Fortunate circumstances crossword

(I'm still unsure if I'm using the right flair but I've only read the first two books and I would greatly appreciate no spoilers for the remaining books!)
That is A Clash of Kings done!
Wow!
Another fantastic read! Aaaahhh! I’m loving this story! The drama! The scheming! The politics! The absolute TERROR you face at the beginning of every chapter because anything could happen and if there is one thing I’ve learned so far, good things very rarely happen in this world! And even on the rare occasion something good does happen and you feel safe and happy, BANG! Something worse happens! My stress levels increase tenfold and my short-lived happiness becomes a distant memory! Which is a very new sensation for me. Because, call me crazy, but up until now, I’ve enjoyed stories were nice things could actually happen! Do you remember that concept? Nice things happening? Yeah, the memory is growing faint for me too….
Anyway, my blood pressure is hitting all time records but other than that, I can’t wait to continue this series! I’m sure I’ll be fine...…HAHAHAHAHA……
Now, let’s get into this! The prologue!
We finally meet Stannis Baratheon and wow! George really went out of his way to make him appear as unpleasant and dry as humanly possible! But I think I’ll leave my evaluation of him until I get to Davos. Instead, much like the prologue itself, I think I’ll focus my attentions on Cressen and the pussy-shadow maker herself, Melisandre.
I’m intrigued and terrified of her in equal measures. I think she has to be one of the most dangerously mysterious characters in this book because both her actions and motivations remain largely unknown to the reader, of course, you could say the same for Varys and Littlefinger, but, idk about you, but I find an all powerful zealot much more menacing!
Being a religious fanatic, I knew she wasn’t going to bring anything remotely positive to the picture, so I completely sympathised with Cressen and believed, (and continue to believe) he was justified in his concerns but this is ASOIAF, I knew things weren’t going to run smoothly but it’s incredibly unfortunate the poor man had to lose his life to try to protect the man he raised.
I remember being so disgusted with Stannis in his treatment of Cressen, this man raised you and loved you when apparently nobody else did, and you couldn’t even treat him with common decency! Ooooohhhh boy was I annoyed. Especially because I was so looking forward to finally meeting Roberts formidable brother, thinking this is the Baratheon I could root for and then had such a negative introduction to him! My opinion of him has certainly improved, but my initial impression was decidedly negative. Props again to George! He has a gift for understanding and portraying how subjective a characters perception can be, leaving the reader, to a certain extent, take the information we are given with a pinch of salt.
We also get a glimpse of Dragonstone! I must say, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so, grim. Of course, the occupants are definitely a factor, looking at you Selyse, but the castle and island itself, it does not sound pleasant. It got me thinking about what Daenerys would think of it? I don’t really see this blending well with the beautiful, flowery aesthetic she is dreaming of. But then again, it’s built on a volcano, being the blood of the dragon and her fondness for heat, this could be the Valyrian equivalent of a cosy little cottage for her, who knows?
Also, that jester, Patchface creeps me the hell out! Why would you allow this crazy person near your child, Stannis??? Didn’t Cressen say he was the sole survivor of the wreck? So they really have no idea who this crazy person was? Yeah, that’s comforting…..
Now, lets get to the characters! Like before, I think I’ll just go in no particular order:
CATELYN: Remember when I said I had high hopes for this motheson team? Yeah, now I am extremely worried about this motheson team! I’m optimistic they will triumph in the long term but, presently, I’m certain more hurdles are going to be thrust in their direction! But, at the same time, what else could possibly go wrong for them at this point? Granted, Robb has won every battle, but everything outside of the battlefield has gone completely pear shaped! It’s extremely unfortunate that they’re doing everything right but that circumstance is getting in the way of their success!
It frustrated me in AGOT and continues to frustrate me in this book, that the Lannisters seem to have an unlimited supply of luck! Seriously! How tf are they succeeding??? Aaaahhhhh! Don’t get me wrong, I love Tyrion, and I continue to root for him, but the rest of this family needs to be taken out, immediately! Uuuuuggghhhh! I’m praying their rapid rise will soon come crashing down! We saw with Daenerys, George likes to strip his characters of everything before building them back up and I believe this is what he is doing with the Starks!
In the case of the Starks, however, it’s believing they’ve lost everything, in regards to Bran and Rickon, at least. But poor Catelyn! Discovering your children have been killed is horrendous enough, but believing their heads have been mounted on your castle walls? I just can’t even comprehend the levels of emotions she must be feeling!
I must say, I was not expecting the way Catelyns storyline played out in this book but I enjoyed it nonetheless! I thought she would become more of a leading figure in Robbs court but she seems to have taken a back seat and I’m very uncomfortable with that. I truly believe Robb will become a great ruler but age is not on his side. He needs the guidance and counsel only a parent can give their child, not that of a subject to their sovereign. There are things a ruler needs to be told that their followers wouldn’t be as forthcoming with as I believe Catelyn would be! Of course, I can understand, from Robbs perspective, asserting his leadership is challenge enough, given his young age, without his mother by his side, so I can understand his reluctance to have Catelyn close to him, but still, it frustrates me!
That reminds me, don’t ask me how, but I forgot to talk about Robb in my first post, it goes without saying, I love him and am rooting for him! But what I wanted to talk about was him being proclaimed King in the North! I’ll admit, it was a powerful, goosebump inducing scene but omg how tf did the Northerners and Rivermen/Riverlanders? think that was a good idea? Talk about adding fuel to the fire! But anyway, I just wanted to mention that before getting back to Catelyn.
I really admired her attempts at forming a truce between the Baratheon brothers, alas, to no avail, but still, good effort! I really don’t understand Renlys thought process though? Seriously, what sort of precedent are you setting here? Do you expect the realm to bleed after the death of every King? Each claimant fighting for their right to rule? He is/was, the embodiment of style over substance. Like Cressen mentions, it’s just a childs game to him and like a child, I don’t imagine him playing too long before growing bored and then Westeros would’ve been left with a Robert 2.0.!
I also have to talk about Brienne of Tarth! What a character! Of course she couldn’t be a badass knight, she had to be accused of murder and treason! She is a kind hearted character after all! Imagine nice things happening for her? If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry! Honestly! But at least her circumstances led her to Catelyn! I am fully on board for this partnership and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.
I should talk about where they left off. They didn’t kill Jaime. I know that because that’s what I would want them to do and since when do I get what I want in this series? But why ask for Briennes sword if not? Didn’t Brienne pick up Renlys sword when they fled the camp? Does this sword have some magical element from Renlys death or something? I’m definitely overthinking it. Most likely it was used to whack him with the handle or something haha.
TYRION: If AGOT was Neds book, ACOK certainly has to be Tyrions. What a journey we’ve had with Tyrion. Beginning as Hand of the King and ending as…..what is he now? Tywin has resumed his position as Hand, is Tyrion going to be shipped back to Casterly Rock? I can’t see that happening. Ooooohhhh, wait, maybe that’s how he could reunite with Catelyn? If he is left with nothing after everything he has done, perhaps this is the tipping point for him to finally abandon this screwed up family and join with the Starks? Perhaps turning the tide in the war? Yeah, now that I’ve written it out, it sounds too convenient for this series but I’m hoping some variation of the above isn’t beyond the realms of possibility?
I was extremely impressed with Tyrion in many ways in this book and extremely disappointed in him in others. Of course, on the politic side of events, he was in his element! Oh those chapters were a beauty to behold! Watching him outmanoeuvre Cersei and putting the little toad Joffrey (screw you) in his place! Beautiful! Puts a smile on my face even thinking about it.
Let’s start with Janos Slyntt, I think that’s how you spell it but I’m not taking the time to check because he deserves no such attention! Ha! Coy Tyrion. Very coy. Although I wish he had just gone on and killed him, rather than burdening the watch with him! But alas, I can’t have my cake and expect to eat it all, now can I? I’ll take the wins when I can!
Then the deception to lure Cerseis informant out in the open. I had no idea who it could’ve been but once it was revealed as Pycelle, I was not at all surprised! I’m guessing Tyrion already knew and used the ploy to confirm his suspicions, seeing as he went ahead with sending Myrcella to Dorne?
I really enjoyed Tyrion and Varys’…..I want to say friendship? But I think partnership would be more fitting, as I don’t think either would blink an eye at turning on each other. It truly was beautiful to read though, their interactions I mean. The dialogue! A constant duel of words, equally matched and equally prodding for weaknesses. Both walking on a continuous line of thin ice but boy did they glid through! Ah, I loved it!
I do agree with Cersei though, and I shudder at that, but Tyrion did rely heavily on Varys. In my first post I think I said Varys could be trustworthy, but now, I don’t think so. He was certainly helpful, but he is playing his own game and so far, I have no idea what that could be, but I feel like Varys is helpful because he wants to be but could very easily switch sides should he ever choose to do so. That said, he is certainly not as ruthless as he must outwardly appear. We’ve seen after all, his efforts to protect Ned, Roberts bastards, etc. So, despite public opinion, he's really quite a softy. Well, maybe not a softy, but has a certain level of humanity, which, imo, classifies as a softy in this world!
Tyrions relationship with Baelish was much more confusing for me. He knows Petyr was behind his arrest and seemingly does nothing? I understand, in uncertain times, maintaining the treasury is an essential service, but I expected more from Tyrion than, “haha, you thought you were getting Harrenhal, you’ll think twice about backstabbing me now!.” It’s even more frustrating that he actually acquired the castle regardless! Again, I must begrudgingly give props to Littlefinger for playing the game flawlessly, but man, is it annoying!
Tyrions relationship with Cersei, aside from the political intrigue, must have been one of the more intriguing aspects of his chapters. Clearly, they’re not close, at all, but there is a certain, idk, its not affection but perhaps there was a certain level of respect between them. I think I must have been as shocked as Tyrion when Cersei hugged him when they received the news of Stannis marching on Storms End. But I was just as shocked when Tyrion poisoned his sister. I legit thought he just killed Cersei for a second. Turns out it was just diarrhoea, lol.
I don’t understand why he antagonised her so much though? I don’t understand why it was necessary for him to kidnap Tommen, unless I missed something? I feel like that was just unnecessarily hostile. Then threaten her with Tommens safety, idk, I just don’t think it was necessary. I felt it would have been more beneficial for him to reassure Cersei rather than threaten her. I get that his authority was being challenged but I can’t help but think he shot himself in the foot with that. I really don’t see their relationship recovering from this. Obviously, they didn’t have much of a bond before, but I feel like, before, there was at least a small glimpse of comradery between them but with this, I think he cut all ties with her and that troubles me. Cersei doesn’t hold back when it comes to her enemies. Especially those who threaten her children!
Don’t get me wrong, I want Tyrion to abandon this family, so I know it sounds hypocritical of me to say he should be nice to his sister but that’s so long as they’re playing on the same team but I really am hoping Tyrion eventually abandons Team Lannister! I’m feeling less sure of this outcome than I did at the end of AGOT but I’m still optimistic it’s going to happen, ideally sooner rather than later!
I should also mention Shae. It’s clear she only wants his gold but for whatever reason, Tyrion has fallen in love with his own made up version of her and I don’t see this relationship ending well, for either of them…..
ARYA: There were three characters I was immensely nervous for, going into this book, Jon, Sansa and Arya. I KNEW Arya wasn’t going to reach the North but I was hoping she would at least reach Riverrun! I knew that was an optimistic belief but I wanted to dream!
On the flip side I was terrified she was going to be captured by the Lannisters. My fears came somewhat true as she was captured, fortunately the Lannisters captured Weasel rather than Arya Stark!
I swear, my heart was in my mouth going into each of her early chapters, as they were travelling up the Kingsroad, each chapter more unnerving than the last because nothing bad had happened but I KNEW that wasn’t going to last! RIP Yoren btw, you smelled sour but your heart was sweet!
Arya was really our eyes on the ground with the ongoing conflict in the Riverlands and boy was it gruesome! George really didn’t hold back with the brutality of war! Her chapters were an interesting study on the morality of the conflict. I understand that it’s the Lannisters sacking and pillaging the Riverlands, but Robb fought fire with fire and I don’t believe his actions caused any less destruction in the Westerlands. The commons suffer, regardless of how honourable the intent may be!
Despite the ordeals she went through, I’m somewhat relieved she got through it relatively unscathed. But can we please sign this girl up for some therapy sessions? Seriously! I’m really starting to worry for Aryas mental health. It is not healthy for a 9/10 year old to have a list of people they wish to kill and repeat it obsessively each night, just saying….
Also, What THE ACTUAL F is going on with Jaqen H’Aghar? What’s the significance of the coin? And wtf does “Valar Morghulis” mean? Soooo many questions! I’m conflicted. On one hand, I’m slightly disappointed Arya didn’t go off with whoever that was. Of course, I understand her wanting to return to her family but imagine returning as a badass magical face changing assassin? That would’ve been epic! But I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing Jaqen again!
Yet, on the other hand, I’m not sure that’s really what Arya needs right now, given her current thirst for vengeance. I think she’s approaching a slippery slope. Of course, I want Arya to become a badass knight, but her progressively cavalier attitude towards killing is certainly unsettling, to say the least!
Also, Arya. YOU HAD THREE LIVES IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND. THREE. WHHHHHYYYYYYY????? GEORGE. SERIOUSLY???? Granted, she’s 10 but come on Arya! Bigger picture and all! Tywin. The Mountain. Joffrey. You could have ended it all!!!!! O.M.G!!!!!
I want to scream at somebody.
Seriously.
Now that I’ve come to the end, I leave this book feeling no less anxious for her safety than I did at the end of AGOT! From the little we’ve seen of Lord Bolton, he doesn’t seem like the forgiving type and I dread to think what would happen should they get caught! So she enters the next book, on the run. Again. Arya, what are you doing to my blood pressure???
JON: I am shocked! Shocked, people! Shocked that the Watch hasn’t been completely annihilated by the dead people roaming about! Not that I don’t believe that is still a valid concern, but I’m honestly amazed they’ve gotten this far without so much as a glimpse of them! I don’t think we’ve seen them at all in this novel? That in itself came as a huge surprise!
But my god, that march sounded absolutely miserable! It would’ve been horrible putting up with the cold, but constant rain on top of that? Hell to the no! Grim. Just kill me now. I could never!
We are introduced to the charming Craster in this book. What a delight he is! Honestly, I gagged. He marries his daughters and they give him more daughters. What? Wtf is it with incest in this series? No more. Please. We have sufficient incest George. Enough!
I am baffled as to Mormonts cavalier attitude towards Craster “sacrificing” his sons, though. He’s offering them to the gods, aka the ice zombies? What do they do with the sons? Wouldn’t that be an important question to ask? Do they eat them or recruit them? Can dead babies grow? Hahaha, I’m sorry, I just got an image in my head of what Dolorous Edd would say about getting taken out by a dead baby. Ha! Sorry. I love that man with all my heart btw.
I have a feeling though that Crasters daughter, Gilly, managed to sneak away and followed the Nights Watch, I feel like we’ll be seeing her again, why single her out otherwise?
I’m curious what the significance of Ghosts little discovery will be. Dragonglass? Is this used against the dead? Oooooohhhhh. I’m so f**king stupid. Dragons. Daenerys is going to play a big role in the fight against the dead isn’t she? Well that’s embarrassing that it took me this long to realise that. Lets draw a veil over that embarrassingly late epiphany, shall we?
Anyway, dragonglass, aka obsidian, a real world property, I understand the usefulness of fire breathing dragons but I’m not sure what makes dragonglass more powerful than normal steel? Unless this obsidian was formed by dragon fire? Perhaps. I shall wait and see!
So Jon has now become a double agent. Interesting indeed. I’m nervous for him. It’ll be interesting to see how he can convince Mance and the rest of the wildlings of his loyalty. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume, as a son of Eddard Stark, forsaking his sworn word to the Nights Watch isn’t going to be an easy task for him…..
I honestly have no idea how he is going to come back from this, especially with nobody left to corroborate his story. Not to mention he was the one to kill the Halfhand. I feel like Mormont will believe him, but with this series? I can’t be too sure! I guess I’ll just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Again. I’m leaving Jon in another stressful position!
SANSA: How tf has nobody slaughtered Joffrey yet? Seriously. This is book two and he is still King? What the actual F**K??? SCREW YOU TO THE EXTREME, YOU LITTLE TOAD! FFS, I just want him to die slowly, screaming in agony. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for?! Oh, it was a beauty to behold when the little toad cut himself on the Iron Throne, crying for his mommy in front of the entire court, HA! Loved it. Peak literature, George! Thank you!
Unsurprisingly, Sansas position remains just as, if not more, precarious, as it did at the end of AGOT, now that her betrothal has been annulled.
I’m honestly surprised the marriage didn’t go ahead tbh. Going in to this book, I was certain I was going to watch Sansa being forced to marry this little c**t and I’m a little disappointed this didn’t happen. OK. OK. Let me explain. Obviously it would’ve put Sansa in a horrific position as Joffreys wife but she would have been Queen and a decent one at that, I’d bet! Playing her cards right, she could have amassed a certain level of influence.
I know that was a highly ambitious dream, as I doubt Cersei or Tyrion would have allowed her the opportunity and it certainly didn’t take into account the level of abuse she would have been forced to endure with Joffrey, but I wanted to dream.
So now she is no longer destined to be Queen, I’m really anxious for her future in Kings Landing, and I’m really hoping Dontos will finally get his act together and GET HER TF OUT OF THIS GODFORSAKEN CITY!
Also, can I just take a moment here to vent?
Dontos? Seriously? All the knights in the city and we’re given Dontos? Don’t get me wrong, I admire him for wanting to help Sansa but come on, Dontos??? His intent may be honourable but his capabilities are….lacking. He’s more likely to get her killed than rescued and as someone who wants to see Sansa safe, this stresses me tf out!
I have to say, I was very impressed with Sansa in this book. Saving Dontos being a prime example. Deftly done, I must say. This is what I’m saying when I think she would’ve been a good Queen, soothing the brutality of the King where she could.
I don’t think I mentioned it when discussing Tyrion, but the Blackwater battle was so well written! That entire sequence of chapters were my all time favourites of the series thus far! The back and forth between the battle outside and those seeking refuge within the castle walls, it made for gripping reading! I loved it! Which is quite surprising, as I’m usually not a fan of reading battle sequences, idk, my eyes just start glazing over when I’m reading pages of “my sword hit hard, I stumbled back, I raise another arm, I get hit in the back of the head, I lunge at my opponent, etc”, idk, it just never appealed to me before and I’d usually skip through all that to reach the outcome, but I was hooked!
I’m conflicted on how I feel about the Hound leaving without Sansa. Because I know for a fact her situation isn’t going to remotely improve until she gets the hell away from the Lannisters and the sooner, the better! But I don’t trust the Hound around her. I also think he would be too conspicuous for her to make a successful escape. I have no doubt he would die to protect her, but there is only so many opponents one man could take on before ultimately falling and then Sansa would be left to face untold misery.
That being said, I’m deeply troubled that with the Hound gone, Sansa has lost a valuable, if not somewhat unstable, ally. Aaaahhhhhh! Again, my blood pressure cannot handle this stress!
Theon: Serves me right for trying to give someone the benefit of the doubt! I think I described Theon as “a dick but somewhat good intentioned”. Yeah. He’s just a dick. What an utter idiot.
I can’t even be angry with him, now, that is. I was furious with him when he captured Winterfell, but in the end, I only felt pity for him. It’s never a nice thing, to realise what you are is so far removed from what you thought you could be, but add that on top of your imminent demise, it left Theons final days full of shame and melancholy.
I do feel a certain level of empathy for him. It couldn’t have been easy, growing up not really belonging and to return to what he considered his home, only to find it just as alien and void of any affection. I can certainly see the conflict of loyalty he felt between his foster family and his true family but omfg he made the absolute worst decision ever!
The Starks raised him, taught him everything he knows, he even pledged himself to Robb but of course, his inferior complex took over, blinding him and look where it got him!
I honestly don’t understand what his plan was though? In what world did he imagine he could hold Winterfell, regardless of how many men his sister left him? Did he honestly think Robb would just bend over and allow the Ironborn to keep the North? Aaaaaahhhhh!!!! The stupidity! I just can’t fathom it! I honestly can’t!
Can I just take this opportunity to shit talk the Ironborn? Because how tf have Westeros put up with these people for so long? Do they have any redeeming qualities? As far as I can tell, they’re Westeros’ equivalent of the Dothraki. Lawless pirates who have, for some reason or other, been allowed to rape, raid and pillage to their hearts content. Yuck.
I will say though, putting the whole, allowing her brother to feel her up part aside, I quite enjoyed Asha, and not only because she knew exactly how to push Theons buttons, ha! She’s everything Theon believed himself to be, and more! If she wasn’t so loyal to her father and undermining the Starks, I think I could like her!
Something I’m confused by however, Roose Boltons bastard is Ramsey Snow, but who was Reek and why did they think Ramsey was him to begin with? I’ll have to go back and reread because I either missed or forgot the explanation, but nevertheless, I hate him. He sounds disgusting, and I don’t mean the smell. It broke my heart to find out Lady Hornwood died such a tragic death, she seemed so sweet! Omg there is so much added misery in this series, we have enough sorrow going on with the main characters George, I don’t need to cry over the minors too!
Ramsey appears to be insane but tactful and that my friends is what I call a terrifying combination! I’m honestly unsure of what his goal is? Everyone believes him to be dead, why return to Winterfell once Theon freed him and kill the besieging army, only to then betray Theon in turn? Why tf does every single character have a scheme up their sleeves? Enough!
BRAN: I’m conflicted. I’m happy to see Bran finally getting the chance to head out into the wild in search for answers but it stinks that Winterfell had to be wiped out in order for this to be achievable. I honestly can’t see a scenario where Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrick etc would have allowed Bran the opportunity had Winterfell remained strong.
So, while I detest the actions of Theon and Ramsey as it significantly damaged Robbs position and led to untold misery for the castles inhabitants, it appears as though they actually inadvertently aided Brans progression in “How to Warg 101”. That’s if they actually succeed in their mission though! I’m still confused as to what exactly they will find or how they will manage to find it but I’m certain this will be significant, not just for Bran but for the Starks in general.
We finally find out the significance of Brans wolf “dreams”! Bran is actually a warg! But apparently Jon is too? And there are suggestions so is Robb? Perhaps even Rickon? Interesting. Very interesting. And very cool too! Damn, imagine how awesome it would be to be able to possess the body of a wolf!
It's deeply upsetting to me though that Sansa and Arya apparently are left out of this beyond incredible magical family trait! I’m assuming it’s because they have lost their wolfs? Another thing I can thank the f**king Lannisters for! Aaaahhhhh!
I’m curious though, Aryas direwolf is still alive and apparently leading an army of common wolfs in the Riverlands? Which is utterly badass in and of itself but if they’re reunited, does this mean Arya could potentially control an army of wolves? Or has their connection been broken? Oh, I hope not! I refuse to believe Nymeria is out there amassing a large force of wolfs only for it to lead nowhere! Oooohhhh, wait, will they be reunited now that Arya has fled Harrenhal? Oh that would be incredible! Imagine her rocking up to Riverrun with an army of wolves at her back!
On a sad note, does that leave Sansa as the only Stark sibling without magical abilities? Boo! I hate that!
I must say, after all they’ve been through, I feel for Rickon the most. Poor baby! He just wants his family back and I have no idea how he is going to process the loss of his last remaining family member. He wasn’t handling the situation too well to begin with, but now? That child is gonna need a hell of a lot of therapy and can we please sign Shaggydog up for some anger management classes too? That wolf troubles me!
I’m very intrigued to learn more about the Reeds! As crannogmen, they appear to be somewhat disconnected from the rest of the North, with their own unique traits and customs. Seemingly more in touch with the environment around them, there are claims they are descended from the children of the forest. I have a feeling they will prove invaluable on the expedition North!
I should probably be concerned that they’re essentially a small group of children on a journey through a divided and hostile land but I’m feeling naively optimistic of their chances. I know that this has backfired on me in the past but I can’t give up hope! I refuse!
DAENERYS (DAY-EN-AIR-E-US?): I must say, the pace of Daenerys’ chapters took quite a slow turn in this book, didn’t they? Perhaps there were times I felt the story moved a little too slow for my liking but I knew going into this book, things weren’t going to fall onto her lap overnight
Although her dragons hatched, when we left Daenerys in AGOT, she was pretty much sitting at rock bottom, her husband and child dead, the vast majority of her people gone, along with all of Drogos wealth I imagine too! I knew it would take time for her to get back on her feet and that was essentially what her ACOK journey was.
We start off the book with the red comet and, although every character appears to take it as a sign of their coming, I feel like Daenerys was the obvious recipient. Heralding in the new era of dragons! They sounded adorable btw! “Who’s going to grow up to be big weapons of mass destruction? You are! Yes you are! Yes you are!!!” Cute but they’re gonna do some damage! I can’t wait to see Joffreys face when he gets burned to a crisp! Hehe, I can’t wait!
I’m surprised by the names she chose for them though. Drogon makes sense, he was her moon and stars after all, but I’m surprised she named the other two after her brothers, both of which don’t really have the greatest of reputations?
Sent by the comet, Daenerys spent most of her time in Qarth seeking out its leaders to fund her conquest of Westeros, frustratingly, to no avail. Even more frustratingly is that she had to sell all of her newly acquired wealth to fund her ultimately worthless bribes.
The only thing of note was her trip to the House of the Undying and it instantly humbled me of any belief that I was in any way wise because there is no way in hell I would’ve made it out of that maze alive!
I’m assuming these were hallucinations brought on by whatever it was she drank but obviously with some element of magic?
There were a lot of visions but the two that stood out to me were:
The wolf head with the Iron crown is obviously Robb. The feast with corpses, I’m guessing this is depicting the savagery of the war? Perhaps it signifies the walking dead? From my earlier embarrassingly late realisation, I’m guessing this references the need for Daenerys’ help against the dead?
Secondly, what Daenerys made out to be her brother Rhaegar with his wife and newborn son, “his is the song of ice and fire”, “there must be one more……the dragon has three heads”, Daenerys has three dragons, I’m assuming Rhaegar believed his son to be “the Prince that was promised”, but I’m guessing instead it’s Daenerys? My brain hurts trying to process this! In reality, I have absolutely no idea what the hell was going on but those are the only takes I could come up with! Like Daenerys, this sequence has left me with far more questions than answers!
My blood pressure is not having a good time with all of this, which is not helped with the knowledge that Daenerys has made a powerful enemy with regards to the warlocks! Especially now that their powers are getting stronger! That’s just perfect!
I’m glad to see her leaving Qarth, the further away the better, I say! But I’m honestly surprised Illyrio found her so quickly! Hopefully once she reaches Pentos she can gather forces and enhance her position while waiting for her dragons to grow bigger and stronger! Thinking about it, I’m pretty sure Daenerys is the only character leaving this book on a high lol!
DAVOS We have new players entering the game ladies and gents! I really liked Davos and I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of him? I don’t think we have but I’m not sure how the man could possibly survive!
I really felt for him! To watch the man you serve fall into the arms (figuratively or perhaps literally) of a religious fanatic! I mean, come on George, zealots are bad enough without giving them magical powers!
Davos himself is an interesting character. He appears to be a decent, kind hearted man which took me a while to get used to as we’ve met so few of them in this series so far! Turning from a smuggler to a knight and right hand man to Stannis Baratheon, he is in quite a unique position within Westeros, as well as Stannis’ Court. I can’t imagine many commoners are given such a meteoric rise in fortunes! Stannis himself sees his true worth but he must endure the snobbery of his Lords bannermen, God forbid they had to listen to wisdom from a commoner! Gasp! The horror!
We got a glimpse of his backstory, apparently he smuggled onions into Storms End during Roberts Rebellion, making all the difference to the besieged, but it’s unclear as to how he was put in that position to begin with? I imagine he had some sort of relationship with Stannis beforehand in order for him to take such a risk? Especially when he allowed Stannis to mutilate him in return for his service? I get he was granted a keep and lands and everything, but my god, no wonder nobody ran to fight for Stannis!
Let’s actually talk about Stannis. I’m not sure how I feel about him. There are instances, mainly his interactions with Davos and his relationship with Devan, that I really like him and I can certainly see why a man like Davos supports him, but then there are aspects of his personality that I find grating. The grinding teeth habit aside, I just can’t get past the sulkiness. I swear, he remembers every single slight given it him since he was born and refuses to forgot or forgive! Perhaps I could overlook this aspect of his personality, had he not aligned himself with such a fanatic. I mean, from as far as I can tell, he has more or less sold his soul to the devil.
I can’t help but make the comparison here to Macbeth. They share many similarities and I can very well see them sharing the same fate because there is no way in hell Stannis is this "Azor Ahai”! I mean, it was a cool little trick and sounds like an amazing sword but that whole spectacle of retrieving it from the flames was an absolute farce!
Besides, Stannis has already been defeated. Alive, but backed into a corner! I don’t see him giving up, though! That man will fight until the bitter end! I admire him for that but allowing himself to so overtly ingratiate himself with this religious cult, I can’t say I’ll be sad to see him lose, which I believe, ultimately, he will, but with Melisandre by his side, I can see him causing a lot of damage before he falls. So long as that damage is contained solely towards the Lannisters though, I’ll be satisfied.
I will say, his assault on Kings Landing made for an unsettling array of emotions. Who tf was I supposed to root for??? Its no secret that I want Joffrey and Cersei to die, ideally painfully, but I was rooting for Tyrion to succeed!
At the same time, I really like Davos and I wouldn’t have an issue with Stannis as ruler but for Melisandre! In the end I gave up on choosing a side and just prayed my favourite characters survived!
I’m curious to see, should he survive, where Davos’ story goes from here. I have a feeling he has become a Lannister prisoner!
As for Stannis? “Double, double, toil and trouble.”

