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2023.04.02 11:13 KiraraChin A wonderful article about Kazuki Tomono
I translated it using DeepL for a different platform and decided to share it here too, for those who enjoyed his performances at the Worlds Championships. Here's the original link: https://mi-mollet.com/articles/-/41688
Why we are encouraged by Kazuki Tomono's fighting spirit. His "captivating" performance that had the audience on their feet, and his competitive spirit of "believing in himself".
Japan's first back-to-back championships won by Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto. Rikuryu (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara) became the first Japanese team to win the Grand Slam of the year. Furthermore, they became the first Japanese team to win all three categories. Kanadai (Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi) tied for Japan's highest ever ranking. The World Figure Skating Championships were full of records.
All the athletes, both domestic and international, shined in their own ways, but it was Kazuki Tomono who left an unforgettable sparkle in the hearts of all who saw his performance.
Despite some falls in both the Short Program (SP) and Free Skating (FS), he showed no signs of breakdowns, and placed 6th with his outstanding performance. Especially in FS, despite some mistakes, he marked 180.73 points, a new personal best. He made the packed Saitama Super Arena stand in awe of his performance.
He has now competed in 3 World Championships, and has recorded personal bests on all 3 occasions. What is the secret of his amazing strength in the competition? In order to tell you about Tomono's strength to live up to expectations, we would like to start by retracing his steps.
Never a promising athlete in his youth
Born in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture in 1998, Tomono began skating at the age of 4, but he was never a promising skater from the start. One of the proofs of this is the Nobeyama Training Camp. This was a training camp for novice skaters (9 to 12 years old as of July 1 of that year), both boys and girls, to gather promising skaters from all over the country, and the first group of students produced Shizuka Arakawa, a gold medalist at the Torino Olympics. Since then, world champions such as Daisuke Takahashi, Miki Ando, Mao Asada, and Yuzuru Hanyu have gone on to become world champions through this "Nobeyama Training Camp".
Current national team candidates such as Shoma Uno, Sota Yamamoto, Shun Sato, and Kao Miura have also experienced the Nobeyama Training Camp. However, Tomono has never participated in the Nobeyama training camp. In other words, he was not considered a future national team candidate at that time. In fact, as a junior, he was not selected for the Junior Grand Prix Series three years in a row. There was even one year when he went home feeling frustrated that he was the only one who failed out of all the competitors invited to the selection rounds.
Because the competitions are usually broadcast on terrestrial television, we tend to be under the illusion that we are watching figure skating, but the figure skating we are watching is an amateur sport. Most of the skaters are students and retire as soon as they graduate from college.
Tomono is also loved by skating fans for his unique programs such as "Japanese Doll" and "Fate of the Dog Officer," but the road to the top in Japan was difficult, and he revealed that he had planned to leave the competitive world after graduating from university.
However, in 2018, he placed 5th at her first World Championships. What was supposed to be just a student sport turned out to be the world's TOMONO. From here, Tomono's skating life changed at once.
The glory of "world No. 5" and the new conflict that emerged from it
However, as long as our dreams are far away, we do not experience the frustration of missing them. It is precisely because it seems out of reach and out of grasp that we become disenchanted with our own powerlessness and devastated by the two words "talent. After achieving the glory of "5th in the world," Tomono's competitive life was a battle against another kind of pressure.
After that, he trained hard to get back on the world stage, but he was unable to show his ability in the competition and finished outside the podium every year at the All-Japan Championships. The only thing that weighed on him more and more was the fact that he was ranked 5th in the world. In addition, a new generation, including Yuma Kagiyama, who later became a silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, emerged, and the fierce race for selection became more and more intense. Tomono was always surrounded by first-rate talent.
And that seems to be where Tomono's conflict lay.
Uno, his classmate, has been called a "genius" since he was a Novice skater, and is a treasure of the skating world. Yamamoto, a rinkmate since childhood, was also considered a promising "star of the PyeongChang Olympics. The younger skaters, Kagiyama, Sato, and Miura, are such gems that they have been featured as "Kanto Three Crows" since they were still junior skaters. Of course, all of them have their own struggles and difficulties that cannot be described with superficial expressions, but they are exceptional in terms of the level of expectations. In contrast to these aces, I am just an ordinary skater. I have never experienced being a hopeful with high expectations. I have not come this far because I have special talent.
His openness to everyone is one of Tomono's virtues, but he is also a bit too gentle as a competitor, and is an entertainer at heart who professes that he does not like to fight. His many substitute appearances have paved the way for him, and he finds himself competing side by side with geniuses whom he thought were from a different world when he was a boy, but he is still somewhat unsure of his position in the world. I felt that such a weak heart, one more step, was clinging to Tomono's skating shoes.
This season's NHK Cup broke that spell.
Indeed, the result was not great, coming in 4th place. Uno, Yamamoto, and other rivals of the same generation were standing on the podium, but I could not bring home a medal. I wonder if he is still suffering from the same frustration that he felt at the Junior Grand Prix Series selection round. I felt that I was suffering from the same frustration that I had felt at the Junior Grand Prix Series selection round, and I was heartbroken. However, after the competition, Tomono's expression was clear.
He said, "I had been facing my weaknesses for a long time, and I thought it was time to let that go. After yesterday's match, I had a change in my mind, thinking that it was time for me to face my strength. Today was the first time I fully believed in my own strength and took on the challenge of facing my own strength.
Despite missing the podium, which had been his goal, Tomono never let out a negative or weak voice. Rather, he only looked forward. I felt a strength in him that I had never seen in Tomono before.
He faced his own strength, not his own weakness.
He won the representative battle, which was never in an advantageous position, and won the representative seat on his own. And then, he placed 6th in the World Championships in a magnificent performance, amidst the world's top skaters performing at their best. He himself commented on his "mysterious confidence," but I could no longer sense any sense of defeat or lack of confidence in Tomono, standing on the main rink of Saitama Super Arena. He believed in himself there, more than anyone else.
That is why, even if he fell down, he never lost his heart, never lost his passion, and skated what he could call his best. Unfortunately, he did not reach the medal, but without a doubt, he was the strongest Kazuki Tomono ever at that moment.
Behind those words was a break with himself, who had never been raised by the elite. It is true that my skating life may not have been what the adults expected of me. There may be many stars who are more talented than me. I believe that those who are in the world of competitions have to suffer in ways that we cannot even imagine.
But I am standing in this place right now. Let me believe in that, first of all. Let's expect more from ourselves than anyone else. That is how Tomono was able to change his mind. In this way, he was able to overcome his weakness.
Believing in Yourself" Makes Tomorrow a Little Better
Figure skating is famous for its short life span. Although not as long as women's figure skaters, most men's skaters also say goodbye to their competitive careers in their 20s. Tomono, now 24 years old, may not have much time left in his competitive career.
I am sure that teenage athletes will be gaining strength from now on. No one can guarantee that they will be able to compete in the World Championships again next year.
But strangely, when I look at Tomono, such pessimistic feeling disappears somewhere. Rather, my heart gets excited that Kazuki Tomono's prime period starts now. This is surely because we are also inspired by the "strength to believe in oneself" that Tomono has acquired.
People are not strong creatures. We make excuses, and we also make weak noises. We are tormented by a sense of inferiority, thinking we are not good enough compared to others, or we raise the white flag before we even begin to fight for fear of getting hurt. The more we grow up, the better we get at finding reasons not to do things.
It is easy to run away from our weaknesses. But that doesn't open the door to the future.
Even if you were not blessed with talent or the right environment from the start, if you have worked hard, you must first properly believe in yourself. Stop belittling yourself and give yourself more credit than anyone else for the person you are right now.
Seeing Tomono, who was defeated by his rivals that day, but still determined to "face his own strength, not his own weakness," gives me such courage. You don't have to have any evidence. It doesn't matter if it is bullshit or a bluff.
The highlight of Tomono's performance was the choreo sequence at the end of the competition. Failures, hesitations, worries, complexes, all are blown away as Tomono runs across the ice with such speed. The sense of speed and the exhilaration of his performance make the audience feel happy.
Even if I can't make someone smile like that, there must be something I can do. I too shall face not my weakness but my strength.
I was moved by Tomono's performance because it contained an important message for living life.
submitted by KiraraChin to FigureSkating [link] [comments]
Why we are encouraged by Kazuki Tomono's fighting spirit. His "captivating" performance that had the audience on their feet, and his competitive spirit of "believing in himself".
Japan's first back-to-back championships won by Shoma Uno and Kaori Sakamoto. Rikuryu (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara) became the first Japanese team to win the Grand Slam of the year. Furthermore, they became the first Japanese team to win all three categories. Kanadai (Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi) tied for Japan's highest ever ranking. The World Figure Skating Championships were full of records.
All the athletes, both domestic and international, shined in their own ways, but it was Kazuki Tomono who left an unforgettable sparkle in the hearts of all who saw his performance.
Despite some falls in both the Short Program (SP) and Free Skating (FS), he showed no signs of breakdowns, and placed 6th with his outstanding performance. Especially in FS, despite some mistakes, he marked 180.73 points, a new personal best. He made the packed Saitama Super Arena stand in awe of his performance.
He has now competed in 3 World Championships, and has recorded personal bests on all 3 occasions. What is the secret of his amazing strength in the competition? In order to tell you about Tomono's strength to live up to expectations, we would like to start by retracing his steps.
Never a promising athlete in his youth
Born in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture in 1998, Tomono began skating at the age of 4, but he was never a promising skater from the start. One of the proofs of this is the Nobeyama Training Camp. This was a training camp for novice skaters (9 to 12 years old as of July 1 of that year), both boys and girls, to gather promising skaters from all over the country, and the first group of students produced Shizuka Arakawa, a gold medalist at the Torino Olympics. Since then, world champions such as Daisuke Takahashi, Miki Ando, Mao Asada, and Yuzuru Hanyu have gone on to become world champions through this "Nobeyama Training Camp".
Current national team candidates such as Shoma Uno, Sota Yamamoto, Shun Sato, and Kao Miura have also experienced the Nobeyama Training Camp. However, Tomono has never participated in the Nobeyama training camp. In other words, he was not considered a future national team candidate at that time. In fact, as a junior, he was not selected for the Junior Grand Prix Series three years in a row. There was even one year when he went home feeling frustrated that he was the only one who failed out of all the competitors invited to the selection rounds.
Because the competitions are usually broadcast on terrestrial television, we tend to be under the illusion that we are watching figure skating, but the figure skating we are watching is an amateur sport. Most of the skaters are students and retire as soon as they graduate from college.
Tomono is also loved by skating fans for his unique programs such as "Japanese Doll" and "Fate of the Dog Officer," but the road to the top in Japan was difficult, and he revealed that he had planned to leave the competitive world after graduating from university.
However, in 2018, he placed 5th at her first World Championships. What was supposed to be just a student sport turned out to be the world's TOMONO. From here, Tomono's skating life changed at once.
The glory of "world No. 5" and the new conflict that emerged from it
However, as long as our dreams are far away, we do not experience the frustration of missing them. It is precisely because it seems out of reach and out of grasp that we become disenchanted with our own powerlessness and devastated by the two words "talent. After achieving the glory of "5th in the world," Tomono's competitive life was a battle against another kind of pressure.
After that, he trained hard to get back on the world stage, but he was unable to show his ability in the competition and finished outside the podium every year at the All-Japan Championships. The only thing that weighed on him more and more was the fact that he was ranked 5th in the world. In addition, a new generation, including Yuma Kagiyama, who later became a silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics, emerged, and the fierce race for selection became more and more intense. Tomono was always surrounded by first-rate talent.
And that seems to be where Tomono's conflict lay.
Uno, his classmate, has been called a "genius" since he was a Novice skater, and is a treasure of the skating world. Yamamoto, a rinkmate since childhood, was also considered a promising "star of the PyeongChang Olympics. The younger skaters, Kagiyama, Sato, and Miura, are such gems that they have been featured as "Kanto Three Crows" since they were still junior skaters. Of course, all of them have their own struggles and difficulties that cannot be described with superficial expressions, but they are exceptional in terms of the level of expectations. In contrast to these aces, I am just an ordinary skater. I have never experienced being a hopeful with high expectations. I have not come this far because I have special talent.
His openness to everyone is one of Tomono's virtues, but he is also a bit too gentle as a competitor, and is an entertainer at heart who professes that he does not like to fight. His many substitute appearances have paved the way for him, and he finds himself competing side by side with geniuses whom he thought were from a different world when he was a boy, but he is still somewhat unsure of his position in the world. I felt that such a weak heart, one more step, was clinging to Tomono's skating shoes.
This season's NHK Cup broke that spell.
Indeed, the result was not great, coming in 4th place. Uno, Yamamoto, and other rivals of the same generation were standing on the podium, but I could not bring home a medal. I wonder if he is still suffering from the same frustration that he felt at the Junior Grand Prix Series selection round. I felt that I was suffering from the same frustration that I had felt at the Junior Grand Prix Series selection round, and I was heartbroken. However, after the competition, Tomono's expression was clear.
He said, "I had been facing my weaknesses for a long time, and I thought it was time to let that go. After yesterday's match, I had a change in my mind, thinking that it was time for me to face my strength. Today was the first time I fully believed in my own strength and took on the challenge of facing my own strength.
Despite missing the podium, which had been his goal, Tomono never let out a negative or weak voice. Rather, he only looked forward. I felt a strength in him that I had never seen in Tomono before.
He faced his own strength, not his own weakness.
He won the representative battle, which was never in an advantageous position, and won the representative seat on his own. And then, he placed 6th in the World Championships in a magnificent performance, amidst the world's top skaters performing at their best. He himself commented on his "mysterious confidence," but I could no longer sense any sense of defeat or lack of confidence in Tomono, standing on the main rink of Saitama Super Arena. He believed in himself there, more than anyone else.
That is why, even if he fell down, he never lost his heart, never lost his passion, and skated what he could call his best. Unfortunately, he did not reach the medal, but without a doubt, he was the strongest Kazuki Tomono ever at that moment.
Behind those words was a break with himself, who had never been raised by the elite. It is true that my skating life may not have been what the adults expected of me. There may be many stars who are more talented than me. I believe that those who are in the world of competitions have to suffer in ways that we cannot even imagine.
But I am standing in this place right now. Let me believe in that, first of all. Let's expect more from ourselves than anyone else. That is how Tomono was able to change his mind. In this way, he was able to overcome his weakness.
Believing in Yourself" Makes Tomorrow a Little Better
Figure skating is famous for its short life span. Although not as long as women's figure skaters, most men's skaters also say goodbye to their competitive careers in their 20s. Tomono, now 24 years old, may not have much time left in his competitive career.
I am sure that teenage athletes will be gaining strength from now on. No one can guarantee that they will be able to compete in the World Championships again next year.
But strangely, when I look at Tomono, such pessimistic feeling disappears somewhere. Rather, my heart gets excited that Kazuki Tomono's prime period starts now. This is surely because we are also inspired by the "strength to believe in oneself" that Tomono has acquired.
People are not strong creatures. We make excuses, and we also make weak noises. We are tormented by a sense of inferiority, thinking we are not good enough compared to others, or we raise the white flag before we even begin to fight for fear of getting hurt. The more we grow up, the better we get at finding reasons not to do things.
It is easy to run away from our weaknesses. But that doesn't open the door to the future.
Even if you were not blessed with talent or the right environment from the start, if you have worked hard, you must first properly believe in yourself. Stop belittling yourself and give yourself more credit than anyone else for the person you are right now.
Seeing Tomono, who was defeated by his rivals that day, but still determined to "face his own strength, not his own weakness," gives me such courage. You don't have to have any evidence. It doesn't matter if it is bullshit or a bluff.
The highlight of Tomono's performance was the choreo sequence at the end of the competition. Failures, hesitations, worries, complexes, all are blown away as Tomono runs across the ice with such speed. The sense of speed and the exhilaration of his performance make the audience feel happy.
Even if I can't make someone smile like that, there must be something I can do. I too shall face not my weakness but my strength.
I was moved by Tomono's performance because it contained an important message for living life.
2023.04.02 11:12 ZephyrBrightmoon How to recognize when enough is enough in a relationship and establishing boundaries
## WARNING: LONG POST IS LONG #\
When I say "enough is enough", I don't mean violence or other very, very large red flags or red flag factories.I'm not going to go into the specifics of how I met my ex-husband, our dating, marriage, and other aspects of our relationship because I want to focus specifically on a particular type of behaviour here. This behaviour of my ex actually permeated our whole relationship in different ways and this story explains a lot of who he is, as a person. This kind of story could also apply to roommates, family members, or anyone you have to spend a lot of time around.
My ex-husband wanted me to wash the dishes all of the time. Dish washing was to be my duty and floor mopping was to be his duty, and so on. Division of chores is fine with me. We lived in an apartment that didn't have a dishwasher, just a single kitchen sink (not the two-sink variety where you can use one sink for soapy soak and the other one for rinsing off) and tap scenario.
I didn't mind being asked to do the dishes. I lived on my own at different parts of my life so of course I was capable of doing dishes. Get the dishes wet with the hottest water you can stand, use whatever kind of scrubber you need for the severity of the dirtiness of the dish, from scouring pad to stiff bristle brush, to the yellow sponge with that green stiff side, whatever. Soap up your scrubber and a dirty dish and scrub off the gunk. Make sure it looks clean, then rinse and stack to dry as you prefer.
Ex happened to come into the kitchen and managed to catch me washing the dishes for a moment. He then scrunched his face up in irritation and ripped the dish from me, growling, "You're doing it wrong!" I got upset and asked what I was doing wrong and he yelled, "You leave too much bubble on the dishes!" I had no clue but he explained that he thought I didn't rinse all of the soap off because he saw bubbles when I had the dish under the water and pulled it away, assuming it meant I was leaving soap residue on the plates and we were ingesting soap residue and were going to die from it. Anyone who has turned a faucet on to full blast would see that the water aerates as it comes out. It will bubble up on whatever surface it lands on and then the bubbles pop or wash away. It's just air bubbles in full pressure water shooting out of the tap.
I tried to tell him that but he refused to listen. He then angrily did the rest of the dishes. Its weird to watch someone Angry Wash a stack of dishes, but that's what he did, scowling, muttering to himself, and scrubbing so hard I thought he'd strip the rim decoration off of the Corelle dishware he was washing. He also absolutely drenched every plate, cup, and piece of cutlery in bleach! I made it clear that this was a stupid fight and he had no business yelling at me like that when I was just trying to do as he asked and wash the dishes. I then walked away before he could yell anymore at me.
A week or so later, he noticed I was washing the dishes again, but this time, I had finished and was putting away the plates. He said nothing, just sort of hovering at the doorway to the kitchen, then wandered away with a scowl. This time, he hadn't caught me in the act of washing any dishes directly. He saw me putting the clean dishes away. This meant he wasn't sure how I'd cleaned them. He waited until I dried my hands and left the kitchen to go do something else like watch YouTube or whatever. I saw him saunter into the kitchen and I thought nothing of it until I heard the water running continuously and heard some splashing about. I approached the kitchen doorway (It had no door. It's just an open entryway.) and was nearly knocked to the ground by the burning stench of bleach, and there he was, next to him a stack of every single plate, cup, and piece of cutlery he tried to guess I'd just washed. He was rewashing them! I complained, "Dude! I just washed those!!!" He replied with a snarl, "I know. That's why I have to rewash them."
What was his biggest beef? He didn't know if I "left bubble on the dishes" and I refused to douse our dishes in bleach. The smell from the kitchen made me cough and made my eyes water! Apparently we were all going to die if there wasn't enough bleach-wash of our dishes! He bleaches everything out of fear and terror.
We had another fight over how "unsafely I washed the dishes", and so I said to myself, fuck it, I refuse to do the dishes anymore! It took awhile but he finally noticed I wasn't doing the dishes, so then what did he do? Complained I wasn't doing the dishes. I told him why I gave up on it, that I was washing the dishes quite thoroughly enough and I resented him implying otherwise and then being so ridiculous as to rewash what I'd already washed. He argued he was forced to do it because I was doing them all wrong.
I walked away feeling shitty. I was a wife who couldn't properly do her share of the household duties and was letting my beloved husband down. A few days later, I came to him and apologized and said I promised to do the dishes again. He asked if I was going to do them correctly or not and I asked what he meant by that. He complained that I always had to do things in my life my way and never understood that so many of these things I did my way were better done if I did them his way. He said I was just too stubborn and selfish. I then offered to diligently learn "his way" and promised to do it exactly as he taught me.
He actually paused for a few moments to think about it, then scowled and said, "No. I don't believe you actually will do it my way if I'm not there to supervise you so no, you can't do the dishes. I will do them from now on." He then scowled at me with a face that said it was so awful that I had put him in a position that forced him to have to do the dishes!
Y'all. I gave up on this fight but not in sadness, but instead in irritation. I was not financially in a position to just up and move out, and back then, I still loved part of him and wanted to work things out, however not at the expense of my sanity and self-respect.
I realized that if he saw a dish I washed and yanked it out to re-wash it, the only person actually being hurt by this was him. I had left the kitchen and was doing my own thing, feeling satisfied that I had cleaned my dishes thoroughly safely enough. I stopped doing all the dishes and instead just washed the dish and cookware I had just finished using. If it sat in the sink for a bit before I got to them and this made him angry, I didn't care. They didn't sit longer than an hour and usually not even that long.
I stopped letting his, frankly dangerous, perfectionism be my problem anymore. I purchased my own damned set of plates and pointed out that they looked different than the others and that they were mine and he was not to even show the bottle of bleach to my plates let alone put any bleach *on them**. I shortened up my washing time to ensure he wouldn't be inclined to yank up my personal dishes and bleach them. Sure, I couldn't control if he pulled them out and *secretly bleached them but I wasn't going to play his crazy cat and mouse game. He hated the fact that I just no longer cared and he ended up giving up on trying to stealth-wash my stuff because he finally realized what I already had, that the only one who cared about it was him so the only person being burdened by it was him.
There's a reason I wrote up this whole story that goes beyond venting. I believe it feels kind of hollow and empty to give advice without explaining why you gave it or how you learned the advice you're trying to give.
I wanted people to see what I went through and feel my frustration to see if they were in a relationship with someone like this in their lives. You only truly know something when you experience it yourself. It's, of course, not about dishwashing but about disappointment and control.
Where the self-improvement angle comes in to this post:
Recognize when you're in a relationship that drains your soul even if there's no deep violence or verbal abuse. Someone doesn't have to be an alcoholic, drug addict, or violent person to still treat people miserably. Look deep at your relationship and ask yourself, "How much am I putting into this versus what I'm getting out of it?" Ask yourself if you feel you've been completely reasonable, and even ask other people you trust if you're not sure. If the consensus is you have, then allow yourself the right to feel reasonable and to feel tired of the disrespect. Tell yourself you don't deserve the treatment you're getting and then tell yourself that you're not going to *take it anymore***.
This advice can apply to roommates, best friends, and family members as much as it can apply to significant others, too. Reddit looOoOOoooOoves to tell people to "Dump them!/Divorce them!" and I don't think that's always the answer. Maybe like I once did, you feel you can't leave as you have nowhere to go, or maybe you think your relationship is still salvageable. Whatever your case, tell yourself you have a right to establish boundaries of respect in your home. If your partner refuses to respect you, you can refuse to accept and deal with their disrespect. Tell yourself it's ok to tell them, "I've done the very best I can and I'm tired of you disrespecting me over it. If you don't like how I did it, you can do it yourself but I'm done here." and either walk to some other part of your place and do your own thing or leave entirely and go for a walk to somewhere that's calming and enjoyable and do something nice for yourself to make up for their disrespect of you.
If you believe you've honestly tried your best and you feel you're not delusional on what "best" means, you don't have to tolerate this kind of behaviour and you don't deserve it. Don't let people like this bring you down.
Anyone who read this far, do you have any examples of this kind of crazy control issues? Post them as a comment! I want to hear how you handled them!
2023.04.02 11:11 Shatter_Their_World The Buzz part 6
Hello, darlings, from Helena the Clown. I decided to tell you a thing that has happened to me. After that life changing night before Christmas, (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) I decided to step down for a bit and just rest. Take a break. Sleep in my cozy coffin my Vampire sleep. Be a little lazy. Something normal, for both us the immortals and for mortals alike. Especially after all the ordeal of that night.
I have to admit, when I had to write it all down, I kind of relieved it. And since it took me more to write it than to live it first hand, I had to return to it over and over, until my mind felt sour. But I needed to tell the story, it felt that I had to.
The psychedelic rollercoaster of that night was an experiment of the SRI (Romanian secret service) alongside the CIA, as the agent I caught told me. Was the experiment successful for them? I do not know. Both me and Sophie, the lovely Elf I met that night, who was a collateral victim of it, waited to see any signs from those bastards. Especially since their weapons were able to give a huge power to demons over us. Nothing clear was seen, on the outside, but our souls were heavy on residue, like some thick goo on them, that needed time to wash away. Yet, signs of slow healing are visible, albeit slow.
