So it seems like Shang Tsung will be doing some experiments with the Lin kuei, perhaps the Cyber initiative? Also it seems like Sub will take over the clan so i think this Sub is Bi-han and he will be killed by scorpion for betraying Earthrealm

Hey guys, old time DayZ mod player looking for a vanilla server. I know DayZ is about the interaction with other players and staying alive, but every server I've seen has huge factions and camps with tons of gear ready to mow down solos like me working our way back in. I remember a few years back some persistence settings were changed and understand there may be some servers out there without clans who have months of gear stowed away. Do those actually exist?
I'd like to hop in from time to time, play a few hours, and have a great experience as a solo with other players who have worked their gear up recently instead of pulling from a stash. I don't have as much time as I did when I was younger and can't learn all these new mod packs that exist lol.
Maybe this is unrealistic, and I just need to suck it up and play DayZ for what it is... a killing machine. Doesn't hurt to ask tho right?

In canon we get very little about the heroes that were part of, or prior to All Might’s generation. As such I put together these profiles. Feel free to either give feedback or contribute your own profile.
The format is:
Name
Quirk
Hero Rank
Hero Type
Fate
 
Name: Baku “Hero of Dreams”
Quirk: Rhino
Rhino granted the user enhanced strength and durability. Additionally, Baku could use bits of his horns growth to grant people control of their faculties (dampening intense fear, anger, ect)
Hero Rank: Max 1, Average 12, Minimum 94
Hero Type: Baku was one of the most prominent and early mutant advocate heroes. He was by far the highest ranked and most visible mutant type hero of his time. During that era the Creature Rejection Clan were far more powerful and influential, as such he faced intense discrimination.
Fate: Building collapsed on him, he used his body to create a hollow in the rubble. Rebar impaled him in nine places and concrete crushed two of his limbs. Died three hours before rescuers dug out the 13 civilians he saved. He died five years after All Might’s debut in Japan and was 36 years old.
 
Name: Amber Bulwark “The Defending Hero”
Quirk: Buckler
Bucker allowed Golden Bulwark to summon two shimmering red-gold bucklers in her fists. Each summoned buckler couldn't leave her hand, but they did provide a minor repelling force.
Hero Rank: Max 7, Average 19, Minimum 199
Hero Type: She was a reliable hero, a defender of the innocent, and humble to boot. Perhaps a bit too humble, she was a people pleaser who was motivated by public admiration and needed positive reinforcement.
Fate: She was hit into a building which snapped her spine. She attended physiotherapy and took on loans to get treatment from expensive quirk aided doctors. Unfortunately, she was unable to meet the demands needed to retain her license that year. In despair she picked a fight with an A class villain and died in the fight. She was 31 and died 14 years after All Might's debut.
 
Name: Goldstar “The Glittering Hero”
Quirk: Glory
Glory grants the user enhanced strength proportional to the number of in person-observers.
Hero Rank: Max of 1, Average 8, Minimum of 98
Hero Style: He was rather superficial and someone who liked attention for more than just the effects of his quirk. He took on a record number of brand endorsements which at the time was very unusual. Nevertheless, he was an admirable hero who saved, at minimum, thousands of lives.
Fate: A villain found out about his weakness and snuck into his house while he was asleep and tried to slit his throat. Unfortunately for the villain, Goldstar had truly earned his place at the top and put up a fight. Despite not being much stronger than a regular person, Goldstar made sure that neither of them walked out of that building alive. This happened three years after All Might's debut and he was 44.
 
Name: Freddy Quicksilver
Quirk: Hermes
Hermes granted him enhanced speed. The faster he ran the more damage to the ground he did.
Hero Rank: Max 1, Average 16, Minimum 81
Hero Style: He was a hero that wanted to raise people's spirits. To give them a sense of belonging no matter whether they fit into the traditional roles of society or didn’t. He was also the mentor to His Purple Highness.
Fate: Unfortunately, he had an encounter with All for One, who stole his quirk and killed him. This was 15 years after All Might's debut, and he was 45.
 
Name: Epoch “The Foresight Hero”
Quirk: Hourglass
Hourglass allows the user to see up to a minute into a potential future. What is experienced in that vision is whatever would happen without any interference. However long is looked into the future is half the time the quirk is then on cooldown.
Hero Rank: Max 7, Average 112, Minimum 194
Hero Style: Debuting the same year as All Might, Epoch was a far more understated hero. His style is a mix of rescue hero work and investigation. He works with other heroes in disaster zones giving them early warning of changes in the situation. Nowadays he has taken a more backseat role in his agency.
Fate: He’s still in operation. Far less active than in his youth, the many years of heroism have taken their toll, leaving him with chronic pain. He’s taken on a sidekick named Needle.
 
Name: Ingenium/Turbo “The High Speed Hero”
Quirk: Engine
Engine grows a pair of engines in the hero's shoulders. As long as he’s drunk enough apple juice, these engines grant him enhanced strength and speed.
Hero Rank: Max 11, Average 28, Minimum 100
Hero Style: Part of the tail end of the first generation of official heroes, Ingenium found it to be a matter of more than just honor to follow the rules, but instead a matter of survival. He raised his kids with these same ideals. He officially passed down the name of Ingenium to his son 9 years after All Might’s debut.
Fate: He fully retired from the family’s agency when he reached the age of 70.
 
Name: Kal-El
Quirk: Icy Veins
Icy Veins grants Kal-El resistance to heat and cold, thermal vision, and frost breath.
Hero Rank: Max 1, Average 23, Minimum 89
Hero Style: Primarily a rescue hero, Kal-El has transferred to even more of an investigator in his later years. The combat focused jobs he tends to leave to his niece.
Fate: Despite being in his early sixties he’s still working at his agency. He has several sidekicks including his niece Zor-El, his son Kon-El, and many employees.

