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.
​
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.
​
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?
​
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).
​
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.
​
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.
​
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.
​
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.
​
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’ve been trying to figure out the answer to this question for a very long time. On the one hand, we believe in destiny & predestination, everything has already been written down. On the other hand we believe in personal responsibility, i.e. each of us is responsible for our actions and will be judged accordingly in the hereafter. So, if destiny exists - what actions are we responsible for? If whatever we do - the results are the same, what’s the point of doing it at all?

"The Battle of Algiers" is a critically acclaimed faux documentary inspired by “cinéma vérité” and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. Released in 1966, it depicts a crucial phase in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-7). The film portrays events such as the FLN's (Front de Libération Nationale) bombings, assassinations, and the French military's efforts to suppress the insurgency.
The film received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1966 and was nominated for three Oscars (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film). Over the years, it has continued to earn accolades, including being listed among the greatest films of all time by publications such as Sight & Sound and The New York Times. Edward Said famously claimed that “The Battle of Algiers” and “Queimada” (1969), Pontecorvo's next film, were the two greatest political films ever made. They indubitably paved the way for films such as Costa-Gavras “Z” and Theo Angelopoulos’s “Days of “36”.
The film was released a mere four years after the end of the Algerian War of Independence; it immediately became a subject of fierce controversy in France. The French government, under the conservative President Charles de Gaulle, was not supportive of the film due to its critical portrayal of French colonialism; as a result when Pontecorvo won the Golden Lion in Venice, the French delegation left in protest and the film was not screened in France until 1971. Even then, death threats by nationalists deterred cinema owners, and it was only through pressure from Louis Malle and other intellectuals that the film was eventually shown in French cinema.
The film portrays the profound repercussions that arise from challenging popular will through colonial means, such as military force and institutional discrimination. "The Battle of Algiers" emerges directly from the liberation movement it vividly captures. Following Algeria's independence in 1962, former fedayee (guerrilla) and captive of the French, Saadi Yaceft, approached Pontecorvo to adapt his memoirs into a film. The authenticity of the film’s foundation helped it to exude a striking realism rarely seen in political movies. The film's mournful tone and journalistic approach enabled Pontecorvo to reconstruct events on a grand scale, capturing the essence of the urban landscape of Algiers while also depicting intimate moments of ordinary people.
What adds to the power of the film is its ability to maintain a balanced and impassioned perspective by addressing the concerns of both sides of the war. The French colonel, who himself fought against the Nazis during the resistance, wonders why some intellectuals and the artists of France side with the Algerian rebels. However, there was a time when the colonel did not have to question why the Germans were unwelcome in his own country.
In Pontecorvo’s own words: "So many critics see “The Battle of Algiers” as propaganda, but in the scenes of death, the same religious music accompanies both the French and Arab bombings. I am on the side of the Arabs, but I feel compassion for the French even if historically they were at fault. I do not say the French were bad, only that they were wrong. [...] My subject is the sadness and laceration that the birth of a nation means in our time.” Undoubtedly, Pontecorvo, an Italian Jew who had previously been affiliated with the communist party and had fought as a partisan during World War II, did not garner favor among conservative circles.
Pontecorvo intricately wove together the technical aspects of the film, utilizing handheld cameras and black and white cinematography to convey an immediacy that plunges viewers into the heart of the conflict. The film's stark urban landscapes and the raw emotions etched on the faces of its characters are expertly framed, thanks to the cinematography of Marcello Gatti.
Gatti, the film's cinematographer, bore a leftist ideology and had endured imprisonment under Mussolini's dictatorship for defacing a portrait of Mussolini. With consummate skill, he adeptly captured the raw and captivating ambiance of the urban conflict portrayed in the film. His remarkable ability to navigate the labyrinthine, serpentine streets of Algiers and aptly depict the fervor of the clashes between the FLN and the French military heightened the film's tension.
Pontecorvo's approach to working with amateur actors is equally noteworthy. The performances of actors like Saadi Yacef, the aforementioned former FLN leader who portrays himself, are captivating in their authenticity. Pontecorvo's mastery in bestowing the film with the appearance of newsreel and documentary was so profound that American releases bore a disclaimer stating that "not one foot" of actual newsreel footage was utilized.
Jean Martin, a French actor who had only a modest number of screen credits to his name, was carefully selected by Pontecorvo to be the sole professional actor in the film, chosen for his relative obscurity and professional expertise. In his interactions with untrained performers, Martin occasionally faced challenges stemming from the disparity in experience. Pontecorvo, on the other hand, expressed apprehension regarding potential disparities in acting styles and their potential impact on the film's overall coherence. Nevertheless, Martin ultimately delivered a commanding portrayal as Colonel Mathieu, exuding the chilling resolve of the French military and effectively capturing the complexities of the conflict and the moral ambiguity surrounding the actions of the French military.
Indeed, Colonel Mathieu is the key figure of the movie and a complex anti-hero. Tasked by the French government with suppressing the Algerian uprising, he epitomizes the archetype of a resilient and seasoned professional soldier. Having earned his stripes as a veteran of the French Resistance, Mathieu exudes an unwavering demeanor devoid of any trace of irony. The film's most remarkable sequence revolves around Mathieu's commanding presence as he leads a triumphant parade along Algiers' main street. His intentions are twofold: to reassure loyal citizens of the French army's might in quashing the terrorists and to confront the terrorists themselves. With an air of casual ease, he radiates unwavering confidence, fully immersed in the spectacle he has orchestrated. Bathed in a dance of alternating shadows and sunlight, skillfully captured by Pontecorvo's masterful utilization of natural light, Mathieu's countenance becomes an indispensable component of the film's "newsreel" aesthetic.
Possibly the most cherished trivia about the movie is that it was screened at the Pentagon in 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq. American generals were captivated by the film's unwavering candor in delving into subjects such as counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and the contentious employment of torture as a means of gathering information. General David Petraeus, who held command of the 101st Airborne Division at the time, lauded the film for its portrayal of the intricate complexities entailed in urban warfare and counterinsurgency. While this screening undoubtedly revitalized the film's iconic status, it appears that the attending officers failed to fully absorb Pontecorvo's profound insights, as evidenced by the course of the war in Iraq. Perhaps a revisiting of the film is in order for them.
"The Battle of Algiers" offers a cinematic odyssey that reaches far beyond its portrayal of the Algerian war. Its profound impact transcends the boundaries of that particular conflict, embracing a universal frame of reference that allows audiences to connect it to any war or struggle. The film's resonance stems from its profound ability to delve into timeless truths about the human condition and the harrowing ramifications of armed conflict, solidifying its status as a film of enduring relevance.
Pontecorvo's film has become such a powerful symbolic representation of the Algerian struggle that the untold stories of grassroots resistance can sometimes fade into the background, lost in obscurity. I'd like to suggest two more films which lack the laurels and recognition of the “Battle of Algiers” but shed light to lesser known aspects of the anti-colonial struggle in North Africa: “The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” and “The Lion of the Desert” (infamously funded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafy). If you're open to exploring movies that challenge your perspectives and offer historical insights, these two could be an interesting choice.
“The Chronicle of the Years of Fire” is an Algerian movie by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina that won the Palme d’ Or in 1975: it shows the conflict through the eyes of a peasant while carefully depicting tribal life on the mountains of Algeria. “The Lion of the Desert” is an epic historical film directed by Moustapha Akkad with an impressive array of Hollywood stars, portraying the true story of Omar Mukhtar, a Bedouin leader who fought against Italian forces during the Italian colonization of Libya in the 1930s.
If interested in further discussing this film, you can join our Zoom discussion this Friday: https://www.meetup.com/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/events/293060025/

Oh my God was this list hard to rank 😅 I took about I would say at least 15 hours of my time into this and all of that was just to rank them at a certain level without much to say. First off we have about 8 Tiers from F,D,C,B,A,S,SS, and Premium though I barely put much into their. Remember this is just an opinion so don't take too harshly if your favorite episode isn't high on my list. For some episodes I may not say much or anything since this was too long originally.
F Tier, these are my least favorite episodes and most likely I have a vendetta against them in some way that made it hard for me to like them

1. S2 Ep 8 Nebraska- I hate Lori and I think this episode expresses it, most definitely a vendetta. I didn't exactly like the stuff with Hershel and recovering though it was okay, but lori made some questionable decisions to go off on her own to look for Rick even though she should know he's fine seriously. She wrecks a car and then barely dies from a walker, mind you she is pregnant and shouldn't do these things easily my least favorite episode.
   