On the other hand, from time to time, I felt some mental ”breeze”. It felt like one of those attacks I experienced, the beginning of it, but dissipating fast. Some went harder than the rest. I talked to Sophie, it seems she had experienced those as well. The Buzz itself did not seem to get the proportions of that night so we can not tell if there are still some agents on us, or just some demons playing around, or our scars, or a combination of those. My ”gut feeling”, something I do not (mostly) rely upon, told me that, most likely, it was not a Human work. At least, not by agents or special drones, like that night.
Christmas was peaceful, my first Christmas I celebrated as a Christian since I became a Vampire. My confessor, father George Baka, the exorcist, managed to give me Holy Communion, after hiding me close to the church, in order not to inflict panic on my presence there for his Human parishioners. My dear friend Ruxandra drove me in and out of the village in Ialomița county. As I was back in Bucharest and Ruxandra spent some time with her boyfriend, I met Sophie at night at the Circus Park a few days after, where it all ended, after finding a way to get Vampire magic and Elven magic to work together.
Her parents were dead scared, they wanted to convince Sophie to leave Romania for the UK, in order to stay safe. It seems her mother was mostly afraid of the SRI, the descendent of the former communist political police, the Securitate, most of all. Sophie did not want to, since whatever happened in Romania could happen in the UK, hence the involvement of the CIA made it an international matter. And, besides, Sophie felt safer in here, where I resided and where so many Caterpillar Elves like her were, Elves she wanted to awake. She dressed up the whole time as a Christmas Elf (Yeah, some may say it was silly, but she enjoyed it.), even spoke to kids on Elves. Cannot blame her. She can have enough time in her immortal life to be a Full, ”serious” Elf.
Indeed, something happened. If it didn„t, I would not be writing this now. Father George decided to perform Holy Liturgy on the night of January the first, which is the secular New Year, like he used to do in the years before, especially since January the first this year was on sunday. Most people would stay up, party and skip church that morning. So, he did it at night, so that at least some will come, then start to party a little. Most will not come.
Ruxandra drove there, outside Bucharest, as usual. Since my presence would cause havoc, I was supposed to stay close by, not inside the church, with the people who will attend. Ruxandra asked me to help tune up her laptop, on which a fresh Linux installation was made. Since I knew Linux better than her, who is a lifelong Windows user, and her boyfriend was a Macbook type of guy, I decided to make myself useful a bit, before Holy Liturgy. Adrian came with us, still a bit uneasy about my presence in the car. We came out pretty early. I had the idea of going into the graveyard, where we used to spend time myself, Ruxandra and father George, in late summer and early autumn. Since both me and Ruxandra were supposed to take Holy Communion later that night, we needed to stop eating after midnight. After greeting father George, I decided to get to the graveyard, where there is a temporary plastic kiosk, somewhere near the corner of the graveyard. It was a pretty clean, countryside graveyard, nothing great or fancy.
I was dressed in one of my black belle epoque dresses, with a matching hat, this time. For a Vampire like me, winter cold is far better tolerated than for mortals, but even ourselves have our own limits. Ruxandra came with her laptop, Adrian followed her. People were gathering at church, as Father George performed a Lity. Ruxandra wanted to stay with me but, as she was visibly disturbed by the cold, I told her to get inside. In fact, if it weren't for my friends and Father George, I would have stayed at home in Bucharest, alone, as I do not care too much for the secular New Year. In order to get things going, Ruxandra came with Adrian„s Macbook and we managed to set up a small network, using her phone as well, in order we would be able to get online. She stayed with me a bit, then went to the church for Lity, and let me mind my own doing.
Yep, it was cold, even I found gloves useful. I spent decades in my grave, hibernating, but that was a special state, pretty different from the one when I am awake and active. I am pretty cold and harsh, but not that much not to feel the cold at all. I started installing and configuring some software from repositories into Ruxandra„s laptop. As night passed, kids around the village started to blow firecrackers and small fireworks on a large scale, it felt like war. I liked it, I admit it, the war flavor of it. I felt like going to them and playing along, but I could not, of course. They have not entered the graveyard, fortunately, although some firecrackers fell inside it. Poor dogs started to bark and howl of that noise.
Meanwhile, I managed to install Tor Browser, to get on the Dark Web. You know, you can meet some real Vampires there, if you know where to look. At first, when I discovered it, in the months after waking up from my decades of hibernation, in July 2021, alongside things like creepypasta, the world felt far more interesting on the dark side then today. As you may imagine, it was hard to distinguish at first creepypasta from real things, I am sure sometimes it is harder even for someone who was born and lived in this age to do it. Fortunately, I grew more experienced on this pretty fast. No one I could talk to from those hidden online communities was logged in, as it seemed, so I decided to start digging up some things regarding the effects on infrasounds.
Midnight came. I did not feel excited or anything, neither too sad. Perhaps just a little sad. Humans were having fun in the streets, explosions and stuff. Since the Holy Liturgy started, I stopped working on the laptop itself, and tried to listen to psaltical chants on Youtube. I admit I got bored fast, and went to my regular music. Earphones on maximum level, as I usually like to listen (I know, it is bad to do it for long.). I started to feel a little drowsy and sleepy. Probably something was at work at this point, as it was not normal for me (or my kind) to feel sleepy at night. At some point, I placed my head on the table and listened to the music with my eyes closed. My head was inside the hotspot, inside the wifi medium, but I did not realize it. I let myself drift into sleep, thinking that Ruxandra would wake me up.
I do not know how, Youtube seems moody at times regarding the autoplay, on being turned on and off. I usually keep it off. As I was signed in with my Google account, it seems it started to play things as I was sleeping, random stuff. I went on for about an hour and a half.
Eventually, I woke up. Some kind of ASMR or white noise clip was playing, a grey screen, looking a bit like static on an old black and white TV. The sound sounded a bit like that as well, but not exactly. I said something like ”ASMR Relaxing static for deep sleep”. I turned it off, as I was shaking sleepiness off from my mind. The outside was pretty silent, just some crackers from time to time. It was a feeling of things being a bit off. I do not know how to put it, the flavor of reality was off. A feeling that was a little familiar, since that night not too long ago. I was not too concerned, still, since it was not too strong, we have not noticed anything coming here. Indeed, a was a little troubled by this, but not as much as a mortal would have been, being alone, at night, in a graveyard. For me, it was a place and a time that I was in tune with. Perhaps, If I were Human, I would have had a better attitude in that situation. I started to say the Jesus Prayer a bit, and started to walk towards the church. As I was getting closer and felt better, I started to let my guard down and let my thoughts go loose.
I do not know what is the clear border between a thought and an attitude. I am not a psychologist, just my own rambling here. I think some thoughts work at the edge between the conscious and the unconscious, since they manifest in attitudes, even if the conscious does not want to admit them. Those are not just some deep unconscious processes, they are closer to the surface, so to say. Indeed, before Adam and Eve fell, they had no unconscious part of their souls, after the fall they lost sight of a large part of themselves. Only those very spiritually advanced can truly become fully aware of themselves, and turn the whole unconscious into conscious. Of course, I am not one of them.
Looking back at those moments, some things are blurry. I was not asleep, for sure, yet it felt a bit like a sleep-like state, the bizarreness of all. It seems some thoughts were moving from conscious to this semiconscious part, back and forth, not all at the same time. I was walking stiffer than I usually do (And I do walk pretty stiff usually.). There was something, I do not remember exactly how much I was aware of, I felt I needed to get closer to the church and away from the kiosk in the graveyard. I started to feel a bit, only a bit, like at the moments during that night, when I felt alone in the whole world. Not strong enough to have a strong attitude, it would have been better if the feeling was stronger.
I got close to the church, lights were on, but it was silent, like empty. Familiar feeling, but not too intense. I looked back at the graves, something felt new. Unreal in a new way. All this was still faint, for now. I heard some noises on the other side of the graveyard. Then I had a thought that some kids may enter the graveyard and steal the laptops and rest. Something from my mind was saying to stop, not to go into the weird, unreal darkness from there. But I brushed it out, being too faint, unfortunately for me. I went back towards that place.
As I would later find out, at this point, the Holy Liturgy was over, just a small snack for the people inside, Ruxandra was getting ready to come to me, outside, she just waited for the people to leave the church. She heard something outside, and felt my presence faintly. She decided to come out, to see if I had come too early. By the time she was out, I was already on my way back to the kiosk, she saw me from a distance. The sky was unusually dark on one side, and a feeling of a new unease was in the air. She started to go slowly towards the kiosk as well.
I walked into the viscous air. Viscous, again. But I was like under anesthesia or on some drugs. Maybe my state was akin to sleepwalking? I was not sleepwalking, for sure, but it felt only a bit like it, if it makes sense. What came next, in the next minute (or minutes) happened on that semiconscious level. I was forcing myself to get into the viscous thing, I would not call it air. Things were like getting blacker, but not physically. I felt worse and worse as I was getting closer to the kiosk. But as I felt worse, a part of my mind fought to keep it semiconscious, not to become aware. Was something taking over me, at least a bit? I do not know. It was like I was heading to my doom, but I was so afraid to admit to myself, so I struggled to ignore that I was doing just that.
The kiosk was in sight. Silence around me, a silence that seemed to stretch for miles. Or more. I was getting close to the kiosk, the alley went from the kiosk, and it crossed another alley near it, the kiosk was towards my left-front. Things got really black and, without knowing it, the blackness turned into something visible.
I do not know how long it all took. One second, maybe a few? The alley was blocked by something that looked like some kind of black curtain, blocking the normal reality. It was a physical blackness, for sure, but it contained more than that. It had vertical folds in it, like a physical curtain. I could not say how large it was, sideways and up, it covered the full front of my eyes, I did not have the time to check my peripheral vision, and up it covered much of the clear sky. I knew it was something that came from hell, no doubt about it. I knew I had no chance of running away, as it was too close, too big and too powerful. I was at its mercy. My heart soon became overwhelmed, my mind was soon to follow. On my last moment of consciousness, I let myself to the Lord, as nothing else could be done, realistically speaking. I fused this in an iconic gesture of prosternation, semiconsciously. I let myself fall to my knees and stop my head from hitting the ground with my palms.
At this time, Ruxandra noticed a black mist starting to gather like a small tower of mist. It was not thick, at least it appeared to her like this. As seconds passed, the mist grew thicker, while she noticed me stopping in my tracks, distantly, then the stars were not visible anymore and something she could not describe took over the sky. An emptiness. Yet, it seems all of it was less intense than for me, not just because of the distance, but some other reason. Perhaps her Human nature, or the fact that she was exposed to the things I have exposed to in the kiosk? Fear inside her started to escalate to panic.
As I went on knees, I layed completely down, face down. The last thing I saw was that the lower edge of the curtain arose in a fold, on the ground and was sent towards me, covering me. I started screaming inside of my mind the Jesus Prayer, as Ruxandra lost it at this point and just screamed.
That thing, whatever it was, started to take me in gradually, but in a matter of a second, the most, if it makes sense. It felt like being taken up from the ground, at the mercy of that. I kept saying the Jesus prayer, trying to hold on, albeit it was harder and harder. I was inside a bubble of demonic power, this meant no way I would be able not to lose it on my own. Kept saying the Jesus Prayer, as things were speeding up. Something in the back of my mind kept saying: ”Hold on just a little… Just a little…” So I did, I held onto the prayer. Then I do not remember. I think it was like slipping into sleep.
Ruxandra was close to being broken, as she fell to her knees too. As I realized later on, after I talked to her, the first impulse was to run. But I was there, with that thing, and she refused to leave me there alone. Even if this was something she never experienced before, something of this magnitude. I can tell you, for a Human Ruxandra is pretty resilient to darkness. Many Humans, even grown men, just fail when they meet me. Just me, nothing stronger or darker. I never heard her scream of fear ever. Strong stock. So you can imagine at this point, at least loosely, how bad this was. But my friend stayed for me. Even if this could have been her doom. Even if all her instincts told her that was doom. Fortunately, she remembered not to look into the mist, after a few seconds, and that she needed to start the Jesus Prayer.
In a few seconds, after letting the forehead to the ground and closing the eyes, she was into it as well. Starting to feel lifted, as things were going faster and faster. At some point, Ruxandra„s mind went blank as well.
Fortunately, her screams were heard by father George and the rest who were still inside the church. He exited in a hurry, and people followed. They saw something tall and dark, that seemed to look a bit like a tornado, twisted in the middle. Father George started the exorcism formulas of Saint Basil the Great. Several people started to scream and ran away inside the church, some on the gate, into the street, as father George came bravely upon that, not looking at it. Adrian heard his voice going stronger and stronger as she went closer.
As he came close to touching the blackness, it started to retreat. He persisted into going further, cursing the powers of hell, and the thing started to back out (Technically to back up). The darkness went up and fading, seeing me and Ruxandra on the ground, holding each other, our eyes being closed and whispering the Jesus Prayer faintly. He did not stop until the night was clear.
He came close to us, gently touching our heads. Ruxandra gave a sigh and became silent. I opened my eyes and came to my senses. In a few seconds, my dear friend was awake as well. The night was back to its sweetness, the old graveyard as well, the place where I felt so cozy, like being caressed by a gentle ghost.
We looked at father George, as things started to come back to me. Ruxandra held on to me, as she started to realize as well that it was over. We were protected, as our minds blacked out. We did not remember how we ended up hugged. I whispered to her: ”Praise The Lord. It is gone…” Then, after a few seconds of silence: ”Are you ok? Let's get up.” Father George gave us his strong smile: ”If you ok, let's hurry. We shall not let Christ wait for us. I think the best way now is to go to the side of the church (the south of the church), to calm down people who are still inside, as well as those who fled.”
I got up, helped Ruxandra get up, got my clothes cleaned a bit, and waited for father George to call people back to the church. On a moment when the way was clear, we proceeded into the side and got to the altar side door.
As father George tried to bring people back, me and Ruxandra looked at each other. She was still shaken when I asked: ”Are you ok, sis?” She gave a calm sigh: ”It seems so… I am surprisingly well, after all it just was…” ”I feel you on this… I am surprisingly unaffected. I am not well but, if I remember what just happened, I was supposed to be a mess.” ”Yeah, indeed…” ”We were protected, I think. No way could we have made it on our own and be so unscathed. We need to thank The Lord.” I gave her another hug. We waited then in silence for things to calm down, it took about 15 minutes.
Father George came out of the side door to give us Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of our Lord. Ruxandra wanted to wait for me, instead of having Communion alongside the people in the church. After this moment, it felt like the last claw of that thing was gone, but it's leftovers remained, like scattered around. Yet, when Christ Himself comes to you, all those seem less than meek.
After getting inside, father George tried to get the people to stay and finish eating, but many of them left early, and this made the rest go with them pretty fast. While this happened, we talked a little. Ruxandra started: ”Those Cones, this was one of those, isn't it?” ”Probably I can say that it was. It felt somewhat like them, but not exactly.” She started telling me how it felt for her, then I told her how it was for me. She went on: ”I want to look into what you were listening to on those earphones, while you were sleeping. YouTube history.” ”Do you want to go back to all that? Being Human, you are more feeble than me.” ”There is something going on. I want to get to the bottom of it.”
Father George interrupted us: ”You just received The Lord and you are talking about His enemies? Come on, chill down and get inside.” White we ate, he did not allow us to speak too much of it. Then, he suggested we take a rest a bit, and sleep where he prepared for us. Then Adrian and father George collected all the devices from the kiosk and they were all shut down.
The next day, after we were all home, Sophie and her family came to father George, to get the Exorcism formulas performed on them, since Sophie was the subject of the work of hell that night. According to the old custom, the Exorcism Formulas of Saint Basil are performed not just in case of necessity, but also during the day of his feast, January the first. Unfortunately, most priests do not perform this ritual on this day anymore.
I met Odette, the mother of Sophie. We managed to get an interesting talk. But that is a story of in it„s own right. What I can tell you yet about her is that she was too a Caterpillar Elf.
Adrian, on his own, checked the YouTube history of the device, there were some weird things in there. Some of the clips appeared to be deleted, the last one was not. It became clear that they were taken down one by one. He woke up later the day before Ruxandra did, in a sleep paralysis experience.
I checked my Youtube account history as well. I dared not to listen to those still there. In case any of you shall ask for the link to those on DM, as I am sure many would want to, I will not share it, as I do not want to be responsible for what would happen.
There are, still, some things I would share with you, perhaps I shall do it, if I shall have the energy. There were some rough months for me. There are many things that can get you down in this world, not all are supernatural, many are just mundane crap that could bring down even a strong Vampire or Elf. But I shall try my best.
Take care of you and your loved ones. See you soon.
I blow you a kiss (not a bite),
Helena
submitted by Shatter_Their_World to Helena_The_Doll_Clown [link] [comments]
I have to admit, when I had to write it all down, I kind of relieved it. And since it took me more to write it than to live it first hand, I had to return to it over and over, until my mind felt sour. But I needed to tell the story, it felt that I had to.
The psychedelic rollercoaster of that night was an experiment of the SRI (Romanian secret service) alongside the CIA, as the agent I caught told me. Was the experiment successful for them? I do not know. Both me and Sophie, the lovely Elf I met that night, who was a collateral victim of it, waited to see any signs from those bastards. Especially since their weapons were able to give a huge power to demons over us. Nothing clear was seen, on the outside, but our souls were heavy on residue, like some thick goo on them, that needed time to wash away. Yet, signs of slow healing are visible, albeit slow.
On the other hand, from time to time, I felt some mental ”breeze”. It felt like one of those attacks I experienced, the beginning of it, but dissipating fast. Some went harder than the rest. I talked to Sophie, it seems she had experienced those as well. The Buzz itself did not seem to get the proportions of that night so we can not tell if there are still some agents on us, or just some demons playing around, or our scars, or a combination of those. My ”gut feeling”, something I do not (mostly) rely upon, told me that, most likely, it was not a Human work. At least, not by agents or special drones, like that night.
Christmas was peaceful, my first Christmas I celebrated as a Christian since I became a Vampire. My confessor, father George Baka, the exorcist, managed to give me Holy Communion, after hiding me close to the church, in order not to inflict panic on my presence there for his Human parishioners. My dear friend Ruxandra drove me in and out of the village in Ialomița county. As I was back in Bucharest and Ruxandra spent some time with her boyfriend, I met Sophie at night at the Circus Park a few days after, where it all ended, after finding a way to get Vampire magic and Elven magic to work together.
Her parents were dead scared, they wanted to convince Sophie to leave Romania for the UK, in order to stay safe. It seems her mother was mostly afraid of the SRI, the descendent of the former communist political police, the Securitate, most of all. Sophie did not want to, since whatever happened in Romania could happen in the UK, hence the involvement of the CIA made it an international matter. And, besides, Sophie felt safer in here, where I resided and where so many Caterpillar Elves like her were, Elves she wanted to awake. She dressed up the whole time as a Christmas Elf (Yeah, some may say it was silly, but she enjoyed it.), even spoke to kids on Elves. Cannot blame her. She can have enough time in her immortal life to be a Full, ”serious” Elf.
Indeed, something happened. If it didn„t, I would not be writing this now. Father George decided to perform Holy Liturgy on the night of January the first, which is the secular New Year, like he used to do in the years before, especially since January the first this year was on sunday. Most people would stay up, party and skip church that morning. So, he did it at night, so that at least some will come, then start to party a little. Most will not come.
Ruxandra drove there, outside Bucharest, as usual. Since my presence would cause havoc, I was supposed to stay close by, not inside the church, with the people who will attend. Ruxandra asked me to help tune up her laptop, on which a fresh Linux installation was made. Since I knew Linux better than her, who is a lifelong Windows user, and her boyfriend was a Macbook type of guy, I decided to make myself useful a bit, before Holy Liturgy. Adrian came with us, still a bit uneasy about my presence in the car. We came out pretty early. I had the idea of going into the graveyard, where we used to spend time myself, Ruxandra and father George, in late summer and early autumn. Since both me and Ruxandra were supposed to take Holy Communion later that night, we needed to stop eating after midnight. After greeting father George, I decided to get to the graveyard, where there is a temporary plastic kiosk, somewhere near the corner of the graveyard. It was a pretty clean, countryside graveyard, nothing great or fancy.
I was dressed in one of my black belle epoque dresses, with a matching hat, this time. For a Vampire like me, winter cold is far better tolerated than for mortals, but even ourselves have our own limits. Ruxandra came with her laptop, Adrian followed her. People were gathering at church, as Father George performed a Lity. Ruxandra wanted to stay with me but, as she was visibly disturbed by the cold, I told her to get inside. In fact, if it weren't for my friends and Father George, I would have stayed at home in Bucharest, alone, as I do not care too much for the secular New Year. In order to get things going, Ruxandra came with Adrian„s Macbook and we managed to set up a small network, using her phone as well, in order we would be able to get online. She stayed with me a bit, then went to the church for Lity, and let me mind my own doing.
Yep, it was cold, even I found gloves useful. I spent decades in my grave, hibernating, but that was a special state, pretty different from the one when I am awake and active. I am pretty cold and harsh, but not that much not to feel the cold at all. I started installing and configuring some software from repositories into Ruxandra„s laptop. As night passed, kids around the village started to blow firecrackers and small fireworks on a large scale, it felt like war. I liked it, I admit it, the war flavor of it. I felt like going to them and playing along, but I could not, of course. They have not entered the graveyard, fortunately, although some firecrackers fell inside it. Poor dogs started to bark and howl of that noise.
Meanwhile, I managed to install Tor Browser, to get on the Dark Web. You know, you can meet some real Vampires there, if you know where to look. At first, when I discovered it, in the months after waking up from my decades of hibernation, in July 2021, alongside things like creepypasta, the world felt far more interesting on the dark side then today. As you may imagine, it was hard to distinguish at first creepypasta from real things, I am sure sometimes it is harder even for someone who was born and lived in this age to do it. Fortunately, I grew more experienced on this pretty fast. No one I could talk to from those hidden online communities was logged in, as it seemed, so I decided to start digging up some things regarding the effects on infrasounds.
Midnight came. I did not feel excited or anything, neither too sad. Perhaps just a little sad. Humans were having fun in the streets, explosions and stuff. Since the Holy Liturgy started, I stopped working on the laptop itself, and tried to listen to psaltical chants on Youtube. I admit I got bored fast, and went to my regular music. Earphones on maximum level, as I usually like to listen (I know, it is bad to do it for long.). I started to feel a little drowsy and sleepy. Probably something was at work at this point, as it was not normal for me (or my kind) to feel sleepy at night. At some point, I placed my head on the table and listened to the music with my eyes closed. My head was inside the hotspot, inside the wifi medium, but I did not realize it. I let myself drift into sleep, thinking that Ruxandra would wake me up.
I do not know how, Youtube seems moody at times regarding the autoplay, on being turned on and off. I usually keep it off. As I was signed in with my Google account, it seems it started to play things as I was sleeping, random stuff. I went on for about an hour and a half.
Eventually, I woke up. Some kind of ASMR or white noise clip was playing, a grey screen, looking a bit like static on an old black and white TV. The sound sounded a bit like that as well, but not exactly. I said something like ”ASMR Relaxing static for deep sleep”. I turned it off, as I was shaking sleepiness off from my mind. The outside was pretty silent, just some crackers from time to time. It was a feeling of things being a bit off. I do not know how to put it, the flavor of reality was off. A feeling that was a little familiar, since that night not too long ago. I was not too concerned, still, since it was not too strong, we have not noticed anything coming here. Indeed, a was a little troubled by this, but not as much as a mortal would have been, being alone, at night, in a graveyard. For me, it was a place and a time that I was in tune with. Perhaps, If I were Human, I would have had a better attitude in that situation. I started to say the Jesus Prayer a bit, and started to walk towards the church. As I was getting closer and felt better, I started to let my guard down and let my thoughts go loose.
I do not know what is the clear border between a thought and an attitude. I am not a psychologist, just my own rambling here. I think some thoughts work at the edge between the conscious and the unconscious, since they manifest in attitudes, even if the conscious does not want to admit them. Those are not just some deep unconscious processes, they are closer to the surface, so to say. Indeed, before Adam and Eve fell, they had no unconscious part of their souls, after the fall they lost sight of a large part of themselves. Only those very spiritually advanced can truly become fully aware of themselves, and turn the whole unconscious into conscious. Of course, I am not one of them.
Looking back at those moments, some things are blurry. I was not asleep, for sure, yet it felt a bit like a sleep-like state, the bizarreness of all. It seems some thoughts were moving from conscious to this semiconscious part, back and forth, not all at the same time. I was walking stiffer than I usually do (And I do walk pretty stiff usually.). There was something, I do not remember exactly how much I was aware of, I felt I needed to get closer to the church and away from the kiosk in the graveyard. I started to feel a bit, only a bit, like at the moments during that night, when I felt alone in the whole world. Not strong enough to have a strong attitude, it would have been better if the feeling was stronger.