TL;DR: Should be titled rewriting the whole new trilogy. Basically felt I could do a better narrative job of the trilogy after watching a few in depth critiques on YouTube. Focus was on doing justice to new characters while giving. Epic send-offs to Legacy characters. With a healthy dose of action and wtf moments sprinkled in.
Huge Star Wars Fan as that's one of my fondest memories of my late Grandfather. That and Godzilla. We never missed a showing of any of the films. I wish he were here to watch the new trilogy with me but given how disjointed and incoherent the new films turned out to be, I'm glad he's happy in heaven. Anyhoo. Honestly, I don't think we need to even rewrite these movies too much because they had all the ingredients to begin with. However, here's my painstakingly thought out Re-Write. This took a good part of two hours to write folks. Off the top of my head on a Friday midnight with bare minimum effort. I cannot fathom how a billion dollar studio couldn't afford writers who did not even understand basic setup and payoff, consequences to actions and building suspense and grand setpieces. What an incredibly wasted opportunity. Let me know what you think of my re-write of the plot. Aight. I'm a go cool off my aching fingers in some ice now while you peruse my rambling poorly structured sentences. 😂
PART ONE: This remains largely the same. But Rey and Finn fall hard for each other eventually. Kylo is split between the dark and light and genuinely believes the Jedi were the ones in the wrong and wants to bring about balance by destroying both the Jedi and the Sith. Snoke is a major influence. Let him be present and not just a shadow. Good vs Evil yada yada. Kylo hesitates on the bridge scene with Han but something flashes in his mind and makes him grasp a Ruby bracelet on his wrist. Memories of a past he had suppressed. Han notices the turmoil in his son and says "Ben. . ". As he reaches out to embrace his son, the turbulent memories trigger the saber to ignite, killing Han Solo. Kylo accepts his journey to the darkness and gets shot by Chewie. Rey and Kylo stand-off near the end. Except Rey doesn't nearly win. Finn loses a leg or arm in his blinded rage for Kylo killing Han Solo. Kylo is freakishly strong. Rey and Finn are saved by the skin of their teeth as Poe saves their asses instead of some natural calamity. This cements their friendship further. Luke's history is detailed. How he retired. Blah blah. Rey then goes and finds Luke. The end. Oh and btw, Finn has a better relationship with Poe and deeper bond with Han Solo while Rey gravitates intensely towards Leia and is good friends with Poe (but only after Poe's skepticism that she can be a Jedi fades near the end of the plot) This will have a solid pay off later.
PART TWO: Luke begrudgingly allows Rey into his personal space. He also doesn't chuck the light saber but takes it back to his hut and begins to dismantle it. Rey fights him and in the tussle he breaks down and confesses about why he quit. The Jedi had to make a terrible choice in the past. To save younglings and mother's in a distant home base or protect the few hundred fighters they had remaining. The Jedi are left in this tough spot when facing the tyranny of the new order - something they presumed was a remnant of the Emperor's reign but in reality, was a slowly rising menace new to this time in the galaxy. Stuck in between a rock and a hard place, they chose wisely not emotionally. Which is what the Jedi are. They're pragmatic. Not the heroes. Kylo was a Jedi master at this time and not a trainee. He couldn't stand by the orders of the Jedi as his friends and padawans were being mercilessly slaughtered. They saved the future but at the cost of the present. Cue heart wrenching scenes of Kylo disobeying the Jedi, breaking off to save the kids etc., while the Jedi stand their ground defending the military locations. Luke chases after Kylo after feeling that the threat has been handled. He reaches the home base to find a Kylo kneeling in the ruins, ashen remains of younglings around and his padawan in his arms. Luke approaches Kylo as he's giving a monologue about how they had to make the tough choice and Kylo is seething in rage. He crushes the bones of the ashen body, his sadness turning to anger while the Ruby bracelet his padawan used to wear is left behind as the only memory of his closest friend in his hands. He blames the Jedi for this tragedy, calls them monsters and as Luke tries to stop him, a battle ensues between them with Luke almost killing him. This cements both of their positions. Luke, withdrawn and head held down, apologizes to Kylo and tells him that he hopes he understands someday. That great sacrifices are needed sometimes. And that you cannot always save Everyone. In fact. It's only the sith that think along those lines. Luke retires. Realising that this time, they've gone too far. The Jedi have paid a price that cannot be justified in the name of the greater good. He quits and exiles himself while Kylo, seeking answers from the dark side is eventually led to Snoke. Po and Finn (with his new arm/leg) go on more buddy adventures replacing the whole Rose animal saving arc. Snoke wants Rey really bad so we keep that arc and Kylo boards Leia's ship instead of flying around to capture Rey and bring her in. Po and Finn aren't on board so it's free game for Kylo. A standoff ensues with a big fight which ends with Kylo raging about and losing control of his force powers. Blowing everyone in the room out into space. . the shields come on but not fully and Rey is stuck near the edge holding on to Leia with her dear life stopping her from flying off into space. Kylo is climbing up towards Rey and about to put the restraints to capture her. That's when he notices Leia and she looks him in the eyes. She let's go to Rey's horror and as Kylo strikes down in anguish, Rey dodges but he's too fast and slaps on the restraints. Kylo immediately jumps through into space after his mom while calling in ships to rescue them and bring Rey in. Cue scene like the Guardians of the Galaxy Part Two where Quill fails to save Yondu at the end. Leia uses her hidden force powers: NOT to shield herself and Marry Poppins her way into the ship. But to save her beloved son, despite everything. Kylo sheds tears breaking down as he holds his mother, feeling her last breaths through the force. He mutters "Not you. . Not you too". . She whispers "There's still some good in you. . And I see it in her too. . Ben. . Save her, she's . ... .." . . Silence. . as Leia's hand freezes while caressing Kylo's face and she dies. Kylo gets saved by the troopers and they depart to Snoke's lair, letting Leia's body float away into the deep dark nothingness of space. Entombed forever. Rey is tortured by a Kylo who is slowly losing his cool but she resists and puts up a force fight against his mind. Both end up in Snoke's room and the SAME shenanigans ensue. Snoke senses the confusion in Kylo and goes about treating him like a child. Snoke CHIDING Kylo and punishing him now makes more sense. While Rey tries her best to be the good guy and take on Snoke to only be mocked and thrown about. Snoke starts killing the resistance ships in space one by one. His minions have also captured a few of the rebels and brings them to knee in front of them - shock and awe as part of the folks kneeling are Finn and Poe. Here comes a major change and I feel Oscar Isaac would personally love this one. Poe gets a brutal ass fucking death with limb dismemberment etc. while everyone else tries to stop it but gets fucked up by Snoke and his incredible powers. Similar to that Negan scene from The Walking Dead and also makes more sense here as Poe's death in Part One as per Disney's initial plans would've been pointless (insufficient character growth to justify a meaningful death) Even Kylo is not cool with this and tries to intervene because this is too violent and too much but gets ragdolled like a bitch. Snoke even claims that HE was the one who put that distractiom in Kylo's memory, making him pull the trigger on the saber that killed Han. He gave Kylo the perfect memory at the perfect time to give him that one push over the edge. He influenced Kylo's rage, blinding him and making him take his own father's life. Snoke jeers and Kylo and Rey, claiming they're far more pathetic than he thought and they're unworthy of his teachings and presence. Poe is almost done for but being the badass that he is, musters what little strength he has to wink to Rey as she force pushes the blaster into his hands. Born out of pure fucking desperation to save his friends, Poe focuses his last ounce of strength and shoots Snoke straight in the face, blinding him in one eye. Buying just enough time for both Kylo and Rey to reach for the sabers, however, Rey gets hers first and absolutely wrecks Snoke as Finn rushes to Poe Dameron, holding him as he breathes his last. Kylo fends off an entire room of the Red guys 1v6. Rey vs Snoke is going on. Rey taps into the dark side. Juices up. Chops up Snoke and blows him up and as he's dying she still keeps going apeshit on him while Kylo has to step in and restrain her. Even he has a difficult time but manages to reign her in. Snoke dies. So does Poe. Kylo apologizes, saying this isn't how he envisioned things. As he's about to walk off, a sinister voice rises from the darkness beyond Snoke's corpse. Laughter echoing in the chambers as Snoke's remains, a lifelesss mangled corpse floats into the air with electricity arcing from his fingers and eyes. . And the ICONIC DIALOGUE is whispered in a booming growl "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side". . It's fucking Palpatine as a floaty ghosty mother frocker, grinning from ear to ear while Snoke's corpse collapses to the floor and this OMINOUS DEATH looking bastard rises into full frame. . movie ends. . Cut to black 🙄 Palpatine was the one controlling Snoke all along and he somehow survived the atomization and explosions. However, at least here, he is in Ethereal form and not Corporeal so it's easier to digest the fact that a Sith so fricking hungry with immortality and power would manage to continue his existence. . somehow. It's palatable. It's also palpable. It's also. . Wait for it. . Palpa-TINE. . Badum Dish. . Drumroll please. . I got puns for days 🤣
PART THREE: Movie starts off like The Two Towers. Zooming shots throughout Snoke's Palace while the sound bytes of the Part Two's climax play through with camera panning into the Throne room as the final moments of Part two play out all over again. Sheer panic and dread has set in. Poe is gone. Snoke is but a puppet in the true sense. Emperor looms over Rey, Finn and a befuddled Kylo who's now questioning everything he ever fought for. Emperor plays with them like they're little ants, frying them, flinging them and ripping off Finn's fake (arm/leg). He's toying with them and torturing them. And just as he's about to do finish them, the massive ass heavy doors to the throne room are flung apart like paper. Standing in the corridor backlit by green is a cloaked figure that whispers "I thought I threw you into the abyss". . As the lightsaber ignites in Glorious Green and the green light cascades onto an incredibly PISSSED OFF Luke Skywalker. "It can't be. You were in exile!" mutters a grumpy Emperor. A ridiculously immense "feat of strength" battle ensues similar to that of Dumbledore vs Voldemort. Both parties pulling out force powers out of their ass in magnitudes that are ripping the ships internals to shreds and endangering everyone else. It becomes a stalemate and they escape with their lives. And now, the "Somehow Palpatine returned" dialogue makes sense, especially when it comes from LUKE's mouth and not frickin Meriadoc Brandybuck. Luke explains to everyone else how Palpatine was an ancient evil he once fought and destroyed with his father Anakin. Everyone's shitting bricks because the Emperor clearly never died in the true sense of the word and has remained busy in the shadows as Snoke, rebuilding his empire, pulling all the strings. That's also WHY EVERYTHING LOOKS AND FEELS THE SAME WITH THE VILLAINS. MOTIFS, VEHICLES, DEATH STARS. BECAUSE ITS THE SAME BAD GUY ALL ALONG. 😅 Cue a final desperate adventure where Kylo comes to terms with his failures and how he was being misled all along. Sombre scene between him and Luke. He tells Luke "I don't know what to do. I cannot seek forgiveness. I allowed all this to happen. So many lives. I thought I was doing this for the greater good. For the balance. I knew there would be no coming back from this for me. But others could thrive in a new world". . Luke replies.."The greater good. Some of the worst things in the world were started with the best intentions. The Jedi were noble but they were also human. .and flawed.".... ... "All those lives I've taken .. " says an absolutely shattered Kylo Ren.. ..Luke replies. . "Lives that can never be brought back. But you can pay for theirs with the life you own now..We can put an end to it. It's not too late to see it through to the end. .".. ..Luke locks eyes with Kylo "Your mother and father loved you more than anything Ben. As do I". . Luke also tells Ben about how his grandfather, Darth Vader chose to be a father in the end and helped destroy the Emperor, eventually dying as Anakin Skywalker instead. This can lead to the scene where Ben breaks the Darth Vader helmet memento to bits and sheds his own helmet too. Tearjerker scene can follow where Ben Solo has a Skype call with mom and dad force ghosts who also give a cryptic message that he should talk to Luke because Luke has something incredibly important to tell him) - instead of the dumb scene with Han where he's a "memory"?. . Self forgiveness FTW? 😅 Rey comes to terms with Luke's warning about giving in to the dark side and TRAINS HARDER while Finn baby takes over Poe's mantle and fills in the Ace Pilot spot, wearing Poe Dameron's jacket and colors. Macguffin adventure with Luke Skywalker ensues.
THE GRAND FINALE. Finn leads the way to fight in space and stop the death destroyers. Rey, Ben and Luke go to the ground game to finish the emperor, once and for all. While enroute, Luke sits the kids down and tells them why The Emperor wanted both of them and their powers. They're brother and sister, born as a dyad, a strong bond in the force that was so United, it posed a threat to the fabric of the force itself. This happens once every few generations and they had to separate them during childhood once they figured out that Snoke had sent assassins to capture them. This also makes INCREDIBLE SENSE as to why Han and Leia could not be seen together and why Rey had been hidden away on a desert planet somewhere. Rey's parent is a LITERAL SKYWALKER. Someone she's been talking to all this time and only now finds out that it's her actual mom. Fuck me in the heartstrings. They both break down, mend their differences and get ready for the final fight. The Emperor has grown way stronger. The battle does not go easy. Ben's own soldiers, the Knights of Ren are a menace and nearly bring both Rey and Kylo to their knees. Except. Kylo calms himself down and in a moment of PURE CHEER WORTHY AWESOMENESS, he focuses himself to the point where his SPUTTERING LIGHT SABER BECOMES SOLID STATE LIGHT. A true saber but in all of its red glory. The brother sister duo tap into the force and start fighting together, blending their styles instead of doing their own thing while Luke faces off against the Emperor again. The knights are finished eventually but Luke is not winning at all. The Emperor uses some cheap tricks and tries to one shot Kylo and Rey but Luke gets in front of them taking the full brunt of the hit. As Luke is unable to stop the massive force lighting and starts to disintegrate, he looks back at his niece and nephew, smiles and tells them to look into the force, "You will always find us there". . Luke disappears, the Emperor falters, and his force lightning fades for a brief second. And that's all the siblings needed to make full use of Luke Skywalker's noble sacrifice. They attack with everything they have, exchange banter in between and just as the Emperor launches another Salvo of Force Lightning saying "I am ALL the Sith", Ben and Rey cross their sabers together and block the lightning. While they struggle to keep the lightning at bay, all of the force ghosts appear together as a result of the Dyad fusion, supporting them from behind. The force ghosts light sabers materialise into reality and the duo join them to their own sabers and reflect the lightning back to the Emperor, while saying this quote in return "And we are ALL THE JEDI". Emperor destroyed for good now 😤 . . SOMEHOW. . NO. NO SOMEHOW. HE'S DEAD FOR GOOD.
No awkward, out of the blue cringe fucking kiss scene like between Ron & Hermione after killing the Basilisk. All those ReyLo fans can weep in a dustbin. And the Dyad now makes sense. Every legacy character's death makes sense and has meaning. Each death also is in sequence. Han goes first. Leia follows. And Luke is the last to kick the bucket. Emperor's comeback also makes sense. Somewhat. The ending makes even more sense. Kylo (Ben). Rey. Finn. Reunited. They re-build the Resistance. And also teach a new philosophy of Balanced approach. Neither giving in to the dark side. Nor being blinded only by the light side. A new way forward. Led by the Skywalker genes through the combination of an Organa and a Solo in a new temple. Finn and Rey profess love for one another. And the last scene is her burying the force ghost's sabers in the ground until they're needed.
Years pass. Dry af desert planet. Rey and Finn are building their home. Random ass desert camel lady passes by asking "I've not seen you around here". . Rey replies "We're new here", as she looks down at her pregnant tummy and Finn working on their home in the distance. "What's your name, my dear?" asks the dry as a stick camel lady. . "Rey. . " comes a quick reply . . "Rey who?" Asks the annoying dust bag old lady. . "Rey Organa" . . Says Rey in a contemplative low voice. . Taking a look back at Finn, she smiles and says with a slight tremble . . "and that's my husband, Finn Solo".. "Rey Organa and Finn Solo, from the Skywalker Clan" . . Says Rey with Utmost confidence now in her voice.. The screen fades to black on a sunkissed Rey's face as she is now looking into the future, sure of the legacy she wants to carry ahead.
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC GETS LOUDER.
FADE TO BLACK on the Two Suns of Tattooine.