2. S10 Ep 21 Diverged- I honestly forget this episode so much since it has nothing truly interesting or important to the story
   
3. S7 Ep 6 Swear- this episode feels slow paced and dull due to oceanside being not seen well for me and I feel like Tara put on the best performance she could for it.
   
4. S8 Ep 2 The Damned- this episode to me was just a lot of action and in the walking dead I don't want that. We see a couple of characters die (including Francine 🪦 I absolutely loved her character and hate how she died here :[ mindless) Erics death started here, but it just wasn't impactful enough.
   
5. S3 Ep 11 I Ain't a Judas- Andrea is a boring character in the show and I hate her in this episode. The focus should've been on the prison honestly and maybe If she killed the Governor I would've understood her more.
   
6. S10 Ep 20 Splinter- if most of the episode was real I would've loved it, but they weren't...
   
7. S3 Ep 5 Say the Word- Andrea just isnt much good in this episode and Rick going crazy wasn't a fun idea to me.
   
8. S8 Ep 3 Monsters- aside from the one fight with Rick I really didn't care much for it again for the fighting and having Morales return and die felt out of place.
   
9. S2 Ep 2 Bloodletting- the group searching for Sophia was okay for a concept, but this episode was okay and went slow paced for me until the end.
   

D Tier, moving on these episodes were for me mostly just forgettable or boring so I won't say much except they weren't all bad

1. S1 Ep 3 Tell it to the frogs- first off S1 won't be all high because I'm ranking EVERY episode, but this one felt slow in pace more as well compared to the last two. Shane was a badass though.
   
2. S11 Ep 3 Hunted- Forgettable... Not much to say.
   
3. S5 Ep 11 The Distance- Forgot entirely this was an episode, after rewatch still don't like it except for Aaron.
   
4. S2 Ep 9 Trigger finger- It was a bit better than Nebraska, mostly cause of the Randel scenes.
   
5. S7 Ep 14 The Other Side- Sasha somewhat makes a noble decision.
   

163-162. S11 Episodes 22 following 21- 22 had the Warden being uninteresting as a villain and 21 was boring as can be which is why they sit besides each other.

1. S8 Ep 7 Time for After- I don't like the plans they have to deviate from Rick and him going to Jadis again feels like a horrible decision on his part.
   
2. S9 Ep 8 Evolution- The ambience is the best part, though I hated Jesus' s death as it felt like a bad sendoff.
   

C Tier, These are a bunch of boring and hard to follow episodes that have some highs that keep it out of former tiers.

1. S2 Ep 1 What lies Ahead- I liked the RV scene with Andrea, but what follows is dull.
   
2. S11 Ep 4- The pope is somewhat average.
   
3. S7 Ep 12 Say Yes- The carnival was a nice scenery for TWD, but they had too many fake outs with the walker "shooting" at them and the deer fake out.
   
4. S9 Ep 7 Stradivarius- The Search for Eugene feels tiring to follow what's happening and I ended up watching the episodes once and never again because of it.
   
5. S2 Ep 4 Cherokee Rose- Watching the episode is fun because of the well, though I feel like it was stupid as an idea as the group should have more common sense before doing something dumb.
   
6. S2 Ep 3 Save The Last One- Shane was horrifying, but the rest was dull.
   
7. S8 Ep 14 Still gotta mean something- Rick felt unnecessarly cold hearted in this episode killing off the Saviors that helped him which I didn't like, though Jared got a well deserved death.
   
8. S4 Ep 9 After -It was okay watching Carl try to scavenge while Rick was injured and I liked the scene with his shoe being lost.
   
9. S7 Ep 5 Go Getters- the episode itself wasn't bad yet I never really enjoyed it too much aside from Maggie being a badass and the ending was pretty good.
   
10. S4 Ep 10 Inamtes- Inmates was a pretty well rounded episodes showing off some of the group which I liked seeing Tyreese the most.
    
11. S8 Ep 6 The King, The Widow, and Rick- the episode was pretty lackluster for me and I didn't really appeal to seeing the garbage people much in this or everyone going to attack the saviors which was a dumb move to do. Ezekiel was probably the most fun of the episode.
    
12. S3 Ep 16 Welcome to the Tombs- the finale for season 3 has always been horrible as it barely gives tension between the Governor and Ricks group, it just felt unfitting for a finale.
    
13. S11 Ep 8 For blood- it was a okay Mid Season finale to say the least (sorry, 1/3 season finale). I did like some of the parts in it with Maggie which is why it sits higher than others.
    
14. S5 Ep 7 Crossed- I thoroughly enjoyed the chase scene between the three officers and Ricks group, but that was about it.
    
15. S4 Ep 13 Alone- I liked watching the parts of the group split up, except for Maggie, Bob, and Sasha as they felt very uneventful to me. What makes this episode better had to be the part about Daryl and Beth with the ending of the introduction to Joe's group.
    
16. S7 Ep 10 New Best Friends- a lot of these parts I forgot about in this episode when it came to the Kingdom though after rewatching it I enjoyed those parts more than the Garbage people. I just honestly think Jadis's group is uninteresting and makes for no substance.
    
17. S10 Ep 15 The Tower- I sometimes forget about this episode and it's premise with Beta, but I think it holds up enough for a weird one and The stuff with princess was okay.
    
18. S9 Ep 3 Warning signs- I think the episode was okay, I just didn't like Season 9 A that much...
    

B tier, now we get to the episodes I could watch again in the past 6 months or binge through without skipping

1. S11 Ep 2 Acheron Part 2- this was close to being put into C tier since I really hated some parts about it like how they left Gage to die and still had to fight off dozens of walking regardless. The group in the first two episodes seem to switch off and on from good to bad.
   
2. S7 Ep 4 Service- for some reason people hate this episode and I can't see why except for the fact it mainly deals with Negan at Alexandria; in my opinion it was him and a couple other characters who saved season 7 and 8 for me.
   
3. S10 Ep 3 Ghosts- I forget the episode...
   
4. S10 Ep 7 Open Your Eyes- I thought the episode was fine as I don't hate Siddiq and all, though I liked and hated the ending as I loved the twist of Dante and hated that Siddiq had to die so early on.
   
5. S6 Ep 7 Heads Up- I didn't like the twist of Glenn and all, but I liked the suspicion with Carol and Morgan as well as the Ending being dramatic.
   
6. S8 Ep 11 Dead or Alive- it's not good to know when you remember an episode due to bad things. Daryl has been making more off decisions for the character and Tara seems to be completely Reckless now making me hate her moving forward.
   
7. S4 Ep 4 Indifference- The Scenes with Carol and Rick we're amusing with crude Humour as well as some more tense scenes in my opinion and I hated/liked when Rick told Carol she couldn't come back.
   
8. S3 Ep 6 Hounded- honestly I would've rather put this episode a little bit higher due to Merle (probably my favorite charcater which contributes to a lot of episodes being higher) being a badass while fighting Michonne and pulling out puns as well. The reason it doesn't get higher is still due to Rick and the phone situation being uneventful.
   
9. S11 Ep 9 No Other Way- Alden dies in this episode which I should've seen coming that sucks. The ending feels misleading a bit though everything else in the middle is pretty great.
   
10. S11 Ep 5 Out of the Ashes- literally the only reason I put this here was due to Lance so deal with it!
    
11. S4 Ep 11 Claimed- Rick had a pretty solid pair of scenes with the Claimers and I liked watching Glenn and Tara (Surprisingly).
    
12. S10 Ep 13 What We Become- I thought the flashbacks/hallucinations we're pretty good, but aside from that this episode was just mediocre.
    
13. S9 Ep 4 The Obliged- I liked watching Daryl and Rick fight each other over different views on how everything should be and the ending I thought was pretty suspenseful as well as the saviors and oceanside.
    
14. S11 Ep 15 Trust- Lance feels exactly like the Governor in some of these episodes which is what I like about him, and from here I start to enjoy Princess maybe because Mercer is around more xd.
    
