Travel town mysterious fossil

Premise: Noah (oc) and his best friend John Paul discover a tear in space-time while on a guided tour of an underground cavern. As the tour guide is explaining the difference between stalagmites and stalagtites, Noah idly tosses a pebble into a puddle of water, only to see it disappear below the surface without making any ripples or sound. As the tour group moves around a corner, Noah steps over the chain stanchion to investigate the puddle closer, his friend John whispering hushed admonitions at him from the dimly lit path. Stooping down by the puddle, Noah turns to look at his friend John, but as he does so his foot slips into the pool of water and the cave goes pitch black and silent.
Noah is a guy in his early 20’s from the 80s and finds himself emerging into the timeline of your character. This can be either the past or the future! Honestly I can’t decide which one would be cooler, they both sound like really fun ideas.
The main overarching theme for this story is going to of course be time travel, but what’s really going to drive the plot forward and possibly even off the rails is the mystery and romance. How will Noah get back to his time? Maybe he finds a reason to stay? Or maybe your character wants to leave with him. Do we keep it a secret between us or tell others?
I’m excited to explore this theme as I am a huge sucker for anything involving time travel and/or romance. I prefer discord but I’m open to something else if need be. Dm if interested.

My dad was binge watching a show two or three summers ago and like I often do, I was in the room for it but did not pay close attention and have now forgotten most of the important details. It was likely on Netflix because I don't remember any commercials and the episodes seemed on the longer side. It seemed like an original series to whatever streaming platform it was, and was definitely made in the last few years.
I remember the protagonist was a lanky white dude with dirty blonde hair in his mid thirties. Maybe he had an older brother with dark hair? The cast was pretty diverse though. I remember later in the season a tall black woman joined the main group and she was a stoic mysterious badass with an English accent (?) and a funky outfit. I may have had a crush on her now that I think about it because she's the part I remember best out of everything.
In terms of the way the plot was structured, my brain, for a reason I no longer remember, wants to compare it to one of the overarching plots in a season of Doctor Who. I think the series started with something terrible happening and then the rest of the show led up to/explained why that happened. Going with that, there may have been an element of time travel or warping. There was some threat on a universal scale that the protagonist, who was just a normal dude, got wrapped up in, side by side with entities that took on human forms, with godlike powers that included enhanced reflexes, etc., who nonetheless fought with guns or some or the less civilized ones perhaps with martial weapons. One or two were on the protagonist's side, but they treated him like the conflict was above him. They were somewhat alien, being a good portion of the weird factor of the show, and couldn't understand the importance of his normal person struggles. He faced those problems, like a dying relationship with a sibling, at the same time as the more supernatural stuff, which took a huge toll on his mental health. I think after he got involved, the main driver of the plot was him getting chased on and off by these almost demonic entities, who needed him (or maybe his sister at first) specifically for some odd reason, which was part of the mystery. I think it ended like most of these shows, with more questions than answers, but I don't remember him ever watching a second season.
As with a lot of modern scifi media, the tone was very gritty in the overall plot and subject matter, but the humor was somewhat dry and on the surreal side. Cinematographically and all around it was very artsy and down-to-earth, which gave it a kind of surreal atmosphere when paired with the crazy shit that was going on. Netflix's Series of Unfortunate Events may be a good comparison, though this was obviously much more adult oriented. It was confusing on purpose, with a lot of twists and turns, things that would make absolutely no sense until later on. But still incredibly gruesome and violent about once per episode, becoming more frequent by the end, which ended up quite dark, though I don't remember how so.
I apologize for the vagueness, I really just have a general feeling about this show that makes it hard to Google it and I don't think my dad would even know what I'm talking about. I'm interested to watch it again so any suggestions even of similar shows would be appreciated.

Please help check the first half of our itinerary! We have 14 days in Japan total (including 2 travel days) and 5 days will be in Osaka and nearby cities.
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Day 1

• Arrive @ 2:55 NRT, customs and JRT pass
• Train to Osaka (4hrs) - eat train bentos
• Check in at hotel - located near Osaka Castle

Day 2 (Kobe / Osaka)

• Late start in case of jetlag, head to Kobe
• Kobe beef lunch at Steak Aoyama (booked)
• Go to Animal Kingdom
• Head back to Osaka late afternoon, Hep Five to check out Shin Japan Heroes pop up and quick dinner in the area
• Check out Osaka Castle and Park after dinner

Day 3 (Nara / Osaka)

• Check out of Hotel 1 and drop off luggage at Hotel 2 in Shinsaibashi (two hotels because original flight delayed so we decided to extend our trip)
• Head to Nara
• Nara Park, Todai Ji, Mochi
• Head back to Osaka late afternoon again, check out Den Den Town, Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi area
• Dinner at Okonomiyaki Mizuno (or in somewhere in Dotonbori if its too busy)

Day 4 (Kyoto)

• Head to Kyoto, Arashiyama in the morning
• Monkey Park, Tenryu Ji, Bamboo in the morning/afternoon
• Nishiki Market in late afternoon
• Dinner at Kichi Kichi Omurice (need to book)
• Explore Gion and Pontocho Alley in the evening

Day 5 (Universal Studios)

• Head to Universal Studios @ 7:30 spend whole day there

Day 6 (last day)

• Check out of hotel, store luggage in lockers
• Kuromon Market
• Street food for lunch
• Parco
• Pick up luggage in the afternoon and head to Tokyo

Now that the nobles are calmed and the time-space rift has been closed, Satomi can finally focus on his work as a member of the Survey Corps. Traveling to and from every point all across Hisui in search of new Pokemon, new adventures, and anything else that might prove useful to his Pokemon researcher. Things were going about as normal as one could expect, at least that was until he had been contacted by the very one who had brought him to Hisui in the first place. Arceus had given him a choice; allowing him to remain in Hisui or Satomi could return to his own time, along with the Pokemon he had caught during his time in the past. It was a difficult decision, as Satomi had grown close to many of Jubilifes residents; Akari and Laventon becoming particularly close friends of his, and yet, he yearned to return home, even if he wasn't particularly fond of his family or sure of how he'd explain his sudden, lengthy disappearance... though, he's not even they'd care or believe his story unless Arceus had joined him at his family's home. After taking some time to contemplate his future, and whether he'd return to the present or remain in the past, Satomi decided that maybe returning home wouldn't hurt. Perhaps he could use the experience gained in Hisui and pursue a new journey in his home. As promised, Arceus returned him to the present, but rather than dropping him back in the modern day Sinnoh region like expected, he instead found himself in the countryside of Paldea. Confused, he did some exploring and met up with a group of researchers; he explained his situation, and they decided to help. In order to help him get used to the present once more and meet people and Pokemon alike across this new region, they aided him in gaining enrollment to Naranja Academy, though suggested he remain quiet of what had happened during his time in Hisui. Upon enrolling into the academy, he meets Y/C, becoming fast friends. Ultimately, he joins Y/C on their journey, searching for a special treasure of his own. Will his mysterious past remain a secret or will you discover that there's more than meets the eye with this unusually experienced trainer?
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Crappy plot aside, I'm basically looking to isekai Satomi, a trainer based on the Pokemon: Legends protagonist, once again. This time, we're dropping him into Paldea during the events of Scarlet & Violet. Somewhere along the way, he meets Y/C for the typical Pokemon adventure. They travel about the region, find new Pokemon, meet new people, get into trouble, deal with the local 'evil' team, and all that good stuff. Seeking out both platonic and romantic shenanigans (MxF); open to both canon and OCs. The story could eventually lead to them visiting Hisui, or perhaps even journeying to other regions if we get that far. Feel free to DM me if you're interested in this!
Satomi's character profile

We've been dating on & off for about 2 months.
First 2-3 weeks
In the beginning she was all-in. FaceTime calls, quick texts, planned dates, and the s*x was/is amazing. She would ask me about kids, marriage, and initiated serious dating conversation. Which was great.
Unfortunately, I was a bit of an a-hole at the time and overall negative.
Phase 2
2-3 weeks in, she started canceling our dates so she could go out with her girl friends. At first I was a bit upset, but then kinda understood it. She travels often for work and is out of town on weekdays, so her only free days are Fri-Sun.
We had some other drama in-between, mainly her lack of commitment to seeing each other when she was free.
Current situation
Anyways now it's at the point where she's told me she wants to date other guys but still see each other. She's saying she wants to "have fun" and doesn't want a "boyfriend" right now.
She's done a total 180 from when we first met.
My feels
I really like her, but I'm not sure whether I'm okay with her seeing other guys. I also don't want to lose her, we have such a strong connection
Thoughts or any advice in regards to this situationship?

