Nearest beauty supply

Part 1
"When we Firmas were pushed north into the Pyrimian mountain valley after the death of their chain of command, they settled down and instead of focusing on expansion focused on necessities like food. With co-operation from the first goblins and other creative minds that joined the First Wave of the migration, they managed to grow food over the summer in first-iteration greenhouses. "My parents were part of the first wave. They were old for a couple, but joined the Firma clan in founding a government and keeping the area safe, as well as spreading word. The dragonic gods didn't like their behavior at all; cities burning is more entertainment for them, so they were the first to be Forsaken in this era, publicly, in the main square of the old Dragonic Capital. "However, that backfired, with more and more dragons tired of running around and fighting all the time, they decided to settle down in a place where nobody would bother them; now that they had this place given to them, and the Second Wave started. Basically the entirety of the dragonic clans and several other species amassed in this wave, and the Sapient Unification Government held. "My parents had an egg in one of the more northern caves, right on the coast. Then, the third wave arrived and everything went downhill from there. "The Unification Wars were fought between those who wanted one government to cover this region, and those who wanted governments segregated by species. This would have been fine if the secessionists didn't step in on people's behalves, without their consent; it took fifteen years of war for the war to end. Millions died and some species like the Snow Fox beastpeople almost went extinct. My parent were part of the death wave. "The war evolved so rapidly it was impossible for a commander to last more than two months. It started with sticks and stones and within a month there were arrow volleys. A year saw guns, two tanks, three battleships, four planes. Bombs, bigger bullets, bigger guns, bigger bombs. "In the last few months of the war, the first nuclear devices were used, creating miniature stars on the land with immense destructive potential unleashed. It ended with mutually assured destruction protocols being activated, and when all was said and done the land was a snow-fallen irradiated dustball. "It took years for the survivors to pick up the remnants of our short-lived civilization and restart it into the Terra Firma Sapience Union. All the time, my egg didn't hatch because I had no incubator, but didn't die thanks to my ice type. It was located close enough to a mana vein where I just... absorbed the entire vein. When the cave was found by explorers following maps for my parents den, all they found was my egg glowing brighter than Sunstones. "I was taken to an incubation facility in Cellyia, one of the bigger cities. There I hatched, and after more than one test I grew. My growth was still... affected by the time without an incubator, so my already slow growth stopped after fifty years instead of continuing to infinity. And then I took some magic courses, did my best to drain my mana reserves, and settled down here, well away from... the bustle of Cellyia. It never quite felt like a home, you know. It was a good place to grow up, don't get me wrong, but I like it here better. Remote, and in the same place my parents met for the first time. As much as I can tell, anyway; a number of records were destroyed in the Unification War. "When your heroes continued to come up here, I would be the one on first guard. Damming a river, I used water magic to break it. Trying to destroy some transit infrastructure, I would be the first one to either fake it, finish it off, or lure them away. When your latest one decided to head for Cellyia, it was out of my range for such activities. I shadowed the party on the way and let others take care of it. "I never thought that your 'heroes' would be heartless enough to burn what they were told and even acknowledged as a hospital with patients inside. A library and museum with most of our pre-unification works inside. An orphanage, a school... an entire neighborhood of ten thousand citizens' homes. What for? To try to kill just one of us. "We... couldn't take that kind of behavior. Cellyia might have not been the best place for someone with my personality to grow up, especially without parental figures, but that orphanage still had some good memories. An all-citizens vote was called, an all-citizens vote was passed, and we started a counter-offensive military campaign into your Civilization Nations. We've been waiting for you elves, leaders of the Civilized Nations, to advance your society; it's been seven hundred years, all the most you've done is grow your population and add an extra floor to your townhomes. "So we're going to do it for you. You ran our patience down, so we're going to change your society for you. Is it a repeat of the Unification War? I don't think so, given that you Civilized Nations never rescinded the declaration of war against us 'monsters' over two thousand years ago; one that you still follow through on to this day. "But that isn't the end of my story. "When the gods forsook us, they tried to pry away our magic, our land, and our lives. So we defended. Space radars monitor their movements on the mortal plane. There's so many more technical details I can go into. All I can tell you is, at one point, the old god of Dragonic Princess-kidnapping; yes, they were a god; they came and asked us to restart worshiping them. "That went over as well as you'd expect, and the next thing that happened... was that I absorbed her mana and powers. Technically, I am an undefined god, and... at this point, I'm afraid to get a definition. "What if it's something I don't like? Something evil, immoral... something my parents, the leaders of the Second Wave, wouldn't be proud of? What if... what if it kills me? Everyone hates me? I'd no longer be free... "So my solution was to hide. Here, in a mountain cave in the middle of nowhere. This is my life, all of it... and I don't know where to go from here." ----- "So... you're a god?" I asked. I couldn't think of another question to ask. "Yes and no." The cat replied. It did nothing to satisfy my fearful curiosity. How could one both be and not be a god? "Princess-kidnapping was a... niche god, rarely prayed to by still enough to be, you know, and actual deity. So her mana ran out first, and most of it dissipated back into the environment yada yada yada, but like the sponge my mana reserves are, I sucked more of it up than I should have; enough to had just a slight touch of divine control. On par with a low-level demigod. If I was omnipresent, I'd solve me problems with a snap of my claws, and then I wouldn't be hiding from my problems here." "If your powers came from a god, how are yours undefined?" My mind was seeking knowledge now. I was a mage, after all, and this was more than just the opportunity of a lifetime; it was the opportunity of a aeon. "Because I absorbed her essence from the environment before it had the chance to fully dissipate, but still late enough where it was no longer hers." Vixie shrugged "Or something like that, mana gets weird sometimes. All that matters now is my stockpile is slowly increasing its grow rate, which gets annoying pretty fast." "Annoying?" The cat laughed again. "Do you think this is all of my baseline reserve? Half of the reason I stay away from the rest of society is because the last time someone with multiple aura got involved with politics..." She trailed off, and then let another, this time impeccably cast illusion fall. The air around her was burnt crisp with the power of several mandatory auras in her current small size. Twelve tails flicked behind her back, eleven of them made of energy. Floating specs of light, some smaller while others the size of ice crystals surrounded the air around her. The six orbs on her back were joined by six more, and were attached to a ring. Her head had two halos, and her entire body was engraved with glowing lines. If she before radiated power, now she was made of it. The lights on the cave's ceiling flickered as more and more of the illusion fell away. Geometric shapes orbiting her body, a platform made of mana at her feet, lightning whizzing between all sorts of objects. Finally, it was gone, and the cat that stared at me with big, sad, glowing blue eyes had told me her deepest secret. As soon as it had started, the illusion repaired itself, and before me was one cat, a halo, six orbs, two crystals, and two mana tails. I did the second most instinctive thing when it came to seeing a cat. I pulled her in for a hug. There was a quickly quieted hiss as she squirmed a bit in my grip, trying to get more comfortable, before letting herself get stroked by me. Several images flashed before my eyes, and a tear came out of mine. We had gone to war against the less lucky sapients on our world, and were now paying the price. It felt like hours, but then my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten in literal days. Vixie shot out of my grip and led the way down into the cave. I followed, and soon enough I was eating some salted crackers with dried meat and cheese while Vixie moved around between other caves. "What are you doing?" I asked her between bites. "Packing," She replied. "Why?" "It's time I got out of here and, to follow the phrase, touched some grass." ----- It took three days for the elf, whose name was Nick, to recover enough to be able to make the journey to Cellyia. In those three days, I realized just how - and why - the Civilized Races looked at us the way they did. For starters, I'd forgotten just how many things ran on electricity, let alone other, more complicated mechanics. Pressurized water, instant hot water, even sinks, showers, and toilets were all completely unknown to the 'civilized races.' Ah, yes. Civilized without toilet paper. Bitter ramblings about the people who set off the chain reaction of events that killed my family aside, those were the second longest three days of my life; the first was my thirteenth birthday so I could get a personal HUD and social media. I was also a mess of thoughts. The elf had shown me, over the course of the three days - aside from the two-minute get-my-life-together moment - that I couldn't hide from my problems forever, or they would team up and try to hunt me. Hence my new, reluctant guest from the overflowing hospital they had oh-so-nicely delivered to my door. I had words for the medical staff. And I was also a mess of thoughts. Did I mention that one already. In all seriousness, Nick adapted to electronics pretty well. All I had to do was explain what it was, what it did, and file it under the name of science. It took an impressive four minutes of rambling about quantum mechanics before Vick realized that he was in way over his head asking how the 'magic rock that can half-think with bottled lightning' worked. He backed out when I yanked a textbook from my knowledge hoard and flipped through the pages to the start to explain how quantum superposition affected the set of particles it was entangled to. Fun. Finding out what toothbrushes were took some convincing, but soon the elf's teeth started to recover from lack of proper dental care. Food was easier than I expected, and Vick was pretty accepting of whatever I tossed on his plate. Except for artichokes, for some reason he hated those. Over the three days we bonded, and Nick got pretty used to life in my home. On the second day I moved him to the guest bedroom I had built but never maintained, but one wave of my paw and a splurge of magic later that was solved. "Why don't you use magic more often?" Nick asked. I explained that was much as I wanted to burn my reserves like they were a forest before a forest fire, the mental strain was tough without learning proper casting, which requires one to drain their reserves to practice wielding physical willpower. That meant that I was caught in an infinite loop of negativity, so I could only get away with a couple spells a day before the mental exhaustion metaphorically turned my brain to mush. On the morning of the fourth day, we left. Honestly, Nick could have left on the first day but I wanted him to be able to have the stamina to walk around for hours on end with me in Cellyia. Either way, as long as he kept by me it would be fine. There was a small population of elves, humans, and dwarves who had come up to the TFSU for one reason or another and never left, which meant that he wouldn't be too far out of place. My plan, instead of just flying into the Cellyia while steering clear of the airport, was to make it to the closest town, Lymian, and take a train from there north to Union Station. It would dump us a bit further downtown than I liked, but Cellyia was built in levels, and I could take the footpath level to wherever I needed. All said and done and one passenger seat clipped to my saddlebag harness on my dragon form, I opened the door to my cave. And was promptly blocked by a wall of snow. "Right," I half-grumbled. I enjoyed tunneling through snow, but spray would make the entrance cave wet and that wouldn't dry for another couple days, and until it did the sound of drips would echo throughout my home like nothing else. Either way, checking one last time that Nick was secure, I prepared my wings and powered forward. The snow and ice parted for me, and then melted and fixed itself back together behind me as I power-swam through the snow the same way I would through water. After ten seconds of this, I burst up from the snow-covered mountain the snowstorm had left behind and started to change my heading for Lymian. It would take thirty minutes of flying to get there, as I was flying lower and slower than usual to take care of my passenger, but we soon enough turned the next mountain and saw the town. The elf gasped as he took in the sights, while I kept my eye out for more activity. It had been fortified as a military base due to the war, but not by much; the town was useless from a defensive standpoint anyway. I spotted the next train arriving from its winding track around the next mountain, which also meant that I was a bit early. The citizens of Lymian were used to my presence, as I usually stopped by to pick up supplies and occasionally a bit of correspondence. So when I landed on top of a several story tall snow pile, nobody cared. I let Nick out, and then transformed into my cat form and slid down the snow pile to start to jogging towards the train station. That's when I remembered that unlike me, elves without snowshoes do not float on snow. Oops. ----- The sights were more than pretty, more than beautiful... If the gods had rejected these people, they might have just as well done it out of jealousy. After I'd been dropped off on top of a snow mound, I immediately flattened myself on my stomach to not fall through. I'd been in more than enough snowstorms and snow mounds to know how it would go if I didn't. The cat climbed the hill below me, reappearing as naturally as the snow fell. "Sorry," Vixie apologized. "Here, let me..." I felt the snow melt around me and we descended down to the ground. Vixie glowed brightly, literally; Even using as little magic as reshaping some snow was threatening to cascade out of her form. We moved to the train station without incident, where the massive 'train cars' were loaded full of passengers and cargo and then taken off towards the big city. Apparently this was the same one the hero burned, but the 'rebuilding and recovery efforts we going well; no critical infrastructure had been severely damaged.' Either way, the ride there was uneventful. Stepping out into Union Station was different. It was like I had entered a busy capital marketplace or square, with everyone rushing in another direction to another place. I trailed after Vixie, where even the oddity of an elf in these mountains was outshone by just how many different races there were; beastkin and kobolds and orcs and undead all filled the streets in, well, peace. "The city is built in layers," Vixie explained. "So while yes, residential and office towers here in the capital were set alight, underground public transit, personal transit, and cargo and fluid transit was all untouched, so we were able to circle around the hero and put out the fires to be replaced with smoke generators, and a couple holograms snatched from a nearby cargo transport." I had no idea what any of that meant, only that the city also had extensive underground bits. The towers soared over everything, and lights covered every spare centimeter of the city. Vixie led me down market stalls, across plazas, through parks and through building lobbies. Eventually, the babble increased, something I didn't think was possible. "Welcome to the commercial district," Vixie said after she had pulled me into a corner away from the masses of people and crowds moving around. "We're right near the harbor, and when we get there I'm going to show you the lighthouse and explain the city a bit better." I almost lost track of Vixie as we continued to move through the throngs of people going about their daily lives. I saw a couple boarded up shops, but most of them were either undamaged or didn't care about the scorch marks on their shops. Jewelry boutiques and grocery stores lived in tandem with furniture stores and a massive slab of too-smooth-to-be-natural stone of a rock type I had never seen before. It was covered in signs depicting some kind of diagram. Right around the corner was the waterfront, with a massive promenade running alongside it. Snow-covered trees lined the walkways, and soon enough Vixie and I came out of the crowd near a large, tall abandoned - though no unmaintained - building. "Right then," Vixie explained and started climbing. "Here's the old lighthouse, it's perfect for seeing the city. They never officially decommissioned it, so it's still legal to climb and properly maintained, but they never use it either." "What was the large thing they were building?" I asked, clambering onto the next ladder. "That? Oh, that was the space elevator." Vixie replied. "The ground part has been completed for three years now, we're just waiting for the rest of the nanotubes to make it into orbit and then run a kevlar cord up, follow it down with the space-grade heavy-duty nanotube cord, and then that's that." "Space?..." I was confused. "When the gods said that they were higher than mortals, you took that both figuratively and literally; they live above you and in a higher dimension. In this case, space is where they live in terms of height, but not number of dimensions. We're working on interdimensional travel, and interuniversal too, but those aren't replicatable on any sort of large scale yet." Vixie shrugged. "Either way, it's not like I care." "But you have it?" I pressed. "Dimensional travel." "Yes." She replied. "Well," I let out a short laughed. "The Civilized Nations are screwed over." "That's putting it lightly," She climbed on top of the last platform and showed me the city against the setting sun, lit up brighter than the night sky and more lively than the earth. It was beautiful. I sat there and watched the city glow with a power not even the gods had, side by side with not a dragon or monster, but a friend. END. A/N: Rushed this last bit of the arc, but school is ramping up at the end of the year so it was either fast story or incomplete story, and I chose fast story. Happy pride month, everyone, and I hope to see more of you when I have more time.
Original Prompt: [WP] For as long as all the races have known, Dragons have been seen as violent, destructive creatures. After an attack on your village, you black out and find yourself in the den of a dragon. It's rather annoyed that that is how they're seen, and wants to prove that isn't the case.
u/Lycan_Jedi thank you for the prompt!
Part 1

Part 2
If you travel far enough North on the map, well above where the Civilized Nations stop because no crops grow, you'll find a mountain range. Crossing this range leads to the Monster Kingdom, though for some reason they prefer the name 'TFSU.' Yes, they prefer. The literal forces of anarchy and chaos in the universe have a government. However, ignoring that whole thing, the Monster Kingdom is fine. No armies march on them, mostly because of supply and logistical issues. The Monsters never say how they grow their own food, but given that they don't trade and millions of kobolds worth of food don't go missing every day, it's safe to say they make their own. Now, that doesn't stop the Civilized Nations to send one hero a decade to 'keep them in check.' Four decades ago, the hero closed off a mountain pass, which was supposed to cause a massive flood. Four days later, it was cleared, and the only thing to show for it were the cities that glow like the sun at night. However, yesterday, the Hero returned having burnt one of the bigger cities down. It was empty of all monsters, but the act was the first real damage they had taken in seven hundred years, since their founding. For seven hundred years, the TFSU have taken the beating of seventy heroes and simply moved on. But now. Now, millions of kobolds make up heavy 'machinery' units that march in armored, self-moving caridges that spit fire and metal. Thousands of beastpeople make up scouting and light infantry ranks. The TFSU use hellish 'guns' that hit harder than a catapult from kilometers away, all in a single 'bullet' not the size of a human's thumb. Metal birds and dragonflies join dragons as they assault cities. We poke the very literal sleeping dragon in the eye. Yet the armies don't do much. They march for our capitals and leaders, but on the way our civilians live. Surendees live. People go about their daily lives without too much change. Of course, that fact didn't stop the front line from finally crashing over my small village, located so close to the pass for a while we thought they the monsters had bypassed us entirely. The Civilized Nations had decided to send an entire legion to prevent the Monsters from getting across a nearby canyon pass. We were hit with an air-based assault with only dragons and metal dragonflies, our balista uselessly demolished by pillars of metal and flame thrown out of the metal dragonflies. I blacked out when the legion managed to shoot enough arrows to take down one of the dragonflies. I remember it crashing down onto my house... and then nothing.
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The elf stirred as they woke up. I'd been raised in the Terra Firma Sapience Union, so I was... less than familiar with the clothing and lifestyle the Southerners used. The elf groaned again, before their eyes shot open and they looked around, quickly settling on my frame. "A-Are you going to kill me now?" They asked, their voice shaken with fear. I let out a laugh. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead." I decided to transmorph into my secondary form - a cat - to help the conversation go better. In a land where humans lived to forty, elves only lived to a hundred, and that meant that even I was older than this elf, and they were no older than thirty. The elf, to their credit, quickly figured out I wasn't pulling any mindgames. I'd heard tales from my relatives before the Kobolds founded the TFSU. People, especially when panicked, usual acted with more than enough stupidity to make the situation worse. "Where am I?" The elf asked. Their tone told me that they were still suspicious, but it wasn't outright denial of the situation. "My home," I answered bluntly. "Your village tried to fight our ground forces when they moved in, so most of them are currently under house arrest." Still in my cat form, I created a portal into my storage cavern and reached my arm through, while summoning a lab coat around my shoulders and glasses. It was a trick I had only learned to do recently. "Let's see..." I found the clipboard and brought it out, flipping to the elft's page and taping the pen against the paper. "You suffered a collapsed lung, severe burns on the right side of your body, three broken ribs and two fractured ones, shattered three wrist bones, three breaks in your right upper arm and another two in your lower arm, and on the left side you have another fractured rib and three broken fingers. Your left leg was shattered and your left foot was completely torn up. Healing magic stabilized you and surgery did the rest. You've been comatose for the past three days, and was brought to my home yesterday due to a surge in hospital patients from the seige of Trembolorne. "In terms of organ damage, that was also severe. A busted kidney, I already mentioned a collapsed lung, and your entire digestive system was... well, pulverized would be putting it lightly. Also, unrelated to the incident with the helicopter, you had cancer in your liver and kidney. "In terms of medical treatment, you've been given an IV line for the past couple days and several painkillers, and you underwent four separate surgeries. We reconstructed your organs, welded your bones to metal plates, and used a genetic printer to replace your skin. You're lucky to have gotten time with the genetic printer in the first place, you know; those things are expensive, and I mean expensive to run. Though it's all billed on the government anyway, but that just means that they'll only run it if they have to." The elf sat up in bed looking at me as I just stood on two paws on the cave floor. "Right, sorry, you wouldn't understand most of that." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head with my right paw. "Um... put this way, you were crushed by debris and we basically reconstructed your body before you died. So not necromancy, though you did get close to needing more advanced magical treatment." "Oh," The elf replied. The cat thing seemed to have helped, because they were no longer stuttering with their single word response. "Um... do you want anything to drink?" I tried to kickstart a conversation. "Where am I?" The elf asked again. I was silent for a second. "My home? It's right on the edge of TFSU territory, one of the southernmost places you can be while still being with the recognized borders. I chose this place because I like to fly out in the summer over the flowers in the forest at the foot of the mountains. Your village is a couple hour dragon-flight time away." "Mmmhm." The elf commented halfheartedly. "OK, um... who are you?" "My dragonic name isn't something most can pronounce, so my public name is just Vixie Remminie." I answered. "What's yours?"
The elf's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to know my name." I blinked. "Because... It's a name? I'm not a Fey, you know, it's not like I can tie ancient demons to your soul and call it a prank or something ridiculous like that. Besides, you asked for mine; now I get to ask for yours." "And who says you won't just burn my village to the ground and eat me right now!?!" The elf suddenly burst out. "You monsters ruin everything! You trespass on our land, take our resources, and kill our people! All we did was try to defend ourselv-" I cut him off, and poured just a bit of attention in giving myself an aura. Blue fire licked the bottom of my vision as I rebuttaled his point. "Don't forget, you stole the land from us. We were the ones living in the wild when you razed our forests and grew crops. We couldn't even purchase land to live on! So yes, we stole what we could to survive and those who didn't starved and died! And when all was said and done, you tried to kill us and turned it into a war, one where we had no choice but to kill you back. And when we found someplace to run, a spot to hide and do our own thing with our own land? You blistering idiots sent you 'courageous heroes' to try and kill us! What for? Nothing! Just your stupid, moronic fear making, forcing you to decide to 'kill the big thing over there!' We can't even have freaking farmland, we have to grow it all in hydroponic farms and harvest thousand-year-old vines out of caves because this is all we have!" I realized that my aura was burning fully and scorching the ground around me. I let out a long sigh, and it died down. Several memories flashed through my head, but I pushed them away. "Apologies, my parents are still a... sensitive topic for me. It would be best if we just stayed away from talking about the war until the hospital has room for more patients again." "Yeah?" The elf was still enraged. Even sitting down, they were still trying to construct an argument. "You parents who killed how many? Your family killed how many more? You dragons, you monsters are nothing more than one large grouping of murders that deserve to die! As the gods will!" The elf was spitting in rage, but I recognized his determination to hold onto his worldview. It was the one thing I needed to pry away before it got out of hand. "And you elves killed how many more?" I asked in a low voice. "Can you tell me the number of kobold dens exterminated in caves, the number of beastpeople sent to an early grave in slave camps? Because I can tell you ours. My father's was two, my mother's four, and my extended family including deceased relatives is one hundred and thirty seven. "You declared war against monsters, you child of an elf," I growled. "And death the reality of war. We know. The Unification Wars weren't fought with swords and honor. They were fought with artillery barrages and death. They were fought with miniature suns and political backstabbing, with tanks and guns and submarines and warships and all the more death. "You say the gods don't like us! That's put lightly. They forsook us! Abandoned us in our hour of need. So we learned to live without them. There are no gods we pray to anymore, elfling. Only each other, our creations, and the universe itself. They don't want us, we don't need them. It's more than they deserve." My aura was once again charring the floor and I had transformed back into my dragon form, but this time I refused to cool it down. "You call us creations of death, the primal forces of anarchy? We are you. You are us. We are sapient, we are all mortals, no matter our advantages. We are bound to this dimensional plane, forced to serve our betters, and live out our lives not with earnest but with trepredition for when it ends. We are all death incarnate, because we can all die. That is just the way it is. Besides, you've wondered about my kill count; tell me, can you tell me the gods'? Can you tell me how many souls they have cut from fate for their own entertainment? No? I can tell you." I growled, moving closer until the blue flames enveloping my body threatened to light the elf's cot on fire. "More people than are alive on this planet right now." I pulled back, bottling up my aura and reverting to my cat form. "We can talk all we want about death and destruction, and I won't lie and say you aren't victims of the war; pre-unification dragons we're exactly kind and merciful to those with treasure hoards. But perhaps, I implore you to consider that maybe we both are victims of the war, and maybe we can one day work together instead of fighting each other. "Maybe, one day, we can fight for our rights against the gods." I moved into my dragon form and darted deeper into my cave, moving so fast I could hear the howl of the wind against my ears. Only when I had reached my memorial wall for my parents did I stop and take a breath and think over my conversation with the elf. We had a long way to go, but I hoped I had put a little bit of sense into him. I hoped that the world could change.
-----
When the dragon cat thing sped away, I took a moment to survey my surroundings. Only now did the effects of my first question hit my formerly-groggy head. "My home." He said. Dragons live in caves. Oooooh. I'm screwed. However, there were no treasure hoards visible from my perspective; then again, while the Monsters were stupid, they still had brains to them, and carrying me into a treasure room would probably be something they'd be able to tell was a bad idea. Pops said never underestimate you foe, A voice in the back of my head said, and the dragon even launched in a full conversation with you. You're selling the dragon very, very shor- Shut up I growled internally to the treacherous voice in my head. The cave itself was... a cave. There was a metal slab on one end, it went deeper in the other, and that was that. In a 'corner' of the jagged room there were a number of red, glowing rods attached to some kind of giant mechanism three elfs wide and six deep, but the rods glowed against the cave's light- What light source? My eyes darted around looking for one. Only now was I aware of how unnatural each shadow was, how awkward each shining rock looked, how each stalagmite could hide an entire dragon, and that was before they started transfiguring into cats. How bright the ceiling- I looked up. The bright light burned my eyes, but I needed to know what fiendish magic was in play so I could counter it. But the light didn't flicker like fire - they were far too bright for that anyway - but they also didn't have the magical circles surrounding each spell. They were... lights. As if the universe simply willed brightness into existence. Each far-too-bright-hurts-to-look-ats was placed along a main hallway clear of stalagmites running from the metal slab deeper and around a corner where I couldn't see. The lights were only poised above this one hall, and they just... shone one the rest of the cave. Looking closer, I could see thin black lines, too thin to be mana feeds, running along the walls to both the glowing red rods and to the so-shiny-the-lit-up-the-cave. And... that was that. There was no massive pile of treasure in the hall, though I suspected the dragon kept their hoard deeper than... wherever I was. There was no pile of skull trophies or the banner of cities and armies slain, and I noted that while he had told me his parents', the dragon had never told me his own. Then again, the cat thing could be lying. Dragon transfigured into a cat. Probably has Circle Of Truth around his entire den. Nonsense, dragons can only do elemental magic. Evidently not. Would you just shut up already? No- I moved my attention back to the metal slab, cutting off whatever the voice in my head had to say about my current situation; it wasn't every day one just got kidnapped by a nation of monsters, after all. The slab was truly elegant. It was painted with the monster language, and then was painted with some kind of mural. I could barely make out a blue circle with green splotches on it surrounded by twelve rings in the bottom corner because most of the door was taken up by a ice-blue cat with lighter strips engulfed in blue fire. It was a mural of the dragon cat thing. That didn't stop it from being pretty, and someone had obviously put a lot of effort into it. The flames looked realistic from what I had seen minutes ago, and the cat's details were perfectly engraved. It was... acurrate. Yeah, because I think Vixie was just trying to tell you that they built their civilization for a reason, and it wasn't carnage. You don't know what you're talking about. We both know I do. How else to you think- Listen to me, you treasonous voice of a- No, you listen to me, you pathetic excuse for a brain. The dragon was able to hold and win an argument with you, fixed your wounds that would've been a dead write-off for any other hospital, and then you think SHE barely meets the threshold for sapient? THE ABSOLUTE MORON I'M ARGUING WITH IS THE ONE YOU BARELY MEETS IT!!! You moved to your frontier village because the world was changing, Lazerot the Sixth. Congrats, you were right. It did change. Now shut your OVERSIZED EGO up at being bested by a creature ten times older than you, and go appologies before they decide that saving your life wasn't worth it. I... I... OK- No. I'm in control now. Shut up. I....... yes, sir. Good. With new resolve, I stood up. My head throbbed, and the next thing I knew was my face hitting my cot again.
-----
When I heard the thud of something falling in the entrance cave, I carefully moved back into the entrance cave. The elf was face-down in their cot, unconscious again. It looked like they had tried to stand and just.... fallen over. I sighed and used a claw to nudge the elf back onto his pillow, and then covered him with a blanket. I watched him for a minute, and then returned to the deeper parts of my home. The TFSU was completely overloaded with the number of patients needing treatment. Apparently, the Southener's hospitals just... didn't do anything, so in addition to soldiers, there was a massive influx of civilians to our hospitals too. Of course, this meant that they were absolutely overloaded, and the Civilized Nations strategy of fighting to near-death and then surrendering wasn't helping. So, stable recovering civilians like the elf were just... shipped out. When shelters filled up because the Civilized Nations overpopulation crisis was too bad to do anything, people just had to take them into their homes. Long story short, the government was in way over their head attempting upgrade the standard of care in the Civilized Nations while occupying their territory. My job so close to the border was remote infrastructure maintenance, and my ability to change size while not dissolving made me an expert at it - and that was before my two hundred years of experience. And then I didn't need a vehicle to get on-site, and was fast. The alarm pinging me that one of the space radars was down again gave me an excuse to avoid the elf and do some work. I grabbed a pack of supplies, put on my shapeshift-compatible uniform, and wrote down a note on a piece of paper. On my out past the sleeping elf, I dropped it for him.

