Part 1
I stood up, awaken from my sleep from the knocking sound on the elevator door. My friends stood up with me as we all heard it. The sound of banging became so much louder. Giggling can be heard with it. What's behind the door is unknown and I'd rather not face it than die to this thing. In the edges of the door, thin fingers began to seep through it. Such horrible looking fingers. I watched the door getting turned into a broken mess. Something grabbed my hand and I saw it was Rishika's. I looked at her and saw fear and sadness on her face.
Questioning death can be answered by judgement, revenge, luck, curse, or just nothing. The concept fate over people sounds so simple that people think that it's ok that fate exists. Is it ok if I was in this situation? What if one of your loved ones died right in front of you by a murderer? You won't like it and you'd definitely blame god for that.
The door is beginning to make an opening. Sweat rapidly runs down on my forehead. My eyes widened with terror as I see the creature's face. It's as accurately described from the documentary. Its teeth shines like bright white marbles and its eyes are like melted butter. The creature's face slowly gets closer, while we stepped far back until there's no space for us to move anymore.
I can feel the cold shivering breath from its mouth. The breath that smells empty. From what I've heard, it's much stronger than the one we just ran away from. Ronald immediately punches the creature's face with his metallic fist. Steam pulses out from the gaps of it. He kept punching at it again and again but to no avail. It still not injured nor shown any pain. He only manages to recoil it farther back.
With a one quick slice, Ronald's hands fell to the ground. His scream was painful and terrifying to hear. I can see his face was in pain. Eyes widened with tears flowing down to his cheek. "Ronald!!" I heard Billy screamed out loud. Of course, this doesn't make any difference as the creature slowly crept closer and closer to us. I witness Ronald dying with his sockets bleeding so much blood. His eyes faded of life. If only he hadn't try to kill it out of bravery, he would've lived longer with us before our lives are taken away.
Its jaw started to open. The sounds of bone cracking can be heard within its teeth. The smile on its face grew more and more eerie. It laughs like a maniac ready to pounce on their victims. Such insanity can break people's minds with a laugh. I froze in place by the laugh. There's nowhere else me and my friends can escape from. What else can we do. Our weapons are futile here and this creature is far beyond comprehension.
Its many arms spread around the elevator room, trying to grab us with its menacing hands. We're going to die here and that's that. This would've been a goodbye to the world. I don't know the dead world in this universe. Many different universes should have a different afterlife. Here, I don't think there's a safe place after death.
Then, something happened right in front of our eyes. The creature was being pulled back by something. Something inside the darkness. I can hear it's the same women who saved me from the pale face. We couldn't see anything in the darkness but Billy's flames can surely help us along the way. I took his flamethrower and a torch. Lighting up the torch with it carefully. Not wanting to burn us. Turning off the flamethrower, I lighted the area with my torch in hand and saw them clashing each other with blade like arms.
We stepped out of the elevator with Ronald's dead body on Cody's arms. Why would Cody keep holding on to him for? He's already dead and there's no way for us to say a better goodbye. I guess maybe he wanted to bury him somewhere which I honored that idea.
She cuts the jaw of the creature that it screams the way a person should. I can see the whole body of the creature. It was humanoid and tall. About 9 feet tall and its body is dark skeletal human. It grabbed her with its large hand and threw her off into the wall. She crushes onto the wall with such heavy force. A groan can be heard from her before a blade penetrates through her abdomen. Her screams are both man and woman at the same time.
It's horrifying to hear someone scream like that if they're just human. In fact, it'll be much terrifying if she'd sounded like millions of voices.
She grabbed its face with her free arm and tears its face off. Its eyes bounces to the ground with a flesh grinding mush sound. The screams that came from within its voice box made a deafening pain in our ears that we both covered them with our hands.
The woman digs her sharp fingers into the creature eye sockets with the sound of digging flesh. She then splits its head with the pull of her hands. Black and bloody flesh spread onto the walls and ground. One of its discarded flesh landed on my shoe. My stomach twists and turns. Watching her brutally kill it while flesh and blood spills. I gagged, watching her 3 fingered hands dig into its throat and pulled out its large heart.
Geralt vomited to the ground, spilling the acid from his stomach. That didn't bother me. Instead I watched her feast on the heart. The sound of chewing on flesh and blood made me sick to my stomach from an imaginary smell of rotten flesh. The creature's body slowly melts away to the ground. Rendering it to be dead into a puddle of flesh and bone. There's now nothing left of it. Just a puddle.
"Holy shit." With just one word came out from Billy's mouth, the woman turns her head to look at us. Her eyes seemingly looked bright and harmless. Not sure whether or not if this is a tactic to hunt or it's really her instinct. The familiar color of her right eye caught my attention.
She fell to the ground with a big gap in her abdomen. Heavy breaths came out from her voice as she slowly gets back up on her feet. The light from my torch reveals her hoodie to be grey and the gap in her abdomen slowly began to heal itself. Small tendrils from the sides of the gap stitching back together.
I stepped back, giving ourselves space in order for us to escape if she'd attack us. I held my hammer high and so does my friends with their weapons. "Darwin wait!" Did I just heard her say my name? I didn't know what to do or how to react. Either it's just a hallucination or trickery. "How did you know my name?" I asked with the fear in my voice.
"I uh. I just guessed I suppose." Her eyes were on the dead Ronald in Cody's arms. She looked saddened by it. Even grieved. She shook her head and went back to to us with a clear voice. "But that doesn't matter. You all need to get out of here before he gets here."
"Who's he?" Geralt asked with both curious and nerving tone in his voice. Her eyes are widened in fear. An expression I never thought she could do and feel about. "Cain. He's coming here and you all need to get out of here."
I've heard about Cain before. You might know this story from a book. It's about 2 brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. Abel being the most favored man of god, while Cain being the least favorite and jealous. Cain killed his brother out of jealousy. God is not happy about this and he casted him away with a curse. He's just a man. Maybe who she was saying was someone who is also named Cain.
"How are we supposed to get out?" Said Cody.
"I can help you get out. We just need to go outside and find the pool of clean water. But, it'll be far away, so we need to hurry up." She walked passed us quickly in a hurry. Billy was going to ask but I lay his shoulders, giving him a metaphor of saying no. Of course, he grunted from that. Rishika gave a face wash to Geralt. He gladly takes it and wipes his mouth and stained jacket.
We followed her through the hallways of the darkness. Our torches lighted brightly around the darkness. I was behind the woman whose guiding us to the exit. I haven't thought of asking her name. For someone like her, she should have. The voids blood doesn't seem to affect her mind but I don't think that's really the case.
The image of her blue eyes makes me recollect the memories of my long distant past. I still don't understand. How could she be so familiar to me, even know my name. We never met each other and we're from different worlds. Either it could be she had mind reading powers or just a simple guess. "Thanks for saving us back there. What's your name."
"My name's..." She looked unsure as to what to say or even know her name. I think she was hiding her true identity which I can understand that. Hiding your own identity from other people is a good way to keep yourself safe. But you needed to plan and design your own disguise. You need to come up with a story that doesn't give confusion or any cracks for people to get suspicious. Famous people like movie stars or scientist or anybody related to that stuff mostly do this to avoid getting attention.
With a warm and calm voice, she answered. "My name is Enid."
"Sounds good. Why did you save us? How are you still in control of yourself?"
"I saved you because I wanted to save you all. I was never the kind of hero or something but I still have the heart to save you all. And I'm losing a bit of my strength holding myself together. Everyday, I have to eat the creatures here. You've encountered them before. If I don't eat them, I'm going to turn into them. Turn into the void. But the more I eat, the closer I'm going to turn myself in. I'm glad you guys are safe, but I feel bad to see your friend die. Sorry that I'm too late to save all of you in one piece."
"Yeah. Wished he had enough time for you to arrive. He was a brave and cool friend to have a part of the team. He's always telling stories about greek gods and mythologies. He's a boxer too. I think he would consider you to be one of us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, of course. He kinda sometimes look scary to me in the night but he's a really good man." Geralt joins with us with a nervous look on his face. His eyes are tired as ours but they're wide enough for us to see his shining eyes. Enid returned smile on her face, but it faded away quickly in a short amount of time.
We finally left the building safely with her guidance. The bright shining sky brightens around us. Giving us the comfort of our safety. But still, we grieved the death of Ronald. Billy grieved the most out of everyone else. He kept muttering all over and over while we were following Enid. His mutterings, from what I can hear are apologize. "Billy. It's not your fault. I think he knew as well."
"No it is. I kept saying mean and horrible things to many of you but mostly it's on him. I just wanted him to think I'm strong and all. I'm lost Darwin. And I shouldn't have said those awful things. All I want was to show you all that I'm strong. But look at me. I'm bloody weak and I can't do anything to protect you all. All I can do is to just stand still and spout bullshit."
He began sobbing so terribly that it shocks me to my core. His face turning red and he fell to his knees, unable to stand back up. We all stopped to try to at least give him the comfort we wanted give him. We've never seen him in such a state like this. Throughout our times together, he always acts like a jerk but now he's crying right in front of us. I didn't know what else to do except to sit down next to him. Ronald's body is now pale in Cody's arms. His eyes were shut.
"I know how it feels, Billy." Rishika, already knelt down in front of Billy, said with a warm tone in her voice. This has got to be the 3rd or 4th time I've heard her say a full sentence. Either way, it was encouraging. Billy doesn't seem to be able to reply. None of us does. "I used to be harsh and cruel to others because I wanted them to accept me. But I was wrong because that's not how it works. We can both change together. It's ok to be on your good side. It won't be too bad. I think Ronald would like that too."
"Look at me. Do I look like I can?"
"We all can. It's just how we grow in life."
"I don't know. Ronald's dead and I'm left to be the one who carries his death on my back. I don't think he'll ever forgive me."
"No. We don't know that. But what matters is that you move on instead of staying behind. I know it's hard but you have to if you want to change. It's ok to be scared. We're all scared."
"Yeah. Even me too. I get scared a few times but that doesn't mean that others will look down on me." Geralt stutters a bit in his voice but kept the strength to say those words.
"Same here. Even that I'm this, I'm still scared too." Enid joins in with a sad look on her face. For someone like her, I thought she never felt fear. I guess there are others like her can feel that way.
I wanted to tell him something too. Something that feels connecting to each other that I don't want him to be left alone. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm scared too and that's alright because that's human. We can help you Billy. You're our friend. And I think Ronald would consider you as a friend too."
Billy wipes his tears away with his sleeve. We all sat there for a few seconds before Cody lays his hand on his shoulder, which makes Billy hug him back. "It's ok. We're here." Ronald's body lay on the boulder 5 feet away from us. Cody reaches his arms as a gesture for us to join in. We all did. So is Enid. I didn't think anything else but to be on Billy's side.
Suddenly, our moment was interrupted by a thunderous noise came out of nowhere. Enid's eyes are widened in terror. The world around us shook from the thunder. In the sky, the small clouds started to turn from grey to the color of blood. Enid jumps right up, catching a look above as we all stare into the sky. What I saw gave me enough imagination to fear whatever the unknown has.
Large gigantic shining eyes watch over the world below us from the sky. Its pupils are too big that they nearly reached the edge of their sockets. The grin of that thing gave me enough horror to freeze in my tracks. How nightmarish it is to see a gigantic abomination such as this in the morning and night. People would definitely scream and run all over the place while the cloud's face watches over them like a eldritch god.
By the time I stepped back, it turned its menacing eyes towards me. I felt like it was staring into my soul. My very soul in my body. Its own saliva dripping from its mouth. Hungry for our souls. It didn't move nor spoke a word. Thunderous noises kept coming from the abomination. They were red lightning and menacing. If people get hit by them, I'm pretty sure they'll turn into whatever nightmarish flesh creature they'll turn into.
"Guys! We have to go! There's not much time!" Edin ran and so we followed. Cody picked up Ronald's body with us. Billy gained back his strength to run. And I slowly started to run as I kept staring at its menacing eyes. It doesn't leave me alone. I don't see it following me or do anything than to smile with evil intentions. This is different than the ones we encountered. Not because of their looks. It's because I knew its intentions and the void creatures, I don't.
A great thunderous red beam shot out from the abomination's mouth and a loud boom can be heard far away from us. The sound snapped me out and I began to run as fast as I can, trying to keep up the pace of my friends and Enid.
Nothing else happened as we run to our exit. The thunderous noises kept booming around us as the clouds above slowly turned into blood red. A drop of rain hit my forehead. I touched it with my finger tip and saw blood. The rain is full of blood. I nearly slipped to the ground but my jacket was caught by Geralt. "Don't worry Darwin! I got you!" He pulled me up and ran.
The feeling of getting closer to something crept inside my chest that I began to feel the sensation of hope. Hope is said to be for the weak but I say otherwise. Hope may be a blind way to believe in something but sometimes it can be true to which we reach to something we can achieve.
Enid stopped in her tracks. There, right in front of us, was a pool of clean water. It doesn't make sense. It's raining blood and there, at the pool, it's clean. Droplets of blood dripped into the pool, then faded away into the clean water. We were shocked to see the pool to be clean in the middle of a shower of blood. The atmosphere suddenly turned red. Dark red flames started emerging around the world. It's everywhere and I can hear the distant screams behind me. The screams are hard for me to explain. They're like mixed with many variety of species all together into a rhyme of symphony.
I turned around to see something dark falling from the sky above into the ground like a falling star. The world shakes beneath us. I knelt down to get balance as I kept watching the falling darkness land onto the world. Far away, a dark silhouette rises from the ground. It looked to be tall. I could guess it's 4 feet taller than us. My eyes can't see clearly due to the silhouette being too far away. More of them began to rise as more fell from the abomination.
I turned myself around, nearly losing my balance. Cody held Rishika by the arm and Billy knelt beside Geralt. Enid reached her hands out into the pool. Sparks of bright light emitted from her arms, spreading light around her. The pool began to slowly swirl into a vortex as the sparks of light began to increase. The harsh blow of the wind hits us, making me fall to the ground.
Then, a bolt of light sparked into life in Enid's grip. The bolt was so bright that I shielded my eyes from it. It's so that I won't get blinded by the light. I looked back to see that something is walking towards us from far away of our tracks. I don't know if it's just me hallucinating or if it's really real. I think I can hear laughter. A humane laughter. It's like it came from a demon king. The dark silhouettes at the sky fly around with their wings.
Their wings are of a bat and their body was humanoid and blood red. Their mouths are menacingly enough to make me push myself away from it as far as I can. It shrieks so loudly that I can hear it from that distance. It began to fly towards us and its claws like a hawks are ready to grab one of us to feast on. I stood back up as the world turned still. I pulled out my hammer, ready to defend myself from it.
The demon nearly scratched my face before a bullet teared through the side of its brain. I turned my head to see Rishika, already wielding her sniper rifle. "I got you." She turned around and shot another bullet at another demon.
I heard a crushing noise coming from Cody. He slams his club right at a demons head, exploding it on impact. The demon wore an armor set of dark stones that could come from hell itself. It was carrying a blade that shines pure diamond. Geralt penetrating his spear at the demons chest, electrocuting it from a high voltage. "Holy shit! This is crazy!" A shout came from his voice. A voice of panic.
I turned around when I felt something was approaching me. There was a demon with 4 arms and held a large hammer, bigger than the one I wielded. Its face full of hatred that Its eyes glared into my soul. I quickly swung my hammer by the time it swings its own at me. Our hammers clashes together, making a loud slam around us. It swung again but I jumped away from its heavy blow. It's the good thing we had those boots. They're able to give us enough push to jump twice higher than the original person can.
I then swung my hammer directly at its face. I made impact as its face tears apart from the slam of my hammer. A crunching sound can be heard from its skull. Its head exploded into a pool of blood with scattered flesh and bones.
I landed on my feet and watched the world turned into the new hell as dark flames emitted everywhere around the buildings and the ground. More demons are rushing towards us in a pack. So many of them with many horrifying different forms. My body is shaking from the fear I had in me. I nearly dropped my hammer as sweat begins to appear on my hands. I bumped my back as I stepped behind. Geralt, Rishika, Cody, and myself are close together with our weapons in hand. They're all sweating with fear on their faces. There's too many of them for us to take them down. "Come on! Let's show those freaks what we're made of!" Shouted Geralt. By the times we raised our weapons and the demons now 10 feet away from us, a bright blue flame blazes the demons. They scream in pain and hatred as they slowly melted into a sludge of fried flesh.
"I'm not going to let those bloody fuckers take you all away from me!" Billy's face is mixed with fear and anger. Feeling very glad that he joined us. If not for him, we would be brutally killed by the horrifying demons. Then, a loud burst of water and electricity emerged from behind us. Enid faces us with wide eyes. "Get in now!"
"Will it take us home!?" Geralt asks with a panic in his voice. I can see the sweat pouring down on Enid's face as she stares back at us in a hurry. "No but it'll take you somewhere safe! Somewhere you can start a new life!"
Cody, with Ronald's body in his arms, is the first to get in the portal. By the time he jumps into the portal in the pool, a flash of blue energy can be seen emerging out of it. Then goes for Geralt. He was scared at first as he cowers back. "Will I be hurt if I fall?"
"Don't worry. You'll be fine." And so, he jumps in and flashes of light emerges out.
Then goes for Billy. He looked back at Enid for a moment before he jumps into the portal.
Lastly, Rishika stops near the edges of the pool. She turned around to see Enid with a hurried look on her face but also with relief. "Thank you Eddie." Then she jumps into the portal.
Did I just heard her right? Did she just said my lost friend's name. "What did she just say?"
She looked at me with a sad look in her blue eye. I felt a connection between us, as if we've known each other. I don't understand. Why would Rishika say his name. Enid is a woman to say the least or she's really something else. A sudden memory flashed before my eyes.
I remembered the time Eddie shape shifted into the Ice cream man. It was a time when we were young. We both got the ice cream we wanted just for free without anyone noticing. It was funny but also worrying because we could get caught. But that never happened and still felt funny every time I remember that day.
"Eddie? You're Eddie." She nodded in reply. A gesture of yes. Then, right in front of my eyes, she formed into a grown up version of Eddie. The Eddie I remembered. My heart felt shocked as to what I've just learned. I ran to her and hugged her deeply than I could've ever done. We both hugged for a moment until she gently pushes me off. Tears started to appear beneath my eyes. I don't know what I was feeling but what I can say was joy. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you would drag me with you If I tell you. You have to understand that I have to stay here. This is where I belong and I'm too dangerous to be with you."
"But we can figure things out together! We can go back to hanging out with each other! Play video games! Explore the world! Everything!"
"No Darwin. We can't. I'm a part of the void and I'm slowly losing myself. My left part of my face is nearly turning into the void."
"But we can fix that! We just need to find the answers to how we can get you better! I can't! I don't want to lose you again! I-"
"Darwin!" A shout came from his voice. I stopped with chills freezing behind my back. He looked at me in the eye with sadness. "I can't go back. I'm sorry I was never there for you when you graduated. I'm sorry for never waiting for you outside of school. I'm sorry for everything we could've done but we haven't! I have to save you. Even if it costs me my life. I don't want to lose you either. You have to go Darwin. There's nothing that can change my mind."
I thought I could finally bring him back. To do the things we've never have yet done. Here and now, this is our last time together. This is our last time to see each other again. He protected me wherever I go here. He saved me in order for me to live. I can't let him die here. I don't want him to be gone from me.
I hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. Tears dripped down from his eyes and onto my head. I can feel the pain in my chest starting to rise but I didn't let go. "I'm sorry Darwin. You have to let me go. You can choose. I won't stop you."
He's right. I can't keep him with me. Throughout my life I wanted to see him again. Every night, I look out the window to see if he's there but there's no one but cars and houses. I can't keep doing this. I really have to let go. Tears pours rapidly beneath my eyes. I let go and wiped the tears from my face. "I guess this is a goodbye then."
A sad smile plastered on his face. The world around us slowly turned into darkness. The kind of darkness in hell. "It is Darwin. I'm so happy to see you again."
"Well oh well!! Look at what we have here!" A very modern European accent voice of a man emerged from the world before us. We turned to see a man with a worn off brown coat. His hat looked to be as old as the ancient times. And his face. His face made my stomach turn. Bandages wrapped around his face, except for his terrifying grin. His teeth rotten to the very core of his rotten body. I stepped behind Eddie with the hammer in my hands. The man grins much wider than I anticipated.
"You must be wondering. Who am I? Well. I'm the one and only, Cain. You might've heard me from a very recognizable book. Also, I'm afraid you two are coming with me. We have a lot to discuss and a ton of things to do together." With that, he started laughing like a total maniac. His herds of demons followed with a laugh.
"Goodbye Darwin." Eddie suddenly pushes me off into the bright blue vortex that'll be my exit. I took one last glimpse of Eddie standing before Cain. As I fell into the portal, I can hear the echoing laughter of Cain and his demons. I screamed out for Eddie but my voice was out of reach.
Then, I landed on my back on the ground. The portal disappeared before me. I quickly stood back up and reached to where the portal had opened. It was gone. I looked around to see that I'm on a hill. The dark blue night sky displayed above me with the stars shining above. My mind racing with thoughts and fear. Witnessing Eddie being alone to fight against the evil we are meant to escape from. I screamed into the sky as tears rapidly starts to appear. I fell to my knees onto the grass floor and slam my hands at the ground as I wept. I kept screaming and sobbing until I was too exhausted that I fell to the ground. I heard footsteps before me. There were many.
My body being picked up by Billy in the arm as he carries me with him. "Darwin. What happened?"
The only words I can say now were."He's gone."
​
It's been 2 years since we left that world. The world we now stand upon was nearly the same as ours. What I mean by nearly was that there are strange phenomenons happening nearly every month. A girl who can turn into a form of a robot and killed a cancerous beast in Queensland. A military war criminal who considers killing the supernatural as a job. Even the real life wendigo sightings are on the news papers. Still though, the place is still good in the morning. Except in the night, there are sometimes threats we don't know in the dark.
We built a team together, even gather some new friends along the way. Rishika grew to be more expressive and a lot more kinder to us. The time we killed a literal Bigfoot, she gave me a fist bump. Gave me a chuckle and a smile on my face.
Billy was getting better everyday. He responds to us with kind words than insults like before. After Cody had buried Ronald's body in a proper, he said his words of goodbye to him and gave him the picture he secretly held with him. It was a picture of us hanging out in a movie place. It's heart warming and depressing to witness what he did there.
Cody went off to work as a psychologist. He's still with us. It's just that he wanted to help people's mental health issues. He did really well on that one and he even gave us some advice for a change. I wouldn't consider mostly on his advice but some I can really try. That's also where he met the girl who can turn into a robot. We've met after the news broke out about an incident of a wild destruction at Queensland. Forgot to mention, we're at Australia. Just to let you all know where we are.
Finally, Geralt took pictures everywhere we go and writes down in his diary. The reason he does this is that we're in another world and thought he could take pictures of them and reflect on them. Sometimes we even got to have a photograph of us in the middle of the good times. He said it was to keep memories of our times together. A frame with a picture of literally us huddled together in a bright sunny day in Canberra.
Me? I was building a portal device, for me to teleport to different worlds. It's going to take a long time for me yes. Been building other things lately with Rishika too. Weaponry, gadgets, devices, and fixing stuff. I stuck around with my friends and we've made a great team. Made new friends along the way and learnt many things too.
2 years ago, after my moment of grief, I woke up from my exhausted moment to see my friends standing before me with a relief on their faces. I nearly cried by the picture of that moment. After that, we both watched tv together in my new bedroom inside of a hotel room. After Rishika finds a new home for us, we moved out to Melbourne Victoria as a new place of our home. We moved in to a farm house where there is a larger basement for us to do our stuff. We knew we had to get a job at this point, so we did what we can to find one. It's a good thing there's a city nearby.
Rishika, Geralt, Billy, and I took the job as being a part of an investigation of the paranormal. That's how we managed to meet up with a bunch of new friends.
I missed Eddie. I wished he could come with me and didn't have to die. But, I learnt that I can't drag him with me. He wanted to stay there. I can understand that. I know he's gone already. It's hard to let go. But sometimes we have to. To live out our lives well. I have to look forward. To better myself through experience.
This is my message to you. My readers.
You better to stay where you are now. Don't go to other universes. Because maybe, you'll end up in the most horrifying places you never want to go.

