Small senegalese twist with curly ends

Hi guys!
I would like to ask what's currently happening with PC games. It might take a while... But maybe it's worth pausing and thinking about where we're heading?
I've started feeling like a cash cow for developers. I recently tried to find a good game to play, but without success. What's being released now is a reheated dish soaked in microtransactions, which once achieved success (Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, or Far Cry). It's all the same everywhere, and it's equally bland - oppressed people and guerrilla warfare up to the point of nausea.
The Assassin's Creed series was great until Unity: an open world, naval battles like in Black Flag... And then came the ancient crap called "Origins," with some character levels completely out of nowhere, swinging a million of the same swords with a 0.5 difference in stats... Or a stronger enemy to whom you stick a hidden blade into the head, and he turns around and kills us in one hit. WTF? I didn't even bother with the subsequent installments because the character leveling and the reheated story, which completely forgot about the roots of the plot, the fights between the assassins and the "enlightened/Illuminati" (etc).
The Far Cry series - the third and fourth parts (I wasn't particularly fond of the first one with mutants, and the second one was unfortunately heavily restricted). Unfortunately, Far Cry 5 didn't captivate me at all, but right after that came the sixth part, and it was a tragedy. Everything was forcibly "guerrilla," the hype completely exceeded the game itself, the story was practically the same as in the fifth one, and there were a million microtransactions for skins (why would anyone need character appearance in a first-person shooter?!). And so, we stroll around in some pseudo-armor as if we were never seen by the guards with rifles hidden in the lower part of their backs because, you know, we don't look like "guerrillas" XD.
Call of Duty - what happened to normal 64-player servers? Could I play sabotage on a larger map in hardcore mode? What's the point of these small maps with 12 people running back and forth? I'm talking more about the "regular" COD here. And "Warzone" itself? The idea was fine, but the execution was a tragedy. Putting three SAPI plates on the front of a tactical vest xD. You shoot with a .408 cal/.50 cal, you hit a guy, and he keeps running because you only removed the plates, while normally, after being hit by such a bullet, he would be a wet stain from the kinetic energy alone... The same goes for emptying almost the entire magazine into a guy.
Anyway, once again, we have an "unfinished" game that relies on microtransactions with skins (I'm waiting for the clown or bunny suit skin). I think my cringe level has reached its maximum.
So, in general, I feel like developers are running out of ideas or resorting to previously successful titles and it's like reheating an old dish (you play it once, if you can endure it until the end, then uninstall it, and forget about it like I did with FC6 - I didn't make it to the end). We pay for unfinished products, then we have to wait another year for them to patch the game, and when everyone is practically bored with it, they start releasing DLC.
Seriously, I currently don't have anything to play. The last worthwhile title, in my opinion, was Hogwarts Legacy. It's a bit childish, but I didn't encounter any major bugs or errors. Honestly, I'm looking forward to DLC or a new installment. I don't know, maybe my expectations are too high, and I'm a boomer? Or maybe gamers have indeed become cash cows, and developers release anything just to cram in as many microtransactions with skins as possible, hype the product, and then release crap. I was recently looking for something similar to RDR2 (an open world with a great story without any monsters), but I didn't find anything.

Hi all
Been at Keto now for about 5 months. Quick history. I did AIP diet before this to help with mental health issues and weight loss issues. They both went down on the diet, so I thought maybe Keto is the next step.
Keto was an adjustment even though my carbs were already fairly low at about 50-70 per day. It was a real mixed bag. I had some real hard times sleeping when adapting. Learning new recipes was tricky. I also found for some reason over the beginning I was not getting the energy I had heard about. However my mental health anxiety symptoms were remaining low. Over about 3 months of keto my weight stayed still. So it felt like a holding pattern. I was considering quitting, but I also had read sometimes these improvements can take 6 months - year.
A nice boost was my bloodwork, which looked much better than my last test. Especially testosterone, which was low normal before and now is high normal! Best result in 3 years. Even my cholesterol levels were fine. That was encouraging. So I began to tinker a bit more.
Biggest thing I tried, and this is a god given gift, was to reintroduce coffee. When my anxiety began 4 years ago, Coffee was a no-no. I could not handle it, my symptoms would go too high. I haven't really drank coffee in years. So i tried a keto coffee with coconut oil (Bulletproof style). The last two weeks my energy has gone way up in a good way. I'm drinking coffee every morning, just a cup or 2. My mood has improved, libido is better, and less hunger! I went almost 18 hours without even thinking of food. And now my weight loss has continued again, about 3 pounds lost this last month. My fat mass is decreasing and muscle mass is going up. I think 6 more months of this will create a real solid improvement.
I can't say how happy I am about this small thing, I love coffee. I have missed it so much, now I'm drinking it again. And my weight is dropping. I haven't been this light in 5 years. I feel I've got over a big plateau. I think Keto may have helped me enough to handle it again.
My biggest mental health improvement in the last 5 months is less nightmares. I used to have them every night about a year ago. Now they seem to have stopped.(?) Now if only I could get rid of the mild brain fog I have.
I am an N=1. But for me, I've tried alot of stuff these past 4 years to improve my health. Is keto helping? I'm pretty close to giving it an official stamp of approval for me. I'm going to do another set of blood tests end of the month. But right now I'm encouraged again! Another small improvement have come from adding shirataki noodles (low cal easy snack). Probably at least 3-6 months more before I consider changing anything.
You know, there's always some hope out there somewhere, I've come real far from a real dark place. Diet has helped me when a lot of things did not. Glad to be here right now.