This is my first time reading {Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Mass}. I know NOTHING about what happens in this book. I haven’t even read the blurb.
This is me just writing down thoughts as I read, so some of them will undoubtedly be wrong in the end. I try not to go back and change anything I speculated or ranted about later, because that would be cheating. Also, there will surely be typos, especially with the weird names.
As a caveat: I bought the series as a bundle on Amazon, so my Kindle edition is one BIG book. It is 4855 pages long. That means my page numbers will not line up with the regular editions of the book. Still, I’ll include my page number to give a sense of where I am in the story.
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Spoilers Abound!
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Page 842 Are we going to spend this whole book in this other land, without our two boyfriends? Because, I’m not up for 300 pages of pining for Choal. On the other hand, maybe someone more interesting will arrive now.
Page 851 A tattooed fae warrior guy has arrived. Things are already looking up!
Page 854 Ugh! Choal is whining about Archer’s death and how Dorian is possibly in danger from Celeana and his loyalty to Evil King Guy, again. Like, I just want the hero focused on the heroine’s safety and goals more…? I guess he IS moving back to his evil dad’s land, to help her, though. Maybe I just enjoy bad guy types, rather than do-gooder types in my romance books. Maybe that’s why I can’t get into him as our endgame hero, yet.
Page 876 I think Wolf Warrior guy just pushed Dorian into the rose bushes to get his blood to look for magic. Or maybe he just likes picking on Dorian for the hell of it.
Page 878 Ooooo, Dorian’s got a healer girl crushing on him. A new romance must be starting, because we’ve switched to her POV and she’s all gushy about his handsomeness. This makes me happy! I like him better than Chaol.
Page 895 Hmmm… I think tattooed fae guy is Celaena’s cousin. Also, Wolf Warrior guy is her cousin. It seems like she’s related to all the new hot characters. Doesn’t bode well for a charismatic new leading man sweeping her off her feet.
Page 897 I am unclear how the witch clans fit into everything here. Why are we suddenly following them?
Page 897 Thinking about it… I do like that this book seems to be expanding the world and giving us more characters and settings. I am more invested in this story, now. So, it’s GOOD the witch is here, I guess.
Page 903 Oh, the witches are going to fly the dragon things being raised in the secret mountain pass. Gotcha.
Page 919 I like how all the witches are panicky and curious about who killed the super old carnival Yellow-Legs and why she was targeted. And Celaena only spur-of-the-moment killed her to hide Dorian’s dumb fortune-telling question. Did she even know the witch’s name? The randomness of it amuses me.
Page 970 Chaol’s been kidnapped… again.
Page 974- Wolf Warrior guy isn’t evil. I suspected he wasn’t, because Adeion seems likable and crafty. Most of the bad guys so far are smelly morons. And WHY is he named Adeion , when Celeanda’s fairy-name is Aelin? The names are SO CLOSE, when I’m reading fast. It gets me confused.
Page 974: Also, guy with two swords working with the rebels seems cool. He has a scar and two swords. That’s really all I need to be intrigued.
Page 974 Also, what the fuck Choal! Don’t tell people Celaena’s the lost princess! You’re going to get her killed, dumbass!
Page 976 Who is Ren, again? The two-swords guy? A lot of stuff seems to be happening, now with the rebels. It might have been better to do this scene from Chaol’s POV, because then I would be learning it all along with him, instead of jumping into Adeion’s head. He already knows what’s going on and now I have to catch up.
Page 955 I like Rowan and Celeana’s storyline best in this book. I like how he’s got this idea of her as useless and weak. But she’s going to show him he’s wrong sooner or later (I assume) and then, in my head, he’s going to be super impressed with her. Also, he’s not really her cousin. If he works at it, he could be the Rhysard of this series. But he probably won’t be, because I’m not great at picking leading men in a TV, book, movie series.
Page 1009 I love the witch storyline! I didn’t except that. Manon has chosen the beat up, bait wyvern and I am literally smiling. I was so sad it was being eaten alive, but now it’s got a devoted owner. It’s like a little rescue-dragon from the pound.
Page 1018 Kings don’t “hand out mind-controlling jewelry unless they want absolute dominion.” Hahahah. Adeion’s funny. I like him.
Page 1021 So many names and so much backstory! The Rebels and the Terrasen stuff is confusing to me, so far. Kudos to Adeion for being so loyal to his cousin, though. I have cousins. They would all fuck me over in a heartbeat to seize control of a kingdom. He’s never even met adult Celeana and he’s all in on her as queen. See why I like him?
Page 1024 Okay, I think I get the shift in my thinking w/t the series. I was okay with books 1 and 2, but book 3 is really hitting all the right notes with me. I feel like this one is more adult and that’s why I love it. The others had more of a YA feel. The story is now bigger and the characters are more complex. It’s like the men have arrived and before I had boys.
Page 1063 I think Eldie, the other magical, Terrasen noble girl, is alive. We’ve mentioned her a couple times now. Maybe she can date Adeion. He needs a girlfriend. (Or boyfriend. He could also date Ren.)
Page 1085 That little dragon and Manon are flying together and eating flowers. We could just switch it up and make this their book series and I’d be okay with it, now. Axi-whatever-his-name-is the most adorable little terror-monster, ever!
Page 1090 The half-fae are telling stories about Maeve. I don’t like it when someone is telling a story within a book. It’s usually blocks of text and blocks of text are hard for me to read. I skim.
Page 1140- There is another kingdom called “The Wastes” now. I feel like I was supposed to know that already, but I don’t. Jesus. I hope there’s not a test on the lore of this series, because I would fail it.
Page 1143 I love that plucky little dragon guy! Now he’s taking out evil spiders. He and Manon are my forever-ship. I am so worried, because the witches are bad guy, though. So, what if he’s hurt somehow? I would be seriously scarred by that. Not kidding.
Page 1155: Uh-oh. Dorian and healer girl are happy. Having sexy times. Not involved in any major storyline. This isn’t looking good for them. Current prediction: Healer girl is dead real soon
Page 1158: Dorian is telling Choal that he can’t pick and choose which pieces of people to love. That is really good advice. Choal will probably not listen.
Page 1207: Now I feel like Choal is NOT the endgame love interest. Because, Celeana is talking about how she is a different person these days than she was with him, blah, blah.
Page 1207 But I’m not sure Rowan is endgame either, although he and Celeana are getting closer, because the book keeps telling me there is nothing sexual going on between them. Also, it would be kind of sad for him being an immortal guy and her not being immortal. He wouldn’t want to lose another mate. I’m torn.
Page 1264: I do not trust Lady Marion. Is she still alive? Don’t remember. But I’m reading Celaena’s memories and I just vibe that she’s bad, because why else is she introduced?
Pge 1270 Whoops! Called that one wrong. Lady Marion just died in the memory, saving Celaena. Sorry Marion. I misjudged you.
Page 1283- It is now 5:54 am. I am reading and eating Frosted Flakes on my sofa. Not so unusual for breakfast… Except, it’s not breakfast. I haven’t gone to bed, yet. I’ve been up all night, reading this damn book.
Page 1306- King Evil Guy’s plan reminds me of that Simpsons episode where Lisa says to Bart, “Even if the Three Stodges did come back to life, what makes you think they’d want to hang out with you?” I mean, sure you can invite incorporeal monsters from other dimensions into your kingdom, but do you really think they’ll let it remain YOUR kingdom for long? Even as zombies? And who even WANTS to rule over a kingdom of zombies? Like, think it through, dumbass.
Page 1329- Manon is not THAT bad. She’s just not. She saved that other witch from falling and she loves the wyverns. I not sure I can vote for Celeana to win, if they ever have to fight. I like Manon too much. She might be my favorite character.
Page 1339- Uh-oh. Evil king is kidnapping Choal and Dorian and their buddies. This is one kidnapping per book for Chaol, if you’re keeping track. He’s just a terrible guardsman.
Page 1339- Shit, if Aedion does before he even gets to see Celaena I’m gonna cry. Take any of the others, Evil King, but not him!
Page 1344: Yep, healer girl is dead. I knew it was only a matter of time. Better her than Aedion.
Page 1350- Choal saved the dog, again. The book does this to me, because it wants me to question myself and my choice to not like him so much. Crap. You HAVE to sort of like someone who likes dogs. Or wyvern.
The end
Okay that one was amazing! I am still confused as hell as to the endgame romance, but I enjoyed reading the book so much I don’t even mind. Five stars!

CONTEXT: The Iron Hands can simulate any recorded memory of past Iron Hands. This is used for training, intelligence and so on.
Stronos is an Iron Hands Marine. He is often disliked and mistrusted by his comrades due to his reluctance to embrace the mantra of the flesh being weak. Although he has significant augmentations himself, something about the Iron Hands' cold adherence to algorithms in battle and decision making bothers him.
As Stronos continues to question the doctrines and practices of his chapter, he begins to unravel the secrets of the Iron Hands which make the Dark Angels' internal politics look like children's play.
PART 1: THE CONCLAVE: Iron Father Kristos is a controversial, but increasingly powerful figure in the Iron Hands. His rise to power came with his crushing of a WAAAGH, but the specifics of that campaign are simultaneously very controversial & secretive.
His actions were so controversial, a conclave was created by Kristos to represent him to the Iron Council. Despite the controversy he creates, Kristos is incredibly powerful both as an individual and a commander.

“Blessings and benedictions of Mars.’ Velt smiled graciously. ‘Your criticisms are noted and welcomed–’ the scratching of meme-quill on parchment recorded his contrition for the future historians ‘–and I will be improved for the recognition of my prior failings.’
‘See to it,’ Verrox grumbled.
‘I will, Iron Father. As you know, the Iron Council demands the uprising be crushed immediately and utterly. To the last soul. Word of the Iron Hands’ failure to prevent insurrection within their own system limits cannot be allowed to spread. It will draw unwelcome attention at a difficult time, when the conclave of Kristos continues to engender discord within.’
‘I do not care what others think.’
‘What you will not have heard in open council,’ Velt went on, ‘is that Warleader Kristos himself has demanded the Mechanicus resolve this insurrection.’
‘Former warleader,’ said Verrox. ‘The Iron Fathers have chosen not to elevate one of our number to lead. Not since the debacle on Columnus.’
‘Putative,’ Quorus reprimanded the Iron Father. ‘The morality of Iron Father Kristos’ methodology remains in dispute. That is the entire basis of the conclave. He would undoubtedly emphasise that the Weirdwaaagh was crushed with minimal losses.”

So we can glimpse from conversations about him that Kristos is both disliked and respected. Guymer does an excellent job of portraying Kristos as someone worthy of this reputation, but most noteworthy is the mention of the Weirdwaaagh that he crushed.
Why is it so controversial? Stronos does not actively seek out the truth but it is eventually given to him.
PART 2: DISCORD BETWEEN IRON FATHERS: In this section, Stronos is shaken after learning a member of the Raven Guard was able to sneak around him undetected. He goes to the tech priests for a check-up and an upgrade, but encounters Tubriik Ares, an Iron Father and a Dreadnought.

“Is Stronos injured?’
Stronos considered silence, but decided that he could keep nothing from the ancient. ‘I am defective. I seek to rectify that.’
‘How so?’
‘The Raven’s son proved himself my superior. I must improve and adapt.’
‘Improve and adapt.’ Ares’ vocabularisers rumbled with scorn. ‘We recall a time when Iron Hands were less like Kristos and more like Kardan Stronos. They were ruthless, yes, but adaptable, not slaves to calculus.”

The calculus is a complex, algorithmic system that dictates every part of a battle to the Iron Hands. Most Iron Hands will follow the calculus to the letter during a battle, a practice that Stronos himself dislikes but is pushed for very strongly by Kristos and his conclave.
Interestingly, Ares, a Dreadnought and an Iron Father, dislikes the modern Iron Hands' reverence of it.

“The Kristosian question makes all matters subject to doubt,’ Stronos said to Ares, voice low. ‘All will be as it once was once the arguments are resolved.’
Ares turned from the Apothecary to him. His emptiness seemed for a moment… sorrowful. ‘Kardan Stronos speaks of the arguments, but what does he know of the question, for there is only one?’
Stronos made to formulate an answer, only to realise he had none. Often he had railed against the waste of energy that the conclave brought on the Iron Council, but had never found the time to learn for himself what, in effect, it was all for. He shook his head honestly. He had been built to be a war machine. This round voyage to Medusa was the first time since his novitiation that he had not been either in the thick of a warzone or in transit from one to another.”

Ares' sorrow is a noteworthy reaction. A sign that not all Iron Hands condone the actions of Kristos.

“I know little of Kristos beyond his roll of honours,’ said Stronos, stung. ‘I know that he was once considered an exemplar of the Iron Creed.’
‘As it is now interpreted for you, perhaps.’
‘What do you mean by that?’ demanded Haas [the Apothecary working on Stronos].
Ares did not answer directly. ‘It began on Columnus,’ he said.
‘Everyone knows that,’ Haas said, dismissively, then picked up a spoon-headed implement from his medicae trolley and bent towards Stronos.
‘And what happened there to cause such crisis?’ Ares countered.
Stronos couldn’t answer. He looked to Haas. The Apothecary let out a frustrated sigh and said nothing, focusing instead on Stronos’ eye. He had no answer either.”

PART 3: THE CALCULUS: To show him the truth, Ares takes Stronos to the Simulus. With the Simulus, Stronos can experience the memories of anyone at the event - the Simulus uses complex algorithms and calculations to accurately simulate the POV of anyone at a recorded event, even if the perspective of that individual is not recorded in data.
The simulus jumps to the planet Columnus where the Raven Guard and the Iron Hands are fighting an Ork Waaagh together. Stronos sees the events from the perspective of Captain Stenn

“ Stronos canted, and though he was unconscious of his physical body he could somehow feel that he spoke with a strained jaw and through gritted teeth.
He had a bitter, illogical loathing for the descendants of Corax that he could not explain. Having just experienced a small part of Orvid Stenn’s existence, he felt that he should feel greater empathy for his brother Space Marine, but he did not. What he felt was greater ambivalence, as though along with his body he had been dissociated from everything of his own experience that could have made him care. He was not Orvid Stenn, and the dissonant notion arose that he might equally not be Kardan Stronos. He was nobody, and anybody had the potential to be him.
He was simulus – the collective.”

...

“The Raven Guard were spread along the length of the thigh-height rockcrete wall that demarcated the bombed-out lot of haulage depot 764 from the adjoining premises. It wasn’t much, but it was something. With the exception of some minor damage, it had weathered the destruction of the outer defences relatively intact, a credit to the Administratum clerk that had overseen its construction, and ran roughly parallel to where the curtain wall had been until ten minutes before.”

After being driven back by the Orks, the Imperial forces realize that the Waaagh is being led by a warpboss who is granting the orks unnatural bravery and fierceness. The Raven Guard hold the front line alongside mortal troops.