I really like going walks.Its really nice and relaxing.Will be even wonderful if I got a company! So my warm hugs to anyone reading this!! I feel like a maniac to post this but my love longing heart inside me isn't letting me go away.(Really at this point I know that the post isn't gonna get a single response 😣.) So yeah here the post goes!
My name is Matt!. A 19 year old (Soon gonna be 20🥳) Engineering student studying about Electronics and Communication.Honestly I am a boring person without a lot of hobbies as my Uni schedules are really banged up not leaving me enough leisure time to practice any hobbies. But I will definitely learn Cooking for sure haha. I used to read and play badminton in the past just not getting enough time to do it nowadays 😔.
My physical description...To put it up straight I am not a really beautiful person or something so if you have any requirements regarding physical appearance please feel free to stop reading and skip this post coz I look really bad. I am 5'8 with a chubby build (Working on the weight.This building is still under the construction 😅)with brown tanned skin and brown eyes. So that's how I look.Once I am comfortable with I will share my pics but don't expect from it too much 😅. Character wise I am a calm and caring person(Will send a ton of cat memes kikiki😃 is that a deal?). I am really a patient person who handles every situation with care😃. I think I got a good character but I can't say that for sure😅.
So what I am looking for is that one person.I don't have any preferences regarding the another half of my soul (if you came this far yes it's you hahaha 😂)Just be a nice person and be understanding.I don't care about your appearance. Let's love and support each other till the death does the part ❤️!! .I may missed anything here if you have any doubt please feel free to ask I am a open minded person ☺️!!

I really like going walks.Its really nice and relaxing.Will be even wonderful if I got a company! So my warm hugs to anyone reading this!! I feel like a maniac to post this but my love longing heart inside me isn't letting me go away.(Really at this point I know that the post isn't gonna get a single response 😣.) So yeah here the post goes!
My name is Matt!!. A 19 year old (Soon gonna be 20🥳) Engineering student studying about Electronics and Communication.Honestly I am a boring person without a lot of hobbies as my Uni schedules are really banged up not leaving me enough leisure time to practice any hobbies. But I will definitely learn Cooking for sure haha. I used to read and play badminton in the past just not getting enough time to do it nowadays 😔.
My physical description...To put it up straight I am not a really beautiful person or something so if you have any requirements regarding physical appearance please feel free to stop reading and skip this post coz I look really bad. I am 5'8 with a chubby build (Working on the weight.This building is still under the construction 😅)with brown tanned skin and brown eyes. So that's how I look.Once I am comfortable with I will share my pics but don't expect from it too much 😅. Character wise I am a calm and caring person.(Will send a ton of cat memes kikiki😃 is that a deal?). I am really a patient person who handles every situation with care😃. I think I got a good character but I can't say that for sure😅.
So what I am looking for is that one person.I don't have any preferences regarding the another half of my soul (if you came this far yes it's you hahaha 😂)Just be a nice person and be understanding.I don't care about your appearance or your nationality. Let's love and support each other till the death does the part ❤️!! .I may missed anything here if you have any doubt please feel free to ask I am a open minded person ☺️!!

My girlfriend was released from the psych ward yesterday and decided to break up with me for a while. She suffered a massive mental health crisis a couple of weeks ago and ended up taking a mental health leave from her job. She showed up at my work drunk and high on cocaine and I had to take her home. She admitted herself to the hospital the next day and stayed for two weeks before she was released.
Last night she knocked on my door before running back to her car. She left a box with all my things from her apartment and a letter attached to the box. In the letter, she said she needs to take a break from our relationship so she can take care of her mental health. She is in an extremely unstable condition and is receiving treatment for depression and suicidal ideation. She does not feel safe being around anyone at the moment and does not trust herself to make logical decisions around people. She is taking her medication and no longer feels like the world is ending but she is going back to the hospital to receive assistance with her depression. She is also going to start eating full meals again and try put on weight.
The next three pages of the letter were filled with her expressing her love for me and apologizing for her behavior. Because she knows I do not want drugs anywhere near my apartment she asked one of her coworkers about a person they know who sells cocaine and she bought a gram. She bought it in a brown bag along with some weed and hoped I would look at it and break up with her. When I didn’t she decided to sniff the cocaine and put a line on the kitchen table. She bought 10 bottles of wine and drank two of them and scattered the bottles around the apartment before taking an Uber to my job. Because I was the only thing that was stopping her from jumping off a bridge she hoped that I would get mad when I saw her walking into the fire station wasted and the state of my apartment when I brought her back and break up with her. Despite my anger, I did not break up with her and she ultimately decided to check herself into the hospital. She dedicated one page to apologizing for her actions that morning and all the things she did before because of her mental health. She doesn’t deserve a patient boyfriend like me who has the biggest heart in the world and she is afraid of corrupting me. She told me to find a woman who does not have the same problems as her and treat that woman with the same respect I gave her. The last page was her telling me how grateful she was to have me as a boyfriend and she could never repay me for the five years of love I gave her. She does not know when she’s going to feel ready to be in my presence again and told me not to come to her house to talk to me. She also drew a portrait of me while she was in the hospital and attached it to the letter.
I started crying in a way I haven’t since I was a kid. I knew what I was getting into when I met her and I never held her mental health against her. She always told me what emotions she was feeling and it helped our relationship greatly. This is a very serious situation and I am glad she recognized she needs professional support instead of trying to deal with it all by herself. She’s had episodes before but nothing like this. I miss her. I miss her so much. My apartment has been quiet for the past two weeks without her being loud and creating noise and I hate it. I miss holding her and rubbing her back while she fell asleep. I miss the streak of blonde hair in her black hair, her big, black, beautiful eyes, and how she always smelled like lavender. I miss cooking for her and making dinner so she had something to eat after a shift. I miss the smells of whatever recipe she was attempting to replicate from Pinterest. I miss the video of Daniel Craig saying “ladies and gentlemen, the weekend” she would send me every Friday after 5pm. I miss her chicken katsu and spam musubi and her cooking. She made two containers of katsu and curry and put them in my refrigerator before she started her cocaine plan and every bite I took made me miss her more. I miss exercising and doing ab workouts with her. I miss trying new hiking trails with her. I miss watching whatever dumb reality tv show she was obsessed with every two months and her asking a million questions every time she watched a sporting event with me. She was the love of my life and my life feels incomplete without her. I told my mom and younger sister we were taking a break and both of them said she feels like a member of our family. I miss her. The last four years have been the happiest times of my life and now all I feel is numbness and sadness. Whenever we had disagreements they never lasted more than two days and we apologized if one of us said something mean. She was the place I called home and the only person I feel safe confiding in and now she’s gone for I don’t know how long. I want to be right by her side giving her a hug and telling her how strong and beautiful she is but I can’t. I know she’s serious about improving her mental health and she’s making an effort to get her so that makes me feel a sense of peace. I hope she is able to find a sense of calmness in her mind. I collected all her things and dropped them off at her house this afternoon then got on the highway and just keep driving for an hour. No music or anything. Just the sound of cars and my thoughts. She deserves to be happy and feel like she wants to live. It hurts to live without her.
Edit: She has never done drugs before. This was the first time she ever bought or did drugs.

im 13+5 and i just peed, wiped and saw light pink. ive also been cramping a bit today. i was just wondering if any of yall experienced the same thing and if everything was fine. i’d call my ob, but its 9pm, and i messaged on the patient portal, but it usually takes 2 days for them to answer. figured id ask here because google has a variety of answers that are either calming or worry-some lol

it was a live action show where these kids meet this girl, she has pig tails, and is a brunette, wore a suit that was white, but outlined with lines on it and also when they go into a portal her outfit turns rainbow and brown shoes. These two kids one boy& girl and meet these interesting characters that sing there's a talking acorn two brothers in green jester looking costumes named the jingle heimer Schmidt brothers. If anyone knows a idea pls lmk.

