< Ep 4- Part 2
Based on the fourth round of the elimination contest and the results
Spoiler tag only for basic character spoilers.
[Cut to the stage with Chris and Chef sitting at a judges table]
Chris: Alright first up is the Narwhals with Ella, Dakota, and Staci.
Tsumugi: And assistance from Beth!
Chris: Yeah, yeah whatever. Begin ladies.
Sayaka: [to herself] Here goes nothing. Please don't let me die of embarrassment.
[Sayaka begins to sing one of most popular songs]
Makoto: Oh, I love this one.
Kaede: Makoto, focus on the piano keys please. We're still not ready yet.
[Sayaka starts to dance around the stage]
Chris: Yes, pretty good, though I have no idea what those words mean.
Chef: Seems to be a one woman show so far.
Miu: Don't you worry because this shows about to heat up thanks to me! [she aims her invention]
Chris: Dakota...what exactly is that going to do?
Miu: Don't blink! [She fires at Sayaka as her body erupts into light and smoke. She can still be heard singing. Her old clothes are blown away against the backdrop]
Chris: Flashy and impressive.
Chef: Um please tell me that isn't the girl's clothes over there.
Miu: Wait for it…
[The smoke clears. Sayaka can still be heard singing]
Himiko: Behold, the Ultimate Magician is here now!
Chef: Okay then where is the- Gaagh!
[Sayaka suddenly appears over Chef's shoulder singing to to both of them in a completely different outfit]
Miu: Yeah, sing it girl! [Miu aims again and fires]
Chris: Agh! Dakota, not in my eyes please! Ugh, Chef, give me something to clear my eyes.
Himiko: Here you go. [She's now in Sayaka's place next to them holding a handkerchief]
Chef: Are these the girl's other clothes now?! [Referring to the clothes blown into his face]
Miu: Look, I can't control where they go to alright. Just enjoy the show you two!
[Another burst of smoke and Sayaka's back on stage. This process repeats a few more times with Sayaka disappearing and reappearing all over the stage every time in a new outfit and Himiko in her place until Sayaka finally finishes her song]
Sayaka: *pant* *pant* So what did you think?
Miu: Yeah, pretty impressive right?
Chris: Well, while I couldn't understand any of the words being sung, I will say I did appreciate the theatrics of it all.
Chef: Though, I could've done without all the girl's clothes strewn everywhere.
Chris: We give it a 4 each so an 8/10 for the Narwhals. Not a bad start. Rhinos are up next with Sugar, Katie, and Geoff.
Gundham: Are you sure you can handle knives?
Peko: Of course, like he said they're just tiny swords right…
Hiyoko: You just better not hit me! *Deep breath* Let's do this.
[The music begins and Hiyoko begins dancing her traditional Japanese dance]
Chris: Again with the Japanese songs. You don't see us going around playing songs that scream we're Canadian.
Hiyoko: Just shut up and pay attention!
Chef: I'm a little curious what the hamster boy is doing over there.
Kazuichi: Okay Peko, you're up. Just aim for the spots Mukuro already hit in the backdrop.
Peko: Very well. [She throws the first knife. It flies past Hiyoko but not without her having to dodge a bit]
Hiyoko: I said watch it, you klutz!
Peko: I got this, okay…[throws three more all just barely hitting their mark and missing Hiyoko]
Chris: Okay extreme traditional dancing huh? Not bad…
Gundham: Go now my Dark Devas! [Maga-Z and San-D make it onto two of the knives and start posing. Cham-P slumps onto the lower knife as Jum-P springs off of him onto the higher one.]
Chef: Interesting use of the little rodents.
Kazuichi: Okay Peko, bring it home with a few more.
Peko: Wait, where do I throw them?
Kazuichi: Um…I don't know Mukuro was just going to throw them to give more platforms for Gundham's hamsters to dance around on but we didn't get that far in practice. Just anywhere I guess.
Peko: Alright….[to herself] just don't hit Hiyoko or the hamsters. Hgghh!! [She throws the next knife and it flies to much to the right, slicing the sleeve of Hiyoko's kimono]
Hiyoko: Ahh! My sleeve! [The knife sails passed and straight towards Cham-P. He tries to jump out of the way and ends up falling off the knife and sending it clattering to the ground. This sends the rest of the Devas in a panic as they leap off the backdrop and onto Hiyoko] AGGHHH! No, get off me you filthy rats!
Sonia: Hiyoko, be careful don't hurt them!
Hiyoko: No stop! Get out of there!!! [She tries to keep dancing but is convulsing around, continuing until the music finally stops] *pant* *pant* [Her kimono tattered and loose from flailing so much, the Devas climb their way out and run back to Gundham]
Gundham: Be still my Devas, everything is alright now.
Hiyoko: Uggghhhh!!! Your stupid hamsters ruined my performance!!
Chris: *ahem* Well it definitely wasn't good. What do you think, Chef?
Chef: I liked the part with the knife throwing around the little brat. But other than that it's a two for me.
Chris: A two for me as well. So that leaves the Rhinos with a final score of 4/10. Octopi you're up next.
Peko: I'm sorry, I guess I'm not the best at knife throwing.
Aoi: Don't worry, Peko, we don't blame you. When we lose we know exactly who to blame.
Byakuya: I wonder who you could be referring to.
Hiyoko: Can I vote Gundham's stupid hamsters off the island instead!?
Gundham: Over my mortal body.
[Cut to the Octopi backstage still trying to work out their instruments]
Chris: [off camera] Come on, Octopi. Hurry up, we don't have all day.
Kaede: No, we can't do this, they're not ready.
Akane: Look on the bright side we probably can't fail worse than the Rhinos.
Kaede: I know but it's still going to be pretty embarrassing. Byakuya's right it's impossible to expect anyone to match our talent this quickly.
Taka: Wait, Kaede, that's it. We just need to reverse that thinking. Instead of them matching you two, how about you two match them?
Ibuki: Um, Izzy's a little confused at what you mean about that, Topher.
Taka: Listen up you two [whispers to Kaede and Ibuki]
Kaede: Huh, oh…oh my that might actually work.
Ibuki: Absolutely, we can make this rock hard!
Makoto: Wait, you didn't tell us what you're even doing.
Taka: There's no need. You two just go up on stage and play like you normally do.
Nagito: So poorly?
Taka: The girls will handle the rest and let your luck carry us to victory. Now go, Chris is waiting!
[Cut back to Chris and Chef at the judge table]
Chris: Finally, it seems like the Octopi are ready. Looks like we have a musical performance by Sky, Cody, Harold, and Izzy. Should be interesting at least.
[Stage opens with Makoto on the piano and Nagito on the bass guitar. Both begin playing simple melodies still rather amateurly]
Chef: This is the best they can come up with when it comes to talent?
Chris: I know, I feel like I'm back at my middle school talent show.
[Suddenly Ibuki bursts onto the stage shredding her guitar to Nagito's melody but in a way where it blends in with hers.]
Chef: Huh, that doesn't sound half bad. Could do without the piano though.
[Then Kaede slides in next to Makoto and does a musical scale matching the simple keys Makoto's playing]
Chris: Woah, what the?
[The stage immediately erupts into a complete harmony of guitar and piano. It turns into a rock ballad as Ibuki's guitar takes center stage only giving a moment to breathe as Nagito plays his simple melody as a solo and Ibuki takes back over]
Akane: This is actually working!
[Next Kaede takes center stage as her fingers dance gracefully over the keys purposely missing the notes that Makoto's melody is satisfying and taking the moment final moments to play one of her favorite classical pieces]
Chef: *sniff* It's beautiful.
[The grand finale has Ibuki and Kaede do a musical showdown, each playfully hitting back at each other with their own song. At one point stopping their playing to let Nagito and Makoto play their tunes against each other before finally jumping back in and finishing the set off with a big loud cacophony of noise. Ending on a complete silence after Kaede does one final slam on the keys and Ibuki one final power chord.]
Ibuki: Oh yeah, how was that for you!
[Octopi burst into applause and cheers. The four performers take a bow.]
Chris: I've got to admit that was mighty impressive. To not only blend guitar and piano but also those two's terrible playing is, dare I say it, extremely talented. It's a five for me.
Chef: *sniff* Huh, what?! Oh yeah a five from me as well. Man, that piano song reminded me of my childhood with Mama. What was that again…Debut…no Daberry?
Kaede: That was Debussy. It's one of my favorites.
Chef: Yeah, that was it! Man, that brings back memories.
Chris: Well I have to say it looks like we have a clear winner with a perfect 10/10 the Octopi win this competition. Of course we still have the Lions left. While I doubt they can match that we'll see if they at least don't come in dead last. It can't be any worse than the Rhinos, am I right?
[Cut to Lions backstage]
Mahiru: Well, Chihiro, are you able to fix it?
Chihiro: Sorry, film cameras aren't really my specialty. I'm going to need more time and maybe some help from Miu.
Kaito: Great, then who's going to perform with Angie and Nekomaru now?
Mondo: We still have Kirumi, right? She said she’d be of assistance.
Angie: Never fear Tyler and Brick. For Atua has answered my calls for help and has determined that Mike shall be our new performer, Nyahahahah!
Hajime: What, me?!
Angie: But of course, Atua senses great power inside you, and so you'll be perfect. Plus you must have great trust in Atua. More So than Tyler.
Hajime: But I…what am I supposed to do?
Mondo: Don't look at me man, Angie's in charge here.
Angie: Just follow my lead and let the beauty of making art and Atua guide you.
Nekomaru: Also make sure to catch everything I throw at you.
Angie: Let's begin. Places everyone!
[Cut back to Chris]
Chris: Alright, last up we have the Lions with Angie, Lightning and Courtney.
Celeste: Actually a change in plans Chris, as Mike will be taking Courtney's spot.
Chef: Mike? Does that guy even have a talent?
Chris: Well, we'll see. It's showtime!
[The stage opens and Angie and Hajime are in front of a pile of mud. Hajime's staring awkwardly at the audience]
Chiaki: Go, Hajime.
[He waves at Chiaki, but is immediately cut off by Nekomaru jumping on stage]
Nekomaru: All right team, ready and….. create! [He immediately starts throwing artists' tools at the pair in a rhythm. Hajime attempts to catch each one and passes it to Angie who is busy forming the mud.]
Angie: Hi, hi, hi, keep it up Mike and Lightning. This mud dries quickly!
Hajime: Agh, I'm going as fast as I can! Woah, there.
Nekomaru: Time to speed things up then. OVERDRIVE!!!
Hajime: [to himself] Dear Atua, please no.
[The strange dance continues of tools being thrown and just as quickly discarded, as Angie works faster building up her mud creation until finally it looked to be completed]
Chris: Hold on a sec…….
Angie: Aaaaannnnd…Wah Lah! How do you like it, Chris? [Angie turns to reveal a life size sculpture of Chris smiling down at his human counterpart]
Chris: It's beautiful! That's an immediate five from me! This is going to make a fabulous camp centerpiece.
Hajime: *pant* *pant* Are-are we done?
Kaito: I think we actually won this.
Kokichi: Of course, haven't you seen any underdog story? You always come from behind and claim victory.
Angie: Hmmm….ah not quite yet. Atua has shown me one more improvement. Lightning, I need a pretty rock over there by the seashore. Hurry, before the sculpture hardens.
Nekomaru: You got it!!!
Hajime: *pant* W-wait, Angie. I think we've done enough, we really shouldn't push it.
Angie: Nonsense Mike, Atua has spoken that this masterpiece will not be complete without it.
Hajime: B-but-
Nekomaru: I GOT IT! HAJIME, HEADS UP!!! [He launches the rock straight at the stage]
Hajime: Oh no-HGGGHHH!! [He catches in straight in his gut]
Mondo: Wow, he actually caught it. Pretty good for a-
Mahiru: Hajime, look out behind you!
[Hajime stumbles backwards from the impact and bumps into the sculpture, ultimately knocking it over and smashing on the ground]
Kokichi: Ooooh, that's not how those stories go. Maybe they really are fictional lies.
Kaito: Go Kirumi. [He pushes her on stage as she calmly walks over and begins cleaning up the rumble]
Hajime: Ugghhh. I've *cough* got it.
Angie: Oh my! On second thought it probably wouldn't have helped anyway. Chris seems different now.
Chris:................
Kaito: So uh Chef. You heard Chris. He already gave us a five so how about you?
Chef: Well it is impressive but ultimately you didn't have coordination to work as a team but I'd still give a three. Mostly for the maid girl's diligence.
Mondo: So, that still gives us an eight tied with the Narwhals then?
Chris: Nope! Uh uh, I retract my rating! For building up my hopes and dreams, and firmly crushing it. You get a Zero! Lions I'll be seeing you at the campfire ceremony immediately! Actually…let me mourn my losses first.
Angie: Well, this is not how Atua saw this going at all, but a very impressive display, Mike.
Hajime: Uh, yeah sure.
[Cut to the campfire ceremony]
Chris: Lions, you know why you're here. So let's just get this over with! In fact you probably already know who the bottom three are so in order is Cameron, Tyler, Brick, Blaineley and Courtney. You're all safe. [The donuts are chucked at them]
Mondo: Woah, watch the hair, man!
Chris: Celeste, Max, and Trent are also safe with one vote each.
Ryoma: Wait, someone actually voted for me? [He looks over at Celeste]
Celeste: What? I told you I would. No need to stare at me like that.
Chris: And looky here, surprise surprise it's the final three dream smashing performing losers. The first one safe is…….Mike.
Hajime: Well, that's a relief.
Chris: And the last one to receive a jelly donut is…………..
………….. Lightning.
Nekomaru: Thank you, I promise not to let you down again, team!
Angie: Oh my…what is this?
Chris: This is you not getting a donut, Angie, which means you're out of the competition. Serves you right for getting my hopes up!
Angie: Atua definitely did not see this coming-woah!
Chef: Yeah, yeah, blame whatever God you want girly. Time to go.
Angie: Bye-yonara my friends. I hope we stay in touch. Visit my island someday!
[Confessional]
Mahiru: Look it wasn't because of Angie's reliance on Atua that we voted her off…..okay maybe it was. I mean seriously we could've won if her God didn't demand that final addition. Maybe it was for the best.
[End]
[Confessional]
Kaito: Finally! That's one incompetent leader off our team. Maybe these guys will start relying on others for a change. Like me!
[End]
Chris: Quite the shake up as we lose our first team leader. Will the Lions be able to work as a team without her. I mean who else are they going to listen to....Tyler?
Kaito: Hey, I heard that!
Chris: Find out next time on Total Drama Triple D of Danganronpa Despair Disaster.