“He had heard in dispatches of the psychic energies that flowed through their Gargants – weapon grids, shields and piercing uncanny augurs – and that brought their lumpen drop ships to ground still. He had heard too of the court of warpheads with which the self-styled warpboss, Zagdakka, surrounded himself, and had lost two squads of his most experienced Scouts in a failed attempt at thinning their “numbers. He saw now with his own eyes the weird energy that flowed through these greenskins in their battle-madness like some manner of psychic connective tissue, the brawn and sinew of some gestalt ork that drove them unto death with a single, overriding will. The fire discipline of the Raven Guard and their mortal allies slaughtered greenskins every minute by the hundred, but they didn’t seem to care, hurling themselves recklessly against the Imperial guns as though possessed.
Not that the blasted Iron Hands would allow for the slightest deviation from their precious calculus. Stenn sneered, his pistol emitting a final hiss as coolant jets sprayed from the weapon’s muzzle and the vents locked. He thumbed off the safety and selected rapid fire.
He could teach the Iron Hands a thing or two about logic.
‘Kristos, you honourless shell, I’m talking to you.’ He raged into the vox as he seared the heaving mass of orks with plasma. Too soon, heat warnings blinked red on the pistol’s side and he was forced to flick back to vent. ‘I need reinforcements and I need them now. Now, Kristos! I want a creeping artillery barrage walking outwards from the outer “wall over the southern highway and I want aeronautica backup. Kristos!”

As the Raven Guard fight tooth and nail, Captain Stenn and the rest of the Raven Guard realize the Iron Hands are standing behind them but not engaging.

“A squad of Iron Hands Centurions, almost as well camouflaged as the Raven Guard themselves in their huge black warsuits and perfect stillness. Their hurricane bolters were unloaded and pointed at the ground or at walls, whichever direction they had happened to be facing when the strange malaise of inaction had taken them. Stenn regarded them with fury. The few Iron Hands he had seen had been that way, ever since the unexpected psychic onslaught had levelled the south wall outright. At first he had wondered if it was a secondary effect of Zagdakka’s powers, but the Raven Guard and their mortal allies were unaffected. Yavid had a replacement eye as well as a bionic arm and he remained functional, as did the crew interfaces of their vehicles. As did the damned skitarii.”

...

“The Centurions moved!
There they were, silent as the blown-out repair shops through which they came, ghosts of the machine bound forever to a doomed cycle of destruction and repair. The firepower of the Centurions alone would have ripped a hole into the ork horde as wide as the gates of the Ravenspire, but six full squads of Tactical Marines also moved up through the rubble behind them. They spread out, taking fire-positions just beyond the chokepoint where Stenn’s efforts held the orks at bay. What were they waiting for? He saw a pair of hellfire Dreadnoughts lumbering into position either side of the smaller Centurions, and then heard the weary collapse of a pockmarked stretch of rockcrete as the glacis plate of a Redeemer pattern Land Raider drove through it. Its sponson flamestorm cannons traversed to track the flows of the ork horde, liquid promethium dribbling to the rubble floor.
Stenn cursed as he punched his lightning claw through a charging ork’s ribs. Never expect an Iron Hand to commit until he was good and ready.”

...

“What are you waiting for?’ He shot an ork in the face as it made to barrel towards Yavid, and found himself in the sights of the nearest Iron Hands squad. They had bolters locked and aimed, but for some reason held their fire. Their eye slits shone an ephemeral white, but they could have been decoy suits for all the urgency they showed. ‘Shoot, curse you!’
A horrible sense of premonition grew under his skin like a worm. Stenn looked over his shoulder and >> RESTRICTED DATA >>”

The simulus is interrupted and Stronos learns from Ares that these events have been hidden from normal viewers. However, the data cannot be falsified even by Iron Fathers so Ares and Stronos continue watching.
We continue watching the Raven Guard struggle against the Warpwaaagh as the Raven Guard line begins to fall. Captain Stenn valiantly holds the line but warp powered orks are chipping away at the Raven Guard. He recognizes that the Iron Hands are holding back because of their calculus, but does not anticipate the final tactic the calculus commands.

“Stenn gave a grunt of pain as psychic fingers tightened around him and squeezed. ‘Damn you >> RESTRICTED DATA >> Just kill me yourself.’ His armour cracked like a sea-crustacean’s shell, blood spurting from ruptured seals as his body was crushed. He screamed, genhanced anatomy fighting a battle with pain that had been stacked well against it from the outset. ‘Emperor forgive you!’
With every scrap of conscious thought locked away in hardened centres of his brain structure he cursed the Iron Hands. He cursed the casual brutality, the bare calculation of risk versus reward. His last thoughts before those final redoubts succumbed to braindeath were not of the pain, nor of his brother Raven Guard that fell to the mind-blasts of the warpboss’ retinue, nor even of the Iron Hands themselves as they finally descended on the fray. With the enemy leaders bottled up with the last of the Raven Guard, the Iron Hands opened fire. Tactical Marines, Centurions, Land Raiders, each warrior a cog in a war machine that sprayed fire to a perfectly choreographed maelstrom that consumed Warpboss Zagdakka, his retinue, the Raven Guard, and Stenn himself.
But he was not thinking about that. He was thinking about Dawnbreak.
Because Iron Hands did not make mistakes.
>>> TERMINATING SIMULUS.”

TL;DR The Raven Guard and Iron Hands are defending against a Warpwaaagh. In the final, climactic battle, the Iron Hands under the command of Kristos and the calculus, determine that the most efficient way to win the battle was to use the RG and IG as human shields, and only fire once the Warpboss was in range. Kristos rises to infamy because of his methods, which resulted in minimal losses for the IH.
In part, this incident is linked to an innate hatred of the Raven Guard that many Iron Hands have. However, as implied when Stronos first enters the calculus, it's suggested that this hatred has been programmed into the Iron Hands' calculus.
The calculus itself isn't unlike incredibly important algorithms that exist in companies today. Any changes require a collective vote, and the entities that have worked on it include Iron Fathers and important tech priests. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of conspiracies. If you want to find out how the Iron Hands are actually way worse than the Dark Angels in terms of secret circles and internal politics, I highly recommend Guymer's books.
Stronos is one of the most complex Space Marine protagonists I've read. He believes in many of the Iron Hands' tenets, yet cannot help but question aspects that the rest of his peers readily accept. It's an interesting look at how the dogmatic attitudes of the Space Marines often prime them for corruption as much as it protects them.

It's something that I was already thinking for a time. If a descendent of Asmodeus appear and show us how Starsend Moment work i can see he or she surviving in the end instead of being just antagonist that will die in the end specially If Ishibumi make her a girl for obvious reasons but aside of this hypothetical descendent of Asmodeus would you like that a new descendent of Beelzebub also appear for for the clan not be the only Satan clan extinct? Honestly i think that I would only really bother If Beelzebub end up being the only Satan clan extinct while Lucifer, Leviathan and Asmodeus are active with Vali, Ingvild and X alive,If X Asmodeus end up dying i'm fine with the Beelzebub clan remain dead with only Lucifer and Leviathan alive because It would have Asmodeus to make company.
I would like If let's suposse a new Beelzebub appear and he begin his character Arc as a antagonist Issei fight and defeat him to continue the tradition of Gremory clan members defeating Beelzebub devils that Sirzechs begun 500 years ago with Bidleid and Fly Chimera and his Issei(seems)to have ended when he killed Shalba. I would preffer that this hypothetical descendent of Beelzebub don't end up as another Shalba, Bidleid or whateve is the real name of the Fly Chimera but yes the first non-evil Beelzebub that we will see.

The hair-raising scream woke him in an instant. Merely feet away. Rickon kicked away his bedsheets frantically, blinking himself awake, stumbling out onto the cold tent floor.
"RICKON!" Someone roared. Steel clashed. The sound of running feet. "AMBUSH!!" Another man screeched, before the sound of splintering wood cut him off. Stark was exposed, in only his smallclothes. It was all he could do to pull his sword from its sheath before two men burst in through the canvas.
Cornered, Rickon snarled, lunging out and catching one by surprise. The other lurched wildly with a handaxe, slicing his arm, but a quick parry and riposte threw off his second attack. Light on his feet, and heart pumping, he planted a fist into one of their jaws while bringing up his blade -
"ACK!" His foe cried, swordpoint piercing his stomach. Rickon had to drop to the ground to avoid the frenzied axe-swing, rolling away and grasping at his shield. A dull thud cracked through the tent as the remaining attacker assaulted him, the hard wood chipping away by the second. All he had to do was wait a split second, then CRACK the man's knee with all his might. As he toppled sideward, the would-be victim clambered to his feet, arcing his sword through the air and chopping haphazardly at his neck.
Blazing orange light surrounded them. He'd not seen it before, being so eager to save his own life. Pine had warned them about camping out in the open here. Harclay insisted on it. There was good forage nearby. This... for some fucking berries and frozen shrubs. Quickly throwing on his ringmail, Rickon sprinted barefooted out into the chaos.
His leg immediately collided with a mass of flesh. One of the dead, in fact there were heaps of them. Friendly or not, he had no time to assess - a shadowy figure sprinted toward him, framed by fire, a cudgel overhead that could cave in the brains of any living being. His wits more about him, Rickon ducked to the side, bringing his steel around to slash at his back before darting away further.
This was not a raid. This was a battle. Everywhere he looked, there were flames, men sparring - sparks flying as their steel clashed. The spring earth was soaked in blood, squelching as he dashed from scrap to scrap. After a dozen men had fallen to his steel, Rickon's arm ached, his feet cut and battered, forcing him to withdraw into the shadows. The ground caressed him as he dropped, breath coming hard and fast. Footsteps battered all around him as the maelstrom of this skirmish rang out all around him.
"STARK?!" A familiar voice yelled out. It sounded like a large group of men. Rickon scurried about in the dark, searching for who might seek him. A slew of warriors ran toward the yell, as he had, but all were cut down. Emerging from the din was the ox-like, axe-bearing Herod Harclay. He was surrounded by a circle of good men, each defending their chief as attackers charged, engaged, and fell. "RICKON STARK, SON OF THE WOLF! SHOW YOURSELF!"
Perhaps foolishly, Rickon grasped his sword, rose to his feet, and stepped out into the light. It wasn't until Harclay and his men laid their eyes upon him that he realised. A betrayal? Herod laughed, a booming sound, that might crack the mountains that surrounded them. "Thank the gods, boy. Thought you'd joined the gods."
"Not just yet." Rickon sighed, clasping hands with the Harclay. Thank gods, indeed. He glanced around nervously - Alyn Wull was not among the Harclay's men, nor were any others he recognised. "A wildling ambush?"
Herod only laughed, spitting some crimson on to the ground. The two paced toward the centre of their camp - it was the size of a small town, with combatants still clashing left and right. A line of torches dotted the horizon, at the edge of the woods. He saw that Harclay left a trail of blood, a gash in his leg flowing free, but it phased him just as much as a flea bit. "Wildlings, aye. And sellswords. And Liddle men."
"Liddles?" Rickon cursed. So it was a trick all along. "Where is the dog? Come, let us make him answer."
"Scurried away in the scrap." Herod declared, frustration clear. He'd always wanted to cut the man down, yet he was not pleased to discover his deception. "I was still awake when they tried getting to me. Crushed one of their skulls with my tankard, ha! My sons and I went right for him, but he's gone. Like a fart in the wind."
Rickon thought as much. Liddle had concocted his story, to lure their force away from Breakstone. Now, they were out in the valleys, days away from home. Their next move would be to summon all their strength and push on into Clan Wull's lands. To turn back now would be to let this transgression slide. "Like a fart in the wind. Well then. Let us fight off this rabble, find who we can."
"YOU HEARD THE STARK!" Harclay roared, as though he'd had the words trapped in his throat, eager to leap out. His men cheered with him, as he leapt forward and cleaved a wildling's shield in two. "BLOOD!! BLOOD!!"
"BLOOD!" His men chanted. The clans were a brutal lot, half-wild themselves. It brought a smile to Rickon's face, as he firmly gripped his sword and ran into the chaos to join them.
By the time the stars had cleared, and the pink-orange of a sunset had begun to creep up, the battle was only just winding down. Most of their supplies and tents had burned to ash, but the forces loyal to House Stark had managed to survive. Though they took great casualties, so did their attackers. But they had reinforcements nearby. Wull was relying on this ambush killing the force's leaders. Come the morning, Rickon and the Harclay took stock of their damage, and tried to find who had survived the night.

