"Be excellent to each other... and party on dudes!"

He is Bill S. Preston, Esq.! And he is Ted "Theodore" Logan! And together, they are Wyld Stallyns!
To everyone else in late-80s/early-90s San Dimas, California, Wyld Stallyns may look like the impossible dream of two slackers with no skill in anything else. But in truth, the music of Wyld Stallyns is so bodacious, so non-heinous, so excellent that it brings about an era of prosperity, both across the earth and to the stars beyond, and technological advancement so advanced that even time can be accessed as freely as a 10-digit phone number from the nearest payphone. Because of this, agents from the future utopia have sent back a time-travelling phone booth as well as information about the future to make sure that Bill and Ted are able to continue having most excellent adventures and fulfill the destiny of Wyld Stallyns.

Key

Movies:
^EA = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
^BJ = Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
^FtM - Bill & Ted Face the Music
Shows:
^CSxEy = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (DiC Animated Series); Season X Episode Y
^LAEx = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (Fox Live Action Series); Episode X
Comics:
^M#X = Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book (Marvel Comics) Issue #X
^BVx#y = Boom! Studios Comics; Volume X, Issue #Y

Vol. 1 = Bill & Ted's Triumphant Return
Vol. 2 = Bill & Ted Go To Hell
Vol. 3 = Bill & Ted Save the Universe
BV1#xS = Boom! Studios Comics; Side Story

^DH#X = Dark Horse Comics (Face the Music Compliant) Issue #X
Games:
^AL = Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Atari Lynx)
^NES = Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure (NES)
^WS = Wyld Stallyns (Mobile Game)
Live Show:
^EHAyy = Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure; 19YY/20YY

Bill and Ted

Strength

• Twist around several amps while running as a blur. ^CS1E7
  
• Run straight through several tentpoles. ^CS1E7
  
• Hold themselves against the winds created by a giant monster that toss around buses and tanks. ^CS2E5
  
• Push around large stone slabs. ^AL
  
• A version of Bill and Ted from a bad future become super jacked and help curbstomp a robot. ^FtM
  
• [Limitation] Struggle to do push-ups. ^BJ
  

Speed/Agility

• Dodge a stone discus launched hard enough to embed into a marble pillar, and a falling chandelier. ^CS1E2
  
• Dodge around weapons swung by Roman gladiators. ^CS1E3
  
• Dodge a speeding horse and a flying coffin. ^CS1E9
  
• Able to dodge a frog mid-jump. ^CS1E11
  
• Run off fast enough to kick up a trail of dust. ^CS2E1
  
• Intercept a cannon shot. ^CS2E1
  
• Dodge a cannon shot just before it hits. ^CS2E3
  
• As babies, able to run off hidden behind a cloud of baby powder. ^CS2E7
  
• Duck underneath a swinging pendulum. ^AL
  
• Very good at jumping really high. ^NES
  
• Dodge a booth as it falls from time jump. ^LAE2
  
• Disguise themselves as a doctor and a cadaver in the time it takes for a woman to leave a room. ^LAE3
  
• Scale up the snout of a large, metal dragon. ^BJ
  
• Attempt and almost succeed at intercepting a bullet, moving a good distance in the time it takes to go from a gun to a person feet away. ^EHA08
  
• Outrun several species of dinosaur. ^M#2
  
  • Outrun a T-Rex running fast enough to kick up large rocks in its wake. ^BV1#3S
• Dodge a superhero sent flying hard enough to leave a comet trail behind him. ^M#10
  
• Dodge around machine gun fire. ^M#11
  
  • Again. ^BV1#5
• Able to see the two drivers in a high speed chase. ^BV1#2S
  
• Hit a button that causes the spaceship they're in to lurch forward fast enough to send everyone inside tumbling, then run off before anyone else can catch their bearings. ^BV3#1
  

Durability

• Get tossed across a bar, their heads smashing through a thin wood wall. ^EA
  
• Fall from a second floor balcony into some bushes and walk it off. ^FtM
  
• Has Death thrown at them bodily and get back up. ^DH#3
  
• Crushed under a mountain of falling china. ^CS1E1
  
• Are sent flying back by their amplifier's exploding to little ill effect. ^CS1E1
  
• Have a stove dropped on their heads. ^CS1E2
  
• Launched through a window and fall a story down into a stone fountain. ^CS1E2
  
• Fall from the top of a three-story building into some bushes. ^CS1E4
  
• Get slammed into a brick wall hard enough to indent. ^CS1E7
  
• Get launched into the air by their inflatable shoes and then fall back down. ^CS1E9
  
• Get kicked out of a stadium hard enough to send them flying, toppling a food cart. ^CS1E9
  
• Get blasted high into the air by a jet of water strong enough to blow away a stone statue, then land in a river. ^AL
  
• Get blasted back by the explosion from this huge gun. ^M#8
  
• Punch themselves. ^M#11
  
• Get zapped in a clash between Darth Vader and Gandalf and walk it off. ^EHA02
  
• Fall down a trap door a dozen feet and get up fine. ^BV3#1
  
• Hit a button that causes the spaceship they're in to lurch forward fast enough to send everyone inside tumbling, then run off before anyone else can catch their bearings. ^BV3#1
  
• Take hits from the Death Quills of Koloko IV, the Lightning Web, the Fire Bones of Kykartian Dragodon, the Cyberwasps of the Robot Zoo Planet, and the Lavaspin of Sector 487. ^BV3#2
  
• Roll into a snowball then crash into a building hard enough to demolish it. ^DH#3
  
• [Limitation] A long fall from the top of this cliff is enough to instantly kill them. ^BJ
  

Skill

• Easily bat in a baseball game one-handed while focusing on other things. Ted even throws the bat so that it spins hard enough to hit the ball without him holding it. ^CS2E3
  
• Jump from an upper banister and swing down on ropes, knocking out two guys and stealing their weapons in the process. ^LAE6
  
• Briefly hold their own in a duel, despite neither having any dueling experience. ^M#1
  

Intelligence
Yes, really.

• Can comprehend and utilize stable time loops. ^EA
  
  • Leave a recording device hidden in the corner of a room with a timer to use as a distraction. ^EA
  • Leave a typed message for themselves at a printer with instructions to duck at just the perfect time. ^EA
  • Sets up a trash can to fall at the right time to trap Ted's father. ^EA
  • Outwit De Nomolos, setting up not only a sandbag and cage to fall at just the right time and place to disarm and trap him, but also set up a key for the cage and fake gun to trick him into believing that he would win the encounter. ^BJ
  • When they don't have access to a booth, they go back in time to ask Station to build one so that he's done in time for them to go back and ask. ^BV1#1
  • Loosen a chandelier just so that it falls on Vlad the Impaler's head while he's cornered them. ^BV3#1
• When they're being pursued by versions of them from a bad future, who remember everything they're about to do, they do something they can't possibly remember doing to escape. ^FtM
  
• Able to somewhat fix the booth's broken antennae with some fudge cans and a large wad of chewed gum. ^EA
  
  • Able to somewhat fix the booth's broken antennae with a magazine and a shoelace. ^LAE1
  • Able to more or less fix the booth's broken numpad by copying what they remember Station doing to fix it. ^BV1#3S
• Survive a long fall from within the booth by jumping at the last second. ^CS1E8
  
• Rig up a lever to launch Dracula out of the booth and onto a bed. ^CS1E9
  
• Make functional guitars out of laundry and string. ^CS1E12
  
• Make a castle display out of water sealant cans and boxes. ^LAE2
  
• Rewire a jukebox to play music from a walkman. ^LAE5
  
• Their advice helps their music teacher move on from heartbreak and live peacefully where before she was bitter and angry at everyone. ^LAE7
  
• Outwit Einstein, tricking him into delivering his speech about the Theory of Relativity instead of his bad stand up routine. ^LAE8
  
• Able to escape from Death with a Melvin. ^BJ
  
• Trick Evil Robot Bill and Ted into thinking they're the real good Bill and Ted. ^M#7
  
• Escape from a future prison by starting a fire to set off the fire alarm. ^M#8
  
• Impress Socrates with their philosophizing. ^EA
  
• Are able to convince Hyper-World, a planet who's entire society is predicated on comic book violence, to stop fighting... for a few seconds. ^M#10
  

Rockitude
Skill

• Wyld Stallyns' music eventually becomes good enough that it ushers in interplanetary peace. ^EA
  
  • Their music apparently brings about post-scarcity, or at least post-the need for money. ^CS1E12 ...NOT! ^M#8
  • Post-training and with full band backing, a televized broadcast of their performance is able to cause people of multiple different cultures around the world to jam. The newspapers of the following years also state that their touring schedule causes crops to grow in the American midwest and peace to come to the Middle East, that rumors of their split cause the stock market to plummet and when those rumors are disproven the stock market surges. ^BJ
• Seduce a pair of medieval babes with some off the cuff lyrics. ^EA
  
• Jam with Little Richard and a young Mozart. ^CS1E2
  
• Rock with Angus Young. ^EHA01
  
• Shred with James Hetfield. ^EHA06
  
• Tear it up with Fall Out Boy. ^EHA13
  
• Demolish with Axl Rose and Slash. ^EHA14
  
• Fuck it up with Kurt Kobain. ^EHA15
  
• Play the guitar very well with Freddy Mercury. ^EHA17
  
• Play a pocket organ well enough that the surrounding Roman guards are too busy dancing to notice them. ^AL
  
• Can play basically any instrument placed in front of them. ^FtM
  
• Calm an agitated baby dinosaur. ^BV1#3S
  
• Able to build guitars out of random debris in a gladiatorial death pit in a matter of seconds, then play well enough to pacify a rampaging alien monster who is also the most esteemed music critic in the galaxy. ^BV3#3
  
• Able to rouse a crowd of people from a society so downtrodden that the ability to smile has atrophied out of the gene pool. ^BV1#5
  
  • Writing one song is enough to uproot the entirety of said society and motivate Death to bring them back after dying even though he had lost the ability to do so. ^BV1#6
• Even God and Satan are fans. ^BV2#4
  
• Alien cultures that don't even speak English and who's entire cultures are predicated around war are brought to peace by hearing their music. ^BV3#1
  

Power

• Consistently blow out their amps while playing. ^EA
  
  • Blow out an amp and cause it to catch fire. ^LAE1
• Defeather a bird. ^CS1E1
  
• Shatter a porcelain cup. ^CS1E1
  
• Knock dozens of objects off of a nearby shelf and shatter windows. ^CS1E7
  
• A single resonant note is enough to knock out the Black Knight. ^CS1E7
  
• Even when hooked up to a boombox, are able to blow away people and tables. ^CS2E5
  
• After Bill rewires the amp, it causes Ted's guitar to melt through the floor. ^CS2E7
  
• After Station alters the amps a little, cause any avalanche. ^DH#4
  
• Destroy robots with their riffs alone. ^WS
  

Ghost Bill and Ted

• People can pass right through them, though it causes some unnerving (though not totally unpleasant) sensations. ^BJ
  
• Can possess the bodies of the living. ^BJ
  

Other

• Build the Great Wall of China in a couple days. Although not particularly well. ^CS1E1
  
  • They arrive in China on Saturday and have finished and leave before Monday. ^CS1E1
• Summon rain with an Incan rain dance. ^CS1E3
  
• Play a single player game co-op and one-handed. ^CS2E7
  
• Are able to beat Death at Battleship, Clue, Electronic Football, and Twister. ^BJ
  
  • And Monopoly. ^M#5
  • And Rock, Paper, Scissors. ^EHA17
• Can fly after being zapped by the F-Ray, which only convinces the brain that it is capable of flying, thus allowing it to fly. ^M#10
  
• Spend a week without sleeping and only eating snack foods trying to devise a plan to save Abraham Lincoln. ^M#11
  
• Are temporarily given God's divine enlightenment, able to see everything past and future, and on a micro and macro scale. ^BV2#4
  
• Surf on a black hole. ^BV3#3 They're obviously going through some form of spaghettification, but also given the size of the black hole, the audience, and the official helping them do it, it's likely that this black hole has been altered to be safe to surf.
  
• Have sex. ^BV1#1
  
• Do drugs. ^EHA00
  

Bill

Strength

• Knocks over the Liberty Bell with an elbow. ^CS1E5 The Liberty Bell weighs over 2000 lbs.
  
• Easily pitches and bats cannon balls that Ted had difficulty handling. ^CS1E9
  
• Knocks Ted into the air with an accidental headbutt. ^CS1E9
  
• Floors Monomonop with a yo-yo. ^M#8
  

Speed/Agility

• Pulls Ted out of the way of a flail. ^CS1E3
  
• Snatches a flying chip bag out of the air. ^CS2E2
  
• Bats a baseball pitched hard enough to leave a trail of flames. ^CS2E3
  
• Escapes from being grappled by swinging on a noose while the floor is dropped from under him. ^EHA92
  
• Ducks a bullet at close range. ^EHA08
  

Durability

• Takes a punch from Evil Robot Bill. ^M#7
  
• Takes a punch from Ronda Rousey. ^EHA16
  

Skill

• Spars with Joan of Arc. ^EA

Other

• Strong poker face. ^EA
  
• Folds a paper hat into a to-go box. ^CS1E1
  
• Rewires an amp which causes it to melt Ted's guitar through the floor. ^CS2E7
  
• Beats up the Invisible Woman using dark force powers gained as Darth Bogus. ^EHA05
  
  • Force chokes a man to the ground in an instant. ^EHA05
• Save nearly 70 people from being used as a virgin sacrifice. ^EHA13
  

Ted

Strength

• Knocks out a man in a leather helm with one strike. ^EA
  
• Accidentally sends Marco Polo flying with the swing of a broom. ^CS1E1
  
• Flicks a paper football hard enough to knock an apple into the air. ^CS1E2
  
• Breaks a wooden plank off on the T-800 Terminator, then knocks him into a well using a skateboard. ^EHA92
  

Speed/Agility

• Takes a tumble down the stairs hard enough to knock him out of his metalplate suit and somehow hides before anyone notices. ^EA
  
• Flip jumps to the top of the booth. ^CS1E5
  
• Dodges a swipe from behind from Vlad the Impaler. ^BV3#1
  

Durability

• Takes a tumble down the stairs hard enough to knock him out of his metalplate suit. ^EA
  
• Takes a headbutt to the chin that knocks him off of his feet and into the air. ^CS1E9
  
• Takes a full punch to the gut from Officer T. J. Hooker and brushes it off. ^EHA98
  
• Gets tackled to the ground and waled on by General Thade. ^EHA01
  
• Doesn't seem bothered touching a lightsaber with his bare skin. ^EHA05
  
• Gets smashed over the head with a guitar hard enough to crack it in half. ^BV1#4
  
• Thrown across the room onto the coffee table and is back on his feet shortly. ^BV2#1
  

Skill

• Flicks a paper football in such a way so that it flies around and knocks an apple off of Bill's head from the side. ^CS1E2
  
• Lassos the Black Knight while he's riding a horse full speed. But then forgets to keep a hold on the other end of the rope. ^CS1E7
  
• Briefly holds his own against an Italian fencer. ^LAE6
  

Other

• Reads the time and place text. ^CS1E1
  
• Starts a fire by rubbing George Washington's wooden teeth. ^M#8
  
• In a bad future where Ted was sent to military academy, he was able to double bust a corrupt cop by posing as a drug dealer. ^LAE4
  
• Kicks the Sith out of Darth Bogus. ^EHA05
  
• Gets with Taylor Swift. ^EHA13
  

Good Robot Bill and Ted

Robots created by the most brilliant mind in the universe, Station, to combat the powerful Evil Robot Bill and Ted. ^BJ

• The can be controlled via remote control but also seem to be capable of autonomous movement. ^BJ

Strength

• Punch through a brick wall. ^BJ
  
• Decapitate Evil Robot Bill and Ted with a punch, then cause their bodies to explode with a second punch. ^BJ
  
  • Evil Robot Bill and Ted no sell a punch to the chin from Bill and walk off crashing through a window and into a brick chimney. ^BJ
• Chew up a phone reciever. ^M#3
  
• Punch out the demonic Colonel Oats when the princesses couldn't faze him with their strikes. ^BV2#1
  
  • The princesses were smashing up musical equipment and sending other women flying with their strikes. ^BV1#6S
• High five each other hard enough to destroy each others' hands. Keep the Evil Robot Bill and Ted scaling in mind. ^DH#1
  
• Walk through a wall. ^DH#4
  

Durability

• Still functioning while demolished down to just their heads. ^M#7
  
  • Or arms. ^BV2#3
• Robot Ted gets blasted through several brick walls. ^BV3#4
  

They Run On Car Batteries

• They do. ^BV1#1S
  
• Electrocute two men to death when they try to stab them with rapiers. ^M#1
  
• Cause the booth to randomly jump when they electrocute it after touching some slushie material. ^M#12
  

Other

• Have tape recorders built in. ^M#3
  
• Can receive temporal emails, and promptly get a virus from this. ^BV1#1S
  
• Their code is written in a form of binary compose of "Bill"s and "Ted"s. With a source code constructed entirely of Van Halen references. ^BV1#1S
  
• Become presidents of the United States. ^BV1#2
  

Mecha Bill & Ted

• Rocket away from San Dimas to Scandinavia. ^DH#4
  
• Transforms from houses into humanoids form, piloted by Good Robot Bill & Ted. ^DH#4
  
• Beat up and send flying giant mountain trolls. ^DH#4
  

Mobile Suit Bill & Giganto-Ted

• Burst out of the sewers and through the streets, creating a massive tremor that could be felt from blocks away. ^BV1#6
  
• Disarm an entire crowd of guards with powerful magnets. ^BV1#6
  

The Time Booth

Time Travel

• A time machine that can travel to any place and time on earth after dialing a specific number. The number for each time and place is listed in an attached directory which catalogues most important points in history. ^EA
  
  • If Bill and Ted don't know what time or place they're looking for, they can ask the operator for help identifying a landmark. ^CS2E1
  • Can travel all the way back to the big bang. ^M#2
  • Is able to travel to and from "the center of time" which seems to exist outside of the regular timeline. ^M#6/7
• It is stressed multiple times throughout the series that even while time travelling, the clock in San Dimas is running, so Bill and Ted still have a limited amount of time to accomplish their goals while time travelling. ^EA This isn't well supported by other events and usages of the booth in the series, but it is a consistent concern regardless.
  
