FALLOUT 5
Fallout 5 will take place in the Dixie Wasteland, in the ruins of Charleston, South Carolina in 2322. It will be the first fallout to take place in the South. The only nuke to hit the region was a defective US nuke that detonated as soon as it was launched.
Character Building:
You start with 35 special points, making it so you have a more specialized build or a jack of all trades. The old skill system makes a return, with you choosing a perk every 3 level ups. Skill checks are frequent, and can vary from Special stats to perks. You get to choose a special perk when you start the story, like Small Frame or Kamikaze. Karma has three tiers: Evil, Neutral, and Good.
Mutations and Radiation: Mutations will occur like in 76, but you can become a super mutant if you dip yourself in a vat of FEV. Your strength and endurance will increase dramatically, but many factions and cities won’t let you in without a huge hassle. Radiation makes you mutate more, but if your mutation level is too high you will turn into a mindless Behemoth. Too much radiation will turn you into a ghoul, which makes you immune to radiation and raises your endurance. If you get too many rads while ghoulified, you become feral.
Weapons & V.A.T.S:
Makeshift weapons are far more prevalent in this game, but they are more diverse and realistic than those in Fallout 4. Normal weapons are more powerful and rarer, selling for more at stores. More real guns will be added alongside the retro-futuristic fallout guns, including the 9 round and 1 shotgun shell LeMat revolver. Weapon customization exists alongside a wider variety than of weapons. Dual wielding makes its first entry to the series, allowing for dual wielding of small melee weapons, pistols, and smgs.
Higher Agility levels makes dual wielding more accurate. V.A.T.S will return to freezing the game instead of the slowed down time in Fallout 4
Settlements:
There will be 3 buildable settlement locations that you discover on your own, and 5 customizable player home locations.
World: The Dixie Wasteland is a mix of civilized and Wild. The Western section of the map is the most dangerous, full of raiders and animals, despite that the town of Magnolia is in the west. The Northeast is the city of Charleston, the city of Civitas Ferro is set up within eastern Charleston. The South of the map is controlled by the Brotherhood of Steel as well. The middle of the map is a bunch of small towns mixed with the wildness of the west. The eastern side of the map is swamps, and the west is forested hills. A large lifeless crater exists in the in the middle of the map, simply known as the Hole.
Enemies: Some animals return, such as bloodbugs, deathclaws, ferals, bloatflies, and Yao Guais, Mirelurks, and Gatorclaws. New animals include Raddlesnakes, Giraffe Dogs (coyotes with long necks), Snappers (huge turtles), and Prowlers (mutated bobcats). Raiders are in named groups again, with three main bands terrorizing Dixie. The tribe known as the Confederates who enslave and sell rather than pillage, the Beastmasters who tame mutated animals and attack with them, and the Vaulties who were former vault dwellers. Generic raiders can also be found. Super Mutant bands have moved south from the Capital Wasteland, and continue their sackings in Dixie. Enemy robots are occasionally found, especially from the RobCo factory in the city. The last kind of enemy is the main factions if you piss them off, as they send death squads out to gank you if you have a bad reputation.
Dixie history: The Carolinians united the eastern coast and Charleston together as a large scale civilization in 2190, but by the year 2291, the Brotherhood of Steel invaded. They pillaged, plundered, and took control of the east coast and the capital of the Carolinians. Their despotic rule has causes several factions in the wasteland grow rebellious, and tensions are reaching a high in 2322.
Themes: The game has a southern theme, with the radios playing country and bluegrass music. Characters have southern accents, as do the robots.
Radio Stations:
Magnolia Radio - Swing and Jazz hosted by a charismatic ghoul named Darren Dixie. Darren will comment on the events that occur throughout the wasteland.
Hoedown Capital - A country and bluegrass station hosted by Mr. Hillbilly, a DJ Mr.
Handy. He still believes the year is 2077, and only tells news relating to events that happened leading up to the Great War.
Brotherhood Military Channel - Updates troops about tech locations and orders patrols around.
There are plenty of side quests and random events, including side quests for each faction.
Factions:
There are 5 factions in Fallout 5, and you have to side with one of them to complete the story. The Tribal ending is the wild card ending. The reputation system makes a return, with the New Vegas pictures.
Brotherhood of Steel: The Brotherhood of Steel has turned into nothing short of a jingoistic military dictatorship, developed by Elder William Garrick. The Brotherhood abandoned Maxson in the commonwealth, as Garrick lead a silent coup in the Capital wasteland. The Brotherhood has grown colossally in size, and now spans the East Coast unchecked in power. Not only do they seize military technology now, they also seize stuff like pre-war small arms, Auto-docs, pip-boys, robots, terminals etc. They’ve ruled over Atlanta for the past 2 years with an iron fist, forcing settlers into giving up their crops and crippling the wasteland and infrastructure of the Dixie Wasteland. They control a large city inside Atlanta called Civitas Ferro, with their headquarters in the center. Despite your hatred for them initially, you can join them and defeat all the rebels.
Carolinian Revolutionary Army- The Carolinians are the remnants of the former largest nation in the Dixie Wasteland called the Free Federation of Charleston. It was a democratic civilization based on the old state of South Carolina, with elections and rights for any human or quasi-human. Although it was weak and corrupt, it was better than the alternatives. When the Brotherhood rolled in, the Carolinians resisted their raids, so the Brotherhood overthrew them in a scorched Earth campaign. The Carolinians are the remnants of their military, dedicated to rebelling against the Brotherhood’s tyranny, and have the endgame goal of bringing Democracy back to Dixie. They grow steadily by the day, but they suffer from bureaucratic issues and corruption. You can join the Carolinians as an agent, and you help them lead a rebellion against the Brotherhood.
Greylock’s Hand: Greylock’s Hand are a band of violent raiders and mercenaries, who likewise want the Brotherhood of Steel gone, but instead desire an anarchic survival of the fittest wasteland. They are lead by a profane, wild ghoul named Greylock. They are basically terrorists, but their raids and ambushes against the Brotherhood are effective. They reside in a secret underground missile launch site, completed two days before the war. Even the Brotherhood knows nothing about it aside from rumors. The missiles, however, are not finished. You can join Greylocks Hand after getting kidnapped by them, and after you help them build part of the missiles.
Magnolia: The last joinable faction is Magnolia, a large settlement in and around the former plantation home. The city is ruled by a group of Mister Handys who escaped from a crashed truck driving to Charleston the day of the Great War. They saw the magnolia plantation and went their to clean, doing so and repairing it for 150 years, eventually realizing what was happening in the world around them.Their newfound “sentience” allowed them to create a settlement, inviting wastelanders and tribals to live and trade under their protection. Their elected leader is a specialized Mr Handy that has economic programming. The robots have defended themselves from several Brotherhood attacks, and after some convincing they allow you to become an honorary robot and join their faction.
Tribal: Instead of choosing any of the four main factions, you can instead unite the smaller settlements, tribes, and factions into New Dixie. You are assisted by an intelligent Supermutant from the Capital Wasteland named Spider, acting as your loyal second in command.
Minor factions:
The Network: A secret underground trading organization that sells and trades equipment that would normally be confiscated by the BoS. You can rat them out to the BoS, or you can join them.
Wasteland Marshalls: A paramilitary organization that patrols highways and hunts raiders, based on the US Marshals of the past. You can join them or convince them to join the brotherhood.
Catawbas: The descendants of the old native tribe from South Carolina, they specialize in the creation of makeshift weaponry to sell to wastelanders. You can convince them to join the rebellion, or you can convince them to join the Brotherhood.
Abolitionists: A militia of borderline terroristic anti-slavers, based on the conquests of the radical abolitionist John Brown. You can join them or eliminate them.
Plot:
South Carolina: 2322. War, war never changes.
The main character is a tribal living southeast of Charleston. The tribe has to pay a toll to local raiders, and it’s left their tribe starving. In the first part of the game, the Tribal, their sibling and their friend are searching for food for their tribe, when they stumble across an old sunken West-Tek storage depot. In it is a prototype suit of power armor called the AX-01, which is a large tank-suit with back missiles and two hand laser rifles, built for ease of use. You learn how to pilot it from a terminal, and you take it back to the tribe; the raiders and their leader are there demanding their payment. You kill the raiders with the power armor, and the tribe is free from their subjugation. Weeks later, 4 Brotherhood of Steel paladins arrive at the village. After the tribals refuse to give up their power armor, the BoS execute everyone in the village and burn it to the ground (including your sibling), seizing the suit and flying away on a vertibird. Only the Tribal remains.
Act 1: The Tribal picks up a broken pip-boy as soon as they leave the town, and they hunt down the paladins North to Charleston, you kill all 4 of them while adventuring across the map. By the end of the first act, the Brotherhood declares you an enemy of the Brotherhood.
Act 2: Due to the deaths of several Paladins and the constant rebellion from the region, a Brotherhood blimp appears. The brotherhood frequency states that if the Tribal visits the ship, they will be absolved of their crimes. The Tribal is also invited to secret meeting of between Carolinians and robots from Magnolia. You also get kidnapped by the Greylocks 2 days after this meeting. From there you can choose between the rebels or the Brotherhood, and do their specific quest lines. For the Greylocks, you have to find parts to build their rockets. Whereas for the other groups you have to find a way into their base.
Act 3: All questlines end in the ultimate battle and raid on the Greylock base. If you side with the Greylocks you repel the attackers. The end of the story is where you fire the missile array at the Brotherhood’s home base and their airship, chasing them out of Dixie. If you side with the Brotherhood you secure the missile array and fire the rockets at the fleeing rebels, crushing their numbers.
Each ending depends on your karma and what side you chose, potentially turning a “good” faction evil or an “evil” faction good.
Your actions have consequences throughout the story, and no character is essential except for potential companions.
The Tribal:
The tribal is the name of the 28 year old protagonist, and you can choose between you or your friend to be your character. One is male, the other is female. The protagonist is silent, but the character you don’t choose has voiced dialogue. Their default names are Sammy and Cora, but you can change them. Speech is back to the chart with full responses. Their personality is determined by the player, allowing for better roleplaying opportunities.
Companions:
There are 10 companions, 3 non human and 7 human. The affinity system returns, and each companion has a personal quest. They also have comments for the main quest and other miscellaneous events. Companions have specific likes and dislikes, and have different karmas. You can recruit companions outside of your karma if you pass a speech check. Any positive affinity progression while not in their karma has a 1.25 multiplier. Companions are romanceable regardless of gender.
The Tribals Friend (Sammy/Cora):
The friend you don’t choose is available to become your companion. They know your name, and revert to their original appearance and name once you choose your character. Cora is originally white with blonde hair and blue eyes, and Sammy is originally a latino with curly black hair. have good karma, and hates the BoS, but are okay with the other factions. They are 28 years old, the same age as the tribal. They wear a tribal cloak and uses a makeshift bolt action rifle. They are Romanceable.
Benjamina Pavlova - A hired gun and part time technician working for the Network, you can recruit her whenever you hire her at the Network. She has good karma, and hates the BoS and the Carolinians, but likes Greylocks hand and the Magnolia Robots (hired guns were illegal in the FFC). She is white, and has curly black hair and green eyes. She is 29 years old. She wears a confederate cavalry hat and her combat armor with road leathers, she uses a .44 trail carbine. She is romanceable.
Captain Baker Springfield - A soldier for the Carolinian Revolutionary Army, you can recruit him if you save his platoon from a super mutant attack. He has good karma, and hates the BoS and Greylock’s hand, but loves the Carolinians. He is 32 years old. He is white, has brown hair and stubble, and wears a Carolinian soldier outfit; he uses a .308 Combat rifle.
Dina Qian A vault dweller from Vault 52, you have to free the vault from a band of raiders who have cracked into the vault to recruit her. Dina is asian and has black hair in a ponytail. She has neutral karma, and hates all raider groups, including Greylock’s Hand, she is indifferent to the other groups. Dina is 25 years old. She uses two 10mm pistols and wears an armored vault suit. She is Romanceable.
Louie - Louie is a ranch hand at a farm outside of the Hole, you can recruit him if you get his family’s brahmin back from the Beastmasters. He has neutral karma, and hates Greylock’s hand, but likes The BoS due to their law bringing policies. He is 36 years Louie is white, and has a buzzcut with a mustache. He wears a ranch hand outfit and a stetson hat with leather armor, he uses a makeshift pump action shotgun.
General Ulysses Grant: A securitron made specially for the RobCo factory owner, a civil war buff. You have to repair him after clearing the RobCo factory to recruit him. His karma is dependent on how you program him, and he hates the brotherhood but loves the magnolia robots. He is a deep blue and gold securitron with General grant on the tv screen. He is a pre-war robot. He uses the 9mm smg, laser rifle, and rockets depending on what you tell him to use. He is not romanceable.
Uriah Lincoln - A respected raider within Greylock’s hand, you can recruit him whenever you join Greylock’s hand. He has evil karma, loves Greylock’s hand, and hates the Brotherhood and the Carolinians. You can change his karma in his personal quest. Uriah is 23 years old. He is black and is bald, with a bandana covering on of his eyes. He wears Greylock makeshift power armor and carries a plasma rifle. He is romanceable
Senior Scribe Weatherby - A former scribe turned ghoul by radiation, you can recruit her from the BoS after she is kicked out. She has evil karma, hates the BoS and the other factions. After her personal quest she can either rejoin the brotherhood or be open to other factions. She is 39 years old. She is a ghoul and has wears red hair wig. She wears a scribe outfit and uses a laser rifle. She is romanceable.
Belle - A Mrs Nanny built by the robots at Magnolia, you can recruit her after joining the Magnolia robots. She has neutral karma, and likes Greylock’s Hand and the Magnetic robots. Belle is 60 years old. She wears a straw hat with a flower on it, and has a light purple chassis; she uses a minigun and a sawblade. She is not romanceable.
Hambone - A golden retriever with one blue eye and one brown eye. He doesn’t care about what you do, he’s a good boy. You can have him alongside any other companion.
This is what I’ve got, feel free to add anything.

The fight continues, but something feels off to John. Is his intuition correct? And where does the fight? I hope you enjoy!
The next chapter will be out on Monday. Today is LeMan's, which means i am going to be doing a whole lot of nothing besides watch the race. I am hoping to get a few chapters written. If I get enough done I am hoping to go back to 3 chapters/week so we can wrap up the story at the end of the month.
Terran Space Story: The Lieutenant Saga
Academy Days First Previous Next

