pedophile and when he mentioned it, I should have been proactive about risks continuing such a topic with any man.”
I avoided her again and tried to pinpoint my feelings (still a struggle). No matter how blatantly I see the nymphomaniac is not Her True Self, the serial breakage of trust is making me relinquish hope, care, and concern. The more I sink into numbness, the less I care who is culpable. The whole Wifey & Co. feel ruined. I know it is very unfair to shun Wifey for sins committed in a trauma trance. DID is involuntary. Yet, her issues are a jinx now that I am surpassing our old life. The very toxicities Wifey healed in me remain her alters’ addiction. Now they’re in nasty withdrawal, desperate for any ‘drug’.
For the first time ever, divorce is drifting through my thoughts. I keep wondering, do I treat these events as a growth opportunity for her, or grounds for divorce? I want to reconcile, but should I? I’m burned out. She’s constant trouble. I feel ready to bail. And honestly, I feel unsafe.
Like my grandmother, my wife let me fly again before shooting me down. I barely began grieving narcissistic abuses and am scared of her containing grandma energy. The no-contact I implemented seems pointless—that Narc lives in my wife anyways. She even has the same power to crush me to dust, only stronger. My wife is my biggest weakness. I abhor weakness, thus I am abhorring her. I also detest the oppression of tiptoeing, compromising, and obliging alter whims at the expense of serious plans—JUST LIKE WITH MY GRANDMOTHER.
Then again, I can’t fathom living after a divorce. Wifey loves Celine Dion and we are the epitome of that duet I Hate You Then I Love You. The lyrics “It’s impossible to live *with you*, but I could never live *without you*, for whatever you do, I never never never want to be in Love with anyone but *you*” still rings true.
The Spouse Slot in my heart was formed in my wife’s shape and for her Essence alone. I can’t accept any other. If I was the dead guy in What Dreams May Come (one of our favourite films), I would definitely traverse the afterlife to save my wife no matter how broken she is. Existence in any world is meaningless without her.
We overcame worse hells than cheating. Why would I abandon Wifey when she is in desperate need of protection!? We live by the quote: “A perfect marriage is two imperfect people refusing to give up on each other.” In my belief, we are Twin Flames, and Wifey is definitely my Ideal Woman: demure, dreamy, melancholic, full of mischief and poetry. She saved my life. She redeemed me. We are supposed to grow old and go to Eternity together. Why would I give up on a lifelong mate over trauma!?
It seems that I am losing interest. This necrosis spurs the desire to amputate, while the increasing loss of exclusivity is repellent. For years I unquestioningly believed that she’s *incapable* of desiring anyone but me. Now my ownership feels diluted, invalidated, defeated. Several guy’s marks are all over her and nothing scrubs them off. Her intrusive memories of affairs even obstruct our intimacy!!!!! It is slammed into my face constantly—she is no longer ONLY MINE. That triggers a kneejerk aversion to others’ territory, which she now is.
After decades of impassioned Gomez & Morticia-style romance, I have no clue if I even Love her anymore. Something feels extinguished between us. There is a loss of respect—for the first time, my wife’s worth has fallen in my eyes. I saw her defile every renewed vow. It’s burned into me: she is substandard. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My beloved is suffering. Why am I on the verge of abandoning her!?
MY WIFE’S PERSPECTIVE
Wifey insists that she deserves patience as she tackles her trauma. Is Wifey right? I am going to copy/paste that text message from her here. Only fair to include both sides.
“Mon Amour, before you sink too deep with ghastly divorce ideas, may I please remind you one thing? I had infinite patience while you wrestled with your demons…I sacrificed myself to my depths for your healing and stayed even when I should have fled. You bemoan loss of trust online while I lived many years never feeling safe to trust you face to face!!!!!! But I never gave up on Love and the amazing man I saw beneath your shadows…my Ideal Man you have now become!
My alters twist and blur my thoughts dreadfully until I forget everything I have now…but they are NOT ME. You also were not yourself when you were lost…I fought so much to free you from problems and I would pray not to be abandoned when my own problems catch up with me…no one can heal their distortions overnight. “In sickness and in health” hm? I am sick. Why throw me away now? I do not feel this is very fair no matter how utterly loathsome my own actions…you know I shall always regret succumbing again. Alters aside I should have been proactive when I still had control and listened to Mama and even Mods warning me to turn off DMs when I signed up. I overestimated myself and now I pay many prices for my idiocy.
You do good job punishing me with ice already…I beg you be merciful enough to stay while I cleanse…please…we are like in the Destino animation…meant to be together but lost among shifting sands and obstacles trying to separate us…please do not forget Our Destiny of Love…remember, we don’t say goodbye…J’taime Éternellement!!”
CLOSING QUESTIONS
How do I cure the disenchantment / indifference? If I decide to stay, how do we rebuild when we lack solid rubble for a new reconstruction? How do I stop her restlessness to cheat? Is my wife getting exploited similarly to a drunk woman or is she culpable for her cheating? Am I the real failure here? Is this worth fighting for? Am I the real failure here?
TL;DR: Our Marriage is plagued by a shared abusive childhood, wife’s DID in particular. In 2022 an online predator reactivated her trauma programs through sexting. The fortified issues were never resolved, thus her alters cheated again once new predators DMed her in 2023. I hit my tolerance limit and something extinguished between us. I need advice on how to help my wife and rekindle Love.
submitted by TalesFromDeadBird to u/TalesFromDeadBird [link] [comments]
I tracked the cheating history by writing this behemoth of a post and did my best to connect dots between childhood trauma and modern consequences. I hope that the community’s outside perspectives can spot things to which we are still blind, provide advice, or give any input that might aid our situation. All opinions welcome. I will access them carefully.
Please note that I have a Dismissive-Avoidant attachment style, and my psychologist noted C-PTSD. I also have DID but unlike my wife, I worked long enough to achieve co-consciousness, internal cooperation, and current dormancy in my alters. My True Self is finally in command. We ran out of therapy money before my wife could address her own issues, hence online communities are our last resort until savings build up again.
OUR TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD ORIGINS
I was raised and abused by my narcissist grandmother for 25 years due to her orchestrating a rift between Mom and I (topic for another post). Her 16yo son aka my uncle sexually abused both my wife and I from infancy. In my case he had daily access. For my wife, it was because our fathers and my uncle were a trio of scum.
Despite the uncle link, I didn’t meet Wifey till age 3. She was dancing under a sprinkler and noticed my stare. Lightning hit us the second our eyes met and we breathlessly ran over to announce the mutual BOOM. After that, we were inseparable. At age 4 I proposed, she agreed, and we shared our first kiss. Adorable? No. We didn’t know how to be kids—due to sex abuse and grandma teaching us adult concepts, we related as boyfriend-girlfriend way too early and began playing the game ‘naked stuff’. Nothing beyond this first connection is purely innocent.
Soon after our romantic friendship started, my wife was groomed into nightly ‘special love’ with my uncle, laying a foundation of unfaithfulness towards me. When the ‘other boyfriend’ dumped her at 6, infatuation spiked and led to 9 years of cartwheels to regain his desire. Between that and my grandmother worshipping him, I competed for both women’s hearts by copying uncle into synonymity. I even used his playlists for dates and sex, believing that I am only worthy of love if I *am* him.
