College football rushing leaders

So, it's kind of standard for Pokémon fans to come up with their own regions. When I was home from college over Christmas break one year I got bored and decided to make my own Pokémon region based off my home state - Ohio (lol). This is my idea of what an Ohio-based Pokémon league would look like.
The gyms, in no particular order:
Columbus - Electric Type Columbus is home to a lot of tech companies and research non-profits. The Columbus gym would be a research lab with an emphasis on artificial Pokémon: the Voltorb line, the Magnemite line, the Porygon line, Dracozolt and Arctozolt since those are fossil Pokémon based off of paleontologists "messing up", and Xurkitree, an ultra beast accessed via wormhole (portals as we all know are very scientific)
Cleveland - Poison Type Cleveland was once a center of industry in Ohio and as such generated a lot of pollution. In fact, Cleveland's river, the Cuyahoga, used to be so polluted that it would catch on fire (a river...catching on fire). However there have been a lot of cleanup efforts over the past few decades and wildlife have finally returned to the river. This open-air gym would be a clean-up site on the banks of the river, and the trainers and gym leader would specialize in Pokémon that eat pollution, thereby cleaning up their enviornment: the Trubbish line (eats land pollution), the Galarian Weezing line (eats air pollution and expels clean air, plus the smokestack design plays into the industrial character of the city), the Alolan Muk line (eats water pollution), and the Hisuian Qwilfish line (also eats water pollution). Other Pokémon that might be used here are the Skrelp line, Tentacool line, and Galarian Corsola line, as these are all Pokémon that can be found in dirty water (Lake Erie is right there after all)
Cincinnati - Water Type Cincinnati is water type because of its location on the Ohio River, and the significance of that river to American history: before the Civil War, escaped slaves would cross the Ohio River from the slave state in Kentucky into freedom in Ohio. Because African-American churches in Cincinnati played such an important role in helping escaped slaves reach freedom, this gym would take place in an African-American church! Gym trainers and the gym leader would specialize in water-type Pokémon that ferry people across bodies of water such as Lapras. Additionally, because Cincinnati's nickname is "the Queen City", trainers here would also use water Pokémon with "regal" names: Seaking, Kingler, Kingdra, Slowking, and their evolutionary families. Finally, because this gym is in a church, Swablu and Altaria would be seen here as well, given their angelic appearances.
Dayton - Flying Type Ohio is known as the "Birthplace of Aviation", in large part because the Wright Brothers developed their designs for their flying machines in Dayton. Similar to Unova, this gym would take place at an airfield. Because the Wright Brothers worked together as a team, this gym would focus on double battles, with a particular emphasis on flying Pokémon that exist in pairs: Skarmory and Mantine, Braviary and Mandibuzz, male and female Unfezant, maybe even the Lati's!
Toledo - Fire Type Another gym on the shores of our largest body of water that is not the water type lol. You might not know this but Toledo was and still is a huge producer of glass products. It's even earned the nickname "the Glass Capital of the World". As such, this gym would be held inside a glassblowing plant, and the Pokémon used would be fire type Pokémon that can double as furnaces: Torkoal, the Magby line, the Numel line, the Rolycoly line, etc. Additionally, Lampent and Chandelure would a staple of this gym as they are literally fire-type Pokémon that are made of glass. And finally, since glass is just superheated sand, this gym would use a lot of ground types as well, especially the Silcobra and Hippopotas evolutionary families, maybe even Sandygast and Palossand (even though they can't learn any fire type moves)!
Youngstown - Steel Type Youngstown is like the quintessential Rust Belt city. One of its nicknames is "Steel Town", and historically it's been a center for steel production in the United States. Those days are long gone, so imagine a gym inside a grungy, dilapidated old factory. The trainers here would focus on the Steel "object" Pokémon, Pokémon that look like ordinary objects that could conceivably be made in a factory: Klefki, the Varoom line, the Bronzor line, and the Klink line. While not based on a manufactured product, Copperajah's skin is quite literally made of oxidized metal, so it has to be included here. Lastly, Timburr, Gurdurr, and Conkeldurr would be very popular Pokémon here as well.
Athens - Psychic Type Located in Ohio's Southeast, Athens is home to Ohio University, the oldest university in the state. As universities are centers of learning and knowledge, this gym would be located inside the university's library (sorry to everyone trying to study), and the Pokémon there would be mons commonly associated with exceptional intelligence: Oranguru, the Abra line, the Solosis line, the Blipbug line, heck maybe even Uxie (the idea of a Uxie just chillin out at OU of all places is very funny to me). Other Pokémon that could be here are Psychic-type cats (OU's mascot is the bobcat) like Meowstic and Espeon, and because owls are often a symbol of wisdom, owl Pokémon like Noctowl and Decidueye would be favorites among the trainers here as well.
Hocking Hills - Rock Type For our last gym, rather than focusing on a city, I wanted to focus on one of Ohio's state parks, Hocking Hills. This park is in the south of Ohio and is known for its hiking trails and beautiful rock formations. Like Cleveland, this would be another outdoor gym, maybe at the end of a trail, in a rocky clearing surrounded by waterfalls. The trainers here would use...well, living rock formations! The Nacli line, the Roggenrola line, the Geodude line, the Dwebble line, the Binacle line, and Carbink. Additionally, because the Hocking Hills are also a forest, certain grass type Pokémon like Sawsbuck and Leafon would be staples of this gym as well (especially Leafeon, as it evolves from exposure to a Moss ROCK).
So those are Ohio's gyms! Would love to hear your guys' thoughts, if enough people enjoy this maybe I'll make a post about Ohio's Elite 4 and Champion as well! 😊

I was just curious since a bunch of colleges around me have a football club instead of a proper team.

This is fun little short story that I've been thinking about for a while. I hope that it is entertaining for everyone and do feel free to leave a comment down below with your thoughts. I like hearing from you, and any bit of feedback can help me improve. Enjoy!
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Ask anyone in the academy and they will tell you that deep space explorer is the job everyone dreams about, but anyone who does get the job will tell you just how bad it is. Endless cycles of flying, scanning and then flying some more, all while being locked inside of a ship the size of a small apartment building. To say cabin fever sets in quickly would be an understatement.
Still, the young and naïve will shoot for the position. Some might say that it is simply human nature to want to explore and find something that no one else has ever laid eyes upon. Whatever the reason was, it was this naïve hope of finding something new that landed Lisa in this pickle.
She was a healthy twenty-five-year-old fresh out of the academy, proud graduate of the class of 2247. Her skin was fair, her hair was fiery red, and she possessed a well-toned body as a result of all the training she went through. For the last several years she had been training to be a deep space explorer, and now that she had got her wish, she just wanted to be anywhere else.
That wasn’t to say that she didn’t occasionally enjoy her job, particularly when she is able to record the discovery of a new planet or asteroid cluster, but those long periods of time between these places were killer on her psyche. The only thing that was able to keep her even remotely sane was also a necessary part of being an explorer. Her partner.
Ships always went out with people working in pairs or trios. Daniel was great. They got along well even in their academy days, having a similar sense of humor and shared some hobbies with one another. They both put in to be partners with each other because you had to be able to get along when you are locked in a metal box for months with someone.
Lisa was sitting in the pilot seat of their ship, checking the different status screens to make sure that nothing was going wrong while they were in transit. The door to the cockpit opened and Lisa glanced over her shoulder to see Daniel stagger in and flop down into the co-pilot seat with a yawn. His black hair was rather messy right now, and he had definitely gotten a lot paler since they started this journey due to the lack of direct sunlight they received.
“Morning sleeping beauty, looks like you enjoyed your little nap.” Lisa said with a slightly teasing voice.
“Yeah, well after that double shift I had to pull when the plumbing line cracked, I’ve been whipped. I appreciate you taking over my shift at the helm.”
“No big deal, basically just watching a bunch of blinking lights. Honestly might have fallen asleep myself a few times. Promise not to rat me out?”
He chuckled a bit. “Sure, so long as my unscheduled nap doesn’t make it into the logs.”
“Deal.”
With that bit of lighthearted banter, they both went back to their jobs, which for now was directing the last stages of exiting from slip space. When they exited traveling speed and coasted to a much more reasonable pace, the first of the scans for the new system they entered were sent out. Lots of stray gasses and rocks. There was a small moon sized celestial body that was high in metal content though.
“Well, that might make a good mark for a mining colony to set up around for a few years. I think that’s worth a bonus at least.” Lisa comments.
“Yeah, not the most interesting system we’ve ever been to, but it has potential. Making note of it in the log.”
Everything seemed to be going rather by the book. Lisa was interested in the possibility of the small moon growing into something else, maybe a gas planet given another few tens of thousands of years. Still, nothing much left to do here, so she... A light started blinking on the console, one that shouldn’t have been blinking this far out in the middle of nowhere.
“Huh.” She idly sounded out while reaching out to change the screen’s projection.
“What’s up?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, I'm not sure yet. The sensors are picking up a signal, but it's probably just stray background radiation tricking the system. Let me clear it up.”
Daniel nodded and let her do just that while he focused on taking a detailed recording of the moon for those back home. Meanwhile, Lisa was still trying to find the cause of the signal and filter it out. The only problem with that she found that the signal was locally generated, not just a strong interstellar pulse.
Her brow dropped in clear confusion as she started to set the scanner to track the source of the signal. It pinged several times and it came back that it was moving. “Hey, Daniel.”
“What’s up?”
“Do you know if there are any deep space probes in the area?”
“Uhm, let me check. Why?”
“That signal that we found, it is locally generated, and it’s moving.”
“Oh, damn, are we trespassing on a corporate claimed system?”
“That’s what I want to find out. Pull up the probe list for this area.”
“Already on it. Let’s see...” He scanned through the list that appeared on the screen in front for a minute, reading over various probe identifiers and posting notices. “Hmmm, this might be a problem. There are no active probes in the area, at least none that are registered. Illegal operations?”
“It’s possible. We should snap a few pictures and then report this.”
“Alright. I’ll keep an eye out for additional signals. If this turns out to be pirates, we need to gun it out of here.”
“Diverting power to engines, adjusting heading, and here we go.” With a few simple commands she pushed the ship into motion towards the mysterious signal. It was about thirty minutes of sub-slip flight to reach the general area. The tension was building in the cockpit as the two continued to be on the edge of their seats just in case this turned out to be a trap.
They entered the zone of the signal’s source, and it was projected to be within twenty miles of their current position and closing fast. “Can we get a visual on this thing yet?” Lisa asked.
“Hold on, locking in on the source, external cameras are active and searching.” It was a few minutes later that a ping sounded from his console. “Got it, putting it on the main screen.”
They both looked over to see that the source of the signal was a ship, although it wasn’t of any design or make that they were familiar with. “Daniel, any ideas of what to do? They seem to have power, but are they stranded?”
“I’m not picking up an SOS, it just seems like they are transmitting a stream of data somewhere. Should we try hailing them?”
Lisa contemplated that for a moment. “We should, just in case they need help. I’ve got the engines hot and ready to go if things get pear shaped.”
“Opening up a channel now.” Daniel flipped a few switches, and the mic was hot. “Unidentified vessel, this is the Chariot of Helios. We were passing through the area when we picked up your data stream. Are you in need of assistance?” There was a minute where nothing came back on the radio. “Unidentified vessel, please respond.” A second later Daniel’s eyebrows went up. “Uhm...”
The way he sounded had Lisa worried. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Their signal stopped.” He replied tersely, keeping his focus on the panel in front of him.
“Good or bad?”
“Don’t know. There are a lot of things this could mean. They might be doing something illegal, in which case they think we busted them, the stop of the signal could be a signal for someone, in which case this is a trap, or they are just trying to redirect their focus onto us.”
“Here’s hoping it’s the last one. I’m ready to blow this joint at a moment’s notice”
“Hold on, they’re sending something back. I’ll put in on speaker.” What came through was a series of clicking, screeching, and whistling sounds that made the two of them flinch.
“The hell was that?” Lisa asked.
“Maybe they are having some technical problems? Let me try again.” He started to transmit again. “Unidentified vessel, please repeat your last message, we did not understand you.”
This time there was a long pause in the back and forth that lasted several minutes before the ship started to send them something. “They’re sending us a data package.” Daniel said as the information came in through the screening process.
“What’s on it?”
“Hold on, it’s a pretty big file size.” There was a pause for a moment before he quirked his brow questioningly. “This is... is this a lexicon?”
“What? Let me see that.” She leaned over to get a view of the stream of symbols and occasional accompanying pictures. It had a similar layout to the lexicons that they were familiar with and were taught about in the academy but there were some minor differences that made it unique. “Daniel, do you recognize any of this?”
“The format, sort of, but not the characters or the language used here. Lisa, I'm thinking we might be involved in something big here.”
“Wait, you don’t mean that this is...”
He nodded. “Yeah, this might be a first contact.”
That was hard to grasp for the two of them. In over fifty years of human deep space travel there hadn’t been a single sign of alien life. To think that they would be the ones to discover another civilization was difficult to process. Still, there were procedures in place for such a happening if ever it did occur.
“Uhm, okay, so, erm.” She fumbled around the console a little bit while trying desperately to remember the steps as her mind was thrown into chaotic panic. “Fuck! I mean... Aliens!”
“I know, I know, just... try to keep calm and let's give them our own lexicon. We have it around here... somewhere.” He might have not have been as visibly panicked as she was, but he was still floundering a bit with the ship controls.
“Okay, alright, I’m calm, I’m good. I’ll just, uhm, put their lexicon through the learning program.” The simple VI program could parse an insane amount of data and find common patterns that it would use to devise a logical conclusion. In this case, it would decipher their language, at least in written form.
“You do that, I just found our lexicon file and am now sending the packet to them. Oh damn, almost forgot, we need to record all of this, so we have it on file.”
“Really? Shit, as if I wasn’t already under enough pressure. Can’t we send out a request for help?”
“Take a deep breath, we’re months out into wild space and any message will take weeks to travel. I'm going to start the recording.”
While Lisa watched the learning program slowly decipher the alien lexicon, Daniel started the recording with a brief description of their names, the name of their ship, and the situation that they had found themselves in. Once the basics were covered it was now just a waiting game. Either they would figure out the alien language first, or the aliens would decipher theirs. Whatever the outcome, the tension from waiting was terrible.
It felt like the progress bar on the translations was taking forever, and eventually Lisa just got up to go and prepare something to eat so she had something to distract herself with. While cooking on the shuttle was rather limited given the nature of their job, there was a certain art in preparing the dehydrated foods in a way that would make them palatable. The process of making their favorite combination of dried foods was simple, but required focus. That was able to distract her for a while, and the meal helped return the mood around the ship to at least a relative normal.
Hours ended up passing. The progress that the learning program made on the lexicon was significant. It was almost a full day of waiting and they had just reached the three-fourths mark on the program before the console pinged with an incoming message. Both of them were dozing in the cockpit when the console came alive again, and they jumped in their seats while scrambling to their stations again.
“What just came in.” Lisa asked with a slightly frantic tone.
“Hold on, checking now. We appear to be receiving a message, text only. It just says, ‘Hello’.”
“They sent that? Does that mean they figured out our language?” She sounded a bit more excited. The first successful communication between different species.
“That’s what it seems like. I guess their programs were more advanced than ours. I wonder what else they have that might be better?” Daniel contemplated all the possibilities before shaking his head. “Let’s save the speculations for later. We should return a message.”
She shot him a grin. “Will it be the stereotypical message that we always see?”
He gave a grin himself. “What better message is there? I’ve always wanted to say this.” He began typing out the message they would send to the aliens in reply, and Lisa watched as the words appeared on the screen.
‘Greetings from humanity, we come in peace and wish for cooperation.’
The cockpit went still for a few minutes, and you could barely even hear the two breathe as they waited for the reply.
‘Hello humanity, we of the Ursul Collective are gladdened to hear of your peaceful intentions.’
“Yes!” Lisa shouted out and threw her hands into the air. “Aliens! Peaceful aliens! Fuck yeah! I wonder what kind of music they have. Maybe they’re fuzzy.” She gasped at the realization. “Oh my god, if they’re furry little guys I'm going to lose it.”
“Please do not scare away the aliens before we have a chance to establish diplomatic relations.”
“That depends on them and how cute they are.”
“I will kick you out of this cockpit if you do anything crazy.”
She huffed. “Fine, I'll try to contain myself.”
“Good.” With that he got back to the conversation with the aliens known as the Ursul.
‘We are very far from our home on a scouting mission, but we hope that you would be willing to set up a meeting between our leaders.’
After a pause for apparent deliberation was had, they replied. ‘We do not have much authority as we are similar to you in occupation. However, news of meeting people from the stars will be heeded by all, so we need to return to our world to establish such a meeting. We invite you to follow but would need access to your computers to relay navigation data to avoid stellar obstacles.’
“That might be a problem.” Lisa idly states. “The security on the navigation controls wouldn’t recognize any of their computers and lock them out. They would need to give them to us in person, which means they would have to come aboard, and we don’t yet know if our atmospheres are compatible.”
“Well, we can ask them about that at the very least.” He gets to work typing again.
‘We are honored that you would invite us to your home, but our ship lacks the means of receiving that data unless it’s in person. If you would tell us the composition of your atmosphere and the weight of your gravity it would help us figure out if it is possible for a visit between our ships to take place.’
There was another brief pause before the reply. ‘Our atmosphere is mostly a nitrogen oxygen composite of seventy-five and twenty-three percent respectively with gravity set at nine point five three meters a second.’
‘Okay, that is relatively comparable to our own conditions. It should be safe for you to come aboard for the transfer, at least for a little while until further tests can be made. If you are willing to come aboard, we would be happy to host you for as long as you need’
‘We are very excited for the prospect of being the first to meet with a new species face to face. How would we connect our ships?’
‘Our dock has a flexible tube attachment that can seal around a variety of ports. You will have to make a short jump through zero gravity, but you can make it across safely. Do you have any concerns about this?’
‘We do not. Two of us will make the trip across. You may approach us slowly, our port is extended and waiting for your umbilical.’
With the permission received, they began their cautious approach as to not spook the aliens or cause an accident. The strange oblong vehicle they piloted had a flat bottom, was gunmetal grey, and currently had a tube extended from its port side. Lisa and Daniel piloted their ship to match the speed of the alien vessel was drifting at. Once they were synchronized, the umbilical tube was extended out from their ship and carefully wrapped around the extended port where it was vacuum sealed and then atmospherically pressurized.
‘The umbilical is secure; you may cross when ready.’
‘Acknowledged, we will begin the boarding process for your ship’
Lisa jumped out of her seat and rushed to the airlock, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. She couldn’t even stand still as she rocked on the balls of her feet while waiting. Daniel was much more reserved but still held a fixed grin that showed he was eager to see the aliens as well.
Soon the sound of the outer airlock closing was heard inside the ship, and the two humans straightened themselves out as much as possible. Lisa bit her lip in anticipation, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself to a respectable level. The inner door started to open, and Lisa stepped forward to speak first only to freeze in place at the sight of the beings standing in the entrance.
Standing in the entrance to the airlock were two aliens over six feet tall that looked like upright arthropods. Their black shells were reminiscent of ancient earth trilobites, eight limbs consisting of four legs and four arms, with heads similar to that of vespids, clacking mandibles and antennae included.
Lisa went stiff as a board and pale as a ghost, frozen in abject horror. The two alien arthropods also stopped all bodily movement at the sight of the humans before the one on the left let out a screech and charge at Lisa.
HolyfuckingshitthisishowIdie! Was the only thought that went through her head before her arms were seized by the alien with two of its graspers holding her by the elbows and the other two by the shoulders. Its mandibles clacked rapidly as it let out a series of whistling, humming, and trilling sounds while prodding along her head with its antennae.
Lisa was so paralyzed that she couldn’t even find it in her to scream. Her heart was racing so fast in her chest that she thought it might explode as she was on the verge of tears. In a single act of desperation, she managed to look towards where Daniel was, hoping that he would come to her rescue, but only seeing him backing away from the other alien that was moving towards him as well.
“Hey! I’m warning you dude, stay away from me, I'll rock you upside the head!” He threatened the alien that paid no mind as it still slowly closed distance with him.
“D-D-D-Daniel! Help!” She managed to stammer out.
He looked over at his partner in the grasp of the large alien and then back at the one trying to corner him. With a curse on his lips, he swung a haymaker and struck the alien approaching him on the side of its head. Immediately pain shot up through him as it felt like he had just punched a rock, but the alien was sent staggering from the blow.
Wasting no time, he rushed to the aid of his partner, and learning his lesson, he opted to grab her while shoving as hard as he could against her captor. The alien’s grip wasn’t all that strong, and she slid out of its grasp while it stumbled backwards. Immediately he pulled Lisa behind him and started to back away from them towards the cockpit.
The aliens had recovered from the blows, though still appeared to be somewhat disoriented. The one that Daniel had pushed had moved to assist the staggering alien that was punched before trying to approach the two humans again with raised graspers. Daniel put up his fists for a fight, but the punch-drunk alien reached out and grabbed its comrade, stopping them from approaching.
This alien took the lead over its comrade, approaching extremely slowly in a half-bowed manner. Daniel did not drop his guard, but he took notice as the alien reached towards one of its arms which had a device attached to it. Their nimble four fingered hands started to tap away at the device for a moment.
After they stopped fiddling with the device, the console in the cockpit pinged with a notification for a received message. Daniel cast a quick glance in that direction before returning an iron clad gaze onto the aliens who were standing completely still.
“Lisa, go check what that message says. I’ll watch them.”
She was more than okay with that as it gave her an excuse to get as far away from the freaky aliens as possible. Now in the other room she felt significantly better and was able to focus a little more. Checking the screen, she found the message somewhat odd, and yelled out at Daniel what it said.
“The message says: ‘I am sorry, we appear to have breached some sort of social barrier and apologize. We hope that we have not damaged our chances at relations.’”
Daniel’s brow dropped in contemplation. Was this just a misunderstanding? He started to feel a little bad for punching the one alien.
“Lisa, can you link my tablet to the ship systems and bring it to me?”
“Yeah, right, one second.” She was a little bit unsure about going back into that room, but so long as she kept Daniel between herself and the aliens, she could manage. After syncing the devices, she returned to Daniel and handed him the tablet, not so subtly hiding behind him as just looking at the two aliens made her break out in a cold sweat.
Daniel started to type out a question to help clarify the situation. ‘Why did you grab my partner like that?’
After reading the message, the alien frantically started typing on their device. ‘I apologize profusely for any offense that this might have cause. My own partner was simply overcome with surprise and failed to control themselves. There was no harm intended.’
‘And what was intended? You still haven’t said why you reacted that way or laid hands on my partner.’ Daniel fixed them with a glare, and despite them being significantly more terrifying than him, they seemed to shrink a little under his gaze. When they started typing again, it was with some hesitance before they sent it.
‘We do not wish to offend you, but you are very appealing to our senses, especially the smaller human with the bright fur. My companion simply could not resist touching and I apologize for his and my own actions.’
Daniel and Lucy were shocked when they read that, and it took them a solid minute to fully process it. ‘So... You’re saying that you find us cute?’
‘Yes.’
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Next