I got close to the church, lights were on, but it was silent, like empty. Familiar feeling, but not too intense. I looked back at the graves, something felt new. Unreal in a new way. All this was still faint, for now. I heard some noises on the other side of the graveyard. Then I had a thought that some kids may enter the graveyard and steal the laptops and rest. Something from my mind was saying to stop, not to go into the weird, unreal darkness from there. But I brushed it out, being too faint, unfortunately for me. I went back towards that place.
As I would later find out, at this point, the Holy Liturgy was over, just a small snack for the people inside, Ruxandra was getting ready to come to me, outside, she just waited for the people to leave the church. She heard something outside, and felt my presence faintly. She decided to come out, to see if I had come too early. By the time she was out, I was already on my way back to the kiosk, she saw me from a distance. The sky was unusually dark on one side, and a feeling of a new unease was in the air. She started to go slowly towards the kiosk as well.
I walked into the viscous air. Viscous, again. But I was like under anesthesia or on some drugs. Maybe my state was akin to sleepwalking? I was not sleepwalking, for sure, but it felt only a bit like it, if it makes sense. What came next, in the next minute (or minutes) happened on that semiconscious level. I was forcing myself to get into the viscous thing, I would not call it air. Things were like getting blacker, but not physically. I felt worse and worse as I was getting closer to the kiosk. But as I felt worse, a part of my mind fought to keep it semiconscious, not to become aware. Was something taking over me, at least a bit? I do not know. It was like I was heading to my doom, but I was so afraid to admit to myself, so I struggled to ignore that I was doing just that.
The kiosk was in sight. Silence around me, a silence that seemed to stretch for miles. Or more. I was getting close to the kiosk, the alley went from the kiosk, and it crossed another alley near it, the kiosk was towards my left-front. Things got really black and, without knowing it, the blackness turned into something visible.
I do not know how long it all took. One second, maybe a few? The alley was blocked by something that looked like some kind of black curtain, blocking the normal reality. It was a physical blackness, for sure, but it contained more than that. It had vertical folds in it, like a physical curtain. I could not say how large it was, sideways and up, it covered the full front of my eyes, I did not have the time to check my peripheral vision, and up it covered much of the clear sky. I knew it was something that came from hell, no doubt about it. I knew I had no chance of running away, as it was too close, too big and too powerful. I was at its mercy. My heart soon became overwhelmed, my mind was soon to follow. On my last moment of consciousness, I let myself to the Lord, as nothing else could be done, realistically speaking. I fused this in an iconic gesture of prosternation, semiconsciously. I let myself fall to my knees and stop my head from hitting the ground with my palms.
At this time, Ruxandra noticed a black mist starting to gather like a small tower of mist. It was not thick, at least it appeared to her like this. As seconds passed, the mist grew thicker, while she noticed me stopping in my tracks, distantly, then the stars were not visible anymore and something she could not describe took over the sky. An emptiness. Yet, it seems all of it was less intense than for me, not just because of the distance, but some other reason. Perhaps her Human nature, or the fact that she was exposed to the things I have exposed to in the kiosk? Fear inside her started to escalate to panic.
As I went on knees, I layed completely down, face down. The last thing I saw was that the lower edge of the curtain arose in a fold, on the ground and was sent towards me, covering me. I started screaming inside of my mind the Jesus Prayer, as Ruxandra lost it at this point and just screamed.
That thing, whatever it was, started to take me in gradually, but in a matter of a second, the most, if it makes sense. It felt like being taken up from the ground, at the mercy of that. I kept saying the Jesus prayer, trying to hold on, albeit it was harder and harder. I was inside a bubble of demonic power, this meant no way I would be able not to lose it on my own. Kept saying the Jesus Prayer, as things were speeding up. Something in the back of my mind kept saying: ”Hold on just a little… Just a little…” So I did, I held onto the prayer. Then I do not remember. I think it was like slipping into sleep.
Ruxandra was close to being broken, as she fell to her knees too. As I realized later on, after I talked to her, the first impulse was to run. But I was there, with that thing, and she refused to leave me there alone. Even if this was something she never experienced before, something of this magnitude. I can tell you, for a Human Ruxandra is pretty resilient to darkness. Many Humans, even grown men, just fail when they meet me. Just me, nothing stronger or darker. I never heard her scream of fear ever. Strong stock. So you can imagine at this point, at least loosely, how bad this was. But my friend stayed for me. Even if this could have been her doom. Even if all her instincts told her that was doom. Fortunately, she remembered not to look into the mist, after a few seconds, and that she needed to start the Jesus Prayer.
In a few seconds, after letting the forehead to the ground and closing the eyes, she was into it as well. Starting to feel lifted, as things were going faster and faster. At some point, Ruxandra„s mind went blank as well.
Fortunately, her screams were heard by father George and the rest who were still inside the church. He exited in a hurry, and people followed. They saw something tall and dark, that seemed to look a bit like a tornado, twisted in the middle. Father George started the exorcism formulas of Saint Basil the Great. Several people started to scream and ran away inside the church, some on the gate, into the street, as father George came bravely upon that, not looking at it. Adrian heard his voice going stronger and stronger as she went closer.
As he came close to touching the blackness, it started to retreat. He persisted into going further, cursing the powers of hell, and the thing started to back out (Technically to back up). The darkness went up and fading, seeing me and Ruxandra on the ground, holding each other, our eyes being closed and whispering the Jesus Prayer faintly. He did not stop until the night was clear.
He came close to us, gently touching our heads. Ruxandra gave a sigh and became silent. I opened my eyes and came to my senses. In a few seconds, my dear friend was awake as well. The night was back to its sweetness, the old graveyard as well, the place where I felt so cozy, like being caressed by a gentle ghost.
We looked at father George, as things started to come back to me. Ruxandra held on to me, as she started to realize as well that it was over. We were protected, as our minds blacked out. We did not remember how we ended up hugged. I whispered to her: ”Praise The Lord. It is gone…” Then, after a few seconds of silence: ”Are you ok? Let's get up.” Father George gave us his strong smile: ”If you ok, let's hurry. We shall not let Christ wait for us. I think the best way now is to go to the side of the church (the south of the church), to calm down people who are still inside, as well as those who fled.”
I got up, helped Ruxandra get up, got my clothes cleaned a bit, and waited for father George to call people back to the church. On a moment when the way was clear, we proceeded into the side and got to the altar side door.
As father George tried to bring people back, me and Ruxandra looked at each other. She was still shaken when I asked: ”Are you ok, sis?” She gave a calm sigh: ”It seems so… I am surprisingly well, after all it just was…” ”I feel you on this… I am surprisingly unaffected. I am not well but, if I remember what just happened, I was supposed to be a mess.” ”Yeah, indeed…” ”We were protected, I think. No way could we have made it on our own and be so unscathed. We need to thank The Lord.” I gave her another hug. We waited then in silence for things to calm down, it took about 15 minutes.
Father George came out of the side door to give us Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of our Lord. Ruxandra wanted to wait for me, instead of having Communion alongside the people in the church. After this moment, it felt like the last claw of that thing was gone, but it's leftovers remained, like scattered around. Yet, when Christ Himself comes to you, all those seem less than meek.
After getting inside, father George tried to get the people to stay and finish eating, but many of them left early, and this made the rest go with them pretty fast. While this happened, we talked a little. Ruxandra started: ”Those Cones, this was one of those, isn't it?” ”Probably I can say that it was. It felt somewhat like them, but not exactly.” She started telling me how it felt for her, then I told her how it was for me. She went on: ”I want to look into what you were listening to on those earphones, while you were sleeping. YouTube history.” ”Do you want to go back to all that? Being Human, you are more feeble than me.” ”There is something going on. I want to get to the bottom of it.”
Father George interrupted us: ”You just received The Lord and you are talking about His enemies? Come on, chill down and get inside.” White we ate, he did not allow us to speak too much of it. Then, he suggested we take a rest a bit, and sleep where he prepared for us. Then Adrian and father George collected all the devices from the kiosk and they were all shut down.
The next day, after we were all home, Sophie and her family came to father George, to get the Exorcism formulas performed on them, since Sophie was the subject of the work of hell that night. According to the old custom, the Exorcism Formulas of Saint Basil are performed not just in case of necessity, but also during the day of his feast, January the first. Unfortunately, most priests do not perform this ritual on this day anymore.
I met Odette, the mother of Sophie. We managed to get an interesting talk. But that is a story of in it„s own right. What I can tell you yet about her is that she was too a Caterpillar Elf.
Adrian, on his own, checked the YouTube history of the device, there were some weird things in there. Some of the clips appeared to be deleted, the last one was not. It became clear that they were taken down one by one. He woke up later the day before Ruxandra did, in a sleep paralysis experience.
I checked my Youtube account history as well. I dared not to listen to those still there. In case any of you shall ask for the link to those on DM, as I am sure many would want to, I will not share it, as I do not want to be responsible for what would happen.
There are, still, some things I would share with you, perhaps I shall do it, if I shall have the energy. There were some rough months for me. There are many things that can get you down in this world, not all are supernatural, many are just mundane crap that could bring down even a strong Vampire or Elf. But I shall try my best.
Take care of you and your loved ones. See you soon.
I blow you a kiss (not a bite),
Helena
2023.04.02 11:06 throwawaydjws976289 I'm sick of church always coming first
I'm agnostic, my partner's a Christian. Wouldn't be an issue, except he chooses to be massively involved in his church and he fucking hates it. Every Friday I have to deal with him being moody all day, because on Fridays he sets the church up for the weekend services, and he never wants to go. He usually goes on his way home from work, so I end up coming with him. He complains about me not being enthusiastic enough about going, even though he knows it's not my thing and that I only go with him on Fridays to make life easier for him. Then for hours after we've been he complains constantly about how useless his vicar is and how he's had to do all this stuff for him.
He also never wants to go on Sunday for mass. He sets about 3 alarms, snoozes them all and immediately goes back to sleep, while I'm wide awake when I don't even need to be awake. Then he finally gets up at the last possible second. When he gets back from church all I get is him bitching about how lucky I am that I don't have to get up early on a Sunday like he does. Like yeah, church is voluntary and I choose not to go because I don't believe in it. And he only spends so much time there because he chooses to be involved in everything. Like can you imagine if I took up something voluntary that was important to me, like working in a dog shelter, and then spent the whole day telling him how lucky he was that he didn't have to do it too. Like if it's making you that miserable, the obvious answer is to just do less of it, but he won't.
It gets even worse when he's ill like he is at the moment. He's a nightmare when he's ill anyway cause generally he refuses to accept that he's ill, still tries to carry on as normal and ends up running himself into the ground. He has health issues and has had multiple health professionals tell him that he needs to take time to recover when he's ill, but he never listens. He's only ill currently because he decided to spend the entire weekend helping the vicar with stuff, while knowing that the vicar was absolutely full of cold. I even reminded him before he left that the last time the vicar came to church ill, my partner's entire family ended up with covid. But he seemed to think he was fucking invincible from catching this cold so he went anyway. Which is selfish as hell considering we live together so I have like a 90% chance of catching whatever illnesses he catches. And all week I've had to deal with him complaining about being ill and complaining about what a dick the vicar is. Like I get it, it sucks being ill but he knew the risks and he chose to do it anyway. He even missed his friend's party because he was ill, which is sad because this friend isn't in our area much. But with all his complaining about the vicar going to church knowing he was ill, I thought he would at least have the self-awareness to not go to church ill. But no, he's gone today still full of cold, which is incredibly fucking selfish considering the vast majority of the church congregation are elderly people who will be more vulnerable to illnesses. And covid is doing the rounds at his church, so if he catches that on top of the cold he could end up seriously ill.
I know I'm complaining about him a lot, but honestly he's the loveliest man. He'll bend over backwards to help people, and he's always so full of life. But church makes him so selfish and full of self-importance, it's like he's a different person. He acts like the whole church will fall apart if he's too ill to go for one day, but conveniently forgets that the church has survived every time he's gone on holiday. Idiot.
submitted by throwawaydjws976289 to TrueOffMyChest [link] [comments]
He also never wants to go on Sunday for mass. He sets about 3 alarms, snoozes them all and immediately goes back to sleep, while I'm wide awake when I don't even need to be awake. Then he finally gets up at the last possible second. When he gets back from church all I get is him bitching about how lucky I am that I don't have to get up early on a Sunday like he does. Like yeah, church is voluntary and I choose not to go because I don't believe in it. And he only spends so much time there because he chooses to be involved in everything. Like can you imagine if I took up something voluntary that was important to me, like working in a dog shelter, and then spent the whole day telling him how lucky he was that he didn't have to do it too. Like if it's making you that miserable, the obvious answer is to just do less of it, but he won't.
It gets even worse when he's ill like he is at the moment. He's a nightmare when he's ill anyway cause generally he refuses to accept that he's ill, still tries to carry on as normal and ends up running himself into the ground. He has health issues and has had multiple health professionals tell him that he needs to take time to recover when he's ill, but he never listens. He's only ill currently because he decided to spend the entire weekend helping the vicar with stuff, while knowing that the vicar was absolutely full of cold. I even reminded him before he left that the last time the vicar came to church ill, my partner's entire family ended up with covid. But he seemed to think he was fucking invincible from catching this cold so he went anyway. Which is selfish as hell considering we live together so I have like a 90% chance of catching whatever illnesses he catches. And all week I've had to deal with him complaining about being ill and complaining about what a dick the vicar is. Like I get it, it sucks being ill but he knew the risks and he chose to do it anyway. He even missed his friend's party because he was ill, which is sad because this friend isn't in our area much. But with all his complaining about the vicar going to church knowing he was ill, I thought he would at least have the self-awareness to not go to church ill. But no, he's gone today still full of cold, which is incredibly fucking selfish considering the vast majority of the church congregation are elderly people who will be more vulnerable to illnesses. And covid is doing the rounds at his church, so if he catches that on top of the cold he could end up seriously ill.
I know I'm complaining about him a lot, but honestly he's the loveliest man. He'll bend over backwards to help people, and he's always so full of life. But church makes him so selfish and full of self-importance, it's like he's a different person. He acts like the whole church will fall apart if he's too ill to go for one day, but conveniently forgets that the church has survived every time he's gone on holiday. Idiot.
2023.04.02 11:02 ThrowRA-Pumpkin-8644 I (F23) can't stand my boyfriend's (M26) younger brother (M24)
I have been with my boyfriend for almost 4 years. We met in college and started living in a student flat together. We study and work in the same field (graphic design), so we often help each other out with software knowledge etc. My boyfriend is finishing his Master degree in May and I am finishing mine next year.
My boyfriend's parents live approximately 4 hours ride from our college. We both agree that after we finish our degrees, we don't want to stay in the city where we study (it's very dirty, poor and not very safe) and instead we can live for a while with his parents, as they have huge house in good city, until we find stable jobs and can afford our own living (the rent is expensive here).
However, my boyfriend has a younger brother who lives at home as well, and to summarize him a bit:
- he dropped out of college after 1 week in 2019, and hasn't gone/applied to school ever since
- he does not have a job and does not pay his parents anything for living with them
- he is into cars and his dream is to be a "chauffeur" for famous people/celebrities
- never had a serious relationship, i know only of one rich girl that dumped him after few months because he had no ambition in his life whatsoever
- their mom does all the cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, etc, sometimes (maybe twice a month) he cooks some basic meal for everyone
- everything must be according to him, he has a designed chair at the dining table where he must sit, or he gets upset, when his mom cooks some meal a little different than he is used to or with anything "green" in it, he refuses to eat it and scolds the mom for changing the recipe
- his only job during the day is to walk the dog in the morning and evening and feed it, the rest of the day he is at home lying with his phone or watching the tv, meanwhile both his parents are at work
- he is "best buddies" with his father, who is the typical man of the family (he makes quite a lot of money) and for some reason he treats his leech-son with more respect than he treats my boyfriend and will listen to his opinions very seriously like an equal
- several times my boyfriend told me how manipulative his younger brother is, during growing up with him etc, also he is quick to fight with anyone (recently he started going to florbal games with a group of guys but after almost getting into fight with one of them they stopped inviting him)
- he helped their parents a lot with renovating the house (that saved them money), but that was about a year ago and his father bought him the newest iPhone for it and since they completed the renovation he is not doing anything
So yeah ... I was on okayish terms with him, but about a year ago us three got a bit drunk in the evening and he started demanding from my bf how much money he makes and started complaining that he has to pay bigger rent to his parents than we pay in our flat, it turned out that he doesn't have to pay rent to them at all. I stood up for my bf and after that I started resenting him. And he started ignoring me, not even saying hello to me or acknowledging me.
But I will probably have to live with him under one roof for some time. I know the sh.t will probably hit the fan at some point and his parents will get tired of him being a leech, but I wonder how long that will take? My boyfriend and I both have two jobs and are studying, and he literally has no reason to not work. He is healthy, young man and has plenty of time on his hands and absolutely zero life skills.
How do I deal with it when we live under one roof together? He has room next to us and we share bathroom and I meet him frequently when I visit. I can't stand this person.
TLDR: My bf's younger brother is a leech, no work or school and his parents enable him. He doesn't like me and I don't like him and we will probably live under one roof for some time.
submitted by ThrowRA-Pumpkin-8644 to relationship_advice [link] [comments]
My boyfriend's parents live approximately 4 hours ride from our college. We both agree that after we finish our degrees, we don't want to stay in the city where we study (it's very dirty, poor and not very safe) and instead we can live for a while with his parents, as they have huge house in good city, until we find stable jobs and can afford our own living (the rent is expensive here).
However, my boyfriend has a younger brother who lives at home as well, and to summarize him a bit:
- he dropped out of college after 1 week in 2019, and hasn't gone/applied to school ever since
- he does not have a job and does not pay his parents anything for living with them
- he is into cars and his dream is to be a "chauffeur" for famous people/celebrities
- never had a serious relationship, i know only of one rich girl that dumped him after few months because he had no ambition in his life whatsoever
- their mom does all the cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, etc, sometimes (maybe twice a month) he cooks some basic meal for everyone
- everything must be according to him, he has a designed chair at the dining table where he must sit, or he gets upset, when his mom cooks some meal a little different than he is used to or with anything "green" in it, he refuses to eat it and scolds the mom for changing the recipe
- his only job during the day is to walk the dog in the morning and evening and feed it, the rest of the day he is at home lying with his phone or watching the tv, meanwhile both his parents are at work
- he is "best buddies" with his father, who is the typical man of the family (he makes quite a lot of money) and for some reason he treats his leech-son with more respect than he treats my boyfriend and will listen to his opinions very seriously like an equal
- several times my boyfriend told me how manipulative his younger brother is, during growing up with him etc, also he is quick to fight with anyone (recently he started going to florbal games with a group of guys but after almost getting into fight with one of them they stopped inviting him)
- he helped their parents a lot with renovating the house (that saved them money), but that was about a year ago and his father bought him the newest iPhone for it and since they completed the renovation he is not doing anything
So yeah ... I was on okayish terms with him, but about a year ago us three got a bit drunk in the evening and he started demanding from my bf how much money he makes and started complaining that he has to pay bigger rent to his parents than we pay in our flat, it turned out that he doesn't have to pay rent to them at all. I stood up for my bf and after that I started resenting him. And he started ignoring me, not even saying hello to me or acknowledging me.
But I will probably have to live with him under one roof for some time. I know the sh.t will probably hit the fan at some point and his parents will get tired of him being a leech, but I wonder how long that will take? My boyfriend and I both have two jobs and are studying, and he literally has no reason to not work. He is healthy, young man and has plenty of time on his hands and absolutely zero life skills.
How do I deal with it when we live under one roof together? He has room next to us and we share bathroom and I meet him frequently when I visit. I can't stand this person.
TLDR: My bf's younger brother is a leech, no work or school and his parents enable him. He doesn't like me and I don't like him and we will probably live under one roof for some time.
2023.04.02 11:01 heyuiuitsme i told ya, it's a food blog
So. like, one time the ex suggested a place for me to work. Like, you know. A company that only just hires … anyway, i guess that was around the time he paid for and ran a background check on me.
#trust
It said i wanted on suspension of murder. That’s all. That’s it. You know, that’s what would pop on my background check. But, there’s no hold for pickup or anything. Just like, suspect in murder. From like, idk, three-ish decades ago. Like, found that out via a background check that he ran on me
After we done been living together for years. I mean, lol. Idk, wanted to know who i was but didn’t want to ask me. No one else would tell him, so, only just bits and pieces is what all he knew.
Plus, you know. The standard warnings that both my mother and my sister will give to potential suitors of mine once they meet them. Like, once it looks likes he’s sticking around, better warn him about her. Omg, can you even imagine.
Like, dating someone and then both their mom and sister come at you to warn you about her. They say i’m manipulative and that i’ll make you do things you didn’t know you wanted to do until after you’ve already done them. Like, with the ex.
I totally did manipulate him into starting a business and then buying a house. Yep. i did do that.
In 2020 it went away and i was able to pass a deep employment background. So, there’s different levels of background checks that a company will and can do. I couldn’t pass one of those deep kinds, only just the convictions kind. Like, the one that lists convictions is what most companies do and i don’t have no felonies or any convictions or arrests involving theft or fraud or nothing like that.
So, nothing on my background check would really preclude me from employment from most places. I mean, you know, it ain’t that bad. But, it ain’t great. And, there’s a lot of oddities that would make it appear like i’m some kind of criminal.
A wants search. You know. But, it’s just wanted for but there’s no pickup directions. Flagged by a sheriff’s dept that i was wanted for questioning in these crimes, but no arrest warrant or anything like that.
Wanted in connection to and then some bullshit like: MURDER. And, then, like, nothing. No further instructions like what usually goes along with that. Like, if seen call: this fucking number. You know. Just nothing, but some kinda bullshit attached to my name if you did a certain kind of background check.
And, then, you know, arrested for things and then the charges being dropped. But, you still have to get booked. That sort of stuff. Which makes HR flag me as not eligible for hire at large corporations. For the most part.
Oh, that. Criminal record. Yeah, it’s not that bad. But, it looks bad. I think one of those, like, when they got my dna. Like, i got arrested for kiting a check. Like, to the daycare. I paid each week and she held those checks and didn’t cash them. Then there was a .. idk, an incident at home and that guy was in the hospital
And, i was stuck over there and just checked my balance at the atm and thought i had money, idk, didn’t balance my checkbook. Anyway, it was at that time that the daycare put those checks through. And, one went thru and two of them bounced.
Yeah, cause i spent the money while i was at the hospital. Yeah. idk. I guess i figured it was that money, but what happened was when i took out all the money i at the atm that was NOT that money, like, you know. I knew they’d be a fee, but i didn’t expect it to be, idk, i want to say it was $15.
Ten to the atm company and five to my bank, so, it told me ten, but i didn’t expect the five. So, when i did the math i didn’t account for that extra fee that my bank put on so it caused that check to bounce. Idk, she cashed the most recent one first, on like wednesday at her bank,
Cause i went through my account and tried to figure out how it happened. Cause i didn’t do that on purpose or like, meaning to. And, i was like, wtf. Where’d that other five dollars go. I added that up.
But, anyway, the bank bounced the other two. But, one of those would have covered but they charged the fees on both checks two times, which actually by bank math left some money in the bank. Which i then made a conscience decision to take out the rest of the money at an atm which, i mean, is that not usury.
That’s what i called atms for a long time after, usury machines.
At the fucking hospital. I had to pay for parking, and that was like $10 every time you came and went. So, it wasn’t affordable to leave and i had a limited budget. And, dumb fuck was in icu. Idk, like it’s my job to fucking stay there. But, i did.
Cause the social pressure of that. And, also i was broke. So, you know. I had to budget and the hospital was more than 45 minutes away, and that was if i missed all the high traffic times and took back roads. It wasn’t even close in.
You know. So, like, still gotta eat for those three days and the only thing that’s readily available is vending machines or cafeteria food. Which is all expensive as fuck, and ain’t nobody willingly at the fucking hospital.
Oh, i take that back. There are those that quite willingly check themselves into hospitals.
Anyway, i like to treat myself at minor inconveniences. It just makes me feel better. If i find myself in a situation in which i become inconvenience, well, i just treat myself. Why, yes. You do deserve ice cream after any minor inconvenience that doesn’t set you the fuck off.
I reward myself for good behavior. With ice cream or candy. Or, whatever. Banking apps didn’t exist in those days. So, you know …
And, then, like right after that happen, i got fired from my job. It was all kinds of craziness at once. Then, she pressed charges. It all happened pretty quick. Really. I mean, like, we only been back from the hospital not even a day when that cop showed up with a warrant.
Over those checks and it had only just happened. Like, happened two days earlier while i was still over at the hospital. When they bounced. The day we got home or the day after is when that cop showed up.
Told me to just show up at the sheriff's dept between the hours of whatever and whenever to get my picture taken. Do the prints and all of that. “All of that” that’s what he said, and i was like, ok.
And, i got down down there and they took my dna to run through nsa. Told me it was policy and law now. That if i get arrested for bouncing a check you run my dna through the nsa. Well, that don’t sound right.
And, i was just like, you fuckers tricked me. I would have never just shown up for this.
Took a cheek swab for my dna. Over a bounced check. I was losing my damn mind the whole damn time. Like, wtf. No. what. This can’t be legal. If you try to use this in court for something, i’m disputing how you got it.