Hello.
I am a DM with about six years experience and after concluding a wonderful campaign of three years with another online group, I'm looking to start again. The game uses a combination of Roll20, Discord, and dndbeyond, voice only to start.
Once players are picked, we'll schedule a prompt session 0; ideal goal is to start one week from this posting. I'm itching to play.
The inciting adventure is a test play to determine if the group assembled wants to play beyond that.
Two options I want to gauge with the reddit audience:
Option A: Open-ended sandbox game, starting with the fall of an oppressive ruler over a continent. The world has opened up to two more continents, and the land now freed of an oppressive ruler with many sentient races scattered in diaspora or living outright underground, the land has become free real estate (obvious colonial themes, this scenario is very morally gray, if not dark gray, to the question of who has rights to the lands) - the party begins as people navigating this new world and picking sides. There are many evil groups and factions, but your enemy is who you choose, and generally in this world, the more problems you solve, the more you cause inadvertently. Pick your allies carefully, and your enemies even more so. If I had to name an inspiration for aspects of this, it'd probably be Dragon Age and Game of Thrones.
Option B: Metroidvania, survival, minor horror. What started as a mission to take down some bad mage-sort that you may have a grudge against, or you had an ulterior motive for taking this mission, goes wrong. You began working with one of the most powerful factions in the world, The Black Guard, and you see them get mowed down like nothing. Your target flees through a portal. You had to choose to follow or die. Now you are in some sort of demiplane... or is it? You're trapped. Magical doors bar you in some sort of prison... but fortune favors you and you escape. You are now in some sort of underground mega dungeon. Your goal is to find some important survivors, find your target, learn about what this place is and what is being planned with it, but most important of all... you need to get out of there. The inspirations here are Metroid, Hollow Knight, Resident Evil, Made in Abyss, and even Tears of the Kingdom.
Both adventures start at level 3. If you want to play, I'll give more detailed lore notes.
If you want to play, please message me or post here the following information:
Name
Age
5E Experience (NEW PLAYERS WELCOMED!)
Which Campaign you prefer and why you're drawn to it
What do you bring to the table... Why are you a good player?
A Character Concept (doesn't have to remotely resemble what you eventually use)
What are you hoping for in the Game
What you don't want to see in the game
An affirmation that day and time work
About me: My name is Josh. I'm 31 with a family of five. I am a busy dad. I work in education and have coached many youth activities including drama and speech (as well as starting a DND club once-upon-a-time). I am patient with new players. Saturday nights are my designated time for tabletop roleplaying games and that time is open. The inspirations listed above are some media I really enjoy.
DM Style: I play RAW. I am not an antagonistic DM and if I bend RAW, it's usually to your benefit. I seldom let Rule of Cool dictate things beyond what's realistic, but still allow for some aspects of that. My previous players have praised my campaigns for being good at incorporating backstories, having difficult-but-memorable encounters, and being filled with very fun lore. I am generally at my best with horror themes, but am fine outside of them. I like serious stories with the fun, silly side coming out through the characters.
This game will not have overt or descriptive sexual content. I prefer a diversity of age representation, if possible.

29 year old female. Went to ER yesterday due to appendicitis-like symptoms at 2 week post op appendectomy. Got a CT of abdomen and pelvis, bloodwork, and Urine tests. Doctor said it looked fine but this was before the test results had been finalized.
12 hours later tests became available on my patient portal and CT says normal but it does say “Peritoneal Cavity: Trace Ascites”. What is this and could this be as a result of my appendectomy? I had bad right-sided abdominal pain again today. I did a quick google search and most of what I found point to cirrhosis? I appreciate any input - thank you!
Here are my possibly abnormal results in case they are relevant:
CT Scan - Peritoneal Cavity: Trace Ascites
Blood - BUN: 20 mg/dL
Urine - Protein UA: 30 (1+) mg/dL Urine - Squamous Epithelial Cells, Urine Sed, Automated Count, Qual: Few/HPF Urine - Mucus, Ur Sed, QL, Automated Count: Present/HPF Urine - Amorphous Crystals, Urine Sediment, Automated Count, Qual: Few/HPF

For 3 years I've been dealing with Emotional Numbness and Sexual Dysfunction that all started after an intense and chronic episode of stress, depression, and anxiety. My emotions are blunted both positive and negative. I can't feel sexual arousal, desire, pleasure, or thoughts. I have erectile dysfunction and reduced sensitivity to my penis.
The emotional numbness and sexual dysfunction have been the most bothersome symptoms.
However other symptoms I've been having in addition to all of this are: brain fog, muscle tension, and a suppressed appetite.
I did the DUTCH Plus test that my Functional Medicine Practitioner ordered and this is what the results revealed:
1) High morning cortisol with decreased waking response decreases appropriately throughout the day
2) Estradiol (E2) above range
3) Estriol (E3) above range
4) Androsterone above range
5) Testosterone above range
6) 5b-androstanediol high end of range
7)Estrogen metabolism 2-OH to 2-MeOH 63.9%, 16-alpha 19.4%, 4-OH 16.7%
8) Saliva cortisone total above range
9) Saliva cortisol total within range
10) Pyroglutamate low end of range
11) Homovanillate low end of range
I just read this from the report on my patient portal. I follow up with the Nurse Practitioner in a few weeks. Could any of these results correlate with my symptoms?

Age: 41 Weight: 223lbs height: 5' 11"
Drugs taken: Effexor, Abilify, finasteride for balding. I'm also supposed to be taking a statin, but I've forgotten about it lately.
So my first indication that I might have something wrong with me related to schizophrenia was when I had a very stressful job. I felt like I was aware of what people were saying even though I had ear plugs in. I didn't know if I just had very good hearing or what, and I let it go. I was around 35 at the time.
When I was 36, I got kicked by a horse. My depression got very bad at the time, because I couldn't exercise, and I was fighting it too. I got sent to an orthopedic doctor to discuss surgery and he ended up hurting me severely. It seemed on purpose. At first I was in denial about it, but I knew he hurt me, and it just got worse and worse. I ended up in more pain than I'd ever been in in my life, and I was raging over it when my mental health fell apart completely. I couldn't even get out of bed. My leg wouldn't work. I think I passed out because I lost complete track of the first day. I thought I reported it as assault on the same day, but it was actually the next day. As I was going through this, I know I sent a lot of messages to my doctor on the patient portal, but I can't remember most of what I said at the time. I was just too screwed up. I went back to try to read over it and it all ended up getting deleted. It's a long story. I'll never know much of what happened. I don't know if it was to cover it all up or what. Maybe they just wanted me to let it go, or they were mad at me, and wanted to mess with me.
Anyway, from what I can remember, I was hearing voices all over the place. It was my doctors discussing me, my dad saying things I will never talk about, etc. It was a madhouse. I was extremely paranoid and thought the cops were after me, people were vandalizing my house, and a lot of other things like that I’ve forgotten now. My brain kept “resetting” like my awareness would come and go. It was very strange and I can’t really articulate it well. My house mate said she came in and observed my leg was swollen and I was asleep drenched in sweat. She also realized I needed fluids, since I had no come out for days, and tried to give me some. I do remember denying it. I don’t know why. It’s like I just had decided to die.
After 4-5 days I was finally able to stand on my messed up leg and got out of bed. I started confronting the things I was paranoid about, and I made a doctors appointment. They saw me the same day. I went in thinking I might have a knee infection and/or I might be dying. I had no idea. It was a very short appointment and the NP didn’t even look at my knee. She was more interested in my AH and paranoia. She prescribed me an antipsychotic that I went to go get, but my insurance hadn’t OKed it, so I went back home with nothing. I realized I hadn’t been drinking anything and drank a ton of milk. Aferwards, I felt I was doing much better with my paranoia and my AH subsided, but I still had some.
I was still extremely mad about the doctor hurting me, but I was trying to let it go. It’s a long story that doesn’t matter much in being able to tell what’s wrong with me, but I got into legal trouble being mad about it.
Some of the AH continued. Mostly right after I woke up. I would wake up to tons of voices all at once, but I could understand them all, which makes no sense. I didn’t really believe them or anything. I just found them annoying. Over time the AH changed. I stopped hearing it only when I woke up, and I started hearing it throughout the day. I wasn’t at all paranoid, however. It was a narrator saying what I believed to be guesses about what people, and even dogs, were thinking of me. I still didn’t believe it.
I went to a couple different psychiatrists and got prescribed various antipsychotics. They mostly didn’t seem to help, and had terrible side effects. I ended up on Zyprexa, which did help. It made me fat, however. I also had no motivation. After taking it for quite a while, I decided to do an experiment and titrated off to see if I still needed it. I was hoping I would lose weight and regain some motivation. I didn’t. I went for a month or two without any AH problems, and when they first started, I didn’t really care. I figured I could handle it because it was just mildly annoying anyway.
As my AH came back, it was all about all the legal trouble I got into, the doctor hurting me, etc. Apparently, the part of my mind that hears this nonsense is still very obsessed over it, even though I had mostly moved on. Anyway, it really started messing with me. Instead of being what I felt were guesses about what people were thinking of me, it was complex thoughts with unique identities. They don’t say stupid things like, “Kill yourself” or “Kill someone” etc. It has never been that. I am now 41 and this is what I’m experiencing. The voices are also hostile towards me and point out terrible things I’ve done that I never even remembered, etc. I’m not a terrible person, but they are things I’m ashamed of that I don’t really want to think about. They are also probably pretty normal. They were making me mildly paranoid so I went back on Zyprexa. I had a psychiatric appointment 3 days later and told her that I went back on my Zyprexa because the voices were messing with me. She asked me if I’d like to try Abilify and I ultimately agreed. It’s not working at all yet, however.
What disorder does all of this most fit? I’m looking for an expert… I know that most mental health professionals will be sure it’s a variety of things. I’ve heard a lot of different diagnoses. What is it really? What medications might you recommend?
Thankyou.
Edit: I forgot to mention I do feel dead inside. I don't know if that's depression or evidence of schizophrenia.

This is part two of reworking Heroes, a show that i greatly enjoy but is still heavily flawed. For those who didn't read the last post, I changed the ending of season two to work back in the Pandemic idea. I also sent up some new rules: Peter and Hiro are limited in aspects, Peter can only take on a certain amount of powers while Hiro needs intense concentration and he can freeze time for short bursts. Noah is dead in this version. Volume 3 and Volume 4 will comprise Season 3 as 23 episodes, with Exodus being 10 episodes and Villains as 13. Each point is the summarization of two episodes.

• While Matt coordinates with the local departments, Peter takes Nathan to the hospital. Claire calls Peter for an update, but he tells her to stay away from Odessa. As Mohinder prepares to leave for Texas, Maya and Molly insist on coming with him. Hiro falls into a depressive state, vowing to never use his powers again. The CDC declare a state of emergency and issues a citywide quarantine. Elle is tasked with capturing Sylar, who continues his killing spree. Mohinder sends Molly to live with his mother in India, while he reluctantly brings Maya with him. Despite her mom's pleas, Claire heads to Odessa to save Nathan. Ando tries to help Hiro but to no avail. Matt and Peter meet with CDC agent, Howard Clarke, to discuss quarantine protocols and potential treatment research.
• The CDC and National Guard take control of Odessa, reformatting the schools and local arena into research labs and shelters. Mohinder and Maya arrive at Odessa, but are held in intensive quarantine. Matt is called by Janice, who's worried for his safety. Claire hitchhikes her way to Odessa, crossing paths with Sylar and Elle. As more people begin to fall ill and die, Clarke implements harsher quarantines and crackdowns on anybody leaving Odessa. Claire and Elle work together to evade Sylar. Mohinder and Maya grow closer in their quarantine and sleep together. With Kimiko's help, Ando manages to convince Hiro to help save Odessa. Hiro teleports to Odessa where he meets with Peter and Matt. Realizing that they're out of their depth with the virus, Hiro and Ando are forced to dig up Adam Monroe and ask for his help.
• Adam reluctantly agrees to help, as a way to screw over the Company. Mohinder and Maya are released from quarantine. Claire sneaks her way into Odessa and reunites with Peter at Nathans bedside. The Heroes all meet together and discuss their next move. Agent Clarke is revealed to be a Company agent, who is order to stall the heroes and let the town be destroyed. Matt and Peter continue to coordinate with the CDC. Adam is watched over by Hiro, as he work with Mohinder. Mohinder conducts research into Claire's blood, hoping to find a cure. Claire sits by Nathan's bedside. Maya discovers that her powers can temporarily counteract the Shanti virus.
• Mohinder and Adam deduce that Maya's powers are activated by her adreneal glands. Claire and Hiro bond over their respective losses. Clarke's increasingly violent actions spur suspicions from Matt and Peter. Mohinder tests his formula, synthesized from Maya's and Claire's blood, but the formula proves to be unstable when the patient dies. Maya feels guilt for causing another death. Mohinder deduces that Adam's blood has the necessary enzymes to keep the formula from being unstable. Peter's and Matt's suspicions about Clarke are confirmed, when Clarke orders the team to be killed, after Mohinder successfully develops the antidote, saving Nathan's life. Adam manages to escape in the ensuing conflict, not before destroying all but one antidote sample.
• The group escape into the city, where they plan their next move as Company agents look for them throughout. Clarke talks with the President, suggesting that the city should either be abandoned or destroyed by air-strike. The president announces that in 24 hours, Odessa will be air-striked. The Heroes storm the Primatech facility to get the antidote. They try to appease to Clarke's humanity, but Maya gets shot in the process. The group succeeds but Mohinder warns them he doesn't have enough time to synthesize a city's worth. Maya takes the formula, dispersing the antidote in the air, though she dies in the process. Nathan manages to stop the airstrike and Odessa is saved. Clarke is reprimanded for his failure. As the city mourns its dead, the Heroes return to their lives. Nathan and Claire begin to bond; Matt reconciles with Janice and meets his son; Peter begins his hunt for Sylar; Hiro returns to Japan and works with his sister at Yamagato Industries; and Mohinder reunites with Molly. Meanwhile, Adam tracks down Sylar and offers a partnership.

