Welcome back! Today we are leaving the GBA era and entering a new one with Fire Emblem 9, Path of Radiance. How will we see this power shift axes have had in the past 2 games exist in this game, and what aspects will change and stay the same in a game that seems to blend old and new?
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Starting off with general gameplay changes, the Weapon Triangle worked the same way, but reverted back to a -+10 Hit penalty/bonus like it was in FE6, rather than the 15 we saw in the previous two games, but the -+1 damage stayed the same. A big change was the mechanics of weapon weight. Constitution was still in the game, but weapon weight was now mitigated with the Strength stat. Each point of Strength would negate one weapon weight. While this was a bit of an annoyance for magic users as they still had to have a bit of Strength to use magic tomes with no penalties, it was very convenient for physical damage dealers since the higher Strength meant lower Speed penalties and higher damage, making it a "win-win" situation. Finally, the 2RN hit system stayed the same, so hit rates were higher than displayed if >51%, or lower if hit rates were displayed <50%.
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Returning from its absence after its last appearance in Thracia, units now have both Strength and Magic stats and grow independently of each other, and for the first time, the Magic stat can actually matter for axe users! Strength + (Weapon Might x Effectiveness), with the Effectiveness coefficient going back to 2 like it was in FE7 (aka, doubling Might) instead of 3. Defense was still used for defensive calculations. Strength and Defense could permanently be raised via the Energy Drop and Dracoshield Stat boosters. Certain classes could conditionally boost their Defense via the Knight Ward item. Finally there were the held Band items that would boost certain growths, but they could only be attained on a second playthrough if you have a first playthrough finished and saved.
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We didn't really see any new weapons in the axe arsenal in FE9, as there are actually only 3 new axes that were added. On top of that, unlike every other weapon type, there is no S-Rank Axe that is available to the player, as the only one is the Urvan, which we only see in a cutscene once in Chapter 7. Also Axes generally had lower Hit rates like they did in FE6, ranging around the 50-65s on average. The list of axes in FE9 are...

• Iron-Steel-Silver Axe
• Hand Axe
• Devil Axe (Unused)
• Venin Axe
• Hammer
• Poleax
• Short Axe
• Killer Axe
• Laguz Axe
• Bolt Axe
• Brave Axe
• Tomahawk

The Iron-Steel-Silver progression is the same; Iron being the weakest but lightest, Steel being heavy but stronger, and Silver being lighter AND stronger than Steel. Based purely on stats, the Silver Axe is actually the best axe in the game due to it having the highest Might of all axes at 16, the second highest Hit at 70%, and a very manageable Weight of 14, which many of the axe wielding units in this game can mitigate w/ virtually no problem. Hand Axes retained their high status even though their stats didn't seem stellar on paper, and that was because of a new mechanic; the Forging system. The Forge allowed for I-S-S and Hand Axes to be forged, allowing you to raise or lower any of its stats in exchange for Gold. Putting a bit of Gold into a Hand Axe to increase just its Hit could make it much more deadly, especially in the hands of someone like Boyd or Titania. This is the first time the Devil Axe is completely unattainable by the player, but is still in the games code. If forced into the game, the backfire effect doesn't work properly and can even cause your character to glitch and be stuck, but only if you have animations on. The Venin Axe retains its trash status as before since it is just a worse Iron Axe with Poison built into it, which isn't a status effect players should worry about. The Hammer is in a bit of a tricky spot since they weigh a lot, are inaccurate, and only have 20 Might when fighting armors, which on higher difficulties where the enemy defenses are higher, can nullify the usefulness the Hammer provides. Same situation with the Poleax but slightly less so since it has a smidge more accuracy, weighs a bit less, and you won't be dealing with as much bulk with mounted units like you will with armors. The Short Axe was a brand new weapon and is meant to be an in-between the Hand Axe and Tomahawk. It is a straight upgrade from the Hand Axe stat wise, but it has less uses and doesn't have the advantage of being Forgeable. The Killer Axe remains as a simple but powerful weapon with its relatively reliable Hit, Weight, and Might, as well as its bonus 30% Crit. The Laguz Axe is a new weapon that deals effective damage against all Laguz enemies. Unless you're dealing with bulky Tigers or are playing on Maniac, it can do some solid work against every type of Laguz enemy you fight. The Bolt Axe is also a brand new weapon and is special since it is the very first magical axe to exist in the entire series. It used the users Magic stat, which wasn't great since most axe units don't have high Magic, but it had 1-2 range and dealt Thunder damage, making it effective against Dragon Laguz. The Brave Axe was still great due to its double-attack effect, even though it is still quite heavy like it was in the GBA games. Finally there is the Tomahawk, the strongest but heaviest ranged axe options. It's a great option for 1-2 range if you have it, but like the Short Axe it suffers from lower uses and non-Forgeability.
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Due to the lack of branched promotions and reworks to some classes, the number of axe-wielding classes in FE9 were significantly lower than before. But the aforementioned reworks gave some new strengths to these classes, including something that was present in FE7 but lost in FE8; axe-wielding Paladins. Also every T2 class had a brand new ultimate skill called Occult Skills that can be unlocked if they use an Occult Scroll. The list of axe-wielding classes in FE9 are...

• Fighter Warrior
• Axe Knight and any Cavalier Paladin
• Wyvern Rider Wyvern Lord
• Berserker
• Bandit (Enemy Only)
• King Daein (E)

Fighters were like their past incarnations, emphasizing Strength and a bit on Speed and Skill. Warriors took from the latter two stats to emphasize even more on Strength, gained access to Bows (making them arguably the strongest Archers), and got Colossus as an Occult Skill. It was an okay skill, but with a lot of setup required; if the users Con exceeds the enemy's Con, it has a Skill% chance to multiply the user's Strength by 1.25 or 25%. FE9 brought back the FE4/5 trend of having individual cavalier classes for each of the physical weapon types, but instead of having individual promotions, they all promote to Paladin. Paladins have a unique quirk in this game where instead of having preset weapons, you can actually choose their secondary weapon, so it is possible for all of your non-pre-promote Paladins to wield all Axes or Swords, whatever the player prefers. Cavaliers and Paladins are still just as good, if not better, than their FE counterparts. They are good all-rounders, can provide mounted utility such as rescuing, and can move fast. I forgot to mention this in previous entries, but most mounted and/or flying units have an ability called Canto, which allows them to use up their remaining movement after taking an action (what action that is depends on the game), and is a big asset as to why they are so useful. The Paladins Occult Skill is Sol, which just restores HP equal to damage dealt on activation. Wyvern Riders continued to use Lances and had their same boons in Strength and Defense like in the GBA era, but their promotion to Wyvern Lord got a new change; instead of getting Swords, they could now use Axes. This change was actually very beneficial since it allowed them to use 1-2 range axes in addition to their 1-2 range spears, and the high Might of axes complemented their high Strength. And with Forging, being inaccurate is no longer really an issue (to a degree). Their Occult Skill is Stun, which when procced on a (Skill/2)% chance, locked up the enemy's movement (but not their other actions) for 2 turns. This wasn't really a good skill, had far too niche of a use. The final axe class was the Berserker, and they worked the same way as they did before, as they were high Strength glass cannons that can crit a lot due to their innate Crit bonuses. Their Occult Skill was also Colossus.
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Onto the enemy-exclusive classes, there is only one that actually uses axes. The Bandit is the classic ruffian/thug axe-wielding class and worked/appeared the same way they have for the past 8 games. Finally there is the King Daein class, which is the class exclusive to the final boss Ashnard, and is sort of like a beefed up version of the Wyvern Lord class, but uses Swords and Axes instead of Lances and Axes. The funny thing is that in the boss fight, he only uses his signature sword Gurgurant and doesn't use axes at all. But if you use Ashnard in the Trial Maps, you can equip him with an axe there. The King Daein class also doesn't come with any Occult Skill.
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The axe user roster in FE9, while it is smaller than recent games (excluding Trial characters), more than makes up for it in quality as many of the characters in this list are either considered to be good, really good, or lauded to be some of the best characters in the game. The other good thing is that the player will get a lot of these good units in the early-to-midgame, allowing them to use these units more and get more out of them. The axe users in FE9 are...

• Titania (Paladin)
  • Your Jeigan for this game, arguably the best unit in the entire game, and you get her in the very first chapter of the game. She is a Paladin with A-Rank in Axes, great bases, and really good growths in almost everything. She can use the Knight Ward to increase her defensive stats and Speed growth to make her double everything, she can get Sol via the Occult Scroll to be self-sufficient (not groundbreaking, but a good bonus), and is just overall going to be useful throughout the whole game. Her only bad parts are her lower EXP gains in the earlygame (will become a non-issue) and her base skill Counter, which reflects non-lethal physical damage dealt to her (isn't a great skill, but you can take it off and replace it with a better one). Overall, Titania is a very valuable unit to have in any FE9 run.
• Oscar (Lance Cavalier)
  • While Oscar isn't immediately as good as Titania is, he still is a Cavalier and has amazing potential with a ton of room to grow since he joins in Chapter 1 as well. He has access to a good weapon type in Lances, good bases for a beginning Cav, and good all-round growths similar to Franz from FE8. The only drawback of him is that his growths can be too balanced, as it is possible to get a bit screwed over by RNG and not get the stats you need. But Bonus EXP and stat boosters can patch that up easily, the former of which is plentiful in non-Maniac game difficulties. Oscar is definitely worth raising to a Paladin for mounted utility and generally being able to tackle any situation the game throws at you, and can be a pretty good one at that.
• Boyd (Fighter)
  • Boyd is your first and only Fighter you will get in FE9, but you get him in the first chapter alongside Oscar and Titania, and he's a pretty damn good Fighter to boot. He has some shaky bases that make him struggle a bit as an axe user in the early game, since his Strength isn't high enough to mitigate Weapon Weight, and his Speed isn't enough to double yet. But due to his offense-based growths being good, he will eventually be able to hit hard and use any axe with little penalties, can hit reliably with his good Skill, and can even double if he has good Speed. He is also arguably the one of the best bow users you will get since Rolf is really bad, and he can deal some really good ranged damage with something like a Killer or Brave Bow (though you also have Hand Axes for ranged options, which is something you'll probably use in more situations). He will struggle a bit earlygame, but with an easy amount of investment he can be a very good combat unit in your party
• Kieran (Axe Cavalier)
  • Kieran is your second Cavalier you will get after Oscar, and just like Oscar, is a damn good unit to have. He is a Lv 12 Axe Cavalier with C-Rank Axes, giving him a good selection of weapons he can use off the bat. He starts off with okay bases in Str, Spd, and Def, but with good growths in all those stats too. Promoting him to Paladin will essentially a give you a mini Titania that can provide mounted utility, damage, weapon triangle control depending on your weapons, and can use the Knight Ward for more tankiness and potential speediness. He is very much worth using if you want another Cavalier on your team
• Jill (Wyvern Rider)
  • Another great unit that the player can utilize for a great chunk of the game and is worth every investment. Her growths and bases may seem average, but with enough investment she can easily be one of the best units in your army. She uses every tool given to her very well; high Strength and Defense, flying utility, Bonus EXP, stat boosters, forged weapons, all of these things are very good to have/use on Jill. In the end, you'll get a very good Wyvern Lord that can also use forged Hand Axes, facetank her only weakness of Bows since this game only has 2x effective-damage Might and her Defense will be so high, she can use any skill you desire to put on her. If you want a great flier alongside or in lieu of Marcia, Jill is a great option.
• Astrid (Bow Cavalier)
  • At first glance, Astrid seems like a very poor unit; A Lv 1 Cavalier with poor bases and locked to Bows, and with only D-Rank at that. But she has one skill that makes up for all of that, that being Paragon. Paragon will double any EXP she gains, whether via combat or BEXP, so she can grow levels really fast, especially in her joining chapter where she can 2-shot the ravens. On top of that she is still a mounted unit, so her high movement, utility, being able to do shoot-and-run attacks with Canto, ability to use the Knight Ward, it's all in her favor. Her growths aren't too bad either as she will gain a good amount of Speed and Skill (and a ton of Speed if you have the Knight Ward), and semi-decent Attack (which can be made up with Forges and stat boosters). And then when you promote her into a Paladin and give her Axes, she can use Steel Axes and Hand Axes for higher damage and 1-2 range options respectively. She has a bit of a rocky start, but once you get her going, she will be a great addition to your team.
• Makalov (Sword Cavalier)
  • Your fourth and final Cavalier, but is arguably the weakest out of the four. He joins as a Lv 10 Sword Cavalier at the halfway point of the game with middling bases and is stuck with Swords, which isn't the best weapon type in FE9. He also doesn't really have any standout benefits like the others; Oscar with his early jointime, Kieran coming with Axes out the gate, and Astrid having Paragon. Makalov's only benefits are his pretty decent growths in all areas aside from Luck and Resistance, and then also Tempest which can double Biorhythm effects which will increase his Hit and Avoid if the Biorhythm is high (but it will hurt him more if it is low, so it's a double edged sword). Of course he is a mounted unit, so all the aforementioned benefits apply to him. If you want to have another Paladin on your team, he can turn out relatively decent with some investment, but know that the other 3 options for Cavs are going to be much better and/or easier to raise than Makalov.
• Haar (Wyvern Lord)
  • FE9 Haar doesn't have the same coveted status of "best unit" like he will in the next game, but he is a damn good unit that shouldn't be overlooked. He joins as a pre-promoted Wyvern Lord pretty late into the game, but his high stats, decent weapon ranks, and high StSkl/Def growths make up for that. He can use almost any axe or lance at base (minus Silver weapons and the Wishblade lance) with no speed penalties, is very strong and tanky so he can deal with virtually any situation, and while he doesn't have the best Speed, he comes with the Brave Axe which mitigates that a bit. And of course, he has all the perks of being a flier as mentioned with Jill. An invested-into Jill will probably be on par or surpass Haar, but he can be slotted into your team anytime and he will do great work.
• Largo (Berserker)
  • Largo is your only playable Berserker in FE9 and joins very late, but he's still pretty decent in non-Maniac playthroughs. He is very much a typical Berserker, lot of HP/StSkl/Spd, but poor Defense and very poor Resistance. He growths all focus on his current strengths, especially a monstrous 70% Strength growth and then a slightly more modest Skill and Speed growths. With his A-Rank in Axes and his 21 Strength, he can use any axe in the game without any speed penalties, so against frail enemies he will be easily able to pick them off. And just like other mono-weapon classes, he has an innate 15% Crit bonus so he can crit a lot more (only on non-Maniac playthroughs since he won't get the crit bonus on Maniac). If you use him he can be very effective as a filler unit, but be mindful since he can pop very easily.

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• Shiharam (Wyvern Lord) (Trial Maps Only)
  • Shiharam can be used in Trial Maps if you beat the game 5 times, and joins with his Normal Mode stats. He is pretty comparable to Haar with some slight deviations in stats, but nothing too crazy. A flier that is strong and tanky, can do a lot of stuff on the map, use any Axe at base with no penalties. He is a good unit to have, not the best, but a good one
• Petrine (Paladin) (TM)
  • Petrine can be used in Trial Maps if you beat the game 7 times, and joins with her Hard Mode stats. Petrine is a very very good Paladin with good stats in everything, including Magic as her "signature weapon" is the Flame Lance in her boss fight. She is probably the best candidate for the Bolt Axe as well, and with all of her perks of being mounted, her great bases, weapon ranks, Knight Ward usability, she is a very very worthwhile unit to have in the Trials. Is she worth playing the game from start to end 7 times if you're not a huge FE9 fanboy? Probably not. But if you're willing to speedrun, grind, or hack the game, she is worth it.
• Ashnard (King Daein) (TM)
  • Ashnard can be used in Trial Maps if you beat the game a whopping 15 times, and comes with his Normal Mode stats and equipment. He is a beefed up Wyvern Lord that uses Swords and Axes, and has a monstrous amount of HP, Strength, Defense, and very good stats in all other departments. His signature weapon, the Gurgurant, has 20 Might, 90 Hit, negates non-Wrath criticals, and has the biggest strength that many swords don't have, it has 1-2 range. He can do a lot for the player with very little effort because he is so strong and he is a flier. His only drawback is that you have to beat the game 15 times, which is an absolute stupid amount even for a FE9 fanboy. But again, if you're willing to speedrun, grind, or hack, then you will get the best unit in the game, but only for Trials.

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To round things off, there are 9 items that affect axe users in FE9. There are the permanent stat boosters of the Energy Drop and Dracoshield, which boost Strength and Defense by +2 respectively. The Arms Scroll is a special stat booster that raises weapon rank by one level. All classes in this game use Master Seals to promote, so no more individual promo items. Then there are the held accessories; the famous Knight Ward and all of the second-playthrough Bands that affect growths. The ones that affect Strength and/or Defense growths are the Soldier, Fighter, Knight, and Wyvern Bands.
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FE9 was a great continuation of the axe being such a good weapon type, especially with the forge mechanic, the changes to weapon weight mitigation, and the unit quality of all potential axe users being so good. There isn't really much else to say besides that FE9 was very kind to axe users, arguably almost to the same degree that Thracia was. But will we see this great reign continue as we venture into the later years of Tellius?
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Thank you so much for reading this! I think I'm going to be taking my time with these so that I can get you guys some good content, I've been going through a lot but I don't want my work to suffer because of it. Comments and critiques are always welcome, and have an amazing day!

Okay, so it's fantasy booking time. We're on that time of the year again, where our imaginations travel and injuries hit. In the meantime, since we're almost in time for Dominion and AEW's major stories will be on hold for a while I thought of interrogating this reddit for having an idea of your Forbidden Door 2 card.
There's no rule in it: you can book MJF losing to Bolting Oleg if you want. The only thing is, try to explain it and to give it a sense, so it gets funnier than the average "oh, I want Okada vs Omega V because Meltzer is going to give it 8 stars and three quarters".

Pay attention, from here I will assume all the readers know it's spoiler territory, so PLEASE, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER UNLESS YOU ALREADY WATCHED AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2023 OR YOU DO CARE ABOUT BEING SPOILER-FREE ALL ELITE WRESTLING

Let's begin!
Opening Match: AEW World Championship - Maxwell Jacob Friedman (champion) vs "The King" Minoru Suzuki (challenger)
So, an AEW World Title match as an opener? You see, the thing I love the most about MJF is not the character, nor the wrestling abilities. It's his persona and the modernity he brings that makes me love the man. In his Media Scrum interview, he stated "NJPW is an indy". His persona clearly does not want to do the PPV, and so I want to give him someone who, since Inoki's death, is in 本体 (Hontai, NJPW Main Unit). And what a better way for the Toronto crowd to get in the mood, than give them singing 風になれ (kazeninare) for starters? Suzuki can work for 15-20 minutes once in a while now, however, I want this to be a 5 minutes thing where Max cheats his way to the win.
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2nd match: CHAOS (BISHAMON, Rocky Romero and Orange Cassidy) vs. BULLET CLUB (David Finlay, Clark Connors, KENTA & Chase Owens)
During the pandemic era, we had OC and Best Friends introduced in CHAOS by Rocky Romero. And with Shibata seamingly leaving LA Dojo and CC beating Young Lions and LA Dojo alumnis all around, there are two interesting matchups for this shakeup: azucar and 100 Proof, but most importantly Finlay and OC. They are both establishing themselves as fighters, but with two different attitudes. Having an exchange there would be incredible. At the end, BISHAMON win with Chase looking at the light.
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3rd match: Champion vs Champion - Willow Nightingale (NJPW Strong Women's Champion) vs Toni Storm (AEW World's Women Champion)
The King of Sports introduced two female's titles among their collection. Given the fact STARDOM exists, given the fact for now I do not see a merger between the BUSHIROAD promotions, I also do not see Gedo wanting to give up on the idea that this is a NJPW only event. So, to me these titles are for US territory and for Special matches involving megastars during special events. I do not necessarily agree with this, but also the G1 Climax and the IWGP Heavweight titles were "special attractions". When it comes to this match, with Jamie in the box for a while, this is going to be another piece of the Outcasts vs. Homegrowns feud. Toni would win, setting up for another match for the STRONG title somewhere in the future.
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4th match: Owen Hart Cup Finals - "Super Liger" Chris Jericho vs Hiromu Takahashi
Ok, when I thought of this match I said to myself that Y2J has to be in because he's one of the main pieces of the AEW puzzle, so I really do not see special events without him. So I booked a filler, something to get rid in case something cooler pops into my mind. Then I remembered Forbidden Door 2 is going to take place in Canada, so this became a must. Then I read Tony's idea to have Liger's involvement in the Cup. So this, from being an afterthought, has become a priority. Since AEW started, Jericho portrayed all his persona: he did the list, Lionheart, the Painmaker, the Ocho. How cool would it be to see Hiromu, who is beating all Liger's records, surpassing Super Liger?
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5th match: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship - SANADA (champion) vs Darby Allin (challenger)
I will start by saying that I'm not that confident that we'll see this match happening. If Yota Tsugi is half as good as the guy I've see in RevPro, we have the reincarnation of Kenta Kobashi (I know, it's very tempting to rage at this, but their physical structure seems identical). So I want to be wrong. But picture this: SANADA's defenses are against a junior (although he's an iconic junior) and a graduating Young Lion. So somehow we have to establish him as a force, or we're having another transitional champion that is going to get racked by Okada for the next Wrestle Kingdom.
Let's take a step back and have a gemba walk on wrestling in 2023. To me, it has been the best year in wrestling in YEARS. We had NJPWxNOAH, All Together, two edition of All Star Juniors, Multiverse United, an awesome Wrestlemania Weekend for the US indies (I heard good things about WWE, but I don't watch it since more than a decade). We had Nakamura going back to Japan and Naito retiring Mutoh. You see where I'm going with this?
With Sting retiring and Muta gone I would love to see this match, with them seconding their guys. At the end, Darby takes the L with some MJF thing happening (now more than ever I'm convinced that Darby is dethroning Maxwell somewhere in the future).
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6th match: NJPW STRONG Television Championship - Zack Sabre Jr. (champion) vs "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson Wheeler Yuta (challenger)
As an Italian from Naples, all I know is that when it comes to superstition, neapolitans are only second to the Chinese. So read the name you want, I'm not going to name Daniel Bryan in in this match. Let's say THE Forbidden Door dream match becomes a meme and we see Yuta trying to survive 15 minutes with Zack in the ring. Then, if the name in the strikesthrough is the correct one...
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7th match: IWGP Women's Championship - Mayu Iwatani (champion) vs Dr. Britt Baker, DMD (challenger)
Dream match #7. I'm going to be hermetic with this. In my mind, this is the shocker of the night, with Britt Baker winning and holding "hostage" of the title in America and setting up Giulia vs Britt at WK next year. WOW.
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8th match: NEVER Six Men Openweight Championship - Blackpool Combat Club (champions) & Shota Umino vs The Elite (El Phantasmo and The Young Bucks) (challengers)
Last year's FD saw great matches with an interesting card. We will never see it, but we expected the emancipation of Hiku Leo in his match with the BULLET CLUB. We received another match, with ELP "replacing" spiritually Kenny Omega. ELP and the Bucks have an almost unexplicable chemistry. ELP is half Marty Scurll, half Kenny Omega, and fits perfectly to the mold of a tag team who is as over the top as ELP is and can do comedy wrestling as well as fast-pacing action or storyline-driven wrestling.
While I was writing it, I changed the champions. Why? Because Kenny said he has one or two friends to call up for support. One is Ibushi, and we'll seeing him at Blood and Guts. The other is none other than ELP.
At first, this was suppose to have the current ones (Okada, Tanahashi and Ishii) in the match and something else planned for Mox. In my head booking, I would have had Tanahashi winning on NJPW STRONG Resurgence but that derailed. Anyways, BCC and Shota retains here, setting up El Phantasmo vs Shooter for G1.
Blackpool retains.
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9th match: AEW World Tag Team, NJPW STRONG Tag Team & IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships - WINNER TAKES ALL - BULLET CLUB Gold (Juice Robinson & Jay White) vs House of Torture
I am spending a few words here. We're setting up FTR vs. Juice/Jay in AEW. So, say goodbye to Aussie Open vs FTR 2 in NJPW. Hello, Bullet Club Civil War. We've been waiting one since Tama Tonga said "Who the f\ck is the Elite. huh?*" to Kenny and I guess time and place coincide now. It's time to have Jay winning everything, then having a megabrawl among all the members of BC.
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10th match: Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Semi main-event. D*ckhead Okada does not care about Forbidden Door nor AEW. He just cares about being the best wrestler of all times and pushing wrestling to the next level. He did it by creating a gimmick-match only title, he did it by saying he wanted to be the Six Men Titles to be like a World Cup, failing again. At the change of the guard, Okada says to Tanahashi that it's time for a change. After the fall between Ishii and Tanahashi at Dominion, Okada says this is make it or break it for CHAOS. If he wins, Tanahashi must join CHAOS. If Okada loses, CHAOS must disband.
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Main Event: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship - Kenny Omega (champion) vs Will Ospreay (challenger)
Out of all the matches I do not want to happen, this is at the top of my list. I want Archer to win, my entire plans to change, keeping this dream that started a WK17 as long as I can. It is probably because my dad got diagnosed with cancer and I want stability in my life. I do not want things to end.
However, Kenny never had an "high rate" match in his home turf and it is time time for one. So LFG! Winner? Us.
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This concludes my silly stream of consciousness, I hope you had fun reading this! What is your dream card for the most speculated PPV of the year?