Just saying. To the guy. You know. The booking officer. Cause you know, wtf.
It’s my 1st amendment right to shit talk. I accused him of being the government. All kinds of crazy shit. I just said all kinds of craziness while i was there. But, i was laughing and it was all just jokes, but i was mad as hell over them taking my dna.
Idk, 2004ish. 03 maybe. I guess. Somewhere in there. It’s that really good mugshot of me. I looked great. It’s like the best picture i’ve ever taken, i told that guy, hey, if this don’t work they could really use you at the dmv.
I mean, the pictures they take down there. Jesus fucking christ. Why.
So, i know there’s no dna evidence tying me to any damn murder of you’d have arrested me then. Also, i’m not even quite sure what you’re talking about. I told you it wasn’t me.
Told you so. First of all, i don’t have the details of what even you’re talking about and, also, additionally, as well. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
There’s been other people who’s run background checks and couldn’t resist telling me what they found out. I mean, you can imagine. So, ugh. Heather. Yeah. so, yeah, ran a background check on you and it says you’re wanted for murder. And, i’d be like there’s like 12 fucking people in this town, if i was so wanted they’d come and fucking get me.
Idk, it just says that. Idk why. Probably some other psycho girl named heather. There’s probably a lot of us. You know. All the heathers are crazy. It was a really popular name for one fucking year, so most of us are the same age.
But, that .. you know, those background check issues, idk, it made it hard for me to get jobs at certain companies and certain kinds of jobs. Kept me underemployed, not able to get better employment due to that.
So, it wasn’t just that i had a terrible reputation amongst the pillars of the community, but also, you know. My background check comes back patchy. And, like, none of those charges are fucking real. Like, just bullshit.
It’s all literally just bullshit. Personal vendettas from opposing counsel. That’s one of them. Ok. didn’t know you could catch charges for that, but o fucking k
I didn’t even know or remember or care who the fuck she was. Like, when she told me, you know. Who she was. And, then she was kinda pissy that i didn’t remember her. Anyway, like, it’s not something people are normally charged with. That way.
I did the booking for that one at the 911 office. They didn’t do anything, just handed me a yellow slip of when i was to show up for court. Didn’t get my picture taken. Nope. Not for that. I just went to the window and they handed me a yellow court slip.
That was it, no picture or nothing. Which is a shame cause i just got my hair done. I talked to that woman at the window a little bit, it wasn’t busy when i went down there and i knew her.
She handed it to me and said what even is this bullshit. They all read it, it wasn’t in an envelope or nothing. You know. It’s a small fucking town. Those old hens, they all read and passed it around and talked about where they knew me from.
That’s just how it is in a small town. But, i don’t think they took my picture. Cause, like, i got dressed the fuck up for it. Practiced my smirk.
Did my hair, makeup. All of it. She just handed it to me, and i was like, you ain’t gonna take my picture. I dressed up for this. She took a selfie with me on her phone over the pay counter.
Idk, i don’t even think that’s real. Stupid shit. You know. It’s always nothing but stupid shit
But, it’s always a big fucking hassle for me. Like, gotta take time out of my day for your fucking bullshit. Oh, cause you’re fucking offended. I don’t care. Omg. such a fucking cunt.
I think we probably just about fill up all the private prisons with people like you that need to be fucking arrested. Like no fucking joke corrupt. And, you know. It’s always just for bullshit hurt your fucking feelings reasons.
So very fucking petty. You’re just so fucking petty.
She said they had one on file. And, i was like, oh. Alrighty then. That’s totally how this all supposed to work, but i’m just going to fucking go with it. You know. See where this road goes.
During the time hueser was in prison. He mitigates a lot of that shit, you know, by pointing out how they’re going to get caught, then they don’t do it. But, without him around to point out how stupid they were being they got real fucking stupid.
It wasn’t like i could do anything about it, you know. Just endure. I mean, you know. That’s just what it’s like when “they” don’t like you. Purely personal reasons and also it’s not in their financial best interest to do so.
So, there’s always that. You know. How you’ve legally bound yourself to me.
That’s dumb, you know. To do that. Use the courts to commit the fraud, cause you know, that creates records. It’s like you’re just creating more and more and more records of your own wrongdoings. And, like, you - you work there, i know you know better.
You can’t claim ignorance of the law. I mean ….
People are so stupid. Up to an including me. Another big reason i needed to go was, you know, all those dead bodies keep coming up in town. It’s ok. They’re totally solved. I guess. Idk, i didn’t know none of those people.
Never met any of them or if i did, idk, my memory, as you know, not so good. Idk. idk if i know any of those people, but one of those people used to hang out with snitch ass and ponzi scheme.
And, i don’t know anything about any of that. Like, i found it best, most especially since i ain’t being paid, you know. If crime pays, then, you know, where’s my fucking check.
But, no. i just don’t get involved or you know, if people start talking about stuff i don’t want to hear about i just do my little snit thing and walk away. You know. When i pst-pst-pst at people like they’re cats when they talk about things i don’t wish to discuss with them
Or, to disengage myself from a .. dumb shit. I just pst-pst-pst and jazz hands, then walk away. It’s a good way to put a stop to that bullshit.
But, sometimes i just nod yes and tell myself what i will be doing instead of the thing they’re trying to tell me to do. You know. Like, idk. People who mean well but give bad advice, i just nod in agreement and then do whatever the fuck i want to do.
Man, i should read that and maybe not post that … ick. Idgaf
So, like, dude did you just say it proves how “smart” you are that you were so success at defrauding a child. A literal fucking child. Like, a 2nd grader.
Wow. you did it. You outsmarted a 2nd grader. Gold star for you. Congratulations. It seems to have paid off for you quite well.
Oh, are people going on about my duis. I don’t have any. Yeah, i have driven drunk, every drunk has. I mean, you know. Idk, i’ve never had an accident or gotten pulled over while being intoxicated.
Idk, maybe i’ve never drank and drove. There’s no evidence of that happening.
Eyewitness reports of such. Well, ok. Yeah. so. What do you want me to say. Sorry, i quit drinking. Or, you know. Just do it at home or when i have someone else to drive. Drinking and driving is bad.
How many duis you got.
So, anyway, lots of things to be done. I have a four year plan, then i’m going to retire to something else. At that point i’ll be able to buy a small farm and you know. Then, after that … idk.
Then my time will be my own. When i do it, it’ll be fucking quick and you ain’t going to have a chance to get cameras up before i do. I have a plan. Certain restaurants which i’m not going to name, they don’t seem to want to let you use them for meal prep either.
Fast food chicken fingers. Omg. reheated, fucking great. And, cost wise around about the same as those tyson ones. You know. Like, like at the grocery store vrs a large from a fast food place, about the same. And, the fast food ones are just ever so slightly better.
Then, if you get the really big meal, you can eat part of it now and then put the rest in a toaster oven or air fryer. Follow me for more cost friendly diet tips. Lol
It’s cheaper than going to the grocery store and it’s already made. So, you know. Like, i can’t help that it’s cheaper, but fast food is also at an all time high, cost wise.
I’m cheap as fuck, everyone knows. I brag about how frugal i am. Like, the deals, you know. I love saying i just paid $3 for that. It’s my favorite thing.
I mean, jesus, everything costs so much right now. Like, so fucking expensive. But, what was strangely cheap was consumer goods and electronics. Crazy fucking online sales, and if a brick and mortar is having a clearance sale and it’s online, they are over fucking loaded with mechandise.
Dumb shit you can just buy, air fryers and such, so. Yeah, i’m totally just buying an air fryer. Finally convinced that i need it. I have a plan for .. meal prep.
Idk, i’ll have to see how you can use it.
A couple of years ago when the instapot craze hit, i didn’t get one. I mean, that’s just a pressure cooker, first of all, and i got plenty of problems already without getting on the makes meth watchlist. You know.
I don’t make meth. That’s a joke. I took some adderall that, wtf even. Who gives a shit. Please read the proceeding pages for an explanation of events.
The value of things is all topsy tervy. When my kids were little i could get two large chicken finger meals and feed all four of us. It’s a cheaper option and i like to feel like chicken fingers are healthier than fast food burgers. So.
Please don’t spoil my delusion about that. Like, either of those is good. I know that’s not a good way to eat, but god damn it’s cheap and convenient. However, my cooking is better.
I think what i’m going to do, is idk, buy an air fryer. It’s literally cheaper than two combos from a fast food place. Then, i have a plan for meal prep that involves me doing zero dishes. I’m going to try it out.
Well, i guess a little more than zero. I still have to wash knives and silverware. But, i’m not willing to give those up. In my quest to never do dishes again.
It was a childhood dream of mine, you know, to never have to do dishes again.
Laundry, too. Hate that shit. I’ve got everything down to just one load that i wash all together without separating a damn thing. I just throw all of it in all together, be damned how it turns out.
Ahh, well, if i can’t wash it guess it ain’t meant for me. My period claimed another pair of pants today. A good pair that i really liked. Sad, sad, very sad times.
submitted by heyuiuitsme to LackOfModeration [link] [comments]
#trust
It said i wanted on suspension of murder. That’s all. That’s it. You know, that’s what would pop on my background check. But, there’s no hold for pickup or anything. Just like, suspect in murder. From like, idk, three-ish decades ago. Like, found that out via a background check that he ran on me
After we done been living together for years. I mean, lol. Idk, wanted to know who i was but didn’t want to ask me. No one else would tell him, so, only just bits and pieces is what all he knew.
Plus, you know. The standard warnings that both my mother and my sister will give to potential suitors of mine once they meet them. Like, once it looks likes he’s sticking around, better warn him about her. Omg, can you even imagine.
Like, dating someone and then both their mom and sister come at you to warn you about her. They say i’m manipulative and that i’ll make you do things you didn’t know you wanted to do until after you’ve already done them. Like, with the ex.
I totally did manipulate him into starting a business and then buying a house. Yep. i did do that.
In 2020 it went away and i was able to pass a deep employment background. So, there’s different levels of background checks that a company will and can do. I couldn’t pass one of those deep kinds, only just the convictions kind. Like, the one that lists convictions is what most companies do and i don’t have no felonies or any convictions or arrests involving theft or fraud or nothing like that.
So, nothing on my background check would really preclude me from employment from most places. I mean, you know, it ain’t that bad. But, it ain’t great. And, there’s a lot of oddities that would make it appear like i’m some kind of criminal.
A wants search. You know. But, it’s just wanted for but there’s no pickup directions. Flagged by a sheriff’s dept that i was wanted for questioning in these crimes, but no arrest warrant or anything like that.
Wanted in connection to and then some bullshit like: MURDER. And, then, like, nothing. No further instructions like what usually goes along with that. Like, if seen call: this fucking number. You know. Just nothing, but some kinda bullshit attached to my name if you did a certain kind of background check.
And, then, you know, arrested for things and then the charges being dropped. But, you still have to get booked. That sort of stuff. Which makes HR flag me as not eligible for hire at large corporations. For the most part.
Oh, that. Criminal record. Yeah, it’s not that bad. But, it looks bad. I think one of those, like, when they got my dna. Like, i got arrested for kiting a check. Like, to the daycare. I paid each week and she held those checks and didn’t cash them. Then there was a .. idk, an incident at home and that guy was in the hospital
And, i was stuck over there and just checked my balance at the atm and thought i had money, idk, didn’t balance my checkbook. Anyway, it was at that time that the daycare put those checks through. And, one went thru and two of them bounced.
Yeah, cause i spent the money while i was at the hospital. Yeah. idk. I guess i figured it was that money, but what happened was when i took out all the money i at the atm that was NOT that money, like, you know. I knew they’d be a fee, but i didn’t expect it to be, idk, i want to say it was $15.
Ten to the atm company and five to my bank, so, it told me ten, but i didn’t expect the five. So, when i did the math i didn’t account for that extra fee that my bank put on so it caused that check to bounce. Idk, she cashed the most recent one first, on like wednesday at her bank,
Cause i went through my account and tried to figure out how it happened. Cause i didn’t do that on purpose or like, meaning to. And, i was like, wtf. Where’d that other five dollars go. I added that up.
But, anyway, the bank bounced the other two. But, one of those would have covered but they charged the fees on both checks two times, which actually by bank math left some money in the bank. Which i then made a conscience decision to take out the rest of the money at an atm which, i mean, is that not usury.
That’s what i called atms for a long time after, usury machines.
At the fucking hospital. I had to pay for parking, and that was like $10 every time you came and went. So, it wasn’t affordable to leave and i had a limited budget. And, dumb fuck was in icu. Idk, like it’s my job to fucking stay there. But, i did.
Cause the social pressure of that. And, also i was broke. So, you know. I had to budget and the hospital was more than 45 minutes away, and that was if i missed all the high traffic times and took back roads. It wasn’t even close in.
You know. So, like, still gotta eat for those three days and the only thing that’s readily available is vending machines or cafeteria food. Which is all expensive as fuck, and ain’t nobody willingly at the fucking hospital.
Oh, i take that back. There are those that quite willingly check themselves into hospitals.
Anyway, i like to treat myself at minor inconveniences. It just makes me feel better. If i find myself in a situation in which i become inconvenience, well, i just treat myself. Why, yes. You do deserve ice cream after any minor inconvenience that doesn’t set you the fuck off.
I reward myself for good behavior. With ice cream or candy. Or, whatever. Banking apps didn’t exist in those days. So, you know …
And, then, like right after that happen, i got fired from my job. It was all kinds of craziness at once. Then, she pressed charges. It all happened pretty quick. Really. I mean, like, we only been back from the hospital not even a day when that cop showed up with a warrant.
Over those checks and it had only just happened. Like, happened two days earlier while i was still over at the hospital. When they bounced. The day we got home or the day after is when that cop showed up.
Told me to just show up at the sheriff's dept between the hours of whatever and whenever to get my picture taken. Do the prints and all of that. “All of that” that’s what he said, and i was like, ok.
And, i got down down there and they took my dna to run through nsa. Told me it was policy and law now. That if i get arrested for bouncing a check you run my dna through the nsa. Well, that don’t sound right.
And, i was just like, you fuckers tricked me. I would have never just shown up for this.
Took a cheek swab for my dna. Over a bounced check. I was losing my damn mind the whole damn time. Like, wtf. No. what. This can’t be legal. If you try to use this in court for something, i’m disputing how you got it.
Just saying. To the guy. You know. The booking officer. Cause you know, wtf.
It’s my 1st amendment right to shit talk. I accused him of being the government. All kinds of crazy shit. I just said all kinds of craziness while i was there. But, i was laughing and it was all just jokes, but i was mad as hell over them taking my dna.
Idk, 2004ish. 03 maybe. I guess. Somewhere in there. It’s that really good mugshot of me. I looked great. It’s like the best picture i’ve ever taken, i told that guy, hey, if this don’t work they could really use you at the dmv.
I mean, the pictures they take down there. Jesus fucking christ. Why.
So, i know there’s no dna evidence tying me to any damn murder of you’d have arrested me then. Also, i’m not even quite sure what you’re talking about. I told you it wasn’t me.
Told you so. First of all, i don’t have the details of what even you’re talking about and, also, additionally, as well. I don’t know what you’re talking about.
There’s been other people who’s run background checks and couldn’t resist telling me what they found out. I mean, you can imagine. So, ugh. Heather. Yeah. so, yeah, ran a background check on you and it says you’re wanted for murder. And, i’d be like there’s like 12 fucking people in this town, if i was so wanted they’d come and fucking get me.
Idk, it just says that. Idk why. Probably some other psycho girl named heather. There’s probably a lot of us. You know. All the heathers are crazy. It was a really popular name for one fucking year, so most of us are the same age.
But, that .. you know, those background check issues, idk, it made it hard for me to get jobs at certain companies and certain kinds of jobs. Kept me underemployed, not able to get better employment due to that.
So, it wasn’t just that i had a terrible reputation amongst the pillars of the community, but also, you know. My background check comes back patchy. And, like, none of those charges are fucking real. Like, just bullshit.
It’s all literally just bullshit. Personal vendettas from opposing counsel. That’s one of them. Ok. didn’t know you could catch charges for that, but o fucking k
I didn’t even know or remember or care who the fuck she was. Like, when she told me, you know. Who she was. And, then she was kinda pissy that i didn’t remember her. Anyway, like, it’s not something people are normally charged with. That way.
I did the booking for that one at the 911 office. They didn’t do anything, just handed me a yellow slip of when i was to show up for court. Didn’t get my picture taken. Nope. Not for that. I just went to the window and they handed me a yellow court slip.
That was it, no picture or nothing. Which is a shame cause i just got my hair done. I talked to that woman at the window a little bit, it wasn’t busy when i went down there and i knew her.
She handed it to me and said what even is this bullshit. They all read it, it wasn’t in an envelope or nothing. You know. It’s a small fucking town. Those old hens, they all read and passed it around and talked about where they knew me from.
That’s just how it is in a small town. But, i don’t think they took my picture. Cause, like, i got dressed the fuck up for it. Practiced my smirk.
Did my hair, makeup. All of it. She just handed it to me, and i was like, you ain’t gonna take my picture. I dressed up for this. She took a selfie with me on her phone over the pay counter.
Idk, i don’t even think that’s real. Stupid shit. You know. It’s always nothing but stupid shit
But, it’s always a big fucking hassle for me. Like, gotta take time out of my day for your fucking bullshit. Oh, cause you’re fucking offended. I don’t care. Omg. such a fucking cunt.
I think we probably just about fill up all the private prisons with people like you that need to be fucking arrested. Like no fucking joke corrupt. And, you know. It’s always just for bullshit hurt your fucking feelings reasons.
So very fucking petty. You’re just so fucking petty.
She said they had one on file. And, i was like, oh. Alrighty then. That’s totally how this all supposed to work, but i’m just going to fucking go with it. You know. See where this road goes.
During the time hueser was in prison. He mitigates a lot of that shit, you know, by pointing out how they’re going to get caught, then they don’t do it. But, without him around to point out how stupid they were being they got real fucking stupid.
It wasn’t like i could do anything about it, you know. Just endure. I mean, you know. That’s just what it’s like when “they” don’t like you. Purely personal reasons and also it’s not in their financial best interest to do so.
So, there’s always that. You know. How you’ve legally bound yourself to me.
That’s dumb, you know. To do that. Use the courts to commit the fraud, cause you know, that creates records. It’s like you’re just creating more and more and more records of your own wrongdoings. And, like, you - you work there, i know you know better.
You can’t claim ignorance of the law. I mean ….
People are so stupid. Up to an including me. Another big reason i needed to go was, you know, all those dead bodies keep coming up in town. It’s ok. They’re totally solved. I guess. Idk, i didn’t know none of those people.
Never met any of them or if i did, idk, my memory, as you know, not so good. Idk. idk if i know any of those people, but one of those people used to hang out with snitch ass and ponzi scheme.
And, i don’t know anything about any of that. Like, i found it best, most especially since i ain’t being paid, you know. If crime pays, then, you know, where’s my fucking check.
But, no. i just don’t get involved or you know, if people start talking about stuff i don’t want to hear about i just do my little snit thing and walk away. You know. When i pst-pst-pst at people like they’re cats when they talk about things i don’t wish to discuss with them
Or, to disengage myself from a .. dumb shit. I just pst-pst-pst and jazz hands, then walk away. It’s a good way to put a stop to that bullshit.
But, sometimes i just nod yes and tell myself what i will be doing instead of the thing they’re trying to tell me to do. You know. Like, idk. People who mean well but give bad advice, i just nod in agreement and then do whatever the fuck i want to do.
Man, i should read that and maybe not post that … ick. Idgaf
So, like, dude did you just say it proves how “smart” you are that you were so success at defrauding a child. A literal fucking child. Like, a 2nd grader.
Wow. you did it. You outsmarted a 2nd grader. Gold star for you. Congratulations. It seems to have paid off for you quite well.
Oh, are people going on about my duis. I don’t have any. Yeah, i have driven drunk, every drunk has. I mean, you know. Idk, i’ve never had an accident or gotten pulled over while being intoxicated.
Idk, maybe i’ve never drank and drove. There’s no evidence of that happening.
Eyewitness reports of such. Well, ok. Yeah. so. What do you want me to say. Sorry, i quit drinking. Or, you know. Just do it at home or when i have someone else to drive. Drinking and driving is bad.
How many duis you got.
So, anyway, lots of things to be done. I have a four year plan, then i’m going to retire to something else. At that point i’ll be able to buy a small farm and you know. Then, after that … idk.
Then my time will be my own. When i do it, it’ll be fucking quick and you ain’t going to have a chance to get cameras up before i do. I have a plan. Certain restaurants which i’m not going to name, they don’t seem to want to let you use them for meal prep either.
Fast food chicken fingers. Omg. reheated, fucking great. And, cost wise around about the same as those tyson ones. You know. Like, like at the grocery store vrs a large from a fast food place, about the same. And, the fast food ones are just ever so slightly better.
Then, if you get the really big meal, you can eat part of it now and then put the rest in a toaster oven or air fryer. Follow me for more cost friendly diet tips. Lol
It’s cheaper than going to the grocery store and it’s already made. So, you know. Like, i can’t help that it’s cheaper, but fast food is also at an all time high, cost wise.
I’m cheap as fuck, everyone knows. I brag about how frugal i am. Like, the deals, you know. I love saying i just paid $3 for that. It’s my favorite thing.
I mean, jesus, everything costs so much right now. Like, so fucking expensive. But, what was strangely cheap was consumer goods and electronics. Crazy fucking online sales, and if a brick and mortar is having a clearance sale and it’s online, they are over fucking loaded with mechandise.
Dumb shit you can just buy, air fryers and such, so. Yeah, i’m totally just buying an air fryer. Finally convinced that i need it. I have a plan for .. meal prep.
Idk, i’ll have to see how you can use it.
A couple of years ago when the instapot craze hit, i didn’t get one. I mean, that’s just a pressure cooker, first of all, and i got plenty of problems already without getting on the makes meth watchlist. You know.
I don’t make meth. That’s a joke. I took some adderall that, wtf even. Who gives a shit. Please read the proceeding pages for an explanation of events.
The value of things is all topsy tervy. When my kids were little i could get two large chicken finger meals and feed all four of us. It’s a cheaper option and i like to feel like chicken fingers are healthier than fast food burgers. So.
Please don’t spoil my delusion about that. Like, either of those is good. I know that’s not a good way to eat, but god damn it’s cheap and convenient. However, my cooking is better.
I think what i’m going to do, is idk, buy an air fryer. It’s literally cheaper than two combos from a fast food place. Then, i have a plan for meal prep that involves me doing zero dishes. I’m going to try it out.
Well, i guess a little more than zero. I still have to wash knives and silverware. But, i’m not willing to give those up. In my quest to never do dishes again.
It was a childhood dream of mine, you know, to never have to do dishes again.
Laundry, too. Hate that shit. I’ve got everything down to just one load that i wash all together without separating a damn thing. I just throw all of it in all together, be damned how it turns out.
Ahh, well, if i can’t wash it guess it ain’t meant for me. My period claimed another pair of pants today. A good pair that i really liked. Sad, sad, very sad times.
2023.04.02 10:56 Confused_Ice US Military abuses on Okinawa
Trigger warning: sexual abuse
I have always wanted to talk about this topic. Although the post is stretching the definition of Expatshame, I feel that there is not enough discussion regarding the military abuses. The main point of this post is to spread awareness and create solutions (and for the subreddit to be united) , rather than expat shame per se.
Okinawa is one of the prefectures in Japan, in which it was annexed by the Japanese Empire. It currently hosts US Military bases, which resulted in numerous issues to arise. The criminal offences (e.g. rape, arson etc.) of some US military personnel have gotten unnoticed. At the same time, ecological damage is worsening due to the construction of new military bases. Kyodo News (2019) reported that seventy-percent (70%) of Okinawans had opposed the US military bases. There have in fact been multiple protests and rallies by the Okinawans. Nonetheless, the construction of new military bases will go through.
Unpunished criminal offences
There have already been hundreds of complaints against US military personnel. If you ask me, they are expats who are just employed under the US military. The OHCHR (2022) wrote that the total number of cases and complaints against the US military personnel had already reached above five thousand (5,000).
The following are specific cases of the abuse by the aforementioned personnel (Johnson, 2008) :
Let us not forget the infamous 1995 gang-rape case:
Johnson had also reported that there are often other issues happening in Okinawa:
Ecological Damage
Not only are the native Okinawans affected by the US military bases, but their eco-systems are in-danger as well. Dias (2018) further details on how extinction and contamination affects Okinawa:
Here are the solutions that I have come up with:
References:
Dias, T. (2018, October 1). US military bases in Okinawa threaten people and Ecosystems. The Ecologist. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://theecologist.org/2018/oct/01/us-military-bases-okinawa-threaten-people-and-ecosystems
Johnson, C. (2008, March 3). The 'rape' of Okinawa - apjjf.org. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://apjjf.org/-Chalmers-Johnson/2686/article.pdf
KYODO NEWS+. (2019, February 25). Over 70% of voters reject U.S. base transfer in Okinawa referendum. Kyodo News+. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/02/92e0b7fff7b5-voting-under-way-in-okinawa-for-referendum-on-us-base-relocation.html
OHCHR. (2022, January 30). Report on violence against indigenous Ryukyu/okinawa women and girls. OHCHR.org. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/AOCHR.pdf
submitted by Confused_Ice to Expatshame [link] [comments]
I have always wanted to talk about this topic. Although the post is stretching the definition of Expatshame, I feel that there is not enough discussion regarding the military abuses. The main point of this post is to spread awareness and create solutions (and for the subreddit to be united) , rather than expat shame per se.