15. S10 Ep 17 Home Sweet Home- I thought Maggie was a good enough concept for an episode with the reapers, though it didn't hit that hard watching again. It still Is most definitely better than the other 3 episodes of S10 part C but enough for A Tier.
    

A Tier, after this point complaints may start to stop, but that doesn't mean entirely. These episodes I enjoy watching over and over again with some good tension and comedy as well.

1. S1 Ep 5 Wildfire- For the episodes Jim was in I liked him and learning his backstory as well so this was a pretty fun episode.
   
2. S4 Ep 15 Us- the stuff with Abraham and their group was pretty wholesome to me and I liked Joe for the time being in here seeing how he is pretty fair to be honest giving things where they are due and trust to Daryl.
   
3. S6 Ep 11 Knots Untie- I somewhat feel like the episode drags due to there being too much at hilltop, but it is a new community so I can't truly argue. I remember enjoyably when Rick stopped the assassination attempt.
   
4. S8 Ep 9 Honor- the beginning with Carl I thought was good to showcase the events that unfolded before the decimation and Carl's death hit hard.
   
5. S5 Ep 4 Slabtown- I personally don't mind the hospital arc too much, yet it won't get all of it's episodes too high of course. I liked watching Noah and Beth converse and I thought this was a new era for the walking dead.
   
6. 10 Ep 1 Lines we Cross- the part with the Satellite was amusing to watch as it was a big change to see and I like that about the walking dead on occasions.
   
7. S9 Ep 6 Who are you now?- I liked learning of Luke's Group (you heard me, Luke's Group) and what they have been like learning of some of their past.
   
8. S10 Ep 8 The World Before- I liked mostly just watching two scenes, the beginning with Dante and Gabriel and Dante. I loved the fact no one even considered a Whisperer living amongst them and how he did some much devious stuff was mind boggling and amazing to watch. When Gabriel talks about forgiveness to Dante and kills him shows me how Gabriel has changed the past seasons.
   
9. S7 Ep 9 Rock in the Road- Rick gives off a good speech to Ezekiel and I liked seeing him and Morgan reunite again. The stuff with Gabriel wasn't too bad either.
   
10. S3 Ep 9 The Suicide King- the Governor finally seems to be starting to let things of him slip which I love to see. I also enjoyed watching Merle with Daryl as well too.
    
11. S11 Ep 11 Rouge element- I thought that the twist of Steph was pretty good and I don't mind the episode being a bit long and tedious for it's reveal.
    
12. S11 Ep 23 Family- I loved the fact Lydia got bit just because it shows us that people can still get bit and survive. It shows to me that in the finale no one could be truly safe even though Luke gets bit and still dies.
    
13. S11 Ep 17 Lockdown- Saving Sebastian was okay ig.
    
14. S8 Ep 10 The Lost and The Plunderers- Simon's character I think was made perfectly as he is a hotheaded person who is all about power and showing that off. Killing most of the Garbage people was terrifying to watch and showed how Negan could be more merciful than others.
    
15. S1 Ep 1 Days Gone Bye- I think for the pilot it did it's job well and showed off enough of what the show could be. Of course this doesn't mean it was all good but as pilots go it was pretty solid.
    
16. S11 Ep 1 Acheron Part 1- The only reason I put it this high was for the interrogation scenes especially when it came down to Ezekiel. Him and Mercer are honestly a great pair and I love his ending to the show as it's fitting.
    
17. S5 Ep 10 Them- after losing most of the group it seems like a fitting episode of despair and plays it perfectly.
    
18. S5 Ep 12 Remember- the first shown scenes of Alexandria was pretty good and I liked the interviews scene too. We also saw a lot of new character introductions.
    
19. S11 Ep 6 On The Inside- The ferals was a nice touch of horror that I never knew I could need. Making the people with the ferals Virgil and Connie made the most perfect sense as well.
    
20. S6 Ep 13 Not Tomorrow Yet- this episode shows off how our group is seeming to be the bad guys starting to kill people in their sleep. I like how Glenn and Heath have their first kills and show how they are changing.
    
21. S7 Ep 1 The day will come when you won't be- I like the title as it references Doctor Jenner, but for the episode I liked Negan and that's mostly it. Seeing two people die was horrible to me, but necessary and since I don't rank episodes for being bad due to deaths I can still rank them high.
    
22. S6 Ep 16 Last Day on Earth- Simon has a good introduction and I like them trying to get from point A to B, but what stands out to me most is probably Abraham and Eugene with his speech about him
    
23. S7 Ep 15 Something they need- Sasha was probably the highlight of the episode for me and I liked them and Negan's interactions. It Is a good effort to show that they aren't all monsters and I like seeing Eugene as well.
    
24. S3 Ep 7 When the Dead come knocking- Glenn and his interrogation with Merle was amazing and I liked seeing Glenn's true will shine.
    
25. S8 Ep 12 The Key- I don't like this episode much honestly if it wasn't for Negan and Ricks Speech as well as Simon and his deviousness.
    
26. S8 Ep 1 Mercy- the beginning I had to move up due to some good portions of it like Rick and Negan. I also liked the ending a lot even though I watched the trailer a lot and knew of Gabriel and Negan's interactions.
    
27. S9 Ep 1 a New Beginning- wow two series beginnings next to each other... Yeah it's weird but they weren't exactly S Tier Material. The beginning with them trying to get a horse accessory was great tension to watch and I already love Ricks Beard.
    
28. S10 Ep 18 Find me- okay so maybe I exaggerated My feeling towards Season 10 C a bit since I like some of the episodes a bit and others worse. The reason I put this here is mostly good plot lines and that was it.
    

Around here I wanted to say the reason for some episodes ranking higher is due to the fact the others are horrible and some of these have redeeming qualities. It's hard to put over 150 episodes ranked from horrible to greatness and know the points of interest.

1. S3 Ep 3 Walk With Me- Merle brings joy to me seeing him again and I love him from here on out. I like how the Governor seems to be innocent enough until the big reveal with the militia which is amazingly put.
   
2. S10 Ep 9 Squeeze- I hate Squeeze... There i said it. The cave sucks honestly and Id rather not watch it again because of that, but Negan is the only saving grace for this episode and if it wasn't for him I would never watch this episode again.
   
3. S8 Ep 13 Do Not Send Us Astray- Simon attacking the Hilltop was the most great action of this season that I never minded and it felt terrifying after Tobin's fate was sealed.
   
4. S3 Ep 12 Clear- I had to move it from S Tier, but nevertheless a great episode. Morgan's return was done perfectly and I felt like his character did a full 180 after this. Michonne and Carl's side story was also good.
   
5. S2 Ep 12 Better Anglels- Shane and Ricks final confrontation was amazingly executed and loved the difference from the Comics with Rick killing shane and Carl shooting his reanimated self; Shane and Randel was also good too.
   
6. S4 Ep 12 Still- Daryl and Beth make sense to pair together and I like seeing how we get a bit more back story to his character. They feel like the most perfect example to put for a mismatched pair.
   
7. S6 Ep Thank You- The journey with Glenn's group trying to get back was amusing to see even though the dumpster ending wasnt really the best, still horrible to see.
   
8. S10 Ep 4 Silence the Whisperers- Negan and Lydia have a good bond and I like how Negan defends her even though I hate how no one believes Lydia that Negan protected her.
   
9. S8 Ep 4 Some Guy- I still love watching Ezekiel and the Kingdom so I enjoy this episode and how he feels defeated the whole time. Jerry is the best bodyguard in my opinion as well as it is shown and Shivas death is heartbreaking.
   
10. S5 Ep 8 Coda- The reason I put this soo high was due to Rick and Bob. I did like the ending a bit even though I feel like Beth's death could've been avoided.
    
11. S3 Ep 14 Prey- originally this episode was C Tier for me, but I re-watched it and put it this high due to the Governor being a literal psycho and I love this side of him.
    
12. S11 Ep 20 What's been Lost- Lance felt underutilized as soon as he died, I really wished they could've made a difference with his exit on the show.
    