Does anyone know how to get out of a Starbucks contract?
I just started my new job and I already want to quit. I REALLY want to quit. Because this shit isn’t normal. I mean, is it? Do you guys have experience with this type of shit, or is it a normal thing when moving to the city? I’m a small-town girl so I’m not used to this. We didn’t even have a Starbucks. Just a diner that had been broken into multiple times over the years.
Do you know the bad feeling you get when something bad is going to happen, but you ignore it for the sake of staying sane? .Yeah.
It was one of those situations.
But I needed cash. I needed a job. College in the city is expensive, especially in my mid-twenties. Uber Eats every night and various subscriptions, such as Netflix and Spotify—as well as basic living needs required cash. So, naturally, I looked for part-time jobs I could use to fill up my weekend and nights. When it came to job hunting, I was fairly lazy. So, the Starbucks job kinda came out of nowhere.
I wasn’t even looking for it. I was applying for a job in the local music store when it caught my eye. Someone to work late evenings and nights on weekdays and Saturdays. The job description didn’t say much, just basic pay details and a full paragraph dedicated to talking about “The Starbucks Family”. Skim reading it, I skipped to the APPLY NOW button and sent in my resume via email. Two hours.
It had taken two hours to get an email back offering a video interview the next day—and a guaranteed job if I didn’t screw it up. The video interview went well to my surprise. The woman who conducted it acted more like a friend, asking me what my favorite movies and TV shows were, and then going into detail about her own.
It didn’t even feel like an interview. More like a chat. Which was exactly what the email said it was going to be. The interviewer was my mom’s age, a total mom-like persona. She offered me iced tea before laughing and realizing we were on a video call. Her cat popped up halfway through her introducing several staff members by name. A large tabby whom she picked up and hugged to her chest. I wasn’t sure what to do except repeatedly say, “Aww.” and force an even bigger smile.
The woman who for some reason did not introduce herself finished the interview with a more formal and thorough talk-through of rules and regulations. Which went in one ear and out the other. I think I was too excited about the job as a whole. There’s something almost mythical about working at Starbucks. I’ve seen barista TikTok complaining about customer service and harping about in the back rooms. It looked fun. Plus, free drinks? I figured working at the famous coffee chain would at least have benefits and freebies.
The woman spoke to me for almost two hours about certain drinks, telling me I would be trained up, and then going on to explain the dos and don’ts in a working environment. It was kind of patronizing, but I figured she had to be to remain professional. I tuned out when she started talking about a certain “feud” they had with another store down the road. The woman didn’t go into detail, but her expression did darken significantly when she leaned closer to her screen and repeated the phrase, “Do you understand me?” I had to backtrack and try and go over what she had been saying, but I had found myself mesmerized by the gilded sword in the background. It hung from the back wall in all of its glory, and I was having a hard time trying to figure out why exactly a Starbucks manager had a sword hanging from her wall.
“Sim?” Inclining her head, the manager cleared her throat. “Did you hear me?”
I did. Sort of. Under no circumstances must I visit or go near 2nd Street Starbucks. If I did there would be dire consequences and I would face losing my job, or worse.
I wasn’t sure what “or worse” was, but from the way her expression twisted from funny-cat-lady to a potential employer, I didn’t want to ask.
Yikes.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “I can’t go near the 2nd Street store.” I almost choked on a glass of water I had been slowly sipping throughout the interview. I had been sweating most of the day, dying in the intense June heat. It was a lot cooler in the evening in the city, but I was used to draining at least ten glasses a day. “Is that real?” I couldn’t help asking, pointing to the sword behind her.
I know you are supposed to maintain a certain professional persona and façade during professional work interviews with potential managers. However, I really wanted to know if that ancient thing was real, it was driving me crazy. Because questions were arising in my head: How did she get it? Was it hers? Was it for some kind of aesthetic and feng-shui, or was there more to it? From the look on the interviewer’s face, she seemed startled.
Whipping her head around, her strict grey ponytail hitting the screen, she nodded before turning back to me, her gaze flicking down to what I presumed was a script she was reading off—or maybe she was skimming through my printed-out resume. I wanted to ask her more about the elephant in the room, but she seemed satisfied with answering my question with a nod. She asked me more questions, mostly about my work ethic and if I enjoyed working in a team and independently, if I had any special requirements, and oddly—if I had ever held a firearm. Now, that caused alarm bells. Along with the gilded sword dangling from this forty-something-year-old’s lounge wall, I was definitely starting to question the exact nature of what I would be doing at this job. Serving coffee was an obvious one, though I was pretty sure Starbucks barista's didn’t require military-style training.
When I didn’t know what to say, she seemed to back-pedal. “Oh, it’s in case of a robbery.” She said. But her expression stayed stoic. Speaking in the tone of being joking, but not being joking. “It is rare. However, it is a precaution we must take.” Choosing her words carefully, the interviewer steepled her hands in front of her face, leaning her chin on her fingers. “Our employees are given basic fire-arm training in the instance that one day we may face a difficult situation. Now, I am not saying it is inevitable, but due to certain behavior throughout the years, it is, of course, better to be safe than sorry.”
“Oh.” I tried to smile. “No, I haven’t,” I paused, hoping my lack of ability to hold a gun wouldn’t screw up my chances. “But I can learn?”
I said it like a question because it was a question. I was questioning myself why exactly I would take up my time learning to shoot a gun I most likely never would need. To my surprise though, the woman’s smile brightened and she looked down at whatever she was writing.
“Of course,” she said. “Sim, I am very happy to hear that. We love employees who do their best to learn and thrive in our working environment,” she paused and typed something on her laptop before her gaze found mine. “I’ll put you down for lessons on Friday mornings. How does that sound?” Before I could answer her—because I was starting to seriously question why she was so obsessed with training me to use a goddamn gun—she was nodding to herself. “I will put Jude in charge of you. I think he is working on Friday, so your induction and welcome can be completed in the morning…”
She trailed off into her own murmured conversation to herself before clearing her throat. I jumped. I didn’t mean to jump, but her whole presence was putting me on edge. The lady had been nicer on the phone, and earlier on in the interview when she was grilling me on which Frozen character was my favorite.
“Okay!” The interviewer gathered up her paperwork, beaming at me through the camera. “Can you start tomorrow? Let’s say…” her eyebrows furrowed together. “5:30? I will not be there for the first hour due to certain obligations,” she traced her lip with the tip of her index. “However, I have four employees working the front desk, I’m sure they will give you a warm welcome.” I noticed something twitch on her lips. It was almost like she was trying to stop herself from laughing—which was childish from a standpoint where I was the younger one, while she was the senior. She was supposed to be setting some kind of standard, and yet for some reason was more inclined in teasing me about workplace friendships, and apparently how “close” my colleagues were. I wasn’t stupid, I knew what friendship was like in the workplace. It’s not “real” because you’re all there to do a job, not making lifelong friendships.
“I’m looking forward to meeting them,” I said when she snorted out a laugh that twisted up my gut.
"Absolutely," she responded. "The team is very close, so don't take it personally if they're initially cautious. I'm confident that you'll all become great friends! Kai is a kind-hearted sweetheart, while Ana may seem standoffish initially, but she'll warm up to you once you get to know her. Jude, on the other hand, will be your guide during the orientation, so it's best to stay close to him. In fact, it's recommended to shadow him during your first few hours since he's our top performer! Frankly, Sim, I can hardly wait for you to meet them! They're a great group!" This woman seemed to suddenly discover the use of expletives, or maybe she had noticed I visibly wanted to crawl into the ground. The way she was describing the other employees, I was expecting cartoon characters when I walked through the door.
“Right,” I said. I was starting to regret applying. “I’ll be there.”
She ended the call with a bright smile, and her stupid cat walking on the keyboard, causing her to squeak out in horror. I shut my laptop, my cheeks burning. Well, that went…? Well? Could I really say it went well when the manager had spent the last five minutes implying my work colleagues were going to hate me? Fuck.
I didn’t want to go. I trashed my application and deleted her number from my phone. But the morning after, however, I came to the quick realization through precious morning caffeine, that I needed cash. So, no matter how much I didn’t want to go—I had to. So, I headed to classes and tried not to think about it. It was 5:34 when I stepped into the familiar glow of the famous store—not before being stopped in the middle of a crowed by a girl wearing bright pink ray-bans and a scowl. “Do you work there?” she turned and pointed to the store.
I shrugged. “I guess.”
She scoffed, slipping off her ray-bans and fixing me with a bitchy smile. “Your funeral.”
Normally, in situations when strangers say odd things to me on the street, I just laugh it off. But this? This seemed personal.
“What?”
The girl didn’t say anything before turning and walking or rather running away.
Well, that was weird.
After that encounter, I was weighing the positives and negatives of taking up the job. The positives would be cash and something to occupy my mind away from classes, and the negatives were being stuck with insufferable colleagues and a manager who was the embodiment of unprofessional. The store was pretty empty when I stepped through automatic doors, reveling in the cooling fan blasting icy cold air in my face. A dark-haired college girl had her back to me, cleaning tables. But I noticed her stiffening up when I took a step forward. She straightened up like a cat going into territorial mode, before relaxing and holding a two-fingered hand up.
The store was empty so I had no idea who she was signaling to. It wasn’t a greeting to me—I had no idea what it was. I was halfway to the counter before a guy popped up out of nowhere, mid-way through drying a cup with a washrag. His hair was the first thing I noticed. Bright red.
In contrast to his pasty skin, this guy would definitely stand out in a crowd. He was my age or maybe a little older, mid twenties, with a wide smile and not much of anything else, kitted in a short-sleeved shirt, and a Starbucks apron over the top.
I expected quirky cartoon-like weirdos and I got an average Joe. I wasn’t complaining.
Initially, I thought this guy was just another jock-like college guy. But looking closer, the friendliness in his eyes wasn’t sincere, and his smile was strained. Keeping up a professional attitude, he regarded me with a smile, leaning across the counter. But his eyes kept flicking to the door in quick succession like he was waiting for a certain someone to come in. “You.” He pointed at me, trailing his finger to the door, swiping hair from his face with his hand. The guy was bouncing on the heels of his toes, I noticed. He couldn’t stand still, like a hyperactive child. “You’re Sim, The newbie I’m supposed to be training.”
I nodded, offering a nervous wave.
“Jude.” He introduced himself, though clearly distracted, his gaze flicking to and from the door. His facade was friendly enough, but very fake. It was the same smile I presumed he flashed at customers who complimented his looks. “Hey, Sim.”
Instead of holding out his hand for me to shake, he folded his arms across his chest. Jude cocked his head, drinking me in before his lips broke out into a beam.
"Shall we get started?"
Jude started the tour, showing me the store itself, then the back, the storage room, the staff room, and bizarrely, a wooden door which he referred to as, “The Drink”. I had no idea what that meant, but I made a mental note to steer away from it.
The backrooms of the store turned into a labyrinth. The place was covered in mold, peeling paint on the doors and old rugged floor tiles. Jude spoke way too fast like he was intentionally trying to confuse me. By the time I was struggling with my apron, he was turning on his heels with a brow raised. “Your hair is too long so you need to tie it up. You can shadow me this evening but don’t get in my way. We have two twenty-minute breaks and during them, we are contractually obligated to go down to the Second Street store and throw eggs at their windows—ooh, and the girl you just met who didn’t say a word? That’s Ana. You will get used to her.” His smile reached a level of fake I didn’t think was possible. “Why don’t you follow me?”
“What?” I managed to hiss out when Jude was leading me down a long, winding corridor that dipped into various rooms, out-of-order elevators, and the creepiest set of stairs I had ever seen leading into the pitch dark. I was still trying to register his words.
Jude twisted around with a frown. “What’s up?” He nodded at a passing blonde girl who shot me a smile, and hive-fived Jude before disappearing through a door.
“You throw eggs at the store down the road?”
The guy’s lip twitched into the start of a smile. He turned around, quickening his pace. “Did I say that? Obviously, I was joking.”
I stumbled after him, knocking into a dark-haired younger guy carrying a tray of cupcakes. He and Jude seemed to exchange words without speaking before Jude gestured to the stranger. Somehow, I figured out their telepathic conversation through eye movements and strained smiles, they weren’t talking about me. “That’s Kai,” Jude said, pushing through the doors back to the main storefront. He took a customer’s order, retaining that stupid smile. “If you need any help with making those annoying TikTok drinks that take a millennia to make and have probably broken several Geneva convention rules?” He playfully knocked into me while preparing a drink, his hands knowing where everything was, preparing and serving a latte in a matter of minutes, “Kai is your guy! He runs our social media page and is practically a connoisseur on the next big trend. He'll deal with zoomers."
I was slowly starting to ease my way into this job, and my colleagues seemed pretty cool. Jude actually helped me all the way through the evening, introducing his home life and how he grew up as he cleaned tables and conversed with the others—always throwing me into their chatting so I didn’t get left out. I ended up sorting through cookies and making price labels with Aurora, the perky blonde who high-fived Jude earlier. She spoke to me like we had been best friends for years, and that part of her charm made me instantly adore her. She was tiny for her age, but a menace when it came to her sharp tongue and language. I didn’t think a tiny thing like her could swear like a goddamn sailor, but it was cute. Jude and Aurora had a sibling-type thing going on, though every time I caught Kai’s eye, he was smirking. It seemed everyone knew they had a thing except them.
I was actually having fun with the others, bobbing my head to the radio while serving a group of kids, when Jude, who was next to me, seemed to go rigid all of a sudden. His laughing smile carved into something else. I had never seen an expression change so fast.
But he wasn’t the only one. Aurora, cleaning tables and giggling at Jude’s joke, straightened up, her eyes flashing to the door. Kai’s head snapped up from where he had been grinding coffee. Following their gaze, I found myself face-to-face with the manager who interviewed me. But unlike the night before, she was not smiling. The woman dropped her bag at the door before marching towards the counter. Jude leaned over; his expression apprehensive.
“Well?”
His eyes as well as his tone had darkened significantly. All of my colleagues had taken off these masks, these facades of joking smiles and bright eyes, and now I was seeing a glimmer of what they were hiding. What Jude had been looking for all evening, sneaking glances at the door. I watched his gaze follow the manager as she paced back and forth, chewing her nails. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know.” She finally said, lifting her head. Her lips were twisted. “But.” She said, spitting each word, as she rounded the counter, helping herself to coffee. “You’re going to pay a visit to them right now, and…and sort this out once and for all.” Her voice resembled that of a mother talking to her children. She was assertive to them, her eyes piercing. Do you understand me?” The woman nodded at Jude. “You can go.” Her eyes found mine. “Take the new girl, she needs to be inducted.” Finally, she turned to Ana, who was standing in the corner silently. “You are too. I need brains, and Jude is just brawn. Keep him on his toes, young lady."
With a hint of sarcasm in his tone, Jude uttered a brief "Thanks," and then proceeded to take a coffee cup and a Sharpie. Swiftly, he scrawled some words on the side of the cup, before placing it inside a bag and plonking it in front of me. As Jude reached for his coat at the back, he put it on over his green Starbucks apron, creating a striking contrast with his denim blue sherpa. With his mop of red curls, this guy was in no way going to be as incognito as he thought. "We'll manage the conversation,” he said hurriedly, visibly excited. Jude seemed to lead the others in their expressions, his confidence and wit causing them to brighten up, adapting wide smiles. He shoved his hands in his pockets, “All you gotta do is hand them this, okay?”
“Is that a good…” Kai drifted off on whatever he was about to say, ducking his head when Jude shot him a glare.
“I think it’s a perfect idea!” The manager beamed at me. “What a way to fully bring you into our family!”
I took the coffee cup (the empty coffee cup) hesitantly. “What is it?”
“It’s a gift!” Jude said, moving towards the door in long strides. It was all too noticeable that this guy was practically vibrating with an energy I had never known. It was almost manic. “I want to let them know we appreciate them! Y’know! Rival to rival.”
Kai stepped in front of him on the way out.
“Be careful,” he said in a low hum. Aurora joined him, but she wasn’t speaking, her left-hand tugging at the waistband of her jeans. “Keep your head down when you go in because they’ll be expecting you—and they’ll be expecting a retaliation.”
“Relaaaaax, it’s Cora! We used to date!” he cocked his head. "I think."
“I mean it. "
Jude’s gaze found mine for a moment before his smile grew. “Well, we have enough eggs don’t we?” He grabbed my arm, pulling me along. Ana was already gone. I could see her figure already slinking down the street, bleeding into the shadow.