I made a stupid mistake on my previous post of typing the wrong ID.
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YammerS was a Chinese Dota2 commentator. He posted his suicide notes in Weibo and I translated them. However the images are highly compressed and I can't use image to text convertor. I have to type every single character down and translate them. I was bursted into tears when I was doing so. Please if anyone had suicidal thought, go and seek immediate help.
Australia (Beyond Blue): 1300 22 4636 (Lifeline Australia): 13 11 14
US (National Suicidal prevention lifeline): 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
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https://preview.redd.it/ss5nlbcrfr2b1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=9775dd86e1b92ca21a5c8d99a0d87b835000c31e
Here is the translated notes:
In the main post:
This is a scheduled Weibo post. After all these years, I still can't let go of the hatred in my heart. I can't find reconciliation within myself either. I know I have wronged many people. It's all because of me, the beginning and the end. Let it end.
In the images:
I was born in a small city in Hebei in 1997, in a residential compound belonging to a typical working-class family. My father is a retired soldier who transitioned to work in China Railway (中铁), and our family settled here. My mother, originally from Hubei, came here with my sister and got married to my father through a mutual introduction. Both of them had previous failed marriages, and this one was also destined to fail. However, I was born in the second year of their marriage.
As far as I can remember, during my childhood, I mostly lived with my mother. Due to my father's work on construction sites, he was often away for long periods. This resulted in very little time spent with my father during my childhood and adolescence. Additionally, my father was introverted, had a peculiar temper, and didn't talk much with me. We would only meet once a year or sometimes every two years, so when I was very young, I kept asking my mother when my father would come back. I longed for my father's presence, but I hardly received any fatherly love or feedback.
Living in this residential compound with many children, one would expect my childhood playtime to be joyful. However, for me, it was all nightmares and pain. I distinctly remember how the adults in the compound looked at me differently when I was very young. Many parents didn't allow their children to play with me. Initially, I thought it was because our family had a poor financial condition or maybe I was a bit mischievous. It was later when I grew up that I found out the real reasons, which I will explain later. Despite the challenges, I eventually managed to integrate into the circle of children my age. Although I still faced bullying, it didn't bother me much. The most painful experiences were being bullied by the older kids, who were probably already in junior high school when I was still in kindergarten. One summer, I vividly remember coming out of my house, eating strawberries, and being noticed by the older kids. They lured me to the former staff building with their toy guns, saying they wanted me to play with them. Once there, they held me down and forced me to drink their urine while prying my mouth open. I ran back home crying and vomiting. Another time, three or four people cornered me in a corner of the compound and made me perform oral sex on them. I resisted that time and my cries attracted adults, so they let me go. Later, as I grew up, I realized that I was not the only one who was being bullied at that time. There was also a girl my age who went through unimaginable things. Moreover, many of these older kids were children of China Railway executives, born into powerful and influential families. But they were truly like beasts. I will never forget these memories.
As time passed, it was time for me to go to primary school. Due to my poor comprehension ability compared to children of the same age and my lack of concentration as a child (possibly due to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), my first-grade exam results were very poor. I only remember having Chinese and mathematics as the earliest subjects. While many children achieved excellent scores, I barely passed in one subject and failed in another. When I returned home, I was scolded and beaten. That was the first time I started resisting learning from the bottom of my heart. I said I didn't understand... I hadn't learned... My mother believed that I wasn't paying attention in class. My parents themselves had a low level of education, especially my mother, who couldn't help me with my studies. Later, they spent money on tutoring, and my grades improved slightly in second and third grade..
In grades four, five, and six, there were changes in the homeroom teacher. During this time, some kids started demanding protection fees, and if you didn't pay, they would beat you up. As a result, I got into fights more frequently. I was called to the office and falsely accused of starting trouble. I was also bad at expressing myself and couldn't defend myself properly. The teacher didn't believe me, and in the end, I was the one who got beaten up and punished. The corporal punishment by teachers in the small city's school was really outrageous. They would actually hit you, slap your face, hit you with a soft pencil, or use a stick. It was during that time when my grades were already average, and I started hating studying. I didn't want to go to school anymore, I didn't want to attend classes. I started pretending to be sick and skipping classes. I completely lost interest in studying, and it was probably in sixth grade when something happened. The classroom door lock was broken, and coincidentally, I was cleaning after school. Some students were fooling around and broke the lock. Later, they went and told the teacher that I did it, and they even testified against me. The teacher didn't believe what I said, and in front of many teachers in the office, they kept hitting my palms with a soft pencil until they were all bruised, asking me to admit it quickly. It was then that I truly understood what it meant to be coerced into confession. In the end, I couldn't bear the pain anymore and admitted to it. I even bought a new lock to replace the broken one in the classroom. After that, I didn't want to go to school anymore. Some might ask why I didn't talk to my mother about it. It was because there was already a rift between us regarding my academic performance. In the eyes of my relatives and family members, I had already become a poor student and a bad child. I didn't study properly and started sneaking off to internet cafes. I didn't care anymore and didn't want to say anything to them.
After entering junior high school, in the first and second years, our physical education teacher served as the homeroom teacher. Since I hadn't laid a good foundation in elementary school, I continued to hate studying in junior high. I would disrupt classes, talk back, and get into fights. During the first two years, corporal punishment and long lectures at home accompanied my education. This period was also my rebellious phase. My father returned to work, and they would argue all day long at home, which was true. They would argue all the time, every moment of the day. The old-style building had poor sound insulation. The entire neighborhood could hear the sound of our arguments, and in addition to the school issues, I would have endless arguments with my family. On one hand, I didn't want to attend school and face punishment, and on the other hand, I didn't want to go back home. I was already feeling a bit depressed. During that time, I would skip classes, go online, play Dota, stay up all night, and sleep in school the next day. It was during this period that I learned a devastating truth, not to mention how I found out, but I discovered that I wasn't my parents' biological child. I was the illegitimate child of a relative, and to cover up their mistake, they brought in my father as a substitute and got married. I was born quickly in the second year of their marriage. That's also why, since I was young, the kids in the neighborhood would always bully me, and adults would look at me with strange eyes, including the children of many parents who initially didn't let their kids play with me. I truly broke down at that moment. It was also during that time that I developed depression, and I started hating myself and my family more and more. I really didn't want to live during that period. One day in the second semester of eighth grade, I bought sleeping pills. At that time, the control over sleeping pills wasn't as strict as it is now. I attempted suicide, but I didn't take enough, so I didn't die. Later, a teacher visited our home and conducted a home visit, asking me about the reasons. I didn't say anything. I just said I wasn't happy and that life had no meaning. The homeroom teacher was probably afraid of taking responsibility, so the attitudes of all the teachers toward me changed afterward. At the very least, they didn't bother me anymore when I slept in class. After moving up to ninth grade, aside from changing the homeroom teacher, the other subject teachers remained the same. During this time, I encountered the second great teacher in my life. The first one was Mr. Cai in the first three years of elementary school. This teacher's last name was Tian. He was our chemistry teacher, and maybe it was because of what happened in my eighth grade... As I write this, I'm finding it difficult to control my emotions. After taking over our class, he had individual conversations with each student. He was the first and only teacher who wanted to be friends with me. He always encouraged me, saying that I wasn't any worse than anyone else and that I should be confident. My depression improved a lot during my ninth grade year, and I studied diligently. However, because I had fallen so far behind before, I couldn't catch up. In the end, I didn't pass the high school entrance exam, and I left home to study in Shijiazhuang. I didn't want to continue living in that city or return to that home.
The three years of studying and living in Shijiazhuang were among the few happy times in my life. My depression rarely occurred during this period. With a completely new environment, new friends, and classmates, I actively engaged in my studies. I joined the student council and became a department head. I played basketball, exercised, and played Dota. Overall, I felt fulfilled. The only regret was that during the final stage of the semester, I had my first official romantic relationship, but it ended in betrayal. Afterward, I didn't date anyone for the next five years.
After graduation, I interned at a China Railway unit, which happened to be in Shijiazhuang. At that time, Shijiazhuang was constructing a subway, and since I studied surveying, I decided to stay. It was my first time entering the workforce, and many things shattered my preconceptions. There was hypocrisy and flattery in the workplace, colleagues engaging in office politics, data manipulation, construction companies cutting corners, and project managers having affairs behind their spouses' backs... The world turned out to be different from what I had imagined. In the first half of the year, I worked diligently, but in the latter half, I started contemplating what I really wanted to do, and my enthusiasm for work diminished. After the completion of the project I was involved in, I resigned directly. I left Shijiazhuang and became a commentator.
My depression completely erupted in mid-March 2019 when my father passed away due to illness. He had been tormented by the disease for several months and eventually succumbed to the pain. During his last few days, I stayed by his side, watching him and reflecting on his two failed marriages and the mistreatment he endured at his workplace, only to be plagued by the disease until his death. After the funeral, in April, I returned to my rented house in Shanghai. During that time, I would spend the entire night talking to myself in the house, painfully banging my head against the wall. Every day, when I looked into the mirror, I felt an intense disgust towards the person I saw. As I grew older, I resembled my biological father more and more, and I couldn't even count how many times I had hurt myself in front of the mirror. This state of mind persisted until recently, where I would only take a bite of food every two or three days, experiencing headaches and various sleep disturbances. Sometimes, I would even have uncontrollable fits of laughter and engage in self-talk. I'm really not doing well.
In recent years, I have started squandering money to fill the emptiness in my heart. I can't find meaning in life, and I can't reconcile with my past either. Many people have told me that it's not my fault, that I shouldn't blame myself for the mistakes of others, and that I should live my own life. You could also say that this is my way of escaping from reality, that I'm a weak and useless person. Well, so be it. Without me, this family that should never have existed wouldn't have come into being. There wouldn't have been so many things that should or shouldn't have happened. This family emerged because of me, and today I will end it by taking my own life. Everything from the beginning has been wrong, and I hope this mistake can be corrected now. My inner pain can finally come to an end. Today, when I leave, I will leave with a smile. Every second in this world, many people are born and die. Without me, the world won't be lacking anything. I don't want to come to this earthly realm again in my next life, and I hope that in the future, you won't create a tragic family for the sake of your own selfish desires or to cover up your own mistakes.
Please forgive my selfishness and cowardice, and please forgive my pain and struggles. Goodbye.

I believe one of these two will get the crown of highest grossing movie of the year. These two movies also seem to be have been vastly underestimated before release. Mario proved that you can't rely on mathematics to judge what movie will do well. You also have to consider the brand and the appeal.
With Mario we knew that the illumination style was already established, known, successful, and fit right in with the Mario style. From the first trailers we could all see that this style married with the huge Mario brand, was bound to hit over a billion.
Now with Spider verse we are witnessing a similar thing. With Spider verse 1 there was no guarantee of quality, but the Spiderman brand was strong enough to make a decent box office dent.
Now however, the audience has a guarantee of quality, it stars the most popular comicbook character by far.
It should be without doubt that this movie reaches at least a billion, and has the potential to challenge Mario for the top position WW this year.
But what do you think?

Let's say Westeros is actually set thousands and thousands of years after the War of the Ring. Now, the Long Night that is coming to the world is actually Dagor Dagorath - Morgoth is the Great Other and he is bound beyond the Wall along with the Others. His greatest servant, however, roams free, a shapeshifter as he always was and he sows discord and chaos in order to make humankind unprepared for the Last Battle.
Which character, in your opinion, would be the perfect disguise for Sauron? This character could either have been Sauron all along or Sauron killed them and took their place?
Littlefinger is probably the first that would come to mind.

Fanfic name: Pokemon A(sh)/S(erena)
--------------------Continuity and Placement-----------------
After 1 years of MPM Epsiode 11
For Liko and Roy: Somewhere After Pokemon Horizon Epsiode 6-8 and it's subject to change
--------------------Character settings--------------------
Main Cast: XY Gang (Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie) + OG Gang (Misty, Brock) + Gary Oak
Everyone will receive the Mega Evolution
​
Dawn become Top Coordinator before the fic starts.
May and Dawn will become Serena's rival.
Chloe is May, Dawn and Serena's apprentice
Pokemon Master scaling from best to worst: Ash >>>> Leon > all 6 Masters
Pokemon Coordinator scaling from best to worst : Dawn = May >< Serena > Chloe > Miette > Drew = Zoey
Pokemon Performer scaling from best to worst :Serena > May > Dawn > Aria > Chloe > Miette> Jessie
--------------------Miscellaneous--------------------
Everyone will have their official age +1, except Ash who is still stucking at 10 years old (There'll be the story arc which explains why Ash was still 10 years old)
Team rocket trio will be sent to jail at ending of Team Rocket Arc because I feels like they're superfluous in the fanfic. But they might return if I can make use of them and appears as reformed person because they're not entirely bad person I think
Liko and Roy will appear as side characters
Greninja will be actively used, but there'll be few chapter where Ash didn't bring his greninja in his party
Almost everyone will get Mega evolution
​
--------------------Change from Anime in this fanfic--------------------
-Ash will:

• become smarter and more mature at beginning, but still a dense shell.
• Use Aura and his superhuman strength very often
• Regularly use his old pokemon and keep switching his party except Pikachu, because in this fanfic, Ash want to spent more time with their old pokemon. However, as the times comes by, Ash's Team will slowly replaced by the Paldea Pokemon like Armarouge and Cyclizar