(Hey everyone! Finally out of the shadow realm! Im reposting chapter five here, 6 is still percolating away in my head, but in the mean time, enjoy! Comments are appreciated!)
4-LOM rolled up to the holotable, the aging shipbuilder looking over the various fleet and division commanders.
4-LOM was an old Mk1 astro robot, his main body was a sphere, with four mechanical arms extending from his body, two large and bulky, and the other two smaller, more nimble and accurate, more dexterous, with a cylindrical lower body leading down to his treads, which were angular, tank like in shape, designed for heavy lifting. His head was flat, with a duo of square optics, a set of welding shields flipped up, ready to flip down when and where needed. His backpack was open, with tools sticking out, ready to be grabbed and used.
Looking around, he noted that the Saurians had their Admiral, a middle age Rox, their massive, tyrannasauric form still managing to tower over most of the others, even in holo, while Serano stood next to him. Nearby, Hota sat, nursing a coffee, rubbing his head, while one of the chief science officers hologram glanced at him nervously.
Another door entered, and a Mk12 frame entered, standing at the table. At first glance, the frame looked pristine, but 4-LOM wasn't fooled. He wasn't a shipwright for nothing, and he could see the pitting under the paint where plasma weaponry had uselessly splashed off, taking with it little layers of metal with it. Despite how new the frame looked, it was clear it had seen some action, recently as well, judging by the fresh coat of paint.
More holograms of fleet officials, and the bridges, or representations of their ships, flickered in above their shoulders. Serano looked like he had an old sailing ship floated there idly, a representation of the Enterprise. Some had wasps, while one captain had a cartoonish Barbus fish, with an old style white sailors cap and a belt of dynamite.
And then a small black hole flickered into view in front of his faceplate, making him roll back with a start. Getting a good look at the now pulsing black hole, he seemed to frown, one of his welding shields rising higher to simulate a eyebrow raise….. "Horizon? Is that you, little lass?" He said, with a thick, Scottish accent as his other shield rose up to join the other in shock.
The holographic black hole bobbed up and down in the air, two arms extending out from its corona and spun, as if to represent it, no, her, spinning in happiness. For a moment, 4-LOM was silent, before he began laughing, reaching up, even as his servo passed through the holo. "Ach, what I wouldn't give ta be in the Link with ye, lassie! I'm glad ye survived." He said, as the little ever hungry representation of the ship spun around him, before it shot off, floating near the Mk12, who looked at it.
The 12s head tilted more, as it listening to what the ship was saying, while 4-LOM felt a bit of possessiveness flair. Horizon was one of HIS creations, his and his wife's. Their ships were like children for them. Rolling over, he mentally began preparing a bit of what his wife would call the shovel talk, something they used to do with Captains that took on their vessels……
"Did you need something, Grandfather?" The machine said, domed head snapping to his, taking the wind out of his sails, and stare blankly at the taller, thinner machine.
Behind him, he heard Serano chuckle behind him, even as the Rox raised an eyeridge, while the Saline sat his mug down and placed his head in his hands.
"Grandfather- oh. I see…." He said, gaze turning flat as he gave a glare at Horizon. "I see the little gremlin is still able to make me short a fuse or two. Void knows Maria's hair turned white before she had to move bodies due to someone's antics." The little black hole pulsed sharply, as if squawking. "Would have appreciated a warning she made herself a captain…. Lassie, ye best be teaching him self preservation instincts." Catching the snort from the Rox and the sigh from Serano.
Slowly, his head turned around to face the two, one shield twitching, and finally saw Hota looking up with a flat look. "Too late on that one. I'll pass you the after action report later, AFTER the meeting." Serano said, hiding a smile. "If you want a first hand account, ask Hota. From what I understand, he had a front row seat for the Chaos the two caused."
She wasn't a little ship anymore, she wasnt- ah kriff it all. She was still his little lass. He'll talk with her later…preferably with Maria there…..after he grabbed his wrench and had a….. talk….. with whoever was their crew.
/------------------/
All the admirals and fleet commanders were soon in place, Asimov standing to the side, near the Admiral Serano, Horizons representation floating next to his head as his own panned about, looking at the assembled species. Several robotic ones, not Astro Robot series, called Glinch, looked at him curiously, while he picked out several different….Saurians, a few Roxes, several Trikes.
Several were pale, white skinned humans, bald, be they male or female. Clones, like himself, but with organic bodies, accompanied by nat-born humans, and several more advanced Astro Robot series units, these ones looking everything from near human, to large and bulky, armed with cannons, inbuilt missile launchers on their upper arms, and massive treads, or slimmer, almost skeletal ones with modules that could be swapped out at a moments notice.
"I appreciate ye all for coming on such short notice" 4-LOMs voice said, cutting over the gentle hubbub of the side conversations. "I had hoped that we wouldn't be facing them again, but here we are." The robot said as one of his smaller limbs tapes a command into the console, pulling up images of Everwatch stations current…condition. "Those of yeh from Federation space are more familar of the old stories, battle videos and the like. The Demons, as the Human Federation calls them, have been returned. It's only thanks to the work of Representative Hota that we have this information….. and had stumbled across an old Ace that had woken back up in time for this chaos." 4-LOM said, nodding to the Saline, getting the attention of his compatriots, who he shook his head to.
"Our opponents are equipped with biotech vessels, and are known for appropriating technology to forcibly integrate it with their own. Which means keep an eye out for a worse hodgepodge of weapons than a pirate vessel after its crew hits a pound of Spice and then gets drunk at a star port." 4-LOM said dryly, as various, old, images of the vessels and a few of the newer ones. "That being said, expect the sheer firepower jammed onto each of these ships to be on the higherside. However, they need long recharge periods, likely due to whatever power source used overloading, or the capacitor banks running dry and needing to recharge. Don't be fooled, they do have some form of biological armament, acid spitters, spike launchers, the works." He said, as images flicked up organic turrets, tentacles, and what looked like maws.
"As of right now, several of our larger vessels are being inspected and repaired, resupplied, and upgraded as needed. Several older vessels are being pulled out of mothball for the same reason. All civilian vessels are being drafted for emergency roles, receiving refit with hardware that will allow them to fight in a pinch, though their primary objective will be escorting transport ships and acting as emergency evacuation ships. We won't be expecting them to fight, but we need every ship we can get."
An image flickered into view of what amounted to the humans old museum of warships and deep space vessels, revealing it to be a hive of activity. Many other races had laughed at humanity for keeping their old vessels, rather than scrapping them, but now, now there was a reason why humanity had.
"Patrol fleets are to be at least one Saline Sensor ship, two to three Buckler class Trike Shield Bearers, one Rox Artillery ship, one Vohle capable human vessel, Two human PT ships, and three Raptor Swift claws." 4-LOM said, "these things aren't to be taken lightly. Sensors pick them up, call it in and engage. Stall for time if needed for reinforcements to arrive. Intercept fleets are to consist of five Trike Aegis class Shield Bearers, six Swift claws, one Rox supercarrier, three Rox artillery ships, two Saline Auxiliary ships, one Saline Medical cruiser, one Human Vohle Super-carrier, eight human PT ships, two Human Iowa class destroyers." The elderly bot belted out, making several Captains and admirals wince. Those weren't lightweight ships. The 'patrol' fleet could have been considered a planetary invasion force.
Before anyone could make any arguments or questions as to why the fleets were set to the Human classic of 'Maximum Overkill', and before any more ridiculous fleet deployments could be called out, a slightly panicking human sprinted into the room. "Sir! Confirmed hostile assault on Tisan-4" the human said, breathing heavily. "The Demons made planet fall, looks like a small invasion force that had left before the incursion field went up."
4-LOM stared….and then sighed. "Well, Caliburn had been itching for a fight." He sighed and placed a servo over his optics.