During and after my uncle’s abuse, my wife’s pedo father raped her too. I am loathed to call this BDSM given that he never abided by Safe, Sane, Consensual, but what he inflicted *is* BDSM activity. By age 5, he was trafficking his daughter and forced me to watch the rapes plus participate in sadism until I started doing it of my own accord. I was taught that boys are supposed to do this to girls, because they are girls. I didn’t know vanilla sex exists till age 11, at which point we finally shared positive intimacy—this formed the bedrock of what we are striving to build in adulthood. Alas, the learned fetishes persisted for years.
Meanwhile, my narcissist grandmother tormented me daily and brainwashed my wife to mimic her opinions, mannerisms, approaches, etc., thereby producing a mini-me alter and adding layers to our trauma bond. That alter learned toxic views on women (they exist to serve men) and pro-adultery, as the Narc preyed on committed guys for the fun of causing break-ups, obtained her husband by homewrecking, and caught a married lover long before grandpa died. As teens we were actually ghostwriters and phone sex assistants for that affair, obstructing critical stages in our own relationship.
Throughout this, Love existed. No one but her made me feel Loved, Seen, Heard, Safe, Certain. Moreover, me and Wifey expressed authentically only to each other, providing an oasis for Our True Selves to develop untarnished. We mutually soothed our demons, inspired creativity, and entertained one another. Teen Wifey also proved my angel. She endured hell to guide me out of darkness and prevented suicide attempts. Without her, I would be in prison or dead. At 23 we married in hopes of becoming wholesome and slowly inched toward that goal.
For Wifey’s wellbeing, I spent 2015-2022 deprogramming my BDSM porn addiction, fetishes, and toxic attitudes about women. Only last year I comprehended healthy relationships in concept. I think it is a beautiful way to live but it unnerves me as well. We also realized that vanilla D/s is our true preference, and we are highly compatible as a team. There is potential for absolute Paradise, but many issues still need to be overcome (communication struggles, ignoring Wifey for eons while she waits for me to interact again, etc.). The infidelity is my current focus. Here goes the trauma-fuelled history of online cheating.
AN UNCLE SUBSTITUTE EXPLOITS HER
Wifey has 7 alters. Some self-harm, some climb out windows, some rabidly scratch me or shriek enough for police to arrive, but the most annoying is that 9yo girl imprinted on my uncle. She always pines to get him back—which she finally did, in proxy form: AP1 (Affair Partner 1).
May 19th, 2022, my wife met a 31yo ‘virgin’ on Facebook who sucked her in via sob stories. While extracting info on her alters and rapes, AP1 made her a sex-ed teacher. Her confidence flourished. I had no concerns given my rock-solid trust in Wifey. Little did I know the 9yo alter was having an emotional affair of unrequited ‘love’. AP1’s eerie similitude in looks / job / zodiac / vibe / pedo streak made him an ideal projection, especially given how much Uncle 2.0 lavished the alter. He was her dream come true. Looking back, I invited this situation by depriving Wifey of attention for too long. She needs regular interaction with me to stay Her True Self.
Anyways, Wifey believed the hours spent texting / on the phone were recharging her desire for ‘me’. We were yet to understand that ‘me’ meant ‘uncle’, as the two were blended. I started feeling off, but kept trusting her. After all, she had befriended two FB guys in 2021 who stayed platonic (only now we recognize them as lighter emotional affairs). Besides, grandma taught me that getting randomly sidelined or devalued is ‘just the way things are’.
After 3 weeks of grooming, AP1 triggered my wife, fully infiltrating her subconscious. She fearfully hid from him for 2 days, then tried to end the friendship on June 8th. AP1 derailed the goodbye into engaging topics, followed by traumatic content that methodically wore her down into an aroused trance. Once he hit the trigger jackpot, her alter seized control and delved into 6 hours of abuse reenactment sexting, audio clips, nudes, unholy “I love yous”, etc. while Wifey’s undercurrent of extreme stress induced miniature heart attacks—this caused permanent damage. Once Wifey woke up and saw what transpired, a female FB friend moved mountains to prevent her guilt-ridden suicide. She desperately wanted to die.
Later, I walked into the room expecting nothing unusual. Instead, tear-stricken wife fell to her knees, grabbed my leg and frantically confessed sexting, giving away our gif collection and using terms sacred to us. The heartbreak annihilated me. While consoling her, I struggled to swallow reality: the ONE PERSON I thought would never break my trust, just shattered it. Another dude just *stole MY wife*. Long before I learned that my old rival (uncle) was the motive, I felt triggered.
Many talks / meltdowns ensued between us and Mom. 48 hours later, the alter cheated again (June 10th) while we thought Wifey was snoozing. AP1 had unlocked an oil spill of traumatic arousal, hence it took seconds to induce the marathon, this time centred on BDSM. AP1 then instructed the alter to give him first dibs every day—the Husband can only get sloppy seconds. Once he left, she ran over to Mom announcing that her boyfriend is going to marry her (old fantasy about my uncle) in a jarringly American voice (Wifey is Francophone). This unmasked DID as the cheating engine and introduced us to a previously-unknown alter.
Once awake, Wifey plunged into catatonic shock and depression. We all supported Wifey grieving AP1’s sick exploitation and processing why she succumbed. I never got a chance to focus on myself amid the revolutionary insights, plus Mom and I kept scrambling to stop that alter before she obeyed the “sext me daily” command that would only retraumatize her further. We also discovered AP1 is a predator who targets mentally-ill wives in addition to little girls. That vulture has a thing for the most vulnerable forbidden fruit.
Realizing the insidious influence made Wifey hyperfocus on Our Marriage. She was outraged that AP1 dared invade us and texted him revocations of love, condemnations for “raping her while drunk” and tried to hammer the sanctity of Marriage into his snide mug. We banded together against my uncle’s spectre and felt in-tune as a couple. Therapy sessions were scheduled. Had this continued, Our Love would be detoxed and stronger than ever. Alas, a parasitic distraction sapped its power 6 days later.
GRANDMOTHER TRAUMA BOND INTERFERES
My wife kept shutting down during intimacy due to intrusive memories of AP1, plus an urge to blot out the existence of non-abusive sex. Her alters were clinging to my uncle’s ‘style’. She quickly realized that AP1 had stained sex and rendered her numb to me. She was distraught.
When my wife sought advice on June 16th, 2022, her friend (also abused) nabbed the chance to confess a bewildering lesbian crush. This shock activated the trauma bond with my grandmother and prompted another alter affair. She declared that a bit of lesbianism will cure our intimacy problem. At first, I laughed it off. Then therapy was cancelled, my savings were spent on gifts, and I realized that my wife’s #heart# was stolen in addition to sex drive. A Facebook woman had burglarized my one remaining stronghold.
Given how romantic it was, I felt replaced, invisible, abandoned (childhood themes). It sliced and diced me, particularly since my wife blinded herself to my pain no matter how I pushed her to see it (grandmother theme). My wife cried that she wants us both and can’t choose—no wonder, since she was unknowingly reliving a childhood scenario where emotional incest with my grandmother accompanied and influenced Our Love.