Space radar system needs repair, as it's returning a false positive. It's my job to repair all the infrastructure around here, so I need to go fix it. I'll be back soon. If you're hungry, my pantry is the first cave on the right. You can just eat anything that's easily open-able in there. If it has a lock or airtight opening mechanism (anything more than a clip, really) then don't eat it. If your thirsty, there's a stream in the entrance cave near the heaters. When the door mechanism beeps, step back. Sometimes pressure in the cave can get a bit wonky, and I don't want you to get hurt. Other than that, feel free to explore. I've locked all the doors to the rooms I don't want you to enter. For toilet necessities, the second cave on the left has a properly-sized toilet. And running water, but stuff I can explain later means don't drink it. See you soon! - Vixie.

Satisfied, I left opened the door. There was a puff as the air from inside flowed out to the lower-pressure atmosphere. I could spot a snow squall to the north, and the pressure meant that it was probably coming my way. I moved out onto the ledge and closed the door behind me. At high altitudes this far north, the air was already near-zero and it was still five in the afternoon. I took just a second to confirm with the weather report that the snowstorm was in fact going to arrive on my doorledge using a smartwatch I had strapped around my wrist. When I found that the storm was coming, I opened my wings and flew. Being an Ice Dragon had its advantages, but being a Water-Ice Combined Dragon was much better. The frosty air curled around my wings as the freedom of ignoring gravity filled my brain. Ice and Water dragons both had large wings to deal with the cold air (and lower pressure leading to the requirement for more surface area to achieve the same amount of lift) and incompressable water physics (to let the wings act like a one-way fan blade as they move back and forth, increasing efficient). Dragons might be magestic creatures, but we were still bound to the physics of the mortal plane, after all. Being part of both, my wings were even bigger, making me one of the best high-altitude fliers on the planet. The ability to use both gills and lungs at said altitudes helped with oxygen also helped. Air Dragons were better at flying in normal air, but I liked to think of it like stats from a video game. Air Dragons min-maxed their stats for low-altitude, but I could go anywhere - even underwater - can keep my speed relatively high. I took full advantage of this on my way to the space radar, soaring well above the cloud ceiling and to the point where I could make out the curvature of the planet below me. The ocean spread out to my west, while more land was to my east. Snow covered the north as to the south was the telltale splotchy color of industrialism. My smartwatch beeped, as I crossed the normal altitude limit. I hadn't realized I'd gone so high; I had a radar to repair, after all. I dove down towards the surface, ignoring more beeps as I crossed half the way to the speed of sound. The wind howled angrily in my ears, but I flattened those (thank you, streamlined water genetics) and came out of my death dive right over the radar. The repair itself went relativity smoothly, though I couldn't find a broken component and chalked it up to more space anomalies. They weren't infrequent, and usually marked where the gods decided to look over the planet. For my radars, anyway. Further north, ignoring the north pole, almost no gods came out and wanted to deal with us. Our unspoken agreement was held that way. I flew straight back for my return journey. The storm was definitely closer, but fifteen minutes of flying later and I was entering the opening mechanism for my door. As it swung inwards, I heard the high-pitched scream of an elf.
-----
When I awoke, I found myself tucked into some covers. It took all of seven seconds for reality to catch up with me. Right. I got into a heated argument with a dragon. I instinctively touched the part of my face that had been closest to the dragon's flame. I'd read about Auras in books, but never thought I'd get to see one. They were only ever found in the most powerful and competent individuals of a race in an entire plan of existence. I wondered which skill gave the dragon hers - Vixie, I reminded myself. Either way, given that Auras are technically illusions, I wasn't hurt. The flames didn't get close enough to hurt anyway, but that didn't stop me from checking. This time, I was much more careful when I stood up. I sat up first, then started to kick my legs back and forth. That's when I spotted a paper on the other side of my cot. I stood up without thinking, but managed to keep my consciousness this time and moved towards the note. It was handwritten and contained a lot of jargon that I wasn't familiar with. Space. Radar. False positive. Airtight opening mechanism. Heater. Beep. Pressure. Toilet. Running water. I could deduce some of it. A message had come in requesting the services of the local dragon to repair a thing that has an issue, and that she would return shortly. I could wander around as I pleased, besides eating food that wasn't open or contained in a clip bag. From the tone of the message, I could deduce what a 'toilet' was. The heaters would logically be things that produced heat, so all I had to do was look for those. I wasn't able to tell time, but I supposed at this point it didn't matter. I moved over deeper into the cave, and quickly heard the sound of a stream. It led directly into a forest of stalagmites. After clambering over those, the temperature started to increase, which was all I needed to know that I was getting a drink of water. I was only now catching up to the fact that I had been out for three days, and that meant that I was extremely thirsty. I wasn't sure how I wasn't dead of dehydration at this point. I found the stream next to the glowing metal rods, and with it a clear path to my location. Sighing slightly at the wasted effort on climbing through Rock Forest, I snatched an undersized cup off a rack built into a nearby jut in the cave wall and filled it, before entering the bliss of fresh water. Back in the village, we had some of the best and cleanest water in all the land thanks to snow melt, but this took that to a new level. Cold, crisp water melted in the sun only minutes ago. It was... pure. I spent the next couple minutes simply drinking and processing everything over in my mind. The gods might have willed the monster dead, but if even the monster gods had abandoned them and survived... then how come the Pantheon never told us? Religious issues aside, there were more practical issues regarding my own survival. How did I get out. There was a thud at the metal slab, and I moved back towards it, leaving my cup to dry on the rack I pulled it from. The engraving of the cat on the metal slab was- BEEEP! What was that sound? There was a hiss, and the slab started to peel away. A gust of frigid cold air washed over me as a mage Ice-Water hybrid Aura-capable dragon that I had argued with stared me down. I did the instinctive thing and let out the scream of a human three year old, squeezing my eyes shut and waiting for the final blow. When the end of my life didn't arrive, I reopened my eyes to find the sky-blue cat standing in the hole where the metal slab was supposed to be. Then there was another... sound, and the metal slab started to move back into position. The cat was surprised for a single moment before simply charging the door and jumping through, skidding to a halt right in front of me. Which meant that I got a closer look at her. Ocean-blue strips crossed an ice-blue body fur in a fifty-fifty ratio. Small crystals of ice twinkled, floating here her wings would be. One tail was accompanied by two more made of pure blue-white energy, and the cat even had a halo. Six orbs of blue-white light hovered in lazy circles around her back, and even in a diminutive form the size of a cat the being radiated the power of an aura-capable creature. "Oh, right, sorry," Vixie said, and all the ethirial energy disappeared. Now that I knew what I was looking for, however, I could just barely tell, using my power as a mage, that Vixie was using illusion magic to hide her true energy. "You don't need to hide your reserves," I said. "Though if you're shapeshifting into forms so small that you need to expose yours, then you should just burn yours instead. It's not worth the trouble of people bottling yours." Vixie gave some kind of half-shrug. "They're not reserves, no." She said, emphasizing the word. I looked at Vixie with a sharp look, and for a second I forgot I was talking to a dragon. "Then what are they?" "They're..." The cat blushed, something I wasn't even aware was possible. She let the illusion fall away, and the tails, crystals, orbs and halo returned. "They're my regenerative baseline minimum." I looked her up and down for a second, dumbstruck. She really is a creature of power, huh? "Um.... uh..." I stuttered. "Is... that where you get your aura from?" I asked. Vixie closed her eyes with an expression on her face, and this time green flame started to peel off her. "Part of it, yeah." To control an aura like that... two auras. Just how powerful is she? I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize that the expression on her face was pain. "I... uh... what happened?" I asked, shellshocked. "Why aren't you fighting in the war?" The worldwide-powerful dragon masquerading as a cat sighed. "I... haven't told anyone. It's... personal." "I..." Only now did it hit me that I was talking with a dragon, not another person. Not just a monster, but a... creature with emotions. "You don't have to tell me." I quickly backtracked. "No, no, it's a fair question. It..." The cat let out a chuckle, and it filled the cave with a beautiful sound. "I suppose it's kind of ironic... but it starts with a kobold and a god, back when the Firma kobold tribe decided to travel north to escape the civilized nations, shortly before the amassing of all creatures in these same northern mountains and the Unification War. "Back before the gods forsook us."
Original Prompt: [WP] For as long as all the races have known, Dragons have been seen as violent, destructive creatures. After an attack on your village, you black out and find yourself in the den of a dragon. It's rather annoyed that that is how they're seen, and wants to prove that isn't the case.
u/Lycan_Jedi thank you for the prompt!
Part 2

I posted this years ago and hated it so I deleted it.. I have since revised it several times and now I think it's ready. I finally have time to continue writing so please let me know what you think, especially if you don't like it and what you didn't like about it

Boab'shek sighed as he opened his eyes, taking a moment to wake before he swam lazily out of his resting tunnel. Not particularly excited for another grueling [day] slogging through anomaly reports, he slowly closed his eyes and steeled himself as he had done every morning for the last [13 years]. He had 35 mouths to feed, and the bills weren’t going to pay themselves. After a quick breakfast at the grub farm, and feeling much better for it, he began swimming towards the work module.
The station, of which he was the sole occupant, hung motionless in empty space. Positioned near the top of the Galactic disc, it had a direct line of sight to each of the many observation outposts which it serviced. Tight-beam receivers dotted the "bottom" of the gangly-looking station, pointed in seemingly random directions forming a tangled mess of structural supports and antennae, though they were all precisely oriented to receive the incoming data streams.
Some of the more densely populated sectors of the Galaxy had entangled communicators at each of the observation outposts, providing near real-time updates of the goings-on to the Trade Coalition, but so many communicators were obscenely expensive to operate. Out here, near the rim of the Galaxy, there was simply not enough revenue from hyperspace tolls to support real-time obstacle charting. On the other hand, there were not enough hyperspace travelers to necessitate it either. Infrastructure was upgraded as needed, and tolls were adjusted to cover the cost.
And so it was Boab'shek's job to monitor the findings of the outposts as they were beamed to his station, albeit after a substantial light-speed delay, and report to the Coalition anything worth reporting through his station's entangled communicator. A soul-crushingly boring job, as far as he was concerned, but well-paid and not too physically demanding; which he appreciated. He swam his way through the long corridor into the work module, nesting comfortably into the saddle and engaging his dexterous prehensile whiskers with the computer controls. The two screens lit up simultaneously, one for either eye, and he began scrolling through the anomaly reports that had come in while he was asleep.
An odd glint was reported from outpost HX-253. The optical feed showed an empty patch of space flash once, nothing spectacular but unexpected nonetheless. He instructed the computer to calculate and overlay the position of other observation outposts over the video. Unsurprisingly, it showed a different outpost located right where the flashing originated from. A reflection from the waste-heat radiator panels, he surmised. He added a rule to the filter to ignore anomalies originating from outpost locations. No need to waste time on one of these anomalies in the future, should it occur again.
Outpost HT-628 reported a celestial collision. A rare occurrence in his sector, he excitedly pulled up the video feed and observed as a neutron star orbited a dark swallower closer and closer, spiraling inwards as its energy was sapped out of the system by ever-increasing gravitational disturbance. It circled faster and faster as it approached and finally was pulled apart, becoming a bright streak and then a ring around the swallower, shining brightly as it was accreted. The sinusoidal readout from the interferometer of the outpost showed the gravitational waves increase exponentially in intensity and then drop off as if nothing had happened. More and more of the star was pulled in and suddenly the system went dark again, as the last of the star was unceremoniously slurped up by the swallower. Beautiful, he thought. Such a privilege it was to observe the natural cycle of the universe. He lived for these moments.
He approved the automatic suggested update to the star charts and scrolled onto the next report. HU-808 reported an unknown disturbance. An unusual gravimetric reading as well as unidentified fast-moving object. Boab’shek stared at the report listing. An odd designation, he couldn’t recall if he had ever seen this class of anomaly in all his [years] working for the Coalition. He pulled up the video feed and gravity readings, flaring his fins in surprise at the length of the video report; the reflexive motion causing him to lurch backwards. The duration of the video was just over [1.7 years]. Why had the outpost taken so long to report such a disturbance?
He started at the beginning and watched as the time-compressed video showed a light appearing from nowhere, approximately [8.3 light-minutes] from a single ordinary, stable star. With his other eye he looked at the star map of the area. The light was hundreds of light years from the nearest hyperspace waypoint. Nobody would be crazy enough to travel that far from a waypoint, he thought, being forced to travel at a ridiculously unsafe speed while in cold-sleep, quite possibly exceeding the safe duration for hibernation even then.
It must be natural in origin, then, though he had never heard of such an object. Puzzled, he watched as the light gradually increased in intensity and started moving, traveling in a straight line towards a nearby trinary star system at an ever-increasing rate of speed. The light, becoming ever-brighter, shone a brilliant white as its velocity continued to increase. His jaws hung open in disbelief as a bright cone appeared to the sides and around the light, resembling a bow shock wave like the ones that trailed behind the high speed transports that sailed above the oceans on his home planet. He checked the spectrometer, unbelieving as the range displayed full-spectrum emission with increasing UV, X-ray, even gamma emissions!
The conical bow-shock became more and more acute in angle as the light shone brighter and gained momentum. It closed the distance between the star systems impossibly quickly, and when it had almost reached the nearest red dwarf in the trinary system almost all at once it slowed as the luminosity peaked and it appeared to explode. A beam of plasma erupted from the source of the light, apparently traveling near light speed, and expanded as it left the source where it had stopped, a short distance from the red dwarf. The gravimetric reading reported an error. He managed to peel his eye away from the video feed and defecated in shock as he observed the chart. It was flat and steady as it should be, up until it immediately spiked straight up and off the chart.
Glad for the filtration intake below his saddle, Boab'shek observed as the reading abruptly ended reporting calibration error, and possible damage to the interferometer. The outpost had apparently not thought much of the disturbance up until the gravimetric reading was observed, at which point it had flagged the anomaly for reporting. Never had he heard of anything like this. He contemplated for a moment on what this object could possibly be, until he had a sudden idea. Frantically mashing the controls with his whiskers, he instructed the computer to calculate the distance the light had traveled. The computer overlaid the measured distance on the video feed. Approximately [4.25 light years]. Whiskers shaking, he looked again at the length of the recording. [1.7 years]. Whatever in the deep depths this thing was, it had traveled through real space at over twice the speed of light. Impossible, he thought.
Surely another outpost would refute these readings. He instructed the computer to show the live feed from HU-807, an outpost which was more distant to the anomaly. It would receive readings from the same anomaly, but with a calculated [8 month] delay compared to HU-808. On screen, there was the light shining proudly, already traveling faster than lightspeed. Boab'shek, still in denial, examined the spectrograph readings from this outpost more closely. It was then that he noticed the emission lines in the light signature. It showed prominent signatures for hydrogen, helium, beryllium, and oxygen. Undeniably the signature of an unshielded fusion reactor.
Frantically, he began writing an incident report. Under the subject field, he selected UNIDENTIFIABLE TECHNOSIGNATURE. This was going straight to the top.
Excitement hung in the air aboard the UNES Hermes. After many years of preparation, the time for departure had finally arrived. In a matter of minutes, the colossal ship would engage its prototype ICEFIRE engine and leave its comfortable rectilinear halo orbit of the moon, where it had circled since the keel was laid so many years ago. The ship consisted of a massive cylindrical habitation drum, over a kilometer in diameter and five kilometers long, with an equally large spherical water tank forward tipped with the powerful thermal laser shield, and the behemoth of a drive cone bringing up the rear. The drum spun slowly, providing comfortable spin gravity to the civilian colonists, most of whom were sporting massive hangovers from the completion celebration the night before. Many of the passengers had been involved in the engineering, assembly, and calibration of various parts and components of the ship. Some had celebrated a job completed, others out of excitement, and some feared that it would be their last night. No expense had been spared in building or testing during the ships’ construction, and all assurances had been made that everything would go well, but nobody could deny that this ship was experimental.
The crew of the Hermes had long since gotten all of the festivious urges out of their systems, opting to celebrate the completion of the preparations before the colonists had arrived. Every system had been checked, double checked, and triple checked. Mission Commander Huxton stood in the center of the bridge and observed the buzzing commotion of the crew surrounding him, eyes fixed on their station monitors while calling out checkpoints into their headsets and to the surrounding operators.
One by one the operators fell silent as they completed their checklists and lifted their eyes to Commander Huxton, awaiting further orders. As the last operator reported "All systems go" into his headset, silence fell upon the bridge. Rehearsals had been performed. Speeches had been given. Goodbye messages had been sent. Diagnostics and checklists had been run through. Living wills written. It was finally time. Huxton stood silently for a moment, slowly scanning his eyes around the room. His face beamed with pride at the exceptional performance of his crew, tinged only by the apprehension for the coming danger.
Huxton broke the silence. "Comms! Open a channel to STC, mirror to the PA" he barked. A soft chime indicated that the microphones were listening. "Space Traffic Control, this is UNES Hermes. Requesting clearance for departure." His voice boomed throughout the ship, where every colonist and crew member was listening intently. Seconds later, his voice was heard by the crew of the STC, where silence reigned as every soul was glued to their monitors. A few moments later, their response was heard throughout the Hermes. A tinny voice crackled through the PA system, "UNES Hermes, this is Space Traffic Control. You are cleared for departure. Go bravely. Godspeed."
Huxton closed his eyes for a brief moment, savoring what could be his last breath. He opened his eyes. "Engineering, light it up!”