Wretched screams were they that once filled this house. Horrible, blood curdling cries. The type that would pierce the ears and vibrate right through the chest. But it wasn’t just the cries themselves that scarred my existence. There were the workers too; always bumbling through the corridors, trampling around with their syringes and vials. “Help” is what they claimed to be. Yet, they deprive this house—MY house—of its serenity. I suppose some might say their sympathy and purpose was honorable, but the honor of such things is lost when they are applied to such a decrepit being. Upon such creatures, only death is honor—is mercy.
Now, only regret fills my time. Just a single recollection of the moment and it is as if my mouth were filled with ashes. It is not with ego that I say I am a man of great scholarly accomplishment. Certainly, a man of my station would never let madness cloud his mind. Surely, you will see that truth when I recount what started this all.
From the pounding of hooves in the night, I had awoken. It was a grave matter; they had said then. Only a man of standing, of academic connection could provide the aid for which they so badly wanted. How can one deny their own flesh and blood, especially when that hospitality was to be repaid? It was with the best, purest faith that I called in those resources that they lacked. A doctor in practice I am no longer, but the Hippocratic oath is still my code.
I stake my reputation on the fact that inheritances never entered my mind. How could one ever desire to take fortunes tainted by the ownership of that...that thing? I promise that it has never been said that I am unkind. Wounds never have I inflicted upon another human being. Not even to my hound I was cruel. But what kindness do we give the pests that have felled the tree? What care do we give the maggot that spoils meat? What empathy do we give the disease that rots a man’s flesh?
From the first I witnessed it enter my sight, clawing its way out the carriage and across the road to my halls all garbed in black shawls, my heart grew cold. At that instant, it became clear that the only action—the only rational action—was to cry that the agreement was voided, and that my doors would be shut to them, until it was once again corralled in a wayward carriage. But with my reputation, I had already drawn the finest of those in practice to my secluded home, and I would be breaking a vow to my own flesh and blood.
My life I would stake into the hands of every specialist who undertook this work. Perhaps, in the most fantastic of circumstances, a single physician of caliber could find themselves unwittingly misguided in their intuition. Within a league of such caliber, an already extraordinary possibility becomes so miniscule that it is rendered entirely impossible. Of course, as utmost professionals with a healthy level of respect—even admiration—of my work coloring their disposition towards me, they danced around it, never landing on the coarse truth at the heart of the matter. However, I could see it in their eyes—yes, I could see it—as clearly as I tell this tale to you now. A revulsion so all-consuming, that it was as if something of the soul had wasted away during their time in that room. With the most artful eye and mute foot, I observed them when they thought themselves out of my sight, their lips trembling with a truth unspoken.
One by one, they all left my house. Always, there was some polite excuse. Something or other about some important work they must return to. Like a sheet over a corpse, the real truth was obvious. In time, only a scant few of their interns were left with me, poor fools stumbling around the corridors of the house, trying to forget each breath they had taken from the sickening air of the room it had burrowed itself in to.
Ask anyone with which I’ve made contact, my word is my bond. Not a SINGLE stain is painted upon my history. Betrayal is a sin so horrible, that I endured months of this torment praying that nature would do my labor for me. It was with terrible weight of obligation pounding through my practiced hands that I arranged the right course—the only course—for full satisfaction of my promise. How many of those with not a third of the experience, utterly repugnant of any medicinal sense, would slander me as a quack, while they stand behind their little desks in clean linen? HA! Would a quack’s hand move with a maestro’s grace, divining the exact formulation to silence the beast? To those who would call me inhumane, do we not lance a boil? Cauterize a wound with searing flame? Slice through the bone of a decaying limb? As you can see, my methods were so merciful, so virtuous, that it is a credit to my character that I chose them in the first place.
With passionate clarity reserved only for those desperate times when a man must complete his task to live, I set upon my work with a meticulousness that surely couldn’t be considered anything less than logical. There were only 3 hours of the day in which it creeped back under its lair in the covers, the shrill shrieking traded for an unsettling wheezing moan. In only one of those three hours was it not under watch by the exhausted, empty eyes of whichever of the few attendants left who could bear it that night. Thus, I ascended the stairs only when I was absolutely certain the assistant unlucky enough to be on watch had retired to an uneasy slumber; stepping in time with the howling wind that battered the exterior of the house with a precision almost unnatural. Upon reaching the top of the creaking staircase, I paused with a soundless breath. I felt like a shadow gliding soundlessly towards the door, as if guided by the movement of some divine hand. There, I rested my handle gently—oh so gently—upon the iron knob of the door, preparing myself for the sight to come. I dared not peek through the glass opening in the door, not wishing to see any more of the thing than necessary. With a motion so slight it was barely perceptible; my fingers turned the heavy knob. The process was so painstakingly done that I couldn’t help but feel a small surge of pride at my composure.
Finally, the door lurched slowly forward, but I dared not move it more than an inch. A seeping stench invaded my nostrils, so moist it felt like it had left a dew inside me. It took all the fortitude I had to not be repelled backwards from the sensation. I lurched, stifling gags for what felt like an hour as I—ever so slowly—poked my head through the opening of the door. Mustering all the tolerance humanly possible, I gradually pushed the door open, the low grind of its movement against the wood floor masked by the raging storm outside.
Having numbed my senses to the room, I crept forward. My steps were slow and methodical, calculated for complete silence. As I approached the bed, I was unshaken about the deed before me. And why should I be? I was a veteran of countless surgeries. Balancing life and death at the tip of my finger was nothing new to me, nor was staking my livelihood on my capacity to do it successfully. If anything, this should have been easier. There was no tightrope to walk here—none indeed. I only needed to drip a few drops from my vial, and the whole operation would be over.
At the same moment as I hunched over to the bedside, a sudden spree of lightning bathed the windows pale blue. With the room momentarily lit, my destination took on a discernibility both terrible and ugly. Its fat lips quivered in a wheeze, surrounded by mottled flesh and blighted features. Every pore in sight spoke its putrefaction soundlessly. My eyes I kept locked in place—singularly focused. Even physicians have limits; Mine was taking in anymore of this deformity than necessary. Thankfully—oh so thankfully—muscle memory jolted in. The contents of the vial were dispensed in the creature before I could even consciously register it.
It was there that I thought my ordeal over, but before I could breathe a foolhardy sigh of relief, bony, calloused fingers wrapped tight around my wrist—tight with animal desperation. Instinctually, I drew my arm back in surprise, yet I only helped it rise to chest level. With its claws still digging deep into my wrist, it fought against my escape from its death bed. I dared not glance back, unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to protect my ears.
The last ounce of its strength was driven into a shattering scream, the most violent attack on my senses in all its time infesting my manor. Before that night, I had borne witness to many dying patients. Death was rarely a peaceful visitor, but this was something different—entirely different. What the thing produced in death, as in life, grouped it in its own class. The screech seemed to drill through my ears and then rattle across the caverns of my skull. It was not just heard—it was felt—and I speak not only of volume when I relay this to you. A wet spattering sprayed upon my head in enough bulk that beads of it oozed down my neck. Perhaps even worse than the physical assault was the spiritual; the cry was filled with an unfathomably deep anguish and venom. It was as if the thing, in its final revenge on life, had poured out every drop of darkness it had gathered from it.
Finally, the assault was alleviated by the silence of death’s departure, although I was so thoroughly shell shocked by the creature’s calamitous final act that several moments passed before I realized it. My ears still rung with an unheard echo as I finally glanced over and noticed the attendant at my side. For the slightest moment, I stared blankly, feeling my plans exposed, but I quickly regained my composure, despite the growing concern on his face as he continued to repeat his questioning. There was a certain authority I had, as not just a member of a respected field, but a distinguished one. I had the leverage here. Even so, the ease with which I evaded and disarmed the attendant’s concerns proved to myself that my sanity had not transpired with the creature.
By the time I—at last—departed from the room, the attendant was a willing—perhaps even eager—participant in removing the body. We wrapped its corpse in sheets—several layers deep—and delivered it for incineration with pace. The disposal was finished by the morning, and within days, my home was returned to its prior state. It felt as if I had awoken from a nightmare to serenity that seemed so long past it was almost forgotten. In my ignorance, I began to fall into an unearned sense of comfort. If only I could have remained in that ignorant bliss, but my mind was too active—my eye too discerning.
From what I’ve recounted thus far, it must be clear that I was stressed, but even clearer that I kept my faculties intact to complete the necessary cruelties a doctor cannot shrink from. Even with all that accepted—even with what trust has been earned—I expect doubt to overwhelm your reading as I confess my part in the tragedy that consumed this town. Lend your ear, for just a moment longer, and you’ll find I have saved lives—not taken them.
It was from within that my all too brief respite was broken. A gnawing sense of malaise, both of the body and mind, grew in such strength that it overwhelmed the peace I had rediscovered. Even with my acute perception and training, its source I could not immediately place. Only with the irritation and congestion did I finally come to the terrible realization—as a subtle wheeze began to creep into each breath I took. Surely, some who read this will think I am mistaken. That alternative explanations exist and what I read into the symptom was simply a delusion of paranoia. Were they privy to its breathing day and night? Do they have the rattled burned in their memory? No…this connection was not coincidental. As terrifying as it was to consider my own infection, worse yet were my thoughts when I began to consider the extent of its exposure beyond myself.
An awful, crushing weight had fallen on my shoulders. Undoubtably, many will say my response was criminal. You may feel the urge to join their ranks—to cry out damning the madman that destroyed your town. Yet, once you can see the whole story—see it from my eyes, you will find there was not a sliver of madness painting my actions. I had to make the ultimate sacrifice, and under this burden, I locked myself in my chamber for hours—perhaps days. No man—inside which self-preservation is natural instinct—could ever take my course without bone grating internal conflict. Only with the confidence uniquely obtained by suffering through meticulous consideration, did I finally move back into waking life.
Intervention was the only course to prevent an even bleaker fate, and I set upon it with scientific efficiency. I hired local stage drivers to help me enter into correspondence with all who had moved on from my manor out of town, then I drew up a route to hand deliver, from my personal stagecoach, an invitation to all who remained locally. While on that journey, I employed several former assistants. I made sure those I used were in the early stages—if sick at all. They were sent to secure accommodation for a feast while I secured its occupants.
It was the wait to complete this second task that created a wave of anxiousness in me. It rose to such an extent that it threatened to crack the stoic veneer I had learned to maintain from professional experience. Stress ate at me as much or more than sickness, as I awaited confirmation of attendance from those I invited and hoped I could continue to be convincing in my communications with them. It was imperative my net reach as far as possible, and despite the creeping doubt in the pit of my stomach, I soon learned my efforts were not in vain.
At last, the night came. My fears were unfounded, as the vast majority of those I invited were in attendance. The spread could still be contained. Surely, it will be suspected by doubters that I operated without discernment; that I went about my operation indiscriminately—WRONG! Every single invitee was admitted to the hall only after deliberate inspection—nobody’s eye is as sharply tuned to this affliction as I. Sadly, scarce few escaped the quarantine. Nearly all those invited were in the structure when I slipped out—having already addressed the crowd with a few perfunctory remarks on the value of their work and set them forward to enjoy the banquet free of expense. So cleverly had I set the attendees at ease, that they hardly noticed my disappearance, remaining entirely absorbed in the event as I barred the exits.
Most died happy as a silent cleanser passed to them via cup and plate. The few stragglers that remained met a less tranquil end via the chemical ignition of the entire building. All met a fate better than what the untreated progression of their illness would have achieved. As I prepare to join them and put an end to this procedure, I leave this letter to remain as a testament that my judgement never faltered.