I was clueless about this. To me, it seemed a heart-crushing romantic affair. Being a hypermonogamist forced into polyamory is indescribable. On June 23rd, I ranted at AP2 for stealing the Love of My Life and decided on suicide even if I’m hellbound—Heaven means nothing sans my wife. Panicked AP2 called the cops. Mom convinced the officers that it was a false alarm, knowing that I would try to get shot. Wifey was unrecognizably hollow while comforting me. I fell asleep in bitter tears, her hand numbly wiping them away.
My bitterness began erupting while teary wife insisted this is a mission. She swore to end the affair as soon as she solves the ‘mysteries of sudden lesbianism’. I refused to support it. Our fights incited a fullblown manifestation of my AFib and worsened heart issues for my wife. Daily vomiting turned her into skin-and-bones. We nearly died, which would have caused the suicide of My Mom and AP2. Poor Mom already suffered intense health issues from this affair. She adores us both. Our vitriol devastated her.
Eventually I put my wife’s happiness above my own and let her go: if she is meant to come back to me, she will. I spent another month in living death. Surprisingly, Wife kept her promise. She discovered that the emotional incest with mother figures in both her and AP2 caused them to ‘fall in love’. The alters tied to my grandmother lost their grip, the affair ended (August 13th), and Love for me flooded back.
Wifey returned a matured woman: more Self-Aware, rational, and opposed to adultery than ever. I fell in Love with her vibrancy. Meanwhile, AP2 became our mutual best friend, an invaluable source of epiphanies for my healing too, and the biggest supporter of Our Love. Turns out that we all share near-identical trauma plus share common interests. As a result, I felt gratitude for this affair. Short-term suffering reaped long-term blessings.
A STRAINED AFTERMATH
AP1 continued to highjack our sex life. The conscious resurrection of my uncle in my wife’s psyche permanently split him and I into two men and revealed the sexual imprint. Between bringing that into her awareness and the various desecrations, AP1 vandalized her. Damn the timing! We were on the verge of a sex life free from trauma!
We lived in tension despite Loving efforts, and I struggled to overcome the sense that my mate is tainted. I put the bedroom on hold until these stains were purified, and figured it was best not to impose myself until the alter stops craving Uncle 2.0. For months I patrolled my turf obsessively while screaming inside. Did my best to remember that Wifey never betrayed me—these are only echoes of the past wrecking havoc in modern day.
TRANSCENDING THE CHEATING
Fast forward a year since the two affairs. I was working on Self-development and finally grieving my grandmother trauma. My wife started reflecting deeper on infidelity and had epiphanies:
- Everything that she finds attractive and attributed to my uncle belongs to me (e.g., *I’m* the analytical nerdy poet surrounded by books—he’s the robotic, stuffy tech fanatic).
- I am her real dreamboat, projected onto the pedo worshipped by her idol (my grandmother) instead of vice versa. She actually Loves me MORE as I gain authenticity.
During Our Anniversary (mid-April), True Wife was a trembling ball of remorse and begged for an impromptu vow renewal. Her turn was a meltdown of apologies and fervent promises to never forsake Our Love again. She convinced me of her redemption, especially after rejecting FB dudes in her inbox while posting wishes to me. Hope was rebuilt. We seemed en route to healing. One problem: we still didn’t have sex.
ABUSER CONDITIONING RETALIATES
Avoiding sex since the cheatings was incredibly stupid. I didn’t realize that her alters, though dormant, felt owned by my uncle because I never reclaimed her. AP1 factory-reset my wife’s sexuality. The healthy things needed reinstallation before it was safe for her to face old trauma. My failure to do that made alters restless and our reconciliation was seen as a challenge to her fortified abuse programming. This was the worst time for my wife to post in a rape support sub.
In minutes the DM creeps descended and my wife met a pedophile whose way of abusing little girls woke the alters. My wife was in denial about the risk and texted me: “The affairs revealed truth about my alters and abuse. This man too. I gain awareness about my trauma as I tell it to him and understand more why pedophiles hurt us. I shall make sure it does not get personal. It is not a real affair. I am just researching.”
My heart was pounding but I tried to trust that she will stay within (barely tolerable) boundaries. NOPE. A mere 38 days after vowing never to betray me, her alter pleaded the pedophile to describe what *he* would do to 6-year old *her*. He whet her appetite with a partially-fulfilling fantasy before ghosting. Wifey entered a bizarre state of autopilot.
Inexplicably, she contacted a BDSM Redditor who is a known sanity risk, solicited him for sexting, then prayed for him not to respond. When he did, she felt scared shitless and obligated to describe her old tortures (as he commanded). The guy proceeded to demolish my wife’s barriers until she started craving her father’s tortures. The moment she called him “Master”, it was over for me.
I shut down and observed the trainwreck, feeling no sympathy. My wife invited all this shit and made a conscious choice to engage instead of block. I was dejectedly amused listening to the circus: “This is just research, I learn my mind by interacting with bad men—OMG OMG I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN SURVIVE THIS FILTH! I WANT ONLY YOU! Oh, another client needs my trauma for pleasure! Got to go!”
I felt too drained to realize that her unhinged sexting spree was stirring my trauma. Another oversight.
THE RIDE THROUGH OLD HELL
From May 27-28th, her alter became a snowball down Mt. Everest and the avalanche pulled me under. DM perverts verbally raped my wife while she took explicit photos right next to me in bed. Against all expectation, these e-rapes catapulted me back to boyhood: helpless to intervene, and too horrified to close my eyes. Taking away the phone didn’t cross my mind, nor could I. My body was paralyzed and eerily, I lost the ability to make sound. Seems that I contain significantly more trauma programming than anticipated. I resent my wife for subjecting me to this oppressive hell even more than I resent the cheating itself.
As if going down ‘memory lane’ wasn’t enough, possessed wife also channelled my grandmother. She would look at my tears and emit her sadistic CACKLE. Once I merged the two women, I was screwed. My trauma program dictates that I must endure whatever grandma wants; this includes watching her affair unfold.
As the ultimate insult, my wife spent the last 12 hours building an emotional affair on Reddit while I prayed for sleep. By dawn, her alter declared him a potential ‘boyfriend’. In her deluded head, the sexting arranged for nightfall would cure the rest through ultimate satisfaction plus bring True Wife back to Our Love, as this guy made her feel that “I am with you, not your uncle. Like *you* finally feel real.” The nonsensicality made me short-circuit. I was DONE.
INSANITY SLAMS TO A HALT
That afternoon, she finally jolted out of the binge-sexting. How? Wifey noticed my distress, 5 days too late. I watched her first comprehend that this is hurting me, then struggle to reset consciousness, then remember that Love exists. She did a 180 on her ‘client’ and viciously berated his perversion. That helped her regain footing.
My jittery wife proceeded to apologize, freak about the explicit photos, and spiral into a suicidal state over betraying me again. She erratically cancelled every sexting appointment, shut off the DMs, and spent days begging Divinity for help. We avoided each other.