So I am a Man living in an RV in a few weeks I am heading to the Colorado rocky mountains for the duration of the summer. This will be my first time doing the Rockys but my intention is to get out of the heat as well as enjoy beautiful nature. I have Starlink internet so staying connected with friends via internet/phone should not be an issue I also have a bike for excersise as well as if an emergency comes up and I need to evac. On board SWIM will have a lot of DMT, Shrooms and LSD.
The reason I am making this post is because I am looking for suggestions on how to fill my day and what I should focus on. I'll be coming down the mountain about once a week to get food/water and any supplies needed but other than that I dont have any friends in Colorado that I'm aware of well except 1 guy but I think he travels alot for work. Will I go insane with the solitude? How often should I trip? I was thinking about having a steady drip off the DMT vape pen while hiking daily and about once a week tripping on shrooms or lsd. Again I'm not sure what I'm making this post for other than to get some ideas from the folks here on my focus. If you think this is a bad idea let me know that too. I just want input. Thanks.
Also to reiterate I will be doing this Solo, I've lived in an RV for awhile but a lot of the time I am visiting friends around the country or interacting with people at local events. This will be the first time I go Solo in the mountains for multiple months at a time.

Right after college, I worked abroad as an English teacher teaching kids in a school in a small town in Mexico. The town had no internet, hardly any cell phones, and no air conditioning in many buildings. Kids entertained themselves with drinking, drugs, and urban legends. Because telling such stories was so deeply engrained in their culture, I didn't believe the kids when they came to me truly needing help. I actually feel triggered when I see a dumb character in a horror movie who doesn't listen to the main characters' pleas for help because that literally was me.
So what happened? One day, a student named Ramon asked to go the bathroom several times during the same class period. The first time was perfectly normal. The second time meant he was probably up to no good, but I still let him go for some reason. The third time, I had to ask. He also was starting to looked sick. He refused to answer. So, after class let out, I asked him in private if he was feeling all right. He had his head down and sheepishly told me he thought it was probably something he ate. He then asked me what he can do and looked at me with desperation like I was a doctor or something. I didn't know what to say. I told him to tell ask his mom and to get some rest.
I brushed the experience off at first, but within a few days, I noticed more of the kids were having difficulty focusing. They were lethargic and irritable. Ramon had been out the rest of that week. At that point, something just felt off. After class let out on Friday, I saw some kids harrassing Ramon's little brother Raul. They were calling him "maldito", meaning cursed (or damned if taken literally). I came by to break it up. Usually, at a time like this, the kids try to convince me it was just mutual horseplay and all in good fun, but this time, the two bullies stopped and with a really candid tone tried to convince me he really was cursed. One mentioned they weren't hitting him because he doesn't want to touch him. He told me about a rumor that Raul's older brother Ramon who was out sick was turning into the undead after one of the kids forced him to eat a cursed cat turd. At that point, I told the kids to go home and felt like their urban legends are really running out of steam lol. That was so fucking stupid, I thought.
As the weeks went on, more kids were calling in sick. It was quickly becoming apparent that something was happening. Of course, it wasn't any of the hallway rumors the kids were spreading, but something was spreading. About a third of the staff was also sick. Most were still teaching anyway. Sra. Fuentes was in the worst condition at the time. She was a little fever-brained and told one of the students she had a gun at home and planned on playing Russian roullete after work. At this point in telling the story, most people figure this was the climax. Unfortunately not. Señora Fuentes didn't come in the next day. Her husband taught elementary in the same building, and he was out as well (for bereavement, it seemed). She killed herself the night before just as described.
At this point, classes were being consolidated, and there was palpable panic in the air, and maybe something else we all thought. I was freaking the fuck out but so far had zero symptoms. I was terrified of catching whatever this was, and now the rumors were not only being spread by the students but in the staff lunchroom as well. We stopped sharing food and only ate prepacked foods, nothing from the local butcher or farms. It was a religious school, and the priest was also blessing everyone's lunch sacks for them now.
Nobody had directly died from it. So, it assumed by many that it was just a bad strain of the flu or something. There were also stories of people seeing little bugs in their shit. They were still alive too which was particularly disturbing.
For the remaining time I was teaching, there were more and more instances of kids and staff just being weird. A lot of the sick kids had a strange compulsion to be bit by other students. One of the brightest students, Felipe, was said to be offering to do homework for other students if they could bite his arm hard enough to draw blood. Some students would just stop and stare catatonically for a few seconds or complain of severe headaches.
Even before whatever this was, there was already a local legend about something similar. One of the cartels praying to Santa Muerte (some kind of Aztec death god they's kinda blend in with their Christianity down there) and wishing their rival gang to be poisoned. Not long after, most of this rival gang fell ill and died. It was touted as one of the only confirmed "miracles" of Santa Muerte. Before they died, they had reportedly gone insane and would do particularly risky behaviors as though they were possessed by this occult spirit to want to harm themselves. Some would do more mild risky behavior like one who bet everything he had in the casino but had never gambled before that night. Others would dance on cliffsides hundreds of feet in the air (not successfully because the disease made them pretty uncoordinated). Three of them on separate ocassions walked into tiger enclosures at the nearby zoo and were mauled to death. Most of those who didn't die in freak accidents eventually went blind. A few died of strokes. There were also outlandish stories of the longest living ones attempting to feed themselves to others. The local legend culminates in the priest who ministered to the cartel cutting off his right hand and attempting to feed it to his small congregation as the body and blood of Christ.
Anyway, by about 4 or 5 weeks, the town was in full-fledged lockdown. The school decided to temporarily close. Everything, even the church was shut down. This was in 2013, well before covid, but it felt like the covid lockdown. Ironically, the government wasn't locking us down, but it was the local cartel. Whenever I mention that, people are like "holy shit!" and think there's this violent gang I had to deal with, but actually they were not really belligerent. They supplied every household with food and bottled water rationed from the town supermarket. There were only a few of them, and they were treating this situation like a quarentine. After about 4 weeks indoors, the food and water stopped coming. I had been rationing the water they gave me and managed to stay indoors an additional 2 days before figuring I needed to leave eventually.
Once I finally left my little single room house, I walked around the town and saw burned bodies in the townsquare. There was no sign of the cartel. I figured they might be taking care of the body disposal and going house to house burning the corpses. I didn't check on any of the homes. I didn't do a safety check on coworkers I knew from the school. I just grabbed a bike and cycled out of town. Upon arriving at the nearest town, I didn't say a word of this. I kept my head down and got on a bus. I travelled to Aguascalientes and got a ticket to fly back home from Mexico City. I never experienced any symptoms and kept an eye on the news to see if there's any high lethality disease in Mexico. Nothing ever came of it.

I (45M) met my partner (42M) in 2005. He moved in about 5 months into the relationship, things moved quickly. In hindsight, there were red flags; but when you fall for someone, it is hard to separate fear from a red flag. Things were really good. He was a fun, life of the party type of guy. His personality and smile would fill a room. He followed me through school and we both got our doctorates. Vacations, family trips, I was so happy. However, about 18 months into the relationship, intimacy kind of started to die. He seemed kind of uninterested. When we did have sex, it often felt more like a hookup or like a soul-less robot I was with. I couldn't figure it out. I chalked it up to stress and school. There was always another reason I could find. It was during these first few months and years that I noticed he had no friends outside of his younger brother. Despite that, he was my best friend, we got along very well and really didn't have big fights or disagreements.
Fast forward to 2015, he is about to graduate and start his career as a doctor; it was an exciting time. His demeanor changed rapidly. He began going to the gym a lot, but this time I wasn't invited. I still had a year of school left so I was too busy anyways. His gym outings started lasting 2-3 hours. I asked mutual friends about it out of suspicion, but they assured me he would never cheat. About two weeks before his graduation, he told me we needed to talk, he was leaving me. It was very cold and to the point. I asked if he had met someone, he said "no, I would never do that". He didn't cry, no emotion. Two days later he came out of the bedroom with a backpack and said he was leaving for "a day or two". He didn't come back.
There I was, trying to study for finals which required about 15 hours a day for weeks on end. Trying not to break down constantly and be productive to make sure I passed my finals. I downloaded a dating app, if just to feel not so alone and have someone to chat with. I remember how quiet it was in those first few weeks, the silence was deafening. I chatted with a few people. One guy I chatted with had a blank profile, but quickly sent a face pic. He looked familiar. I told him my situation, to which he replied, "well, obviously it sounds like he is cheating on you". I studied his photo again and then went out to Facebook to investigate. It was my partners newest Facebook friend. I immediately texted my partner, and asked who this friend of his was, and why he says you are cheating on me. He was furious. It was the guy he left me for, he was cheating. My partners graduation was the next evening, which I was supposed to attend with him at his request, because he hadn't told friends and family that we were separated because he didn't want to ruin the celebration. I didn't go and so he went to his graduation and his party alone. He was mad at me for that. I hypothesize that this guy told me because he didn't want me going to the graduation neither my ex.
Up until that point, my ex and I had still been communicating on a near daily basis. That ended at this point, I was broken. A couple of weeks went by and then the new mister-ess contacted me. They had already had a falling out and he wanted to talk to me, said there were things I should know. I told him that he was crazy, but that at this point, what the hell, right? We decided to meet for a drink at a local rooftop bar. He made me assure him that I wouldn't punch him in the face, but I told him that I would rather punch my ex.
We grabbed a drink around 8pm. He was a very good looking guy. Kind of a rough looking Jake Gyllenhaal. I Instantly felt both jealous and insecure about myself at the same time. Is this why he left? I wasn't good looking enough? (During those early months, I blamed myself a lot for the breakup) He began by telling me that my ex was a piece of shit, and they weren't talking. I'm still not sure what had happened between them. He told me that they had been seeing each other for about 3 months before my ex left me (gym time), and he went on to say that my ex was a piece of shit and I should run as fast as I could away from him. Now, initially, I kind of chuckled.. of course you want me out of the picture, things aren't working out and he is obviously afraid my ex will come back to me. He then said something that still gives me chills and has taken me years to wrap my brain around: "He doesn't love you and he never has, he told me that when we first met. When I told him that's not possible, he told me that he has been cheating on you since he first met you.". Ok, so that knocked me back, and I'm sure I had a look of disbelief on my face. I don't know what my response was at that point, I think I semi blacked out.. but he began following up with names, dates and places. He named a guy that we met in Mexico on our 1st vacation together in 2006. My ex had just moved in with me a few months before that trip. They apparently hooked up in a bathroom of our resort he informed me. He named a classmate of my ex.. My ex had invited that classmate to multiple parties with us and to our place. He named a creepy older guy that lived in our building. At this point I think I was in shock. I felt violated. Both by the actions of my ex and by the fact that this stranger knew more details about my relationship than I did, or so it seemed. I finished my drink and got up to leave. He asked me not to tell my ex what I had been told. He then went on to say we should "hang out sometime". I left.
I arrived at my ex's new place in about 3 1/2 minutes. He admitted to everything. There was no remorse, he was just calm about it, like everything was normal. I did not know this person. It was probably one of the scariest moments in my life. This person I knew, loved and trusted more than anyone, I knew nothing about them. He told me that he did say he never loved me, but that was only so he could impress this new guy, he didn't mean it he said. I wanted to believe that. I asked him how many times he had cheated. He said he couldn't remember. He said that whenever he did something "bad" that he would mentally block it out, and that he couldn't remember anything. (Although he conveniently remembered to tell this guy about it as evidence he didn't care about me)
The next few days and weeks were a daze. Reality seemed not real anymore. Looking back, I was in shock. Over the next several weeks classmates and friends confided in me that there were other people my partner had cheated with, 6 that I know of at least now. I was looking for something that made sense of it all. Nothing did. I was back home visiting my family for Father's day, everyone was there except for my ex. It felt empty. My brother and sister tried to console me. I was inconsolable. My brother and I hung out for several hours that day, that hadn't happened for a long time. He pulled up YouTube on the TV and played me a Sia video he loved; Elastic Heart. We took turns playing videos and talking about the meaning behind them. I recall that being both an amazing day with my brother and also strange, as he was never that open. He hugged me before he left, told me he loved me. He called me "doc" right before he got in his car, even though I didn't have my degree yet..
My brother would die two days later at the construction site he worked at. The 1000's of pounds of rebar the crane was lowering down above his head would come undone and come down on top of him. It was instantaneous they told us. It turned out they had hired an out of work teacher to help on the site, he didn't know how to secure the fittings on the rebar to the crane. The company was fined $15k I believe in OSHA violations, but what was done was done. I remember at this point being almost happy for the breakup, because I was already numb when this happened. I cried a lot, but there were almost no tears left to cry at that point.
I found out about the accident via my smartwatch while I was with a patient. I can't remember if I was sitting on the floor or was leaning against a wall, but the faculty got me into an office and got me seated. They called my ex to come and get me because they weren't going to let me drive. It was 10:30am. My ex told them it was his first day of work at his new job and that he didn't want to leave early because it would look bad (yeah, I know). A classmate of mine drove me home and stayed with me until my ex got off work. She helped me pack to go to my parents. My ex came and got me and drove me the 90 mins to my parents, I don't remember much about that ride. The next few days were a blur, the funeral seemed like a bad dream. My ex did go with me, but he never cried, never showed emotion. The night before the funeral I asked if he could hang out with me, but he blew me off, it turned out he had a date. He ended up telling me I needed to find a new support system when I got upset.
The sense of loss you feel when you lose two people this close to you is overwhelming. It was at this point that I decided I couldn't lose my ex. Whatever was wrong with him, whatever he was going through, I needed to help him. This brings me to the painful lesson I would eventually learn through all of this: you really can't help someone if they don't want to change, are incapable of change, or if they think there is nothing wrong with them. Some lessons are harder to learn than others, however.
I started reaching out to my ex, trying to spend time with him. He was still seeing his fling off and on. I got him into therapy. This went on for sometime, us being off and on. I realize now that I was the back burner, he was keeping me warm. I was in the perfect state for him, I would have done anything to make things work at this point, I was broken into pieces. In the realm of narcissistic personality disorder, I was the "supply", and I seemed more than willing to put myself through that meat grinder given the circumferences.
During this time of back and forth. My ex would tell me he wanted to make things work, and then I would catch him with this other guy again. He would say they were just friends, etc.. At one point, this guy started showing up at my condo in the middle of the night, he would message me and comment on what I was wearing. I would get a text saying, "I like that red shirt", and I'd look down and I was wearing a red shirt. It got creepy fast, I never knew when I was being watched. One of the dating apps would show how far away people were, down to feet. On multiple occasions I would get a message as I was going to bed, the distance would show under 20 feet away. Those moments were horrific, because it happened on dozens of occasions. I was being stalked.
The messages I was receiving got more and more threatening. I told my ex about it, but he said it wasn't his problem. After one particularly creepy night where it seemed like this guy was in my hallway, I showed my ex all of the messages the next day. He finally told me that this guy hated me with a passion, and said he "didn't think he would actually do anything". I asked him what things he said he was going to do, and then he casually mentioned that this guy had joked about killing me. A few days later I stopped by my ex's place and was ringing the door entry panel, when this guy approached me and started a fight.. he broke my nose and threw me down a flight of stairs. My ex called the police and told me I shouldn't have been there unannounced. He continued seeing this guy.
Now, this guy had been in my school, and had just started taking preliminary classes at the request of my ex. I went to the school counselors and filed a report, he was kicked out of school and banned for two years. I filed a restraining order, but he didn't show up to court for the hearing. The school took it very seriously. Security guards were given his photo and told not to allow him in the building. The stalking did stop finally though.
My ex finally ended things with him, as he started getting more and more violent. My ex would call me saying he was scared of him, that he was there trying to beat the door down. As I'm typing this, I realize that this was probably just a manipulation technique to work on my empathy and to pull me back in. It worked. We talked about how to cut this guy off and what we needed to do to protect my ex from this crazy guy. We started spending more and more time together.
Over the next few months we began spending most of the week together. Things were starting to feel normal again. My ex moved back in with me. Although I was happy, I also was scared, because I knew deep down there was something very wrong. We had already started counseling at my request. His mother was a borderline personality disorder, which we had kind of known before. What we didn't know was how that affected a child raised by one. It would take me a few more years to fully understand the damage she caused.
Things pretty quickly fell apart after he moved back in. The kind, fun person I had known the first 10 years no longer existed. In hindsight, I realize that the kind person was a facade, an act that was used to cover all of the pain and dysfunction that was hiding underneath. After 3 months of living together I asked him to move out in the fall of 2016. I helped him find an apartment and helped him move his things. There I was, alone again, broken..
Despite being separated, we never stopped seeing each other. We regularly made dinner for each other, went and saw movies, camping trips, vacations, family gatherings, etc. I think deep down I held onto hope that therapy would slowly work its magic. I was 39 at the time, and starting over just seemed impossible.
By the end of 2018 we were back in therapy, he had been going off and on since 2015 at this point.. The question was, we can't stop spending time together, where do we go from here? I trusted our therapist, she knew us well. Judging from our sessions and how she conducted them, it seemed as though she believed we could reconcile. I had my concerns, but allowed my fears of being alone and fear of going through the full pain of losing my partner guide my decision making process. I simply could not picture my life without him. I was still trying to get my life back that I knew before 2015. Our therapist told me for this to work, I needed to be fully committed, 100%. (Although, hell, have I not been at this point??) She told me he was likely was developing borderline personality disorder, but that if he continued counseling, he could overcome it.
We decided to give it another go. However, I had been in my small condo for 15 years at this point, and he was in his tiny apartment. We needed a new place, for new memories. I wanted children, it's something we had discussed for years. We decided to buy a house together. I know, I'm rolling my eyes right now too.. We found an amazing house, and within about 6 weeks we were moving in. I was back to feeling as happy as ever. Intimacy, however, never recovered.
For about 6 months, things seemed "normal". However, something this time was different. I was different. I was becoming aware of reality. He had quickly stopped counseling after buying the house, but didn't tell me immediately. I began to notice things he said, little arguments he would start. He would belittle me in small ways. Once I noticed this, I couldn't let it go. He would also gaslight me. He would say something or make plans, and then when I would bring it up later, I was "crazy", because he never said that. I would try to point these things that bothered me out to him, but it would get turned around on me. Why couldn't I let things go, he would say. Also, my items would disappear. Mail would get thrown away, kitchen gadgets tossed. One particular night I wanted to make waffles, and I had a really nice waffle maker my parents got me. I searched and searched, but couldn't find it anywhere. I asked him if he'd seen it, which started a fight. "I didn't touch it! Stop accusing me!". I had only asked him because he had reorganized the kitchen a few weeks earlier. I searched storage, the garage, went through box after box. I looked for several days. After a few days, he said it "might" have been thrown away. Might have?? He said he wasn't sure. After another day of searching, he finally told me he had thrown it away because I rarely used it. When I got upset, he told me that I was too materialistic, and placed too much value on items. This happened dozens of times, and somehow it was always my fault.
By fall of 2019, something strange began happening. I started getting stomache pains. It was enough pain that I thought I should see a doctor. However, I quickly realized that this pain would begin only when my partner was in the room. After that, if he would try to touch me or hold my hand, I would instinctively recoil. I felt horrible about it. I told him to give me space while I figured myself out. I spoke to my therapist about it, and she told me I should read the book, The Body Keeps The Score. I didn't, but it's on my list.
Over the next few months I read several books about relationships. One of them I read twice, Too Good To Leave, To Bad To Stay. I put a lot of effort into figuring out how we could mend and repair all the damage that had been done over the years. I had seen multiple therapists, even a sex therapist. I think I was out on the porch one day, reading my 4th or 5th book, punishing myself for not knowing how to fix things. It was at that point that I realized he was in the house playing video games, had read zero books, sought out no new counseling, had not wanted to initiate any conversations on the topic. Everything rested solely on my shoulders to fix. I realized I was in this relationship alone. It felt like I was living with a roommate because I WAS living with a roommate. This person I loved did not love me, at least not the way I did him. It was a rude awakening, one that I should have realized 5 years earlier.
A few days later I told him I was leaving him, he did not react, he just said ok. Over the next few days and weeks I cried harder than I have ever cried, he didn't. At one point I realized I was having what Oprah called, the ugly cry, it kind of felt good in a way. The pandemic hit a few weeks later, so we were together until June of that summer. We discussed here and there if there were ways to save things. At one point he told me if I worked out more, it might help. It was in moments like that that I knew I was doing the right thing. I was an object to him, if I was a bit shinier I might get more attention.. at least that's what I heard. A few weeks before he moved out, he asked if he could move up to the 3rd floor, because he was sad he wasn't going to get to live in the house anymore. He thought we could be roommates. The problem was, we already WERE roommates, except I was in love with him, and he wasn't with me. Hearing that the house was his biggest concern hurt me deeply. (I had offered to let him keep the house, but he couldn't afford it by himself)
I helped him look for apartments, frequently having to excuse myself as I would break down during the showings. I helped him move his furniture and belongings. However, even after all of this, we continued to spend time together. Movies, dinners, game nights.. I started to experience deep depression after each weekend we spent together. I sought counseling, and slowly I weaned myself from seeing him. I eventually limited myself to 2 hours per week. This made him very angry, even though he was not doing therapy, and wasn't working on the relationship at all.
I realized I was doing the right thing, but I was constantly in my head. How could I leave this person I loved so much. The intense back and forth battle in my head was ferocious. I kept going to counseling, and he helped me to sort those competing thoughts out. I had been maintaining this pristine image of my ex in my head, the facade he had created early on persisted in my mind, and I longed for that perfect person I once knew. Yet the person I know knew on my day to day was this twisted person who seemed foreign to me. It has taken several years for me to meld those two people into one person, the real person.
It's been 3 years since I left him this month. I haven't spoken to him in over a year now. It gets better. There have been days and weeks when I couldn't get out of bed, and felt like I couldn't go on. For a long period the cognitive dissonance was almost beyond what I could handle. I felt like I had passed into an alternate universe, having lost both my brother and my partner. I didn't recognize my life. I had to cut off most of our mutual friends to survive, because they couldn't respect my boundaries. So not only did I miss my ex, but I missed my friends as well.
Your life will collapse as you know it. However, it is this collapse that has to happen in order to build a new, better life. Kind of like a Phoenix, it has to burn before it can rise into it's final form. There were many dark days that I held onto that image in my mind as my depression and sadness raged. The more pain I felt, the more it felt like fire burning away my old life. Let it burn. Feel everything. If anyone who has read this far has been through anything similar, you know what I'm talking about. There is no way around the pain, so walk right through it and feel all of it. The only way around is through.
I truly believe I have been through this for a reason, for something better. This is preparation for what my future holds. I am not the same person now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I used to fear that I would be alone forever, and it terrified me. Now, it doesn't terrify me as much, but I don't think I will be alone forever, I have a lot to offer.
It has taken a lot of time, but I know understand my ex to be a covert narcissist with BPD. I was manipulated throughout the relationship. I discovered so many lies he had told me during the aftermath of the breakup, it is astounding. I believed every word. When I initially asked him to move in with me, it turned out he had made up a story about his dad kicking him out, and said he couldn't afford an apartment by himself. We went and looked at apartments for several weekends, with him sad he couldn't afford it. It was all a manipulation to coherce me to ask him to move in. There are countless other mainpulations as well. Right before he moved out for the last time, in a moment of what seemed like honesty, he told me he had never loved me, and that he didn't know what love was, but he thought it was a weakness that people had. I still miss him every day, despite the things he did. I now understand that you can love someone, but it doesn't mean you have to keep them in your life.
I have spent the last 3 years learning about myself and improving myself. At 45, I'm in my best shape ever. I've always been athletic, but I took it to a new level. Find something that makes you feel better about yourself, and run with it. I'm planning on finally learning how to play guitar and learn Spanish. I've joined a softball team and a kickball team. You have a blank slate, paint with bright colors and paint a beautiful new life for yourself. Life looks totally different than it used to, but it's slowly beginning to feel like a life again. Dream big!

