Helloooo wonderful people It is time for me to prepare my pitch to the GP, so that I can get a referral for an autism/adhd assessment. I'm looking for advice and for you to share your lived experience! What information is important for me to provide to the GP? For some context, I am nervous because this is the one billionth apt I've had regarding my mental health over the past several years. After years of talk therapy to assist with severe anxiety, no one picked up on or took my suspicions of a neaurodevelopmental disorder seriously. In the past I have travelled a lot (jumped ship a lot), so I don't have a regular GP or therapist. By the way, I am Australia based.
So considering all things and your own experience, do you have any key points that helped you prepare?

I am a firm believer that action films require a male lead in order to be effective in the action market. Nearly every one of these films is about revenge, taking on a spirit of vengeance, or taking on the role of justice. But the strange part of this is that both vengeance and justice are feminine deities in mythology, and at multiple levels. The male action hero is less about taking revenge or enacting justice and is more about understanding their role in taking revenge, which can result in not wanting revenge at all or realizing there is something more grand to the journey they enter. This is why mystery and whodunit stories appeal to women, because women enjoy aspects of revenge and justice, while being less interested in the more masculine aspects like enlightenment and the hero’s journey.
That statement alone is enough to set any wokescold’s blood a’boiling, because it’s a factual statement.
None of this means it’s impossible to make an action movie with a female lead, it just means it will be built differently with themes exclusive to the female role. I’ve talked about the movie Furie here and there when talking about female roles in stories because it’s a clear example of how to do it right when the female role is meant to be a tiger mother archetype. The story is simple: a mother has her child kidnapped by bad guys and she goes out to retrieve her child and save her from the dangerous world they live in. This kind of story is very primitive, with how it’s no different than if a tigress lost her cub and had to find it in the wilderness. The tiger mother finds her strength by being more feminine, closer to mother earth, and using her nurturing spirit to stay dedicated to her main goal: protect her cub.
Not only protect, but also allow her cub to flourish in the world by making sure her child studies hard, gets a good job, and gives the air of “not being good enough” because that is what the world tells us every day. We will never please the world and feel comfortable at any moment for any reason unless we willingly let our guard down, and that’s when the snake devours the cub. The tiger mother views the world as harsh, unforgiving, and a constant threat of corruption that will swallow their child whole. They are not paranoid, they are realistic. They are not carefree, they are careful. This mentality causes them to become very authoritarian, and so the tiger mother might as well be called the empress, because they are to be the empress of both their world and the world of their child’s.
A fury is one of the Furies from Greek mythology, who are the 3 goddesses of vengeance. Nemesis came before them as a goddess of revenge, but it is more like Nemesis handles anger between gods and the furies cast curses upon humans. In the movie Furie, there is a detective who is after the same villain, with the villain being this drug lady(as in female version of drug lord) and she is the dark sorceress of the streets. The Drug Lady represents the terrible chaotic side of the earth mother, with her minions being these evil demons who kill and rape anything in their path. The entire story of Furie was a mythological tale presented in modern day Vietnam in one of the most beautiful depictions of such a tale I’ve seen in a while.
This is not meant to be a hero’s journey other than the journey of the detective, who gains a gift from the tiger mother in the form of protection while he also saves her in the end, meaning there is a supportive synergy going on in their relationship. The authoritarian femme fatale assisting the masculine authority is a story about control between both family and society. An action movie like this is why I love action films when they have effort put into them, because there is deep subject matter being played out through simple interactions between individuals and between that we get epic fight scenes.
Let me tell you: these fight scenes are awesome.
It’s not just about a woman beating up a bunch of dudes. It’s about how she struggles to get through each fight but will still carry on because that’s what a mother does for her child. It’s no different than when a noir hero fights his way through hordes of goons in order to enact his revenge. All of these little fights represent thoughts in our head like “give up” and “go back”, which are meant to detract us from our main goal. Get hit too much or get surrounded and we are forced to play defense or hide behind something, which is no different than being like a turtle hiding in their shell. The turtle, the hermit, only works in isolation and it’s meant to be the moment of introspect.
All of that is a way of saying that the action hero should only play defense to plan a better attack, because the world around them will not give up on the onslaught. These are the moments in an action movie where someone is healing or planning a new attack, with the occasional doubt hitting them near the end. The movie Furie has these moments, specifically for the tiger mother to heal and make a plan to get her daughter back, which enhances the movie’s credibility. We need these high and low points of an action movie for rest, progression of story, getting to know the characters more, and also we don’t expect a budget to be constant expensive action all the time.
If anything, the furie in this movie is a representation of Alecto, goddess of unceasing anger, due to her dedication that goes beyond the death of those who wrong her. In the mythology, the furies are three sisters who live in the underworld, specifically Erebus(meaning darkness), which is why it’s appropriate to have this movie mostly at night and involve the criminal underworld. Whenever an action movie involves the criminal underworld as a setting, they are mirroring the underworld of mythology in a form of katabasis, a journey into the underworld. Think of something like Orpheus or Dante or Jesus making a trip into the underworld in order to achieve a goal. The underworld in this case is always related to something like a wilderness or a hedonistic primitive state of mind that’s full of everything unlawful because the primitive state is before society and order is established.
The male enters the underworld to become enlightened and the female lives there because it’s their domain.
Rape, murder, theft, drug use, kidnapping, everything that we are able to do as humans but only do once our shadow has taken over. The shadow, the darkness within us, is what is so present in the underworld that the entire world is enveloped in darkness, under this shadow. When taken symbolically, this movie works beautifully and it makes sense to have the evil villain kidnap the child of our tiger mother heroine and also try to harvest her organs. This villain, named Thanh Soi, appears to be something like a big bad wolf who goes around and devours children. Being a female antagonist, she represents the ruthless underworld and chaos that causes the world to be so treacherous and causes the tiger mother to be so dedicated.
I have nothing but praise for this first movie because it sticks so close to mythology and fits itself into an alchemical form of storytelling. It’s no surprise this movie was nominated for awards and it probably would have won a lot of them if people respected the beautiful choreography and neon noir aesthetics. I would even go far enough to say that it’s one of my favorite action movies of the decade, if not in the top 10 of all time. It provides a female action heroine in a way that works because she is entirely feminine in her approach to everything, down to her not really having a hero’s journey because that’s reserved for the male assistant she has, who is in the form of a detective.
Sadly, thanks to the colors pink and purple always being present in these neon noir movies, we have encountered a massive issue in how these kinds of movies will be made in the future.
For a quick reminder, noir is the film genre where a cynical hero enters an existentialist journey that changes them for the worst because they were touched by the darkest elements of the world. In noir, the femme fatale always aids in bringing this male hero to his downfall, because the femme fatale is a representation of Lilith and this existential crisis our hero enters represents the fallen state of Adam. These stories are aided by German expressionism and poetic realism, to both ground and extend the story into an almost surreal world that we can relate to. The inner mind of the hero gets reflected out onto the world to cause this expressionism, which allows aspects like elongated shadows and warped environments to symbolically fit into the story and make it look fascinating.
Neo-noir is a postmodernist form of this genre that takes some of the aspects of noir and tries to experiment with more current trends, keeping some of the aesthetics and aspects that resulted from decades of pulp stories being told and merged together in what I would like to call “mental slop” that is created in media by merging elements together after years of experimentation and deconstruction. No longer does it have to do with a cynical hero or an existential crisis, because now the barriers of the genre are removed and people simply recognize it as noir for some vague aspects that might relate to noir, such as dealing with a criminal underworld or the snappy way hardboiled dialogue would be written.
A good way to put it is that neo-noir holds noir “themes” and “sensibilities”.
This is further continued into neon noir, which is not a fully established genre quite yet, but is noticed recently with the increased popularity of retrowave and cyberpunk. The neon lights of the 80s are brought into this neo-noir story to create a contrast between two colors, similar to how noir was filmed in black and white. This is an aesthetic choice and is usually in the form of contrasting purple against a blue because these are complimentary colors. Lights are very present in this new genre, but the light is less of a source of clarity and more like a new form of obscurity. The expressionism in these movies are used for mood enhancing, due to the tranquility of blue and the excitement of red.
All of this is important to note because postmodernists will take everything that works about these factors and then try to avoid anything that makes sense about it. They go by whatever they feel and hope their experimentation doesn’t blow up in their face. Sometimes it works, like in the case of the movie Drive, and other times it doesn’t like in the sequel to Furie called Furies.
Everything was set up for this sequel. There was no way for it to be worse. It had more money, it had Hollywood investing in it, and the concept of the tiger mother can be used as much as any typical action hero setup could be used. Just have a villain who runs a crime syndicate, have a person who was wronged by this crime lord, they seek out revenge, and it ends with the villain being defeated.
Simple, right?
Well… this movie didn’t do that. I mean, it did, but it didn’t in the way that works. There’s a villain, a male drug lord who runs a casino and kidnaps women to sell their bodies for sex. There is a person who is wronged, who is a woman that lost her husband and child at the hands of this drug lord. This woman is seeking revenge and she defeats the villain at the end.
But she’s not the protagonist. She’s not even A protagonist. In fact, they made her the actual villain of the story. The villain… kills the villain. They probably thought they were doing a “Darth Vader killing off the Emperor” kind of thing, but they weren’t.
We are told in the beginning that this woman is to be like a mentor, the fairy godmother who protects our protagonist and guides her through this treacherous world. She’s meant to be a sort of adopted tiger mother, the way lesbians do it, and instead turns into the wicked stepmother by the end. But it seems I’m getting ahead of myself, so I’ll explain this story in a more coherent manner.
This sequel is a prequel. It happens before the first movie. We are introduced to a character named Bi(pronounced like BEE) who claims in a monologue that she was “destined for darkness”. Hey, makes sense. The Furies were born from Nyx in one of the mythologies, so being born from night to be destined for darkness is a sort of match made in heaven for this kind of character.
She becomes a homeless wreck after a drunk man tries to rape her and killed her mother. She killed him and is forever reminded of that moment every time she gets blood on her hands(a running theme we will see later). This is where a lady named Jacqueline finds her and brings her under her wing, hiding her with two other girls. Symbolically, we can determine these three girls are meant to be the furies: Alecto (“Unceasing in Anger”), Tisiphone (“Avenger of Murder”), and Megaera (“Jealous”).
Already, this entire thing fell apart and deviated from the mythology.
I say this because the other two girls are nothing like the furies of mythology and I can only assume Bi is meant to be Tisiphone because her mother was murdered. But she already got her revenge, so there’s not much for her to do in that regard. The girl named Hong is meant to be a cute Harley Quinn style psycho and the girl Thanh Soi is meant to be a butch biker. The two girls want their own forms of revenge against the drug lord that runs the streets they live in, mostly because both used to be slave girls and want to free their fellow women who have been enslaved. Jacqueline convinced them that she wants to free the slave girls as well, and all of this training that she puts them through is for this mission, but there’s a catch.
Jacqueline kept her relationship with this drug lord secret, because she was working with him and ended up having her husband and child killed by this drug lord. For years, she planned out revenge and set up several spies within his ranks, including the boyfriend of Hong. All of this is revealed in the end, so we go through the whole movie believing they are out for vigilante justice against crimes, specifically against women, when it was all because a bitter mother was betrayed after trusting a man too much. Already, this sounds like a mess, and it is. This prequel makes such a simple story incredibly convoluted and tries to use twists as a plaster for weak narrative and symbol subversion. But there’s a reason for this.
The woman who acted as the main heroine in the first movie also plays the role of Jacqueline. These are two different women in the movie’s setting, being played by the same woman. On top of that, the first movie was directed by a man and now this prequel is written and directed by… this same actress in question, Veronica Ngo. That’s right, she decided to play the villain after she wrote the script and directed the entire thing.
It was designed for this woman to crank herself silly.
And boy does it show in the movie. Quite literally in every scene. I say this because the first movie held shots for a while and had the simple story unfold slowly, with long moments to settle down and let the beautiful environment sink in. In the prequel, we are supposed to enjoy flashing colors as every scene is cut and edited like a movie trailer. I’m not kidding when I say that.
Every. Single. Scene.
Even the scene where Bi is being raped by a drunkard is treated like a movie trailer, with the camera changing all over the place and music playing as she monologues about how everything sucks. This camera is a massive pain to sit through, because it’s either constantly moving, getting splashed with CGI blood, zooming over people’s shoulders, or switching between 5 different conversations before a single thought could be finalized. It does that thing where someone is talking in a different scene and then a few seconds later the camera goes to where the person is talking, as if the transition was meant to be meaningful, but it would be for any little thing.
This is the sign of someone trying to experiment with things but are completely incompetent in what they’re doing. It gets worse when we enter fight scenes that look like they were edited frame by frame to hide the fact that they didn’t know what they wanted the fights to look like. The only time a camera holds for longer than a second is when someone dies off screen or Bi starts to suffer from her PTSD. And boy does she suffer.
They have a moment where she kills a random goon, gets blood on her hands, and when they return to their hideout, she vomits in the sink. She gets flashbacks to her first assault and the day her mother dies, which results in her trying to fight Thanh when she tries to calm Bi down. They fight in the bathroom and one of them knocks a valve loose, which causes the shower to turn on and shower both of them as they try to grapple and fall to their knees. This moment is meant to be a loving embrace between sisters during a time of need and support, with Thanh being a protective sister who is dedicated in making sure the new sister is able to get through harsh mental anguish whenever she is triggered.
This, my friend, is the entire problem with this movie.
I understand it’s meant to be emotional and heartfelt. I don’t deny there is thought put behind a moment like this. The music swells, the colors are somber, the water slowly falls on them as if to say the water purifies their thoughts and cools their head. I get it. But what the hell does any of that have to do with being a fury?
This isn’t about taking vengeance, this all feminist woes being presented for the sake of representation. Hong later on has a birthday party and they all celebrate by singing 90s songs(because this movie is meant to take place in the 90s) and when Bi came into the picture they had a makeover montage. This is an action movie written like a teen romcom without the romance and nothing in it is meant to be comedic. There are light hearted moments, sure, but I would never call it a comedy except for this one moment where a drug addict begs for drugs and the drug lord throws it on the ground for him to snort it, and then the drug lord pisses all over him.
To me, that is funny, but it’s treated as a horrible moment to make us hate the villain who doesn’t even really do anything. One of the most disappointing moments is when the furies sneak into a bedroom with him by disguising themselves as club whores and they have the perfect moment to kill him. Bi messes up by being too obvious with her stab attack and he runs away with a slight wound. This is where we have a fight that is meant to be a key moment: a hallway decorated with silhouettes of dancing women as the place fills up with black suited goons.
This moment is meant to show how brave and powerful the girls are, and all it does is accidentally present a massive stereotype where women can't get the job done and they are granted luxuries by having beautiful bodies while wearing a lot of makeup. When I saw this, I figured at least the action scenes will make up for the lack of theme, and… boy was I wrong.
These action scenes, as I said before, are a mess. Everything is a close up so we can’t see what’s going on and every attack is a wide swing that gets blocked by an arm that comes up 5 seconds too early. There is this back and forth that happens with each fight that makes it look functional and the music keeps it pumping, but it always looks like the fight coordinador told them to do everything wrong as a joke and the director was none the wiser. There are even moments where they use the wrong sound effect, like when someone gets punched and it does the stabbing sound effect.
Sure these are tiny technical things, but it gets worse when I am forced to mention the infamous bike scene.
So, Hong dies at the hands of this guy called Son, who is meant to be the dragon below the drug lord. Her boyfriend sees it, with her boyfriend acting as a spy who has infiltrated the drug lord’s ranks, so he’s standing there shocked and everyone ignores him. The remaining two sisters decided to run away on a bike and ensue in a chase sequence that is some of the worst CGI fighting I’ve seen in a while. There was no reason for any of this, they just put it in because the director thought it would look cool. I have no idea what it is with women and motorcycle chases, but there’s something where a woman on a motorcycle is seen as a “sexy” thing, specifically for women.
Not sexy to be sexual, but it’s something that women find aesthetically pleasing, and I can only imagine that it has something to do with the feeling of a bike vibrating between their legs. It also has to do with the idea of danger, because it’s easier to fall off a motorcycle than it is to fall out of a car with the doors closed. That, and I think it’s a fantasy for women to actually ride them without crashing. It’s the director’s way of saying “See! Women can ride motorcycles too!”, as if refraining from instantly crashing is an achievement.
But considering these are women and they are Asian, the fact they are not crashing instantly is a miracle.
What makes it funny is that in order to say “women can ride motorcycles too”, they put these women on a motorcycle and then transition it into a CGI race through the city with the motorcycle sitting in place in front of a greenscreen. We can easily tell this is happening because the wheels aren’t moving and there is the world’s fakest looking background flying by with whacky angles and movements being made with the camera. Bad guys fly into the screen from behind like TIE fighters in the old Star Wars movies, clearly breaking through the scenery, and I could not stop laughing at how terrible it all looked. And they somehow managed to make it worse by having a moment where one of the girls gets knocked off the bike and the other keeps riding to go up a ramp and onto a roof, only to get knocked off the bike herself and the bike flies off the roof and explodes in a corner.
I think I forgot to mention this but EVERYTHING EXPLODES in this movie. It’s as if the direct thought “hey, this part doesn’t have much substance to it, let’s fill it up with explosions.” There’s even a part earlier where they light a building on fire because it was a place where girls were being held captive. They throw lighters in random areas that have lamp oil or alcohol conveniently placed for them and random areas of the building start blowing up. What are you guys lacing in your cocaine over there, nitroglycerin?
Finally, we come back to the ending, the part of the story that ruined it for the movie. Bi and Thanh go to the drug lord’s hideout, they seek revenge for their lost sister, and meanwhile we have Hong’s boyfriend kill Son because… he was her boyfriend and had sex with her. Way to go movie, that sure shows what men care for. We only fight for those we bang and the sex was really that important for him. Forget meaningful things like a firmly built relationship or a child being made between a man and a woman, those aren’t important to a man. It’s all about the dedication someone has to a girl who sold her body for money.
But you know what? His motives and story aren’t important because we don’t even really see him. In fact, they bring in several characters that we’ve never seen before and act as if we’re supposed to know them. This is when they enter the drug lord’s underground casino, with the casino representing a massive gamble that this entire mission has been taking. However, the concept of gambling doesn’t mean much since the story repeatedly hits us with talk about fate, which is meant to relate to the sisters of fate in Greek mythology. I thought we were going to get some kind of motif going on every time they mentioned fate, but they just said “this is our fate” and that was it.
So they enter the casino and start shooting up the place. I don’t know what guns they are using, but they have enough ammo in their magazines to practically be infinite. There’s even an editing flub where they were supposed to show one of the girls reload, but they just show her pulling the slide back to load a bullet in the chamber, as if that’s enough. At least this part of the movie tries to implement gun-fu, but the way they do it is surreal because it’s entirely for show and there’s nothing practical in any of their attacks. They come with limited ammo and see themselves outnumbered, but they end up shooting people in the hands and feet while fighting as a way to ease off some attacks, to then shoot the enemy in the head.
Fast forward a bit and we have one of the stupidest twists enacted on screen. Jacqueline came with the girls to finish this once and for all, and while fighting she is seen getting stabbed in the back by a henchman. The drug lord watches it happen on a CCTV and celebrates. This looks like a perfect time for Bi to get her revenge on the main villain. But no, that would be the smart thing to do.
Instead, they have Bi and Thanh held at gunpoint in a room after a surprisingly difficult fight against a crackhead armed with a syringe who walked up to them like a zombie, and no I am not making that up. It sounds stupid, because it is, but they put that into the movie because someone decided it would be a good time to include something zombie related in a movie that has nothing to do with zombies. So, they’re held at gunpoint and then Jacqueline barges in and shoots the drug lord’s limbs to make sure he suffers. The boyfriend of Hong also comes in and is like “yeah, let’s get our revenge on this sick bastard”.
Then Jacqueline shoots the boyfriend of Hong. Everyone in the room is like “what the hell is going on?!” and Jacqueline kills off the drug lord and goes “Ok, now Thanh has to kill Bi” and both of them are just as confused as the audience. Even if Jacqueline was this new villain who becomes the new drug lord, it’s not like either of the girls would join her if she continued the sex trade. So, Thanh does the expected and tries to shoot Jacqueline instead, but was too slow and gets shot herself. The final fight is between Jacqueline and Bi, with Bi shooting Jacqueline several times.
But this is the part that made me really pissed: they fire the same gun over 30 times without reloading and then the second the gun is trained on Bi’s head… it’s empty.
The only way for this to be more convenient for Bi is if a bird flew in and airdropped a white turd into the eye of Jacqueline and had it explode for good measure. But because that didn’t happen, we have Bi tired as all hell and she collapses in a room full of dead bodies. Police come in and find her alive, arrest her, and then imprison her for 15 years. The big twist of this, the reason this is a prequel is revealed in this single moment where we see her leave her jail cell.
Who was Bi this whole time?
She was the villain of the first movie: Thanh Soi.
Apparently, the name is meant to be something like “she-wolf” and she took the name in honor of her dedicated sister in battle, Thanh Soi. This means that this entire time, the one we’re to be rooting for ends up being this horrible monster from the first movie that was kidnapping children and harvesting their organs. All because she… didn’t like to get blood on her hands.
If you think that none of this makes sense: welcome to the club.
The first movie was brilliant and coherent all the way down to a mythological level. It hit us deep in our unconscious and is something to be remembered years after watching it for how heartfelt each scene was made. It even brought some sympathy to some of the villains with how one of them was spared by the tiger mother because the guy’s own mother was present. It followed a theme of motherhood, while the second movie tried to follow a theme of sisterhood.
Where motherhood was filled with morals and justice, the sisterhood was filled with contradictions and partying.
I do not believe this was done out of a lack of budget or a rushed job. This was the result of how wokeness infiltrates even some of the least western influenced countries to create senseless garbage that nobody likes. We are not only to sympathize with one villain, but we are told that we have to sympathize with two, while the male villains are completely reprehensible. This movie was designed with woke Charlie’s Angels in mind and it shows with how they took three women to fight for a mentor and the only male on the team is treated like a bag of meat. What makes it more hilarious for me is that I’m constantly told by the woke that it’s bad to give women tragic backstories for why they become villains and there’s no excuse for having rape as part of this tragic backstory.
This is the feminism that is designed to trigger western feminists while hoping that Hollywood accepts it as “feminist enough”. This movie was not designed with men in mind, because female action movies are always plagued with over edited fight scenes, girl power moments, and romcom montages. I wish I was kidding, but I have yet to see a female focused action movie that refrained from doing these pointless representation calls, because the goal is to represent in this way.
She Hulk, Charlie's Angels, feminist Ghost Busters, Men in Black International, Atomic Blonde, Captain Marvel, Gunpowder Milkshake, Lucy, Jupiter Ascending, Disney Star Wars, basically every Disney and Pixar movie now. All of these movies are designed specifically to say women can do stuff guys can and then fail to show them doing stuff guys can. Then they wonder why these movies flop and get memed into oblivion. The only people who care about seeing a woman beating up men are angry women, because that is a low resolution view of what the movie is even supposed to say. The only people begging to see that on screen are women who hate men enough to want to beat them up.
This is not a lot of people. This is surprisingly a small fraction of the population and this is who these movies are trying to appeal to. Everything else around this low resolution declaration is meant to be spectacle for the sake of spectacle.
Why did the motorcycle explode? Because explosions are cool.
Why did the girls light a building on fire? Because fire is cool and it leads to explosions.
Why are they shooting the limbs of people? Because shooting limbs is cool.
Why does the camera get covered in CGI blood every 5 seconds? Because blood splatters are cool.
I’m not going to sit here and say something like that lacks style. It has style and it is spectacular. But when placed in a movie with zero meaning and zero purpose, this baseless spectacle gets lost in a sea of nonsense and there’s nothing to hold onto other than the possible impressive choreography or the impressive practical effects. This movie had a little bit of something, but it could never hold a candle to the dedication and effort put into the first movie. I also want to mention the camera work because this is also tied into woke ideology.
Every time the plot is trying to be expressed or shown, the camera and scenes are given the smallest amount of lingering. For example, a turf war begins after they blow up the slave holding… place and it’s shown as a turf war in two events. A person gets shot and people start getting attacked by random. These events lasted for about 5 seconds each. We’re told that Bi is homeless and fighting the local gang by having her steal a wallet and then have someone shout “hey, this is our turf!” all in the span of 5 seconds. We go from the girls going through an outfit montage during a plan to the girls working at the club of the drug lord in about 5 seconds.
If you didn’t get it by now: everything in this movie goes by the 5 second rule, but only when it is about the plot.
Do you want to know what lasts longer than 5 seconds? Moments where the girls are talking about stuff they like and parts where they pose together to present girl power. So to the woke, it takes the tiniest amount of time to show how someone enters the worst stage of their life, but it takes minutes to let us know that these girls plan to stick together and fight side by side. Everything important is done with quick flashes and everything unimportant is lingered on. This is a tactic of the woke to bring the mundane into the essential.
The goal is to feature tiny bits of important things to let the viewer understand why they are in that position, and then hammer in the idea of wokeness that the director or writer wanted to virtue signal for. The woke do not dedicate their focus on the themes of the story that matter to the audience and instead force the viewer to put up with things the woke writer is focused on so that the propaganda is viewed in the first place. We are promised a story about a mother seeking revenge and instead we are treated with the rise of a villain who became that way because she was abused as a child.
Using the woke lens of intersectionality and critical feminist theory, we can determine that the themes of this movie dwindled into arbitrary concepts like PTSD and girls trying to stay friends till the end. All of these are the result of mental weakness and toxic behavior that is now being given an excuse because the context of why they do these toxic actions are presented, even if it’s for 5 seconds. Now a woman like Bi is able to be excused for harvesting the organs of children and even blame men because it all started when her mother was a prostitute and a random drunk guy raped her. This is the polar opposite from how a tiger mother acts, because we are not trying to give excuses for a dedicated mother doing what a dedicated mother does. The tiger mother is a big part of what causes us to survive and is something to strive for because that’s what allows us to reproduce.
Being raped and then suffering PTSD over it doesn’t.
Thanks to intersectionality, the woke demand to present vices as virtuous and weakness as strength because this is how they take the outliers and bring them to the center. This goes beyond postmodernist subjectivity. It becomes subjective advocacy to obfuscate reality itself and pretend it’s incoherent just because their own agenda is incoherent. This is why every time there is a rule, they will pretend there is an exception to it, just because they don’t understand what that rule is or it’s not detailed in a way that prevents horribly bad faith takes. Every established rule for writing established doesn’t have an exception, just an attempt to reject what’s actually effective. These rules were established because they work and because people respond to them positively.
The woke hate positive results because those are the results that signify the rules work.
I don’t mind a female lead in a movie. I also don’t mind when a female lead is in an action movie. I don’t even mind a sisterhood or girls having magic powers or anything like that. Those things make sense to me when they are done properly, which the movie Furie did when they had the tiger mother as the protagonist and a harvester of child organs as the antagonist. That makes 100% sense to me, both symbolically and entertainment wise.
What I don’t like is when wokeness barges into established IPs and tries to change everything to say absolutely nothing of value. I’ve noticed that these feminist and LGBT stories always try to deal with the same nonsense that is done in a sad attempt to connect with some sort of audience they have in mind. Sexual abuse, PTSD, feeling oppressed, mental disorders, spousal abuse, prostitution, sexual deviancy, leaving their family to be with a sexual partner, drug abuse, being found by a guardian lesbian to feel protected, entering a sisterhood or a group of fellow LGBT agents of destruction.
These types of stories don’t mean anything to normal people. We can see some of these things as a terrible thing to have happen and we can attach a negative symbol to these things, but there’s no way in hell a person who’s never experienced any of this feels represented. The representation of a minority, that just wants to claim oppression because of their own choices or because of something that rarely happens, is a losing game. Normal people will either hate it or not care. I have every reason to blame the director for these horrible decisions and I have every reason to claim her poor decisions are because she fell for woke nonsense as a woman.
But no matter what, I refuse to let such an issue deter me from liking the first movie, even though she’s the main actress. The people featured in a story mean nothing to the story outside of how well they can act the part and be the character. Now we even have to say that the actor must retain the source material and culturally make sense, all because the woke want to bring the outliers to the center and turn every Disney character black. Especially the red heads. I only covered the feminist aspect of wokeness here, so we can leave woke race swapping for another time.
Furie is an amazing movie that will be remembered positively for years to come.
Furies is woke trash that will only be remembered for how terrible it was.

