Chapter 1 Prev Next
I act quickly. There are puddles of color rising all around us into oozing monsters — it's almost disorienting. They're the only sources of color all around me. There's a heavy, thickset ooze-creature a few steps ahead made of a deep, mauve sort of purple, the same purple that tints the wood of the Hestian trees; there are whip-thin creatures that are barely humanoid, with stringlike arms and legs made of all the different shades of fall. The forest detritus combines into a muddy brown, creating bloblike creatures on the ground that stretch themselves to move forward, leaving flickering trails of brown Firmament that fade into nothing.
And that's only a small fraction of the creatures that are starting to appear. Fighting all of them almost seems like a pointless task, one that will tire me out needlessly, but I remind myself that I need to fight. If beating one of them grants me credits...
"We should find out if Naru is still here," Ahkelios says. He's noticed the way my fists have clenched. "Don't touch them directly. You'll need a weapon."
I don't have one — I didn't bring the scythe with me this loop. I glance around and pluck a small branch off the ground, sending a burst of Firmament into it to reinforce it; it's a minor imbuement with no anchor or enhancement, but that doesn't matter. I only need it to last as long as I'm in the Hotspot.
"Just checking," I say. "What's going to happen to me if they touch me directly?"
Ahkelios shudders a bit. "They eat your color," he says. "It's not fun, trust me."
That's vague, but considering that I've seen what happens when I use Color Drain, I'm willing to take that at face value.
Short term plan: Go straight for the obelisk. Kill any of the color-oozes in my way. If Naru's still here, we deal with him; if not, we use the translation stone on the obelisk, and see if these oozes are worth killing. If I get enough credits for killing them...
"Ready?" I ask Ahkelios, and he nods.
Triplestep. Firestep.
I'm still not used to how fast that combination of skills makes me. Mental Acceleration makes it easy to handle, but it's still so much faster than I've ever been able to run. The ground flies beneath my feet, and in no time at all I'm in front of my first target.
Crystallized Strength.
The sharp pain of crystallization runs all the way up along my arm as I concentrate the Firmament there. This time, I don't bother with a Barrier — I have the stick I'm holding to take the brunt of the blow. I swing the stick as I dart past the thick purple ooze, injecting another spike of Firmament into it to make sure it doesn't shatter—
—the ooze takes damage. I can feel it; the Firmament within it gets jumbled up for a fraction of a second, and it flinches, its entire body shuddering.
And then the ooze grips the stick I'm using, its flesh clinging on like glue, and yanks it out of my hand.
I don't waste time. I let go of the stick before the ooze can cover my hand and grab a handful of dirt off the ground, haphazardly forcing Firmament into it before lobbing it as hard as I can. Crystallized Strength together with that brief reinforcement keeps the clump of dirt together as it rockets towards the ooze.
It thunks into the center of its chest, and the whole thing staggers back, leaving chunks of purple behind on the ground. Strings of purple lash out from its fingertips, arcing through the air towards me, and I twist out of the way of them just in time. They're sharper than they look, considering how they pierce straight through the trees behind me.
Mental Acceleration is working overtime. As large as this monster is, it's fast and flexible, and it doesn't bother following any of the laws of physics. It's freely able to change its shape, so it isn't limited the way most humanoid fighters are...
...Wait. I'm an idiot.
Color Drain.
I know exactly what color to drain from it, too, because the whole ooze is composed of just the one color. I feel it resist the effects of the skill — it's good at resisting it, too, and it forces Color Drain to consume far more Firmament than it would otherwise just to leech all of that purple out of it — but it does work.
The purple is dragged out, and unlike most of my other enemies, this time, the ooze simply collapses.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +7 Strength. +3 Reflex. +3 Speed. +2 Firmament. ]
The confirmation that they give me credits is a joy. I grin fiercely.
I'm going to have to fight my way to the obelisk, but at least it's going to be fun.
—
Losing myself in combat is a pastime that never gets old.
Not that I do it all that often, of course. It's not every day that an apocalypse is visited on Earth. But there's a small part of me that revels in fighting like this, in having to battle it out for my life; there's a part of the experience that's almost meditative.
Drop the translation stone. Swing. Dodge. Pick up a bunch of rocks off the ground, and imbue them with Firmament; toss them with enough force to make a bunch of holes in the slime you're fighting.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +3 Strength credits. +3 Reflex credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
The credit rewards get lower the more of them I beat, but there's enough of them that that doesn't matter.
"Behind you!" Ahkelios calls. He darts away from me as a distraction, a bright source of light and Firmament, and I use the moment of distraction to enact another Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +4 Strength credits. +1 Durability credits. +2 Speed credits. + 2 Firmament credits. ]
A Barrier blocks off a blob of slime that gets lobbed at me — I notice it too late to dodge, so I react the only way I can. The liquid slime splashes onto the Firmament barrier and smears itself across it, then starts to eat into the Firmament.
Something about the sight creeps me out. I shudder slightly, and turn my attention to the slime that threw it at me.
It's a bright neon-green. I don't know where it got its color from — I've never seen this particular color in the Hestian forest. The monster itself is a spiderlike slime, with eight spindly legs emerging from a central, wobbly body; on top of its head is a horn it seems to be using to launch the slime balls at me. I dart towards it, and this time I don't bother grabbing a stick.
Barrier.
I shape the Barrier as it forms, using Firmament Manipulation and my natural ability to control my Firmament to guide it into the vague shape of a knife. I keep a protective film around my hand so none of that ooze gets on me, and I swipe it straight through its head, even as it tries to dodge.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +1 Strength credits. +5 Reflex credits. +2 Speed credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
It's nice that the number of Firmament credits I'm getting isn't going down. I'm making good progress, too — the obelisk is almost in sight, and most of the slimes aren't actively targeting me. I have to get within a few meters of them for them to even notice me, which makes avoiding them... not easy, exactly, but doable.
The problems mostly happen when I have to maneuver a lot to fight one of them and inevitably end up drawing more. Barrier is my friend in those cases, though. Barrier and Color Drain.
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +5 Durability credits. +2 Reflex credits. +2 Firmament credits. ]
[ You have defeated a Forest Slime (Rank D)! +2 Durability credits. +1 Reflex credit. +2 Firmament credits. ]
And then the obelisk is in sight. The translation stone is back under my arm, still emitting those waves of Firmament that make this Hotspot so much more dangerous — but I suppose that's the point. I wonder how Ahkelios ever found out that he needed the stone for this Hotspot in particular. Was it just luck? Had he just been carrying the stone around because it interested him?
I could see him doing that, somehow.
There's no sign of Naru. I'm almost surprised by how relieved that makes me feel, although I know I'm not exactly out of the woods — Naru might very well only appear after the Hotspot is activated by someone entering it. Given that I haven't sensed him so far and I've been fighting for a solid half-hour, though, I imagine it's unlikely that he'll show up.
Now to time myself carefully.
The Firmament pulses are coming in thirty seconds apart. I can dart in with plenty of time to spare, but I need to leave the translation stone there to start the translation process; I have to assume the stone will be undamaged by the Firmament waves emitted by the obelisk, unless the process takes less than thirty seconds.
...Or maybe I should test it first. Just in case.
I let the corner of the stone brush against one of the Firmament pulses from the obelisk. Thankfully, it seems entirely undamaged, and I breathe a sigh of relief, then steady myself and prepare to run.
Twenty-nine... thirty!
I activate both Triplestep and Firestep, leaving a trail of Firmament flame in my wake as I dash towards the obelisk. As I get closer, I can make out the runic inscriptions that must be the so-called 'ancient language'. I don't waste time trying to decipher it myself — instead, I touch the translation stone to one of the runes, pausing just long enough to make sure the Firmament circle has begun to fill out. Then I leave it there, still touching the obelisk, and dart back as fast as possible.
And now... to wait.
While fighting off more of these Forest Slimes, because they're back, and they're back in full force.
Chapter 1 Prev Next
​

Author's Note: A bit of a bridge chapter, but a lot of stuff is coming up soon. Consider this a cooldown, but like, with a bunch of punching.
Writing is going a lot more smoothly now that I'm doing it full-time. My back is still giving me issues and it's a little scary financially, but I'm pretty sure I've got this. Still really appreciate everyone for reading and commenting (I am very slow at checking them because anxiety, but I do check them, and usually fix things, even if I forget to directly respond).
Here's the standard Patreon and RoyalRoad links. Patreon is up to chapter 48, and should hit 51 by the end of the weekend.
Also a friend of mine debuted her novel on RR - The Roads Unseen. It's a story about twins who fuck around with magic and very rapidly find out. Very cool and vaguely existentially terrifying. If you're interested, check it out - I'm trying to help her out since she's not very confident in her writing (she is in fact very good).

Please read this whole summary before replying! 😆 😅 I’m looking for something real and I’ve put as much information here as I can so you can be at least halfway informed before reaching out. 😆😃
I am 32 years old, living in York PA. I look like this:
https://imgur.com/A75w8fK
https://imgur.com/MbxDPmZ
https://imgur.com/6FOCfUc
https://imgur.com/hry0tl3
Oh and at ren fair…
https://imgur.com/eD3FJiL
I’m looking for a long term relationship that can hopefully lead to a legal union (because the "m" word is banned?), but I don’t want to rush to get there. I’m looking for a long term relationship, a deep connection with one woman.
I like cuddling and want to find someone who enjoys snuggling up together just as much as I do. I’m also doing the whole abstinence thing so I won’t have sex before a legal union. I do want a physical relationship, but I am saving that last level of intimacy and emotional connection for a a legal union level commitment. 🙃🙂
As for what I’m doing with my life, I’ve always had a deep passion for gaming, so when I grew up, rather than growing out of it, I doubled down and made game development my career! I got my bachelors degree in game design, then worked for seven years at a mobile games studio. In that time I paid off my car, all of my student debt, then I took a leap of faith, quit my job, and started my own tiny two man VR game studio, which is what I am doing now! 😎😁
Optimally I’d like to find a partner who shares my passion for PC gaming, especially survival crafting, VR, or RTS games. It’s where I spend a lot of time, both as my career and my primary hobby. So I’m seeking out matches who have similar interests, since it’s a major part of my personality.🤓
I think it’s great for partners to have their own separate interests 😃 but I want to be able to share at least one or two passions with my romantic partner, so if not gaming, we’d probably still be a great match if you have a love for Dungeons & Dragons, Martial arts, Fighting with Foam Swords, Parkour, Obstacle Races (Rugged Maniac), or Talking about Philosophy, Super Heroes, and Plot Holes.
To a lesser degree I also enjoy movies, theater, acting, anime, CGI, roller coasters, reading, crafting and DIY, so I could definitely get into them if they are things you are passionate about.😁
I want to avoid a long distance relationship, but I’m happy to drive up to 2 hours for dates. Further for fellow PC gamers, since we could hang out and get to know each other virtually, so long as we were still within practical driving range so we could see each other in person if things progress that far.
Other details about me:
-My personality type is INFP-A
-I enjoy reading and writing essay length replies, and deep conversation in general, and I look for the same in my matches 😄
-I like the cold 😁
-I am a nerd, and find nerdiness very attractive😉
-I try to avoid using foul language
-Not fond of crude humor
-My love languages are physical touch and quality time, with a little bit of words of affirmation
-I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and have always considered it a super power rather than a disability 😎
-I can play drums and guitar by ear
-I enjoy sports and games with few if any rules: mud runs, rock climbing, parkour, trampoline parks, Minecraft, Risk, Paintball, etc.
-My media tastes tend to lean towards action, sci-fi, and fantasy: MCU, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, some anime, etc.
So yeah! If you’re interested, shoot me a message! Please include a picture or two with your response! I won’t respond to replies without one.
I’ve included pictures of myself at the top of this profile, and I want to verify there is mutual attraction before getting too deep into conversation. Physical attraction is by no means the most important part of a relationship to me, I consider shared values and interests far more critical, but I do think it’s an important component of a romantic relationship.
Also if you don’t have a similar post up for me to look at please write a brief summary about yourself and what you’re looking for. I’m unlikely to respond if I can’t determine if you are a real human or not. 😅