First/Previous
“Woah!” Jack yelled out as he fell out of bed Luckily he hadn’t been foolish enough to have set Dante up right next to him just in case of any accidents like this.
What stood in front of him holding a tray looked like a collection of rocks, pebbles and dirt vaguely moulded into a humanoid-ish form. Staring at it wide-eyed he levelled his gun at the thing as it slowly motioned to the tea it.had, and began to pour Jack a cup.
“Good morning Jack!” Zayle perked up as they walked in after the hulking thing. “No no no! Please don’t shoot him! He’s really nice and still owes me favours!”
Jack just stared back at the Squa’Kaar with the biggest ‘WTF’ expression on his face, not saying anything as the pile of rubble held out the mug for him to take, which he eventually did after he got the feeling it was staring at him.
“Zayle…” Jack began. “What’s going on?”
“Are you okay halveer?” Zayle asked. “My watcher spirit alerted me that you were starting to awaken so I thought I would make you a hot drink to wake you up! I sent my earth spirit to take it to you while I helped tidy up downstairs with my air spirit!”
“What time is it?” Jack asked with a groan as he got up, taking the mug from the earth spirit and taking a sip and taking care not to flinch from the taste. It was strong and bitter, and it seemed like Zayle had tried to counter that by putting way too much sweetener in it, but there was no way Jack was going to tell them after they were kind enough to go through the effort of making it and bringing it to him.
“It is early morning, I didn’t expect you of all people to awaken for a while yet!” Zayle commented. “Chiyo told me you and Nika probably would be up though. Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah.” Jack lied.
“Oh good!” Zayle perked up. “I hope everyone else does too! Uh…would you like me to get you some clothes to wear?”
“Shit!” Jack cursed as he got to his feet, quickly downing the rest of the drink and putting the mug back on the tray as he quickly went to the pile of clothes on the floor and threw on a thin undershirt and shorts.
“No need to be embarrassed.” Zayle shrugged nonchalantly. “Earth spirits don’t really understand that kind of concept.”
“Uh…” Jack began, staring at the gecko, who scoffed.
“What? I can grow a penis whenever I like, why would I be bothered?” Zayle smiled at Jack with a shrug.
Immediately, Jack spat out the drink still in his mouth in shock, spraying the earth spirit with the milky liquid. If the spirit seemed upset, it didn’t show it.
“What the shit!? Okay, time out.” Jack spoke up after he finished spluttering. “I don’t even know if you’re joking or if you’re serious. That was too much!”
“Sorry!” Zayle covered their mouth to stifle their laugh. “It is true though! My species evolved to do it to deal with population issues but it doesn’t really matter these days. At least it helps with the stupid school uniform policy! Have you ever tried wearing a skirt in a breezy winter? It’s not good!”
“Can’t say I have.” Jack replied with the first genuine chuckle he had in a while. “Is it really that terrible?”
“It’s really bad! My people grew up in warm swamps, but not baking hot like the summers here! That’s when you get horrible chafing with dangly parts! It takes a few months to fully change but usually Rayle and I time it well to match the seasons!”
“Too much information!” Jack snorted with a laugh. “Maybe we can change the topic to where we’ll be heading to pick your stuff up?”
“Sure, but I think Nika might need some help.” Zayle looked to the side, seemingly at nothing. “My watcher spirit is telling me she’s having trouble getting to her feet.”
“Alright, let's not wake anyone up.” Jack decided, looking at Dante with concern. Despite everything that had happened, the ‘dog’ hadn’t woken up from their slumber, and Jack quickly rearranged the blankets so they were better covered, but in a way that allowed everyone to check up on him without disturbing him.
The two headed downstairs, followed awkwardly by the earth spirit with pebbles tapping the wood as it trundled along.
“Morning.” Nika groaned as she stumbled her way to the living room clad in just her sports bra and shorts, her lower half surrounded by some kind of faint smoke that snaked around her legs and tail until she was able to grab a blanket and wrap it around herself. “Thanks for the assist, Zayle.” she sighed as the smoke coalesced and formed a small humanoid shape that stood at attention next to her.
“How are you feeling?” Jack asked the Kizun as Zayle quickly saw another opportunity to be proactively useful in making tea while her spirits awkwardly just stood there.
“Still sore, still stiff.” Nika sighed. “But healing naturally. I won’t let Alora give me a jump start when there could be lives at stake back at the Clan Bharzum compound. We have many friends in medical comas or being put back together for resurrection, and I’ll be damned if I take magical healing over them.”
Jack nodded as he sat on the sofa next to her. “No morning workout for us then?”
Nika rolled her eyes at him. “Careful, I might try a lap around the district even if I have to crawl! I’ve been hurt before but I never get used to just sitting down on the sofa and not doing anything productive. I know many of our friends like to do that and I’m not one to judge but I hate being forced to do nothing else without any choice in the matter.”
“We could find something practical.” Jack considered. “I don’t want to think too hard about homework but the Industrial Vocation bot we were working on was fun!”
“The one with the eight legs you thought up?” Nika grinned. “Yeah we can do that here while the others are still sleeping.”
“I can start making breakfast if you want?” Zayle asked as her earth and air spirits lingered behind her, having not been given tasks to do. “Or if it’s too early I can summon my water spirit to clean the pipes?”
“You should take a break instead and calm down.” Jack smiled. “You’ve done more than enough already and none of us even asked you to! Maybe you can sit down and rest while you tell us about your soon-to-be-ex-landlord instead?”
“The Laird?” Zayle asked. “Paranoid, crazy and power hungry, though nothing like the horrible and powerful enemies I’ve heard you’ve encountered. He wasn’t too terrible in the past but I think ever since his position started to get tenuous he’s been making a bunch of terrible decisions. Originally the security was alright and it was an environment Rayle and I were comfortable with so we stayed there because it was something we could afford while we attended school, but for a while now the dues have kept going up and we get less for it. He’s been bringing in extra thugs that like to try and fine people or intimidate residents into not leaving. That’s why I was hoping to get our things and get out before things get worse!”
“What was your original plan?” Nika asked curiously. “You mentioned before how you and Rayle had it all planned out. Where would you have moved to?”
“We were tempted to sign up to the Red Legion as aspirants. They provide free lodgings and military training after school and we have friends that have already signed up. The benefits are really good if you have magical capabilities, though it does mean we’d be tied to their operations on the Ring. Alternatively Kritch mentioned to Rayle that his family might be in a position soon to accept some tenants! Rayle was really keen on that idea for some reason…”
“Right.” Jack smiled, suspecting some ulterior motive on the part of their Lizta friend. “What kind of security has this Laird got? You mentioned thugs.”
“Security before was a local militia before there were arguments about pay and a bunch of them left. The Laird brought in anyone that could shoot a gun irrespective of their background. Bandits in all but name! Some of the neighbours have reported being mugged or robbed by them, so that’s mainly why I asked you for your kind assistance in the matter. Rayle and I can usually move around and go to the shops without really attracting any attention but moving out certainly would.”
“I get it.” Jack nodded. “A capable group wouldn’t be a tempting target for the bandits so your hope is for them not to harass you to stay.”
“Yes.” Zayle nodded. “I don’t like violence or confrontation but I hate being unsafe or robbed even more! If it is possible to get to the vault where the Laird is keeping the things he takes that his thugs aren’t skimming off then it may be possible to return sentimental items to my former neighbours if they’re able to get out themselves. They’d probably reward us too if we were to do it, and I’d feel more confident making the attempt with you than if it was just myself and Rayle.”
“I can’t guarantee we’ll go for that but it’s something to consider if the opportunity presents itself.” Jack pointed out seriously. “How were you able to pay your way before if you’re a full-time student?”
“My spirits are very utilitarian and Rayle is quite skilled with druidic magic.” Zayle shrugged. “Mainly odd jobs. We’ve volunteered with the Greenwardens before and sometimes we are able to sell byproducts of what we are able to produce which keeps us afloat. We are even able to grow GrainCoin and other AstralCurrencies sometimes which helps keep us in the black, and we’ve learned a bit about trading in the process.”
“Might be a good idea to repeat that to Alora.” Nika pointed out after stretching herself out more on the sofa. “We have a lot of very fertile garden space and an enthusiastic Eladrie that’ll be all over you, and Rayle too once they recover.”
“Yes…” Zayle’s expression drooped at being reminded of Rayle’s condition. If Jack had to guess, the reason for Zayle throwing themselves into chores and jobs was as a coping mechanism to try and forget. It probably wasn’t healthy, but then again, who was he to criticise?
“What’s the district like?” Jack added. “Please don’t leave anything out. If we’re helping you we need to make sure we do so in the right way so we don’t run into any problems.”
“There’s a lot of abandoned and ruined properties. It should be easy to hide and lay low if needed.” Zayle thought. “Oh yeah, lots of boat travel where bridges have been busted. I usually use my spirits but with more people I suppose that might be a problem.”
“Boat travel?” Jack asked in confusion. “What kind of place is this?”
“It’s swamp land suited for my species?” Zayle asked, sounding confused. “Why wouldn’t you need a boat for a place like that? Many islands of buildings amidst the canals, and the best humid environment we can afford to keep us moisturised. It is a large district spread between several factions that may turn into a horrible war, probably the next time the fog builds up.”
“Hmm.” Jack pondered. “Sounds almost like Venice. I went there once but it was packed with other tourists. A bunch of islands connected by even more bridges with the buildings constantly sinking into the ground. It has a lot of history but it’s basically just a tourist trap now.”
“Huh?” Zayle asked, now even more confused. “I have never heard of this…Ven-iss. But yes, several of the buildings sink into the ground by design to create an underground space in certain places. I am pretty sure the vault area has multiple access points with tunnels dug underneath so loot can quickly be taken there and possibly smuggled out. I’ve had watcher spirits follow some of the goons to confirm it.”
“How long does it take for you to normally get to your place when you enter the territory?” Nika asked, trying to get the gecko back on track.
“Just less than half an hour normally, but that is when I utilise my spirits to travel with Rayle, who also helps with their druidic powers.”
“So likely longer.” Jack nodded. “Do you at least have a map?”
Uhh…” Zayle fidgeted around for their commlink, reaching into one of the pockets of their newly-liberated dressing gown from the collection of clothes Jack and Sephy had robbed before bringing it up. “I have the sections of it I frequently use?”
“That’ll be useful.” Nika nodded. “Best wait for Sephy to wake up before we check it out and map a route.”
“Sometimes the thugs gather or patrol in places but I just take an alternative path.” Zayle added. “Even easier if you find or take a boat but there is usually the occasional sentry you need to watch out for, though maybe they’ll be more focused on where the other gangs will be coming from.”
“Something to bear in mind.” Jack noted. “I’ve seen how quiet Sephy’s drones can be, maybe if she has a few hovering overhead we can avoid any trouble outright. However from what you’ve described the militia have a habit of harassing innocent civilians. I’ll tell you now, I won’t stand by and let that happen if they try something like that around me. How strong are they if things go to shit?”
“There were several infrequent patrols between two to five guards last time I was there.” Zayle recalled as she filled another teapot and offered everyone drinks, which both Jack and Nika happily took. “Though many times they were drunk or high on something and didn’t really do much.”
“Maybe just keeping up appearances.” Nika reasoned. “Or just taking an easy job for easy pay before their employer either dies or cuts and runs with what they have. If they don’t live in the community they don’t have any motivation to act like proper guards.”
“They may also get the idea to take it for themselves if they’re able to and the Laird isn’t able to rein them in.” Jack speculated. “He seems like a poor leader, though I can’t tell if it’s from malice or just plain stupidity. How did he claim the territory in the first place?”
“Both malice and stupidity I think.” Zayle shrugged. “And he was next in the chain of command when the previous Laird and her chosen successor both apparently died to a Zorn raid. I think he was a clerk or a tax collector or something.”
“Makes sense why he’s not the best overall leader then.” Jack replied. “Okay. It sounds like a stealthy approach to your place will work as long as we detect and react to potential encounters quickly to avoid them, which will be very doable if we at the very least have Sephy and Chiyo along for the ride. Based on what you’ve told me we may be able to go today depending on how the others are feeling. It’s a risk but the situation over there could be played to our advantage if the militia is looking a certain way and we can sneak in and out right under their noses.”
“I agree.” Nika nodded with a grin. “You have a good mind for tactics.”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded in thought. “My main concern however is for your neighbours who haven’t left yet who may be caught in the storm. Some might be able to get out but there may also be those that are vulnerable and can’t leave unaided. The vault is optional, and I imagine Sephy would agree with you Zayle that we should try and hit it, but that might be a risk too far. We can entertain that idea when we get there, only if things go well.
“That’s fair.” Zayle conceded. “We can only do what we can, but we must be realistic about what we can do. We cannot save everyone over there.”
“We can only do our best.” Jack agreed. “Also I think I’m ready for breakfast now…”
Zayle quickly got to their feet, eager to throw herself into another task but Jack shook his head.
“No Zayle, you’ve already done a lot so sit down. I’m cooking, you need to take a chill pill. Nika, what do we have in stock?”
Jack admittedly had a limited number of recipes he could cook, but his father had decided he should know basic cooking skills at his age, and had Jack helping him with a few weekend family breakfasts they’d do to give his mother a break. Fortunately he confirmed that Zayle and Vanya were able to eat the simple meal he had planned as he counted several eggs, some prepared bacon-like equivalent they had that was suitable for nearly every species and the basic staples to make pancakes. He had no idea if it was officially called a Canadian or American breakfast or not and it didn’t really bother him. All Jack knew was that it was an easy dish to do for multiple people and he didn’t know many other recipes he could do. It would be the second morning in a row he would be making pancakes, so he resolved to try and find other simple recipes he would be able to learn. He knew he had a cooking class at school next week with Chiyo, so maybe he’d pick something up there or add a cookery book to the house shopping list?
As the smells of the hearty food wafted throughout the house, the others slowly appeared. Chiyo was first, having already been awake and meditating in the basement, lazily floating upwards and plonking herself on the sofa without too many words, except that the others that were able to were waking up, she was hungry and she couldn’t wait to eat what was cooking!
Sephy and Alora eventually joined them, with Nika and Zayle clueing them in on what their likely plans would be for recovering Rayle and Zayle’s belongings.
“I could come along, but....” Alora began, though Nika shook her head and countered. “We’ve already discussed it. You know Clan Bharzum will need medics and I know how serious you are about your healer’s oath. I think a smaller group would be best for remaining undetected anyway, and even if things do get bad the opposition isn’t going to be anything near the Pallid Pit or the Klown attacks, which Sephy, Jack and Chiyo can handle. As much as I hate to say it I can’t come myself, but I can help coordinate from here via comms and keep an eye on Dante and Vanya at the same time.”
“Alright.” Alora nodded and finally agreed. “Shoot me a message when you head out. How long do you expect to be?”
“It’s a few hours travel from here to my place.” Zayle noted. “Though I calculate that by my usual route, I expect it to take longer to get there safely and silently. Plus we need to get my stuff but I know what I will do for that.”
“So let’s just say a few hours, assuming all goes well.” Jack shrugged. “How do you plan on getting the stuff out then?”
“Rayle and I managed to bind a powerful earth spirit that is currently residing there as part of our current Lodge, along with a few other more powerful ones.” Zayle grinned, looking proud. “It’ll be able to handle getting the stuff out of the district, and I’ll have the other spirits accompanying me until I can use them for something or need to dismiss them once I dispel the Lodge for good, since those ones are too powerful to bind to my astral field. I’ll need to recover as many of the reagents we used in the original construction as possible in order to more quickly rebuild here once we find a suitable space.”
Sephy, how many drones do you have available? Chiyo asked the Skritta, who shrugged.
“I can bring a few more than I did for the Oracle Run but I don’t want to take my whole stack. I was thinking of having a few camouflage observer drones hovering above nearby so we can see any danger before it sees us.” Sephy reasoned. “I don’t have any capable of shifting stuff but if you say your earth spirit at your home can do it, that’s on you.”
And Chiyo, you should be able to detect others lying in wait?” Jack asked.
Yes, unless they purposefully shield themselves as Svaartal did on our way back from the Oracle. However since we’re not expected, it’s extremely unlikely we’ll run into that problem.
“Alright, then I guess I won’t need to be too worried if I offer my healing to Clan Bharzum.” Alora sighed. “I’ll head off as soon as I can then but I would like it if you kept me updated. I’ve got to say I’m surprised you’re taking being sidelined as well as you are Nika, it really isn’t like you.”
“That’s because I’m confident they can pull it off and Jack will keep everyone safe.” The Kizun shrugged. “Just don’t be too tempted to go for the vault if it’s too great a risk.”
“We’ll at least take a look and make sure we have a plan.” Jack shrugged. “From the sounds of it the Laird’s position is tenuous at best so if we don’t make the attempt others probably will, but if we do it we make sure we sort out anything else. If not, there’s apparently abandoned properties around that you can satisfy your kleptomania with Sephy.”
“I take offence to being called that!” Sephy replied in mock horror. “I am merely an entrepreneur seeking opportunities!”
“Don’t be in a rush to go though.” Alora warned. “I don’t want Vanya waking up and finding barely anyone here before we’ve explained what we’re planning for today.”
She’ll probably be another hour before she wakes. Chiyo informed her, and Alora simply nodded at that information in acknowledgement.
“We’re not in a rush.” Jack confirmed. “I think most of us are still tired so we’ll go once we’ve eaten and woken up a bit more. Maybe we can get there when it starts to get dark since I know Sephy’s drones will still be able to see anyway?”
“Good plan.” Nika nodded. “Although…Zayle, how does militia activity differ from day to night?”
“Uh…” Zayle thought. “The Laird wants more guards patrolling at night but in practice it doesn’t differ that much. It might actually be better since Rayle and I have seen guards goofing off when they think nobody is watching.”
“Alright, sounds good.” Jack nodded. “We’ll rest up and make our move in a few hours. Get ready.”
*****
First/Previous
Another day, another mission! (Got to go for a side quest at some point!)
If you're impatient for the next chapter, why not check out my previous series?
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As always I love to see the comments on what you guys think!
Don't forget to join the discussion with us on Discord, and consider checking me out on Youtube if you haven't already! Until next week, it's goodbye for now!