13. S8 Ep 8 How it's gotta be- Forgot about Natanias death.
    
14. S11 Ep 7 Promises Broken- Negan and Maggie had a good talk together about before.
    
15. S10 Ep 6 Bonds- Okay.. XD.
    
16. S6 Ep 10 The Next world- I thought the stuff with Rick, Daryl, and Jesus was goofy, but great.
    
17. S11 Ep 19 Varient- I do like the idea of evolving walkers though I feel like it was a bit late in the show.
    
18. S3 Ep 13 Arrow on the Doorstep- the meeting was just terrific to watch as the Governor is so sinister inside it with Milton and Hershel having a good talk as well with Martinez and Daryl having a good show off time. Merle and Glenn have some good times too.
    
19. S9 Ep 2 The Bridge- The log scene was amazing and Aaron had a good scene with the amputation.
    

S Tier, These episodes are some of my favorite to watch with a good glass of Tea and some snacks.

1. S7 Ep 7 Sing me a song- Negan and Carl were fun to watch as well as some more insight on the sanctuary as Daryl breaks free. Negan and Carl also Bond.
   
2. S10 Ep 10 Stalker- Daryl VS Alpha!!!
   
3. S11 Ep 16 Acts of God- Lance is very horrifying as to what his next move is and Leah's stuff was good.
   
4. S3 Ep 8 Made to suffer- it was a great Mid season finale as I enjoyed the fight with the Governor and Rick as well as the ending with Merle and Daryl.
   
5. S2 Ep 6 Secrets- Glenn has to deal with hiding multiple people's secrets and I feel like the comedy is pure gold here.
   
6. S1 Ep 2 Guts- The rooftops scenes were great as well as the parts where they wear guys to avoid the walkers, it always felt like a sense of panic in this episode.
   
7. S9 Ep 9 Adaptation- the introduction to Alpha was simple enough and I feel like it's a good episode.
   
8. S11 Ep 10 New Haunts
   
9. S11 Ep 12 The Lucky Ones- Carol finally feels a little bit like she's back to her old self in this community with Lance and their deals.
   
10. S4 Ep 1 30 days without and Accident- probably my second favorite of the beginning episodes as it demonstrates exactly how the group has got along since the recent events. Has a good story with the shopping market and the roof caving in was awesome.
    
11. S3 Ep 10 Home- this episode shows how Merle and Daryl are far apart which I can still keep watching Merle and be entertained as well as the fight scene at the end with the Governor being cocky as can be.
    
12. S9 Ep 16 The Storm- snow is a new but simple thing that I like along with Negan Earning trust with Michonne.
    
13. S10 Ep 2 We are the End of the World- Gamma saving Alpha is one of my favorite scenes of how it shows Alphas power towards the group and influence on it's people.
    
14. S6 Ep 8 Start to Finish- The walls coming down had an interesting story as well as many like the Wolf getting loose and Diana having a badass/amazing exit.
    
15. S9 Ep 11 Bounty- The Movie Theatre scene was pretty good as well as Alpha with and Lydia.
    
16. S5 Ep 2 Strangers- The uneasy feeling of Gabriel is pretty good to show the groups trust and I like how the ending is played out with the reveals.
    
17. S11 Ep 13 Warlords- The Complex is a pretty good place to see and I like seeing the evolution of Negan and Aaron.
    
18. S9 Ep 15 The Calm Before- The highlight is the end with the pikes though it made sense for the lesser characters. I hated seeing Henry and Enid die (Not with Tara).
    
19. S10 Ep 11 Morning Star- The start of the battle is ingenius with the tree sap fire scene and it makes for a suspenseful ending to the episode to come.
    
20. S9 Ep 5 What come After- The episode is meant to be a sendoff for Rick so I'll rank it about everything else instead. I did enjoy some of the sequences with Hershel and I loved seeing Shane again. He really puts perspective on some episodes like Season 5 which makes me enjoy watching those episodes more as well as Shane. Ricks exit was also done is a pretty good way.
    
21. S7 Ep 13 Bury me Here- I liked watching Morgan slowing go back into insanity which I believe is due to PTSD of some sort. The episode feels really well done and I like the ending to it with Richard Dying and Carol being told everything.
    
22. S9 Ep 12 Guardians- Alpha is great to watch in this episode and the way she kills the two whispering who challenge them is great!
    
23. S8 Ep 5 The Big scary U- the main focus is Negan and Gabriel which is an amazing talk between then two before settling their differences. I also like the unease at the sanctuary through betrayal.
    
24. S11 Ep 14 The Rotten core- the whole episode is one of If not my personal favorite to watch for the complex alone being a nice setting. I enjoy every bit of this episode as well as the side deal with Sebastian and how Mercer is revealed to be a pretty nice guy.
    
25. S5 Ep 15 Try- The whole episode feels like a decent into madness for Rick seeing everyone against him. I like how he goes into protective cop mode and try to defend the ones he lives as well as his speech at the end.
    
26. S11 Ep 18 A New Deal- The whole episode is average, but the ending just feels amazing to rewatch.
    
27. S2 Ep 11 Judge, Jury, Executioner- I personally like Dale a lot so I love this episode. It really shows how the group is starting to turn as they believe to do what is best for the group and not morals. Dales death is also very heartfelt to watch and showed off the walkers dangerousness.
    
28. S10 Ep 14 Look At The Flowers- Negan and Daryl make a good pair to watch though I enjoyed watching Beta and him struggling to get back on track after Alphas death and I love him so much more for this episode.
    
29. S5 Ep 5 Self Help- Daryl and Carol at the moments have some good episodes together so it's not surprise I'd love this episode. With Noah in the episode as well it feels like a amazing show of how the characters (Carol and Daryl) have changed morally.
    
30. S6 Ep 13 The Same Boat- Carol has been shown to be ruthless, but this episode shows her true colors as how she doesn't want this to be her life anymore.
    
31. S5 Ep 13 Forget- the episode itself has many great minisodes it felt like which was fantastic.
    

50 and 49. S4 Ep 6 Live Bait and 7 Dead Weight- I put these both here due to the fact of me loving the equally. The 6th episode feels like a showcase of how the Governor gets broken entirely and starts to get built back up positively showing what could have been and for a time it feels beautiful to me. The 7th though shows how some things can mess with his mind and make him go back to being a psychopath that kills everyone he sees.

1. S8 Ep 16 Wraith- The ending to season 8 was pretty eventful for the battles begin as Eugene saved everyone's asses from a cool trick with the bullets. I am happy that Rick decided to save Negan and I love the episode except for the ending being off-putting with Maggie.
   
2. S6 Ep 9 No way Out- The Wolf has a pretty interesting end that I enjoyed to see and aside from the the entire eoisode is the best part. You never feel that sense of boring to it as the action is nonstop great.
   
3. S5 Ep 5 Now- I liked small bits and pieces of this episode mostly revolving around Diana and her role starting to change. If she survived I don't doubt I would've loved to see her go through more of an arc.
   
4. S7 Ep 11 Hostiles and Calamities- I can see the hate for this episode, though I love it myself. Eugene in my opinion is at his best here and I love watching him here with Negan and their interactions. It was also great how Dwight had framed the doctor.
   
5. S5 Ep 6 Consumed- Abraham was one of my favorite characters not just for jokes but for this episode. His backstory is heartbreaking to learn about and relatable. When he falls down after beating Eugene in defeat I can feel his pain with him.
   
6. S9 Ep 13 Chokepoint- Daryl VS Beta!!!
   

SS Tier, after this point there is no bad things that the episodes could have drag it's down. These ones are my person favorites.
Around this time I also realized that it seems my numbers on the side aren't matching so I'm fixing it from here so skip 42- 38. Idk what happened but I messed up somewhere and went to fix it but couldn't find the problem.

1. S2 Ep 13 Besides the Dying Fire- The walkers attacking the farm was a great scene just as much as the Democracy speech was from Rick, though Lori is horrible to Rick in this episode. Also Rick tells the group "we're all infected"
   
2. S4 Ep 2 Infected- I love the scene where Patrick reanimates and the morning fight they have in the prison. So much stuff happens at once. The ending was Great with Tyreese and. The pig scene was sad to watch.
   
3. S6 Ep 6 Always Accountable- One time when I like Sasha is this episode with Abraham. Where to begin; The Rocket launcher scene was great, Abraham is great with quips, Daryl with Dwight is a good scene and I love the ending as well.
   