An orphan named Hajin, trained in North Korea ever since he was little. North Korea had sent young children down to South Korea to climb up the social ladder and take high-ranked places on the social hierarchy. Hajin was chosen for this operation and was sent over. “To not be used, you must be the one that uses people from above.” Hajin did not want to be used by the North Korean government but ma ... Read The 18 Year Old Spy - Chapter 41 - MangaPuma. Read more at https://mangapuma.com/the-18-year-old-spy/chapter-41

Please read this whole summary before replying! 😆 😅 I’m looking for something real and I’ve put as much information here as I can so you can be at least halfway informed before reaching out. 😆😃
I am 32 years old, living in York PA. I look like this:
https://imgur.com/A75w8fK
https://imgur.com/MbxDPmZ
https://imgur.com/6FOCfUc
https://imgur.com/hry0tl3
Oh and at ren fair…
https://imgur.com/eD3FJiL
I’m looking for a long term relationship that can hopefully lead to marriage, but I don’t want to rush to get there. I’m looking for a long term relationship, a deep connection with one woman.
I like cuddling and want to find someone who enjoys snuggling up together just as much as I do. I’m also doing the whole abstinence thing so I won’t have sex before marriage. I do want a physical relationship, but I am saving that last level of intimacy and emotional connection for a marriage level commitment. 🙃🙂
As for what I’m doing with my life, I’ve always had a deep passion for gaming, so when I grew up, rather than growing out of it, I doubled down and made game development my career! I got my bachelors degree in game design, then worked for seven years at a mobile games studio. In that time I paid off my car, all of my student debt, then I took a leap of faith, quit my job, and started my own tiny two man VR game studio, which is what I am doing now! 😎😁
Optimally I’d like to find a partner who shares my passion for PC gaming, especially survival crafting, VR, or RTS games. It’s where I spend a lot of time, both as my career and my primary hobby. So I’m seeking out matches who have similar interests, since it’s a major part of my personality.🤓
I think it’s great for partners to have their own separate interests 😃 but I want to be able to share at least one or two passions with my romantic partner, so if not gaming, we’d probably still be a great match if you have a love for Dungeons & Dragons, Martial arts, Fighting with Foam Swords, Parkour, Obstacle Races (Rugged Maniac), or Talking about Philosophy, Super Heroes, and Plot Holes.
To a lesser degree I also enjoy movies, theater, acting, anime, CGI, roller coasters, reading, crafting and DIY, so I could definitely get into them if they are things you are passionate about.😁
I want to avoid a long distance relationship, but I’m happy to drive up to 2 hours for dates. Further for fellow PC gamers, since we could hang out and get to know each other virtually, so long as we were still within practical driving range so we could see each other in person if things progress that far.
Other details about me:
-My personality type is INFP-A
-I enjoy reading and writing essay length replies, and deep conversation in general, and I look for the same in my matches 😄
-I like the cold 😁
-I am a nerd, and find nerdiness very attractive😉
-I try to avoid using foul language
-Not fond of crude humor
-My love languages are physical touch and quality time, with a little bit of words of affirmation
-I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and have always considered it a super power rather than a disability 😎
-I can play drums and guitar by ear
-I enjoy sports and games with few if any rules: mud runs, rock climbing, parkour, trampoline parks, Minecraft, Risk, Paintball, etc.
-My media tastes tend to lean towards action, sci-fi, and fantasy: MCU, Star Wars, Disney, Pixar, some anime, etc.
So yeah! If you’re interested, shoot me a message! Please include a picture or two with your response! I won’t respond to replies without one.
I’ve included pictures of myself at the top of this profile, and I want to verify there is mutual attraction before getting too deep into conversation. Physical attraction is by no means the most important part of a relationship to me, I consider shared values and interests far more critical, but I do think it’s an important component of a romantic relationship.
Also if you don’t have a similar post up for me to look at please write a brief summary about yourself and what you’re looking for. I’m unlikely to respond if I can’t determine if you are a real human or not. 😅

This was posted in the AngryObservation subreddit (that I stumbled on two seconds ago)
Essay posted by u/dcmetro7
https://www.reddit.com/usedcmetro7/
Democrats have a branding problem : AngryObservation (reddit.com)

Democrats have a branding problem

😴 Long Observation 😴
I was inspired by u/Randomuser1520 's post about the Democratic Party's seemingly weak bench of future potential presidential nominees.
A lot of the problems trace back to 2016, but I'd argue the Democrats' branding woes go back even further. Think all the way back to the last time the Democrats had a consistently strong electoral record as a party -- the 90s, where the only truly bad year for Ds was 1994. Bill Clinton had successfully rebranded the party under the 'Third Way' label that Dems at any level could embrace and benefit from, and he had a clear successor in Al Gore. But Gore loses narrowly in 2000, and the problems for the Dems' brand begin.
'Yes We Can'
After 9/11, the electorate supports Bush and they support war. Dems' brand takes a hit and they lose the 2002 midterms. In 2004, John Kerry is successfully painted as an out-of-touch Ivy League liberal, disengaged from 'real America.' Dems lose and their brand suffers further.
But by the end of Bush's term, most Americans are disillusioned with Dubyaism. They wanted change, and one man promises to lead them to it with posters that proclaim 'HOPE' and cries of 'Yes We Can,' heralding in a new age of politics. Barack Obama and the Democrats are swept into a trifecta in Washington.
And we certainly got a new age of politics. When Obama was inaugurated, pundits speculated about the 'emerging Democratic majority', and how the GOP may literally go extinct in ten years. By the end of Obama's second term, those same pundits are surveying the absolutely decimated state of the Democratic party at all levels of power. Dems had lost the Senate, the House, most governorships, and most state legislatures. Control of the state legislatures makes the GOP's hold on the House even stronger. Control of the Senate effectively leads to control of the Supreme Court.
While Obama certainly can't be blamed for everything the GOP threw at him, I feel like it's safe to say his rebranding of the Democratic party failed in the long run. The 'Party of Hope' was sunk into the quagmire of a slow economic recovery, some of the most cynical politicking ever, and some of the most dysfunctional White House-Congress relationships in the history of the country. Obama's signature healthcare legislation would languish in the 30s approval-wise until after he left office. By 2015, no one was talking about the Democrats as the Party of Hope anymore. Even the guy who designed the original 'Hope' poster said he was frustrated by the lack of progress under the Obama admin. I'd argue that the Republicans were responsible for the clear majority of this dysfunction, but if their goal was to muddy the waters between the parties, they succeeded. And with the Tea Party, they were better at rebranding themselves even when they were in the opposition.
And none of this was helped by the face that Obama seemed extremely reluctant, even uninterested, in stepping into the role of party leader. Congressional Democrats were frustrated at the way he kept his distance from them, making it hard to solidify the policy goals they'd implemented in his first term. This article (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/us/aloof-obama-is-frustrating-his-own-party.html) sums it up well, with this prescient quote sticking out:

In interviews, nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers and senior congressional aides suggested that Mr. Obama’s approach has left him with few loyalists to effectively manage the issues erupting abroad and at home and could imperil his efforts to leave a legacy in his final stretch in office.