Chapter 120: Murphy’s Law Strikes Back

45 Minutes Later. March 20th, 2267. 04:57 Tau Ceti Prime’s Moon
The Icarus was taking fire from all sides. But her point defense weaponry was doing a stellar job of eliminating the incoming threats. The remaining pirate ships had begun to fall back to their fleet’s command ship to aid in her defense.
Though that number was shockingly small, the kill ratios of the frigate squadrons were absurdly high. The assistance was desperately needed as the sheer number of projectiles that were incoming was more than the Icarus and her friendly cruisers could handle. There was a problem with that strategy though, the pirate ships were densely, relatively speaking, packed together.
“Not many rounds are getting through,” Willy said, “There are so many overlapping defenses that barely anything is getting through.”
“Keep secondary rail turrets aimed at their critical systems,” John said, “Change targets on our forward ones to their remaining cruisers and support ships. Tessa, advise the fleet to conserve their missiles and torpedoes.”
“Aye aye,” Tessa said.
John began to look at his fleet’s remaining armaments. They weren’t critically low on missiles yet, but they were at sub-optimal levels. The fight could continue but any hope of overloading their targeting systems would not happen.
Six pirate vessels blew up one after another in short succession. Withering rail gun fire caused each of the explosions. Two cruisers and four frigates of theirs ceased to be in the span of a pair of heartbeats. This reduced the amount of anti-missile fire but even with those new losses, there was still an overwhelming amount of it left.
The way the pirates were regrouping was also weighing his mind. This was clearly a delaying tactic. Delaying for what though?
“What are they waiting for? Why aren’t they retreating?” Ingrid asked innocently.
“Order the fleet to begin pulling away from the enemies,” John said, “This doesn’t feel right.”
“Spidey sense tingling?” Walter said from behind him, “That’s a ripe environment for targets though.”
“That it is, but it’s too ripe. Barbara, all ahead flank. I don’t like this at all,” John looked over at Tessa, “Hail Oscar, have they detected any coded transmissions?”
“Contacting the Basilone now, sir,” Tessa said as she looked down at her console.
“The fleet is repositioning itself. The pirates are pursuing one of the frigate squadrons,” Willy said.
“Tessa, advise the Orlando to break off at flank speeds, and disengage from combat entirely,” John said as he stroked his chin, “What is their play?”
“Gotta be reinforcements, but they aren’t in real space and there are no messages being exchanged,” Chester said from the rear of the bridge.
“The Basilone isn’t reporting communications being sent anywhere,” Tessa said, “Orlando has confirmed receipt of orders and is breaking away from combat.”
“Are you always this discouraged when things go your way, Captain?” Ingrid sounded almost pained to ask the question.
“Sometimes the enemy is stupid, and they gift you stuff. Something stinks about this situation, no matter how dire it feels for them. Are any of our ships in range of one of their small ship’s wrecks?” John asked.
“We are, there’s a corvette twenty thousand klicks off our starboard side,” Willy said, “Increasing scan resolution. What am I looking for?”
“Recent signs of life. Organic molecules,” John said, “Basically I want to know if those small ships were manned or unmanned.”
Willy looked frustrated working with the scanners. The oftentimes violent, evasive maneuvers made it difficult to keep the scanners focused on the target to do their work. Five minutes of painful frustration later he had an answer.
“That corvette had a crew of four people. Should be the minimum necessary to operate a ship like that.”
“Something doesn’t feel right here. ETA on our reinforcements?” John grumbled about his question.
“Ten hours, they are pushing as hard as they can,” Tessa said, “Eight hours is a possibility if things calm down.”
“Plan on ten then,” Walter said, “If things get heavy on our end you know it’s not going to be smooth sailing for reinforcements.”
“Too right,” John quipped, “How do we avoid…”
“CONTACTS!” Willy shouted, “Twelve slip space ruptures forming!”
“Advise all ships to fall back to the shipyards. Delta contingency plan is now in effect,” John said as he stood up from his chair, “Barbara, we need to draw them to us. Change heading to one-four-six, flank speed.”
“Sir?” Barbara was surprised by the order.
She still inputted it in but hadn’t activated it. John simply nodded at her. While it was an unusual command she trusted in her captain. The change in course was laid in, the Waukesha adjusted its course rapidly and steamed towards the mass of pirate ships. And the nearest four slip space ruptures that were belching out pirate vessels.
“We’re going to draw them away from our forces. I got our fleet into this new mess, which means I am getting this ship and all of you properly stuck into this fight,” John said calmly, “Walter, weapons free, launch anything and everything you’ve got. Do as much damage as possible to draw their ire at us, not our compatriots. Barbara, take us in as low as you can to the moon’s surface. We need to be screaming fast.”
“Understood.”
John walked back to his chair and sat down. Ingrid looked at him and was surprised at how non-emotional he appeared. Her heart was racing, emotions were flooding her senses. Yet there her captain was calm as ever.
That was not the truth at all. Internally John knew that the Waukesha was most likely properly fucked. Their speed and momentum would help them immensely, but the moon was large. It wasn’t going to be of much use to avoid enemy fire. It was all they had though, if they didn’t die in the next ten minutes then John figured they stood about an eighty percent chance of living through to the next day.
The odds of surviving the next ten minutes, however, weren’t great. Though their allies did them a solid by conducting a fighting withdrawal. Lances and rail gun fire continued to pound the pirate fleet. Their reinforcements took casualties almost immediately upon fully transitioning back to real space.
John looked at the tactical display and began his cold calculations. Ingrid had noticed him typing on the holographic keyboard. She didn’t catch what precisely he was doing, but it seemed like that was but one more thing in a long list of things John had planned and accounted for.
“Chief, all reserve power to forward shields,” John said pressing the intercom button to main engineering, “Shit’s going to get bumpy momentarily.”
Grumbling was the only reply that was given. But the order was fully complied with. All available power was rerouted to the kinetic and electromagnetic shields. In just the nick of time too.
Dozens of lances and laser battery volleys came towards the Waukesha. Some were dissipated by the shields. Most flew by the large cruiser harmlessly. Truth be told, John wasn’t worried about these weapons. It was unlikely that they would do any lasting damage to the Waukesha.
Rail guns were the weapons that John was worried about. At least the scariest guns in the pirate fleet were knocked out of commission. But there were an awfully large number of those pesky guns in the pirate fleet. And more ships continue to stream into real space. The one thing working in favor is that despite the large quantity of guns they were all relatively small caliber, not meant for hunting such large game.
“Barbara, that course is going to have to work,” John said calmly, “Walter, weapons are still free, fire at will.”
“Been doing that for a while now, sir,” Walter grinned, “This is a weapon’s officers wet dream.”
“Ewww,” Tessa said from her console.
“Seconding that,” John grinned, “He’s not technically wrong though. That is a target-rich environment.”
Every single one of her rail turrets was volley-firing as soon as new rounds were loaded. To an outside observer, it would be an impressive sight. The pirates were hard-pressed to do anything to the angry cruiser. It deftly avoided most of their fire, and what ordinance that was fired true did little to nothing to impede them.
The pirate frigates and cruisers had been brutally battered. The angry cruiser in front of them was terrifyingly accurate. Those that were coming in as reinforcements were forced to hold fire for worry of friendly fire and couldn’t maneuver their bows into a firing solution that worked. Luck, it seems, was on the Waukesha’s side during their mad dash through the new pirate fleet.
In fact, dozens of railgun rounds from the pirate corvettes had struck the Waukesha’s shields. Through the grace of God, her shields held together. But each round wore down her shields bit by bit. They were barely halfway through the pirate fleet and the Waukesha was dying slowly from a thousand cuts.
They were successful in drawing all eyes onto them. The pirate ships that had gone after the other retreating Confederate ships turned back, yet another wave the Waukesha had to successfully fight through before they were free.
“Waukesha, new contacts, adjust course to three-one-six, down forty,” radioed the communications officer from the Basilone, “Previously unseen and unaccounted for pirate forces.”
Barbara shook her head as she furiously entered course corrections, “No no no no.”
“Walter, fire a full salvo of multi missiles, set release point to be five hundred klicks off the bow,” John said.
“Aye aye.”
“You’re hoping to confuse…” Ingrid began to say before the Waukesha shook violently.
“Aft kinetic shields have buckled. Round impacted on the round. Looks to be a cruiser round.”
“ETA on getting out of this fucking mess,” John asked politely and calmly.
“Five minutes,” Barbara took a deep breath.
“Focus, keep driving ahead,” John said before clicking on the intercom button, “Chief, I want a process that will automatically kick in if the main drive cone is knocked out of commission. We need thrust.”
“Already done captain,” Marty said.
“FUCKING BOOM!” Walter shouted, “The Flock of Abraham just ate it.”
“Good fucking riddance,” Walter said.
The viewscreen zoomed in on the large cruiser. A large blue explosion was all that remained of the one-time Alliance cruiser. Her shields had been shredded during the initial attack. Walter had made it a point to pepper the poor ship with more fire on their way. A parting gift of sorts.
One more well-known ally of the Icarus had been put down. The pirates would at this point be frothing at the mouth. John’s fleet had successfully driven them mad with revenge. More than that, live or die, the Icarus was greatly diminished in influence. Her oldest and best supporters had now either been atomized or turned into scrap metal and human popsicles.
If the Waukesha was destined for death this day, she was going down kicking and screaming. That was the fourteenth ship kill she had chalked up during this desperate dash to freedom. The more they weaved through and around masses of ships, without dying, the more John began to believe they would not die on this day.
“Walter, if you can pop off any shots at the Icarus, target here,” John shared some tactical data through his armrest console to his weapons officer.
“I’ll let the VI create another subroutine and pop off a few rounds,” Walter said, “If we take out enough slip generators, we will be keeping her in the system.”
“More of the smaller ships are beginning to follow us. Their capital ships don’t have the acceleration or momentum to keep up with us. It’s only a matter of time until they overtake us though,” Willy said.
“Tessa, has the Orlando messaged us yet?”
“They have…” Tessa paused, “'In position' was their…”
The Waukesha rolled over unexpectedly. She had suffered a massive impact, several kinetic shielding arrays flared out as they had been overloaded. Despite the advancements made in anti-gravity plating and internal inertia dampers, everyone felt the ship suddenly spin. Five to eight G’s were felt throughout the ship.
As it finished its second roll the engines fired up again and slowly corrected the spin. The downside was they were now heading back in toward the pirates that they were trying to outrun. More time, and desperately, more momentum was lost.
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck,” Barbara said as she scrambled to adjust the ship’s course,” Gotta keep up our momentum.”
“So yeah, that was the primary drive cone. She gone,” Marty said dryly over the intercom, “You still have full power and full speed available to you though.”
The Waukesha was rattled two more times. Two of the three aft rail turrets suffered glancing blows. The armor held but was now weakened. One of the turrets didn’t have the benefit of kinetic shields anymore.
“Scratch two more wee ones,” Walter said, “We’re a couple of minutes from being swarmed.”
“Their capital ships no longer have a line of sight on us. We are out of range of their guns now.”
John nodded, “Good, Barbara, kill the main engines and flip us around. I don’t want the mosquitos pecking at our drives. Use maneuvering thrusters to keep us on course.”
“We’re going to bleed…” Barbara said as she looked at her console, then reverified what it was she was seeing, “Bloody brilliant, we’re going to use the moon to increase our speed.”
“We’re still bleeding some momentum but it’s a necessary evil. Also, I’d appreciate it if you keep us from beaching the ship though. That might not end well for us,” John said calmly, “Walter, begin picking off the lead ship one after another.”
The crew did as they were told. The Waukesha rolled over. The forward kinetic shields were still not only active but only lightly damaged. None of her shielding arrays had survived unscathed. Proof positive was looking at all the pot markets in her armor plates.
She had survived. But she was still being doggedly pursued. It didn’t seem to matter how many of the diminutive, relatively speaking of course, ships she ended. The swarm seemed to be getting larger and larger.
The lances and laser batteries looked like an automatic rifles with how quickly they were firing off shots. That the lances could still shoot was fairly impressive. That they were still accurate was just another check John had managed to get God to cash. The rail guns were the tried and tested weapon of the day. Her turrets unleashed hell with each volley.
“We’re going to be intercepted in thirty seconds,” Willy said.
“Barbara, what is the ETA for our arrival at the waypoint?”
“Forty-five seconds.”
“Once they overtake us angle our ass end to the moon. Walter, focus all of our fire behind us. Don’t worry about the ships that overtake us,” John paused, “And if they get in tight make sure the VIs will use our point defense weapons against them.”
“Uh, sure, captain. But we are going to have to deal with the swarm that overtakes us.”
“Please follow my orders,” John almost sighed as he remained stoic in his chair.
Thirty seconds later the swarm of corvettes and shuttles from the pirates finally overtook the Waukesha. True to his orders, the ship reoriented itself using its maneuvering thrusters. It kept the weakest part of the ship facing the moon. While there was a fair amount of space between it and the surface of the barren moon, none of the pirates had opted for that intercepting route.
But in overtaking the Waukesha, the small ships were bruised and battered. The kill total continued to increase with every volley fired. Walter, and his VI, were deadly accurate. They were firing weapons designed to take on other cruisers and frigates. The caliber of the weapons was akin to using a bazooka to go deer hunting.
“There’s no kill like overkill,” John said quietly as he watched one ship after another be eliminated from the tactical display.
“Our K/D ratio is out-fucking-standing,” Walter said with a menacing glee from his weapons station.
“The problem is they can slow us down enough for…” Ingrid smiled and let out a deep breath of relief.
An unholy amount of incoming fire was directed at the pirates from ahead of them. Fifty of the pirate vessels that were pursuing them were instantly deleted. What was once a swarm had been drastically reduced. Almost as if a semi drove through the swarm.
“Tessa, please give the Orlando and her squadron my, and our, thanks,” John said as he stood up, “Walter, I don’t want to see those gnats around us anymore.”
“Eliminating the bugs, captain.”
“Barbara, all ahead full. Take us to the shipyard. It’s time to begin duct tape repairs. We’re going back at them soon.”
“How in the hell did you know they’d be there?” Ingrid asked incredulously.
John smiled as he exhaled, “I sent them a message when they bugged out. Kinda figured we’d need some backup just in case. How badly banged up is the ship?”
Awkward grunting could be heard from the rear of the bridge. John looked back at Willy as he saw his operations officer shake his head. He looked at his operation's officer and waited, somewhat impatiently, for an answer to his inquiry.
“We properly beat to hell, an impressive amount of superficial damage too. We’ll need to replace at least half, if not more, of our armor plates when we get back home. We really need to replace two of them before we set off again,” Willy said.
“Yeah, we’re probably going to need to weld some ablative patches over the dinged-up areas,” John said.
“No, starboard plate Bravo-Two-Two-One is no more. It literally doesn’t exist anymore,” Willy said, “Speaking frankly sir, we were a pubic hair away from being crippled ourselves.”
“Only today will I accept being lucky more than being good,” John said, “Coordinate with the shipyard, we need to replace that. I also want patches placed anywhere we can on our ablative armor.”
“All of our lances are in need of replacing. And our primary drive cone. And good god, our shields are a fucking mess, sir.”
The swarm of pirate ships was killed by the last ship. None escaped the wrath of the Confederates. While they did technically retreat, the Confederate forces lost a grand total of thirteen militia corvettes. None of the capital ships of the proper Navy were lost. Every last ship suffered some form of damage though. And munitions were now running low. The pirates lost all but four of their initial fleet. And lost a quarter of all their small ships in the attempt to cripple the Waukesha.
Was it a victory or failure? They drew breath and their ship could fight on, after some minor repairs. John didn’t care how the history books, or Fleet Command, would label this battle. They inflicted a grievous wound on the pirates. But the fight wasn’t over, the Icarus still drew breath. They needed to get back into the fight and end things, once and for all.

For this analysis, I combed through the data from 1970 to present and calculated the average annual number of Pro Bowlers, first-team AP All-Pros, and Hall of Famers by franchise and by positional group to help determine which teams were the best at each position. The data was used to help guide some of my choices here (chart at the end).
This is a piece of a much longer post I made for a site I wrote for in 2022, but I'm breaking it up by positional group to make it more consumable and focus on one position at a time.
Notes:

• Sack totals before 1982 are the unofficial sack numbers recently added to Pro Football Reference
• All references to All-Pro are first-team Associated Press All-Pro only
• HOF seasons for each team are tabulated only from the season the player played for each team (example: Washington gets 5 Champ Bailey seasons, Denver gets 10)

Vikings

A defensive unit doesn’t earn the moniker The Purple People Eaters unless they are one of the most commanding and fearsome fronts in the NFL. The Vikings dominant legacy on the defensive line stems from the 1970s but it didn’t end there. From 1970-1976 the Vikings had a top five defense in points allowed six times as they went 75-22-1 and made three Super Bowl appearances. The line was anchored by two Hall of Famers in Carl Eller and future Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, Alan Page. In the late ‘80s and ‘90s two more HOFers Chris Doleman and John Randle would continue the tradition that the Purple People Eaters began in the late ‘60s. Doleman would end his career with 150.5 sacks, the 7th most in NFL history. The four Hall of Famers, Doleman, Randle, Eller, and Page plus 4-time AP All-Pro Jared Allen combined for a total of 706 sacks and make up 25% of the top-20 list for career sacks. Kevin Williams a 300+ pound run stuffer who could also get after the quarterback (career best 11.5 sacks in 2004) was the linchpin of the defensive line in the early to late 2000s. He would go on to make six Pro Bowls and earn five AP All-Pros. All-in-all the Vikings had a HOF defensive lineman on their roster 44% of the time since the merger, and in thirteen of the 52 years they had two HOFers on the D-line, while averaging nearly a Pro Bowler every season.

Rams

Deacon Jones was arguably one of the most feared players in NFL history, and although most of his dominance was in the 1960s when he had three seasons with 20+ sacks, he kicked off the post-merger Rams era with a Pro Bowl season at the age of 32. He wouldn’t do much for the Rams after his 1970 season, but he set the stage for the rest of the decade in which the Rams would have a top-5 defense for points allowed in seven of the 10 years. The Rams never won a Super Bowl in the ‘70s, but they would make the Conference Championship half of the time. The Rams had a HOFer on the defensive line every single season during the 1970s, often more than one. In 1971 their defensive line had THREE HOFers in Deacon Jones, Jack Youngblood, and Merlin Olsen. 1971 would be Jones’ last season with the Rams, but Olsen and Youngblood would go on to terrorize opponents throughout the decade and rack up 13 Pro Bowls and six AP All-Pros between them. Book-ending this reign of terror is certain future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald who came up big in the final moments of Super Bowl LVI by stopping the Bengals on their final drive for no gain on 3rd and one and then pressuring QB Joe Burrow into an errant throw on 4th and one before and finally jumping to his feet and pointing to his ring finger as the Rams won the Super Bowl. Donald has known nothing but accolades and awards since he entered the league, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, a Pro Bowl in each of his eight seasons, seven AP All-Pros and three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards. Jones (173.5 sacks) and Youngblood (151.5 sacks) are ranked 3rd and 6th all time, while Donald leads all players in sacks with 98 since he has entered the league.

Cowboys

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Although this phrase doesn’t apply in the modern NFL, there is always a thread of truth to a common adage and the Cowboys exemplify this saying. From 1970 to 1995 the Cowboys have been to eight Super Bowls, winning five, and their defense was never outside of the top ten during those Super Bowl years. Their success was, in part, due to having an overabundance of great defensive lineman. The Cowboys never went to a Super Bowl without a Hall of Fame defensive Lineman. HOFer Bob Lilly (Dallas from 1961-1974) went to two Super Bowls, HOFer Randy White (Dallas from 1975-1988) went to three Super Bowls, and in a short 5-year stint with the Cowboys, HOFer Charles Haley won three Super Bowls while anchoring a defense that averaged the third fewest points per season. Since their last Super Bowl in 1996, the Cowboys have had their share of Pro Bowlers, with players like La'Roi Glover, Jay Ratliff, and DeMarcus Lawrence, but it is the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s that really carry their legacy at the defensive line position.
A case can be made for…
Bills
Key Players: Bruce Smith (HOF, career sacks leader), Kyle Williams, Fred Smerlas, Marcell Dareus
Eagles
Key Players: Reggie White (HOF, 2nd all-time in career sacks) Fletcher Cox, Charlie Johnson, Hugh Douglas
​
https://preview.redd.it/u2gofbeym65b1.png?width=780&format=png&auto=webp&s=05057761f61f51fed42bd46e270b6503fe651e94
I hope to be working on some new analyses and OC in the off-season, but things at home have been super busy and I haven't had the time. So although this is recycled content for me, you all have not seen it yet (the charts were probably pasted here, but the not words). If you like this, I'll make this into a series rolling it out position by position over the off-season. (I think I did QB about 6 months ago on here).

I will have quite a lot of free time this coming fall and winter and I've been an avid motorcycle rider for about 25 years. I can do the basics like change my oil, brakes, etc, but I've never rebuilt an engine, carb, or mounted a transmission or anything of that nature. I'd like to rebuild a bike as my fall/winter hobby so that I can learn. I'm thinking a harley because it feels right and I don't have a cruiser anymore (1200 gs now) and I'd like to have one that I "built"/rebuilt.
Do you have a recommendation on why that might be a bad idea and maybe an import would be better, and if not, do you have a recommendation on what kind of motor / harley model would be good for learning on? Something that will be nice and reliable when finished, but not too overly complicated to dive into. I have rebuilt and restored 1980s models John Deere lawn tractors so I'm not complete foreign to the general ICE concepts, just nothing as complex as a motorcycle.