In our first talk, Wifey confessed that she fears herself, as only her housebound life prevents physical cheating. While she wants nothing more than to be pure, her alters are begging for more due to trauma bonds. Wifey described it as: “Insatiable rocket blocked by a moral fence and waiting for release to zoom again.” Needless to say I was embittered.
REFLECTING ON THE AFTERMATH
While analyzing recent events, I realized something: my wife didn’t run to that BDSM sadist of her own volition. An elusive alter had taken the wheel: the brothel Madame who pulls my wife into prostitution re-enactments. No wonder she was cackling! It’s the alter’s trademark, based on my grandmother! That damn Narc used to say that it’s bad to deprive other men and let the body go to waste on one Husband. *No wonder* a vow renewal pissed off that alter! Now Wifey-on-autopilot made sense.
Wifey was stunned at the revelation and had a glitch (outraged cackles, whimpers, shudders) that confirmed its truth. She never knew this freaky alter steers her from behind the scenes. Took her awhile to digest the disturbing paradigm shift.
Interestingly, she later texted: “That alter does not excuse my choice to chat with a pedophile right after another creep showed me how vulnerable I am. I have ultimate responsibility even if later choices were not mine.”
I asked if that choice was really her own. She replied: “I think so, because he introduced himself as a retired counsellor. I never expected he was a pedophile and when he mentioned it, I should have been proactive about risks continuing such a topic with any man.”
I avoided her again and tried to pinpoint my feelings (still a struggle). No matter how blatantly I see the nymphomaniac is not Her True Self, the serial breakage of trust is making me relinquish hope, care, and concern. The more I sink into numbness, the less I care who is culpable. The whole Wifey & Co. feel ruined. I know it is very unfair to shun Wifey for sins committed in a trauma trance. DID is involuntary. Yet, her issues are a jinx now that I am surpassing our old life. The very toxicities Wifey healed in me remain her alters’ addiction. Now they’re in nasty withdrawal, desperate for any ‘drug’.
For the first time ever, divorce is drifting through my thoughts. I keep wondering, do I treat these events as a growth opportunity for her, or grounds for divorce? I want to reconcile, but should I? I’m burned out. She’s constant trouble. I feel ready to bail. And honestly, I feel unsafe.
Like my grandmother, my wife let me fly again before shooting me down. I barely began grieving narcissistic abuses and am scared of her containing grandma energy. The no-contact I implemented seems pointless—that Narc lives in my wife anyways. She even has the same power to crush me to dust, only stronger. My wife is my biggest weakness. I abhor weakness, thus I am abhorring her. I also detest the oppression of tiptoeing, compromising, and obliging alter whims at the expense of serious plans—JUST LIKE WITH MY GRANDMOTHER.
Then again, I can’t fathom living after a divorce. Wifey loves Celine Dion and we are the epitome of that duet I Hate You Then I Love You. The lyrics “It’s impossible to live *with you*, but I could never live *without you*, for whatever you do, I never never never want to be in Love with anyone but *you*” still rings true.
The Spouse Slot in my heart was formed in my wife’s shape and for her Essence alone. I can’t accept any other. If I was the dead guy in What Dreams May Come (one of our favourite films), I would definitely traverse the afterlife to save my wife no matter how broken she is. Existence in any world is meaningless without her.
We overcame worse hells than cheating. Why would I abandon Wifey when she is in desperate need of protection!? We live by the quote: “A perfect marriage is two imperfect people refusing to give up on each other.” In my belief, we are Twin Flames, and Wifey is definitely my Ideal Woman: demure, dreamy, melancholic, full of mischief and poetry. She saved my life. She redeemed me. We are supposed to grow old and go to Eternity together. Why would I give up on a lifelong mate over trauma!?
It seems that I am losing interest. This necrosis spurs the desire to amputate, while the increasing loss of exclusivity is repellent. For years I unquestioningly believed that she’s *incapable* of desiring anyone but me. Now my ownership feels diluted, invalidated, defeated. Several guy’s marks are all over her and nothing scrubs them off. Her intrusive memories of affairs even obstruct our intimacy!!!!! It is slammed into my face constantly—she is no longer ONLY MINE. That triggers a kneejerk aversion to others’ territory, which she now is.
After decades of impassioned Gomez & Morticia-style romance, I have no clue if I even Love her anymore. Something feels extinguished between us. There is a loss of respect—for the first time, my wife’s worth has fallen in my eyes. I saw her defile every renewed vow. It’s burned into me: she is substandard. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My beloved is suffering. Why am I on the verge of abandoning her!?
MY WIFE’S PERSPECTIVE
Wifey insists that she deserves patience as she tackles her trauma. Is Wifey right? I am going to copy/paste that text message from her here. Only fair to include both sides.
“Mon Amour, before you sink too deep with ghastly divorce ideas, may I please remind you one thing? I had infinite patience while you wrestled with your demons…I sacrificed myself to my depths for your healing and stayed even when I should have fled. You bemoan loss of trust online while I lived many years never feeling safe to trust you face to face!!!!!! But I never gave up on Love and the amazing man I saw beneath your shadows…my Ideal Man you have now become!
My alters twist and blur my thoughts dreadfully until I forget everything I have now…but they are NOT ME. You also were not yourself when you were lost…I fought so much to free you from problems and I would pray not to be abandoned when my own problems catch up with me…no one can heal their distortions overnight. “In sickness and in health” hm? I am sick. Why throw me away now? I do not feel this is very fair no matter how utterly loathsome my own actions…you know I shall always regret succumbing again. Alters aside I should have been proactive when I still had control and listened to Mama and even Mods warning me to turn off DMs when I signed up. I overestimated myself and now I pay many prices for my idiocy.
You do good job punishing me with ice already…I beg you be merciful enough to stay while I cleanse…please…we are like in the Destino animation…meant to be together but lost among shifting sands and obstacles trying to separate us…please do not forget Our Destiny of Love…remember, we don’t say goodbye…J’taime Éternellement!!”
CLOSING QUESTIONS
How do I cure the disenchantment / indifference? If I decide to stay, how do we rebuild when we lack solid rubble for a new reconstruction? How do I stop her restlessness to cheat? Is my wife getting exploited similarly to a drunk woman or is she culpable for her cheating? Am I the real failure here? Is this worth fighting for? Am I the real failure here?
TL;DR: Our Marriage is plagued by a shared abusive childhood, wife’s DID in particular. In 2022 an online predator reactivated her trauma programs through sexting. The fortified issues were never resolved, thus her alters cheated again once new predators DMed her in 2023. I hit my tolerance limit and something extinguished between us. I need advice on how to help my wife and rekindle Love.