And sure enough, Obama's legacy was in peril before he even left office.
'Stronger Together'
In 2016, Democrats didn't plan for a primary, they planned for a coronation. Hillary Clinton had been locking up all the support she could get from the Democratic establishment while Obama was serving his second term. Biden would seem like the clear establishment successor, but by the time he was able to turn his attention from VP duties to the primary he realized Hillary had completely boxed him out. She had already corralled all the big donors, operatives, and endorsements into her corner, and Joe was checkmated before he even sat down to the board. Thus, he turned down the opportunity, likely burying his long-nurtured presidential ambitions.
But then the coronation gets bumpy. Sanders challenges her from the outside, and immediately begins putting her on the spot as to why she's running. In other words, what does she envision for the Democratic brand? Hillary herself doesn't know. Is it a third term of Bill (whose star was starting to fade among everyone whose name doesn't rhyme with Shames Scarville), a third term of Obama (whose Hope posters have since become landfill), or an all-new thing?
To Hillary's credit, she couldn't portray herself as a total break from the past, both because she had been was strongly anchored to the national political landscape for the last thirty years, and because she could hardly attack Obama's record too harshly. In the end, she also struggled to brand both herself and the party. Consider the slogans most associated with her campaign; 'Forward Together' and 'Stronger Together' sound like the slogans of a centrist third party with no concrete policy ideas. They just attempted to project a feeling of unity onto a people who were united only, if the candidacies of Sanders and Trump meant anything, in the feeling that 'establishment' politicians like HRC had failed. And, of course, 'I'm with Her' was barely a rebrand at all, simply associating the party with its uncharismatic yet seemingly unstoppable frontrunner.
In the meantime, Trump had done the opposite, rebranding himself and the GOP as the party of 'America First populism.' What that meant exactly in terms of policy seemed to change from day to day But as a brand, as a forceful statement of intent, it worked, especially when contrasted with a seemingly rudderless HRC campaign that failed to answer the age-old question: 'Why are you running for president?'
'For the People'
After the 2016 fiasco, the Democrats were decimated and leaderless. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had passed his leadership position to Chuck Schumer and passed on soon after Trump took office. Tim Ryan led a mutiny against Nancy Pelosi, blaming her in part for the party's plunge from ascendance to irrelevance in the House. Hillary Clinton disappeared into the woods of Chappaqua. Obama started making a docu-series for Netflix. Joe Biden entered semi-retirement and wrote a book.
But in all of this, they found something they had been lacking. A brand.
Not the one they would have preferred, but one that would work nonetheless for winning elections. House Dems would embrace the (once-again) vague slogan of 'For the People' ahead of the 2018 midterms, but the aim was clear. The Democrats were now the Opposition; the Anti-Trump party.
Trump's approval rating was not just low, but incredibly sticky. People tended to have very firm opinions on him, and so his approval rating barely escaped the 35-45% range, with him almost hitting 50% before the pandemic hit. Thus, running on opposition to Trump would be fine electorally. In 2018, the Democrats had a blue wave year based mostly on opposition to Trump, retaking the house. Ironically, a big policy motivator for voters was backlash against the GOP's effort to repeal and replace Obamacare -- a promise that had driven Republican electoral gains since the bill was passed into law. Republican branding and messaging had been so successful that, for the better part of the decade, people trusted them to 'fix' the ACA until the very last minute before the replacement was signed.
'Battle for the Soul of the Nation'
But the problem remained for 2020 -- who would lead them? This was a difficult decision even before the pandemic. And Democratic primary voters were treated to a veritable buffet on angles on how to rebrand the party to beat Trump.
Should the party embrace democratic socialism under Sanders, or heavy consumer advocacy under Warren? Should it embrace a young, charismatic up-and-comer like Harris, Buttigieg, or O'Rourke or someone just as 'establishment' as Hillary, like Michael Bloomberg? Old-school liberalism with the Klob? Whatever Andrew Yang was doing?
But as the polls drew near, the Democrats seemed to conclude that beating Trump was simply more important than charting a new course for the party. If they could get elected or rebrand, they'd choose the former. And so all the other more moderate candidates dropped out to consolidate the vote around Biden, as the safe, expected pick who could stay the course. Biden and his surrogates began adopting the slogan 'Battle for the Soul of the Nation,' an epic and apocalyptic phrase that is still fundamentally reactive in tone, implying that the biggest motivator to vote for Democrats that fall was not to pass any specific agenda, but to put a stop to the GOP's plans.
Biden wouldn't govern in this way, but he would campaign this way -- as the normal, capable candidate who could lead the country's post-covid recovery in opposition to Trump's perceived incompetence. Biden won, but Democrats didn't get nearly the boost they wanted from covid, and House candidates underperformed Biden nationally, leading to a surprising loss of seats in the House. And after the effort to throw out the election failed, Trump left office with severely damaged standing with independents. The anti-Trump brand had delivered Dems a trifecta; now it was time to use it; hopefully to establish a new brand for a new decade.
'Building Back Better'
Upon taking office, Biden and the Dems lay out their agenda; the 'Build Back Better' plan, which centers on a three-pronged approach; a pandemic relief bill, an infrastructure bill, and a social policy bill. Passing such plans will involve all 50 Senate D's on board in some cases, and a bipartisan filibuster-proof majority of 60 senators in other cases.
People laugh, think back to 2010, and begin arguing whether a prediction that the GOP will control 55 Senate seats by 2023 is too conservative. Nancy Pelosi is trying to manage a mere five-seat majority in the house. Mitch McConnell, who once feasted on the Democrats' lost hopes the way a hungry turtle devours a plate of juicy strawberries, still held enough sway in the Senate to hold up any significant policy not related to budget reconciliation. Even then, Schumer must wrangle mavericks like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. Dramatic divisions still rip across the fabric of American society. But then, something truly strange happens.
The 117th Congress ends up being one of the most productive sessions ever.
Whether or not you think any or all of the 117th's acts were good policy, it's undeniable that this was an unusually politically efficient session, especially considering the last decade of hardball politics. Bipartisan majorities drive the infrastructure act, a gun control act, a tech-manufacturing promotion act, and even a somewhat-legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. Plus, Schumer and Pelosi navigate their tiny majorities toward passing partisan priorities, like the pandemic relief act and the scaled-down Build Back Better social policy bill, rebranded as the Inflation Reduction Act or IRA. McConnell drops his trademark stonewalling and collaborates with Biden on the bipartisan bills, and 'Yea' votes roll in even from deep red states -- Republican senators from Mississippi, West Virginia, and North Dakota get these bills over the line. Bipartisanship returns to Congress in fleeting glances -- something that I feel confident in arguing absolutely no one expected Biden or the Dem leaders to be able to do.
Of course, no one has forgotten 2010, and 2022 looks to be another rough year. Inflation soars, and Biden's approval rating drops. Dems brace for impact. The Dobbs ruling happens, but polls repeatedly suggest that the economy is the top issue on voters' minds, and they don't like Biden's handling of it.
But while these things are true, they ignore a crucial factor -- the GOP is embroiled in an identity crisis of its own. The leader of the party is claiming to be the legitimate president of the United States, which is a bit of a hard issue to ignore. Trump loyalists beat out 'establishment' Republicans in the primaries, and bring their hard promotion of the MAGA brand to the general elections. And they lose.
I think it's fair to say that the GOP lost most of the key races of the 2022 midterms, rather than Democrats winning them. Swing state Republican parties chose candidates who adhered so closely to a brand so toxic that independents still chose the Democrats, even in some cases where they were dissatisfied with the party. Republicans who have managed to establish a brand for themselves -- DeSantis, Kemp, and DeWine among them -- soar, while the Trumpiest candidates fall flat. McConnell remains in the minority, and McCarthy becomes the head of a very, very dysfunctional family.
Will Brandon's Rebrand Stand?
So, coming off an unusually strong midterm, where does the party go in 2024? Probably, as u/Randomuser1520 said, back to Biden. When your party wins one of the most fiercely contested elections in American history, has a productive legislative session, and then massively overperforms in the midterm, you don't usually change horses regardless of what approval polling says. If Biden were just 10 years younger and the health concerns were off the table, there would be no question in anyone's mind who to nominate.
The establishment and progressive wings of the party seem to be behind him if he runs, meaning challenges will only come from real outsiders like Marianne Williamson and Robert Kennedy Jr. The DNC will probably work to make those challenges as unviable as possible.
2024 is tricky to predict. Trump is favored on the Republican side, and as said before, his brand is so toxic that Biden can probably glide to reelection barring any massive economic downturns or serious health problems. I won't get too much into 2024, because it seems pretty clearly on the path to becoming another referendum on the GOP's brand, not the Democrats'. Biden's second term (and the rest of his first term) may be defined as much by implementation of the legislation they passed during the 117th as much as by new legislation, if not more.
So the question becomes this -- where does the party go in 2028? Or, in other words, what will Democrats take away from the Biden presidency, and how will Biden shape the party's brand going forward? Who they choose to lead the party next will tell, and Biden's presidency may already be laying out a blueprint.
In his 1996 State of the Union address, Bill Clinton declared 'the era of big government is over,' essentially conceding that Reagan and his vision of a small role for the federal government in domestic affairs had won out for the time, and that Democrats would need to work within that political reality in order to win elections. Obama's efforts to change that status quo resulted in an avalanche of backlash from Tea Partiers, self-proclaimed champions of fiscal conservatism. Hillary Clinton's failed campaign strategy arguably rested more on that understanding of the political climate than anything else, causing her to miss a series of growing frustrations with Reaganism at times channelled by Sanders and, at times, Trump -- at decimation of the manufacturing sector, at the growing gap between rich and poor, at China's seemingly unstoppable three-decade rise at the expense of the U.S.
Biden's approach to American industry and government is a strong repudiation of Reaganism, based around the idea that it is the government's job to fortify and guide the economy in ways that are necessary where the free market has little incentive to. It argues that the issues of infrastructural decay, manufacturing decline, and the growing need for green energy in the face of climate change will only be solved if the government directs the power of the private sector towards those goals at great upfront cost. And free trade, long held as the unassailable source of America's prosperity, must now only be employed in moderation -- if the U.S. has to arguably break international law to lure foreign investment into the U.S. through generous subsidies, it will be worth it, even if it earns the fury of our economic partners. This may be the groundwork of Bidenism.
These plans may fail. The money may be wasted by incompetent or corrupt administrators and the American people may become even more jaded at the thought of big government. But movement within the GOP may suggest a broader shift in the American mind towards this kind of economic interventionism is already in progress. Promising to reverse the decline of manufacturing through tariffs and other measures would have been political anathema twenty years ago, but it has become a core Republican plank. Florida Republicans' punitive measures towards Disney and the GOP's growing support for government action against Big Tech companies suggests openness towards not just using state power to guide the economy, but also to reshape the social landscape by manipulating the private sector. It may well be that the era of small government is over.
I've sorted some potential 'brands' and some of the people who might be nominated in 2028 / become party standard-bearers should the Democrats go in that direction. These lists aren't exhaustive; I'm just trying to establish a general vibe.
The 'Biden Blueprint': Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Gina Raimondo
These are members of the Biden admin who have been given great power (and great piles of money) to enact the legislation of the 117th. If American sentiment towards big government changes as quickly as I think it could, a Cabinet secretary could have a decent shot in 2028. Harris would be the natural successor as the VP, but Transportation Sec Buttigieg and Commerce Sec Raimondo, who were empowered to implement much of the Infrastructure Act and the CHIPS Act respectively, could become standard-bearers for this new vision of technocratic governance if they administer these programs well (and in a way that makes headlines). If Energy Sec Granholm were a natural-born citizen, she would definitely fit here as well, considering how much power the IRA gave her department.
The 'New New Deal': Amy Klobuchar, Catherine Cortez Masto, Mark Kelly, Tammy Duckworth, Raphael Warnock
Liberal senators who are capable of working across the aisle to achieve compromise could be a strong bet if Democrats want to recreate the success of the 117th Congress in the future. There's always an argument that effective legislators won't necessarily make for effective executives, but these choices would help with Democrats' goal of rebranding the Democratic party as the party you vote for if you want Washington to function properly and anticipate constituents' needs. Such a ticket could brand itself as the path to bipartisan yet assertive solutions on familiar and emerging issues like immigration reform, federal protection for abortion, the housing shortage, and the drug crisis.
The 'Bulwark': Roy Cooper, Laura Kelly, Andy Beshear
I'll admit that when I began writing this post, I had a more favorable opinion of the above three governors and politicians like them as presidential nominees and the potential 'future of the party.' I no longer feel as strongly about them, however, because I don't believe they do enough to change the brand of the Democrats and the political environment as a whole. These governors are best known for winning races in red states; for holding the line against the most conservative policies while finding areas of compromise, especially on kitchen-table issues.
But this brand of Democrat is fundamentally reactive, even defensive -- it assumes that most of the job will be obstructing right-wing legislation from a red legislature. In other words, it is a kind of strategy you use when you're trying to hold ground, not gain it. It works well when your opponent's brand is toxic (as the GOP's has been since 2016), but this I suspect this brand of 'competent normality' will struggle if the opposition ceases to actively repel voters. If Trump and his acolytes continue to hold a strong grip on the party through 2024 and beyond, this brand may not be a bad bet short-term, but long-term Democrats want to be the ones establishing the rules of the game, not just beating your opponent at theirs. That's what a successful political brand does. While Dems in similar situation should definitely look to these governors for guidance in running their campaigns (and hopefully, their administrations), I would caution at this point against basing the national party's brand on their model.
I think somewhere between these three groups lies a successful path forward for the Democrats that towards becoming the dominant party in U.S. politics at the federal level. There are some other interesting currents in the party; like how Democratic governors like Whitmer, Evers, and Walz have rebuilt D strength the Midwest after a rough 2010s, and how Western Dems like Jared Polis, Mary Peltola, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez have found unexpected electoral stength by embracing a form of libertarianism. However, these currents may be regional, and Democrats shouldn't necessarily try to nationalize every idea that works in one part of the country. Creating different regional 'flavors' of Democrat would be necessary to keep the party relevant in all parts of the country.
Regarding the 2020 primary runners-up, I don't think most of the visions laid out then work post-2024, and for this reason I tend not to give too much weight to current Democratic primary polling, because it assumes these same people would be running again.
Assuming Biden ends his term without catastrophe, I don't think the party needs to place all their faith in a young, charismatic Obama wannabe like O'Rourke or Swalwell, nor does it need to drastically pivot to the center, nor does it need to proclaim itself the party of 'outsiders,' nor does it need to give the reins to the progressive wing. If everything goes right, they can remain ideologically where they are now (roughly) and establish a solid brand for the first time in a generation.
The Democrats been losing the branding war since the days of Nixon. They may currently have all the tools they need right now to change that, and set the expectations for the next fifty years of politics. Let's see how they do.
This is my first big write-up, so I almost certainly missed some stuff and made some assumptions. Let me know what you think.