PROOF: https://i.redd.it/8jcdjaslqyoa1.jpg
Hi everyone! My name is Devon Murphy-Anderson, and I’m excited to be here for our first-ever AMA! I’m originally from Maine, where I grew up in a hard-working, blue-collar community. I bought a small lobster boat when I was 15 years old (painted it pink!) and began fishing and waitressing to give myself a shot at going to college. I’ve seen firsthand how working-class people are left behind by our politicians who are disconnected from our everyday suffering and simple dreams of equal opportunity. I got into politics because I truly believe that each of us holds immense power to make a difference. And, against a lot of odds, I’ve done exactly that. I worked on a campaign that made it legal for parents running for office to use campaign funds for childcare, which helps break down barriers– especially for young moms– to run for office. I served as the Finance Director for the Florida Democratic Party, where I raised over $20 million in the 2020 cycle. I’ve never stopped fighting for what I believe is right, and I hope my story can inspire more young women to blaze their own trail despite what others think or say. I'm one of the youngest leaders in Florida politics, and I’m looking forward to answering your questions and discussing important issues with all of you today!
Devon’s tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@devonmurphyanderson](https://www.tiktok.com/@devonmurphyanderson) Twitter: https://twitter.com/devon_MA12
Hey Reddit, I'm Alejandro (Alex) Berrios, and I am excited to be here! A bit about me, I’m a Florida native of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. I boxed for 20 years before hanging up my gloves and turning to a bigger fight with higher stakes – the battle for a fair and equitable world where my son and future generations can live their best lives. Starting as a volunteer for the Democratic Party, I’ve held 8 different organizing roles, and worked my way to the top. Most recently, from August 2021 to March 2022, I returned to the Florida Democratic Party as a Senior Advisor and Campaign Director, where I managed five departments and took their voter registration program from less than 400 registrations to over 44,000 registrations before exiting back to Mi Vecino. I’ve also worked with organizations such as FRRC, Florida For All, New Georgia Project, and Somos Votantes, among others. I’ve run for Florida Democratic Party Chair and have even been recruited to run for Congress by national partners! Honestly, I'm fed up with the political leaders in Florida who are cashing in six-figure checks while regular folks pay the price for their failures. That's why I'm so passionate about creating change. Bottom line, I'm here to be real, take on the powers that be, and fight for real change. Let's get rid of the elites who want us to shut up and follow their disastrous lead. So, what do you want to know? AMA!
Alex’s socials https://twitter.com/Aberrios04 - https://www.instagram.com/aberrios04/
Mi Vecino's socials https://twitter.com/MiVecinoFlorida - https://www.instagram.com/mivecinoflorida/ and our website is [www.mivecinoflorida.com](www.mivecinoflorida.com)

Were you the popular jock in HS who was a football MVP and lived your best days then?
Did you go off the college and have the time of your life and wish you could just re-live those years over and over?
Or did you grab the dream job and life after college and would never want to go back to HS/College given the chance and what you have now?
For me, definitely peaked after college!

Battle report: R-02
Time: One day after the Galdush battle, day 21 since REC forces crossed to the other side
Report carried out by: Brigadier General Oscar Wayne
Report states: At noon of the 21st day the remains of the enemy seventh army engaged base Galdush. The attack was carried out by air forces, consisting of the enemy's seventh wyvern corp, and ground forces, consisting of the enemy's seventh siege legion. The wyverns came within roughly three miles from the base before the majority was taken out of the sky by AN/TWQ-2 missile systems, the rest either fled or stayed and were taken out via heavy machine gun fire. The siege legion was destroyed sooner by M155A2 self-propelled howitzers. The majority was eliminated, and remnants fled.
Outcome: Victory
REC casualties: None
Enemy casualties: Estimated 4.000 (Not including wyverns and hardware)
Identification sources: Captured general of the seventh army, Drannor Crax; Captured dwarven commander Dunan Oremelt.
(Twenty days after the Galdush battle)
Imperial palace, Elyana
"What is the meaning of this!?", Canus yelled in furious anger as he stood up from his throne.
"Your Majesty, I can explain.", Laeroth said standing in the center of the Grand chamber, surrounded by senators and the Chosen legions, "I was planning on informing you-"
"Inform me of what!? That the invasion force led by general Ylindar was destroyed in less than a day!? That the troops you sent to Galdush to stop the humans were also crushed!? That we lost nearly two hundred thousand forces, including two of our armies and generals, in less than one fucking moon cycle!?".
This was the first time anyone has seen Canus rage out like this. His whole life he was calm and collected, never raising his voice at anyone. Even if he did have an outburst, its magnitude was nowhere near the level of what the Grand chamber's attendants were experiencing at this moment. Laeroth had no words with which to defend himself and lying was beneath. He underestimated the enemy's capabilities. If they could do this, then he shuddered to imagine what they would do if they were given even more time. All he knew for sure was that a direct approach will undoubtedly lead to failure.
"Your Majesty.", Laeroth spoke, "I meant no disrespect. I only assumed that-"
"You assumed!? You do not assume, Laeroth. You determine! You bring solutions and results. In over three hundred cycles you never once assumed anything. What has changed? Are you losing your edge?"
"Your Majes-"
"Perhaps I should put someone else in charge.". These words shook Laeroth to the core. "Someone more youthful. Someone I can fully trust. Someone capable of cleaning this mess. Perhaps Athtar, maybe Reebus or Syndra. Or... maybe that fellow Alpharan."
"No!", Laeroth shouted, his voice booming over the halls, making everyone present twitch. He drew his sword and knelt, "I shall resolve this. I shall not fail you, Your Majesty.". He brought the edge of his sword to his left hand and without hesitation sliced off his smallest finger. Then he placed his sword on the floor and offered Canus his finger. Canus slowly walked over to him and took it.
After observing the finger for several moments, Canus spoke, "Rise.", and so Laeroth did, "This is your final chance. Should you fail me, you will lose more than this finger.". With a bow and a salute, Laeroth exited the chamber. "This meeting is over! Return to your duties!"
With that, the chamber was emptied and only Canus remained with his guard. Sitting on his throne, Canus observed Laeroth's finger. All he could do was hope and pray that Laeroth's determination would prevail.
As Laeroth walked down the halls he patched up his hand with cloth. His first captain walked beside him, "Sir! You must slow down."
"I cannot Helion!", Laeroth shouted, "Every minute we spend bickering is a minute we give to the enemy. Their power, their speed, it is like nothing we faced before."
"Well... What do we do? What can we do?"
"First we need to fortify the North Alston river. Send word to general Lyklor Balphine of the XI and general Reebus Octo of the XII. Tell them to hold the bridges and not let the enemy pass. Since they have powerful cannons, they need to spread their forces out and use long-range catapults. Second, send word to the Meilume nobility and tell them to leave the region. Third, bring me the captive humans as soon as possible. Where are they?"
"About a dozen have been scattered at the Meilume and Kuruk capitals. The rest are on their way to the other cities between Kuruk and Elyana and many will be sent to the mines of the Tubal mountains."
"I want eight captives here as soon as possible."
"Understood sir.". The captain saluted and rushed to his duties, leaving Laeroth who entered his personal chamber and grabbed his flask. After he emptied it he threw it to the corner of the room. Sitting down on his bed he caught his breath and stared at the spirit statues on his shelf and prayed, "Morto, I beg of you. Bring death upon these cursed enemies."
---
(Around the same time)
South village, Yellow forest county, Meilume
Nym will never forget what happened that day. His little crew swore that they would never tell anyone about it. That... man, if it can be called a man, terrified them. When they returned to their parents they lied about how they were running from ferals they saw in the forest while playing. This put the whole village on alert. Of course, it would, a danger of ferals attacking was normal. The whole forest had dens of feral welfen and leanoids, but the county didn't have the means with which to deal with the problem and the empire doesn't see them as a threat overall, so the counties were on their own.
The Yellow forest county had roughly eight thousand people living in it with roughly six hundred militia. It was small compared to some other counties but it held on all things considered. Some people wanted to leave the country as they feared it was becoming too dangerous due to feral activity, but recent events made them choose otherwise. Two massive armies marched near their forest and looking down from the hill the people could see them. The first one marched to the rift to get to the other side and the other after them to assist them. But they were all defeated. This frightened the people of Yellow forest, but they chose to stay, thinking that maybe the enemy won't enter their forest because of the ferals. A long shot, but one they chose to take.
Nym was outside with his friends. The sun was starting to set and they had to return home from mushroom picking. "We never should have gone there.", said Cohnal.
"Stop talking about it.", Nym said, "It's done, stop."
"He has a point, Nym.", Elsha said, "I don't know why that man let us go but... I don't ever want to see him again."
"Same here.", said Meara.
"And we won't have to.", Nym said, "As long as we don't tell anyone anything and we never go to Galdush, we will be fine."
The four of them nodded to that. What happened on that day scared them to the core. But it made them confused more than anything else. The passing imperial soldiers said how they were going to a savage land filled with barbaric monsters. But if that was true, then why did the men on Galdush spare them? Was it because they took no pleasure in killing children? One thing was for sure, they will heed their advice and stay away.
"I think we have enough.", Elsha said.
"Yes.", Hallas said, "We should probably return to the village before ferals show up."
"I don't think they will.", Nym said.
"What do you mean?", Meara asked.
"Haven't you noticed that we haven't seen any ferals in several moon cycles? It's like they ran away."
"That is strange.", Cohnal said, "But either way, we should hurry back."
The five of them started walking back. The forest is quite beautiful in the evening and at night. The reason why it's called Yellow forest is that in the late yellow season and all of the green season, the yellow-backed fireflies and red-headed beetles start flying at night and illuminate the whole forest with yellow and red dots. The county doesn't put up many torches in these times because the people love watching the red and yellow dance of insects. A few beetles have come out of the trees and this told the children they should hurry.
As they ran through the forest, Elsha stopped when she heard rustling in a nearby bush. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked closer to the bush, despite Nym telling her not to. She walked closer and closer and when she got closer she noticed a pair of green eyes inside the bush. She realized immediately what it was and jumped back just before the creature jumped after her. It was a goblin. Short and bald with a big nose and ugly teeth it wore rags and held a crudely made spear. Elsha was backing away but she slipped and fell on her back. The goblin was about to stab her with his spear, but Nym jumped in and shanked it in the side, piercing its heart. Pulling out the knife he grabbed Elsha and the five of them started running back to the village. As they ran, goblins started jumping out of the bushes and shrubs. Dozens of them. The children could see the gate of the village.
"Open the gate!", Nym yelled as he dragged Elsha, "Goblins! Let us in!"
The guards quickly rushed to open the gate. They opened it just enough so the children could pass. One by one passed and Nym was about to cross but he was grabbed by the goblins. The goblin that grabbed him was taller and bulkier than the rest. He dragged Nym back and left as more goblins showed up. The children cried and the guards quickly closed the gate and climbed on the walls. They saw not dozens, but hundreds of goblins. How could there be so many, they couldn't know and there was no time to find out. The one hundred and fifty militia that were at the village armed themselves and prepared to fight. The goblins threw stones at them but the stone is not as strong as an arrow. The militia opened fire with bows and crossbows, killing dozens of them. The larger goblins threw larger stones and even smaller goblins at the wall. A few made it over and some landed on the militia and started stabbing them. One militia fighter used his sword to slice their heads off and grabbed the crossbow of a fallen fighter and shot the larger goblin in the head, killing him and letting his disgusting, bloated hunk of flesh flop on the ground.
"Aim for the large ones first!", he shouted, "I need spears on the edges, they are climbing! Burn them, they hate fire!". He continued to kill more goblins, slicing the heads of the ones who climbed up on the wall's edges. In front, he could see how a section was overwhelmed as the large goblins threw smaller ones at the militia. He grabbed a nearby shield and charged at them, knocking several down and letting the forces on the ground deal with them. As he looked down he saw the last six large goblins grab a log and he immediately understood their role. "Prepare the torches! Grab cloth!". The fighters did just that and threw the burning cloth and torches at the goblins as they hit the gate with their log.
As the battle went on, the militia killed dozens of goblins with volleys of arrows but more just kept coming. They could see the end though, there were no more large goblins and the small ones had organized a suicide charge to overwhelm the wall, but the fighters kept throwing fire and shooting them with arrows. As this was happening, however, something was happening in the village. The people were all in their homes, but a few were still helping the militia fight as they treated their wounds and brought arrows, food, and boiling water. One of them heard something coming from the abandoned well and moved closer to see. When he got closer he peaked in and a green hand grabbed him as another one stabbed him in the throat. From the good goblins came, several of them, then a few dozen. They went into homes and people started screaming. Elsha was in one of the homes, and her grandmother was laying in the corner when a goblin walked towards her, but Elsha took a knife and stabbed it in the head. From her door, she could see more of them running towards her. She was scared but relieved as more militia came. They were from the western village of the county and had come as soon as they could. The fighters went into the homes and started killing the goblins. Chopping off heads, stabbing hearts and lungs, firing crossbows, burning, the militia used everything.
Eventually, the goblins inside the village were all killed and the fires were put out. The goblins outside the wall were mostly dead but nearly a hundred fled. This was a dark night. The south militia lost nearly a third of its force and dozens of people were killed by the goblins from the well, which was covered up with wooded planks and stone. But the damage to the hearts and minds of the people was greater. Mothers mourned their children and children their fathers. Their greatest fear was the goblins coming back.
(The next day)
Everyone looked to the wall defender, Tulgor, the commander of the south militia. They hoped he would have an answer to all this, and so did he. Some wanted revenge, many asked what to do next. Truth is, he didn't know what to do. Something like this never occurred and no one thought it was possible.
"Tulgor.", spoke an elderly elf, "What do you think we should do?"
"I... I do not know, elder.", Tulgor replied, making everyone around them lower their heads in grief, "We could send fighters down the well and see what is down there. It could be their den and if so they are asleep. But I cannot be certain what we will face. If we get cornered we would die. Besides, we do not have the means with which to destroy the den."
"So all that remains is for us to prepare for the next attack?"
"I fear so. And since we do not know where they will attack next, I suggest we inform the mayor to declare a state of alert county-wide, as to prevent further surprises and death."
"Very well. I will personally go to the central hall and-"
"Tulgor!", shouted a militia fighter, "Tulgor! You have to see this."
Tulgor quickly stood up, "What is it? Have the goblins awoken?"
"No. But... I don't know. You must come, they call for you."
"Call for me? Who? Imperial soldiers?"
"No. They are soldiers, but they are wearing green armor and have boomsticks. They're not dwarves, they are too tall and their skin is paler than theirs is."
This greatly confused Tulgor, "Did they say where they are from?"
"Yes. They are from Galdush."
This statement made his heart freeze and the people around him panicked. The enemy from Galdush came here? Why? Have they come to kill them and take their land? Why here, this is a small county. Swallowing the spit that worked up in his mouth he spoke, "How many?"
"I counted only a dozen. But I think there are more in their armored carriages."
"Assemble fifty of our finest. I will meet them."
---
(Earlier)
Operations base Galdush, morning
It's been a while since any attacks have been launched at them and REC got to work. They improved their base, finishing the machine shop, barracks, airstrip, fortifications, and central command. The base was taking shape of a polygonal fort. The reason is that, historically, these types of fortifications were the best defenses against cannon fire until more accurate and powerful forms of artillery were created. But since the highest level of military technology possessed by the enemy is that of the Napoleonic era, it's not an issue. The other benefit is that polygonal forts are built in a way so that the point which needed to be defended is in the middle. This way the rift is in the center and defended on all sides. As an extra precaution, the rift was surrounded by a steel dome with a garrison defending it.