A few days ago I decided to get a tattoo. I went to the nearest tattoo shop just to browse the selections of tattoos, maybe for some inspiration. Lo and behold there's this beautiful young woman about my age, maybe a little older. She greets me and asks if I have an appointment. I said no, and asked if she could show me some of the work that she's done. So after going over the large binder of art, tattoo after tattoo, I finally decide to make an appointment for the next day. When I go home that night I can't stop thinking about this young woman. It seemed like she was into me too. I tell myself that I am going to ask her on a date the next day when I go in for my appointment. So the next day rolls around and me being an artist too, I've drafted up what I want my tattoo to look like, and decide to get it on the back of my right shoulder. The young woman smiles and says that it looks nice. She tells me to take off my shirt and lay on the chair so that I can be prepped for a tattoo. I do as she says and lay in the chair, face over the headrest. It's weird to look at the floor and so I close my eyes. After a minute I hear footsteps approaching me and someone sit in the tattoo artist's chair and I know this is my chance. "So," I say "are you doing anything after this? We should exchange numbers and go out to dinner or something." "That's kinda weird, bro." I hear a man's voice reply. My head shoots around so fast I almost got whiplash, and I find myself staring at a Latino man covered in tattoos. "You're the tattoo artist?" I ask. The man nods awkwardly. "Oh, I thought that lady would be doing my tattoo. I didn't know there were more than one tattoo artists." "It's alright buddy," he says "nobody expects the Spanish ink physician!"

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Hello, fellow nature enthusiasts! I recently returned from an excellent overnight hiking and camping excursion across gorgeous scenery that gave me a great outdoor experience. If you are thinking about doing something similar, I highly recommend checking out campingHiking, a group dedicated to overnight or longer hiking treks where you bring your own camping gear and camp along the way.
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During my trek, I embarked on a difficult trail while carrying all of my necessary camping gear on my back. The excitement of being immersed in nature, seeing breathtaking panoramas, and spending peaceful nights under the stars was simply unforgettable. I documented every aspect of my trip to share with you all, so here's a detailed description of my adventure:
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Trip Description:
I started my hike early in the morning, carrying my trusty backpack loaded with all the necessary camping gear, including a tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment, and food supplies. The trail led me through dense forests, cascading waterfalls, and panoramic mountain views. The physical exertion of the hike was rewarded by the serenity and beauty of nature surrounding me.
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As the sun began to set, I found the perfect camping spot along the trail. I set up my tent and marveled at the stunning sunset, painting the sky in vibrant hues. The tranquility of the wilderness, interrupted only by the rustling leaves and distant sounds of wildlife, was a true escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
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After a restful night's sleep, I woke up to the melodious chirping of birds and the invigorating scent of nature. A hot cup of coffee brewed on my portable camping stove provided the perfect start to the day. I continued my hike, encountering breathtaking vistas and hidden gems along the trail.
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My journey was not without challenges, as navigating steep terrain and overcoming physical hurdles tested my perseverance. But the sense of accomplishment and the incredible sights I encountered made every step worth it. I returned with a deeper appreciation for nature and a rejuvenated spirit.
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If you're planning a day hike or a camping trip with easy access to your campsite, I recommend exploring hiking or camping, respectively. However, if you're seeking the thrill of overnight hiking and camping, campingHiking is the perfect community to share your experiences, seek advice, and connect with fellow outdoor enthusiasts who share your passion.
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Remember to include a detailed trip description when posting to campinghiking. Share your challenges, triumphs, and breathtaking moments that made your journey special. Let's inspire each other to embark on more unforgettable adventures in the great outdoors!
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I can't wait to read about your own hiking and camping escapades. Happy trails and happy camping, everyone! #OutdoorAdventure #HikingAndCamping #ShareYourJourney

I'm trying to write short stories in an attempt to shore up my skills for a novel this is the 2nd draft as the first my friends told me was an impenetrable lore dump. Hopefully I fixed that.
FOX Battery: Silver Sword Chapter 1: Bolt
The sword was alien and beyond beautiful. It shone like silver in the sun and with colors more odd when the sun sets. A saber with an impossibly sharp blade, yet undamaged were the magnificently machined murals filigreed along it's blade to the basket hilt. It's scabbard seemingly carved out a single chunk of onyx. That too was engraved entirely with impossibly small and strange encryptions, descriptions in a language Darren knew nothing about.
Darren was awoken by the soft clatter of pots and pans gently rattling in the wind. He bolted upright and took stock of his surroundings. The sun was at its zenith, the thrill of being alone in his own wagon for the first time still hadn’t worn off. The ancient road spanned out into the distance in front of him. Despite the myriad of potholes and cracks that threw him about every once in a while, the roads here were older than Ancillia itself, a testament to the brilliant engineering of his . The massive roadways mesmerized him. They were laid down by the Firsts, the heavenly beings that were here before him. He traced the patterns of colored lines on the road pondering the intentions of their painters, Another good game to play alone was finding the cracks in the ancient road were filled with liquid rock, such an expensive substance yet he’s heard that every building in the Ancil was made from it, he noted that he should try visiting on his way home. He took out his map, marked in a thousand places by his father, and his father’s father. Looking at his goal, the center of conflict, the city Selene, he traced back to his position, searching for the nearest landmark. “Direction…” He looked for the sign marked “fifty kilometers”, instead spotting the one labeled twenty. “Perfection.” Pleased with himself for being closer to his destination than he initially thought and excited by the idea that he was technically within proximity of the crusade , he decided he’d visit some of the nearby villages with high hopes that he might even be able to find some better deals. Pulling off the road as his destination became closer he turned onto a bumpy dirt road which promptly and painfully jostled him, filling the air with clinking from hundreds of glass containers. Darren was atleast used to cobblestone roads laid out at home but crusaders don’t complain about such trifling things, this feeling was new and rustic he supposed plus all adventurers need get used to this feeling. After a few more minutes of bumpy road and clanking kitchenware he decided to command the Ardennes pulling the wagon to stop. The country view had a charm the city could never compete with. The rolling hills dappled with lavender made him envy the life of a peasant. Examining all the hills his eyes fell back upon the road he started upon seeing the shadow of a man. It was approaching slowly on foot, arms to their side they didn’t look like they were trying to be threatening but Darren had his hand on his sword’s pommel anyway, it's a dull adventurer who falls for ambushes after all. Two tense minutes later and he could finally make out details. The man was wearing a mask, the eyes on it glew a dull red. “A soldier?” he said mostly to himself, he jumped off the wagon, seeing to the man. Getting close he noticed that the mask encompassed the whole of his head, sealing the man's head inside, small bells tinkling at the side gave away its purpose. “Not a soldier, a tranquil. Fair morning do you-” Darren caught himself mid sentence and slapped his forehead at his own stupidity, Tranquil do not talk they only follow the orders of God. The tranquil carried a limping gait about it, obviously injured but they were the most devoted, they never complained and once close enough the Tranquil held it’s hand out to Darren. In its palm was a letter adorned with what looked like the seal of one noble house or another. “Is this for m-” Darren grumbled before snatching the letter out of the Tranquil’s hand, it was soggy and when he tried to open it, it practically disintegrated in his hand he shot a confused glance at the tranquil but it wasn’t standing there anymore, he turned around and saw it limping down the path the merchant came. “Guess it’s no use.” he thought “They won’t listen to anyone but their masters” he thought back to the mask it was wearing. It gave him butterflies, Af, it was a mask of Af. In all his days back home he’s never seen a soldiery tranquil before “ahh, close enough to smell the spiders burning now.” he whispered with a mixture of awe, excitement and maybe even a little fear. His father wouldn’t approve of that he thought, but then again he wouldn’t approve of many things he was doing. “Damned child, did you wish to die that bad or are you trying to spite your mother?” his air of smug delight was hard to suppress the day he received the summons. He was to muster with others in the capital, he was to fight side by side with angels against the demon hordes of the spider queen. It was like being recruited right into a fairytale and he thought his parents would be ecstatic. A slap to the face proved otherwise. Apparently they were not completely sold on the idea of their firstborn proving their house’s honor in the crucible of battle. Mother wept at his stubbornness and his father declared that he’d take the missive’s ultimatum, sending a servant and gold as proxy. But Darren would not give up on it, no matter how much his mother cried or how red his father’s face got. “You want to see war, I’ll show you war!” and while excited at first his hopes were crushed later when he was put on the lead of his family's’ trade caravan sent to deliver supplies to a military camp in Gydonsburg far from the frontlines garrisoned the sick and dying, beggers and debtors with not a single real knight. Putting on his finest green and blue doublet and trousers, supposing that those colors were popular everywhere in the country of Ancillia he would not be mistaken for a bandit, he was given a sash with his family’s crest a pair of crossed red feathers a magazine fed handcannon. Despite the assurances from his mother that the road he was to take was well guarded, he commissioned a sword and gambeson be made for his own purposes. He refused to take a hat. It made him resemble his father too closely and like that he was sent off. Darren thumbed his nose at father’s demands. After all, if a camp so far from the front would pay the amount he expected then a city at the front lines like Dauve or Selene would most likely pay a thousand times more. He ditched the caravan on the third night and made his way southeast. Back in the present Darren took a moment to admire his new hand cannon once more. It was an amazing piece of old world technology, the power of a hand cannon, more shots than a revolver, and almost no reloading time and more accurate than any of the former options. What demon could he possibly fear? He would ask himself so occupied was his mind on his weapon that he disregarded the smell of rot as his wagon approached the nearest village. The horse grunted in Exertion trying to crest the hill. “Halspas” he repeated the name in his head. His excitement was building“Father, I’m about to make you-” A bolt struck his horse between the eyes dropping it before it could even make a noise, he sat there dumbstruck and more confused than alarmed until a second bolt whizzed past his head the sound of cut air woke him from his stupor as he threw himself out of his cart landing with a thud in the lavender plants of the hill, he scanned the horizon something akin to fear creeping up on him. The village was gone, charred ruins standing in its place, the absence of smoke showing him that this wasn’t recent, more importantly he couldn’t find his assailant. “I-I have a gun!” Darren shouted in warning, there was no response. “I’m warning you!” he warned them again. They were not responding, perhaps they heard about the gun. He knew that he would have fled after learning that. Deciding it was most likely safe he slowly began to stand up. Eyes screwed onto the roofs dotting the skyline searching for shooters. The moment his head appeared above the grassline he was knocked onto his back, he would have yelled from surprise if the wind wasn’t stolen from his lungs first. An incredible pain unlike anything he’s ever felt before as it felt like his ribs were set on fire. He managed enough strength to raise his head. Though his vision was getting darker the last thing he saw was a bolt embedded in his chest.

Hello beautiful internet people!
I am looking to build a nice PC, ill be using it for AAA gaming, and architecture. I just want advice as this build is pulled straight off (120 FPS) PCMR.
More detail: Architecture software can use a lot of different processes simultaneously, raytracing modeling etc. So the many core processor makes sense. I may be using it for rendering images and videos, parametric design, programming.
Gaming: i want something that can make the BIGGEST city's sylines map
Also do people think Linux is worth it/approachable?
Thank you!!
(https://pcpartpicker.com/list/DQy6k9)
CPU Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor $299.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler Deepcool AG620 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler $54.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard Gigabyte Z790 UD AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard $189.99 @ Newegg
Memory TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan alpha 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL38 Memory $89.99 @ Amazon
Storage TEAMGROUP MP33 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive $69.98 @ Amazon
Video Card *XFX Speedster MERC 319 Radeon RX 6950 XT 16 GB Video Card $629.99 @ Amazon
Case Deepcool CG560 ATX Mid Tower Case $95.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply *Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
$104.99 @ Newegg Sellers Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts Total (before mail-in rebates) $1545.90 Mail-in rebates -$10.00
Total $1535.90 *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-06-05 16:53 EDT-0400

(a couple people wanted to know how my succession game went. Good news, I got many great players. Bad news, they never got to play. Real fortress stuff begins at the 15th of Granite, everything before that is just backstory.)
Diary of A_Demon Ducimlelum and records of Drilledsacks.
9th of Granite. Year 50.
I have come to discover that drinking at the same tavern as our nation’s rulers wasn’t the wise idea I thought it was. I thought it would be an easy way to rub shoulders with potential investors while getting some drinks in my gut. Oh if I had only known what it would lead me to.
So there I was, tossing back plump helmet wine as if Zolak was coming for my soul and I, in my drunken wisdom, decided to rant about the Murky Volcano.
You see, in my efforts to become a better trader I decided to take a beginners course on gem cutting. My thought was I could buy rough gems, cut them myself and sell the cut gems for a huge profit. Anyways the teacher told us about how diamonds are formed deep underground and pushed closer to the surface by volcanic pressure so while I was in the tavern I ranted to anyone who would listen.
“Why are we digging for gems when the Murky Volcano is willing to do it for free! All those gems must just be sitting there like mushrooms in the dirt! Whoever's in charge around here has no idea what they’re doing!”
Then I fall off my bar stool and who do I see staring down at me? That’s right, it's Mafol Letmosmuzish himself! The king graciously helps me to my feet and says. “That’s very interesting. Perhaps an aspiring young merchant should build a fortress there since digging into a volcano is so easy.”
I would have said something like “I was just joking!” or “Please your, highness I don’t want to die!”, but I puked up my wine before I could say anything.
“Thank you for volunteering Miss Ducimlelum. I’ll send you the paperwork in the morning.” He said with a shit eating grin and walked right out the door. I feel like The Bloated just took a crap on my life.
10th of granite. Year 50.
I put out some help wanted fliers in the morning and I was surprised to have a full team by the afternoon. Of course it’s just my luck they’re all shallow dwelling sky gazers! The first dwarf who came in for an interview was eating a salad like some kind of elf. Her name is Cukes and apparently she’s a skilled miner. I’ll believe that when I see it.
The second dwarf to sign up was Dr Dave. “What’s your doctorate in?” I asked her. She never gave me a straight answer, but she’s a brewer, a planter and she can cut down trees with enough skill to make an elf cry, which is to say any skill at all.
Third was a dwarf named Clown Commune. I don’t want to know what she did to get a nickname like that. She’s a skilled engraver and I’ve seen some of her work around the mountain, at least that’s what I’ve been told.
The forth dwarf comes in with a crossbow in one hand and a wild boar carcass slung over his shoulder. He throws the damn thing down on the table and says these are the skills he brings to the team. Welcome aboard Salty.
Dwarf number five comes in with a beard so long it’s almost touching the floor. Thank the gods he keeps it neatly combed. He tells me his name is Cthulhu. He’s competent in three different crafting arts and he’s learning to smith weapons. Apparently a magma forge is just what he needs.
The final dwarf was impatient but I could hardly blame her after sitting in the waiting room for so long. Luckily she brought along a book to read. I wonder what a scholar is hoping to find in a volcano, but apparently she also has some medical dwarf training so that’s reason enough to bring her with us. That and the seven dwarf minimum for expeditions. Welcome to the team River Of Arrows.
11th of Granite. Year 50.
This was the day I took my life savings and spent them all on fucking fortress suplies. I got the essentials like food, seeds and an anvil. With the leftover money I bought some animals for the fortress.
They didn’t have any tasty chinchillas so I got chickens instead. They’ll be good for food and their leather is one of my favourites. I dearly wanted some water buffaloes, I like them for their wallowing, but there wouldn’t be much water at the Murky Volcano so I made the hard decision to only get one water buffalo for myself and two camels to pull the wagon. The camels were on sale.
12th of Granite. Year 50.
When I got to the wagon depot one of my new travelling companions shouted, “Hey, it’s A_Demon!”
Instantly there was a mass panic in the depot. “It’s pronounced Ay-deo-mun!” I shouted over the crowd. Then I saw the fortress guard coming down the stairs. Were they coming to fight the alleged demon? Calm down the riot? Throw us in jail for starting a riot? We didn’t stick around to find out. Everyone on the wagon, we’re getting the hell out of Hailflags!
13th of Granite. Year 50.
We’re now in the monstrous hills. I asked over and over again if there was another way, but the only other path would take us all around the Embraced Cresta, which is basically a trek across the entire Continent Of Kin.
Gods above, this place gives me the creeps. It’s chilling to think that the dwarven tower of Grouppaddle is out there somewhere.
The worst part about traveling through the Monstrous Hills is the zombies. They’re not fast enough to catch up with our wagon, but they’re damn creepy. Salty had half a mind to practise his archery on the horrors as we passed, but he decided to save his ammo.
To pass the time and keep my mind off the horrors outside I’ve been counting inventory. Why do we have thirdy shoes? The merchant told me this was standard embark supplies but why would we need thirdy shoes? Whatever.
In addition to the animals I bought, River Of Arrows brought her cat. I told her feeding it was her responsibility, but she promised the cat could feed itself by hunting rats. I’ll begrudgingly admit her cat might be useful.
I think Clown Commune may have been the one who brought the breeding pair of untrained dogs. Apparently getting untrained dogs was a cost saving measure, it’s cheaper if we train the dogs ourselves. A dwarf after my own heart. Maybe these dwarves aren’t so bad after all.
14th of Granite. Year 50.
I took a break from driving the wagon last night and let Dr Dave take the rains until morning. It was still dark out when I woke up to the sound of whistling in the style of The Beige Embrace. “Dr Dave, you know The Beige Embrace musical form?”
“Yeah, one of the two musical forms I know. The other is The Saffron Lutes.”
“Really, what’s that one sound like?”
“A little something like this.” She then performed a piece for us. After the first couple verses the wagon joined in. None of us knew the first thing about singing but we were having fun. At that moment everything felt like it was going to be ok. That should have tipped me off that something was about to go wrong.
The wagon suddenly lurched. We stepped outside and saw the damn thing was stuck in the mud. A minor annoyance to dwarves not trapped in a zombie filled waste land, if only we could be so lucky. The shambling corpses drew in.
Salty shot a few bolts in them to little effect. Me and Clown Commune tried to push the wagon. Somehow one of those undead beasts snuck up on me but River Of Arrows bashed it in the face with her book sending brain splattered pages everywhere. “Damn, I guess I’ll never find out how it ends.” She dropped the broken book and helped me push.
Salty ran out of bolts so he beat the nearest zombie to death with his crossbow. Dr Dave, Cukes and Cuthulhu picked up sticks and joined Salty in the melee.
While they fought off the undead the rest of us pushed the wagon out of the mud. The animals bolted. Me, Clown Commune and River Of Arrows jumped on. The rest chased after us. Salty had to leave his crossbow behind since it was stuck in a zombie’s chest.
I reached out my hand and pulled Cthulhu onto the wagon. Clown Commune helped Dr Dave. River Of Arrows got Cukes and Salty was able to pull himself up. We just laid there for a while, trying to catch our breaths. I think I fainted after that.
15th of Granite. Year 50.
That morning must have been the worst awakening I’ve had since the drinking contest in Bodystockade. It felt pleasantly warm at first then I opened my eyes. Zolak’s fucking eye, I was half a foot away from a lake of lava! I jumped up screaming. If I had rolled over in my sleep I’d have been burned alive!
Welcome to the fucking Murky Valcano! The animals must have pulled us up here while we were passed out. Thank any god you please that the wagon wheel broke off before we went over the ledge.
My first order as expedition leader, let’s move over there.
16th of Granite. Year 50.
Once the initial shock and horror wore off we couldn’t help but laugh at our situation. I guess it’s just gallows humour. As we unloaded our supplies I realised that I’ve come to consider these dwarves my friends. When I first met these bearded bastards I never thought I’d end up saying that. It’s funny what a near death experience or two can do.
Here’s to us. There’s no other dwarves I’d rather be stranded on a volcano with. A new chapter of dwarven history begins here, at this place, Monangfath, “Drilledsacks”. Strike the earth!
Seriously we need to dig a burrow, I’ve heard there’s leopards around here and they might be hungry.
1st of Slate. Year 50.
We’re making a wooden crossbow and some bolts to replace the crossbow that was lost in the Monstrous Hills. Hopefully Salty can hunt some of those kangaroos for us to eat. The wooden bolts aren’t very effective but they’re all we got right now.
28th of Slate. Year 50.
We’ve struck obsidian. This’ll be good for swords and traps involving swords. Metal is better of course but unfortunately we haven’t been able to find any. Also I have designated myself as the broker. I’ve been training to be a merchant for some time now, no reason to throw all the training away just because we’re stranded on a volcano.
Also we’re digging out some 4x4 rooms for ourselves. Might as well make something nice for ourselves.
24th of Hematite. Year 50.
Our first wave of migrants have arrived. They brought with them a steel axe and a breeding pair of turkeys. The birds are still poults but they’ll grow fast I’m sure. Now we’re up to 10 working dwarves and a child.
12th of Malachite. Year 50.
River Of Arrows has been feeling ecstatic lately but Salty is feeling a little bit down. I think it’s the stress of hunting. I’ll assign him some other duties and see if that helps.
6th of Galena.Year 50.
We’ve found some colourful rocks like microcline and quartzite. They’ll be good for decorating the place. Also there’s a cherry tree right at the peak of the volcano. It’s kind of pretty. That would be a great place to dump our garbage. Right off the edge and into the volcano.
17th of Galena. Year 50.
We have discovered an expansive cavern deep underground. I saw a gorlak down there. He seemed friendly but I sealed off the cavern just in case. I think I might build a tavern down there so adventurers can go straight from drinking to fighting monsters.
1st of Limestone. Year 50.
THE DEAD WALK HIDE WHILE YOU STILL CAN! It’s not even winter yet and we’re getting attacked by undead! I ordered everyone underground and built a quick wall to keep them out.
4th of Limestone. Year 50.
We couldn’t get the walls in time up but we managed to lock the doors. Hopefully that’s enough. While I was doing a headcount I found Kol Kekimzaneg the child was missing. He was last seen playing on the side of the hill, he must still be out there. His mom, Rigoth Zuglarunal, wants us to go out there and get him, but if I open those doors we’re all doomed.
Ganadalmosh, give me strength. I knew being an expedition leader would be hard but… fuck…
5th of Limestone. Year 50.
Day one of the siege. We have enough food and drink to last us a while, but the undead don’t need to eat… I’m sure they’ve killed most if not all of our livestock by now and we can only pray that Kol found a place to hide.
I’ve ordered some engravings to be made on the wall and designated this room as a tavern to keep up morale. It was originally intended to be our tavern until we could make a better one lower in the earth.
6th of Limestone. Year 50.
Clown Commune has made her first engraving. It’s a well-designed image of The Interpretation Of The Movement Of Animals, the white opal-bound codex by Zutthan Alathazin.
28th of Limestone. Year 50.
I decided to do some mining while we’re under siege. Might as well use this time to work on that grand tavern idea. I wonder if any adventurers are out there fighting the undead.
(interlude by Mothec Mukudon, the human archer) After three days of travel through The Foelds Of Silkiness and the beautiful elven Forest of Wires I have arrived at the Murky Valcano. What new wonders await me in the Drilledsacks? What marvels of craftsmanship have the dwarfs created in this majestic volcano? Could it perhaps be… Sweet fucking fields! What the hell is that! Oh god it took my ear off! What the fuck!
Mothec Mukudon was struck down by Acikolis, the hammer-dwarf corpse.
3rd of Timber. Year 50.
Those chicken eggs should be hatching by now. Imagine the sweet fluffy little birds coming out of their shells for the first time, peeping for the mamma only to be met by the hammer of an undead horror with a burning hatred for all life.
26th of Timber. Year 50.
I’ve opened up the cavern so we can start a small mushroom farm. We’ll stay down here until the zombies turn to dust if we have to, but damn, the rats down here are big.
10th of Moonstone. Year 50.
These hairy naked human looking things came into the new tavern mid construction and just started hanging around. Apparently they’re called troglodytes. One of them killed our female war dog.
That’s it, get the swords ready for a trog hunt.
22nd Opal. Year 50.
Ever since the troglodyte incident we’ve been preparing for another fight. We’ve got obsidian swords and tower-cap wood shields. I and the other miner will be using our picks and Salty of course has his crossbow. If it comes down to it we may need to fight our way out of the fortress.
1st of Granite. Year 51.
Happy new year. Living completely underground hasn’t been so bad. Sure we may never see the sun again but… Well we’ve got a pretty nice tavern.
19th of Granite. Year 51.
One of my fellow dwarves had the bright idea of setting up some traps for the undead. We’ve got plenty of rocks we can drop on them and we can build a narrow hallway in the old tavern. I’ll get a mechanics workshop up and running.
26th of Granite. Year 51.
The troglodytes came into the tavern again but this time we were ready for them. We ripped through them with the greatest of easy. Cutting them down where they stood. Welcome to The Mechanical Onion, mother fucker!
Of course I’m aware this was just a minor victory. The undead will be far harder to defeat since they wear armour and they don’t bleed. I keep this revelation to myself of course, it’s been too long since these dwarves had a reason to celebrate and they needed this victory.
20th of Hematite. Year 51.
The dwarves seem very reluctant to arm the traps. Maybe they want to delay the fight as long as possible. Sadly we can’t delay much longer, we’re running out of food and drink. I’ve designated a fishing area in the caverns. It’s not the safest way to get food but there’s little choice in the matter. And the troglodytes continue to be an annoyance.
2nd of Malachite. Year 51.
Dwarves are getting restless due to a lack of prayer. I’ve designated a hallway as a general temple called The Mess Of Growth. Let’s hope those gods hear our prayers.
6th Malachite. Year 51.
I’ve converted my room into a makeshift hospital called The Helmed Home.
15th of Malachite. Year 51.
We’ve run out of drinks and we’re now reduced to drinking muddy cavern water. Still no one wants to arm the traps. I may have to unlock the door without them.
4th of Galena. Year 51.
There’s no food or drink left. This is the day we fight. Today Drilledsacks will either stand or fall. We stand guard at the end of an unarmed trap hallway. We hear something coming. A random human poet comes screaming out of the hallway. And then another random human poet. Then another poet, a dwarf this time.
8th of Galena. Year 51.
Ok, I guess we’ll have to meet them outside.
(Everyone was killed in battle. It wasn’t even close. Dr Dave didn’t come to the battle since he was in the hospital where he died of dehydration.)