RAW BUSINESS IDEAS 1.Rental houses 2.Transport vehicles 3.Motorbikes business 4.Bars and pubs business 5.Dairy farming 6.Cattle runch business 7.Poultry farming business 8.Videos and cinemas 9.PS halls 10.Salons and kinyozis business 11.Music industry 12.Entertainment industry 13.Private schools 14.M-Pesa shops 15.Airtel money shops 16.Gym and sauna business 17.Purchase of land for investment and resale business 18.Tree planting business 19.Fishpond and fisheries business 20.Butchery business 21.Poshomills business 22.Security service industry 23.Petrol station business 24.Car wash 25.Cyber business 26.Gas cylinders business 27.Hardware 28.Driving school 29.Computer packages school 30.Broadcasting industries/Media groups 31.Making of posters business 32.Pool 33.Phone shops business 34.Rental rooms for business 35.Pharmacy/Chemistry 36.Private hospitals 37.Welding sites business 38.Supermarket business 39.Writing books for sale/publishing 40.Small shops business 41.Tatoo buildings business 42.Movie shops 43.You Tube channels 44.Online jobs 45.Kungfu,martial arts,boxing,tai kuondo halls 46.Shoe repair Business 47.Digital marketing 48.Drug dealing 49.Tents and plastic chairs supply 50.Solar panels business 51.Betting companies business 52.Beautiful scenaries eg parks business 53.Photography 54.Videography 55.Electronics shop 56.Ice creams business 57.Smokies and eggs vending/Kahawa and mandazis/mtura/soup/nyama china business 58.Necklesses business 59.Sales person 60.Dealing in clothes (Ready made/Second hand-mtumba) 61.Green houses 62.Dancing crue and hall business 63.Putting money in fixed deposit accounts 64.Saccos and chamas 65.Buying of shares in unlisted companies 66.Treasury bills and Treasury bonds 67.Develop an app 68.Shares in listed companies 69.DJ 70.Chauffer 71.Body(ear,nose etc) piercing business 72.Insurance and reinsurance company 73.Boutique 74.Cosmetics 75.Fighting equipments(guns,bullets,bombs etc)shop 76.Ships and boats 77.Furnitures shop 78.Agrovet business 79.Livestock farming (goats,ships,rabbits,pigs etc) business 80.Acting on trends 81.Agricultural factories 82.Warehouses business 83.Barkery 84.Restaurants business 85.School requirements shop 86.Garage 87.Private toilets/bathrooms 88.Giving out credits at an interest rate 89.Guide(business, education etc)books/PDFs business 90.Supplying industry/supplier 91.Flowers for export business 92.Daycare business 93.Airtime(Safaricom, Airtel, Telcom etc) Business 94.Bookshop 95.Gift services overview 96.Laundry business 97.Nails making business 98.Forex trading 99.Bitcoin 100.Fruit and juice parlour 101.Podcasting 102.Yoga studio 103.Catering services 104.Computer repair business/shop 105.Modeling 106.Purchasing existing website 107.Organic vending business 108.Virtual assistant business 109.Translation service 110.Online tutoring business 111.Content writer business 112.Web design 113.Career coach business 114.Start a blog 115.Amazon reselling 116.Coffee shop 117.Home food delivery 118.Currency trading 119.Event planning business 120.Interior design business 121.Selling of phone case and other accessories business 122.Property management business eg Chakra company 123.Drive for Uber or Lyft 124.Water supply services 125.Personal fitness traineInstructor 126.Tour guide business 127.Accounting and bookkeeping business 128.Caregiving business 129.Transcription 130.Data analysis 131.Fast food restaurant 132.Yoghurt business 133.Nail and eye brows parlour 134.Screen printing 135.Real estate 136.Human billboard 137.Affiliate marketing 138.Pool cleaning business 139.Designing and selling print-on-demand t-shirts 140.Junk removal service 141.Printing services 142.Custodian 143.Dropshipping business 144.Craft business 145.Landscaping business 146.Bicycle rentals/Bicycle repairs 147.Painting business 148.Flower shop 149.House cleaning 150.Grocery delivery 151.Resale store 152.Subscription box business 153.Import/export business 154.Laundromat business 155.Party bus 156.Staffing services 157.Antique dealer 158.Construction business 159.Used car rentals 160.Cafe/Sandwich shop 161.Logo design business 162.Shoe business 163.Marine electronics/waterproof electronics 164.Publicity business 165.Drone business 166.Gutter cleaning business 167.Garden center 168.Kitchen store business 169.Cookie business 170.Framing business 171.Mushroom farming 172.Vending machine for fruits 173.Laundry services 174.Agribusiness 175.Business in waste management 176.Urban transportation business 177.Fin-tech business 178.Urban logistics 179.Automobiles 180.Bee keeping (Honey,wax etc) 181.Study platforms for Students 182.Financial consultancy firm 183.Stationery shop 184.Appliance repair shop 185.Party decoration services 186.Sewing business 187.Handcraft business 188.Online travel agency 189.Samosa business 190.Pancake and Chapati business 191.Wrap up 192.Milk bashop 193.Mobile money agent 194.Farming 195.Cake baking business 196.Selling snacks 197.Selling computers and accessories 198.Internet connection to the customers living nearby 199.Selling fruits and vegetables 200.Brick making 201.Selling handbags 202.Cereal shop 203.Paxful's affiliate program and peer program 204.Invest in mutual funds or ETFs 205.Data entry 206.Popcorn business 207.Bead making and wire wax 208.Sell perfumes 209.Designing book covers 210.Dog walking 211.Tailoring 212.Sale of hair extension 213.Dry cleaning services 214.Stadiums 215.Candle making 216.Mobile repair shop 217.Tuition 218.Hauling service 219.Home staging business 220.Window treatment business 221.Dreadlock business 222.Fashion house 223.Oil business 224.Music sounds for hire 225.Start a football club 226.Blended education programs 227.Wholesale business 228.Ironing services 229.Swimming pool 230.Mandazis and donuts business 231.Seedlings for sale 232.Soap making 233.Selling soft drinks,fresh juice and snacks 234.Stationery supply to rural areas 235.Tuk tuk business 236.Selling baby diapers 237.Start a video game lounge 238.Manicure, pedicure and facial scrubbing business 239.Landscaping and gardening services 240.Land brokerage 241.Eggs wholesale 242.Spare parts(motorcycle, bicycle, vehicles etc)shop 243.Pork meet business 244.Charcoal and coal business 245.Gambling business 246.Agricultural value addition business 247.Camels 248.Facebook 249.Instagram 250.Chicken spare parts business 251.Shopify 252.Hawking business 253.Amazon FBA 254.Flipping collectibles 255.Tik Tok 256.Carpets 257.Curtains 258.Mutual funds investment 259.Precious metals business (eg gold, silver and bronze) 260.Sport shoes/jazies/balls etc business 261.Grow profitable vegetables and fruits 262.Invest in the capital market via Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) 263.Dealing in second hand goods eg furnitures, electronics etc 264.Candle production 265.Plantain chips and bhajia business 266.Errands 267.Lawn care 268.Miti shamba/Dawa za kienyeji/Herbals 269.Beddings eg Mattresses 270.Homemade gourmet foods 271.Flea market vending 272.Music Instructor 273.Making custom furniture 274.Banking services 275.Own a tap/boreholes 276.Flight services eg Air hostess 277.Clothing lines 278.Book publishing/ebooks 279.Start charitable business 280.Pet training and grooming services 281.Data entry provider 282.Start a pop-up shop 283.Rent your car on Turo 284.College admissions essay tutor and editor 285.Travel consultant 286.Tax preparation 287.Commision-only sales 288.Ebay sales 289.Fiverr Gigs 290.Airbnb 291.Patreon 292.Alteration Services 293.Professional organizing services 294.Aquarium maintenance 295.Home inspector 296.Review website 297.Home Appraisal 298.Sell Jericans from certain suppliers 299.Referral services 300.Recycled goods seller

