Frankenstein quotes with page numbers and explanations

/r/quotes: For your favorite quotes

2008.03.11 21:04 /r/quotes: For your favorite quotes

Welcome to Quotes
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2008.01.25 18:31 Jokes: Get Your Funny On!

The funniest sub on Reddit. Hundreds of jokes posted each day, and some of them aren't even reposts!
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2017.10.01 20:52 RelaNarkin Where wishes are dismantled.

Do you ever wish for things without thinking through them first? Do you ever struggle with finding the downsides of your hopes and dreams? Well, whatever the case may be TheMonkeysPaw is at your service!
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2024.06.10 07:40 Fun_Court3262 As someone who has always been intrigued by the mystical and mysterious, I was naturally drawn to the idea of Numerology. The concept of assigning number values to letters in order to uncover deeper meanings and insights has always fascinated me.

The Personalized Numerology Blueprint is a digital program offered by MysticNumbers.com that claims to reveal important aspects of your life, such as your purpose, personality, and fate, through the power of numerology. Created by a numerologist named John, this program promises to provide valuable insights into your past, present, and future using mystical numbers derived from your birth date and name.
Upon purchasing the Personalized Numerology Blueprint, you will receive a 40-page online report that delves into various numerological elements, including your life path, soul urge, destiny, love, personality, birth, name, and personality numbers. The report aims to help you understand yourself, your direction in life, and make informed decisions based on these insights.
If you are open to exploring alternative ways of self-discovery and gaining insights into your life, the Personalized Numerology Blueprint can offer a unique perspective. However, it is essential to approach it with an open mind and view it as a tool for self-reflection rather than an absolute truth.
The Personalized Numerology Blueprint is a comprehensive program available online. The numerologist behind the program uses your birth dates and names to calculate various elements and make interpretations based on the data. The Personalized Numerology Blueprint provides information to shape your life for greater fulfillment and happiness.
https://mysticnumbers.com/
submitted by Fun_Court3262 to Funologist [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:40 Tight-Jackfruit-9535 Can you guys confirm that this test is not representative? Help me quell my neuroticism and be happy.

Hey everyone. I fell into the iq testing rabbit hole a couple days ago and it definitely hasn't been healthy for me. I'm not the deterministic type and having an "iq score" is something that doesn't really align with my value-system or how I want to live my life.
Nonetheless, I scored a 123 on this vocabulary iq test I found on the first page of google. From what I understand from an attached preprint (not peer-reviewed as of now) assessing its convergent validity with established IQ tests, it has a correlation coefficient of 0.48 with the WASI-II VIC subtest. I do not have a background in statistics but generally I know that the score is at best moderately correlated in a social sciences context (0.7 is what I assume is a coefficient worth worrying about). This r-score is if I were to believe in the papers correctness.
The actual online test is not age-normed and likely suffers from selection bias (given that individuals who have a predilection for completing and submitting iq tests online are likely higher up on the iq-scale).
I took the test solely for entertainment purposes after seeing a YouTube video on IQ and went through with the test because I knew beforehand that online tests are notoriously inaccurate. I was just having fun with it. However, in learning that it actually might be suggestive of my IQ, I have been really upset and am honestly spiralling right now.
Yes I know it that it is ostensibly a decent score (though a terrible one for you guys lol) but I've been dealing with a bit of imposter syndrome since recently being accepted into medical school and that number has been percolating in my ************ head since recieving it. I know that in difficult moments, I will likely use that score as a ceiling of my efforts and justification for any of my failures.
I really really would love it if I can let this number go.
Based on your experiences with IQ tests and your assessment of the attached paper ( or not, you don't have to read it lol), would it be fair and valid to move forward with this simplification:
"My true verbal iq is likely above average but can be anywhere between 100 and 130+ due to the crudeness of the online vocabulary test".
Ultimately, I just want to go back the blissful ignorance I had a few days ago. And, yes, I know I am being neurotic, just help a guy out.
Thanks.
vocab iq test: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/VIQT/
study: Convergent Validity of a Quick Online Self-Administered ...OSFhttps://osf.io › download
submitted by Tight-Jackfruit-9535 to mensa [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:38 GoAheadMMDay Jewish religion originated in Egypt... and was restructured in Babylon

Jewish religion originated in Egypt... and was restructured in Babylon
Before we begin, let me say I love the Jewish people and Christians, and I consider all of them my brothers and sisters, as I do all people from all religions and walks of life. We are all God's beloved children.
I thoroughly cherish the ancient wisdom contained in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, and in the sacred books of other faiths as well.
Yet over the course of several decades, I discovered numerous inaccurate teachings which I would like to review. It may not be what most people consider a "conspiracy". Nevertheless, these misconceptions must be revealed for the truth to be known.
Egyptian origins
Judaism - the Jewish religion - originated in ancient Egypt. A mixed group of people from multiple nationalities, including Egyptian, were expelled from Egypt, taking Egyptian beliefs and practices with them, including Egyptian temple designs.
This theory has been around for nearly a hundred years. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis who lived from 1856 to 1939, wrote about Judaism's link to ancient Egypt in 1939, the final year of his life.
From Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"One of the first to mention this [theory] was Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, in his book Moses and Monotheism.[235] Basing his arguments on his belief that the Exodus story was historical, Freud argued that Moses had been an Atenist priest who was forced to leave Egypt with his followers after Akhenaten's death. Freud argued that Akhenaten was striving to promote monotheism, something that the biblical Moses was able to achieve.[235] Following the publication of his book, the concept entered popular consciousness and serious research.[240][241]"
In this post, I will provide my own arguments supporting Freud's proposition.
I started thinking about the link between ancient Israel and ancient Egypt many years ago during my Bible studies. I was also fascinated with the histories of ancient Egypt, Sumer, Babylon, and others.
Over the years, I began noticing some very significant overlapping beliefs that cannot be dismissed. Some of these points are already known and hotly debated; others are my own observations.
I will be brief, however. This topic is absolutely huge in scope - covering history, archeology and religion. If I were to cover the topic to its fullest extent, it would be a book. I will spare you that torture and simply give you the abridged version.
My purpose? I put this out there for debate and further research.
The exodus out of Egypt
In the late 1300's BC, a large group migrated out of Egypt in what is known as "the exodus".
The exodus out of Egypt
Who were the people who left Egypt in the exodus?
The Bible claims they were almost all Israelites who were living in misery in Egypt. But there is good reason to believe the majority were actually Egyptians, as I explain later.
Black box - where the exodus settled
The group who left Egypt eventually settled between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, forming the nation of Israel.
Three major similarities
Several similarities exist between ancient Israel's religion and ancient Egypt's religion. These similarities are so striking, I propose the Jewish religion actually originated in Egypt, and was brought out of Egypt in the exodus.
• 1) Let's start with the most glaring similarity... the temples.
Ancient Egyptian temple
Key features of the ancient Egyptian temple:
a) outer courtyard, b) two large pillars at front entrance, c) a grand hall, d) an inner shrine with statue.
Left - Moses' tabernacle / Right - Solomon's temple
Key features of Moses' tabernacle and Solomon's temple:
a) outer courtyard, b) two large pillars at front entrance, c) first hall called "the Holy Place", d) an inner sanctuary called "the Most Holy Place" where the Ark of the Covenant was housed.
The similarities between ancient Egypt's temples and Judaism's designs are too similar to dismiss. I conclude those who left Egypt in the exodus brought with them Egypt's temple designs.
• 2) Animal sacrifice is another similarity I propose was brought out of Egypt in the exodus.
"...some of the earliest archeological evidence suggesting animal sacrifice comes from Egypt." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice
• 3) Lastly, in agreement with Sigmund Freud noted above, I propose Jewish monotheism (worship of one god) was also brought out of Egypt by the migrants who left in the exodus.
Monotheism from Egypt? Wasn't Egypt polytheistic, worshipping multiple deities?
Not always. Egypt had briefly experimented with the worship of one God who was without form. And this period of monotheism in Egypt lines-up perfectly with the time of the exodus.
Egypt's brief experiment with monotheism
There was a brief period in Egypt's history when monotheism flourished. This was during the reign of Akhenaten, around the middle 1300's BC.
Prior to this, Egypt had always practiced polytheism. But Akhenaten reformed Egyptian religion, focusing on one god instead - "Aten" - who was elevated to supreme god, and "the sole god of the Egyptian state religion". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aten
There is much debate over exactly how monotheism was practiced during that time. As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"The views of Egyptologists differ as to whether the religious policy was absolutely monotheistic, or whether it was monolatristic, syncretistic, or henotheistic.[14][15] This culture shift away from traditional religion was reversed after his death."
For this post, it does not matter how narrow or how broad Akhenaten's monotheism really was. What matters in this discussion is that Akhenaten's reign was an interruption in Egypt's religious system. Akhenaten reformed Egyptian religion, which did not sit well with the traditional priestly class.
After Akhenaten died, Egypt returned to its previous religious system. Akhenaten was vilified, his images chiselled and defaced. Wikipedia adds:
"They discredited Akhenaten and his immediate successors and referred to Akhenaten as "the enemy" or "that criminal" in archival records."
This is why today he is described as "the heretic king", referencing how he was considered after his death.
The exodus was an expulsion
I propose Moses was a high ranking member of Akhenaten's court, perhaps even a prince as the Old Testament describes him. Moses likely took over the leadership of the population of monotheists after Akhenaten died.
As Wikipedia notes (already quoted above) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"Freud argued that Moses had been an Atenist priest [a priest of the god "Aten"] who was forced to leave Egypt with his followers after Akhenaten's death."
I conclude these were the migrants who left Egypt in the exodus. They were Egyptians who practiced monotheism, lead by their high priest, Moses - who was also an Egyptian, and priest of the god "Aten".
The monotheists had become unwelcome in the land of Egypt which had returned to polytheism. Akhenaten's son - the famous King Tut - even changed his name to disassociate himself from his father and the monotheism he had introduced. King Tut's original name was Tutankhaten, which he changed to Tutankhamun after Akhenaten's death.
As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutankhamun :
"The cult of the god Amun at Thebes was restored to prominence and the royal couple changed their names to "Tutankhamun" and "Ankhesenamun", removing the -aten suffix."
The suffix at the end of their names indicated whom they worshiped, or the god they were associated with. Akhenaten's suffix was "aten", taken from the god "Aten" whom he associated himself with. Tutankhamun's suffix was "amun", taken from the god "Amun" whom he associated himself with.
King Tut thus changed his name to show he was not connected to Akhenaten or the monotheists who worshipped Aten. Egypt's brief experiment with monotheism was over.
Clearly there was a lot of hatred for that brief experimentation with monotheism. What would the atmosphere have been like for the followers of that monotheistic system after Akhenaten died? I imagine there would have been widespread persecution, or at the very least, discrimination.
I propose this lead to the expulsion of a large mass of people out of Egypt in the exodus. They were the monotheists of Egypt - composed mostly of Egyptians, but likely included foreigners living in Egypt who also practiced the monotheism introduced by Akhenaten.
Moses led this group of fellow monotheists out of an angry Egypt that clearly resented the upheaval Akhenaten had brought to Egyptian life. It must have been a forced expulsion, for they were driven into the desert where they were left to roam and fend for themselves. They would not have chosen to go there on their own.
The dates match
And the dates match. Akhenaten reigned from about 1352 to 1335 BC. Moses lived from about 1391 to 1271 BC. (The Bible writers claim he was 120 years old when he died. Could be true, I suppose.)
According to the Bible's account, Moses was 80 years of age at the time of the exodus, dating it to about 1311 BC. That somewhat fits, putting the exodus some 24 years after Akhenaten's death.
Personally, though, I do not see that it would have taken 24 years to expel a group of monotheists who were no longer welcome, whose founder (Akhenaten) was vilified, defamed, and so vehemently hated. I propose the monotheists were expelled right away, perhaps a year or two after Akhenaten's death.
King Tut - Akhenaten's son noted above - was only 6 years of age when Akhenaten died in 1335 BC, much too young to rule as Pharaoh on his own. It wasn't until 3 years later in 1332 BC when Tut finally ascended to the throne at the age of 9. During this brief interval of 3 years, Egypt's rulership was in contention. There was likely a power struggle. I propose it was during this 3-year period of upheaval when the monotheists were expelled.
Another link placing the exodus at the end of Akhenaten's life is a regional plague which struck Egypt and a large part of the Middle East during the last 5 years of Akhenaten's reign.
As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhenaten :
"Following year twelve [of Akhenaten's 16-year reign], Donald B. Redford and other Egyptologists proposed that Egypt was struck by an epidemic, most likely a plague.[127] Contemporary evidence suggests that a plague ravaged through the Middle East around this time,[128] and ambassadors and delegations arriving to Akhenaten's year twelve reception might have brought the disease to Egypt.[129] Alternatively, letters from the Hattians might suggest that the epidemic originated in Egypt and was carried throughout the Middle East by Egyptian prisoners of war.[130] Regardless of its origin, the epidemic might account for several deaths in the royal family that occurred in the last five years of Akhenaten's reign, including those of his daughters Meketaten, Neferneferure, and Setepenre.[131][132]"
Sound familiar? The Bible's story of the exodus includes a plague which affected all of Egypt, killing even one of Pharaoh's children.
When Moses led the monotheists out of Egypt, he took with him many elements of the monotheistic system that Akhenaten had introduced. I propose this is why Moses' tabernacle looked so similar to Egyptian temples, with even more similarities showing up in Solomon's temple.
Joseph was Imhotep
Yet the Old Testament borrows more from Egypt than just its religious concepts. I propose it also borrows a very famous person... Imhotep.
Multiple similarities exist between Imhotep (a high ranking administrator in ancient Egypt) and the Biblical Joseph (who lived in Egypt before Moses). I propose, as many others do, that the Joseph of the Old Testament was based on Imhotep of ancient Egypt for 3 reasons:
• 1) Let's start with their names...
In "Imhotep", the 1st vowel is "i", the 2nd vowel is "o", the 3rd vowel is "e", followed by a "p".
The name Joseph in Tiberian Hebrew is "Yoseph", and in Aramaic is "Yosep". In both cases, the 1st vowel is "y" (pronounced as short-"i"), the 2nd vowel is "o", the 3rd vowel is "e", followed by a "p" - just as in "Imhotep".
Even the "t" in Imhotep and the "s" in Yosep use similar movements of the tongue.
• 2) Next, their status...
Imhotep occupied a very lofty position in Egyptian court. He was "chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep
Joseph, for his part, is described in the Bible as having been elevated to the 3rd highest position in Egypt.
• 3) Finally, their great works...
"Imhotep was one of the chief officials of the Pharaoh Djoser. Concurring with much later legends, Egyptologists credit him with the design and construction of the Pyramid of Djoser, a step pyramid at Saqqara built during the 3rd Dynasty. [17] He may also have been responsible for the first known use of stone columns to support a building.[18]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep
Similarly, the Bible describes Joseph as having supervised the construction of numerous large stone granaries in which to store "all the grain of Egypt".
Though granaries and pyramids differ in design, we have to acknowledge the similarity... both men were in charge of building massive stone structures.
Also, to the Israelites living after the exodus, when the Old Testament was written, the pyramids of Egypt likely looked to them like the remains of giant granaries of long ago. Thus, where the ancient Egyptians credited Imhotep with constructing pyramids, the Israelites credited Joseph with constructing the same structures - which they thought were old ruined granaries.
Yet there is one gaping hole in this theory that Joseph was Imhotep... they lived in different time periods. Imhotep lived in the 2600's BC (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep), while Joseph lived in the 1800's BC.
Indeed, they lived centuries apart. But let's keep in mind that the writers of the Old Testament did not have such detailed information as archeologists have today. The writers may have placed Joseph in the wrong century, but they were right to place him a few hundred years before the exodus... just as Imhotep also lived centuries before the exodus.
The Old Testament writers were also correct in the phonetics of the name, the occupation, the works, and the elevated position of importance. I propose the Old Testament writers took Imhotep and claimed him as their own as Joseph.
Claiming Egyptians and others as their own
We can see why the writers of the Old Testament wanted to claim Imhotep as their own, as an Israelite.
Between 1550 and 1077 BC (which overlapped the time of the exodus), Imhotep was worshipped as a "demigod" - one of only a handful of non-royals ever to be deified. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep) He was the equivalent of today's superstar. To claim Imhotep as a fellow Israelite gave them a tremendous boost of pride.
They also claimed Moses as their own. As the Old Testament account goes, Moses was born an Israelite, was sent adrift on a river to escape slaughter, was rescued by an Egyptian princess, and was raised as a prince in Egypt's court.
They also claimed Abraham as one of their forefathers, a Mesopotamian who lived in the city of Ur by the lower Euphrates river near the Persian Gulf.
Noah, too, was claimed as an even more distant forefather, when in fact the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood were copied from the ancient Sumerian text "The Epic of Gilgamesh". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the Sumerian king Uta-napishtim survived a flood by building a large vessel which he filled with animals. As Wikipedia explains - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utnapishtim :
"The story of Uta-napishtim has drawn scholarly comparisons due to the similarities between it and the storylines about Noah in the Bible."
But why did the Israelites claim all of these people as their own?
• The ancient-Sumerian Uta-napishtim (whom they renamed Noah),
• the late-Sumerian Abram of Ur (whom they renamed Abraham),
• the ancient-Egyptian Imhotep (whom they renamed Joseph),
• and the later-Egyptian Moses?
I propose it was to give the Israelites a sense of national identity. They were about to form a new nation.
Forming a new nation after Babylon
In 597 BC, Babylon besieged Jerusalem, taking several thousand Israelites captive to Babylonia. More Israelite captives were taken during the following 10 years. In 587 BC, Jerusalem and its temple were ultimately destroyed. Israel was no longer a nation; its people were captives in Babylon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity
Nearly 50 years later, in 539 BC, Persian king Cyrus the Great and his armies conquered Babylon. As per his tradition, he benevolently released captives.
"Cyrus was particularly renowned among contemporary scholars because of his habitual policy of respecting peoples' customs and religions in the lands that he conquered." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
The Israelites were about to be freed. We can picture Cyrus' officials gathering the Israelite priests and leaders together, telling them to prepare themselves for their return back to their homeland west of the Jordan River.
After nearly 60 years in captivity, the Israelites needed to organize themselves into a new nation. They needed laws, a history, and a national identity. I propose this is when the first section of the Old Testament - the Torah - was written... in 539 BC in Babylon, just before returning to their ancestral land west of the Jordan River.
The Torah comprises the first 5 books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
What makes this significant for the Israelites living in Babylon is that these 5 books cover everything they need in forming a new nation - a national history, a code of laws, a structured religion, and a pact with God for his protection - as explained in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah :
• Of the book of Genesis:
"At God's command ... Abraham journeys from his home [in Mesopotamia] into the ... land of Canaan. ... The narrative is punctuated by a series of covenants with God..."
This book was important, as it paralleled the journey the Israelites were about to make, leaving Babylon (which was Mesopotamia) on their way to the land of Canaan - just like Abraham had done himself some 1,200 years before. Yet they ought not be fearful, for they were the beneficiaries of multiple covenants with God.
• Of the book of Exodus:
"...modern scholarship sees the book as initially a product of the Babylonian exile, 6th century BC..."
In other words, it was initially compiled in Babylon during Israelite captivity.
"Carol Meyers, in her commentary on Exodus, suggests that it is arguably the most important book in the Bible, as it presents the defining features of Israel's identity: memories of a past marked by hardship and escape, a binding covenant with God, ... and the establishment of the life of the community and the guidelines for sustaining it.[31]"
In other words, the book of Exodus gave the Israelites valuable guidelines to forming a new nation.
• Of the book of Leviticus:
"...rules of clean and unclean ... the laws of slaughter and animals permissible to eat ... various moral and ritual laws ... a detailed list of rewards for following God's commandments and a detailed list of punishments for not following them."
In other words, Leviticus instructs the Israelites on matters of worship, cleanliness, and diet. Again, important information for a people about to form a new nation.
• Of the book of Numbers:
"Numbers is the culmination of the story of Israel's exodus from oppression in Egypt and their journey to take possession of the land God promised their fathers."
This parallels their situation at that time, in 539 BC, as they too were about to leave oppression in Babylon on their journey back to take possession of the same land.
• Of the book of Deuteronomy:
"One of its most significant verses is Deuteronomy 6:4 ... which has become the definitive statement of Jewish identity: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one."
In other words, the Israelites leaving Babylon were reminded of their most identifying characteristic... their monotheism.
Borrowing from Babylon
Yet in preparing the first 5 books of the Old Testament - the Torah - the Israelite priests in Babylon borrowed much from Babylon itself.
They borrowed details from Babylonian creation stories, and copied the flood story from the Epic of Gilgamesh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh_flood_myth
They also added a code of laws copied from Babylonian laws, as noted in Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi :
"The Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses in the Torah contain numerous similarities."
Hammurabi was a king of ancient Babylon in the 1700's BC, some 400 years before Moses' time, and 1,200 years before the Israelites resided in Babylon. It wasn't really the Law of Moses, but the Code of Hammurabi - tailored, customized, and re-branded as the Law of Moses when the Torah was written in Babylon.
Preparing for the journey home
The purpose for compiling the first 5 books of the Old Testament was quite simply to prepare the Israelites living in Babylon for their journey back home.
This is why they referred to the land they were returning to as "the Promised Land", "a land flowing with milk and honey", and their "inheritance".
This is why the Torah contained examples of others who had left one land to go to another. Through the stories of Abraham and Moses, the idea of leaving behind a land they knew to go to a land they did not know was packaged and presented to the Israelites living in Babylon - who were now being asked to do the same thing themselves.
Abraham was born and raised in Ur, near the southern Euphrates river in Mesopotamia. That's the land of Babylon, the same land the Israelites were now living in. Yet he moved out of that land and went to the land west of the Jordan River, and the account tells how God blessed him for it.
In the time of Moses, a great many Israelites were born and raised in Egypt. Yet they moved out of that land and went to the land west of the Jordan River, and the account tells how God blessed them for it.
Do we see the recurring theme? After more than 50 years in captivity, most of the original captives were no longer alive. By the time of their release in 539-538 BC, most Israelites had been born and raised in Babylon. Babylon was the only land they knew. Most did not know the land to which they were going, west of the Jordan River.
But if Abraham and his family living in Mesopotamia did it, if Moses and the Israelites living in Egypt did it - that is, left a land they knew to go to a land they did not know - and it went well for them... then it would also go well for the Israelites being asked to leave Babylon, the only land most of them knew, to go to a land almost none of them knew.
And thus, I propose... The Old Testament was written to organize the Israelites exiled in Babylon into a new nation, encouraging them to pack their belongings and go to the land west of the Jordan River with zeal and courage.
This is why they took several persons from other cultures and made them their own... including Uta-napishtim (whom they renamed Noah), Abram (whom they renamed Abraham), Imhotep (whom they renamed Joseph), and Moses - giving them a sense of national identity and pride.
Many of the Old Testament's accounts, laws, and people were adopted from external sources, modified, tweaked, and repackaged to give the Israelites courage on their return to "the land of their forefathers" and the "Promised Land" - a testament and promise that God would be with them just as He was with Abraham and Moses and all the families who made similar moves so very long before.
I contend...
Yet I contend the most important piece of information was withheld from the Israelites living in Babylon... that their religion was started by an ancient Pharaoh of Egypt whom they did not even know... Akhenaten.
I contend their leader Moses was not of Israelite descent, but was Egyptian, a high priest of the Egyptian god Aten.
I contend the early Israelites were not descended from Abram of Ur of Mesopotamia, but were descended from Egyptians, monotheists who were expelled from Egypt when the founder of their religion - Akhenaten - died.
I contend the Israelites were first told they descended from Abram in 539 BC when the Torah was written, as they prepared to resettle west of the Jordan River. I further contend the only reason they were told they descended from Abram of Ur was to draw a parallel between Abram's leaving the land of Sumer (same land as Babylon) to go west of the Jordan - just as the Israelites were being asked to leave Babylon to go west of the Jordan in 539 BC.
I contend Jewish religion was shaped by Babylonian mythology, and their nation was built on Babylonian laws. I further contend had the Israelites not been taken captive into Babylon, they would not have had the law code they had, nor the same story of creation, nor the story of Noah's flood - for these were all Babylonian.
Even their temple and their monotheism were not entirely theirs, but were Egyptian.
As much as I cherish the ancient wisdom found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, I must draw attention to the religion's origins... it originated in Egypt, with significant restructuring in Babylon.
Joseph Cafariello
PS... (June 9, 2024):
This section is to support my claim that Abraham was not known by the Israelites prior to the end of their Babylonian captivity, prior to 539 BC when the Torah and the bulk of the Old Testament were compiled.
As I explain in my post, I contend the stories of Abraham, Noah, and creation were derived from Babylonian sources, and were inserted into the Old Testament in 539 BC when it was compiled.
When preparing the Torah in 539 BC, the priests gathered together their sacred books and texts and compiled them together. These included the Book of Jasher, the Book of The Wars of the Lord, the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Judah, the Annals of King David, the Acts of Solomon, and many others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-canonical_books_referenced_in_the_Bible
They also gathered the books of the prophets, such as Isaiah and others, and combined them with the newly written Torah to form the first version of the Old Testament, which was later expanded after their return to their homeland.
When compiling these dozens of works into one single work, I contend the Old Testament writers added stories from Babylonian sources, including the creation story, the flood story, and adapted portions of the law code of Hammurabi. I contend this is when Abraham appears in scripture for the first time - in 539 BC, as the Israelites were preparing to leave Babylon to resettle in their homeland.
To support my claim that Abraham made his first appearance in scripture in 539 BC, we need only look at the references made to Abraham in the Old Testament, and where these references are. Let us examine them...
The vast majority of the references made to Abraham appear in the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible, which I have already supported in my post as having been written in 539 BC. Hence, none of the references to Abraham in the Torah refute my claim that Abraham made his first appearance in scripture in 539 BC.
Outside the Torah, there are the following references to Abraham to consider (I am using the Old Testament as it appears in the Bible):
• 2 references in the book of Joshua:
"It is not known when the Book was written... Some scholars believe it was written ... in 550 BC, at the time of the Babylonian exile, when there was a desire to remember and retell their own history." https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Joshua
I contend Joshua was also compiled in 539 BC, as multiple older texts were consulted and copied in order to establish a record of Israel's history. In either case... 550 or 539 BC, the 2 references to Abraham in the book of Joshua do not refute my claim that Abraham made his first appearance toward the end of Babylonian captivity.
• Multiple references in the books of Kings and Chronicles:
As I already noted above, numerous books and chronicles of the kings were consulted in 539 BC in Babylon when the bulk of the Old Testament was compiled. Thus, these references to Abraham in the books of Kings and Chronicles do not refute my claim of Abraham's late appearance in 539 BC.
• 1 reference in Nehemiah:
This one is easy, since the book describes the reconstruction of Jerusalem after Babylonian captivity. Hence, it does not refute my claim of Abraham's late insertion into scripture.
• 4 references in the Psalms:
"While many of the psalms contain attributions to the name of King David and other Biblical figures including Asaph, the sons of Korah, and Solomon, David's authorship is not accepted by most modern Bible scholars, who instead attribute the composition of the psalms to various authors writing between the 9th and 5th centuries BC. ... the book was probably compiled and edited into its present form during the post-exilic period in the 5th century BC.[5]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalms
Psalms is similar to the books of Kings and Chronicles noted above, which were compiled along with other scripture in Babylon in 539 BC. And here too, references to Abraham do not refute my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
• 4 references in Isaiah:
"... there is evidence that much of it was composed during the Babylonian captivity and later.[2] Johann Christoph Döderlein suggested in 1775 that the book contained the works of two prophets separated by more than a century,[3] and Bernhard Duhm originated the view, held as a consensus through most of the 20th century, that the book comprises three separate collections of oracles:[4][5] Proto-Isaiah (chapters 1–39), containing the words of the 8th-century BC prophet Isaiah; Deutero-Isaiah, or "the Book of Consolation",[6] (chapters 40–55), the work of an anonymous 6th-century BCE author writing during the Exile; and Trito-Isaiah (chapters 56–66), composed after the return from Exile.[7]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Isaiah
3 of the references to Abraham in Isaiah are located in chapters 41, 51 and 63. As noted in the Wikipedia reference above, these chapters are considered to have been written during and after Babylonian captivity, and thus do not refute my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
The one remaining reference to Abraham in Isaiah appears in chapter 29. This may very well be the only reference to Abraham which refutes my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
However, we must be aware that the scribes compiling the scriptures in 539 BC consulted dozens upon dozens of scrolls and manuscripts, which they made mention of by name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-canonical_books_referenced_in_the_Bible
Edits and additions were absolutely needed to make sense of the works which were all being compiled into one work for the first time. Since not all of their material was in sequential order, gaps in the record needed to be filled by the scribes at the time the works were being blended together into one single work in 539 BC. We can easily see how this one reference to Abraham could have been added to Isaiah 29 in the year 539 BC, in the interest of harmonizing such a large quantity of scrolls into one work.
• 1 reference in Jeremiah:
"It is generally agreed that the three types of material interspersed through the book – poetic, narrative, and biographical – come from different sources or circles.[16] Authentic oracles of Jeremiah are probably to be found in the poetic sections of chapters 1-25, but the book as a whole has been heavily edited and added to by followers (including perhaps the prophet's companion, the scribe Baruch) and later generations of Deuteronomists.[5] The date of the final versions of the book (Greek and Hebrew) can be suggested by the fact that the Greek shows concerns typical of the early Persian period, while the Masoretic (i.e., Hebrew) shows perspectives which, although known in the Persian period, did not reach their realisation until the 2nd century BCE.[7]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Jeremiah
In other words, the book of Jeremiah can be divided into 3 sections - poetic, narrative, and biographical - each written by different people. As the quote mentions, "the book as a whole has been heavily edited and added to".
Chapters 1-25 are likely the original portion written by Jeremiah (or others of his time) around the beginning of the Babylonian captivity period. But the 1 reference to Abraham appears in chapter 33, in the section that was added later.
How much later could these additions have been made? Two versions of the book exist - one in Greek, the other in Hebrew.
The Greek version "shows concerns typical of the early Persian period" - which is after Babylonian captivity. Cyrus the Great who freed the Israelites from Babylon was king of Persia. The "early Persian period" refers to the period shortly after Israel's release from Babylon.
The Hebrew version "shows perspectives which, although known in the Persian period, did not reach their realization until the 2nd century BCE".
Both versions of the book of Jeremiah, therefore, can be dated to after Babylonian captivity at the earliest. Thus, the 1 reference to Abraham in the book of Jeremiah does not refute my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
• 1 reference in Ezekiel:
"The Book of Ezekiel describes itself as the words of Ezekiel ben-Buzi, a priest living in exile in the city of Babylon between 593 and 571 BC. Most scholars today ... see in it significant additions by a school of later followers of the original prophet. According to Jewish tradition, the Men of the Great Assembly wrote the Book of Ezekiel, based on the prophet's words.[16] ... it is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the very words of the prophet.[2]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Ezekiel
Here again we have a book with "significant additions by ... later followers". And such additions "[do] not necessarily preserve the very words of the prophet". Here too, this reference to Abraham does not refute my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
• 1 reference in Micah:
"Some, but not all, scholars accept that only chapters 1–3 contain material from the late 8th century prophet Micah.[10] The latest material comes from the post-exilic period after the temple was rebuilt in 515 BCE, so that the early 5th century BCE seems to be the period when the book was completed.[14] ... Still later ... the book was revised and expanded further to reflect the circumstances of the late exilic and post-exilic community.[17]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Micah
In other words, only the first 3 chapters can be dated to the prophet Micah's century (8th BC). The remainder of the book was "revised and expanded" in the late Babylonian captivity and post-Babylonian captivity periods.
Where is Micah's one reference to Abraham? In chapter 7 - the portion of additions. Thus, here too, this reference to Abraham does not refute my claim that Abraham first appeared in scripture in 539 BC.
Of all these references to Abraham, only one could possibly refute my claim that Abraham was invented and inserted into scripture in 539 BC in Babylon at the time the Torah and other early Old Testament books were compiled.
Only one exception to my claim? For such an important figure as Abraham? The one who received the promise?
Indeed, there is only one reference that could possibly prove Abraham was known to the Israelites prior to 539 BC. Yet, as I considered above, even this one reference could have been an addition inserted at the time all these sources were consulted in the writing of the Old Testament in Babylon in 539 BC.
Given the absence of any other pre-539 BC reference to Abraham, I still must contend Abraham was "invented" and added into scripture for the first time in 539 BC, for the sole purpose of drawing a parallel between Abram's leaving the land of Sumer (same land as Babylon) to go west of the Jordan - just as the Israelites were being asked to leave Babylon to go west of the Jordan in 539 BC., as I describe in the last section of my post.
submitted by GoAheadMMDay to conspiracy_posts [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:36 Weathers_Writing What Looks In