Quick Author's Note:
For better clarity of intent, the 'worthwhile opponent' stipulation in Lifedrinker is being changed to 'non-negligible opponent' moving forward.
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"The Gellin Empress was the catalyst for our breakthrough," a mage explained. "Tracing Lord Rob's lingering mana signature through the space between dimensions proved effective at first, yet it came with an insurmountable problem: he only attained mana after initially leaving Earth. At a certain point, there was no more of a signature for us to trace. We had found his home dimension, but finding his home world within the infinite expanses of that dimension could have taken years of aimless searching, like blind men stumbling in the dark."
He leaned forward, clearly enjoying having a captive audience. "The key, then, lay within Lord Rob's memories. Even without mana, memories have a power all their own. The Empress looked within his mind and found locations of personal importance to him. Ones that he remembers with pristine clarity. By scrying for areas within Lord Rob's dimension that matched those specific locations, we were able to narrow down the scope of our search considerably."
The mage spread his palms wide, and his voice dropped a full octave, as if he was imparting a great revelation. "The result will soon be made self-evident. You shall bear witness to the foremost magical achievement of our era: a one-way viewing window into Lord Rob's world. The first of many to come."
In respect for the man's showmanship, Rob started up a clap. Granted, he would've clapped even if the explanation was done via a mindnumbing PowerPoint presentation, because nothing in the universe could stunt his enthusiasm right now. Riardin's Ranger, the Elders, Diplomacy, and the Soul Surgeon clapped as well, although Rob was pretty sure they were just following his cues. This moment couldn't possibly hold the same gravitas for them as it did for him. They mostly were here to provide moral support and satisfy their curiosity.
While for him, this meant everything.
"Do we need the Gellin Empress here to create the window?" Rob asked. "I'd also like to thank her for the help she's given."
The mage shook his head. "I'll spare you the details, but to be succinct; she taught us how to save a mana-based copy of the necessary memories, which will allow us to attune to a subset of Earth locations. Her presence is not required. In fact, she insisted that we proceed without her, as the Gellin have gone to rest for the night."
Must be nice. I'd trade ten Levels for a consistent sleep schedule. Rob internally frowned at himself, punting the envious thoughts away. No sour grapes. If the Empress helped me see Earth again, then I hope she sleeps like a baby for the rest of her life.
"One question," Keira interjected. "In your explanation, you stated that, without the Empress' assistance, it may have taken years to discover Earth. That is hardly the weeks or months you claimed in the past."
The group of dimension mages froze, embarrassment blooming on their features. They looked to the head mage for guidance, whose veneer of showmanship was deflating like a leaky balloon. "We were perhaps...optimistic."
"By years?"
"The previous estimate I put forth was one that assumed we would develop breakthroughs as we went along." His mouth widened into a sheepish grin. "As you can see, we, um, succeeded."
Keira raised an eyebrow. "Only with the timely assistance of a Leader." Her tone was calm, yet unyielding. "Rob is too grateful to point out this contradiction, so I suppose the task falls to me. You have also told us that you should be able to 'open' the window and let Rob send a letter home within the next week – is that more unfounded optimism?"
"No." The mage straightened his posture. "Now that we have located Earth, the rest is simply a matter of refining our spells and collecting reserves of mana. We are no longer blind, nor are we fumbling in the dark, and thus our progress moving forward shall be predictable and steady. This, I swear."
After a few seconds, Keira nodded. "Then I thank you for the wonderful boon you've granted to the man I love."
From behind, Malika giggled under her breath. Rob squeezed Keira's hand, gave her a warm smile, and faced the mages. "I'm ready whenever you are."
The tent thrummed with mana as the dimension mages formed a Mage Circle with Malika. It was no different from any other time they'd done so, yet the knowledge of what they were about to accomplish heightened the tension in the air to a fever pitch. Rob's pulse quickened, his throat tightening. He'd been disemboweled by monsters, decapitated by eldritch abominations, and none of those events made him a fraction as nervous as watching the dimension mages at work.
Minutes passed. Rob forced himself to be patient. Reaching across the boundaries of space and dimensions wasn't like heading to the store to pick up a carton of milk. It involved a level of spellcasting prowess that would take Rob decades of committed study to have even the slightest chance at grasping. Frankly, the fact that it was possible at all still beggared belief.
Maybe...maybe the mages were wrong. Not lying; just wrong. They could be overeager, sharing before they were actually ready, and they'd end the circle looking contrite and ashamed.
That was okay. No biggie. Rome wasn't built in a day, or...something. He could wait–
Creak.
It was the sound of a rusted hinge, of crumpling paper, of breaking bones, and more. A combination of all the noises things made when subjected to an external force. Like reality itself was groaning under the pressure.
Creeeak.
A thin, imperceptible line appeared at eye-level, dark as the endless void. Slowly, inch-by-inch, it widened.
CREEEAK.
It had become a rectangle. Two feet wide, three feet high. With a final CREAK, reality threw in the towel. The void dissipated, as if smoke blown away by a gust of wind, revealing...
Home.
Everything was as he remembered it. The same furniture with scuffed marks of wear-and-tear. The same living room where they'd watched movies each Friday. The same kitchen with a sink perpetually filled with dirty dishes. The same tacky wallpaper that his mom refused to change, and that he secretly enjoyed.
Identical. Like a portrait had been painted straight from his memories.
A tsunami of aching nostalgia surged through him. Rob didn't realize he was extending his hand until his fingertips were already brushing against the viewing window. Its surface felt solid, and for an instant he was terrified that this really was just a painting. Something invented to give him false hope.
Then he noticed that a window had been cracked open. Not the mages' window; the window inside his house. A small breeze blew inside, jostling a curtain ever so lightly. Just enough to make it move.
"It's real." Rob's voice was hoarse. "It's my home."
No one said anything. They allowed him his silence, a gesture which he greatly appreciated. Eventually, Rob took a deep breath, clenched his hands so that they wouldn't tremble, and looked at the dimension mages. "Thank you. I owe you...so much. Even if observing from afar ended up being the limit of what you could do, just seeing my house again like this is..."
He trailed off, unable to find words that were sufficient. Thankfully, the dimension mages seemed to understand. "You are most welcome, Lord Rob." The head mage smiled. "This is far from the limit of what we can do, however. Give us time, and this window shall open."
Rob nodded, choosing not to believe them. They were probably right, but on the off chance they weren't, he didn't want to look back on this moment with bitterness. Best to assume the worst and be grateful for what he already had.
As if drawn by a gravitational pull, his eyes drifted back towards the window. It was displaying a fixed point in the center of his home. "Can you switch perspectives? I want to check other rooms." His parents were likely asleep in their bedroom at this hour. Assuming they didn't sell the house out of grief and move, that is.
"I am afraid that isn't possible. We can transpose the viewing window to other specific locations that the Empress provided, but having it 'walk around', so to speak, requires finer control than we are yet capable of."
Yet, he says. Which means that with practice, they'll be able to. Rob placated himself with that notion. This was a minor setback, and he wouldn't let it get him down.
He especially wouldn't listen to that tiny voice in the back of his head, whispering that the reason he couldn't see his parents right now was because they were–
"Got it," Rob stated, in a wooden voice. "What other locations did the Empress pick out?"
The window's perspective blurred and shifted. Rob swallowed a gasp as an extremely familiar place was displayed before him. He'd seen it many, many times, even after coming to Elatra. It used to be at the top of his nightmare rotation, only ousted from its throne when Blights started coming into play.
In front of them was a small grassy lawn, surrounded by lecture halls in the near-distance. The place that had forever altered the course of his life.
"This is where it all started." Rob pointed to an empty spot in the middle of the field. "Portal opened up. Right there. Saturated with darkness. Chains shot out, tried to grab at Jason. I pushed him out of the way, and...the rest is history."
Silence reigned once more. After a few seconds, Orn'tol stirred. The young Ranger opened his mouth, preparing to say what would undoubtedly be some platitude reassuring Rob over his noble sacrifice.
"The grass truly is green."
Rob burst out laughing. He kept going until he was short of breath, wheezing as the others looked at him with eyes full of concern. "I'm okay," he managed to cough, once the laughter had died down to snickers. "Thanks, Orn'tol. I needed that."
"You're very welcome?" Orn'tol exchanged confused glances with the rest of Riardin's Rangers. "I am unsure of what I did to assist you, yet it's good to see you in high spirits nonetheless."
"Sometimes a little silliness is just what the doctor ordered." Rob offered him a high-five, which the boy accepted with zeal. They returned their gazes to the viewing window, Rob tilting his head as he peered closer. "Hmm. That's weird."
"What do you mean?"
"There's no people. It's early evening, but college students have the worst sleeping patterns on the face of the planet. Trust me; I'm speaking from experience. Usually you'd see a dozen partygoers strung out on energy drinks racing around now."
"Perhaps this location is known as a place of danger," Keira posited. "I would certainly be hesitant to tread where a portal of darkness sprang from the aether and kidnapped a civilian."
Rob watched the viewing window for signs of life, finding none. "Could be. Parents probably pulled their kids out after what happened to me. Then either the government condemns the area, or enough money is lost that the college goes bankrupt." He snorted. "Would be the least of what it deserves, considering the tuition fees. Bloodsucking vampires."
"People on Earth drink blood?"
Normally, Rob would have played along with their confusion, but there were more important things to focus on. "Can you change this to the next location from my memories?" he asked the dimension mages. "How many are there, anyway?"
"Five in total. One moment, please."
The window's perspective blurred, shifted, and reformed. Now it was displaying a city sidewalk, its view positioned right outside the best god damn burger joint in existence. Rob didn't care what anyone else said; two greasy slabs of beef squeezed between two sesame-seed buns was the absolute pinnacle of culinary delight. So what if his palette was 'like a five-year old's?' Wasn't his fault that delicious things were delicious.
Belatedly, he realized that his memory of this restaurant had been strong enough for the Gellin Empress to choose it as a point of reference for interdimensional portal magic. That...yeah, that tracked. Aside from the burgers, he had fond memories of sitting at the outside patio with Jason and his folks, drinking Minty Fresh Phantasma and inhaling cheesy fries as they mocked his dietary preferences. Good times.
He was about to explain what this place meant to him when a human casually walked past the viewing window.
She was a normal working woman like any other. Tired eyes, a purse slung over her shoulder, and dressed for lukewarm weather. A cell phone was held in her right hand, her eyes glued to some form of social media. She strode past the window without a care in the world, visible for merely a second before disappearing from view.
To the Elatrans, it was like a horror movie jumpscare. All of them froze. Several gasped. Elder Alessia grimaced. Faelynn muttered "a world of Humans" in a hushed tone. The only exceptions were Elder Duran and the Soul Surgeon, who crept closer to get a better look, their eyes shimmering with curiosity.
In contrast, Rob let out a sigh of overwhelming relief. That bored, everyday woman was exactly what he'd needed to set him at ease. Earth hasn't completely gone to shit behind my back. People are still living their lives.
As he watched, a few more humans walked in front of the window. A middle-aged man, a young boy with his mother, and an old woman with a walking cane. The old woman pivoted straight into the burger joint, Rob internally praising her good taste.
"W-well," the head mage stuttered. He paused, cleared his throat, then started anew. "As you can see, the viewing window is imperceptible to those with low Levels of Sense Mana. Naturally, this will not be the case for a portal that can be interacted with from both sides."
"Dangerous," Meyneth commented. "I would advise that you conceal this type of spell for as long as you are able. The viewing window especially."
"Why is that?"
"If this window cannot be sensed by those with low Levels of Sense Mana, then that makes it an ideal tool for spying on non-Mages. In your haste to glimpse into the world of another dimension, you have inadvertently developed a field of magic that puts every nation in Elatra at risk of subterfuge. People have been assassinated for much less."
The mages blanched. "We are nothing more than simple researchers," the head mage protested, in a faltering voice. "Who besides a madwoman like the Dragon Queen would stoop so low as to threaten noncombatants?"
Keira averted her eyes, pointedly examining the floor.
"We can discuss matters of life and death at a later time," Duran interjected. He gestured to the viewing window with the demeanor of a child in a toy story. "There's a world of discoveries to explore! Take a look at those structures the Earth Humans have built – they resemble the buildings within Human territory, yet small differences set them apart."
Duran ooooh'd as another person walked past the viewing window. "So many humans are ambling about despite the late hour. Is this area a well-traveled location in your home city, Rob?"
"This is around the level of street traffic you should expect for early evening. If it were daytime, you'd see a hundred people per minute."
Duran aaaah'd. Before he could launch into a series of questions, Zamira beat him to it. "Pardon me if this comes across as an insult," she began, hesitantly. "But Earth Humans appear marginally...uncoordinated. It is hard for me to describe the notion, yet when I watch them move, they appear as if they're liable to fall over at any moment."
They look normal to me, Rob almost said, before remembering that Earth's normal wasn't Elatra's normal. "That's called being permanently Level 1." He shrugged. "They've all got crap stats. Except athletes, I guess."
Zamira stared at the human passerby with obvious sympathy. "My condolences."
Does Earth seem like a world of cripples to her? Rob wondered. Even Utility Class users have the option to put a couple points into Dexterity and Perception. That's not counting the natural stat boosts they gain as they grow up, either. And when combined with Vitality and healing magic, it means that people in Elatra tend to age gracefully.
Rob tried to think of the last time he'd seen an Elatran with the same frailty as that old human woman with her walking cane. The oldest person he'd met so far was the Fiend High Soulseer, and in spite of being positively ancient – and blind – the dude could get around fine. Elder Duran was having health problems, but that was only after suffering from severe Corruption poisoning for weeks on end. An incident like that would've landed an Earth human in long-term hospice care.
Actually, no, that was wrong. It would've just killed them.
"We should switch to the next location," Rob said, preempting any further questions. "There's still two more left." Maybe I can see...no. Keep your expectations in check.
He was right to do so. Rob's heart sank as the viewing window solidified once again, revealing battered, empty streets. Half the buildings had collapsed to rubble, as if visited by a wrecking crew with an axe to grind. He recognized this spot as the street leading up to his favorite movie theater on the other side of the city. There'd been good times here, as well.
Although not anymore. The theater's roof had caved in, and half the letters in its ostentatious PRIME CINEMA logo were missing. It would take years to rebuild – assuming someone was willing to invest millions of dollars into what was essentially a ghost town.
"This..." He ran his hand down his face, aware of everyone gazing at him with pity. "As you can probably infer, this isn't normal. In the past–"
Bang.
Rob practically jumped out of his skin at the abrupt sound of gunfire. At first he thought the shot had come from outside, but no, it was both too distant and too close for that. The noise also sounded different from the rifles that the Dwarven Thunder Rod wielders employed.
A series of repeated bangs swept his thoughts away. Everyone watched in astonishment as a crew of Earth military soldiers ran into view from a side street, desperately fleeing the eight-legged Blightspawn that was hot on their tails. The abomination was more of an amalgamation of flesh and limbs than anything resembling a living creature, and the way it skittered made Rob reconsider if spiders were really that bad in comparison.
"Keep firing!" one of the men commanded, his voice sounding like it was coming from the bottom of a lake. The soldiers blasted their assault rifles in a retreating offensive, peppering the abomination with a hailstorm of bullets. Their response was swift, their aim was true, and it did not matter. The Blightspawn bulldozed through the rain of bullets as if it was a light drizzle, the creature's five cavernous mouths wailing for blood and sustenance.
It was nearly upon them when an explosive rocketed in from the opposite side street, knocking the Blightspawn off its many feet. The reprieve was temporary, but it was just long enough for the soldiers to escape unharmed. Unfortunately, the creature was also mostly unharmed, sporting minor injuries despite a direct missile strike to the torso. With a chorus of screams that prickled Rob's ears, the abomination continued its chase, batting away a second missile as it resumed the chase with renewed fervor.
Then it was gone, having left the window's range of sight. Distant sounds of battle grew quieter, the gunshots and explosions becoming more faint as predator and prey ran deeper into the ruined city.
Rob closed his eyes. He said nothing for half a minute, allowing himself time to process what he'd seen.
"Okay." He opened his eyes, nodding. "This is fine."
Keira laid a hand on his shoulder, struggling with what to say. "Rob...you don't need to–"
"Hold it in? Bottle up my emotions?" A wry chuckle escaped his throat. "Honestly, I'm not as affected as I thought I'd be. The Blight dropped one too many cryptic hints for me to be surprised, anyway. At this point I'm just glad that Earth hasn't been completely overrun. Some parts of the city might be fucked up, but not all of it is."
He narrowed his eyes. "The biggest thing I'm worried about is the Blightspawn itself. You saw those weapons the humans were using, right? Think of them as substantially upgraded versions of the Thunder Rods. They should've put a real dent in a fully-grown Blight, let alone one of its spawn."
"Perhaps the creatures have gained a defensive Skill?" Duran theorized. "What we witnessed appears consistent with other damage reduction Skills such as Tough Skin or Heat Resistance. I would surmise that the Blight has learned something akin to – for example – Thunder Rod Resistance."
Rob paused. Elatra didn't have a specified 'Bullet Resistance' Skill, but that was because conventional firearms had been removed from the system for balancing purposes. The Blight wouldn't give two shits about balance. They'd cheerfully grant themselves Bullet Resistance, Missile Resistance, and whatever else tickled their fancy.
And the more Earth fought back, the more resistant they'd become.
"...This doesn't change anything," Rob eventually concluded. "Earth is a big boy planet. It'll figure something out. In the meantime, we'll clean up our problems here and be ready to help if the Blight's still around by then."
"You're sure?" Keira asked. Two words that held so much intent. 'Are you sure you'll be alright? Are you sure Elatra should remain your primary concern? Are you sure you don't want to head home the instant the dimension mages create a working portal?'
Rob gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm sure. And I know you'll worry about me regardless, but I promise I'm feeling fine."
Or maybe he was just numb, and an avalanche of emotions would bury him when he least expected it. The good news was that was a problem for future-Rob to deal with. Present-Rob had one last area to investigate.
I'd be satisfied with seeing my old bedroom intact, he thought, as the dimension mages altered the viewing window for the last time. I have strong memories there, right? It should be a candidate. Those late night Netflix binges were uh...riveting. Yeah.
The window finalized.
Rob felt the strength leave his body.
Some parts of what he was seeing were incongruous. Strange details that he'd need to figure out soon. All of it took a hard backseat to the one sight in the room that truly mattered.
Jason was alive.
He was at his house that Rob had visited so often. Alive. Surrounded by people. Alive. Chatting away. Alive. Gesturing in that exaggerated manner he often used. Alive.
Smiling.
Alive.
A dam broke. Silent tears began streaming down Rob's face. Thoughts cut out, leaving only the realization that his best friend since childhood, the sole person he'd have trusted with his life before meeting Riardin's Rangers, the man whose place he'd taken when the gods picked a new chew toy...
Was alive.
"Hey, man." Rob's smile was the most genuine it had been in a long time. "Been a while."
At that moment, almost as if he could hear him, Jason grinned.
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Author's Note:
When I was writing Chapter 199, I was mildly annoyed that Rob didn't reach 200 Vitality on Chapter 200. That would've been hilariously coincidental. But if I had to choose between that chapter or this one for a big milestone...I think I like this better.
Happy Chapter 200, everyone. Thanks for reading and staying on this journey with me.