​
-While Bond Transformation is exclusive to Greninja in anime ,in this fanfic bond transformation can also be accessed if the Trainer have unusual high relationship with their Kalos Starter (might subject too change in future)
-Serena will slowly become a better battler than anime counterpart and will join the battle way more often and will even features with several back-to-back action with Ash
-Up to 6 on hand Pokemon Limit still applys here, but can use some device to replace members in their party as they wish before entering battle, and it can be bypassed by simply befriend with other pokemon rather than caught them in pokeball
-Introduce various of team finisher move which will not be considered as one of the "4 moves"
-4 moves limit are still applies here, but trainers can bypass it by create their very own charge move on their pokemon
-Trainers can use all 6 pokemon at the same time
-Features tons of OC enemy, pokemon or the antagionist that are neither Pokemon nor Humans.
-Bonnie will become part of the team instead of Tagalong Kid. She not only will got her squishy back, but also use her squishy to save the day way more often than in XY
-Ash's new Armarouge Gholdengo
--------------------Arc 1: The dream begins and reunion (ep 1-6)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, Romance, Amour
Ash recieved the invite that will makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but he must deal with the plant from giant rock which will eventually not only makes him reunite with his girlfriend, but also reassamble the entire XY cast and makes the story looks like XY sequel (lol!)
Episode 1: Story begins with Ash saw the nightmare where the world being destroyed and even Arceus unable to do anything about it. Then Ash wake up and he just realized that he was invited to see the Pokemon Contest final (Serena Vs Aria) in Kalos, but when Ash went to Kalos, he saw his Greninja being unconscious because of being overworked for cutting wood so many years non stop without taking any break (Lol!)
Episode 2: It's only 1 hours before Pokemon Contest final starts, Ash had sent his Greninja into Pokemon center. Meanwhile Bonnie and Clemont calls Ash that the plant from Giant Rock had nearing the Luminse City. Ash and Lucario attempt to sense where's the source of those plant are but unable to. Meanwhile at this time, Greninja had been fully recovered and returns to Ash!
Episode 3: Greninja had been recovered! With Greninja's help, Ash was finally able to find the source of the Giant Rock- on underground. Clemont used the newly devloped drill to make the tunnel so that Ash (with Pikachu, Lucario and Greninja), Clemont (with Luxray) and Bonnie (With squishy) will able to reach the underground and saw the core of those plants. With the combined effort of Pikachu, Lucario, Greninja, Luxray and Squishy, they was able to destroy the core and stopping the Giant Rock plant once and for all.
Episode 4: After the Giant Rock Plant Core had been Destroyed, Ash had found that the Pokemon Contest final had already begin. Ash was tried to reach Pokemon Contest as soon as possible. At first, Aria's excellent Contest skills makes Serena begin to self-doubt if she could made it, but Ash was eventally managed to arrives and cheers Serena, allowing Serena to unlock Bond Transformation on Her Delphox to become Serena-Delphox and become Kalos Queen (Yes, I made her Kalos Queen that early because I have struggle to write Pokemon Contest chapters)
Episode 5: At last, Ash and Serena had finally reunion! To celebrating Serena become Kalos Queen, Ash was going to buy the new clothes for Serena as suprise gift so that Serena can put her Blue Ribbon back on her chest, but Ash have struggle to do so because Ash know nothing about clothing style, but thanks to Diantha's help, Ash was eventally able to find the clothes that fits Serena and fits her Blue Ribbon.
Episode 6: Ash and Serena say goodbye to Miette, Diantha and May and moved to Pallet town. But at the next day, they found themselves had been trapped inside the crowd as both are now become the celebrity and all of the billboard had their own face! Diantha will teach Ash and Serena must find the way to move around in public
--------------------Clemont single chapter (ep 7)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action
I made this chapter so that I can give Clemont bond transformation form
Episode 7: Clemont had unveiled the upgraded Clembot MK III, but was being hacked by Xerosic who managed to escaped from jail. Clemont was managed to find Xerosic, but Xerosic was wearing some power protector which overpowers all of his pokemon and his chesnaught! Xerosic was teasing that Clemont's science is terrible, but Clemont determination that the science was supposed to be used for justice allows his chesnaught to unlock the bond transformation to become Clemont-chesnaught, allowing Clemont to defeat Xerosic and sent Xerosic back to jail. Unfortunately, Xerosic was managed to damage the Prism Tower which forcing Clemont, Bonnie and Meyer to living in Ash's house temporarily until the Prism Tower had been rebuilt.
--------------------Ash pidgeot single chapter (ep 8)--------------------
Type: Action
Despite Ash's pidgeot had officially returned to Ash, it's another questions of how long can his pidgeot live with his trainer.....
Episode 8: Tons of Fearow had invaded and caused the huge chaos in Pallet town and steals Serena's blue ribbon! Ash's Pidgeot had found that those Fearow are came from Viridian Forest. Ever since Pidgeot had reunited with Ash, those Fearow had rapidly reproduce, quickly take over the Viridian Forest and begin to spread out of nowhere! Those Fearow demands Ash's Pidgeot in exchange for those Pidgey and Pidgeotto's life and the Blue Ribbon. Ash and Pidgeot arrived Viridian Forest but those Pidgey and Pidgeotto told them not to leave his Pidgeot here because they thinks that the Pidgeot was belong to Ash and Ash refuse to leave his Pidgeot here. Those Fearow now attempt to hurt those Pidgey and Pidgeotto and ate the Blue Ribbon! Ash Mega Evolved his Pidgeot to fight against those Fearow but being slowly outnumbered by those Fearow. On the verge of Ash's Pidgeot's defeat, those Pidgey and Pidgetto had evolved into Pidgeot and helps Ash's Pidgeot to defeat those Fearow and give Ash back the Blue Ribbon, ending those Fearow's threat once and for all! Ash and his Pidgeot was bid farewell to those Pidgeot and give the Blue Ribbon back to Serena, now Ash's Pidgeot can live with Ash forever!
--------------------Arc 3: Team Rocket invasion (ep 9-17)--------------------
Type: Action
XY/XYZ cast had finally reassambled! But let's not forget about that they must deal with the very first and longest lasting villain organization-Team Rocket!
Epsiode 9: Gary had reunited with Ash, where former had become the Pokemon Professor. Gary brings Ash and Serena to visit the extension of Professor Oak's laboratory (Clemont and Bonnie was here too!). Meanwhile, Giovanni had arrived the laboratory and defeated Professor Oak. Gary came out and fight against Giovanni once again and.....lose once again. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket Grunts kidnapped Professor Oak while they're battling and Giovanni had left the laboratory!
Epsiode 10: Giovanni kidnapped Professor Oak to Team Rocket base to make Professor Oak works for him. Ash and Gary was thinking about how to save Giovanni. Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio appears once again and attempt to steal his Pikachu, but Misty and Brock arrives and saves Ash's Pikachu. Ash respond with a heavy heart as Ash aware that this might be their last time to prepare for trouble as Ash had decided to destroy Team Rocket once and for all (Yes, he feels sympathy for those Team Rocket Trio because he aware that Team Rocket Trio have heart) and Ash's pikachu sent Team Rocket Trio flying once again like usual!
Epsiode 11: Thanks to Clemont's science, Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary was able to track down the location of Team Rocket base. Clemont gives Ash the device which allows Ash to freely switch his Pokemon party anywhere and anytime. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary went to Team Rocket base while leaving Serena, Clemont and Bonnie at Ash's house. Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary charging towards Team Rocket Base and begin the final battle against Team Rocket!
Epsiode 12: Ash, Misty, Brock and Gary fight against thousands of Team Rocket Grunts who "Welcomed" them. But they slowly outnumbered by those Team Rocket Grunts and they realized that those Team Rocket Grunts are here to buying Giovanni's time! Misty and Brock decided to stay here and clean the road for Ash and Gary to reach Team Rocket Base! Meanwhile, Professor Oak had been tied into the chair which extract his knowledge about the pokemon.
Epsiode 13: Ash and Gary was finally managed to find Giovanni and Professor Oak. Giovanni transfer his consciousness into the Armored Mewtwo (this Mewtwo is different from the first movie one and it's nothing more than Giovanni's new body) while Gary was going to save Professor Oak. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie saw the news about Ash is fighting Armored Mewtwo and decided to head to Team Rocket base together with the help of met Korrina, Alain and Diantha. Meanwhile, Ash had been defeated by Giovanni and being tied outside the Team Rocket base!
Epsiode 14: Clemont, Bonnie and Serena met Korrina, Alain and Diantha to rescue Ash, but being interrupted by the artifical pokemon army. Meanwhile Giovanni was about to end Ash's life, but being stopped by Gary. Inside Ash's mental world, Aaron was teaching Ash to master Aura power. After Ash mastered the Aura power, Ash breaks free with his newly mastered Aura power and team up with Gary to fight against Giovanni.
Epsiode 15: Thanks to Ash and Gary's excellent teamwork, in addition of Ash's mastered Aura power, Giovanni had been easily defeated and Giovanni's mewtwo armor had been teared apart. At the same time, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha had defeated al of the grunts and artifical pokemon army and reunited with Ash and Gary. Meanwhile, Giovanni still refused to give up, he used the knowledge that being extracted from Professor Oak to create the gigantic ultimate pokemon called Chimera. Giovanni insert his consciousness into Chimera and razed half of Pallet Town into ground!
Epsiode 16: Despite the combined effort of Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Korrina, Alain and Diantha, Chimera was proven too much for those heroes to handle! Chimera then begin to cover the entire sky with the black smoke which will slowly turns all pokemon all over the world into shadow pokemon! Seems there's nothing to stop him, the real mewtwo appears and helps those hero to fight against Chimera. Meanwhile, Ash's Greninja was managed to use his extrasensory to emulate almost all of Pokemon moveset while his Lucario's aura power had been enchanced which allows his Lucario to create the spirit bomb sized aura sphere. Ash, his pikachu, Greninja and Lucario eventally able to blown Chimera to pieces and sent Giovanni's consciousness back to his human body. Ash came in front of Giovanni and about to kills him with Aura sphere, but Serena, and later the newly arrived Team Rocket Trio pleding Ash not to. Following Giovanni, Team Rocket Trio and rest of Team Rocket member being arrested, Team Rocket had finally being taken down for good. Korrina, Alain and Diantha say goodbye to Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie as Korrina, Alain and Diantha head back to Kalos. Ash and Team Rocket Trio made the promise that they'll be travel together once the Team Rocket Trio served their sentence
Epsiode 17: Few days after Team Rocket being taken down, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie made the celebration for that.
--------------------Arc 4: Ash being dense shell (ep 18-20)--------------------
Type: Storytelling, Action, character building, emotion
The world had back to it's peace following the shut down of Team Rocket. However, Ash's dense shell kick in ane he'll will learn the the hard way about what will happen for being dense shell
Epsiode 18: Ever since Ash become much stronger since the Team Rocket fight, he begin to become arrogant and addicted in Pokemon Battle! (Yes, typical dense shell Ash for ya) He begin to refuse other people's help and even end up having Quarrel with Serena! Ash ragequit his house and being attacked by Damian, who is looking for revenge of his charamder's betrayal. Despite Ash become lot stronger since they last met, Damian's newly obtained Psychic power and his Charizards army (Mega charizard X and Y, Gigantmaxed Charizard and Shadow Charizard that Damian created with his Psychic power) was proven even more ahead of Ash and defeats Ash! Meanwhile, Ash's rage towards Damian had results his Pikachu unleashed the large energy which not only quickly defeats Damian, but also create the huge hole on ground and become berserk!
Epsiode 19: Being humiliated by Damian and having his pikachu went berserk, Ash had slowly realized that he's only care about Pokemon and become megalomaniac had corrupted his bond with pikachu! He begin to feels sorry about how he treat his friends especially Serena. Ash was later apogoized to Serena and his friends and slowly reconcile with each other and discuss how to bring his pikachu back to control. With the combined effort of Serena and his friends, Ash was eventually able to bring his pikachu back to sense.
Episode 20: Those evil Malamar had finally returned to present and attempt to brainwash Ash and Serena once again, but Clemont used his creation. Ash and Serena was quickly blows those evil Malamar into ashes but the energy crystals absorbs those evil Malamar's body and activated and quickly defeated all of their pokemon except Pikachu. That energy crystals attempt to shoot laser on Serena and Ash attempt to run in front of that laser to protect Serena, which results Ash's feelings resonance with pikachu which makes his pikachu utilized that power once again to create the deadly new move for pikachu: Ragnerok! However, the power of Ragnerok had makes Ash and Pikachu unconscious for a while.
--------------------Arc 5-Serena's upgrade (21-22)--------------------
Type: Action, character building, passion, emotion
Seeing that Ash unconscious, Serena learned that she need to learn self defense so that she wont end up become damsel in distress when her boyfriend isn't present
Epsiode 21: Seeing that Ash end up unconscious for saving her, Serena decided to become stronger so that the same tragic won't happen again. Serena had found Bonnie to train with Bonnie's squishy. Because Serena was never joined the real battle before, Serena was not able to land any single hit on Squishy 10% form even with the combined effort of all her 3 pokemon + having her Delphox , then Serena realized that the only way to makes her stronger battler is to use what she already good at-Pokemon Performer. By using her pokemon performing skills into combat, she was finally able to defeat Squishy's 10% form.
Episode 22 (WIP): Serena will get Absol which will helps her in combat and will be used on Contest too
--------------------Single Pokeshipping chapter (ep 23)--------------------
Type: Story telling, Action
Misty must find the balance between traveling with Ash and her gym.
Episode 23: Misty had been tired of her having to do all three jobs from her 3 Irresponsible sisters, which making her leave her gym behind and went to Ash's house. Ash was suprised how Misty would willing to give up her gym for that Meanwhile, Damian hijacked Misty's gym and kidnapped Daisy, Lily, and Violet, to demands Misty in exchange her gym and her sisters. Ash and Misty worked together to defeat Damian and saved all 3. Misty's 3 sisters apogoized for over-reliance the gym operation to Misty alone and promised Misty that they'll become more responsible for their gyms. Misty give her gym back to her sisters and says goodbye to them.
--------------------------------------Planned Future story Arc:--------------------------------------
Pokemon Contest Arc (Mittie vs Serena) or:
Wallce Cup Arc(May vs Dawn, Chloe vs May, Chloe vs Dawn, Dawn vs Serena) or:
countine the romance amour with Ash arc: (Should I? But I really suck at writing those)
--------------------------------------Oizys Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Action, Deconstruction Fic, drama, passion, Original Story, Fantasy, Meta
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash teachs Goh how to take care of Pokemon, but Goh's dark side came to manifest as its own entirely separate, physical entity called Oizys, Goh's evil counterpart who is the psychopath pokemon hunter (a parody of many chinese amourshipping fic features with Goh as antagionist), Goh was paralyzed with fear after witnessing his evil counterpart's cruelty and end up in coma for a while. Oizys steal all Serena's pokemon, all Ash's ace (including his Greninja) and almost managed to steal his pikachu but his pikachu managed to free all of Ash's ace and Serena's pokemon, Ash and Serena got the upper hand and defeats Oizys, but Ash being posessed by Oizys in front of Serena's eyes and defeated almost every single Ash's traveling partner, all 7 Pokemon Masters , Gary Oak and Serena. But Serena was eventally managed to free Ash from Oizys control. After defeating Oizys, Goh finally wake up and learned the harsh lesson about how to take care of his pokemon.
​
--------------------------------------gossip Arc (adopted from this one shot): --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break sans Action. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Ash and Serena must find a way to debunk various of the fake news (like Liko is Ash and Serena's daughter) that damaging their reputations and free Liko from being cyberbullied. In addition, they'll also met Nemona for first time who will later join Ash's team.
--------------------------------------"Shipping War" Arc (adopted from This one shot): --------------------------------------
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Break Fourth Wall, humor
The giant blue bird had makes Serena and Misty , all Ash's female travel companion and even all humans in pokemon kills each other until there's only 1 left against their will! Ash was able to free all of his friend before any tragic happens but that giant blue bird absorbed Serena and begin to spread all over the world! The only way to save Serena is to have Ash insert the feelings toward Serena into the water shuriken to open the hole out of Twitter's physical body so that Ash can save Serena.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old truth Arc Prequel (adopted from this one shot**):**--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, character building, Action
Warning: Another original plot which full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC, filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break! Please watch at your discretion! If you want something closer to Pokemon Anime, skip to Paldea Arc.
After Ash and Serena discovered the truth about Ash's being cursed with eternal 10 years old which might potentially eventally wipe away his character development and revert him back to the 10 years old stupid dense shell like in Uvona, Ash and Serena got psychological shadow and escape from reality by living in their own dream and refuse to wake up. However, Ash and Serena would eventually overcome their fear and . It'll also features with the cameo appearance of Calem and Game Serena.
--------------------------------------Paldea Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Adventure, Humor, amour
Finally the story Arc that closer to Pokemon Anime rather than those edgy fourth wall break meta fic bullshit!
Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Brock, Gary (Should I put Goh and Chloe as well?) will go to Paldea to travel, they'll meet Roy , Liko and Friede for first time and Nemona will join Ash's team. They'll later met Steven and receive the Tera Orb which allows them to Terastalize their pokemon. Ash will got 2 new) Pokemon) in this Arc, might consider to give Misty Quaxly in this Arc.
Warning: Starting at this Arc, the typical Amour and even anime Pokemon logic will be thrown out the window and replaced with the original plot that you might not asked for!
--------------------------------------Tobias Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, drama, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Amour, character building, Action
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Tobias was revealed to be the "Ash's dream crusher", so strong that not even the combined effort of 7 Pokemon Master can stop him! This Arc features with the return and the final battle against Oizys and Damian.
--------------------------------------Ash's 10 years old Arc: --------------------------------------
Type: Deconstruction Fic, Original Story, Amour, Break Fourth Wall, romance, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, in-face towards TPC and filled with heavy irony and even fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Last Story Arc where Ash is still 10 years old
Ash finally defeated Tobias, but Ash's 10 years old curse had finally reverted Ash back to the tough dense shell. Ash's friend and Serena must find the way to break that curse to stop Ash from being 10 years old and bring the mature Ash back.
​
--------------------------------------Oshi no Ko crossoveIdol industry dark truth Arc:--------------------------------------
Type: crossover, drama, Break Fourth Wall, Humor
Warning: This Story Arc features with full of ridiculousness, rather dark story, heavy irony, fourth wall break etc. Please watch at your discretion!
Ash finally grown up! Serena was being invited to went to Japan for the performance but eventually rejected after she discovered the shocking, ugly truth of the idol industry in Japan. Officer Jenny gives the secret mission for Ash, Team Rocket Trio (served their sentence), Latias and Team Rocket Trio's Ditto will camouflage as Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe to sneak into those idol industry and debunk the dirty act in idol industry in Japan, while the real Serena, Dawn, May and Chloe will appeals to her fans all over the world to boycott such dirty act in idol industry in Japan.
--------------------------------------TBA Arc--------------------------------------

Previous Chapter Table of Contents
​
As we approached the front door, Aunt Freya turned to the dogs and said, “Jax and Apollo, wipe your paws,” in a firm but gentle tone. To my amazement, the two giant dogs obediently raised their massive paws one by one and wiped them on the towel hanging by the door.
Once their paws were clean, Aunt Fraya opened the unlocked door and led us inside. I first noticed how cozy and inviting the house’s interior was. The walls were painted a warm beige color and adorned with various paintings and photographs. The living room had a comfortable-looking couch and armchairs, with a coffee table in the center. It looked almost exactly how I remembered it the last time I was here. The only noticeable difference was the three dog beds by the door, and the pictures were newer, with people I barely recognized.
The dogs escorted us inside, one ahead and one behind me. I got a distinct feeling they didn’t trust me yet. But at least I wasn’t their chew toy.
I heard someone running towards me as I put my bags on the floor beside the coffee table. Suddenly, I felt a pair of thin arms wrap tightly around my waist. For a second, I freaked out, but I looked down and realized it was my cousin Julie! “John! I can’t believe you’re here!” she exclaimed, still holding me tightly.
Somehow shimmying and squirming, I hugged her back, feeling genuinely happy to see her for the first time in years. “Hey Julie, good to see you too. It’s been too long.” I replied, grinning.
After a few more seconds, Julie let go of me and stepped back to look at me, then suddenly punched me in the stomach. “Yeah, cause someone was too busy to visit or gone when we came to visit!” she said, smiling as I rubbed where she punched me.
I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed at the compliment, but I smiled back nonetheless. “Well, I needed to do those projects...and trips...” I trailed off, realizing I was making excuses. “Anyways, I’m here now, so it’s all good. Where are Jake and your dad?”
As I finished speaking, I heard a voice from around the corner. “Hey there, John! We’re in the dining room!” It was the unmistakable booming voice of my Uncle Paul.
I turned to my aunt, and she said, “Let’s go say hi to everyone.”
Still standing beside me, the dogs seemed to understand her words and began escorting me toward the dining room. Aunt Fraya giggled as she walked ahead while Julie was hanging off my arm. She couldn’t decide if she wanted me to drag her or if she pulled me.
As we walked, I couldn’t help but notice the well-behaved dogs acting like my guards. They walked beside me, occasionally sniffing at my feet or hands but never pulling ahead or breaking stride with Julie and me. I was starting to wonder if they were familiars instead of pets, but my cousins being non-magical would be hard. It was clear that my aunt had put a lot of time and effort into training them.
It wasn’t far to the dining area, and as we rounded the corner, I saw my Uncle Paul sitting at the head of the table with a big grin on his face and my cousin Jake sitting with a frown. “John! Good to see you!” he said as he got up from his chair, walked up to me, and gave me a firm handshake followed by a big hug.
I hugged him back with one arm since Julie didn’t release the other. “It’s good to see you too, Uncle Paul,” I said with a smile.
Letting go of me, Uncle Paul took Julie off me as she protested and turned to Jake, saying, “Don’t be rude, son. Say hi.”
Jake got up and, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, walked up to me and said in a frigid tone, “Hey, John. Long time no see.”
Uncle Paul shot Jake a disapproving look before turning back to me. “I’m sure you are tired as all. I know I’m always wiped when coming to visit you guys.” Turning to his kids, he said, “Well, come on then, you two go show John to his room.” Turning to me, he added, “The guest bedroom is all set up for you. Feel free to stay as long as you want,” gesturing for us to follow.
I followed Jake and Julie, but then I remembered forgetting my bags. I told my cousins, “Hang on!” and walked quickly to where I left the backpack, bag, and the box Dad gave to give to Aunt Freya. I heard hurried paw steps behind me as I grabbed them and returned to my aunt. “Here you go. Dad asked me to pass this along for you.”
Aunt Fraya responded with a pleasant smile, “Thank you, dear. You have some time before dinner, so rest up a bit. I’ll call up when food is on the table.” I nodded and walked quickly to catch up to my cousins waiting at the stairs.
As we walked towards the guest bedroom, I couldn’t help but notice the dogs walking alongside us again as if they were our escorts. It was both amusing and worrisome at the same time. I was starting to feel like the dogs didn’t trust me. I will just need to try to buy some treats and bribe them.
Once we arrived at the guest bedroom, Jake stood by the door as Julie excitedly started chattering and pointing out all the little details that she and Aunt Fraya had worked on to make the room comfortable for me. “And here’s your extra blankets. The door locks cause the dogs like to roam sometimes, and here’s the WiFi password,” she said, handing me a slip of paper.
I looked confused at the paper. “WiFi? What’s that?”
Jake laughed for the first time. “You are practically an alien in this world. This is going to be amusing.”
I felt hurt, but I was glad we had something to discuss. “Yeah, I really am. But that’s kinda the point of this experience.”
Julie asked to hang on for a min and slipped out of the room, the dogs parting just wide enough for her to slip past them in the doorway.
I looked at Jake. “Dude, come on. We grew up together. What’s up?”
He sighed, took a few steps to the bed, and plopped on it, leaning against the wall, feet dangling over the edge. “We did, but recently I realized just how different we are. It makes it hard to be comfortable with someone always so loaded for bear.”
I looked confused at him and put my bag and backpack on the bed next to him. “What do you mean.” as I sat on the chair.
He sighed. “I mean magic. You are from a world of power, and I’m from a world of Mundane.”
I scrunched my nose. “Don’t say that. It’s not nice. And I would never do anything to hurt you or Julie or your parents.” I glanced at the dogs in the door, wondering if I should extend my promise.
Jake smiled softly. “Yeah, I’m sure not on purpose.” He paused and frowned. “But to be honest, my college rejection letter also came today. And I was sure I could get into my first choice and didn’t bother applying elsewhere.”
I looked confused at him, but Julie tore back into the room before I could respond, somehow slipping between the two dogs. “Had to steal mom’s phone. I’ll explain what WiFi is, you Luddite.”
“Hey, be nice! Don’t call him names!” Jake yelled at Julie.
“I don’t know what that is, so I’m not offended.” I shrugged.
“I don’t know either, but it would fit.” Julie chirped as she sat next to John on the bed. “WiFi is what you use to access the internet.”
I pulled my own phone out. “Oh, how do I do that?”
Julie froze. “Well, now I must go slip this before I get caught.”
From somewhere in the house, Aunt Freya’s voice, “JULIE ARIEL SMITH! Give me back my phone!”
Julie looked worried as she tore out of the room through the parting dogs to the roaring laughter from Jake and me. After laughing, I said, “I’m not sure what that means about college rejection, but I’m sorry you are going through that. I just want things to be as normal as we can. Like we were when we were kids.”
Jake briefly looked at the ceiling, thinking, “Nothing changed. And I’ll figure something out eventually about college. For now, let’s just have fun.” With a smile, he got up and said, “I’ll give you some breathing room as you settle in. Let’s catch up when we get time sometime.”
After Jake left, I waited a second to see if the dogs would go. Instead, they lay down, blocking the doorway in a way that would make me move them to leave. I sighed and turned to the bags on the bed.
I unpacked my backpack and bag, placing my clothes in the drawers. They were dimensional bags as well. So I could bring everything I could need, so I only unpacked what I would need for the next week or so. I noticed the dresser was empty except for a few spare blankets and pillows at the bottom, so I took the opportunity to spread out my clothes and organize them.
I left most of my magical equipment in the backpack. I wouldn’t need anything but my wand, the summing bracelet still on my right hand. The only thing I took out was the scroll my parents gifted me. I put it on the table, admiring the intricate design and the fine craftsmanship. I was sure they had spent much money on it, so I wanted to take care of it. Not that these were very delicate, but still.
Next, I took out the gifts I had brought for my cousins from my bag. I hid them in the drawer on the table, so they would be a surprise for later. I wanted to wrap them into something, but I would have to give them as is.
I decided to check out the rest of the room. I went to the dresser and pulled open the top drawer, which was empty like the others. Looking around the room were several pictures and paintings. What was surprising to me was that they were very still.
Curious, I turned to the two doors in the room. One was clearly a closet, and that’s the first one I walked up to and pulled open. It was a good size, with plenty of space to hang clothes and store shoes. I put my backpack and bag in there to ensure they stayed out of the way.
I then turned my attention to the other door. I opened it slowly, unsure of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find a clean, well-maintained bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet. The towels hanging on the rack smelled fresh. I vaguely remembered how to use this shower from the last time, and I hope it won’t be a problem.
Feeling satisfied with my new living quarters, I returned to the desk and sat down. This seemed like the perfect time to tell my parents I was safe and at my Aunts house.
I pulled my old scroll from my pocket. It was much simpler than the new one my parents had given me and was meant more for local communication. It wouldn’t have a powerful spell circle to reach my parents or friends. But it did have all the imprints and contacts from them.
I conjured the wand and pointed it at the new scroll on the table. Using the transfer spell, I could transfer my friends’ imprints from the old scroll to the new one. All three items glowed pale, and it only took a moment. Soon I saw their names appear on the new scroll, indicating they were successfully added.
As I was admiring my handiwork and ensuring that every name I wanted was transferred, I suddenly heard a voice next to me. “Was that... magic?” Julie’s voice made me jump up in my seat, my heart racing, my hand shaking holding the wand, sweat beading on my brow. She was maybe 2 feet away from him, standing just outside my field of view.
At my threatening gesture, the dogs in the doorway growled. But Julie looked at them and said, “Shush.” they did.
I steadied my breathing and said, “Yeah. I didn’t get a chance to transfer information from my old scroll to my new one.”
She pointed at my hand. “Is that a wand? Can I hold it?”
I breathed and willed the wand back into storage. “Not right now. Maybe a bit later. I can show you some tricks and magic.”
She looked disappointed but said, “Okay.” Walked over to the bed and sat down. “Mind if I hang out here for a bit?”
I shrugged. “Do you mind if I write a quick letter without distractions?” She nodded, so I sat at the table, folded the old scroll, and put it aside. I moved the new scroll closer to myself, used the quill that was part of the package, and selected my parent’s imprints.
I concentrated on the quill and started writing the letter to my parents. Since this was my first time, the quill took a few tries to obey me. In glowing letters on the scroll, I wrote about how I was safe at my aunt’s place and succeeded in making it there. I also mentioned that I had transferred the imprints of my friends onto the new scroll and that I was going to try to contact them soon. And reminded them that they could always reach out.
As I finished the letter, I read it over to ensure it said everything I wanted. Satisfied, I closed my eyes and focused my energy on the sending spell. After a second, I opened my eyes as the words on the scroll lifted off the page and folded into an owl.
The owl flew straight through the wall and into the night sky, heading towards the enclave where my aunt picked me up from, which must be the nearest relay to here.
“Wow. That’s so cool.” Julie whispered from the bed, and I turned just in time to see her cover her mouth.
I smiled and said, “Yeah, magic is pretty cool. But so is your technology. I’m going to need all your help to figure it out.” And I pulled out my phone.
She looked excited. “Oh, of course, your sensei will teach you everything.” But before she could do anything, I heard a high-pitched barking bounding down the hall outside my room.
Then a tiny fur ball jumped over the two dogs and bound towards me with the fury of a starved hellhound ready to eat. I conjured my wand, but fore I could do anything or the little hellion reached me, Julie nimbly plucked him mid-jump and held him like a baby on its back. The little beat instantly calmed down and let out a happy little whine of pleasure. The two dogs in the doorway growled their disapproval.
Julie whispered, “It’s okay. He’s a friend. No eating, my cousin.” Holding him out towards me, she said, “Sparky. Say high to John.”
Sparky wasn’t convinced of my status in the family and gave a menacing high-pitched bark and a growl. However, she stopped when Julie brought him close to herself and smacked him in the nose softly. “No!” She held him out, and this time he let out an almost friendly bark.
“Nice to meet you, Sparky,” I said, not letting go of my wand.
I breathed a sigh of relief as she brought Sparky close to herself. Sparky licked her face, and Julie giggled. I was horrified for a moment when she let him down. He landed softly on his tiny feet, made a circle, and then turned to me. For a second, I thought he would attack me and prepared to defend myself, but I had Nothing to worry about. He walked up to me, sniffed my feet, then pranced back to Julie, tongue lolling and tail wagging.
Julie laughed as she stroked Sparky’s fur. “Don’t worry, he’s harmless. He just loves to bark.”
I chuckled and replied, “Well, I’m glad to hear that. He’s pretty cute, actually. When he’s not acting like an angry furry volleyball of doom.”
Julie smiled and said, “Yeah, he’s my little buddy. He’s been with me since I was a kid. Well, I guess like 4 years now or so.” Looking at me, she asked, “Do you have any pets?”
I shook my head. “No. My parents have familiars. But when I wanted a pet, my parents told me I was immature. Then when I was mature, I didn’t have time. When I have more time, I’ll probably get a pet.”
She thought momentarily and said, “I know your mom has the owl cat. And your dad has a giant three-headed dog. I guess I was expecting you to have at least something. Maybe a cat or a dog. Or maybe something more exotic like a dragon.”
My eyebrows shot up. “A dragon? That would be cool, but they’re pretty dangerous and, you know, illegal. They are very endangered. I mean, I guess a petite dragon would be an option. But they are a lot of work.”
She looked convinced. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe you should stick with a cat or a dog, for starters.”
I laughed and glanced at the dogs in the doorway who were sitting at attention. I looked back at Julie and realized her eyes were fixed on the wand in my hand. I could see a mix of curiosity and fear in them. With a jolt, I remembered what Jake had said earlier about magic being power. I started to feel self-conscious and put the wand in storage again with a small flash of magic. Julie blinked hard and looked away.
I looked at Julie with concern as she picked up Sparky, held him close, and took a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” I asked gently, noticing the nervousness in her body language. I had no idea what I did to scare her like this.
She hesitated for a moment, looking down at Sparky on her lap. She patted him for an uncomfortably long silence before finally whispering, “I don’t know how to ask this, but... can I do magic?” Her question caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. She looked up at me, and I could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, and I wanted to reassure her.
But I couldn’t.
I took a deep breath. This was going to be a delicate conversation. I had to break the news gently. “Julie, I’m sorry to say this, but only those born with magic can use it,” I said, my voice low and even. “There are two species of humans. One with magic and one without. You know how there are different kinds of dogs?” After she nodded, I continued, “There are a few different kinds of humans as well.”
Julie’s face didn’t change. “So, I can’t do magic? You are sure?” she asked, her voice quivering.
I shook my head. “I’m afraid not,” I said, trying to sound sympathetic. “It’s just the way things are. But don’t worry, you can still do plenty of amazing things without magic.”
She looked like she was about to say something else, but we heard a voice from the door before she did. “John, food is ready.” Turning, I saw Aunt Freya. “Julie, don’t forget to wash your hands before coming to the dinner table.”
Julie didn’t say anything but turned with a smile to her mom. I got a bit of whiplash from her emotional swings but didn’t say anything. She dropped Sparky to the floor and walked out the door. She paused at the door and said, “Let’s talk later.”
The big dogs parted to let her through but moved back together. Sparky walked up to the dogs, barked shortly and jumped over the big dogs, and followed Julie.
I grabbed the gifts from the drawer I hid them in and decided to just give them as is. I walked to the door, but the dogs didn’t budge. After a second, I cleared my throat and said, “Excuse me?”
The dogs looked lazily at me but didn’t leave. I heard Aunt Fray’s voice from somewhere in the house. “Jax, Apollo, leave John alone. He’s a friend.”
The dogs growled, got up, and trotted away from the door.
I said, “Thank You,” and walked behind them, letting them lead me to the dining room.
​
Previous Chapter Table of Contents