I understand that this question has been asked multiple times, and I assure you that I have thoroughly researched the matter. It has become evident to me that the longevity of your technology greatly depends on how well you maintain it. Personally, I am someone who has invested in care plans several times, yet fortunately, I have never had to utilize them for any of my products.
Considering the circumstances, I would like to inquire from long-time users of the iPhone 14 Pro whether they find AppleCare to be a worthwhile investment. Although the cost of $200 may appear high, I am genuinely interested in gathering different perspectives on this matter.

I'm available for free tarot readings with a holistic approach intended to provide you with a comfortable space and some helpful insights towards a resolution of your concerns. These readings would feature 3 to 6 cards for reasonably in-depth but also clear and concise examination of your query.
Your readings can be focused on your personal growth, goals and planning, creative brainstorming of ideas, academics and career, relationships, or analysis of any situation or problem for clarity and advice from the cards.
First, we'll talk about your question or topic for a bit and agree upon an appropriate way to read on it. Once agreed upon your reading, I'll add you to my queue and let you know when you might expect to receive your reading. Once I've done your reading, I'll provide a pic of the cards for you, along with my interpretation of them.
My interpretation would cover the reading card-by-card with a smooth flow, with at least a paragraph or two per card, applying it's meanings to your context and leading up to a conclusion. I would be available for discussion of any follow up questions that may arise.
Please understand that I do not provide fortune telling services. My methods are holistic, and involve analytical examinations of your queries to provide you with insights and practical advice on your approach to your intended outcome. As such, all readings on queries about the future are in terms of possibilities and not guarantees, and probable outcomes are projections that can always be altered by your own free will through your decisions and actions.
Please also understand that all my readings would be from your frame of reference only. This means that I will not take it on to attempt to read another person's mind, feelings, intentions etc. for you. All readings about another person and your relationship with them would need to be from your point of view and the overall circumstances only.
I invite and appreciate voluntary feedback for my readings, in terms of both what helps you the most and what could be done better, as well as ideas for refining the quality of my services and expanding the scope of my practice.
Please avoid questions pertaining to medical, legal or financial matters, as I am not professionally qualified to counsel you on those matters. I do not read for anyone under 18 years of age. I also reserve the right to decline a reading request at any time.
Please leave a comment on this post about your favourite book before you DM me in chat for the free reading. Please mention your question or topic in the chat DM along with your initials and I'll get to you as soon as possible.
Disclaimer: My readings and interpretations are intended to provide a perspective for creative discussion only. Please use your own common sense and evaluation at all times. The decisions you make or actions you take in your life are at your own discretion and free will. All readings are for entertainment purposes only. You understand and accept these things when you receive a reading from me.

I'm available for free tarot readings with a holistic approach that will provide you a comfortable space and some helpful insights towards a resolution of your concerns. These readings would feature reasonably in-depth but also clear and concise examinations of your queries with 3 to 6 cards each.
Your readings can be geared towards your personal growth, goals and planning, creative brainstorming of ideas, academics and career, relationships, or analysis of any particular situation or problem for clarity and guidance from tarot.
First, we'll talk about your question or topic for a bit and agree upon the best way to read on it. Once agreed upon your reading, I'll add you to my queue and give you an estimate of when you might expect to receive your reading. Once I've done your reading, I'll provide a pic of your spread, along with the interpretation.
My interpretation would cover the reading card-by-card with a smooth flow, with at least a paragraph or two per card, applying it's meanings to your context and leading up to a conclusion. I would be available for discussion of any follow up questions that may arise.
Please understand that I do not provide fortune telling services. My methods are holistic, and involve analytical examinations of your queries to provide you with insights and practical advice on your approach to your intended outcome. As such, all readings on queries about the future are in terms of possibilities and not guarantees, and probable outcomes are projections that can always be altered by your own free will through your decisions and actions.
Please also understand that all my readings would be from your frame of reference only. This means that I will not take it on to attempt to read another person's mind, feelings, intentions etc. for you. All readings about another person and your relationship with them would need to be from your point of view and the overall circumstances only.
I invite and appreciate voluntary feedback for my readings, in terms of both what helps you the most and what could be done better, as well as ideas for refining the quality of my services and expanding the scope of my practice.
Please avoid questions pertaining to medical, legal or financial matters, as I am not professionally qualified to counsel you on those matters. I do not read for anyone under 18 years of age. I also reserve the right to decline a reading request at any time.
To ensure that you have read this entire post, please comment your favourite food before you DM me in chat for the free reading.
Disclaimer: My readings and interpretations are intended to provide a perspective for creative discussion only. Please use your own common sense and evaluation at all times. The decisions you make or actions you take in your life are at your own discretion and free will. All readings are for entertainment purposes only. You understand and accept these things when you receive a reading from me.

People settle. I obviously can't say that about everyone, some people don't, and I like to believe that most people are doing the best that they can. But I think most people live life half-heartedly. Just going through the motions. Reading through the "script", saying their lines, until the curtain draws. It's no wonder that society is so miserable (ie: depression, anxiety, alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide, mass murder, etc.)
The thing is, at the end of the day, to live this way is a choice. It's true that the information is scarce, nobody is taught to respect life from a young age. School doesn't teach it. Parents don't teach it because they don't know it. Society doesn't teach it. The mental health field doesn't teach it. Religion most certainly doesn't teach it. It's almost entirely absent from all domains: secular and religious, public and private. That means a young human being must go in search of it.
I suppose, in part, that's healthy. If there were no search involved, it wouldn't be authentic. Every single one of us must make peace with life on our own, there's no getting around it, unless you decide not to make peace with it at all (and die by suicide, whether the overt one or the more common slow 'rot til you die' approach). On the other hand, though, it's reflective of the fact that our society is so fearful. This is why I cannot take the whole mental health / therapy / psychology field seriously: none of them talk about the simple fact that we are all facing an existential crisis - a crisis about what it means to be alive. The problem is not mental, it's spiritual, and it's about our views on life and how we relate to the world. The society would rather live in ignorance and pretend these questions don't exist rather than confront them. Because to confront them can be very terrifying. The truth about life is not comfortable.
In short, the information is scarce. But even so, it is still a choice to to live this way at the end of the day. There's the old proverb (I have no idea from where) that says "when the student is ready, the master appears". That's because, at the end of the day the biggest block isn't the scarcity of the information, it's our own resistance to the truth. Once you are ready to open your eyes, surely you'll start finding things that resonate. And that's the thing: the external information only serves as confirmation for what you already knew to be true inside of you. I think we all know these deeper truths on some level, that's why people will go to war and kill and die for their beliefs - it's the ultimate form of "compensating" for something, something which they know to be false.
It's odd to me, because there seems to be a sort of war on truth. The new New Age belief seems to be that there is no objective truth at all, which makes no sense, because in that case they wouldn't even be able to make case for that point. We all know deep down that some things are more true than others. I'm a fan of humility, and I'm fine with admitting that "all I know is I know nothing". But that doesn't mean I'm going to eat my cereal with poison instead of milk tomorrow morning.
It's no wonder, then, that "rationalists" or whatever you want to call them hate the whole New Age think. I don't consider myself New Age. I don't consider myself anything, really, but I understand that there's some overlap with what I talk about and spirituality. I'm OK with that. What "rationalists" miss, however, is the mystery of the whole thing. It cannot be entirely understood (even if I know enough to know I would rather eat my cereal with milk - I still cannot explain to you why I like my favorite cereal).
People settle.
The truth is, as far as I have been able to see, that your life is up to you. Certainly some people have it worse than others, and I'm not disputing that. It's not my business to go to some starving kid in a third world country and say "Hey bud your life is up to you". That's ridiculous. On the other hand, however, any of us who are fortunate enough to be on a website like this most likely have the tools to be able to do something cool with their life. And I always cite the example of Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychologist who was imprisoned in a Nazi labor camp. He said that he was free to choose his attitude despite that horrific situation, and if he can do it in those circumstances, I'm not sure that any of us have an excuse, either. (Not to say he was jumping for joy in a concentration camp, but he did choose to hold out hope, and he survived. I was criticized for talking about this once on Facebook - I soon learned this was not the best platform for my writing.)
If you've read any of my stuff, you know I like to mix more broader-based truths, as I see them, with more personal details. I think it helps illustrate my points, and I also like talking about it. It's part of my whole "enjoyment of life" thing.
I recently wrote a post about how "the material is good", speaking about my music but also my message. Today's post will be similar. Yesterday I got together with my band to talk about our new repertoire going forward. I write the vast majority of music though I do appreciate the contributions they make and also don't consider them replaceable. Anyway, we met at my house and I showed them 10-12 songs that I like for our band going forward: some quite old (10-15 years), some intermediate (3-5 years), and some recent (from 1 week to 1 year ago). They liked 9 of them and the other 3 were a maybe.
Like I said, I've had some of these songs for 10-15 years. Some of them I've had the privilege of playing live, but only a couple of times, but the vast majority no. I remember when I was 22 years old it was my dream to make a living with this music... I really feel like I had a message there. One year later, in AA, I would share in a meeting and flagellate myself by saying that "me and my best bud had a message, what it was, I don't know" - and everybody laughed (this was one thing that drove me away from AA, despite me remaining sober for 9.5 years as of writing: the self-condemnation). But that was wrong. I, we (my best friend and I) did have a message. I just didn't know exactly what it was.
Now I know, as much as I can put it into words, I suppose. Life sucked for me. Yeah, I was materially well-off, just like Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. But like them, particularly like Dylan, I found no joy in life. No meaning. I did not feel accepted. Girls did not seem to like me. I can relate deeply to Dylan in that sense. My life sucked - money was not enough for me. But rock and roll, man, that made me feel alive. I could share my emotions, I could play and sing and dance, I could get my aggression out, and hey... girls took notice of me. I had never seen girls pay attention to me like after they did when I got up on stage. It was wild.
I would never say I did it or do it only for girls. I had one guy tell me that one time, and hey, at least he was honest. But that wasn't my case. Still, it was a nice side benefit. I think they were attracted to the same thing I was: that feeling of being alive.
Me and my best bud used to say "rock is life", half-jokingly, but actually in a serious sense, too. I think I coined this term, but I can't be sure, and in fairness we discovered what rock and roll meant together. He was the Eric to my Dylan. Luckily we didn't blow anybody's brains out. Anyway, if I recall correctly, it was because I wanted that feeling of rock, being up on stage, to apply to my entire life. Not just being on stage. All of my life was my stage. Thus, "rock is life". And I very distinctly remember part of it being unapologetic.
Just a quick note, for those who don't know me, that I don't glorify Harris and Klebold. The only reason I'm talking about them at all is because I've recently been doing a dive into the Columbine shooting because I'm fascinated by what could drive two kids to do something that horrific. The most interesting part, to me, is that Dylan and Eric weren't all that different from me and my friends. In fact, I think they actually had some valid grievances about life and about society (though not valid enough to justify what they did). I believe what I am doing is rooted in something similar to what they felt, but my conclusion about the course of action is the exact opposite: not the destruction of life, but rather, the celebration. In all of its facets - including the ugly.
In AA they called it "living life on life's terms". That's what I learned to do. At 22 years old, in the midst of my rock and roll dream, I had to get sober. I hit a guy on a bike in a drunk driving "accident" that was obviously my fault. Thank God he was okay, and I didn't run or anything, I made sure he was OK and I got arrested after confessing. Soon after I got sober, and I've been sober ever since. I'm very grateful to that - but I had to give up on my rock and roll dream.
Or that's what I thought, at least. I had no idea that 10 years later I'd be given the opportunity to play these songs again, for audiences that enjoy and appreciate my music. And why? Why me? Firstly, it's a gift. A gift from "God", if you will, or from life (I don't actually believe in a deity). I'm good at making music. It comes naturally to me. Where I come into is that I never gave up on myself or my music. Well, I sort of did at the beginning of sobriety, but even that was a great example of not giving up on myself. Deep down I think I knew that more important than the songs was the message behind them - I mean, in the way I choose to live my life. So while I was perhaps wrong to think that my music was not important, I never gave up on myself, and eventually that lead me to rediscovering my music a few years later. And here we are now.
I've fought for it. Getting into a band was sort of by chance, but configuring things in such a way that made sense has been a fight. We had a drummer who didn't like to play original music, only covers. We argued, and eventually he made the decision to leave without getting sacked. I told him I understood and we parted with a hug, no hard feelings. We had a bass player, a great guy and still my friend, who is a true musician and gets paid to play in cover bands and stuff. He always viewed our project as secondary. We had to cut him, too. And then there was a keyboardist who didn't fit our groove. We cut him, too.
In a way, it was all my brainchild. The rhythm guitarist is perhaps my best friend here overseas (by the way, 1 year into sobriety I moved overseas to help find myself). I told him to pick up a bass. The new drummer was on the same page as he and I in terms of the music we wanted to make. I proposed we do a power trio. And that's what we did. And people here are loving it.
If you look at the accomplishments themselves, they're not actually that impressive. Just a few local shows and one small show outside of town. But there's something about the reception we're getting. It's not only positive, like, "hey, I liked your band". People genuinely seem to be enjoying our music and giving praise that goes beyond what is expected in order to be nice / friendly. It's an amazing feeling, and confirmation of what I think I knew to be true 10 years ago: my music is good, and life is worth it. I think the fact that I've continued fighting for 10 years just makes the message even stronger - I never gave up, even through the bad times.
All of this is to say that I never imagined I would be here today. Maybe this sounds like an Oscar award speech or something, which is ridiculous given the "minimal" achievements my band and I have had. But to me they're not minimal. Again, it's not necessarily about the material success, but rather the spiritual success of knowing that I took a stand somewhere and contributed something valuable to the world. And had a lot of fun along the way, too. That's worth more than gold (and who doesn't love gold?)
I couldn't write a whole post about my life without mentioning the girl I like right now. Man, I'm very attracted to her, and I "love" her, whatever that means. Maybe it's ridiculous since I hardly know her, but I think about her a lot, and I'd like to get to know her more. If you're reading this, no, it's not the girl I met on Reddit, though I am fond of that girl, too, and wouldn't mind hearing from her again. But yeah, the girl in real life is great.
It's weird. As much as I'd like to get her in bed or whatever (it'd be fun), it's almost like I just want to be discovered or something. I feel there's a lot going on with me, and I'm eager to share it with the world. I think it's valuable. Of course, she is dealing with her own issues, so it's best to go slow. I'm OK with being patient, she's worth it. (I wouldn't mind getting to know her, either.)
I think what I never understood with love was that it's just a plus, not the main event. People say this all the time, but it's difficult to digest when you're lonely. It's true though. You have to make your own life the main event. IMO that doesn't mean "create a great social life, go to clubs, go to the gym" and all these other material milestones that people create. Nah. For me, it's a more spiritual question. What do you want your life to be about? Figure that out then embark on the journey. Love is a wonderful stop on that journey. No movie or story would be complete without it, right? Well, life wouldn't be, either.
Anyway, all of this is to say that life is worth it. It's a lot of bullshit sometimes. The day-to-day can be grueling, even if you're lucky like me and have a job that you somewhat enjoy. And then you've got to clean the house, pay taxes, deal with people's dysfunction (including your own)... it's hard! But it's like I said earlier, life is what you make of it. That's my whole message. It's really extremely simple. Simple, but not easy, I guess. But I guess I just decided that I was going to give it a try (more than once, actually), and I'm really, really glad I did.