Traveling to Tbilisi next week, any recommendations for theater or opera's? I found Rezo Gabriazde theater has a few options. Any recommendations around town?
TIA

Colin Sparks was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't the son of billionaire parents (after all, he was attending Haverstrom University on a generous academic scholarship), nor was he the son of Kryptonian royalty, for that matter. Despite his aspirations to one day work for NASA (behind the scenes, mind you; even roller coasters gave him the spins), he didn't score any superpowers from some improbable space-related event. But Colin's long-running affinity for heroics straight out of Saturday morning cartoons and a nearly-virtuosic knack for gadgetry were a dangerous combination for your standard nerdy guy-next-door type: As a Haverstrom freshman lucky enough to have a dorm room to himself and with the help of a fashion major who's sworn to secrecy (mostly to spare Colin any embarrassment), he fashioned himself a sleek, jet-black superhero suit. Maybe he'd wear it to Halloween parties. It was just a fun project to work on while classes started off slowly. Those were the reasons Colin gave himself: At least before the bookstore break-in.
It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, really: Colin had his prototype suit in his bag when he noticed a couple of shadowy figures trying not to trip the not-especially-reinforced alarm of the campus book store well after hours, and he was able to hustle into the jet-black fabric, and, somehow, avoiding any clumsy mishaps or technical failures, apprehended the would-be book thieves and found himself answering questions at an impromptu conference with the various student media organizations, all wanting the scoop on this mysterious hero. It was the kind of fledgling fame that made Colin's chest puff out with pride; maybe the campus wouldn't know about Colin Sparks just yet, but word of a plucky would-be superhero spread like wildfire, the way college gossip does. But his heroic antics, as chronicled in a handful of student magazines, also capture the attention of an upstart supervillainess, one with a mischievous streak and playful way of going about her business, who is all but ready to size up her new foe and see if he can match wits with her.
Of course, what Colin doesn't know when he comes toe-to-toe with his new foe is that, behind whatever getup she's sporting, is a familiar face. Maybe a classmate he competes with for the best grades? A member of a secret sorority for fledging supervillainesses? Or the TA in one of his introductory courses? A performing arts student who daydreams about being a campus puppet master? Whoever you choose to play as, I think it would be such a fun dynamic to explore a hero and villainess who also, unknowingly, have to coexist when they're unmasked. The cheekier and more roguish the idea for your supervillainess and her powers, the better! Not looking for a foil who wants to end the world or cause bloodshed or anything, but wants to torment the press' new superstar. Think the kind of villainess who'd call Colin "Underoos" instead of his proper superhero moniker just to vex him, and would also probably leave him sporting his Underoos for a laugh. Not an altogether evil presence, but a devilish love for mischief is essential, and a sense of humor is a plus!
**
Hello! This prompt is a little out-of-the-ordinary, since I'm looking for a slice-of-life story that meshes together superheroic antics and your more typical enemies-to-crushes-to-lovers setup. I'm hoping to find another couple of partners who are up for developing a character with a supervillainess alter ego who decides to try to turn Colin's life upside down. Just because I'm playing Colin without powers doesn't mean your character can't have otherworldly capabilities! If you can think of some fun skills she can have that bolster her roguish ways, by all means. On the "super" side of the spectrum, I'm looking to write opposite a villainess who's just looking to add a little color and prankster efforts to a sleepy college town; this isn't the kind of story where taking over the world or bringing a city to her knees is really on the menu. I'm a multi-paragraph writer, third person, present or past tense, and would appreciate my partner being the same. I'm also in my twenties, and would only be comfortable with writing friends who are also at least 20. Happy to use Discord if that's your preferred platform, but would prefer Reddit messages, with responses of at least 300 words! If you're interested, please send a character description for someone you think would be fun to play opposite Colin, and put a potential supervillainess name in the subject line.

Colin Sparks was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't the son of billionaire parents (after all, he was attending Haverstrom University on a generous academic scholarship), nor was he the son of Kryptonian royalty, for that matter. Despite his aspirations to one day work for NASA (behind the scenes, mind you; even roller coasters gave him the spins), he didn't score any superpowers from some improbable space-related event. But Colin's long-running affinity for heroics straight out of Saturday morning cartoons and a nearly-virtuosic knack for gadgetry were a dangerous combination for your standard nerdy guy-next-door type: As a Haverstrom freshman lucky enough to have a dorm room to himself and with the help of a fashion major who's sworn to secrecy (mostly to spare Colin any embarrassment), he fashioned himself a sleek, jet-black superhero suit. Maybe he'd wear it to Halloween parties. It was just a fun project to work on while classes started off slowly. Those were the reasons Colin gave himself: At least before the bookstore break-in.
It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, really: Colin had his prototype suit in his bag when he noticed a couple of shadowy figures trying not to trip the not-especially-reinforced alarm of the campus book store well after hours, and he was able to hustle into the jet-black fabric, and, somehow, avoiding any clumsy mishaps or technical failures, apprehended the would-be book thieves and found himself answering questions at an impromptu conference with the various student media organizations, all wanting the scoop on this mysterious hero. It was the kind of fledgling fame that made Colin's chest puff out with pride; maybe the campus wouldn't know about Colin Sparks just yet, but word of a plucky would-be superhero spread like wildfire, the way college gossip does. But his heroic antics, as chronicled in a handful of student magazines, also capture the attention of an upstart supervillainess, one with a mischievous streak and playful way of going about her business, who is all but ready to size up her new foe and see if he can match wits with her.
Of course, what Colin doesn't know when he comes toe-to-toe with his new foe is that, behind whatever getup she's sporting, is a familiar face. Maybe a classmate he competes with for the best grades? A member of a secret sorority for fledging supervillainesses? Or the TA in one of his introductory courses? A performing arts student who daydreams about being a campus puppet master? Whoever you choose to play as, I think it would be such a fun dynamic to explore a hero and villainess who also, unknowingly, have to coexist when they're unmasked. The cheekier and more roguish the idea for your supervillainess and her powers, the better! Not looking for a foil who wants to end the world or cause bloodshed or anything, but wants to torment the press' new superstar. Think the kind of villainess who'd call Colin "Underoos" instead of his proper superhero moniker just to vex him, and would also probably leave him sporting his Underoos for a laugh. Not an altogether evil presence, but a devilish love for mischief is essential, and a sense of humor is a plus!
**
Hello! This prompt is a little out-of-the-ordinary, since I'm looking for a slice-of-life story that meshes together superheroic antics and your more typical enemies-to-crushes-to-lovers setup. I'm hoping to find another couple of partners who are up for developing a character with a supervillainess alter ego who decides to try to turn Colin's life upside down. Just because I'm playing Colin without powers doesn't mean your character can't have otherworldly capabilities! If you can think of some fun skills she can have that bolster her roguish ways, by all means. On the "super" side of the spectrum, I'm looking to write opposite a villainess who's just looking to add a little color and prankster efforts to a sleepy college town; this isn't the kind of story where taking over the world or bringing a city to her knees is really on the menu. I'm a multi-paragraph writer, third person, present or past tense, and would appreciate my partner being the same. I'm also in my twenties, and would only be comfortable with writing friends who are also at least 20. Happy to use Discord if that's your preferred platform, but would prefer Reddit messages, with responses of at least 300 words! If you're interested, please send a character description for someone you think would be fun to play opposite Colin, and put a potential supervillainess name in the subject line.