2023.06.11 01:55 AutoModerator [Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download
| | ➡️ https://www.genkicourses.site/product/chris-orzechowski-badass-black-friday-bundle/⬅️ submitted by AutoModerator to Genkicourses_Com [link] [comments] Get the course here: [Genkicourses.site] [Get] Chris Orzechowski – Badass Black Friday Bundle - Full Course Download What You Get:Course #1Black Friday BootcampThis is a short course I created for one of my e-commerce coaching groups. It outlines the high level strategy you need to use to MAXIMIZE sales for BFCM.I go over everything from how to map out your promo calendar… what emails to send when… exactly when you should START and FINISH your promo(s)… and, most importantly… … how to STAND OUT and grab attention in an overcrowded inbox, so you can break every sales record. Once you watch this mini-course, you’re going to be pumping out high-converting BFCM campaigns in no time! Course #2 Make It Rain MonthlyBFCM/Q4 Planning CallThis is a special “members-only” coaching call I recorded with a handful of my top students to help them prepare their clients’ brands for BFCM success.I even critique (and edit) a few of my students’ BFCM emails during this call. You can look over my shoulder and see how I think about constructing these email campaigns and sequences – super valuable! Course #3 Make It Rain Monthly Issue #8The Black Friday / Cyber MondayMEGA Issue Part 1
Make It Rain Monthly Issue #9The Black Friday / Cyber MondayMEGA Issue Part 2
Make It Rain Monthly Issue #20The Black Friday / Cyber Monday2021 Gameplan
Holiday Sale Super SequenceWant to scoop up even MORE sales during the holidays (without the hassle of figuring out your promo calendar)?This Holiday Sale Super Sequence is based on campaigns I still run for my agency clients that generate anywhere between $30-$50K — without fail. Comes with SIX email templates, a quick-start implementation video and super secret bonus. So if you want to generate massive sales easily every time there’s a holiday… then this training is going to help you make that happen. This sequence is PERFECT for BFCM… but you can even modify it to run other holiday sales throughout the year. Courses proof (screenshots for example, or 1 free sample video from the course) are available upon demand, simply Contact us here |
2023.06.11 01:55 AutoModerator Todd Valentine - Verbal Game Academy (complete)
Chat +447593882116 (Telegram/Whatsapp) to get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy.
Todd Valentine's Verbal Game Academy Course will teach you his top strategies for effective communication.
Todd V is known for the extreme high quality of his content. In Todd V - Verbal Game Academy you will learn how to:
Be the guy that speaks to her emotions
How to walk up with absolute confidence
Make conversation FUN and PLAYFUL
How to ignite her sex drive
GET HER on a deep emotional level
To get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy contact me on:
Reddit Direct Message to u/CourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets)
WhatsApp/Telegram: +447593882116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
submitted by AutoModerator to VerbalAcademyTodd [link] [comments]
Todd Valentine's Verbal Game Academy Course will teach you his top strategies for effective communication.
Todd V is known for the extreme high quality of his content. In Todd V - Verbal Game Academy you will learn how to:
Be the guy that speaks to her emotions
How to walk up with absolute confidence
Make conversation FUN and PLAYFUL
How to ignite her sex drive
GET HER on a deep emotional level
To get Todd V - Verbal Game Academy contact me on:
Reddit Direct Message to u/CourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore/@/yandex.com (remove the brackets)
WhatsApp/Telegram: +447593882116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
2023.06.11 01:53 CampinHiker Looking for Feedback and Insight on Trip 8/26-9/5 am I missing anything?
Hello there going to give some numbers and also would like to hear others insight on some things I’m missing.
8/26 Saturday Day 1) -LAX to Calgary -Land at 12pm pick up rental vehicle 12:30pm -go to grocery store grab supplies for food and drinks -drive to Banff and do Sulphur Mountain Gondala around 3pm or so -explore town a bit check into Hostel (Samesun and Banff International looking like my top two picks) to stay 8/26-8/30
8/27 sunday Day 2) - wake up super Early Drive to Lake Louise parking lot for Hike to Big Beehive, Agnes Lake, Loop + come back to Banff rest and relax grab dinner
8/28 monday day 3) - 11:00am Half day white river rafting, maybe explore Kootenay another relaxful day in Banff maybe check out a bar or two
8/29 Day 4) - need insight for early morning [7:00am-10:30am] breakfast obviously -(planning to do Moraine Lake via shuttle around 11:30am to 12:30pm arrival time rockpile viewpoint and shoreline hike then shuttle back to car parked at Lake Louise ski resort parking lot (possibly have a canoe rental in place at Lake Louise before - Johnston to upper Falls,
8/30 day 5) check out hotels in Banff/museum maybe before heading out Icelandic parkway stopping at most popular spots up the way I haven't hit at that point up to Jasper, stay in Jasper Hostels in area
8/31 day 6) -Lake Maligne to spirit island explore town of Jasper, tickets to the Astrology center in Jasper for some viewing of Space looks neat! -stay in town again at a hostel
9/1 could remain in Jasper and do The Gondola here as well, enjoy a breakfast in the morning,
Now I am going to be completely honest. I do have all the way until 9/5 so I am unsure if I should stretch things out, settle in one place a bit longer, and or even try to visit another nearby town or monument/park. I also need to still book tickets; currently pending my cousin to see if he is wanting to join the trip before I purchase/set times on things to be more flexible for him as well.
*My dates and itinerary are completely flexible as except my flight times :)
round trip flight from LA to Calgary $611USD Rental Car: $330 8/26-9/5 USD Gas = $ whatever it ends up being, car needs it to get around Hostels $80/DAY USD Tours/attractions ( Sulphur mountain Gondola, Canoe rental, Roam shuttle bus, maybe Glacier tour) Budget $500ish if there is something else I should try Food = Plan to eat out a few times but more so stick to quick snacks like Jerky, protein shakes, water with Liquid IV, fast food spots. Will not be bringing cooking gear nor groceries to prep meals. This can add up fast but I do plan to be diligent on what I swipe on. Gift shops/Decals/patches =$100-200 depending on what I find.
***I do understand it seems like lots of driving and such to complete; however I am a madman and have done Los Angeles to Utah Mighty 5 National Parks in 4 days with hiking and camping involved by covering ground being up at 2-3 am on the road to get to the next destination. I can sleep when I am dead : )
submitted by CampinHiker to Banff [link] [comments]
8/26 Saturday Day 1) -LAX to Calgary -Land at 12pm pick up rental vehicle 12:30pm -go to grocery store grab supplies for food and drinks -drive to Banff and do Sulphur Mountain Gondala around 3pm or so -explore town a bit check into Hostel (Samesun and Banff International looking like my top two picks) to stay 8/26-8/30
8/27 sunday Day 2) - wake up super Early Drive to Lake Louise parking lot for Hike to Big Beehive, Agnes Lake, Loop + come back to Banff rest and relax grab dinner
8/28 monday day 3) - 11:00am Half day white river rafting, maybe explore Kootenay another relaxful day in Banff maybe check out a bar or two
8/29 Day 4) - need insight for early morning [7:00am-10:30am] breakfast obviously -(planning to do Moraine Lake via shuttle around 11:30am to 12:30pm arrival time rockpile viewpoint and shoreline hike then shuttle back to car parked at Lake Louise ski resort parking lot (possibly have a canoe rental in place at Lake Louise before - Johnston to upper Falls,
8/30 day 5) check out hotels in Banff/museum maybe before heading out Icelandic parkway stopping at most popular spots up the way I haven't hit at that point up to Jasper, stay in Jasper Hostels in area
8/31 day 6) -Lake Maligne to spirit island explore town of Jasper, tickets to the Astrology center in Jasper for some viewing of Space looks neat! -stay in town again at a hostel
9/1 could remain in Jasper and do The Gondola here as well, enjoy a breakfast in the morning,
Now I am going to be completely honest. I do have all the way until 9/5 so I am unsure if I should stretch things out, settle in one place a bit longer, and or even try to visit another nearby town or monument/park. I also need to still book tickets; currently pending my cousin to see if he is wanting to join the trip before I purchase/set times on things to be more flexible for him as well.