I sighed. So I'm gonna get reassigned huh? I'm not apart of the c.i.a's gun running, drug peddling, and the guerilla warfare division anymore eh? I guess I'll miss air america flights. I then recalibrated my prosthetic right arm using a Philips head screw driver. Open close. Open, close.
After a couple of seconds my arm was finally done recalibrating. I'm gonna miss my friends. But I'll never miss the humid areas of laos, Vietnam, and some parts of china. The golden triangle is so goddamned hot. Honestly I don't know if it's secretly a promotion or a demotion. Or possibly I'm gonna get fired, and killed.
I'll get my name scraped out of the national files. If I get fired the chances of getting dragged into a blacksite is high, and I'll get tripped by the guys on one of the blacksites.
Oh god. I remember the LSD torture. It's like being awake but not in control. It's like being stuck as a backseat driver as people do unspeakable stuff to me. Oh boy if the public knows about the MK ultra test 2 oh boy. The people are gonna riot. It's already 2040.
The world is on edge, and under foreign influence for over a decade now. From the end of the 20's intergalactic travelers, and companies came, and control most of the world's nations within just a span of two years. They have the guts to exploit our resources, and don't give a damn about what happens to us. They care about profits. Except for the 8 major powers most of the world is under alien control. The only nations that aren't under alien control are russia, china, The U.S.A, great Britain with their manpower advantage given Australia is a British vassal state, France, Canada, Israel, and lastly an unlikely power the African union made out of 7 of the most powerful nations in Africa before the arrival of the outsiders are the only remaining independent countries.
Most of the intelligence agencies are currently working together dealing drugs with the outsiders who visit us, giving weapons to guerilla fighters, and getting weapons from the outside. Ships from an unlikely ally an independent economic alliance of nations named the syndicate allows to us to get some weapons. As long as we sell them drugs, and perishables from earth. It turns out the syndicate likes drugs, coffee, and other stuff native to earth.
Some of our intelligence guys are chatting with the aliens. The guys who are exploiting our resources are called the consortium. They are a consort of companies, and a league that agrees on how to manipulate markets. These guys are basically the more unhinged version of the wall street guys, and a mix of the c.i.a.
I sighed. "This is gonna be a long day ahead of me."
I then smoked a cigar. The cigar calmed my nerves as I inhaled the nicotine. The addictive substance relaxes me. Plus lung cancer isn't a problem anymore considering we now have a solution on how to cure it. The alien companies gave us some of their tech to show their so called sympathy before they flooded economies with consumer goods from their companies, and controlled almost all of earths economies.
"So agent smith. This is your new partner." A c.i.a handler said to me.
I spat out some ash from my mouth, and complained. "The fuck are you giving me a newbie as a partner? And what the hell am I gonna to do to need a new partner. Rodriguez already was fine yet I'm stuck with a newbie?"
The handler laughed. "Oh heavens no. This is an a.i. Codename poppy. She's your new partner in crime. Because we are gonna send you as a diplomatic bodyguard to the syndicate."
"Oh hi! I'm poppy I'm an artificial intelligence created by the c.i.a, m.i.6, the g.r.u, the s.s.m, mossad, and the s.s.a." The human looking robot said.
The voice kinda sounds synthetic, and the tone is too happy. I kinda hate it. I hate that it gives off happy go lucky vibes. I don't mean to be a grouch but the happy go lucky guys always die first. It's kinda ironic in a fucked up way.
So this thing is an a.i kinda like g.w. An a.i made by the c.i.a. G.W have made the internet more tolerable, and friendly due to context. People back then always manipulated facts into their political goals, and ideals. People get the facts misconstrued for political reasons.
G.W was made after a game character that was so prophetic about the world in the future. M.G.S 2: Sons of liberty. It has the same function as g.w from mgs2. It gives facts in a non biased way. In a way where people don't get their feelings hurt when something is given to them in a factual, and non biased ways.
People used to manipulate facts for political correctness. Hiding the fact that they misinterpret the meaning of those words. The internet used to be a toxic, and a fucked up place before g.w. Like Jesus Christ the goddamn internet was filled with incels, and attention seekers using facts and misusing them for internet clout. It was a place where no one is invalidated but nobody was right. G.w put an end to that era. G.w is now living in a secluded server thanking us for it's creation. It was phased out after it asked to be replaced by another one because it was sick, and tired of correcting people that get the facts misconstrued. It got to the point that it begged the c.i.a, and annoyed the c.i.a to the point that it wanted to be put in a secluded server so it could live it's remaining days in relative leisure just because it begged the c.i.a director so many times that he would get spam calls from the a.i using his official phone number even in the middle of the night for three straight years.
Anyways back to discussion.
"So you're one of those advanced a.i's like g.w?" I asked just to be sure I'm not paired with a dumb a.i.
"Yup. I even passed the Turing test in flying colors. I can feel emotions, do something out of spite or anger, and can think for myself." Poppy said with a dog like innocence.
"So what can you do?" I asked.
"Well. I can fly planes, use guns even those that people can't use due to physiological differences, and hack computers without being near the target. I'm basically just an a.i that can be a jack of all traits if given a chance." Poppy said.
"Fine. But you'll do it my way or the high way." I told poppy with a commanding tone.
Poppy laughed. "Okay boomer."
I sighed. This is gonna be a long day. I'm old as shit but not a boomer.
"Woah. You guys are already going along greatly. Great for you." The handler snickered.
He then left, and left me with poppy.
I'm fucked. "So I'm gonna brief you about the world poppy. Through a song."
I then sang bo burnham's how the world works song.
"Hey, kids Today, we're gonna learn about the world The world that's around us is pretty amazing But how does it work? It must be complicated The secret is the world can only work When everything works together"
"A bee drinks from a flower And leaves with its pollen A squirrel in a tree spreads the seeds that have fallen Everything works together"
"The biggest elephant, the littlest fly The gophers underground, the birds in the sky And every single cricket, every fish in the sea"
"Gives what they can and gets what they need That is how the world works That is how the world works"
"From A to Zebra To the worms in the dirt That's how it works Hey everyone"
I then pulled out a sock, and made it into a puppet.
"Look who stopped by to say "hello" It's Socko Hey! Where you been, Socko?"
"I've been where I always am when you're not wearing me on your hand In a frightening, liminal space between states of being Not quite dead, not quite alive It's similar to a constant state of sleep paralysis"
"Socko, we were just talking about the world and how it works!"
"Boy, that sounds complicated! Do you have anything you'd wanna teach us about the world?"
"I wouldn't say anything that you Probably haven't already said yourself"
"I don't know about that, Socko How about you give it a try?"
"All right!"
"The simple narrative taught in every history class Is demonstrably false and pedagogically classist Don't you know the world is built with blood? And genocide and exploitation"
"The global network of capital essentially functions To separate the worker from the means of production And the FBI killed Martin Luther King Private property's inherently theft"
"And neoliberal fascists are destroying the left And every politician, every cop on the street Protects the interests of the pedophilic corporate elite"
"That is how the world works (really?) That is how the world works Genocide the Natives, say you got to it first"
"That's how it works"
"That's pretty intense?"
"No shit Sherlock."
"What can I do to help?"
"Read a book or something, I don't know Just don't burden me with the responsibility of educating you"
*It's incredibly exhausting"
"I'm sorry, Socko I was just trying to become a better person"
"Why do you rich fucking white people Insist on seeing every socio-political conflict Through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?"
"This isn't about you So either get with it, or get out of the fucking way"
"Watch your mouth, buddy"
"Remember who's on whose hand here"
"But that's what I- Have you not been fucking listening? We are entrenched in a way (all right, all right)"
"Wait, wait, no please! I don't wanna go back, please, ugh, ugh, ugh I can't go, I can't go back Please, please, I'm sorry!"
"Are you gonna behave yourself?"
"Yes"
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, sir"
"Look at me"
"Yes, sir"
"That's better That is how the world works That is how the world works I hope you learned your lesson"
"I did and it hurt That's how it works"
NOOOOOOO!!!
Drags sock puppet into a pocket like some introvert getting dragged into socializing in bars by extroverts.
"So do you understand know?" I asked poppy.
"That everything is made under the blood of billions, and we shouldn't make their deaths be in vein?" Poppy said.
"Correct. And we shouldn't let outsiders make our choices for us. We should kick them out." I said like some isolationist American during the 1920's.
"Ironic isn't it smith. The c.i.a used to be anti socialist but look how the circumstances turned the American government into. A social democracy/merit based democracy where politicians are based in merit rather than popularity. Politicians are insentivised to change the world than burn it down like some of the old presidents did. Ironic that america became something it hated. A weird mesh of meritocracy, democracy, republican, liberaterian, and market socialist ideals. Some sort ideological mesh made by idealogs"
"And it's working with it's remaining two Allies, and former enemies just to defeat a foreign threat. How poetically ironic isn't it? I mean the CIA used to go schizo mode when they hear communist, and socialist ideals or hearing the word russians, and chinese are plotting something. Now the country it help grew became the very thing it sought to destroy. Morbidly ironic isn't it?" Poppy said with a meloncholic under tone.
"Yeah. Specially the stuff we do now." I said agreeing to the statement.
"But that's how the world works. Everything must change. Either you adapt or die." I said with a meloncholic under tone.
"So do you know where we are going?" I asked poppy.
I then puffed up my cigar. Sweet sweet nicotine.
"Back to america. In the space port in Austin Texas. I'm already done contacting the contact the handler gave to me. E.T.A 7 hours. Now let's go to the laostian military base 7 miles north from here. Our air america flight is waiting for us." Poppy said.
I sighed. "Come ride with me. I have a motorcycle a hundred meters from here."
We walked towards my motorcycle. I then puffed up my cigar smelling the nicotine.
So my life is about to change huh? Eh. I'm just gonna adapt. After all in this world it's either adapt or die.
Click, click, click
Motorcycle engine starts rumbling.
Poppy then held my waist. It's hands are cold as steel. Colder than even corpse. I sighed.
The highway was almost empty. Everyone was working a 10-8 job in one of the corporations that control laos. There was no land vehicles transporting goods because the aliens are using their tech to transport them underground. The road was almost abandoned except for the guys who have motorcycle hobbies. Anyways it doesn't matter. After all there's no traffic anymore.
The fresh breeze calmed my nerves. It made me feel alive. A motorcyclist drive by me and waved hello. I waved back at the motorcyclist. It's good to be on the road.
After a twenty minute drive we arrived at the military base. Another CIA agent greeted us, and escorted us to the flight.
"So you guys are the diplomatic bodyguards?" Asked the agent.
"Yup. That's what my handler told me." Poppy said.
"So your one of the newer a.i models eh. Ok. Just step right in. Plus the flight is rather boring. Just sleep while on flight to save energy." The agent told me.
I sighed. I threw away the cigar, and slept through the flight.
A few hours later...
I woke up arriving at Austin executive airport. Poppy just sat there watching me sleep like some sort of creep. It made me a little bit paranoid at the unflinching eyes that was watching me. But I ignored my instincts, and went outside.
After that I ate something for breakfast. A couple of pancakes, and chicken wings. Poppy looked at me with envy. I sighed.
"Can you eat? Do you need food to survive?" I asked.
"Well.... I need glucose to recharge my batteries. I can also use a charger but it would be suspicious. So the glucose to energy converter was made for special missions so that I wouldn't blow my cover."
Figured. Those guys in the CIA RnD team are making contengencies for every eventual event. I then ordered a plate of syrup covered pancakes.
Poppy looked at me smiling. I sighed.
An hour later...
We arrived at the space port. People walked around buying nicnacs, waiting for their flight, and just waited around for their family members that were coming back.
Another agent came up to me, and gave me two tickets.
"Here's the tickets. Also have this. You'll need it."
The agent then gave me some sort of high tech phone. Then out of knowhere something exploded.
I was knocked unconscious for a couple minutes. When I woke up I was getting dragged by poppy along with the agent that gave me the tickets. She shot back at incoming enemies using alien tech.
"Ugh..." As I said that I began coughing blood. I looked down I was bleeding. My left leg was missing. It was slowly bleeding due to a tourniquet, bandages, and some sealing foam. It was still bleeding but isn't bleeding as badly as to kill me in just a couple seconds.
Gunshots echoed in the space port. Agents shot back at the alien attackers. A fierce firefight began. Bright lights like something akin to RGB lights but in a epileptic way we're seen down the isles as screams of both alien, CIA, fbi, and fully kitted out port guards were slaughtered one by one.
Poppy dragged me, and the other agent to a bathroom. "Sit rep." I asked poppy.
"It seems to be a terrorist attack. I don't know why but they looked like alien mercenaries. The question is that did the consortium hired them to kill our diplomat. Good thing the diplomat hasn't arrived. I checked the agency message boards, and they said that good thing the diplomat was sick after getting food poisoning this morning. They are already talking about it. Some of them are even suggesting that the consortium did this attack." Poppy said.
"So the diplomat got lucky. But why the fuck would they attack our diplomat to the syndicate? I mean it's counter productive. We don't need their goods or services considering the people here would rather choose human companies rather than alien shady companies. I guess they must've know about our deals with them, and decided to start a shadow war. A war in the shadows. The companies of the consortium vs the remaining independent government's. Who ever wins controls all the resources in the world." I told poppy.
She nodded. "Good guess but no one really knows. It's so sudden. We need more info before we act against them."
"I'll patch you up in the meantime. I hurried the medical assistance I gave you a couple minutes ago. I was hurrying because this guy is saying we need to leave after he suffered minor bruises. You blunted most of the damaged for him because you were in front of the explosion. He was saved because you were blocking him from getting hit by shrapnel. I cut you're leg off. Sorry. It can't be saved considering it was barely hanging on the leg. Plus I was running out of time so I had to cut it before you bled out."
I sighed. "Okay. Just get my hk UmP 45 inside my arm. It's in second the compartment a secret compartment. In the upper arm. I have a few mags of it inside the compartment. Here's a screw driver to remove the lid."
I then gave poppy a screw driver hidden in my pants, and saw her unscrew the lid off. A ump 45, and fully loaded 4 mags came out dropping loudly on the floor.
"Now carry me to the danger. I would rather die than suffer for years being reminded of the sad reality that I lost an arm, and a leg every time I wake up." I morbidly joked to poppy.
"Are you sure? You're injured! Are you fucking suicidal?" Poppy, and the agent said.
"Did I stutter?"
The two of them sighed.
Poppy then carried me in her back, and the other agent used poppy as meat shields. The agent held a Barretta 93r. A burst fire weapon.
"Ready?" I said.
"Ugh. You're lucky I accepted your request dumbass."
"Yes."
I was being piggy back carried by poppy while the agent followed us.
"Tango 15 meters to the left." Poppy said.
I then activated burst fire, and shot at the direction given. When I saw an enemy I aimed for the center mass. But I instead hit the thorax killing the alien instantly.
"Kill confirms. Enemy is k.i.a."
"Tango 20 meters ahead."
I then aimed straight forward, and saw a bolt of light strike near me. It was close enough to feel the heat of the round. I shot back, and killed the alien instantly by hitting the alien in the lungs, and heart.
"Enemy is k.i.a"
Then I heard a three round burst coming from a Barretta. I looked back, and saw the agent kill an incoming enemy.
"Thanks. So what's your name?" I asked.
"Oh I haven't properly instroduced myself. My name is agent Carter." The agent/Carter said.
"Thanks Carter. My name is agent smith."
"No problem agent smith. We CIA agents got each other's backs. We must stick together."
"Guys tangos incoming coming from the left. ETA 20 seconds."
We then aimed our Guns, and waited for the enemy to arrive. When they eventually arrived we moved them down with burst fire. After that a couple national guard guys came up to us. They were probably chasing those aliens.
"Thanks." One of the national guards said.
"No problem"
We continued, and after two minutes of walking we walked into a firefight. I smiled.
"You know what to do." I said smiling.
"Third party them?"
"Yup."
I then turned on full auto, and began to spray, and pray.
After a few seconds of pulling the trigger my gun ran out of bullets. Carter also ran out of bullets in his magazine, and reloaded. 3 confirmed kills, and multiple missed or slightly injured.
Oh crap. Then a bolt of light past near me. Enough to the point my right cheek got minor burns.
"Duck!"
I then began to be dragged by poppy into cover. Carter also looked for cover, and dived into the nearest cover. I quickly reloaded the mag, and started shooting at the aliens again. I changed the selector back to burst fire to conserve ammo.
I aimed center mass at the enemies. A loud burst of .45 ACP rounds was heard as an enemy was hit in the thorax.
"Kill confirmed."
I continued, and shot enemies in either the arms, legs, the thorax, or the chest.
After three minutes the firefight ended.
"Other sectors secured. All area's are currently in our control. Over 700 people died, 1720 were injured, and some were missing. Military and government casualties are 124 KIA'd, 24 severely injured, 57 mildly injured, and 38 MIA'd." Poppy said smiling.
Then paramedics rushed into the scene. People were rushed into nearby hospitals while I was dragged by a undercover CIA paramedic to a government safe house along with poppy, and Carter.
A week later…
I was standing in the military cemetery in Arlington national cemetery. Where soldiers who died without any identifications are buried. I saw burials around me. Soldiers who died without any family members, soldiers disowned by family, and other such things. But hey it's just the life of a soldier. That's what I know at least. From ranger grunt to c.i.a grunt. I was disowned by my parents who were conservatives, and highly religious because I was going to sacrifice my place in heaven to save some heathens from the middle east. I never regretted my actions. I saved lives, and ended some. No guts no glory after all.
Some of the people getting buried got medal of honors. Saving comrades in need of dire help in exchange for their lives, soldiers who rescued civilians in exchange for their own lives, and soldiers who honorably fought on to save others even faced with hard decisions.
I saluted the unknown soldiers for their bravery, and honor. In the background poppy, and Carter were talking. But that wasn't important. Bagpipes, trumpets, and drums play as the unknown soldiers get burried with their medals. The grave sentinels saluted while burying the dead. Gunshots in the honor of the dead was heard as the unknown soldiers got buried while being watched by the people who those soldiers saved.
After that I returned to head quarters with a prosthetic leg, and talked to my handler. Poppy, and Carter went back to the safehouse just to talk.
"Oh hi smith." My handler captain david said.
"Hi David."
"Here's another purple heart medal, and a bronze star medal." David then tossed the medals towards me.
"That's your what? 22nd and 23rd medal? Bravo congrats smith."
"I'm gonna ask you sometime David."
"Ask away smith."
"When will i get sent as a diplomatic bodyguard?"
"About three weeks from now. Also agent Carter is gonna be one of your partners for the mission."
I sighed. Figured.
"So who was behind the terror attack David?"
"Honestly. The CIA search the crime scene, and saw that the consortium blatantly did that. The mercenaries worked under one of the companies in the consortium. But for the public it's gonna be announced tonight that a rogue consortium PMC did that so we wouldn't provoke them too much."
"It's gonna be a long day smith."
"Yeah David."
Then David gave me a cigar.
"Wanna smoke?"
I nodded.
To be continued…