Okinawa is one of the prefectures in Japan, in which it was annexed by the Japanese Empire. It currently hosts US Military bases, which resulted in numerous issues to arise. The criminal offences (e.g. rape, arson etc.) of some US military personnel have gotten unnoticed. At the same time, ecological damage is worsening due to the construction of new military bases. Kyodo News (2019) reported that seventy-percent (70%) of Okinawans had opposed the US military bases. There have in fact been multiple protests and rallies by the Okinawans. Nonetheless, the construction of new military bases will go through.
Unpunished criminal offences
There have already been hundreds of complaints against US military personnel. If you ask me, they are expats who are just employed under the US military. The OHCHR (2022) wrote that the total number of cases and complaints against the US military personnel had already reached above five thousand (5,000).
... according to the statistics of the Okinawa Prefectural Police, the total number of criminal offenses committed by U.S. servicemen, servicewomen and their families until September 2020 counted 6,052, of which 581 were heinous crimes such as murder, robbery, rape and arson, and 129 were rape cases.
This is only the number of arrests made, and the actual number of incidents is believed to be much higher.
The following are specific cases of the abuse by the aforementioned personnel (Johnson, 2008) :
1.) On June 29, 2001, a 24-year-old air force staff sergeant, Timothy Woodland, was arrested for publicly raping a 20-year-old Okinawan woman on the hood of a car.
2.) On November 2, 2002, Okinawan authorities took into custody Marine Major Michael J Brown, 41 years old, for sexually assaulting a Filipina barmaid outside the Camp Courtney officer's club
Let us not forget the infamous 1995 gang-rape case:
...the notorious 1995 kidnapping, beating and gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by two marines and a sailor in Kin village, Okinawa. The convicted assailants in that outrage were Marine Private First Class Roderico Harp, Marine Private First Class Kendrick Ledet and Seaman Marcus Gill
Johnson had also reported that there are often other issues happening in Okinawa:
Other incidents of bodily harm, intimidation and death continue in Okinawa on an almost daily basis, including hit and-run collisions between American troops and Okinawans on foot or on auto bikes, robberies and assaults, bar brawls and drunken and disorderly conduct.
Ecological Damage
Not only are the native Okinawans affected by the US military bases, but their eco-systems are in-danger as well. Dias (2018) further details on how extinction and contamination affects Okinawa:
The Oura Bay alone is home to 262 endangered species. The [US] military facility plans to dump 21 million metric tons of sand and soil mixed with the alien invasive Argentine ant and Red-back spider into its waters.
In this distinctive natural environment, 26 newly discovered endemic species have been found since 2006.
These islands are home to the Sekisei Lagoonresides, Japan’s largest - and dying - coral reef. Corals currently on Japan's 'red list' - Okinawensis veron and Sargassum carpophyllum - could be crushed by the construction works.
Since 1998, there have been over 415 incidents of toxic spills and dumping from the [US] military facilities. Polluted matter has flowed into rivers and embedded itself into the ecosystem. It's horrific to imagine this occurring yet again, especially amidst seeming efforts to house nuclear weapons in the the Oura Bay.
Added to this, it was uncovered in 1996 that US aircrafts were test-firing over 1,500 depleted urranium shells near an important fishing ground in Torishima.
In 2015, the Pentagon's release of US Marine Corps’ documents from the 1970s revealed “large fish kills” in the waters near Camp Kinser. Inspections demonstrated a high concentration hazardous compounds in the sea.
Here are the solutions that I have come up with:
- Research more about the effects of the US military bases on Okinawa
- Coordinate with the Okinawan activists
- For Asians: Focus on Asian empowerment projects with the Okinawans
- For people living in Western Countries: spread more awareness of the issue (via newspapers, blogs, Youtube videos etc.) , pressure politicians to oppose military expansion ( even if it falls into deaf ears most of the time)
References:
Dias, T. (2018, October 1). US military bases in Okinawa threaten people and Ecosystems. The Ecologist. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://theecologist.org/2018/oct/01/us-military-bases-okinawa-threaten-people-and-ecosystems
Johnson, C. (2008, March 3). The 'rape' of Okinawa - apjjf.org. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://apjjf.org/-Chalmers-Johnson/2686/article.pdf
KYODO NEWS+. (2019, February 25). Over 70% of voters reject U.S. base transfer in Okinawa referendum. Kyodo News+. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/02/92e0b7fff7b5-voting-under-way-in-okinawa-for-referendum-on-us-base-relocation.html
OHCHR. (2022, January 30). Report on violence against indigenous Ryukyu/okinawa women and girls. OHCHR.org. Retrieved April 2, 2023, from https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/AOCHR.pdf
2023.04.02 10:48 Sinpleton025 [Rifts of War] - Chapter 10
Expedition report from Rift Group 4
Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
End of chapter 10
---
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Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
End of chapter 10
---
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2023.04.02 10:44 Sinpleton025 Rifts of War - Chapter 10
Expedition report from Rift Group 4
Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
End of chapter 10
---
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Report carried out by Lieutenant Marvin Bailey
Report states: Peaceful contact with the local town of Una has ended in failure. Upon nearing the gates, the elves demanded RG-4 to identify themselves and after identification, they opened fire on with bows, crossbows, and scorpions. RG4 retaliated by opening fire with its 50mm chain gun, destroying parts of the wall, killing an unknown number of defenders, and destroying their heavy defenses. The initial shock from the chain gun froze the defenders, allowing RG-4 to vacate the area with minimum damage and no losses taken. This was the first unsuccessful interaction with the local populace since the beginning of the expedition and the Rift Group program and it shows that not all natives will be pleased with REC's arrival.
Other news: The enemy force on the other side of the North Alston river has not shown any signs of movement. Moreover, drone footage shows a number of the local populace leaving the Meilume capital and Una across the river, further suggesting that the Imperial army wishes to fortify and wall off the area between the two Alston rivers with the intention of boxing the REC before attacking. CIA sources can confirm this is the case. As far as the Rosian vassal kingdoms are concerned, RG-1, upon making successful contact with the border town of Afa, has sent a platoon, led by lieutenant James Wilson, to the Alston capital of Olinor where they made contact with the king of Alston, Thavok Zorgen. After a number of debates, king Thavok has agreed to accompany the platoon to the duchies of Zirith, Dothen, and Elarith, as well as the kingdom of Opherin to convince the dukes and kind Ostontul to attend a meeting with ambassador Eugene Anderson. Additional transportation will be provided should it be necessary.
30th day of late yellow season
Elyana, Empire of Light
"So.", said the chained human, "Is it my turn to pick the nail or yours?". The torturer responded by punching him in the face. The prisoner spat out a piece of his tooth before answering, "C'mon, you're supposed to be consistent. It's nail, nail, cut, punch. The teeth come later when all the nails are gone. Everyone knows that.". The torturer punched him again. "There you go again, messing up the consistency. I think I know why you work in this shit hole now."
The torturer wanted to hit him again, but a voice stopped him, "Enough!". A moment later, two elves walked into the room.
"Great General Laeroth.", the torturer said as he bowed.
"How is the questioning, Maul?", Laeroth asked.
"Not well, my lord. This human is proving to be a greater challenge than I had anticipated. All I got was a name. Jack Mitchell."
Laeroth sighed as he approached the chained-up human. His body was cut in several places and half of his fingernails have been removed. In addition, he was missing two teeth and bleeding from his mouth and nose. Yet he still denies Maul. As much as it pained Laeroth to admit it, he was impressed. Any Rosian or even elf would have broken by now. What made this human different?
"Jack Mitchell.", Laeroth said, making Jack lift his head and smile.
"What's up?", Jack asked.
"The ceiling.", Laeroth answered, making Jack laugh. "What is humorous?"
"Maul over there said the same thing.", Jack replied as he wheezed, "You sure you're not related? You got the same shade."
This made Maul mad as he grabbed his hammer, "You insolent savage!"
"Calm yourself.", Laeroth said, "I still need this human alive. High mage Gunru, you have my permission.".
"Yes, general.", said Gunru. He was one of the seven high mages of the empire in North Altia, second only to the grand mage Ishton. Each high mage is able to use more than one type of magical ability. Usually, a mage is only able to use one ability from a single spirit. The mages of Vita can be healers or they can use their power to give life to made objects. This way they can create their own army, however, the mage has to remain alive in order for the creature to remain alive, and if the creature is destroyed the life will return back to its source. The mages of Elendi can use one of the various elements, such as wind, fire, water, and so on. One other ability the high mages possess is 'Mind read'. By focusing their spiritual energy on the mind of the target, they can visualize their knowledge.
"What the hell are you doing?", Jack asked as Gunru grabbed his head with both hands, "I mean I'm flattered but I'm into women, just so you know."
Gunru closed his eyes and white energy started appearing from his hands. That energy went into Jack's head, which remained perfectly still as this occurred. Gunru entered his mind and began to project Jack's memories, thoughts, and knowledge around him. Laeroth just watched. He himself couldn't see unless Gunru gave the knowledge to him. But he did see something that disturbed him. Gunru began to twitch. A twitching that turned to shake as his eyes opened and quickly pulled back while panting and holding his head as though he had a headache.
"Gunru.", Laeroth called, "Tell me, what have you seen?"
Gunru shook and could barely grasp the words to speak, "T-T-Terrible things. A mistake. All of this was a mistake."
"Show me."
"No!", Gunru yelled immediately, "You must not. I could not get all the details myself. You will go insane."
"I must know our enemy. Even if it is a little, I must know. Gunru, you must show me."
Gunru greatly hesitated and opposed this. But at the same time, he knew if anyone was able to take the strain, it was Laeroth, the most loyal servant of the empire. "Very well. I shall show you as much as I can. Forgive me."
As Gunru placed his hands on Laeroth's head, the same energy went into it. Laeroth opened his eyes and found himself on a field of battle. Two sides were fighting, humans. One side had blue clothing and the other was red, both fighting with cannons and boomsticks, but nothing else. The blue-clothed soldiers appeared to be winning and they charged the red ones, all while carrying a flag. Red and white stripes with stars. It was brutal. What could it mean?
Night turned to day over and over again, until another battle occurred. Same thing, broomsticks, and cannons, but they fought each other. Once again, there was a flag with stars and stripes but now there were two. A civil war? Hundreds of thousands of men died all for what?
Fast forward, Laeroth appeared in another field, but considerably more terrifying. It was a field of black mud, ash, and blood as far as the eye could see. Thousands upon thousands of bodies piled up around giant cannons that fired and destroyed castles. He could see waves of soldiers running forward at their dug-in enemies. They fell by the dozen until a few lucky ones reached the line and engaged in a brutal brawl. The fighting kept escalating until a massive white cloud filled the battlefield and everyone caught in started choking and dying.
Once the smoke cleared, Laeroth could see hundreds of thousands, no, millions of soldiers and armored beasts marching across a field. They fought another gigantic army, one Laeroth thought could never exist. Millions of troops met on the battlefield and slaughtered one another as the metal monsters spat fire and thousands of iron wyverns fought in the air. Massive ships of steel fired enormous cannons of steel at one another as hundreds of iron rods fell from the sky and flattened the cities below.
Closing and opening his eyes one more time he saw a city. A large city with towers of stone and glass that pierced the clouds. But then he saw it get destroyed as it was engulfed in a literal sea of flames. All of those people were dead in an instant, and in place of the city was a gigantic cloud in the shape of a mushroom.
The day turned to night again as Laeroth was lifted into the air and observed the world change. The nations fought one another while also existing in peace. Cities became massive and their armies even more powerful. But then, the fires came. The great cities turned to a smoldering pile of ash as they turned on one another in the name of 'salvation'. War, disease, poverty, entire civilizations were whipped out and empires started to fall. But in this chaos, something was born. The petty rivalry of the great powers vanished and united they led their armies and pulled the corruption by its roots. It took them decades but they did it. And now united, they rebuilt their homes. The world was not at peace but they made the most of it. At least until they showed up. The rift opened, the invasion failed and now an angered giant prepares to take its vengeance and punish them for their crimes.
Gunru stopped sending energy into Laeroth's mind and let go of his head. Laeroth bent over and panted. His heart was racing and his nose bleeding. He could not believe what he saw. Was there really no hope? Was this war lost before it even began? How was he to win? He wasn't, but he knew he couldn't just give up. His pride as a warrior and a soldier wouldn't let him. But more than that, it was Canus. His maniacal nature coupled with fear will only make things worse if he were to find out. Furthermore, the Inquisition will most likely pull strings and keep the war going for their sick and twisted games. Laeroth knew he had to come up with something, otherwise, the empire will crumble.
"General, are you alright.", Maul asked.
"I am fine Maul.", Laeroth answered, "Take the human back to the cell and treat his wounds. I will let you know what I want with him next later."
"Yes, my lord.", Maul said as he gestured to the guards to help him.
"Gunru."
"Yes, general?", Gunru answered.
"You must not speak of this to anyone. Not even the emperor. This stays between us. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, general."
"Good. Now excuse me, I must clean myself and prepare for the future.". Laeroth left the torture chamber and climbed up the steps to the halls. On his way to his personal chamber, he could feel a strange sensation run down his spine. The effects of the mind read? No, this was something else. He made a random turn and walked down a narrow hallway. After taking a few steps, he prepared a knife and waited. Soon, a cloaked individual suddenly appeared from behind the corner and started running away. Laeroth immediately gave chase, signaling the guards in front to stop him. Two guards formed up with shields, which made him stop for a moment. After a moment Laeroth threw his knife at his back. He yelled in pain as he fell over and the guards moved in.
"Leave him!", Laeroth shouted as he grabbed the man and pulled the cloak down. It turned out to be a woman. "Who sent you!? Talk!". His words fell on deaf ears as the woman's head twitched and a thick purple foam-like substance oozed from her mouth. Laeroth groaned and let her go, "Burn the body. Speak nothing of this.". The guards nodded and carried the body outside.
'Gilshor.', Laeroth thought, 'I will not let you turn this war into your own personal puppet show. The darkness will not rule the light.'
---
(Meanwhile)
Upper level of the Imperial palace
Lilyth Camilla Agorix was always a strange girl. While the other girls took care of their hair, she took care of the armor forged specifically for her. While the other girls practiced knitting and read poetry, she expressed an interest in politics and philosophy. This behavior wasn't particularly accepted by her father. Her mother, on the other hand, empress Alruna Flavia Agorix, greatly supported her. It was thanks to her effort that women were allowed to join the army, and at the moment, a tenth of the army is female. Alruna wasn't named the Lioness for anything, and Lilyth tries to live up to her expectations.
But some members of the family aren't as hard-working as her. Her brother Armas is the biggest and most disgusting slob. She could hear him and his hooligans laugh in his chamber. Trying her best to ignore them, she walked past, but as Armas exited the room he called her over, "Hey sister! Come on in. We have room."
Lilyth groaned, "I have more important matters to attend to than entertain a room full of children."
Armas laughed, "Oh come on, loosen up. The slaves taught me that."
"Armas, if mother finds out-"
"What? What will she do? These slaves were given to me and I can do whatever I want with them."
"Is that so?", spoke a mature womanly voice, "Tell me, Armas, what exactly have you been doing?"
"M-Mother?", Armas uttered. Next to her was the second youngest daughter, Khelsa, along with the captive human girl, Amy. The two became friends after Amy arrived and while Alruna didn't support it at first, she learned that a child is a child, and her being from a supposedly savage land is irrelevant. "Nothing. Just questioning these captives with my soldiers."
"You mean raping women with your hooligans.", Alruna said as she walked into his room. The stench and sight made her sick. "Guards! Take these women to my chambers and bring along some maids. Clean them, feed them, and dress them properly." Guards did just that, pushing away the thugs who grunted in response.
"Khelsa?", Amy asked, "Is that your brother?"
Khelsa sighed in response, "Yes. I'm sorry you had to see this."
As the guards took the women out, Armas protested, "Mother, this is unfair. These women are my slaves. Furthermore, they are savages from a barbaric land. They should consider themselves lucky to even be in my presence. Father says-"
Alruna slapped him, stopping his sentence, "Your father may be the emperor, but I know him better than anyone else. He is narrow-minded and frightened, only seeing what is right in front of him, and never bothering to properly assess anything. We may be the chosen bringers of light, but if we act as barbaric as our adversaries then we are no better than them. Now, get this room cleaned and then yourself. You are royalty, act like it." With that Alruna and Lilyth left, leaving Armas to bicker and throw tantrums.
"Thank you, mother.", Lilyth said, "I must go now."
"Go, my daughter.", said Alruna. Lilyth bowed and entered her chamber.
"Fenris.", she spoke, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes, princess.", Fenris said, "The savage stands before you in chains and the scribe has prepared the parchment."
"Excellent. Scribe, you are to document any and all findings. Listen carefully. Do you understand?"
"Yes, princess.", answered the scribe.
"Let us begin.", Lilyth said as she walked to the captive, "What is your name?"
"You know that.", he answered and received a back-handed slap. After moving his head back, he answered, "Brian O'Neil."
"Where are you from?"
"My mom.", to which he received a punch in the stomach. It didn't hurt a lot, considering he was a large man. "The United States of America."
"Tell me more about it."
"It's a unity of fifty-two states with three hundred and fifty million people."
This shocked Lilyth but she didn't show it, "Are there more countries?"
"Many more. My country isn't even the biggest one."
"So there are more empires in your world."
"No, there aren't any."
Lilyth paused for a moment, "Then what?"
"We are a republic. We elect our leader and that leader represents us. He doesn't have all the power and all of his decisions are put to a vote. Empires and kings are a thing of the past."
"You expect me to believe that? A nation cannot function without a centralized figure controlling it."
Brad chuckled, "We use to think that, too. But we found out that the opposite is true. One person can control a city, or maybe a small nation. But the bigger a nation gets and the more powerful it gets, the more strain appears on a single person. This is why our nations are governed by dozens of people and we have careful systems for governance. A single person is not enough. He would only bring ruin."
This shocked Lilyth more. A system like this was always theorized by politicians and philosophers, but nothing was ever tested because the emperors abolished it, saying that it goes against the path of light. "You say that. But our empire has grown powerful and spread across the world. We have become its rulers and spreaders of wisdom, knowledge, and civilization."
"There used to be an empire in my world that thought just like you. They wanted to conquer the entire world and make it so that only their ways exist. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"They became too big. There was too much ground. Their forces were spread thin and could be picked off by united barbarians who didn't like their ways. War stopped and since their economy depended on it, it crumbled. Their politicians became corrupt and power-hungry. They stole from and even killed each other. Eventually, they fell beneath the force of the united kingdoms they called savages and were wiped out. This is why no one can truly conquer the world. No matter how hard you fight, the world always wins."
Lilyth clenched her fists and stared at Brad with an angered look, "You say that we will end up the same?"
"If you refuse to change, then yes.".
After staring at him for a few moments, she spoke, "Fenris! Take him back to his cell. We will continue this tomorrow."
"At once, princess.", Fenris said and grabbed Brad by the arm.
As they were walking out the door, Brad turned his head to Fenris, "You know she likes you, right?".
Fenris looked at him for a bit before pushing him forward. Lilyth was left to ponder Brad's words. There is still much for her to learn.
---
(That night)
Somewhere between Meilume capital and Una
Being a prisoner is never good. Your rights are taken away and the ones who captured you can do anything they want to you. They could kill you, sell you or worse. This was the predicament the Belus family found itself in. Out of the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them, only one soldier remained, the others were killed and fed to the welfen and leanoids. The Belus family was in a cage with the last soldier, Klaus, and a servant, Lia. The five of them were all sitting with their hands tied behind their backs, wondering what will happen next. Taria was still grieving over the death of Aego, not even lifting her head.
"Bellon.", Nimriel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Do not worry.", Bellon said, "We will alright."
"Stop lying, father.", Taria said, still with head lowered, "These people will first rape us, torture us and then demand ransom from the empire."
"Hush, my lady.", Lia said, "Don't say such things."
"What? The truth?"
"You should listen to the little girl.", said a rogue elf as he crouched in front of the cage. Behind him was the fire in the center of the camp with four more rogues, two leanoids, and one welfen. Most of the bandits were asleep, only over a dozen stayed awake. "The money we'll get from you will make us set for life. Sure, we might have lost more than half our men, but that just means more for the living."
Taria spat, "Open this cage and I'll show you a little girl."
The rogue chuckled, "Quite a fighter. I saw you kill that leanoid. You're good. Why don't you come with us?"
"Why would I join a bunch of good-for-nothing traitors? You know nothing of honor, duty or the light."
The rogue laughed, "They still teach that shit? The light is nothing but a made-up excuse the first emperor made so we can take these lands. People like us? We see the truth. And all of you are being manipulated."
"You dare mock the path of light?", asked Bellon.
"Shouldn't a bad joke be mocked?"
Taria and Bellon gritted their teeth. This is why rogues are killed on sight. They know nothing but greed. As Taria stared at the rogue, something appeared in the corner of her vision. A man in green armor held a black boomstick and aimed it at the bandits by the fire. She looked around and saw six more. Are they insane? If they fire it, it will alert everyone. But when they fired them, only a slight sound was heard. Enough for the rogue in front of her to turn around. He saw his mates dead, but couldn't call for help as his neck was ripped out by a welfen. The Belus family was in shock as the welfen opened the cage.
"Don't be afraid.", he spoke, "I'm with the Americans."
This confused the family. "Who?", Taria asked.
Soon after, a soldier in green got to them, "My name is Lieutenant Caden Roberts of RG-3. We're here to rescue you.". He cut their ropes and waved his hand to signal the rest of his men. As they moved, Taria saw the dead bodies of the bandits and when they got out of the camp she could see that only fifteen soldiers, including two tribals, came to rescue them.
"Who are you people?", Taria asked.
"We're the Rift Expeditionary Force from the United States of America.", said the lieutenant as he pressed a small metallic box which caused the entire bandit camp to get engulfed in flames. The bandits burned and screamed, some ran out of the camp but got shot by the green soldiers. Their camouflaged armor, repeating broomsticks, and fire magic puzzled Taria greatly. She couldn't even see their faces from their masks and eyewear. Who are they? Her questions had to wait a little longer, as iron carriages moved from behind them and opened.
"Lieutenant, is it go time?", spoke the man from one of the carriages.
"Yeah.", said the lieutenant, "Let's go, I'll get them to the MRAP. Come on.". He led the five of them to the middle carriages through its back door. It looked like it was completely made of metal and that it could take a cannon shot. This just further confused them. As the carriages started moving, they noticed that it was going at high speeds, even faster than horses.
"Who are you?", Bellon asked, "What do you want from us?"
The soldiers in front of them looked at each other before taking their masks and helmets off, revealing their pale faces. It wasn't anything sinister and they didn't look like they intended to harm them.
"I am sergeant Jeff Parker.", spoke one of them.
"I am staff sergeant Liam Cook.", spoke the other one, "Over here is Lioba, our feelian, and Olaf, our friendly welfen."
"It's welfen that attacked us.", Klaus spoke.
"Do not speak as if they are of my kind.", said Olaf in an angered tone, "Those beasts lost their meaning in life."
"What do you mean?", Jeff asked.
"Each wolf lives for the pack. For the tribe. He fights for it, provides for it, and dies for it. These wolves, they've abandoned their blood and chosen the life of a wild animal. They're no better than the ferals."
"I see. We have those too. We call them deserters. They flee the army and abandon their brothers. And so we hunt them down and punish them."
"As you should."
After some silence, Klaus spoke, "Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.". Olaf nodded.
"Are you taking us home?", Nimriel asked.
"No.", Liam said, "We're taking you to Galdush. Our lieutenant-general wishes to speak with you. Well, lord Bellon more specifically." The five went silent. This was the enemy from the rift, and now they're taking them to their leader.
"Are we to become your slaves then?", Taria asked.
Jeff and Liam chuckled a bit. "No no, of course not. That kind of thing is in the past for us. Our lieutenant-general only wants to speak with you. After a nice conversation, we will personally bring you back to the Meilume capital."
"How do you know its name?", Bellon asked.
"We have our ways. Now sit back and enjoy the ride.", Liam said as he pulled some blocks out of his pocket. When he opened it, it was gray and seemed to be food. After offering it to Lia, he spoke, "Hungry?". After some hesitation, Lia took it and tasted it. It was quite delicious. As she ate the whole thing, Liam chuckled as he opened a bag, "Don't strain yourself, I have enough for everyone."