June 3rd, 327
We barely got by the first day by finding some fruits although it took a while to find them, I mean seriously 4 hours of foraging for only 9 apples?! This forest wasn’t exactly farmland material but I figured it would at least have enough fruit to last us for a few days. Augustine approached and offered to go into the town we escaped from…doesn’t take a genius to guess that I buried that idea instantly, like cmon we just escaped from that place where we both nearly lost our lives plus it was like hours worth of walking away. In response Augustine told me “I- I recently got a good hold on a long distance teleportation spell, I can give it a try for this' '. While Augustine was a truthful boy and he had incredible magical talent, I just couldn’t let him go through this alone and besides how was he gonna get supplies while remaining unrecognized? Lulio most likely already had hundreds of wanted posters spread throughout every town by now. To this Augustine responded with “Oh! I think I can get around that! When I was imprisoned they taught me a spell called **self-transformation** which was supposedly a less effective version of the ultimate illusion spell **perfect transformation** but they didn’t go over it fully as they feared I would use it to escape, it might not be perfect and most likely won’t last that long but it just might give us enough time to buy some supplies from the town”. While this idea was beyond risky, it was the same kind of deranged crazy that drew me in…so reluctantly I agreed. First though I asked him to demonstrate how much he knew how to transform so we went outside into the cool night air, the moonlight shining through the tree branches. I watched intently as Augustine took out the dead mana crystals and began to charge them, the crystals began to glow like a beacon in the night while Augustine informed me that “by recharging these crystals we’ll be able to keep the illusion on for longer”…and then, it began. Right before my very eyes Augustine’s appearance began to alter, by pressing his finger onto his temples his hair which was a charcoal black started to turn into a golden blonde as his hair started to grow much longer to the point he could tie it up into a ponytail, his skin tone began to turn from a pale white to a tannish color while his height started to shrink to a much smaller 5’6”. “How’s this?” He asked me, and with me being beyond impressed I told him that it was perfect and they won’t suspect a thing. Augustine breathed a sigh of relief and in a small flash of blue light he transformed back into his normal appearance and we agreed that tomorrow we would venture into the town to get supplies.
June 4th, 327
It’s late at night. Augustine is asleep after finally filling his stomach for the first time since he escaped from the facility. I’ll do my best to recap our journey to town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ZC: alright so just to confirm this is the plan:
**1. Transform our appearance and teleport to a spot around 5 minutes from the town**
**2. Buy as much food and other supplies as possible before the transformation runs out of power which is estimated to be an hour and a half**
**3. Make our way out of town and teleport back**
A: that’s right!
ZC: well I trust you so I’ll be optimistic about this
A: thanks Zach
*holds hand out as we both start to transform with him adopting the same appearance in his demonstration as my brown hair turned dark and my eye turning an ocean blue*
A: well you ready Rocky?(my disguise name) *giggles to himself*
ZC: ready when you are Atlas
**after a brief flash we appeared outside the town and after some deep breaths to calm our nerves we ventured inside**
Inside the facility we escaped from was still being reconstructed with the west side of the building still under heavy construction and I was right as we couldn’t go 5 steps without seeing a wanted poster.
ZC: *whispers* Well I guess Lulio doesn’t screw around when it comes to escapees
A: well yea I suppose so I mean we are kind of the only ones
ZC: guess so, anyways let’s go get what we came for.
We walked into the nearest shop we could find and went crazy on the amount of stuff we got, despite being a part of a twisted experiment Lulio sure pays his workers handsomely
Shopkeeper: is this…everything?
Both: um…yes miss
Shopkeeper: alright then and say…*points at Augustine* has anyone ever told you that your eyes look a lot like the ones on the poster outside
(Despite trying repeatedly this morning Augustine couldn’t change his own eye color which he theorized it was because of the experiment he went through)
A: I- well my friends did joke that I was a fugitive because my eyes were really similar **nudging my elbow**
ZC: uhh yea it’s not that funny but they still do it.
Shopkeeper: well young adults are like that, making unfunny jokes to poke fun at someone.
A: yea…anyways goodbye miss
**exits store with our supplies in a mana box which works like portal bandages**
ZC: well I guess that went sort of smooth I gue-
My words got caught in my throat as I saw him: **Lulio** was marching through town with numerous Keidran slaves and basitin servants behind him.
I turned to see how Augustine was reacting and he wasn’t panicked by the sight of the grand Templar but instead he was observing the keidran he had enslaved, watching on with a solemn look in his eyes as he clenched his fists so hard his veins were visible.
ZC: Augustine…you alright?
A: oh right…yea I’m fine.
ZC: well let’s get out of here our time is almost up.
A: oh ok…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We venture out of town and teleport back to the cabin. After getting inside we unloaded the crate to examine what we got: a few box of water, an assortment of fruits and veggies, a couple loaves of bread, large amounts of meat, a bunch of mana crystals, and some new clothes
After gorging ourselves I asked Augustine about that look in his eyes
ZC: so Augustine.
A: yes?
ZC: what was up with that look back in the town?
A: oh…it’s nothing don’t worry about it
ZC: you sure? If it’s bothering then you can tell me.
A: it’s just that…I know how lucky I am to be liberated from that prison thanks to you and I’m beyond grateful for that but I can’t stop thinking about everyone else…they’re still in there slaving away under the boiling sun, their suffering surpassing anyone’s ability to imagine. When I saw that Lulio was parading through the town I wanted to charge at him with everything I had, with all the power HE bestowed on me. I wanted to-**starts to break, beginning to sniffle** I wanted to save them…bring them along…with us.
ZC: I- I’m sorry Augustine I wish I could of saved more people that night but I was under a lot of pressure as we escaped that night, knowing if we got caught then I’d for sure be executed and you’d most likely would be placed in maximum security.
A: **composing himself** I know I’m sorry I just couldn’t contain that thought anymore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had taken a nap to recoup my thoughts and when I woke up, Augustine wasn’t anywhere in the cabin. I ran outside to search for him and I heard his voice after running for 2 minutes and he seemed to be talking to someone. I was terrified, expecting to find him being pinned to the ground by a Templar but instead he was alone in a small clearing and I noticed a small white creature dash behind a tree. I have heard rumors that every grand Templar would be visited by a “ghost cat” but even if it was true then why would it be here? Augustine said I must of been hearing things as he said he was sitting alone just to come to terms with his thoughts. I sighed and brought him back to the cabin and he fell asleep instantly.
——————————————
To be continued

Note that these are primarily Kings targets, players that are projected to be available for the picks they currently have. General order:
Bilal Coulibaly: LOVE. I think he can be the steal of the draft. 3&D (actually good at both shooting and defending, not just "wing who shoots 29% from 3 but we call him 3&D) but shows tons of potential for growth such as playmaking for himself and others. One of the youngest in the class, but also not nearly as raw as he gets talked about. He's risen lately, but I'm surprised he's not getting even more buzz.
Andre Jackson Jr: another LOVE. just a flat out winner. excellent defender, extremely high feel and IQ. Would fit in great with the Kings transition offense as he excels in the open floor as both a passer and finisher. However is a pretty horrible shooter at this stage. I see him a bit like a wing-version of Draymond. Despite his lack of shooting, I think he would fit in amazingly with the Kings.
Jordan Walsh: Sensing a theme here with wing defense? I made a post about it in nba_draft floating out the hypothesis that he might be getting underrated for his appearance (he has alopecia). Some called me crazy and that's fine but acting like implicit biases don't exist at all is stupid and ignorant. Super long and active playmaking defender and similar to AJJ, just makes winning plays. Also not much of an offensive player at this stage either (worse overall than AJJ), but the jumper is better than Jackson's. I really like Walsh.
If Leonard Miller lasts (it's looking more and more like he won't) I wouldn't be opposed to taking him. Would be a nice upside play and I think IF you're gonna take a big, he and Clowney (not at 24 pls) probably fit next to Domas the best.
I don't hate Julian Strawther either, #38 wouldn't be bad.
Obligatory Kris Murray, but I like some other names more. Wouldn't be mad at the pick though.
Kobe Brown: More of a sleeper pick, but I like Brown, and it's interesting to me because he doesn't get much buzz at all but the way he impacts the game at both ends is very impressive. Absolute physical load and is always doing SOMETHING on the floor to help his team; I think guys like that tend to stick. Did however have a massive one year shooting jump his senior year, and those guys tend to regress as shooters. Worth noting he is 23.
Some guys I'm lower on, particularly for the Kings:
Trayce Jackson-Davis: Yeah not a fan much at all. Blocks don't = good defense! He's a pretty poor defender in space and I promise you he will get targeted on that end at the next level. Absolutely hunts for blocks as opposed to playing solid D. His offense is all slow post ups where he ground Indiana offense to a halt by turning and backing down his man for 5 seconds before putting up a hook shot. Yes, it was effective at that level, but I don't see the translation with him. Zero 3s attempted, very poor FT shooter. Pass.
Dereck Lively II: This year's "he can shoot because he hit 3's in an open gym!" WCS and Mitchell Robinson saw this boost before. I'll believe it when I see it. Another guy that hunts for blocks as opposed to contesting solidly. He's getting some buzz at 10 for Dallas and I.........would not do that at all.
Rayan Rupert: I think he's pretty overrated as a defender at this stage. Has the physical tools for sure but I think he gets the "good defender" label because he looks far more active than he actually is. I think he gets beat a ton and his D technique can be quite poor. Also not a shooter at all so don't let anyone tell you he's a 3&D wing!
Sidy Cissoko: pretty meh to me. He's getting some hype lately to maybe sneak into top 20?
Jett Howard: shooting is very good, everything else is pretty ugly. Very unathletic which is crazy considering he has NBA genes.
As of right now, an ideal draft to me would be Bilal Coulibaly at 24 (or use 38 to trade up a bit if you have to, fuck it) and Andre Jackson Jr at 38. If he's gone, Jordan Walsh. I don't think I would take BOTH AJJ and Walsh because of the lack of shooting. Wouldn't hate a dart throw at Kobe Brown at 54 if he's there.

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https://preview.redd.it/1osnro2okf2b1.png?width=1903&format=png&auto=webp&s=1c9bc61fb4f24520674cc3c0e877d93fdccfd6e5
Breakdown by number of different players on each team:

• Rams: 10 (Willie Ellison, Lawrence McCutcheon, Eric Dickerson, Charles White, Cleveland Gary, Robert Delpino, Jerome Bettis, Marshall Faulk, Steven Jackson, Todd Gurley)
• Falcons: 10 (Dave Hampton, Bubba Bean, William Andrews, Gerald Riggs, Craig Heyward, Jamal Anderson, Warrick Dunn, Michael Turner, Devonta Freeman, Tyler Allgeier)
• Steelers: 9 (John Fuqua, Franco Harris, Frank Pollard, Barry Foster, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Le'Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams)
• Oilers/Titans: 9 (Earl Campbell, Mike Rozier, Gary Brown, Rodney Thomas, Eddie George, Travis Henry, Chris Johnson, DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry)
• Broncos: 9 (Floyd Little, Otis Armstrong, Jon Keyworth, Gaston Green, Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Willis McGahee, Philip Lindsay, Melvin Gordon)
• Cowboys: 8 (Calvin Hill, Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, Emmitt Smith, Marion Barber, DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden, Ezekiel Elliott)
• Bengals: 8 (Essex Johnson, Pete Johnson, James Brooks, Ickey Woods, Harold Green, Corey Dillon, Rudi Johnson, Joe Mixon)
• Washington: 8 (Larry Brown, Mike Thomas, John Riggins, Earnest Byner, Stephen Davis, Clinton Portis, Alfred Morris, Antonio Gibson)
• Dolphins: 7 (Larry Csonka, Delvin Williams, Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Reggie Bush, Lamar Miller, Jay Ajayi)
• Vikings: 7 (Chuck Foreman, Darrin Nelson, Robert Smith, Michael Bennett, Chester Taylor, Adrian Peterson, Dalvin Cook)
• Bills: 7 (O.J. Simpson, Joe Cribbs, Greg Bell, Thurman Thomas, Willis McGahee, C.J. Spiller, LeSean McCoy)
• Seahawks: 7 (Curt Warner, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, Shaun Alexander, Marshawn Lynch, Chris Carson, Kenneth Walker III)
• Jets: 6 (Clark Gaines, Freeman McNeil, Adrian Murrell, Curtis Martin, Thomas Jones, Chris Ivory)
• Chargers: 6 (Chuck Muncie, Earnest Jackson, Gary Anderson, Marion Butts, LaDainian Tomlinson, Melvin Gordon)
• 49ers: 6 (Ken Willard, Delvin Williams, Roger Craig, Garrison Hearst, Frank Gore, Elijah Mitchell)
• Saints: 6 (Chuck Muncie, George Rogers, Dalton Hillard, Deuce McAllister, Mark Ingram, Alvin Kamara)
• Colts: 6 (Lydell Mitchell, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Frank Gore, Jonathan Taylor)
• Patriots: 6 (Curtis Martin, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley, Sony Michel, Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson)
• Packers: 5 (Donny Anderson, John Brockington, Dorsey Levens, Ahman Green, Eddie Lacy)
• Bears: 5 (Walter Payton, Neal Anderson, Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Jordan Howard)
• Chiefs: 5 (Christian Okoye, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles, Kareem Hunt)
• Browns: 5 (Leroy Kelly, Kevin Mack, Leroy Hoard, Jamal Lewis, Nick Chubb)
• Raiders: 5 (Marv Hubbard, Mark van Eeghen, Marcus Allen, Latavius Murray, Josh Jacobs)
• Cardinals: 5 (Jim Otis, Ottis Anderson, Edgerrin James, David Johnson, Kenyan Drake)
• Giants: 5 (Joe Morris, Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, Ahmad Bradshaw, Saquon Barkley)
• Panthers: 4 (Anthony Johnson, Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, Christian McCaffrey)
• Eagles: 3 (Ricky Watters, Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy)
• Jaguars: 3 (Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Leonard Fournette)
• Buccaneers: 3 (Earnest Graham, Doug Martin, Ronald Jones II)
• Lions: 2 (Billy Sims, Barry Sanders)
• Ravens: 2 (Jamal Lewis, Ray Rice)
• Texans: 2 (Steve Slaton, Arian Foster)

This one took a bit longer to write, mostly because it's longer and I was working a bit on chapter 13 as well. I hope you guys enjoy. Criticism and grammar corrections are appreciated.
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Chapter 12