After the full thirty thousand troops made it to the other side of the rift, a few reforms were made. Firstly, all equipment that required a satellite link was not to be used as they had no satellites here. Instead, they used drones until a proper system can be emplaced. Secondly, a squad of four distinct tribals will be accompanying all Rift groups, or RGs, in order to spread the word to the other tribals of North Altia in hopes of bringing more people to the US's side and also showing them why they are not monsters.
There were currently five RGs and each was given an assignment. They were to go to various locations in Meilume and do reconnaissance as well as gain contact with locals and find out more about the imperial government. Each RG was a platoon of thirty-eight rangers from the 75th Ranger regiment led by a first lieutenant and was equipped with standard hardware. Since the end of the Great crisis, Russia and the US have been working on the 'Warrior' project in order to create better gear for soldiers. The result was a helmet, body armor, a one-piece coverall, hearing protection; protective glasses; a protective set for knees and elbows; new grenade launchers, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, ammunition, a combat knife, as well as 24/7 reconnaissance means, a day and night sighting system, a small-size binocular, optical and thermal weapon sights, etc. As well as these, the system comprises a universal shelter, a multifunctional knife, a signal lamp, a watch, winter and summer two-side camouflage sets, an autonomous heat source, a backpack, an individual water filter, a small entrenching tool, breath protection devices, means of radiological and chemical control, a medical kit, and filtering clothes. As for vehicles, each RG has two JLTV3s, two International MaxxPros, and one LAV-40, all armed and ready.
With their assignments given, the rangers got to work. RG-2, led by lieutenant Andrea Williams, was to track down the elven children Spearteam found snooping. The group tracked them down to a nearby place designated Yellow forest. They took a path through the forest and hoped to run into their village. On the way, they admired the environment. The green trees, the clear blue sky, and the animals looked like the ones back on Earth, just with a few distinct features. Like how rabbits have longer legs, foxes have brighter eyes, some even have two tails. Everything was truly fascinating.
"Man this place is beautiful.", said sergeant David Hall, "It's like driving through a national park."
"You said it, Dave.", said sergeant Greg Nivera, "What do you think we'll find here?"
"Man, I'm hoping for some griffons or something."
"Griffons are only in the north.", said Xod, the leanoid, "If we ever get to the dwarven kingdoms we might find one."
"That's a bummer.", Greg said.
"Bummer?", asked Zog, the welfen.
"It means it's a bad thing.", David said.
"Why is that a bad thing?"
"Because I really wanted to see one!", Greg said.
"Quiet.", said Andrea over the comms, "You forgot to turn off the radio."
"Sorry ma'am.", said Greg as he turned the radio off.
"Boys.", said Andrea in the lead JLTV, "Let's find these kids."
"I just hope we don't scare them.", said sergeant Sophia Adams, "I'd hate to make a bad first impression."
"These people live in the Yellow forest.", said Madia the lepian, "It's likely that they know about the Galdush battle and they consider you as an enemy. I wouldn't expect them to greet you with 'open arms' as you say it."
"I don't expect that either.", said Andrea, "But that's why we're here. We have to show them that they don't have to fear us. "
Ksee, the feelian, scoffed at that, "You should use your cannons and destroy them. It's what they deserve anyway."
"We won't be the monsters they say we are. There can be another way. Besides, it's the army and the emperor along with the other stuck-up nobility that's the problem. I'm not gonna kill farmers 'cause a bureucrat attacked me."
Ksee thought about that. She saw what the Americans were capable of, and yet she couldn't understand why they don't just force the elves into submission. As they drove through the forest, they came across another path that led deeper into the woods. The tracker led them there and so they followed it. It was amazing how many things the human soldiers were capable of doing, unlike the elves who only knew how to kill in several different ways. The vehicles moved through the woods and reached a wooden wall about roughly twenty feet tall that looked like it saw action recently. They followed the tracker and found it on the ground in front of the gate.
'What happened here?', Andrea thought as she picked up the tracker.
"Hold it!", shouted someone from the wall. It was an elf and around him about twenty more with bows and crossbows pointed at Andrea, "Who are you?"
Andrea calmly stepped forward, "I am lieutenant Andrea Williams of Rift group 2 from the Rift Expeditionary Corp!". This seemed to confuse them.
"Where are you from?", he asked.
"Galdush."
This made them tense up. They seemed angered. "You are the enemy! Why have you come?!". The rangers aimed their guns at them but Andrea waved for them to calm down.
"We are here to speak with your leader. We only want to make peaceful relations."
"You lie! The imperial army told us that they were heading to Galdush to face the enemy that has come to invade our lands! Thousands went and only hundreds returned! That was your doing!"
"Those soldiers attacked us first. They sent their army through the rift and killed thousands of innocent people. We are here to peacefully solve any and all problems with the empire, but we need your help."
"Why should I trust you?"
In response, Andrea gave her gun to Greg, took off her helmet, and widened her arms, "I mean you no harm!". After some hesitation, one of the elves climbed down from the wall.
"Wait there!".
So the team waited. Some were skeptical about this but did nothing. David walked up to Andrea, "Are you sure about this lieutenant? You really think they're gonna even consider talking to us?"
"All I know is they could've shot us on sight. Do you want to kill hundreds of people today, sergeant?". In that moment, the gate opened and an elf followed by fifty more stepped out. The fifty made a defensive line of shields, which tensed up the rangers.
"No, but if this keeps up I might have to.", David said.
The leading elf stepped forward, "I am Tulgor Salvin, commander of the south militia."
Andrea stepped forward, "I am lieutenant Andrea Williams, commander of RG-2 of the Rift Expeditionary group."
"Why have you come, Lieutenant Andrea Williams?"
"As I stated before, we are here to make peaceful relations with the elven people. We mean you no harm."
"You misunderstood my question. Why are you here, specifically?"
"We are here because we want to prove to you that we are not monsters and savages that the empire claims us to be. We only desire peace."
"You keep saying that word. Peace. And yet you kill dozens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of soldiers."
"Those soldiers attacked us first. You can't blame us for defending ourselves."
"True. Still, how do I know you won't stab us in the back? I see the tribals behind you. You make them fight for you, so how do I know you will not enslave us as well."
"We are not slaves!", Xod shouted, making the fighters twitch, "We chose to fight alongside these humans because we are tired of the empire enslaving and killing us! We fight with them because they promised us freedom! With them, not for them!"
This made Tulgor raise an eyebrow, "Is that really true?"
"Yes.", Andrea said, "We want to end slavery and show you that there is a better way. So if you want to fight them, you'll have to fight us. And I assure you, it will be bloody.". The fighters and rangers tensed up, ready for a fight. But Tulgor laughed.
"Never before have I met a woman with such ferociousness and authority.", he said, "You have my respect. However, if you want my trust, you must offer me more than words."
"And what is it that you want?"
Tulgor thought for a while before answering, "There is a certain goblin problem we are facing."
"Goblin problem?"
"Last night, a horde of goblins attacked us and I lost many fighters. I sense that they will come back but I cannot search for them and leave the village undefended."
"Interesting. Do you have any leads? Or a hunch as to where they are?"
"They came from the forest but it stretches for many leagues. They did however come from an abandoned well."
This caught Andrea's attention, "Very well. But my soldiers will have to enter your village."
"I shall allow half of your men and two carriages."
"Alright.", she turned to the group, "Hall, Adams, bring half the group, one JLTV3, and one MRAP. Madia, Ksee, you're coming too, the rest stay here."
The group organized and entered the village. All the people stared at them and their vehicles, like something otherworldly, which they technically were. They came to the abandoned well and Andrea gave the order to prepare the RC drone and the flyer. The rangers removed the wood and stone from the well and started lowering the drone.
"What is that?", Tulgor asked.
"It's a device we can use to see what's inside the well without going in there.", Andrea answered, "And that one can fly."
"Amazing. How?"
"A long story. I might show you sometime."
The drone was lowered to the bottom and a private drove it. He had to turn on night vision to see. "It looks like a tunnel.", he said, "They probably dug their way in there. You got anything?"
"Nothing yet.", said the other private, "Hold on. I think I see a cave. Yeah, definitely. The entrance is above ground level."
"Goblins are night dwellers.", Tulgor said, "They sleep during the day and hate fire. A cave is where they prefer to live. But to think they would dig their way to our well. I knew they were on a tribal level but this."
"Don't compare us to those monsters, elf.", said Madia.
"Why? They also kidnap people and force-mate with them."
"We only do it when we need to!"
"Calm down!", shouted Andrea, "We had an agreement."
"Ma'am, come look at this.", said a private, and Andrea, Tulgor, and Sophia gathered, "I see dozens of them, sleeping, maybe more further out. And here. It's a boy."
"That is the boy they took last night.", Tulgor said, "He still lives."
"Someone has to go down there and get him.", Andrea said, "Ksee?"
"Why me?", Ksee asked.
"You are the most flexible one. Plus, that's an order."
Ksee groaned but accepted. The private pulled the drone back and tied the rope to her. She was lowered down and then crawled through the tunnel, ignoring the stench on the way. Finally, she came to the cave and looked around, her cat eyes allowing her to see clearly. She saw the boy, who was a little battered but breathing and alive. She slowly grabbed him under the arms but he woke up and started freaking out. This woke up a few goblins and Ksee grabbed the boy and ran back, quickly going back through the tunnel.
She tied the rope around him, "Pull him up!". As they pulled the boy up she could see the goblins approaching, "They're coming!"
"Take this!", Andrea shouted, throwing a frag grenade at her.
"What is it?", Ksee asked.
"Just pull the ring, throw it, and then climb!"
Ksee did just that. After she pulled the pin she threw it at the approaching goblins who grabbed it out of curiosity. A curiosity that would have them killed as the grenade exploded, killing several goblins and blocking the path to Ksee. After Ksee and the boy climbed out, the soldiers rejoiced.
"Please don't make me do that again.", Ksee said.
Andrea chuckled, "No promises."
Ksee saw the boy run to his mother and friends, who cried tears of joy. This made her smile. Tulgor walked over to her and slightly bowed, "Thank you for saving one of my own."
"Don't mention it.", Ksee said, "It was a piece of cake."
Tulgor was confused by that statement, "Cake? There is no cake here."
Ksee laughed a little, "Don't worry about it. The humans taught me, I was a little confused myself."
Greg walked over as he put away his radio, "Ok, it's done. I gave the location to command, they're sending a platoon with flamethrowers to deal with the cave."
"How-", Tulgor began to ask.
"Another device.", Greg said, "We have a lot of them."
Tulgor chuckled, "I see. Thank you, humans. I suppose we can trust you after all. Come, let me introduce you to the elder."
End of chapter 7
​
---
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Apologies to my fellow ADHDer's out there for this will be a long post.
Some background information on me: I graduated college in 2013 with a degree in Marketing Communications and a concentration in Advertising in hopes of becoming a Copywriter. Turns out it wasn't something I was super passionate about and wasn't able to do internships at an advertising agency while I was in college and that's usually how people in advertising get the jobs.
So right after college, I moved to Florida and did the Disney College Program. I worked retail since I had been working for three years prior in a candy store (no, I didn't work at the candy store at Disney). I then was hired full time to work in attractions.
Needless to say, Disney's customer service is the best of the best. After working there for two years, I got hired on the spot to work at Starbucks where I was first a barista, then a trainer, then a shift supervisor. Because of my experience at Disney and Starbucks, plus my ability to communicate with people, I can pretty much land any customer support job. I then worked at Grubhub in the call center which gave me experience speaking on the phone to customers and restaurants and then I became the second customer service rep hired at a startup subscription men's skin care company where I mostly took emails and chats.
After being at that company for over two years, I wanted a change. I applied for a teaching program, but was rejected after going through the full application and interview process. Then a couple months the pandemic started, so I'm guessing there would have been a halt on the teaching, and the company I worked for decided to let me go, which in the end was a good thing because it was a bit of a toxic, sexist environment. But I was very depressed and didn't know what to do with my life. I felt like I would never get out of customer service roles. Then a friend told me about how she did a full stack web development bootcamp and was making great money so I decided to do it. It was incredibly stressful and exhausting and I had to get extra tutoring (I was able to let them know I had ADHD and needed some extra help and actually the woman who tutored ma has now become a good friend of mine!). I wanted to quit, but they would not refund the money (my mom and step dad graciously paid for it). Since it was a pass/fail course, if I was going to pay I was going to get that certificate and I did. We had team projects and I ended up being a sort of project manager. I love organizing notes and writing so I was in charge of creating the materials to present the apps we made to our class.
I was working on my portfolio and getting career counseling which was provided with the course, but still didn't think I would be good enough at it. I was receiving unemployment so I wasn't in a huge rush to find a job.
Then a few months later, my father got COVID, was hospitalized, in a coma for about two weeks and then passed away. It was all very sudden and obviously my motivation to find a job shrunk even more.
A few months after my father's passing, I decided to try to get back into finding a job and was told by the counselor that I would be good for a tech support job if I didn't feel comfortable enough doing coding. I applied for one job and got rejected, but then a couple of weeks later I was reached out by a recruiter on LinkedIn for a Product Support position at a tech company. After a few interviews, I got the job and it's the best company and support job I've ever had. I do emails, chats, and phones and I have mastered the platform. I am one of the top performers on my team. And even though I don't do coding, we do help users with their plugins and I am now able to usually look at the code and figure out the issue easily.
A lot of people at this company move up or join a different team so I was interested in seeing if I was qualified for any other positions. My manager meets with us once a week and we talk about our career paths. I realized my strengths were communication, customer focusing, training/explaining and helping. I am able to take the complicated sounding tech issues and explain them in a clear and concise way to my customers and they greatly appreciate it. I even created a Confluence page for my role with all of the things I needed to know and had it organized with headers, colors, images, tables, etc. because the company has a Confluence page, but it was a mess and nothing was organized properly (thanks, ADHD). I showed it to some of my coworkers and managers/leads and they were all super impressed! I shared it for everyone on my team to use.
So with all of that in mind, I was trying to think of what I could do that would be different, a little more technical, and that in the end would make more money. I thought about pursuing UX design, but was told that if I'm not very comfortable coding, it wouldn't be a good fit. I thought it would be because after 10+ years of customer facing roles plus might small amount of coding experience, I know what people want and need in products.
Fast forward to last night: my cousin and I decided to Facetime because we live in different states and hadn't seen each other in a while. I knew she was a 3rd grade teacher for the last 10ish years but heard she was no longer teaching. She told me she was now an Instructional Designer and when she explained what it was, a lightbulb went on in my head. This is what I thought of when I heard UX designer, but it's more writing and explaining than actual coding (my cousin admitted she barely knows HTML). As I mentioned, I LOVE writing and am trying to write a novel at the moment.
Although I have never been a teacher, who are usually the people who move to ID, I feel like this would be an absolutely ideal job for me. Part of me of course is afraid I'll end up failing, but the other part feels like this is what I have been searching for for the last few years!
I keep hearing mixed things about certificates vs masters degrees. My cousin did the IDOL courses and she actually gave me her log in, but people here are saying IDOL isn't good. I also don't exactly have the money to pay for a course at the moment, but I am going to bring it up with my manager and have heard that my company has paid for certificates in the past.
So people of Reddit, even though I have never been a teacher and do not have a masters, do you think as long as I do my own studying and develop a decent portfolio that this would be a good fit for me?
Thank you for your time!
EDIT: Just made some small grammaspelling edits