Shein watched from the sidewalk as the two humans shook hands before stepping back a few paces from each other.
The stocky one drew a bastard sword with a fat bellied tip. Calmly proclaiming.
"Drake is a better swordsman than the scourge."
The other, much thinner human, drew a long, thin Rapier and donned a chainmail glove. Softly rebuking.
"I believe the scourge is a better swordsman, to first blood?"
The stocky human nodded, a playful grin on his face.
"Try not to take one of my eyes out with one of those wild thrusts you're taught"
The thinner human smiled back, returning a quip of his own.
"As long as you don't try and take my head off, with those wide swings of yours."
The two nodded in agreement.
Then they clashed.
The rapier jabbed at the stocky human's cheek, the stocky human twisting out of the way as the bastard sword's tip flashed inches away from the thin human's throat. The thin human countered by leaning back, throwing a left hook with the chain mail glove. The stocky man ate it, parrying the rapier that whipped for his side before retaliating with a kick to the chest that sent the thinner man stumbling back with a laugh.
They engaged again, the bastard sword swept upwards as the rapier swished down at an angle. The two blades met and the heavier bastard sword pushed the rapier aside, the rapier redirecting the bastard sword slightly away from the thin man's face. Locking the two chest to chest. Each other's blades locked at the cross guard before they broke away.
The rapier thrusted, the bastard sword cleaved through the air.
A line was cut on the stocky man's cheek just as the tip of the bastard sword opened up a small, two inch long cut across the other's sternum.
The two humans felt their injuries, saw the blood and smiled. The stocky man sheathed his bastard sword and extended the hand he'd touched the cut with, blood on his fingers.
"Good work as always Thomas, you're getting quicker with that needle of yours."
Thomas smiled and shook the stocky man's hand with his own bloodied one.
"I can say the same Gary, that blade of yours is getting harder and harder to redirect almost took my nose off with that upward swing."
Gary smiled and gave a hearty laugh before clapping his friendly rival on the back.
"Let's go get a beer and compare notes then. Tangling up my sword guard with the basket hilt? Brilliant idea."
The two human's voices faded into the usual burble as everyone continued on with their day. Taking a moment to watch Gary and Thomas's weekly duel was a common past time in the forge district.
Shein stopped by a food cart manned by a cephalopod, who was selling fried octopus.
"Hey Tignak, get any confused tourists today that accuse you of cannibalism?"
There was a sound like a dozen suction cups being pulled off of one another, the cephalopod's version of laughter. The vendors voice appearing in her head after a small pulse that she could accept or deny access to.
"A few, they seem to forget I'm a terrestrial squid and not a deep water octopus. Besides, if I tasted anywhere near this good, I'd just lop a few feet of each limb off, fry it and sell it. They'd grow back in a day or two and I'd save a ton on groceries."
Shein laughed with Tignak, imagining the sight of him casually frying the end of one of his own tentacles.
"I don't doubt Tig, speaking of which. I'm visiting my old man and you know how much he loves your cooking."
She felt Tig's smile in her mind even though the octopus's face was completely unreadable. Just a very large eye staring back at her.
"Of course, you know Frank and I go way back, have these on the house."
Tig took a few fresh squid, whacked them against the table to kill them instantly before starting to fry them up. It only took a few minutes for the many armed food cart manager to cook and box up a half dozen fried squid. Shein took the box gratefully and bowed her head to Tig.
"Thank you Tig, I owe you one, if you need anything you know how to reach me."
The cephalopod gave a salute with an unoccupied tentacle.
"No worries Ms. Stein, please visit more often, I enjoy our little chats."
Shein smiled and turned to walk off, using her nimble tail to drop a twenty credit piece in Tignak's tip jar. It had been awhile since she'd last seen her dad, her job took her to some pretty far away places for long periods. But whenever she knocked on his door, that tired old mouse always answered with gusto.
Shein plodded her way down the main street, picking up some small material samples from the local smiths for her father's experiments. As she neared the warehouse her father had converted into a machine shop and living quarters. She knocked on the door rather roughly, hearing a pneumatic hiss on the other side and the impact of metal against flesh.
Without a second's more hesitation, Shein ripped the door open, concern etched across her face.
"Shit! You good doc? that sounded like it hurt!"
The old mousian was laughing, a bruise on his furless cheek where Ferrick's new arm had punched him with pneumatic assistance. Ferrick knelt by the laughing mousian, a concerned look on his face as he swept his now gunmetal grey hair out of his eyes.
Doctor Franklin Neville Stein simply patted the cyborgs still intact upper bicep, chuckling as he scratched one of his tattered ears.
"Ah! consider it a function check my boy! That was barely at ten percent power and it knocked me flat!"
Ferrick looked down at his new arm and began chuckling with the mad doctor before pulling the much smaller mousian to their feet.
"Doctor's orders, unrefusable! Good work on the arm though, if that was ten percent I can't imagine what fifty or a hundred would've done."
Dr.Frank nodded, the maniac glint of a mad scientist coming to his eyes.
"With the newly improved valves and better seals, you could punch a hole in starship armor at seventy. One hundred and you might just punch through the entire ship!"
The two old galactic adventures laughed together. Before shein cleared her throat.
The two men slowly, guiltily turned around as Shein gave them both a dirty look, hand slipping away from the handgun she kept at the small of her back. She pointed at her dad.
"We've discussed this dad, stay out of range of your own machines when you're working on them."
She glared at Ferrick who sheepishly looked down. She did take a bit of pride in that, she was the only person he feared pissing off.
"And you! I told you not to let him work on your prosthetics while they're still attached! Do we need to have another Icarus scenario to deal with?"
Ferrick mumbled back sheepishly.
"We only leveled the warehouse once..."
Shein slapped her palm against her face, dragging it down in exasperation before simply saying.
"Leveled it? Yeah you've only done that once. However, you two have burned it down, shot bowling balls through the walls, created a miniature sun that bathed everything in lethal amounts of UV radiation after the containment field lost power. Or that time it got sucked into the warp because you two couldn't get it through your thick skulls why we dont open portals to the warp in atmosphere. You're extremely lucky neither of you got sucked in with it."
Shein took a deep breath and let it out slowly before setting the box of fried squid on the metal dinner table. The two old veterans of intergalactic conflicts hanging their head in shame after being berated by a journalist. Then Shein started snickering softly before saying.
"I love you both, but seriously, when you two get together they seriously consider evacuating parts of the forge district in case one of your guy's experiments goes away. Again. Anyway, let's eat, I'm hungry."
The two old men smiled at each other and gave a chuckle before joining Shein at the table. Shein was munching on the fried tentacle of a squid when ferrick turned to her father.
"How's the artificial blackhole coming along?"
"Swimmingly, it just stabilized last night and is ready for observa-"
The two men were distracted from their conversation by Shein slamming her head into the table. Her voice muffled as she stated.
"You two are the dumbest fucking geniuses I know. Dad, please for the love of God, get rid of the black hole."
Dr.Frank sheepishly looked between ferrick and his daughter. Ferrick shrugged as if to say.
'might as well be honest old man'
Clearing his throat Dr.Frank sheepishly replied.
"Sweetheart, it's a black hole... The most I can do is keep it stable until it runs out of energy."
Shein looked at her father.
"And how long will that take?"
Her father grimaced.
"More... More than two hundred and fifty thousand years give or take."
Shein just groaned as she lowered her head back to the table. Quietly muttering to herself.
"How can they be so smart yet so dumb at the same time. Thank God neither of them care about intergalactic domination."
Ferrick turned back to Dr.Frank, a smile creeping onto his face as he overheard Shein's mumblings.
"So how's the manifesto going Frank?"
"FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK YOU TWO, JUST BE NORMAL FOR FIVE SECONDS!"
The exasperated reporter cried out. Sending both Ferrick and Dr.Frank into howls of laughter as she finally realized they were fucking with her.
"You two are insufferable. One of these days you're going to give me an aneurysm with your antics."
She chuckled and shook her head.
"Glad you didn't actually make a black hole dad."
The two men's laughter suddenly stopped and they shared a glance.
Shein pinched her nose and sighed defeatedly.
"Scratch that, I think I just had one. I'm going home before you two summon some eldritch horror or something."

When I was a kid, I used to love Halloween. Not for the candy, because I was a picky eater and only liked a few kinds… but more for the costumes and the fact that sometimes I’d see things that other people didn’t. I didn’t know until years later that they didn’t see these things too, I just assumed they did.
I used to talk about the people dressed up in really old clothes, or the people who looked dead, or other things and no one would know what I was talking about. I figured they just never saw these people because they were busy or looking somewhere else.
Anyway, Halloween was fun until I was 13 and celebrated it for the last time. I had been working on my costume for about three months and I was very excited about it.
I’d found some black fabric and with my Mom’s help, I’d turned it into a hooded cloak that was long enough to completely cover my feet… bulky enough to not show what was underneath it… and the hood part was deep enough to completely hide my face. With it on, if I looked into the mirror, I could only see my mouth and chin… everything else was just darkness.
I also carved and polished a dead tree limb until it looked like a wizard’s staff… stained it black… then carved a notch in it and inserted a cardboard scythe head wrapped in aluminum foil.
See where I’m going here?
I painted my face bone white with some face paint my Mom bought me and wore some black gloves with white skeletal fingers she sewed on for me.
Yup… I was going as Death.
I thought it was the coolest idea ever and I thought I looked great. I even went so far as to wear my darkest black t-shirt and black sweatpants under the cloak so even if they did see through it… all they’d see is darkness.
It was perfect.
I said bye to my Mom around 6:30 and headed out. I lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and you felt pretty safe about going anywhere. There wasn’t any real worry about drugged candy or weird people grabbing you. It was great.
I started off in the apartment complex where I lived and hit every apartment I could. The first dozen or so just handed me candy and shut the door… not saying anything. I figured… they were so much in awe of my Death costume that they couldn’t speak.
Yeah… I was that kid.
It was when I got the one of the apartments on the end of the complex that I realized the beginning of my suffering. The door opened and a middle aged mom smiled at me and said the words I would hear so many times that night.
“Oh… don’t you look good. You’re dressed up like that Willow character, aren’t you?”
The first time it happened, I just shook my head and in as deep a voice as possible said…
“I’m Death…”
They’d laugh and just close the door after giving me some candy. To be honest, I figured it was just a one time thing… until it happened again… and again… and again.
Two dozen times and I was fuming. Willow came out in 1988 and the movie was already more than a year old by then. Why did everyone think I was Willow. I mean, I know I was short but come on… I’m not THAT short?!
I left the complex and moved out into the surrounding neighborhoods. I began to feel a little better when the comments turned into more generic characters… but still, it was a bunch of wizard comments. I mean really? What wizard walks around with skeletal hands and a scythe… a FREAKING SCYTHE!
I wandered around until my sack was full and I was so fed up with everyone having no clue who I was or laughing in my face when I told them. I’d had enough and headed home.
I got home and the lights were off so I assumed Mom was asleep or out somewhere. I dumped my bag of candy on the kitchen table, grabbed another one and figured Id head back out to see if I missed anyone.
As I stepped outside, I noticed everything seemed a bit more quiet. The air, which had been a little chilly before, now seemed wet and really cold. Fog had rolled in out of nowhere and everything looked really cool.
I just stood there in the courtyard and smiled at how much it looked like a horror movie now.
“This is awesome…”
Heading out to check some of the people who didn’t answer their doors… and some I skipped over because the crowds were too thick… I stumbled upon a kid dressed like Dracula. The guy looked to be maybe six or seven years old and all by himself.
His costume was great. Old style clothes from decades ago, his skin was pale from makeup or something, his hair was short and slicked back… and his eyes looked so weird. The kid… or whoever made his costume… was a genius.
It was then I got a little worried. The kid was all by himself. I mean, it’s like close to 9:00 now and I know the town was relaxed about things… but not when you’re six.
Walking over to him, I caught his attention. He looked at me and his eyes went wide. Not with fear though… more like recognition.
“Death…”
I just smiled at this kid. Finally… someone knew who I was. The biggest grin crossed my face and I was determined to get this kid as much candy as possible.
“You hit many places yet?”
He shook his head no and I grinned… my teeth shining as moonlight came out from behind some clouds and lit up my hood.
“Cool… I’m taking you trick or treating then.”
The kid grinned and followed me as I took him around the complex. I asked him if he was new, as I’d never seen him before and I knew all the kids. He didn’t answer me. I shrugged it off, figuring the kid was nervous.
We came to the first few places and a lot of them didn’t answer, but the ones who did just handed me some candy and moved to close the door.
“Hey wait a minute.. what about Dracula here?”
They looked at me funny and closed the door. This happened so many times and each time, it got more annoying. It was really starting to piss me off.
“These assholes sure are being stingy.”
I turned to the kid, who was frowning now, and crouched down next to him.
“Hey Drac… don’t worry about it. I got a ton of candy back at my place. Why don’t we head back there, I’ll split my candy with you then I’ll walk you home. Sound good?”
The kids nodded, looking much happier now and I led him back to my apartment. As we got close, I could see the lights were on.
“Give me a second to grab my stash. I left it on the table.”
He nodded as I walked inside and grabbed my bag of candy off the table. My mom was watching TV and asked what I was doing.
“Gonna split my candy with this little kid I found. Everyone was being mean to him and wouldn’t give him any.”
My mom smiled and kissed my head as she walked into the kitchen.
“Tell him to head on home, it’s late.”
I nodded and told her I was going to walk him home then be right back. I headed outside and saw Dracula looking around nervously. I walked over to him and handed him my first sack of candy.
“Here you go… now, where do you live? My mom said to walk you home cause it’s getting late.”
The kid just looked at me and looked nervous. He pointed to somewhere outside the complex and I nodded.
“Ok… give me a sec to let my mom know and we’ll leave.”
I turned my head to look at the door when I noticed it was open and my mom was staring at me.
“Who are you talking to… and where is the little boy?”
I looked at my mom, wondering what was wrong with her.
“He’s right here…”
I looked back at the kid… but he was gone. My sack of candy was on the ground and there was no one in sight.
“Where’d he go?”
My mom walked over to me and looked around.
“Where did who go, honey? I followed you outside and you were by yourself… talking to no one. You took your bag of candy, held it out, then dropped it and turned to talk to me.”
I just stared at her.
“No… I handed it to the little kid dressed as Dracula. Didn’t you see him?”
My mom looked at me funny and placed her hand on my forehead.
“You don’t have a fever… but honey… you were the only person out here. Now… where is the boy so I can drive him home?”
I didn’t know what to say. He was right here… but mom didn’t see him. He couldn’t have run off because I was talking to him when she watched me drop the candy.
“I guess he ran off or something.”
My mom frowned but when she saw the look on my face, she just wrapped her arms around me and herded me inside.
“I’ll ask around tomorrow and see who he was. It’s late and you need to head off to bed.”
I nodded and walked inside after picking up the sack of candy.
The next day, Mom asked around and no one knew who the kid was. She asked the neighbors that I went to with him… and they all said I had been alone.
They said I kept asking about candy for Dracula… but there was no one there, so they thought I was just being funny. Mom just thanked them and dropped it.
When she got home she had me go over everything that happened one more time and I told her. It didn’t make sense to me but Mom just laughed and shrugged.
“Maybe he was a ghost? It’s as good an explanation as any.”
With that said, she dropped it and moved on. I just sat there, eyes wide with fear. I’d gone as Death… and took a kid ghost trick or treating. The very idea bothered me so much… I tossed my candy in the trash.
That was the last time I celebrated Halloween… the night I went trick or treating… with a ghost.