Patrick stood in front of the large building that sat at the center of the compound. He guessed that it had to be at least three stories tall and had a large garage door that was wide enough to fit a small jet. Whatever sat inside was the biggest mystery about the Da’Kar, the question they had been asking since they were first found on Earth; How had these interlopers arrived here with seemingly century old technology? It was quite an amazing opportunity to be among the first humans to find out, so when he was given the opportunity he volunteered his squad.
The mission itself was fairly simple, accompany an envoy for a week in Da’Karen territory. Of course they weren’t alone, a squad of marines were assigned to the other diplomat plus a translator for each of them.
The twelve of them stood by in front of the large building, just waiting for the order to go in. Tanner especially seemed excited for what lay beyond, quite frankly they all were. Soon enough a familiar Da’Kar approached them, it was the one named Chilluukik; He was some kind of noble or scientist, Patrick didn’t really know which. “Goodmorning, it is a pleasure to meet all of you as well as see a few that I’ve previously met.” Chilluukkik said that last part while gesturing to Patrick and his squad.
Patrick's diplomat, a woman named Sophie shook Chilluukik’s hand softly and introduced herself. “Sophie Lacelle, and this gentleman right here is Edward Teach.” After Sophie, Edward also shook the Da’Kar’s hand. “And I am Chilluukik, I am the head scientist here at this outpost.”
The garage-like door proceeded to open and everyone was invited inside. The room seemed rather plain at first glance, typical storage-like barebones deal but Patrick noticed how the location was actually defended. Two fortified positions were built on each side where Da’Karan soldiers were entrenched. They seemed to have larger versions of the steam rifles usually seen with their other troops. These rifles were bolted down into the floor and attached to much larger tanks. With no cover possible, it would be like walking in front of a second world war German machine gun nest.
In between them, a reinforced metal door was the only other notable thing in the room. Chilluukik grabbed everyone's attention and made them all move to the side. The secondary metal door opened with a wince, metal grinding on metal, revealing an archway with an eerie blue glow emanating from it. Chilluukik stepped in front of the device and faced the group.
“Come, right this way.”
Without another word the Da’kar stepped through the archway, sinking into the blue hue and disappearing without a trace. A marine was the first to follow, leading his group through the archway. Patrick was close behind, he paused a moment before stepping into the haze. A strange sensation flowed over his body, as if he were submerged in water; instinctively he held his breath as he stepped through.
It took a moment or two for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting but soon it was clear that he was no longer in the same room he was in just a moment ago. Cautiously he took a breath, the air was thin and stale. The room they were standing in was some kind of workshop, strange tools were placed haphazardly around and there seemed to be machines all around with many intricate gears. Chilluukkik stood patiently as everyone passed through the arch, once everyone was through he addressed the group.
"Welcome to Charsier, the capital city of the Da’Kar. You are currently standing in my lab where I spent many years developing that portal you just walked through."
Now everything about their sudden appearance on earth made sense, for all intents and purposes the Da'Kar really did appear out of thin air. Patrick's mental list of strange things that have happened in the past month or so just kept growing. At this point the idea of a portal let alone actually going through one barely phased him. Tanner however, was awestruck as he usually was when it came to dealing with the Da'Kar. At least someone was enthusiastic about this whole ordeal. Edward stepped forward and spoke.
"Are we currently underground? It's somewhat hard to breathe, and the air seems stuffy."
"Yes, Charsier is almost entirely carved out of a mountain. Most of the city is underground, only military personnel are permitted to surface on a normal basis." Chilluukkik answered.
Edward thought on that for a moment, he opened his mouth as if he was going to say something but he hesitated. Instead he settled with a single word response. “Impressive.”
Chilluukkik clasped his hands together and spoke before any other questions could be asked. “We best not waste time, there are a lot of things to do today. Mainly you are all going to meet the matriarch and the council, but first I would like to go over a few things that you must abide by. First and foremost the proper greeting especially to those in power should be a bow, we are not accustomed to the physical greeting that is your ‘handshake’. Second, as you are strangers to our land it is best to avoid interacting with the general populace to avoid creating any unintended offense. If you must, it is best that you consult your guide that each group will be assigned before interacting. Lastly, it is not recommended to stray away from your guide as many of our cities can be labyrinth-like and it can be very easy to get lost even if you become familiar with an area. Are there any questions before we move forward?”
The room fell silent, Chilluukik waited a few moments before continuing but no one spoke up. He awkwardly cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Excellent, follow me so we can get you all situated.”
Chilluukkik led the group out of the tight lab and onto some kind of underground street. There were a number of Da'Karen guards on a perimeter, blocking and redirecting any civilians trying to pass through. Surprisingly very few actually stopped to ogle at the group of strange beings, most were just content with minding their own business and going on with their day. Though the occasional glance was fairly common.
Patrick took note of how gloomy the atmosphere of the city felt. Perhaps it was just this section but everything seemed to be built for more practicality than any kind of visually pleasing architecture. Though Patrick supposed that maybe this city was quite beautiful to the Da'Kar. Dim, damp, and tight must be all the rage in that case. It wasn’t really the best explanation he could’ve come up with.
A tram sat in the middle of the street awaiting to transport them to a different location in the city. The group gathered infront of the tram and a guard opened one of the side doors, allowing everyone to file in. The step onto the tram was larger than strictly comfortable, of course it hadn’t been designed with a human’s smaller stature in mind. That being said the tram was quite roomy and comfortably fit everyone inside.
The sudden acceleration of the tram surprised Patrick, a few of them who weren’t paying attention even stumbled a bit at the impromptu movement. Their ride was short lived however, only lasting a minute or two. The sight that met them once they stepped off the tram put the previous tunnels to shame. Designs and patterns were carved into the walls, neatly trimmed moss adorned the ceiling, and there was nearly double the space. Chilluukik grabbed the attention of the group and stuck a hand out to a grandiose doorway.
“Welcome to the imperial palace! It is the largest single structure in the entire city. The palace holds all the council members and the matriarch as they all have to be ready at a moment’s notice in the case of a national emergency. It is also where you all will be staying while you are in Charsier. Unfortunately I must ask that all soldiers surrender their weapons to the armory while on palace grounds as only the royal guard may be armed in the building.”
“What’s the point of an armed escort if they can’t even be armed?” Edward grumbled. Sophie leaned over to the American diplomat to comment. “I’m sure the royal guard will offer plenty of protection. Besides, cooperation shows trust between our governments, no matter how little.” Chilluukik glanced at the two, their conversation wasn’t exactly quiet. Nonetheless Chilluukkik continued the tour, seeming to ignore Edward’s comment.
They were led into the building and took a hard left to a hallway with several armed guards. At the end of the hallway was a reinforced steel door where an older Da’Karen soldier waited. Chilluukkik exchanged a few words with him in their tongue before turning to the group, specifically addressing Patrick’s squad and the marines.
“This is Quarter Master Arluirik, he will be in charge of storing your weapons. Don’t worry, once you leave they will all be returned to you.”
Arluirik took a bow as soon as Chilluukik was finished speaking and approached Patrick. Patrick sighed and turned to his squad. “Condition four, drop flaks as well, there’s no reason for us to be all armored up right now.” Patrick’s squad began unloading their rifles and taking off their combat gear; However the marines opted to just give up their rifles. Arlurik and another Da’Kar collected the weapons before bringing them behind the steel door. As soon as the steel door was sealed, Chillukik began walking back to the main entrance to which everyone followed.
“It is time that you meet the matriarch, as she does not speak your language, I will act as your translator for this meeting.”
Sophie spoke up. “We do have our own translators. While your assistance is appreciated, it’s a bit redundant.”
Chilluukkik sighed, though Patrick couldn’t tell if it was from annoyance or maybe something else. Da’Karen mannerisms would be something he’d have to pick up on and learn, especially considering the circumstances. “I would prefer that I be the translator. I’m sure your translators are plenty proficient, however I personally want to make sure that there is no confusion or misunderstandings. She is the single most important Da’Kar after all.”
“We’d rather not step on your toes then, we’ll proceed how you wish.” Edward responded.
Chillukik stopped the group in the middle of the entrance hall, for a few moments they stood in awe of the structure around them. Several ornate pillars lined the walls, five gold crests hung high above an archway that was guarded by tens of soldiers, the floors were of polished marble, and the lights shone brighter than anywhere else they had seen in the city. Chilluukik moved the diplomats to the front of the group while everyone else stood behind them shoulder to shoulder.
Once everyone was in position, Chilluukik nodded towards one of the guards. A moment later, said guard shouted something causing all of the Da’Kar in the room to snap to attention. Both Patrick’s squad and the marines took the que, going to attention themselves. A figure flanked by two guards appeared in the archway, they slowly walked across the hall to the two diplomats. Patrick could only assume that she was the matriarch, as she was dressed in an extravagant gown and sitting atop her head was a gold crown encrusted with a single blue gem.
As soon as the matriarch got about a meter away from Chilluukik, he took a bow and stepped to the side. The matriarch then approached the diplomats and they exchanged bows. She spoke in her alien tongue and a moment later Chilluukkik spoke up with the translation.
“Welcome to Charsier, we are happy to have you here. I am Shilluukkik, if there is anything you need during your time here let me know. You are our honored guests.”
Sophie was the first to speak. “Thank you, it is an honor to meet you madam. I am Sophie Lacelle, the representative from the nation of Canada.”
“And I am Edward Teach from the United States of America. It’s a pleasure ma'am.”
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Arluirik and his assistant placed the human weapons on the table. Most of them were similar to the ones obtained from the crashed flying machine, however one looked very different. It was considerably larger and even had a handlebar attached to the side of the barrel. Che’quea picked it up to inspect it, it was almost twice the weight of the other rifles. He noted that it shared a few similarities with the mounted gun they also had captured.
“Was there any trouble with them handing over their weapons, Arluirik?”
“No sir, a few of them even dropped off their armor.” Arluirik held up a helmet with the distinct human pattern on it. Che’quea placed down the weapon and grabbed the helmet. Despite its relatively small size, the helmet had some heft to it. Whatever strange material it was made of was very dense, though he doubted that it could stop very much in terms of projectiles. Che’quea ran his fingers across the fabric cover, it was unlike any cloth he had seen before and was very finely woven.
“I want a detailed sketch of this pattern, I believe it is some sort of camouflage. We won't be able to replicate the material but perhaps we can use this pattern.”
“Yes sir.”
Che’quea placed the helmet down and pointed to the large rifle. “I want that to be analyzed the best you can without damaging it, the humans should be busy for at least several hours so take your time and get every detail. Learn what you can about this equipment, I want a report before the day is over.”
“It will be done sir.” Arluirik saluted Che’quea then waved over several other officers and they got to work. No matter how the situation went with the humans they were going to get something out of it, even if it was a few drawings.
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Yesterday played through Patrick’s mind. While at first he was amazed by all the things he saw and the people he met, it started to get menial after the first few introductions. The whole day was just a bunch of formalities that he just didn’t really care for. Meeting the council was the worst of it, he couldn’t even remember a single name there if his life depended on it. Near the end of the day the Americans had split off from them and they went to meet their guides. The one his group was assigned was a young Da’Kar by the name of Sruri.
Apparently she worked under Chilluukik for a time but decided to pursue a different career around the time the portal opened. Patrick didn’t know the details but it did make him wonder why she left. It wasn’t really his business, perhaps she just didn’t like being a scientist or whatever she did. When they first met here she seemed to be very reserved, only speaking a few words at a time. Now that the initial meeting was over and it was a new day she had opened up a bit.
The tram lurched to a stop, dragging Patrick from his thoughts. Wolf, their translator from the US air force, spoke up. “Sruri says that we’ve arrived.” Everyone stood up and filed out of the tram. They were deep within Charsier, the tight tunnels were almost suffocating. Crowds of Da’Kar stood next to a train stop, barely heeding the group of humans any attention. It reminded Patrick of human cities where everyone just wanted to mind their own business and get on with their day.
In fact, the only one who seemed interested in them was a child who couldn’t stop staring. Patrick gave the child a soft wave and smiled. The kid shyly hid behind what Patrick assumed to be one of their parents. He must have been a strange sight to them, perhaps he had scared the child by mistake. The supposed parent took notice and looked over at Patrick, as soon as their eyes met his the Da’Kar quickly looked away. It was strange, all the civilians seemed very jumpy whenever they were around. Patrick thought back to what Chilluukik had said about not interacting with people who weren’t directly involved with diplomatic proceedings. David leaned over and whispered to Patrick.
"I can’t say I like the kind of looks we’re getting.”
“It’s best to just ignore it. People will be people, alien or not.”
David leaned back and looked forward as the train pulled in. The doors opened and people started flowing in. By the time Patrick’s group had made their way inside, the train was completely packed. If he didn’t feel claustrophobic before, he certainly did now. A loud yelp sounded out quickly followed by Martin speaking quickly.
“Ah shit, I think I stepped on someone’s tail. Wolf tell them I'm sorry, it was an accident.”
Just as the door closed, Patrick got forcibly squeezed between Tanner and some poor Da’Kar. Any attempt from the civilians to avoid the humans was now futile, it was an uncomfortable situation for everyone. Hopefully it wasn’t going to be a very long train ride, Patrick was getting hot and he could only imagine how the Da’Kar felt with all that fur. After a few minutes, Patrick felt something tugging on his shirt. He turned his head to see a familiar Da’Kar child trying to get his attention. Curiosity must have gotten the better of them, they spoke something.
Patrick felt somewhat bad about not being able to understand or even reply to the kid in any meaningful way. He thought for a moment before ruffling through his pockets for something that might interest the kid. Patrick pulled out a pen and a notebook. He opened the notebook and showed the kid how it worked. The kid’s eyes widened as he saw Patrick draw a few lines. What really seemed to excite the kid was when he handed the items over so the kid could try it themselves. Patrick watched the kid draw to their heart’s content, it was something to take both of their minds off of the train ride and pass the time.
Before Patrick knew it, the train had begun to slow as they neared their destination. The kid’s tail drooped and he wore a disappointed look. Timidly, they went to hand the notebook and pen back but Patrick stopped them. Patrick gently pushed the items back to the kid who now seemed confused. “Keep it kid, I think you’ll enjoy it a lot more than me.” The kid took a few moments to process Patrick’s intent, when it finally clicked the kid jumped with glee and hugged Patrick. He got a few looks from the Da’Kar in the train, however they seemed more surprised than the sour glances they had previously been giving him.
“What did you do to make him so happy?” Tanner asked.
“Hearts and minds, I gave ‘em a little gift.” Patrick smiled back. The doors opened and the pressure was finally released. Stepping out of the train, Patrick noticed that the air wasn’t nearly as stale as it had been in Chasier. Every breath was almost fresh and refreshing. They had only been on that train for maybe thirty minutes, perhaps now they were closer to the surface. The train station here seemed a lot less packed as well, Patrick was thankful for that much at least.
“Wolf, could you please ask Sruri where we are now?” Sophie asked. Wolf relayed the translated question to Sruri to which she answered with a brief response.
“This city is called Strulkurig, apparently it’s a very important city to them.”
Initially, the city seemed very similar to Charsier; Long tunnels stretched for seemingly miles. However, after just a few minutes of walking they arrived at an opening to a gargantuan cavity. It was in the shape of a dome, reaching nearly a mile across. At the top there was a large hole leading all the way to the surface, and at the bottom was a lake that took up most of the cavity. The vast majority of the city seemed to be built into the walls of the cavern, only slightly built onto the lake itself. Large metal supports lined the walls, assumedly to ensure the structural integrity of the walls. The amount of engineering that went into all of this must have been immense.
Sruri began speaking and a moment later Wolf started with his translation. “Most of the cavern is natural, the location was ideal to provide a central water source to the other cities. In fact, eighty percent of the water the Da’Kar uses is sourced from this spring.”
“And how many cities draw their water from here?” Sophie asked.
“Nine, including Strulkurig. The reservoir is extremely deep and is naturally replenished via surrounding groundwater.”
Patrick could see how important that this city remained protected. If that water supply was contaminated or poisoned it would be catastrophic for the Da’Kar. The fact that they were allowed into Strulkurig at all showed quite a bit of trust. Though Patrick couldn’t help but think that all this openness was an effort to draw their attention from something else. All this effort to build their cities underground, and for what? The Da’Kar were hiding something, or perhaps they were hiding from something.
Their first stop of the day was a ration center. It looked like any other cafeteria from earth. though instead of a wide selection, premade rations were handed out. The amount of food per meal seemed like the bare minimum, just enough to survive on. Sruri walked over and grabbed one before showing it to the group. Wolf was quick with the translation, he seemed to be getting better at the language. “She says that this is a standard civilian ration, about one thousand calories and each person gets two per day. Each ration is carefully constructed to sustain the nutritional needs of the average Da’Kar adult. However, there is rarely enough for everyone. It’s not uncommon for them to turn down many when the day’s rations are depleted.”
Patrick looked to the line that extended out of the building, there was a concerning amount of children in that line waiting to get their rations. It made him uneasy knowing that many of those children wouldn’t even get to eat, especially the ones farther back in the line. It was already clear to Patrick that whatever the Da’Kar were going through, they needed the support from humanity. Tanner began to pull out some of his MRE’s but Patrick stopped him.
“Put it away, you can’t feed all of them. After this mission the supplies from the US will come in, then there’ll be enough for everyone.”
“What if they don’t make it that long? Half of these people are practically skin and bone.”
“There’s nothing we can do at the moment and I need you to be on your top game for the rest of this mission. Save your food for yourself.” Patrick commanded sternly.
Tanner begrudgingly stuffed the food back into his backpack. They were there for only a few more minutes before departing to their next location. Throughout the day they went from place to place, each looked more sorrowful than the last. What really broke Patrick was when he saw kids working in factories, they couldn’t be much older than the kid he met on the train. Patrick couldn’t imagine what could have led to the Da’Kar using these methods. They were either really desperate or had some really messed up morality. The one saving grace about it was that they seemed to take the kid’s safety as priority, having an adult supervisor watching over them constantly. Though, that still didn’t excuse child labor. If it was up to him, Patrick would give all the resources his country could offer to get these kids out of the factories.
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Patrick laid in his bed, it had been almost an hour but he just couldn’t sleep. It was still pretty early in the morning but he figured that he wasn’t going to get much rest anyways. He slowly slipped out of the Da’Karen bed, it was large and square in shape. The one thing that made his stay in the Da’Kar world bearable, there was plenty of space to sleep. Patrick pulled on his uniform, making sure to be especially quiet as to not wake his squadmates.
The apartment building was just as quiet, it seemed like it was too early even for the Da’Kar. Patrick stepped outside, taking in the fresh morning air. Unlike most other Da’Karen cities, Khomtotm was mostly above ground. Patrick certainly wasn’t complaining, for almost a week they had been exclusively underground. He strolled down a street that had a thin layer of snow that had fallen throughout the night. The air was still and cold, if he closed his eyes he could almost imagine that he was back home. He walked until he arrived at an overlook that gave an amazing view of the relatively flat lands nestled by a massive mountain range.
Looking to the left, far in the distance, Patrick could just barely make out the structures Charsier. Panning right, he could see Strulkurig with its few surface buildings that surrounded the hole. Finally he looked over to the right towards Eathlond. Patrick had remembered that the Americans would be there today, as that was the last city they were going to visit. Patrick had to do a double take as he saw large black plumes of smoke emanating from the city.
He knew the Da’Kar relied heavily on steam but he had never seen steam engines produce that amount of exhaust. His heart began to pound as he thought he could identify several fires throughout the city. Patrick stepped away from the overlook and began walking back to the apartment building. Then as he thought more about what could be going on in Eathlond, he ran. It could be some kind of misinterpretation but he didn’t want to take that chance.
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Previous [Next]

I can’t even believe this shit.
I had developed new mets in my right lung. I also had some mets pop up in my left lung. Biopsy of a tumor on the right side showed it to be TNBC and I was put on Trodelvy.
I had a PET CT to see if the Trodelvy is working. The shit on the right side had shrunk. The shit on the left side had grown. WTF.
So doc sent me for a bronchoscopy to snatch some cells out of these spots on the left side. The pulmonary surgeon that did the scope also managed to snag a sample out of the pesky subcarinal lymph node that has shown activity.
The pathology report just posted to my patient portal. Non-small cell carcinoma, CK7 positive, CK20 negative.
I’m not a smoker. I used to smoke literally 2-3 cigarettes a day, but sometimes went months with no cigarettes, when I was in my early 20s.
What. The. Fuck. I know non-small cell is most common for people that didn’t smoke or were never daily smokers. It’s just not what I thought I was going to see. Then again, I probably shouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point. I had kidney mets two years ago and supposedly that pretty much never happens with breast cancer.
At least now I know why those spots aren’t responding to Trodelvy. Now I guess we have to add something or change treatments again.