• Bill and Ted can use the Phone Booth to interact with themselves in the past, giving themselves needed equipment or advice. ^EA
  
  • Find a note of advice from themselves and then go back and leave the same note without having to even write it. ^AL
  • Get called to go forward from a few minutes beforehand to help out their future selves. ^EHA06
• Allow Bill and Ted to leave and then return to the exact same point in time, with 16 months of training in between. ^BJ
  
  • Further emphasizing that they can return to any point they want and San Dimas time doesn't matter. ^CS2E1
• A trip through spacetime can be cut short and will cause the booth to reappear at a median point. ^CS1E2
  
• A trip can also be reversed, allowing the booth to return to from where it just came. ^CS1E9
  
• A trip can be rerouted mid-stream without too much issue. ^CS1E10
  
• While this is not usually the case, as most time travel trips result in loops, drastically changing past events can lead to alternate present timelines. ^CS2E5
  
  • Bill and Ted use the booth to go back 15 minutes and redo a botched conversation resulting in a different outcome. ^LAE1
  • A closer to canon example. ^M#11
• Time travel 2 seconds into the future to catch an evil robot off guard. ^BV1#3
  
• Falling into the wormhole behind the phone booth can let someone travel through the circuits of time with it. ^EA
  
  • Rufus is able to follow a different phone booth using a grapple electric guitar, despite not being anywhere close to it when it time travels. ^BJ
  • The black knight and his horse are able to follow the booth. ^CS1E7
• Able to travel and be gone in the time it takes for a killer robot to aim and fire a vaporization beam. ^FtM
  
• Can travel to a point in time and space selected by an actual phone number in use at the time. ^CS1E8
  
• Can travel to a different point in space without changing time. ^CS2E8
  
• Elizabeth and Joanna apparently use the booth to travel to alternate timelines, though this mostly happens off screen. ^FtM
  
• Can travel to alternate dimensions entirely. ^M#10
  
• Travels to heaven. ^M#11
  
  • And hell. ^BV2#1
• Teleports from heaven to the earthly timeline, all the way to the Boomerang Nebula, and back in a matter of seconds. ^BV2#4
  
• Using the infinity button, allows the occupants to be multiplied infinitely to interact with all points in space and time simultaneously. ^FtM
  
• The booth can't travel if all of the circuits of time are currently occupied. ^CS2E5
  
• Travelers through the circuits of time can see other travelers in the same area. ^M#2
  
• The booth can seemingly track individuals in a specific time frame as shown by the fact that the future Bill and Ted were able to trick Bill and Ted into thinking they were rich and successful by being in the right place at the right time. ^FtM
  
• Rufus gives Bill and Ted a new booth that can trace the calls of other booths, though it tends to show up a little late. Also it's a rotary phone. ^M#2
  
• Rufus gives Bill a mobile phone which can call back the booth with the correct number. The first time its used however, it calls Doc Brown's Delorean instead. ^EHA92
  
  • Shown here actually working. ^EHA96
• When Ted uses a magazine to try and fix the antennae Bill and Ted end up going inside of the world of the magazine by accident. ^LAE1
  
  • By connecting the booth to a cable box, they're able to enter the worlds of television broadcasts, though it's entirely dependent on what the tv is currently turned to. ^LAE3

The Squint System
An upgraded directory that allows the booth to travel to fictional settings, including books, CDs, movies, and games. ^CS2E2

• Use the booth to enter an episode of Leave It to Badger. ^CS2E4
  
  • Can also use the booth to skip around within the episode. ^CS2E4
  • Once the episode ends, every person in it, including Bill and Ted, disappear. It looks like this. ^CS2E4
  • Foreign objects can persist between episodes, if they're plot relevant. ^CS2E4
• Can bring characters from the fictional world to the real world. ^CS2E4
  
• Characters in the fictional world are fully aware that they're fictional. ^CS2E4
  
• Altering the interior of the fiction does change how the fiction appears in the real world. Also might cause that fiction to become unavoidable? ^CS2E4
  
• Showing places that aren't supposed to be there reveals static. ^CS2E4
  
• Shrinks Bill and Ted down to smaller than a bottlecap when they forget to put the 1 in front. To reverse this effect, they simply dial 9. ^CS2E2
  

Durability

• [Limitation] When the booth's antennae get smashed by a knight's flail it can still travel fine but where and when it lands becomes uncontrollable. ^EA
  
  • [Limitation] A thrown frisbee knocks out the antennae, preventing the booth from time travelling. Ted is able to partially fix this with a magazine and a shoelace, though it causes the jumps to become uncontrollable again. ^LAE1
• Crash lands upside down and works perfectly fine. ^CS1E2
  
  • Tears through the roof of a tent, crash lands upside-down, and then falls onto its side. ^CS1E5
• Slides along the ground, crashing into a horse hard enough to launch it into the air, taking no damage. ^CS1E2
  
• Gets knocked off a crow's nest with a cannonball and tumbles to the deck of the ship without damage. ^CS1E4
  
• Gets run over by a train. ^CS1E8
  
• Tanks a fall from the top of Big Ben's clock face. ^CS1E8
  
• In a cabin as its demolished by a cannon, and protects the people within. ^CS1E9
  
• Smashes up the wooden walls of a log flume. ^CS1E11
  
• Takes several blasts of energy weapon fire and isn't damaged until one hits the antennae. ^LAE4
  
• Gets shot up by Billted 1.0's machine gun arm and has enough in it to make a trip before collapsing. ^BV1#4
  
• Vlad the Impaler has trouble breaking the glass with the hilt of his sword. ^BV3#1
  
• [Limitation] The floor breaks falling onto a bear's head. ^CS1E13
  
• [Limitation] Destroyed by a large boulder falling on it. ^BV2#3
  

Landing Strength

• [Limitation] While operating normally, it doesn't land hard enough to seriously harm an old man. ^CS1E5
  
  • But it did harm this guy. ^LAE1
• While malfunctioning however, digs a hole into the earth in a second. ^CS1E5
  
• Still while malfunctioning, crashes up through some wooden floorboards, knocking aside a dresser. ^CS1E5
  
• Demolishes a small kennel. ^CS1E6
  
• Smashes through a thick wooden roof. ^CS1E10
  
• Smashes through the deck of a ship. ^CS2E3
  
• Sends Columbus ricocheting around the Santa Maria. ^CS2E5
  
• Sends two cowboys a distance away flying from the shockwave. ^EHA92
  
• Smashes Billted 1.0 which is capable of flying straight through walls and windows without damage. ^BV1#3
  
• While malfunctioning, lands hard enough to crater concrete. ^BV1#4
  
• Smooshes a pair of demon spawn. ^BV2#4
  

Other

• Can still make a trip while on its side and is able to land normally. ^CS1E11
  
• It also works while water-logged. ^CS1E1
  
• Sideways AND waterlogged. ^S1E12
  
• It hovers in the air for unsaid reasons while malfunctioning. ^CS1E4
  
• Has some video recording and playback functions, though seemingly a preset one for display purposes. ^FtM
  
• When their regular booth gets blown up, Rufus lets them use a payphone on a stand to much the same effect. ^EHA02
  
• Can sometimes require coins to make calls with. ^NES
  
• It can also make regular calls. ^EA
  

"Catch ya later Bill and Ted!"

So I recently got a job at this video store in my town. The place has been open for as long as I could remember. And through circumstances I will not get into now, I was hired there. Now, I am using the term ‘Video store’ very loosely here. It’s more of a large storage facility that just so happens to rent out VHS tapes. And weirdly enough, the store actually gets quite a few customers.
I am only one of three employees that work at the store. There is also the manager but I had only seen him once throughout my whole time working here. One of the employees that works with me to serve the customers is a girl, who I will call Sunny. I see Sunny at the front desk, or in the break room making her 100th coffee. There is also Jared, the store's Archivist. He does as his job title implies. He is given a box of VHS tapes and is told to watch, catalog, and sort them into the store.
The store itself is a whole different story. On the outside, it just looks like your average brick and mortar warehouse. The inside however, if I may describe it in one word, is dark. I have no idea why but there are now windows in the store. The only windows being the glass doors at the front entrance. So when you need to navigate the store, in search of a tape, you need to bring a flashlight with you. And even with a source of light, the place is like a labyrinth. Going deeper into the store proves to be the most frustrating and stressful part of the job. As you need to do it quickly if you don't want the customer to grow impatient. I now cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for Sunny. As she does the night shift at the store. So it is dark inside and out.
Lastly there are the customers. They are peculiar to say the least. They range from salesmen, homeless people, Even clowns that one time. I've heard from Sunny that when it is night shift. You get some weird customers.
So, now that I have told you what my job is, Ill tell you what got me into this mess. I just arrived at the store early this morning. When I do, I always find Jared in the break room, making himself some tea. This time he wasn't there. “Hey Sunny, where’s Jared?”
Sunny turned her head to face me while she was making herself coffee. “He called in sick today. The manager also wants to see you upstairs in his office.
My stomach churned when she said that. The first time I met the manager I was instantly freaked out by him, his skin was almost perfect. like a wax doll, And his ear to ear smile with perfectly symmetrical teeth made me shiver, he looked like an idyllic business man, almost like a living parody of one.
I walked up the metal stairs to his office and opened the door. The manager was sitting in his chair filing some paperwork. He asked me to sit down. “So new employee. How are you coping?” His voice was sincere yet eerie. He gave that familiar ear to ear, perfect teeth grin. “Good sir.”
“Amazing news new employee! Now as you may have heard from the night shift employee. Our archivist has called in sick. So I’ll be making you the surrogate archivist for today.” the manager said. Opening his desk drawer and pulling out a key, the key’s head was painted with a pale, sickly green color. “Now I know that you have only been working here for how long?”
“Oh uh, 1 month sir.” I answered. His face contorted into what looked like a surprised face. “ 1 whole month. So you have fitted in nicely? Got along with the two employees?” He stretched out the ee’s in ‘employee’ to make his point. “Yes sir.”
“Good then. Now the green key is to unlock the archivist’s office. The night shift employee will guide you. If you do a good job, then I will give you a bonus for this week's wages. But any mistakes. Well, the consequences will be costly.” The seriousness of his tone completely caught me off guard. A hot, red fuzzy feeling grew ever present in my gut. “I-I understand sir.”
“Alrighty-yo then. Now get moving.” the manager turned his focus back to the paperwork. I took the green key from him and walked down the iron steps.
Meeting Sunny below. She took me to the archival room. “Alright. The door opens with the green key, you have it?” she looked back at me. I took the green key out of my pocket to show her. “Okay, now listen to me. If you are in any trouble. There is a black phone near the bottom of the steps. There will be two options on it. Being the front desk and the manager's office. Press the front desk if you need my help. You understand.” her voice was assertive. I nodded solemnly. She said goodbye and walked away from me. I waved and looked back at the door in front of me.
Opening the door I was surprised to find a long dark stairway leading into the inky abyss. I took out my small flashlight and flicked it on. Flashing the light down the stairway it just showed more steps. With a long sigh I stepped down, closing the door behind me. The soles of my shoes tapped against the steel steps. Sending a slight echo throughout as I descended. To keep my mind off of the fuzzy feeling in my gut, I started counting every step I took. When my foot hit the smooth concrete floor at the bottom, I had counted around 50 steps.
I flashed the light across the basement. The walls were simply just featureless, smooth concrete. The only things in the basement were Four shelves, all different colors ranging from red,purple,blue and green. An old CRT Tv near the middle of the room, it looked like one of those old tv’s teachers would wheel into class to play a movie or something.
There was also an old desk hugging the wall, only a few feet away from the CRT Tv. Some journals lay strewn about. With a singular page torn out, laying on a bunch of notebooks. I came closer to read the page. Here is what is said;
“Hey Buddy. So if you are reading this then that means that I am probably at home, in bed, coughing my lungs out. I haven't been feeling well yesterday and decided to write this note as the manager is probably going to ask you to do my job. So I’ll be leaving this note here with the rules on what to do.
1st— All the tapes you need to watch are in the box near the Tv. Pop them in and watch them. If you didn’t finish a tape. Whether it be for having explicit imagery or it was just causing too much distress. Pop it out and slap a Golden star sticker on the side.
2nd— there are four shelves, all different colors. Red is for if it is explicit stuff. Purple are for tapes that seem normal but give you an uneasy feeling, make your body ache, pain etc. Blue are for tapes that are just static and random flashing lights. And lastly green is if the tape is just a regular old by the books VHS.
3rd— there will be a notebook titled ‘Volume-124’ lying beneath the page you are reading. Make sure to document what you saw on those tapes. If you don't know how you should document them. Just look at some examples in the notebook itself.
4th— Do not. Under any circumstances. Watch a VHS with a red strip of duct tape stuck on its side. If you encounter one, then please leave it. Don’t touch it. Don't look at it. Don't even think about it when you see it.”
That was all the letter had to say before I turned around and looked at the box, lying near the Television set.
Opening the box I found it filled to the brim with neatly stacked VHS tapes. I decided to take my phone out of my pocket to check the time. 8:30.
I sighed and put my phone back in my pocket. Best to get it done and not slack off.
The first few tapes that I watched were slightly unnerving. Some were old cartoons that made my body feel stiff. Others seemed to be videos of crime scenes. I wrote down what I saw on the volumes. The examples I had to look at in the notebook just showed I had to write short sentences with a clear point on how they made me feel, what was the tape about and what category it ends off with an ascending number. ‘Tape 2234’ and then ‘Tape 2235’.
I won't be talking about all of the ones I saw. But there were a few I had to mention. There was one that was some old student project film about a half bunny, half man that was going on a rampage throughout a college dorm. The blood and viscera made me think that the practical effects of this movie were realistic. I am a bit too realistic. So I thought of just putting it on the red shelf and moving on.
Another VHS featured a documentary about this old farm. Retelling the generations of its inhabitants and how they seemingly died of strange causes. Like being impaled by a tree branch or seemingly strung up in the barn. It was actually quite a bit entertaining in the way you find murder documentaries entertaining. It was descriptive with the details. Which is technically telling ‘explicit information’, but again, no gore or frightening material. Si just just put the tape on the desk and told Jared I didn't know what to do with it.
I was finally now finished down to only two tapes. I now saw the tape with red on it. Now if I was an absolute idiot I would have watched it. Ignoring the rules laid out by my good old friend Jared. Don’t get me wrong, I was very much tempted to pop it in and watch it. See why it was so forbidden. See if it is a snuff film. But well, the fear of actually seeing a snuff film and getting in trouble for it, stopped me.
So I took the VHS That lay beside it. The name of it was scribbled on its side. ‘Lisa.’
I inserted it into the player. The subsequent screen that flashed on the tv was of a cellar door. The footage had an unusual blue, distorted filter to it. Like the camera that was filming was submerged into water. I sat there in the uncomfortable fold up chair, Staring at the screen unblinkingly. After some indeterminate time had passed. I stood up from the chair. My gaze upon the screen now gone. The sound of screeching metal erupted from the television. I jumped and cursed under my breath. Quickly flicking my gaze back at the screen.
The Rusted cellar doors were now open. Revealing a deep void. I stood. The warm fuzzy feeling I had felt was now ever present across my whole body. From the void, a pale hand emerged. It was heavily contrasted against the blackness behind it. The arm stretched out and grabbed the dead grass in front of the cellar. Then slowly. Another pale hand appeared. Doing the same as the others. The arms now seemed to haul up a ghostly looking woman. Her long, jet black hair covering her face.
Suddenly, the arms propelled the figure out of the cellar, moving swiftly and smoothly towards the screen. I couldn't help but give out a startled gasp as I was jumpscared by the video. The figure of the woman was now inches away from the supposed camera filming her. Her face is now slightly visible.
The skin on her cheeks and jaw were stretched thin. The iris of her eyes is a deep crimson color. I never in my life expected what was about to happen.
With an eerie determination, she pressed her hand against the screen, her pale fingers pushing through, defying the boundaries of reality. I couldn't help but scream in terror. She started climbing out. Water spilling over from the film world into mine. Her long black hair trailing along as half her body was now out of the television.
My fight or flight response kicked in as I grabbed the metal fold up chair and hurled it at her, then booked it for the stairs. Now I know that I had counted 50 steps on this stairway, but my feet probably landed on only a quarter of them as I was jumping hurriedly across 2 to 3 steps at a time.
Reaching the top of the stairs in leaps and bounds.
I grabbed the handle of the metal door and pulled. It didn't budge. Looking behind me I saw she was now crawling up the stairs like a feral beast. Rapidly approaching. I pulled the green key out of my pocket but it slipped and fell onto the floor.
The ghost woman was only 6,5, only 4 steps away from presumably ripping my souls out of my body and sending me to hell. So, out of sheer panic. I thrusted my leg out. My foot connected to her face with enough force that she lurched backwards and started falling down the steep stairway. The woman was wailing out until her head landed on the step. Her screams cut short with a loud crack and tumbled hearing her tumble the last few remaining steps before silence.
I was cupping my hands over my mouth. Trying my best not to scream. I stood there for what felt like an eternity before I slowly started descending back to the basement. The now familiar glow of the Tv showed that the woman was very much not moving.
An inky black liquid was seeping out of her opened skull onto the smooth concrete floor. I then remembered what Sunny had told me. And so I looked around and saw the black phone on the wall near the steps.
The only buttons on it had the words ‘manager’s office’ and ‘front desk’. I took the handset of the phone and pressed the ‘front desk’ button. A short beep came out the receiver before I heard Sunny’s voice.
“I’ll be right over.” is all that she said to me. That was an hour ago as of typing this. So now here I am asking you this question. How do I dispose the body of a ghost?