---
(Several hours later)
Fort Galdush
"My lady.", said Lia as she shook Taria, "My lady, wake up, we've arrived."
Taria woke up, "What? How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours, my lady."
This was surprising, to say the least, "We're already here?". She looked out the window and saw their fort as well as their machines. The M2 battle tanks rolled over the hills and fired at the targets, blasting through them. She saw soldiers shooting their guns and groups running in a circle. At the gate, the lieutenant introduced himself and the convoy continued. Inside, they could see soldiers clad in thick, metal armor carrying large boxes and as they got out of the MRAP they saw the Invictus ACs flying in the air. All of this overwhelmed them. To them, these were otherworldly monsters. To the rangers, it was a normal everyday occurrence.
Lieutenant Roberts stood in front of his men, "Alright. I will take lord Bellon Belus to lieutenant-general Coleman. Parker, Cook, you take the rest to their temporary residents."
"Yes sir.", both of them said as they saluted, "Okay, let's go. I promise it's nothing bad."
Taria, Lia, Nimriel, and Klaus went with Jeff and Liam to their residence while Caden took Bellon to the lieutenant-general. The two of them went into the central command building.
"Lieutenant Caden Roberts of Rift Group 3 here to see colonel Andrew Marshal and lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman.", he said to a woman who worked as a secretary.
After some delay, the woman nodded, "Go down the hall to meeting room two."
"Thank you. Come on.". Bellon followed Caden through the hall. He admired how it was crystal clear and pearl white like they were made of pure marble. As they walked they reached the meeting room and entered. Inside were two men who stood up immediately.
"Good morning.", said the first man, "I am lieutenant-general Patrick Coleman of the Rift Expeditionary Corp. And this is our logistics officer, colonel Andrew Marshal."
"Nice to meet you.", Andrew said, "You are the lord of Meilume, Bellon Belus, correct?"
Bellon stuttered, "Y-Yes I am. Great general, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my life, and my family.", he said as he bowed.
"Please.", Patrick spoke, "No need to bow. And please call me Patrick. Sit down."
"Thank you, Patrick.", Bellon said as he sat down, Caden next to him.
"While I accept your gratitude, I'm going to need to ask something else of you?"
'Of course. What was I expecting?', Bellon thought, "And what would that be? If it is gold I assure you the emperor will pay a decent sum for my family and me."
"Oh no, god no. I'm not asking for money. I need something from you that only someone of your status within the empire can provide."
'Someone of my status'. "What exactly?"
"As you know, your empire opened a rift in our country and attacked without warning and unprovoked. We beat the invasion force and the force than came after it. You lost two armies in less than a month, or, a moon cycle as you call them."
"Yes, I am aware of this. What does that have to do with me? I didn't send those armies."
"We know. But you have a connection with the person who did. And we want you to send a message to him for us."
'A message?' "And what kind of message?"
"We would like an audience with a representative to negotiate peace."
This stunned Bellon. 'Peace?'
---
(Meanwhile)
Jeff and Liam brought the four to an empty army barracks, reserved for these situations. "Okay.", Liam spoke, "You'll be staying here until the lieutenant-general orders otherwise. Don't worry, you'll be comfortable." They entered the barracks and it was clean, with several beds, a fridge, desks, and lights, which Jeff turned on, surprising the 'guests'.
"Make yourselves at home.", Jeff said, "I'll bring you some breakfast soon.". He left and closed the door, leaving the four to talk.
"What do you think will happen, Klaus?", Nimriel asked.
"I don't know, my lady.", he answered, "But we shouldn't do anything to anger them. I think we should wait and see what is to come."
Taria looked out the window and saw the tanks and LAVs driving past as well as soldiers marching in unison. "Incredible. All this power. They could have destroyed Meilume before we even had the chance to escape. And yet here we are. In their fortress, waiting for them to bring us food. They want something."
"Well.", Lia said, "That man who offered me the sweet food was nice. I think they're not that bad."
"They are the enemy, Lia. Enemies should never be trusted. It might seem like they are good, but they are using us. They want us here so we can witness their power and use us to spread fear through the rest of the empire. Clever."
"I think you are thinking too much about it, my lady. Perhaps you need to sit down, and rest."
Taria sighed. She walked to a nearby desk and observed the notebooks, pens, and pencils. She sat down and opened a notebook, immediately noticing how the paper is milk-white with lines to help her writing. Picking up one of the pens, she observed how smooth it was and made of spotless, thin metal, but also how it didn't have a tip. Then she noticed the round top and remembered how the lieutenant pressed his metal box. Pressing down the top, the pen clicked and the tip appeared. Amazed, she clicked it several more times before starting to write.
"Taria?", Nimriel asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing down what I saw."
At that moment, Jeff opened the door and brought several white cardboard boxes, "I brought breakfast. I hope it's to your liking."
Each of them took one and Jeff put the last one on Taria's desk. She looked at him and asked, "Can you show me more of your fortress?"
Jeff hesitated a bit, "Why?"
"I'm curious. I wish to learn."
"So you can write it down and give the information to the army?". Taria sat silently. This wasn't untrue. "Look, we're not your enemy. Our commanding officer is talking to your father about peace. Truth is, we don't want war.". Taria paused to think about that. "But if I get permission, I'll show you around."
"I would appreciate it. Thank you."
End of chapter 10
---
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2023.04.02 10:43 StrongAwareness1370 Overlooked my dogs coughing until it was too late
My dog passed away last week from heart failure and I feel such immeasurable guilt and regret over it because the signs were there several months leading up to that day but we didn’t take them seriously. He had a continuous cough, usually when he would get out of bed, I would say 2-3 times a day I would hear him cough, and he would always fart each time he coughed and I would sometimes laugh. Now that I know why he was coughing, how could I laugh?? I feel so awful, I didn’t know it was so serious. We had asked about his coughing in december, and at the time his vet didn’t hear anything wrong with his heart or lungs and said he wasn’t too concerned, but it was up to us if we wanted to go to the next step and do tests etc we thanked him and we left thinking ok he doesnt seem too worried. But the last couple months I felt like it got worse, we even stupidly bought him cough syrup and that did absolutely nothing. I dont want to make excuses, but my mum would always say he was just coughing because he was old (He was turning 17 in august), whatever that means, and I let that rub off on me. In the end we sort of just got ‘used to’ him coughing, we became desensitised. But I should have known way better. Like I saw someone say “dogs dont just repeatedly cough for no reason”, I should have known.
He still loved going on walks, eating and begging for scraps, he was his usual self from what I saw, and I always felt he acted so much younger then 16 and naiively thought he could live until he was 20. Especially because because he was a mega mutt, not a pedigree labrador as my other dog. How stupid I was. I never would have imagined he would have such a serious condition, which im so stupid for because I knew he was old, did I really think he would go his whole life being healthy? We were planning on getting him properly checked again, because it did seem to be getting a bit worse, my sister even messaged us a week before that she thinks we should, and we said yh we want to, so why didn’t we make an appointment asap?? why did we keep pushing it back. If I knew how little time we had left, I would have made one in a heart beat. We ended up having to rush him to the vet last week because he was acting strange and holding his head up, they did an x ray and found his heart was huge and there were also problems with his lungs, we were given medicine, but only 8 or 9 hours later he passed away. By the time we found out his condition, it was too late and in the final stages. and he ended up dying painfully because of that, I can’t get rid of his final moments out of my head. If we had found out earlier, even just a week, I would have prepared myself on what to expect and euthanasia. I wish he didn’t suffer like that. My poor baby. I don’t think I will ever forgive myself, I feel like a monster. How could I claim I loved him but not take his health issues as seriously as I should. I miss him so so much. He had to suffer because of me, and now i’m suffering too.
and the frustrating things is that when you type in google “why is my dog coughing”, heart disease is the first thing that comes up. Did I not see that when I was looking things up? did I choose to ignore it thinking the internet always exaggerates things? I don’t know what I was thinking. I wish I could rewind time so badly and do everything differently. I definitely want to learn from these mistakes, I have another dog and I vow to make sure I don’t overlook anything with him, I just hate that my poor baby had to be the ‘guinea pig’ for that.
I wish I could say that I did everything for him, I wish I was one of those owners who would take their dog to the vet for the smallest of things, I wish I was more attentive to him aging and growing old. I just wish he was never in pain. I failed him
Has anyone out there had the same regrets and guilt? or am I all alone?
submitted by StrongAwareness1370 to Petloss [link] [comments]
He still loved going on walks, eating and begging for scraps, he was his usual self from what I saw, and I always felt he acted so much younger then 16 and naiively thought he could live until he was 20. Especially because because he was a mega mutt, not a pedigree labrador as my other dog. How stupid I was. I never would have imagined he would have such a serious condition, which im so stupid for because I knew he was old, did I really think he would go his whole life being healthy? We were planning on getting him properly checked again, because it did seem to be getting a bit worse, my sister even messaged us a week before that she thinks we should, and we said yh we want to, so why didn’t we make an appointment asap?? why did we keep pushing it back. If I knew how little time we had left, I would have made one in a heart beat. We ended up having to rush him to the vet last week because he was acting strange and holding his head up, they did an x ray and found his heart was huge and there were also problems with his lungs, we were given medicine, but only 8 or 9 hours later he passed away. By the time we found out his condition, it was too late and in the final stages. and he ended up dying painfully because of that, I can’t get rid of his final moments out of my head. If we had found out earlier, even just a week, I would have prepared myself on what to expect and euthanasia. I wish he didn’t suffer like that. My poor baby. I don’t think I will ever forgive myself, I feel like a monster. How could I claim I loved him but not take his health issues as seriously as I should. I miss him so so much. He had to suffer because of me, and now i’m suffering too.
and the frustrating things is that when you type in google “why is my dog coughing”, heart disease is the first thing that comes up. Did I not see that when I was looking things up? did I choose to ignore it thinking the internet always exaggerates things? I don’t know what I was thinking. I wish I could rewind time so badly and do everything differently. I definitely want to learn from these mistakes, I have another dog and I vow to make sure I don’t overlook anything with him, I just hate that my poor baby had to be the ‘guinea pig’ for that.
I wish I could say that I did everything for him, I wish I was one of those owners who would take their dog to the vet for the smallest of things, I wish I was more attentive to him aging and growing old. I just wish he was never in pain. I failed him
Has anyone out there had the same regrets and guilt? or am I all alone?
2023.04.02 10:41 happydadinau Humans are the only species in the galaxy that have developed social skills during the early stages of evolution. even the most simple of sentences are difficult to decipher.
heres chatgpts take on the prompt for some inspiration ig
The alien fleet had traveled through the vastness of space for what felt like an eternity. They were in search of new worlds and species to conquer and explore. As they scanned the galaxy, they detected a planet that seemed to be teeming with life. Curiosity drove them closer and closer until they found themselves hovering above a blue-green planet that was bustling with activity.
The aliens eagerly scanned the planet's surface, observing the strange bipedal creatures going about their business. They marveled at the humans' technological advancements, but they were not impressed by their lack of physical strength. The aliens quickly came to the conclusion that this world would be an easy target, ripe for the taking.
"Hello, earthlings. Space new. We happy. You lucky!" Zax said into the communication device, his words barely making sense.
The humans were bewildered by the message. They could barely make sense of it.
"What are they saying?" a scientist asked.
"I don't know. They're speaking gibberish," another replied.
In response, they sent a detailed message back to the aliens, explaining that they welcomed their visitors but warned against any aggressive actions.
"Hi, alien friends. Welcome to Earth. We are happy to meet you. Please do not harm us. We come in peace," the humans' message read.
The aliens received the message and were confused by the complicated language and grammar.
"Harm? No harm. Fun time, yes!" Zax replied, his words still not making any sense.
Without further ado, the aliens fired a missile towards New York City, causing widespread panic and destruction.
As the dust settled, Zax realized that they had made a grave mistake. He had misunderstood the humans' message and had acted rashly without fully understanding the situation.
"Oops, sorry. Boom time not fun. Sorry, human friends," Zax said, trying to apologize.
The humans were shocked but relieved that the aliens had reached out to them.
"We do not understand you. Please speak clearly," the humans replied.
As they flew away from the planet, Zax reflected on their encounter with the humans. He realized that he had been too quick to judge and that he had underestimated the humans' intelligence and complexity. He vowed to return to the planet one day, this time with a better understanding of the language and culture of the humans, so he could communicate better and avoid any misunderstandings in the future
submitted by happydadinau to humansarespaceorcs [link] [comments]
The alien fleet had traveled through the vastness of space for what felt like an eternity. They were in search of new worlds and species to conquer and explore. As they scanned the galaxy, they detected a planet that seemed to be teeming with life. Curiosity drove them closer and closer until they found themselves hovering above a blue-green planet that was bustling with activity.
The aliens eagerly scanned the planet's surface, observing the strange bipedal creatures going about their business. They marveled at the humans' technological advancements, but they were not impressed by their lack of physical strength. The aliens quickly came to the conclusion that this world would be an easy target, ripe for the taking.
"Hello, earthlings. Space new. We happy. You lucky!" Zax said into the communication device, his words barely making sense.
The humans were bewildered by the message. They could barely make sense of it.
"What are they saying?" a scientist asked.
"I don't know. They're speaking gibberish," another replied.
In response, they sent a detailed message back to the aliens, explaining that they welcomed their visitors but warned against any aggressive actions.
"Hi, alien friends. Welcome to Earth. We are happy to meet you. Please do not harm us. We come in peace," the humans' message read.
The aliens received the message and were confused by the complicated language and grammar.
"Harm? No harm. Fun time, yes!" Zax replied, his words still not making any sense.
Without further ado, the aliens fired a missile towards New York City, causing widespread panic and destruction.
As the dust settled, Zax realized that they had made a grave mistake. He had misunderstood the humans' message and had acted rashly without fully understanding the situation.
"Oops, sorry. Boom time not fun. Sorry, human friends," Zax said, trying to apologize.
The humans were shocked but relieved that the aliens had reached out to them.
"We do not understand you. Please speak clearly," the humans replied.
As they flew away from the planet, Zax reflected on their encounter with the humans. He realized that he had been too quick to judge and that he had underestimated the humans' intelligence and complexity. He vowed to return to the planet one day, this time with a better understanding of the language and culture of the humans, so he could communicate better and avoid any misunderstandings in the future
2023.04.02 10:36 princesssrhaenys i'll never forgive the writers for deleting this scene.
 | submitted by princesssrhaenys to HOTDBlacks [link] [comments] |
2023.04.02 10:31 Mallee78 The Empire was doomed to die and the real life proof
Currently Ukraine is being invaded by Russia. The Invasion is going quite poorly for Russia considering their massive advantage on paper. They have a weakness that I believe is their most glaring. All orders come from the top, all of them. Russia is paralyzed because they suffer from poor communication and slow execution of anything due to having to wait for orders from the top. Ukraine does not suffer from this and gives a lot of control of day to day and even done to minute to minute decisions to those closest to the action with the most information.
We see how this relayes right? The Empire suffered much the exact some problems. Every plan had to be approved through every channel up to the highest degree and could even be forced to get the green light from the Emperor himself.
The Rebellion? They operated as a proper rebellion with distinct and isolated groups with little direct link to a command but even when operating together lower level leaders are allowed to make massive changes to strayegy and their advice is highly valued.
Think of the assault on the second Death Star. Lando calls off the fighters attack and convinces Ackbar to move in close and engage the Star Destroyers.
Meanwhile the Empire is clearly falling apart rather quickly with all the unexpected changes and in the novels completely falls apart once the head is gone.
Here we can see this isn't just a space opera making the bad guy lose because the bad guy needed to. We see direct correlation with real world events and tactics and how the Empire could lose to such a relatively small rebellion.
submitted by Mallee78 to StarWars [link] [comments]
We see how this relayes right? The Empire suffered much the exact some problems. Every plan had to be approved through every channel up to the highest degree and could even be forced to get the green light from the Emperor himself.
The Rebellion? They operated as a proper rebellion with distinct and isolated groups with little direct link to a command but even when operating together lower level leaders are allowed to make massive changes to strayegy and their advice is highly valued.
Think of the assault on the second Death Star. Lando calls off the fighters attack and convinces Ackbar to move in close and engage the Star Destroyers.
Meanwhile the Empire is clearly falling apart rather quickly with all the unexpected changes and in the novels completely falls apart once the head is gone.
Here we can see this isn't just a space opera making the bad guy lose because the bad guy needed to. We see direct correlation with real world events and tactics and how the Empire could lose to such a relatively small rebellion.
2023.04.02 10:23 Arkhameus An official communication from the Emperor - March
 | As the sun rises on another glorious morning in Massina, I bring more news to the faithful! As previously decreed, my scribes are hard at work laying the foundation of our great Empire’s ambitious plans into a format that can be shared with all of you. Lesser nations have approached this task by offering a paper of white... a document so bland and mundane in its styling that even an accountant would find it sleep-inducing. submitted by Arkhameus to ChampionsIOscholars [link] [comments] I assure you that my plans will be relayed to you in a far more grandiose and evolutionary fashion, as is commensurate with what you have come to expect. Our Empire has no desire to ever stop expanding, and so these plans will not suppose any predefined final destination. Expect the initial unveiling of this effort by the end of the month. https://preview.redd.it/66pu8lh3lfra1.png?width=3600&format=png&auto=webp&s=82fb96ee6cd86886550efc9f5a7e51695da5675b By now, you have certainly heard rumblings that your efforts to procure artifacts from the Imperial collection have not been in vain. Indeed, the loot you have secured DOES have utility beyond its artistic value. These precious items will be the very building blocks of the Maestro Challenge Towers! For in the coming months, all Maestros will be called upon to build towers of their own design, raising them up long, thick, and firm in an effort to oppose any challengers who dare attempt to topple them. They shall herald forth a new era of competition in Massina. Many of your accumulated assets will play a role in unlocking the plethora of options to make your particular tower more challenging and interesting to fellow Maestros. In time, those of you who excel in this endeavor will find opportunities to entice your rivals to attack you, if they agree to your terms of engagement. By my glory, I have granted you this opportunity to grow your enterprise, and in return, we shall grow together! Make haste and collect this inaugural loot while you still can. https://preview.redd.it/961bnfw0lfra1.png?width=1157&format=png&auto=webp&s=f221bbcfbfc0c24c70a133ac9f9c5eb064286f89 WORKS OF ARTHang these in your Tower to change the visuals of each floor. They also come with custom environment hazards!!!The Temptation of Dardariel: Celestial Dojo – A dagger buff sits in the middle of the map. Invaders that pick it up deal double damage, but lose 100 Health per second. Vitra in the trees: Wild Dojo – Randomly placed Zarkberry bushes heal Defenders for 50 Health and deal 100 DMG to Invaders.Bush is destroyed in the process. Bring your corpse to the MOB: Slums Dojo – A dagger is thrown at Invaders whenever they parry an attack. The dagger deals 200 DMG. Seris enjoying a zarkberry: Mountain Peak Dojo – Lighting bolts strike Invaders randomly dealing 100 Air DMG. (Between 10-30 seconds). Countess Debora in victory: City of the Moon Dojo – A guillotine swings back and forth in the middle of the map, dealing 400 DMG to Invaders. Defenders only take 100 DMG. The Ministry of Bone – Corpses are welcome: Butcher Dojo – The stench causes Invaders to vomit after using dodge. The Library of the Arcane – Where the magic happens: Library Dojo – 10 Books are strewn across the floor, each book gives Defenders 5 Fury of the Titans. Book Respawn after 10 seconds. House of Life – Close your eyes and feel the sun on your face: Temple of Life Dojo – Light comes through the window and casts a 1x1 spotlight that expands as time goes by (1 radius every 5 seconds). Defenders in the spotlight heal for 100 Health every second. House of Death - Don't drink the green stuff: 80% of the floor is death sludge, slowing down Invader movement speed by 20% and dealing 10 Death Damage every second. Necromancer Shop – Feel alive again: Necro Dojo – Defenders will have their health set to 200 instead of dying the first time they are dealt a killing blow. Fight of the century: Boxing Dojo – Defenders have a 20% chance of dealing double damage. Massina in the morning: Nice Street Dojo – Defenders become inspired every time they parry, resetting all their cooldowns. NOBILITY DEEDSThese allow holders to apply a different Tower Color associated with their specific title. Additionally, these titles also provide an additional bonus number of floors + defender slots in addition to the floors that can be earned via normal progression with the feature.
STICKERSUse stickers to add a custom Modifier to each floor of a tower (1 per floor)Cries In Karkadon: Invading Karks cannot use claws. Dance: Air and Arcane Defenders will heal for 10 HP when they use Dodge. Let's Duel: Gives Defenders 10% Bonus damage when they have full HP. Good Vibes: Earth, Life and Water Defenders will gain 5 Fury of the Titans every 30 seconds. Gratitude: Death, Fire and Air Defenders will heal for 50 Health every 30 seconds. Pineapple Pizza: Invaders will lose 5 Fury of the Titans every 30 seconds. HODL: Karkadon, Il’gra, and Keymaster Defenders will reduce damage taken by 5%. Kek: When a Defender dodges an attack, it will deal 5 damage to the Invader. Lazur Eyes: Increases Grondal, Seris and Il’gra Defender Damage by 5%. I know a secret: Sadaari, Aos and Darulk Defenders begin their match with 20 points of Fury of the Titans. Love: If the Invader is of the same family as the defender, they begin the fight with a full bar of Fury of the Titans. OG: Defending Prime Eternals have their damage increased by 5%. Pamp It: Gatekeeper, Vitra, and Keymaster Defenders damage reduced by 5%. Bruised Pineapple: The first time a Defender drops below 5% Health, it will gain a full bar of Fury of the Titans. A Slice of Massina: Increases Defender damage by 5% whenever the Defender is of a different family of the Invader. Real Pizza: Water, Air and Life Invaders gain 10% Bonus damage when fighting against a House they counter. To the moon: Fenrir Defenders start out with 50 bonus HP. Rocket Time: Fire and Arcane Defenders start out with 10 Fury of the Titans. Sleeping Karkadon: Fenrir, Whisperer and Keymaster Invaders have their damage reduced by 5%. Tell me more: Whisperer Defenders reduce damage taken by 5%. Thumbs Down: Increase Defender damage by 5% whenever the Defender defeats a Champion. Caps at 15%. Thumbs Up: The second Defender in every floor gains 5% damage. !vibes: If the Invader is of the same family as the defender, their damage is reduced by 10%. !wagmi: Floors with more than 4 Defenders increase the cooldowns of Invaders by 1 second. SOUNDS OF MASSINARecords play music for the Floor they are assigned to and trigger a Battle Cry Buff when played.
Yes!!! Prime holders will be able to create and sponsor their own tournaments. They will be able to configure an entry fee, a tournament size and structure and specify what rewards participants can win. https://preview.redd.it/w0o2yi1ykfra1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=db1e548b4e76b6bc1149be7dfe77927766e3237e Finally, now that I have most certainly succeeded in wetting your appetites, prepare thyselves for my final generosity...It is well-known that you possess insatiable appetites, and so, I have decided to bestow upon you a creature whose hunger can never fully be quelled. Yes, 1000 Hungering Chests will be magically airdropped to 1000 lucky, lucky Elementals. The Hungering Chest is a most unique pet; one that has both battle utility AND an additional earning perk. https://preview.redd.it/zalro92wkfra1.png?width=703&format=png&auto=webp&s=8dc2bebb7086c3b1b22dc6254749a1758f1f8b3f This little beastie will have the same traits as other pets (Favorite Toy, Favorite Food, Personality, etc). It will also function just like any other pet, following Champions around in the overworld and boosting them in battle via the “DEADLY MIMIC” ability which sees the chest disguise itself as a “helpful” item on the field of battle during certain engagements. Is that really a life-saving health boost over there, or the stinging bite of a Hungering Chest? These pets also have the “Featured Entree” trait, which lets you know what they are really hungering for! If their owner satisfies their hunger with enough of what they desire, they will reward those efforts with a variety of riches! The featured entree trait will be reset on different intervals, offering new requirements and new rewards each time. This skill will be added later this year! Now, marinate on that... I assure you that more details will be on the way soon. Stay vigilant, you filthy degenerates !!!! |
2023.04.02 10:14 Theslowestmarathoner Niece announced *you know*
My niece got married last fall and I told my spouse I bet they’d TTC right away. They got married in between my first and second miscarriage and I had a lot of anxiety that they would announce a p******y right after the wedding. We are close and I asked her before the wedding did they foresee kids like a few years down the line or sooner than that. Just a ballpark “are you interested in kids” query. She said yes she was interested in kids but absolutely way down the line. I felt relieved but honestly didn’t really believe her. The wedding was super rushed and I felt like they were in a rush for everything else too
She informed me privately today (in a nice considerate private text) that she’s 12 weeks with a very planned p******y that they immediately started trying for the night of the wedding.
It’s not my business, and I wasn’t entitled to know anything, but i wish she hadn’t lied and said they were years from trying.