/-----------------------------------/
WARNING: Hostiles detected. Match confirmed; species D-65.
Threat level:Apollyon. Combat systems:unlocked.
That was what appeared on the Colony Managers terminal as alarms screamed across the Colony, alerts screaming on PADDs, sirens spinning as bunkers opened up.
An aging Wargen bared his teeth as he rapidly tapped at his terminal, as the younger human clone stood grimly at her manager's terminal.
"Civilians are filling out the bunkers, tunneling charges are set and ready to clear escape routes." The elderly, wolf like Wargen said, his muzzle splitting into four as he spoke, one part vertical, the other horizontally. "Colonial militia are manning hard points and connecting to systems now."
"Understood." The Colony manager said and let out a long breath, before opening the PA system. "All hands, brace for Activation procedure. I repeat, all hands, brace for activation procedure." She said, before securing herself in on one of the chairs, even as the commander buckled himself in across from her, even as terminals all around them flickered and the building shuddered and shook, new lights came online all over.
"And the other races call our alliance insane for building the bunkers" The Wargen muttered under his breath as the command room became a flurry of activity, sensor teams working together in an attempt to get data on their opponents. "Our people are safe. That's what matters, commander." The clone said softly, looking at her long time friend, even as the hidden defense system of the Colony woke up.
/------------/
Outside, the demonic army approached, on a slow, steady March, disgruntled at the lack of organics they had found to use. They needed biomass to fuel their war machine, to create their bases, their armies, their ships. And while they didn't care much about the sheer number of ships they lost during planet fall thanks to the orbital defenses, they needed to deal with the local defense computers. There had to be a way to broadcast an all clear signal and allow their other ships past.
Before them sat a large, fortified structure, looked like a massive cathedral, really. The irony was not lost on them as ports on the castle-like structure opened up, and began spitting metallic shells at them, exploding after punching through their infantry, leaving craters behind, destroying more of their forces.
The ground shook as their massive siege beast began forming from the splattered biomass, like some strange, oozing horror, slowly forming into a quadropodic creature.
The beast was mostly just a giant mouth in legs, with a long, worm like body lined with eyes, teeth, spikes, and tendrils, flinging said teeth at the structure.
Warlord Gistle ground his teeth as he stared at the cathedral as it held its own, his forces decimated by the attempted rain of metal. Said rain changed to one of scalding plasma as the castle changed tactics to try and burn the bodies to prevent them from forming additional, stronger units.
"Battle lord." Hissed one of the smaller battle chiefs said, as they stepped up next to Gistle. "The Seekers have not located where the miserable Frails have hidden themselves. Our efforts would be best put to entering the fortress ahead." The chief said, pointing at the massive fortress as the siege beast brushed off the weapons fire.
"No need, we will be inside soon en-" Came the guttural voice of the Warlord, before it was interrupted by a computerized voice, echoing out.
"THREAT ASSESSED. ASSUMING COMBAT MODE."
There was a rumble, everyone grabbing onto the stablest thing around them as the ground tore apart, the siege beast stumbling back, as the building tore up its own foundations as steam hissed out, and part of the building lifted up, and then slammed into the ground, and then the other side, slowly pulling itself up….and up…and up……
The structure wasn't a structure. Not any more. Towering over them, looking like a massive hunchback stood the cathedral, it's towers opening, revealing to be cowling around massive artillery cannons. It's arms, once covered with flat pillars, opened up to reveal a set rotating barrels, slowly spinning up, and a bulky duo of MAC batteries on the other arm. Sticking off the side of its upper arms were smaller hardpoints, each turret armed with four barrels, small and accurate, sniping ground units with horrifying accuracy, the soft metal shells ripping away to reveal their incendiary cargo held within steel mesh, allowing the coilguns to spit them out rapidly.
The head section looked like a sphere with three optics in a triangular formation, around a cannon that locked onto the siegebeast and whined, arcing brightly, before it fired, a bright flash seen as the cannon went off, it's round leaving behind a trail of fire as it raced through the air, punching through the beast, making it howl, and began trying to heal the injury that pierced it, ripping open a hole below it.
It's bipedal legs were thick, armored, and just as equally armed, it's lower legs armed with rotary cannons that spun, the lower pair foring a heavy stream of plasma, one barrel firing and then cooling as it spun, the others keeping the pace up, while above them, physical artillery was spat out, helping pierce armor for the plasma to scorch and burn to uselessness. More cannons sat on the sides and back of its legs in, taking aim at the surrounding armies, making sure to add on their screeches of rage.
Hanging off the underside of the platform that held the Cathederal sat more turrets, each swiveling around and adding to the chaos, their mini MAC armament chattering as they fired, picked a new target and fired again. On the top of the platform were AA cannons, taking aim and firing into the air, altering the timing of their rounds so that they acted as impromptu artillery, while more cannons, on four turrets, covered the monstrosities back, preventing them from sneaking up behind it, as if the cannons on the back of its legs weren't enough to cover it.
"TARGET ACQUIRED."
Warlord Gistle hissed in shock. The Frails had been LIVING in a Siege beast of their own!? Hidden partially underground, deceiving them to make it seem as if it was nothing more than a fortification!?
"Have all expendable units merge with our Siege beast, NOW! if the frails continue to pick our forces off one by one, they will never be able to reinforce our beast after they fall!" Gistle roared, even as around him the battle chiefs barked out the orders……..
/-------------/
The massive machine stared down at the hostile forces as they turned into a thick, biological slurry, short of the Demons themselves, and oozed towards the horror before it.
The monster seemed to absorb the substance on contact, growing larger and larger with each passing moment, howling and hissing.
He could feel his crew cursing in their heads, humans and otherwise, lighting the slurry up with plasmafire, burning some of it, but not enough. Caliburn agreed with them, as his Plasma getting cannon spun up, the five barrels glowing brightly, the heatsinks by the ends of the barrel glowing as the machine poured plasmafire from the barrels, searing into the beasts body, burning it up as it grew, stunting its growth heavily, and forcing it to consume more biomass to make heavy, chitenous armor, layers burning away under the assault.
Caliburn could feel the dust coming off as his gears spun, and he stepped forward, swinging the glowing arm as it cooled down, making the horror screech as he spun his upper body to add to the force of the blow, digging the glowing heating into the beast's face and knocking it back, buying time for his crew to deal with the horrific slurry around them, which still tried to fuse with the horror, chasing after it with a single minded determination.
As his upper body slowed down and he was facing forward again, he saw the beast setting up, snarling. His other arm came up, and he could feel his capacitors burning as he began firing his MAC arm at it, the massive, vehicle sized slugs punching into the beast, knocking it back farther, punching holes in the chitin it tried to grow as armor, making it hiss and move rapidly, trying to put distance between itself and the machine.
Unfortunately, the beast had the advantage in land speed, as it had four legs, while Caliburn only had two and lumbered slowly forward, his aging systems relishing the taste of combat after so long. And now he had far better weapons then a simple crane arm, like he had last time he fought a creature like this.
Because the beast had put distance between itself and him, it managed to absorb the last of the biomass, and began bounding forward, it's maw open, teeth spinning like some sort of Cuisinart….
A target he couldn't miss. His head cannon barked again, not as powerful as last time, but this time, he wasn't trying to rip it apart from the inside. The shell detonated on contact with the teeth, shredding them, tearing into the soft flesh within, making the beast howl and close its maw, it's chitin armor weathering the plasma splashing off, hardened to withstand the smaller weapons fire his crew spat at the creature.