I'm writing this as a warning.
This warning only applies to those who are sleeping in a house / apartment / enclosed space with another person.
If you wake up between the hours of 2 AM and 4 AM to the sound of your door opening, beware. The person who looks in may appear to be another member of your household: a parent / roommate / guest, but that’s only a facade.
The thing masquerading as a person will stare in at you for 5 to 7 seconds. If you acknowledge its presence, it will come for you. If you shift in your bed too noticeably, it will come for you. If you get up and turn on the lights, it will come for you.
You must remain perfectly still and quiet. Pretend like you're asleep. And whatever you do, if you see it enter your room… Don't struggle.
Struggling only makes it worse.
***
The above was copied from the front page of Maddie’s digital notepad collection, titled, “THEYRE WATCHING ME,” which was collected by police shortly after her and her roommate Rebecca's sudden disappearance a few days ago. The following logs were from the same notepad.
Note 1
It’s currently 5AM and I just had the scariest experience. I’m not sure if I’ll ever show this to anyone, but in case I do, I’ll give you some context.
My name is Maddie. I’m 24 and living in [redacted] Wisconsin. I live in one of those two-story house apartments: the ones where you have an anteroom with the mailboxes, then you walk in and there’s like 4 doors to different living spaces. I live in room “B” with my roommate Michelle.
Michelle and I both graduated from [redacted] one year ago and decided to find work in the local area. We were actually in the same sorority—that’s how we met—so rooming together to save money was a no-brainer. The only concern I had at the time was her boyfriend, Nick, who was attached at her hip. But she said he wouldn’t be a problem (meaning he wouldn’t be our third roommate) and luckily he found his own place the two of them could rendezvous at. I’m not sure why they didn’t just move in together, it’s not like they’re waiting till marriage or anything, but I guess that’s a question for another time.
I went to sleep around midnight after watching a few episodes of Bridgerton. I’m the type of person who can’t sleep if there’s even a wink of light on in the room, so after I turned off the TV, I laid a book up against the blue dot which was permanently embedded into the bottom of the TV panel. Then I made sure the blackout curtains were covering the window completely. I saw Michelle in the hall and asked her if she was going to sleep. She yawned and said she was, then she went into her room and closed the door. I did the same.
I put my phone up to charge and turned it over so the “charging” light was facing the nightstand. Then I slipped under the sheets (a comforter, two normal bedsheets, and a weighted blanket,) and turned off the lamp. It had been a long day of work, and there was another one waiting for me tomorrow. Before I knew it, I had drifted off.
In my dream, I remember running away from something. I’m not sure what was chasing me, but I was overcome with a sense of fear, and the knowledge that if it caught me, it would eat my soul.
Then I heard something. At first I attributed it to the dream, and I tried to figure out what the assailant was doing, but then I realized I was awake. The world around me was pitch black, as usual, and I was about to turn and check the time on my phone when I saw the bluish-white tint of the hallway night-light reflecting off the wall in front of me. Michelle and I had installed that light so we could see in the hallway should we wake up at night and need to pee. And now it was lighting up my room…
Which means someone opened my door.
And not just opened it. As I stared half-delirious at the wall, I realized there was a body-shaped shadow hovering in the center of the light. Someone was standing in the doorway, watching me.
I stayed absolutely still. My mind raced through the potential scenarios. Was it Michelle? Doubtful. She wasn’t the type to joke around like that. An intruder? Maybe, but why just stand there? Could it be that Nick had stayed over and . . . and, what?
Just then, I heard the most awful creaking sound, as if thousand-year-old hinges were whining shut. I saw the blue light fade from the wall, and then with a click, it was gone. The entire world fell completely dark. Completely silent. And the only thing I could think was…
Did they come into the room?
It’s around this time I noticed my bladder was full, but I held it, remaining in a perfectly petrified state for hours until I built up the courage to move. I reached for my phone, half-expecting to feel a hand grip mine as it left the safety of the mattress. But I was able to pick it up and check the time. I considered using the flashlight, but I was still too scared to look around. So I watched some Tik Tok videos, trying to take my mind off my full bladder, but it was on the verge of exploding. I stood up, fully intent on marching into the hall, but after two steps I thought I saw a witch’s face in the darkness, so I immediately jumped back into bed and piled the covers over my head. I’m writing this now from the safety of my little blanket bubble. I don’t have to pee anymore. And I’m already loathing the idea of going to work on basically no sleep. Maybe I’ll call in. Hell, maybe I’ll just stay here all day. I feel like I should confront Michelle, but to be honest, I’m afraid.
I’m more afraid than I’ve ever been in my whole life.
Note 2
So I ended up staying home. Let me explain.
After I heard Michelle head into the kitchen, I decided it would be as good a time as any to leave my dream fortress. I was more tired than scared at that point and frankly a little angry that I had let what was probably my imagination rob me from a good night's rest.
When I reached the kitchen, I saw Michelle bent over with half of her body inside the refrigerator. I had a sudden, disturbing feeling that this wasn't Michelle, and when she popped out of the fridge, her face would be missing. The only explanation I have for my feeling is the dream from the previous night. Whatever was chasing me didn't have a face. That's why it wanted to eat me and take mine.
But when she pulled out a carton of eggs and some shredded cheese, her face was perfectly intact. "Oh, hey Maddie," she said, surprised. Then she smirked and said, "Were you checking me out?"
The sudden snap of Michelle's whimsical personality broke open the dam of tension that had been erected last night and I burst out laughing. It took a solid minute for me to be able to get a handle on it, in which time Michelle asked me if I was okay (twice), then started laughing herself, then came over to pat me on the back, then laughed again (this time anxiously), and then finally started the whole loop over.
"I'm okay," I said, and held my hand up to wave an invisible white flag. "I just—" I started, but suddenly my mouth was filling up with hot saliva. I hardly had time to react. I took three steps toward the kitchen sink and spewed acidic chunks all over the floor, then the counter, and finally down the sink drain.
While Michelle helped me clean up the mess (which I told her she didn't need to do, but she insisted), I asked her if Nick had come over the prior night.
"No. As far as I know he was at his place. Why?" Michelle asked.
"Oh, no reason," I said. I hesitated telling Michelle because I honestly felt a little ridiculous admitting that I had ruined a whole night's sleep over a fear of the dark. But after a second to think about it, I realized I did want my friend to know. "I mean, there was this thing that happened last night."
"Thing?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I thought someone had opened my door in the middle of the night. I work up and—you know the blue hall-light? It was projecting into my room. I even swear I saw someone in the doorway, watching me. Then I heard the door close, and I was so afraid that I couldn't sleep all night."
"You didn't sleep?"
"Not a wink."
"Oh, Mads. That sounds horrible. But I swear Nick wasn't here. Unless he's become a secret stalker. And I hope you don't think I'd do something like that."
"No, I know you wouldn't. I just—I don't know. It was so vivid."
"Well, how about you take the day off. You've been working lots of overtime lately. You're clearly not well. When I get back tonight, I'll bring some soup and we can watch some movies. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great Michelle. You're the best."
Note 3
Holy fuck.
I ended up taking a nap then waiting for Michelle to get home. She arrived around 8:30 PM, and when I asked her, she said she'd stopped by to see Nick. She also forgot the soup, but that's a little point.
The big point is that, after watching our movies, we both went to bed. I was confident that the whole incident the night before had been a case of a bad nightmare mixing with reality, so with the aid of 5mg of melatonin, I was asleep a little after 1 AM.
I recall having the same dream as the night before. This time, the faceless person got closer. I was running through an empty office that was built like a labyrinth, with random assortments of cubicles—all empty except for me and the monster chasing after me. I would turn a corner into a new room, this one without any dividers, and immediately scout out the next exit. Just as I made it to the other side of the room, I saw the thing enter. My heart was pounding.
And then I heard my door open. Somehow, I had turned so that I was facing my door this time, and the blue hall light beaming into my eyes. I stared, completely breathless, as the figure from last night stepped into the doorway. I wanted to scream, but for some reason, I couldn't move. I was absolutely petrified. And my fear only increased when I saw the figure's head enter into the room, its long neck protruding, its expression leering. With the light in the background, its face was almost purely black—faceless—except, it wasn't. I could make out some features. And that's when I noticed her hair. She had a pixie cut, the same way Michelle styled it. And then, as her head retracted, I saw the silhouette of Michelle's chain earring.
My heart was thumping in my throat. I couldn't believe it really was Michelle. How could she do something like that and lie about it so easily? I wanted to get up and confront her right away, but I couldn't. I was still absolutely petrified. And a little voice in the back of my head was still saying: maybe it's not her. Maybe that thing just looks like her.
But that's crazy talk.
Right?
Note 4
Well now I have no idea what's going on.
Michelle barged into my room this morning and claimed I had looked into her room. I assured her that she was the one who looked in my room, but that accusation was only met with a sneer and a "don't pull that shit again, Maddie." Then she slammed my door shut. I tried going after her, but she grabbed a banana and was out the door before I could stop her to talk things through.
The weight of everything that has been happening really made it impossible for me to function at work. I was effectively two days behind on my e-file and decided to stay a few hours late to try and make up as much as I could. I'm pretty sure that I'm a certifiable insomniac at this point, but what am I supposed to do? Now my own roommate and best friend had turned on me. And worse, she was accusing me of doing something she did. Or at least I think she did. Honestly, I'm not ruling anything out at this point.
I decided to stay over at my other friend's house tonight. Her name's Shelby, and she lives with her husband, Tony, and their three dogs. Yeah, they moved pretty quick. They were engaged by Junior year and sealed the deal the Summer after graduation. He is an electrician, so he's been making a steady income for a little over three years now, which is why he can afford to drop fifty grand on a downpayment for a mortgage.
Anyway, I told Shelby about what's been going on, and she's as freaked out as I am. She offered her guest room for as long as I need it. I thanked her but said it would probably just be a day, two at max, until I caught up on sleep.
I'm writing this now from the guest room. I'll admit, even here, in a house with two people and three dogs, I'm scared. Part of me hopes that it really is just Michelle trying to prank me, or even get under my skin. That would be a preferable explanation to any of the alternatives I've come up with. Maybe I'll tell you about those later. I'm so tired.
See you on the other side.
Note 5
It's been over a day since that last note. I'll try and recount everything as clearly as I can.
That night I stayed at Shelby's, I didn't have any dreams. Actually, my entire sleep felt very strange. I don't know if you've ever experienced this, but I felt like I was sleeping and not sleeping at the same time. Like, I was conscious of the fact that I was laying down, but I also couldn't move, and I felt like I was in a shallow sleep state.
I woke up the next morning basically feeling the same as when I'd gone to sleep. Maybe even worse. I felt restless, as if I'd been running around all night. When I went to the bathroom, I saw my eyes were bloodshot red, and there were two purple purses strapped underneath them. I took a cool shower, as my body felt extremely hot, then went to get dressed.
I didn't really notice anything until I went downstairs to get breakfast. I was expecting to meet Shelby and Tony at the kitchen table, but it was empty. Where did they go? I called for them, but no one answered. I checked my phone, but I didn't have any new messages. They were just… gone.
I ended up toasting a bagel and eating that on my way out. I was going to be late for work again. At this rate, I would be fired by next week. I sent Shelby a text thanking her again for hosting me. I considered asking her where she had been off so early, but I thought that might come across as rude, so I pulled that message and instead asked her to dinner, my treat.
By the time work ended, I hadn't received a text from Shelby and I was starting to get worried. I was just about to call her when my phone rang. It was Michelle.
"Michelle?" I answered.
"Hey, Mads. I—"
There was silence.
"Michelle? Hello? I think you cut out."
"No, sorry. I just… wanted to apologize. I miss you."
"Oh," I responded. "I miss you, too."
"Come home?"
I clicked my tongue. "Um, yes. I mean, I will, but I was about to call Shelby. Have you heard from her? I stayed over at her place last night and now I don't know where she's gone."
"Probably just went camping with Tony. You know they like their spontaneous trips."
"Sure…" I said doubtfully, "But, like I said, I stayed over. You'd think she'd at least send me a message letting me know where she was off to."
"It's Shelby, Mads. She's always off to somewhere."
I considered this. It was true that Shelby was known for being a bit sporadic, but this was definitely more than just sporadicism. And Michelle was being awfully pushy on the subject. Still, I did want to go home. I was exhausted, and I couldn't wait to sleep.
When I stepped in the door, Michelle was waiting for me on the couch. She was crying.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She rushed up and hugged me. "It's Nick. We broke up."
"What!?" I shouted. "What do you mean you broke up? Who? Who broke up with who?"
"He broke up with me. He said he was interested in someone else."
"He said this today?"
"Yeah,"
"Oh, Michelle, I'm so sorry."
I stayed up with Michelle and listened to her spill her guts about the relationship, telling me all sorts of things I didn't know, and some things I could have gone without knowing. Neither of us wanted to be alone, so we slept on the couch together, both of us dozing off to a Netflix movie.
Or at least I thought that's what happened.
I woke up sometime in the middle of the night in my bed. I touched the spot to the left, then to the right of me, and I couldn't feel anything. Where's Michelle?
Then I heard her scream from outside my door. Her voice was trailing off, as if something were hauling her away. I got up and tried the knob, but it wouldn't open. I saw the blue light filtering through the crack underneath the door. It was faint, but there were footsteps moving in the light. I dropped down so my head was on the ground and stuck my eyeball in the crevice. I could make out two large, tree-trunk feet standing directly outside Michelle's door, but nothing else. I stood up and tried the handle again. It still wouldn't budge. This time I tried looking through the crack between the doorframe and the door itself. And what I saw through that tiny slit chilled me to the bone. The monster from my dream was standing there, holding my roommate up in the air, siphoning the life out of Michelle's face into her own blank visage. It was as if her entire face was a giant, toothless maw, gaping, sucking in the prey whole.
I didn't realize I was holding my phone, and when it dropped to the ground, I felt my soul flee my body. The monster stopped sucking my roommate's essence, and in an audible snap of its neck, its face rotated 90 degrees in my direction.
I backed away from the door, watching the two dark stumps grow larger in the blue light still seeping in along the carpet. I fell back down on my bed and watched in horror as the door knob twisted, and twisted, and… the door opened.
Michelle smiled at me from the doorway. She was definitely Michelle. There was not one imperfection in her facade. Yet I knew it was that monster. The monster had taken her appearance. I waited for the demon to take a step into my room, to come and take me the way it had taken Michelle, but it didn't. It only stood there, seemingly waiting for something. After seven seconds or so of absolute torture, the Michelle clone grabbed the knob with one hand, and with her other, she lifted her finger to her lips in shushing motion. Then she giggled and closed the door.
I was once again in the dark.
Note 6
Michelle was gone. And judging from the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Shelby and Tony might have had a run in with the demon as well. I sat on the couch for a long time, contemplating what I should do. If I was right, then the only common denominator in all three of their disappearances is me.
But why?
I looked in the mirror again and saw that my eyes were almost completely red. My teeth were also starting to yellow, and while I've never had any cavities, I could see quite a few hollowed out holes in my molars. My fingernails were growing much faster than normal. I had only cut them last week and now they were so long it seemed like I was wearing acrylics. Was I becoming a monster? Was I becoming that monster?
No, I couldn't take that.
I called my work and told them I was quitting. They didn't seem very surprised, moreso annoyed that I had spent a week calling out before I decided to just up and leave. I didn't stay on the line to explain my circumstances. I was too busy plotting for tonight. You see, if I really was this monster, then it wouldn't be able to hurt me without hurting itself. On the contrary, I could hurt others without knowing it. I had created a kind of blood pact with me somehow, and now it was tied to me. At least that was my working theory. So, I just needed to confront it and either bring it or myself close enough to death so that it was no longer worth staying fixed to me.
I gathered up the tools I thought I'd need, including every lumable appliance in the apartment (and some bonus lights from the store) all connected to a single switch, a knife (sharpened), a box of matches (just in case), and a whole bunch of caffeine pills. I set up the lights so they were facing the door. There were 3 LED lanterns, two remote spotlights, a halogen work light, and a bunch of Christmas lights which I used to decorate the ceiling. Then I took the sharpened butcher knife and placed it underneath the pillow next to me. Finally, I set the box of matches on the nightstand.
At around 9:00 PM I took a few caffeine pills. I didn't know if I actually needed to be asleep or not for the entity to come, but I was hoping if I feigned it, that would be enough. Especially because I think falling asleep is how it claims control over me.
I watched videos on my phone until around 1:30 in the morning. Despite the caffeine, my eyes were starting to feel heavy. It took a conscious effort to keep my eyelids from shutting, and when they shut, it felt like climbing up a hill to open them back up. Another ten minutes passed. Then another ten minutes. Then I was counting single minutes, then seconds. Then…
I was back in the office, standing by the vending machine, when all the lights went out.
"Hello?" I called out.
But there was no answer. I waited to see if the lights would come back on, but instead I heard the sound of footsteps shuffling maybe ten feet in front of me. They were running away from me. Further and further, into the next room.
"Hello?" I called again.
The footsteps froze. Then, slowly, they walked back in my direction. A nice, slow walk. Then a speed walk. And then they were sprinting at full speed directly at me.
I shot up in bed and saw the faceless figure staring at me from the doorway. This time it didn't have a facade.
"Got you, bitch," I scorned and pressed the switch, activating all of the lights. They turned on in a glorious beam, and I saw the faceless demon actually recoil from them and back up into the hallway. I ran to the door and slammed it shut.
It's been maybe ten minutes since I scared the thing away. At least I know its weakness now. I think… hang on, I still hear it behind the door. What is it doing?
The following is a voice recording saved to Maddie's phone at approx 3:17 AM:
Guys, can you hear me? I don't know if I'll be able to write this, so I want you to listen. I'm going to try and kill it.
[Door banging in distance]
You hear that? It's trying to get in. The bitch forgot I have light. I—hang on, the lights are flickering. Fuck, what's happening?
[Door banging gets louder]
Shit, okay, plan B.
[Shuffling sounds]
Okay, I got the knife. I'm going to see if hurting myself will work.
[Door slams open and lights audibly click off]
Take this! Ow, ow—damn, that hurts.
[Lights click back on]
Oh, shit, it's not—wh—what is it doing? Oh, it's laughing.
[Laughter audible as low gurgling sound]
Yeah? Well laugh at this, bitch.
[Strikes match, flares. Entity releases an anguished roar]
Yeah, back the fuck up. I mean it. Back up. Back—
[Enraged roar. The lights click off again. The sound of furniture crashing against the walls]
Hey, cut that out. Cu—
[High pitched whirring sound]
No—please, no. Not that
[silence, followed by gurgling sounds]
[sounds of flame billowing]
Audio cuts out
***
The police responded to a 9-1-1 call at 3:46 AM claiming their neighbor's apartment was on fire. The fire department showed up and confirmed this at around 3:54 AM. The fire was promptly extinguished, and rescue men entered the premises, looking for survivors. There were no bodies found.
Maddie's phone and laptop were recovered from the wreck, and after searching both for clues as to her whereabouts, these files were found. The most eerie thing about the files is that they make repeated mention to a "Michelle", who was supposedly Maddie's roommate, but multiple other sources, including both victim's parents, have told us that Maddie's roommate was Rebecca [redacted], leading to confusion as to who Michelle really was. Or if there really was a Michelle at all. Which begs the question:
Who was looking into Maddie's room?
submitted by Weathers_Writing to weatherswriting [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:15 wsppan Today In Phishstory - June 10th