Dwight Howard or Kawhi Leonard
Joe Johnson or Gilbert Arenas
Ray Allen or Damian Lillard
Jayson Tatum orPaul Pierce
Jrue Holiday or Kemba Walker
Kevin Love or Jaylen Brown
SGA or Chauncey Billups
Yao Ming or Joel Embiid
Nikola Jokic or Dirk Nowitzki

YOU decide what events should change in the world of pop culture, be it real or ASB (future movie gets shown in the past, an actor does/doesn't die, alternate casting choices, unmade media possibly getting made, media is rewritten, a change in the box office or something new entirely)!
I document what happens in a current timeline of Earth!
We all have fun!
CURRENT TIMELINE:
1818: Mary Shelley's The Modern Prometheus, a novel in which scientist Henry Frankenstein creates a sapient creature named Prometheus is made. Prometheus becomes a stalwart of the monster genre.
1907-1908: A young comedian named Charlie Chaplin refuses to accept the offer of Fred Karno to come to the U.S. He becomes a famous comedian, often incorporating a character he named The Tramp in his stand-up routines.
1912: The Olympic ship crashes upon hitting an iceberg, becoming a memorable event. James Cameron's Olympic (1997) would be the first film to gross $1B, even entering the National Film Registry.
1931: Frankenstein and his Prometheus, an adaptation of The Modern Prometheus starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff as Henry and Prometheus is a box-office smash. It would enter the National Film Registry in 1991.
1941: Fleischer Studios' Mr. Bug Goes to Town is a box office success, saving the studio. Today it is one of Disney's biggest competitors, along with Warner Bros.
1951: Fawcett Comics wins a lawsuit over National Comics for the rights to the characters of Captain Marvel and Superman. While National Comics would die in obscurity, Fawcett Comics would be Marvel's biggest competitor.
1962: Marilyn Monroe doesn't die. She goes into hiding in Las Vegas doing revue shows. Discovered by higher ups at NBC, she signs on to The Marilyn Monroe Show, a sketch comedy show that runs until her death in 1999.
1966: Warner Bros.' Twister comes out, becoming the highest grossing film of the year. It would spawn "Tornado-mania", a series of tornado movies made to copy its success. It would enter the National Film Registry in 1996.
1969: Nixon resigns his presidency the become a talk show host. The Dick Nixon show airs until 1983.
Make America Great Again - written and directed by Mel Brooks - is released. The film stars Ronald Reagan as himself as he decides to run for President after becoming a washed up movie star - promising to “Make America Great Again”. Wacky shenanigans ensue, including President Reagan trying to build a massive wall on the Southern border to stop Soviet influence, claiming that “both sides have very fine people” in regards to the Civil Rights Movement, and him accidentally starting a cult about how hippies are secretly stooges of a global satanic cult run by the elites.
The film is a critical and commercial success and becomes one of the greatest and funniest comedies of all time. It enters the National Film Registry in 1999.
The Dick Cavett Show airs on ABC, becoming the main competitor to NBC's Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. It would end in 1996 to make way for its new replacement The Jon Stewart Show.
Creedence Clearwater Revival release a song about the Civil Rights Movement called Fortunate Son. It becomes their signature song. It enters the National Recording Registry in 2013.
1974: Star Trek: The Continuing Mission, a revival of the original 60s series, airs in syndication until 1981.
1974-1979: Michael John Kricfalusi becomes an anti-Rhodesian mercenary during the Rhodesian Bush War. He becomes a POW by forces from Apartheid South Africa. As a result, he is physically and mentally scarred.
1979: Ozzy Osbourne goes into rehab and continues to play for Black Sabbath, leading to them getting a Beatles-like Renaissance in the 80s, making Heavy Metal one of the 80s most notable music genres.
1980-1981: From February 1980 to August 1981, John Kricfalusi would heal his mental wounds at a mental institution.
1982: John Kricfalusi founds Spümcø, an animation studio that was founded due to John's perceived views on how Hanna-Barbera and Rankin/Bass, two studios he worked at, failed to make good cartoons.
1983: E.T. for the Atari proves to be a very good game, making millions for Atari. This would inspire them to improve their games on their future consoles such as the 5200 and 7800, leading them to become a fierce competitior in the gaming market. The last Atari console came out in the early 2000s.
You Nutzy Rascals!, a short made by John K., is the first to feature prototype designs of Ren and Stimpy.
1985: The War of the Worlds, a film made in collaboration with Disney and Jeff Wayne, based on his musical album adapting the H.G. Wells story, hits theaters. It is a critical and commercial success, cited for starting the Disney Renaissance. Disney and Jeff Wayne would collaborate two more times, making animated adaptations of The Modern Prometheus (1988) and The Time Machine (1992). It would enter the National Film Registry in 2022.
Warner Communications buys Warner Amex-Satellite Entertainment to make Warner MTV Networks.
1986: Ravel's Bolero becomes the theme to The Legend of Zelda. It would later serve to be the theme for the Zelda games in Japan, with a different theme for NTSC releases.
Cliff Burton survives a car crash and continues to play bass for Metallica, helping put thrash metal on the mainstream map.
1987: Morrissey and Johnny Marr become frenemies. The Smiths continue into the 1990s.
1988: During production of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Harrison Ford is shot and killed by a loaded prop gun. This would lead to it being hastily recut in time for 1989. It would lead to a heavy burden on Lucasfilm. The documentary Ford - Spielberg's Right Hand Man would be released in 2008 to great success.
1989: Doctor Who is saved from cancellation by BBC. It remains one of the longest running TV shows.
Sergio Leone dies of old age. He is remembered for his westerns as well as Don Quixote, The Phantom, and Leningrad: The 900 Days.
1990: John K. creates Big House Blues, the pilot for The Ren & Stimpy Show, which is picked up by Nickelodeon.
1991: Eddie Vedder dies in a car crash before the first Pearl Jam album is released. They find a new lead in Chris Cornell, who also sings for Soundgarden until their demise in 1997.
Ren & Stimpy airs on Nickelodeon, along with Doug, Rugrats, Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania (both this show and TTA would later air in syndication) and Big Beast Quintet (cancelled in 1993). It is currently the longest running American animated series, beating out Matt Groening's The Simpsons, who cancelled the show in 1998 in favor of working on the long-running Futurama which still airs today.
Tim Burton is attached to direct an adaptation of The Addams Family TV show as a movie. It would later spawn three sequels, with Tim leaving after the second movie. The latter two would be critically panned.
1992: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace comes out, becoming the highest grossing film of the year. Episodes II and III would later come out in 1995 and 1998 respectively.
J.R.R. Tolkien dies at 100, finishing The New Shadow and The Silmarillion. He was also known for being war minister of the UK from 1940 to 1945.
Stephen Hillenburg is invited to work on Ren & Stimpy after showing his short film Wormholes at the TIFF.
Cartoon Network begins after Ted Turner merges with Viacom in 1986 and buys the Hanna-Barbera library in 1991.
1993: Spielberg quits directing after doing Schindler's List. This not only cancels plans for a Jurassic Park sequel, but also an adaptation of Supertoys Last All Summer Long.
1994: During filming of The Crow, Brandon Lee survives a shot from a prop gun. He would propel into superstardom. He is now known for playing Neo in The Matrix franchise and Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat (1995).
Kurt Cobain announces the breakup of Nirvana as he goes into rehab. In 2002, the band reunited for You Know You're Right, an album that became a top seller. They still perform to this day.
1995: YouTube, a video sharing site, is released. It would not gain much popularity until 2001, where an influx of YouTubers would bring it to stardom.
Toy Story, a stop motion film, gains critical acclaim due to its incredible scale, becoming the 2nd highest grossing film of the year.
Sarah Michelle Gellar dies in a kayaking incident days before the release of her only film Clueless. This would cause Clueless to become the highest grossing film of the year and become known as one of the best teen films. It enters the National Film Registry in 2005. Bad Boys, a film released the same day as Clueless, would become the 6th highest grossing film of the year despite mixed reviews.
Spotify, a humble music downloading site, releases. In 1997, it would change into a music streaming site, and would often show ads for the latest in music.
Selena Quintalla survives being shot. Jennifer Lopez wanes in popularity.
1996: The Nintendo 64DD comes out in a partnership with Phillips, revolutionising the console industry by introducing CD memory, rising it above the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. One of the top best selling games would be Super Mario 64 2, the sequel to Super Mario 64. The 64DD would serve as motivation for Sega to complete Sonic X-Treme by 1997, which becomes a huge hit. This would give Sega the boost it needed to continue making consoles. Other Mario games made for the 64DD include Mario Takes America and Super Mario's Wacky Worlds.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which had been under a state similar to the Atari 2600, releases its last two games: Super Mario Legends, a game similar in style to the Mario Land games released by Nintendo R&D1, which becomes a minor hit and Animaniacs, a port of Konami's Game Boy game which got mixed reviews.
Tupac survives being shot while having a drive in Las Vegas. He still has a rap career.
Ren & Stimpy Go To Hollywood, a film released by Warner Bros., becomes the highest grossing animated film of the year, making over $600M. It has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This film would also have one of Ronald Reagan's last acting roles.
NDR Filmes' Cassiopeia gets fame for being the first completely computer-animated film. It gets an English dub for a worldwide release. It enters the National Film Registry in 2006.
After his work on Ren & Stimpy, Stephen Hillenburg pitches his own show to Nickelodeon about a sea sponge.
Rapper and music producer Andre "Dr. Dre" Young is shot and killed by a vengefully spiteful Suge Knight in a drive-by shooting, since Young left Death Row Records after accusing Knight of corruption the month prior. His death leads to tributes from fans and colleagues alike, and his first album The Chronic is praised for being influential. Tupac Shakur, in addition to being a rapper, assumes Dr. Dre's role as a music producer out of respect for his newly deceased friend. After Suge Knight is arrested and imprisoned for life due to murdering Young, Shakur takes over Death Row Records. The Chronic enters the National Recording Registry in 2019.
1997: Reddit, a news and discussion board, is released. It becomes very, very popular.
The Notorious B.I.G. survives a shooting like his friend and collaborator Tupac, and he continues to make music.
Aspiring rapper Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs is killed in a gang shootout in Los Angeles, California; however, right-wing news network Fox News reports the shootout as having happened in New York City, New York (which is untrue). This leads to rapper Christopher "Biggie Smalls" Wallace recording a single dedicated to Combs called "I'll Be Missing You" (which heavily samples "Every Breath You Take" by The Police) which was included as a bonus track on No Way Out, Combs' first and only debut album released posthumously on July 22, 1997. The album became influential in the years since Combs' death, proving that, even in death, one can still have a rap career and be influential. No Way Out would enter the National Recording Registry in 2007.
1998: Neon Genesis Evangelion is unknowingly localized by 4Kids, leading to a HEAVILY censored English dub that makes the show popular during the late 90s-early 00s.
Chris Farley wakes from a coma due to a drug overdose. After deciding to give the role of Shrek to Mike Myers his friend, he gets the role of Doug Heffernan on The King of Queens.
1999: Stephen Hillenburg's SpongeBob SquarePants airs on Nickelodeon. Although it is a hit at first, work complications, problems outsourcing animation to the studio Gainax, and the banned episode Wrasslin' Maniacs where SpongeBob and Patrick beat up Squidward, Hillenburg is fired from the show in 2002.
Tommy Boy's Return, the sequel to Tommy Boy, releases in theaters. It is considered a cult classic today.
2000: Battlefield Earth is released in theaters to be a huge success, ending up the 8th highest grossing film of the year. This would cause an interest in works by L. Ron Hubbard, making the Church of Scientology a rising religion. Battlefield Earth 2 would later release in 2003 to similar acclaim.
4Kids is bought by Warner Communications. As a result, more anime airs on Kids WB.
The Atari Cougar, Atari's final console before being bought by Jakks Pacific in 2002, is released. It is a cult classic console.
Tim Burton's Wizard of Oz gains mixed to positive reviews, and makes the top 10 list of highest grossing films of the year.
2001: Grand Theft Auto III, the third entry in the GTA series is cancelled following 9/11. The game would later redevelop into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which was released in 2004.
Spy Kids, Quentin Tarantino's first kids' film is released in theaters to mixed reviews, but becomes a cult classic. Two more sequels were released in the two years after it, all would get the same fate.
During 9/11, Kevin James dies after being squished by falling debris from the North Tower.
2002: Netflix, the world's first ever online streaming service for film and TV, launches. They release their first Netflix Original - an epic drama gangster film called American Gangster starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley Scott - five years later on November 2, 2007, after buying the distribution rights from Universal Pictures (who were set to be the original proprietors). All of their films and series are also given DVD and/or Blu-ray releases, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, who owns the home media rights to Netflix Original films/series etc.
2003: Call of Duty, a war shooter game, sells 200,000 copies, making for poor sales. No sequels are planned. The Battlefield series gains from this.
Star Trek: The Original Generation, a Star Trek prequel series, airs for two seasons on Fox before cancellation.
Sony launches the American feed of 24-hour anime channel Animax, which overtakes Adult Swim's Toonami in popularity.
Sylvester Stallone becomes Governor of California until 2011.
TIME names Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as Person of the Year due to being "One of the great dictators of the modern age".
2004: Fallout 3 releases on Windows to high ratings, saving Interplay from bankruptcy. They would later release 2 console games, Fallout 4 and Fallout 5. Many spinoff games would be made.
Hillenburg's company United Plankton Pictures makes the Newgrounds webseries The Motherfucking Patchy the Pirate Show, focusing on the misadventures of Patchy the Pirate.
2005: Minecraft, a web browser game is released by Mojang with the help of a team that planned a game known as Terraria, where it would be very successful until 2009, when a 3D version for Java was released. It is currently owned by Microsoft, who still makes updates for it.
SpongeBob SquarePants is quietly cancelled due to declining ratings.
FOX airs The Office, an American adaptation of the British mockumentary series of the same name, airing until 2013 for nine seasons. It becomes one of the most memorable sitcoms of all time, winning several Emmys. Mr. Blue Sky becomes the theme song.
2006: Warner Communications contacts Hillenburg for an adult-only SpongeBob reboot.
Night at the Museum is released to mixed reviews as it becomes a box-office bomb. With plans for a sequel dead in the water, Fox sells the rights to Sony in 2007 who plans to reboot the series, but also keep the distribution rights for the original film.
Blockbuster buys Netflix, moving the website to Blockbuster.com, and naming it Blockbuster Online. After all of its stores were closed, it becomes Blockbuster+.
2007: Kanye West dies in a car crash before his album Graduation releases, causing him to be mourned. This would lead to many people buying the album, creating a short-lived rap revival that would temporarily mark the end of gangsta rap until 2010.
Owen Wilson commits suicide. In discussions about the "Frat Pack", he is replaced by Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Drillbit Taylor and Tropic Thunder are both dedicated to his memory. Plans for a sequel to Cars are cancelled by Pixar and Disney.
2007-2011: Identically similar to events in our world, screenwriter Simon Monjack and actress and "Clueless" sensation Brittany Murphy (who still starred in this alternate reality's version of the 1995 film "Clueless", but here she instead co-stars with rising co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar playing Cher, and Regina Hall playing Dionne) are about to marry back in May 2007, but Murphy calls the marriage to Monjack off at the exact same wedding. This causes a scandal that briefly kills her good reputation, and gets her blacklisted in Hollywood (for a while). In this alternate history, Simon Monjack is put in prison for attempting murder on Brittany Murphy, but here, is killed by a crazed cellmate whilst serving time (said crazed cellmate also happens to be a fan of Brittany Murphy). Brittany Murphy then moves to an apartment complex in New York in 2008, ditching Hollywood for good and starting a musical career.
Natalie Portman, a fairly successful but struggling rising young TV actress, is having a hard time finding work in Hollywood due to the failure of the Star Trek prequel television series Star Trek: The Original Generation. She co-starred in the series alongside Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, and Samuel L. Jackson. While the then 56-57 year old Jackson at least got to have a successful career in Hollywood (due to being a Christopher Nolan regular), Christensen and McGregor were rejected by the industry; Christensen started an indie rock band while McGregor then went on to become a successful UFC fighter, but would then become very scandalous as he suffers from numerous arrests and an intense drug addiction. McGregor would then unfortunately die young from a drug overdose on December 7, 2008. Going back to Portman, she would become an indie darling in independent cinema, however her career would be cut short when she would die in a car crash on July 19, 2009, just one month and ten days after her 28th birthday. She was last seen in a DTV thriller called "Abandoned", which released in March 2010. Her death leads to tributes from co-stars and fans alike.
In December 2009, Brittany Murphy is then offered the lead role in Darren Aronofsky's upcoming psychological horror film "Black Swan", about a troubled ballerina. The film would co-star Melanie Lynskey as the troubled ballerina's rival, and like in our world, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey, and Vincent Cassel. The film released in December 2010 (like in our world), to rave reviews, with critics calling it Brittany Murphy's finest appearance yet. Murphy would then take home the Best Actress Oscar as well as the Best Dramatic Performance in a Movie Golden Globe for her performance in the film in 2011. Murphy would then continue her acting career following a big career boost, as well as her singing/musical career at the same time. In fact, she releases a fairly successful debut album in March 2011 simply called "Brittany", to positive reviews. It would then become the best selling musical album of the year, even winning her a Grammy in 2012.
2008: Bulletman, the highest grossing film of the year, marks the beginning of the successful Fawcett Cinematic Universe (FCU). It would enter the National Film Registry in 2020.
During the premiere of Tropic Thunder, Tom Cruise announces his retirement from entertainment and Scientology. He spends the rest of his life quietly as a Buddhist in England. As Dwayne Johnson takes Tom's place, Paramount announces plans to reboot the Mission: Impossible franchise (though nothing comes from it).
SpongeBob XXX, an adult SpongeBob reboot, airs on AMC alongside Breaking Bad. SpongeBob XXX would be universally panned, airing only 3 episodes out of a made 6 (all were later put on DVD). It is known for being one of the worst animated series of all time.
Iron Age, a film fully funded by UNESCO, is made as the first film of an IRL cinematic universe. It gets nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, like every film in the IRLCU after it.
2009: Adventure Time, a cartoon by Pendleton Ward, airs on Nickelodeon. It becomes one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated cartoons, airing until 2016. Many people would call it an animation trailblazer, leading to Nick approving more "lore-based" shows.
Half-Life 3 comes out, and continues the high ratings of the Half-Life franchise, making games well until 2017 (counting spinoffs).
Some people would compare it to Regular Show, who they saw as Cartoon Network's equivalent to Adventure Time.
Discord, a discussion site, is released, becoming popular with gamers.
Liam Gallagher has a near-fatal drug overdose after the breakup of Oasis. Finding peace with his brother, Oasis reunites in 2012, releasing a new album in 2015. They still perform.
Amy Winhouse retires after a heavy intervention. She still occasionally produces for Adele.
2011: Fortnite Battle Royale by Epic Games is released to the public. It becomes extremely popular, and is still played today.
2012: Pixar's Newt, a film that came due to the cancellation of Wreck-It Ralph (some claim due to the problems of getting permission from game companies) is released and barely breaks even. It would start a dark age for Pixar, which would continue with Brave and Cars 2.
It would also play a key part in George Lucas refusing to give away Lucasfilm, due to Disney's perceived slump.
After Hillenburg's company dissolves, he becomes the cartoon reviewer Stevey Shark for Channel Awesome.
Jim Carrey dies of a heart attack.
2013: Doug Walker leaves Channel Awesome, leaving Stevey Shark to be the new star. Markiplier, MrEnter, and MatPat would later join Channel Awesome among others.
The Freedom Tower is made to replace the original North Tower destroyed in the attack. Memes would arise from the comparison between the towers.
2014: A Day With Patchy the Pirate, a half-hour short made by Hillenburg, airs on YouTube as Channel Awesome's first foray into animation. It has a troubled production due to being funded online, and would be panned upon release.
Robin Williams survives a suicide attempt, and launches his own suicide prevention program. He would then star in the 2016 drama Uncut Gems by Christopher Nolan, playing crime lord Howard Ratner, giving him a Best Actor Oscar.
2015: Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens, featuring Darth Maul and Darth Talon as antagonists, is released, becoming the highest grossing film of the year. Two more sequels were made in 2017 and 2019.
2016: John K. dies from multiple scolerosis. Bob Camp takes over as showrunner of Ren and Stimpy.
2017: Growing Around, a new YouTube webseries made by Stephen Hillenburg & Johnathan Rozanski, about a world where grown-ups switch with kids, is released. Despite gaining positive reviews, both the downfall of Channel Awesome and Hillenburg & Rozanski's heinous acts would result in Markiplier buying the license, airing it on his webseries Unus Annus for one last season, ending in 2020.
Chester Bennington survives his suicide attempt. Linkin Park would make its newest album in December of 2020.
2018: Donald Trump starts The Trump Experience, a very popular podcast.
2019: Season 3 of Gravity Falls comes out to near-universal acclaim.
2020: Chadwick Boseman recovers from his cancer.
2022: Jordan Peele's Nope becomes the highest grossing film of the year. It enters the National Film Registry in 2033.
Presidents of the USA since 1977:
Jimmy Carter (1977-1985)
Walter Mondale (1985-1989)
George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)
Mario Cuomo (1993-2001)
John F. Kennedy Jr. (2001-2005)
John McCain (2005-2013)
Barack Obama (2013-2021)
Jeb Bush (2021-today)
Governors of California since 1947:
James Roosevelt (1947-1953) Resigned) Democrat
Pat Brown (1953-1963) Democrat
Richard Nixon (1963-1969) Republican
Edwin Reineck (1969-1974) Resigned) Republican
John L Harner (1974-1975) Republican
Tom Hayden (1975-1983) Democrat
Tom Bradley (1983-1991) Democrat
Clint Eastwood (1991-2003) Independent
Sylvester Stallone (2003-2011) Republican
Conan O'Brien (2011-2019) Democrat
Gavin Newsom (2019-Today) Democrat