Foreword:

I've asked her to do this before with Guilty Gear characters and we all had a great time. So, I thought we'd do it again with HSR!
The process was simple: I showed her the character's splash art and 3D model, then asked for the character's name, rarity, and description. I wrote down her stream of consciousness as she dictated.
She has never played Star Rail and knows nothing about it. So, who better to explain the game?

Game Premise:

There's a train that needs to built in space. The first space train. A passion project. Needs to zip around space, like on a ring of Saturn. For bougie people. Maybe they'll make new tracks and connect em.
Space has a lot of problems, including monsters. They don't know what to expect. The people working on the tracks are like excellent fighters. They're almost like military slaves. That's the gist of the world. Something like that.

Saber (Arlan)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

His name is Ian, but his friends call him Saber because he lies about his name. His dog's name is Chachi. He's an orphan. Terrible childhood accident, and since he had no one, he had to join the military. Found Chachi on a mission. He's his only family, now. He's just looking for a place to settle down, but the military is preventing that. He's a bit broken. In the middle of his story, yknow. He's not finished.

Stella (Asta)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's smart, because she's in a lab coat, but she's stupid because she's in the military. She's a space navigator type person. Helps on the project of the train tracks. Sails the seas of the stars. She's good at nothing else, she just likes stars. Just really lacking everywhere else.
The type who would wake up without underwear and wouldn't know why. She's messy and lacking. She has no one at home. Maybe like, supportive parents, but that's it. Good relationship with them, but theyre galaxies away. Keeps to herself.
Trash waifu. If you like her, you're a basic bitch. 5 stars because shes basic bitch waifu bait. If I could give her 6, I would.

Alfengunshia (Bailu)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A native of one of the planets. Uh, planet like Earth, but it's not. It's 95% water. Her name is hard to pronounce, so people just call her Alf. Normal name is too long. She has no trauma, she's too young for that. Nothing has happened to her planet, yet (spoilers). Look out for that in the next patch, or maybe the next season or something. Something will happen to the planet Ulxia.
Lots of "ia's" on this planet (because the creators are uncreative). "ia" is to give homage to the planet, "Children of Ulxia", basically. A little tribal, a little cute, pure. Nothing wrong here. Pretty basic. Probably greets the main character and says "here have some fish", just being nice to the scary policeman because he's trying to ruin the planet with train tracks.
She's going to teach the younger generation about pollution and stuff. She'll get sick and it'll be the climax in a much later season. We'll be upset by her near death symptoms. Also, looks like her gills haven't come in, yet. The pollution is to blame.

Alixandre (Blade)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is going to be a bitch. He's one of the people opposed to the train tracks. They can't build through his property. He wants to be left alone. He's brooding, mourning, pushing people away, and doesn't want anyone building rails by his house.
It's been 5 yeas since he lost his wife. This is the most alive he's been ever since. He's an opposing force.

General Chief Deputy Yasmin (Bronya)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's trained, very skilled. A lil scary and abrasive. Actually soft on the inside and loves cute things like bunnies and cats and birds. No one sees that side of her because she's diligent and does her job. She owns a few fish.
I like her boots. IDK if they're one piece or two, and I like my women confusing.

Amelia (Clara)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story isn't so much about her, as much as it is about the dude next to her. She's 3 years old, lost in the farmer's market, her mom left her there. She's lookin for her mom, crying, doesn't know what to do. Doesn't realize she's been abandoned. Farmers are mad at her for crying and hanging around for 3 days. They're about to kick her out, but THIS homie boy, this fucker right here (whose name is Creed), this G, comes in and stops these people.
He steps in and takes over the situation. He's like woah they said she's been here 3 days. He takes her to McDonalds, Mickey D's, you know. They're at Mickey D's and asks "where's your mom, kid?" She's like, "Googoo gaga, I don't know." It has a lot of typos and garbos because she's a baby and can't type.
"Damn, she can't speak and she's 3 years old." He takes her in and cares for his mentally disabled child. It's sad because it's like Forrest Gump. I can't describe it. She's disabled in the like, clinical sense. He's teaching her about the world, she's just trying to experience life. He's doing a good job being a papa.
Amelia is 100% fixated on the train. She wants to learn about it, she always tries to sneak to the station, causing trouble. Creed keeps getting called and he's at his wits end. But he's patient. IDK how he does it.
Not important to the main story. The interesting thing about this game is that it's about the people. You get a glimpse into the lives of the planet natives. We don't care about how space trains work.

Erik/Eden (Dan Heng)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh my god. He's fucking breathtaking.
(Side note about the game lore). Interesting thing you may not have noticed, is that that there's an abundance of gold on this planet. They don't really have silver on this planet, so you'll see an abundance of gold on these characters. They just keep finding more gold.
He doesn't exist in this game. He actually exists in reality and we are now married. Goodbye, Andre.
Im sorry, just, what a pretty design. Sigh, I'm rejecting him for you. Just to show you I love you. This is a power move, remember how good you have it.
He's young, single, but a family man. He's the oldest sibling, taking care of the younger ones. Has a single mom. He's trying to take care of her. The problem is, some of the natives aren't on board with the train idea. He's from one of the towns that opposes the train.
Spoilers, in case you haven't gotten this far: Later, he learns they mean him no harm. Same with the whole town. He's a trained fighter who wants to protect his home. He gets off on the wrong foot with the train workers. He fights a bear with them and they clear up their misunderstanding. They start to see eachother as people and stop trying to kill each other. We're all just humans / whatever-the-fuck-ulxia-is.
IDK if he has friends. He probably does, just not any best friends. He's so devoted to his family, he doesn't have the time to nurture a friendship. He makes mistakes, but he's a good boy.
He's like, because I like him, a 2* character. (Me: because you're not a basic bitch?) Yeah, he's low tier and I have good taste.

????? (Fu Xuan)

Rarity: -----

Interesting character because, as we know, gods don't exist. She's a complicated hidden cosmos goddess. I can't explain the celestial realm to you, but she's the embodiment of some celestial bodies.
She acts a little nosy. Acts like she's holier than though, but she meddles with peoples' affairs. She's a narrator and wants people to know she was involved. It's unfair, she shouldn't be meddling.
They never show her name. Just ????. Maybe we'll find out later in the game. They'll suddenly change the ??? to a name out of nowhere and it will be disappointing.
Not a playable character. More like a mascot. She's the narrator, and (easter egg) she shows up in every scene of the game and in every promo.

Doug (Gepard)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Damn, everyone looks so god damn buff. Why can't there be scrawny ones who can't pick up a kitchen knife?
He's a little cringey. He's really loyal to a fault. He really really likes wolves/dogs/canines. He feels like theyre his spirit animal. He likes them because they're loyal. He has lots of pride, uhg. He does shit on his own.
Let me explain, he does shit on his own. Sometimes he makes mistakes. Like, he messes up but thinks his decisions are correct. He thinks he's on the side of law, on the side of truth. He has the declaration of independence on his side. He's very bland and stoic, and white (like morally speaking life is black/white.). He just says things that make you think, "what a dick". You hate seeing him, but you can't hate him because you know he's a good guy. But still you get upset.
In reality, he's a fan favorite; ranking at #2 on a weekly poll. I can't stand him, idk why people like him so much.

Nona (Herta)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beautifully tragic character. So, one look at this character and I know what you're thinking: "What a beautiful human girl?" And why? Why did you have to say "human girl?" Why couldn't you say "girl?" Well, that's because when you look at her, you notice, she's not a human. That's when it dawns on you: she's not a human.
I have to tell you, her name is Nona. Because she aint got no no na naay n- she's got no name okay. It's sad, who doesn't name her dolls?
This game doesn't always give you the answers. We're still in the middle of figuring her out. We know a little about her past, but we don't know her true past. We know she's been alive for 72 years and, in that time, she's had quite a love life.
This is one of those things you like to see in media, a tragic love story, and you wonder if they'll ever see each other again. You wonder if they'll be okay, and life will be as they wanted it.
So, her and Creed, were in a relationship years ago. I know; I gasped, too. She used to own an orphanage. Do you own orphanages or work at them? Wait, is it bad to own an orphanage? Do we want orphans or not? If you shut down orphanages, would there be less supply of orphans?
Anyway, that's when she met Creed. 10 years ago (8, rounding up). He was a prickly person, kind of a shithead, a thug. He tried to rob/murder the orphanage, but a fire happened and he was injured. She took him in and nurtured him and cared for him.
They fell in love and he stays with her. They get married and they have a life with their orphans.
It happens again. Years later, the orphanages burn down. He's in town when it happens, and when he comes back, it's gone. He runs into the orphanage and they're all dead. But none of this is in the game, to keep it PG.
He assumes she dies too but, the weird thing is, she had just left 5 minutes ago. She was just there thinking the orphans were dead, Creed was dead, it's all gone. So she leaves. And then Creed shows up and thinks she's dead.
They're both dumb. Creed's had a rough past. She eventually figures out she's the cause of the fire, and that Creed is still alive. We find out she's really valuable/important. Not to the game, but, to someone.
She's staying away from people to prevent hurting anyone else. Creed's been pushed away and he's travelling alone, mourning. Stumbles upon a child. I can't believe he's not important to the story. Maybe we can complain as fans and at least get a sprite for him into the game.
So yeah they're the OTP, and we're asking "what's up with nona?" Eventually they'll be together, and she'll raise Amelia like a daughter. It's nothing but up, for her.

Tristan (Himeko)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's a higher up in the military. She's kind of interesting because they took her out of retirement to come back. She's hella OP, hella experienced. They had to really really bug her to come back. She has two whole planets to her name. She's integral to the train project. There's more to it than just the trains. They had to take this legendary machine, so something's going on. We're not sure why she's here.
Everyone loves her and looks up to her. I look up to her. But that's why im like, woah, why is she here? The fans are like, woah why is she here? She treats everyone equally. She should be the goddess that's narrrating, and not ?????.

Ulma (Hook)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a confusing character. Not very confusing, but she's a long way from home. She's one of the Ulxians, water beasts. Like, only half. She has a family that loves her. But there are always inter-species hate. She's in a human town with adopted human parents. She hides her ulxian-side. She's loved to high hell and I wish her the best.
Her real parents died. Her ulxian mom died in childbirth and her human father took her to a town, and later died. The humans that took her in were friends of her father. Her backstory will be sad and traumatizing to her when she gets older.
The fans will love it. I recommend this game, honestly. I'm having a lot of fun.

Reggie (Jing Yuan)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

He kinda counteracts Doug. He's one of the train opposers. He's a bad guy from like a long time ago. All these people are like, a nation and they all go long back. An ancient galactic empire. They're from part of this place's military and were like generals. He and Doug butt heads. They don't really get along, but their personalities complement each other.
It's kinda joked about in the community, that they'd be best of friends. It's comedic that people ship them. But it's so obvious they would actually get along. They deny it in the game, but they actually give a shit about each other. They're like frenemies.
He's a little pompous, but you know his family line. You can can see what he can do. He's proved his worth, but it feels expected of his genetics.

Lorena (Kafka)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one's fun. This is Stella's older sister. She's pretty cool. She's high up and successful. She works in a private militia, well respected by the empire. Part of a secret sect of the empire, which spurs a lot of debate in the community.
Lorena is kind of cold. She's a lot more heartless, which makes you wonder what her parents did so wrong with her, and so right with Stella. She could probably kill some people, and probably has already. Everything she does is secret. I don't want to be in a room with her, ever. I don't want her to know my name. Goodness. Heebie Jeebies.

Lester (Luka)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Again, the interesting thing about this game is that sometimes it's not about the plot. It's about the people. He's a grungy, underground, fighter. Hes strong, and kicks peoples' ass for judging him a certain way. He thinks its faster than having a conversation. He's just tired of people and will kick your ass. Fan favorite. Very based. The guys want to be with him, the girls want to be him.
He's not that important, but you're always happy whenever he makes an appearance. He's fun. I like him.

Horaldo (Luocha)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Either people care for him, or they don't. But no one holds strong opinions on him. Weaker character, 4*. He's kinda like this other soldier. He's a bit broody. Does his job, but that's it. He's unfriendly, but polite. He's hasty. Just wants to get his job done, but it's hard to invite him to drinks.
Nobody really knows his story. But nobody really cares. The game messed up and made us not care, but you can tell they wanted him to be important.

May (March 7th)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's actually a friend to the main character. You start off with her. The best friend. You start in a flash back with her, going to the academy. They teach you the controls, there. Then it goes back to the present day. Silly timeskip. You can find memories across the game.
She's been with the MC a long time. They're still in the academy, kinda in the train station area for some kind of program.
IDK if we'll find the MC in this character lineup. But she's the best friend, pushes the kinda lazy MC to go do things like, get crepes, or a sundae on Sunday. No one can really complain about her.
She's a basic bitch waifu pick.

Mason (Natasha)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Interestingly, she's in town, the local botanist. Kind of the town doctor. This town don't have much people comin and going. It's like the boonies. She used to work for the militia. She's retired, taking care of her people. She knows about the train stuff; she denied their request for her to rejoin and help. She's happy where she is.
The game is young. People don't know why she's a 5*.

Kunilla (Pela)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another student of the academy. Idolizes Stella. She met her and now she thinks of her as a mentor. She self appoints her self as Stella's apprentice. She annoyingly brings up Stella in every conversation. Her obsession prevents people from wanting to get to know her. She's kind of a mean person, who only cares about Stella. She's even considering changing her name. A bit insane.
Garbage pick.

Annie (Qingque)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's slightly abrasive. Not as bad as Doug. She will apologize and is pretty nice. Owns up to her mistakes but is still a bit abrasive. A childhood friend of Eden. Like were friends as a kid, not much now. She knows his deal and is fine with it. She doesn't bug him. She lets people be themselves. Some people wish Eden was better friends with them, but she accepts it. They're a good pair. She's growing. She's trying, but awkward. I like her.

Dio (Sampo)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How to start talking about him... This is Creed's younger, mental, brother. They don't really know each other. Dio is 10 years younger. They're related, but by the time they were to leave the house, Creed had already turned to robbing/pillaging. Like a stupid, innocent type of evil.
But Dio got some pretty bad abuse while Creed was gone. He's like an assassin, and is kinda scary. He goes toe-to-toe with Lorena on scariness. They've worked together but it's hard to tell what kind of relationship they have. Do they get along or do they hate each other? A fun character but has tons of red flags. You wanna look at him, but you don't wanna get to know him. He doesn't care about anything anymore, so is just having fun with life. It got dark and he kills people. Doesn't care what side he's on. Just does the fun thing. Taking whatever job.

Ursula (Seele)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We're back at the academy. This is actually another childhood friend. The MC fell out of friendship with her at some point. She's an antagonist of sorts. She cares about what you have to say, but she's also a bully. She secretly tries to push you to be better, and she is a sort of nemesis. We don't really know her deal.

Tesla (Serval)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of Lester's groupies. She REALLY cool, okay? She knows she's cool and likes Lester. Who doesn't? She goes for what she wants, and she wants Lester. She acts like they're together and tells people to back off him. She's strong willed. 4 years older than Lester. You sorta give her a pass for the shit she does because of her confidence. An accomplished musician. She plays every part of her band. She's a musical genius. She is admired. She's really cool. People will gladly be stepped on by her.

June (Silver Wolf)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twitch gamer, obviously. In the same district as Lester and Tesla. She frequents the arcade. Goes once a week to maintain her high scores. Goes monthly now because she's untouchable. She realizes she can make money doing basically anything. She starts vlogging and carries a camera everywhere with her.
People send her superchats and she just ignores them, but they still love it. She's got a huge fanbase but does nothing to deserve it besides being good at games. Doesn't interact with her fans in the slightest.
She was a 5, but got nerfed, and is now a 4.

Rachel (Sushang)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of Nona's old coworkers, back when they both worked at the orphanage. She was volunteering then moved to the big city for college. She's on her own adventure. She's new to the story, so we don't know much yet.

Julia (Tingyun)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's almost like a princess, for her tribe. The animal folk, they have their own dynasty. She's just a princess, idk. You don't see her much, but theyre there, you have to hear about them. But you don't know much. Boring.

Marcus (Welt)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Works in a detective agency. The agency's gimmick is that it's actually 3 detectives, disguised as one. 1 looks up the means, 1 looks up the motive, and 1 looks up whatever the third one is. They're not very quick outside their job. The 4th sort of acts like the assistant, but actually pieces together the information gathered by the other 3. That's his job. He's figured out how to use them to solve cases.

Cris (Yanqing)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Mulan story. A rich kid who entered training under false pretenses. She really wants to learn under a specific person who teaches at an all boys school. She's faking being a boy to get in. Keeps some guards around, cuz she's rich, but doesn't let them bother her at school. No one knows she's not a boy. Her dad is overprotective of her. She's a fun character. Crosses those boundaries. Real name is Crissie, goes by Cris at the school.

Monica (Yukong)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the generals for the empire. She both works for the empire and is Julia's lead general. She was part of a personal militia for a country, but was given a pass by Julia to join the empire's military. She goes on missions and brings back souveniers. She's really nice and cares about who she's protecting. Knows all the kids in town. Knows a lot of locals. Outstanding member of her society.

Zephyr (Female Trailblazer)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the main project leader for the trains. She's taking care of the whole god damn thing. She's going to drive it. Her personal philosophy is that she won't drive any train she didn't help build. She fuckin loves trains. Dont come at her unless you love choo-choos.
She's smart, she's an engineer, great driving skills. Of course she was asked to be the first space train driver. It's great. Kudos to her. She's earned her place.
She has a train bed. And train sheets. Actually two train beds, because it needs a caboose. Has a little too many train books.

Foreword:

I've asked her to do this before with Guilty Gear characters and we all had a great time. So, I thought we'd do it again with HSR!
The process was simple: I showed her the character's splash art and 3D model, then asked for the character's name, rarity, and description. I wrote down her stream of consciousness as she dictated.
She has never played Star Rail and knows nothing about it. So, who better to explain the game?

Game Premise:

There's a train that needs to built in space. The first space train. A passion project. Needs to zip around space, like on a ring of Saturn. For bougie people. Maybe they'll make new tracks and connect em.
Space has a lot of problems, including monsters. They don't know what to expect. The people working on the tracks are like excellent fighters. They're almost like military slaves. That's the gist of the world. Something like that.

Saber (Arlan)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

His name is Ian, but his friends call him Saber because he lies about his name. His dog's name is Chachi. He's an orphan. Terrible childhood accident, and since he had no one, he had to join the military. Found Chachi on a mission. He's his only family, now. He's just looking for a place to settle down, but the military is preventing that. He's a bit broken. In the middle of his story, yknow. He's not finished.