I had never fallen in love before; the idea disgusted me. But when I first saw her, I found out that mythical butterflies do, in fact, flutter in one’s belly. I always thought that our society just had an unhealthy relationship with soda pop, but there they were.
She was beautiful! She wasn’t the cookie-cutter beauty that your fashion magazine manufactures; her eyes twinkled naturally like store-bought moissanite. Her bushy, deep dark eyebrows looked like they'd been shampooed with brand-name self-care products. It wasn’t just her pink glazed donut lips or her flowy dark hair that stole my heart; it was her essence. She glowed like those aftermarket LED headlights on my nightly drive back home. And those eyes… those dreamy eyes!
I started cleaning on Friday afternoon as soon as I got home from work. Charlene, my desk mate, had misplaced my favorite pen and became gradually paler as she silently watched me erupt into a volcano without having to pay a subscription fee. It was given to me by my late father, a stickler for rules who failed his “how to show empathy” class up until the very last second of his miserable life. He stared hauntingly into my eyes as he drew his last breath. Her eyes were different; they smiled when she did and rolled when we bantered that one time I cornered her in our local convenience store. She was buying tampons, and I snuck behind and whispered, “bloody murder!” She was startled at first, jumped even, but her face softened as her glassy green eyes laid on me. I felt those damn butterflies again, practicing rain dancing as my heart exploded in my chest. She joked around that she was getting them as earplugs to drown out her noisy neighbor. I told her a shovel would work just as well. It was courting at its finest.
I woke up early on Saturday with the morning light and gingerly started cleaning the kitchen floor. Armed with my favorite dirty cleaning rag, I got down on my knees and found every nook and every cranny. My momma called me on her new iPhone to remind me about my aunt Vicky’s birthday later that day. She was upset that I wasn’t coming. I told her that I had plans with a mortician and whether I should put in a good word for her, but she didn’t find that funny one bit, so she lashed out like I knew she would. Her yell pierced through the phone like a messy SWAT raid, and after that, I heard as much as I cared to listen. She said something about how I always find a way to disappoint her. She reminded me of how that mouth of mine caused me to lose my previous job. Somehow it always comes back to money with her, and it used to make me cry, but this is her insecurity — not mine. Ever since I could remember, she was always keeping face around her more successful older sister who married into wealth. She dragged me to beauty pageants as early as five, and then to modeling castings after that, but I guess I was not good enough to be her golden egg.
The second time I officially met her was in the barely maintained suicidal elevator of our building complex. The maintenance date on the sticker had long expired, and every time those doors closed, it truly was a gamble of whether my laziness was worth the odds of me falling to my death in there. She had forgotten about me and our mesmerizing tampon talk at the nearby store, but I took no time to remind her of our lovely first encounter. “Ah!” she said, like a cliched mad scientist who had just solved aging, pointing an accusatory finger to the heavens. I asked her if she "took care" of her neighbor and extended her a wink. She pouted her juicy lips and started thinking for a bit while I mind surfed down her long, thick dark hair. Then suddenly, I saw excitement and joy building up inside of her and exploding out her bright, hypnotizing eyes. She tried to contain it and with a muffled chuckle, she said, "I won't say a thing, but don't you go looking in the rubbish downstairs!" Somehow, the conversation turned to famous serial killers and crime shows, so I did the thing and asked her to watch some series together sometimes.
The first time we did was last Saturday. I out-thrifted my local thrift stores and was fashionably late. She greeted me in sweatpants that failed to conceal the contour of her hips, and she coughed quite a bit before telling me that I smelled nice. I raided my momma's vanity earlier that day for brand-name perfumes and accessories. She always has the latest stuff. I told myself that I wouldn't overdo it, but I overdid it. She took a good look at me as I was heading out, fixed my hair, and asked, "Who's the lucky man?"
My gorgeous neighbor lived in apartment 31B, the one with the off-red door, and it was disgustingly perfect. I thought that since we lived in the same building complex, her place wouldn't be so different from mine, but it was. I don't think it was even the layout that made it better. It was the furniture arrangement, the attention to detail as if she had her masters in color theory. It was her. She gave me the tour, and I was amazed at how every room looked like someone's pinned Pinterest board. The whole place looked staged for viewing, but the way she flowed through her space made me realize that this was her norm. It was so clean that I started to wonder if she did kill her now eerily quiet neighbor. It wasn't until we sat down on the couch together, and she wrapped us in her silky vanilla blanket, that my anxiety flew away. But those damn butterflies persisted. I sat beside her, far enough to be cold but close enough to fill my fantasies and ask myself what this was. It came as no surprise, then, that we had an awkward goodbye when it was all over, and I stood at her door not knowing what to say or do. She held onto the door and said, "Next Saturday then?"
By the time Saturday evening arrived, it had been hours of me mindlessly cleaning and endlessly rearranging my furnitures around. The same anxiety that I felt at her place came back raging, and no amount of YouTube or Pinterest made me feel any better. But then, there came a knocking at the door. I wasn't expecting her this early, so naturally, I freaked out like a bomb had gone off in my head, and I started running all over the place, getting dressed like a chicken with its head cut off. I smeared perfume all over my body and opened the door with unrepentant puffy messy hair. It was momma. She looked fancy. She was rocking this beautiful light blue cocktail dress with cape sleeves. It screamed, "I overpaid for this dress”, and I wanted to puke—I loved it!' She gave me this 'check me out' look before she pranced in without any invitation. She saw how tired I looked and asked me if I ate anything, but she must have noticed the change in my apartment and didn't bother to let me answer. There was this glimmer in her eyes when she asked, 'Well, well, you smell nice! Who's coming over?'"
I swear I'm better than this, but in that moment of pure exhaustion, I just let my guard down and told her the truth—that I was having a girlfriend over to watch a show. I knew instantly that I'd messed up as soon as the words left my mouth. Her eyes blinked at a thousand miles per hour, like she was looking for the least hurtful way to explode, but there's nothing kind about her outbursts. She yelled, "You're missing out on your aunt's birthday to watch a show with a friend??" I watched her face get redder with anger and felt tears at the ready, edging the corner of my puffy eyes, and I felt the kind of muffled anger that a 30-year-old adult woman would have to explain to her mother what adult choices made her happy, but I couldn't say anything. No matter how angry I was, I couldn't tell her to just let me be. I let out a weak but defiant "Yeah?" And she unleashed on me about just how much she was disappointed in me. She slammed me about how little I cared for my family, so I yelled back at her, saying that I didn't care about a who's who party where we must rent out a fancy dress to be welcomed. "I bought this damn dress!" she yelled in pure anger, oblivious to the point that I was making. I retorted that she was doing a good job hiding the price tag to return it later then, and that's when the palm of her hand found my face. I stumbled onto the ground, and in an attempt to regain balance, I held onto the big standing mirror behind me and dragged it to the floor with me.
I sat on the floor and finally justified crying; a bit of blood painted my right hand. Her left hand covering her mouth, she fumbled a reactionary apology and made her way to the door avoiding the pieces of glass on the floor. She stumbled out in tears just as my green-eyed neighbor was about to knock. She looked back at my fleeing mother in shock and ran to the kitchen to get me a wet paper towel. When she finally joined me on the floor, my face had turned red, but my tears had dried. It was then that I saw this piece of broken mirror shattered perfectly in half, but not separated. You could see the crack going all the way down.
The reflection was of both of us, each of us on different sides of the crack. She was perfect. I would have written a sonnet from the cadence of her hips. I would have written a haiku on her lips, but we were from different worlds, and I was tired of expectations. I was tired of having to validate what my happiness should look like.
So, I reached in.