Colin Sparks was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't the son of billionaire parents (after all, he was attending Haverstrom University on a generous academic scholarship), nor was he the son of Kryptonian royalty, for that matter. Despite his aspirations to one day work for NASA (behind the scenes, mind you; even roller coasters gave him the spins), he didn't score any superpowers from some improbable space-related event. But Colin's long-running affinity for heroics straight out of Saturday morning cartoons and a nearly-virtuosic knack for gadgetry were a dangerous combination for your standard nerdy guy-next-door type: As a Haverstrom freshman lucky enough to have a dorm room to himself and with the help of a fashion major who's sworn to secrecy (mostly to spare Colin any embarrassment), he fashioned himself a sleek, jet-black superhero suit. Maybe he'd wear it to Halloween parties. It was just a fun project to work on while classes started off slowly. Those were the reasons Colin gave himself: At least before the bookstore break-in.
It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, really: Colin had his prototype suit in his bag when he noticed a couple of shadowy figures trying not to trip the not-especially-reinforced alarm of the campus book store well after hours, and he was able to hustle into the jet-black fabric, and, somehow, avoiding any clumsy mishaps or technical failures, apprehended the would-be book thieves and found himself answering questions at an impromptu conference with the various student media organizations, all wanting the scoop on this mysterious hero. It was the kind of fledgling fame that made Colin's chest puff out with pride; maybe the campus wouldn't know about Colin Sparks just yet, but word of a plucky would-be superhero spread like wildfire, the way college gossip does. But his heroic antics, as chronicled in a handful of student magazines, also capture the attention of an upstart supervillainess, one with a mischievous streak and playful way of going about her business, who is all but ready to size up her new foe and see if he can match wits with her.
Of course, what Colin doesn't know when he comes toe-to-toe with his new foe is that, behind whatever getup she's sporting, is a familiar face. Maybe a classmate he competes with for the best grades? A member of a secret sorority for fledging supervillainesses? Or the TA in one of his introductory courses? A performing arts student who daydreams about being a campus puppet master? Whoever you choose to play as, I think it would be such a fun dynamic to explore a hero and villainess who also, unknowingly, have to coexist when they're unmasked. The cheekier and more roguish the idea for your supervillainess and her powers, the better! Not looking for a foil who wants to end the world or cause bloodshed or anything, but wants to torment the press' new superstar. Think the kind of villainess who'd call Colin "Underoos" instead of his proper superhero moniker just to vex him, and would also probably leave him sporting his Underoos for a laugh. Not an altogether evil presence, but a devilish love for mischief is essential, and a sense of humor is a plus!
**
Hello! This prompt is a little out-of-the-ordinary, since I'm looking for a slice-of-life story that meshes together superheroic antics and your more typical enemies-to-crushes-to-lovers setup. I'm hoping to find another couple of partners who are up for developing a character with a supervillainess alter ego who decides to try to turn Colin's life upside down. Just because I'm playing Colin without powers doesn't mean your character can't have otherworldly capabilities! If you can think of some fun skills she can have that bolster her roguish ways, by all means. On the "super" side of the spectrum, I'm looking to write opposite a villainess who's just looking to add a little color and prankster efforts to a sleepy college town; this isn't the kind of story where taking over the world or bringing a city to her knees is really on the menu. I'm a multi-paragraph writer, third person, present or past tense, and would appreciate my partner being the same. I'm also in my twenties, and would only be comfortable with writing friends who are also at least 20. Happy to use Discord if that's your preferred platform, but would prefer Reddit messages, with responses of at least 300 words! If you're interested, please send a character description for someone you think would be fun to play opposite Colin, and put a potential supervillainess name in the subject line.

Three New Terrifying True Scary Tales
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Number One: The Pool
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Now, this happened a very long time ago. I am not going to mention when or where though and I am submitting it anonymously. I don’t want people going back and finding out more about it and then lashing out of me.
​
I was 13 years old and my brother was 11. As I mentioned, this happened a long time ago and I think today, not a lot of parents would put a 13 year old in charge of an 11 year old. But this was not unusual at all back then. In fact, I was looking after my little brother all the time before either of us even hit 10 years old.
​
After a while, of course, always keeping my eye on him began to get very annoying. It interfered with my hanging out with friends. It was quite a drag when I would try to talk to girls. It was just a pain in the ass, really.
​
Anyway, one day during a really hot summer, our parents decided to drop us both off at the local swimming pool for the day. My dad had to work and my mom had errands and stuff to run plus work do to do for the church. It was so hot and there was no way we could afford air conditioning. We had one old fan in the house and a sprinkler in the yard that we could go play in. But the swimming pool was the much better option.
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Of course the pool was very crowded. Lots of families would drop their kids off there during the summertime. And of course, even though I knew it already, my mom stressed to me, “Keep an eye on your little brother at all times.”
​
Some of my friends were at the pool too. I got to talking to them and they told me about this new girl who moved into town. She would be starting school that fall and supposedly she was really hot. So of course, I wanted to check her out. I knew the lifeguards would be watching my brother in the water, so he would be fine.
​
I went with the guys and the girl was really cute. My buddies all dared me to approach her, which was admittedly a brave thing for a 13 year old boy to do. Of course, I couldn’t chicken out in front of them, so I did just that.
​
She was a very sweet girl. We actually ended up talking for a little while. Her parents were at the pool though, and they called her back after too long. So I went back to the water to see how my little brother was doing.
​
The only problem was that I couldn’t see him anywhere in the water. This was a small town in a rural area, so although I said the pool was crowded, it wasn’t like a water park is crowded though. I should have easily been able to pick him out of the water. He just wasn’t there.
​
I went and searched around the area surrounding the pool and didn’t see him there either. My heart started beating faster and I began panicking. I went to the building where the showers and concession stand were. He wasn’t there either. You couldn’t leave that pool without going through that building, though. I asked the attendant if a 11 year old boy had left the pool on his own in the previous hour and he told me no.
​
I then went to the lifeguards and my buddies. I thought maybe there was a chance that I had missed him. It’s easy to occasionally miss someone in a crowd. The lifeguards ordered everyone out of the pool. Fortunately, there were no drowned children in the pool. Unfortunately, my brother was nowhere to be found outside of the pool.
​
The lifeguards had to call my mother at the church. I had never before lost track of my little brother like this before. I had no idea what to expect when she showed up. I was only thankful that the police were already at the pool or she probably would have whipped my ass right there in front of the entire pool.
​
The trouble I got into at home isn’t something that I want to go into very much. My butt very much has PTSD from the experience. But that was minor compared to the fear I felt for my little brother. Hell, I didn’t even have time to feel guilty although that I knew that I was. I was only concerned for him and wondered what would happen.
​
All day and night, I expected the police to bring him home. But that didn’t happen. I expected it the next day too. But it didn’t happen.
​
The town organized a search to look for him. I kept expecting to hear from them that they had found him. But that didn’t happen either.
​
After about a week of my brother not being found, I began fearing for the worst. I began thinking that he was dead. And I was terrified every waking moment of my life, expecting to absolutely hear the news that his dead body was found.
​
Nearly two weeks after the disappearance, we got a phone call from the police. They had found my brother and thankfully, he was alive. But unfortunately, that’s not the whole story.
​
Remember the attendant telling me that no boy had left on his own? Well that’s because the boy left with one of the lifeguards who was getting off duty. He had lured my brother out of the pool and into his car with promises of ice cream, something he and I rarely ever got. And my brother went to his house with him.
​
For all of that time, he kept my little brother locked up in his basement. He didn’t do anything sexually to him, thank God. But there was a lot of mental and some physical torment when my brother wouldn’t do what he was told to you. But the scariest part for him was thinking he would never get out and be with his family again.
​
Here is another weird part. The lifeguard wasn’t an adult. He did this while his parents were out of town for a few weeks. They came back early and caught him. And if you think I felt bad for my parents’ punishing me, what they did to him had to be legendary. The police thought he was either planning on killing or releasing my brother before his parents got home. But no one ever knew for sure.
​
He had to live with it without much help for a long time. Mental health assistance had a very bad stigma back then. But we’re both still alive today and he forgave me a long time ago.
​
Number Two: Taking the Garbage Out
​
A few weeks ago I went outside at around 3am to move the garbage to the curb since pickup would be in the morning. I often do this in the middle of the night. I just tend to keep weird hours and as the weather warms up for the summer I find the warm nights preferable to the sweltering days.
​
I’m not worried about bothering my neighbors since I don’t use noisy bins and all of the houses right next to me are currently empty. I actually find the quiet of the neighborhood at night quite relaxing.
​
Unfortunately since I don’t use bins animals are able to get into the bags a bit easier and while this doesn’t happen often it had happened on this night. So I was outside picking up the strewn around garbage and putting it into another bag when the silence of the night was suddenly broken by multiple police sirens.
​
At first they seemed distant and while they startled me it was not at all unheard of to hear sirens at night here. But usually it would be one in the distance. As I listened, still bagging the garbage, I could tell it was multiple sirens and they were getting closer. Then just as suddenly as it started it stopped again. There was just silence. By the time they stopped they sounded maybe four blocks away.
​
For a moment the night was silent again and I began hauling the bags to the curb when the neighborhood dogs began barking all at once. It was like every dog in the neighborhood had gotten the cue to start barking. Many were even howling. It continued for maybe a minute and once again it just stopped as suddenly as it had started.
​

I realized I hadn’t heard any barking or howling while the sirens were going and that’s normally how it would work. These dogs had started up separately from the sirens and just stopped all at once. It just wasn’t normal. I went back to the side of the house to grab more bags when the silence was broken a third time. 