Hi, It’ll be a long post, sorry for that. Everything is related to my family background so I’ll start from there only. I have my ancestral and only home in a village near Lucknow. My father used to do farming and only agriculture was the source of income for my family. When I was in class 5, despite having low income somehow my father managed to send me and my younger sister to Lucknow for studies. We both were doing good there. When I was in class 9th then due to some family issues my father had to leave farming, our only source of income. We didn’t have any source of income left so our studies were affected and we were moved from Lucknow to a cheaper school in a smaller city. Still, I worked on my studies and cleared intermediate with good marks. Meanwhile, my father wasn't able to generate any income source. After the 12th I wanted to prepare for JEE, and for that, my father borrowed money from some relatives. I failed in JEE and wasn't able to get any good college. I chose B.sc. in a top-tier university, instead of Btech from any private college as it was cheaper. Then I kept preparing for my master's at IIT and fortunately, I made it to one of the top-ranked IITs. Last year I completed my master's and got a decent placement also. Meanwhile, my father is still unemployed with no income sources but I am earning well. I am the only breadwinner for my family. We have also accumulated some loans overtime. I have to bear the expenses of studies of my sister too. Also, we don't have any savings. And in the next 5-6 years when my sister will get married, we'll need a huge chunk of money for that too. These all are the major responsibilities that I have. I am pretty much confident that I'll be able to handle everything in a few years but right now it's tough. Now coming to the relationship part, I am single and never have been in any relationship. My situation never allowed it. Also, I want something serious in a relationship. The first question is will any girl want to be with me after knowing what mess I'm going through? Second question- Is it the right time for me to get into a relationship? I already think I have missed a lot in my life due to some bad circumstances. So I don't want to miss what people do in their early twenties. I don't want to miss having a good relationship. But again these two questions come in between. I haven't even shared all this with my friends ever because I don't want to get any type of sympathy or something like that from them. Sharing this here only because no one knows me here. Please help me by giving me some guidance, I really need it. Thank you!

Hi all,
We are fortunate to share our lives with a distinctive 14-year-old feline, who we believe to be a Turkish Angora / Van mix, though his exact breed is uncertain as he was rescued from Cyprus only a few weeks old. Since his adoption, he's been a strictly indoor cat.
He has always been a cat of particular habits: he doesn't handle solitude well, yet equally dislikes being cuddled or touched. His schedule predominantly consists of sleeping, accounting for approximately 20-24 hours of his day. Additionally, he exhibits a significant degree of shyness when faced with unfamiliar individuals, mostly running away when new visitors come to our home. It usually also takes very long for him to get used to a person. Also, as our beloved cat grows older, he seems to become more affectionate and enjoys cuddling more (especially in the mornings).
Recently, we underwent a significant change by moving countries. Despite the considerable shift in environment, he adapted to his new residence, requiring roughly a week to become fully acclimated.
One major concern arising from our relocation is the absence of a reliable pet sitter. For the past 12 years, we've had the privilege of employing a trusted individual who had effectively become a part of our family and she always took care of him when we went on holiday. Unfortunately, in our new country, we have yet to find a suitable replacement.
Given this circumstance, we are considering the feasibility of including him in our travel plans, particularly for extended trips such as our visits to our holiday home, which can span a few weeks.
We are eager to receive your thoughts on this matter. Could this be a viable solution, or might it potentially induce undue stress and negatively impact his mental wellbeing?
I just wonder what is worse for him: travelling with us or being without us?
Thanks for your help!

Hi all,
We are fortunate to share our lives with a distinctive 14-year-old feline, who we believe to be a Turkish Angora / Van mix, though his exact breed is uncertain as he was rescued from Cyprus only a few weeks old. Since his adoption, he's been a strictly indoor cat.
He has always been a cat of particular habits: he doesn't handle solitude well, yet equally dislikes being cuddled or touched. His schedule predominantly consists of sleeping, accounting for approximately 20-24 hours of his day. Additionally, he exhibits a significant degree of shyness when faced with unfamiliar individuals, mostly running away when new visitors come to our home. It usually also takes very long for him to get used to a person. Also, as our beloved cat grows older, he seems to become more affectionate and enjoys cuddling more (especially in the mornings).
Recently, we underwent a significant change by moving countries. Despite the considerable shift in environment, he adapted to his new residence, requiring roughly a week to become fully acclimated.
One major concern arising from our relocation is the absence of a reliable pet sitter. For the past 12 years, we've had the privilege of employing a trusted individual who had effectively become a part of our family and she always took care of him when we went on holiday. Unfortunately, in our new country, we have yet to find a suitable replacement.
Given this circumstance, we are considering the feasibility of including him in our travel plans, particularly for extended trips such as our visits to our holiday home, which can span a few weeks.
We are eager to receive your thoughts on this matter. Could this be a viable solution, or might it potentially induce undue stress and negatively impact his mental wellbeing?
I just wonder what is worse for him: travelling with us or being without us?
Thanks for your help!

Hello, these are some words from one of my friends, they are translated from Romanian to english So it will be a Little bit confusing to read it at times but if you understand the core idea i want to write me down Below what its your opinion about her situation:) thank you and have a good day!
,,Let me tell you that you know about this boy I told you about He was definitely the last one to enter the high school for mate info, so we were classmates for another four years, which were very gentle in the sense that we didn't bother each other with anything /))) but in the 12th year in the last year I had a dream with him :)) and after that I changed so much towards him in the sense that, I think I had feelings for him, or at least I didn't want to admit it :)) I still had this urge to go to him and Say do you want us to be togheter:)))) and that's exactly what I did until he refused me :)) fortunately, yes, it was a very strange period, honestly, in which I looked at him differently but at the same time I still wanted something else (from ego).
And that's not all, I'm saying that I'm going to end up with him because once at info class you know that there are computers there, he was sitting in my vicinity /))) and i dunno what quotes was I looking for when I found one "two souls can be separated but life through the right circumstances will bring them together And he also has the moon in Pisces ,the last sign that can be compatible with a virgo Moon,but the last,he Could be as well an Aries Moon which is right Away after Pisces :))))and when I looked at time passage, an application for astrologers) to see what compatibility I have with him, it shows the maximum in all areas/))),,

before I begin I would like to state that I’m looking for advice and help. I’m not too sure how/what I’m exactly doing or expecting. I 16 and my at home life has been bumpy recently. one of my parents is a SAH parent as the other recently lost their job (they got a job now after 9 months of unemployment however it’s a low paying job). We have been very fortunate to have help from everyone around us, and haven’t delt with any hardship money issues. recently our rent got raised, and keep in mind the current working parent isn’t making enough to support all the bills, incomes, and expenses of everything. I fortunately am a varsity cheerleader, and joined the team last year before any job issues within the household or any financial struggles. I’m not a greedy teenager, and usually only use money when it’s birthday money or holiday money. I also do not ask my parents for much in money terms. I do not have my license and won’t for a few months, so gas for me isn’t an issue as we have help with things such as. however, this year cheer is going up for money wise. recently an email got sent out for cheer finances for this coming school year, we have stunting classes 3-4 weekly and it’s $25 per week. this may not seem like a lot to many, however, these classes will go on until December, being about 27 weeks and $500 for just stunting classes, on top of the uniform, camp, and other activities- rounding up to about 2,000 I want to say. I know that we are in a financially touch situation, and that cheer isn’t a top priority. we have to pay the stunting classes weekly however, and the rest of the cheer bill comes out at the end of the season (march/April). yet again I would like to state I’m not a greedy teenager, and I know money is a huge issue right now for us in our current circumstances. I also know that 25 weekly for 27 weeks is a lot, and it isn’t solvable with only 1 source of income in the household. my parents do other systems go get income, but it’s not consistent. and my other parent is having difficulty finding a job as they’re the SAH and have the responsibility of taking me and my siblings to school and home (at least until I get my license and can take us home). I feel like I might be sharing too much personal information out into the internet, but I just need advice. there’s a really cute little place a few blocks from where we live (I will not disclose what it’s called for safety purposes) but it’s somewhat of a coffee shop, my friend started working there a few weeks back. needless to say, having a friend working there would make me feel even more comfortable. I have no idea how to set up an interview or ask about applying however, and need genuine advice on how to do so. I’ve tried applying for babysitting jobs on facebook, I’ve tried multiple things, my schedule was super busy during school due to cheer involvement as well, so since it’s summer I feel I’ll have an easier route to a job. I have no background experiences, and don’t even know where to begin. needless to say, I know we’re in a hardship, and finding a job for myself doesn’t sound to bad anyways considering it’s summer. any advice on where to begin or what to do? thank you!

before I begin I would like to state that I’m looking for advice and help. I’m not too sure how/what I’m exactly doing or expecting. I 16 and my at home life has been bumpy recently. one of my parents is a SAH parent as the other recently lost their job (they got a job now after 9 months of unemployment however it’s a low paying job). We have been very fortunate to have help from everyone around us, and haven’t delt with any hardship money issues. recently our rent got raised, and keep in mind the current working parent isn’t making enough to support all the bills, incomes, and expenses of everything. I fortunately am a varsity cheerleader, and joined the team last year before any job issues within the household or any financial struggles. I’m not a greedy teenager, and usually only use money when it’s birthday money or holiday money. I also do not ask my parents for much in money terms. I do not have my license and won’t for a few months, so gas for me isn’t an issue as we have help with things such as. however, this year cheer is going up for money wise. recently an email got sent out for cheer finances for this coming school year, we have stunting classes 3-4 weekly and it’s $25 per week. this may not seem like a lot to many, however, these classes will go on until December, being about 27 weeks and $500 for just stunting classes, on top of the uniform, camp, and other activities- rounding up to about 2,000 I want to say. I know that we are in a financially touch situation, and that cheer isn’t a top priority. we have to pay the stunting classes weekly however, and the rest of the cheer bill comes out at the end of the season (march/April). yet again I would like to state I’m not a greedy teenager, and I know money is a huge issue right now for us in our current circumstances. I also know that 25 weekly for 27 weeks is a lot, and it isn’t solvable with only 1 source of income in the household. my parents do other systems go get income, but it’s not consistent. and my other parent is having difficulty finding a job as they’re the SAH and have the responsibility of taking me and my siblings to school and home (at least until I get my license and can take us home). I feel like I might be sharing too much personal information out into the internet, but I just need advice. there’s a really cute little place a few blocks from where we live (I will not disclose what it’s called for safety purposes) but it’s somewhat of a coffee shop, my friend started working there a few weeks back. needless to say, having a friend working there would make me feel even more comfortable. I have no idea how to set up an interview or ask about applying however, and need genuine advice on how to do so. I’ve tried applying for babysitting jobs on facebook, I’ve tried multiple things, my schedule was super busy during school due to cheer involvement as well, so since it’s summer I feel I’ll have an easier route to a job. I have no background experiences, and don’t even know where to begin. needless to say, I know we’re in a hardship, and finding a job for myself doesn’t sound to bad anyways considering it’s summer. any advice on where to begin or what to do? thank you!

While it's clear that he came from humble beginnings and achieved immense wealth, I'm curious about the specific details of his journey. How exactly did Logan Roy become so rich? In real life, we often hear inspiring stories of individuals who rose from poverty to become billionaires, such as Oprah Winfrey, Howard Schultz, and Ralph Lauren. However, Logan's backstory in the show remains somewhat mysterious to me. His wiki says " Logan was born into humble circumstances in Dundee, Scotland, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War on October 14, 1938. He grew up in poverty with his older brother."
I understand that he is portrayed as a self-made man, but I'm curious to know more about the specific steps he took to amass his fortune. Was there ever an explanation provided in the show regarding Logan Roy's path to wealth? Did he accumulate a substantial amount of money through Wall Street investments before starting his own company? Are there any hints or clues throughout the series that shed light on his rise to success? Could his initial wealth have come from other ventures or sources before establishing his media empire?

I thought it would be beneficial that I give some insight to those battling ADVANCED PROSTATE CANCER so they may be proactive. My husband turned to PLUVICTO as a last resort and was extremely positive about the possibilities. Below I am sharing his six-month fight with PLUVICTO and experience that I addressed with an email to his doctors after he passed.

It is with a heavy heart that I reach out to all the doctors and health care professionals that treated my husband these past years and notify that he passed away on Saturday, April 15th. Furthermore, I believe it is my obligation to stress the importance of continuous scans, and aggressive follow-ups for patients receiving PLUVICTO. On 10/31/2022 my husband began treatment and immediately his side effect was diarrhea, which is common for many cancer treatments, nevertheless for this type of radiation. However, everyone was hopeful that with time this side effect would stabilize, and days became weeks and weeks became months even while taking prescription meds. After four months of persistent diarrhea, we discovered my husband had C.Diff.

For this reason, patients with detrimental side effects should immediately be tested and if it is related to the GI tract there should be a quicker avenue for immediate referrals and appointments. Keep in mind that doctors refer you to a GI specialist and an appointment may take weeks or even months. In our case, after reaching out to four GI doctors from Baptist which had no availability for months, even when explaining the circumstances, I called Dr. Cristian Andrade who is my GI, and my husband was scheduled as an emergency. In addition, his stool results (C.Diff) took at least two weeks due to an internal issue with the lab.