His arms pulled their shrouding back around them, as he drew back and swung, hard, again using his body spinning to his advantage, striking the beast, the heavy weight of the heatsink and the weapon itself burying the shroud covered arm inside, the end opening up. Unfortunately, thanks to the partial shrouding, he wouldn't be able to spin his cannon, but all he needed was one shot inside it, and let it fly, ripping his arm out as it howled, smoke billowing from its new hole it tried rapidly to heal.
The tendrils it had tried to dig into his arm burned away as he kicked it up from below and began unloading both arms, fully unshrouded, the heat coming off both of them making steam hiss up into the air, as the beast took a heavy slug and then a plasma bolt, one after the other, deep into its stomach, sending it onto its back.
Loud popping sounds were heard as its limbs reoriented, allowing its former belly to become its back, the holes sealing slowly as it circled the walking cathedral, even as Caliburn scanned it, his upper body following its every movement. His command crew were breaking down every schematic and scan he gave them, working hard to figure out a way to kill the horror.
In the mean time, Caliburn and his crews would do their damndest to stall the beast and continue on their current plan. Burn it down, slowly.
He could feel his crews tracking the retreating demon forces, listening to the mental chatter within him as the artillery crews happily worked together to figure out their path, searching for the enemy command position, even as sensor crews watched as the rapidly approaching flood of biomass and machinery charged for them, some of the artillery crews already letting loose N-4 shells, the 'super-napalm', as the crews nicknamed them, impacting and exploding, burning into the biomass, unquenchable, even as the biomass attempted and failed to smother the burning substance, only serving to make it worse, melting the weaponry it carried with it.
The only reason why the crews could get away with it was because the biomass wasn't near the Bunkers exits or near infrastructure. Or Burnable items.
Command soon had a viable target, a sort of brain mass it had, separated throughout its body in a vain attempt to make sure it could still operate when a few of them were destroyed.
Several had been burned away by the plasma bolt going off inside of it, but many more remained, and it was attempting to make more/replace the burned away ones. They needed to eliminate the command signal….
Jubilation and grim satisfaction bloomed in his sensor and artillery crews, as he felt the mad scramble for bunker busting shells, before they were let loose into the air. Even as he blocked a tail strike from the beast and managed to crush its head under one foot, letting his landing engines ignite for the first time in decades to burn the creature more, his crews targeted the command bunker, shelling it with deadly accuracy, smoke rising from the hill they were tucked away behind in the distance, making Caliburn burn with satisfaction and praise for his crew.
/---------------------/
Gistle ran as fast as his hooves could move him, teeth barred as he snarled.
Around him, their command temple shook and shuddered, veins bursting, cables arcing wildly as the biomass contracted involuntarily or simply sagged, turning to biomass.
"Warlord, they are heavily shelling our position, we won't be able to retreat at this rate!" Hissed one of the Battle Chiefs at his side, hissing in fear, even as he snarled at the Pitiful, compared to him, creature. "We won't be taking everyone, only the essentials. The Everlasting King must be notified of this development. King be damned, the frails took the time to prepare for our arrival again." He growled as he came out to a hanger area, and ran into a small, fast ship, even as the others ran into larger, bulkier, slower ships.
Soon, the chitin that served as the door opened, and they shot out, erratically flying, trying to avoid the artillery shells, and now AA fire joining the fray.
He kept close to his compatriots, using them as a living shield as he twisted the small vessel around, smirking as he dodged the fire while they took it..
They were almost to space, soon, they could tear a Gate and get the fleet-
Reality tore open above him as a massive ring shaped vessel pushed itself into real space, disgorging hundreds of smaller vessels, bearing down on their positions, others engaging the floating fleet around them with aggressive assault runs, the sudden appearance in the system allowing them to have the element of surprise.
Weapons fire began filling the space around f them, tearing at their vessels faster then they could repair them as little, frail vessels zipped in and out of line of fire faster then they could shoot, track, or react, unloading slugs, plasma, torpedoes in a flurry of activity before diving away, allowing their munitions to wreak havoc amongst them.
Already, the larger vessels were disabled before Gistle managed to sacrifice one, smirking as it warped, it's biomass fueling the Gate, as he flew through, hoping he was in friendlier territories, unaware of a sensor torpedo flying in behind him.
/------------------------/
Down below, on the surface, Caliburn flung back his opponent again, arms blazing as he shelled it.
It was bigger then it had been, managing to absorb the biomass from the surviving landing ships and the remains of the command center they shelled out. It's armor was thicker, and was flinging out dozens, hundreds of calcium spikes, spitting its unknown energy weapons, only to splash off his shields, for the energy weapons, and his ar.or foe the calcium spikes, even as his weapons screeched.
The beast had holes all over its chitenous armor, from his shells punching in, or his artillery crews shelling the beast, his plasma following close behind as he sought to burn the creature out from the inside, going so far as to ram his plasma cannon inside and unload it, the rotating barrels helping tear it up from the inside as the heat sinks burned it.
Ships began dropping down from above, doing strafing runs, dropping smaller caliber explosives, distracting the beast as he tore another hole in it by spinning his upper body, one shrouded cannon arm striking the beast and ripping in, just as a gunship fired a Cleaner into it, just before it healed.
A burning flash of light, a horrific scream from the beast as it howled, body jerking as the explosive did its job…. Before it swung down, still alive, though just barely, it's armor shattering rather then buckling on the next strike from Caliburn, a facsimile of a uppercut, before the barrels let loose again, even as the plasma cannon dumped bolt after bolt into its lower body, searching for, burning the neural clusters as he found them.
The beast wrenched itself away from his grasp, snarling as it looked at him, the beast snarling as it tried to heal from the most recent injuries.
Caliburn felt his crew snarling back, his cannons swiveling around as they gave their response in munitions as he lumbered forward, the ground shaking from his steps and the escape ships erupting out of the ground around them, his rotary cannon screaming as it fired, the MAC on the other arm barking as he hit it again and again as it charged forward.
The beast no longer cared for its injuries, all it cared was to take the metal monster before it down, spitting acid out of it as it tried, and failed, to blind the machine, even as said machine swung its smoldering plasma cannon up and brought down the burning barrels down on its head, smashing it into the ground, pinning it there as it's crew continued shelling it out ruthlessly.
Caliburn refused to let the beast survive, he refused to let the thing get to the civilians. His crew snarled their agreement as the beast tore the pinned head off its body, even as it burned away to nothing, and tried to charge again, blindly, only to smash against the MAC arm and receive a pair of heavy slugs to the neck stump for its troubles, sending it somersaulting back, trying to reform its head.
It was much, much smaller now, now matching Caliburns size, due to all the biomass loss, it's head reforming as it snarled.
Caliburn seemed to roll his pauldrons and twitched his MAC, as if saying 'come at me'. The beast howled and charged forward, razor sharp tentacles erupting from its sides, whipping about wildly, only for turret crews to blast the tentacles off at the base, and for his artillery crews to shell it down from above, flattening it into the ground again with explosive shells.
Again, the beast began pulling itself out of the ground, only for another strafing run from aircraft , this time dropping standard napalm canisters onto the beast, making it howl as it healed around the canisters, and began burning from within.
It thrashed and writhed, tail and body whipping about, even as Caliburn kept firing, not letting up, shells puncturing the chitin bubble it was trying to form around the napalm to contain it, keeping it burning into the beasts body.
At last, the beast tried to fling itself at Caliburn, thinking that it could at least burn out the mechanical monster with it, only for Caliburn to swing and strike it, flinging it away again, the beasts body unable to get back up, and laid there, slowly burning away at last……………