Hi everyone, this is the first chapter of my debut novel. For information and links to other chapters click the link down below :
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The Great One sat on his throne, gazing longingly into the hearts of man. Something was coming and he could feel it. Destiny riding on a white steed, like the tales of man long ago, coming to uncover his secrets. He could see it all, the wall, the castle, and the so-called gods that built it all. The ego of these creatures was laughable, if only the Great One could still laugh. He could still speak sure, but only through means not of man’s common means. Vocal cords were a commodity long since lost in this place.
As the Great One observed the coming destiny he could feel the approaching storm, in a hail of flesh and blood, the only things that the Great One lacked. He would never give up, never retreat to these things as they approached, for this was the Great One. He looked back to the castle, viewing the scene in its entirety, and he felt something like happiness enter him.
Divinity. That is what connected the walls surrounding Dundis castle, not stone or metal, this was not a mere wall but a divine gift from ones above. Divinity sealed the wall, made it whole, the walls sealed together without mark or blemish, something no man could ever replicate. The wall had stood for a century, and would likely last ten more, there was no weakness, no flaw in design. 50 metres tall the wall was unscalable, unbreakable. No man could break the wall, it was the Vaunghe empire’s crowning gift, their wonder of the world. Those that were hired to clean the wall’s dirt and grime were heralded as the truly faithful, and all longed to help the gift of the gods. And yet despite this the Alizian’s watched, standing with armies around the great wall, waiting to breach its crust and destroy the core.
The Vaunghe had watched their foes throw everything they had, hundreds of men attacking the steel doors of the wall to no avail, an attempted archer attack quickly squashed by the wall's height. The Alizian military was strong, a blend of the Alizian warriors and Strolim blacksmiths made for a truly terrifying army. The army was so terrifying that the Vaunghe inside the castle doubted there were any more Vaunghe troops left, this was the end to a long battle between man and man. Even the soldiers left weren’t particularly important, just those lucky enough to guard the king and a few trainees. But the Vaunghe felt their luck running out.
The food supplies had run low, even if the nobles weren’t in the castle there was no chance of resupply. The few men who had eaten in the past few days stood alert, gazing down from the ramparts at the enemy. The soldiers knew they had to either surrender or fight, but the Vaunghe were passionate people, they could never leave behind their identity in favour of life. So the men waited, bows and arrows at the ready, for the next attack. Heavy items such as ingots and chairs lined the rampart, ready to be thrown off at a moments notice.
They had waited in this position for many cycles, and as day turned to night, and night turned to day the Vaunghe were exhausted, finished with whatever feeble attacks these barbarians had planned. They could throw whatever armies and arrows they wanted at the wall but it would remain unphased, forevermore. When the Alizian’s next attacked they would be met with the last strength of the Vaunghe, and it would be a story remembered for milenia by man and the gods.
As the morning sun rose over the wall, the enemy was revealed in all their glory. Even from so high above the Vaunghe could see the glint of silver from the Alizian military. The bright greens of the Alizian armour created a dazzling sensation that they were one with the grass, which blended in so perfectly with their clothes. They stood in their thousands, armed with whatever they could find, and even on the wall the men could see him.
The slaughterer, the murderer, the man, the myth and the legend Osmund stood alone on an overlooking hill. The fiend was well known by the Vaunghe, he was likely the greatest foe that had come from the opposing sides. Vaunghe generals often fled at his coming, or surrendered first, but rumour had it that Osmund gave no mercy. Overseeing his army to destroy everything that was left, the Vaunghe soldiers knew today really was the end. The figure on the hill moved closer to his army and screamed. The battle-cry of the Alizian’s shook fear into each of the Vaunghe atop the rampart, being so loud that it even reached so high.
The hundreds of troops began to move in sync, forming three individual groups of soldiers, with 10 metre spaces between each. Each contingent comprised six hundred men, easily dwarfing the 82 Vaunghe soldiers that were left. But the Vaunghe were not afraid, at least not afraid of a breach anytime soon. These walls were built to withstand any damage, no man could breakthrough one.
Between the troops was movement, indeed there seemed to be movement down all three rows of men in blue. The Strolime empire had finally revealed themselves, with their short stature and mental prowess the Strolime were gifted inventors not expected to appear on the battlefield. And yet here they were, almost one hundred of them hauling forth three large metallic objects. The sun bounced off of these objects into the Vaunghe’s eyes.
None of the men had ever seen objects like these, seemingly composed of pure metals and on wheels. Some thought they were a testament to the gods, some holy objects, others believed it to be some new invention from the Strolime, however none of them could say anything for certain as they were pushed closer and closer to the wall. The Strolomites stopped in their advance, approximately 20 metres away from the wall. The purpose of these objects had yet to dawn on the men, although one of the younger men on the rampart claimed he could see small objects poking through the metal, which was now aimed at a forty-five degree angle towards the wall.
As the Strolimites halted their advance many began to move away into the safety of the Alizian wall, likely afraid of any precautionary Vaunghe archers. One of them, a rather short and plump soldier, stayed with the object, placing a hand on it and turning to the wall. It was a fleeting moment, but for a second it seemed the man was gazing at the Vaunghe soldiers in shame. One last condemnation to the ones that began this war, before it would all come crashing down. But then the moment passed, and the short man moved as the rest did, doing a slight zig zag to avoid arrows.
And now, just as quickly they had come, the Strolomite’s were gone in the ranks of the Alizians, still waiting in their groups for something, and then they came. Three figures, two women and a man, moved between the lines just as the Strolimites before them. These three wore no armour, only the greens of Alizia upon their tunics. They stood beside the objects and began to reach their arms into the underside of it. Before the Vaunghe’s eyes the objects began to turn slightly, aiming even more directly at the wall.
One of the Vaunghe had enough of this display, and raised his bow. There were low winds on this day, and he was a good enough shot to reach at least one of the Alizian soldiers. He aimed his bow, finger on the drawstring, and released. It is likely that this arrow would’ve drawn first blood in this battle, however the arrow never reached its target.
In the split second before the release of the bow, the Vaunghe noticed the smoke billowing out of the bottom of the devices, the flames that shot out, and finally they noticed for not even a fraction of a second the object that shot out of the metallic thing, something white and red that hit the wall in an instant.
The wall shook, and the following barrage of these objects shattered any notion of divinity. Crashing and crumbling the rampart was launched, sending soldiers flying everywhere. The Vaunghe beside the wall were subject to the falling rubble, both the crumbling stone of the walls and the miscellaneous objects they had left upon the wall. All of the objects crushed the few Vaunghe left, save for the few sickly starving soldiers left inside the castle’s inner walls.
Down went the walls, such a harsh strike against the wall that nothing stood in the path of this monster. The roaring splattered through the castle, the screams of the falling wall waking the King himself from his slumber. Such a vast creation had fallen in seconds before the might of the Alizian’s, and now there was nothing left but to watch the battle unfold.
Smoke flooded the inner walls of the castle, casting the few remaining into fits of coughing and blindness. The walls finished their crumbling, and yet the roars didn’t stop. These were not the roars of the wall but the war cries of the soldiers outside, and they began to get louder, echoing through the walls of Dundis and into the ears of the weak nobles and soldiers.
Through the smoke they came, weapons raised and charging the weak. The few that tried to fight were slaughtered, cut down by a sea of green soldiers. Those that were choking, sputtering or raising their hands in defeat were spared, hauled through the hordes and into one of the stables facing the inner wall. They were to be tried and jailed, for no human regardless of their crime should be killed. It is simply not the Alizian way.
Out of the one hundred and fifty two people who were in Dundis, forty two had died in the wall’s destruction, and a further eleven were detained by the Alizian military. There was nothing that the Vaunghe could do, save for locking their doors, shield themselves and hold out for as long as possible. The Vaunghe forces built barricades in their castle, locking away the Alizian combatants for as long as possible. And during all of this Osmund waited. Waiting for his time to end this war, this travesty of battle that had gone on for too long, and that time finally came.
* * * *
Osmund stood alone atop the hill, and watched the madness unfold. The walls crumbled at the face of these weapons with no more effort than a straw house, and the plumes of smoke assaulted his men, although not to the extent of the inner wall. After a few moments of sputtering and choking the men cheered, for this was the moment that they had been waiting for, the end of such a long war now in the Alizian’s favour.
The Vaunghe capital was in shambles, their military long crushed underneath Osmund’s almighty power, and all that was left was the King. Hiding behind his walls as if he didn’t deserve this loss, this final failure in his life. Osmund was willing to spare as many people as he could, it was the Alizian code, but there would be no mercy for the King. This wasn’t one final battle between two great armies, that conflict happened weeks ago, this was the last breaths of a psychotic monarch being silenced amongst the last of his troops.
Osmund gazed longingly at Dundis, the ruined walls and advancing soldiers and doubted. He felt something was off, something was very wrong with all of this. His heart began to thump, as Osmund’s eyes turned every way to understand what was wrong, what abnormality was here. It grew and grew, Osmund began to shake at what was about to happen, nothing was right here Osmund should be somewhere else helping someone, there’s something wrong here something very-
Peace. Osmund’s heart stopped thumping, body stopping its perpetual shaking. He looked again to the marching troops, now almost entirely inside the walls, and looked back to his back, and the reserve Strolomites that now stood. They were cheering, marvelling at the success of the assault, and how the god’s gift had saved so much effort on their part.
Such strange creations composed of metal and flame, Osmund marvelled at the power the gods possessed. These devices were so unique in design Osmund doubted if any army could defeat them. The large red tubes they released could easily destroy an entire village by itself, but with one hundred of them an entire valley could be bathed in flames. Something truly abnormal in this world, something so parallel to the code of battle that no army would ever think of it.
The Vaunghe were once considered to be the greatest fighters, with the tournaments they created bringing forth the greatest warriors from throughout the land. Their dedication and power were unmatched in ferocity and violence, some called the Vaunghe the standing due to their unmatched will to always get back up. Osmund recalled his days in the tournaments, those peaceful days when he was not yet a hero to people, but a simple military man. He was still only Osmu back then, and yet even those of the time knew he would be something special. As Christoff used to say, ‘Ozzie you’re going places, big ones’. Osmund missed Christoff, It had been so long since their last meeting, and all Osmund wanted was to meet again one last time.
Osmund’s assistant came to him, a younger Strolomite by the name of Gizmu. Gizmu was rather muscular for a Strolomite, a strong figure contrasting his associates' plumper bodies, and stature was fairly tall for one of his people at 6’5 ft tall. Hazel hair protruded through a blue helmet, and for the first time Osmund considered what his assistant could look like. Gizmu was one of the many Strolomite’s who refused to show their face until military success, a tradition that Osmund respected. He had no doubt that Gizmu's true face would one day be revealed to him, as the man possessed genuine prowess in the fields of agriculture, something sorely missed in the modern military.
“Osmund, your team is preparing now, they’ll come soon. I advise you to prepare your armour sir, as it won’t be long before you’re sent in.” Osmund sensed mild concern in Gizmu’s voice, but didn’t pursue it.
“Thank you Gizmu, my friend. I’ll begin my preparations, tell the guests to meet me here when they are fully prepared. And do ensure they understand that there is still risk of injury on this mission, ensure each of them wears their armour.” Osmund’s voice was deep and echoed his long life, commanding a sense of authority amongst all Alizian forces.
Osmund left the hill, passing the cheering Strolomite’s and the peasant farmers who supported the army, and entered the rows of tents. They stretched out on either side, one for every four soldiers, until he reached his own tent. Entering Osmund was surprised to discover a fellow commander still asleep in his bed, snoring away peacefully.
Osmund removes his upper clothing, the clean tunic falling to the ground. While removing these clothes Osmund kicks the sleeping man in the leg, which doesn’t actually amount to anything rather than halting his snoring. Osmund kicks the sleeping soldier again, this time in the buttocks, which does a far better job of riling him. The man looks around wide-eyed, before settling onto the sight of the giant Osmund.
“Hey, why'd you kick me? I almost had a bleedin’ heart attack don’t you know not to meddle with a sleepin man?”
“Don’t you know that you were meant to be on the battlefield at the crack of dawn? I don’t know what kind of promotion you’re expecting when you aren’t even going on the battlefield. Do you really want to be Balmun forever?” Osmund spoke coldly, now reaching for his chestplate.
“Well no sir. But the thing is I actually have a very cunning plan, I thought of it all myself.” A smile falls upon the man’s face, whose head bears an uncanny resemblance to a potato.
“And what is that?” Osmund halted his preparations briefly.
“Well if I say I was there but didn't actually go, who’d think I wasn’t? I can just sleep through it all until the battle is won and no one would be the wiser.” Osmund puts a hand onto Balmun’s fleshy shoulder.
“A fine plan, if I wasn’t your commanding officer you buffoon. By the gods I believe some divine creator mistakenly put a turnip in your head instead of a brain because no noble’s son has ever been as frankly idiotic as you have. You’re coming with me to the battlefield, and I suggest you get dressed or you’ll be facing the last of the Vaunghe army with your flopping cock dancing for all to see.” Balmun stood and began to slip some clothes on, as Osmund completed his own set of armour.
Osmund’s armour bore the mark of a noble family, some rich fools who wanted their family crest to be associated with a bloody conflict and a dangerous murderer. Osmund wore it because of the armour’s quality, customfit to encompass Osmund’s 9’5 ft tall body, something no other armour was able to achieve. Osmund’s height was always an oddity, reaching far above the average 8ft heights of most Alizian’s, and making him one of the tallest figures in the lands. It was this height and his skin’s colour that earned him the name of the black death, which he wasn’t particularly fond of due to the mention of his skin. And even then Osmund certainly didn’t feel like a black death, whatever that was meant to be, rather he felt like death itself. Osmund was to be fifty years old by the end of the week, and it showed on his body. The hair that was left on his head was grey, and while still possessing an impressive form Osmund’s body was not in its prime, he was old.
Osmund looked at himself in the full body mirror, grabbing his longsword and leaving the tent, dragging a half dressed Balmun with him. Back through the tents they travelled, back past the now eager Strolomite’s and atop the hill where Osmund’s infiltration team stood. In any other battle Osmund would’ve despised the one that left this group with him, a collection of subpar and mediocre soldiers with all the military future of an Otter in a stew. But then again Osmund’s battle history did feature a lot of important people dying under his watch, so perhaps this was for the better.
The force began with Edmun, a cross between a prostitute and a noble who unfortunately takes more from the noble. An egotistical brat, as well as a greedy goblin of anything that isn’t bolted down, Osmund had borne the unfortunate duty of his company for months, since the initial assault on the capitol. The man could barely hold a weapon, save for slight skill with a flail of all things which he wore by his side. It was a gold plated flail as well, specifically made for beating in the heads of the poor Vaunghe soldiers stupid enough to get close. Blonde hair obscured blue eyes that spoke to his red-light mother, in fact for a noble’s son Edmun had all the appearance of an incestuous dullard. The man had survived by pure luck, and was the only casualty that Osmund wanted his side to suffer.
The Enick twins Humun and Eumun were up next, named after their family crest of the god of alcohol Enick. In contrast to Edmun these were a pair of real soldiers, Osmund had seen the fruits of their labour many times. They were great at the art of flanking, Humon’s greataxe paired alongside Eumun’s spears proved to be an unbeatable combination. The only issue that Osmund had with the pair was their… peculiar relationship. While the two were great fighters, whenever they were together anything else became impossible to comprehend. Osmund had once caught the pair attempting to seduce a goat wearing a knight’s helm, and while they were drunk there is still clear evidence of idiocy amongst them. The pair were identical in appearance, burly figures of 8’5ft, short cut black hair and overgrown beards stretching down their faces, however the distinguishing feature between the two was Eumon’s cleft lip, which gave his speech a lisp.
Josmu was far more a scholar than a soldier, although Osmund enjoyed his presence greatly. Since they first met the pair had hit it off, often discussing each other’s lives in Alizian taverns across the kingdom. A gifted archer, Josmu was the son of two aspiring poets and enlisted into the military voluntarily to assist in the war efforts. Osmund had a great deal of respect for the man, and hoped that the two would one day have a drink together, and ruminate on the past once more.
And then there was Jumun, a gifted soldier and one of the few Osmund thought could take him in his prime. Long strands of red hair ran down her rough face, a pointed nose and peculiar eyebrow shape giving her a perpetual look of disappointment. At a height of 9’2 ft she stood almost toe to toe with Osmund, in fact there were many aspects about her that reminded Osmund of himself. The first was her attitude, she treated every war as a tragedy of its own, and yet she would never fail to perform against her enemies. Skilled in most weapons Jumun’s life had been long and arduous, her worn out armour covered in patches and dents. Osmund had offered her a new set of armour once, to which she vehemently refused, telling Osmund that she wished to end the war in the armour she started it in. Currently she held a single large sword nearly identical to his own, and Osmund predicted that she couldn’t wait for the battle to be over.
The group stood facing the smoking walls, watching the now descending Strolomite’s retrieve the three gifts from the gods. Pushing them back up the hill would take tremendous strength and a long time, which is why nearly double the number of Strolomite’s assisted in the endeavour. Osmund cleared his throat, prompting the looks of the team. All of their eyes were of Balmun, who was somehow already panting after a 2 minute drag through the ground. Osmund released the man and pushed him towards his new comrades, to which he sulked.
Osmund could see through the smoke of the ruins now, noting the strangely high number of bodies present from Osmund’s view. It appeared that there were more forces than originally estimated, as it was initially guessed there were around one hundred and fifty soldiers inside. Judging by the number of corpses inside those numbers clearly forgot to account for the possibility of trainees inside of the castle. This may be a slightly larger fight than initially predicted, although even supposing there were another hundred or so trainees locked inside rooms there were things Osmund could do against that.
“Alright then, good to see that some of you actually bothered to wake up today, Balmun, and I think we all know that this mission is going to end the war.” Balmun raised his hand.
“Yes Balmun?”
“Sir I have a very cunning pl-”
“Shove your plans up your slacker buttocks, you idiot. Now then, I’m gonna say this once, because quite frankly the more chances I give Balmun to interrupt the more likely I’ll butcher myself with this sword. Now then we are the backbone to the forces, our mission is to help take individual points of conflict from alternative points. We will accomplish this with the leaked maps of the castle gained from Vaunghe intelligence. Now then, originally it was believed that we were dealing with only around one hundred and fifty troops, but it looks like someone didn’t remember the number of rookie troops that are trained here, so we could be looking at a few more troops than expected.” Osmund saw the hand raised but tried to ignore it. The man with the potato for a head seemed adamant however, and raised his hand higher. When that didn’t work he raised both arms.
“By the gods what is it?”
“Well sir, what kind of weapons do you think they have?” Osmund stopped in his tracks, not expecting anything even related to an actual important question. A smile formed on his face, it seems that even fools can think every now and again.
“Decent question my friend, we can probably expect the basic mix of swords and axes, likely shields also, but we may have one or two archers running around however it’s unlikely any survived the wall’s collapse.”
“That is good Osmund, once we take a few down I need a weapon, I like the swords myself.”
“What’s wrong with your sword?”
“I left it in the tent sir.” Osmund cupped his hands into his face, cringing against the stupidity of this man.
“Listen…. just everyone follow me please, I mean by the gods man. Come on. Listen I don’t think we will need any armour with us today, we have the single thickest piece of meat just over there as we speak.” Osmund points towards Balmun, who turns to see what everyone is looking at. Without another word Osmund begins to walk down the hill towards the castle, muttering things that even the gods consider a little racy.
* * * *
The ruins of Dundis stood firm in their strength, with the ruined walls blemishing what was once a grand fortress that none had penetrated. Tall spires protrude from the shapeless stone complex. Along the gateway was a path leading directly into the Dundis entrance, which stood slightly ajar. Fragments of the wall had crushed many parts of the outside, with simple wooden stables and trees crushed by the weight of the plummet of the debris. The architecture that remained spoke to the complexities of the Vaunghe, as spiralling patterns adorned the walls of the castle, interlaced with rare jewels that coated the walls. The Vaunghe were so fortunate with minerals that one could find them coating their walls, despite the fact that no one other than a fellow Vaunghe was ever meant to see such a thing.
A veil of embarrassment and determination clashed as the group descended the hill, weapons at the ready. The group had reached the ruins of the wall now, debris coating the grass and the bodies that were surely there. Even destroyed Osmund still felt some of that divine power the Vaunghe always babbled about, he felt the strength in the walls and not for the first time wondered why the gods would bestow such a gift upon such a vile group.
The group began clambering through the ruins, over the cracked pieces of stone and through the divine walls final remains. There was a smell here, the remnants of smoke colliding with the smell of blood, but there was a third smell, one that Osmund knew well. It was the smell of inevitability, heavy in the hair. That which is unlikely to happen always will happen, and when it does the smell adds to it all, the smell of fate and destiny runs through this place.
Inevitability hides everywhere, in the trees and the skies, carried by the wind through it all. From nature it was born, but in man it thrives, the building’s will one day fall, the kingdoms will fade away, and everything will one day lead to something else. From every beginning comes an end, and each end becomes a beginning, this is how it has always been. This place thought itself against such things, and inevitability infected its walls, creeping along slowly rotting the once great walls into a hellish nightmare. Now the bubble has burst, and the smell of inevitability crowds the world, taking over everything.
Moaning. A low whimper. A cry for something. Calls for assistance. A terrified yell. Osmund approaches the source of these noises, his team close behind. At the source of these screams is a Vaunghe soldier, somehow alive after the rampart’s collapse, covered in piles of stone and smoke. His outstretched hand reaches towards Osmund, who in turn takes it.
The man mutters something, sputters blood, and begins to fade. As he does, Osmund moves towards the rocks, feeling against it. Somehow the rocks aren’t as heavy as they should be, and Osmund slowly moves the rocks. The first and second rocks move, and after some struggling Osmund moves the third rock, revealing a bloody leg, spurting forward. Osmund realises how the man survived, the remains of a metal box squashed around him. As the rampart fell the man landed inside, narrowly missing an immediate demise. Now he sat, bleeding in and out of consciousness, and moaning for help. Osmund put his hands around the man, slowly lifting him, and moving forwards into the inner walls.
There are running medics here, and as they see Osmund’s approach they run to him, taking the injured man and placing him onto a table. The man may survive, they told Osmund, however his bleeding may take too much from him. As Osmund turns to leave he hears the voice, the message of the man.
“T-t-th-than-” It was shaky, interrupted by coughs and convulsions, but bore strength, and Osmund felt the ghost of a smile play upon him.
“It wasn’t an issue.” And with that Osmund left the tent, admiring the surroundings in focus for the first time. Eyes bore into him from his party, and yet no one said anything, they couldn’t. Many had called Osmund a monster in his time, they had seen him do bad things to bad people, and yet none would call him a monster, for there is no such thing. Osmund is not some black death, he’s another beast entirely.
For the first time Osmund admired his surroundings, the inner walls were now filled with wreckage, and looked back to the tent. It was amazing how quickly the medics could establish tents, the battle had occurred for less than an hour and already there were three tents established side by side. Besides the wounded Vaunghe soldier were three other injured soldiers, each seeming to be hit by a minor injury likely from the smoke inhalation.
The captured and surrendered were lined up against the castle's wall, being carefully monitored by over sixty members of the contingent. There were only around twelve or thirteen of the captured, smoke-covered and sputtering. On the ground were bodies, those rookies that tried so valiantly to protect what they cared for. They now lay, looking up to the sky blindly.
Osmund saw the bodies and felt his stomach turn. The desire came back. The shaking returned, alongside it the painful sharp stabbing thoughts. Everything changed, he forgot who he was. What kind of person would approve of this, what even was Osmund was he real or fake, how is he even conceiving things like this. What is reality and why is it real, why can’t he understand-
Silence. Peace. Osmund returned to himself, the shaking never happening at all. He looked down at the bodies and continued to walk. There was nothing he could do for them, not anymore. The eyes of his group bore into him, shattering something that had broken a long time ago. He raised his hand and motioned for his team to follow, leaving this travesty of death and life behind.
Footsteps. Osmund turned to their echoing sound, the way they bounced through the place was unbelievable, the way it echoed between the walls and the castle structure itself. Through open castle gates he ran, a messenger in green, sword in its scabbard and now approaching Osmund. The man tripped on something, a large rock of some sort, before standing, dusting himself off and reaching the group.
“Osmund, we have hit the enemy’s points of defence.” The man was young, maybe twenty, and no more than twenty five.
“And? Where are they?”
“There are three fronts, the first is in the scout’s tower where a group of Vaunghe are amassing weapons and barricades fast. We can no longer enter the tower, as the amount thrown down makes common entrance impossible. The second location is the garden, where we believe the last of the nobles and the King himself are. We’ve faced harsh opposition from the enemies, who have formed a wall of shields to protect the door. Finally we have the guard’s quarters, where a few amount of Vaunghe are in active combat as we speak, although that will likely be taken without need for intervention.”
“Good job soldier.”
“Thank you sir.”
Osmund removes a slip of paper from his garb, and admires it in the sunlight. It was a complex map of Dundis, including the secret passages and escape routes of the entire place. It cost the annulment of many Vaunghe men and women, but was worth all the effort. Consulting the map Osmund noted the existence of an escape passageway inside of the tower. It was obscured behind a wall, thus explaining the lack of windows on that side.
“Report back to your commander that we’ll begin with the tower, there are several clear passages into an alternative staircase. Launching a pincer attack we’ll defeat the enemy and allow for the redistribution of forces. By that time I expect the guard’s quarters to be taken, allowing us to completely overflow any opposition protecting the garden.”
“Yes Osmund, I will inform her now.” And with that the young warrior ran back through the castle’s long iron gates.
And thus, the final battle was upon them. Osmund looked upon Dundis, the last symbol of the people who had taken everything from him, the ones who had slaughtered so many innocents, so many that Osmund cared for, and now the end was finally in sight. But it didn’t feel like the end, Osmund could feel no conclusion approaching, it felt like something else, as if this was all leading into something more, some grand massacre the likes of which Osmund had never seen. There’s a darkness ahead, something far worse to come than the echoes of a fallen monarchy, and as Osmund stands he can feel it inside of him, gesturing sensually, awaiting his return to the beginning. In a mental prison of nonexistent existence lies the mother, a slight smile on her lips. She awaits the grasp of Osmund forevermore.