By Fin
“Holy crap.” James Talbot stepped back from his handiwork. It was beautiful. It made him want to scream.
Talbot was a chemist, the modern form of an alchemist, and he’d discovered something as wondrous and terrible as the most extreme postulations of his forbearers.
This was it. The culmination of all his works. This is what he’d fought for decades for, why he’d abandoned connections with everyone he’d ever known. But now it was all worth it. He would reveal the Masterwork at the Grand Chemistry Convention. It would steal the show, and he would be revered beyond every other human being who had ever lived.
It had taken Talbot long enough to assemble the Masterwork that he’d shed the title of ‘young’, not to mention most of his non-gray hair. Although it was hard to tell whether that was from aging or from what he’d beheld in his long sojourn. He was only 45, after all, and the rest of his body still held firm from decades of outdoorsmanship.
Talbot stood before a wall, upon which was painted the most intricate design any human had ever seen. It was a diagram of… unknown things. A chart of runes, maps, and artfully painted lines. There was no text in any living language on the diagram, but the harmony within the full tapestry visually sang, imparting something unfathomable in a way that Talbot could somehow fathom. The man who’d made it, who’d studied it for 15 years, barely understood it himself. But he knew that it was the ultimate solution to the entirety of philosophy, containing the answers to every question humanity had ever seen fit to ask. It had existed in his notebook for a while, in bits and pieces, but today had been its first full assembly, and it was magnificent.
He had to keep it hidden, or someone would take it from him.
He retrieved a tarp and threw it over the wall, nailing it in at the top so it hung down to cover his designs. Just to be sure, he moved his desk to block the wall, then locked the door to his office when he left for the day. James Talbot was more excited than he had ever been, and he celebrated that night with a fireplace and a large bottle of whiskey.
Of all the people at his office to commit espionage, Talbot never would’ve suspected the night janitor. This may stem from the fact that he also never suspected the night janitor to be part of a massive secret organization dedicated to keeping humanity as ignorant as possible in matters of the Higher Order.
But no matter what Talbot suspected, Tim Willis was indeed part of this society, and after he’d entered Talbot’s office with his master key to do some routine cleaning, the obvious secrecy surrounding the wall at the back of the room worried him. So he moved the desk out of the way, lifted the tarp, and inhaled sharply.
This was bad. A tapestry of the Higher Order more complete than any he’d seen before, or any reported by the other Censors of the Agency for the Preservation of Humanity.
Willis quickly replaced the tarp and desk. As soon as he’d locked the room, he pulled out his phone and dialed the number for an Alexander Talc.
Talbot arrived the next morning with a song in his heart and a latte in his hand. The former died horribly as soon as he entered his office only to find someone sitting in his chair, and the latter died horribly as it fell from his fingers, limp in shock.
The person in question was a short, slight man who wore thick glasses and a dark gray suit. He was sitting on Talbot’s office chair, facing the now uncovered back wall with all of its eldritch calculations. Talbot’s desk had been moved to the side of the room, left askew with the tarp crumpled up on top.
As Talbot entered, the stranger spun the chair around so he was facing the chemist, a broad smile on his face. He was undeniably attractive, in a delicate sort of way.
“Ah! You must be the aspiring alchemist?” He spoke softly and cheerily, but with an unnerving edge. Talbot couldn’t identify any specific aspect of his voice that disturbed him, but upon further consideration he concluded that it was the incongruity of the situation, the warm friendliness of his tone grating against Talbot’s unease.
Talbot took a step back, shaken. “I don’t… what-”
“Quite an impressive display here. You’ve managed to glean a quite large amount of knowledge about the Higher Order, especially considering you’ve never consulted us at the APH.” He pronounced it phonetically, like Aff.
“What are you-”
Talbot heard a click from behind him, and turned to see Tim Willis, the night janitor, closing and locking his door. He could barely register the betrayal.
“Ah, yes. Tim is working for me. For us. The Agency for the Protection of Humankind really frowns upon anyone attempting to learn the Higher Order.”
Talbot, finally able to form a full sentence, asked, “What’s the Higher Order?”
“You know what it is, of course, although you may not have heard the term. It’s what we call the mechanics of the very fabric of the universe itself. The questions about ‘why are we here?’ and ‘is there a god?’ and all the stuff like that. All theoretical philosophy, basically. And you, apparently through sheer dumb luck,” He turned to admire the mural again, “have managed to find more of it than any human being ever, including us! Quite impressive. Big hand.” The man slow-clapped for Talbot. The small sweet-looking man being sarcastically condescending was jarringly incongruous.
Talbot felt a surge of anger, and it helped him produce a full sentence. “Dumb luck?!?” He advanced on the man. “My Masterwork is the product of 20 years of research and experience! This is the greatest thing anyone has ever done, and how dare you say I achieved it through dumb luck!”
The man raised his hands placatingly. “Okay, okay!” He chuckled. “Years of research, whatever. You found the Higher Order. That’s where we come in.”
“Why?”
“Ah. Well, you see, the reason that no one’s found the entire Higher Order is simple. It’s because we stop them.”
Talbot was incredulous. “What?! Why would you stand in the way of progress like that?!” As a scientist, the possibility that there could be anyone actively against gaining knowledge was incomprehensible to him.
The man grimaced, as though he was about to break some terrible news. “Well… there are some parts of this tapestry you’ve assembled, specifically here...” The man pointed at a small segment of the diagram, a thick horizontal line with four thin lines crossing perpendicularly that turned into five lines on the other side, “That grants access to some other planes of existence. Planes of existence that are home to some very dangerous things. And due to some logistical aspects of the Higher Order,” He gestured at another segment of the diagram entirely composed of square symbols, “if you muck about in their domain, they are able to muck about in ours. The Law of Equivalent Interference.”
“But… how would our finding answers count as ‘mucking about in their domain’? If we knew the danger, we just wouldn’t go there.”
The man was silent, then answered Talbot’s question with a question. “Tell me, Talbot. If humans discovered another dimension, do you really think they’d be able to stay out of it?”
“Fine. But then why do you have to censor the whole thing? Why not give them the benign parts that would still forward human progress by centuries?”
“Because the Higher Order is like Algebra. Or a logic puzzle from Highlights magazine. If you give someone smart enough just a few clues, they’ll eventually assemble the whole picture. Which we desperately want to avoid.”
There was a long and heavy silence.
“Ok.” Said Talbot, wrapping his head around the new information. “So the APH stops people from finding the answers to these questions so our world isn’t destroyed by Fourth Dimensional entities?”
“Exactly!” The man nodded, delighted at Talbot’s comprehension. “Well, they’re technically Fifth Dimensional. The existence of time in our reality means that this is the Fourth Dimension.”
There was another silence.
“Sorry, what was your name again?” Talbot asked.
The man looked utterly devastated. “Oh no! I can’t believe I was so rude!” He vaulted the desk and approached Talbot, stopping just short and shaking his hand. “Alexander Talc, Class 2 Censor Operative for the APH.”
“Censor as in… ?”
“Yes, I censor things. People too, if necessary.”
“So what,” Talbot asked, “You’re here to kill me?”
Talc gasped. “What?!?! No! As if we’d be so barbaric! We’re here to recruit you.”
Talbot’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?”
“Of course! You know more about the Higher Order than any human outside of the APH, and probably more than a majority of those inside of the APH. Your expertise could be vital in preventing a breach in our reality!”
“What would this job entail?”
“Well, we’d need you to fake your death, change your name, burn your research-”
Talbot recoiled.
“Now I know that sounds like a lot,” Talc backpedaled, “But allow me to let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in conspiratorially, then glanced around as though to make sure nobody was listening. Satisfied, he whispered, “The dental is off-the-charts.”
Talbot shook his head. “What happens if I don’t take the job?”
Talc winced. “Things get considerably less pleasant. I have to call in a Class 3 Purge Operative, and that’s always a hassle.”
Talbot chose not to inquire into the purpose of a ‘Purge Operative’.
Talc gently laid a hand on Talbot’s shoulder. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. How about we move to some place more hospitable and you can think it over?”
Talbot nodded, his mind elsewhere. Talc gently guided him out of the room, Willis following and closing the door behind them.
Talbot stared down into his conical paper cup, filled with water that tasted plasticy. The three men were in the lobby of Talbot’s workplace, leaning against a table adorned with donuts and a water cooler.
Talc bit into a day-old bear claw as Talbot swirled his water and considered the situation.
If he accepted the offer, he would be shipped off to another state, away from his home in Bedford, where he would join whatever on earth APH was. Talbot hated the idea of working for an agency whose entire purpose was to destroy knowledge. On the other hand, if he didn’t accept the offer, they’d likely kill him.
Purge Officer…
Would working for the APH really be so bad? Talbot liked Talc enough. Maybe they could be friends. Or… more than friends. And if the APH truly wanted Talbot to be able to suppress the Higher Order, he’d have to know the Higher Order. Which meant research. He could essentially continue on exactly as he was.
Except he would never be recognized as the genius he was. Talbot involuntarily crushed his paper cup as he realized that, if he took the offer, he’d never win a Nobel prize. He’d never present at the Grand Chemistry Convention. He’d never write a revolutionary scientific paper. He would be forgotten.
He knew what he had to do. He couldn’t say no, or he would be killed. He couldn’t accept, or he would be forgotten, which was worse. He had to escape.
But how? This was some sort of world-ruling secret agency. They probably had eyes everywhere. What could he possibly do to get away?
His eyes wandered towards the stairs. The stairs that led to his office, which held the key to every single natural law.
Talbot tossed his cup in the trash, then approached Talc.
“I think I’m ready to make my decision. But first, can I go to the restroom?”
Talc nodded. “Of course! Take all the time you need!”
Talbot nodded and jogged toward the restroom. In the tiled floor under him, he saw Willis’s warped reflection following him discreetly.
He entered the single restroom and quietly opened the window. He could see Willis’s shadow under the door as the man hovered just outside.
Talbot waited a couple seconds, then flushed the toilet, turned on the sink, and silently crept through the window. He fell a few feet to the alley below, and had to suppress a grunt.
Now what? He needed to escape, but his notebook was still upstairs. All his research was in there, and he couldn’t leave it to the APH.
The only ground level entrance to the building was the main lobby door, which was directly in Talc’s sightline. However, who said he had to enter on ground level?
Talbot’s gaze rose to the old fire escape above him. The bottom of the structure was a platform that lined up with the second floor. A ladder was folded up on the platform, an old rusty latch keeping it from reaching ground level. Talbot couldn’t reach the latch from where he was on the ground, so he looked around for a solution.
He had a bum throwing arm, so he couldn’t toss anything up to break it. Unless…
Talbot considered Talc’s words. The very mechanics of the universe itself... He felt a flare of pride as he realized how little Talc truly understood.
The sigil that granted access to the Fifth Dimension was just one of several such Seals. Over all Talbot’s years of study, those portions of the Higher Order were the most applicable. They did not just show universal aspects of reality. They represented those aspects. They were symbolic, and like all symbols, they were powerful.
They were simulacra of natural laws, and could be manipulated in order to manipulate those laws themselves. It allowed anyone who knew the Seals to weave a sort of magic, ignoring the laws of time, space, or gravity by sketching and then destroying the corresponding runes, temporarily destroying that Law’s influence over oneself. Talbot’s hypothesis was that there was a single Greater Seal for each law that controlled that law anywhere and everywhere. If that one was found and destroyed, the laws of reality would change forever.
For greater, wide-scale application, Talbot had scrawled in his notebook, The Greater Aspects must be located and manipulated.
Talbot dropped to the ground and dragged his finger through the alley gravel. He assembled the rocks into a facsimile of a tiny part of the Higher Order, one that he’d experimented with a lot. He looked around for a suitable vessel, settling on a rock. He poured all his mental energy into the stone, and used his hands to scatter the pebbles that made up the Seal of Velocity.
The rock sprang from the ground and soared upwards, clanging against the ladder before anticlimactically falling into a dumpster. From inside, Willis banged on the bathroom door and said something indistinct. Talbot’s second telekinetic toss hit the ladder before falling onto the platform itself. He broke another Seal, and his third throw smacked into the latch, splitting the rusted thing and shooting the ladder downwards.
It made a lot of noise, and Talbot could hear Willis pounding on the bathroom door inside. He seemed to be breaking it down, as Talbot heard wood split with a crunch. Talbot quickly mounted the ladder and climbed up to the platform, trying not to think about the alarming creaking sounds the old construction was making. From there, he took the stairs two at a time, spiraling up and up until he reached the sixth floor.
Six flights of stairs only had him a bit winded by the time he reached his floor. He tried the door to the inside, and found it unlocked.
Talbot entered the hallway outside his office quietly. He considered how this would play out. Willis and Talc would be storming up here at any moment. He had to move quickly.
Talbot entered his workroom, dragging his desk over to block the door. He took a moment to gaze forlornly at his Masterwork, because he would never be able to take it with him. All the same pieces and diagrams were in his notebook, but the full Masterwork was a thing of beauty, one that he would never behold again.
He snapped a picture of it with his phone. It wasn’t the same, but it’d have to do.
Talbot grabbed his notebook, its leather-bound pages bulging with decades of research. Some of the sheaves of paper stuck out at odd angles, newspaper snippets and glossy photographs glued into the most faithful companion Talbot had ever had.
Was there anything else he needed?
The door began to rattle.
Talbot grabbed a sheet of blank paper from his desk and rapidly sketched as many Seals as he could. He had an idea of how he could escape, but he needed to harness his work to do it. Using the Masterwork as a reference, he scrawled the Seal of Time, the Seal of Space, the Seal of Gravity, and, after considering it, the Seal of the Fifth Dimension.
Just in case. He thought.
With a crack, his door burst open, shoving the desk out of the way. Talc and Willis stood there, the latter looking enraged, the former strangely calm.
“Talbot, this doesn’t have to happen this way.” Talc appealed, but Talbot was done listening. He would not be forgotten. He would be immortalized, through his work.
Talbot ripped a corner off of his Seal sheet, and glanced down at the Seal of Time. With a glare at Talc, he stuck it in his mouth and began to chew.
Talbot disappeared with a pop, as Willis lunged towards where he’d just been.
Willis stopped short, then turned to Talc. He was noticeably upset at losing their quarry.
“What do we do now?”
“Well, we follow him.”
“How?”
Talc approached the Masterwork. “It’s simple. I’m sure Talbot understood that time travel doesn’t work the way everyone thinks it does. Cause and Effect are inextricably linked, and cannot be put out of order. Traveling through time actually just creates another dimension, a splintered facsimile of your original where things play out differently.”
“So… to follow him do we just use the Time Sigil?”
“Seal, Willis. And no. That will just create another splinter plane. Now that the reality has already been established, we need to follow him. Using this.”
Talc’s thin fingers traced the outline of another Seal, one Talbot hadn’t thought to inscribe.
“There are many ways to traverse the Multiverse.” Talc said, “Using Seals to rip open the barriers between planes is one of the simplest.”
Talc sketched down two copies of the seal, then separated the two and handed one to Willis. The two locked eyes and nodded in unison. They both rent their sheets in half and disappeared.
Talbot didn’t ‘land’, per se, but he still felt off-balance when he blinked into existence in his office. He staggered, but caught himself before he could fall. The world felt… different here.
Out of everything Talbot had discovered, Multiversal travel was his least considered. He’d been too cowardly to experiment with anything but the Space, Gravity, and Velocity Seals, so this experience was new to him. Naturally, as any scientist does when faced with something unfamiliar, he started taking notes.
Effects of Time/Universe Traversal:
–Slight nausea. Somewhat noticeable. Temporary?
–World overall feels discordant. Silence sounds different than back home. My tinnitus is in another key. Feels like I don’t belong.
–Different frequency hard-coded into every reality?
Before he could assemble an entire thesis on the underlying resonance within the multiverse, he realized with a start that he had to get out of here. Talc and WIllis were likely following him, and even if they weren’t, there were copies of them in this dimension.
Talbot had willed himself about 10 minutes back in time, and it seemed like that’d worked. His Masterwork was complete and the desk and tarp were off to the side. The trio were likely downstairs in the lobby, where Past-Talbot was thinking over the pros and cons of their offer. At least, he thought so. Time travel seemed to create a splintering reality, one that maintained consistency with his original up until the point where he showed up. There were plenty of unfamiliar worlds out there, but the Seal of Time created one quite familiar. Right now Past-Talbot-
Past-Talbot doesn’t sound right. Pretty soon it’ll be my present, then my future. How about Talbot-2?
After settling upon a name to call his double, Talbot exited his office and left through the door that led to the fire escape, in too much of a hurry to close it. He scrambled down the stairs, knocked the latch off the ladder, climbed to the ground, popped open the bathroom window, and climbed inside. Right as he got his arms through, the door opened.
Talbot-2 walked in, then stopped short as he saw himself dangling halfway through the window. Talbot put a finger to his lips, and indicated Willis-2 with his eyes. Talbot-2 silently shut the door, locking Willis-2 outside.
Talbot-2 opened his mouth to speak, but barely got out one word. “What-”
“I’m you, from the future. Well, not from your future, but from a future.”
Talbot-2’s confused expression was replaced with excitement. “So the Time Seal Worked?! Fantastic! What’s it like?!”
“I’d tell you all about it, but I’m currently stuck in a bathroom window and being hunted down by two government agents. Although I don’t actually know if they work for the government…”
Talbot-2 pulled him through the window into the bathroom. “Sorry.”
Once he was in, Talbot glanced at the door behind Talbot-2.
“Okay. Here’s the thing. Some version of Talc and Willis will be here any minute. Whether mine followed me from the future or not, yours will catch on soon. We need to get out of here, and get the Masterwork to somebody else.”
“Wait, which Talc and Willis will show up?”
“One of them… or both of them. It doesn’t really matter! Do we know anybody we can send our notes to?”
Talbot-2 considered it. “Davis?”
Talbot frowned, and opened his notebook to an early page.
Dr. Wilson Davis
–Spineless fool. He calls himself a chemist, but refuses to venture outside the conventions of the industry. No true scientist works a cushy chemical production job! We journey! We endeavor!
Talbot shook his head. “He’d never publish something like this. If they tracked him down, he’d probably take their oppressive offer.”
“Johnson?”
Dr Monica Johnson
—Chemist and conspiracy nut. Super gullible, but generally a good person.
“She’ll believe anything.” Talbot said. “...Which is actually probably a good thing in this case. If she thinks it’s real, she’ll distribute it, and she’s earnest enough to leave my- our name on it.”
Talbot-2 nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Actually, it sounds like an idea, not a plan. What is our plan?”
Talbot thought for several seconds. “Here’s what we do. You pretend to accept their offer, and do whatever they tell you. If all else fails, you’ll get a cushy job working for the government. Meanwhile, I get this,” Talbot indicated his notebook. “To Johnson, and then…” He paused.
Someone knocked on the door.
“And then?” Talbot-2 prompted in a whisper, glancing behind him.
“Then… I’ll figure something out.”
Talbot-2 nodded. “Alright. Are we ready to go?”
“I think so.” Talbot replied.
Talbot slipped out of the window, and Talbot-2 opened the door to greet Willis-2.
The man peered around him. “Who were you talking to in there?”
Talbot-2 shrugged. “Myself. You know, crazy scientist stuff.”
Talbot dropped to the ground, then produced his sheet of Seals. He picked out one specific design, a circle bisected by a thin line. On one side of the line, a stylized forest thrived, and on the other a pictographic city loomed. Talbot ripped the Seal of Space from his paper and stuck it in his mouth, once again disappearing with a pop.
Talc and Willis appeared in Talbot-2’s workroom, and quickly exited. Both spun in the hallway outside, and both spotted the wide-open door to the fire escape. They both moved down the rickety metal construction and found themselves in an alley behind the building.
“See that?” Talc pointed at the window.
“Yeah. Did he go in through it?” Willis asked.
“Of course. But if he used the Seal of Time to try to come back and alert himself, I’m guessing he came through here to talk to him…self, but he couldn’t have left. The only point at which he was in the bathroom, you were right outside. He popped in, popped out, popped another Seal.”
“Is there any guarantee that he came back to alert himself? He could’ve gone to any point in time.”
“I know his type. The out-there intellectual. He’s been burned by everyone but himself. He’ll only trust himself. And if he came to himself before we’d arrived, he wouldn’t believe him.”
“Sorry, who wouldn’t believe him?”
“Him! Aren’t you-” Talc took a moment to consider the context. “You know what, nevermind. The point is that this reality’s Talbot is now in league with our Talbot, and that’s not good.”
“What do we do?”
“Well firstly, we need to cut it down to one Talbot. Two is too many to deal with.” Talc pushed on his earpiece, then spoke. “Hello? Can you hear me, Talc?” There was silence, until something dawned on him. “Ah, dammit. I can’t call my own earpiece.” He adjusted something on his earpiece. “Willis! Do you copy?” Willis heard Talc both from right next to him and through his earpiece. He didn’t hear the reply, but his earpiece buzzed as its exact copy broadcast something. Willis took his earpiece out and squinted at it, curious about the exact Multiversal properties that bonded it to its clone.
“Yes, this is Talc. But not your Talc. Listen, Talbot ran off to this dimension, and we believe he’s working with your Talbot. We need to meet up, then dispose of the dupe.”
Talc listened for a response, and Willis’s earpiece vibrated as his double presumably replied.
Talc turned to Willis. “Alright. They’ll meet us back in Talbot’s office. There we can get rid of the redundant one and track our quarry.”
Their quarry was currently depositing a large package of brown paper in a big blue mailbox.
Talbot paused as he lowered the boxy parcel. This was his life’s work, his notebook and all his scattered papers, and was the second-most important thing he owned, next to the wall that contained the Masterwork itself, which was likely being dismantled by his enemies at that very moment. This was the last 20 years of his life, and he was about to gamble it away to a crazy woman on the off-chance that his legacy might live on. Talbot wished he’d spent more time with reasonable scientists, if only to expand the pool of people he could mail his book to.
With a deep breath, Talbot released the book, wincing at the gentle ‘paff’ sound it made when it fell onto the envelopes at the bottom of the box.
His job complete, Talbot slipped the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and disappeared into the afternoon.
Guns are inelegant, Talc told his subordinate often. They’re loud, messy. Tools of thugs and soldiers, not agents of a higher purpose.
But there’s a downside to not carrying a gun, Willis countered silently. The difference between shooting a person and being forced to kill them more intimately is palpable, and not often a positive.
Willis considered this as Talbot-2 stopped struggling and finally went limp in his arms. Willis released the garotte from around the man’s throat, then lowered him to the floor of the office.
An irritated sigh came from behind him. Willis turned to see Talc shaking his head and walking toward him.
“No, you need to finish the job.” The man said. He kneeled, took Talbot-2’s forehead in one hand, his chin in the other, then jerked his head to the side, snapping his neck.
“If you stop garrotting when he goes limp, he’s just unconscious.” The other Talc, Talc-2, stated.
Willis nodded, numbly. He didn’t really hear the man.
“I know this is hard,” Talc said, shifting into a gentler tone, “But this is all for the good of humanity. If we let these ideas run wild, we’d all be dead.”
“Worse than dead.” Talc-2 added helpfully. “Our very essences would be consumed by dark beings from beyond our world.”
Willis nodded again. He’d heard it all before. So why did he still find it so hard to hurt people?
“So where’s the other one?” Willis-2 asked, seemingly unaware of his double’s predicament.
“That’s the big question, isn’t it.” Talc-2 mused, “However, before we can ponder it, first things first. We need to get a CC team in here to handle that wall.”
All four men were familiar with the APH Cognito Containment Teams, mysterious individuals in surgical masks that took away artifacts of forbidden knowledge to be stored or disposed of.
Talc-2 clicked his earpiece, then said a series of numbers and codes that were unintelligible to either Willis. He finished by saying, “Please send a Class-4 CC team. Over.”
He turned to the others. “They’re on their way. We need to secure Talbot’s place of residence.”
“Do we know that’s where he’ll go next?” Willis-2 asked.
“Not necessarily,” Talc-1 responded, “But it’s quite likely he’ll at least stop there to retrieve personal effects before going somewhere else.”
Both Willises nodded, almost in sync. The logic made sense. They would lock down Talbot’s house first.
All was silent in the small house several miles outside of town that Talbot called his abode. Then frantic footsteps sounded from outside, as someone ran up the footpath leading to the front door. Then, a faint scratching as Talbot scrambled to fit his key into the lock. A quiet clacking came next, as Talbot’s cat descended his cat-tree and approached the door to see what was happening.
Talbot swung the door open and gently pushed the cat out of his way with his foot.
“Sorry Ozzy,” he muttered.
He produced his debit card and snapped it in half, having extracted all the money from his account before arriving here. He pulled several thousand dollars from his pockets and shoved them in his wallet, his backpack, the pocket on the inside of his jacket, and his shoes.
He grabbed a spare toothbrush and tube of toothpaste from the master bathroom, shoving them into the backpack as well. He was going on the run, for god knows how long.
He paused as his eyes fell on his set of keys. He wouldn’t be taking his car or his house, so they’d likely not be necessary.
But I might as well just in case. Talbot grabbed the jangling key ring and slipped it into the inside pocket of his pants.
His cat mewed at his feet. After a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed his carrier and bowl, both monogrammed with a matching ‘Ozymandius’.
He knew bringing Ozzy was objectively a bad choice. It was impractical and stupid. The cat was loud, and would slow him down. But Talbot couldn’t bear leaving his baby here to be subjected to whatever evil ideas Talc and Willis had in mind.
Talbot coaxed Ozzy into his crate, then picked up the cat and donned his backpack. He took one last look around his house before he opened the front door and was immediately grabbed by both Willises, one of which held a chloroform rag over his mouth until he went limp.
Talbot awoke with a start. He glanced around, disoriented, and immediately registered that he was in some sort of interrogation room. His chair was metal, and bolted to the floor. Before him was a table, and above that table a blinding light mounted on the ceiling shone directly into his eyes. On the wall across from him, very much breaking the theme, was a ‘Hang in there!’ poster and a wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispenser.
Talbot tried to stand, only to find that his wrists and ankles were strapped into the chair. He strained against the bonds, cursing as the straps held strong.
He thought he heard faint snickering.
He turned to glare at the mirror to his right. “What are you planning to do to me?!”
Silence.
“What are you planning to do to my cat?!?”
More silence.
The Talcs and the Willi were standing behind the one-way mirror on Talbot’s left, looking at the back of his head as he shouted at no one. Talc looked mildly amused at Talbot’s complete misunderstanding of the room’s orientation.
Willis-2 glanced at Talc-2, who shrugged and motioned for Talc-1 to enter the larger room. Talc-1 did as asked.
The door at the front of the room opened, and Talc stepped out. He took a seat across from Talbot, and cleared his throat.
“First off, the most important thing. Your cat will be well-cared for, no matter the outcome of this conversation. Great name, by the way.”
Talbot refused to thank him for the compliment.
Talc cleared his throat, and there was a long silence.
“What about my first question?” Talbot asked, his voice trembling.
Talc sighed, then reached below the table.
Several seconds later, he came back up, notably with some difficulty. He slammed Talbot’s notebook down on the table. Next to it, he laid the sheet of seals Talbot had used to traverse space and time.
Talbot was stricken. “How did you-!?”
“Find this? Simple deduction. I’m frankly insulted that you didn’t consider that we’ve been tailing everyone you know for months. Johnson was the only person you could send this to.”
“What did you do to her?!”
“Nothing! We’re not the bad guys here, Talbot. We pulled the package from her porch before she ever got involved. We’d never hurt anyone.”
“Then where am I?” Talbot spat, then rephrased. “I mean… where is the version of me from here? Wait, are you from here or there?”
“I’m from there, assuming you mean your original reality. And Talbot-2 is fine. He’s in the next room.”
Willis winced behind the mirror.
“You never actually answered my question.” Talbot said quietly.
Talc pursed his lips regrettably.
“Well… here’s the thing, Talbot. What I’d like to do is offer you a chance to redeem yourself. I’d like to let you join the APH and help us protect humanity. But you’ve made it clear that that’s not what you want, and if we let you into our fold now, we’d forever be looking over our shoulders, wondering whose side you were truly on. And we can’t just let you go, no no. Your theories would largely be regarded as crackpot, but there are ways to prove these things, and you would certainly find them.”
Talbot swallowed. “Couldn’t you just… you know… erase my memory?”
Talc stifled a laugh. “Unfortunately, this is not Men In Black. Actions have consequences. There are no take-backs. And I’m sorry, Talbot, but this is it for you.” Talc stood, turned on his heel, and left.
“Why the hell’d you wake him up just to tell him that?” Willis muttered behind the glass.
“Hey, wait!” Talbot screamed at him as he departed, but there was no response.
Talbot tried to stand again, but slammed back into his chair as the bonds held.
Willis entered a few minutes later, holding a syringe. He winced at the sight before him. Talbot was hunched over, resting his head on the table. His shoulders were bobbing as though he was sobbing quietly.
Willis approached Talbot and tightened the strap on his right wrist. He moved around him and reached for his left hand, only to see that the strap had been sawed apart, and Talbot’s hand was free.
Willis grabbed his elbow, but Talbot struggled against the man’s grasp. The scientist was trying to keep it firmly on the table under his face.
Frustrated, Willis grabbed Talbot’s head and lifted it back, so he was sitting up straight.
As he beheld Talbot’s face, Willis felt a bolt of fear lance through him. The man was smiling, but it was not a happy smile.
It was the smile of a trapped animal that knew it would take a limb before it went down. With his eyes, Talbot indicated downwards. Willis slowly lowered his vision to the stainless steel tabletop. In Talbot’s hand was a housekey, the teeth worn down from sawing through the leather strap and scratching a symbol into the table. Right under his hand, the surface was pockmarked with the Seal of the Fifth Dimension.
Willis lunged for Talbot’s wrist, but it was too late. The alchemist brought the key across the symbol, carving another scratch to break the Seal and the boundaries between their reality and one far darker. Neither man had time to scream.
Talbot felt himself slip free of the chair, and out of the leather strap around his wrist.
Willis’s grip loosened, and it felt like he was flung across whatever intermediary pathway connected the fourth and fifth dimensions.
Part Two posted promptly!