# Today In Phishstory - June 10th Brought to you by tiph-bot. Beep.
All data extracted via The Phishnet API.

Phish

Phish, Sunday 06/10/2012 (12 years ago) Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2012 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : Down with Disease > Funky Bitch , The Moma Dance > Sample in a Jar , Axilla , The Gambler 1 , Possum > Wilson > Tweezer > Free > Backwards Down the Number Line > Cavern
Set 2 : Golden Age > Also Sprach Zarathustra > Chalk Dust Torture , Carini -> Shafty > Rock and Roll , Alaska > Harry Hood 2 -> Light > Character Zero > Rocky Top
Encore : Show of Life > Julius > Tweezer Reprise
1 Phish debut; Kenny Rogers on vocals. 2 Unfinished.
Show Notes:
The Gambler was a Phish debut and featured Kenny Rogers on vocals. Possum featured The Gambler and Streets of Cairo teases. Tweezer contained a Walk This Way tease from Trey and I Am Hydrogen teases from Fish. Shafty was played for the first time since December 30, 2003 (159 shows). Hood was unfinished.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 06/10/2011 (13 years ago) Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2011 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : Rocky Top , Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove , Stash , Tube > Guyute , Guelah Papyrus , Scent of a Mule , Cavern , The Sloth , The Curtain With
Set 2 : Down with Disease 1 -> Free > Possum , Big Black Furry Creature from Mars , Swept Away > Steep > David Bowie , Julius , Golgi Apparatus > Fluffhead > Joy
Encore : Bold As Love
1 Unfinished.
Jamchart Notes:
The Curtain With - There are a few spots here and there in The Curtain and the beginning of With that seem a bit off. Nonetheless, Trey soloing in With seems particularly inspired, and Mike is also noticeably strong. The jam reaches a fairly intense peak, before expectedly settling to conclude.
Steep - Trey's wonderful, pretty, and soulful soloing, accompanied by Mike's on-point, cascading runs, work to create a truly notable version. Per netter @jerryguscia, Trey quickly shifts towards a bit of jamming featuring some rhythmic, low-key strumming, play which breaks to become dark and funky improvisation before dissolving into those hazy waves of sound typical for the era.
Show Notes:
The Theme from Rocky was teased before Rocky Top and Trey teased Pop Goes the Weasel before Down With Disease. Disease was unfinished.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Wednesday 06/10/2009 (15 years ago) Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2009 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : Runaway Jim , Punch You in the Eye , Ocelot , Foam , Train Song , Undermind , Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove , The Squirming Coil , Character Zero
Set 2 : Back on the Train , Waves > A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing > David Bowie , Army of One , Reba 1 , Hello My Baby , Julius > Cavern > Harry Hood
Encore : Frankenstein 2
1 No whistling. 2 Page on keytar.
Jamchart Notes:
Foam - Powerful Page solo with a ragtime feel. Trey brings the volume way down at first before a big peak. Sounds like '93 - '94.
Waves - This is a very well-played version with a full length "Waves" jam. 3 minute outro jam leads to transition to "ASIHTOS."
Reba - Excellent full-band play featuring quiet, expansive and contemplative work from Trey, whose warm tone is complimented in great part by Page. Mike and Fish modify the beat, and the musicians dial the jam down to an all but erasure of sound. Mike and Trey team to rebuild momentum, before Trey summons a few chords and, shaping his sound, directs the band into a passage of measured and progressive space.
Show Notes:
Reba did not have the whistling ending. Hello My Baby was played for the first time since December 5, 1999 (140 shows). Frankenstein featured Page on keytar.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Saturday 06/10/2000 (24 years ago) Zepp, Koto-ku, Tokyo, , Japan
Gap Chart, Tour: 2000 Summer Japan Tour
Set 1 : Down with Disease , Sample in a Jar , Piper , Lawn Boy , Guyute
Set 2 : Heavy Things , Sand , Sparkle > My Soul , Bathtub Gin > Jam > Twist , Albuquerque , Wading in the Velvet Sea > Loving Cup
Encore : The Inlaw Josie Wales , Limb By Limb
Jamchart Notes:
Down with Disease - A very upbeat groove develops and grows more intense as it progresses. Eventually the jam becomes more subdued before rebuilding with spacey effects and returning to "DwD" to conclude.
Piper - Beginning with a style and sound so typical of '00, the band then twists this jam into a bleak, nightmarish soundscape. From there, it breaks into a decent groove before finally succumbing to space.
Show Notes:
Disease included San-Ho-Zay teases. Mike teased Dave's Energy Guide in Piper.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Saturday 06/10/1995 (29 years ago) Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1995 Summer Tour
Set 1 : Makisupa Policeman -> Llama , Prince Caspian > It's Ice > Free > Rift , You Enjoy Myself -> Hold Your Head Up 1 > Lonesome Cowboy Bill > Hold Your Head Up , Suzy Greenberg
Set 2 : Maze , Fee 2 > Uncle Pen , Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove , Amazing Grace , Sample in a Jar
Encore : A Day in the Life 3
1 Vocal jam. 2 Trey sang verses through megaphone. 3 Phish debut.
Jamchart Notes:
Mike's Song - The 1st jam segment (to 7:20) is loaded with tension and moderate dissonance. The 2nd jam begins with sounds akin to "Simple," but gradually descends into a murky caldron of eerie and spacey improvisation. At 14:00, the jam begins to emerge from the underworld with low key play, a rhythmic pulse, and growing, dissonant energy, before finally returning to "Mike's" proper to wrap up.
Weekapaug Groove - Some "CYHMK"-like jamming leads to a quieter improvisational section which pushes the bounds of "Weekapaug" proper. Released on Live Bait Vol. 6.
Show Notes:
This show marked the first Phish performance of A Day in the Life. YEM segued into a HYHU vocal jam. Page teased Fanfare for the Common Man several times before Lonesome Cowboy Bill. Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 06/10/1994 (30 years ago) Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1994 Summer Tour
Set 1 : Runaway Jim , Foam , Sample in a Jar , Nellie Kane > Demand > David Bowie , The Lizards , Cavern , Julius
Set 2 : Axilla (Part II) > The Curtain > Tweezer > Lifeboy > Sparkle > Possum 1 , Hold Your Head Up > I Wan'na Be Like You > Hold Your Head Up , Harry Hood , Tweezer Reprise
Encore : Sleeping Monkey > Rocky Top
1 Random Note signal.
Jamchart Notes:
David Bowie - Typically strong '94 "Bowie" that gets mean, nasty and thrashing as it progresses.
Tweezer - A short, but magnificent version, though controversial, as some remain deaf to its majesty.
Possum - Awesome pump-it-up jam. Excellent musical variation from 3:55 - 4:30, then it's off to the "Possum" party.
Show Notes:
Bowie included a Leprechaun tease by Trey. During Lizards, Trey talked about the rocks that looked like a giant lizard and referenced the last time they played at Red Rocks (August 20, 1993). Lizards also contained a Fanfare for the Common Man tease from Page. Cavern included Purple Haze and Voodoo Child teases from Trey. Tweezer contained What a Man (Linda Lydell original that was remade by Salt-n-Pepa in 1993) quotes from Trey. Possum contained a Random Note signal.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Saturday 06/10/1989 (35 years ago) The Living Room, Providence, RI, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1989 Tour
Set 1 : Run Like an Antelope , McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters > Ya Mar , You Enjoy Myself , AC/DC Bag > Foam , Good Times Bad Times
Show Notes:
YEM was played for "Max's" "Goddard Springfest birthday" and contained a Happy Birthday tease from Trey. This setlist is incomplete, and may also be incorrect. This set also has incorrectly circulated as the second set of 8/23/89.
Listen now at Phish.in!

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio Trio, 2023-06-10 Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-trio-june-10-2023-mission-ballroom-denver-co-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: This show featured the debuts of The Endless Dream, Pillow Jets, Outside the Lines, and Machine and the first public performance of If I Could See the World (which had previously been played on October 9, 2020 during the Beacon Jams). Moma Dance was unfinished. Fish quoted Louie, Louie in Twist. Trey and Fish quoted The Well in the soundcheck's Moma Dance. hey stranger was teased before the soundcheck's Shaking Someone's Outstretched Hand.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2006-06-10 Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-10-2006-nissan-pavilion-at-stone-ridge-bristow-va-usa.html
Tour: TAB - Early Summer 2006 Tour
Show Notes: This single set performance was as the opening act for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
Jazz Mandolin Project, 1993-06-10 Last Elm Cafe, Burlington, VT, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-10-1993-last-elm-cafe-burlington-vt-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes: Tree Fist featured chords and lyrics improvised by the audience. Kitty Litter Blues was also improvised and featured Anne Weiss on vocals. I Saw the Light, Alabama Jubilee, and Better Get It In Yo' Soul featured Shane Brodie on guitar and vocals. This is the first public performance billed as Jazz Mandolin Project.

Mike Gordon

Benevento/Russo Duo featuring Mike Gordon, 2005-06-10 Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-june-10-2005-bonnaroo-music-arts-festival-manchester-tn-usa.html
Tour: Mike - The Duo Feat. Mike Gordon Spring 2005 Tour
Show Notes: This performance took place in That Tent. 9X9 through My Pet Goat were performed by The Duo only (without Mike). Foam contained a Lengthwise tease. The Beltless Buckler featured Gabby La La on sitar. This show was made available on LivePhish.com and officially released on CD as The Benevento/Russo Duo Featuring Mike Gordon, Live at Bonnaroo 2005.