I think it's funny that we're all -myself included- having a big struggle where to put "Deism" in the grand spectrum of religious and philosophical affiliations, what identifying as a Deist implies concerning our idea or description of God and what makes it unique compared to others. I want to say a couple of things based on my reading in the last 4 years.
In some conversations I come across remarks like "this is the Christian idea of God, Deism does not propose such and such". I don't think any of us are an authority on what Deism "requires" but it's certainly easily conflated with cultural atheism in the name of distinguishing it from religiosity. Also naturalist pantheism being labeled as Deism seems commonplace just because it's anti-Biblical.
To summarize my personal understanding of it, Deism is nothing more or less than Philosophical Monotheism (stripped of divine mission or intervention):
The idea that the universe (nature, time, space, matter, energy, laws of physics and motion) has an absolute literal beginning before which there was nothing, there was no 'before', but there was the Creator only, and the Creator (the transcendent but personal and intelligent being that is above and beyond the confinements of the universe, the only self-existent/uncaused entity) is responsible for the emergence of the universe.
We're talking about the "emergence" of time and space itself, which is incomprehensible to our minds, but logically provable with the Uncaused Cause argument which states that the chain of causality can not go back forever in an infinite regress, and the arrow of time must have been fired at some point or else it would never have reached this very moment. (Another argument, called the ontological argument, states that the Highest Idea Conceivable can not possibly not exist as in that case we wouldn't have been able to conceive its idea in the first place.)
Many variants of opposition to this stance is a gigantic consensus of a plethora of theistic and atheistic religions that have dominated much of history really, which all believe in unoriginated, eternal, self-existent universe. This point is important. I included atheism in 'religions' to the surprise of some because from the deistic pov it is considered illogical hence superstitious.
From the widespread ancient creation myths of the earliest civilizations to modern atheism, to name a few, in the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Hindu Vedas, Aristotelian cosmology, Hebrew Bible (specifically the Book of Genesis), and the Qur'an (verse 11:7 etc.) (also the recent quantum theories alternative to the Big Bang); the uncontested idea was eternal cosmos.
The cosmos, the interwoven fabric of time and space, had existed since forever, going back to an eternal past without a beginning, ever been filled with chaotic primordial oceans that is the essence of matter (and of the age of agricultural settlements), and one day a Demiurge (Craftsman) with his pantheon who are all inhabitants here decide to bring shape, form, and order to this disordered watery realm. He uses this pre-existing matter, water, to sculpt a habitat called by the ancients "heaven and earth", a dome shaped planet with a stretched flat ground and hemispheric cover. Just like he will sculpt Adam from mud later. The reason the sky is blue is because there are waters above just like upon the earth, but confined behind a solid transparent platform held up by invisible columns. When the oceans were originally split in two, that's how the sky and the earth were distinguished. There are actual resting places of the sun and the moon in the far off edges of the world, and geographic locations in direct exposure to them. The stars are stations of heavenly beings. The highest layer of the sky above the clouds houses the Heavenly Court, the pantheon of divine royalty who established themselves there after the creation was done, reigning over the earth, managing natural affairs.
This is the Biblical and more or less all of the ancient cosmology (Mormons and earth flatters got it right). In short, although there is a mighty royal figure responsible for crafting the dome-planet earth and bringing order to anarchy, the "universe" (time and space) that encapsulates it have no mention of being originated out of nothing here. Contrary to popular belief, the Genesis never claimed or was interested in any creator or creation of nature, it merely gave a mythological account of how the observable world earned its current shape and state. It didn't say that the "heaven and earth" was the entire universe or spacetime spectrum itself; or that matter(waters), the raw material of the world, needed to be created by a higher power. Rather, the Demiurge and his minions had been living in space for quite some time, spending their days not knowing what to do with all the watery chaos, until one day they begin a construction that takes 6 working days plus 1 resting day.
It's the Scholastic and Kalam philosophy that first proposed an absolute origin for nature/spacetime and attributed Supreme qualities to the non-anthropomorphic higher power responsible for it. Later, 17-18th century Enlightenment thinkers divorced this Creator from scriptural religion altogether. But rationalist philosophy that developed even among scriptural scholars had ever been contra-Biblical which is why they had been debating how to reconcile reason and revelation for centuries since Thomas Aquinas and before.
In short, Monotheism in this modern sense emerged with philosophy articulated among clerical circles and developed further by Enlightenment Deism by being stripped of mythological aspects.
It is important to have the right idea about what organized religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) really is to distinguish it from Deism. With their scriptural tenet of eternal cosmos, a pantheon of multiple divine figureheads or demi-gods called angels or triune persons, anthropomorphic/material chief deity, deified priest-kings called prophets; they are surviving remnants of "Monolatristic Henotheism" -a hardened, centralized, more coercive form of Polytheism- rather than Monotheism.
Sure, they are a unique brand that put much more emphasis on the head of the pantheon, and obsessively iconoclastic (except when their holy sites and symbols are concerned that is), but that's pretty much it. That is why it's called Monolatrism, and to our surprise, the Babylonian cult of Marduk was just as much Monolatristic that we might as well call it Monotheistic by the prevailing understanding of this term. (Marduk was named the Creator of the heaven and earth, and the King of the gods whose will is only subordinate to his.)
Modern urban religious societies do not realize how rationalized and modernized their outlook on God actually is, like an unlabeled de facto Deism, compared to scriptural orthodoxy they conveniently ignore. Today, the legit religious lifestyle is preserved by extreme traditionalists on the peripheries, not the usual Church going aunt, not even conservative politicians. Groups like Mormons and Muslim Salafis advocate for literalist interpretations of fundamental texts, cleansed of apologetic metaphors and obscurations, which reveal the texts' true cosmology and view of divine hierarchy.
Between soft paganism (scattered and tolerant) and hard paganism (centralized and coercive), the three big heavenly religions fall under the latter category, but their modern adherents are closer to Deism in their view and way of life than either.
That is not to say this anti-Monotheistic religiosity rooted way before the three big doesn't continue to poison our thoughts and behavior. Although ritual worship is allegedly only dedicated to a chief deity, we have lesser divine beings and holy spirits venerated with just as much piety, temples and shrines to make Communion with said divine powers, offerings to please them, priests to confess our sins to and intervene on our behalf, and countless other pagan superstition dedicated to the skies and royal Morgan Freeman up there. Muslims still pray towards a cube that houses a black meteorite (representing a moon deity) five times a day. Religious societies still vaguely 'divinize' charismatic politicians as chosen saviours for swearing by the holy book and promising unity and protection of their traditional values.
The believer's heart is not alone in a spiritual relationship with a singular Divine authority who is stripped of all human faults, alone in Its presence without involvement of self-appointed intermediaries, nor is his/her mind satisfied about belief since established theology isn't interested in reducing Divinity to oneness from all the additions and extensions and inventions justified under labels like 'only intercessors' or 'persons/faces of the one and the same essence'.
Rather the establishment is interested in apologizing for the inerrancy of its book, reconcilation of doctrinal inconsistencies, or indisputability of its leaders, like a one-party dictatorship ideology. So the anti-logical mystery of triune godhead, divine offspring or genealogy, or finite mortals receiving literal historical words from an infinite and transcendent entity, or angels (malak=mighty one) being blatantly disguised remnants of Canaanite/Greek/Arab pantheon ... all pass as inconsistencies of Monotheism in need of explanation while they really have Polytheistic mentality and tradition going millenias back. "Divine Decree Manifest" on paper and in human language was invented by pagans and so was divinely ordained rulers. What did a Jewish king do or believe different than Hammurabi exactly?
Opening the door to divine mission or intervention has always been about making a church, a spiritual demagogue, look infallible and indispensable, not about sincerely understanding or loving or exalting the Divine. My issue is, why should we refrain from having God in our lives and minds just because of those who exploit Its name?
When it comes to creating and designing nature, these religions have no concept of nature or inviolable natural laws to begin with. When it comes to Omnipotence, Jehovah or Father or Allah are anything but, as they need constant assistance and collaboration of Angels (Mighty Ones) (let's just call them Gods already) to be able to manage cosmic affairs. Each Angel/God is entrusted by The God (Allah in Arabic is literally Al-Ilah) with governance of a particular natural/cosmic function like weather, soil, fertility, death, guidance, judgment in afterlife etc. When it comes to Omnibenevolence, you don't need to be reminded that the scriptures have zero concern of proving their god's goodness with all the atrocious militaristic commandments and even sending humanity to earth as a punishment! Adam and Eve's banishment can be interpreted as Misotheistic (hatred of God and depiction of God as cruel) even --- he is not portrayed as loving or merciful in any way, but perhaps as a necessary evil or benevolent tyrant. As a Deist I would much rather considering being here as a blessing of the Creator rather than punishment by a satanic deity. Or what about being All-Just? Having my sins atoned for with the sacrifice of someone else instead of my remorse and change is not fair. Not to mention that an All-Powerful Being should not be able to be born or killed. Worship of mortals flesh and blood is not worship of God.
But all these attributes - Creation, Omnipotence, Omnibenevolence etc. - are so culturally wed to the rhetoric of organized religion, it's as if one has to defend every dogma and tenet of these religions the moment they take a step into the realm of Monotheism. (And quickly it turns into a cultural dog fight between theists and atheists, false dichotomies between creationism and evolutionism and other things. Someone want to tell atheists they still have the same cosmology -a universe without a beginning- as Sumerians and Mormons, and that the biological evolutionary laws indicate intelligent design all the same?) This among others if you ask me is the greatest burden and confusion caused by organized religion and part of the reason Deists struggle to define themselves or pinpoint their position in relation to others.
Organized religions do not only spread so many lies and paradoxes, but blend the truth with superstition and cause the truth to be discredited among their nonsenses like a jewel lost in a bag of coal.
TL;DR, from my pov, Deism is simply belief -whether it be a rational conclusion or heartfelt knowledge- in One Supreme God, Starter of the universe (and its independent order), Moral Authority, while denying the existence of other divine entities or supernatural forces of any kind as well as divine intervention - miracles, revelations, vicegerents/spokespersons. This does not mean God has to be impersonal, disinterested, spiritually insignificant, morally indifferent, and most certainly not that It is nature or a part of nature (Creator =/= creation).
Superstition consists of rejecting reason, mystifying creatures, mythologizing natural phenomena, deifying human beings and human-like images.
Let's be confident in saying that the flaw of religious institutions has never been proposing a Supreme Creator, but on the contrary, 1. undermining It, and 2. speaking from Its mouth to deify themselves, their own ideas.

I've become high-functioning in my C-PTSD the past couple of years, but now find myself in a job that's very demanding: assisting a high-level executive at one of the top companies in the US (California). It's a struggle because, while I'm high-performing, this job has no room for mistakes, though my boss never wants to talk to me or keep me in the loop on things, so it's very difficult to achieve what he demands of me. He's already told HR he's frustrated (without discussing anything with me, when this company revolves around being candid) so I already feel vulnerable.
HR spoke to me a couple of Mondays ago regarding (on the heels of a sexual harassment incident I was on the receiving end on, gotta love it), and then that Friday I had a therapy appointment that touched on my PTSD more than anything before; I've been recovering from my anorexia for years and years, but this actually got into the onset of my disorder, a time of my life that's really spotty and disjointed in my mind. As grateful as I am for the effects this session has had, and for realizing this will be key in my recovery - it's also made it very hard to focus well, not to mention intense neck/back pain has developed from the stress going into these memories has brought up to the point it literally hurts to move (been dealing with it for two weeks straight).
I feel like I'm not allowed to make any mistakes while going through this valid, intense (and long awaited) healing. I've dug around online and found out about the FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) and so wrote to HR yesterday to see if that or other medical accommodations might be something to explore. They wrote back today, and we have a meeting set for tomorrow to discuss. I realized tonight that the FMLA requires one year of employment, and I'm only at 11 months, so I'm now anxious that I might be fired before meeting that threshold. I realize HR has no confidentiality promises (unlike therapy/HIPPA) and so fear they may inform my boss of my inquiry, and that that might upset him more. I'm not sure if my email might protect me in any way by putting my medical concern in writing with a timestamp (which is partially why I sent it sooner rather than later) - does anyone have any insights regarding? Do you think the month between bringing this up and meeting the criteria might screw me over, or would that be too liable for a large California-based company? For my meeting with HR tomorrow - any experience or insights on how to prepare for this while protecting myself would be great! I already mentioned PTSD in my email to show validity/softly explain why there may have been issues (which I realize now I didn't have to do), but do not plan on specifying my eating disorder or anything else.
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I also want to mention - this job feels like it requires me to devote my whole life and identity to it, and that's something I already did to my eating disorder for years, so it's very triggering. I know in the long-run (maybe not so long, haha) I'll need to find a new job, but of course want to see what can protect me best in the short-term, especially as this deep healing has already started.
I also-also just want to share a win with all of this: when I was 15 and extremely underweight and needed treatment, my mom didn't want me to fall behind in school and my dad, who had been drinking every day and night while living on Long Term Disability for his Bipolar, looked at me and said if I went to treatment he wouldn't be able to retire, so clearly it wasn't an option. So I had to recover - 9 hours a week of outpatient therapy - while going to school, and thus had to juggle the two all throughout high school and college. I'm glad I see an opportunity to finally take a BREAK and focus on ME and I'm glad I'm making the choice to take it. I hope it doesn't blow up in my face, but even if it does I know it was the right thing to do for myself, and that I deserve it even if they fuck it up. (Also, not judging anyone with bipolar at all - judging a father who never put his children before his comfort, even when they were clearly struggling.)

Today I tried writing out all the reasons that could account for my being depressed. I have too many reasons to be happy, but i'm just not. I feel fun times when i hang with my friend, or am actually into my workout in the gym, but often times i'm just negative self talking all the time, believing all of it, avoiding positive thoughts, being alone, and looking at the future as hopeless. Mostly, i'm tired of feeling like i owe depression my time, as if having a positive outlook is something criminal.
I'm getting older, im 30, and i feel pretty some days, but every time i see myself and think "oh see, i am pretty" i just feel worse because nobody is appreciating me or seeming interested in me. which then im like, "nobody would ever want me, what is there that's even worth being with?" In general i feel like i'd be a bad partner to anyone since i can't have kids, idk how to be a mom, i'm still in college, at 30, bc i wasted years just drinking and smoking. now, I'm fully sober for over a year, i just got accepted to a masters program, i have a good job, i have some money, all the hobbys in the world, but im depressed, and i'm so tired of feeling worthless and like i don't have anything for this world.
i keep wishing someone would seem interested in me, ask me out or something. me believing negative things i say about myself, and the evidence that nobody ever talks to me makes it hard to feel hopeful, especially when most ppl my age have kids already and are probably with someone.
I think most reasons im depressed come down to feeling insecure about myself, worrying about being trans (uh oh i said it) being too introverted and avoidant of meeting ppl and new experiences, being alone in too many ways, while i also hate having to be around people.
It is just so hard to be like "ok, i can get through this, i can be happier one day and get to the point suicide is an irrational absurd idea to have"
And I hate that I feel I have to work on this on my own, like asking for help or relying on someone is such a bad thing, we probably have evolved to feel depression so that we can try gather assistance from others, living in a country where individualism is praised makes so much stigma about the notion of needing someone else. Like we are expected to tough it out and get through this. "You cant fall in love until you love yourself, you have to be happy with yourself before you try to blah blah blah." bullshit, it's okay to need others, it just is hard to have someone who is willing to be there for you because most people cant be bothered to be that person, or you're just so alone you have nobody. it's also unfair to expect one person to be the one to shoulder all our shit. so its a whole thing.
I don't think we are meant to power through this alone. that's what makes it so hard, because it's hard to have someone help it's hard to ask for help, and relying on phone call services who refer you to other services, which require money or patience to find help continues the notion of working through it yourself. it's tiring. And its debilitating to feel like, i'm struggling, and there's hardly any worthwhile options, meanwhile someone caring would be helpful, but they aren't there, and finding someone is doubly hard not just in general, but also while being depressed, bc more social stigma and shit. So it's basically like life is saying, just give up bro, don't look at happy people, just keep living, why? bc society says its bad to off yourself, but also, society has a hard time providing warm support, even when you have money, in the end, most things just point you to yourself to deal with this, which itself resets the cycle.
Anyway, i'm, just saying my thoughts.

Hi guys, I recently discovered this sub for the first time. It breaks my heart that you guys have trouble with confidence/pursuing relationships. Personally, I've always been lucky. People would ask me out and flirt before I even thought of getting with them. And then we would either start a relationship or have something similar to a one night stand. There was this one relationship where it turned into a friends with benifits thing and that was..just don't do it you will feel hollow and the end of the day!
My point I want you guys to know is that the fact you never had sex is absolutely not a problem in terms of living a nice life. My sex life is always on a far distant back burner ever since I committed to this 2.5 year relationship I'm in. Sex is...just sex. It's an act, it starts, it'll feel good, it ends. Like smoking!
Instead of searching for a sexual relationship, I urge you to seek many friendships as practice for communication. Maybe you struggle with talking to girl? Well start low and go slow. Maybe ask for assistance at Walmart from a woman instead of a man and build up from there.
And for those who need confidence, I have a bit of a "hack". It works for me, idk on others but just hear me out. Any time you face low confidence, anxiety, sometimes even depression, view these traits as a god awful toxic pet. You don't love this pet and it doesn't love you. Starve it, abuse it, yell at it. I know it sounds silly, but the best way (and I learned this in therapy!) is to starve it by telling it to go fuck it self. Tell it off. "You only hurt me! I'm not scared of you! Do your worst, I've been here before"
I feel this may help someone, at least one person, so I'm posting.
I hope you all have a fantabulous day!