4. S6 Ep 14 Twice as Far- The Denise speech wasnt too bad and the death was great. I enjoyed Abraham and Eugene; I think my favorite scenes was with Abraham and Eugene with another one of his speechs towards him which was funny and heartfelt.
   
5. S4 Ep 16 A- The best part is when Joe's group comes along and how Rick bites out his throat signifying that he and Shane are now alike. I also like when Rick and Daryl talk as well as Rick figuring out this olace kidnaps people.
   
6. S2 Ep 7 Pretty Much dead Already- Shane is what I love about this episode, he and Dale had a really funny encounter and I feel like Shane makes me laugh and be serious at the same time with each scenes. I also like how Rick is more accepting towards Hershel.
   
7. S10 Ep 16 A Certain Doom- Beta was good in this episode and had some great parts, but the fights wee great especially the scene with the Music. Betas death felt odd, but that doesn't lower the episode.
   
8. S4 Ep 14 The Grove- I mean do I really have to explain? Carol is a savage here and I love when they finally talk about Karen and Davids death here. Nothing in this episode is a low note.
   
9. S2 Ep 5 Chupacabra- I love everything about Daryl's scenes in this that show how he is a badass and capable of holding his own. Also love his Hallucinations.
   
10. S11 Ep 24 Rest In Peace- certainly wasn't the best finale, but I felt like it did well enough for the episode. It tied up most loose ends for the show given its runtime and I feel like it is fitting enough.
    
11. S2 Ep 10 18 Miles Out- my favorite of Season 2 has Shane and Rick have the best battle I have seen even more than The Governor and Rick or Negan and Rick. This battle utilizes both of their strengths and weaknesses with some things that have never been done in the show much more like using your blood to attract walkers to other places. It was an amazing episode all in all.
    
12. S1 Ep 6 TS-19- idk what it is but I love watching this episode over and over again and I love it the more I watch it. It is probably because I like Doctor Jenner a bit more in each watching of his tragic backstory with his wife.
    
13. S9 Ep 14 Scars- The flahsback was an amazing one that told us something vital to the story about how they don't trust people coming in anymore. What Daryl and especially Michonne went through is tragic.
    
14. S5 Ep 3 Four Walls a roof- this episode is perfect for a number of reasons like Bob and his antics or Savage Rick, this was a turning point for the walking dead and this is where Rick gets some of his roots.
    
15. S1 Ep 4 Vatos- even though I love TS-19 I love Vatos more. This is unique to some episodes where you see a group just like Ricks that is trying to survive and this is where we realize the world is bigger than we thought still.
    
16. S7 Ep 16 The first day of the rest of your Life- The battle was amazing and I feel like this was the best it was going to get for the coming seasons, but season 9 and 10 surprised me.
    
17. S10 Ep 5 What it always Is- Negan with the Kid is the highlight I think, I could've honestly seen this going farther, if it wasn't for the former savior. I feel like this was fitting for an entire episode of, but we diverged a bit.
    
18. S4 Ep 3 Isolation- Hershel and Tyreese are the highlights for me with Tyreese going berserk and Hershel being a kind soul. This is a staple episode for why Season 4 is amazing and why Hershel is what made season 4 great.
    
19. S6 Ep 4 Here's not Here- I love learning about Eastman and Morgan in this one off. I love how it is somewhat told in the first person narrative to the Wolf and how Morgan changed back to who he was. Eastman shows how he and Morgan are pretty similar and why he should be like him.
    
20. S5 Ep 14 Spend- aside from Francine being here to be used as eye candy for me I loved how some of Alexandria like and dislike rick's group here. I do hate Noah dying as I feel like he could've been so much more.
    
21. S10 19 One More- I love havng the episode based on Aaron and Gabriel as they have came a long way since their beginnings. When they have few an encounter with Mays I felt like this was a testimony to who they are as people. We see how they care for each other and how Mays fails to make a point of who they are until Gabriel Kills him showing he has gone farther away from the light.
    
22. S7 Ep 3 Cell- Daryl is locked up and he is now being treated like shit. This episode feels great cause of how it feels like he is trying to break Daryl. Dwight also has a great mission on how he mercy kills a savior and shows he isn't as bad as you may think.
    
23. S6 Ep 1 First time again- I do enjoy the setting of the episode how we see the diverge in Alexandria and who listens or hears Rick out. The episode is a great example for staring episodes... But not the best at it.
    
24. S5 Ep 9 What Happened and what's going On- I loved Tyreese's character so to see him die was horrible for me. His episodes I feel like was a good send off since it is a test to who he is as a person who is confounded about the world around him.
    
25. S3 Ep 4 Killer Within- this episode was played perfectly and I feel like is a good sendoff for other characters as well like how I hate Lori. She is made just a bit better from her sacrifice and thought T-Dog went out in a good way as well. The prisoners also had a good show for their trust.
    
26. S4 Ep 5 Interment- this is where Hershel's best episode is as he is the best Samaritan Alive in the apocalypse. At the end where Rick and Carl fend off the walkers inside the gates in a great bond and I love the whole episode.
    
27. S6 Ep 3 JSS- it is well rounded and has good action as well as a lot of tension and suspense with Carol showing off her capabilities and Morgan with his philosophy.
    

Finally we cracked the top ten and into Premium Episodes. If you've made it this far you are are persistent as me... Well probably less since this took a long ass time but still. These are the episodes whee I cherish them and can watch more than once a month.

1. S8 Ep 15 Worth- Worth has what I want in an episode; good characters and story/plot. Eugene's parts are made more important seeing how he needed to stay at the sanctuary to save Alexandria and the other communities. I loved even more Dwight's part where I have without doubt the most suspense with him and Negan. Simon also had the most best arc death as it felt complete.
   
2. S5 Ep 16 Conquer- the episode has a lot of action and the ending was the pivet. I love the speech he has and how Diana let's Rick be in charge now was a sort of cliffhanging ending that signify's perfection.
   
3. S5 Ep 1 No sanctuary- both Season 5's beginning and finale are amazing and the way Rick and his group take down Terminus in one episode is amazing as they fight there way out and the scene with Judith was great. Morgan was just a sprinkle of wholesomeness to see.
   
4. S10 Ep 12 Walk With Us- The Episode had just enough action, good deaths and character interactions to make it here. First of the battle at hilltop was amazing. The second best thing was Earl and I feel very sad every time I watch this episode at his part. Then the best thing is the end with Alpha and Negan.
   
5. S3 Ep 1 Seed- The best beginning to a season it shows how the group has changed since Rick and the prison is a great example. The tombs are a great scenery and the ending was perfect for a cliffhanger as well as Conquer.
   
6. S3 Ep 2 Sick- the prisoner episode was pretty good to watch as a group of prisoners try to take on walkers. While some are good others would rather be assertive. Rick has definitely changed since season 2 and the group is played great here and much more human like.
   
7. S7 Ep 2 Well- what helps this episode is the last episode before it having a dark tone. This instead has a more uplifting one with the king and with Carol and Morgan being a great pair. The Kingdom seems to be a good community and seeing how Carol tries to smooth talk the king and how he tells whays her bullshit is an amazing scene.
   
8. S10 Ep 22 Heres Negan- We realize he was a kinda lousy husband that wasn't really too good to becoming a really supportive husband who cares deeply for his wife Lucille. The story before showed a lot of Negan and how he is and I love Lucille as a character from this episode trying to do whats best for Negan.
   
9. S4 Ep 8 Too Far gone- Honestly this IS the best episode, but I am bias so I had to put my own personal favorite above it not to say this isn't right behind it easily. Too far gone is what feels like a season finale but isn't. The Governors first encounter should've been this and I'm glad we got to see it unfold great. Rick has a great speech in it about not being too far gone yet and the Governor killing Hershel to start the best battle of the series. The Governors death feels fitting and the ending was sad and amazing.
   

Before I get to this last one I wanted to say a thank you in advance to whomever reads this as I really had a hard time making this and spending a lot of time to do this isn't easy. And remember this last episode is my very own person opinion entirely and in no way is it the best of the series definitively, without any furthermore, lets end this.