End of Episode

Assuming there is some truth to the rumor the Hollywood, FL shows will be recorded, which songs from the first leg do you hope make the setlist to have in perfect record sound?
A few from me:
I Don’t Trust Myself with Loving You - one of the most beautiful versions of any song he did on the tour in Sacramento.
Vultures - if you didn’t hear the snippet he did in the Chicago show, do yourself a favor and find it. Impromptu groove that was amongst the best versions of any song where the acoustic version breathed new life into it.
Ripple - If he is to any Dead song, I hope this is it. Do yourself a favor and check out the Minneapolis show where he played this. No idea why he only played ripple once. Blows Friend of the Devil out of the water for me.
Assassin - Version he played in Cleveland with the long lead in where you don’t know what song it was about to be was terrific.
Gravity - Pittsburgh closer with a loop and gorgeous solo.
Would love to hear my fellow fans favorites and hopes. And let’s hope John lurks into this post.

60 M in Vancouver Canada went for a hike and a day or two later started to develop these red spots that look like bug bites. Claims he's itched them to the point of the pin point bleeding as you see in the pics. So he says the red blood dots aren't there when the rash(?) starts, dont have any pics of early stage bites to confirm that. After 3 days of the rash on the husband the wife is now also complaining of itching. For the male it started at his legs and moved up to the buttox and along one arm as well. Itching and redness. He tried Loratadine but it hasnt seemed to help much. Nothing visible. Any idea what it could be?
Pics (warning? lotta body hair)https://i.imgur.com/wKngWI5.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/gfP2fk6.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/XW128Wy.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/Z1PIlFw.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/M5zgMXd.png

Hello, and welcome to Music’s Biggest Night!
That’s right, it’s the GRAMMYs. The year is 1994 and our category is Best Alternative Music Album. We’ll be rating each of the five nominees on Indieheads, but before we get to the nominees, a quick word about rates.
Hey, quick question, what are rates?
Obviously, if you're familiar with the process, skip this. But if you're new, I'll explain so this doesn't seem like a wild block of text!
Rates are a subreddit game in which a user scores a group of songs on a scale from 1-10, with each individual also given a single 11 and a single 0 to be used exactly once per rate. They will then message their ballot to the rate host, who will tally up all the points and then reveal the final results over a weekend, eliminating songs one by one until the last track remaining wins the rate and bragging rights forever. While there's just a bit more to know, I feel this is the basics of what you'll need to understand what's going on. I do recommend this video made by our popheads brethren to get a fuller picture; while some of the info applies specifically to the way popheads do their rates, the overall format is similar.

Introduction

The GRAMMYs are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. The name derives from the trophy, which is shaped like an old-fashioned gramophone. The awards celebrate a variety of categories, but we’re going to be looking at Best Alternative Music Album or, as it was called at the time, Best Alternative Music Performance. The question of what “alternative” really means can be debated forever, but the original intent of this award was to celebrate non-mainstream rock albums which were heavily played on college radio. The category first appeared in 1991, so in 1994 the award is still pretty new.
And now, let’s meet our nominees!

Belly - Star

Belly are the act here that seem discussed least frequently on Indieheads, so I’m excited to see what everyone thinks of them. By the time of starting Belly, Tanya Donelly (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) had already been in two other classic indie rock bands. She was a co-founder of Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersch, contributing vocals and guitar for the band’s first decade, though she’d only get a handful of songs per album. Donelly would later start The Breeders with Pixies bassist and vocalist Kim Deal. The Breeders’ debut, Pod, featured Deal as the primary songwriter because existing record contracts prohibited the two from sharing primary writing credits. While they originally intended to alternate albums, Tanya had begun to form Belly by the time it was her turn to do a Breeders album. She recruited Fred Abong (bass) and brothers Tom (guitar) and Chris (drums) Gorman as they’d all known each other while going to high school in Rhode Island.
Belly co-produced most of their 1993 debut Star with Tracy Chisholm. Gil Norton, who’d previously produced Throwing Muses’ self-titled debut, produced four tracks, including singles "Gepetto," "Slow Dog," and "Feed the Tree." "Feed the Tree," one of the album’s highlights, would be the band’s highest charting hit, reaching 95th on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Modern Rock Chart. Star is an effective fusion of alternative rock with jangle pop, dream pop, "haunting" folk, and even some light country influences. At the 1994 GRAMMYs, Belly were also up for Best New Artist with Blind Melon, Digable Planets, and SWV, ultimately losing to R&B singer Toni Braxton. Belly released a sophomore album King in 1995 and Donelly released several solo albums before reuniting with the King lineup to release a third album in 2018. While Star may not have achieved the canonical stature of some of 1994’s other nominees, it is nevertheless a very enjoyable release from a strong songwriter who’d finally gotten the chance to make an album-length statement of her own.
Are Indieheads gonna feed the tree? Will this be an album to die for?
Tracklist:

1. Someone to Die For
2. Angel
3. Dusted
4. Every Word
5. Gepetto
6. Witch
7. Slow Dog
8. Low Red Moon
9. Feed The Tree
10. Full Moon, Empty Heart
11. White Belly
12. Untogether
13. Star
14. Sad Dress
15. Stay

Nirvana - In Utero If you were wondering where “Heart Shaped Box” was in the Guitar Hero Rate, well I’ve got a treat for you!
Kurt Cobain (vocals and guitar) and Krist Novoselic (bass) met while attending Aberdeen High School in the late 1980s. They shuffled through various names, ultimately deciding on Nirvana because Cobain wanted a name that sounded beautiful and nice instead of mean and raunchy. In their early years, they worked with several different drummers, recording 1989’s Sub Pop debut Bleach with Chad Channing on drums. Channing left the band as they worked on their follow-up to Bleach. Kurt and Krist met drummer Dave Grohl days after he’d moved to Seattle following the break up of his Washington DC band Scream. The addition of Dave solidified Nirvana’s classic lineup. The trio began seeking a major label to buy them out of their Sub Pop contract as they were dissatisfied with the label’s lack of promotion and distribution of their debut. They eventually signed with DGC Records per the recommendation of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Upon signing, they began work on their major label debut, Nevermind, with producer Butch Vig. 1991’s Nevermind was an unexpected success, bringing grunge and alternative rock to the mainstream and even surpassing Michael Jackson on the Billboard albums chart.
In the aftermath of Nevermind’s success, Cobain felt he needed to reclaim his punk ethic. Wanting to depart from Butch Vig’s slick production on Nevermind (don’t worry, we’ll still be hearing from Vig a little later), he sought to work with Steve Albini. Albini was pretty famous in the underground for his work as frontman for Big Black and various production work, including PJ Harvey’s Dry, which he sent a copy of to give Cobain an idea of the acoustics in his studio. Albini dismissed Nirvana as "R.E.M. with a fuzzbox" (more on R.E.M. soon!) but decided to work with them because he felt bad for them, recognizing them as "the same sort of people as all the small-fry bands I deal with." The band pushed for minimal label oversight and recorded In Utero fairly quickly, wrapping recording sessions in as little as 13 days. The album was noisier and more abrasive than Nevermind, resulting in much dispute between the band, Albini, and the label. Cobain sought to make the kind of record he’d enjoy owning as a fan and began having second thoughts about the sound when listening to it at home. The press picked up on conflict about the album’s sound. The band denied this and even DGC president David Geffen called Newsweek to explain they would release whatever Nirvana recorded. Behind the scenes, the band tried to fix the album’s sound in the mastering process, which Albini was strongly against, though he’d later supply an alternate mix for the album’s 20th anniversary re-release. R.E.M producer Scott Litt was brought on to remix “Heart Shaped Box” and “All Apologies” which were intended to be the album’s singles.
In Utero was released in September of 1993 following a low-key release strategy which released “Heart Shaped Box” as a promo-only single to various rock station formats but not Top 40. Walmart and K-Mart initially refused to stock the album due to its back cover and the title of the song “Rape Me.” (A content note on that song, while it is interpreted as commentary on the invasive music press, it was intended to be a lyrically literal anti-rape song from the perspective of a victim. As this is a rate, you can score this song however you see fit, but I hope it goes without saying that everyone should please be respectful of this subject matter in their comments.) Despite In Utero’s abrasive sound and reduced mainstream promotion, the album still debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts and was well-received by critics. The music often hits harder and faster than Nevermind, containing more of the “punk” feel that Cobain was aiming for compared to the grunge of Nevermind and the band’s Seattle contemporaries. Check out this MTV clip if you’d like to see how college students in 1993 received this one. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiwhwy7S4qA) The band toured America shortly after In Utero came out and embarked on a European tour that was cut short as Cobain suffered from a drug overdose. A couple weeks later, Cobain died by suicide. As with the subject matter of “Rape Me,” I want to request that everyone is respectful of this in their comments, I will ask for edits (or omit comments myself) if they are inappropriate. Despite the tragic ending, Nirvana is still seen as one of American and alternative rock’s most important bands and In Utero remains highly regarded to this day.
Will our comments be all apologies? Are the results of this rate gonna be, uhhh, dumb?
Tracklist Serve the Servants Scentless Apprentice Heart-Shaped Box Rape Me Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle Dumb Very Ape Milk It Pennyroyal Tea Radio Friendly Unit Shifter Tourette’s All Apologies
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People If there’s a band who can rival Nirvana’s stature in the American rock canon, it’s gotta be R.E.M. They are often cited as one of the first “alternative” rock bands and were important for the college radio format. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), and Bill Berry (drums) released 5 albums with independent label I.R.S. Records, evolving from a jangle rock sound on their early albums to a louder, more anthemic sound on their final record for the label, Document. After “The One I Love” became their first mainstream hit, the band signed to Warner Brothers, kicking off a second act that resulted in yet another 5 album run of great music.
At the start of the 90s, R.E.M. opted out of touring and became a studio band. The band recorded demos for the songs “Drive,” “Try Not to Breathe,” and “Nightswimming” at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios while mixing their 1991 album, Out of Time. Out of Time was a huge success, arriving as alternative rock was becoming mainstream. It spawned the massive single “Losing My Religion” and even ended up winning the GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1992. After concluding some promotional duties in early 1991, the band returned to the studio to continue work on what would eventually become Automatic for the People. This would be the fourth of six records the band would produce with Litt. The band traded off instruments in the studio, with Buck playing the mandolin famously featured on “Losing My Religion,” Mills playing piano or organ, and Berry playing bass. Their initial attempts to make a harder rocking follow-up did not pan out, as the band found they were writing better without drums. The material began to take on a more melancholic tone. The lush orchestration of Out of Time is rendered in a somber greyscale, with arrangements contributed by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones. Lyrically, the album muses on loss and mourning, prompting rumors that recently balding Michael Stipe was dying of cancer or AIDs. Luckily, he was not but that is the lens through which some critics and listeners received this work. The album also finds room for political commentary, most noticeably in “Ignoreland” which pushes against Republican politics of the time, but also in opener “Drive” which calls back to the group’s work with the Rock to Vote movement, for which they added a petition on the longbox packaging of Out of Time.
Automatic for the People released on October 5, 1992 (gotta love the GRAMMYs odd eligibility window) debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Unlike its predecessor, it never quite reached the top spot, thanks to Garth Brooks. Six of the album’s 12 tracks were released as singles including “Drive,” “Everybody Hurts” which has unfortunately been watered down through years of ironic use in comedies, the cryptic, Andy Kaufman referencing “Man on the Moon,” and “Nightswimming,” an emotional piano ballad that has become a fan favorite. The album was critically acclaimed upon release and, while perhaps not as fun as something like Murmur, this nocturnal bummer is regarded by many as one of the band’s masterpieces.
Will everybody hurt? Are R.E.M. going to get a raw deal?
Tracklist: Drive Try Not to Breathe The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite Everybody Hurts New Orleans Instrumental No. 1 Sweetness Follows Monty Got a Raw Deal Ignoreland Star Me Kitten Man on the Moon Nightswimming Find the River
The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream The Smashing Pumpkins formed in 1988 when Billy Corgan (vocals and guitar, he prefers William Patrick Corgan now though) met James Iha (guitar) while working at a record store in Chicago, Illinois. They performed as a duo with a drum machine, eventually adding bassist D’arcy Wretzky after meeting her at a show by the Dan Reed Network. Jazz drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was recommended by a friend of Corgan’s after the trio were booked to perform at Cabaret Metro under the condition that they’d play with a live drummer instead of their drum machine. With Chamberlain on board, the band’s classic lineup had been formed and their sound began to shift in a harder rock direction.
Siamese Dream, the group’s 1993 sophomore album, expands on their 1991 debut Gish in every possible way. The band switched from Virgin subsidiary Caroline Records to Virgin itself. Butch Vig, who produced Nirvana’s massive Nevermind right after finishing work on Gish, returned to produce the follow-up. Where Gish’s $20,000 budget and month of recording time was “unprecedented” for Vig, Corgan and Vig spent four months on Siamese Dream and went $250,000 over budget. This is what happens when you let Billy overdub everyone else’s guitar and bass parts (something the rest of the band wasn’t particularly happy about) to get as many as 100 guitar parts compressed into one song.
The meticulous studio process paid off, as Siamese Dream was a bigger hit than Gish (peaking at 10 on the Billboard 200.) The band’s influences from metal, dreampop, and shoegaze give the album a layered and unique sound compared to the grungier alternative music of the time. Singles “Cherub Rock” and “Today” have been featured in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band videogame series. While never released as a single, “Mayonaise” has become a fan favorite and won a Rolling Stone poll for best Pumpkins song, beating out singles from Siamese Dream and the band’s follow-up double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Judging from some early discussion since this rate was announced, some of you seem pretty excited to rate “Mayonnaise.” While Mellon Collie took the band to the height of their popularity, Siamese Dream is often regarded as their masterpiece and one of the best rock albums of the 90s.
Will we be sweet sweet to the Pumpkins? The rater in me is the rater in you, I’ll send this ballot over to you
Tracklist: Cherub Rock Quiet Today Hummer Rocket Disarm Soma Geek U.S.A. Mayonaise Spaceboy Silverfuck Sweet Sweet Luna
U2 - Zooropa Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1976, U2 (Bono on vocals, The Edge on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums) have become the top-selling Irish musical act of all-time, with an estimated 170+ million records sold. Across the 80s, U2 evolved their early post-punk sound to the anthemic rock of The Joshua Tree. While touring America for that album, the band recorded Rattle and Hum, a hybrid live/studio record (and accompanying concert film) which documented the tour and the group’s fascination with American roots music. Despite the album’s commercial success, most consider it a misguided failure. Even Bono admitted at their final show for the album’s Lovetown Tour that “we have to go away and dream it all up again.”
1993’s Zooropa catches U2 at their most adventurous. 1991’s Acthung Baby and its subsequent Zoo TV tour rebranded the band for the new decade. While they continued working with Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, they updated their sound with influences from electronic, dance, and industrial music. On stage, they dabbled in irony to counter the sincerity of their 80s output with Bono playing characters such as The Fly and Macphisto. Emboldened by the critical and commercial success of this album and tour, they began working on a promotional EP during a break between Zoo TV tour legs. Despite working quickly in the studio, this EP expanded into a full-length album, requiring the band to travel between concerts and the studio in Dublin to finish working on the album during the first month of the “Zooropa” leg.
Zooropa finally arrived in July of 1993 and it shows the band doubling down on their early 90s ideas. The sound of the album, built from loops of soundcheck jamming and leftover sketches from Achtung Baby, ventures even further from traditional rock instrumentation and songwriting, bolstered by production from Brian Eno, Flood (moving from an engineering to production role), and The Edge, credited as a producer for his first time. The fragmented nature of the album’s production is reflected in the eclectic tracklist which bounces between the multi-movement art-rock of the title track, dancefloor fillers like “Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car,” and ballads like “For the First Time” and “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” Unique vocal choices like The Edge’s spoken-word rapping on lead-single “Numb,” Bono’s falsetto on “Lemon,” and a Johnny Cash feature on closer “The Wanderer” help the album feel more varied than U2’s previous material. The album’s lyrics often examine Zoo TV’s concepts of “sensory overload” and technology more explicitly than Achtung Baby.
While U2 are reluctant to acknowledge Zooropa now (likely influenced by the failure of 1997’s Pop, a rushed, mixed bag of an album that stretched audience’s tolerance for 90s U2’s tendency toward electronic music and irony to a Rattle and Hum-like breaking point) the album was successful when it came out. Zooropa debuted at number one in several countries and finished ninth on 1993’s Pazz and Jop poll. It would also go on to win this GRAMMY award for Best Alternative Music album, with Bono shrugging on stage, shouting out Smashing Pumpkins, and promising to “the young people of America” that they will “continue to abuse our position and fuck up the mainstream” in his acceptance speech. (https://youtu.be/-DNXfFy8Ido?t=69)
Will U2 stay the champions in our rate or will they be faraway so close to the top?
Tracklist: Zooropa Babyface Numb Lemon Stay (Faraway, So Close!) Daddy’s Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car Some Days Are Better Than Others The First Time Dirty Day The Wanderer
Bonus Rate Since this rate is 5 albums instead of the usual 4, a bonus rate has been omitted.