I know what direction their relationship will go
My protagonist is forced into another world which she views in a negative light. There are multiple reasons for this, firstly she only recently regained memories that were suppressed by her uncle/guardian and in these memories, she learns that she was responsible for the death of many lives.
Secondly, her uncle/guardian wouldn’t tell her the truth about who she really is, as he’s the only parental figure she has in her life her feelings are conflicted. She feels betrayed but also guilt-ridden for her past actions.
Thirdly, In this other world, the leader of this world called vega tells the MC that she knows what she truly is and offers her clarity and guidance but in return, she has to heal the sickness in the land.
The relationship
The protagonist is forced to work alongside a man called Jace as he is a sort of shield who can keep her power under control. Whilst she’s honing her skills he helps her learn to embrace her power rather than suppress it and reject who she is. Naturally, they develop a friendship and then a romantic relationship but towards the end of the book the protagonist discovers that Jace was the reason for all of the terrible things that she did in her past and that he isn’t a good guy.
I plan to use a red herring to have this unravel organically but I need to figure out how many interactions the pair can have so that it doesn’t feel too slow or too rushed. Any advice on how to go about that?
Their relationship can’t be an instant attraction as my protagonist is dealing with a lot of heavy emotions.

Battle report: R-02
Time: One day after the Galdush battle, day 21 since REC forces crossed to the other side
Report carried out by: Brigadier General Oscar Wayne
Report states: At noon of the 21st day the remains of the enemy seventh army engaged base Galdush. The attack was carried out by air forces, consisting of the enemy's seventh wyvern corp, and ground forces, consisting of the enemy's seventh siege legion. The wyverns came within roughly three miles from the base before the majority was taken out of the sky by AN/TWQ-2 missile systems, the rest either fled or stayed and were taken out via heavy machine gun fire. The siege legion was destroyed sooner by M155A2 self-propelled howitzers. The majority was eliminated, and remnants fled.
Outcome: Victory
REC casualties: None
Enemy casualties: Estimated 4.000 (Not including wyverns and hardware)
Identification sources: Captured general of the seventh army, Drannor Crax; Captured dwarven commander Dunan Oremelt.
(Twenty days after the Galdush battle)
Imperial palace, Elyana
"What is the meaning of this!?", Canus yelled in furious anger as he stood up from his throne.
"Your Majesty, I can explain.", Laeroth said standing in the center of the Grand chamber, surrounded by senators and the Chosen legions, "I was planning on informing you-"
"Inform me of what!? That the invasion force led by general Ylindar was destroyed in less than a day!? That the troops you sent to Galdush to stop the humans were also crushed!? That we lost nearly two hundred thousand forces, including two of our armies and generals, in less than one fucking moon cycle!?".
This was the first time anyone has seen Canus rage out like this. His whole life he was calm and collected, never raising his voice at anyone. Even if he did have an outburst, its magnitude was nowhere near the level of what the Grand chamber's attendants were experiencing at this moment. Laeroth had no words with which to defend himself and lying was beneath. He underestimated the enemy's capabilities. If they could do this, then he shuddered to imagine what they would do if they were given even more time. All he knew for sure was that a direct approach will undoubtedly lead to failure.
"Your Majesty.", Laeroth spoke, "I meant no disrespect. I only assumed that-"
"You assumed!? You do not assume, Laeroth. You determine! You bring solutions and results. In over three hundred cycles you never once assumed anything. What has changed? Are you losing your edge?"
"Your Majes-"
"Perhaps I should put someone else in charge.". These words shook Laeroth to the core. "Someone more youthful. Someone I can fully trust. Someone capable of cleaning this mess. Perhaps Athtar, maybe Reebus or Syndra. Or... maybe that fellow Alphs."
"No!", Laeroth shouted, his voice booming over the halls, making everyone present twitch. He drew his sword and knelt, "I shall resolve this. I shall not fail you, Your Majesty.". He brought the edge of his sword to his left hand and without hesitation sliced off his smallest finger. Then he placed his sword on the floor and offered Canus his finger. Canus slowly walked over to him and took it.
After observing the finger for several moments, Canus spoke, "Rise.", and so Laeroth did, "This is your final chance. Should you fail me, you will lose more than this finger.". With a bow and a salute, Laeroth exited the chamber. "This meeting is over! Return to your duties!"
With that, the chamber was emptied and only Canus remained with his guard. Sitting on his throne, Canus observed Laeroth's finger. All he could do was hope and pray that Laeroth's determination would prevail.
As Laeroth walked down the halls he patched up his hand with cloth. His first captain walked beside him, "Sir! You must slow down."
"I cannot Helion!", Laeroth shouted, "Every minute we spend bickering is a minute we give to the enemy. Their power, their speed, it is like nothing we faced before."
"Well... What do we do? What can we do?"
"First we need to fortify the North Alston river. Send word to general Lyklor Balphine of the XI and general Reebus Octo of the XII. Tell them to hold the bridges and not let the enemy pass. Since they have powerful cannons, they need to spread their forces out and use long-range catapults. Second, send word to the Meilume nobility and tell them to leave the region. Third, bring me the captive humans as soon as possible. Where are they?"
"About a dozen have been scattered at the Meilume and Kuruk capitals. The rest are on their way to the other cities between Kuruk and Elyana and many will be sent to the mines of the Tubal mountains."
"I want eight captives here as soon as possible."
"Understood sir.". The captain saluted and rushed to his duties, leaving Laeroth who entered his personal chamber and grabbed his flask. After he emptied it he threw it to the corner of the room. Sitting down on his bed he caught his breath and stared at the spirit statues on his shelf and prayed, "Morto, I beg of you. Bring death upon these cursed enemies."
---
(Around the same time)
South village, Yellow forest county, Meilume
Nym will never forget what happened that day. His little crew swore that they would never tell anyone about it. That... man, if it can be called a man, terrified them. When they returned to their parents they lied about how they were running from ferals they saw in the forest while playing. This put the whole village on alert. Of course, it would, a danger of ferals attacking was normal. The whole forest had dens of feral welfen and leanoids, but the county didn't have the means with which to deal with the problem and the empire doesn't see them as a threat overall, so the counties were on their own.
The Yellow forest county had roughly eight thousand people living in it with roughly six hundred militia. It was small compared to some other counties but it held on all things considered. Some people wanted to leave the country as they feared it was becoming too dangerous due to feral activity, but recent events made them choose otherwise. Two massive armies marched near their forest and looking down from the hill the people could see them. The first one marched to the rift to get to the other side and the other after them to assist them. But they were all defeated. This frightened the people of Yellow forest, but they chose to stay, thinking that maybe the enemy won't enter their forest because of the ferals. A long shot, but one they chose to take.
Nym was outside with his friends. The sun was starting to set and they had to return home from mushroom picking. "We never should have gone there.", said Cohnal.
"Stop talking about it.", Nym said, "It's done, stop."
"He has a point, Nym.", Elsha said, "I don't know why that man let us go but... I don't ever want to see him again."
"Same here.", said Meara.
"And we won't have to.", Nym said, "As long as we don't tell anyone anything and we never go to Galdush, we will be fine."
The four of them nodded to that. What happened on that day scared them to the core. But it made them confused more than anything else. The passing imperial soldiers said how they were going to a savage land filled with barbaric monsters. But if that was true, then why did the men on Galdush spare them? Was it because they took no pleasure in killing children? One thing was for sure, they will heed their advice and stay away.
"I think we have enough.", Elsha said.
"Yes.", Hallas said, "We should probably return to the village before ferals show up."
"I don't think they will.", Nym said.
"What do you mean?", Meara asked.
"Haven't you noticed that we haven't seen any ferals in several moon cycles? It's like they ran away."
"That is strange.", Cohnal said, "But either way, we should hurry back."
The five of them started walking back. The forest is quite beautiful in the evening and at night. The reason why it's called Yellow forest is that in the late yellow season and all of the green season, the yellow-backed fireflies and red-headed beetles start flying at night and illuminate the whole forest with yellow and red dots. The county doesn't put up many torches in these times because the people love watching the red and yellow dance of insects. A few beetles have come out of the trees and this told the children they should hurry.
As they ran through the forest, Elsha stopped when she heard rustling in a nearby bush. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked closer to the bush, despite Nym telling her not to. She walked closer and closer and when she got closer she noticed a pair of green eyes inside the bush. She realized immediately what it was and jumped back just before the creature jumped after her. It was a goblin. Short and bald with a big nose and ugly teeth it wore rags and held a crudely made spear. Elsha was backing away but she slipped and fell on her back. The goblin was about to stab her with his spear, but Nym jumped in and shanked it in the side, piercing its heart. Pulling out the knife he grabbed Elsha and the five of them started running back to the village. As they ran, goblins started jumping out of the bushes and shrubs. Dozens of them. The children could see the gate of the village.
"Open the gate!", Nym yelled as he dragged Elsha, "Goblins! Let us in!"
The guards quickly rushed to open the gate. They opened it just enough so the children could pass. One by one passed and Nym was about to cross but he was grabbed by the goblins. The goblin that grabbed him was taller and bulkier than the rest. He dragged Nym back and left as more goblins showed up. The children cried and the guards quickly closed the gate and climbed on the walls. They saw not dozens, but hundreds of goblins. How could there be so many, they couldn't know and there was no time to find out. The one hundred and fifty militia that were at the village armed themselves and prepared to fight. The goblins threw stones at them but the stone is not as strong as an arrow. The militia opened fire with bows and crossbows, killing dozens of them. The larger goblins threw larger stones and even smaller goblins at the wall. A few made it over and some landed on the militia and started stabbing them. One militia fighter used his sword to slice their heads off and grabbed the crossbow of a fallen fighter and shot the larger goblin in the head, killing him and letting his disgusting, bloated hunk of flesh flop on the ground.
"Aim for the large ones first!", he shouted, "I need spears on the edges, they are climbing! Burn them, they hate fire!". He continued to kill more goblins, slicing the heads of the ones who climbed up on the wall's edges. In front, he could see how a section was overwhelmed as the large goblins threw smaller ones at the militia. He grabbed a nearby shield and charged at them, knocking several down and letting the forces on the ground deal with them. As he looked down he saw the last six large goblins grab a log and he immediately understood their role. "Prepare the torches! Grab cloth!". The fighters did just that and threw the burning cloth and torches at the goblins as they hit the gate with their log.
As the battle went on, the militia killed dozens of goblins with volleys of arrows but more just kept coming. They could see the end though, there were no more large goblins and the small ones had organized a suicide charge to overwhelm the wall, but the fighters kept throwing fire and shooting them with arrows. As this was happening, however, something was happening in the village. The people were all in their homes, but a few were still helping the militia fight as they treated their wounds and brought arrows, food, and boiling water. One of them heard something coming from the abandoned well and moved closer to see. When he got closer he peaked in and a green hand grabbed him as another one stabbed him in the throat. From the well goblins came, several of them, then a few dozen. They went into homes and people started screaming. Elsha was in one of the homes, and her grandmother was laying in the corner when a goblin walked towards her, but Elsha took a knife and stabbed it in the head. From her door, she could see more of them running towards her. She was scared but relieved as more militia came. They were from the western village of the county and had come as soon as they could. The fighters went into the homes and started killing the goblins. Chopping off heads, stabbing hearts and lungs, firing crossbows, burning, the militia used everything.
Eventually, the goblins inside the village were all killed and the fires were put out. The goblins outside the wall were mostly dead but nearly a hundred fled. This was a dark night. The south militia lost nearly a third of its force and dozens of people were killed by the goblins from the well, which was covered up with wooded planks and stone. But the damage to the hearts and minds of the people was greater. Mothers mourned their children and children their fathers. Their greatest fear was the goblins coming back.
(The next day)
Everyone looked to the wall defender, Tulgor, the commander of the south militia. They hoped he would have an answer to all this, and so did he. Some wanted revenge, many asked what to do next. Truth is, he didn't know what to do. Something like this never occurred and no one thought it was possible.
"Tulgor.", spoke an elderly elf, "What do you think we should do?"
"I... I do not know, elder.", Tulgor replied, making everyone around them lower their heads in grief, "We could send fighters down the well and see what is down there. It could be their den and if so they are asleep. But I cannot be certain what we will face. If we get cornered we would die. Besides, we do not have the means with which to destroy the den."
"So all that remains is for us to prepare for the next attack?"
"I fear so. And since we do not know where they will attack next, I suggest we inform the mayor to declare a state of alert county-wide, as to prevent further surprises and death."
"Very well. I will personally go to the central hall and-"
"Tulgor!", shouted a militia fighter, "Tulgor! You have to see this."
Tulgor quickly stood up, "What is it? Have the goblins awoken?"
"No. But... I don't know. You must come, they call for you."
"Call for me? Who? Imperial soldiers?"
"No. They are soldiers, but they are wearing green armor and have boomsticks. They're not dwarves, they are too tall and their skin is paler than theirs is."
This greatly confused Tulgor, "Did they say where they are from?"
"Yes. They are from Galdush."
This statement made his heart freeze and the people around him panicked. The enemy from Galdush came here? Why? Have they come to kill them and take their land? Why here, this is a small county. Swallowing the spit that worked up in his mouth he spoke, "How many?"
"I counted only a dozen. But I think there are more in their armored carriages."
"Assemble fifty of our finest. I will meet them."
---
(Earlier)
Operations base Galdush, morning
It's been a while since any attacks have been launched at them and REC got to work. They improved their base, finishing the machine shop, barracks, airstrip, fortifications, and central command. The base was taking shape of a polygonal fort. The reason is that, historically, these types of fortifications were the best defenses against cannon fire until more accurate and powerful forms of artillery were created. But since the highest level of military technology possessed by the enemy is that of the Napoleonic era, it's not an issue. The other benefit is that polygonal forts are built in a way so that the point which needed to be defended is in the middle. This way the rift is in the center and defended on all sides. As an extra precaution, the rift was surrounded by a steel dome with a garrison defending it.
After the full thirty thousand troops made it to the other side of the rift, a few reforms were made. Firstly, all equipment that required a satellite link was not to be used as they had no satellites here. Instead, they used drones until a proper system can be emplaced. Secondly, a squad of four distinct tribals will be accompanying all Rift groups, or RGs, in order to spread the word to the other tribals of North Altia in hopes of bringing more people to the US's side and also showing them why they are not monsters.
There were currently five RGs and each was given an assignment. They were to go to various locations in Meilume and do reconnaissance as well as gain contact with locals and find out more about the imperial government. Each RG was a platoon of thirty-eight rangers from the 75th Ranger regiment led by a first lieutenant and was equipped with standard hardware. Since the end of the Great crisis, Russia and the US have been working on the 'Warrior' project in order to create better gear for soldiers. The result was a helmet, body armor, a one-piece coverall, hearing protection; protective glasses; a protective set for knees and elbows; new grenade launchers, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, ammunition, a combat knife, as well as 24/7 reconnaissance means, a day and night sighting system, a small-size binocular, optical and thermal weapon sights, etc. As well as these, the system comprises a universal shelter, a multifunctional knife, a signal lamp, a watch, winter and summer two-side camouflage sets, an autonomous heat source, a backpack, an individual water filter, a small entrenching tool, breath protection devices, means of radiological and chemical control, a medical kit, and filtering clothes. As for vehicles, each RG has two JLTV3s, two International MaxxPros, and one LAV-40, all armed and ready.
With their assignments given, the rangers got to work. RG-2, led by lieutenant Andrea Williams, was to track down the elven children Spearteam found snooping. The group tracked them down to a nearby place designated Yellow forest. They took a path through the forest and hoped to run into their village. On the way, they admired the environment. The green trees, the clear blue sky, and the animals looked like the ones back on Earth, just with a few distinct features. Like how rabbits have longer legs, foxes have brighter eyes, some even have two tails. Everything was truly fascinating.
"Man this place is beautiful.", said sergeant David Hall, "It's like driving through a national park."
"You said it, Dave.", said sergeant Greg Nivera, "What do you think we'll find here?"
"Man, I'm hoping for some griffons or something."
"Griffons are only in the north.", said Xod, the leanoid, "If we ever get to the dwarven kingdoms we might find one."
"That's a bummer.", Greg said.
"Bummer?", asked Zog, the welfen.
"It means it's a bad thing.", David said.
"Why is that a bad thing?"
"Because I really wanted to see one!", Greg said.
"Quiet.", said Andrea over the comms, "You forgot to turn off the radio."
"Sorry ma'am.", said Greg as he turned the radio off.
"Boys.", said Andrea in the lead JLTV, "Let's find these kids."
"I just hope we don't scare them.", said sergeant Sophia Adams, "I'd hate to make a bad first impression."
"These people live in the Yellow forest.", said Madia the lepian, "It's likely that they know about the Galdush battle and they consider you as an enemy. I wouldn't expect them to greet you with 'open arms' as you say it."
"I don't expect that either.", said Andrea, "But that's why we're here. We have to show them that they don't have to fear us. "
Ksee, the feelian, scoffed at that, "You should use your cannons and destroy them. It's what they deserve anyway."
"We won't be the monsters they say we are. There can be another way. Besides, it's the army and the emperor along with the other stuck-up nobility that's the problem. I'm not gonna kill farmers 'cause some bureaucrat attacked me."
Ksee thought about that. She saw what the Americans were capable of, and yet she couldn't understand why they don't just force the elves into submission. As they drove through the forest, they came across another path that led deeper into the woods. The tracker led them there and so they followed it. It was amazing how many things the human soldiers were capable of doing, unlike the elves who only knew how to kill in several different ways. The vehicles moved through the woods and reached a wooden wall about roughly twenty feet tall that looked like it saw action recently. They followed the tracker and found it on the ground in front of the gate.
'What happened here?', Andrea thought as she picked up the tracker.
"Hold it!", shouted someone from the wall. It was an elf and around him, about twenty more with bows and crossbows pointed at Andrea, "Who are you?"
Andrea calmly stepped forward, "I am lieutenant Andrea Williams of Rift group 2 from the Rift Expeditionary Corp!". This seemed to confuse them.
"Where are you from?", he asked.
"Galdush."
This made them tense up. They seemed angered. "You are the enemy! Why have you come?!". The rangers aimed their guns at them but Andrea waved for them to calm down.
"We are here to speak with your leader. We only want to make peaceful relations."
"You lie! The imperial army told us that they were heading to Galdush to face the enemy that has come to invade our lands! Thousands went and only dozens returned! That was your doing!"
"Those soldiers attacked us first. They sent their army through the rift and killed thousands of innocent people. We are here to peacefully solve any and all problems with the empire, but we need your help."
"Why should I trust you?"
In response, Andrea gave her gun to Greg, took off her helmet, and widened her arms, "I mean you no harm!". After some hesitation, one of the elves climbed down from the wall.
"Wait there!".
So the team waited. Some were skeptical about this but did nothing. David walked up to Andrea, "Are you sure about this lieutenant? You really think they're gonna even consider talking to us?"
"All I know is they could've shot us on sight. Do you want to kill hundreds of people today, sergeant?". At that moment, the gate opened and an elf followed by fifty more stepped out. The fifty made a defensive line of shields, which tensed up the rangers.
"No, but if this keeps up I might have to.", David said.
The leading elf stepped forward, "I am Tulgor Salvin, commander of the south militia."
Andrea stepped forward, "I am lieutenant Andrea Williams, commander of RG-2 of the Rift Expeditionary group."
"Why have you come, Lieutenant Andrea Williams?"
"As I stated before, we are here to make peaceful relations with the elven people. We mean you no harm."
"You misunderstood my question. Why are you here, specifically?"
"We are here because we want to prove to you that we are not monsters and savages that the empire claims us to be. We only desire peace."
"You keep saying that word. Peace. And yet you kill dozens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of soldiers."
"Those soldiers attacked us first. You can't blame us for defending ourselves."
"True. Still, how do I know you won't stab us in the back? I see the tribals behind you. You make them fight for you, so how do I know you will not enslave us as well."
"We are not slaves!", Xod shouted, making the fighters twitch, "We chose to fight alongside these humans because we are tired of the empire enslaving and killing us! We fight with them because they promised us freedom! With them, not for them!"
This made Tulgor raise an eyebrow, "Is that really true?"
"Yes.", Andrea said, "We want to end slavery and show you that there is a better way. So if you want to fight them, you'll have to fight us. And I assure you, it will be bloody.". The fighters and rangers tensed up, ready for a fight. But Tulgor laughed.
"Never before have I met a woman with such ferociousness and authority.", he said, "You have my respect. However, if you want my trust, you must offer me more than words."
"And what is it that you want?"
Tulgor thought for a while before answering, "There is a certain goblin problem we are facing."
"Goblin problem?"
"Last night, a horde of goblins attacked us and I lost many fighters. I sense that they will come back but I cannot search for them and leave the village undefended."
"Interesting. Do you have any leads? Or a hunch as to where they are?"
"They came from the forest but it stretches for many leagues. They did however come from an abandoned well."
This caught Andrea's attention, "Very well. But my soldiers will have to enter your village."
"I shall allow half of your men and two carriages."
"Alright.", she turned to the group, "Hall, Adams, bring half the group, one JLTV3, and one MRAP. Madia, Ksee, you're coming too, the rest stay here."
The group organized and entered the village. All the people stared at them and their vehicles, like something otherworldly, which they technically were. They came to the abandoned well and Andrea gave the order to prepare the RC drone and the flyer. The rangers removed the wood and stone from the well and started lowering the drone.
"What is that?", Tulgor asked.
"It's a device we can use to see what's inside the well without going in there.", Andrea answered, "And that one can fly."
"Amazing. How?"
"A long story. I might show you sometime."
The drone was lowered to the bottom and a private drove it. He had to turn on night vision to see. "It looks like a tunnel.", he said, "They probably dug their way in there. You got anything?"
"Nothing yet.", said the other private, "Hold on. I think I see a cave. Yeah, definitely. The entrance is above ground level."
"Goblins are night dwellers.", Tulgor said, "They sleep during the day and hate fire. A cave is where they prefer to live. But to think they would dig their way to our well. I knew they were on a tribal level but this."
"Don't compare us to those monsters, elf.", said Madia.
"Why? They also kidnap people and force-mate with them."
"We only do it when we need to!"
"Calm down!", shouted Andrea, "We had an agreement."
"Ma'am, come look at this.", said a private, and Andrea, Tulgor, and Sophia gathered, "I see dozens of them, sleeping, maybe more further out. And here. It's a boy."
"That is the boy they took last night.", Tulgor said, "He still lives."
"Someone has to go down there and get him.", Andrea said, "Ksee?"
"Why me?", Ksee asked.
"You are the most flexible one. Plus, that's an order."
Ksee groaned but accepted. The private pulled the drone back and tied the rope to her. She was lowered down and then crawled through the tunnel, ignoring the stench on the way. Finally, she came to the cave and looked around, her cat eyes allowing her to see clearly. She saw the boy, who was a little battered but breathing and alive. She slowly grabbed him under the arms but he woke up and started freaking out. This woke up a few goblins and Ksee grabbed the boy and ran back, quickly going back through the tunnel.
She tied the rope around him, "Pull him up!". As they pulled the boy up she could see the goblins approaching, "They're coming!"
"Take this!", Andrea shouted, throwing a frag grenade at her.
"What is it?", Ksee asked.
"Just pull the ring, throw it, and then climb!"
Ksee did just that. After she pulled the pin she threw it at the approaching goblins who grabbed it out of curiosity. A curiosity that would have them killed as the grenade exploded, killing several goblins and blocking the path to Ksee. After Ksee and the boy climbed out, the soldiers rejoiced.
"Please don't make me do that again.", Ksee said.
Andrea chuckled, "No promises."
Ksee saw the boy run to his mother and friends, who cried tears of joy. This made her smile. Tulgor walked over to her and slightly bowed, "Thank you for saving one of my own."
"Don't mention it.", Ksee said, "It was a piece of cake."
Tulgor was confused by that statement, "Cake? There is no cake here."
Ksee laughed a little, "Don't worry about it. The humans taught me, I was a little confused myself."
Greg walked over as he put away his radio, "Ok, it's done. I gave the location to command, they're sending a platoon with flamethrowers to deal with the cave."
"How-", Tulgor began to ask.
"Another device.", Greg said, "We have a lot of them."
Tulgor chuckled, "I see. Thank you, humans. I suppose we can trust you after all. Come, let me introduce you to the elder."
End of chapter 7
​
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Hi everyone. I won't waste much time with introductions, nor am I going to justify why I created this account. It is obviously not my main. I was torn between writing this post on confessions or here, but I finally decided to see if any other Snyder fans are in my situation. I'm a neurobiologist, so I know how addictions work, and I can assure you that my dopaminergic circuit is addicted to Zack Snyder movies like an addict is addicted to any drug.
​
When I was in college, I first watched 300 and thought it was a great movie, the combination of visuals and soundtrack brought me to tears. So, you can imagine my reaction to Man of Steel and Batman V Superman afterwards. Upon leaving the cinema, I found it strange that my wife and son did not find the film exciting. And as absurd as it may seem, it was the cause of a quarrel with her. I'll spare you the details, but already in 2016, we weren't going through a good moment in our marriage, which is why anything, even discussions about a movie, lit the fuse.
​
In 2017 we divorced. I was hoping to find relief and distract myself with DC movies, but Josstice League came along and dealt me ​​a huge blow. For the following years, I continued to rewatch MoS and BvS, trying to grasp every detail and watching video analyses that spoke of the hidden meanings and references in the films. I became one of the main leaders of the #Releasethesnydercut campaign, and when ZSJL was released, it was one of the best days of my life.
​
I'd lost my wife, my job was failing due to depression, but I'd gotten a film that I'd wanted for a long time and one that was mostly about hope. He helped me get up. To take back the reins of my life. If Batman had come out of the tunnel of despair that gripped him, so could I.
​
Then James Gunn came along and destroyed my dreams for good. Now I'm battling depression again, broken only by the failed hope of getting Henry Cavill back as Superman. I live alone, I don't have a partner, I see my son once a week, and when we meet we watch a chapter of the Snyderverse trilogy every time. In 2016 he was too young to understand BvS, but now he is almost as much a fan as I am.
​
The problem is that by now the Snyderverse has become a fundamental part of my life. I know it will never be restored, but it's hard for me to part with it. I've fought for him so long that accepting that he won't have a future means accepting that there's no hope for me either. He helped me through a dark time in my life and was the only light that enlightened me. I know you'll call me a loser, maybe you'll think I'm a troll, but I wanted to get this off my back. What for some is just a movie, for others, it can be a lifeline. I have to accept that WB has moved on, that Zack isn't coming back, and neither is my wife. I messed up, I mixed my personal life with a movie saga and that compromised everything. Sorry for the outburst. If anyone is in the same situation let me know. If this post violates the rules, the admins are free to remove it. Thank you all.

Demographics

• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: white
• Residence: Suburban Midwest
• Type of School: Top public HS in state, consistently ranked somewhere in top 5
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): UMich legacy + my older brother worked there? Otherwise, none. I'm also disabled which I mentioned on a few apps but not every one.

Intended Major(s): American studies or linguistics. Have since changed my mind to environmental science, a little too late to apply for any STEM scholarships. fml
Academics

• GPA (UW/W): 4.25 W
• Rank (or percentile): N/A/330 My school doesn't rank but I know that I would unofficially be salutatorian, for grade reference. My school does grading really oddly.
• # of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 9 APs, 5 dual enrollment, max honors in every single core class as well as accelerated courses in math and German
• Senior Year Course Load: APES, AP stats, choir, journalism, Arabic 2 (S1 DE), Cognitive Psychology (S1 DE), Linguistics (S2 DE), graduate-level German course (S2 DE)

Standardized Testing

• SAT I: 1540 (760RW, 780M) (Did not report)
• ACT: 36 (36E, 35M, 35R, 36S)
• AP/IB: APUSH (5), US Gov. (5), Psych (5), German (5), Lang. (4), Microecon (4), Biology (3)

Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1. JV athlete for D1 cross country team, was team manager for a year, earned the Coaches' Award junior year
2. Show and concert choirs, was section leader for 2 years, varsity performer for 3
3. Supervising photographer for my school newspaper which is consistently best in state
4. Did creative writing for fun, have written four books. Dabbled in poetry also which I submitted to a few schools
5. Did a research project through Oberlin College on race, journalism, and social psychology. Got an A but did not get published.
6. Independent photographer for two years, published in local newspapers, yearbook, and had online presence.
7. NHS member, volunteered with literacy programs and food banks
8. German club and German NHS president
9. Did classical German vocal lessons for two years

Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.

1. National merit finalist Was only semifinalist at time of applying ofc
2. AP Scholar with Distinction
3. National Honor Society
4. German National Honor Society
5. Gold Presidential Honor Roll on the national German exam

Letters of Recommendation
- German teacher who I love and had for 5 years, honestly did not speak up in class much but she had previously written me rec letters which had all been great
- AP Lang teacher, also didn't speak up much in this class but she was a big fan of my writing and I needed another core class letter.
- Professor from Hamilton College who did my research paper. I had a chance to read this which also included my paper and its evaluation in which he said I wrote better than most of the student he had taught at Hamilton or Amherst colleges. Still my biggest W to this day.
- My cross country coach of 4 years, I'm sure it was lovely because he's a great guy and I know he really liked me.
Interviews
- Middlebury College: Interviewer said I was refreshing and insightful, had a 20-30 minute talk.
Essays
- Common app essay was about writing 50,000 words of my first novel in 30 days (NaNoWriMo) and how it helped me to overcome my perfectionism. AP lang teacher called it "near perfection” and then refused to elaborate.
- Felt great about my other essays which talked about varying topics from show choir, cross country, Arabic, and some pretty killer "Why Us" essays in my opinion.
Decisions
Acceptances:

• University of Michigan Ann Arbor EA
• Oberlin College RD, $33k in merit/year
• Kenyon College RD, $25k in merit/year
• Wesleyan University RD

Waitlists:

• Middlebury College RD
• Smith College RD
• Hamilton College RD
• Wellesley College RD
• Vassar College RD
• Vanderbilt University RD

Rejections:

• Yale University REA
• Barnard College RD
• Washington University in St. Louis RD
• Williams College RD
• Swarthmore College RD
• Colby College RD

Awaiting:

• Brown University

​
Additional Information:
Wesleyan is too expensive, and I won't be getting into Brown, so I realistically have 3 options. I can make finances work at any of these schools, and UMich is obviously a great choice and probably the logical one, but my heart is just not in it. I would be doing Residential College, so at least that's more my style than the uni as a whole, but still.