1. Season 3 Episode 15 This Sorrowful Life- Now what makes this episode so great to me? Well I'm totally biased towards the actor and the character in the show Merle Dixon. I could watch Merle all day which is what they episode feels like with the perfect duo of Michonne and Merle on their way to the governor. It has some of the most perfect comedy in the episode as well as having the best sacrifice redemption arc and ending. This episode made me laugh, smile, cry and more. There will never be a time when I ever change my opinion about this episode in existence.

Again another huge thanks to everyone and I hope this will satisfy everyones needs... Now I'ma go watch S3 Ep 15 Legit.

I have a two tiered but equal championship, There is the World Heavyweight Championship (This tier also includes the tag team and the intercontinental championships. ( Both Genders)) Then there is the Television Championship
Tier 1: The title is defended once a month on the PPV and the champion and the #1 Contender has a story driven exchange for 4 weeks.
Tier 2: (Television) The title is defended every week, usually against multiple and is the hardest title to retain in my universe. (The only person to whole it for a substantial amount of time was Rey Mysterio). This title is eligible to all single superstars on the roster ( Unless Injured or Holding another title)

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!

I wanted Neutral Champion options so I figured why not make them the Samurai and the Ronin. I thought it suited the style and flavor very well and I figured why not. I tried not to make them too different from the official causes but I still want to give the neutral line its own Focus spell but I couldn't think of something appropriate so any ideas on that is welcome. For now the Samurai heals and the Ronin harms.
If this is something that already exist in the meta I apologize, I couldn't find it.
Feedback, ideas, tweaks, and suggestions are welcome.
​
Samurai (Lawful Neutral)
You are the spiritual or actual ancestor to the noble cause of serving those whose birthright it is to lead and rule. You protect and serve those you are sworn to, and tolerate no insult to their honor.
You gain the Shielding Presence champion’s reaction and the Lay on hands devotion spell. You need not follow the tenets of good or evil but must follow these tenants:

• You must follow the orders and will of your pledge, never suffering insults or dishonor to your pledge.
• You must carry yourself with dignity or respect, or cast shame upon your pledge. You need not follow the law of the land unless your pledge is the giver or guardian of the land.

Champion’s Reaction level 1
Shielding Presence↩️
[Champion]
Trigger: An enemy damages an ally, and the ally is within 5 feet of you.
You put yourself between yourself and your ally. The enemies attack strikes you instead, You gain resistance to all damage against the triggering damage equal to 2 + your level. If the foe is within reach, make a melee Strike against it. You and your protected ally may swap places as a free action before you strike.
Divine Smite level 9
Your wounds are nothing against the punishment you bring to the guilty. If you hit with your Shielding Presence the target takes persistent law damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Exalt level 11
Your defended ally may escape to safety or use the opening to attack. The ally may Stride as a free action or Strike as a free action with a -5 penalty.
​
Ronin (Chaotic Neutral)
You are the lone swordsman. One who doesn’t take orders and doesn't follow the rules. Only fighting for the one thing they believe is right on no one else's order. Honor is only for the stupid and the naive.
You gain the Dishonorable Kick champion’s reaction and the Touch of corruption devotion spell. You need not follow the tenets of good or evil but must follow these tenants:

• You must follow your own moral compass in all decisions, and may not rely on laws or orders to guide you actions.
• You must choose a personal cause or vengeance. A near unattainable goal that you nevertheless are willing to fight and die for. Eliminating crime, exacting vengeance on the powerful, ending inequality, becoming the richest person in the world, are all good examples.
• You may not bind yourself with contracts and long-term agreements and you must require suitable payment for any job or help you provide for others unless it furthers your chosen cause. (This does not prevent you from making or helping friends or working with others that share a goal so long as you do not take orders and don’t make promises.)

Champion’s Reaction level 1
Dishonorable Kick↩️
[Champion]
Trigger: An enemy within 5 feet damages you.
Using unorthodox and dishonorable techniques you bash a vulnerable area with an unexpected jab. The foe must choose one of the following options.

• The enemy is stunned 1.
• The enemy drops an item it is holding as a free action. (If it is holding no item it may not choose this option.)
• You deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage to it. This damage increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 9th level, 4d6 at 12th level, 5d6 at 16th level and 6d6 at 19th level.

Divine Smite level 9
Your prowess in combat is yours and yours alone. If you deal damage with your Dishonorable Kick the target takes persistent chaos damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
Exalt level 11
The enemy must choose two of the options rather than just one of them.

This is in regards to toy collecting (action figures/POP Vinyls etc)
I am not really a fan of “exclusives” in general. Sure, it is nice to have a limited edition figure etc as part of your collection, but I absolutely hate it when a company such as NECA or LEGO releases an item that is exclusive to one location in one part of the world, especially if said item is part of a collection your are specifically collecting.
Case in points:
NECA SDCC The Thing Poster Figure and the upcoming Keno figures.
For the former, I had to spend far above the RRP to obtain this figure due to its exclusivity
For the latter, I actually really would love to own it, however again due to it being a SDCC exclusive I know I’ll never be able to get it. It’s just frustrating but I know there are avid Turtles collectors outside the US who’d love to own it too.
LEGO: pirate figure
LEGO have recently released a Captain Redbeart statue figure that I really want. The only issue is that it is available only in the LEGO House in Denmark.
Now LEGO does do exclusive items available only at their stores, yet 9 times out of 10 these items are accessible to most people due to the amount of stores they have around the world.
But, again, the LEGO House is one store and one location. And say you decide to travel from Canada to LEGO House to visit and then but the figure, and the person there says “they’re all out of stock”…
Again, LEGO falls afoul of this with the Mr. Gold exclusive figure they did in the CMF series. They learned their lessons from this PR disaster, but the MR Gold fiasco was one that could easily have been avoided had it been changed instead to a “golden ticket” style thing with a code on it.
To sum up, my arguments are: 1. There should always, at the least, be an online option available to buy exclusives. 2. Items that are part of “collections” should never be one off exclusives 3. Such items should never be limited to only one location, especially when there is a worldwide fan base for said items.