Hey all!
I quit coffee roughly 2 weeks ago. First week was hell. Second week was less so, but varied GREATLY day to day. One day I feel great, normal, can exercise, etc. other days like today, it almost feels like I have the flu. It seems like the anxiety is going away, slowly, ashwagandha has helped a ton seemingly for the passed couple days.
Body aches, back and leg pain, and overall sense of sickness/sadness seems to just smack me one day and not others.
What was your timeline like? Most things say 2 weeks you should feel normal, but I certainly do not feel close to normal. It makes me more anxious, thinking my muscles will always feel so weak.
Also want to note if the a few times when I try to work out a basically feels like I’m going to pass out only about 10 to 15 minutes in. I’m used to going to the gym every day but I literally can’t right now.

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Damn! The last LFIL chapter a while ago had a pretty legendary photograph moment, but this one tops it by far!
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
"Please everyone, calm yourselves. The Galactic Assembly is addressing the issue as we speak."
The crowd roiled and churned like the bubbles in a pot of boiling water. Flags waved and voices rose high into the air.
The chanting increased in fervor.
"Please!"
The Rundi struggled to raise his voice high enough to be heard over the crowd, who only grew with strength and intensity.
Commander Vir keyed his mic,
"Delta units to the GA side of the crowd, some of these protesters are looking extremely agitated. Let's make sure they don't do anything we're all going to regret.”
He stood with his back to the GA chambers, its wide arching courtyard devoid of life, except for those unfortunate Rundi ordered to carry messages from one side of the compound to the other, otherwise they tried to keep their distance from the front facade of the building and the churning mass of protesters.
White flags waved and fluttered.
Commander Vir held the energy shield with one arm, pressing it back firmly against the crowd, so they could not pass the dedicated marking point.
"Commander, the crowd over here is getting violent."
He grimaced and reached a hand down to open the line,
"Stun them and let them calm down, do NOT catch anyone else in the crossfire. We do not want this escalating."
"Yes sir."
Something pushed against his shield and he grunted, pushing back.
The white bandanna on his arm was pressed against the clear blue force field and helped to at least confuse the crowd before them.
And luckily, they would be kept too confused to get violent.
The aliens among the human protesters helped as well.
If this was on earth, things would have broken out into a riot by now, but the Drev the Tesraki and the Finnari tended to be more levelheaded when it came to these kinds of things, and they managed to reign in their humans from doing something stupid.
He closed his eyes tight for a second, praying that the GA would rethink their position.
It hurt him to watch these people struggle like this.
It just felt so strange that anyone should be here in the first place.
Beside him, Sunny had taken control of two young humans who were getting a bit more than rowdy,
"Let’s keep this a protest, and not a riot."
She growled, giving them a look that would have made anyone quell in their boots. It sort of made him half smile, Sunny was such a badass, he wanted to be more like her when he eventually grew up.
His thoughts were cut off, as the crowd churned a bit, pressing into his shield.
He keyed his mic again, prepared to go over the loudspeaker and tell them that if they didn't calm down he was going to turn this protest into a mass nap time.
He had the power to do that if things got out of hand, though he honestly didn't want to.
The GA needed to see this.
He was so preoccupied with the crowd, that he barely noticed as the Rundi ran up from the inside of the compound, flying forward on its long spindly legs.
It stopped by the first Rundi to say something, and the conversation that passed between them didn't look particularly encouraging.
HIs heart sank into his stomach.
He felt... Surprisingly disappointed, very sad for all those people who were going to get their day ruined.
The Rundi waffled around at the front of the crowd for a bit before turning and looking over to where he stood.
Oh great.
The Rundi walked over, and he backed off from the crowd, allowing Sunny to take a step in his place with her shield at the ready.
The people looked as if they were about to start something, but seeing her expression, they decided not to.
He dropped his shield and lowered his head to hear the Rundi over the roaring of the crowd.
"The GA is not budging."
The Rundi whispered,
"They are asking the protesters to leave."
Adam growled in frustration.
Behind him someone in the crowd pointed at him,
"They're saying no aren't they!?”
Others took up the call, and soon enough the rest of the crowd had been alerted. Adam was forced to run back to support Sunny, as everything suddenly grew more intense.
Fights were breaking out on the left and the right.
People were hitting the ground as the guards were forced to stun them.
That only agitated the rest of the crowd who also began to buck and fight.
Adam keyed the mic for real this time, filling the intervening space with his booming voice,
”ALL OF YOU KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW OR I WILL STUN YOU ALL."
The aggression in the crowd died down, though the anger remained sizzling at the surface.
Overhead clouds passed over the sun, before him the crowd roared like a wave, and behind him the GA council chambers were as silent as a ghost town.
"LISTEN, QUIET DOWN ALL OF YOU."
It sort of felt as if he was floating.
The world around him hardly seemed real though that was not the best way to explain it.
The crowd died down a bit,
"You may not understand this! And I have said it before, but these are not humans. Protests don't work on them. When they see a group of angry humans, they get scared and when they get scared, they double down even further. I know it does not make any sense to you NOT to protest for what you believe in, but if you are going to do this, you MUST remain civil. Even now the GA is frightened by you. They don't believe you are rational, and they are not going to listen to you if this keeps up."
The crowd had quieted down to a milling sort of confusion.
"Then what should we do!"*
The shouting came from somewhere and in anger, though he couldn't pinpoint the source.
In frustration he nudged Sunny, and she allowed him to climb on her back as he had before.
The crowd could see him now, and he could see them for the most part.
He waved them down trying to cut off the others who had taken up the chant.
"I understand what you are trying to do, and I support your efforts, but you are only hurting ourselves. The GA can only be won by rational discussion."
"The GA won't see any of our representatives. They are debating only on their own facts and opinions."
One of the crowd's people snarled. The call was echoed and Adam stared at them in shock,
"Wait what!? Are you serious?”
There was a muttering throughout the crowd.
"For fuck's sake."
He muttered under his breath,
"The Rudi think none of us are high ranking enough to be allowed into the council chambers, and none of the representatives will take up our cause. The human ambassador thinks we are disgusting, so she won't do anything and says she won’t represent our minority."
The muttering through the crowd grew louder.
Adam looked around, head turning to see all the angry faces, blushed with red, or streaked with tears.
These people were frustrated, and hurt, and he understood why.
This wasn't right!
He closed his eyes again and took another deep breath.
What was he thinking!?
He stepped down from Sunny's back and walked over to one of the protestors in the front row, pointing to his large flag on a pole that was about eight feet tall.
"May I borrow your flag?"
The protester stared on at him in confusion,
"What, why?"
"Because, I am going to give you the representative you need."
[…]
Commander Vir and Sunny walked alone down the length of the GA outer courtyard.
A billowing white flag streamed lazily over his head, suspended there by way of the pole which rested heavily on his shoulder. The white of the fabric had been marred now by many colors as hundreds of rushed signatures had been scrawled on its face.
He was armed with the backing of a thousand protesters, a hundred signatures, and more than a few dozen stories.
Sunny turned her head to look at him, and he fancied that maybe he saw an expression of pride in her eyes, though she didn't say much except,
"Pretty brave."
He didn't feel very brave, and as they walked through the front doors of the GA atrium, his hand was shaking against the cold metal of the flagpole.
He was stopped by a pair of Rundi guards on his way into the chamber, but was let in after they recognized who he was.
He could hear voices up ahead, and the sounds of the protest going on outside had all but died away,
"They have proven that they cannot be civil, and based on the humanizing effect, we can assume they will do similar things to any non-human lifeform that they encounter."
"I may not agree with their decision counselor, but that sounds like your prejudice against humans is seeping through."
There was an uproar in the council chamber.
He paused for a moment, staying with Sunny just out of line of sight and took a deep breath.
She lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Here goes nothing."
He muttered, before stepping his way out onto the GA floor.
At first no one noticed his presence as he made his slow way into the center of the circle, but his large, white flag soon changed that.
The council chambers went silent.
The chairwoman stood,
"Commander, what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be taking care of the protesters?”
His lips drew into a thing line,
"With all due respect councilwoman, I am."
He rammed the flagpole against the stone, sending a loud cracking sound out and around the wide atrium silencing the council,
"I have been made aware that you refuse to see their representatives based on a ranking issue, well I assume my rank is high enough."
The Human rep leaned forward,
"Commander, this is not your place!”
He shot her a look,
"Then whose place is it counselor? I heard a certain democratic counselor refuses to speak for them because they are and I quote “a too small and insignificant minority”…”
He turned his head in a wide arc at the watching crowd,
"Counselors, you have known me, longer than you have known any human currently in this galaxy. You understand that I know your rules and your customs. You understand that I have only ever striven to protect and uphold the GA and the planet's it encompasses. I have thwarted wars, signed treaties, and broken my own body for your best interests."
There was silence about the room.
"Will you let me speak now, with the understanding that my loyalty has never wavered from you, and never will?”
The silence continued.
Aliens understood the power of human loyalty.
Or at least they should…
The chairwoman took a seat,
"Very well, commander."
He lifted his head, feeling his heart slow as he took a few deep breaths. There was a muscle in his face that had begun to twitch, like it always did if he was extremely angry or nervous, but he held it down,
"I understand you are frightened, and I understand that you are confused, but I want you to know first of all that those people outside are good average people. They don't mean you any harm. They are hurting, and they are afraid for themselves, and they are trying to get your attention. Historically, humanity has used protests to right the injustices of government to combat prejudices brought on by one's sex or the color of their skin. You must understand that they see this as an impingement on their happiness and a decision made out of line."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, I ask you now, that I may, perhaps, answer your questions and ease your worries. Why are you so against them?"
"It's unnatural."
It was the Bran representative that had spoken, and he did it quite emphatically.
"Why?"
The commander asked,
"Because they aren't even the same species."
"So?"
The Bran seemed caught off guard,
"They... It's not natural. They can't reproduce, so it isn't... A thing that should be done."
The commander shrugged,
"So if one can't reproduce then they aren't natural? I see a couple issues in that logic relating to prejudices against people with infertility."
There was a murmur around the room.
"So, they can't reproduce, so what? You know who we can reproduce with though... Adaptids."
There was a sort of hushed exclamation form around the room.
The commander shrugged,
"They can't have kids.... Hardly a good enough argument to bring to the floor of a government discussion."
"What he is trying to say is that this practice equates itself to bestiality. It is utterly disguting!"
It was the human representative this time, and she stared at him with her eyes narrowed in anger.
He kept his cool, though he very much did not like her.
"That is absolutely disgusting and wildly insulting of you because that implies that one or both parties are no better than animals, beasts as you will."
The room was silent,
"So which one is it, are humans animals, counselor, are the Finnari or the Rundi animals?"
He turned to the Drev counselor,
"Are the Drev just dumb animals that have no understanding, and no decision making abilities?”
The Drev representative stood, angrily cracking his spear against the stone,
"We are most certainly not!"
The commander held up his hands,
"Then what is so bestial about it? Bestiality is absolutely disgusting because you are taking advantages of a creature that can neither understand nor protect itself from what you are doing. It cannot say yes, and it cannot say no. It has no greater understanding than that of a child, and so cannot make its own decisions."
He looked towards the Finnari representative,
"Tell me counselor, is your species a species of children, with no greater concept of their own decision making?”
"Of course not. Why would you even imply such a thing!?”
"I imply nothing, counselor. This is what YOU imply with your decision. So far we have established that all parties are intelligent consenting creatures, and none of you have managed to give me an actually good reason for banning the practice."
The floor was growing more agitated.
"They will be a poor example for the rest of the galaxy. If we make it legal others will surely follow."
Adam turned his eyes on the speaker, an Iotin,
"You're worried that they are going to turn the rest of the galaxy extrial?"
He laughed,
"That is a poor argument which is not only selfish, but foolish. People should be allowed to make their own decisions. And assuming you are right, what then? Oh no... There are a few more extrials... And it does... What exactly?"
He turned in a wide circle,
"If you are worried about population growth or in this case population falloff due to this issue then you should be reminded that extrials comprise a percentage of the human population so small that I could fit the greater majority of them on my ship comfortably. This occurrence is not common, and even if the numbers were to rise, it would not be of enough significance to cause issues."
His heart was hammering hard inside his chest. He felt like he was doing alright, but that might mean nothing.
"In any event, these relationships do not affect the vast majority of the galaxy. Humans cannot be with the Bran or the Rundi due to the water we shed from our skin. The Gromm and the Iotins are out for similar reasons. Vrul and Gibb are incapable of having feelings for humans in that way as far as we know, and both the Tvek and the Celzex are too different from humans for either party to be interested."
He walked around in a circle, allowing the flag to trail behind him,
"Furthermore, the humanization phenomenon happens with or without romantic intent, and as it is, its mention is more a mark of prejudice on humans than it is an argument against the two groups being together."
He left the floor open for a little while, as the council muttered with each other.
Finally, the Drev representative stood,
"My species culture and our way of life has been upturned by the GA. I fear relationships with humans will result in the loss of our culture. We have already strayed far from what we originally were. We are hardly recognizable as Drev anymore."
The commander let his voice soften,
"I understand that the Drev have lost a lot in joining this..."
Sunny held up a hand, and in surprise he was cut off.
She took the floor,
"Your Glory…"
She said bowing her head,
"If you would have truly upheld those ideals, you would not be sitting on this council."
The Drev pulled back in surprise at her words,
"Yes, we lost a lot in joining the GA, and after the war, but I would argue that some of that was for good. Before the GA people like me, with perceived imperfection were cast into the fire and perceived as no better than animals. This practice still takes place on our planet, where these traditions are still alive and well."
Her words made the room shift nervously,
"However, culture changes and adapts, and it must to survive. We changed in order to live among the GA. We found other alternatives to fighting that still maintain our honor and our prowess in war, and this includes the sports that the humans have brought to us. Furthermore, the vast majority of the Drev I see who are with humans are those of us who would not be accepted by our own kind, perceived as ugly or malformed. If this is the case then your traditions remain sound, and those like me are removed from the mating population."
The counselor almost looked ashamed at her words, turning his head away so as not to look her in the eyes.
"As far as a change of culture goes, it was bound to happen, and it seems you are more worried about change than you actually are about human Drev relationships."
She went quiet, and Adam nodded to her taking the floor again.
A Finnari counselor stood,
"I am simply worried about our birth rate. The Finnari were farmed by the Gnarlak for many years, and we are only now replenishing our population."
"I don't think you need to worry. The amount of actual relationships is so small that it will not affect the Finnari population in any significant manner."
The representative sat back down with no real argument to combat him.
The chairwoman stood,
"Your arguments have been heard commander, though, what the others do not mention is the issue of disease. We have seen a great increase of illness transmissible from humans to non humans and-"
"I hate to cut you off chairwoman, but that is NOT related to interspecies relationships, but instead has another simple explanation: the rise in human tourism."
She paused,
"Explain."
"You all know very well that humans are not allowed to leave their planet unless they are tested for all communicable non-treatable diseases. This means that those of us that you see here cannot physically pass our diseases off onto other people, except for the germs that are found naturally on our skin. In this case these issues did not stem from relationships at all, but poor vaccination, the poor regulation of tourism, and allowing aliens to travel onto earth where infected humans are located and not testing them as they leave."
He looked on at them pleadingly,
"You see. You don't even have problems with them, but you are using them as a real scapegoat for the actual issues. And I am here to tell you that, in fact you are causing more problems by banning this! The more you push, the harder they will push back, and eventually someone is going to get hurt, because they are not allowed to be together legally, they do it illegally, and because they do it illegally, they end up in dangerous places exposed to greater rates of crime. They get hurt, and they get involved in things they would otherwise not have gotten involved in if you had not banned it. Just look at Noctoplis. It has the highest rate of extrials living there and the lowest policing force and the most corrupted system. There are no legitimate jobs there, so we see an influx of crime by desperate people who won't be accepted anywhere else. Not to mention that it increased the depression rates, which increases suicide rates. Your laws have ostracized them, forced them to become criminals, and turned many of them to think that killing themselves is better than living in a world where they are seen as disgusting when they don't actually do any real harm."
He had to take a deep breath,
"Earth has seen all of this before, and one way or another, eventually someone will see what I am trying to say."
He rested the flag on the floor beside him, feet planted at shoulder width.
"I hope that this rational conversation will allow a more open mind on the council. I encourage you to talk to their representatives. They are more rational and educated than I am, and they can give you hard facts and statistics. But please, they don't want to cause trouble, if you allow them to do as they will, you might find these problems going away for you."
The human representative clearly did not seem convinced, but he didn't expect to convince her, he expected to convince the others who were more afraid than they were prejudiced.
"It seems as if we have some other potential policies to discuss, commander."
The chairwoman said, tapping her fingers on the table before her.
"I have a suggestion, ma'am."
"And that is?"
"A temporary revocation on the ban, that way you can SEE what the universe will be like without it, and you can judge for yourself whether The ban does any good. You don't have to overturn the law just yet, but temporarily suspend it, that way you can re institute at any time. Then you will have concrete proof. You can do testing, and polls and whatever else, then you would know for sure."
His suggestion turned into a discussion, that dragged on for many minutes before the chairwoman raised her hand,
"It has been decided, all in favor of this temporary proposal please indicate."
The voting lights flashed above them.
Commander Vir waited with baited breath.
[…]
He walked from the venue, hours after he had entered, totally tired and exhausted.
The flag felt heavy in his hands and his boots thudded with exhaustion on the white marble below him.
Outside, the protest field was surprisingly silent, though he could still see their flags.
As he walked closer, he could see that the vast majority of the crowd was sitting down.
Their voices reached him from a distance at first, until he realized they were calmly singing with each other.
Waiting for his verdict.
Suddenly the first people from the crowd noticed the two silhouettes coming from the chambers towards them.
A lone man and Drev were walking from the building.
The man was wearing riot gear, a full helmet, a shield, and carrying their flag, resting against his right shoulder.
The group of them began to stand, rising to their feet and yelling.
Pointing in his direction.
They quieted as he got closer.
"What did they say!? What did they say!?”
He stayed quiet, holding a hand in the air to silence them.
He passed the flag to the original protester who looked on at him with such an expression of pleading that he felt his eyes tingle a bit with rising emotion.
He had to look away, boosting himself onto Sunny's back, keying his mic.
The crowd was silent.
A thousand eyes fixed on one human and one Drev.
"I spoke to the GA."
They waited on tenterhooks,
"And after a long debate, and a slim majority the GA have decided..."
Flags whipped in the wind,
"To temporarily revoke the ban on inter-species relationships until a-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, drowned out by a powerful wave of noise and joy so overwhelming that he was nearly knocked backwards off his feet.
The crowd surged forward, and Sunny staggered as the group surrounded them, pressing inward and upwards.
Adam found himself on the ground on his feet, packed in by bodies enclosed by hundreds of pairs of arms, which slapped on the shoulder and the arm, as every person tried their best to get one hand on him.
The flag from earlier was ripped off its stand and pressed into his hands.
He was deafened by cheering and an outpouring of gratitude so profound he had simply never experienced such emotion.
He looked up at Sunny, pressed in with him by the enthusiastic crowd.
And she nodded her head in approval.
He grinned.
He had to admit.
This felt pretty good.
Though, weather it was all over was a question for another time.
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