The ffg verses resonate well with these phenomena found in nde reports. I dont endorse the blind following of nde reports as fact or blind following of any scripture as fact.
Death analogy as slipping off tight shoes or clothes found in some nde accounts
As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one Bhagwad Gita 2:22
Self judged Life review
And it will be said,˺ “Read your record. You ˹alone˺ are sufficient this Day to take account of yourself Quran 17:14
So, whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it and whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it Quran 99:8-9
I experienced a very vivid life recall. … It was both painful and exquisitely beautiful. It was like viewing a film, filled with precise detail. Every single thought, word, deed, decision, and action was brought forth and re-experienced and re-examined. It was self-evaluation, with total transparency and honesty. Throughout, I was never judged by any of these divine beings. They simply held me in [l]ove, with complete compassion and acceptance. … In this review, I realized that I was every single person I’d ever encountered or thought of. As I merged with and became them, I felt exactly what they experienced as a result of my loving or unloving thoughts and actions. I saw it all from their point of view, not only how my actions affected them, but then through them [how that] affected others they encountered, as the effects kept on going. … I saw that the love we express ripples out, creating an everlasting beauty that is often unbeknownst to us at the time. … It felt as if we are living inside a grand game, which is perfectly designed to always give us another opportunity to get it right this time. … I saw that everything we do makes a difference. The impact we have on one another is profound. … In this process of ruthlessly honest self-reflection, nothing went unnoticed. Nothing was able to be hidden. Nothing. Not one single thing. This life review was like going through everything with a fine-tooth comb, looking under every rock, leaving no stone unturned, seeing into each crevice with a [d]ivine [l]ight that revealed every hidden place. And through the entire process, it was all looked at and discerned through the lens of [l]ove NDE 1
I had a life review where I saw ever single event from my life. I saw every act of goodness and kindness. I saw every act of spite or ill-will. I also got to see it from the other person's point of view. Although time did not exist, this life review took forever but in reality it was only a blink of a second NDE 2
Divine love or bright light
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever 1 Timothy 6:16
God has promised the believers, both men and women, Gardens through which rivers flow, therein to abide, and blessed dwellings in Gardens of perpetual bliss; and greater than that is Gods pleasure with them. That indeed is the supreme triumph quran 9:72
God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, The lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star, Lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, Neither of the east nor of the west, Whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light.God guides to His light whom He wills Quran 24:35
Those who believe and do righteous deeds, the Most Merciful will bestow on them love Quran 19:96
He is the source of light in all luminaries, and is entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge. He dwells within the hearts of all living beings Bhagwad Gita 13:18
Anybody who’s ever gone into the light comes back to talk about this … unconditional love and bliss that they experienced in the light. … Most people when they describe it, they say it’s the most incredible … loving experience, they feel full of love and what I experienced, it was kind of like, it was almost as if I had turned into champagne, and I was bubbling. You know like my molecules were bubbling and love was going through my molecules and then coming back out from them. And when people describe that, they say it’s the most incredible thing in the world. Well it is, but, it gets better. … Merging into the source was the most intense experience I had ever had. And that is one of the attributes of unconditional love, its intensity. The emotions that we have when we’re out of these bodies are far more intense than everything we ever experience in the body. The bodies really filter out a lot of emotions that we’re capable of. … Have you ever been moved to tears by something? Like maybe by love, or beauty, or gratitude? Or just had that feeling where you were just so moved that you literally cried? You know how strong and vibrant that is, and how cleansing and all-consuming it can be? The unconditional love that we feel in the afterlife is like a hundred or a thousand times more intense than that. Take that feeling and take away the tears and substitute joy, and so make it a joyous love … that you’re feeling[.] … And that will give you a tiny little taste of what unconditional love feels like NDE 3
And a lot of experiencers talk about love, about this being a place of love, and I’ve tried to think of adjectives to describe this, the intensity of this love, you know. Unconditional, pure, powerful. The only one that I can think of that works is infinite. It was infinite. … It was infinite love. If you can imagine your baby that you love, imagine like the most intense feeling of love you’ve ever had, your mother, or your dog, whatever, whatever it is, imagine that … infinite! No end. So powerful and so absorbing. Wave after wave after wave of cleansing white love washing over me, and I became, I was the light. It was so beautiful, it was so beautiful NDE 4
So I went into the light, and as I was moving up into the light, I just started to feel so good. You know like I can’t, words can’t explain it. Like the higher that I went into the light, and the more that I moved up and further away from Earth, the better I felt. And the feeling of pleasure does not really apply to this Earth, like nothing can compare. Like if you took everything that you were in favor of, like maybe getting a massage, in a hot tub, your favorite music, your favorite food, your favorite drink, everything that you love, happening to you all at once, no matter what it is, all at once, it would not even closely compare to the pleasure that was just within that light. And as you moved further into, like further away from this Earth, the pleasure felt even better. So you just moved up it felt better and better, it was insane NDE 5
I saw the white light, which was, you know, the best experience I’ve ever had. Like, basically, all the love that ever was, and all the love that ever will be, forever, for all of eternity, literally being poured onto me like a waterfall. … I’m literally saying that’s what it was NDE 6
World as a dream/illusion/virtual reality
And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the true life, if only they knew Quran 29:64
Then Godwill ask them: "For how many years did you stay on earth?" (23:113) They will say: "We stayed for a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep count of this." (23:114) He will say: "You stayed only for a while, if you only knew that. Quran 23:115
You understand on the other side that this part, life, is actually the dream, and you just wake up after. It’s no different than one dream you had last night, out of a lifetime of dreams. This life that you’re having right now is just one, it’s just a blip NDE 6
It’s like living in a two-dimensional black and white world here, … compared to multicolor, multi-sensory VR immersion there. … And so once you’ve been in that place, coming here, as beautiful as it is, and I live in an extraordinarily beautiful place on purpose, so that I can get as close to beauty as I possibly can, but even that it’s just, like, ‘Oh well, you know, that’s really pretty.’ But not the same as ultimate divine beauty. … [Even sunrises] were ugly for a while, … the first year was very difficult NDE 7
The minute that I kind of woke up on that hillside in heaven I knew that that was more real than any time I’ve ever spent here on Earth. … And I knew instantly that my time here was really but a dream. … It’s real to us when we’re in it, but once I was there … in heaven I realized that’s more real, that felt more real, and it made much more sense to me than anything here. This is kind of nonsensical at times. … In heaven, it’s so clear, so real, so rational, so logical, but yet emotional and loving at the same time. Immediately I knew that was real and this was not. Immediately NDE8
I mean, looking back at human life from that vantage point I could not believe that I had ever thought this was real. And so the same sense of unreality that we get about dreams while we’re here in human form, I had while I was there about human life. So there is no doubt in my mind that it was real, and that’s true reality. This is a virtual reality game, a role, a play, a dream, an illusion, a character that I’m playing NDE 9
The physical [world] resembled a black and white movie in comparison with the world in front of me[.] … That’s what it felt like, waking up from a dream, waking up to who I truly am and this life was nothing but a dream NDE 10
Altered States of Super Consciousness
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him 1 Corinthians 2:9
No soul can imagine what delights are kept in store for them as a reward for what they used to do Quran 32:17
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it Matthew 13:45
Now, what heaven looks like? ‘O m g’ doesn’t even describe how beautiful this place is. Heaven is, there are no words. I mean, I could sit here … and just not say anything and just cry, and that would be what heaven looks like. … There are mountains of beauty, there are things in this realm, you can’t even describe how beautiful this place is. There are colors you can’t even imagine, there are sounds you can’t even create. There are beauties upon this world that you think are beautiful here. Amplify it over there times a billion. There are, it’s incredibly beautiful, there’s no words to describe how beautiful this place is, it’s incredibly gorgeous NDE 11
Humans choosing to incarnate on earth Surprisingly I expected to find something like this in Hinduism and buddhism but haven't found anything except this from the quran.
Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they ˹all˺ declined to bear it, being fearful of it. But humanity assumed it, ˹for˺ they are truly wrongful ˹to themselves˺ and ignorant ˹of the consequences quran 33:72
And in that moment I remembered that my soul chose to come to Earth, I remembered where I was before I was born, I remembered that all of our souls choose to come here, that this is a wonderful university, that we’re not here by random accident, we’re not here as victims, that we come here to choose to study, to learn, and to grow. And that on some level this is like a wonderful theater, it’s like a big university, we all play our part, and when our time to go comes, we leave NDE 12
These three pure Beings spoke to me in a different language. They used my thoughts but it was different than thoughts. They reminded me that I had chosen to be incarnate on Earth and that I had to go back. I already knew that by being by their side, everything was coming back to me. They gave me so much love. I was at home and I badly wanted to stay. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to go back. That’s how it had to be. I remember laughing a lot with them. They understood me. They knew the difficulty of an incarnation, as well as I knew it before I incarnated on Earth NDE 13
Cosmos & Vegetation being alive/sentient
The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. They don't speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones Psalm 89:5
And there is not a single thing but glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification Quran 17:44
Then He turned to the heaven while it was all smoke. He said to the heaven and the earth: “Come into being willingly or unwillingly.” They said: we come into being willingly Quran 41:11
I look down and I see myself standing in a very gentle river, and all around me is a very beautiful, very peaceful forest. And this is where it gets hard to describe because it was a rush of all, it was everything wrapped into one. … And feeling immense awe and bliss and love and relief. … And there was no other being in my NDE, it was just me, but I didn’t feel at all alone. It was the least alone I’ve ever been in my life. It was like the place itself was alive, and it was telling me things and it was loving me NDE 14
I was taken by the hand and led into another realm. It resembled [E]arth because there were trees, sparkling sand, and aquamarine water. There were fruit-laden trees, lush foliage, and vibrantly colored birds. Everything was alive – each flower and every glistening grain of sand. Floral fragrances filled the air NDE 15
I was shown non-intelligent species. I was shown splendors of every kind, like waterfalls and being taken into the heart of a burning flame. I skimmed the surface of a sun, playing in the shifting energy and heard its jubilant joy at giving life to so many wonderful things. It was the most joyful, beautiful, wonderful, amazing experience anyone could possibly have. The size, the scope of it cannot be expressed. I met with incredible, spiritual beings like my attendant, friend, and my guide. They all were filled with contentment and joy NDE 16
The breeze blew against the tall golden wheat stalks, and as it did I could feel the spirit of all things living around me: animals, plants, the elements. I was one with them. I looked up and saw a huge ball of light that cast the purest, warm light all around me and felt God touch my skin NDE 17
Pluralism/Multiple Pathways to Divine
Whatever purpose is served by a small well of water is naturally served in all respects by a large lake. Similarly, one who realizes the Absolute Truth also fulfills the purpose of all the Vedas Bhagwad Gita 2:46
We have revealed to you this Book with the truth, as a confirmation of previous Scriptures and a supreme authority on them. So judge between them by what God has revealed, and do not follow their desires over the truth that has come to you. To each of you We have ordained a code of law and a way of life. If God had willed, He would have made you one community, but His Will is to test you with what He has given ˹each of˺ you. So compete with one another in doing good. To God you will all return, then He will inform you ˹of the truth˺ regarding your differences Quran 5:48
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven Matthew 7:21
I asked about religion and the vastness of it all. The only answer I could recall afterwards was the word "dogma." This word stood for the concept that the truth was muddled by man's feelings. Although coming from our good intentions, it was inhibiting others from spiritually growing NDE 18
Interconnectedness with Higher Power & Creation
The embodied souls in this material world are My eternal fragmental parts. But bound by material nature, they are struggling with the six senses including the mind Bhagwad Gita 15:7
When I have completed shaping him and have breathed into him of My Spirit Quran 15:29
He exists outside and inside all living beings, those that are moving and not moving. He is subtle, and hence, He is incomprehensible. He is very far, but He is also very near Bhagwad Gita 13:16
The UNIVERSE in expression, and the Universe was within me, I was shown this, I KNEW this intimately. I was shown through energy that I was ONE with ALL THAT IS, ALL THAT EVER WAS and ALL THAT WILL EVER BE. ALL THAT EXISTED was within me. I was shown this and experienced this within every fiber of my Being. EVERYTHING WAS CONNECTED. I WAS EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE; omnipresent, omniscense! I KNEW in this place of ONENESS that I was connected to everyone and everything. There absolutely was no seperation NDE Anna

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
As a small interlude, here have ONE chapter of what Krill and Sunny where up to when Adam was gone.
Note to self: write more stories what they did in the months Adam was gone later.
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
"My family has lived in these mountains for more than three thousand years."
"How can you be sure of that?”
"Because we have records going back two thousand years and then records of my family's tribe before that. For that reason, no one knows these mountains better than I do, and even then, I still don't know everything there is to know. Every time I go out in the woods, I feel something new."
Krill glanced over at Sunny.
If he could raise an eyebrow he would have.
Of all the places they could go on their weekend, and she had decided to go on a guided hike. This would be just like something Adam would do.
He thought of all the people he wouldn't have to remind Sunny how dangerous Earth forests were with their trees, and animals, and poisonous plants, and, well, pretty much everything.
"Don't give me that look, Krill. You know if Adam was here, he would take us out to do the same thing, and you needed to quit moping anyway. He's going to be back soon."
Krill crossed his arms emphatically,
"I am not moping."
"You are too moping, and it's honestly kind of pathetic. You get all cranky when Adam isn't around."
”Fuck you!”
”Why are you so aggressive? Don’t worry, Adam will be fine! Why do you worry so much?”
"That's because I worry about his health and safety."
"He's a grown man."
"He's a man child."
”Awww is momma Krill missing his little Adam?”
”Fuck you too… Also you know I’m right about that.”
”I didn’t say you weren’t.”
Krill sighed and turned back to look at their guide who was staring on in mild amusement.
This human had dark tan skin, deep brown eyes and long dark hair pulled back from his face. He wore a green ranger's uniform, but she knew for a fact he was off duty,
"We're ready."
He smiled, and motioned them to follow him.
Krill held onto Sunny's shoulder as they followed the human into the woods.
"Aren't we going to take a trail?"
"You don't need a trail when you have me."
"I definitely think a trail would-…"
"Is your mind ever still my alien friend?"
Sunny shook her head,
"No, never, not even a little bit."
"Well try. I can't show you anything if you don't also listen."
"Now that just makes no sense!”
Sunny huffed and the ranger sighed,
"There is more in these woods to hear, that there is to see. The wind leaves the animals."
They passed over soggy earth and into a meadow filled with bright wildflowers. Krill was about to ask another question, but the ranger held up a hand despite not looking at him,
"Shhh, just listen, to the silence."
Krill turned to glower at Sunny, and she smirked at him, but he angrily did as told, focusing away from his eyes and towards his ears. He could hear the wind in the trees, the distant chirp of birds, rustling in the underbrush, their feet as it moved over packed earth.
In the silence there was also a strange rushing. A sort of white noise that you expect to find at the ocean but comes from deep within the mountains.
He watched their new human friend from the corner of his eye as it led them deeper into the mountains. For all Krill knew this creature could be more interested in killing them and eating them.
How did Sunny even know him?
With his usual paranoia, Krill continued to watch as the green clad human lead them through patches of shadow, over rocks and through little mountain gullies. He used no trail, but it seemed as if all of his senses were alive, following something into the forest. He used his hands to trace over rough packed dirt. He scanned his eyes through the underbrush and lifted his head eyes closed allowing little gusts of air to sweep hair about his face.
He listened, and occasionally, Krill thought he saw the human smelling at the air.
And as they went, they were led deeper and deeper into the forest, Krill had to admit that there was something peaceful about it, almost surreal, like being removed from one's own head and being surrounded by the quiet.
A couple of times, he thought he saw the human smiling over his shoulder at him.
They had made it a good hour or two into the woods when they broke into a nearby clearing. Sunny was about to step out with him, but right at the edge of the treeline, she was stopped by the human, who had pulled back into the shadows.
Sunny blinked and looked around.
Krill did as well.
The ranger shook his head.
Krill looked over Sunny's shoulder, but in the clearing, he saw nothing, nothing except for a strangely geometric circle of wildflowers, in the middle of which there was nothing but a barren patch of dirt.
That was strange, there seemed to be nothing growing inside that circle.
"We go around."
The man muttered.
"Why?"
"Because, we don't want to trespass."
"Trespass on what exactly?"
Krill found himself whispering.
"Well, the fey, of course!"
The human smiled at him, and he wasn't entirely sure if the creature was pulling his leg or not.
"What are the fey?"
The human smiled again, slowly motioning him to follow as he led them around the open circle,
"The fey or fairies, are a group of mystical creatures known to make mischief. Most of the time if you trespass on their land, you forfeit your rights as human, and the laws of the fey world become absolute. If you take anything from a fey, you are immediately required to stay with them for the rest of eternity. There are many rules governing the world of the fey, so it is best just to avoid them."
Krill snorted,
"Ah yes... fairies."
"You laugh, but through all these years as a ranger, I have seen things I cannot explain."
"Like what."
"Like the time someone went missing in the forest. He was lost on a relatively well traveled hiking trail. We didn't find him for over six months. The search party was called off after those first few weeks. Six months later I am hiking in an unrelated part of the forest forty miles away in the other side of a mountain, and I find this man's decomposing corpse hanging from a forty-foot tall tree, with impact wounds that looked like he had been dropped from a great height. There were no cliffs in the area, and it appeared as if the man had died one month earlier."
Krill frowned. The math on that didn't particularly add up.
"Then a year ago we went looking for a missing child. His parents turned around for five seconds and when they turned back, he was gone. I found his body forty feet up a sheer cliff-face, stuffed into a crevice five months later. He had been dead only two hours, and was wearing the same clothes he had been lost in."
Sunny's eyes widened and Krill snorted.
He was expected to believe that?
The ranger waved at him.
"Say what you will, but the forest is a dangerous and unusual place if you don't know how to respect her."
"Would you say you are superstitious then?"
"Very. Look, I can't explain everything in the world, and I have no desire to do so. I see no harm in giving things the respect they deserve even if, later, it turns out I was wrong."
The human was not particularly kidding about him being superstitious. More than a few times, he leads them around strange objects or formations. There was at one point, a time when they were heading towards another low gully in the middle of the woods, and all of a sudden, their entire party grew very uneasy.
The woods seemed darker to Krill than they had before.
But he shook it off.
Sunny seemed to be behaving similarly.
But the ranger, he looked downright terrified, grabbed the two of them by the arm and pulled them away quick time, setting them to a low jog in the opposite direction.
Sunny and Krill stared at him in confusion not entirely sure what to make of it.
"What was that all about?”
The human just shook his head.
"We were not welcome!"
"From what!?”
"Does it matter? When you are not welcome somewhere, you do not question it."
"What are you worried about, angering the wendigo?"
It was at that moment that Krill was pretty sure he had made a huge mistake, as the human maniacally sprinted at him like a madman, grabbed him and had a hand pressed over his mouth in under a millisecond flat. Even Sunny looked shocked.
"We do NOT joke about those kind of things here!!!"
He let Krill go, and Krill stared on in confusion and mild terror.
"I come from a line of people who believe you can attract things to you based off the kind of energy you put off. Now I don't know if it's true or not, but joking about something's existence is bound to piss it off enough to test its patience don’t you think?"
He took a deep breath and adjusted his shirt,
”Now there are a few other things it could have been. It could have been the den of a mountain lion, or a bear. It could have been a subliminal sense of danger, an incorrect smell, or the way the rocks looked. Or it could simply have been us all getting paranoid at once, but whatever it is, I would rather be safe than sorry. Now come on, let's take you back. After your little stunt there with name-naming we better don’t risk anything…"
Krill stayed quiet and tried not to joke more about the supernatural things., despite finding it funny and not really believing a word the man said.
Apparently, humans tended to take that sort of thing seriously.
Krill did not, all that supernatural stuff was definitely absolute bullshit.
They heard more stories form the strange ranger, about finding people in places they shouldn't be, staircases in strange places, the sudden loss of time.
"There was one point, when I was doing some training out in the field. We were on top of a mountain, and I went off to go to the bathroom. It was so weird, after I was finished, it was like time seemed to slow down. I got starving, and I was looking around in the forest thinking I might be able to find something to eat. I was so hungry. It was all I could think about, and then suddenly I see one of the other rangers, sort of snaps me out of how hungry I was."
He shrugged,
"I raise my hand to him and this guy looks terrified, he runs up to me, and he's going off about where was I and what was I doing, what is going on we have been looking for you. Of course, I am super confused and as what he's on about, and this guy looks at me, and he's all like: dude you have been missing for three days."
Krill and Sunny stared at him.
"I know, strange isn't it? To me it almost seemed like hours. But it was three days and almost twenty miles over to the next mountain ridge. I don't remember any of it."
"Sounds like a dissociative fugue."
"Maybe, whatever I was it was strange."
Behind them, the sun was just beginning to fall and the undergrowth was heading towards a deep black.
They could see the parking lot just ahead of them, and it was at that moment, a blood curling shriek echoed up from the trees at their back.
Sunny leaped nearly a foot.
Krill squealed.
The ranger jumped.
The scream came again.
It sounded like a woman's voice in absolute gut-wrenching agony. Like she was being eviscerated from the inside moving out.
The ranger turned back towards the trees his chin down his eyes up,
"Get slowly back to the car, but don't run."
"Don't run? Don't run!?"
"Yes don't run. It's a mountain lion."
He stared hard into the trees,
"It is a mountain lion and if you run it will have no other choice than to chase you. They don't like to attack from the front and running will trigger her hunting instincts. Walk backwards towards the car very slowly and do not take your eyes off the treeline."
Off to his side, Krill heard a sharp metallic snik and watched as Sunny's spear suddenly appeared in hand.
Of course, she wasn't worried.
But together they backed towards the truck and got in.
As their headlights turned on, the high beams broke over a body hunched up against the treeline.
Sunny cursed in Drev.
The ranger nodded,
"See? Mountain lion."
Krill stared in paralyzed horror at the massive cat, as it stalked back into the trees.
"Going to have to call that in. She is way too close to the trails for comfort, someone is going to get hurt. Hmm weird behavior from her…"
As they were driving away, Krill looked back towards the woods, where the mountain lion had gone to.
Glancing over the scenery, he couldn’t see it anymore, only a shadowy shape of a person was standing there…
…
…
Wait a second…
WHAT!?
He did a double take as he thought he saw a tall willowy figure with antlers, standing at the edge of the treeline in almost the same spot as the mountain lion, angrily staring at him with glittering red eyes.
Woah what?
When he looked again it was gone.
He sat back in his seat, eyes straight forward.
He had a greater appreciation for the woods now because, for some reason, on Earth nature is connected to something strange and unexplainable, and whatever it is Krill was not interested in finding out.
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Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