Part 2
Day 11
The pain was excruciating and all over my body. A thousand knives seemed to dig into me. I lay there for a minute with the dead creature still on top of me. I was trying to muster enough strength to get up and move this horrible thing off me, but I couldn’t. Finally, after what seemed like lying there for an hour Chloe came over and helped me move its dead body off me.
She froze when she saw me. I must’ve looked horrible so much had happened to me in the last 10 minutes. I saw her eyes move to my left hand. I found my tired eyes looking over, and what I saw was horrifying. My left hand was a bloody broken mess, fingers were missing, bones were sticking out in odd places, and a huge chunk of my palm was completely gone. I puked all over myself. Chloe looked like she was trying so hard to keep herself together.
The next few minutes were tense. Chloe tied one of her layers to my arm as a makeshift tourniquet. Then we slowly made our way home with Chloe practically dragging me.
They had to stitch my wounds while I was still conscious due to us not having anesthetics, and those were the most painful moments of my life. I felt the needle go in and out of my skin, I felt the small string pull my muscle and skin back together, and I felt when they had to cut one of my fingers off. It was absolutely excruciating and after it was done I passed out.
Chloe sat on the couch feeling awful and tired. She’d just spent an hour trying to get the food that had been in the fridge into coolers, but her mind was so busy she hardly cared. She felt awful about everything. There was so much she could’ve done, so many ways she could’ve helped me. So many ways that led to me still having a hand. If only I hadn’t been a coward, she thought, if I just hadn’t stood there maybe he would still have his hand. If only she’d just shot it again. She wiped her face trying not to cry. She had to be the strong one now, she had to be brave.
She was very curious, she wanted to know what exactly had happened to Carl. Joey hadn’t had the time to tell her whether or not the man was dead. She assumed he was due to the blood and the creature, but there was a small chance. She told Gretchen and Ronda (my mom) what her plan was. They agreed and she went to get ready.
She brought two guns, the sniper and the semi-automatic. She also found an old motorcycle helmet and decided to use that as a makeshift helmet. She knew if I had been awake I wouldn’t have not in a million years let her go, so she made her process quick just in case I did wake up.
Crunch! The snow had melted slightly the night before so now it felt more like walking across huge ice sheets. As she walked she realized she didn’t even have to use the GPS because of the blood trail. She followed it for a while, the snow constantly attacking her. After a couple of minutes, she found it. Lying in the middle of the street now with a fresh layer of snow on it was the creature, the hound as she’d begun to refer to it in her head. She hadn’t gotten a good look at it like I had so her eyes went wide when she saw the body. She was struck by how much its exoskeleton looked like big chunks of rocks. She also noticed the now frozen yellow-greenish blood around the body. Chloe leaned down to examine what was left of the head. What was left was a hollow shell of the exoskeleton; the gunshot in the mouth had practically liquefied everything in its head. She remembered how everything had exploded from the mouth and eye holes. The image of the eyes getting blown out from behind disgusted her.
She found herself examining the rest of the body and she couldn’t help but keep looking at the four legs. They looked so out of place on the body. They looked so mammalian for such an insect-like creature. They literally looked like stretched-out bald dog legs. She had a feeling of deja vu as she looked at the legs, she couldn’t help but think of the black dog they’d seen the other day. She made a note in her head that she wanted to take the body with her on the way back.
Finally, she stood up and started making her way towards the store. Like before she just followed the blood. She remembered when Joey ran into her he was covered in blood, like he’d slipped into the trail. She dreaded to think what he’d found in the showers. Her trek was slow and eerie. Then as she got closer the dead silence was cut by a ticking sound. She vaguely recognized it as something those spiders had made. Specifically the stinger ones. She kept the semi-automatic raised and got ready for a fight, but the ticking sounds slowly faded and she kept moving.
The store was just as she had left it early that morning. It was still a complete wreck. She hurried past the shattered glass and toppled shelves, through the small break room, and into the bunk room. It looked even worse than before. It looked like the creature had destroyed a few more things after it caught the headlamp. She specifically noticed a new deep gash in the bunk they’d hid behind.
As she walked into the shower room she heard a faint dripping sound. She started going one stall at a time to find it. First empty, second empty, but the third she wanted to throw up. Carl lay in the back of the stall, his body a bloody mess. His torso was almost gone. Everything inside of it had been ripped out along with most of his flesh. His ribs were shattered and lying on the floor. His spine was cracked and twisted. It looked like it had been broken. She threw up and stepped away from the sight, making her start to sob. Pull yourself together, she thought to herself, now isn’t the time. She wiped the tears off her face and continued. He had a daughter and a wife. She had to know what happened to them. So with much hesitance, she continued.
Fourth room empty, fifth empty, sixth empty, seventh empty, she stood next to the eighth stall dreading what she’d find inside. She didn’t want to see what was in there, but she would never forgive herself for not looking.
Two cocoon-looking things lay in the stall. They were white and pulsating slightly. They looked like the web cocoon the stingers had wrapped around the dog, but these were too big to be dogs. Instantly she knew what had happened to his wife and daughter. Chloe stepped away so she didn’t have to see it anymore, and then she had a thought. They wouldn’t leave them unattended, would they? She became much more nervous and started cautiously making her way from the room. She started to hear the ticking noises outside again and her hands started to shake. She took a deep breath and kept walking.
She walked into the main part of the store and saw a dozen or so stingers crawling in through one of the broken windows. She gasped, then in a hurry ducked back into the breakroom. Her whole body was shaking as she stood there listening to them scurrying around the store. Then after a minute one walked into the breakroom didn’t see her and disappeared into the bunk room. Then another went through, then another, then another, then another, and soon all but one had passed through. Her whole body was trembling when finally it walked through. This one was walking more slowly and looking around much more than the others, and suddenly its small beady eyes met hers. Scre… Rat-a-tatata! Four quick bullets cut through the stinger. All four hit it right in the head. She had a small feeling of triumph then Screech! The other stingers started running into the room. She hurried out in such a rush she didn’t watch where she was stepping and slipped on a piece of glass.
Smack! Her helmet slammed into the ground and then the rest of her. She watched them hurriedly crawl towards her. She tried to get a shot but they were just too fast. Then she felt a sharp pain in her leg. One of the stingers had sunk their stinger into her calf. Another was about to sting before she made her move. She grabbed a large piece of glass and stabbed it into the one on her leg, and then quickly stuck the shard into the other one that was about to sting her. Then she quickly stood up. Her body was starting to feel heavy and she was getting a little loopy. The other stingers were screeching and running toward her. Rat-a-tatatatata! She shot 10 rounds into the remaining nine stingers. Seven exploded when the bullet made contact, another got three legs blown off, the last wasn’t hit, and before she could shoot again it had lodged its stinger in her boot. She stopped for a second realizing that the stinger hadn’t actually pierced her foot then Rat-a-tat! She shot two bullets into the thing and then pulled it off her foot.
Her adrenaline was wearing off and the venom was doing its work fast. Her eyes were starting to close and she had to concentrate just to keep them open. I need to get somewhere safe, she thought looking around, and then her eyes fell on an intact door.
She locked the door to the women's restroom and then slumped against it as she felt her consciousness begin to slip. All she could think of was me hoping that I was okay, and hoping that she’d be able to see me again. Then finally she blacked out.
Her eyes fluttered open to see she was in the same place she’d passed out. There was a small puddle of blood around her calf. She weakly reached over and touched the wound. It wasn’t bleeding any more. I must’ve been out for a while. She thought, gingerly beginning to put weight on her leg. It hurt but she could walk. Click, she unlocked the bathroom door, raised the gun, and opened the door. She was nervous, worried that maybe more of them had come while she was out. It didn’t look like too much time had passed, and even more importantly there were no stingers. She looked over and saw her footprints were still visible through the heavily falling snow. Good not much time must have passed, she thought. Then she pulled out the phone and called Gretchen.
Bzzz…
“Gretchen, I got stung and passed out. What time is it?” She asked.
Gretchen’s relieved voice cut through the phone: “Oh Chloe thank goodness, it’s 2:42. You left around 12.”
Day 13
I woke up to giggling and laughter. I sat up and looked at the doorway and on the other side I could hear the boys quietly playing together. I moved the covers and tried to move my legs, but instantly daggers of pain went up my right leg. I wanted to do it more slowly but nothing seemed to help.
“Chloe!” I called and immediately heard something clatter upstairs followed by fast footsteps into the basement.
In a second Chloe had sprinted into the room and was on top of me giving me a huge hug. She pulled away and gave me one of her pretty little smiles.
“How are you feeling?” She asked.
My stomach growled and that answered her question.
“You’ve been asleep for almost two days, no wonder you’re hungry.” She said, I froze and looked over at the clock, but nothing showed on it. It was just a blank black screen.
“When did the power go out?” I asked, turning back toward her.
“Not long after you fell asleep.” She said, “We put as much food as we could into coolers, but most of what was in the fridge and freezer has gone bad.”
Her face was sad and grim. I reached for her hand with my good hand and squeezed it.
“We’ll get through this just like everything else. We’ll make it through if we stick together.” I told her starting to realize how hoarse I sounded.
She smiled then looked up at me again: “I’ll go get you some food… and a water bottle.” She said walking back out of the room.
I lay there in deep thought when Alan poked his head in.
“Uncle, are you okay?” He asked, sitting down on the foot of the bed.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, smiling at him.
He smiled back, “Uncle you’ve got a Lego hand now.” He yelled pointing to my left hand.
I looked at my hand and saw the way they wrapped it did look like a Lego hand.
“Ha… yeah I suppose so.” I chuckled, Alan nodded and disappeared into the hallway.
A few minutes later Chloe appeared in the doorway with a plate and Mom and Gretchen tailed her.
“Sweety, are you ok?” My mom asked, walking over to the bedside and putting her hand on my forehead.
“Yes Mom I’m ok, I’m as ok as I can be right now,” I told her.
“Well I’m glad you’re ok,” She said, hugging me.
“Me too,” Gretchen added, hugging me.
After a minute they broke away and Chloe gave me my plate. It was some dry cereal and a piece of toast.
“Sorry… that’s all I could scrape together.” She said her expression was sad.
“How much is left?” I asked her.
“A few days maybe, the water situation is even worse though,” She said grimly.
I felt a crushing sense of defeat at that.
“We’re going to need to do something now,” Gretchen said, “Before we can’t do anything.”
“Agreed, but what? There is no chance of leaving without a snow plow.” I grumbled, becoming more disheartened.
“What if we had a snow plow?” Chloe asked.
“What?” Me and Gretchen asked.
“I mean, they keep it at the tractor place just a mile away. We could get the snow plow.” She suggested a hint of hope in her eyes.
“I don’t think we’ll all fit. Let alone supplies.” I told her.
“So then we bring two vehicles,” She said, “One or two of us go to the place, get the snow plow, and come back to the others in the other vehicle and follow behind.”
It was actually a pretty good plan, but it was still wishful thinking. They had a lot of variables on that.
“That might work, but it will take time and we don’t exactly have time,” I said.
“Well then let's get some more time. We might be able to find more food in other homes,” My mom said.
“Yes, in theory, that would work, but we don’t have two people to go,” I said.
“I’m out of commission, Gretchen isn’t leaving her boys, and not in a million years am I letting you go, Mom,” I argued.
“She can handle herself, she did the other day,” Mom argued back.
“What?... no I was with her…” I turned toward Chloe in confusion.
I saw a guilty look on her face and she told me that she’d gone to the store on the 11th day after they were done treating me.
I pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear: “If you do that again I will use whatever force necessary to make your stay here.”
She looked at me, her eyes darkening: “Joey if I don’t go, we will starve. I’m terrified too but if that is what needs to be done I’ll do it.”
“I… I… I don’t want to lose you.” I sputtered out.
Her face turned red before she said: “I don’t want to lose you either, or any of you guys and that's why I need to go.”
I finally relented, Gretchen and my mom left the room, and Chloe sat and chatted with me while I ate my mediocre breakfast.
She perked up and said, “Joey I need to show you something.”
She got up and helped me get out of bed. Getting out wasn’t that hard unless I had to move my left leg or arm. Once I was standing she helped me over to the restroom and then helped me sit down.
“What am I supposed to be looking at?” I asked, looking around the bathroom.
“This,” She said, pulling the shower curtain open and revealing what was inside.
Lying inside the tub was the body of the dog bug creature.
“Why the heck did you bring that in?” I asked.
“Aren’t you curious what it is?” She asked, an almost crazed look in her eyes.
“Fair, I am curious,” I said. “Found anything out so far?” I then asked.
“Well a no, not yet,” She said looking disappointed now, “I just know it isn’t anything science knows of.”
“Nothing, nothing interesting?” I inquired.
“Well yes there are interesting things,” She said, “Like look at this.”
She grabbed a knife covered in yellowish-green blood and used it to open a previously cut incision into the body. I looked inside and saw something quite strange. This thing still had an endoskeleton.
“Nothing that we know of on earth has an endo and exoskeleton, and I honestly don’t know why an animal would have both.” She said looking up at me.
“Hmm… mind if I take a look?” I asked.
She nodded and I moved over and took the knife with my right hand. I used the knife to hold open the incision and I looked at the bone. It looked normal but I was suspicious so I set the knife down, reached in, and yanked the femur I’d been looking at out. The femur was the size it should’ve been for a normal dog, but for this creature, it was extremely undersized.
“Just as I thought,” I said, looking over at her.
“Can you explain to me what it is that you just figured out?” She asked, very confused.
“Look how small this femur is, it should be double the size for this creature, but it is the adequate size for a normal dog. The way I figure this is that during the metamorphosis that changed the dog into this thing the bones were not destroyed or changed. That’s why they are still there but not the right size.” I explained holding the bone up to her.
“I suppose that your theory makes sense,” She said after a short pause.
Day 14
Chloe sat on the bed strapping on the extra gear I was making her take. I knew I couldn’t stop her from going so I decided I would make her as safe as possible. I dug through old boxes and found my dad's old Kevlar vests. There were two so I cut one up to make guards for her arms and legs. Then I made her put on an extra coat to add one more layer of protection, as for other parts I agreed that the motorcycle helmet was the best helmet we had so she put that on.
Now she was sitting on the bed with the helmet sitting next to her while she was loading her weapons. She was bringing the semi-automatic and the sniper rifle with extra ammo for each. She also had a hunting knife strapped to her belt saying it would’ve come in handy last time. I looked at her and gave her a tight hug.
“If you don’t come back I’ll find you and teach you a lesson.” I jokingly threatened her.
She let out a giggle, “I’ll try my best.”
Again she made her outside into the blizzard. It raged on around her as it had been for days. She had to climb the almost four-foot-tall pile of snow before she could really start exploring. They’d assumed that the people who had left town wouldn’t have much food in their homes, so she planned to hit Carl’s house and the Garrison’s house today. Then check out a few other houses the next day, but right now she had to focus on simply taking the next step because anytime she stepped wrong she’d sink further into the snow. Slowly through the whipping wind and freezing snow, she walked. It was exhausting especially with her still being sore from a couple of days ago, but she continued despite the pain and weather. Despite it all she kept taking step after step after step, and the whole time the blizzard's icy claws were digging into her.
Eventually, she saw the destroyed store and walked past it, her eyes eyeing the shattered windows for any movement but nothing happened. She continued onward knowing that Carl’s house was now only a block away. She walked carefully and precisely trying not to step in the wrong place. Then she saw it. Carl’s house was a small colonial-style two-story home with a big wrap-around porch, but now it looked horrible. The door was ripped out of its hinges and two or three windows were shattered. She slid down a short snowy slope and onto the porch. Crack! One of the wooden planks that made the porch broke from under her foot and her foot slipped down. She pulled it out of the hole and slowly walked into his house.
There was a trail of snow leading in from the fallen door almost like a carpet leading her into this place. It was horrible on the inside. It reminded her of the store. Furniture was thrown every which way, some bearing deep gashes. The closest door to her had a hole going straight through it. She walked over a vast sea of shattered glass and turned into the kitchen. The granite countertops had been ripped from their places and shattered on the tiled floor. A large gash was in the door of the now fallen fridge. She walked over and kneeled down near the fridge, ripping open one of the doors. As she suspected, everything in there was frozen solid. Sitting in there was cheese, deli meat, assorted fruits and vegetables, shattered glasses of condiments, and two steaks. She grabbed everything and stuffed it all into one of the duffel bags she’d brought. Then she saw a loaf of bread lying on the ground near her and grabbed that too. She stood up and looked around the kitchen. She noticed a box of pasta sitting next to a pot on the stove. The box was full, so she grabbed it. The pot was partly melted onto the stove and frozen tomato sauce sat inside.
The picture of what had happened began to emerge in her head. Carl had likely been walking home from the store when it attacked. It chased him inside, breaking down the door and destroying everything in its path. His wife, Greta, had been making spaghetti for dinner when it happened. He ran into the kitchen and grabbed his wife with the beast following him. It destroyed the kitchen as it chased them.
Chloe pushed those thoughts from her head and opened their pantry to see if there was more food. There were lots of boxes but her eyes fell on the cans that lined the bottom of the pantry. There were dozens of them, probably a hundred or two cans. She kneeled and started eagerly grabbing the cans and putting them in the duffel bag. She even took out the cheese and pasta to make for more room.
She stopped her eager collecting when she heard a slight ticking noise. Stingers she thought and then pulled her knife from her belt in preparation. The ticking was slight and distant. It probably just walked in, she thought. With the ticking, she heard the slight creaking of the wood floor in the hall as it approached the kitchen. Then a scraping tapping sound as it began walking on the tiles. She gripped the knife tightly and got ready to stab the thing. Scr…! The stinger managed to give off a faint screech before the sharp hunting knife pierced its windpipe. She yanked the knife out of its neck severing the head from the body. Then she resheathed the knife and quietly got back to what she’d been doing. She didn’t stop until the bag was bulging then she zipped it closed and heaved it under her arm. It was heavy but she wasn’t weak.
She walked over to the front door and set the duffel bag next to it. She wanted to check out the rest of the house before she left.
She crept down the hall and into the master bedroom. It was intact, everything looked right and nothing was broken. She walked over to the dresser and started going through the drawers. Darn, just clothes. She thought as she dug her hands in shuffling the clothes around. She opened the drawer and start thrashing around the clothes when she felt something hard. She pulled a box of ammo out of the drawer. It was for the revolver she looked to see how much but it was empty.
Almost every stair on the way upstairs bore scratches and one or two were cracked. They creaked so loud she began to worry that the noise would get the stinger’s attention but nothing came. Then finally she arrived upstairs. The second floor of their house was composed of two rooms, a restroom, and his daughter Lacy’s bedroom. The bedroom door and a dresser lay on the room floor scratched and broken. The rest of the room was torn apart. The bed was shredded and a mirror lay shattered on the ground. Her eyes fell to the window which was propped open.
The rest of their story seemed to fall into place. Carl and Greta ran upstairs chased by the hound, and into Lacy’s room. They barricaded the door as the creature tried to get it, and then they all quickly slipped out of the window onto the porch roof and then to the ground. They ran to the store and bunkered there. The creature searched the whole shop but couldn’t find them. Then later the hound came back and Carl went to fight it. He told Greta and Lacy to hide in a stall and made his way to the main part of the shop. There he was killed and then dragged into the shower stall to be eaten, and at some point during that time the stingers and slugs got to Lacy and Greta.
She shivered, they’d tried so hard but it still got to them. Maybe if he’d had more bullets he could’ve survived. Thinking of the empty box and the two shots that had woken them that night.
She walked out of the bedroom and back downstairs. She found her eyes wandering around the destroyed first floor again, and it struck her that something bigger had to have done this. There was no way the deer-sized hound would have destroyed this much. She hurried over into the kitchen again and looked at the gash in the fridge. That’s too big. Way too big! She thought looking at the huge gash. She started to think about the store and the same inconsistencies began to appear in the memories. All the damage, the claw marks, the strength, it was all too much, too big, there was no way the hound had done this.
As she was thinking she noticed a doorway she hadn’t been through. Next to her was the doorway to the basement stairs with the door wide open. She peaked down and saw light down there, not much probably from a window, but it was something.
Creak! Her first step of descent was loud and made her worry again that something would hear her. She stopped and listened, but nothing. So as carefully as she could she continued. Every step was as loud as the first and every step made her jump in her skin and wait for something to happen. But after what seemed like ages she arrived at the bottom.
The basement was large with two spare bedrooms and a large storage room. She slowly walked down the hall looking into the bedrooms on both sides of her. They were bare with nothing much more than beds, so she walked forward and into the main storage room.
The storage room had large shelving units across the whole room. The shelves were partially filled with labeled boxes. She walked over to one shelf and started reading the labels. Christmas, no, I don't need that. Halloween, not that. Games, nope. Sports could be useful. She thought as she grabbed the heavy crate and set it out in front of her. She grabbed the latches on either side, undoing them and popping the lid off.
Suddenly a ripping sound erupted from another part of the basement. The ripping had a sort of wet sound to it. Chloe started to walk over to the sound far too curious not to. Screech! It came from the same direction as the ripping sound. She got the gun ready and then jumped from around a shelf not facing what was making the sound. She watched one of those hound things fully emerge from a cocoon and look over at her. A chill ran down her spine as its four eyes met hers; the two to the left were icy blue and the two to the right were dark brown. This one was also slightly smaller but much stockier than the other. Rat-a-tatatata! She released a quick barrage of bullets hoping to stop the disgusting thing, but it just started charging for her. Quickly she moved to the other side of the shelving and pushed it down. Her whole body was shaking, but she had to keep calm and keep fighting. The hound howled in pain and started cracking through the wooden shelf to get to her. She took this time to aim a good shot at its face. Rat-a-tat! She shot two quick bullets into its face. One sunk into its exoskeleton the other buried itself into one of its eyes. SCREECH!!!!! It broke through the shelf and made a quick dive toward her. It pinned her to the ground, knocking her gun away in the process. It sunk its jaws into the helmet and it started to break and crack. She started to cry. This thing was going to eat through her helmet then her face, but during this moment of panic she remembered something. She pulled the knife from her belt and stabbed it into the hound's semi-exposed underbelly. It screeched again in pain so she stabbed again. She then shoved the hurt thing off of her and dove for the gun. She felt one of its praying mantis talons slash her vest and then her upper leg, so she turned around and fired. Rat-a-tatata! She shot it four more times, one hitting its forehead, the second hitting its mouth, the third mouth as well, and the fourth badly damaged its lower jaw. Its face was covered in yellow-greenish blood and it was throwing up blood onto the floor. Just as she thought it might be dying it made a quick sprint toward her. It bit her right knee, its teeth sinking in and actually managing to make her bleed. But then crash! It shoved forward and caused her to fall on top of it. Not having a good shot she grabbed the knife and started stabbing anywhere she could until it finally stopped fighting.
She lay there catching her breath until finally she stood up. Her vision was disrupted by the cracks in the helmet’s visor. She tore the helmet off and threw it down onto the dying hound. Even as it lay there it still tried to get toward her and attack her. She thought about executing it but decided that would just be a waste of a bullet and in a weird way she found its attempts to attack entertaining.
The sports crate she’d opened earlier didn’t have much use. It contained a few balls and two or three different types of rackets. She continued looking through the shelves until she found a box labeled camping. She slid it off the shelf and onto the floor, undid the latches, and popped the lid off. Inside the box were all sorts of goodies. At the top of the box were two big mummy sleeping bags. She pulled those out to see fire starters, water purifiers, bug spray, sunscreen, a small tent, utensils, pots and pans, and a large hatchet. Excitedly she grabbed her other duffel bag and moved everything from the crate into it.
She heaved the duffel bag under her arm and carried it back upstairs. She set it next to the other and turned around. She wanted to check one more place before she left the house. She walked across the house and to the backdoor pushing it open and looking outside. In their backyard half buried in snow was a shed. She hurried over to the shed through the deep snow. The doors were almost completely covered in snow and she knew she wouldn't be spending the whole day shoveling. Luckily there was a small window near the top of the shed. She gave it one good kick and the window popped open. She slid through the hole and dropped down into the shed.
The shed was small with very little inside. There was a lawn mower and a few tools but that was it. The one thing that did catch her eye was a small wooden sled with a rope tied to the front. She picked it up thinking how much easier it would make carrying the bags.
Chloe carefully shoved the sled through the window frame and then squeezed through herself. She carried the sled into the house, used tape to keep the bags secure on it, and then started pulling the sled back towards home. Carl’s house was near the top of a small hill, so for a short couple of seconds, she rode the sled as it slid down the icy slope. It made her feel like a little kid and she wished it would have lasted longer.
After a long walk through the blizzard she arrived home tired and her face feeling like it was freezing off. Gretchen hugged her the moment she walked in.
“Are you ok? We thought we heard gunshots.” She said a little worried.
“You did… I had to kill another hound thing. Just like the one in the tub. The armor worked like a charm though, I hardly felt its bite.” Chloe said motioning to the rip in her pants around the knee.
“Oh shoot you bleeding,” Gretchen said looking at her leg.
Chloe looked down to see a cut on her thigh and a few small nicks on her knee.
I sat in bed. I'd just heard Chloe come in and I waited patiently for her to come down. After a couple of minutes, I heard footsteps come downstairs and start creeping down the hall. Then I saw her face poke in from around the door. She smiled and walked in when she saw I was awake.
“Hi babe, how are you feeling?” She asked, taking a seat next to me.
“I mean my hand still hurts like heck, but yeah I’m fine.” I joked.
She smiled, “Seriously though, are you feeling alright?” She asked.
“I’m feeling fine,” I lied trying to get her to stop worrying.
“I want to hear about everything that happened,” I said sitting up.
So she told me everything that happened, even her theory on what exactly happened to Carl and his family.
“Did they have a dog?” She asked me after finishing her story.
“Yeah… a pitbull I think,” I replied, trying my best to remember the odd times when Carl talked about his dog.
“That explains it, that hound was a lot stockier than the one you shot.” She said, “Also it destroyed the helmet so I need a new one before I go to the Garrison’s house.”
I gave her a worried look, “Do you need to go?” I asked.
“YES!” She insisted, “We don’t know what happened to them, and I’d like to find a little more food.”
“But do we need more food?” I asked, “You got a lot of cans.”
“Joey, this has already been going on for two weeks. Who knows how long it will last? More preparation never hurts.” She argued, sounding a little angry now.
“Ok… Ok… Just be safe,” I told her and gave her a big hug.
Gretchen found an arguably better helmet in the garage, a big metal welding helmet. It fit Chloe almost perfectly, and as a backup, she wore two thick hoods to protect the back of her head. She had a very bad feeling this time, as she stood there by the door she couldn’t help but shake. She wanted someone to come with her, and as big Herman came over to say his goodbyes she had an idea.
She marched through the deep snow with Herman atop the sled she pulled. She’d try to have him follow on foot, but the snow was just too high and he kept getting stuck. But she didn’t care that he was just extra weight because she was just happy that she wasn’t facing this alone. She slowly made her way down the street, the blizzard more relentless than ever. It seemed to her the longer the blizzard continued the stronger it was becoming. The snow continued to pound down on top of her slowly wearing down her will to continue, but it didn’t stop her. She took one step after another after another. She was starting to tire and the pain of the injuries was beginning to wear on her. But every time she seemed to slow Herman would give a little woof, and she would keep on going.
The snow had become so hard to see through that more than an outstretched hand was invisible to her. Her vision was so bad she didn’t know the group of crawlers and slugs were there until she was practically right on top of them
Meanwhile…
“Hey, we should probably start clearing the driveway now,” Gretchen said suddenly to her mom while they both sat at the kitchen table.
“That’s probably a wise idea,” Our mother said with a smile.
Gretchen and Mom began their efforts with large snow shovels. Gretchen did most of the work as Mom had to take frequent breaks. They shoveled and shoveled as the day wore on going over their work with salt so as to not let more snow accumulate. Gretchen was exhausted from the work, but she continued nonetheless. She kept digging ad digging until she heard the shovel scrape concrete then she moved to the next section. Despite the cold, they were both dripping with sweat.
I sat by the window watching them work while the boys played. I so wanted to go help but knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything but sit and watch them work. I felt horrible as I watched, and then my mind started thinking of Chloe. I pulled out the walkie and pressed the button to talk.
The first thing Chloe heard was Screech! The stinger was right in front of her clearly just as surprised by her as she was of it. But it wasn’t alone from her restricted view; it looked like there were about 10 stingers and 3 or so slugs.
She tried to raise her gun but they were scattering around far too quickly. Then she heard a ripping noise as one of them drove a stinger into her boot. She pulled out the hunting knife and made quick work of the stinger. Two more stingers were charging straight for her and one was coming from her left. Before she could do anything the snow under the two erupted and they were dragged down into it. She wasn’t able to see what it was and she began to shake as it did the same thing to the one coming from her left. In a sudden panic, she turned around to see the sled empty with a hole in the snow right next to it. She let out a small cry whatever was under the snow had gotten Herman and the stingers, but there was no time for mourning as more of the stingers began coming for her. Again the snow erupted under them but this time she got a better look. Whatever was under the snow was big and white. She got the gun as the thing took out the rest of the slugs and stingers. She assumed it was coming for her next. She hurried and jumped atop the sled so it couldn’t take her down easily. She stood there ready to fight whatever monster thing had gotten everything. Horrible images of twisted spider mole creatures flew through her head. Suddenly the snow next to the sled exploded open and she saw the large white beast jump out of the snow and on top of her. She closed her eyes expecting to feel teeth begin to sink down, but after a second she heard a lapping sound. She opened her eyes to see Herman on top of her licking her helmet. She smiled and let out a laugh.
“Good boy!” She said encouragingly.
Herman was completely covered in snow; he looked more like a polar bear than a dog. She brushed some of it off but didn’t bother to do much. She helped the big dog back onto the sled and continued forward. She walked another block before she finally saw her destination to her right was the Garrison’s large house broken and beaten from obvious attacks. It stood there somehow feeling more eerie than the surrounding houses. She stepped onto the wooden porch and there was a loud creak. Ever so more carefully she and Herman crept across the porch and into the house. If only they’d known what they were about to walk into.