After three sessions of Pluvicto, due to my husband’s significant weight loss (65 pounds), deterioration and progression of the disease concluded by a scan done at Mount Sinai Hospital on 3/10/22 we agreed to stop treatment. As a result of months of radiation proctitis and C.Diff which caused extensive diarrhea and lack of nutrition because of the discomfort as well as extreme fatigue; it led to Necrotizing Fasciitis that developed in his colon and rectal area. We learned about this bacterium by a CT scan on April 8th when we went to the ER which brought upon an emergent debridement of the area that extended to his bowels. The resulting wound of my husband was so large and deep that the pain from performing wound care every twelve hours sounded inhumane, it was like he was being tortured or burned alive. In fact, he had to be kept in the ICU so they could administer Fentanyl & Versed for wound care and even then, he was still in agonizing pain. Eventually, my husband decided on comfort measures because he would require surgical intervention for placement of a colostomy for the wound to properly heal, which he could not handle.

I consider that each day brings a new teachable moment, and I wanted everyone to learn of my husband’s journey these past six months. I know that the end result would have been the same due to his advanced prostate cancer, but what my husband endured was brutal in 2023. A million thanks to all those that brought him a smile and optimism because you gave him hope. We never thought he would almost make it to four years due to statistics. I consider that my husband was blessed and received the best possible care through the years. He always thought of those worst off and younger battling cancers. Therefore, I created a GOFUNDME in his honor to help others less fortunate. All proceeds will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation, Zero Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute. https://www.gofundme.com/f/jose-enrique-hidalgo-ramos

I need your criticism and suggestion, so I can improve. Thank you. I cannot wait for your criticism and suggestions, so I can Improve.
Title: The Third Eye Vision Author: Das, Krishna Chandra
Section 1 done on may 19 of 2023
Section 1 of Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
Section 1 of Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
(Beginning of Page 1)
(Character monologue)
Credits. Credits. Credits. The almighty and powerful Credits... The all-powerful Universal Credits: for a share of which we are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. With unwavering dedication, I assume a tranquil meditation pose, directing my thoughts towards the inner realms, where my focused mind connects with the ethereal vision of my third eye. Through this heightened state of awareness, I have clandestinely observed and meticulously absorbed the whispered conversations and subtle nuances of numerous gatherings on various occasions within this mothership.
Some humanoids had invested their life savings in renting a ship to join a fleet and gain access to strategic extraction sites. Those less fortunate purchased a share of a ship with ten other crewmates, agreeing to receive a percentage of the profits. Speaking of shares, the mothership claimed a 40 percent cut from each fleet, providing flawless protection, efficient travel time, and unlimited food from its internally built vivarium. All in exchange for a share of the Universal Credits, the currency that governs our worlds.
I could write endless pages defining the term universal-credits. However, there was a time when I despised such material attachments. I was content in my dim and dreary cave. Over time, though, desperation grew from poverty, intimidation, and sorrow. Perhaps now, materialism has seeped into my/our minds, intertwining with our breath and life force. Given the current risky conditions of deep space, we are willing to risk our lives for a taste of the almighty Universal Credits.
As I delve deeper into thought experiments of risks and rewards, my mind becomes flooded with unwanted negative thoughts. Horrific news and rumors dominate my consciousness. Amongst many, one piece of news is particularly disturbing and recent. Despite deep meditations, I cannot pinpoint the source of this dark presence even with my third eye. Perhaps it is a synthetic species or an unknown race echoing the sirens of death, destruction, and doom. These rumors always make me sick. Recently, there has been an abundance of them. On the day of our great embarkment, a tip circulated claiming that an unknown source emitted a red flare, simultaneously annihilating five motherships with one single slash. Allegedly, this powerful flare not only disintegrates objects it touches but reduces them to nothingness by a rapid continual process of subatomic level evaporation.
The Vidyadhaaras, the fortunate ones, have been sanctioned by all other humanoids. In return, they have responded with an iron curtain, promising annihilation or enslavement to any species that ventures into their space. I am no expert on ethics, but one thing is certain: the Vidyadhaaras race are exceptionally fortunate. Some possess an extra third hand and naturally gemstones studded body at birth, and most are born with unlimited credit encoded in their DNA, in the form of a wish-fulfilling stone.
The dark blue-skinned manus of Shha-taM.Bha-gyaṃ display cunning charisma in these high-risk, high-reward expeditions. Yesterday, one boisterous, sapphire-backed individual, fueled by intoxicating beverages, rambled on about the statistical probabilities. In his mind, there was a red line in the depths of space, where the chances of falling into flare of nothingness stood at 60 percent. Yet, he believed the rewards outweighed the risks.
Section 2: Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
MAY 25, 2023
(Beginning of Section 2)
The perplexed humanoid novices were both pitiful and at times detestable. I often paid little attention to their groups, always distancing myself from them, I even practiced precise isolation from stepping into the very shadows they cast, as they aimlessly scurried around the mothership, displaying a blatant state of confusion. Despite the well-lit corridors, hallways, and communal areas, they seemed utterly clueless about their next destination. With their invisible novice insignia proudly worn, they unwittingly attracted one another, creating an amusing spectacle of automated alliances, like molecular compounds.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of these individuals would never have the opportunity to find out the hidden areas and witness the marvels of the state-of-the-art artificial biomes, a place perfectly suited to shield one's gaze from their juvenile countenances. Sadly, for most of them, a grim fate awaited. I can’t protect everyone; I can’t protect each individual. It is a sad fact.
(End of character's monologue)
The dark-skinned Rudra eventually ended his inner monologue in mumbling with a long sigh. At last, he slowly opened his eyes to transition respectfully from sacred meditation to reality, moving cautiously from his meditative state to reality state. In fact, it was a sign of respect to his meditation, his life long practice. By employing simple breathing techniques, which included deep inhalation, holding the breath until reaching an uncomfortable limit, and exhaling deeply. Therefore, he repeatedly practiced the same sequence that awakened his mastery of meditation, from his very young age.
The Rudra then drank from his golden water flask, only after clearing his throat by gurgling five times once, in his customary manner. Then, he uttered the syllable 'svaa-dhaa' and dropped a portion of water on the ground as a mark of respect to his forefathers. He often mumbled similarly, whenever he entered a partial meditative state during eavesdropping; and other universal exploration through his ethereal visions, with the aid of his third eye. When he remained silent during meditation, it simply meant he was deeply immersed in self-exploration during his profound meditative state. In between deep and partial meditation, he only uttered varied two sacred syllables that held deep meaning in his culture, the Rudrakind culture.
The dark-skinned Rudra was dressed in a loincloth, decided to plunge into the artificial lake of the artificial lust rainforest biome. The rainforest biome extended enough to create horizon between artificial lights and ceiling. The intense hot and humid climate was perfectly soothing for his race. The Rudra felt rejuvenated to maximum. It was covered with towering trees, lush vegetation, and a rich diversity of plant and animal species. It receives ample rainfall, creating a humid and moist environment that supports the growth of limited species. Within this captivating biome, the intricate web of life thrives in a symphony of colors, sounds, and interconnected relationships. Furthermore, it was the source of vivarium, which caused abundance of food for the mass mothership dwellers.
The Rudra submerged his body in the crystal-clear water while observing the gathering of Quaziriths in the distance, near the lush formation of natural juice producing flowers and plants. As he massaged his muscular body, he displayed a wide and medium physique, attractive and handsome, with dreadlocked hair on the reflection of clear water. Occasionally, he touched his forehead and adjusted his red hairband to cool off his forehead. Although he detested wearing the headband, it was for his own security, to conceal his racial identity. He continued to observe the gathering of two-legged birds called the Quaziriths, which had beautiful golden feathers and were devoid of eyes. They surveyed their surroundings with the aid of their flapping wings through their ethereal and sonar perceptions. Furthermore, their flapping wings creating an eye-pleasing luminescent display even more gracefully in sunlight. With their long tongues, they sucked nectar from flowers and juices flowing from fallen fruits scattered on the ground, it was their daily routine. At one point, some of them began to quarrel, which made the Rudra chuckle with a strong negative sigh.
The quarrels of Quaziriths reminded him of his own Rudrakind, evoking a sense of envy toward the Quaziriths, that led to another deep, humming sigh withdrawn from him. In contrast, here Quaziriths were welcomed with open arms, yet his Rudrakind were not. He did not belong here legally.
As Rudra, 37 years old, expert at pondering, delved deep into his mind, he remembered his home planet name Ugra-loka, which was breathtaking from sunset until dawn. During the scorching afternoons, they sought shelter in their caves as the intense heat and contrast made them angry and uncontrollable in environments outside of caves. The Rudrakind were naturally born with a blissful and destructive "third eye" and practiced asceticism throughout their lives. They were content with small portions of food, as they practiced always controlling their senses. The mastery of the third demanded outmost priority. The children who did not obey such rules were outcasted in extremely remote places. In the event that they may cause extreme destructions. The fact is, only fraction of their children opened their third eye, prematurely before the age of sixteen.
The Rudrakind resided in cool caves that provided access to crystal-clear water, pouring out from complex inner spring systems. During the intense heat of the season, they ventured into more intricate underground cave levels, which even extended twenty levels downward, it had been built by their ancestors throughout many generations. Beyond the twenty level, there were only impenetrable rocks.
The Rudrakind practiced agriculture in open fields and sunbeam caves, where perfect sunlight seeped through cracks, creating a beautiful environment. The sunbeam caves where they also kept their pure red glowing cattle. The Rudras were non carnivorous. Therefore, they did not eat their cattle. In defiance some new generation of clans practiced carnivorism due to scarcity of foods, which justified their actions. The pure followers could go on for days with just drinking water.
The sunbeam caves held the utmost sanctity for the Rudrakind as they represented extraordinary and otherworldly environments. According to ancient beliefs, the sunbeam caves were shaped by the divine gaze of their almighty creator. The open sky within these caves symbolized the escape of sacred smoke from lit altars. Childrens and females drew sacred two-word syllables around the contour of sunbeam with chalks on the ground. At these altars, they would offer portions of their edible resources or sometimes non-edible valuable possessions as a tribute to their almighty creator and forefathers. Surprisingly, they could not recall the name of their creator, nor did they possess the knowledge of the sacred collections of their cherished short syllables, all of which were communicated in pairs of two syllables. Certain ancient declarations asserted with certainty that the combination of these unknown short syllables constituted the names of their long-forgotten god.
Over time, as indifference grew among the hierarchies within the Rudrakind, divisions between clans, and the destructive acts of superpowers flaunting their superiority, the values of their ancient culture were eroded, leading to mass extinctions of their race. Even today, some Rudras continue to engage in internal conflicts, driven by a lingering thirst for vengeance fueled by an unforgivable past. Therefore, it was too easy to forgive the past and shake hands through diplomacy. Consequently, it is disturbing to witness recently how few resorted to primitive weapons such as stones and pickaxes, equipped with handles made of strong superdense alloy, forged from the heat of their very third eye’s beam with great precision. However, they refrained from employing their beam of dissolution to crisp one another. The use of such power against their own kind was considered a highly demeaning act, resulting in complete disownment by all Rudrakind clans.
Amidst these ongoing events in Ugraloka, the Rudra in ritualistic bathing process, noticed a male and female Quazirith gracefully separating themselves from the flock, away from the quarrel. The male possessed a vibrant green emerald beak, while the female exhibited a naturally formed rose quartz stone. The pirates, often driven by their insatiable desires, extracted these rose quartz stones and sold them at exorbitant prices on the shadow market, only after indulging in the savoring consumption of Quazirith meat. However, none dared to abduct female Rudras, who possessed the power to reduce their enemies to ashes with their fiery abilities.
The Rudra continued with his ritualistic bathing process, all the while observing the Quazirith couple. Memories of his fiancée, Astrondra, flooded his mind, and he whispered her name, his voice choked with longing and accompanied by frequent pauses. Astrondra possessed remarkable control over her soft voice, complemented by a well-developed physique and an array of facial and hand expressions, her true complexion reminiscent of a chocolate cherry cat's eye. The Rudra yearned to protect her and whisk her away from the planet Ugraloka, despite the circumstances that labeled him, his Rudrakind, and the Vidyadhaaras as dangerous; they were ordered to remain within their own respective system. In fact, their mere presence instilled fear in other humanoid species, leaving none feeling secure.
In contrast, the Vidyadhaaras enjoyed access to numerous habitable planets teeming with taiga and rainforest biomes. Moreover, aided by infinite reserves of Quantumite, they effortlessly traversed their system with remarkable ease. Not to mention their wish-fulfilling stones, inherent to their very being. In fact, these stones granted them the power to manipulate any physical environment, traverse realms, and create inorganic objects at will—without even requiring Quantumite. However, they chose to refrain from extensively utilizing their all-powerful birthright stones, as such usage shortened their overall lifespan. However, this Vidyadhaaras being wouldn’t shelter his kind nor his beloved.
The most peaceful and beautiful beings with blue-posterior skin from the planet Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ stood as the only reliable refuge for the Rudrakind; only if any race could prove their F'aay-doma to their supreme leader, the Manukind will welcome them with open arms. He envisioned a prosperous future for his fiancée Astrondra in that mentioned planet and his yet to be born progeny, with the assistance of his humanoid friends possessing lapis lazuli posterior- who were known as the main founder of shadow market.
At the age of 37, this Rudra had traversed a remarkable journey, eventually finding his place aboard this mothership, his spaceship is one of the hundred vessels comprising the Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ fleet. His banner proudly displayed the perfectly aligned seven moons of Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ, further solidifying his influence. As he had proved his F'aay-doma to these humanoid inhabitants, none among the Manukind would ever dare to unveil his racial identity. He had become the captain of his own spaceship, which was a testament to his accomplishments and the acceptance he had gained through his F'aay-doma achievement.
(End of Section 2)
... to be continue...