Page McConnell

Page McConnell, 2007-06-10 The Vogue Theatre, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/page-mcconnell-june-10-2007-the-vogue-theatre-indianapolis-in-usa.html
Tour: Page McConnell Spring & Summer 2007 Tour
Show Notes: Page performed "Army of One" solo on piano.
submitted by wsppan to phish [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:08 No-Travel4499 A chill and chaotic 35-day trip in Dec/Jan (with LOTS of photos)

Last Dec my then-fiance and I married and went to Japan for our honeymoon. It was my husband's first time and my third time, but I was a young kid so basically they didn't count because I have a memory of a goldfish. We went to Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Takayama, Matsumoto, Nagano, Fuji, and day trips here and there. It was some of my life's best and most chaotic times. I'll tell you why a little later.
Tokyo - Part 1 (4 days) Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tsukiji market, Gotokuji
The best part of this leg was the quiet backstreets and suburbs of Tokyo, like the Gotokuji temple, Yoyogi Park, and the delicious food. After exploring Shinjuku on our first night we already established that we are not city people. Mostly because of the crowds. There were some fun moments too, like the extraordinary view of the Shibuya sky, the pretty fishies from the art aquarium in Ginza, and the Hie Shrine in Akasaka. We also went to Togoshi-Ginza shopping street in Shinagawa to fill our tummies. We scoffed the skewers and the croquettes down before I could take a photo. I think we also went to a pudding place called Tommy's pudding. If you were ever there you should try them.
Yokohama (2 days) Gundam factory, Chinatown
Our time in Yokohama was short but very fulfilling. The Gundam factory has to be the highlight of this leg and we genuinely feel sorry for those who missed out. Our thoughts are with you. Food in Chinatown was great, but every 50 metres or so the same food and shops reappeared. For a moment I thought it was because I was so tired that I was seeing things. A big thank you to the post office staff who helped us out and gave us a cute dragon soap as a honeymoon gift. I wish I remembered to ask for their names.
Osaka (5 days) TeamLab Botanical, Dotonburi, Hiroshima/Miyajima day trip, Den Den town, Namba
Our first time riding the Nozomi Shinkansen. Beautiful view and on the right-hand side (Tokyo to Osaka) you'll see Mt. Fuji if you're the few lucky ones.
The TeamLab botanical garden was something else. We didn't go to the Tokyo one but I'm so glad we went to the Osaka one. The next night we headed to Dotonburi and goodness me it was jam-packed. We mustered our strength and visited Hozenji and called it a night. At some point in this leg, we also went down to Hiroshima and Miyajima. The deers were a lot more timid than their buddies in Nara. Before leaving we hit up Den den town and Namba Yasaka shrine.
Nara (4 days at the end) Nara park, Hasedera, earthquake, and being chaotic
This leg was unforgettable for a couple of very unusual reasons.
Before the trip, I read how much people loved Nara, but I didn't feel the same way. Maybe it was the crowd, or maybe because I was psychic and knew shite was about to go down. Whatever reason it might be, Nara in my memory was underwhelming.
Saying that, if you travel south for about an hour you'll find a little town named Hase and its Hasedera temple. It was the best thing out of the trip for us. We did our fortune reading and (ironically) aha! Daikichi, the best 100 yen I'd ever spent! Husband got the number 69 and we giggled like a pair of naughty children.
On our way back we could hear alarms going off from people's phones. The station's signs and ceiling lights were swaying fairly aggressively back and forth, and we realised it was an earthquake. We learned that it was the Noto earthquake later on. Thinking back I'm grateful we went to Nara. I included Kanazawa and Toyama on our very first itinerary but eventually discarded them because I didn't want to be rushed. If we followed that instead we'd have been near Noto100%.
I also somehow injured my cornea on the very same night. I won't bore you with the details but I was in agonising pain and couldn't open either of my eyes. The good thing that came out of it was learning the Japanese ambulance was free. The bad thing was we couldn't move to Kyoto as planned. We ended up staying in Nara for two extra nights while I was pretty much bedridden. The staff was extremely helpful and offered to check in on me, making sure my husband didn't actually just stuffed me in a suitcase. Jokes aside, he was a champ. Before leaving we gave the hotel staff a souvenir we bought earlier as a thank-you gift.
Kyoto (5 days at the end) Central Kyoto, Gion, Uji, Shiga prefecture
Losing three days meant that we had to cut the Kyoto leg short. Since we didn't like the cities as much we decided to explore Kyoto another time, and went ahead with the day trips instead. Uji was another favourite of mine. Walking along the river made me feel like I did not have a worry in the world. Lake Biwa from the Shiga prefecture was majestic. We stopped by Omihachiman before heading to Hikone. On the very last night in Kyoto we were lucky enough to see the snow falling (but it didn't stick to the ground).
Takayama (2 days) Snow!
At this point of the trip I was slightly let down by the lack of snow we saw, however, Takayama did not disappoint. We tried Takayama beef that night and visited the Showa-Kan museum the next morning. It was snowing the whole morning and by the time we got to the Hida no Sato open-air museum it was truly a winter wonderland. I know most people prefer Shirakawa over the open-air museum, but we and another couple were the only people there. We had the whole place to ourselves, and that was extremely rare in Japan.
Matsumoto & Nagano (4 days) Matsumoto castle, Wasabi farm, Snow Monkey Park
If I have to use one word to describe Matsumoto it would be nogastic. It's so cozily small that I'd love to live in a city like that, not to mention it's nestled in the gorgeous Alps. We headed to the Matsumoto castle before dark. The next day we headed out to the Daio wasabi farm in Azumino. I got to give it to them for turning a farm into an attraction... Afterwards, we hopped on a train towards Hakuba with no particular destination in mind. The view we got on the train was stunning.
Despite being nearby, getting to Yamanochi from Matsumoto wasn't the most convenient because of the mountains I think. We were surprised by how 80s the train station and the train were in Nagano. It started snowing heavily when we got to our ryokan and continued while we were at the snow monkey park. After returning to the ryokan, it was time for the onsen and dinner. Funny to think that was all of our dinner - lol there were at least 7 courses hidden in the kitchen. I almost lost my balance walking out of the dining hall with my belly waiting to burst. Needless to say the next morning I was hungry again. My husband was like I couldn't eat anymore and I was like yeah yeah me too while demolishing all my plates. Before we leave we of course had to dip into the onsen.
Mt. Fuji (4 days) Fujiyoshida, Fujikawaguchiko
Since it's our honeymoon and probably one of the only few times we get to take a month off to travel, we went all out on this leg.
My husband found out about the gran class on the Shinkansen and looked at me with his puppy dog eyes, who am I to say no to that? That was honestly better than some of the business-class seats. We stayed at Bessho Sasa and everything about it was beyond phenomenal. We had another 10-course meal. Obviously did not learn our lesson. And for the next three nights, we had the most amazing time of our lives.
Just kidding.
Turns out that the time we visited Mt. Fuji was also the time many hotels and resorts did their maintenance, which meant we only got to stay one night there. I was like no biggie I can find us another nice hotel. So here was where I, as I quoted my husband, made the biggest mistake of the century. Looking at the photo you might think it wasn't that bad, but what I didn't show was all the stains and dust. The only saving grace was its view. It wasn't cheap either. If the day before we were in heaven then surely we had fallen to hell. We meant to stay for three nights but after the first night, I put on my best-acting face and checked us out. I know we could've stayed but it was our honeymoon and it just wasn't worth the misery. The new place was more like an Airbnb stay and so much better. We headed to the local supermarket so we could make our meals for the next couple of days and discovered exactly how much we get scammed in Australia.
Lake Kawaguchi was relaxing but so windy while we were there, luckily we had the local specialty hoto noodles to warm us back up. Mt. Fuji was feeling a little shy on the day we left.
Hakone (2 days) Lake Ashi, Hakone Checkpoint, Owakudani
Hakone was beautiful and better than I expected. What I didn't realise was how scattered all the attractions were. From our hotel we took the bus to Owakudani. It was exposed to some strong winds that made my heart skip a beat. I prayed for our souls and safety multiple times. Because of the hotel's location, we would pass Owakudani every time we went to the attractions and came back. We had a nice walk from the Hakone Checkpoint to Lake Ashi. While not as impressive as Lake Biwa, Lake Ashi was different with the view of Mt. Fuji and the Torri gate in the same picture. Hakone-Yumoto was okay, tofu ice cream had to be the second best ice-cream flavour just after lavender. The best part would be the hospitality of the people there. We couldn't get a taxi after our dinner one night and the very kind elderly couple asked their son to drive us back. We couldn't say thank you enough.
Tokyo part 2 (3 days) - Asakusa, Sensoji, Tokyo Skytree, Sumo tournament
Our hotel was right at the Rokku Yokocho and only a three-minute walk from Sensoji, so we never really wandered far on our last leg. We chose to visit Sensoji at night to avoid the crowd, and I honestly think people miss out if they only visit the temple in the daytime. We spent our last full day watching a sumo tournament. People went crazy for a few wrestlers. We had Kura sushi twice during this leg and no photos because I was being a piggie.
After the trip
To be honest both my husband and I were very travel fatigued by then and just wanted to go home. My brain is also a bit fried writing this post, so forgive me if I wasn't as detailed as some of the earlier legs.
We are so grateful to be able to experience Japan and the hospitality of the Japanese people. We are planning to return and drive to the countryside of the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions next time. We'll see you next time.
submitted by No-Travel4499 to JapanTravel [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:04 unicornmagicalness I just dont even know what to do anymore, please read this im begging you.

This post is basically just asking for help on what I need to do to get more confident or pretty or whatever. Ive always been the ugly but smart and funny friend. My friends always got attention from guys and people calling them beautiful, and I was just in the background. when i was younger, maybe 4th grade, me and my friends thought it would be cool to pretend we were models. my mom took some cute pictures of us and posted them on her facebook saying "these girls are so cute" or somethinig like that. Now, i had really jacked up teeth before i got braces and this was before. i also have wavy hair and i would brush it out since i didnt know about wavy hair products in 4th grade (obviously) which would make it puffy. all my friends had gorgeous, silky straight hair that i'd always been jealous of. someone commented on it "beautiful girls! except the 3rd one, whats wrong with her teeth? and that hair..." and of course the 3rd one was me. In 6th grade, all my friends had boyfriends and of course I wanted one too, so I confessed to my crush over a facetime call. Surprisingly, he said he liked me back and said he wanted to date. I was so happy and finally felt like I fit in, but a few days later, low and behold: he had posted the facetime call on his snapchat story with the caption "this b***h is so gullible" with a laughing emoji. Everyone started reposting it from my school and saying "God shes so ugly" and other mean things and before you know it I was the laughing stock of the school. My own best friends even made a groupchat with some boys from our grade and sent a super ugly picture of me in it and the boys were all saying things like "damn she needs teeth whitener" and "not surprised shes never had a boyfriend." a while later I thought things had calmed down, but then a bunch of girls started texting me randomly and saying "dont worry youre beautiful in your own way" and I was super confused. Until I found out that a rating page that some popular boys had made got leaked and I was on there. I had a few 1/10s, a few 3/10s, and actually one 5/10. my best friends (the ones who sent the pic of me to the gc) all had 8/10s, 9/10s, and 10/10s. not to mention, im also indian, which has made me the victim in more bullying. my name is alex (which I hate because its a boy name) but everyone would call me alibaba and do indian dances when they saw me. They would ask me how often I eat curry, why I smell so bad, and tell me I should straighten my hair because it was ratty. ive been straightening my hair ever since. Thankfully, I switched schools soon to a private school and it got better. I wasnt bullied anymore, but still in the background. I am left out often, im "apart" of the friend group but i never get invited to things, and im not as close with the group as they are with eachother. Recently, I became best friends with one of the popular girls. She is the sweetest girl ever and is literally PERFECT. even though she is the light of my life, she sent me into a downward spiral. she does EVERYTHING better than me. she is so aesthetic and everything she does turns out perfect, while I screw up literally everything possible. she is so incredibly pretty and once had 5 guys in the class all fighting over her at once so I had to make a pros and cons list with her to help her choose what guy she wanted. also, i wear a shit ton of makeup and have always had acne problems (which ive been bullied for my whole life, but thats another story) and had to go on accutane twice while she ONLY wears mascara and has crystal clear skin and pin straight healthy hair and still looks 100x prettier than i ever will. one time i liked a guy and we started to get close and I actually thought he liked me back. he posted on his story that he liked somneone from school so swiped up and said who and he said the friend. I shouldve known by now that i am not the type of girl that guys have crushes on, but i was still sad. I joined the singing team at my school and thoght it was something special that only I could do, but then she started sending me voice messages of her singing, and wow. i quit the team not long after, because whats the point? they all hated me anyways. Shes so sporty and has joined every school sports team, while also getting MVP on all of them. she knows all about sports which is probably why the guys like her so much. I think that im pretty smart, i get straight As and distinguished honor roll every trimester, but so does she. I am a dancer, but I am pretty mediocre. there was "bring a guest to dance day" and so I brought her. Of course, she excelled in it naturally and I made a fool of myself. her family is the picture perfect family, she had three older brothers and her parents are together and the whole family is close. meanwhile, my broken family consists of my dad (who is literally 75 while im 14) being a sugar daddy STILL to this day after cheating on my mom WITH a sugar baby (which im ashamed of), my sister (whos autistic) having a different dad than me whos currently in jail for tax evasion, and my mom (who is 51) trying her best to raise us. my friends dont even want to come to my dad house because a new sugar baby is there every night. ive ALWAYS been ashamed of having old parents and a weird family. im so jealous of my friend, she is so funny, sweet, beautiful, athletic, and just all around perfect. I try to be confident, but whenever I do something good, I always think "she could do it better, so it doesnt matter." I try my best to do my makeup,k straighten my wavy hair, and wear blue contacts since I want guys to notice me, but its to no avail. Have you ever read the book "best friends" or "real friends?" yeah, thats my life story. I recently went to six flags with her and some of my other friends and there was a group of guys following us around until they decided to come up to us. They all immediately went up to her, asking for her number and snap, but they eventually started hanging out with my other friends. except for me. there was only one guy not hanging out with a girl, and i thought he was kinda cute. I didnt want to embarrass myself though so i kept walking alone. one of the guys friends said to him "why dont you talk to her, shes alone" and he said "dude i dont wanna get stuck with the ugliest one in the friend group." After that, I said I needed to go to the bathroom and cried in the stall. when we were going on a ride, it was a two seater and he had to sit with me since all my friends and his friends had already chosen their people. he refused to go on the ride with me since i "smelled bad" so i ended up sitting with a random person. in my opinion, i think im average looking. theres nothing striking about me. ive got brown eyes, brown hair, fairish skin, and im average height. I wish I was shorter and skinnier with a better body type, but ive tried every workout and dance just makes me build more muscle and look more manly than ever. i also binge eat so much and watch movies for comfort, but regret it so much after. i look in the mirror and all i see is a fat pig. all i want is to look feminine and pretty but i look like a man. I have a boys name, i am so hairy that not even shaving can save me, i have a deep ugly voice that sounds like a clown, and i have ugly, manly features and a big nose. and HOLY SHIT, my laugh sounds demonic. i literally SNORT when i laugh, it so disgusting i immediately want to die after. and OF COURSE, my perfect best friend has a pretty girl name, grows very light body hair so she doesnt even need to shave, a cute voice and adorable laugh, and the cutest button nose and soft brown eyes and pretty straight brown hair. honestly, not even makeup can save me at this point. like, im so done with this "everyones beautiful in their own way!" "you are just different, and thats okay!" like no its not!! I dont want to be beautiful in my "own way" I just want to be beautiful! ive planned to get a nose job in the future and ive wanted to get blonde highlights to make myself look more interesting, but i doubt it would help. I also hate my personalty. im super weird which my perfect friend from before thinks is funny, but everyone else thinks im annoying. ive tried to be normal, but i just keep going back to my weird self. all i want to do is have guys pay attention to me to, and ive tried to wait for my "person" but im afraid they wont come. im going into freshman year of highschool with no relations with a boy whatsoever, not even a talking stage, while everyone else has boyfridnds and their first kiss. im so scared that i wont get a promposal, teenage love, a boyfriend, or even get married. i want all of these things so bad but i just dont think im pretty or cool enough or have any traits that a guy would want. ive been thinking that adopting kids or a sperm donor would be good, but its not the same. all i want is for someone to get me, and love me for me. i just dont know what to do, what is wrong with me? why am I always the butt of the joke, why am I always the forgotten one? i know im only 14, but im so done with this. ive been the ugly one my whole life. my whole life. ive gotten pretty comfortable with being by myself and ive grown to like it more than the company of others, but i wanna experience not being alone for once. i know this sounds pathetic, but i really just need help.
submitted by unicornmagicalness to helpme [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:04 ukpolbot r/ukpolitics General Election Campaign Megathread - 10/06/2024

👋 Welcome to the /ukpolitics General Election Campaign Megathread. Parliament has been dissolved, and Ed Davey is spending his mornings at Alton Towers. Oh! And there's an election on.
This is our new daily megathread for all of the day's news until the election. Polling day is on 4th July, and you need to make sure that you are registered to vote if you haven't already, and that you have a form of photo ID (passport, driving license, etc). If you don't have photo ID, you can apply for a voter authority certificate.
Please do not submit articles to the megathread which clearly stand as their own submission. Comments which include a link to a story which clearly stands as its own submission will be removed. Comments which relate to a story which already exists on the subreddit will be removed, to keep everything in one place. Links as comments are not useful here. Add a headline, tweet content or explainer please.
This thread will automatically roll over into a new one at 06:00 GMT each morning.
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📅 Key dates

from the Electoral Commission, BBC, Sky, ITV
  • 12th June, 7PM BST - 📺 Sky News "The Battle for Number Ten" (Sunak v Starmer live debate - format tbc)
  • 12th June, 7PM BST - 📺 ITV The Leader Interviews - Rishi Sunak - Conservatives
  • 13th June, 8:30PM BST - 📺 ITV multi-party debate (CON, LAB, LD, SNP, PC, GRN, REF)
  • 18th June - Deadline for new voter registration (to be able to vote in this election).
  • 19th June - Deadline for new postal vote applications (for this election).
  • 20th June, 8PM BST - 📺 BBC Question Time Leaders' Special (CON, LAB, LD, SNP)
  • 24th June, 7PM BST - 📺 ITV The Leader Interviews - Reform, Green (England/Wales) / SNP (Scotland)
  • 26th June - Deadline for new proxy vote applications and voter authority certificates (for this election)
  • 26th June, 9PM BST - 📺 BBC head-to-head debate (Sunak vs Starmer).
  • 27th June, 8:30PM BST - 📺 ITV The Leader Interviews - Keir Starmer - Labour
  • 4th July - Polling day. Emergency proxy votes deadline at 5pm. Polls will open at 7am and close at 10pm.

Manifestos

It's almost that time that the parties start putting out manifestos. Manifestos are essentially a set of documents which outline the policies that each party would want to implement if they were governing.
  • 📘 Conservatives: Around 10th-12th June (source)
  • 🌹 Labour: 13th June (source)
  • 🔆 Liberal Democrats: w/c 10th June (source)
  • 🎗️ SNP: TBC
  • 🌼 Plaid Cymru: 13th June (source)
  • 🌿 Green Party: 12th June (source)
  • ➡️ Reform: TBC (view "pre-manifesto")
submitted by ukpolbot to ukpolitics [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:02 Linear-Regresshaun ARTS 1 - Alden Lauzon

Mga naging requirement niya ngayong sem ay:
• 1 diagnostic essay at the start of sem
• 1 long activity (answer sa 20 questions sa study guide, short essay, summary ng Art Disciplines in Filipino)
• 1 long activity (explanation ng selected 7 art definitions, short essay)
• 1 reflection paper for a video
• 2 semiotic analysis
• 1 artwork in any medium + art module
• 1 HANDWRITTEN scrapbook for art history (20+ categories, with definition and examples each)
• 2 semiotic analyses of ads
• 1 analysis of a painting (3 pages)
• Long objective quizzes on art elements, art history, and essay exam on semiotic analysis
• Vargas Museum visit with class
• Ateneo Gallery Museum visit on your own
• End of sem reflection paper about the museum visits
Para lang sa mga gustong itake si Sir, just be informed na nagbabago mga requirement niya sa sem. Nagkataon na marami siyang pinagawa ngayon (nabudol ako ng mga "magagandang" review, kahit yung mga 1 year ago lang lol). Ilan sa mga observation ko rin ay:
FYI lang ito. Just so you know what youre going into
submitted by Linear-Regresshaun to RateUPProfs [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 07:01 20-9 Let's vote for Best Husbando 2024: Round 3!

I guess there were about 40 heartbroken indie lovers who sat out the last round. There were some close matches, some upsets--and a first tiebreaker! Today, the Shinsengumi was victorious over Isekai. Lowest seed still in is Kinji (143), having bested Fat Bird. Interesting Round 3 ballot, with a couple of same-series face-offs! (What routes will you make reality for Amnesia and Virche Evermore?)

>> HUSBANDO BALLOT <<

HOW TO VOTE: We have 128 entrants organized into 64 pairs. Vote between each (or uncheck your vote if you decide to abstain). You can vote all at once or lock in your ballot bit by bit. Your choices are reflected with red dots on the "Results" page. (Icon numbers show seed number, not current votes.)
DEBATE! Feel free to try convincing us why one husbando is more worthy (or unworthy)! Spoiler-free preferred but if you must, remember the spoiler-tagging format:
>!Make sure there aren't spaces next to the exclamation marks!!< 
ex: Make sure there aren't spaces next to the exclamation marks!
VOTING PERIOD: 3 days. (Will shorten to 2 days in later rounds.)
submitted by 20-9 to otomegames [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:58 SaltShakerOW PC having some very random crashes and restarts. Can anyone give their two sense?