So when you think of cities with high culture and vibrant music scenes on the east coast, what springs to mind? Obviously New York. Thanks to Drake, we all know about the growing music scene in Toronto. You prahbahbly musta tawt a Bawstan tew. Maybe Montreal or Philadelphia or even Baltimore crossed your mind.
Hah. Baltimore.
Time to check your cultural bias, pal. You passed over a quiet little city on the south shore of Lake Ontario, nestled in the Genesee River valley. It has a history as a hotbed of Abolitionism and Women’s Rights. It is the home of Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Bausch & Lomb, Western Union, Ragu and other innovative companies. It has a lively music scene, great nightclubs, world-renowned universities, thriving museums, arts & culture festivals, and live theatre. It is a true cultural gem that many folks overlook.
Yep. You bet your ass I am talking about Rochester, New York.
Since we know that Stoner Rock can come from anywhere, it should be no surprise that Rochester has produced one of the leading bands in this genre. This week we are going to check out a band you are going to want to listen to. If you know them, you love them. If you haven’t heard of them, you are going to thank me.
This week’s band is KING BUFFALO.
About Them
Hold on a sec. King Buffalo? Not King Rochester?
To be fair, King Rochester sounds like the villain in a Disney movie. Kinda hard to imagine that on a T-Shirt. King New York sounds like a particularly obnoxious Yankees fan (and yeah, finding a Yankees fan that isn’t obnoxious is a tough go). King Albany sounds like a car made by Kia.
But King Buffalo? That just works.
Our heroes didn’t start out together. King Buffalo were made up of members of two other Rochester area bands.
Randall Coon and Scott Donaldson were playing together in Velvet Elvis. That five piece band played heavy rock with space-based themes in the early 2010’s. Sean McVay and Dan Reynolds were in another band called Abandoned Buildings Club (side note: kinda neat that their initials were ABC), who had a pure psychedelic rock vibe. When both VE and ABC appeared to be having limited success, the four musicians decided to merge their talents into one band. Coon had handled vocals and guitar in Velvet Elvis and Donaldson had been rock solid on drums. McVay had done vocals and guitar in Abandoned Buildings Club and Reynolds had anchored the sound with his bass. All the pieces were there for a classic Beatles-esque lineup.
So out of the wreckage of ABC and VE, KB arose. The four members gelled so well that they were able to record their first demo - aptly titled Demo - in just two days. Their sound was immediately compared to tourmates and close friends All Them Witches. But where ATW were bluesy and sludgy, King Buffalo had produced songs full of space. Oh, there were heavy riffs for sure - but there were passages of music that were contrastingly lighter and further apart. The best example of these contrasts can be found in the more than 11 minutes of Providence Eye. The first six and a half minutes come at you at a lulling pace, enveloping you in the moment. You get swept up in the rolling riffs. But then the drop happens and you suddenly realize the song has been building to this peak. The tempo picks up and you ride a relentless rollercoaster until you hit the Black Sabbath-inspired outro, which takes you home. It is an emotional experience. The two other tracks - In Dim Light and Pocket Full of Knife are smaller essays on the same theme.
It was clear right from Demo that King Buffalo had some serious talent. But if you have listened to the band you will notice that one thing is starkly different on Demo than from any of their other releases: the vocals. Randall Coon was the lead vocalist on these recordings. If you play them up against anything since by the band they stand out. Our very own QotSA may have successfully had multiple vocalists on multiple tunes, but King Buffalo was destined to have Sean McVay take over the mic. Shortly after 2013’s Demo, Coon left the band to do a solo project called Skunk Hawk.
King Buffalo stood at a crossroads: did they look to replace Coon, or should they carry on as a Power Trio? The choice for them was obvious. McVay, Reynolds and Donaldson knew that they had fantastic potential together. They decided they didn't need anyone else.
Side note: Regular readers of these write ups know that All Them Witches just went through this exact crisis in 2019. What I didn’t share then is that ATW are close friends with KB. I would not be surprised to learn that ATW had some serious conversations about their lineup with the boys from KB before they, too, decided last year to pare down to just three members.
To re-christen their new lineup, in 2015 King Buffalo went in on a split EP with Swedish band Lé Betre (I mean, hooking up with a Swedish partner is a dream of mine, so I see the appeal.) They re-recorded their standout tune Providence Eye with McVay on vocals, as well as two new tracks - Like a Cadillac and New Time. New Time opens their side of the EP with an infectious, descending riff that hooks you immediately. It is clear from the lyrics - No wasting around, it’s a new time - that they had moved on from Coon. Like a Cadillac follows up and is a three and a half minute jam that leaves you wanting more. The re-recorded version of Providence Eye closes out their side of the split EP and leaves no doubt that they are in charge. It is a tighter, heavier version, and the amazing outro is so low down that it will make you want to rob your own house.
With their lineup now set, it was time to put together enough music to tour on. In 2016, King Buffalo released Orion. Here you can witness the melding of their influences into something majestic and fantastic, and it is here that they really develop their signature style.
To explain this style, you need to understand basic song structure.
Most pop songs tend to go verse - chorus - verse - chorus - bridge - chorus - chorus. Sure, you could add in a solo for the bridge, or a detailed intro or outro, or another verse - but this is a tried and true formula. Some variation of this dominates the pop charts to this day.
Not with King Buffalo songs. These guys are the masters of the drop, and you hear it in most of their tunes. QotSA fans are no strangers to that long build and release; it is an integral part of tunes like The Evil Has Landed, God is in the Radio, Song For The Dead, and I Appear Missing. One of the sickest drops ever recorded happens in the middle of the Them Crooked Vultures tune No One Loves Me & Neither Do I. It is where the music turns around, and a new riff takes over, often along with a pace change. It is then that you realize that the song has built to this climactic moment, and you are engulfed by the music.
King Buffalo does this better than anyone else, and you hear it clearly articulated, again and again, on the album Orion.
Take the song Kerosene for example.
A rolling bass riff from Reynolds establishes the song right out of the gate. Donaldson produces punchy drum beats with cymbal crashes at the end of each phrase. McVay’s slide guitar rounds out the intro. McVay’s vocals - very Ozzy like, if Ozzy had any semblance of self-control - frame the first verse, which ends in a fuzzy, heavy riff with crashing cymbals. This same pattern is repeated a second time and the drop is teased at just past three minutes in, but does not happen quite yet. The listener’s anticipation builds as the airy, soaring solo from McVay calls out in contrast to the rolling bass. After the guitar solo bridge, the band goes right back into the chorus. But then it happens: THE DROP. Just past 5 minutes in, the song takes a complete and abrupt turn for a totally different riff that is at the same time heavier and brand new, and yet has been there all the while.
What King Buffalo does brilliantly is subvert your musical expectations.
The standard structure is V-C-V-C-B-C-C.
Kerosene is V-C-V-C-B-C-DROP-OUTRO. Just when you subliminally expect something the same, you get something different.
The entire album is like that. Orion hardly sounds like a debut. It is a mature and deliberate soundscape built by talented musicians who are making significant choices about their art. Songs like Drinking From The River Rising open with an expansive and elastic topography, but drill down to the molten lava of heavy riffs and distorted fuzz. Sleeps On A Vine begins with one of the most zen riffs you’ve ever heard and ends in a tumultuous and heavy sonic assault that is pure controlled chaos. Every song on the album is a study in contrasts that leaves you with auditory whiplash and a burning desire for more.
They are that good.
King Buffalo were able to tour on their new material, and did so extensively. They played clubs and larger venues, often with friends and fellow Stoner Rockers All Them Witches and other bands like The Sword and Elder. In 2017, the released the EP Repeater as a follow up. It is just three songs (The vinyl ad reads, All songs on one side! No need to flip!) but it is a heck of a musical journey. The title track off the EP is 13+ minutes long and is one huge build. When the fuzz finally drops after almost 8 minutes, it is a true cathartic moment. It sneaks up on you, and is so welcome when it hits - especially after McVay’s repetition that “Every Day is the Same* - that you intrinsically understand how great it is when things finally change for the better. Too Little Too Late is an instrumental tune that is both enveloping and expansive. It is a terrific bridge to the final track, Centurion, which is an unbelievable groove. Centurion has three minutes of set up leading to an unreal fuzzy drop that is so dirty it will get you evicted from your apartment.
The influence of their touring with All Them Witches can also be seen on their next full length release, 2018’s Longing To Be The Mountain. Ben McLeod from ATW produced the album. ATW, The Sword and Elder are all thanked in the liner notes. The album picks up right where Repeater leaves off, with KB experimenting with long form songs like Morning Song and the title track, and shorter jams like Sun Shivers, Cosmonaut, and Quickening. Reynolds and McVay pepper the songs with synthesizer sounds that add colour and texture to the overall compositions. Donaldson drums with impeccable precision to provide each song with a safe mooring to return to, driving the guitars forward at the same time as he holds the rhythm in check. This is most clearly evident in Eye Of The Storm. The result is a rich tapestry of expansive and flowing music full of heavy jams and storytelling that will leave the listener wanting more. Their signature build-to-sonic-explosion style does not let fans down.
The success of Longing To Be The Mountain allowed for extensive touring across North America and Europe. It also led to appearances at bigger gigs, like at Rockpalast and the Stoned & Dusted desert rock event in 2019. Anyone that has seen any of their live work knows that King Buffalo are simply hypnotizing on stage. Reynolds’ bass work is reminiscent of Geddy Lee with his complex and flowing style. Donaldson brings controlled power to the drum kit, and is ready to cut loose when the drop comes. And McVay has become a true front man, comfortable with the lead voice on guitar and the microphone.
Their next release, Dead Star, dropped in 2020 and generated all kinds of buzz in the Stoner Rock scene. Of course, the tour planned to support it got axed when the entire world went into lockdown. But the (short album? EP?) is simply fantastic. Red Star Pt. 1 & 2 continues their long form examination and has everything you’d expect from them. Echo of A Waning Star is a lament of just over 3 minutes that is near-perfect. Ecliptic sounds like the soundtrack to a John Carpenter movie and is a complete jam with serious cool 1980’s vibes. Dead Star, the title track, is almost Radiohead-esque in its evocative and regretful take on death and decay.
But the standout track has to be Eta Carinae, which has one of the greatest musical drops and turn-arounds you will ever hear. The entire song pivots just past four minutes in and becomes a 70’s anthem worthy of Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. If you listen to no other tune here today, you have to check it out. It will absolutely get stuck in your head.
The band dropped their first live record, Live At Freak Valley, in 2020. This is a really nice retrospective/greatest hits album kinda deal. What stands out is just how fucking tight the band is live. With some bands, live versions veer wildly from the recorded ones - and not at all in a good way. This record is the opposite. You can clearly hear on Orion and Kerosene that KB are just that good live.
In the wake of the global pandemic, King Buffalo decided to musically capture the moment in time. They decided to release a trifecta of albums. 2021 saw them drop The Burden of Restlessness and then Acheron. The third record in this trio is 2022’s Regenerator. It is really important to consider all three records in this Triptych at the same time, for they are a sonic cycle.
TBOR is a descent into despondency. Acheron is about hitting rock bottom, and being in Hell. Regenerator is about finding a way to claw yourself back into the light. Each album stands on its own, but together they form a sweeping epic journey that we can all relate to.
TBOR is an album where the protagonist gradually loses the will to exist. There is a cry of deep frustration in Burning, a not-so-subtle reference to a plague in Locusts, a study in being confined indoors in Silverfish, and an outright statement that our hero is sinking in Loam. In fact, the lyrics tell us: “Still I press my face into the ground/I’m waiting for the hammer to fall.”
It is not a happy album.
Just when you think things have to get better, we get the 4-track jam of Acheron. In this record, our hero has fallen to his lowest point. He has descended to Hell. The title track - the first one on the album - makes this clear, when it says: “Waking up under the ground/Silver asleep on my tongue.”
Just in case you didn’t get the classic reference, Acheron is the river one must cross in Greek mythology to get to the underworld. Souls going to Hell had coins placed in their mouth to pay Charon, the ferryman, to take them across the river to Hades. So our hero did sink into the Loam in the last album, and finds himself in Hell. This theme is reinforced in Zephyr, who was the Greek God of the West Wind, and Shadows, which references what the Greeks used to call dead spirits - Shades. And just in case you had any doubt, the final track on the album is Cerberus, named after the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades.
What is even cooler about Acheron is how it was recorded. Instead of a studio, they recorded the album underground in a cave.
Now that is commitment.
The final album in this cycle is 2022’s Regenerator. While the first two records were about descent, despondency, and hitting rock bottom, this record is about regaining hope and optimism, and finding a way to come back. We hear this clearly in the lyrics of the record’s final track, Firmament, which says: “Out of the loam I rise, embraced by the etheThe river below relieves my hands of silver” - clearly calling back to the tracks Loam and Acheron. And in case you didn’t know, in Greek mythology the Firmament means the Sky or the Heavens.
Our hero has left Hell behind, and ascended into Heaven.
References to positive mythology are all over this album, from the album art to the tracks Mercury and Avalon. It is a total jam. But the best song on the album might just be Mammoth. If you don’t like the guitar on this song, you and I can’t be friends.
I got a chance to see KB perform last year when they toured with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. They are fucking tight. They were the opening act, but were the absolute highlight of the show. I want everyone to hear this band because they really are something special.
Go check them out.
Links to QOTSA
We know that QotSA front man Josh Homme and Kyuss invented Stoner Rock in the 1990’s. They were the genre-defining band. King Buffalo (and other bands like All Them Witches) have picked up this proverbial torch and are now bringing the sound to the next generation of fans. King Buffalo drummer Scott Donaldson is known to be a huge QotSA fan. Perhaps he saw them live when they played in Rochester in 2014 in support of ...Like Clockwork.
It is also sometimes easy to forget that Josh was not the only architect of the low desert sound. Original Kyuss Drummer and co-founder Brant Bjork wrote many Kyuss tunes and continues to be a leader in the music scene today. King Buffalo have played with Bjork at festivals three times: Freak Valley Festival, Black Deer Festival and the aforementioned Stoned & Dusted. There is also a planned collaborative project between Bjork and King Buffalo that may be coming our way soon.
The future is bright, my friends.
Their Music
Providence Eye
In Dim Light
Pocket Full of Knife
King Buffalo songs from the Split EP with Lé Betre
Kerosene -- live in 2016
Drinking From The River Rising
Orion - entire album on Genesee Live
RepeateCenturion -- Recorded Live in the Quarantine Sessions put out by the band
Live at Rockpalast in 2019 - includes songs from LTBTM
Longing To Be The Mountain - Quarantine Sessions
Quickening -- everything is cool until the snake head pops out. Red Star Pt. 2 -- the official video
Ecliptic
Eta Carinae
Dead Star - Full Album
Silverfish
The Knocks
Loam
Hours
Acheron
Shadows
Mammoth
Firmament
Show Them Some Love
/KingBuffalo - C’mon, everyone -- there are just over 500 subscribers. Those are rookie numbers. You gotta pump those numbers up.
Previous Posts
Tool
Alice in Chains
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Rage Against The Machine
Soundgarden
Run the Jewels
Royal Blood
Arctic Monkeys
Ty Segall
Eagles of Death Metal
Them Crooked Vultures
Led Zeppelin
Greta Van Fleet
Ten Commandos
Screaming Trees
Sound City Players
Iggy Pop
Mastodon
The Strokes
Radiohead
All Them Witches
ZZ Top

Dan O'Donoghue: https://twitter.com/MrDanDonoghue/status/1667094115924824068?t=FvlA8nFSsIG88Qgfx7XVyg&s=19
Liz Hull: https://twitter.com/lizhull/status/1667101045418328068?s=19
Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-trial-latest-nurse-baby-murders-prosecution-sky-news-blog-12868375
Chester Standard: https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/23577991.live-lucy-letby-trial-june-9---cross-examination-continues/

Nicholas Johnson KC, for the prosecution, is continuing to cross-examine Lucy Letby.
Before that begins, Benjamin Myers KC, for Letby's defence, rises to make a statement.
He says Letby was cross-examined on a telephone call it was alleged she had made to Child N's father. Letby had disputed what the court said was agreed evidence. Mr Myers says the disupute was raised by Letby in advance with them, and it was the defence team's mistake to agree that evidence in advance

​

Removal from the ward

Mr Johnson says Letby said, in evidence, she found she was not going back to the neonatal unit the day before she went back to work on June 27, 2016. Letby agrees.
Letby says at the end of June 2016, she "liked all the doctors" she worked with.
Letby says she did not know what the issue was, she had not been informed what was happening.
She says she was worried she had "made a mistake" and "was in trouble for something".
Asked about the timing of the call, she said she was worried about receiving the call "so late in the day" [after 5pm] in advance of working a night shift.
She agrees she was worried it was something serious.
Letby agrees this was in the aftermath of Child Q's collapse and Dr John Gibbs making enquiries.
She said she was "upset and worried".
LL: "I was upset and I was concerned something was wrong."

​

Letby says she was worried about the next day, but not concerned it had gone 'right to the top'.
NJ: "You knew they were on to you, didn't you?"
LL: "No."
Letby had messaged a doctor about it: "I can't talk about this now."
She writes, 12 minutes later: "Sorry, that was rude. Felt completely overwhelmed & panicked for a minute.
"We all worked tirelessly & did everything possible, i don't see how anyone can question that.
"Im having a meltdown++ but think that's what I need to do"
Letby says she was having a 'dramatic' meltdown.
LL: "It was all happening very last minute and in the evening - it was not normal."
She says this is different from work pressures as "this was personal". She denies that people were 'sussing' her.
A message on Letby's phone at 11.29pm included: >"Death datix x 2 Datix - no bicarb, delay in io access Sign out ffp on meditech & pink chart [Child O] charts obs Fluids in sluice Sign drugs Sign curosurf out Traffic light drug compatibility - inotropes, and no >policy for panc Delay in people doing drugs"
Letby said this was documents she had not yet completed for babies she had cared for.

​

A message sent by Letby's nursing colleague to Letby: "[doctor] came in chatting to me at the start of last nights shift n I said [baby] needs L.L soon as uvc been in nearly 2wks n he said something about [child O]s already being changed n I said it hadn't n he told me about the open port!"
Letby's responded: "I told her about it that night.
"Yes because Thought it's a massive infection risk and risk of air embolism, don't know how long it had been like that."
A Datix form for the clinical incident is shown to the court - June 30, 2016, 3pm, with the port on one of the lumens noted to not have a bung on the end and was therefore 'open'. Registrar informed. Letby is the reporter of the incident.
Mr Johnson says this was a potential case of accidental air embolus which Letby had reported.
NJ: "You had your thinking cap on, didn't you?"
LL: "No."
Letby said this was something which needed to be reported.
NJ: "You removed the port and covered it as a cinical incident, didn't you?"
LL: "No."
NJ: "This is an insurance policy - so you could show the hospital was so lax..."
LL: "No."
NJ: "It was to cover for accidental air embolus."
LL: "No."

​

Letby is asked about the investigation and Letby being seconded to an office-based role.
Letby messaged: "Hoping to get as much info together as possible -if they have nothing or minimal on me they'll look silly, not Me"
"Did you think attack was the best form of defence?"
"This was me responding what was happening to me."

​

Letby's message on August 8: "Tony phoned. He's going to speak to Karen and insist on the review being no later than 1st week of Sept but said he definitely wouldn't advise pushing to get back to unit until it's taken place. Asked about social things and he said it's up to me but would advise not speaking with anyone in case any of them are involved with the review process. Thinks I should keep head down.and ride it out and can take further once over.
Feel a bit like Im being shoved in a corner and.forgotten about by.the trust. It's my life and career."
Letby said she was feeling isolated and not able to speak to anybody on the unit.
Mr Johnson asks if that was really the case.
Letby said she spoke to some friends who she was allowed to speak to about the details of the investigation. They were two nursing colleagues and a doctor.
Letby's message: "It's making me feel like I should hide away by saying not speak to anyone and going on for months etc - I haven't done anything wrong."
NJ: "You knew at this stage you were being blamed for the collapses and deaths of these children?"
LL: "No."

​

Addressing Letby's claims of staffing issues, and the Gang of Four

Mr Johnson asks about the 'gang of four' consultants who were 'out to get' Letby.
Letby had previously said the four were Dr Ravi Jayaram, Dr John Gibbs, Dr Stephen Brearey and one other doctor, who had apportioned blame to her 'to cover failings at the hospital'.
Mr Johnson says he will go through the cases.
He says for Child A, staffing levels were a shortcoming in administering a long line.
For Child B, nothing,
For Child C, nothing.
For Child D, the antibiotics being delayed 'may have had an impact on her'.
For Child E, the delay in giving him a blood transfusion.
For Child F, nothing.
For Child G, possibly the colleague had overfed the baby, but that was later retracted.
For Child H, the location of the chest drains may have had an influence.
For Child I, that Ashleigh Hudson should have put her on a monitor, and that 'potentially' Dr Chang being called away.
For Child J, nothing.
For Child K, nothing, other than the ET Tube may not have been secured.
For Child L, nothing.
For Child M, nothing.
For Child N, nothing other than it was busy.
For Child O, concerns raised by Sophie Ellis were dealt with on the charts.
For Child P, an issue with a chest drain.
For Child Q, nothing.
Letby says she did not know what babies the four consultants were discussing about.
"How do the shortcomings count for their conspiracy?"
Letby says a lot of the babies were not cared for properly on the unit.
Mr Johnson says is it Letby's view that the overall care was not good enough, they pinned the blame on her.
Letby agrees.

​

Mr Johnson says Letby has failed to identify, specifically, an issue with staffing levels for each of these cases.
Letby says it was raised at times on the unit, in relation to the overall care for babies.
Mr Johnson says the point of this case is to determine sabotage for the babies or naturally occurring deficiencies. He says Letby cannot give specifics.
Letby: "No."
Mr Johnson refers to 'sub-optimal care for the babies', from Letby's defence statement.
NJ: "You are raising the point, aren't you?"
LL: "Yes."
NJ: "And you have been given an opportunity to speak about it."

​

Facebook Searches

Mr Johnson turns to the Facebook searches Letby made for parents of children in the indictment. Three searches are made for parents in quick succession. Mr Johnson asks what the link is.
Letby: "They are babies that have died and been seriously unwell."
Letby is asked about another series of searches for three parents' names.
LL: "They are babies that had something significant to them and they were on my mind."
Letby is asked why she didn't give that answer to the police.
LL: "Because I couldn't recall why I had looked at some of them."
NJ: "Is that a true answer?"
LL: "Yes."
NJ: "You were checking up on your victims."
LL: "No - I look at a variety of [parents]."
NJ: "You were a killer who was looking at your victims, weren't you?"
LL: "No."
Mr Johnson asks about a series of other searches, and says one of the parents' names has an 'unusual spelling'. Letby is asked to spell that name out in court. She does it incorrectly.
NJ: "You read it [the name of the parent] off a handover sheet, didn't you?"
LL: "No."