I cannot wait for your criticism and suggestions, so I can Improve.
Title: The Third Eye Vision Author: Das, Krishna Chandra
Section 1 done on may 19 of 2023
Section 1 of Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
Section 1 of Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
(Beginning of Page 1)
(Character monologue)
Credits. Credits. Credits. The almighty and powerful Credits... The all-powerful Universal Credits: for a share of which we are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. With unwavering dedication, I assume a tranquil meditation pose, directing my thoughts towards the inner realms, where my focused mind connects with the ethereal vision of my third eye. Through this heightened state of awareness, I have clandestinely observed and meticulously absorbed the whispered conversations and subtle nuances of numerous gatherings on various occasions within this mothership.
Some humanoids had invested their life savings in renting a ship to join a fleet and gain access to strategic extraction sites. Those less fortunate purchased a share of a ship with ten other crewmates, agreeing to receive a percentage of the profits. Speaking of shares, the mothership claimed a 40 percent cut from each fleet, providing flawless protection, efficient travel time, and unlimited food from its internally built vivarium. All in exchange for a share of the Universal Credits, the currency that governs our worlds.
I could write endless pages defining the term universal-credits. However, there was a time when I despised such material attachments. I was content in my dim and dreary cave. Over time, though, desperation grew from poverty, intimidation, and sorrow. Perhaps now, materialism has seeped into my/our minds, intertwining with our breath and life force. Given the current risky conditions of deep space, we are willing to risk our lives for a taste of the almighty Universal Credits.
As I delve deeper into thought experiments of risks and rewards, my mind becomes flooded with unwanted negative thoughts. Horrific news and rumors dominate my consciousness. Amongst many, one piece of news is particularly disturbing and recent. Despite deep meditations, I cannot pinpoint the source of this dark presence even with my third eye. Perhaps it is a synthetic species or an unknown race echoing the sirens of death, destruction, and doom. These rumors always make me sick. Recently, there has been an abundance of them. On the day of our great embarkment, a tip circulated claiming that an unknown source emitted a red flare, simultaneously annihilating five motherships with one single slash. Allegedly, this powerful flare not only disintegrates objects it touches but reduces them to nothingness by a rapid continual process of subatomic level evaporation.
The Vidyadhaaras, the fortunate ones, have been sanctioned by all other humanoids. In return, they have responded with an iron curtain, promising annihilation or enslavement to any species that ventures into their space. I am no expert on ethics, but one thing is certain: the Vidyadhaaras race are exceptionally fortunate. Some possess an extra third hand and naturally gemstones studded body at birth, and most are born with unlimited credit encoded in their DNA, in the form of a wish-fulfilling stone.
The dark blue-skinned manus of Shha-taM.Bha-gyaṃ display cunning charisma in these high-risk, high-reward expeditions. Yesterday, one boisterous, sapphire-backed individual, fueled by intoxicating beverages, rambled on about the statistical probabilities. In his mind, there was a red line in the depths of space, where the chances of falling into flare of nothingness stood at 60 percent. Yet, he believed the rewards outweighed the risks.
Section 2: Chapter 1:"Birthright's Mantle, Outcast's Shackles: The Opus of Nirvaaṇa"
MAY 25, 2023
(Beginning of Section 2)
The perplexed humanoid novices were both pitiful and at times detestable. I often paid little attention to their groups, always distancing myself from them, I even practiced precise isolation from stepping into the very shadows they cast, as they aimlessly scurried around the mothership, displaying a blatant state of confusion. Despite the well-lit corridors, hallways, and communal areas, they seemed utterly clueless about their next destination. With their invisible novice insignia proudly worn, they unwittingly attracted one another, creating an amusing spectacle of automated alliances, like molecular compounds.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of these individuals would never have the opportunity to find out the hidden areas and witness the marvels of the state-of-the-art artificial biomes, a place perfectly suited to shield one's gaze from their juvenile countenances. Sadly, for most of them, a grim fate awaited. I can’t protect everyone; I can’t protect each individual. It is a sad fact.
(End of character's monologue)
The dark-skinned Rudra eventually ended his inner monologue in mumbling with a long sigh. At last, he slowly opened his eyes to transition respectfully from sacred meditation to reality, moving cautiously from his meditative state to reality state. In fact, it was a sign of respect to his meditation, his life long practice. By employing simple breathing techniques, which included deep inhalation, holding the breath until reaching an uncomfortable limit, and exhaling deeply. Therefore, he repeatedly practiced the same sequence that awakened his mastery of meditation, from his very young age.
The Rudra then drank from his golden water flask, only after clearing his throat by gurgling five times once, in his customary manner. Then, he uttered the syllable 'svaa-dhaa' and dropped a portion of water on the ground as a mark of respect to his forefathers. He often mumbled similarly, whenever he entered a partial meditative state during eavesdropping; and other universal exploration through his ethereal visions, with the aid of his third eye. When he remained silent during meditation, it simply meant he was deeply immersed in self-exploration during his profound meditative state. In between deep and partial meditation, he only uttered varied two sacred syllables that held deep meaning in his culture, the Rudrakind culture.
The dark-skinned Rudra was dressed in a loincloth, decided to plunge into the artificial lake of the artificial lust rainforest biome. The rainforest biome extended enough to create horizon between artificial lights and ceiling. The intense hot and humid climate was perfectly soothing for his race. The Rudra felt rejuvenated to maximum. It was covered with towering trees, lush vegetation, and a rich diversity of plant and animal species. It receives ample rainfall, creating a humid and moist environment that supports the growth of limited species. Within this captivating biome, the intricate web of life thrives in a symphony of colors, sounds, and interconnected relationships. Furthermore, it was the source of vivarium, which caused abundance of food for the mass mothership dwellers.
The Rudra submerged his body in the crystal-clear water while observing the gathering of Quaziriths in the distance, near the lush formation of natural juice producing flowers and plants. As he massaged his muscular body, he displayed a wide and medium physique, attractive and handsome, with dreadlocked hair on the reflection of clear water. Occasionally, he touched his forehead and adjusted his red hairband to cool off his forehead. Although he detested wearing the headband, it was for his own security, to conceal his racial identity. He continued to observe the gathering of two-legged birds called the Quaziriths, which had beautiful golden feathers and were devoid of eyes. They surveyed their surroundings with the aid of their flapping wings through their ethereal and sonar perceptions. Furthermore, their flapping wings creating an eye-pleasing luminescent display even more gracefully in sunlight. With their long tongues, they sucked nectar from flowers and juices flowing from fallen fruits scattered on the ground, it was their daily routine. At one point, some of them began to quarrel, which made the Rudra chuckle with a strong negative sigh.
The quarrels of Quaziriths reminded him of his own Rudrakind, evoking a sense of envy toward the Quaziriths, that led to another deep, humming sigh withdrawn from him. In contrast, here Quaziriths were welcomed with open arms, yet his Rudrakind were not. He did not belong here legally.
As Rudra, 37 years old, expert at pondering, delved deep into his mind, he remembered his home planet name Ugra-loka, which was breathtaking from sunset until dawn. During the scorching afternoons, they sought shelter in their caves as the intense heat and contrast made them angry and uncontrollable in environments outside of caves. The Rudrakind were naturally born with a blissful and destructive "third eye" and practiced asceticism throughout their lives. They were content with small portions of food, as they practiced always controlling their senses. The mastery of the third demanded outmost priority. The children who did not obey such rules were outcasted in extremely remote places. In the event that they may cause extreme destructions. The fact is, only fraction of their children opened their third eye, prematurely before the age of sixteen.
The Rudrakind resided in cool caves that provided access to crystal-clear water, pouring out from complex inner spring systems. During the intense heat of the season, they ventured into more intricate underground cave levels, which even extended twenty levels downward, it had been built by their ancestors throughout many generations. Beyond the twenty level, there were only impenetrable rocks.
The Rudrakind practiced agriculture in open fields and sunbeam caves, where perfect sunlight seeped through cracks, creating a beautiful environment. The sunbeam caves where they also kept their pure red glowing cattle. The Rudras were non carnivorous. Therefore, they did not eat their cattle. In defiance some new generation of clans practiced carnivorism due to scarcity of foods, which justified their actions. The pure followers could go on for days with just drinking water.
The sunbeam caves held the utmost sanctity for the Rudrakind as they represented extraordinary and otherworldly environments. According to ancient beliefs, the sunbeam caves were shaped by the divine gaze of their almighty creator. The open sky within these caves symbolized the escape of sacred smoke from lit altars. Childrens and females drew sacred two-word syllables around the contour of sunbeam with chalks on the ground. At these altars, they would offer portions of their edible resources or sometimes non-edible valuable possessions as a tribute to their almighty creator and forefathers. Surprisingly, they could not recall the name of their creator, nor did they possess the knowledge of the sacred collections of their cherished short syllables, all of which were communicated in pairs of two syllables. Certain ancient declarations asserted with certainty that the combination of these unknown short syllables constituted the names of their long-forgotten god.
Over time, as indifference grew among the hierarchies within the Rudrakind, divisions between clans, and the destructive acts of superpowers flaunting their superiority, the values of their ancient culture were eroded, leading to mass extinctions of their race. Even today, some Rudras continue to engage in internal conflicts, driven by a lingering thirst for vengeance fueled by an unforgivable past. Therefore, it was too easy to forgive the past and shake hands through diplomacy. Consequently, it is disturbing to witness recently how few resorted to primitive weapons such as stones and pickaxes, equipped with handles made of strong superdense alloy, forged from the heat of their very third eye’s beam with great precision. However, they refrained from employing their beam of dissolution to crisp one another. The use of such power against their own kind was considered a highly demeaning act, resulting in complete disownment by all Rudrakind clans.
Amidst these ongoing events in Ugraloka, the Rudra in ritualistic bathing process, noticed a male and female Quazirith gracefully separating themselves from the flock, away from the quarrel. The male possessed a vibrant green emerald beak, while the female exhibited a naturally formed rose quartz stone. The pirates, often driven by their insatiable desires, extracted these rose quartz stones and sold them at exorbitant prices on the shadow market, only after indulging in the savoring consumption of Quazirith meat. However, none dared to abduct female Rudras, who possessed the power to reduce their enemies to ashes with their fiery abilities.
The Rudra continued with his ritualistic bathing process, all the while observing the Quazirith couple. Memories of his fiancée, Astrondra, flooded his mind, and he whispered her name, his voice choked with longing and accompanied by frequent pauses. Astrondra possessed remarkable control over her soft voice, complemented by a well-developed physique and an array of facial and hand expressions, her true complexion reminiscent of a chocolate cherry cat's eye. The Rudra yearned to protect her and whisk her away from the planet Ugraloka, despite the circumstances that labeled him, his Rudrakind, and the Vidyadhaaras as dangerous; they were ordered to remain within their own respective system. In fact, their mere presence instilled fear in other humanoid species, leaving none feeling secure.
In contrast, the Vidyadhaaras enjoyed access to numerous habitable planets teeming with taiga and rainforest biomes. Moreover, aided by infinite reserves of Quantumite, they effortlessly traversed their system with remarkable ease. Not to mention their wish-fulfilling stones, inherent to their very being. In fact, these stones granted them the power to manipulate any physical environment, traverse realms, and create inorganic objects at will—without even requiring Quantumite. However, they chose to refrain from extensively utilizing their all-powerful birthright stones, as such usage shortened their overall lifespan. However, this Vidyadhaaras being wouldn’t shelter his kind nor his beloved.
The most peaceful and beautiful beings with blue-posterior skin from the planet Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ stood as the only reliable refuge for the Rudrakind; only if any race could prove their F'aay-doma to their supreme leader, the Manukind will welcome them with open arms. He envisioned a prosperous future for his fiancée Astrondra in that mentioned planet and his yet to be born progeny, with the assistance of his humanoid friends possessing lapis lazuli posterior- who were known as the main founder of shadow market.
At the age of 37, this Rudra had traversed a remarkable journey, eventually finding his place aboard this mothership, his spaceship is one of the hundred vessels comprising the Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ fleet. His banner proudly displayed the perfectly aligned seven moons of Shha-taM!' Bha-gyaṃ, further solidifying his influence. As he had proved his F'aay-doma to these humanoid inhabitants, none among the Manukind would ever dare to unveil his racial identity. He had become the captain of his own spaceship, which was a testament to his accomplishments and the acceptance he had gained through his F'aay-doma achievement.
(End of Section 2)
... to be continue...

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​
Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
​
Chapter 88: Noughts And Crosses
Everything told me that I'd misheard. Badly.
Sword saint or not, she was clearly a commoner, and so spoke a language barely two steps evolved from cave paintings.
After all, there was simply no perceivable scenario in which she would admit, with a smile no less, to having committed tax evasion and burglary against the Royal Treasury! That was patently absurd. To commit even the lowest offence against the royal family was a high crime—and burglary could never be described as low.
Yes, of course.
This had been an exceptionally tiring few days. Clearly, the amount of words my delicate ears had been subjected to by criminals, nobility and criminal nobility had damaged my hearing faculties. And then there was the smell. It was awful. Cows and peasants everywhere.
I needed to rest. Desperately. The very first high-quality lodgings I came across, I would stay in. No more being fussy because I didn't like the colour of the roof tiles. As long as the room was fully furnished, came with ample amenities, a large bathtub and 24 hour room service, I was willing to stay even in Aquina.
For the sake of my health, I needed to be flexible with my standards—at least for one night. Tomorrow would adhere to a different standard, but for now, I could force myself to contend with the smell of this farmyard duchy.
Indeed, I was already used to it.
Even the worst of livestock barely surpassed the stench of what I'd suffered in the royal capital. That'd been appalling. Spilled food, vomit and the perfume of nobility. Though no blade struck me, I hadn't come out of that debacle unscathed. I was likely suffering from a host of ailments.
The biggest, of course, being the brain rot that was causing me to interpret entire sentences incorrectly.
And so, I offered a beautiful smile—all the while I gripped Starlight Grace in my hand.
“My apologies,” I said to the Snow Dancer. “You will have to repeat that. Slowly. I believe I grossly misheard you when you claimed to fail in your payment of taxes to the Royal Treasury, and that you also burgle from it.”
The elven woman took a few minute steps away, the sword twirling imposingly in her hand … just before she turned, kneeled and began drawing noughts and crosses into the snow with the tip.
I watched as she played a match against herself.
She lost. Somehow.
“Nope, that's what I said,” she replied with a carefree shrug.
And thus—my smile creaked.
“Could you perhaps reword it, at least, but with slightly less treason?”
“I'm not sure I can, since it wasn't treason. It was grand larceny. I checked.”
“The definition is highly flexible. And by that, I mean determined solely by me. What did you steal?”
Ophelia blinked at me in puzzlement.
I rolled my eyes.
“From the Royal Treasury.”
“Oh. That. I can't remember. It wasn't important. Probably a painting or something.”
“A painting? You stole a painting?”
I was appalled.
The Royal Treasury only held items of immense value. Treasures which preceded generations of our family. Any portrait held there would be worth more than all the gold crowns lying beneath it.
Ophelia thought for a moment.
“Old guy. Fluffy white beard. Wore a tea towel on his head.”
Suddenly, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Describe the tea towel,” I said at once.
Ophelia hummed at her next game of noughts and crosses.
“Blue and white. Checkered. With a squiggly flower in the middle.”
My hand covered my mouth as I immediately recalled the oil painting in my mind.
The Man With The Tea Towel. A highly distinct work of modern impressionism, interpreting my great-great-grandfather, King Reginald the Bald at his prime.
It came all too easily to me.
After all … I was the one who painted it!
“That's what you stole?!”
“I think so. But hey, in my treasonous defence, it was the only thing I took. Honestly, I just wanted to peek around. I wasn't planning on grabbing anything. Maybe.”
My hand shook against my mouth.
I … I couldn't believe it … The Snow Dancer had stolen the first ever painting I'd deemed worthy enough to show my mother and father?! A cherished and storied part of my own personal history?!
I was absolutely horrified.
Why, I'd ordered it destroyed!
Who interceded?! That painting wasn't even worthy enough to be used as a carpet! That it was sent to the Royal Treasury is a humiliation! Who betrayed me?! Was it the servants?! The guards?! Heads would roll for this!
“Of all the riches laden in the Royal Treasury, you stole that?!”
“Yeah. Why? Was it expensive?”
“It … well, in a manner of speaking, yes! But why not a storied tiara?! An ancient tome of forbidden spells?! Why did you have to steal a work of sheer inadequacy which demonstrated only a naive ignorance of colours?!”
Ophelia shrugged.
“I liked the tea towel. It was cute.”
I almost vomited on the spot.
Painting that tea towel ensured I'd entered the world of fine art at its lowest rung! And now I knew that somewhere in the world, my crimes against modern impressionism were visible to all!
“What … What happened to it … ?” I asked, my voice dry as sand. “Did you … Did you sell it … is it now halfway across the continent … in a gallery to be mocked and scorned at … ?”
“That's very unlikely. After all, chopping wood for kindling is sort of a pain and I like the scent of oil canvases. You know, when they're on fire.”
I gasped.
“You burned the painting?!”
“Yeah.” She paused. “My bad.”
My entire body relaxed.
Despite the unrelenting chill in this frozen chamber, I felt nothing but searing relief burning inside me. Had I decided to drop down and roll against the snow, I was certain that billowing steam would engulf us all.
“You … You have committed a terrible and permanent … it was permanent, yes … ?”
“Really permanent. The charred ash isn't even there anymore.”
“Then, you've committed a permanent and irreversible crime against this kingdom! Why, without that ghastly painting, filled with anatomy errors and depth mistakes, the kingdom will be a happier, but culturally worse off place!”
For a moment, overwhelming gratitude filled my heart.
… And then I remembered she'd broken into the Royal Treasury, evaded taxes and assisted in the planned secession of Aquina!
“Snow Dancer,” I said, wiping off the lines of relief from my face. “I believe it's time you paid the Royal Treasury another visit.”
“Oh? But I've already looked inside. Has it changed much in the past few years?”
“Considerably. But you can assist in returning it to its former state.”
Indeed … it was time to calculate the vast financial repayment plan that the Snow Dancer would momentarily be signing in order to enter a life of crippling destitution and inescapable poverty.
“You will repay every crown that is owed,” I said, kneeling down beside her to join the new noughts and crosses game she'd marked in the snow. “You're in arrears. An unfortunate, but easily repairable set of circumstances.”
“Now that does sound serious. Also, are you noughts or crosses?”
“Crosses,” I said, as I promptly took the first turn. I poked a cross directly in the centre with my sword. “And fortunately for you, I have experience in dictating unreasonable financial repayment plans. I care not whether you are a sword saint evading taxes or a servant spilling wine. Your debt will be repaid. In full. And on time. The matter of you aiding the Duke will be handled separately.”
The Snow Dancer frowned as she battled out her next series of defensive noughts against my aggressive crosses. A draw.
She ruffled the snow and instantly drew a new game for us.
“Ouch. That's a lot to look forward to.”
“It is. But you may begin with your atonement to the Royal Treasury. I require a concise list of all your properties and assets.”
“I have a cottage, a pond and two ducks.”
I tapped my foot, waiting for her to continue.
“Yes? And?”
“That's it.”
“How could that be it? You're a sword saint, yet you live like a peasant in squalor?”
Ophelia looked genuinely offended. But not offended enough for me not to notice her cheating by scrubbing one of my crosses away. I clearly and deliberately remarked it with my sword.
“That cottage, pond and two ducks is all I need. It's homely and comfortable. Despite what everyone else says, I'm extremely content with what I have. So what if it's not big enough to raise a family in? It's big enough for friends. And I have lots of friends. In fact, I have too many. I have to keep my door locked all day, otherwise friends will just keep wandering inside.”
The elven woman suddenly began poking her noughts harder into the snow.
I peeled away ever so slightly.
“Y-Yes … well, be that as it may, you have more than your meagre … cottage to offer the Royal Treasury. You've failed to include the sizable asset in your hand.”
Ophelia lifted the tip of her sword away from the latest nought she drew.
“Oh, this thing?”
“Yes, that thing. I imagine an elven sword with a sapphire pommel will prove a suitable start to your long journey of reparations.”
“You think so? Well, in that case, sure! It's all yours.”
The Snow Dancer smiled—without moving, offering or presenting the sword in her hand for my collection.
“By that,” she continued, eyes brimming with enthusiasm, “I mean that you're going to have to take it from me, although I don't think that's very likely. I saw you dodge all those traps. You're fast. Really, really fast. And fast equals potential. And I love potential. But there's no way you could come close to beating someone like me in an actual fight. And the thought of murdering you is such a waste. I've waited literal years for someone interesting to pop up. So here's the deal! We make it exciting. You open that vault and I'll stop you like I'm … probably supposed to? Then, once you horribly and painfully lose, I'll recommend some teachers so you can have an epic training arc in the mountains! I'll throw in a few ominous appearances and string you along with a few high level goons. Once you're strong enough to beat me, we can have an actual showdown with my sword and A-rank title on the line. It'll be amazing!”
A long moment of silence passed.
Eventually, I offered a smile as pure as the snow around us—which given that it was now the tomb for dozens of frozen guards, wasn't pure in the slightest.
And that's fine.
Because someone who was now openly mocking me for the way I handled Aquina's slow, rusty traps deserved no less.
“Ohohoh … a truly colourful suggestion. However, I'd like to propose an alternative.”
“Oh? What's that?”
Casually pointing Starlight Grace across my lap, I aimed it directly at Ophelia's undefended side.
“[Spring Breeze].”
For a single moment, I saw a pair of blue eyes looking down at the gathering wind at the tip of my sword.
Pwooooomph.
That sight was replaced by an explosion of snow.
I coughed, my entire vision filled by a blanket of white as the very chamber groaned around me. A thick plume of snowfall instantly covered me, and yet even in that white haze, I could see the giant hole in the snowy ground where an elven sword saint now lay buried.
Towards the empty space where my opponent had just been kneeling, I raised my hand to my lips and cackled.
“Ohohohohohohohohhohoho! You fool! Did you believe me as prone to flights of fancy as you? While idly playing lockpicker and games in the snow, I was waiting for an opportunity to take you unawares!”
Naive!
Naturally, I was under no allusions as to the grave threat this, frankly, bizarre elven woman posed to the kingdom!
She was most certainly no wandering wisp here to assist me in breaking open Aquina's vault for fun! She had her own ploys and schemes, and acted under the orders of the very Duke whose castle I was now taxing!
Indeed, I was merely waiting, prowling, my intentions meticulously hidden like a panther in the shadows—and when I spied my chance, I seized it without hesitation!
Because what I failed to mention to the Snow Dancer was that she would have to commit to her financial repayment plan while in prison!
Ohohohohohohohoho!
“Ooooh ...”
To the side, I heard applause as Coppelia congratulated me from behind what was now a rather impressive snow castle.
“Such an underhanded attack!” she said, smiling broadly from above a parapet. “You waited until her eyes were sparkling! She never saw it coming!”
I smiled, accepting the compliment in full.
Why, it could be nothing else! I had just achieved a stunning victory over an A-rank sword saint in a single strike!
Was it chivalrous? No. Did I care? More no.
Because history was written by the victors, and as far as anyone outside this chamber was concerned, I'd defeated the Snow Dancer in honourable combat!
“Ohohohoho! Behold! Being A-rank clearly doesn't extend to superior intellect! Because even if she's greater at swordplay, I'm greater at machinations!”
Coppelia smiled lazily at me, her arms leaning atop the walls of her castle.
“The pen is mightier than the sword, huh?~”
“No, Coppelia. The sword is mightier than the sword which isn't facing the right direction … ohohohohoho!”
My obstacle removed, I pointed at the vault.
“The way now is clear! I've no doubt that the Snow Dancer was present for the sole purpose of hindering our passage, whatever her playfulness might suggest.”
“Probably,” replied my future handmaiden, who for some reason still wasn't moving from her castle. “I mean, if she did want to stop us, that'd be a problem. A-rank sword saints are something special.”
I quietly laughed, trying my best not to inhale the snow.
“Why, A-rank is merely a title. And as princess, I outrank them all. Should any foe present themselves to me, I'll dispatch them as readily as I would a jester at court!”
Coppelia nodded.
All the while, she started piling on another layer on her snow wall.
“The thing is, A-rank sword saints aren't just really tough. They're silly tough. I bet they could even take a [Ball Of Doom] to the face and still survive.”
“To the face?”
I was horrified.
I could punt fruit slimes over 100 metres! Why, even if someone survived being struck in the face, then no healer could repair the damage to their hair. It'd be permanently frizzled!
Nobody would want to live after that!
“Mmh. They're nuts that way.” Coppelia peeked over her wall. “Did you hit her in the face, by any chance?”
“No.”
“Well, then.”
I pursed my lips.
After which, I turned around to view the hole being covered by the falling snow.
Nothing could be seen.
I waited a few moments more, then happily began chalking defeating a sword saint on my grand list of achievements—all the way until an echoing voice dampened my sense of satisfaction.
“See the truth amidst the falling snow, burning steps beneath the stars.”
I swept Starlight Grace towards where the Snow Dancer had been blown away.
And then—
“Snow Helix Form, 5th Stance … [Butterfly Horizon].”
I heard the voice from behind me instead.
Glancing past my shoulder, I witnessed the beautiful smile of an elven sword saint as she blinked into existence, her expression filled with simple, childish, murderous joy. And then I saw the elven sword gleaming as it absorbed the falling snow.
The sword which was now sweeping towards my neck.
​
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When you need to know where someone is right now, tracking their location should be your top priority. There are a variety of reasons why you might want to locate someone. For their protection and your own sanity, you may want to keep an eye on your kids and loved one.
Simple Ways to Track a Samsung Phone Location?
You might have a bizarre purpose for following someone’s phone location. Whatever your motive for wanting to track someone’s position, you now have various possibilities. There are also numerous tools available that allow you to track a person’s position via their cell phone. In this article, we will discuss simple ways to track a Samsung Phone Location?
Did you know that Samsung is the world leader in digital technology, especially in terms of mobile phone sales in 2021? In the first two quarters, the business sold around 112.5 million units to end-users It’s no surprise, then, that your kids and loved one use their Samsung phones to socialize at all hours of the day and night.