*My dates and itinerary are completely flexible as except my flight times :)
round trip flight from LA to Calgary $611USD Rental Car: $330 8/26-9/5 USD Gas = $ whatever it ends up being, car needs it to get around Hostels $80/DAY USD Tours/attractions ( Sulphur mountain Gondola, Canoe rental, Roam shuttle bus, maybe Glacier tour) Budget $500ish if there is something else I should try Food = Plan to eat out a few times but more so stick to quick snacks like Jerky, protein shakes, water with Liquid IV, fast food spots. Will not be bringing cooking gear nor groceries to prep meals. This can add up fast but I do plan to be diligent on what I swipe on. Gift shops/Decals/patches =$100-200 depending on what I find.
***I do understand it seems like lots of driving and such to complete; however I am a madman and have done Los Angeles to Utah Mighty 5 National Parks in 4 days with hiking and camping involved by covering ground being up at 2-3 am on the road to get to the next destination. I can sleep when I am dead : )
2023.06.11 01:52 AutoModerator [Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download
| | ➡️ https://www.genkicourses.site/product/ry-schwartz-coaching-the-conversion-ctc-circle-10-2022/⬅️ submitted by AutoModerator to Genkicourses_Com [link] [comments] Get the course here: [Genkicourses.site] [Get] RY Schwartz – Coaching The Conversion CTC Circle (10/2022) - Full Course Download What You Get:Program #1CTC Launches(to master your launch and funnel sequences)10X Launches is the first copywriting program fully engineered to speed up the execution and amplify your results of your emails no matter what kind of funnel or launch strategy you’re rolling out. It’s built not only for best-in-class launch copywriters… But for coaches, consultants, course creators, and ANYONE who stands to benefit from nailing down their launch and funnel copy faster and with more genuine impact. IN THIS TOP-SELLING PROGRAM, YOU’LL GET ACCESS TO: 2 “Core” ModulesThat will initiate you into the “Coaching The Conversion™ method, and how to leverage a new, more empowering definition of “direct response” that opens up the floodgates to greater intimacy, empathy, and conversions.5 “Launch” Modulesbreaking down every single phase of your launch or funnel in full detail (including some you didn’t even know existed). You’ll learn exactly what’s at play during the Segmentation & Confirmation, Pre-Launch, Launch, Sales and Closing phases of your funnel and how to quickly craft the messaging that coaches your prospect into the final conversion in a powerful, non-sleazy way.25+ Email TemplatesNone of that BS “plug’n’play” or “swipe and deploy” stuff that shoehorns your message into lifeless boxes that robs it of all life and power.Instead, you’ll get FULL breakdowns and walkthroughs of the go-to templates I turn to over-and-over again in 6 and 7-figure launch campaigns. Meaning, you get to craft your OWN high-converting launch emails in about 25 minutes flat and fire them into ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign (or wtv you’re using) while your coffee’s still hot. Program #2CTC Sales Pages(to master your long form sales page)This is it. It’s where the best paid copywriters, coaches and course marketers on the planet earn their keep. It’s where the conversion either happens or it doesn’t. In cold hard numbers that don’t care how many Clif bars you stress-ate in the process. It’s where the most admired online business owners transform interest, desire, and engagement and into what you actually want: Sales. So what is “it”? It’s your long-form sales page. And the truth is… most copywriters and marketers avoid long-form sales pages like the plague… treating it like a close-talking lepper with coffee breath… instead of the 24/7 salesperson your sales page – that final step in your marketing funnel – should be. So why do marketers (and even pro-level copywriters) avoid sales pages? Because writing a long-form sales page is intimidating AF. It’s the Night King of the Whitewalker army. It’s the Beef Wellington on Hell’s Kitchen. It’s the Lord Voldemort of your marketing funnel – aka the funnel asset that shall not be named. A long-form sales page is where you’ll spend dozens of hours writing THOUSANDS of words that will either confirm your claim as a top player in your space… Or will tell you with Gordon-Ramsay-esque candor that your marketing wasn’t as good as your business coach told you it was. There’s real pressure in that. But there’s even real-er payoff in being able to do it faster – and more profitably – than anyone else in your industry. A payoff that even affords you the right to make up words like real-er Confronting, yep? Conquerable. Absolutely. In CTC Sales Pages, you’ll go through the exact process I’ve used to write over twenty 6 and 7-figure sales pages for the likes of Amy Porterfield, Copyhackers, and many more. Program #3 & #4Six Figure Emails & Seven Figure Emails(for even more email conversion badassery)Welcome to the “Johnnie Walker Blue” of our email template series. This is the premium blend for more advanced marketing palates. All pulled straight from my highest-performing launches for industry titans like Amy Porterfield, Todd Herman, Traffic & Funnels, and Copyhackers. What you’re getting are 13 advanced email templates that you can use in a pinch when you need to write a standalone sales email, a webinar invitation, a post-webinar replay, downsell, or flash sale. To be clear, these aren’t those sketchy and lifeless “swipe and deploy” templates you may have seen swimming around the shadier parts of the online marketing cesspool. These are loose, flexible templates that guide you through deep-dive masterclasses teaching you the advanced psychology behind each one. Meaning, you actually understand WHY they work, and are fully empowered to engineer them to best serve your audience. Program #5Minimum Viable Launch 2.0(to quickly rock profitable and lean email launches)We’ve taken the single most impactful part of 10x Launches; the part that countless students have credited with producing game-changing ROI in record time… And given it a fresh-for-2022 facelift. Not only will you be getting access to a stack of NEW templates that we’ve added to the stack based on repeated tests and real-world results. But we’ll be offering you the one-click automation uploads to bring the whole sequence straight into your ActiveCampaign to save you and your team about 5+ hours of heavy-duty integration time. Program #6Application Funnel Amplifiers(for creating powerful pre-call enrollment experiences)Fact: The enrollment experience begins the moment your prospect books a call. If you mail it in for those 12-72 hours between when they book the call — and show up to it, you’re missing a golden opportunity to begin coaching the necessary transformations. In this brand new program, you’ll learn how we to consciously engineering your entire application experience to pre-empt objections, create magnetism, and stack the odds in favor of having a successful enrollment conversation You’ll get practical answers to:
Program #7Next-Level Automation & Optimization Stack(upcoming and ongoing automation tutorials)As the CTC Membership evolves, our resident Wizard, Philip Powis will be actively adding a library of importable one-click automations (into ActiveCampaign), leveraged software playbooks, and a running list of the most advanced (and cost effective) tools and systems that he recommends for fast-scaling course and coaching businesses. Courses proof (screenshots for example, or 1 free sample video from the course) are available upon demand, simply Contact us here |
2023.06.11 01:48 underline2 How to deal with NP's midlife crisis while waiting for therapy?