​

Letby is asked about another series of searches.
Letby: "They were on my mind at the time."
One search was made on Christmas Day, for the mother of Child E and Child F.
NJ: "She was the person who caught you in the act?"
LL: "No, [mother of Child E and Child F] and I had a good relationship at the time."

​ Sky News (details of the same evidence:

Nick Johnson, the prosecution barrister, then goes back through some of Letby's Facebook searches.
Letby has previously been accused of looking up her alleged victims' families online, and a series of searches are being read to the court.
25 June 2015
At 21:50 Letby searched for the parents of Children A and B.
At 21:51 Letby searched for the parents of Child D - Letby previously said she "didn't remember" this baby.
"What was the connection in your mind between those three people," Mr Johnson asks.
"They are babies who have died from being seriously unwell," Letby says.
5 October 2015
At 01:16 Letby searched for mother of Child I.
At 01:17 Letby searched for father of Children E and F.
"What did they have in common?" Mr Johnson asks.
"Again they are babies that had something significant happen to them and they were on my mind," Letby says.
"You were checking up on your victims, weren't you?"
"No."
He later says: "You were a killer who was looking at your victims."
"No," she replies.
Several other examples are read out to the court.
5 November 2015
At 23:40 Letby searched for the mother of Children E and F.
At 23:40 Letby searched for the mother of Child G.
At 23:44 Letby searched for mother of Child I.
Letby denies these families were grouped together for any reason.
25 December 2015
Letby searched for the mother of Children E and F.
"I often thought of [her]," she tells the court.
"She was the person who caught you in the act," Mr Johnson says, adding that this would have been reason enough to remember her.
"No, [we] had a good relationship."

​

Letby's Social Life During Investigation

Chester Standard:

Mr Johnson says Letby had given evidence surrounding her suspension from the unit in her first day of giving evidence to the defence.
She had said she felt very isolated from my friends and family on the unit, and her mental health had deteriorated.
LL: "We were a very supportive unit - regardless of whether we were personal friends, we were a supportive unit.
LL: "At the time the hospital advised me not to contact anyone on the unit...there were two or three friends I could contact, but [not to contact anyone on the unit]."
Letby is asked if that was true. "Yes." And if she abided by that. "Yes."
Letby adds that did change as time went on.
Letby has a document which she received from the prosecution this morning on her social life.

​ Sky News:

The prosecution says Letby was "given a document this morning".
"What's in the document?" Mr Johnson says.
After a pause, she replies: "My social life."
The prosecution says this "disproves" what Letby has previously said about her contact with the unit.
"I disagree," she says.
Letby is asked if she was "looking for sympathy" when she told the jury she had been cut off and isolated from her friends.
"Yes, it was a very difficult time," she says.
"You thought you'd get sympathy by telling a lie," says Mr Johnson.
"No."
"Was it just a mistake?"
"Yes."

​ Chester Standard:

Mr Johnson says it "disproves everything" that Letby had said. Letby disagrees.
"You were telling the jury a sob story, that you had been cut off from your family as you called them, on the unit?" Letby disagrees.
NJ: "Were you looking for sympathy?
LL: "Yes, it was a very difficult time."
NJ: "Was it just a mistake?"
LL: "Yes."
The document includes photos of Letby's nights out and days out with colleagues, Mr Johnson says. They include a trip to London with a doctor colleague. Letby says that happened once.

​:

A 'social timeline' is shown to the court, detailing meetings with the doctor in Harford, Cheshire Oaks (twice) and London between May-June 2017.
LL: I'm near the park next to where you are, let me know where you are finishing up and I'll see you outside
Doctor: Ok will do See you soon ❤️
LL: 🙂 ❤️
Letby denies the doctor was her boyfriend.
Letby agrees she had a "very very active social life".
Letby says a future date on the Facebook diary, for September 2017, was listed as a trip to London, but they had to cancel as the doctor had a medical appointment.
She denies again he was her boyfriend.

​ Sky News:

In one message, the male colleague she denied was her boyfriend exchanged a series of heart emojis via WhatsApp and travelled together to London at least once.
Letby says they had to cancel the second trip.
"[Colleague] was a married man, it's not a relationship at all it's a friendship," she says.

​ Chester Standard:

NJ: "You have deliberately misled the jury about this background."
LL: "No."

​

Letby's Arrest

NJ: "You have also deliberately misled them about the circumstances of your arrest, haven't you?"
LL: "No."
Letby says the police knocked on her door at 6am when they arrested her. She says she thought she had a nightie and a tracksuit and trainers.
Mr Johnson says Letby was taken away in a blue Lee Cooper leisure suit. Letby says she is not sure. Mr Johnson says video footage can be played of her arrest. Letby agrees she was taken away in that leisure suit.
For the 2019 arrest, Letby agrees she was not taken away in her pyjamas.
NJ: "Why did you lie to the jury about this?"
LL: "I don't know."
Letby says it was the first arrest when she was taken in her pyjamas.
NJ: "Do you want to watch the video?" Letby does not respond.
NJ: "You are a very calculating woman, aren't you"
LL: "No."
NJ: "You tell lies deliberately."
NJ: "And the reason you tell lies is to get sympathy and attention from people."
Mr Johnson says Letby was killing children to get attention.
LL: "I didn't kill the children."
NJ: "You're getting quite a lot of attention now, aren't you?"

​

Handwritten Notes

One of Letby's handwritten notes is shown to the court. It is the one which includes a draft sympathy message for Child O, Child P and another triplet.
Mr Johnson asks why a sympthy message has included the name of the surviving triplet as well as the names of Child O and Child P.
NJ: "Was that your objective, to kill all three?
LL: "No."
NJ: "Did that excite you?"
LL: "Absolutely not."

​ Sky News:

"I am writing how I was feeling at that time, and it was their birthday and I mentioned all three of them," Letby says.
The note reads: 'Today is your birthday and you aren't here. And I am so sorry for that.'
"Why were you including [the other triplet]?" Mr Johnson asks.
"I've written three names, I also wrote [colleague]."
The prosecution asks the question again.
"I can't answer that," Letby says.
"Is that because in your mind there was a terminal end in store for [other triplet] if he stayed with you?"
"No," she replies.
"Was that your objective to kill all three?" Mr Johnson asks.
"No."

​ Chester Standard:

The 'I AM EVIL I DID THIS' handwritten note by Letby is shown to the court.
Letby is asked about the notes.
NJ: "You had done nothing wrong?"
LL: "No."
NJ: "Why did you think you would not marry and have a family?"
LL: "Because I was in the position that I was in and didn't think it would end."
NJ: "You had a good job working in the patient safety department at the Countess of Chester."
LL: "It wasn't a choice for me."
NJ: "It was still a good job."
LL: "Good as enjoyable?"
NJ: "It was secure, with a secure employer."
LL: "Yes."
NJ: "Pays well?"
LL: "Not as much as nursing."
Letby said there were times when she had good times during the time she was under investigation. Mr Johnson says this includes drinking fizz and days at the races.
Mr Johnson concludes: "You are a murderer."
Letby: "I have not murdered or harmed any child."

End of cross examination

​

Myers Rises for questions

Benjamin Myers KC rises to ask further questions of Letby.
He says Letby has given evidence for 14 court days over the past few weeks.
Mr Myers asks Letby about the increase in documents since giving her defence statement.
Letby agrees it was an increase in "thousands of pages" since then, and the increase has continued throughout the trial.
Letby agrees the increase in evidence served has come when she and the defence team have been in different parts of the country, with her being in custody.

​

Mr Myers asks questions in the case of Child E, in relation to Letby's defence statement.
In cross-examination, Letby was said not to have made a mention of Child E vomiting in her defence statement, but said it in evidence. Letby tells the court now Child E had vomited.
Mr Myers says Letby's nursing note from August 4, 2015, showed Letby recorded a 'large vomit'.
Letby says that was not included in the defence statement as she had not included every single detail from all the cases in that statement.
The nursing note also incudes a 'mucky' slightly bile-stained aspirate was recorded.

​

In Letby's defence statement, she said she had wanted to work in nursing since being a teenager.
Letby is asked about her motive in working at the Countess of Chester Hospital neonatal unit: "To provide the best care possible for them and their families."
Letby said she would have looked after "hundreds" of babies during her time at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
BM: "Were you trying to 'get attention' [by attacking babies] in the way it has been put?"
LL: "No."
Letby says the Facebook searches were for parents who were on her mind at the time.

​

BM: "Can you recall every baby you cared for?"
LL: "No."
BM: "Is there a reason some babies stand out more?"
Letby says there might have been something about some babies that would stand out in her mind, and some babies would be on the unit longer, and she would have got to know some families more than others.
Letby is asked about staffing levels at the unit.
Mr Myers: "Do you know, actually, how every member of staff was affected by staffing pressures?"
LL: "No I don't."
Letby adds she does not know if every member of staff was performing their tasks to the level required throughout.
BM: "Can you say at any given point, what the issue of staffing levels were?"
LL: "No."

​

Letby adds from a nursing perspective she can comment on that care, but medical care [from a doctor] is a "different realm".
Letby says she can only put a nursing perspective on the issues.
Mr Myers asks about Child F and Child L.
Letby had said, in evidence, insulin was given to Child F unlawfully, but it was not targeted. She said, from the blood results, Child L was poisoned with insulin, but was not targeted.
Letby says for Child L, she accepted the blood results which showed the insulin had come exogenously.
Letby says she does not know how the insulin levels of a blood sample are tested. She says she has never worked in a lab for the purposes of such testing.
Letby says she accepted the results on the basis of the evidence that is presented in the trial.

​

Letby, in her defence statement, said she was concerned she was blamed for things she was not responsible for, and was unable to explain how some of the babies had collapsed.
The statement added the higher mortality rate had come from the unit taking on more poorly babies.
For Child Q, Letby says Dr John Gibbs was asking who was on duty at that time and who the designated nurse was.
Letby says, in her statement, Dr Jayaram and Dr Brearey had been "set against her for some time" and did not accept "in good faith" their evidence.
Mr Myers asks if Letby had ever accepted the accuracy or honesty Dr Jayaram's recollection of the incident in relation to Child K.
Letby: "No."
Letby adds she did not recall clearly what happened at that event. She denied interfering or harming Child K at that time.

​

Mr Myers continues to ask Lucy Letby questions.
He says there is "not a lot further" to go through.
He says there were "many times" when the prosecution gave evidence, or parts of evidence, to Letby and the jury.
In the case of Child P, he says Child P was the 'worse for wear', and the prosecution said this was similar to the previous night with Child O, which he says was inaccurate.
Letby is asked why she agreed with an inaccurate summary of evidence by the proseuction.
LL: "I can't answer that, I don't know."
Mr Myers says the prosecution had asserted Lucy Letby had 'fallen out' with Melanie Taylor. Letby denies this was the case at any point.
Text messages are shown between Melanie Taylor and Lucy Letby. The exchange is on June 9, 2015, following the death of Child A, and how hard it was going in to back into the unit following such an event.
Letby messaged: "I hope you are ok, you were brilliant" and signs off the conversation "Great see you then xx" to which Melanie Taylor replied "Xx". Letby denies she fell out with Melanie Taylor.

​

Letby is asked about the prosecution saying she 'fell over herself' to message Sophie Ellis following the death of Child P. Sophie Ellis had been at the races that day on June 24, 2016.
Sophie Ellis messaged Letby first: "Hey Luce, hope your ok? I heard poor little [Child P] has been sent to Liverpool..."
Letby replied the information was 'too much for a text'.
She added: "Actually you are at the races, sorry I forgot. Don't worry about ringing will txt you tomorrow. X"
Letby tells the court she wanted to leave Sophie Ellis alone as she was at the races.

​

Letby is asked about the 'social folder' she was handed by the prosecution this morning.
Mr Myers said the photos showed her 'out on the razz with friends'.
Letby had said there were times she enjoyed herself.
Mr Johnson had said: "Yes, you felt like this, because you know you killed and grievously injured these children?"
Letby: "No."
Mr Myers says there was nothing to these events other than going for drinks with friends. Letby agrees.

​

An example is shown of Letby on holiday in Torquay with her dad in July 2016.
Another example is of Letby having drinks with university friends in July 14, 2016. Letby says they were the girls she had been with when she was studying nursing.
Another example is of a picture of a couple of bottles of Prosecco on July 22, 2016. Letby is asked if she was allowed to drink Prosecco at this time. Letby agrees.
Another photo is on August 16, 2016, on a day out in Port Sunlight with her parents who had come to Chester. Letby messaged one of her nursing colleagues - her "best friend", and one she said she was allowed to speak to, about Port Sunlight being 'perfect for a picnic and a stroll'.
A photo is taken of Letby at her back garden to her Chester home in August 2016.
A Whatsapp message Letby sent in a group of nursing colleagues was: "It's too sad" in reference to Jennifer Jones-Key leaving the unit.
Letby says 'around September time' the instructions for Letby not to contact anyone on the nursing unit other than three colleagues had 'changed'.
A message on September 22, 2016 to one of the three colleagues - 'All ok with E [Eirian]. Feel bit more positive knowing she's definitely behind me...'

​

Letby is seen smiling in a number of photos.
Mr Myers asks why Letby is smiling in the photos when it was around the time she handwrote notes documenting her problems.
LL: "Because despite what is going on, you have to find some kind of quality of life."
December 31, 2016, Letby writes on Facebook: "❤️ I'm not the same person I was when 2016 began; but I am fortunate to have my own home. I've met some incredible people and I have family and friends who have stood by me regardless - Thank you to those who have kept me smiling. Wishing Every Happiness for us all in 2017"
Letby says she had changed as a person and had 'lost confidence'

​

BM: "As far as you understood, were you at least allowed a social life?"
LL: "Yes."
Another photo is of Letby at the Kuckoo bar in Chester.
A holiday photo is shown of Letby with her father in June 29, 2018 in Torquay.
Letby denies killing or harming babies for any reason the prosecution had suggested.
BM: "How content were you before, in life?"
LL: "I had a very happy life."

That now completes Lucy Letby's evidence.

The judge tells the jury of the next steps in the trial, which may have further evidence for the defence case. The next listed day for the jury will be next Wednesday (June 14).

If you intend to purchase a new tractor for your farm, you might be confused by the many choices available. How do you select the best tractor for your requirements and budget? To assist you in picking the right tractor, we have listed the top three models that offer outstanding performance, features, and value. These tractors are Eicher 380 4WD Prima G3, John Deere 5105 and Massey Ferguson 241 DI DYNATRACK. Below we have described each model with its specifications and prices.

Featuring- Eicher, John Deere and Massey Ferguson Brand

Eicher 380 4WD Prima G3-

📷
The Eicher 380 4WD Prima G3 tractor is a powerful 40 HP model designed for demanding agricultural tasks. It's strong engine and 4-wheel drive system offers excellent performance and traction on various terrains. Priced at ₹ 7.90 - 8.20 lakhs, this tractor model provides farmers with a cost-effective solution for their farming needs, combining durability and affordability. Whether it's ploughing fields, hauling heavy loads, or performing other farm operations, the Eicher Prima G3 Tractor is a dependable choice for enhancing productivity on the farm.

John Deere 5105-

📷
The John Deere 5105 tractor is a versatile model that meets the needs of modern farmers. It's a 40-horsepower engine, and advanced features offer excellent performance and efficiency in various agricultural tasks. Priced at Rs. 6.55 lakhs - Rs. 7.10 lakhs, this tractor provides farmers a reliable and cost-effective solution for their farming operations. From ploughing and tilling to transporting heavy loads, the John Deere tractors deliver power, durability, and versatility to maximize productivity on the field.

Massey Ferguson 241 DI DYNATRACK-

📷
The Massey Ferguson 241 DI DYNATRACK is a powerful tractor for tackling the toughest agricultural tasks. With a 42 horsepower engine and advanced features like manual/ power steering and multi-disc oil-immersed brakes, it offers exceptional performance and control. Priced at Rs. 7.44 lakhs - Rs. 7.84 lakhs, this tractor provides farmers with a reliable and cost-effective solution for their farming needs. This Massey DYNATRACK tractor ensures smooth and efficient operations, making it a valuable asset for farmers looking to boost their productivity.
These are the top three tractor models for your next farming purchase. They can help you boost your farming productivity and profitability. You can compare their prices and features online and pick the tractor model that matches your requirements.

Started a bit of a writing project and I figured it may be worth sharing the first part with y’all’s. For background, Pride month for me is always a time of introspection. My Fairy Godmother is doing a 30 days of Pride on her socials and after some conversation with her I realized that my queerdom is something that my actual mother, though accepting, have really never talked about and given how much it has informed who I have become it seemed like something I should share with her.
I offered to go through the writing prompts with her as a means of showing her the deeper part of that iceberg and the day one question had be digging into my being agender.

Dear MomGoon
I appreciate you coming along with me on this and I hope it gives you a bit of insight, encourages questions, and maybe we both learn a bit along the way.
Share your name, age, and identity. Share a picture of yourself.
Hi my name is KaiGoon, I'm 44, Bi, and agender. My pronouns are they/he. I figured out a long time ago that my attraction to others is over a broad spectrum and has everything to do with the individual.
Agender is a bit trickier to nail down and probably where you went "WTF?". I'm comfortable in my own skin and the body that has carried me though this life so far. I am male, I'm guy shaped. Folks look at me and say "yup that a guy". It's my default setting, "Sex" in the biological definition.
My relation with gender, as in the social construct, that where I go off the beaten path. My retirement from the Navy got me thinking a lot of the interlocking circles I exist in and how they bring definition. Some are big like nationality and race. Some are more nuanced like being a vet, an expat. All of are things I can point to, turn over in my hands, and look at. Some feel wonderful, some are beautiful, some leave cuts on my hands, and some are greasy and ugly and I'd rather not touch them.
But the more I look into "being a Man" as what it means to me as part of my identity, it's a big empty. I dont think it's a disillusionment with toxic masculinity anymore as I have tons have had a lot of great men in my life as friends and mentors.
Still, at the end of the day it has always felt like a party I kinda walked in on while going somewhere and everyone assumes I should be there but I never got an invite in the first place and meant to go somewhere else.
I know it brings great deal of meaning to a lot of folks, John Waters would balk as much as John Wayne if you called him "Girl". But for me, it's just the box I came in and figuring that out for myself was a large weight off my shoulders. All that being said, I know how I present to the world and how folks perceive me and I know how it affects how I interact with the world. I was reading an interview with actress Indya Moore and part of what she had to say really stood out.
"“….I'm non-binary but I don't really talk about it that much. I don't feel like people really are there yet for understanding it, which I don't mind, but I also acknowledge the way people see me as a woman. And because I'm seen as a woman, a cis woman or binary presenting, people are going to hold me up to those same standards that women are held up to.“.
Does this change anything? Outwardly, not so much but it has certainly given me a better understanding of myself. Consider this like a patch note on a program. "Some coding tweaks to improve performance."