When the two of us hit the cool night air and Jude quickened his pace into a power-walk, his eyes set forwards, jaw set, I figured I should ask what his deal was. If this guy was serious about vandalizing a rival Starbucks, and not just that, urged by his manager, then I had to say something.
The thought of ending up in jail being petty over a rival store made me feel nauseous.
“So, what is this about?” I asked, catapulting myself into a half-run to keep up with him. The guy had abnormally long legs, so he was halfway across the sidewalk while I was barely two steps in front. “Aren’t you taking this a little too seriously?”
Jude didn’t reply, instead remarking on the sky being filled with stars.
“Hey, Ana!” He shouted. “Wait up!”
Second Street Starbucks was like walking into a palace. I could tell why these guys were rivals. The place was a three-floored beast, a glass building made up of a Starbucks downstairs, a library, and a private apartment. I found myself mesmerized by the twinkling lights on the door, the mini water fountain through large windows showing an even bigger storefront with rich-looking wooden tables and reclining chairs. The store was closing. When we stepped in front of the door, there was a sign which clearly said CLOSED on the front.
Still, though, Ana pushed her way through it, followed by Jude, pulling me along with him. Two employees were working, a guy with short blondish hair mopping the floors, and a girl standing at the counter, going through the register. The moment we stepped inside, the guy cleaning up stopped mopping from side to side, his fingers visibly tightening around the mop handle. “Hey there!”
With one of his best fake smiles, Jude raised his arms in surrender. “We’re from the Starbucks down the road. We come in peace, don’t worry!” He gestured to me.
“Can we talk to your manager?”
He took a step, his lip twitching, eyes glinting, which caused a stir in the air. The girl at the counter stopped flicking through a wad of cash in her hand and delicately put it down, and the guy turned to face us with wary eyes.
As Jude took another stride forward, his movements resembled a dance, and I noticed he was having fun teasing them. His eyes sparkled with a childlike glee that was unexpected for a person in his twenties. "Would you like to try our latest coffee recipe? It's like sipping on liquid sunshine." He nonchalantly brushed his jeans, and I half-expected him to pull out an egg. “But…” Jude took another step, and Ana situated herself behind the blonde boy, her expression blank. “You’ve already tasted it, haven’t you?”
The girl behind the counter finally stopped counting cash, delicately placing a wad back inside the register before leaning forward, an amused smirk curving on her lips. “Jude.” Her voice was a low murmur. “I didn’t think I would see you here so soon.”
“Cora.” Jude’s lips quirked. “Trust me, I don’t want to be. But hey, it's the boss's orders.”
She inclined her head, her eyes drinking all of him in. The girl rested her fist on her chin. She was surveying him like a piece of meat. “And you obey her?”
His grin widened, and I saw his hand once again brush the front of his apron. “Like a dog.”
“You know her?” I hissed out, grasping hold of the coffee cup in my hand.
“Cora?” Jude turned to me. “Oh yeah, we used to be the Romeo and Juliet of coffee shop rivalry — back when we were both newbies, and our store kidnapped me as a last resort. To keep the peace, I stayed.” He shrugged. “That’s what I’m told, anyway.”
Starbucks lore was getting dark.
These guys had to be joking around.
I took a step back, eager to head towards the door and be as far away as possible from what I was pretty sure was going to be a lot of eggs, and several arrests. “You worked here?” I couldn’t believe my mouth was still moving and forming words as I took slow steps back. Before Jude caught my arm.
“Apparently.” He said, dragging me back by his side. “Why don’t you give ‘em’ their gift?”
Fuck.
Unwrapping the bag and pulling out the cup, I nodded and took slow strides toward the counter, placing it down in front of her.
Cora frowned, before picking it up, her gaze going to the side.
“Go fuck yourself 2nd street bloodsuckers.” She read out loud, her brow raising into her hairline.
Shit.
“I should probably go.” I managed to say, backing away. “I don’t think is the job for me—”
The latter half of my words exploded in my head when something slammed into my ears, a physical force sending me to my knees. Initially, I didn’t know what it was. It sounded like a nuclear bomb had gone off. When the ringing in my head subsided, I was aware I had my head buried in my knees, my hands clamped over my ears.
But when I tried to listen past the relentless shrill ringing in my skull, I heard them one after the other. Pop, pop, pop! Gunshots. The crack of each bullet ricocheted in my skull. It was a robbery, I thought dizzily. We were being robbed. No, Second Street was being robbed. When I lifted my head to try and find Jude and Ana to see if they were okay-- I expected them to be cowering like me, Jude, under the table, muffling yelling into his hand, and Ana, calmly pulling him to safety. But that wasn't what I saw. Instead, I must have been fucking imagining things. Jude had not moved from his spot-- and perfectly melded into his hand, was a gun. A gun he was holding like a pro, his hands wrapped around the butt, index teasing the trigger.
His trajectory was directly between Cora's eyes. Jude had not been the one who shot the gun. In fact, neither had Ana, who was still standing stiffly behind the blonde guy.
It was a girl behind the counter who had come out of nowhere wielding the type of gun I expected to see in movies. I noticed from his stance Jude had maybe stepped to the left and then the right to avoid being hit, but the way his demeanour was fully and completely relaxed sent shivers creeping down my spine. "The deal is off, Cora," he murmured. "You fuck with us, so we fuck with you." he lowered his gun slightly, his eyes darkening. "Where's Ren? He came here to sniff you out, so where is he?"
Cora seemed remarkably calm. She started to raise her hands, her lips forming the words, "I don't know what you're talking about" before she stopped, her body going limp. It took me a disorienting moment to realize Jude had taken the shot, followed by another, both landing right between her eyes. When Cora hit the ground, the whole world around me exploded.
I was dragged to the ground by Jude, as he dived across the floor, pressing himself into the back of a table, twisting around, and taking out the barista who almost shot me in the face. There were five of them, all of them good shooters. Too good. Ana easily took out a blonde and brunette with her own magnum, followed by a bald guy who crashed through the counter which collapsed under him.
Jude fell into a manic shoot-out with a guy who would not give up, and after several attempts, re-loading, and attempting to finish him from the ground, my colleague got tired and stood up, dropped his gun, and leaped across the counter. I didn't know what to watch. Ana, who was destroying their coffee machine, or Jude, who snapped the boy's neck with a single twist of his fingers, before ripping out his eyes. He hauled the dead guy over his knees, grazing his teeth across the pasty flesh of the boy's neck, his eyes flickering. I wouldn’t say they turned a different color, but there was something inhuman about them, a certain tint around his iris. "Urgh."
He shoved the corpse away, jumping up. "He reeks of it." Treading through broken glass and pooling red on the floor, my colleague grabbed a cup, downed it, and then spat it out. “That.” He sputtered. “Is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever tasted.”
Ana stepped in front of him, handing the boy his gun. “When one of any clan is murdered for with no reason, there is an imbalance, and the coffee is tainted. We must restore the balance before this gets out of hand,” she surprised me by speaking, with a tinge of an Aussie accent. The girl side-eyed me before shooting Jude a knowing look. “Don’t let her get in our way.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” He mocked a salute before nodding to me. “All right! Sim, you grab a sample. We’ll go find the altar.”
Something ice-cold slipped down my spine.
“What?”
“Cool it. It’s more fun than it sounds,” was all Jude responded with. “Grab the samples.”
I was running on adrenaline, doing exactly what he said. I grabbed two coffee cups. “What do we do now? We go home, right?”
He swiped at his lips with a sound of disgust. “Are you kidding? No, man. We get coffee which ain’t tainted.”
Ana took out two guards in the back before leading us both through a heavy metal door that led into tunnels, tunnels, illuminated by candlelight. “You just killed multiple people,” I finally managed to choke out, following the two of them deeper into the dark. “Over coffee.” I couldn’t resist a nervous laugh that spluttered into a cry. “You just murdered seven baristas over fucking coffee!” I found myself backing away at points, scanning for a way out, an exit away from this fucking nightmare.
Jude turned to me, the glitter in his eyes reflected in the candlelight. “Oh, please,” His voice echoed down the tunnel in a chuckle. “Do you really think this is just about coffee?”
I didn't understand what he meant until we came to the end of the tunnel, which dipped into an alcove leading us into a large cave-like room. Drawing his gun, Jude scanned the dark. "Anyone in here?" He said, and Ana hit him. Silence answered, and I found myself paralyzed to the spot. I didn't know what to stare at first. The ten-foot-tall Starbucks Siren looming over us, illuminated in flickering orange candlelight, or the old swimming pool filled to the brim. When I took a step forward, my foot sunk into something soft, and I made the mistake of looking down. Bodies.
I guessed that was "The Drink".
I felt myself fall back, but Ana's warm arms were guiding me away from decomposing flesh which decapitated heads poisoned in a way that I could almost call ritualistic. There were bodies everywhere, all of them curled up or had died in a position of prayer. Jude crouched in front of a guy still in his Starbucks apron. His eyes had been cleanly plucked from his skull. Jude's expression was beautifully sombre in the candlelight. "Fuck, dude," he whispered.
"Looks like they got you."
“Which explains how they got their hands on our recipe.” Ana pulled out her gun and clicked off the safety. The girl’s eyes were suddenly sad, her lip wobbling. I had a hard time believing a girl who had taken out three baristas at point-blank range was crying.
"Through him."
“What is this place?” I whispered. "What the fuck are you doing in here?”
Jude straightened up. Ana moved behind him, and I noticed her hands holding her gun were trembling. She raised her arm, pointing it at the back of his head. Jude didn't retaliate, only sending me a sickly smile. "It used to be ours," he said. "Until other stores started opening, and it became a fucking free-for-all." Jude sighed, rocking back and forth on his heel. Ana's trigger finger followed his movements. "We have a peace treaty..." Jude trailed off. "Sorry. HAD a peace treaty." He nodded to his colleague. "Second Street has always been obsessed with this particular blend we have that other stores don't." His lips curved. "They're greedy, and thought they could fuck with us. First, they took our last manager. He was like a dad to us. Sliced him up and sent us his head." He gestured to his friend. "And then they took Ren. They brought this shit upon themselves."
As he spoke, Jude dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, bowing his head in front of the Siren. Ana didn't move. "Are you ready?"
“Always.”
I screamed, slamming my hand over my mouth when this time when Ana shot Jude point blank in the back of the head. When his body crumpled to the ground, something inside me snapped in two, and I couldn’t breathe suddenly. I thought the two were playing some kind of sick game before I caught unmistakable seeping black pooling across the alter.
In the blur of orange candlelight, it was almost a mesmerizing sight. “Shush!” Ana sent me an annoyed look, before gathering his body in her arm. “Make yourself useful and grab a bucket,” she said, stumbling towards the pool. I watched her, my heart diving into my throat. When I didn’t move, Ana hissed out and twisted around.
“Did you not hear me?!” she yelled. “Get a bucket and start collecting it!” The girl gestured towards a large, rusted pipe looming over the pool, a stream of murky brown water leaking into the pool. When I started forwards, the girl shook her head. “Not yet.” She said, before heaving Jude’s body and throwing him into the darkness. I heard the splash, but I didn’t even see his body hit the surface. Part of me wanted to demand what the fuck she was doing, but I did what I was told, with trembling hands, grabbing a bucket and shuffling over to the pool edge. Ana hissed out again. “I said not yet!” Before I could speak, she held a finger to her lips. “Do it now!”
“The pool water?!” I shrieked.
She raised a brow. “You think that’s water?”
Before I could coerce some kind of speech, I was interrupted by what felt like a sudden earthquake. The ground rumbled under our feet, and I hesitated before dropping the bucket into the water and scooping up as much as I could. I quickly realized it wasn’t water. It was thick with the constancy of blood, coffee brown and yet sticky and warm like blood.
Above us, the pipe seemed to come to life, a brand new stream of murky brown solution coming down in a waterfall. I didn’t think about the pieces of flesh floating on the surface, the decomposing heads I caught bobbing around, or the fact that I was dipping my hands in blood. Coffee and blood. My stomach was trying to projectile my lunch, but I swallowed it down. I took advantage, managing three buckets before Ana was grasping my shoulders and pulled me back. I didn’t realize I was sobbing until she was handing me a handkerchief, and I was staring at her and it, like, “What do you expect me to do with this?!”
Still in shock, I tried to get another bucket full before she dragged me from the pool edge. “You can stop now,” she said. “We have enough.”
"Enough what?!"
I staggered back when the surface of the pool rippled. I don’t know what I expected to come out.
Dead bodies?
Decapitated heads?
Not Jude, covered in the brown murky shit I had filled the buckets with. When he broke the surface, I almost threw one of the buckets at his head. Despite being covered in coffee and blood, his skin was oddly free of flaws. The guy was also really naked, which should have been a minor problem compared to what I was seeing, which was a real resurrection in front of a ten-foot statue of the Starbucks siren. Which was completely normal.
But I still found my cheeks heating up. Jude ran a hand through soaked curls sticking over his eyes, shaking them like a dog before pulling himself out. I couldn’t help noticing there was no gunshot wound. It was almost as if his body was completely new. I took in abnormally grey-looking skin, like dead flesh, before averting my gaze. “Did we do it?” He gasped out, immediately covering himself. Once out of the pool, he knelt on the ground, sucking in breaths of air before seemingly realizing the state of himself.
“Fuck. I didn’t think this through.”
“I did.” Ana reached into the backpack she had brought, pulling out a shirt and jeans, reverting her eyes, and throwing him the bundle. “Get dressed.” She said, But there was a slight smirk on her lips. “Yes. I think we managed to appease them.”
“Sweet!” Jude grinned, dressing quickly. He sucked the tips of his fingers. “Mmm.” He nodded at Ana. “That tastes a lot better.”
He gestured to her, and to my disgust, the girl delicately licked his fingers and nodded with her own smile. “It tastes like cherry blossom.”
His eyes fell on me, and I saw that inhuman gleam in his eye—that had been very much there before he was resurrected in a pool of coffee. His lip quirked. I could still see coffee-- or blood dripping in thick rivulets down his temples and cheek. “Should we?”
Jude turned to Ana. “I mean while we’re here, right? We can induct the newbie.”
Immediately, I knew what he was talking about. I stepped back, but he was following me, getting closer and closer until his breath was in my face, and I was teetering on the edge. I sensed something in his eyes, something I never expected from a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Envy. Another step, and I would be falling into what I was sure was a pool full of decomposing bodies and resurrecting coffee. “Not now,” Ana murmured, and Jude snapped out of it, taking a step back.
“Buzzkill.” He muttered.
But he did step away, allowing me to inch away from the pool.
“Later,” Ana said. “She’s shaken up. We can do it first thing tomorrow.”
To my surprise, there were no cops at the scene at Second Street. Because there was no scene.
The store was back to normal, and I didn’t have the energy to question why. When we returned, Aurora wrapped me into a hug I tried to get out of as quickly as possible, eager to get the fuck away from that place. But. I had to finish my shift. I had watched a man resurrected by coffee in a fucking Starbucks shrine, and yet somehow I had to keep making drinks until my shift ended. It was nearing closing time when the doors opened, and I found myself face-to-face with the girl from earlier. The one wearing the pink ray-bans.
She didn’t say anything, but the blade of her knife grazing my gut told me everything I needed to know. With a knowing look when she slipped off her raybans, she pressed something into my hand before leaving, and I handed it to the manager, who opened it up, almost died laughing, and then threw it in the trash.
“You work for psychopaths.” I managed to get out, sidling in front of Jude while he was clocking out.
“Also, didn’t you… didn’t you fucking die?”
Jude didn’t look up from his phone. “It’s complicated.” His lip quirked. “You’ll find out tomorrow during your induction.”
“But… you work for these people!” I lowered my voice. “And you’re not trying to get away?” I gestured to Kai and Aurora standing by the door, the two of them locked in conversation. “None of you?”
Jude frowned, and I caught the first hint of annoyance. I had only seen this guy smiling, so seeing him scowling was quite the change. “I’m sorry, do you… do you think I have a choice?”
He surprised me with a laugh. “Me? A choice? You really think I wake up every morning and WANT to do this shit?” He got close, his breath in my ear. “You came here willingly. I didn’t. In fact? I don’t even remember coming here. My interview, my first day? Nothing. I don’t even remember my time at Second Street.” He threw a towel at me before I could coerce words. “Finish clearing up, all right? I’ll see you tomorrow for induction.”
There was something cruel in his smile like he was waiting for whatever my induction had in store for me.
I couldn’t help myself. When everyone was gone, and I was tasked with locking up, I picked the discarded note out of the trash, smoothing it down.
“You pieces of shit just declared war. Sleep with one eye open! 😊”
Cora xx.”
….
I cut my finger with a knife this morning. When I sucked it and grabbed a band-aid, I tasted coffee. I went home and threw up coffee.
I am peeing coffee.
I showered 8 times and I still fucking smell of coffee.
I don’t think I’m going to go to work tomorrow.
Edit: There’s been a break-in— and the manager wants me to come in early. Jude and Ana woke me up in the middle of the night to go over tactics. We are taking down Second Street during closing time.
I guess I am going to work tomorrow.
Does anyone know how to use a gun?