In this AI sites review, I'm going to be showing you a software, that's going to use the power of high converting AI technology in order to make websites in 30 seconds in hottest niches and make sure you stay to the end of this review. Is I'm also going to show you all the different, otos and upgrades, so you know exactly what you're getting into if you decide to purchase if you're new to my channel, my name is Mike Thomas, I'm a seven figure, affiliate marketer. I do these reviews every single day so that you can get the best deals in upcoming software and courses. If, at any point, during this review, you want to check out AI sites just go ahead and click that link below. Also, please like this video.
AIStaffs Local OTO
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It really helps out with my YouTube channel, and I appreciate it and make sure you hit that subscribe button and Bell notification last thing before we jump in here. I just want to show you my bonus page. All these bonuses will be waiting for you right inside of warrior, plus after you purchase through my link. Let'S take a look at the sales page here together. It says now.
30 seconds is all that you need to create a stunning website. Futuristic, AI technology creates automated High converting websites in just 30 seconds that you can sell for the top dollar and hottest niches like Fitness day, eating pet self-improvement technology, affiliate, marketing Finance, Etc. Essentially, this is a software. That'S going to build websites for you, you can use your own domain with it. Your built-in WordPress installer premium support lightning, fast, speed Limitless hosting, so it actually has hosting included for you, drag and drop editor all included inside here.
So it says: grab AI sites simply fill in some little details, and then it will actually create that website for you now they have some like income screenshots. Here, of course, that's going to depend upon what you're doing here, don't think that you're going to magically start making money just because you use a software like this, it's just a software to easily create websites. Okay, if we scroll down through here uh, have some of the some testimonials here from people uh, it looks like actually they might be real ones like these might be Facebook profiles. So nothing, no big big claims there that I problems with now this one here. This is my earnings from selling websites..
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Maybe they sold a website on uh on Flippa or something I don't know, but I can't tell you I can't like verify that it was actually a website that was made using this software. You can go out there actually and create websites for people on places like Fiverr and people do charge a lot of money for that, but, like here all these websites, these most likely were not websites that were made using this software. Just be aware of that, before you purchase again, I always want to make sure that you guys know everything that's going on here behind the scenes and that you don't get uh. You don't think that you're magically gon na start like making money, because you buy one of these softwares now with this here. If you purchase you get access to the hunting 100 done for you, stunning website templates, uh, the niche industry website.
Creator drag and drop editor hosting included, which is a big one. Custom domain option. So if you want to use your own domain with it, you can all these different themes and everything all included inside the front end offer as of right. Now, when I move my mouse away, there's no looks like there's no coupon code that pops up, but still try it out just in case. I always want you to get the lowest prices on these, so make sure that you hit the like button.
I appreciate it. Okay, let's go over and take a look at a quick video explaining this a little bit more then we'll come back! Look at the backend area and the upgrades. How would you like to have access to a state-of-the-art platform that creates automated High converting websites in just 30 seconds that you can sell for top dollar in the hottest niches? Imagine if, in minutes from now, you could get sophisticated yet incredibly easy AI powered website Creator Bowie hosted SEO optimized and mobile, responsive 100 plus dfy stunning templates to create high converting websites within seconds unlimited hosting of sites and domains at the tiniest one-time cost.
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Complete data protection with free, end-to-end, SSL encryption, one, quick creation and hosting of websites increase your income in a big Way by strengthening your online business portfolio, sell the most in-demand digital service to become a force to be reckoned with, unlimited bandwidth at no extra or monthly Cost and 100 uptime all this and more for a one-time, low fee, welcome to AI sites and, as the name itself suggests, you pay only once and enjoy all the benefits of this breakthrough. Software forever say goodbye to heavy monthly fees, expensive tools and experts, exorbitant, hosting costs, unhappy customers, work, overload, security breaches and threats unending wait time, debts unnecessary, hassles, AI, sights is the ultimate cloud storage solution. That'Ll help you Skyrocket profits at the lowest one-time cost in just three steps: you'll start saving and making huge amounts of profits step. One grab AI sites at an unbeatable cost today, and simply log in from any browser Step. 2, fill in some quick details like business name, color scheme and contact details, step 3 voila, your website's ready to be published and sold on top platforms instantly and effortlessly.
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So this is what the backing area is going to look like after you purchase. There are multiple upgrades. First one's going to be the unlimited version, unlimited domains, unlimited hosting. So if you want to get have the unlimited version you can get this one see if they've got the pricing on there not curling on there, but I doubt it's gon na be super super expensive, uh. Next one here is, you can get.
AIStaffs OTO Product Overview
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https://www.reddit.com/ProductManagement/comments/13urac3/aistaffs_oto_links_here_bundle_deal_ai_staffs/
It says you're going to get uh done for you, Ecom funnels blogs, squeeze Pages generate leads, Etc. This is the next upgrade the next one here is. They have a dump you member site portals the next one is agency licenses, so you can actually have it done. Free agency pack, if you want to like make this into a business next one here, is you can actually get white label license so that you can put your own logo your own custom colors and keep all the money from when you sell it. It looks like the last one here is that you can actually get resell rights most likely to the to the whole funnel here, so you can sell this and keep all the money.
All these otos are optional pick and choose the ones that you want. You forget the ones that you don't okay, so what do I like about AI sites and what don't I like about it if I'd say something that I don't like about this uh most, the best site that you create is one that you're going to do by Hand, if you do it and you write all your own content and you create yourself it's going to be better than one of these AI software. So just be aware of that. What I like about this, if you are short on time, if you don't want to do it yourself, if you don't want to pay someone else to do it for you, you could use a software like this to do it at a very low one-time price. If that's, you then check this out.
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https://www.reddit.com/ProductManagement/comments/13urac3/aistaffs_oto_links_here_bundle_deal_ai_staffs/
Thank you so much for checking out my AI sites review. If you want to take a look at it, go ahead and click that link below. Also, please like this video. It really helps out my YouTube channel and I appreciate it and make sure you hit that subscribe button and Bell notification as always. Thank you.
So much for watching I'll, see you again in my next video thanks.
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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!!

Hey everyone, this is my first post, I'm a 27 yrs old dude from Croatia that struggles with some mental health stuff, sorry if my English isn't the best but I'll try to explain everything. So yeah, where to start, since elementary school and high school I had started to develope anxiety and depression, it was subtle at first, nothing too serious, I had my friends, hobbies, art, music, things that I had to do that had my attention like studying or hanging out with friends, casual stuff, I was just your ordinary happy-go-lucky teen that was going his own way, but I also experienced strong emotions, from empathy although some people say it ain't a feeling but more of an action that can accompany feelings but yeah, I experienced falling in love, was dating a lot, but got also my heart broken, and when it happened boy did it hurt. I got past those things although in this state it's easy to go through memory lane and rewind your whole life, especially those things that we regret or are sad or angry about. I won't go into much details as to share my whole life story in every aspect but basically, for the past few years my mental health got really, really bad.
Thing is doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, well at least to some degree. I went to college, was studying but there were also some stressful things happening at the time. To cut things short, one day as I was on my college studies, I was trying to listen to the professor and read the presentation but it felt like nothing remained in my head, at first it was strange, I was 22 at that time, anyway I came home in tears, I thought things started to go downhill from there, I visited some psychologists that diagnosed me just with severe depression that was all over the scales, but that I still somehow had my cognitive functions in check, which I didn't believe her, I still was feeling strange and foggy. Also to mention at one moment, still early in my diagnosis part I thought I became crazy or experienced one of my worst anxiety attacks while being home with my family, maybe it was the latter.
My gf at that time left me, because I also became emotionally numb and unstable, I just didn't know what was happening to me and couldn't figure out how to handle it, anyway the breakup made things ten times worse, from there my battle just started.
I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with depressive-anxiety disorder, also she added that I might have BPD. I also had to quit college for good because my symptoms were all over the place and what I thought that would be a months battle became a five years struggle, it feels like my mind is in this deep fog and blankness, and "tightness", not completely deprived of thoughts, because everything I wrote here is a product of some thinking process. But it's like I can't remember my normal life or myself as a whole person with all the good things, personality, I can't feel the good emotions, like whatever I do I don't get the stimulation. My long-term and short-term memory is also impaired, I have a hard time visualizing or picturing things in my head, although I had no problems with it in the past. I don't feel emotional connections towards my family and friends, it's like I have this intellectual connection, I know them I just don't feel like that.
After I went to my psychiatrist (I changed few) I was put one some antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication but nothing seemed to work for me so I had to quit. I was desperate as nothing seemed to work and I felt totally out of it. Dark thoughts started to overwhelm me, but that part I'd like to skip. I did all the blood tests, for testosterone and other hormones, got my thyroid checked, EEG, MRI, everything was clean.
After the failed therapy I somehow went into remission, it seemed that whatever was going on with me came to a still, I started focusing more on healthy changes, my sleep was also a mess after everything I went through so it became somewhat normal, that was before 4 years ago.
Now at 27, my state is probably the worst it has ever been. In the meantime some additional stressors came, I started to experience panic attacks, which lead to panic disorder and agoraphobia. My depression as for now is treatment-resistant and the other worldy feeling might have to do with dissociation on some spectrum which just brings more anxiety and depression, but whatever it is it feels chronic, I don't get breaks from it and for that my doctors never officially diagnosed me but rather said that I might have psychosis and gave anti-psychotics which wrecked me even more. Sometimes I get psychosomatic pain, like my head is full of something which generates suicidal thoughts as well it feels like some kind of pressure or as if my head is boiling or more of a static feeling I don't know. Everything that I took medication wise brought no kind of relief, maybe some benzo but you know that ain't the best route to go, my friends are supportive but them not knowing what it's like to go through this 24/7 still makes me feel sad and isolated and I don't blame anyone, fighting those kinds of invisible illnesses is hard to fight as much as it is to explain to someone that doesn't go through the same things.
Now I live with my parents, I can't work or study. I just feel fatigue because of everything. It came to the point where I can't function even on this level on which I am now. I literally can't envision myself living much longer like this, as I'm writing this I lay on my couche, I'm tired, I tried. I know that life is beautiful, at least I try to remember it as such. I have good parents and siblings, my parents were there for me, as were my friends that still remained in my life no matter the problems that I have, I don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings it's just that I can't cope with the emotional and mental pain and the anguish it brought, not just for me but my loved ones, I might not feel it as strongly but I know that there is pain and confusion from their part too.
Now my family and myself just pray as I still try to hold on. To anyone reading this, whatever you are going through, be it mental illness or emotional pain, I pray and wish you healing, peace, love and hugs. Wherever you are, I might not know you but I understand the pain, the struggle, but you are here, I wish you all life and joy.