Greetings guys, when the Pixel 4a goes EOL (end of life) with updates, I would still like to get new security updates or even a new OS like android 14. From all the custom ROMs Pixel Experience has caught my eye, but I have a few questions about it.
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1. Is there any difference (even small) between the stock Pixel operating system and Pixel Experience ? Will I still get the features like Now Playing, Adaptive charging, etc.
2. Will Google Pay and banking apps still work ?
3. Will the camera perform the same. Will I have the same Google Camera app
4. Will battery life be worse ?
5. How are new montly updates downloaded ?
6. Are there any cons to installing Pixel Experience after stock Pixel operating system EOL

​
I would appriciate any response

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/X5H3XjN
MUCH BETTER PICS HERE
Takeoff upper from my MR556. Barrel has been swapped out for a Nefarious Arms 11” CHF chrome lined barrel. I ended up with two of these uppers and I’m too poor to keep both.
Details:
•OEM HK MR556 Receiver (new/unfired), BCG, and Piston Assembly
•Nefarious Arms 11” barrel (new/unfired)
•Brownells 10” small vent billet gas block (attached) and OEM HK gas block
•OEM MR556 long handguard also included in case you want to try some kind of weird tuck thing with a suppressor.
•OSS Comp that came with the upper
$1875 shipped
See my MK18 WTS here

Throwaway account, my friends and I recently met for a Friends Reunion, and we ended up talking about politics and taxes, specifically about CBT (Citizenship-Based Taxation). For those who don’t know if you are American and move abroad, you must file tax returns and pay taxes if you earn above a certain amount (>100k). It’s simple and a good system, as it keeps the rich in line. My friends are upset with me and want me to apologize.
The reunion was a long and difficult event to plan because a few of our friends live abroad. One friend, let's call him Mark, happens to be quite wealthy, moved abroad, and has an accountant who handles all their CBT-related matters. He mentioned how annoying CBT can be but reassured us that it wasn't a problem for him since they had someone to take care of it.
Another friend, let's call him Ben, who also moved abroad, expressed that while he doesn’t have to pay US taxes, he still has to file a tax return, which can be quite challenging as he has to do it on his own. Ben shared his struggles with us, especially the struggle of wanting to propose to his girlfriend but doesn’t want to burden her with his situation and doesn’t fully understand how it would implicate her. In my opinion, why should CBT implicate her, she’s not an American.
Then, there's our small business owner friend, let's call him John has been facing financial difficulties. CBT is causing him a lot of problems, and he has to spend a significant amount of money on an accountant to navigate through the complexities. CBT is putting a strain on his business, and he's struggling to keep up.
During the conversation, I chimed in and suggested that maybe they should consider renouncing their US citizenship if it's causing them so many problems. I argued that if they couldn't afford or handle the challenges that come with CBT, they shouldn't have moved abroad in the first place. I didn't feel bad about saying this because I've seen similar sentiments expressed by people on Reddit and other platforms when discussing CBT-related issues. I also added that everyone needs to pay taxes, and it would be unfair if they didn't pay their fair share.
However, after the reunion, I received messages from my friends who stayed out of the discussion. They expressed their disappointment and told me that my comments had ruined the long-awaited reunion. They pointed out that our friends (Mark, Ben, John) already pay their taxes, and my suggestion to renounce their citizenship seemed both unnecessary and hurtful.
I don’t think I’m the asshole as mentioned, my comments align with the sentiments of other people on Reddit and other platforms if they are pro-CBT like me. So AITA?