The weeks leading up to the 17th Hunger Games were especially eventful as the Capital was still reeling from the previous year’s spectacular games. Sherpa Kapoor, with the help of his lion friends, had proven himself to be the most popular tribute in Hunger Games history since Ashley Chen (victor of the 13th Hunger Games)’s revenge plot. The Capital was kept satisfied with reruns as well as the continuing increasing sales of 16th HG merchandise. This consisted of Kapoor Pride plushies, replica gaffi sticks, and the most sought-after item: the latest in the line of Panem Champion Funko Pop. Every year, a new action figure is made for the latest victor of the Hunger Games. It was the most popular collectible in the Capital. In fact, since the Golden Victors concept was introduced, a new line of Funko Pop was released, separating the first ten victors (called the First Champions) and the Golden Victors by changing the color of the clothes and weapons to gold.
Hunger Games mania had started once more a week before the reaping cycle. Artemis Radcliffe interviewed Head Gamemaker Grimstone on her morning show Good Morning Panem, expressing relief that the Sherpa craze had died down. Grimstone responded that that kind of excitement was the nature of the Golden Victors and he hoped he would be able to replicate that level of success. However, he did admit it was up to the tributes to decide that. As usual, Artemis pushed for details only to receive tight lips from the gamemaker. She responded to herself, telling the audience she'll never learn the futility of getting spoilers from a gamemaker.
A week later, Sherpa had to put his restaurant endeavors on hold as he was called for the reaping tour. His entourage consisted of his brother Zacharie, Cassandra (his mentor), and surviving Kapoor Pride member Parth. After a depressing reaping at his home district, Cassandra had to separate from the group to take care of the first half of mentoring his tributes Mishti and Horace. So, Troy van Stomm (victor of the 5th Hunger Games) volunteered to tag along, mostly in hopes to become Sherpa’s friend. A notable incident happened during the District 8 reaping, when the younger brother of Asaad (D8 tribute of 16th games who was killed by Sherpa), Burlap, was reaped and attempted to assault Sherpa on the stage. Parth tackled him to the ground but was stopped by Sherpa before he could injure him further.
After witnessing the reaping games of District 2 sire Nikita and Andrei, Sherpa and his entourage arrived in District 6. He was given a tour by Mayor Bengtsson and District 6’s only victor Phoebe Bentley. They introduced to Sherpa a recently completed construction project, the Luxury Viking Cruise. This week-long cruise trip would sail the seas of Districts 4 and 6, even granting a tour of the Faroe Island Base. Despite being a victor for nearly a year, Sherpa was shocked by the fancy architecture and opulence. The remainder of the tour was a bit of a downer, Sherpa seeing firsthand the combined effects of poverty and the warmweed epidemic. His spirits were lifted when Phoebe enthusiastically showed him the Kento Rehabilitation Center. Both Sherpa and Troy decided to inject some of their money into the community, buying a variety of the local liquors outside of the Johnson Jazzy Juices brand. During lunch, Phoebe introduced them to her husband, local piloting legend Jackson Williams, and her “arena baby” Mirabelle. Sherpa allowed Mirabelle to pet Parth while he asked Jackson some piloting questions.
After lunch, everyone headed over to the reaping square where he was greeted by the mayor. He chatted for about ten minutes as the oil and vomit stained amber clad youths filed into the enclosure, the process taking longer as peacekeepers had to round up inebriated youths who tried to ditch the process. Sherpa made his victor’s speech more lively, bringing up his restaurant business and performing a couple tricks with Parth. Some of the youths enjoyed the show and applauded him. After his speech, Phoebe urged him to pull out the first name from the female reaping bowl. Sherpa took a deep breath and shoved his hand in the bowl. He unfolded the paper and announced eighteen year old Catilina "Cat" Verter as tribute.
Cat was a tall medium built woman with ginger curls and round glasses and was known as one of the assistant instructors at the Kento Rehabilitation Centre, so she knew District 6’s sole victor Phoebe Bentley quite well. Phoebe apparently was funding Cat's scholarship to become a licensed therapist. Phoebe put her hand over her mouth in shock when Cat’s name was called. Cat walked up to the stage, with a tightness in her chest and tears streaming down her face. She shook hands with Sherpa and said his pet lion was cute. She turned towards the cameras, forcing a smile in an attempt to convince Capital audiences she wasn’t unhappy with her situation. In the commentator’s booth, Artemis fell for the fake smile, commenting how she must be excited to represent her district. Her co-commentator Capricorn Luther rolled his eyes in annoyance and told her to just keep watching.
Sherpa walked over to the male reaping bowl, feeling slight relief the first wasn’t a drugged out zombie. He shuffled to the male reaping bowl and pulled out the name of fifteen year old Jackknife "Jack" Clutch. Cameras found Jack in the middle of the horde of inebriated youth. Jack was a short brown haired lad who was ragged looking from head to toe due to a recent warmweed binge. Despite this, he was less skinny and pale looking than his peers to the surprise of Artemis and Luther. Luther pulled some notes and revealed Jack had managed to stay sober for 10 months, recently relapsing after the Good Morning Panem interview. He read further and discovered that Jack was one of the young refinery workers in one of the hovercraft warehouses. Artemis read the remainder of the notes and found it interesting to hear he was imprisoned four months ago after getting caught trying to smuggle warmweed across the Orkney Stretch, a stretch of water fashioned as an aquatic border separating the two districts. Despite the previous soberness, he was in too much of a trance to notice being reaped and was dragged to the stage by peacekeepers. He limply shook hands with Sherpa and absentmindedly walked into Parth before finding his place to the left of the stage. Mayor Bengtsson indifferently congratulated this year’s tributes before dismissing them to their waiting rooms. Phoebe dismissed herself to the hoverjet, kissing her husband and Mirabelle goodbye. Sherpa and his entourage also left for their next stop in the reaping tour: District 4.
Cat was visited by her older brother Tank and a coworker Pedal. The Juicy Tidbits podcast disclosed that her mother had passed away two years ago and her father was passed out drunk at the Kjellberg Brewery. The group embraced and shared in the sorrowful moment. Tank and Pedal tried to cram as much advice as they could into the session, but Cat was feeling overwhelmed. She assured them she had a great mentor who would surely help her win. Cat told Tank to sell her belongings and drew a map to the location of her pocketed earnings and her will. She thanked him for always being there and becoming sober for her. She turned to Pedal and thanked him for being her best friend, regretting never asking him out. She asked Pedal to take care of her patients, attempting to make a list of important details. However, the peacekeepers arrived before she could finish and escorted her to the hoverjet.
Meanwhile, Jack was visited by Tyre, his only friend who was one of the few who managed to stay sober during the sudden uptake of drugs and alcohol at reaping week. She consoled him as he began to cry and reassured his other friends would come if they weren't also high. Jack claimed to not care about them, but instead expressed disappointment in his parents for not coming. Tyre assured him that she believed in him. Jack shrugged and said, “At least I’ll die knowing I had one friend.” Tyre responded with “If that nervous wreck Oslo could make it as far as he did, then I'm sure you can get that little bit extra and win." She kissed him on the lips before giving him a final embrace, promising a surprised Jack that she would wait for him. Jack then made her promise that if he doesn’t make it to not wait so long to find someone else. The peacekeepers arrived and brought him to the hoverjet.
When Jack and Cat got on the hovercraft, Phoebe was already waiting at the dining table. She asked Jack to hand over any contraband warmweed he may have before they got started. He initially refused, arguing that he would need them to not break down during training. Cat reminded him that his best chance at winning would be staying sober, recalling Phoebe telling her about last year’s tributes ruining their pregames chances due to them being high. She offered to help him stay calm during the following events, bringing up her training in therapy. This seemed to persuade him to hand over the warmweed he kept in his pocket. Little did they know, he was secretly concealing a teeny fraction in the sole of his shoe. The group spent the next few hours discussing strategy. As opposed to most mentors, who would explain the upcoming events before having them watch previous games, Phoebe crafted a presentation with a slide show. The slideshow touched on the topics of the pregame events, finding water sources, creating makeshift weapons and making and handling alliances. In previous years, Phoebe used pictures and videos from previous games but this year she replaced them with stop motion animation and drawings depicting the scenarios.
When the presentation was over, Phoebe asked her tributes to tell her what their strategy for training would be. Cat was the first to answer, detailing how she would use her time to learn survival skills. However, she was indecisive on what weapon to choose. Jack, on the other hand, decided he would learn to use a knife and try his hand at camouflage. Phoebe appeared satisfied with their initial answers and instructed them to mull over their indecision. She gave them the time of noon tomorrow to come to her with their final decision. Phoebe attempted to retire her tributes to their quarters, but Jack asked if he could watch her games. Phoebe was taken aback by this. She was about to refuse, but Cat expressed her desire to see it as well. Phoebe relented and turned on the 3rd Hunger Games. While watching, Jack commended the swordsmanship of Kento (the D3 tribute and Mirabelle’s biological father) before considering practicing with a sword instead. Cat repeated the praise while condemning Carson (Phoebe’s district partner)’s brutality, even going as far as comparing him to one of the unruly patients in the mental asylum ward at the Kento Rehabilitation Centre. She turned to hear Phoebe’s thoughts, but saw her tearfully struggling to refrain herself from grabbing a bottle of whiskey. Cat rushed to her and put the bottle down, embracing her as she cried. She ordered Jack to turn off the games, which he did after seeing the climactic battle between her and Carson. Phoebe eventually calmed down and ordered her tributes to bed for the night. Night cameras showed that Cat did some light reading on a book about lizards and amphibians she found before sleeping. Meanwhile, Jack mulled over whether or not he should consume his contraband. He ultimately decided to ask the peacekeeper outside his door to bring him a strong tasting but nonalcoholic drink. He learned from him that all of the drinks in the District 6 apartment were nonalcoholic, leading him to accept a lemon vodka.
The next morning, the tributes woke up to a light breakfast and were asked to clean up quickly and select clothes provided in their wardrobes. This became a tradition Phoebe picked up for her tributes after Jase Toliver tried it for the District 8 tributes of the 2nd Quinquennial Quell (15th Hunger Games). The tradition became handy that year as the Capital was going through a heat wave. Due to being farther north and experiencing the harshest winters of Panem, District 6 wasn’t used to the warmer climate. This was brought up when Jack opened one of the windows, which blew a humid draft in. Phoebe instructed them to dress for the heat, Cat choosing a V neck tank top with cutoff denim shorts while Jack wore a henley shirt with board shorts.
The tributes were greeted by a respectable sized crowd despite being on the lower end of the visitation numbers. District 6 usually ended up with the second or third lowest turnout. depending on the sobriety of their tributes with this year having the fifth lowest turnout. Many of the crowd members flocked to Phoebe, either calling her by name or as “The Philosopher”. Many asked how Mirabelle was doing, knowing she turned thirteen not long ago. Phoebe graciously answered their questions, but urged them to meet her tributes. Jack took surprisingly well to the crowd, shaking hands with people his age and charming an elderly woman with flattery. She pinched his cheeks, telling him how adorable he was and promising to sponsor him if he keeps it up. Cat was nervous at first, but the people skills she learned from her job quickly took over. She gave pleasantries and charmed the crowds with her manners. She even managed to convince a few Captalites to open up about their personal lives so she could get them to relate to her. Jack walked over to her while she was advising a certain young man to tell his crush how he felt. Jack put his arm around her shoulder and assured them she could be everyone’s shrink if she could. Cat piggybacked off this, declaring that they would be missing out if they didn’t sponsor them. When Phoebe finally managed to escape the paparazzi, she ushered her tributes into the limousine. Phoebe thanked them for behaving and making a good impression. Cat commended Jack’s people skills, wondering where they were before. Jack simply stated he realized the gravity of the situation while he was dressing and decided to do his best to make it home to his friend Tyre.
When the group arrived at the apartment, they were greeted by this year’s stylist Sasha Grasseed. Phoebe became annoyed upon recognizing her. It was rumored that Sasha had only achieved her position by sleeping with pregame event organizer Dermont Toolly. Cat and Jack attempted to introduce themselves, but Sasha cut them off. She claimed to be on a tight schedule and barked at them to stand in place for their measurements. She then ordered her assistant Morrana Cloudveil to do the measurements. Phoebe questioned if having an assistant was allowed, but Sasha brushed this off claiming it made things easier. Phoebe mumbled to herself, “Yeah because everything comes easy for you.” The Juicy Tidbits podcast had a five-minute discussion over this particular comment, wondering if there was unspoken beef between the two. Phoebe asked to see some of the design, but Sasha said she already decided on a mechanic outfit covered in nails. Phoebe tried to speak again but was rudely interrupted. An exasperated Sasha growled that her design was final, and she was going to leave to get started and to "find an actual drink".
By the time she left, Morrana apologized for Sasha's behavior and remarked that she tried to tell her she was thinking of the nuts, bolts and nails used for construction. Phoebe said that it was fine and suggested to her tributes to try and play into the peculiar nature of the designs. Jack asked what her problem was, calling her a “high strung bitch queen”. Cat suggested Sasha thought the position was above her talents and only accepted to hopefully win the title of Blanco Fashion Magazine’s Best Dressed. Phoebe considered the theory plausible and suggested they throw Sasha under the bus in interviews if the parade doesn’t work out. Morrana agreed, explaining that the only way to bring down a stylist is if they screw up and enough people talk about it. Cat and Jack promised to do so. Phoebe decided to turn on replays of the reapings and advised her tributes to study their opponents.