​
Just a single chime in the night. Like someone getting a phone notification. This sound wasn’t blocks away. This sound was here. RIGHT HERE. No more than feet away. As I said, the houses around me are empty.
​
I was done. The rest of the garbage would wait until morning. I didn’t see anyone close by but that just made it worse. There was someone close by that I couldn’t see. I immediately went into the house to leave the garbage for the morning.
​
I don’t know if these things were related. If the cops had been chasing someone who’s fleeing had caused the dogs to bark. Someone who received a message on their phone as they approached my house. Or if it was all just a coincidence. But I won’t be taking the garbage out at 3am anymore.
​
A Commuter’s Nightmare
William M.
06/30/2021
​
Back in the 80s, I worked at the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank in San Francisco while living and commuting from Oakland, CA
​
My job as Registrar, took me all over Northern California, during Blood Drives at hospitals, clinics, major corporations, etc., where we would sometimes witness firsthand, the dead, being placed on gurneys, running out of the Coroner's or Medical Examiner’s rear doors, and down the sidewalks, because they simply didn’t have enough room or staff inside the morgues to process them. Mortuaries were having problems too due to the massive overload where deceased loved ones were admitted but not processed or interred for months or even years at a time.
​
I remember watching the News and reading newspaper accounts of E.R.s in hospitals, clinics, etc. so clogged with patients, that 1 in 10 would die waiting to just get in to see a Dr. It was a Public Health and Safety nightmare. It was a National disgrace. It was politically orchestrated mass murder. It was the B purge of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
​
I remember, starting work early on one of many Blood Drives (the A.I.D.S. epidemic was just getting started) and having to catch the first B.A.R.T. (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train out of the station at about 4:00 am, where morning after morning I would witness hundreds of people sleeping on the benches, or the sidewalks, or on the streets outside, waiting for it to open.
​
Hundreds of others would be seen walking around like zombies in the early morning freeze amid the concomitant yelling, screaming, moaning, begging, and pleading, all of it looking like a newsreel of the death camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
​
Many times, I was woken at home in the middle of the night, to the sounds of people howling and cursing outside my window at some real or imagined threat, until either the police came, which usually took hours because they were spread so thin, or some tenant, or other, ran them off.
​
I remember the time I woke up to the sound of a woman’s voice begging in the early morning cold for someone to help her. She kept repeating it over and over growing weaker and weaker until it was little more than a whisper.
By the time I’d gotten up, armed myself with the steel-reinforced baton I’d purchased at a Police Supply store, and ran the 5 floors down to the ground floor, I found her sitting in a taxi shivering from the 42-degree drizzle coming in off the Pacific. The cabbie told me it was alright; she was just cold and needed someplace to rest and warm up; He’d drop her off at one of the nearby shelters.
​
At the time, I was living in a local Residence Hall on Lake Merrit in Oakland, California which was little more than a converted Hotel from the San Francisco/Oakland Gilded Age of the late 1920s. It had 5 floors and a penthouse with a capacity of about 200. I never saw it get much beyond about 30 residents. It sported a full kitchen, dining area, big screen tv viewing room, swimming pool, and a recreation room with pool, foosball, and darts.
​
I lived with a friend, at the time, on the 5th floor just under the penthouse. There was an elevator, but like most refurbs, it didn’t work. That meant we'd have to climb 10 flights of stairs every day to reach our room. The best part was that we had the entire floor to ourselves. I guess nobody wanted to climb that many stairs. Because we were both runners, it was a little like running the 900 feet to the top of Angel Island, running across The Golden Gate Bridge and back, or running the 3.4 miles around Lake Merrit twice a day.
​
Because there was no air-conditioning, all the windows were left open during the summer months, but along with whatever cool air the San Francisco/Oakland Bay would bring through the gaping nearly wall-length vault ceilinged windows, it was always accompanied by the teeming, screaming City of Oakland street din: cabbies, buses, cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles, scooters, police sirens, ambulance, fire department, pedestrians, hustlers, druggies, break-dancers, prostitutes the homeless, et al. Day or night, winter or summer, it was like living in a jet engine test lab, somewhere on the 9th level of hell.
​
Of course, we could always close the windows against the noise 5 stories below. But if it was summer, with all the humidity coming off the bay, we’d roast like 2 suckling pigs in our own sweat even if we used a fan.
​
One night after a particularly grueling day at work, I came home, climbed Mount Everest (or at least K-2) to my steaming little abattoir, tore off my sports jacket, shirt, and tie, and fell into a coma-like sleep only to awake some 4 hours later to the sound of someone slamming a door, over and over, seemingly as hard as they could. It was about 2:00 am and raining so hard the water was pouring through the open window and flooding the floor and carpet. The sound was coming somewhere down the hall from one of the other units.
​
After about the 15th or 16th slam to my inner ear, I was up, as in a trance, running like a lunatic from unit to unit and window to window, covering the entire southside of the 5th floor; battening down the hatches, and getting drenched in the process. It was, how should I say: exhilaratingly infuriating. I was supposed to get up in 2 hours and commute to work in the upper peninsula.
Having unconsciously completed this Sisyphean task and realizing that there was zero chance of getting any sleep, I donned my foul weather gear, equipped my trusty baton (I used to tuck its 2 ½-foot length up my sleeve when running), and headed out the front door to Lake Merrit which was just outside the main entrance. From there, I trotted to the sidewalk circling the lake, and began to run.
​
As I ran counterclockwise against a torrential rain with a gale-force wind broken only by the occasional intermittent rainbow-hued lightning flashes which blinded me to almost everything around me, I almost ran into someone up ahead who was walking in the same direction.
​
He was hunched over against the wind and rain and wearing a long heavy winter coat. Unusual for that time of year, I thought. Whenever I would run in public, I always made it a courtesy to let people know when I was approaching especially from behind. I’d blurt out a perfunctory:
​
“Excuse me.” Followed by a conciliatory:
​
“Sorry.”
​
But apparently, the person ahead either didn’t hear me or didn’t care because, when I was about 6 feet from him, he suddenly turned around, exposing a darkened contorted face, jagged teeth, and a guttural growl that would have stopped a charging 600-pound Grizzly.
​
The sheer force of the malevolence emitted from this inhuman thing almost made me stop, but because I was moving so fast, the inertia along with the gale force wind and lightning strikes propelled me past him (or it), and fingering my steel-reinforced baton, I, in turn, steeled my nerve and kept running. I looked back only once to reassure myself that he (or it) wasn’t following.
​
Running on the leeward side now, with the rain at my back, I ran past a group of men in a circle smoking or drinking or doing whatever noxious or illicit thing I imagined, when, feeling charged with my own adrenalin, or the anger and resentment at that woman’s searing pleas for help, or the spook I’d almost run into, or just the gross injustices thrust upon the world in that dank, dark and dangerous time, I almost stopped, baton in hand, intending to take on the whole group: I may go down, I told myself, but at least I would take one or two with me.
​
Just then, the lightning struck particularly close to where I and they stood and the sheer blinding flash and concussive boom shook all of us enough to break up their conspiratorial collaboration and my righteous crusade; just enough, that is, to shove me headlong around the next bend, to the long straight full out dash to the front doors, the 5 floors, 10 landings, and 50 risers to rain-sodden home.
​
To get to work every day, I'd have to commute to the upper peninsula by using 3 buses, 1 train, and 1 cab and after a 10 or 12 or sometimes 14-hour day, I would have to take the same to get back. This meant that if I didn’t go out, make dinner, eat, or watch tv, I just might get about 4 hours sleep. Commuting took between 2 to 3 hours, one way.
​
Once on the way home, almost every stop was crowded with commuters. I was told that it was because there were so many buses down for repair. The ones still running were so filled beyond capacity, that the shocks and springs were sitting on the chassis, and stop after stop proved nearly impossible to take on any more passengers. Still, and despite the few getting out at every stop, the driver would take on even more and just pack them in.
​
I remember him yelling for people to get back behind the yellow line over and over. By then, he was long past any semblance of reason; his patience frayed to a single maniacal thought, his voice raspier and raspier, his manner, more and more brusk.
​
I can still see when he finally lost it; jumping up, out of his seat, with a nickel-plated 38 Caliber Revolver pointing at one of the passengers; an elderly woman, screaming from the top of his lungs:
​
“Get back behind the yellow line!”
​
I can still hear the woman begging the driver:
​
“Please...” while the passengers behind were practically trampling each other to get out of the line of fire.
I remember the sad, exhausted urgency in her voice; she really was trying to move back, but how could she, an old woman, do that with all those people blocking her way? Everyone knew this was an impossible task; everyone except the maddened driver. He just kept glaring, and bellowing with his gun out pointed right at her and the other passengers.
​
"Back up and make room" he yelled.
​
‘Or else what?’ I thought. ‘You're gonna kill an old woman?'
​
Getting up out of my seat, pushing my way through the throng who were pushing against me to get away, I managed to get within about 6 feet from the front when, roaring through the din and my fear and anger, I ordered the bus driver to:
​
“Put the gun down!” And again, with even more rage and authority:
“Put the gun down, now!”
​
The bus driver shocked that it might be a cop, or worse, shakily, put his gun back in his concealed carry holster and hypnotically sat back down. He resumed driving without saying another word. I got out at the next stop, along with the elderly woman. She was so shaken, that she busted out crying. I held her still fuming despite the close call because I would now have to wait for another bus and after that, 2 more; the train and a cab to get home. I wasn’t going to make it until well after 8:00 pm. As soon as I got home, I reported the bus number and the driver to Muni.
​
Many of the commuters I'd see day to day, or share a seat with were victims of the purge just trying to get out of the rain or the cold, or the wind, or the sun, even for just a little while. For them, it was easing the agony of living on the street, even just a little. For many of us regular commuters, during those dark times, it proved to be the same.
​
On one of the final buses that would take me to the train and across the bay, I remember standing, with about 50 others, on Market Street waiting. Like ours, stop after stop was so packed with people, some were standing in the street because there was simply not enough room on the sidewalk. The ones in the street would stay where they were for fear of losing their place and missing their connection and having to wait another hour, or more, to catch another.
​
Because the rapidly descending elevation of the southbound streets ending at Market Street from the upper peninsula were so steep and the transverse angle of the turn so sharp, some of the buses would skirt the edge of the curb, sometimes rolling up over it onto the sidewalk putting them dangerously close to the commuters waiting on the other side.
​
If there were any people in the street, especially the old or the infirm, they would either have to get out of the way and lose their place in line or hope the bus driver stopped before completing the turn. Most of the drivers would. Once there was one who didn’t.
​
I remember the television and newspaper account about an elderly woman waiting at one of the stops during the pm rush hour. When the bus made the oblique turn way too fast at 25 miles per hour she was either too close to the edge or standing in the street when she was hit by the side view mirror across the face and the left side of her head.
​
She went down under the wheels and her body got hung up under the chassis. The bus driver too full of passengers to stop, or late for his break, or just too coked up to notice, kept on heading for the Embarcadero before he realized something was wrong. By then, the woman had been dragged over a quarter of a mile. No one knew for sure whether the concussion from the mirror or the relentless dragging was the cause of death. I guess it didn’t matter to her anymore, one way or the other. It mattered to a lot of those who witnessed the whole thing though; screaming and yelling, block after block, trying to get the bus driver to stop.
​
To get across the Bay to San Francisco from Oakland or back, one alternative to the nightmare bus commute was the B.A.R.T (Bay Area Rapid Transit). It was quiet, clean, air-conditioned, and fast. Traveling under the Bay, it could span the 13 miles in minutes. Once I’d reach the train station, by bus, from the Oakland side, I’d descend one of the many street-level entries to the below-ground turnstiles which led to the train platform. Of course, there were always hundreds of derelicts, homeless, hustlers, etc., hanging out by the turnstiles waiting for their chance to slip through and get on any one of the many trains that serviced the Bay Area, but sometimes, especially after a scuffle with B.A.R.T. Security or the San Francisco/Oakland Police, they’d scatter to the winds (or the shadows as it were) until everything calmed down and then they'd be back at it again, day and night.
​
Almost every week I'd hear about someone falling, or being pushed, or jumping down onto the third rail, which would either short-circuit the line and knock out the power or if it was particularly grisly, halt service entirely. Because service resumption could take hours, waiting passengers would have to go back up and out onto the street and catch another train, take a cab or a bus or just walk or, as was often the case for me, run.
​
Once, I remember running to the next stop when I was ascending to the upper peninsula because the previous connection didn’t show up which meant it would have added another 45 minutes to my commute. The choice was obvious and inevitable: I could either
“wait to be late” or go for it. I chose the latter.
​
You just can't imagine what it’s like to run at a 20-degree angle uphill for about 2 miles while wearing dress slacks, dress shoes, a white shirt and tie, and a sports jacket, in San Francisco, during the summer, with the humidity until you’ve tried it. It’s, how should I say: exhilaratingly infuriating.
​
Running, I came upon a stand-alone, transmission shop, right in the middle of a residential area. The owners must have paid a pretty penny to get away with that one. There were police cars, the fire department, a metro ambulance, the San Francisco Chronicle, and a marked County Coroner’s Office vehicle scattered around the shop.
Some people along with some of the employees: their first names embroidered on their shirts, were standing on the sidewalk just outside the property watching. They’d been there for about an hour when I stopped to ask one of them (Bob) what happened.
​
Wearily he said:
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“The girl who worked in the office answering the phone and typing up orders was shot to death by her boyfriend. The boyfriend got away but she was still down there being processed. God, she was only 24 years old. They’ll catch him, though. He hasn’t got a chance.”
​
'Nope,' I thought.
'In this town, I don’t expect he would.'
​
I was late again when I got home. Vaulting the 5 floors to reach our loft, I held my friend close, the entire night. She was ok with that. So was I.=