Putting this here mostly as a vent/cry for support, but also looking for advice if anyone has any. Figured y'all would be a better audience than any of the monogamous subreddits. Tldr at the end.
Husband (29) and I (32) have been together 6 years, married for 3. Both have fairly bad ADHD (I'm medicated, he's not). We started off poly as nonprimary partners then through various life circumstances fell into being effectively-monogamous nesting partners. We've been fully poly again for the last ~9 months and I've been leaning more towards RA (though I know that's tricky with being married - the philosophy just resonates with me). We each have one non-romantic partner that means a lot to us as well as a few FWB type of connections.
The good: We joke around a lot and stay silly. We have similar goals around life stages, finances, kids, etc. We don't share any hobbies really, but are super supportive of each other's goals. He's followed me across the country TWICE so I could pursue career opportunities. I make 4x as much as he does so in the few times where he's had a super toxic job he's been able to just quit without something lined up and I'm happy to make that happen. He dropped everything to hike the Appalachian Trail last year and I loved being able to help his dream come true. He's great with my terrible family and will surprise me with flowers and corn dogs occasionally. We do parallel poly but we're both very supportive of each other's connections.
The less good: He's been dealing with crisis after crisis for years now, meaning I've been picking up the slack and I am reaching a breaking point. He was in a miserable toxic job for a good chunk of 2021, which led to me sitting him down and saying, "you need to make a change because this is making us BOTH miserable". He quit then found something better, then got on meds for his OCD, so things were improving again for ~4 months until he left for the Appalachian Trail.
While on trail, the relationship was very one sided despite being able to text almost every day. His OCD got better as his meds got into his system (needed less constant reassurance, etc) but his perspective became extremely narrow-focused. If it wasn't about food or mileage or the next rest day (or sexting), it was really hard to get him engaged. Many of my comments about my day wouldn't get a response or reaction of any kind.
We agreed to stay monogamous during this time (one major life change at a time, please) but ONE WEEK IN he started telling me about this girl he was developing a crush on and I had to be like "dude not cool - talk this out with a friend first, not your lonely wife". He did apologize and things there were fine in the end.
I went hard on hobbies and work and built a great friend group, but I was also dealing with an elderly dog who was getting sick, as well as caring for two reptiles, and fixing up the entire new apartment we moved into 2 months before he left. March-June was also the 5 year anniversary of my first husband getting sick and dying, so I was not in the best mental space.
We went back and forth on how he could make me feel cared for, and in the end he sent me occasional photos and letters, as well as several pairs of earrings (that I LOVE) that he found on the way. It wasn't enough but I leaned on my friends and put a lot of effort into myself. As for me, I was mailing resupply boxes for him, checking the weather when his service was bad, coordinating with his mother about his grandma's funeral, etc. I drove down from MA to VA so we could be together for my birthday (which was a very good weekend). Once he got closer to New England I brought him stuff more frequently. I drove 2 hours up to New Hampshire to bring him a sleeping bag one night a sudden cold snap came through.
When he finished, we knew it would be bittersweet and strange to reintegrate. He had a job he liked waiting for him, and a month before he had to go back. We had to put down our dog which hurt terribly for both of us. My work sent me to Europe for 2 weeks and he was able to come along as a bit of a honeymoon-we-never-got-thanks-covid. We were having a LOT of sex and things seemed really good.
A couple months in, we're back to being poly and it's going ok (normal mistakes like going too hard on NRE but nothing that upset our partnership). Management at his job changes and makes things really shitty at the same time two of his new relationships break up in a nasty way, kick-starting some already lurking post-trail depression. I suggest for him to get therapy. He does not. We do get a new puppy and he's wonderful but boy oh boy we did not anticipate the sleep disruption.
My own mental health starts declining as I get 4 major illnesses back to back, sleep dep accumulates, and my grief season (March-June) coincides with my other partner telling me he doesn't reciprocate my feelings. (I brought it up as a check in before I got too deep so I could recalibrate if needed, but it still hurt.) I start checking out of work because I'm exhausted and corporate changes mean my efforts go nowhere, and I realized that I can do ~3 hours of work every day and my boss is still happy enough to give me a promotion. It's very cushy but does not help my mental health when I WANT to be engaged in my work.
Somewhere in this time, my husband gets upset at the declining intimacy (0-2 times a week vs almost every day) between us, especially as I'm still going on dates, and during an argument says I'm more difficult to please than his other partners and "I'm not gonna say I'm disgusted by the thought of sex with you BUT..." I later told him he was never allowed to speak to me like that again and he apologized but it came with "you know I didn't mean it." A recurring argument is that I'm hurt when he makes little to no effort to comfort me when I'm sad, and it recently came out that he feels criticized and like he can't do anything right. I probably am pushing him too much because I just want him to step up.
Another recurring argument has been anal. I have health issues that make it not a good idea most of the time, and after he kept pushing for it I made a rule that I will bring it up if and when it's on the table. Even then he would sometimes ask but since we started seeing other people again, it's been a non-issue until recently when I said, "yeah let's do it" and he went straight from using a small plug (good, enjoyable) to lining up his not-small dick at my ass and I had to say, "what makes you think that's ok??" Response was "idk you seemed into it"
Recently he HAS started seeing a short term "goals oriented" counselor every other week, and he's now in a job that he loves (selling fancy mountain bikes, which is ALL he wants to talk about), but I'm realizing I don't trust him to take care of my emotional well-being on top of me being the one taking care of most of the day to day stuff. For my birthday recently he did take me out to dinner (yay!) but when it came to my gift (I specifically asked for canvas frames to display my artwork) he didn't do the slightest bit of research, the place he thought to take me to was closed on the day, and ended up scrambling after I said I was upset and got me Broadway tickets instead (appreciated and I'm excited but what about the frames I wanted??)
I manage all the bills and finances. I keep track of the puppy's meds schedule. Neither of us are great about chores but I do 90% of the cooking now (when it used to be a shared passion) and 90% of the dishes. He will do the laundry (not fold it though, or check tags for care instructions) and he occasionally walks the dog. Anything that requires leg work is my job. I got the pup into daycare. I found us a couples therapist (starts in a week). I'll make him lunch semi regularly because he runs out of time in the morning. Instead of leaving 20 minutes early to drop a poop sample at the vet on his way to work, he asks me to take 50 minutes out of my day to do it instead. He almost overdrafted our SAVINGS account because he hasn't kept tabs on his cards -- even though he's sitting on $30k in his checking account from his grandma's inheritance (which I've asked him to deposit repeatedly).
We're both still very sleep deprived (the sick dog is waking us up 2-3 times a night) but I've only just come to the realization that maybe this isn't something I can fix with my own therapy and self care. I love him and I KNOW he cares about me, so I'm hopeful about therapy, but I'm just so fucking tired. My own physical health is starting to get affected so enough is enough. But I don't know what that actually looks like.