Gosling would help him with his shows, and then watch his uncle turn into someone else when he performed, someone different and more full of life.
Gosling says this uncle also bolstered his act with talent shows, people drawn from the local community, and "everyone had this secret talent. You'd see the guy that bags groceries at the A&P, and he has some version of 'Black Velvet' that'll bring the house down, you know? And then you realize that that’s really him and the performance is the guy he's playing who packs bags at the A&P."
If you are a certain age, you will well remember the frenzy in the early part of the past decade around Gosling, and particularly Gosling's appearance
...which was the subject of endless Tumblr posts and thirsty bar conversations. "I think it embarrasses him in some ways," [Emily] Blunt says, about the public perception of Gosling as some sort of cross between the perfect boyfriend and the coolest man around, "because it’s not what he feels."
"I got the sense it wasn't really what he felt about himself."
Earlier in his career, Gosling used to talk about being raised by a single mother who was attractive, and how frightening he found the predatory energy that came from the men they'd encounter, how uneasy he was made by the way people related to her. ... Gosling says now, flatly, that he never made the connection between his mother and himself and the attention his own appearance began to garner as he became famous.
And he did his best to depersonalize the attention he was getting.
But the whole experience, Gosling admits, was "confusing."
These days Gosling lives in a quiet town in the southern half of California.
Because he brings his family to the location of each movie he shoots, he aims to do only one or so per year. Most of the time, he says, he's simply at home. Relatives come around, Gosling says, but he and [Eva] Mendes don't have a nanny; whatever they do, they do it themselves. Gosling is frankly romantic about his life with his daughters and Mendes. He says things were one way, then they were another. "I was looking for her, you know?"

Were you conscious of that?

"No. But it all makes sense now."
He says as a parent, whenever he doesn’t know what to do, which happens from time to time, "I just lean on Eva."
"She knows what's important, always."
"She just somehow knows. So if ever I’m in my head about it, I just ask her."
Gosling and I depart the train, talking about nothing in particular:
...childhood, Starter jackets, the way that playing cool can skew into a fear of playing at all. "Like, you thought you were winning by not trying," he says. "Or at least showing that you weren't trying. But it kind of backfires a little later, when you start actually not trying in order to win."
And I'm nodding at the profundity of what Gosling is saying, and he keeps going: "And then you realize that that's actually what losing is. Is just not trying."
And I say yes!
And he says, because he knows he has me now, "And all you had to do was watch Rocky to realize that just trying is winning."
"I'm having a little train regret," Gosling says, a few weeks later. "I think just the nostalgic nature of it and the hypnotic rocking motion got me musing and self-mythologizing more than I intended to."
"When you asked me about Eva and kids," Gosling says, "I think I said, I didn't think about kids until she told me she was pregnant. That's not really true. I didn't want to overshare, but now I also don't want to misrepresent. I mean, it's true that I wasn’t thinking about kids before I met her,
"...but after I met Eva, I realized that I just didn't want to have kids without her."
"And there were moments on The Place Beyond the Pines where we were pretending to be a family, and I didn't really want it to be pretend anymore. I realized that this would be a life I would be really lucky to have."
Ryan Gosling subscribes to what he calls an escape-room style of being an actor.
This is a little theoretical, because he's never actually been to an escape room, and he’s not totally sure what happens inside of them. "Maybe I should do one," he says, "to see if this really works."
But the general idea is: You're thrown into a particular set of circumstances and you've got to find your way out.
Maybe you show up on set one day and it's raining when it's not supposed to be raining, Gosling says, "or this person doesn't want to say any of that dialogue, or the neighbor’s got a leaf blower and they’re not turning it off." What do you do next?
Over time, Gosling has discovered that this approach might apply to more than just acting.
Maybe, for instance, you're a kid growing up in a town you don't want to be in and you’re trying to locate an exit. Maybe you're looking for something you can't put into words and you make movies to try to pin down whatever it is you're looking for. Maybe you're a person who never envisioned raising a family and then you meet the person who changes, in some radical way, how you see yourself and your future.
Life comes at you, in all its unanticipated and startling particulars; the thing that makes you an artist is the way you respond.
-Zach Baron, excerpted and adapted from The Return of Ryan Gosling

Hey fellow nannies! TL:DR: I gave notice to my disrespectful employers a couple days ago and I wish i had been able to talk to their previous nanny bc I'm sure she would have let me know to stay far away from them from the beginning!
I have 15 years of experience, I was hired for this experience, ive only been with them since mid-april. They have cameras but work outside the home, i thought nbd with cameras (even though it's not ideal) I'll just be glad not to have a wfh situation, again....but from the first day, they have been condescending and disrespectful and treat me like I'm untrustworthy even though ive gone above and beyond to show I'm trustworthy including doing the fingerprint verification with the fbi! They apparently think I'm an idiot; they've given me 'instructions' on things like what fussing is, why a baby would cry (seriously??) when to feed solids, how to feed them, how to peal a carrot--as if I haven't done this for 15 years?? as if I haven't made babyfood before when they specifically asked me about that and hired me because of that! This all comes to me via emails that are so long, rambling and repetitive you would have to see it to believe it. They look like psychosis, honestly.
The constant undermining of my intelligence and experience is something I can shrug off bc whatever, i know my worth and the hours were ideal for me, but this incident was the last straw for me....
They asked me to come in and babysit on my day off which I didn't want to do but graciously agreed to. When I babysit I'm a little more laid back than when I nanny. I'm not necessarily doing all the cleaning and laundry, etc. (oh yeah "baby related" cleaning turned into "spotless kitchen" at the end of the day. I put my foot down on doing their laundry bc I'm not touching their underwear.) That day I unfortunately spilled a cup of chamomile tea, I cleaned it up but it was still damp when I left. It happens so I forgot about it and moved on with my life. I had some trouble getting the LO to sleep as he's experiencing g a little bit of 4 month regression. I finally managed by turning on some soft lullabies and vibrating his mattress a bit till he zoned out and fell asleep.
I got an email the next day giving me 30 days notice to void the contract bc they felt me not holding him and Rocking him to sleep vs. Bouncing the mattress was "neglect" (excuse me??) They said "music is overstimulating for him" (staight up instrumental.lullabies are more stimulating that holding and Rocking his entire body?? What?) They also told me that they believe since I "withhled" spilling tea that I must be withholding bigger things, too. That's fucking bonkers!!
I called her up and we talked it out and she apologized for jumping to horrendous conclusions over nothing but (I had a few days off) after a lot of thought and talking to a lot of friends and family (2 of whom told me to quit right away without giving notcie at all!) I realized this is not a one off event this is going to be a pattern of behavior. This was confirmed when I got yet another novel length email from them ensuring me they don't believe i.would hurt a child. The underlying implication of that statement is appalling and fucking repugnant to me). Claiming they love their nannies (bullshit, they've treated me.like a suspected criminal who is replaceable since day one)...this triggered me so much. I've been doing this for 15 years, i haven't had one child get hurt in my care, not even a scraped knee, I have ZERO complaints from former families. HOW DARE SHE?? For bouncing a baby and spilling tea?? I gave my notice.
Now they are looking for a new nanny and I wish I could warn them all. I'm not even their first nanny, this will their baby's THIRD NANNY! you guys he's not even 5 months! Talk about huge red flags! She told me she had "safety concerns" with their previous and when she brought it up to that nanny, the nanny told her off and walked out (making it out like the nanny was evil and shes the vicitm ofc). But I don't blame her and if i wasn't concerned about my professional reputation, i would have, too, justifiably. The former nanny probably just went to the bathroom or something equally benign!
Regardless, my goal during the notice period is to do an Excellent job (obviously that's what NK desrves) and to prove to them they made a huge mistake and maybe even get a reference out of them anyway... but the immature part of me wants to tell her off SO BAD. When I left yesterday the dad (who is clearly not the driver in this) said "we appreciate you so much, as always!" I couldn't even stop myself from giving him a side eye and just nodding. They have ZERO appreciation for any of my time, skills or experience and quite frankly barely seem to see as a human! They act like I'm some monster who would harm them if they didn't put cameras everywhere to stop me and also that I'm apparently so moronic that i must be told how to peal and steam a gd carrot. Nothing but disrespect from day one!
They are the fakest people I've ever met and I can't wait to be done with them. I just wish I could warn other nannies, too! Like I wish I could have talked to their previous nanny and gotten the low-down before I wasted a month of my time working for these assholes. Now I have to look again and some.other nanny is going to go through what I and the former nanny also went through. Poor thing!
It pisses me off that she could potentially write a review on care.com and cause harm to me, which I would not be able to defend, but I can't do the same and warn other nannies to stay away from her. I'm sick of how rigged the game is. I gave them my social security number so they could run a background check but I got almost no background information on them except what they manicured for me. Nannies should be able to get references about familes from their previous nannies! (I've actually done this for a wonderful family who was moving out of state!)
Ugh anyway....Their shittiness will not make me a lesser nanny!!!
Sending all my love to my fellow nannies! You are all amazing, hard working and so loving that you actually love professionally, you deserve to be loved back! You have all got my respect and I hope you have a great day today!