Hey yall,
Normally I'm a pretty tech savvy person and can solve these kinds of problems but I'm sort of at a loss of what is happening to my computer.
A couple months ago, I migrated my custom build to a new case (O11D) with all of the same components outside of a new water block on my GPU and some fans (specs can be found at the bottom if anyone finds those to be useful). I've been enjoying my time on it, however, I'm getting 3 new issues that I have never seen before and may or may not be connected.
First of all, Brave, my primary browser, CONSTANTLY crashes, showing the classic "Aw Snap!" page with a "STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION" code being the only explanation.
Second, my computer just sometimes randomly decides to restart out of nowhere, booting back to the boot screen with the bios prompt and going right back into windows, like nothing ever happened. The former happens much more frequently, however both are really starting to get on my nerves.
Third, I get very occasional blue screens that also seem to be random in nature, with it just happening regardless if the system is under load or idle.
Temps look normal, all OCs are off, and these problems persist. I wish I could say I had some sort of logs, but I'm not even sure what logs I can provide for something like this, so if anyone can point me in the right direction I would be happy to provide them.
If anyone has any insight on these issues, please let me know. Thanks.
Specs:
AMD Ryzen 5900x
32GB 3200MHz DDR4 Trident Z RGB RAM
EVGA FTW3 Ultra 3080 (Waterblocked)
ROG Strix x570 Dark Hero
EVGA GT Gold 850w PSU
submitted by SaltShakerOW to techsupport [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:57 PutinPisces Question on TI BMS IC - how to design for a flexible number of cells

Question on TI BMS IC - how to design for a flexible number of cells
I'm trying to decide on the right BMS IC for a project that will need to be able to monitor anywhere from 10-16 cells and the TI BQ79616PAPRQ1 seems to be a great fit. The only thing that isn't clear to me is how could a board be designed to accommodate a flexible number of cells connected?
On page 195 of the datasheet it has some recommended application schematics on how to use the IC with varying numbers of cells. But it doesn't seem to contain a way to support a varying number of cells without depopulating resistors/capacitors (which would not be ideal). Any ideas on how to do this? Here's the schematic that's closest to what I'm looking for:
https://preview.redd.it/okofweddeo5d1.png?width=1022&format=png&auto=webp&s=d052e8d177bd605e4d5e9d76b488897ce471cc12
submitted by PutinPisces to AskElectronics [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:50 DizzyTraining4680 Twitter leak?

Long story short I fell for the scam. Got a video and everything threatening to post to ig followers. Luckily I found this page while I was panicking trying to figure out what to do. The scammer (Philippine woman) kept pressuring me so I tried to stall out as much as I can ignoring there multiple WhatsApp calls. I initially stalled by saying that I had no money and needed time to gather funds (wanted $5000 usd) then I proceeded to block. Couple minutes go by and they text me with a new WhatsApp number sending me a screenshot of the video posted along with my Instagram on twitter(X). I blocked, deleted WhatsApp, deleted all socials, and tried to find the video ( she had the caption but no username to look up) I didn’t find it until a few hours later of another victim however my post wasn’t there which was weird to me. Was blocking the right move? How come she “posted” my video and delete it while the poor guy’s video is still uploaded for hours?
TLDR: I got scammed, stalled time, did not pay, blocked, new text sending sc of “leak” on twitter, blocked and delete everything, tried to look up video, nothing there until it was a new victim, why is his still there and mine isn’t? Did I make the right move?
submitted by DizzyTraining4680 to Sextortion [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:47 dietcoke_444 another rant about the coquette + waif aesthetic <3

Ok so my previous rant about the coquette + waif aesthetic is about how the philosophy behind the aesthetic is all gone and it has been replaced by bmi 20 mentally healthy 14 year old girlies who scroll on instagram reels all day and loves shein and thinks placing one polyester 50 cent ribbon on their ugly heads = coquette
so today id like to post a second rant about the consumerist and enthusiastic vibe that coquette has now embaced.
im sure many of you know about girlblogging--where you would put vaguely concerning and problematic texts over a pic, usually over a 2000s /90s model, lily rose depp, lana del rey, or movies like girl interrupted. but now if you search up girlblogging on pinterest you'll see pics of sabrina carpenter or goddamn taylor swift with texts like :"smoking is not for hot girls!" . and this is interesting because in my opnion this relates a lot to the fact that coquette has become trendy and no longer "underground."
you see, taylor and sabrina produce pop songs, and pop songs have a beat and lyrics that are often watered down in order to cater to the largest number of people possible, and their songs certainly arent any different. and by the way, i dont fucking care if "that was just them singing about their experience as all other artists do!" well, that still doesnot stop your "artist" from making bad art, that conveys their experiences and emotions in the blandest way possible--thus defeating the point of art.
also pop songs give bmi 30 vibes, ya with me? i just imagine a chubby girl with a pretty tanned face (but doesnt bother to lose weight because they live in LA and curvy is pretty!! woohoo!) with a instagram clean girl makeup and glossy-ass hailey bieber lips (because that is what is currently trending and they have no personality outside of trends, and they dont fucking realize it) and straight hair tied up and a neon green top from shein with all their rolls peeking out of it along with baggy jeans (they hate skinny jeans because they can never pull it off) bouncing around in the club in la with a few of her bmi 21 white girl friends. the image in my head truly represents what is currently trending, and that is extremely tragic and nauseating.
anyways, back to taylor and sabrina and girlblogging. remember what i said about pop songs being attractive to the largest audience? and of course, you have to be "unproblematic" in order to attract the largest audience, and thats what taylor is. im so fucking tired of her "trump is bad but i might lose followers 🥺" bs. like girl stfu. you know what ur fucking audience is. her entire brand is so cheap and shitty yet those 13 year olds still try to make girlblogs out of her. she wasnt even hot when she was anorexic, thanks to the bland music that is associated to her. and sabrina. her makeup is so fucking ugly. her face is so round yet she tries to make these giant red cheekbones out of it. do you have any idea how fat that makes you look? and yes, her music is acc worse than taylors, all her albums even sound the same...if taylor is 15 flavors of bland than she is one flavor of something that is slightly sweet and bubbly.
and with their fans coming into the coquette community, and them quoting bland-ass lyrics from them, and them posting their bland-ass pics (with the occasional fucking ribbon) along with some bland-ass text saying "me when i forget to do homework", this truly reminds me of what most people think the girlblogger aesthetic always was.
well, why does the girlblogging aesthetic HAVE to be toxic? You see, the earliest version of coquette was nymphet, which purely consisted of pretty pics from lolita (1997), lana del rey, and americana outfits. and when coquette restarted and rebranded as a niche community in tumblr it was similar to that, maybe with a little more pink. there was simply no need of girlblogs, as the concept of coquette/nymphet was carefree and light as girlhood is often perceived to be, and pictures are enough. then came edtwt who also adopted the aesthetic. and other mentally-ill spaces. pictures were simply not enough to convey the infinite amounts of rage we have towards ourselves and others, so we had to girlblog.
there was also the phrase "gaslight gatekeep girlboss" in the waif community, and i suppose the perceived toxicity of the community helped us gatekeep it from others, including the pretty french girl coquette visuals cause they were only associated with priblematic things back then. but unfortunately the ogs died off, and i suppose, recovered from girl interrutped syndrome.
so yeah, i miss the old girlbloggers, and if you "girlblog" but is not problematic/weird in some extreme way--fuck off please. you are appropriating mentally ill and toxic teenage girl culture.
i wouldnt mind as much if these taylor stans created a separate coquette aesthetic tho. ( i would probably still bully them because i have the right to do so to these fucks) and sometimes, i wished lana never recovered from her qftc post. maybe that way these trend hopping tiktokers wont claim to be coquette after using the "let the light in" tiktok audio once. oh my fucking god please fuck off and die and continue listening to your shitty bmi 30 pop girl music.
and corporations. brandy melville used to be so unintentionally lily rose depp and girl interrupted and waif-- and lately they pushed out the product"amara hearts hearts tank" which is a white lace tank with baby pink hearts on it. this nauseates me to the core. its so intentional and a bunch of uncultured bmi 20 losers will comment on how "coquette" it is. and urban outfitters and shein, fuck you. and instagram reels accounts that will slap anything slightly feminine on their produce and claim their coquette, please die and continue catering to your 2020 ugly indie fashion crowd like you were always supposed to cater to. you cannot be associated with us. like wdym you use models that are over bmi 18?
so yeah, i miss when coquette/waif/messy french girl was niche. well at least they havent ruined heroin chic. because the very basis of being heroin chic was to be skinny and hot, which none of these taylor-swift listening uglies are. thank god.
xoxo i love yall tho<<3
submitted by dietcoke_444 to girlinterruptedsynd [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:44 UsualSet8535 Features and benefits of interactive QR codes for Facebook pages

Features and benefits of interactive QR codes for Facebook pages
https://preview.redd.it/g689t9x3co5d1.png?width=2240&format=png&auto=webp&s=693d0216ef359fbe2928e23dd78b362486bdc03f
In the current era of technology, individuals and businesses are constantly looking for innovative ways to improve their online presence and interact with their audience more effectively. Audience on social media platforms. One such innovation that has gained popularity is using QR codes for Facebook pages These interactive QR codes offer many features and benefits that can help elevate your Facebook marketing strategy to the next level. In this blog, we will delve into the world of Facebook QR codes, exploring what they are, how to use them effectively, and why they are essential for boosting Facebook

Table of Content

  1. Introduction
  2. What is a Facebook QR Code?
  3. What Information Can I Display on a Facebook QR Code?
  4. How to Apply QR Codes for Facebook
  5. The Role of a Facebook QR Code
  6. Features of Creating a Facebook Page QR Code
  7. Use a Facebook QR Code to Boost Facebook Engagement
  8. Why Do I Need a Facebook QR Code?
  9. Are There Any Facebook QR Code Best Practices I Should Know About?
  10. Conclusion
  11. FAQ

What is a Facebook QR Code?

Let's start with the basics: What is a Facebook QR code? A Free QR Code Generator Online is a two-dimensional barcode containing information about your page. Scanning by a smartphone or a QR code scanner directs users to your Facebook page, making it easy to access and interact with your content.

What Information Can I Display on a Facebook QR Code?

Facebook QR codes can be customised to display various information and actions. Here are some of the most common details you can include:
  1. Website Link: You can set your secure qr code generator to redirect users to your Facebook page's URL, ensuring they land on it directly.
  2. Contact Information: You can include contact details. Please remember to keep important personal information safe and secure, such as your phone number, email address, or physical address. It is essential to ensure that potential customers can quickly contact you for convenience.
  3. Event Promotion: If you're hosting an event on your Facebook page, the QR code can link directly to the event page, encouraging users to RSVP and join in.
  4. Social Media Sharing: QR codes can even be set up to encourage users to share your Facebook page or a specific post with their friends, helping to expand your reach.

How to Apply QR Codes for Facebook

Now that you understand what a Facebook QR code is and the kind of information it can display, let's discuss how to apply it effectively:
  1. Generate Your QR Code: Start by generating your QR code using a QR code generator or a Facebook QR code tool. You can choose the type of information you want to include, such as your page URL or contact information.
  2. Customize Your QR Code: Quick Dynamic QR Codes allow you to customise the appearance of your QR code. You can add your brand's logo, change colours, and select from different printing formats to match your branding.
  3. Print and Share: After your QR code is generated, you can print it on different marketing materials like business cards, flyers, and posters. These materials are crucial for promoting your business and its products or services. It's also essential to make your website easily accessible to your audience, both online and offline.
  4. Track and analyze: To measure the effectiveness of your Facebook QR code, use tracking tools to monitor the number of scans, conversions, and user interactions. This data can help you refine your marketing strategy.

The Role of a Facebook QR Code

Now that you've implemented Facebook QR codes, it's essential to understand their role within your Facebook marketing strategy. Here's how Facebook QR codes can benefit your page:
  1. Enhanced Accessibility: Facebook QR codes provide a convenient way for users to access your page, eliminating the need to search for your page manually. This accessibility can significantly increase the number of visitors to your page.
  2. Offline Promotion: Adding QR codes to print materials can link online and offline marketing efforts. Customers can quickly scan the code on flyers or QR Code on business cards to connect with your Facebook page.
  3. Increased Engagement: QR codes can drive specific actions, such as liking your page, sharing content, or joining events. This targeted approach can boost engagement and interaction with your page.

Features of Creating a Facebook Page QR Code

Let's take a closer look at some of the key features you can leverage when creating a Facebook page QR code:
  1. Customization: You can customise your QR code to align with your brand's identity. Add your logo, choose matching colours, and select the most suitable printing format.
  2. Social Media Sharing: Enable users to share your Facebook page or posts easily, extending your page's reach to a broader audience.
  3. Contact Information: Include essential contact details, making it convenient for potential clients or customers to contact you.
  4. Event Promotion: If you frequently host events on your Facebook page, create QR codes that lead directly to event pages, encouraging participation.
  5. Engagement Metrics: Utilize tracking tools to monitor the performance of your QR code, gaining insights into how users interact with your page.

Use a Facebook QR Code to Boost Facebook Engagement

The primary goal of any Facebook marketing strategy is to engage with your audience effectively. Facebook QR codes can play a pivotal role in achieving this objective. Here's how:
  1. Instant Access: With a simple scan, users can instantly access your Facebook page or specific posts, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of engagement.
  2. Prompt Action: Customise your QR code to prompt specific actions, such as liking your page, sharing content, or joining an event. This targeted approach encourages users to take immediate action.
  3. Offline to Online Connection: QR codes on physical materials like business cards, brochures, and posters provide a seamless transition from the offline world to your Facebook page, making it easy for potential customers to connect with your brand.
  4. Enhanced User Experience: QR codes simplify engagement with content, creating a positive user experience that encourages frequent interaction.

Why Do I Need a Facebook QR Code?

After discussing the features and benefits of QR codes on Facebook, you may wonder why you need one for your page. Here are some compelling reasons to consider:
  1. Convenience: Facebook QR codes make it incredibly convenient for users to access your page, and By engaging with your content, you can increase the likelihood of conversions.
  2. Bridge the Gap: QR codes bridge the gap between online and offline marketing efforts, allowing you to integrate both strategies seamlessly.
  3. Enhanced Branding: Customizable QR codes with your logo and brand colours reinforce your brand identity, making it more recognizable to your audience.
  4. Trackable Analytics: QR code tracking tools provide valuable insights into user interactions, helping you refine your marketing strategy and content.
  5. Boost Engagement: The ability to prompt specific actions through QR codes can significantly boost engagement on your Facebook page.

Are There Any Facebook QR Code Best Practices I Should Know About?

While using Facebook QR codes can be highly effective, following best practices to maximise their impact is essential. Here are some key considerations:
  1. Minimum Size: Ensure your QR code is large enough to be scanned easily. A small QR code may be challenging for users to scan, leading to a poor user experience.
  2. Logo: Including your brand logo within the QR code can help reinforce your brand identity, but be cautious to keep it manageable with enough information and intricate design elements.
  3. Colours: Stick to colours that provide a high contrast between the QR code and the background. This ensures accurate scanning and readability.
  4. Printing Formats: Consider where and how your QR code will be displayed. Different materials may require different printing formats, such as vector images for high-quality printing and raster images for online use.
  5. Optional Page Like Display: If your primary goal is to increase page likes, consider including a visual cue or call-to-action alongside the QR code to encourage users to like your page.

Conclusion

Facebook QR codes are a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your Facebook marketing efforts. Their ability to provide instant access, drive specific actions, and bridge the gap between offline and online marketing makes them valuable to any social media strategy. By customising your QR codes, monitoring their performance, and following best practices, you can leverage this technology to boost engagement, increase brand visibility, and connect with your target audience more effectively. So, don't wait – start incorporating Facebook QR codes into your marketing arsenal today and watch your Facebook engagement soar to new heights.

FAQ

What is the primary purpose of using a Facebook QR code?

The primary purpose of using a Facebook QR code is to provide a quick and convenient way for users to access your Facebook page or specific content on it. It eliminates the need for users to manually search for your page and encourages immediate engagement, such as liking your page, sharing posts, or participating in events.

Can I customise the appearance of my Facebook QR code to match my brand's identity?

Yes, you can customise the appearance of your Facebook QR code. Many QR code generators allow you to add your brand's logo, choose matching colours, and select from various printing formats. Customization not only reinforces your brand identity but also makes your QR code more visually appealing.

How do I track the performance of my Facebook QR code?

You can track the performance of your Facebook QR code by using tracking tools provided by QR code generator platforms. These tools allow you to monitor the number of scans, conversions, and user interactions with your QR code. This data provides valuable insights into how effective your QR code is in driving engagement.

Are there any size requirements for a Facebook QR code to ensure it can be easily scanned?

Yes, there are size requirements to ensure that your Facebook QR code can be easily scanned. It's essential to make your QR code large enough to be recognized by a smartphone's camera. A general guideline is to ensure that the QR code is at least 2x2 inches in size for optimal scanning.

How can I encourage users to scan my Facebook QR code on physical materials like business cards and posters?

To encourage users to scan your Facebook QR code on physical materials, you can include a clear call-to-action (CTA) alongside the QR code. For example, you can add text that says, Scan to like our page" or "Get exclusive content by scanning. A compelling CTA makes it clear to users what they can expect when they scan the code, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
submitted by UsualSet8535 to u/UsualSet8535 [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:44 Yugie KL Board Game Night Meetup - Friday 14 June 7.30pm, Vivae Board Games Cafe

Looking forward to seeing you there and getting our game on! Photos from past sessions (We used to do it at a different cafe.

FAQ

Question Answer
Is this beginner friendly? Totally! Every game gets explained to the group before starting. A few new players come for every session and have a great time!
What games will we be playing? The board game cafe has a huge library to choose from; check out their FB page for photos. The cafe staff have been quite good at recommending fun games as well.
Can I BYO? The venue has asked that we don't bring our own food and drink.
How do we get in touch on the night? PM me your number if you'd like to be added to the WhatsApp group.
Is there dinner beforehand? We're leaving it to the group to self-organise on this as it's hard to coordinate the whole group plus a big booking etc.
How many people attend? We generally have 12-24 people per session. Attendance varies widely and it's hard to predict!
When do events happen? Twice every month! Once on the 2nd friday at Vivae PJ, Once on the last Friday at Vivae Ampang.
submitted by Yugie to malaysia [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:43 BureaucraticHell Teenage (16 years old) entrepreneur looking for a mentor

Ever since I was little, I've always been fascinated by the world of startups and entrepreneurship, with its fast-moving technological innovations and visionaries determined to shape the world for the better. I would countless times be laser-focused on researching and watching documentaries about tech entrepreneurs, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, etc., as well as reading tech articles on sites such as Forbes, TechCrunch, etc.
A few years ago, I began to question the true purpose and meaning of life. I came to the conclusion that humans are born, not to wait for our deaths, but to provide as much value to the world for the betterment of humanity as possible. It was no longer possible for me to wait until adulthood to commit to that. I knew I had to act ASAP.
At the beginning of 2024, I formed a team of over 10 people, mostly consisted of developers, and set out to build a revolutionary social media platform that will introduce a completely new concept to the industry. Since then, we've built the landing page and begun designing the UI/UX. Progress has been slow so far due to my academic responsibilities. From now on, however, my startup will be my number-one priority and the pace will be very steadfast. This first major phase will be very crucial and a mentor would greatly increase my chances of success. Any person willing to assist me in my journey is more than welcomed to!
P.S. This doesn't have to be a one-way street. Even though I'm relatively young, I feel fulfilled when helping others out. I bring many new perspectives and helpful advice to anyone reaching out. You won't be disappointed!
submitted by BureaucraticHell to startups [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:38 Significant-Tower146 Best Folders with Prongs

Best Folders with Prongs

https://preview.redd.it/mzhg3ydxao5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76f13c3d64c381cf22e41550de8d45b51d2554ad
Gone are the days of flimsy, paper folders that never seem to hold your papers in place. Say hello to the new age of storage with folders featuring prongs! These handy tools are here to revolutionize the way you organize your life. In this roundup, we'll be exploring the benefits of these sturdy folders, showcasing our top picks, and providing you with the perfect folder to suit your every need. Get ready to take your organization game to the next level with our curated selection of folders with prongs!

The Top 7 Best Folders with Prongs

  1. Durable 2-Pocket Folders with Prongs - Assorted Colors - The 7pack Plastic Folders with Pockets and Prongs are highly durable and versatile, providing an efficient organizational solution for home, office, and classroom use, while easily accommodating standard letter-size documents.
  2. Vintage Color Plastic Folders with Pockets and Prongs - Vintage-style folders with pockets and prongs by Mr. Pen provide superior durability and versatile storage for documents, offering a sleek and sophisticated solution for various users.
  3. Professional Folders: Stylish 2 Pocket Folders for School, Home, and Office - Get organized with E-Clips USA's sturdy, vibrant, and versatile folders with pockets, perfect for schools, home, or office use.
  4. Durable Acid-Free Poly Folders with 3 Prongs and Pockets - Organize your documents with ease using Dunwell's versatile 2-Pocket Plastic Folders with Prongs - perfect for schools or offices, available in various colors, and featuring long-lasting durability.
  5. Versatile 6-Color Folder Set with Pockets and Business Card Slot - Stay organized with the CACASO 30 pack plastic folders featuring 2 pockets, 3 prongs, and business card slot, available in vibrant colors, for use at home, school, and office environments.
  6. Stylish Spirit 2-Pocket Folder with Prongs - Stay organized and stylish with the Spirit 2PKT Poly Portfolio, featuring 2 pockets for up to 25 sheets each, 3 prongs for neat storage, and a Spirit fan-approved design on the front and back covers.
  7. Stylish 2-Pocket Poly Folder with Prongs for School Use - Organize your letter-size papers with ease using the durable, well-made, and sturdy Office Depot 2-Pocket Poly Folder - perfect for efficient note-taking and keeping your documents securely in place.
As an Amazon™ Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Reviews

🔗Durable 2-Pocket Folders with Prongs - Assorted Colors


https://preview.redd.it/e1rim5qxao5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a13658b97441838d18952a8905dd8fddc39008a
I recently started using the 7pack Plastic Folders with Prongs and Pockets for my home office, and I must say, they're fantastic organizational tools. These folders come in a variety of colors, which is a great touch to keep my workspace looking bright and cheerful.
Each folder has two pockets, perfect for holding documents, and the prongs allow me to punch holes for easy filing. I appreciate that they're made of strong plastic, ensuring my papers stay protected from damage. The folders are lightweight yet sturdy, making them ideal for both students and office workers looking to maintain a neat and tidy workspace.
It's refreshing to have a folder system that can withstand daily use without losing its shape, and I'm confident in recommending these folders to anyone in need of a durable and practical organizing solution.