So, this is the story of the first time my girlfriend Gwen and I played D&D. I have our DM Matt here with me to help me with the names, rules and just remembering stuff in general. Matt and Jack have been playing 5th edition for years, but Zach never played 5E. He played 3.5 and 4th and liked them both, so this is his first time playing 5th. Here's all of the people involved and our characters.
Matt (DM) had been playing D&D for years. We played 5th edition starting at 3rd level, and his house rules included letting us use any setting specific race, and the One D&D play test rules.
Me playing as Remy, the non-binary plasmoid Hexblade Warlock, and my bonus feat was Fey Touched. Remy was just an ordinary slime running from predators, until one day he found an ancient temple that he was able to hide in. There, he found a magic sword possessed by the soul of an ancient dragon. The dragon promised to give Remy magical powers as long and Remy took the sword with him around the world cause the dragon was bored and lonely. My character is inspired by Rimuru Tempest from the anime Reincarnated as a Slime, and Matt gave me lots of ideas on how to build this character.
Gwen played as Tea Swift, the female half-elf College of Eloquence Bard, and her bonus feat was Lucky. Tea's father was and adventurer, so she went around telling stories of his adventures to improve his reputation. One day he went missing, and Tea set out to find him. While we were deciding which characters we wanted to play, Gwen found the YouTube video Life of a Bard song, and fell in love with the class.
Zach played Leon, the male leonin Battle Master Fighter, and his bonus feat was Shield Master. Leon was part of a tribe of hunters and warriors. One day his tribe was wiped out and he was the sole survivor. He set out on his own to find the dragon that killed his family, and get his revenge. Zach based his character on Leo from Red Earth, and he picked the battle master so he could have variety in combat.
Jack played John Belmont, the male dhampir Swarmkeeper Ranger, and his bonus feat was Crossbow Expert. John’s family was enslaved by a vamipre lord. The lord’s daughter Rosa fell in love with John, and when he was 24, they tried to run away together. The lord’s minions hunted them down and left them for dead as punishment. To save his life, the Rosa tried to turn John into a vampire, but she died in his arms. He became a dhampir, and vowed to hunt down the vampire lord and kill him. John trained himself in the forest and discovered he has a connection with bats, and could control them.
Matt asked us to make connections to one another so our characters already knew each other, so this is what we came up with. The dragon in Remi’s sword is the sworn enemy of the dragon that Leon wants to kill, Tea befriended John and started telling his story so people would be less afraid of him. Leon saved Tea from a pack of dire wolves once, and John met Remi while training in the forest.
Here’s how the game went. Tea and Leon went into a town to look for leads on the dragon and look for work to make money. At the bar, they found a job offer to take out kobalts attacking merchants on the road. They took the job but another group tried start a fight and take the job offer from them. Tea seduced the whole group, took them to a nearby hotel bedroom, and immediately cast Sleep on them all to put them to sleep and left with the flier for the job offer.
John was training Remy in the forest on swordsmanship, and they were attacked by a group of kobalts. Leon and Tea heard the fight and showed up to help and caught a kobalt as a hostage. Tea recognized John and introduced him to Leon, and then Leon brought up his backstory. John said “I understand your pain, I’m also on a quest for revenge.” Remi’s dragon spoke out loud from the blade and said “I hate Cyan as well. Remi, we should join him on his quest to kill Cyan.” So our party was together and we agreed to work together to take out the kobalts and split the reward. They tried to interrogate the kobalt, but it was being stubborn, so Leon grabbed him by one leg and hanged him over the edge of a cliff by the leg. Tea said “you know his arm is going to get tired sooner or later so you better start talking now.” The kobalt cried for mercy and told us where the main camp was. “I told you where they are, please let me go” he said, and Leon said “sure if that’s what you want” and just let go of the kobalt’s leg and let him fall. We all looked at him and he said “what? I let him go. He should have asked me to put him on the ground first.”
John used the info to track down their camp from a safe direction where we were uphill and could play an ambush. We saw that they had lots of people as prisoners, some of which were soldiers. Remy can use Disguise Self at will with Mask of Many Face, and reshape his body since he is a plasmoid. He looked like a human this whole time, but he changed to look like a kobalt to sneak in and let the prisoners free. Remy got in and started to unlock the cages, but some kobalts saw me and I rolled a 1 to deceive them. Luckily, Tea stayed close and cast Cloud of Daggers in their way, and then Leon jumped down to attack the kobalts as a distraction. He took out his sword, rolled a 20 and killed a kobalt in one shot, cutting him in half from above. Remy shot the kobalts that caught him through the Cloud of Daggers using a blast spell (Eldritch Blast), then finished freeing the prisoners before using Armor of Shadows and summoning his sword to run right into the fight. John was sniping from above with a hand crossbow, and he did so much damage. He had two attacks per round because of Crossbow Expert, could use Hunter’s Mark for more damage and let his bat’s bite his targets for even more damage, so he was killing kobalts left and right. Tea climbed up a tree to stay safe, pulled out her lute and started singing, using Viscous Mockery to make it harder for the kobalts to hit Leon and Remy. She was yelling stuff like “hey, nameless lizard number 2, your so weak, your name should be ‘free XP’.” Matt laughed and said “the kobalt starts to cry and says ‘my name is Joey’” but then Leon came right behind him and said “wrong. Your name is dead meat” and cut the kobalt in half. The soldiers Remy freed grabbed their weapons and helped us capture the rest of the kobalts and the fight was over.
Gwen was a natural and jumped right into the game. Matt said she played like a veteran, who had been playing for months. We all had a lot of fun, and I’ve enjoyed playing D&D with my friends ever since.