I got her initial text, burst into tears, and had a big meltdown. My spouse is out of town and that made it worse. we also have to see them at Easter, which I’m dreading. We will go, I want to go, but I feel very resentful things are coming easily to her when things feel so uncertain for me. I felt so crushed. If my first loss hadn’t happened, I would be 38 weeks which is also making me feel super triggered.
I know there’s posts about this all the time but theres so many emotions. I’m feeling anxious about the sex of her baby too. Our first two losses were both female and we had named that baby, gotten personalized items etc. I feel like it’s going to be extra hard for me to cope if she also has a girl.
In other news I suspect my duo stim cycle is starting a week early. Maybe I can focus on that more and why the eff my period is so irregular!
submitted by Theslowestmarathoner to IVF [link] [comments]
She informed me privately today (in a nice considerate private text) that she’s 12 weeks with a very planned p******y that they immediately started trying for the night of the wedding.
It’s not my business, and I wasn’t entitled to know anything, but i wish she hadn’t lied and said they were years from trying.
I got her initial text, burst into tears, and had a big meltdown. My spouse is out of town and that made it worse. we also have to see them at Easter, which I’m dreading. We will go, I want to go, but I feel very resentful things are coming easily to her when things feel so uncertain for me. I felt so crushed. If my first loss hadn’t happened, I would be 38 weeks which is also making me feel super triggered.
I know there’s posts about this all the time but theres so many emotions. I’m feeling anxious about the sex of her baby too. Our first two losses were both female and we had named that baby, gotten personalized items etc. I feel like it’s going to be extra hard for me to cope if she also has a girl.
In other news I suspect my duo stim cycle is starting a week early. Maybe I can focus on that more and why the eff my period is so irregular!
2023.04.02 10:14 happytoseeyousmile [Ro] Foggy Eyes (The first book in the "Of Love and Tears" series) Chapter 3
Golden Grime
A warm blaze sparked in the depth of a clouded heart; it provided a feeling that has been long lost. The warmth sizzled, seeking its way through the chaos; it reached out to where it was needed the most. This feeling took Marie by surprise, a forgotten knowledge of some sorts remembered finally by her body, now fully engraved in her mind. [He always always made sure to take care of me. Even after his death, what did I ever do to deserve him?] The smile that captured William’s heart came back to be drawn on Marie’s face. This time however, it blossomed by the warmth she was feeling. Like the rays of the sun, it broke through William’s defences. William couldn’t help but think that Wills should have been the one to witness this not him. He was unworthy, incomplete, he was not Wills, he will never be.
“I am assuming you are dying to already start with a tour through the memories, aren’t you?” “I wonder what gave it away” She noted sarcastically while rolling her eyes with a faint chuckle. Marie was breaking free from what chained her. She was being liberated. For some reason, William couldn’t help but feel his heart sting, he cursed Wills with all of his will. How could he? How could he subject such a pure lovely soul to something like this? William knew that Wills didn’t provide him with the full story but there was nothing that William would know that would justify what he did, especially since he knows how much both of them cared about Marie. It was simply illogical. Yet, it was human nature to be illogical, as much as he despised admitting it, he wasn’t a human. He was a program; he had a task and he had to do it with outmost efficiency. “Shall we start then?” asked William. Marie replied by nodding.
“Now there are two options that Wills have left for you. Well, not an option more of a way to view these memories. The first way is to go with the memories you favour till we finished all of them, or we go with the path he intended us to view these memories. He picked a chronological order to these events.” William extended his hands acting as a balance, raising a hand or the other while talking. Just like Wills, William loved to use a lot of gestures. Marie didn’t take long to decide, she had already made up her mind. “I will follow the route that Wills picked up, so will we start from the party?” “No.” “You said he was following the chronological order though?” “Well, here is the thing. That was the first time YOU saw Wills. Wills had seen you way before that. This is one of the things that Wills isn’t proud of. His first memory is something- you know what? It will be best for you to see it yourself.” Marie wasn’t so sure how to feel about this. It makes sense that Wills might have caught a glance of her beforehand, considering how both of them attended the same University. But he never told her anything about that. Not a word.
“Alright….” Marie said with a lack of confidence, a sense of uncertainty. “How do we do this then? Do you like bring forth another ‘dimension’ or something? Or..?” “It isn’t that fancy sadly. You just enter me.” “Excuse me?” William coughed a bit, clearing his throat. “Let me rephrase that. Once you hold my hands, I will allow you to access the memories stored within me. As a form of gallery, you will find all of the other memories locked till you finish the first one.” “How many memories exactly are there though?” “Including the one you are about to enter, there are 11 memories.” “An odd number? That’s weird, Wills disliked them.” “Originally, or at least as far as my database knowledge extends, they were indeed only 10. Before he finished creating me though, he included this memory. The one he’s not so proud about. Maybe out of guilt, maybe out of sympathy or coming clean. I don’t know what he was thinking honestly.” “Out of guilt? What could Wills have possibly done to make him feel like so?”
William bit his lips; he couldn’t let the words break through. One of the rules he was bound by is to never inform Marie of a memory she didn’t see. “You’ll have to figure that out by yourself.” Marie’s worries gradually grew every second. Being able to hold herself no more, without a prior warning, William found his hands being held by Marie. Automatically, she was transported in some form of theatre. She sat in a two-handed sofa which took her body’s shape as much as turned. Next to her laid a normal t.v. remote with her field of vision being covered with a large dark screen. Despite the screen looking like a t.v. the screen was covered with typical red theatre curtains. [That’s so Wills like, he loved merging between the new joys of modern society and the ancient aspects of our world. He had been crazy for too long about old stuff. That was a bit charming in its own way you have to admit.] Marie thought to herself while pleasantly smiling. She had been doing that a lot lately, it seemed that she never managed to bottle down the good memories that Wills gave her when they were together. This made her even more worried, what possibly could have Wills done to make him regret something? Could he have cheated on her? She pushed that thought down as deep as she could, he wasn’t that type of man to begin with, besides that thought made her body tear up from the inside. Just like a spike being slowly drilled into the eyes of a tortured war prisoner, it was tormenting. [Now Wills, let’s see what you were so ashamed off.] She held the remote beside her and pressed the power on key. A couple of videos appeared on the television, as the curtains slid to the sides. The videos were captioned with Greek letters starting from Alpha till Kappa. Weirdly enough, the first memory and the 11th while it should have been named Lambda -following the theme of these letters- it was instead named Omega. Exactly as William have mentioned before, all of the memories had a visible lock and chains icon on them except Omega. She navigated to the memory then pressed the play button.
That was the last time Marie was in her body, the next time she opened her eyes, she saw herself striding with confidence through a campus. A campus she was accustomed with quite well, judging by the appearance of her surrounding, it must have been their university. It was freshmen year no doubt since the garden stretched in the horizon contained the flowers she adored -they were later replaced with white lilies in second year-. She tried to move this new point of view but with no use. She was stuck in place, mesmerised with the view in front of her. Her eyes followed her body through the campus till she disappeared behind a building. She felt a fidgeting in her hands, but the body refused to look at it. It was stuck in place; it didn’t yield to any of her demands. She was a spectator, a powerless one, and nothing more. {She is…. she is…I can’t describe her in words. I am speechless. -I think I am in love.} Recited the voice in her ears. It was loud, way louder than it should ever be. Just like her own thoughts, this sound rang right up in her mind. Thoughts, these were the thoughts of the person Marie was impersonating. Instantly, Marie recognised the voice as that of Wills. She was spectating Wills, rather she was Wills. She saw, felt, thought and experienced this memory through Wills’s body. She wasn’t sure what to make out of this new information. Although she understood why Wills came to this idea -to allow her to experience the memories first hand-, was it necessary? Should she quit? How can she even quit? Is she trapped here- “I don’t a stand chance with her, do I? Uh, don’t even think about going up to her.” {You know that you never get a chance with them. Don’t you remember what happened the last 20 times before her? You were always rejected and will always be. You know this is some kind of drug to you. You NEED to be emotionally dependent to function. You need someone to obsess over just so you can have things going. We ARE NOT going through that same shit all over again. We changed, didn’t we?} There was no reply. Wills didn’t think nor speak. He just stood there. Unsure of what to do next, he no longer wanted to be who he used to be. He is no longer going to be HIM. Marie stood frozen. Now, THAT she didn’t expect. What exactly is happening here? Why did Wills have his mouth sealed about any of this? Obsession? 20 people before her? Wills couldn’t function without having someone he is emotionally connected with? This was worrying. How much did she not know about Wills? A sudden jerk of emotions was pushed on Marie, everyone kept secrets sure, but was the man she loved, not really who he seemed to be? He once told her he had a lot of crushes before her; however, he never mentioned them being 20. Marie wished she had asked William about how to exit a memory. Why did Wills want to share something like that with her? Why now? Why after his death? No, there was no reason for her to delve so deep into this. He likes her, he might not have been the most confident man. There is nothing wrong with that. We all grow. So, what if he had that many people he was attracted to before her? He still chose her, and she was the first one to accept him.
[It might have started out as a harmful demeaner, but he changed. I changed him. I’m sure.] She kept echoing these words in her mind. Trying to turn off the warnings that were setting off in her brain. She trusted Wills, who he was before she met him didn’t matter. He changed, as any human did. We all change.
Thanks to how deep in thought she was, Marie missed out that the scenery before her eyes had completely changed. Now, Wills was scrolling through his phone. However, he wasn’t doing it leisurely, quite the opposite. As a predator sweeping down to capture its prey beneath its unforgiving sharp claws. Oh, what a predator he was, it didn’t take him more than a few minutes to have already located her Facebook page. It wasn’t that difficult really, all he had to do was see which account had her name while being in the common friends’ accounts. What made it even easier for him was how her account and her close friends’ accounts weren’t private. Disappointment doomed Wills when he found out that Marie was more conservative than he originally thought. Her page didn’t include anything about Marie nor her life, it was rather more of a meme hub as kids like calling it these days. From her friends and who she follows he was able to write down some notes about what she seemed to be interested in and who he might look out for. Most, if not all, of her friends were females. {That’s wonderful. We got quite a catch on our hands this time. Right? That’s what you want to tell yourself, isn’t it? Didn’t we just promise ourselves that we won’t be returning to who we were? Wills, we are not a lost cause yet. Please stop what you are doing.} It wasn’t a shocker when Wills didn’t listen. He kept indulging in this sort of addiction. Next, he managed to obtain the records of her family members. Her father, her sister Allison but he couldn’t find her mother, rather he wasn’t sure what to look for. Her sister on the other hand was easier to track. All it took Wills was mere seconds and he already had the whole life of Allison figured out. He knew which University she went to, what she graduated from, when did she graduate, what she is currently doing, where are Marie and Allison originated from, what kind of family friends they had and her hobbies -these will later come in handy when he tries to befriend her-. It took him an hour at most, and Wills managed to gather all the data he might ever need about Marie. There were somethings he still didn’t know, thanks to the air of mystery she had around herself, but he will figure them out soon. All he had to do was wait, soon everything will fall in its place.
How far can someone fall in the eyes of their lover? Marie Harris was now eye-to-eye with this problematic question. The thought of her changing Wills still lingered in her head, ringing stronger, as the image of the man she once loved cracked into pits; now replaced with a far more daunting image. An image of a stalker, an image of someone who manipulated her throughout their relationship. Suddenly every encounter they have ever had felt forced. The common things they once did together as a symbol of love turned out to be nothing more than a fabricated lie that was made to make her intoxicated with him more than she was. Every inch of Marie leaped into denying what she was seeing but how could she? She saw the truth from the eyes of her manipulator, from the very eyes of the man who lied to her face on numerous occasions without batting an eye. Marie saw red. Everything from beginning to end was a façade; one created to fool her and fool her it did. She protested on the continuation of this memory, she tried to snap out of the trace she was placed in; however, just like a broken record, she couldn’t go out till the end. She had to witness all the atrocities that were done by the man she once adored.
The next few parts were quicker paced. Sudden snapshots of how Wills trailed her throughout her day. How he figured out where she likes to drink her coffee, where she liked to eat, where she resided and everything that he could possibly collect about her. He followed her day and night, occasionally studying in between when he was sure that she was doing nothing -he was somewhat chained by the public appearances he still upheld-. He was a phantom of some sorts, ever only sleeping scarcely when he was sure Marie was “safe”. Naps spread throughout the day, timed perfectly with her schedule. During the night, he watched her sleep from a tree that he regularly climbed during their relationship. It was in this same tree that he sneaked into her room countless nights when they were together. This tree held a place in Marie’s heart and with this new revelation, it was eternally stained. How can a person that was once so beautiful become so deceitful? Marie closed her eyes, no longer wanting to see what was happening in front of her. She should have known, she should have already figured it out; no matter what she did, it was ineffective. As some form of torture, she had been forced to oversee all the actions Wills did. Every moment just fuelled her newfound ever-growing hate towards Wills.
Her mind plead to her, reminding her that Wills still changed after all but then she snapped. What if he changed? Would that ever change what he did behind her back? Would it ever recover the joys of the moments that were now spoiled? Would it help in mending the plagued heart she now possessed? No, it wasn’t enough, and it will never be. Wills was a disgusting human, even if he changed, it doesn’t somehow just erase the mistakes of his past. He had to be held accountable, and this was his way of doing it. As some sort of grand reveal that showcases his flaws.
“I HATE YOU WILLS CARTER. I FUCKING HATE YOU!” Yelled Marie on top of her lungs. She screamed and repeated those words as much as she could. In that moment, it was finally done. She blacked out to find herself back where she was seated with the curtains closing on the large t.v. Once she regained control of her body, she let anger overtake her. Letting her rage blind, her, she let out all this pent-up feelings on the chair she was sitting on. Fully assaulted, the chair bent in, taking her abuse till the storm brewing inside her calmed down.
They warned her, they always did. He wasn’t on her level, they said. He wasn’t worthy of her, they whispered. She was out of his league, they announced. How could a freak like him get her? Some refuted. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was disgust. A man never needed a reason to hate his brethren, did he? The lack of reason was what made things shambles for those involved. And oh, did she lack reason, how could she? How could she ever trust him? Didn’t she know? Didn’t she understand? He was a lie. He was a façade. A mask. He was never the man that was supposed to be on her level. Heck, even he didn’t understand how he “scored” her, as they often said. He wasn’t enough -he will NEVER be. No, he CAN’T be-. May the lord have mercy on the archivist.
submitted by happytoseeyousmile to shortstories [link] [comments]
A warm blaze sparked in the depth of a clouded heart; it provided a feeling that has been long lost. The warmth sizzled, seeking its way through the chaos; it reached out to where it was needed the most. This feeling took Marie by surprise, a forgotten knowledge of some sorts remembered finally by her body, now fully engraved in her mind. [He always always made sure to take care of me. Even after his death, what did I ever do to deserve him?] The smile that captured William’s heart came back to be drawn on Marie’s face. This time however, it blossomed by the warmth she was feeling. Like the rays of the sun, it broke through William’s defences. William couldn’t help but think that Wills should have been the one to witness this not him. He was unworthy, incomplete, he was not Wills, he will never be.
“I am assuming you are dying to already start with a tour through the memories, aren’t you?” “I wonder what gave it away” She noted sarcastically while rolling her eyes with a faint chuckle. Marie was breaking free from what chained her. She was being liberated. For some reason, William couldn’t help but feel his heart sting, he cursed Wills with all of his will. How could he? How could he subject such a pure lovely soul to something like this? William knew that Wills didn’t provide him with the full story but there was nothing that William would know that would justify what he did, especially since he knows how much both of them cared about Marie. It was simply illogical. Yet, it was human nature to be illogical, as much as he despised admitting it, he wasn’t a human. He was a program; he had a task and he had to do it with outmost efficiency. “Shall we start then?” asked William. Marie replied by nodding.
“Now there are two options that Wills have left for you. Well, not an option more of a way to view these memories. The first way is to go with the memories you favour till we finished all of them, or we go with the path he intended us to view these memories. He picked a chronological order to these events.” William extended his hands acting as a balance, raising a hand or the other while talking. Just like Wills, William loved to use a lot of gestures. Marie didn’t take long to decide, she had already made up her mind. “I will follow the route that Wills picked up, so will we start from the party?” “No.” “You said he was following the chronological order though?” “Well, here is the thing. That was the first time YOU saw Wills. Wills had seen you way before that. This is one of the things that Wills isn’t proud of. His first memory is something- you know what? It will be best for you to see it yourself.” Marie wasn’t so sure how to feel about this. It makes sense that Wills might have caught a glance of her beforehand, considering how both of them attended the same University. But he never told her anything about that. Not a word.
“Alright….” Marie said with a lack of confidence, a sense of uncertainty. “How do we do this then? Do you like bring forth another ‘dimension’ or something? Or..?” “It isn’t that fancy sadly. You just enter me.” “Excuse me?” William coughed a bit, clearing his throat. “Let me rephrase that. Once you hold my hands, I will allow you to access the memories stored within me. As a form of gallery, you will find all of the other memories locked till you finish the first one.” “How many memories exactly are there though?” “Including the one you are about to enter, there are 11 memories.” “An odd number? That’s weird, Wills disliked them.” “Originally, or at least as far as my database knowledge extends, they were indeed only 10. Before he finished creating me though, he included this memory. The one he’s not so proud about. Maybe out of guilt, maybe out of sympathy or coming clean. I don’t know what he was thinking honestly.” “Out of guilt? What could Wills have possibly done to make him feel like so?”
William bit his lips; he couldn’t let the words break through. One of the rules he was bound by is to never inform Marie of a memory she didn’t see. “You’ll have to figure that out by yourself.” Marie’s worries gradually grew every second. Being able to hold herself no more, without a prior warning, William found his hands being held by Marie. Automatically, she was transported in some form of theatre. She sat in a two-handed sofa which took her body’s shape as much as turned. Next to her laid a normal t.v. remote with her field of vision being covered with a large dark screen. Despite the screen looking like a t.v. the screen was covered with typical red theatre curtains. [That’s so Wills like, he loved merging between the new joys of modern society and the ancient aspects of our world. He had been crazy for too long about old stuff. That was a bit charming in its own way you have to admit.] Marie thought to herself while pleasantly smiling. She had been doing that a lot lately, it seemed that she never managed to bottle down the good memories that Wills gave her when they were together. This made her even more worried, what possibly could have Wills done to make him regret something? Could he have cheated on her? She pushed that thought down as deep as she could, he wasn’t that type of man to begin with, besides that thought made her body tear up from the inside. Just like a spike being slowly drilled into the eyes of a tortured war prisoner, it was tormenting. [Now Wills, let’s see what you were so ashamed off.] She held the remote beside her and pressed the power on key. A couple of videos appeared on the television, as the curtains slid to the sides. The videos were captioned with Greek letters starting from Alpha till Kappa. Weirdly enough, the first memory and the 11th while it should have been named Lambda -following the theme of these letters- it was instead named Omega. Exactly as William have mentioned before, all of the memories had a visible lock and chains icon on them except Omega. She navigated to the memory then pressed the play button.
That was the last time Marie was in her body, the next time she opened her eyes, she saw herself striding with confidence through a campus. A campus she was accustomed with quite well, judging by the appearance of her surrounding, it must have been their university. It was freshmen year no doubt since the garden stretched in the horizon contained the flowers she adored -they were later replaced with white lilies in second year-. She tried to move this new point of view but with no use. She was stuck in place, mesmerised with the view in front of her. Her eyes followed her body through the campus till she disappeared behind a building. She felt a fidgeting in her hands, but the body refused to look at it. It was stuck in place; it didn’t yield to any of her demands. She was a spectator, a powerless one, and nothing more. {She is…. she is…I can’t describe her in words. I am speechless. -I think I am in love.} Recited the voice in her ears. It was loud, way louder than it should ever be. Just like her own thoughts, this sound rang right up in her mind. Thoughts, these were the thoughts of the person Marie was impersonating. Instantly, Marie recognised the voice as that of Wills. She was spectating Wills, rather she was Wills. She saw, felt, thought and experienced this memory through Wills’s body. She wasn’t sure what to make out of this new information. Although she understood why Wills came to this idea -to allow her to experience the memories first hand-, was it necessary? Should she quit? How can she even quit? Is she trapped here- “I don’t a stand chance with her, do I? Uh, don’t even think about going up to her.” {You know that you never get a chance with them. Don’t you remember what happened the last 20 times before her? You were always rejected and will always be. You know this is some kind of drug to you. You NEED to be emotionally dependent to function. You need someone to obsess over just so you can have things going. We ARE NOT going through that same shit all over again. We changed, didn’t we?} There was no reply. Wills didn’t think nor speak. He just stood there. Unsure of what to do next, he no longer wanted to be who he used to be. He is no longer going to be HIM. Marie stood frozen. Now, THAT she didn’t expect. What exactly is happening here? Why did Wills have his mouth sealed about any of this? Obsession? 20 people before her? Wills couldn’t function without having someone he is emotionally connected with? This was worrying. How much did she not know about Wills? A sudden jerk of emotions was pushed on Marie, everyone kept secrets sure, but was the man she loved, not really who he seemed to be? He once told her he had a lot of crushes before her; however, he never mentioned them being 20. Marie wished she had asked William about how to exit a memory. Why did Wills want to share something like that with her? Why now? Why after his death? No, there was no reason for her to delve so deep into this. He likes her, he might not have been the most confident man. There is nothing wrong with that. We all grow. So, what if he had that many people he was attracted to before her? He still chose her, and she was the first one to accept him.
[It might have started out as a harmful demeaner, but he changed. I changed him. I’m sure.] She kept echoing these words in her mind. Trying to turn off the warnings that were setting off in her brain. She trusted Wills, who he was before she met him didn’t matter. He changed, as any human did. We all change.
Thanks to how deep in thought she was, Marie missed out that the scenery before her eyes had completely changed. Now, Wills was scrolling through his phone. However, he wasn’t doing it leisurely, quite the opposite. As a predator sweeping down to capture its prey beneath its unforgiving sharp claws. Oh, what a predator he was, it didn’t take him more than a few minutes to have already located her Facebook page. It wasn’t that difficult really, all he had to do was see which account had her name while being in the common friends’ accounts. What made it even easier for him was how her account and her close friends’ accounts weren’t private. Disappointment doomed Wills when he found out that Marie was more conservative than he originally thought. Her page didn’t include anything about Marie nor her life, it was rather more of a meme hub as kids like calling it these days. From her friends and who she follows he was able to write down some notes about what she seemed to be interested in and who he might look out for. Most, if not all, of her friends were females. {That’s wonderful. We got quite a catch on our hands this time. Right? That’s what you want to tell yourself, isn’t it? Didn’t we just promise ourselves that we won’t be returning to who we were? Wills, we are not a lost cause yet. Please stop what you are doing.} It wasn’t a shocker when Wills didn’t listen. He kept indulging in this sort of addiction. Next, he managed to obtain the records of her family members. Her father, her sister Allison but he couldn’t find her mother, rather he wasn’t sure what to look for. Her sister on the other hand was easier to track. All it took Wills was mere seconds and he already had the whole life of Allison figured out. He knew which University she went to, what she graduated from, when did she graduate, what she is currently doing, where are Marie and Allison originated from, what kind of family friends they had and her hobbies -these will later come in handy when he tries to befriend her-. It took him an hour at most, and Wills managed to gather all the data he might ever need about Marie. There were somethings he still didn’t know, thanks to the air of mystery she had around herself, but he will figure them out soon. All he had to do was wait, soon everything will fall in its place.
How far can someone fall in the eyes of their lover? Marie Harris was now eye-to-eye with this problematic question. The thought of her changing Wills still lingered in her head, ringing stronger, as the image of the man she once loved cracked into pits; now replaced with a far more daunting image. An image of a stalker, an image of someone who manipulated her throughout their relationship. Suddenly every encounter they have ever had felt forced. The common things they once did together as a symbol of love turned out to be nothing more than a fabricated lie that was made to make her intoxicated with him more than she was. Every inch of Marie leaped into denying what she was seeing but how could she? She saw the truth from the eyes of her manipulator, from the very eyes of the man who lied to her face on numerous occasions without batting an eye. Marie saw red. Everything from beginning to end was a façade; one created to fool her and fool her it did. She protested on the continuation of this memory, she tried to snap out of the trace she was placed in; however, just like a broken record, she couldn’t go out till the end. She had to witness all the atrocities that were done by the man she once adored.
The next few parts were quicker paced. Sudden snapshots of how Wills trailed her throughout her day. How he figured out where she likes to drink her coffee, where she liked to eat, where she resided and everything that he could possibly collect about her. He followed her day and night, occasionally studying in between when he was sure that she was doing nothing -he was somewhat chained by the public appearances he still upheld-. He was a phantom of some sorts, ever only sleeping scarcely when he was sure Marie was “safe”. Naps spread throughout the day, timed perfectly with her schedule. During the night, he watched her sleep from a tree that he regularly climbed during their relationship. It was in this same tree that he sneaked into her room countless nights when they were together. This tree held a place in Marie’s heart and with this new revelation, it was eternally stained. How can a person that was once so beautiful become so deceitful? Marie closed her eyes, no longer wanting to see what was happening in front of her. She should have known, she should have already figured it out; no matter what she did, it was ineffective. As some form of torture, she had been forced to oversee all the actions Wills did. Every moment just fuelled her newfound ever-growing hate towards Wills.