Stella (Asta)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's smart, because she's in a lab coat, but she's stupid because she's in the military. She's a space navigator type person. Helps on the project of the train tracks. Sails the seas of the stars. She's good at nothing else, she just likes stars. Just really lacking everywhere else.
The type who would wake up without underwear and wouldn't know why. She's messy and lacking. She has no one at home. Maybe like, supportive parents, but that's it. Good relationship with them, but theyre galaxies away. Keeps to herself.
Trash waifu. If you like her, you're a basic bitch. 5 stars because shes basic bitch waifu bait. If I could give her 6, I would.

Alfengunshia (Bailu)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A native of one of the planets. Uh, planet like Earth, but it's not. It's 95% water. Her name is hard to pronounce, so people just call her Alf. Normal name is too long. She has no trauma, she's too young for that. Nothing has happened to her planet, yet (spoilers). Look out for that in the next patch, or maybe the next season or something. Something will happen to the planet Ulxia.
Lots of "ia's" on this planet (because the creators are uncreative). "ia" is to give homage to the planet, "Children of Ulxia", basically. A little tribal, a little cute, pure. Nothing wrong here. Pretty basic. Probably greets the main character and says "here have some fish", just being nice to the scary policeman because he's trying to ruin the planet with train tracks.
She's going to teach the younger generation about pollution and stuff. She'll get sick and it'll be the climax in a much later season. We'll be upset by her near death symptoms. Also, looks like her gills haven't come in, yet. The pollution is to blame.

Alixandre (Blade)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is going to be a bitch. He's one of the people opposed to the train tracks. They can't build through his property. He wants to be left alone. He's brooding, mourning, pushing people away, and doesn't want anyone building rails by his house.
It's been 5 yeas since he lost his wife. This is the most alive he's been ever since. He's an opposing force.

General Chief Deputy Yasmin (Bronya)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's trained, very skilled. A lil scary and abrasive. Actually soft on the inside and loves cute things like bunnies and cats and birds. No one sees that side of her because she's diligent and does her job. She owns a few fish.
I like her boots. IDK if they're one piece or two, and I like my women confusing.

Amelia (Clara)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The story isn't so much about her, as much as it is about the dude next to her. She's 3 years old, lost in the farmer's market, her mom left her there. She's lookin for her mom, crying, doesn't know what to do. Doesn't realize she's been abandoned. Farmers are mad at her for crying and hanging around for 3 days. They're about to kick her out, but THIS homie boy, this fucker right here (whose name is Creed), this G, comes in and stops these people.
He steps in and takes over the situation. He's like woah they said she's been here 3 days. He takes her to McDonalds, Mickey D's, you know. They're at Mickey D's and asks "where's your mom, kid?" She's like, "Googoo gaga, I don't know." It has a lot of typos and garbos because she's a baby and can't type.
"Damn, she can't speak and she's 3 years old." He takes her in and cares for his mentally disabled child. It's sad because it's like Forrest Gump. I can't describe it. She's disabled in the like, clinical sense. He's teaching her about the world, she's just trying to experience life. He's doing a good job being a papa.
Amelia is 100% fixated on the train. She wants to learn about it, she always tries to sneak to the station, causing trouble. Creed keeps getting called and he's at his wits end. But he's patient. IDK how he does it.
Not important to the main story. The interesting thing about this game is that it's about the people. You get a glimpse into the lives of the planet natives. We don't care about how space trains work.

Erik/Eden (Dan Heng)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh my god. He's fucking breathtaking.
(Side note about the game lore). Interesting thing you may not have noticed, is that that there's an abundance of gold on this planet. They don't really have silver on this planet, so you'll see an abundance of gold on these characters. They just keep finding more gold.
He doesn't exist in this game. He actually exists in reality and we are now married. Goodbye, Andre.
Im sorry, just, what a pretty design. Sigh, I'm rejecting him for you. Just to show you I love you. This is a power move, remember how good you have it.
He's young, single, but a family man. He's the oldest sibling, taking care of the younger ones. Has a single mom. He's trying to take care of her. The problem is, some of the natives aren't on board with the train idea. He's from one of the towns that opposes the train.
Spoilers, in case you haven't gotten this far: Later, he learns they mean him no harm. Same with the whole town. He's a trained fighter who wants to protect his home. He gets off on the wrong foot with the train workers. He fights a bear with them and they clear up their misunderstanding. They start to see eachother as people and stop trying to kill each other. We're all just humans / whatever-the-fuck-ulxia-is.
IDK if he has friends. He probably does, just not any best friends. He's so devoted to his family, he doesn't have the time to nurture a friendship. He makes mistakes, but he's a good boy.
He's like, because I like him, a 2* character. (Me: because you're not a basic bitch?) Yeah, he's low tier and I have good taste.

????? (Fu Xuan)

Rarity: -----

Interesting character because, as we know, gods don't exist. She's a complicated hidden cosmos goddess. I can't explain the celestial realm to you, but she's the embodiment of some celestial bodies.
She acts a little nosy. Acts like she's holier than though, but she meddles with peoples' affairs. She's a narrator and wants people to know she was involved. It's unfair, she shouldn't be meddling.
They never show her name. Just ????. Maybe we'll find out later in the game. They'll suddenly change the ??? to a name out of nowhere and it will be disappointing.
Not a playable character. More like a mascot. She's the narrator, and (easter egg) she shows up in every scene of the game and in every promo.

Doug (Gepard)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Damn, everyone looks so god damn buff. Why can't there be scrawny ones who can't pick up a kitchen knife?
He's a little cringey. He's really loyal to a fault. He really really likes wolves/dogs/canines. He feels like theyre his spirit animal. He likes them because they're loyal. He has lots of pride, uhg. He does shit on his own.
Let me explain, he does shit on his own. Sometimes he makes mistakes. Like, he messes up but thinks his decisions are correct. He thinks he's on the side of law, on the side of truth. He has the declaration of independence on his side. He's very bland and stoic, and white (like morally speaking life is black/white.). He just says things that make you think, "what a dick". You hate seeing him, but you can't hate him because you know he's a good guy. But still you get upset.
In reality, he's a fan favorite; ranking at #2 on a weekly poll. I can't stand him, idk why people like him so much.

Nona (Herta)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Beautifully tragic character. So, one look at this character and I know what you're thinking: "What a beautiful human girl?" And why? Why did you have to say "human girl?" Why couldn't you say "girl?" Well, that's because when you look at her, you notice, she's not a human. That's when it dawns on you: she's not a human.
I have to tell you, her name is Nona. Because she aint got no no na naay n- she's got no name okay. It's sad, who doesn't name her dolls?
This game doesn't always give you the answers. We're still in the middle of figuring her out. We know a little about her past, but we don't know her true past. We know she's been alive for 72 years and, in that time, she's had quite a love life.
This is one of those things you like to see in media, a tragic love story, and you wonder if they'll ever see each other again. You wonder if they'll be okay, and life will be as they wanted it.
So, her and Creed, were in a relationship years ago. I know; I gasped, too. She used to own an orphanage. Do you own orphanages or work at them? Wait, is it bad to own an orphanage? Do we want orphans or not? If you shut down orphanages, would there be less supply of orphans?
Anyway, that's when she met Creed. 10 years ago (8, rounding up). He was a prickly person, kind of a shithead, a thug. He tried to rob/murder the orphanage, but a fire happened and he was injured. She took him in and nurtured him and cared for him.
They fell in love and he stays with her. They get married and they have a life with their orphans.
It happens again. Years later, the orphanages burn down. He's in town when it happens, and when he comes back, it's gone. He runs into the orphanage and they're all dead. But none of this is in the game, to keep it PG.
He assumes she dies too but, the weird thing is, she had just left 5 minutes ago. She was just there thinking the orphans were dead, Creed was dead, it's all gone. So she leaves. And then Creed shows up and thinks she's dead.
They're both dumb. Creed's had a rough past. She eventually figures out she's the cause of the fire, and that Creed is still alive. We find out she's really valuable/important. Not to the game, but, to someone.
She's staying away from people to prevent hurting anyone else. Creed's been pushed away and he's travelling alone, mourning. Stumbles upon a child. I can't believe he's not important to the story. Maybe we can complain as fans and at least get a sprite for him into the game.
So yeah they're the OTP, and we're asking "what's up with nona?" Eventually they'll be together, and she'll raise Amelia like a daughter. It's nothing but up, for her.

Tristan (Himeko)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's a higher up in the military. She's kind of interesting because they took her out of retirement to come back. She's hella OP, hella experienced. They had to really really bug her to come back. She has two whole planets to her name. She's integral to the train project. There's more to it than just the trains. They had to take this legendary machine, so something's going on. We're not sure why she's here.
Everyone loves her and looks up to her. I look up to her. But that's why im like, woah, why is she here? The fans are like, woah why is she here? She treats everyone equally. She should be the goddess that's narrrating, and not ?????.

Ulma (Hook)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a confusing character. Not very confusing, but she's a long way from home. She's one of the Ulxians, water beasts. Like, only half. She has a family that loves her. But there are always inter-species hate. She's in a human town with adopted human parents. She hides her ulxian-side. She's loved to high hell and I wish her the best.
Her real parents died. Her ulxian mom died in childbirth and her human father took her to a town, and later died. The humans that took her in were friends of her father. Her backstory will be sad and traumatizing to her when she gets older.
The fans will love it. I recommend this game, honestly. I'm having a lot of fun.

Reggie (Jing Yuan)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

He kinda counteracts Doug. He's one of the train opposers. He's a bad guy from like a long time ago. All these people are like, a nation and they all go long back. An ancient galactic empire. They're from part of this place's military and were like generals. He and Doug butt heads. They don't really get along, but their personalities complement each other.
It's kinda joked about in the community, that they'd be best of friends. It's comedic that people ship them. But it's so obvious they would actually get along. They deny it in the game, but they actually give a shit about each other. They're like frenemies.
He's a little pompous, but you know his family line. You can can see what he can do. He's proved his worth, but it feels expected of his genetics.

Lorena (Kafka)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This one's fun. This is Stella's older sister. She's pretty cool. She's high up and successful. She works in a private militia, well respected by the empire. Part of a secret sect of the empire, which spurs a lot of debate in the community.
Lorena is kind of cold. She's a lot more heartless, which makes you wonder what her parents did so wrong with her, and so right with Stella. She could probably kill some people, and probably has already. Everything she does is secret. I don't want to be in a room with her, ever. I don't want her to know my name. Goodness. Heebie Jeebies.

Lester (Luka)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Again, the interesting thing about this game is that sometimes it's not about the plot. It's about the people. He's a grungy, underground, fighter. Hes strong, and kicks peoples' ass for judging him a certain way. He thinks its faster than having a conversation. He's just tired of people and will kick your ass. Fan favorite. Very based. The guys want to be with him, the girls want to be him.
He's not that important, but you're always happy whenever he makes an appearance. He's fun. I like him.

Horaldo (Luocha)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Either people care for him, or they don't. But no one holds strong opinions on him. Weaker character, 4*. He's kinda like this other soldier. He's a bit broody. Does his job, but that's it. He's unfriendly, but polite. He's hasty. Just wants to get his job done, but it's hard to invite him to drinks.
Nobody really knows his story. But nobody really cares. The game messed up and made us not care, but you can tell they wanted him to be important.

May (March 7th)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's actually a friend to the main character. You start off with her. The best friend. You start in a flash back with her, going to the academy. They teach you the controls, there. Then it goes back to the present day. Silly timeskip. You can find memories across the game.
She's been with the MC a long time. They're still in the academy, kinda in the train station area for some kind of program.
IDK if we'll find the MC in this character lineup. But she's the best friend, pushes the kinda lazy MC to go do things like, get crepes, or a sundae on Sunday. No one can really complain about her.
She's a basic bitch waifu pick.

Mason (Natasha)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Interestingly, she's in town, the local botanist. Kind of the town doctor. This town don't have much people comin and going. It's like the boonies. She used to work for the militia. She's retired, taking care of her people. She knows about the train stuff; she denied their request for her to rejoin and help. She's happy where she is.
The game is young. People don't know why she's a 5*.

Kunilla (Pela)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another student of the academy. Idolizes Stella. She met her and now she thinks of her as a mentor. She self appoints her self as Stella's apprentice. She annoyingly brings up Stella in every conversation. Her obsession prevents people from wanting to get to know her. She's kind of a mean person, who only cares about Stella. She's even considering changing her name. A bit insane.
Garbage pick.

Annie (Qingque)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's slightly abrasive. Not as bad as Doug. She will apologize and is pretty nice. Owns up to her mistakes but is still a bit abrasive. A childhood friend of Eden. Like were friends as a kid, not much now. She knows his deal and is fine with it. She doesn't bug him. She lets people be themselves. Some people wish Eden was better friends with them, but she accepts it. They're a good pair. She's growing. She's trying, but awkward. I like her.

Dio (Sampo)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

How to start talking about him... This is Creed's younger, mental, brother. They don't really know each other. Dio is 10 years younger. They're related, but by the time they were to leave the house, Creed had already turned to robbing/pillaging. Like a stupid, innocent type of evil.
But Dio got some pretty bad abuse while Creed was gone. He's like an assassin, and is kinda scary. He goes toe-to-toe with Lorena on scariness. They've worked together but it's hard to tell what kind of relationship they have. Do they get along or do they hate each other? A fun character but has tons of red flags. You wanna look at him, but you don't wanna get to know him. He doesn't care about anything anymore, so is just having fun with life. It got dark and he kills people. Doesn't care what side he's on. Just does the fun thing. Taking whatever job.

Ursula (Seele)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We're back at the academy. This is actually another childhood friend. The MC fell out of friendship with her at some point. She's an antagonist of sorts. She cares about what you have to say, but she's also a bully. She secretly tries to push you to be better, and she is a sort of nemesis. We don't really know her deal.

Tesla (Serval)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of Lester's groupies. She REALLY cool, okay? She knows she's cool and likes Lester. Who doesn't? She goes for what she wants, and she wants Lester. She acts like they're together and tells people to back off him. She's strong willed. 4 years older than Lester. You sorta give her a pass for the shit she does because of her confidence. An accomplished musician. She plays every part of her band. She's a musical genius. She is admired. She's really cool. People will gladly be stepped on by her.

June (Silver Wolf)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twitch gamer, obviously. In the same district as Lester and Tesla. She frequents the arcade. Goes once a week to maintain her high scores. Goes monthly now because she's untouchable. She realizes she can make money doing basically anything. She starts vlogging and carries a camera everywhere with her.
People send her superchats and she just ignores them, but they still love it. She's got a huge fanbase but does nothing to deserve it besides being good at games. Doesn't interact with her fans in the slightest.
She was a 5, but got nerfed, and is now a 4.

Rachel (Sushang)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of Nona's old coworkers, back when they both worked at the orphanage. She was volunteering then moved to the big city for college. She's on her own adventure. She's new to the story, so we don't know much yet.

Julia (Tingyun)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

She's almost like a princess, for her tribe. The animal folk, they have their own dynasty. She's just a princess, idk. You don't see her much, but theyre there, you have to hear about them. But you don't know much. Boring.

Marcus (Welt)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Works in a detective agency. The agency's gimmick is that it's actually 3 detectives, disguised as one. 1 looks up the means, 1 looks up the motive, and 1 looks up whatever the third one is. They're not very quick outside their job. The 4th sort of acts like the assistant, but actually pieces together the information gathered by the other 3. That's his job. He's figured out how to use them to solve cases.

Cris (Yanqing)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Mulan story. A rich kid who entered training under false pretenses. She really wants to learn under a specific person who teaches at an all boys school. She's faking being a boy to get in. Keeps some guards around, cuz she's rich, but doesn't let them bother her at school. No one knows she's not a boy. Her dad is overprotective of her. She's a fun character. Crosses those boundaries. Real name is Crissie, goes by Cris at the school.

Monica (Yukong)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One of the generals for the empire. She both works for the empire and is Julia's lead general. She was part of a personal militia for a country, but was given a pass by Julia to join the empire's military. She goes on missions and brings back souveniers. She's really nice and cares about who she's protecting. Knows all the kids in town. Knows a lot of locals. Outstanding member of her society.

Zephyr (Female Trailblazer)

Rarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the main project leader for the trains. She's taking care of the whole god damn thing. She's going to drive it. Her personal philosophy is that she won't drive any train she didn't help build. She fuckin loves trains. Dont come at her unless you love choo-choos.
She's smart, she's an engineer, great driving skills. Of course she was asked to be the first space train driver. It's great. Kudos to her. She's earned her place.
She has a train bed. And train sheets. Actually two train beds, because it needs a caboose. Has a little too many train books.

I really wanna make fan fictions and I would like what you think:
The prologue would see Hera years prior before Hebe's birth as Hera is in one of her temples in Thebes on vacation from Zeus when she hears about the queen having problems giving birth. Hera ends up helping the queen Alcmene give birth, leading to the baby being named Heracles in her honor and because of that Hera gives him the gift of strength.
YEARS later Heracles is relaxing after having completed his labors a while back when Hermes appears to his annoyance due to HERMES being behind the tick that made all the cows panic, leading to it taking an extra three days to gather them all together. Hermes half heartedly apologizes before handing an invitation to Olympus which only a hand full of mortals has gotten. Heracles accepts the invitations and goes home to change into something more fitting. On his way home he would bump into his stalker Omphale who tries and fails to "ask him out"
Once he arrives to Olympus he's greeted by Zeus and Hera who invites him to stay for a bit. while hesitant he agrees due to Xenia. During his stay he would bump into Hebe and they would talk for a bit and once he left both would take a liking to each other.
After that they would meet multiple times where they would share stuff about themselves making them fall more and more in love without realizing it. During a archery training Heracles bumps into Apollo whom he roasts so hard leading to Apollo swearing revenge in a way. During one of their outings Hebe sees a picture of a young woman fall from Heracles' pocket. When she asks him about it Heracles becomes hesitant but tells her that the woman had been Megara, who had been a close friend and would have probably been his first love if it hadn't been for her untimely death. Hebe sympathizes with him leading her to talk about everything she liked about him, Heracles would do the same to her as they would move closer and kiss. Once they realize what they did it would be awkward for them and they would leave, leading to them being pretty awkward with each other due to trying to figure out their feelings to each other.
During a small underworld party Heracles bumps into Hades which instantly turns awkward due to Heracles accidental having shoot Hades when the latter startled him during his twelfth labor. Hades conforms that there aren't any bad blood between them and they talk, Hades reassuring Herakles about his feelings to the woman that he loves leading Heracles to leave the party and have a heat felt conversation with Hebe about their feelings and they both agree to only date if it ends up working.
Their first date ends up being in the mortal realm where they end up having a blast together and agree that they DID enjoy being together and they both end up agreeing to go the cinema for their next date... with out realizing that they're being watched by a scorned woman and a grinning sun.
Heracles' day starts out normal as he happily wakes up not being able to wait to meet Hebe for their meeting as he travels to Olympus where he accompanies Zeus for the day. Later while putting on a tuxedo, Zeus sees it and Heracles brushes it off as he walks out while Zeus doesn't mind as he continues on with his evening. Heracles arrives and waits for Hebe for a while before getting worried, and as he looks around to see if he was in the wrong meeting spot he sees gold dripping into a drain. His hearts sicks as he runs into the alley to see Hebe cut apart from her waist with a letter besides her limp body. Heracles quickly panics and grabs her as he runs hoping to get to the nearest hospital only to realize that he probably had a bigger chance to save her if he got help from other gods and ends up RUNNING to Zeus mansion, almost destroying the glass door in the process walks into a family dinner.
The gods present question what happened both confused and annoyed before they see hebe leading to chaos ensuing with Hera cradling Hebe's torso and lower half, hebe's siblings and father demanding blood for who ever did it and her uncles making sure that the ambulance would be on it's way. Later in the waiting room Heracles would just sit there worried sick about Hebe witching that he could do something. In frustration that he could do nothing to help Hebe with his strength and punches the wall. It's then that he realizes that he still holds the letter that was besides her body. he opens and reads it leading to him FUMING. He walks to Zeus and Hera and gives them the letter and upon reading it Hera is glowing with anger and frustration as it's revealed that Apollo had been the one to beat up hebe and cut her in half not only as revenge against Heracles but also revenge against Hera due to her and hebe looking alike. Zeus gets furious and teleports away only to return half a minute later while choking Apollo as he banishes Apollo from Olympus before everyone.
Couple of hours later Hebe finally wakes up and Heracles promises to be besides her through her rehabilitation. Zeus has no problem with it and invites Heracles to stay more permanently so that he could be closer to Hebe. Heracles makes his way to the mortal realm to pack his stuff only to be approached by a maniacal Omphale that had poisoned the shirt Heracles had changed into. Heracles gets affected by the poison as he struggles to move due to the pain desperately trying to cling to life. He suddenly gets an idea and motions with his hands but nothing happens leading Omphale to laugh and torch Heracles house hoping to kill him. Heracles struggles through the pain begging not To die when he suddenly gets struck by a mysterious bolt of lightning that's covered with Ambrosia thus saving Heracles by turning him into a god. The lightship catches the attention of the mortals as Zeus teleports in and accuses Omphale for her crimes and thus renames her Deianira. As Zeus and Heracles disappears "Deianira" gets stunned out of the village for her crimes.
Later Heracles wakes up and Zeus welcomes him officially into his godhood as Heracles, the god of strength. Heracles thanks Zeus before leaving and ends up living in the hospital where he helps Hebe through her muscle therapy. During one secession Heracles catches Hebe before she falls. She thanks him as he helps her back up and when their eyes meet they end up kissing confirming their true love for each other. They suddenly discover that they have an audience if form of Hebe's family and they confirm their relationship with each other sparking joy and happiness.
Hebe eventually heals and during a small walk together on the beach they talk a bit with each other about the roller coaster their lives had been recently. Hebe nervously says that she wants to be in this rollercoaster ride together as she goes down into one knee and takes out a ring. Heracles is stunned but happily says yes as he carries Hebe while they kiss and once they return home they nervously announce the news to everyone who are all happy.
About a month later both Heracles and Hebe prepare for the wedding. While Heracles is worried about being a husband the other gods reassures him and Ares promises to beat the crap out of him if he would cheat on Hebe.
As everyone makes their final preparations Zeus goes to Hebe so he can walk her down the carpet only to be stunned as he sees Hebe in her wedding dress. As Zeus stares all he can see is his little girl when she was 8 and sheds a tear before snapping out of it and grabs Hebe's hand to walk her down the carpet. As they do it Zeus realize that Hebe is the only one of his daughter to be married as she smiles up to him.
As he hands Hebe too Heracles he has a hesitates letting go of her hand before she reassure him with a nod. Zeus sits besides Hera and as the wedding vows are spoken they just hold their hands as tears roll down Zeus eyes.
Heracles and Hebe do their speeches before Hecate officially announces them husband and wife.
About a week later Hebe would talk to Heracles about her thoughts of moving out to start a family together and they eventually tell it to Zeus and Hera. While Hera makes them promise to visit Zeus leaves leading to Hebe fallowing him to his office where he is obviously distressed. Hebe reassures whims they hug and Zeus tells her how much he loves her.
they eventually move into a beautiful suburban neighborhood where they get acquainted with the neighbors.
About 8 moths later Hebe discovers she's pregnant leading her and Heracles preparing for it in the coming 9 months. To everyone's shock however during ultra sound they discover that they're having twins which when they're born are names, Alexiares and Anicetus who Heracles and Hebe raise with love