We have been at this a while anything its a slippery slope as most are. We have met some great people, had some amazing experiences and ultimately keep wanting to go that little bit further. Like most things when you look back at where started it seems far off indeed.
So here we are, somehow in Ohio this is fine but only for the time, adventure calls. There are different kinds of adventure of course, exploring Bondage is one of those roads we keep travelling.
We are so into CNC and BDSM that vanilla threesomes are barely of interest, sure a beautiful woman is alluring, but one that wants to be choked and violated, forced to endure bondage, well that is our kind of girl.
Heres the breakdown:
US- a couple.
Male (me) 47 5'10 190, in good shape.
Female (wife) 48 5'3 116 in great shape and aftermarket additions that you will notice.
What we're looking for, a woman, (this is a hard rule) no guys, no penises, I have mine thats enough, I dont get why women like them, they look dumb, women are streamlined and have such fun parts. so no men, we have no need for more man parts.
Age- 25 and up or very mature for your age.
Where -anywhere in USA or CA, as long as you're not on the FBI no fly list.
We like soft, thin, feminine, in shape, we dont like BBW, as for race any is fine, we would like to play with an Asian woman as we never have though that is just a plus, we're open to any race.
Clean shaven, a little hair is okay, but a seventies bush or armpit hair, leg hair, hard pass.
Kinks- Lets remember we're not trying to insult anyone here and consider this the fair warning that we like some really hard stuff, so if you dont or dont think people should be allowed to consent to what they want to do, then you're just not going to like what we have to say.
Still here?
Good girl. (Gentle biting on the neck as I whisper it)
The basic's, slapping, flogging, whipping, restraints, choking, hair pulling, degrading (verbally, whore slut basic stuff). Now if any of these are are hard 'no' we may be able to work around them but, if 2 or more are on your list, well you might want to swipe whatever way is away, because its going to get worse.
Roleplay- you're a visitor, who gets abused, not to far from the truth, but the best stories always intertwine the reality and fiction.
The harder stuff- this stuff that you can object to, and we get it, its all the harder stuff that we kinda grew into and get that not everyone is going to be all for it, you can pick and choose.
Fisting and or large objects and stretching, DP we really like to DP a woman, you pinned between us, so sexy, so full, eyes rolled back my hand at your throat, giving all you can give but we're wanting more, my wifes nails gently biting your skin. Yeah, we like DP.
Shockers, Estim, prod the jolt of pain, if you do it wrong it can be dangerous, so we have studied and are careful to make sure everyone gets out without any long-term effects. A shocker to the ass, breast, leg or clit, while you're being fucked, in between being stimulated the contrast of pain and pleasure, we love to see that in a sub.
Degrading (part 2, the first was level 1, this is the upgrade) We like the mental aspect of BDSM, its that connection when you have it with a sub, its so sexy. If she wants to be broken mentally, we want the tools to do it. We need some input here, tell us what are the words the things that you secretly hate the feellings that you have that you want to expose but need to be deep in session, walls down, to really admit what you feel about yourself. Its primal and goes far beyond the spat 'slut, whore' If you know, then you do, if not it may not be your thing. Its ours though, let us in, so we can break you more effectively.
Paddles, with the intent to bruise, we like to see our handywork, the paddle gets the job done. We're artists in a way, and you're a canvas.
Overstimulation- the toying till you're cum drunk, you're hurting but were going to keep fucking you hitting you choking, using you like our whore, on this night you are ours and we want you to give yourself to us completely. You have our undivided attention.
Squirting- if you can we are going to be super interested and want to bring you home for a nice night that will end very harshly, we'll keep you hydrated.
The REALLY Hard- Most people won't be for the following, if you are and you have the other third of this mysterious amulet which we have had since we were babies, we need to meet you.
Sounding, the placing of smooth metal rods in your peehole for stimulation, usually it results in you peeing and losing control, which is sexy.
Watersports, you being degraded by my wife peeing on you, or you peeing on yourself.
Waterboarding- you strapped to a board and being tortured against all Nato sanctions, it is rough and extreme and youll lose focus when your clit is being stimulated and you're dry drowning. Not for everyone but sexy if you're the woman we're looking for.
Knife play- we dont do cutting, but using the knife as a prop forcing you at knifepoint to surrender and subject yourself to everything we demand.
The off limits- things we wont do. Nothing Illegal, no kids (both gross and illegal), no breeding you, we dont want any subsiquent kids, not with you, not with anyone nothing ruins kinky fun like crying babies.
No- hard drugs, we dont use anything that alters our thoughts during BDSM, bad mix. So we expect you to be clean too.
No- longterm damage, lets have fun and kink not hospital bills.
No- dudes (I thought it was worth repeating)
No- feet stuff, we dont like feet.
No- furries, not my kind of fun, I'm not dressing in one of those outfits.
Most other things are on the table- do you have a fantasy? Tell us about it we are likely down to try it. Is it twisted and kinky? then we really need to hear about it.
Location- US, we'll take care of travel, if we get along and have a connection, come spend a weekend see clevelands sports teams (we dont do sports so whatever, I hear were not missing much) and get abused (more than by just having to watch Clevelands teams take a whipping).
Experience, we have been doing this for a while but you dont need to be experienced, some of our best experiences were with beginner subs, we all have to be on the same page and have a clear understanding of where this is going, and where it stops.
Lastly- consent, there has to be consent and anything were going to do must be discussed and safewords will be in place. Dont tell me you dont need safewords, youre either unhinged or lying, this should be like a haunted house scary but you know you can leave at anytime. (I mean halloween haunted houses not creepy old houses with ghosts, those are scary)
If you got this far, lets talk, if youre deeply offended by us, please lets not talk, lets just part non-enemies.

I have a 5 month old beardie and we are going out of town for a week. I thought boarding would be an option but every boarding place (usually reptile stores) I’ve talked to I just don’t really trust. They either put them in the back but won’t show me where they will be putting him, or when I ask them about feeding they tell me they just give them lettuce once a day and bugs once a day.
Ours eats 3x a day currently (sometimes 2) usually bsfl and dubias plus some greens (not lettuce).
The other option is to make a temporary travel container for him and have a family member care for him at their house but I’m worried he will be stressed out in a new container.
A pet sitter wouldn’t come twice a day, just once :(
What have you guys done?