Other stories of mine can be found in my wiki
For those who want to go back to the beginning, here's a link to book 1 chapter 1.
An image of Lon'thul
Of Men and Dragons, Book 3, Chapter 45
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The order had finally been given. A bellow arose from thousands of argu'n before everyone surged forward. Dak'ton felt his blood thirst rise as he launched himself ahead, albeit a little more slowly encombered as he was by the new tool Lord B'arthon had insisted they bring with them. Then there was a shout from the enemy lines that preceded the first volley of small spears launched toward them.
Dak'ton hadn't believed they could be thrown this far, but judging by the path they were arching in his general direction, the warrior was suddenly grateful for the large thick wooden planks Lord B'arthon had insisted they carry with them. Raising it over his head, he could hear impacts all around him and a few screams as the wooden planks proved insufficient for some in the face of such a barrage. Dak'ton himself felt a jarring impact as one small spear hit his shield and a second impact as it pierced through the wood and hit his chest plate.
The warrior froze momentarily, wondering if he was dead, before realizing the combination of wood and his bone plates must have saved his life. However, Dak'ton was further delayed by trying to wrench the spear from his chest and planks as more warriors ran past. Finally, there was a sharp jolt of pain as he pulled the spear free. He was dismayed to see a trail of blood leaking out of a wound in his chest, but it wasn't deep enough to be a serious concern, so with a grunt, he threw the spear to the ground and resumed his charge.
Looking around, it was clear others weren't as lucky as him. Several were down when the spears impaled their legs where the wood hadn't protected them. Others had spears piercing through their wood like Dak'ton had, but the spear had gone on to hit them in more lightly armored areas like their arms or sides. One unlucky warrior had his wood now pinned to his arm as he screamed and grasped the small spear in an attempt to pull it out.
As Dak'ton gained more ground, another shout went out, and he raised his wood planks again, this time bracing in place, feeling his blood rush in fear as he waited again for impact. However, he didn't have to wait as long this time and again felt a jarring impact. This time the spear pierced through his planks higher up, punching all the way through and continuing to the ground beside him, narrowly missing his head. Around him, others fared worse a second time. A few had dropped their planks after the first barrage, having been unable to wrench the spears free, and were now paying the price.
Dak'ton blinked stupidly a few times before dropping his planks as instructed and running toward the enemy lines again. Lord B'arthon had told them the enemy would only have time for two barrages before they closed the distance, and rushing there after the second would eliminate the risk of a third, and all Dak'ton wanted was to never experience something like that again. Those small spears traveled so much further and faster than normally thrown spears, and they hit much harder despite their small size.
That was when he looked at the enemy and realized Lord B'arthon had made a mistake. Only half the enemy had fired the second round. The other half was still waiting with those odd spear throwers ready to unleash their second round. Dak'ton had a moment of grudging respect for those workers' discipline before a third shout was followed by more spears launched in their direction. Without the protection of his wooden planks, a spear hit Dak'ton clean in the shoulder, and he felt himself being pulled back as if some large creature had ahold of him and was pulling him bodily to the ground. That was when the searing pain came, as though his shoulder was on fire, and Dak'ton's screams joined the chorus of those screaming around him.
-
Lack'nul had no idea how Jack had foreseen the enemy would have those wooden planks, shields he'd called them, but the guard captain was glad he had. Perhaps the human had even more magic than he let on? He'd even been right about the enemy dropping the shields before engaging in melee, saying they would likely be too crude to wield while fighting due to rushed production. Because of that, the second half of the second volley devastated the enemy's front line in the section in front of his workers.
Further down the line, the warriors of the hill people were hurling more traditional throwing spears to lesser effect, but thankfully the enemy didn't seem to have enough shields to arm their entire front line with, so the spears were still effective.
The spears and belly bows had thinned the enemy front lines, but they were still drastically outnumbered. Lack'nul shouted for the workers to discard their belly bows and take up their spears. The workers threw the bows to the ground a few feet in front of them, hoping to trip up the enemy, then raised their spears and braced for impact.
-
A'ngles frowned from his position overseeing the battlefield. The second half-and-half volley had been unexpected. Not that it had cost them too much in the way of manpower, he estimated in total they'd lost maybe a hundred warriors between all three volleys and perhaps a hundred more across the rest of the front lines to the more traditional spears, only a fraction of the two thousand warriors charging in at the moment. Still, it definitely had an impact on the morale of that all-important center formation. Moreover, they'd slowed enough that the front line had bowed back slightly in the middle. Between that, the enemy's armor, and the obstacle the bulky weapons presented on the ground, the eventual charge had much less impact than he'd expected, with more of his own men going down in the initial exchange than the enemy.
Even all this wasn't nearly enough to change the battle's outcome, but it was just a few reminders that this wasn't their usual opponent, and only the gods knew how many more surprises they had in store.
-
The fighting was starting to get desperate. Lack'nul parried blow after blow with his sword, trying to create openings for the workers next to him to take advantage of with their spears. Occasionally an enemy would go down, taking the spear with him, but then the hill people behind them would hand the worker a new spear, and the fighting continued. Then there were the longer spears being thrust from further behind by the hill people. They didn't account for much in the way of killing blows, but they were one more complication the attackers had to beware of, preventing them from striking with total confidence.
It was strange for the guard captain to be fighting on the side of the hill people against what were likely guards from other villages, but he shoved that thought out of his mind as he parried another couple of spear thrusts around him. He wondered if any of the workers he was now familiar with had already died, but again shoved the thought from his mind as he took advantage of an opening and shoved his sword through an enemy warrior's midsection.
His victim grabbed hold of the blade as he fell, and rather than fight for the weapon and leave himself open for others to take advantage of, Lack'nul let go of the weapon and shouted behind him. "Spear!" Soon enough, the shaft of a spear was pressed into his waiting hands, and the guard captain resumed the fight, spinning the end of his spear in a way meant to shake loose his opponent's grip on their own weapon before thrusting forward and scoring a grazing attack his across the warrior's throat. It wasn't deep enough to kill but more than enough to spook his opponent, who drew back for a moment in shock.
That created enough of an opening that Lack'nul should have been able to get another kill, but then he noticed a spearhead flying toward him from the side, forcing the guard captain to step back and bring up his own spear, spinning the shaft in a way to deflect the strike and allow him to bring his own spearhead around to strike, driving his second foe back before turning his attention to the first, swiping with the butt of his spear before bringing the head around for another strike more designed to buy a moment than land a killing blow.
The guard captain was breathing heavily, wondering how much longer he should try to hold this spot.
-
A'ngles watched intently as the fighting continued, focusing most of his attention on that all-important center line. He could see individual fighters moving back and forth on both sides. Occasionally some fell and were replaced, but the armor on the workers kept them alive longer. But, of course, that also meant they were constantly fighting for extended periods, unable or unwilling to switch out with the less well-armed and armored allies behind them. In a massive battle like this, endurance was the key to victory, and it was just a matter of time before his greater numbers took their toll. Perhaps it was simply his imagination, but it seemed like the enemy line was starting to bow just the slightest amount in the middle. He just had to keep the pressure on...
Turning to two of his aide, the Village Lord issued his orders. "Send a runner to either flank and order fifty warriors from each to peel off and reinforce the center."
The aide nodded and repeated his orders to two runners as the old Lord continued to observe the battle.
-
Lon'thul traveled through the forest with an arrow knocked but not drawn as he crept ahead of the rest. Aside from Jack, Angela, Em'brel, and the wolgen all at the rear, the rest in their group were all hunters, used to moving quickly and silently through the underbrush, but even compared with the proud hunters of the hill people, Lon'thul was the undisputed master of his trade. So he walked ahead of the rest to look for ambushes.
It could have been just another day on the hunt if it weren't for the sounds of battle a little to his right. The hunter was glad non of his friends could see him at the moment, or else they'd notice his characteristic grin was absent in favor of a more stern expression. Something felt off about the forest, and he couldn't quite place a talon on what it was. He felt as if a presence had passed through not long ago, but the only person who could move this subtly was...
That was when the hunter noticed another scout ahead of his position. By Lon'thul's standard, he was moving loudly and clumsily. Looking around to ensure there wasn't anyone else present, Lon'thul took aim while inhaling silently. Once he had his target, he began exhaling while drawing back on the string, letting loose the arrow when he was about halfway out of air. After long hours of practice and countless hunts, he knew the arrow would fly true. However, he couldn't help but momentarily hold his remaining breath as he waited anxiously for a fraction of a second it took the arrow to clear the distance to its target.
As expected, the arrow embedded itself into his target's throat, pinning him to the tree behind him as the scout struggled briefly before falling limp. After ensuring there was no other movement to indicate another watcher, Lon'thul crept up and silently removed the arrow. Jack had once again been proven correct. It looked like B'arthon had sent an ambush to cut off their flanking maneuver. However, if the hunter could get enough of their scouts quickly enough, they might be able to ambush their ambushers. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he mimicked a kovaack's grunt to signal a halt. To his ears, it sounded nothing like an actual kovaack, but other hunters had told him it had an uncanny similarity from a small distance away.
Assuming one to two hundred warriors, they probably had ten to fifteen scouts. As the hunter snuck through the brush, he kept his ears open for any minor disturbances. A shadow out of place, or the sound of a twig cracking where he knew no animal would be. After an agonizingly long minute during which he tried to not think about what was happening in the main battle, he found another hunter, but this one was dangerously close to a second.
Lon'thul frowned, sliding sideways to get a shot from their flank with his back to the position of the one he'd already taken out so he could sneak closer to take his shot. Finally, after a few more agonizingly long seconds, he was in position, and the hunter knocked another arrow.
Standing and drawing in one smooth motion, Lon'thul took quick aim at the further of the two hunters before either knew what happened and loosed his arrow. However, rather than wait for his arrow to hit the target this time, Lon'thul dropped his bow while drawing a knife in one smooth action and flung the blade at the second scout, who was already starting to move at the appearance of the enemy from his supposedly protected flank.
Once again, rather than wait, Lon'thul leaped at his target, who was starting to fall, opening his mouth to shout out, but the hunter wrapped his arm around his victim's throat, slamming his mouth shut on his tongue, turning the scout's shout into a loud whimper as the hunter finished the job.
Lon'thul grabbed his knife and slunk back into the shadows, waiting for more scouts to come to check on the sounds of the scuffle. It was only after none appeared for over a minute that the hunter retrieved his arrow and returned to his bow with a frown. He was confident he'd been quiet enough to avoid detection by the main force, but the next scout over should have heard the twigs snapping as the two combatants struggled. Had he simply run back to report the disturbance without checking on the source of it? Given Lon'thul's reputation, it might have been a good move, but then the whole group would be "ambushing" every medium-sized animal in the forest, giving away their position! It didn't make sense...
The hunter calmed himself. Rather than jumping to conclusions, the only thing for him to do was precisely what he thought they should have done, go and check it out. He'd simply have to trust Angela to inform the rest if he walked into some ambush since she was silently watching everything from his headset.
As he rounded another tree, he found some disturbed underbrush roughly where he expected the next scout to be. As he crept closer, he realized there was a body there. The scout was already dead!
Lon'thul froze, holding his bow and ready to draw in the blink of an eye if any threat presented itself and thought rapidly. He knew he was the only one of his people's scouts out this far, so it couldn't have been any of his men. But what purpose could they have for placing this body here? He'd suspect a trap, but it made no sense. Still, it wouldn't help anyone if he stayed here any longer than he had to, so Lon'thul resumed movement, redoubling his efforts to remain silent and hidden as he moved.
After another moment, he came to another likely location and, after a moment of observation, found another dead scout. This time the hunter crept closer, inspecting the body. The sout's throat had been slit, likely from behind. He could even imagine someone's hand wrapping around the poor scout's mouth to silence any shout before the knife had done its work. That meant someone had walked right up behind the scout as he'd been searching for his own prey. Lon'thul might have been able to pull that off on a good day, but he'd never have risked it with so much on the line. Remembering the presence he'd felt earlier, he realized only one other hunter could pull something this brazen off...
Now Lon'thul was fully alert, scanning every shadow and listening for even the slightest disturbances while waiting with an arrow ready. This time he didn't have the luxury of waiting for his opponent to act first. He had to take the initiative and do it now! But beating his father in a duel wasn't his objective. Outmaneuvering the enemy force was. Putting a hand on the headset, the hunter activated the com and broke silence for the first time. "My position may be compromised, but if you move fast, you can still take the enemy unaware. Tell Jack to charge now!"
Putting his hand down, Lon'thul settled into position and readied another arrow. He knew his father wouldn't kill him like the other scouts, but that didn't mean the old hunter wouldn't try to pull him out of the battle now that he'd given away his location. The younger hunter would just have to be even faster this time...
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In case you missed it and are interested, book 1 is available to purchase in digital or physical form.
If you want to support my work or help me cover the costs of publishing, you can find my Patreon here. Though it's not necessary, I'm really just glad you took the time to read my stories.

INFO: My cat is a domestic shorthair. She is about 2 years old. She's about 9 lbs. The problem is, she has a small lump on her leg. It's pretty firm, but it's mobile. It's less than 2 cm long. I have seen a vet about this lump, and they ran a cytology on it in mid May. Their response to what it was is that it was a 'vaccine site reaction'. They said they observed 'magenta material' in it. They also told me it was 'non cancerous'. However, whenever I google anything about lumps in cats in regards to vaccines, things about cancerous lumps called sarcomas come up! I'm trying to find out information about what it is she is specifically and if it's something I should be worried about. I was so happy to hear them say it wasn't a cancerous tumor that at the time of the results, I didn't think to ask any other questions. My concern is that she has had this lump since I got her on April 12th. It isn't noted in her health records from the shelter, though. I guess they didn't notice it. She received her vaccines in mid February. It is now early June and the lump is still there ,and doesn't seem to be any smaller (but also not any bigger than when I first noticed it around the time I got her). I have some questions. It's Sunday, so my vet is closed. Therefore, I can't talk to them to ease my mind about this at the moment. Thought I'd try this subreddit. Can some one tell me: 1. Is is possible for this noncancerous site reaction to BECOME cancerous? 2. Shouldn't it have disappeared by now, since it's been months since the vacccine? Should I be worried that it hasn't disappeared? 3. Is it possible that cancer wouldn't show up on a cytology and I should get a second one done to double check? 4. Does anyone have any ideas what the name for what she might have is? If it's not a sarcoma, what is it? I'm sorry for any mistakes I've made in this post, I barely post to reddit, so I'm unsure of reddit etiquette.

Hey all! I'm a smart, energetic, naturally curious, and very adventurous guy, and I'm looking for a woman to enjoy some fun experiences with! I've always tended to go for women older than me. I have no limits on age and would love to find an older woman to explore and grow with, both sexually and otherwise! I'll bring energy and enthusiasm, you bring the experience and wisdom :D
For a start I'd mainly be interested in some fun dates and a FWB-type situation however I'm also not opposed to something serious if the vibe is right! I have lots of interesting and cool date ideas, and in general I'm a very outgoing guy who just loves trying new things and exploring - let's visit a cool new gallery or museum, explore some new green space around London, or try out that restaurant you've been seeing everywhere on Instagram :)
Looks wise I'm tall, 6" 4', slim, fairly athletic, I run in my spare time so I have nice legs. I'm South Asian, with brown skin, brown eyes, and luscious long black hair. Happy to swap pics if things go well. I'm a big metalhead and look the part too - if you like guys with leather jackets, long hair, band shirts, and boots, then I'm your man!
In general I'm a very sociable and outgoing person - I love meeting new people, chatting and getting to know people, and I love conversation! Love to talk about how your day went, your hopes and dreams, your favourite band, or whether there's an afterlife (well, is there?)
Personality wise I'm very open minded, laid back, chilled out, and easy going. Love trying new experiences and learning about just about anything! I'm a scientist in my day job and general nerd, and in my spare time I'm mad about music, love concerts, collecting records, and playing the bass guitar. I also love cooking, keen football fan (DM me to find out which team I support!) and love watching F1 as well. Keen on long walks by the river and I enjoy running in my spare time as well.
Fully jabbed and DDF so no worries there!
I'm looking for my Midnight Queen - message me if you'd like to chat :D