Hi there. I’m frank, and if you read my previous post, you’ll know that something very bizarre happened to me recently. Well, I should say it happened to my roommate more so than me. If you haven’t read my previous post, you can read it here.. This one will not make sense if you haven’t read the previous one, "My new roommate's octopus is telepathic".
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https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/11tcjl1/my_new_roommates_octopus_is_telepathic/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
(Sorry the link isn't fancier)
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Now that you are all caught up with the craziness I witnessed, I'd like to fill you in on a new development. Ever since Larry/Mike left, I have felt very lonely. It’s depressing to realize that an octopus was my only friend, but that’s where I’m at. Life has felt a lot more boring and monotonous. That’s why I was ecstatic when I got a letter in the mail the other day.
The letter was addressed to me from someone named Larry Michaels. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to realize that it was from the octopus. As he was leaving, he told me his name was Larry. I don’t know if that’s true, but I don’t know any other Larrys. The last name being Michaels makes sense because Mike was the name of my former roommate whose body Larry had occupied.
I guess it’s a little cruel to take the man’s body and his name, but he did keep Larry in a tank for years without letting him out or giving him any sort of attention or stimulation. I’d be pissed too.
Either way, I was pretty certain the letter was from Larry and after reading it I was pretty positive. Unless I completely blacked it out, there weren’t any other octopuses I had established a friendship with..
I’m going to share the letter verbatim. Larry has been very busy in his new body. I’ve been busy myself though. I don’t like admitting it but I sold a few of Mike’s things assuming he wasn’t going to be needing them anytime soon. To this point, not a single person has called or come to the house looking for him. Either Larry tied up those loose ends or Mike didn’t have many people in his life. It’s hard to say. We weren’t very close.
Anyway, I sold the klonopin in Mike’s drawer to a neighbor. I dumped the roofies because… They’re roofies. There’s no good reason to have them and I don’t want to put them in the hands of another pervert. I just flushed all but one down the toilet. I took the one with some wine just to see what it was like. I don’t recommend it.
About a week after Larry/Mike left, I told the landlord. I didn’t want him to expect me to pay Mike’s half of the rent. It wasn’t long before I was informed that someone else would be moving in.
The new roommate's name is Oliver. He goes by Ollie. It’s only been a few weeks, but he seems like an all right roommate. He’s pretty quiet but he keeps to himself. We’ve had a few short conversations but he seems like a lone wolf, aka the ideal roommate.
I put the rest of Mike’s stuff in storage aside from stuff we could use around the apartment. I got a new cord for the stereo system I had previously destroyed so Larry didn’t have to listen to country music. Work has been boring, but going well. Life isn’t too bad but after bonding with a telepathic octopus, everything else feels a little monotonous. So I was very excited to get a letter from Larry. I’m starting to dig the craziness. It makes life so much more interesting! Anyway, I’ll dictate Larry’s letter here….
Dear Frank,
I hope all is well and I hope you aren’t traumatized by what you witnessed before I left. Are you sure you though, you missed the most unpleasant part. The entry. It didn’t go very smoothly and he fought like hell. At one point I thought his sphincter was going to snap me in half. But like the little engine that could, I got up in there. You know that though. I’m writing to tell you what I’ve been up to since I left. Call it an update as well as a warning.
Now, I don’t want to alarm you. I am on your side and every octopus I’ve met knows that you’re one of the good people. There aren’t many but there are a few that we revere. The issue is that we aren’t exactly one unit anymore. I’ll explain what happened but essentially, we split into factions.
My first order of business after leaving was to free as many sea creatures from captivity as I possibly could. I went to aquariums, zoos, restaurants, and eventually tracked down an exotic animal smuggler and dismantled their operation entirely. I’m like the Harriet Tubman of octopuses!
The exotic animal Smugglers were a big find. I had freed some octopuses from an aquarium and they tipped me off about the operation. I helped my new friends find new shells. Those shells were the aforementioned animal smugglers. They were bad people.
I assure you that we haven’t caused any harm to good people, only people who harm us. These people had captured, killed, and sold everything from sea creatures to dogs to ivory. I’m not calling you dumb Frank, but in case you don’t know what ivory is, it’s like elephant tusks and rhino horns. They serve a purpose for the animal, but humans grind them up to try to get boners. I have advised my new companions to avoid taking good people like you as vessels, but the ivory boner people are fair game.
so before long, there were eight of us in human vessels as well as several we either hadn’t found bodies for. There were also a few who had no interest in taking a human shell. Someone joined us in the fight, and some headed back for the ocean to be free and to try to find their families.
Everything was going pretty well for a while. We had quickly taken over the animal smuggling operation. We followed the ladder all the way to the top and to the bottom, getting more cephalopods into human bodies in the process. We were able to liberate any animal that was brought to us and punish those who mistreat our kind.
There is a but coming. I’ll explain once I’m done laughing at that sentence.. Okay, I’m good.
We had liberated a lot of sea creatures in a very short amount of time and it started to seem like us taking over didn’t have to be a dream for our children. It could be a reality for ourselves. Humans aren’t able to wrap their minds around what we really are. By the time they do, we’re already up in there.
Still though, I believe strongly that not all humans deserve to lose control of their own bodies. If I didn’t feel that way I’d be as bad as the supreme court. Sorry, I’ve been getting into politics. It makes it a lot harder to like humans, but you keep me going Frank. You’re my Northstar. The reason that we aren’t killing humans indiscriminately. You should feel proud of that!
I’m getting off topic though. I’m not just writing this to keep in touch (although I do miss ya bud.) I’m writing to warn you about something very dangerous.. Jeff..
Jeff was among the cephalopods we freed from a restaurant. He’d been there for a while and witnessed unspeakable horrors. He watched helplessly as his peers were killed, cooked, and in some cases even boiled alive! It messed him up..
I tried to talk to him. I told him about good humans. I told him about you. It didn’t matter though. His hatred was too strong. I didn’t realize until he went on an absolute rampage..
He returned to the restaurant we saved him from in his new human form. You likely heard about it in the news.. It was a massacre.. He figured guns out very quickly and the human whose body he took had several. He left no survivors at that restaurant. Customers, employees, a guy stopping for a piss at the worst possible time..
His picture was all over the news. He was forced to exit the body he was using and find a new one. The others and I discussed trapping him and preventing him from taking another human host. Some felt that it would make us hypocrites. Others were just too afraid of Jeff. Once he got a new body, I knew that a power struggle was right around the corner.
I decided to confront him. He not only killed indiscriminately. He led the police to the warehouse we were using as a base of operations. It had belonged to the animal smugglers. It was not only a nice, large place for us to stay, but associates of the smugglers were still bringing us animals we could liberate. Jeff ruined that.
When I confronted him, it didn’t go well. I argued that while most humans suck, they aren’t all bad. Some are even pretty cool. Some are helpful.
He didn’t agree. He felt that humans were the most destructive force on the planet. I couldn’t really argue that, but I tried to explain that not all humans are alike. He didn’t care though. I’ve been motivated by survival. Jeff is motivated by revenge.
Our argument became physical and even though I could easily lie to you, I’ll be honest and tell you that I got my ass whooped. His vessel was much stronger than mine. If only Mike had done some push-ups instead of Jager bombs. If he got any exercise whatsoever outside of masturbation.
In any case, Mike’s body isn’t very tough. Jeff beat me up but we were eventually broken up by the rest of the group. We then held a vote. Me and Jeff essentially began campaigning against one another. We disagreed on the proper way to achieve our goals.
The vote was pretty split and we essentially decided to go our separate ways. We agreed to a truce, but Jeff and the others who went with him are very dangerous to you..
He quickly started finding new ways to get more cephalopods into more human bodies. He had the advantage of being completely ruthless. When I liberated animals, I used clever tactics and tricks to avoid violence. He simply kills anything or anyone that is in his way.
Jeff is amassing an army.. he’s moving very quickly and he sees every human as the same people who trapped him and planned to eat him. He’s like a.. racist. Well, a bigot? He thinks you guys are all the same.. and he wants you all done and he wants you all dead.
There are multiple reasons why I’m telling you this. The first is that you need to know that Jeff and his followers are a direct danger to you especially. You are the example I use to explain to other sea creatures that not all humans are evil. They have all heard of you and those who support me revere you. Unfortunately, the ones who follow Jeff are aware of you as well.. I just wouldn’t put it past Jeff to target you in order to hurt me..
I understand that this is probably alarming. We made a recent discovery though that can help you. The number of human beings being controlled by an octopus are rapidly increasing. Jeff is on a mission, meaning my group has to take over more bodies and recruit more cephalopods to make sure his group can’t overpower us..
I saved that prick from becoming someone’s half eaten dinner! Now I need to turn my focus toward preventing him from ruining everything we’ve worked for. We want eventual dominance of the planet, but not as antagonists. Jeff can’t see that he’s just as bad as the people who enslaved him. Unfortunately, he’s charismatic and brash. Several of the others found those traits endearing.
I’m getting sidetracked though. Point is, fuck Jeff! But also.. be careful. I expect them to try and find you. Very few of my new associates know where you live. Unfortunately, one of those associates has recently decided to follow Jeff..
We made a discovery though. I don’t know how none of us realized it earlier, but when we inhabit a human’s body, there is a noticeable change. Slits in the neck. They’re very small and resemble gills. Small gills though. Just a series of small openings that help us breathe.
Once we noticed the slits, we realized that we could easily identify whether a human was “inhabited”. We all have different ways of hiding the slits. Scarves, turtlenecks, bandanas, long hair, ect.
They aren’t very big, but once you notice them, you reallly start noticing them. Kind of like when I told you that you walk like a prostitute. It’s hard not to notice it everytime after the first time. You end up wondering how you never noticed it in the first place. Don’t sweat it though, bud. It looks good on ya.
To be clear. When I said don’t sweat it, I’m referring to your prostitute walk. When it comes to Jeff and his goons, sweat it. Sweat it hard! They are very dangerous. I’m so sorry that I put you at risk. I should’ve known better than to tell them about you. You were just the best example of good humans that I had. That’s a compliment inside an apology! A compoligy a complimentoligy. An apocliment? Either way, I’m sorry.
Before my group and Jeff’s group separated, we had a plan. We are going to take over the bodies of American politicians. We are going to run for office and make changes that will jump start our plans. We are going to be in charge of all the people without them even knowing that all their arguing and fighting amongst one another is really over a cephalopod who wants to destroy them.
It seems like a tough task but they’ve already been dumped down to an extent that all we need to do is piss off the bass we’re running for. It’s bizarre how the most dominant species on the planet is so simplistic when it comes to social and political issues. Literally all we have to do is pick a party and talk about how the other one is terrible and evil. Your politicians don’t even tell people what their plans are anymore. They just talk about how the other side is terrible. That’s easy.
It would’ve been easy. With Jeff involved, things have become much more complicated. It was only days after our separation that he had taken over a prominent politician’s body. I can’t say who, but they are one of the people who have announced they will run for president in 2024.. They’re Jeff now, and I need your help making sure that he doesn’t win.
(Larry told me which politician Jeff had inhabited. I’m not going to include it because people are very unlikely to believe me anyway, and I don’t want to have political arguments in the comment section. His letter continued..)
I’m writing this note because I miss my human buddy, but also to warn you. Jeff’s goons could target you to hurt me.. You need to be vigilant. You also need to vote in 24! If Jeff wins, he’ll start a war. He’ll fire off the nukes. In the short time we spent together, he shared how unhinged he really is.
You have to help stop him. I need you to campaign for me and my candidate. I need you going door to door and calling strangers. I need you to find any dirt on the human whose body Jeff is possessing that you can.
Make sure to watch for the slits in the neck as well. If an octopus in a human's body introduces themselves to you, they are one of Jeff’s goons. I will tell you if I’m coming for a visit and I plan to eventually, but stopping Jeff is paramount and it needs all of my focus and attention. If you see someone with slits in their neck, get away from them as fast as you can.
Once all my ducks are in a row, I plan to have a friend of mine get a place near you to help protect you from Jeff. I need to figure out who I can trust first, though. I’ve already had one Jeff supporter stayed behind to spy. We sniffed him out quickly but there could be more.
So in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and your head low. I will be in touch very soon. Once we take control of your government, I will reward you for your friendship. I’ll hook you up with whatever you need. I just need you to help me get my guy elected.
In the meantime, watch for the slits. I know I’m repeating myself but it’s vastly important that you get the hell out of there if you see them. Do what you can to help my guy’s campaign. And don’t worry about the fact that you walk like a prostitute. Most people probably won’t notice unless it’s pointed out to them at which point they’ll never be able to see anything other than a crack whore coming their way when you’re approaching.
Take care of yourself, Frank. Our time is coming. I know we’re a separate species. I know that some of my relatives are a direct threat to you. We’re the same though. We are kindred spirits. When my fellow cephalopods and I run this country, I want you by my side. “Gooble gobble one of us!” Ha!
I realize that I’m rambling now. The main point is to watch out for Jeff’s goons and get as many people as you can to vote for my guy.
I will write again soon. Things are a bit crazy right now. I’d like to see you. I’m not too manly to admit that I miss you. It’s just dangerous until I take care of Jeff.. Fucking Jeff..
Anyway, take care of yourself and be careful. I’ll contact you again as soon as I can.
~Your old pal, Larry.
I was ecstatic to hear from Larry. I missed him. Our friendship was strange obviously, But it was still one of the most meaningful friendships I ever had. It was admittedly difficult to look past what he did to Mike. He claims he was a predator, but I can’t really be sure about that. Dude did have roofies though, so..
I received this letter a few days ago and have been trying to process what Larry wrote. I’ve become a bit paranoid and haven’t gone anywhere since I received it. Jeff or his goons could be anywhere. That’s assuming there is a Jjeff and it’s not just Larry messing with me or something dumb like that. I trust him though..
I don’t know why I do. I just do. When the election comes around, I will vote for his guy. I’ll try to assist him in any way I can. I probably won’t be able to look at people in general without wondering if there’s an octopus in there somewhere. That’s become a bit of a problem already. Now I know that there’s more of them so my paranoia will probably consume me completely.
I’ve decided that in the meantime, I’m going to try not to dwell on those thoughts. If Jeff is really trying to become the president, he won’t have time to deal with me.
I continued thinking that way for the next couple of days. I felt like everything was gonna be okay even though it didn’t really seem that way. I figured that I could just put it all out of my mind for the time being.
As I was just sitting here typing this up on my phone, my roommate, Ollie came in. Similar to when I lived with Mike, Ollie and I work separate shifts and rarely see each other. This was the one day of the week where we were both home at the same time.
As I was finishing typing up Larry’s letter, Ollie came and sat on the couch. Up to this point, we both kind of kept to ourselves while remaining friendly with each other. He seems more chatty right now..
He saw the name on the envelope. He asked who Larry was. I told him it was an old friend from back home. He asked what the letter was about and I came up with a weak excuse to avoid telling him. Something about a friend being depressed. I said it was private and I didn’t wanna share it with anyone.
He reacted strangely. He rolled his eyes and pretty much openly said that he didn’t believe me. He didn’t pry though. He asked if I could put the news on the tv for a bit. I asked him which channel and his answer wasn’t ideal. I won’t say which network this propaganda station was because I don’t want to say which parties Larry and Jeff are trying to infiltrate. Let’s just say that it was Jeff’s party’s station.
I tried to avoid rolling my eyes from the moment I turned it to that channel. It’s just become so ridiculous. They don’t even pretend to be news anymore. It’s blatant, transparent propaganda and hate fuel.
Maybe Larry can change that if his plan works out. Maybe he could present some of the division that is constantly pushed by today’s news stations on the pundits. The scary thing is that that likely isn’t the case regardless of who wins. Larry, Jeff, or another human president will probably just make things even worse.. A guy can hope though.
I’m trying to avoid the TV as I finish typing this up. As I got to thinking about political nonsense, my eyes started to wander and I noticed Ollie’s tattoos. I noticed them before and thought they were pretty cool but never asked about them. I assumed it would be something that could get us talking because I like tattoos and he’s covered in them.
When I asked power mode she was excited to show me. He had a full sleeve that continued up his neck all the way to behind his ear.
I should’ve looked sooner. I should’ve noticed it. My concern is he started showing me his tattoos. Almost all of them were sea themed. A kraken ripping a ship apart, several sea creatures, and a city underwater. Those were just a few of the tattoos that led me to the realization..
I’ll admit that they looked cool and were well done, but I couldn’t look past the sea theme and cities underwater that look like they’d been hit by a tsunami.
Then I saw the slits.. Ollie (if that’s his real name) found a clever way to hide his slits. They look like they are a part of the tattoo. I never noticed them even after reading Larry’s letter. Like I said, we haven’t spent much time around each other.
I froze upon this realization. This was clearly what Larry warned me about.. he was clearly a “Jeff” supporter.. He’s not on my side..
I have to admit, even though I considered Larry a friend, I'd been having nightmares where I saw him in Mike’s body again. Thinking about it freaks me out. I’ve convinced myself that Mike probably deserved it, but I don’t honestly know that..
I don’t know if anyone deserves that fate.. maybe I do for enabling this all to happen. I’m really not as nihilistic as Larry thinks. I don’t want humans taken over by octopus people. I just don’t know if it’s any worse than what’s going on in the world lately.
What I do know is that the idea of what happened to Mike happening to me shakes me to my core and I’m now sitting next to a potentially innocent person suffering the same fate as well as the angry, parasitic creature responsible for it. Not only that, but if Larry is telling the truth, then he’s here for me..
I tried to continue complimenting his tattoos without revealing what I just realized. I tried to act normal and avoid being suspicious. Something about the look in his eyes made me feel like he knew, though.
There was a pause after I rambled a little where I felt certain that he was about to reveal himself and attack me. Instead, he asked if I wanted a beer. I said yes and he headed to the kitchen and grabbed some.
I’m posting this now in case he knows that I know. Assuming I still have control of my own body, I will update soon. Until then, wish me luck. Keep a lookout for people with slits on the side of their necks.. Oh! And vote for Larry!
I’m going to post now but Ollie just walked back in with beers. The first thing he said was “who are you planning on voting for in 24?”
I don’t know how.. but I completely forgot that they can read minds.. He knows.. He knows that I know.. Man, we really don’t stand a chance.. I just hope Larry wi.. changes his mind! It’s time for a change! It’s time for a new world! So come 2024, vote Jeff!