• Why and How to Track Your Child’s Samsung Phone
• Simple Ways to Track a Samsung Phone Location?
• Track a Samsung Phone Location
• Track a Samsung Phone Location
• Samsung’s Find My Phone
• Android’s Find My Device

Mobile technologies have brought convenience to people’s lives, but they have also become a source of considerable danger. Cyberbullying, hidden death squads, perilous challenges, and online predators are all issues that thousands of kids and loved one face on a regular basis.
Why and How to Track Your Child’s Samsung Phone
As previously said, kids and loved one can get into mischief even if they are in the room next door to you. Online predators utilize Tinder, Snapchat, Kik, and other apps to befriend young people because they enjoy spending time on social media and adding new friends to their accounts.
In most circumstances, maniacs don’t even need to pretend to be teenagers because kids and loved one are happy to engage with people of various ages.
Furthermore, if a new “friend” request it, they can sext strangers and share private content. When predators reveal their genuine identities and begin pushing kids and loved one to send more sexual images and videos, the pleasure comes to an end. Predators might pressure adolescents to meet up in person, so the online explosion frequently turns physical.
As a parent, you must be aware of what is going on in your kids and loved one life, both in the real world and online. If your kids and loved one is depressed but refuses to tell you about it, it’s a sign that they’re being bullied. Pressuring a kids and loved one to answer your inquiries can exacerbate the situation. As a result, you’ll need to use a different method to discover the truth, such as monitoring your kids and loved one online activities and tracing their locations.
Track a Samsung Phone Location Using ENIGMAHACK SPY
You now know how to trace the position of your Samsung phone using ENIGMAHACK SPY. However, all techniques necessitate knowledge of your kids and loved one account details. That isn’t always possible, especially if your kids and loved one is the secretive type.
If you use a parental control app like ENIGMAHACK SPY. Though, you won’t have to worry about accessing your kids and loved one personal account. With ENIGMAHACK SPY, you can track your kids and loved one phone from your smartphone and establish geofencing if you’re worried about them going to locations they shouldn’t.
Contact us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) for technical problems about your task or issue regarding hacking services.
You can receive access to a variety of valuable monitoring capabilities depending on your ENIGMAHACK SPY, including:

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• Receiving, sending, and deleting text messages
• Snapchat, Facebook, Tinder, Kik, and other apps are being watched.
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• Viewing bookmarks and surfing history
• Seeing events and making notes on a calendar

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Track a Samsung Phone Location Using ENIGMAHACK SPY
Is there a faster way to locate your kids and loved one phone and learn where he is? There is, fortunately, so you might want to try ENIGMAHACK SPY. It’s a useful application that allows you to track your kids and loved one location in just a few steps. What makes this one unique is that it will just take you two minutes!
Because this service works with all mobile network carriers, ENIGMAHACK SPY is a phone tracker by number capable of tracking any phone’s position by its number.
Are you looking for a more feature-rich option to remotely track a Samsung Phone? Then you should consider using a parental control app like ENIGMAHACK SPY to feel even safer
Samsung’s Find My Phone
If your kids and loved one possesses a Samsung and you need to locate them, you can use a Samsung-specific service. In the event that a phone is stolen, ENIGMAHACK can help find it and secure the data on it. Furthermore, you can utilize the service to remotely unlock the phone.
Make sure the data backup feature on the target Samsung device is turned on before utilizing the service. If you’re not sure if your kids and loved one has switched it on, go to Settings, Lock Screen & Security, and Find My Mobile on their phone. If necessary, sign in and enable all of the options displayed on the screen.
Find My Mobile allows you to lock and unlock your kids and loved one cellphone remotely, erase and back up data, and retrieve calls and messages, in addition to discovering their whereabouts. The list of available interactions is determined by the Samsung phone model used by your kids and loved one.
Android’s Find My Device
Despite the fact that the majority of smartphone users use Samsung phones that run on Android, there are times when a device operates on a different operating system. Keep in mind that the Find My Device service only works for Android handsets if you wish to trace a Samsung.
Follow these steps to begin tracking a Samsung phone using this method:

• Go to [https://www.google.com/android/find](mailto:[email protected]) in your browser to find your device.
• Log into a target user’s Google account or enter the email and password that was used to register the monitored phone.
• Select the required device from the drop-down menu.
• Begin following the location.

Keep in mind that the Samsung phone you’re targeting should be turned on. Otherwise, you won’t be able to see any information about your location.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are four safe and legal ways to keep an eye on your kids and loved one device as well as track down your Galaxy phone if it is lost or stolen. However, if you want to add a slew of useful monitoring tools to your parenting toolkit, we recommend [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) . Your kids and loved one is unlikely to notice the app because it operates in stealth mode. Even if they do, you’ll know straight away and be able to reinstall it with ease.
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First Previous
Memory Transcription Subject: Tresn, Arxur Defector
Date [Standard Human Reckoning]: 2136-10-22
The universe always had a way to surprise me. When I decided to crash-land on Earth I didn't expect to have a bullet zipping past my head, courtesy of a venlil. Yet, here I recited a prayer of gratitude after surviving another near-death experience. As my luck would have it, the venlil had an aim as shoddy as expected from federation species. They never had good precision when it came to ballistics.
Elangkasa visited after me and tried to explain the situation. The venlils were Vani's kin. Overwhelmed with concern for him, they had abandoned caution and visited Earth without a second thought. Murder attempt aside, I had to commend them for their unwavering loyalty to their family members.
After the incident, Johan ushered the venlils towards the outskirts of the Capital, to an apartment where the gojid refugees settled now.
The shooting made me wary of going out, so I chose to remain inside in the habitation unit until the time for breaking the fast approached, immersing myself instead in the human planetary network. Despite Vani's caution, I created an account on one of their "social media" sites. As social creatures, humans use their vast network for the simplest of interactions, to talk with one another and share images and videos from their everyday life.
Right now, pictures of devastation overflowed the social media. But amidst the bleakness of their situation, I saw resilience too. There are photos of humans extending helping hands, uniting in the face of adversity. They even donated their life essence, blood, to strangers. Far from showing weakness, I think this revealed humans' true strength.
Reflecting on it, I began to view my condition not as an aberration or flaw, but as a part of our species' long evolutionary journey. Even a two-hundred-year subjugation by Betterment failed to suppress this empathy.
Intrigued, I ventured into the world of human interaction online, typing "arxur" into the social media's search bar. Images of my kin were plentiful, with many showcasing their participation in the ongoing disaster relief efforts.
One photograph, in particular, commanded my attention. The candid image depicted an arxur amid a rescue operation. She lifted heavy debris while a group of humans in distinctive uniforms pulled another victim from the wreckage. A blanket of dust and debris obscured the victim and their fate was unknown.
The comments beneath it showed a complex sentiment, a mix of fear, gratitude, and prejudice.
One user wrote, "I guess some of them are pretty okay.".
Yet skepticism was quick to follow. "Yeah, I don't know about that. My dad said he saw them eating a cat," came a response. I remembered a cat as one of the small predators that humans kept around. Even though cats are non-sapient, eating them feels wrong.
An interesting counter came next. "Humans used to eat cats too," someone pointed out.
The rebuttal, however, was unsettling. "Well, okay… but not while it's alive and screaming!"
I scrolled up again to see the photo and above it I saw a small image beside their name, "Jagomerah". When I tapped on it, the image enlarged, showing a creature with a likeness to an arxur except in vivid red. They had horn-like protrusions and some differences in surface detail. Remembering a conversation with Snop, I recalled her mentioning a subculture among humans who created humanized versions of their animals, sometimes even dressing up as their chosen creature. Could this human belong to such a group?
A button under their picture led me to a profile page. I found a short description of themselves under their name.
"He / Him, a dragon that fights fire."
One of the buttons available there would allow me to send a private message to him. An idea began to form in my mind but my instincts hesitated, considering the risk. On the other paw, you miss all the shots you don't take. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I began composing a message.
"Greetings, I see that you're working with arxurs. What do you think about them?"
I sat back, waiting for an answer that didn't come. I went back to the main page of the social media and browsed through other posts. After several minutes, a sudden notification snapped me back.
"Hello, who is this?"
I pondered my response. Should I lie or just be truthful? After a moment, I chose honesty. "My name is Tresn. I'm an arxur." I typed out, my claws clicking against the screen.
"What? You should know better than to roleplay at times like this."
The skepticism stung. 'role-playing?' I wondered, unfamiliar with the term. What role do I play here? I opted for a more direct approach, recording a brief video. The camera focused on my face, the ambiguous backdrop helped me to avoid disclosing my current location.
"Hi, Jagomerah. It's me, Tresn." I sent the video off, hoping it would assuage their doubts.
The response was quicker this time. "Okay, that is either a very convincing virtual skin or you're telling the truth. I'm tempted to believe the other. But... can you tell me something arxurs know that other species don't."
My scales prickled at the request. Sending my face already felt like crossing a line. But they weren't asking for state secrets, were they? A flood of images and narratives from the human internet flashed through my mind.
"Your depiction of my people in fiction is incorrect. We don't have any additional appendages in our center of mass," I typed out.
Their response was rapid. "You... what? Whoa… okay… there's no way I can confirm that to the arxurs I work with. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt then."
Feeling somewhat validated, I tried to steer the conversation back. "So, what do you think about them?"
The screen blinked back words that incited a rare chuckle from my throat. "You're chatty and polite for an arxur. I mean… It would be nice if the ones I worked with were like you. But on the other hand… I'm having doubt again on whether or not you're an arxur."
Deciding to be transparent about my condition, I typed out my response, "I am what they call 'defective'."
The response was swift with an undertone of surprise, "You're calling yourself defective for being decent? That sounds like an arxur speak."
The affirmation in his response made me hope a bit. "So you believe me now?" I asked.
"Not until I see you in person, but for the time being… sure… let's just go along," came the guarded response. "Where are you now, Tresn? Jakarta? Singapore? Kuala Lumpur?"
I was cautious, "Neither of the three, and I can't divulge more details. However, I can tell you I will be heading to Jakarta."
"Okay, I need to get ready for work. I'll humor you Tresn, if you're somewhere near Purwakarta, you can message me."
A wave of anticipation washed over me as I contemplated the possibilities. I put the name of this city into my memory.
The arrival of Vani interrupted my thoughts. I looked at the top right of the pad where it said the current time was the fifteenth hour. I was still acclimatizing to the peculiarities of human timekeeping, where the day begins in the middle of the night, in stark contrast to my species who starts the day at sunset.
Vani, accompanied by his gojid colleague, visited my quarters right after they arrived back from the capital.
"Tresn," Vani began. He looked down, avoiding my stare, a normal gesture for ordinary venlils, but out of character for him. "I need to apologize for my mother's actions."
I managed to produce a small, understanding smile. "I suppose the fault lies on me as well," I admitted, the memory of the mishap causing a slight tinge of discomfort. "In my disorientation, I lost track of our designated habitation unit."
"She might have killed you," he said. "We are fortunate that my mother has little experience handling the pistol, so her aim was off."
"Let's consider that an incident from the past," I reassured him. "How are your folks doing?"
"They promised to keep your existence concealed," Vani responded. The relief I felt from the revelation comforted me. "That's about the most we could hope for, given the circumstances. Most venlils are uneasy around arxurs."
"Fair enough," I conceded, appreciating their effort to tolerate my presence despite their instincts.
Shifting gears, Vani seemed eager to move onto a more pleasant topic. "On a brighter note, I believe your legs are healing quite well."
The venlil medic stepped closer, his attention drawn towards my bandaged stumps. With a steady hand and an almost delicate precision, he unwrapped the sterile white cloth, revealing my healing wounds, a collage of fading reds and emerging pinkish scars.
I winced, "Is it strange that I feel my feet itching? Even though they're no longer there?" I asked, bemused by the curious phantom sensations.
"That's a phenomenon known as Phantom Limb Syndrome," Bolad chimed in. "It's a typical neurological response after an amputation."
My human roommates arrived soon after. The two siblings came, with the brother holding two mechanical feet that would replace my lost appendages.
"I heard the good news. Your legs, have they healed?" Snop the sister asked.
"They have," Vani affirmed. "However, I believe it will be some time before he can bear weight on them."
A shadow of disappointment crossed Snop's features, dampening her earlier enthusiasm. "Aww."
Vani was quick to interject. "However, we can fit him with the prosthetic limbs you have been working on."
"Yasss," she exclaimed, revealing a full set of blunt teeth, a reminder of the age-old reason humans softened their food.
"Alright, first you'll need padding," she informed me. Her hands reached for a thick elastic fabric she'd brought along. She maneuvered the fabric around my leg stumps and her brother put on prosthetic limbs. As he attached them, they felt snug and comfortable against my padded stumps.
"I spent some time researching on your Internet about people who have lost body parts," I confessed.
At this, Snop leveled a cautious look my way, her lips pursed, perhaps in anxiety. "You haven't been delving into... stories again… have you?"
A surprised expression crossed my face. "Wait, there's fiction about that?"
"Nevermind," she corrected, looking somewhat relieved. "Just ignore what I said. What did you learn from your research?"
"Some humans opt for permanent modifications or replacements within their bodies," I ventured, fumbling with the foreign terminology. "I believe the term you use is 'saiborx'?"
"You mean cyborgs?" she clarified. "Indeed, that might be on the table for you much later. However, designing and implanting permanent mechanical limbs is a complex process. There are bound to be difficulties along the way."
"You need several rounds of surgeries." Vani chimed in, "In addition, we need to understand and integrate with your neural system first."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense," I nodded. "So, how would I control these prostheses?"
"First thing first, you have a neural implant don't you?" Cynthio asked. "Because the prostheses are programmed to interface with them.
A moment of understanding washed over me. "Oh, so I connect to the prostheses ?"
"Do you have a visual overlay system in your implants?" Cynthio queried.
"Yes, of course. It's a standard feature," I replied.
Cynthio guided me through the process of syncing with the prosthetic limbs' interface. After a few frustrating minutes of trial and error, I found the correct setting and established a connection with my new feet.
"Alright, this next part may require patience and practice," Cynthio warned, his eyes evaluating the advanced prostheses adorning my stumps. "Think of these as a natural extension of your body—as if you've just gained a new pair of feet." His gaze shifted back to me, a touch of encouragement in his voice.
With a concentrated effort, I focused all my mental energies on the prosthetic limbs, coaxing them to move, to respond to my command. Nothing happened. The prostheses remained stationary, defying my silent will.
"Don't be disheartened," Cynthio reassured. "You can't expect immediate success. It takes time and practice. Keep at it, and I'm confident you'll get the hang of it."
Elangkasa perceived my steady recovery as a cue to inform their higher-ups. It appeared we would leave our makeshift camp.
For my last meal at the camp, the humans served me an experiment. They seemed intent on testing the limits of my digestive tract. A dish called "fried chicken steak" smothered in a sauce concocted from mushrooms. This curious species, found on Earth, exhibited a resemblance to plants, but its cellular composition bore a close semblance to animals.
I also learned that cooking, aside from enhancing the flavor of food, also aids in making it easier to process. Johan likened the act of cooking to "external digestion".
With the breaking of the fast finished, our journey commenced. Johan, Vani, and Bolad embarked in Johan's vehicle, which also served as a compact mobile home for him and his venlil mate. I found myself tied to the cargo area of a large truck, with Elangkasa, Snop, and Cynthio taking the helm in the front.
Johan and Vani's original mode of arrival had been a colossal ship. After some polite requests, helped by Elangkasa, Johan secured similar transportation to our next destination, the island of Java, where one of the affected cities lay in ruin. Our journey's first waypoint was a military base. There we were scheduled to confer with Lieutenant Ayu once more.
The constant hum of the truck engine lulled me to sleep. The chicken dish agreed with my system, and I had a sound slumber, with no discomfort or adverse reactions in my stomach waking me up.
"Tresn, hey... Tresn." I felt someone tapping my shoulder.
"Huh?" I opened my eyes and saw Elangkasa's face.
"We're here."
The sun of the Earth had yet to rise when we arrived. When I consulted on the map the force base was located beside the river on the outskirts of the city of Banjarmasin.
The base served as a living testament to the organized resilience of humanity, a hub of concentrated effort and structured aid response in the wake of the devastating planetary bombardment. When our tires bit into the base's gravel entryway, a thrum of activity pulsed within its boundaries. The humans turned an ordinary establishment for their armed forces into a staging place for sending aid.
Groups of engineers and mechanics, their uniforms marked with oil and grime, were embroiled in diligent vehicle maintenance. The sound of metal clanging and the occasional hiss of welding formed a rhythmic backdrop to the life in the base.
Mobile platforms carrying large containers entered the premises. Logistics personnel oversaw these automated platforms, directing them toward a gigantic ship destined for Java. The towering sea-faring vessel was ready to go, its hull filled with supplies and aid bound for the bombarded island.
Our truck followed Johan's vehicle onto the large ship and stopped at a parking garage where a soldier already awaited us. After my human friends assisted me onto a wheelchair, the soldier guided us through the ship's labyrinthine passageways to a well-lit conference room where a familiar human woman waited for us inside.
"Lieutenant Ayu, the guests are here." Said the soldier.
"Thank you, Dewardana. You're dismissed,"
The soldier's hand snapped to his forehead in a practiced move, "Yes, ma'am." With that, he exited, leaving us in the company of Lieutenant Ayu.
"Good morning, folks," she greeted us, her tone exuding authority.
Rising to the occasion, I was the first to respond, "Good evening, Lieutenant." I said before the others echoed my sentiments.
"Before we go for Java. I need to discuss something with you, especially you, Tresn."
"Is it about my asylum application?" I asked.
Asylum in my language means "protection given to traitors by the enemy". But in human language, it has a kinder connotation.
"For the time being, the UNHCR was still deliberating. After reviewing your security clearance level your commands said that we can do whatever we want with you. You were fortunate to be at the bottom rung of your hierarchy."
"What would happen if Tresn's position is any higher," Johan asked.
"If I have any security clearance, they will force your armed forces to hand me. That, or coming to oversee that I am disposed of properly. Either way, that will be the end of me."
Not giving anyone the proper time to react, Lieutenant Ayu continued. "Onward to our next item of discussion."
Even here on earth, I found myself weaving a web of lies. I crashed into this planet near a refugee camp, and that was the extent of the truth that they'll put on the record. With Lieutenant Ayu's blessing, we doctored the official timeline of my journey on Earth. According to the revised narrative, the human transferred me to a military base post-crash right away. After a period of intensive scrutiny, they released me into the care of the civilian populace, ready to go to Java.
The concept of "civilians" was another revelation for me. Unlike my species, most humans are not obliged to spend a substantial portion of their lives serving in the armed forces. Even now, after the relentless attacks, humanity continues to gather its military force through volunteers.
Not long after our meeting concluded, the ship hummed to life. Its ground-effect engine lifted it several meters above the water, propelling us away from the dock. They had assigned me a cabin spacious enough to accommodate my wheelchair. The device, once alien and cumbersome, had become a natural extension of my body.
The monotony of the sea view left me yearning for some activity. Confined within the modest dimensions of my cabin, I turned my attention back to my prosthetic limb. Its detached form lay before me. After connecting to them I focused, striving to penetrate its complex mechanics. I tried again to demand it to make any semblance of a move.
I lost track of time as I persevered with the exercise, my singular focus on the lifeless prosthesis. Just when exhaustion threatened to claim me, I saw a subtle twitch in one of the prosthetic fingers. Hesitant, I commanded the finger to move again, desperate to confirm I hadn't hallucinated the twitch. To my joy, the finger obeyed, curling at my mental prompt.
Emboldened and ecstatic, I wheeled myself out of the cabin to the common room provided for us, my claw gripping the responsive prosthesis. "Snop! Cynthio!" I called out. "Look!"
Holding up the prosthesis, I focused and commanded a finger to move. Just as it had in my cabin, the digit bent.
"Awesome!" The siblings exclaimed in perfect synchrony, their faces lighting up with shared excitement.
"That's incredible," Snop gushed, leaning forward to get a closer look at the prosthetic limb. "You did it, you made it move!"
"Yes, I..." I began, my words tapering off as I once again flexed the artificial finger. Despite having witnessed it myself multiple times, the sight still fascinated me.
As the ship flew towards Java, it carried not just aid for the humans but hope for one lone arxur.