Hi Guys, I've watched the movie and I really enjoyed it, however, one thing bothers me.
The character of Spider-Punk. Don't get me wrong, I like his portrayal but In my opinion he was placed there just for one reason. To get Gwen the traveling device nothing more.
Spider-Punk as a character, doesn't like organizations, governments etc, he is fighting for people to make their own decisions in life. But suddenly he is Miquel O'Hara "Spider-Army", were you take this "choice" from other people to maintain "proper" timeline.
Also If I were O'Hara I wouldn't recruit him cos he is too much of a loose cannon. (he is a good guy but too independent)
Furthermore, how did he know that Spider-Man 2099 sent Gwen back to her dimension? He wasn't even there at the end of the chase after Miles.
For me, few things don't add up.
From my perspective, a better solution would be to make Peter B Parker realize that he made the wrong call:
-> Then he takes the device and goes to Gwen's dimension and he helps her directly. (not that she suddenly appears in front of his house)
->Also Peter would have an emotional conversation with Gwen's Dad, now Peter is also a father So It would have been emotional conversation with Cap Stacey, which would change Captain perspective about Gwen. And after their dialogue he would quit police force cos then he would realize that his daughter is most important.
Small change but for me more logical.
Still, as I said at the beginning I love that they included Spider-Punk persona in the animation.
Have a great Sunday everybody.

Sorry for ranting and venting a lil here but I have no vegan friends who could understand my struggle so thank you for listening. 😅
I´m vegan for two weeks and I´m happier than ever. :D Though my family doesn´t always seem too happy with my decision. At first, my dad was pretty supportive but he´d "never ever eat this disgusting tofu nor drink oat milk"; but hey! at least accepting.
My mom was really annoyed sometimes when I refused to eat dairy products but now she´s kinda okay and supportive of it. But my dad isn´t anymore ig. He´s okay with me being vegan but whenever I say ANYTHING against meat, I´m the bad guy. I went from Omnivore to Vegan just two weeks ago so idk why he´d think that I hate meat. I just hate the way it´s made.
They do not want to hear about the slaughtering so I don´t say it. Only some hints here and there but that´s it. But the absolute ignorance today is so infuriating...
I told him how animals are tortured. How I wished for him to watch the same documentaries as I did. His answer? "Oh I know! I saw videos of pigs being tortured but ate pork right after. I´m not the one torturing them so I´m not responsible." He got mad when I disagreed and told him, how he indirectly does. I mean, why on earth are they even slaughtered for if not for Carnist like him???
And to make matters worse, he argued how Inuit and our ancestors ate ONLY meat. When I described how this is not true, that humans are Omnivores or Herbivores, he simply ignored it (ig he doesn´t know the terms). Then, "Back in my childhood, there were many farmers who daily ate meat from their own animals".
HOW. ON. EARTH. Back in the 70. A very small farm eating their own animals. daily. Animals do not grow fast enough for a lifestyle like that! Well..... in the end he argued that we only need meat to survive but don´t need plants. -"So we could eat only meat and be fine? No plants anymore? - Yes, of course." And now it´s put as if I don´t want anyone to eat meat anymore. And that I can be so glad that my family is so supportive of my veganism. - of course...supportive. Two weeks vegan and this is the third fight about my veganism (and some tension and bad looks in between).
Oh update; my mom´s mad now too. I apparently want to convert everyone here to veganism. Ignorance always wins and it´s sad how they don´t want to listen to me once. They have not one good point for eating meat but get annoyed when I name one for veganism.

Met this guy, cute and we worked in the same area. We decided to go on a date and it was great. We did one the next day. He is male 28 and I am Female 24.
We had 2 dates and maybe met 2-3 times after during our lunch breaks.
This would’ve been all less than a month. Length of relationship is 3 weeks.
After that I noticed he kept asking me what I’m wearing in public and that I shouldn’t talk to any men. And if I do to let him know. I shouldn’t wear anything that gets me attention since I am a 10/10 ( I dress business casual btw).
He eventually said I should find a job that interacts with people less.
I found the jealousy great cuz my ex never cared if other men hit on me but this guy would go CRAZY if he saw a man hit on me.
Around maybe 3 weeks into seeing him and getting to know him he asked to see my phone. To know if I was being faithful ( mind you we didn’t have a talk about where we are or anything, and we never had a planned 3rd date).
I let him see my phone cuz I had nothing to hide and he was going through my texts. I had a convo with a relative over a serious matter and I took the phone away cuz I said that’s a bit too personal. I said I am Not hiding anything but we are no where in our relationship where you can invade my privacy.
He said I acted defensively and that I am hiding something else.
He was yelling and threatens to not see me anymore.
He got over it and on the next time I saw him 10 mins into our convo he said « let see your phone and what you were hiding last time »
Im like I am not hiding anything but this is disrespectful. I never did anything to make him worry about who I am. It was disrespectful to me as a the woman I am to have these accusations.
Nevertheless my dumb ass caves and I let him see. He went through texts, my Instagram dms. And my data wasn’t working well so he couldn’t load it. But he saw all the dms.
He Than went to the photo app. I said you can’t look through my pics because I have family photos // documents and such. I honestly do have family photos and silly family stuff and he is not that close to me in my life to see that.
I took the phone away and said you’ve seen enough When I look it away he thought I was deleting something?? Because the phone was facing backwards lol in my defensive how am I so fast to delete something I can’t even see.
Nevertheless I got up and left and said this is ridiculous and he ended stuff over text. Wished me the best lol
Mind you he is the guy who kept following random girls on ig and liking their pics( ones he didn’t know either)
Whenever he got mad he told me he would explore other options he doesn’t have any but he will find.
He was sweet inbewtween this as well but only knowing him for such a small amount of time idk
I did like him and now I feel like I did something wrong. But I also see how this is a form of abuse. He said I was way too pretty to be out etc etc
Part of me thinks he is insecure doesn’t think he is good enough to keep Me? And is projecting what he is doing onto me. Should I have let him see everything on my phone? Even at 3 weeks? Need some proper advice please