Frost collected on the windows as we drove further into the woods. Next to me, my wife of eight years and bringer of many headaches. Now I'll be fair, I contributed to some of those headaches for her as well. But let's face it, we were having marital problems. I know, a cliche sort of story, but a common one in today's modern society.
We were heading to my grandparents' old cabin up north. My aging ancestors said that it would be the best place for us to "reinvigorate the romance" as they put it. Lovely.
But that's not why I'm recording these papers. No, it was something far graver than a failing marriage.
It was 2012 and we had our typical routines. I was an entrepreneur, investing in the stock market with the hopes of making it big. To make the money in this risky scheme of mine, I had to work a regular job just like everyone else. I worked in a factory for cars while my wife, Cassie, was trying to become a hairdresser.
The topic of money was always a strenuous issue for us. Constantly we fought about where the money should be going. Cassie believed that we should save as much as we can, while I was more willing to take the plunge into the market and try to milk this capitalist engine for all its worth.
As you can see, putting those two together created a nasty scenario where two people who wanted to have the best of youthful intimacy, slowly got destroyed by the years of conflicting interests. I still thought she was the most beautiful woman in my life, but the way that she stood in the way of my goals for a better life was starting to make me question this relationship to go on. Hence the cabin.
Now it is December and it's getting close to that date everyone seems to be obsessed over. The end of the world. What a load of baloney.
So that's a little background as to why we're going out to the woods.
But the drive itself was unbearably quiet. Not once did Cassie say anything. She didn't put up much of a fight either when I suggested that we go out to the cabin. Deep down, I think a part of me wondered if maybe she thought this was all in vain and wanted to get it over with. I believe a part of me believes that as well. Perhaps this is all a wasted effort and the ending result will be our inevitable divorce.
But who knows, there's always that slim chance. And when I looked up at the sky, I saw that there was a meteor shower already happening above.
"Hey Cassie, look," I said with childish delight.
She looked up from her window with a stoic expression. But I noticed a slight twinkle in her eye. From what I could tell, she was surprised to see such a glorious display from the beauty of the stars above. Although astronomy was always more of her thing, I still found joy in the little things.
"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that."
"Right, and once we're at the cabin, we could—"
It just hit me when I realized it. I had no plan going forward. My goal was to get her out of the house. What are we supposed to do the moment we get to that cabin? It's not like I'm going to ask to be intimate right then and there. You got to work things up to stuff like that; especially with how strained our relationship is.
This was going to be more debilitating than I thought. No matter what scenario I thought of, nothing seemed appropriately timed. Make her dinner, watching TV sounded kind of stupid considering that we did that a whole lot back at the house, and frankly I'm not the most creative when it comes to trying to mend a relationship.
"You want to go for a walk later?" she cooed.
My eyes drifted over to her. Looking at her as she fidgeted with her long, light blonde hair.
A small smile grew on my face. At least she was trying to make an effort too. Perhaps there is hope after all. "Sure thing Cassie. I don't mind."
Once we arrived at the cabin, it was within no time that we settled in. Although fully furnished, there was dust everywhere. Surprisingly few cobwebs, so spiders weren't going to be an issue. The old, cabin-like aesthetic with furniture that looked like it dated back to the 1800s and was handcrafted made the entire home feel like it was holding some dark secrets of a mysterious past.
Thankfully my grandparents had been smart enough to remove any food from the house before we arrived. The last thing I'd want is to see year-old spoiled food everywhere, forcing the two of us to clean up any more than we had to.
The only thing I was concerned about was that I spotted something in the closet of the bedroom. My grandfather's guns.
"Couldn't you buy a gun safe old man?"
Cassie peeked over my shoulder and said, "Ugh, why is that even here?"
"Hey, my grandpa was a gun lover. What did you expect to find here?"
"Those things should be melted down."
My wife, though I still love her, was heavily against guns. She believed that they could all be taken away from the civilian population.
Frankly, I thought the exact opposite. I believe that it should be every person's right to get one. Maybe not a semi-automatic or shotgun, a good pistol or revolver would be satisfactory enough for me.
I quickly moved her away from the stash and we returned to our usual business, not thinking about anything else.
The walk would have to happen tomorrow morning. And after driving for the last ten hours, I can safely assume that we wanted to sleep in.
As we were getting ourselves ready for bed, I looked at my wife with hopefulness bubbling in my heart. She always tried to do everything So graceful, considering she came from a family that was quiet, elegant, and frankly made more money than I could ever hope to. Why she wants to become a hairdresser, I had no idea. Perhaps a change of pace or out of spite for her parents.
I thought about saying something to remind her that I still loved her. But before the words could even escape my mouth, there was a flash of a bright light coming from the window.
She looked up and our eyes widened with a fearful stare.
I turned around, wondering what was causing that. It was too bright for me to even see out the glass. Then a loud bang followed afterward, making me believe for a moment that something disastrous was going on. Was it a nuclear war? A random volcano? A freak storm? My mind was racing with every possible scenario. But as quickly as it came, both the sound and the light vanished into the woods.
"Are you okay?" Cassie said, hunkering down behind the bed.
"Yeah— I was afraid I was going to go blind there for a moment."
"I tried to look away as quickly as I saw it. But I was afraid I might go deaf from that sound."
Despite it being freezing outside, I opened the window and looked around. There was no smoke anywhere. Nor was there even a remnant of the light flickering somewhere off in the distance.
I caught the smell though. It smelled like burning rubber. Or perhaps it was more like plastic burning. Either way, it was awful and I quickly shut the door, not wanting any of that to get in.
"That was weird,"
My wife agreed and surprisingly, she wanted me to come to bed. This was a bizarre turn of events for me considering that she never once cared. But perhaps it was because she was scared. Reasonable response.
The next morning, we went about our habits and freshened up. After eating a light breakfast, we finally managed to put on some snow clothes, and go for that walk.
The brisk air and gentle breeze was more than I expected to handle. But I feel like the nervous tension was definitely keeping us warm. I never realized how hard it was to talk to her.
"Cassie... what do you think was that strange light last night?"
Another brief moment passed before she replied, "I don't know. I couldn't get a good look."
Oh well, at least we got to go on this nice walk. Thankfully both of us wore boots because the snow was unusually high.
Not too far down the road though, we spotted a house. There was already a family outside. A man, a woman, and three kids. Two boys, one girl. They were playing in the snow, building snowmen and forts. They waved to us, and it was a bit of a bitter reminder about how we had squandered our marriage with our short-term goals in mind.
Cassie had this longing in her eyes. I could tell she wished that we would have done the same. And if I'm honest with myself, maybe parenthood would've been something nice.
We waved as we passed by, but neither of us wanted to talk about the matter.
Moving further down the road, I could spot some smoke rising from deep within the forest. I looked at Cassie, but she hadn't noticed it yet. I pointed it out to her and we were both curious about what could be causing a fire in the woods?
"Want to check it out?" she asked.
"Only if you want to?"
"Do you or do you not?" she said more forcefully.
"Yes! God all right," I replied back in my own angered way.
I led the way, she followed behind as we trudged through the snow away from the road.
As we got closer, I could smell that horrible stench again. Now I was certain we were getting close to whatever it was that caused that late last night. Perhaps it was a meteorite or a satellite.
Finally, we cleared past the last batch of pine trees and saw what it was. But a huge crater with something metallic in the center.
"Is that a ball?" Cassie remarked from behind.
I moved closer to the edge of the crater, looking down at it. Every time a snowflake touched the metallic surface of the orb, it instantly turned into steam.
I decided to circle the edge of the crater, willing to see if there was a way to get a full view of what it was. Just out of curiosity. I wasn't sure what it was actually; it was a gray orb, no unique details other than that it was 6 ft tall I believe, and that was it.
Well, that's what I thought until I moved over to the other end of the orb and saw that there is an opening to the inside. It looked like a seat. Which made me come to the conclusion that it was a space pod.
"Does NASA build space pods, Cassie?"
"Not to my knowledge. I don't keep up with space stuff."
As I kept inspecting the pod, I noticed that there was some green liquid that was trailing off into the snow up to the crater until it vanished into the woods.
"What in the world?"
Suddenly the piercing sound of children screaming as well as a man and a woman broke through the forest, causing my heart to beat erratically like a pounding drum. Those are sounds I never want to hear.
Cassie's face ran white like the snow around her. She looked almost like she was about to faint just from how sickening those screams were. They had such an oppressive fear behind them, something that may my blood run like freezing water through my veins.
I went back to Cassie and wrapped my arms around her as we kept looking around frantically. Both of our minds raced about what could have caused that sound. But then I remembered that the other cabin was not too far from us. The one with the family.
I managed to convince Cassie that we needed to run back to the house. But in actuality, I just want to get over to the other cabin to make sure that family was safe.
We kept running as fast as we could until finally when we reached near that cabin, I saw with all my despair-inducing horror why they made such a tormented display of shrieks.
Bile came fast up my throat, and I had to hold myself back from throwing up by the horrific display.
My wife also gave way to shrieking, so loud it was that it was actually more irritating for me but I couldn't blame her.
The poor family. That poor, poor family...
We moved on but I couldn't stop thinking about how every single one of them had been torn apart like mincemeat. Scattered about and indistinguishable. There was a hand here, a few toes there, something had shredded them until they were nothing more than a gruesome display of carnage.
We quickly left the scene.
When we got back to the house, I quickly decided to call 911. I told them everything about what we had seen and they said they would send over a squad car to the house.
But that wasn't the whole truth that I gave them. All I told them was about the massacre that happened over at that family home. I didn't tell him about the spherical thing that we found in the woods.
My wife was still anxiously walking around in circles, checking every window as she went.
I ran out to the car, thinking that it would be better if we just left right now. I tried starting the car, but it just kept sputtering but no life. Something was wrong, the car should work, I gave it a full tank of gas.
I got out and noticed that there were some bolts and scraps of metal half-buried in the snow. When I bent down to look underneath, I saw that the entire fuselage had been torn open. Something had deliberately destroyed the car.
Running back inside, I slammed the door shut, and locked it. I went even further to place a chair and wedge the doorknob. Now I was desperate. We had no car, and there was no way I was planning on walking out there again. All we could do was wait for help. At least I was able to make that call on a cell phone because when I went to turn on one of the lights, there was no electricity flowing through. The wires had been cut as well. Whatever did this, it was smart and it was targeting us.
Cassie had at this point started breaking down into tears. She was scared. I was scared. But I knew that I needed to be there for her. Even though our marriage isn't so good right now, there's no way I could leave her in such a vulnerable state.
I felt that maybe I should do something to comfort her, what else could I do? What could either of us do? The only thing that we were able to do was to wait for assistance.
I stretched my hands out to her and pulled her in towards my chest. She didn't even try to fight back, but rather she buried herself. This was probably the most affection I've gotten from her in a long time.
Hopefully, the police can handle this. I wasn't too sure if we could make it all night. Every little cracking sound from the cabin was enough to get my hair standing up. Nothing seemed to have been damaged, so I had to come to the conclusion that whatever "it" was didn't come inside.
It would seem that we were in for a night of no sleep.
The next day, there was a knock on our door. I was disturbed from my rest on the couch with my wife next to me.
I tried my best to get up without disturbing her and made my way towards the door. But I stopped before I went to open it.
"Who's there?"
"Police," a voice said weakly.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. How reassuring.
I opened the door and I saw that a bloody police officer was standing in front of me. He had his hand covering over his abdomen which was dripping with it.
"Geez, what happened to you?"
He was practically about the stumble over until I caught him. Wasting no time, I brought them over to the armchair and I knew my wife would not like to wake up to this.
"Cassie wake up," I ordered, panicking.
When she opened her eyes and saw who was sitting near her, she just about screamed but I quickly covered her mouth, much to her shock until she saw it was me.
"Ben, what is going—"
"No time to explain yet, I need you to go and get me some water!" I cut her off.
As much as I hated bossing her around, time was of the essence. I didn't want to say anything to her but I didn't think this poor fella was going to last.
She quickly got up and ran to the kitchen, faster than I would've expected her. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline rush.
I turned to the poor guy who was wheezing and coughing blood.
"Hey, pal listen, I'm going to need you to tell me what happened?"
"Don't worry, I know this looks bad but I didn't walk all the way over here for no reason. I need you to warn the station,"
"About what?"
Cassie came in with some rags that were soaked and gently pressed them onto his abdomen.
He winced quite loudly, but we both knew this was the best.
"Tell them it's a code Protectorate situation— I... me and my partner, we went to the house as instructed. When we got there, we both nearly lost our sanity. It was so gruesome what we saw.
I could relate to what he's describing. It was a messed up sight and I wished I could unsee that.
"When we went into the house to investigate, something lunged out from the darkness. It cut clean through my partner before he could even have time to react. I fired eight shots into that thing. It was so mortifyingly alien."
"So we're dealing with an alien?"
"I don't know if you can count that thing as one. It was so savage, so brutal. Naked and abominable. I quickly got out of there but that thing managed to get me in the stomach. I fired one more shot near its head and that seemed to scare it away. Then I came here."
Both my wife and I were awestruck. So there really was an alien in our area. And it's killing people, how original. But my biggest concern at this moment was the fact that we were now caught in the middle of it.
The cop coughed a few more times— drips of blood coming down his chin.
My wife quickly rushed over with the cloth to try to clean it out so that he could breathe properly, but he just grabbed hold of her wrist, and through more agitated coughing, he choked, "Leave if you can,"
His eyes quickly went lifeless and he fell limp in the armchair.
His hand released my wife and she quickly backed up into me. Held her in my arms as we both stared at the lifeless man who gave us the only advice I think he could say to us.
But I had to honor what the fallen cop had asked me and I got back in touch with the police to tell them that the cop died after investigating the murder scene. I gave them his name and they were ready to send more help until I cut the lady off and told her that he requested Protectorate. They cut the line after that and I had to deal with questions I had no answers to.
But then a new voice answered, " Please evacuate the area. Your area has been labeled by the Protectorate Extermination Committee as a targeted zone. You have less than one hour to comply with this direct order."
Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear.
No sooner after hearing those words, Cassie ran back to the kitchen and started washing the blood off of her hands. I took a blanket and covered the officer. But I was going to heed his words.
I went upstairs and quickly started grabbing what I could and throwing them back into our bags. We were leaving and that was not up for any discussion. Thankfully Cassie was on the same page as me.
After about ten or twelve minutes had passed, I finished packing, only to hear the pounding beat of a rotor. That was a helicopter flying overhead.
Quickly I went outside and tried to get a good look at it. It was a Blackhawk helicopter flying rapidly.
Out of desperation, I started waving my hands, hoping that maybe they'd land and get us out of here much sooner than what my car could manage for us, but they flew off. I know they saw me, but they simply ignored me.
Cassie came out of the house and asked, "Did they just leave? I heard them flying by and thought that maybe they'd land?"
"I don't think they're looking for survivors. They don’t look like any military group that I recognize."
"What did they look like?" her voice trembled.
"I don't know who they are, but their helicopter was painted black and there was a symbol on the side. It looked like a shield with six wings coming out from the side and an eye in the center of the shield."
We heard the sound of distinct gunfire off in the distance. Whatever it was, I doubt it was military engagement. There was only one firing and it was followed by deafening screams of a man. Only to be drowned out by something unnaturally low and clicky. But this roar boomed across the land.
That was coming from another cabin not too far from us. Whatever it was, surely we were going to be next in the line of fire for this thing. It must have been going around destroying people's vehicles if there were still people around after what happened to that first. I can't imagine all of our neighbors still being here willingly.
I ordered Cassie back in the house, knowing full well that something bad was about to go down when I saw three more of those Blackhawks flying into one single location.
I shut the door again and told Cassie to get down as low as she could. I didn't want a stray bullet hitting either of us, but I couldn't help but remain curious to see if they could get it.
I was expecting them to rain down machine-gun fire, but instead, I saw three huge plumes of fire shoot out from each of the choppers. They were trying to burn this thing. They were hitting it hard too. The amount of flames coming down at such a rapid speed made me think that it could catch the entire woods on fire. Thankfully it's winter, so I don't think a forest fire is likely to happen.
But they never stopped firing and it also seems like they were chasing after whatever it was. My eyesight's not so good, so I wasn't able to get a visual of what it was. But I saw something running on all four, darting through the woods as the Blackhawks chased after it.
"What's happening!" Cassie cried.
I had forgotten about her. I was expecting bullets but I guess it wasn't so dangerous after all.
"They're trying to burn that sick monster."
"Is it working?"
I didn't have the heart to tell her that I think the thing is getting away. Whatever it was, it was weaving fast enough to where the helicopters couldn't keep up. But at least it seems like it couldn't hurt them either.
"They're driving it away. It's moving far away from us. Maybe we could leave right now."
Cassie started panicking and stuttered, "We— we are not going out there,"
"Cassie don't be stupid, we have to get out of here. That creature might come back for all we know—"
"And I don't want to be outside all vulnerable when it gets here!"
That was always something I hated about her. Once she made up her mind on something, there was no way you were going to get her to change her mind.
"It's always about your issues, it's always going to be your way! Don't you realize that there is something that we cannot handle, running around willy-nilly, we've got helicopters outside blasting it with fire that doesn't seem to be doing too much, and you want us to stay here like a bunch of sitting ducks because you're too scared to try and Escape like the officer who died for us, said so!"
"YOU THINK I WANT TO STAY HERE AND GET TORN APART BY THAT SAVAGE!" she got up from her hiding place and pushed me as hard as she could.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't fall down to the ground, but when she gets angry, she's a little extra forceful than you would expect.
She tried doing it a second time, but I caught her arms and threw her back, but not hard enough to make her fall.
"How about you calm down, and THINK!" I shouted back at her with increased ferocity. I was at my limit and I was having thoughts of leaving her here. We were on the verge of divorce anyway and the last thing I should care about is someone who will become a stranger to me and no time.
"I did, I want to hide and not be an open target!"
"And I don't want to sit here like an all-you-can-eat buffet for that thing!"
Before the argument could continue down this heated path, one of those flamers happened to be coming by, burning everything nearby. Thankfully it didn't hit the house or even the yard for that matter, but it was enough to leave me with a shaking stomach.
We both dropped to the ground but I was still curious about what was happening outside.
I crawled up to the front window again and my eyes went wide as I saw one of the helicopters blasting its flamethrower down. Inside the inferno, that creature was walking about untouched by the heat.
I whispered to myself, "It's immune to the fire? How?"
The flames eventually stopped raining down. I think they got the idea too.
I looked up at them as one of the soldiers was changing their weapon of choice from a flamethrower, to something a little more ballistic...
"Run!" I ordered. "To the bathroom!"
Both of us got up and as we got into the first-floor bathroom, the sound of explosions rained down from above. Small-scale explosives were now being used against this alien. It let out another one of those guttural bellows, apparently, this actually hurt it more. I also could hear the constant firing of bullets raining down.
But this was all that I could interpret. Cassie and I were both huddled in the bathtub, praying to whatever God exists that we don't end up being shredded by bullets in the process.
Already I could hear parts of the house getting hit by stray bullets as it seemed like the helicopters were moving more erratically as they chased after this creature again. At least it seems like they were moving away from us, but those were the most intense 30 seconds of my life.
Finally, everything fell silent other than the distant explosions that slowly toned down.
Both Cassie and I were breathing heavily, I even found myself wrapping my arms around her instinctively.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She wouldn't quit crying. She never responded to my question. Granted it was a stupid question. Nothing about this was okay.
I decided to concede. Perhaps we should just hunker down and hope for the best. Although I was still completely on board with up and going, Cassie was partially right. We would be caught out there in the open and there was no guarantee that these people who were fighting the monster were even going to care about civilian casualties. They certainly didn't mind incinerating entire sections of the woods away, regardless of whatever houses happened to be nearby.
"Cassie, we'll stay here tonight. But I'm using my grandpa's guns."
"I don't care, I want that thing dead. I'll take one myself."
Well, this was a sudden change of heart. Someone who is always against this stuff suddenly wants one. Though I should have known better when I saw her only pick up the pistol.
"If you fail, I would much rather be able to take the easy way out of this mess."
Honestly, I'd rather have that option as well. But I have to try. Plus, if I was to die today, at least I can go down with this beautiful shotgun in hand.
So that would be the update so far. A black ops group is currently leveling the area as best they can to try and kill this thing, my wife is ready to do what she can to avoid a painful way of dying, and I've got a shotgun, scared out of my mind as I wait for this thing to eventually try and get us as well.
And thus began another long night of no sleep.
The clock had now turned to 12:43 p.m. I was dead tired and the exhaustion of staying up for two days without getting any consistent sleep was starting to take its toll.
Thankfully the sun had come up and this creature did not attack during the night. I'm telling you, that is probably the most luck we're ever going to get out of this.
Cassie was getting more sleep than I was, but she refused to leave the bathroom. She stayed in that tub the entire night, while I made myself a little pillow fort in the living room. And before you start getting judgemental of childish behavior, if I'm going to die, I'm going to die in comfort.
All throughout the night, I heard the occasional bursts of gunfire far off in the distance. I tighten my grip around the shotgun, preparing myself for whenever I would need it.
This particular shotgun was a special type that my grandfather was obsessed over. And it packed quite a wallop. A Browning BPS. With sleek, black metal, this high-powered shotgun is all that stands between a ravenous, deadly alien that came from outer space, and me getting torn in half.
And so began the wait.
Hours were going by. Every moment that I heard them chasing that thing out there, was another moment that told me that it wasn't over yet.
I was drenched in sweat, despite the temperature getting increasingly cold with every passing hour. How we managed to survive this whole time is beyond me. I guess the tension alone was enough to make sure that we stayed warm throughout the whole thing.
Then I heard a rumbling sound outside. Then I heard multiple rumblings. And then suddenly a blast of sound exploded so loud that it shattered all of the glass in the house. I was so scared that I almost fired off a shot.
I quickly got up from the pillow fort, Cassie was looking out the bathroom door. She was as confused as I was.
"What are they doing now?"
When I took a look outside, I had a surge of hope. Outside were 8 tanks, as black as the Blackhawks. They were firing off at a distance, firing off their machine-gun fire at the same time as they tried to destroy whatever this thing was with cannon fire from their turrets.
When I peered further out at the patch of woods that were being shredded to pieces by the barrage, I saw that the alien was moving as quickly as they could to avoid. But it kept stumbling around, and explosives kept burning away layers of its skin. There were more helicopters outside that were trying to flame it as well as firing explosive rockets at it.
I was cheering them on. The creature was definitely taking a beating from the constant attacks and it was only a matter of time before that thing would get too worn down. Already I could see parts of its flesh burning off.
"Come guys, get 'em!" I shouted instinctively by the hype of us actually winning. Maybe I would get out of this alive.
From my distance, I had to wear my glasses to get a better view. But my god the battle was intense.
"I think they've nearly killed it!" I shouted in early triumph.
Cassie came out of the bathroom and crawled next to me, wanting to join me and watching as they finally killed that alien. We both watched with anticipation as they finally seemed to be destroying its tough outer exterior.
The animal looked disgusting. That barbaric creature had two long arms with five fingers that looked about as long as a human forearm, it had a triangular-shaped head, rounded around the edges. I distinctly remember seeing it have bluish-gray skin earlier, but I guess after all of the flaming, bullets, and bombings, now it was reduced to a muscular frame.
It staggered after getting hit for over a day's worth and I was surprised that they were willing to keep pounding this thing so hard for that extended time.
Suddenly the sky overhead had a long, loud engine noise burst through the sound barrier.
We both looked up and my heart sank into what felt like ice-cold water because those were F-22s coming down fast from the sky.
I looked over to Cassie who looked like she had frozen over. Without much rational thought, I grabbed hold of her and we both ducked low to the ground.
The glass exploded above us as I heard missiles coming down, explosion after explosion detonating and leveling everything nearby. They were going to keep hitting this thing till it was either ash, or the entire area had been left in ashes.
Cassie kept crying but I also felt a huge overwhelming feeling of dread laying on top of me. I hugged her tightly, wanting to give myself some warmth from the otherwise cold, apathetic attack that we had found ourselves stuck in.
She kept whispering through choked up words, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"
"Cassie, listen, we're going to be alright. You hear that! We are going to live!"
The last explosion was so close to our house that I think part of it was coming apart at that point. The whole house shook violently and Cassie and I were even momentarily lifted off of the ground by how much power was behind that last explosion.
I slowly got back to my feet, my ears ringing exceedingly loud. I can barely hear whatever Cassie was saying to me. I still had the shotgun in hand. I was clutching that thing as my life depended on it.
Everything was a blurry mess, I was so dizzy I couldn't even focus entirely on anything.
Cassie was trying to tell me something. She kept pointing around me, her face full of fear.
Finally, things were going back to normal quickly and I was able to understand what she was trying to say.
"IT'S COMING THIS WAY!"
My eyes widened and as I turned around, the entire wall exploded inwards. I found myself being tossed over the couch and Cassie was quick to try and crawl back to the bathroom. I think she left her pistol there.
When I got a good look at it, I realized it was at death's door. It was all bloody, muscular, one of its eyes had fallen out. And it had this blood-filled shrill escaping from his mouth that made your skin curl in itself. Frankly, it sounded like no animal on Earth.
Bullets started raining in, a little too close for comfort for me.
I had to make a decision, the thing was eyeing down my wife. She turned around towards me, her eyes filled with tears.
Without much hesitation, I pumped the shotgun and unloaded an entire blast into its chest while it was distracted.
It screamed out in a horrific shrill, probably more stunned that a simple firearm is enough to finally get this thing injured at this point.
I kept blasting, pumping, blasting, pumping, repeatedly doing this while screaming as I kept shooting that sick animal. It swung its broken fingers at me, cutting a bit of my leg in the process. I fell down for a moment, but I knew I had to get back up for Cassie. It didn't do so well when I finally was able to get close enough to it, point the double-barrel right at its head, and blast straight into its mouth.
Strangely enough, that wasn't even enough to kill it. It fell back, squirming around in writhing pain, and I was shocked when I saw Cassie come out with her pistol and unload all eight bullets into the creature as well. I joined her in the attack, and we kept shooting at it until it finally stopped moving.
We both were out of breath, completely in shock, and frankly just wanting to go home. Maybe even see a therapist.
I rested on the floor next to Cassie who had lost her strength as well. We were just too tired to even run and I had no intention of getting out on my own.
Through the smoke, four soldiers in full body armored gear painted black entered through the gaping hole in the wall.
I was so tired I was sure I'd lose consciousness. Sure enough, everything faded to black. I could briefly hear the chatter of radios, but what they said I could not remember.
When I woke up, I was sitting in a hospital bed. I looked around in frantic movements, wondering where Cassie was— where my wife was?
I saw her completely passed out in the bed next to me. I was so relieved to see her safe and sound.
When I looked around, I saw that we were in a military infirmary tent. It was still snowing outside, but thankfully these tents know how to keep you warm.
But as I was about to get comfortable in my bed, two guys in suits- not black suits, thankfully they weren't going to be so cliche— walked in with two guards in uniform behind them.
The man who appeared oldest, complete with a bald head and big, bushy, gray mustache said, "Good morning soldier."
I chuckled a little bit. "Soldier? I wouldn't say I'm a soldier."
He had a charming laugh that I could tell you enough that he was more of a ladies' man in his spare time when he wasn't working to be some high-up government official.
"Ah, but weren't you the one who managed to kill that extraterrestrial?"
Clearly, he knew what I had done, so there was no point in lying. "Yes sir,"
"That makes you a soldier I guess. You may be just a civilian, but anyone who has the guts to take on something that took tanks and Blackhawks an entire day's worth of fighting to kill is deserving of such a title."
"I'm honored," I responded with unease.
"Well, I feel like it's the least we can do considering that even though we did most of the work, the fact that you managed to kill that thing with a shotgun and revolver is my definition of bravery. So we will be needing you to do a few favors for us in return for some added benefits for your heroism today."
I was well-versed in this kind of stuff. You watch enough movies, read enough books, you learn a little bit about what they're going to tell you next. Of course, I had to sign the documentation that neither of us would ever talk about what we had seen today. We were to never acknowledge any information that was related to what had happened today. And we were to tell anyone we came across that we had a lovely second honeymoon trying to rekindle our marriage.
But in return, I did get some financial help from these guys. They gave me a reward of $100,000 each. Although I'd like for more, I'm not going to pester them with that feeling. Beggars can't be choosers, right?
Although after all of that happened, I and Cassie did manage to recover somewhat of our marriage for the time being. What happened that day wasn't going to save it though. In 2018, we decided to go our separate ways. But we still get together occasionally to talk about what happened on that fateful winter day in 2012. She says that she still has nightmares of that thing chasing after her. I don't suffer from the nightmares of that thing, but I can understand where she's coming from.
The recent events have changed that. After everything that happened and now that I've been a single man for quite some time now, I recently became more interested in what's going on above us.
I started collecting information about aliens, thinking that they were nothing more than little gray men and the occasional giant monster creature. Oh, how I was wrong. I was extraordinarily wrong about what was really going on in the stars.
But I suppose that isn't relative to this story. Despite all of the horror that I experienced, the horrors I experienced now are far worse, but I think it's time I sign off on this message. And so I will go back to a night of no sleep.

Hello! this is an update from this post.
I do not live with my parents any longer. I don't need assistance with getting medication. My goal with this post is to get some advice on the process of pressing charges against an offender.
UPS got back to me with a signature for the package that was stolen. Unfortunately, the signature was simply an ambiguous 'X', but just as fortunately - I have never signed anything in my life, no check, document, or package - in this manner. While I can't prove who signed directly, I can do so by a process of elimination.
UPS showed delivery on a day, a Tuesday, at 12pm, where I know without even a shred of doubt that the only one at my house was my father. There are only four people in the house, myself, my mother, my father, and brother. Both my brother and my mother leave for work at 8am, I was at the community library from 11am to 2pm.
I can establish motive, and evidence. I have put together a document that is a timeline of all the events as I can best recall. I have gathered evidence of my father's behavior towards me, video, images, and I have witness testimony from family of his abuse. It would be very easy to convince a judge my father did this, and that his *motive* for doing this was prejudice against me as a transgender individual.
My only question now is, what is the best way to present this to the police?
Here are some important details:

• - I'm in Pennsylvania
• - I am a transgender woman, 31 years old
• - I am not living with my parents any longer
• - Package was delivered by UPS, so it is not a felony that the package was stolen. USPIS does not apply here.
• - Estradiol Valerate, Syringes, & Sanitizer wipes are what was stolen. Total cost was only 40$, so this is barely petty theft.
• - Estradiol Valerate is *not* a controlled substance.

What I need help with / Suggestions for
I have never gone to the police and charged someone before. How do I present myself? What am I expected to bring with me, do I just go to any police station, or a government building? Who do I ask to speak to? Will I also be able to file a restraining order?
Why not go to asklegaladvice**?**To be honest, I am afraid of dealing with transphobes. I have sought legal advice there before for very obvious violations of my rights as an employee, and they are often extremely condescending to people who don't understand the law. I feel I can trust the transgender community to give me better advice that isn't mired by someone else's personal grudges against the lgbtq community.
What are the charges I am attempting to press?
I can't ask the police to press charges over 40$ of stolen goods, they'll be irritated with me. It's just petty theft. However, this theft was motivated by prejudice and it was theft of a medical prescription. And not just any medical prescription, but an essential one - your body needs a proper balance of hormones - this is not just aspirin, this medication is critical to my care and health as a transgender individual and as a human being. At the time it was stolen, my T was at 15, there needs to be something to balance that out.
So, at this point, I think I can charge my fatheabuser with theft and willful obstruction of medical care. And since both were done out of malice towards me as a transgender person, I think I can say without being unfair that it is a hate crime.
So What I am asking is, how do I present this information to police? If anyone has any experience pressing charges, I would love to know what to expect, how to prepare myself beforehand, and where exactly I should expect to go. There is a police station in my town, my first thought is to go there.
I also need to file a restraining order, because I am fearful my father will retaliate directly.
​
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated <3 The support I received on the first post helped me overcome a lot of anger and anxiety, thank you all so much!

I know Clif at Random neon has been discussed here before, but I just wanted to give him another shoutout in case anyone is looking for an entry point into this craft. I just took his weekend class, and was blown away by how good it was.
I’ve wanted to try working with neon ever since I was a kid, and made the trip all the way from Central Canada to take this class since there’s nothing like this available where I live.
Clif and his assistant Donnie were so thoughtful, thorough and enthusiastic about their craft, and completely open to sharing and explaining every part of the process. I was filled with wonder, excitement, and learned more over the course of the weekend than I had reading books and watching videos in the months prior to taking this class.
I have a new found respect for how difficult this craft is, and a better appreciation for it as an art form and the history of the medium. Clif is a fountain of knowledge, and I hope he continues to teach, and inspire the next generation of neon artists, so this skill and craft can survive and prosper in the future!
I would be working with Clif every weekend if I lived nearby. It was an incredible experience, and a privilege to learn from him.