When I first started my path to med school, I turned to Reddit, Facebook Groups, Discord, Instagram... you name it, for inspiration. I used any and every avenue possible to determine if I was crazy for turning my life upside down to pursue my dreams of medicine as an older applicant who had some really terrible grades in the past. I vowed to share my story if I ever got into medicine in the hopes that it would help anyone else who might feel scared to take the leap for a career change, or perhaps help those who are close to giving up on their dreams.
I am here to say "YOU GOT THIS, DO NOT GIVE UP" if you believe that medicine is for you.
Before continuing, I want to acknowledge that everyone's experiences are unique. My life circumstances and my amazing support system significantly influenced the choices and decisions I made along the way, but may not work for others. In any case, I found it helpful to read other people's stories of successes and failures at different points on my journey, so here are some of mine.

• I grew up in Alberta until I was 17, moved to UBC-Vancouver for my first undergrad and have lived in Vancouver since then (13 years). This means I am considered an in-province applicant in both BC and Alberta.
• Started a BSc at UBC at 17 because I originally wanted to pursue medicine. The med dream quickly died, and I switched faculties to UBC Land & Food Systems (LFS) after I failed organic chemistry and many other science classes.
• While my grades were extremely low, I poured my passion and drive into a lot of extracurriculars on campus and enjoyed the non-academic student experience.
• Graduated at 22 from UBC LFS with a CGPA of 2.55 (65.9%).
• Right after graduation, I got my first full-time job at a not-for-profit. I put in A LOT of hours, but ultimately I didn't perform up to the standards of my manager and did not communicate well with them in hindsight. I was fired 6 months into this role.
• After this early-in-my-career-low-point, I was fortunate to gain experience in recreation/sport management, marketing, event management, business operations, and sales at two different organizations from age 23-27. During this time, my desire to pursue med was rekindled after a childhood friend of mine passed away. It took me 5 years to gain the courage I needed to take the leap because I was scared and nervous for a variety of reasons: not smart enough, too old, a large financial investment to go back to school, going against societal norms, had a fear of failing, feeling "behind in life" because my friends were succeeding in their careers, getting married, having kids, etc... the list goes on. But I knew all of this would pale in comparison to the regret I was going to feel when I was older if I didn't at least try for med school. At age 26/27, after talking to some friends, and consulting Google, Facebook, Reddit and other sources: "is 27 too old to go back to school", "am I too old to apply for med school", and "Canada med school requirements" - I finally made my decision to start the path to medicine.
• I did extensive research on different schools and programs in Canada and spent a lot of time Excel-spreadsheet strategizing. Eventually, I landed on applying to UBC and UofC as my top schools. UBC because I was living in Vancouver, considered in-province, was my alma mater, and there was a rural program. UofC because I was still considered an in-province applicant, there was no minimum MCAT score for in-province applicants, and also there is a 10-Year Exclusion Rule (highly recommend looking this up if you are an older applicant and have very low grades in your first undergraduate degree).
• At age 27 I began a second undergraduate degree in Kinesiology because my grades were going to be my biggest barrier to applying for medicine. I started with the Kinesiology Diploma Program at Langara College (a community college in Vancouver) because I knew that I could transfer courses seamlessly to UBC's bachelor program (ps. make sure you read the med application manuals for the schools you are applying to. There are certain requirements for where you should take classes. Some institutions' grades will/will not be counted toward your GPA). I completed 1-year at Langara College Sept 2020 - April 2021 and transferred to UBC Kinesiology in Sept 2021. Unlike my first degree, I actually really loved the academic part of schooling, spent a lot of time studying, but also got more involved in research. I started as a volunteer in a lab and then became a part-time student employee. I also took non-academic volunteer positions in organizations that aligned with my interests and were opportunities for me to continue learning from others while sharing my skillsets. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to do things that you like/love, and not to simply pad a resume.
• In the summer of 2021 between my time at Langara and UBC, I made my first attempt to write the MCAT. I thought I could work 20-30 hours per week and also study for the MCAT from May-August using the Kaplan books set, MileDown's MCAT Anki Cards, and Kahn Academy videos with very little science background. I failed organic chemistry, never took biochemistry or psychology, but had taken first-year chemistry, biology, math, and physics... 11 years prior. This was a huge bust. I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't even remember how to read a periodic table. I had to look at grade 11/12 textbook PDFs to try and remember concepts from high school. Also, do not get me started with CARS. I kept a spreadsheet of my daily CARS practice from Jack Westin and I never exceeded 50% from May-June (except once). I finished 1 chapter each of the bio, behaviour sci, gen chem, phys/math, biochem, and o-chem Kaplan books before giving up because Reddit/Google had told me "it will take me 2 hours to read a chapter"... LOL it took me 5-8 hours for one chapter. I did not write the MCAT. I was upset with myself, but I was getting so stressed and overwhelmed that I got shingles haha. Talk about the physical manifestation of accumulated stress. So that was the end of that attempt. I told myself I would write it the next summer and be more realistic with my time and also try to use my courses during the school year to set me up for success (ex. I took one psychology course, anatomy, physiology, etc... The anatomy and physiology don't transfer exactly to the MCAT, but it definitely helped me in my opinion).
• At 29, I told myself I had to write the MCAT and at least submit an application to UBC and UofC for the 2023 application cycle; this meant I had to write the MCAT by late August. I wanted to just try applying, to test out the process but had no expectations of making it very far. In the summer of 2022, after 2nd year of my second undergraduate degree, I started studying for the MCAT again. However, to complicate things for myself, I had the opportunity to move to Northern BC to implement kinesiology programs in primary care in a rural Indigenous community. Because it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, I decided to take the position, work 20-35 hours per week and study for the MCAT. As you can imagine... history repeated itself and I had very little time to study for a variety of reasons (work, bad wifi, no data, driving between communities took way longer than I expected, I lived in an area where the closest grocery store was in another city 1.25 hours away, etc...). As well, because I was in a unique environment, I wanted to use my time outside of work to learn from the people, take extra time to build relationships with community members, and immerse myself in their culture and traditional practices. So with what time I had in the evenings and on weekends (probably a total of 5-12 hours per week at best), I used a modified strategy from the summer before, from the end of May to mid August: (attempted) daily Jack Westin CARS, read the Kaplan books when I could / focused on doing the end of chapter questions and actively learn, studied someone's pre-made Anki deck of just Amino Acids (sorry I don't remember which one I used), and listened to the MedSchoolCoach MCAT podcast on spotify when I was commuting. There were COUNTLESS times I felt like giving up again, but some of my closest friends often reminded me that if I wanted to apply, I had to write the darn thing. I only had time to complete 1-2 Kaplan chapters of the bio, gen chem, o-chem, bio chem, phys/math and only did one Kaplan full-length test. I wrote the MCAT in August 2022 (CPBS/CARS/BBLS/PSBB) = 122/125/124/125; total of 496. This did not meet the UBC cut-off so my application was voided. But luckily I was still able to submit an application to UofC. I'd like to recognize that the MCAT is really hard, if I could have/had more time I would have absolutely wanted to study more, but I couldn't with the circumstances I was in. So please take this approach with a grain of salt.
• UofC app and interview: with the 10-Year Exclusion Rule and 2 full-time years of my second undergrad, I had an application GPA of 3.95, MCAT score 496, and a fairly well-rounded 'Top Ten Experiences' given that I was 29 when I submitted the application. I chose my top-ten experiences very carefully (I had reflected and curated a spreadsheet of all my experiences over 2-3 years before writing my application) and ensured that the ones I wanted to include really exemplified who I was, what I was proud of accomplishing, and more importantly what I had learned / how I had grown as a person in my experiences. I also utilized the "tell us more" boxes where I could explain why I had low grades in my first degree (different type of student at age 17 vs. 29, didn't really know what I was doing with my life in my first degree, was injured a lot and didn't seek the appropriate help/support, etc...), and why my MCAT scores were so low (explained the challenges of living in a rural area, how it was a tough balance between choosing to learn from a textbook and excel on the mcat vs. learning from a community about their culture and practices, and why I ultimately chose to learn from the community > textbooks, etc...). I was very honest in these sections and didn't try to make excuses. I took responsibility for my choices but was also fair in my own judgements of myself. I was very fortunate to receive an interview at UofC and found that practicing for the MMI really benefitted me. I originally thought it was something that I would excel in naturally, so I procrastinated on preparing. But it wasn't until I did a mock interview with a friend that I realized I was terrible at talking about myself and expressing my thoughts intelligently in such a constrained time frame. So I went into hyper-mode and joined the UAlberta and UofC Facebook Groups/Discords to find people to practice with. It was really helpful to see other people's styles and ways of expressing themselves when the prep groups were larger in the beginning. But closer to the interview, I gravitated towards a couple of people from the MMI groups that I trusted to give me honest, constructive, and meaningful feedback and practiced more often with them. In addition, I also did a couple of mock MMIs with those applying for Physio/OT at UBC which I thought was refreshing, and a couple times with my family/friends. I think I spent around 4 weeks doing practice sessions at least 2-3 times a week.

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After a long and winding road, at the age of 30, I was accepted to the UofC Medicine class of 2026.
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I think my story can be interpreted in many ways, but the takeaway I want to share is that I have had my fair share of learning experiences (or "failures") in my academics, career, and personal life that have shaped me. For those of you that this resonates with, there is hope. This path will, at times, feel more difficult for you than for others, and you will probably go through moments when you think that the application system is not made for older, non-traditional applicants. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I credit some of this success to asking those around me for support, whether that was asking academic advisors for advice, asking classmates to collab on notes/anki cards, having friends read med school applications or check in on you while studying for the mcat, or even accepting a home-cooked meal from someone that loves you; your community will make you stronger, I promise, accept the help. If you are someone who needs to do another degree or unclassified studies to bolster low grades, take courses you know you are going to enjoy and excel in. Also, if you do go back to school, sometimes it can be challenging having classmates who are a decade younger than you, but keep an open mind and find your core group in classes - it makes the experience more enjoyable and more successful, honestly. Also, it's kind of fun listening to Gen Z lingo, but it's less fun trying to explain Mean Girls quotes to classmates born in the same year the movie was released haha (just kidding... but actually).
You may have to make some sacrifices in life, but if the journey to medicine is one that feels right for you, keep going, don't give up on yourself, and trust the process. If anyone has questions, I will absolutely do my best to help as much as I can, feel free to send me a message. Good luck, and I sincerely hope this helps.