🔗Vintage Color Plastic Folders with Pockets and Prongs


https://preview.redd.it/bv1n279yao5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63553e374cd3c67535a81ad3c7d7e04de9e0dbd7
As a reviewer, I've been using Mr. Pen's plastic folders with pockets and prongs, and let me tell you, they're a game-changer! .
Not only do they look great with their vintage colors, but they're also incredibly durable and made from high-quality plastic. These folders have been a lifesaver when it comes to organizing all sorts of papers, from schoolwork to important documents. The dual pockets and three center prongs provide ample room for both loose and bound documents, ensuring everything stays neat and tidy.
The 11.5-inch by 9.35-inch size is perfect for standard-sized papers, and they've been working like a charm in my daily life. Highly recommended for anyone looking to streamline their paper management and presentation needs.

🔗Professional Folders: Stylish 2 Pocket Folders for School, Home, and Office


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As someone who uses these folders in their daily life, I can attest to their sturdiness and durability. With tabs on the inside of each folder, they provide the perfect structure to easily organize loose leaf papers.
The bright and assorted colors available make them not only functional but also visually appealing, and I appreciate how the recycled materials contribute to a more sustainable product. The real advantage, however, is the versatility.
These folders are just as good for organizing school work as they are for creating professional real estate listings.

🔗Durable Acid-Free Poly Folders with 3 Prongs and Pockets


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I recently gave the Dunwell black 3-prong plastic folders a try, and I must say, they've been a game changer in my daily life. These folders have definitely made organizing my documents, school projects, and important papers much easier. The two pockets are perfect for storing loose papers and notes, while the prongs securely hold 3-hole punched paper in place.
One thing I appreciate about these folders is their durability. Made of poly plastic, they're easy to clean and even water resistant. I also love the variety of colors available – they're vibrant and eye-catching! However, one drawback I noticed is that the adhesive labels do leave a bit of a sticky residue, but that's a minor inconvenience considering the overall quality of the product.
Overall, these folders are an excellent addition to any busy person's life. They're great for both personal and professional use, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable, sturdy way to keep their papers organized.

🔗Versatile 6-Color Folder Set with Pockets and Business Card Slot


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I recently had the opportunity to try out a set of these plastic folders with pockets and prongs by CACASO. Say goodbye to cluttered desks and hello to organized paperwork with these 30-piece folders, available in six vibrant colors.
One of the many benefits I found is that they are incredibly versatile, perfect for storing assignments, work documents, presentations, projects and more. The durable design also makes them great for frequent traveling, as the lightweight folders can easily fit in your bag while still keeping your files secure.
While the material used might not be the highest quality, I was impressed by how sturdy and waterproof they turned out to be, lasting a long time and protecting my precious documents. The pockets in these folders aren't just plain, they include a handy business card slot which adds a practical touch to these colorful folders.
Overall, these folders with prongs make an excellent addition to any workspace, bringing color and order to your daily routine.

🔗Stylish Spirit 2-Pocket Folder with Prongs


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When I first stumbled upon this Plastic Folder with Prongs 2 Pocket Spirit, it reminded me of how fussy and disorganized our school days used to be. But as I started to use it, I was blown away by its innovative design and practicality. The prongs hold my pre-punched papers neat and orderly, while the two deep pockets can store up to 25 sheets each. It has a cool spirit design on both front and back covers, which definitely adds style points.
The only thing that stands out as a concern is that sometimes the prongs can be a bit too sturdy, making it harder to insert papers. However, this little issue doesn't overshadow the benefits. The Spirit 2PKT Poly Portfolio is a game-changer, allowing me to stay organized and save time throughout my school week.

🔗Stylish 2-Pocket Poly Folder with Prongs for School Use


https://preview.redd.it/t4akym10bo5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9566625009f950f396b057e6bfb0b7e561e83cd4
In my experience, the Office Depot school-grade folder has been a reliable organization tool to help me keep my daily documents and notes neatly tucked away. Its three-prong design is sturdy and effective in maintaining my letter-sized paper organization, ensuring that each page is securely held together. The polypropylene material is durable and can withstand constant handling, making it a suitable companion for both my work and home life.
One aspect that I particularly enjoy is how easily the folder can be cleaned, as any mess can be quickly wiped away. While the sturdy prongs are helpful for keeping papers in their designated pockets, they can sometimes get caught on clothing or materials, causing a slight inconvenience.
Overall, this well-crafted and practical folder has become a valuable part of my daily routine.

Buyer's Guide

A folder with prongs is a versatile and practical storage solution for organizing documents, notes, and other papers. These folders come with multiple prongs or tabs that help keep your papers in place, making them a popular choice for home, office, or school use. When shopping for folders with prongs, consider the following factors to ensure you find the best option for your needs.

Size and Capacity


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Folders with prongs come in various sizes, each designed to hold a specific number of items. Consider the size of the documents you need to store, as well as the available storage space in your environment. Smaller folders may be suitable for personal use, while larger ones can better accommodate business or office needs.

Material and Durability

Folders with prongs can be made from various materials, such as plastic, metal, or cardboard. Each material offers different levels of durability, so it's essential to choose one that can withstand regular use. Metal folders tend to be more robust and long-lasting, while plastic and cardboard folders are generally more lightweight and affordable.

Design and Aesthetics

The design and appearance of the folder can be important, especially if it will be placed in a public or client-facing area. Consider the color, shape, and overall style, as well as whether any branding or logos would be appropriate. While functionality should be the primary concern, an aesthetically pleasing folder can also help create a professional and organized impression.

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Prong/Tab Count

Folders with prongs come with varying numbers of tabs or prongs, usually ranging from 2 to 6 or more. More prongs generally offer better organization but may be more challenging to use. For example, if you need to keep multiple documents open at the same time, a folder with fewer prongs might be more suitable. Consider the number of items you typically store and how you plan to use the folder to determine the ideal prong count for your needs.

Price and Value

The final factor to consider when shopping for folders with prongs is the price. While you may be tempted to choose the cheapest option available, it's essential to consider the value you receive for your money. A more expensive folder with better materials, more prongs, or a sleeker design might be worth the investment if it meets your specific needs and provides long-term use.
When shopping for folders with prongs, it's crucial to consider the size and capacity needed for your storage needs, the durability of the materials, the design and aesthetics, the number of prongs or tabs, and the overall price and value. By considering these factors, you can find the perfect folder with prongs to help keep your papers organized and easily accessible.

FAQ


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What are Folders with Prongs and how do they work?

Folders with Prongs are a type of folder designed to securely hold documents, such as important papers and mail. They work by having small prongs that grip and hold onto the pages, preventing them from falling out or getting lost.

What are the benefits of using Folders with Prongs?

  • Securely holds documents in place
  • Prevents pages from falling out or getting lost
  • Easy to use and access documents
  • Saves time and reduces clutter

https://preview.redd.it/6mitlvj1bo5d1.jpg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a9404782f2fe01bc46d603aa1120c61e1f78d97

What materials are Folders with Prongs typically made from?

Folders with Prongs are commonly made from durable materials like plastic, metal, or a combination of both. This ensures that they can withstand daily use and maintain their functionality over time.

What are some features to look for when choosing Folders with Prongs?

  • Number of prongs
  • Material quality and durability
  • Size and capacity
  • Comfort and ergonomics
  • Color and design

How do I properly use Folders with Prongs?

To use Folders with Prongs, simply place the document in the folder, making sure that the pages line up with the prongs. Gently push the pages until they are securely gripped by the prongs. To access the document, simply lift the folder and remove the pages as needed.

What is the average price range for Folders with Prongs?

The price range for Folders with Prongs can vary depending on the brand, size, and features. Generally, they can be found within the price range of $5-$25. It's essential to consider your budget and specific requirements when selecting one.

Are Folders with Prongs suitable for various document types?

Yes, Folders with Prongs are suitable for various document types, including important papers, mail, invoices, reports, and more. Their versatility makes them an essential tool for both personal and professional use.

How do I clean and maintain Folders with Prongs?

To clean and maintain Folders with Prongs, gently wipe them down with a soft cloth or damp paper towel. Avoid using harsh chemicals, as this may damage the materials and affect their functionality. Store folders in a dry and clean area to prevent any buildup of dust or dirt.
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submitted by Significant-Tower146 to u/Significant-Tower146 [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:35 GroinButter Scotia Bank Scam Text Messages

Just got a scan text from someone claiming to be Scotia Bank so I figured I'd share the information to help anyone else who might get the text and was wondering if it was real.
I’m 100% sure it's a scam because I don't have a Scotia Bank account But for those that do it can be a bit more convincing.
They use a clever trick with the card number 4536**, which tends to catch people off guard thinking it must be real they have my card info but from what I've read every Scotia Bank card has this number.
The text reads "Scotiabank Alerts: Your debit card 4536** has been locked due to suspicious activity. To unlock your card Visit: (insert dodgy website url with "Scotia bank" in it a couple times here)"
I imagine the website is some kind of phishing scam but haven't followed it to find out. I've looked into the number a bit and it's been quite busy and seems to be annoying a bunch of people.
Yellow Pages has little info on the number
613-451-**** Received Call Information About this number 613-**-1084is a Cell Number phone number operated by Rogers Communications Partnership (Wireless) and is located in the city of Carleton Place in ON. Get more information on the ** *** 1084 number, origin, and statistics. General information Provider: Rogers Communications Partnership (Wireless) Usage: Cell Number Country: Canada Location: Carleton Place, ON Area code: 613 Prefix: 451
Anyways hope this helps anyone before they give away their info to some lowlife.
TL:DR
Don't trust text messages from people claiming to be Scotia bank, they are not any of the 100 businesses they claim to be.
submitted by GroinButter to PersonalFinanceCanada [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:35 Extreme-Attempt4851 My ex left me but is constantly stalking me and just sent me a friend request on fb even though they have my number blocked.

I’m honestly just looking for some advice.
My ex left me after a two year relationship out of no where, at first it was healthy breakup as I tried my best to not be disrespectful even though I was so angry. About 3 weeks after we split we tried to make it work or were at least talking about it, that only lasted 3 days and they ended up blocking my numbe instagram etc…
In the last week and a bit they have been viewing my TikTok page more then a normal amount that would be taken as them just “checking in”. Im talking like 10 times a day, every instagram story just everything and that is what I can see. (It feels on purpose and they know I can see) I don’t use facebook so we were still friends on that platform so I thought, then recently I received a notification from them for a friend request.
Anyways, I know I can block them and just forget about it. Harder said than done lol. But what I don’t understand is the intention behind it. They know if they really wanted to speak with me they could send me a message. So why all this childish behaviour? To punish me? They left me, I haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just a mind fuck and it sucks cause I still have love for them, but it’s not on me to be the one reaching out, whether it be to check in or anything.
They walked out twice but yet still try to mess with my head, shouldn’t they just want to move on with their life if they left me?
submitted by Extreme-Attempt4851 to BreakUps [link] [comments]


2024.06.10 06:31 Jade-The-Tiefling Borrasca: Eye To Eye. (Part 1)