--- Table of Contents ---
--- Part 1/2 ---
When Shon woke again, it was to be told he'd slept, not only the rest of the day and night of the incident, but the entire day after as well. Despite the Cleric assuring Shon that this was normal, he still had Shon eat breakfast in the infirmary while the Squires attended their morning lessons. He'd slept through drills, breakfast, and prayer.
The Cleric kept the curtains drawn over the window, though Shon's head wasn't pounding anymore, and had added a second set of standing curtains around the girl's bed. Shon's eyes flicked in her direction with every alternate bite he managed to force down, but there was no movement beyond the white cloth.
Master Daunas came in shortly before tenth bell and armor practice to inform Shon that he was to take the day off to rest but could rejoin the others in training the following day. He was at least allowed to leave the infirmary, though he waited until he could hear sparring outside before he did. He didn't want to run into any of the Squires.
As he opened the door to leave something flew by the window, catching Shon's attention enough to make him stop and look over. But it was already long gone. Just a bird... Assuming he hadn't imagined it. He shook his head, still aching all over. His mind swam with worries and memories, made worse by the fact that the Cleric was trying to hide shivers now that Shon was fully rested. He'd probably just imagined it...
Back in his room Shon huddled over his journal. He could still smell the smoke in his hair and had decided it would be best to shower soon, but finally alone, his thoughts and memories could no longer be ignored.
So he drew. He tried to start safe. Nangran atop his borrowed horse; Ivelm mostly naked and shaking a club in his doorway; the Archmage's workroom lined in shelves filled with magical components. That one had taken a while. But as he released these images onto the page, others forced themselves forward. Smoke billowing over treetops; a burning tower; charred bodies; and a girl reaching out through the flames. A girl lying asleep in the bed next to his. The stillness of the picture made her look dead.
He dropped his pencil, letting it roll right off the desk. Crossing his arms over the book, he rested his head on his desk. The wood felt warm compared to his skin, comforting. What more could he have done? What could a Paladin have done? Or Master Veon-Zih? Shon saw again the bodies and shivered.
No one could save everyone. To think otherwise was pure arrogance. But knowing the facts and feeling them were two very different things. The tower wasn’t that far from Hamerfoss. Shouldn’t they have known something was going on? Shouldn’t they have been able to do something sooner? Years sooner? Long before the fire killed those people?
A loud tapping startled him awake. When had he fallen asleep? Shon searched his room in confusion, trying to piece together his dream and what had awoken him. He'd been in the Temple chapel, but as he'd walked down the middle aisle, the pews had started to decay, the stone walls crumbling. Small plants, then trees began to sprout from the ground, overgrowing the once-holy place now in ruin. Shon pressed the heels of his hands hard into his eyes, trying to remember what had come next... A man with white hair pulled back in a ponytail had been standing at the head altar... something with leathery wings on his shoulder...
The painful screech of something sharp on glass had Shon jumping up, his chair falling to clatter on the ground behind him. He looked to his window but saw only orange sky beyond. Was the sun already setting? He knelt on the mattress and looked out the window, unsure what he expected to see. He was on the third floor, but that was definitely where the sound had come from, and the window was the only glass in the room.
Nothing but open sky.
He opened the tiny window, the pane swinging up and letting in cold and refreshing air that helped clear his mind. Master Daunas's voice bellowed orders from the courtyard below, and Shon stuck his head out to look down and see his fellows working through their dagger forms. He'd slept through lunch and afternoon lessons. And he still needed a shower.
If he hurried, he would be able to shower before the others finished their lesson. Shon left the window open and even opened his door before he remembered to grab a fresh uniform. Obviously, he still wasn't thinking clearly.
The halls were blissfully empty, and Shon could almost pretend that even if he did pass someone, their breath wouldn't show in the air. It was a short-lived fantasy, however. He managed to make it all the way to the showers, but when he opened the door a voice called, "Squire! Why aren't you... Oh..." Shon performed a sharp about face to stand at attention before the Major General.
"At ease, Squire Shon," Selibra sighed, waving him down, "Did you get enough rest?"
"Yes, Sir," Shon answered but then caught movement out of the corner of his eye, again. He hadn't managed to turn his head far enough to see before the Major General started speaking. Shon snapped his head back to give the officer his undivided attention.
"You did well, Squire. Smith Nangran told us what happened at the tower." Sir Selibra managed a strained smile that faded quickly, "If you want to talk about what you saw there... any one of us will be more than willing to listen. You shouldn't have had to experience death so soon." an image of an arm pulling away from a charred corpse flashed in Shon's vision.
Shon swallowed down the accompanying nausea at the memory and managed a nod, adding a quiet "Thank you, Sir." for good measure.
Feeling the need to scrub even more than before, Shon was grateful when the Major General left, allowing him to enter the still-open room. The shower was only mildly comforting, however. What should have been scalding water felt merely lukewarm now, the mist billowing off his truly icy skin thick enough that he could barely see the spigots. Closing his eyes, he scrubbed and tried to imagine the images flowing off of him with the filth...
Something chirped, and Shon slammed the water off. Just the pipes creaking... How much longer would he have to rest before his mind stopped playing tricks on him? But as he moved for his towel, Shon stopped in shock, his new uniform had been scattered around the benches and floor.
He hadn't heard the door open, but had heard the pipes creaking? But who here would even do something like this? Shon started to search the showers, but as he did, he heard something else—voices in the hall. The Squires were done with their practice. He still didn't want to see them and dressed quickly, rushing from the shower and slamming the door behind him.
Something thumped into the door from the other side. Shon held his breath and turned slowly. It was his imagination. It had to be. He reached for the handle again and, standing behind the swing, opened the shower slowly.
"He's been gone three days... Do you think they sent him away?" Thom's voice sounded from around a corner, and Shon jumped in surprise, pulling the door open fully as if he could hide behind it.
"No way. he's the best Squire we have, so what if he's a Sorcerer." They were talking about him... Shon definitely didn't want to see them yet. He dashed down the opposite way, taking a long way around through the Paladin's barracks and back to his room. Or that's what he'd planned before he remembered the Squires hall would be full of people now taking their break and trying to get into the shower before everyone else. His feet faltered, and he turned away again, to one of the hardly used stairs that would take him down to the rest of the fortress.
Barred from his room, Shon made his way to the place he associated the most with comfort, the chapel. It wasn't empty, three Paladins knelt in prayer near the front, but it didn't matter anymore. He felt a wash of calm as he entered the incense-filled room, the sweet-smelling smoke finally banishing the stench of burning hair from his memory.
Shon took a spot near the back, kneeling to pray as he stared up at the statue of Hengist behind the altar. He was dressed in full plate mail, his arm raised in triumph, holding his mighty sword, Darkspliter.
Shon sighed and felt himself smile for what felt like the first time in a very long time. He could tell Hengist anything and everything, and none of it out loud... But then his smile faded. What would he say...?
I'm sorry. I feel like I've been lying to everyone, to you. I've known there was something different about me, something wrong with me. That's why no one likes to touch me, why everyone pulls away at the feel of my skin, like it's somehow dirty or painful. I should've realized... Should have known...
But I worked so hard... You know that, don't you? And I'm not ready to give up. I'll do whatever it takes, atone anyway I can if you just tell me how. The Major General said something about it being a sign. I want to believe he meant the unlikely convenience of Smith Nangran knowing an Archmage who could make an item so I won't have to get the tattoo. Thank you. I just hope I don't disappoint after getting a second chance...
The bell for dinner sounded. Feeling better, Shon considered going with the Paladins as they left the chapel. Until one of them shivered as they passed. "Winters right around the corner," another muttered.
"We'll need to install the heating orbs soon." the last answered before the door closed... He wasn't hungry anyway.
Please, Hengist. Don't let me hurt anyone else. Kefir was trying to help me, and I answered that kindness with pain. What if the healers hadn't gotten to him in time? Would I have smothered him in ice? Please, I'll give up everything if it means that will never happen again...
But he didn't want to give up anything. He wanted to fight, to reach his highest potential, and lead a life of meaning. He thought of Master Veon-Zih. The Monk had told him that he didn't need to be a Paladin to fight for justice, and he was living proof of that. But...
I don't want to be alone... At first, I thought I just wanted you, a god, as a guiding light in my life. But now I realize that being a Paladin gives me even more than that. It gives me brothers and friends, and I don't want to lose them either. But I especially don't want to hurt them.
Shon clenched his hands tighter, as tight as he could, digging his fingers into the spaces between his knuckles; as if external pain might dull internal strife...
They say I'm scary... And I know they aren't really joking. I can see it in their eyes and hear it in their nervous laughs when they try and make it a joke. But they only mean when they fight me... don't they? And I'll never try to hurt them. It's only sparring... they know that... don't they?
He squeezed his eyes tighter shut,
But what about now? Will they be even more afraid? Even when we aren't sparring? Can I blame them if they are?
He actually found himself waiting for an answer... Of course, none came. He wasn't a Paladin yet, and wouldn't be able to feel the god until he swore his Oath and took a piece of Hengist into himself. For now, Shon took in a deep breath, as deep as he could, then let it out slowly, relaxing his hands and face as he attempted to release his anxieties unto his god.
I won't give up. I'll fight this danger within me as hard as I will fight any threat without. I ask for your help with this. Please don't give up on me yet. I'll prove I'm worthy, I swear.
The bell ending dinner and starting study time sounded. Shon stayed in the chapel until a handful of Squires came in to pray themselves. They hesitated by the door, but Shon didn't look at them. He knew he couldn't hide forever. But he also wasn't sure what he should say to any of them. Or if he should say anything at all. Shon waited until they moved away from the door to finally stand. If he had to face any of them, he wanted it to be the ones he considered friends first.
Shon left the chapel and made his way to the library, fighting the urge to just go back to his room. Heads swiveled in his direction the moment he opened the library door. Shon flinched, sucking in a sharp breath and holding it, pulling his energy in as best he could.
He stepped in, and the Squires exchanged looks, but then the Paladin on library duty coughed, and they quickly went back to reading.
His typical spot was available as usual, so Shon made his way there. The others would want to talk after... and if not, he would just go back to his room. Distracted by his continued worries -and the silent effort to hold his energy in- Shon still heard when something behind him hissed along the stone.
He spun quickly, scanning the floor. This time he definitely wasn't imagining it...
"Squire Shon... Shouldn't you be resting?" He turned back to find the Squires trying to make it seem like they weren't staring at him, while the Paladin who called looked openly concerned.
Shon's cheeks flushed, now feeling cool rather than warm. Another change... He cleared his throat, "No, Sir..." and when the Paladin's worried expression didn't let up, Shon added, "I've been resting all day."
"Three days..." Zihler muttered.
Shon met his eyes and the Squire smiled, but Shon couldn't tell if the expression seemed strained or not. He nodded anyway, taking his seat alone at the table by the window.
Books on their current subject of study were already laid out, and he pulled one forward, opening it without checking the title. As he read, he could hear the others occasionally whisper and even caught snippets of what they were saying,
"I found another one. Do you think this will be enough?" Thom asked.
"We have the rest of the hour; we should find all we can," Rerves answered. It didn't sound like they were studying, but Shon had missed three days of lessons; maybe they were working on an assignment... He went back to his reading. He would get any missed work tomorrow.
When the bell rang that would finally begin their last hour of free time, Shon closed his book. It would be best to just go to bed early; everyone seemed to think he should be resting anyway; they could talk after he got the sealing item... But he hadn't stood yet when his six closest friends jumped up, books in hand, and crowded around him, preventing him from leaving. From running away.
"We're glad you're okay." Rehlien blurted out.
"The Major General told us what happened," Baradin added.
Shon looked from him to Kefir and took in a sharp breath, "I'm..." he started to apologize, but Kefir interrupted with a broad smile,
"I'm fine. I even got a day off for it. I didn't need it though, they healed me up right away."
Rerves placed his book down on Shon's table, "It was just really surprising, you know? But hey! Now we know why you're so cold all the time."
Shon looked down at the massive tome on the table, not wanting to meet their eyes. He didn't know what to make of what they were saying. There was no way it was okay. How could they be alright with a dangerous magic user that could kill them all on accident...
"We found these. We thought they might make you feel a little better," Thom whispered, stacking his book on top of Rerves' and opening it to a page he'd marked with a ripped piece of scrap paper. It wasn't a textbook, it was a record book. Shon furrowed his brows down at the page, reading 'Sir Patrich, served 4876-4929, died 4955. Paladin of Hengist, General. Air Sorcerer...'
Shon looked up to find them all smiling down at him. Zihler set his book down over Thom's, opened to another personal record, "This one was a fire Sorcerer, and they're supposed to be the most destructive."
Rehlien took Baradin and Kefir's books and stacked them with his own beside the open records. He ran his fingers over the slew of bookmarks sticking out of the closed pages, "All Sorcerers and Paladins." Rehlien said.
"Master Daunas said you would be back in a few days, but just in case we wanted to find these for you," Thom explained in a rush, "You know... in case the officers or Mages needed to be convinced..."
Baradin cleared his throat before he spoke, clasping his hands behind his back, "We haven't found any ice Sorcerers yet, but they're also the rarest, so that really shouldn't be surprising."
"Yeah, and there are plenty of fire who are crazy dangerous even when they're trained," Kefir added quickly.
Shon could feel a burning in his eyes and blinked furiously, looking away from his friends. He wouldn't cry.. he wouldn't. "Thank you..." he managed to croak out, finally giving in and rubbing his eyes. None of them commented on his show of emotion, or the frost clouding his window.
Rerves took the seat across from him with a smile, "So, what type of familiar do you think you'll get?"
Shon managed to stop blinking enough to arch an eyebrow. Hadn't Ivelm said something about a familiar too?
"I bet you it'll be something really lame." Zihler laughed, "To balance Shon's badassness."
"Squire!" the Paladin librarian barked, "Pushups! Now!"
Zihler groaned, mumbling as he stepped back to perform the punishment, "How do they always do that?"
"Divine hearing," Rehlien snickered as Zihler started the pushups, "Probably only works for curses, though."
"You can join him," the Paladin called without looking up from his book, and Rehlien groaned, dropping down next to Zihler.
"Seriously though," Rerves said, ignoring the boys huffing and puffing through their punishment, "Familiars are animals, they're supposed to be even closer to their Sorcerer than a Paladin and their mount! Like an extension of yourself. You can see through their eyes and talk to them with your mind. It's awesome!"
Thom actually blushed, confessing, "We read up on it a bit over the last two days..."
They knew more about what he was than he did. Shon actually smiled, starting, "I don't..." but chittering, like a particularly loud squirrel, interrupted him. The Squires all swiveled their heads to look around, Rehlien and Zihler jumping to their feet with the Paladin, who stood so quickly his chair fell over. The chittering turned to chirping, and then to a purr, as Shon finally found what was making the noise.
On top of the bookshelf closest to the door, sat a tiny dragon.
The size of a large barn cat, its scales were mostly brown but had streaks and blotches of red and orange, like the few deciduous trees that still held their leaves in autumn. Its leathery wings were folded against its back and its front claws grasped the edge of the bookshelf. Its long tail, complete with a scorpion-like stinger, flicked back and forth, its sinuous neck held high as it surveyed the library.
Some of the Squires let slip breaths of wonder, and the little dragon seemed to preen at the attention, holding its head a little higher and purring even louder. The Paladin, however, stepped around his desk and commanded, "Stay back, Squires," before he started chanting. The little dragon tilted its head at the Paladin, as curious as the rest of them. A moment later, the knight's spell washed over them to fill the room, sending a shiver down Shon's spine and making more than one of the other Squires shudder.
The little dragon let out another string of chittering and hissed down at the Paladin, whose eyes went wide as he announced in a breath, "It's real."
"How did it get in?" a senior Squire asked. Shon started to stand but then fell back again as images flooded into his mind. He watched a window opening from outside the fortress, and saw himself lean out. Then the image shifted, and he saw himself digging under his bed for a new uniform and towel as the him that was watching slipped out the door. It shifted again, and he saw himself in the shower, mist billowing off his shoulders before he dug through the piles of clothes left on the bench. It shifted again, and he darted into the library and behind the bookshelf, watching as he, Shon, walked in and sat down at the little table.
Shon blinked and shook his head furiously to try and clear it. All the pictures had flooded in so fast that no one even had time to answer the question or pose their own, "I let it in..." Shon whispered, then looked at the Paladin, explaining quickly, "I didn't mean to. I left my window open to air out my room and..."
"It's okay, Squire," the Paladin was actually smiling, and the little dragon whistled, "They're goodly creatures, though elusive. I've never seen a live one." the dragon leaned forward on the bookshelf, crouching down on its front claws and wiggling its hindquarters before it leaped into the air, opening its wings to spread as wide as it was long. It glided a lap around the library then hovered in front of the Paladin, chittering again and flapping hard enough to blow the man's short hair back before flying right towards the group of Squires around Shon.
It brushed Baradin's head with its claws, the boy ducking as it swooped down to land on Shon's table. The dragon looked from the open books to Shon, then, before Shon could pull back, climbed up his arm and to his shoulder, purring hard enough to vibrate Shon too. It weighed considerably less than it looked like it should, though its claws were sharp enough to pierce through his clothes as it climbed. It brought its face right up to Shon's eye, and though he tried to pull away, it followed him with its long neck, rubbing its cheek along his face. The scales were smooth and lacked temperature, like being touched by a gloved hand. It nuzzled his cheek again, then down his neck and into his shirt.
Surprised, Shon tried to throw the dragon off, but it just dug its claws into his sleeves, chittering angrily then clawing its way around to his back before lifting itself up to drape over his head. "What..." Shon started, but the Paladin cut him off with a laugh.
"I think that answers your friends' questions, Squire."
Shon was too confused to even arch an eyebrow at the man, but Rerves apparently understood what he'd meant because he said, "But I thought only animals could be familiars, like cats and crows and stuff..."
The Paladin nodded but then shrugged, "That's usually the case, but sometimes, rarely, there will be a Sorcerer who gets something a bit more special, like a winged serpent, fairy dragon, or in this case," he nodded at Shon, "A pseudodragon."
The pseudodragon purred, vibrating Shon's head. The Squires all gaped slack-jawed in awe at it, and Shon reached up slowly. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do, pet it? Push it off? But before he'd even touched it, it lifted its head, stretching its long neck out and nuzzling into his hand, obviously not caring that his skin was colder now than it had ever been.
"Damn..." Zihler muttered in obvious disappointment, "I was really hoping it would be a toad so I would have something to make fun of..."
The little dragon's answering twitter almost sounded like a laugh.
***
She groaned, rolling over and nuzzling deeper into Her pillow. Except it didn’t smell like Her pillow. Her eyes flew open, and She sat up. Then fell back down. That was stupid. Ran and Brom had probably taken more blood than usual again… except She couldn’t remember them taking Her for samples. Not for weeks and weeks…
“It’s alright, you’re safe here,” the kindly voice of a man spoke from Her right, and She sat up again, more slowly this time. A stranger in white robes with a sword embroidered on the chest reached out to help Her up, but after touching Her back he pulled sharply away.
She was too confused to apologize for burning him. “Where?” She asked, looking around the room. Like the stranger, it was covered in white. White blankets, white rug, and white curtains hanging to either side of an open window. A window that looked out onto a blue sky. She gasped, scrambling from the bed and nearly tripping over Her white gown. Of course it was white. How in all the hells did they keep it all clean?
She shook Her head and rushed for the window. The man behind Her gasped, his chair scraping loudly as he stood to follow. She pressed Her hands on the cold glass, staring up into the sky, “I’m on an upper floor!?” She grinned excitedly over Her shoulder as the stranger stared at Her, mouth hanging open.
Turning back to the window, She used Her arm to wipe the fog from Her heat off the glass, letting Her gaze trail down. She didn’t see the treetops She expected. Not close anyway. Instead, the forest was beyond a wide clear field, which in turn was beyond a tall stone wall with people dressed in silver walking along its top. She stood on Her toes to look down through the window. Between the wall and Her was a courtyard full of more people swinging things that glinted in the sun.
This wasn’t the tower. None of those people wore robes except the nice stranger. She spun to him, “My treasures, where are they? Brom? Ran? Where…” She saw a flash of red, heard a pained bark, and smelled iron. She fell to Her knees, grasping Her chest and breathing hard, remembering bits and pieces. He killed them. He killed all of them. Then what? She couldn’t remember...
“You are in a training facility of the Temple of Hengist, Hamerfoss, in Clearhelm.” a new voice, deeper, less kind though not cruel, spoke from the doorway. Lifting Her head, She saw the new man wearing a crisp, white, uniform, with a sword hanging comfortably from his belt. Hengist… so that explained all the white.
The kind man in robes had rushed to Her but dared not touch Her. Wise. With Her head spinning so fast, there was no way She was controlling Her heat properly. “How long has she been awake?” the new man asked the kind one.
“She just woke up, Major General,”
“He killed them…” She whispered, squeezing Her eyes shut, pushing back the rage and sorrow, trying to fill in Her memory. What happened next?
“It will be alright. You're safe here,” the kind man said again.
She pulled Her own hair, lacing Her fingers into the golden strands and squeezing. What had happened? She had run down the hall, but how had She gotten out of Her room? There were strangers in Her tower. These men? She glared up at the brown-haired man who looked down at Her, his hands behind his back.
“Who are you? What did you do to the Mages?” She could feel the hair rise on the back of Her neck and a familiar tingling where the collar should be.
The Major General remained calm before Her building fury, saying only, “Calm down.” It was a command backed by magic. She felt the power flow over Her and try to settle on Her mind. She could almost sense the peace it promised but shook Her head, clearing it of the spell.
He could've used his magic to hurt Her. Perhaps not with the collar as the Archmages did, but in other ways. And yet, he hadn’t moved from his spot, his hands still behind his back. She looked again at the sword of Hengist at his side. She'd read all about the gods. Hengist was good and noble, all about self-sacrifice and protecting the weak… A fool, the Mages had said. And yet his Temple ruled this province. The Mages of Her tower would never work with the Temple of Hengist. Or any kingdom order…
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She didn’t need his help to calm down, not when She had something to focus on. She shoved Her grief to the back of Her mind. “How did I get here?” another image flashed in Her mind, fire all around, a white path, blue eyes.
The Paladin didn’t answer right away; instead, he motioned for the robed man - a Cleric? - to bring him a chair. She tilted Her head curiously at him, but he only sat down with a weary sigh, then gestured towards the bed, “Please, have a seat.”
She stood, returning to the bed and eyeing the door over his shoulder. He hadn’t locked it. “We saw smoke from the woods and found you in a burning tower.” the blood drained from Her face, “We have recovered several bodies from around the structure, but there were no other survivors.” he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and fixing Her with a piercing stare, “What happened? What was going on in that tower?”
She brought Her feet onto the bed and hugged Her legs tight, “I don’t… I can’t remember…” a fire, the tower burning… But it was made of stone. Her fire couldn’t burn that hot… Could it?
“Sir Selibra,” the kindly Cleric sounded stern, crossing his arms and glaring down at the Paladin, “She has just woken up from what was obviously a terrible ordeal. Show some compassion.”
The Paladin, Selibra, actually looked ashamed, leaning back in his chair and clearing his throat, “I apologize, miss…” he drew out the last word, looking at Her expectantly. She tilted Her head. “What is your name?” he asked more clearly. She tilted Her head the other way. Were they going to play that game here too?
The Cleric hummed then said, “Please forgive him, miss, we are all very troubled by the events and deaths at the tower. The Major General merely got ahead of himself. If you could tell us your name, then we can let you rest and…”
“I don’t have a name.”
The two men blinked dumbly at Her, and She rolled Her eyes, “I knnnooowww,” She let Her legs fall back down, so She was sitting properly again, “But I don’t know it yet. As soon as I do, I'll tell you.” She assured them. The men exchanged looks as She glanced again out the window. Maybe She should've just told them what Brom and Ran called Her… But those weren’t names. They were descriptors. No better than ‘Firewyrm.’
If these Temple men were to be believed, everything was gone. She had no room, no books, no clothes, no treasures, and no name. What did She have? She pulled Her hair over Her shoulder and stared out the window as She stroked it. She had Her hair. They hadn’t cut it in months. She had Her body. She straightened Her posture, holding Her head high. And She had Her power—the fire crackling deep inside Her soul. The Mages had taken the first two. The third had destroyed them.
“You should rest,” Selibra stood, and Her eyes snapped back to him, “You can send for me when you feel ready to talk. Until then, focus on recovering your strength and your memories.”
He made it all the way to the door, even swung it open before She called out, “What are you going to do to me?”
Selibra turned back, his eyebrows raised in surprise. The Cleric placed a hand on Her shoulder, slowly and carefully, gauging how much of Her heat he could handle. She turned to him, and he let Her go. He'd held on longer than expected. “We will keep you safe, child.” the Cleric assured Her.
The Paladin grew stiff for a moment, then brought his right fist up to his chest, “By the sword of Hengist’s honor, we will safeguard your life and freedom,” Freedom? “Whatever injustices you endured there, you will find justice in the laws of Clearhelm.” She didn’t know what to say, and so, after an awkward moment of silence, Selibra turned for the door again and left.
She didn’t lay down. Instead, She walked back to the window. The view seemed to stretch on forever from so high up, higher than She'd ever remembered being before. Even when She used to climb the trees around Her tower.
Selibra hadn’t locked the door, but the Cleric bustled around behind Her, and the wall below Her clanked with armored knights. What was freedom anyway?
--- Table of Contents ---
Thanks for making it this far, you are the real MVP