I posted this on eczema and wanted to post here too!
Heya peoples! I'm a crazy animal parental with horrible eczema on my arms and face (eyes and lips! It's super inconvenient and hideous!! Yay!) But my biggest problem with eczema is that I keep fish. Having eczema is bad for fishkeeping because you cannot put your arms in the fishtank after creaming them, you must wash the cream off. And since I mainly keep the wiggle but fish species of dojo loaches, I need to put my arms in my fish tank a lot to fish their decorations they have knocked over. I also keep noodle babies (aka pet snakes) and you can't get cream on them because it's bad for their skin! With this and creams just not working on my eczema my doctor started me on dupixent. Magical stuff! My eczema went fully away pretty quickly! But omg do I hate dupixent! I also have ADHD so remembering to take it is hard and remembering to order it is even worse! And the packaging dupixent comes in is the stupidest thing! For just two doses I get this giant box! Now it makes since because the meds have to be refrigerated but if we are going to do giant box anyways then can I get more than 2 doses per order?! So then I heard about rinvoq. ADHD me has initially thought dupixent was a pill because I didn't pay close enough attention to the commercial, so finding that there actually was a pill for eczema was awesome! But just my luck, it doesn't work! It worked a little bit at first, and before I go back to struggling to remember to take dupixent every two weeks I want to see if the higher dose of rinvoq works for me. What's inconvenient about rinvoq (besides the fact it doesn't work!) Is that you have to get blood work done every now and then. Idk why but ADHD says I don't have time for this actually really short activity and I put off this blood work thing for way too long. Sigh. What made me want to make this post is that I saw an article talking about how rinvoq tops dupixent in the whole eczema meds thing. I get why, a daily pill is much nicer than that stupid shot! But since stupid rinvoq doesn't work for me I need to call it out because it isn't even trying to get rid of my eczema right now and it doesn't deserve to top the magical eczema removing shot called dupixent! If increasing the dose of rinvoq works for me I'll update this post or leave it in the comments but honestly I'm doubtful and I think I'll have to go back to the stupid shot.

Finally finished my next Holiday Script. But you can fill it whenever you want, if you're interested. No rush.
Word Processor file available upon request. Any SFX included are just suggestions for reference. If you want to use the script, then you can change whatever you want, and post it wherever you want. Monetization OK. Please just let me see the finished product. Credit me by putting「Script by The Mousou Koujou https://www.youtube.com/@TheMousouKoujou 」in your description, and if possible, placing this image at some point in the video, like an outro: Business Card
My commissions are open! If you like my style and want a specific script, don't hesitate to ask! https://ko-fi.com/themousoukoujou/commissions
START
[Excited] Hey dad~, I'm home! I had the craziest day at work. I can't wait to tell you all about it, and…
[Calming down] …Whoa, what's with you, dad? Why are you all dressed up?
(Pause)
Special night? What are you talking about? You didn't tell me anything.
(Pause)
[Annoyed] Well you know how much I hate surprises, so that was a dumb idea. Just explain it already. What kind of "special night" is this supposed to be?
[Confused] Are you…going to a party or something?
(Pause)
[Annoyed] …huh? Is that some kind of joke? Your Girlfriend is coming over? The very same girlfriend who you conveniently forgot to mention before this very moment? This isn't even a surprise anymore. It's an ambush! Why didn't you say anything!?
(Pause)
No no no, don't try to blame me. I'm reacting this way Because you kept quiet. You’re the one who messed up here.
(Pause) Yeah, you told me you would start dating again. And I supported you, ‘cause I didn't think Mom would want you to stay alone forever. But that was a while ago, and you haven't said anything since. Now all of a sudden you’re close enough with some random woman to bring her home? (Pause) Well she’s random to me. You haven't even told me her name. (Pause)
Alice, huh. Makes sense, since she's clearly driven you insane! (Sigh)
Fine, whatever. What time is she supposed to get here anyway? (Door bell rings) …You have got to be kidding me.
(Pause)
"My best behavior?" You think I can promise something like that in this situation?
(Pause)
Ugh, fine. I promise. Let's just get this over with.
(Front Door opens)
[Polite] Hello, pleasure to finally meet you~. I've heard so~ much about you. All good things, of course. (Giggle)
Oh, can I take your coat?
(pause)
It's not a hassle at all. Please let me…oh.
[Nervous] Oh wow. Wh-what a lovely dress. Wh-where did you, um, buy it.
(Pause)
A gift from my father, hmm? And did he happen to mention where he got it?
(Pause)
Well it actually belonged to my mother. It's been collecting dust ever since she…
Well the point is, no one has worn it in a while. So he must have decided to give it a fresh start with you.
[Whisper to yourself] it's like he's trying to replace her…
[Normal volume] Hmm? Oh I was just thinking…"This is the place for her". (Giggle)
You belong here with us, and it's nice to finally have you over for dinner. Come on, let's go to the dining room and enjoy whatever dad tried to cook.
(Glasses clang, and various cutlery sounds as they ear together)
(Heavy sigh)
[exhausted] She's finally~ gone. I used up all of my energy for the month. I never want to put on a show like that ever again.
(Pause)
What do you mean? You told me to be on my best behavior. So what else was I supposed to do?
(Pause)
Well if I didn't put on a show, then I wouldn't have been able to hide how much I wanted her to leave.
(Pause)
No, I did not like her. For the record, I tried. I really did. But everything she talked about was so stupid and pointless. And did you really not mind how much she talked about her exes? Would it have killed her to focus more on you?
(Pause)
[Annoyed] Of course I'm upset!
I told you. I'm like this because you kept it a secret. We're supposed to tell each other everything, but you kept this from me. I'm sorry dad, but I don't think I can trust you.
(Pause)
No, I mean it. You went about this all wrong, and I don't know how to deal with this.
[Curious] …Hmm? Can you…say that again?
(Pause)
You mean that? You'll really do anything I say?
(Pause)
Hmmmm~
Well a new car, or some jewelry would definitely help me forgive you~ (giggle)
But really, I don't need anything fancy. If you're that serious about making things work out with her, then I also have to try my best. I mean Look at me, being all selfish after telling you to put yourself out there. it doesn't get any more childish than that. So all I really want from you, is her contact info.
(Pause)
Yes, I need to go meet with her, and be honest. Like I said, I definitely can't put on this act again. So I need her to see the real me, and hear all of my real concerns. After that, I think the 3 of us will he able to move on. What do you say?
(Pause)
Aww, thanks dad. You won't regret this. I love you! Good night~
(Long pause)
(Front door opes)
Dad, I'm home~. Da~d? Where are…oh. There you are. What are you doing all curled up on the couch like that. Are you…are you watching the news again? You hate watching the news. You always say it's too much negativity.
(Pause)
Huh? What do you mean you "want to be negative"?
Wait…is this still about Alice? Ugh, dad I told you; you have to get over her. I mean, clearly she's over you. Otherwise she wouldn't have ghosted you for the past week. Please look at me, dad.
(Pause)
Dad, come on. Just forget about her. And if losing her makes you feel this bad, then maybe we were wrong.
(Pause)
I'm saying…maybe you don't need to get back out there. I mean, between me, and mom's spirit, don't you have enough overbearing women to deal with? (Giggle)
You don't really need to add Alice to the list. Maybe one day you'll find someone new. But you don't have to rush it. For now, the 3 of us…we're still a family. Isn't that why we keep her pictures around? So come on. Show your real family some appreciation. Get off the couch and give me a hug.
(Pause)
(Couch squeak sfx)
Finally ~, thanks dad, it's nice to…hey, what's wrong? Why are you giving me that look?
(Pause)
What do you mean? What's wrong with what I'm wearing? I think it looks very nice. And it fits me perfectly.
(Pause)
Hmm? Oh yeah~ I remember now. I guess you did give this fancy dress to Alice. Well she, um, decided to return it when I went to visit her.
(Pause)
Yeah, Alice uh, remembered what I said about the dress belonging to mom. She practically begged me to take it back. In retrospect, maybe that was her way of saying she was done with us.
I'm sorry, I, uh, really thought I mentioned this when I got back from her place. It must have slipped my mind somehow.
(Pause)
"Not that kind of woman", huh…
And that's why you'll believe her over your own daughter?
She put you through hell this past week, and you'll still side with her? I can't believe you.
(Pause)
Wh-what do you mean? Of course she's the one who put you through hell. That's why you need to stop focusing on her.
(Pause)
N-no that's not what I meant. You don't need to interrogate me. What do I have to do with any of this?
(Pause)
I have not been acting weird!
Dad, please stop with all these questions!
Dad! You're wrong!
(pause)
[Yelling] No! I didn't do anything to her! She did it to herself!
(Deep breath and long exhale)
[Eerily calm] …Fine, dad. Since you can't let sleeping whores lie, I'll spell it out for you.
Alice won't be returning your calls.
She won't be speaking to any one anymore. I made sure of that.
I swear, I really did go over there just to talk. To make an effort, for your sake. You were so head over heels in love. What kind of daughter would I be if I didn't support that. But when I got there, all of that crumbled away. I rang the bell, and the door opened. But she wasn't on the other side. No, it was her other boyfriend. I don't want to go into the messy details, but let's just say that by the look and smell of the place, there was no other explanation for what was going on in there. And believe me, I looked for one. I tried so~ hard to give her the benefit of the doubt. But it was all true. She was sleeping with another guy, the day after you brought her to your home. That's the kind of woman she was.
(Pause)
Yes, that's right. Was.
(Pause)
"What did I do? "
I did what I had to do. To protect you from her and her lies.
I told the boyfriend that I had the wrong apartment, and left. I hid, and waited for him to leave. Even got a clear picture of him leaving, since you wouldn't believe me otherwise. Here, see for yourself.
(Pause)
Anyway, after that, I went back and rang the bell again. When she opened the door for me like an idiot, I pushed her back inside to…confront her.
I remember wanting to convince her to break things off with you. She said something about having needs. After that, I got a little…upset.
It's weird. People usually justify it by saying they "lost control".
But in that moment, I had Never. Felt. More in control. It's like I knew exactly what to do, and how to do it.
And when it was all over, I felt a peace, something unlike anything I had ever felt before. Then it was just a matter of cleaning up. By the time I left, it was like I was never there in the first place. The remaining evidence only pointed to the last guy who was in her apartment. I'm sure the detectives enjoyed such an open-shut case. I'm surprised you didn't see the story since you've been obsessively watching the news all week.
And you know what the best part is? I got away with it! (Laugh)
It's been a week since then, and all they've done is arrest the other guy. Makes sense of course. Her social media presence was mysteriously erased, so there was no way to connect her to you. And this dress, which never should have been in her apartment in the first place, is finally back home where it belongs.
Everything worked out perfectly!
That's why I'm sure of it. I'm sure this had to have been a blessing from mom. She's still looking after us, keeping us safe. Even after all this time, she hasn't abandoned us. She showed me what to do, and protected me from the consequences because it was the right thing to do. And that's why I'm certain that we'll be okay. Just the 3 of us. Forever.
(Pause)
Oh dad, I know you don't feel it now. But you will. I'll make sure of it.
(Pause)
You'll what? Turn me in? You would have your own daughter arrested for helping you out? Does that really make sense?
(Pause)
Of course I helped you. Now that woman won't cheat on you ever again. And she can't distract you from your real family. This is a good thing. Why can't you focus on that?
I don't think calling me names is going to change anything. But it's okay, I know you're stressed. We can talk more about this in the morning. Lemme give you a hug.
Hey, don't flinch away from me. Just let your daughter hug you.
[Whispering in ear slowly until the end] Oh wow. Your pulse is racing. You really are stressed. Or could it be…you're scared? I wonder what you could be scared of. (Giggle)
But it doesn't really matter.
I promise, from now on, mom and I will be sure to protect you, so you don't need to be afraid.
Not now.
Not ever.
I love you dad. We~ love you.
Good night.
END