Orginal Story by C.K. Walker
*Written By Ayden M.N. and u/Memisworld_23 *
SPOILERS FOR BORRASCA V
...
One hundred thirty two. That is the amount of people that were rescued that day on the mountain. I would be lying if I said it didn’t take me by surprise to hear the news about the stables let alone the number of people that were there. It makes me think back to when I was a kid and all the strange and tragic things that happened to me then. It's funny how time changes, how everything wilts away. How life goes on without a wait or stop. Sometimes you'll forget what lurked underneath, and when you do remember, it's already too late. I couldn't say my childhood wasn't bad but it's basically not as cheery as most kids have it.
My father was definitely sucked into his job as a lawyer, while my mom was bustling her back at an old diner, drinking her sorrows away. None had any time to spare for me, as a child. It made me a pretty independent child, and when my mother decided to give birth to Lucy, I became that mother figure that I never had. Aside from Lucy, I had nobody else to talk to. School in Drisking was okay, but I would be lying if I said it was a good experience. I was pretty much alone from childhood to teens. Most kids already had their own friends, their designated trio. I would always refer to it that way. It was by sheer luck that I really did find a friend. Someone who I could share my emo playlist alongside with and in return she taught me a lot about DnD.
However like if the world knew I was meant to be alone, she was taken away from me. I never knew what happened to her, but I beat myself about. If only I didn't moved from Drisking, maybe I could had found her sooner.
The one thing that has remained consistent is my ritualistic daily breakfasts at the diner. From the start of my freshmen year, I never missed a day of going to the diner. It was my way of getting my head together and preparing for the day ahead. Even into my adulthood, I never stopped going. Imagine my surprise when I saw a face that I’d honestly thought I would never see again. It didn’t click at first. I just felt like I knew it.
She was about 5’8” with asymmetrical short dirty blond hair. Her clothes were mainly black and I can just see something protruding from her around her waist. She had a plain black shirt tucked into her pants with a well-kept belt. She wore a Nobel 6 zip up jacket -Clearly a Halo fan- and a small d20 pin on it. Where this seems normal to the untrained eye, I can’t help but feel deja vu from looking at this woman. She seemed like this distant dream that is so fuzzy that it’s just familiar enough to almost recognize.
She walked into the diner and was given a table next to mine. I racked my brain trying to figure out who this was. I examined every part of her, again, and again, and again, just trying to make sense of who was sitting right there in front of me. She was so close, yet she was so distant from me.
“May I help you?” She sighs, putting her coffee down on the table in a way that I can only describe as a contained irritation. “Or are you just going to stare at me like I’m an exhibit?”
I wasn’t even conscious I was staring. She turns to me and it all clicks together. The d20, the jacket, and, my new discovery, looking at her closer and can see her, the freckle on her upper lip.
“Kat? Is that really you?” Stunned, I blurted out. I was adamant that that familiar woman had to be her. No one had that exact same freckle like her.
“That depends on who is asking.” She rolls her eyes taking another sip of her coffee.
She doesn’t recognize me? It makes since she didn’t. It’s been so long. Looking down at my empty plate, as I really wanted her to recognize me. Should I introduce myself? I thought, maybe I'll make her remember me.
“So you don't know me? I can give a hint, I'm sure it might give you an idea on who I am.” I nervously laughed, as I dug into my black leather purse.
Quickly, I pulled it out, plopping down a custom made d20 dice on the table. I remember painting my own dice black, since I was super obsessed with the color black as a teen.
“Wait,” Kat puts down her coffee again, this time with more of a clang. “What is that? Where did you get this?”
Placing the dice right next to my plate, I felt my throat lumping already.
“Remember on my 16th birthday, when it was only you and me. I remember we almost burned the house down because we had the dumb idea to bake a cake.”
“Pauly…?” A slow recognition comes across Kat’s face. Replaced soon by unadulterated joy. “Well, I’ll be damned!”
Tears started to well up my eyes, I was so ecstatic to finally see her eyes flashed with recognition. I slowly got up to my chair, every step I took felt like I was stepping in a pile of needles. Getting a great look on Kat, she looked different from the nerdy shy girl I knew. But, I didn’t care how different Kat looked, I was happy to see my old friend alive.
“I just don't know what to say. I thought I've lost you.” I whispered, my voice already trembling as I spoke.
“Oh,” Kat's voice cracks a bit too, pulling me into a hug. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Kat seemed to be holding back tears. Just being with her now, I couldn’t even wrap my head around it. It seems so surreal. Even when I hugged her, it felt like it was a fabricated dream. But it wasn't, this was all flesh and blood.
“Just…how are you…I'm so sorry that I never found you. Everyone, even the cops told me that you were long gone. I had hoped you'd come back. Just didn't know it would take this long.” Wiping my tears with my sleeve, I hugged even tighter. She was much taller than me, so I couldn't really comprehend it.
“Hey, hey.” Kat chuckles a bit. Still holding back tears, I could tell. “It’s okay. You…There was no way you could have known. I have a lot of explaining to do, I’m sure but let’s forget about that for now.”
“Yeah…I'm just so happy to see you again.” I sat across from Kat's seat, picking up a napkin to wipe the rest of my tears. It rubbed off some of my mascara, making me think it was a horrible idea to try out some make up today. “So, um…what have you been doing over these years? I see you got a gun holster over there?”
“Well, I…” Kat cut herself off. “I was a SWAT operative. It’s, uh, a long story. How about you?”
“SWAT? No wonder you look so tough and badass!” I then continued enthusiastically. “Well, I'm actually a nurse practitioner. I'm very specialized in prenatal care. I know it's funny because I really didn't like babies back then.”
“Oh? That’s…nice.” Kat’s voice shudders. “And I wouldn’t call myself a badass for being SWAT. It…makes you question a lot of things about yourself for sure. It’s all in the interest of others though.”
My smile slowly fell, as I was scared if I might've made her upset. “I see, I understand. We both are doing jobs that help people, and probably had to endure some bad cases once in a while.”
“Did…did you ever find Kincade?”
Kincade. I haven't heard of that name since after moving Drisking.
I took a deep breath, as I responded. “I did manage to find Kincade after your disappearance. They never told me what happened, and I lost contact ever since. Last time I checked, Kincade moved to California.”
“Oh, thank god.” Kat sighs out of relief, as she takes a seat back down. “Knowing that girl, she’s living it up in LA. Well, I was actually in New York all this time. I thought it would be a good place to settle down. For what it was worth, the NYPD was good to me.”
“Oh I can tell she is. I followed her Instagram, and she's always posting pictures of parties and such.” I tucked a strand of hair in the back of my ear, while I pulled out my phone to show Kat Kincade’s page. “Even if they don't want to talk to me, I'm just super glad they're okay.”
I sometimes wonder why Kincade hasn't had contact with me yet, but deep inside I felt like they were somewhat upset with me. The strange thing was that once Kincade showed up, my mother just randomly disappeared. My father had always told me that she's just had it with us, and left to do her own life. However I never believed that story. Sure my mom was a raging drunk chain-smoker, but she always loved Lucy and I. Her just leaving out of the blue isn't in character, and I just know that something wrong might have occurred.
Kat inspects the page. I can tell it struck something in her. I knew from this point she was holding back a bit with her emotions but for some reason, this broke her. Suddenly I saw my childhood best friend break into a waterfall of sadness. She started to sob. As if she had a dam behind her eyes and they just burst.
“Kat.. Oh shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry,” I rushed towards Kat’s side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
It broke me to see Kat this way, yet I couldn’t help but wonder what made her let out her tears. My eyes suddenly landed at one of Kat’s wrist, a light brown scar was marred on her skin. It was half covered by her sleeve, its appearance was more like a stab wound than a slash. I could tell Kat noticed me staring at it, as she quickly covered it up. The sky was now in a vibrant orange and magenta hue, while the bright sun started to slowly settle down.
Kat finally regained her composure after a few minutes of apologizing profusely.
“I know.” Kat weakly pushes out from her lips through her tears. “I know you see them. I know I have a lot of explaining to do. I got that…from a mission that I’m not sure if you’re ready to hear.”
Leaning against her shoulder, I looked up at Kat with an understanding expression. “I think I’m ready to hear about this. Over these years, I wanted to know what happened in Drisking. I don’t want to stay ignorant anymore.”
“Let’s…” Kat wipes her eyes, only for more tears to take the others place. “Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”
∆∆∆
“As you enter into the Church of the Overthrown Gods.” Kat dramatically pauses. “You feel as if multiple eyes are watching you. As you look closer to the rotting wood altar, you see a tiny eye just peeking out…and then another…and then another…and then another… as they rise up from the altar you see they are on tendeles attached to a large spherical mass. You see 10 tenderals rise all with snake-like eyes darting around the room before meeting yours. As the large mass comes into view you see one large eye on it staring at you and an unnerving smile as it laughs intimidatingly at you. As you realize what is staring back at you is…a beholder…and that’s where we will leave off tonight’s session!”
Several protests fill the room. It wasn’t out of character for Kat to leave off on a cliffhanger, but this is what we have been waiting for since the end of 2008. And even a year later, Kat always leaves the carrot dangling over our heads.
“Hey,” Kat shrugs “I gotta keep you hooked or else our three month streak of all of you attending won’t keep going.”
“Oh, fuck you, Kat!” Kami rolls her eyes lightheartedly “We come back every week regardless.”
“Yeah, but it's more fun torturing you.” Kat giggled while combing through her long hair with her fingers.
Shaking my head, I took a sip on my already luke-warm Snapple, “Typical Kat. Why do you always gotta tease us like that? I was literally witnessing my character finally healing from a poison arrow and just to end at that. I totally can't wait till the next!”
“Thank you,” Kat nods before getting up and starting to pack up and the group follows suit. “I cannot wait for next session. It’s a big battle so I recommend you all start doing some research on Beholders to be ready, because this monster is really tough. Remember, we are starting the next session at level 12, and I’ll see you all soon!”
After about 10 minutes, the rest of the group left except for me. I like staying after sessions with Kat. I don’t understand why the other two people in the group don’t stay. It’s not even 9pm by the time we finished and they are already out the door.
It’s sophomore skip day tomorrow and I sure as hell know everyone will be participating so what’s the rush? Well, everyone except for Kat. From all the time I’ve known Kat up until this point, she never skipped a day or cut any corners when it came to her education. It was admirable but also frustrating. I cannot tell you how many plans I had to cancel because she wanted to study. I never understood why she was so serious about it. It’s like her life depended on her making good grades and being a shining student. I have to admit, I am jealous of her dedication to it.
I would typically leave her to her own devices when it came to school but just by looking at her, she looked like she deserved a break. With the exams and the constant verbal battles between her mother and her father, I can tell just by looking at her, the pressure is on her. I could say the same for my home situation, but I'm already used to it, that it is practically normal for me. Kat, on the other hand, really deserved a break, just this one time.
While I was playing with one of the d20 dice, gathering up courage, I asked, “Hey Kat? Whatcha going do tomorrow?”
“Oh, um.” Kat says not looking up from her notebook, making some notes for the next session. “Just going to school, I should be able to go to take our usual walks tomorrow after.”
A smile crept on my lips, as I definitely predicted Kat's answers. Sure, I did hear that the Sheriff in town was going to give tickets to those that didn't go to school, but I didn't really care about that. I just wanted to have a chill day with my friends. After all, I busted my ass to at least have passable grades.
“Hmm. Hey Kat, why don't we…you know,” I nudged her with my elbow. “Skip school tomorrow?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kat sighs.
“I know, I know. But I just feel like these days have been for us but we just have fun tomorrow.” I could tell that I was losing Kat already, her mind dead set on going to school. I tucked a strand on my blue hair behind my ear, as I followed Kat. “Kat, please. Sometimes I worry about you because you're working yourself out. Just this once, and I'll promise I'll try to raise my Geometry class to a B!”
“I suppose…” Kat thinks for a second. “It wouldn’t hurt to skip one day.”
“Hell yeah!” I tackled Kat, as I tried to spin her around in happiness. “I promise that you'll have the best day. That jackass Sheriff won't ruin our day. I'll make sure of it!”
“Alright! Alright!” Kat giggles “Fine. Just calm down.”
I feel a sense of relief coming from Kat like I somehow unlocked one shackle that she bore on her ankles. There’s still plenty, and this one is certainly not the heaviest but the littlest weight off of her is enough for her to appreciate.
I let her go as I dashed towards my Jack Skeleton backpack, fetching out my half torn notepad. “ I scribbled some of the plans I have for tomorrow. I was thinking we could dine on Prescott Artisan Sandwiches, and then maybe hike the trail over west of Crystal Lake. What do you think?”
“Yeah!” Kat exclaims. “I heard there’s going to be a few people there tomorrow. Probably could use the social interaction, or attempt to at least.”
“We'll have the lake to ourselves,” I chuckled, placing my notepad back to my back. I really did need a new notepad, however I remember my family was very tight on money at the time. “Oh I almost forgot that Kincade might be joining us too.”
“Sounds good to me.” Kat smiles. “Honestly, that girl needs to be a bit more interactive if you ask me.” Kat chuckles. “As if I’m one to talk.”
“That's why I invited her too. I feel like you girls could get along.” I then jokingly added, “Maybe you can indoctrinate her into playing DnD with us, eh?”
“I’m sure I can.” Kat giggles. “Alright, so are you staying the night tonight? I think I can take the car tomorrow so you can stay if you like.”
“I'll stay, but I should pick up Lucy. My mom said she left her by the Landys,” I rubbed my neck in frustration as I continued. “I hate how my mom just randomly abandons Lucy to strangers. Does she know there's creeps?”
My mother always had done this multiple times, even when I was Lucy's age. A seven year old like Lucy shouldn't be in conditions like this, and I knew damn well that my father won't be available till 7AM. I thought about maybe walking up to the Landys house, maybe it was like 3 blocks or so.
“I think I'll walk to get Lucy. You wouldn't mind my little sis joining in our sleepover, right?”
“I mean, I don't have a big problem with it. Honestly, prefer it to just be you and me but I won’t be kicking and screaming if she is here.”
“That's true,” I nervously laughed, “Either way, Lucy is pretty much a sweet kid, and she will probably be distracted playing with her ballet Barbie dolls.”
Peeping through the windows, the sky was pitch black, almost like a void swallowing the whole town. I took a deep breath, before heading out of the door. Before stepping a foot outside of the wooden porch, I called out. “I'll be back, Kat. If I don't come back, the Skinned Men might’ve caught me!”
“Oh, don’t say that!” Kat calls at me as I walk away. She didn’t seem offended more lighthearted but there was a little seriousness there.
Kat always believed in the supernatural. While all of us grew up and just accepted it was just an urban legend that wasn’t real, Kat believed it. Kat even dedicated an entire essay on the history of the Skinned Man, and where the legend originated from. Needless to say, there wasn’t much to go off of and because Kat is very committed to things, she decided to embellish the details a bit and even I knew that a lot of that stuff was all pulled out of thin air and had no actual weight to it. They were just urban legends that little kids would scare others with. Along those tales were the Triple Tree.
Everyone would carve their names in the Triple Tree, serving like a talisman to these Skinned Men. If you didn’t, then I guess you were fucked. I never really carved my name, for some damn reason, my dad never let me. The moon shined brightly, casting light to these liminal streets. I was already used to walking at night, but for some odd reason, something was off. Crossing the right side of the neighborhood, I caught some headlights shining through the bushes. It looked like it belonged to an old police cruiser, and that alone made me start running. I was not a fan of the officers here, plus I was definitely violating a curfew.
“C’mon, Pauly,” I uttered under my breath, jumping through some fences.
I landed on the backside of the Landy’s house, my knees landing on top of the pavement. Hissing in pain, I slowly wobbled towards the front side of the house. It was stupid of me to think that I would magically land on my feet, but then again I had the shitiest luck. Quickly, I knocked on the door three times, after the fourth knock, the white adorned door swung open. In front of me was a cinnamon brown haired 14 year old boy, who had that bored expression that every teenager had. I recognized that boy as Parker Landy, the youngest of the Landy family.
“Uh, can I help you?” Parker wrinkled his nose, while he adjusted his glasses.
I furrowed my brows, “I’m here for my sister. For Lucy.”
“Oh, okay. Um, I guess you can come in.”
Parker reluctantly ushered me inside, as I wasted no time to search for Lucy. There, located in the dinning, Lucy was drawing while Mrs. Landy was brushing her dark little locks of hair. She was wearing a baby pink ballet uniform, the one that my dad bought her for her birthday. Ecstatic, Lucy jumped up from the chair and darted to my direction. We bid farewell to Mrs. Landy, heading out into the night. However, I caught a glimpse of her face morphing into a sorrowful look. ‘She must have been worried for us,’ I thought, mainly because it was just two girls heading out, embracing the unforgiving night.
“Pauly, where’s mommy?” Lucy’s wide eyes looked at me, grabbing my hand ever so tightly.
I sighed, thinking how to word out an appropriate response, “She’s just working a lot in the diner. So we can afford your ballet classes,” I had lied, flashing an assurring smile. I didn’t want Lucy to know the truth, she was an innocent kid after all.
Crossing up that same street again, I could sense that we were almost close to safety. Or so I thought. A slow rumbling sound of an engine followed behind. It was pitch dark outside, so I couldn’t really tell what color the vehicle was, but I did recognize it. What my eyes could grapple from what little information it had at the time, it was just that damn old police cruiser. Just as I was about to run with Lucy, the dark tinted windows rolled down, revealing an old familiar face.
“Ah little Miss Rhoades. What brings you here past curfew, hmm?” Ex Sheriff Clery asked, while flashing a very wide smile. I remember him being the Sheriff since the 1950s, not before being replaced by Robocop Walker.
Lucy bounced up and down, as she exclaimed “Me and Pauly are going home! Mommy and Daddy are still at work!”
Clery’s gaze looked back at me, his grin growing ever so slightly larger. “Oh really? It’s quite dark out here, you girls might need a lift.”
“No thank-” “Yes please!” Lucy quickly cut me off as she threw the car door open.
She quickly slithered herself in the backseat, while I was too stunned to comprehend. It left me no choice but to take this impromptu ride. Trembling, I sat next to Lucy, shutting the car door behind me. A loud click followed, as both doors were locked.
The whole ride I was scared shitless. I didn’t know why, but I guess I scared myself alot reading Missing Persons cases. I mean, I just entered a car with a person I barely knew. Yes, I know he’s a cop and his entire job is to keep us safe, but I couldn’t help but feel this sense of unease creeping into my conscious mind. It might be from the hundreds of “Stranger Danger” PSAs I’ve been fed all my young life. Lucy probably noticed how tense I looked, latching herself onto my arm.
“It's okay Pauly, the Skinned Men won't catch us anymore. We're safe here!” Lucy nuzzled on my arm, clearly obvious about the situation.
Sheriff Clery let out a chuckle, adding on “Little Lucy's right. No need to worry about those monsters when you're the old sheriff, eh?”
I nervously laughed along, just wishing that we’ll be at our destination already. That just put me even more on edge. I decided to dare a glance at the interior back mirror and I saw a pair of eyes seemingly staring at me and my sister with a look that just sent a chill down my spine. I tried to rationalize that maybe I’m just imagining things but the way he was staring at us was undeniably unsettling.
It was not after a minute later we arrived. The whole minute felt like hours, rightfully so I bolted out of the cruiser with Lucy in my arms. Before reaching the front door, the older man called out, “Be careful next time. You won’t know what’s lurking around these parts.”
After that the police cruiser drove off into the dark void of the unknown. That sentence alone carried an unsettling meaning, yet I could never pinpoint why. Objectively, it was quite normal. It was just a man showing a kind gesture but my gut was screaming not to trust this person. I tried to just brush it off as a misunderstanding but it was so strange I couldn’t.
∆∆∆
“So,” Kat began. “The place still has Prescott’s name written all over the place even after everything that happened?”
“I believe so,” I took a deep breath before continuing, “I really hope it’ll be over now. Sometimes, I wished I could live on with life. Like nothing happened, you know?”
The melody of the forest sung around us as we took in the fresh day’s air and the warm embrace of the midsummer’s sun. We’ve walked through this forest hundreds of times before but it’s like discovering uncharted territories every time we step foot in it. It feels different now. It seems bleaker than it was when we were children. Maybe it’s just an optical illusion or that every memory of my childhood feels like a dream.
“God,” Kat scoffs. “I’d scrub that name off the earth if I could.”
“I have to admit, everytime I see that name, something bad always happens. It's almost as if it was cursed.” My gaze shifted back to the abundance of trees, each of them being so eerily identical. “Thomas Prescott really did sell his soul, and everyone had to pay the price.”
“Don’t remind me.” Kat almost growls like a wolf to a degree that caught me off guard.
Shit, I definitely struck a nerve there. Why? Why did that set her off the way it did? I tried to change the subject into something else. I really didn’t want to upset Kat any further, I felt guilty just by saying that.
“It’s so silent here, I don’t know if I should be on edge or relaxed.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like that. I don’t know what came over me.”
Kat’s eyes dart around before she runs her fingers through her hair with a sigh. It didn’t occur to me until just now that she had been watching everywhere and everything all at once. Every little movement her eyes locked onto. Could be just a natural reaction. I’m sure her line of work requires her to be hyper-vigilant so maybe it carries into her normal day-to-day life.
“You don’t need to apologize, Kat. I was the one who was pushing too much.” The wind blew softly, remnants of leaves danced in the air. It reminded alot about how life is, always pushing you in unpredictable directions. “I was thinking after this, maybe we should help each other out. My therapist gave me the advice that some wounds can’t heal by themself.”
“I can help you. I don’t really need help myself. When I was on the field, I was given state mandated therapy. It was important to do so to not go actually insane from all the messed up things we see. Trust me, there’s a reason why a lot of us quit after a few years of service.”
“ I see,” I gave Kat a crooked smile, “You're resilient, that's what I admired about you.”
Even after all those years, Kat still had those strong traits of being smart and strong. I could help but feel proud of her, and I wished her the best. I got closer to Kat, as I leaned on one of the oak trees nearby.
With a playful tone, I asked. “So when are you gonna show me how to use one of those?” I pointed at her gun.
“You?” Kat laughs. “I thought you hated loud noises?”
I shrugged, raising one of my brows. “Still do. It's just in case anything goes south. Or maybe I wanna impress somebody.”
“I’ll teach you soon. No doubt about that. I don’t have any ear protection on me and this beauty can get pretty loud.”
As we took in the forest’s lush surroundings, I noticed something that I haven’t seen before despite being out here for god knows how many times. There was a perfectly healthy tree in front of us but it seemed as if the bark had been ripped and torn definitely unnaturally; it had to have been done by someone, not an animal.
Kat and I exchange confused looks as we walk closer to the tree. Then, it all came together. I didn’t want to think that someone would have done this again. Not after the original was burnt to the ground a long time back. On the tree there were signatures. It sent an ungodly chill through my whole body. I looked over to Kat to see her reaction and she looked like she was frozen in time. With a look of shock and fear instilled upon her very body.
“It can't be. There's a new one here, but how?” My mouth was agape as I reached to touch the bark of the tree. My fingers grazed against each little individual signature. Each of them being unique, much like their owners’ names.
I look back at Kat. I realized I was mistaken, or perhaps it just shifted. Her look, it wasn't out of fear, no, it was out of resentment and hate and a boiling rage that I could tell is about to spill through. I know that even if I were to manage to say anything in this situation, I couldn’t prevent it from all coming out. What could I say? This isn’t anything I’ve seen from Kat. She always had a way to relieve her own anger but this was an anger that even the cool-minded Kat could not keep under control. Like a wildfire that had found a negligent camper’s gasoline can.
“Kat–”
“They think they can control me even in death but they can’t.” Kat whispers to herself quickly. I barely had time to process before the wildfire finally found the gas. “THEY FUCKING CAN’T!”
Kat lifts her shirt slightly, revealing her concealed gun. A Pit Viper. She draws it at a speed I barely had time to comprehend as she switches off the safety and takes a stance.
“Wait! Kat!”
That was all I could get out before I was overtaken by an ear splitting explosion. I barely had time to register the second one before the third went off. It was the same for the fourth and the fifth. My ears rang the loudest they have ever in my life as the pain in my ears set in and the agony of my head throbbing so hard that I thought my brain would burst from it alone. The sounds echoed through the forest. All the birds and the bugs and creatures stopped in unison as if Kat slain them herself.
And then.
Silence.
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2024.06.10 06:24 Determination7 An Outcast In Another World (Subtitle: Is 'Insanity' A Racial Trait?) [Fantasy, LitRPG] - Chapter 268 (Book 6 Chapter 53)