Isshin was a good leader on the battlefield and a legendary swordsman, but was he a good leader for ashina?
Isshin is stated to dislike ninjas and assasins as he sees them as cowards, he prefers a fair fight but that ideology may have doomed ashina as far as we can see ashinas military is made up almost entirely of samurai, generals, taro troops, ashina swordsmen in the dojo and only a few nightjar ninja
this shows that the army is made up of almost entirely swordsmen that fight on the frontlines with a lackluster force of ninjas
if isshin gave more attention to the ninja part of his army they wouldent have been so vulnerable in the first place
also what were they doing after isshin killed tamura? it seems like they were well aware of the interior ministry so why didnt they equip their armies better why were the ashina elites all kept in the dojo
but isshin is not the only one to blame
genichiro which we can assume took over ashina as its leader did a really shit job at protecting ashina the samurai of ashina all wear very worn out and damaged armor and are fairly weak their numbers are also very spread out across ashina making them easy to pick off
if the samurai had better gear and were actually trained, if there were more ninja than just nightjars, if the ashina elites were actually fighting on the battlefield and if the ashina samurai stayed close together, they could have beaten the interior ministry
but theres alot more that could have been done
making a deal with the sunken valleys gunfort clan to get more weapons into ashina
this wouldent have been imposible since there is a gunfort member in the ashina outskirts fighting alongside the ashina samurai
giving gyoubu oniwas horse actual armor
also if genichiro wasnt so stubborn and tried to make a deal with wolf instead of kidnapping a child
genichiro wanted imortality?hmmm thats weird its not like theres an immortal shinobi right fucking there that he couldove just asked, im sure kuro wouldent mind defending his home with wolf keep in mind the only reason why kuro opposed genichiro was because of the immortality thing he would have been fine with having wolf help defend ashina
and if wolf and genichiro teamed up, gyoubou would have been still alive, the blazing bull would have been still alive, the red eyed ogre and three ashina generals aswell as an ashina elite would all still be there not to mention genichiro wouldove remained in ashina all of them would have given ashina a major boost in power
so in conclusion, if isshin wasnt so opposed to ninja and actually put more strategy into his army, and if genichiro wasnt stubborn
ashina would have had an actual chance at winning this