Some background: Bf and I have been together for around 7 years, met during college and are currently living together and looking to get engaged soon-ish (neither of us are in a rush). We're super happy now, but there have definitely been some bumps in the road along the way, mostly due to him getting in his head about the future/questioning our relationship.
Anyways, since graduating he's been working in a competitive and high paying industry. He's always made very good money, but recently he landed a job paying exponentially more than what he's making now (think seven figure range). I'm incredibly proud of him, but at the same time I can't help but feel nervous about what this means for our future. We've been together for a LONG time, and I feel as though this type of money can really start to change people for the worse, especially when you're thrust into that environment at such a young age and things like marriage/kids/etc., still feel like distant milestones. I trust his character and that he's capable of handling himself, but I also really don't want to end up in the classic cliche of the college couple who met when they were young and then divorce 10 yrs later because the rich husband has found a better option via the excess of options you have access to with that kind of money.
Overall I just feel very anxious about this change, especially knowing we're currently set on the path for engagement. I'd like to talk about this with him but am hoping for advice so I can approach it in a healthy manner and don't come off as insecure or envious of his achievements.
TLDR; Bf is suddenly rich and I'm nervous about how it will affect our relationship. Looking for perspective and general advice on navigating this.

To preface, my fiancé has remained pure through her entire dating life and through dating and being engaged to me. I didn’t do so well, she knows that I had experiences with other women in highschool and early college.
We have absolutely no issues with intimacy, sexual desire, excitement, etc, however she does have some garnered issues with the idea of being pure. For example: she says she cringes at the thought of having a send off at the wedding because she knows everyone will be thinking about how she’s on her way to lose her virginity. She says she hates the idea of seeing family after the wedding because everyone will know what happened, so she wants to avoid them for a few weeks. She said she’s scared of the jokes and jabs that family and close friends will throw out there about us being in a “rush to leave” the wedding. She hates the idea of everyone knowing what we’re doing the night of the wedding.
To me, this is all part of the excitement. I found my person. She’s mine forever. I’m proud that I get to have sex with her from here until we can’t walk and then some…. But for her she has this embarrassment attached to it that worries me. I read stories about women who never allow sex to become a regular occurrence because they’re so caught up in their purity mindset that it’s attached to their identity as a person.
I’m looking to ease this transition and I don’t foresee any problems really, but I don’t want to be 3 days into our honeymoon in Italy and have her so worried about what others back home in the States are thinking that she can’t enjoy herself or enjoy the fruits of our marriage covenant. During our pre-marriage counseling we discussed our sexual compatibility and things were on the up and up especially when it came to the frequency we both expected in our lives. I just want to foster that mindset of growth together as much as possible

“Wrestling is linear. But these are not linear times…”
Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
September 9, 2022 – The Fallout from Brawl Out
AEW is in crisis. Its champion and biggest star turned the world upside down three days prior. CM Punk is in exile, two titles are vacant, and three of the company’s founders have their futures in jeopardy. The landscape is pure chaos. Amidst that chaos, a villain strolls out to the stage with a big smile on his face.
MJF eats it all up… AEW’s greatest heel may have become its greatest face in one night. The live audience is jubilant to see him and he reciprocates, diving into them just as CM Punk had done, hugging Taz at the broadcast desk, wearing the jersey of that city’s football team.
Joy reverberates in his words once he grabs the microphone:

"BUFFALO, NEW YORK! THE DEVIL IS BACK! Now listen up Buffalo, first things first... Who's excited to see MJF? “Lord knows I am. Guys, I love Buffalo, New York, hell the greatest Quarterback of all time, Josh Allen is from Buffalo. Now, we're gonna get down to brass tacks a little bit here, okay? Last time you guys saw me I might've said some offensive stuff, I'm just being honest…

The fans strike up a loud chant: “YOU WERE RIGHT”

Now hear me out, hear me out, hear me out... Hold on g-- Seriously, I only have so much time allotted. Shut up. Please. Jesus. Alright listen... If there's one thing I know to be true, it's that right now you might think that we're in dark times, but we're not. What we need is leadership. And I can not think of one more person, more trustworthy than me! Now let me tell you a story: there was once a wise Jewish man, and his name started with a M. And when his people were meek and weak and they needed help, he split the sea wide open and he walked them straight to the promise land. Buffalo, I'm not telling you I'm Moses, that's ridiculous. I'M BETTER THAN MOSES! I'VE GOT TO WIN THAT WORLD TITLE BECAUSE MY NAME IS MAXWELL JACOB FRIEDMAN AND I'M BETTER THAN YOU...

“AND YOU KNOW IT!”, the crowd finishes for him. “Wild Thing” comes over the speakers and Jon Moxley walks through the crowd to the ring.
He stares down MJF then says: “You are absolutely full of crap.”
Crowd laughs a bit, but they also boo him some.
MJF:

"So let me get this straight, Jonathan. You think I'm not being sincere here in Buffalo, New York? In front of all these grotesque, poor, lard asses who have quite possibly the worst Football Team in the history of the United States of America? [MJF shed’s the jersey and wipes his ass with it] … Now Jon, I don't know if you're a little bit woozy considering you went to sleep on Sunday… [MJF mimes CM Punk's “Go To Sleep” pose]
But maybe you got a point. Maybe I don't care about AEW.... Maybe I don't care about these people... Maybe, just maybe I look at the World Title as nothing more than a bargaining chip that I can use for the bidding war of 2024. Maybe I take that title to a real Wrestling Company, WITH REAL FANS. And real wrestlers like my friend and hero 'The American Roller Coad-ster' Cody Rhodes. And – I'M HOLDING THE MICROPHONE YOU BUMS! KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! And maybe, just maybe I get to work for a real boss, the only Khan in professional wrestling that's worth a damn; Jolly Old St. Nick. Because to quote the greatest wrestler of all time, and my personal hero, The Game: 'That is what's best for business.’”

Moxley:

"Dude. This is not the time, this is not the place, and I am in no mood. You need to leave this ring right now, or I will make you leave.

MJF stands toe-to-toe with Moxley before slithering out of the ring. Mox continues:

Hey, your theme music sucks by the way. Now Buffalo, New York. I am in no mood... I am pissed off. I am embarrassed. I am pissed off about a great many things. But none more so than the fact that I'm standing here without the AEW World Championship... The AEW World Championship represents passion for this sport! Passion for this business! It represents the passion of the guys and girls in the back, and the fans that fill the arenas and watch at home. Those three letters in the AEW World Championship, they represent heroes during a pandemic at a time where the world needed heroes. It represents the dream, the vision that we all had when we started this thing years ago, and we wanted to show the world just what wrestling could be. The AEW World Championship represents taking the dark and ugly side of this business and letting it die with another generation. The World Championship represents the freedom to be as great as you are willing to dare to be. The AEW World championship means being better than I was the day before. Even if it's just a little bit better. Even if nobody notices but me. That World Championship represents slaying demons. That World Championship represents EVERYTHING I LOVE ABOUT THIS BUSINESS!
But the fact remains: on Sunday, I lost. And that's on me, that's my fault. I made mistakes. I got pinned. That's on me. I missed the game winning shot. And I was supposed to be on vacation right now, like until about two days ago. But here's another chance to take another shot when the game's on the line. This Tournament of Champions is one hell of a shot. That's one hell of a big rock to push all the way to the top of the hill again. Chris Jericho, the greatest of all time. Bryan Danielson, the best pure wrestler to ever step foot into a ring, a better wrestler than I'll ever be. Darby Allin, Hangman Page, Sammy Guevara, three dudes all younger than me, faster than me, more naturally gifted than I could ever be. So yeah, that's a hell of a shot. But winners always want the ball when the game is on the line. The Ace always wants the ball. And I want the ball. So hell yeah, I'm gonna take the shot.
Cause this isn't just a time to win… This is a time to be a legend!

Moxley leaves to a furious ovation and has rallied the AEW fans back to reason and rationality. It’s only temporary though, and an unnerved mood persists. The message is delivered by Moxley, truly the Ace of the company… But it feels like it should’ve come from someone else and perhaps that someone else would have been there to deliver it if he wasn't turned away. Better yet, the situation may have been avoided entirely.
But then again, maybe the whole damn thing was inevitable all along.
January 4, 2016 - Tokyo
Following their tag win over CHAOS, Kenny Omega betrays and usurps the leader of Bullet Club, AJ Styles, at NJPW: New Year’s Dash.

"AJ Styles! My god, you can't be surprised, can you? You people, you can't be surprised. You at home you better not be surprised. You had this coming, AJ. We gave you the big matches, we gave you the big pay-per-views. We made you a star, we paid you like a star. While I struggled, while I starved, forcing myself to be a junior. Everybody called you a leader, everybody called you the boss. Well AJ, if you are the boss, I'm just gonna say it. You have now been fired.

The rest of the Bullet Club is initially in disagreement before coalescing around Kenny and ganging up on Styles. They leave with their former leader in a heap, but Kenny and the Young Bucks gather at ringside. The three of them return to the ring and continue the brutal assault on AJ Styles… They are still in the Bullet Club, but within that organization, henceforth they will be The Elite.
January 4, 2017 - Wrestle Kingdom 11
Having stormed through his first ever attempt in the tournament, Kenny Omega became the only gaijin to have ever won New Japan’s G1 Tournament and earned the right to challenge for the company’s top prize at WK11.
That night in the Tokyo Dome, Omega and Okada created magic in one of the greatest matches in wrestling history. On the same show, Bullet Club’s newest member debuts: Cody Rhodes. Frustrated with his position and his creative direction, Cody had requested and been granted his release from WWE the previous summer, Cody makes his way across the Pacific, sending shockwaves through the international wrestling landscape.
Despite this shot in the arm, Bullet Club is tested by the crushing defeat of its leader. Following his loss to Okada, Kenny steps away from wrestling to assess his future. When he returns after several weeks Cody had grown ambitious and plots in the background.
June 11, 2017 - Dominion
In a rematch of their classic from the start of the year at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Kenny Omega attempts to avenge his defeat and claim the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada. Earlier in the night, Cody had grabbed a headset and proclaimed he wanted to face Okada himself.
Omega and Okada push each other over the limit even harder than before. Omega is taking inhuman punishment yet refuses to give up. Eventually, Cody makes his way down to the ring and attempts to throw in the towel for Kenny, but the Bucks stop him.
The timekeeper’s bell rings, marking it a 60-minute draw.
Afterward, the Elite debate whether it was a true act of mercy by Cody or a scheme for his personal goals
Cody storms Okada’s post-match press conference, where he mocks the champ, spits in his face, and challenges him for a title match.
May 16, 2017 - The Bet
Dave Meltzer quote-tweets a question asking if anyone could sell 10,000 tickets to a non-WWE show in America, to which he replies, “Not anytime soon.”
Cody takes note and responds: “I'll take that bet Dave… put The Bucks & I on the card & 3-months to promote”... Over the next year this grand dream between Cody and the Young Bucks will come to fruition.
July 1, 2017 - Returning the Favor
Cody unsuccessfully challenges Okada for the IWGP championship. Kenny comes to ringside and wants to throw in the towel just as Cody had tried weeks earlier. After the match, the two of them nearly come to blows backstage and Cody flips a table.
August 2017 - G1 Climax
Throughout the tournament, Bullet Club nears a boiling point. OG member Toma Tonga questions Omega’s leadership due to having his small inner circle of The Elite within the larger group. In the weeks and months to follow, Cody identifies Kota Ibushi as Kenny Omega’s weakest point and starts targeting him as a wedge to divide the Bullet Club and create chaos wherein he can ascend to power.
January 4, 2018 - Wrestle Kingdom 12
Looking to use a win over Ibushi as a flashpoint to take control of Bullet Club, Cody viciously mauls Kota in a singles match but can’t secure the victory. Frustrated that his plan failed, the next night at New Year’s Dash he launches a post-match assault on Ibushi. Cody and the rest of Bullet Club are wailing on Ibushi until Kenny rushes out to stop them… but the rest of Bullet Club can’t help feeling Kenny views his old tag partner as more important to him than they are. Cody’s plan bears fruit as Kenny makes a massive unforced error: he invites “Switchblade” Jay White to join Bullet Club and be a shot in the arm for the faction, only for White to betray him immediately and join CHAOS.
January 7, 2018 - Being the Elite #87
Camera follows the Elite as they are tense and nervous preparing for Wrestle Kingdom a few days earlier. It jumps to the group after New Year’s Dash, all gathered at a tense dinner conversation. To break the tension, Matt proposes a new gimmick for the group: “BTE IS DRUG FREE”... aka, Straight Edge… no one shoots it down, but they’re not thrilled either, and Cody hides his beer underneath the table.
The effort to relieve things fails, however, and Cody blurs the line between kayfabe and shoot, shouting for the cameraman to put the camera down. Then we get a fly-on-the-wall glimpse at him charging Kenny with always “turning everything into a bit”, disregarding the group, and heatedly asking him if he’s actually their leader before Kenny finally storms away from the table.
January 28, 2018 - Civil War
Jay White scores a massive upset at New Beginning and takes the IWGP United States Championship from Kenny Omega. After the bell, Hangman confronts Jay White and seeks to challenge for the title, but Kenny stops him. The Bucks and Cody rush to the ring, and Cody accuses their leader of stepping on Hangman’s moment. A violent argument ensues with Kenny shoving Matt Jackson to the ground.
Once the Elite have left the ring and Kenny is alone, Cody seizes the opportunity and hits Kenny with a CrossRhodes, initiating the Bullet Club Civil War. The only thing saving Omega from a brutal attack that night is Ibushi, who runs off Cody and returns the favor for his old friend and partner, reuniting the Golden Lovers after years of separation. Regardless, Cody’s plan is in full effect. Bullet Club is in disarray and if he is to take power, now is the opportunity.
In 944 days, Roman Reigns becomes world champion to begin his and the Bloodline's vice grip on WWE.
January 30, 2018 - Being The Elite #90
Cody, to the assembled Elite of Matt, Nick, Hangman, and Marty:

It isn’t my place, but you’ve known that guy for over ten years. I don’t get it, I’m sorry. Yeah, he’s a great wrestler, but leadership… Like I said, it’s action not position! That’s not acting like a leader! ‘Oh, you’re my second, you’re my second’... Who the F-CK are you seconds for? Nobody! The best tag team in the world! And Hangman, it’s your moment! He… He ruined it.
Bullet Club is fine… Bullet Club is fine.

Kenny & Ibushi go to visit the Bucks in their hotel room, Room 710… but we aren’t shown what happens next.
February 12, 2018 – Being the Elite #92
Cody floats around reassuring everyone: “Bullet Club is fine.” All of the guys have pure depression on their faces, but Cody continually gasses them up, telling the Bucks they’re ready for the jump to the heavyweight division and encouraging Marty to start up a Villain Club of his own. Later, Matt, Nick, and Marty are commiserating in a locker room prior to a Ring of Honor show when Hangman and Cody strut through the door.
Cody, smugly:

“Whew, look at that! Did you guys see [Hangman] kick the door down??”

He thinks a couple of surprises might cheer them up. The first, some new merch that says “Bullet Club is Fine” doesn’t do the trick, so he takes them for the second surprise: their new mascot, Bury the Drug-Free Bear. Using his best Sting voice, Cody introduces Bury as someone who will “shock the world” only for him to “fall on his f-ckin’ arse” like the Shockmaster did 25 years earlier.
Kenny tries to call Matt, but Cody sees the call coming through on the phone and declines it.
February 19, 2018 – Being the Elite #93
Cody maneuvers the Bucks around the Melbourne airport to keep them from running into Kenny. While traveling, Cody further drives the Ibushi wedge between Matt and the absent Kenny and plays up that Kenny only views the Bucks as a junior tag team. Later, Cody takes the brothers out to the zoo and to the movie theater as we see Kenny emotionally watching Casablanca on his phone.
The Bucks catch up with Tonga and the OGs backstage in a locker room where they try to make peace.
Matt:

“Alright guys, thanks for gathering here. Nick and I feel like there’s one important thing that we need to talk about… I think it’s kind of obvious, right? There’s a divide in the Bullet Club. It’s almost like there’s two entities all of a sudden. It’s like there’s Bullet Club BTE and Bullet Club OGs… Nick and I have been watching what you’ve been doing in Japan… holding down the fort, representing the Bullet Club, making the name proud. But we’ve been back at home in the US doing the same thing. There is no heat here. We love you guys. When we all say that catchphrase, when we say ‘Bullet Club is for life’, we mean it. It’s not just a catchphrase, okay? There’s no heat here. The only heat is between two individuals: Cody and Kenny.”

Tonga:

“Cody is right. Bullet Club is fine.”

The two groups shake hands, then Cody enters the locker room, surprised to see everyone together:

“Did somebody call a meeting? I didn’t call a meeting…”

In strolls Kenny.

Kenny: So there he is. The snake in the grass. Three-star savior. Hey Cody.
Cody: Did you see the sign outside? It says 'Bullet Club'.
Kenny: That's right, and I AM THE LEADER.

They start brawling and the others can barely keep them apart.
Cody:

Touch me and I'll sue! Touch me and I'll sue!!

Cody throws a chair that barely misses Kenny and the Bucks.
Matt and Nick look at each other, devastated at what’s become of the group.
February 25, 2018 - Being the Elite #94
Matt Jackson is on a plane traveling between shows, doing the same thing as Kenny from the previous episode: watching Casablanca.
For those who haven't seen it, the story at the heart of the film is a love triangle: cynical club owner Rick, his first love Ilsa, and her rebel husband Laszlo, enhanced by a background of espionage and war with the local police chief, Renault, at the crossroads of the entanglements.
It’s foreshadowing the story to come. In the film, Rick and Ilsa had a passionate love before the events on screen, but they split up and Ilsa then wound up with her now-husband Laszlo, a Czech rebel carrying vital documents for the resistance against Nazi Germany. Rick and Ilsa reunite and rekindle their romance until Rick – knowing she’s better off with her husband – convinces Ilsa to leave with Laszlo before local authorities catch them. Rick stays behind, killing the evil Major Strasser who was attempting to stop the married couple from escaping Casablanca. Renault, who has been playing both sides (Germans and Resistance) up to this point, is touched by Rick's sacrifice. Other policemen arrive and see Strasser's dead body. Rather than identify Rick as the culprit, Renault instructs the cops to "round up the usual suspects"... And of course, that classic line provides the name of the film The Usual Suspects, from which Punk, and MJF, and Don Callis have all quoted the final line:
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making you believe he doesn't exist."
The Usual Suspects is a tale of a mysterious crime lord who manipulates and controls multiple criminals to achieve his ultimate goal and get away scot-free. It is tightly designed so that if you rewatch it knowing the ending, you realize and notice dozens of things you missed on the first viewing.
As Casablanca ends, Rick says to Renault: "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship", implying that if they work together, they can get away with almost anything…
This BTE episode ends with the group all in Japan. The Bucks approach Kenny and Ibushi to have a conversation, but Kenny doesn’t have time for them. Later that night at the event, Cody pulls the Bucks into a hallway and implores them to listen to the promo Kenny is cutting in the ring at that exact moment, where he declares the Golden Lovers the greatest tag team in the world. Cody pushes them to go handle it. The Young Bucks go to the ring while Cody flashes a devilish smile.
Matt:

From this day forward, my brother and I have decided to move up and compete in the heavyweight tag team division.

It puts them directly in opposition with the Lovers. Kenny and Ibushi confront them backstage, but the Bucks don’t take anything from him, saying they’ve always been there to support him but it’s never been returned. All those times they were there to pick Kenny up off the mat, where was Ibushi?
March 5, 2018 - BTE #95
In Vegas, Matt and Nick are in the dressing room talking when Bury the Drug Free Bear enters and seems desperate to tell them something. Bury is about to remove the head to his costume when Hangman bursts in. He is angry with Matt for not helping him during his confrontation with Joey Ryan the week prior. Cody enters and asks Bury why he hasn't got his Bullet Club shirt on and pulls him away to get changed. Everyone looks confused and Matt wonders what the bear was trying to tell them.
Cody is in the production studio and calls Nick over to suggest that Matt is holding him back and that he should consider wrestling in singles matches, but Nick looks unconvinced. Later that night, Cody is in the ring celebrating with Brandi and Bury after his match. As Cody goes to hug Bury, the bear pushes him to the floor. Standing over a prone, confused Cody, Bury removes his costume head to reveal Kenny Omega ,who knocks out Cody with a knee strike as the fans go wild.
Cody is demented after the match:

“What a time. What a time to be involved in this great sport… Everybody’s eyes in this sport are fixed on New Orleans, on Supercard of Honor… my very first encounter with Kenny Omega. So wouldn’t that be enough? As a professional… that feather in your cap, that everybody is talking about your match, that everybody wants to see your match, that you have stolen the [Wrestlemania] weekend from the rich and you have given it to the poor… wouldn’t that be enough?
So why the… escalation? Why come to Las Vegas? … You’re supposed to be the best wrestler in the world! A hero! You’ve got a bag full of them [match rating] stars, well I have a book full of dates, full of cities, full of towns, because I’m not a hero once a month! I’m a hero every single night!
Perception is no longer reality. Reality is reality.
And the reality is that I am the leader of the Bullet Club… that I am the hero in this story.”