Questions Regarding Feudalism and Peace Treaties
The way I understand it (as an incredibly amateur historian), wars in feudal/medieval Europe were fought, at least to a certain extent, over claims people had to various titles. However, I struggle to find in-depth information on how wars ended, and specifically what peace treaties looked like during medieval times. So, my question is basically: What did a “normal” peace treaty in feudal Europe look like? This is kind of a multi-faceted question so it’s a long post with lots of clarifying (and possibly stupid) questions.
First, is my assessment here correct in that wars were fought over claims to certain titles, like a claim to a duchy, or were wars usually fought over something else? I know there were also wars fought over successions to certain titles (?). How common was this? Were there any other “casus bellis” that were used, and how common were they?
Were wars declared generally over claims to “small” titles like a claim to a single barony or duchy, or were they usually declared over claims to multiple duchies (or whatever “higher” titles might exist).
If hypothetically a war was declared over the claim to one specific title, would the peace treaty usually then (if the aggressor won) just transfer this one title that the aggressor had a claim to, or would it be common for the aggressor to take more titles (maybe even titles the aggressor has no claim to)?
What happens if the aggressor loses a war? Is it common then for the defending state to take land from the aggressor? If not, what did the defender do to “make up for” the war?
Was there only a change in who held certain titles? And if there was a change in who held specific titles, what happened to the vassals that originally held the title? Do they still have a “claim” on this title, or were they in any way made to renounce that claim (given that peace treaties usually try to prevent future wars I assume it would be a problem that someone would retain a claim on the newly acquired title)?
Were “titles” or I guess land areas ever divided in such a manner that only parts of a “title” were transferred to the other side? Would this create new titles, like the duchy of west [insert duchy] and east [insert duchy]?
Were vassals from the loosing kingdom ever forced to swear fealty to the victorious king? If so, how did that work in the long term? I assume fealty like that would be quite weak, and the vassal would not be a fan of the aggressing king.
Were there other aspects of medieval peace treaties like war reparations? Maybe war reparations are more of a modern concept, but if it did exist, how were they paid and upheld? Would war reparations be paid in currency, or would it be paid in something like gold? Was there ever a transfer of other things, like resources, goods, or “artifacts” after a war?
Were there ever anything related to trade, and access to resources that was established during a peace treaty (like for example access to certain iron mines, or I maybe the ability to trade for that resource).
Were truces established and were they generally upheld? What would stop someone from declaring a new war before the truce was up?
And I guess generally is there anything else interesting of note about peace treaties during this time? Was there anything else that tended to be a part of a peace treaty?
If you bothered to read all my questions. Thank you, and I would appreciate any answers, short and long. Don’t feel like the answer has to address all my questions, I just felt it necessary to specify what I was wondering and show how much (very little) I knew about the topic.

I have those two people who, talking to them, the books we have read will often be the topic of conversation. They will always tell me about certain insights of the book they have read, as if it was more of an phylosophical idea they have read than a story. I wonder how they get to that point? I know there are people on here who have a similar reading experience than them so I´d like to know how it works for you. Does this sort of stuff just pop into your head while experiencing the story? Is it clear for you or do you actively try to think about what the things you take in mean? And how does it feel to pull an insight from a story?
And if your reading experience is different, if it is not insight you gain from a story but something else, what is it?
I wish I could ask them but to be honest, at times I feel a bit ashamed. As if my consumption of books is sort of passive or as if I didn´t think deep enough. I do get certain insights when I read books but they are alway Ideas, never conclusions and there is not one big thing I take from it but rather small things that pop up in between the pages and that I can´t all recall at the end of the story. Though the story itself is what I recall very well.
I feel as if it is connected but I don´t really know how, I also cannot tell when the author is sort of lying to me. Like, with some (always rather old) books I have read there has been some magical stuff happening and only through discussion did i find out that this was a metaphor for some other thing that was happening rather than just some cool magical element to the story.

This was a book that I was worried about when I first started reading. Middle books in fantasy or science-fiction dip for me, and I thought that it could've been the case with an increased page count of the novel. Yet, I was proven sorely wrong. Robin Hobb's writing has one of the cosiest, non-cosy writing I have ever read. With Royal Assassin, we get to see FitzChivalry Farseer grasp his fingers over the few things he has control over - something we didn't quite get to see much of in the previous entry.
With an even stronger voice, although I considered one of the best parts of Assassin's Apprentice to be its STRONG characterization, particularly with Fitz, I believe this is a step up. My favourite character from the previous book was Lady Patience, and she only dropped down a little, replaced by the Queen-in-waiting, Kettricken. Her strong belief in the Sacrifice, her desire to DO SOMETHING, and her resolve to stick by King Shrewd and go out into danger on a horse whilst pregnant were admirable. I don't know if what I see in her is excellent character writing, but I could only wish to be someone like her in the situations she was put in. Aside from Kettricken, the other side characters are also pretty fleshed out. We get to see more of Burrich, Molly and the introduction of some newer characters that may play a more significant part in the final installation. Regal, as much as I hate him, is quite a 'good' villain in the sense that you get to understand his motivations and how he orchestrates many of the story's events.
The plot of this book, though, as much as I loved the sum of it, does suffer a bit. Since the series seems to focus on small scenes, interactions, and reflections within Fitz, nothing really 'moves the book along'. Some significant events happen, of course, but as a whole, it is not an improvement, per se, when it comes to pacing. If you did not enjoy Assassin's Apprentice because of its slowness, I think it can almost be guaranteed you won't like this either.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, and the ending was executed perfectly. We see Wit and Skill working with each other, and the consequences be damned or not. The ripple effects of all the politick-ing are increasingly playing a part in Fitz's life, and I'm excited to see how this goes in the next book. I'm equally excited and afraid of it, considering the mixed reviews for Assassin's Quest, with some people saying that it is incredibly draggy and some saying it's the best entry of Farseer. I would love to hear your experience with this book or series, or if you want to share anything Hobb-related, feel free to do so!

Just a small question with a yes or no answer but are there ends to the galaxies as well as tops and bottoms where there are no stars

I 26M met this girl 26F on vacation and extended my trip to live with her for a few days...Now back home we were still texting for some time, but there is somewhat of a language barrier between us, which led to an small argument.
Afterwards, she sent me a text that we should stop writing, which I interpreted as us being over. I felt like this was a rash decision, but what else can one do then accept it and try to slowly move on, even if it hurts.
Now she has sent me two more messages, after what I thought was the end, which made me think that she maybe just wanted to switch communication styles? And it was me who misunderstood her and ended it?
I am so confused and unsure of what to do. I have not texted her back as I wanted for both of us to be able to move on and heal, but if it was a misunderstanding I just made it worse by not writing back... Here are the texts in question so that you can come to your own conclusion of what was said:
22/05, 18:31 F: Eo i had been thinking and I dont know if keep talking makes Sense. I had feelings for you and to just maintain some chats i think its not enough for me im sorry
22/05, 19:26 M: Yo, I do not totally get it, but if you want to break contact, I respect and understand your decision. We had some great time together though 🐅🐆
23/05, 08:18 F: I tried to writte a text explain it but its difficult one day u can call me and we talk its better
25/05, 22:06 F: Hey sorry if my Last Message was weird o not clear enough the point is i made an excuse but at the end was bcs somehow i felt not the best vibe ~not in the Hippie way im not a hippie~ But yeah anyway i think was maybe not the right way of talking and yep wanted to be more clear
Some IRL friends said I understood her correctly and she just wanted to clarify somethings, while others said she just wanted me to call her...
TLDR: I met a girl on vacation and may have misunderstood her texts.