Hello, I'm selling my collection of cowboy bebop, Funko pop, Graphic Novel, laser disc, Ep for COVID funds, F4F action Figure, japanese game, PS2 collector edition if anyone Is interested i have the stuff on vinted

So, I (17m) want to move over to the United States to study and to also potentially play college sports. (And my GF is there, which is a bonus). But with some feedback, I’ve come to the realisation that that would be financially IMPOSSIBLE for me. So I’ve come up with 3 plans, and I need your help/advice to decide which one is the best course of action.

1. Study in Europe (my original plan before I met my amazing girlfriend) and then move to the United States. (Which would mean trying ti maintain a long distance relationship for 5 years)
   
2. Skip University and try and find a good job in the United States to be able to support me and so I can become a permanent resident.
   
3. Try and scrap and survive and try and get as many scholarships and loans to be able to study in the United States.
   

Some help and advice would be GREATLY appreciated. :)
TL;DR: need help deciding what to do, already figured out three potential plans.

TLDR: The Second Apocalyopse, is an insanely underrated series for how good it is, though I guess the philosophy and themes might not be to everyone’s tastes, you should give it a try for the beautiful captivating prose, dialogue and extremely well realized characters.
The Prince of nothing, is a series that I’ve picked up 3 years ago, but I struggled in the beginning cause nothing captivated me and found it dull, however after a slump that lasted for 6 months and very few fantasy books being read, I’ve started reading everything in my library and had a phase where I was just looking for books with beautiful prose and came across Prince of Nothing a second time, I’ve picked up the Darkness that comes before for a second time and haven’t looked back since, the series made me contemplate everything I’ve read in its pages like no other fantasy ever made me do. And also at the same time, I picked the first book up and was finished with the series in less than two weeks, it isn’t heavy or philosophical at moments but the entire series is written to be so, anyway, it is a series that after completing made me ask myself, why there aren’t more comments and posts recommending the books, why does it not even have a subreddit to discuss the books because there is a lot of stuff in the book that would produce incredible discourse. I made this post because I feel it is absolutely criminal that more people do not talk about this series.

PROSE

I’ve picked up Baker’s books cause I heard great things about his prose, and right off the bat, the prose manages to both distinguish itself from typical fantasy with how deep, introspective and real it feels while also being an absolute thrill to read. By distinguishing itself, i mean that the events of the series are epic and terrible, Baker's prose just somehow feels more real and gives depth to the events that I can't explain properly, if I were to guess i would attribute it to how well he writes characters in general and does an exceptional job( heavy emphasis on the word exceptional, because I genuinely mean it ) of capturing the dread and spectacle, and most importantly the thoughts of people happening to the great events about them.
I would wager that if the threads asking for the great passages or lines from fantasy had more people participating that are well acquainted with the series, an extreme amount of the top answers would feature passages from Baker, just by lieu of how beautiful most of his writing is and also because how impactful the dialogue is. One passage in particular that stuck with me is the one where kellhus talks about how patriarchy affected esmi's life in particular (I think it was when he taught her how to read) .

CHARACTER PORTRAYAL

Though I can fawn over the prose for a while longer with how beautiful and moving it is at the same time, the character portrayal is just miles above anything I have ever read and that includes a lot of contemporary and classical literature... I will put it this way, i was invested and moved by his characters in ways even Hobb failed to do it for me, I was more interested in Drussas Achamian's life in 7 books than i was ever interested in Rand Al'Thor during 14 books, esmenet and proyas were laid bare, even more naked than Glokta had ever been. Every character is so well written, and in another thread, it was discussed about how a lot of the story has deep introspective monologues and that is perhaps difficult for some people to read through, but that is exactly how baker manages to distinguish himself from most of the genre. ( That and a whole lot more, but his characters and the depth to his writing mostly i think has to do with how much emphasis he places on having the events viewed through some particular character's POV), not to mention the characters themselves are such intriguing people, i will just leave it by saying that some of the main POV characters include , a damned wizard and his wife who happens to be an whore.

KELLHUS

KELLHUS will either make or break the series for you, he is possibly the smartest and the most central figure you'll find in fantasy, it is not just that kellhus is written as the central figure or the smart one, baker will make you feel the depth of Kellhus' greatness, and also he doesn't fit into any of the traditional molds I've seen in fantasy, the closest is perhaps an anti-hero, but he could be anything from a villain to a GOD, depending on how you view him. It is through Kellhus' and his Logos' the ideology that Kellhus' follows, Baker is able to deliver a lot of the themes pondered in the series really well. He does it by having Kellhus' dissect the thoughts of others., The reasoning behind their actions and the biases that make them. It was so engrossing, reading chapters from Kellhus' POV, It isn't just due to the narcissism and hyper rationality, he has a certain charm to him that is hard to put in words.

The PLOT

The plot itself is awesome though it seems a little more tropey at first glance and a lot of people say it is, but i digress , though it is about preventing a possible cataclysm that involves a big bad, which also has happened 3000 years ago and the world remains a fraction of its former self, the protagonists have to both determine if the cataclysm is going to happen and also arm themselves, i understand that the base premise covers perhaps 90% of epic fantasy ever written, though i can argue that the plot and setting are way more than that, i will not. Because it is not the setting or the intricate plot that makes baker stand out so much but how he uses the plot to explore anthropological themes about religion, morality and his philosophical musings about words and circumstances are things that should be first talked about when discussing the series. It is not that Baker's ideas are novel or his musings innovative but the way he can use the story to have you think and contemplate deeper themes I have never seen replicated anywhere in fantasy.
Though, I will admit, the setting and plot itself are exceptional, especially in the later where you learn more about the lore and more supernatural elements are introduced, the setting itself is revealed to be a lot more complex than the base summary reveals it to be, or maybe not at all similar to it at all.

World Building and Action Sequences

The world right off the bat feels real and fantastical, the world building is fantastic right up there with the greats of the fantasy genre. The action sequences too are extremely well written, you will feel the scale of the battles and the terror and tragedy of the fighting, Baker’s battles themselves could’ve been enough for me to recommend him if the rest of the books were nothing remarkable, but when writing this review, I had to make a conscious choice to talk about his battles because Baker’s fighting sequences are not what I think of when my mind wanders towards the series at least twice a day, it is a testament to how highly I think of the other aspects of his work.

Why You Might not like the Series

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1. Introspective dialogue, just a whole load of it, there’s a fuck ton of it in the first trilogy itself, but the second trilogy could be cut down to one large book if you take way the dialogue and passages that have nothing but characters experiencing an existential crisis or analyzing their own sins. Personally, I loved it, as someone who is heavily introspective and tries to analyze why I have done what I have done, the characters felt so easy to relate to in that sense and it is fun to read the thoughts and minds of such complex and interesting people. And, it is not that the passages are completely useless, rather they move the plot at a snail’s pace, and this allows for the characters and themes to be explored at a deeper level.
2. The start, it’s a little rough, I have struggled for the first 100 pages in the prince of nothing series, but it is worth it IMO. Never looked back after the first 100 pages.
3. If reading philosophy and themes dealing with religion and morality is not your thing, you will inevitably drop the series.
4. Proper Grimm Dark, though I found it easy to get lost in the pages and never actually felt like I did with Robb’s works( constantly on the verge of tears), found it more palatable than other Grimm Dark works for some reason even though it can be argued that the series and the content themselves are darker, I seriously do not know why, but probably has to do with the constant levity and hope.
5. Baker doesn’t shy away from brutality, nor does he even attempt to hide the misogyny in the world, a major POV character throughout the series is Esmenet who happens to be a prostitute in a theocratic state, and Baker doesn’t shy away from exploring her own broken thoughts nor the affects patriarchy and misogyny inherent in that world(and ours, I’ll be honest, that world is just a mirror to ours for social issues). Though it isn’t the central focus, or a theme heavily explored, I guess it was inevitable that not an insignificant time was spent on those things since a central theme of baker’s work is exploring the cause of things, the things that come before as baker puts it.
6. It is not complete.
7. and all the other classics.

(just realized that the word vomit is perhaps a little too big, I will edit the post a lil later)