Lucas was training in his cabin, his mostly empty cabin. Sure he had like a couple other brothers, but they were all very distant, he never had siblings so he wasn’t really bothered by them not wanting to really interact with him, this along with the fact none of them associate with the others. But Lucas being Lucas didn’t care about his brothers he didn’t even know giving him the cold shoulder basically.
The son of Heracles had observed how other siblings at camp interacted, when he wasn’t distracted he managed to focus on other demigod’s behaviors sometimes. The Hermes, Aphrodite, and One-I-ror-i cabins all seemed close.
Sure the Hermes cabin made sense, since Hermes had his cabin opened to anyone who needed a place to stay, Lucas had stayed there himself before so he knew it was quite welcoming.
Lucas had seen different Aphrodite campers before and how they acted, if something was happening with one of their siblings they all kind of banded together.
The On-irori demigods were all the sleepy kids, they all seemed to have a symbiotic relationship, Lucas figured having all the tired dads would make their kids pretty chill.
The Ares cabin wasn’t a happy friendly one really, when the counselor was at camp Lucas could tell he was the strongest in that cabin, that’s why he’s in charge. Sure, he’d also seen Teagan try keeping an eye on them, but they didn’t just stop fighting everyone because you ask them please, so the guy seemed to struggle for a little bit with them.
Siblings… wow, they were complex. Lucas had finished working out for the day, but he’d had something to think about instead of just blasting “Life is Good” from his earbuds the whole time. He didn’t really want to control his cabin with fear, not only would it be a not so good decision for a bunch of super strong demigods to be pissed at each other, but Lucas just wasn’t like that.
Maybe his siblings wouldn’t ever come around, but he had friends at camp who were just as good, they didn’t even need to be related. Lucas related to other demigods at camp who didn’t have a lot of siblings like Salem, he was alone in his cabin, whether that was better than having siblings but they don’t talk to you or not was still up for debate… but there was people here that he cared about and they cared for him, and those were the ones he should be thinking about.

Get the course here: [Download Course] Dan Koe – Digital Economics Masters Degree (Genkicourses.site)
Our website: https://www.genkicourses.site/product/dan-koe-digital-economics-masters-degree/
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Phase 0) Digital Economics 101

The Digital Economics 101 module will open 1 week prior to the cohort start date.This is an onboarding module that will get you up to speed so we can get straight into the material.This will be required to finish before the start date.

• Gain a deep understanding of all of the pieces in the digital economy.
• Learn about the future of media and code — the front-end and backend of the internet — so you can focus your efforts.
• Understand digital leverage, distribution, no-code tools, and digital assets so you can take part in the mental & financial wealth transfer.

Phase 1) Creating A Meaningful Niche

Every day I hear people going on and on about trying to find their niche.I also hear people talking about how they don’t know how to combine what they love talking about with what will sell.You already have the answer. You just don’t have the clarity.

• Develop a long-term strategy to create your own niche — meaning you don’t have to worry about your “competition” playing status games.
• Discover your life’s work, curiosities, and obsessions. I see too many people that are uncertain about this for years.
• Cultivate and turn your vision, goals, and values into a brand that attracts an audience you love interacting with (and that will buy from you, and only you).

Phase 2) Content Strategy

There is one thing that separates those who make it in the digital economy and those who don’t.It’s the quality, articulation, and perceived originality of their content.The content you post has to make sense to the people you attract.Everyone has a different voice and tone that they resonate with. That they are congruent with and trust.It has to change their thought patterns or behavior — that’s what makes you memorable.That’s what separates you from the sea of people posting surface-level copy-cat style posts.Example and putting my money where my mouth is:

• Become an expert-level speaker or writer on the topics you care about.
• Never run out of content ideas for your posts or promotions (without using content templates — that’s how you stay a commodity).
• Create posts, blogs, tweets, images, and videos that resonate with other’s on a deep level. People will actually ask you how you got so good at what you do.
• Separate yourself from the ocean of B-tier creators that struggle to sell their products, services, andhave their ideas stick in the head of their audience.
• Implement our Epistemic Research Method — which is just a fancy way of saying scientific research method… but it’s for researching your mind to craft brilliant content and product ideas.

Phase 3) Crafting Your Offer

Most people are sitting on a goldmine of skills, experience, and knowledge (that they can use to help people 1-2 steps behind them).That is what people pay for.Considering 95% of the market are beginners… if you are good at something, you can help them get to your level (no matter how “basic” you think the information is).Do you not watch basic content all day anyway? People don’t want new information, they want to be reminded of what works.

• Use our Minimum Viable Offer strategy to start monetizing immediately (and have something to improve over time, rather than procrastinating until it’s perfect).
• Have a strategy for reducing the time you spend working over time (as you build leverage and improve your offer).
• Know how to create your own customers from the audience you are building, instead of “finding” the right customer for your offer.
• Take the guesswork out of building coaching, consulting, or digital product offers.

Phase 4) Marketing Strategy

You aren’t making money because you aren’t promoting yourself or your offer.That is literally the only way to make money. Have something desirable and consistently put it in front of peoples’ faces.In Phase 4, I will show you how to systemize, automate, and be consistent with simple promotions.You will be able to make money without having the chance of forgetting to do it (or letting fear of failure get in the way).

• Learn to sell on social media, in your writing, and across different platforms.
• Have consistent sales coming in while focusing on your meaningful message (no need to sound salesy all the time).
• Learn advanced automation strategies that you can implement at your own pace, especially once you validate your offer.

Bonus) The Creator Command Center

The Creator Command Center is a Notion template that houses all of the systems.This is how you will manage your brand, content, offer creation, marketing strategy, and systemized promotions for consistent sales.

Bonus) Live Product Build & Launch

In the first Digital Economics Cohort, I built out my course The 2 Hour Writer.I have videos showing how I build it with the strategies in phase 3 and 4.There is a bonus module that shows how I had an $85,000 launch that resulted in my first $100K month.I did this to prove the strategies inside Digital Economics work if you stick to the plan.And, this past Black Friday, I blew my that monthly high out of the water in 4 days.That’s the power of these strategies if you stay consistent with your life’s work.
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Toxic Rats: B, Geoff, Scott, Leshawna, Sammy, Sierra
Mutant Maggots: Anne Maria, Katie, Molly, Scarlett, Dave, DJ, Trent
Episode 02: Truth or Mutant Shark
"Last time, on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!" Chris opened over a long-distance shot of Wawanakwa, the recap montage beginning soon after. "Fourteen new competitors were blown away by this year's challenges," the host said as the yacht carrying the new cast was shown, Chris maliciously pressed a button on his remote control, and the yacht blew up. "They were treated to an early-morning swim," Max was shown trying not to drown, "said hello to the island's wildlife," Dave was shown to get nearly zapped by its eye-lasers, "and did some totem-surfing," the Toxic Rats slid down the hill and into the air, falling from their totem just before it crashed into the better cabin and exploded. "Ex-plosive!"
"In the end," a few short clips of Max trying to be villainous, "Max's non-stop claims about being dangerous made him useless enough that his team sent him packing, Hurl of Shame-style." The recap footage ended with Max getting catapulted off the island.
"Who'll go home next?" Chris asked the camera from the end of the dock. "And how much pain can I put them through first? Find out right now, on Total! Drama! Revenge of the Island!"
XXXXX
The episode opened on a shot of the morning sky and a few far-away bird calls as the camera panned down to the two cabins of Camp Wawanakwa.
The shot cut inside to the girls' half of the Rats' cabins where Leshawna and Sammy were woken up to the sound of Sierra texting on her phone.
"The first day competing on Total Drama was exciting," Sierra talked to her phone. "I managed to make some friends and even though my team lost the first challenge, I'm still staying for another day!"
"Girl, who are you even talking to?" Leshawna mumbled tiredly.
"I'm giving the fans an update about my day and experience being a contestant," Sierra mentioned. "The fansite eats up this stuff."
"Are you going to carry your phone everywhere you go just to do so?" Sammy asked.
"I won't use it during the challenges, but I keep it with me at all times," Sierra said. "Without my phone, I'd probably lose my mind!"
Confessional: Sammy
"So I joined the show because my friend group suggested I do so," Sammy timidly said. "They said it's to increase my self-esteem and make me branch out more or something close to those lines."
Confessional Ends
The shot cut abruptly to a top-down view of the other half of the Rats' cabin, showing Geoff and B sleeping in their bunk beds. The sound of a door suddenly slammed open and slammed shut, waking Geoff up.
It was Scott – flat against the front door with his eyes wide, his breath heaving, and his clothes dirty. "Dude, what happened to you?" Geoff asked in concern.
Scott straightened himself out. "Oh, uh... just had an early morning make out session with one of the honeys," he explained.
Geoff got out of his bed in his pajamas and got near Scott. "Why are you so messy then?"
The footage quickly cut to a scene of Scott running in terror from a Woolly Beaver – one with several boney spikes jutting out of its back. The shot flashed back to the Rats' cabin, and Scott added "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."
"Wait," Geoff stepped in. "You kissed a guy?" This comment earned him an annoyed expression from Scott.
Confessional: Scott
"All right. I was out looking for that hidden immunity idol, not that they need to know," Scott opened up. "It's all part of my strategy. Let my team lose so the Maggots develop a false sense of security before I pick 'em off!"
He was interrupted by a knock on the wall. "Occupied!" he shouted until the wholly beaver from earlier barged through the wall and frightened Scott into screaming.
Confessional Ends
The camera cut back outside the cabins, zooming on on the Maggots' abode on the right then cutting inside to show Anne Maria brushing and blow drying her hair.
Scarlett walked up behind her from the left carrying a clipboard. "How were you able to sneak those cans in?" she asked.
Anne Maria placed her items inside her pouf. "Easy. I stuck it in my pouf." She noticed the clipboard. "Why are you carryin' that clipboard?"
"I've been working on sleep analysis, Anne Maria," Scarlett answered. "Your stage two sleep spindles were low frequency followed by an intense delta or slow-wave. You slept well."
Anne Maria was a little surprised to hear that. "That's nice, but don't go spyin' on me." She grabbed her hairspray from her pouf and walked away spraying her hair.
Scarlett saw that Katie was still sleeping. "Seems Katie's sleep cycle is lower than I anticipated. Had she not tried to pull an all-nighter, she'd have a higher score," Scarlett spoke to herself.
Confessional: Scarlett
"I have the need to research my teammates and know what their weaknesses and strengths are," Scarlett said. "We were able to achieve victory in the first challenge, and I want to keep it that way."
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed to the boys' side of the cabin, the camera focusing on DJ as he woke up and stretched his arms. "Morning Trent and Dave!" the brickhouse greeted his bunkmates, though Dave wasn't around at the moment. "Where'd Dave go?"
Trent, who had also woken up, shrugged. "Beats me. He probably went to the bathroom."
Confessional: Trent
"This is my first time sleeping in a cabin," Trent confessed with his guitar on his lap. "It was hard trying to fall asleep, so I played some songs that were guaranteed to make me and the guys drift off… at least that's what my friends back home say."
"Anyway, my bunk mates are pretty cool. Dave's a bit neurotic, and DJ's more soft-spoken, but once I get to know them more, I can guarantee you we'll be best buds."
Confessional Ends
The scene cut to the back of the Maggots' cabin where Molly got out of a tent that she pitched.
Confessional: Molly
"I don't like bunk beds," Molly admitted with a shrug. "They tend to break no matter how stable it is. That's why I decided to sleep outside. Besides, I wanted to have a camping experience, and sleeping in a tent is the first way to go."
Confessional Ends
The footage returned to Molly stretching her body, and a few seconds later, Dave walked up to her. "Did you sleep outside of your cabin?"
"Yep," Molly nodded.
"Do you know the negatives of doing that?" Dave crossed his arms.
"I don't think so," Molly shook her head.
"You could get bug bites or get sick," Dave explained to the indie woman.
"I already planned for that," Molly laughed. "Ever heard of bug spray and sleeping bags?"
"I know those things, but why did you sleep outside?" Dave wondered.
"One, I prefer to sleep by myself, and two, I don't like sleeping indoors," Molly gives the germaphobe answers. "I hate following the crowd."
"Okay then," Dave said. "I'm gonna use the bathroom. Are you coming?"
"I'm already prepared," Molly took out toothpaste and a toothbrush.
\
The scene cut to a seagull sleeping in a nest inside the horn of a loudspeaker. A blow horn sounded through it without warning, though, forcing the bird out into the air and revealing its snake-like features as it fell.
"Up and at 'em my little morning glories!" Chris called out, sitting on his ATV below. "It's time for today's challenge!" he announced, the camera moving behind him to show the two teams assembled in front, their respective logos appearing on the screen overhead.
"What?" Sierra asked in shock. "But we haven't even had breakfast yet!"
"Not a problem for me," Molly brushed it off and swallowed a pickle. "I packed enough pickles for me to be full."
"And we haven't had enough sleep," Katie added.
"Cognitive function is dependent on REM sleep," Scarlett acknowledged the host.
"You can catch up on your sleep after the challenge," Chris told them. "Rrright this way, to the Bay of Dismay!"
The thirteen campers groaned, except for Katie, who pulled out her tablet.
"Hey viewers! I'm gonna be at a Bay of Dismay," Katie started to film herself until Chris used a magnet to take her tablet away. "What the?"
"Contraband! Now it's mine! Confiscator's keepers! Come on! Your humiliation awaits!" Chris told a miserable Katie.
\
The scene flashed ahead to the thirteen campers walking along at an even pace. "'Bay of Dismay'?" Trent told Anne Maria as they walked side-by-side. "That doesn't sound depressing at all."
"If Chris is gonna make us fight against alligators," Anne Maria said. "I'm planning on suing him after the show ends for breaking my nails."
Trent frowned, but chose to ignore it.
The camera lingered a few seconds as they walked off, long enough for DJ and Katie to enter the shot together. "So, what kinda challenge do you think Chris is gonna put us through this time?" DJ asked.
"I don't know," Katie answered without looking at him, "but I hope it's one that requires the use of a camera so I can take pictures with it, you know?"
DJ facepalmed, unseen by the influencer.
Confessional: Katie
"It's been four minutes, and I'm already missing my tablet," Katie squeaked out and huddled herself. "How will my viewers know what I'm doing right now?"
Confessional Ends
DJ decided to make Katie happy. "Maybe when the challenge is over, you could get your tablet back."
"Emphasis on maybe," Katie snarked.
"I don't know if this is going to be another physical challenge," Leshawna said to Sierra as the footage cut to the two of them walking together. "We already struggled getting that totem down last challenge."
"Chris probably has an academic challenge planned for us at the Bay of Dismay," Sierra told her as they walked forward, "and I know Chris isn't lying."
"How do you know Chris isn't frontin' us?" Leshawna asked.
"Basic knowledge," Sierra bragged. "I can tell if he's lying to us by his vocal pitch and body language."
"So you really studied the show and how it works, huh?" Leshawna followed up in surprise.
"Of course I have," Sierra said. "I've seen every episode like fifty-three times and auditioned twice before being accepted the second time."
B and Scarlett were now shown walking together. "Any idea on what we'll be facing up against?" the quiet brainiac asked the similarly intelligent boy, who didn't talk back to her. "I can see that you prefer not to vocalize your sentences like me, but you're more exaggerated."
Confessional: B
B simply shrugged in the confessional.
Confessional Ends
The static cut away to the body of water that was, presumably, the Bay of Dismay. Three structures rose out of its waters: on the left and right were two-tiered game-show-like seats that housed the Toxic Rats and Mutant Maggots respectively and bore their logos on the front; and in the middle was a single Greek pedestal upon which Chris stood in his blue tuxedo below a large video screen and electronic scoreboard.
"Welcome to the 'Getting to Know You' Trivia Game Challenge," Chris introduced. "Everyone strapped in all nice and snug?" he asked the contestants.
"Too snug," Scott answered irritably. "It's cutting into my shoulders!"
"Yeah, children's size harnesses will do that," Chris chuckled. "I'll be asking our players embarrassing personal questions," he explained, "and I mean majorly humiliating. If the player I'm talking about hits the poorly-wired buzzer and owns their humiliation before the time runs out," he continued as the shot cut back to Scott looking at the red buzzer on the counter in front of him, the camera zooming out to show Sierra on the left, Sammy on the right, and B, Leshawna, and Geoff on the back row, "their team gets a point." The camera panned across the Maggots, showing DJ, Molly, and Scarlett in the bottom row and Katie, Anne Maria, Dave, and Trent above. "First team to five wins part one, and a distinct advantage in part two."
"Buuut," Chris added as the shot cut back to him, "if no one owns up, this happens!" He took out his remote, pressed the button, and with a mechanical whir the elevated stand the Maggots were seated in suddenly dropped into the bay. The shot cut to the seven holding their breaths below the water, focusing in on DJ in particular. He looked around and screamed when he saw the large mutant shark with arms and legs looking at him hungrily, and his teammates joined in as the shark reared back to take a bite – but the stand rose back up just in time to take the teens away from danger.
The shot cut back to the surface as the Maggots re-emerged, dripping and coughing and generally frantic. "There's some kind of two-legged shark down there!" Anne Maria told the host in a panic.
"You mean Fang?" Chris asked with a broad smile and quick laugh. "Yeah, it turns out toxic waste can mess with stuff underwater too." He pointed up at the screen above him as he spoke, and the camera panned up to show a seemingly ordinary shark drinking a cup of tea on a wooden post underwater...until the screen flashed, and a picture of Fang against a simple teal background replaced the normal shark. "Who knew?"
"Better them than us," Scott said from the Rats' stand.
"Anywho," Chris continued slowly, "if a team gets dunked, their opponents can steal by guessing which dunk-ee is guilty. Guess right, and you get a point. Guess wrong, and this happens." With a sly look he pressed the button on his remote again, and this time it was the Rats who got plunged into the bay. Fang was shown tying a bib around his neck, then looking behind him just as the fresh set of teenagers came into view. He turned around and opened his mouth to bite, and with the muffled screams being heard the shot cut back to the bubbling surface. Chris pressed the button once more, and the Toxic Rats rocketed back up on their stand.
"Now that we understand the rules," Chris told them as they coughed up water, "let's start the game!" The host pulled a notecard out from behind his back. "To the Rats, now listen carefully," he began. "Who does this," he motioned upward to a picture of a question mark, "if they eat or drink any form of dairy?" the question mark farted.
All members of the Mutant Maggots began to laugh, as did the members of the Toxic Rats – all except Leshawna, who seemed to shrink in her seat as the camera zoomed in on her. "Where did you get that?" the sista asked in her embarrassment, pressing her buzzer and yelping at the shock she received.
The shot cut to the scoreboard, the Rats' half changing from 0 to 1.
The camera moved back to Chris and his card, now turned towards the Maggots. "Who sleeps with a teddy bear," he motioned upward to a picture of a brown teddy bear, "even after they turned 13?"
"Really? I thought we were more grown-up than that," Dave cringed at the fact.
Scarlett saw that DJ was feeling embarrassed. "Push the button, DJ! You're clearly harboring some guilt," Scarlett advised.
As the timer continued ticking, DJ finally shuddered, then slammed his right hand down on her buzzer. "Alright then," he declared after getting shocked, "it's me."
A bit of light laughter came from the Rats, and the scoreboard updated to show the Maggots' first point. "And it's one-all!" the host declared, earning a cheer from the Maggots.
"Aww, thanks DJ," Katie whispered to the drooping brickhouse. "I know that must've been hard, and I don't hold it against you."
"Really?" DJ regained his smile.
"I have my own collection of teddy bears in my room," Katie beamed.
Confessional: DJ
"Liking teddy bears is one thing me and Katie have in common," DJ smiled in the outhouse. "We'd have to get to know each other a bit more."
Confessional End
"Rats," Chris turned back to the other team, "whose first name is really Beverly?"
"That's not embarrassing," Trent called out defensively. "None of us will throw a fuss over a girl's name being Beverly."
Over to the Rats, Sierra was looking at a picture of Chris, Sammy was shrugging to signify it wasn't her, and Leshawna was just waiting for someone to buzz in.
B, on the other hand, looked down at his own buzzed timidly, and after some consideration, he pressed the buzzer and got shocked, raising his hand to let Chris know that he owned up to the question.
"Correct, Beverly," Chris teased the strong, silent genius. "Rats get the point, but I would've preferred a verbal response."
"But B is as quiet as a snail," Geoff piped up. "And we still got the point."
"Don't care," Chris said apathetically. "So, as a quick punishment." He smiled as he pushed the button on his remote again.
The Rats were plunged back into the water, and the camera focused on Scott as he hollered before getting chomped up by Fang, the stand rising back up as Fang struggled to close his jaws.
Scott managed to get out of Fang's mouth, shouting "No! Wait for me!" as he swam back to her seat.
Confessional: Scott
Scott winced in the confessional, pulling something white out of his butt. "What the? A shark tooth?" he asked, looking at what was obviously a shark's tooth.
Confessional: Fang
The next to use the confessional was none other than Fang, examining his mouth in a hand mirror with great concern. Upon noticing the gap in his upper row of sharp teeth, he growled angrily and snapped the mirror.
Confessionals End
Scott furiously climbed back into his seat. "Thanks for leaving me down there, team!" Scott scolded his teammates. "You can win this stupid challenge without me!"
"If he's not playing, then I'm not either," Anne Maria chimed in, the shot zooming back out as she and the other Maggots looked towards the host.
"I've already had a secret about me exposed, so I think I'll be leavin'," Leshawna declared.
"Okay, everyone just settle down," Chris told them all sternly.
"I'm with everyone else. We should stop," Molly said, standing up and trying to undo her harness. "I do not want any secrets of mine to be spilled out."
"You can do so after you've had a secret revealed," Scarlett snapped.
"Hey! Host talking here!" Chris barked. "I decide when the challenge is over."
"Whatever," Scott scoffed, having already removed his harness. "I'm out of here."
"Not until we win," Sierra held the dirt farmer back from leaving. "I am not going to have us lose."
Just then, Fang jumped out of the water and took a large bite out of the Maggots' stand, forcing them to yelp.
"Now would be a good time to leave," Sammy remarked and tried to get herself out of her straps.
The shot cut back to the Maggots as Anne Maria and Scarlett began to argue with Dave and Molly and DJ, Katie, and Trent watched the debacle going on.
Eventually, the shot cut back to Chris as he finally shouted "Alright! SHUT IT!" The off-screen arguments promptly ceased. "Thanks to that pathetic digression," he said in annoyance, glancing at his watch, "now we don't have enough time to finish this challenge! Happy?"
The Rats voiced their agreement. Likewise, all the Maggots agreed happily.
"Well you won't be happy for long," Chris told them and the camera with a smile. "Come back after the break for an all-new challenge from which there is no escape. And in the meantime," he added slyly as he took his remote back out and pushed the button, causing both teams to be dunked into the bay with a scream once more.
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(Commercial Break)
\