Hello!
I hope everyone here is doing well.
Now, this is an odd write up, in that there really was not a lot to say for the vast majority of the fights, it's such a low interest card that it feels like a fight night that they used to throw for Mighty Mouse when he defended his belt, you remember those old cards? wacky time that was.
With that said, you guys know that my interest for a card translates into far better analysis, so if this card feels like opinion instead of analysis, that's because it's one of those bad cards lmao.
Lets get this over and done with yeah?
(c) - Champ
D/DWCS - Debut/Dana Whites' Contender Series
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in Division
x/3 - Confidence Levels
Lets go!
Prelims
Women's Strawweight
Diana Belbita (-105) (14-7-0, NS) v Maria Oliveira (-115) (13-6-0, NS) - Well this is certainly a tale of two losers, and I mean that in the nicest possible sense. Belbita is coming off a tough but very hard fought loss against Gloria de Paula, and whilst Belbita did show a lot of initiative in starting exchanges, her strikes were only landing at a 37% rate which is fairly low. She does look busy and is very active on the feet, her striking is relatively standard, but ultimately I feel like she does tend to lack in the grappling and wrestling department. Now, Belbita is obviously a striker, she does throw a lot of volume but she also has natural power as well, however she kind of reminds me of a long reach fighter with the way they strike, its a long movement and motion that packs a lot of power, but with that comes a downside of speed, she seems like she’s punching underwater at times and whilst she can knock out her opponents, if she is facing a much quicker, more traditional combat sports striker like a Muay Thai fighter, she tends to fall behind. Oliveira is also coming off a tough loss, this time against Demopoulos in which Demopoulos ended up controlling her in more dominant positions, not allowing Oliveira to set her own pace and rhythm with her striking. Oliveira has similar grappling and wrestling disadvantages that Belbita has, in that it’s certainly not her best attribute as a fighter. However, Oliveira has been a lot more active than Belbita, and I feel like even feeling the strength and durability of Demopoulos is enough to give her a taste of things to come, and that would allow her to make the proper adjustments. Oliveira is a very explosive starter, she is no doubt a very dangerous Muay Thai fighter who is still finding her footing in the UFC, and I feel like the fact that Belbita is a bit of a striker herself will only play in the favour for Oliveira. There is also the different way both fighters strike. Belbita tends to kind of load up, you can see her pull back the punch then throw them, they’re not tight punches, and that’s where Oliveira has that advantage, Oliveira, if her team knows what they’re looking at, knows that Belbita is a bit of a long striker, and that speed is a necessity when fighting against her. I got Oliveira winning this one, she has been a lot more active and overall is, in my opinion, the slightly better pick here.
Oliveira via UD - (1/3)
Flyweight
David Dvorak (#11) (-175) (20-5-0, 2 FLS) v Steve Erceg (D) (+150) (9-1-0, 8 FWS) - This is going to be an interesting one. Dvorak is coming off two back to back losses against some incredible tough fighters in Kape and Nicolau, that’s a tough outing for anyone, and one thing that I’m almost certain of is that Dvorak has improved a whole lot just by preparing for those two warriors. Dvorak is a very well rounded fighter who has a very tight striking style, he throws his punches relatively accurately and is quick on the feet. His striking will be a necessity in this fight since he is taking on a very dangerous submission specialist, so the longer he keeps the fight on the feet, the longer Erceg will have to play a completely different game, away from any planned attacks that himself and his corner have prepared him for. Now, Dvorak has a huge experience advantage in this fight, and he has faced a litany of challenges in the UFC. I also suspect that he is very well aware of a lot of submissions that Erceg may attempt since Erceg is a very tall and long fighter, the set ups will be a bit different from a more equal physique opponent. Overall, I think Dvorak will be well prepared for anything that comes his way, although once things get to the ground, anything can happen. Erceg is coming in as a late replacement and no doubt is excited to finally fight in the UFC. Erceg has one significant win in his career that I’ll highlight, and that was against Shannon Ross, that’s one hell of a win. Erceg is an interesting one to talk about, because he also comes from a gym that is relatively small and has no major fighters, in fact I believe he is the only pro fighter, so I feel like the lack of higher level fighters in his gym might not translate too well in the competitive sphere of the UFC. I hope that made sense because I have no other way to explain why I think him being in a relatively unknown gym might hamper his capabilities in the UFC. Regardless of that though, he is still a ferocious submission artist and I suspect that from the get go he is going to look for chokes, whether its a jumping guillotine (his length may allow him to wrap up Dvorak easily) or just a takedown followed by progressional submission movements. Either way, if Erceg wins, it will have to be by submission, because I don’t see him outstriking Dvorak. I got Dvorak winning this one, but i’m eager to see how Erceg does against him on his debut.
Dvorak via UD - (1/3)
Featherweight
Blake Bilder (-200) (8-0-1, 8 FWS) v Kyle Nelson (+165) (13-5-1, 2 FLS) - I always find it difficult to categorise what a draw is, I don’t know whether to include that as a loss, or a win, so if you’re wondering why Nelson is on a losing streak, that’s why. Bilder is on one hell of a nice streak at the moment, and during his fight against Young, it became a bit clear as to why he is riding such a streak. There is a uniqueness to his movement, he is very tricky to get a hold of and his lateral movement allows him to find angles and openings, especially when his opponent wants to reach and try to land punches, he lures his opponent into his own range in which he fires away with a quick counter. He is also fairly proficient at throwing kicks, especially the left high kick in orthodox stance in which he flicks up with such speed and accuracy that it barely disrupts his own movement and motions. Bilder is also an excellent wrestler and grappler, he’s strong on the ground and often looks for takedowns, constantly keeping his opponent guessing and working, and all of this works well with his lateral movements because it makes his opponent chase and walk him down, focusing on closing distance rather than the potential level changes that might come his way. Nelson is in a very difficult spot in his career, not really a winner in the Featherweight division, he is coming off a tough back and forth fight against Choi and even prior to that hasn’t exactly won a whole lot. He is a fairly well rounded fighter who does look for takedowns fairly often, but ultimately doesn’t do a whole lot with them, he is a very submission focused grappler who doesn’t mix it up very well on the ground, he can be a bit one dimensional and I can see him being frustrated with Bilder’s movements and thus making a forced mistake in which Bilder capitalises on it. However, if Nelson turns up the offence and throws volume, that can slow down Bilder a whole lot, because the more his opponent presses the action, the more movement is involved, and that can sap at the cardio of Bilder. However, all of that aside, on paper I think Bilder is going to get a win here, he performed very well against the very dangerous Shane Young, and with him fighting in his own backyard, he has a home-town advantage which is very much a real thing, there is no need to worry about logistics of travel, adapting to time zones and knowing where to train when you’re training in the same country. I got Bilder winning this one.
Bilder via UD - (2/3)
Bantamweight
Aiemann Zahabi (+105) (9-2-0, 2 FWS) v Aoriqileng (-130) (24-9-0, 2 FWS) - Well this is certainly something. Zahabi is coming off two relatively good wins, albeit those wins have taken place in the span of two and a bit years, and the quality of his opponents have been a bit questionable. Regardless of that, Zahabi is a very well rounded fighter who has a fairly high fight IQ, which is no doubt a trait that he learnt from training alongside his brother Faras Zahabi, the head coach of Tristar. However, with how low quality his opponents have been, it’s fairly difficult to gauge where he is at compared to someone like Aoriqileng. One potential advantage that I can see Zahabi having over someone like Aoriqileng is in the wrestling department. Zahabi has a black belt in BJJ and since we know fairly well that Tristar produces outstanding wrestlers, I highly suspect that wrestling will be in the game plan since Aoriqileng is a very dangerous knockout artist. However, one thing comes into mind and that’s age and activity. Zahabi isn’t nearly as active as Aoriqileng has been, and Aoriqileng has a whole lot of experience in comparison to the older fighter in Zahabi. Aoriqileng is someone who I hyped up when he started fighting, it was everything about him that made me a fan, his nickname, his ferocity when he strikes, his first round fury and power, everything you love to see in a striker, however, he still was a bit of a greenie. Now, with more time in the Octagon against some tough competition, I think he has found his footing, and I feel like now that he has settled down a little bit and become a bit more methodical with his strikes, I suspect that he is going to have a power advantage here. The only problem is that Zahabi is a methodical fighter who can get a very good read on his opponents movements and set ups, and of course there’s that possible grappling advantage. The fact here is that it’s a highly close match and a tough one to predict, either fighter has, in my opinion, a relatively equal chance to win, but i’m gonna make a rough prediction here and say that Zahabi is going to get a win. Aoriqileng doesn’t have great takedown defence, and whilst Zahabi has not shown any capability (yet) on the ground, there is always a surprise in a fight, and I think Zahabi will make said adjustments coming into this fight. You do not become a black belt whilst training under Danaher without putting in the work, and you do not become a high level MMA fighter without the assistance of veteran coaches in Faras Zahabi. I know I sound like i’m gargling the balls of Tristar, but I think that in this particular case, style wise, Zahabi can get a win here.
Zahabi via UD - (1/3)
Women’s Flyweight
Jasmine Jasudavicius (+240) (8-2-0, NS) v Miranda Maverick (#13) (-300) (11-4-0, 2 FWS) - This is the only fight that I look forward to watching in the prelims. Well, one of two fights actually. Jasudavicius is coming off a rather boring wrestle-heavy fight against Fernandes, who was making her debut and thus kind of suffocated under the pressure of Jasudavicius and her superior wrestling. Jasudavicius is a tough one to talk about because I feel like she’s been a touch overhyped by the commentators and promotion team at the UFC, there is nothing significant about her that Maverick does multitudes better and I think the only main advantage Jasudavicius has over Maverick is her reach and height, that could cause some severe problems for Maverick, especially since Maverick will need to hunt down a takedown and that could leave her open for any knees or uppercuts that Jasudavicius has in her pocket. Jasudavicius is a good wrestler in her own right, but she hasn’t exactly fought the best competition, I mean, the best win on her record is Kay Hansen who is about as relevant as the Commodore 64. This upcoming fight is a true test for Jasudavicius, and I suspect that her striking is going to be the only major problem for Maverick. Maverick is someone who is always on my “must watch” list. If you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you know for a fact that I think she’s going to be a contender sooner or later, she’s something special and even though she had a slip up against Blanchfield (who is now currently the hottest prospect in the division) she has improved substantially since then, a whole lot of improvements have been made to her wrestling and just her workload, she is exceptional in the cage and can absolutely wear down her opponents. The biggest difference in terms of wrestling between both fighters here is that Maverick implements ground and pound in high volume, she is a fully evolved MMA fighter and that’s the major difference maker in this fight. It’s why I think she has the best chance to win this fight. The only problem or challenge that I see Maverick running into is frustration in being unable to achieve a takedown, if Maverick cannot get a takedown, I suspect that she’s going to be behind on the scorecards because all Jasudavicius is going to do is back up and throw counters, a whole lot of jabs and just be ahead in volume on the feet. With that said though, I am in full belief that Maverick is going to get a win here.
Maverick via UD - (3/3)
Middleweight
Nassourdine Imavov (#13) (-125) (12-4-0, NS) v Chris Curtis (#14) (+105) (30-10-0, NS) - This is the other fight that I am very much looking forward to on the prelim card. Imavov is coming off quite a devastating loss against Sean Strickland, and whilst he did lose mostly due to the sheer volume and pressure of Strickland, he has gained incredibly valuable experience at the higher levels of the UFC, and is going to be a lot more prepared since Curtis is not a late replacement fight, so there is no doubt a lot of tape study and preparation involved. However, Imavov does have one major advantage that isn’t a fighting related one, and that’s that Xtreme Couture have prepared for Imavov twice now, they saw Strickland fight Imavov and no doubt went “alright so that’s his intricacies as a fighter, he likes a clean fight, so lets throw a crapload of volume and break him” and I highly suspect that Curtis is going to implement a very similar game plan this time around. However, Imavov isn’t just a striker with impeccable accuracy and timing, he is a dangerous wrestler too, and whilst Curtis has stuffed every takedown that has come his way, Imavov will still have that ability to mix it up and perhaps get a fight changing takedown. One other thing that I see happening is Imavov trying to copy what Hermansson did against Curtis, and that’s frustrate with a tactical style, don’t take risks and make Curtis force an attack, and from there, retaliate with a counter, and counters are something Imavov is very good at doing. Imavov also has impeccable footwork and I believe that he will a bit more of a chance to utilise it in this fight since its a three rounder and Curtis is not exactly as volume-oriented as Strickland is. Curtis is coming off a tough loss against Gastelum, and it was a very close fight in which a fair few thought Curtis won the fight, but that headbutt kind of changed things a bit. Curtis is a highly dangerous, well rounded fighter who is a lot more technical than Strickland, he moves around a lot more, has a lot more emphasis in his strikes and is just a bit more well rounded than Strickland has recently shown. This might create a challenge that Imavov will struggle to work around, that, alongside the fact that Xtreme Couture know Imavov’s capabilities very well might lead to Curtis having a massive advantage. Let’s not forget the fact that Curtis has 40 fights under his belt whilst Imavov has 16, advantage in experience has been proven to be a dangerous attribute. Either way, this is a very, very 50/50 prediction, but I think Imavov will be able to get a win here, his movement, evasiveness and counters might be enough to frustrate Curtis and cause him to make mistakes. However, Curtis could be a good underdog here, depending on how the line moves, and of course your own preference.
Imavov via UD - (1/3)
Main Card
Middleweight
Eryk Anders (+115) (15-7-0, NS) v Marc-Andre Barriault (-140) (15-6-0, NS) - This is bound to excite the crowd. Anders is coming off a strong win against Kyle Daukaus, and it was fairly clear from the start that Anders had a power advantage, and boy did he decimate Daukaus. Anders has always been a highly athletic and explosive fighter, but there has been one thing that has held him back, and that’s his cardio, and that’s simply because he doesn’t tag up his opponents, he throws with nasty intent and also has quite explosive takedowns, all of these things, when strung together well, make Anders a wrecking ball that not many Middleweights can stand against. As I said though, he does tend to slow down a little bit, he doesn’t throw a lot of volume and everything he does is explosive, and thus comes in short, albeit effective bursts. The primary reason why i’m talking about his cardio and his conditioning is simply because Barriault has all of that and much more. Barriault is coming off a strong TKO win against Julian Marquez, a relatively dangerous fighter but perhaps not on the level of Barriault. Barriault is a very well rounded fighter, he is a ferocious striker with incredible power, with the added bonus of having the cardio to carry said power throughout three rounds, which makes him such a dangerous challenger for anyone who isn’t able to get him taken down to the ground. Even once the fight gets taken down to the ground, Barriault is never complacent with being in a bad position, he constantly works to get back into a standing and striking position, and that alone can exhaust even his opponents. I just feel like Barriault is going to look like the fresher fighter the longer this fight goes on, and once Anders starts to slow down (assuming that Anders throws heavy and often early) that’s when we’ll see Barriault turn up the striking a little bit. This is a tough one to predict though because whilst Anders isn’t the best fighter, neither is Barriault, the only major difference between these two warriors is the cardio factor, in which Barriault wins that comparison. Bit of a short but sweet prediction here, but I got Barriault winning this one, and I suspect that this would be a late fight KO due to how durable Barriault is.
Barriault via KO R3 - (1/3)
Featherweight
Dan Ige (#13) (-230) (16-6-0, NS) v Nate Landwehr (+190) (17-4-0, 3 FWS) - Ige is coming off a tremendous KO win against the fairly tough and durable Damon Jackson, and for the most part it was a scrappy back and forth fight, with Ige looking like the more cleaner striker. Ige has always been a phenomenal boxer, and he has such substantial knockout power for a Featherweight that it doesn’t take a lot for him to land the fight-ending punch. Ige’s best attacks are within the pocket though, short hooks, especially the right one, are perhaps his most perfected weapon and he uses it brilliantly either entering the pocket or breaking from a clinch. One other thing that I need to highlight is the sheer quality of competition that Ige has faced over the past couple of years, I mean, his losing streak, whilst a bit of a bad look, is stacked with insane fighters… Evloev, The Korean Zombie, Emmett… all of these fighters are contender calibre and Ige shared 45 minutes total with them. That’s a whole lot of experience gained just from those three fights alone, so to say that there is a substantial difference in quality of competition is a bit of an understatement. Landwehr is a wildcard when he fights, but he is riding one hell of a strong streak at the moment, and each and every fight has been entertaining. This is primarily due to how much output and activity Landwehr utilises when he fights, he is a non-stop action packed fighter who throws everything and anything at his opponent and just doesn’t stop until he’s knocked out. Now, the big problem that Ige will need to deal with is the crowd, there is a possibility that the crowd roaring and cheering at the action will lure Ige into throwing wild, volume heavy combos that leaves his chin open, and Ige isn’t exactly a strong, long range boxer, he tends to overextend and perhaps Landwehr’s aim is to lure him into throwing like that so Ige can make mistakes. Landwehr and Ige’s style tends to clash in my opinion, because whilst Ige wants a methodical approach, set up his own attacks and read the actions of his opponent, Landwehr doesn’t slow down and is constantly in the face of his opponent, and that could cause Ige to lose his ability to settle down and set a rhythm and pace where he is at his best. However, despite all of that, I still think that Ige has the necessary experience to handle Landwehr, I mean, if Landwehr’s biggest attributes is activity and volume of attacks, that’s no different from Emmett or The Korean Zombie if we’re talking sheer stand up striking, and if you want to lean on the wrestling aspect of Landwehr, Evloev is a takedown machine. What I’m trying to say here is that Landwehr seems to be a combination of all three losses that Ige has experienced, and even though they are losses, Ige is the type to learn from those losses and thus turn it into an advantage.
Ige via KO R2 - (1/3)
Welterweight
Mike Malott (-210) (9-1-1, 5 FWS) v Adam Fugitt (+170) (9-3-0, NS) - Alright this is going to be a bit of a rant induced post because if we look at this without any context other than Malott v Fugitt, this is ultimately a prelim fight. Malott has no doubt been gifted this position in the main card, and some might say its for a very good reason, and I would somewhat agree. Malott has three finishes in the UFC, all in the first round, all against relatively green fighters (green = newcomers). The reason why i’m saying all of this is simply because at its core, this fight needs to be treated as a regular prelim fight where a “prospect” fights someone who isn’t quite a prospect. In this case Malott has a whole lot of momentum behind him, fighting against someone who has just found his footing. Malott is a very well rounded fighter who is highly explosive but also does everything very cleanly and just so… textbook. I don’t know if that sounds like a compliment, but with him winning his fights within minutes, it’s hard to say how far he is going to go. All I can say confidently is that he is definitely someone that we need to keep an eye on since he has the skill set to make it fairly far in the UFC, and with him being the last canadian to make a walk out to the Octagon, that’s only going to hype up the crowd a whole lot more, and Malott, who has been asking to be on this card, is going to absorb that energy like a sponge. Malott has one massive advantage that cannot be underestimated, and that’s his wrestling, he is very quick to find that takedown, but not force it, he kind of makes feints and reads before shooting for that takedown, and once the fights taking place on the ground, he works effortlessly to get into a dominant position and chase a finish. He is a genuine prospect and perhaps the only chance Canada has at really having a prospect or a future contender. Fugitt on the other hand is someone who i’m still trying to get a read on, because during his last fight against Kinoshita, he did land many takedowns on Kinoshita, but I have a rule, and it’s a rule that maybe only I follow, and that’s “the less takedowns, the better”. What I mean by that is if you are unable to keep your opponent on the ground, and you require numerous attempts to keep him on the ground, you’re an inefficient wrestler who is only wasting cardio. It’s fantastic to watch and is a display of sheer athleticism and cardio, sure, but ultimately it’s much, much better to watch one takedown followed by 4 minutes of control/ground and pound, compared to 4 of 7 takedowns for only just under 3 minutes of control time and 6 ground strikes. Do you guys understand what i’m saying? Anyway, Fugitt is, in my opinion, not on the level of Malott and perhaps only accepted this fight because its on a PPV in front of a large crowd. Rant aside, Malott in my opinion has a higher chance to win compared to Fugitt, and I say that simply because those three first round wins are nothing but immaculate displays of fight IQ and well roundedness, stuff that we need to see more of, so with that said, I got Malott winning this one early.
Malott via KO R1 - (2/3)
Co-Main Event
Lightweight
Charles Oliveira (#2) (+105) (33-9-0, NS) v Beneil Dariush (#3) (-130) (22-4-1, 8 FWS) - This is the fight we all were waiting for, i’m sure. Oliveira is in an interesting position at the moment, and I think a lot of hype disappeared when he lost his title against Makhachev. People need to remember that Oliveira has never really been a well rounded, high level fighter, there have always been holes in his games, namely his ability to take a punch, it’s not quite there any more and we saw that when he fought the three heaviest hitting fighters in the division in Poirier, Chandler and Gaethje. The main difference between these three guys and Oliveira is the ground game and that’s how Oliveira won against Poirier and Gaethje. Oliveira’s grappling is on a whole different level however, and its an interesting aspect of this fight since we are about to see Oliveira’s grappling tested once again, but this time against an incredibly hungry, and very talented wrestler in Dariush. Now, Oliveira’s striking is not going to be a major problem for Dariush simply because Dariush has excellent striking defence and tends to avoid a lot of the striking exchanges through his wrestling sequences and actions, so that somewhat eliminates, in my opinion, one major tool that Oliveira has somewhat relied on in recent years. On the ground, specifically in any submission position, Oliveira has the edge, but he has only had that edge against mostly strikers, and whilst there have been some exceptions, its clear that his last 4 wins have been mostly strikers who don’t quite have a capable grappling skill set that matches Oliveira. That is where Dariush steps in. Dariush has been on an insane tear through the division, and only recently has been on the radar in many fans and pundits minds, simply because the quality of competition kind of held him back a tiny bit. It was only when he fought Gamrot that I saw some serious potential for him holding the belt in the future. To counter-wrestle and fight that effectively against an elite, best of the best wrestler like Gamrot is ground shattering, there was of course expectations prior to that fight that Dariush could resist the takedowns, but to look that quick, with reactions that fast and the ability to adapt and adjust against one of the best wrestlers in the UFC in Gamrot really puts a shine on Dariush. Dariush has similar striking to Oliveira, in that it’s certainly a thing, but Dariush hasn’t been dropped yet nor has he suffocated under a strikers pressure, mostly due to his ability to just shoot and get a takedown. Now, obviously Dariush will need to be careful of the submission threat that Oliveira is very well known for, but any good wrestler will recognise immediately what his opponent will be setting up, and since Oliveira is primarily a submission specialist, not a wrestler, I feel like Dariush is going to just bully Oliveira on the ground. All the groundwork and fundamentals to defeat Oliveira is there, Makhachev made sure of that, and I highly suspect that Dariush is going to mimic or copy what Makhachev did, and that’s wrestle, shut down the submission capabilities by manoeuvring out of danger, and just punish with ground and pound. I got Dariush winning this one, but i’m not counting out Oliveira wholly, mostly because that submission threat is very real.
Dariush via UD - (2/3)
Main Event
Women’s Bantamweight Championship Bout
Amanda Nunes (c) (-330) (22-5-0, NS) v Irene Aldana (#4) (+260) (14-6-0, 2 FWS) - I don’t actually have a lot to say about this one. Nunes is coming off a rematch win against Pena and it was a reasonably good fight if you were a Nunes fan, and a disappointing mismatch if you were a Pena fan. Nunes has always been a step above a lot of the competition, mostly due to how shallow the division is, and just how much of an advantage Nunes has with her power and speed when she strikes. Striking is no doubt a realm that Nunes has ruled for a long time in this division, and I can only suspect that she will have a power advantage in this fight. However, when it comes to technique, she tends to fall a tiny bit behind in my opinion, she’s mostly a brawler and I feel like Aldana has a tiny bit of an advantage on the feet due to her technical boxing. However, I'm going to piss off a lot of Nunes fans (if there are any)... Nunes reached her ceiling long ago, and has not improved at all, she has begun to plateau as a fighter and is only a champion because of the lack of competition and high level fighters, and Aldana has a fairly clear chance at winning, because whilst Nunes has had a full camp, she is facing someone who she is unfamiliar with in the cage, instead of facing Pena who she shared the Octagon twice with, and whilst Aldana isn’t exactly a championship level fighter, its the technical boxing and her ability to gauge range and timing well that might catch Nunes a few times. Aldana is coming off a strong win against Macy Chiasson, and it was a bit of a rare upkick KO win that crumbled Chiasson. Now, a win against Chiasson is great and all, but to go from Chiasson to Nunes with a noticeably short amount of time to prepare is a whole different thing, not to mention that this is a 5 rounder main event makes me think that Aldana will be woefully unprepared. There is of course a chance that Nunes will get caught by Aldana, since Aldana does have the boxing advantage over Nunes, which does make me think that Aldana would make a great underdog pick, but there’s still that chance that Nunes will get a win, but really she has fought fucking shit fighters over the past few years, I mean, Megan Anderson? Felicia Spencer? That’s not bottom of the barrel competition, that’s underneath the damn barrel stuff. I do have Nunes winning purely because of the longer camp and experience in 5 round fights, especially at this calibre, but Aldana has a solid chance at winning too since she does seem like a capable contender if we are speaking on boxing skill alone. This is a weird prediction post, I know, but I truly don’t give any shits about this fight, its a coin toss.
Nunes via KO R4 - (1/3)
And that's it!
As I said, i'm not happy with this write up, only because it's such a weird card overall and I felt no motivation to write even this much for this card lmao.
Locks of the week are: Bilder, Maverick, Malott and Dariush.
Primary Parlay is: Oliveira/Belbita o1.5 - Dvorak/Erceg o1.5 - Maverick/Jasudavicius o1.5 - Barriault/Anders o1.5 - Ige/Landwehr Does Not Go The Distance
Alt Bets are: Curtis Points, Anders KO R1 or 2 (combo rounds), Landwehr ML, Aldana KO
if you wish to keep in contact with me or follow me on twitter, my twitter handle is @Slayer_Tip, and my Discord is Slayertip#7013.
Lets have a fun and friendly discussion down below about this weekends card!
I hope you all have an amazing day, look after yourselves, and enjoy this awesome event!