First Previous Next Ko-fi
"Hey Juice. Did you mean what you said about Tweek's wife being with another man at the moment?" Honey asked while they flew past trees. Juice was a little surprised at Honey Badger's ability to keep up with his pace. His large feet touched at the forest floor gently, propelling him forward in an endless torrent of speed and agility, and beside him Honey Badger kept pace.
"She cheated on him, he disappeared, that won't make her go 'My husband is gone, now is the right time to be faithful'." He shook his head from side to side, his arms pumping with every kick forward. "No, she's with the other man."
Honey suddenly stopped forcing Juice to halt his run, "What is it?" Juice whispered. Then he heard it, through the trees, the unmistakable sound of footfalls crunching leaves. A man appeared trailed by six wolves, the duo darted to either side of a the trees, using the bark as cover.
"The wolves have a scent, looks like unknowns at the south side of the wilderness." The man said to a receiver that dangled across his ear to come to rest at his cheek, mouthpiece dangling just above the lips. The wolves sniffed at the forest floor, inching ever closer. Honey darted from behind the tree, he jumped and twisted himself mid air, he fired two shots, one hit the man right at his forehead and the other took him down at the neck. Blood spluttered on the forest floor. The wolves tensed, hackles rising but Juice rushed them. The wolf at the front, the alpha, a large male with a coat of white fur charged Juice, it came in low thinking Juice would follow suit but Juice went high, jumping over the wolf and as he jumped his legs spun and the sword came down in a twirling arch to cut the wolf's head off then its midriff and a part of its hide. Juice landed behind the wolf and behind him the wolf fell to pieces. Seeing this the other wolves let out howls of fright and scattered to either end of the forest leaving Honey Badger and Juice standing alone amidst the trees.
Honey walked over to the wolf and raised its decapitated head. "Metal casing between the ears." He said.
Juice leaned down over the body of the man and stood up with a metallic object in hand. "This one has been set to scouting, I think it is used to control the alpha whom the pack follows."
"It's quite clever, control the leader of the pack to control the pack." Honey Badger said. "It's like communism."
Juice smiled. "We're fighting communist wolves."
They marched on, steady feet tapping the forest floor in swift movements. They ran for what could pass as half an hour until they came to a clearing where two men stood amidst a dozen wolves, eyes peering in either direction. Honey and Juice lay flat on the ground, their weapons held at the ready.
"Do you spot the alphas?" Honey asked.
Juice squinted. "There are two, the one to the North East, brown fur, metal casing on its head. To its right, two clicks, is the second alpha."
Honey stood up, all heads turned to him including those of the wolves. The two men started approaching and tapping at the metal casings at their sides. Honey raised his arm, gun in hand. He fired four shots that hit their targets, two alpha wolves lay headless on the forest floor and those that controlled them lay with ghastly wounds to the necks, bleeding out on the ground. The other wolves scattered. Honey and Juice approached the two figures on the ground.
"Say, have you ever thought about marriage?" Juice asked as he raised his sword and thrust it into the midriff of one man whose mouth gurgled with blood.
Honey aimed his pistol at the second man and fired at point blank rage, the man's head exploded in a flood of gore. "Marriage is a delicate topic, you have to consider the aspect of love, is it necessary for marriage to occur? If not then what's the point."
A man walked into the clearing, trailed by wolves. Honey pointed at him and pulled the trigger, the plasma ray shot forward at blinding speed, tearing through the air to hit the man in the eye, the back of his skull exploded in a mist of blood. The wolves charged, six of them, at the forefront was the alpha. Juice ran to meet them, the wolves split into two groups, flanking Juice's approach. Juice moved head on, aiming for the wolf with a metal casing upon its head. The black furred wolf pounced but Juice slid beneath it and as he slid he swiped at its legs with the light sword, cutting off its limbs. The other wolves approached but half hearted after seeing their leader's whimpering limbless form. Juice drove his sword through one wolf's chest, ejected it and sliced through another's snout. He then dove for the limbless wolf and impaled it through the head, breaking its metal casing. The other wolves scattered.
Honey walked to meet up with Juice and together they matched strides, heading for the Palace in the distance. "If marriage isn't for you then why did you propose it to Asumpta of the Solstice army?" Juice asked.
Honey rested his plasma pistols on his shoulders as he walked. "She had a metal arm."
"And?" Juice asked.
"Do you know what it's like to receive a hand job from a metallic hand?" Honey asked in return. Juice smiled. "I don't but one thing's for sure, as long as that hand has been oiled down well there's no tiring to the jerking motion. That means unlimited hand jobs, fast paced without tiring."
Juice nodded. "You are a wise man Honey Badger, you can read between the lines."
"And Thergo's body is metallic. She's basically capable of tirelessly satisfying me day in and day out."
"You think about the Princesses too?"
"I do."
Three men appeared before them, swords drawn at the ready. No wolves in sight. Juice rushed forward and the three ran to meet him. The first man raised his blade but Juice ducked low and cut inside the man's elbow, tearing tendons and ensuring the limb hang useless. The other two tried to flank him but Juice dove hard to the left, brandishing his blade he struck, thrusting just beneath the man's chin. The blade stuck between jaw bones and Juice let go of it after a failed yank. He turned to meet the man on the right but a plasma ray passed just a hand's breadth from his ear and took the man out through the eye. Juice turned to see Honey Badger shoot the man with the useless limb thrice through the chest. Honey walked on until he stood next to Juice who leaned down and picked up a light sword. They nodded at each other and continued their march towards the palace.
"I thought it was just Thergo's dress that was metallic." Juice said as they passed overhang trees, the canopy sheltering them from the sun's rays.
"Parts of her body are metal or some alloy resembling metal. The way she shapes her dress into weapons is probably because of some magnetic overlay that works with her flesh." Honey said and sighed. "Man I miss her flesh, it's like having sex with a microwave."
"Like fucking the Droid?" Juice said and they both laughed then quickly cut their laughs short as a man appeared before them, between the trees, wielding a plasma riffle with four wolves with metal casings flanking him on all sides.
The man took aim and fired but his plasma shot met with the plasma shot from Honey's pistol. The man gawked at Honey Badger, he raised his riffle and fired once more but Honey's plasma ray met with his shot once more in an eruption of sparks.
"Well I'll be damn—" The man's sentence was cut short as plasma shot from Honey's pistol took him out at the head, chewing a chunk off his skull. The wolves ran forward to meet them and Juice darted to answer their charge. The first two wolves pounced, aiming for his neck but Juice spun with the blade in hand, eviscerating them mid air. The wolves collapsed with whimpering death cries. Juice's feet still running he launched himself at the third wolf, darting to the side so its leap may meet plain air, swiping with his blade to cut through the wolf's snout in a deliberate line that ran from its mouth, through the neck to end at its chest. The fourth wolf tried to charge at his legs but a downward swipe of his blade severed its spine and ended its life.
Honey walked forward and met Juice. They nodded at each other and continued their journey, quickening their pace to a jog they etched on towards the now near palace.
"I see Sirenala within my mind from time to time, what Tweek said about Pepsharh is somewhat similar to what I experience." Juice said, his breath even despite the exertion thus far.
"It's like whatever we shared with them was special."
Juice stopped his ran and Honey Badger brandished his plasma pistols in an arch before him only to meet no foe.
"Special?" Juice asked.
Honey lowered his guns. "That's the word for it." He smiled. "What we shared with the princesses was unique, distinguished with a quality."
"Could it be love?" Juice asked, looking down on Honey Badger.
"Do you know Sirenala's birthday?" Honey asked.
"No"
"Then it's not love."
They continued on their forward march, exiting the cover of trees to emerge at the mouth of a bridge. On this bridge stood seven men with packs of wolves surrounding them. The foremost standing man had something in his hand which he raised high to the eyes of Honey Badger and Juice. In his hand was a tie, it's color yellow with red polka dots adorning its surface.
"We have your man." He shouted at them.
Honey's shoulders slumped. "Just our luck."
Juice's brows furrowed. "They have Tweek."

Hey, everyone! I am an 18-year-old girl and I think I have developed HPPD.
Two Saturdays ago, I micro-dosed magic mushrooms. I also drank and smoked weed, which my friends advised against. I had a very bad trip for the first hour or so of it. I was totally flipping out, screaming for help, that I was having a panic attack, that I needed my family, an ambulance, a hospital. I had this horrific pain in my chest, just this sharp pain that almost felt like I could not breathe. My friends were able to calm me down, and the rest of my trip was actually relatively pleasant. My visuals were pretty unremarkable, actually, most of the trip was emotional/conceptual.
The week following, I didn't have hardly any visual disturbances aside from the morning after, I'm pretty sure. Mostly what was happening for that week was I was having these very strange, sometimes uncomfortable and sometimes positive thoughts, like about the life point of views of others, thoughts I'd never had before. An uncomfortable one was I became acutely aware of the fact that my thoughts were being spoken by a voice I could hear in my head. I had a really awesome weekend two weekends ago (it's Friday), where I partied all weekends and was just in a state of total bliss. On that Saturday, I had this chest pain after drinking alcohol again for the first time since the trip. It was almost like I had remembered the taste or feeling of alcohol and my brain connected it to that intense chest pain. So, I had an okay day on Sunday, but at night, the chest pain returned. I completely panicked and for some reason I was completely and totally convinced that I had lung cancer. For a week, the anxiety that I was dying did not let up. I hadn't had this since I was a kid. I had a very bad panic disorder when I was younger where I thought I was dying all the time. Last week, I had this intense feeling of doom. It was completely unfounded, but it lasted for the entirety of my wakefulness. Finally, I saw, like, 5 doctors that told me I definitely did not have stomach, brain, or lung cancer. That weekend, though, a couple days before I finally believe I wasn't gearing up to die, I started having these weird ass visual things where shit looked smaller, walls looked closer and floors felt slanted. The things kind of came and went, but in the recent days, they've been pretty steady as I'm more awake that they're happening. My arm feels light, legs heavy, rooms feel like they have a bit of a mind of their own, I have waviness in my periphery, and I have this sense of very slight rocking. That's about it, though. The anxiety and intense fear has subsided. I feel as though the emotional aspect greatly preceded the visual aspect.
I am currently taking Klon0pin by prescription on steady regiment, which I can't really tell if is helping, I think it might be. Anxiety definitely exacerbates everything, so I am going to get CBT. Doing calming activities (reading, painting) has helped, wearing sunglasses helps. I'm really only about a week into everything. I had some derealization yesterday, but I snapped out of it. I need to get out of the isolation/agoraphobia, which was happening before the visuals. I'm going to try to go out today. I am a little upset and worried that this will impact my future negatively.
I am trying to keep a positive outlook and tell myself that lifestyle changes and adjustment may not be so bad and there are ways to cope. I also believe I have it much less severe than others because I micro-dosed. I'm trying to get to the point of acceptance of the issue, does anyone have any outlook on acceptance and adjustment to the visuals/sensations? I am a generally happy person, so I am trying to find ways to stay that way. Would anyone give any advice? Does wearing glasses improve some states? Should I expect this to last for the rest of my life? Is there any medication that can help to improve it other than Kl0nopin that anyone would recommend? There must be a way to keep it together and live a full, happy life despite this. I just have to find it, and I'm already looking for that now. That's good progress, right?
I hope this doesn't come off as triggering or insensitive, I'm just trying to look for some insight. <3

Before I go into this again I have to mention this. My original post was removed under some confusion regarding the title and content. After talking with a mod over this I have taken it upon myself to just redo this post.
A brief history of Spintires and its sequels. Spintires originally came out in 2014 as an independently produced game on steam. It was a game where you were a logging trucker in the depths of Eastern Europe and North-Central Asia. You had access to quite a few demilitarized soviet vehicles and the challenge of the game was managing fuel, time, and route planning to make it from point to point on a large map while having to traverse mud, rocks, fallen trees, road debris, sand, rivers, and streams. It is a rather challenging game and the sequels Mudrunner (2017) and Snowrunner (2020) build on this premise.
The intellectual property rights of this game have changed hands since Spintires was released hence the naming convention changing constantly. This is very confusing for people new to the series. Spintires was developed by Oovee Game Studios and then the rights were handed off to Saber Interactive and Focus Home Interactive. Oovee at this point is down to the original dev, Pavel, who had been supporting the game for some time on his own and keeping the game afloat. On January 6th 2021 the game would receive its final update 1.7.1
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/263280/view/2935750925522349297?l=english
The game had recently released a DLC set in China which was released December 15, 2020. Following this post was the removal of the game from the Steam store page Some time around 12:00 pm. It was unclear what was going on at first, but it got out that Pavel was in legal dispute with the IP holders of MudRunner and SnowRunner. When a game is legally disputed, it is pulled from the steam store and the community hub is all that remains. It seemed after some time that the disputes were settled, but to this day the game is still no longer avaliable on Steam or anywhere on the internet. The final update post has currently 1,812 thumbs up and 186 comments making it one of the more active parts of the community forum.
I am not an expert on the story and it seems a lot of it is disputed and unclear to the outside observer. Instead of unintentionally spreading misinformation I will leave the legal case here.
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/41684378/Saber_Interactive_Inc_v_Oovee_Ltd_et_al
It is an unfortunate turn of events to have a game as good as this and as young as this disappear. I hope it comes back and things can go back to normal, but I have long since given up on that. If something can be done to make sure this game doesn't fade away I would love to support it.

I don’t know if this is the right place for this, so the mods may take it down, but I wanted to share!
I know a lot of you folks make the pilgrimage to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, TN. I have many fond memories of stopping in and bathing in the wonder of the sheer selection.
If you’re passing Sevierville on I-81, then a little over an hour from now (if you’re headed north), you’ll pass straight through a suburb called Bristol, on the border of Virginia, which is home to a famous NASCAR short track.
I wasn’t aware of this until a few days ago, but a small, locally owned knife store has opened in Bristol, which is fairly close to me, called Bladerunner HQ. The owner primarily did online sales and opened his storefront about a month ago.
Bladerunner HQ was in the top ten retailers for Heretic last year, which is a pretty awesome feat (that came with a dope Christmas card the owner showed me). They have an impressive selection of Heretic, Microtech, Medford, Paragon, and Protech in store. This is a shop that you’re going to want to call if you’re looking for a specific configuration that’s out of stock at all the big retailers.
Best of all, these guys stuck around for an hour after close just to talk knives and show off what they had in their knife rolls for the day. I mentioned leaving to let them close multiple times, but they were genuinely enjoying the conversation. We talked about trends in the industry, pet peeves and preferences, gripes with specific companies, and knife steels for over an hour. I got to hold an amazing CamoCarbon Koenig Arius that belonged to one of the employees, a brand-spanking-new milled titanium Oz Roosevelt in Magnacut, and several other grail knives.
I went back a couple days later to pick up a Maxace Black Mirror, both because I fell in love with that thing in store and because I wanted to support the shop. RJ, the owner, was prepping for Blade Show and the store was closed, but he had invited me to text him and let him know when I’d be able to stop in. He came in and took care of me while giving me a bro price on the Maxace.
I’m not affiliated with these guys at all, but they treated me like family and I left super impressed with the selection. If you’re planning on stopping by SMKW for your road trip, strongly consider Bladerunner HQ!