TL;DR: quarter-life crisis husband putting in minimal effort as we both deal with our own mental health shit and I have no idea what to do while waiting for couples therapy to do its thing.
submitted by underline2 to polyamory [link] [comments]
Husband (29) and I (32) have been together 6 years, married for 3. Both have fairly bad ADHD (I'm medicated, he's not). We started off poly as nonprimary partners then through various life circumstances fell into being effectively-monogamous nesting partners. We've been fully poly again for the last ~9 months and I've been leaning more towards RA (though I know that's tricky with being married - the philosophy just resonates with me). We each have one non-romantic partner that means a lot to us as well as a few FWB type of connections.
The good: We joke around a lot and stay silly. We have similar goals around life stages, finances, kids, etc. We don't share any hobbies really, but are super supportive of each other's goals. He's followed me across the country TWICE so I could pursue career opportunities. I make 4x as much as he does so in the few times where he's had a super toxic job he's been able to just quit without something lined up and I'm happy to make that happen. He dropped everything to hike the Appalachian Trail last year and I loved being able to help his dream come true. He's great with my terrible family and will surprise me with flowers and corn dogs occasionally. We do parallel poly but we're both very supportive of each other's connections.
The less good: He's been dealing with crisis after crisis for years now, meaning I've been picking up the slack and I am reaching a breaking point. He was in a miserable toxic job for a good chunk of 2021, which led to me sitting him down and saying, "you need to make a change because this is making us BOTH miserable". He quit then found something better, then got on meds for his OCD, so things were improving again for ~4 months until he left for the Appalachian Trail.
While on trail, the relationship was very one sided despite being able to text almost every day. His OCD got better as his meds got into his system (needed less constant reassurance, etc) but his perspective became extremely narrow-focused. If it wasn't about food or mileage or the next rest day (or sexting), it was really hard to get him engaged. Many of my comments about my day wouldn't get a response or reaction of any kind.
We agreed to stay monogamous during this time (one major life change at a time, please) but ONE WEEK IN he started telling me about this girl he was developing a crush on and I had to be like "dude not cool - talk this out with a friend first, not your lonely wife". He did apologize and things there were fine in the end.
I went hard on hobbies and work and built a great friend group, but I was also dealing with an elderly dog who was getting sick, as well as caring for two reptiles, and fixing up the entire new apartment we moved into 2 months before he left. March-June was also the 5 year anniversary of my first husband getting sick and dying, so I was not in the best mental space.
We went back and forth on how he could make me feel cared for, and in the end he sent me occasional photos and letters, as well as several pairs of earrings (that I LOVE) that he found on the way. It wasn't enough but I leaned on my friends and put a lot of effort into myself. As for me, I was mailing resupply boxes for him, checking the weather when his service was bad, coordinating with his mother about his grandma's funeral, etc. I drove down from MA to VA so we could be together for my birthday (which was a very good weekend). Once he got closer to New England I brought him stuff more frequently. I drove 2 hours up to New Hampshire to bring him a sleeping bag one night a sudden cold snap came through.
When he finished, we knew it would be bittersweet and strange to reintegrate. He had a job he liked waiting for him, and a month before he had to go back. We had to put down our dog which hurt terribly for both of us. My work sent me to Europe for 2 weeks and he was able to come along as a bit of a honeymoon-we-never-got-thanks-covid. We were having a LOT of sex and things seemed really good.
A couple months in, we're back to being poly and it's going ok (normal mistakes like going too hard on NRE but nothing that upset our partnership). Management at his job changes and makes things really shitty at the same time two of his new relationships break up in a nasty way, kick-starting some already lurking post-trail depression. I suggest for him to get therapy. He does not. We do get a new puppy and he's wonderful but boy oh boy we did not anticipate the sleep disruption.
My own mental health starts declining as I get 4 major illnesses back to back, sleep dep accumulates, and my grief season (March-June) coincides with my other partner telling me he doesn't reciprocate my feelings. (I brought it up as a check in before I got too deep so I could recalibrate if needed, but it still hurt.) I start checking out of work because I'm exhausted and corporate changes mean my efforts go nowhere, and I realized that I can do ~3 hours of work every day and my boss is still happy enough to give me a promotion. It's very cushy but does not help my mental health when I WANT to be engaged in my work.
Somewhere in this time, my husband gets upset at the declining intimacy (0-2 times a week vs almost every day) between us, especially as I'm still going on dates, and during an argument says I'm more difficult to please than his other partners and "I'm not gonna say I'm disgusted by the thought of sex with you BUT..." I later told him he was never allowed to speak to me like that again and he apologized but it came with "you know I didn't mean it." A recurring argument is that I'm hurt when he makes little to no effort to comfort me when I'm sad, and it recently came out that he feels criticized and like he can't do anything right. I probably am pushing him too much because I just want him to step up.
Another recurring argument has been anal. I have health issues that make it not a good idea most of the time, and after he kept pushing for it I made a rule that I will bring it up if and when it's on the table. Even then he would sometimes ask but since we started seeing other people again, it's been a non-issue until recently when I said, "yeah let's do it" and he went straight from using a small plug (good, enjoyable) to lining up his not-small dick at my ass and I had to say, "what makes you think that's ok??" Response was "idk you seemed into it"
Recently he HAS started seeing a short term "goals oriented" counselor every other week, and he's now in a job that he loves (selling fancy mountain bikes, which is ALL he wants to talk about), but I'm realizing I don't trust him to take care of my emotional well-being on top of me being the one taking care of most of the day to day stuff. For my birthday recently he did take me out to dinner (yay!) but when it came to my gift (I specifically asked for canvas frames to display my artwork) he didn't do the slightest bit of research, the place he thought to take me to was closed on the day, and ended up scrambling after I said I was upset and got me Broadway tickets instead (appreciated and I'm excited but what about the frames I wanted??)
I manage all the bills and finances. I keep track of the puppy's meds schedule. Neither of us are great about chores but I do 90% of the cooking now (when it used to be a shared passion) and 90% of the dishes. He will do the laundry (not fold it though, or check tags for care instructions) and he occasionally walks the dog. Anything that requires leg work is my job. I got the pup into daycare. I found us a couples therapist (starts in a week). I'll make him lunch semi regularly because he runs out of time in the morning. Instead of leaving 20 minutes early to drop a poop sample at the vet on his way to work, he asks me to take 50 minutes out of my day to do it instead. He almost overdrafted our SAVINGS account because he hasn't kept tabs on his cards -- even though he's sitting on $30k in his checking account from his grandma's inheritance (which I've asked him to deposit repeatedly).
We're both still very sleep deprived (the sick dog is waking us up 2-3 times a night) but I've only just come to the realization that maybe this isn't something I can fix with my own therapy and self care. I love him and I KNOW he cares about me, so I'm hopeful about therapy, but I'm just so fucking tired. My own physical health is starting to get affected so enough is enough. But I don't know what that actually looks like.
TL;DR: quarter-life crisis husband putting in minimal effort as we both deal with our own mental health shit and I have no idea what to do while waiting for couples therapy to do its thing.