Previous posts:

• Shadespire
• Nightvault

For those unfamiliar with Warhammer Underworlds, it's Games Workshop's card/mini/board game set in the Mortal Realms. Almost every card in the game has a small snippet of lore on it in addition to its rules text; some of the lore is simple statements about the card's effect, but others describe the setting or the fighters or provide in-universe quotes. I haven't found a card library that compiles these lore snippets (they are understandably focused on the rules), so I decided to compile them myself.
This is my third post of the project, compiling the cards from the third season of the game, Beastgrave. This is the first major setting update, since the previous seasons (Shadespire and Nightvault) both took place in Shadespire, while this one takes place in Beastgrave, a living mountain in Ghur.
Cards for the season starter warbands:
Grashrak's Despoilers:

Text	Card Name
There is a diabolical method to the Brayherds' depravity.	Bestial Cunning
The gruesome food for Grashrak's primal sorceries are rarely in short supply.	Blood Ritual
To beastmen, carnage and mayhem are ends unto themselves.	Bloodshed
The creatures of the Brayhertds stampede forth from their domains whenever a more enticing territory presents itself.	Conquerors
True victory comes only when all the enemy held dear is reduced to ruin.	Despoilers
To Grashrak's Despoilers, there is no sight more pleasing than that of unsullied flesh being butchered.	Killing Blow
In the wild, the alpha creature is the one still standing at battle's end.	Proven Superiority
There is no better hunting ground than the lands of a defiant enemy.	Raiders
Beastmen strike hard and fast, and they seldom do so alone.	Stampede
Bloodshed breeds strength, and strength breeds opportunity.	Survival of the Fittest
Wherever Grashrak's Despoilers go, so follows the corruption of Chaos.	Swarm the Battlefield
It is not enough to despoil the land - the air itself must writhe with the power of anarchy.	Taint of Ruin
The primal fury of the Brayherds is infamous, and rightly feared.	Baying Anger
The true children of Chaos are driven by instinctual animosity.	Baying Hatred
There is nothing more fearful than a wounded beastman.	Berserk Bellow
Primal magics swirl across the battlefield, driving the herd towards their foe.	Bestial Vigour
The language of the Brayherds is not elegant, but it is easily understood.	Blood Taunt
Grashrak's Despoilers use every weapon that nature and Chaos have bestowed upon them.	Bull Charge
A bestial curse twists the foe in both body and mind.	Devolve
When hunting down prey, speed is as important as brute strength.	Skirmisher
Like carrion feeders to a corpse, the beasts of the Brayherds flock to territories they can despoil.	Vile Invaders
The notion of a fair fight is anathema to Ungors.	Weight of Numbers
Why work to conceal yourself when you can simply take away your hunter's ability to see?	Blinding Attack
The scent of blood only intensifies the hunger for battle.	Bloodcrazed
Even the most masterfully wrought armour crumples at the touch of this Chaos-infused blade.	Cursed Flint
There are few greater weapons than a strong instinct for self-preservation.	Dogged Survivor
Always another foe, always another quarry, the bloodletting in Beastgrave is never-ending.	Endless Hatred
Pain is the one sense the beastmen seek to dull.
Those with the shortest horns must find other ways to puncture their prey.	Jabbing Spear
Seething energy crashes into the enemy, tearing at their flesh and driving them from their feet.	Savage Bolt
Grashrak has an innate understanding of the anarchic and the arcane.	Sorcerous Trinket
Amongst the Brayherds, the severed head of one's enemy is the ultimate symbol of status.	Trophy Taker

Skaeth's Wild Hunt:

Text	Card Name
In Beastgrave, there is no end to the hunt.	Aspects of Kurnoth
Once the quarry has been sighted, it is Karthaen's horn that calls the Wild Hunt.	Cry of the Wild
Preparation is the first step towards victory.	Gifts of Kurnoth
There are multiple ways to take down one's quarry.	Hunt's End
In the wilds, one must always be aware of their surroundings.	Kurnoth's Snare
It is Karthaen's hope that the Beastgrave itself will some day be scoured from the realms.	Purifying Rites
'Your blood shall flow free, and it shall wash away the corruption you have brought to this land.' - Sheoch, Kurnothi Tracker	Ritual Kill
'Your death is as inevitable as the changing of the seasons.' - Skaeth the Huntsman	Run Down
'Die, foul creature. No longer shall you be a blight upon the realms.' - Skaeth the Huntsman	Run Through
'Who can catch an arrow in flight? Its speed is its armour, and the source of its deadliness.' - Althaen, Kurnothi Tracker	Safety in Swiftness
The most fallow soil can be made fertile if seeded with enough bone and flesh.	Slay the Corrupted
The Wild Hunt seek to ensure that no more souls fall to the Katophrane curse.	Soulbinding
With a blast of his horn, the air itself, the air itself comes to Karthaen's aid.	Binding Wind
The Wild Hunt advance on their foes with the speed of a summer storm.	Fleet of Foot
Even in the cavernous depths of Beastgrave, the live-giving winds of Ghyran can blow strong.	Healing Breeze
'I am the Hunt! The Hunter grows within me!' - Sheoch, Kurnothi Tracker	Might of Kurnoth
The weal must be reaped so that the strong may thrive. That is the way of the hunt.	Pounce
'That which was made to run must run. That which was made to fly must fly. That which was made to kill must kill.' - Skaeth the Huntsman	Retrieve Javelin
The resounding blaze of Karthaen's horn imbues the members of the Wild Hunt with bountiful vigour.	Song of Swiftness
Just as they seek harmony in life, the Wild Hunt work in harmony to bring death to those who would desecrate the realms.	Strike in Concert
In the pursuit of their foes, the Kurnothi are as relentless as a winter's gale.	Swift as the Wind
Any enemy that values its life can be herded, given adequate provocation.	Battle Cry
The Kurnothi call upon their fallen god to drive their enemies from the lands that have been corrupted.	Divine Strength
There is no escaping thise fighter's fury when they have marked their prey for death.	Eye of Kurnoth
Althaen's arrows fall swift and sharp as monsoon rains.	Fast Shot
It is speed, not strength, that allows prey to outrun its predator, and a predator to close ground on its prey.	Great Strides
Even now, Kurnoth's gifts still protect those who are faithful to him.	Hale Charm
Those familiar with malkyn know that when their teeth are bared, it is already too late to run.	Hunting Aspect
'Bring life to the lands, and death to those who would despoil them.' - Kurnothi chant	Kurnoth's Mark
An enemy's offence becomes severely limited when their bones have been shattered.	Shield Slash
At Karthaen's call, the motes of life magic in Beastgrave coalesce into barbed projectiles that fly towards his foes.	Vicious Darts

Starter box universal cards:

Text	Card Name
When the enemy lie broken and bloodied to the last, then can the deep rumbling of Beastgrave be heard.	Annihilation
Stride forth boldly and seize that which belongs to your enemy.	Conquest
Hold fast to what is yours, no matter the cost.	Denial
Seize the howl-horn and let its mournful dirge echo through Beastgrave's heart.	Hold Objective 1
Capture the amber-bone riches of Ghur.	Hold Objective 2
The throne of tusks may be claimed only by one who is worthy.	Hold Objective 3
The worth of the gargant's blade is beyond imagination.	Hold Objective 4
Dare you don the mask of the Silent People?	Hold Objective 5
Seize the heart of the mountain, chamber by twisted chamber.	Supremacy
The cursed caverns within Beastgrave can disorient even the most keen-minded explorer.	Confusion
A morbid fume surrounds the casts, choking any foe that dare approach.	Eldritch Haze
'Nowhere have you left to run, nor any place to hide...' - Skaeth the Huntsman	Marked
The key to survival is being where your predators least expect.	Sidestep
The key to killing is to attack where your prey least expects.	Snare
An opponent cannot always be defeated, but they can always be made to pay for their actions.	Caltrops
The most fearsome creatures in Beastgrave are those who have adapted to survive in an environment of slaughter.	Great Fortitude
The bestial might of Ghur flows through this fighter's veins.	Great Strength
Driven by primal urges, this fighter watches their enemies for the slightest sign of weakness.	Predatory Instinct

My son is almost 3, once a month my mom and (17yo) sister watch him for me on Saturday mornings until the afternoon while I go to work, which I appreciate but they do things that annoy me. My mom was excited to show me a car she bought him for going outside in. It’s hot pink. My fiancé was very unhappy to say the least and even my moms boyfriend asked why she’d buy that. “It was on sale, it’s just a color”. I get that, but then she goes and buys him a pink shirt, and asks me to put it on him for my sisters upcoming graduation. I know men can wear pink, but she’s constantly buying him everything PINK. then my sister sends me a Snapchat just now of my son in her room and she’s putting make up all over his face. Like what the hell?? One, he has sensitive skin which I’ve told them a million times. Two, he is a little boy not a girl. And she knows my fiancé is coming to pick him up any minute. Why why why. I know, some people will say let kids be kids but this bothers me. And I know it bothers my fiancé even more, so hello, common sense?