Her mind plead to her, reminding her that Wills still changed after all but then she snapped. What if he changed? Would that ever change what he did behind her back? Would it ever recover the joys of the moments that were now spoiled? Would it help in mending the plagued heart she now possessed? No, it wasn’t enough, and it will never be. Wills was a disgusting human, even if he changed, it doesn’t somehow just erase the mistakes of his past. He had to be held accountable, and this was his way of doing it. As some sort of grand reveal that showcases his flaws.
“I HATE YOU WILLS CARTER. I FUCKING HATE YOU!” Yelled Marie on top of her lungs. She screamed and repeated those words as much as she could. In that moment, it was finally done. She blacked out to find herself back where she was seated with the curtains closing on the large t.v. Once she regained control of her body, she let anger overtake her. Letting her rage blind, her, she let out all this pent-up feelings on the chair she was sitting on. Fully assaulted, the chair bent in, taking her abuse till the storm brewing inside her calmed down.
They warned her, they always did. He wasn’t on her level, they said. He wasn’t worthy of her, they whispered. She was out of his league, they announced. How could a freak like him get her? Some refuted. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was disgust. A man never needed a reason to hate his brethren, did he? The lack of reason was what made things shambles for those involved. And oh, did she lack reason, how could she? How could she ever trust him? Didn’t she know? Didn’t she understand? He was a lie. He was a façade. A mask. He was never the man that was supposed to be on her level. Heck, even he didn’t understand how he “scored” her, as they often said. He wasn’t enough -he will NEVER be. No, he CAN’T be-. May the lord have mercy on the archivist.
2023.04.02 10:13 Sephronar #GEXIX [Cornwall and Devon] There’s something fishy going on, as Sephronar closes his campaign on the North Pier of Newlyn Harbour
![#GEXIX [Cornwall and Devon] There’s something fishy going on, as Sephronar closes his campaign on the North Pier of Newlyn Harbour](https://b.thumbs.redditmedia.com/f7-TTZddK9pOd_e8e0LVuxthLI7668NLwjbRkFytAhs.jpg "#GEXIX [Cornwall and Devon] There’s something fishy going on, as Sephronar closes his campaign on the North Pier of Newlyn Harbour") | https://preview.redd.it/5wwcs3f29fra1.png?width=3000&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9feb04946c9004d3e5be4f39c0230778440ed11 submitted by Sephronar to MHoCCampaigning [link] [comments] After an admittedly overly energetic campaign event at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, Sephronar awoke somehow back down in the Duchy of Cornwall - far south of the Duchy on the south west coast path down on Newlyn green, next to famous and creatively named art gallery, "Newlyn Art Gallery", where thousands of residents were crowded around him curious if he was dead or not. It seems that the people of Devon thought, after being knocked out by Exeter Chiefs rugby team player Gabby Cantorna, that the Conservative and Unionist Party candidate for Cornwall and Devon would appreciate being returned to the close vicinity of their next campaign event. How convenient for the plot - but to be fair, the candidate did swim all the way up from Truro to Exeter so he was probably tired and a quick transition from Exeter to Newlyn would have been appreciated. Coming-to, there were seagulls circling around the candidate like vultures, and there were many thousands of local residents - perhaps almost the whole population of West Cornwall - who were doing the same thing down on the ground, probably wondering what was going to happen next. Their guess was as good as anyone's! The candidate got up, and began by shaking hands and introducing himself individually to each and every member of the crowd - passing them on a signed copy of the Conservative and Unionist Party manifesto 'The Plan for Tomorrow' - that was bound to get him a few votes. After getting to the last person, the candidate's campaign manager Danny DeVito hobbled out of the crowd and ushered him away, walking along New Road towards the upcoming campaign event. Sephronar was booked to speak to the fishermen at Newlyn Harbour about what the Conservative Party plans to do for them if they are elected into Government at this election, and they were already running late. With news helicopters circling overhead, and what felt like all the press photographers in the South West trailing behind him, Sephronar continued to pass on through the crowd of constituents, handing out 'Sephronar 4 Cornwall and Devon' stickers to them all as well - more votes guaranteed! As they passed Lewis Fish and Chips on the corner of Chywoone Hill, they took a left down the Stand - passing the Fishermen's Mission where they finally saw a number of impatient looking fishermen begrudgingly applauding as the candidate passed by; he probably shouldn't keep them waiting any longer. They made another left into the Newlyn Pier and Harbour Commissioners' building, where a meet and greet had been arranged with the commissioners and harbour master. Arriving into the building, Sephronar introduced himself to the board, and thanked them for their patience and their time. "Thank you all so much for having me here today, I am really excited to be here to talk to you about what I can offer to this area - it's pretty clear that there is any election on isn't it, I've just spoken with thousands of people about our manifesto 'The Plan for Tomorrow', and it's clear that there is a real appetite for change, I honestly believe that a tide is turning in British politics - after months of sheltering from the storm, the boats are finally ready to go back out again and brave the seas. But of course I'm not the only candidate out selling myself to this constituency, you've undoubtedly been hassled already by the ruffians in Solidarity for example - but I am here today to tell you more about what sets me apart from those plebs. Let's have a proper look around first though!" The fishy party exited the commissioners building and into the fish market - England's largest fish market and where over 50 species are regularly landed from handline, trawl, net, ring net and pot vessels - 100 fishermen and 600 vessels land in Newlyn every day, it is a hub of activity and the local economy is thriving, with millions of pounds coming from the market every year. After this, the group made their way out onto the North Pier of the harbour - there are plans within the harbour board to expand the operation here, and create brand new infrastructure through a breakwater and new availability for deep water trawlers, as well as new processing buildings which would exponentially expand the capacity here and amount of trade done each year; is it that kind of project which is what politics is all about, and the Conservative Party candidate for Cornwall and Devon knew it. Walking along the pier, the crowds from the green had begun to amass in the harbour car park, and grew restless to hear Sephronar speak - their wish was his command - he climbed on top of the roof of the famous fish market, eager to address the followers: "Good morning Newlyn! Wasson! It is a pleasure to be here today, and how amazing it is to see so many fishy faces amongst the crowd such as John Dory, and Finn Current - it's great to have you here, thank you for your time and your very visual and astounding support. I know that this comes from a place of desperately wanting to see change, and I am not going to let you down on that; I have heard you, and I am ready to take action for you. I want to give this constituency the best possible prospects - but they are sadly not getting that from this current communist government, and the lacklustre Member of Parliament who you elected at the last election, who quickly abandoned you to sit in the House of Lords! No other candidate in this election has a connection to this constituency, they have all been parachuted in by their parties, what an utter farce - none of them have taken action this term to support you and your needs, but I have as I am sure that you know and I want to talk a bit more about that firstly." "This term I presented The Cornwall Bill to the House, in the hope that the House of Commons would accept Cornwall's rightful claim to more self-determination - sadly that first attempt did not pass, and it was rejected by a mere three votes, sadly a victim of circumstance and personalities; but I am determined to keep trying, and I am confident that this coming term Cornwall will be given the tools to govern itself because I have made a central promise in our manifesto to do exactly that. The Conservative and Unionist Party recognise that local people know best how to govern themselves, and that is why we are promising to introduce - if we are elected into Government - tools to give local communities the right to self-governance that they have been crying out for; and that includes Cornwall. A Conservative and Unionist Party led by me will introduce legislation to finally create the Cornish Assembly!" [Crowd cheers] "But I'm conscious that is not why we are all here today at Newlyn Harbour - we are here to talk about fish! More specifically, we are here to talk about trade, and what we can do to increase trade in our country. We have a plan for this in our manifesto 'The Plan for Tomorrow', and as our spokesperson rightly said in the introduction to the section on trade, "there is one thing which is going to guarantee our security and prosperity as a people and as a nation - and that is economic security, economic prosperity, delivered through stronger partnerships with nations around the world; strong trading arrangements" - I could not agree with Peter_Mannion- more on this, and we are fortunate to have them on our team, he has been central to our strategy on increasing trade around the world." "Firstly, and it is partly why I am here today in Newlyn, our party has a bold plan to boost our trade outputs - and we will do that by implementing a brand new 'Green Shipping and Marine Opportunities' strategy, which will establish a large number of new Freeports around the country which will service development and investment; these freeport opportunities will bring millions to local communities in terms of infrastructure investments and development, and I am very pleased to announce that we have plans to create a Freeport right here in Newlyn! Newlyn has been exploring opportunities for expanding their capacity for some time - and recently there has been a real push for it, so we want to take advantage of that and make their plans a reality through our Freeport strategy - it will make a huge difference to what you all do here, so if that is what you want to see for our community then there is only one party that you should vote for; and that is for me in the Cornwall and Devon constituency as the Conservative and Unionist Party candidate! Together we can make a real difference with 'The Plan for Tomorrow'!" "We are also taking other bold steps to boost our International Trade, and one which I am very pleased of is our plan to merge the two departments of International Development and International Trade - meaning that Trade becomes a central tenant to our strategy to develop nations around the globe. By doing this, we will create a new central hub to focus on investment and trade deals whilst simultaneously boosting other nations around the world and their prosperity. We will finally get people talking to one another - whether that is by our own civil servants in these respective departments as part of one team, or other nations talking with us. Let me be clear - everyone is a possibility, nothing is off of the table. We will bring billions of new investment into our nation, and invest around the world as well for the good of the whole planet." "We will however take steps to ensure that those nations who are unkind and unjust towards their people do not see these benefits, and take a bold moral stand against the countries which violate peoples' sacred human rights - countries such as North Korea will not be welcome in Britain's International Trade strategy, unless they urgently change their ways." "Finally, I want to be clear that I have no confidence in the way in which our current Government have conducted themselves this term - and indeed how Governments for the last couple of years have behaved - so we will take action to immediately open talks and renegotiate all of our Trade deals with nations around the world. Britain can do much better, and we in the Conservative Party believe that we have been getting a bad deal - we will change this, and we will multilaterally reach better trading terms with our partners and potential partners, we believe that Britain can do much better than this, and the Conservatives will make that happen." "Overall, I think that it is pretty clear who is watching out for Britain's best interests at the end of the day - it certainly is not the communist cabal who have just run rampant with Britain's finances for six months and done nothing for our nation - it is us in the Conservatives who have a plan to finally turn things around in your interests. We have five priorities for Britain; Whether that be building a strong economy, reintroducing law and order onto our streets, reinforcing stronger public services, investing in our education system, or building a new approach to our Union - the Conservative and Unionist Party, and our manifesto 'The Plan for Tomorrow' have a strong strategy and are ready for Government, and we want to dedicate ourselves towards serving you, and supporting communities such as this one to thrive. With us in Government, and me as your Member of Parliament in Westminster, you can be assured that your interests will be safe and we will stand up for you." "Thank you all so much for your time, it is a pleasure to be standing here in this constituency - the constituency that I am proud to call my home - I hope that you will see that I am the right person to represent you after my track record of service to the constituency. You need a strong local representative, and that person is clearly and overwhelmingly me. I will stand guard over your interests, and protect you from the communists who want to tear this Country apart. Thank you so much! Don't forget to vote!" With that all said, the Conservative and Unionist Party candidate backflipped off of the roof straight into Newlyn Harbour, where he disappeared - never to be seen again... (Until polling day when he was seen desperately carrying pensioners to the polling station.) |
2023.04.02 10:11 mrmongster111 Selling my house - private buyer
I am selling my house. Before I went live with an estate agent I had interest from a possible private buyer. I have messages from her indicating that she was interested and would like to come for a viewing. We had arranged a viewing for a week ago but she cancelled due to illness. A couple of days later my house went live with the estate agent, she then messaged me again saying she was still interested and viewed the house on Friday. Yesterday she put in an offer £5k below the asking price saying that I could save money on the estate agents comission by taking the house off the market and having a private sale.
Am I able to do this? Or would the estate agent still want fees?
submitted by mrmongster111 to HousingUK [link] [comments]
Am I able to do this? Or would the estate agent still want fees?
2023.04.02 10:08 AdventurousBox4100 How to catch a cheating husband on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a cross-platform messaging app that allows users to communicate with each other without having to pay for SMS. It’s become increasingly popular over the years, and as of February 2016, it had over 1 billion active users.
While WhatsApp can be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, it can also be used to cheat on your spouse. If you think your husband is cheating on you, there are a few ways you can use WhatsApp to catch him in the act.
How to catch a cheating husband on WhatsApp
There are a few telltale signs that your husband may be cheating on you through WhatsApp. If he's suddenly spending more time on the app, or if he's being secretive about his activity on it, these could be red flags.
One way to catch a cheating husband on WhatsApp is to pay attention to the times when he's using the app. If he's only logging on during odd hours of the night, or if he's suddenly spending a lot more time chatting on WhatsApp than he used to, this could be a sign that he's up to something.
Another thing to look out for is whether your husband is being secretive about his WhatsApp activity. If he refuses to let you see his chat history or if he logs out of the app as soon as you come into the room, these could be signs that he's hiding something.
If you suspect that your husband is cheating on you through WhatsApp, there are a few things you can do to catch him in the act. First, try logging into his account from your own phone. This will give you access to his chat history and any other information he may be hiding.
Another option is to install a tracking app on his phone. This will and can be done by an highly professional who specializes on phone hacking like hackactivities app
What to do if you catch your husband cheating on WhatsApp
If you catch your husband cheating on WhatsApp, there are a few things you can do. First, you can confront him about it. This is probably the most direct approach and will likely get the quickest results. You can also try to talk to his friends or family members about what's going on. They may be able to provide some insight into his behavior. Finally, you can consider hiring a [private investigator](mailto:[email protected]). This is a more expensive option, but it may be worth it if you really want to find out what's going on.
Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
How to prevent your husband from cheating on WhatsApp
If you're worried that your husband is cheating on you, there are a few things you can do to prevent him from using WhatsApp to communicate with his mistress.
First, make sure that you have his password and that you're regularly checking his WhatsApp messages. If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to confront him about it.
Secondly, consider installing a WhatsApp spy app on his phone. This way, you'll be able to see all of his messages, even the ones he's deleted for this you need a highly professional hacker to help you out, so i recommend [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Finally, have a talk with him about your concerns. Let him know that you're not going to tolerate any infidelity and that if he cheated on you, it would be the end of your relationship.
By taking these measures, you'll be able to prevent your husband from cheating on you through WhatsApp.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that WhatsApp is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but it can also be a cheating husband's best friend. If you suspect your husband is cheating on you, there are a few ways you can catch him red-handed. By [monitoring his WhatsApp activity](mailto:[email protected]), you can get a clear picture of who he's talking to and when, which can be invaluable evidence in catching a cheating husband.
submitted by AdventurousBox4100 to u/AdventurousBox4100 [link] [comments]
While WhatsApp can be a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, it can also be used to cheat on your spouse. If you think your husband is cheating on you, there are a few ways you can use WhatsApp to catch him in the act.
How to catch a cheating husband on WhatsApp
There are a few telltale signs that your husband may be cheating on you through WhatsApp. If he's suddenly spending more time on the app, or if he's being secretive about his activity on it, these could be red flags.
One way to catch a cheating husband on WhatsApp is to pay attention to the times when he's using the app. If he's only logging on during odd hours of the night, or if he's suddenly spending a lot more time chatting on WhatsApp than he used to, this could be a sign that he's up to something.
Another thing to look out for is whether your husband is being secretive about his WhatsApp activity. If he refuses to let you see his chat history or if he logs out of the app as soon as you come into the room, these could be signs that he's hiding something.
If you suspect that your husband is cheating on you through WhatsApp, there are a few things you can do to catch him in the act. First, try logging into his account from your own phone. This will give you access to his chat history and any other information he may be hiding.
Another option is to install a tracking app on his phone. This will and can be done by an highly professional who specializes on phone hacking like hackactivities app
What to do if you catch your husband cheating on WhatsApp
If you catch your husband cheating on WhatsApp, there are a few things you can do. First, you can confront him about it. This is probably the most direct approach and will likely get the quickest results. You can also try to talk to his friends or family members about what's going on. They may be able to provide some insight into his behavior. Finally, you can consider hiring a [private investigator](mailto:[email protected]). This is a more expensive option, but it may be worth it if you really want to find out what's going on.
Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
How to prevent your husband from cheating on WhatsApp
If you're worried that your husband is cheating on you, there are a few things you can do to prevent him from using WhatsApp to communicate with his mistress.
First, make sure that you have his password and that you're regularly checking his WhatsApp messages. If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to confront him about it.
Secondly, consider installing a WhatsApp spy app on his phone. This way, you'll be able to see all of his messages, even the ones he's deleted for this you need a highly professional hacker to help you out, so i recommend [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
Finally, have a talk with him about your concerns. Let him know that you're not going to tolerate any infidelity and that if he cheated on you, it would be the end of your relationship.
By taking these measures, you'll be able to prevent your husband from cheating on you through WhatsApp.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that WhatsApp is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but it can also be a cheating husband's best friend. If you suspect your husband is cheating on you, there are a few ways you can catch him red-handed. By [monitoring his WhatsApp activity](mailto:[email protected]), you can get a clear picture of who he's talking to and when, which can be invaluable evidence in catching a cheating husband.
2023.04.02 10:07 isthisasobot Emanations of Carlos
Sometimes I find myself looking for Carlos and find him in silence often with associated memories. Like other sorcery friends especially the ones who died. Dying isn't uncommon in the sorcery world. Dying..such a taboo around the matter. Yet the greatest mysteries are still embedded around the " dead". I like to try to get back down to earth at this point, to try to get to " common ground" which should expose any bondage. I had a clear vision when I started writing this. I wanted to describe the magic performed by " my friends". I just don't know where to begin. Perhaps talking to myself like this. Trying to reach out beyond my selfie thing, to talk to someone else..is what I' m trying to do.. but then there's this teacher thing. People have died over the tension of this teacher thing. Try this for a meditation - you have a child in front of you. Whoever that child is. What on earth could you possibly think to teach that child? Seriously. There is nothing to teach and not even that is a lesson. Easy ticket out of parenting, would be more fitting to treat your kid like it's a dog, at least you get the benefit of loyalty as can be expected from our bonds with the k9. There is only action, is what the old sorcerers said. In that light..what does that " make" us. Me, poor " baby" me. Or something " else" . I love something " else" more. Something else more than my dog. My experiment. Like, it's gonna die. But that's not it, it's fragmentable. Which indicates that there has already been some death blows taking place. We' re all dead anyway or are " doomed" to do so. Doomed sounds much worse than death though, if I may isolate each word for comparison. So, death and forget, safer than doomed and remembered. Those emanations are gold, but we have to come up with something other than our gold digging fantasies..cos their designed to oblivion. On the other hand it's kinda neat how gold has been utilized. It's not just all about being a symbol of greed and power but it actually has practical functions, perhaps even before it's other function which is soooo horribly misinterpreted.
submitted by isthisasobot to castanedahealing [link] [comments]
2023.04.02 10:05 Dry-Specialist-3557 Practice Test Question confusion
Which three statements are typical characteristics of VLAN arrangements? (Choose three.)
A. A new switch has no VLANs configured.
B. Connectivity between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device.
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains.
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space.
E. A switch maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN.
F. VLANs cannot span multiple switches.
They say BDE: With this explanation:
A. A new switch has no VLANs configured.
This statement is true. When a new switch is installed, it has no VLANs configured by default. In order to create VLANs on the switch, an administrator must configure them manually.
B. Connectivity between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device.
This statement is also true. Because VLANs are separate broadcast domains, devices in one VLAN cannot communicate directly with devices in another VLAN without the help of a Layer 3 device, such as a router or a Layer 3 switch.
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains.
This statement is also true. When a switch is configured with VLANs, each VLAN is essentially its own separate broadcast domain. This means that broadcasts sent by devices in one VLAN are only seen by other devices in the same VLAN, and not by devices in other VLANs. As a result, the number of collision domains is reduced, which can improve network performance.
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space.
This statement is false. While each VLAN is a separate broadcast domain, devices in different VLANs can still use the same IP address space. For example, two devices in different VLANs could both have the IP address 192.168.1.1.
E. A switch maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN.
This statement is true. When a switch is configured with VLANs, it maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN. This allows the switch to forward frames between devices in the same VLAN, while preventing frames from being forwarded to devices in different VLANs.
F. VLANs cannot span multiple switches.
This statement is false. VLANs can be configured to span multiple switches using a protocol called VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), which allows switches to synchronize VLAN information with each other. However, it is important to configure VTP carefully to avoid unintended consequences, such as accidentally deleting or overwriting VLAN information on other switches.
*****
A: I disagree with their explanation for A because switches right out of the box Cisco switches come with default vlan 1 created and all interfaces are mode access in vlan 1.
C. I think they are conflating broadcast domains and collision domains. Last I checked every interface on a switch is it's own collision domain. You really need hubs and/or layer 1 devices or half-duplex to create collisions. I haven't seen a collision or late-collision counter increment in any modern network.
I would say adding VLANS increases the number of broadcast domains though realistically each broadcast domain probably has fewer interfaces because there are only so many on a chassis to be divided up... yes I realize it could be dynamically (i.e. via Cisco ISE)
They say BDE are the correct answers, BUT D is said to be false in the explanation, so they contradict themselves.
These should be re-written:
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains. (Adding VLANs typically increases the number of broadcast domains)
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space. (This looks like they are conflating address-space, a layer-3 function, with VLANS, a layer-2 segmentation). Their explanation that you could use 192.168.1.1 in separate VLANs is not a good explanation. I realize it would prevent IP duplication problems, but this explanation is like saying two separate dumb switches have separate address space. Obviously, you could use separate VLANS on a Cisco switch and have two home internet connections and the same private IP space on each VLAN keeping each network entirely separate, but that has nothing to do with each "each vlan uses separate address space."
What is your take on this? This is the kind of question I hope isn't on the CCNA when I take it. I hope Cisco actually does better.
submitted by Dry-Specialist-3557 to ccna [link] [comments]
A. A new switch has no VLANs configured.
B. Connectivity between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device.
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains.
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space.
E. A switch maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN.
F. VLANs cannot span multiple switches.
They say BDE: With this explanation:
A. A new switch has no VLANs configured.
This statement is true. When a new switch is installed, it has no VLANs configured by default. In order to create VLANs on the switch, an administrator must configure them manually.
B. Connectivity between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device.
This statement is also true. Because VLANs are separate broadcast domains, devices in one VLAN cannot communicate directly with devices in another VLAN without the help of a Layer 3 device, such as a router or a Layer 3 switch.
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains.
This statement is also true. When a switch is configured with VLANs, each VLAN is essentially its own separate broadcast domain. This means that broadcasts sent by devices in one VLAN are only seen by other devices in the same VLAN, and not by devices in other VLANs. As a result, the number of collision domains is reduced, which can improve network performance.
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space.
This statement is false. While each VLAN is a separate broadcast domain, devices in different VLANs can still use the same IP address space. For example, two devices in different VLANs could both have the IP address 192.168.1.1.
E. A switch maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN.
This statement is true. When a switch is configured with VLANs, it maintains a separate bridging table for each VLAN. This allows the switch to forward frames between devices in the same VLAN, while preventing frames from being forwarded to devices in different VLANs.
F. VLANs cannot span multiple switches.
This statement is false. VLANs can be configured to span multiple switches using a protocol called VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), which allows switches to synchronize VLAN information with each other. However, it is important to configure VTP carefully to avoid unintended consequences, such as accidentally deleting or overwriting VLAN information on other switches.
*****
A: I disagree with their explanation for A because switches right out of the box Cisco switches come with default vlan 1 created and all interfaces are mode access in vlan 1.
C. I think they are conflating broadcast domains and collision domains. Last I checked every interface on a switch is it's own collision domain. You really need hubs and/or layer 1 devices or half-duplex to create collisions. I haven't seen a collision or late-collision counter increment in any modern network.
I would say adding VLANS increases the number of broadcast domains though realistically each broadcast domain probably has fewer interfaces because there are only so many on a chassis to be divided up... yes I realize it could be dynamically (i.e. via Cisco ISE)
They say BDE are the correct answers, BUT D is said to be false in the explanation, so they contradict themselves.
These should be re-written:
C. VLANs typically decrease the number of collision domains. (Adding VLANs typically increases the number of broadcast domains)
D. Each VLAN uses a separate address space. (This looks like they are conflating address-space, a layer-3 function, with VLANS, a layer-2 segmentation). Their explanation that you could use 192.168.1.1 in separate VLANs is not a good explanation. I realize it would prevent IP duplication problems, but this explanation is like saying two separate dumb switches have separate address space. Obviously, you could use separate VLANS on a Cisco switch and have two home internet connections and the same private IP space on each VLAN keeping each network entirely separate, but that has nothing to do with each "each vlan uses separate address space."
What is your take on this? This is the kind of question I hope isn't on the CCNA when I take it. I hope Cisco actually does better.