I won the chance to meet with my favorite Author. By no means was he an equal in comparison to the popularity of Stephen King or Dean Koontz but there was something special about his works. If you happened to stumble across one of his stories they had a habit of sticking around and festering like little rotten delicacies within your mind.
For years as a growing adult I sat down and studied every word of his. I tried to mimic the way he wrote and every time I’d fall short. There was something inside of me that just couldn’t match the integrity of his tales. Every story he wove sounded drastic, real, as if the main characters were screaming out for their stories to be heard in hopes they didn’t fade away into eternity.
He didn’t just make the characters come alive, he made them tangible. The reader felt as though the characters themselves were only a pages flip away.
Maybe that’s what made his horror so powerful. It wasn’t just the people you felt you could turn too, but also the creatures, the villains, the things that couldn’t be described by anyone else except by Vincent Valentine himself.
I ended up writing a brief paper and submitting it to a contest wrapped around the idea of ‘who inspired you to write?’ I can’t say I won by any means but every paper was openly displayed on the internet for anyone to read and comment.
Imagine my surprise when I received a comment from one 'Vincent Valentine' exclaiming only a few words;
‘You’ve warmed my heart. Keep a lookout in your inbox.
With much appreciation,
Vincent Valentine.’
I remember the sinking feeling in my heart as I read his comment. I felt blessed by a man so above my stature that it made me feel spotlighted in oddest, best and worst type of way. Nearly every hour on the hour I’d do a quick log in and hope to see the little message icon highlighted in the upper right hand corner of my screen.
This went on for a week. Precisely 7 days later on the hour of his comment I got a notification that someone had sent me a message.
‘109 Woodcrest Rd. Portland, ME? I feel confident in my sources. Expect a package soon.
With elation,
Vincent Valentine. ’
He had found my address.
To say I was surprised wouldn’t sum up my feelings in the least. I felt no hostility or fear however, it was almost Wonka-esque. I felt like I was getting a golden ticket and that feeling wasn’t misplaced. Another 7 days later I woke up to find a package waiting at my door.
I stared down at it for a minute, a black fabric shroud was tightly wound around a wooden box. My address was stamped in red lettering over the thick velvety veil. Next to it lay the words ‘From: Vincent Valentine.’
I reached down letting my hands grasp around the extravagant box. With a gentle tug I raised it off of the ground. The concrete seemed so boring and mundane compared to the package. I almost felt ashamed that I had let it sit there even for just a moment.
With a quick spin I turned around, slammed my door shut and proceeded over to my kitchen table. I tried to find the seams of the dark fabric, tugging along the edges but to my surprise found none.
From here it took me a moment to comprehend how I was going to open it without damaging the pristine void like cover. With some trepidation I wandered over to my storage closet and pulled out a box cutter. I hated the fact I had to ruin such an interesting presentation but I knew there was no other way.
I pressed the tip of the blade to the fabric and slowly slid it down. As the fabric retreated it split open revealing a red swirly underside clearly influenced by the colors of flowing blood.
My lips twitched upward before a small laugh left my lips. I stared at the display in front of me. I had cut the fabric from one corner to the other and it had perfectly spread and curled back like a body under autopsy. The wooden box itself lay under the skin ready to dissected from its body.
I set my box cutters aside and pulled out the wooden chest. Intricate designs were carved into the paneling and I instantly recognized them from how Vincent described them in his books. I was looking at Avestan text. They were so beautifully drastic from our modern characters and alphabets.
A chill ran up my spine as I thought back to the horrors Vincent had described in his tales. His greatest theme was studying the dangers of the oldest knowledge available in the world. The spreading of unnatural knowledge was ever present in his works. Granted I couldn’t read the carvings I still appreciated the showmanship.
I had never in my life thought I’d ever be brought a gift like this from someone I admired as much as Mr. Valentine.
I felt the indents of the box as my fingers trailed up to the lid. The wood seemed cold as if it had been left in some winters cavern overnight yet it was a midsummer's day and the sun was blazing outside of my front door. With a quick flick upwards I removed the casing and peered at the contents inside.
The innards of the box contained a black leather bound journal and next to it an envelope stamped with the symbol that appeared in every one of Valentines stories, the mark of Aka Manah. The forgotten God of magic and suffering.
I pulled the envelope out first, letting it rest in one hand while my other hand blindly felt around the table for the box cutters. With a quick nudge I felt a light sting. My eyes tore away from the folded letter and to the razor on my table. With blind stupidity I had skimmed my skin across the blade slicing my fingertip open. I let out a huff of disappointment in myself before gripping the handle and pulling it upwards towards the stamp.
Very gingerly I rocked the razors edge around the bottom of the wax seal, hoping to keep it in one piece. Oddly enough the wax seemed incredibly durable. Even after a couple of flawed jabs it held up nicely. The lip of the envelope separated exposing parchment inside.
I could feel the shivers creep up my spine and crossing over to my neck. Something was so foreboding about this whole situation and I loved every second of it. At the time I felt like I was in the definition of a horror novel.
I carefully pulled the parchment out from its resting place and began reading the handwritten note.
‘I hope you’ve enjoyed the extravagant show I’ve so far prepared for you. There is so much more to come. Inside this very special case that I’ve provided you resides a bound journal. I couldn’t help but notice the limitations to your short stories. Though I loved every single one, I must say, I found something missing. I wouldn’t worry though. I want to help.
Further in this envelope are plane tickets. I want you to visit my home for seven simple nights. By the time you leave I can promise you that little black book will be filled with your first ever living, breathing tale.
All you have to do is make the plane journey and I’ll take care of the rest. Make sure to sign the front cover of your new book. It’s special after all and it’s all yours.
With respects,
Vincent Valentine.’
I slowly lowered the letter on the table, careful to avoid spilling any droplets of blood onto the page. I could feel the indent of the tickets still in the envelope. I couldn’t believe my luck. I’d say my heart sang but once again something crept its way in me, something dark. It felt like I was being invited to a gala that I didn’t belong at.
I was simply a dwarf standing amongst giants.
I shook the feeling off and reached into the box to retrieve my new journal.
Each page was blank and crisp, hundreds of pages ready to be filled. When the flickering of pages reached the front cover I noticed something. A simple black line. A perfect place for my signature.
With a tepid sense of giddiness I raced back to my storage area and retrieved a pen. I quickly returned to my book and spread it open wide. With one hand I held the pages spread and with the other I held the pen. I swept my signature boldly across the line, and just as my pen tip left the page, a single droplet of blood pierced down on top of the paper.
A final period at the end of my name.
The irony of this wasn’t lost to me. I laughed trying to offset the feeling of unease. Signing that book shifted something in my life that I wouldn't be prepared for. I no longer felt like I didn’t just belong near the giants. I felt like they now were aware of me. They were watching me, judging me.
The tickets that lay inside the newly opened envelope were scheduled for 7 months out. I knew these dates weren’t by coincidence. Vincent wanted these sevens to appear, for what reason? I couldn’t say. I figured more of his showmanship would explain it to me in due time.
So I cleared my schedule for a while and prepped for my departure.
When the date came I took a taxi from my home towards the airport. The sky was darkened and cloudy. I watched as lightning flashed in the distance within the heavy gray clouds.
The sky seemed so high up that day. A true monolith of creations might. I could almost feel something immensely powerful looking down upon me from within that storm. It's eyes were assuredly turned down upon me and the journey that lay ahead.
In contrast, the airport itself felt as clinical as always. The typical smell of coffee mixed in with the incoming rain blended together into a mesmerizing fragrance. I grabbed a cup for myself and pressed it against my lips. I let the aroma fill my nostrils as I took in the sights of the planes docking and departing.
When the time came for me to board, lightning struck the tarmac. A mix of asphalt and gravel exploded near our plane. Several passengers screamed out in fear. The explosion sent pellets of rocks into the metallic frame of our sanctuary.
Of course the plane was decommissioned for the day. All planes in the area were tarmacked until further notice. I felt my shoulders give way to disappointment. Vincent said all I had to do was board the plane and he’d take care of the rest. Due to the fates I couldn’t even manage that much.
I took a seat over at the departure area and began my wait. It took the storm 7 hours to depart the area and free up the skies for travel. I had nearly given up on the trip when I heard the intercom sound from overhead.
“All flights are now boarding.”
I looked around me and noticed only a handful of us had survived the stay. The rest had all left. No doubt distraught over their failed plans. Us few who remained had boarded with ease. Almost like a miracle, the rest of the journey went smoothly. We traveled hours before the sun began setting and we arrived at our destination briskly at dusk.
Upon exiting the plane we all headed towards the luggage area. Much to my surprise I was intercepted just meters away by a handsome clean cut man dressed up in an all black suit and wearing a chauffeur’s cap.
“Excuse me Madam, I believe I’m here for you.” The Gentleman said, his dark brown eyes squinting at me with remarkable elegance.
“I’m sorry, who are you?” I politely questioned. I couldn’t have imagined that my ride would have waited for me after a seven hour delay. I was already prepared to gouge my own pockets to hire a taxi service to Mr. Valentine’s home.
“I’m in service to Mr. Vincent Valentine. I believe that I’m to take you to his residence.” His voice was so soothing and smooth. He seemed like more of an actor playing in a role than a real services employee.
“In that case, I’m sorry I made you wait.” I turned my eyes to the bags next to him. He had already procured my luggage.
“Oh, don't worry about that Madam. I haven’t been waiting long. This is the precise time I was told to arrive and so I did. Now if you wouldn’t mind, Mr. Valentine would like to see you as soon as possible.” He flashed me a smile, his pearly teeth were perfectly aligned and accentuated his chiseled jaw.
Without much more conversing he led me to the back of the small parking garage. With a slight nod he guided me over to a black 1964 Dodge 330. It looked ravishingly untouched despite its old age.
My personable Valet walked over to the passenger’s side door and opened it for me. I went to collect my belongings from him but he stopped me. He let me know he’d take care of my bags. I thanked him and took my seat. The interior of the vehicle reflected much of the same feel that it had projected on the exterior. That this was somehow a brand new classic.
When my Chauffeur returned to his side of the vehicle and shut his door I felt myself jump. I was once more jostled into feeling out of place. I had wished that I could have brought some company with me. Someone to be within my same social class. Instead I was resorted to simply just being a fish out of water in the lap of dark luxury.
Without another word and only a glimpse of a quick smile from my companion, we headed off.
I was surprised by the terrain we had found ourselves in just minutes after leaving the airport. The businesses and shopping centers had given away to grasslands and forests. The trees at first came one by one, then by clusters and then finally they tunneled us in. There was merely a thin road with a wall of lumber on either end of us.
Yet still, I was immersed in the landscape. My eyes jumped from one thing to another. The hoot of an owl, the chirping of crickets, it all amazed me. It was as if I was a new born baby entering the world for the first time. The face of my traveling partner remained nonetheless unimpressed. His demeanor made it clear that this journey was nothing special to him. And I suppose it wasn't.
As the darkness outside had peaked, refraining me from any sort of sightseeing, the man next to me spoke up.
“We’re here, Madam.” He spun the wheel of the car instinctively and circled into a large rounded driveway. I looked out my window and saw a large stone manor cropped up in chiseled Gothic architecture. Gray brickwork textured and meshed brilliantly with darkened oaken doors and rich window frames.
“I’ll get your bags. Please, head up to the door. Mr. Valentine is waiting for you.”
I nodded and thanked my driver who waved away my thanks in a polite manner.
“Oh, don’t thank me. I’m just doing what my contract outlines.” With one final charming smile he exited the vehicle. I soon followed
The size of the manor astounded me. Vincent was an amazingly talented author but I knew most readers had no idea who he was. How he could afford to live in a Victorian palace like this was unexplainable to me.
With heavy lead lining my heels I made my ascent up the stone patio steps towards the large wooden door. Hidden amongst the frame of the giant gate was a wicket door. As my feet reached the final step I felt myself freeze up. The way the manor had towered over me made me feel inexplicably small and meaningless. It had left me intimidated beyond movement.
“Well, go on Madam. You've made it this far.” The driver called out to me in a gingerly tone. He was preparing my luggage for travel. With trembling hands I knocked on the thick oaken door. A muffled impact sounded with every strike. A few moments passed by before the wicket creaked open. Inside was a beautiful young woman dressed in a black service outfit, much like the driver wore behind me.
With nothing more than a glance from her piercing eyes she spoke up.
“Welcome to the Wordsmith Manor Ms. Williams. Please come in.” The fair skinned lady reflected the same charm all of Vincent’s employees seemed to have. Though her tone was much sharper and direct. I admired her long black hair that had been pulled back into a tight bun. The dark color resonated brilliantly with her freckles and icy blue eyes.
“Thank you.” I quietly muttered. I kept my eyes low to the ground. I was scared of further intimidation from this home or its perfect occupants. I felt a finger lightly tap the underside of my chin and I looked up to see the Maid smiling at me with an unexpectedly soft smile.
“Don’t be scared to look around. Mr. Valentine specifically asked us to allow you to get a grasp of all you could on your way up to him.” After a quick meeting of our eyes I finally let my gaze roam. Inside was just as immaculate as the outside. Stone lined the walls with finely finished wooden flooring.
The dim lighting that flickered around us seemed to emanate on its own. I saw no signs of lights or cords connecting to any outlet, nor any outlets in general. I felt as though I had stepped back in time. Endlessly long hallways stretched out in every direction from the foyer. It struck my imagination immediately as it quite literally looked like an intricate spiders web.
As I was taking in the sights of the Wordsmith Manor, the male servant scooted past my back in a hurry. He was carrying my luggage up a nearby staircase.
“Your room will be located just upstairs in the main guest room. Your bags will be there for you to unpack. Though you'll find everything you need already located in the room should you search for it. For now Mr. Valentine would like to meet with you.” With a light footed twirl she began walking in front of me. I toed just behind her.
We went through a nicely ornamented hallway of different paintings. Each art piece seemed to be of different creatures and characters that could only be found in the multitude of books Vincent had written. They were painted just as vividly as the author had described them as. They felt like windows into another world rather than paint on parchment.
As I gawked upwards at the portraits of all of the characters that had enraptured my mind over the years, I had scarcely noticed the change in lighting. A rose coloring had begun filling the hallway spilling outwards from a nearby threshold. It lent the way to warmth and a calming sensation. With a few more steps towards the wave of soothing light we entered Mr. Valentine’s Den.
Many books and tomes lined the walls of this area in a neat fashion. Not a singly speck of dust prevented the shimmering of polished wood from glowing in the light. A large red rug swirled with golds and blacks. It lay at the center of the room. Sitting right next to a large stone fireplace
was the man I had only seen on the back covers of my favorite books, Mr. Vincent Valentine. Above him a large portrait of a hellish landscape. The placard read 'The Face of Aka Manah.'
“She’s ready for you Sir.” The woman chirped up. Vincent’s eyes fluttered to life as he looked to her than over to me.
“Thank you my dear. And also, of course, thank you Ms. Williams for coming.” His eyes shined unnaturally well with an endless depth of knowledge and experience. The red tint of the room had darkened his irises to a near pitch black coloring.
“Mr. Valentine, thank you so much for doing all of this.” I nearly stumbled over my words but managed to choke them out. Vincent merely gave me a half smile and shook his head dismissively.
“Nonsense. I saw that article you wrote about how my stories. About how they had inspired you to take up the pen and try your hand at crafting your own tales. I was beyond flattered.” He motioned his slender finger over to a blood red leather wingback chair that sat next to him. With a nod I followed his directions. With a short walk closer to the Author I had taken my seat in the form fitted throne next to my life long hero.
“It really is a shame how many people don’t know about you.” I offered as a sincere sentiment. His half smile spread slightly more across his aged and wizened face.
“My work finds precisely the people I want it too. You can’t share true horror with just anyone you know. I think some Authors found that out the hard way.” With a soft chuckle he resumed, “but this isn’t just a pleasant trip, as you must’ve gathered from my letter. This is a gift. I want to tutor you for for however long it takes until you can find your voice. I can promise, no matter how heavy and large that black book you hold feels, it’ll fill as easily as any ink to paper with the right motivation.”
With one of his ancient hands he pointed over to my jacket pocket, exactly where I had kept my little black book. How he knew where it was still remains a mystery to me.
“I would love to learn from you if I could get the chance.” I held back a yearning look. I didn’t want to make this man think lowly of me.
With a quick check of his watch his face had grown long and disappointed.
“The nights fading well past dawn and I fear our time tonight must be cut short. That being said I want you to understand one thing before bed. Each and every story you tell is as real as flesh and blood. Maybe not to you but to someone, something, somewhere. The cosmos is large and beyond that even larger. Science is just starting to scratch into what philosophers have known from the beginning of time. Sadly humanity's science will never catch up to their freedom of thought. The human understanding will always be a blip of the whole until it’s wiped out completely.”
The way he was staring into my eyes told me so much about who this man was. Whether or not he was sane may have been up to a debate to everyone but himself. He knew he lived in a reality so much more vivid than our own.
“Excuse me sir, the guest bedroom has been prepared. We have seven minutes.” A feminine voice behind me had broken me from my trance. Mr. Valentine's gaze left my own and looked towards his servant.
“And so ends my lesson for the night. Dream about what I taught you and I can promise by the morning you’ll already be one step closer to a new well of horror. Possibly by tomorrow night you'll be completely submerged.”
Before I could respond, the Maid had ushered me out of the den. We had arrived back in the hallway of portraits. The faces amongst them had seemingly changed their gazes to match my mood. Their eyes now were cast down upon me, judging me for who I was and who I wanted to be. Once again I felt that feeling of foreboding darkness. This time however I looked the Demons back in their countless eyes. I was trying to see them as real entities just as Mr. Valentine had requested that I do. Their terrible gazes seemed to soften with every step I took. Their lips seemingly upturning at the edges of their mouths in just the slightest of manners.
Once we hit the staircase in the main foyer I chanced a glance down an adjacent hallway to see the elegant servant carrying thick iron chains from one room to the next. After quickly shutting the doors behind him he used the irons to bar them from the outside. He glanced over towards me and our eyes met. He nodded at me in acknowledgment. His face seemed paled and worn.
My guide nudged my arm to grab my attention away from the man. "Hurry now, we need to get you in bed soon." With a hurried but dignified saunter she had led me up the wooden staircase and into the abyss above. Just as the den had tinted the air red, the second floor cast shadows of darkness around every corner. I felt a cold breath of wind run through me that seemed to emanate from the Manor's stone brick walls themselves.
“My apologies for any drafts up here. It’s been a very long time since anyone has been a guest in the Wordsmith.” Her voice reflected an apologetic tone but also that of stoicism, as if she was repeating an archaic sentiment from her memories but still a sentiment nonetheless.
“It’s fine, I enjoy cold air as long as there's a nice warm blanket to accompany it.” I forced a smile and looked at the side of the servants face. She seemed to have a coy expression on her lips at my fleeting justification for a drafty home.
“And here it is, right at the top of the staircase. I hope you find everything to your liking. If not we’ll do our best to please you in the morning.” She turned to face me. Her eyes emanated light in the darkened corridor. They were submissive but penetrative, an odd combination but one gained from countless years of servitude.
“I’m sure I will. Thank you.” With a nod she stepped beside the door, allowing me entry past her. I walked in front of the Maid and pressed my small hand on the brass handle of the guestroom door. A quick tug and a push allowed me entry.
I gaped at my room.
A large queen sized bed lay mid-way between the doorway and the far wall. A veiled rose colored canopy adorned the edges of the bed mimicking Victorian royalty. The posh blankets seemed soft enough to resemble that of ruby red a cloud. I had never seen anything like it with my own eyes before.
An expansive window lay on the farthest wall, moonlight pooled into the room and coated my resting place with a beam of heavenly light. Just below the window resided a writing desk and a chair, neatly tucked in. No signs of dust or unkempt follies showed any sort of face in this pristine room.
With hushed footsteps I approached my bed. The door latching shut behind me. I allowed my hands to slowly draw back the drapes, the silk nearly slipping through my fingertips. I took a deep breath and laid down. The bed gave way underneath my body and devoured me into its encasing folds. I let out an exhausted breath as I smiled and stared up at the ceiling. I couldn’t possibly have felt more excitement and desire for the future. My heart had swelled up inside of my chest at that moment.
With little more notice my eyes pushed themselves shut and filled my mind with an empty darkness. Neither dream nor thought seemed to come to me that night. My weary brain needed a rest perhaps more than I knew.
I woke up hours later to the brilliant shine of the morning’s sun. Even through my wispy half taut curtains the sunlight had managed to breach into my room. The large window had fully replaced the moonlight from the night prior. I looked down at myself and sighed. I had fallen asleep with all my clothes on including my shoes. I felt as though I had somehow once again proven that I didn’t belong within the halls of the manor.
I pushed that negative thought out of my mind. Quickly followed by physically pushing myself out of my resting place. With all the clarity of an early bird, I let my eyes travel around the naturally well-lit room. I saw a small door on the wall nearest the foot of my bed.
Shortly after I saw my luggage neatly placed near a hardy looking writing desk. After a quick post slumber stretch I allowed myself to start the process of unpacking my belongings. I quickly discovered that the door nearest to the bed led to a bathroom. With travel pack in hand I entered.
Marble countertops and glistening silver accessories lined the bathroom. A smile broke through my face as I saw how disheveled I looked in the mirror in comparison to the pristine nature of the room I was in. I walked to the counter and unzipped my baggie.
To my surprise everything I could need was already placed neatly in a row. Toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and even other more personal items. Strangely enough they were all my favorite brands.
I shook it off and convinced myself that I just had good tastes in products.
I took some extra time with getting myself cleaned up and presentable. I was fully prepared to make a good impression on my host. Hell, at that point in time, I just wanted to keep pace with his Servants.
Once I was freshened up I put my used clothes into a linen hamper and headed out towards the bedroom door. With a quick flick of my wrist I felt unexpected resistance. I tried again to meet the same result.
It was latched shut.
I kept trying but sure enough the door was locked up tight from the outside of the room. A slight panic began to fill my chest. A panic set in by the fast realization I had allowed myself to enter a strangers home without proper precautions.
I felt my heartbeat begin to race.
With a heavy fist I pounded on the thick wooden frame of the door. Not too long after I heard heavy footsteps glide up the staircase to the other side of my room. With the sound of a lock turning the door opened. Standing on the other side was the Butler, my former Chauffeur.
"My apologies Madam. It's been so long since we've had a guest I suppose it slipped our mind that this door would need unlocking." He tried to give me a charming smile but I wasn't going for it this time. I quickly spat a retort back towards him.
"Why was my door locked in the first place?" I questioned, my eyes shooting directly into the brown depths of his.
"It's mostly to keep the night staff out. They don't like to be bothered much and can be a bit of a handful if they bump into anyone they don't know." In retaliation to my stare his eyes had softened and melted down some of my guard.
"Well I don't care about that. I don't want my door locked. Don't do that in the future." The man grimaced and nodded.
"As you wish." He stated flatly. "Now If you wouldn’t mind breakfast is about to be prepared. If you head to the dining room I’m sure Mr. Valentine will meet you there.” With that the man headed back down the steps towards the foyer. I stood still. I was at a loss as to where to venture. I decided to follow him and venture down the steps. By the time I reached the bottom the man was gone.
"You can head straight down towards the Den but make the first right in the hallway." I jumped as the female voice spoke up right behind my back. I turned around to see the maid behind me. She gave a calm nod and waved out her hand, pointing down the direction of the hall.
“I’m sorry, thank you.” I whispered. It was slowly becoming clear to me that there was something lurking just below the surface of this manor, like it was all a part of some type of show.
With that in the back of my mind I headed off down the hallway. The stone began to lighten up towards the back as a large windowpane took over an entire wall. I entered the windowed room and saw a rather extravagant dining set. Two chairs presented themselves at the foot of either end of the table.
I chose the chair that seemed reserved for a guest, the one less commanding of the dining room. Before long a sensual smell filled the room. Freshly baked bread, bacon and eggs were all seemingly being made from scratch. I stared outside the window as I waited and saw a large clearing in the woods. A bench lay outside facing the yard while several rocky outcroppings lay at the far end, just out of my sight.
“It’s a beautiful day isn’t it?” A smooth voice trailed off. I had glanced at the doorway to see the tall slender figure of Mr. Vincent Valentine. A new blazer was draped over his body accentuating his strong but thin shoulders.
“Very beautiful Sir.” I said, smiling at him. He put out his hand and waved my pleasantries away.
“No need for that. I need you independent for teaching, otherwise you’ll just end up like me.” His tone was like silk. He knew how to speak. Without another word he took his seat at the other end of the table. Fresh plates of food were brought out by the servants and placed in front of us. Just as I had imagined they had prepared fresh biscuits, bacon and eggs along with finely toasted bread.
I raised some food to my mouth and took a bite, nothing but purity of flavor could explain the taste. It was so very refined. It was prepared in such a way that I had to believe that the chauffeur didn’t just have a knack for driving under his belt but was a perfected chef as well.
Mr. Valentine gazed out of the window as I ate, not touching a bite of the spread that lay in front of him.
“Are you willing to go beyond your personal comfort to write?” He asked out loud. The surprising nature of his question made me put my food back down on my plate.
“As long as I’m being taught by you, I don’t think we could go wrong.” I offered while I eyed up the strange teacher.
At my words his sharp gaze shifted to my eyes, penetrating my very soul.
“I want you to leave here a creator, an author of the highest ability. That takes a great deal of sacrifice. Would you be willing to do that?”
I felt stunned at his question. I didn’t understand his meaning nor his goal.
“I believe I am.” I replied. I looked on his face for any type of signal that I had said the right thing. To my surprise a smile came across the old man’s face.
“Good to hear. Tonight will be a fine night for horror.” With that Mr. Valentine stood up from his chair and walked out of the dining room, leaving myself and the feast before me, to our own devices.
I took my time to fill my stomach and then excused myself silently from the table. I wandered the halls of the Wordsmith endlessly. The layout seemingly to continuously shift with every loop. I couldn't explain it but my thought's seemed to refuse to be collected.
I had based by two equivalent foyers, three libraries and countless halls. Eventually becoming lost in the maze of the manor. I felt a cold sweat begin to hit me as I was quickly realizing I wouldn't be able to get back to where I started.
Somehow every long hour only lasted a short minute. The windows began to shift from morning light, to brilliant afternoon beams to a rose colored sunset in just moments.
I spent all day lost and didn't speak with Mr. Valentine a single time after breakfast. No doubt frustrating the man that I was wasting his time.
I quickened my pace down the stone hallways. Left, Right, Left, Forward. Somehow I looped around. I began to jog. Night was approaching. The layout was impossible. Where were the servants?
I heard whispers coming from doors that had long since been chained shut. The same chains I had seen the Butler the night prior carrying. Could this be some ploy just to scare me? If so how were they commanding these stone spaces to loop and twirl so easily around me.
It didn't matter eventually. Night had fully fallen by the time I found myself at the Foyer near my bedroom. Even though hours supposedly had past my stomach was still full from breakfast.
I felt like crying. I wasted an entire day of my trip running around a manor by myself. Not a single page written in the journal Mr. Valentine had bought for me. And to make it worse a quick glance around the hallways showed no signs of life. Just cold drafts of dry air. I had no option but to go back up to my room and try to start anew tomorrow.
I traced my steps back up from the night prior and making it back up to my room. Inside was dark, clouds had covered the moonlight letting nothing break through the thick ink that had pooled inside. I kicked off my shoes and fell back onto the bed. Tears in my eyes.
With every huff of air I took I could hear an echo coming from the blackened corner of the room.
I turned my head and stared into the void.
I couldn't make out anything at first. I wiped the water from my eyes and kept focusing. Eventually a figure formed in my mind. Something just taller than myself. Masculine, dapper.
The Male Servant.
I sat up and called out to the shadow. "What are you doing in my room? How long have you been there?"
The mans outline just continued to watch me. My senses suddenly kicked in. Some sort of instinct was telling me to get as far away from this man as possible. I slowly stood up to my feet, my eyes not leaving his shape.
I slowly began to step towards the door. His frame just stood in the darkness like a drape, his face watching me as I walked further away.
Once I was near the door I felt my shoulder bump into something. I turned and stared at the Maid. Or rather the Maid that was not a maid.
Her outfit clung to her like loose fitting rags. Her face gaunt and mouth opened exposing a pit of darkness outlined by a row of pearly white teeth. Her lower jaw jiggled with my shoulders light touch.
I heard a voice in the back of my head call out to me. 'Run.' And so I did.
I immediately ran down the stairs towards the front foyer. The skittering of feet following closely behind me. I reached the front door and pulled. It tugged but refused to budge. It was locked. I turned to face my pursuers but through my squinted gaze I was met with nothing more than an empty room.
I started to breath heavily trying to control myself. Off down a distant hallway I heard a door open and close. It sounded like it came from Mr. Valentine's Den. I turned back to the front door and tried opening it again, looking for the latch.
Footsteps began to walk down the hallway towards me.
I pulled and pulled, tears welling up in my eyes again. I made a mistake. Coming to here, meeting a stranger, I was being dumb. I never should have taken the offer.
Eventually I screamed out at the front door and heard a soothing voice come from behind me.
"What a terrible night you seem to be having." It was Mr. Valentine. I turned to face him. His back was turned towards me and face obscured.
"Mr. Valentine, please, I don't want to do this anymore. Something's wrong with this place. I'm sorry, I just-" I froze as Mr. Valentine walked closer to me. His knees protruded backwards, facing the wrong way underneath his fine silk slacks.
"My dear, you have 5 days left here." With that all the light faded in the Foyer. I was cast in darkness.
It wasn't until sunlight hit my face the next morning that I felt some sort of relief. I looked around me, I was in the guest bedroom. Precisely where I was the night before. I shot back up and looked around. Nothing was out of place. I heard a knocking at the door. It was the Maid.
"Madam, we've prepared breakfast for you. You wont want to miss your first lesson with Mr. Valentine. He's waiting for you.
I didn't know if I could make it much longer there. Nothing made any sense.
When I came to think of it, I couldn't even remember a single title Mr. Valentine had ever wrote.