My friends and I finally started up a weekly Thursday night session (ya!).
Nick, Rizzi, and T.J., please don't read! I will make you roll with one less die during character creation!
I wanted to create a world that my friends are invested in. Sooo we gave Microscope a chance and had a blast creating a unique timeline over two sessions. Highly reccomend the game system as something quick to create a unique world for you and friends!
For our actual campaign, I am considering playing DND (heavy modifications), Scum and Villainy, or Stars Without Numbers. We will use the timeline and details from Microscope to influence the world and story beats.
Given the timeline we created, what are some cool campaign ideas??

1. Intergalactic space pirate wars
2. Religious Crusade of Malak's Medjahi
3. Exploring the broken fragments of the Quadrant's planets?

This is the timeline we came up with.. thinking about playing within the timeline in periods 6,7, or 8.
​
Timeline:

1. The Amah lose the ability to reproduce

The Amah panic and lose any governmental structure. The land delves into chaos as different groups hoard children like gold
Public awareness of the lack of children being born ruptures into normal society. Dissent erupts in the Amah society signaling the beginning of the end
The Four PIllars are split, and a war for supremacy over the Cosmere begins

1. The Interpocket Pirate Ring

The “culling” festival begins. The Amah are introduced to blasters during the culling (one ship is designated as “free-kill zone”)
In response to coproductive issues, in quiet desperation, lives are attempted to be extended with augmenting
Feeling cooped in space for too long, the Amah begin experimenting with augments, letting them move quicker in space, withstand heat, etc. Whatever they choose or have done to them by artificers
Treatise/Compromise is made to escape from the pirates
One of the Pillars hires the largest part of the pirate ring to search for more pockets and head toward “the shimmering side” (top of God’s pond)
The pirate race scene:
Scarlet - hears “The Whisperer”, presumably a pillar, disables Twok’s ship and goes down via catapulted rocks hurled by Cudges ship
The Dread Pirate Quarth Kenway - hits Cudge’s ship with proton blasters and leaves
Turok the midget - very angry and now stranded in space
Cudge - wants a new ship made by the Amah

1. Period of Discovery

The Amah discover a technological marvel - a Dyson sphere surrounding a “planetary pocket”. Upon traversing the sphere, the vessel is damaged, causing them to crash land
The Amah homeship is irreparably damaged, and pilot Cudge, engineer Eugene, PC Lez’jhure all discuss their options. Crashing onto Jarro, the survivors look for a new home
Discovered Jaroo (planet) and it’s mountains are pillar shaped with vertical landscapes
The Amah discovered species. They negotiate to use the new world’s materials to augment and hopefully create more Amah. Called the “Tenne”. “Hyuupu” is the resource. It is used to expand scope of organic augments, synergizing with biological processes

1. The Dive of the Inner Planet (species/area exploration)

The Tenne lead the Amah to an Obelisk, they call the “Navigator”
The Amah corral the species of JArro to begin the new reproductive “project assimilation”
The elected Quadrant convene to decide the fate of “project assimilation”

1. Golden Age of Advancement (Jarro)

A new energy source, Kyzite, is discovered on Jarro. It seems to cause gravitic anomalies
The Amah build their new technologically advanced city powered by Kyzite, called Diabase
The Amah refine the Kyzite, and begin experimenting with gravity artifice. In their experiments, they unearth an artificial cavern containing an Obelisk.
Dizzo, the astronomist, notes the weather seasons are changing over the centuries, likely due to the local planetary shifting. (seasons drastically change over time)
The Gods collectively were surprised by the elemental artificer’s pushing the boundary
The Dread Pirate Captain Quarth Kenway, returns to the Planetary pocket with his fleet, ready for war

1. The Rise of Malak

Malak promises the Medjahi reproductive abilities in return for their devotion
The jettisoned labohermetic group from arrival so Jarro are stuck in the Dyson Sphere. WIth Their augment experience , they fuse with the elemental-biological structures of the “Root Rings”, and commune with Keth as a new species, called the Medjahi
Malak speaks to his chosen disciple, Keth, and warns him to destroy the Amah before they end the system
A new people, called the Medjahi, arrive to Jarro who worship their god, Malak
The Dread Pirate captain and his fleet, the Yuuzhan Vong, attack the Medjahi forces on Jarro

1. Jarro is beset by a Cataclysm

Medjahi assault the Amah homeland
The Amah discuss how to deal with the Medjahi
Decided to confront Medjahi with new gravitic weapons (Remote motion atrifice, RMA)
Threen - trade
Virnath - labor leader
Aphedious - general
Ayzir - artificer
The last of the 1st generation of Amah transcend
The Dark Hand of Malak pierces Jarro
After a lengthy siege by the MEdjahi of the mah capital Diabese, the city falls to the invaders

1. The World Summoning

Four celestial bodies are joined by a multispecies alliance
Habitants of one of the celestial bodies arrives on Jarro, Vampires and Werewolves.
The Whisperer warns the Draco and Wol clans to subjugate the Jarro people or they will lose themselves. Draco and Wol races prepare for the final conjunction
A fifth and unknown celestial body crashes into the “Conjunction”, causing catastrophic damage
Thian Gong dances with glee as Jarro begins to burn
The five celestial bodies are shattered into many smaller bodies. WIth the celestial bodie’s cores open, the Amah frantically attempt to use Kaizite to power a giant city sized space craft
The Amah discovered the world’s cores and use the world’s essence to power the Obelisk

1. The Amah return to their home

Each of the gods leaves species with a new compass, to lead them away from crumbling Jarro, towards the edge of the “shimmering side”. The transcended species decides to drag the remnants of Jarro to their old home
A new generation of Amah return to their home planet, Amesthan, for the first time in recorded era.
Three of the gods shrink themselves and enter god’s pond
Amesthan, the old home and the Haven’s (Jarro) smoldering remains are fused, to be both transport species and to be reforged in the “Shimmering Side”

So instead of seeing Rantaro die off first, Kaede killed herself first (I think she killed herself by injecting poison into her body from what I remember), and I ended up witnessing it along with the rest of the V3 cast. Most of the cast was in shock, but one of the several people I ship Kaede with, Maki, was just crying pretty hard. Very unlike her. I don't remember who was comforting her, but I think it was Rantaro, who was basically wanting to cry himself but couldn't. And I think Kaito was also comforting Maki, but I'm not sure. I also felt like crying in the dream, I didn't want to see my girl die. Oh yeah and there were others that were crying too, those being Himiko and Shuichi. One of the saddest dreams I'd ever had in my life. I also remember seeing the look in Kaede's eyes right as she was dying. She looked scared, feelimg like she was regretting it. Anyway yeah that was one of the saddest dreams ever.

Spoilers for Mapleshade's Vengeance & Bluestar's Prophecy

Edit: Thank you to everyone who fact checked me and gave me more information, responded kindly, and answered the question in the title !I have a much better grasp of the situations now and I'm going to have to reread BP and MV.. Edit 2: and I DID get a bit heated at the end when ranting about Bluestar... I honestly wasn't even planning on bringing her into this :^)
*This accidentally became way longer than intended and pretty rant-y, whoops
I haven't read Mapleshade's Vengeance in years and I'm not even a Mapleshade apologist anymore (I've matured) but from what I remember:
Mapleshade AND HER KITS got EXILED from ThunderClan. Since her mate is in RiverClan, it's only logical to go there, right ? Go to the father ?So she went to the stone path in the river to cross to RiverClan with her kits... and the river ends up flooding from a storm, washing her and her kits away. She survives, half drowned. Her kits are dead.
IF you even DO want to claim that she willingly murdered them (I don't see how) then you need to accept the fact that BLUESTAR murdered Mosskit and could've also killed Stonekit and Mistykit.Because honestly. People only talk about Mapleshade and her kits because she's evil. That's always how it works. People only call out characters that are evil.But if you want to talk about bad mothers ! Take a look at fucking Bluestar !
She gave up her kits to become deputy to keep a cat who wasn't even going to be deputy from becoming deputy !AND DURING LEAF-BARE NO LESS. Mosskit froze to death because Bluestar decided it would be a good idea to walk them through the snow to bring them to RiverClan and SHE actually had more of a choice here !SHE could've kept her kits ! SHE assumed things ! SHE got Mosskit killed for no reason ! Then also lied to her clanmates about what happened to them and noooooo one finds it odd that RiverClan just suddenly got two blue-grey kits who are ALSO named with the prefixes Stone and Misty ! What are the chances !
....Sorry for ranting. I wish people would call Bluestar out more often.Mapleshade could've tried to find shelter outside of clan territory when she noticed a storm coming on.Bluestar willingly gave up her kits on an ASSUMPTION and she couldn't have become deputy if she had waited for new-leaf.
Bluestar chose becoming deputy over her kits. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Mapleshade was literally exiled and trying desperately trying to get to her mate, the kits father.

The Leaf village has always pissed me off, because they moralize and grandstand while just as vile if not more vile then their enemies. They segregated the Uchiha, ostracized them, blamed them for an attack with NO EVIDENCE(sounds a lot like how the Nazis treated Jews tbh) and then when the Uchiha were RIGHTFULLY upset with that stupid ass village, they got massacred. Babies, elderly people, children who had no clue that was going on.
The more I think about this, the more it ruins Naruto for me. How can I be happy when the Leaf wins battles when they frankly do not deserve anything they have. I was happy as shit when Pain clapped them up lmao. I wish he clapped more of them. All of this has even made start to look sideways at the main character, how can Naruto hear all the evil Genocidal things his village did and still be completely brainwashed into believing they have any authority on what is good or not? Why is he still fighting for a village that wiped his best friend(and I say that loosely because he was not really a good friend at all) clan and blamed him for going mad when they knew they destroyed his entire people? Like it makes me feel like Naruto is just a sheep being brainwashed and being a little lapdog for a dogmatic military dictatorship. It’s pathetic honestly, the dude heard about the real Leaf Village from Pain and Obito and still decided he wants to be the next dictator. Lmao none of these ppl are good ppl at all, all of them are brainwashed child soldiers who are too scared to admit to themselves that they are not fighting for the right people.
And don’t even get me started on that bullshit ass “will of fire.” Where was that when Hiruzen let orochimaru leave knowing full-well he would torture and kill children for his experiments? Where was his will when he allowed Danzo to wholesale eradicate a clan? Who has the will of fire? Hashirama for being a naive fool? Tobirama? The grave robbing racist dickhead who caused 90% of the problems in the show? Hiruzen, the most incompetent leader in fictional history? Minato and Tsunade are maybe the only ones I don’t fully despise. Sorry for the rant, I rewatched Naruto for the first time since I was a kid and I’m just now realizing how insane the Leaf is.

Carry on my wayward son, there’ll be peace when you are done, lay your weary head to rest, don’t you cry no more….(I first did this as a nod to Supernatural and the way they did their Season finale recaps, but I do find it more and more perfect for Lindon as his story wraps up in Waybound.) —————
Unsouled: Someone who can't channel vital aura into his spirit in a world where this ability defines one's social status.
Lindon, a young man from the Sacred Valley considered "Unsouled" due to a deficiency in madra, is nonetheless determined to practice the sacred arts despite his clan’s disapproval and ridicule.
Lindon acquires an ancestral orus fruit, a treasure known to increase madra, the fuel of the sacred arts.
Elder Whisper, one of Wei clan's founders, glimpses a connection between Lindon and an impending disaster.
Whisper encourages Lindon's pursuit of the sacred arts, inspiring him to carve out his own path.
Lindon finds a technique manual, "The Heart of Twin Stars," in his clan's archive.
Despite the titular technique not being suitable for him, he discovers and adapts the Empty Palm technique for his use.
With this newfound ability, Lindon triumphs in a duel and readies himself for the Seven-Year Festival, where he must compete against young sacred artists from rival clans.
Thanks to the ancestral orus fruit, his sister Kelsea’s help, and the Empty Palm, Lindon easily wins his stage in the tournament, earning the right to challenge someone a stage higher from a rival clan. Before Lindon can do so, the Wei clan Patriarch, Wei Jin Sairus, intervenes. The clan's guest from the nearby Heaven's Glory school believes an Unsouled winning against other sacred artists offensive. This is just one of the first of many instances where Lindon’s will beats out someone who tries to stand in his way.
Lindon refuses to abandon his opportunity to fight, so the Patriarch requires him to instead face Wei Jin Amon, who is the Patriarch's grandson and a skilled fighter two stages higher than Lindon.
Lindon agrees, but before the fight occurs the tournament is interrupted by the scene that will get you hooked.
Li Markuth, Grand Patriarch of the Li clan, has returned to the Sacred Valley after ascending to the heavens. After killing Wei Jin Sairus, Li Markuth challenges the remaining Wei clan.
Lindon chooses to fight alongside his clan and die with honor rather than submit, and is subsequently killed by Li Markuth.
However, Lindon's fate takes an unexpected turn as he is resurrected and time is stopped……
MOMENTS before Suriel, the Phoenix and a Sixth Judge of the Abidan Court broke through Cradles atmosphere on a direct path for Sacred Valley.
Suriel has been tasked with finding Ozriel, the Reaper, but delays her duty by visiting Cradle, Ozriel's homeworld, and chooses to intervene in Lindon's life.
Suriel shows Lindon his potential future and suggests he could avert the forthcoming destruction. She introduces him to the concept of powerful sacred artists, inspiring Lindon to leave his home to acquire the power needed to protect the Sacred Valley.
Suriel advises Lindon to find Yerin, the disciple of the Sword Sage, who can guide him out of the valley.
Lindon makes his way to the Heaven's Glory school to locate Yerin, striking a deal to defeat Wei Jin Amon and take his place at the school. After proving himself and winning against Amon, he gains access to the school. Lindon learns that the school has been trying and failing to deal with Yerin, the Sword Sage's disciple. He finds Yerin and convinces her to help him leave the Sacred Valley in exchange for his assistance against Heaven's Glory and in retrieving her master's remnant and sword.
Lindon and Yerin end up clashing with the school's forces and escape, with Lindon also managing to loot the treasure room.
They then confront Elder Whitehall and the Sword Sage's remnant at the Ancestor's Tomb. Lindon survives a direct attack from Whitehall by employing a technique he learned earlier, and together with Yerin, they eventually prevail.
As they leave the valley, Yerin enlightens Lindon about the fallacy of the "Unsouled" concept beyond Sacred Valley, inspiring him to create a new Path of sacred arts, the "Path of Twin Stars."
Next recap will be posted soon….