Sorry for a long post but I feel like I just need to get this off my chest even if no one reads it.
I honestly had no idea this was a thing until recently. I just always assumed asexuals were aromantic and because I am not asexual I must therefore be expected to feel romantic feelings towards people but I just don't.
I always manged to get a good amount of attention from girls and because at school people just got girlfriends and talked about them I assumed I was supposed to do that too. I enjoyed physical intimacy but just never actually felt a romantic connection and often made up lies/excuses to skip dates so I could chill on my own. I even had a long-distance relationship with a girl for several years that worked perfectly for me because it just meant a few texts every day and then time spent together was focused on physical intimacy. But as soon as we were able to move in together I felt so physically uncomfortable at having to be around another person all the time and I was constantly made to feel bad for ever wanting to have some time to myself. When we broke up it was hearbreaking, because to me it just felt like the relationship wasn't good and we should mutually part ways but she was so devasted and I couldn't understand why she was so clearly in love with me but I just wasn't like that.
A few more failed relationships happened, again because I enjoyed dating but got uncomfortable once it was clear that they had feelings for me that I couldn't reciprocate and I was just always made to feel like I was a selfish asshole for not being so lovey-dovey. Multiple girls have told me I come across as cold.
Eventually, along comes the most beautiful woman in the world and we had a few dates. It made me uncomfortable to do so, but I forced myself to be less cold and be more romantic because I assumed that was how I was supposed to be and I obviously enjoyed the physical side of the relationship but also got a buzz out of feeling like I was doing the proper thing. Things become serious and I continued to act like I was as into her and she was into me because I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't be.
Then an accidental pregnancy happened, and she told me she wants to keep it. Everyone expects me to stick around and be involved. I don't want to have any kids, and I made this very clear, but I give in to all the pressure around me because everyone acts like this is a super happy great thing to happen to me, so I go along with it. I even reluctantly agreed to have another baby, because I thought I was supposed to. I proposed to my girlfriend because of the pressure being put on me to do so and I felt that I had to go along with it otherwise I would be a selfish asshole and everyone would hate me. I didn't want to feel like I was upsetting everyone by just doing what made me comfortable.
Now a few years followed and I am beyond miserable. I would sell my soul to the devil to just experience "misery" for one day because that would be an upgrade. It's worse because it's not just that I feel uncomfortable being around people who depend on me all the time, but then I feel extra bad because of how guilty this makes me feel. All I can think about all day every day is how I just want to end it all because I can't cope with the awful feeling of having made a whole family be in love with me and be dependent on me, just for me to only ever enjoy being on my own - which never happens now of course.
The engagement has gone on for several years now and my girlfriend, all our friends and family are constantly putting pressure on me to go through with it already but I can't think of anything worse than having a big romantic wedding for me to lie to everyone about being in love. Of course I love my family more than anything in the world, but I'm only just seeing now that they way that I love them isn't the same as the way that I am supposed to.
Reading about people who are aromantic... it all just makes so much sense to me. But what can I do when it's this late in the day? I can't just tell my girlfriend that actually it turns out I don't LOVE-love her and that I actually want to be apart. There have been some bumps in our relationship where breaking up almost happened anyway and it was awful, I can see that they would all be so miserable and unable to cope without me, so I have to just sacrifice my life to be with them all forever, or end it so that they can be with someone else.
I just don't know what to do. I am sure that I must be aromantic but it's too late to use that line to get out of this. Everyone would just assume I'm an asshole and anyway, I'd lose everything anyway. I'm completely at a loss.

I've been dealing with feelings of jealousy about preferential treatment towards my younger sister for a long time and I want to vent.
I was born soon after my parents married- both fresh MBBS doctors, they hadn't done their PG yet. They trained in the US- they sent me back to grow up with my maternal grandparents when I was 4. Though they didn't have much money they sent me American toys every 6 months or so (a lot of which my grandma would lock away) but otherwise I wasn't very connected with my parents. My grandma had a foul mouth and a nasty temper- I was physically and emotionally abused a lot. She'd constantly compare me with my fairer skinned cousin next doors who had better handwriting and was a stronger singer too. She'd tell me my art was talentless trash and curse and beat me while supervising piano and other activities she deemed more worthy. There was a prized male servant who sexually abused me there too ages 6 to 9. From a bubbly kid I became sad and fragile- nobody really noticed or questioned why. My dad would visit every year or so and push me to new impossible standards to acheive- he'd berate me for being dark and chubby, not smart enough, not athletic enough, etc. Mom came back when I was 10, pregnant with my sister. We lived with my dad's family where my mom was treated poorly, more like a maid. Dad came back when I was 13, never confronted his family on mom's behalf though. We moved to the maternal grandparents house again and at 14 my old abuse story came out and the grandparents said I was lying rather than to have to lose that guy. There were other clashes too so we moved out to a tiny rented home. Mom had breast cancer the next year at just age 36 and went away for treatment. That's when I started putting in effort in my studies and became a topper going on to do MBBS and MD by merit in a top college (Yaay me!). I have a lot of childhood trauma (a lot more in college and beyond too) and have had very very low self esteem but I managed to reach here.
I don't know if my parents were ready to have me back then- or if my very existence makes them feel guilty about the ways my childhood got messed up but they'd tell me, the sensitive teenager that I'm not "strong" like them and I have all my bad traits are coz I grew up in "THAT house". My dad is a narcissist and my mom is a passive enabler. I only started standing up to them when I was 28.
The younger one came along when i turned 10. Dad was back in 3 years and I was off to college when she turned 6. Our lives didn't overlap much. She grew up in better circumstances- parents were doing well and they bought her A LOT of gadgets (a good digital camera, a Nintendo Wii, not one but TWO Nintendo DSes). Parents were always tight lipped about money so I always thought we didn't have enough and I didn't have enough self esteem to ask for stuff even when she got hers (shouldn't they have just matched purchases themselves?). I'd ask her to share but she didn't like to, was quite sadistic - my parents would mock me saying "have some self respect! Don't grovel! She's younger too" (don't most elders teach us to share?!). She had chaperones ensured everywhere she went (because of my old abuse). She was allowed to say the RUDEST things and get away with them. She grew up very shielded, entitled and sadly vain and shallow. She's fairer, thinner and taller so dad would tell her- your sister has the brains, you have looks, we'll marry you off if you don't study well and get into college. Princess chose a very expensive private college, got distracted by romance, sports, culturals and everything else and flunked 1st year. It was very stressful for us all- she didn't care. She's had panic attacks since school days so my parents were careful to get her therapy to cope (they have been mocking me for going recently). Mom immediately dropped everything to go be with her for a few weeks (she's done this for her a few times, never for me- heck I needed spine surgery 3 years ago and my parents were delaying showing up coz they prioritized their hospital inspection). With half ass efforts she barely passed a year later and is in 2nd year now. She is cold and manipulative and has my parents wrapped around her little finger.
I'm a very straightforward person who ends up butting heads with my parents more because I'm not as traditional as them. They call me immoral, the black sheep, tell me that I have multiple demons in me. I have yearned for their acceptance for YEARS and have just started giving up. It all seems unfair to me. My sister is getting even nastier with age and keeps trying to widen the gap between the parents and I. She tries to manipulate me into standing up for her when it suits her. I've stopped trusting and started to gray rock her. How did she turn out so awful? I recently asked my dad why I always got the short end of the stick- he robotically said "each child will be provided for as per their needs". No further explanations. He also told me that my sister is the most important relationship I'll ever have in life and so to stay cordial (like he spinelessly stays nice to his brother that treated us like shit- and my mom too to her selfish sisters and parents).
Maybe being around me is hard for them? Especially mom (very religious vs atheist me)? She was due to visit this month but is now humming and hawing. They are currently busy indexing old question papers in my sisters text books (the heck?! They NEVER put in this much effort for me- Dad never taught me physics but called me dumb for not being good at it but actually bought books and sat and taught her.. and they've been working like some sweatshop over question papers the last few days.) Sis video called to show me that on some other dumb pretense- she likes rubbing my nose in it. She flippantly tells me to let my past go coz "we all have trauma" and to stop criticizing the parents (easier for her to say coz they have done WAY MORE for her).
Maybe they shouldn't have had me back in 1991. They have never been kind or supportive to me after then either. I'm also a "failure" to them because they couldn't find me a groom since I turned 23 and dad has repeatedly told me it's my fault for being dark and heavy. Dad wants me to move off abroad asap and find someone. They mock me to my face but brag about my acheivements to strangers- it's absolutely retarded.
I'm upset. How do I deal with the poor treatment of myself gracefully without seeming juvenile? It affects me too much.

I’m not sure if this will be fine or if I will get Bonvoyed. Last night I booked three rooms on points for Italy. It was 125k per room for the 375k total. I had 376k so perfect they deducted the points and I received the confirmation with the three rooms. This morning I check my app since I’m traveling for work soon. It shows I have a high points balance so not sure what happened so I checked the history. It looks like the point requirement went up to 144k. They deducted the 144k and left me with the balance of around 236k. I called up the titanium customer service line. She tells me I should have booked each room separately, because of the way the system applies points to reservations. It made no logical sense. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor and got transferred to a new rep. I explained my story and she saw that the points requirement was 125k and that i still have 3 rooms reserved. She put in a case and said someone will look into it. Has this happened to anyone?

Help me!!!!
I am not a professional but very experienced with make up. I want a light glowy natural no make up look.
I use rare beauty tinted spf or nars radiant spf. I don’t feel either give me a glow. I also use huda glow powder but few that just makes my skin look darker not glowy. I have very fair cool pink undertone. I think i have hard to match skin. also have very sensitive combo skin. not quite oily not quite dry.
I feel like matter what i try l nothing work. so I need input from y’all

Heya peoples! I'm a crazy animal parental with horrible eczema on my arms and face (eyes and lips! It's super inconvenient and hideous!! Yay!) But my biggest problem with eczema is that I keep fish. Having eczema is bad for fishkeeping because you cannot put your arms in the fishtank after creaming them, you must wash the cream off. And since I mainly keep the wiggle but fish species of dojo loaches, I need to put my arms in my fish tank a lot to fish their decorations they have knocked over. I also keep noodle babies (aka pet snakes) and you can't get cream on them because it's bad for their skin! With this and creams just not working on my eczema my doctor started me on dupixent. Magical stuff! My eczema went fully away pretty quickly! But omg do I hate dupixent! I also have ADHD so remembering to take it is hard and remembering to order it is even worse! And the packaging dupixent comes in is the stupidest thing! For just two doses I get this giant box! Now it makes since because the meds have to be refrigerated but if we are going to do giant box anyways then can I get more than 2 doses per order?! So then I heard about rinvoq. ADHD me has initially thought dupixent was a pill because I didn't pay close enough attention to the commercial, so finding that there actually was a pill for eczema was awesome! But just my luck, it doesn't work! It worked a little bit at first, and before I go back to struggling to remember to take dupixent every two weeks I want to see if the higher dose of rinvoq works for me. What's inconvenient about rinvoq (besides the fact it doesn't work!) Is that you have to get blood work done every now and then. Idk why but ADHD says I don't have time for this actually really short activity and I put off this blood work thing for way too long. Sigh. What made me want to make this post is that I saw an article talking about how rinvoq tops dupixent in the whole eczema meds thing. I get why, a daily pill is much nicer than that stupid shot! But since stupid rinvoq doesn't work for me I need to call it out because it isn't even trying to get rid of my eczema right now and it doesn't deserve to top the magical eczema removing shot called dupixent! If increasing the dose of rinvoq works for me I'll update this post or leave it in the comments but honestly I'm doubtful and I think I'll have to go back to the stupid shot.

Okay so I've been doing some research for pimple, blackhead, bump prone balancedish skin and I found some products that might work but I'm not sure 😭 oh and I also have some scarring
AM - Rovectin Skin Essentials Conditioning Cleanser - Klairs Unscented Supple Preparation Toner - Rovectin Skin Essentials Aqua Soothing UV Protector
PM - Kose Softymo Cleansing Oil Speedy - Rovectin Skin Essentials Conditioning Cleanser - SOME BY MI AHA BHA PHA Miracle Toner - Klairs Unscented Supple Preparation Toner - Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream
is this too much? I'm 13 , I do wear some makeup sometimes so I thought I'd add the cleansing oil

I feel an overwhelming sense that my mother doesn't love me. It's disheartening because society often portrays a mother's love as the most powerful and unconditional, but I've never truly experienced that from my own mother. The fact that she never expresses her love only adds to the pain.
To give you some context, my mother is an extremely abusive, neglectful, and emotionally manipulative person, and our relationship is practically non-existent. Coming home for summer break from college has been a harsh reminder of the drastic shift from a year of peace and happiness to a state of deep depression and emotional exhaustion. I anticipated it would be challenging, but not to this extent. I make an effort to maintain at least a surface-level connection with her, but her behavior makes me want to cut off all contact. She consistently treats me as her servant, as if I owe her my entire life simply because she gave birth to me. She claims that everything I do and all my aspirations are ultimately for her benefit, so that I can take care of her. I am responsible for driving her almost everywhere since she shows little interest in obtaining her own license. I also have to speak on her behalf because she refuses to learn English. She always makes everything I do about her and insists that my goals and aspirations are ultimately for her benefit, so that I can take care of her. She consistently prioritizes her needs over mine. While I am not a parent, I believe that parents should prioritize the well-being of the children they chose to have. I certainly did not ask to be brought into this world.
Oh and she always exploits her cancer diagnosis to manipulate and guilt-trip me into fulfilling her demands. I sympathize with her condition, but I can't ignore the fact that she brought much of her misfortune upon herself. She is a low-income single mother with no positive prospects. She had a loving husband who was willing to do anything for her and their children, but she destroyed that relationship, and now they are separated. If it were possible, I would live with my father and completely sever ties with her, but he is also ill and unable to maintain employment. I wanted to attend a college far away to escape her influence, but I have a younger sister whom I can't leave to face our mother alone. My plan is to endure as much as possible until I can become independent and live on my own, but that is many years away. I fear that I may reach my breaking point before then. During most of my childhood, I contemplated ending my own life, and I never want to feel that way again. It is my greatest fear.
Recently, I started dating a wonderful boyfriend who is the sole source of light in my life. He’s asked to meet my mother a couple of times. I do not want him to meet her. But I also do not want him to not meet her. I've tried to convey to him the complex dynamics of my relationship with my mother, but there's only so much I can articulate. He will never fully comprehend the situation, and I don't expect him to. However, I worry that my mother will never have the opportunity to meet the love of my life, and if I have children in the future, they will never know their grandmother. It's a painful realization because my mental health has been deteriorating since the day I returned home. The only things I look forward to are going to work and spending time with my boyfriend—anything to avoid being around my mother.
There are moments when I find myself sitting in my car, crying, and I cry myself to sleep at night, yearning for even the slightest indication that she loves me. It's incredibly difficult to love myself when my own mother doesn't even seem to like me. She makes me feel like a burden in her life, and she treats all her children in the same manner.
Today, she threatened to kick me out, and a part of me hopes she is serious. While I would have nowhere else to go, being anywhere else would be preferable to staying with her. I'm desperate for any advice that goes beyond the repetitive suggestions I've heard countless times before. I want to remain strong for my future, and I don’t want to let this situation interfere with my relationship. At times, I feel like I'm on the verge of exploding. Can anyone relate?

hello i had a panic attack a few months ago caused by hypertension few to many heavy drinking sessions and heavy smoking and not enough exercise was hitting 162/108 which i am only 30 and now developed health anxiety and which i have worked hard to bring it down walking everyday and cut down alcohol drastically only social drink once maybe twice a week but i have attached images just need to make my self understand the difference, i have some learning difficulties so i need yo try and make sense of the changes in my head so could someone help me please try and understand the changes please would really much appericete it