I've worked on translating this and correcting as much as possible what the AI translator got wrong.
This depicts the experience of the Swedish Defense and Civil Defense Ministers trip to Ukraine from a human level.
​
First Tweet
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665700384784932867
​
We are in a secret location where soldiers are being trained for war. Sweden's Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, and I are in Ukraine.
The temperature in the sandpit we descended into is approaching 30 degrees. The Ukrainian gnats are as big as small flies and occur at a frequency that makes a Swedish cloudberries bog feel as gnat-free as a winter day. The men in front of us each hold an AK-47 in their hands. On a given order, they raise their rifles and open fire towards each other. They aim and shoot at the sand wall just inches to the side of each other. With live ammunition at a distance of about 20 meters. We stand another 20 meters away without earmuffs. That alone would surely be a matter for a personnel responsibility board back home in a country with over 200 years of peace. But here, there is war. The young men who have just pointed loaded rifles at their comrades lacked military experience just a couple of weeks ago. In a few more weeks, they will be fully trained. But they won't be mustered out and travel in Asia for their conscription compensation. They will go directly to the front, and everyone knows that for some, it will be a one-way trip. There is a seriousness in the eyes of everyone we meet, but not a hint of despair.
We continue walking in the fine sand amidst the continuous and deafening clatter of automatic rifles. At regular intervals, the dull pounding is interrupted by the sound of tank salvos that strike deep in the pit of the stomach. All of this is framed by a lush Ukrainian early summer landscape. Amidst all the impressions, a kind of dissonance arises. What is beautiful, good, and meaningful takes lifetimes to build. It takes decades to build a cathedral, centuries to build a city, but it only takes a moment to destroy them. In some way, this transience manifests one of humanity's darkest asymmetries. This fragility is most clearly expressed in human life itself. Nothing is as vast, complex, and beautiful as life, yet it can be extinguished irreversibly with the slightest means in an instant. I think of the young men in front of me. Those who today would have been doing something entirely different if it weren't for their country currently facing an enemy that not only wants to use death and destruction as a political tool but to erase everything that is uniquely Ukrainian. The young men have just fired a salvo in the sand wall next to their comrades, not out of carelessness or recklessness, but because it is considered one of the few things that can give a mental sense and a semblance of preparation for the hellish torment that awaits them at the front.
It is the morning of May 26th. The night was spent in Kyiv, part of it in a shelter. The heavy Russian bombers fired cruise missiles during the night, and one of them was heading towards Kyiv. From the parking garage that served as our shelter, we could hear the air defense system, in the form of the American Patriot battery, working successfully. As we get into the cars, the convoy rolls northwest out of Kyiv. Alongside the wrecks of Russian tanks, triumphantly placed in Maidan Square, and sandbags in front of basement windows converted into shelters, the physical traces of war are almost non-existent in the city environment.
After a fifteen-minute drive, our cars stop. We are standing on a bridge abutment, but in front of us, where there used to be a bridge, there is now only an empty space about ten meters above the Irpin River. The gap is lined with twisted beams, reinforcement bars, and broken concrete elements. On the other side of the destroyed connection lie the suburbs of Irpin and Bucha, forever inscribed in the history books for the war crimes committed by Russian forces there. It was here, on the other side of the bridge abutment, that the Russian advance came to a halt. It was here that Kyiv was saved, here and in a few other places. I am shown pictures of the men who held the bridge abutment. Dressed in ordinary down jackets and armed with a mixed assortment of whatever was available. "History never repeats itself, but it rhymes," said Mark Twain. It was on this very river that the Red Army once fought against Hitler's Germany. Back then, the Russians defended themselves against Nazi brutal expansionism; now, 80 years later, it is a bitter, power-hungry Russia that is waging an unprovoked and flagrantly illegal war of aggression, with a narrative as twisted and damaged as the broken bridge element in front of us.
The bridge is already being rebuilt, but a few hundred meters away, the traces of what was irreversibly done are visible. After crossing the river on a temporary bridge, we stop at what looks like a gigantic scrapyard in a parking space. Stacked on top of each other are the wrecks of burned-out cars. Just over a year ago, these vehicles belonged to people fleeing for their lives. Most in vain. Small messages are written on the wrecked cars. Sunflowers, the symbol of Ukrainian resilience, are painted on the burned-out wrecks. When the bridge over the Irpin River was blown up, long lines of cars trying to escape were formed. While the evacuation was taking place, Russian forces indiscriminately fired into the rows of cars with civilians fleeing.
The man who receives us in front of the burned-out wrecks is the mayor of Irpin and the commander of the territorial defense for Irpin, a kind of equivalent to the home guard. Together with his counterparts in the suburbs around Kyiv, he was tasked with evacuating his municipality and defending Kyivagainst the Russian advance. Over 95 percent of Irpin's population was evacuated. Lives were saved to an extent that is difficult to comprehend, but in his gaze, there is also a testimony to those who could not, would not, or did not have time to be saved. For his efforts, he and his colleagues were awarded the "Nation's Hero" medal. It is hard to imagine a more deserving recipient of such an honor. He thanks us for the great support that Sweden has provided. Pål and I object, saying that it is we who owe him and everyone in his position a thank you for the immensely significant efforts they have made for their residents, for their country, and for all of Europe. We are told that we must continue our journey, but we would love to stay and express our gratitude and reverence even more. Irpin's strong man, in the most fitting sense of the word, receives a big hug from me and Pål before we roll on.
In the car, it is impossible not to think about municipal preparedness back home in Sweden. There is a lot of good being done in Preparedness Sweden, but often we encounter the objection that the state must open its wallet for the right things to happen, or in the worst case, for something to happen at all. The contrast to the meeting with the mayor of Irpin is monumental. Not once did he mention resources, even though he acted under a constant and ongoing existential resource shortage. Sweden's municipalities receive over 100 billion kronor in general state grants every year. I think about the core mission of municipalities and wish that more municipal politicians could also meet the mayor of Irpin and contemplate what truly constitutes the core activities of a municipality. Later that day, in my Twitter feed, I read about a medium-sized Swedish municipality that has 40 communication officers employed. Often, municipalities of the same size emphasize that they now have one preparedness officer, as if that is an achievement. Politics is about prioritizing.
​
Second tweet:
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665701191135756291
We have just turned off the highway towards Chernihiv and made our way onto smaller and smaller roads. The cars are rolling through an avenue of trees reminiscent of central Sweden, but in the image of what could have been Sweden, there is also a foreign element between each tree. On knocked-down wooden stakes, there is a small plastic sign with the unmistakable skull against a high-contrast background. "Danger - Mines." Everything except the narrow gravel road is ventured upon with life thrown into the equation. What used to be productive fields on either side of the road has been transformed into a dangerous no-man's-land. The men who meet us when we step out of the cars are engaged in mine and ammunition clearance. Twenty meters behind us, subordinate personnel walk around in the ruins of what used to be a building. The on-site chief apologizes for a moment as he makes an announcement on the radio for everyone to cease their search activities to ensure that nothing happens while we walk around.
Beside us are fenced-off areas surrounded by knee-high plastic tape. Inside the boundaries lie several artillery shells. Visually, the enclosed area reminds me of the training facility I visited with the Prime Minister at the MSB (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) outside Kramfors in April. There, indicators and markings were practiced on various replicas of mines and grenades. However, in front of us today, there are no replicas, only live undetonated grenades. This morning's findings are recounted by a member of the team. In addition to regular mines and unexploded grenades, the Russians have booby-trapped where one least expects it. It can range from aircraft bombs placed in a basement connected to a door handle to a small amount of explosive hidden in a discarded lighter lying on the ground. There are also examples of how booby-trapping is placed under regular mines and even under or around dead bodies. The person in charge on-site raises his hands in the air and bluntly states, "At the rate we are currently able to clear and secure areas, it will take us 750 years to rid Ukraine of mines and unexploded ammunition." Sweden is already helping in this area, but it becomes apparent that we and everyone else should do more. I promise to bring the question home and investigate what we can do.
A short distance from the burned-out wrecks of agricultural machinery at the mined and now unusable fields lies the small village of Yahidne. When the Russian campaign began encountering resistance in the advance towards Kyiv, Yahidne became yet another scene of Russian barbarism. The village's school was converted into a Russian military command center, the surrounding buildings were leveled, and the village's 300 inhabitants, including women, children, and the elderly, were gathered and forced into the basement of the school. The following 28 days turned the basement into a concentration camp. The captured residents began to die because they were deprived of the most basic human need - sufficient access to oxygenated air. In an article about Yahidne, some surviving villagers describe how the school, up until the invasion, was the pride of the village. A point of gathering, a place of hope for the future. The young generation's ticket to a better life than their elders. But it didn't turn out that way. What remains now is the school building as a trauma for all those who survived the hell in the basement. A place few want to approach. A building that still stands, but was used to destroy an entire village. A ruin of what could have been, and a testimony to what instead became.
I like transformer stations. The revelation is likely not surprising to those who have followed me in my previous role as chairman of the Parliament's Committee on Industry. Now we have arrived at one of the major transformer stations that are crucial for the residents of Kyiv to receive their electricity, heating, and water. The location we are at is a prioritized target for Russian remote warfare. We look at fallen high-voltage lines and burnt-out transformers. A cat comes up to us and greets us. The CEO tells us that it lives in one of the newly built technical stations. The old one turned into a pile of debris after being hit by a Russian cruise missile, but the cat survived and doesn't seem to have any plans to leave. I think about the information warfare on social media and how the carefree cat, if it were known, could have become a symbol of Russian imperfection.
By targeting this location and others like it, Russia has repeatedly attempted to disrupt the Ukrainian power grid in order to break the Ukrainian resistance and defense will. What Ukrenergo, the Ukrainian counterpart to the Swedish power grid, has achieved during this ongoing war is unparalleled. In Sweden, we have sometimes had the notion that our power plants are the most prioritized targets for military attacks, which has led, among other things, to the unfounded conclusion that we would need to shut down our nuclear power plants in times of heightened readiness. Anyone who knows how the power system works could tell you that this is a mistaken assumption, which is also confirmed by the outcome in Ukraine. Power plants are difficult to combat, but substations, transformer stations, and junction points are essentially easier targets. By attacking transformer stations linked to major consumption points, one not only causes significant problems for all downstream electricity consumers, but also creates imbalances that can propagate throughout the system and, in the worst case, destroy and disable the entire or parts of the power supply in a country.
The CEO tells us about the relentless race against time during the winter, repairs during ongoing remote warfare, and the ability to proactively shut down parts of the power system to better handle the imbalances caused by disabled junction points in the system. Ukraine's power system partly resembles the power system Sweden had in the 1980s—robust and predominantly based on predictable electricity production. This has been crucial for Ukraine to successfully endure the winter against all odds. Heavy predictable electricity production not only makes the power system less susceptible to disruptions but also makes it easier to sectionalize and run parts of the system in what is called emergency operation when other parts are vulnerable or have stopped functioning. This has enabled Ukraine to proactively shut down parts of the power grid during remote warfare, reducing the risk of disturbances spreading and damaging the entire system. Heavy predictable production is also one of the prerequisites for restarting the power system after a grid collapse. Sweden has reason to draw several lessons from what we have seen in Ukraine. Several of these are manifested in the parts of the Tidö Agreement concerning energy policy. In addition to this, the importance of reserve components and a well-functioning air defense cannot be emphasized enough to protect the power system from the pressures that an armed attack brings.
When we enter the room where Ukraine's Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov receives us, it is immediately noticeable that he has a warm and close relationship with Pål. Reznikov is interested in motorsports, and instead of the usual customary gifts, Pål has managed to arrange a pair of racing gloves signed by none other than Kenny Bräck, whom Pål knows from Värmland.
When Pål visited Reznikov already in December, they traveled together to Odesa and Mykolajiv. The Swedish Minister of Defense was then the minister in all of Europe who had traveled furthest east in Ukraine. If Pål had been able to decide for himself, without the involvement of Säpo, we would surely have been well on our way to the front to visit soldiers in the trenches by now.
I may be biased since we are colleagues, but before taking office, I didn't know Pål in any deeper detail. Behind an occasionally soft-spoken and strict demeanor, there is a person with material orientation and thematic knowledge at a level unique to the role, and a work ethic and drive that simply cannot be found everywhere. No other Defense Minister in modern times has had as many significant parallel commitments on their plate. NATO membership, a war in Europe with the development of military support packages, EU presidency, and the management of increased defense budgets. The conversation with Reznikov is candid and serious at the same time. We talk about the military support from Sweden that is coming soon and what the future needs look like.
It is time to move on from the Ministry of Defense to the place where we will meet with the President of Ukraine. It is not possible to overestimate Volodymyr Zelensky's importance for the determination and Ukrainian successes after February 24, 2022. No one knows exactly where we are going except the Ukrainian security service leading the way ahead of us. Checkpoints and security checks follow one another. Finally, Pål, myself, and the Swedish Ambassador, Tobias Thyberg, sit alone in a waiting room. After a short while, the door opens, and we are welcomed inside. Zelensky has a firm handshake and a presence in the room that is unparalleled. He thanks Sweden for everything we do, and we discuss the future. Our bilateral meeting was scheduled for fifteen minutes, but the conversation lasted for half an hour. We are escorted out of the building whose interior had clearly been transformed to meet the demands of war.
Last tweet:
https://twitter.com/CarlOskastatus/1665701959825752066
The final visit to Chernihiv is coming to an end. We have just been shown young men and women who are undergoing training to become mine and UXO clearers. The commander on site leads us into an adjacent building and says that it is finally time for some entertainment. In a large auditorium where we are the only guests, a military orchestra is lined up on the stage. To the right, on a big screen, a slideshow with the Swedish and Ukrainian flags is playing. As we sit down, we find out that many members of the orchestra are fighting on the front lines. Like everyone else, they have also suffered losses. The orchestra begins to play, and it is impossible to remain unaffected. Here I am, in a country at war, which has suffered so many hardships, listening to an orchestra playing ABBA for me and Sweden's Minister of Defense. It is impossible not to love Ukraine.
On the way home, I sit alone with Pål and summarize the impressions. There is so much that touches deeply. We talk about defense willingness and the importance of trying to increase understanding of what the security situation means and can mean for Sweden in every given situation. The Baltic countries have a gloomy view of what lies ahead. We talk about the mayor of Irpin and his men in territorial defense who fought with what they had and contributed to Kyivnever falling during the critical first days. Pål summarizes frankly: "It's about making a decision from the beginning, you have to give everything right away and fight hard, so damn hard. It hurts, but there is no alternative."
Carl-Oskar Bohlin
Minister for Civil Defense, Sweden

Here are some thoughts on the world and and advice from my experience to survive Bonnaroo.

• Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now
• Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; or never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine
• Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing Bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that Never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday
• Do one thing every day that scares you
• Don't be reckless with other people's hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours
• Floss
• Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself
• Remember the compliments you receive; forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how
• Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements
• Stretch
• Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't
• Get plenty of calcium
• Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone
• Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't Maybe you'll divorce at 40 Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance; so are everybody else's
• Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own
• Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room
• Read the directions, even if you don't follow them
• Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly
• Brother and sister Together, we'll make it through Someday our spirits Will take you and guide you there I know you've been hurting But I've been waiting to be there for you And I'll be there just helping you out Whenever I can
• Get to know your parents; you never know when they'll be gone for good
• Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the People most likely to stick with you in the future
• Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you Should hold on
• Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young
• Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard
• Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft
• Travel
• Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old-- and when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders
• Respect your elders
• Don't expect anyone else to support you
• Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out
• Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85 Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth
• Trust me on the sunscreen

No, this wasn't a hit song that was at every graduation in the 90's