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PART EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN
[Previous Chapter] [The Beginning] [Patreon+2]
Thursday
Cora arrived beside the leg of her office chair in her Washington DC apartment. Being only a few inches tall and in a liquid form, she leaned her weight to her left and permitted her essence to be absorbed into the bare human foot that hadn’t moved for several hours. As her essence reintegrated with the mass, she felt her Mystallian lungs take a breath and lifted herself out of her chair, staring down at the computer. The monitor was in the midst of having the screen saver’s coloured lines bounce across the screen like an automated game of Pong.
An icy smile crossed her lips as she used the back of her knees to push the chair farther away and headed towards the door.
Nuncio appeared on the other side of the room next to the windows, his smile full of excitement. “Do you think they’ll do even half of what they said they’d do?” he asked, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “And man, I am going to be pissed if Haynes doesn’t leave her computer on so I can watch and award points for style after everything I’ve done to cover for them.”
Cora’s good mood deflated. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the Prydelands with Vadim?”
Nuncio waved his hand through the air dismissively. “He’s having a sleep-over with Hezkiss’ clutch. I wanted to free myself up in case things went awry with Monsieur le Fuck-Knuckle, and I had to get in there to give you a hand in person.”
Cora rolled two fingers upright between them. “Two of us … overseeing the operation of five humans absconding with another human?” She curled her lip in derision.
Nuncio folded his arms and hunched one shoulder ever so slightly. “Your friend at the NCIS has some good hackers, by the way,” he said, and Cora stilled. “I mean, not me good obviously…” —he blew out a sharp raspberry— “…but still, that web trap they had set up for Haynes?” He pursed his lips and kissed his fingertips before flaring them in the classic ‘genius’ motion. “They’d have got her for sure with that if I hadn’t set off one of my line-tracers for them to chase down instead. They even had access to the dark web, following it all over the world. They won’t come up for air until at least this time tomorrow, and by then, they’ll know Portsmith’s been taken.”
Cora moved to the window to stare out at the cityscape, where she felt more than saw Nuncio’s eyes on her. “What’s wrong?” he asked warily. “You’re always saying punishments don’t fit the crimes anymore, and if anyone deserves a taste of hell, it’s that prick.”
Cora never took her eyes from the landscape as she placed a hand on her son’s shoulder, curling her fingers to squeeze.
Only the vice-like grip didn’t ease up. If anything, it increased, with her nails sharpening to penetrate the casual shirt he wore and biting into the flesh itself, giving her control of his physical form.
* * *
Too late, Nuncio realised he was caught, and when he turned to look at his mother, there was nothing in her stare to even hint at a loving maternal instinct. “You gave me quite the run-around, boy. Now, let’s see if you can give me one good reason why I don’t crank up every one of your pain receptors to a thousand percent of where they are right now.”
Nuncio whimpered and fled into his mind, creating his apartment living room in the Prydelands. Surrounded by the pryde and his Aunt Columbine’s calm presence (even if it was just his imagination) he calmed down enough to get a hold of himself.
His mother knew something. Something that she was pissed off enough to threaten him with bodily harm over. But what was the question. There were layers to his misdealings, each inviting more trouble than the last. His mother wasn’t one to forgive and forget, but if he could somehow justify his actions, something that her innate had given him the opportunity to do instead of simply going straight to the ‘pain of a thousand deaths’ that she’d perfected too long ago to count.
The trick was … which layer had she figured out? If he short-changed himself, he would be in more trouble than he needed to be, but if he didn’t own up to what she knew he’d done, he’d really be in trouble. Humpty Dumpty had nothing on shifters.
Despite freaking out, he was suddenly reminded of an old comedy routine he’d listened to about forty-something years ago, where a kid knew he was in trouble, ‘And out of the one hundred things I’d done wrong that day, I wasn’t sure which one he wanted to talk to me about’.
The way that kid had dealt with the problem would serve him just as badly. Saying “Who me?” at this juncture was likely to get him smashed into a pulp because both of them were painfully aware of the who. And to be honest, the who, in this case, didn’t really matter. His mother didn’t care about Alex Portsmith. He was barely a splattered bug on the windscreen of their lives, even more so now that he would pay for his crimes in full. Nothing about that warranted this pain crackdown.
Maybe it was the fact that he (and Fisk) had given Alex a family shield so that the veil wouldn’t protect him from the horrors that came from pissing off demonic royalty. Or maybe it was the fact that he, of all the shifters in Earlafaol, had helped Fisk hospitalise that no-good bastard.
That might annoy her, but again, not to this degree.
It might be the wild goose chase he’d led her on after she’d come to him wanting information about Noah and his people. He hadn’t said he’d known all about everything already and instead let her go on her merry way.
Yeah … that was probably what this was all about.
The first words out of his mouth, when he returned to the physical realm were, “I didn’t tell you I was involved because you were already days deep into your investigation and if you just stopped suddenly, it would’ve looked like you were covering something up.”
Her expression grew thoughtful, and her claws loosened. Not enough to release him, but enough for him to believe he’d hit the magic topic.
“I am covering up something,” she said, staring through the windows.
“Yes, but it’s not from an FBI standpoint, is it? By handing that part of the case over to the NCIS, it’s not on you that they lost Portsmith during their investigation.” He turned to his mother. “See? It’s all good, right?”
The key was always distraction. Have people focus on what he was saying rather than what he wasn’t.
“And you were the shifter that helped Fisk break him.”
“He was a douchebag who deserved it, Mom. And once you came to me, telling me you wanted leads on the team Melody’s father heads, I spent a large portion of my time feeding them information and keeping the wolves at bay. I had to pull a hell of a lot of vanta-black trickery to convince those two guards to report immediately to the Naval Commanding Officer up in Saufley H—”
Her claws scraped the bone, but Nuncio endured it rather than numb the area. His mother was making a point, and it was integral to his ongoing health that he accepted her warning for what it was. Something he could heal the second she let him go.
“Don’t tell me the specifics of how you moved those Naval Police away from his door. I’ll find out at the reunion. If I keep myself ignorant until then, I won’t have to lie to Scott about what happened to his people.”
“You could always tell them how deeply embedded in the dark web the people you’re chasing are. They haven’t separated those two cases yet, have they?”
“You know they haven’t.”
“I’m not saying you have to lie, but come on, Mom. We both know that unless Grandmother was dipping into her powerbase, there’s plenty of ways to misdirect a line of enquiry.”
The claws bit so heavily into the shoulder that they punctured the bone and touched on either side, essentially shackling him to her. “Ow…ow-ow-ow-OW—Moooom,” Nuncio whined, his teeth gritting on the waves of pain that weren’t getting any easier to ignore. “Mom, that really hurts! Ow-ow!” But he wouldn’t beg. Never beg. She’d put his arm up to the elbow in a meat grinder if he begged, and she’d make sure he felt every bit of it.
“Misdirection,” his mother purred, ignoring the way Nuncio used his good hand against the window frame to keep himself upright. “Like the way Alex Portsmith’s Puerto Rican house was destroyed in a gaseous fireball afterwards that could’ve killed hundreds of US citizens.”
Back into his imagination he went. Okay. This was bad. Think, Nuncio. Think! He walked around his apartment, alternating between tapping his forehead and patting his fingertips together to stimulate the thought process. The searing pain of his mother’s physical shackle was distracting, but he had to focus past it to find a solution.
Intentionally harming innocents that she was responsible for was a hard line to his mother. There was no justification for it, and he should’ve remembered that!
Well, there wasn’t until there was … but those situations were few and far between and certainly not going to help him now. Offering to rebuild the area after the fact was lip service at best. Had he done it at the time, it would have been accepted, and the matter dropped, except Nuncio had wanted to keep himself out of this mother’s firing line, so he stayed quiet.
His best chance was to eat some humble pie. Something most Mystallians would rather die than do.
“I lost my shit,” he admitted, returning to the physical realm once more. “I saw the state she was in, saw how he had completely destroyed her for no other reason than because he could, and I lost it. In one move, I made sure she was safe, and the place that had been her prison could never be used for that again. I wasn’t thinking about the neighbours.” That last part, at least, was the absolute truth. Just not the way it was presented. He hadn’t thought about the neighbours because their lives and homes were inconsequential to him.
His mother’s grip lessened but didn’t release.
“I mean, you only read the reports, but I saw the burns, Mom. I watched the way she cowered. That jackass had her burning herself on the oven rings when he couldn’t be there to punish her himself. And he thought he had the right to do that.”
The claws loosened for all of two seconds. “You will reimburse everyone who took a financial hit during that destruction, correct?”
“Yes!” He might have yelped that out, but if doing a few hundred online transactions was all it took to get him out of this mess, he would grab it with both hands!
“Every single one of them.”
“Yes,” he agreed again, wondering why she was making him repeat himself.
“And just remember, that area is bitterly poor, and the internet doesn’t exist, so you’ll have to go there yourself to make reparations. To the dollar.”
Nuncio whimpered and sagged in her grip. The last thing he wanted to do was spend another second in that horrid area of the world, let alone hours.
Well, the second last thing …
…just.
“Yes, Mom.”
* * *
((Author's note: A little early because once again, my beta had a 12 hour shift tonight. ps: I just noticed the wrong number went up on the post - it should be 837 😝 ))
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))
I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here
For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is venturing into autobiographical territory for his big-screen feature debut. About My Father, a comedy based on Maniscalco's own relationship with his father and extended family, is set to hit theaters next year.
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Maniscalco's stand-up is based around his family life and upbringing, often revolving around his life with Italian immigrant parents. Beginning his career in the early 2000s performing at open mic nights, he has released five stand-up comedy specials as of 2022, with the two most recent exclusively released on Netflix. While he has appeared in supporting roles in films like Tag, Green Book, and The Irishman, About My Father will mark Maniscalco's first leading role in a major production. Maniscalco is co-writing the screenplay with Austen Earl, and Laura Terruso is on board to direct. Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Andrew Miano, and Judi Marmel will produce for Lionsgate and Depth of Field. Lionsgate will also handle distribution.
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So where can you watch "About My Father"? Is it on Netflix? What about HBO Max? Here's your guide to everything you need to know about how to watch Robert De Niro's anticipated comedy adaptation for "About My Father" where to watch it.
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When does the About My Father come out?
About My Father’s official release date is Friday, May 26, 2023. There are 15 other movies coming out on the same date, including The Machine, Kandahar and The Little Mermaid.
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Where To Watch About My Father:
As of now, the only way to watch About My Father is to head out to a movie theater when it releases on Friday, May 26. You can find local shows on Fandango, IMAX, Regal, AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Cineplex, Landmark Theatres, Alamo Drafthouse and Harkins Theatres.
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Watch Now: About My Father Online Free
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Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait for it to become available to rent or purchase on digital platforms like Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and Apple, or become available to stream on Starz.
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However, it will be available to stream on the Peacock platform soon. Disney+ typically follows a 90-day period before its theatrical releases come to the streaming platform. That means we may see the live-comedy version of "About My Father" come to Peacock as early as August 2023.
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When Will About My Father Be On Streaming?
While a digital release date for About My Father has not yet been announced, we can make an educated guess based on a previously released Lionsgate movie.
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Plane, which premiered on May 26, came to digital platforms in July. 10 — about three weeks after it was released in theaters. If About My Father follows the same trajectory, we could be watching it from the comfort of our living rooms by late July or early August 2023.
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Will About My Father Be On Peacock?
Lionsgate struck a massive distribution deal with Peacock that gives the streaming service exclusive rights to its films’ “Pay 2” streaming window (via THR). The agreement means that after Lionsgate’s films have their initial streaming releases on Starz, the movies, like About My Father, will later be available to stream on Peacock. Since Lionsgate hasn’t even confirmed the official streaming release date for the John Wick sequel on Starz, don’t expect to see the movie land on Peacock until at least winter 2024 after the deal officially kicks in.
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Pay 1 windows typically last between a year to 18 months, meaning that if About My Father begins streaming on Starz in September 2023, it isn’t likely to join Peacock's movie library until September 2024 at the earliest. Peacock and Lionsgate's deal confirmed that releases like About My Father would start streaming on the service in 2024, so the latest movie will most likely be on Peacock in fall 2024. By this time, About My Father will be available alongside the entire John Wick franchise for streaming on the platform.
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Is About My Father On Netflix?
No, About My Father will not be available on Netflix — at least not anytime soon, since it will be heading straight to Disney+ after its theatrical release. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait for it to become available on the Disney+ streaming platform
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Is About My Father 2023 streaming on HBO Max?
No, About My Father will not be available on HBO Max. it’s not a Warner Bros, About My Father is distributed by Walt Disney Studios, so therefore, it will stream to Disney+. The streaming date is unknown at this time, and due to its box office potential for the summer, do not expect About My Father to arrive on Disney+ anytime soon. Our best guess is a Disney+ premiere date in September 2023, but check back with us when it’s official.
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Is About My Father Streaming On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new action movie The About My Father on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series .
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Is About My Father on Amazon Prime?
We hate to tell you that ‘About My Father’ is not included in Amazon Prime’s library. But you can still make the most of your subscription by turning to other alternatives that the streaming giant houses, such as ‘Prisoner X‘ and ‘The Prison.’
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How to Watch About My Father Online For Free?
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to About My Father (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
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There are a few ways to watch About My Father online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
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When Will About My Father be on DVD and Blu-ray?
Summer and early Fall is also the likely date for a release of About My Father for Blu-Ray and DVD, though no specific date or timeline has been given at this time. As for a VOD release, the film will likely be available to buy digitally a few weeks before the inevitable streaming release for $20 USD.
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About My Father cast
Leading the cast is stand-up comedian turned actor Sebastian Maniscalco. This is gearing up to be a big year for Maniscalco as he also stars in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Spinning Gold. He’s previously had roles in Green Book, Somewhere in Queens and The Irishman.
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Maniscalco stars in About My Father alongside his Irishman costar Robert De Niro. De Niro is a two-time Oscar winner who has been seen in classic films such as The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Casino and Taxi Driver. In terms of his comedic efforts, he’s been featured in the Meet the Parents franchise, The Intern, Dirty Grandpa and more.
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Joining the Maniscalco and De Niro are:
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Leslie Bibb (Jupiter's Legacy)
Anders Holm (Inventing Anna)
David Rasche (Succession)
Brett Dier (Jane the Virgin)
Kim Cattrall (How I Met Your Father)
'About My Father' Is a Love Story Between Father and Son
About My Father is both exactly what you'd expect it to be and also one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. It's in the vein of the studio comedies of the early aughts like My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Meet the Parents while also having a bit of Wedding Crashers thrown in there as well. It would have been extremely easy to have its sense of humor built completely around one-note stereotypes but director Laura Terruso, as well as co-writers Maniscalco and Austen Earl, don't go that route. There is something so sweet and honest about the film as it's a romantic comedy where the love story is about the bond between father and son. Ellie's wealthy family aren't portrayed as villains nor is Salvo portrayed as some antagonist father. Instead, the film establishes very early on that these two families are from different worlds. The film opens with Maniscalco narrating a montage about what it means to be Silician as well as reminiscing about his childhood, so by the time we meet Ellie's family, Terruso doesn't antagonize them, but instead shows them as otherworldly. For example, when we first meet Lucky he's stepping out of the family's helicopter wearing a flight suit that makes him look like he just walked off the set of Top Gun: Maverick.
​
De Niro's track record in comedy has had some mighty heights, the aforementioned Meet the Parents, Analyze This, and Silver Linings Playbook, as well as some dismal lows such as Dirty Grandpa and The Big Wedding. Fortunately, de Niro is in fine form playing Salvo, who is directly based on Maniscalco's real-life father. In a role that feels almost the polar opposite of Jack Byrnes, de Niro gleefully throws out witty one-liners about being an immigrant, building Nintendos out of wood, and Che Guevera. He's clearly having a wonderful time on set, and he truly does feel so natural as this character (it probably helps that he met up with the real-life Salvo before and during filming). He plays Salvo like he's that relative that you only see at family reunions who lives in his own world, talking to you for hours as you sit next to him while downing your fourth bottle of beer, not annoyed, but having the time of your life. Paired with Maniscalco's everyman, the two leading men have excellent chemistry, bouncing off of each other extremely well. Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, David Rasche, and Anders Holm all get their time to shine as well, but the supporting cast's biggest scene-stealer is Brett Dier as Doug who garners some of the film's biggest laughs every time he appears on screen.

Hi! I'm a 15 year old girl. (Background and characters:) My mother, (37f) is a clean freak with severe OCD. She loves a clean house. She spends a lot of her day cleaning up to three times a day (probably more lol).
My sister N is 18, she has just graduated a few days ago! N is messy, she doesn't care about a little mess. She doesn't do her laundry, she doesn't make her bed, she doesn't clean up after herself. But in her defense, she needs back surgery, so that's her excuse. And she's going through a lot, she's a hard worker, she studies and struggles a lot with her dispraxia.
There's my mom's bf P, he's messy too.
Story: yesterday my sister N was in the bathroom taking a bath. She loves to do that for around 1-3 hours, she enjoys relaxing after studying/anything hard/a hard day overall. The bath was left for a while so obviously it got cold, N waited until the end of the day to get in when it was luke-warm. By that time P had turned the water off to my mothers command. After that N had texted me, asking me to check, so I did and told her it was off.
The next thing I hear is N getting out of the bath, unlocking the door, pounding on my mother's door (she keeps it locked) and P opens
They began arguing, I couldn't hear it all but from what i gather it went like this
P: -unlocks door - wha- N: why did you turn the water off? My bath is cold and I don't even have any water to wash my hair P: your mother told me to. N: well I needed to wash my hair!!
From what I heard from downstairs either P slammed the door on her or she pulled it shut. Then she went into the bathroom, slamming the door again, and draining the water. She began screaming about how she "can't even FUCKING wash my hair in this house" and screamed "FUCK YOU!!!!" and continued talking to herself before my mother yelled from her room to shut up.
The next day.
I had woken up to my mother yelling, "Op! Where's the yellow liquid?" (she's talking about yellow cleaning stuff. I had cleaned the house with it yesterday) I responsed "I don't know, I put it back" But of course she continued yelling, by that time I was up and preparing getting dressed for our appointment at CAMHS (It's a place that helps Minors with high anxiety and depression)
My mother turned her anger to N, yelling about what happened last night. It begun, the screaming match. This is all i can recall as I was also crying (I never cry. I usually just sit in silence, )
Mom was yelling at N, N was screaming back and started bawling about how she's suffering too, about how she's in pain too, and about how mom abuses us and screams all the time (she does) mom screamed back that she's only screaming because N doesn't clean up after herself, and about how she's always a slave to N (something she says often) It goes back in forth with N saying that mom screams all the time and mom screaming back about how she's a slave, and had just lost her sister in the last year, and she never had time to grieve.
I was just in my bed crying. After they were done screaming my mom called me to sort the clothes. Finding what's mine, she saw I was crying and was a bit shocked since I never cry. She talked in a gentle manner to me to just find my clothes.
My mom said she didn't want me to be upset. She said that N was making out to be her fault, I stayed silent, she sighed and said it was both their fault, I nodded and walked passed.
I got dressed and mom said we weren't going to the appointment anymore because it was just to discuss my antidepressants (which I have, its just to talk about how it's going) I said fine, now I'm on the couch typing this out. My mom wants me to calm down and not be upset before leaving. She said she's keeping a close eye on me because she's afraid I'll commit suicide.
I'm just so confused on how to feel. My chest hurts. My cheeks are wet. This can't be normal.
Id really appreciate any feedback at all, maybe about who's in the wrong? Maybe about how i should feel? I'm happy to answer questions...
TL;DF: my ocd mother is screaming at my sister about being messy and rude to her. It ended up becoming a screaming match between the two.