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
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Chapter 90: Death Of Death
The frozen chamber became a blur as I performed a beautiful, if involuntary roll in the air, before promptly finding myself engulfed in the familiar cushions which were Coppelia's arms.
It wasn't the softest of catches. But it wasn't the softest of landings, either. Because my arrival caused her–and me–to be driven right into the deep snow beneath us.
Poof!
A concerning sound greeted our combined impact … and yet that was little compared to the almighty noise of the Snow Dancer's embarrassing demise!
An echoing crescendo like no other filled my ears. And no wonder.
Falling before me had been a shower of sharpened hailstones, clattering viciously against the spot where she’d stood. The chamber groaned as the weight of so much frozen snow hurtled back down meant an eruption which blanketed the air in a veil thicker than any fog or steam.
Even so, one noise rose above the din like an ocean wave amidst a storm.
“Ahahahahaha … hahahahah … aahaahahahahah!~”
Coppelia's muffled laughter greeted me before my head even popped out of the snow.
The only joy was I couldn't see anything. And yet I could still all too easily imagine her slapping the snow in rabid amusement even as she lay buried in it.
“Ahahaha … hahahahaah … ahahahaha~”
I pursed my lips as the laughter washed over me.
Perhaps I should remain buried in the snow? At least then I wouldn't have to witness her expression as the fog cleared.
“Uff … hrrghh … ughhh ...”
I put the temptation aside as I slowly rose from the snow, using Starlight Grace as a guiding star as I dug myself out. Still, it clung to me like vines entangled around a branch as I released myself piecemeal, arms and torso first, followed lastly by my legs as I slowly extracted myself.
Finally, I pulled my foot out.
A bare foot.
Horrified, I crawled back into the hole and retrieved my boot. Then, after ensuring my footwear was back where it belonged, I shook my head to remove the white hat that'd formed atop my hair.
To … To think that I'd almost been sighted without my boot of authority!
My soles symbolised my power!
Without it, I'd be nothing but an extremely beautiful maiden!
Quietly thanking the mist which engulfed the chamber, I rose to my feet and assessed the state of the chamber. There was nothing to see other than a thick shroud of white. And so it fell to my expert foot poking technique to draw out any pertinent information.
All I felt were holes. Many, many holes.
“Hm hm hm hm hmm ♫.”
Yes, I was in a very good mood.
And why not?
I'd just sent a finely crafted hailstorm crashing down onto the Snow Dancer! And judging by the many pits I could feel with the tip of my boot, the A-rank sword saint had become an A-rank emmental!
“Ohohohoho! Behold! My ability to cut snow as I would my award winning clay busts! Foolish woman! No matter how many centuries you live, you can never hope to use the elements to defeat me!”
I filled the chamber with my mocking laughter, allowing it to echo throughout the mist. And rightfully so!
To think that my [Winter Snow Shovel] could so readily counterattack an ability with such a frightful name as [Gravity Reversal]! Why, this not only proved that naming conventions were utterly irrelevant, but that Starlight Grace proved the superior weapon!
An elven sword with a sapphire pommel? An impressive thing. But compared to the splendour of ruby, there was no contest! Not only was the gemstone I sported costlier on every market, but my sword was a thing of stories!
True, I may not remember any … but that hardly matters! Even an elven sword was pedestrian compared to Starlight Grace's long history! And as soon as I returned to the Royal Villa, I would inquire as to what they were … in order to add my own!
Ohohohoho!
Yes, my own place in my family's proud legacy was now secure.
With only a gardening technique, I had defeated a sword saint. Such a humiliating loss for her needed to be sung by minstrels the world over. Did it matter if I hadn't actually struck her with my blade? No, of course not. That only made my victory even more worthy of applause.
But just in case it did matter, well–
“Oooph … that was close!”
The Snow Dancer was willing to provide me another opportunity.
Instantly, all the mist was swept aside to the sound of a blade singing through the air.
In its place, I saw an elven woman standing upon the precipice of a thousand tiny craters in the floor.
“I mean, seriously,” said Ophelia, wiping a bead of non-existent sweat from her brows. “I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel there, and let me tell you, it was a lot whiter than I thought it'd be!”
I was outraged.
“Why are you still standing?!” I demanded. “I just magnificently sent your own attack back into you! How dare you still be conscious! It wasn't just beautiful, it was poetic! Do … Do you have no sense for theatre?!”
I pointed below me.
There, peeking out from the snow, was the top of Coppelia's fluffy golden hair. A pair of turquoise eyes clearly blinked at the sight of the Snow Dancer still very much on her feet.
“Even my future handmaiden was mocking your demise! How do you think she feels knowing that her laughter is now wasted?! The embarrassment is palpable!”
Ophelia shrugged, wiping a smattering of snow from her shoulders. The only harm to come to her.
“I'm good at dancing. Especially on snow.”
“You danced out of the way?”
“Name's the game. Granted, I never knew I was good at dancing out of the way of my own [Gravity Reversal], but it's good to know that's a thing I can do now. You know, the next time absolutely nobody is going to turn my own technique into an ice storm. How did you do that?”
I raised Starlight Grace.
“Through effort and countless hours dedicated to my craft,” I replied, incensed that she lacked the common decency to even feign being deceased. “And if you enjoyed the spectacle, then I'll be delighted to demonstrate it to you once again!”
The elven woman wore a look of academic curiosity on her face.
“Oh? With your ice technique ... or perhaps your wind one? Gotta admit, that one almost hit me. Good thing I'm also fast, huh? A variable speed skill. It's more like a spell. That's impressive. I'm guessing it's your signature ability?”
“Quite so. I favour it for the removal of insects without the harming of leaves.”
The Snow Dancer smiled.
Then, she adjusted her feet, adopting a ready posture while sheathing her blade once more.
“I like you. It's been a long time since anybody's stopped my attacks. It's great! It's even enough to make me forget the boredom. And I've been so, so bored.”
I raised an eyebrow.
Yes, my gardening techniques were somewhat becoming more akin to Clarise's wild experiments than ways to shoo away caterpillars these days. I wouldn't deny that. But a sword saint should also be able to cut faster than the eye could follow.
This is not the impression I had so far. Had her foes been so poor that they'd simply accepted their fates without so much as a look of indignation?
“I believe the quality of your opponents have been severely lacking,” I said, quite honestly.
She beamed.
“I think so, too.”
Fwishhh.
Brimming with joyful, murderous intent, a newly made circle of pure golden flames suddenly erupted around the Snow Dancer's figure. Snow melted around her in a blazing ring, and yet the newly billowing smoke failed to hide the smile keener than any blade.
This, I knew, was not [Gravity Reversal].
“I mean, I'm pretty sure the boredom's driven me insane. Actually insane. Do you know how long it's been since I've actually spoken this much with someone? Actually spoken, that is. And not whatever weird stuff I say when I'm speaking out loud. This is definitely the reason I'm still single.”
Suddenly, I felt my bangs rustling against my forehead as an unknown breeze swept through the chamber. It fell across the elven woman, lifting her own silver hair as though she were stood upon a clifftop.
“So, I'm feeling flashy! And since you've used your own signature ability, I'm going to do something special and use mine. I mean, I haven't done it for a while, so I hope you don't mind if I lose my footwork slightly. But well, I'm also not looking forward to being bored again, so maybe it's okay to miss just once.”
The Snow Dancer let out a short breath, her eyes closing.
When she opened them again, nothing could be seen of the blue irises.
Instead, they blazed with a golden light.
“Eh, who am I kidding,” said Ophelia, slowly drawing her sword, now glimmering with a light to match her eyes. “I never miss. After all ... mine is the sword to pierce the void, cutting a path through boundless infinity.”
The elven woman pushed back on her heel.
“Snow Helix Form, 10th Stance … [Yuleblade Dance].”
And then–she skipped.
In that moment, the very air between us shattered.
As if reality itself made way for her oncoming attack, everything between us cracked into a thousand fragments as viscerally as broken glass. The pieces floated with the grace of dandelion seeds, each shard a kaleidoscope of colour and dazzling light as hints of pure darkness appeared between the cracks.
As she skipped, she danced, the fragments of reality collected around her drawn sword as she spun. The shards gathered and coalesced around her blade, before trailing behind her as an exact mirror copy. And not just one.
They were endless.
I blinked.
In that moment, she had covered the distance between us. And I understood why Ophelia was more than a sword saint.
She was the Snow Dancer. And this was her ballroom.
Because as she approached, only the snow was undisturbed.
She glided upon it like a swan in a lake as behind her, countless copies of her sword trailing in her wake as she spun like a dancer with a ribbon.
Ophelia danced with footwork lighter than air.
And this time, there was no quelling with my scowl.
Innumerable swords twisted and ripped from reality followed her like deadly marionettes upon strings, each poised in an executing attack. Even if one blade was stopped, those that followed would continue unhindered. Her [Yuleblade Dance] was not a strike, but an ode to death as she elegantly skipped and twirled towards me.
Yes.
This was indeed a problem.
For her.
Because if the Snow Dancer wished to dance, then she needed an invitation.
My …. was what I was seeing true?
A mere titled commoner, lower than the lowest of nobility, daring to assume she could dance with me?
The … The sheer nerve! The cheek! The absolute disrespect!
I could put up with holes in the ceiling! Minotaurs robbing me! Rusty traps trying to murder me!
But for the Snow Dancer to not know dancing etiquette was an absolute travesty to common decency! Who did she bribe to attain her title?!
There was protocol! Heaps of it! More than could be written in any rulebook!
To do away with social convention with such callous disregard was an insult to my status and time! Inquiries needed to be made! Courtesies exchanged! Gifts rendered! Did she not realise how staggeringly popular I was?!
Why, the waiting list to dance with me stretched longer than the walls of the Royal Villa! During a soirée, the queue stretched so far that a sign denoting waiting time needed to be utilised!
No … were this a clash of swordsmanship, then I'd have no answer.
But if this was a dance, then I was peerless.
Because while snow was this woman's ballroom, this entire kingdom was my court. And upon it, I chose who to dance with.
As the sword saint neared and reality bent to her will, I refused to humour her request.
With Starlight Grace raised, I adopted a pose in readiness. The Snow Dancer smiled in response, skipping towards me as her silver sword stood poised to meet my heart.
And then–
I turned and stuck my leg out.
“...... Huh?”
The Snow Dancer blinked.
The next moment, all I saw of the elven woman was her bewildered expression as my foot caught her ankle.
Ohohohohhhohohoho!
Here it was! My ultimate ability! … Again!
[Princess Rejection]!!
Absolute refusal of all uninvited solicitations without first having adhered to correct social formalities!
Faced with instincts hardened through years of declining the ungracefulness of lesser nobility at our soirées, I turned as I would should a mere baroness seek to catch me unawares–before inconspicuously sending her toppling, publicly maintaining deniability while also leaving no doubt as to what I'd done!
But for the Snow Dancer, it wasn't the smooth marble floor of the Royal Villa which met her tumbling fall.
Instead–the sword saint flew uncontrollably forwards, crashing violently face first into a very large and very hard pillar.
As she met the ancient stonework to an eruption of snow, dust and rubble, a crack worthy of a wince sounded throughout the chamber.
Then came the swords waltzing in her wake.
They smashed into and through the pillar. A groan of broken masonry sounded as the elven-woman shaped indent in the pillar fully shattered and broke. Chunks of rubble collapsed atop the prone sword saint, burying her in a mound worthy of a tombstone.
A dollop of snow fell as the dust cleared. And after a long moment, all that could be spied within the mess of broken stone was a small bed of silver hair covered in a blanket of misery.
I peered, waiting for the movement.
The reprisal.
The obstinacy of an A-rank sword saint who escaped shattering hailstorms and blasts of wind as easily as a cat leaping from fence to fence.
Instead, all I received was a pitiful groan.
“...... Uuuuhhhhh …...”
I waited.
And then–
“Ohhohohohohohoho!”
I raised my hand to my lips.
Indeed, the soirée was a battleground of sabotage as nobility warred with a deftness of feet to put even the Snow Dancer to shame!
And I danced greater than them all!
“Aaahhahaahaahahhaahah!”
Off to the side, an extremely unhelpful clockwork doll stole my laughter.
At some point, she'd extracted herself from the snow and was now a white barrel, rolling to and fro as she occasionally slapped her palms down around her.
“Ahhahahahaha … ahahhahahah … ahhahaahhaahh ...”
I pursed my lips, considered waiting for her amusement to subside … then decided to continue laughing as well.
“Ohohohohohohoho!”
Why, if I intended to mock my fallen opponent regardless, then I may as well do so while my future handmaiden could join me in a derisive chorus!
“Behold, Coppelia! See how the inelegant fall to their own naïvety! The woman may be a sword saint, but in the end, she possessed the oafishness of countryside nobility! Against my fleet footwork, she had as much hope of victory as she did against the stars!”
“Ahahaha … I can … I can see that … ahahah … it was … it was … just as I expected … ahahahahha~”
I winced.
N-Naturally, her confidence in me was well placed!
Even so, I preferred that she endeavour to rush to my assistance whenever I was faced with mortal peril. Clearly, work was needed. While a handmaiden who knew not to take away from my limelight was a valuable asset, there was also ample opportunity to demonstrate unerring loyalty by wilfully throwing herself against foes.
But like all things, there was a queue to my time.
And so–to matters at hand.
“Come, Coppelia!” I said, turning from the bundle of silver hair as a fresh heap of snow landed on her groaning form. “Aquina's treasury awaits! Only a single door now seeks to stand between us and our rightfully owed taxes!”
Suddenly, Coppelia looked up from her freshly rolled bed of snow.
The smile she wore elevated upwards by several degrees. Her eyes glittered with the promise of revelry. And for me, that was more worrisome than any sword saint.
“Actually, I don't think the door's going to be a problem.”
I blinked.
Then, I turned fully around–only to witness the arched door to Aquina's vault parting, its great weight shovelling snow out of its path as easily as a dragon's tail.
Quack, quack. Quack, quack.
As it opened, a fluffy white duck waddled in through the gap.
A moment later, the vault fully revealed itself, and then I saw to whom its allegiance was sworn.
Because basking beneath streams of moonlight was the figure of someone I'd never seen before. A woman whose beautiful appearance elicited no recognition from me.
Still, I knew who she was without question.
After all, I was royalty.
And I could sense when another of my stature was present. Especially when she sat on a makeshift throne of snow and coins, possessed dazzling wings of mirror-like beauty, and wielded a fine crystal teacup in her hand.
The Winter Queen, it seems, had come to the Kingdom of Tirea.
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I left March 21. At I think 16 weeks pregnant I couldn’t stay any longer. I moved back in with parents and gave him a chance to try to get his shit together before baby was going to come. Here we are, I’m 28weeks and he still hasn’t done much of anything to get himself help. He’s currently blocked on every platform, and I’m very sad about the outcome. I gave him so many chances. I needed him so badly, to be my support person and be a father. I now won’t be having him at my daughters birth due to his abusive behavior since I have left him via text messages and him showing up at my work like a stalker, and abusing my mother via text message. He’s missed basically my whole entire pregnancy, and at the rate he’s going he will miss out on his first child’s life. It’s been rough, but I will say, I’m so happy with my decision. I can’t allow such a negative, unstable, selfish and abusive person to be around an innocent baby. It hurts like hell even after all the hurt physically, psychologically, and emotionally I endured at his hands, that he couldn’t get help. I’m heartbroken by someone who only ever hurt me. But the love I have for my child is so much more strong and fierce. I have to protect her, and right now he’s not shown me I can trust him around a baby. His behavior is too volatile. Im sad, and pregnant, and feel abandoned by him. But I know in my heart I’m taking the right path. I have amazing support from my mother, father, and even now his own sister has come forward and let me know that I’m making the right moves. It’s heartbreaking though, birth will be easy in the sense I’m not having him there so he can’t act like a child and bully me, but it will be so hard emotionally knowing he couldn’t get it together to be there for us. I never pictured giving birth with just my mom in the room. I’m torn emotionally but practically I know he can’t be there, because he’s shown me all he will do is hurt me, and I can’t expose my child to that possibility as well. Just in case anyone else is going through this just know you’re not the only one and you’re validated in your decision to protect your babies and yourselves. I never thought I’d leave him, and I never thought that if I did that he wouldn’t snap out of it and clean his life up. I never thought that he’d pick himself over his child. But the reality is what it is. Love to all of you!