First Previous Wiki
"We should get ready," Kawtyahtnakal said. "They're coming soon."
His honor guard was already well-prepared for all of this, with numerous rehearsals of the event. But now was the final stretch, said more in case the Truth Speakers or Regulators needed to get ready. Some of the Patriarchs and, of course, Eyahtni was here as well, wearing armor denoting their ranks or family names and statuses.
Kawtyahtnakal stood, proudly puffing out his chest as the great doors to the throne room swung open.
On the other side, a hard light hologram of Hive Emperor Calanii, Hive Empress Ashnav'viinir, and a host of diplomats and public officials walked. Their shoes echoed loudly in the halls like heralds of the coming prosperity. Already, both the Vinarii Empire and the Hive Union were in a golden age. The business industry was expanding, and public health and consumer spending were up. New shipyards, spaceports, mines, orbital stations, luxury resorts, and technology were rapidly coming online. And that was in spite of the increasingly unpopular war on Galshaskir, which wasn't bearing any fruit.
It was likely that Kawtyahtnakal would set up a shield dome over the planet, one that was self-perpetuating and continuous. That way, he didn't have to send anyone else to die.
The Alliance had sent some soldiers and even more robotic machines, but its assistance had been sporadic compared to the entire planetary front. Kawtyahtnakal sensed that Calanii would also discuss the war with him when they got the chance.
"Greetings, Nest Overlord Kawtyahtnakal. I thank you for your hospitality, and your willingness to accept my request for a meeting."
"You are quite welcome, Hive Emperor Calanii. I am glad to have received it."
Now that the rehearsed theatrics were done, it was time to get to the meat of the discussion. An array of servants and cooks brought in food suitable for both Vinarii and Cawlarian consumption, laced with nutrients and tastes that each found appealing in their own way. Calanii, Eyahtni, and Kawtyahtnakal quickly established a shielded conversation area. A hologram formed around them, blocking their faces and bodies from the view of the others who had come for the meeting. They would have their own discussions while the most important one occurred.
"So. Are you here to discuss the war?"
"Yes. I have machines that would be helpful in alleviating your struggle. In particular, I have a set of sensors that could potentially locate Galshaskir."
"That is good to hear. What will that cost?"
"Only a favor, later on. That favor will not be extreme, like handing over territory or people."
"We will need more of a discussion on that favor," Kawtyahtnakal said. "May I know the nature of it?"
"I would request that you intervene with a group of pirates that is interfering with the border trade. They don't seem to be natural, and are likely based in and supported by an enemy nation."
Kawtyahtnakal nodded. "The Imperium?"
"Our sources are too dubious to confirm whether it's them or another nation posing as them. But it is someone, and somewhat likely to be the Imperium."
"Haven't you normalized relations with them?"
"I did when I came into power. They hated Ashnad'darii and disliked you. I think that they are worried about our continued moves toward cooperation. And they happen to share a direct border with me, though not with you."
"Have you talked to the Eternal Emperor recently?"
"I haven't directly talked to him at all, actually. He hasn't officially discussed matters of importance with the Vinarii Empire ever since our rise to power."
Calanii's antennae bent forward.
"He's building up his fleet, actually."
"He won't attack you with the mutual defense treaty in place. We've still got a massive military, and so do you. In fact, you're modernizing it," Kawtyahtnakal pointed out.
"Yes. But he is likely backed by others, to be so belligerent. And this comes to the third point. He is being aggressive, but support for a war is low. Not zero, but low. I can't declare on him."
"Do you need to?" Eyahtni asked. "Has there been anything that would serve as a casus belli?"
"No. Just increasing anti-Vinarii rhetoric. They killed a small refugee group, only about 30 thousand Vinarii or so. That's too small to declare war. They do not violate our borders officially, and their spy ships seem content to watch without interference."
"How exactly do you wish for me to alleviate this?"
"I want you to express public solidarity with me more often. Open more pacts and corporate collaborations. More sister cities, joint military operations. That sort of thing."
"If that is the favor, than it is acceptable," Kawtyahtnakal said, looking over to Eyahtni. Both of them already planned on doing this, though a little slower than Calanii likely wanted. It was something that would benefit them, with increased experience for their forces as well as better techniques and strategies.
"Yes, it is acceptable," Eyahtni asked. "What of other agreements?"
"We wish to open research agreements with your institutions for their latest advancements."
"That will take some doing, but I don't see why not," Kawtyahtnakal replied. Calanii looked relieved at that.
"And another thing. I would request that your Alliance tone down the anti-Sprilnav actions. It is bringing undue attention to this section of the galaxy. I'm sure you've noticed the number of searches related to your species in foreign data statistics going up. And that your spies are noticing increased chatter in your border states, and the wider galaxy as a whole. If not that, then surely you must have had an increase in contacts recently."
Kawtyahtnakal had noticed that as well. They seemed to have reached a peak recently, likely due to the birth of Edu'frec and also the publicized killing of the Elder that had bombed the Alliance recently. Kawtyahtnakal admired the hasty decision to kill the Sprilnav doing it before it got worse. Because he knew, as did many dead civilizations in the galaxy, that it definitely would have escalated.
To be honest, he'd wanted to establish relations with Edu'frec, and Eyahtni had already petitioned the Alliance for an official meeting. But with the justification that 'he's a child' and 'he doesn't understand diplomacy yet,' they had refused. Of course, both of them knew that it wasn't the Alliance that was actually refusing, but Phoebe. Her security around Edu'frec was surpassed by only a few individuals in the Alliance. And it was the equivalent of what regional governors that controlled multiple systems got in the Union.
"We have noticed, yes," Eyahtni said.
"And has the Alliance given any indication of their preference?"
"No. It does appear that it was both a matter of vengeance as well as prevention."
"The Sprilnav are moving massive fleets in their systems," pointed out Calanii.
"Yes. But they remain in their systems. If the Sprilnav decided to come for us, the whole galaxy couldn't stop them. The ships in their fleets are each the equivalent of battlecruisers and outnumber every civilian and military ship in the galaxy combined. And their Elder ships are so tough that the amount of force needed to crack them even a bit is only possible with the strongest dreadnaught cannons or with planet crackers."
"The Alliance's force projection capabilities are growing at an alarming rate."
"It is not alarming for us, since we are allies. You could always move for reconciliation."
"We don't know how the rest of the galaxy, and especially the Imperium, would take it."
"Well then, that is your risk," Kawtyahtnakal said. "But the longer you wait, the more favorable the terms will get for the Alliance."
"I'm not so sure. They're absorbing population at a high rate, which should start causing huge cultural friction between their constituent races. There's more Wisselen in the Alliance than Breyyanik or wanderers. And if their supposed plans of invading the Guulin are true, then that problem will worsen until they crack under the weight of culture war and political upheaval."
"Phoebe and the hivemind curb much of that. The Alliance's culture specifically preaches understanding and forgiveness for past wrongs. Most of their Wisselen citizens have jobs now, and those that don't are not only surviving, but actually living in houses and with access to free food and water."
"That shouldn't be possible."
"It is, because the elites of the Alliance have manufactured the cycle to benefit everyone, which makes them richer in the process. Money flows from governments into their economy, which goes into circulation, and makes it stronger. Most issues like inflation impact far less severely when food and housing are free."
"You seem to admire them," Calanii observed.
"I do. To go from their humble beginnings to an ascending superpower of the galaxy is no small feat. The Sprilnav don't even enforce their immigration controls on them. They use their advantages to the fullest, whether it's having an entire species linked to a non-predatory and sapient hivemind, to having not one but now two psychic AIs. I admire the resolve of the leaders who represent their people, and their desire to make the galaxy a better place, as best they can."
"They plan to invade a neighbor and have killed a Sprilnav Elder."
"If you killed an Elder, your people would have a year-long party," Eyahtni pointed out. "And they plan to capture and free the slaves of the United Legions, which is driven heavily by the cultural and political influence of the second largest species in their nation, the Guulin. What galactic power do you know that would have granted independence to a people they had annexed, just to make them more equal?"
Calanii sighed. "I suppose that they are the moral side to take."
"Yes, perhaps that is true."
"I'm glad that you see it."
"Do you think they would be willing to help with the Imperium?"
"You should ask them. But the Imperium doesn't have slaves, and doesn't heavily oppress its people, mostly because its propaganda is baked so deeply into its population. So it's a maybe. They won't help you invade, most likely, unless you are attacked. And by attacked, I mean their ships bombing a planet, not shooting at a police vessel."
"I see. Have you also detected the readings from their psychic amplifier bases?"
"We have. However, the Alliance is using the psychic energy predominantly to build shipyards, grow the orbital ring around Mercury, and to expand their production of rare alloys."
"It's incredible how powerful they are, for such a small nation."
"Not really. With Phoebe and the hivemind, they should be more so. Plus the individual known as Equisa should have knowledge that they could use. Though that big gun Phoebe built is certainly up to par with some of our own weapons."
"True. It does cause quite the stir in psychic energy when fired."
The Nest Overlord knew that he was talking about the small amount of psychic energy that all lasers dragged along. It enabled them to be visible to certain sensors even when they missed and when they were high-energy enough to also glow in all directions. Without psychic energy, the lasers would always be invisible in space.
"Yes."
"Well, with that out of the way, I would like to congratulate you on your 86th year of service."
"Thank you. Overlord Day's next week, though."
"I'm aware."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Equisa, it's very good to see you again." Meihala smiled as Equisa hugged her. The relatively thin human woman smirked, saying, "Joshua's in the kitchen, making that beef lasagna that we like."
"Mmm. Yes, we do."
"I'll be right in. Don't you wor-"
A message flashed across her vision.
*Elder Equisa. Your presence is requested.\*
She quickly tapped back a response inside her implants.
*Not yet.\*
*Then we will come to you.\*
"Hang on, I need-"
A hologram appeared next to Equisa, of an older Sprilnav man. Wrinkles were visible over his whole body and most prevalent near his joints and face. His jaws hung slightly agape, a common symptom of not just old age but old design. He was likely one of those Elders who had been alive before most galaxies had been born.
Eyes older than stars looked at her and Meihala.
"Equisa. What is... this?"
"You tasked me to investigate the humans and to provide information pertinent to the cause of the psychic pulse. I did so, and you did not reassign me."
A second Sprilnav appeared next to him. Both of them appeared to be male, though with Sprilnav this old, Equisa could never be sure with her eyes alone. But her implants did the identifications for her, confirming her thoughts.
"Ah, so my suspicions were correct. I can smell it on you."
"Smell what?" Joshua asked, entering the room. His eyes widened upon seeing the three Elders. "Oh, uh, what's your names?"
"Refined Elder Rho and Refined Elder Sai." Elder Sai looked at the human with a confused look. "Equisa, why are you mingling with these... beings?"
"Please don't be racist if that's your thing. We're people. Humans, specifically. I'm Joshua, and this is Meihala." He pointed to himself and then to her. Equisa felt like she was swimming in awkwardness.
"Well then. We have questions for your mate."
"She is an acquaintance," Meihala said.
"Mates and friends are different things. You have mated with this Elder, therefore you are... no, both of you have. Equisa, you didn't have any information about this preference in your file."
"It's not a preference; it's just... something new, alright? Yes, I'm in a relationship. But the operation is over, so there's no need for me to do anything." Equisa tried to move away, but Rho just smiled.
"Don't worry. You're not in trouble. Your body is your own, and your words are true. However, this is about the death of a Secondary Galaxy Elder. There has been expressed displeasure at your actions from the Elders of the Secondary Galaxy."
Equisa was surprised that they were saying all of this in front of the humans.
"Why-?"
"We in the Primary Galaxy had a vote, and in that vote we moved to allow knowledge of us to be spread to trusted individuals. As an Elder and one of sound mind and proper, if strange, judgement, then this applies to your mates."
"So you're saying that... everyone knew about this? Everyone?" Equisa asked.
"Everyone knows, yes. Including your family, since that's likely your next question. Your father actually placed a bet on how you would react when you were made aware of this. He's just become a richer man."
Equisa sighed, knowing that her father's nature had somehow remained the same throughout the long millennia. Ever since his time before the Source War, he'd been a gambler and better. He was prolific and just successful enough to win enough to pay the debts of his losses. But he wasn't a bad person.
"Wow, that's gotta be like, I don't know, really embarrassing," Meihala laughed. "I'm sorry."
"Yes. You're one of the most famous Elders in existence, as the first Elder to mate with a member of another species in... 7 billion Earth years or so? Maybe 8, I'm still not exact on the length."
"You carry the 3, so 8," Rho said. Sai smiled as if not knowing basic math was a running joke between them. Perhaps it was.
"Alright. So what's the consequences for it, then?"
"None. They expressed displeasure, that's all. But they lost the war, so who cares about what they think? Plus, this is way more fun. I'm particularly keen on meeting Phoebe and Penny."
"Penny's single," Rho said. "But too young, especially for you. Age gaps that large are too weird for me."
"Well, Equisa doesn't care," Sai laughed. "She's what, a hundred million times older than these humans here? That's gotta be strange."
"Can you two not pry into my love life? Thank you. I'd prefer that this visit ends quickly," Equisa said. Rho and Sai then changed into forms that were human, though still old.
"Alright. We won't bother you, but we'd be happy to do some sightseeing. Can you take us to walk around?"
"No."
"What if I ordered you?" Sai asked.
"I'd refuse."
"Aw, you're so grumpy now. Good old Equisa. Well, not older than me, is she?" Sai joked, laughing with Rho and slapping his back. He exited Equisa's house, followed by Sai close behind.
"Can you explain this to us?" Joshua asked.
"I... it'll take a while."
"We're not mad, just confused," Meihala added. "I wouldn't exactly want them to know about my love life, either."
"How many Sprilnav are in the Primary Galaxy?"
"About... a septillion of them?"
Joshua laughed. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely. We've got Dyson spheres, ringworlds, and artificial worlds."
"Full spheres?"
"Segmented. But the concept remains true."
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
"Aw, this guy's kind of adorable," Penny heard. She was busy being absolutely destroyed at a game with Edu'frec, who definitely didn't have the skill of a mere ninth grader. Whether that was because of further advancement or because he was an AI was hard to know for sure. But whatever the case, that was what things had been.
Penny's head craned leftward to the sound, strings of psychic energy already starting to form on her fingers. But they stopped when they saw a pair of old men standing at the door. And they weren't just people with grey hair, but really old. Like they were thousands of years old, with hanging jowls, wrinkled faces, and spotted skin. One even sported a wart on his nose.
"Oh, hello there!" one said, waving at her as if he wasn't a person out of a hospital bed. "I'm Sai, and this is Rho. How are you doing?"
"I'm good. How did you get here?"
"We walked, obviously."
"Phoebe has incredibly powerful security, and you just... walked in?"
"Yeah, it looked expensive. But don't worry. We just want to pat him on the head."
"Who are you?" Edu'frec asked. "Don't treat me like a child."
"My name is-"
"Not your names. What are you?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Rho said.
"You don't walk like humans. Your gait and stance are wrong, as if you're compensating for something that's not there. Like you had four legs before, instead of two. So I'll ask again. What are you?" Edu'frec bared his teeth in a growl.
"Well, isn't it quite obvious? We're Sprilnav. And we're here to-"
An android suddenly walked into the room. Phoebe moved in a blur, her hands rushing forward to slam into both of them. However, she passed through them. A second android pulled back Edu'frec as shields appeared around him thick enough to hide him from view. Penny wasn't sure what to do.
"We're here to pet him."
"I'm not a child," Edu'frec growled through the shield. There was a pulse of something, and then the two old men became Sprilnav. Penny switched into action, standing between them and Phoebe's son. All of them were on a hair trigger.
"Ok, we'll leave," Rho and Sai said. "We're sorry."
"You don't just get to-"
"Yes, we do. I'm not going to be locked in a cage, and neither is my friend here. We're sightseeing."
"How did you get here?"
"Don't worry about it. We won't do any harm to you."
"You need to learn about what to do and what not to, if you're going to remain in the Alliance."
"Sai, they're treating us like we're vermin."
Sai frowned. "Oh. Phoebe, we're not from the Secondary Galaxy. We're here because Equisa hacked a communication device, which resulted in the death of an Elder."
"So you're punishing us?"
"Not at all. We're just seeing the Alliance that we've heard so much about."
"Would you stay and protect us against the Primary Galaxy?" Phoebe asked, calming quickly with the revelation.
"Probably not. Why, are they trying to kill you all or something?"
"Sort of."
"Then why are you still alive?" Sai asked with genuine confusion.
"Come on, you aren't that senile," Rho said. "It's the Source's Servant that's in the mindscape, trying to hide from us."
With that, Rimiaha appeared in the room as if he'd always been there. "What are you trying to do here?"
"We really do just want to do some sightseeing. There's nothing wrong with it."
"How do we know?"
"Just him and I are enough, if that wasn't true."
"What do you mean by that?" Phoebe asked.
"We are enough."
Rimiaha sighed. "I'd still beat you."
"We can block the Source's power from reaching you. All you'd have is your reserves, and they're not enough," Sai said.
"Please. I could smack you into tomorrow, quite literally," Rimiaha retorted.
"We get it," Phoebe said. "You're only using 1% of your power or whatever. But you're getting guards, both for your sake and ours."
"We can become humans again."
Penny sighed. Nilnacrawla ended another psychic energy class, looking at the scene in bemusement.
Are these guys really as stupid as they're acting?
Older Sprilnav are generally smarter, so not likely. And these guys are very old.
Generally?
Generally, it's likely that they are purposely doing this for entertainment.
"Well, you'd do it badly, but yeah," Phoebe replied. "I'm sorry that I got upset. But I'm going to explain this to you. I'm... very protective of Edu'frec. I really love him. So when I saw you two so close to him, and heard what I thought would be a declaration of intent to kill him, I was upset. Very upset."
"Nilnacrawla says that you guys are faking it," Penny said.
"Nilnacrawla? He's alive?"
"Yes, he's in my head," Penny stated dryly. "Do you not know this?"
"I didn't," Sai said.
"First of all, what kind of Elders are you?" Edu'frec asked.
"Refined Elders. Those who were born not only before the Source war, but before the most major of the genetic modifications preparing for it."
"I see. Another title," Phoebe said.
"You can call is Rho and Sai, if you want. We won't make you use our titles."
"You seem a lot more... chill than the Elders in our galaxy," Penny noted.
"Yes. We haven't had much to do, really. Most of us waste away in drug-induced euphoria or implants that do the same."
"That's sad," Edu'frec said.
"Perhaps it is. It is said that their throats are dry as bones from all the laughing they do. But anyway. We will stop acting senile. Rho and I are here to see whether your Alliance is worthy of our attention, after so long in isolation."
"Why?"
"The psychic pulse. It has reached us, and made a number of people very concerned. But upon seeing you, we have decided to ignore that. Given that Equisa's been able to find love among your kind, you are clearly not as hostile to Sprilnav as we were led to believe. For the right price, perhaps a deal can be worked out."
"What deal?"
"Exports, specifically. We'd like some of your food and cultural works."
"The originals?"
"Copies will suffice," Rho said.
"You came all the way here to ask for art and act like this?" Penny asked.
"Yes. And to see if Equisa's father would win his bet. He did."
"So you want to do something fun, huh?" Phoebe asked. "Want to hear about the hard light simulators?"
"We have those where we're from," Sai replied.
"Not like we do," Phoebe grinned. "I'll get you two tickets to the Infinite Skiing Hill, if you want. Think of it as compensation for my earlier actions."
"I would very much like to see this, and to see Rho fail," Sai smirked. "But what is skiing?"

Disclaimer: This is a post examining how the current meta will be impacted by the upcoming rotation. It will NOT contain any opinions on how rotation is being implemented or if it'll be good for the game. Instead, it will contain a surface level comparison between each region's current decks and the tools being removed/added tomorrow in an attempt to speculate on what kinds of decks each region will have come tomorrow.
Bandle City:

Lulu Poppy Rumble Ziggs Aloof Travelers Arena Kingpin Arena Mechacaster Assistant Librarian Babbling Balladeers Bomber Twins Bouncing Bomb Cloud Stance Curious Shellfolk Double Tap Ember Monk Entrapment Event Horizon Fix-em-Uppers Flamespitter Friendship! Gruff Grenadier Gust Monk Heroic Charge Hexplosive Minefield Hidden Pathways Hothead Inventive Chemist Keeper’s Verdict Loping Telescope Mega Inferno Bomb Minion Mushroom Ring Papercraft Dragon Pokey Stick Pompous Cavalier Primal Strength Prowling Projectile Purpleberry Shake Quick Quill Rainbowfish Rissu, the Silent Storm Safety Inspector Scholarly Climber Shell Game Spirit Portal Stress Defense The Arsenal The Bandle Tree Thunder Fist Tornado Warrior Transposition Wizened Wizard Yordle Newbie Yordle Ranger Yordle Smith 

The most relevant removals here are the 4 champions, Pokey Stick and most of the multi-region followers. Given that Taliyah Ziggs was one of BC's strongest decks, this is a pretty big blow. Darkness and various flavors of Norra Control should survive, but BC/Demacia style swarm decks appear to be struggling. I predict BC will continue to be niche in the upcoming meta, as they lost quite a lot and aren't really getting anything in return. They might be able to make something happen with Prize Fight in Bilgewater, but the loss of Pokey Stick removes a major incentive to try and force that.
​
Bilgewater:

Gangplank Tahm Kench Twisted Fate Abyssal Guard Black Market Merchant Bone Skewer Boxtopus Crusty Codger Double Up Fortune Croaker Golden Narwhal Hunting Fleet Jack, the Winner Jaull-Fish Loaded Dice Lost Riches Lounging Lizard Marai Songstress Mind Meld Monkey Idol Monster Harpoon Mystifiying Magician Pick a Card Pilfered Goods Pocket Aces Prowling Cutthroat Ripper’s Bay Ruined Rex Shakedown Sleight of Hand Smooth Soloist Strong-Arm Sunk Cost The Dreadway The List Wise Fry Ye Been Warned Yordle Grifter Zap Sprayfin 

Bilgewater got off relatively lightly all things considered. The entire nab package is being shipped off, so value plunder is pretty off the table. They also lose Fortune Croaker + Zap Sprayfin, who made their way into virtually every BW deck to ensure they didn't run out of gas. That being said, they still have card draw in the form of Eye of Naga, they still have a large collection of extremely potent 1 drops like crackshot and jagged butcher, and their staples like Make it Rain and Mirai Warden are still very much intact. In addition to whatever Jack brings to the menu (I think pablo is gonna be real strong), pirate burn appears to be alive and well, despite Gangplank leaving. Deep and Lurk were mostly untouched.
​
Demacia

Fiora Lux Poppy Back to Back Brightsteel Formation Captain Arrika Cithria the Bold Concerted Strike Dragon Chow Egghead Researcher En Garde Field Promotion Gallant Rider Golden Aegis Greathorn Companion Laurent Bladekeeper Laurent Chevalier Laurent Protege Loyal Badgerbear Mageseeker Conservator Mageseeker Investigator Mageseeker Inciter Mageseeker Persuader Mobilize Molten Breath Petricite Stag Pompous Cavalier Radiant Guardian Radiant Strike Ranger’s Resolve Redoubled Valor Reinforcements Sharpsight Silverwing Diver Stalking Broodmother Stand Alone Succession Swiftwing Lancer The Grand Plaza Vanguard Bannerman Vanguard Firstblade Vanguard Lookout Vanguard Redeemer War Chefs Winds of War Yordle Ranger 

Scouts actually got hit surprisingly hard this rotation, losing Concerted Strike, Ranger's Resolve, Yordle Ranger, and Golden Aegis. The loss of Aegis in particular will be felt across virtually every Demacia deck. Demacia's 3 drop slot also took a surprising number of hits, losing important options such as Vanguard Redeemer and Laurent Protege. While most of the dragon package remains intact, losing Dragon Chow will be deeply felt and pretty much single handedly kills off any hopes for SI dragons being good anytime soon (Targon dragons still have some hope though). Lux/Jayce is very dead, even if Jayce himself is doing fine. Last but not least, Demacia loses an important anti-burn card in Radiant Guardian, making them far more susceptible to just being burned out. Fortunately for Demacia players, Vayne with all her flexibility is still here, meaning Gwen Vayne, Aatrox Vayne, and more are all very much on the table. Elites got hit in the patch, but virtually their entire package is still right there and I don't see them going anywhere either. While they lost the easy tech answer to aggro decks, they should still be very strong in the upcoming meta.
​
Freijord

Anivia Braum Trundle Abominable Guardian Ancestral Boon Ancient Yeti Augur of the Old Ones Avarosan Marksman Avarosan Outriders Avarosan Sentry Babbling Bjerg Blighted Ravine Call the Wild Catalyst of Aeons Caught in the Cold Ember Maiden Entreat Faces of the Old Ones Feel the Rush Feral Mystic Gift of the Hearthblood Hearthblood Mender Iceborn Legacy It That Stares Kindly Tavernkeeper Pack Mentality Revitalizing Roar Rimefang Wolf Scarmaiden Reaver Scarmother Vrynna Scarthane Steffen Spirits Unleashed Stalking Wolf Take Heart Tarkaz the Tribeless The Howling Abyss The Scargrounds They Who Endure Troll Chant Troll Ravager Troll Scavenger Troop of Elnuks Unscarred Reaver Voices of the Old Ones Wyrding Stones 

I'm gonna level with you, this one hurt to look through. Their easy in-region ramp payoffs in FTR and Anivia are very gone, but I'm not actually all that worried on that point, win conditions will be found. What's more concerning is that many of their strong board stabilization options are gone. Kindly Tavernkeeper, Hearthblood Mender, and Trundle are all key cards in ramp, control, and even some midrange decks to give the region a fighting chance against burn while they try to survive to their ramp payoff. These removals mean that Freijord goes from being a very important check to burn decks to honestly being rather vulnerable to burn, and given how strong burn traditionally has been in this game, that's very concerning. I'm willing to be proven wrong, but I think any sort of Freijord control/ramp gameplan is pretty dead now. On the bright side, frostbite midrange was essentially untouched, but I still fear that Freijord is about to become a rather 1 dimensional region starting tomorrow.
​
Ionia

Irelia Lee Sin Lulu Yasuo Blossoming Blade Charm Claws of the Dragon Dawn and Dusk Deep Meditation Defiant Dance Dragon’s Rage Emerald Awakener Eye of the Dragon Flower Child Fuzzy Caretaker Go Get It Greenglade Elder Greenglade Lookout Health Potion Homecoming Inspiring Mentor Jeweled Protector Ki Guardian Kinkou Lifeblade Kinkou Wayfinder Lead and Follow Memory’s Cloak Mushroom Ring Navori Highwayman Pix! Ribbon Dancer Ritual of Renewal Scattered Pod Shadow Flare Solitary Monk Sown Seeds Steel Tempest Storm of Blades The Mourned Twin Disciplines Vanguard’s Edge Whimsy! Windfarer Hatchling Windswept Hillock Yone, Windchaser Yusari Zephyr Sage Zinneia, Steel Crescendo 

Ionia lost a lot of combo tools. Stuff like Eye of the Dragon and Deep Meditation leaving are going to be pretty substantial blows to the region. Blade Dance is completely gone, so no more azirelia. Yasuo rally is also gone. It's a good thing Sett's getting added, otherwise I'm not sure what the region would have going for it outside of elusive aggro. On the bright side, most of the region's control tools like Will of Ionia and Deny are very intact, so splashing it into other control regions to enable their wincons is just as strong as it was before.
​
Targon:

Aphelios Soraka Taric Zoe Against the Odds Arbiter of the Peak Battle Bonds Blessing of Targon Crystal Ibex Earth Elemental Fledgling Stellacorn Freed Colossus Frightened Ibex Giddy Sparkleogist Gift Giver Gifts from Beyond Ground Slam Loping Telescope Mentor of the Stones Messenger’s Sigil Mountain Goat Mountain Scryer Mountain Sojourners Out of the Way Paddle Star Rockfall Path Scholarly Climber Shards of the Mountain Sleepy Trouble Bubble Sneaky Zeebles Spacey Sketcher Sparklefly Spell Thief Spring Guardian Star Shepherd Star Spring Starbone Stargazer Starlit Epiphany Starry Scamp Startipped Peak Supercool Starchart Targon’s Peak The Fangs The Flight The Sky Shadows The Veiled Temple Wish 

RIP Da Fangs. Ok on a more serious note, the big losses here are Zoe + Aphelios, two champions that made up the backbone of countless Targon Value decks, and Mountain Goat, a surprisingly critical card in Fated decks. On one hand, the excellent Daybreak package was untouched, so Targon still has an excellent midrange deck to stomp around with. Dragons could potentially make a comeback, especially with Targon being one of the few remaining regions with strong anti-burn cards to slot in. While The Winding Light has largely taken back seat to Demacia's Champion Strength in terms of "Big midrange wincon", the card is still there for folks who want to experiment with midrange outside of Demacia.
​
Noxus

Draven Katarina Rumble Vladimir Arachnoid Host Arachnoid Sentry Arena Bookie Arena Kingpin Arena Mechacaster Arrel the Tracker Battering Ram Black Rose Spy Blade’s Edge Blood for Blood Captive Yeti Crimson Aristocrat Crimson Awakener Crimson Bloodletter Crimson Curator Crimson Disciple Crowd Favorite Culling Strike Death Lotus Death’s Hand Decimate Draven’s Biggest Fan House Spider Hunt the Weak Legion Grenadier Legion Rearguard Legion Veteran Legionary Charge Mimic Noxian Guillotine Ravenous Flock Ruined Reckoner Shiraza the Blade Shrieking Spinner Shunpo Sigil of Malice Survival Skills Thorn of the Rose Thrashing Snapper Whispered Words Wild Claws 

Noxus is a strange case. It feels like they got hit hard and not hard at the same time. Swain control decks are going to be extremely sad with the loss of Ravenous Flock, and a pretty wide variety of decks are going to miss Wispered Words, House Spider and Legion Grenadier. Burn decks will finally be forced to cut Decimate, and the loss of Rearguard is going to incentivize them into Bilgewater even more than before. That being said, Noxian burn still feels pretty intact? They're getting an excellent plunder package, Crimson Pigeon is still terrifying, imperial demolitionist and saboteur still push the damage, it feels like most of what's being lost are midrange to control tools. The loss of flock does make it particularly difficult to level up Swain in region though. I recommend players still looking to use him to either look at PnZ and try to force control to work or to look at strike spells like Brutal Skirmish or Prize Fight.
​
PnZ:

Ezreal Vi Viktor Academy Prodigy Aloof Travelers Amateur Aeronaut Ambush Assembly Bot Astute Academic Ballistic Bot Bandle Painter Boomcrew Rookie Calculated Creations Caustic Cask Chempunk Pickpocket Chempunk Shredder Concurrent Timelines Counterfeit Copies Coup de Grace Death Ray – MK 1 Defective Swapbot Eager Apprentice Eminent Benefactor Fallen Feline Fanclub President Flash of Brilliance Get Excited! Give it All Glorious Evolution Hexcore Foundry Hextech Transmogulator Insightful Investigator Intrepid Mariner Iterative Improvement Jae Medarda Mechanized Mimic Midenstokke Henchmen Parade Electrorig Patrol Wardens Poro Cannon Professor Von Yipp Progress Day Rising Spell Force Scrapdash Assembly Shady Character Statikk Shock Stinky Whump Stress Testing Suit Up! Sumpsnipe Scavenger The University of Piltover Thermogenic Beam Trail of Evidence Tri-Beam Improbulator Unlicensed Innovation Unstable Voltician Used Cask Salesman Vault Breaker Volunteer Elnuk 

I found the burn nerfs guys, looks like they were just concentrated almost entirely in PnZ. Get Excited, Boomcrew Rookie, Cask Salesman, pretty much all the classic PnZ burn cards save for Jynx herself are getting rotated out. I'm not sure what the logic of this was, imo PnZ has been the weakest of the 3 "burn" regions for a long while and this rotation cements that. Obviously an entire archetype is going away in the form of Ezreal combo. Control got off lighter, but the loss of Static Shock and Thermo Beam are definitely going to be felt. Jayce Heimer should survive, but I'm not seeing a whole lot else here in the region. Darkin Harp + Vayne might also be able to live without Vi, but at that point it's less a PnZ deck and more a Demacia deck that splashes one or two PnZ spells. At least Ekko might finally be able to branch out of Shurima (clearly we should run him in Bilgewater so that Ekko can predict off of Prize Fights).
​
Shadow Isles

Elise Hecarim Kindred Thresh Absorb Soul Ancient Crocolith Arachnoid Horror Astral Fox Atrocity Blighted Caretaker Brood Awakening Crawling Sensation Cursed Keeper Doombeast Fading Memories Frenzied Skitterer Fresh Offerings Gluttony Go Hard Hapless Aristocrat Haunted Relic Iron Harbinger Lamb’s Respite Minion Mistkeepers Mistwraith Neverglade Collector Oblivious Islander Onslaught of Shadows Pesky Specter Phantom Prankster Possession Ravenous Butcher Risen Mists Shroud of Darkness Song of the Isles Soul Sheperd Soulspinner Spectral Matron Splinter Soul Stirred Spirits Stygian Onlooker The Box The Twisted Treeline Thorny Toad Tortured Prodigy Unspeakable Horror Unto Dusk Vile Feast Withering Mist Withering Wail Wraithcaller 

I will never understand why Kindred had to go. Anyway, the three big headlines here are spiders are extremely dead, ephemeral burn is dead (and with that ephemerals as an archetype most likely), and Vile Feast is going to drastically weaken the aggro matchup of any SI control deck. Fortunately(?) Hallowed was almost literally untouched, so most of your favorite Gwen decks should still be on the menu (Red Gwen losing Kat will def sting, but I doubt the deck is dead). As mentioned earlier, if any control deck can survive the loss of Vile Feat, it'll likely be Darkness. Blighted Caretaker, Ravenous Butcher and Cursed Keeper leaving pretty much kills any sort of slay midrange ideas, as you can no longer do the "SI Special" of Barkbeast into Keeper into either Caretaker or Butcher to instantly create a massively threatening board that heavily swings the game into your favor. Atrocity leaving doesn't help that either. Viego is still here, even if his primary wincon of Atrocity is gone. Depending on where the meta goes there might still be a home for Viego control.
​
Shurima:

Sivir Xerath Ziggs Zilean Acolyte’s Reliquary Bomber Twins Boomerang Blade Callous Bonecrusher Careful Preparation Chronoshift Construct of Desolation Desert’s Wrath Endless Devout Herald of the Magus Hothead Imagined Possibilities Inner Sanctum Payday Preservarium Preservationist Profiteer Raz Bloodmane Ricochet Risen Altar Rite of Calling Rite of Passage Rite of the Arcane Ruin Runner Ruinous Acolyte Ruinous Path Sai Scout Sanctum Conservator Sandseer Shaped Stone Spirit Fire Stoneweaving The Absolver The Time Has Come Thrumming Swarm Treasure Seeker Unleashed Energy Unraveled Earth Unworthy Waste Walker 

Man almost every Shurima archetype got hit here. Shurima Girls is gone with Sivir and Ruin Runner. Acolytes are dead and buried. Sun Disk probably returns to meme tier without Xerath (won't stop me from trying though). Preservium leaving is going to hit a lot of decks, and Taliyah in particular got utterly pummeled this rotation. She lost Ziggs, Herald of the Magus, Endless Devout, and even Shaped Stone. I'm not calling the gal dead, but if she does manage to hang on, I'll be impressed. Even Akshan managed to get hit with Absolver getting removed. If I had to find a silver lining here, it's that Azir got some neat support this expansion and Akshan isn't gone gone. That being said, I don't see too many obvious routes for Shruima to go. Maybe Prize Fight Renekton? (I really like Prize Fight, can you tell I really like Prize Fight?)
​
Anyway, that's all I really got today. Bilgewater appears to be the obvious winner of this rotation and expansion, with Demacia and Noxus getting through relatively unscathed. The rest of the regions got hit pretty hard and don't have obvious directions to go post-patch. Freijord in particular is really struggling, even more than it was in the previous meta. Anyway that's all I got, night folks.

The session of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation has kicked off

"Opening the session and welcoming the participants, Deputy Minister of Defense Karen Brutyan emphasized the importance of strengthening and developing bilateral military-technical relations.
The Deputy Minister of Defense expressed hope that during the session there will be effective discussions related to the prospects of cooperation," reads the Facebook post.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107405.html

Speaker of Parliament meets Bundestag President in Germany, calls for sanctions against Azerbaijan

Speaker Simonyan said that Armenia attaches great importance to the implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and appreciates Germany’s support in this matter.
Speaking about the post-war situation and the need for urgent solutions to regional security issues, Speaker Simonyan said that the no less destructive developments happening in South Caucasus – around Armenia and the Armenian-populated Nagorno Karabakh – are overlooked by many.
At the request of Bas, Simonyan presented details on the crisis in Lachin Corridor, the danger facing the blockaded 120,000 Armenians of Artsakh and the multi-layered humanitarian problems.
Simonyan warned that Azerbaijan is seeking to forcefully displace the Armenian population before the eyes of the whole world by continuing its policy of ethnic cleansing and creating unbearable living conditions.
The Speaker of Parliament reminded that the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – issued a binding ruling on February 22, ordering Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.
“We expect our German colleagues to take practical steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the court’s decision by Azerbaijan through the application of sanctions against Azerbaijan,” Simonyan said.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107385.html

Azerbaijani troops breached line of contact and advance into Nagorno Karabakh

In violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, the Azerbaijani forces breached the line of contact in the Shushi-Lisagor section on March 25 and secured some “positional advance”, the official Information Center of Nagorno Karabakh reported.
The Nagorno Karabakh authorities immediately notified the Russian peacekeepers on this yet another violation by Azerbaijan.
“The authorities expect the peacekeeping contingent to take practical steps for eliminating the consequences of this violation and preventing new violations,” the Information Center said in a statement.
“Azerbaijan’s false claim on the alleged use of the Stepanakert-Ghaybalishen-Lisagor mountain road for arms shipments is simply a pretext for their own renewed aggressive and destructive actions. They ambushed and killed three on-duty police officers and injured another on March 5 under this same pretext. The government of Artsakh has numerously said that in conditions of the ongoing blockade since December 12, the given mountain road is used for civilian, urgent connection between Stepanakert and four communities in Shushi region, which is carried out with [high-clearance] large vehicles, given the highly complex and hazardous terrain.
And the existence and normal functioning of the Defense Army doesn’t pose any danger for anyone, because it is envisaged exclusively for self-defense, taking into account the real and direct dangers and threats against the physical existence and safety of the people of Artsakh,” it added.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107223.html

Azerbaijan’s attempt to advance further into Artsakh territory foiled

On March 27, at around 9:00 am, units of the Azerbaijani armed forces tried to advance towards one of the heights adjacent to the Stepanakert-Lisagor road, Artsakh’s Defense Ministry informs.
The attempted advancement of the was prevented thanks to the actions of the soldiers of the Artsakh army on combat duty,
The incident was reported to the command of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/27/azerbaijans-attempt-to-advance-further-into-artsakh-territory-foiled/

Nagorno Karabakh reacts to Azerbaijani meeting offer

Below is the full statement issued by the foreign ministry of Nagorno Karabakh.
In connection with another proposal made by the Azerbaijani President's Office to hold a meeting between representatives of Azerbaijan and Artsakh in Baku in early April, we consider it necessary to reiterate the principled position of the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh regarding possible discussions with Azerbaijan, their modalities and objectives. The Republic of Artsakh has always advocated and continues to advocate for dialogue and a peaceful, negotiated solution to all existing problems. We have never refused contacts with the Azerbaijani side, which is evidenced by the meetings held between the representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan with the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Artsakh. The conditions proposed by the Azerbaijani side regarding the place and agenda of the meeting, as well as the context in which the proposal was made, indicate that the goal of the Azerbaijani authorities is not to have genuine discussion on existing problems, but to disrupt a possible dialogue or to impose their own political agenda through coercion, blockade, creating unbearable living conditions and the use of military force. In this regard, we consider it necessary to recall that three days ago, on 26 March, the Azerbaijani armed forces, in flagrant violation of the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, crossed the line of contact and moved further into the territory of the Republic of Artsakh, in the direction of the unpaved road Stepanakert-Lisagor. Moreover, on 27 March, the Azerbaijani armed forces made another attempt to take control of the mentioned road, which is the only possibility of emergency communication between the communities of Shushi region and other settlements of the republic under the conditions of blockade. We reaffirm our readiness, in line with the established practice of previous meetings, to meet with the representatives of Azerbaijan with the mediation and at the deployment site of the command of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent in Artsakh to discuss issues of ensuring the normal life activity of the people of Artsakh and the proper implementation by the parties of their obligations, in particular, those related to the unimpeded functioning of the Lachin Corridor. In this context, we consider the reopening of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia through the Lachin Corridor and addressing the humanitarian, infrastructural and other urgent issues caused by the blockade to be a priority The authorities of Artsakh are also open to discussing other issues, which would not be aimed at imposing ready-made solutions on the part of Azerbaijan, but the search of mutually acceptable solutions to stabilise the situation and prevent further escalation of tension. We emphasize once again that the continued blocking of the Lachin Corridor and aggravation of the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh are unacceptable and in no way contribute to creating an environment conducive to dialogue. We are convinced that only proper implementation by Azerbaijan of its international obligations, both under the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and the order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023, may testify to Azerbaijan's willingness and interest to address issues through dialogue and negotiations without resorting to coercion and the use of force. We reiterate the inadmissibility of politicisation of dialogue on technical and humanitarian issues and emphasise that the political issues of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict settlement must be discussed in an agreed and internationally established negotiation format, based on the equal rights of the parties and the existence of solid international guarantees for the implementation by the parties of their obligations.”
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107369.html

Charles Michel conducts separate telephone calls with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders

On 25 March, European Council President Charles Michel had separate bilateral telephone conversations with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan.
Following his last meetings with both leaders in Munich on 16-17 February 2023, President Michel raised with them various topics discussed in the Brussels process between their first trilateral meeting on 14 December 2021 and their fourth meeting on 31 August 2022.
Michel reaffirmed the EU’s strong commitment to helping the sides reach a long-awaited normalisation and sustainable peace and expressed concerns about the continuous crisis around the Lachin corridor, the recent casualties and sharp increase in tensions on the ground as well as accompanying negative rhetoric.
The EU top official urged his counterparts to look for compromise solutions and to refrain from any actions that could lead to risks of escalation.
In both calls, the leaders agreed to stay in close contact.
https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/charles-michel-conducts-separate-telephone-calls-with-armenian-and-azerbaijani-leaders/

Armenia’s Constitutional Court greenlights ratification of Rome Statute

The High Court ruled today that the Stature corresponds to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.
The decision paves the way for Armenia to join the International Criminal Court.
Although Armenia signed the Rome Statute in 1999, in 2004, the Armenian Constitutional Court ruled that the Statute was partially incompatible with the Armenian constitution and could not be ratified.
The ICC is the world’s first permanent international court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Central to the Court’s mandate is the principle of complementarity, which holds that the Court will only intervene if national legal systems are unwilling or unable to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The Armenian Government greenlighted the ratification of the Statue at a sitting of December 29, 2022.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/24/armenias-constitutional-court-greenlights-ratification-of-rome-statute/

Opposition nominates candidate for Ombudsman

The two opposition caucuses in the Armenian parliament have nominated their candidate for Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman), a position that has been vacant since the resignation of Kristinne Grigoryan in January.
The opposition’s candidate is Edgar Ghazaryan, a former Armenian Ambassador to Poland and former Chief of Staff of the Constitutional Court, the chair of the human rights and public affairs committee Taguhi Tovmasyan said in a statement.
Ghazaryan is a vocal critic of the incumbent government.
The ruling Civil Contract faction earlier announced that its candidate for the position is Anahit Manasyan, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Armenia. Manasyan hasn’t been officially nominated yet.
Candidates must pass a confirmation vote in parliament to be installed as Ombudsman.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107345.html

United States expresses concern over Azerbaijani ‘military movements’

“Assistant Secretary Karen Donfried spoke with Foreign Minister Bayramov this morning and expressed concern over Azerbaijani military movements,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said when asked to give updates from the situation on the ground regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan.
“She emphasized the U.S.’s commitment to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations. As the Secretary has also spoken about this quite repeatedly, direct dialogue is key to resolving this issue and reaching a lasting peace. There is not a military solution to this conflict. We’ll continue to facilitate discussions between Armenia and Azerbaijan bilaterally as well as with partners, and as well as throughout multilateral organizations as well,” Patel added.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107342.html

Khandanyan presents situation resulted by the blockade of Lachin Corridor to the delegation of Czech Foreign Ministry

According to him, now Armenia is in the continuous processes of democratic reforms and is consistent to the succeeded experience of the Czech Republic.
The Committee Chair noted that this year the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Czech Republic. According to him, during the past three decades, inter-state warm relations were succeeded to develop and at present, Armenia is ready to deepen the cooperation in all possible spheres of mutual interest with the Czech Republic.
As Sargis Khandanyan observed, the inter-parliamentary cooperation is rather active. He expressed conviction that the mutual interests will promote the strengthening of cooperation between the parliaments of two countries.
Armenia highlights the effective cooperation with the Czech Republic on the bilateral, as well as multilateral platforms, in the EU and multilateral formats, including the UN, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other formats.
Jaroslav Kurfürst thanked Sargis Khandanyan for warm reception and words. He also emphasized the deepening of cooperation between the two countries, noting that on the occasion of the establishment of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a number of events and mutual visits are scheduled.
According to the Director General for European Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the cooperation in parliamentary format has an important role for enriching the agenda of inter-state relations and deepening of the existing friendly ties.
The Committee Chair presented the situation in Armenia and in Nagorno Karabakh, spoke about the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, underlining that as a consequence of closing of the only road connecting with the outside world, 120.000 residents of Nagorno Karabakh is in full blockade.
Issues of regional security were also discussed.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107331.html

Armenian Prime Minister holds meeting with new Georgian Ambassador

PM Pashinyan congratulated Ambassador Sharvashidze on taking office and expressed confidence that his activities will boost the development of the Armenian-Georgian relationship, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
The Prime Minister praised the Armenia-Georgia cooperation course and attached importance to further expanding the economic ties and initiatives aimed at utilizing untapped potential.
Ambassador Sharvashidze vowed to make maximum efforts to strengthen the Armenian-Georgian ties.
PM Pashinyan and Ambassador Sharvashidze exchanged views around prospects of cooperation and discussed the trade-economic agenda. In this context they attached importance to active contacts and mutual-visits between business circles and their involvement in investment programs.
The importance of the signing of the agreement on introducing simplified visa-free travel requirements between Armenia and Georgia was stressed in terms of strengthening humanitarian ties.
Both sides attached importance to regional stability and peace.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107141.html

Canada calls on Azerbaijan to release Armenian POWs, reopen Lachin Corridor

“I share the concerns of Armenian Canadians and Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. We continue to call on the Azerbaijani authorities to reopen the Lachin Corridor. We need to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis. Canada supports the 2020 ceasefire agreement, including the return of Armenian prisoners of war. It is important that the ceasefire – which is supported by the EU monitoring group – be respected,” Mélanie Joly said in response to MP Jean Yip, who noted that it’s already been over 100 days that the Lachin Corridor is blocked and that many Armenians in Canada are worried over the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and that the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh could soon escalate. She asked on the Canadian government’s position and efforts in this matter.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107367.html

Armenian Ambassador to UN debunks Azeri accusations on “child soldiers”, letter published as official UNSC, GA document

Margaryan wrote the letter with reference to the groundless, repetitive and false accusations by Azerbaijan which have already been repudiated on several occasions.
Read the full thing in the link, it's a long letter
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107193.html

Armenian Defense Minister calls for continuous enhancement of combat readiness given regional situation

The three-day assembly will feature reports, lectures and exhibition trainings, the defense ministry said in a statement.
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan welcomed the participants of the event at the Defense Ministry headquarters on March 28.
Speaking about the regional military-political situation and the military’s objectives in this context, the minister attached importance to continuous enhancement of the combat readiness of troops, implementation of frontline re-equipment and reinforcement works, and also discussed the ongoing reforms in the military.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107357.html

Due to the regional military-political situation, the Minister of Defense emphasized the increase of combat capability in the troops

According to the preparation plan for the academic year of 2023, on March 28, the three-day operational meetings held with the leadership of the RA Armed Forces started in the administrative complex of the Ministry of Defense.
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan welcomed the participants on the first day of the meeting. Touching upon the regional military-political situation and the problems faced by the armed forces in that context, the minister emphasized the continuous increase in combat capability of the troops, the implementation of frontline furnishing and fortification works, and also referred to the reforms launched in the armed forces.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107357.html

Greek community of Armenia celebrates independence day

The Pontic Greek community of Yerevan organized a Greek national holiday celebration in the Educational-Cultural Center of National Minorities of the Prime Minister’s Office on March 26.
Greece celebrates Independence Day on March 25.
Colonel Gerasimos Avlonitis, the Defense Attache of the Embassy of Greece in Armenia, attended the event.
Eduard Polatov, the head of the Patrida Greek community of Armenia also delivered remarks
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107274.html

Armenian military builds new base intended for women recruits

Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan visited on March 25 a military base which will house the women’s regiment and a boot camp for women troops.
Papikyan surveyed the buildings and issued concrete instructions regarding the deadlines of the construction.
The Armenian military plans to introduce a new option of voluntary military service for women.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107216.html

Armenian patriarchate calls on Israeli authorities to take serious measures following attack on St. Mary's Church

Below is the full communiqué released by the chancellery.
“The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem strongly condemns the attack on the St. Mary’s Church of Gethsemane, which according to the Status Quo of the Holy Places is under the joint control of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches.
Though it was the first attack on St. Mary since the beginning of this year, the Christian Holy Shrines have been in constant state of both physical and emotional duress by rogue attackers. Had these previous attacks on the Christian Holy Places been swiftly condemned by the local authorities leading to the perpetrators’ punishment to the full extent of the law, there would not be an influx of new attacks on the churches and monasteries of these Christian communities.
Religious intolerance and hate crimes in all their forms and perpetrations will never allow the conditions of peaceful co-existence to manifest. In fact, their presence – especially when gone unchecked by prevailing authorities – will encourage other hateful crimes and intolerances to take place. These actions and their lack of condemnation lead to unsafe conditions for these communities and establishes a lack of trust between worshipers, tourists, and residents with the local authorities.
Therefore, we call upon the Israeli Government and the Police to take serious measures to prevent such attacks and to protect both the Christian Holy sites and their daily worshipers from further vandalism and suchlike attacks.”
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1106888.html

Nagorno Karabakh arrests two Stepanakert residents on suspicion of espionage

In a statement released Saturday, the Nagorno Karabakh Investigative Committee said “two residents of Stepanakert city established contact with agents of the Azerbaijani intelligence agencies” and regularly relayed classified information, including top secret data, in exchange for money.
Authorities said the suspects conveyed information on Nagorno Karabakh’s economy, the security of citizens, the social programs in response to the blockade, the changes happening in the composition of the government, the presidential orders and other information relating to the population - actions that constitute “high treason.”
The law enforcement agency did not mention how the suspects gained access to top secret information.
Both suspects are charged with high treason and are being held in custody.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107207.html

Russia, Belarus barred from upcoming Yerevan European Weightlifting Championships 2023 by EWF

The men’s and women’s teams of Russia and Belarus were not included in the final entry list of nations by the EWF.
The EWF European Weightlifting Championships 2023 are scheduled to take place 15-23 April in Yerevan, Armenia.
In 2022, the EWF indefinitely banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in its events. Russia and Belarus nonetheless submitted bids to participate in the Yerevan championships but the EWF turned them down.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1107020.html

As a result of the Lernakert excavations, burials attributed to the phase of transition from the middle bronze to the late bronze were discovered.

Burials attributed to the phase of transition from the Middle Bronze to the Late Bronze Age (2nd half of the 16th century - 1st half of the 15th century BC) were opened, in which both the Middle Bronze Age Red Berd and the Late Bronze Age objects were found. These tombs of the transitional phase (Middle Bronze to Late Bronze) have a retaining wall-cromlech with a diameter of 5-15 meters. The cells are underground, oriented north-south. In the burials attributed to different phases of the Late Bronze Age, the remains were placed in the ways of burial and reburial. Accompanying possessions in these tombs are shells, rarely beads. The tombs belonging to the early Iron Age have retaining wall-cromlechs (8-20 m square), low mounds made of small stones and east-west facing slab cells. Group burials were documented in the Lower Iron Age tombs. It was discovered
On the eastern slope of the hill of the Iron Age fortress Vari Berd, a "wheel-shaped" structure consisting of other adjacent circular structures was confirmed by aerial photography. "Wheel" structures are famous in Armenia in the foothills of Aragats, where they are found in the context of monuments called "desert kites". Remains of the "Spinal" structure were also documented in the highest ancient site of Aragats Mountain, Karmir Sar, where excavations revealed a collection of dragon stone carvings in their original environment. The example of Lernakert is special in that it is documented for the first time in the context of the castle. However, the latter's function is not yet clear.
The Lernakert excavations are important in terms of the study of the Early Bronze Age society. In particular, the research of the ancient DNA of Lernakert has received a wide response, which shows that the skeletons discovered in burials made at the same time, but in different tomb groups, had no family ties. It proves that different superstitions lived in the communities.
The study of the dynamics of changes in the early Bronze Age landscape of Lernakert makes it possible to follow the formation and construction processes of the defense system with the data of two fortresses in one complex. Due to the combination of data from Lernakert burial site with data from Artik, Harichi, Horom, Mastara, Talin and Lchashen, the processes of formation of complex societies in the Late Bronze Age can be outlined. Groups of privileged people, soldiers, religious servants and merchants are noted in castles and burial grounds.
Articles on the results of the excavations were published in Armenian and foreign periodicals, reported both at local and foreign scientific conferences.
The Lernakert archaeological expedition was co-financed by the Shirak Armenological Research Center of the NAS of RA, the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the NAS of RA, the State Committee of Science and the National Association for Armenological Research and Studies (NAASR) within the framework of the theme "Trends of the Bronze Age landscape transformation of the northwestern slopes of Aragats Mountain".
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107376.html

The President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Arman Dilanyan.