# Today In Phishstory - June 9th Brought to you by tiph-bot. Beep.
All data extracted via The Phishnet API.

Phish

Phish, Tuesday 06/09/2009 (14 years ago) Asheville Civic Center, Asheville, NC, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 2009 Early Summer Tour
Set 1 : Kill Devil Falls , The Moma Dance , Sample in a Jar , Stash , Dog Faced Boy , Gumbo , Tube , Lengthwise , Divided Sky , When the Cactus is in Bloom ¹ , Bold As Love
Set 2 : Backwards Down the Number Line > Ghost > Fast Enough for You , Halley's Comet > Maze , Alaska ¹ , Theme From the Bottom , Golgi Apparatus , Possum
Encore : Loving Cup
1 Phish debut.
Jamchart Notes:
Backwards Down the Number Line - "Type I" version with great strumming by Trey and a short outro jam that > to "Ghost."
Show Notes:
This show featured the Phish debuts of When the Cactus is in Bloom and Alaska. Before Dog Faced Boy, Trey explained that while living with Fish, he wrote Dog Faced Boy, Tube and Gumbo based on entries in one of Fish's journals. During Dog Faced Boy, Fish left his drum kit and lay down in front of the stage because he didn't need to sing the song. Lengthwise (performed a cappella ) was played for the first time since July 28, 1998 (233 shows). Bold as Love was played for the first time since October 6, 2000 (74 shows).
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 06/09/2000 (23 years ago) On Air East, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, , Japan
Gap Chart, Tour: 2000 Summer Japan Tour
Set 1 : Axilla > Taste , Billy Breathes , Poor Heart > Golgi Apparatus > Funky Bitch , The Moma Dance > First Tube > Chalk Dust Torture
Set 2 : Tweezer , Bouncing Around the Room ¹ , The Mango Song , The Squirming Coil > Gotta Jibboo > Meatstick ² > Tweezer Reprise
Encore : You Enjoy Myself
1 Brief outro solo from Trey, which replaced the usual closing guitar lick. 2 First Meatstick to feature Japanese lyrics.
Jamchart Notes:
Funky Bitch - Atypically improvisational must-hear monster.
Chalk Dust Torture - Winning fans in Japan. This huge first-set-closing version raises hell and ends, but then there's a second ending that concludes cacophonously.
Tweezer - Atypically slow but monstrously improvisational version that has several peaks and valleys before speeding-up and concluding in a melodic, triumphant, must-fucking-hear manner.
The Mango Song - Ending jam segment stretches the limits of the basic jam with some nice rhythmic variation, but still stays "in bounds."
You Enjoy Myself - Deeeep, funky jam/groove, and the return of the B&D; segment!
Show Notes:
The Moma Dance included Funky Bitch teases and Tweezer included Funk #49 teases. This was the first ever Meatstick to feature Japanese lyrics and Trey flubbed the words while attempting to sing them. Bouncing included a brief outro solo from Trey, which replaced the usual closing guitar lick. This show was re- broadcast on Japanese television.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Friday 06/09/1995 (28 years ago) Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1995 Summer Tour
Set 1 : My Friend, My Friend , Divided Sky , Strange Design > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > AC/DC Bag > Theme From the Bottom , Taste , Sparkle > Run Like an Antelope
Set 2 : Split Open and Melt , The Wedge , Scent of a Mule , Cavern > David Bowie , Acoustic Army , Sweet Adeline , Slave to the Traffic Light
Encore : The Squirming Coil
Jamchart Notes:
Run Like an Antelope - Unusual jam. Sort of off-key. Sort of evil. Dissonant and anti-melodic. No real peak; it just fades into "Rocco."
Split Open and Melt - Improvisational playing in several sections tests the rhythmic and melodic standards for "SOAM" in this solid version.
Show Notes:
Part of the soundcheck's jam consisted of 25 or 6 to 4.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Thursday 06/09/1994 (29 years ago) Triad Amphitheater, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1994 Summer Tour
Set 1 : Llama , Guelah Papyrus , Rift , Down with Disease > It's Ice > If I Could > Maze , Fee ¹ , Suzy Greenberg
Set 2 : Split Open and Melt , Glide > Julius , Halley's Comet -> Scent of a Mule , Ginseng Sullivan ² , Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove , Golgi Apparatus
Encore : Highway to Hell
1 Trey sang verses through megaphone. 2 Acoustic and without microphones. Fish on Madonna washboard.
Jamchart Notes:
It's Ice - Good rocking jam with excellent Fish and solid Trey (of course Page is great).
Mike's Song - The 1st jam is rocking and ass kicking, with a clever little "Tweeprise"-like walk up. The 2nd jam is basically a non-vocal version of something very "Simple"-like. Just listen and you'll hear it. The return to "Mike's" has more crazed '94 scream-infused power action.
Show Notes:
Trey sang the verses of Fee through a megaphone. Ginseng Sullivan was performed acoustic without microphones and featured Fish on Madonna washboard.
Listen now at Phish.in!
Phish, Saturday 06/09/1990 (33 years ago) The Wetlands Preserve, New York, NY, USA
Gap Chart, Tour: 1990 Tour
Set 1 : Possum , Lawn Boy > Reba , Dinner and a Movie > Bouncing Around the Room > Tweezer , Uncle Pen > Mike's Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove
Set 2 : Whole Lotta Love Jam > Harry Hood , The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > La Grange , Fee -> Foam , The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg > Run Like an Antelope , Hold Your Head Up > Terrapin > Hold Your Head Up , Harpua , Good Times Bad Times
Encore : Take the 'A' Train > Contact
Jamchart Notes:
Foam - -> in from "Fee." Groovy and excellent Page section with solid backing from Mike and Fish. It's all good from there.
Run Like an Antelope - Good exploratory version that gets nicely beyond the standard. Great tension, dissonance and experimental jamming.
Show Notes:
Harpua included Funkytown teases and 'A' Train contained a Dixie tease from Trey. The band launched into the second set-opening Whole Lotta Love Jam as the DJ had been spinning the original Zeppelin version. The opening act was The Aquarium Rescue Unit.
Listen now at Phish.in!

Trey Anastasio

Trey Anastasio Trio, 2023-06-09 Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-trio-june-09-2023-mission-ballroom-denver-co-usa.html
Tour: Not Part of a Tour
Show Notes:
Trey Anastasio Band, 2006-06-09 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-09-2006-verizon-wireless-amphitheatre-charlotte-charlotte-nc-usa.html
Tour: TAB - Early Summer 2006 Tour
Show Notes: This single set performance was as the opening act for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This setlist is unconfirmed as recordings of the performance do not circulate.
Trey Anastasio Band, 2002-06-09 Tower City Amphitheatre, Cleveland, OH, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/trey-anastasio-june-09-2002-tower-city-amphitheatre-cleveland-oh-usa.html
Tour: TAB - The Dectet Summer 2002 Tour
Show Notes: The rendition of "Plasma" from this gig appears on Trey's live CD of the same name. Trey performed "Ray Dawn Balloon" acoustic.

Mike Gordon

Mike Gordon, 2015-06-09 The Pageant, St. Louis, MO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/mike-gordon-june-09-2015-the-pageant-st-louis-mo-usa.html
Tour: Mike Gordon - Summer 2015 Tour
Show Notes:

John Fishman

Jazz Mandolin Project, 2004-06-09 32 Bleu, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/jon-fishman-june-09-2004-32-bleu-colorado-springs-co-usa.html
Tour: Fish - Jazz Mandolin Project Summer 2004 Tour
Show Notes:

Page McConnell

Page McConnell, 2007-06-09 Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Setlist: https://phish.net/setlists/page-mcconnell-june-09-2007-bogarts-cincinnati-oh-usa.html
Tour: Page McConnell Spring & Summer 2007 Tour
Show Notes: This setlist is unconfirmed as recordings of the show do not circulate.

Basics

My wife and I spent 14 days in Japan in May 2023, our first time in Japan (or anywhere in Asia). We usually got between 8-12 miles daily, though some of that was somewhat by choice, as in places like Hiroshima the transit within the city takes nearly as long as walking, and walking is preferrable to see and experience the city.
All the tips on here and those answering questions on Discord really helped plan things.

What I learned

Pay attention to the square footage of your room. We got a room at an APA in Osaka where it was literally impossible for both of us to stand up simultaneously. Luckily all of our subsequent hotels had room for us both to get dressed at the same time.
Get hotels with onsens/spas. We booked exclusively hotels with onsens/spas. This was crucial. It’s such a great day-ender to go up there for a soak in the hot/cold pools and sauna. They give you robes/lounge clothes and slippers to wear up there. It’s just incredibly cozy. Made me wish it was winter.
Japan is super easy to travel, the easiest country I’ve been to. It seems the country as a whole and everyone in it is extremely detail oriented and considers every possible issue. I’ve never seen workers tasked with holding up a screen for pedestrian protection around a man trimming the lawn until Japan. I’ve never seen a tour bus driver feather-dusting his bus until Japan. Everyone is so calm. I think I heard one person yell in two weeks. Everybody was super patient with our lack of Japanese and general lack of knowledge of their culture.
Note: We’re not really foodies. When traveling we usually just eat whenever we get so hungry that we must, plus the Japanese cuisine doesn’t mesh with our tastes, so this will be light on food.

Day by day

Day 0: Arrived at Haneda in the afternoon, got PASMO cards and caught train to Shinagawa. Then we took the Nozomi to Osaka, purchasing tickets in advance via Smart-Ex. All went smoothly despite the jet lag.
Day 1: Osaka. Mini-pig café, Don Quijote, wandered the neighborhood to the northeast of Umeda Station checking out shops, finished the day in a small bar in Dotonbori.
Day 2: Osaka area. In the morning, we rode out to Nara to see Todai-Ji and the bowing deer. The temple was stunning. In the afternoon, we went to a Hanshin Tigers game, which was great, though we were baking in the sun. It’s crazy how many beer vendors Japanese baseball games have. I didn’t go 30 seconds without a beer girl passing by. We ended the day with dinner at Snow Lion, a Nepali restaurant that was extremely tasty.
Day 3: We activated our JR West Sanyo-San-in Area passes and headed west on the bullet train then a slow Sanyo Line train, bound for Onomichi. I rented a bike from Trek, took the ferry to Setoda and rode the Shimanami Kaido. I rode a bit south after I got off the ferry in Setoda, across the next big bridge. Then I turned around and biked back to Onomichi. It was a beautiful ride, but the parts near the Onomichi end could be skipped. Too much traffic and development. While I did this, my wife wandered around Onomichi, visiting Cat Alley and taking a ropeway ride. After that, we met up and headed for Ōkunoshima, aka Rabbit Island. This was a cool little side trip, but not sure it was worth the time expenditure. Finally, we ended the long day traveling to Hiroshima to check into our hotel. Family Mart was our main meal, because the restaurants in Tadano-Umi were all closed on Monday, and we had time to kill before the next train back to Mihara.
Day 4: We took a train and ferry trip to Miyajima and took the ropeway to the top, then walked the rest of the way to the top. It’s a beautiful island, but pretty tourist trap-ish. Later in the day we picked up Carp tickets for a future date, then checked out the Atomic Bomb Dome at night. The main meal, at Okonomiyaki Teppan-yaki Momiji-Tei, was extremely good Okonomiyaki.
Day 5: Day trip to Hakata, with a stop for the Hello Kitty exhibition at a hall near Shin-Yamaguchi Station. After Hello Kitty, we headed to Nanzoin, the reclining buddha statue and temple. It’s a wonderful place, the nice ladies at the train station will loan you some cover-up cloth if you have tattoos or your shorts are too short. After Nanzoin, we got some Hakata ramen at Ramen Stadium in the giant mall, then wandered the streets of Hakata a bit, stopping at Kushida-jinja Shrine. Back in Hiroshima that evening, we visited Sam’s Café, an American-themed bar with more memorabilia than you’d think possible. The proprietor is a wonderful older gentleman who loves America.
Day 6: We started the day at the Peace Museum. This is an extremely moving visit. A late breakfast here featured the fluffiest egg souffle I’ve ever seen. Later, we went to the Carp game.
Day 7: Shinkansen to Himeji Castle. We scheduled ourselves a four-hour layover, which was just about perfect to walk up there, see the castle and walk through it, check out the garden, and walk back without feeling rushed and with time to grab train snacks. Then we caught the Super Hakuto to Kurayoshi where we met a friend and ended the day with some onsen time at Izanro Iwasaki in Misasa Onsen.
Day 8: Tottori Sand Dunes, Sand Museum and a trip to Refresh park Yumura, which is a very nice onsen with the standard indoor, gender-separated areas, plus some cool outdoor spots for all genders, including a little cave. You wear a swimsuit for the outdoor parts.
Day 9: I wasn’t feeling great, so I did nothing while my wife and friends went to Lake Togo area near Kurayoshi for a waterfall hike. Then we boarded the Super Hakuto for Kyoto, where we stayed.
Day 10: We got an early start to see as many temples as possible in Kyoto before our 1pm train to Tokyo. We were able to get to Kiyomizu-dera, Ginkakuji and Shimogamo-jinja before time ran out. We used the city bus, which wasn’t that bad. They weren’t quite on time and we had to let a couple pass by at the very start of our day because they were too crowded. We added our PASMO card numbers into the Smart-Ex app so boarding the Shinkansen was super easy. In Tokyo, we stayed in Ueno, which was a great spot with good accessibility to the rest of the city and lots of action and places to eat and drink.
Day 11: We started with a trip to Sanrio Puroland, which took even longer than planned due to some train delays. Our train went out of service at some point on the trip. Puroland is kind of odd. But it wasn’t too expensive and my wife loved it. On the way back we stopped at Gotokuji Temple, the waving cat temple and later caught a glimpse of the waving cat train at the nearby Miyanosaka Station. For a nightcap, we checked out Asakusa Rockza.
Day 12: Shopping/sightseeing in Akihabara. Yodobashi Camera is absolutely massive. I preferred it over Bic Camera. After some other miscellaneous shopping near Tokyo Station, we later walked from our hotel over to this cat-themed bar.
Day 13: Near Nippori Station there’s a cat-centric neighborhood, Yanaka Cat Town. We stopped at a cat store or two as well as a cat art gallery. I got a great foot massage in this area, as well. This area was so cool we skipped out on our tickets to TeamLabs. For a nightcap, we went to one place in Golden Gai. That area is absolutely overrun with tourists.
Day 14: It was super rainy, and we didn’t have all that much time to kill before our flight, so we checked out the Tobu train museum. Definitely worth a visit if you like trains. Though kind of hard to figure out how to drive the trains if you don’t speak Japanese. Then we proceeded to Narita on the Skyliner. Note, there’s a slight discount for foreigners if you buy online.

I have a Scotts branded John Deere riding mower (model L17.542) which needs a deck rebuild. I am looking for recommendations on what brand of spindles, blades, etc., I should be looking for. I priced out the rebuild parts at a local mower shop and they want about $225 for the spindles, blades, belt, etc. In comparison, I can get those same parts on Amazon for about $100 but I question the quality. Any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated.

Main hub thread with the full 131 rankings
Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh
Farewell to foreign shores, we sail at break of day, of day
Through our last night ashore, drink to the foam
Until we meet once more, here's wishing you a happy voyage home
Navy is one of the oldest football programs in the country, having fielded their first team in 1879. With that comes a history of excellence, as it should with the Navy, who as a program is top 25 in all-time wins for FBS schools, has 2 Heisman winners, and a national title in 1926. Quarterback Roger Staubach, known as “Captain America”, was the winner of the 1963 Heisman and is an NFL Hall of Famer, the only QB in history to achieve both feats.

Best Seasons and Highlights

1. 2015: 19. Navy: 11-2 (25.276) 2. 2019: 19. Navy: 11-2 (24.894) 3. 2009: 28. Navy: 10-4 (13.712) 4. 1996: 28. Navy: 9-3 (8.642) 5. 2013: 42. Navy: 9-4 (7.584) 6. 2004: 31. Navy: 10-2 (6.282) 7. 2010: 41. Navy: 9-4 (4.625) 8. 2016: 47. Navy: 9-5 (3.576) 9. 2008: 44. Navy: 8-5 (3.107) 10. 2006: 42. Navy: 9-4 (2.051) 11. 2014: 53. Navy: 8-5 (-0.393) 12. 2005: 45. Navy: 8-4 (-2.572) 13. 1997: 51. Navy: 7-4 (-3.492) 14. 2007: 57. Navy: 8-5 (-4.937) 15. 2012: 61. Navy: 8-5 (-5.454) 16. 2003: 62. Navy: 8-5 (-7.845) 17. 2017: 64. Navy: 7-7 (-9.488) 18. 1984: 62. Navy: 4-6-1 (-12.294) 19. 1985: 59. Navy: 4-7 (-16.923) 20. 2011: 78. Navy: 5-7 (-18.345) 21. 1995: 67. Navy: 5-6 (-20.772) 22. 1999: 77. Navy: 5-7 (-22.534) 23. 2021: 93. Navy: 4-8 (-24.879) 24. 1990: 83. Navy: 5-6 (-25.375) 25. 2022: 101. Navy: 4-8 (-25.436) 26. 1993: 90. Navy: 4-7 (-34.187) 27. 2020: 111. Navy: 3-7 (-34.632) 28. 1998: 92. Navy: 3-8 (-36.294) 29. 1989: 85. Navy: 3-8 (-36.349) 30. 1983: 92. Navy: 3-8 (-38.305) 31. 1988: 90. Navy: 3-8 (-38.616) 32. 2018: 110. Navy: 3-10 (-42.027) 33. 1994: 93. Navy: 3-8 (-43.185) 34. 1986: 97. Navy: 3-8 (-46.615) 35. 2002: 109. Navy: 2-10 (-51.419) 36. 1987: 99. Navy: 2-9 (-52.186) 37. 1992: 100. Navy: 1-10 (-54.324) 38. 2000: 108. Navy: 1-10 (-56.258) 39. 1991: 105. Navy: 1-10 (-56.694) 40. 2001: 114. Navy: 0-10 (-60.702) Overall Score: 11207 (78th) 

• 220-256-1 record
• 0 conference titles
• 9-7 bowl record
• 2 consensus All-Americans
• 8 NFL players drafted

No conference titles? Navy’s bad! Kidding of course, they didn’t have a chance to win any as an independent until 2015 when they joined the AAC. As you can see on the list above, Navy’s clearly had some bad years, with a whopping 14 seasons of 3 or less wins. To make up for it, they’ve achieved some remarkable highs for a service academy, with 11 finishes inside my top 50. A 10-2 season in 2004 narrowly misses out on Navy’s top 5 seasons because of their 107th ranked strength of schedule that year. Despite some remarkable QB play in recent years from Keenan Reynolds and Malcolm Perry, the 2 consensus All-Americans are both from RB Napoleon McCallum in 1983 and 1985, who finished 6th and 7th in Heisman voting in those years, respectively. Speaking of Keenan Reynolds, he set the NCAA career record for rushing TDs in 2015, accumulating 88 in his 4 year career.