I don’t know if any of you have noticed, but the last few years have been wild for airline travel. It seems like not even a week can pass before a new viral video is circulating the internet, showcasing some idiot on a plane or airport screaming, shouting, and even starting fights with other passengers and flight staff for no apparent reason.
I’m sure it’s entertaining when you’re sitting at home and come across these videos while casually scrolling through Reddit or Twitter. You might laugh, or shake your head at the stupidity and not give it a second thought. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option when you’re the one on the job.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to call security to deal with a rowdy or straight-up violent customer in the airport over the last couple of years. Most of the time, the things that set people off are surprisingly minor and avoidable issues.
They want to board now but it wasn’t their turn so they start harassing me and my co-workers. Another passenger looked at them funny so they get into a screaming match. A baby is crying so the grown adult starts whining even louder. The person in front of them took the last chocolate donut with sprinkles from the airport bakery so they start throwing punches.
You would not believe the stuff I’ve seen. Needless to say, I got tired of it. Getting up to go to work, wondering what kind of unhinged maniac was going to make a problem for me lost its appeal. So, I started to look for a new job.
A few weeks into the job search, I began to get doubtful that I would find a suitable replacement. Seeing as my only tangible skills and experience were in the airline industry, I didn’t have much more than other airline jobs within realistic reach. Though I didn’t have a problem with relocation, if it meant I was going to end up in another major airport, I had no interest.
During one 3 am job search after my long shift at the airport, running on nothing but the jittery movements from the room-temperature coffee, I found a new job listing. One Pine Airport, a rural airport in the midwest. I sat up and took another sip of coffee. The pictures for the place gave an idea of the size and it looked tiny. Only a couple of runways, a single terminal, and a cute internal design reflective of the forestry that surrounded it. Perfect for me, I thought. I imagined there would not be nearly as many people to deal with.
I scrolled down to the job details and to my relief, it was for the exact same job I had already been doing. The only difference was that it required frequent night shifts. I had done plenty of night shifts before, but doing a few more of them made no difference to me. Surprisingly listed was the pay. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were offering more starting than I was being paid at the airport I had been at for over three years.
Now wide awake, I eagerly uploaded my resume, filled out all of the application questions, and even spent the next hour crafting an unnecessary cover letter. I headed to bed with the hope that my days at overflowing airports might be over. The next day as I was getting ready for work, I opened my phone to scroll through notifications and check emails.
To my disbelief, I had one from the job I had applied for only hours earlier. The manager at the airport, who had posted the job, requested an interview over Zoom. I quickly replied and we settled on a time during my lunch break that very day.
The first few hours of work breezed by and as I boarded flight after flight of passengers, I couldn’t help but think about the upcoming interview. When it came time, I was nervous as hell but my fears were diffused within the first minute. A bald, well-kept, and well-dressed man joined the meeting room and greeted me with a warm smile. He introduced himself as James.
I couldn’t have asked for a more friendly interviewer. He welcomed me and after some small talk and a few questions about my relevant experience, he gave an overview of the job's details, that being the same job I already had with better pay but more frequent night shifts. No problem with me. After affirming that I knew all the details of the job, James cracked another wide, friendly smile and asked an unexpected question.
“When can you start?”
I spit the out sip of coffee I had just taken back into the cup. I looked back up at James and tried to find the right words but I was unprepared.
“You uh… aren’t gonna give me a call back like later or something? Don’t you have more interviews and… and paperwork waiting to clear and, and…?”
James waved his hand dismissively at his webcam.
“You’re the only applicant we have, and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. As for the paperwork and such, we’ll figure that out when we figure it out. The job is yours, whenever you can start, that is. Preferably soon?”
Though the feelings of shock and confusion remained, they were pushed to the side by my excitement. Throughout the remainder of our conversation, James and I reviewed our schedules and set up a start date before ending the call. I sat back in my break room chair with a sigh of disbelief and a chuckle.
I am well aware that it is standard to give at least a two-week notice to your employer and moving across states for a job is supposed to take quite a bit of planning but I was dying to get out of my current job. Through both eagerness and maybe a little stupidity, we settled on a day only a little over a week away.
At the end of my shift that day, I let my manager know I had to be done in a week. Though she wasn’t happy, she assured me it wouldn’t be a problem.
My final day was nothing short of horrendous. A couple had come up, demanding and screaming that I refund their tickets for no apparent reason. On top of that, they still wanted to fly. After hearing that no, they would not be able to fly for zero cost, the husband, followed by the wife, both started shouting threats. Security was quickly called to the terminal.
As soon as they arrived, I checked my watch to find that my shift was over. I let out a sigh of relief and excitedly walked away. As deprived of sleep as I was, with a long and undoubtedly stressful drive ahead of me, I was still more energetic and in higher spirits than I had been in a long time.
Surprisingly, the drive went off without a hitch. I arrived earlier than expected and checked into the motel room I rented for the week so I had time to get the move figured out. After dumping a few boxes of personal items and a suitcase of clothes into the room, I turned off the lights. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I energetically awoke that evening to prepare myself for my first shift. I quickly got dressed and started the drive in hopes of arriving plenty early. Naively, I hadn’t considered how my unfamiliarity with the roads would slow me down, and after a staggering amount of wrong turns, I arrived at the little airport with only minutes to spare.
The airport was even smaller in person than I had imagined it to be from the pictures. I quickly walked through the entrance and was greeted by the small team of security. After notifying them that I was there for work and that James had been waiting for me, they hurried me through without so much as a question. The security, the architecture, the beautiful scenery that surrounded it, nothing about this airport couldn’t have felt more welcoming.
I walked through to find the single terminal inside, devoid of any passengers, with James sitting behind a counter at the end. After a moment he looked up and upon making eye contact with me, his tired face lit up. I was about to apologize for my tardiness but didn’t have the chance as he rushed to show me the employee locker room where he had my new employee uniform and badge waiting inside my very own locker. He told me to get changed and to meet him outside right away.
I did as he asked and within a couple of minutes, I walked out to find him back behind the console at the counter, gathering his belongings. He noticed me approaching and glanced up, thanking me for showing up and starting so soon as he handed me a fresh cup of coffee. He also apologized for not being able to stick around long for my shift but he sounded sure that he wasn’t all that worried.
“I have to be going now, I’ve been on duty for 17 hours. I know you’re plenty familiar with our systems and software, you know what you’re doing.”
He assured me with a pat on the back before walking out from the desk. He turned and added
“It’ll be a quiet night for you anyway. No flights scheduled. Just sit back, relax, and uh... Oh yeah. Most importantly, I nearly forgot”.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a single sheet of laminated paper and held it in front of me.
“Give this a read as soon as you can. Go over it a few times if you need, don’t deviate from it”.
I took it but before I could even get a look, I noticed James begin to walk toward the exit, along with every single one of the security guards and the cashier who had just closed down the only shop in the airport. I then noticed that all of the scanners and metal detectors at the security gate were shut off. I started to panic.
“Hey! James? Where is everyone going?”
I shouted. The first words I had managed to speak to my new boss since arriving. He stopped and turned back again
“Oh yeah. Another thing I ought to have mentioned. Everyone except whoever is working the night shift in, well, your position takes off right around now. Don’t worry, security will be back sometime around 5 am. You’ve got this place to yourself. Grab a magazine from the little store in there if you get bored. Feel free to snag yourself a couple of snacks too”.
He began to walk away again before briefly turning and pointing at me.
“But before you do anything, read that list. You’ll need it”.
I stood, dumbfounded as I watched my new boss along with all of the other airport staff leave. I started to wrap my head around the fact that I had an empty airport to myself for 10 hours, with nothing to do and no one to deal with, all while I was getting paid the highest wage I had ever earned.
As much as thinking about it delighted me, I turned my attention turned toward the sheet of paper I almost forgot I was holding on to. James said to follow whatever list was on it, so I figured I ought to take a look. I walked behind the airport counter and sank into one of the seats behind it. I took a sip of coffee and finally took a serious look.
A total of 6 rules were neatly spaced on the sheet.
Rule 1: All lights in the airport are to stay on at all times. If one is off, or if you are to accidentally turn one off, turn it back on as soon as possible. If a light seems to be broken or is out and unable to turn back on, calmly exit the area. Report the outage to James or maintenance when possible. Do not listen to the sounds. Do not listen to the voices.
Rule 2: Rule 2 pertains to rainy or stormy weather. If it is raining or storming outside, disregard rules 3, 4, and 5. They will not be a concern during these types of weather conditions. Stay inside at all times. Do not use the men’s restroom and avoid going near it entirely if possible.
Rule 3: Sometime between 11 pm and 1 am, a young woman will walk out of the women’s restroom. She will enter the terminal and sit, occasionally getting up to walk around or change seats. Her name is Elizabeth. She will attempt to make conversation but you must not reciprocate. You may look at her, you may give nonverbal communication such as a head nod, you may write as a means of communication, or you may shake her hand but do not speak to her. If you refuse to speak to her, Elizabeth should be gone within a few hours. If you happen to make such a mistake, go to the men’s restroom and wait for her to leave.
Rule 4: At around one or two in the morning, a janitor in blue coveralls will arrive at the front entrance. Crack open the door and ask for his name. If he says his name is Simon, let him in. If he gives you any name other than Simon, shut the door and lock it without another word and walk away. If the janitor is Simon, he will attend to the janitorial needs of the airport. If he asks to clean where you are standing, oblige him. Simon will not interfere with your duties otherwise. He is not hostile or dangerous. You may engage in conversation with Simon. He will leave the same way he came when he feels it is necessary.
Rule 5: At around 3 am, you may notice that a black and red Cessna Skyhawk has landed on one of the airstrips. You will never see it land, and you will never see it take off. It will just appear when you’re not looking. After spotting the plane for the first time, do not look at it again. Avoid looking in its general direction if at all possible. There is a picture of the exact plane displayed inside the terminal, behind the counter.
Rule 6: Later in the night but sometime before dawn, a group of men claiming to be from TSA may arrive at the airport. They will have their own key and let themselves in. Some could be armed. Often, they exhibit panicked behavior. They may search through the airport, sweep room to room, and ask questions. They are permitted to search anywhere in the main airport building that they please, and you may oblige to any questioning but under no circumstances are they permitted to enter the sky bridge. They will not enter without verbal approval and they cannot harm you.
After reading over it a few times, I set the laminated sheet down and leaned back further into my seat before taking a long sip of coffee, wondering what on earth I had just read. I hadn’t taken James to be the imaginative type. Most of all, I hadn’t taken him to be anywhere near the unprofessional type. Though as I thought about it, it was unusual how rushed this all was and how he left in such a hurry, leaving so few details.
I began to wonder if I was being pranked, I considered that maybe this was all some sort of messed up joke or setup. I ruled that out pretty quickly. This was, in fact, a real airport. I had done plenty of research by the time I got here. At least a few real flights were coming in or going out each day. James has been working here for years and I couldn’t think of a reason why he would jeopardize his job or reputation just to get a scare out of me.
After chuckling to myself at the absurdity of my situation, I decided to indulge and see what would happen. Maybe it was a “test” for me as a new employee. Maybe James wanted to see if I could follow orders.
After glancing at the list once more and realizing the impact rule 2 had on the number of things I would have to keep track of, I brought up my phone to check the forecast. Clear skies, not a chance for rain or storms all night. Great, I thought to myself. I had to watch out for these Elizabeth and Simon characters to show up and I suppose “not” be on the lookout for a random plane to appear on the runway.
I stood up and grabbed my coffee, walking to the glass panes. I took another sip from my cup while admiring the lit runways along the airfield. It sure was a pretty nice sight. As I was raising my cup to finish what was left, I began to hear the click of shoes on the floor somewhere behind me.
Startled, I spun around abruptly, dropping my cup and spilling the remainder of the coffee in the process. At the other end of the terminal seating stood a young woman, around her mid-twenties in my estimation. She was holding two large leather suitcases in each hand and had an old-fashioned sense of style with a skirt and heels. Most surprising was her stunning beauty and welcoming smile.
“Oh I’m sorry dear, didn’t mean to scare you”
She expressed with a sincere tone. I opened my mouth, ready to assure her that everything was fine but I stopped myself. I recalled the list. At this point, I was certain that she was here at James’s request, a paid actor determined to make me break the rules. I was more determined not to. Instead, I simply fixed my posture, straightened my uniform, and looked back with a smile.
She walked to the counter where she placed her leather suitcases on the ground before closing the distance between us.
“Looks like we’ve got this fabulous airport all to ourselves. I am Elizabeth”
She said, reaching out her hand. I shook it, but she didn’t seem quite satisfied.
“And your name?”
I continued to smile and lock eye contact. Her grin grew for a moment before she remarked
“You don’t seem to be much of a talkative one”
And with that, she turned and started to walk away. I returned to my seat behind the counter, watching her closely as I did. Elizabeth proceeded to the unattended airport shop and after a couple of minutes of looking over magazine covers and occasionally taking a peek inside, she returned carrying a small stack of reading material. She approached my counter before placing a National Geographic magazine in front of me.
“I figured you might like this one. Enjoy”
She said, winking before settling on a seat in the first row of the terminal, straight across from where I had been sitting.
Remarkably, her intuition was spot on. I may have lived in cities all of my life but I loved nature, despite how little of it I had gotten to see. National Geographic was a favorite of mine, one I had been familiar with and enjoyed on work breaks from time to time. Rarely was I given this long to be able to read. I was almost tempted to break the rule and thank her for her rather thoughtful act, though I didn’t. I stuck to the rule.
The next couple of hours were uneventful. Elizabeth and I read through our magazines, occasionally looking up at each other to exchange glances and smiles. Within that time, she had attempted to get me to talk at least half a dozen more times. I almost gave in when she asked me if I wanted another magazine.
At a little past 1:30, I could hear a knock at the front entrance. Elizabeth and I both looked before she remarked
“Oh, that must be the nice cleaner man”
With a giggle before returning to her magazine. I walked over to the front doors and sure enough, there stood a man around his mid-thirties, sporting a blue janitor suit waiting patiently at the door. I unlocked the door and opened it. As he took a stride to enter, I remembered the most important detail from rule 4. I closed the door halfway and sternly commanded
“Wait”
The man looked up at me with a surprised look. I asked him the question.
“What is your name?”
The man stared back at me as an innocent smile formed on his face.
“I’m Simon!”
He announced excitedly.
“The Janitor here. Did James let you know I was coming tonight?”
I stood there for a moment, thinking over the rule, before nodding my head and opening the door once again to let him in.
Once inside, Simon walked with purpose to the janitor's closet which was positioned near the men’s restroom. I followed him somewhat suspiciously for the next few minutes as he began to clean but I eased up once I got the feeling that he was just the janitor around here and that James made up the whole “ask for his name thing” to make into one of his rules.
I returned to my counter in the terminal and continued to read. Occasionally, Simon would pass by, off to do his duties in some part of the airport or Elizabeth would stand up to look at the various pictures and paintings on display in the terminal. A good half an hour of this would go on before Simon approached the terminal counter with his mop in hand. He seemed to be eyeing up the two leather suitcases Elizabeth had set there.
Assuming he wanted to clean where they were, I got up to move them. I grabbed each one by the handle but failed to lift them off of the ground. Confused, I stepped back to see if they were stuck on something. They were not. Just two suitcases, left right where Elizabeth had set them.
I tried to lift just one. Again, I failed. I tried both hands, putting my back and legs into it with all that I had. It wouldn’t budge.
I looked back up at Simon who nodded his head in Elizabeth’s direction. I turned to look at Elizabeth, who after noticing my stare, and my apparent inability to move her luggage, smiled and stood up.
“Let me get that for you”
She insisted. With ease, she lifted both leather suitcases and moved them closer to her seat before lowering them, this time letting them drop a few inches. When they hit the ground, a boom echoed through the airport and I flinched in surprise. I looked back at Simon, who hadn’t seemed shocked at all. He just continued to mop.
I slowly made my way back to my seat, not taking an eye off Elizabeth for one second as I did. After a few minutes, she looked back up from her magazine, noticed my stare, and returned to her reading with a grin. She seemed to find my shock amusing. Eventually, Simon noticed my surprise as well. He paused his mopping and approached me before raising his head.
“I know, I know. Stick to the rules and everything will be just fine, trust me”
He stated quietly. I nodded my head in response.
Simon went back to his cleaning. A few minutes passed before Elizabeth had something new to say.
“What a remarkable aircraft!”
She exclaimed, looking out the glass panes facing the runways. I followed her gaze to the lone, black, and red airplane positioned on the runway. I turned around, looking at the picture displayed behind me. It certainly looked like a match. I turned back to the window and felt my heart sink. A silhouette of a person now stood next to the plane, facing the airport and the windows of the terminal.
“Stop looking at it”
Simon sternly muttered from behind me. I looked back at Simon who quickly cowered, seemingly ashamed to have raised his voice at me but I was grateful he had. I read over rule 5 again, specifically where it stated to not look at the plane twice. I murmured insults at myself under my breath but they didn’t have much room between my now heavy, frantic breathing. My eyes darted through the other rules. I chose to focus on that sheet of paper. At least it was something other to look at than the plane outside.
This went on for a good ten minutes or so and my breathing started to calm down. I had begun to pray in my head that whoever and whatever that was would go away when Elizabeth suddenly approached my counter. I snapped my head up in a jittery movement to make eye contact with her.
“I’m going to get some more reading material. Want another one of those?”
She asked, reaching a hand out to my National Geographic magazine. I looked up and nodded, forcing a smile. As She moved away, my gaze didn’t, and once again I found myself looking at the plane on the runway, the silhouette now standing hundreds of feet away from the plane, even closer to the building, and still staring in my direction.
Chills ran up my spine as I snapped my gaze back to my desk. I began to shake with fear and the manic breathing returned. Moments later, Elizabeth returned and placed a new magazine on the counter before running a hand over my shoulder, seemingly to comfort me. Simon then put his hand on my back.
“He’ll be gone soon and so will the plane. Just don’t look at it again”
He assured me.
“Mind if I clean here?”
He then asked.
I got up and walked to the end of the counter, watching Simon thoroughly clean the floor before I looked up and let out a soft
“Thank you”
He nodded and smiled back.
“What was that?”
Elizabeth asked. I turned towards her.
“Oh, I was just thanking Simon for-”
My error occurred to me before I could finish speaking. My eyes locked on Elizabeth as she stood up from her seat and her smile faded. Her eyes and nose began to bleed profusely as she started to sob, lightly at first, then hysterically. She let out a bellowing screech, a mix of pain and anger. She picked up one of her suitcases and hurled it at me, I barely dodged the ridiculously heavy object before it crashed into the wall behind me.
Luckily I was quick thinking this time and made a run for the men’s restroom recalling rule 3. She chased after me but I slammed the door shut in her face and locked it. Elizabeth pounded on the door with furious anger a few times but gave up quickly.
“So that’s how you dance, is it love? I can play that game”
She snickered before flipping a light switch outside of the bathroom. The clicking of her shoes faded away. A few minutes of silence passed before laughter started to become audible from the other side of the door.
One voice grew to two, two voices grew to three, three grew to ten. While others continued their now hysterical laughing, some began to scream. I crumbled to the floor, covering my ears as the voices went on, only stopped by another flip of the switch. Light beamed through the bottom of the door.
“It’s over now. She’s gone, and so is the plane. I’ve gotta be getting out of here soon”
Simon’s calm and friendly voice called out. I reluctantly exited the bathroom and followed him back to the counter, where he had prepared another coffee for me.
“Wish I could have done more there but you’ll come to find out that when Elizabeth gets angry, you just gotta let her do her thing”.
I looked up at him, still with my distraught face, at a loss for words. Over the next few minutes, Simon finished cleaning Elizabeth’s blood from the floor before putting everything back into the janitor's closet. He looked down at his watch.
“I better get out of here. Good luck with the rest of your night. I hope I’ll be seeing you soon”.
He said, letting out a sigh as he again looked at me in pity. I think he knew how shaken up I was. It was like he had seen people in my position before. Something told me he doesn’t have a choice on when he leaves. After I watched him exit the door, I returned to my seat behind the counter. I began to feel alone and afraid, but the loneliness wouldn’t last at least.
Only minutes after Simon left, the doors swung open and men in tactical gear, most of which had their faces covered in masks and goggles, rushed through the door. I sprung back up from my seat and watched as they did, with not much else I could do. They swept room to room, checking every nook and cranny at gunpoint, ignoring my existence at first.
As they cleared the entire building, the twenty or so armed men made their way to the terminal seating area. A lone man in a suit, whom I had not noticed enter, made his way to the front of the group.
“I’m with TSA, I’m going to need you to answer some questions for me”
He demanded. I nodded in affirmation.
“How many individuals have you seen in this airport since the security team left the building?”
“Besides myself, 2 Inside, one outside”
I answered confidently.
“Was the individual outside next to a black and red Cessna Skyhawk?”
“Yes”
I again responded confidently. The man in the suit nodded and paused for a moment before making another demand.
“We’re going to need to search the air bridge”.
I glanced back at the sheet of rules on the counter. Making sure I had read it right before. I took a step forward and straightened my uniform.
“No”
I replied. The man in the suit looked irritated.
“If you do not step aside and give us permission to search, I’m afraid I’ll have to detain you”.
Already tired and worn out, I wasn’t going to break the last rule. I decided to give a not-so-smart remark to the man in the suit
“Looking a little well-armed for TSA, wouldn’t you agree?”
He ignored my comment.
“Last chance, step aside”
“No”
Again, irritated by my response, the man in the suit turned to his right and raised his chin to give a signal. Gunshots rang out and I collapsed to the floor. I felt as though my life left my body before it all faded to black.
The next thing I remembered was the feeling of my hand gripping a water bottle. Then came James’s voice.
“I see you made it through the first night intact. Looks like you got to meet Simon. He’s a nice guy, you’ll get to like him. And Elizabeth, she’s…well, she’s something else, isn’t she?”
I opened my eyes and looked up at James.
“Am I dead?”
I asked in a raspy voice. James chuckled in return.
“No! No, you did great. You’re fine. It does, however, look like you might have been a little assertive to our undead TSA special forces wannabes. I would recommend sticking with the less aggressive tone and word choices, maybe I ought to edit that into the rules sheet… In any case, they can’t hurt you but they can still get a jump out of you, as you saw”.
Once again, I was at a loss for words. I slowly made my way back to my feet from the ground and looked at the sunrise over the airfield. James held out an envelope for me. I opened it, revealing a stack of crisp $100 bills.
“A little bonus for your first night. It sure is a lot to go through for the first time but I promise, you get used to it all”.
I turned to James with an angry look and finally spoke up.
“What the hell is wrong with you? What makes you think it’s okay to put someone through this without any warning? I'm done, keep your damn money. I’m gonna go call the cops”.
I started to walk towards the exit when James stepped in front of me.
“Look, I know it isn’t fair for you but it wasn’t fair for me either. It wasn’t fair for any of us. It’s not okay, I know. But what do you expect me to do? Someone needs to be here for the night shift. You wouldn’t believe any of this if I told you ahead of time. You would have thought I was some sort of nutjob and the police will think of you the same if you tell them. I needed you to see it for yourself”
James was starting to get worked up and stoppeto breatheth before continuing.
“This money is yours, no strings attached. You’re free to leave now and never come back, there will be no shame in it”
I also started to calm down but I couldn’t bring myself to look James in the eye yet.
“If you choose to stay, I’ll see you in my office to finish up your paperwork”.
And with that, James walked away. Facing the front of the airport, I watched the first passengers of the day come through the entrance. I just stood there for a few minutes. Whether I was ready for this job or not, I knew right then I sure as hell wasn’t going back to another overcrowded city airport.
I turned and headed for James’s office.