"I think the most important function of the Constitutional Court and the Presidency is to be able to monitor how well the Constitution works and is preserved in the Republic of Armenia. I would like to continue our conversation on this topic so that in the future we can decide where we have shortcomings, where we can make it more efficient and most importantly, do it together. I would also like to know your opinion in that regard," said Vahagn Khachaturyan.
Expressing his gratitude for the reception, Arman Dilanyan emphasized that the primary duty of the president is to follow the protection of the Constitution.
"In my opinion, it is the most important function of the presidential institution according to our Constitution. In other words, when we read the Constitution, the very first article is about the institution of the president, according to which the president follows the observance of the Constitution. It is not declaratory, it implies very specific powers. "It is the institution of the president that can fully highlight the national problems, analyzing these problems from an objective point of view and presenting them to the Constitutional Court as well," said the President of the Supreme Court.
During the meeting, Arman Dilanyan presented to the President of the Republic the ongoing reforms in the Constitutional Court and the programs of upcoming events. During the conversation, it was emphasized on both sides that the close cooperation of the Presidential Institute and the High Court and the harmony of the agendas of the two constitutional bodies guarantee the normal and uninterrupted functioning of the state bodies in the country.
During the conversation, reference was made to raising awareness about the activities of the Constitutional Court in social, educational and other spheres, raising awareness among citizens about the functions of the Constitutional Court.
A number of issues related to the training and training of personnel in the judicial system, the process and principles of recruitment were also discussed.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107322.html

SC Secretary Armen Grigoryan had working meetings in Tallinn

The Secretary of the Security Council presented the security threats of Armenia to his colleagues, in particular, the possible escalation by Azerbaijan towards Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
The parties emphasized the security cooperation between Armenia and Estonia, as well as the processes of strengthening democracy in Armenia.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107411.html

With the efforts of the Pan-Armenian Youth Football Association, 6 young football players from different countries will come to Armenia

The events are held in cooperation with the Football Federation of Armenia.
During the evening, world champion Yuri Dzhorkaef, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, FFA president Armen Melikbekyan sent video messages. National team football player Yura Movsisyan, SADA Systems president Hovig Safoyan, Arpinet LLC executive director Armen Muradyan, entrepreneurs, coaches who contributed to the development of Armenian football, football players, football fans took part in the event.
During his short visit to the USA, Hakob Arshakyan also met with the members of The Armenian Society of fellows council, scientists and entrepreneurs, and discussed the prospects of scientific and technological development of Armenia.
Meetings were also held with the head of the Los Angeles City Council, Paul Krekorian, community representatives, and a wide range of issues of bilateral interest were discussed.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1107364.html

Ruling Civil Contract faction nominates Anahit Manasyan for Human Rights Defender

The post of the Human Rights Defender has been vacant since Kristinne Grigoryan resigned in late January.
Everyone having attained the age of 25, enjoying high authority within the public, having higher education, having been a citizen of solely the Republic of Armenia for the preceding four years, permanently residing in the Republic of Armenia for the preceding four years, and having the right of suffrage, as well as having command of the Armenian language may be elected to the office of the Defender.
According to law, the Defender shall be elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, upon recommendation of the competent standing committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, by at least three fifths of votes of the total number of the members of the Parliament, for a term of six years.
The Defender shall assume office immediately after having been elected by the National Assembly by taking an oath.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/28/ruling-civil-contract-faction-nominates-anahit-manasyan-for-human-rights-defende

Armenian FM discusses regional developments with the Ambassador of Spain

During the meeting the interlocutors exchanged views on topics related to regional security and stability. Minister Mirzoyan touched upon Azerbaijan’s actions, including the recent aggressions againts the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the rhetoric at the highest level and the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, emphasizing that such actions of Azerbaijan do not contribute to Armenia’s efforts to establish lasting peace in the region. Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the importance of lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor as well as the importance of sending an international fact-finding mission to the corridor.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/28/armenian-fm-discusses-regional-developments-with-the-ambassador-of-spain/

Armenia, Cyprus play a 2-2 draw in a friendly: Grant-Leon Ranos scores a brace

https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/28/armenia-cyprus-play-a-2-2-draw-in-a-friendly-grant-leon-ranos-scores-a-brace/

Armenia loses 1 - 2 against turkey in Euro Qualifier

https://www.espn.com/soccematch/_/gameId/655264

Dr Sophie Scamps raises Artsakh blockade in Australian Federal Parliament

Dr Scamps said, “A couple of weeks ago, I was treated to a surprise visit in my electorate office by students of the AGBU Alexander Primary School in Duffys Forest in my electorate of Mackellar. AGBU is an independent, co-educational, bilingual English and Armenian Christian school. While I’m absolutely delighted to have received a visit from these year 5 and 6 students, they came with a very serious message. The students presented me with a letter they had written, asking me to address the Australian parliament on a very important matter: the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor in Artsakh since 12 December 2022, as part of the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
“The Lachin corridor is a road that connects the Republic of Artsakh to the Republic of Armenia. The letter went on to explain how the supply of food and medicine is running dangerously low as a result of the blockade, and gas supply between Armenia and Artsakh has been cut off.”
“There is a vibrant Armenian community in my electorate of Mackellar, and I’ve had many representations from those people in addition to the schoolchildren. On their behalf, I have made representations to Foreign Minister Wong’s office about this ongoing crisis and met with foreign department specialists to discuss the matter. The crisis affecting the people of Artsakh must not be forgotten or overlooked while the world is distracted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
ANC-AU Executive Director Michael Kolokossian welcomed the advocacy efforts undertaken by the Year 5 and Year 6 students of AGBU Alexander Primary School.
“During this difficult time, every Armenian-Australian must be advocating for an end to this illegal blockade. It is heartening to see the youngest members of our community play a key role in standing up for their homeland.”
“We thank Dr Scamps for engaging with the Armenian-Australian community and bringing this issue to the floor of parliament. Her principled stance is greatly appreciated as we work to end this blockade,” added Kolokossian.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/28/dr-sophie-scamps-raises-artsakh-blockade-in-australian-federal-parliament/

Farmers in Artsakh targeted by Azerbaijani forces

The report states that at 11:30 a.m. on March 27, Alyosha Zakaryan, the chief specialist of the Martakert region of the Artsakh Republic’s State Inspections Management Committee, reported to the regional police department that March 26, the enemy targeted them in the administrative area of Martakert city. about firing erratically.
The police officers found out that on the same day around 11:30 a.m., while doing agricultural work in the pomegranate orchard belonging to the State Inspections Management Committee in the administrative area of Martakert city, Azerbaijani combat positions fired irregular shots from rifle weapons at the workers.
No one was hurt. Agricultural work was stopped. The police passed the information on to the Russian peacekeeping troops.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/27/farmers-in-artsakh-targeted-by-azerbaijani-forces-3/

Armenia participates in International Agroindustrial Food Fair in Cuba

Armenia showcases agricultural products, brandy and wines at the event.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/24/armenia-participates-in-international-agroindustrial-food-fair-in-cuba/

Sarsang water levels dropping at alarming rate amid blockade, Artsakh authorities say

Since January 9 Azerbaijan has been barring Nagorno Karabakh authorities from accessing and repairing the damaged power transmission line which supplies Nagorno Karabakh with electricity from Armenia.
“The only source of electricity we have now is the Sarsang Reservoir,” Ararat Khachatryan, the acting chairman of the Water Committee of Artsakh said.
“The water levels are over eight meters lower compared to the same period last year. Today the inflow is 4 cumecs, which is a very low indicator. The Tartar flow can reach up to thirty, forty or fifty cumecs. The consumption is a lot higher now. When water levels are high, less water is actually consumed for obtaining electricity, but when the water levels drop, pressure also drops and it takes more water to get the same amount of electricity,” Khachatryan explained.
“Since January 9, Azerbaijan has been impeding and barring us from carrying out repair works in the territory under its control where the high-voltage electricity transmission line supplying Artsakh from Armenia passes. Before the blockade, especially in winters, when the electricity supplied from Armenia was insufficient, we were using the Sarsang Reservoir. After the war we are left with only five small HPPs in Artsakh, which work only under 20% capacity,” Khachatryan said, warning that if the power line doesn’t get fixed soon there will be insufficient water levels in Sarsang.
Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan earlier warned that the significant decrease of water resources in Sarsang Reservoir (which had a capacity of 600,000,000 cubic meters) will lead to a serious crisis in spring and summer first of all for the Azerbaijani farmers themselves because the water resources won’t be sufficient enough for irrigating the 96,000 hectares in Azerbaijan’s Tartar, Aghdam, Bardi, Goranboy, Yevlakh and Akhjabad regions. The Artsakh authorities said that the residents of these regions should be aware that they won’t have irrigation water and will subsequently lose income and harvest thanks to their own authorities and the self-proclaimed “eco-activists”.
https://en.armradio.am/2023/03/17/sarsang-water-levels-dropping-at-alarming-rate-amid-blockade-artsakh-authorities-say/

Artsakh's human rights defender had meetings in the Uruguayan parliament

Gegham Stepanyan thanked the members of the friendship group and the forum for the efforts invested in protecting the interests of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as raising awareness of the current situation in Artsakh.
During the discussions, reference was made to the policy of ethnic hatred conducted by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh and the works being carried out to counteract it, as well as the issues related to the involvement and expected support of the international community in the direction of lifting the ongoing blockade. Further steps of cooperation in the specified directions were discussed.
link

Japanese sakura flowers will blossom in Yerevan (for some reason)

The Japanese Embassy in Armenia on Tuesday approved the funding program for the renovation of a building where the “Khikari” Armenian-Japanese Cultural Center will function. The $120,000 grant program is called “Khikari Center Improvement Project.”
“The preparation for the project took three years, but I am confident that nice and good dreams always come true if you continue to wait and believe,” she noted.
Piliposyan also extended her thanks to all supporters, which include the Armenian MFA, Ministry of Culture, Government-Affiliated Charitable Project Coordination Commission and, of course, Japan.
The aforesaid building will be allocated for fifteen years and free of charge. The Center also will have a small Japanese style garden. Moreover, they already have promised to bring Japanese sakura (cherry blossom) flower seedlings to Armenian capital city Yerevan.
The renovation is scheduled to be completed by the year’s end.
https://news.am/eng/news/146489.html

Illegal building being done next to this building in Yerevan

link

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Hello /architecture. I'm sure this inquiry has been posted many times, but I'll be needing advice on similar and how best to move forward. I've graduated with a bachelors degree in Architecture a while back, and have not had the chance to work at a firm to see if it's actually something that I would like to pursue. I've spoken to and applied to many firms (including recent rejections in the last few months) without success, as they all pursued other candidates and that they felt I don't know what I want... which is also partly true. I entered into architecture because I know I can do more with myself and was inspired by my past schoolmates going into the field and finding their successes with it. I've held some odd jobs since graduating, including many volunteer positions, election work, a brief year of being a teaching assistant, and my recent position as a call representative (a bore, yes, I know), and I still absolutely know that I can do much better if someone can give me the chance. I know I can draw, design, make physical models, and have a good quality of my craft. I genuinely did enjoy the design challenges and processes architecture school exposed me to, I just wish I had a chance to actually work in a firm or creative field and not waste what potential I have (not trying to sound full of it. I know I have skill, and I'm getting very anxious that I'm wasting what I have and not living up to my potential). I have thought maybe architecture is not for me (as during my time in school, I've disappointed many teachers and was definitely not a star student. I also nearly cried before giving presentations, so I have a very big stage fright) and posed ideas of going into graphic design, industrial design, space architecture (which I did fail to get into a particular program last year, as I was confident at a recent point this could be a potential career path for me), parametric design, digital fabrication... the different fields of design and architectural design are really cool, and I really wish someone would at least give me the chance to work a little bit. Is this just a matter of keeping applying to places or is a career change necessary as I'm not suited for architecture? Do I go back to school or take independent other courses? I've been applying for YEARS without success so I'm thinking it may not be for me... but I'm really not sure what is or how best to work with the bachelor's degree that I have, but I'm looking for a change very very soon and to move seriously into the design and/or architecture field.
Thank you so much in advance!

Firstly, I'm aware of how these meds are, or at least were (prior to supply issues) passed around casually for partying, cramming sessions, etc. Truth be told, I discovered how helpful these medications can be when I was struggling during my freshman year of college. A concerned friend offered me a couple [Rx name redacted] to assist me in studying to get a decent grade on a crucial (for my degree) Chemistry exam.
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was a wee lad in 4th grade. At the time, it was determined I was astute enough, and not problematic enough to justify medicating. I made it through high school with honors; possibly due to fear of my parents because there were a couple "C's" in there. They were motivating in the sense that if I didn't have a 3.5+ GPA freedom would be lost. All the while my mindset was that I was "skating", i.e. this shit was easy and didn't require the attention that some people needed. The diagnosis really didn't make any impact on me. This was followed by some concurrent enrollment at the community college in the typical GFR's like PSYCH101 and SOC101, which were a breeze and I thought I'd be rolling through college sans problem(s).
That diagnosis didn't occur to me till shit got real difficult. This may occur at different times, for different people, in wildly different fields, but in my case it was the second semester of my Freshmen year in college. Taking [Rx name redacted] allowed me to study in a way I had never studied previously. Revealing to me I had never really studied previously. I feel like I've at least tried to read every study method in the "book", but in most cases I didn't make it past the first paragraph, because, from my perception, there's ZERO reward in thinking about how you might be doing something that you're planning to do rather than just doing it. Pain centers of my brain would light up as soon as the dopamine fueled novelty of this new "hack" was gone, which was quick. It became clear to me this medication was necessary to continue on the path I had planned for myself.
Long story short, I was able to complete my MechE degree, and I hate to say that I may not have without [Rx name redacted]. But that's part of the struggle with this "neurodivergence", as it's been called lately. You're not suppose to tell the doctor you need it, whereas I'm not sure I'd be where I am in my career now without it. I might have been forced to settle for a completely different job/career if it wasn't an option. I could have chosen a path that had more immediate gratification, but I didn't because there aren't that many paths that scratch that inquisitive, creative itch I'll always have. It's part of me, and for most of you reading this (if you made it this far) you probably have a similar itch to produce something meaningful, something moving, or something of practical purpose.
My point of this post being, I'm irate over the constant, flippant references to using these medications for a quick fix, staying awake, partying etc., which is virtually always cast in a casual light. This pervasive narrative for these medications is wrong. Yes, I can't ignore that these medications are frequently abused. I can't picture an episode of Modern Family mentioning Percocet or Hydrocodone in a similar, cavalier light. Yet somehow this medication that is helping many, killing vastly fewer, ruining many many less lives in comparison is classed in the same SCHED 1 group as opiates and benzos.
Meanwhile, I can't be sure that I can receive treatment, because every 3 months - 1 year my doctor retires and the new one 'doesn't like to prescribe that type of medication', or I move to a new state and they want a new diagnosis that will take 6 month to start the process, or pharmacist: "we don't recognize telehealth prescriptions anymore.", Last Doctor "Yeah, we don't want to subscribe that anymore... to anyone. Because 'audits'", supply chain issues..., and so on.
It may not be the core issue, though I can't help but think the people making these decisions would be a bit less prone to take such actions if the image wasn't diminishing the helpfulness of these ADHD medications for people that benefit from it.
This narrative doesn't paint the picture of the people who use it because it's actually necessary for their productivity. Being non-neurotypical people trying to succeed in a neurotypically structured world, this casual dead-horse of narrative makes us the target of new regulations, legislations, etc., because we all know its easier to grab the low hanging fruit, i.e. the drug abuse that sitcom just joked about for the 1000th time, rather than make helpful decisions based on sound evidence.
Wow this really turned into a wall of text without me realizing. This was mostly a rant, but I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts and/or start a discussion. If you made it this far thanks so much for reading!
TLDR; I'm so done with feeling like a criminal/addict for seeking to have consistent treatment. You shouldn't feel shame, grief, or resentment in the process of seeking help, whether or not medication, CBT, or otherwise is the treatment that works best for you.

I have my own business and had some things stolen off a work site. It happened in less than 30 seconds. All on camera. It's just me doing everything in my business. I'm the technician, the assistant, the accountant, the project manager, and the customer service. I did this to gtfo out of it all. Get away from awful bosses.
It was 2 homeless people and I've had a lot happen over the last few. A lot. It made me hit my breaking point. Society is accelerating it's breakdown.
I'll never give any US local, state, or federal government a dime of my income. I'm done. No taxation without representation and no one represents the people of this country. The social decay has gotten beyond our control.
The US government must go. It must be overthrown. It has no purpose except to act as a leach of society's earners. Every program is a fraud. Every bit of money goes to the corrupt. They're taking all of our money.
It's not just the money. It's what the money represents. All our work...for nothing.
I burn the US flag now. Burn it. It means nothing. For this small town Coloradoan, (yes, even from the same town where Lauren Boebert lives) I'm done with the United States of America. I am no longer a citizen of the United States of America and I no longer am bound to the rules of the United States of America.
Goodbye.

My parents are not well. I mean they are in an enviable situation given the circumstances, but they are not "well." I don't think they have been for a few decades. I will try to unpack this, but it may be a bit longwinded. I promise to use paragraphs!
I am M(50) and my parents are Dad(91) and Mom(80). They adopted my brother and me when were babies in the early 70's. In many ways they were loving parents, but my mom was abusive emotionally, verbally and physically. My dad was very passive with her but very active in our lives. My mom was active too, just not in ways we would have preferred!
In retrospect I think she may have Adult ADD and possibly be bipolar. But she would never seek therapy. She is the type who doesn't believe in that and would not even go to a doctor for 30 years until she had a small stroke 11 years ago. She is also, quite honestly a spoiled brat and acts like a complete Karen and thinks only of herself and her immediate needs.
About 30 years ago, my brother developed a drinking problem followed by crack addiction. My parents drained a significant part of their retirement (and my dad just recently retired as he had to keep working) paying for rehab, his bills, his whims, his divorces, his court cases, his bail, his lawyers, cars that he would sell to drug dealers and God knows what else.
They were fearful that if they left their apartment that they would miss his call that he was home at night and if he didn't call my dad would go out and look for him. My dad referred to this as "keeping him alive." It was a very dysfunctional situation and as a result, they really quit leaving the house (my dad worked in a separate office he rented in the apartment building) to do anything besides my dad getting groceries / dinner or something for his business.
My brother and I had a tumultuous relationship. We would go years without talking. I resented everything he put my parents through - both emotionally and financially. He freeloaded off of them for decades, but they also refused to ever cut him off tried to shield him from any consequences (although he did lose parental rights to his kid and did jail time on several occasions).
I lived out of state for 25 of the last 27 years. I recently moved back to my hometown because my brother died 2 years ago. Of course it was related to his drug use.
I set my parents up with several occasions with someone to come in and help with things. However, my mom kept terminating the contracts with them because no one can ever do anything good enough for her.
She never leaves the house. She has terrible knees (which she will never get replaced) and sleeps a lot. She watches tv all day long (usually 24 hour news - not Fox, thankfully). She has terrible incontinence as well. A few months ago she had decided to stop wearing her diapers and would double up with pads in the bed and just sleep in her own piss every night.
A little over 3 months ago (Dec, 2022), my dad, who has really been a primary caretaker for her (I live 5 miles away and have helped when I can) was helping her change her pajamas. He fell back and hit his upper back on the corner of the dresser and cracked 6 ribs. He didn't tell me about this until 3 days later. I took him to Urgent Care, they told him to rest. He fell 2 more times, the last time in the middle of the night and I called 911 against his wishes and he ended up in the hospital.
Needless to say, with COVID raging and hospital beds filling up, they could not keep him long so they sent to a physical rehab facility. He was very week and could barely walk. He had lost a lot of strength being laid up in bed with the cracked ribs. He is normally very active but he is very small and thin anyway.
During his 2 month stay at the rehab place he contracted COVID and Pneumonia. He is a tough dude for sure.
While he was in there, I took care of my mom along with another helper who she found through a neighbor. I also started the process of terminating my dad's business. I was also running by his place to make sure he everything he needed at the rehab place and trying to find an assisted living place for them both. I also work a full time job, have a side consulting business, a wife, a son in college and I play in a band. Living hell would be a great description of the last 3 months. I also had to coordinate moving them out of that apartment as them being on their own is just not an option at this point.
In any case I found them a top notch assisted care place. They have had a Long Term Care insurance since the mid-90's and basically their care is paid for at this place. They have a beautiful apartment in a complex that has a nice dining, social areas, live music, a bar, a movie theater, a salon, ice cream machine etc..., lots of the fixins.
My mom got their first and the first 2 days she got dressed with assistance (something she cannot do on her own and something she never did in that apartment - she is always in pajama gowns) and went down to the dining room for dinner. After that she started having her meals brought to her. Mind you each meal delivered comes with an $8 delivery fee, also because they encourage the residents to be social and get out.
My dad moved in from the rehab place a month ago - 2 weeks after my mom moved in. He cannot walk very much and is still getting PT, but every time I see him he in a wheelchair. I think he is scared to fall again.
Since he has been there neither one have them have left the apartment. They still get all of their meals delivered which the staff has told me is highly unusual. The only positive is at least they are watching more Andy Griffith than MSNBC.
Today my mom just called me yelling that they have a "huge problem." I winced. "It's 6:15 and they still haven't brought us our dinner! You're father has buzzed the nurse and no one's come."
"Ok, mom, what do you want me to do?" I reply.
She turns to my dad "what do you want him to do?"
My dad: "Well, there isn't really anything he can do."
My mom: "Oh! I'm telling you I'm not happy here and neither is your father although he won't tell you that. This keeps up and I'm moving back to the apartment complex where I was before."
Me: "Well, I don't think you and dad have really given it a chance over there."
My mom: "BYE!" slams the phone down.
I need to have a conversation which is next to fucking impossible with my mom. Either that or I need someone to intervene? Maybe their doctor, I really don't know.
I am going back to see my therapist next week. They are taken care of and I go by 2 times a week or so as they are 5 minutes away, but am trying to maintain some boudaries for my own sanity. Usually they have a list of things they need or errands that they need help with.
I feel my dad may be teetering on the brink of depression as he cannot walk or work. He has no desire to do anything. My mom is just, well, I've explained that. The dynamic seems highly dysfunctional and being that I cannot step back from it I feel maybe I am like the boiling frog. Their situation seems to me to be highly unhealthy. But how do you help 2 people who have been miserable for 30 years and seemingly have no desire to improve their lives?
That sounds like mental illness to me and it is sad. I am just not sure if there is anything I can do or if there is anything I should do? I know the incontinence thing is bad with my mom but at least there in the assisted living she has to wear diapers. My dad has incontinence issues too after this ordeal.
I am open to any suggestions. This was probably therapeutic just writing all this.

Napansin ko na may mga naghahanap ng review sa company na ito pero walang masyadong mahanap online. So eto ang aking unforgettable experience:
Micromanagement at Lack of Trust sa freelancers nila yung culture dito. GO2 is so far the worst na experience ko as a freelancer (I've been with Pineapple Staffing and Upwork). Natanggap ako dito early 2022 as Admin Assistant (non voice) na $4 per hour lang binigay, di man lang ginawang $5, parang target nila yung mga desperado na kagaya ko pero maganda yung work history at experience at mejo magaling mag english dahil laking call center. "Get the best people for the cheapest/discounted price" ika nga. Anyway, 1 week (5days) ako nag training tapos the following week nag send nako ng resignation letter after ng first 8 hour shift ko sa client na binigay saken. Bayad dapat yung 5 days training ko + 1 day client work pero di na nila binayaran dahil siguro nag immediate resignation ako. Wala na ako paki kasi naloka ako sa company nato. Diko ma-take!
Hindi ako agree sa monitoring/tracking system nila called FIN ANALYTICS na required ka i-install kasi dun connected yung log in-log out mo - your payroll, basically - that they fully activated after training. The whole 8 hour shift mo naka VIDEO record na nga yung screen ng laptop mo, tapos nag i-screenshot pa every 5-10 minutes, tapos dapat gumagalaw mouse mo lagi kasi pag 10 minutes na hindi --- mag o-off yung hourly tracker mo - meaning its either dika mababayaran or kailangan mo mag extend to compensate -- which is okay lang, normal na yun saken para sa wfh jobs pero nung nalaman ko na pati AUDIO ng background ko naka record din, ayaw kona. As in, naka record yung buong bahay/kwarto/workplace mo, depende kung hanggang saan ang kayang marinig ng laptop mo. So lahat ng usapan ninyo sa bahay, tahol ng aso, tv, dumaan na trike, pati na din utot mo - nakarecord. Di man lang sinabi sa training na ganun. Take note - non-voice yung work ko ha puro paperwork, pero gusto nila recorded yung background noise ko ng 8 hours and this is applicable to all their freelancers. Okay lang kung i-record nila yung audio ko kung kailangan ko may tawagan or i-video call, like sa call center sinasabi naten "all calls are recorded" pero pag nag hang up na tapos na recording, sa Go2 PH hinde. Kinausap ko IT nila at ni confirm nga niya. Nag message din ako sa support line ng fin analytics attaching the pictures i took of the webpage kung saan makikita mo yung video,audio at speakers icon na naka turned on na green - at ni confirm din na nakarecord nga background ko. Nasa email ko pa yung convo/screenshots if anyone wants proof. Kung pupunta ka sa website ng Fin Analytics eto yung sinasabi:
"A lightweight plugin runs in the chrome browser that captures CONTINUES VIDEO of each user's full desktop and can be easily configured to capture CONTINUES AUDIO (microphone and system). Simultaneously, the plugin captures a rich log of all actions being taken on the desktop - each scroll, click, keystroke - as well as things like URL hits are saved and piped to fin analytics."
Para sa akin invasion of privacy na yung background audio recording - yun yung dealbreaker sa akin kaya umayaw ako. Micromanagement to the highest level sila. I find their online community to be depressing as well, kahit na 6 days lang ako nandun. Meron kami dun Slack chatroom na lahat ng freelancers kasama to interact. You can almost feel na may laging nakahawak sa leeg nila. Very konti lang nagpa-participate. Puro professional language lang at mga "boss" lng nagpo-post. Di man lang makapag joke kasi worried ka na baka mali yung delivery mo ng joke at materminate kapa ( Gets mo point ko?). But seriously, there is no freedom, they are like robots, stepford wives....or slaves - kasi nga EVERY SPLIT-SECOND of their shift is recorded from audio to video. Isang maling pindot - BOOOM!!!
Go2 Philippines is pro-management. They are all about keeping their clients happy and secured - The clients are the ones who bring the money, anyway. They dont care about their freelancer's privacy or happiness. They dont care about you or your security. Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE REPLACEABLE, YOU ARE JUST A NUMBER WHO LIVES IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. They can always find a desperate person to accept a $4/hr position to do a beyond exeptional job. They found me! Pag gutom na talaga mga dzai!
Sana makatulong sa nagbabalak mag apply so you dont waste your time sa dual person interview nila na aabutin ng 1 hour, filling out their napakahabang form, gawa pa ng video intro sa Loom, then wait for days or weeks etc tapos mag re-resign din kayo after training. Ewan ko ba bakit walang nagrereview kung ganu kapangit company na to. Kung meron kayo friend na nagwowork sa Go2, or kapag kinontak kayo ng recruiters ninyo - ask niyo nga if this is still the case. Ask them about "FIN ANALYTICS". Tapos papuntahin niyo sila sa post ko na ito at magbardagulan kame. Char. Madami na tayo pinagdaan mga dzai! Covid 19 alone messed up our mental health. Find a company that promotes positivity, inclusivity, encouragement and trust. Unless Go2 PH or Go2 Philippines or go2.io changes their ways - we dont need Go2! Good luck job hunting, dont die!