March 20, 2018 – BTE #97
Just like he did with Nick previously, Cody sequesters Matt and says his brother has been holding him back and he needs a singles push.
In Japan, Kenny records a message to the Young Bucks apologizing, saying how Cody has gotten into everyone’s heads and divided the group, and hopes to make amends… Unbeknownst to him, Cody has Nick’s laptop so he intercepts the message and edits it down to an insulting challenge. Matt is enraged, but Nick is suspicious.
March 25, 2018 – The Elite Fight It Out
In Los Angeles at NJPW: Strong Style Evolved, the Golden Lovers face the Young Bucks in a deeply personal grudge match. After a brutal, back-and-forth war where the Lovers emerge victorious, Kenny attempts to bury the hatchet. Nick accepts the olive branch, but Matt refuses to shake Kenny’s hand. Cody hits the ring and berates Matt for eating the pin during the match. When Nick intervenes, Cody spins around and shoves him to the ground.
Later in the locker room, Cody comes in to ask what happened out there. The Bucks are challenging him for his actions, but Cody shouts them down, saying he thought it was Kenny in the ring and that he would never do such a thing to them. Cody apologizes profusely and leaves.
Nick:

“I don’t think we can trust this guy.”

April 7, 2018 – Supercard of Honor XII
With the leadership of Bullet Club at stake, Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes square off in a hard-hitting match. Having grown wary of Cody and his schemes, the Bucks come down to the ring and decide to attack Cody. They launch double superkicks… but Cody ducks and the kicks land on Omega, allowing Cody to hit his finisher and claim the win. Matt and Nick attempt to explain, but Kenny refuses to listen.
In the backstage area, Cody is ecstatic at wresting control of Bullet Club away from Kenny. He wants to celebrate, but the Elite leave the dressing room and leave Cody sitting alone in his ring gear, sweaty, bloody, with a black eye and a gym towel draped around his shoulders, looking starkly similar to another guy post-match four years later…
June 4, 2018 – BTE #105
After a busy summer in which Cody and the Bucks have assembled the looming All In event, Matt and Nick try establishing lines of communication with Kenny in Japan. Ibushi implores him to reconcile with his old friends but he’s reluctant. Cody is obsessed with running a Senate election campaign in Texas and practices his speeches in bathroom mirrors, but it almost sounds like he’s talking to his stablemates. Meanwhile, a package that Matt and Nick sent him weeks ago has been collecting dust the whole time. Ahead of his fourth match with Kazuchika Okada, Kenny decides to open the package…
June 9, 2018 – Omega vs Okada IV
Everyone is in Japan for the big Dominion show. Hangman approaches Cody and asks what the plan is for tonight. Cody looks sullen and calls off whatever he had been plotting to ruin Omega’s big night.
Kenny triumphs in possibly the greatest match in wrestling history, claiming the IWGP heavyweight championship. He reunites with the Young Bucks afterward, and it’s revealed that in the package are Golden Elite shirts, honoring the pact they made in Hotel Room 710 at the start of the year.
Cody approaches the locker room with congratulatory gifts for Kenny and to make peace, but he stops short and leaves them outside the door.
July 7, 2018 – Debts Are Settled in San Francisco
At the G1 Special NJPW show, Cody challenges Omega for the IWGP championship. After a war with Kenny emerging in triumph, the Elite gather and celebrate… until the Bullet Club OGs attack them in retribution for the dysfunction and strife they’ve brought to the group over the previous two years. Cody returns to the ring and is given a chance to brutalize Kenny, but instead he defends him and rejoins the Elite in full.
Over the coming months, Cody, Kenny, Matt, Nick and Hangman solidify themselves as a core group leading up to:
September 1, 2018 - All In
By far the greatest triumph in indie wrestling history, the show was a massive success both at live gate and on PPV, wildly exceeding all expectations. In its main event, Cody wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the same world title his father had claimed 31 years earlier.
After this monumental night, the Elite ceded the war for control of Bullet Club to the OGs and stepped away from the group, turning their attention to the establishment of something new entirely: All Elite Wrestling. This new national promotion came into being on January 1, 2019, and at its forefront was the core group of five. As the inaugural and omnipresent face of the company, Cody’s claim to AEW gold is surely just a matter of time.
May 25, 2019 -- Double or Nothing
AEW holds its first event ever.
In 944 days, on the Christmas episode of Rampage, Cody claims his final championship in AEW.
August 31, 2019 -- All Out
As the clock strikes midnight, Chris Jericho pins Hangman Adam Page to become the first AEW World Champion.
In 944 days, Cody Rhodes rises onto the WrestleMania stage and returns to WWE.
November 6, 2019
Allied with his friend, protege, and personal recruit to AEW, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the public face of AEW prepares to challenge for the world championship of the company he helped build. He seems destined for it, it’s damn near his birthright, and yet there are whispers he’s only in position to claim it through politics.
Cody:

“Eddie Graham... Cowboy Bill Watts... The American Dream Dusty Rhodes... For the cold and sterile historians of our business, there's an air of controversy that surrounds them, it's from the simple fact that those men were also, in addition to being competitors... they were management. Not unlike myself. And for the last year I've told everybody: every podcast, every radio, every correspondent. I've shouted it off the rooftops how proud I am of AEW, how proud I am of the all-inclusive nature, of the schedule, of the pay, of the fact that we will listen. This! This is Ellis Island for a professional wrestler! This is freedom! So, when I hear the same criticism attached to my name for being management and being in a title match… I can't not hear it... And with that said, I am announcing that if I do not defeat Chris Jericho at Full Gear... I will never challenge for the AEW World championship again.”

And so Cody faced Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019 with destiny in his grasp. There, with MJF in his corner, Cody and Jericho pushed each other to their limits. Late in the match with the challenger locked tight in the Walls of Jericho, MJF throws in the towel for Cody and costs him the match, effectively locking him out of the title picture thereafter.
MJF’s ascension begins. He wins the Dynamite Diamond Ring and begins climbing the rankings. Winning isn’t simply enough, though. If he wants everything, he needs chaos. He needs to flip the world upside down. He needs the world to believe its heroes are the villains and its villains are the heroes.
November 14, 2019
MJF:

You wanna boo me as if I’m the villain… Meanwhile, you people have been cheering for the real villain the whole time. That villain is Cody… Cody Rhodes couldn’t give less of a shit about any single one of you… You sheep don’t want to admit it. There’s only one man on this planet who knows the real Cody Rhodes, and you’re looking at him.

December 11, 2019
MJF:

"What are you gonna do Cody? Are you gonna try to fire me? Are you gonna pull Tony Khan over to the side and get me fired? Well how bout you do that Cody. HOW BOUT YOU FIRE ME. Oh wait. That's right. You won't. Because the one thing you want most in this world is to get your hands on me... And to top that off, you'd be letting down each and every one of these people you claim to care about.”

February 29, 2020 – Revolution
After weeks of taunting and weeks of enduring the original gauntlet of trials MJF sets in order to get a match with him, Cody gets his match with MJF… but he falls short, defeated and humiliated by the young man he brought into AEW himself.
March 5, 2020 – Cody is bitten by the original Snake
Jake Roberts emerges from the thickest of weeds and slithers down to the ring. He nearly devours Cody. He mocks him… “Hail Caesar”. He neither fears nor respects him.

“What a Snake wants, a snake takes. I’m not in AEW for the whole pie.. Just your slice”

Two weeks later the world screeches to a halt as an unknown, lethal virus spreads rapidly around the globe. For several weeks Dynamite is patchwork, assembled from whatever talent is available. A tournament for a new title belt is announced. Ahead of its opening round we get the darkest promo we’ve thus far seen from the purest babyface in the company’s short history…
April 8, 2020
Cody sits ominously at a table, in a pitch black room, and lights a cigar… just as he’d done before when laying out his machinations against Kenny Omega for control of Bullet Club.
Cody:

"Why do I wanna be TNT Champion? Wrestling is so linear you're gonna hear the same answer to that question over and over again. You'll even hear the announcers strike some of the same hyperboles as they describe the stakes. The wrestlers will give you that real wrestling school, paint by numbers interview where they say things like --- you see: ‘The boys in the back.' Or my favorite: They perpetually say their own name or the person they're wrestling against or the person who's interviewing them over and over again. Like I said, wrestling is linear. They might even do the – [Cody gestures around his waist where a belt would be worn] - that thing. You see, where you pantomime, where you indicate that you want the belt. I've done it a thousand times. We've all done it, we're all guilty. Wrestling is linear. But these are not linear times, are they? I think we'd all give our last dollar for a little bit of normalcy, a little bit of linear. It's my personal hope that we get through this just fine. We wanna live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery, right?
So why do I need to become champion? It is not the fame. It's certainly not the added money. It's not the specialized lower third that they put on the screen. It's not even my specific, unique circumstance of trying to carry a last name that is worth 58 years in gold. It's much simpler. It's because I don't wanna lose. AEW has four major pay per views: Double Or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear, Revolution and I'm 50/50 and I have felt lost and I don't ever want to lose again…The motto, the expression, what the Nightmare Family means, it's sitting at the side of my neck is when we say: DO THE WORK! It's not: Do the work and lose.
And this tournament is flush, it's rich in talent. Take Colt Cabana. Probably the second most experienced guy in the tournament. Does a better flip, flop and fly than me, Dustin and Bully combined. Ask anybody in any locker room the world over – they'll tell you they love Colt Cabana. Well frankly: I do not trust a wrestler that doesn't have any enemies.
Kip Sabian… and that hellfire fiance of his… What happens when those two cohabitate? They’re either gonna motivate themselves upwards or they're gonna drag themselves down to Complacency City, right next to ‘Jobber Avenue.
Darby… I feel like I handpicked Darby. He's clearly the fastest rising star in all of wrestling in any company, hands down. He's putting on weight by the day, he's assassin quick. But Darby is a freshman on the varsity squad. I don't think he has the mental aptitude to finish this tournament.
My oldest friend… Shawn Spears. My former tag team partner, kind of my Dick Murdoch. Could be a world champion pretty much anywhere he wanted to be. But Shawn Spears is ‘King Boo-Boo Face and he will mentally defeat himself before we ever even lock up…
Every one of those guys, they want to be TNT Champion. The difference with me: I NEED IT!

It was an outright heel promo, preceding his entry into the tournament which he ultimately won, facing Jake Roberts’ client – Lance Archer – in the finals. Cody is the conquering hero he always aspires to be, and he rattles off five straight title defenses in five weeks. Someone’s not very impressed, however.
July 7, 2020
Cody stands with Arn in the ring, congratulating himself on the recent string of victories against… let’s say, less than impressive competition.
Onto the stage charges Eddie Kingston, who’s heard enough:

"No, no, no, we're gonna get this right, we're gonna do this real quick. Cody, you talk about grinding, you talk about living this rough life, all that jazz. No one's gonna 'out-grind' you, all that stuff. My man, it's easy to say that when you grew up around used-to-be legends like Arn Anderson. Yeah, you heard me. Keep shooting murder-ones at me and I'll knock your jaw right off your face, partner. You know what I grew up around? You know what I grew up around? Alcoholics! Junkies! I GREW UP AROUND THAT... AND I HAD TO SURVIVE. I HAD TO GRIND. You couldn't last a day in my shoes, so you don't tell me nothing about grinding. You talk about the sport of pro-wrestling... that's a joke. Because every person you faced has been a child. I am a grown-ass man and I will put you in the ground and smile.
But here's the best part about this whole thing: the guy that you like to mention because you like to be best friends with the boss, Tony Khan… He paid me to show up. And now he's going to pay me to kick your ass and take that championship. Oh yeah, you wanna go? Arn, I swear on my beautiful mother's life, if you don't shut up, I'm gouging your eye out. All right? Let me speak! It's my time now. Real easy, relax, you've had yours. Tony Khan said to me, ‘‘You know what, King? If you want No DQ, man, that's fine by me.. just.. you know.. Cody has to accept.' You have to accept, cause either you're an egg-sucking dog or you're an egg-sucking bitch."

Infuriated that he would be upstaged like this, Cody accepts on the spot. He survives an incredibly violent match and continues on with his title reign.
August 13, 2020
Mr. Brodie Lee whips Cody’s ass. In just over three minutes, it’s done and his beloved championship is gone. The Exalted One and The Dark Order put a massive beatdown on Cody and he’s carried out on a stretcher… Then they continue attacking him on the stretcher.
Cody disappears for weeks.
September 23, 2020
Brodie spends over a month terrorizing anyone even remotely close to Cody, but he still doesn’t come back until after Brodie beats down Orange Cassidy in a title defense. It’s a surprise attack, which incenses The Exalted One.
Brodie:

"You gotta be kidding me! The audacity of a man, the audacity of you Cody to return like that! You have been gone for five weeks while I’ve been here doing the work, being undeniable! Oh my God, the audacity of you Cody. What kind of man sends another man to do his work? Did you see what I did to Dustin? Did you see what Anna Jay did to Brandi? What kind of man Cody, what kind of man lets his wife post Instagram thirst traps while calling me daddy? What kind of man stays away in a little bubble? A man like you, Cody. But YOU are no man! YOU are a coward!

Mr. Brodie Lee grabs a pair of dog collars and looks into the camera.

Cody, you can run on for a long time, but sooner or later Brodie Lee is gonna cut you down! And I am gonna take this dog collar, Cody, I am gonna wrap it around your neck, I am gonna wrap it around that God-forsaken tattoo! And you, Cody, will have nowhere, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! You, Cody... You have one week to answer me: Are you a man... Or are you a coward?!"

Two weeks later, Cody reclaims his championship in the first dog collar match in AEW history. He would hold it for only a month until one of the Four Pillars pries it away from him, beginning Darby Allin’s ascension to the main event scene... And sending Cody spiraling into the Codyverse of excess and absurdity.
February 17, 2021 - “It’s a girl!”
Despite a litany of viral media and news segments addressing how excessive and even dangerous pregnancy gender reveals are… Cody and Brandi have theirs live on Dynamite, with full entrance and theme, as well as what still to this day is among the largest pyro displays in the history of AEW. It’s shockingly tone-deaf.
May 12, 2021 – The worst promo in AEW history
Just before the one year anniversary of the George Floyd murder that rattled America and stirred racial dialogue in a manner unseen for decades…
Cody addresses Anthony Ogogo and delivers an all-time terrible promo. I'm not even gonna transcribe it here, it's the most pandering cringe ever.
Here's a link if you absolutely need to see it...
When AEW returns to touring, all the cheering and adulation Cody was accustomed to at AEW's beginning is gone. His goodwill has completely evaporated. They’re tired of his phony, self-fellating act and want something different.
July 7, 2021
Still nursing a vicious eye injury incurred at the hands of Kevin Owens on WWE programming the previous October, Malakai Black posts on Instagram a video of him in a mental institution where he's been locked up for 5 years, coincidentally the same length of time he was in his old company... He viciously attacks and kills the doctors and staff.
Walking out, he says "The Devil made me do it."
[Continued in comments]

Events are listed by the day. Events that happen every week appear first, one time stuff after that. If you have anything you’d like people to know about, comment here or message me and I’ll add it in. If you’d like further info about any of the events, look it up! I usually don’t have any extra to add.
Large Scale, Ongoing, and Multi-Day Events

• 55th Springtime Tallahassee Festival, 9am to 5pm Downtown. Come celebrate the 55th annual Springtime Tallahassee Festival with the Grand Parade & the Jubilee in the Park in Downtown Tallahassee. Being one of the largest parades in the southeast, the Springtime Tallahassee Grand Parade needs no introduction! Come see over 100 colorful units and floats, marching bands, dance groups, Springtime Krewe floats, and much more march down Monroe Street to celebrate the Springtime Tallahassee Festival! After the parade, make sure to head over to the Jubilee in the Park! With more than 200 arts, craft, boutique, and food vendors from around the country, this event is represented by some of the best! You can expect artists displaying original, handmade masterpieces, and find cuisine with international flavors to ignite anyone’s taste buds! Bring the kids and check out the children’s park with lot of fun activities, Gulf Special Marine Lab Touch-tank, face painting, puppet show and more. Be sure to stop by the Community Stage at McCarty Park to see our local performance groups and the Jubilee Music Stage on Adams St for a special musical lineup! Performance times Noon-5pm. We will be open Rain or Shine!

Local Running, Walking, and Biking Info: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/
OutdooFarmer’s Markets:

• Lake Ella Grower's Market: Wednesday, 11am-2pm. You can always find organic vendors, and foragers: The Holistic Cannabis Community, Artzi Farms, Hickory Nut Gifts, and others. Including Pita Queen! Farmer's Market Nutrition Program Coupons gladly accepted!
  
• Frenchtown Market: 524 N MLK Jr Blvd. Saturdays, 10am to 2pm. Come grow community and support your local farmers and makers, while you get your groceries for the week! Don’t forget! We match SNAP/EBT, so you DOUBLE your money to go towards locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables!
  
• Tallahassee Farmers Market: 2904 Kerry Forest Pkwy, Saturdays, 8am to Noon. Come see us at Tallahassee's longest-running farmers market! We are a year-round market, featuring local farms and vendors that provide the best seasonal produce, meats, baked goods, and more. We welcome you and your whole family (leashed pets included) to come out and meet your local farmers! Ample parking is available between our lot and the shopping center lot next door (by Red Elephant). Come early for the best selection.
  
• Tallahassee Downtown Market: Ponce de Leon Park, Saturdays, 10am-2pm. Join us for a stroll in the park among local makers, bakers, artists and farmers as live music is played by local musicians!
  