Unpacking the Light Police. Light Pollution News.
**Special thanks to Scaramuccia for directing my eye to a couple of articles this month** - Bill
Show Link: https://lightpollutionnews.com/podcast/unpacking-the-light-police/
Subscribe: Apple Podcast Spotify Google Podcast
Social: Instagram LinkedIn
Host: Bill McGeeney
Guests:
John Barentine of Dark Sky Consulting, LLC
Kaitlyn Evans, Conservationist.
Featured Articles (excluding quick hits):

• I was busted by the light police. They had a point
• The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'
• Want to Learn About Light Pollution? There’s a mini-course for that!
• Star bathing is the new outdoor travel trend we should all be trying for Summer 2023
• Industry Must Face an Inconvenient Truth -- Most LED Lights at Night are Unhealthy
• Unpacking the Wallpack
• Songbirds, dusk and clear skies: Scientists explore migratory flights
• ‘Lights Out’ initiative appears to be saving birds from crashing into Philly buildings
• Knoxville, TN Zoo is offering up what they call “Twilight Tours” per WVLT 8
• Flashlights posing major threat to nesting sea turtles
• Capture the Dark 2023 officially is under way
• Why the Greatest Threat to Star-Gazing Isn’t Light Pollution
• Smart Street Lights Market is Expected to Hit USD 14,751.1 million at a 23.4% CAGR by 2030
• LDS Church will get to light up its Heber Valley Temple after all, but the faith didn’t get everything it wanted
• A World Without Darkness Could Be a Reality within a Few Years
• Aussie region determined to keep its darkness is a stargazer’s dream

Afraid of the Dark:

• Hilton Head’s dark roads and pedestrians are deadly combo. What the town is doing about it

Research Article of the Month:

• Manipulating spectra of artificial light affects movements patterns of bats along ecological corridors

My husband and I are in our final week of our honeymoon and we've been traveling through Japan for the last 3 weeks. We're currently in Okinawa, enjoying the island life but we plan on going back to Tokyo to explore. Would love to know if there are any local recommendations or anything to do off the beaten path outside of tourist destinations!
Week 1: - Tokyo: Shinjiku, Shibuya Crossing, Tsukiji Outer MarketGolden Gai, Harajuku, Ginza, Sumo tournament
- Hakone: Open Air Museum, Lake Ashi, Amasake Tea House, Owakudani, Old Tokaido Trail
- Nagoya: Stopped here to do a day trip to hike the trail from Magome to Tsumago post towns
- Kyoto: Fushimi Inari, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Nishiki Market, Geiko Tea Ceremony, Pontocho, Gion
Week 2:
- Nara: Day trip from Kyoto, visited the Deer Park and Todai-Ji Temple
- Osaka: Dontonburi Street, Osaka Aquarium
- Kobe: Stopped here on the way to eat at a Kobe Beef restaurant
- Hiroshima: Hiroshima Peace Memorial & Museum
Week 3:
- Okinawa: Naha, Zamami Island, Onna, Nago
Week 4: Back to Tokyo & looking for local recommendations
- So far we plan on visiting the Toyoshu tuna auction and take part in the Street go-cart experience

What a disappointingly chilly day. I had to wear pants and a long-sleeved shirt for the first time in half a month but even that wasn't enough to make me stay outside for more than an hour. Of course, I had to tend to the garden and Peach wanted out but she couldn't stand the wind for very long either. I didn't bother bringing my laptop out. On the bright side, the garden was unscathed; no missing leaves or pulled-up roots. Oddly enough, I had another dream about the mystery critter attacking the garden; last night I dreamed it was a band of raccoons. They were cute until they very much were not when one of the raccoons bit me. Then my dream turned into a long medical drama where I had to scour the town trying to find a vaccine for rabies. It was like a zombie video game except with raccoons and needles. I think I died in the end.
Anyway, my waking world was far less eventful. I decided to work on the dictionary instead of the articles today. The R section is long and arduous. I still have almost ten pages of R words left to translate. I may do a total count soon since I'm nearly 330 words per letter. I've also finished one of those many prompts I've been meaning to jot down and a few more pages of those Heavenly Hollow Rhapsody notes. It was a rather productive day for my personal projects. Mother and Father are probably going back to the house tomorrow so I'll have the house to myself again. The only sore spot is that it is going to be even colder tomorrow than it was today. Cloudy, cold, and maybe even a little rainy. I won't be doing much work outside but hopefully, I can salvage the day inside. There is always something to do.
Yours & Mine,
S.O. Skinner

I remember lots of snippets about this series, but I think they're all different books in the series.
It starts with a boy (I believe, definitely a child) with white hair who washes up on shore and is found by a pair of siblings.
In another book, they either time travel, or magically travel, to a mining town in the old west. I think there were some sort of demons/enemies in this book that disguised themselves as cactuses?
There's an adult who travels with them (the boy and the siblings) and I believe the white haired boy may have been named Jack, although that could be wrong.
In another book, they traveled to a frozen land, where the white haired boy came from. I remember that in the frozen land, people were mining for some sort of white powder. The sun here was also made of lightbulbs - the whole frozen land may have been in a bubble?
Thanks in advance for any leads anyone can give!

From the ending of our last session, where the PC controlled Smithy on the Scar was sacked by Queens Men and the Falling Fire, our campaign has moved into a more true civil war. With few exceptions, the city is essential cut in half. Where the Drann River reaches the Walls of Drakkenheim to Castle Drakken is where the real divide starts and ends.
From that point and to the east, the Queens Men and Falling fire have control. So Saint Selena's Monastery, Champions Way Gate, South Ward, Old town, etc ..
To the west, the party and their alliance of the Hooded Lanterns, Silver Order and Amethyst Academy rule. So Temple Ward, Middle Ward, The Garrison, etc..
We're going to start next session with a war council at the Garrison with the party and major faction leaders to discuss their plans moving forward.
What I am seeking ideas for is potential conflict sights, choke points if you will. Also how to make travel interesting and dangerous while still not impossible. The bridges are standing but I am debating having either side barricade them and making building bridges over the Drann River difficult. The silver order still has a sizeable number of troops stationed at camp dawn but most of their troops are at Temple Gate when they helped the party and Lanterns take it.
The sewers are definitely something I am playing with. They have had several encounters in the sewers, mainly with Ratlings and the fish people.
Honestly any ideas to make this civil war engaging for the players would be really helpful.
Sidenote: the Queen of thieves in an early session told the players she is Katarina. She is a magic user. One of the NPC is Manfred Von Kessels son. Last session the players found in the catacombs of Saint Vitruvios Cathedral the blood viles of Ulrich and a note basically saying that the eldest Von Kessel of his line should be ruler.