I don’t know if this is the right place for this, so the mods may take it down, but I wanted to share!
I know a lot of you folks make the pilgrimage to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, TN. I have many fond memories of stopping in and bathing in the wonder of the sheer selection.
If you’re passing Sevierville on I-81, then a little over an hour from now (if you’re headed north), you’ll pass straight through a suburb called Bristol, on the border of Virginia, which is home to a famous NASCAR short track.
I wasn’t aware of it until a few days ago, but a small, locally owned knife store has opened in Bristol, which is fairly close to me, called Bladerunner HQ. The owner primarily did online sales and opened his storefront about a month ago.
Bladerunner HQ was in the top ten retailers for Heretic last year, which is a pretty awesome feat (that came with a dope Christmas card the owner showed me). They have an impressive selection of Heretic, Microtech, Medford, Paragon, and Protech in store. This is a shop that you’re going to want to call if you’re looking for a specific configuration that’s out of stock at all the big retailers.
Best of all, these guys stuck around for an hour after close just to talk knives and show off what they had in their knife rolls for the day. I mentioned leaving to let them close multiple times, but they were genuinely enjoying the conversation. We talked about trends in the industry, pet peeves and preferences, gripes with specific companies, and knife steels for over an hour. I got to hold an amazing CamoCarbon Koenig Arius that belonged to one of the employees, a brand-spanking-new milled titanium Oz Roosevelt in Magnacut, and several other grail knives.
I went back a couple days later to pick up a Maxace Black Mirror, both because I fell in love with that thing in store and because I wanted to support the shop. RJ, the owner, was prepping for Blade Show and the store was closed, but he had invited me to text him and let him know when I’d be able to stop in. He came in and took care of me while giving me a bro price on the Maxace.
I’m not affiliated with these guys at all, but they treated me like family and I left super impressed with the selection. If you’re planning on stopping by SMKW for your road trip, strongly consider Bladerunner HQ!

Discord Username: morganlefae#5923
PC
Character Name and House: Marlon Manderly
Age: 50
Appearance: A man on the shorter side. Has put on some weight but wears clothes that make him appear thinner than he is. Slightly greying and balding, but still has well cut sandy-brown hair on his head with the greys on his side. Has an very well cut and manicured beard. Always wears extremely fine clothes, usually of a dark or light blue. Usually fur lined for warmth in the winter, otherwise dresses like a Southron Lord. Has many rings on his fingers to show off his wealth.
Gift: Gossiper
Skills: Courtly (Expertise), Scholar, Subtle, Shipwright
Talent(s): Falconry, Sommelier, Dabbles in Poetry
Starting Title(s): Regent of White Harbor, Heir to Lord Lucerys Manderly.
Starting Location: (M: Somewhat confused about this but I know the Stark player had a pregame event? I'm assuming he'd either be there or in White Harbor)
Dragon Name: Manderlys are too fat for dragons
Dragon Size: dead from snapped neck
Family Tree: https://www.familyecho.com/?p=F0OTO&c=i0b84dvzto&f=432934187143766256
AC
Character Name and House: Jason Manderly
Age: 16
Appearance: Long blonde hair, deep blue eyes, little to no facial hair. Already taller than his dad. While his father wears dignified clothing he wears ostentatious clothing.
Gift: Duelist
Skills: Swords, Knighty (fighting style), Riding
Talent(s): Poetry (better than his father), witty remarks, being snide
Starting Title(s): 3rd in line to White Harbor
Starting Location: Kings Landing (Squire to the Seahorse Knight)
Edited for Timeline:
134 Lucerys Manderly, Lord of White Harbor, is born as the only son of Medrick Manderly.
136 Wylla Manderly is born as the only daughter of Medrick.
146 Medrick Manderly dies valiantly in the Second Dance of the Dragons fighting for the Blacks, Lord Lucerys inherits at the age of 12 and abandons his Squireship, foresaking Knighthood.
156 Wylla Manderly marries Franklyn Frey
157 Marlon Manderly Born to Lord Lucerys and his first wife
160 Myranda Manderly Born to Lord Lucerys and his first wife
170 Martyn Manderly is born to Lord Lucerys and his second wife
181 Marlon Manderly marries Lady Jeyne Arryn
183 Jeyne Manderly is born to Marlon Manderly and Jeyne Manderly (nee Arryn)
185 Wynfryd Manderly is born to Marlon and Jeyne
187 Lucerys Manderly the Younger and Lucille Manderly are born as twins to Marlon and Jeyne.
191 Jason Manderly is born
195 Wyla Manderly is born, Jeyne Manderly (nee Arryn) dies in Childbirth
203 AC Lucerys, Jeyne, Jason and Lucille Manderly go down South to Riverrun to escort Tully back North to discuss betrothals and to potentially arrange matches. On the way to Winterfell the party is attacked and Lucerys Manderly the Younger is killed. Jeyne remains in Riverrun as Lady Alyssa Tully's Lady in Waiting (and more!). Jason goes furher south with an escort and is made a Squire to the Seahorse Knight and has not returned to White Harbor since his brother's death.
204 Desperate to leave White Harbor, Wynfryd accepts a match with Eddard Dustin to escape her family.
205 Lord Lucerys the Elder begins to become infirm, his son starts on taking more duties for him.
206 Marlon is officially named Regent of White Harbor as Lord Lucerys effectively retires, while still being arrogant enough to retain his Lordship. De jure Marlon is now Lord but de facto it remains Lucerys, and his father sometimes overrules his decisions.
207 The family (except for Martyn and Lucerys the Elder) travel south to Kings Landing for a feast.

I'll preface this by saying I completely understand that to make a fun, balanced and competitive card game, you cannot nail the thematic connection of every card. I'm not mad about it but I sometimes think two cards could swap power, cost and ability making both cards fit better thematically while leaving the balance untouched.
For example, I think Kitty Pride and Jeff the Baby Land Shark could completely swap and both cards would fit who they are a little bit more. Kitty's phasing fits the get in anywhere mechanic a bit better while Jeff disappearing and reappearing stronger better fits the idea that you never know when he'll pop up and what he'll do.
What two cards would you swap to connect their abilities and power level to the character theme a little better?

A little background, so feel free to skip to below if you just want to know the problem. I was on active duty and did my one contract, and decided to get off active duty to use my GI Bill. I go to a D1 school in Texas (won't say for risk of exposing myself). Honestly took a lot of pride in being in the Army after deploying to Iraq so decided to do a three year contract in the reserves for a bonus, in case I wanted to come back, keep my clearance, etc etc.
...
I finished my bachelor's and started my master's. The reserves was working great with the regular weekend every month, two weeks in the summer, and a four day drill for the range every now and then. Recently, our battalion commander (who, after making this decision, promptly left) decided that we were only going to do four day drills every other month. The program I'm in (and the school generally) has a pretty strict attendance policy, so they don't really want me to miss class two days a week 3-4 times per semester. On top of that, I just don't want to miss class all that often because getting my degrees was the whole reason I left active duty, and I actually enjoy learning. But my chain of command is pretty on my back about missing these weekdays, and I'm just wondering if there is something I can do. They don't really want me to RST any more, and I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. They also said that the Army Reserves is pushing harder and harder for 5 and 6 day drills in the future, and that might be something they're willing to try.
Is there anything that I can actually do? I know that realistically the school can't fail me in classes because I was doing military activities, but it kind of sucks and I feel like there has to be some work around, I thought the whole point of the reserves was still participating but also being able to pursue other things.
Other factors: I don't care about retirement points or getting a retirement from the reserves. This is my last year, I ETS next January.

FRIDAY

• First Friday, Downtown, Raleigh
• Durham Bulls vs. Jacksonville, DBAP, Durham
• UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH, Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
• Smooth Nights, KBA, Cary
• BANDS, BITES, AND BOATS, Bond Park, Cary
• PLAYlist Concert Series: Raíces, Rutas, y Ritmos, Durham Central Park, Durham
• 1776, DPAC, Durham
• Leslie Jones: Live, Carolina Theatre, Durham
• DeRay Davis: Too Much?!, Raleigh Improv, Cary
• Pride Plaza Party, Exchange/Market Plazas, Raleigh
• Tacarra Williams, ROOM 861 AT GOODNIGHTS, Raleigh
• The Soccer Tournament, WakeMed Soccer Park, Raleigh
• Music in the Park Celebrates Pride, Healthy Food Hub, Morrisville
• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (PG13), The Cary, Cary
• Spider-man Movie Premiere with Dell Technologies and Presidio, Cinemark Raleigh Grande, Raleigh
• Durham Pride Silent Disco, Hi-Wire, Durham
• Techstars Startup Weekend: Health & Wellness, Duke University, Durham
• Halocene, Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Mamis & The Papis and Party Illegal Present: Moodboard, Rubies on Five Points, Durham
• An Evening with North Mississippi Allstars, Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
• Apex Peakway 155, Wake County Speedway, Raleigh
• Freight Farms Pop Up Event, Nanue's Farm, Raleigh
• Hands on a Hardbody, Raleigh Little Theatre, Raleigh
• Jessica Kirson, Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh
• Oak City Gliders vs Reidsville Luckies, Optimist Park, Raleigh
• Our Prism, The Raleigh Night Market, Raleigh
• Pride First Friday: Sip + Shop, Curate Raleigh, Raleigh
• Urban Soil, The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop, Raleigh
• BUTNER SUMMER FESTIVAL, Butner Gazebo Park, Butner

​
SATURDAY

• Durham Bulls vs. Jacksonville, DBAP, Durham
• Family Fun Fest, North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh
• Raleigh's International Food Festival, City Plaza, Raleigh
• Bubbles & Brisket, Smoky Hollow, Raleigh
• Ever After: Fairytales, Food, and Flowers, Fred Fletcher Park, Raleigh
• UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH, Raleigh Country Club, RaleighSummerfest: The Music of Whitney Houston, North Carolina Symphony, Cary
• Mid-Town Square Spring Festival 2023, Bond Brothers Beer Company, Cary
• NC Summertime Beer Fest, Clouds Brewing Taproom, Raleigh
• NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, USA Baseball National Training Complex, Cary
• North State Bank’s Summer Salute for Transitions LifeCare, North Ridge Country Club, Raleigh
• Run For Love 5k, Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh
• Dermot Kennedy The Sonder Tour, Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh
• Hands on History: Butter-making, Natural Dyes, and Flower Pressing, Borden Building, Raleigh
• International Children’s Day, City of Raleigh Museum (COR Museum), Raleigh
• Jessica Kirson, Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh
• Jubilant! A Juneteenth Experience, CAM Raleigh, Raleigh
• Matt Maeson, The Ritz, Raleigh
• Tacarra Williams, ROOM 861 AT GOODNIGHTS, Raleigh
• DeRay Davis: Too Much?!, Raleigh Improv, Cary
• Summer Sol - Vinyasa Flow, Raleigh Municipal Rose Garden, Raleigh
• The Soccer Tournament, WakeMed Soccer Park, Raleigh
• UNC Children's For The Kids Concert Featuring: Cooper Alan, Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
• Hands on a Hardbody, Raleigh Little Theatre, Raleigh
• MAKRS, Durham Central Park, Durham
• Gimme Gimme Disco, Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• Paradox: A 90s Rave Experience, The Fruit, Durham
• Cygnus X-2, The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop, Raleigh
• Techstars Startup Weekend: Health & Wellness, Duke University, Durham
• Running of the Bulls 8K, Historic Durham Athletic Park, Durham
• Boxyard Turns 2 Celebration, Boxyard RTP, Durham
• Nasher Community Celebration, Nasher Museum of Art, Durham
• Record Show, Durty Bull, Durham
• Bimbé Celebration, Rock Quarry Park, Durham
• Beaver Queen Pageant — Once Upon a Wetland..., Duke Park, Durham
• Mother Tongues: Louise Toppin, soprano, with Stephen Jaffe & John O’Brien, pianists, Nelson Music Room, East Duke Building, Duke University, Durham
• Old North State Antique Gun & Military Show, North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Raleigh
• Propagation Workshop: Advanced Softwood Cuttings, JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University, Raleigh

​
SUNDAY

• UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH, Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
• Durham Bulls vs. Jacksonville, DBAP, Durham
• NCAA Division II Baseball Championship, USA Baseball National Training Complex, Cary
• Esther Povitsky, Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh
• Parlor Pride Party, Heights House Hotel, Raleigh
• Satisfaction, Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh
• DeRay Davis: Too Much?!, Raleigh Improv, Cary
• Bringing it Home: Chamber Music with the Durham Symphony and Friends, Hayti Heritage Center, Durham
• Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six, Alley Twenty Six, Durham
• Mike’s Dead, Motorco Music Hall, Durham
• A Celebration of African American Art with Song, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
• LGBTQ+ Pride Ride with the Historic Raleigh Trolley, Mordecai Historic Park, Raleigh
• Old North State Antique Gun & Military Show, North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Raleigh
• Techstars Startup Weekend: Health & Wellness, Duke University, Durham

​
Join the Thingstodo919 email list here for a weekly events newsletter. Doing anything interesting this weekend? Let us know your plans in the comments!