THURSDAY, 3/30

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour Pickfoolery. Butch Burns & Brent Kittrell of the local legendary bluegrass band Bottom Dollar Boys always put the happy in happy hour - even when they're singing those sad cry-in-your-beer ballads. 5pm
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: Bingo. 5pm
  
• Dreamland BBQ: Weekly Open Blues Jam. If you'd like to sing, please bring your own mic. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Solforge Fusion Sealed-Deck Tournament. Anyone interested in SolForge: Fusion, please come out! Thursday nights at 6:00pm to 9:00pm ish will be dedicated to SolForge Fusion gameplay and weekly tournaments. If you play or have played MTG but would like to spend less, this is a great alternative CCG with inexpensive entry and minimal purchases to enjoy playing competitively. In-store and online tournaments may be played with the same decks purchased at any store. SolForge was created by the same designer for MTG, Netrunner, and Key Forge, Richard Garfield, and the designer for Ascension, Justine Gary. 6pm/$35 Entry Fee for 4 Sealed Half-decks, Special Art Playmat Prize for 1st Place
  
• World of Beer: Trivia Night. 7pm
  
• Lake Tribe III: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Smitty's Taphouse: Trivia Lab Thursdays. Teams of 6 or fewer players can compete for $30 / $20 / $10 Prizes + The Golden MacGuffin prize table! New format! Interactive smartphone answering for your comfort and safety! 6 Fun Rounds - 42 Total Questions. 7:30pm
  
• House of Music: Prime Rib Thursday & Karaoke. 7:30pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: The Brute Man: MST3K Thursday. Join us Thursday as we climb aboard The Satellite of Love along with Joel, Tom Servo and CROOOOW as the Gang tackles the strange film noir horror oddity that is...The Brute Man! 8pm/free but donations encouraged
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Thursdays. There will be rotating music genres from local artists! 8pm/free/21+
  
• Poor Pauls: Trivia. 8/21+
  
• 926: Karaoke. 9pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Electronic Show. Join us for Experiment 002 and take a mind-bending trip into the sound of the future! Our electrifying music party will transport you to another dimension with cutting-edge beats and non-stop excitement. 9pm
  
• Bird’s: Karaoke with Nathan. 9pm
  

• Blue Tavern: Jen Clark and the Old Schoolers with Chris Seepersaud, Paddy League, and Jack Straub. 5pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Otha Allen Jr. 6pm
  
• Blu Halo: Upside Avenue. 6pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Music of the Spheres Last Thursday: The Rising Stars present the evolution of fife and drum music. 8pm
  

FRIDAY, 3/31

• Lake Tribe: Flannel Friday. Flannel Fridays will be featuring a wide range of fall themed 'Pop-up' activities such as food trucks, live music, campfires, s'mores roasting, new seasonal brews, and more! Come dawn your flannel and cozy up to the simpler things in life. Our beers taste like the outdoors feel, let our tasting room be your Friday cabin retreat. 4pm
  
• Gamescape: MTG Friday Night Magic. FORMAT: Standard Constructed. Swiss rounds as determined by the number of players with a maximum of 5 rounds. 7pm/$5
  
• Hobbit West: Friday Night Dart Tournament. Anyone can Enter! Sign ups at 7:30, Darts fly at 8:00/$10 entry fee
  
• Ouzts Too: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 8pm
  
• Club Downunder: CDU X Hip Hop Club Presents Freestyle Friday. Show off your freestyle rap or poetry skills at Freestyle Friday! Doors are at 7:30 with the show starting at 8:00 in Club Downunder! Send an email to [email protected] to sign up! 8pm
  
• Just One More: Karaoke with DJ Rah. 9pm-11pm/21+
  
• 926: The Hot Friday Night Party and Drag Show. 9pm/$5/18+
  

• Blue Tavern: Douce Ambiance Reboot. 5pm
  
• Kleman Plaza: MusicFest. Join us on Kleman Plaza the night before the Grand Parade for an exciting musical line-up featuring a country music star CHRIS LANE! Special guests include Walker Montgomery and Temecula Road! This is a FREE community event! Unwind at the BEER GARDEN as we ROCK the plaza for this free festival event! Beer, wine, Coca-Cola products and food will be available for purchase. Make sure to arrive early to enjoy the opening acts as this event will get packed quickly. 6pm
  
• Proof: The Aftermath Band. 6pm
  
• FSU Hillel: Swifty Shabbat. Join us for a Taylor Swift themed shabbat! Services start at 6pm, dinner starts at 7pm
  
• House of Music: Keal Franklin plus Late Night Karaoke. 6:30pm
  
• Island Wing Company: Free Wheelin. 7pm
  
• Southwood Golf Club: Deja Blu. 7pm
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Lloyd Carter Band. 7pm
  
• The Wine House on Market Street: Midnight Caravan. 7pm
  
• Vino Beano: Persian Night & Belly Dancing. 7:30pm
  
• Fire Bettys: Mainstream Band. 8pm
  
• The Rose Room: GeneZone. 8pm
  
• The Bark: No Parts, Lighthearted, and Confession Kids. 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Rod MacDonald. 8pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Ben Flournoy Trio. pm
  

SATURDAY, 4/1

• Brinkley Glen Park: Invasive Plant Removal. Join Master Gardener Volunteers at this weekly invasive plant removal event. This is a great way to learn to ID our invasive plant species and how to remove them. We recommend wearing long pants and sleeves, closed-toed shoes, gloves, a hat and mosquito spray. Bring gardening tools such as hand clippers, loppers, trowels, etc. if you have them. We are removing coral ardisia bushes and berries, nandina, tung trees, Tradescantia flumenensis, cat's claw vine, winged yam, Japanese climbing fern, skunkvine and more. Directions: The best way to get there is to take Meridian Rd to Waverly Rd, go to the next intersection and turn left onto Abbotsford Way, then turn left at the next road called Woodside Dr. At the stop sign turn left onto Lothian. Lothian ends in a cul-de-sac and there is a sign that says Brinkley Glen Park. 8:30am-11:30am
  
• The Rose Room: The Rose Revue. Performances by your favorite entertainers and special guests! Shows at 8pm, 10pm, & Midnight! A unique cast EACH show! 7pm
  
• Duke’s and Dottie’s: Line Dancing Plus Lessons. 7pm/21+
  
• Bird’s Oyster Shack: Laughterday Night Fever. This week: Five Year Anniversary Laughterday Night Fever! Join us every Saturday at Bird's Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack for a free comedy show! 8:30pm
  
• La Casa Bar: Karaoke With Nathan. 9pm-1pm
  

• LeRoy Collins Library Garage on Bronough (under the library): The Spring Title Wave Book Sale. Classics, vintage, and more! 9:30am-3pm
  
• Capital City Raceway: Rotten Egg Rumble. 10am
  
• Native Nurseries: oil Building and Compost. Learn everything there is to know about increasing soil fertility to grow healthy, nutrient dense fruits and vegetables. Sundiata Ameh-El of Compost Community will walk you through the basics of soil composition, microbiology and how to build your soils to make them perfect habitats for microorganisms that are responsible for healthy soil. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED via PHONE ORDER. There is a $5.00 fee; your payment holds your spot in the class. Please call (850) 386-8882 to pre-register. Class size is limited to 15 people. 10am
  
• Leon Sinks: First Saturday Hike. If it is the first Saturday of the month, it is time for a hike at Leon Sinks! We will meet at 10 am in the parking lot and hike the trail together to see the beautiful geological features of the area while walking on wooded hiking trails. Right off US 319 south of Tallahassee, the Leon Sinks Geological Area contains 5 miles of trails leading to a series of sinkholes big and small. The land in this area is underlain by a layer of limestone, eroded and dissolved by rainwater and groundwater to form caverns, holes, and tunnels. This type of terrain is called "karst" and results in many geological features such as wet sinkholes, depressions, natural bridges and a disappearing stream. The hikers can either hike the 3.6-mile Sinkhole Trail to view the numerous sinkholes and geological features, or the 2.8-mile Gum Swamp Trail around a cypress and gum swamp. We recommend wear hiking shoes and bring a water bottle, and consider bug spray or long pants/sleeves. 10am
  
• Leon High Tennis Courts: Regional Energy Whiz Expo. The Regional Energy Whiz Expo consists of two events, the Solar Sprint and the Solar Cook-Off, geared towards getting kids involved in utilizing solar energy in fun and innovative ways. The Solar Sprint, open to students in 4th through 8th grade, consists of teams designing and building solar powered race cars. The Solar Cook-Off, for students in 4th through 12th grade, is a two-part competition encompassing the design of a fully solar powered cooker as well as a dish cooked using this same cooker. The winning team from each event will have the opportunity to compete in the state-wide Energy Whiz Expo! Noon
  
• The Puff: Marauders Market. Come join us at our newest smallest venue! Vintage resellers, local artisans, & good tunes! (Rescheduled from last week.) Noon
  
• Potbellys: 1st Annual Rock the SPEAR Benefit Concert with Tobacco Rd Band and former American Idol contestant Paisley Howell. 3pm/$20
  
• The Hub at Feather Oaks: The Jerry Thigpen Trio. 3pm
  
• Theater of Tallahassee: Cabaret Showcase. Join us for a special event at Theatre Tallahassee! We are delighted to bring you a Broadway cabaret of singing, dancing and acting featuring our award winning dance and theatre groups, along with some of our most advanced students, inspirational adult acts, and amazing solo performances. Every person regardless of age needs a ticket. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Ticket sales end two hours before each show. 3pm
  
• Proof: Corey Hall Band. 5pm
  
• The Rose Room: Topsy Turvy Through The Looking Glass. Each Performance inspired by Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass! Performances by your favorite entertainers and special guests! Shows at 8pm, 10pm, & Midnight! A unique cast EACH show! COSTUMES ENCOURAGED! 6pm
  
• Common Ground Books: Crochet Workshop with Peter's Crochet Array. Beginner and intermediate crocheters welcome. No crochet knowledge is needed before attending this class. Space is limited. All ages welcome. All participants will need a crochet hook (between size 4-6mm) and a skein of yarn. Participants can bring their own supplies, or we will be happy to provide them at cost. 6pm/$20 with optional $8 supply fee
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Mechanical Lincoln. 7pm
  
• Square Mug: Dylan Daley, Killer Choice, Zero Shock, and Broken Couch Club. 7pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Harmonious Wail. 8pm
  
• Cap City Video Lounge: MEMELESQUE. Ermahgerd Shaken Not Stirred is back at your fav local theater Cap City Video Lounge!!! You thought it was a show announcement but it was me, Dio! Our entire lives are the internet now so we made a show about it. TXT all your besties & bring them out for for MEME-LESQUE. We will meme till you scream. Masks required. Don't forget to tip your performers! 8pm/18+/$10
  
• American Legion Hall: Latin Soul Orchestra 12th Anniversary Celebration. 8pm/$20
  
• Fire Bettys: Pop Punk & Emo Night. 10pm
  

SUNDAY, 4/2

• Bicycle House: Sunday Ride. Ride at 10:30 AM from Bicycle House. We will ride the Cascades trail to the St Marks trail and down to Wakulla station and return, about 31 miles. Ride speed is 12 to 14 mph, with periodic regroups. Vernon Bailey is the ride leader. Vernon is a new CCC member who’s been biking for 50 years enjoys riding with small groups and weekend touring. 10am
  
• Gamescape: Pokémon League. Come learn, play, and trade with the Pokémon Trading Card Game and the Pokémon video games! We LOVE seeing new players, so come learn how to play! We play both the Trading Card Game and the Video Game casually and competitively. The store offers lots of different seating arrangements to meet our group's needs, as well as food, drinks, and Pokémon products for purchase. We are also hold regular, officially sanctioned tournaments for Pokémon Trading Card Game and Video Game Competitions! 2-4pm
  
• House of Music: Songwriter Sunday. Songwriters of Tallahassee hosted by Rachel Hillman. Bring your original songs on Sunday - sign up is at 4:30. No Cover Songs please - this is an event celebrating original music. Accompanists and Bands Welcome - you must be able to set up within two minutes, so no crazy pedals or amp shenanigans. No Backing Tracks - Please find someone to play your song with you. 5pm
  
• The Plant: Open Jam. All instruments, all players welcome. 5pm-9pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: Comedy Night. Come have some laughs with us on Sunday nights! If you are interested in participating in the show, reach out to [email protected] 7:30pm
  
• The Rose Room: Synful Sunday. 8pm
  

• Common Ground Books: Clothing Swap. Bring your clothes you no longer want, fit, or no longer feel like "you", and switch them out or just donate them to others. Clothing for all ages welcome. Please bring clothes in a bin or box so they can be easily browsed. Any clothing left will be considered a donation and held for the next swap or be made available for those in need. 2pm
  
• The Bark: Copyright Claim, Animal Nineteen, Funeral Homes, and Heaven Slept. 7pm
  
• 926: Curly Q “First Glance” EP release show with Learning To Swim, Our Final Feud, and Seppe. 7pm
  
• Retrofit Records: Alexalone with Deadharrie. 7pm/free
  
• House of Music: Bywater Call. 7pm
  

MONDAY, 4/3

• Just One More: Bingo. 5pm-6:30pm
  
• American Legion Hall: Cha Cha - Weekly Lessons. 6:15pm/$5
  
• Hangar 38: Bingo. 6:45pm
  
• Vino Beano: Tipsy Trivia. 7pm
  
• The Rose Room: Karaoke Night. 8pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing: The Bachelor Watch Party! 8pm
  

• World of Beer: SINGO Music Bingo SPECIAL EVENT. With SINGO, our host will play 150 of the best hits in the music business, all 30-second music clips, and you'll have multiple opportunities to win house cash courtesy of WoB! You don't have to sing, but you'll definitely sing along! 6:30pm

TUESDAY, 4/4

• Blue Tavern: Happy Hour with Paddy League. 5pm
  
• World of Beer: Poker Night. 6pm
  
• The Rose Room: Drag Bingo and Open Stage Night ft. Britney T. Foxx! 6pm
  
• Crafty Crab: BOOMIN' Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Ology Midtown: Jazz Jam Sessions. 7pm
  
• Island Wings: Trivia. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Tuesday Trivia & Karaoke. 7pm
  
• Burrito Boarder: Karaoke with DJ Roldus. 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Tuesday is Blues Day. Every Tuesday is Blues Day @ the Blue Tavern and Blues Meets Girl is a Tallahassee favorite. This perfect, intimate venue provides just what you need for both a mid-week break and authentic blues music experience. 8pm
  
• 4th Quarter: Professor Jim's Tuesday Night Trivia. Popular for a reason! 8pm
  
• Argonaut Coffee: Trivia Tuesday. 8pm
  
• 926: Tacos and Trivia. 9pm
  
• Fire Betty’s: Comedy Show. 9pm/21+
  

• Blue Tavern: Abe Partridge with Cat Ridgeway. 5pm
  
• Richard G. Fallon Theatre: TEDxFSU Rooted in Reality Conference. Hosted by a student-run organization at Florida State University, our event is called TEDxFSU, where x = an independently organized TED event. They will have speakers, performers, activities, and more! Check out tedx.fsu.edu to learn more about them and the event! 5:30pm
  
• Civic Center: The Kid LAROI with Jeremy Zucker. 8pm
  

WEDNESDAY, 4/5

• Rose Room: Women's Wednesday. Featuring Our Rose Roulettes and drink specials all night long. A night for all of our female-identifying friends to enjoy a safe space and an awesome happy hour! 5pm-2am
  
• Birds: The Wednesday Night Lab Session hosted by Jim Crozier. 6pm
  
• Tara Angel’s Magic: D&D Experience - Adult (18+) Group. Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition - Candlekeep Mysteries. A one-shot is a D&D event that starts and finishes in the same session, typically lasting 3 - 4 hours. We have pre-generated characters for players to choose from. WHAT TO BRING: Pencils, Dice (can be purchased in store), Mask (encouraged for unvaccinated participants), Enthusiasm! Please sign up in advance to reserve a spot in this campaign. Tickets can be purchased in-store, over the phone, or on the website. For more information, please email [email protected], or call: (850) 878-4555 6pm-9pm
  
• Goodwood: Wonderful Wednesday. 6pm/$5
  
• Level 8 Rooftop Lounge: Trivia. 6pm
  
• The Great Games Library: Open Game Night. 6pm/free
  
• American Legion Hall: Sue Boyd Country Western and More Dance Class. Session 2 - Beginner 6:30 to 7:45 pm What: East Coast Swing and Waltz. Cost: $8.00 per person. Wear comfortable shoes you can turn in. 7:45 to 8:15 - Practice dance with paid admission. 8:15 to 9:30: Intermediate - 2 Step and WCS. $8.00 per person or $13.00 for both classes. Vaccines are required. Face masks are optional. Changing partners is optional. 6:30pm
  
• Perry Lynn’s Smokehouse in Quincy: Wed Night Open Mic w/ Steven Ritter and Friends. 6:30pm
  
• Hangar 38: Trivia. 6:45pm
  
• Oyster City Brewing Tallahassee: Trivia. Teams up to 6 players for three rounds with 10 questions and a tie breaker each round. Winners are by round so don’t worry if you need to come late or can’t stay the whole time! Prizes include a round of beer, a 6 pack and a gift card! 7pm
  
• Proof: Trivia. 7pm
  
• Vino Beano: Wine Bingo. 7pm
  
• Fermentation Lounge: Trivia. 7pm
  
• The Bark: Oceans in the Sky, Dizzy Bats, and Medians. 7pm
  
• House of Music: Open Mic at House of Music. Join us Wednesday nights for open mic in the bar with host Mike Ingram of The Brown Goose. Come early for Happy Hour and dinner! 8pm
  
• Blue Tavern: Warehouse Wednesdays Open Mic Night. The open mic night that has run continuously for almost 20 years, once housed at the Warehouse, lives on at the Blue Tavern. Doc Russell continues as the host with the most. Sign up starts at 8pm/free to attend
  
• Fire Betty’s: Karaoke! 8pm/21+/free
  
• Dukes and Dotties: College Night and Line Dancing Lessons. 8pm
  
• The Bark: Karaoke with DJ Nathan. Best karaoke DJ in town. 9pm
  
• 926: Dragged Out Wednesday. 10pm
  

• Wfsu Public Media, 1600 Red Barber Plaza: The Village Square Presents Tallahassee Town Hall. Our annual town hall hosts commissioners from the City of Tallahassee and Leon County to have a constructive (and neighborly) discussion about where we are, where we’re going and what the challenges out there on the horizon might be. 6pm

Hi everyone. I won't waste much time with introductions, nor am I going to justify why I created this account. It is obviously not my main. I was torn between writing this post on confessions or here, but finally decided to see if any other Snyder fans are in my situation. I'm a neurobiologist, so I know how addictions work, and I can assure you that my dopaminergic circuit is addicted to Zack Snyder movies like an addict is addicted to any drug.
When I was in college I first watched 300 and thought it was a great movie, the combination of visuals and soundtrack brought me to tears. So you can imagine my reaction to Man of Steel and Batman V Superman afterwards. Upon leaving the cinema, I found it strange that my wife and son did not find the film exciting. And as absurd as it may seem, it was the cause of a quarrel with her. I'll spare you the details, but already in 2016 we weren't going through a good moment in our marriage, which is why anything, even discussions about a movie, lit the fuse.
In 2017 we divorced. I was hoping to find relief and distract myself with DC movies, but Josstice League came along and dealt me ​​a huge blow. For the following years I continued to rewatch MoS and BvS, trying to grasp every detail and watching video analyzes that spoke of the hidden meanings and references in the films. I became one of the main leaders of the #Releasethesnydercut campaign, and when ZSJL was released it was one of the best days of my life.
I'd lost my wife, my job was failing due to depression, but I'd gotten a film that I'd wanted for a long time, and one that was mostly about hope. He helped me get up. To take back the reins of my life. If Batman had come out of the tunnel of despair that gripped him, so could I.
Then James Gunn came along and destroyed my dreams for good. Now I'm battling depression again, broken only by the failed hope of getting Henry Cavill back as Superman. I live alone, I don't have a partner, I see my son once a week and when we meet we watch a chapter of the Snyderverse trilogy every time. In 2016 he was too young to understand BvS, but now he is almost as much a fan as I am.
The problem is that by now the Snyderverse has become a fundamental part of my life. I know it will never be restored, but it's hard for me to part with it. I've fought for him so long that accepting that he won't have a future means accepting that there's no hope for me either. He helped me through a dark time in my life, and was the only light that enlightened me. I know you'll call me a loser, maybe you'll think I'm a troll, but I wanted to get this off my back. What for some is just a movie, for others it can be a lifeline. I have to accept that WB has moved on, that Zack isn't coming back, and neither is my wife. I messed up, I mixed my personal life with a movie saga and that compromised everything. Sorry for the outburst. If anyone is in the same situation let me know. If this post violates the rules, the admins are free to remove it. Thank you all.

Hey there! I am a 20 years old guy from Romania, Europe. Lately I felt lonely and I decided to try my shot here trying to find someone truly special to share my days with. Currently I am working a full time job and I live alone in my appartment. I am looking for someone to starts things slowly, not rushing it. I would like to talk about our daily routine, work/school, share our days about what happened or how we feel or any random topic we have in our mind. I am open to a long distance relationship.
Some infos about my personality:
I am an introverted, shy and emotional. As a person I am caring, loving and protective and I give all my attention to the loved ones to make sure they feel good.
My appearance is the next:
Slim body type, 190 cm tall (6'2), 80 kg (176 lbs), blondish hair and blue eyes.
My hobbies and interests include the followings:
- Learning about new cultures and languages. Currently I speak two languages on native level which include Hungarian and Romanian and I would like to learn about other languages and cultures.
- History. My favorite topic of history would be middle age (Eastern European) and the two World Wars.
- Geography. All the mountains, seas, rivers, lakes which are surrounding us are so beautiful. Since I live in a mountain city I used to hike too on smaller mountains.
- Sports. Mostly I enjoy playing and watching football which I used to practice too before, but now only as a hobby. Other sports which I like are handball and waterpolo.
- Music. I like to listen mostly to everything related to rock music and rap music. But I am open to other music genres too and I would like to hear about your music taste too!
- Gaming. In my free time when I am off from work I play games on my PC on Steam. Maybe we could play some games too together if you are up for it!
- Movies and series. I don't watch them that much, but if it's a good movie or serie I would not turn it down. The best movie I watched is Shawnshank Redemption and serie I watched was Peaky Blinders which I still didn't finish it. I am open for any movie night if you have good suggestions.
- Youtube. I like to watch gameplays and travelling videos mostly. I like travel videos because one day I would like to travel too around the World if I have the opportunity.
If you are considering to send me a DM, make a small introduction. Mostly I use Discord to chat, if you are ok we can move there, but Reddit chat is fine too! I am open to exchange pictures too once we get to know each other better.
Have a great day or night.