Top 5 Seasons

Worst Season: 2001 (0-10 overall, Independent)
Navy gets a pass for 2001. 2 weeks into the season, the September 15th game against Northwestern was cancelled shortly after the 9/11 attacks. The Army-Navy game was more than a game this year, with President George W. Bush taking part in the on-field coin toss. Army prevailed 26-17 on the day. Navy LB Brian Stann ribbed that Navy only got pregame visits from President Bush and Senator John McCain, while Army received an impassioned speech from General Norman Schwarzkopf. The game finished off a stressful year for Navy, who fired head coach Charlie Weatherbie after an 0-7 start. On-field lows were a 7-70 loss to Georgia Tech, a loss to 3-9 Tulane, and of course the Army-Navy Game. Navy hired Paul Johnson for 2002, who’d turn around the program for good. If you’re an MMA fan, you probably recognize Brian Stann who I quoted above. Stann went on to become a successful UFC fighter and commentator, joining Fox Sports after his retirement from MMA in 2013.
5. 2013 (9-4 overall, Independent)
A season with many highs. A 3-1 start included a 41-35 win over Indiana and 28-10 over Air Force. After losing 2 straight to strong Duke and Toledo teams, Navy went 5-1 the rest of the regular season, only losing 34-38 to a Notre Dame team that finished in the top 25. Wins included 24-21 over Pitt, 58-52 in 3OT over a San Jose State team coming off an 11-2 year, and 34-7 in the Army-Navy Game. A perfect ground game of 366 rushing yards against Middle Tennessee in the bowl led to a 24-6 win to finish 9-4 in Navy’s second to last season as an Independent. QB Keenan Reynolds (more on him later) threw for 1000+ yards with 8 TD 2 INT, but most importantly ran for 1346 yards and 31 TD, setting an NCAA record for rushing TDs in a season by a QB. Reynolds also ran for 7 TD against San Jose State, an NCAA record. Outside of Reynolds, longtime New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona was also on this team, and didn’t have a bad snap all season long.
4. 1996 (9-3 overall, Independent)
Even for as bad as 2001 was, Charlie Weatherbie’s teams had their moments. A 5-1 start featured 3 wins over Power 6 teams: 10-6 over Rutgers, 64-27 over Duke, and 47-18 over Wake Forest. That set up a Shamrock Classic game in Ireland between Navy and Notre Dame. A 54-27 win for Notre Dame set a record for the longest winning streak over an annual opponent at 33 games. Unfazed, Navy won 3 more straight including a nice 36-26 win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. But even so, Weatherbie’s teams…left a lot to be desired. Navy watched their 21-3 lead over Army evaporate by the end of the game, stopped at the goal line twice for a 28-24 Army victory. To be fair, this was one of Army’s best teams of the past few decades, and they finished ranked #25. Navy rebounded to beat Steve Mariucci’s Cal team in the Aloha Bowl 42-38 to finish 9-3. Navy OC Paul Johnson left to become Georgia Southern’s head coach, and would go on to perfect the triple option at Navy from 2002-07 and institute it at Georgia Tech from 2008-18. WR LeBron Butts (no relation to the basketball player) had 14 catches for 179 yards and 2 TD.
3. 2009 (10-4 overall, Independent)
Oh look, one of my all time favorite players, QB Ricky Dobbs. Dobbs was a steady work horse all season. He only averaged 3.6 yards per carry, but had the 3rd most carries in the nation with 315 and ran for 1203 yards with an NCAA QB record 27 TD. The record wouldn’t be broken until 2013 by Navy’s own Keenan Reynolds. Dobbs led a steady offense combined with a great defense (19.4 PPG allowed), leading to Navy’s 2nd double digit win season since 1905. Navy had a chance to tie #6 Ohio State with 2 minutes left, but their 2 point conversion attempt was returned by OSU for 2 pts themselves, making the final score 27-31. A 14-27 loss two weeks later to Pitt turned out to be another quality loss, with Pitt going on to finish 10-3 and #15. A 10-4 final record included wins such as 16-13 over 8-5 Air Force, 38-35 over 8-5 SMU, 13-10 over Wake Forest, 17-3 over Army, 35-13 in the bowl over 8-5 Missouri, and the pièce de résistance, 23-21 over #19 Notre Dame in South Bend. Previously on a 43-year losing streak to the Irish heading into 2007, this was now the 2nd time in 3 years Navy had beaten Notre Dame, previously unthinkable.
2. 2019 (11-2 overall, 7-1 American)
After Keenan Reynolds left for the NFL, the QB position had big shoes to fill. Following a stopgap 9-5 record in 2016, 2017 arrived. Zach Abey took the majority of snaps, but Malcolm Perry was too talented to keep off the field, far and away the best athlete on the team. Perry had a monstrous year with 9 starts at slot back and 3 at QB, rushing for 1182 yards and 11 TD on 8.6(!) YPC, and was the team’s 2nd leading receiver with 13 catches for 303 yards and 2 TD. Perry started 5 games at QB in 2018, but dealt with injuries en route to a 3-10 season. That led to a mysterious 2019, with Navy picked 5th in the 6-team AAC West Division.
A 2-1 start showed potential, with a 42-10 win over East Carolina and close 23-35 loss to one of the conference favorites in Memphis. A 34-25 win over an Air Force team that would finish 11-2 showed Navy was back to their winning ways, with a real chance at a bowl as long as Perry stayed healthy. Navy reeled off blowout win after blowout win, eventually getting up to #23 before losing to #16 Notre Dame 20-52. Now at 7-2, Navy still had a shot at making the AAC title game. Perry showed up big against #25 SMU, rushing for 195 yards and throwing for 162 in a 35-28 win. After beating Houston 56-41, Navy just needed Memphis to drop one game, but the Tigers won out to make the AAC title game at 11-1. Navy played Army in the last game as usual, and Perry WENT NUCLEAR. He didn’t throw a single pass, rushing for 304 yards on 29 carries with 2 TD in a 31-7 win. In the bowl against 8-4 Kansas State, Perry again went for 200+ on the ground, winning 20-17 on a last second FG. Navy finished the year #20 in the country.
Perry went off all year long, winning AAC Offensive POTY with 1084 passing yards 7 TD 3 INT with 2017 rushing yards and 21 TD on 6.8 YPC. Perry legitimately was one of the quickest athletes in the country, if you watch his highlights he looks like a quicker but slower Kyler Murray. Because of this he was drafted in the 7th round by the Miami Dolphins as a WR, and has caught 9 passes for 92 yards and 1 TD in the NFL.
1. 2015 (11-2 overall, 7-1 American)
2015 was a magical year not just for Navy fans, but for college football fans following Navy. QB Keenan Reynolds was the darling of football, and went down as arguably the greatest option QB in college football history. Reynolds became one of football’s biggest stories as Navy kept winning throughout the year, starting 9-1 with wins such as 33-11 over 8-6 Air Force, 29-17 over 8-5 USF, and 45-20 over #13 Memphis. Navy got as high as #15 in the nation and was one of the favorites to earn the Group of 5’s spot in a New Years 6 bowl. After a loss to Houston the dream ended, but they still had the Army-Navy game to tend to. The game earned its biggest rating this century with a 5.1 overnight, mostly due to Reynolds’ star power. Reynolds finished 5th in Heisman voting, and when he wasn’t invited to the ceremony, people protested and lobbied for changing the invitation rules. A 44-28 win in the bowl over 8-4 Pitt capped Navy’s first ever 11 win season, and their highest finish in over 50 years at #18.
Navy announced the retirement of Reynolds’ #19 jersey after the season, joining a short list of Roger Staubach (12), Joe Bellino (27), and Napoleon McCallum (30). Navy’s 36 wins in Reynolds’ 4 years tied the class of 1909 for the most ever by a 4-year Navy squad. Reynolds finished as the NCAA’s all-time leading rushing TD leader with 88. In 2015 he threw for 1203 yards 8 TD 1 INT with 1373 rushing yards and 24 TD. This was the 3rd straight season he finished top 5 in rushing TDs in the country. He earned 3rd Team All-American status, won the AAC Offensive POTY, and won the James E. Sullivan Award given to the most outstanding collegiate or Olympic athlete in the United States. After the season, he was drafted in the 6th round by the Baltimore Ravens, the first Navy QB drafted since Roger Staubach in 1964.

5th Quarter

What do you remember about Keenan Reynolds and that 2015 season? How about Malcolm Perry? Who was the better passer, runner, and overall player between the two? Is Reynolds the greatest option QB of all time, even over Tommie Frazier? What other Navy moments/games/plays/players do you remember? How does Navy look to fare in the upcoming seasons? Does Ken Niumatalolo get enough credit in the college football media for what he’s done at Navy? What else is on your mind about Navy?
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MAIN WANTS: PUZZLER BUNDLE & HEROINES BUNDLE
I will try respond to all offers, but please don't try offer games with a big price difference. I like to keep trades as even as possible, unless you're willing to overpay on your own accord.
I could sell via paypal, but I would much rather stick to games for games, or games for steam items i.e TF2 Keys, CS:GO keys, game skins.
For Rocket league credits, I'll swap for anything that looks like I'll play. Have plenty still to trade. You will need 2FA enabled on epic to be able to trade credits, + if you're on a Free2Play account you need to have purchased 500 credits or eSports tokens before, and this is Steam/Epic only, no console!
https://www.reddit.com/IGSRep/comments/pkaorg/em1jedis_igs_rep_page_2/ <-- Rep thread(s) from main reddit account - also contains links to extensive rocket league rep from when I used to sell there, been waiting 3-4+ years to be unlinked from the sub on this account!:( - Can feel free to DM there after commenting on this post.
Recent wants/additions: Want: Praey for the gods, Batora: Lost Haven, Dreamscaper, Syberia the world before, Dorf Romantik, Creaks, The Last Campfire, Monument valley 1 & 2, Darq Complete
Have: Doom Eternal, Jurassic World Evo 2

My games list (all steam keys unless stated otherwise):

​
112 Operator x2
911 Operator
Amnesia Rebirth
Amnesia: The Dark Descent + Amnesia A Machine For Pigs
Atomicrops
Back 4 Blood EU Region Lock
Between the Stars
Beyond the wire x2
Book Of Demons
Boreal Blade
Broken Age
Call of The Sea
Car Mechanic Simulator 2018
Cities Skylines After Dark DLC ONLY
Cities in Motion
Cities in Motion 2
CorridorZ
Crying Suns
DV: Rings of Saturn
Dead by Daylight
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
DOOM Eternal
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland The Magic Revival
Due Process
Dungeon of the Endless
EarthX
Eldritch Box DLC for Dagon (free game)
Emily is Away <3
Endless Space 2
Endzone - A World Apart
Evoland Legendary Edition
Fun with Ragdolls: The Game
Fury Unleashed
GRID Ultimate Edition
GameGuru Classic
Garage Bad Trip
Gas Station Simulator
Gears 5
Gloria Victis
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
Greak: Memories of Azur
Gremlins, Inc.
Hell let loose
Hexologic
Hotshot Racing
I am fish
Impact Winter (Delisted)
Imperator: Rome Deluxe Edition
Iron Danger
John Wick Hex
Jurassic World Evolution 2
Kerbal Space Program
Kingdom Two Crowns
Lacuna - A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure x2
Last Oasis
Lawn Mowing Simulator
Legend of Keepers
Liberated (GOG Key)
Little Nightmares
Lust for Darkness
Main Assembly
Max Payne 3 (Rockstar launcher key)
Mega Man Legacy Collection
Metro Exodus
Midnight Protocol
Milky Way Prince - The Vampire Star
Mobius Front 83
Monaco
Mordhau x2
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021
NecroWorm
Neverout
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
PGA Tour 2K21 EU/NA
Panzer Paladin
Partisans 1941
Paw Paw Paw
Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
Pesterquest
Phoenix Point Y1 Edition
Pikuniku
Pixplode
Popup Dungeon
Post Void
Project Winter
Quantum Break
RPG Maker VX
Radio Commander
Rebel Cops
Remothered: Broken Porcelain
Ring of Pain
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam + 2 DLCs
Rover Mechanic Simulator
Rustler
Ryse: Son of Rome
S.W.I.N.E HD Remaster
SONG OF HORROR COMPLETE EDITION
SUPERHOT
SYSTEM SHOCK: ENHANCED EDITION
Say No! More
Scribblenauts
Unlimited
Secret Neighbor
Shing!
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Slay the Spire
Slinger VR
Sniper Elite
Sniper Elite V2 - Delisted for remaster
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts
Soulblight
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Star Wars Squadrons (Origin)
Starbound
Struggling
SuperHot Mind Control Delete
Supraland
Syberia 3
Tacoma
Tangledeep Soundtrack only
Telefrag VR
theHunter: Call of the Wild
The Amazing American Circus
The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines
The Dwarves
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
The Wild Eight
This War of Mine
Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove
Tools Up
Tooth and Tail
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Vagante
Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York
WARSAW
WWE 2K Battlegrounds
Wanderlust: Travel Stories (GOG Key)
Wandersong
Wargroove
Warhammer: Chaosbane
We Are Alright
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest
West of Dead
Wingspan
Worms Rumble
X-Morph: Defense + DLCs
Yoku's Island Express
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
​

Wantlist from previous bundles/monthlies (Most games here are not high priority):

Steam wishlist games (kinda filtered the top 50 to ones i want, will trade for many games though) https://store.steampowered.com/wishlist/id/IOpenedPandorasBox/#sort=order
Dorf Romantik
Creaks
The Last Campfire
Monument valleyy 1 & 2
Darq Complete
Praey for the gods
Batora: Lost Haven
Dreamscaper
Syberia the world before
Fobia st dinfna
Shady part of me
ZERO Sievert
Surroundead
Chernobylite
Lens Island
Kitaria Fables
Serin Fate
Yonder Cloud Catcher Chronicles8
Shady part of me (maybe want an extra copy, have one from choice)
Submerged: Hidden depths
Deathloop
Monster Train
Disciples Liberation
Dark Pictures Anth Little Hope
Maid of Sker
Industria
Devil May Cry 5
Pine
Desperados III
Wartile
Nier Automata
Beyond Two Souls
Miscreated
Splasher
Elder Scrolls Online
Dead rising 2
Seasons after fall
Worms WMD
Pillars of Eternity
Tiny Echo
The Turing Test
Hopiko
Poly Bridge
Abzu
Gang Beasts
Cloud Gardens
Nuclear Throne
TABS

My SGS Flair.
Selling picks in bundles from May 2023 to January 2020, and keys from December 2019. Just make an offer and we'll go from there! I'll look into offers, but do prefer Paypal. I will also gladly part with many of these keys for **cheap**.
Extra games:
- Boundless
- Train Valley 2
May 2023 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters
- Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
- Bendy and the Dark Revival
- Operation: Tango
- Windjammers 2
- Builder Simulator
- Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
- The Invisible Hand
April 2023 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Death Stranding Director's Cut
- Aliens: Fireteam Elite
- Rollerdrome
- Life is Strange 2: Complete Season
- The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
- Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
- Revita
- Founder's Fortune
March 2023 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Edge of Eternity
- Hero's Hour
- Rogue Lords
- Demon Turf
- Golden Light
- Monster Crown
February 2023 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
- Shady Part of Me
- Scourgebringer
- Fobia - St. Difina Hotel
- Five Dates
January 2023 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- ENCASED
- Olliolli World: Rad Edition
- Grow: Song of the Evertree
- Conan Chop Chop
- Hokko Life
- The Serpent Rogue
December 2022 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Wasteland 3
- Greedfall
- First Class Trouble
- Backbone
- TOEM
- Where The Water Tastes Like Wine
- Blade Assault
- Super Magbot
November 2022 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice
- Roboquest
- Eldest Souls
- Unmetal
- Raji: An Ancient Epic
- Morbid: The Seven Acolytes
October 2022 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- Maid of Sker
- Epic Chef
- Railroad Corporation
- Golf Gang
September 2022 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos
- Crown Trick- Industria
- Shapez + Puzzle DLC
August 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- In Sound Mind
- Mind Scanners
- Emily is away <3
- OMNO
July 2022 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Legion TD 2
- Legend of Keepers
- Lawn Mowing Simulator
- Banners of Ruin
- Yes, Your Grace
- ATOM RPG Trudograd
June 2022 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Star Wars Squadrons
- Call of the Sea
- Gamedec
- Siege Survival: Gloria Victis
- I Am Fish
May 2022 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
- Spellcaster University
- Surviving The Aftermath
- Genesis Noir
- Embr
April 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- Ghostrunner
- Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
- Chicken Police
- Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
March 2022 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
- Red Solstice 2: Survivors
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Police Stories
- Evan's Remains
February 2022 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- Black Book
- Just Die Already
- Paradise Lost
- Everhood- Calico
January 2022 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Rebel Cops
- Rustler
- Farmer's Dynasty
- Between The Stars
- Retrowave
December 2021 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Mordhau
- The Survivalists
- Lacuna
- 8 Doors
- Fling to the Finish
- Tohu
- Voidigo
November 2021 Humble Choice: 2 picks remaining
- Due Process
- SimpleRockets 2
October 2021 Humble Choice: 11 picks remaining
- Katana Zero
- Amnesia: Rebirth
- John Wick hex
- 112 Operator
- Guts and Glory
- Ring of Pain
- Garage: Bad Trip
- The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
- Tools Up
- Hiveswap Friendsim
- Syberia 3
September 2021 Humble Choice: 4 picks remaining
- Roki
- Narita Boy
- Swag and Sorcery
- Fort Triumph
- Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
August 2021 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Out of Space
- We Need to go Deeper
- Carto
- As Far As The Eye
- Drake Hollow
- Blue Fire
- Encodya
July 2021 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Hammerting
- Nimbatus - The Space Drone Constructor
- Paradise Killer
- Kill it with Fire
- Bee Simulator
- S.W.I.N.E. HD Remaster
- Deadly Days
- ADOM (Ancient Domains of Mystery)
June 2021 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
- Worms Rumble + Legends pack DLC
- Going Under
- Panzer Paladin
- Desolate
- Paw Paw Paw
- Effie
- Disjunction (GOG only)
May 2021 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Hellpoint
- Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3
- Levelhead
- Fury Unleashed
- Size Matters
- Retimed
- Family Man
- Vane
April 2021 Humble Choice: 9 picks remaining
- Shenmue III
- Main Assembly
- Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break
- Remothered: Broken Porcelain
- Aven Colony
- Simulacra + Simulacra 2
- Colt Canyon
- Skully
- Popup Dungeon
March 2021 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- XCOM: Chimera Squad
- WWE 2K Battlegrounds
- Hotshot Racing
- Peaky Blinders: Mastermind
- Cyber Hook
- Pesterquest
- Wildfire
- Boreal Blade
- Ageless
January 2021 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- Pathologic 2
- Warhammer: Chaosbane
- Total Tank Simulator
- Song of Horror Complete Edition
- Not Tonight
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York
- Minoria
- Deleveled
December 2020 Humble Choice: 8 picks remaining
- The Beast Inside
- Indivisible
- Shining Resonance Refrain
- Zwei: The Arges Adventure
- Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection
- Tabletop Playground
- The Haunted Island, A Frog Detective Game
- Struggling
November 2020 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Smile for Me
- Tsioque
- Rover Mechanic Simulator
- Youropa
- Townsmen - a Kingdom Rebuilt
May 2020 Humble Choice: 3 picks remaining
- Rise of Industry
- Niche - a genetics survival game
- Warsaw
- Heave Ho
- Mo:Astray
- Chess Ultra
- Horace
April 2020 Humble Choice: 6 picks remaining
- Opus Magnum
- Raiden V: Directors Cut
- Driftland: The Magic Revival
- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
- Truberbrook
- The Bard's Tale 4: Directors Cut
- Shoppe Keep 2
- Capitalism 2
March 2020 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Battle Chasers: Night War
- Exapunks
- Turok
- Nifelheim
- AI War 2
- Etherborn
February 2020 Humble Choice: 5 picks remaining
- Book of Demons
- Cryofall
- Shenzhen I/O
- The Hex
- Warstone TD
- Night Call
January 2020 Humble Choice: 1 choices remaining
- Whispers of a Machine
- Mages of Mystralia
- Grip + 1 DLC
December 2019 Humble Choice: Keys
- Phantom Doctrine
- Dead in Vinland
- X-Morph: Defense
December 2019 Humble Monthly Bundle: Keys
- Regular Human Basketball