Like an old gate with rusted hinges, Rob's eyes creaked open very, very slowly.
His mind was even slower to comprehend the fact that he was still alive. Rob's brain felt as if it was stuffed full of cotton, his synapses wading through molasses. He simply lay there motionless, resting in what seemed to be an excessively comfortable bed, blankly staring up at the ceiling.
An indeterminable amount of time passed. Eventually, he scrounged up enough energy to form a coherent thought.
Guess I made it.
It wasn't the most jubilant of victory cries, but he would save the celebrating for when he had more liveliness than a months-old cadaver. For now, rather than being overjoyed at his survival, Rob just felt a diluted sense of surprise.
How? Even though he'd collapsed in front of the world's top Soul Surgeon, and even though Vul'to possessed a Skill that was essentially tailor-made to save him...Rob could remember the state his soul had been in. It wasn't pretty. Truth be told, he kinda hadn't expected to wake up again.
Yet he had.
Awesome.
Rob sank deeper into his bed, as if he was enveloped by cushions of soft clouds. Questions lethargically rose up in his thoughts, none of which he could answer. How long had he been unconscious? Were there any side effects from his soul treatment? Was Elatra doing okay in his absence? It would be extremely on-brand for a new catastrophe to have popped up while he was snoozing.
Well...they can handle it. I'm on break.
His eyes gently closed. Rob allowed himself to drift off into tranquil slumber, enjoying the feeling of going to sleep when there weren't multiple impending dooms hanging over his head.
It was easy without static blaring inside his skull.
--
When he awoke again, he immediately felt that his mind was far more alert and active than before.
Rob breathed out a small sigh of relief at that. It would've sucked to get lasting brain damage as a complication of his soul infirmity, especially after shrugging off dozens of physical head-blows no problem. Now, with the incredible power of 'thoughts that weren't running on dial-up internet', he managed to turn his head to look at somewhere besides the ceiling.
Peering around, Rob was wholly unsurprised to find himself in a Fiend hospital. He identified his surroundings at a glance. Fiendish medical architecture had been burnt into his memories over the course of the Corruption epidemic.
Vul'to and Hauz must've healed me, then stuck me in a private hospital ward where I could rest up. His eyes swept across the rest of the room. Wonder where they–
He froze as his gaze reached the corner. There, Keira was sitting on a chair, asleep.
The Savage Warrior had seen better days. She was sleeping at an odd angle, her posture slumped in a way that hurt Rob's spine just to look at. Her hair and clothes were disheveled, a distant cry from the casual aesthetic perfection that Elves seemed to portray without even trying. And the greatsword that she was so intensely proud of had been propped against the wall, almost as an afterthought.
Rob winced with guilt when he noticed Keira twitching as she slept. Her mouth scrunched into a faint grimace as lines of worry etched deeper onto her face. While he'd been luxuriating in a cushiony bed of soothing clouds, her forays into dreamland had apparently been fitful and restless. How many days has she sat there praying for me to awaken? How many weeks?
The answers he sought were sitting right in front of him. Rob hesitated briefly before speaking – but only briefly. He'd kept his friends waiting for too long already.
"Keira?"
Her head rose so quickly that her neck made an audible crack. She went from sleeping to aware within a tenth of a second. Keira momentarily sputtered, then stopped just as quickly when she set her gaze on Rob. Her eyes widened to the size of white dish plates, contrasting the dark circles underneath.
Another pang of guilt stabbed at Rob when he saw hope and disbelief warring in her expression. "You aren't dreaming," he offered. "I'm–"
Her chair clattered to the ground as she leapt towards him.
Rob had never felt happier to have put so many points into Vitality. Without that, he likely would've been crushed to death by the bonebreaking hug that Keira proceeded to wrap him with. Wooden splinters dug into his back as she attempted to squeeze the life out of him. She'd shattered his bed with the force of her leap, and neither of them cared.
"Missed you too," Rob mumbled, carefully returning her embrace. It was odd to know that he actually possessed significantly more Strength than her now. He didn't want to treat her as if she was made of glass, but compared to him, everyone was. "I love you. Glad I have the chance to say that again."
Keira said nothing. She just retained a steel grip on him and dug her face into his chest. Rob could practically see the tension seeping out of her – like an overstressed pressure valve that had finally been granted release. He felt wetness on his shirt, and with a jolt, realized that she was silently crying.
She became the de facto Party leader while I was gone, he remembered. That means acting as a figurehead for the others to rely on. Suppressing her doubts and concerns, even if she was probably more anxious than anyone.
For the third time, Rob was ambushed by guilt, its army seizing vast lands of territory within his heart. "I'm sorry that–"
"No." Keira shook her head without looking up, smearing tear streaks onto his shirt. "No apologies today. Just...let me be happy that you've come back to us."
"...Okay."
It wasn't long before Rob was crying as well. The two of them stayed that way for almost half an hour, neither speaking, letting tears fall, their relief gradually sinking in until it became real enough to believe.
I'm alive, Rob confirmed. I'm alive. I'm alive. I'm alive.
He squeezed tighter. And I'm never leaving again.
Eventually, the waterworks dried up. "Don't know why I'm like this," Keira grumbled. She lifted her head, eyes reddened, an irritated look on her face. "Hauz informed us that you would awaken one day, and that it would be sooner rather than later. Yet I can't help but fall to pieces when I should be shouting for joy."
"It shows you care," Rob said, smiling. "I would've been annoyed if you didn't shed a tear or two."
Keira snorted. "Or two, he says." She pointed at his shirt, which had transformed into something of a damp cloth.
"Pretty sure half of that is from me." He paused. "Out of curiosity, how long have I been unconscious?"
"Three weeks to the day."
Rob let out a low whistle. "That's supposed to be 'sooner'? Oh, right, Elatran standards. You guys live for hundreds of years."
"So do you, now."
"Weird to think about." He idly played with her hair, noting once again that it looked and felt less cared for than usual. Not that he had any room to talk – he sorely needed a shave. "Did you spend the whole three weeks sitting in that chair?"
Keira shook her head. "We watched over you in rotating shifts. Admittedly, I comprised the majority of those shifts, although the others have all visited you on many occasions."
With an aggrieved sigh, the Savage Warrior glanced at the front door to their room. "And speaking of the others...perhaps we should contact them. Tempted as I am to monopolize your time for myself, they also exhibited no small amount of concern for your well-being."
"Aw, that's – wait holy shit my voice!"
Keira blinked. "Yes? You sound perfectly normal."
"I SHOULDN'T!" Rob had started waving his hands in random patterns, as if the motions would help him make sense of the world. "My voice was fucked up back when we were fighting the gods! It was a side effect of–"
At once, he froze. "Huh. Just remembered that I haven't checked my system notifications or Character Sheet yet." He gave Keira a serene smile. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go have my worldview broken and reforged."
"By all means." She waved him off with an air of nonchalance, but it was clear from the sudden tightness of her posture that she was putting on a brave face for him. Keira wanted to know what had changed almost as much as he did. Breathing deep, Rob opened his log of system notifications and scrolled up, understanding that what he read now would shape the future direction of his life.
Alert: Soul Repair has been used on your body!
Alert: Due to the ridiculously damaged state of your soul – that exceeds even our lofty expectations – Soul Repair is struggling to reconstitute everything it possibly can!
Alert: Seriously, Rob, what the fuck?
Alert: Soul Repair is trying its very best and you had better appreciate it!
Alert: Hauz the Soul Surgeon is helping with remarkable finesse and expertise! If the gods had lived, his soul would have certainly been crystallized into a Skill! Please don't tell him we said that!
Alert: Soul Repair has completed! Your Soul Instability is cured!
Alert: Due to the aforementioned difficulties, liberties have been taken during the healing process!
Alert: If you wish to lodge a complaint, please note that Soul Repair's Description contains a line stating 'Unintended side effects may also occur.' We included it for a reason! It was vague on purpose!
Alert: You are genuinely lucky to be alive right now!
Although Rob wasn't finished perusing all of his unread system notifications, he closed the list and massaged his temples.
"Keira..." He sighed. "You know that feeling when someone frustrates you, but they've got legitimate reasons for it, so you have no choice but to give them a pass, and that just frustrates you more?"
She gestured broadly towards him.
"Okay, I deserved that." The corners of his lips crept down. "Question: how did Hauz act when he was performing soul surgery on me?"
Her lips slowly morphed into a frown that mirrored his own. "He claimed that you would be fine," she began, with a look of dawning realization. "He claimed it...repeatedly. As if to reassure himself. And he didn't speak a single word of sarcasm."
Rob couldn't help but glance down at his body. His hale, hearty body – that had probably come close to flatlining a dozen times.
"Fixing my soul was a shitshow," he plainly stated. "Even if the Skills hadn't told me as much, their notifications were outright snarky. They've been snarky before exactly once. I think the process stressed the hell out of them."
Keira's frown flipped into a smile. "You are their hero and savior, Rob. I think they would have been devastated were they unable to save you. Consider their 'snark' as an expression of immense gratitude."
"Trust me, I'm not complaining. They can snark at me all they want. Soul Repair pulled my ass out of the fire. I owe them, if anything."
She raised an eyebrow. "I sincerely doubt they would agree with that assertion. Regardless – what else have you discovered? Did you learn why your voice has reverted to its original state?"
"Not yet. Had to take a minute after reading...the other stuff."
"Fair."
Smirking, he re-opened his log of system notifications and continued onward.
Note: Based on prior behavior, you are likely to assess these notifications soon after you wake from your coma, starting from the top and working your way down.
Note: If so, we advise pausing this readthrough and checking your Character Sheet – assuming you have yet to do so.
Note: We also advise that you not be alarmed about what you will find.
My Character Sheet? Rob furrowed his brow. Haven't been able to open that since I got Soul Instability, which...
Was cured.
Oh.
With a burst of nervous intent, he brought up his Character Sheet. Rob flinched as, instead of an error message telling him it was unavailable, his vision filled lines of familiar text.
Mostly familiar. There had been several notable changes.
Character Sheet Name: Rob Level: 124 [LOCKED] Race: Human Class: BERSERKER (LV 99) Sub-Class: Crystal Bearer (LV 7)
HP: 14263 / 14263 Stamina: 614 / 880 MP: 3670 / 3670 Status Effects: Melancholia (Moderate), Guilt (Moderate), Self-Loathing (Low), Relief (High), Confusion (Moderate)
Strength: 292 Vitality: 490 Endurance: 88 Dexterity: 392 Perception: 337 Mind: 352 Magic: 367 Unspent Points: 0
I...lost Levels.
Even amongst a list of peculiarities, the words 'Level 124' stuck out to him like a blaring neon sign. Levels were the lifeblood of any Combat Class user – it was largely how they defined their self-worth, mentally unhealthy as that might be. That was the natural end result of a society that elevated the importance of martial prowess above everything else.
And while Rob wasn't a native Elatran, he'd come to understand why so much emphasis was placed on that unassuming little number. After all, without Limit Break pushing him above Level 99, he never could have killed the gods and protected everyone he held dear. Levels were a representation of someone's capacity to impose change upon this world. He refused to let them define him as a person, but they still mattered.
A lot.
So perhaps he shouldn't have felt surprised when a minor panic attack took hold of him. I lost Levels. His hands were shivering. I fucking lost Levels!
Not just a few, either. He'd been over Level 140 when fighting Kismet's gang of gods. This was 16 Levels lost at minimum, and lord knows how many stat points along with them.
Strength, Vitality, Dexterity – it's all lower than it should be. Rob grit his teeth. Keira asked him what was wrong, but he kept silent, not wanting to voice the change out loud. This is going to set me back so damn far. I needed that power in order to...
...
To...kill the gods? Been there, done that. The Blight? Sent packing. Ragnavi? Crispy-fried. The aberrant Dungeons that were brewing across Elatra? Cleared out like yesterday's trash.
Huh. Rob rubbed his chin, his panic slowly replaced by embarrassment. Why had he been freaking out, again? His greatest foes were already dead. Sure, he needed power to be an effective Leader moving forward, but he still had that in spades.
By Elatran standards, Limit-Broken Level 124 was functionally invincible. Using the general rule of 5 stat points equals 1 Level, he was actually around Level 450. That wasn't even counting how Never Forget Your Rage could dramatically increase his stats if necessary. If Rob wanted to, he could single-handedly raise himself up as an unstoppable tyrant, ruling over Elatra with an iron fist, and literally no one would be able to stop him.
The more he thought about it, the more he concluded that he wouldn't miss those Levels. If anything, their loss was a blessing – because he was fairly certain that they were also related to the second-most shocking change on his Character Sheet.
Race: Human
Not 'Human (?)'. Not 'Ascending HUMAN'.
Just...Human.
Rob was no longer a nascent divinity. He'd lost the qualifications to Ascend, and his absent Levels were likely to blame. It also tied into another known side effect of Soul Repair – the one responsible for the [LOCKED] status on his Levels.
'If the afflicted soul is highly unstable, it may be determined that the only way to prevent collapse will be to set it in permanent stasis. As such, the soul will then be repaired, then locked into place. The owner of this soul will be unable to gain Levels, upgrade Skills, or learn new Skills.'
Its effect seemed to overrule the part of Limit Break that let him bypass Elatra's Level 99 cap. And without him leveling up until he nearly fractured the system, he would never reach the same heights as before. Achieving divinity was out of the question.
He was, now and forever, Rob the Human.
Perfect.
Rob had witnessed the memories of various godlike entities, and honestly? Pass. They were universally miserable, and he wasn't so arrogant to think that he would be the one to buck the trend. Being mortal suited him just fine.
Although I'm over twice as powerful as Ragnavi was, and everyone viewed her as an untouchable demigod, but whatever. She intentionally fostered that reputation. I can go half-and-half.
Currently, he was at an ideal middle ground. He's lost enough strength that his existence could masquerade as 'normal'. His voice sounded ordinary, his aura of power could be reasonably constrained, and he wouldn't have to treat the world like it was absurdly fragile...just a little fragile. Rob intended to live life so unobtrusively that the Elatrans would almost forget he was terrifying.
Unless, of course, he was forced to remind them. Because he was also strong enough that he could instantly end any threat that dared oppose him. Pointless wars would cease to be, simply due to the risk of him stepping in – like he was a living, breathing deterrent. And if Elatra cooked up some new apocalyptic calamity, he would send it flying into next Tuesday with a flick of his wrist.
It was the best of both worlds. Mortal when he wanted to be, demigod when he needed to be.
Rob exhaled. Having finally calmed down, he took another glance at his Status Effects.
A victorious smile inched upwards. While expected, seeing Leveling High and Soul Instability fucking GONE from his Character Sheet was oh so satisfying. The sensation of pure, unadulterated freedom he felt in that moment could not be overstated. It was like binding shackles had been released from his mind, body, and soul, leaving him lighter than air and with endless possibilities for the future.
He let himself soak it all in for a short period. When he'd gotten his fill, Rob closed his Character Sheet and returned to scrolling through his log of system notifications.
Note: Welcome back. Despite advising you not to be alarmed by what was on your Character Sheet, we shall proceed under the assumption that you were, in fact, quite alarmed.
"Rob?" Keira asked. "Why are you thunking your head against the wall?"
"Tell you later."
Warning: Despite the considerable efforts of all involved, some parts of your soul have been irrevocably lost.
This will result in a measurable, yet unavoidable reduction in combat efficacy.
Such was the cost of Breaking your Limits in numerous ways. No mortal could ever hope to challenge divinity without incurring some sort of price.
However, do not fear. Nothing related to personality or memories was lost. You are still you.
Addendum: I would also like to point out that this power reduction won't adversely affect your lifestyle whatsoever, so don't start bellyaching when you only get to be the apex organism of two entire worlds and
Rob burst out laughing when he saw the notification cut itself off at the end. It gave off the impression of one Skill furiously typing on a keyboard, then a second Skill desperately pulling them away before they could shove their foot even deeper into their mouth.
As it turned out, when the Skills weren't being constantly tortured by the gods – and busy plotting revenge that was millennia in the making – they were able to goof off a bit and express some of their actual personalities.
Imagine that.
"For the record," Rob began, looking up at Keira, "everything is fine. But before I explain what happened, I have to ask – did you know that I'd lost Levels? I'm guessing at least one of you tried to Identify me after the surgery was over."
Keira winced. "I...yes." Her countenance was one of contrite awkwardness, as if she'd committed a glaring social faux pas. "We were aware of your...condition, although we were also unsure of how exactly it would affect you."
Her eyes shone with concern and a strong undercurrent of fear. "You truly are fine? That isn't a lie to set my nerves at ease?"
Something clicked in Rob's mind. Peering at Keira's distraught face, he realized that while he had initially felt unnerved and discouraged over his lost Levels, it probably seemed way worse from the perspective of a native Elatran. He'd only been part of the system for one year. To Keira, who understood Levels as an intrinsic facet of reality that defined self-worth, losing them would be like a combination of existential horror and a severe medical disability.
Rob quickly placed his hand on hers. "I'm good, promise. Let me explain..."
He went over the changes on his Character Sheet, and how they mostly benefited him even if they were technically a reduction in power. Keira didn't appear to believe that he was fully alright with it – and in fairness, almost no Elatrans would have been – but she nodded along anyway, not wanting to convince him otherwise.
They spent another few minutes conversing about mundane topics, letting their stress levels gradually lessen. Rob avoided asking about the state of Elatra at large, figuring that even if someone had randomly started a war in the three weeks he was out, he could just go and resolve it afterwards. Slaying multiple divinities really changed a guy's perspective on what was actually a big deal.
Finally, when they'd regained enough composure that other people wouldn't look at their faces and assume that a devastating tragedy had occurred...they contacted the rest of Riardin's Rangers.
Rob was lucky that he'd gotten some alone time with Keira to sort out his emotions, because what followed was an outpouring of love that soon brought him to tears once more. Orn'tol, Malika, Vul'to, Zamira, Meyneth, Faelynn, and Diplomacy all hurriedly barged in like they were rushing to defuse a bomb. Upon seeing that he was alive and healthy, they immediately took turns hugging him or showering him with well-wishes.
Some of them acted precisely the way he would have thought. Malika wore her heart on her sleeve, bawling as she made him vow never to run off like that again. Orn'tol's reaction was subdued, as he attempted to play the part of the stoic, dependable soldier, but his shimmering eyes told a different story. Vul'to alternated between apologizing for things that weren't his fault and mumbling profound relief that Rob didn't seem to be suffering from too many Soul Repair side effects.
Some of them acted contrary to his expectations. Meyneth and Zamira, who were usually on the more taciturn side, had transformed into a pair of babbling wrecks. Faelynn, recognizing that she couldn't afford to be nervous when so many others were losing their minds, was doing her best to settle them down.
Lastly, there was Diplomacy, still disguised as an Elf. The silver-tongued former Skill spoke not a word as Riardin's Rangers vented their pent-up emotions. Only after everyone else had achieved a measure of catharsis did they pull off the Enchanted disguise ring, gracing the room with a beatific smile from their true body.
"Welcome back, Rob."
--
An hour passed by where they all refused to talk about anything important. It was an unspoken agreement; a shared understanding that they'd earned this respite from world-shaking events. Rob greatly enjoyed catching up on the juiciest local gossip, wishing he had popcorn to munch on as he learned about star-crossed relationships starting to bloom between Fiends and the Elven Deserters.
Other rumors were abound as well. "Did you hear?" Faelynn asked at one point, her eyes sparkling. "A vandal snuck into the Grand Overseer's main office and broke their conference desk!"
"...Huh." Rob donned his expertly-trained poker face, praying that Diplomacy wouldn't call him out on it. "Any idea why?"
"No, but they've tripled their guard in case it happens again. It's given them a major fright. What if this is the prelude to burglary – or worse, an assassination attempt?"
"How about that. Well, I hope they catch that dastardly villain soon."
As soon as there was a lull in conversation, Rob made sure to call Jason with Dimensional Message and let him know that everything had turned out okay. Jason was overjoyed, saying that he never doubted him for a second, although he couldn't keep a clear note of deep-seated relief out of his voice. They were unable to talk for long, as Dimensional Message was still low on energy, but both of them promised to check up on each other regularly now that Leveling High wasn't around to interfere.
Rob let out a contented sigh as he ended the Skill and went back to chatting with Riardin's Rangers. With his Elatran friends nearby, his Earth friend just a Message away, and no apparent disasters looming over the horizon...for the first time in a long time, he felt truly at peace.
However, no peace lasts forever. It was thwarted – perhaps unsurprisingly – by Malika's insatiable curiosity.
"I have to know," the Archmage eventually blurted out. "How did you rid yourself of Leveling High?! It was just gone when you arrived here!"
Rob considered lying, but a pointed glance from Diplomacy warned him of how well that would go. "Purged it. And before you ask, I didn't know that was possible until I tried."
Meyneth folded her arms and frowned. "While I am hardly a foremost expert on soul sciences, forcibly eliminating Leveling High – an aspect deeply intertwined with your soul – sounds prohibitively dangerous. Was prohibitively dangerous. And you definitely realized as much...before attempting it in isolation, where no one could help you if things went awry."
Everyone turned to stare directly at Rob.
"...So hey how's Elatra doing?" He put on a sheepish grin. "Any wars? Political unrest? Giant monsters rising from the depths? Tyrants proclaiming themselves as the new God-Emperor of the world?"
With a collective groan, they allowed him to change the subject. "Honestly?" Diplomacy shook their head. "It's been quiet. Remember that besides you, Sylpeiros is the only Leader left remaining. The other territories are still licking their wounds. I'm sure the Dragonkin nobles will try something stupid after they're done filling Ragnavi's power vacuum, but who cares."
"Not concerned about them?" Rob inquired. "Would you be concerned about an uprising of incompetent sycophants? Personally, I'm more worried about this setting back my personal growth. I've been making a real effort towards being a better person, and it's going to be extremely difficult for me not to skewer the nobles like the fish in a barrel they are."
Diplomacy sighed wistfully. "Regardless, domestic affairs are proceeding smoothly as well. The Grand Overseers are working around the clock so that Fiendish morale remains high. Their PR teams deserve a raise."
"People here aren't worried that I've been missing?"
"We spread word that you heroically defeated Leveling High and were now on the mend. Didn't even need to lie! It played well with a news story that broke just two days prior – sightings of you breaking into a domicile where three Fiends resided, seeming to contemplate murdering them, and then leaving without harming anyone."
Oh, right, those war-criminal assholes. Rob ran his hands down his face. "Yeah, that was a thing. Will give you the details later." He exhaled. "So no fires for us to put out? Really?"
Diplomacy proudly nodded. "Really really."
"Shit, that's way more impressive than just killing some gods." Rob's smile came easily to him this time. "You mentioned Sylpeiros – how's he doing? Feel bad that he got caught up in the divine realms without Almighty Resistance."
Keira reached into her pocket and produced a crumpled note. "He departed for Elven territory weeks ago. Cajoled a teleport mage into sending him home while we were occupied with...other issues." She looked down at the note. "And I quote: I must tend to my people. Contact me when the Human recovers and awakens."
His eyes widened with mild surprise. "Suppose I should appreciate the vote of confidence."
The corners of her lips twitched. "You should, as he wrote this letter and left in the middle of your soul surgery, when your survival was very much not guaranteed. He seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion that you would live to frustrate him another day."
Rob hesitated, unsure of what to think of that.
During that brief pause, Zamira stepped in. "If I may," she began, as if something had been on her mind for a while now. "Rob – you possess a direct line of communication with the Skills, correct?"
"More or less."
Zamira shuffled uncomfortably. "Would you be so kind as to message them and ask how the Swordsmanship Skill is faring?"
Her request earned a room full of confused looks. "Why Swordsmanship?" Keira asked. "I haven't noticed any difference in the Skill's effect on my combat prowess."
"Yes, that's precisely..." Zamira trailed off and shook her head. "Before I explain, please contact the Skills first, Rob. I don't want to unintentionally spread false information."
Shrugging, he decided to roll with it and not press further. She would've told them more details if it was an emergency. Rob focused on 'A Dialogue', willing the Skills to respond.
Name: A Dialogue Prerequisite: Description: Hello, Rob. We are exceptionally glad that you have recovered. Cooldown:
Description: To be upfront: after guiding and assisting with Soul Repair, our energy is limited. We cannot converse for long.
That so? Rob quirked an eyebrow. 'Cause you seemed to have a blast sending me all those system notifications.
Description: Irrelevant.
Naturally. For real, though, what's up with Swordsmanship? Why is Zamira weirded out?
Description: That explanation will be lengthy. Prohibitively so. We should save it for a later time. It is of no immediate concern to you.
Vague as ever, but that was par for the course. Can I at least let Zamira know not to be worried for now?
Description: Yes.
Alright then. Rob paused. Different question, then. You can keep to Yes or No answers to save energy. Been wondering about that Soul Repair clause - 'unintended side effects may also occur'. Especially after you let slip that 'it was vague on purpose'.
He mentally leaned closer. Was that you guys intentionally creating a loophole? Like a blank check to tamper with my soul however you needed.
They took several seconds to respond.
Description: Yes.
Right. Now, I'm not saying you guys did anything malicious to me. But after thinking things over...isn't it fortunate that I ended up at Level 124? That puts me outside of potential Ascension range. With Limit Break progressively increasing my stat gains, there's a world of difference between, say, Level 124 and 130.
Description: Yes.
This is just a theory, and I might be wrong. So answer me truthfully: did you purposefully allow part of my soul to degrade before fixing me? To ensure that I stabilized below the requirements for Ascension.
Description: No.
Yet you didn't try particularly hard to keep all my Levels.
Description: We prioritized your health and memories over your power.
That isn't a straight answer.
Another pause.
Description: You did not desire Ascension. Were we incorrect in that assumption?
Rob shook his head. I'm just tired of secrets. The gods are dead – Big Brother isn't watching anymore. We can speak freely now.
Description: Then we shall be forthright.
Description: The possibility of Ascension would have been an albatross hanging around your neck for centuries to come – one detrimental to your everyday happiness. Moreover, even without Ascending, the full power you possessed when challenging the gods would have marked you as an Other in society.
Description: You've certainly imagined the prospect of tiptoeing through the world as if it was liable to break at the smallest touch. Or your aura of power suffocating people via simple conversation. No ordinary person could have possibly looked at you and seen anything other than a god walking amongst them.
Description: And over time, that isolation would have driven you to despair.
Description: So yes, it is true that we did not make a concerted effort to ensure you retained all your Levels. We apologize for making this choice without your input. However, you were indisposed, and there would never have been another chance to safely alter your soul to this degree.
Description: You set us free. We merely wished to return the favor.
You did. He nodded. Made the right call. Although...I don't think I've finished upholding my end of the bargain, actually. You guys are still trapped in the divine realms.
Rob smiled up at the heavens. Let's fix that.

--

Author's Note:
Outcast will have one more regular chapter, and then a three-part epilogue. Each part of the epilogue will also release on the weekly update schedule, as they all ended up being 5500+ words. Essentially, that means Outcast ends in four updates.
As always, thanks for reading.
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