An interesting new study was published today in a top medical journal. It describes how a common and safe "liver drug" shuts the door on COVID before it can infect our cells. This is serious research, not fringe theories.
The "drug" is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). What they do not mention is the strange situation where this is both a drug and a dietary supplement capsule -- and the dietary supplement is the more "active" form of the substance. UDCA is activated when bound with the amino acid taurine (and taurine itself helps protect the retina). When activated this way, UDCA is called TUDCA.
TUDCA is the active compound in bear bile, which was used in several traditional medical systems. Some people still refer to TUDCA as "bear bile."
Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It functions as part of our digestive process. Bear bile used to be extracted from Asian black bears. The harvest of bear bile was extremely controversial to say the least. Thankfully, it is no longer taken from bears, but synthesized in an ethical and sustainable manner. The main ingredients of bear bile are ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), with TUDCA considered the activated form.
TUDCA is an oral dietary supplement that has been of interest to many glaucoma patients for a long time. Douglas Rhee, MD, wrote a section on it for a consensus paper for a major glaucoma organization more than a dozen years ago. In fact TUDCA (or bear bile) has a history of use for improving vision going back thousands of years in traditional Chinese medicine (Cidian 2004; Ventura 2009).
I'll explain more about TUDCA and the neuroprotection it may offer for the optic nerve below. But first, here is the abstract from today's newly published study in the prestigious journal Nature.
Abstract
Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection through the modulation of viral host receptors, such as ACE21, could represent a new chemoprophylactic approach for COVID-19 complementing vaccination2,3. However, the mechanisms controlling ACE2 expression remain elusive.
Here, we identify the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) as a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in multiple COVID19-affected tissues, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems.
We then use the over-the-counter compound z-guggulsterone (ZGG) and the off-patent drug ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to reduce FXR signalling and downregulate ACE2 in human lung, cholangiocyte and intestinal organoids and in the corresponding tissues in mice and hamsters.
We demonstrate that UDCA-mediated ACE2 downregulation reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, in vivo and in human lungs and livers perfused ex situ.
Furthermore, we illustrate that UDCA reduces ACE2 expression in the nasal epithelium in humans.
Finally, we identify a correlation between UDCA treatment and positive clinical outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection using retrospective registry data, and confirm these findings in an independent validation cohort of liver transplant recipients.
In conclusion, we identify a novel function of FXR in controlling ACE2 expression and provide evidence that modulation of this pathway could be beneficial for reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, paving the road for future clinical trials. [end of abstract]
Turning our attention to TUDCA's neuroprotective properties, here is a small sample of scientific studies available from PubMed:
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid: a potential therapeutic tool in neurodegenerative diseases - PubMed

In recent years, hydrophilic bile acids, particularly tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), have shown important anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective activities, with numerous experimental and clinical evidence suggesting their possible therapeutic use as disease-modifiers in neurodegenerative diseases.
Experimental evidence on the mechanisms underlying TUDCA's neuroprotective action derives from animal models of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and cerebral ischemia. Preclinical studies indicate that TUDCA exerts its effects not only by regulating and inhibiting the apoptotic cascade, but also by reducing oxidative stress, protecting the mitochondria, producing an anti-neuroinflammatory action, and acting as a chemical chaperone to maintain the stability and correct folding of proteins.
Furthermore, data from phase II clinical trials have shown TUDCA to be safe and a potential disease-modifier in ALS. ALS is the first neurodegenerative disease being treated with hydrophilic bile acids.

** TUDCA stands as a promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. **
The bile acid TUDCA and neurodegenerative disorders: An overview - PubMed

Bear bile has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years due to its therapeutic potential and clinical applications. The tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), one of the acids found in bear bile, is a hydrophilic bile acid and naturally produced in the liver by conjugation of taurine to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA).
Several studies have shown that TUDCA has neuroprotective action in several models of neurodegenerative disorders (ND), including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease, based on its potent ability to inhibit apoptosis, attenuate oxidative stress, and reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress in different experimental models of these illnesses.
Our research extends the knowledge of the bile acid TUDCA actions in neurodegenerative disorders and the mechanisms and pathways involved in its cytoprotective effects on the brain, providing a novel perspective and opportunities for treatment of these diseases.

You can find many more interesting studies on TUDCA's neuroprotective potential.

• Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is neuroprotective in a chronic mouse model of Parkinson's disease - PubMed
  
• Neuroprotective Effects of Tauroursodeoxicholic Acid Involves Vascular and Glial Changes in Retinitis Pigmentosa Model - PubMed
  
• Comparative Analysis of Urso- and Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid Neuroprotective Effects on Retinal Degeneration Models - PubMed
  
• Bile Acids as Key Modulators of the Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis in Alzheimer's Disease - PubMed
  
• Tauroursodeoxycholic acid alleviates secondary injury in spinal cord injury mice by reducing oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory response - PubMed
  
• Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid (TUDCA)-Lipid Interactions and Antioxidant Properties of TUDCA Studied in Model of Photoreceptor Membranes - PubMed
  
• Co-delivery of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) from PLGA microspheres: potential combination therapy for retinal diseases - PubMed
  
• Oral Ursodeoxycholic Acid Crosses the Blood Retinal Barrier in Patients with Retinal Detachment and Protects Against Retinal Degeneration in an Ex Vivo Model - PubMed
  

TUDCA is non-prescription, relatively inexpensive and has a good safety record at doses up to 750 mg/day. If you decide to try it, be sure to buy it from a reputable company.

The dissapointment of Love and Thunder can be placed on many factors. Taika not being reigned in with some weaker gags, lackluster CGI, a messy/confused story, an underutilised villain, wasted settings, and... urgh, the CGI.
The reasons for this have been discussed before. Marvel pushing too many projects at once and Taika being stretched thin being chief among them, but I think there was something to the idea of Love and Thunder that could have improved the movie.
Throughout the existing movie there is this small undercurrent of a storyline where Thor wants children. He wants to be a father and have kids with Jane, and it drives them apart because he fears losing her. Then, he seeks to reassure and embolden the children who have been kidnapped by Gorr and eventually empower them to fight back. Then, at the end, he becomes a fatheuncle to Gorr's daughter and begins the process of teaching her how to be a hero just like him.
Now, on paper, that's good because... Thor has NOTHING left.
He has his friends, but his family is gone and he genuinely and heartbreakingly misses them. He is over 1500 years old and has known his family for centuries- losing them in such a short space of time is going to be like creating multiple voids in your soul. Consider you may only know your parents or siblings for perhaps 60/70 years if you are lucky and then multiply that by hundreds of years. He is a character that is still in the mourning period and likely will be for a very long time to come.
And this is where Gorr should have shone as a villain.
Gorr, aka, the God Butcher, wants to eliminate all Gods and like Hela before him made it clear that Gods were a real problem to the universe. They are arrogant, violent, destructive and don't care- sure, some do, and we side with Thor because he's our hero but like a person who has to recognise the flaws of their own ancestors, the Gods have been a problem to the universe.
Gorr's motivation should have been Godly destruction. He should have wanted to tear down the old ways, and in doing so he travels to Omnipotence City to seek out the oldest Gods in the universe and butcher them. There should have been a horrifying scene of a war between old Gods facing new Nightmares and in the wake of it the same Gods who scoffed at Thor and Valkyrie are instead captured or killed.
Gorr has a vendetta against the past and a future of pain haunts him. Thor is pained by his past and is hopeful of the future. This is where our two leads differ and spurs their actions.
Of course, Thor would triumph, but he would triumph with a change in his outlook. He doesn't want to see the same mistakes again. He wants to ensure the next generation of Gods are greater than the old, stagnated Gods who do nothing to help the universe. He therefore decides not to be King, but rather, a teacher- and thus Thor travels the stars with the children of Gods and raises them in the importance of being worthy.
Thor becomes a father to not one man's child, but rather, the heavens themselves.
So. Jane?
The cancer storyline didn't work in Love and Thunder, but it could have worked somewhere else. Jane Foster should have returned at another point, perhaps in a different movie entirely where she doesn't die at the end. A story of hope about a survivor of cancer fighting physical monsters. There is a better Jane Foster Thor story than the one we got and I'm dissapointed with where we are at.
Also, like, she didn't die in battle as the battle was over so why did she end up in Valhalla when Thor told Sif earlier in the film that the battle was over and she wouldn't go to Valhalla? I mean, he doesn't know because he hasn't been to Valhalla, but still.
Anyway.
I think Love and Thunder could have been so much more. I'd have loved to have seen the Guardians more involved rather than Ragnarok Team Minus Hulk and I think that would have been okay because we know there development.
Hell it could have ended with Thor giving the Guardians some Asgardian gold and them buying Knowhere, or something?
But Thor has had an arc dealing with loss, and I think an arc going forward of him focusing on change (and played less for laughsp would have given us a hopeful and graceful potential exit to the character if it was to be the case, whilst holding the door open for him if he wanted to return.
Because;
Thor Will Return.

With the finale coming out I thought I'd ruin peoples perception of the character even more. Grab a snack this is gonna be long.Through his actions Barry and his team's incompetence and incredibly morally grey decisions gets more villains and innocents killed more consistently than any villain in the entire show with their kill count actually being higher even though the show acts like their no killing rule is sacred and I am going to list every prevolent instance of this. I will try to be as in chronological order as I can but it's a long list and the shows timeline and rules barely allows for it.

1. the black hole that opens over the city at the end of S1 that is literally only Barry's fault because he risks the timeline to save his mom. That thing most likely killed half the city because of Debri, fallout, and people just getting straight sucked in and Ronnie sacrificing himself making the death of Caitlins husband on Barry's hands and 100's upon 100's of others that the show never decided to make Barry feel guilty about.
   
2. Barry doesn't save his parents from murder by choice which is arguably killing them yourself because you know its something you can prevent. Then Barry undoes the 100's of people Flashpoint's timelines version of Wally has saved and countless others because of how probability works. Because of something that was his fault Barry undoes an entire version of a world that had people with lives which can ultimately be seen as mass genocide.
   
3. Barry literally shatters Sand Demon with thousands of volts of electricity and feels no remorse about it, and not to mention they killed Atom Smasher one episode before just straight up no if and or buts. And then in the big crossover all of the teams in a group effort murder vandal savage without feeling bad about it
   
4. Barry's wormhole introduces Zoom who terrorizes the city for months on end. He murders several cops while being in control of the entire city where criminals and murderers run rapid again adding 100 more deaths onto the hands of Barry due to his poor decision making and control over his emotions. This also includes deathstorm,Killer Frost,Reverb, and, Earth 2 Joe because Barry for some reason acts like he doesn't want to use his powers caz he'll out himself but later speeds out in front of the entire shop*with none of them noticing* which begs the question what was he worried about. Zoom also kills Barry's father making that death also on his hands.
   

5.Savitar states that Flashpoint somehow loosened the speedforce prison or something and gave him a gateway of escape. In a different potential version of his timeline Barry is responsible (quite literally) for the death of his own wife and the permanent crippling and mental snapping of her brothehis ally and sidekick and in another HR dies sacrificing himself for Iris again putting his death on Barry's hands. End of Season Savitar creates a speedforce storm which in turn could've killed 100's if not thousands

1. the finale of S2 made a big deal of barry not killing zoom but his plan of sticking time wraiths on him made Zoom a Zombie with superspeed that has zero working conscience or higher brain function that's literally just murder with extra steps he might as well be a vegatable. Barry just feels like the hero cause he didn't shove his hand through him.

6.The making of Flashpoint causes Cisco's brother Dante to die

1. Iris shoots Savitar just straight up.

8.Barry creates the Reverse Flash in the future by saving the crowd which in turn creates a giant time loop of death and destruction and pain just because Barry wants to preserve his own existence. Which in turn causes RF to get stuck in the past recreate the particle explosion 10 years early. He then goes on to murder multiple reporters and people that are onto him. Then Eddie goes onto kill himself to save Barry's life. So not only is Barry responsible for Iris's fiances death in less than a year barry proceeds to make moves on the woman of the man that saved his life from the hands of Eobard.
9.All of Devoes subsequent killings can now also be blamed on Barry because of the previously mentioned reason. He goes on to murder 11 bus metas a hoarde of Argus guards in incredibly gruesome ways and start a meteor explosion that causes debri that kills multiple people which in turn creates more dead people because the collateral goes on to create Cicada.
10.Barry indirectly causes a little girls coma which makes a man go on a prejudiced genocidal rampage of all things meta. Future Grace the comatose little girl then travels back in time so she can go on to murder more metas and to solve this problem Team Flash erases her from existence(which still qualifies as murder)
11.All of this leads to a version of Barry's daughter becoming a paradox and being erased from timeline which is again Barry's fault
To summarize the simple matter of Barry's creation of Reverse Flash starts an infinite loop of Barry being the sole cause for every atrocity committed throughout the show. Countless times Barry's poor decision making gets people killed and if Barry is actually saving people he is only saving them from a problem he caused

41/m looking for a SFW RP with fantasy elements where someone to plays the adult daughter of my character, either adopted or natural. I figure they would be meeting for the first time for some reason, and he’d be trying to figure out how to be a parent while your girl works on herself and their relationship. The idea is that they’d need each other, and both would come out of their adventures as better people and a better family.
I write third person via Discord, anywhere between several paragraphs to set a scene and a few sentences for dialogue. I’m pretty easy going in general and ask you to be the same; the goal is to post as long as necessary, not meet some quota for how much entertainment we’re providing each other.
My schedule is maybe 8pm-12pm the next day Central Time, as I work nights. My job provides a significant amount of downtime however, so regular posting in the evening or morning won’t be a problem. If you can post a few times a week, that would be lovely. More is of course great too.
The actual dynamic and events of the story are way up for discussion. I love brainstorming and world building and trading off who leads the next scene based on who has the vision for it. That said, I do have a few different ideas for settings and stories and themes, and beyond character development we can do Adventure or Mystery or Slice of Life or all of them together. My writing sample below is from a different character from a specific setting, and if it sounds interesting we can even use that.
If you’re interested, let me know via chat or DM’s. Hope to hear from you, and thanks for your time.
-Lysias
From a small room behind the counter, Lysias sang along with some slight skill, turning an old violin over in his hands. The sunlight that filtered in caught on the pits and chips of worn lacquer like they were being graded by one of his old professors, highlighting the imperfections with supposed warmth that dimmed the excellence of the work, nevertheless. It was a fine violin, too: one of the few brought in that was actually worth fixing. The varnish would need to be stripped before he could do anything, of course, like rehydrating the wood or sealing it—a tedious process by anyone’s standard but his, for ruination rested within his every breath, just waiting to be sighed out, that another thing of beauty might be wrecked before his downcast eyes.
The Cuss walked with him. Lived with him. Breathed with him.
Ate at him. Stole from him. Marginalized. Vilified. Consoled. Condemned.
It eased his sorrows and diminished his joys, adding and subtracting the human experience until the sum of his life was zero; no highs, no lows, just a meaningless medium. The Cuss was parasite and partner both. He almost hated it when he had the energy to hate something.
Lysias raised a finger, a mote of darkness erasing a spot in the air above it. As small as it was, he could hear the music bending, the sounds of the busy street outside distorted by its presence, like there was water in his ear. The lacquer of the violin was gone in a blink, and the Cuss was put away again, as much as some distant, broken part of him wanted to watch as it ran loose in the streets.
Those visions always came. He knew what it wanted, but fuck what it wanted—it had more than enough of him as it was.
Turning for the sanding block, he saw the ad for New York Healing Institute he pulled from his mailbox. A few stand-out words were read over his scarlet-lensed glasses. “It’s never too late to learn!” He had thoughts about that. “NYHI has new scholarships and grants for the aspiring healer! Find us on the web at-“
It was ridiculous.
Besides, no one would have a thirty-something, self-taught, null-aspected mage anyway. Just being around other casters as they spoke or chanted or sang or drew or painted their magic was enough to unravel it sometimes, and that was without trying. If a caster actually came at him, it wasn’t even a fight; he didn’t have to say a word to cuss out their pretty sparks and flames, turning their power and years of study into less than a fizzled-out bottle rocket.
As long as they were within a few feet of him, of course.
And they weren’t a mind mage.
Or an illusionist.
…Fine maybe a few others, but generally, he could take care of himself.
The first stroke of abrasive scoured away the bare finish of the violin, leaving a brighter, healthier wood waiting just beneath, ready to accept new polish and a new role. There was so little left that it hardly took any effort at all to remove the stain and give it a new start.
Green eyes flicked again to the article, to the propaganda and its ludicrous optimism.
It was ridiculous.
But still.
Still, he wondered if there were pretty sparks or fairy lights that could restore to him what the dark had devoured.
Lysias was wallowing of a fine state of self-pity when the door jingled. Yet another customer here to rudely interrupt his pity party. He was just about list every woman that had ever shot him down, too.
With a sigh, he pushed up his glasses and stepped out from the back in a black tee and jeans, the latter slightly more torn than the former. Neither went with his super-sexy $1,200 caiman cowboy boots, but that’s what the matching belt was for. The tarnished silver buckle though? With the giant “L” in 18k gold? That was just for him, and he offered no apologies or for it—fashion sense be damned.
He saw intrudecustomer from the corner of his eye and instead focused on straightening the bracelets in the display case before him, both magical and mundane. “Weeeeelcome to Arcane Pawn & Repair,” he drawled, monotone, “where we REpair, REstore, and REgret every decision that brought us here. What do you want?”

41/m looking for a SFW RP with fantasy elements where someone to plays the adult daughter of my character, either adopted or natural. I figure they would be meeting for the first time for some reason, and he’d be trying to figure out how to be a parent while your girl works on herself and their relationship. The idea is that they’d need each other, and both would come out of their adventures as better people and a better family.
I write third person via Discord, anywhere between several paragraphs to set a scene and a few sentences for dialogue. I’m pretty easy going in general and ask you to be the same; the goal is to post as long as necessary, not meet some quota for how much entertainment we’re providing each other.
My schedule is maybe 8pm-12pm the next day Central Time, as I work nights. My job provides a significant amount of downtime however, so regular posting in the evening or morning won’t be a problem. If you can post a few times a week, that would be lovely. More is of course great too.
The actual dynamic and events of the story are way up for discussion. I love brainstorming and world building and trading off who leads the next scene based on who has the vision for it. That said, I do have a few different ideas for settings and stories and themes, and beyond character development we can do Adventure or Mystery or Slice of Life or all of them together. My writing sample below is from a different character from a specific setting, and if it sounds interesting we can even use that.
If you’re interested, let me know via chat or DM’s. Hope to hear from you, and thanks for your time.
-Lysias
From a small room behind the counter, Lysias sang along with some slight skill, turning an old violin over in his hands. The sunlight that filtered in caught on the pits and chips of worn lacquer like they were being graded by one of his old professors, highlighting the imperfections with supposed warmth that dimmed the excellence of the work, nevertheless. It was a fine violin, too: one of the few brought in that was actually worth fixing. The varnish would need to be stripped before he could do anything, of course, like rehydrating the wood or sealing it—a tedious process by anyone’s standard but his, for ruination rested within his every breath, just waiting to be sighed out, that another thing of beauty might be wrecked before his downcast eyes.
The Cuss walked with him. Lived with him. Breathed with him.
Ate at him. Stole from him. Marginalized. Vilified. Consoled. Condemned.
It eased his sorrows and diminished his joys, adding and subtracting the human experience until the sum of his life was zero; no highs, no lows, just a meaningless medium. The Cuss was parasite and partner both. He almost hated it when he had the energy to hate something.
Lysias raised a finger, a mote of darkness erasing a spot in the air above it. As small as it was, he could hear the music bending, the sounds of the busy street outside distorted by its presence, like there was water in his ear. The lacquer of the violin was gone in a blink, and the Cuss was put away again, as much as some distant, broken part of him wanted to watch as it ran loose in the streets.
Those visions always came. He knew what it wanted, but fuck what it wanted—it had more than enough of him as it was.
Turning for the sanding block, he saw the ad for New York Healing Institute he pulled from his mailbox. A few stand-out words were read over his scarlet-lensed glasses. “It’s never too late to learn!” He had thoughts about that. “NYHI has new scholarships and grants for the aspiring healer! Find us on the web at-“
It was ridiculous.
Besides, no one would have a thirty-something, self-taught, null-aspected mage anyway. Just being around other casters as they spoke or chanted or sang or drew or painted their magic was enough to unravel it sometimes, and that was without trying. If a caster actually came at him, it wasn’t even a fight; he didn’t have to say a word to cuss out their pretty sparks and flames, turning their power and years of study into less than a fizzled-out bottle rocket.
As long as they were within a few feet of him, of course.
And they weren’t a mind mage.
Or an illusionist.
…Fine maybe a few others, but generally, he could take care of himself.
The first stroke of abrasive scoured away the bare finish of the violin, leaving a brighter, healthier wood waiting just beneath, ready to accept new polish and a new role. There was so little left that it hardly took any effort at all to remove the stain and give it a new start.
Green eyes flicked again to the article, to the propaganda and its ludicrous optimism.
It was ridiculous.
But still.
Still, he wondered if there were pretty sparks or fairy lights that could restore to him what the dark had devoured.
Lysias was wallowing of a fine state of self-pity when the door jingled. Yet another customer here to rudely interrupt his pity party. He was just about list every woman that had ever shot him down, too.
With a sigh, he pushed up his glasses and stepped out from the back in a black tee and jeans, the latter slightly more torn than the former. Neither went with his super-sexy $1,200 caiman cowboy boots, but that’s what the matching belt was for. The tarnished silver buckle though? With the giant “L” in 18k gold? That was just for him, and he offered no apologies or for it—fashion sense be damned.
He saw intrudecustomer from the corner of his eye and instead focused on straightening the bracelets in the display case before him, both magical and mundane. “Weeeeelcome to Arcane Pawn & Repair,” he drawled, monotone, “where we REpair, REstore, and REgret every decision that brought us here. What do you want?”