(sorry sa format, I'm on my phone)
TLDR AT THE END.
Hello, PHInvest!
I just need some general information tungkol sa legalities ng small time pautangan. For context, may extra cash ang parents ko at gusto sana nilang magkaroon ng maliit na pautangan using that fund. Ako ngayon ang nautusan maghandle at magplano ng "business" kasi may related experience na rin ako sa lending.
I've prepared all the necessary documents now, such as promissory notes (in English and Filipino), amortization schedules (for each term), and yung basic requirements ko para sa uutang like Valid ID, Company ID, Selfie with said IDs, and Water and Electricity Bills addressed to their legal name and address of residence. Kasama sa promissory notes yung principal amount, loan terms, maturity date, matured loan amount, interest rate per month, penalty rate per day of non-payment, pati ang collateral nila sa amin.
Ito ang problema: I'm well-aware na heavily regulated by BSP and SEC ang lending institutions. According sa research ko in the past month, ang "legal" lang na non-institution loans ay yung personal loans, pero may qualifications para maging "personal loan" ang isang loan.
Kasama dito sa qualifications ay dapat "non-regular, sporadic, and non-organized" ang system ng pagpapautang.
I get the "sporadic" part, but that also means na yan yung madalas na walang kasulatan, collateral, or even schedule of payments — walang proteksyon ang lender. But given na masyadong maraming legal documents ang na-prepare at hihingin ko mula/para sa borrower for our own protection as the lender, at maliit lang ang amount na ipapautang namin at a time which will result to frequent loans, paano namin malalaman kung pasok pa rin kami sa "personal loans" na "occasional" and "non-organized" ang pagpapautang?
*Also, baka may tips din po kayo to better protect our position as the lender, and some more tips to easily collect payments din hehe. THANK YOU!!!
TLDR: Naging bibo ata ako masyado and overly formalized our supposed "unregistered small time lending side gig" by preparing a lot of legal documents. Are we potentially violating (or about to violate) any law? TIA!

I've landed a new job this week, only by going to an interview and accepted a "test" flight.
We've first talked almost 2 hours, and it all ended up going to the field and do a small "test" flight with my new cinelifter setup + the Komodo 6k.
This was obviously my lucky day and in the end, they liked the "test" flight footage and said, well yes if you would love to, you can work for us.
I'm still soo happy!
The flight was just one battery, so here is in the link the small video I've cut for them.
https://youtu.be/i6U0UL9NwUg

So last month we went on a cruise and people were asking if I was going to take any motion sickness medication and I said no because I never get motion sickness on airplanes, cars, or small boats. Well the day of the cruise comes and we board. As we are sailing away the captain comes on saying weather conditions were going to be rough. A hour later the boat starts bouncing, partying and rocking and I start walking sideways like I was drunk. Welp the next moment I start having nausea and i'm like oh shit it's messing up with my vestibular system. I go to my parents and let them know I was not feeling well so they give me bonine and the oil behind my ear. Nope didn't work and ended up throwing up in the toilet. I start to feel a bit better but as we were getting ready to go to the MDR for dinner I started not to feel well again and thought eating dinner will help. But during dinner I struggled to eat my appetizer and ended up throwing up at the table. Thankfully in the barf bag. I go throw it out and come back but still couldn't eat so went back to the room. After dinner my mom gives me the Scopolamine patch which thankfully worked after a short nap. The rest of the cruise was adventurous and memorable. TLDR: I thought I was 100 percent immune to motion sickness but ended up throwing up at the MDR table due to motion sickness.

So i started a save with Morecambe in League One. My only goal of the season was to escape relegation with a small budget. My only signings where a few loanees and the signings of Jordon Ibe, Matty Willock and a few youngsters as free agents. The season started as expected and we were around 18th in October, but after a decent Papa Johns run and now with only about 5 games left we are 5th. This mostly thanks to my backup keeper becoming the best keeper in the league out of nowhere. The problem now is that we are really overperforming. We have some decent loanees but a big part of the squad is almost League Two standard, if even that. Our owners also dont have a lot of money to spend. What should the plan be now? Is it worth getting promoted or will that just end up costing us? If i get promoted we would need better players on bigger contracts which could set us back massively if we dont do well, or if we win the playoffs should i just keep the squad mostly the same?

Hi guys! I am small business owner catering to men with curly hair. I'd love to know your pain points are when dealing with your hair in terms of
- Your routine
- The products on the market
- What you feel is missing or could be improved
Having curly hair myself I can think of a few just wanted to see what you guys think.
Really appreciate any responses!

An elder looks out the window of his hospital room. He sees his grandchildren's schools from there. His long life is initiating its leave at last. He was shown technology, shown entertainment, shown how to socialize, Small monologues of his grandchildren about today’s fate. His grandchildren loved their grandparents, but their parents, not so much. The parents try their best to help their kids learn, but they are ignored. The kids try their best to convince their parents of its futility, but they are ignored.
A rift between generations plagues the world, Mother Nature is cut apart. For its leaders have condemned the people of their future to a world lesser than their own. And blamed those people for not living it. Now the people of the future live in agony. The people of the past make sure That they are ignored. We live in a cycle. A cycle of ignorance causing misery, and misery causing ignorance All who can change it do naught but drill our world further into the ground. And now we try to speak so our voices are heard, But our eyes and ears are no longer part of us. And so we give up. The sick and the twisted step out into the crowd, met with applause. They have breached our defense against the Sun’s rays, And yet we ignore. Tragedy every day like a stream of bullets wound the people, And yet we ignore Our present, tainted by silver screens, pleads for help from the past. but that past is tainted, with rose-tinted glasses. And they ignore, So we follow... All the world’s kings look out from their thrones, Never to hear our protests, never to know they are outnumbered. They watch in rage when their power is questioned, and send their army of god-killing rockets at one another.
And…
The elder watches his grandchildren’s schools from his hospital room. All seems to be going well for his dear family. And so, even if he leaves the earth today, He will leave as someone with accomplishment in their life.
Then, at last he hears the sound of a long beep. But it is not his heart monitor. It is a wail. It is Pandemonium. He can hear frantic yells from outside his door as he looks at the bright blue sky. The peaceful view is lined in the screaming chaos. It is a warning. A warning the likes of which would make god cower. The hundreds of questions, hundreds of thoughts, hundreds of wishes he had for his family’s fate were answered at once as he saw it. A rocket heading towards all that is his home. He watched as the rockets rushed in towards all he knew, But all he could do was scream his grandchildren’s names. And by the world, he was ignored.