Hi everyone, I want to share my stories, maybe some of you will find it interesting.
It all began ten years ago when I was diagnosed with EBV through a blood test that showed persistently high levels of IgM for several months. Since then, I have experienced anxiety, depression, widespread pain, nerve pain, brain fog, lack of energy and joint pain all over my body. Before receiving the EBV diagnosis, I had consulted more than 20 doctors, 5 IRM scans, 30+ blood tests, no one having any idea why I'm feeling so bad and telling me is all in my head and to go to therapy. :)
Seven years ago, I relocated to Germany, and although I started feeling somewhat better after a few months, my condition remained challenging. Seeking relief from my symptoms, I visited a doctor who diagnosed me with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and conducted numerous tests. Apart from finding high levels of IgG for EBV, nothing else appeared to be wrong. The doctor prescribed a medication called pancreoflat, suggesting that the lack of enzymes might be contributing to my IBS symptoms. Surprisingly, the IBS symptoms improved significantly, and my pain decreased noticeably. However, after a year, I moved to Spain, and that's when my digestive issues worsened, accompanied by intensified body pain and lack of energy. I visited various doctors and underwent intolerance tests, which revealed positive results for lactose, fructose, and sorbitol. I decided to adopt a meat-only diet, which miraculously alleviated all my pain and resolved the IBS symptoms. Additionally, I supplemented with vitamin D, although I don't believe it was the sole cure.
For four years, I experienced a remission period during which I had energy and could eat a wide range of foods. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic, some family member hospitalisation and deaths, brought back my pain, IBS, debilitating brain fog, and depression. I started to buy supplements, paying thousands of euro....nothing worked. I was reading continuously studies and trying different things..nothing worked.
I consulted several doctors, one of whom was highly recommended in Barcelona. He suggested to try medication for MCAS in the gastrointestinal tract, specifically Sodium Cromoglycate (https://www.immedicohospitalario.es/uploads/2018/04/ultimos_anos_13906_20180425034658.pdf), which I have been taking for over a year along with L-glutamine and quercetin. According to his theory, increased intestinal permeability allows various substances to enter the bloodstream, causing antibodies to trigger pain responses. During this time, I also underwent a colonoscopy, which revealed Helicobacter pylori infection that was treated with antibiotics. Additionally, I visited a rheumatologist who conducted a series of blood tests, all of which showed normal results except for elevated levels of EBV IgG and below-normal levels of serum Immunoglobulin M (IgM). The rheumatologist prescribed sulbutiamine 400 mg per day. https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2021/04/15/thiamine-b-1-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-fibromyalgia/
Throughout the year, while taking sodium cromoglycate, sulbutiamine, and L-glutamine, I gradually experienced a reduction in pain, estimated to be around 20-30%. However, the persistent brain fog remained, and the pain in my leg persisted as the most severe symptom. It was then that I stumbled upon a forum where someone mentioned that high doses of thiamine HCL could alleviate brain fog. I began taking 1500 mg of thiamine HCL instead of sulbutiamine, and my brain fog miraculously disappeared. Moreover, the gastroenterologist prescribed prebiotics (https://www.farma-vazquez.com/cenat-granulado-400-g-578357.html) and probiotics (Symbioflor 2) plus I asked him about metformin. In one of the blood tests my insulin resistance was way of the border and I read about this https://www.reddit.com/cfs/comments/pn018g/my_2_years_of_chronic_fatigue_turned_out_to_be/ . He was ok to prescribe me metformin, laughing and saying people are taking it to become young and why not to take it as it helps also the gut.
Over the past three months, I have experienced significant improvements in my overall well-being, regained energy, and noticed a remarkable reduction in pain.
What I take consciously now:

1. THIAMAX 100mg morning and 100 mg afternoon (previously I was taking 1500 mg of Thiamine HCL)
2. LDN 4.2 mg before bed
3. Metformin 400mg morning, 400 afternoon.
4. 20 drops Symbioflor 2 before bed
5. one spoon of Cenat before bed

I believe Sodium Cromoglycate was the main thing in all this healing process and took a while until did its job.
My theory with CFS/Fibromyalgia: might related to immunity, genetics, something which might be related to your gut. Maybe I have another remission, which I hope not.
I learned MCAS is triggered by food, weather, noise, stress, light, mood etc.
​
I hope this information will help some of you. Now I can enjoy the life, the things I love...eat whatever I want except fruits (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5936760/).
TL:DR all goes to mcas and immunity. The worse simptoms like brain fog and nerve pain might go away with thiamine hcl or ttfd. Having a meat diet had the most drastic and good thing I found to eliminate the worst pain. 80% simptoms free in the last 3 months.

Alright so this might be a little chaotic and longer as I'm unable to put my thoughts into words on this, so please bear with me.
For context, I'm a 21M and my gf is soon to be 23F. We were long distance for 3 and a half years, and moved in together after summer. I'm studying at collage at the moment eith ambitions to become software engineeprogrammer, and my gf finished highschool with no collage and works from home but it's not the best paid one and is only temporary, with no exact plans or ambitions for the future. Also i should mention we are both the first partner for each other with no prior experience with dating and anything involved, as we started dating on highschool and met online.
We had a fair share of problems throughout the years, as every relationship has, but we sorted through most of them without some bigger problems. She never was really skinny, more on the bigger side but I've never really minded it before, and i am tall skinny guy, the basic type. We never broke up, so it's not on-off relationship or anything like that. However recently i started to get some thoughts I'm not sure i like. I started to find problems that I didn't realize were there before, that I'm starting to mind a tad too much.
First off it's her appearance, she's not ugly but she's overweight now, and i think it's starting to affect me and we both notice it. I get horny without problems, can jerk off without problems, but I don't feel like having sex or getting intimate with her. She says it's okay, but i know she notices and misses it and needs it as well. I also started to notice other women more, subconsciously without even realizing it at first. I've pointed this out to her subtly and gently many times before, but before it was due to my concern about her health mostly, without much success. I lent her money to get threadmill and other equipment, each time stopped working out on it and sold it after a while, tried encouraging eating healthier without much success too. Says she wants to change and lose weight too, but she just might not be able to psychologically, i don't know, but I don't want to force her too hard obviously as it's her choice.
Next there's problem of her not having much ambition in life. She finished highschool without any intention of going to college, and works not the best job, without much effort to find something better. She doesn't have goals or anything, and that's okay i understand it and respect it, but it started to bug me a little. I think i would like someone more equal to me, to inspire each other and push each other forward. Also not many hobbies or things she likes to do, i don't have many hobbies myself, but she has even less than i do.
Next it's her overall health. She gets sick and nauseous often, sometimes even faints, she gets scared easily and then makes a big thing even from a small pain in arm or leg, which makes it even worse and so on and on. I get it it's not her fault and I'm trying to be there for her, to make her feel safe and all, but it's getting to a point where she's unable to stay alone in a flat when i have to leave to visit my parents or anything and she rather goes to visit her mom too than staying alone a night or two on her own. I'm trying to understand it and respect it, but it's a little bit too attached than i would like, she's an adult and should be able to handle few nights on her own i think.
With health there comes also the future plans. The more i try to think about having family with her in the future or anything like that, the more i think it's not the best idea. By instinct i want the mother of my kids to be as healthy as possible, to deliver healthy baby if we ever decide to have one, but also to be able to get through the pregnancy without complications on her health that could endanger her or anything. It's further in the future but it's starting to bug me too.. with that there comes the question of marriage, as i want kids one day for sure, marriage becomes questionable as well.
My question is, how the hell am I supposed to make heads and tails out of all this? I still love her and have feelings for her, i don't want to hurt her as she's really dependant on me, and i don't know if i want to break up. Renting a place together makes it even more hard, since even if we break up, we would have to solve moving out, and as we moved quite far from our homes, it wouldn't be easiest to move back and since she doesn't make much monthly she would not be able to rent on her own. She also doesn't have many friends here as she works from home, so that's not an option too. And overall i don't even know if i want to go that way, i don't want to throw 4 years of working together on building something, our relationship just to throw it away and start again..
If you need any additional info ask and I'll edit, i can't think of anything else to add and it's getting a tad long too. Thanks everyone who got through it all, i appreciate it.

So I am not new at all to tattoos.. I have a full arm sleeve & patchwork on the other. I’ve had large pieces done all at one, no visible swelling or pain after & my knee done, with no issues… BUT THIS LEG!!! Omg! It HURTS!!!! I did just get it done Friday morning by a new artist at a different shop. It’s on the side of my calf & twists to the top of my ankle. That day it felt fine, a little tender but nothing concerning. I had some pain on & off during my 8hr shift last night (24hrs after my tattoo), but when I got in the shower when I got home, I noticed I have no ankle 😭 & the intense pins/needles pain when I walk or that just randomly hits, is for the birds!!! I elevated the foot of my bed while I slept & did cold compress & ibuprofen. Pain was worse today. Swelling creeping down my foot.
So basically… just tell me this is normal 😩🥹 I’m a nurse, so I’m not a complete idiot but I also don’t claim to be one of the know-it-alls. It’s not red; but warm, swollen and obvi painful. The tattoo itself looks fine, nothing concerning with it. I’m on the verge of calling out tonight cause of the pain ☹️ but I don’t wanna be a little b*tch 😅
TIA for any advice and your kindness 🖤

Season 1 had Sabotage missions, season 2 had the rival modifier, season 3 had the rockpox modifier, but season 4 has no guarentee to experience the new content as far as I can tell outside of deep dives that include it. I'm not here to talk about if the content is enough or not but regardless this is my biggest issue, while statistically impossible you could hypothetically play dozens of games without a single new thing to experience and I believe that this is a flaw in the way GSG planned the update.
My personal best solution to this without the devs focusing a significant amount of resources on creating genuine content? Give us the perk overhaul that we've been waiting for for years.
I know that it wouldn't be easy to just imagine the perfect balancing for perks and call it a day as they'd have to think of so many possibel interactions between weapons, overclocks, enemies, ect. To make sure that nothing overpowered slips through the cracks, but this would demand little development resources and more just thought than anything else. I don't want to start throwing ideas out for random perks as I know there's hundreds if not thousands of better people for that job out there, I've only got just under 500 hours and I religiously main engine so I'm definitely not fit for balancing other classes. The only idea that I think would really make the perk system more unique and interactive than anything is the addition of class perks.
My idea would be 2 passive, 1 active, 1 class, but that's just my idea. It would be a good alternative to the idea for overclocks for utility items and allow people to use it to slightly change their playstyle. The thing that would differentiate this from being just another upgrade for that item is that you could only have one perk across all of your items so you'd have to choose between something like either trampoline platforms or turrets that can inflict debuffs.
Finally, make it so that there's a rare chance that a charge sucker can spawn on a mini mule in a salvage operation mission. I want to walk up to a mini mule and watch it frantically try to run away from me and ping it and hear my dwarf say "Hey, come back here with our mule!". Make it so there's 2 charge suckers either significantly reduced health so you can't just instantly kill it from far away and make it so you can shoot off a leg yourself, either due to carelessness or to ground the mule if you can't keep up with it. Even if my idea for reworking the perk system is complete garbage the mini mule is the best idea my braincell has ever conceived. I don't care if it happens 10 seasons from now but it has to.

I have nice legs, would it be a shame to cover them up or will the higher socks be sexy?
The outfit is: navy short shorts & a black mesh/fishnet short sleeve football style jersey (basically this outfit https://www.bikeathletic.com/products/short-sleeve-practice-jersey-black?pr\_prod\_strat=copurchase&pr\_rec\_id=742d4ed0d&pr\_rec\_pid=7671571742979&pr\_ref\_pid=7671574528259&pr\_seq=uniform)
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