Immediately after leaving District 6, Sherpa and his entourage arrived in District 4. In the commentator’s booth, Artemis and Luther revealed that District 4 was also going through a heat wave, which forced the refrigeration system to work overtime to protect the latest catch and produce. Three freezer boxes, two containing salmon and one squid, had to be emptied and their contents disposed of when the insulation failed. As Mayor Phillip gave Sherpa a tour, people would stop and stare at Parth as he trailed along. Little kids ran up and asked to pet him, to which Sherpa happily obliged. Sherpa showed much interest in District 4’s naval and fishing industry, especially the latter. Much to Sherpa's dismay, especially after seeing mass poverty across the other districts, he complained about some of the fish being thrown away despite still being good to eat. He claimed that some citizens across Panem would be willing to eat it, buying some various fillets on the spot. He did a cooking demonstration for Mayor Phillip, creating sushi with salmon and serving it as their lunch.
On their way to the reaping square, they stopped to pick up District 4’s victor Gill Henderson at the Slippery Shell, the most popular pub in District 4 where Dolph Masterson (ally to Bacchus Johnson of the 9th Hunger Games) dreamed of the many cocktails now sold under the Johnson’s Jazzy Juices brand. When they arrived at the reaping square, the blue clad potential tributes were already lined up and waiting. Sherpa noticed that the majority looked unfazed due to District 4 generally performing quite well, many holding onto the hope of their next victor coming very soon. So much so that the district had the honour of having the Capital’s third fan group, the Buccaneers, always ready to support them.
Sherpa gave a pre-translated speech that he read very well due to improvements in his English. He asked the women if they had any volunteers. Receiving no reply, he stepped towards the female reaping bowl. He pulled out the name of fourteen year old Pearl Riverstone. Cameras zoomed in on a short tanned girl with dirty blonde pigtails wearing a sky blue skirt and white shirt. Pearl loudly cried over her name being called and begged anyone to volunteer for her. As she sombered forward, protests were heard across the crowd. Luther pulled up a note card and revealed that Pearl's parents ran one of the many pubs across District 4. Her family’s pub The Brine was one of the more popular amongst working class people, attendance sometimes rivalling the Slippery Shell. Pearl would normally be found waiting tables at The Brine or playing with her friends on the riverwalk. Sherpa felt sorry for the girl and forgoed the hand shaking in place of letting her hug Parth. Pearl thanked Sherpa and proceeded to take her place to the right of the stage.
Sherpa took a deep breath and reiterated the volunteer question to the men. He again received no reply and went towards the male reaping bowl. He pulled a name from the bottom and pulled it out, nearly dropping it when a gust of wind blew through. He read the name of eighteen year old Mortimer Beckett. Many members in the enclosures and outside audiences began whispering amongst themselves. Gill Henderson appeared surprised, clueing Capital viewers that he was familiar with him. In the commentator’s booth, Artemis urged the cameras to find this person, wondering what made him so known. Cameras circled around the area for a moment until spotting a muscled man with sunkissed brown wavy hair and hazel green eyes. The most interesting thing about him was the shackles on his hands and being accompanied by two peacekeepers.
Mortimer cursed to himself upon hearing his name and grumbled to his guards to get it over with. While he shuffled to the stage, Luther pulled some notes together. He revealed to the audience that Mortimer was a shiphand who worked on the same dock Gill Henderson manages. The chains were as a precaution as two weeks ago, Mortimer was caught smuggling a small supply of warmweed and District 6 professor Tobias Stephens into District 4’s waters. Tobias was seeking asylum in District 4 and was given a fake ID, but was caught hours after landing. He was executed in District 4’s town square. Artemis thought he looked handsome and wanted to see the muscles underneath his thin white undershirt. She was confused by the black eyeliner encompassing his right eye, wondering if he tried to paint a tattoo there. She also swore she could see something blue etched into his skin, wondering if he had a back tattoo. Mortimer didn’t want to shake Sherpa’s hand, but was intimidated by Parth’s cold black eyes and relented. Mayor Phillip congratulated this year’s tributes before dismissing them to the waiting rooms in the Town Centre.
Pearl was visited by both parents and her older sister Henrietta. Pearl couldn’t stop crying, her parents trying her best to calm her down. It was eventually Henrietta that temporarily ceased her hysterics. She asked her little sister to listen to her mentor and try her best. She implied she could remind Gill of the district partner he lost in his games and get extra attention. Pearl asked, “What about my partner? He could protect me.” Henrietta’s face furrowed into a frown. She insisted she not trust him, claiming he would only look out for himself like he always did. Pearl lamented that she couldn’t possibly win and was scared. Her mother assured her that a fourteen year old girl from District 7 won before, reminding her of Vixen Furtherson (victor of the 14th Hunger Games). Pearl asked if they thought she could have the chance to meet her, to which the parents thought she would. The four had a final embrace before peacekeepers arrived. Pearl resumed her hysterics the second the first peacekeeper grabbed her and she cried as she was dragged to the Speedy Submarine.
Meanwhile, Mortimer was initially all alone in his room. He was pacing back and forth, a couple tears falling from his eyes. Suddenly, the door opened and his girlfriend Meridia Vilewater entered. She embraced him and apologised for not coming sooner. Mortimer said it was alright, simply glad someone showed up. Meridia said, “I’m sorry your father couldn’t make it. I promise to look after him.” Mortimer thanked her and expressed how grateful he was for her being there when the entire town wasn’t. He joked how her father didn’t have to worry about him poking around anymore, but Meridia began to tear up upon hearing this. He apologised and assured her he would try his best to win and not only bring honour to the district, but possibly help his father. He then snarkily said, “Who knows? Maybe your dad will accept me?” Meridia betted he would and gave him a final embrace, knowing their time was short. Mortimer whispered to her the location of his secret stash of “medicine” before being dragged out of the room and to the Speedy Submarine.
Pearl and Mortimer found themselves in the lounge area. Pearl nervously sat on the couch and waited for their mentor to show. Mortimer gave her a stare before silently resigning himself to the bar. He was downing a Woeful Whiskful cocktail from Johnson’s Jazzy Juices when their mentor Gill Henderson entered the room. He gave a momentary glance to Mortimer before introducing himself to Pearl. Pearl claimed to know him from his shanty performance during the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at The Brine. Gill appreciated the sentiment before diverting the conversation. He point-blankedly asked what skills she had. She shrugged and simply stated she was a waitress. Gill pondered over this and asked how many orders she handled on average. Pearl answered she would normally keep track of the orders of 4-5 tables simultaneously, even recalling a day she juggled eight tables at once. Gill explained she was an effective communicator and a multitasker, two skills that could prove crucial to her survival. He caught her nervously glancing at the despondent Mortimer sitting on the barstool. Gill walked over to him and greeted him. Pearl asked if he knew him, to which Gill confirmed. Mortimer dejectedly stated that everyone knew him and that he was infamous. Gill argued that he didn’t help himself with the image he projected and asked what his father would think. Mortimer snapped that he didn’t know anything and to drop it. The tone in his voice scared Pearl, but Mortimer was kind enough to apologise to her for his outburst.
Gill took this opportunity to give them the routine rundown of the events to come. He recommended they devise ways to get the Capital to like them, reminding them of the importance of sponsors. Gill looked down at Pearl and said she was adorable and could use that. Pearl decided to better improve her look to play into the cute persona. Gill turned to Mortimer, who was still sipping from his glass but paying close attention. Gill said that his criminal record and standoffish attitude wouldn’t help matters, suggesting he lighten up. He also explained that he knew some of his stories that could be used as sob stories for the audience. Mortimer claimed those to be private. He grumbled that he didn’t need any help before resigning himself to the training room. Gill hollered back to at least consider using his strength as an asset. Pearl asked what his deal was, claiming to have only heard the story of him smuggling “the professor from 6’ in. Gill sighed and asked her to sit down. He decided to disclose that Mortimer’s mother abandoned him and his disabled father when he was six, leaving him to become man of the house. He had some traumatic experiences with a few of District 4’s bad apples and had trust issues, enough to turn away those who genuinely wanted to help, including Alexander Riverstone. Pearl, hearing her father’s name dropped, wanted to know more, but Gill decided it was a story for another time. He instead called the dinner cart in and turned on the TV. He turned on the 13th and 14th Hunger Games, both erecting Ashley Chen and Vixen Furtherson, the youngest victors in history. Gill asked Pearl to take notes on their performances in hopes of settling on a strategy.
While she took notes, Gill visited the training room and approached Mortimer who was lifting weights. Gill notified him of the dinner cart and pleaded with him to join them. Mortimer relented and dropped his weight. Before they entered the lounge area, Gill put a hand on Mortimer’s shoulder and told him there was no shame in wanting to talk as he didn’t want him to die in the arena with things remaining unsaid. Mortimer hesitated before wordlessly filling his plate. He brought his plate to the couch and began watching the finale of the 14th games with Pearl. When the games ended, Pearl got up to make her plate while Mortimer turned on Gill’s games and made notes of his own. Pearl sat down to watch and chuckled at the iconic “Bye Felicia” tagline but averted her eyes when Gill’s district partner Angel was killed. When the finale showdown between Gill and Furler (D12 male tribute) came up, Mortimer paid close attention. Pearl asked if he was studying his trident fighting style to which he confirmed, stating his desire to practise the trident. After dinner, Gill broke into song and began improvising a sea shanty. Pearl began to dance to the melody while Mortimer nodded his head and slipped a smile in. Gill sent his tributes to bed and spent an extra few minutes at the bar, drinking a Huma Hurricane.
The next morning, the Speedy Submarine arrived at the Darius Dock on the Capital docks. Gill ordered his tributes to brush their hair and teeth as well as put on nice clothes. He even loaned his aftershave to Mortimer when there wasn’t any found in his room. Gill inspected them head to toe and reminded them to make an impression, telling Pearl to stay adorable and Mortimer to lighten up. The hatch opened and the three were bombarded with the cheers of adoring Buccaneers (avid fans of District 4). While most of the attendees swarmed around this year’s tributes, there was a small zealous group who called for the Brotherly Sailor, asking him to sing. Gill refrained from doing so, knowing it would take away attention from his mentees. Pearl played into her cuteness, flashing big smiles and waving her hands. She took pictures with many of the young girls, some even asking to touch her pigtails. One blushing boy walked up with a golden tiara and asked to put it on her head. She nodded and bowed, letting him place the tiara on her head. She thanked her “prince charming”, telling him she will go on a date with him if she wins.
Meanwhile, Mortimer didn’t say much but received much attention regardless. He took pictures with many of the teens in the crowds, one even giving him a prop trident to pose with. He also allowed the girls to squeeze his biceps and fawn over his wavy hair. Mortimer was beginning to feel annoyed and tried to find an excuse to step away. It came to a head when one eager girl asked if he had a girlfriend. He wretched himself away from the girls’ grasp, but another girl still had a hold of his shirt. The shirt tore to shreds in her hands, exposing the massive back tattoo on his back. Cameras got a close look at the illustration of the fabled Kraken inked onto the majority of his back, some of its tentacles stretching up his neck and around his chest. This unexpected turn of events becomes its own fiasco with more girls putting their hands all over his back. Pearl pushed some of the girls away and took pictures with the Kraken. Gill noticed this and quickly ushered his tributes to the limousine.
The three arrived at their apartment to see their stylist Minerva Panson waiting for them. Minerva was a tattoo artist who applied for the position of Hunger Games stylist to expand her business. This was Minerva’s second year as a stylist, having been District 11’s stylist the previous year. She greeted Gill and his tributes, excited to talk parade costumes with them. She knelt down and told Pearl how adorable she was, pinching her cheeks. She stood up and was slightly put off by Mortimer, who still felt humiliated by what happened at the parade. Minerva said she loved his tattoo, but it needed some polishing. Mortimer grunted a thanks and went into his room to find a shirt. Pearl was excited to see what outfit she had planned, begging to see her sketchbook. Minerva flipped through the pages with Gill, pointing out her favourites. Gill asked about her most recent sketch of an underwater king and mermaid costume. Minerva explained that she was inspired after a recent tattoo she gave a Buccaneer and the idea was reinforced by Mortimer’s Kraken tattoo. Pearl liked her mermaid outfit and asked if she could have her hair wet.
Mortimer came back in to see their final decision. Minerva said he would have to showcase his tattoo some more to go with her costume idea, revealing that it went viral on the Capital Internet. Mortimer was against it at first, but relented when Minerva offered to polish it and add a new one of his choosing at the ends of the tentacles on his chest. Interested, he agreed. She wondered aloud about the eyeliner around his right eye, rubbing her thumb on it. She inspected the residue and revealed to the room’s occupants it was fake. Mortimer sighed and admitted it was, but insisted he only applied it to spite those who dislike him and that he would never etch an actual tattoo on his face. While Minerva worked, Pearl complimented Mortimer’s tattoo, remarking how if she won, she would get a tattoo of her own. Mortimer chuckled, saying, “Just remember, real tattoos are permanent.”